Arch Daily |
- San Martino / Govaert & Vanhoutte Architects
- Noto-Lucchesi Stadium / Studio NAOM
- Dushan School Complex / West-line studio
- Uber Hong Kong / Bean Buro
- Palo Alto Networks Offices Israel / Setter Architects
- Prépinson, Rehabilitation Of Four Traditional Houses / WAW Achitectes
- 11 Artists Visualize Tchoban Voss Projects in "Images from Berlin" Exhibition
- Boos Beach Club Restaurant / Metaform architects
- UNStudio Erects Pearlescent Structure at World's Leading Architectural Trade Fair
- Lar Casa de Magalhães / Carvalho Araújo, Arquitectura e Design
- Elizabeth Diller to Produce Opera for the High Line
- New BIO Winery / MADE Associati Architetti
- How the NMAAHC Became the Greenest Museum in Washington DC
- Quinta do Carregal / WAATAA_we are all together around architecture
- Game of Thrones: The Politics and Foundations of Fictional Cities
- Dublin Rotating Bridge Proposal Aims to Catalyze the City
| San Martino / Govaert & Vanhoutte Architects Posted: 20 Jan 2017 09:00 PM PST  © Martine Neirynck
 © Martine Neirynck From the architect. Somewhere in between the misty meadows of Nevele, on the corner of a newly developed business compound, lies the company of San Martino in the form of a long concrete volume.  © Martine Neirynck San Martino is a fashion house that styles several clothing brands, develops collections and organises logistics towards specialised clothing shops, inside and across the Belgium border. On the ground floor the building contains office space for administration and development, two showrooms, a dispatching area, and a hangar for storage. On the first floor there is a third showroom with storage and a series of multifunctional spaces for holding receptions, meeting with clients, developing the collections, etc. The open spaces on the first floor are organised around a central patio, making it a bright flexible whole that embrace the possibility of new functions towards the future.  © Martine Neirynck The compact nature of the building, the excessive use of isolation, the blocking of the sun by using canopies and vertical concrete slabs, the low energy consuming heating & ventilation & lighting design all contribute to the fact that this is a Co2 neutral building.  © Martine Neirynck Sitting on the corner of the compound, the building is directed towards the acces road as well as the entry road of the compound.  Floor Plans Towards the entry road, the building is fully transparent, allowing a visual contact with the outside and allowing a maximum of light to interact with for the office space on the ground floor, and the multifunctional areas on the first floor. The ground floor is inclined towards the first floor in order to avoid the south sun from heating up the office space  © Martine Neirynck The side of the building has a more semi-transparent character, allowing only a glimpse to be seen of the showrooms behind. A series of concrete slabs form the skin of a deeper lying glass façade. In between the access road and the fragmented wall, a buffer of a miscellaneous tree formation incorporate the building in its surroundings. The fragmented wall is in fact a projection of this tree formation. Approaching the building from the access road, the same patterns of the miscellaneous trees in front are to be seen in the concrete skin. This principal refers to the techniques that are being applied for developing new textures & patterns in fashion.  © Martine Neirynck This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Noto-Lucchesi Stadium / Studio NAOM Posted: 20 Jan 2017 06:00 PM PST  Courtesy of Atelier NAOM
 Courtesy of Atelier NAOM  Section Architectural Intention The current site was abandoned and was the scene of burned cars and all kind of smugglings. The importance of architectural design seemed so essential and, to « bunker-like" architecture in such neighborhoods where sometimes famous mediated scenes take place, we have preferred a « turtle-like » intervention! The project borrows a vegetal vocabulary : corten steel as evocation of the earth is combined with green spaces. Five shells as monoliths, are located in the slope to mark entrances and facades of invisible buildings.  Courtesy of Atelier NAOM The architectural tailored fence creates this vibration of light and shadows that is found on the edge of the forest: the invisible to the visible, to the front and side views.  Courtesy of Atelier NAOM  Section "Far from separating, it sublimates visual and physical transition between the site and its environment and thus sanctifies the stadium." So, with the esthetics of this fence, we understand that it was not just to close, to delimit or to erect a barrier between the stadium and the rest of the world : building conception and architecture means above all creating links.  Courtesy of Atelier NAOM As well, from a « practical » point of view, the selection of a material such as corten steel is a sustainable choice because it is stable over time, naturally durable and easy to maintain: after sanding (for instance, of a graffiti...), the patina regenerates itself.  Courtesy of Atelier NAOM  Elevation  Elevation Finally, taking advantage of the vast surface of the football court and the Mediterranean climate, production of geothermal energy has become obvious. This system has allowed us to optimize the comfort and ventilation of both buildings, manage hot water needs and implement under floor heating to circumvent the problem of radiators often degraded in public buildings.  Courtesy of Atelier NAOM This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Dushan School Complex / West-line studio Posted: 20 Jan 2017 02:00 PM PST  Courtesy of Martina Muratori
 Courtesy of Martina Muratori  Master plan Dushan Town is located at the so called "South Gate of Guizhou" at the border with Guangxi province. The main residents in this area belong to Buyi, Miao and Shui ethnic minorities. The complex of buildings grows on the top of a long foundation stripe, 527m long and 330m wide. The north area is pretty mountainous and mainly residential, on the west there is the highway and both east and south are arterial roads.  Courtesy of Martina Muratori Architects based the design of this school complex in order to create a series of courtyards with different levels of privacy, where "listen to the sound of wind and to the sound of reading" according to an old traditional Chinese proverb. The simple severe 'academic' architectural style always meets these open courtyards, some more wide and open, where to practice group sports, others more quiet where to study or relax, in the dormitory area. These courtyards play with the light creating different environments and iconic shadows. Open terraces and boardwalks over the courtyards create interesting connections and different spaces for students' different needs.  Courtesy of Martina Muratori  Section Materials are clear and simple, only cement mortar and white painting on outer walls, where shadows get strong and sharp. Considering local construction workers lack of skills and a very limited selection of local materials, architects opted for a material selection which could ensure good quality and easy to control results.  Courtesy of Martina Muratori Four different courtyards: A. program: classroom + sports facilities and playground layout: four different sizes of courtyards (where outer walls create a strong visual and acoustic barrier against the highway) B. program: administration offices + library layout: high and effective office area + quiet reading space C. program: dormitory + restaurant layout: different functions are arranged on different levels. The dining area is located in the lower floors, connected to multiple courtyards, while dormitory are in the upper floors D. program: dormitory layout: quiet and elegant living environment  Elevation + section This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 20 Jan 2017 12:00 PM PST  © Bean Buro
 © Bean Buro From the architect. Bean Buro's design for UBER's new Hong Kong office takes inspiration from Gottfried Semper's writings on vessels, where he described the notion of form and function acting as a structured whole, with individual parts fulfilling their own function while cooperating with others to achieve an overall aim and effect.  Plan UBER's new workplace, totaling 9,000sqft (830sqm) on the top floor of an existing office building, was inspired by such notion of volumes and functions. Interpretations of the city's waterfront topography and curvy mountains generated an undulating, voluptuous dark blue inhabitable vessel that contained meeting rooms, service areas and private work booths.  © Bean Buro Each individual part of the vessel was a variety of work spaces equipped with their own privacy control such as misty gradient glass partitions or curtains. Work clusters occupy the open neighborhoods, each with access to shared supports and collaborative work zones. The work clusters can be re-arranged to match the constantly changing needs of the company.  © Bean Buro Referencing the local urban life, the reception introduces vibrantly coloured tiled walls and floors, contrasted with handcrafted neon signage, while a padded felt wrapped reception desk is reminiscent of luxurious car seating. An intricate wall art by local artist Bao Ho envisions a floating city vessel, packed with Hong Kong landmarks, futuristic transports and lucky Feng Shui symbols for the company. Staff is in turn encouraged to express themselves creatively through writable walls and columns.  © Bean Buro The space was designed humanly to connect people, reflecting the company's ethos. Thus the heart of the workplace is a café pantry, designed to support large social events, independent working and informal meetings. It includes a collaborative bar island, stage seating, and a 20m long signature 'Bean' table with integrated cushioned seats facing the city's racecourse and sports grounds. Product Description: - Referencing the local urban life, the reception introduces vibrantly coloured tiled walls and floors, contrasted with handcrafted neon signage.  Conceptual Drawing This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Palo Alto Networks Offices Israel / Setter Architects Posted: 20 Jan 2017 11:00 AM PST  © Itay Sikolski
 © Itay Sikolski From the architect. Palo Alto Networks is a company involved in developing cyber defense solutions. It is located in downtown Tel Aviv, on the 24th floor of a complex of multi-story office towers alongside an eclectic variety of buildings built during the city's historical eras. This is a multi-layered colorful part of Tel Aviv, where alongside banks and high tech companies, one finds low-tech businesses and assorted shops such as painting workshops, artists' studios and restaurants.  © Itay Sikolski The design inspiration evolved from the aim of introducing that colorful eclectic low-tech outside environment into the 24th floor where Palo Alto, one of the world's most innovative companies, is located. As the design team, we imported characteristic elements from the outside environment, filtered them into a design vocabulary and gave them different uses. For example:  Sections •Steel window profiles and garage doors evolved in their role and expression into open-space partitions.  © Itay Sikolski All employees, including managers, work in open spaces located at the perimeter of the floor, alongside the windows. Transparent high partitions enable intimacy and improve acoustics, yet allow the urban feel of the outside environment to flow in. Throughout the floor are formal/informal conference rooms, classrooms and working spaces that benefit from the transparent materials and visualization of the whole floor. These transparent walls conceptualize the company's major product - its firewall.  © Itay Sikolski This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Prépinson, Rehabilitation Of Four Traditional Houses / WAW Achitectes Posted: 20 Jan 2017 09:00 AM PST  © Sophie Carles
 © Sophie Carles  Site Plan From the architect. In a singular landscape, in the middle of a plain surrounded by forest massifs, four former farm buildings take place around a yard near a pond. The site lends itself so majestically to the pondering over the landscape and over the wildlife. Our intervention aims to highlight the local patrimony and respect it by the architectural creation.  © Sophie Carles The main building, the only living building before de reconversion, is entirely cured to adapt itself to the modern constructive exigencies but also to find a volumetry that allows the development of the existent attic. The extension, in a wood frame, joins the continuity of the volumetry of the former building. The extension is covered with a cladding in a slatted reclaimed poplar. This material creates the same architectural language common in each building. The poplar is used for his resistance to the weather but also to his natural tendency to take golden and silver reflects getting older. It's a living material that is taking a real part in the environment.  © Sophie Carles Inside, the former part hosts he more private parts of the house while the extension welcomes the reception rooms. The "cathedral" living room is fully opened to the landscape and the pond, allowing us to enjoy the spectacular landscape offer by the nature in every season. The contemporary architecture try here to disappear to reveal the quality of the landscape and also the quality of the traditional building. Product Description: The reclaimed poplar creates the same architectural language common in each building of the project.  © Sophie Carles  Elevation This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 11 Artists Visualize Tchoban Voss Projects in "Images from Berlin" Exhibition Posted: 20 Jan 2017 08:00 AM PST  Courtesy of Tchoban Voss Architekten Towering like an infinite mountain of stone, a building devoid of windows and doors is hand-drawn in the tradition of the old masters. Elsewhere, colored strips of tape address the same project, visualized as a sequence of stacked layers. In yet another image, this time presented in a more realistic style, the cityscape is framed by two men gazing out at the viewer with a grin. It's a daring experiment that Tchoban Voss Architekten undertake in their exhibition "Images from Berlin." Instead of presenting their projects with the usual means, they have delegated this task to 11 visual artists. The aforementioned works stem from a confrontation by Gottfried Müller and Valery Koshlyakov with the Museum for Architectural Drawing. Meanwhile, the Living Levels are approached by the duo Vrubel & Timofeeva as an everyday urban environment.  MICHELE ALASSIO / The Web Nightmare, from the series "Dreams & Nightmares." Digital print on baryta paper, 67 x 120 cm (2012) Gary Schuberth and Scott Tulay contemplate the spectacular cantilever of Hotel nhow, while Thomas W Schaller has the Stern Center in Potsdam rise dramatically into the sky. Nikolai Makarov and Michele Alassio take on the interior of the synagogue in Münsterche Strasse, as well as the Russian Pavilion at the 2012 Architecture Biennale in Venice. Interpretations by Alexander Brodsky and Vladimir Dubossarsky complete this kaleidoscope. At first glance, the images have seemingly nothing in common – except for their representation of architecture. While some emphasize it in the foreground, others use it as a backdrop. Some focus on the overall composition, while others hone in on fine details of the façade. Nevertheless, there is a thread that holds them together: they are representations, which are simultaneously true to the original. Another common basis is the architectural language itself, arising from Sergei Tchoban's significant contributions to the city of Berlin over the course of 20 years.  ALEXANDER BRODSKY / Aquarium. Graphite pencil, fibre pen on transparent paper, 70 x 50 cm (2016)  VLADIMIR DUBOSSARSKY / Tchobangrad. Print and oil on canvas, 320 x 375 cm (2016)  VALERY KOSHLYAKOV / Museum for Architectural Drawing, Berlin. Colour tape on perspex, 90 x 80 cm (2016)  NIKOLAI MAKAROV / Synagogue Münstersche Strasse, Berlin. Acrylic on canvas, 145 x 195 cm (2016)  GOTTFRIED MÜLLER / Tchoban Foundation Berlin, 2117. Indian Ink, watercolour on old paper, 95 x 45 cm (2016)  THOMAS W SCHALLER / Stern-Centre, Potsdam. Graphite pencil and watercolour on paper, 76 x 56 cm (2016)  GARY SCHUBERTH / I Dream About Buildings. Graphite pencil on paper, 104 x 168 cm / 84 x 137 cm (2016)  GARY SCHUBERTH / At Night, All Cats Are Grey. Graphite pencil on paper, 104 x 168 cm / 84 x 137 cm (2016)  SCOTT TULAY / Float. Charcoal, graphite pencil on cardboard, 152 x 101 cm, in two parts (2016)  VRUBEL & TIMOFEEVA / Russians in Berlin (Tolstoewski Project)
. Wax, pastel colours, coloured pencils on paper, 270 x 480 cm (2016) Tchoban Voss Architekten opened their office in Berlin in 1996. Since then, Sergei Tchoban has gone on to design, plan and implement numerous new buildings, including the Cubix movie theater at Alexanderplatz, Quartier DomAquarée, Hotel nhow Berlin at Osthafen, the synagogue in Münstersche Strasse, and the Living Levels residential high-rise on the Spree River.
Sergei Tchoban: "We Cannot Avoid Looking At Architecture; Architecture Should Be Beautiful" This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Boos Beach Club Restaurant / Metaform architects Posted: 20 Jan 2017 07:00 AM PST  © Steve Troes
 © Steve Troes  Site Plan In place of the old bar/restaurant BOOS Beach Club, modern and contemporary architecture, tightly linked to its context, reflects the new image of this iconic venue in Luxembourg. The new part, interwoven around the existing house, is inspired by the Japanese art of origami. It resembles a folded sheet of paper that answers to the program requirements, while creating a relation with the old and opening up to the natural surroundings. Our idea was to integrate harmoniously the new structure into the existing natural context, while at the same time paying respect to the existing architecture by placing a light wooden structure with glass openings towards the landscape. The dynamic design enables orienting the bar and eating areas towards the outside, guiding the views to the tall tree stalks. By leaning on the existing house, and due to its triangular form, the self-supporting rigid roof requires very few peripheral structural points. The motivation to choose this lightweight and easily removable roof system leaves space and possibility to the idea of possible future change, if needed.  © Steve Troes The main access is situated in the front of the existing house reestablishing in that way the original function distribution. The outdoor areas have been rethought and refurbished. The lateral outdoor terrace was partly removed and replaced by a white sand beach. The back terrace, however, has been optimized and modified to achieve a stronger connection with the whole.  © Steve Troes  Section The project also includes the refurbished kitchen and eating area, both located on the ground floor of the existing house. Under the new triangulated structure, smoking area together with the fireplace and a small dining area, introduce spatially the main zone of more than 200 m2, dedicated to the dance floor around the monumental bar. To preserve "Beach club" identity of the place, the new structure consists of raw materials: burned wood, polished concrete floor, raw steel, terrace in wood and white sand. All these together create the desired character both inside and outside.  © Steve Troes  West Elevation This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| UNStudio Erects Pearlescent Structure at World's Leading Architectural Trade Fair Posted: 20 Jan 2017 06:00 AM PST .jpg?1484934632 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu Employing the latest in aluminum and metals innovation, Ben van Berkel and UNStudio have erected the ALPOLIC fair stand at BAU 2017, the world's leading trade fair for architecture, materials and systems. Emphasizing the inherent strength of the ultra-light material, the parametric design utilizes geometric principles to create a self-supporting semi-private stand for gathering and the display of products. .jpg?1484934664 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu Built from a single structural element, the geometry of the structure draws from natural examples of stability and strength, including the venation of leaves and the catenary lines of spider webs. The resulting spaces within take the shape of cones, clad on the front side with durable fluoropolymer coated panels and left untreated on the back, revealing the structural construction of the thin sandwich panels. The coated side has been finished in a prismatic Lumiflon resin, which gives the stand a pearlescent appearance capable of withstanding wear from the elements.  © Laurian Ghinitoiu As visitors move around the structure, the stand will take on different appearances: some highlighting the structure's 3-dimensionality, and other perspectives that feature the technical principles of the material. "Throughout the stand moments for discussion and reflection are created, together creating a journey of inspiration for innovative facade design," explain the architects. .jpg?1484934489 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu The stand will remain on display through the conclusion of BAU 2017 on January 21st. News via UNStudio. Learn more about this material here: Aluminum Composites - Prismatic Finishes / Alpolic This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Lar Casa de Magalhães / Carvalho Araújo, Arquitectura e Design Posted: 20 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST  © Hugo Carvalho Araújo
 © Hugo Carvalho Araújo Numa casa branca vive uma senhora benemérita. Doa o terreno, casa e anexos para se construir aí um lar de idosos. Exige apenas que a construção seja feita ainda antes da sua morte. Tudo parte assim da casa, ela é o centro e o símbolo.  © Hugo Carvalho Araújo O edifício do lar resulta da ampliação da plataforma da eira dessa casa. No centro são construídos dois pátios, um social e outro de serviço, que desmaterializam a massa construída, como tivesse sido retirado parte do edifício, expondo o seu interior. Percebe-se aí a vida e o movimento.  © Hugo Carvalho Araújo Dispostos à volta do pátio as áreas sociais e os 27 quartos convidam à comunhão de uma vida partilhada, a uma sensação de ligação e de segurança. O edifício reduz-se à escala de uma casa. Está tudo num piso ligado à cota do terreno. Sente-se uma certa familiaridade e uma escala possível de controlar.  © Hugo Carvalho Araújo  Planta 00  © Hugo Carvalho Araújo As circulações simples, directas, amplas e luminosas. Do átrio que intersecta o edifício e cria duas entradas opostas, a principal e a de serviço. E da circulação em anel que abraça os dois pátios.  © Hugo Carvalho Araújo No exterior o ritmo da fachada remete para os troncos das árvores, numa opção de mesclagem, pondo em evidência o casario existente, de branco caiado.  © Hugo Carvalho Araújo This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Elizabeth Diller to Produce Opera for the High Line Posted: 20 Jan 2017 04:00 AM PST  © Iwan Baan Continuing in her firm's tradition of blurring the lines between architecture, art and environment, Elizabeth Diller, founding partner of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, is producing an opera for the High Line. Dubbed the "Mile Long Opera," the production will be set along New York's new favorite attraction, which was designed by DS+R with James Corner and Piet Oudolf and opened to the public in 2009. Working with composer David Lang and sound designer Bruce Odland, Diller was reportedly partially inspired to produce the opera after learning about a Chelsea resident who used to put on one-woman cabarets on her fire escape. Called the Renegade Cabaret, the shows were held as a reaction to park patrons who were increasingly interrupting the privacy of her West 20th Street apartment. Diller's previous collaborations with Lang include DS+R's "Musings on a Glass Box," which was displayed within Jean Nouvel's Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain in Paris in 2014. The opera would not be Diller's first foray into theatrical production – the architect has also collaborated with filmmaker Spike Jonze to help create the settings for his 2013 film "Her." "In college I'd had a fantasy of being a filmmaker. I'd taken film courses at Cooper Union and then somehow detoured into architecture," Diller told Architect Magazine in 2014. "But the film bug never really left." News via The Real Deal. H/T Architect's Newspaper. Surface Mag Interviews Liz Diller on Architecture, Art, and Early "Aha" Moments This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New BIO Winery / MADE Associati Architetti Posted: 20 Jan 2017 03:00 AM PST  © Francesco Galifi
 © Adriano Marangon Project The requalification project involves new spaces and new buildings dedicated to the winery but are developed integrating also the existing parts for the formation of a functionality and homogeneous image.  Plans  Section The new building is located alongside the existing buildings to create a compact nucleus of the different work activities. The office space is structured to be an representative image of the company, its sensibility and of the always organic production (this year it will celebrate 35 years of activity, certified organic and vegan for all types of wines produced).  © Adriano Marangon Exterior spaces In addition to the visible connections, grass surfaces have been designed to absorb the shared diversity forming a transitional environment between the parking area and the building, and daisies have been planted as a "selection" of flower traces between the vines. A small wooden square gives continuity to the internal space of the outlet store, almost building a natural enlargement and characterized by a "pisoèra" tree typical the Treviso countryside. (Celtis australis, bagolaro).  © Adriano Marangon Materials The principal material composed of Beechwood used both for the exterior spaces and the interiors. The finish of the vertical wooden planks qualifies the simplicity of the warehouse construction material;  © Adriano Marangon Use of a natural material like wood blends best with the agricultural landscape, due to its coloration, regarding its "matricity", for its capacity to age without deteriorating (the oxidation of wood in time contributes to the integration of the material into the context in which it is inserted.) The filter / woven effect refers back to the finishing of barn facades composed and interweaved with bricks and/or vertical, holed wooden planks allowing for ventilation: a recurring characteristic in the traditional rustic structure of the Treviso countryside.  © Adriano Marangon The work of restructuring will rely on this skin in order to wrap around the preexisting structure to the new intervention: along the north front the hight deformity and the material of the different warehouses in successive time will become absorbed by the resurfacing in the vertical wooden planks presenting a new facade both recomposed, reordered and harmonious. In the space between the buildings and the new facade there is a visitor route located that from the outside allows you to follow the different stages of production: coming up from the vineyard arriving inside in the tasting rooms/meeting rooms in a constant relationship with portions of the historical (the villa) and productivelandscape (the vineyard).  © Adriano Marangon Product Description: Beechwood from the Cansiglio area has been utilized. The wood comes from the controlled forest of Cansiglio, a forest in which the beech tree is an endemic species destined to become a finished certified product connected to the territory, through which a selection process is carried out according to Veneto Agricultura (an official body with the task of forest management in the Veneto region), in a synergy between the Cansiglio Forest and Itlas Spa. It is a forest certified according to the PEFC scheme (Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification), that is, the principle of sustainable forest management, that guarantees the maintenance and the appropriate development of forest resources, protecting the biodiversity and ecosystem of the forest, preserving the different functions of the woods, other than the productive ones. The choice is to promote the territory sensitizing it to its visitors towards a natural ecosystem, a forest heritage managed according to a naturalistic forest mandate, and following the criteria of the forest certification. This process encompasses within itself the precise environmental philosophy of the Cantina and of its natural products that shows also in the character of the material utilized. In particular, the wood utilized was cut in October 2015 and in part was cookfor external use and a part was laid with its natural finish (floors and furnishings). This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| How the NMAAHC Became the Greenest Museum in Washington DC Posted: 20 Jan 2017 01:30 AM PST  National Museum of African American History and Culture, west facade. Image © Darren Bradley This article, originally titled "DC's Museum Of African American History Is The City's Greenest," was originally published on Lance Hosey's Huffington Post blog. It is part of a four-part series about the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Fifteen years ago, when I worked on the design of a high-performance museum, the concept was considered so unusual that the media questioned the very idea. The US Green Building Council (USGBC) had only very recently introduced its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, so much of the public wasn't familiar with the concept. Over the following decade, it became more and more popular in every building type, including museums. A watershed year was 2008. The Water + Life Museums in Hemet, CA, became the first LEED Platinum museum, quickly followed by the California Academy of Science, which has been called "the world's greenest museum." The same year, the Grand Rapids Art Museum became the first LEED-certified art museum. By 2016, International Museum Day could highlight ten LEED-certified museums in the US alone. Now the Smithsonian has completed its first LEED Gold project, the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). (The Silver-rated National Museum of the American Indian [NMAI] was the first Smithsonian project to become a certified green building, although it wasn't designed to this standard and didn't achieve it until seven years after opening in 2004.) By many measures, the NMAAHC is easily the greenest museum in Washington.  © Darren Bradley But the bar isn't very high, unfortunately. Last year, the Smithsonian completed its renovation of the Renwick Gallery, but it's not clear from public records when or if LEED certification will be completed—although reportedly the building systems originally were designed to be very efficient. Earlier this year, the Smithsonian also reopened the historic Arts & Industries Building after a 12-year closure and an extensive renovation, but it didn't pursue LEED, I'm told. The National Gallery also reopened the iconic East Building after a three-year refurbishment. No LEED. The Newseum opened in 2008. No LEED. Washington is said to be "in a class of its own when it comes to high quality museums," but an article last year highlighting "must-see green museums" around the world included none in DC. What's the problem?  Interior of the museum, with views of the exterior through the latticework. Image © Alan Karchmer/NMAAHC At the time it opened, the Newseum's director told the press that it didn't get LEED certification "for reasons of cost." This is a common misperception. In a 2008 survey of over 700 construction professionals, 80% cited "higher first costs" as the biggest obstacle to green building. Yet, even a dozen years ago the average surcharge for LEED projects was only 2%, and the additional investment typically yielded operational savings worth ten times that much, according to a widely cited report back then. By 2007, studies showed that LEED need not cost more at all, and now green building actually can cost less than conventional construction. The LEED-Platinum 1225 Connecticut Avenue, here in DC, cost about 5% below market rate construction in 2009 and sold for the highest price per square foot ever paid for an office building in the city.  © Darren Bradley Regardless, the fact that so few museums in DC are exemplars of sustainability makes the NMAAHC all the more remarkable. Its systems include "low-impact" materials, a nearly 100-kW solar array to produce energy on site, and efficient infrastructure connected to surrounding buildings to avoid redundancy. But the most impressive aspects of the building are how the basic design gestures conserve resources and enhance the visitor experience. The bronze-color metal tracery enveloping the façade is carefully calibrated to avoid undue heat gain while bathing the interior in soft light and allowing views in every direction. This lowers energy needs while improving occupant comfort (although the decision not to extend the screening to the ground floor results in occasionally heavy glare and uncomfortable temperatures when the sun is low, as I experienced one morning this winter). The latticework has another appeal that has been overlooked by reviewers and possibly by the designers themselves. As I documented in my book, The Shape of Green: Aesthetics, Ecology, and Design (2012), research shows that people generally crave the image of irregular tree-like patterns mimicking natural fractals—so much so that the pattern can lower stress by as much as 60 percent, just by being in our field of vision. The Japanese practice of forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku)—spending time immersed in wooded settings—can lower blood pressure, heart rate, and concentrations of stress hormones. Could the interior of the NMAAHC, like an artificial forest, have a similar effect?  The museum's "porch" creates a comfortable microclimate at the entrance. Image © GGN This research relates to the biophilia hypothesis, which suggests that people have an innate desire to connect with nature and other forms of life. An associated idea is the theory of "prospect/refuge," which suggests that we seek out places that help us feel sheltered while allowing an uninterrupted view of our surroundings. A veranda or porch is a commonplace example. The main entrance to the NMAAHC is designed to act as a gigantic porch, inspired by traditions in African and African American vernacular building, as I pointed out in an earlier article. The prospect/refuge effect of this space is about as palpable as any I've ever witnessed. Additionally, the deep shade combined with a reflecting pool creates a cool microclimate intended to provide more comfort during the hot, humid summer months.
Washington has been called the "epicenter of green building," not just because the USGBC is located here. A decade ago, DC became the first major American city to require green building certifications for both public and private new construction. Annually for several years, the District has built the most LEED-certified square footage per capita of any state or district—nearly five times the next best location. My research for the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE), published earlier this year, found that DC also has the largest number per capita of projects that have won a COTE Top Ten Award, considered the premier program celebrating sustainable design. So the city boasts an impressive track record for green. With the NMAAHC now, we have significantly raised the bar for museums in the city, and Washington could be well on its way to establishing itself as the national leader in sustainable design by any measure. This article is part of a four-part series by Lance Hosey on the NMAAHC. Click the following links to read about how the museum reveals the complicated political history of Washington, DC, how the museum is an act of both celebration and political resistance for the African-American community, and what the museum reveals about architectural criticism. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Quinta do Carregal / WAATAA_we are all together around architecture Posted: 20 Jan 2017 01:00 AM PST  © WAATAA PHOTOGRAPHY
 © WAATAA PHOTOGRAPHY From the architect. In a seemingly infinite territory and mostly occupied by pines and oaks, the implantation of the house marks a space and an intention. A space of pause, serenity and breathing, surrounded and protected by the green patch that filters the light and the eyesight, purifies the air and the soul and stimulates the corporal senses of who let himself be seduced by the elements of nature. An intention of materializing a perennial refuge that transforms and adapts itself to the site's conditions and to the family that inhabits it.  © WAATAA PHOTOGRAPHY  © WAATAA PHOTOGRAPHY  © WAATAA PHOTOGRAPHY The house does not begin in the physical limits of its walls, but rather at the outer limit of the green patch that surrounds it, assuming it as imaginary walls that make up a larger house, a habitat. This green patch, or better, this forest, is assumed as the intermediate and transition space between the outside (of what exists beyond itself) and the interior (housing).  Ground Floor  © WAATAA PHOTOGRAPHY  Section The concrete volume construction sets up and gives shape to a boundary defined by employing courtyards that are outlined by the interior spaces of the house. It is the empty space trimmed and subtracted from the built volume. This design favours the organization and the hierarchy of the spaces inherent to the house, and also increases the contact perimeter with the forest, which promotes the creation of scenarios where the fusion of inhabitants and nature happens, where the visual, touching, hearing and olfactory experience is encouraged in a way to provide a sense of comfort and well-being to those who live there.  © WAATAA PHOTOGRAPHY This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Game of Thrones: The Politics and Foundations of Fictional Cities Posted: 20 Jan 2017 12:00 AM PST  Kingslanding- Game of Thrones (2011). Image © HBO What makes a city different from a town? What is the distinction between these two seemingly similar collections of buildings and streets? Why can we trace towns back to the Stone Age, while the first city remains a mystery? Although a village and a city can be considered similar, the city has a unique and innovative element that makes it stand out: the citizens and civitas. While villages were merely an efficient urban system for groups of people that live together, the foundation of a city entails the institution of a very concrete idea of society, of a commitment between individuals to organize the world based on shared criteria. The civitas is precisely this idea of social order, the accumulation of traditions, laws, principles and beliefs that gave rise to the civil community. Urbs is the urban model especially dedicated to institutionalizing this idea of society. Be aware that we're not talking about streets or houses here, but of the moment of the establishment, that is, of the foundation of the city. As Fustel de Coulanges would say, while the civitas is a time-honored inheritance accumulated over centuries, the urbs is founded in one day. Filling it with streets, houses, and shops as a consequence.
As Hermann Minkowski puts it in "Vers une cosmologie. Fragments philosophiques" (Paris, 1967, p.149), "in the beginning, the environment was a shifting ocean. It is evolution. The human personality detaches from that evolution and affirms itself because of that. The person does it what he can, that is, by modeling the environment in his image, according to both individual and general characteristics. " In this sense, the city is not a housing complex but a cosmogonic device, which explains the origin of order -cosmos- in disorder -chaos-. The political institutions - polis - are guarantee the operation of this device and of the laws that it governs. Therefore, its existence affects the founding city form just as much as the civitas or the urbs. Aristotle already identified this circumstance in the 4th century BC and presented the act of founding a city as a practice that is bound and subject to the political regime. De Coulanges would probably propose a debate on whether the Polis is a later, more complex element, and not as essential.
Joseph Rykwert proposed in the 1960s that all these political and symbolic foundations share certain common elements. From the Euphrates Valley to Etruria, Greece, Rome, China, India, sub-Saharan Africa, Indigenous North America and Pre-Columbian Latin America, every foundation has represented a cosmic order and has possessed an institutional and religious center, key areas, a boundary, gates and a labyrinth. This article does not have illustrations, but the sketch I would've liked to have shown you is the same that you are already drawing in your head. Center, streets, boundary, gates and labyrinth. That's it. Now the only difference between your mental picture and a true urban foundation is the unconditional acceptance that these elements build the order of the universe on earth.  Roman mosaic from the end of the Republic showing a fortified labyrinth. (1st century BC) Rykwert, Joseph. The Idea of a Town: The Anthropology of Urban Form in Rome, Italy, and The Ancient World Madrid: Hermann Blume, 1976. p. 166. So far we've been talking about history, history in the sense that these rites and institutions feel like they're far removed from the diffused and scattered metropolises that the majority of us live in today. If you are lucky enough to live in a small town, you are still connected to the net of networks, to the liquid marsh of data and vectors that govern the world. It seems that with the exception of some specific places like historical city centers in Europe or Bolivar Square(s) in the Americas, the contemporary city is more a system of aggregated elements than a cosmic gesture guaranteeing order. This is true, of course ... only if you ignore the other half of today's urban production: fictional cities.  The Banner Saga 2 (2016). Image © Stoic Studios Literature, theater, film and video games are arts plagued by cities. From the Old Testament to A Song of Ice and Fire (1996-), works of fiction are often developed in urban contexts, cities that by their very nature do not possess the Deleuzian complexity of modern cities. Each of the cities in the work of George R. R. Martin represents a political position and a specific way of facing the world. It's not a coincidence that it's one of those "books with a map", a genre that could be considered founded by Utopia in 1516. The opening credits of the series of HBO Game of Thrones (GoT) are a great success in this sense. In the absence of a physical cartography like the one accompanying the book, GoT's opens with the map itself, the land. Through an abstract and stylized infographic, the spectator goes through the main cities of each episode one by one. King's Landing sits on a cliff crowned by the great royal palace, the lower you live on it, the lower you are on the social ladder: a tribute to Aristotle. The center of Winterfell is outside the stronghold and is shaped like a tree, as it is a city that honors the ancient gods. The Wall is not the "city wall" but the "city gate", one that decides what's within the social order and what is left out, the "wild". Pentos is a city "on the other side" and its existence is based on its confrontation with King's Landing. It is the opposite shore, the refuge of the "other" personified by the last vestiges of the house Targaryen and its allies the Dothrakis. All these cities are urbs characterized to house singular civitas, imagined but linked to our own history. Their foundational elements are powerful, basic but revealing. Their forms institutionalize very clear political orders that the viewer can read from the very first scene. The classic practice of founding cities as messages of order survives today in these fictional cities. For many centuries to come, Rome lives on.
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| Dublin Rotating Bridge Proposal Aims to Catalyze the City Posted: 19 Jan 2017 10:00 PM PST  Courtesy of Feng Xue, Helen Chan, and Oscar Reyes (FOH) A team composed of Feng Xue, Helen Chan, and Oscar Reyes (FOH) has won Director's Choice Award in the AC-CA competition to design a contemporary footbridge in Dublin, Ireland. Entitled The Catalyst, the team's proposal aims to become "a dynamic link which stimulates diverse urban activities and facilitates a spectacular cityscape." Designed around the idea of enhancing the surrounding Dockland neighborhood and Dublin as a whole, The Catalyst acts as both a physical link, as well as a new vantage point, encouraging passers-by to pause and reflect on the city.  Courtesy of Feng Xue, Helen Chan, and Oscar Reyes (FOH)  Courtesy of Feng Xue, Helen Chan, and Oscar Reyes (FOH)  Courtesy of Feng Xue, Helen Chan, and Oscar Reyes (FOH) The organic, curved form of the bridge is a response to significant buildings in the area, such as the Harp Bridge and Convention Center (CCD). Similarly, the design utilizes a symmetrical approach, in order to resonate with the local Georgian heritage architecture.  Courtesy of Feng Xue, Helen Chan, and Oscar Reyes (FOH)  Courtesy of Feng Xue, Helen Chan, and Oscar Reyes (FOH) With a pivotal structure driven by a cylindrical motor, the bridge can move for passing boats and larger ships, as well as cultural activities like the Dublin Marine Festival. Moreover, the bridge itself can accommodate film and performances in its amphitheater.  Courtesy of Feng Xue, Helen Chan, and Oscar Reyes (FOH)
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