Arch Daily |
- Nursery in Toulouse / OECO Architectes + V2S Architectes
- EPA Studio / Elphick Proome Architects
- Yan Lane / Justin Mallia
- Mushola Nurul Islam / Parisauli Arsitek Studio
- Caboolture GP Super Clinic / Wilson Architects
- Tesla's Solar Roof System to Begin Taking Orders Next Month
- Albert Tidy Architecture Studio / Albert Tidy Arquitectos
- Willis Tower To Receive $20 Million of New SkyDeck Attractions
- Call for ArchDaily Interns: Summer 2017
- Headquarters ‘Le Duff Group’ / Ateliers 2/3/4/
- 3 Top Architects Selected to Design Community-Oriented Housing Library Developments in Chicago
- MILU / Qatarchitecten
- 5 Fun Easter Eggs Hidden in Gothic Architecture
- College Aime Cesaire / Patrick Arotcharen architecte
- Three Key Elements Needed to Revitalize Public Spaces and Promote Urban Life
- A Combination of Wonder and Structure: Christian Kerez on Swiss Architecture
- Kjellander Sjöberg Designs Four Cross-Laminated Timber Blocks to Enrich the Uppsala Cityscape
- Cefn Castell / stephenson STUDIO
| Nursery in Toulouse / OECO Architectes + V2S Architectes Posted: 24 Mar 2017 10:00 PM PDT  © Julien Lanoo
 © Julien Lanoo From the architect. The Early Years and Flexible Attendance Childcare Centre is located in the heart of the Amouroux  © Julien Lanoo Rebuilding the Early Years Centre required fitting the new building back into the neighbourhood's urban logic although in a modern way. This involved creating flowing spaces framed by simple volumes; occupying similar space to before, in cubic and orthogonal shapes, speaking the neighbourhood's architectural language.  Section The perforated metal gives the necessary unity and intimacy for the whole set of buildings whilst allowing it to be ventilated and opened up securely. Its patterns evoke a cloudy sky, reflecting a childhood theme. The building is a neutral "canvas" on which an initial touch of yellow is added (outside/inside sun, signs, niches for storage and sitting) leaving children to take over the space and make it their own. The facility's identity lies in the neighbourhood's formal vocabulary whilst providing scintillating and poetic materiality, evoking early years and repurposing at an urban level.  © Julien Lanoo The project multiplies communication points between spaces and makes it easier for it to be used by children, parents and staff. The premises stand out in two types of programmes: the servant spaces (grouping together service premises, napping rooms, etc.) where the layout marks out open spaces that are activity rooms for the children.The atrium, a sort of inner road running through the heart of the project, connects all the hubs and provides a space that can be used by the smallest children beyond its distribution function.  © Julien Lanoo The indoor organisation system revolves around the space being occupied and façades by alternating opaque volumes for the servant spaces and large glass surfaces for activity spaces.  © Julien Lanoo  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| EPA Studio / Elphick Proome Architects Posted: 24 Mar 2017 07:00 PM PDT  © Karl Beath
 © Karl Beath From the architect. Prior to the formal sub-division of the larger site, the Studio was conceived as one of four proposed freestanding office structures positioned parallel to the contours of the steeply south-facing slope. The building footprint in the lowest portion of the site, adjacent to a wooded reserve, generated the largest floor area, which would allow the studio to operate on a single level. This position also allowed for separate street access and maximum exposure within the office park.  © Karl Beath Detailed survey of the site highlighted the severity of cross-fall slopes, which would have hindered both street access and general buildability. With this information, the design was re-evaluated, which resulted in the repositioning of the building footprint at the most level portion of the site, closest and parallel to the street. The location adjustment creates a landscaped buffer to any proposed development to the north. The design is now able to capitalize on distant southern views, as well as the immediate environment of natural bush and indigenous landscaping to the east and north. The building form responds to this by becoming a rectangular glazed pavilion, elevated on tapering concrete columns that vary in height according to the slope of the site.  Sections The west end of the longitudinal arrangement engages into the hillside which allows entrance into the highest level of the building through a five meter high front door. This floor accommodates reception, meeting rooms and Director's workspaces which overlook the double volume general workspace below. The parking is located within the diminishing volume of the lowest level. Within the garage area careful attention to materials, structure and lighting create a different but equally powerful staff arrival area  © Karl Beath Structurally the off-shutter finish concrete columns and wall elements support and brace the steel structure above. Inspired by the close relationship to the adjacent tree canopy, the roof evolved into an oversailing inclined plane supported by a steel structure of 'branch-like' brackets. Having no vertical members they allow the glass envelope to run unobstructed around the corners of the building and reach up to the oversailing roof above. The roof spans the longitudinal axis, pitching with the gradient of the adjacent street. This allows for generous internal volumes to the upper floor reception areas and creates an elevated scale appropriate to the main entrance of the studio.  © Karl Beath  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 24 Mar 2017 03:00 PM PDT  © Emma Cross
 © Paul Cadenhead From the architect. Yan Lane is a small new street located in an eclectic area of the inner city of Melbourne, Australia. Undertaken on a small budget, this scheme was conceived as an opportunity to use architectural understanding to drive a development project to meaningfully infill an otherwise ignored space and to achieve financial return. The project involved the subdivision of a narrow sliver of land with no street frontage and hidden between the rear face of shops to the south and the backyard fences and sheds of houses to the north. Yan Lane is primarily the creation of a new building incorporating two houses but reaches beyond the scope of the small site to include the extension of services infrastructure from the main road and the recreation of a right of way to form a new street. The project creates an activated, human place from what was previously disused and neglected.  © Justin Mallia  © Emma Cross In response to diverse and complex surroundings the two houses are simply presented as a single building. In order to be accessible and occupiable, the form of the building contorts itself in response to the dimensionally tight parameters of the site through a stepped sectional profile. Each face of the building is assembled with different materials and performs differently to interact between its immediate external context and the internal spaces it encloses. A repetitive structural timber frame is exposed as a consistent organising principle throughout this assemblage. It conceptually stitches the facades together creating a cohesive whole.  Ground Floor  Mid Floor  Top Floor Towards the noise and clutter at the back of the adjoining shops, the south elevation presents itself in a simple unified manner through the repetition of the expressed timber columns set on a solid zincalume backing. The building can open up to engage with and enliven the laneway or it can close down to a seamless, simple façade. Towards the light, tree canopies and residential character to the north, the envelope is set back from the structural frame enabling it to be openable with wide sliding doors and becoming a deep occupiable space through a layering of extensive customised screens, terraces and planting. The facades are flexible allowing permeability to be mediated depending on the day, to suit the weather or the way the spaces are occupied.  © Paul Cadenhead The building is energy efficient, carefully detailed and tactile. It is a surprising encounter of light and tranquillity in an otherwise gritty urban setting.  Section Product Description. The structural system of this building includes a repetitive rhythm of exposed portal frames formed with naturally weather resistant Australian Cypress "Durabeam" Glulam beams braced with exposed 15mm thick Blackbutt "Armourpanel" plywood flooring. The repetitive frames give the building its unity and identity and are encountered throughout as a strong organising principle. They enable flexibility freeing the infilling envelope from structural constraints to open up, enclose or filter to meet the difficult constraints of the context. The simple but innovative use of exposed timber structure efficiently addresses multiple design objectives delivering a creative, cost efficient solution in a dense inner city context.  © Emma Cross  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Mushola Nurul Islam / Parisauli Arsitek Studio Posted: 24 Mar 2017 01:00 PM PDT  © Awangga Klereng Creative
 © Awangga Klereng Creative Mushola is a mosque-like place, generally small-sized and used as a prayer and Quran recite place for Muslim. Mushola as Muslim place of worship, have thus become a necessity for the neighbourhood. In contrast to mosque where it is dedicated as a place of worship, mushola can also be used for various activities. In general, mushola located in densely populated area, so that it has extra function as supporting facility for community's activities. In this context, Mushola Nurul Islam's location in densely populated area made it become a facility for community gathering, health service, and playground for children in the neighbourhood.  © Awangga Klereng Creative  Section  © Awangga Klereng Creative Lack of open space in the neighbourhood makes this Mushola expected to be a public facility for various activities. Therefore, on the ground floor of this building, the architect gave a quite wide semi-open space that enough to facilitate community activities. Structural columns placed on the outer side so that the columns do not interfere with the effectiveness of Mushola space.  © Awangga Klereng Creative Located in between houses made this Mushola hard to get a good lighting and air circulation. Hence, façade of the Mushola made using roster so that air and light could get in any time. This Mushola designed without massive walls, doors, and windows. Rosters on the façade act as substitute of wall and window. Roster used on the façade is specially designed and stacked to make interesting pattern. This pattern placed in almost all rooms on the upper floor and some rooms on the ground floor.  © Awangga Klereng Creative In addition to roster, Mushola's roof is designed with a lot of skylight in attempt to maximise incoming light. Skylight use in the building made the interior become interesting. Natural light that coming in from skylight holes with white plafond deliver effect of brighter space. Skylight boxes placed on all over roof surface with varying size and arranged randomly.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Caboolture GP Super Clinic / Wilson Architects Posted: 24 Mar 2017 10:00 AM PDT  © Alex Chomicz
 © Alex Chomicz From the architect. Wilson Architects has set the benchmark for healthcare design, with Caboolture's new GP Super Clinic. Unlike institutional designs traditionally employed by clinics, the $8M facility features vertical gardens, fish ponds and an atrium to foster a feeling of healing and respite. Caboolture local Fiona Heckelmann says the light-filled spaces provide an organic and calming atmosphere.  © Alex Chomicz "From a patient's perspective, it's revitalising and refreshing – because of the fact that you're surrounded by nature and life," Fiona says. "When a building makes you feel this good you just know that at the very beginning, someone stood here and considered all of the factors – light, space, breezes, ergonomics, and most importantly, how it was going to be used."  Ground Floor Plan Wilson Architects' design approach focuses on the experience of the occupants and visitors using a Salutogenic approach – a method coined by professor of medical sociology, Aaron Antonovsky. This approach promotes wellbeing in healthcare, and focuses on factors that support human health, rather than on factors that cause disease. Caboolture GP Super Clinic Executive Director David Hooper says "there's a very strong link between feeling good, and being well. The focus [at our Super Clinic] is on being well and staying well – we're focused on the system of the wellness concept."  © Alex Chomicz Wilson Architects' intent was to facilitate a positive human experience through design – a design which was scalable to enable the future viability of the centre. Hamilton Wilson, Managing Director of Wilson Architects, says design is critical to health and wellbeing, and can make a big impact on projects of all sizes, even on a small scale.  © Alex Chomicz "We design places for people. Through better design, the GP Super Clinic will in fact, enable better patient outcomes." Locals say the clinic connects to the public in a new way, and Hamilton explains this was a vital consideration in the design phase. "Our priority was in making the centre a community clinic, which is seen as part of the community, with ownership from the community," Hamilton says.  © Alex Chomicz Super Clinics Health Care (SCHC) operates the clinic as part of the Federal Government's GP Superclinic Program.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Tesla's Solar Roof System to Begin Taking Orders Next Month Posted: 24 Mar 2017 09:15 AM PDT Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced via Twitter that his company's fully-integrated solar roof system is nearly ready to be released to the public, and will begin taking orders on the shingles starting next month. The solar roof project was announced this past October after acquiring energy services provider SolarCity for $2.1 billion. Offered in four different styles – smooth glass, textured glass, French slate and Tuscan glass – the shingles would allow homeowners to make the switch to solar without having to change their aesthetic tastes. Though exact costs have yet to be released, Musk believes the system could be more affordable than a traditional roof.
"It's looking quite promising that a solar roof will actually cost less than a normal roof before you even take the value of electricity into account," said Musk at the unveiling. "So the basic proposition would be, 'Would you like a roof that looks better than a normal roof, lasts twice as long, costs less, and by the way generates electricity?' It's like, why would you get anything else?" The solar roof system would link into Tesla's Powerwall home battery system for onsite energy storage. Further details of the system have yet to be released, but SolarCity CEO Lyndon Rive has said that the company was working towards a 40 cent per watt efficiency. This would make the system competitive with other energy options. News via Interesting Engineering.
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| Albert Tidy Architecture Studio / Albert Tidy Arquitectos Posted: 24 Mar 2017 08:00 AM PDT  © Pablo Casals-Aguirre
 © Pablo Casals-Aguirre From the architect. For fifteen years, our office was in an old house of the 30s in Providencia, space that was shared with my brother and sister, both architects, too, until in a period of prosperity, the house became too small. The wish to have the workplace within walking distance from where I lived, in addition to the frequent burglaries we suffered, forced us to itinerate from place to place for two years, looking for a permanent location.  © Pablo Casals-Aguirre At the end of 2014, the office of an old law firm appeared on sale. It was the fourth floor of a 1956 building projected and built by architects Gustavo Kreft and Rodrigo de Ferrari, which had an area of 200 m2 and a 12m. The privileged view facing the top of the trees and the San Cristóbal hill in the background, the crossed ventilation and the 2.72m ceiling height, were reasons enough to materialise the purchase. In addition, the property was half way between my house – a six minute walk – and right across San Sebastian University where I work.  Axonometric  © Pablo Casals-Aguirre The refurbishment operation consisted basically in leaving the structural work and pulling down most of the partitions to integrate spaces which, in some cases, were replaced by lacquered shelves that do not reach the ceiling in order to provide a better continuity and lighting.  © Pablo Casals-Aguirre The only floor covering used was bright polished travertine marble cut along the vein 30cm by 60 cm, in a fastened layout. All the walls were painted white to reflect the LED lighting work hidden behind trimmings and linear hanging equipment. The windows were replaced by natural anodized aluminium profiles and thermopanels.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Willis Tower To Receive $20 Million of New SkyDeck Attractions Posted: 24 Mar 2017 07:15 AM PDT  Courtesy of Morningstar. Via Crain's Adrenaline junkies rejoice: the Willis Tower has announced plans for $20 million dollars of improvements to their popular glass-bottom SkyDeck observation attractions. Among the additions will be a series of new all-glass protrusions from the building, as well as a chance to rappel down a glass shaft suspended from the building's 103rd floor. Revealed in a report by Morningstar Credit Rating, the project will expand the observation deck area to the 102nd floor to accommodate double its current 600-person capacity. One new attraction, called the "Ledgewalk," will allow guests to skirt around the outside of the building supported only by a glass ledge cantilevered off of the facade (as well as a safety harness). On the other side of the building, the glass rappelling box will allow visitors to lower themselves from the 103rd to 102nd floors using a rope. Additional renovations will include a glass-walled staircase that protrudes around the corner of the building. The new attractions are expected to draw even more visitors to the tower's observation deck, already one of the city's most popular tourist destinations with over 1.7 million guests per year. It'll also need to complete with the John Hancock Center's 360 Chicago observation deck, which features a titling box that gives guests thrilling, face-first views of the streets below. A timeline for the project has yet to be determined. News via Crain's. H/T Architect's Newspaper.
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| Call for ArchDaily Interns: Summer 2017 Posted: 24 Mar 2017 06:30 AM PDT  ArchDaily is looking for a motivated and highly-skilled architecture-lover to join our team of interns for Summer 2017! An ArchDaily Content internship provides a unique opportunity to learn about our site and write engaging, witty and insightful posts. Interested? Then check out the requirements below.
If you think that you have what it takes, please fill out the following form by April 13th 10:00 AM EST. Applications will be processed on a rolling basis; once we fill the position we will stop accepting applications. (Read: Submit early!) We will contact potential candidates (and only potential candidates) for follow-ups after April 13th. Late submissions will not be accepted! ArchDaily internships are compensated.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Headquarters ‘Le Duff Group’ / Ateliers 2/3/4/ Posted: 24 Mar 2017 06:00 AM PDT .jpg?1487623109 "© Patrick Miara") © Patrick Miara
.jpg?1487623215 "© Juan Sepulveda") © Juan Sepulveda The duplication and combination of a right-angle form defines the design intent of this company headquarters in proximity to the south entry to the City of Rennes where the environment is full of contradictions inspite of its strong landscape attributes. .jpg?1487623155 "© Juan Sepulveda") © Juan Sepulveda  Section .jpg?1487623262 "© Juan Sepulveda") © Juan Sepulveda The lower right-angle sits as a socle; invites, welcomes and contains the visitor; and gives protection from the traffic noise of the bypass. In contact with the ground, its openings of simple proportions give the building its scale. Its sturdiness, its attachment are affirmed by bush hammered black concrete. .jpg?1487623095 "© Patrick Miara") © Patrick Miara  Detail .jpg?1487623273 "© Juan Sepulveda") © Juan Sepulveda The upper right-angle gives glimpses of the entry and the interior patio. It opens onto the general landscape. To affirm its lightness and deal with its hostile environment (noise, wind, sun), a screen-printed glazed skin filters the sun rays and accentuates the transientness sought in the upper volume. .jpg?1487623454 "© Juan Sepulveda") © Juan Sepulveda  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 3 Top Architects Selected to Design Community-Oriented Housing Library Developments in Chicago Posted: 24 Mar 2017 05:20 AM PDT  Initial renderings for the Roosevelt Branch, designed by SOM. Image Courtesy of The Chicago Housing Authority The City of Chicago and the Chicago Housing Authority have announced the selection of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Perkins + Will and John Ronan Architects to lead in the design of three new "co-located" affordable housing and library developments in the Chicago neighborhoods of Little Italy, West Ridge, and Irving Park. Selected from a shortlist of nine firms, the three Chicago-based teams were chosen for their "innovative ideas that will ensure that each community will have a design that best reflects its needs." The practices will work intimately with their respective communities to develop their designs. "We are fortunate to have award-winning and internationally recognized firms designing the next great civic projects here in Chicago," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "We are one of the first cities using this type of model between housing and libraries to benefit and beautify our neighborhoods." The competition invited 32 firms to submit initial proposals for the three projects, and were judged on the criteria of quality and context of the architecture relative to each site; sustainability of the building systems and materials; and layout, landscaping and design innovations. All three firms bring with them a wealth of experience building community-based projects and Chicago-based roots.  SOM will design the Roosevelt Branch at Taylor and Ada streets on the Near West Side (Little Italy). Image Courtesy of The Chicago Housing Authority SOM will design the Roosevelt Branch at Taylor and Ada streets on the Near West Side (Little Italy), as part of the CHA's ongoing redevelopment of the Roosevelt Square community. Designers of some of the city's most notable towers including the John Hancock Center and the Willis (Sears) Tower, SOM has also worked at the community level in projects such as award-winning Chinatown Branch Library.  The Northtown Branch at Western and Pratt avenues in West Ridge will be designed by Perkins + Will. Image Courtesy of The Chicago Housing Authority The Northtown Branch at Western and Pratt avenues in West Ridge will be designed by Perkins + Will, whose other Chicago projects include the Jones College Preparatory High School and the Rush University Medical Center, as well as more than a dozen libraries, such as the Brooklin Community Center and Library and the Orillia Public Library.  The design of the Independence Branch at 4022 N. Elston in Irving Park will be lead be John Ronan Architects. Image Courtesy of The Chicago Housing Authority The third project, the Independence Branch at 4022 N. Elston in Irving Park, will be lead be John Ronan Architects. The firm is recognized for designing Gary Comer Youth Center in Greater Grand Crossing, and Poetry Foundation in the River North Community. Each of the new library facilities will include childhood active learning spaces, areas of one-on-one tutoring, and access to technology and creative resources. "Libraries make knowledge and learning accessible, and offer a common space for community members of all ages," said Chicago Public Library (CPL) Commissioner Brian Bannon. "These three firms will bring world-class design to new housing and community anchors so that neighborhood residents can enjoy the best of what design has to offer." The architects will now work with project developers and the community to begin developing the projects. Construction is slated to begin by the end of 2017 with estimated completion in winter 2018. News via the Chicago Housing Authority.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 24 Mar 2017 04:00 AM PDT  © Luc Roymans
 © Luc Roymans Essentially, the detached 3-level house, originally built in 1936, asked for a thorough reconversion. A hotchpotch of rooms, most of them low on natural light, made the house lack spatiality and gave it a rather closed, introvert feeling.  © Luc Roymans  Floor Plan  © Luc Roymans However, it was the habitable area of 470 m², the garden and the location in the residential area of the city center of Ghent, quiet but close to traffic interchanges, that persuaded the owners to buy this property. Bringing daylight into the house and creating a link with the garden was the first requirement, next to adapting the outdated house to contemporary living standards.  © Luc Roymans The owners, a family with three playful boys, love spending time outside and like to have a barbecue in summer as well as in winter time. Therefore, an extension in glass and concrete was added to the rear part of the house, almost 'crawling' out of the house into the garden, reorienting the life on the garden and ensuring a direct contact with it. Its 6-meter accordion window can be opened completely, blurring the boundaries between the inside and the outside. Even when it's raining, this is a pleasant place to sit and enjoy a Gin & Tonic with an open air feeling.  © Luc Roymans Kitchen and dining area were designed in this rear part. Given the north-facing orientation of the garden, the wall-to-wall window enables a constant daylight admission into the core living areas of the house.  © Luc Roymans The extension was carried out in rough, timber shuttered concrete, true to the traditional technique. Being both striking and yet unassuming at the same time, this material creates an honest and timeless look and doesn't withdraw the attention from the essence. To balance the cold grey of the concrete, timber cladding was chosen to give the façade a sense of warmth. The interplay between the straightforwardness of the concrete and the warmth of the wood lends the extension a timeless character. Partly for the privacy of the owners, the timber cladding hides a window and a door giving access to the storage room, as well as a cabinet for the owner's Tesla Wall Connector.  © Luc Roymans On top of the extension, a green roof with wildflowers was provided. On the first floor, this results in a view lending an emphasis to the (visually) extended garden.  © Luc Roymans Inside the existing house, dividing walls have been opened up to reallocate the rooms. In order to maintain the unique character of the house, original features such as marble tiles, wooden floor boards, steel profiles, old doors and cabinets have been retained or reused wherever possible.  © Luc Roymans As for the replacement of the original windows, wood was the material of preference, allowing the architect to design a unique frame profile, including a shadow gap which gives the windows a more elegant appearance.  © Luc Roymans The existing house is a robust volume made out of masonry, with small windows. The extension was carried out in rough, timber shuttered concrete, true to the traditional technique.  © Luc Roymans Also at the interior of the house this timber shuttered concrete was used for the new structural walls. Being both striking and yet unassuming at the same time, this material creates an honest and timeless look and doesn't withdraw the attention from the essence.  © Luc Roymans  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 5 Fun Easter Eggs Hidden in Gothic Architecture Posted: 24 Mar 2017 02:30 AM PDT  Poor little fella. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/pistolero31/16563289652'>Flickr user pistolero31</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> This article was originally published on Atlas Obscura as "Five Architectural Easter Eggs Hiding on Gothic Cathedrals." The modern use of the term "easter egg"—not the holiday treat but rather a hidden joke or surprise item inserted in a piece of media—originated with Atari in 1979, when a developer snuck his name into a game hoping to get some recognition as the creator. But these surprise treats, hidden to all but those who look closely enough, aren't only lurking in the digital world. Some of the best easter eggs are snuck into the physical architecture around us. The excellent thing about architectural easter eggs, be they tongue-in-cheek, carved out of spite, or simply placed as a fun treat awaiting an observant eye, is that they endure in the landscape around us, becoming a sneaky and often confusing part of history. Here are five hidden carvings that dot historic structures with a bit of human nature. The Indecent Little Man on the Church of St. James |
| College Aime Cesaire / Patrick Arotcharen architecte Posted: 24 Mar 2017 02:00 AM PDT  © Vincent Monthiers
 © Vincent Monthiers School architecture requires the creation of specific spaces which are for both living in and teaching in. At the heart of the Landes pine forest (South West France), Saint Geours Middle School is a reasonably-sized, scalable establishment, where movement is fluid and views across the landscape are favoured.  © Vincent Monthiers Facing the forest, the plan stretches from east to west and places the two functional centres on both sides of a vast covered courtyard, which synchronises the whole composition. More than just an unoccupied space on the plan, the entrance-courtyard forms the heart of the school and is identified by a wooden canopy: the poles, with their umbrella structures, the different ways they are set up and their height variations, mark the space with an aerial graphic design and the Landes forest, appearing in the interstices, becomes a readable metaphor.  © Mathieu Choiselat The playground is therefore a protected and luminous space which, beyond its functions of passage and shelter, anchors the project within its territory. It leads to the administrative block and group work spaces, and to the west opens onto an interior street where classrooms are distributed across two levels. The impression of a dilated space without scale that this horizontal axis could give is averted by the use of dynamic lines: the architectural details (flights of stairs, window panes, walkways, roofing) are controlled by the work on the oblique, of rhythm and of interstices. As such, this re-establishes the sense of space, extending the analogy with the forest and therefore constructing a more intimate atmosphere.  © Vincent Monthiers  Details  © Vincent Monthiers This mimetic relationship between the building and the site is felt at all times, whether we are walking inside or outside the building. Thus, the tight and asymmetrical spans of the facades which are prefabricated in Landes pines reflect the irregular sequence of the tree trunks. To the south, the façade widens to integrate an aluminium brise-soleil system which lets in the sunlight in winter. No room, be it north or south facing, is subjected to direct sunlight. The glass inserts and the continuous line of roof sheds allow for optimal diffusion of sunlight in the interior spaces and tie the architectural ensemble together like a fabric filling the gaps. The efficient control of the heat and energy supplies insures that the building is comfortable to use throughout the year: this (uncertified) high-quality environmental approach sustainably limits the impact of the building on the environment. Saint Geours de Maremne Middle School therefore responds to the necessity of bringing the state school towards the context of its own settlement, to favour the feeling of an enclosed yet breathable space. The impression is one of an architectural ensemble whose elements are both woven together and contrasted, as an extension of the surrounding forest: it finally instils the feeling of belonging to the land.  © Mathieu Choiselat  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Three Key Elements Needed to Revitalize Public Spaces and Promote Urban Life Posted: 24 Mar 2017 01:00 AM PDT  Parque Cheonggyecheon en Seúl, Corea del Sur. © longzijun, vía Flickr The importance of public spaces in urban life is an issue that has been apparent since ancient Greece and is still with us today. Opportunities to meet and exchange ideas in these spaces are able to influence how the inhabitants participate in the development of their city, and occur in greater instances when public spaces are accessible to everyone. However, in modern societies, the strategic role of these spaces has been limited. According to The City Fix, a blog on sustainable urban planning, one of the main reasons for this is the overabundance of automobiles. In fact, according to one study by the Brazilian Institute for Energy and the Environment, 70% of public spaces in urban centers are taken up by roadways and other spaces for cars, while car owners make up only around 20 to 40 percent of the city’s population. How can public spaces be recovered to promote urban life? We discuss three important factors below.
1. Helping Build Vibrant CommunitiesFor a public space to attract people and encourage them to be part of the communal use of these places, it needs to possess certain design characteristics that make for a good quality location. Streets, squares, and sidewalks that connect with public spaces need to allow equal access to all residents. That happens when urban design utilizes the concept of "complete streets," meaning streets must be accessible, safe and people-centered. Something else to consider is the exploration of new forms of revitalization, like interventions of tactical urbanism, which allow for a greater variety of uses of a space.  "21 Columpios" en Montreal, Canadá For example, the urban intervention "21 Balançoires" (21 Swings) that took place in the bus stops of one of the busiest streets in Montreal. While people were walking through the area or waiting for a bus, swinging on the swings offered a way to break their routines. 2. Reinforcing the Local EconomyThe restoration of a canal that passes through downtown Seoul and its conversion into Cheonggyecheon Park is perhaps the best example of the potential influence a public space can have on the local economy. In 2002, city authorities were seeking to demolish a highway and accepted a proposal submitted by Kee Yeon Hwang. They were looking for a solution to the urban afflictions typically associated with highways: environmental and noise pollution, loss of useful space for sustainable methods of transport, and the creation of an unpleasant environment, among many others.  Usuario Flickr: wwian Kee Yeon Hwang proposed a large urban park that, once opened, managed to give back space to residents by creating a more attractive and healthy place. In addition, a portion of the 40,000 residents who were displaced by the construction of the highway returned and new employment opportunities were created in the areas around the park, whereas the highway had eliminated 80,000 jobs. The real estate sector also benefited from the park, as the area of properties increased by up to 25%, something that was well received by residents whose properties had previously been significantly devalued by the presence of the highway. While this a long-term solution, there are other short-term plans that also allow the recovery of public spaces, like holding cultural fairs and festivals. 3. Greening Public Spaces to Reduce Environmental ImpactsIf public spaces have green areas, they not only benefit citizens, but also contribute to the local ecosystem and therefore lessen environmental impacts, increasing the capacity for urban recovery and shortening the distance between people and vegetation within the urban environment.  Parque Cantinho do Céu no bairro do Grajaú em São Paulo. Fuente: Soluções para as cidades An example of this highlighted by The City Fix is the creation of the Cantinho do Céu Park in the Grajaú neighborhood of São Paulo. The park was the result of the “Water Source Program,” a city-state initiative that aims to ensure quality water and sewerage services for the metropolitan area. To accomplish this, they needed to expand the sewerage service in vulnerable sectors, to build new rainwater systems and to maintain balanced water and sewage networks. By doing so, they were able to improve the quality of these resources in a neighborhood that would not have been able to access this improvement before building the park.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| A Combination of Wonder and Structure: Christian Kerez on Swiss Architecture Posted: 24 Mar 2017 12:00 AM PDT  In this fourth episode of GSAPP Conversations, third-year GSAPP Master of Architecture student Ayesha Ghosh speaks with Swiss architect Christian Kerez, who delivered the opening lecture of the school's Spring 2017 Semester. Kerez's recent projects include Incidental Space at the Swiss Pavillion of the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale, an amorphous structure which raised questions of the limits of imagination and technical feasibility in architecture today.  GSAPP Conversations is a podcast series designed to offer a window onto the expanding field of contemporary architectural practice. Each episode pivots around discussions on current projects, research, and obsessions of a diverse group of invited guests at Columbia, from both emerging and well-established practices. Usually hosted by the Dean of the GSAPP, Amale Andraos, the conversations also feature the school's influential faculty and alumni and give students the opportunity to engage architects on issues of concern to the next generation. GSAPP Conversations #4: Christian Kerez in Conversation with Ayesha GhoshAyesha Ghosh: I am Ayesha Ghosh, a third year M.Arch student here at Columbia GSAPP. Today I'm speaking with Christian Kerez in advance of his lecture at the school on January 23rd, 2017. Christian Kerez is a Swiss architect who opened his own firm in Zurich in 1993 following a number of years spent work as an architectural photographer. He is also a professor of Design and Architecture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, and in 2012 to '13 was a visiting professor at Harvard Graduate School of Design. I actually wanted to ask you about your newest project that's been widely publicized at the Venice Biennale, Incidental Space. It seems to be making quite a few propositions at the same time about craft and digital construction, and I was wondering if you could expand a little bit on how that project emerged. Christian Kerez: Well, for Incidental Space the very first idea we had was to just build a space. You would say that biennale for architecture is dominated by architecture, but in fact you rarely find any constructions—any buildings—in the biennale. You normally find plans, drawings, models, videos, but no real architecture. So the first and most important statement was that architecture is about architecture. It's about a built space, and we insisted on that media of the built space, and therefore built a space especially for the Venice Biennale. So this was the starting point to create a kind of piece of resistance. Only later on were we looking for what the form could be, what the way of producing this space could be. And it was also an important statement that it should not be - let's say a propagandistic act, you know, it should not be a space that is referring to the language of an architect or that is referring to a specific understanding of architecture. So in this sense, it should not be pedagogical in any sense. It should just open a possibility to experience a space, and only later on you might wonder what the space is about, what the meaning is, how it was done, what the material is, whatever. In a sense you could say it's a non-referential space. Of course in the end, people always come up with metaphors or analogies to better approach a work of architecture. When we built a school in Leutschenbach, it got a nickname the Lighthaus [Leuchtturm]. And anybody understood what is the meaning of this nickname. And there were also many nicknames for our Incidental Space: like the Cloud, or the Cave, or what have you. In the end it is also about the question how you can now imagine, build, experience a space in very wide terms. Ghosh: Yes. The vector does seem to provoke a lot of questions. And I think what makes it so interesting is that the structure is actually almost incomprehensible. You don't know what's holding up one part, and the materiality is at moments ephemeral, at other moments obviously quite hard. And so it seems like it is a playful poking at what architecture is supposed to look like. Kerez: We did more than 300 models to really come up with this one. And the criteria - the ultimate criteria - for selecting the one and only model that would be scaled and later on built in Venice was that it had strangeness as a major quality. What is the appearance of the space that would make you curious, that would make you wonder, that would also be motivation to go to Venice to experience this space, which we later on also deconstructed again. And in this sense, what you said is also a confirmation of what we were looking for. Ghosh: I really like that you bring up the sense of wonder that architecture can inspire in people, because having that as an intention is almost as important sometimes as perhaps function or some social meaning that it needs to play. In terms of wonder, I do think that your work has a very interesting relationship with structure in terms of sometimes seemingly defying gravity. For example, your school in Zurich has quite heavy structure at moments and then it just lightly touches down on the ground. So I'm wondering how you approach that in your work. Do you collaborate with anyone in specific and how does your architectural design process integrate these new ideas or maybe these more challenging ideas about using structure? Kerez: Maybe to bring together the two idioms, the two words that you brought up, wonder and structure, which don't seem to be so closely related. The wonders that interest me within the field of architecture are not things which I would personally claim or invent, but much more which I believe already exist and I'm just kind of opening possibilities to experience them, to show them, to reveal them. And this very often brings you to the question of what is the evidence, you know, why a building looks like this and not like that, and what is the reason for a form. And this wondering about things, which have a physical evidence in themselves might be the reason why I closely work together with engineers. In the project for the Venice Biennale, our engineer was Joseph Schwartz, who was also involved in the schoolhouse in Zurich which you just mentioned. And in the school, it's quite obvious that there is a certain effort how forces are brought from the top floor to the basement. But let's say the project Incidental Space itself is also very much driven by structural thinking because the entire project only consists of a skin of 2 centimeters. And many people believe that this is not possible and we also thought about reinforcing this skin of 2 centimeters a lot, but in the end it was also a question of the trust in the structural system of this shaped form. You could say it's an over-defined system where every vault, where every breaking of pure geometry could also be regarded as a structural beam. In this sense it's a kind of huge amount of beams which all work together. Ghosh: There seems to be a lot of marriage in terms of technology, engineering and materiality, especially in this project Incidental Space. Do you have any propositions or ideas for applying that type of technology that's typically used for installations in more permanent architectural work? Kerez: I'm always interested in the question of how things come together in architecture. But often you see architecture like an assembly of totally separated disciplines, totally separated elements, which is the easiest way to build because then there are no negotiations necessary, neither on the construction side nor in the architectural office between the MIP engineer, the structural engineer, the architect, the representative of the client that is responsible for the brief, et cetera. For me, architecture is an entity and only if an element becomes a part of this entity, becomes only a fragment of the entire space, it becomes in this sense architectural. So let's say this desire to bring things together is also something that goes further, like bringing together circulation or how to define space with the structure. There are several projects where the stair is a load-bearing element, or that kind of way up a building becomes the stiffening of the building, et cetera, et cetera. Ghosh: So your built work is quite impressive, but personally for me, my first encounter with your work was through your website quite a few years ago. And it seems you were an early adopter of the use of GIFs and little hand-held videos going through your model spaces. And it was really exciting to see these kind of internet forms of representation be applied to architecture. And given that you're teaching and you're still producing work, are you expanding on those methods or is there something you've encountered as a new means of representation that continues to push the boundaries? Kerez: Well, my start as an architect is also the work of a photographer. Before I had the practice in architecture I worked as a photographer. And for me, thinking about how to represent architecture and how to work on architecture collides. It's the same basically. At school [ETH Zürich] we often gave to the student very tight restrictions. For example, one semester they were only allowed to do movies. They were not allowed to make sketches and we didn't even want to have a look at any model or drawing. We just wanted to see movies because we strongly believed that the media or the representation of architecture has a direct influence, a direct impact on how ideas develop within architecture. And these restrictions can also be totally verified: in one semester we only allowed them to work with words. The student had to write a text, a dogma, before they were allowed to draw anything or to make any model. And the project itself was only like a justification of the dogma that they had to propose before they were allowed to propose a specific building. And I guess these changes between work in different media also has an impact on understanding of architecture which starts with always changing perspectives. It's not just a 1-dimensional understanding of how you can perceive, how you can experience a space, but it's a constantly changing revelation of the experience of the architectural space. Ghosh: It's interesting to hear how you approach teaching, especially given our current location in GSAPP. I'm wondering if you could expand a little on bit how your practice in building architecture has influenced your teaching styles and perhaps how being in the world of academia has influenced the way you approach building buildings. Kerez: Well, I try to not develop a personal style in my office. I try to change from one project to the other, the understanding of the elements of architecture. And in this sense, I also try to understand different things, different elements in architecture at the university, than in my office. And I also believe that you can experience certain things which you cannot experience in the architectural practice and vice versa. So for me, the university is like a field that is protected from all the influences which are enormous on architecture. Let's say a budget, a schedule, has absolutely no relevance - except if this relevance could be a trigger point for how you can develop a concept within the field of architecture. But this freedom that it's not just a kind of individual place to pull back from the discipline of architecture in our case is always kind of filled with specific questions that lay in this discipline of architecture. So I personally think the idea that everything goes or that every student can do whatever he wants to do and whatever interests him is not that interesting, but only if you work together on common questions, research in an academic field can develop a certain relevance. But still, this doesn't mean that the school should or could be in any way an imitation of architectural practice. Ghosh: So we'll conclude with a more open-ended, hopefully fun question. You once spoke about flowers at the beginning of a lecture, so I'm excited to see what you're going to speak about today. But is there anything outside of the realm of architecture that you're particularly finding inspiration from? Kerez: Well, I'm just coming back from a trip through India. Ghosh: Where did you go? Kerez: I went to many different cities. And of course a lot of excitement comes from the experience of architecture itself. And also this afternoon Amale and Steffen, me, visited some buildings by Paul Rudolph, which I enjoyed a lot. Besides that, at the moment I always try to find time to read. Just today I finished the last large volume by Dostoyevsky. He wrote five major works. And sadly enough today I finished the last of these. I mean, I don't want to stress this too much, but I guess as an architect whatever you do, whatever you are involved with, it always relates you to architecture - not only that there are many very specific descriptions in the books of Dostoyevsky about architecture. It interests me a lot what is the structure of these books, you know, how he makes it possible to go over a thousand pages and you are constantly under pressure. And in the end, these books are only about an extremely short moment in time even if they are in format very epic. And this is a very abstract reasoning about a book. But you could also relate that in a certain sense to the field of architecture. How the appearance of something is not directly related to its scale. So you can have a very large scale, but still a density that you would otherwise only expect within a small building. I also don't want to stress this relevance too strongly. I mean, basically what makes a book good is within the discipline of literature, and what makes a building good is within the discipline of architecture. And these are totally separated disciplines. You can listen to every episode of GSAPP Conversations, here. This particular episode is available to listen to directly on Soundcloud and through the iTunes store and iOS Podcasts app, where you can also Subscribe. GSAPP Conversations is a podcast produced by Columbia GSAPP's Office of Communications and Events in collaboration with ArchDaily.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Kjellander Sjöberg Designs Four Cross-Laminated Timber Blocks to Enrich the Uppsala Cityscape Posted: 23 Mar 2017 11:00 PM PDT  The new buildings feature cross-laminated timber cores, and wooden detailing. Image Courtesy of Kjellander Sjoberg Swedish architecture firm Kjellander Sjöberg has released images of their proposed new city block to enrich the Swedish city of Uppsala. The four competition-winning residential buildings, known collectively as the Tunet, will feature cross-laminated timber construction and wood detailing, creating an environmentally-friendly addition to the city.  Parks, tree-lined driveways, and open courtyards form a green network. Image Courtesy of Kjellander Sjoberg Situated in the Sala Backe region of Uppsala, beside the extensively refurbished Brantingsskolan School, the Tunet development adds to the existing green network within Sala Backe. paths between the four new blocks provide connections between Brantingsskolan and a new park. A dialogue between the new buildings, landscaped paths, and nearby parks will activate a variety of overlapping urban spaces for use by students and tenants throughout the day.  The new buildings feature cross-laminated timber cores, and wooden detailing. Image Courtesy of Kjellander Sjoberg Flexibility was central to the design of the residential blocks. All the apartments have rational plans featuring a central functional core and balcony zones which lend themselves to future adaptation. The ground floor will provide generous commercial space, further activating surrounding streets. The blocks will be constructed with a core structure of cross-laminated timber with wood detailing and window hatches, further contributing to an atmospheric and individual cityscape.  New public spaces are created by the development for tenant and student use. Image Courtesy of Kjellander Sjoberg "Sala Backe is a very interesting project, in which both city and developer have high ambitions in terms of urban and architectural quality," said Ola Kjellander, founding partner at Kjellander Sjoberg. "After an intense dialogue process, we feel we really have a project that fits next to Brantingsskolan."  A family of residential timber buildings redefines the urban landscape. Image Courtesy of Kjellander Sjoberg News via: Kjellander Sjöberg
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| Cefn Castell / stephenson STUDIO Posted: 23 Mar 2017 10:00 PM PDT  © Andrew Wall photography
 © Andrew Wall photography The site is remote occupying a spectacular panoramic view location overlooking Cardigan Bay. The clients' brief was to provide a family home with three bedrooms maximizing the views and unique nature of the location. The clients' passion for art and sculpture was to be referred to in the design. The house plan is abstracted as a Mondrian inspired painting, which is hung at the heart of the house. The stone remains of a 400 year old cottage were re-used for the new boundary wall offering privacy and textural contrast of the 'traditional' juxtaposing 'the new'. The new house separates from the wall with a glass slot roof, visually suggesting the house delicately "kisses" the wall.  Axonometric All rooms enjoy a view to the panorama beyond the site as well as intimate views internally visually linking spaces through the floor plans inside to out. Visual links are abundant through the plan via pivot doors which compartment spaces down on their closure. A sliding glass screen opens to the external secluded courtyard into the plan of the living spaces. Two bedrooms have been arranged to provide closure of the plan to the private inner courtyard. The bedrooms are located to act as a retreat away from severe weather conditions.  © Andrew Wall photography At first floor is a master bedroom and en-suite. A glazed wall overlooks the sea and coastline. The en-suite bath projects out from the plan for sea and sky views. From the bedroom, further views back across the fields, to the mountains and Criccieth Castle are on offer from the stairwell via glass slot windows.  Floor Plan  Floor Plan The new house is a defining and epoch making change to what existed previously. The Local Planning Authority were fully supportive from the pre-planning consultation and duly granted consent by delegated powers. They recognized the rigor of the design and theory which fully complied with current planning policy. Elevations are about framing, layering of materials and solid and void. A steel frame structure and combination of rendered masonry and lightweight timber frame construction allowed for the large expanse openings to be created. The extrusion of the first floor references the maritime theme of coastal observation stations, whilst massing up the approach view of the house set within its own private walled courtyard.  © Andrew Wall photography A parking courtyard provides hardscape surfaces with views out onto the large lawned garden area to the sea view. The plan of the house is extruded out to form an external terrace area with a level change of approximately 300mm.  © Andrew Wall photography  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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