Arch Daily

Transparent Solutions / Tóth Project Architect Office
C.A.R.L. Auditorium at RWTH Aachen University / Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects + Höhler+Partner Architekten
voice / studioLOOP
Baan Chan / Junsekino Architect And Design
Tenri Station Plaza CoFuFun / Nendo
Yeorim / URCODE Architecture
Saint Andrew’s College Centennial Chapel / Architectus
Watch 'The Iceberg' in Aarhus Turn into a Penguin Paradise in This Fun Animation
New College House / Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
This New Book Lets You Fold Your Own Paper Models of Iconic Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings
Kindergarten in Aichtal / Simon Freie Architekten BDA
Open Call for ARCHMARATHON 2017, Americas
Cityförster to Lead Design of New Beijing Government District
House on Top / ISV Architects
Stood in Splendid Isolation, Questions Are Raised About Apple's Cupertino Campus
How 7 Dictators Used Buildings to Influence and Intimidate
Värtan Bioenergy CHP-plant / UD Urban Design AB + Gottlieb Paludan Architects
The Most Popular Architecture Offices on Facebook
AD Classics: Haus am Horn / Georg Muche
A Selection of Impressive Perspective Sections

Transparent Solutions / Tóth Project Architect Office

Posted: 12 Jun 2017 10:00 PM PDT

Architects: Tóth Project Architect Office
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Architects In Charge: László Tóth, László Papp, Frigyes Schalling, Péter Schmidt
Area: 451.0 m2
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Tamás Bujnovszky

From the architect. Until the early 20^th century, the slopes of the Buda side of the capital (Budapest), that is, the hillside of the area called Óbuda used to be lined by vine rows. From the second half of the century on, viticulture started to wane and the vine rows were replaced by small plots and weekend properties proliferating there and, from the 1990s on, a growing number of detached houses were built there. The only reminder of the former vineyards is the typical "belt-shaped" plots: the narrow, long plots have often been divided into two, an upper part next to the street delimiting the plot and a lower one back in the plot.

This two-storey (ground floor and first floor) detached house was built on one of this lower plots of 2299 m², connected to the street by a panhandle-like plot extension (a sidewalk). The starting point of its design was the slope of the plot. Therefore, walking down from the street along the sidewalk to the entrance of the house, one sees a one-storey building, but given the elevation of the terrain, the house gradually becomes a two-storey one.

As you go round the building, the two-storey form gradually appears. As the form is being disclosed, the house opens up to the garden: opposite to the one-storey, more closed entrance part, on the side of the garden, the house is looking at the garden, the landscape through a basically homogeneous, transparent glazed facade with glass sliding doors. The external appearance of the house is elegant, restrained; it was made with a monolith reinforced concrete slab system with transversal and longitudinal support elements, and load-bearing walls made of building blocks.

Elegance, the restrained use of materials is typical also in the interior spaces. The latter are furnished with only the most necessary pieces of furniture, so the interiors are spacious and airy. The community spaces on the ground floor and the private ones on the first floor are interlinked by several interior design solutions: except for the parquet floor coverings in the sleeping rooms and the wardrobes, the same jointless decorative stone cladding is applied everywhere, and the masonry parts are uniformly white; the flight of stairs, a steel structure leading to the first floor, made of monolith reinforced concrete, has a cantilevered design that makes it almost float, dissolve in space.

The total ground floor area can be seen already from the entrance, since the various functional units (kitchen, dining room, living room, office, staircase) are delimited by glass walls and sliding glass doors. Moreover, the house features an architectural and at the same time interior design feat: at the meeting point of the various functional units, there is a special glass cube on the first floor, opening up towards the roof area, with a magnificent 100-150-year-old olive tree inside.

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C.A.R.L. Auditorium at RWTH Aachen University / Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects + Höhler+Partner Architekten

Posted: 12 Jun 2017 08:00 PM PDT

Architects: Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, Höhler+Partner Architekten
Location: Aachen, Germany
Area: 14000.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Michael Rasche, Margot Gottschling

Engineers: Werner Sobek Stuttgart GmbH, Klett Ingenieur GmbH
Other Consultants: Kempen Krause Ingenieurgesellschaft, Müller-BBM Gade Mortensen Akustik A/S, Erben GmbH and 3+ Freiraumplaner

From the architect. Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects design is part of the RWTH Aachen University's major development strategy adding over 280,000 m² of additional space to the campus, which is to form one of the largest research campuses in Europe.

The new educational facility points to a more holistic understanding of learning and science and signals a humanistic approach focusing on the human scale. The C.A.R.L. is centrally located at the meeting point of Campus Mitte and Campus West.

The four storey lecture hall centre is conceived as a singular sculptural object, breaking with the city block structure by pulling back from the adjacent line of buildings and creating a plaza and green urban space surrounding it. The compact building comprises two solid masses united by an airy, transparent atrium cutting through the building in a ziggurat pattern. The large atrium integrates several informal spaces of various sizes to form squares and terraces for social activity and knowledge sharing.

"The central idea is the contrast between the inherently introverted auditoriums and the dynamic and open social circulation zone that connects the auditoriums. The two large stairs and connecting bridges will be the point for everyday 'meet and greet' of fellow students and lecturers," says Founding Partner John Foldbjerg Lassen.

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voice / studioLOOP

Posted: 12 Jun 2017 07:00 PM PDT

Architects: studioLOOP
Location: Sano, Tochigi, Japan
Area: 103.5 m2
Project Year: 2014
Photographs: Kai Nakamura

From the architect. This is a project for husband, wife, and 2 children. Voice is a house located in Tochigi, Japan. The site is located on the north side of the subdivision site, and the east, west, and south side are surrounded by the neighbor's house.

We focused on reconsideration of openness and privacy, so first of all the floors of each floor were open windows on the south side. On the first floor, the inner verandaand the external deck were made continuous so that the line of sight faces the garden where the lawn spreads.

The deep roof and sleeve walls protect wooden sash while blocking the strong sunlight of the summer and the gaze from the neighbor. On the second floor where the bedroom lined up, a wall was set up on the terrace to save the privacy from the outside, the east west and the upper part were opened, and the light was reflected on the white wall to secure the illuminance. Because the interior spaces are connected through openings and void, so spaces are filled with the voices of families.

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Baan Chan / Junsekino Architect And Design

Posted: 12 Jun 2017 03:00 PM PDT

Architects: Junsekino Architect And Design
Location: Tha Mai District, Chanthaburi, Thailand
Area: 300.0 m2
Project Year: 2006
Photographs: Spaceshift Studio

Contractor: Samer Prompetch

From the architect. Breathe in the fresh sea air whilst relaxing in a private home and beautifully landscaped with established coconut trees have been carefully and very tastefully designed to maximize the sea views and privacy. The stylish villa that consist of 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, living area and the kitchen comes fully fitted with exquisite choice of materials. The distinctive inspired by the gentle wave of the ocean ensures the maximization of natural light and air flow within the interior living spaces. The villa is surrounded by the charming greenery of tropical illuminated garden of land appr. 4,800 m2 and private infinity pool. Simply a stunning residence of the highest quality.

"I wish to admire the sunset from here each and every day and this scenery must be appeared before the eyes of the ones in my private pool and every room in my house", this is the utterance of the German owner who expressed his feeling and perspective as the photographer.

Located nearby the seashore, provides Chantaburi House an amazing seascape. Owner of house wishes for a view point to both sunset and moonlight. At the beginning of this project, the site started off with a cliff full of trees. The method is to put boxes on to this cliff. By the idea, designer defines space by vertical planes (walls) inserted horizontal planes (floors and ceilings). The intersection of both axes creates the main circulation from the front house to inside the house and on to the beach. The pool's curb is placed parallel with the sea's horizontal line so the pool can associate with the sea. When the sun meets the pool's surface, the light reflects into the house.

The owner, a German photographer, admires BAUHAUS. Thus, he wish for a modern style house with less decoration. He prefer to show the real material of all the elements and structures. Owing to his line of work, he delight the positive – negative effect of the house.

By the seaside location, the house was designed to use practical and appropriate materials such as coated bare concrete, real wood and use stronger window frames to resist the wind. Also planned using passive design techniques by spacing between the walls to ventilate through the house, reducing wind impact.

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Tenri Station Plaza CoFuFun / Nendo

Posted: 12 Jun 2017 01:00 PM PDT

Architects: Nendo
Location: Japan, 〒632-0016 Nara Prefecture, Tenri, 川原城町815
Area: 6000.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Takumi Ota, Daichi Ano, Tadashi Endo

Design Collaborator: IWATAYA ARCHITECTS
Meeting Area Design Collaborator And Shop Interior Design: KOKUYO
Signboard, Website, Digital Signage Design: Nippon Design Center, Inc. Irobe Design Institute
Lighting Design: izumi okayasu lighting design
Planting: studio mons LLC.

From the architect. The master plan for the station plaza at Tenri Station in Nara prefecture, located in the southwest region of Japan.

The plan for the 6,000 square meter area includes bicycle rentals, a cafe and other shops, an information kiosk, a play area, outdoor stage, and meeting space. The project goal was to encourage local community revitalisation by providing a space for events, tourist information dissemination and leisure facilities for local residents

Tenri's urban boundaries include a number of ancient Japanese tombs, known as "cofun". The cofun are beautiful and unmistakeable, but blend into the spaces of everyday life in the city. The plaza's landscape, richly punctuated by several of these cofun, is a representation of the area's characteristic geography: the Nara Basin, surrounded on all sides by mountains.

The construction technique used to create the plaza's round cofun structures consisted of fitting together pieces of a precast concrete mould resembling a huge pizza. Because precast concrete moulds are formed at the factory and then assembled onsite, the resulting structures are precise and the same mould can be used multiple times, ensuring excellent cost-performance. The pre-formed parts are pieced together like building blocks using the same massive cranes used to build bridges. Large spaces can be formed without the use of columns or beams, and because of the round shape the well-balanced structures offer stability against forces applied from any direction.

The cofun's different levels serve a variety of purposes: they're stairs, but also benches for sitting, fences to enclose playing children, the cafe and stage roofs, shelves for displaying products and the nighttime lighting effect, which floods the plaza with light. This variety creates an environment that encourages visitors to explore and spend time in different spaces within the plaza, rather than limiting their movement to one place. It's a 'ambiguous' space that's entirely a cafe, a playground and a massive piece of furniture, all at once

Guideposts and signboards feature gentle curves similar to those of the cofun, and are coloured a dark grey that creates a natural contrast while still fitting in with the surrounding area well. They are also arranged at four different heights according to their function in order to minimize noise levels. A play space for children, a lounge and study space for reading books, and a stage that can be used for concerts or public screenings have all been added to the meeting area, and Tenri souvenirs can be purchased at a newly designed shop next to the space.

Every design was given to ensure that the materials and colouring of the interiors matched those of the plaza as closely as possible. Furniture and fixtures made using wood from Nara Prefecture and designed around a cofun theme create a sense of uniformity with the plaza.

The plaza's name, CoFuFun, combines the main design motif, the cofun, with colloquial Japanese expressions. "Fufun" refers to happy, unconscious humming: the design for the plaza should offer a convivial atmosphere that unconsciously leads visitors to hum, happily, while they're there.

The alphabet spelling, "CoFuFun", also brings in the "co-" of "cooperation" and "community", as well as – of course – "fun" itself. The result is a name whose Japanese and alphabet spellings mean similar things, so that foreign visitors to the plaza will understand it in the same way, too.

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Yeorim / URCODE Architecture

Posted: 12 Jun 2017 12:00 PM PDT

Architects: URCODE Architecture
Location: Seoul, South Korea
Architect In Charge: Hoon Shin
Area: 323.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Nam-sun Lee

From the architect. The Yeorim, which it is designed into a contemporary residential and retail space that defines the mix of residential and commercial area in Yangjae-Dong, Seoul, South Korea. As the Yeorim is construction of a five storey building with two floors of residential spaces and commercial spaces, I considered how to divided clients' privacy life and openness for commercial spaces.

Having multiplex dwellings is the way to introduce to solve the problems of housing system for narrow spaces. In a multiplex dwelling, the residents live in a same building, and the households are divided, however it is not an apartment house. It is ironic notion that the building is the form of living itself rather than having in home ownership. It is the fact that when people come the idea of having houses, they follow economic logics than surroundings. At this point, architect meets the major question, how to solve the floor area ratio. It is very natural to follow economic knowledge for using spaces to reach the limitation. However, I wish people to consider its surroundings, designs, the spatial layouts and so on. This is the reason I started this project.

The building in the city would be prone to protect of privacy and secure lightening. As an architect, I started to make up for weak points of designing this building. In southern residential spaces, it secures lightening but it has lack of privacy. On the other hand in northern residential spaces, there needed to be more lightening. The residential spaces can be hidden by design blocks. For this reason, I used design blocks for keeping the safety and lightening as well as a space for viewing sky. From a particular space the building thus reflects the sky and its surroundings. This space does not belong to floor area ratio which contributes to add more space for residence.

For exterior of the Yeorim used by exposed reinforced concrete and design block. If the reason for using exposed reinforced concrete in Japan is for visual and structural stability caused by earthquakes, Korea, on the other hand, it has focused on vibes of material itself. According to this reason, I intend to emphasis on interior than exterior that using exposed reinforced concrete is simple and clear so there need not to be add more to decorate. It is like giving full stop at the end of sentence.

As an architect, having this project means to think people together what we think less valuable than it actually is.

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Saint Andrew’s College Centennial Chapel / Architectus

Posted: 12 Jun 2017 10:00 AM PDT

Architects: Architectus
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Architects In Charge: Patrick Clifford, Malcolm Bowes, Severin Soder, Jane Rooney, Paul Millard
Area: 1197.0 m2
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Sarah Rowlands, Simon Devitt

Project Engineer: Renee Brook, Holmes Consulting Group
Acoustic Engineer: Chris Day / Joanne Valentine, Marshall Day
Audio Visual Consultant: Larry Elliott, Marshall Day
Quantity Surveyor: Colin Sutherland, Rawlinsons
Director In Charge: Brian Davidson
Geotechnical Engineer:: Ian McCahon, Geotech

From the architect. Architectus won the design competition for a new chapel following the damage to the original Memorial Chapel in the Canterbury earthquakes. Christchurch has lost a lot of its built heritage, and retaining a memory of the original Chapel as well as the memorial aspect of honouring the Old Collegians is an important part of the concept for the new chapel. To this end the design uses familiar regional forms (roof), materials (brick, stone, timber) and salvaged elements from the original chapel which have been brought together in a 40 meter long brick 'Memorial' wall.

The nave is defined by the brick faced Memorial Wall on the north and a timber clad foyer and vestry to the east and west. The campus facing south side is realised as a folded glass screen; light and ethereal it is a window to the college; it stands in dialogue and contrast to the heavy, earthy Memorial Wall.

Special spaces for the Book of Remembrance, baptismal font and contemplation are contained within the memorial wall. Sliding doors connect nave to foyer and the covered entry terrace. The congregation sits on re-used pews and new chairs, arranged as a collection of seating groups - establishing an intermediate scale between the individual and the group. The orientation of the pews allows the congregation to form a relationship with the college community via the visual connection to the school as the backdrop for ceremony.

The chapel's roof with its ridges and valleys reminds us of the first church buildings in Canterbury - the 'V-huts'. The central valley folds up to create additional volume over the nave where it is punctuated by a lantern in the location of the original bell tower; it is a skylight, houses the old bell and makes another connection between the old and the new.

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Watch 'The Iceberg' in Aarhus Turn into a Penguin Paradise in This Fun Animation

Posted: 12 Jun 2017 09:20 AM PDT

In this animated clip from French film production studio 11h45, penguins have taken over 'The Iceberg,' winner of ArchDaily's 2015 Building of the Year for Best Housing Project. Imagining the building as a literal iceberg, the filmmakers envisioned the designed by SeARCH + CEBRA + JDS + Louis Paillard Architects-designed complex as an antarctic wonderland where penguins could slip, slide and dive down the structure's sharp rooflines.

The project was an early idea for a video commissioned by JDS Architects' Julien de Smedt, who tasked 11h45 with portraying the building from an unusual perspective. The final video concept, released in 2014, was to capture the building as it would be seen by a seagull.

See more of 11h45's work, here.

The Iceberg / SeARCH + CEBRA + JDS + Louis Paillard Architects
140 From the architect. The Iceberg is located at a prime location on the outmost harbour front in Aarhus' new quarter Aarhus Ø (Aarhus East) and consists of 208 apartments. Like many other worn-out industrial harbour areas, the former container port of Aarhus is being transformed into a vibrant new neighbourhood.

Does it Pay to Invest in Good Architecture? The Case of 'The Iceberg' in Aarhus, Denmark
It is often said that architecture only makes projects more expensive. That architects only add a series of arbitrary and capricious complexities that could be avoided in order to lower their costs, and that the project could still work exactly the same without them. Is this true in all cases?

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New College House / Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

Posted: 12 Jun 2017 08:00 AM PDT

Architects: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Architects In Charge: Anthony Pregiato, Erin Roark
Landscape Architects: Michael Vergason Landscape Architecture
Area: 198000.0 ft2
Project Year: 2015
Photographs: Jeffrey Totaro, Nic Lehoux, Gregory Benson

Structural Engineering: CVM
Mep Engineering And Leed Coordination: AHA Consulting Engineers
Civil Engineering: Pennoni
Food Service: Hammer Design Associates
Lighting Design: Atelier Ten
Acoustical & Audiovisual Design: Metropolitan Acoustics
Waste Management: Niche Recycling, Inc.
Hardware Consulting: Jack Soeffing Consultant
Elevator/Vertical Transportation: Van Deusen & Associates
Cost Estimation: Davis Langdon
Construction Manager: Intech Construction

From the architect. Designed to enrich the academic life of students and embody the vibrancy of its urban setting, the 198,000-square-foot New College House brings together undergraduates, graduates, faculty and staff in a shared community. As the University of Pennsylvania's first purpose-built college house, the building is poised to enliven the campus experience for the 21st century and beyond.

The New College House frames a critical gateway to Penn's urban campus, preserving vital green space and welcoming visitors via a public 'lifted lawn.'

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson was challenged to engage a vibrant college community into the campus and the city on all four sides of the building, while also securing the College House by a single point of entry. The design team responded with a unique configuration around two iconic outdoor spaces to accomplish these goals: a flourishing, active courtyard secured for the exclusive use of the College House, and the lifted lawn, open to residents as well as the greater community. These two spaces look onto one another and use a grade separation to affirm required security.

The garden courtyard is encircled on three sides by lively social spaces. The fourth side is home to the dining café and pavilion; its green roof acts as the crown of the sloping lawn and marks a public passageway that slices through the building, offering glimpses into the private courtyard below.

The building's façade, which consists of brick and limestone punctuated by vertical glass towers, is designed to seamlessly integrate into Penn's rich architectural legacy. A staggered brick pattern at the windows reflects the building's internal organization as a home, not an institution, and gives residents a sense of where they live in the scope of the block-long College House. Windows are collected into double height groupings of four, each assembled into a 'neighborhood face,' and allow for a rich and dynamic display of light and shadow within. In deliberate contrast, the glass towers containing neighborhood common areas punctuate the brick residential bays and expresses social purpose of the building.

An array of interconnected spaces with distinct spatial qualities and characteristics foster diverse learning and social engagement inside the seven-story building, while circulation and lounge areas draw views of Penn's surrounding campus community and Center City Philadelphia. Suite-style residences accommodate 350 students, along with living spaces for faculty, graduate students, deans, and advisors. The suites are collected around sunny day-lit common room towers, which act like beacons of community in the landscape.

The new building conserves energy through high-efficiency lighting and abundant access to natural light, while its green roofs, lawns, and gardens help retain 95 percent of storm water. Inside, building materials were chosen for their sustainable qualities, including 120 dining chairs locally fabricated in Pennsylvania and made from 20,000 recycled soda bottles. During construction, a waste-recycling plan diverted nearly all construction and demolition waste from landfills.

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This New Book Lets You Fold Your Own Paper Models of Iconic Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings

Posted: 12 Jun 2017 07:00 AM PDT

With celebrations of Frank Lloyd Wright's 150th Birthday in full swing in architectural institutions throughout the country, a new book is giving Wright fanatics the chance to recreate some of the architect's most notable works through a series of cut-and-fold paper models.

Created by paper engineer and artist Marc Hagan-Guirey, the book contains templates for creating 14 Wright-designed structures using the Japanese art of kirigami. The book leads you through the assembly of each model, which providing photographs, drawings and information for each building, including favorites like Fallingwater and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Imperial Hotel. Image Courtesy of Lawrence King Publishing

All you need to get started is an X-Acto or other craft knife, a cutting mat and a straightedge. Simply follow the lines on the template and follow the instructions to fold the page into a 3D representation. Intricate details have been pre-die-cut for convenience, while clear cutting tips will help you achieve the quality craftsmanship Frank would have demanded.

The 14 buildings include:

Unity Temple. Image Courtesy of Lawrence King Publishing

Unity Temple
Robie House
Imperial Hotel

Hollyhock House. Image Courtesy of Lawrence King Publishing

Hollyhock House
Millard House (La Miniatura)
John Storer House
Freeman House

Ennis House. Image Courtesy of Lawrence King Publishing

Ennis House
National Life Insurance Building
Taliesin West
Jacobs House

Fallingwater. Image Courtesy of Lawrence King Publishing

Johnson Wax Headquarters. Image Courtesy of Lawrence King Publishing

The book will be soon available through Laurence King Publishers. Learn more about the book and how to order here.

"Inspirational" Frank Lloyd Wright Quotes for Every Occasion
It's no secret that Frank Lloyd Wright was among the architecture profession's more colorful characters. Known as an outspoken and often unforgiving egotist, Wright's appreciation of architecture was outshone only by his appreciation for himself-which is perhaps understandable, given that he ranks among the 20th century's great geniuses.

26 Things You Didn't Know About Frank Lloyd Wright
150 years ago this month saw the birth of one of the most regarded, studied, influential architects of the twentieth century - American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. With a career spanning over seventy years, Wright developed his own distinct style of 'organic architecture', a new residential model of 'prairie house', as well as iconic schemes such as the Guggenheim in New York, and Fallingwater in Pennsylvania.

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Kindergarten in Aichtal / Simon Freie Architekten BDA

Posted: 12 Jun 2017 06:00 AM PDT

Architects: Simon Freie Architekten BDA
Location: Schwabstraße 38, 72631 Aichtal, Esslingen, Germany
Area: 1400.0 m2
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Brigida Gonzalez

From the architect. The new kindergarten in Aichtal near Stuttgart is a clearly divided, light grey structure – completely immersing itself in the appeal of the surrounding countryside through its monochrome colouring.

The site for this property really is in an optimum location, with an assembly area to the west and a free view thanks to the open construction. In 2012 the Christof Simon practice in Stuttgart won the competition.

20 centimetres of composite thermal insulation are hidden beneath sgraffito, in front of a cast-in-place concrete construction. Inside of this, rooms for three kindergarten groups are situated on the first floor, and there are two day nursery groups on the ground floor. Withdrawal rooms and glazed communal areas alternate, the built-in furniture and window sills can be climbed on, and mottos stuck to the windowpanes should prevent people ending up with bumps on the head.

A veranda surrounding the building affords shadow, offers a gentle transition between the internal and external aspects and inviting you to take a look.

It only becomes clear on a second glance, how strongly the architects allowed themselves to be influenced in this case by a construction design element from the American south: the 'porch' is a protected outdoor space and social meeting place, but also a place to leave dirty working clothes before entering the building.

The green open-air region below white shades invites guests out to play – in all weathers. One can certainly imagine, that the white surfaces and the glass panes rising the height of the rooms will not remain white for very long. For this reason a „dirt trap" should prevent the worst of this dirt.

At the same time the architects stress the conscious choice of colours: in this way children and nursery nurses should receive an opportunity to receive a "personal appropriation". This is a good idea, for during their time spent in the facility small children learn to distinguish between fantasy and reality. The white room provides a good environment for this. The built-in picture rails in the walls however are not equipment which young children could operate on their own. In this respect we may eagerly await the results of this appropriation process.

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Open Call for ARCHMARATHON 2017, Americas

Posted: 12 Jun 2017 05:01 AM PDT

ARCHMARATHON 2017 is an event dedicated to the world of design that focuses attention on architecture and interior design in Canada, USA, Central and Latin America. The Open Call for the ARCHMARATHON 2017 to be held from October 12th to the 14th, 2017 at the Miami Beach Faena Hotel and Faena Forum is now open.

The 2017 edition is dedicated to architecture studios with offices in Canada, the USA and Central and Latin America, and architectural projects built within this geographic area during 2016/2017. The 42 Design Studios selected will be guests for three nights at the exclusive Miami Beach Faena Hotel and will have the chance to win one of the Archmarathon Awards that will be announced during the VIP Gala Dinner on the 14th of October at the Faena Forum.

You can take part by uploading your project at this link:
www.archmarathon.com/en/archmarathon-2017-project-submission
Enrollment is open from 1st June to 30th June 2017

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Cityförster to Lead Design of New Beijing Government District

Posted: 12 Jun 2017 05:00 AM PDT

The multi-disciplinary team 'Wasser Hannover', Cityförster and the Chinese Academy for Urban Planning and Design (CAUPD) have been selected as the first prize winners in one of three initial competitions to design the new seat of government for the Chinese capital of Beijing. Part of a planned merging of Beijing with the surrounding cities of Tianjin and Hebei, the new government district will be located in Tongzhou, an existing district southeast of the city center.

The winning scheme follows a 'landscape-planning-based' concept that is organized through a holistic water and open-space system, responding to the ecological and technical needs of the government.

Project description via Cityförster.

'Better Water – Better City'

Through the merging of Beijing with the cities of Tianjin and Hebei, China's new megacity of Jing-Jin-Ji will emerge, with 130 million inhabitants. To relieve the Beijing city core, this project involves moving the government district from the historical city centre to Tongzhou. The competition entry comprised the planning of a 600-hectare open space to complement the existing urban-development master plan. The varied open spaces will be used for sport, culture, commerce and education, whereby the identity of each space will be considerably shaped by the proposed water concept.

Chiyan Peng, the general manager of Wasser Hannover, explains that it is especially "the proposal for a holistic water system that fits into and improves the existing urban-development master plan, and also considerably helps shape the natural and urban environment that was decisive for winning first place."

In keeping with the slogan 'better water – better city', the specially developed spongecity measures from flood protection to rainwater management all the way to blue-green infrastructure are integrated into the city. The ecologically and technically necessary rainwater canals, for example, are generally not run underground, but instead staged as a special city landscape element and made into an ecologically valuable identifying feature of the services, retail and residential quarters. In this way, different subspaces can be developed and special programmes and functions can be offered through water design that will characterise the liveliness and atmosphere of the future government district. The combination of innovative water-cleaning technologies with a resource-saving grey-water use concept makes for a convincing overall design.

Oliver Seidel, urban planner and founding partner of Cityförster, stresses that "the close cooperation of urban planners, landscape architects and water experts in an integrated planning process made the development of this future-oriented district possible. The required technical water-treatment facilities can in this way be developed into an attractive place with character. They can be designed on a human scale despite the large area under consideration."

Assignment: Landscaping Planning Design Proposal of Administrative Office Area in Beijing Urban Subcenter
Client: Beijing, China
Size: 600 ha
Partners: Dr. Ing. Verena Brehm (Architect), Dipl. Ing. Oliver Seidel (Architect + City Planner)
Team: M. Sc. Tim Mohr, M. Arch. Felix Rebers
Cooperation: Wasser Hannover (Cityförster, itwh, ipp), Chinese Academy for Urban Planning and Design (CAUPD)
Graphic: CAUPD
Award: First Prize

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House on Top / ISV Architects

Posted: 12 Jun 2017 04:00 AM PDT

Architects: ISV Architects
Location: Filopappos Hill, Thisseio, Athens, Athina 104 38, Greece
Project Director: Alexander Van Gilder
Project Architect: George Atsalakis
Project Year: 2013
Photographs: George Messaritakis

Structural Design: Ergosystem
Structural Engineer: Chrysanthos Kalligeros
Em Design: PG Kamarinos Consulting Engineers
Project Engineer: Alexander Kamarinos
Landscape Design: Greenways Hellas
Landscape Architect: Karolos Hanikian / Shagik Barberian
Construction: ISV Construct
Project Director: Tasos Sotiropoulos 3
Site Manager: Anda Papadimitriou

From the architect. The house takes advantage of the plot's merits, stitching an almost 210 o panoramic view of the Athenian basin that spans from Mt. Penteli to the island of Aegina. The potential for outstanding views called for an upside-down layout of the building - playfully nicknaming it as the "House On Top" project. All areas that did not programmatically call for extended outside views formed a pedestal on top of which is located the living room block, reaching the maximum permitted height and being accessed via the stairs (or the intentionally understated elevator). A project within the project, the residence's staircase is conceived as the main theme of the house's spatial structure. With a triple storey high internal space, featuring an exposed concrete side wall and a dramatic, rounded, black matte metal staircase almost hovering in the void, it ensures that the connection between the ground floor entrance and the second floor living room will never be missed. The living room area itself is rather simple in its layout, unified with the dining area and the semi -open plan kitchen. A 14m wide, floor to ceiling glass facade, permits the unification of the interior with the Phaestos stone finished pool deck outside, allowing full access to the breathtaking view and the rooftop pool from every spot in the living room and the kitchen. Abiding to the strict planning regulations, the deck has no pergolas or other permanent structures on it, its shading obtained by large retractable tents housed in the massive lintel above the glazed facade.

According to the owners' brief for the interior, every room has its own character, yet remains consistent to a tactile material palette on a par with the overall concept of the house. Off-white plaster, bleached oak surfaces, exposed concrete and black overtones resulted in a slightly desaturated palette, reflecting the natural light during the day and the integrated architectural lighting at night. This restrained material palette originates from an interior design approach that is willfully limited to a background role, acknowledging the fact that in the end of the day it is the owner's life that will unfold in the house. Far from implying any architectural shortage, this design approach was proved in action, since the selection of furniture by the owners fitted in the interior without undermining the overall architectural values of the residence.

Epitomizing the overall concept, the facade of the residence is the actual communicator of its architecture. Despite the fact that it is a single elevation building, "House On Top" stands out and in the same time blends in the city, in a way that shows respect to the neighborhood and enhances its appeal. Considering Athens chaotic urban environment this was no easy feat to achieve.

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Stood in Splendid Isolation, Questions Are Raised About Apple's Cupertino Campus

Posted: 12 Jun 2017 03:15 AM PDT

The "Spaceship" has landed and the dust, it appears, is starting to settle. In an article by Adam Rogers, which follows Wired's exclusive breakdown of the new Apple Campus in Cupertino, California, a convincing case is put forward against its design and wider masterplan. "You can't understand a building without looking at what's around it," Rogers argues – and most, including its architects, Foster+Partners, would surely be inclined to agree.

Whether you call it the Ring (too JRR Tolkien), the Death Star (too George Lucas), or the Spaceship (too Buckminster Fuller), something has alighted in Cupertino. And no one could possibly question the elegance of its design and architecture. This building is $5 billion and 2.8 million square feet of Steve Jobsian-Jony Ivesian-Norman Fosterian genius.

As a "high-end, suburban corporate headquarters," the typology the campus calls upon is not as innovative as the company's rhetoric might suggest. Referencing large US office projects of the 1950s and 60s, Rogers questions its long-term prospects, considers the potential of real local investment, and assesses the project's prime dilemma: at the moment, he suggests, "the Ring is mostly hidden behind artificial berms, like Space Mountain at Disneyland."

You can read the story in full on Wired.

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How 7 Dictators Used Buildings to Influence and Intimidate

Posted: 12 Jun 2017 02:30 AM PDT

Architecture is political. While this irks some of us and energizes others, even consciously choosing not to think of buildings politically is taking a political stance. In this way, there is no escape from the politics of architecture and many governments and powerful figures throughout history have embraced the political nature of architecture and used it to further their motives. The construction of buildings is among the clearest and most obvious visual indicators of a society's power and economic standing, so for a new government trying to project power and prosperity, for example, architecture can be the quickest and most incontrovertible way for the government to show its success. While many dictatorships rely on more intangible strategies as well, like propaganda and the creation of a cult of personality, examining a regime's approach to architecture can be telling of its values.

A dictator's relationship and approach to architecture as a strategic move (or lack thereof) is the first indication of the leadership's beliefs and goals for a country. Does this government want to develop and build the country or tear it down to its roots? The style of the architecture created under a dictatorship is significant as well, as it is often used to convey a message in alignment with the government's politics or to imply a sense of power and grandeur. Lastly, the types of buildings prioritized by a regime clearly illustrate its primary interests and goals—a government that focuses on building schools and hospitals sends a different message than one that primarily builds prisons and fortresses. Below is a list of historical dictatorships and their approaches to architecture while in power, from which we can draw connections and conclusions about the governments themselves and see how architecture fed into their overall ideologies.

The Architecture of Adolf Hitler's Germany (1933-1945)

Zeppelinfeld Stadium, Albert Speer. Image Courtesy of Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-1982-1130-502 <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-1982-1130-502,_N%C3%BCrnberg,_Reichsparteitag,_Lichtdom.jpg'>via Wikimedia</a> licensed under <a href='http://https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0 DE</a>

Perhaps the most-studied and well-known example of dictatorial architecture was that of Adolf Hitler and his trusted architect, Albert Speer. Speer became Hitler's chief architect in charge of bringing to life Hitler's architectural dreams for a "new Germany." Hitler's regime had a strong interest in showcasing its power and prosperity to the public and the rest of the world.

Hitler's goals to remake Germany in his ideal image therefore involved many new buildings and a distinct style of architecture that emanated power. Huge, over-scaled spaces deemphasized the individual in favor of the Party and the stark, dramatic forms were imposing and intimidating. Speer cited the Zeppelinfeld stadium as his most beautiful work and the only one that stood the test of time. Able to hold 340,000 people and equipped with 130 anti-aircraft searchlights for maximum drama at night, the gigantic building epitomizes the Nazi (and greater Fascist) architectural style: huge, repetitive, and dehumanizing.

The Architecture of Benito Mussolini's Italy (1922-1943)

Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana in Rome. Image © <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Palazzo_della_Civilt%C3%A0_Italiana,_Rome,_Italy.jpg'>Wikimedia user Blackcat</a> licensed under <a href='http://https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a>

Fascist architecture generally employs symmetry and simplicity and it became popular with the rise of Benito Mussolini. To take Italy from a democracy to a dictatorship, he utilized propaganda in the media as well as architecture to create an identity. Mussolini used this new style of architecture to unify the nation and attempt to mark a new cultural era. With some similarities to ancient Roman architecture, the buildings created under Mussolini were designed to convey a sense of awe and intimidation through their scale and mass, often built of long-lasting stone to imply a long-lasting regime.

Hearkening to imperial Rome was no accident; Mussolini wanted his buildings to impart a sense of historic pride and nationalism to the people of Italy. One of Mussolini's most notable projects is the EUR (Esposizione Universale Roma) district in Rome where he had hoped to hold the 1942 world's fair. Although the exhibition never took place due to World War II, many buildings were still constructed, including the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, a symbol of Italian fascist architecture.

The Architecture of Francisco Franco's Spain (1936-1975)

Valle de los Caídos in Spain. Image © <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SPA-2014-San_Lorenzo_de_El_Escorial-Valley_of_the_Fallen_(Valle_de_los_Ca%C3%ADdos).jpg'>Wikimedia user Godot13</a> licensed under <a href='http://https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 4.0</a>

Francisco Franco may have aimed for a totalitarian fascist state modeled after Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany, but while Spain fell slightly short of his goals, Franco did incorporate the practices of propaganda and symbolism utilized by the other two dictators, including using architecture as a tool. A major difference between Franco and the others was his regime's use of Catholicism to increase its popularity in the greater Catholic world. Franco instituted Catholicism as the state religion of Spain, favoring conservative Roman Catholicism above all, and many of the buildings and monuments his government erected were religious in nature.

Hill of the Angels in Madrid. Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cerro-angeles1.jpg'>Wikimedia user Miguel303xm</a> licensed under <a href='http://https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 2.5</a>

Large-scale religious monuments were meant to show both the strength and the benevolence of the Catholic church to appeal to the public yet also command obedience. The large scale and austerity of the monuments commands solemn respect not only to the religion, but to Franco's regime as well. The style of the consciously-created monumental grandeur of buildings like the Valle de los Caídos (Valley of the Fallen) was modeled on international classicism along the lines of Albert Speer's buildings and Mussolini's EUR.

The Architecture of Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union (1924-1953)

Ukraina Hotel in Moscow, one of the "Seven Sisters". Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Moscow_Ukraina_hotel.jpg'>Wikimedia user Lite</a> licensed under <a href='http://https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a>

Stalinist architecture went far beyond Russia to influence multiple other countries that either fell under the rule of the Soviet Union or benefited from their support throughout history, but Russia is where it began. Under Joseph Stalin, all cities were built according to a development plan and projects would be designed for an entire district at a time, quickly and definitively changing the look of a city. While the Soviet style that spread was mostly a stark, brutalist version of neo-Classicism, there was more variety within Russia. Stalin used buildings as a direct representation of class, with Stalin's officials on the top tier and a type of building for every rank in his hierarchy, differentiated by features like penthouses, bay windows, or ornaments on the exterior.

Red Army Theater in Moscow. Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Army_Theatre_in_Moscow.jpg'>Wikimedia user Sergei Dorokhovsky</a> licensed under <a href='http://https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a>

"Stalin's high rises" or the "Seven Sisters" are seven high-rise buildings in Moscow designed in a mixture of Russian Baroque and Gothic styles. More important than the specific architectural style, however, was the scale and overall mass of the buildings. The skyscrapers are large, monolithic, and intentionally impressive to show the strength of the communist regime and the modernity of the city of Moscow.

The Architecture of North Korea (1948-present)

Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang. Image © Alex Davidson

When Kim Il-sung was left with a mostly flattened country to lead after the Korean War, he saw it as an ideal blank slate to both physically and ideologically build a new utopia with the help of the Soviets. North Korean architecture is driven entirely by propaganda; the buildings, from a distance, create an image of prosperity, modernity, and power. Up close, however, or with the eye of an outsider, one can see that the buildings are constructed as cheaply and quickly as possible. The goal is not quality, but the image of progress, and for the isolated people of North Korea, just an image is sufficient to convince.

One of Pyongyang's theaters, utilizing the Korean Giwa roof style. Image © Alex Davidson

North Korean architecture today is mostly a mixture of brutalist Soviet-style buildings, a derivative sort of "futuristic" style, and some uniquely North Korean buildings with large concrete Giwa-style roofs covered in pastel green tiles. All are meant to impress upon the people of North Korea the strength and power of their leadership and to instill a sense of national pride.

The Architecture of Mao Zedong's People's Republic of China (1949-1976)

Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mausoleo_de_Mao_Zedong-Tianang_Mei-Pekin-China8438.JPG'>Diego Delso</a> licensed under <a href='http://https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/'>CC BY-SA 4.0</a>

Another regime with a strong Soviet influence was Mao's China after the revolution. Chairman Mao's new government relied on the Soviets' advice and the form of Chinese cities was primarily driven by Stalinist urbanism. The Soviets could achieve in China what they could not in Russia: Mao's willingness to tear down buildings and start anew meant their vision was much easier to accomplish than in more historically complex Russian cities. Mao gave the Soviets the power to remake urban society and the Soviets gave Mao's government their ideologies and building styles.

National Museum in Beijing. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/nagy/39193194/'>Flickr user nagy</a> licensed under <a href='http://https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a>

One of the most notable architectural endeavors of Mao's time was the "Ten Great Buildings" built to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. This undertaking is what gave Beijing buildings like the Great Hall of the People and the National Museum of China on either side of Tiananmen Square. The architectural style of these two buildings, in particular, is obviously Soviet in nature. Both feature strong geometrical forms and are imposing and grand in scale, dwarfing the individual human and showing the power of the regime and the country as a whole.

The Architecture of Fidel Castro's Cuba (1959-2006)

Hotel Nacional in Havana. Image © Henryk Kotowski <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hotel_nacional_habana.jpg'>via Wikimedia</a> licensed under <a href='http://https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a>

In another isolated country like North Korea, but without the support of a powerful ally like the Soviets, Fidel Castro's Cuba appears to be stopped in time. Cuba has a rich history of architecture from its colonial past, as well as a neoclassical period and art nouveau influences, but the development of Cuba's architecture seems to have largely stopped when Castro came to power in 1959. Unlike the previous dictators on this list who prioritized architecture as a tool and used buildings to realize their ideologies, Castro instead did not encourage the development of a new style and allowed the country's edifices to decay.

Poorly maintained buildings in Havana, Cuba. Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Building_in_Havana,_Cuba.JPG'>Wikimedia user Eggenbergurbock23</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a>

This shows a different approach to dictatorship. Instead of impressing upon the world and the public the country's greatness and power, Castro drew inwards and isolated the impoverished country, focusing instead on extreme nationalism and drawing towards communism. Yet Castro's form of communism did not aim to impress upon the rest of the world its greatness and success; Castro's priority was truly and only on Cuba itself.

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Värtan Bioenergy CHP-plant / UD Urban Design AB + Gottlieb Paludan Architects

Posted: 12 Jun 2017 02:00 AM PDT

Architects: Gottlieb Paludan Architects, UD Urban Design AB
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Lead Architects: Helena Glantz (Urban Design), Erik Jarlöv (Urban Design), Jesper Gottlieb (Gottlieb Paludan), Michael Krarup (Gottlieb Paludan)
Area: 20000.0 m2
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Robin Hayes, Erik Jarlöv

Developer: AB Fortum Värme together with the City of Stockholm

From the architect. Värtan Bioenergy CHP-plant KVV8 is unique in its environmental ambitions and architectural form. It is the largest urban biofuelled CHP plant in the world. It's very point of being is to significantly reduce an entire metropolitan area's ecological footprint, while providing safe, reliable power and heat for the growing city.

The burning of CO2 neutral bio-refuse from the wood industry, which is regionally sourced and shipped directly to the facility, provides electricity as well as district-heating. Fortum Värme serves 80% of Stockholm´s households with district heat. Within this system, KVV8 expands the city's long-term sustainable distribution plan and is essential for its overall environmental effectiveness. Beyond this, KVV8 is not seen as simply a necessary part of the city's visionary approach to its growing infrastructure, but indeed a new part of the cityscape and a good neighbor.

The sinuous façade of terracotta panels mimics the brick of the historical industrial buildings nearby and helps to negotiate the size of the large-scale building, while its dynamic form proudly expresses its civic function and is unique in its size and form. The refined detailing and materials encourage the growing city to nestled up directly to its grassy embankments and ancient trees.

The project is based on a holistic, sustainable approach aimed at reducing the CO2 footprint for the city, even including the role that individual buildings play – through the supply of district heating. The project has considered the entire chain of energy production and has utilized existing infrastructure and buildings by retrofitting them for new, resource-effective solutions. This plant alone will reduce Europe's carbon dioxide emissions by 650,000 tons per year.

The planning of the facility has modelled itself on the principles of various green-building programs, including transport, work environment, health and wellbeing, indoor lighting, management, waste, pollution, land use, green space, water, materials and innovation.Placing the plant on an established production site centrally located in the city and adjacent to the harbor facilitates the use of the existing energy infrastructure and the transport of fuel by sea and rail. A new pier has been built on site to increase capacity, allowing larger vessels to supply the plant with waste-materials from the sustainable forestry industries located in the Baltic region.

All this minimizes energy loss in distribution and production. Working environments, such as the control room all have generous daylighting and even a roof terrace, which aids in the concentrated working tasks performed.An Environmental Impact Assessment has described and analyzed what effects the project will have on local ecosystems. The project has been approved in the Land and Environmental Court of Sweden.

The form of the building and character of the facade expresses its civic role while using historically characteristic terracotta material as a way of anchoring it to the site and its industrial past. The custom-designed fins that make up its unique curving surface provide a transparency that subtly reveals the activities within - since safe, reliable and environmentally responsible energy production is nothing to hide.

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Posted: 12 Jun 2017 01:00 AM PDT

Social media is one of the most critical elements for a successful marketing strategy. For architecture firms, the bounty of online platforms supporting visual content can allow ideas, commissions, and buildings to reach millions of architecture lovers around the world with a single click.

Since its launch in 2004, Facebook has proven to be an enduring platform for sharing architectural ideas, with even ArchDaily taking the decision in February to make Facebook a primary avenue for reader comments. Below, we have rounded up the 20 architecture firms worldwide with the most Facebook followers, demonstrating how a well-maintained, engaging presence on social media can allow architectural ideas to be spread to millions of enthusiasts. Are you following all of them?

1. ALT arquitectura (1,143,949 followers)

2. Zaha Hadid Architects (541,823 followers)

3. Jacques Herzog & Pierre de Meuron (212,606 followers)

4. Álvaro Siza Vieira (172,416 followers)

5. Bunker Arquitectura (169,035 followers)

6. OMA (154,339 followers)

7. A-cero Joaquín Torres Architects (141,032 followers)

8. BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group (133,914 followers)

9. Foster + Partners (124,790 followers)

10. Vincent Callebaut Architectures (112,226 followers)

11. Tadao Ando (80,968 followers)

12. Steven Holl Architects (76,900 followers)

13. Jean Nouvel (69,852 followers)

14. Peter Zumthor (69,051 followers)

15. Richard Meier & Partners (61,521 followers)

16. Sou Fujimoto (42,070 followers)

17. Richard Rogers (41,308 followers)

18. 2020 architects (36,045 followers)

19. Toyo Ito (32,846 followers)

20. Henning Larsen (32,094 followers)

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AD Classics: Haus am Horn / Georg Muche

Posted: 12 Jun 2017 12:00 AM PDT

Courtesy of Freundeskreis der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar e. V.. Image © Cameron Blaylock

In 1919, at a time in which Germany was still in upheaval over its defeat in the First World War (and compounded by the loss of its monarchy), the Academy of Fine Arts and School of Applied Arts in Weimar, Germany, were combined to form the first Bauhaus. Its stated goal was to erase the separation that had developed between artists and craftsmen, combining the talents of both occupations in order to achieve a unified architectonic feeling which they believed had been lost in the divide. Students of the Bauhaus were to abandon the framework of design standards that had been developed by traditional European schools and experiment with natural materials, abstract forms, and their own intuitions. Although the school's output was initially Expressionist in nature, by 1922 it had evolved into something more in line with the rising International Style.[1]

A copy of Georg Muche's original permit drawings for the Haus am Horn. From each perspective, the spatial prominence of the central living room is inescapable

An exhibition of work produced by the Bauhaus in 1923 perfectly embodied this changing perspective of design. True to the institution's roots, the exhibition was not merely a gallery of objects or images, but an entire house filled with works by Bauhaus students. The Haus am Horn, as it was named, was designed by Georg Muche and Adolf Meyer as a prototype for affordable housing which could be quickly and inexpensively mass-produced. The use of experimental building techniques and materials not only helped to achieve this goal, but dovetailed perfectly with the increasing focus on functionalism in the Bauhaus curriculum.[2]

Despite being surrounded by other spaces, the raised clerestory of the living room makes it instantly visible as one approaches the house. ImageCourtesy of Freundeskreis der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar e. V.

Muche, who was a painter and teacher at the Bauhaus, had already been in the process of designing a house for himself and his wife when the school announced a competition for a model residence. His winning entry was bold in its simplicity: a square plan, with a ring of rooms surrounding a central living room. Each space was designed with an explicit program in mind, and intentionally specialized so that it could not be used for any other purpose.[3] Aside from the living room, the house comprised a room for the man, a room for the lady, a room for children, a guest room, dining room, kitchen, and a work niche.[4]

An axonometric diagram shows the arrangement of living spaces centered around the living room. ImageDrawing by Georg Muche

The dominance of the living room within the Haus am Horn was expressed in a number of ways. As it was cloistered in the center of the building, daylighting was achieved via clerestory windows lining the top of each wall; the result was that the living room's volume projected past the roofline of the rest of the house, making it visible from the exterior. This also served to differentiate the space within the house, as raising the ceiling to accommodate the clerestories made the living room taller than the surrounding spaces. Sheer floor area was another factor: at 36 square meters (387.5 square feet), the living room occupied a full third of the house's overall footprint.[5,6]

Furniture designed by Bauhaus faculty and students did much to define spaces within the house. The living room was occupied by simplistic chairs and tables built of standardized lengths of wood; devoid of any ornamentation or coloring, they were highly reminiscent of chairs created by Dutch designer Gerrit Rietveld. Covering the ground were carpets adorned with sleek abstract patterns, reflecting a shift away from individual craftsmanship techniques to industrial modes of production.[7] This was made more blatant in the children's room, which featured a set of modular wooden boxes devised by wood-carving student Alma Buscher. Smaller boxes could be used as child seating, while the larger units could either be set on their sides for the same purpose or on their ends, in which case they could serve either as child tables or adult seating. Another unit, which featured a door and a window, could be put to use as a display case when closed, but once opened, was ideal for use as a puppet theater.[8]

The innovative kitchen of the Haus am Horn as it appears today. In keeping with the trends of the time, the room's design prioritized efficiency in both function and layout. ImageCourtesy of Freundeskreis der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar e. V.

No room better expressed the newfound Bauhaus commitment to Modernism than the kitchen. Multiple texts at the time, such as 1915's Scientific Management in the Home, promoted the notion that by removing all activities not related to the preparation of food from the kitchen, one could then make the room smaller – and by doing so, reduce any potential unnecessary movement and streamline the cooking process. (That Scientific Management in the Home was first published in German the year before the Haus am Horn exhibition is likely no coincidence.)[9] Instead of individual units, the kitchen workspace featured wall-mounted cabinets over a continuous countertop, all characteristically minimal in their aesthetic. A set of ceramic storage jars, produced in the Bauhaus' clay workshops and equally simplistic, were placed in a row atop the cabinets.[10]

As the Haus am Horn was intended to serve as the template for mass-produced affordable housing in postwar Germany, several of its more innovative features arose from the need to reduce costs. The walls and ceilings were built of cement-bonded slag concrete blocks, a relatively lightweight masonry material. Sandwiched between two layers of the blocks were sheets of Torfoleum insulation, creating an envelope system which was not only cheap to transport, but also helped to dramatically reduce heating costs—as much as fifty percent less than contemporary homes built using other structural systems—once the house was built. Finish materials were also chosen partially for their cost: rather than utilizing linoleum flooring, which was heavily taxed in Germany at the time, the kitchen floor is covered in a substitute material called Triolin.[11]

A direct line of sight from the children's room (in the foreground) to the kitchen allowed for a mother to keep watch over her children without the aid of a servant. ImageCourtesy of Freundeskreis der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar e. V.

The layout of the house was also intended to facilitate a relatively affordable lifestyle. Muche's design drew connections between living spaces which were traditionally kept separate in order to more practically serve the needs of the expected residents. Notably, an axis from the kitchen to the children's room through the dining room would allow for a housewife to simultaneously perform her expected role in the kitchen and keep watch over her children, an essential consideration in a home meant for those not wealthy enough to keep a house staff. Even with these measures in place, however, the Bauhaus could not quite escape accusations of luxury in the Haus am Horn – the unfortunate result of catering to the growing middle-class market which could sustain their designs through its burgeoning purchase power.[12]

The Haus am Horn opened its doors to the public on August 15, 1923, hosting the Bauhaus exhibition for eight weeks until its ending on 30 September. Although intended to be the first new building in what would eventually become an extended Bauhaus campus, a drastic budget cut in 1924, and the subsequent exodus of the Bauhaus to Dessau in 1925, put these plans to rest. In the following decades, the house served as the residence of a lawyer, then of a German military officer, and finally of a Bauhaus professor and his family in the aftermath of the Second World War. In 1996, the Haus am Horn was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with various other Bauhaus structures. A later renovation has seen many of the features of the 1923 Exhibition recreated or restored; now, almost a full century after its debut, the Haus am Horn once again stands as a monument to the ideals of a Bauhaus that had only just begun to develop its signature design philosophy.[13]

References
[1] Curtis, William J. R. Modern Architecture Since 1900. London: Phaidon Press, 1996. p184-193.
[2] Raizman, David Seth. History of Modern Design. Old Tappan, NJ: Pearson Publishing, 2003. p184-185.
[3] Fabrizi, Mariabruna. "A Prototypal House at the Bauhaus: The "Haus am Horn" by Georg..." SOCKS. May 31, 2016. Accessed May 21, 2017. [access].
[4] Zimmermann, Eva. "An Architectural Icon: The World's First Bauhaus Building." Houzz. June 2, 2016. Accessed May 20, 2017. [access].
[5] "Haus am Horn." Architectuul. March 21, 2011. Accessed May 22, 2017. [access].
[6] Zimmermann.
[7] Raizman, p185.
[8] Zimmermann.
[9] Woodham, Jonathan M. Twentieth Century Design. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 1997. p49.
[10] Raizman, p185-186.
[11] Zimmermann.
[12] Bergdoll, Barry, and Leah Dickerman. Bauhaus: 1919-1933: Workshops for Modernity. New York, NY: The Museum of Modern Art, 2009. p48.
[13] Zimmermann.

Architects: Georg Muche
Location: Am Horn 61, 99425 Weimar, Germany
Architect In Charge: Georg Muche
Project Year: 1923
Photographs: Cameron Blaylock

This AD Classic features a series of exclusive images by Cameron Blaylock, photographed in May 2017.

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A Selection of Impressive Perspective Sections

Posted: 11 Jun 2017 11:00 PM PDT

First Place XVIII CAP 2014 Contest, Social Housing of Average Height / USACH. Courtesy of Team 160

The perspective section is an increasingly popular form of architectural representation, one that is most commonly used in architectural competitions since it allows a technical drawing to be mixed with an image, a section which allows one to easily express the qualities of the space designed in a two-dimensional drawing. Below, we have put together a selection of impressive perspective sections ranging from a realistic aesthetic to a line drawing by hand.