Arch Daily |
- Castelvecchio Museum – The East Wing / Filippo Bricolo & Bricolo Falsarella Associates
- Clock House Gardens / Stockwool
- Architecture Campus / SCHMELZLE+PARTNER
- ArchDaily China's 2017 Building of the Year Finalists
- Fiverr Israel Offices / Setter Architects
- Calm Paang / Full Scale Studio
- The Turn House / Architecton
- Urban Cottage / CoLab Architecture
- Sinergia Cowork Palermo / Emilio Magnone + Marcos Guiponi
- Five Fields Play Structure / Matter Design + FR|SCH
- Abbaye Val Notre-Dame / Atelier Pierre Thibault
- How MASS Design Group’s Approach to Data Could Save the Architectural Profession
- Casa el Vigilante / RUIZSOLAR Arquitectos
- 120 Hours Announces its 2017 Competition Theme, "The Way of the Buyi"
- This Complex Concrete Column Was Made Using 3D-Printed Formwork
- 2017 Pritzker Prize To Be Announced March 1st
- Chilestieg Rümlang / Baumschlager Eberle Architekten
- Cratlach Mews House / DUA
| Castelvecchio Museum – The East Wing / Filippo Bricolo & Bricolo Falsarella Associates Posted: 28 Feb 2017 09:00 PM PST  © Nicolò Galeazzi
 © Nicolò Galeazzi From the architect. Filippo Bricolo's project (Bricolo Falsarella Associates) for the Castelvecchio Museum regards the restoral of the central part of the East Wing which was left unfinished by Carlo Scarpa's masterful restoration in 1964. The fulcrum of the intervention is the new Mosaic Room designed to host a large fragment of Roman pavement from a second century AD domus which was discovered in the little square located on the east side of the castle between the ancient Via Postumia and the River Adige.  © Nicolò Galeazzi The new exhibition hall is connected to the main courtyard of the castle through a high access space that also serves as the entrance to Sala Boggian. A large and very thin iron panel delimits the dual nature of the hallway: on the one hand it acts as a necessary filter leading to the new Mosaic room and on the other hand, it indicates the way to the room on the first floor.  © Nicolò Galeazzi The panel seems to brush against the floor and the steps of the stairs and it bears two strategic, horizontal incisions on opposite sides thus indicating the two different directions. Above the incisions the words "Mosaic Room" and "Sala Boggian" are written in iron out of the fonts designed, but never used, by Scarpa for the concert hall entrance.  Plan  Diagram On a second level regarding the panel, is an archway formed by four, 10 mm thick, black iron plates. The archway has the role of determining a small ritual of access to the Mosaic Room. This is necessary in order to create an emotional gradient between the entrance hall and the exhibition space. Regarding lighting, the archway makes use of black iron's reflectance characteristics to create dialogue between the two spaces. Standing in the entrance hall, the visible side of the archway reflects the warm lights of the Mosaic Room casting them towards the entrance area .  © Nicolò Galeazzi Iron also highlights the changing light at different times of day until they are unexpectedly warmed up by the onset of dusk. In the Mosaic Room, the same vertical side reflects the lights and colours of the museum's courtyard into the Mosaic Room. In this way, the gateways becomes a hinge of reflections. This new threshold becomes a narrative device that divides but unites, that reveals but slows down, that creates distance but invites you to walk through.  © Nicolò Galeazzi Inside the new exhibition hall, the great mosaic seems to levitate in the bountiful space. The hall is characterized by high walls made of brick. The bricks were deliberately left visible without changing or deleting the patina of time. This helps to create a dialogue between the walls and the materiality of the ancient Roman floor.  Diagram  © Nicolò Galeazzi The mosaic has been inserted diagonally into the space so as to be seen in its entirety from inside the room. This collocation also allows us to appreciate the view of the mosaic from outside the castle.  © Nicolò Galeazzi The renovation has restored dignity to this connecting room. An area on the side facing the square has been converted into lavatories and it is concealed by burned pitch-pine panelling, the same materials used by Scarpa to make the compass now present in the Mosaic Hall.  © Nicolò Galeazzi This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Clock House Gardens / Stockwool Posted: 28 Feb 2017 07:00 PM PST  © Morley von Sternberg
 © Morley von Sternberg From the architect. Clock House Gardens has transformed a derelict hotel site into an intimate community of 50 new homes on a key gateway site into Welwyn. The design responds to the 0.8ha site's unique combination of urban and rural surroundings, with the A1(M) motorway to one side and dense woodland to the other.  © Morley von Sternberg Our design concept is a modern take on a walled village, with buildings formed to minimise noise and pollution from the road and maximise benefits of the site's geometry and the neighbouring woodland. Five two and three storey buildings combine brickwork with timber cladding and together create a central shared courtyard.  © Morley von Sternberg Deep reveals and projected windows create a richness in the elevations and this high-quality aesthetic makes the scheme a unique yet sensitive addition to the built fabric of Welwyn.  © Morley von Sternberg Key to its success is the careful layering of building form: the treatment responds to the harsher environment on the edge of the site with robust brickwork, where a softer treatment of timber and glazing is applied elsewhere to respond to the woodland beyond. All homes are dual aspect to make the most of the great surrounding views.  © Morley von Sternberg An extensive landscaping strategy introduces planting and greenery back to the formerly hard landscaped site, with the neighbouring lush woodland brought into the scheme through the large central courtyard space. The design also introduces natural surveillance to a previously underused footpath to the north of the site and provides routes from the site to this footway, improving connectivity for residents and local people.  Elevation  Ground Floor  Section Housing stock in Welwyn generally consists of larger homes out of reach of first time buyers and moderate earners. To redress the balance and after consultation with the local community, Clock House Gardens is a totally flatted development of mostly one and two bedroom homes to meet the shortfall in the area and appeal to single and dual occupants and starter families. Prices ranged from £140,000 to £270,000 with the smallest unit at 50sqm and the largest at 87sqm.  © Morley von Sternberg Product Description. Siberian Larch is used in vertical and horizontal cladding to give a richness to the elevations and reflect the woodland context.  © Morley von Sternberg This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Architecture Campus / SCHMELZLE+PARTNER Posted: 28 Feb 2017 06:00 PM PST  © Steffen Schrägle
 © Steffen Schrägle From the architect. Having specialized in industrial and administrative constructions, the architecture firm develops overall concepts with high claim in design and functionality and which perfectly capture the constructors' corporate philosophy while keeping in focus their clients' corporate development plans.  © Steffen Schrägle This strategy has been strictly applied by the four partners of the firm when constructing their own office building where currently about 45 employees work in a remarkably modern atmosphere which offers both: maximum usability and future expansion possibilities.  © Steffen Schrägle The office building which blends in perfectly with the surrounding landscape is located in Hallwangen, a picturesque spot in the Black Forest with impressive views. Though the distinctive façade stands out even from afar, the construction seems to perfectly form a unit with the landscape by its green roof.  © Steffen Schrägle The construction project is the first step for the realization of the Master plan "architecture campus – work&live at the same place". The next construction phase will be formed on the south-eastern bordering area as a model for the future, presenting apartments created for employees and trainees as well as more office spaces.  Plan The transparent overall structure of the design, flanked by vast glazed surfaces, creates a fluent crossing between the interior space and the outside. The natural topography is brought into the building on different levels which are separated by steps. Each single level is acoustically demarcated with all-glass railings which ensure the transparency of the whole area.  © Steffen Schrägle The office spaces are created entirely according to employees' needs and they promote personal well-being as well as internal communication. A large table for 6 to 8 persons has proofed to be the ideal size for teamwork.  © Steffen Schrägle This ‚Longdesk- System' offers the possibility of change and enlargement at any time.No matter how diverse the projects are, the working spaces can easily be adjusted to the needs of every situation. Small areas can be spontaneously demarcated, extended or reduced for creating different working spaces which provide perfect environment for project work.  © Steffen Schrägle The interior concept effortlessly allows to create new working worlds. Thus the discussion space appears only if there is need - with an all-around running curtain which generates an enclosed space.  © Steffen Schrägle The planners decided exclusively on standardized building materials and materials used in industrial construction. Coated steel profiles, trapezoidal sheet roof, fair- faced concrete walls and post and beam facade dominate the visual point of view.  © Steffen Schrägle This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| ArchDaily China's 2017 Building of the Year Finalists Posted: 28 Feb 2017 03:00 PM PST .jpg?1488297941) This year, for the first time, the ArchDaily Building of the Year Awards have come to China. In tandem with our global search for the best projects published in the past year, our readers are currently voting to select the best Chinese projects over on our sister site ArchDaily China. So far, after 2 weeks of nominations and over 5,000 votes, the readers of ArchDaily China have narrowed down more than 300 projects from mainland China and Hong Kong to just 10 finalists. Read on to see the projects competing for the top prize, and make sure to vote for your favorites up until March 6th! 120-Division School / WAU Design  © Ma Minghua Da Chang Muslim Cultural Center / Architectural Design & Research Institute of SCUT  © Yao Li Veranda in Shanghai / ppas + tf Architecture Office  © SHEN-PHOTO SND Cultural & Sports Centre / Tianhua Architecture Planning & Engineering  © Chen Hao Avant-Garde Ruralation Library / AZL Architects  © Yao Li Soyoo Joyful Growth Center / Crossboundaries  © Yang Chao Ying The South Yard / Advanced Architecture Lab + Atelier UPA  © Arch-exist photography Chetian Cultural Center / West-line studio .jpg?1488297663 "© Jingsong Xie") © Jingsong Xie Dengshikou Hutong Residence / B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio .jpg?1488297653 "© Ruijing Photo") © Ruijing Photo Central Canteen of Tsinghua University / SUP Atelier + School of Architecture Tsinghua University  © Xia Zhi Don't forget, you can vote for the winners until March 6th at 11.59 pm! This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Fiverr Israel Offices / Setter Architects Posted: 28 Feb 2017 02:00 PM PST  © Amit Gosher
 © Amit Gosher Fiverr's new offices are located in Tel Aviv's Beit Ha'ikarim - a historic, 4-storey building listed for conservation to which three new floors have been added.  © Amit Gosher Inspiration for the design drew on the cultural-geographic context of the project's location and the company's cosmopolitan activity that brings together 'sellers' - artists and freelancers - with 'buyers' - entrepreneurs and small businesses world-wide.  © Amit Gosher Since the offices are located in a building listed for conservation, whose renovation included the addition of new floors, it allows a natural and authentic dialogue between old and new that's reflected in the interior design. The design produced representations of the dynamic and cosmopolitan city throughout its history, by relating to textures we found in historical strata of construction in Tel Aviv. For example, exposed old wall constructed from silicate blocks, alongside contemporary, unprocessed construction materials like exposed concrete blocks.  © Amit Gosher Like the company, which has a global virtual presence, Setter Architects' design took inspiration from patterns used world-wide, applying them in light-fixtures and woodwork, as well as in ceiling and flooring materials.  © Amit Gosher The aim was to use design to create complex work environments applying global-local ideas. In the process, Setter created a fresh and distinctive language that generates a sense of a warm, human sense of space that's familiar to everyone – workers and guests, locals and international visitors. In the office spaces we used recycled wooden window-frames from Tel Aviv's buildings dating back to the Beit Ha'ikarim period. After modified their original purpose, they became inner partitions between the cozy interesting booths and conference rooms. Regular building-blocks are used in their natural form, creating walls with a three-dimensional, colorful texture, which introduces moss-green tones into brand-new spaces. Similarly, flea-market furniture is mixed with contemporary furniture.  © Amit Gosher Fiverr wanted to connect the design of its offices to its international community of artists and creative people. And so the design integrates artworks produced by artists from the Fiverr community especially for the project. They are incorporated into the furniture, graphic elements, and the art displayed on the building's concrete walls.  © Amit Gosher Floors 1-6 are office floors. People work in open space, in which different kinds of conference rooms are embedded, like 'phone booths'. The top floor, with an outdoor terrace, is the 'public' area, with meeting rooms, a cafeteria, and a gym for workers' wellbeing.  © Amit Gosher This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Calm Paang / Full Scale Studio Posted: 28 Feb 2017 12:00 PM PST  © Chaiyaporn Sodabunlu
 © Chaiyaporn Sodabunlu From the architect. The aim of the project was to create a building using a mix to combine a residence and commercial space within it. The site is situated on one of the corners of a T-junction where a side street meets Klong Chonlapratarn road, a kind of main road in Chiangmai City that shapes the area likes a trapezoid – a narrow front width is expanded to the back of the site.  © Chaiyaporn Sodabunlu The client requires spaces for residence, restaurant and café all in one building; 300 sq. m area. However, because of its location, it needs to be designed by following the newest Chiangmai building standards of law; the building cannot be built over 12 meters high of the wall on the highest level and must have a setting of 6 meters back off the main road.  © Chaiyaporn Sodabunlu So, the volume and form of the building was designed to use all of this modest area as useful as possible. Fitting complex functions inside by separating 3 levels out of the building. First floor is the flexibility to combine functions for a café and restaurant. Second floor is a setting for a work space or an office for rent.  © Chaiyaporn Sodabunlu The third floor is a split-level for residence, slope the roof up to make a mezzanine and to open up a view directly to the mountain, Doi Suthep for the living area .To punch out some part of the roof over the bedroom's terrace to install the skylight and ventilation inside which is made of a double wooden- skin making it more private.  © Chaiyaporn Sodabunlu  Section  © Chaiyaporn Sodabunlu Outside, make a large triangle opening related to the corner of site to interact with the activities between interior and exterior space on the first and second floor. Consequently, a skin of wood can cover the building creating a unity and a contrast with the openings that is related to the behavior of each space.  © Chaiyaporn Sodabunlu This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 28 Feb 2017 11:00 AM PST  © Nic Granleese
 © Nic Granleese From the architect. The Turn House is located in Melbourne and features a modern extension to an existing property that was built in 1927.  © Nic Granleese The exterior design was done by Architecton with the interiors by the clients Tony and Caroline Culina from Novo Homes. The property was styled by Jenny Nobilo from Furnish Solutions property.  © Nic Granleese 1) What was the brief for the project? The clients' ambition and aspirations for the property is for the integration of a high quality contemporary addition, which boasts a unique and sophisticated architectural design style. Whilst the design must generate a dwelling with drama and excitement through the use of scale, volume, elegant materials and clever design, the dwelling must be practical and functional with a sense of warmth and comfort.  © Nic Granleese It is envisaged that the residence will be a perfect space for entertaining as well as relaxing – a place to call home. The design shall respond and take advantage of the generous northern aspect of the site, in order to create an integrated and exciting relationship between the indoor and outdoor living spaces. The objective is to generate a seamless and practical use of both indoor and outdoor areas, however introduce unexpected design statement(s) through views / vista's to beautifully landscaped gardens and pool area.  © Nic Granleese 2) What were the challenges of the project? To integrate within an existing residence and structural framework. Whilst there is a vision to create a well-designed and considered residence, which maximizes the potential of the site, the project should remain sensitive and respond to the nature of the existing building, the precinct and surrounding area.  North Elevation  Axonometric 3) What was the solution? Not attempting to hide the big, bold and brave contemporary architectural form. Instead, it is juxtaposed against the existing building yet softened through extensive and considered landscaping.  © Nic Granleese This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Urban Cottage / CoLab Architecture Posted: 28 Feb 2017 09:00 AM PST  © Stephen Goodenough
 © Stephen Goodenough From the architect. The idea of the 'Urban Cottage' stems from a shared fascination between the Architect and Client with early colonial workers cottages, and an appreciation for the charm and scale they offer to the existing urban context of Central Christchurch. Traditionally these buildings were small in scale but rich in volume, constructed using basic materials that were readily available at the time. The design process would evolve this idea to create a small contemporary stand-alone-house to accommodate a young professional family that, unlike it's historic predecessor, would orientate toward northern sun and open to external connections - a house that would speak of its colonial reference while adapting to its Pacific environment. On top of this it would need to be strong (due to high seismic activity in the Canterbury area), clean lined and cost effective to construct.  Cross Section  Floor Plan  Cross Section Driven by a small 20m long x 10m wide building site, the square floor plan of the traditional workers cottage is split in two and rotated to form a rectilinear layout. These two forms are further offset to accommodate a vehicle park to the south and an outdoor living space to the north, providing access to all day sun to the main living spaces. The 'back-of-house' lean-to that features in many historic cottages is elevated and capped with a translucent roof to create shelter for the vehicle park and covered pedestrian entry, while allowing sunlight to pass through. Internally the ever-present central entry hall remains, forming a transition space and visual buffer between public living and private sleeping spaces. Steep gabled roofs and high-pitched ceilings are deployed to create a sense of space that seems to exceed its modest 80m2 footprint. High-level windows to the west façade draw in late afternoon sun and capatilise on a reduced boundary setback regulation. Subtle references to the traditional materiality of the colonial cottages are translated in a contemporary fashion, such as timber weatherboard wall cladding, expressed window surrounds and recycled timber flooring. The dark black exterior is contrasted by a bright white interior, executed with absolute discipline to the monochromatic theme. Birch faced plywood is used in a natural state to face all joinery elements, which includes a space-saving storage partition between the living spaces and the main entry hall.  © Stephen Goodenough Product Description. The historic Christchurch Workers Cottage was traditionally clad in brick of horizontal timber weatherboards. Given the poor soil quality of this particular site and the high seismic activity in the Canterbury area, a lightweight cladding system had to be used. The Architect selected a square profiled Western Red Cedar vertical Shiplap weatherboard (by Herman Pacific) to reference the traditional building materials, while giving the house a more clean and contemporary aesthetic. The exterior was then stained in Resene Waterborne Woodsman CoolColourTM tinted to 'Pitch Black'. Resene CoolColourTM technology was used to minimise heat build up created by the dark colouring, in turn reducing movement of the timber wall cladding.  © Stephen Goodenough This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Sinergia Cowork Palermo / Emilio Magnone + Marcos Guiponi Posted: 28 Feb 2017 07:00 AM PST  © Marcos Guiponi
 © Marcos Guiponi From the architect. Sinergia Cowork originally started as a real estate development project, with 32 offices and 4 rental meeting rooms. Just another operation inside a recycled space that in its history worked housed a carpentry, mechanical workshop, movie studio and warehouse.  Section BB The offices function as a cowork: A recent concept in contemporary office spaces, where the user inserts himself into a heterogeneous collaborative environment that enhances his work and social skills.  Low Level  First Floor Plan  Second Floor Plan The project seeks to maintain the aesthetics of the pre-existing building by using completely removable lightweight structures, made through metal beams and Structural Insulated Panels walls, and by using a neutral color palette (white and light gray), where the only color is given by the coworkers, vegetation and furniture.  © Marcos Guiponi The main entrance of the building is through a garage door, that is highlighted by the logo of the company. The ground floor consists of a central yard that articulates offices with cowork spaces and meeting rooms. Smaller offices are distributed in the upper floor, together with a 3d printing workshop, flexible cowork spaces, living rooms, and a photography studio.  © Marcos Guiponi The existing basement, built at the beginning of the 20th century, with vaults and walls in brick and stone, becomes the space of relaxation, housing the playroom, dining room, kitchen and a giant screen.  © Marcos Guiponi On the roof, and going through the original wooden truss, you can access an event room with an outdoor deck that is used on weekends as a place of interaction and relaxation of the coworkers outside their working hours. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Five Fields Play Structure / Matter Design + FR|SCH Posted: 28 Feb 2017 05:00 AM PST  Courtesy of Matter Design + FR|SCH
 Courtesy of Matter Design + FR|SCH This play structure is situated on the sloping landscape of a mid-century modern common land, where neighborhood kids enjoy a shared backyard. The Architects Collaborative designed and developed the Five Fields neighborhood in the early 1950s hoping to foster community by creating a piece of shared common land. In the ensuing 60+ years homeowners have come and gone but the community and its care and appreciation for the common land remain. TAC conceived the neighborhood as an experiment and the community, wishing to keep the experimental spirit alive, requested a structure that is both safe and exhilarating for the kids. They wanted something that would challenge the kids without any singularly functional elements.  Courtesy of Matter Design + FR|SCH  Floor Plan 02  Courtesy of Matter Design + FR|SCH Designing a play structure intended for kids is a unique and challenging project. While there are irreducible standards that manage accessibility and function in the daily lives of adults, play is neither standard nor strictly functional. For this reason, these spaces are accessible to adults, but have been shrunk in order to slow the adults, liberating the kids to fly through the spaces.  Courtesy of Matter Design + FR|SCH  Sections  Courtesy of Matter Design + FR|SCH The project is also dedicated to imagination, resisting literal and singular readings. Twenty-foot tall vertical elements contribute to the structure at one moment, but extend into the landscape—from function to whimsy. The colorful graphics suggest entries and key moments, without overtly labeling them. Pre-conceived architectural elements like doors and stairs do exist, but lead to nowhere. Thresholds are tucked under levitating volumes balanced on a single wall. Another principle of the design strategy provides multiple means of access to any location. These decisions produce escalating challenges for the kids; mitigating risk and ensuring the correct age-range have access to the more treacherous areas instead of withholding them entirely. Older kids climb over while younger crawl under.  Courtesy of Matter Design + FR|SCH This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Abbaye Val Notre-Dame / Atelier Pierre Thibault Posted: 28 Feb 2017 03:00 AM PST  © Alain Laforest
 © Alain Laforest From the architect. The entirely new Cistercian Abbey of Saint-Jean-de-Matha was made to express the harmony and simplicity governing the daily lives of the Cistercian monks. The seven daily masses pace their lives. In accordance to their way of life, the abbey's different spaces seem progressively circling around the cloister and culminate towards the church, the project's focal point. At the very heart of the building, the cloister preserves a part of the forest and allows the abbey to have a sample of the passing seasons. The complex's half-open disposition suggests the most natural entrance to the building located on the northern side and accessed by a walkway. The prolonging of the roof covers and signals the main entrance. Under the cover, a mineral garden serves as the church and the housings' parvis.  © Alain Laforest  Plan  © Alain Laforest The circling design is cut across on an east-west axis by a corridor separating the restricted monastic areas from the public spaces. On the north side lie the library, the church and the housings while in the southern part belong the monastic compound and the cloister around which are located all the functions reserved to the Cistercian monks. On the western side of this separating line, a gazebo can be found while on the opposite eastern side is located an observatory. Considering the site's scale, the main goal of the axis was to divide the monastic grounds overlooking the cliff to the south and the public grounds facing the pond to the north. In these gardens, meditation spots were placed to allow the monks and their host to take a few moments of reverence and prayer together in symbiosis with the site's majesty and serenity.  © Philippe Saharoff  Sketch  Sketch  © Alain Laforest This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| How MASS Design Group’s Approach to Data Could Save the Architectural Profession Posted: 28 Feb 2017 01:30 AM PST On Thursday, December 22nd, an email arrived in the inboxes of ArchDaily's editors that made us sit up, shake off our holiday-induced lethargy, and take notice. MASS Design Group's Year in Review email might initially have blended in with the many other holiday wishes and 2016 recaps we receive at that time of year—it recapped such highlights as Michael Murphy's TED Talk in February or the launch of the first African Design Center—but it had one thing that we hadn't seen from other firm's years-in-review: detailed statistics about the firm's achievements that year. In recent decades, certain aspects of architecture have become increasingly open to scientific analysis, most notably when it comes to a building's environmental impact. It's no surprise, therefore, to see MASS Design Group's claims that their work uses 74% less embodied carbon than typical building projects, or that 78% of their materials are sourced within 100 kilometers, but alongside these were some more unusual metrics: since it was founded, the firm has invested 88% of construction costs regionally, created 15,765 jobs, and in 2016 alone, their work served a total of 64,580 users. These numbers suggest a way of thinking about architecture that few have attempted before—a way that, if widely adopted, could fundamentally change the way architecture is practiced and evaluated. We spoke to MASS co-founder Alan Ricks to find out how these statistics are calculated, and what purpose they serve.  A section of the email sent out by MASS Design Group in December. Image Courtesy of MASS Design Group Speaking to Ricks, it's clear that MASS Design Group hopes to be at the forefront of a new trend in architectural evaluation. The approach is an extension of the MASS philosophy, which attempts to see building as a more holistic process—one that is capable of teaching people new skills, promoting gender equality, or even reducing crime. These metrics are an attempt to demonstrate those principles empirically. "We want to go beyond checklists as a tool of measurement, to find out how we can actually drill down and measure performance," says Ricks. "It is kind of a nascent practice, and we're happy to say we're in the midst of trying to figure out how to do this."  Image via screenshot from video. ImageMASS Design Group's Maternity Waiting Village in Malawi In order to calculate the numbers, MASS Design Group has had to intelligently combine datasets to arrive at useful statistics. For example, to calculate user numbers MASS considers "primary users," for which there is usually solid tracked data, and "secondary users," which may not be tracked but can be estimated based on the primary user numbers. For example, in a hospital the number of primary users, the patients, is known, and the number of secondary users can be extrapolated by multiplying this by the average number of visitors and family members per patient. In a school, the calculation is similar, with students as the primary users and family and community members as the secondary users. While Ricks states that the number of users is "a loose proxy" for a building's impact, he adds that MASS Design Group is beginning to invest in "more rigorous assessments of value." In Malawi, where MASS built a "village" of maternal waiting homes, they conducted surveys about the effects of the architecture among the women using the facility and compared their answers to a similar survey conducted in a government-built facility. Finally, Ricks talks about measuring the indirect impacts of architecture, which he discusses within four key categories: economic, environmental, educational and emotional. At this stage, the economic measurements being conducted by MASS center around measuring the principles espoused in their #LoFab campaign—that is to say, how much of the building's construction budget is being spent locally, and how many hours of employment it has created within the community. The environmental impact can be measured through both carbon emissions and importantly, embodied carbon in the building's materials, metrics that many in the industry are now familiar with. Ricks adds, though, that "most of the places we work don't have manufacturer specifications that give you all that information, so we need better ways of creating the carbon coefficients for the way most buildings are built." Educational outcomes are measured by recording the number of workers who take part in "capacity building" workshops to learn new skills. Finally, emotional value can be summarized as the collection of testimonials on display in MASS Design Group's videos, such as their Beyond the Building series. This final aspect may be more difficult to measure scientifically, but it is nonetheless a key component of the firm's process.  MASS Design Group's Umubano Primary School in Kigali, Rwanda. Image © Iwan Baan All these methods for tracking a building's impact go far beyond the methods architects usually use to evaluate their own work—even in the rare cases when a post-occupancy evaluation is carried out. But Ricks is clear that MASS is just beginning to understand how they can measure the many dimensions that support their philosophy of building. "There's more work to be done there to look at issues such as purchasing power, equitable employment of women and stuff like that," he says.  MASS Design Group's Butaro Hospital in Rwanda. Image © Iwan Baan Asked where their interest in tracking their impact comes from, Ricks admits that it has probably stemmed from their proximity to developing countries and the type of work they often undertake. "I think we are taking cues from the international development sphere, where Gates has really pushed for data in evaluating which are the good interventions," he says. "Being in the social enterprise space, doing a lot of global health work, we're exposed to that kind of ideology, and want to figure out how do we improve, how do we do better." Through their Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates have been at the forefront of 21st-century "venture philanthropy," a system in which the dispassionate methods of business are applied to humanitarian causes to increase efficiency and improve outcomes. It makes sense that an architecture firm exposed to this system would emulate it. However, hidden within this admission is the key to understanding the true strength of MASS Design Group's data-driven approach. .jpg?1488281595 "MASS Design Group's Butaro Hospital in Rwanda. Image © Iwan Baan") MASS Design Group's Butaro Hospital in Rwanda. Image © Iwan Baan For the Gates Foundation, applying metrics to their funding programs isn't simply a way to explain to the world the good they're doing, or even to show ways that certain programs can be executed better. The metrics they use can help them to do both those things, but primarily they are about finding out which of their programs deserve to exist at all. Famously, when the Gateses began their charitable work in the late 1990s, they were initially skeptical about the Malthusian implications of saving children's lives only to end up with more mouths to feed. But, when they were shown the evidence that reducing child mortality rates consistently reduces the number of children women have, the Gates Foundation made a rapid course correction, changing their focus from contraceptives to the vaccination programs which are now the lynchpin of their organization. In their annual letter about their foundation's progress, released two weeks ago, Bill and Melinda Gates do not mention architecture at all—despite the fact that they specifically highlight Rwanda, a country that has been investing in well-designed health buildings and a country which, with the Butaro Hospital, provided MASS Design Group with their breakthrough project. For Ricks, that's a problem: "I think we have to prove to people like Gates that design matters," he says.  MASS Design Group's Butaro Doctor's Housing in Rwanda. Image © Iwan Baan Ricks goes on to talk passionately about how his firm found success in Rwanda. "Ten years ago when we started in Rwanda, there wasn't even a word for 'architect.' People typically were not using architects to design health infrastructure, and not just there. We had to show that design could help them improve health outcomes, reduce infection rates, improve recovery times by having views to nature, that we could improve the patient experience, that we could improve the staff experience which would improve retention, that you could actually attract staff by providing quality housing." "We had to give them clear design interventions that could correlate to improve the outcomes that they were concerned about, and at the same time that we could design a project that could be built affordably, and that could have greater impact within that community by investing in more equitable building processes. That's the kind of triple-bottom-line scenario that is compelling." It's also the kind of triple-bottom-line scenario that is required to succeed in today's world of big data and impact driven decision-making.  MASS Design Group's Umubano Primary School in Kigali, Rwanda. Image © Iwan Baan But critically, for Ricks, this statistical demonstration of architecture's abilities does not only apply in the international development sphere. "We think that this is not altruism, this is not philanthropy. This is about fundamentally creating value," he says. "The market for architecture is tiny; it's like, 'who can afford it? Who wants icing on the cake? Then maybe we'll have architects.' If we think about it differently, if we think about design as fundamental to achieving the end goals of the service providers, the end goals of society, we create a lot more opportunity for architects." "This is not exclusive to emerging markets, this is something that's as relevant in Boston as it is in Kigali," he adds. .jpg?1488281582 "MASS Design Group's Butaro Hospital in Rwanda. Image © Iwan Baan") MASS Design Group's Butaro Hospital in Rwanda. Image © Iwan Baan While MASS Design Group's data-driven approach may have its origins in the world of charity, it's about much more than simple do-goodery. Showing that you can serve others in order to serve yourself (or in some architectural markets, perhaps even to save yourself) is something that all architects should be invested in. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Casa el Vigilante / RUIZSOLAR Arquitectos Posted: 28 Feb 2017 01:00 AM PST  © Pablo Casals Aguirre
 © Pablo Casals Aguirre From the architect. The landscape's horizon behaves as the limit between two spaces. Vertical lines expressed in solid geometric concrete structures are presented in a simple manner, indicating a timid balance between the full and the empty.  © Pablo Casals Aguirre Balance between the public and the private is the concept that guides the whole project's program. Located in the north-central area of Chile, the project serves the purpose of being a shelter and place for observation of nature's beauty. A two bedrooms, one restroom and lounge and kitchen space first floor, where its formal and spatial duality sets the stage for the physical expression of the chosen building materials and where reinforced concrete pillars and walls, connected via crystals are the ones in charge of finally delimiting this single ample contemplation space.  Plan  Section  Plan Both bodies are vertically connected by the stairway, over which, and parallel to it, a skylight can be found; the last natural light entrance of the space.  © Pablo Casals Aguirre  © Pablo Casals Aguirre  © Pablo Casals Aguirre In contrast, an opaque single volume second floor, lined with 2x1 wood only connected to the outside by a window on each room, windows which become the evidence of the existence of their corresponding spaces on this floor.  © Pablo Casals Aguirre This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 120 Hours Announces its 2017 Competition Theme, "The Way of the Buyi" Posted: 28 Feb 2017 12:30 AM PST  Courtesy of 120 Hours 120 Hours, the annual student competition that distinguishes itself by giving participants just 5 days from the announcement of the brief to its deadline, has just announced the theme for its 2017 competition, entitled "The Way of the Buyi." This year, the 120 Hours competition will be particularly impactful for the winning students, as the competition is giving its winners the opportunity to actually build their design.  Courtesy of 120 Hours Participants are asked to design a 100 square meter addition to the LiangMeng preschool complex in Puan City, China. The building will host a canteen and library for the school, which serves 200 Buyi children, one of China's minority ethnic groups. Situated overlooking a valley in Guizhou province, the design will respond to the region's semi-tropical climate.  Courtesy of 120 Hours "We're looking for a proposal with a clear and well-represented idea expressing strong spatial and compositional sensibility. The students are asked to consider the feasibility and reality of construction, as the winning proposal will be built" says Thea Platou, Project Manager at 120 HOURS. The organization is currently completing the financing for the project, which they hope to build in the second half of 2017.  Courtesy of 120 Hours Over 1,500 teams have signed up to compete for the competition's $3,000 USD prize and the chance to construct their design. With the competition's brief officially launched, signup is now closed and the clock is ticking down to the deadline on March 5th at 14:00 UTC+1 (8:00 am ET).  Courtesy of 120 Hours The winner of the competition will be announced on March 18th, with the winners exhibited at the OCA gallery in Oslo from March 18th–19th. The jury:
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| This Complex Concrete Column Was Made Using 3D-Printed Formwork Posted: 28 Feb 2017 12:00 AM PST  © Lisa Ricciotti While large-scale 3D printing for architecture continues to be a busy area of research, France-based company XtreeE has been using 3D printed concrete in projects since 2015. Their latest creation is an organic truss-style support structure for a preschool playground in Aix-en-Provence.  © Lisa Ricciotti The project for the building itself was designed by Marc Dalibard, but XtreeE executed the final design and production of the concrete column. The finished piece stands 4 meters tall and blends seamlessly with the concrete of the preschool building.  © Lisa Ricciotti To create the structure, XtreeE programmed an industrial robot arm to extrude a special mixture of concrete to form the "envelope," or outer layer, of the organic structure. The hollow envelope was then filled with LafargeHolcim concrete and filed to remove the appearance of each printed layer, creating a smooth surface that calls to mind the twisted roots of a tree.  Courtesy of XtreeE The structure was printed in segments at the XtreeE studio and then assembled on site. The printing process alone took over 15 hours--however, once the print program is written, it could in theory be used to produce a large number of identical concrete supports with less human labor than traditional methods.  Courtesy of XtreeE Operation: Bâtiment équipements sportifs.  Courtesy of XtreeE This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 2017 Pritzker Prize To Be Announced March 1st Posted: 27 Feb 2017 11:45 PM PST  © The Hyatt Foundation / Pritzker Architecture Prize The 2017 Pritzker Architecture Prize will be announced on Wednesday, March 1st at 10am EST. Past Laureates include a rostra of architecture's most influential names, including Philip Johnson, Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, Oscar Niemeyer, Norman Foster, Peter Zumthor, Toyo Ito and, most recently, Alejandro Aravena (full list). Stay tuned to ArchDaily's comprehensive coverage of the prize, here.In December last year we asked our readers to speculate as to who the 2017 Laurate should—rather than will—be. You can continue to cast your vote (in our entirely unscientific poll), here! Who Should Win the 2017 Pritzker Prize? This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Chilestieg Rümlang / Baumschlager Eberle Architekten Posted: 27 Feb 2017 07:00 PM PST  © Archphoto
 © Archphoto From the architect. An extensive stock of mature trees forms a green envelope around the land and buildings at Chilestieg in Rümlang. The 6,453 square-metre site is bounded to the north by Chilestieg and to the east by Glatttalstraße. The low-density residential development Baumschlager Eberle Architekten have planned here reveals a sensitive response to the texture and arrangement of the surroundings. The location and orientation of the three buildings with their three or four storeys take due account of the structures in the vicinity. The buildings are carefully embedded in the gentle, flowing landscape around the site, and the generous spacing between them underlines the park-like character of the development.  Plan The hexagonal layout of the buildings with their 1,607 square metres of building area and shimmering facades give the multi-family dwellings a striking appearance. Their alignment relates to the streets and surrounding structures. Three-millimetre-thick, galvanized sheet steel has been used for the rear-ventilated facade system. In the words of Sabrina Contratto, manager of Baumschlager Eberle Architekten in Zurich: "To enhance the hexagonal shape of the building a material was chosen for the facade that brings out the edges and corners of the construction in a precise and clearly recognizable manner." The metallic surface captures and reflects the light and surrounding greenery, thus reinforcing the impression of polished surfaces. The joint pattern of the steel sheets has been made as large as possible and is geared to the shapes of the window openings.  © Archphoto Forty-one apartments with 3.5, 4.5 or 5.5 rooms have been accommodated in 4,256 square metres of net floor space in three multi-family dwellings. Most of the apartments face south and west. Each apartment has ceiling-high loggia windows in the living area to ensure maximum daylight.  Plan The ground-floor apartments have gardens in front for the tenants' private use. Sabrina Contratto: "The greenery of varying heights planted between the buildings and the trees on the edges of the site underlines the high quality of the open space design." The hedges of different thickness and flowering shrubs provide a natural boundary between the public and semi-public areas and the private spaces.  © Archphoto This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 27 Feb 2017 06:00 PM PST  © Aisling McCoy
 © Aisling McCoy From the architect. There was an existing planning permission for a tradition Mews house on this site before we were appointed. We completely redesigned the house before we started on site. The challenge was to redesign the Mews house from the inside out without amending the planning application due to time constraints.  © Aisling McCoy This meant we could not modify the exterior proportions. The original layout allowed for the bedrooms upstairs and kitchen living /dining downstairs. We flipped this to maximise daylight to the living spaces. Inside we used a simple pallet of materials, Reclaimed Dolphins Barn Brick, concrete, Chilean Pine plywood, Concrete & plasterboard. By using subtle level changes we defined different zones within the building without the need to insert additional walls.  Section BB  Section AA Due to budget constraints we exposed and expressed the structure and materials, which add to the warm and tactile quality of the space. In designing this house, we took a lot of inspiration from boats. All the fitted furniture was custom made making use of every square inch of the space, sometimes in some unusual and quirky ways.  © Aisling McCoy This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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