Arch Daily |
- Spotlight: Glenn Murcutt
- Swiss House XXII Preonzo / Davide Macullo Architects
- House of Alain Hubert / SAMYN and PARTNERS
- Silindokuhle Preschool / Collectif saga
- M+ Pavilion / VPANG
- Hyundai Card - Cooking Library / Blacksheep
- Cultural Innovation Store in the Jiangning Imperial Silk Manufacturing Museum / FANAF
- The Victorian Desalination Project & Ecological Reserve / ASPECT Studios
- New Video Takes You Through the Floating Concourse Envisioned for LA's Union Station
- Clemson Dining and Housing / Sasaki
- 7 Projects Announced as Winners of 2017 AIA National Healthcare Design Awards
- Casa FORASTE / TALLER 1+1
- VTN Architects' Brick Training Complex Will Create Its Own Microclimate Using 'Sky Walks'
- Iskra / Nowdays office
- Are Your Revit Skills Up to Scratch? Find Out With This Handy Guide
- Atelier House at Charlote Village / grupoDEArquitetura
- Ten Fold Designs Revolutionary Structure that Self-Deploys in Minutes
- Japanese Craftsmanship Gets an Update in These OLED Patterned Tiles
| Posted: 24 Jul 2017 09:00 PM PDT  Simpson-Lee House, Mount Wilson (1994). Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/unrosarinoenvietnam/3783824891/'>Flickr user unrosarinoenvietnam</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-NC-SA 2.0</a> As an architect, critic and winner of the 2002 Pritzker Prize, Glenn Murcutt, (born 25 July 1936) has designed some of Australia's most innovative and environmentally sensitive buildings over a long career—and yet he still remains a one man office. Despite working on his own, primarily on private residences and exclusively in Australia, his buildings have had a huge influence across the world and his motto of "touch the earth lightly" is internationally recognized as a way to foster harmonious, adaptable structures that work with the surrounding landscape instead of competing with it.  via screenshot from video of ABC TV's "Talking Heads" interview After being raised in Papua New Guinea (something he credits for bringing an appreciation for local craftsmanship and vernacular architecture) Murcutt graduated from Sydney Technical College in 1961 and began his career working under local architects Neville Gruzman, Bryce Mortlock and Ken Woolley. Setting up his own practice in 1970 and beginning his long teaching career at the same time, Murcutt gradually built up a reputation in the Australian architectural community as a dedicated, efficient designer and an effective teacher, building a series of well designed, innovative small commissions that steadily created a portfolio of exemplary work.  Arthur and Yvonne Boyd Art Centre (1999), Riversdale, West Cambewarra (NSW), designed in collaboration with Reg Lark and Wendy Lewin. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/unrosarinoenvietnam/3783205881/'>Flickr user unrosarinoenvietnam</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-NC-SA 2.0</a> His combination of teaching and practice has led him to be one of the most eloquent proponents of his particular approach to architecture. This is evident in both his theoretical work and his projects, where houses adapt to changing conditions passively and have a linear focus that helps them fit into the landscape—a technique that is only possible due to his attention to detail when assessing the wind directions, temperatures and water movement at each new site. Together, this creates buildings which he says "live" through their respect for nature.  Bowali Visitor Information Centre, Kakadu National Park (1994), designed in collaboration with Troppo Architects. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/lukedurkin/8081173027'>Flickr user lukedurkin</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> To learn more about Glenn Murcutt's philosophy and practice, you can watch his 2008 interview for ABC TV's Talking Heads program, or read Kenneth Frampton's essay on his work written for the 2002 Pritzker Prize, via the links below. Interview: Glenn Murcutt Talking Heads This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Swiss House XXII Preonzo / Davide Macullo Architects Posted: 24 Jul 2017 08:00 PM PDT  © Alexandre Zveiger
 © Alexandre Zveiger From the architect. This building is a small construction that takes on a universal meaning; creating a relationship between the DNA of a place and its future and represents a contemporary interpretation of the historical values of a place.  © Alexandre Zveiger The project site lies in the area of urban expansion at the limit of the countryside, north of the historical centre of the village of Preonzo in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. This rich Alpine context is dotted by traditional stone volumes, where animals were once housed on the ground floor and families lived above and are testament to the history of this once farming community. Our original building was one of these vernacular volumes. Recognising the significance of preserving the historical memory, the design retains this original modest volume (now the full height living room) and respects its scale. The client's need for a larger habitable space resulted in the addition of two new volumes that work in dialogue with the existing in terms of their character and scale, creating a new equilibrium generated from the historical context but interpreted with a contemporary language.  © Alexandre Zveiger The roofline game of inclined planes that appear as a series of three traditional roofs, becomes a surrealist landscape. The inclined areas suddenly disappear from view and one does not have a clear perception of the space until one enters inside. The importance of the roof is underlined through the simple pleasure of an unexpected perception.  © Alexandre Zveiger The materials used in the construction emphasise this relationship. The old buildings were built completely in stone and appear as compact volumes. The new buildings mirror this compactness by an homogenous finish on the exterior and interior surfaces.  © Alexandre Zveiger The openings on the East of the house are the reflection of the flower beds laid out on the ground below. The spaces made by the three volumes create a positive-negative effect on the facade; one projected, one carved out, with the sky as roof.  Level 00.  Section  Level +2.74 Every space has been precisely drawn but flows easily into the next, creating a dynamic effect of dilation/compression. The openings on the various levels offer diverse beautiful views out across the surrounding landscape. From the same space, one can see the agricultural fields, an ancient monastery, low mountains in the distance and the characteristic peaks of the Swiss Alps.  © Alexandre Zveiger This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| House of Alain Hubert / SAMYN and PARTNERS Posted: 24 Jul 2017 07:00 PM PDT  © Marie-Françoise Plissart
 © Marie-Françoise Plissart From the architect. The Avenue Bel Horizon, typical of a number of residential districts located in the surroundings of Brussels, is bordered by houses, some isolated, some in small groups, arranged in narrow and deep plots. The one that interests us is no exception to the rule: 20 m wide along the road (to the North) and 73 m deep, with a building area limited to 11 m in width and 15 m in depth, 6 m away from the road.  © Marie-Françoise Plissart The construction is fully of wood from the Black Forest, Germany. The internal structure is in Scots pine, with the frames in Larch and the paneling in Douglas.  Courtesy of Karim Ammor The outline of the house is a perfect rectangle of 3/4 proportions, but results from a complex geometrical elaboration, based on two overlapping frames. An first frame, built on a square module of 90 cm, follows the building limits and guides, in the façade, the installation of the section of wooden columns of 80 mm on the side. A second frame, strictly oriented according to the four compass points, forms an angle of 14° with the first (i.e. a right-angled triangle of 1/4 proportions) and defines the blueprint of the partitioning walls. In addition, the whole is doubly symmetrical according to the median axes of the rectangle.  © Marie-Françoise Plissart  Ground Floor Plan  © Marie-Françoise Plissart A strict modulation also governs the vertical development of the construction. The floor height of 270 cm is divided up into 32 sub-modules of 8.4375 cm, which punctuate the sections, elevations, and boards of the façade. The steps of the stairs have a height of two sub-modules, i.e. 16.875 cm.  © Marie-Françoise Plissart  First Floor Plan  © Marie-Françoise Plissart The internal distribution is organized around two double height spaces, of trapezoidal and symmetrical outline one compared to the other: the entrance hall to the North and the winter garden to the South. Each contains a staircase that leads to four bedrooms, with their bathrooms, and to the secondary buffer areas.  © Quentin Olbrechts This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Silindokuhle Preschool / Collectif saga Posted: 24 Jul 2017 05:00 PM PDT  © Joubert Loots
 © Joubert Loots From the architect. Since 2014, saga has been involved in a community project in Joe Slovo West, an informal area in the suburbs of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The team has been working together with local residents on the implementation of various facilities within the precinct. After a first building in 2015 (community hall), the team went back to Joe Slovo to continue with the second phase of the process.  © Yannis Frémont Marinopoulos Joe Slovo West is a fast developing area, constantly renewing itself: it is a permanent construction site; governmental houses being built to replace the existing self built shacks. Some of the residents have been waiting for more than ten years to obtain such a house, the same for every household; basic concrete block shell of 36 square meters. This massive construction programme called RDP is a nation-wide initiative launched in 1994, promoting free housing for the under privileged.  Cross Section Overcoming the precarious life conditions, some local community members actively engage in various initiatives to improve their area. For nearly ten years, Patricia Piyani, founder of a local preschool and soup kitchen, has been taking care daily of many children from 1 to 6 in her community. Patricia did not have the chance to go to school when young, which led her to dedicate her life to give the opportunity of a proper education to the children of her area. Her initiative slowly grew and the number of children in her preschool is increasing; the need for new facilities arises.  © Yasmina González The first step is to interrogate what is there, already, what we can use and transform, with whom we can work and what we need to bring. We have to learn about the environment, make the time available to understand the broader context. All together, a project is born, made from local resources and people, an attempt to provide an appropriate shelter to this generous initiative. The design is negotiated collectively; the use of local refurbished and reclaimed materials is imposed: the process has to be incremental, every step of the design being based on experimentation. Materials and objects collected from all over the city are assembled together, reused, distorted, to create a whole new story, based on a collective effort.  © Joubert Loots  Exploded View  © Gorka Biurrun The preschool is a shelter for new experiences for the children, offering large views toward the surroundings, playing with shadows and light, showing the reality of its construction. Raw materials are assembled to form a warm learning environment, offering three large classrooms naturally ventilated, and widely open towards the broader landscape. The canteen space, enclosing the outside playground, offers to the children and community members a shared space, a canvas for new tales, games and other events. Sanitation is provided, using mainly rainwater, and a large office was built for Patricia and the four teachers. The building reflects the story of the preschool, it is singular in its dimensions and aspect, it is man-made; its construction contains a multitude of collective stories, so many beginnings for new opportunities.  © Gorka Biurrun This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 24 Jul 2017 03:00 PM PDT _WKCDA_copy.jpg?1500901583 "© West Kowloon Cultural District Authority") © West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
_WKCDA__copy.jpg?1500901606 "© West Kowloon Cultural District Authority") © West Kowloon Cultural District Authority From the architect. M+ Pavilion is a two-storey exhibition and event space in the midst of the Hong Kong West Kowloon Cultural District. In September 2013, the Hong Kong West Kowloon Cultural District Authority launched an open competition for the design of the M+ Pavilion. The winning design went to the team of VPANG architects ltd + JET Architecture Inc + Lisa Cheung which stood out from among 100 international entries. The building was completed and opened to public in July 2016. _Tynnon_Chow_copy.jpg?1500901678 "© Tynnon Chow") © Tynnon Chow The architecture is represented as a Floating Art Platform. It is elevated on a berm, blending itself into the surroundings of the City Park by mirrored external walls. _VPANG__copy.jpg?1500901688 "Concept") Concept In line with the overall City Park design concept of the West Kowloon Cultural District, the Floating Art Platform aims at offering a respite from hectic city life. It should be a simple, pure and clean space; a space situated away from city noise and pollution, a space that gives us a chance to open our hearts, relax our minds, and appreciate artwork amidst the backdrop of the cityscape. _VPANG__copy.jpg?1500901617 "© Mike Yeung") © Mike Yeung Mirrored external walls are not only camouflaging, but also reverberating and witnessing the transformation of the surroundings and city in time. The elevated main exhibition space made the structure as if floating amongst trees and foliage while the white walls filtered the environment noises. Art could be displayed, promoted, shared and embraced. It belongs to the city, near and dear to the heart of Hong Kong. _VPANG__copy.jpg?1500901628 "© Mike Yeung") © Mike Yeung Elevated walls are designed strategically with openings projecting the Pavilion to intertwine with its surroundings in a human scale:
_VPANG__copy.jpg?1500902860 "1F Floor Plan") 1F Floor Plan Our design also explored the notion of ecology with the same smart simplistic approach as our overall concept, where the building, topographic landscape, wide spreading tree canopies works together forming a continuous whole. This extensive greenery addresses our emphasis on the incorporation of manmade and natural environment. _WKCDA__copy.jpg?1500901596 "© West Kowloon Cultural District Authority") © West Kowloon Cultural District Authority The main exhibition space has full length openable glazed doors to create connection between indoor and outdoor exhibition spaces to allow multiple disciplines and multiple exhibition or event formats. _WKCDA__copy.jpg?1500901667 "© West Kowloon Cultural District Authority") © West Kowloon Cultural District Authority This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Hyundai Card - Cooking Library / Blacksheep Posted: 24 Jul 2017 01:00 PM PDT  © Kyungsub Shin
 © Kyungsub Shin From the architect. London based specialist F&B design studio, Blacksheep has just completed work on The Cooking Library in Seoul, for Hyundai Card (HC), one of Korea's largest credit card companies.  © Kyungsub Shin HC have conceived the Hyundai Card Libraries, as a series of four inspirational spaces designed to provide an 'analogue' antidote to the fast pace of city life in the digital age and to stimulate meaningful and inspiring experiences in everyday life. Each of the Libraries touches on the refined knowledge of various lifestyles, covering realms of Travel, Music, Design and Cooking, the last Library in the series.  © Kyungsub Shin  Section  © Kyungsub Shin Working in collaboration with Choi Wook of One O One Architects, Blacksheep were commissioned to bring the Hyundai Card Cooking Library to life as the last and most ambitious chapter in the series. Blacksheep created the complete guest experience from interior design through to branding, staff uniforms and packaging. The Cooking Library creates real-world experiences that unfold as you navigate the space to explore the universe of cooking and food.  © Kyungsub Shin  Section  © Kyungsub Shin The design brief challenged Blacksheep to create a connected experience over five-floors of the Library that celebrates and brings to life the joys of cooking in Yeongdeungpo-gu, one of Seoul's most affluent neighbourhoods.  © Kyungsub Shin Blacksheep worked to create an inspiring world where craftsmanship provides fundamental luxury, tactility invites human touch, and analogue detailing allows visitors to get lost in the romance of time. The Blacksheep design team envisaged a humble factory setting on the outskirts of Europe and translated that into a food laboratory in the heart of Seoul. It has specified an array of high-quality products from leading European furniture and lighting brands to bring the concept to life and enrich the experience for all HC Cooking Library visitors.  © Kyungsub Shin This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Cultural Innovation Store in the Jiangning Imperial Silk Manufacturing Museum / FANAF Posted: 24 Jul 2017 12:00 PM PDT .jpg?1500564698 "© Jin Xiaowen") © Jin Xiaowen
.jpg?1500562089 "© Jin Xiaowen") © Jin Xiaowen From the architect. In 2015, the Jiangsu Soho International Group Corporation, one of China's most renowned silk export companies, began a collaboration with the Nanjing Museum Administration. This project became known as the Cultural Innovation Store. The store has now been completed and showcases a variety of silk artefacts on display as part of the Da Guan Yuan, providing a leisurely space for visitors to enjoy. The area is situated in the west wing on the ground floor of the Jiangning Imperial Silk Manufacturing Museum, located at the intersection of Taiping South Road and Changjiang Road in Nanjing. .jpg?1500564912 "© Jin Xiaowen") © Jin Xiaowen  Floor Plan .jpg?1500564806 "© Jin Xiaowen") © Jin Xiaowen The museum's west wing was previously occupied by an arts and crafts retailer. It lacked a distinctive key feature to attract and retain visitors. In addition, the space contained inadequate resources and information about the store to encourage further interaction with the museum. Despite it being the final destination of the gallery exhibit, it did not provide a common area for people to sit and reflect over a cup of coffee. Due to these reasons, the space was not utilised to its full potential. .jpg?1500562578 "© Jin Xiaowen") © Jin Xiaowen One of FANAF's greatest challenges was to create an integrated part of the Jiangning Imperial Silk Manufacturing Museum while still retaining its own individuality. FANAF chose timber to reflect the atmosphere of the rest of the museum. Inspired by the organic manufacturing process of silk weaving, FANAF proposed this concept of gentle overlapping and repetition, which came to be known as 'superimposition and superposition' .jpg?1500564763 "© Jin Xiaowen") © Jin Xiaowen  Diagram .jpg?1500564849 "© Jin Xiaowen") © Jin Xiaowen The project called for a space that would allow the facilitation of three key functions, in the form of a relaxing common area, an attractive exhibition space, and a state-of-the-art retail destination. To implement this vision, FANAF proposed a concept consisting of two contrasting design themes. The first theme features an all black-and-white palette to accommodate the exhibition's surroundings. This monochromatic concept is exhibited through the displaying of ornate garments on metal coat hangers and display counters. Traditional ink illustrations of the twelve beautiful women from the Great Classical Novel, 'Dream of the Red Chamber', line the walls on white scrolls. The second theme employs timber for a natural and timeless design aesthetic. The timber is layered through the common areas of the space, with the ceiling, floorboards and display shelves all lined with the same textiles.  Section The Cultural Innovation Store's captivating elements will assist in guiding people through a journey of vivid artworks, generating interest and people flow. The quality materials used and simple yet delicately designed décor will enhance the visitor and customer experience and allow the appreciation of art in a welcoming, advanced modern space. .jpg?1500564785 "© Jin Xiaowen") © Jin Xiaowen This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Victorian Desalination Project & Ecological Reserve / ASPECT Studios Posted: 24 Jul 2017 10:00 AM PDT  © John Gollings
 © Peter Bennetts From the architect. The Victorian Desalination Project is critical infrastructure for climate adaption and one of the largest such investments in Australia's history. The 225 ha Ecological Reserve camouflages the Project through a 26000m2 green roof and a dune system evolved from spoil, transforms the degraded land into mosaics of coastal and swampy woodlands. Wetlands and dune ecologies reconnect remnants and provide rich visitor experience.  Site Plan Landscape architects from ASPECT Studio led the site plan to ensure an ecologically resilient landscape. Their 3D site master-model allowed cross disciplinary testing to create outcomes not otherwise possible in a project of this complexity. Such leadership proves new roles for the profession.  © Peter Bennetts Local seed collection and onsite propagation established millions of plants. The green roof's 25 species required significant research to establish a local palette suitable for predicted future conditions. It has purpose-designed lightweight high water retention planting media and integrated growth support systems. The Reserve uses only on-site water capture. Traditional Owner cultural values informed design.  Historical Original Zone  Original Vegetation Zone Amenity includes 8km of pedestrian, cyclist and equestrian trails, wayfinding, interpretation, boardwalks, bird hide, viewing decks and picnic shelters.  © Peter Bennetts  © Peter Bennetts  © Peter Bennetts The project has returned local fauna, including endangered species and internationally significant migratory birds. It has advanced green roof design. A mandated 18-year review ensures ecological values are maintained into the future.  Proposed Vegetation Zone Central to the project is the regeneration of the former agricultural and mining landscape into an ecologically diverse landscape. This will take time. The planting commenced in 2010 and seven years in we are seeing the successful establishment of many of the small trees, shrubs, grasses, and groundcovers planted as seedlings and the overall low ground coverage of the vast areas of constructed dunes and landscape plans. The resultant vegetation community is a complex mix of life forms including ground cover, understory, front line coastal, fresh and brackish wetlands, and woodland canopy. This landscape will continue to evolve and change, as our weather patterns changes and it moves from a constructed landscape to one of natural redistribution and regeneration. Given this, time is essential in achieving a fully established landscape equivalent of one that would have been naturally occurring, which is expected to reach maturity around 2030.  © Peter Bennetts This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New Video Takes You Through the Floating Concourse Envisioned for LA's Union Station Posted: 24 Jul 2017 09:30 AM PDT Major changes are on the way for Los Angeles' Union Station that will improve connectivity between the stations various train, metro and bus lines. In a new video released by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, one possible future – a ring-shaped passenger concourse floating over the train platforms below – is visualized for the first time. Currently, passengers switch between Metrolink trains via a system of tunnels passing below the station. These tunnels, however, cut off the train lines, meaning that trains must turn around to exit the station. With plans for new high-speed rails in the works, this time-consuming process will need to be eliminated, meaning the existing tunnels must also go. The Transportation Authority is currently looking at 2 replacements options: the raised concourse shown here, and a ground-level concourse. Estimated to cost up to $2.1 billion, the raised concourse is still the cheaper of the two options (versus as much as $2.6 billion). The Transportation Authority has said they will soon be releasing another video with the at-ground option. Learn more about the project here. News via Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority. H/T Curbed, Architect's Newspaper. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Clemson Dining and Housing / Sasaki Posted: 24 Jul 2017 08:00 AM PDT  © Jonathon Hillyer
 © Jonathon Hillyer From the architect. The Clemson University Core Campus Dining Facility is a 81,000 square foot, 1,200 seat modern food service facility that offers freshly prepared daily meals via a variety of open cooking venues and houses five different late night retail venues and a small P.O.D. convenience store. As part of Clemson's redevelopment of its "Core Campus" construction of this dining facility proceeded in tandem with new student housing construction, designed by VMDO Architects. These projects as a whole address the growing demand for contemporary housing and dining options in support of the university's goals of retaining more sophomore students on campus, and maintaining its position in the top 20 national public universities.  © Jonathon Hillyer A new pedestrian spine, the "Clemson Walk", connects Fort Hill to the south and Alpha Beta Drive to the north and acts as a key organizing space of the Core Complex. The new dining hall is located along the edge of the Clemson Walk and helps define a new urban edge with courtyards and terraces enlivened by the surrounding dining entrances, retail venues, outdoor seating, and colorful seasonal landscapes.  Floor Plan The Main Dining Hall is highlighted along the Clemson Walk by a stately brick colonnade, book-ended by two-story glass spaces that are accessed via welcoming entry porches. A sculptural folding roof, visible from the Clemson Walk, extends east to west over the two-story dining space that opens onto a mezzanine, and folds down the west elevation to define the grand two-story dining hall.  © Jonathon Hillyer This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 7 Projects Announced as Winners of 2017 AIA National Healthcare Design Awards Posted: 24 Jul 2017 07:00 AM PDT .jpg?1500915765 "Harvey Pediatric Clinic; Rogers, Arkansas / Marlon Blackwell Architects. Image © Timothy Hursley") Harvey Pediatric Clinic; Rogers, Arkansas / Marlon Blackwell Architects. Image © Timothy Hursley The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) has selected seven recipients of 2017 AIA National Healthcare Design Awards, given to the year's best projects in healthcare building design and healthcare design-oriented research. Projects were selected for displaying "conceptual strengths that solve aesthetic, civic, urban, and social concerns as well as the requisite functional and sustainability concerns of a hospital." The award is given in four categories: Category A: Built, Less than $25 million in construction cost; Category B: Built, More than $25 million in construction cost; Category C: Unbuilt, Must be commissioned for compensation by a client with the authority and intention to build (No projects were selected in this category this year); and Category D: Innovations in Planning and Design Research, Built and Unbuilt. See all the winners below. Category A: Built, Less than $25 million in construction costHarvey Pediatric Clinic; Rogers, Arkansas / Marlon Blackwell Architects .jpg?1500915741 "Harvey Pediatric Clinic; Rogers, Arkansas / Marlon Blackwell Architects. Image © Timothy Hursley") Harvey Pediatric Clinic; Rogers, Arkansas / Marlon Blackwell Architects. Image © Timothy Hursley Situated in a fast-developing area, the Harvey Pediatric Clinic is an abstract figure set in contrast to the excess of materials, weak forms, and beige tones that make up the everyday suburban landscape that surrounds the building. The cayenne-color metal panel wraps the entire south side of the building, providing a strong identity for the practice. Patients enter the building, pass through and ascend a stair that is washed in blue light from the skylight above. Sixteen exam rooms are organized along a simple, clear circulation path defined by several skylights that bring natural light deep into the building. Neighborcare Health, Meridian Center for Health; Seattle / NBBJ  Neighborcare Health, Meridian Center for Health; Seattle / NBBJ. Image © NBBJ/Sean Airhart Partially funded by a federal grant, the Meridian Center for Health is a first of its kind: an integrated, one-stop model for health treatment and prevention for underserved Seattle-area residents. Uniting three health organizations under the same roof, the center provides low- to no-cost medical, dental, and mental health services for adults and children. Design elements include an open floor plan, a dramatic feature stair in the lobby, and a range of team and community spaces that remain available for neighborhood organizations after hours. The Center is tracking to receive LEED Gold certification. Category B: Built, More than $25 million in construction costMercy Virtual Care Center; Chesterfield, Missouri / FORUM STUDIO  Mercy Virtual Care Center; Chesterfield, Missouri / FORUM STUDIO . Image © James Steinkamp Photography The Virtual Care Center exemplifies this Catholic health system's bold commitment to the future of healthcare. This first-of-its-kind facility advances Mercy's mission of transformative care while dramatically improving outcomes through improved patient management. The design blends the built with nature through an authentic use of materials and space. A palette of stone, glass, precast and wood coupled with flexible floor plates create an environment that fosters innovation, collaboration and patient centric care. The Virtual Care Center, the genesis of a national consortium of virtual providers, pioneers a new model of care. UC San Diego Jacobs Medical Center; La Jolla, California / Cannon Design  UC San Diego Jacobs Medical Center; La Jolla, California / Cannon Design. Image © Christopher Barrett Reflective of UC San Diego's vision toward the future intersections between technology and medicine, Jacobs Medical Center is designed as three hospitals in one with focus on women's and children's, cancer and specialty surgery. The tower is the cornerstone of a new campus identity focused on the future of health, pairing cutting-edge, modern medicine with best-in-class patient experience. Category C: Renovations/Remodeled - Primarily built within existing hospital or clinical spaceAdvocate Lutheran General Hospital Cardiac Catheterization Suite; Park Ridge, Illinois / Philips Design and Anderson Mikos Architects  Advocate Lutheran General Hospital Cardiac Catheterization Suite; Park Ridge, Illinois / Philips Design and Anderson Mikos Architects. Image © Craig Dugan Photography The design team worked closely with key stakeholders to achieve Advocate Health Care Heart Institute's goal of improved customer experience, safety, and outcomes. The new cardiac catheterization suite improves the way people receive care through the complete transformation of patient, family and staff experiences. The resulting optimized flow and journey includes a transradial recovery lounge, labs that inspire confidence while improving safety, and a first-of-its-kind prep/recovery bay solution that enables a less stressful recuperation personalized for each patient. The Advocate Experience has been redefined through the service and spatial design transformation for this Suite. Bayshore Dental; Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin / Johnsen Schmaling Architects  Bayshore Dental; Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin / Johnsen Schmaling Architects. Image © Johnsen Schmaling Architects This project is the ambitious reinvention of an abandoned building and its transformation into a state-of-the-art clinic for a young dentist and her small staff. The project's rigorous architecture and meticulous details echo the ethos of the flawless efficiency, uncompromising precision and exacting purity at the center of the innovative dentistry performed here. Procedural flow strategies informed the clinic's overall layout. A continuous ceiling plane leads patients from the light-filled reception to the individual operatories, each marked by green vertical panels and light strips that animate the clinic's central corridor. White oak cabinetry and green accents complement the intentionally restrained interior palette, all contributing to a deliberately serene ambience intended to appease a sometimes-apprehensive clientele. Category D: Innovations in Planning and Design Research, Built and UnbuiltAmbulatory Surgical Facility; Kyabirwa, Uganda / Kliment Halsband Architects  Ambulatory Surgical Facility; Kyabirwa, Uganda / Kliment Halsband Architects. Image © Kliment Halsband Architects This independent, off-the-grid ambulatory surgical facility is a replicable prototype for the five billion people in the world who lack access to safe or affordable surgery. The building is composed of three functional elements: a reception pavilion with offices grouped around a family waiting area courtyard, an intermediate pavilion for pre-op and post-op activities, and a sterile pavilion with two operating rooms and related support spaces. These elements are sheltered under a solar panel shade structure, inspired by the banana plants on the site. The jury for the 2017 Healthcare Facility Design Awards includes: Gregory Wieland, AIA (Chair) Altus Studios; Tama Duffy Day, Gensler; Rick del Monte, FAIA, BeckGroup; Robin Guenther, FAIA, Perkins+Will; John Kouletsis, AIA, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc.; Joan L. Suchomel, AIA, Eckenhoff Saunders Architects and Stephen Yablon, AIA, Stephen Yablon Architecture. For more information on the winning projects, visit the AIA website, here. News and project descriptions via the American Institute of Architects. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 24 Jul 2017 06:00 AM PDT  © César Bejar
 © César Bejar From the architect. Casa Forasté is a single family dwelling that responds to the necessity of a young marriage that obtains a lot in a centric neighborhood of Guadalajara, Mexico. The goal was to provide a practical refugee, with an optimization of the resources.  © César Bejar  Ground Floor  © César Bejar The building has two levels and 93 square meters of construction and it is trowel in an L form lot of 60 square meters, which belonged to the rear of the adjacent construction. The architectonical program in the first level consists of a social nucleus, integrated by the living room, kitchen, powder room and a central courtyard which is the focal point of the project, also this open space allows flexibility and connection between the other spaces and guarantees lighting and ventilation to the interior of the house.  © César Bejar  © César Bejar In the second level, there is a master bedroom with its own dresser and bathroom; a secondary bedroom with a bathroom and a utility room. Due to its west orientation, the façade shows itself like a solid volume without openings, with the intention of protecting from direct sunlight. The materials used in the first plane of the front façade, point out the simpleness and sobriety of forms that were looked for in this project, the polished concrete volume was empathized like a solid figure that makes reference to a stereotomic architecture, the architecture of the cave that lies on the ground. The secondary plane is composed by a white texturized solid with a small opening that seeks contact with the light and allows it to enter the house, filling Casa Forasté with warmth.  © César Bejar This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| VTN Architects' Brick Training Complex Will Create Its Own Microclimate Using 'Sky Walks' Posted: 24 Jul 2017 04:15 AM PDT  Courtesy of VTN Architects VTN Architects has revealed plans for a new training complex for Vietnam's largest mobile network operator located within a training center campus at Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park, 30 km outside of the capital city of Hanoi. Currently under construction, the Viettel Academy Education Center has been designed as a "cooling microclimate" with short-term residential accommodation aimed at creating a quiet, peaceful space for the company's new trainees to focus on their studies away from the distraction of the city.  Courtesy of VTN Architects The Education Centre consists of 12 programmatically-arranged blocks connected via multiple levels of circulation paths, including an expansive upper story concrete 'sky walk' that serves as a park space and helps to shield spaces below from sunlight. Coupled with a series of 'overflow pools' on the ground level, the buildings are able to produce a reduced-temperature microclimate within both indoor and outdoor spaces, a necessity in the hot tropical climate of Hanoi.  Courtesy of VTN Architects  Courtesy of VTN Architects The blocks range in size from 2 stories to 5 stories, accommodating classrooms, meeting rooms, halls, and offices. Between the volumes, ground-level and hanging gardens create a friendly atmosphere both horizontally and vertically, and provide a relaxing space for students to gather during breaks. The buildings are all being constructed from locally-made red-bricks, giving the complex a monolithic presence. At 12-16 inches (300-400 millimeters) thick, the exterior walls are made from 2 layers of bricks with a void between for insulation, reducing heat gain and energy use for cooling.  Courtesy of VTN Architects  Courtesy of VTN Architects "The brick facades become the backdrop of activities that are taking place around the blocks, creating a vivid memory for the participants during the training course," explain the architects. "The combination of red bricks facade with green space will bring a harmonious atmosphere with nature." Construction on the project is currently underway with completion expected by the end of 2017. News via VTN Architects.  Courtesy of VTN Architects  Courtesy of VTN Architects
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| Posted: 24 Jul 2017 04:00 AM PDT  © Yuri Palmin
 © Yuri Palmin From the architect. A double-leveled café and bar 'Iskra' ('Sparkle'), serving grilled chicken and a variety of sparkling wines, is located in one of the most authentic neighborhoods in Moscow. Kitai-Gorod is a part of the old city, once hidden behind the vallum that adjoined the Kremlin. Pokrovka 38A is a classicist building constructed in the late XVIII century that used to be the private residence of a noble Moscow family. After the building was nationalized by the Soviet government, a light and spacious bedroom with a vaulted ceiling — taking up 35 sq m of the ground floor — was turned into a local dairy shop. This space is now Iskra's upper-level café with a secret bar (ironically called 'Public Bar') occupying the basement beneath.  © Yuri Palmin The idea behind the project was to design a 'genuinely Moscow' interior in opposition to the monotony of the countless Brooklynesque internals of the hipster venues recently opened in the central part of the city. However, the sought authenticity isn't necessarily truly authentic: designing a 'genuinely Moscow' interior allowed for having an imagined, invented, exaggerated and fictionalized city as a reference. So the 'Moscowness' was to be conveyed via the use of 'native' colors (green, red, gray) and materials (brick, concrete and, of course, marble to evoke the underground marble paradise of the Moscow metro).  © Yuri Palmin  Concept  © Yuri Palmin The café is roomy and light, it has an open kitchen, a shiny brass hearth and a parquet-like marble pattern spreading across the bar counter as well as the floor. The pinewood furniture is light and tall and therefore doesn't clutter the space. A huge window fills the space with daylight and provides guests with a panoramic view of a central street. A glowing sign placed inside the venue serves as a lamp once the sun sets and the natural light is replaced with artificial illumination.  © Yuri Palmin  Plan  © Yuri Palmin This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Are Your Revit Skills Up to Scratch? Find Out With This Handy Guide Posted: 24 Jul 2017 02:30 AM PDT  When applying for architecture jobs, it's often necessary to self-evaluate your skill at various tasks. However, with many of these tasks--especially software--it can be difficult to give an accurate assessment since you often don't know what you don't know about the skill. This article, originally published by ArchSmarter as "Where Are You on the Path to Revit Mastery?" will help you come to an objective assessment of your skill level with one of the most complex and powerful pieces of software available. BAM! I shook my head and peeled my sore body off the mat. "Good," the instructor said, "Now try it again but with a little more force." My partner grabbed my arm, twisted his hips and threw me to the mat again. BAM! Fortunately, I remembered to tuck in my chin so my head didn't slam against the mat. "Alright, a little better that time", the instructor commented. "Do it another ten times then take a break. You both need to master this throw for your upcoming belt test." Just as I started to groan, thinking about how sore I was going to be tomorrow, my partner grabbed my wrist again and tossed me over his hip. BAM!
I was a couple months into judo training at the local YMCA. My oldest son started taking judo. I thought it looked like fun so I joined the class too. One of the things I really like about martial arts is that there's a very clear path to mastery. You start as a white belt and as you master the skills, you progress up the ranks. Eventually, after a lot of sweat and effort, you're considered a master and get your black belt. In judo, the path to becoming a black belt is very clear. There are five sets of five throws. At each belt, you need to demonstrate your mastery of those throws. The advanced throws build on the basic throws so there's a logical progression. My dojo had a poster that listed the particular skills you needed to know at each step of the way. Follow the path, listen to your instructors and, most importantly, put in the work and you'll become a master. It might take years but you'll get there.  via Pixabay. Image by Pixabay user redsalsa2 in public domain The Path to Revit MasteryUnfortunately, things aren't so clear when you're out working in the profession. The skills are not always clearly defined and there aren't always opportunities to practice them. With that in mind, I wanted to put together a path to mastering one aspect of the profession--using Revit software. Sure, it's a small part but it is vitally important to producing the work we do. The Revit mastery path is a collection of 150+ skills, grouped into five skill levels; newbie, beginner, intermediate, advanced and power user. Within each skill level, the skills are further grouped into categories that roughly correspond to Revit's categories. 1. Newbie A Newbie user has no practical experience with Revit. They're the equivalent to a white belt in martial arts and are working toward their yellow belt. These users are developing the basic skills required to contribute to a Revit project. Once a user has completed basic Revit training and demonstrated mastery of these skills, they can move on to the skills in the next category. Revit users at the Newbie level should be able to do things such as place components, create walls, create and edit a column grid, edit roof types, and create new sheets. Click here to see all the skills required of a Newbie user. 2. Beginner A Beginner user has been through initial training and has completed one project in Revit. They are comfortable with the principles of Revit and can model most elements. Revit users at the Beginner level should be able to do things such as edit component types, draw detail lines, edit project information, render a 3D view, and create contoured topography. Click here to see all the skills required of a Beginner user. 3. Intermediate An Intermediate user has completed 2 – 4 Revit projects. They are comfortable editing and creating new system types. Intermediate users can also create schedules and can demonstrate how to work collaboratively in a workshared environment. Revit users at the Intermediate level should be able to do things such as create new component types, create and edit level types, modify existing materials, automate a basic task using Dynamo, and create a new schedule. Click here to see all the skills required of an Intermediate user. 4. Advanced An Advanced user has completed 4+ projects in Revit. Advanced users can create advanced system families like stairs and compound walls. They can also create their own basic families. Advanced users have also used Dynamo to automate simple tasks in Revit. Revit users at the Advanced level should be able to do things such as create new families, create project parameters, create night renderings, create new curtain wall systems, and create walls, floors, or roofs from conceptual masses. Click here to see all the skills required of an Advanced Revit user. 5. Power User A power user is an advanced user of Revit who is experienced with the more powerful features of the software including family creation and automation using Dynamo or macros. A power user typically acts as the BIM lead on their projects. Power Users also act as trainers, helping less experienced users develop their skills. Revit users at the Power User level should be able to do things such as create a complex parametric family, automate a complex task using Dynamo, transfer project standards from another file, set up a model for worksharing, and train new Revit users. Click here to see all the skills required of a Power User. 6. BIM Manager I didn't include "BIM Manager" in this version of the Revit Mastery Path though I will likely add specific skills for this role in the future. In essence, a BIM Manager has all the skills of a Power User but operates across all projects in an office. If a Power User is a black belt then the BIM Manager runs the dojo. So what's missing?Note that the mastery path is in no way complete. I definitely missed some skills and I'm sure the skill level groupings could use some fine-tuning. Also, I'm an architect so the skills correspond to Revit in general and Revit Architecture in particular. I don't consider myself qualified to add skills for Revit MEP or Revit Structure. If you think I'm totally off the mark or missed something completely, leave a comment below. I plan to regularly revise this document. Download the complete Path to Revit MasteryFree guide! For a full list of the Path to Revit Mastery, click here to download a FREE PDF of the entire guide. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Atelier House at Charlote Village / grupoDEArquitetura Posted: 24 Jul 2017 02:00 AM PDT  © Pedro Kok
From the architect. The Atelier House at Charlote Village, affectionately called by the working group as “warehouse”. The building is settled in an unusual site at Presidente Prudente city, whose dimensions are 7.00 x 21.00m, what has been taking place in the surrounding neighborhoods to the downtown area as a quick response to the high price of the land.  © Pedro Kok In addition to lots of smaller measures, the site has undergone a gradual change of use. The primary residential use has been slowly dissipated by the insertion of sheds for general services. The desertification and depletion processes originated by these changes are the main causes of the neighbors’ (mostly elderly people nowadays) stress and insecurity.
By preserving part of its residential occupation, the neighborhood still has some urban experience. The choice of the site for constructing the mixed-use building comes from this aspect: at the same time it is inserted in a centralized zone, its residential use adds forces to the attempt of maintaining the urban experience and occupation, which are vital for the public space and city’s quality of life.  © Pedro Kok  Section  © Pedro Kok The program resolves itself in 220m², sheltering an atelier and a house. The building has 3 meters not mandatory front setback that provides a small urban gentleness. It enables a transition zone between the public and private space, offering to passers-by a staying area. A house without gates is an invitation to sidewalk meetings!  © Pedro Kok On its sides, the building touches both lateral boundaries, solving lighting and ventilation with a zenith opening that runs along its longitudinal axis. The project has a volume that contains all hydraulic installation, circulation and services, which serves the two floors: on the ground level, bathrooms and stairs; on the upper-level, kitchen, services and bathrooms. A technical slab crowns this area and provides support for the necessary equipment. Another loose volume on the upper-level shelters the intimate area of the house.  © Pedro Kok The masonry structure of concrete blocks is apparent. A massive slab, retreated from the lateral boundary, bears the residence and allows zenithal lighting. This lighting not only brightens the house, but also touches the ground level. In the upper-level, the front and the back closures are composed by hollowed elements resting on a metal beam. It makes the mooring of the building, allowing an entrance of lighting and cross-ventilation in its interior. The beam, in the back, is placed below the level of the slab, playing the role of a brise-soleil that protects from the northwest sun. Ahead of the building, the southeast sun draws the walls with its colored lights filtered by cobogós.  © Pedro Kok This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Ten Fold Designs Revolutionary Structure that Self-Deploys in Minutes Posted: 24 Jul 2017 01:00 AM PDT Eight minutes. That is the length of time UK-based company Ten Fold Engineering's self-deploying structures can transform itself from a portable rectangular container into a fully habitable space that can be used for either the residential or service sector. Transported by truck, the company offers a shelter that is energy efficient, eliminates labor costs, and is highly customizable in an effort to revolutionize the possibilities of prefabrication and construction. With the only requirement for installation being a stable ground, the options for Ten Fold's structures are expansive, including the ability to stack units for more space. The standard structure, the TF-64, includes 729 square feet of clear space when open and 112 square feet of storage space when closed. Doors, windows, and partition panels act as modular components, that can be arranged in a number of ways. The structure accommodates plumbing for showers, bathrooms, and kitchens to be fixed inside the unit or in adjoining modules. Aesthetic finishes such as the material and color of the walls are also adjustable. The structures have the ability to be equipped with clean energy technologies such as solar power, batteries, water storage and water treatment in the units or via bolt-on power system pods. With this capability, the structures can go off-grid, which is beneficial for remote and extreme climates. The long-lasting steel design is constructed to meet BREEAM and LEED standards according to Ten Fold. Not only does the portable structure represent a rethinking of residential design, but also an easily implemented solution to help communities in need. The shelters have the potential to provide services such as mobile clinics or grocery stores. A majority of the videos on the website are CGI renderings to show the versatility of the technology, but the company also employed six physical prototypes to understand the theoretical mechanics of the structure. In addition, a full-scale prototype was built to help the public and potential customers understand its practical use. The price of the units will depend on their size and complexity, and also could vary based on manufacturer or country according to Ten Fold. A list of prices for standard units will be released in late July 2017. The project still has steps to complete before wide-spread distribution, such as converting the drawings to American Building Codes, but Ten Fold anticipates that delivery of the units will be guaranteed for most areas by the end of 2018. News via: Ten Fold. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Japanese Craftsmanship Gets an Update in These OLED Patterned Tiles Posted: 23 Jul 2017 11:00 PM PDT  © Fresh Jones Japanese designer Michiru Tanaka has released a new product partnering with lighting manufacturer Kaneka to create a stainless steel tile that doubles as both an OLED and a mirror. A graduate of Tokyo's Musashino Art University, Tanaka pursued a career in architectural lighting and her projects range from commercial installations, lighting at museums as well as product design. Coined "Kumiko," the tiles come from a fusion of inspirations, ranging from traditional Japanese architecture and woodworking techniques to Manhattan's gridded cityscape. .jpg?1500055825 "© Fresh Jones") © Fresh Jones Kaneka has developed a series of ultra thin panels using "OLED" technology, with each panel a razor-thin 1mm thick. Each panel provides 55K of light, emitting no UV rays while generating a wide spectrum of white light. The panels' innovative technology means they can provide up to 50,000 hours of light – around 10,000 hours longer than standard LED's.  © Fresh Jones The diffused light that the panels create eliminates any harsh shadows and can create an atmospheric and soft interior glow when installed in different settings. The light emitted also provides "excellent colour rendering" – meaning it can reveal a wider spectrum of colours faithfully compared to a natural light source.  © Fresh Jones  © Fresh Jones
 © Fresh Jones Composed of magnetically backed modules, the Kumiko tiles are made from reflective steel components forming different designs. The name "Kumiko" is derived from the ancient Japanese woodworking technique of assembling different pieces together without nails, creating unique patterns. The technique is hundreds of years old (600-700 AD) and has been passed down through generations of craftsmen in Japan.  © Fresh Jones  © Fresh Jones The tiles are designed to snap onto surface-mounted walls as panels, creating tiled pieces that light a room up with diffused light and convert back to a mirror in the absence of lighting, with a thickness of 8.5mm. The tiles can be arranged as components of larger panels in groups of 3, 6 or more.  © Fresh Jones Tanaka has recently used her Kumiko tiles to design a site-specific "mirror maze" installation with architect Thomas Kosbau of Ore Design + Technology, which opened in Manhattan-based Great Jones Studio in June.  © Fresh Jones Information courtesy of Fresh Jones.
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