Arch Daily |
- House Gele Lis / GAAGA
- Zagreb Airport / Kincl + Neidhardt + Institut IGH
- M. A. C. / Made in Earth
- Trail House / Zen Architects
- Tropical Holiday Twin Houses / MM++ architects
- North Bondi / CplusC Architectural Workshop
- Los Angeles Considers Constructing Gondola Lift to Hollywood Sign
- La Tallada House Refurbishment / ARQUITECTURA-G
- Jeanne Gang Honored with 2017 Louis Kahn Memorial Award
- Bulgaria 533 / Dellekamp Arquitectos
- Henning Larsen Wins Competition for Microclimate-Creating Civic Center in Toronto
- The Bear Stand / Bohlin Grauman Miller in association with Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
- Spotlight: Gordon Bunshaft
- An Off-fur You Can't Refuse: Free Cut-Out Dogs and Cats
- Interview With Thom Mayne: “I Am a Pragmatic Idealist”
- House in Molco / Cristián Axl Valdés
- Citymapper, World-Renowned Urban Mobility App, Launches London's First Pop-Up Bus Route
- Trends in Architectural Representation: Understanding The Techniques
- Spotlight: Rafael Moneo
- 184 Shepherd's Bush Road / ColladoCollins Architects
| Posted: 09 May 2017 08:00 PM PDT  Courtesy of GAAGA
 Courtesy of GAAGA Love at first sight The clients asked several architects to come up with a vision for the design of their house. We made a small draft model which they fell in love with right away.  Courtesy of GAAGA In the leafy neighbourhood of Ypenburg, an outer suburb of The Hague, most plots on Gele Lis street had already been built on. There was one long, narrow plot still available. While it was located on the water, it also had buildings at a distance of only five metres on both sides – so sun, unobstructed views and privacy were hardly a given.  Courtesy of GAAGA The future residents asked various architects to come up with a vision for the plot. They fell in love at first sight – their words, not ours – with the small draft model we produced.  Floor Plans Plot passport The municipality steered urban development by issuing so-called 'plot passports' and it looks like the residents here have tested the limits of what's allowed. Most lots have been built on as much as possible, giving the neighbourhood an almost urban feel. One of the municipality's requirements was related to the façade: this had to be constructed of at least 50% wood. In addition, the ecological zone on the water side of the plot could be used, but not built on.  Courtesy of GAAGA We located the outdoor space on the sunny longitudinal side of the plot. By partly walling in the garden and raising it slightly, we created a sunny, private garden room as an extension of the interior space. The outdoor space extends to the ecological zone behind the house, forming a comfortable green oasis.  Courtesy of GAAGA Ingenious blocks The house is actually formed from two blocks, one on top of the other. The upper block is slightly larger than the lower, and has been shifted slightly to one side. The overhang this creates serves to further enhance the feeling of a private garden room while serving as an attractive awning for the living room.  Courtesy of GAAGA In addition, the placement of the upper block created the possibility of adding a long skylight to the ground-floor ceiling on the other side. Not only does this have an exceptional effect on the light in the room, but it also made openings in the façade unnecessary on that side of the structure – which is an added bonus for privacy.  Courtesy of GAAGA  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Zagreb Airport / Kincl + Neidhardt + Institut IGH Posted: 09 May 2017 07:00 PM PDT  © Josip Škof
 © Josip Škof From the architect. New on the architectural scene is the passenger terminal of Franjo Tudman Zagreb Airport, now impressively inaugurated in the finale to the big international competition of 2008 that attracted 17 entries, including three from Pritzker Prize winners – architect Shigeru Ban (2 nd prize), Norman Foster (3 rd prize) and Zaha Hadid (5 th prize). Ultimately, the international jury awarded the first prize to the Croatian design team.  © Josip Škof This complex project is presented as part of the new Airport City zone intended to be a future development area of metropolitan Zagreb. Apart from its well-considered functional positioning in the space, the new terminal is dominant in a planning sense as well, impressively accentuating the picture of the city in its southern views.  © Studio HRG In the layout of the ground plan, the terminal, in spite of its size, is simple and legible in its architecture, composed of an elongated tract of communications passages with aircraft stands and of a central building in which all the other functions are housed. The main volume of an almost square plan (137.5 x 131.1 m) that extends through four floors, is filled with check-in counters, hospitality establishments as well as many ancillary features and the security control zone. Within the longitudinal part of the terminal are the commercial functions and the waiting room islands, from which, via eight flexible bridges, embarkations are managed.  Levels diagram The structure's expressiveness derives from its organic shaping in conjunction with the powerful algorithm of the complex curves of the roof. The undulating silhouette helps it to fit into the surrounding context, signalises the city in which the structure is located and openly evokes the skyline of the mountain surrounding Zagreb. The roof of the new terminal leaves the impression of a light and lacy fabric that seems to be floating over the interior. The combination of metal envelope and large format glazed membranes on the facades provides unique views onto the city. This kind of approach to visual idiom is achieved in an inseparable link with the structural base of the whole terminal – a double- curved spatial steel grid composed of 26,000 'sticks' that, precisely because of the curved shape of the external envelope, are all of different lengths, linked together with the 6100 spherical nodes of the grid.  © Josip Škof Out of a utilitarian segment of the building, the structural roof grid, the effect of a work of art is created, the white of the many linear elements creating an impressive interior landscape, their geometry resulting in a sculptural impression that occupies pride of place in the experience of the interior. Underlying this expressiveness of form are striking data about the material expended – 2000 tons of structural steel, 35,000 cubic metres of concrete and 5000 tons of rebar. The new aerodrome complex is a synthesis of structural engineering, architectural art and superb functionality as well as urban contextualising, becoming a new reference point in Croatian 21 st century architecture. Out of the featureless periphery of Zagreb it has created a potent centre that will turn into a prestigious architectural and urban design gate to Croatia. by Alen Žunić  © Josip Škof  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 09 May 2017 03:00 PM PDT  Courtesy of Made in Earth
 Courtesy of Made in Earth From the architect. The project originates from a partnership between Made in Earth and Terre des Hommes Core Trust, an ONG which takes care of children in troubles (abandoned or orphans, disabled or abused), giving them a home, an education and possibly following till and through the employement age.  Courtesy of Made in Earth MiE and TdH share a strategy made of small interventions to be spread all over the region, so to create a network capable to multiply the positive effects of each one.  Ground floor plan The Community Hall (now M.A.C.) of Tiruvannamalai is one of knots of this network. It's a place where all the NGO community (children, parents, tutors) can gather together and also meet the other citizens of Tiruvannamalai. A place where the ONG open itself to the whole town and tell its story: the building had to contain a permanent exhibition of the NGO evolution through the years, and occasionally guests public events.  Courtesy of Made in Earth The building is in a region characterized by a hot wet climate, with frequent floods. But there were other and more critical conditions: mainly the limit of the budget, as well as of the local technical skills and capabilities; then the impossibility of having a standard process of the works and therefore to keep a real control on the project.  Courtesy of Made in Earth The design approach of Made in Earth is quite pragmatic and (possibly) not self-referential, that means trying not to impose any pre-constituted idea: this helps, for instance, in the selection of the materials, that are chosen keeping in mind their cost and real availability, rather than a personal imagine of exotic architecture. Simplicity, both conceptual and constructive, was a fundamental point.  Courtesy of Made in Earth  Block assembling pattern The M.A.C. is conceived as unique, semi-transparent wall, rolling itself in a spiral, continuously changing its curvature and height, and leading to a inner covered pavilion. Area being equal, the spiral allows to develop a longer path, enough to narrate the Foundation story (illustrative panels will be installed along the wall), and to create an unusual spatial sequence: the wall is made of concrete hollow blocks, whose texture merges outside and inside, while people approaching the building can perceive the overlapping of the spiral's coils.  Courtesy of Made in Earth The perforated wall, of course, filters the bright natural light into a diffused, smooth one, and takes advantage of the natural cross ventilation to refresh the pavilion. All the projects of MiE use a very simple technology: that's a part of the intervention strategy that tries to employ local and low-skilled workers, for as many as possible.  Courtesy of Made in Earth The M.A.C. building (walls, pillars, roof) is just made of one material, concrete. All blocks are handmade, with an assembling scheme that creates a kind of pattern, while varying the wall density; the blocks have been used also as a part of the formwork for the pillars casting, and so to quicken the process. But in the end, it reminds the "jaali" technique, the great perforated screens of the traditional indian architecture.  Courtesy of Made in Earth  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 09 May 2017 01:00 PM PDT  © Emma Cross
 © Emma Cross From the architect. Built on gently sloping land in suburban Melbourne, this contemporary and environmentally friendly home is designed to integrate seamlessly with the inherent natural beauty of the existing site.  © Emma Cross Our approach favoured the use of natural materials, both inside and out, in order to create a relationship between the house and its surrounding environment. A series of inter-connecting rooms allow clear lines of vision throughout the house while also maximising the available light.  © Emma Cross  Section A  © Emma Cross The application of passive solar design principles provides an abundance of warmth in winter and captures cooling breezes during summer. This light filled, split level home features the intelligent and sensitive application of sustainable design principles, conveying a feeling of openness, expansiveness and calm.  © Emma Cross  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Tropical Holiday Twin Houses / MM++ architects Posted: 09 May 2017 12:00 PM PDT  © Hiroyuki Oki
 © Hiroyuki Oki From the architect. Recalling the details of common Mekong delta traditional architecture and using local materials was the way to bring these two holiday houses in harmony with their rural environment. The project is located in Tra Vinh, in the Mekong Delta, on a very long and narrow land, 115 meters per 14 meters.  © Hiroyuki Oki  Ground floor plan  © Hiroyuki Oki The owners are a Vietnamese family of three generations who want to spend holidays in their hometown. Because of the different life styles between generations, the project is split in two houses, with strictly same area and function, mirrored and a central courtyard. While each house brings privacy for each member, the central courtyard with the swimming pool, the deck and an outdoor kitchen is the "social" hub where the family members interact each other and enjoy the outdoor activities.  © Hiroyuki Oki Position on the land of each house was chosen to minimize the impact on the site and to keep all the existing trees, area built has been reduced to the minimum to meet the needs required. Each block has a free space opened maximum to the garden trough large glass frames on the ground floor. The first floor, with three bedrooms, is entirely wrapped with both fixed and openable woven panels. With the palm leaf roof, used here as an external insulation layer and the woven timber panels, used for the façade and the cabinetry partitions inside, this project brings in harmony the local Khmer-Vietnamese culture and the idea, more contemporary, of a relaxing hideaway retreat, whiteout compromising.  © Hiroyuki Oki  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| North Bondi / CplusC Architectural Workshop Posted: 09 May 2017 10:00 AM PDT  © Murray Fredericks
 © Murray Fredericks From the architect. The stunning single-family residence located in North Bondi was designed both for easy entertaining and private family time. A narrow site with overlooking issues paired with a commitment to passive solar design and natural daylighting drove much of the resulting form. Due to the nature of the site, planning and time management was crucial in ensuring the project ran smoothly.  © Murray Fredericks Conceptually, the spatial planning of the house separates the social and family spaces. Downstairs, the interconnected kitchen, living, dining and outdoor spaces create a highly interactive and engaged site designed to accommodate large groups. A unique above ground lap-pool that shares a clear wall with the social spaces acts as a visual connection between the interior and exterior spaces, refracting natural light throughout the house.  Floor Plans Pool The pool was originally designed as a fully concrete structure and was adjusted to incorporate the striking acrylic wall after construction had commenced. A wide range of trades were involved in delivering the pool, including interstate specialist sub-contractors. The acrylic wall required that waterproofing was discretely integrated with the panels and structural columns to provide a smooth visual effect. This required a high degree of co-ordination and negotiation to bring together, as the tolerances were very tight.  © Murray Fredericks Vertical Garden Upstairs, the bedrooms overlook private green space in the form of either a yard or vertical garden. The feature screens and custom planter beds ensure privacy from neighbours and pedestrian traffic, and are fully plumbed, self-maintained and LED lit. This project marked the first time the firm had used FRP screens as a facade material, and a certain amount of on-site experimentation was required to determine the best method of assembly and fixing. The panels required a high level of preparation prior to installation, pre-drilling the holes to fix the custom FRP panels from the side with dual threaded screws. Coordination of the plumbing, lighting and landscaping was crucial for delivering this intricate system. In addition to resolving privacy issues, these planter screens enable additional landscaping possibilities on a narrow site.  © Clinton Cole Home Automation System The home automation system incorporates a fully programmable Dali and Cbus system. The client is able to select from a wide range of pre-programmed lighting and audio settings, as well as set up their own custom 'scenes' to be operated with a single touch. It is also possible to activate fixtures remotely.  © Murray Fredericks Materials The craftsmanship of the build is elegantly revealed in the material palette, which includes unfinished Kobe boards, burnished concrete, expressed timber, Corten facade and steel and timber columns that celebrate the structural systems in the house. The decision to leave the materials exposed significantly increased the complexity of the build, as any flaws or short cuts in construction would be visible in the finished structure. Additionally, the primary timber/steel flitch structure that is expressed both inside and out resulted in extremely limited tolerances for cladding, lining and window installations, further adding to the construction challenge.  © Murray Fredericks  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Los Angeles Considers Constructing Gondola Lift to Hollywood Sign Posted: 09 May 2017 09:00 AM PDT  © Flickr user adholmes. Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 Los Angeles may soon be receiving a new attraction: a gondola-style cable car system that would transport visitors up to the iconic Hollywood Sign in the Santa Monica Mountains. According to a recent interview with LA mayor Eric Garcetti, the city is considering several new options to open up access to the 45-foot-tall structure, one of which is a sky gondola that would pick up visitors at or near Universal Studios (located on the north side of the mountains in Studio City). "I think we need to have access to the Hollywood sign, both for residents and people who come here," said Garcetti. "We've got to figure out a better way that doesn't just choke all of the streets with a thousand tour buses. People can't get out of their own driveways." The news comes after the city announced the closure of the Beachwood Drive access point, one of the most popular trails offering prime views of the sign. Watch the interview with Garcetti here, and check out Curbed for extended coverage. News via ABC7.
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| La Tallada House Refurbishment / ARQUITECTURA-G Posted: 09 May 2017 08:00 AM PDT  © José Hevia
 © José Hevia From the architect. This house is located in La Tallada, a small typical village of the Empordà in Spain. The volume to be rehabilitated had undergone changes and extensions that gave a peculiar aspect to the whole project. The purpose of this intervention seeks to strengthen the vertical character of the house which the architects found extremely attractive in the environment.  © José Hevia  Floor Plan  © José Hevia From the entrance begins the ascent through stairs hat give access to the different rooms, until it arrives at the swimming pool which is the highest point of the house. Some of the original hollows of the upper volume had an elongated proportion and ended in semicircular arches, a common typology in the residential area of the town.  © José Hevia  Section  © José Hevia The architects decided to copy this pattern and repeat it throughout the upper floor, both in doors and windows as well as in the steps between rooms. The main facade also dialogues in this language, showing to the outside the sequence of spaces that are stacked inside the house by means of a great vertical hollow.  © José Hevia  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Jeanne Gang Honored with 2017 Louis Kahn Memorial Award Posted: 09 May 2017 07:00 AM PDT  WMS Boathouse at Clark Park / Studio Gang. Image © Steve Hall | Hedrich Blessing Jeanne Gang has been selected as the recipient of the 2017 Louis Kahn Memorial Award, an annual prize established by the Philadelphia Center for Architecture and Design in 1983 to recognize "an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of architecture," while honoring one of the city's most influential architects. Previous winners of the award include Bjarke Ingels, Norman Foster, Peter Bohlin, Daniel Libeskind, Robert A.M. Stern, Rafael Viñoly and César Pelli.  Writers Theatre / Studio Gang Architects. Image © Steve Hall | Hedrich Blessing Gang will be presented with the award at a ceremony at the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology on Tuesday, May 23, 2017, where she will speak about her architectural work and research.  University of Chicago Campus North Residential Commons / Studio Gang. Image © Steve Hall | Hedrich Blessing The lecture will be accompanied by an exhibition of Studio Gang's work, which will be displayed beginning May 18th at the Center for Architecture and Design. News via Philadelphia Center for Architecture and Design.
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| Bulgaria 533 / Dellekamp Arquitectos Posted: 09 May 2017 06:00 AM PDT  © Sandra Pereznieto
 © Sandra Pereznieto From the architect. This apartment building by Dellekamp Arquitectos is located in Benito Juárez, Mexico City, was conceived as a middle-class housing development for young families. The main premise of the project was to develop housing within the market range that offered a materiality and spatiality above the standard.  © Sandra Pereznieto Each apartment was divided into two habitable modules, one containing the living room, dining room, and services core, while the second is a room with closet and bathroom. The project was woven together with the possibility of having one, two or three bedrooms apartments, some of them (apartment with street view) are complemented with an outside terrace, while others have an attractive roof garden.  © Sandra Pereznieto  Section 2  © Sandra Pereznieto The project has a very clear integration between space and structure. All the materials are used in an apparent way to emphasize their plastic characteristics. The functional scheme of the habitable units allowed to have a clear scheme of constructive systems, which consists of: a central circulation with double heights and entrance of light to the center of the building, this one with metal structure and roofs of brick vault; around the circulation are the accesses and core service with kitchens, bathrooms and washrooms, load-bearing walls of apparent concrete and solid slab of concrete for the installations; finally, towards the front and rear facade rooms with double heights, rooms and dining rooms with walls of apparent concrete load and brick vaults.  Room render. Image Courtesy of Dellekamp Arquitectos  Salon view render. Image Courtesy of Dellekamp Arquitectos One of the most recurrent themes during the design process of this work was the need for material honesty in all its spaces, using in a clear way the constructive methods of brick vaults, casting of concrete walls, floors of Terrazzo, railings, and walls of laminated wood.  © Sandra Pereznieto  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Henning Larsen Wins Competition for Microclimate-Creating Civic Center in Toronto Posted: 09 May 2017 05:15 AM PDT  Adamson Associates Architects, Henning Larsen Architects and PMA Landscape Architects . Image Courtesy of Henning Larsen Architects The team consisting of Henning Larsen Architects, Adamson Associates Architects and PMA Landscape Architects has been announced as the winners of a competition to design the new 500,000-square-foot (46,500-square-meter) Etobicoke Civic Centre, beating out proposals from three other top teams. Located in Etobicoke Centre, one of four mixed-use districts marked by the City's Official Plan as a "vital" community, the new Civic Centre will feature municipal offices, civic function and gathering space, a community recreation center, a branch of the Toronto Public Library, a child care center and an expansive outdoor plaza.  Adamson Associates Architects, Henning Larsen Architects and PMA Landscape Architects . Image Courtesy of Henning Larsen Architects Organized by Build Toronto with the City of Toronto, the competition jury weighed the four proposals under the following criteria:
 Adamson Associates Architects, Henning Larsen Architects and PMA Landscape Architects . Image Courtesy of Henning Larsen Architects  Adamson Associates Architects, Henning Larsen Architects and PMA Landscape Architects . Image Courtesy of Henning Larsen Architects The proposal by Henning Larsen, Adamson Associates and PMA was selected by the jury for best satisfying these guiding principles, as well as for showing "flexibility and an iconic design well suited for the community." "This proposal sensitively reinterprets its context of place and possesses a depth of design story beyond the skin of its built form. It showcases a unique ability to openly welcome and engage everyone in a setting that is both civic and communal," said Jury Chair Gordon Stratford.  Adamson Associates Architects, Henning Larsen Architects and PMA Landscape Architects . Image Courtesy of Henning Larsen Architects  Adamson Associates Architects, Henning Larsen Architects and PMA Landscape Architects . Image Courtesy of Henning Larsen Architects The winning design has been organized into volumes of a myriad of scales, each topped with a unique roof condition, creating microclimates and a variety of spaces that encourage people to engage in the public realm. "We have utilized careful site analysis and local thermal studies to propose a dynamic and coherent design, with a streetscape designed for comfort, microclimate and the human scale," explain Henning Larsen architects. "The comfortable outdoor season is prolonged by up to five weeks. The structure will protect and gently guide the wind above the urban spaces."  Adamson Associates Architects, Henning Larsen Architects and PMA Landscape Architects . Image Courtesy of Henning Larsen Architects  Adamson Associates Architects, Henning Larsen Architects and PMA Landscape Architects . Image Courtesy of Henning Larsen Architects "There is no civic initiative more important to the Etobicoke community than the redevelopment of the Westwood Theatre Lands," said Councillor and Build Toronto Board Director Justin Di Ciano. "This exciting development will become the new heart of Etobicoke where residents can join together to celebrate civic, cultural and seasonal activities."  Adamson Associates Architects, Henning Larsen Architects and PMA Landscape Architects . Image Courtesy of Henning Larsen Architects See the runner up proposals below: Diamond Schmitt Architects (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A)  Diamond Schmitt Architects and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. Image Courtesy of Build Toronto KPMB Architects (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) and West 8 Urban Design & Landscape Architecture (Rotterdam, Netherlands)  KPMB Architects and West 8 Urban Design & Landscape Architecture. Image Courtesy of Build Toronto Moriyama & Teshima Architects (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), and FORREC Ltd. (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)  Moriyama & Teshima Architects, MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects and FORREC Ltd.. Image Courtesy of Build Toronto News via Henning Larsen Architects, Build Toronto  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Bear Stand / Bohlin Grauman Miller in association with Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Posted: 09 May 2017 04:00 AM PDT  © Nic Lehoux
 © Nic Lehoux From the architect. Located approximately three hours northeast of Toronto, Ontario, this 3,300 sq. ft. retreat is carefully situated along the shores of Contau Lake on a remote, seasonally isolated woodland spanning nearly 100 acres. Recalling childhood adventures exploring the surrounding lakes and forest, the clients wished to share this unique place with others by creating a place of reprieve to be rented to vacationing families.  Courtesy of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Nestled between the lake and an adjacent granite rock-face rising up to the south, the retreat serves as a jumping-off point to an expansive private trail network fashioned by the client. A series of delicate canoe docks and boardwalks knit shallow marshes with hilltop perches, urging exploration by both water and land. Vehicular access ends at the property, which backs onto government Crown Lands, creating a truly remote sensory experience.  © Nic Lehoux  © Nic Lehoux The two-story residence stretches parallel to the lake and rock face, with primary living and dining spaces at ground level spilling to the outdoors, and sleeping and bathing spaces perched above to capture expansive views of the lake and surrounding forest. The two levels are connected by a glazed stair volume adjacent the hillside and anchored by a monolithic fireplace clad in locally sourced granite. Outdoor amenities such as a private sauna, ofuro soaking tub, hot tub, and screened porch allow immediate enjoyment of the surroundings within comfortable reach of the interior space.  © Nic Lehoux  Courtesy of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson  © Nic Lehoux A raft of exposed Douglas fir glulam beams and decking cantilevers out over a rhythmic façade of black fiber-cement panels and stained cedar siding that mimic the lines of the forest. Interiors are finished with fir windows, wire brushed walnut flooring, benches and bar tops reclaimed from a nearby barn, and hand-crafted tile. This rich palette of materials lends a tactile softness to the building that blends seamlessly with the natural environment.  © Nic Lehoux  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 09 May 2017 03:30 AM PDT  Lever House. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/gaf/15726775064'>Flickr user gaf</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a> As lead designer of the Lever House and many of America's most historically prominent buildings, Pritzker Prize-winning architect Gordon Bunshaft (9 May 1909 – 6 August 1990) is credited with ushering in a new era of Modernist skyscraper design and corporate architecture. A stern figure and a loyal advocate of the International Style, Bunshaft spent the majority of his career as partner and lead designer for SOM, who have referred to him as "a titan of industry, a decisive army general, an architectural John Wayne."  Gordon Bunshaft outside the Beinecke Rare Book Library. Image Courtesy of SOM / © Alburtus – Yale News Bureau Born in Buffalo, New York to a Russian Jewish immigrant family, Bunshaft studied architecture at MIT, earning his bachelor's and master's degrees in 1933 and 1935, respectively. Upon graduation, he spent two years traveling in Europe through fellowships earned at school, and then moved to New York to work with Edward Durell Stone. After a short stint with Stone, he joined Louis Skidmore of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to work on projects for the 1939 New York World Fair. After a hiatus to serve in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II, Bunshaft returned to SOM, where he was named lead designer of the Lever House.  Solow Buliding. Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Solow_Building_New_York_August_2012.jpg'>Wikimedia user King of Hearts</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a> The Lever House (1952) is noted as one of the first and the most influential of International Style skyscrapers in the United States, featuring a sleek, blue-green glass tower rising from a raised podium, and a roof garden that returned greenery to the dense urban fabric of New York City. After the success of the Lever House, Bunshaft's designs continued to feature smooth, glass facades, expressed steel structure and corporate clients, such as the Manufacturer's Trust Company Building (1954) and the Chase Manhattan Bank Building (1951), both in New York City.  Manufacturer's Trust Building. Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Manufacturers_Trust_Company_Building_510_Fifth_Avenue.jpg'>Wikimedia user Beyond My Ken</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/'>CC BY-SA 4.0</a> In the early 1960s, Bunshaft started receiving commissions from cultural and educational institutions. His addition to the Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York (1961) featured a glassy black box floating over a stone podium, and for the Beinecke Rare Book Library at Yale University (1963), he used thin panels of Vermont marble to allow filtered light to pass into the main space, a large volume housing a mountain of bookstacks. He also designed his own house, called the Travertine House, in the Hamptons in 1962, and the Johnson Presidential Library in 1971.  Beinecke Rare Book Library. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/joevare/5524134719'>Flickr user joevare</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/'>CC BY-ND 2.0</a> In the 1970s, Bunshaft began employing curves in his architecture, such as in the Solow Building and W.R. Grace Building in New York (1974) and the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum (1974) in Washington, DC (for which plans for an unusual addition by Diller, Scofidio + Renfro were recently scrapped).  Hirshhorn Museum. Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hirshhorn_Museum.jpg'>Wikimedia user postdlf</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a> The final stage of Bunshaft's career took place in Saudi Arabia, where he designed the 2010 AIA Twenty-five Year Award winning Hajj Terminal at King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah (1983), utilizing a grid of tensile tent structures to provide shade both indoors and outdoors to combat the brutally hot climate. Bunshaft's final project was the National Commercial Bank Headquarters in Jeddah, completed in 1983, that features loggias at three different levels that Bunshaft referred to as "gardens in the air." Leaving on a high note, Bunshaft claimed, "I think this is one of my best and most unique projects."  Hajj Terminal at King Abdulaziz Airport, Jeddah. Image © SOM - Jay Langlois | Owens-Corning See some of the work completed by SOM during Gordon Bunshaft's tenure via the thumbnails below, and further coverage below those: Walter Netsch: The "Radical Mind" That Designed SOM's Air Force Academy Chapel  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| An Off-fur You Can't Refuse: Free Cut-Out Dogs and Cats Posted: 09 May 2017 03:30 AM PDT  via Viz-people It's a well-known fact that everything is better with puppies. Your renders are no different. Fortunately, the website Viz-people is here to help, offering a free set of 6 cut-out cat and dog .PNGs. Pets aren't the only cut-outs on offer (just the cutest—sorry, cut-out kids); in addition, Viz-people has a whole raft of free stuff for 3D modeling and rendering, including 2D cutouts of people, textures, and skies, and 3D models of cars, trees, chairs and more. Get the cats and dogs download here, check out all of Viz-people's free downloads here, or for the pros, explore the rest of the site to see their full set of paid downloads.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Interview With Thom Mayne: “I Am a Pragmatic Idealist” Posted: 09 May 2017 02:30 AM PDT  Emerson College Los Angeles, 2014. Image © Iwan Baan For many observers, Thom Mayne might easily be considered the most unpredictable personality in architecture. Once labeled the "bad boy of architecture" by critics—a moniker which he has, at times, enthusiastically adopted and even encouraged—Mayne's actions in the architecture world can range from something as responsible as designing one of the United States' most sustainable university campuses to something as outrageous as proposing one of the world's tallest towers in a revered Austrian mountain town. In this interview, the latest from Vladimir Belogolovsky's "City of Ideas" series, Mayne discusses his ideas, his past statements on architecture, and where he thinks the profession will go next. The interview was originally published by the Berlin-based SPEECH Magazine. Thom Mayne: ...When I started, there was no notion of making money. It wasn't even in my brain. I was completely fascinated with architecture. My heroes were James Stirling, John Hejduk, Raimund Abraham, Lebbeus Woods. They were producing such interesting work. I had no interest in working in a conventional sense. I was interested in figuring out who I was as an architect, understanding architecture as an art form, a social art form, a cultural art form, and what I could contribute to the discourse.  Four-Towers-in-One competition proposal for Shenzhen. Image Courtesy of Morphosis Vladimir Belogolovsky: Did you try to find your own voice? TM: Yes, but only in the very beginning. I asked myself, "Who am I? How can I participate in this collaboration of voices?" So it was not ego, it was the fear of being nothing. I am no longer interested in that. I am confident now about my voice. I was coming out of school in the 1960s when architecture, as the Modernist project, exhausted itself. Venturi's 1966 Complexity and Contradiction book set us free. Of course, architecture then turned to the Post-Modernism or historicism. But I was very much interested in his ideas of hybridization... VB: Of course, you were. Look at the text on the back cover of your latest monograph [Morphosis: Recent Works]: "I have been interested in an architecture of complexity – an architecture promoting difference, the pursuit of ambiguity, the coexistence of apparent contradictions…" These are Venturi's words, really. TM: That's right. Well, the first six pages [of Venturi's book] were very influential and the rest – just forget it. So anyway, I was consumed with developing my own creative language then. I was interested in multiple forces, in the unfinished, the misalignments of various elements.  Hanking Center Tower in Shenzhen. Image Courtesy of Morphosis VB: Your work and the world you have been constructing with your very distinctive, iconic buildings is a whole culture of architecture making. I want to read to you several of your quotes, one by one. Could you elaborate them in very short responses for me? TM: Fire away! VB: "I love architecture that starts with impossibilities." TM: I love the complexities in which architecture is embedded. I am interested in anything and everything that potentially may affect our work. And you can never master the initial goal or projection. It is unattainable, impossible. VB: "We give coherence to the world." TM: That's what we do. We order the world.  Emerson College Los Angeles, 2014. Image © Iwan Baan VB: Speaking of order, you said, "I am interested in the notion of randomness." TM: Hmm... I was thinking of a complex order, not in a classical sense. The idea is to stay alert, to continuously observe the world. I am never interested in one thing and it is always random. VB: And provocative. TM: Not to us. To others, yes. VB: You did say, "To produce something neutral is a failure." TM: Hmm... I'm not sure I agree with that anymore... Yes, in most cases.  Caltrans District 7 Headquarters, 2004. Image © Roland Halbe VB: "Architecture is always a political statement." TM: What else can it be? Of course, architecture is all about taking a position – socially, environmentally, urbanistically, ecologically. Any architecture is there to make a statement. VB: And the final one, "Architecture is an investigation of a multiplicity of forces. We produce spaces that accommodate and enhance human activities." TM: I like that! Yes, we shape behavior or we accommodate behavior. Well, we really shape it; we influence how people operate, to some degree. It is a social idea. I think it is inevitable. It is a fact of architecture. It is impossible not to have an effect on people.  The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, 2006. Image © Iwan Baan VB: Let me give you an example of how invisible architecture may be, if it is not a spectacle. I was at the Kimbell Art Museum by Kahn, the undisputed masterpiece, right? Everyone says, if you want to see real architecture go see Kimbell. Now, I was there, paying attention to how people's behavior "is shaped by architecture." And almost every single person coming in would go straight to the paintings, move from painting to painting, from room to room, back to paintings, and then leave. It was as if architecture was not there. TM: Look, Prince died last year and, shortly after, I was watching a video of him playing guitar. It was just startling. I watched again and again. Then I sent it to Wolf Prix; he is a Rock 'n' Roll guy; he plays guitar. He said, "Thom, this is a masterpiece, I listen to it all the time." I said, "Is it like Jimi Hendrix?" He said, "No, better than Hendrix." And he gave me a quote by Eric Clapton who was asked, "What's it like to be the best guitarist in the world?" And he said, "Ask Prince." Now, I sent this clip by Prince to several other people and they didn't even respond. The point being, is that certain art forms affect various people, alright? Yes, I am aware of how little people are affected by architecture, although they seem to be paying attention to some of my projects such as the Cooper Union building here in New York. Perhaps because it has a certain amount of eccentricity in it that attracts people.  Perot Museum of Nature and Science, 2012. Image © Roland Halbe VB: You said, "I am an architect and I am interested in making exciting buildings." This was your reaction to what you called "the exhaustion of the modernist project with its utopian ideas." Don't you think the modernist project still has potential? For example, Enrique Norten said to me, "I believe, one thing everyone is doing now is reinventing modernism in his or her own way. Some architects will not admit this, but we all are looking for inspiration in the work of the great masters of Modernism." Are you looking for inspiration elsewhere? TM: First of all, if you are going to keep quoting me with quotes over my 40-year career, I am not going to agree with many of them because my position is shifting. As far as Enrique's position, he defines Modernism in a particular way and not in a literal historicist way. I think he talks about the return to our focus on innovation. No question about it, and it was instilled more recently through the digital as part of that. The digital is just a technique but it allowed us to reconsider a radically different notion of organization of form-making and it freed us in a way to deal with complexity at a power of ten. But I would argue that the digital played itself out and now we are looking for new ideas.  Emerson College Los Angeles, 2014. Image © Jasmine Park VB: You have organized exhibitions and written books. These projects force architects to clarify and condense their ideas into a series of projects that convey what you are, who you are, your values, and the territory you are interested in. What is on your mind at this point and time? TM: Today, the issue I am most interested in is urbanization, which in the 21st century will supersede individual buildings. The most urgent issues today are infrastructural and urban. Architecture is expanding toward issues that become more and more relevant to our rapidly growing cities. There is negligence towards addressing these issues right now, but we will have to pay attention to them, as they are very urgent. We have to focus on the complexity and intensity of the forces at work in our vast new cities that no one understands.  Caltrans District 7 Headquarters, 2004. Image © Liao Yusheng VB: How important for you was Frank Gehry's House, which he transformed for his family in Santa Monica in 1978, the year you received your Masters Degree from Harvard? What was your reaction when you first saw it? TM: I got off the plane from Boston, and went there the next day. It was not quite finished. It was a huge sigh of relief and a breath of fresh air. I was not very interested in the specifics, but I was completely enamored with the ambition. It justified my instincts in challenging the norm. What I liked was the freedom of thought. There was none of that East Coast, over-intellectualized insecurity. It was clear that his sources were coming from outside of architecture, particularly such artists as Frank Stella and Richard Serra. But I am much more systematic and eventually I was driven toward the work and methodology of such architects as Bernard Tschumi and Peter Eisenman. Also I am into a discourse, but Gehry is complete. There is nowhere to go. The same with Rossi. His work was complete. He himself ended it. The same with Mies, unlike Le Corbusier who left so many trails. He had so many ideas and kept moving to something else all the time. VB: Do you think Tschumi and Eisenman can be followed? TM: There is logic there, discourse, methodology. Gehry is much more personal.  "LIUFFALO" by Thom Mayne. Image © Jasmine Park VB: Tschumi and Eisenman, and Gehry, including his Santa Monica house were all shown at the MoMA's "Deconstructivist Architecture" exhibition in 1988. Do you see yourself as part of that group? TM: I don't see myself as part of any group. We have broader interests and there are certain commonalities and associations. We all are interested in innovation, but all of us have individual paths. Anyway, what is missing today is the collective discourse; instead, so much energy is spent on criticizing the individual.  Bill & Melinda Gates Hall, 2014. Image © Roland Halbe VB: But this critique is consequential, don't you think? There are so many individuals that it is only natural to resist the whole notion of the current oversaturation of diversity in architecture, just as you resisted the Modernist project in the 1960s. If resistance is a given then you resist the current condition, whatever it may be. Seriously, how many different types of architecture does the world need? TM: That's the position I came to believe. There is a limitation on the form. When I go to places like Dubai or Shenzhen... I once spent the whole morning photographing different tower tops and I question myself – is there anything left? Or do you really care? Do we need another shape? That's not an interesting project. For example, I am now working on my own house and it has to have a certain look. But I am not even vaguely interested in the form. My fascination is with the unfinished, the performance, and so on. I will submerge architecture. It will be about what it means to have a family at this point in my life. The look is secondary.  The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, 2006. Image © Iwan Baan VB: Wait a minute, this house without a look and without a form, and with submerged architecture, will it reflect your internal world and who you are? TM: Of course, it will. VB: And it will have very little to do with the external world, right? TM: Just the opposite. It will be extremely about the internal world. VB: Well, you just answered your own question. You were walking around Dubai and Shenzhen wondering why we need all these different towers. But the reason we have these towers is not because we need them but because the architects of these towers are constructing their internal, highly individual worlds, just like you are constructing your own house. Very interesting. TM: No, no, no, I am interested in ways of how we can rethink the notion of office environment, living environment... The form is just a form. It is what it is. Well, of course, it is personal; it represents a set of my values.  Diamond Ranch High School (sketch), 2000. Image © Brandon Welling  Diamond Ranch High School (site plan), 2000. Image © Brandon Welling VB: Speaking of the Diamond Ranch High School in Pomona, California, built in 2000, you said, "It makes no reference to traditional typology but rather looks elsewhere to encourage inquiry and provoke curiosity." Was this your breakthrough project? Did it strike you as, "Aha, now I know what I am doing!" TM: Yes, this was the first opportunity where I had an aesthetic act and the social act to come to an alignment. It was the beginning of me. VB: How would you define your overall project? Where are you headed? TM: I have no interest in any particular trajectory. I have no idea where I am going. I live totally in the present and I deal with questions in front of me. Anything can become an inspiration. I am a pragmatic idealist.  Thom Mayne. Image © Michael Powers VLADIMIR BELOGOLOVSKY is the founder of the New York-based non-profit Curatorial Project. Trained as an architect at Cooper Union in New York, he has written five books, including Conversations with Architects in the Age of Celebrity (DOM, 2015), Harry Seidler: LIFEWORK (Rizzoli, 2014), and Soviet Modernism: 1955-1985 (TATLIN, 2010). Among his numerous exhibitions: Anthony Ames: Object-Type Landscapes at Casa Curutchet, La Plata, Argentina (2015); Colombia: Transformed (American Tour, 2013-15); Harry Seidler: Painting Toward Architecture (world tour since 2012); and Chess Game for Russian Pavilion at the 11th Venice Architecture Biennale (2008). Belogolovsky is the American correspondent for Berlin-based architectural journal SPEECH and he has lectured at universities and museums in more than 20 countries. Belogolovsky's column, City of Ideas, introduces ArchDaily's readers to his latest and ongoing conversations with the most innovative architects from around the world. These intimate discussions are a part of the curator's upcoming exhibition with the same title which premiered at the University of Sydney in June 2016. The City of Ideas exhibition will travel to venues around the world to explore ever-evolving content and design.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| House in Molco / Cristián Axl Valdés Posted: 09 May 2017 02:00 AM PDT  © Leo Basoalto
 © Natalia Franco From the architect. Build at southern Chile implies to design from up to down (like do it engineers). Therefore, all ambition and effort put into this house was to build a roof, as large as possible.  © Leo Basoalto  Ground floor plan  © Leo Basoalto This is how a large metal roof is supported by a series of wooden posts which enclose and measure the space under this one. All this skeleton stays in sight, unveiling – without mystery – the way in which it was built. In this way this construction system made possible to work during the winter - in spite of recurrent rains of southern Chile – allowing to raise quickly a roof and to be able to work under it.  © Leo Basoalto Strong wind that characterize the place across freely between both structures, tempering the interior, without offering resistance and creating a shade under the roof.  Section A All exterior wood is black, meanwhile the metal roof is of an aluminum tone emphasizing its presence and differentiation between both structures.  © Leo Basoalto The house is located on the landscape and front the landscape like a stranded skeleton that directs the views towards the volcano and the lake at a distance, taking advantage of its lucky location.  © Leo Basoalto  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Citymapper, World-Renowned Urban Mobility App, Launches London's First Pop-Up Bus Route Posted: 09 May 2017 01:30 AM PDT  Citymapper's new buses in central London. Image Courtesy of Citymapper Citymapper, which is just over five years old, has become the go-to mobility app for the majority of the world's major cities. It's strength lies in its accuracy and integration: the app parses local data and always seems to deliver the fastest route, even in comparison to its leviathan, data-rich competitors – Google Maps and Apple Maps. Having always focused their attention on public transport, as opposed to cars and taxis, Citymapper has become embedded into the way large amounts of urbanites navigate cities both familiar and foreign. As of today, they are building buses—and bus routes—of their own.  Courtesy of Citymapper For two consecutive days this week (beginning today, May 9th) an experimental circular pop-up bus route—the "CMX1"—will begin operations in London, the company's home base. In coordination with Transport for London (TfL), "the most forward thinking public transport agency in the world" (because they were at the vanguard in releasing open data about the capital's transport network), the buses will employ conventional, tried and tested tactics: it will run on a fixed route, and will use bus stops.  The CMXI bus route. Image Courtesy of Citymapper But this is where any notion of convention "hops off" (so to speak). Inside the buses, a smart display will offer real-time information of where you are where you're going. Each seat will have USB charging stations and, of course, each bus will harness tracking software for "real time integration with the app, passenger counting, and a driver app."
The way the route will operate is also comparatively unique. An algorithm will decide a route's viability and frequency in real-time; they will combine it with other transit routes, for example, when it makes sense to do so. This is the real, scalable innovation of this venture: Citymapper buses will be at once standalone and heavily integrated into the existing infrastructure of the city. If you're in central London today or tomorrow, you can test out of the CMXI between 0700 and 1900. Find out more, here – or just open the Citymapper app!  The CMXI bus route. Image Courtesy of Citymapper  Courtesy of Citymapper  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Trends in Architectural Representation: Understanding The Techniques Posted: 09 May 2017 01:00 AM PDT  © OMA. ImageIl Fondaco dei Tedeschi / OMA The representation of architecture is important in the absence of tangible space. Throughout a lifetime, even the most devoted, well-travelled design enthusiast will experience only a small percentage of architectural works with their own eyes. Consider that we exist in only one era of architectural history, and the percentage reduces even further. Many architectural works go unbuilt, and the buildings we experience in person amount to a grain of sand in a vast desert. Then we consider the architecture of the future. For buildings not yet built, representation is not a luxury, but a necessity to test, communicate and sell an idea. Fortunately, today's designers have unprecedented means to depict ideas, with an explosion in technology giving us computer-aided drafting, photo-realistic rendering, and virtual reality. Despite these vast strides, however, the tools of representation are a blend of old and new – from techniques which have existed for centuries, to the technology of our century alone. Below, we give five answers to the question of how architecture should be depicted before it is built. Sketches Conceptual design by Lina Bo Bardi, courtesy of the Lina Bo Institute and Fr. M. Bardi .. Image Courtesy of Sesc Pompeia The architectural sketch may be the first tool that every student comes into contact with in school, and possibly the most practical of them all. Fast and expressive, the sketch not only conveys the basic idea of spatial composition but also contains the individual style of the architect. Plans Axonometrics. Image Courtesy of West Line Studio Producing plans, cuttings, facades and axonometric projections is a large part of the process of a project. Its greatest advantage is presenting architecture in specific proportions. For example, a single-room plan - despite showing the space in a way that is not intelligible to most people - is the most accurate way to define its spatial dimensions in the Cartesian plan. Models © Ariana Zilliacus As representations that escape the two-dimensionality of the sheet of paper, models offer the possibility of observing, in general, the volumetric composition of the project from various points of view. In addition, because it is subject to the same laws of physics to which the constructed work will be subject, the models can serve as an important tool for the structural understanding and conceptualization of the work. Rendering Rendering of the Waterfront Development project in Shanghai (China) by schmidt hammer lassen architectsi. Image © schmidt hammer lassen architects Renders (or 3D visualizations) are two-dimensional compositions usually conceived from three-dimensional digital models and often in a realistic style. This makes it possible to estimate the future of the work constructed within its context. By offering us the possibility of manipulating the image, this tool is not only used to create realistic environments but also for fantastic and impossibly grand scenarios. Virtual Reality Courtesy of Mi5VR Virtual reality is the only tool that lets us be fully immersed in architecture that hasn't been built yet. Based on three-dimensional digital models and with devices like the Oculus Rift, virtual reality allows the observer to "enter" into space. The wandering eye is no longer limited to physical space, it is part of a whole new architecture, immaterial, intangible, but visible. "Seeing is believing," as the Oculus Rift manufacturers themselves announce, offering a way to virtually bring the observer into a work of architecture that doesn't (yet) exist.
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| Posted: 08 May 2017 11:00 PM PDT  National Museum of Roman Art. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/pictfactory/2842858053'>Flickr user pictfactory</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> As the first ever Spanish architect to receive the Pritzker Prize, Rafael Moneo (born 9 May 1937) is known for his highly contextual buildings which nonetheless remain committed to modernist stylings. His designs are regularly credited as achieving the elusive quality of "timelessness"; as critic Robert Campbell wrote in his essay about Moneo for the Pritzker Prize, "a Moneo building creates an awareness of time by remembering its antecedents. It then layers this memory against its mission in the contemporary world."  Image <a href='http://www.abc.es/20120509/cultura-arte/abci-rafael-moneo-201205091211.html'>via Diario ABC, S.L.</a>. When he was young, Moneo was more attracted to philosophy and painting than architecture, however it was the influence of his father - an industrial designer - that eventually led to him pursuing a career in architecture. He graduated from the Madrid University School of Architecture in 1961, after which he traveled Europe in order to work with Jørn Utzon and Alvar Aalto before returning to Madrid. Shortly afterward, Moneo spent two years in Rome as part of a fellowship with the Spanish Academy in Rome, a period which he credits as being "fundamental" to his development as an architect.  Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwsteeds/5324514176/'>Flickr user cwsteeds</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> After returning to Madrid, Moneo became highly active in architectural circles, taking on a teaching role at Madrid University, and hosting gatherings known as "Little Congresses" with active Spanish architects, as well as prominent international designers such as Aldo Rossi, Álvaro Siza and Peter Eisenman. In 1968, he founded the magazine Arquitectura Bis, where many of his writings were published.  National Museum of Roman Art. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/pictfactory/2840558654'>Flickr user pictfactory</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> Aside from his 1996 Pritzker Prize, Moneo has also been awarded the 2003 RIBA Gold Medal and the 2012 Prince of Asturias Award. Some of his key buildings include the National Museum of Roman Art and the Auditoria Grans D'Europa in Spain, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, and the Davis Art Museum in Massachusetts.  L'Auditori amb els Grans D'Europa. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/francesc_2000/4116798705/'>Flickr user Francesc_2000</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> See all of Rafael Moneo's works featured on ArchDaily via the thumbnails below, and further coverage of Moneo below those: Video: Enter the Ethereal Spaces of Los Angeles' Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Rafael Moneo receives the 2012 Prince of Asturias Award References: Pritzker Prize (1, 2) and Wikipedia  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 184 Shepherd's Bush Road / ColladoCollins Architects Posted: 08 May 2017 10:00 PM PDT  © Eugene Codjoe
 © Eugene Codjoe From the architect. 184 Shepherd's Bush Road was originally designed and built in 1915-16 as a motor garage and service depot with a showroom for the Ford Motor Company (England) Ltd. In 1926 it was taken over by Citroen as its main UK distribution and sales centre and later on acquired by Osram and incorporated as part of the large factory complex manufacturing electric light bulb filaments. The journal The Motor in 1920 described the building as 'a massive structure of three storeys, designed solely from a utility point of view'. The concrete frame illustrated pioneering approaches to construction and materials technology for this period. The building was originally intended to be five storeys high, however due to the outbreak of the First World War the building and its use was identified by the War Office as being vital to the war effort. This meant that the two upper floors were never constructed which made the building appear unproportional and squat. Most of the interior of the former servicing depot comprised spaces where machinery associated with servicing cars and assembling parts were kept. By 2010 only a few features other than the structural elements themselves remained: elements of the former ground floor showroom area; the stairs up to the sales room and small office area at first floor. These were retained as original decorative features and finishes in ColladoCollins' design.  © Eugene Codjoe  5th Floor Plan  © Eugene Codjoe The new design for the building comprises over 115,000 sq ft of office space across six floors and includes the creation of a unique, high quality office space that incorporates contemporary design elements. Its history as a car showroom and garage meant its high ceilings and use of space were ideal for conversion into a 21st century office building providing a nod to the future. The proposed geometry of the dome as an arch/shell structure not only enabled a thinner column-free structure, giving better aspect through the glazing without compromising the structural integrity of the building. It also created a shape that was coherent with the surrounding buildings and balanced out the proportions of the existing building.  © Eugene Codjoe ColladoCollins believes the re-working and re-invention of old building stock to provide characterful, modern and desirable workplaces is an area of architecture which reinvents & revives. It gives an opportunity to blend the best of the old with the new, to develop an historical narrative rather than merely to preserve it, and to breathe new life into buildings otherwise past their best. The result has been very exciting, with ColladoCollins' proposals securing support from the local authority, conservation groups and the commercial market as a whole. In its centennial the Grade II listed building will be given new life as the new European headquarters of customer science company dunnhumby. Working closely with the future tenant gave both the architects and the client the opportunity to create an exciting and sensitive reimagining of an important local landmark and to provide the perfect place for the tenant's business to innovate and grow.  © Eugene Codjoe  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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