Arch Daily |
- Solo House / Office KGDVS
- Atrium House / Tham & Videgård Arkitekter
- Central Embassy in Bangkok / AL_A
- Paju Unjeong Complex / Studio Origin
- Perched House / Rara Architecture
- Writer's Block / CHA:COL
- Goettsch Partners Wins Competition for 1,312-Foot-Tall Tower and Mixed-Use District in Wuhan
- C52 House / Urban Ode
- Schmidt Hammer Lassen to Develop New Urban District at Former Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen
- Quintessa Pavilions / Walker Warner Architects
- Château La Coste Art Gallery / Renzo Piano Building Workshop
- Wire Mesh Installation Features Architectural Fragments Constructed At 1:1
- Important Lessons Learned in 25 Years of Architecture Practice
- Public Safety Answering Center II / SOM
- 23 Examples of Impressive Museum Architecture
- New Renderings Reveal Herzog & de Meuron’s Nearly Completed Hotel Tower in Manhattan
- Cut Out, House H / bergmeisterwolf architekten
| Posted: 18 May 2017 08:00 PM PDT  © Bas Princen
 © Bas Princen From the architect. The Solo House is a country residence in a large untouched forest, in the mountainous region of Matarraña, two hours south of Barcelona. The house frames the top of a plateau, overlooking the surrounding forests and dramatical landscape. Since the scenery is so impressive, we felt architecture should be invisible, merely emphasising the natural qualities of the surroundings. A simple circular roof with a diameter of 45 meters underlines the qualities of both the plateau and its edge.  Drawing The roof functions as a shelter, and forms the perimeter of the inhabited surface. It is supported by four straight rows of eight columns, which cut chords from the circular base shape. Only these four areas are inhabited, with variable levels of protection. Large stretches of curtain facade slide on the outer edge of the circle, allowing the living areas to fully open, and providing a maximum relationship between the dweller and the surrounding nature.  First Floor  © Bas Princen  Detail  © Bas Princen Since the terrain is not connected to any services, the house will be completely self-dependent. Photovoltaic panels will provide thermic and electrical energy, which will be stocked in buffer tanks. Water is claimed on the site itself, and puri ed after use. Each of the devices are placed as abstract objects on the roof.  © Bas Princen  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Atrium House / Tham & Videgård Arkitekter Posted: 18 May 2017 07:00 PM PDT  © Åke E: son Lindman
 © Åke E: son Lindman From the architect. Atrium House is a vacation home for a family of three generations on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. It is built on a slight ridge that marks the former location of the coastline a thousand years ago. In relation to the open and expansive landscape, the building seems more like a low wall than a house. It is built around a completely enclosed atrium courtyard that is designed to serve as a fixed point, a sheltered outdoor room. The rest of the property is left undisturbed as a meadow where grazing sheep prevent the land from returning to forest.  © Åke E: son Lindman  Floor Plan  © Åke E: son Lindman The house is narrow, but its openings facing out are wide, giving the interior the character of a niche like shelter in the open space of the landscape. While the roof maintains a consistent elevation throughout the house, the interior floor rises and falls in accordance with the surrounding terrain. This means the height of the ceiling varies within the main spaces, which are arranged in a continuous ring around the atrium. Within this continuous space, the smaller rooms are assembled in a number of solid blocks.  © Åke E: son Lindman  Façades - Section  © Åke E: son Lindman Inspired by the impressive materiality of Gotland's vernacular agricultural architecture, the masonry construction has a natural plaster colour that has been mixed with carbon black, exterior metal parts made of oxidised zinc, and oak doors as well as windows that have been treated with tar oil. The large sliding glass windows are mounted on the surface of the exterior walls, according to the same principle as many barn doors. Also the interior doors are surface‐mounted, allowing the walls to appear unbroken.  © Åke E: son Lindman  Detail Section  © Åke E: son Lindman  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Central Embassy in Bangkok / AL_A Posted: 18 May 2017 03:00 PM PDT  © Hufton + Crow
 © Hufton + Crow From the architect. Central Embassy brings a distinguishing new silhouette in the city, one that opens out both to the street and the skyline, and extends an invitation to the people of Bangkok and the world beyond.  © Hufton + Crow Located within the former gardens of the British Embassy, along Ploenchit Road, Bangkok's primary commercial artery, the 1.5 million sq ft mixed use project merges a seven storey luxury retail podium and a 27 storey five star Park Hyatt hotel tower into a cohesive, architectural entity. The tower is the first to be completed by a British architect in Thailand.  © Hufton + Crow The hotel and shopping mall are bound together using the notion of a continual looped form to give a more intuitive merging between plinth and tower and between the programmes. The continuity of the tower line appears to break down the volume of the mass of the plinth, creating a structure that is asymmetrical in all dimensions.  © Hufton + Crow  Floor Plan Level 3  © Hufton + Crow The openness of the form embraces the city and sets up reciprocal views, with a series of terraces outside and balconies within to see and be seen. The elevated form that rises from the podium wraps around two vertical light wells, opening up internal spaces to reveal stepped terraces, and dividing hotel functions: private guest-related programmes face the gardens of Nai Lert Park, while the hotel bar, reception lounge and sky terrace face the city centre.  © Hufton + Crow Uniting traditional craftsmanship with digital design technologies, the design of the façade builds on Thailand's tradition of intricate pattern making. The exterior is clad in 300,000 aluminium tiles, each with two surfaces to reflect both the chaos of the city and the sky itself. Creating a dynamic pattern in response to external conditions, the distribution of tiles creates a moiré-like effect, articulated by the play of light and reflection along the varying profiles.  © Hufton + Crow  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Paju Unjeong Complex / Studio Origin Posted: 18 May 2017 01:00 PM PDT  © Kyung Noh
 © Kyung Noh From the architect. It is located in new development area in Paju city called Unjeong. It is 4-story building with attic area, containing 2 retail units and 5 residential units(4-simplex and a duplex). Clients requirement, maximizing area to rent under current architectural regulation inspired to come up with a pitched roof system over residential and core area.  © Kyung Noh  Section  © Kyung Noh The system give iconicity to not only roof top but also the building itself, applying same pitched design language over in-lined windows vertically. White colored aluminum panel and stuco flux used to cover exterior of the building, being a background of black in-lined windows with pitched top as if blue sky being a background of pitched roof of the building.  © Kyung Noh  Diagram  © Kyung Noh  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Perched House / Rara Architecture Posted: 18 May 2017 12:00 PM PDT  © Natalie Jeffcott
 © Natalie Jeffcott From the architect. Perched - like a sparrow. Perched House is a light extension at the rear of an inner city semi-detached Edwardian house that sweeps over your head.  © Natalie Jeffcott The brief and site are common in inner-city Melbourne properties. Usually, because of the need to pack in as much space and storage as possible, the spaces are susceptible to becoming dark and feeling cramped. We decided to stick to the essentials and neatening up the layout to reduce dead space while playing with natural light to increase the drama and the effect - the space is in fact quite small, but no one would think so.  © Natalie Jeffcott Natural light is drawn in from various areas of the house to extend the rooms into every direction. We introduced diffused skylights in the ensuite and walk in robe, a recessed glass roof above the kitchen work space, a highlight window above and on either side of the bureau nook in the dining and a glass wall between the staircase and the side garden running parallel to it. This allows one to experience the changes in light throughout the day and gives the house a sense of calm and openness.  Ground Floor  1st Floor Plan Our client's brief was to renovate the existing rear extension which was structurally sound and to add a bedroom - she had no idea we would reconfigure the entire house in the process. The kitchen was a very important component of the design as her partner is a chef - this had to take pride of place since entertaining and social gatherings around the island bench is a way of life for them. We gave them 2 more bedrooms upstairs, with a bathroom and balcony as well as a full master suite in the existing front part of the house.  © Natalie Jeffcott In the new part of the house, we wanted a single stair run without a landing and the client wanted a high ceiling to match the existing house. The compromise was to break up the extension into two - the kitchen has a 2.4m ceiling, which solved the stair dilemma because we concealed the landing. Upstairs, we have a bedroom directly off the landing, then continue up a few more steps to reach the bathroom and rear perched bedroom. Sweeping the ceiling up with a curve just made sense after that. The changes in ceiling heights throughout the house give a different dynamic to each space; the lower ceiling above the island bench creates an intimate and focused environment in the kitchen while the higher ceiling above the dining allows more openness to the back yard with 3.0m glazed sliders, giving an uplifting feeling.  © Natalie Jeffcott  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 18 May 2017 10:00 AM PDT  © Edward Duarte
 © Edward Duarte From the architect. The Writer's Block is a 1,500 square foot live-work loft designed as a creative production nook within a historic warehouse building. The space was purchased by a couple, one a New York Times bestselling author and the other a game designer. The unit was not intended to be their primary place of dwelling, and they approached CHA:COL for it as a compact urban getaway. Their work involved writing, drawing, music and game design within this getaway. They also needed it a place of respite between extensive book tours and travels. The loft was zoned Live-Work in downtown Los Angeles, a use set up specifically to address this kind of dual-use by artists.  © Edward Duarte Our design focus therefore centered on the creation of a compact but fluid artistic environment, to put users at ease with creative production and rest. Taking cues from their writing, gaming and fantasy environment background, we drew inspiration from the Escher-like geometries of the game Monument Valley.  © Edward Duarte  Floor Plan  © Edward Duarte The game is unique in its ability to transform two dimensional lines and shapes into a three dimensional environment that a player inhabits. Similar to the way Ida moves through tilted planes and angular walls, we envisioned the clients moving through a central creative area (the angular 3D entertainment area on one side and the silent writers desk on the other side) into the lounge (the inlaid carpet bands emerge out of the custom millwork piece and climb up the walls as a bold graphic mural).  Mural Studies Our proposed design therefore played on a premise of shifting and fluid relationship between the graphic and the spatial. We studied many iterations of a single core geometry to aid each activity without shutting off other possibilities. We nicknamed our solution the Writer's Block. As a central element it functions as spatial separation, production workhorse and a piece of furniture. A writing desk on one face, a shelf in another and a lounge elsewhere. The mural and floor finishes extend the concept of 2d/3d manipulation, interchangeably graphic and spatial. All design areas flowed from and into the Writer's Block.  © Edward Duarte It was heartening to hear from the clients post-occupancy, that they love using the space extensively for their sketching, writing and musical work, and hang out there to collaborate often between tours and travels.  © Edward Duarte  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Goettsch Partners Wins Competition for 1,312-Foot-Tall Tower and Mixed-Use District in Wuhan Posted: 18 May 2017 09:15 AM PDT  Courtesy of Goettsch Partners Goettsch Partners has been announced as the winners of an international competition for the design of the new Optics Valley Center complex in Wuhan, China. Being developed by prominent developer Greenland Group, the project will consist of 3.4 million square feet (315,000 square meters) of mixed-use space across three buildings, including a landmark 1,312-foot-tall (400-meter-tall) office tower that will "symbolize the future vision of Wuhan as the perfect balance between modern development and the environment."  Courtesy of Goettsch Partners "We are honored to be selected to design this new icon for the expanding city of Wuhan," said Paul De Santis, LEED AP, principal and senior project designer at GP. "It will distinguish the Optics Valley along the skyline and proudly expand the rich history of education and innovation for which Wuhan is famous."  Courtesy of Goettsch Partners  Courtesy of Goettsch Partners The new Optics Valley district has been planned to serve as a world-class downtown to the southeast of Wuhan, containing a mix of commercial and public functions. At its heart, the iconic tower has been designed with fluid shapes and a tapering form to reduce wind pressure on the structure. A colorful pattern of exterior shades makes up the facade of the building, creating a 'digital' rhythm that serves as a nod to the area's technology culture. A generously-sized green belt will connect the three new structures to the surrounding city, serving as the 'spine' of the complex and providing abundant light and parkland for each of the structures. Two new subway lines will also connect to the site, helping to encourage a speedy adoption of the new facilitlies.  Courtesy of Goettsch Partners  Courtesy of Goettsch Partners "This project represents a continuation of our long relationship with Greenland," said Travis Soberg, AIA, LEED AP, principal and director of sustainable design at GP. "Upholding Greenland's philosophy to 'create better life,' the project addresses a number of sustainable initiatives in targeting LEED Gold certification." Currently in schematic design, the project is scheduled to open in 2022. News via Goettsch Partners  Courtesy of Goettsch Partners
 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 18 May 2017 08:00 AM PDT  © Marcelo Donadussi
 © Marcelo Donadussi From the architect. When we received the demand, one of the first things we thought about was: let's get away of the classic tipology of the exposed house, so massively used in the condominiums of the region – with from top to bottom glazing and a two-story high ceiling. The idea was that the house kept the privacy preserved and then, in the social lounge, opened to the deck in the backyard. With the same premise in mind, we came up with another project attitudes that guided us, as raising the ground floor 50cm to avoid that the parked vehicle was seen from the living room window, and, with this, the main access would be made by a minimum slope ramp, protecting the pushed back entrance door. We also had attention with the size of the windows, for privacy reasons, since the lots are narrows and the neighbors can have their openings 1,5m from the border.  © Marcelo Donadussi Because it is a beach house, our demand was that the bedrooms were small, functionals and the living areas were priviledged. The cliente also wanted that the house was made to every public, so we have 02 bedrooms on the ground floor, due to accessibility issues.  Ground Floor Plan  Section  Lower Plan In volumetric terms, we thought the volume that houses the social area being more open, relating directly to the backyard, where are the deck and pool. To separate the intimate volume, still on the ground floor, we used the internal garden, wich breaks the volumetry of the ensemble in two blocks – we gained four more openings, keeping the cross-ventilation. The second floor is solved as a single block, with the private balcony resulting from the meeting of the lower volume with the upper one, only protected by a wall of apparent concrete.  © Marcelo Donadussi By the way, the composition of planes was preponderant, beginning by east façade. To break the formal hardness of the whole, we worked with the decomposition of the volumes into planes. Its is possible to perceive this in the lateral façade, where the lower plane is 'read' as two ceramic brick parts (pergola wall, wich divides the secondary access and the lateral wall of the social area), the upper plane of the private block also made of brick and the concrete plane wich gives privacy to the balcony. The same logic was used in the front and back façade, where the bick planes pass 10cm e release the other elements: beams in apparent concrete, plastered and white painted mansory and glass openings. Always with the intention of giving legibility to the set, characteristic that we believe to be determinant of a great 'design'.  © Marcelo Donadussi  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Schmidt Hammer Lassen to Develop New Urban District at Former Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen Posted: 18 May 2017 07:00 AM PDT  The former Carlsberg Brewery. Image © Flickr user astrid. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, in collaboration with Holscher Nordberg Architects, has been selected to lead a 120,000-square-foot (36,000-square-meter) redevelopment of the new Carlsberg City district in Copenhagen. Located on the former site of the famous Carlsberg Brewery, the project will incorporate the area's historic industrial elements in creating a new sustainable city district with inviting open spaces, public transportation, and a series of context-sensitive new buildings, including a 262-foot-tall (80-meter-tall) residential tower.  The Elephant Gate. Image © Flickr user zlakfoto. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 Partnering with engineering firms COWI and Züblin and landscape architects Werk, the team is focusing on creating a "vivid and diverse neighbourhood for living, working, learning and socialising." In total, the development will consist of 17,000 square meters of housing, 7,000 square meters of office space, 2,000 square meters of retail spaces, cafés and restaurants and 10,000 square meters of basement space. The largest new construction will be the residential tower, located near the iconic Elephant gates in the North Western corner of the Carlsberg site. "There are many parametres coming into play at this unique site in Copenhagen. The new building is part of the special historical context of Carlsberg, with its close proximity to the Elephant gates, where it will form a link between the two main public squares, Ottilia Jacobsen Square and Bryggernes Square," says Senior Partner Kristian Ahlmark. "The location, with historic neighbours and a sloping terrain, creates an exciting and technical challenge. At the same time, the tower will rise above Carlsberg City and become part of Copenhagen's new skyline, thus becoming a reference point that both historically and physically will help tie the city together." A new commuter railway station (expected to be one of the Copenhagen's busiest) and a vast system of bicycle paths will connect the district to the surrounding city and the new UCC Carlsberg Campus, where an inaugural class of 10,000 students has recently begun their first semester. More than 3000 new homes will provide accommodation for the area's growing population. The project is expected to be completed in 2024. Architects: Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, Holscher Nordberg Architects News via Schmidt Hammer Lassen
 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Quintessa Pavilions / Walker Warner Architects Posted: 18 May 2017 06:00 AM PDT
 © Matthew Millman From the architect. The Quintessa Pavilions are the newest addition to the Quintessa Estate, a winery and residence designed by Walker Warner Architects.  © Matthew Williams  Floor Plan  © Matthew Millman Situated on a ridgeline, each of the three open-air pavilions offer spectacular views of the estate while providing a private and immersive wine tasting experience. A harmonious fusion of architecture and nature, the carefully sited pavilions protect visitors from the elements while preserving the surrounding oak trees that shade the area.  © Matthew Millman The design of the unobtrusive 250-square-foot pavilions echoes the winery's environmental sensitivity and material palette of durable, sustainable materials that age and weather well. Running parallel to the ridgeline, a bold blade-like concrete wall made with fly ash forms the pavilion entry where a doorway is carved out to reveal the panoramic view from the terrace to the vineyards beyond. The prefabricated steel structure creates long roof overhangs that protect visitors from the elements while expansive walls of operable doors help to maximize the openness for light, views and cross ventilation.  West Elevation All in all, the approach to the project was one of minimal intervention to ensure preservation of the existing mature oak trees, which provide shade for the area surrounding each pavilion. The result is a unique and intimate wine tasting experience that can accommodate up to a dozen guests.  © Matthew Millman  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Château La Coste Art Gallery / Renzo Piano Building Workshop Posted: 18 May 2017 04:00 AM PDT  © Stephane Aboudaram | WE ARE CONTENT
 © Stephane Aboudaram | WE ARE CONTENT From the architect. The new building designed by RPBW rises in the heart of the grapevines of the prestigious Château La Coste realm.  © Stephane Aboudaram | WE ARE CONTENT This 285 sq. meters pavilion aims at both displaying art and preserving wine. Due to the natural topography of the soil, it was decided to carve a 6 meters deep valley in the earth so as to fully incorporate the building into the vineyard. The pure glazed façades and roof contrast with the simple exposed concrete used for both the retaining and the exhibition walls. The partly buried building highlights the roof covered with a sail fastened to thin metal arches. These arches echo the graphical layout of the grapevines, enabling to integrate the sail into the vineyard. As a kite, the sail flies and lands, emphasizing all at once the lightness and horizontalness of the building.  © Stephane Aboudaram | WE ARE CONTENT  Sketch  © Stephane Aboudaram | WE ARE CONTENT Inside, sculpture and photography exhibitions are displayed into a 160 sq. meters gallery benefiting from natural light. The remaining surface is dedicated to wine preservation. Thus, the exhibition space is surrounded by wine cellars whose scale is evidenced by the alcoves at the entrance of the gallery.  © Stephane Aboudaram | WE ARE CONTENT  Tensile Fabric Roof Plan  © Maurits Van der Staay From the reception building, the visitors will follow a path to the RPBW pavilion. At the end of the trail, a slight slope leads the visitors to the exhibition gallery's entrance. At the back of the building, a space dedicated to sculpture is extended by a water mirror that largely reflects the full width of the pavilion.  © Stephane Aboudaram | WE ARE CONTENT  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Wire Mesh Installation Features Architectural Fragments Constructed At 1:1 Posted: 18 May 2017 03:30 AM PDT  © Roberto Conte Commissioned for a large-scale event in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Edoardo Tresoldi in collaboration with Design Lab Experience have constructed a vast indoor "piazza" of architectural fragments. Accommodating a 7000sqm event space, each "Classical" element is built entirely from wire mesh and comprises domes, arches, colonnades, columns, and imitations of sacred spaces (namely Italian basilicas). Together they create a translucent and ephemeral sequence of indoor rooms – all layered by a strikingly contemporary aesthetic. Based in Rome, Edoardo Tresoldi is an artist whose practice focuses on spatial interventions, scenography, and sculpture. A large proportion of his works are built using wire mesh – from figurative shapes to architectural space.  © Roberto Conte © Roberto Conte  © Roberto Conte  © Roberto Conte  © Roberto Conte  © Roberto Conte  © Roberto Conte  © Roberto Conte  © Roberto Conte  © Roberto Conte  © Roberto Conte  © Roberto Conte  © Roberto Conte  © Roberto Conte  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Important Lessons Learned in 25 Years of Architecture Practice Posted: 18 May 2017 02:30 AM PDT  This article was originally published by Archipreneur as "The 10 Most Important Lessons Learned in 25 Years of Architecture Practice." The article is an expansion on one part of Archipreneur's interview with Craig Applegath, Founding Principal of DIALOG's Toronto Studio. The architect spoke from his experience of running a 150-person practice and listed 10 tips for archipreneurs interested in starting their own business. Archipreneur shares that list here. When I first started my own practice I thought everyone wanted to run their own practice. It turns out not. Most people just want to work in a great practice run by someone else. But for those who are real archipreneurs – and you know who you are – there is nothing so thrilling and fun as starting your own business; and nothing so scary and anxiety producing as starting your own business! They are the flip side of the same coin. But in terms of general advice for people starting their own practice or business here are ten key lessons I have learned over the past twenty-five years of practice: 1. Design Your LifeBefore starting your own business, make sure that starting a business is the right thing for you, and figure out what kind of business you want to be in. One of the best ways to do this is through something you are probably pretty good at already: design thinking. However, to really see design thinking effectively applied to designing your career, reading Bill Burnett and Dave Evans' book Designing Your Life is one of the first things you should do. (I am actually using it right now to design the next decade of my career.) One of the things that they show you how to do is ask the right questions so you can solve the right problems. The last thing you want to do is start a business that is smart as a business idea, but does not succeed in helping you develop the career that will be most fulfilling to you, and that you will be most successful in. 2. Aim to Make a DifferenceI think to be successful you need to lead a meaningful, purposeful life – that is, a life that provides you with a powerful and meaningful raison d'etre for what you do. As part of designing your life you will be thinking a lot about this. You don't want to get into late middle age and wonder what the hell you have done with your life! Life is short and needs to be lived with passion and intent. Having the goal of making money, or winning design awards, as your life's purpose is a good recipe for a mid-life crisis. You have to make money to succeed, and winning design awards will probably help you succeed, but they should be understood as a means to an end. And that end is something you need think very carefully about. Some purposes that serve people well include increasing the wellbeing of your community; providing your clients with consulting that makes a real difference to their success; designing projects that reduce environmental harm; and designing projects that increase the quality of life for the people who will use the project. As designers, we have a wonderful opportunity and responsibility to create things that improve the lives of others, and this provides wonderful opportunities for practitioners to find very rich and meaningful careers. 3. Develop a 20-Year PlanWhenever I tell young interns this, they seem incredulous, and typically tell me that they are having a hard enough time figuring out what they want to do over the next five years, let alone twenty years. But there is a very good reason for having a 20-year plan. A 20-year plan is really the length of a well-thought-out career, and therefore, if you are looking to plan a meaningful career, you will need to think about it in a 20-year time frame. This is in no way at odds with the fact that most professionals change jobs or positions on average every five years. A job is not a career. A job is simply a place of employment with defined roles and responsibilities. In designing a career, you should be looking at it as a life's project, and it having a beginning, middle, and end. The beginning of your career provides you with the knowledge and expertise you will need to be successful in your mid-career. And mid-career experience provides you with the foundations to build your legacy in your late career. The objection I hear most often to creating a 20-year plan is that "I might change my mind about my career direction as I go along." Actually, you will most likely change your mind as you go along, and you should make a point of taking stock each year about whether or not your 20-year plan still makes sense. But the planning process is still very useful. One of the most important things a 20-year plan does is that it provides your unconscious brain with a map of what is important, and once your brain has this map, everything in the environment that in any way relates to your plan will be picked up by your brain and brought quickly into focus. In other words, it is a way of your brain cutting through the clutter and noise of everyday life to make sense of what is important to you and what is not. 4. Business 101Most architecture schools do not provide you with a good grounding in the business aspects of architecture practice. So, before you quit your day-job to start your own practice, it's probably worth taking a continuing ed course at your local college or university on how to start and run a small business. It will teach you the basics of sales, marketing, bookkeeping, and managing your team. I would also recommend taking a course in negotiation. Architects, for some reason, are typically terrible negotiators, especially in negotiations for fair compensation for their services! And you will also want to start building yourself a library of go-to business books. One of the best books you can read on how to lead, manage, and develop business for a professional service firm is David Maister's book, Managing the Professional Service Firm. This is certainly my go-to bible for understanding how to successfully lead and manage a design practice. I don't think there is any better advice out there than Maister's wise and insightful guidance. 5. Read, Read, ReadI think that one of the most important ingredients for success is to be constantly at the intersections of culture, science and technology, and business, and to do so you will need to be constantly reading – reading books, blogs (like Archipreneur), newspapers, and journals of all sorts. You need to read both broadly and deeply. You need to understand the bigger world around you, but you also need to maintain your expertise in whatever your specialty niche is (and you will want to have at least a couple of specialty niches!). So what is on my current reading list this month? In addition to the standard journals and mags, I am reading: Before Happiness, by Shawn Achor; Hope in the Dark, by Rebecca Solnit; Designing Your Life, by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans; Surviving the 21st Century: Humanity's Ten Great Challenges and How We Can Overcome Them by Julian Cribb; The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future, by Kevin Kelly; and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. 6. Find a Blue OceanThis is a reference to W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne's book, Blue Ocean Strategy, that suggests that entrepreneurs look for business opportunities in uncontested waters – blue oceans – rather than competitive, bloody waters – red oceans. This is good advice if you can find your own blue ocean. One thing is for sure, in North America and Europe, architecture, urban planning, and design are mature markets with limited opportunity for new traditional practices. If you are starting a traditional practice, you will be up against dozens, often hundreds of competitors who will have much deeper portfolios and much broader client networks than your new business will have. So you will need to offer something that really differentiates you from your competitors. Maybe you will be the new expert in computational design? Maybe you can team up with an emerging builder to become a niche design-build practice? Maybe you will be a developer-architect? Whatever you plan to do, you need to develop a "secret sauce" that your competitors will find difficult or impossible to copy. When I started my own practice just as the Internet was emerging, I positioned myself as a "virtual architect" and used the Internet to pull together consultants from all over North America to do projects – mostly buddies from grad school. But it sounded cool, and got me some good speaking gigs at conferences, and conferred a degree of uniqueness on my practice that got me noticed. 7. Build and Support Your NetworkI have not met any successful entrepreneurs who do not have a deep network of people they trust and can rely on. Networks are for support; networks are for leads; networks are for advice; networks are for collaboration. Networks are the important bonds that allow you to see and realize potential opportunities. One of the best guides to developing your network is Harvey Mackay's book, Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty. And one of the most important lessons in Mackay's book is that networks are not to be exploited, but rather supported. You build a network of people whom you will try to support, and care about, and they will in turn do the same for you. I can't say enough about how important building a good network is. Without a good network success will be virtually impossible. And make sure your network is made up of smart, decent, and honest people, because as John Rohn once said, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." 8. Build Great TeamsPart of building a good network will be spotting great talent for your team. Unless you plan to work as a sole practitioner, you will need to build a great team to be successful. Volumes have been written on how to recruit, manage, and inspire great teams, and you will need to familiarize yourself with the field of management and leadership if you are to be successful. From my experience of leading both a small and a larger practice, there are three important aspects of building and leading great teams that you will want to focus on. The first is talent spotting, long-term networking, and relationship building with future potential team members. The second is selecting and hiring the right team members. And the third is leading, inspiring, and nurturing your team. For the long-term growth of your practice, talent spotting will be one of your most important tasks – and one not often talked about in management and leadership literature. How do you spot great future team members? You always need to be looking! When you are at industry conferences; when you are giving public presentations; when you are at professional industry events of any kind, you should be constantly on the lookout for future talent. And when do you spot bright, able, ambitious, innovative people, make a point of connecting with them and building a relationship. Make them an important part of your network. At some point in the future the stars may align and you may be able to invite them to be part of your team. Talent is a long game! 9. Take Care of YourselfYou will not be able to succeed in any new venture unless you are physically and mentally up to the challenge – and can maintain your physical and mental stamina over the long haul. You will be pulled in a thousand different directions when you start your practice, and you will continue to have a private life with its own demands and stresses. So you will need to learn how to take care of yourself to manage your energy, and your physical and mental health. There are two very important things you should be doing, even when things are crazy busy – in fact especially when things are crazy busy. First, you should set aside a minimum of an hour at least three to four times per week for exercise – some combination of cardio and resistance weight training. Second, learn how to meditate and do so each day. If you are new to meditation try the Headspace App on your iPhone or Android. I have talked with a number of entrepreneurs who say they could not function without exercise and meditation, and most accounts of successful entrepreneurs I have read have said the same. 10. Be a Rational OptimistOf the list of ten lessons learned, this lesson may be the most important. My personal experience over the past 25 years of practice has taught me to make every possible effort to see failures and setbacks as doors to new insights and opportunities that one would not have otherwise been able to see. As a personal coach I know asks when one of her clients runs into a particularly difficult setback: "What is the gift provided by this situation that you would not have otherwise had access to without the setback?" This is a powerful re-framing question because it cleverly redirects your brain away from the negative emotions associated with the setback, and forces it to start exploring new opportunities that may exposed by what you might otherwise simply see as a failure. This turn of mind is what I like to call rational optimism – an optimism founded on the realities of a difficult set of circumstances, where you are willing to explore the positive opportunities that may be inherent in those circumstances. For example, like most architecture firms in North America, we are experiencing significant fee competition based simply on the supply and demand for architectural and engineering services. This fee pressure is making it ever more difficult to maintain the high levels of both expertise and client service that our firm is known for. Instead of cutting both service and expertise to remain fee competitive, we have instead been heavily investing in various design and production technologies that will allow us to be more effective and productive and even improve client service. So as you face significant challenges and even failures, keep asking yourself: "What's the gift?" There are no guarantees of success in this world, and starting a business venture in the design sector is especially fraught with challenges. But your chances of success will most likely be greater if you look for ways to deploy, in your own fashion, these ten principles. Most importantly, try to be a rational optimist. Business, like life, is one challenge after another. Do your best to look at these challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. So always ask yourself when you are faced with a tough challenge, or a failure, "what's the gift?" Good luck and have fun! Craig Applegath is the founding principal of DIALOG's Toronto Studio, and a passionate designer who believes in the power of built form to meaningfully improve the wellbeing of communities and the environment they are part of. Since graduating from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University with a Master of Architecture in Urban Design Craig has focused his energies on leading innovative planning and design projects that address the complex challenges facing our communities, as well as on his advocacy of sustainable building design and urban regeneration and symbiosis. Craig's area of practice includes the master planning and design of institutional projects, including cultural and museum, post-secondary education, and healthcare facilities. In addition to his professional practice responsibilities, Craig speaks about his research and design explorations at conferences and workshops internationally. This has included recent presentations at conferences in Prague, Munich and Beijing. Craig was a founding Board Member of Sustainable Buildings Canada, and a Past President of the Ontario Association of Architects. Craig has lectured or taught at Harvard, the University of Toronto, the University of Waterloo, as well as at many professional and sector related conferences around the world. In 2001 Craig was made a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada for his contributions to the profession.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Public Safety Answering Center II / SOM Posted: 18 May 2017 02:00 AM PDT  © Albert Vecerka
 © Albert Vecerka From the architect. Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II), a new facility located in the Bronx, enhances New York City's 911 emergency response system and sets a high standard to sustainability. The 450,000-square-foot building brings together emergency response workers from multiple city agencies—the Police Department, the Fire Department, and Emergency Medical Services—serving as a model for inter- agency cooperation.  © Albert Vecerka  © Albert Vecerka As a back-up facility to the city's primary call center, PSAC II introduces an important layer of redundancy to New York City's 911 system. Continuously operating and highly secure, the building enhances the city's ability to maintain communication in the event of a natural disaster or large-scale emergency. The project's completion is a milestone in New York City's overhaul of its 911 system, a long-term initiative begun by former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.  © Albert Vecerka PSAC II sits on a prominent nine-acre site at the intersection of Bronx and Pelham Parkway and Hutchinson River Parkway. With its design, SOM confronted the challenge of creating a secure and functional building that also makes a positive contribution to its urban context. Designed as a perfect cube, the structure has few windows due to security concerns. To mitigate the building's potentially monolithic appearance, SOM developed a dynamic, serrated facade that includes recycled aluminum.  © Albert Vecerka  © Albert Vecerka The building is surrounded by a wrap-around sculptural berm of wild grasses. This berm serves as a barrier to protect the facility, and it also enriches the aesthetics of the site. From the Hutchinson River and Pelham Parkways, the berm hides the surface parking and loading dock from view; for the building's occupants, it o ers a sense of connection to nature. The landscape requires no irrigation, which helps to achieve the project's ambitious sustainability goal of LEED® Gold certification.  © Albert Vecerka SOM gave special attention to creating a soothing environment for the emergency response teams working inside. The building's main gathering space features an innovative plant wall developed by CASE, the design research laboratory of SOM in partnership with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. This plant wall not only introduces nature into the building, but also lters the air and reduces overall energy use.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 23 Examples of Impressive Museum Architecture Posted: 18 May 2017 01:00 AM PDT  Designing a museum is always an exciting architectural challenge. Museums often come with their own unique needs and constraints--from the art museum that needs specialist spaces for preserving works, to the huge collection that requires extensive archive space, and even the respected institution whose existing heritage building presents a challenge for any new extension. In honor of International Museum Day, we've selected 23 stand-out museums from our database, with each ArchDaily editor explaining what makes these buildings some of the best examples of museum architecture out there. Site Museum of Paracas Culture / Barclay & Crousse Site Museum of Paracas Culture / Barclay & Crousse. Image Courtesy of Barclay & Crousse Why we're impressed: I think it fits right into an incredible landscape, updating vernacular operations and merging them with smart contemporary design decisions. In addition, the design incorporates a 'passive device' that improves the efficiency and comfort of the building through a single element, avoiding the use of a large number of complex systems. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. China Academy of Arts' Folk Art Museum / Kengo Kuma & Associates China Academy of Arts' Folk Art Museum / Kengo Kuma & Associates. Image © Eiichi Kano Why we're impressed: This museum combines traditional techniques with recycled materials to create a subtle yet powerful structure. Kengo Kuma's work stands out because of its careful treatment of the landscape, working with materiality and structure as the main design pillars. The project celebrates a duality in the Chinese culture of today: modern construction techniques versus tradition and handcraft. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. Kunstmuseum Basel / Christ & Gantenbein Kunstmuseum Basel / Christ & Gantenbein. Image © Derek Li Wan Po, Basel Why we're impressed: A standout museum thanks to its eye-catching, high-tech frieze, the Kunstmuseum Basel is a monochromatic masterpiece – an exceptional exercise in the combination of similarly-hued materials to create depth, shadow and texture. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. Miho Museum / I.M. PeiWhy we're impressed: For me, the Miho Museum by I.M. Pei is his masterpiece. Through its insertion on the site and the "architectural promenade" along it, the museum generates a series of unique experiences and moments, a synthesis of what architecture should be. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. Fan Zeng Art Gallery / Original Design Studio Fan Zeng Art Gallery / Original Design Studio. Image © Yao li-Su Shengliang Why we're impressed: A building that follows Chinese traditions through the type of spaces rather than the use of materials: Three different courtyards articulate the main spaces creating a sequence of exhibitions between the interior and exterior. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. Sonorous Museum Copenhagen / CREO ARKITEKTER + ADEPT Sonorous Museum Copenhagen / CREO ARKITEKTER + ADEPT. Image © Laura Stamer Why we're impressed: Museums need to adapt to the new generation of visitors. What better way to interpret these needs than by designing designated interactive classrooms that provide a hands-on experience of classical musical instruments and their sound spectra, all within the comfort of the carefully chosen colors and patterns of the acoustic walls? See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. Allmannajuvet Zinc Mine Museum / Peter Zumthor Allmannajuvet Zinc Mine Museum / Peter Zumthor. Image © Per Berntsen Why we're impressed: An interesting museum is understood in the experience of the route and in the interaction between the visitor and the exhibition of cultural value. In the Allmannajuvet Zinc Mine Museum, these two components are evident: a unique and impressive natural route through a site with high historical value that is not only reflected in an individual object, but in the entire context. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. El MA: Museo de la Memoria de Andalucía / Alberto Campo Baeza The MA: Andalucia's Museum of Memory / Alberto Campo Baeza. Image © Javier Callejas Why we're impressed: A museum that transmits the entire history of Andalusia as a monolithic screen in Granada – El MA creates a spatial tension with the rest of the city, as evidenced in the central courtyard where circular ramps rise and from the crown with an astounding overview of Granada. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. Corning Museum of Glass / Thomas Phifer and Partners Corning Museum of Glass / Thomas Phifer and Partners. Image Courtesy of Corning Museum of Glass Why we're impressed: As natural light filters in from between the impossibly thin structural concrete beams, the walls and floors seem to dissolve away, leaving the perfect pure backdrop for the museum's collection of vibrant and surprising contemporary glass artworks. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. AD Classics: São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) / Lina Bo Bardi São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) / Lina Bo Bardi. Image © Pedro Kok Why we're impressed: The most iconic musem in Brazil. A masterpiece from Lina Bo Bardi located on a very complex site in terms of urban density, flow and topography. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. Museo Jumex / David Chipperfield Architects Museo Jumex / David Chipperfield. Image © Simon Menges Why we're impressed: Though not a particularly large museum, Museo Jumex offers three unique gallery spaces that allow for the program to include a range of exhibition types. The building's design is timeless and subtle enough not to compete with the contemporary art it harbors, yet with a definite character that allows it to stand out among the hypermodern buildings of Plaza Carso. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. Xi'an Westin Museum Hotel / Neri & Hu Design and Research Office Xi'an Westin Museum Hotel / Neri & Hu Design and Research Office. Image © Pegenaute Why we're impressed: In this museum, the apparent heaviness of the architectural volumes is juxtaposed against light elements to create sublime and unique spaces to express art. The innovative mixed program contrasts with the material intentions, which adopt the profile of vernacular Chinese architecture. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. Museum of Modern Literature / David Chipperfield Architects Museum of Modern Literature / David Chipperfield Architects. Image © Ute Zscharnt Why we're impressed: Completed in 2006, the Museum of Modern Literature is a textbook example of David Chipperfield's work that shows why he is such a revered figure. The resolution of Chipperfield's light minimalism and the clear classical inspirations complement the adjacent Schiller National Museum perfectly. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. Fondation Louis Vuitton / Gehry Partners Fondation Louis Vuitton / Gehry Partners. Image © Iwan Baan Why we're impressed: Gehry's structures (with the help of his computer software) provide just the right fit for exhibition spaces – a great combination of material, form and light. Referencing the tradition of 19th-century glass garden buildings, Gehry selected glass as the main material for the envelope, creating a perfect dialogue with the Jardin. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. Nadir Afonso Contemporary Art Museum / Álvaro Siza Vieira Nadir Afonso Contemporary Art Museum / Álvaro Siza Vieira. Image © Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Why we're impressed: Eduardo Souto de Moura thinks it's one of the best buildings designed by Siza. When compared to other common museums, this project has two distinctions: it's elevated to combat the regular flooding that occurs due to its proximity to the Tâmega River, and it makes a strong connection to the surrounding landscape and local history. Once you are inside the interior spaces, you can see the fields and the old, partially demolished stone walls that provide a reminder of the former vocation of the area. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture / Adjaye Associates Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture / Adjaye Associates. Image © Darren Bradley Why we're impressed: Given its location on Washington DC's national mall, it's not hard to argue that the NMAAHC is, culturally-speaking at least, among the most important US buildings of the 20th Century. The design by Freelon Adjaye Bond / SmithGroup JJR rises to this challenge, working within the limitations set by the surrounding context while also using the building's content as inspiration for a truly unique and refreshing design. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. Arts Centre - Casa Das Mudas / Paulo David Arts Centre - Casa Das Mudas / Paulo David. Image © Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Why we're impressed: Both volume and materials seem to suggest that the building integrates and privileges nature. Its careful implantation at the top of the hill on the sea gives the building an unimposing quality, functioning instead as topography itself. The architects seem to have learned from Siza how to dramatically open up views, creating spectacular landscape framings. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. Museu dos Coches / Paulo Mendes da Rocha + MMBB Arquitetos + Bak Gordon Arquitectos Museu dos Coches / Paulo Mendes da Rocha + MMBB Arquitetos + Bak Gordon Arquitectos. Image © Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Why we're impressed: An interesting result from the collaboration between Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Ricardo Bak Gordon and MMBB. The raw, austere structure creates a clear background for the museum subject: old wagons. In terms of volume and mass, the museum consists of a main pavilion and a second structure which hosts the entrance, restaurant and auditorium, all connected by an elevated walkway that creates a portico over the public plaza. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. MAAT / AL_A MAAT / AL_A. Image © Hufton + Crow Why we're impressed: MAAT was designed by the English architect Amanda Levete with the organic and futuristic lines for which the architect is recognized. Located at the edge of the Tejo River, the project snakes along the site organically like a creature with ceramic scales, alluding to Portuguese tradition and simultaneously breaking from the usual formal paradigms of the Portuguese school. An abundance of technologies applied in its construction allow for versatility and innovative compositions of the exhibition areas. The project adapts to the environment in a delicate and subtle way, reconnecting the river with the city. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. The Whitney Museum of American Art at Gansevoort / Renzo Piano Building Workshop The Whitney Museum of American Art at Gansevoort / Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Image © Nic Lehoux Why we're impressed: Despite the fact that most architects tend to prefer the original Whitney Museum by Marcel Breuer, the new Whitney is an amazing building for exhibitions – its flexibility providing visitors with a different experience each time they step foot in the museum. Additionally, the outdoor circulation between terraces offers expansive views of the city and contributes to a museum path that is not confined to the building itself, but to New York as a whole. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. The Broad Museum / Diller Scofidio + Renfro The Broad Museum / Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Image © Iwan Baan Why we're impressed: Diller Scofidio + Renfro's design for the Broad was driven by two key concepts: first, the much-publicized idea of "the veil and the vault" which controlled the project's organizational layout and structure; second, the idea of the visitor experience, which culminated in the building's main route up an escalator to the exhibition floor and then back down a set of stairs where the public gets a glimpse of the museum's archive. This focus on a simple logic and on visitor experience has made The Broad one of LA's most popular museums. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. Tippet Rise Art Center Structures of Landscape / ENSAMBLE STUDIO. Image Courtesy of ENSAMBLE STUDIO Why we're impressed: I think a museum is defined by how it highlights the art exhibited. Whether using a built construction or simply positioning landmarks in an open field, it's all about the experience of 'living' the art. The experimental Tippet Rise Art Center may not keep its work under a roof, but works such as Structures of Landscape designed by ENSAMBLE STUDIO are all the more powerful for it; their work is simple poetry, turning elements of the land itself into landscape art. See more photographs here. Harvard Art Museums Renovation and Expansion / Renzo Piano + Payette  Harvard Art Museums Renovation and Expansion / Renzo Piano + Payette. Image © Nic Lehoux Why we're impressed: The renovation of the listed Fogg Museum – a neighbor of Le Corbusier's revered Carpenter Center –had all the ingredients required for a potential controversy. But Renzo Piano and Payette's clever project capitalized on the existing building's best traits, reimagining the central courtyard as a civic-minded, light-filled atrium, while the extension itself was sensitive enough to both the Fogg Museum and its neighbor that few took issue with the changes. See more photographs, drawings and a project description here. See more than 450 museums at http://www.archdaily.com/search/projects/categories/museum
 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New Renderings Reveal Herzog & de Meuron’s Nearly Completed Hotel Tower in Manhattan Posted: 17 May 2017 11:00 PM PDT  Courtesy of Ian Schrager Company New renderings of Herzog & de Meuron's upcoming luxury hotel have been released, showing the 28-storey tower's updated interiors at its location at 215 Chrystie Street in Manhattan's Bowery District. Constructed of raw concrete, the 370 rooms are capped with eleven open-plan luxury residences and is set to open to the public in June. "To introduce a sense of scale and to further foster the expression of each individual floor, each column is slightly inclined," explained Jacques Herzog with the announcement of the project back in 2014. "The prominent corner of the building facing Chrystie Street is where the two geometries of the inclined columns meet. Rather than giving one direction priority, the two directions are braided together. The result is a sculptural corner column that becomes the visual anchor for the entire building."
The first hotel of developer Ian Schrager's new brand, PUBLIC, the project aims to be an example of a rethinking of hotel programming and function, along with the "democratization of luxury." It includes a distinctive social lobby space, an outdoor garden designed by Madison Cox, as well as a modular multimedia area that hosts exhibitions, film screenings, performances, and launches. The rooftop terrace accompanies a nightclub and restaurant, capturing views of the surrounding Manhattan cityscape.  Courtesy of Ian Schrager Company  Courtesy of Ian Schrager Company With the core construction complete and structure in place, the hotel's finishing touches are being added, such as the installation of the floor-to-ceiling window bays that dominate the façade and painting of the parking spaces on the ground floor.
The opening of Schrager's PUBLIC is scheduled for June. News via: Ian Schrager Company.
 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Cut Out, House H / bergmeisterwolf architekten Posted: 17 May 2017 10:00 PM PDT  © Gustav Willeit
 © Gustav Willeit From the architect. House H, located in Oberbozen, is an intimate refuge, a place to live surrounded by landscape. Placed close to the angle of the existing holzner park hotel building, it represents the final point of the compound. The concept is that of introducing connection elements to allow the dialogue between existing and new. Starting from a linear volume, working by subtracting: by alternating intimate balconies with dug loggias, the attention moves away from the historic Renon train tracks.  © Gustav Willeit The house assumes an introverted personality, not only because of its shape but also because of its materials. The facades feature a solid earth colored cement structure. Every opening seems to have been carved out from the original volume of the house by digging and pushing the solid mass. Through these voids a new relation with nature is established, providing the user with unexpected framings of the landscape, different in size, proportions and depth.  Ground Floor Plan  First Floor plan On the roof of the house a private garden covered with a pergola seems to dissolve with the compound structure. Thick masonry walls have been covered in a hand-applied stucco containing locally-sourced materials. Interior pavements in terrazzo and natural oak elements recall traditional renon hotels.  © Gustav Willeit  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| You are subscribed to email updates from ArchDaily. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
Nema komentara:
Objavi komentar