Arch Daily |
- House M / Jan Skuratowski Architecture
- Mercedes-Benz Museum / UNStudio
- Winery in Mont-Ras / Jorge Vidal + Víctor Rahola
- The Theatre Under Construction / Stelmach I Partnerzy Biuro Architektoniczne
- Tent House / Sparks Architects
- Peking University Affiliated High School / Crossboundaries
- Bosques de Galeana / GRUPO 30x30
- Herzog & de Meuron to Complete $2 Billion Development in Los Angeles' Arts District
- House QM / OOA | Office O architects
- Instagram's Newest Feature Allows You to Make a Photoset of Your Favorite Buildings
- Woodard Residence / Archimania
- Frank Gehry to Teach Online Course on Architecture & Design
- Casa A.G. / duearchitetti
- 6 Low-Cost Techniques to Activate Underused Urban Space
- Flying House / IROJE KHM Architects
- 15 Metal Fittings for Connecting Laminated Wooden Structures
- Eduardo Souto de Moura Designs Portuguese Coin Commemorating Álvaro Siza
| House M / Jan Skuratowski Architecture Posted: 23 Feb 2017 09:00 PM PST  © Simon Menges
 © Simon Menges From the architect. The new single-family house was designed as a separate residential unit and can hold its own next to the existing building from the 80s. It is situated on a partly raised plateau in the south-eastern part of the property. The two buildings differ in their roof design and thus emphasize their autonomy. At the same time, the new building paraphrases the existing building's design: by its polygonal ground plan, which follows the hill's shape, and expressive cantilevered floors. Wood was used a material to contrast the rather heavy sand-lime brick of the existing structure. Hierarchically, the new building is supposed to subordinate to the existing building and is therefore set slightly to the rear of the site. The new structure appears like a pavilion and, thanks to the flat roof, has a large accessible roof terrace that expands the small plot effectively. The greening of the roofs is intended to give the new building an animated character and link it with nature and the hill.  Section The entrance / access is from Titlisstrasse, past the existing building. Between the two buildings is a greened pergola that acts like a buffer zone and brings daylight into the buildings. At the same time, it serves as an entrance zone for the new building. The space allocation plan in the new structure comprises living rooms / bedrooms and a kitchen / bathroom each on the ground floor, and a living room on the first floor with a spacious roof terrace and greened roof; the basement contains a guestroom with direct garden access, sauna area as well as a cellar and a laundry room.  © Simon Menges  Upper Floor Plan  © Simon Menges The dual materiality of the structure (above ground in wood / basement in concrete) is mirrored on the inside by wood ceilings on the ground floor and 1st floor as well as an exposed concrete ceiling in the basement. The walls painted in neutral white mediate between the materials.  © Simon Menges The large-scale glazing in the south and west creates a connection with nature. Circumferential canopies integrate the sun protection and underline the number of storeys; on the ground floor, the cantilevered canopy becomes a carport. The vertical inverted formwork of pre-greyed larch contrasts with the horizontal ceilings and provides the closed facade with plasticity and an exciting play of light and shadows.  © Simon Menges This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Mercedes-Benz Museum / UNStudio Posted: 23 Feb 2017 07:00 PM PST  © Eva Bloem
 © Eva Bloem From the architect. The Mercedes Benz Museum intricately combines structure and content. The Museum is dedicated to a legendary car; its unique structure has been specifically devised to showcase a collection in which technology, adventure, attractiveness and distinction are merged. It is also a Museum for people to freely move through, to dream, learn, look and let themselves be oriented by fascinations, light and space… Lastly, it is a Museum for the city, a new landmark to celebrate the enduring passion of Stuttgart's most famous inventor and manufacturer.  © Eva Bloem The structure of the MB Museum is based on a trefoil; both in its internal organization and in its outward expression this geometry responds to the car-driven context of the museum. Inside, walking down the ramps of the Museum, surrounded by cars of different ages and types, the visitor is reminded of driving down the highway. Outside, the smooth curves of the building echo the rounded vernacular of nearby industrial and event spaces, such as the soccer stadium, the Mercedes-Benz test course, and the gas and oil tanks along the river, as well as the recurrent loops of the road system on site.  © Eva Bloem The building also implicitly radiates the qualities that we see as the best of our times; good quality materials, durability, character, neatness. In its materialization the MB Museum reproduces the values that we associate with Mercedes Benz: technological advancement, intelligence, and stylishness. Once inside, the visitor should feel both stimulated and comfortable.  © Eva Bloem The 25,000 m2 MB Museum is situated next to the Daimler-Chrysler Untertuerkheim plant on a raised platform which also offers room to the Vehicle Center. Visitors enter the building from the northwest corner. The entrance lobby introduces to the visitor the organizational system of the Museum, which entails the distribution of the two types of exhibitions over three 'leaves', which are connected to a central 'stem' in the form of an atrium. The entrance lobby, besides practical functions, contains an escalator that leads down to the ground level, and three lifts that take visitors up to the top of the building.  Plan  © Eva Bloem  Plan The visitor proceeds through the Museum from top to bottom; during the ride up the atrium, visitors are provided with a multimedia Preshow presentation. The two aspects of the museological arrangement, the collection of cars and trucks and the Myths, are ordered chronologically from top to bottom, starting with the three oldest cars at the top floor in the display dedicated to the invention of the car. From this starting point at the top, the +eight level, the visitor may take one of two spiralling ramps down; the first chain linking the collection of cars and trucks, and the second the connecting Mythos rooms, which are the secondary displays related to the history of Mercedes Benz. The two spiralling trajectories cross each other continuously, mimicking the interweaving strands of a DNA helix, thus making it possible for the visitor to change trajectories.  Diagram  Diagram The downward incline of the two interlocking trajectories is confined to the ramps at the perimeter of the building only; the platforms that function as display areas themselves are level, with the slow gradients of the walkways bridging the height differences between them. The platforms, the 'leaves' of the trefoil, are arranged around the central 'stem' of the atrium in This structure generates exciting spatial constellations, enabling a wide range of look-through options, shortcuts, enclosed and open spaces, and the potential for continuity and cross-references in the various displays.  © Eva Bloem The collection of cars and trucks is shown in combination on five plateaus. Seven plateaus show the Myths and, at the lowest levels, Races and Records and the Fascination of Technology. At ground level, below the elevated landscape, and accessed by the escalator at the entrance level, are the Children's Museum, several small shops and a restaurant, which are housed in a large and open-plan space that connects the Museum to the nearby Vehicle Center.  © Eva Bloem Product Description. For a building such as this concrete is the only material option: the demanding geometry cannot be implemented otherwise than with the use of cast-in-place concrete. The construction of smooth surfaces for the doubly curved elements is a challenge UNStudio has taken up many times before. In a series of projects from the early 1990-s onwards, UNStudio has played with the inheritance of the heroic engineering-architecture of the mid twentieth century.  © Eva Bloem The primary reason for the exposed concrete in the interior is that it forms the ideal backdrop to the cars. UNStudio looked at ways in which cars are presented in car shows, and came to the conclusion that a contrast-rich background was more effective than showing a shiny, highly finished object within an equally shiny, highly finished setting.  © Eva Bloem With this museum, UNStudio has reached a new level in its hunt for the perfect concrete. The concrete was cast at night; the deadline meant that sometimes the work continued day and night. Because the cool night air slowed the drying, fans and heating installations were set up. But it could be that the moonlight was the crucial component in the magic mix: the exact composition of the cement, water and aggregate, zealously watched over by our executive architect Matias Wenzel and the contractor Züblin / Wolff & Müller. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Winery in Mont-Ras / Jorge Vidal + Víctor Rahola Posted: 23 Feb 2017 06:00 PM PST  © José Hevia
 © José Hevia The construction of a winery and the wine process creation are extremely attached at the experience with the land. The wine is smell, color, flavor and shape. The senses and the perceptions have to go together with a site that is able to emphasize the process of the transformation. In order of that, we have worked with four key aspects: 1.- The winery program is the result of the necessity to produce wine and organize a relationship between the existing land house. For the wine production there are four main spaces with three other ones between them, these last ones are the services spaces with all the facilities and storage. The first main space from the right, next to the laboratories and freezers, is the space for all the farming instruments and tools for the vineyards. The second one is for all the vats needed for the “mosto wine” production. The third one is for those vats and bottles that are resting. The last one, and forth, is the area for the Tastings, enjoyment and storage of the bottles that are ready to be open. One access through a tunnel from the upper side of the House is the one that organize the circulation of the owners. The access to the three other spaces is done directly from the vineyards  © José Hevia  Diagram  © José Hevia 2.- The soil humidity helps the conservation of the wine. We decided to grave the winery into the earth to keep it with the ideal temperature and to create a platform for the existing House Land as well. The same earth is the one that helps us to create space.  Section 3.- The space deepness is the sound abortion, emptiness and shadow. The light organizes the space.  © José Hevia  Section  © José Hevia 4.- The building is a platform inside the earth. Its roof is a garden that lies on top of the concrete volts which its optimized calculations have drawn a section of hyperbolic arches. At the same time the platform is the water keeper for its re-use. The external walls are designed with the ideal shape having in consideration its material (the brick) to send all the efforts to the structure.  © José Hevia This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Theatre Under Construction / Stelmach I Partnerzy Biuro Architektoniczne Posted: 23 Feb 2017 02:00 PM PST  © Przemysław Andruk
 © Przemysław Andruk From the architect. The Theatre under Construction was finished 44 years after the start of its construction. During 4 decades it was in a pitiable shape and it was used only partly. The project maintained and revealed the structures of the building from the subsequent stages of unfinished construction. The space indicates the times that passed by. The new elements of the building discuss with the past (Gutenberg Barrows in front of the theatre), the present (multimedia façade) and the future (endemic gardens on the roof). The new surface joining reconstructed ruins is the Alley of Cultures – the lively place-to-be.  © Przemysław Andruk  Section  © Przemysław Andruk  Section  © Przemysław Andruk Product Description. The old, demolition bricks and brick walls from unfinished construction were used for the new building. The added parts of the building were made of reinforced concrete with different structuring obtained with manual treatment.  © Przemysław Andruk This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Tent House / Sparks Architects Posted: 23 Feb 2017 12:00 PM PST  © Christopher Frederick Jones
 © Christopher Frederick Jones From the architect. This forest clearing addressing a pocket of rainforest in the Noosa hinterland, is approached through a typical neighbourhood of rural houses and acreage dwellings. The journey to the house continues from the street via a winding bush track through the forest which acts as a threshold between the constructed world and that of the clearing, a place remnant of early settlement in the region; a camp.  © Christopher Frederick Jones Flanking the northern side of the camp is a lush tropical wall of trees, 40m tall. A small creek along this boundary also provides a riparian corridor for local flora and fauna. Due to the limited size of the clearing the house needed to address the full height of the forest 'wall' and look to capture the sky above, or risk a feeling of confinement. The scale and density of the surrounding forest also reduces winter sun penetration and ultimately creates its own micro-climate.  Floor Plan The brief called for a 3 bedroom family dwelling with a central open plan living and kitchen space. Responding to this and the unique site, the living space feeds to east and west corridors providing bedroom access, and nooks for study, day bed and storage. The pavilion running along the east-west contour allows all rooms to enjoy the rainforest view to the north maximizing winter solar gain.  © Christopher Frederick Jones The architectural response is a duel concept pairing an operable insulated box for cooler months that allows habitation to a tent-like amenity in warmer months. The walls, or doors, of the box slide open manually, while the roof, or lid, has an automated sliding operation. With the roof fully open the translucent tent membrane comes into view and a new volume, light, and material is experienced. As the doors slide open the forest wall becomes an architectural element; a natural wall that contains a broader space of the house plan, stretching it across the remaining clearing and garden.  © Christopher Frederick Jones The tent roof serves as a 'fly roof' above the insulated roof and takes the brunt of the heat load. The void between the two roof elements allows for a simple stack ventilation process. The varied pitches of the tent roof maximise winter sun penetration and protects the east, west and southern exposures.  Section The choice of dark grounding colours for the box forms a contrast against the white tent and supporting structure. A relationship between the two is nevertheless achieved through subtle shaping of the box – rounding the corners of the building and cabinetry, and expressed CHS columns.  © Christopher Frederick Jones Two primary architectural elements; shelter and security, are tested within this proposition. A dual mode of habitat is achieved - an enclosed and sheltered mode, and the other open and expansive allowing the occupants a direct relationship to their natural surroundings. The building ultimately provides a spatial opportunity that flexes between an interior and an exterior condition at the users' discretion.  © Christopher Frederick Jones This deceptively small yet undeniably dynamic building allows for the owners to live simply and comfortably whilst maximizing their engagement with a very special site. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Peking University Affiliated High School / Crossboundaries Posted: 23 Feb 2017 11:00 AM PST  © WANG Ziling
 © WANG Ziling In Beijing, The Affiliated High School of Peking University is open for class in its first term, its interior and adjustments to architecture are designed by Crossboundaries. On an existing campus in the north west of the city the design package extended to 26,000m2 of this public middle and high school extension and challenges current educational ideas in China. Its spatial design becomes an educational instrument, foreseeing the latent needs of the future school based on the schools' spirit of interaction, inspiration and individualization.  © YANG Chao Ying Thirty years of reformation have seen China experience an explosive economic expansion. Reflecting on this development, both Government and public are aware of the importance and urgency to reform the country's educational system. Reform of the system in the widest sense, referring to a future that we have little understanding and to a vision that will require - more than knowledge - skills that champion diversity, collaboration, innovation and accountability.  Facade after Unaccustomed to individual thinking, China and its East Asian counterparts still applaud collectivism, born of the Confucius values that the culture is founded. Stemming from the core of family units that spreads into the community, from structures such as the ancient hutong in Beijing or the communal system of the 'danwei' (the Chinese working and living units), you are not a complete person without your family, compiled with the social and economic implications of the one child policy.  © WANG Ziling This exploration of the strong ties to the family and today's educational response continues themes of research developed as a result of pervious projects such as Soyoo and Family Box, both extracurricular play facilities for children up to the age of 12. Crossboundaries explored a deep relationship with childhood development in China and the specific needs in cultivating independence from parents and grandparents whilst still engaging these guardians in the children's autonomous development. The starting point for Crossboundaries was an already planned shell and core imminently about to be built, with out-scaled single function spaces, isolating and lacking indicators of use from spatial arrangement and visual connection. With this framework Crossboundaries proposed achievable and realistic adjustments to the architecture, inherent in the school's long term evolution, that allowed a complete interior design solution reflecting the clients reformative vision for education in China. His mission, far out from the existing design and the imaginations of his faculty, was to provide for an individual within a collective state capable of responding and contributing to the future.  © YANG Chao Ying Satisfied with Crossboundaries proposal and supported by his faculty, the headmaster delayed the opening of the new extension by one year to allow for changes to the architecture. Crossboundaries intention was not to apply decorative crisp colours in conventional spaces and fit out rectangular teacher focused classrooms with odd-shaped tables, but rather a strong integrated concept that will remain as the school and its pupils evolve. Systemising classrooms, developing the programme to include music and art subject areas, as well as removing walls, adding windows and reconfiguring space were all in view of two key drivers: communication and blurring of subject boundaries.  © WANG Ziling Devising a stage for the passion of learning and teaching, connections tied together and circulation afforded to offer room to pause and share. Reconfigured spaces are equipped with a series of multipurpose elements, like functional walls, colour identity, both visual and physical connections running both horizontally and vertically. What were institutional corridors of classrooms are now redefined in form and function. To instigate exchange and interaction between passing students, walls are integrated with lockers, shelves and seating niches.  Classroom layout 1  Classroom layout 2  Classroom layout 3 On the other side of the activated corridors, classrooms are reconceived to focus on the student not the teacher, to work across multiple subjects and activities. Its walls are also loaded with sinks, whiteboards and screens. The classrooms' form breaks away from rigid uniformity and is complemented by lighting, varying ceiling heights and a choice of vertical work surfaces that create different zones. Foldable walls not only provide alternative focal points by doubling up as white boards and pin boards but also add the option to expand and contract spaces.  © WANG Ziling Moving through the school it continues to engage with views across learning spaces. For instance the art area, previously planned as an indoor running track, isn't just neighbouring the music and sports areas but shares passive and active connections. The sport lobby bridges the double height space of the art area leading directly into the sports library. Overhead light strips in the ceiling mirror the running track of the sports field above. Sports class rooms share the circulation with the open plan art spaces and have windows that look directly into the sports halls.  © YANG Chao Ying Formerly planned as a mono directional facility, the auditorium - conceived with a raised stage and rowed seating - was remodelled as a two directional multifunctional hall, a sunken space with stepped seats, that creates an indoor plaza for seeing or being seen, for idling or interacting thus blurring the functions and opening up possibilities. Imagined by Crossboundaries for exhibitions, receptions or even performances, the entrance area connects to the auditorium via movable walls forming a horizontal landscape leading beyond to the art area. Vertically, voids puncture down visually connecting to music.  © YANG Chao Ying  © WANG Ziling Inserting new paths and enhancing journeys, the library, previously a destination along a route, is now a cross road. A happy result of partnering the sculpting of the multifunctional hall ceiling with the above tribune that connects the library and sports field. Both an intermediary and a throughway the tribune blurs and connects the two areas visually and physically, functionally offering another stopping point for exchange and interaction.  © WANG Ziling Moving this school away from its institutional format by amendments to structure and systemising the interior has opened it to opportunity to individual learning experiences, interaction and inspiration. This school is just beginning its journey and is prepared for the future by creating a subtle dialogue, messaging multiple functions and engaging its users with one another.  © WANG Ziling This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Bosques de Galeana / GRUPO 30x30 Posted: 23 Feb 2017 09:00 AM PST  © LGM studio
 © LGM studio From the architect. Bosques de Galeana is a private residential complex of 10 modern style houses with great functionality. The site is located in Hermenegildo Galeana 113th Street, in the southern part of Mexico City. The complex is located on a plot of 16 meters wide per 47 meters long, making the central part of the homes facing south ensuring maximum comfort throughout the year.  © LGM studio  Main Plan  © LGM studio The project is deployed in 873 m2, having a free area of 48%, which is 100% pedestrian since vehicular access in this level is not allowed, and a 52% deployed area.  Section  Prototype  Section  Prototype There are two types of housing, both have two bedrooms with dressing room and private bathroom, TV room, balconies, two and a half bathrooms with high quality German faucets, kitchen in solid treated wood, washing and laying area, cellar, roof garden, private garden and two covered parking places.  © LGM studio This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Herzog & de Meuron to Complete $2 Billion Development in Los Angeles' Arts District Posted: 23 Feb 2017 08:15 AM PST  View from the street. Image Courtesy of Los Angeles Department of City Planning The Los Angeles Department of City planning has released a new study surrounding Herzog & de Meuron's 6AM mixed-use development planned for LA's Arts District. Originally revealed last fall, the estimated $2 billion complex would constitute the Swiss firm's first project in the Southern California city, and could play a major role in the revitalization of the downtown area.  View from the street. Image Courtesy of Los Angeles Department of City Planning The massive development's 2,824,245 square feet would be spread out into 7 sectors of varying program. In total, it would contain 1,305 apartments, 412 hotel rooms, 431 condominium units, 253,514-square-feet of office space, a 29,316-square-foot K-12 school for approximately 300 students, 127,609 square feet of community-oriented retail, and 22,429 square feet of art and gallery spaces.  View of one of the project's retail areas. Image Courtesy of Los Angeles Department of City Planning  View of one of the project's retail areas. Image Courtesy of Los Angeles Department of City Planning From its gridded concrete base, two tall towers would rise to 732 and 710 feet, making them the 7th and 11th tallest in the city were they built today. The towers will house a mix of condominiums and hotel rooms, with retail and parking on lower levels.  Parking Deck. Image Courtesy of Los Angeles Department of City Planning  View of the apartment units. Image Courtesy of Los Angeles Department of City Planning But those interested in the project may want to reserve their excitement for now. While the first of three phases of construction is set to begin in 2018, the project isn't estimated to be fully completed until 2035.  Exploded Axonometric Diagram. Image Courtesy of Los Angeles Department of City Planning  Site Plan. Image Courtesy of Los Angeles Department of City Planning Landscape architecture on 6AM will be designed by Mia Lehrer & Associates, with AC Martin serving as executive architect. News via Los Angeles City Planning Department. H/T Architect's Newspaper.  View of the apartment units. Image Courtesy of Los Angeles Department of City Planning  View of one of the project's retail areas. Image Courtesy of Los Angeles Department of City Planning  View from the street. Image Courtesy of Los Angeles Department of City Planning  Skyline view. Image Courtesy of Los Angeles Department of City Planning This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| House QM / OOA | Office O architects Posted: 23 Feb 2017 07:00 AM PST  © Tim Van de Velde
 © Tim Van de Velde From the architect. House QM answers the building regulations in a different and "twisted" way. House QM is situated in a new allotment that exists out of square plots of the same size, with the same building regulations; houses must recoil 5m of every side of the terrain, have 2 levels and must have a flat or sloped roof. This results in similar looking two-story houses as an extrusion of the square building zone. This house puts a twist on things.  © Tim Van de Velde An angular displacement of the building realizes an optimal combination of orientation, privacy and views. This "twisted" implantation improves the spatial qualities inside and outside.  Floor Plan Three different garden zones were formed; the driveway and carport, the intimate garden on the side of the bedrooms and the more active garden on the south-west.  © Tim Van de Velde The typology of two-story blocks was turned around to a deconstructed "bel-étage". The main living spaces are situated on the upper floor, providing the residents with far reaching views and abundant light influx. The bedrooms are on the garden level regaining their required intimacy.  © Tim Van de Velde The rooms downstairs are entirely closed to the South and the North, also maximizing privacy. They are oriented to the East, the home office to the West.  © Tim Van de Velde In the intimacy of the axil/internal angle is the main garden, where residents enjoy the garden from noon to night.  © Tim Van de Velde On the upper floor both facades in North and East are completely closed, so that the residents avoid viewing from the allotment and the street.  © Tim Van de Velde The kitchen and the dining room are completely open to the south, creating a broad view over the roofs and gardens with the countryside in the distance. A large canopy covers partially an even larger terrace, providing the necessary shading according. An external staircase brings you from de terrace straight to the garden.  Elevations The vertical canopy has a large opening directed to the garden in the West; enabling interaction between the terrace and the garden below. The lounge looks towards the west to catch the light of the evening sun and ends on a shorter balcony with ditto canopy.  © Tim Van de Velde Even with a continuous use of the same architectural elements, the building dynamics completely alter from various angles. By simply walking around the building, one can immediately feel the expression change. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Instagram's Newest Feature Allows You to Make a Photoset of Your Favorite Buildings Posted: 23 Feb 2017 06:00 AM PST
Architecture lovers, rejoice! First, there was the zoom feature that we all love, now Instagram has rolled out a new feature that will make documenting and sharing your favorite buildings even easier. Just released this week, the update to the iOS app will now allow you to create photosets (with videos included) in one single post. The feature will allow you to combine up to 10 photos and videos into one swipeable post, allowing you to group sets of photos however you please. When uploading to your feed, a new icon will appear to allow you to select multiple images, which you can then reorder, apply a group filter, or edit one by one. All photos will share the same caption and will resize to square-only format. This feature would be the ideal way to show a walkthrough of a newly opened building or to show increasingly detailed shots of that cool facade system. For unbuilt projects, it could be used to show a sequence of diagrams, like those illustrator graphics popular with firms like BIG and MVRDV. Or, even better, upload before and after shots of your most recent project to show how much it has improved the site. Now available to select iOS users, the feature will be rolled out globally over the next few weeks on both iOS and Android. For more inspiration follow us on Instagram. News via: Instagram. The 25 Instagram Feeds to Follow Now 25 Instagram Feeds to Follow Now (Part II) 25 Architecture Instagram Feeds to Follow Now (Part III) This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Woodard Residence / Archimania Posted: 23 Feb 2017 05:00 AM PST  © Hank Mardukas Photography
 © Hank Mardukas Photography From the architect. The Woodard Residence is a personal residence for a developer on an unused piece of land left from his recently completed mixed-use development. The clients sought to be tucked away from activity, but maintain views of the Mississippi River and the downtown Memphis skyline.  © Hank Mardukas Photography This urban residence is situated within a mixed-use development between the South Main Historic Arts District and the Mississippi River bluff. The small lot was carved from a recently completed development including a re-purposed warehouse into offices and four attached townhomes. The 3,750 sf home consists of four levels – a ground floor garage/office, a second floor suite for the client's mother and her caregiver, living and kitchen on the third, and a master suite on the fourth floor. The compact site exists between a railroad overpass to the North and an alley to the East, allowing shared vehicular access to the home. The overall massing is broken down using durable and low maintenance materials. A corten clad rectangular form rests atop a ground-face masonry base.  Diagrams The corten volume is further articulated with a series of large scale carves that form balconies and window openings that frame views. Planar elements clad in charcoal standing seam metal encase the circulation wing and fourth floor master suite and employ glass and charred wood infill. A large projection on the West is an external expression of the intersection between the main mass and circulation wing. Positioning the circulation wing perpendicular to the main volume maximizes the interior space, takes advantage of the triangular shaped lot and provides lateral stability for the four-story structure. This articulation of the mass mediates the various scales and materiality of the surrounding industrial context and allows the interior programmatic elements to be a clear expression on the exterior.  © Hank Mardukas Photography The final construction cost was $960,000, or $256/sf (based on conditioned sf). Consultants for the project included Haltom Engineering for mechanical and Ozeryansky Structural Engineering. Woodard Properties was the general contractor for this project. All photos by Hank Mardukas Photography.  © Hank Mardukas Photography Product Description. The overall massing is broken down using durable and low maintenance materials. A corten clad rectangular form rests atop a ground-face masonry base. The corten volume is further articulated with a series of large scale carves that form balconies and window openings that frame views. This articulation helps to breakdown the scale of the large residence appropriately for the site.  © Hank Mardukas Photography This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Frank Gehry to Teach Online Course on Architecture & Design Posted: 23 Feb 2017 04:00 AM PST Frank Gehry has been selected by online education platform MasterClass to lead an interactive architecture and design course on his creative process. The course will include 15 video lessons, and critique from the architect himself on select student work. At a cost of $90, the lessons will cover Gehry's career and architectural philosophy, illustrated with sketches and models from Gehry's private model archive. Each lesson will offer a downloadable workbook with notes and assignments for the week. Students will then be able to upload videos for the opportunity to get feedback from the class and Frank himself. "When you build a building, any building, start with the simple block model to see where that goes," Gehry says in the course's promotional video. "I'm always trying to express movement, I was fascinated with the fold so basic to our first feelings of love and warmth. These ideas are scary as hell to tell to the client, they can reject you and they will. But create the logic for it as you go, stretch it into another place." In the video, Gehry also stresses the importance of designing for humanitarian reasons, and not just for economy or ego. "Most of our cities are built with just faceless glass only for economies and not for humanities," he shares. "Whatever you do, promise me that every project you make or design you'll take the risk of doing something for humanity." The MasterClass platform was founded in 2015 to "give anyone the ability to gain the wisdom and knowledge of the world's best creators." Past instructors have included Werner Herzog on filmmaking, Gordon Ramsay on cooking, and Deadmau5 on electronic music production. The course will become available later this Spring. Find out more here. News via MasterClass. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 23 Feb 2017 03:00 AM PST  © Simone Bossi
 © Simone Bossi From the architect. The house is part of a building from the end of the eighteenth century. The original structure of the building has been able to enhance the quality of the environmental context, establishing a continuous dialogue between the surroundings and the construction. Formerly the residence of a rich family from Milan, the property has recently undergone a complete restoration dividing it in apartments. The interpretation and the analysis of the construction characteristics of the apartment, developed on the ground floor with a smaller portion at the semi-basement level, have been essential to identify of the proposed project solutions. The main floor has a shape referable to a square, even though irregular. The presence of a beautiful manger in stone reminds us of its original destination. Thick walls divide more or less randomly the space, cross-barrel vaulted ceilings are flanked by wooden beamed ceilings. The space presents a twofold relationship between inside and outside. Wide rectangle openings are facing a courtyard and the afternoon light is passing through.  © Simone Bossi A sequence of five arch windows is characterizing the north/east façade. The view continues all the way to the heights of the city if Varese. The light, incident in the first morning hours, softens during the day. The will to enhance the existing construction brought us to project approach. The apparent spontaneity of the space has been our guideline. We wanted to emphasize the original structure of the building, its materials and its irregularity. The subdivision of the internal space, necessary to satisfy the needs of the new destination, is done by specific interventions with selected materials. Glass is used to delimit the bathroom zones. Wood is used for the containing volumes in order to separate the entrance and to shield the sleeping area. The wall mass remains free from interferences; vertical pivot doors are closing the existing passages between the various spaces.  © Simone Bossi The concrete floor is alternated with wooden floors underlining the original difference of floor levels. The choice of integrating the containing elements with the walls allowed us to enhance the empty space and its variability of light and shadows during the whole day.  © Simone Bossi The satin finished glass walls bring a diffused light into the bathrooms enhancing the concise choice of furniture and get like lanterns in the evening hours.  © Simone Bossi Product Description. Principally we tried to keep the original material of the building. We are talking about wall covered with plaster and painted light grey. The floor is made of concrete and dark oak. The same material used for the closet used at the entrance.  © Simone Bossi This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 6 Low-Cost Techniques to Activate Underused Urban Space Posted: 23 Feb 2017 01:30 AM PST "Public space is the new backyard," says Hamish Dounan, Associate Director of Street Furniture Australia. "Great landscape architecture projects can actually get people out of their apartments and going for walks. It can get them engaging in a social way," adds Shahana Mackenzie, CEO of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA). Trends to activate public spaces are increasing in popularity around the world; urban parks and gardens, vibrant street places, wider pedestrian walkways, cafes with outdoor seating. So during the 2016 International Festival of Landscape Architecture held in Canberra during October 2016, Street Furniture Australia launched a pop-up park in the underused urban space of Garema Place, in collaboration with AILA, the ACT Government and In The City Canberra. The aim of the pop-up park was to create a small social experiment, "to test the theory that the fastest and most cost-effective way to attract people is to provide more places to sit." In addition to moveable furniture, the park included bright colors, additional lighting, a lawn, free Wi-Fi and bookshelves as techniques to make Garema Place more inviting. The process and results of the pop-up park were documented in a report by Street Furniture Australia, with some impressive results: before the #BackyardExperiment, 97% of people were observed to just pass through Garema Place without stopping, and 98% of the people who did stop in the space were adults. During the 8 days of the experiment, the number of passersby increased by 190% as people chose to walk through Garema Place instead of taking other routes. In addition to this, 247% more people stayed at the place to sit and enjoy the pop-up park and surrounding area. There was an incredible 631% increase in children at the park, double the number of groups of friends, close to a 400% increase in the number of couples and almost 5 times the amount of families. With the numbers as evidence for the success of the #BackyardExperiment, here is a summary of the elements used to evoke such a positive response. Simple, cost-effective and relatively easy to implement, these interventions are an attractive "cocktail" for any underused urban space.  Courtesy of Street Furniture Australia Moveable FurnitureTesting trends seen in "places like Paris and New York," 60 brightly colored chairs, varying in shape and size, were placed in Garema Place for people to move around and activate the space as they pleased. It was an experiment to see if moveable furniture actually works as well as people say they do, and "to observe what people do with them." Locals were interviewed before the implementation of the chairs, and many of them expressed concerns about the fact that the chairs weren't "bolted down," as one interviewee phrased it, making it easy for them to be stolen or damaged. Despite these concerns, not a single chair was stolen during the 8 days, and just 1 was damaged on the last night of the experiment. ACT Government surveyed people during the 8 days to collect information that could be used to improve the future of Garema Place, and 99% of everyone surveyed said they liked the furniture and want to see more of it.  Courtesy of Street Furniture Australia Bright ColorsOne of the most attractive pop-up elements for children was definitely the implementation of bright colors in the otherwise gray space. Tiles on the pavement surrounding the trees were painted in a range of colors, and local knitters were encouraged to "yarn bomb" the trees to "create an environment that felt magical and safe," according to June Boxsell, Marketing Manager of Street Furniture Australia. The colors of the tiles were of course also reflected in the colors of the surrounding chairs, creating a space that still felt united in all its diversity. People interviewed during the experiment repeatedly credited the colorful aspect of the park as the reason for stopping to sit down and take a break, instead of just passing through.  Courtesy of Street Furniture Australia Additional LightingIn addition to the atmospheric fairy lights hanging from the tree branches, the tree canopy was lit from below with blue lighting. Anthony Linard, Chairman of the Lighting Society, ACT, calls the effect "a cathedral up in the trees," drawing one's eyes up to the massive volume within the world of a tree, and thus opening up the entire space of Garema Place. The blue lighting is paired with white lighting on the tree trunks, creating a contrast between cool and warm, adding what one passerby described as "a really warming kind of place." More light of course also creates an increased feeling of safety in an environment, making it a more welcoming place, especially for families, in the evenings. Increased activity during these hours also means more business for the nearby bars and restaurants, benefiting local vendors.  Courtesy of Street Furniture Australia  Courtesy of Street Furniture Australia Green LawnTo soften up the concrete space a small living lawn was added to compliment the existing trees and open up the place as a spot for relaxation. This created a surface where children could run and play on a different material than the usual hard concrete or stone, as well as a place to sit and lay back without the need for chairs. The relationship between the open green plain and the trees growing out of the urban ground adds a more dynamic element to Garema Place, in contrast to the more dull, homogenous appearance it had before the #BackyardExperiment.  Courtesy of Street Furniture Australia Digital ElementsAccording to the report, Canberra is the most digitally connected city in Australia, with free Wi-Fi hotspots littered around public spaces, including Garema Place. Unsurprisingly this helps to attract people, but in addition to the usual digital connection we experience daily, ACT Government Library included digital books made available to download, as well as the physical bookshelves that were placed around the area. Finally, the free Wi-Fi made it possible for more people to spread the digital word about the pop-up park, attracting more locals to the area. "We didn't actively promote the park to the community or stage a launch, we simply built it and people came," says Boxsell.  Courtesy of Street Furniture Australia  Courtesy of Street Furniture Australia Community InvolvementThe yarn decorations enveloping the trees were knitted for months prior to the pop-up by local knitters who then "yarn-bombed" Garema Place in preparation for the festival. Unplanned passersby stopped to help paint the tiles during the set-up, taking initiative and interest in the social development of the public space to dedicate their own time to the project. ACT Government Libraries provided a series of bookshelves that were well-used, especially by younger visitors, and a local pub offered to provide a storage space for the park. Surrounding businesses like a nearby fashion boutique, as well as the street and homeless community who are Garema Place regulars, agreed to watch over the moveable chairs and protect them from vandals. Finally, the project was sponsored by a non-profit organization, In the City Canberra, that funds activations in the city center. Without the local care for the project, the #BackyardExperiment could not have been the success it was. Ownership and personal investment from the entire community are what breathe life into a public space, not just the objects that are placed in it.  Courtesy of Street Furniture Australia As summarized by Mark Armstrong, industrial designer and director of Blue Sky Creative: "When you own something, it has meaning and you take care of it. I think that's the great part about public space. If we can build ownership with the community, then you have engagement and very enjoyable spaces." This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Flying House / IROJE KHM Architects Posted: 23 Feb 2017 01:00 AM PST  © Sergio Pirrone
 © Sergio Pirrone Landing of An Airship that Load Nature The owner of this house is a young pilot and his family for his future home space, the house landed lightly on the site in the new developing town near the Incheon airport.  © Sergio Pirrone Architectural 'Flight' We relate the Korean traditional architectural formative characteristic with the pilot's daily behavioral characteristic which is flight and try to construct symbolically the cultural identity of the house. The rumaru's carried surface roof of the flying on top of the courtyard and the dynamic movement of the frozen home metaphorically symbolize the airline's flight. Also, in order to offset the instability of the flight, we planned a sitting down form of heating stone system which is the Korean traditional architectural structure(the living room is touched with the ground). Like this, we tried to grant the routinized stability into the housing through considering the environmental balance between the sky and the land.  © Sergio Pirrone  Section 2  © Sergio Pirrone The Architectural 'Nature' We transformed the Korean traditional architect's spatial and landscape element such as yard, garden and rumaru pavilion into contemporary housing program which applies the house main outer space and afforest the rooftop so that when you walk from the courtyard to the roof top, it makes a landscape for the sloped roof garden that allows strolling circulation. This allows the home to coexist with the nature and form a landscape hill.  © Sergio Pirrone  © Sergio Pirrone  © Sergio Pirrone Low Budget Architecture We had to overcome the small construction cost budget and in order to realize the design's conceptual result such as the program and spatial term, so we had to establish an economical and simple budget plan. This means that the heat insulation needs to be high and the exterior material needs to be used with cheap drivit and without pollar, pace and slave, and we need to expose the concrete framework surface and concrete block wall surface so that the structural material becomes a finishing material so that the total construction fee is minimized and creates a simple interior space.  © Sergio Pirrone This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 15 Metal Fittings for Connecting Laminated Wooden Structures Posted: 23 Feb 2017 12:00 AM PST  Courtesy of Arauco When designing wooden structures, it’s very important to consider joints and reinforcements that will allow them to stay together and upright. These connectors not only allow for adhering wood to wood but also let you anchor wood elements to brick and concrete walls. With such a variety of pieces needing to be connected together (beam-beam / beam-pillar / beam-strut / beam-wall / base-frames), working with hardware requires the advice of a calculating engineer or a professional with knowledge and experience. To guide you in this process, we have selected 15 metal fittings specially designed by Arauco to connect wood pieces. Anchoring Pillars to FloorFor pillars that need to take lateral forces  M90 for 90 mm pillars Diagonal Beam JointSimple base plate  Diagonal Beam Joint Beam AnchoringJoining beam to brick wall  Beam Anchoring Straight Sectional Metal PillarStraight sectional metal pillar  Straight Sectional Metal Pillar Built-In PillarSwivel joint  Built-In Pillar Hidden SupportSupported joints  Hidden Support Plate RecessedStrut pillar joint  Plate Recessed Flanges RecessedBeam strut V joint  Beam Strut V Joint Anchored Wall PlateRoof truss to wall joint  Roof Truss to Wall Joint Beam to SlopeBeam to slope  Beam to Slope Joint H125-185Beam to beam joints  Beam to Beam Joints T-Plate JointPlate joint  T-plate Joint Corner Type JointRoof truss pillar joint  Corner Type Joint Support PlateBeam to H brace joint  Support Plate Double AnchorBeam to beam joint  Double Anchor More details and related materials in the following link. ** Guide Developed by ArchDaily Guide and Arauco. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Eduardo Souto de Moura Designs Portuguese Coin Commemorating Álvaro Siza Posted: 22 Feb 2017 10:00 PM PST  Coin dedicated to Álvaro Siza Vieira designed by Eduardo Souto Moura. Image via OASRS - Facebook The 2017 Portuguese Commemorative Coins were unveiled this week in the Casa da Moeda, where the themes, authors and designs for the commemorative, chain and collector's coins to be issued throughout the year were shown. Among the novelties, a new series dedicated to Portuguese Architecture stands out, which includes a coin dedicated to Álvaro Siza Vieira designed by Eduardo Souto Moura, two great names in Portuguese architecture. For the first time, a colorful currency will be produced in Portugal to honor the 150 Years of Public Security. Also unveiled was a collector's coin by designer Eduardo Aires that combines metal and acrylic to create a numismatic novelty which seeks to recreate the widespread use of iron and glass in 19th century architecture. The ten coins that make up the 2017 slate were designed by several important figures of Portugal's contemporary visual arts, among them: José de Guimarães, Clara Menéres, André Carrilho, João Fazenda and Luís Filipe de Abreu. The designs cover themes including architecture, ethnography and national sport, among other values of Portuguese and international culture. Throughout the year, the coin collection will be dedicated to Álvaro Siza Vieira (Portuguese Architecture series), the Olympic champion Carlos Lopes (Sports Icons series), the queen D. Maria Bárbara de Bragança (Queens of Europe series), the Centenary of the Apparitions of Fatima, Caretos de Trás-os-Montes (Portuguese Ethnography series), the natural wonders of the Island of Madeira (Ibero-American series), the Iron Age and Glass (Europe series - Ages of Europe) and "The Future" (Draw Money Series), while the paper currencies will mark the 150 Years of Public Security and the 150 Years since Raul Brandão's birth. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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