ponedjeljak, 24. srpnja 2017.

Arch Daily

Arch Daily


Hydropower Plant Ragn d'Err / Vincenzo Cangemi Architectes

Posted: 23 Jul 2017 10:00 PM PDT

© Ralph Feiner © Ralph Feiner
  • Collaborators: Urs Meng, Franziska Furger, Jan Horvath, Daniel Stokic
  • Client: BKW, Bern
© Ralph Feiner © Ralph Feiner

From the architect. The Mulegn Powerplant is located approximately in the middle of the flat stretch of the Ragn d'Err stream between the Kantonsstrasse and the inflow into the Gelgia river, on the northern side of the stream. Access to the building is via the main road running parallel to Ragn d'Err stream. The building is designed so that it is as safe as possible in the event of flood.

© Ralph Feiner © Ralph Feiner

The floor plan is an elongated rectangle with a width of 11.30 m and a length of 23.50 m. The roof is designed with 2 different pitches in the longitudinal direction and heights of approx 5.0 and 11.0 meters. The base and the roof are realized so to follow the surrounding terrain slope. The supporting structure is made of concrete, also visible from the outside. The building is acousting insulated and clad by a wooden planking.

Ground Floor Plan Ground Floor Plan
© Ralph Feiner © Ralph Feiner
Longitudinal Section Longitudinal Section

The inside is illuminated by natural light seeping in through the wooden planks which at the same time protect from the heat. The roof is covered with cement stone slabs. The only opening is the two-door large access gate. This opens to the south, thus opposite to the village Tinizong, in order to keep the noise pollution as low as possible. The Powerplant has been designed to integrate at best with the surrounding landscape.

© Ralph Feiner © Ralph Feiner

Thanks to the high engine heat, during the winter operating period the building shall be heated only to avoid the temperature to go as low as 6 ° C.

Cross-Section Cross-Section

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See the Structural Skeleton of Zaha Hadid Architects' New Airport Terminal in Beijing

Posted: 23 Jul 2017 09:00 PM PDT

由 新华网 由 新华网

Zaha Hadid Architects' new passenger terminal for Beijing Airport (currently known as Beijing Daxing International Airport) is poised to become the largest aviation hub in the world. The vast structure, defined by five limbs spreading out from a central core, will cover an area of 313,000 square meters. It has been reported that each "arm" will use images from Chinese culture, including "silk, tea, porcelain, farmlands, and Chinese gardens."

According to the developers, the distances from the far-end of each wing to the central building "will be less than 600 meters" in all – a design that will distinguish the airport from most large international airports "that inevitably require commuters to walk long distances," they argued.

由 新华网 由 新华网

The airport, which is located 46 kilometers south of Beijing's city center, will relieve pressure from the over-crowded Beijing Capital International Airport, which is located in the northeastern suburbs.

由 新华网 由 新华网

Speaking in 2015 upon winning the design competition, Zaha Hadid Architects said: "With an integrated multi-modal transport centre featuring direct links to local and national rail services including the Gaotie high speed rail, the new Daxing airport will be a key hub within Beijing’s growing transport network and a catalyst for the region’s economic development, including the city of Tianjin and Hebei Province."

由 新华网 由 新华网

The new passenger terminal will serve China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines respectively and exclusively, allowing the two carriers to carry just less than half of the airport's total passengers.

With four runways, the airport has been designed to handle a capacity of 72 million passengers and 2 million tons of air cargo each year by 2025, amounting to 620,000 flights. The airport is set to open in 2019.

由 新华网 由 新华网
由 新华网 由 新华网
Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects

Story via XINHUANET.

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Caroline Place / Amin Taha Architects

Posted: 23 Jul 2017 08:00 PM PDT

© Timothy Soar © Timothy Soar
  • Structural Engineer: Webb Yates Engineers
  • Project Manager: Groupwork
  • M&E Consultant: Mlm
  • Qs: Jackson Coles
  • Stone Mason: Atelier Romeo – Trani, Italy
  • Metal Worker: Eastnor
  • Joinery: Ecore
  • Fire Engineering: Optimise
  • Concrete Specification: Hanson
  • Approved Building Inspector: Mlm
  • Main Contractor: London Basement
  • Landscaping: Deepdale Trees
© Timothy Soar © Timothy Soar

From the architect. Surrounded on three sides by eight and nine storey mansion blocks shielding it from the heavy traffic on Bayswater Road and tourism on Queensway, Caroline Place is a quiet enclave of late 1950's terraces north of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. Built with a Modern Northern European sensibility of sharp brick lines and crisp mortar joints layered with softer timber detailing, their interior layouts remained firmly rooted in an earlier English Edwardian tradition. Retaining a desirous separation of served and servant areas of maids' rooms, sculleries, coal houses with a working rear yard. Servnats occupying the ground level with owners set out above, across larger light filled rooms. In the immediate post war period Bayswater had however already begun to lose its luster to that class, so much so that within a decade of being built its new younger inhabitants found these social conventions to be out of step with their aspirations. Undertaking iconoclastic remodeling and clearing out of the interior sub-dividing walls and where possible the exterior, replacing these with what was felt appropriate at the time. Four decades on, the new occupiers, a family of five, retain the aspiration for open plan living with a desire for tactile material finishes and inevitably to different tastes. 

© Timothy Soar © Timothy Soar
Ground Floor Plan Ground Floor Plan
© Timothy Soar © Timothy Soar

As the street façade had only been slightly remodeled with 1970's windows and doors to no further purpose than expediency a decision was made to repair and restore the exterior finishes where their details were easily at hand from intact neighbouring properties. Some of the internal new brass detailing was brought forward in the form of door furniture to present some indication of the newer intervention. Early internal open up works revealed remains of original travertine flooring, densely plastered walls behind the 1970's pine boarding and one room lined with dark cherry timber paneling. As travertine has a wide spectrum of textural and visual possibilities its reintroduction allowed for a hard wearing surface across each floor including the open courtyard and into garage/study. Varying from quarry tooled to polished these finishes emphasized and differentiated the journey from interior to exterior, from basement to ground and above.

© Timothy Soar © Timothy Soar
Section 01 Section 01
© Timothy Soar © Timothy Soar

In this respect the original materials are restored as are the social intentions behind the 1960's-1970's open plan arrangements. The latter is further accentuated by a clearer tabula rasa across each floor with the removal of downstand beams and brick nibs that had been structurally necessary at the time but perhaps unintentionally retained the memory of room and social separation. At that stage each floor can be considered as completed shell of travertine and plaster, allowing the type of occupation to be defined by its inhabitants. Habitable areas become spatially defined to the areas between or adjacent to reintroduction cherry timber paneled cabinetry. Their functionality finally determined with loose furniture and their character built with the gradual introduction of the family's day to day belongings. For instance, the first floor can be occupied wholly as a single reception room with a corner study area. Two adjacent full height bookcases can fold out and slide doors to firstly enclose the room then sub-divided it from the study. One of the bookcases when pivoted can fold out a guest bed to change the study to a bedroom. Cabinetry elements are for these purposes all full height with shadow gaps and rebated lighting details to emphasize them as standalone and detached servants. Their purpose and scale are further expanded to provide utility in the form of bathrooms, walk-in wardrobes, and laundry rooms. As they are present with access and knowledge to all areas of the house their discretion is kept within rooms and passages behind secret doors and bookcases.

© Timothy Soar © Timothy Soar

The restoration of travertine, cherry paneling and plastered walls to form the internal backdrop is counterpointed with new tactile details whose genus alludes to the mid C20th work of Scarpa, Mies and Khan. New but related, perhaps at some time in the future mistaken as original interventions. Though, technically taking advantage of new technologies such as nylon bars and silicon glues to to bond and thermally isolate cruciform brass columns and beams with glass. Point tooled and fair faced concrete, polished and patinated brass, cruciform columns and glazing details lightly reference the period. Cast in concrete, the soffit of the basement is left exposed and textured for a bush hammered finish to suggest subterranean material and form. A load bearing cantilevered travertine staircase rises from the basement floor with its underside left as 'quarry found' to maintain the connection and spirit of the earth bound stone while spiraling and rising to the skylight above. Together these strategies helped structure and define the new occupant's preferred way of living, leaving enough flexibility for them to grow, change and delight in its details which is perhaps the longer legacy of the restoration.

© Timothy Soar © Timothy Soar

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Villa Drei Birken / Plasma Studio

Posted: 23 Jul 2017 07:00 PM PDT

© Holger Kehne © Holger Kehne
  • Architects: Plasma Studio
  • Location: Sexten, Province of Bolzano - South Tyrol, Italy
  • Lead Architects: Ulla Hell, Eva Castro, Holger Kehne, Chuan Wang
  • Area: 602.0 m2
  • Project Year: 2017
  • Photographs: Holger Kehne
  • Collaborators: Peter Pichler, Micol Fronza
© Holger Kehne © Holger Kehne

From the architect. Residence Villa Drei Birken is located on a hillside in the Dolomites at the end of a residential area. The Villa, built in 1960 and renovated in the 80's, originally consisted of a simple and low volume with a private apartment and four-holiday flats. The designed extension will add six-holiday apartments and further functional and common spaces. The facade opens through a V-shaped surface from the totally closed north facade to the south glazed facade, which is directed to the sun and the panoramic view of the Dolomites.

© Holger Kehne © Holger Kehne

Since the new construction does not lean on the existing structure but is separated by a shadow gap, the villa still enjoys its independence. The new volume, perfectly integrated into the hillside thanks to the accessible extensive green roof with integrated terrace, is elongated and occupies the full width the plot. Through a slight rotation the new construction awerts from the existing building in order to direct the south facade to the sun and the panoramic view. The joint in the basement connects the extension with the existing building and serves as enclosed common room. The east and north façades are relatively closed because of the interior functional distribution; furthermore, the north side is designed to show the clear separation between the new and the existing building. The volume is accessible from the street side, where also the car parking is located. The six spacious holiday apartments are directed to the sun, with a panoramic view of the Dolomites.

© Holger Kehne © Holger Kehne
Lower Floor Plan Lower Floor Plan
© Holger Kehne © Holger Kehne

Material
The new building uses reduced colors and materials: the volume is coated with horizontal oxidized copper sheets of various width, large glazed surfaces bring the sun inside of the building, and the balconies are covered with larch wood. The larch wood is treated with a pigmented graying solution of iron sulfate, in order to diversify the north service volume. Copper and larch wood are exposed to a natural change of color caused by the atmospheric influence of sun, rain, and snow; this phenomenon, in addition to the repetition of the wooden color code of the Villa, accentuates the integration of the building in the natural environment.

© Holger Kehne © Holger Kehne

The interior is clear, simple and functional. The furniture is made of birch plywood, which is oiled or dark stained so as to be similar to the copper.

© Holger Kehne © Holger Kehne

It has been paid particular attention to the sustainability of the construction phases. We used measures to improve the energy performance of the building, such as doors and windows with triple glass, controlled ventilation system, a heating system connected to a wooden pellets district heating plant and heat-sound insulation with wooden fiber.

© Holger Kehne © Holger Kehne

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THE CUBE – Taiyuan City of Lights / CLOU architects

Posted: 23 Jul 2017 05:30 PM PDT

© Shuhe © Shuhe
  • Architects: CLOU architects
  • Location: Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
  • Architecture Project Director : Jan F. Clostermann
  • Interior Project Director : Jian Yun Wu
  • Photo Credits: Shuhe
  • Project Year: 2017
  • Photographs: Shuhe
  • Project Architect: Phi Lu
  • Project Team: Xiaomeng Su, Ally, Yen, Claire Yu, Tait Kaplan, Tiago Tavares
© Shuhe © Shuhe

'2x Repurposed industrial boiler room in the city of Taiyuan turned into an airy gallery by CLOU architects.'

© Shuhe © Shuhe

The boiler room had originally been built in 1982 in the city of Taiyuan, P.R. China. Real estate developer Vanke acquired the decommissioned structure and opened it as a sales room in 2010 after a renovation by Urbanus Architects. In 2016, in the course of only four months, the building was stripped to its original structure for a second time, reinforced, and once more converted into a showroom by CLOU architects. Apart from serving as a sales gallery, CLOU won over the client to operate the 2000 sqm showroom as a public building including a library, reading room, conference centre and a café. 

© Shuhe © Shuhe

Previously dark and cavernous, CLOU architects open up the structure of the boiler room using a combination of transparent and translucent glass brick in order for the building to harbour light while adding pre-function and lounge spaces around the main hall. The boiler room exterior, now made interior, is painted bright red to give depth to the façade during the day.  Glass bricks, readily available, were an ideal choice of façade material, given the breakneck speed of the renovation, and the desire to maximize the transformation with minimal means. The opacity of the glass walls changes gradually throughout the day according to the position of the sun while strong LED up-lights along the walls create a red 'lantern effect' at night.  

© Shuhe © Shuhe

The black and white columns embellish the structure and provide the spatial framework for the main hall. To create a bright and airy ambience, CLOU used white terrazzo flooring, Venetian plasters walls, chrome light boxes and ceilings with Barrisol surfaces. The white finishes amplify the natural daylight that is radiated throughout the façade. In contrast, oak shelving and brown leather furniture create pockets of warm atmosphere for reading and other sedentary activities. 

© Shuhe © Shuhe

As a positive example for adaptive re-use of buildings 'The Cube, City of Lights' opened its doors to the public of Taiyuan on January 10th 2017.

© Shuhe © Shuhe

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Do You Know How the Newly Released 2017 AIA Contract Documents Affect Your Projects?

Posted: 23 Jul 2017 05:00 PM PDT

To keep up with industry trends and important court decisions, every 10 years the AIA core set of contracts are reviewed and updated. The newly revised set of AIA contracts and forms were released April 2017. Major changes include a single Sustainable Project Exhibit that can be added to any AIA document to address the risks and responsibilities associated with sustainable projects; document title changes; new agreements containing a fill point to prompt the parties to discuss and insert an appropriate "termination fee" for terminations for convenience; and an added evaluation provision by the architect if the contractor proposes an alternative means and methods.

It is critically important that architects learn about the 2017 revisions, says Kenneth Cobleigh, Esq., Managing Director and Counsel of AIA Contract Documents. Many of them impact the role and responsibilities of the architect directly. Others directly impact the roles and responsibilities of the owner and the contractor, and the architect will need to understand those impacts in order to provide advice to the owner and to adequately perform contract administration services.

AIA Releases 2017 Documents AIA Releases 2017 Documents

Single Sustainable Projects Exhibit
The Documents Committee, a group of experts in the fields of design, construction, law, and insurance who draft and revise AIA Contract Documents, developed the E204™–2017, Sustainable Projects Exhibit. In a single document, E204–2017 sets forth the roles and responsibilities for each of the project participants. Once the owner determines that the project will involve a sustainable objective, E204–2017 will be incorporated into the owner-architect and owner-contractor agreements and incorporated as appropriate into each of the other project agreements.

Document Title Change
Title changes to B104™-2017, Standard Abbreviated Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect and B105™-2017, Standard Short Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect better reflect the complexity and risk associated with the specific project, rather than just the type of project. For example, the title of B105-2017 was changed to indicate that it is a short form contract, whereas the previous title "for a Small Commercial or Residential Project," may have suggested that it should be used for a residential project without consideration of complexity and risk. Someone performing residential work could use B101™-2017, B104-2017, B105-2017, or several other documents, depending on the complexity associated with the project.

Clarification of Payment
Finally, the document that will affect architects the most is B101-2017, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect. B101–2017 now allows the parties to indicate whether the architect will be compensated based on a stipulated sum, a percentage of the owner's budget for the cost of the work, or on some "other" basis. If compensation is based on a "percentage basis," the parties assign a percentage figure to each phase of basic services. Progress payments for each phase of basic services are calculated by multiplying the percentages by the owner's most recent budget for the cost of the work.

Learn more and get samples of the new 2017 AIA owner/architect agreements including the new Sustainable Projects exhibit.

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Dongyuan Qianxun Community Center / Scenic Architecture Office

Posted: 23 Jul 2017 01:00 PM PDT

© Dongyuan Design © Dongyuan Design
  • Architects: Scenic Architecture Office
  • Location: Xiangcheng District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China
  • Architect In Charge: Zhu Xiaofeng
  • Design Team: Zhuang Xinjia (Project Manager), Shi Yin (Senior Designer) Sheng Tai(Field Designer) Du Shigang, LiCheng, FuRong, Luo Qi, Xiao Zaiyuan, Shang Yunpeng
  • Ldi: Suzhou Architectural Design & Research Institute Ltd.
  • Structural Consultant: Zhang Zhun
  • Area: 3327.0 m2
  • Project Year: 2017
  • Photographs: Dongyuan Design, Su shengliang
© Su shengliang © Su shengliang

From the architect. Dongyuan Qianxun community is in Xiangcheng District of Suzhou city, with Huangqiao Town in the north.  There are residential lands in the east and the west, and Huqiu Wetland Park right on the southern side of the road. The community center is located in the southeast corner of the land, and is adjacent to two city roads.

© Su shengliang © Su shengliang

Like most residential areas in newly developed cities, Qianxun is still a closed commercial housing community.  The current model of residential development in China is a result accumulated over the past 30 years, and it is closely related to the formation of social and economic classes. The new policy of encouraging open community is difficult to subvert this model in a short period of time.  In the relatively empty towns, completely open community is even more difficult to achieve due to the identity and security requirements of residents in current social environment.  In this condition, it is inevitable to locate the public facilities in the corner of the block.  We as architects are not satisfied with such a derived passive choice.  Instead, we would like to explore: is it possible to use the ontological strength of architecture to respond and change this negative logic?

Hand Drawings Hand Drawings

Suzhou is a place containing southern Yangtze river culture resources with courtyard life as their carrier; A river in east-west direction wanders in the wetlandpark along the south side of the community, the reeds and trees along the river bring natural flows to the wilderness of this area: these two conditions from humanity and nature constitute the external environment of the project.  As a community center at the edge of the compound, this building needs to provide public services for the surrounding communities, including communal affairs, social events, art exhibitions, parent-child activities, sports, convenient store and so on: these public activities constitute the internal demands of the project. We here wish to pursue a specific spatial order, to integrate the internal demands and external environment of the building, so as to become a common carrier of both.  We will then be able to create a dynamic community space compatible for both socialness and naturalness, with both cohesion and openness.

© Su shengliang © Su shengliang
Axonometric Drawings Axonometric Drawings
© Su shengliang © Su shengliang

The mutual inference between structural system and spatial order is one of the main design methods of Scenic Architecture office recently.  After trials of a variety of ideas, we decided to use alternately stacked shear walls to generate the space.  Our structural consultant called it a system of "stacking walls as deep beams". It meets the structural needs of vertical loads and horizontal stiffness, while forming a special spatial order:  the walls provide enclosure and divide different spaces, and the holes in between walls provide openness and link different spaces —— we hope the double potential of this order is capable to help this community center to achieve the coexistence of cohesion and openness.

© Su shengliang © Su shengliang

According to the functional demands of the programs, the basic width modulus of the usable space is around 7m.  We ended up a span module of 7.2m to subdivide the building in the size of 60m X 45m into six strip structures in the width of 7.2m. These strips were integrated with the stacking wall system according to the internal and external circulations, to organize and generate the inside and outside spaces of the whole building. 

© Su shengliang © Su shengliang

The vertical structure of the second floor is mainly composed by north-south gable walls that are freely distributed along the strip structures.  They naturally became the starting point of the roof design. With comparison studies we adopted concrete concave shell as the building covering.  The span of the 160mm thick cylindrical shell structure is 7.2m in short direction, and 12-20m in long direction with the shell height of 1.3m. The spatial experience under the roof is like segments under waves, with sense of stability under the ridge like the traditional double slope roof; and with sense of outflow under the bottom.  The continuous shells create two fused internal experiences, and an external image of waved gable walls, which expressed a relevance of water and traditional architectural style in southern Yangtze River region.

© Su shengliang © Su shengliang

We designed a main pedestrian passage from north to south on the west side of the building. The residents in the community can take this passage throughout the community center to the bus station or the wetland park in the south.  In the southeast corner of the building there is another passage, which is connected with a small retail courtyard on the east side, connected with the main route through a waterscape garden. Along the main route we set up a convenient store on the southwest corner near the city road, and a children's playroom on the north close to the residential area. The main passage is expanded to a covered public plaza in the central area of the building. The plaza faces the lawn to the west and from here you can enter the lobby to the east.  The lobby is a multi-functional space for art exhibitions and other community activities.  It is also the hub area to enter other internal spaces: through a sunken courtyard you will find a fitness center in the basement which is connected to the residential parking; on the ground floor the building provides spaces for the management, community affairs, small shops and social space for residents; and on the second floor you can find the community library and studio, in the cafe facing south you will be able to enjoy the view of the wetland park.

© Dongyuan Design © Dongyuan Design
Ground Floor Plan Ground Floor Plan
© Dongyuan Design © Dongyuan Design

In this spatial structure, the alternately arranged solid walls and openings merge the architecture with the nature in their mutual definition, and form a courtyard cluster permeable to each other. A variety of community activities and passages find their own places with the division of courtyards, while they are also connected through the interflow of the spaces.  

© Su shengliang © Su shengliang

The detail design of buildings also firmly serves this system. By using cast-in-place reinforced concrete structure and internal insulation, we have then opportunity to bring a rough vertical texture to the exposed stacking shear walls casted by carbonized wood formwork with a fixed vertical gap; At the bottom of cast-in-place concave shells we use smooth wooden formwork to guarantee the abstract presentation of the exposed concrete ceiling. The roof is covered by aluminum magnesium panels, which enables curved surfaces to fit to the concave shell geometry. The rainwater on concave roof is collected by the gutters on the bottom of shell, and then drained through free fall or collective pipes. All tectonic details follow the integral order of architecture, and the establishment of the order of architecture also relies on all the details.

© Su shengliang © Su shengliang

Tectonic and space are the architectural ontology that architects can mostly count on. In the process of responding to the needs from nature, society and human, we hope to use the strength of architectural ontology to explore new orders. We expect to not only establish a public life space for the community, but also bring flows of light, shadow and time to the place. 

© Su shengliang © Su shengliang

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10 Incredible Exposed Structures: Photos of the Week

Posted: 23 Jul 2017 07:00 AM PDT

Putting aside finishes, coatings, and cladding to work with exposed structural elements is not an easy task. Faced with this challenge, architects have demonstrated an eagerness to surpass ourselves and to design increasingly creative structures. In portraying this type of project, there are often opportunities for photographers to create incredible and innovative compositions: from geometric patterns, to the use of symmetry and rhythm, to the possibility of focusing on the textures and details of the materials. Here, we present a selection of photographs of impressive structures by renowned photographers such as Iwan Baan, Julien Lanoo and Yao Li, among others.

University of Stuttgart

ICD-ITKE Research Pavilion 2015-16 / ICD-ITKE University of Stuttgart 

© ICD/ITKE University of Stuttgart © ICD/ITKE University of Stuttgart

Yao Li

Da Chang Muslim Cultural Center / Architectural Design & Research Institute of SCUT

© Yao Li © Yao Li

CCDI - Mozhao Studio & Jing Studio

Qingdao Cruise Terminal / CCDI - Mozhao Studio & Jing Studio

© Courtesy of CCDI © Courtesy of CCDI

Iwan Baan

Beirut Terraces - Herzog & de Meuron

© Iwan Baan © Iwan Baan

Eric Dinardi

School of Alfa Omega / RAW Architecture

© Eric Dinardi © Eric Dinardi

CCDI - Mozhao Studio & Jing Studio

Qingdao Cruise Terminal / CCDI - Mozhao Studio & Jing Studio

© Courtesy of CCDI © Courtesy of CCDI

Julien Lanoo

Elytra Filament Pavilion / ICD-ITKE University of Stuttgart 

© Julien Lanoo © Julien Lanoo

Pierre L'Excellent

Porte Marguerite de Navarre / 169 architecture

© Pierre L'Excellent © Pierre L'Excellent

Daylight Liège sprl

Walloon Branch of Reproduction Forestry Material / SAMYN and PARTNERS

© Daylight Liège sprl © Daylight Liège sprl

Haruo Mikami

Norton Restaurant / BLOCO Arquitetos  

© Haruo Mikami © Haruo Mikami

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Promised Land / Bates Masi Architects

Posted: 23 Jul 2017 06:00 AM PDT

Courtesy of Bates Masi + Architects Courtesy of Bates Masi + Architects
  • Architects: Bates Masi Architects
  • Location: Amagansett, New York, United StatesA
  • Lead Architects: Paul Masi
  • Area: 4135.0 ft2
  • Project Year: 2015
  • Contractor: K. Romeo Inc.
  • Interior Designer: Bates Masi + Architects, Elizabeth Bolognino
  • Cabinet Maker: D. Reis Furniture
Courtesy of Bates Masi + Architects Courtesy of Bates Masi + Architects

From the architect. The owners of this Amagansett property and their family have a passion for being on the water. Their interests (wind surfing, kite boarding, and sailing) share a common thread of dependence on the wind. Whether relaxing at home or on a nearby beach, the owners are constantly searching for clues that the environmental conditions are optimal to get on the water.

Site Plan Site Plan

In researching weather data for this site, it was discovered that the predominant origin of the wind was from the west. This created an excellent opportunity to utilize the wind as a primary driver for organizing space and to treat the architecture as a canvas indicating its conditions.

Courtesy of Bates Masi + Architects Courtesy of Bates Masi + Architects

With a bias toward the wind, the program is organized about an east-west axis that divides the public and private wings. This axis is carried through the entire site, carving a narrow clearing through the forest that channels the wind while large sliding glass doors surrounding living spaces admit the breeze into the house. The two wings are connected only by a circulation bridge, which can be completely opened to allow the wind to flow through the site without interruption. In parallel with the axis, and located between the two wings, is a reflecting pool, which acts as a barometer for displaying the status of the wind. As the sun rotates around the house, it bounces off the rippled surface of the water and projects the character of the wind onto the ceilings of adjacent spaces.

Courtesy of Bates Masi + Architects Courtesy of Bates Masi + Architects

The structural system is a series of exposed glulam wood beams running east-west with venting panels between each beam at the perimeter. To achieve large spans, the beams are joined by steel flitch plates that create a void for light fixtures. These same flitch plates also cantilever from the beams to support the thin profile roof that extends from all sides of the house. Together, these elements create a holistic system that reinforces the role of the architecture. The overhangs capture the wind, directing it through the venting panels and along the beams like a wind tunnel.

Courtesy of Bates Masi + Architects Courtesy of Bates Masi + Architects

With the utilization of wind comes the opportunity for the landscape to contribute to the experiences of the house. Lavender, mint and other aromatic plants were introduced to the windward side of the property. As it traverses through the site, the wind picks up scents along the way and carries them into the spaces.

Courtesy of Bates Masi + Architects Courtesy of Bates Masi + Architects

Acting as a tool for highlighting environmental information, the architecture is dependent on the context. However, without the unique interests of its inhabitants, this information is not useful. Because of their interdependent relationship, both place and lifestyle are enriched in a single gesture.

Courtesy of Bates Masi + Architects Courtesy of Bates Masi + Architects

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Spotlight: Richard Rogers

Posted: 23 Jul 2017 05:30 AM PDT

Centre Georges Pompidou / Richard Rogers + Renzo Piano. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/dalbera/2496569412'>Flickr user dalbera</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> Centre Georges Pompidou / Richard Rogers + Renzo Piano. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/dalbera/2496569412'>Flickr user dalbera</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a>

As one of the leading architects of the British High-Tech movement, Pritzker Prize-winner Richard Rogers stands out as one of the most innovative and distinctive architects of a generation. Rogers made his name in the 1970s and '80s, with buildings such as the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Headquarters for Lloyd's Bank in London. To this day his work plays with similar motifs, utilizing bright colors and structural elements to create a style that is recognizable, yet also highly adaptable.

© 2013 Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners LLP © 2013 Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners LLP

Rogers was born in Florence, but his family moved to Britain during the Second World War, when Rogers was a child. After attending the Architectural Association in London, Rogers studied in the United States at Yale University, where he met fellow Brit Norman Foster. After graduating, the two architects joined forces with Su Brumwell and Wendy Cheeseman to form Team 4 in 1963. Though their collaboration as Team 4 lasted just four years, it would prove to be a crucial formative stage in British architecture, as both Rogers and Foster went on to be the leading names of the British High-Tech scene.

Rogers House / Richard & Su Rogers. Image © Tim Crocker Rogers House / Richard & Su Rogers. Image © Tim Crocker

Shortly after Team 4 was disbanded, Rogers began another fruitful collaboration, this time with Renzo Piano. The duo's big break came in 1971 when, working with architect Gianfranco Franchini and Peter Rice, an engineer from Arup, they won the competition to design the Centre Pompidou. Still young and relatively unknown, Rogers and Piano shocked many with their radical design, placing the building's services in full view in a trademark Rogers technique that went on to be known as "bowellism."

Inmos Microprocessor Factory. Image © Ken Kirkwood Inmos Microprocessor Factory. Image © Ken Kirkwood

Despite a mixed reception when it was completed in 1977, the Centre Pompidou has gone on to be a much-loved building in Paris. It is widely recognized as a defining moment in the history of museum design, as its unpretentious and futuristic design was intended to break down the elitist aura that was often held by art museums. A similar occurrence happened in London a decade later: now working as Richard Rogers Partnership, Rogers utilized his bowellist style again at the Lloyd's of London Building, garnering criticism at the time. However, the Lloyd's building is now a treasured landmark of central London, and was even given the UK's highest listed status, Grade I, in 2011.

Lloyd's of London Building. Image © Mark Ramsay Lloyd's of London Building. Image © Mark Ramsay

In the 1990s Rogers became involved in British politics, sitting in the House of Lords as a Labour Peer (his full title is Baron Rogers of Riverside). This led to an invitation by the government to set up the Urban Task Force, which in 1998 conducted a review into the causes of urban decay and outlined a vision for the future of British Cities in the paper "Towards an Urban Renaissance." For 8 years he was also chief advisor on architecture and urbanism for the Mayor of London.

The Leadenhall Building. Image © Richard Bryant – Courtesy of British Land/Oxford Properties The Leadenhall Building. Image © Richard Bryant – Courtesy of British Land/Oxford Properties

In more recent years Rogers has continued to produce work of great merit, winning the Stirling Prize in 2006 and 2009, and the Pritzker Prize in 2007.

Millennium Dome. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjin/58712717/'>Flickr user jamesjin</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a> Millennium Dome. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjin/58712717/'>Flickr user jamesjin</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a>

See all of Richard Rogers' work featured on ArchDaily via the thumbnails below, and more coverage of Rogers below those:

Richard Rogers wins Stirling Prize for Maggie's Centre

London Names RSHP's Leadenhall "Building of the Year 2015"

Richard Rogers Honoured at New London Awards

Richard Rogers Honored with Lifetime Achievement Medal

Richard Rogers Wins ULI J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development

Pritzker Prize Appoints Richard Rogers As Newest Jury Member

Pompidou Centre to Receive $110 Million Facelift for its 40th Anniversary

Richard Rogers Donates His Parents' Home To Harvard GSD

Richard and Su Rogers's Wimbledon House Photographed by Iwan Baan

Video: The Making of RSHP's Leadenhall Building

On Top of the City: Behind the Scenes at the Leadenhall Building

Richard Rogers Speaks Out Against Garden Cities Proposals

Architect Lord Richard Rogers and the Making Of Scandicci City

VIDEO: Ruth and Richard Rogers' London Home

RSHP Adapts Jean Prouvé's 6x6 Demountable House for Design Miami/Basel 2015

Review: 'Richard Rogers: Inside Out' at the Royal Academy

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Why Is Car Parking So Ubiquitous in the US? This Video Explains Everything

Posted: 23 Jul 2017 04:00 AM PDT

The next time you're cursing the price of a city parking meter, think instead about the high cost of free, off-street parking in terms of the urban environment. Urbanists these days agree that cities are at their best when they are walkable—designed for people instead of cars—but the reasons for the car-centric design of cities in the US are complex. In this video, Will Chilton and Paul Mackie of Mobility Lab describe all the problems inherent with parking in US cities and how it got to be this way: namely, off-street parking requirements, or mandatory parking minimums.

Most people know that US cities are dominated by parking, with roughly 8 parking spots per car throughout the country, but this video will give you all the information you need to win any debate about the impacts of mandatory off-street parking. Describe with confidence why cities love mandatory minimums for developers, extoll the virtues of correctly-priced parking meters, and impress your friends and colleagues with your knowledge of the other ways you pay every day for "free" parking.

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Pipe Shop Venue at the Shipyards / Proscenium Architecture + Interiors Inc

Posted: 23 Jul 2017 02:00 AM PDT

© Sam Pat - Picture and Color Media © Sam Pat - Picture and Color Media
  • Project Manager: Dianna Foldi
  • Structure Consultant: Weiler Smith Bowers Consulting Structural Engineers, Rocky Point Engineering Ltd., AES Engineering Ltd.
  • Contractor And Construction Manager: Novacom Building Partners Ltd.
  • Millworker: Lauten Woodworking Ltd.
  • Client: City of North Vancouver
© Sam Pat - Picture and Color Media © Sam Pat - Picture and Color Media

From the architect. Proscenium worked with the City of North Vancouver to renovate the Pipe Shop Venue at the Shipyards into an adaptable and desirable community event space. On a tight budget and schedule, we sought to bring out the best in the 1940's Pipefitter's Building by using white paint to focus attention on the heavy timber structure (and pair well with wedding dresses!).

© Sam Pat - Picture and Color Media © Sam Pat - Picture and Color Media

Locating a small addition of washrooms, a servery, and a projector surface to the far end of the building, the remainder of the space was left flexible for a wide variety of community events. Following the opening on April 8th, the Pipe Shop has hosted numerous weddings, yoga classes, galas, dinners, pop-up markets, the recurring Shipyards Night Market, learning initiatives, photo shoots, floor hockey, a quilt show, a 5K run, a children's fundraiser, a tech convention, and private events. Future planned functions include a fashion show, a travel expo, Oktoberfest, a haunted house, Saint Patrick's Day, a photography festival, and a Tsleil-Waututh Nation Career Fair!

Plan Plan
Elevations Elevations

Space for a future upper floor and additional programming has been provided behind the projector surface. A red corridor has been carved out of the addition to direct the public to the washrooms and energize the atmosphere in the venue. Three shades of white and two shades of red paint were used to further accent the geometry within the venue. Paint colours were selected to perfectly match available shades of Johnsonite Resilient Rubber Wall Base. We have been thrilled to watch the community enjoy the facility as much as we enjoyed working on it!

© Sam Pat - Picture and Color Media © Sam Pat - Picture and Color Media

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10 Hard-To-Reach Masterpieces And How To Get There

Posted: 23 Jul 2017 01:00 AM PDT

Visiting architectural masterpieces by the greats can often feel like a pilgrimage of sorts, especially when they are far away and hard to find. Not everyone takes the time to visit these buildings when traveling, which makes getting there all the more special. With weird opening hours, hard-to-reach locations and elusive tours we thought we'd show a selection from our archives of masterpieces (modernist to contemporary) and what it takes to make it through their doors. Don't forget your camera! 

NB: All Hours are general hours, make sure to check the country's national and bank holidays when planning your visit!

Bruder Klaus Field Chapel / Peter Zumthor

© Samuel Ludwig © Samuel Ludwig

Address: Located in the middle of a field off Iversheimer Road Mechernich, 53894, Germany.

How to Visit: From the town of Mechernich, the chapel is either a 12 min drive, 35 min bus ride (take the 867 bus from Mechernich Bf station) or if you fancy a walk it should be an approximately 1h30 trek (7.5km) through the scenic countryside.

Tomba Brion / Carlo Scarpa

© Wikimedia User  "Mies me" © Wikimedia User "Mies me"

Address: Via Brioni, 28, 31030 Altivole TV, Italy.

Hours: 8AM-5:30PM

How to Visit: From nearest neighbouring cities Padua and Venice, Scarpa's Tomb is about an hours drive, if not the nearest bus station is San Vito D'altivole Via Asolana, which can be reached by train and bus from each city (though it takes about 2 hours travel) – the tomb is a short 8 min walk from the station.

Notre Dame du Haut (Ronchamp) / Le Corbusier

© Gili Merin © Gili Merin

Address: Notre Dame du Haut, 13 Rue de la Chapelle, 70250 Ronchamp, France.

Hours: October 17th 2016 to April 2nd 2017: 10AM - 5PM and April 3th to October 15th 2017: 9AM to 7PM – open every day except Jan 1.

How to Visit: Located on a hill, the church is a 30-min walk from the station Gare de Ronchamp (1.8 km). The station itself is a 30-min drive from nearest city Belfort (France) where trains and bus connections are 1 hours' journey each way.

More info

Eames House / Charles & Ray Eames

© architectenwerk.nl © architectenwerk.nl

Address: Eames Foundation, 203 N. Chautauqua Blvd. Pacific Palisades, California, USA.

Hours: 10AM-4PM, Closed Wednesdays and Sundays.

How to Visit: Reservations are required for all visits, with 1 week's notice needed for exterior and interior tours. While it costs $10 for exterior visits the interior is a steep $275 for 1-2 people.

More info

Ribbon Chapel / Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP Architects

© Koji Fujii / Nacasa & Partners Inc © Koji Fujii / Nacasa & Partners Inc

Address: Japan, 〒720-0551 Hiroshima-ken, Onomichi-shi, Urasakichō, 1376.

(Hiroshima-ken Prefecture, Japan).

How to Visit: Usually reserved for weddings, the chapel can be seen from the outside, and forms part of the Bella Vista Spa in the Hiroshima Prefecture.

SAN Museum / Tadao Ando

via https://designforbyofkorea.com/2013/11/12/museum-san/ via https://designforbyofkorea.com/2013/11/12/museum-san/

Address: 999-13 Wolsong-ri, Jijeong-myeon, Wonju-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea.

Hours: Tuesday-Sundays 10:30AM-6:00PM (James Turrell Exhibit open 11AM-5:30PM).

How to Visit: From Seoul, the car journey is: East Seoul toll Gate > Hobeop JC > Moonmak IC > Oak Valley > SAN Museum; by bus, the route from Seoul is via the Oak Valley Shuttle bus from the Wonju Express Bus Terminal.

Wotruba Church / Fritz Wotruba 

© Wikimedia User Ninanuri (CC-BY-SA-3.0) © Wikimedia User Ninanuri (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

Address: Ottillingerpl. 1, 1230 Wien, Austria.

How to Visit: From Vienna Central Station, you'll need to take a U-Bahn followed by a bus to Wien Breitenfurter Straße (outskirts), then an approx. 20-min walk towards the church, which is located at the top of a hill in a quiet suburb.

Farnsworth House / Mies van der Rohe

© Flickr CC user Jonathan Rieke. Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 © Flickr CC user Jonathan Rieke. Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Address: 14520 River Rd, Plano, IL 60545, USA.

Hours: Open April — November with tours Tuesdays through Fridays – 10:00AM, 12:00PM, and 2:00PM or Saturdays and Sundays – On the hour from 10:00AM to 3:00PM (Closed Mondays). Closed Easter Sunday and July 4.

How to Visit: To get to Plano, allow for a 2h drive from Chicago, or public transport either to Plano (Amtrak train) or Aurora (Metra rail) – then take a cab from the nearest station to the house. Guided Tour Cost: $20 (plus $2.50 convenience fee online, $5 convenience fee if the ticket is purchased on site if available). Tickets can be purchased online and by phone, and visitors are strongly encouraged to book in advance.

Fallingwater House / Frank Lloyd Wright

Address: 1491 Mill Run Rd, Mill Run, PA 15464, USA.

Hours: A variety of tour dates and times are available on the site's calendar.

How to Visit: Because Fallingwater is located in a rural area, no public transport is available nearby - you need to get there by car. Tickets must be bought in advance for all tours in Fallingwater and Duncan House, either online or by phone. When tours are full, a limited number of grounds passes are available for Fallingwater. Detailed information can be found on their website.

And finally…ending with the most elusive…

Maison de Verre / Pierre Chareau & Bernard Bijvoet        

© Mark Lyon © Mark Lyon

Address: 31 Rue Saint-Guillaume, 75007 Paris, France.

How to visit: This one is last for a reason – the maison de verre is insanely hard to visit despite its central location in Paris. In order to even be eligible, you must be a student or professional working in an architecture or related field. According to Untapped Cities, tours are by appointment only and are scheduled on Thursdays at 2PM and 3:30PM. If you plan on visiting the Maison by yourself, you must reserve a tour 3 to 4 months in advance. If you're visiting as part of a group, you'll need reserve your tour 5-6 months in advance with a cap of 10 people (!!!). If you're eligible, send a letter describing your interest and your qualifications tomdv31@orange.fr to reserve a tour.

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Spotlight: Geoffrey Bawa

Posted: 23 Jul 2017 12:00 AM PDT

A courtyard in Bawa's campus for the University of Ruhuna. Image © Harry Sowden A courtyard in Bawa's campus for the University of Ruhuna. Image © Harry Sowden

Despite his late entry into architecture, Geoffrey Manning Bawa FRIBA, (July 23, 1919 – May 27, 2003), explored modernism and its cultural implications and created a unique, recognizable style of design which had a lasting impact on architects across the world. Well versed in Modernist theory, Bawa was one of the original proponents of Tropical Modernism, a design movement in which sensitivity for local context combines with the form-making principles of modernism. Bawa's architecture led to the formation of a new architectural identity and aesthetic for many tropical environments, and won him recognition and awards, including the Chairman's Award of the Aga Kahn Special Chairman's Award for Architecture (2001) and the title Deshamanya, in recognition of his contributions to his country by the government of Sri Lanka.

Geoffrey Bawa; unknown photographer. Image Courtesy of The Geoffery Bawa Trust in Colombo, David Robson and Anjalendran C. Geoffrey Bawa; unknown photographer. Image Courtesy of The Geoffery Bawa Trust in Colombo, David Robson and Anjalendran C.

Bawa was born in Ceylon (which would become Sri Lanka in 1972), and began his professional career in the legal field after studying at St. Catharine's College, Cambridge. He worked in law in England for several years, but left to travel the world after the death of his mother. In 1948, Bawa purchased the Lunuganga rubber plantation, and developed an interest in gardening and architectural design.

The gardens at Lunuganga. Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lunuganga,_Bentota,_Sri_Lanka..JPG'>Wkimedia user Labeet</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a> The gardens at Lunuganga. Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lunuganga,_Bentota,_Sri_Lanka..JPG'>Wkimedia user Labeet</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a>
Lunuganga. Image © David Robson Lunuganga. Image © David Robson
Interior of Lunuganga. Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lunuganga,_Bentota,_Sri_Lanka._Interieur_2.jpg'>Wkimedia user Labeet</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a> Interior of Lunuganga. Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lunuganga,_Bentota,_Sri_Lanka._Interieur_2.jpg'>Wkimedia user Labeet</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a>

Bawa had a strong desire to design, and apprenticed himself to HH Reid, an architecture firm in Colombo, Ceylon. Filled with aspirations higher than apprenticeship, Bawa studied at the Architectural Association, and graduated in 1957, at 38 years old. When he returned home, Bawa became a partner at Edwards, Reid, and Begg, and took over the practice shortly thereafter.

In his practice, Bawa tried to achieve what The Guardian has called "a new, vital—and yet essentially Sri Lankan—architecture." [1] Bawa's search for a way to combine the traditional and the modern attracted the attention of other artists and architects, most notably Ulrik Plesner, who worked with Bawa from 1961 to 1967.

Ena de Silva House. Image ©  Helene Binet Ena de Silva House. Image ©  Helene Binet
Geoffrey Bawa's photograph of the courtyard at the Ena de Silva House. Image © Geoffrey Bawa Geoffrey Bawa's photograph of the courtyard at the Ena de Silva House. Image © Geoffrey Bawa

Even in his early work, Bawa's buildings had a Tropical Modernist flair. In the Ena de Silva House (1960), he combined the Modernist tendencies for open floor plans and stark decoration with iconic elements of Colombo manor houses. Similarly, the Batujimbar Estate (1973) adapts modernist principles to local Bali traditions. Bawa's ideas continued over a variety of projects; in particular, his designs for hotels were embraced for their ability to create location-specific housing, which at the time was a dramatic departure from the trend of designing hotels to fit anywhere in the world. In the Bentota Beach Hotel (1970), Bawa created a resort that referenced its surroundings while allowing for a modern lifestyle.

An Aerial View of the Bentota Beach Hotel. Image Courtesy of The Geoffery Bawa Trust in Colombo, David Robson and Anjalendran C. An Aerial View of the Bentota Beach Hotel. Image Courtesy of The Geoffery Bawa Trust in Colombo, David Robson and Anjalendran C.
The Bentota Beach Hotel. Image © Harry Sowden The Bentota Beach Hotel. Image © Harry Sowden

After the social and governmental changes of the 1960s and '70s that ultimately led Ceylon to become Sri Lanka, Bawa received commissions for even larger projects. Bawa's design for the Sri Lanka Parliament Building (1982) was a continuation of the investigations he began earlier in his career; it uses pitched roofs and other examples of elements from local architecture to embody the government's lineage. At the time, the Parliament building was the largest of Bawa's projects, and brought even more international attention to his approach. Around this time, Bawa designed several new buildings for the University of Ruhuna (1988). His use of traditional building materials and architectural elements adapted to the local climate proved to be useful, as it helped keep costs down in addition to referencing local context.

The Sri Lanka Parliament Building. Image © Harry Sowden The Sri Lanka Parliament Building. Image © Harry Sowden
Gardens at the Sri Lanka Parliament Building. Image © Harry Sowden Gardens at the Sri Lanka Parliament Building. Image © Harry Sowden
The University of Ruhuna. Image © Harry Sowden The University of Ruhuna. Image © Harry Sowden

Bawa closed his firm when he was seventy years old, but did not stop practicing architecture. Much of his work from these later years was conceptual, and he also produced some of the most interesting built projects of his career during this period. The Kandalama Hotel (1991) and the Blue Water Hotel (1997) represent a slightly more minimalistic approach to his architectural design informed by his earlier work.

Kandalama Hotel, Dambulla. Image © Harry Sowden Kandalama Hotel, Dambulla. Image © Harry Sowden
The Kandalama Hotel lounge. Image © David Robson The Kandalama Hotel lounge. Image © David Robson

Find out more about Bawa's architecture via the link below.

Remembering Bawa

References:

  1. David Robson, "Geoffrey Bawa," The Guardian, May 29, 2003, accessed May 18, 2015.
  2. David Robson, "Remembering Bawa," ArchDaily, December 19, 2013, accessed May 18, 2015.

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EFH Riedholz / Tormen Architekten AG

Posted: 22 Jul 2017 10:00 PM PDT

© Mark Drotsky Architekturfotografie © Mark Drotsky Architekturfotografie
  • Landscape Architects: Rennhard Gartenbau AG
© Mark Drotsky Architekturfotografie © Mark Drotsky Architekturfotografie

From the architect. Located on a hillside in Kanton Solothurn the site is adjacent along the curved main road of the village. With the only access point being on the upper northwest side of the plot, it proved to be an anchor point for the main alignment of the house. The architecture and the given landscape respond to each other – ultimately forming a unity. The house was conceived as two blocks rotated relative to each other and pushed into the hillside. This organisation provided a clear routing upon entering the site and dictated the main orientation of the two blocks.

© Mark Drotsky Architekturfotografie © Mark Drotsky Architekturfotografie

For a family of four the L shaped plan explores the individual vs the collective, openness vs the intimate, closed vs open. Upon entering the house, the main space is divided by a central unit and a difference in floor levels. In this unit the functional elements are incorporated and the space flows without interruptions. Leaving only the translucent staircase and kitchen island as complementing elements. Moving three steps down the family's collective space is located. A kitchen, dining and living room with an overall height of 3.2 metres and two completely glazed facades with large sliding windows. Creating a natural transition from the inside pace into the garden and a maximum benefit from natural sunlight throughout the entire day.

Ground Floor Plan Ground Floor Plan
First Floor Plan First Floor Plan

On the first floor the private rooms and the master bathroom are all south facing. Providing a panoramic view of the Swiss Alps. The master suite gives access onto an open terrace enhancing the spatial quality. The light metal railing, purposefully separated from the roof edges outlines both floors, connecting them visually. The absence of a hand railing ensures that there are no visual intrusions on the horizontal lines of the main volumes.

© Mark Drotsky Architekturfotografie © Mark Drotsky Architekturfotografie
Section 1 Section 1
© Mark Drotsky Architekturfotografie © Mark Drotsky Architekturfotografie

The connecting element between the two floors should not be perceived as the stairs but more so the choice in materials. The bare concrete provides a contrast between the white and black finishes, while showing the main structural elements. The detail of the concrete shuttering emphasizes that the material is used as an organizational element throughout the entire house.

© Mark Drotsky Architekturfotografie © Mark Drotsky Architekturfotografie

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