Arch Daily |
- Residence VDB / Govaert & Vanhoutte Architects
- At Belgium's Largest School of Architecture, Learning Explores the "Very Borders of the Profession"
- Media Library [Third-Place] in Thionville / Dominique Coulon & associés
- Moholt Timber Towers / MDH Arkitekter
- A Series of Barns / L Architects
- Pedestrian Skywalk to Improve Kolkata Temple Traffic
- PLP Architecture’s Proposed Office Building Responds to London’s Historic Urban Identity
- Los Molinos House / RUIZSOLAR Arquitectos
- Autodesk's Generative Design Pavilion Plays with Properties and Fabrication Processes in Stone and Fabric
- Parks and Rec, Suits, and Silicon Valley: See 7 Offices From Hit TV Shows in Detailed 3D Models
- Fajtuv Observation Tower / Studio acht
- Architecture Initiative Transforms Derelict Brutalist Northampton Landmark into Mixed-Use Academy
| Residence VDB / Govaert & Vanhoutte Architects Posted: 05 Feb 2017 09:00 PM PST  © Tim Van De Velde
 © Tim Van De Velde From the architect. The river Leie, that runs through the historic city Ghent is well known for its leisure boating. A bit further downstream from the city centre of Ghent, many boats reduce throttle or come to a full stop to gaze upon a residence, quite different from the other houses along the river. Amidst a golf terrain like garden lies a sculptural concrete bachelor pad, grafted on the lifestyle of its owner.  © Tim Van De Velde The view from the river shows a long floating horizontal concrete framework that defines the ground floor, inside as well as outside. The ground floor holds all day functions, the pool area, and pool house. A second smaller concrete volume contains the master bed & bath room and two extra bed / bath rooms. A private terrace on the roof, linked only to the master bedroom, has a lowered floor towards the top of the volume, creating a private outside space with marvellous views towards the river and the garden.  © Tim Van De Velde  Ground Plan  © Tim Van De Velde The entire ground floor area is strongly directed towards the river. Most parts of the facade are completely glazed to allow as much visibility with the garden and river as possible. To allow more privacy, the wooden box like volume that holds the pool house, can be extended with sliding panels, to completely hide the pool area from the passing boats on the river. The front façade towards the street is partially closed by a wooden plane, holding 2 entrance doors and a gate towards the car elevator. An inclined plane allows the entrance on the elevated concrete slab of the framework. The night quarters on the first level are completely opened up towards the garden, and closed off by concrete walls towards the street and river. Each bedroom has a private terrace.  © Tim Van De Velde  © Tim Van De Velde Nightly activities reside underground. Descending the stairs along the glazed front façade, the bright ground floor becomes dark & cosy in the cave. Wood and black Moroccan tadelakt set the tone. The focus in the basement lies on the big window behind the bar, revealing the inside of the pool. The bar behind the pool window, a DJ booth, a glazed wine cabinet, the long lounge benches, the area for exclusive cars, a built in cigar cabinet, are the embodiment of an exclusive underground club.  © Tim Van De Velde  Basement Plan  © Tim Van De Velde This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| At Belgium's Largest School of Architecture, Learning Explores the "Very Borders of the Profession" Posted: 05 Feb 2017 08:00 PM PST  Courtesy of Volume The Faculty of architecture at KU Leuven, which last year featured on QS's Top 100 Universities in the World for Architecture, is Belgium's largest and most established university. The following essay, by Dag Boutsen—Dean of the School—and Kris Scheerlinck, examines cyclical learning in architectural education. It was first published by Volume in their 50th issue, Beyond Beyond, the editorial of which is available to read here.  (un)(re)learningThe ongoing Bologna process in Flemish education forces us, as a Faculty [of KU Leuven], to constantly rethink our inner rationale. Where conventional learning is based on telling, on producing knowledge, architectural learning revolves around showing, adding to the discourse told: questioning knowledge and making artefacts as an illustration of one's progress, and adopting a position on how to make the world we inhabit. Architectural learning thus requires a communicative process, a dialogue between the intention of the learner, the learning group, the instructors and the disciplinary boundaries. Classroom instructions and an idea of the Faculty as a pool of design gurus make place for a more non-hierarchical environment characterized by mutual trust, where reviews and opinions are based on interpreting and evaluating personal propositions, with an absolute belief in the person behind the student.
This uncertainty challenges the traditional idea of creativity and learning as a progression towards a final project. Dealing with this kind of uncertainty requires a form of learning which is indeterminate, in the sense that one has to be able to accept any result as a point of departure for new inquiry, to keep the learning process open. This requires a method where progress depends on errors and failures. Moreover, in real building or site construction, obstacles along the path usually lead to even better results (or, perhaps, this happens when the designer is ready to accept and embrace hindrances and hiccups). Learning, however, is not something that ends when you leave the Faculty. It is a continuous process of exploring the very borders of the profession. The practice—always in evolution—of our teachers is essential to the education on offer. A large number of them are relearning by plunging themselves (and consequently the Faculty) into a research-by-design culture, including alternative PhD [doctorate-level] trajectories. If exploring questions about ways to design was once something for specialists outside architectural and design practice, these teachers/practitioners now become students again and explore their design skills and methods through a process of self-investigation. As a result, the designer loses the aura of a solitary genius, whose methods are kept secret, and becomes a teacher who is better able to impart skills to the student. A Tilting Horizon: Reflecting on 50 Issues of VOLUME and What's Yet to Come In collaboration with Volume, KU Leuven, Faculty of Architecture, campus Sint-Lucas Ghent/Brussels, formerly known as Sint-Lucas, selected recent graduate projects and reflected on the underlying ambitions of the school. The result is 'Doing It the Belgian Way', one of the two inserts in Volume 50. The insert presents three perspectives: Embracing Complexity, Embedding in the Local, and Un/Re-Learning. The text presented here is the introduction to this third chapter. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Media Library [Third-Place] in Thionville / Dominique Coulon & associés Posted: 05 Feb 2017 07:00 PM PST  © Eugeni Pons
This project has the ambition of becoming a new model for media libraries. The programme calls the functions of a media library into question, lending it the content of a 'third place' – a place where members of the public become actors in their own condition, a place for creation as well as reception. In association with the basic programme, the building includes areas for displays, creation, music studios, and a café-restaurant. The various activities in the programme blend into each other, creating a dynamic arrangement. The building comes up close to the crown of plane trees – this is the first thickness to act as a filter from the street, apparently playing with this first colonnade of plant-life.  © Eugeni Pons  © Eugeni Pons The facade serves as an unfurling ribbon that serves as a backdrop to the different universes contained in the programme. At its closest to the street, the ribbon dips, the better to contain it, rising again where it stands further back. In the hollows, the border between the interior space and the urban space is less clear and makes it possible to come closer, to embrace the building visually. The hollow and solid sections produce an ambiguity between inside and outside, questioning the borders of the public space. Space becomes uncertain: it ceases to have clear outlines, and calls itself into question in practical terms.  © Eugeni Pons  Floor Plan  © Eugeni Pons Light spreads out along the ribbon, and the ribbon distributes the light to the area right in the heart of the building. A garden ramp offers another escape route to the outside, leading upwards to a summer bar, the culminating point of the architectural promenade. The garden extends the indoor walkway, getting closer to the line of the horizon; the town disappears, leaving just the crown of plane trees to dialogue with the sky. New uses become possible: people can take a nap, picnic, read outside, or gather in a group.  © David Romero-Uzeda  Axonometric  © Eugeni Pons The building rests on a principle of independent, irregular systems. Stacking these simple systems, each with their own logic, creates tension in the space and in how it is read. In this way, the optical perceptive space eludes the Euclidean space and its preference for straight lines.  © Eugeni Pons The bubbles contain very specific elements of the programme, such as a storytelling area, language laboratories, places for playing video games, a plastic arts room, etc. They are defined as cocoons where people are cut off from the other universes, escaping from the collective area. The bubbles are the last refuge, the most intimate part of the building. They do not respond to Cartesian logic either. The distance between them depends on their area of influence and on their scale. The colour and the materials of the principal space bring out variations of light and colouring that contrast with the material nature of the bubbles.  © Eugeni Pons  © Eugeni Pons The space is fluid, and the multiple routes offer constantly renewed viewpoints. The promenade turns into a process of revealing the various universes. The unfolding of the outer envelope accentuates this impression of infinite space. In this "ineffable" space, the notion of gravity seems to disappear – the roof and walls appear to float. This sophistication generates a "plastic acoustic" that lends this new place an atmosphere which transports and re-examines the relationship with the body and fluidity. There is no unequivocal reading of the space; the perception one has of it reveals a complexity and an unexpected richness. It is a place of freedom. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Moholt Timber Towers / MDH Arkitekter Posted: 05 Feb 2017 06:00 PM PST  © Ivan Brodey
 © Tomas Bekkavik From the architect. The student towers are a part of a larger masterplan densifying an existing student village in Trondheim, Norway. The project uses the site of a former parking lot to create a new heart for the student village with housing units, kindergarten, grocery store and sports activities. All buildings are planned in cross laminated timber (CLT).  © Studentsamskipnaden og MDH arkitekter CLT- construction In the original competition proposal the towers were envisioned built with conventional construction methods; a steel and concrete structure with a brick cladding. The latter in order to harmonize with the existing low-rise student housing with redbrick facades. To meet the project's ambitious energy and climate goals the project team researched the possibility of turning the structures into cross-laminated timber constructions (CLT). The towers, with their relatively short spans and Y-shape volumes, were in many ways statically optimal for CLT-construction.  © Studentsamskipnaden og MDH arkitekter The five towers are 9-storey high buildings with a height of 28-metres. The basement and ground floor levels are made in reinforced concrete cast in-situ. From the first floor to the 9th floor the entire structure consists of prefabricated CLT-elements. Elevator shafts and stairwells are also constructed in CLT. Both inner and outer walls are structural.  Floor Plan The approach to building with CLT was to take advantage of the finished surface of the CLT elements and expose as much as possible of the CLT element system by developing a robust and honest detailing concept. The joints of the structural elements are revealed as part of the aesthetics of the interior.  © Studentsamskipnaden og MDH arkitekter A full scale fire test was conducted to establish a better information basis for fire sizing, burn rate and sprinkler capacity. Plasterboard, screed and insulation are used in some of the ceilings and walls to obtain structures in accordance to fire and sound regulations. Some of the structural walls, for example the insides of the staircases, are painted with a transparent fire protecting wood stain that enables the exposure of the wooden surface.  Section Facade Like regular wood structures, CLT wood structures have the characteristics of shrinkage in tangential and radial direction. The façade cladding system of the student towers is designed to give it a telescopic characteristic, which can absorb the shrinkage of the floor elements without creating tensions in the cladding. The façades are clad with Kebony treated pine wood panels, a sustainable softwood product, environmentally processed with a bio-based liquid. The Kebony cladding on the ground floor is treated with a fireprotecting wood stain, whereas the rest of the Kebony façade is left untreated and will weather naturally.  © Studentsamskipnaden og MDH arkitekter The project is built with passive house energy standards. The use of CLT has reduced the CO2 production in building materials by 57 % in comparison to traditional construction methods. The structures are heated and cooled with geothermal energy. The project is nominated to the Mies van der Rohe Award 2017.  © Ivan Brodey This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| A Series of Barns / L Architects Posted: 05 Feb 2017 12:00 PM PST  © Muhamad shafiq bin samsuri
 © Muhamad shafiq bin samsuri From the architect. An idea for adaptive reuse was conceived when the design team was tasked to design a developer's head office and gallery. The idea was to turn a row of abandoned half-built shop offices into a barn-like structures where it attempts to blend into its surrounding landscape.  Site Plan The project is located near to the coast of the Johor straits just across Singapore. The journey leading to the site is a peaceful one, via a relatively small meandering road blessed with scenic country views. As one gets to the last turn the 'barns' come humbly into view. It orientates full length towards the seaside, facing the Straits of Johor. Eight sets of gable roof modules sit on the old structures, each on two grids of the 3-storey shops. Of the eight barns, one of them protrudes moderately from the rest, serving as an entry and porte cochere.  © Muhamad shafiq bin samsuri The hard concrete surfaces, simple metal decking lines, patterned brickwork, transparent glass and porous green walls all contribute to the tapestry of this façade. Though they are a combination of different materials, they are in one harmonious tone that blends with the surroundings.  © Muhamad shafiq bin samsuri In this project, we wanted to experiment with various ways how we can use a seemingly modular material like brick to create a texturized façade. An attempt to break the monolithic flat surfaces of the barns. When the sun's strength is mitigated it creates interesting shadows formed by the playful arrangement of the protruded bricks.  © Muhamad shafiq bin samsuri The entry glass doors are flanked by two rows of corten steel plates, which wraps into the lobby and reception area. The travertine flooring continues seamlessly from the sand granite flooring at the exterior. The lobby area is where the transitional spaces happen. And we have purposefully extended the outdoor materials of sand granite, corten steel and still water bodies into the indoors to juxtaspose against polished marble and smooth laminates to mark the overlap of this transitional space. The impact of the double volume barn is most significant as one steps into the display area at level 2. A tall pitched roof space with full height windows offers a beautiful view out where coastal sights can be enjoyed. Light is able to penetrate deeper into the building with the full height windows bringing more natural lighting at the display area.  © Muhamad shafiq bin samsuri The third level houses two of the client's show units. Currently four of the barns are in use and occupied. The rest are kept as spares for future usage. The front of the unused barns are lined with green creepers climbing up tensioned wires to curtain up the space behind.  © Muhamad shafiq bin samsuri This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Pedestrian Skywalk to Improve Kolkata Temple Traffic Posted: 05 Feb 2017 08:00 AM PST  Courtesy of Design Forum International Design Forum International has unveiled Dakshineswar Sky Walk, a 380-meter long pedestrian intervention designed to improve traffic and movement leading to the Dakshineswar Kali temple in Kolkata, India. Located on the banks of the Ganges River at the northern tip of the city, the Dakshineswar Kali temple is one "of the most revered places of worship in Hinduism, the seat of divine female power, Shakti," and draws in a large number of devotees year-round. Because of its popularity, the roads leading to the site have become congested due to increased vehicle traffic, foot traffic, and the appearance of small shops and kiosks. Taking these existing conditions into account, Dakshineswar Sky Walk aims to become a dynamic solution to the site's problems. At 10.5 meters wide, the skywalk will connect a nearby traffic rotary with the gates of the temple compound, with 12 escalators, four elevators, and eight staircases to allow users to embark and disembark.  Courtesy of Design Forum International  Existing conditions. Image Courtesy of Design Forum International  Courtesy of Design Forum International In addition to relocating pedestrian space from the street level to the elevated concourse, the skywalk will accommodate over 200 shops that are currently operating on the road.  Courtesy of Design Forum International  Courtesy of Design Forum International The entire stretch of the Sky Walk is divided into modules of approximately eight meters in length, each of which is a complete unit in itself and can house four shops. At the junction of every six modules, there will be a buffer space of about 85 square meters, meant for rest and containing amenities like cafés, water fountains, and information desks.  Courtesy of Design Forum International  Courtesy of Design Forum International Additionally, the project will be linked to neighboring railway platforms, allowing users to travel to the temple directly from the train station.  Courtesy of Design Forum International  Courtesy of Design Forum International  Courtesy of Design Forum International  Courtesy of Design Forum International Learn more about the project here. News via: Design Forum International. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| PLP Architecture’s Proposed Office Building Responds to London’s Historic Urban Identity Posted: 05 Feb 2017 06:00 AM PST .jpg?1486088735 "© Luxigon") © Luxigon Amongst the rapid materializing of telecoms, media and tech companies within the Blackfriar's Southbank region, PLP Architecture has been chosen for the design of a new office building with the challenge of successfully integrating into the ever-changing local fabric. "Our proposal speculates on the nature of the contemporary office tower," explained the firm. "What is the architectural expression of today's high-density workplace? How does the building acquire an identity specific to its media/tech occupiers and how is that identity conveyed to the city?" .jpg?1486088874 "© Luxigon") © Luxigon During the 1760s, Blackfriars Road was designated as the main thoroughfare to Blackfriars Bridge. Despite its close proximity to the City of London and recent crop of commercial and residential developments, the avenue is known for its well-preserved Georgian character. Friars Bridge Court is organized through various vertically-stacked programs. A double-height lobby engages public activity at street level, while the lower portion of the building façade is composed of brick, matching the visual identity of surrounding conservation projects. The sandstone grid of the upper volume capitalizes on views on a larger scale. .jpg?1486088805 "© Luxigon") © Luxigon Additionally, a double-height gallery space acts as a social focal point, with unique spaces that "promote exchange and provoke spontaneous situations". The transparent nature of the gallery allows insight into the various spaces, and a side core allows for uninterrupted floorplates catering to a number of different work preferences and mannerisms while offering ample views of the historic community.
News via: PLP Architecture. Sky Central / AL_A + PLP Architecture + HASSELL This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Los Molinos House / RUIZSOLAR Arquitectos Posted: 05 Feb 2017 05:00 AM PST  © Pablo Casals Aguirre
 © Pablo Casals Aguirre From the architect. Among espinos and litres,the trees that conform the Catapilco valley's landscape, the impressive presence of a big quillay shines and guides the direction of this construction. A straight line towards this natural milestone sets the stage for the project's general program development and formal structure.  © Pablo Casals Aguirre  Axonometric  © Pablo Casals Aguirre Double heights and views towards the surrounding scenery create the rhythm of the architectural design, which keeps its relation with its surroundings through inner patios set in different places. With its 5 rooms, this house offers a generous gathering space. The spatial configuration of this proposal is based on the predominant features of its surroundings.  © Pablo Casals Aguirre Cloudy winter dawns are solved with two large windows, which in turn serve as the central axis of the public area of the house.By the other hand, during summer, the vertical- mobile lattice,works as a natural filter for sun rays, providing an illuminated and controlled space for this season of the year.  © Pablo Casals Aguirre  © Pablo Casals Aguirre The private area takes its distance form the public one through a central yard, which indicates the passing of time through its changes in light.  © Pablo Casals Aguirre  Floor Plan  © Pablo Casals Aguirre Over this second axis, an habitable attic, which enjoys the complete inner view of the house, provides this space with a very special atmosphere.With a north-south orientation and a triangular window, this secret space with views over the Catapilco Southern Valley,can be only accessed through bedrooms 2 and 3, becoming the most quiet space on the house, an almost magic space to be.  © Pablo Casals Aguirre This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 05 Feb 2017 04:00 AM PST .jpg?1485891056 "Courtesy of Quarra Stone") Courtesy of Quarra Stone At Autodesk's 2016 conference in Las Vegas, the company teamed up with computational design expert Sean Ahlquist, engineers Simpson Gumpertz and Heger, and manufacturer Quarra Stone to unveil its new Generative Design Pavilion. The project is an exploration of materiality, with stalagmite stone forms that rise up from geometric floor panels to meet fabric that stretches down from a canopy above. The junction of textile and stone aims to emphasize the distinct behaviors of the two materials.  Courtesy of Quarra Stone The 8,500-pound (3,850-kilogram) stone base was built from hand-finished Indiana limestone. A team of engineers led by Paul Kassabian of Simpson Gumpertz and Heger conducted load-bearing performance tests to develop the real feat of the base: its 12-foot (3.6-meter) bench, which was milled down to as thin as 2 inches (50 millimeters) out of a single block of limestone. This was accomplished using glass pultruded rods inlaid into the top and bottom surfaces of the bench and affixed with anchoring epoxy. .jpg?1485891118 "Courtesy of Quarra Stone") Courtesy of Quarra Stone Under the direction of Sean Ahlquist, the fabric canopy is made up of custom-designed nylon-elastic panels in "an iterative workflow that combined digital simulations and physical mockups." Exaggerated seams between each panel highlight the material's ability to stretch and pull, further contrasting the stone's strength with the flexibility of the fabric. .jpg?1485891081 "Courtesy of Quarra Stone") Courtesy of Quarra Stone To create the illusion of seamlessness at the tendril-like intersections of the two materials, Autodesk built custom connection plates using a waterjet and CNC router. In addition to the plates, every column embedded an LED bulb that visitors could control via iPad. .jpg?1485890902 "Courtesy of Quarra Stone") Courtesy of Quarra Stone Watch the following video to find out more about the design and production process. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Parks and Rec, Suits, and Silicon Valley: See 7 Offices From Hit TV Shows in Detailed 3D Models Posted: 05 Feb 2017 01:30 AM PST  You've seen the floor plans of famous TV homes, but this fun new endeavor from Drawbotics is something a little different. With detailed 3D models of offices from Parks and Recreation, Suits, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Mad Men, The IT Crowd, Silicon Valley, and, yes, The Office, the marketing agency provides a new level of familiarity with the sets of these cult workplace TV shows. Take a break from your own office and check out each model after the break. 1. Parks and Recreation Courtesy of Drawbotics Without an online floor plan to work off of, the Drawbotics team held a Parks and Rec "research" marathon to model the space from scratch—complete with Ron's desk claymore and Leslie's female politician photos. 2. Suits Courtesy of Drawbotics Another show whose confusing set is tough to pin down, the sleek furniture and glass walls in Suits' fictional law firm Pearson Hardman bring out the ambitious New York lawyer in all of us. 3. Brooklyn Nine-Nine Courtesy of Drawbotics Notice something missing? Perhaps it's the vending machine that disappeared in season three, its saga represented here in all its caution-taped glory. See if you can find Peralta's desk (hint: it's the one with the toy police siren!). 4. Mad Men Courtesy of Drawbotics The Sterling Cooper set on Mad Men has won awards for its accurate portrayal of mid-century modernist style. This model is based on the agency's office before their fourth season move to New York's famous Time-Life building, with careful details that help recreate Don Draper's time period. 5. The IT Crowd Courtesy of Drawbotics The IT Crowd's geeky characters aren't the tidiest bunch. Their set is a bit of a mess—a lived-in look that can be a real challenge to pull off in 3D. A slew of stickers, posters, desk toys, and general disorderliness creates the appearance of Roy having enjoyed a good few seasons of slacking off before this render. 6. Silicon Valley Courtesy of Drawbotics In a parody of the real Silicon Valley, the office in HBO's Silicon Valley is also the home of the core characters. To up the level of realism for the model of Erlich Bachmann's "live-in startup business incubator," Drawbotics included the classic California millionaire backyard, complete with the pool and palm trees. Spot Jared's camp bed in the garage and Erlich's Aviato car in the front. 7. The Office US Courtesy of Drawbotics The Office set doesn't stay true to any particular season, but the payoff is tons of easter eggs from throughout the series. Look for the stapler immersed in jello, Angela's cat, and the exclusive women's bathroom furniture. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Fajtuv Observation Tower / Studio acht Posted: 05 Feb 2017 01:00 AM PST  © Alexandra Timpau
 © Alexandra Timpau The tower stands in the northeastern outskirts of the town of Velke Mezirici on top of Fajtuv hill at the elevation of 557 m. The structure offers not only a view of the city, the picturesque landscapes of the Czech-Moravian Highlands, Žďárské hills in the northwest and the Drahany Highlands in the east, but it is also gives the possibility to see the Austrian peaks, in good weather conditions.  © Alexandra Timpau The building has become an important feature for the surrounding area because of its visibility from the D1 motorway that connects Prague, the capital of the country, to the second largest city, Brno. The tower is located at the very top of the hill, in the direct vicinity of the ski slopes and cableway. During the winter season, the hill becomes a very lively attraction as it provides facitities for winter sports and the organization that offers these services, „Fajtuv ski resort" is the initiator of the project and main client.  © Alexandra Timpau The observation tower consists of two separate operating units: the single-storey base, which now houses a visitor center, bicycle and sports equipmen rental, toilets and technical facilities, and the tower structure which lies on top of the base.  Plan view roof  Elevation  Sections The tower's design originated through the use of parametric design, enabling the structure to take an atypical and unique shape. The steel structure consists of two sets of three counter-spiraling columns forming a stable construction. In the interior of the outer structure lies the staircase along with another set of internal columns which together ensure the spatial rigidity of the observation tower reaching a total height of 36m. On top of all the interconnected columns, at the height of 32.4 , lies a ring that supports the viewing platform.  © Alexandra Timpau This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Architecture Initiative Transforms Derelict Brutalist Northampton Landmark into Mixed-Use Academy Posted: 05 Feb 2017 12:00 AM PST  Proposed public plaza at night. Image Courtesy of Architecture Initiative London-based firm Architecture Initiative has released updates of their mixed-use scheme set to transform a neglected brutalist building in Northampton, England. The Northampton International Academy, currently an abandoned Royal Mail sorting office, will be centered around educational, commercial, and community use. The scheme aims to address a need for school places in a manner which contributes to the economic regeneration of the local area.  Proposed public plaza. Image Courtesy of Architecture Initiative  Public plaza and facilities. Image Courtesy of Architecture Initiative When completed, the Northampton International Academy will contain a primary school, secondary school, and sixth-grade school accommodating 2220 students in total. In addition, the scheme will offer public facilities including cafes, offices, a private nursery, and a gym. The flexible adaption allows for internal spaces to be reconfigured in the future, ensuring the building will never again fall abandoned.  Voids allow natural light deep into the building. Image Courtesy of Architecture Initiative
 Open learning environment. Image Courtesy of Architecture Initiative  Existing concrete structure is retained. Image Courtesy of Architecture Initiative The vision of the refurbishment is to create an open, accessible hub of activity. New openings will be added to the outer shell, allowing natural light deep into the building. The existing masonry mass will remain largely unchanged, apart from the addition of a five-court sports hall filling the existing rooftop courtyard. A public plaza will emphasize a sense of openness, and encourage interaction between the staff, students and local community.  Proposed bird's-eye view. Image Courtesy of Architecture Initiative
 Interior perspective. Image Courtesy of Architecture Initiative Construction began on site in September 2016.
News via: Architecture Initiative. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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