subota, 29. srpnja 2017.

Arch Daily

Arch Daily


Cap Canal / Rue Royale Architectes

Posted: 28 Jul 2017 07:00 PM PDT

© Kelvin Dolmaire © Kelvin Dolmaire
  • General Contracting: QuadriPlus
  • Environmental Quality: Etamine
  • General Contractor: Citinéa
  • Press Design, Drafting And Publishing: Anne Rolland
  • Client: Est Métropole Habitat
  • Useable Surface Area: 3,887 m2
  • Cost Of Project: 5,809,530 ex. VAT
  • Certification: Qualitel Habitat & Environment 2012
  • Translation: Version Originale (Kim Barrett)
© Kelvin Dolmaire © Kelvin Dolmaire

From the architect. How to approach designing a building offering 56 homes that also creates a balanced urban dynamic in an area undergoing a profound transformation? How to reclaim the river banks, open up a neighbourhood cut off by the canal and the ring road? How to imagine an architectural concept which looks towards the architecture of the future that is yet to be invented and to the surrounding natural environment intended to grow and develop?

© Kelvin Dolmaire © Kelvin Dolmaire

These are the ambitions of the Cap Canal project, for which the architects at the Rue Royal practice drew inspiration from the duality which so often characterises these buildings: the duality of materials, initially the most obvious contrast, as well as that of the north and south aspects of the building, of the interplay between the built and the unbuilt, of matte and shiny finishes and of the staggered volumes etc. 

This inspiration serves a commitment to providing increasingly high quality social housing, adopting a demanding and complex approach to increase space, light, privacy, view and comfort. In the Saint-Jean neighbourhood of Villeurbanne, which rubs shoulders with the town of Vaulx-en-Velin, this flagship project stands as a silent manifesto.

© Kelvin Dolmaire © Kelvin Dolmaire

Urban forms: the bow and the comb
Cap Canal plays a very special role in the redevelopment of this changing territory. As the first project, it is both the trigger and the bow of the ship, the starting point for the dynamic, setting the pace for future projects to come.  Unlike a finished object which takes up the whole plot of land, this block with its comb-like block plan, perpendicular to the canal and rue de Verdun, are a sign of a permeable city structure creating transparencies between the canal and future buildings, a stable structure for the area's future urban development with a porous relationship between the architecture and surrounding natural environment.

Site Plan Site Plan

The block plan is distributed in a simple and effective fashion around two buildings: the main building forms a block to the north surrounded by surface parking at ground level. To the south, a block set at right-angles marks the end point of the layout which continues out with garden strips extending out to the perimeter of the plot.

The two buildings are connected with glass walkways, creating a gap which contributes to the desired transparency, offering views into the heart of the plot, extended on the ground floor by the main footpath leading to the apartments.

© Kelvin Dolmaire © Kelvin Dolmaire

The interlocking architecture
Each building is divided into two volumes which fit one over the other. This staggered arrangement, which lightens the architecture, can be seen in the variations in heights and lengths, creating differentiated planes through the use of two materials with contrasting colours and textures.

© Kelvin Dolmaire © Kelvin Dolmaire

On a base of board-formed glazed concrete, also used for the loggias and balconies, these materials dialogue harmoniously.  A light-coloured coating is used on the external insulation on the north side of the building, the gables, and the east facade of the second building. Elsewhere, a metal skin that is pleated, perforated, and ribbed with a vertical pattern forms a darker bodywork which changes colour with the light, creating reflections and transparencies.

The perforated metal balcony balustrades echo this material used in a different way with the same aim of preserving the translucency.
To the north, the building plays with the patterns and thickness of shadows

© Kelvin Dolmaire © Kelvin Dolmaire

On the north facade, the windows of the bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms create a pattern and shadows. The aluminium frames overhang to different extents from this deliberately smooth facade, creating clear but variable shadows.

The architects also chose to group the frames vertically on three to five levels, forming large gaps to create even more movement. These variations around the windows contribute to the concept of a facade alternating full and empty spaces, very distinct from the facade with its metal skin.

© Kelvin Dolmaire © Kelvin Dolmaire

Garden strips
The garden is located to the south of the plot. Like a projection on the ground or the extension of the buildings, the garden is composed of planted strips running parallel to the apartments. These strips stretch from east to west. They are planted with a range of plant varieties or filled with stabilised sand. The outdoor cycle sheds fit into this pattern.

This garden, open onto the town, provides a variety of spaces and atmospheres, areas to rest, to walk or to play. The strips extend to the administrative limit of the plot without emphasising the curve. The planted strips are separated from the road with wooden fencing and the mineral elements with a metal fence.

© Kelvin Dolmaire © Kelvin Dolmaire

Social housing.
It is commonly said that social housing projects, although present considerable constraints and difficulties, are a forum for experimentation and are often at the forefront from an environmental, social, and of course an architectural perspective.

Cap Canal is by no means an exception to this rule. Firstly, in terms of the social mix, as it combines an affordable housing programme with 19 homes sold to Rhône Saône Habitat, and 37 social housing units for rent, managed by Est Métropole Habitat

© Kelvin Dolmaire © Kelvin Dolmaire

All the apartments provide a high-quality environment to maximise the comfort of residents: large balconies, dual aspect, apartments which are not overlooked, large bay windows letting in plenty of natural light.

The colours used for the facade were adjusted in conjunction with the Villeurbanne city council colourist, as well as those used in the communal areas of the building and the interiors of the rented apartments (EMH) where a pallet of three colours was chosen for the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen/living room.

© Kelvin Dolmaire © Kelvin Dolmaire

From an environmental perspective, the project meets the objectives of the 2012 thermal regulations and the Grand Lyon guidelines. A number of measures have been used including optimal compactness, external insulation, a wood pellet boiler and a clean worksite charter.

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Three House / Junsekino Architect And Design

Posted: 28 Jul 2017 03:00 PM PDT

© Spaceshift Studio © Spaceshift Studio
© Spaceshift Studio © Spaceshift Studio

From the architect. In Thai culture, people usually use window bars for the safety in their residence. However, the perception of window bars in terms of architectural aesthetic is quite difference as many of them believe the use of this element can deprive the beauty of the design. Unlike for Three House, the interpretation of window bars is deviant. By rearranging the use of window bars, this elements become a main aesthetic part as well as create the sense of uniqueness to the design.

First floor plan First floor plan

A single family living unit locating on Ladphraow, one of the crowed living area in Bangkok, called three house is named after the design concept which compose of 3 axes – 3 masses – 3 layers – 3 users.

- 3 Axes create free space of 2 masses between planes
- 3 Masses provide private, semipublic and public area
- 3 Layers for protection from environments, connectivity and security propose.
- 3 Users: Sufficient space for 3 members in the family.

© Spaceshift Studio © Spaceshift Studio

Private and public areas are created by the space among 3 layers parallel with the construction land. Layout plan creates courtyard area in the back for personal area and a courtyard garden provides both private and public space.

Cross Section Cross Section
Section 04 Section 04

Building wall is designed to be a frame for security, energy saving and heat prevention to the house. By using window bars as a frame for the outer layer, the bars is used as a part of aesthetic as well as providing some senses of security for the inner layer which is the space within. The double ceiling is to reduce the heat and create natural airflow to homeowner.

© Spaceshift Studio © Spaceshift Studio

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Glebe House - Studio & Residence / U+I Building Studio

Posted: 28 Jul 2017 01:00 PM PDT

© Thilo Pulch - Pulch Photography © Thilo Pulch - Pulch Photography
© Thilo Pulch - Pulch Photography © Thilo Pulch - Pulch Photography

From the architect. This shop-top-housing project is located on a small back lane in a Heritage Conservation Area in Sydney's inner-west bustling suburb of Glebe. The new building makes maximum use of the available small site of only 92sqm by extending to all boundaries and pushing the private open space up to the top.

© Thilo Pulch - Pulch Photography © Thilo Pulch - Pulch Photography

The house draws inspiration from previous centuries european architecture translated into modern details. Internal split levels allow the exterior facade to be broken up and stepped to create a small scale appearance suitable for its location. The zinc roofing is wrapped around as standing-seam wall cladding to the upper floors, while the bottom level dark painted brick grounds the building in its setting.

© Thilo Pulch - Pulch Photography © Thilo Pulch - Pulch Photography

At street level the self-contained studio with its own kitchen and bathroom provides the opportunity to be rented out separately or live above your own workplace. A 4 meter high ceiling and minimalist material palette of brick and off-form concrete  creates an unobtrusive space waiting to be occupied by a creative person

Basement and Ground floor plans Basement and Ground floor plans

An all concrete staircase leads up to the residential part of the building. The core concrete wall starting at the studio, continues through the bedroom level and finishes in the top floor living room. The material palette that was chosen for the interior consists of concrete, timber, steel and glass, assigning each material its well determined place to provide a modern and uncluttered aesthetic.

© Thilo Pulch - Pulch Photography © Thilo Pulch - Pulch Photography

The middle level houses the bedroom, robe and bathroom. Building to all boundaries meant restriction with window placements. Therefore operable skylights in the bedroom and bathroom give glimpse of the sky while laying in bed or having a shower and provide ventilation. Also the use of wire glazed steel frame internal doors allows natural light to penetrate to the inner most areas.

Section 02 Section 02

Black polished plaster walls have been used to create accent walls in the bathroom.

Light coloured wooden floors continue up the second set of stairs and throughout the top floor main living, dining and kitchen which has been kept open plan. The high ceiling and exposed black steel beams create a dramatic look while at the same time complimenting the floor to ceiling black steel framed windows.

© Thilo Pulch - Pulch Photography © Thilo Pulch - Pulch Photography

The floating tv shelf merges into a stair that leads over a glass floor landing, which furthermore transfers natural light to the lower floors, out to the roof terrace. Here the high balustrades give total privacy to the occupants and neighbours, whilst allowing views of the surrounding treetops and glimpse of city skyline.

First and top floor plans First and top floor plans

Although appearing compact from the outside the house surprises with space and natural light on the inside. The building expresses its character through the use of materials and is an attempt to tell a coherent tale with a minimum of materials.

© Thilo Pulch - Pulch Photography © Thilo Pulch - Pulch Photography

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Hey! A Lovely Tiny Space / A'Lentil Design

Posted: 28 Jul 2017 12:00 PM PDT

Courtesy of A'Lentil Design Courtesy of A'Lentil Design
  • Architects: A'LENTIL DESIGN
  • Location: Sanchong District, New Taipei City, Taiwan
  • Area: 49.5 m2
  • Project Year: 2017
Courtesy of A'Lentil Design Courtesy of A'Lentil Design

A Couple and a Cat, Double Happiness
The happiness is enjoying the time with my lover and watching my cat walk around, even having a tea time at home on weekend, that's the dreaming life every city dweller dream about. At the first time when designer see this place, she found this tiny space is separated by several walls and it looks smaller, even causes un-smooth movement. How to make a dreaming life come true and even there is a new born baby in the future, it is really a difficult problem. Designer communicates with the couple and decides to rearrange the movement, introduce sunlight and air into rooms, to renew space allocation and their life style.

Before-After Floor Plan Before-After Floor Plan

Designer break down original housing pattern, to rearrange movement, and makes owners can reach every space with five steps from the central point of house. To reduce aisle and corners, designer makes space open, introduce sunlight into rooms, and makes inside room looks bright and bigger. Besides, designer integrates owners' requirements, to strength functional design, and converts second bedroom into living room, efficiently use every space. Making original wall hang TV to be a book shelf, and there still space for sofa and table under the shelf.

Courtesy of A'Lentil Design Courtesy of A'Lentil Design

Furthermore, to create a cloakroom from an aisle, it not only meet hostess's requirement, but also make use of fractional area to create beautiful under stair storage. At the last, to consider about new born baby, designer builds an attic as a bedroom, it could be a storage room, or second bedroom, and even a small world for cat or for children in the future. Designer not only arranges space according to couple's living habits, but also promotes space efficiencies.

Courtesy of A'Lentil Design Courtesy of A'Lentil Design

For coloring plan, entire space color arrangement is white, but decorate lemon yellow dot from entrance to living room; paint main bedroom with bright Macaron color to relieve stress from work. A tiny space contains large requirements, designer meets owners' needs and makes home become the sweetest place in the world, even makes owners get happiness easily.

Courtesy of A'Lentil Design Courtesy of A'Lentil Design

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Reflections / pentArchi

Posted: 28 Jul 2017 10:00 AM PDT

© CaCo Photograpy © CaCo Photograpy
  • Design: Andrea Picanza (pentArchi)
  • Structural Engineer: Optimum Structure
  • Hydraulic Consultant: Hydraulic Design Queensland
  • Electrical Consultant: Building Services Design
© CaCo Photograpy © CaCo Photograpy

From the architect. Reflections at Camp Mountain is a modern rural farm house.

The building sits atop a spur at the foot of Camp Mountain surrounded by 360 degrees views yet secluded from the world.

© CaCo Photograpy © CaCo Photograpy

The house was sited on the southern edge so as to create a usable north-facing plateau in front of the house over looking the valley and hills beyond.

© CaCo Photograpy © CaCo Photograpy

The geometry resulting from the angles in both plan and elevation offers protection and a multitude of reflections as the sunlight changes throughout the day and present the occupants a full immersion of the given external climatic conditions.

© CaCo Photograpy © CaCo Photograpy

Externally, the hills, horizon and sky reflect themselves constantly from various angles in the glazing and the transparency of the clerestory, which provides a view of the surrounding hills behind extending the sky at sunrise and sunsets.

© CaCo Photograpy © CaCo Photograpy

Deep bored piers and a high retaining walls anchor the basement storey to the crest of the hill and allow the first level to surface as single to the courtyard.

The plan is dissected by two rammed earth walls, which define the private and public zones, enriching the interiors with its earthy color of soil from the site.

Ground Floor Ground Floor

The warmth of timber floors inside and polished concrete floors outside, the texture of the earth walls contrast with the exposed steel frame, frameless glazing system reflecting on the rural nature of the modern rural farmhouse.

© CaCo Photograpy © CaCo Photograpy

The plan is also mirrored almost symmetrically along a north south axis defining the living / parent zone living and children / dining wing areas and the kitchen being at the heart of the house straddles the center area with its teardrop concrete bench.

© CaCo Photograpy © CaCo Photograpy

The boomerang shape roof hovers over the steel frame structure becoming almost invisible from eye height and harvests the water then drawn the underground water tanks.

© CaCo Photograpy © CaCo Photograpy

At night the changing colored LED lights reflecting in the clerestory add another dimension of geometry and myriad of refractions of the interior and exterior.

The house and sky also reflects itself in the pool. Providing opportunity for play and reflection and admiration by the proud owner builder.

© Andrea Picanza © Andrea Picanza

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Engineers Have a Solution for San Francisco's Sinking Millennium Tower

Posted: 28 Jul 2017 09:00 AM PDT

Image via Wikimedia. Photo by Wikimedia user Hydrogen Iodide in public domain. Image via Wikimedia. Photo by Wikimedia user Hydrogen Iodide in public domain.

As reports have emerged that San Francisco's infamous sinking skyscraper, the Millennium Tower, is continuing to settle downward, engineers from LERA and DeSimone Consulting have unveiled a potential fix for the building's woes.

Since construction began in 2005, the 58-story luxury condominium tower has sank approximately 17 inches downward and while leaning 14 inches to the North. And according to a new report from Arup Ground, the issue doesn't appear to be resolving itself anytime soon: in the past 7 months alone, the building has sunk an additional inch and tilted a further two inches, causing cracking in the building to worsen.

Triggered to action, developer Millennium Partners brought in LERA and DeSimone to devise a solution that would return the building to its original siting and secure it against sinking, all while allowing the building to continue operating through the repair process.

The engineers' solution would involve drilling 50-100 new foundation piles from the basement level into the bedrock 200 feet below – a strategy considered during the original construction process but ultimately deemed unnecessary. Existing piles embedded into the landfill carrying the structure's mass reach just 60-91 feet down.

The plan is estimated to cost between $100 million and $150 million, though who will ultimately foot the bill remains unclear, as a lawsuit between Millennium Partners, the homeowners assocation and the nearby Transbay Transit Center remains unresolved.

Learn more about the story here.

News via San Francisco Chronicle.

"See You in Court!": 9 of Architecture's Nastiest Lawsuits

What did Pritzker Prize winner Frank Gehry get when he designed the Stata Center, an exuberantly whimsical academic complex for MIT? A very large check, plus a major lawsuit, alleging negligence and breach of contract due to rampant leaks, mold, cracks, drainage problems and sliding ice. Sometimes the most inspired designs can go awry.

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Abasto Ancho - TetrisHomes / Ariel Jacubovich | Oficina de Arquitectura + OPA Oficina Productora de Arquitectura

Posted: 28 Jul 2017 08:00 AM PDT

© Javier Agustín Rojas © Javier Agustín Rojas
  • Construction Management: Iaron Jacubovich, Ariel H. Jacubovich
  • Management And Administration: Iaron Jacubovich
  • Project Coordination And Construction Management: Inés Ariza
  • Collaborators: Pedro Magnasco, Martín Flugelman, Cecilia Segal
  • Systematization And Technical Advice: Gabriela Cárdenas, Javier Jarak
© Javier Agustín Rojas © Javier Agustín Rojas

From the architect. Abasto Ancho is a building with ten residential units and one storefront. It is located at the corner of Sarmiento and Anchorena streets in the Abasto section of Buenos Aires.

© Javier Agustín Rojas © Javier Agustín Rojas

The project was developed according to the city's building and planning codes and regulations and conditioned by the norms of the real estate market. First, the project was developed, then the units sold, and finally the building constructed with financing from the sales at construction phase in a modality common in Argentina.

© Javier Agustín Rojas © Javier Agustín Rojas

The uncertainly resulting from not knowing the building's final users at the design phase was envisioned as an opportunity to experiment with ways of organizing collective housing.

Ground Floor Plan Ground Floor Plan

To that end, three lines of architectural research were pursued: the Abasto neighborhood and its relationship to the materialization of the building's façade-envelope; the configuration of the residential units such that variability could be systemized; and the layout of the building's common spaces in order to encourage sociability. Those three lines, each of which corresponds to an instance in the building's architecture, could be called Abasto, TetrisHomes, and Branching Spaces respectively.

© Javier Agustín Rojas © Javier Agustín Rojas

Abasto
Though the building is technically located in the Balvanera neighborhood, this section of the city is known as the Abasto. That has been the case since the central market in its heart became an icon for a specific type of urban life where diversity—in goods sold and in the background of inhabitants-workers—comes together under a single vaulted ceiling.

© Javier Agustín Rojas © Javier Agustín Rojas

The Abasto market's ceiling, with its ability to join the divergent, was harnessed in the project specifically in relation to the building's façade-envelope. A piece that extends between the building's interior and exterior gives shape to partly covered intermediate spaces, balconies, terraces, sections of archways with distinct degrees of transparency.

Model 1 Model 1

The envelope was built using a system of precast concrete elements held to the building structure by metallic supports. The space between the curves of those elements and the variation in the aluminum joinery give shape to balconies and terraces. The precast elements were designed and constructed especially for the project on the basis of three models. The color of those elements was yielded by sampling the color of the Abasto market's ceiling/roof.

© Javier Agustín Rojas © Javier Agustín Rojas

TetrisHomes
No two apartments are alike in an attempt to expand the field of experimentation into the habitational possibilities of real estate projects. The façade is a continuous pieces behind which the units, with their different sections, fit together.

Pieces Breakdown Sections Pieces Breakdown Sections

The building contains four I-shaped units, one J-shaped unit, one L-shaped unit, one O-shaped unit, two T-shaped units, and one S-shaped unit, and the storefront.

© Javier Agustín Rojas © Javier Agustín Rojas

Like Tetris, this project is a simple game: all you have to do is arrange the pieces as they fall, leaving no empty spaces...

Model 2 Model 2

Branching Spaces
The common spaces and spaces for circulation were designed to structure one of the building's branching spaces rather than as a dead-end stairwell: an ample space, with triple-height ceiling, in which neighbors run into one another as they go from the domestic interior to the urban exterior.

Axonometric Axonometric

A vertical continuum that joins the lobby to the shared roof terrace in order to bring certain qualities of the street's public space to the doors of the inhabitants' homes.

© Javier Agustín Rojas © Javier Agustín Rojas
© Javier Agustín Rojas © Javier Agustín Rojas

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Zinnengasse Restaurant / Wuelser Bechtel Architekten

Posted: 28 Jul 2017 06:00 AM PDT

© Stefan Wülser © Stefan Wülser
  • Architects: Wuelser Bechtel Architekten
  • Location: Zürich, Switzerland
  • Project Team: Stefan Wülser, Nicolaj Bechtel, Alice Francesconi
  • Structural Engineer: Schnetzer Puskas Ingenieure, Stefan Bänziger
  • Area: 164.0 m2
  • Project Year: 2016
  • Photographs: Stefan Wülser
© Stefan Wülser © Stefan Wülser

From the architect. The Zinnengasse, between Münsterhof and Wühre, is one of the older intact alleys of the left bank of river Limmat and Zurichs' old town. The edge of the road and the volumetires of the building are still like they've been built in the 16th and 17th century. The houses themselves were at least partly broken off and rebuilt in the last century - except for the Neuhaus and Pelican house located directly at the. In the case of the Zinnengasse 7, only the cellar walls of the 17th century Bürgerhaus, as well as individual pieces of the original façade decoration glued to the new façade, are preserved.

© Stefan Wülser © Stefan Wülser

After a very varied use in the first 300 years the store locality on the ground floor found a constant use as a restaurant in 1959 - after demolition and reconstruction of the property. As only the second Chinese restaurant on urban land, the "Gelber Schwan" opened the doors and stood for years between distrust and curiosity of the city dwellers. Thus, before our conversion, the interior was also seen as an eclectic mixture of late modern architecture, Swiss "pub charm" and Chinese decor elements.

© Stefan Wülser © Stefan Wülser

Space imprint
We consider the three prefabricated concrete pillars as a valuable find in the interior. Placed on a statically meaningful square grid, they zonate the space rather rationally than from design desire. However, their sculptural form-language can withstand the unclear geometry of the space - more still to shape it and to give it an identity. At first sight it is extremely sharp and expressive, but the shape of the support also has a simple, subtractive logic and can be produced by means of four lapidar triangular inserts in a square formwork. An interesting timepiece of the advanced construction technique of the fifties and an occasion to think about the meaning of „the original" in a building with such a long history of change.

Concept Concept
Ground floor plan Ground floor plan

Strategy
With our conversion, we do not want to return to a meaniningful particular condition in the past, nor do we want to negate the existing and the history. We are looking for a relaxed contextuality which interprets the existing elements in an unbiased manner and puts them into interesting and surprising, new relationships. Since the character of the existing space largely depends on its heterogeneity, we try to appreciate the haptic, organic qualities of the exposed plaster of the last reconstruction as much as we do appreciate the old foundation walls. There is no more hierarchy of original and change. In the beginning of the planning process, claddings and surfaces were removed and broken off as a quasi-first designer act. The depth of the dismantling procedures was defined ad hoc, from the constant assessment of the found structures and materials, and the newly gained, raw impression of the spatial and material qualities became the starting point for a simple, precise architectural intervention: In an almost installative manner we only added the functional necessary. The atmosphere of the room is created by the tension between the raw elements and the precise, handcraft details of the additions.

© Stefan Wülser © Stefan Wülser

Bar
The dining room has a new zoning in two different, equally and quietly proportioned areas. The bar is diagonally placed (parallel to the sculptural columns) into the otherwise undirected room and wraps itself as a continuous element, from the rear part of the room up to the facade. With the help of this geometry, we are able to create different kind of bar zones. Guests can sit facing the barkeeper with a view of the spirits rack, stand as a more intimate group on the rough side wall or watch from a distance, the happenings in the Old Town alley. When facing the window. The lighting is analogous to the bar: in a likewise continuous line of open light bulbs, it follows the counter with the appropriate fixtures corresponding to the spatial situation and illuminates it from close up without causing the entire room to appear unreasonably bright. The space between the bar has been designed with a (also diagonally laid) massive panel tray and gets a pleasant proportion and a high atmospheric density.

© Stefan Wülser © Stefan Wülser

Restaurant
Despite the proximity to the bar, there is a much quieter and more concentrated atmosphere to the left of the. The geometries and details of the additions are simpler and more regular. The old walls were roughly plastered and painted in a dark color. The parquet is laid in long belts running transversely to the façade. The ceiling (a series of felt-covered wooden slats (leaves the room appear lower) leads to a duller acoustics and to a more even basic light, which is accompanied by candles on the tables that are made from the same oak as the floor. Here the room runs up to the facade and the glass folding wall can be opened completely in the summer.

© Stefan Wülser © Stefan Wülser

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With Costs Soaring, SHoP-Designed "World's Skinniest Skyscraper" Faces Foreclosure

Posted: 28 Jul 2017 05:30 AM PDT

Renderings from 111 West 57th's teaser site. Image via 111w57 Renderings from 111 West 57th's teaser site. Image via 111w57

The SHoP-designed 111 West 57th Street, "the world's skinniest skyscraper," is at risk of never being completed due to soaring construction costs, the New York Post has reported. With fewer than 20 of the supertall skyscraper's 82 stories currently constructed, a lawsuit filed by investment group AmBase is claiming the project is already $50 million over budget due in part to "egregious oversights" including neglecting to factor in the cost of construction cranes.

Renderings from 111 West 57th's teaser site. Image via 111w57 Renderings from 111 West 57th's teaser site. Image via 111w57

AmBase's suit is targeting the project developers, Michael Stern's JDS Development Group and Kevin Maloney's Property Markets Group. As reported by The Real Deal earlier this month, the two parties had developed a contentious relationship as early as last year when AmBase sued the developers for allegedly diluting their stake in the project.

The most recent news comes after the owners – Maloney, Stern and AmBase – defaulted on a $25 million loan payment to Spruce Capital Partners in June, putting the project at risk of foreclosure. A court ruling this week blocked Spruce from taking ownership of the project for the time being, but could still allow the lender to put the property up for a foreclosure auction. 

Renderings from 111 West 57th's teaser site. Image via 111w57 Renderings from 111 West 57th's teaser site. Image via 111w57

A lawyer for Stern has responded to the most recent suit as "baseless."

Court records show the original construction budget was filed at $855 million in June 2015.

News via New York Post, The Real Deal. H/T Curbed.

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Bon Lait Sports Hall / Dietrich | Untertrifaller Architekten

Posted: 28 Jul 2017 04:00 AM PDT

© Julien Lanoo © Julien Lanoo
  • Project Management: Ulrike Bale-Gabriel
  • Structural Engineering Timber: Arborescence, Bourg St. Maurice
  • Structural Engineering Concrete: DPI, Villeurbanne
  • Building Services: Astrius, Lyon
  • Building Physics: Eegenie, Lyon
  • Cost Planning: Denizou, Villeurbanne
© Julien Lanoo © Julien Lanoo

From the architect. The multi-functional sports hall is timber-frame constructed with straw insulation and forms a neighborhood hub in the heart of Bon Lait, an urban development area in the Lyonnais district of Gerland. The hall is available to both the primary and secondary schools as well as to local clubs and sports enthusiasts, and is a social meeting place for the locals throughout the week. The allocation plan consists of a triple gym for various ball sports and a training hall for martial arts, dance and gymnastics.

© Julien Lanoo © Julien Lanoo

The surrounding area is very diversified and features a dense development of predominantly four- to five-story residential buildings with recessed attic levels. Dietrich | Untertrifaller Architekten and Tekhnê Architectes decided to work within this context towards a simple building shape that opens up to the square with an urban balcony ("loggia urbaine"). This form creates a connection between the public area and the interior of the hall, thus stimulating the interaction between indoors and outdoors. With a homogeneous shell of pre-grayed larch wood battens and generous glazing, the sports hall stands out boldly from the environment. Through its simplicity, it also emphasizes its function as a low-threshold, available-to-all communal infrastructure. The outer shape of the box – which at first sight is simple – is deceptive, however.

Ground Floor Plan Ground Floor Plan

Inside the 9-meter-high hall with its 45 x 24-meter-wide playing field, the ceiling is characterized by wide-spanning laminated timber elements upon which truncated wooden pyramids evenly distribute the daylight that penetrates through the north-facing sheds throughout the room. The wall cladding made of wooden slats ensures good acoustics. The spectator stands, built as three-tiered concrete seating rows, and the interior access routes and adjoining rooms are arranged at the rear as the backbone of the building. The martial arts sports hall, which can also be used for dancing and gymnastics, is located on the upper floor. It is well-supplied with daylight via a window strip and an air space with a skylight. 

© Julien Lanoo © Julien Lanoo

The Bon Lait sports center impressively demonstrates how well timber architecture works in an urban context. The building deserves the title 'sustainable' – not least through its use of renewable resources such as wood and straw. Above all, it is an interplay between material, economic construction and building comfort that has been achieved here, with good daylight utilization, natural ventilation and aesthetically appealing surfaces.

© Julien Lanoo © Julien Lanoo

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In This Semi-Derelict Montenegrin Prison, 7 Temporary Structures Untangle the Spatial Possibilities of Nautical Rope

Posted: 28 Jul 2017 02:30 AM PDT

Kotor is an ancient fortified city located in a secluded bay on Montenegro's Adriatic coast. It has been Venetian, Austrian and—most recently—part of the former Yugoslavia. Today, as part of an independent nation, it's narrow streets, small squares, and warm stone buildings define the character of a UNESCO World Heritage Site which, each summer, becomes one vast cruise terminal as tourists arrive in their droves to bask in it's dry heat and spectacular natural environment. At this time, however, it also plays host to KotorAPSS (Architectural Prison Summer School) – an eight day-long gathering dedicated to infusing contemporary cultural life into the city by means of temporary architectural installations.

Developing the projects in Kotor, Montenegro. Image © Luka Boskovic Developing the projects in Kotor, Montenegro. Image © Luka Boskovic

Located in an abandoned, part-derelict prison built during the occupation of the Austrians, the brief faced by the twenty-six participants this year was simple: to design and build "temporary structures that have to be set-up quickly but can also become part of the public space, part of the community, part of the program, and a point of interest for visitors and tourists." The primary material: rope, produced locally; the mentor: Nikola Radeljković of Numen / For Use.

Developing the projects in Kotor, Montenegro. Image © Luka Boskovic Developing the projects in Kotor, Montenegro. Image © Luka Boskovic
Developing the projects in Kotor, Montenegro. Image © Luka Boskovic Developing the projects in Kotor, Montenegro. Image © Luka Boskovic

Broken Light

Sonja Jankov, Đina Prnjat, Nemanja Mitrović, Janž Omerzu

"150 lines of the rope project the bars of 6 prison-cell windows onto the wall they are facing. From each window, there are 25 lines coming from each window connecting outside into a single spot and in this way joining otherwise isolated prison cells. The geometry of the installation is sharp and precise in contrast to the surrounding ruined space and the greenery. These lines symbolize the beams of light and thoughts from the cells as they extend and interconnect these six spaces into the outer space but not for long as they find the wall just outside."

Project: "Broken Light". Image © Luka Boskovic Project: "Broken Light". Image © Luka Boskovic
Project: "Broken Light". Image © Luka Boskovic Project: "Broken Light". Image © Luka Boskovic
Team: "Broken Light". Image © Luka Boskovic Team: "Broken Light". Image © Luka Boskovic

Stair Strike

Sara Simoska, Agata Skorka, Nikola Abramović

"The intervention measures and experiments with the different views while moving up through the stairs. It freezes the interaction between the human and the complex space of the staircase. Leading to the hidden garden behind the prison, it introduces the spaces throughout the building." 

Team: "Stair Strike". Image © Luka Boskovic Team: "Stair Strike". Image © Luka Boskovic
Project: "Stair Strike". Image © Luka Boskovic Project: "Stair Strike". Image © Luka Boskovic

Agora

Georgios Grigoriadis, Vasilis Aloutsanidis, Dimitrios Chatzinikolis

"The concept of Agora is based on the analysis of the inner structure hierarchy and the process of the fabrication of the rope, resulting with an eight yarns structure. It starts with the woven eight-yarn rope and the knots are gradually expanding as they move away from the anchor point. The big rope opens up to form the space provoking and marking the general assembly - the agora. A place of congregation, gathering place or an assembly; central public space in ancient Greek city-states."

Project: "Agora". Image © Luka Boskovic Project: "Agora". Image © Luka Boskovic
Project: "Agora". Image © Luka Boskovic Project: "Agora". Image © Luka Boskovic
Team: "Agora". Image © Luka Boskovic Team: "Agora". Image © Luka Boskovic

How Deep is Your Love

Chi Chun Tang

"A single rope represents a single person, every single prisoner. The twisting of a single rope results in an amorphous mass, a brain of the prisoner, his distorted. But it also can be a sea creature, floating in the sea or a plant, rooted in the prison."

Project: "How Deep is Your Love". Image © Luka Boskovic Project: "How Deep is Your Love". Image © Luka Boskovic
Team: "How Deep is Your Love". Image © Luka Boskovic Team: "How Deep is Your Love". Image © Luka Boskovic

Corona

Ana Aleksić, Bojana Bobičić, Gosia Pawłowska, Snežana Zlatković , Miloš Đikanović, Andrew Scheinman, Dejan Todorović

"There is one work stuck between the prison and the church of St. Paul. Starting from the ancient well, the existing central cylindrical element in the space, different directional planes are constructed line by line by combination of a multitude of points that become crucial elements of the entire radial composition."

Project: "Corona". Image © Luka Boskovic Project: "Corona". Image © Luka Boskovic
Project: "Corona". Image © Luka Boskovic Project: "Corona". Image © Luka Boskovic
Team: "Corona". Image © Luka Boskovic Team: "Corona". Image © Luka Boskovic

Oculus

Sabina Marov, Aiste Ambrazeviciute, Luka Ljumović

"It has been inspired by an endless flow of triangular geometry within a defined space. The micro-location of the structure (small courtyard against the side-wall of the prison with high walls surrounding it) is hardly definable while the rope structure that drowns into this space appears as a contrast. The linear matrix of the installation dominates the vertical opening. Viewer is invited to approach the structure in vertical directions from two points: street level and the upper level – prison's terrace."

Project: "Oculus". Image © Luka Boskovic Project: "Oculus". Image © Luka Boskovic
Project: "Oculus". Image © Luka Boskovic Project: "Oculus". Image © Luka Boskovic
Team: "Oculus". Image © Luka Boskovic Team: "Oculus". Image © Luka Boskovic

Scope

Ines Pajović, Kristina Savić, Lina Viluma, Luka Ljumović, Miljena Vučković, Sherief Al Rifai

"Scope focuses on the spatial relationship between the inside of the prison walls and the spaces that define the outside. Despite their proximity, "the outside" remains a distant longing, exacerbated by the permanence of the steel bars that veil the window openings, and the physical dimensions of the fenestrations that restrict views to the Kotor sky. Observing the linearity of internal perspectives within the prison, particularly the walled views out of the cell windows, Scope aims to allude to an expression of freedom by bending the perspective of the prisoners view towards the sky."

Project: "Scope". Image © Luka Boskovic Project: "Scope". Image © Luka Boskovic
Project: "Scope". Image © Luka Boskovic Project: "Scope". Image © Luka Boskovic
Team: "Scope". Image © Luka Boskovic Team: "Scope". Image © Luka Boskovic

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Rincón del Pescador House / TAAB

Posted: 28 Jul 2017 02:00 AM PDT

© César Béjar © César Béjar
  • Architects: TAAB
  • Location: Jacona, Michoacán, México
  • Area: 295.0 m2
  • Project Year: 2016
  • Photographs: César Béjar
  • Mechanical Engineer: Ing. Daniel Torres Barragán
  • Construction: Taller de Arquitectura del Bajío TAAB
© César Béjar © César Béjar

From the architect. Rincón Del Pescador House develops around a central courtyard following the traditional houses of the region as a reference. Halls and passageways delimit the project: a horizontal perimetric that links the main floor areas, and a single point vertical that connects the different levels in the plan.

Ground Floor Plan Ground Floor Plan

The chosen materials --locally sourced volcanic stone-- enhance the house's main lower level areas, providing fresh spaces to rest during the day.

© César Béjar © César Béjar

The project is closed to the south, and open towards itself and the northern view of the valley. The fountain in the central courtyard draws inspiration from the local water wells, and the sound of flowing water accompanies all the other sounds in the house.

© César Béjar © César Béjar

The program consists of three levels. The lower floor, accessed through a gate, contains the main lounge, dining room, kitchen, service rooms, and master bedroom. All of them opening towards different courtyards.

Section Section

The lower level takes advantage of the topography of the land and presents a semi-basement with an open side to a sunken garden that illuminates and ventilates a music study and visitor's room.

© César Béjar © César Béjar

The house is built on an incline from which the valley of Zamora and Jacona are enjoyed, allowing the upper level (consisting of a terrace and a library) to maintain a direct relationship with the view towards the north

© César Béjar © César Béjar

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Learn to Design an Urban Block With This Set of 50 Cards

Posted: 28 Jul 2017 01:00 AM PDT

© a+t designing cards © a+t designing cards

We know perfectly well that learning in architecture and urbanism can take on multiple forms. Just think of all the modeling, drawing, plans, theoretical classes, workshops, 3D models and even virtual reality exercises. In this same line, the team at a+t architecture publishers have put together a collection of cards that seek to facilitate the designing of an urban block with 50 design styles. 

Each card measures 13 x 8 cm and is printed on both sides, with a version in English and Spanish. Also, each design includes its axonometric profile, general layout, shade patterns, use coefficient and total built space in both meters and feet. 

© a+t designing cards © a+t designing cards

The creators at a+t research group see the set as "50 strategies for organizing spaces", or, "50 reflections about the use of space." As the team explains, their size allows for architects to "compare them, put them in order and mix them up, in order to adapt the best design to the project and also to combine different forms of design to a project."

  • Isbn: 9788461794362
  • Title: Learn to Design an Urban Block With This Set of 50 Cards
  • Author: a+t research group
  • Publisher: a+t architecture publishers
  • Publication Year: 2017
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • Language: Inglés/Español

Via: a+t architecture.

Learn to Design an Urban Block With This Set of 50 Cards

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2017 Stirling Prize Shortlist Leaves Critics Divided and Underwhelmed

Posted: 28 Jul 2017 12:00 AM PDT

The 2017 winner of the UK's most prestigious architecture award, the Stirling Prize, will be announced on October 31. Leading up to the main event, The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has released its list of the six shortlisted buildings, a collection that has left many critics scratching their heads. What the list left out seems to be as noteworthy as what was included, and while critics' opinions on individual buildings differ, they seem mostly united in finding the overall list uninspiring and underwhelming. Read on to find out what they had to say.

Photography Studio for Juergen Teller / 6a architects. Image © Johan Dehlin Photography Studio for Juergen Teller / 6a architects. Image © Johan Dehlin

"This year's run-down still makes for an oddly pallid affair" – Ike Ijeh, BDOnline

Ijeh is perhaps one of the least-impressed critics. While he notes that it's less disappointing than some previous years' lists, he still takes issue with half of the chosen buildings and laments the exclusion of others, saying of the Juergen Teller studio by 6a Architects:

Doubtless this sullen concrete bunker with its militarized street façade and cell-like interiors would look great on a magazine spread. But as an exercise in urban context and human intimacy it seems coldly vacant.

While dismissive of the "big name" projects, Ijeh is slightly more impressed by the smaller nominees included in the list, with his favorite of the group being Groupwork and Amin Taha's Barrett's Grove.

This enigmatic homestead touches on that star quality of exhilaration and wonder that is the core human expectation of great architecture. Sadly it is a commodity in short supply in this year's sterile shortlist.

Barrett's Grove / Groupwork + Amin Taha. Image © Tim Soar Barrett's Grove / Groupwork + Amin Taha. Image © Tim Soar

"The biggest truck-lift in Europe…is vying with a gloriously ungaudy pier and a Glasgow tower that thinks it's a town." – Oliver Wainwright, The Guardian

While Wainwright is less harsh towards the individual buildings than Ijeh, he too recognizes the unusual nature of the collection. However, he disagrees directly with Ijeh about which buildings are most worthy of the recognition:

If the prize is to recognise civic spirit, the value of education and the elegant synthesis of a fiendishly complex set of requirements, then City of Glasgow College is the standout champion. At the other end of the scale, for sheer architectural craft alone, Teller's studio is hard to match.

Wainwright also brings up what holds as a common thread throughout the reviews: the notable exclusions from the list. He describes the left-out Tate Modern Switch House with deference and a tinge of regret:

The one surprising omission from the shortlist is Tate Modern's new Switch House, the twisting brick ziggurat by Herzog & de Meuron that looms behind Giles Gilbert Scott's power station like a defensive flak tower, housing a series of spiralling spaces within.

The British Museum World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre / Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. Image © Joas Souza The British Museum World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre / Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. Image © Joas Souza

"The Stirling Prize 2017 shortlist displays a woeful lack of adventure." – Rowan Moore, The Observer

Moore's concern about the list is that it does nothing to push the envelope of architecture and instead reacts to trends in the field while neglecting projects that truly define their time:

The collective effect is insipid. The list favours, above all else, current architects' propensities for suggestive muteness and for subtly rearranging grids.

Meanwhile the general public, looking at the shortlist, are going to think that architecture is a dull business.

Distressed by the picture that the field of architecture is sending to the general public with these nominations, Moore is another critic baffled by the snub of the Tate Modern extension. He questions in his article whether the award is truly showcasing the best cultural accomplishments or whether it's instead becoming too cerebral:

Occasionally you want architecture that really seizes your attention, that shapes space in such a way that it moves you, mind, body and memory. Tate does this on a large and public scale.

City of Glasgow College - City Campus / Reiach & Hall Architects and Michael Laird Architects. Image © Keith Hunter City of Glasgow College - City Campus / Reiach & Hall Architects and Michael Laird Architects. Image © Keith Hunter

"The Tate-shaped hole in the shortlist is not so surprising" – Rob Wilson, The Architects' Journal

Not everyone was offended by the missing Switch House. Wilson seems to find it overrated, though he does still agree that the list is lacking overall. What Wilson seems to miss in the list is diversity, appreciating it where it does appear, and generally seeming bored by the selection. He ultimately believes that the Stirling list does not account for the issues facing today's designers:

Housing seems a little under-represented... it would have been good to have seen one of the more socially or sustainably significant models that populated the National Awards.

Wilson's choice for the winner reinforces his priority for architecture that engages on a deeper level with the communities it serves. Recognizing and appreciating the interdisciplinary nature of the field, Wilson finds the list lacking in those qualities.

My favourite to win though is Reiach and Hall and Michael Laird Architects' City of Glasgow College, City Campus, and on so many counts: for what it does urbanistically, socially and architecturally, and at scale, in what is literally a small city of a building.

Command of the Oceans / Baynes and Mitchell Architects. Image © Hélène Binet Command of the Oceans / Baynes and Mitchell Architects. Image © Hélène Binet

"The Stirling prize has a pretty strange record, not exactly of getting it wrong (though it often does that) but of answering the wrong question." – Edwin Heathcote, Icon 

Another critic concerned by what the list fails to address, Heathcote agrees that the exclusion of the Tate Modern, as well as John Pawson's Design Museum, is an example of the Stirling Prize not accurately representing cultural accomplishments or engaging with society's most urgent problems.

It has omissions and it utterly fails to address society's most urgent needs and it shines a deceptively good light across the nation's architecture.

Popular among most of the other critics, Heathcote appreciates the Glasgow City College and the Juergen Teller studio. But among the seemingly disparate projects, Heathcote finally recognizes a theme, noting the rigor, exceptional detailing, and understated style they have in common:

Zaha is gone, parametricism has somehow failed to take over the world and none of these has been built by robots. The backlash against the sci-fi blockbuster starts here.

Hastings Pier / dRMM Architects. Image © Alex de Rijke Hastings Pier / dRMM Architects. Image © Alex de Rijke

2017 RIBA Stirling Prize Shortlist Announced for UK's Best New Building

Read the shortlist announcement and see more images of the 6 shortlisted projects here.

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Spotlight: Santiago Calatrava

Posted: 27 Jul 2017 11:00 PM PDT

The Quadracci Pavilion at Milwaukee Art Museum. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/bvincent/18091164/'>Flickr user bvincent</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/'>CC BY-ND 2.0</a> The Quadracci Pavilion at Milwaukee Art Museum. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/bvincent/18091164/'>Flickr user bvincent</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/'>CC BY-ND 2.0</a>

Known for his daring neo-futurist sculptural buildings and over 50 bridges worldwide, Santiago Calatrava (born July 28, 1951) is one of the most celebrated and controversial architects working today. Trained as both an architect and structural engineer, Calatrava has been lauded throughout his career for his work that seems to defy physical laws and imbues a sense of motion into still objects.

Image via screenshot from <a href='http://www.archdaily.com/773960/video-santiago-calatrava-discusses-the-wtc-transportation-hub'>ArchDaily's interview with Calatrava</a>. Image via screenshot from <a href='http://www.archdaily.com/773960/video-santiago-calatrava-discusses-the-wtc-transportation-hub'>ArchDaily's interview with Calatrava</a>.

Born and raised in Valencia, Calatrava grew up wanting to be an artist, taking art classes at 8 years old. Encouraged by his parents who saw potential for an international future for their son, he left home to attend l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. However, when he arrived in 1968, the student protests were at their climax and, finding the classes canceled, he returned to Valencia to enroll in the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura. After graduating, he went to ETH Zurich to receive a degree in structural engineering followed by a PhD in technical science, making him one of the few architects at the time to also be fully trained as an engineer.

The City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/timsnell/9153338448/in/photolist-eWRfC9-fVep9z'>Flickr user timsnell</a> licensed under <a href='http://https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/'>CC BY-ND 2.0</a> The City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/timsnell/9153338448/in/photolist-eWRfC9-fVep9z'>Flickr user timsnell</a> licensed under <a href='http://https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/'>CC BY-ND 2.0</a>

Starting his own practice in Zurich in 1981, Calatrava soon won a competition to design a local train station. The design, inspired by the skeleton of a dog that he had received as a gift, would be an indication of the style that would later define him, with curving concrete corridors that come together to create the semblance of a ribcage. His first American project, the Milwaukee Art Museum, went even further, featuring moving parts that required off-site fabrication, with organic forms reminiscent of a bird. It was also during his early career that he would design many of the bridges that helped to define his reputation as an architect, including his Bac de Roda Bridge in Barcelona, Spain.

Bac de Roda Bridge. Image © <a href='www.flickr.com/photos/52320409@N07/6139293185/in/photolist-amvtYv-D3RVMK-D3RXen-CJ2sYY-eEpxBz-CdCUVw'>Flickr user solopilar licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a> Bac de Roda Bridge. Image © <a href='www.flickr.com/photos/52320409@N07/6139293185/in/photolist-amvtYv-D3RVMK-D3RXen-CJ2sYY-eEpxBz-CdCUVw'>Flickr user solopilar licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a>

In the wake of 9/11, Calatrava received the commission in 2003 for the redesigned PATH Rail Terminal at the World Trade Center. However his design, evocative of a phoenix rising from the ashes, began a series of recent controversies, as his project was delayed several times and went violently over budget. This pattern would be repeated in a number of projects including his canceled Fordham Spire in Chicago (also known simply as the Chicago Spire) and his removal from the commission of the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, California. Calatrava, however, has disputed the poor reputation he has collected in recent years, arguing in many cases that problems with projects were caused by forces beyond his control. He nonetheless remains one of architecture's most influential figures—his ambition and structural ingenuity pushing the envelope with new projects like the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro and the Yuan Ze University Project in Taiwan.

World Trade Center Transportation Hub. Image © Santiago Calatrava World Trade Center Transportation Hub. Image © Santiago Calatrava

See all of Santiago Calatrava's Works featured on ArchDaily via the thumbnails below, and more coverage below those:

AD Interviews: Santiago Calatrava

AD Interviews: Santiago Calatrava

Santiago Calatrava Discusses the WTC Transportation Hub

AD Interviews: Santiago Calatrava on the Museum of Tomorrow

Santiago Calatrava Awarded the European Prize for Architecture

Santiago Calatrava's Turning Torso Wins CTBUH's 10 Year Award

Santiago Calatrava's Florida Polytechnic Building Awarded "Best in Steel Construction" by AISC

Video: Calatrava's Dubai Observation Tower Passes Wind Tunnel Testing

How Santiago Calatrava blurred the lines between architecture and engineering to make buildings move

With the Opening of the WTC Transportation Hub, Has Santiago Calatrava Been Vindicated?

Santiago Calatrava on Ground Zero, Design Philosophy and the Greenwich Peninsula Project

Santiago Calatrava's City of Arts and Sciences Through the Lens of Photographer Sebastian Weiss

Gallery: Calatrava's WTC Transportation Hub Photographed by Hufton+Crow

Learn About Santiago Calatrava's WTC Hub and More In This Short Documentary

Rising from Tragedy: A Conversation with Calatrava, Childs, and Libeskind by Andrew Caruso

If You Haven't Seen Calatrava's World Trade Center Oculus In Person, This is Pretty Darn Close

VIDEO: Elegance in Motion at Calatrava's Liège-Guillemins Railway Station in Belgium

Santiago Calatrava's City of Arts and Sciences Stars in Disney's "Tomorrowland"

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The Glass Centre / Philippe Samyn and Partners

Posted: 27 Jul 2017 10:00 PM PDT

© Marie-Françoise Plissart © Marie-Françoise Plissart
  • Architects And Engineers: Philippe SAMYN and PARTNERS sprl, Architects and Engineers
  • Conception And Direction: Philippe Samyn
  • Partner In Charge: L. Gestels
  • Associates: J.P. Buse, D. Debougnoux, S. Konincks, R. van Lammeren, M. Van Rossen.
  • Structural Engineering: Philippe SAMYN and PARTNERS sprl with SETESCO sa (J. Schiffmann, Ph. Samyn).
  • Mep Engineering: Philippe SAMYN and PARTNERS sprl with FTI sa (J. Michiels, Ph. Samyn).
  • Documentation Management: Philippe SAMYN and PARTNERS (A. Charon)
  • 3 D Renderings : Philippe SAMYN and PARTNERS
  • Pictures On Site: M. Scheepers – M-F Plissart – I. Tömöri
  • Models: AMA (F. Van Hoye)
  • Modelspictures: A. Fernandez
  • Main Contractor: REYNDERS B&I
  • Workshop Equipment: INTEGRATED GLASS SYSTEM
  • Monumental Lighting: MAGIC MONKEY
  • Client: TOERISME LOMMEL vzw
© Marie-Françoise Plissart © Marie-Françoise Plissart

From the architect. The Glass Centre, Flemish Centre for Modern Art, has been constructed along the length of the "De Vryheyt" passage, right in the heart of the town of Lommel. On "Dorp" square it completes the cultural ensemble for- med by the Aerts house and the regional tourist cent- re. In the "De Vryheyt" passage, a new glass gallery links "Dorp" square with the "De Adelberg" cultural centre and its future theatre.

Section 05 Section 05

The nature of the project required us to design a glass building, and it has been designed in such a way that the space it provides blends in seamlessly with the art it displays and produces, forming a unified whole. Furthermore, the structure emphasises the Glass Centre's multifunctionality (education, information, ser- vices, exhibitions and glass production). The building's architecture adapts to this multifunctionality, using glass in varied and innovative ways. The Glass Centre is composed of two interconnected glass areas that interact with each other: first, there is a parallelepiped composed of a stainless steel frame covered with an ultra-clear glass curtain wall; second, there is a glass cone made up of triangles, which clearly identifies the building as the Glass Centre. The roof is considered to be the fifth facade and will receive a special treatment in the future.

© Marie-Françoise Plissart © Marie-Françoise Plissart

The range of colours used for the finished interior decor includes only white, black and a range of pure greys, composed exclusively of white and black pigments. The result is a neutral canvass that maximises the impact of the art works and their colours. In practice, we have retained white and two shades of grey with 35 and 45 percent black.

© Marie-Françoise Plissart © Marie-Françoise Plissart

From the outset, the building's sustainability was consi- dered to be an essential element of the project, both by the owner and by the architect. Heat from the kilns is therefore collected and used to heat the building and rainwater is used for the glass production work.

© Marie-Françoise Plissart © Marie-Françoise Plissart

The 6 m high parallelepiped houses the exhibition areas, which are laid out on three levels around the cone (the lower level, street level and the first floor). The luminous street level floor attracts visitors' attention and entices them into the Glass Centre. This area overlooks the exhibition hall situated in the lower level, the access to the cone and the two-storey glass kiln. As a result, visitors are naturally drawn to the lower level.

Planimetry 02 Planimetry 02

The lower level, which benefits from little natural light, is particularly well adapted to exhibiting art works made from glass. The exhibition area has a direct link to the workshop: it is separated only by large glass panels, enabling visitors to follow the manufacturing process whilst remaining at a safe distance.

© Marie-Françoise Plissart © Marie-Françoise Plissart

A semi-closed mezzanine offers an enticing view of the cone and the exhibition area on street level.

© Marie-Françoise Plissart © Marie-Françoise Plissart

The glass cone, which is 8 m in diameter, reaches a height of 30 m, dominating the other buildings in the town centre. It is clearly visible from all directions, but it is not an imposing presence in the urban landscape thanks to its filigree structure and the ultra-clear cove- ring that makes it almost transparent. At night, however the cone stands out as a real landmark thanks to a sea of electroluminescent diodes, as well as its illuminated point. Its point, which is made of perforated steel plate, is lit from the inside by a projector that shines upwards. The electroluminescent diodes that light up the structu- re in varying patterns are attached to the joints of the frames. They snake around the walls and come to a point at the top, constantly changing the building's visual impact. 

© Marie-Françoise Plissart © Marie-Françoise Plissart

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