Arch Daily |
- Musikene / GA + Atxurra Zelaieta Arquitectos
- Ortho Wijchen / studio PROTOTYPE
- Shokrniya Beauty Salon / 4 Architecture Studio
- Sammy Ofer Stadium / Mansfeld-Kehat Architects + KSS GROUP
- Langara Science & Technology Building / Teeple Architects Inc.
- Kayak.com / Beinfield Architecture
- Youth Centre / Zakarian-Navelet Architectes
- 8 Projects Selected to Transform Toronto's Beachfront in the 2017 Winter Stations Design Competition
- One on One / Moreno Architecture
- Snøhetta Wins Competition for Ice-Inspired Hotel on Helsinki's Waterfront
- Extension to a Private House / Tamir Addadi Architecture
- How a Retired 88-Year-Old Solar Design Pioneer Became one of 2017's "Game Changers"
- Santiago Calatrava Reveals £1 Billion Mixed-Use Project in London
- Le Banc de Neige / Atelier Pierre Thibault
- Nikolay Polissky Unveils Latest Handcrafted Wood Structure
- Statue of Liberty Museum Proposal Points to Social Injustice Through Tweets
- Font Rubi Cottage / Marc Mogas & Jordi Roig
Musikene / GA + Atxurra Zelaieta Arquitectos Posted: 02 Feb 2017 07:00 PM PST
From the architect. A solid dark volume that when it is carved, a bright and luminous interior is discovered. The building projects along the city of San Sebastian, the artistic activity developed inside, music. Musikene, Higher School of Music of the Basque Country, considered a reference as a learning centre in European scale. This sculpted building responses to dense and compartmentalised needs programme in a constrained plot. This situation makes the building use the maximum volume allowed by the regulations and enlarge the surface of the façades as much as possible in order to light each and every space. The volume veils a precious piece inside, the auditorium, which becomes the heart of the building. In addition the building houses 75 different size acoustic classrooms, 32 individual practice cabins, library, music archives, administration and teacher areas along with many other facilities. Even though the building can appear to be an arbitrary sculpture, the project is the result of meticulously adapting the needs to the geometry and demands of the plot. Leading to a design, which seeks to be representative of the artistic activities that take place inside. The building arises as an inner self-sufficient element, nevertheless answers back to its surroundings giving a response to the urban structure and nearby buildings. The buildings formal designs comes from the need of enlarging the façades surface in order to illuminate the different spaces. Three impressive incisions sculpt the solid volume through some clear and straight cuts, projecting the soul and the brightness of the building towards the city. The contrast between the different façades has been strengthen by the use of high brightness black colour in the covering part and gold colour for the cuts. The materials evoke with a subtle language the finishing of the musical instruments. This is a building with a simple and clear concept but with a tough and sophisticated technical development. The foundation reaches 25 meters of depth with the phreatic surface at -2.5 meters. The buildings structure consists of a steel skeleton witch supports the complex geometry conditioned by the big open space for the auditorium at the main floor. The most important issue to take into account is the acoustic needs that affect all the spaces of the building, needs that ensure the success of the functionality of the building. Technically the need to highlight the contrast of the façades has been solved by covering the skin of the building with smooth black lacquered aluminium, which stresses the window holes. Nevertheless, to provide the courtyards with an abstract character, perforated galvanized golden trays have been used, this allows light to go through and as they are stamped, sunrays are reflected too. The combination of just glass and steel and the strict modulation of the buildings skin contributes to make control of the economic cost. The building is designed following sustainability criteria, based on energy saving and the optimization of the installations. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Ortho Wijchen / studio PROTOTYPE Posted: 02 Feb 2017 06:00 PM PST
From the architect. Studio PROTOTYPE has realised a new orthodontics within the urban plan ''Huurlingse Dam'' in the city of Wijchen. The practice functions as a keystone in the neighbourhood with its sculptural appearance in the larger cluster of healthcare-institutions. The distinctiveness of the sculpture in combination with its freestanding position and sightlines, enhancess the open and accessible character of the practice. In the interior a high open space has been created with different views towards the neighbourhood and the surrounding landscape. Natural light flows in through the birch wooden roof light which acts as a backbone for the building. The open setup of the plan and the large panoramic view towards the garden create a light and spacious place in which the patient feels comfortable. At the same time the open space forms an optimal workplace full of light where the orthodontist has overview at the ongoing treatments. Screens in-between the treatment-chairs and two separated rooms guarantee the privacy of the patients. The technical functions such as the X-ray, sterilisation and model-rooms have been organized within separated volumes that are placed strategically in the open plan. Light-stained birch wood is combined with functional white tints of the orthodontist' fixed furniture and appliances. The carefully picked palette of colours and durable materials create a serene setting for the patient, while the rooflight generates an exciting interplay of light that makes the interior come to life. Product Description. The shape of the ortho originates from a freestanding sculpture, which is formed by diagonals and sightlines. It results in a rotationally symmetrical mass with a double-curved roof-surface. To materialize this unique surface, narrow aluminium profiled sheets are used. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Shokrniya Beauty Salon / 4 Architecture Studio Posted: 02 Feb 2017 02:00 PM PST
From the architect. Shokrniya Beauty salon provides ladies with cosmetic and hygienic services. The project is located in SaadatAbad Street. The building seemed to be primarily Built for administrative affairs and the spaces could not meet the needs of a beauty salon. The employer aimed at a deluxe and inspiring environment in 88-meter square space to offer the services. The main underlying idea of the project is to produce separate spaces with different functions which are at the same time parts of a whole structure in the form of boxes in two colors which differentiates the dirty and clean spaces. This boxes are closed or semi-closed without any acoustic or olfactory disturbances. The customer will have enough room to experience a private catwalk. it is possible to pass through some of the boxes but some others are just parts of the design. The lights are designed according to the required standards as one of the effective factors to get access to the maximum space for cosmetic services. Choosing the Sansevieria plant to have a particular consideration to air conditioning have provided a friendly atmosphere. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Sammy Ofer Stadium / Mansfeld-Kehat Architects + KSS GROUP Posted: 02 Feb 2017 12:00 PM PST
From the architect. Sami Ofer Stadium is a new 30,000 capacity football stadium in Haifa has been designed according to UEFA category 4 standard and to FIFA regulations. As a modern stadium the building is multi- functional and contains sport clubs, restaurants, shops and sport museum in addition to all the facilities for players and fans, in the highest standards. The seats are all covered with a golden roof, made from aluminum shingles. The tiers are designed as a "bowl" to create a special atmosphere. The north, east and south tribunes are divided to lower tiers and upper tiers. The vomitories and stairs all start from a mid-level that goes all around the stadium. This level, the concourse, contains food stands and toilets. The entrances system is electronic, very efficient and lets the spectators to their seats in a short time. The western side of the stadium, the "main building", includes 6 levels. The 1st is for dressing rooms for 4 teams of players, inspectors and referees. The 2nd floor is for the media and conference room. The VIP entrance is on the 3rd floor, as well as the team shops and the sport museum. The clubs and restaurants are located on the 4th floor. The 5th floor includes 36 private boxes and the 6th floor is for the commentators' booths, T.V studios, the main cameras and control room. The new stadium acts as a striking new landmark for the city and has gained excellent opinions from spectators, players and UAFA officials. Product Description. Sammy Ofer Stadium is a land mark with the gold facade. The elevations are curved both horizontal and vertical so the solution of aluminum shingles was the best to fit. The foils were painted in gold color and were cut to very precise measures, in few groups of sizes according detailed shop drawings. The cladding consists of four layers on the basic structure: trapezoidal metal sheets 0.75 mm, flat metal sheets 0.75 mm, bituminous waterproof layer 2 mm, and aluminum shingles 0.9 mm This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Langara Science & Technology Building / Teeple Architects Inc. Posted: 02 Feb 2017 11:00 AM PST
From the architect. This project is the third phase in the implementation of Langara College's Master Plan (carried out by Teeple Architects). As in the case of the first two phases (also carried out by our team), the creation of sustainable, vibrant indoor and outdoor environment is a key focus. The new building is a five-storey structure situated at a key entrance to the campus. The building is intended to form an iconic gateway into the campus, emphasized by a bold cantilever. The building contains some of the most significant Departments at the College, brought together into a single, collaborative facility for the first time. The sciences, including chemistry, biology, physics / astronomy, nursing and computer Sciences, occupy the upper three levels, while consolidated students services and food service can be found on the lower two floors. The three upper lab levels are designed to be flexible and adaptable for future change. Labs with the highest levels of service are situated near the top of the building, minimizing fume hood exhaust runs. This results in the creation of an economic, well organized and dynamic lab environment for Langara College. Collaborative spaces – including the dramatic 'Vortex Lounge' – permeate all levels to provide visual interconnectivity through the different program zones and facilitate to the greatest degree possible collaboration, innovation and interdisciplinary learner-focused education. Advancing the College's sustainability goals through the creation of a sustainable, vibrant, indoor and outdoor environment, the project is a LEED® Gold candidate. This relies heavily on very efficient building systems as well as the full integration of healthy living components. LEED® design features include: energy efficient building envelope; low flow fume hoods with adjustable sashes; energy efficient mechanical and electrical systems; dynamic energy transfer; reflective and green roofs; the use of local LEED® approved materials; natural ventilation and hot water generation via solar thermal panels. The building incorporates intuitive navigation systems to encourage to the greatest degree possible, moving through the building itself, as well as the site on foot. Product Description: The upper three floors of the building are clad in a corrugated metal rain screen, supported by thermally broken facade clips. This thermally efficient and cost-effective cladding system is obscured by a shroud of extruded aluminum louvers. The 'Sculpture Wall' louver system, developed with Engineered Assemblies Inc. provides a degree of solar shading while serving to visually unify the dramatically cantilevered upper floors into singular iconic volume. Louver density and orientations were carefully coordinated with window placements. The aluminum louvers span between vertical HSS fins which are secured by thermally broken knife plate connections at each floor slab. Seamless integration of the Sculpture Wall system with the building envelope was provided by Marine Cladding & Sheet Metal LTD. The second storey of the building is clad with CPI Quadwall, a Polycarbonate Wall Panel system filled with translucent insulation. This system was used to provide diffuse daylighting while satisfying the building's stringent thermal performance requirements. A highly collaborative design-assist phase resulted in several innovations. These include the streamlining of transition details between Polycarbonate and curtain wall, the avoidance of double-frame joints at floor slabs and the use of mitered corner panels. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Kayak.com / Beinfield Architecture Posted: 02 Feb 2017 09:00 AM PST
From the architect. Kayak.com's interest in attracting and maintaining a young urban workforce brought them to an abandoned police station close to the Stamford transit hub. Within the shell of the historic structure we helped craft a headquarters facility with the goal of providing brand reinforcement, and enabling Kayak to have enhanced connectivity to New York City's well educated millennial population. The original structure was designed by James Gamble Rogers, who was an architect known for his elegant "Yale Gothic" style. Our architectural intervention takes advantage of the soaring interior space, and celebrates the raw nature of the salvaged building, while referencing air travel, which is at the core of Kayak's business. A client request to suspend a used jet fuselage in the hanger like building shell was challenged by the difficulties of getting the aircraft into the historic structure. Alternatively it was decided to build a new fuselage from within. The existing space was adapted to maintain the sense of building as artifact. Exposed brick, metal and concrete trusses, as well as remnants of the buildings more ornate former life is preserved. Rooms constructed of metal and glass house offices and support space. The fuselage suspended from reinforced trusses houses a digital virtual conference center that connects headquarters to the satellite offices around the world. A suspended catwalk bridge access further emphasizes the floating nature of the room/object. Enclosed executive offices are housed on the first floor, while the upper levels are given over to the work stations, collaborative spaces and meeting areas. To maintain an in-progress character, all mechanicals are exposed. Ductwork rises through the building from the basement becoming an architectural element in the composition. The oval shape of the spiral duct reinforces the aeronautics aesthetic. The reception desk was fabricated from re-purposed plane parts. Its smooth surface along with polished concrete floors, shiny metal and glass contrast with the rough brick and concrete structure that still shows impressions from its original wooden formwork. Plywood is used as a cladding element, lending its organic warmth to the space. Product Description. The cowling reception desk and fuselage-shaped conference room use aluminum sheet panels, polished and buffed with rivet attachments, for a raw modern look evoking the romantic material elements of aircraft travel This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Youth Centre / Zakarian-Navelet Architectes Posted: 02 Feb 2017 07:00 AM PST
From the architect. Critical regionalism, pastiche or (post) modernity. To build in La Grande-Motte questions the heritage of the 30 glorious years, symbolized among other things in France, by new cities or tourists resorts on the coast. In this context, our response seeks to give to the youth centre the voluntarism of our time. Generosity and continuity of public paths, sustainability and economy of materials with enhancement of the plasticity of concrete. Not to mention a lush nature and omnipresent nature. The programme is divided into two entities and is enriched by a third one not pro-vided in the programme: the patio. Hart and flesh of the project, it introduces an un-expected dimension to the initial programme. The public space penetrates into the centre of our construction and the project becomes a route. Based on a Mediterranean vocabulary our building disclaims square, awning, porch, patio and large room to result in a garden. In the heart of the space the patio is entirely mineral. While depicting the surrounding nature and the tops of tall trees, it offers the framing of a parasol pine located in the centre of the entrance. Enriching a provisional programme of 142m2, the project finally offers 230 m2 of space built with the same budget. According to his desires or his oppositions, the teenager "Grand-Mottois" can therefore, in his new space, make the wall collapse on the bench, flirt under the trees or tag banners. The range of building materials is deliberately narrow. The concrete, principal material of the site is chosen for its qualities: epidermis friendly and plasticity. It is available on the entire project: brushed, varnished or cast on the spot. This grey and rich material bends, creates cantilever, is revealed with the shadow, reflects light, marks off the patio and frames the nature. Guarantor of simple construction, this unique material is airtight and guarantees an excellent thermal inertia with efficient insulation. The architectural feature alternating shaded areas, living rooms and natural elements, the building can cool up by means of natural ventilation avoiding the use of air conditioning. Large windows protected from the sun and placed in all the living rooms, allow natural and controlled light quality. At night the system is "mis-en-scène" by LED spot-lights in the ceiling. The water management The roof terrace canalizes the water in case of heavy rains, frequent in the region. Originally, La Grande Motte introduced "sculpture and painting which search in the heart and witness the confusing fate of the very society that question them." (Jean Balladur, French arquitect of La Grande-Motte) More modestly, our project contributes very simply that will. It offers, during a fleeting moment, the disturbing presence of an incongruity: a hole in the wall! A hole at eye level to see or to be seen. Empty space and yet responsible for fantasies, everyone can invent what he wants to see… There, where the architectural journey ends up, this hole questions our imagination. Product Description. The concrete S4, principal material of the site is chosen for its qualities: epidermis friendly and plasticity. It is available on the entire project: brushed, varnished or cast on the spot. This grey and rich material bends, creates cantilever, is revealed with the shadow, reflects light, marks off the patio and frames the nature. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
8 Projects Selected to Transform Toronto's Beachfront in the 2017 Winter Stations Design Competition Posted: 02 Feb 2017 06:30 AM PST The Toronto Winter Stations design competition has selected the five professional and three student teams that will add sculptures to the Toronto beachfront this winter for the third edition of the annual event. Under the theme of "Catalyst," the jury sought installations that "open up the waterfront landscape and reinvent the space for visitors," while considering how materials may be repurposed or reused for future iterations. "Winter Stations 2017 delivered, once again, gutsy and lyrical transformations of ordinary lifeguard stands," says Lisa Rochon, Winter Stations Design Jury Chair. "Visitors will be able to touch and feel their way along the beach, experiencing luminous shelter from the wind, warming waters for their feet, and designs that celebrate the Canadian nation of immigrants," says Lisa Rochon, Winter Stations Design Jury Chair. "The idea of reuse is particularly relevant as we have found many of the Winter Stations installations have taken on a second life after the competition," says Winter Stations co-founder Ted Merrick of Ferris + Associates. Founded by RAW Design, Ferris + Associates, and Curio, the Winter Stations Design Competition was envisioned as an opportunity to use design to inspire Torontonians back outside. Check out this year's winners below. WinnersI See You Ashiyu / Asuka Kono and Rachel Salmela This installation uses the idea the Japanese hot spring and warm water to provide physical relief from the cold. By creating a landscape-based gathering space on the beach, this installation emphasizes the contrast in the seasons and recalls memories of a summer beach. North / studio PERCH Using the poetic concept of the great "North", this installation conjures a powerful and eternal image that transports visitors to an imagined forest. The work suspends 41 fir trees in midair creating an evocative and colour-saturated canopy that stands out against the white of winter. Collective Memory / Mario García and Andrea Govi Inspired by the statistic that by 2031 nearly one-half of the Canadian population over the age of 15 will be foreign-born or the child of a migrant parent Collective Memory aims to be the catalyst of present and shared anecdotes. Constructed out of recycled bottles – the archetype for the lost message – two translucent walls will shield the existing lifeguard structure, creating a threshold between shore and city. BuoyBuoyBuoy / Dionisios Vriniotis, Rob Shostak, Dakota Wares-Tani and Julie Forand Capturing the impression of a series of buoys moving in the waves, BuoyBuoyBuoy uses many small parts to create a whole. Each component is the silhouette of a buoy from afar creating a fog or a cloud around the lifeguard station like drops reflecting and refracting the light. The Beacon / Joao Araujo Sousa and Joanna Correia Silva The concept translates into the archetypical lighthouse conical shape, reduced to its simplest expression and conformed to the lifeguard stand proportions and wrapped in aged wood. The Beacon will act as a temporary drop-off location for non-perishable items such as canned food or clothes. Collegiate TeamsFlotsam and Jetsam / University of Waterloo Project team: Nicola Augustin, NegarBehzad Jazi, Anne Cheung, Bryce Clayton, Catherine Cohen, Mona Dai, Sarah Donaldson, Parshan Fatehi, Allegra Friesen, Golnaz Jamshidi, Carly Kandrack, Ryan Pagliaro, Elida Pletikapic, Alexandra Sermol, Kirsten Sheppard-Neuhofer, Eric Sviratchev, Joel Tremblay and Danny Wei As visitors approach from the vantage of the city the 20-foot high sculpture generates curiosity and invites a closer look. The installation reveals the realities of plastic consumption, resulting waste and its effects on the aquatic biodiversity of the planet we share. The Illusory / Humber College School of Media Studies & IT, School of Applied Technology Creative Team: Jenessa Atkinson, Aaron Bavle, Jason Carreiro, Gabriela Merka-Derez, Kimberly Michelle Czornodolskyj, Karun Ramani, Trish Roque, Roxanne Van Dam, Qiao Wang, Project Faculty Advisors: Marcin Kedzior, Professor, School of Applied Technology From afar, the structure is incognito, reflecting the surrounding environment and fading into it. Entering the space, the explorer views misconstrued, mirroring illustrations of themselves and their surroundings. Midwinter Fire / Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of Toronto Creative Team: John Beeton, Herman Borrego, Anna Chen, Vikrant Dasoar, Michael DeGirolamo, Leonard Flot, Monika Gorgopa, James Kokotilo, Asuka Kono, Karima Peermohammad, Rachel Salmela, Christina Wilkinson, Julie Wong, Rotem Yaniv. Faculty Advisor: Pete North, Assistant Professor Midwinter Fire provides visitors with the opportunity to engage with an augmented winter forest creating an immersive experience that reframes Southern Ontario's vegetation in contrast with the exposed winterlandscape of the beach. This installation uses the simple idea of reflectivity to expand the illusion of an urban forest and to make the project disappear into the surrounding landscape. The 8 installations will be constructed from February 13 to 19 along Kew, Scarborough and Balmy Beaches in the heart of The Beach community, and will continue on display until March 27, 2017. For more information, visit the Winter Stations website, here. News and project descriptions via Winter Stations Design Competition. Whimsical Winter Stations Warm Toronto's Beaches This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
One on One / Moreno Architecture Posted: 02 Feb 2017 05:00 AM PST
From the architect. One on One is characterised by bold architecture featuring glass and metal, composed of superimposed staggered volumes. URBAN CONTEXT One on One's urban context is at the same time very attractive and complex. Situated in a corner of Luxembourg's business district the building has a great visibility in the heart of the city. The complexity of the site is due to the triangular geometry form of the terrain, between existing buildings and 2 arterial roads. This situation inspired Moreno Architecture to create a building out of 12 superimposed skewed volumes of glass and metal. This resourceful optimisation of internal space offers high flexibility for accommodating open-plan or partitioned offices. In words of Stefano Moreno: "Despite the complex urban situation, the challenge was to create the maximum amount of office space while ensuring maximum flexibility. We used all tricks and knowledge to transform constraints into strengths and strong architectural elements. This resulted in designing a building where glass cubes stack and shift, creating private terraces along the building's inward-facing edges." GENERAL DESCRIPTION One on One is a 6-storey office building and 3 levels of underground. It has 3.000 m2 of office space within 5.000 m2 of built surface. "This building is seemingly created from the simple idea of stacking office cubes but in fact it is the product of a multitude of constraints and the combination of vital elements. The spectacular restructuring of this corner site's volumes has resulted in the creation of a premium building which offers its users impressive, easily arranged office spaces." ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT The challenge to sustain the overhanging volumes without perturbing inner columns behind the facade required a flexible and light system. Therefore, the structure is composed of column and beam steel construction. The steel structure is aligned with the façades to free the inner space. A central core of reinforced concrete gathers all building circulations (stairs and elevators) and offers perfect size and shape for flexible peripheral office layouts. Steel and concrete structure are founded on a concrete basement. CONSTRUCTION / MATERIALS AND STRUCTURE The shape of steel-frames is following the movement of the superposed volumes, organised in a 1.25m-grid and stuck together by collaborating concrete-slabs. The columns create an irregular structure that is sustained by a 65 cm concrete slab at ground level. The openness and transparency that come out of the column-free open-space is enhanced by the absence of visible lintels. This choice allows to maximize natural lighting, thus creating a very qualitative working space. The façade is composed of a combination of a triple-glass curtain-wall system and traditional isolated metallic boxes. The exterior double-skin is provided by high performance solar glass and offers an efficient solar protection while the offices benefit of daylight, reflected by inner stores. A double-floor system and active ceilings sustain the great flexibility of the offices. Product Description. One on one's steel-frame structure is composed of 33 different beam sections (IPE, HEA, HEB, HEM and U) and 90 different assembly solutions of steel components. From the very beginning the structure was designed and 3D-modelized as a whole. The structure reaches a total of 260 tons of S-355 structural steel that represents a total of 6 kilometres of steel. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Snøhetta Wins Competition for Ice-Inspired Hotel on Helsinki's Waterfront Posted: 02 Feb 2017 04:00 AM PST Snøhetta has been selected as the winners of an invited competition for the design of a new hotel to be located on the Hakaniemi waterfront in Helsinki, Finland. Aimed at becoming a "new beacon of Helsinki," Hilbert's Hotel will provide new public space for the city while increasing accommodation for visitors. "Snøhetta is thrilled by the prospect of contributing to the vast architectural heritage of Helsinki," says Snøhetta Founding Partner Kjetil T. Thorsen. "We have tried to actively celebrate the presence of visitors in the city. Simultaneously, we have tried to promote the qualities, such as the connection to the water, of this specific site as a gift to the visitors and inhabitants of Helsinki. This mutual task is at the core of architectural creations. The City of Helsinki and Arthur Buchardt are the best possible partners in the realization of a building Helsinki deserves." The design is split into clearly articulated public and private domains, with guest rooms lofted above the stepped plaza landscape where the public will gather. The building's ground floor will remain largely open, maintaining a high degree of permeability and access to the waterfront for the entire neighborhood. In contrast with the rough, masonry facades of many of its surrounding buildings, the hotel will be enveloped in a smooth, contiguous white glass skin, broken into panels reminiscent of shattered sea ice. Optimizing the facades functionality, the pattern of the panels has been determined by the location of the hotel rooms within. As night falls, the facade's transparency will become more evident, as lights from the guest rooms will create variable glowing patterns. Each room will consist of several windows within the pattern, one of which will be operable. Hotel amenities will include restaurants, bars, outdoor seating and a rooftop terrace, helping to transform the Hakaniemi waterfront into a vibrant district of the city. News via Snøhetta. Snøhetta Designs World's Northernmost Energy Positive Building in Norway Snøhetta Named WSJ's 2016 Architectural Innovator of the Year This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Extension to a Private House / Tamir Addadi Architecture Posted: 02 Feb 2017 03:00 AM PST
From the architect. The project involved an extension and alterations to the lower ground floor of a private Victorian house, located in a conservation area. Initially the clients' sole request was to create an extension to accommodate a dining area. However, when we looked at the lower ground floor as a whole, we identified a problematic connection to the rear garden that affected the entire floor. A utility area with WC was located between the kitchen and the garden, blocking the garden from view and reducing the amount of natural light that could penetrate inside. The garden was on a higher level than the indoor space, and it was accessible only through a paved patio and stairs. We created a small extension (7.3m²) using the space of the original patio, and relocated the utility area to the front – creating a new living room facing the rear garden. A dining area was created at the front in place of the original living room. At the rear garden, we dug out part of the soil next to the new living room to accommodate a paved area level with the lower ground floor. The floor, white walls and built-in furniture continuing from the inner space and into the garden help create a sense of unity between indoors and outdoors, and make the living room appear bigger. A new skylight was added in the living room to further increase the amount of natural daylight. The project included the design and execution of all built-in furniture, bespoke sliding door and garden. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
How a Retired 88-Year-Old Solar Design Pioneer Became one of 2017's "Game Changers" Posted: 02 Feb 2017 01:30 AM PST This article was originally published by Metropolis Magazine as part of their 2017 Game Changers issue. You can read about all of their 2017 Game Changers here. I meet architect and educator Ralph Knowles on an unseasonably warm autumn day, even for Southern California. He greets me in shirtsleeves (his shirt is a tropical pattern of vines and branches) and leads me to a seat on the balcony of his condo. The building—a retirement community—is fairly new, but mature oak trees line the quiet street. As we talk about his career, the California oaks form a poignant backdrop. For more than five decades, Knowles, 88, has argued for an architecture that hews closely to nature's forces and rhythms. Throughout the bruising 2016 election, climate change and the ecological impact of our insatiable demand for energy were the policy questions that were always on the sidelines and never explicitly addressed. Similarly, architects have often evaded these issues—embracing sustainability and LEED requirements as necessary, but rarely tackling them head-on. This uneasy relationship between energy and architecture dates back decades. Knowles published his first book in 1974, just when the global economy was in the throes of an energy crisis. Petroleum and heating oil were in short supply, leading to not only the famous gas lines but also the political tensions between the United States and Middle Eastern nations that we still see today. The text of Energy and Form: An Ecological Approach to Urban Growth was part energy conservation treatise and part call to action. Drawing on studies of pueblo architecture and analysis of California's Owens Valley watershed, Knowles proposed a systematic method of shaping architecture and urban development in response to seasonal and climatic rhythms. In the book's introduction, he writes that "its method is deduction and rests on the premise that human survival depends on our willingness to consciously direct urban growth." Read today, Energy and Form is a remarkably prescient predecessor to parametric analysis, which can approximate environmental impacts on building form in response to solar gain, shadow, or wind. Knowles, however, traces the inspiration for his solar envelope research back to when he was a student at North Carolina State University in the 1950s. (He was a pupil of the Argentine architect Eduardo Catalano.) And in the preface, he credits Buckminster Fuller, who taught in the college of design, as the first issuer of a prophetic warning about the impact of urban expansion and industrialization on the earth's resources. "At the time, we heard him only faintly," writes Knowles. Like Fuller, Knowles was dedicated to research that would tackle the big energy issues, even if an audience wasn't ready to hear his message. Lately, people have been listening. This past September the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) convened a two-day conference titled "Heliomorphism." The esoteric-sounding term taken up by the GSD broadly describes the use of solar-responsive design approaches in shaping cities and buildings. The inaugural event of the school's Office for Urbanization, founded by architect and urbanist Charles Waldheim, used Knowles' research into solar envelope zoning—a legal designation that if adopted as policy would guarantee solar access in urban areas—as a jumping-off point. "Architecture that conforms to solar envelope allows us to look at the whole city," Knowles explains. Waldheim sees equal access to light and air as part of the social contract of cities and a topic that deserves renewed attention. "What appeals to me about the topic is that it is both archaic and undercultivated in the last 25 years, which makes it ripe for appropriation," Waldheim says. Knowles' research, he adds, suggested (and still suggests) the possibility of understanding the making of individual energy-conscious buildings and sustainable city planning as a synthetic process. "Right now we have a condition that when talking about the city, we end up in one of two places—either we talk about policies and politics, or every project is a singularity," Waldheim says. "[Heliomorphism] allows us to deal with questions of collective urban form in a directly ecological way." Over the years, Knowles' research received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Solar Energy Research Institute (launched in 1974 and now the National Renewable Energy Laboratory), but he found that moneys to support his efforts vanished under Ronald Reagan's presidency. Mainstream interest in environmentalism ushered in during the '60s and '70s, a time of activism and policy change, faded in the '80s as the energy crisis abated. Now the issue is back in play. The GSD conference was timed to coincide with the anniversary of New York City's 1916 Zoning Resolution, which was the city's first regulation of development in relationship to access to sunlight and air. A hundred years later, Waldheim's Office for Urbanization hopes to augment Knowles' research with public and private partnerships that propose zero-carbon approaches on a global scale capable of countering what it describes as "neoliberal corporate and governmental urbanizations." Although Knowles didn't attend the conference, it featured keynote lectures by architects Thom Mayne and Jeanne Gang, who both credit him as an influence. In particular, Gang's design for the Solar Carve Tower along Manhattan's High Line used his solar envelope theories to shape the building. The architecture is "carved away" to maximize daylight within the office building and to maintain sunlight access and view corridors along the park. Gang first read about Knowles's work in 2000 while prepping for a passive and low-energy architecture conference, and then visited him at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles the following year. "He generously received me and told me about the program, even though I was there simply to ask him questions and learn more about the solar envelope studies," Gang recalls. Now a professor emeritus at USC, Knowles taught in the school of architecture for more than 40 years and even served as interim dean from 1973 to 1975. Mayne was one of his students. "[Knowles] embedded in me an openness—an inquisitiveness for exploring the limitless potential of architecture, giving me the confidence in our discipline's capacity to form and give life to the complex, interrelated, highly differentiated, and enduring phenomena that form it," says the Pritzker laureate. At USC, Knowles pioneered a new kind of design studio within the school of architecture. His studios were designed as testing laboratories and, in a pre-CAD era, focused on hands-on research. He and the students built equipment to simulate the movement of the sun across a structure and designed experiments to model wind and water flow dynamics. Energy and Form is full of photographs of student projects made out of wood sticks and blocks that were generated through testing. Knowles's methodology won him the 1974 AIA Medal for Research and lives on with USC's master of building science graduate program. Applied on an urban scale, the work makes a case for access and equity that can directly affect policy. He flips through a copy of a later book, Sun Rhythm Form (1981), and points to a diagram that shows the arrangement of multifamily units on a site. "We were pushing for the highest density and a range of housing types," he recalls, and acknowledges the continued need for a diversity of housing types. "Form has its own social implications." The point is especially relevant in tight housing markets like Los Angeles or San Francisco, where an increase in developer-driven urban infill may threaten access to sunlight and rising apartment towers cast long shadows. It is this social impact of his research that resonates the most with contemporary practitioners. "It struck me that while so many at the time were preoccupied with the technology of harvesting solar power, here was someone who was considering the societal impact and how sunlight could be considered a key driver for urban form and zoning," Gang says. Knowles seems genuinely surprised and touched by the new interest in his work. As we thumb through his books together around the balcony table, I can see clippings of articles—some yellowed, some fresh—tucked into the pages. "It indicates that they have faith in solar energy," he says of Waldheim and others who are reviving interest in his work, but also cautions, "We still have a long way to go." His lengthy career working on designing with nature has taught him perspective. As we wrap up our conversation, he quotes his wife, Mer: "The seeds that you plant in the ground take a long time to grow." This article is one of 5 about Metropolis Magazine's 2017 Game Changers. You can read about their 4 other Game Changers at the Metropolis website, including articles about The Architecture Lobby, Jerry Helling, ReUrbano, and WORKac. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Santiago Calatrava Reveals £1 Billion Mixed-Use Project in London Posted: 02 Feb 2017 01:00 AM PST Santiago Calatrava has unveiled designs for a £1-billion mixed-use project in Greenwich Peninsula, East London. Named Peninsula Place, the 1.4-million-square-foot (130,000-square-meter) project will be located adjacent to the Roger Stirk Harbour + Partners-designed O2 Arena (formerly known as the Millennium Dome). It will include a new tube and bus station, a theater, cinema and performance venue, bars, shops and a wellbeing hub on the lower levels, with three towers rising above featuring offices, hotels, and apartments. The scheme will also be served by a new land bridge, also designed by Calatrava. The scheme has been designed for developer Knight Dragon as part of their £8.4 billion regeneration of Greenwich Peninsula, the largest single regeneration project in London. Other firms employed by Knight Dragon to develop the area include SOM, Marks Barfield, DSDHA, Alison Brooks and Duggan Morris, whose work will add a total of 15,720 new homes to the area alongside a host of public services. Envisioned as the "gateway" to this new area of London, at the center of the project is an 80-foot-high "winter garden" which will welcome arrivals from the new tube station, and a new footbridge will connect arrivals to developments on the rest of the peninsula. Calatrava's Peninsula Place design will combine with two adjacent buildings by peninsula masterplanners Allies & Morrison to create a new neighborhood of 800 homes, including 200 affordable homes. "It is an honor to be designing such a piece of the fabric of London, a city I love," said Santiago Calatrava. "In designing this scheme, I have been inspired by London's rich architectural heritage and the very special geography of the Peninsula. It will be a project that reflects both this and the ambition of Knight Dragon for Greenwich Peninsula." "I am delighted that Santiago Calatrava has chosen London for his first major project in the UK," added Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. "This shows that London remains open to investment, trade and the very best talent from around the globe. This new landmark for London and the growth of this area of London will create a new cultural district for Londoners and visitors from around the world." Architect and Engineer: Santiago Calatrava This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Le Banc de Neige / Atelier Pierre Thibault Posted: 02 Feb 2017 01:00 AM PST
From the architect. For a summer, Le Banc de neige recreates the magical snowbanks left over from Quebec's winter storms. At once a platform and a public bench, the ephemeral installation modifies the user's relation to the public space by allowing a multitude of appropriations. As it drapes around the tree trunks and street lamps of the Place de Bordeaux with a luminous white, it magnifies these elements of the everyday while providing seating platforms for the pétanque court. These multiple bases are generated by a series of topographical contours alluding to architectural representation. Passers-by are invited to settle in and take break by contemplating the urban landscape of St-Paul Street, while the most adventurous will climb the snowbank to hide in the dense foliage of trees, sheltered from the street. The project was built commissioned by Quebec City street art festival Passages Insolites. It was one a dozen art installations in the heart of the historic center. Moreover, it was conceived to be a public infrastructure to display the potential of inviting urban design. Le Banc de neige is made from thin painted plywood curved to obtain the wavering extrusions. It was built to last for the summer of 2016. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Nikolay Polissky Unveils Latest Handcrafted Wood Structure Posted: 02 Feb 2017 12:00 AM PST Russian artist Nikolay Polissky has unveiled his latest project, a large tower for the upcoming traditional holiday of Maslenitsa, a coming of spring celebration that ceremonially burns a symbol of winter. Currently in the construction phase, the project is made from recycled wood pallets and the tops of logs, which typically are only used as cheap firewood. Additionally, the tower will be covered with hay rolls that cannot be used as animal feed, before being burned at a ceremony on February 25. Learn more about Polissky's work here. Nikolay Polissky Creates Towering, Handcrafted Structures Across Russia News via: Ivan Polissky. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Statue of Liberty Museum Proposal Points to Social Injustice Through Tweets Posted: 01 Feb 2017 10:00 PM PST Jungwoo Ji (of EUS+ Architects), Bosuk Hur (of Folio:), and Suk Lee (a fourth-year student at Iowa State University) have won the Liberty Museum / New York competition with their speculative design for a museum at the site of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in New York City. Inspired by the concept of civil candlelight marches against social injustice in Korea—the designers' home country—the proposal is designed to be an architectural device that reflects human rights and social justice disparity in real time. When visitors send messages, namely tweets, about dire events in their cities to the museum with their phones, each unit of the proposal receives electronic signals and changes its position to point towards the region in question. Ultimately, the goal of these modules is that they all point directly upwards, meaning that human rights and social justice are succeeding on a global scale. To contrast the verticality of the Statue of Liberty, the museum proposal—dubbed a new "Social Justice Media," meaning a new social media platform centered on justice—features a horizontal landscape. Additionally, each unit is designed to display regional human rights and justice situations by projecting images onto its surface. Learn more about the project here, or about the Museum design that will be physically built, below. FXFOWLE Breaks Ground on New Statue of Liberty Museum News via: EUS+ Architects. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Font Rubi Cottage / Marc Mogas & Jordi Roig Posted: 01 Feb 2017 09:00 PM PST
From the architect. A small residential area in the Pyrenees is the location of a small summer house, design under common conditions for this kind of project, plot geometry, solar orientation, ... and also under two impositions by the property: its materiality, the house had to be made of wood, and budget. Under these premises, the project idea is a mountain shelter: a home of few meters, low technology . The plot has a narrow, long and trapezoidal geometry. It has a slope of 20% with a level difference of 14m and a frontage vegetation with a sequoia at the bottom and 4 fir trees on top. To confer the idea of a forest cottage, the project is located in order to cut less trees as possible. Due to the small dimension, the house recovers lost areas like the false ceiling of the corridor used as a storing suitcases and a mezzanine over the kitchen converted as a reading corner. Intending to budget control of the work, three decisions were taken: to minimize land excavation, to prefabricate the house and to reduce aids in building site. The project was designed to be transported by road in modules under the maximum transport measures, meaning a corset in design process. The project was split in 3 units: 1 unit for bedrooms, 1 unit for the living room and kitchen, and a third unit for the cover of the living area. Structurally, the house is supported by balloon frame of pinewood, filled with a double layer of rock wool insulation and covered on the outside by a wooden ventilated facade. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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