Arch Daily |
- Chimney House / Dekleva Gregorič architects
- University of Winchester Winton Chapel / Design Engine Architects
- S-House / Coil Kazuteru Matumura Architects
- The Torn Paper House / NatureArch Studio
- Korogaru Pavilion / ASSISTANT
- Showroom Hunter Douglas / Serrano Monjaraz Arquitectos
- SODA Apartments / Gresley Abas Architects
- Sato Restaurant / Taller5 Arquitectura
- Rowhook / Nick Willson Architects
- SOM to Lead Major Restoration of New York's Waldorf Astoria
- Munkedamsveien 62 / LPO arkitekter
- These Photographs Capture the Opulent Beauty of Empty Moscow Metro Stations
- CANANA L.A. Brew Pub / Martin Lejarraga
- 12 Inspiring Architectural Projects for Bicycles
- One North / Holst Architecture
- Let the Cloud House Brighten Your Rainy Day
- AD Classics: 1988 Deconstructivist Exhibition at New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- "RRURBAN" Explores the Potential of Individualism in Collective Urban Housing
| Chimney House / Dekleva Gregorič architects Posted: 29 Mar 2017 08:00 PM PDT  © Flavio Coddou
 © Flavio Coddou From the architect. The design of the house is primarily based on the rules of local architecture. It respects the morphology of the traditional built context, referring to the prevailing gabled roof type of the house and respecting its volumetric and material parameters. On the other hand the Chimney house marks typological transformation generated by the users' specificity.  © Flavio Coddou  Cross Section  © Flavio Coddou The kitchen, with a multifunctional wood stove, plays the vital role in the private and social life of a couple living in the countryside. Stove's centrally positioned chimney determines the concept of the house informing the centrally aligned layout of spaces within the specific cross-section of the house. The ridge of the roof is pushed apart creating a continuous skylight running throughout the house's linear volume and providing top light for all the crucial spaces.  Plans Positioned on the borderline of the village it clearly relates to the adjacent wooden barn with the dark wooden materiality, but with the new distinctive volumetric identity moves deliberately away from its vernacular neighbour and curiously associates with the nearby 16th century church creating a dialogue between the two.  © Flavio Coddou Oiled larch boards completely define the materiality of the outside relating to the traditional finish of the vernacular barn. Deliberate secondary wooden roof cladding provides the continuity of the dark wooden materiality of the facade cladding. The building's envelope is developed as a thick wall integrating multiple storage spaces, secondary kitchen, and small 'inhabitable' window niches that carefully curate incoming light and expanding views to the surroundings. Interactive capabilities allow for an array of activities. Material definition of the interior responds to haptic abilities of inhabitants: oiled oak is used for all the surfaces that can be reached and touched by the human body, whereas the structure of the roof is in reinforced concrete showing the imprint of the wooden formwork that provides for the continuity of the texture of interior envelope.  © Flavio Coddou Rising the gaze, starting from the material inner envelope and moving towards the zenith, one can discover and observe ever changing condition of the sky that becomes part of everyday life in the house.  © Flavio Coddou The kitchen, with a multifunctional wood stove, plays the vital role in the private and social life of a couple. The centrally positioned chimney determines the concept of the house, informing the linear and centrally aligned layout of spaces within the specific cross-section of the house. Its distinctive volumetric identity curiously associates the house with the nearby 16th century church.  © Flavio Coddou This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| University of Winchester Winton Chapel / Design Engine Architects Posted: 29 Mar 2017 07:00 PM PDT  © Peter Blundy
 © Peter Blundy From the architect. The project was to renovate and extend the University's Victorian Chapel. Originally built in 1880, and then extended in 1927, the Chapel is used for a number of different events and purposes: services, group meetings, concerts and as a place of quiet contemplation.  © Peter Blundy In 2015 the University commissioned Design Engine Architects to oversee a complete restoration of its internal and external fabric. In addition, the University asked for an extension to the chapel, to include a small side chapel and a social and meeting space. The brief was to create a very special project, to sit as a small 'jewel' in the heart of the campus.  Floor Plan The interior of the original gothic revival chapel has been returned to its former glory with renovation work to the walls and timber ceiling alongside the introduction of new oak and stone floors, heating and architectural lighting. The university has chosen locally sourced Purbeck limestone, a material traditionally used for its decorative quality in churches and cathedrals across England, exploiting the natural characteristics of the embedded fossils within it.  © Peter Blundy A new contemporary altar has been introduced, made from 7 horizontal sections of Purbeck stone and a new font has also been commissioned greeting visitors on entering from the South door. Designed to reflect light within the interior spaces, the font basin, made from highly polished stainless steel, is a section of a sphere, a reference to "light of the world". The basin is supported on a polished Purbeck limestone cylindrical plinth.  © Peter Blundy A number of bespoke oak furniture pieces were commissioned from and designed in collaboration with Luke Hughes, most notably the oak pews, lecturn, credenza storage units, bookcases and tables. .jpg?1490750384 "© Peter Blundy") © Peter Blundy The obvious location for the extension was to the north of the main Chapel; despite the site constraints, the resulting design is an empathetic response to the gothic revival building where its connection, form and materiality seem both intuitive and exciting.  Perspective Facade Section The design consists of a pitched roof structure that mirrors that of the existing building and allows light to penetrate into the perimeter exterior spaces. The ridge over-sails the existing building eaves line creating a clerestory window that provides both light and ventilation at high level. The plan form creates a twist in the pitched roof bringing an intriguing geometric dynamic to the new addition. .jpg?1490750419 "© Peter Blundy") © Peter Blundy The form lent itself to a timber frame structure – a series of primary wall and roof trusses, each one different to create the changing form. Externally, the form is clad with perforated aluminium panels, anodized to give a highly reflective 'gold' finish, giving a dramatic textural surface to the building that is continuous over both roof and wall, allowing the building to be interpreted at different distances and scales. Design Engine developed a pattern referential to the existing architecture and an interpretation appropriate for the 21st century. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| S-House / Coil Kazuteru Matumura Architects Posted: 29 Mar 2017 03:00 PM PDT  © Yohei Sasakura
 © Yohei Sasakura From the architect. The house is built in a common Japanese residential area, which has a space to accommodate a family as a whole.  © Yohei Sasakura With the intention to find the best balance, the house was designed to provide easy flexibility and space options based on the personal needs of the family, rather than using the maximum floor space according to the building regulations.  © Yohei Sasakura  1F Plan  © Yohei Sasakura The house offers an open feeling, while at the same time providing enough privacy for the residential area in which it is located. An exterior concrete wall that surrounds the terrace, the fixed window facing south and the fixed window facing to the east towards the railway, accomplishes this.  © Yohei Sasakura The 2 floors are connected by an open ceiling space design, only having some wooden boxes inserted to serve necessary functions.  © Yohei Sasakura  2F Plan (a)  © Yohei Sasakura The second floor offers some spacing options that can be separated by curtains or doors hanging from the structures, with rails notched into the wood. This allows the family to select multiple options for set up.  © Yohei Sasakura This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Torn Paper House / NatureArch Studio Posted: 29 Mar 2017 01:00 PM PDT  © Quang Tran
 © Quang Tran From the architect. The land occupied in this project has the total areas of 27 square meters, with 9 corners and zigzag edges, being located in a spontaneous residential area with many constraints on urban management regulations such as number of floors allowed, height and closed-only balconies. Nevertheless, the project investor – homeowner purports at building a town house that is able to accommodate minimum two generations of the family, while can also be put out to lease for extra income, ensuring long-term living. Given limited investment and usable capacity of land, which equals only 50% of social housing' usage standard in Vietnam, the architect must provide reasonable calculation and solution in order for "the machine for living" (Le Corbusier) to operate in accordance with the purpose of the owner.  © Quang Tran The project structure is divided in two parts: •The lower part for lease, including ground floor and mezzanine level: ground floor has a building area of approximately 24 square meters, together with another 3 square meters for garden and setback space. Mezzanine level is initially designed for office leasing, but can later be remodeled to become a private room for children as adults.  Section •The upper part for residence, with its own entrance, forming an independent apartment: the first floor - bedrooms and the attic floor, utilizing 50% of the possible building area, are set as kitchen and dining space. The residual area is living room as an open space on the sky view. This two-in-one attic space is integrated by two L-shaped sliding roofs made of glass.  © Quang Tran Regarding interiors, space and objects' sizes follow minimalist concept. The materials used are common, inexpensive, require median sophistication and techniques so as to effectively economize investment cost.  First Floor  © Quang Tran  Second Floor  © Quang Tran Therefore, on one hand, the architect has successfully brought about the balance between usability, economy and aesthetic elements into the architecture. On the other hand, in order to create the artistic imprint for the project, the architect expresses his metaphorical idea as if this small town house is eagerly escaping from the cramped city space, by integrating architecture into paper-crafting art, which is very familiar to primary school students in Vietnam. The house structure describes two layers of white and black paper being glued together. The white walls being torn apart reveals a cramped "living box" with steel window casings, and recessed walls in black. Other slanted walls represent all the paper folds, cuttings, and tears that are simple, free and not too technical of paper-crating art. This small town house plays a plus point, contributing to a lively corner of a densely populated district like Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City.  © Quang Tran This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 29 Mar 2017 01:00 PM PDT  © YCAM
 © YCAM From the architect. On the vast lawn of the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media (YCAM) forecourt, Megumi Matsubara & Hiroi Ariyama of the Japanese architecture firm Assistant designed two pavilions where children can play over the summer. The project was commissioned by YCAM to celebrate their 10th anniversary and made in collaboration with the YCAM's educational program team. YCAM is well known for introducing the most cutting-edge in the spheres of Arts and Media in Japan and abroad, serving as an artistic platform for sharing IT-based media technology, theatre and dance performances, art exhibitions, and more. The pavilions each feature a circular garden in which a variety of elements commingle; the sun, the earth, the air, visual images and sound.  Model  Floor Plan  Model The pavilions encourage children to leave the media environment in the YCAM building and interact with the immediate surroundings, including natural light, wind, touching directly soil and plants, feeling the sky and birds mixed with the high-tech media technology. The boundaries between children's experiences inside the pavilions and the ones induced by playground tools are blurred. The architecture and the playground equipments are given an equal weight and together define the whole environment.  © YCAM © YCAM The circular shape dilutes one's sense of direction. The two pavilions' structures both contain the void reversing each other's plan: one holds the void at the centre, while the other is circled by the void. It is those voids that welcome wind and light into the space, heightening children's awareness towards subtle natural phenomena that surround them.  © YCAM This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Showroom Hunter Douglas / Serrano Monjaraz Arquitectos Posted: 29 Mar 2017 12:00 PM PDT  © Pedro Hiriart
 © Pedro Hiriart From the architect. The design concept that leads the project for Hunter Douglas architectural products is the revaluation of the apparent structural elements. The beams and concrete slabs of the building are incorporated into an open design in which the materials have a strong presence. The constructive elements are combined with block walls and micro polished concrete floors to affirm the coherence of the whole image.  © Pedro Hiriart The activities in this showroom are very important, on one hand the daily operation of the collaborators and on the other hand customer service. To achieve the flexibility required by the space an aluminum frame system of low angle was developed for walls and plafonds in order to exhibit the different collections of the brand and make all the necessary changes during the year. The work area is clearly identified for the team to integrate and develop its activities without a hitch. Being a space designed for multiple activities some of the walls can be removed to expand the area and have contact activities with the clients.  Floor Plan The use of natural lighting and ventilation was promoted to achieve an environment in perfect harmony with the surroundings, besides considering the energy consumption in the long run. The lighting design features an active control system and as requested by the company storage spaces were to become a "paperless" office. The result is a contemporary space that can be transformed according to the needs maintaining consistency between image and functionality. © Pedro Hiriart This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| SODA Apartments / Gresley Abas Architects Posted: 29 Mar 2017 10:00 AM PDT  © Dion Robeson
 © Dion Robeson From the architect. The SODA Apartments represent the outcome of an ideal relationship between Architect, Builder and Developer. A shared enlightened attitude towards the delivery of inner-city dwellings within an existing heritage building shell, SODA Apartments culminates in a 13-unit apartment building over 4 storeys. 85% of the dwellings have a northerly orientation and all dwellings have cross-ventilation.  © Dion Robeson  Floor Plans  © Dion Robeson Apartment sizes range from 52 to 140 sqm. Unique solutions were developed throughout the overall design to deliver small yet clever solutions to spatial challenges.  © Dion Robeson The tight site configuration resulted in unusual apartment configurations; eg. 2-storey maisonettes were designed with living areas elevated to the upper floor for northerly access to the living areas and outdoor terraces, whilst bedrooms are located below with unique 'periscope' windows designed to overcome issues of acoustics, fire protection, privacy & security.  © Dion Robeson The spatial solutions for this development emerged out of the client's enlightened willingness to challenge the typical apartment product delivered today. The client/builder/developer demonstrated the willingness and the courage to challenge the market and deliver something beyond the ordinary.  Section The project concept also includes retention and restoration of the existing Lindsay St façade, and incorporates street art along the laneway boundary as part of the design proposal.  © Dion Robeson One of the apartments is allocated as an affordable housing module. This project won an AIA Architecture (WA) award in 2016 in the Multi-residential category.  © Dion Robeson This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Sato Restaurant / Taller5 Arquitectura Posted: 29 Mar 2017 10:00 AM PDT  © Ademir Franco
 © Ademir Franco "Cooking in all its forms and styles should never stop being a hobby and a passion for those who are dedicated to it"  © Ademir Franco Incorporated into the strategic plan of the newly renovated House, Tai Sushi chain based in Irapuato, DF and nearly a dozen of these strategically nestled in the city of Leon, Guanajuato. Inaugurate its latest installment in the old town of the same property in the north of the city, conceived as a place of high Japanese cuisine combining concepts of ex-hacienda with cosmopolitan airs translated in their selection of materials, proportions and taking controlling factor innovation its eight plates to the delight of their finest diners.  © Ademir Franco His new architectural language dignifies the concept of nature thanks to the neutral range in color, nakedness and simplicity of its materials. Within the requirements and constraints in several areas scoop was handled as physical and visual communication as a constant in and out of the proposed area is was achieved with the design of a solid pine wood in different treatments which contains so open your kitchen and main access status, vestibulando bulkhead containing the main hall and which is delimited with a perimeter planter unleashed every way for its unusual condition in a controlled manner into the unpublished recreates conformations of stalactites and stalagmites wooden consolidation point as columns, referring to a culinary career that dropwise solidifies within a genus of foodies, these physical form promptly framed plates in the lounge and sleek private sections based on pine vertical sheltering their main chefs touting the culinary arts.  © Ademir Franco The wet area has been specially treated wood since it is randomly modulated to support eco-resin panels encapsulating finely cut bamboo sheets in its circular section. This treatment endow translucent natural light to vestibulación the area mentioned above. Within the bathrooms are magnificent handling accented by dark glimmers emphasizing his travels and sober decoration. Its two main halls are connected by a light border created a gap and a reflecting pool with an approach based on serials flat sheet flagstone recreating a rocky horizon, this landscape is framed by a pair of light and delicate columns wrapped in fabric showing his fine manufacturing, main bar suggests the connection of two different areas, the proportion was adapted to coarse elongated stone management bark squared modulations which constantly talks between gray laminated wood and the casual stroke of his role Skin.  Plan The newly created Sato, born with a brushstroke of passion, which allows more complex taste their new dishes with ease and commitment that represents a hobby. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Rowhook / Nick Willson Architects Posted: 29 Mar 2017 08:00 AM PDT  © Nick Gutteridge
 © Nick Gutteridge From the architect. Conceptually, the house is designed as having a northern red brick wall spine which runs from the car port at the top of the site down to the terrace next to the copse towards the East of the site.  Landscape Plan This wall is then punctuated with varying sized openings and seats internally. The brick is exposed internally in certain areas, giving the house a textural and warm feeling.  © Nick Gutteridge In plan the wall is two L shaped elements that mirror each other, the first forming the entrance and car port and the second the chimney and living space wall. The double height space forms the break between the two elements and opens the view to both sides.  Section The wall represents the brick walled gardens in traditional English gardens. To manipulate with the wall further we have proposed a varied palette of brick work, from flemish bond, to hit and miss and herringbone bond. The thickness of the wall allows for shadow, and texture along the length as well as high insulation levels.  © Nick Gutteridge As a foil to this more solid element, the southern facades of the house are more glazed and timber clad. The timber being a mixture of 50 mm sawn timber cladding and planed for doors and vents. A series of timber louvres shade the Western sun and provide privacy for the bedrooms.  © Nick Gutteridge A sloping roof sits above the timber, brick and glazed elements separated from the brick spine with high level glazing, which affords views of the mature trees to the North. The roof will have a copper soffit externally which will shimmer in the sun. A sedum finish to the top will help with bio-diversity.  © Nick Gutteridge The journey and narrative of the house and site starts at the new entrance with a sloping driveway down to the car port. Hedges and flowers shield the house for privacy and offer a level of surprise once in the house. The car port is open to reduce its mass and also houses a log store and cycle, bin store. Here the red brick spine wall wraps around the functions with the use of hit and miss brick work. The timber roof then floats over to the top continuing to the house as a covered entrance way. Vertical timber screens allow for planting to grow along the entrance path. At this point there is a change in level and a small opening through the brick screen into the Northern garden and meadow.  © Nick Gutteridge The entrance is expressed via a large metal clad front door. Once through the door, there is an entrance hall with brick flooring and coat cupboard, bench. A W.C and shower is off to the right. At this point the view is directed down the spine wall which terraces down with storage and gallery along the way and a single window seat framing a view of the large trees to the North. The view at the end of the gallery is centred on the fireplace. The wet, utility, plant spaces are concealed behind the gallery wall, housing the boilers, solar thermal tanks and boot room.  © Nick Gutteridge At the bottom of the gallery the level changes subtly and the double height dining room opens up with a view to both sides of the site, this space will be flooded with natural light and a contrast to the lower darker entrance sequence. The double height space is framed by the brick chimney and fireplace. The brick will be herringbone which mirrors that of the entrance floor. The chimney starts the second part of the brick spine and also shifts the circulation and entrance to the more private living space to the front of the house.  Section The chimney also houses the staircase to the first floor with a light well above. A change of level through the chimney leads to the living space which has a corner view of the copse and landscaping. A window seat allows views to the North. In addition the living room wall is exposed brick which continues outside to form a low garden wall to the Eastern terrace. At first floor, the building has the more private master suite to the East above the living space, and the guest, children's bedrooms/bathrooms to the West. The two sides are linked with a library and link bridge which overlooks the double height space. A flexible study also looks over the double height void space creating a vertical connection to the dining family spaces below.  © Nick Gutteridge Sustainability was an intrinsic driver for the design, form and location of the house. We designed the house from a fabric first principle and using the orientation to maximize the energy from the sun along with thermal mass. The double height space collects the suns energy and a large chimney acts as a thermal store and thermal vent for summer months with a stack effect being created.  Ground Floor Plan A highly insulated and airtight fabric with triple glazed windows ensures that heat cannot escape but also so that the house does not over heat. MVHR with heat recovery moderates the air quality and temperature. Timber louvres and a large overhang at roof level provide passive shading for summer sun but allow winter sun to flood the house in winter. All materials are sustainably sourced and the timber is all FSC rated. The insulation is a sheep's wool.  © Nick Gutteridge Water usage has been carefully considered, with the use of suds, surface and rain water collection for irrigation, and a treatment plant that deals with waste with the cleaned water allowed to run into an adjacent soak away. Low flush fittings are used throughout and there is only one bath in the house. Heat and hot water is provided by an air source heat pump, a log burner and under floor heating. Although the Client tells us that she hardly has the heating on during the colder months.  © Nick Gutteridge Other renewables are PV panels on the roof to provide electricity and smart meters with a holistic lighting and heating control controlled by an iPad. The house also seeks to enhance the surroundings with sedum roofs, new extensive landscaping, wild meadow and woodland management plans for the copse, along with a bespoke bat hotel that we designed in the chimney and owl boxes in the trees. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| SOM to Lead Major Restoration of New York's Waldorf Astoria Posted: 29 Mar 2017 07:25 AM PDT  Lobby. Image © Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP/ rendering by Methanoia Inc. The Waldorf Astoria New York has released plans for a top to bottom restoration and revitalization of the building's historically landmarked exterior and interior space, to be carried out by architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon (PYR). If approved by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, the restoration will be among the most complex and intensive landmark preservation efforts in New York City history.  Exterior. Image © Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP/ rendering by Methanoia Inc. Restoration plans call for the revival of many of the hotel's Art Deco elements that have been lost through previous alteration. All of the building's landmarked spaces, including the Lexington Entry, Lobby and "Peacock Alley," will be preserved, while hotel amenities will be modernized for an enhanced visitor experience. In addition to the restoration of the public and event spaces, the Waldorf plans to feature new guest rooms, suites and condominiums. "We have assembled a world-class design team with unparalleled experience restoring and revitalizing historic properties to create a proposed plan that treats the Waldorf Astoria New York's history with respect and dedication to detail," said Brandon Dong, Anbang Insurance Group, which owns the Waldorf Astoria New York. "The restoration of the beautiful landmarked spaces is central to the Waldorf Astoria New York's future as a New York City icon and global destination."  Lexington Entry. Image © Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP/ rendering by Methanoia Inc. SOM has had previous experience working on restoration and adaptive reuse project for several other New York City landmarks, including Moynihan Train Hall, the General Electric Building headquarters and the Lever House. "Our design for the Waldorf Astoria New York reclaims the full potential of one of New York City's most legendary buildings and opens a new chapter in the hotel's celebrated history," commented Roger Duffy, Design Partner, SOM. "The Waldorf Astoria has been an audacious civic icon since it first opened in 1931, and we are honored to be leading the effort to restore this Art Deco masterpiece, while turning it into a world-class destination for the 21st century."  "Peacock Alley". Image © Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP/ rendering by Methanoia Inc. Interior design PYR works exclusively on five-star luxury hotels, fine dining restaurants and private residences. They have also worked with Waldorf Astoria in recent times – including the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, scheduled to open in June of this year. "Protecting the spirit of this iconic property and reflecting its history through a modern, more forward-thinking lens will be at the heart of the hotel's interior design. From the overall atmosphere down to the finest Art Deco details, American grandeur and international glamour will meet in the Waldorf Astoria New York – no other hotel in New York will compare," said Pierre-Yves Rochon, Principal and Global Design Director, PYR.  Park Avenue Foyer. Image © Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP/ rendering by Methanoia Inc. The Waldorf Astoria New York originally opened in 1893 on the present-day site of the Empire State Building, before moving to its Park Avenue location in 1931. The building was designated an official New York City landmark in 1993, with its marquee interior spaces receiving landmark status in 2017. The entire renovation is expected to take two to three years. News via Waldorf Astoria. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Munkedamsveien 62 / LPO arkitekter Posted: 29 Mar 2017 06:00 AM PDT  © Ivan Brodey
 © Ivan Brodey  Site Plan  © Ivan Brodey From the architect. The combined office and kindergarten building is located on the perimeter of the historical park of the official residence of the Norwegian State Railway's director. The brief asked for a prominent, yet considerate project that would become a backdrop to the historical park. Being situated in between the historical city of Oslo and the open harbor transformation area of Filipstad, we were interested in developing a hybrid typology. A building that would be perceived as a clear extension of the city -block structure towards the street, and at the same time a pavilion that would reinforce its relationship with the park.  © Ivan Brodey  Section  © Ivan Brodey The organizational strategy of the plan was to make a clear distinction between a strict autonomous core and a more fluid, adaptable facade that traced the perimeter of the plot. To accentuate this shifting condition in plan, we decided to work with a repetitive facade that would also be a pragmatic approach to the generic office program.  © Ivan Brodey The ground floor was split in two volumes as the zoning plan required public access to the park through the site. This condition allowed for a functional separation between kindergarten and office building. The entrance to the office was placed at the corner of the building to articulate the city block character of the building, and to facilitate a connection between the park and the ground floor programs.  © Ivan Brodey This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| These Photographs Capture the Opulent Beauty of Empty Moscow Metro Stations Posted: 29 Mar 2017 05:15 AM PDT
Known as one of the world's grandest subway systems, the Moscow Metro is filled with materials more commonly associated with palaces or museums – marble and granite walls, bronze columns, and lavish chandeliers are just a few of the opulent textures you'll find beneath the streets of Russia's largest city. Despite their renown, the Moscow government almost never allows professional photographers to capture the beauty of the stations. But in 2014, photographer David Burdney was finally given that opportunity. Visiting the system late at night after the metro had closed, Burdney was able to capture each station in its best light, and completely devoid of people.  © David Burdeny Burdney's original interest in the metro came from their unique role in Russian history. Know as "Palaces for the People," the original metro stations opened in 1935 as an element of Communist propaganda. Employing the slogan "The whole country is building Metro," leader Joseph Stalin enlisted nearly 75,000 workers to complete the system as a symbol of the government's supposed care for its people. "Crystal chandeliers and cobalt blue glass, exquisite red marble quarried in Russia, magnificent bronze columns and intricate ceiling plaster reliefs, forced people to physically 'look up' to the light, giving thanks to Stalin," explained Burdney to MashuMashu.  © David Burdeny  © David Burdeny  © David Burdeny  © David Burdeny  © David Burdeny  © David Burdeny  © David Burdeny  © David Burdeny  © David Burdeny  © David Burdeny Today, the Moscow Metro transports up to 9 million people daily through 200 stations. With several additional expansions in the works, the system is expected to become the world's largest by 2020. See more of Burdney's work on his website, here.
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| CANANA L.A. Brew Pub / Martin Lejarraga Posted: 29 Mar 2017 04:00 AM PDT  © David Frutos
 © David Frutos From the architect. CANANA L.A is a young couple who have launched a company dedicated to the production, bottling and sale of different kinds of beer.  © David Frutos CANANA is located in La Aljorra, L.A., a small village in the south-east of Spain, which can be reached by roads with echoes of Los Angeles, surrounded by a landscape which resembles its palms with the hills of Santa Monica in the distance.  © David Frutos  © David Frutos  © David Frutos CANANA L.A is an adventure; a beer made with attention and love in a former agricultural tools warehouse, which was built by their family and friends: the friends were masons, the father electrical installer and the godfather the carpenter. And that is why it is that way.  © David Frutos  Plan  © David Frutos  Axonometric  © David Frutos CANANA L.A is a good beer full of interesting shades in its flavor; and a friendly bar, nice and cosy.  © David Frutos This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 12 Inspiring Architectural Projects for Bicycles Posted: 29 Mar 2017 02:30 AM PDT
Nowadays bicycles are not only used for sports or as a recreational activity, as more and more people are choosing bicycles as their main means of transportation. Architecture plays a fundamental role in promoting the use of bicycles, as a properly equipped city with safe bicycle lanes, plentiful bicycle parking spots, and open areas to ride freely will encourage people to use their cars much less. Bicycles can play an important role in environmental sustainability and people's quality of life. That's why it is fundamental for cities to position them prominently, as a key promoter of sustainable mobility. Under this model, it seems urgent to encourage the use of bicycles within contemporary cities and consider them when designing and planning. Denmark and the Netherlands are currently the leading countries in architecture for bikes. They are considered a cyclist's paradise because of their excellent infrastructure and architecture, making them a worldwide reference in this field. We have curated this list of projects by BIG, NL Architects, Monk Mackenzie Architects, and Landlab, among others, that serve as inspiration for the development of contemporary cities, in ways which integrate bicycles through a diversity of means such as parks and public spaces, pavilions and cultural centers, bridges and parking lots and, of course, bicycle paths. Denmark Pavilion, Shanghai Expo 2010 / BIG © Iwan Baan LightPathAKL / Monk Mackenzie Architects + Landlab Courtesy of NL Architects Twisted Valley / Grupo Aranea.jpg?1488209274 "© Jesus Granada") © Jesus Granada Hovenring, Circular Cycle Bridge / ipv Delft © Helibeeld Peace Bridge / Santiago Calatrava © Alan karchmer Lex van Delden Bridge / Dok Architecten © Thijs Wolzak Bicycle Club / NL Architects Render Bicycle Hotel Lillestrøm / Various Architects © Dawid Nowak Electra BikeHub / Andrey Ukolov + Ekaterina Osipova © Sergey Kuznetsov Superkilen / Topotek 1 + BIG Architects + Superflex © Iwan Baan Distrito Fijo Cycling Club / DCPP arquitectos © Camila Cossio Cuyperspassage / Benthem Crouwel Architects © Jannes Linders This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| One North / Holst Architecture Posted: 29 Mar 2017 02:00 AM PDT  © Andrew Pogue
 © Andrew Pogue From the architect. One North is an innovative commercial development that was designed with a clear set of values involving community, environment, and resiliency. The project provides office and retail space on a brownfield site, with a focus on maximizing energy efficiency, reducing waste and consumption, and sharing resources with the community. Coupled with a strong commitment to neighborhood values and collaboration, One North represents an entirely different approach to commercial buildings.  © Andrew Pogue  Floor Plan  © Andrew Pogue Composed of three mixed-use office buildings with ground-floor retail, the development surrounds a new 14,000 square feet courtyard intended to create a vibrant community space for use by both tenants and the neighborhood. Purpose-built to achieve exceptional energy efficiency through a blend of leading-edge strategies, the Karuna East (4 stories) and West (5 stories) Buildings at One North were modeled to perform 50% more efficiently than a typical new building in Oregon. They are also expected to be 60% more efficient than the average US office building, including existing buildings.  © Andrew Pogue  © Andrew Pogue Sustainability strategies include a super-insulated airtight building envelope, exterior shading, and locally-sourced and sustainably-harvested wood siding. The design team also implemented highly efficient mechanical systems and the near-elimination of thermal bridges. The Karuna East & West Buildings both have photovoltaic arrays for on-site electrical production (71 kw), thermally broken doors and windows for energy efficiency, and insulation on all sides of the buildings, including the foundation.  Diagram Minimal on-site parking encourages public transportation, walking, and bicycling. Instrument, an independent digital creative agency, occupies the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors of the East Building, with retail on the ground floor, and the West Building is home to several commercial office and retail tenants.  © Andrew Pogue This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Let the Cloud House Brighten Your Rainy Day Posted: 29 Mar 2017 01:00 AM PDT  The barn has been constructed of timber and metal salvaged from an abandoned farm. Image Courtesy of Matthew Mazzotta Few sounds in this world are quite as satisfying as that of fresh rainwater falling on a tin roof. However, this soothing sensation is just one element of the Cloud House, a unique, interactive rainwater-harvesting system created by designer Matthew Mazzotta in Springfield, Missouri. From the comfort of a wooden rocking chair, the user is immersed in a rural farm experience, offering passers-by a moment to slow down, enjoy fresh edible plants and, as promised, bask in the sound of rain striking a tin roof. Built in recycled timber and metal from an abandoned farm, the Cloud House acts as a meditative, reflective retreat from the intensity of modern life, and a demonstration of our fragile dependence on natural systems. First, falling rainwater from the sky is collected and stored in an underground tank. Then, through the soothing motion of the rocking chair, the user triggers a system which pumps collected water up to the overhead 'cloud.' The water once again falls onto the barn, creating the warm, pleasant sound of rain on a tin roof, and nourishing the edible plants growing on the windowsill.  The Cloud House promotes quiet reflection and meditation. Image Courtesy of Matthew Mazzotta  An artificial cloud dispenses water to create soothing sounds, and feed windowsill plants. Image Courtesy of Matthew Mazzotta A poetic counterpoint to the nearby bustling farmers' market, the Cloud House evokes the image of a quiet, simple, rural farmhouse of times past. Furthermore, it offers a subtle portrait of humankind's dependence on natural systems. In the absence of natural rainfall, the underground reservoir would eventually empty and the artificial cloud would remain dry—and of course, the edible plants would not grow. Even in the playful novelty of the Cloud House, humanity and nature are deeply entwined, interdependent, each thriving from the sustained growth of the other.  By sitting in the rocking chairs, users activate the artificial cloud. Image Courtesy of Matthew Mazzotta  The rocking chairs, plants, and peaceful sounds evoke the imagery of a rural farmhouse. Image Courtesy of Matthew Mazzotta Narrative aside, the Cloud House is first and foremost a place of quiet contemplation. In an age when "the cloud" has become synonymous with technology, innovation, and relentless connectivity, the Cloud House offers the chance to unplug, switch off, and immerse oneself in the fragile beauty of the natural world, whatever the weather.  Edible plants are nourished by water from the artificial cloud. Image Courtesy of Matthew Mazzotta  The Cloud House promotes quiet reflection and meditation. Image Courtesy of Matthew Mazzotta News via: Matthew Mazzotta
Correction update: This article originally stated that the Cloud House project was located in "Springfield, Montana." It is actually in Springfield, Missouri. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| AD Classics: 1988 Deconstructivist Exhibition at New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Posted: 29 Mar 2017 12:00 AM PDT  View into the exhibition (1988). Photographer unknown. Image via MoMA When Philip Johnson curated the Museum of Modern Arts' (MoMA) 1932 "International Exhibition of Modern Architecture," he did so with the explicit intention of defining the International Style. As a guest curator at the same institution in 1988 alongside Mark Wigley (now Dean Emeritus of the Columbia GSAPP), Johnson took the opposite approach: rather than present architecture derived from a rigidly uniform set of design principles, he gathered a collection of work by architects whose similar (but not identical) approaches had yielded similar results. The designers he selected—Peter Eisenman, Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, Daniel Libeskind, Bernard Tschumi, and the firm Coop Himmelblau (led by Wolf Prix)—would prove to be some of the most influential architects of the late 20th Century to the present day.[1,2]  Original press release (1988). Image via MoMA The term "Deconstructivism" refers primarily to two inspirations. The first—deconstruction—is a form of philosophical and literary analysis created in the 1960s, which questions and dismantles traditional modes of thought. In its suspicion of objectivity, this particular strain of critical thinking encourages one to think not just of what a text says, but what it does – and what the relationship between the two may be.[3] The latter inspiration is Constructivism, the artistic and architectural movement which began in the twilight years of Tsarist Russia and, once rejected by the Soviet society it initially embraced, dispersed throughout Europe and North America. Although its creators' admiration for new technologies drove them to design structures of plastic, steel, and glass, they were not bound to pure functionalism; this apparent juxtaposition is perhaps best expressed in their preferred title of "artist-engineers."[4]  Inside the exhibition (1988). Photographer unknown. Image via MoMA As a mode of design, Deconstructivism is far more difficult to define than many of its predecessors and contemporaries. In the same vein as Postmodernism, Deconstructivism is a reaction to, and rejection of, Modernist architecture; its radically irregular geometry and dynamic forms serve to protest the scientific rationalism that defined and dictated much of architectural practice from the end of the First World War to the 1970s.[5] Despite a similar reactionary basis, Deconstructivism distinguishes itself from the greater body of Postmodernist architecture by its rejection of the latter's more whimsically ornamental approach, an ironic similarity to the Modernist aesthetic it otherwise seeks to subvert. The end result is something between Modernism and Postmodernism – a destination reached by the seven exhibitors outside the context of a cohesive design movement.[6]  Inside the exhibition (1988). Photographer unknown. Image via MoMA Despite originating from different architects with varying design methodologies, the ten projects displayed in the exhibition in question each celebrated the irregular and the unstable. Eisenman's featured project, the Biozentrum (Biocenter) for the University of Frankfurt, starts from a rationally ordered series of block units with shapes derived from the protein sequences which compose DNA, all placed along a thin, transparent spine. The basic forms of the blocks are then distorted, with some expressed as solids and others as voids penetrating the ground. As positive and negative volumes intersect in wildly varying manners, the orderly Modernist template is fractured, resulting in the dynamic instability which characterized each exhibited project.[7]  1988 Catalogue Cover. Image via MoMA Frank Gehry's two contributions, his own home and the Familian Home, appear as architecture in the midst of transformation. Both projects are characterized by volumes which appear to be bursting from within more traditional structures, with both the emergent elements and the interstitial spaces realized in wood framing, sheets of glass, and—in his own home—obliquely angled planes of chain-link. While the Familian House was a new construction, his work on his own Santa Monica home was as much a work in progress as its dynamic spatial narrative seemed to suggest, as he gradually converted a typical suburban home into his personal statement on the relationships between, and within, forms.[8] The Peak, Zaha Hadid's chosen work, was a 1983 competition entry for a club in the hills above Hong Kong. Its four long volumes read as a collection of Hong Kong highrises tipped onto their sides and woven into the mountainous topography to which they are anchored. Its design, drafted in the days before computer modeling could truly begin to assist architects in realizing complex geometries, relied heavily on Hadid's elaborately expressive concept paintings and diagrams, which presented distorted perspectival views not easily translated into built form.[9] As he had once been a tutor of Hadid's at the Architectural Association in London, it is unsurprising that Rem Koolhaas' Rotterdam Building and Observation Tower was based on a similar painted axonometric concept study.[10] Where The Peak was emphatically horizontal, the Rotterdam Building was defined by what could either appear to be a row of stone slabs set against glass backing, or a stone slab with a row of glass towers attached. The latter is closer to the truth, as four glazed towers protrude from, or recede into, a stone-clad spine at varying angles. At one end of the building, an orthogonal glass tower stands almost detached from its counterparts, a symbol of Modernism connected only tenuously to its disorderly counterparts by a narrow skybridge. On the opposite end, an angled steel tower takes on the appearance of a Constructivist monument, the tension between the Constructivist and the Modernist apparently resulting in the span of Deconstructivism between them.[11] The end of the Cold War and the reunification of East and West Germany meant that Daniel Libeskind's exhibition project, his winning entry to the City Edge Competition, never progressed beyond drawings and models.[12] The project, standing within view of the Berlin Wall, was a commentary on the manner in which it cut apart and fragmented the old city. Formally, Libeskind's design was the simplest project in the exhibition: a long rectangular slab which cut through West Berlin like the wall it was responding to. However, rather than truly divide the neighborhood, Libeskind tilted the slab along its length, with one end rising a full ten stories above the ground to create an open public space below while overlooking the Berlin Wall. Within the otherwise orthogonal slab is a jumble of tilted structural members, angled against one another and performing their mundane responsibility of supporting the building with Constructivist flair.[13] In winning the competition to design Paris' Parc de La Villette in 1982, Bernard Tschumi later noted that he had not been competing with fellow finalist Rem Koolhaas; rather, Deconstructivism itself had triumphed over Postmodernism, which was championed in this case by architect Leon Krier.[14] Tschumi's design superimposed three systems: a grid of red metal cubes, a set of classical axes, and surfaces rendered in geometric figures. The interplay of the three systems causes warping and distortion in each, recognizable for what they are and yet irrevocably altered into something in tension with its neighbors. As a whole, the park is a study in the deviation from pure architectural form.[15] The sole multi-architect firm to be chosen for the exhibition, Coop Himmelblau also presented the most projects. Two were set in the firm's native Vienna and, like Gehry's examples, one was a renovation and the other a new construction. The Rooftop Remodeling of a traditional Viennese apartment building saw its structure extrapolated into an apparent chaos of beams which, in its visual tension, appeared like the wing of a giant organism which had engulfed the building. Their Apartment Building, with its tilted rectangular volume peeled open with obliquely protruding beams and peeled metal skin, could almost be a marriage of Libeskind and Gehry's projects in the exhibition. Coop Himmelblau's third project, a skyscraper along the Elbe River in Hamburg, distorts and subverts the traditional expectations of a skyscraper: it is fractured rather than monolithic, held together by irregularly angled ligaments which give the impression that the tower is on the verge of falling to pieces.[16] In his preface for the publication released with the exhibition, Johnson freely admitted that the willfully irregular, even anarchic forms found in Deconstructivist architecture "shock the eye of an old modernist like [him]self."[17] Whatever one's response to what Johnson termed 'violated perfection,' it cannot be denied that the seven architects in the exhibition, along with their contemporaries, collectively defined the path of architectural practice in the following decades; and although most have since moved on from Deconstructivism, its central goal of questioning, dismantling, and reconstituting architectural standards remains.  Inside the exhibition (1988). Photographer unknown. Image via MoMA References [1] Hill, John. "Deconstructivist Architecture, 25 Years Later." World-Architects. January 28, 2013. [access].
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| "RRURBAN" Explores the Potential of Individualism in Collective Urban Housing Posted: 28 Mar 2017 11:00 PM PDT  Cortesía de MAPAA In this article Marcos Parga, director of the Madrid-based office MAPAA, presents an exploratory essay on the possibilities of living in developed urban centers, taking as a case study a site between two existing party walls in Madrid. The objective of MAPAA's exercise is to seek ways to enjoy the benefits of rural life, such as close contact with nature, in the city.  Cortesía de MAPAA What type of home do we deserve? Many urbanites asking this question would think that it is not too much to ask new residential architecture to give us the chance to live in the city while enjoying some of the advantages of the idealized rural environment—but without renouncing the density and effervescence of the big cities that we like so much. However, our everyday reality invariably shows us the opposite, which is why we decided to open up the design process for indeterminacy and participation.  Cortesía de MAPAA The RRURBAN (Really RURAL and URBAN) project emerges as a possible response to this aspiration that is increasingly widespread—and, in recent decades, has been widely addressed by different fields—in order to inject the benefits of single-family housing into the speculative DNA of collective housing, furthermore activating issues related to participatory design.  Cortesía de MAPAA The result of this romantic (and recurrent) approach to the urban housing problem is a reproducible system of development, based on the evidence that a neighborhood community is nothing other than an accumulation of disparate and unique realities that often disappear behind the unifying veil of residential architecture. We soon came to the conclusion that to achieve that hybrid, our strategy should combine two actions: 'fluff up' and 'customize.' Fluff up to generate spaces of opportunity, and customize to be able to increase the final price of each house and thus to compensate economically for the decrease in built area.  Cortesía de MAPAA From this point, everything was easier: we need only substitute this unifying tendency with operations that exploit diversity, betting on a return to a certain militant individualism that redefines our way of living together. In addition, this path allows us to explore the limits of participation as already made by John Habraken with his theories about the "open-building" or Frei Otto with his "Okohaus" many years ago.  Cortesía de MAPAA In this case, we have given each housing unit some flexibility so that they can be easily configured by the final users, according to their preferences. The design of each unit reduces architecture to its very essence and most original form: a limited set of basic geometric rules is used to create a framework within which life unfolds in all its complexity.  Cortesía de MAPAA Thus, in a less ambitious and more operative way, a realistic “catalog of wishes” will determine the elementary characteristics of each "urban plot," becoming completely defined when occupying its final position within the general structure.  Cortesía de MAPAA In a purely practical sense, the vertically-combined, disparate volumes will enable the desired 'fluffing,' multiplying the system's adaptability to any site. The result is a built environment of variable density composed of stacked basic volumes arranged to be inhabited. Among them, intermediate spaces are generated and treated as valuable extensions of the homes' inner life. RRURBAN #01. MADRID  Cortesía de MAPAA  Cortesía de MAPAA  Cortesía de MAPAA The first RRURBAN operation will take place in the center of Madrid, occupying a small plot of 385 square meters, enough to house 7 urban plots, all of them with private outdoor space (patio or terrace) and basement parking space. The common areas (25%) provide the community with a playground, a productive greenhouse, space for barbecues, storage room and bicycle parking. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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