Arch Daily |
- Rest Area Niemenharju / Studio Puisto Architects
- ETIE / François Martens + Edouard Brunet
- Winter Cabin on Mount Kanin / OFIS arhitekti
- Wheat Youth Arts Hotel / X+Living
- Indigo Slam / Smart Design Studio
- Office in Sendagaya / Yoshi Kishida/2001
- Assembly Apartments / Woods Bagot
- The 2017 Moriyama RAIC International Prize for Excellence in Architecture is Now Accepting Submissions
- New Science Building / Sheppard Robson
- UNStudio Envisions New Transportation Hub and Development in Amsterdam
- Linear Cabin / Johnsen Schmaling Architects
- Herzog & de Meuron Wins Competition for Royal College of Art Center
- Casa La Quimera / Carlos Torres Alcalde
- The Next Great Public Spaces Will Be Indoors. Are Architects Prepared?
- 1200 Intrepid / Bjarke Ingels Group
- TheatreSquared Reveals Designs for Permanent Facility
- Residential Clusters Unveiled for Moscow's New Silicon Valley
- Wehrhahn-Line Düsseldorf / netzwerkarchitekten
Rest Area Niemenharju / Studio Puisto Architects Posted: 10 Nov 2016 09:00 PM PST
From the architect. Rest Area Niemenharju is located on European highway E75 which runs from Greece in the south to North Cape all the way in the North of Europe. After a long drive, it's a perfect place to stop for the night and take in the natural environment. The Rest Area is located on a beautiful spot next to a large pond and a ridge (in Finnish harju, hence the name) bordering lake Kolima, which is a remnant from the ice age. The Rest Area takes its inspiration from the surrounding nature. It offers a break from driving, with beautiful, unobstructed views to the water. The Main Building, a buffer between traffic and nature, is comprised of 24 treelike columns placed on an 8m x 8m grid. The columns give visitors the feeling of being in a forest. They carry a huge canopy that curves upwards towards the road as if to catch the attention of the passing motorists. The canopy provides shelter for both the fueling area and the pedestrian area around the building. All supporting functions are placed in black boxes under and on top of the canopy so they seem to disappear against the dark backdrop of the forest. The columns are made of glued laminated timber sourced from local wood. CLT (cross laminated timber) walls in the interior enhance the natural atmosphere and bring a sense calm to the place, not typically found in a rest stop. On the second floor are 10 hotel rooms with views towards the lake and a sauna area to relax and recharge one's batteries. The camping area is used during the summer months and comprises of 5 cabins, a service building and 42 camping spots. The camping area is in close relation to the pond. Most of the camping spots have a view towards the shore and from the saunas in the service building one can make a refreshing dip in the water. The architecture of the buildings on the campsite take their inspiration from the vernacular buildings that were already on there. The new buildings are stained black so as to blend into nature. This also helps the original buildings stand out. Rest Area Niemenharju is not your typical service station. It offers a retreat from traffic and a peaceful environment to enjoy the surroundings, local food and a good night sleep. All of this is achieved through structural wooden architecture that is innovative, out of the ordinary and sustainable. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
ETIE / François Martens + Edouard Brunet Posted: 10 Nov 2016 07:00 PM PST
Attracted by the large garden and the tranquil environment of this house located a few kilometres away from Brussels, the new owners wished to carry out works to make it brighter and to open it up on the outside. As they were ambivalent about the aesthetics of the existing house, part of the project was also to redesign the architectural expression, outside as well as inside, while keeping the original spirit. One of the childhood friends of the new owner put him in contact with architect François Martens who asked his colleague Edouard Brunet to team up with him. With its rather old-fashioned architecture, the house is characterized by a visually heavy slate roof. Over the years, the artificial black slates gradually took a pink hue which is not in harmony with the bricks of the ground floor. The eaves, the size of the windows and the materials make for a particularly dark interior which lacks opening on the large tree-filled garden. Architectural principles In order to respect the existing architecture, the two architects deliberately chose to make sure their works would be clearly identifiable. To achieve this, each new opening was highlighted by a black frame that extends from the inside to the outside. They act as frames for the environment of the house. Slates and the roof insulation have been replaced while maintaining the shape of the distinctive roof. The interior set up was modified with a kitchen in contact with the terrace and a room made available in the basement via a new staircase on the rear of the house. A new extension open on the garden and natural light This also reinforces the great visual axes that accentuate the feeling of open space through new perspectives, including that going from the front door to the garden. Thanks to a specific technical detail, the sliding frames of the extension go up beyond the ceiling, allowing to see the sky and the treetops from the living rooms. Large windows to track the sun's path The façade being rather closed, the lobby and upstairs hallway were relatively dark. To overcome this, the architects suggested to set up a new roof window above the lobby. This allows to open a view from the upstairs hallway but also to bring light to the lobby through the glazed ground. This also creates a fun visual link between the two levels and divide them both in terms of acoustics and temperatures. The level of details into which the architects went to set up the new roof window make it look like it was gently placed on the roof. Materiality serving architecture principles The choice of a matte and textured black for the new openings is also part of the reflexion of the architects on materiality. In contrast with the sand-coloured bricks and slates, the overall is harmonious and elegant. The owners' choice for interior materials with similar colours to those of the facades give a coherence to the inside as well as the outside. Conclusion This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Winter Cabin on Mount Kanin / OFIS arhitekti Posted: 10 Nov 2016 06:00 PM PST
From the architect. The challenge is to install real objects, shelters in 1:1 on remote sites and study their response to extreme weather, radical temperature shifts, snow and rugged terrain. The harsh conditions of wind, snow, landslides, terrain, and weather require a response of specific architectural forms, structures and concept. The site is accessible only by climbing or helicopter – the modules and loads are prepared according to the maximum weight and equilibrium limits. Its position within the wilderness requires respect of natural resources ensuring the shelter stability while having a minimal impact on the ground. Kanin is a mountain above a small town, Bovec, with beautiful resorts around the valley. The area is also important due to battles that took place during the World War I. Soldiers were fighting along the Isonzo front and many remains of the battle can still be found in the area. In collaboration with Slovenian mountaineer association and PD Bovec, this particular site was chosen because of its 360-degree views over Slovenia and Italy, and spectacular views to Triglav, Soca Valley and Adriatic sea. It will become a destination for hikers, climbers, cavers, mountaineers, nature lovers and romantics. Weather conditions are very harsh, especially during the winter. Snow cover lasts more than half of year. Concept The cabin settlement and transportation was an extremely difficult task. It was realized by the Slovene Armed Forces helicopter crew. Bad weather and unexpected turbulences lead to the cabin being placed and fixed on site at the third attempt. However, the challenge of the project is to gain new knowledge through unexpected weather conditions. Winter cabin has been fully implemented with donations, also the setup resulted a lot of hard working volunteer hours.
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Wheat Youth Arts Hotel / X+Living Posted: 10 Nov 2016 02:00 PM PST
From the architect. Hangzhou, a city enjoys a long history, modern civilization and striking features. How could it be possible missing a starting point that makes tourists excited about the trip to Hangzhou even when booking hotel on Ctrip. Target customers of Wheat Youth Arts Hotel are young people or people who think they are still young. The goal is to design a hotel which itself will flirt with tourists, and a place welcomes tourists to tease at each other. The hotel is located in Binjiang District, Hangzhou, and within the trade area of Avenue of Stars. The entry is not eye-catching and it is inside a shopping mall; it is on the 7th floor. Upon approaching, two simple words "Mai Jian (Wheat)" could be seen on the small, simple and white door of the hotel. The designer creates a small lobby at the door; guests need to go through the small lobby when they see the name of the hotel, and then they will arrive at the hall. At the end of the small lobby, instead of using decorations like traditional pictures and work of art, it is a vertical display of all necessary supplies for hotel guest room. All the items are painted into white and sealed with glass to form a showcase. At the exterior side of the glass, it is the word "hallo" in orange-yellow. It makes people feel like that all items in the guest room are gathering here to welcome future guests. Entering the the lobby, the space looks like a study and a living room. Book shelves are against four walls, the white wall and glass folded-paper styled partition separate the resting area from the book shelves. The big dog in front of the bar is like a hospitable steward who welcomes the guests on behalf of the host, and the chain fastens him has become a queue line. The designer uses Chinese checkers to describe people, so he decorates a map of the world on one of the walls using Chinese checkers, which carries a message that the hotel welcomes friends from all over the world to gather here. Also the designer uses Chinese checkers to represent the service personnel of the hotel, thus Chinese checkers - like stools are designed. Sitting on them, makes guests feel like being served. The design of the corridor is concise but powerful and is winding forward. There are paintings and graffiti on every corner of the corridor and part of the ceiling is decorated with colored Chinese checkers, which is as sweet as skittles. The designer uses music, painting and reading which are loved by people in our daily life to decorate the whole atmosphere of the hotel. There is piano in the corridor of every floor, this allows guests to amuse themselves and share the charm of music and take music as a tool of silent communication between strangers. The easel next to the window is specially designed for guests, the designer hopes every guest could leave some cherished moments. The TV is blocked by a huge painting which is slidable and with greetings on it. The designer wants to use simple furniture to present a concise space. The function and aesthetics of desk, bed and clothes hanger combines with each other smartly. When the sun falls, guests could come to the coffee shop of the hotel to enjoy their leisure time. On the ceiling, seven small figures fall from the sky carrying parachutes. Flying is the most graceful posture to embrace the world, the designer believes. Hallo! How is going today! Very happy to see you! What's up man! And the greeting said by hotel stuffs humorously in which they use Chinese pronunciation "Beng Zhu" to express the French word "Bonjour". A sense of caring and communication could be felt everywhere, personified words are appeared in wherever in sight to interact with guests. This is a hotel who says hello to guests with walls, a hotel looks like a gallery, a hotel that is willing to accompany you, and a hotel that makes you willing to sing a song or draw a painting for others. This is Wheat Youth Arts Hotel! This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Indigo Slam / Smart Design Studio Posted: 10 Nov 2016 12:00 PM PST
From the architect. A piece of sculpture to be lived in, this exciting project fronts newly-built Central Park in Sydney's Chippendale and creates an inspiring residence for an art collector. Behind a façade of sculpted concrete, serene living spaces and monumental halls create a dynamic spatial interplay of spare interiors in which the main decorative element is light. The concrete façade of Indigo Slam is alive to the changes wrought by light, shade, sun and cloud, providing the new urban park across the road with a lively backdrop to public life. Approaching from O'Connor Street, a patterned steel screen opens to lead the visitor into a generous coved vestibule. From here, the space compresses to a low and narrow corridor before suddenly opening to a cavernous stair hall lit from concealed roof lights overhead. This room is a space unique in Australian residential architecture – grand and austere in its size and sparseness, but inviting and exciting as it leads one upwards through the building. As a counterpoint to this dramatic spatial sequence, the living areas leading off it are informal and intimate. Bedroom suites occupy the first floor, overlooking the public park to the north. The curves and planes of the façade here act as screens to provide privacy and shade for the occupants. On the second floor, sitting and dining rooms overlook the park. A sky-lit kitchen and study look back into the building, creating views across the stair hall. To the south, a small garden flat and three car garage address Dick Street. Spaces are large but not ostentatious. Internal finishes are modest and pared-back: floors are brick-paved, walls are set render, fittings are simple. The brief was for Indigo Slam to last 100 years. Materials are selected to wear and endure and fittings to last, with operable elements mechanically rather than digitally operated. These include oversized vertical timber blinds that turn and retract by means of hanging chains and awning windows operated by geared winders. The brass armatures for these moving parts lend a finely grained detail to the interior and to the steel, glass and concrete of the building façade. The project aspires to an exemplary level of environmentally sustainable design with natural lighting, cross-ventilation, rainwater harvesting and adherence to passive solar design principles reducing the energy and water load of the building. Geothermal heating and cooling have also been incorporated into the design and solar hot water and photovoltaic cells populate the roof. Indigo Slam represents a rare opportunity to add a large residence of substantial quality and architectural merit to the diverse neighbourhood of Chippendale, and participate in the reinvigoration this part of Sydney as a place of architectural and cultural interest. Product Description. To explore an innovative new way of designing the skin of a building, a language of cutting, folding and stitching together was established; something once flat is made three dimensional and something once blank creates and enfolds space. The sculpted façades of Indigo Slam became alive to the changes wrought by light, shade, sun and cloud. The curves and creases of the concrete façade fold, open or close, concealing and revealing, to create privacy, open to the light, form a balcony or maintain outlook as the rooms demand. The plasticity of concrete was essential to creating the forms of the façade and the texture and colour of the white concrete provide the new urban park across the road with a lively backdrop to public life. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Office in Sendagaya / Yoshi Kishida/2001 Posted: 10 Nov 2016 11:00 AM PST
The project is a renovation of two rooms of 50-year-old rein forced concrete apartment building for renting offices. What is needed to a renting office in this times when anyone easily access to property information and have a comparative review, that is office space is available environment for a diversified work styles and business model. Then, We planned a hypothetical ceiling that flexibly correspond to a borrower by turning vinyl cable that is usually intertwined complicatedly into a grid form with backing materials for construction of suspended ceiling, such as threaded rods and ceiling joints. The function necessary for a office space is storage to the ceiling, and let the floor free to tolerate any office environment and the things that it belong to there. Furthermore, We put other new things carefully to adjust the contrast of the space for that the space acquires a specific characters of renovation. The area that is usually invisible from a skeleton to a ceiling is given a resolution, and appears a kind of homogeneity. We handle the specific character as the open environment, which support the office space. The space obtains "Ambiguous border / The various flow lines and contact point / A free layout" and create scenery like no one has ever seen. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Assembly Apartments / Woods Bagot Posted: 10 Nov 2016 09:00 AM PST
From the architect. Designed by global architecture and consulting practice Woods Bagot, the Assembly apartments on the corner of Capel and Queensberry Streets draws on North Melbourne's architectural vernacular and DNA. The starting point for Assembly came from the many saw-tooth roofed factory buildings in the neighbourhood The area, primarily made up of low-rise buildings and sculptural roof pitches, offered Woods Bagot the opportunity to create a design which 'carved into the block', delivering four separate buildings with a warehouse-inspired aesthetic. Working with Cbus Property, a developer synonymous with high-end luxury residential developments, Woods Bagot has conceived an assemblage of individual buildings to create a village-like environment featuring pedestrian laneways and a central courtyard. Through the crafting of raw, earthen materials, the individuality of each building is expressed via the use of metal and zinc cladding, producing a light-industrial aesthetic with a strong contemporary edge. Woods Bagot Principal and lead designer Peter Miglis said each apartment offered a level of intimacy and privacy as a result of splitting the site into four buildings. "Carefully considered elements and details were brought together; from the walls, cladding and window reveals to the ceilings: the design provides a sensitive human scale for residential living," "Intimacy and privacy is often ignored in typical apartment projects; by carving up the mass the design encourages good cross ventilation as well as abundant natural light." Exposed concrete ceilings complement rich timber floors, while the open plan kitchen and living areas are loosely defined by ceiling shifts. The finishes used on the balconies extend the periphery of living areas, blurring the division between indoors and out. Streamlined joinery ensures a pared-back contemporary aesthetic while a refined materials and colour palette comprising exposed concrete and porcelain tiles creates a simple canvas for bespoke bathroom fittings. The windows and balconies are expressed as a series of punctuated openings within each apartment working to provide framed views towards the Melbourne CBD and surrounds. Drawing on the archetypal architecture of the area, Miglis said Assembly featured a series of laneways to ensure the buildings are permeable. "With this development we were able to divide the built form to create a more human scale environment, focused on community and a connection to nature." Peter Miglis A European-style courtyard at ground level creates a protective and private space for residents year round. while the roof terrace provides an extension of the residents' living rooms overlooking the local neighbourhood and city vista beyond. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Posted: 10 Nov 2016 08:00 AM PST Founded by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) and the Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama, the $100,000 prize was created in 2014 to raise the international stature of the RAIC and the Canadian architectural profession, and to encourage Canadian architects to aspire to international excellence. The prize is open to international architects, architectural firms, or collaborations for an outstanding building or project that is judged to be transformative within its societal context and expressive of the humanistic values of justice, respect, equality and inclusiveness. The winner is selected in an open, juried competition. An international jury of experts will consider a range of criteria in the evaluation of submissions and intends to include site visits to shortlisted projects in the search for a work of architecture that is inspired as well as inspiring. In 2014, the inaugural winner of the Moriyama RAIC International Prize was Li Xiaodong, of China. "Winning this award has brought me honor, international recognition and greater credibility and support for my approach to architecture," says Li, who will sit on the 2017 jury. "It's a very important Prize for me because it encourages meaningful ideas and is one of the few international Prizes that sends jury members to visit the finalist buildings," says Li. "The definition of the Prize is also very special: how one single project can contribute to the human environment. The architectural culture of Canada is positive and eager to make a difference," he adds. "I'm excited to take part in the jury and thank the RAIC for this opportunity." The members of the 2017 Moriyama RAIC International Prize jury are:
All submissions are due on March 8, 2017. For more information on the 2017 Moriyama RAIC International Prize and how to submit your application, please visit: https://moriyama.raic.org Download the information related to this competition here.
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New Science Building / Sheppard Robson Posted: 10 Nov 2016 07:00 AM PST
From the architect. Work is complete on the 9,000m2 Sheppard Robson-designed New Science Building, which occupies a prominent site at the heart of the University of Hertfordshire's College Lane Campus, Hatfield. A major element of the university's 2020 Vision, the building has been designed as a simple orthogonal structure that is derived from the cellular grid of the flexible laboratory spaces within. Whilst optimised internally, the external envelope has been carefully finessed and tuned to signal the arrival of a major new facility at the university: a distinctive cladding system animates the building, whilst also helping the structure achieve BREEAM Excellent. Cutaways from the regular shape of the building work to articulate the position of the entrance and this key access point is further emphasised by a high-level terrace above. This main entrance will align with a new prominent route through the campus, with a new vista visually connecting the building with a major new student residential development and new public space. The entrance and outdoor terrace are also punctuated by a copper mesh that is encased in glass; this maintains the rich colour of the material which creates a dialogue with the patinated copper-coloured cladding that characterises the exterior of the building. A feeling of robustness and quality also runs through the internal spaces. The building's main atrium has large expanses of exposed concrete, with drama added to the main circulation space – which includes a café – through a steel cantilevered staircase. Tony Poole, Partner at Sheppard Robson, said: "The building had to do more than provide technically excellent and controlled spaces within a box. We wanted the architectural language to be a beacon for the University's ambitions, with a finely tuned and bold response that did not comprise on efficiency." Product Description. Fins – made from expanded aluminium mesh – wrap around the three solar exposed elevations of the five-storey building and act as a veil, unifying the architectural form of the structure. The regular, vertical elements allow the internal spaces to be easily and flexibly reconfigured, whilst also covering the extensive plant on the upper floor, which is required for creating the carefully controlled internal spaces required. The façade design boosts the sustainable credentials of the project by providing solar shading whilst allowing natural light to penetrate through into the deep floorplates. Further animating the façade, the fins change direction depending on the type of internal space, with the lab areas ranging from 300m2 teaching spaces to more focused, specialist environments. This is a subtle variation, but when the building is viewed in bright conditions or illuminated at night, it brings a richness of depth and variation to the façade. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
UNStudio Envisions New Transportation Hub and Development in Amsterdam Posted: 10 Nov 2016 06:10 AM PST Ben van Berkel and UNStudio have collaborated with a multidisciplinary team including Goudappel Coffeng (mobility consultants), GeoPhy (data specialists) and 2getthere (automated transit systems) to produce a study examining the future of infrastructure and city development for the area around Amsterdam's A10 ring road and the Leylaan district. Proposals resulting from the study comprise a new multimodal transportation hub located at the intersection of Cornelis Lelyaan and the A10, and new urban districts flanking the highway that will link to adjacent neighborhoods while provided a much needed new address in Amsterdam. Currently, the A10 ring road acts as a barrier between the inner and outer cities, and has rendered adjacent sites as uninhabitable and vacant. As a result, the study was commissioned by The Royal Institute of Dutch Architects (BNA), in consultation with the Rijkswaterstraat and Amsterdam City Council, to discover potential strategies for revitalizing the district through an improved infrastructural system. The result of the study shows solutions that "reconcile the disparate nature of the highway and the city through the injection of new programmes and amenities," and reconnect to surrounding neighborhoods through increased accessibility. The envisioned transportation hub will serve as a modal change point that will allow users to transition between different forms of transportation: from private vehicles to public transport; gas engined vehicles to electric mobility; or from driving to walking and cycling. The hub will also serve as a stop for Amsterdam's new CityPods system, an alternative to mass-public transport that provides a direct connection to the city center. Inside the hub, restaurants and retail will be featured to activate the space and make the district a destination. The hub will also contain a charging station for electric vehicles that could double as an energy supply center for surrounding neighborhoods during peak hours. "We are currently transitioning into an age of on-demand transportation, where in the near future different modes of transport will be blended according to need, environmental impact, rush hour direction, traffic jams and other parameters," explain UNStudio in a press release. "With traffic speed on the A10 reduced considerably, traffic volumes managed through innovative solutions such as flexible lanes and the implementation of new road surface and car technology that reduce air and noise pollution, habitation on the A10 will become desirable." The new urban developments will be organized into five new areas around the transportation hub, providing 8,400 new residential units within a total built area of 750,000 square meters. These developments could be built in phases, which would allow construction on the project to begin immediately while leaving room to adapt to future market fluctuations. Complementing the new residential areas, the Amsterdam A10 proposal includes the introduction of new "human-centric urban environments." "With underground and above ground connections there will no longer be a prevailing concept of the inner/outer ring," explain the architects. "The proposal is premised on streets and pathways that favour pedestrians, a density of people and buildings that create liveliness and a mix of uses and provision of amenities with a robust network of public spaces that allow for a strong social infrastructure and job creation opportunities." News via UNStudio. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Linear Cabin / Johnsen Schmaling Architects Posted: 10 Nov 2016 05:00 AM PST
The Linear Cabin is a small, unassuming family retreat, its long, low-slung body sitting on top of a steep bluff overlooking Alma Lake in the sparsely populated Northwoods region of Wisconsin. A narrow gravel road weaves through the forest and leads to a small clearing, where the simple, 900-square-foot bar building marks the threshold between the densely wooded plateau and the lake bluff beyond. With its simple plan, restrained use of materials, and precise detailing, the Linear Cabin continues Wisconsin's rich legacy of cabin architecture – an unapologetically contemporary building that echoes the elegant clarity and rustic warmth of its typological predecessors while carefully avoiding bucolic sentimentality. The cabin is organized as a series of three identically sized, nearly opaque boxes separated by spatial voids, all tied together with a continuous, thin roof plane that spans the entire length of the building. The storage box offers space for canoes, tools, and logging equipment; the service box contains the cabin infrastructure, including entry, kitchen, bathroom, laundry, and boiler room; and the sleeping box houses two bunk rooms. The void between storage and service boxes is unenclosed, framing views from the clearing toward the lake and offering a covered spot for a vehicle when needed. The void between service and sleeping boxes functions as the hearth room, the center of the cabin anchored by a wood-burning stove. The 15' wide lift-slide glass doors bracketing the hearth room serve as picture frames, allowing for unobstructed views through the building from the outside and into the sylvan landscape from within. The cabin's discreet material palette is based on regionally sourced materials, including a variety of timber products harvested in Wisconsin's vast northern forests. The opaque boxes are clad with blackened pine planks, their somber darkness echoing the weathered monochrome of traditional Wisconsin cabins. Varnished cedar accentuates the continuous horizontal reveal between the building boxes and the roof plane and acts as a recessed, vertical buffer as the roof folds down at the north end of the house. Inside, walls and ceilings are clad in knotty pine, its inherent rusticity tempered by the crisply detailed joinery and the simple lines of the light-grey, lacquered millwork throughout. A polished dark-grey concrete floor completes the interior palette, providing a sufficiently durable surface against the periodic abuse from dogs, snow shoes, and ski boots. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Herzog & de Meuron Wins Competition for Royal College of Art Center Posted: 10 Nov 2016 03:15 AM PST The Royal College of Art (RCA) has announced that Herzog & de Meuron has been selected as the winner of a competition to design a strategic approach for the center at its new £108m Battersea South campus. Beating out runner-up practices Christian Kerez (Switzerland), Diller Scofidio + Renfro (US), Lacaton & Vassal (France), Robbrecht en Daem architecten (Belgium), Serie Architects (UK/Singapore) and Studio Gang (US), the winning proposal was lauded for its "strong engagement with the existing College buildings and wider surroundings in Battersea." The jury for the competition noted that Herzog & de Meuron's approach exhibited "a deep understanding of the potential for Battersea, making new connections and foreseeing the possibilities for sustainable place-making," while provided a concept with "a clear organisational structure and showed an acute sensibility in mapping the complex objectives in the brief." The project aligns with the RCA's recent initiative to transform into a STEAM-focused graduate university (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics/Medicine), which will focus on contemporary fields such as computer and materials science, the impact of the digital economy, robotics, sustainability, advanced manufacturing, intelligent mobility, mass migration and city design. 'We took our inspiration from the RCA ethos of experiment and making to explore the possibilities of spatial organisation, and to test the physical expression of bringing together theworlds of science, art, design and technology under one roof,' said Ascan Mergenthaler, Senior Partner, Herzog & de Meuron. Organized by Malcolm Reading Consultants, the competition features a competitive selection model that saw a total of ninety-seven expressions of interest from practices around the world. 'We are delighted to win the competition," said Pierre de Meuron. "The RCA set a challenging brief to look forward and visualise the spaces they will need to deliver innovation and expertise. The Battersea site offers an opportunity to rethink the RCA campus and establish the patterns of connectivity and organisation that will make a successful building.' The Royal College of Art will now collaborate with Herzog & de Meuron and Mott MacDonald & Equals Consulting, who are leading the multidisciplinary professional team, to develop initial concept designs. News via Malcolm Reading Consultants. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Casa La Quimera / Carlos Torres Alcalde Posted: 10 Nov 2016 03:00 AM PST
From the architect. The ordered is a second home in Coyhaique, Chilean Patagonia, located on the River Simpson, on the outskirts of the city, 1.5 km from the city center. The program includes a large space containing the main living room, open kitchen, 6 cabins on site, one guest bathroom and a suite room. The second level contains a wide open floor plan with access to a balcony. Architecture, has its origins in traditional constructions southern end of Chile, which aims to support a hostile climate in winter, with snow, rain and cold almost all year. For these conditions and the material to be used, it was decided to raise the house to separate the field. On the other hand, a budget bounded coupled with a scarce labor and basic technology, led to pose a simple type design wooden shed, to build without special construction details, all based on local pine wood, interior completions grooved plywood boards and covered with zinc. The volume comes from access hermetically coated by the same cover material (zinc plates) and opens fully to the views dominating over the river and the Mackay hill with a large terrace plank. The interior is completely made of wood and the house is assembled from a large table that also serves as a rest inside the staircase and in the terrace as a second dining room. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Next Great Public Spaces Will Be Indoors. Are Architects Prepared? Posted: 10 Nov 2016 01:30 AM PST This article by Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, the cofounder of Snøhetta, was originally published by Metropolis Magazine as "Opinion: The Next Great Public Spaces Will Be Indoors." Maybe with the sole exception of railway stations, public space is generally understood as outdoor space. Whether in the United States or in Europe, especially now with heightened concerns around security, there seems to be this determined way of privatizing everything that is indoors, even as we are increasingly aiming to improve access to public space outdoors. But in the layered systems of our cities of the future, we will need to focus on the public spaces that are found inside buildings—and make them accessible. In 1748, Giambattista Nolli made this wonderful map of Rome where he only had two distinctions—what was private and what was public. Whether it was indoor or outdoor, whether there was a church space or a plaza, it didn't really matter. It told a different story of the city. There are some examples from today—the roof of our Oslo Opera House is outdoors, for instance, but it's on the building and publicly accessible. Opening up the Louvre and trying to let people walk through it 24 hours a day—as with the museum's recent takeover by the artist JR—is another way of not making a distinction between indoor and outdoor public space. These kinds of programming decisions are essential to the way new architecture typologies develop, and architects should definitely have influence on them. In certain situations, accessibility to indoor public space is enough. In other situations, you have to define the program for the particular indoor or outdoor spaces to be adequate. To use the example of the roof of the Opera House in Oslo again, it was basically programmed only for one thing, and that's to be walked on, for a promenade. But on occasion, it could be reprogrammed to hold an outdoor concert. Or it could be reprogrammed against the original intention by skaters or by a biker who actually drives his motorbike up and down the roof. Maybe the outdoor can be programmed in such a way that it unlocks the possibility of the public spaces indoors. There's always a bit of urban planning in designing interiors. There's always a bit of interior design in an urban space. There's no question that interior architecture is professionalizing itself as well—interior architects are not seen as decorators of interior space anymore. The same is true of landscape architects. And those are only the traditional design professions. Every architect doesn't need to be trained in every specialized profession, but what is lacking is an overall understanding of how people should collaborate. That's why we've introduced transpositioning as a working method in our office, where you not only sit around tables with a lot of specialists, but you actually swap professions during creative workshops. The only thing that can save the essence of architecture is some kind of collaborative model like this. By adopting this model, both in education and practice, I think we would be better equipped to fully understand the effects of programming. We are usually generalists enough to understand that a change of use is sometimes demanded and that we shouldn't try to desperately hold on to certain kinds of programming. But the profession itself should, in my opinion, really contain that kind of knowledge, simply because it's so tightly connected to the actual design task. How can we change the relationship between buildings and the public unless we're directly involved in programming ourselves? Kjetil Trædal Thorsen is a founding partner at Snøhetta. The firm's recently completed projects include the Ryerson University Student Learning Centre in Toronto and the expansion of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
1200 Intrepid / Bjarke Ingels Group Posted: 10 Nov 2016 01:00 AM PST
From the architect. 1200 Intrepid is a LEED Gold office building shaped by the encounter between Robert Stern's master plan of rectangular city blocks and James Corner's iconic, circular Central Green Park. The building's double curved, pre-cast concrete façade bows inwards to create a generous urban canopy that responds to the 'shock wave' of the park's circular running track, activity pods and planting vignettes - rippling outwards like rings in water to invade the building's footprint. Shaped by the city grid, the cornice and remaining elevations return to the orthogonal design of the Navy Yard's master plan, forming the building's double curve and melding the neighborhood's two dominant forms. Referencing the Navy Yard's maritime history while providing much needed natural light, a functioning periscope penetrates the core of the building, projecting views of the Navy Yard basin into the center of the elevator lobby. Visitors and employees can admire the mothballed ships sitting in the adjacent docks while embracing Central Green Park - connecting the building and its inhabitants to their surroundings. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
TheatreSquared Reveals Designs for Permanent Facility Posted: 10 Nov 2016 12:00 AM PST On November 3, TheatreSquared Executive Director Martin Miller and Artistic Director Robert Ford unveiled the completed plans for the company's new permanent home, a 50,000 square-foot building in Fayetteville, Arkansas designed by London-based theater planners Charcoalblue and New York–based Marvel Architects. The new building will include two theaters, a rehearsal space, staff offices, design workshops, a community space, a 24-hour cafe/bar, three levels of outdoor public space, and a separate building housing eight guest artist apartments.
The theater achieves acoustic isolation with an acoustic envelope composed of board-form concrete, shielding the performance spaces from the noise of downtown Fayetteville. Meanwhile, the assemblage of volumes integrates the theater with its surroundings: the theaters and rehearsal space project out from the building's facade, and the outdoor areas are designed for transparency to the community at large. TheatreSquared is the professional regional theater of Northwestern Arkansas. Named one of the nation's foremost emerging theaters by the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards, TheatreSquared has expanded its audience tenfold in the last five years and now hosts 40,000 visitors annually. In 2015, TheatreSquared was chosen as one of three inaugural beneficiaries of the Walton Family Foundation's Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program, which funds the development of public spaces by renowned architects. Since launching in 2015, the Program has curated a group of 36 architecture and landscape architecture firms to participate in all phases of design projects aimed at elevating the quality of Northwestern Arkansas's built environment while complementing the region's rich architectural history.
News via: TheatreSquared This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Residential Clusters Unveiled for Moscow's New Silicon Valley Posted: 09 Nov 2016 10:00 PM PST In the beginning of 2010, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev announced the creation of a "Silicon Valley for Russia," to be located in a southern suburb of Moscow, that would feature research facilities, university laboratories, start-ups, meeting hubs, and housing. After an international competition in 2011, each of the districts within this larger project was awarded to its own architect. After careful planning, Agence d'Architecture A. Bechu & Associés has unveiled its design for District 11 of the project. Concentrating on ecological housing, this district will contain individual houses dedicated to researchers and their families, under the greater goal of positive social interactions.
Each of the villas will be unique, giving occupants their own identity within the urban ensemble, but will all feature a modular concrete frame, green roof, and use of renewable energy and water recycling. Public functions and common shared services will be located in a central area, in order to create a social link between residents. Learn more about the project here. News via Agence d'Architecture A. Bechu & Associés. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Wehrhahn-Line Düsseldorf / netzwerkarchitekten Posted: 09 Nov 2016 09:00 PM PST
From the architect. The Wehrhahn Line is the largest and most sophisticated recent urban development project in Düsseldorf, reaching its successful conclusion this weekend after 15 years of construction and planning. One highlight of the route is the design of the new U-Bahn tunnel and the six U-Bahn stations. Architecture and art strikingly come together, characterizing impressions of the spaces. The artists also contributed to the remarkable decisions as equal partners from the beginning of planning and have not permitted any advertising spaces in the new stations. The project was implemented by the office of netzwerkarchitekten from Darmstadt together with artist Heike Klussmann, who together in 2001 won the EU-wide architecture competition for all six stations against major international competition. Together they developed the overall concept of a U-Bahn tunnel as an "underground continuum," similar to a giant snake as it slips through the earth, widening at the respective stations before continuing on its path. In contrast to the colored spaces of public space, it features a light relief-like grid structure. The smallest graphic unit of the design is a rhombus generated by the structural joints and constantly varied, resulting in a spatial drawing. The structure of Continuum systematically shrinks or expands resulting in a dynamic spatial effect. The stations are connected via openings to the urban space, each maintaining its own identity while acting as a connection to the city above. The central guidelines for the design of the stations were spaciousness, generous sightlines between platform levels and concourse levels, clarity, easy orientation and allowing as much natural light as possible deep into the stations. During the second competition in 2002, artists Ralf Brög, Ursula Damm, Manuel Franke, Enne Haehnle and Thomas Stricker were selected. Together with the architects each developed a specific design for the access areas of a specific station. Additionally, Heike Klussmann undertook the design of Pempelforter Straße. Kirchplatz Station: "Track X" / Enne Haehnle For the station at Kirchplatz, Enne Haehnle wrote poetic texts and then gave them sculptural life. The lines of text leading passengers down into the subway begin at the three entrances, lead down into the station, intersect there and then accompany the passengers to the tracks. A fourth text scrolls across the central skylight. The lines of writing, forged from steel cables that were then covered with a bright color, can each only be read from certain perspectives owing to their 3D qualities. A game between abstraction and legibility thus unfolds, depending on the passengers' location and angle of vision. Graf Adolf Platz Station: "Achat" / Manuel Franke Manuel Franke has used hundreds of panels of luminous green glass to create an immersive chromatic environment interrupted only by a powerful flow of lines that accompany the passenger from the street, through the concourse and down to the platform. Delicate linear subdivisions alternate with explosive bursts of color. These zestful colors were achieved by way of a specially developed analog process realized by an artistic intervention during manufacturing. Benrather Strasse Station: "Heaven Above, Heaven Below" / Thomas Stricker Through a conceptual inversion of the space surrounding the architecture, Thomas Stricker has brought the universe, with its planets and stars, its tranquility and weightlessness into the underground world of the subway station. In cooperation with netzwerkarchitekten, the interior design of a spaceship was developed for the station. A stainless steel embossed matrix covers the walls, interrupted by large panoramic windows in the form of multi-media displays. These screens show 3D video animations of the universe, giving passengers a window looking out onto outer space. Heinrich Heine Allee Station: "Three Model Spaces" / Ralph Broeg Ralf Brög designed the three new entrances to the Heinrich-Heine-Allee station as visual and acoustic venues for the performance of changing sound compositions – as an "Auditorium", a "Theater" and a "Laboratory". Each of the three model spaces boasts a high-quality sound system, enabling the most wide-ranging acoustic interventions possible; they can be used in coming years to present works by as broad an array as possible of composers and sound artists. For the opening, contributions by author and director Kevin Rittberger (Theater), composer Stefan Schneider (Laboratory) and musician Kurt Dahlke and artist Jörn Stoya (Auditorium) were to be heard. The "Laboratory" focuses on the experimental use of tones. Sound sculptures hang in space while opposite the "Interference Atlas" visualizes optical phenomena. In the "Theater" a theater curtain can be discerned on the ceramic surface. Messages and other sound material is audible. Viewers find themselves asking where they stand: Are they a part of the play or are they the audience? The "Auditorium" is equipped with 48 loudspeakers that can be individually controlled. The 3D wall elements enable the spread of sound to be modulated, thereby optimizing the acoustic properties of the room. This equipment facilitates a unique compositional approach and an equally unique listening experience. Schadowstraße Station: "Turnstile" / Ursula Damm Ursula Damm has created an interactive installation involving multiple elements. At its center is a large LED screen displaying the real-time movements of passersby on the city surface – transformed through a computer program. The resulting images of small, virtual life forms are create through the constantly changing dynamic energy of the passersby. This concept recurs in the blue glass of the station's walls. Geometrically interpreted aerial views of Dusseldorf are presented as whole or excerpts. Pempelforter Strasse Station: "Surround" / Heike Klussmann At the Pempelforter Strasse station Heike Klussmann works with the 3D effects of the space's specific geometries. She measured the station and transposed the measurements onto a 3D model. She took the directions of movement from each entrance, extended them into the station and placed four white bands, each with the same measurements as the entrances, as an inverted sculpture over the floor, walls and ceiling. The directions of the edges of the space were recorded so that they could break and process the geometry of the room. The band structure has an independent existence after breaking with the geometry of the space and as an inverted sculpture cuts across the perimeters of the station's spaces. The resulting three-dimensional effect of this game with the dimensions of surfaces and spaces is surprising. It seems that the actual boundaries of the subway station have dissolved. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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