Arch Daily |
- AD Classics: Kafka's Castle / Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitecturas
- House in Trafaria / Manuel Cachão Tojal
- Waterside Buddist Shrine / ARCHSTUDIO
- Nhà Thân Thiện #003 / Global Architect & Associates
- Datum House / FIGR Architecture & Design
- Equestrian Center in Luxelakes Eco-City / Chengdu Wide Horizon Investment Group
- Anadara / fjmt
- The World's 20 Largest Architecture Firms
- Villa de Leyva House / Guillermo Fischer
- BIG Changes on the Horizon for Bjarke Ingels and His Firm
- Pop Madalena Building / Andrade Morettin Arquitetos Associados
- MASS Design Group, Deborah Berke Partners Win 2017 Cooper Hewitt Design Awards
- Somerville Residence / NatureHumaine
- Spotlight: Herzog & de Meuron
- "See You in Court!": 9 of Architecture’s Nastiest Lawsuits
- Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital / Sheppard Robson + John Cooper Architecture + GAPP + Ruben
- Meet the World’s Smallest and Most Stylish Smartlock by BIG and Friday Labs
- AIA Announces Winner of 2017 Latrobe Prize
- Los Llanos of Aridane House / Albert Brito Arquitectura
| AD Classics: Kafka's Castle / Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitecturas Posted: 08 May 2017 09:00 PM PDT  © Ricardo Bofill Standing on a rise overlooking the Spanish Mediterranean coast, there is an odd structure which could easily be mistaken for an vast pile of forgotten blocks. Kafka's Castle, built in 1968, was one of the earlier projects completed by Ricardo Bofill, a Spanish Postmodern architect known for apartment buildings as monumental as they were thought-provoking. While his later work indulged in Postmodern historicism, the modular and mathematically-derived Kafka's Castle was an unabashed break from any local or global tradition – as much the case now as it was in the 1960s.  © Ricardo Bofill  With amenities including a pool, bar, and multiple restaurants, Kafka's Castle is often referred to not as an apartment complex, but as a resort. Image© Ricardo Bofill Ricardo Bofill, born in Barcelona in 1939, studied architecture at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura in his hometown and at the Université de Genève in Switzerland before returning to Spain to begin his practice. He founded a multidisciplinary team called the Taller de Arquitectura ("Architecture Workshop") in 1960 and, by the end of the decade, had designed several apartment complexes. Each project by Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura [RBTA] explored a common theme: the effect of spatial design on human interaction.[1] Bofill also demonstrated a predilection toward poetic and literary references in his work – Kafka's Castle included.[2] In The Castle, an unfinished novel published after the death of its author Franz Kafka, a protagonist known only as K arrives in a village dominated, both visually and governmentally, by a nearby castle. K claims to have been appointed as a land surveyor by the rulers in the castle, but as chronicled in the story, his attempts to be recognized by this inaccessible authority are dashed against the obstinacy of the villagers and arrogant local officials. Although unwritten, the ending Kafka intended would see K finally receive a permit to stay only after exhaustion from his efforts has literally left him on his deathbed.[3]  Every aspect of the Castle's design, including its siting, was dictated by mathematical formulae. Image© Ricardo Bofill Given its fragmented appearance, it is not immediately discernable as to why Bofill would choose to name Kafka's Castle for a novel which portrays bureaucracy taken to its logical extremes. This could simply be an ironic appellation, but the fact is that there is a method to the apparent madness in the building's design. The distribution of the numerous cubic structural units which compose the Castle is not random, but dictated by various equations: one determines how many modules connect to the two core circulation shafts, while another determines the height of the spirals of units wrapping around the shafts. The equations are applied to each vertical core and their outputs merged together into a single building, the synthesis of the two creating unique spatial conditions which bely the meticulous calculations from which they were derived.[4]  © Ricardo Bofill  Elevation changes marked the boundaries between modules within each apartment unit. Image© Ricardo Bofill Along with residential apartments, Kafka's Castle includes a swimming pool, sauna, bar, and multiple restaurants. In this sense, although its formal design was a clear break from Spanish tradition, the complex is not programmatically atypical. The concept of habitation modules clustered around a vertical core was also not unique – at approximately the same time that Bofill was designing Kafka's Castle, Moshe Safdie was utilizing a similar approach for his Habitat '67 in Montréal, Canada.[5] In total, there are ninety apartment dwellings sprouting from the two circulatory cores. Half of each unit is supported by the same brickwork that composes these cores; the other half, protruding out into space, is supported by two steel columns. The units themselves are built on cantilevered ceramic slabs, framed in lightweight wood, and covered in stucco. Despite appearing as independent elements plugged into a central core, none of the cubic modules are actually structurally self-sufficient; their standardization, however, allowed for greater ease of construction.[6]  Once the physical model of Kafka's Castle was completed, RBTA managed to condense all necessary construction information into only five drawings. Image© Ricardo Bofill Every apartment comprises a grouping of multiple cubes, each of which contains one or two important spatial or programmatic elements within the collective whole: for example, one module may contain a bathroom and a bedroom, while its adjoining neighbor contains the living and dining areas. The various modules in an apartment unit connect at varying heights, bringing the spatial variety of the exterior into the dwelling spaces.[7] The Castle's unusual formal strategy merited an equally unusual approach to the construction process. After a physical model of the design was produced, RBTA set to work on a new method of presentation, distilling the information as much as they could while still allowing builders to understand what they were expected to construct. Thanks to the standardization within the building's base formulae, the firm was able to dispense with the stacks of drawings normally de rigeur in architectural practice and utilize only five: one main drawing and supplementary images clarifying the variations of the apartment modules. Any design decisions not specified in these few documents were clarified on site.[8]  © Ricardo Bofill The world has changed since 1968, and Kafka's Castle has changed with it. Once standing alone on its seaside hilltop, the imposing structure now shares its environs with an entire neighborhood of apartment buildings and single family homes. Its multifaceted façade, once painted in shades of blue, is now a pale cream hue. But whatever changes time has wrought, the Castle continues to be an object of fascination to those who see its unusual form silhouetted against the Spanish sky – as captivating and mysterious as the literary castle for which it is named.  © Ricardo Bofill  © Ricardo Bofill References
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| House in Trafaria / Manuel Cachão Tojal Posted: 08 May 2017 08:00 PM PDT  © Francisco Nogueira
 © Francisco Nogueira From the architect. The house is set in a small village, called Trafaria, located on the other side of the Tagus river, just in front of Lisbon.  © Francisco Nogueira Trafaria is a small fishing village and the earlier country's first beach colony which was witnessed of the increase of simple and vernacular constructions for holidays in the 1950s. This house is a perfect example of those constructions.  © Francisco Nogueira From the beginning of the project, we search for a new interpretation of the house in the light of the contemporary living, maintaining its main use which is to provide perfect holidays stays. In this way, the project explores the whole interior of the existing house in a more spacious way, adding to space and reinforcing the connection with the exterior through the opening to the garden.  Plan The house is thus divided into 3 tons, a private (Suite), a semi-private (Library) and a social (Living Room and kitchen), being the suite built inside a volume of wood, the library inside of a wooden slat and the open living room and kitchen drew with a double height foot.  © Francisco Nogueira Thereby the volume of the library supports the volume of the suite, smoothing the transition of the suite to the rest of the house, through a wooden slat that lets the light pass through and allows a visual relationship between the living room and the library, always keeping enough privacy.  © Francisco Nogueira The option of using the wood was to create contrast with the existing walls, giving more comfort to the interior taking into account the spatial amplitude. Finally, the concrete floor and the use of some materials and pieces, such as the old kitchen sink and mosaic and the chimney, are intended to reinforce the memory and identity of the existing house adapting it to the new spatial configuration.  © Francisco Nogueira  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Waterside Buddist Shrine / ARCHSTUDIO Posted: 08 May 2017 07:00 PM PDT  Courtesy of ARCHSTUDIO
 Courtesy of ARCHSTUDIO From the architect. This is a place for Buddhist mediation, thinking and contemplation, as well as a place satisfying the needs of daily life. The building is located in the forest by the riverside. Along the river, there is a mound, behind which is a great stretch of open field and sporadic vegetable greenhouses. The design started from the connection between the building and nature, adopts the method of earthing to hide the building under the earth mound while presenting the divine temperament of nature with flowing interior space. A place with power of perception where trees, water, Buddha and human coexist is thus created.  Courtesy of ARCHSTUDIO To remain trees along the river perfectly intact, the building plan avoids all trunks. Shape of the plan looks like branches extending under the existing forest. Five separated and continuous spaces are created within the building by two axis, among which one is north-south going and another one goes along the river. The five "branches" represent five spaces of different functions: entrance, Buddhist meditation room, tea room, living room and bathroom, which form a strolling-style experience together.  Courtesy of ARCHSTUDIO  Floor Plan  EntranceCourtesy of ARCHSTUDIO The building remains close to trees and natural scenery. The entrance faces two trees; people need to walk into the building through a narrow path under the trees.  Courtesy of ARCHSTUDIO The shrine is against the wall and facing the water, where the light and the shadow of the trees get through the skylight and flow into the interior space softly along the curved wall, exaggerating the light of Buddha.  Section Detail The tea room opens completely to the pool which is filled with lotus, and trees on both sides of the tea room has become part of the courtyard, creating a fun of tea tasting and sight-viewing.  Courtesy of ARCHSTUDIO The lounge is separated from other parts of the building by a bamboo courtyard; such division enables daily life varies with different hours of a day. The whole building is covered with earth and becomes an extension of the land, as another "mound" which could be used under the trees.  Courtesy of ARCHSTUDIO The relationship with nature further extends to the use of materials. Integral concreting is used in walls and the roof of the building. The concrete formwork is pieced together with pine strips of 3cm width, in this way natural wood grain and vertical linear texture are impressed on the interior surface, creating a soft and warm feeling to the cold concrete materials. Built-in-furniture is custom-made with wood strips, whose grey wood grain is a little bit different from the concrete walls.  Courtesy of ARCHSTUDIO Smooth terrazzo is used for the interior floor, where there is thin grain of stone on the surface, and it maps the outdoor natural landscape into the interior space. Cement grouting with white pebbles is adopted in outdoor flooring, which creates a difference in sense of touch between indoor and outdoor floor.  Courtesy of ARCHSTUDIO To reflect natural texture of the materials, solid wood is used for all doors and windows. Zen stresses on complying with nature and being part of nature. That is also the goal of the design for this space—taking use of space, structure and material to stimulate human perception, thus helping man and building to find the charm of nature even in an ordinary rural landscape, and to coexist with nature.  Courtesy of ARCHSTUDIO  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Nhà Thân Thiện #003 / Global Architect & Associates Posted: 08 May 2017 03:00 PM PDT  © Nguyen Quoc Anh + Nguyen Trung Kien
 © Nguyen Quoc Anh + Nguyen Trung Kien From the architect. Located in a quiet area near West Lake, Hanoi, "Nhà Thân Thiện #003" is designed for the weekend getaway purpose of a young family. The idea is based on three factors: the way of organizing space for a weekend house in the city, size 6x10m; The use of friendly materials, creating a rustic atmosphere, relaxation; Last but not least, the energy saving issue for a home that is influenced by the West Sunlight.  © Nguyen Quoc Anh + Nguyen Trung Kien Spatial Conception  © Nguyen Quoc Anh + Nguyen Trung Kien  Section  © Nguyen Quoc Anh + Nguyen Trung Kien  Elevation and section  © Nguyen Quoc Anh + Nguyen Trung Kien Materials  © Nguyen Quoc Anh + Nguyen Trung Kien Energy Saving  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Datum House / FIGR Architecture & Design Posted: 08 May 2017 01:00 PM PDT  © Tom Blachford & Kate Ballis
 © Tom Blachford & Kate Ballis From the architect. When presented at the street elevation, Datum House borrows from the neighboring properties in roof form and material references. The project takes inspiration from its surroundings and context and reinterprets its findings through a contemporary take on a traditional Victorian elevation, resulting in a considered outcome and street integration. We started off with our client's extensive brief for a home that had to house a growing family of 5. Our domestic container envelope was derived from a simple extrusion of the Victorian cottage silhouette, placed onto the narrow sloping site to set up a defined datum. The outcome is a result of the envelope being manipulated by the surrounding context, the required amenity and its negotiation with the existing site constraints.  © Tom Blachford & Kate Ballis The split-level arrangement was a response to the conditions of the sloping site and the site constraints of the neighbouring dwellings. The program has been carefully arranged and contained within the extruded envelope to respond to the rescode requirements for side setbacks and furthermore to formally integrate the building into its context. The final outcome is as much about the atmosphere and spaces within the house as it is about the connection of those spaces to its context and surroundings.  Sections The idea to subtract a volume from the envelope of the building to create a centrally located courtyard evolved as a strategy to offer the house access to natural light and to provide the rooms with visual amenity. Insertions into the envelope in the form of the black metal shrouds establish openings that relate to both visual and natural light amenity. These moments open our domestic container envelope to reveal elements of the context beyond. A large pivot window extends the daybed into the rear yard to transform the window into a seating and reading platform.  © Tom Blachford & Kate Ballis  © Tom Blachford & Kate Ballis A central courtyard is presented at the entry. Stepping into the entry alcove the clients are presented with a choice to turn left and enter into the main living quarters, to go straight and access the central courtyard or to turn right to take 5 steps up into the green carpeted retreat or 14 steps down into the lower ground kids bedroom quarters. Datum house is divided into 3 levels, ground level housing the open plan living with a linear kitchen arrangement tying together the dining and living spaces, flanked by the backyard to the south and the central courtyard to the north. Level 1 contains the retreat/study, European laundry, main bedroom and ensuite and lower ground houses 3 kids bedrooms, bathroom & WC.  © Tom Blachford & Kate Ballis  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Equestrian Center in Luxelakes Eco-City / Chengdu Wide Horizon Investment Group Posted: 08 May 2017 12:00 PM PDT  Courtesy of Chengdu Wide Horizon Investment Group
 Courtesy of Chengdu Wide Horizon Investment Group From the architect. The equestrian stable is designed with two major approaches: the use of traditional skills and natural materials, the application of large-scale tensioned membrane. The biggest problem to build with bricks is the structure form. A traditional brick building can not achieve the hollowed-out pattern and effects we wanted, so framework structure was added to break the restriction of using bricks as the structural wall, meanwhile the beam and eaves are specially treated.  Courtesy of Chengdu Wide Horizon Investment Group
 Courtesy of Chengdu Wide Horizon Investment Group Industrial light-weight tensile membrane is used to cover such large horse racecourse with a span of 45 meters. Suspension link rings and umbrella-shaped pillars become the main form of tensioned membrane structure for the playground and the racecourse. Such design started off with the structure solution.  Membrane - elevation
 Membrane - plan  Courtesy of Chengdu Wide Horizon Investment Group Children's heaven is hidden by side of the stable: the animal labyrinth. We took advantage of the height difference between the stable and the road, and created the fun and interesting animal farm and labyrinth, similar to the Hobbit's hut.  Courtesy of Chengdu Wide Horizon Investment Group
Luxes' school is not only a building, it is a complete place with three different interfaces: waterfront interface, streetfront interface (close to the stable), and the other interface adjacent to the playground. We want to create the interfaces with differences, but they are unified as well. The building is invisible from the view of the road by the stable, only steel structure, bamboo, and Luxe LOGO are visible, indicating a place hidden somewhere. Such arrangement is open and interactive.  Courtesy of Chengdu Wide Horizon Investment Group Across the yard, a clean ramp goes down to interior of the school, just imagine, children are playing, shouting, chasing each other, it would take ten minutes to find them, suppose they run along the ramp or hide themselves in the grass growing on the roof. The waterfront side is planted with natural grass, just one big opening leading people to the interior ground of the school. No other architectural language or form is used, only one opening invites the children to the water, creating a hidden but beautiful place.  Courtesy of Chengdu Wide Horizon Investment Group  Floor Plan  Courtesy of Chengdu Wide Horizon Investment Group The other side adjacent to the playground is more integrative and inclusive, curved form maximizes the connection to the playground, which is just like a cave on the ground, where children would rest after they tire themselves of playing.  Courtesy of Chengdu Wide Horizon Investment Group The three different interfaces bring children with different experiences. We hope the Luxe's school would become the warm cave deep in the heart of the children, safe and peaceful, where they can learn about the nature, and explore the world, while enjoying themselves.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 08 May 2017 10:00 AM PDT  © John Gollings
 © John Gollings From the architect. Anadara's unique design represents earth, water and sky, expressed by the earthy terracotta coloured façade to the south which is contrasted by a striking, white curvilinear feature to the north, coined 'The Cloud.' The expressive, organic form of the northern apartments celebrates and defines the adjacent public square and is reminiscent of the free-forms of clouds and waves that complement our sandstone harbour headlands.  © John Gollings Our approach was to articulate this long linear building into two primary forms; a carefully scaled rectilinear form that defines the waterfront, and a higher more organic form to addresses the main public open space. These architectural forms are combined with a linear canopy, gentle terracing and landscape to characterise the public waterfront.  © John Gollings As the building is located in the vibrant new precinct of Barangaroo South, it was imperative to preserve a sense of privacy for the apartments facing both the waters edge and the commercial towers. The curved forms of 'The Cloud' are created through fixed and operable perforated screens that can slide along the gentle curves while preserving a flush skin to the building when closed. The pattern to the outside of The Cloud softens the material used and allows maximum harbour views through the eye level, whilst maintaining a private outdoor realm for the apartments. Likewise, the eastern façade provides balcony setbacks and recessed oblique windows to enable views along the length of the street rather than directly across the road toward the commercial street frontage. Again, screens are used to increase privacy and further articulate the facade.  © John Gollings By setting back the top level, the impact of the building envelope along the public domain is reduced. This allows the public to look up and past the form to engage with the sky by looking through the rooftop louvres and beyond.  © John Gollings  Ground Floor  © Andrew Chung As part of Barangaroo South, the most significant site opportunity is the ability to reconnect the harbour to the western edge of the CBD. Its in the optimum position along the waters edge and benefits from uninterrupted views of the harbour to the west.  © John Gollings The public domain adjacent to the waterfront also connects back to Darling Harbour to the south reinforcing the public connectivity and walking trail along the harbour foreshore.  Elevation Anadara and the activated retail at ground level serves to reinforce this opportunity providing a dynamic public realm, while the northern end of the site opens to a public square encouraging activity for the broader site of Barangaroo and the CBD.The apartments contribute to the liveliness of the precinct providing an active public and residential community along the harbours edge.  © John Gollings  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The World's 20 Largest Architecture Firms Posted: 08 May 2017 09:45 AM PDT  Earlier this year, BDOnline released the 2017 edition of the WA 100, their annual survey of the world's largest practices. Ranking the firms by the number of architects they employ, the full report also investigates these firms' financial records and industry trends. The top spots show only slight changes from last year's rankings, with Japan's Nikken Sekkei taking second place from AECOM being perhaps the most notable change. However, the big story behind this year's WA 100 is the rapid growth of #1 firm Gensler, with the firm increasing their lead from last year. The firm now employs almost 800 more architects than any other firm in the world. "Gensler's total domination of the rankings continues as it achieves the seemingly impossible task of growing still more after last year's huge leap in size," says BDOnline, noting that the company's total of 2,570 employed architects represents an increase of almost 1,000 in under 2 years. Gensler's co-chief executive Diane Hoskins explains this growth as the result of expanding overseas while continuing to expand in the US. "It's not an either/or," she explained to BDOnline. Read on to see the top 20, or go see the full list of 100 top practices at BDOnline here (for subscribers only). 1. Gensler (USA) 2. Nikken Sekkei (Japan) 3. AECOM (USA) 4. Perkins+Will (USA) 5. HDR (USA) 6. IBI Group (Canada) 7. Woods Bagot (Australia) 8. HOK (USA) 9. Aedas (China) 10. DP Architects (Singapore) 11. Sweco Sweden 12. HKS (USA) 13. White Arkitekter (Sweden) 14. Foster + Partners (UK) 15. Perkins Eastman (USA) 16. Jacobs (USA) 17. Junglim Architecture (South Korea) =18. Kunwon (South Korea) =18. Stantec (Canada) 20. SmithGroupJJR (USA)  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Villa de Leyva House / Guillermo Fischer Posted: 08 May 2017 08:00 AM PDT  Courtesy of Guillermo Fischer
 Courtesy of Guillermo Fischer From the architect. A house of rest for an artist and his family, a patio house, with a square plan, a regular object in a natural environment, on a terrain with a slight slope, near the long mountain in which is embedded the sacred lagoon of Iguaque. This location generates the idea of the main visual orientation of the house: The volcanic cone where the lagoon is.  Courtesy of Guillermo Fischer  Plan  Courtesy of Guillermo Fischer The municipality demands in a subjective way that for the new constructions in the region the "colonial style" must be used; and that implies white walls, carpentries in wood, roofs covered in clay tiles, and eaves of 60cm. Paradoxically the regulations do not mention the courtyards.  Courtesy of Guillermo Fischer While the exterior of the house maintains the hardness of the thick white walls of the houses of the region, the interior contrasts with the fluidity of the organized spaces around the two patios (that are visually directed to the lagoon), which are faithful to aspects of the Andalusian architectural culture inherited, such as water, orange trees, round stones.  Section and facade If the dining room, central space of the house, is a transparent space, it produces an unlimited uncontrolled directional flow, it is necessary that this directionality is cut by a wall on the back courtyard. When leaving the dining room open on the patio facing Iguaque, and closed towards the other, a front and a back is built in the house, which also defines the social and private area.  Courtesy of Guillermo Fischer  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| BIG Changes on the Horizon for Bjarke Ingels and His Firm Posted: 08 May 2017 07:15 AM PDT "The greatest thing about being an architect," pronounced Bjarke Ingels, "is that you build buildings." The audience at the world premiere of the highly anticipated documentary film, BIG TIME, snickered at the seemingly obvious statement. But Ingels, ever the showman, explained himself: by building buildings, architects occupy the unique position of being able to add to the built environment the "most unlikely combinations," which, ultimately, shape the world "just because [they] thought it." He seems awed by the concept – the same awe portrayed in BIG TIME as the architect designs the skyscraper that will change New York City's skyline. The Danish architect has previously been the subject of at least two other widely released documentaries: a film about the 8-House titled The Inifinite Happiness, and his own episode of Abstract, the Netflix series that looks into the lives of artists and creators. BIG TIME, however, stands out for its unconventional intentions; unlike most architecture films which emphasize design and construction, this documentary aims to depict its subject as a whole, posing more intimate questions regarding the sacrifices that come with success as stratospheric as Ingels has experienced in the 15 years since starting his company.  Courtesy of DOXBIO Rarely are you able to see a world-renowned architect in a hospital entering an MRI machine, or in the back of a cab embracing his significant other, yet these scenes are present in the film and manage to humanize a character often regarded more as legend than man. But not everything is personal – another aspect the film seems interested in exploring is the value of innovation and transcendence in architecture. At one point, Ingels speaks on the irony of designs once seen as innovative later becoming petrifying for architecture, specifically with regards to modernism. He also mentions the Sydney Opera House – what he deems to be the most recognizable building in the world – saying that every architect dreams of one day building their own Sydney Opera. In an exclusive interview with ArchDaily the day following the premiere, Ingels had this to say: "I think I say this in the movie, but even if I practice until I drop dead, maybe we'll make 200 buildings, and that will be a lot. But 200 buildings in a 7-billion-people planet is not a lot. The real way that you can really have an impact on the lives of the many is if what you do somehow is either scalable, replicable, or inspiring." Check out the rest of the interview above. BIG TIME was the opening film at the Copenhagen Architecture Festival on April 26th, and premiered the following week in more than 50 cinemas around Denmark.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Pop Madalena Building / Andrade Morettin Arquitetos Associados Posted: 08 May 2017 06:00 AM PDT  © Nelson Kon
 © Nelson Kon From the architect. Vila Madalena, a bohemian neighborhood in São Paulo, is one of the city's most traditional places. Congregating residential buildings, shops, restaurants, and offices, it is a good example of a mixed-use neighborhood with a multiple, intense urban life. Highly sought after by companies and professionals in the creative industry, it has become one of the most vibrant destinations in the metropolis.  © Nelson Kon When we were commissioned to design a mixed-use building there, we decided that it should reflect the energy and relaxed spirit which characterize the neighborhood, exploring a light language in the construction repertoire and using industrialized materials and components.  First Floor Plan Madalena Street is the Pop Building's main access and also the terrain's highest point. From here we get to the entrance square, under a marquee that covers the social spaces and also a store that opens directly onto the street. The center of the square is a belvedere from where people can watch the surroundings, and then advance to the swimming-pool, under the double-height ceiling.  © Nelson Kon  Plan  © Nelson Kon Structured by a conventional grid of reinforced concrete pillars and beams, the building has its edges relieved, in such a way that the prevailing structural element in the constructed volume is the slab, the horizontal plane that constitutes the main composition matrix when stacked.  © Nelson Kon From this structural matrix, we used industrialized materials and components to build the vertical enclosure system. Glass, different kinds of thermoacoustic metallic tiles, and galvanized wire guard-rails, among others, are part of this repertoire. Combined with simple strategies for passive conditioning, this construction repertoire contributes to good bioclimatic performance in both buildings.  Section The façades of the apartment units are always receded, in such a way that eaves and balconies work as horizontal brise-soleils. The sliding panel system made of perforated metal tiles completes the solution, keeping sun exposure to a minimum.  © Nelson Kon The main tower, above the entrance square, has seven floors of apartments units, ranging in size from 55 to 250 square meters. Floor plans are flexible and can be integrated, creating differently-sized apartments. Below ground floor, there is room for the other common areas of the building, such as gym and common laundry. Below this floor, there is a high-ceiling glass-enclosed store that opens directly to Simpatia Street.  © Nelson Kon The volume concept of the building is intentionally exploded, with several volumes creating a connected, coherent architecture. This strategy aims to integrate the building to the surrounding area and the rugged topography. The voids and gaps between volumes provide some permeability and help create scale adjustments to each particular situation.  © Nelson Kon  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| MASS Design Group, Deborah Berke Partners Win 2017 Cooper Hewitt Design Awards Posted: 08 May 2017 05:30 AM PDT  Butaro Doctors' Housing / MASS Design Group. Image © Iwan Baan The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum has announced the winners of their 2017 National Design Awards, recognizing outstanding achievement in design and innovation across a variety of design disciplines. Now in its 18th year, the annual award was established to "promote design as a vital humanistic tool in shaping the world." This year, several architects and architectural institutions took home prizes, including MASS Design Group, in the category of Architecture Design; Surfacedesign (Landscape Architecture); Deborah Berke Partners (Interior Design), Craig L. Wilkins (Design Mind), and the Design Trust for Public Space (Corporate & Institutional Achievement). "In an era of tumultuous change, design is asking deep questions about its purpose and contributions to a better society," said Caroline Baumann, director of Cooper Hewitt. "The achievements of this year's class of National Design Award winners have informed that dialogue, and their accomplishments have elevated our understanding of what great American design is and what it can do to improve our world." The Architecture Design award is notable for being a harbinger of future success, with previous winners including Marlon Blackwell Architects (2016), MOS Architects (2015), Brooks + Scarpa (2014), Studio Gang Architects (2013), Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects (2012), Architecture Research Office (2011), KieranTimberlake (2010), SHoP Architects (2009), Tom Kundig of Olson Kundig (2008), Office dA - Monica Ponce de Leon / Nader Tehrani (2007), Thom Mayne of Morphosis (2006), Diller Scofidio + Renfro (2005), Rick Joy and Polshek Partnership (2004), Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects (2003), Steven Holl Architects (2002), and Peter Eisenman (2001). Award Descriptions via Cooper Hewitt Architecture Design: MASS Design GroupFounded in 2008, MASS Design Group is a design collaborative of 75 employees working in more than a dozen countries with offices in Boston and Kigali, Rwanda. With a portfolio that spans the fields of design, research, advocacy and training, MASS is committed to understanding the short- and long-term ripple effects made by architectural decisions at all scales—for inhabitants, clients, communities and societies. MASS's practice focuses on architecture's relationship to health and behavior, and on designing the human and physical systems necessary for growth, dignity and well-being. MASS believes that architecture is never neutral—that it either heals or hurts—and that a well-designed, beautiful world is a human right. Landscape Architecture: Surfacedesign Golden Gate Bridge Plaza, San Francisco / Surfacedesign. Image © Marion Brenner Surfacedesign is a landscape architecture and urban design firm based in San Francisco. Founded in 2001, the award-winning practice creates dynamic parks, plazas, waterfronts, civic landscapes and private gardens. James A. Lord, Roderick Wyllie and Geoff di Girolamo, in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of landscape architects, urban designers and architects, provide innovative design solutions for a wide range of projects, including the Smithsonian Master Plan, Auckland International Airport, Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary Plaza and IBM Plaza Honolulu. Integral to the philosophy of the practice, Surfacedesign focuses on cultivating a sense of connection to the built and natural world, pushing people to engage with the landscape in new ways. Interior Design: Deborah Berke Partners Cummins Indianapolis Distribution Headquarters / Deborah Berke & Partners. Image © Cummins Deborah Berke Partners is a New York-based architecture and interior design practice led by partners Deborah Berke, Maitland Jones and Marc Leff, and senior principals Stephen Brockman and Caroline Wharton Ewing. Together, they dissolve the boundaries between architecture and interior design by distilling complex considerations—environmental, social and aesthetic—to their essence. From visionary master plans to the focused details of interiors, Deborah Berke Partners works at all scales, with transformative outcomes. The firm's most significant work includes the Distribution Headquarters for Cummins Inc. in Indianapolis; the Rockefeller Arts Center in Fredonia, New York; the interior architecture and design of 432 Park Avenue in New York City; 21c Museum Hotels across the U.S.; the Yale School of Art in New Haven, Conn.; and numerous residences for private clients. Design Mind: Craig L. WilkinsCraig L. Wilkins is an architect, academic and author, recognized as one of the country's leading scholars on African Americans in architecture. He is the former director of the Detroit Community Design Center and a lecturer at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Both his creative practice and pedagogy are informed by the long, rich, yet relatively untold stories of people of color in both the physical and symbolic construction of America. At multiple levels across diverse platforms, his award-winning books, chapters, essays and design interventions recover and present the rich social, cultural, political, historical and aesthetic contributions of oft-ignored people and practitioners of color for professional and public engagement. Corporate & Institutional Achievement: Design Trust for Public Space © Rob Stephenson for the Design Trust for Public Space The Design Trust for Public Space is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the future of New York City. Founded in 1995 by Andrea Woodner to bring design expertise into the public realm, the Design Trust remains at the forefront of shaping New York City's shared civic spaces and infrastructure—from streets, plazas and parks to transportation and housing. The Design Trust has executed 30 multi-year projects working with over 40 city agencies and community groups and 90 fellows. The organization's projects saved the High Line structure and the Garment District, jump-started New York City's first custom-built Taxi of Tomorrow and created the city's first comprehensive sustainability guidelines that became the precursor to OneNYC. The other year's recipients include Hartmut Esslinger (Lifetime Achievement); Susan S. Szenasy (Director's Award); Jennifer Morla (Communication Design); Slow and Steady Wins the Race (Fashion Design); Stamen Design (Interaction Design); and Joe Doucet (Product Design). See the full list of winners here. News via Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.  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| Somerville Residence / NatureHumaine Posted: 08 May 2017 04:00 AM PDT  © Adrien Williams
 © Adrien Williams From the architect. A couple with two young children wishes to renovate a row house dating back to the 1970s. Being part of a set of rowhouses designed uniformly, no changes were brought to the exterior appearance of the house. Contained within a space of 16'-0 '' wide by 47'-0 '' in length, the residence is organized on 4 levels including the basement. The entire layout of the rooms has been completely reconfigured according to the new needs of the clients. An existing triple-height void topped by a skylight illuminates the heart of the house.  Axonometric A new staircase with a guard composed of black painted steel tubular sections emphasises the verticality of triple height space. A white wall cladded with painted wooden panels installed in a random arrangement adds a dramatic effect to the entire project. Two translucent glass plates provide luminosity to the bathrooms and punctuate the wooden wall on the 2nd and 3rd floors.  © Adrien Williams  Section  © Adrien Williams The original stainless steel suspended light fixtures were painted black and their supports reconfigured more dynamically. The use of pale maple wood for the floors, concrete for the kitchen island and velvety white laminate for the cabinets, contributes to the minimalist spirit of the residence where a specific attention to detail is omnipresent.  © Adrien Williams  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 08 May 2017 03:30 AM PDT  VitraHaus. Photography by Iwan Baan © Vitra Led by Jacques Herzog (born 19 April 1950) and Pierre de Meuron (born 8 May 1950), most descriptions of Herzog & de Meuron projects are almost paradoxical: in one paragraph they will be praised for their dedication to tradition and vernacular forms, in the next for their thoroughly modern innovation. However, in the hands of Herzog & de Meuron this is no paradox, as the internationally renowned architectural duo combine tradition and innovation in such a way that the two elements actually enhance each other.  Courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron Before establishing Herzog & de Meuron in 1978, both Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron studied architecture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) with Aldo Rossi and Dolf Schnebli. Early recognition came for projects such as the Blue House and the Stone House, but a particular breakthrough for the firm came with their 1987 Ricola Storage Building in Laufen, Switzerland. Today, their most recognized works include their renovation of London's Tate Modern in 2000; VitraHaus, one of the best-known components of the Vitra Campus; and the Bird's Nest Stadium, which took center stage at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  The Beijing National Stadium. Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beijing_national_stadium.jpg'>Wikimedia user Peter23</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a>  1111 Lincoln Road. Image © Nelson Garrido, Reprinted with permission from MBeach1, LLLP. Together, Herzog & de Meuron were awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2001, the first time the prize was awarded for the work of a partnership rather than a single architect. At the time of their award, they were praised for the innovative nature of their buildings' facades: Jury Chairman J. Carter Brown said that "one is hard put to think of any architects in history that have addressed the integument of architecture with greater imagination and virtuosity." However, in recent years their style has shifted to focus more on the structure and depth of their buildings, frequently displaying exposed floorplates and, where possible, layered and permeable facades.  Perez Art Museum. Image Courtesy of Arcophotos  Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. Image © Iwan Baan Check out Herzog & de Meuron's completed works via the thumbnails below, and more coverage of the firm after those: From Facades to Floor Plates & Form: The Evolution of Herzog & de Meuron Siza's Iberê Camargo Foundation and Herzog & de Meuron's 1111 Lincoln Road Win Inaugural MCHAP Award Why Herzog & de Meuron's Hamburg Elbphilharmonie Is Worth Its $900 Million Price Tag Critical Round-Up: Herzog & de Meuron's Tate Modern Switch House #donotsettle Takes Us Inside Herzog & de Meuron's Hamburg Elbphilharmonie During Its Opening The Berlage Archive: Jacques Herzog (1998) Video: 1111 Lincoln Road / Herzog & de Meuron Sammlung Goetz Munich / Herzog & de Meuron References: The Pritzker Prize and Wikipedia.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| "See You in Court!": 9 of Architecture’s Nastiest Lawsuits Posted: 08 May 2017 02:30 AM PDT  © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/diversey/16868722144/'>Flickr user diversey</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en'>CC BY-2.0</a> What did Pritzker Prize winner Frank Gehry get when he designed the Stata Center, an exuberantly whimsical academic complex for MIT? A very large check, plus a major lawsuit, alleging negligence and breach of contract due to rampant leaks, mold, cracks, drainage problems and sliding ice. Sometimes the most inspired designs can go awry. And when they do, some clients lawyer up. Here are 9 fascinating examples. 1. Millennium Tower, San Francisco, California Image <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Millennium_Tower_San_Francisco_July_2008.jpg'>via Wikimedia</a>. Photo by Wikimedia user Hydrogen Iodide in public domain. When engineers approved the Millennium Tower's foundation, they expected the building to evenly settle a half foot (0.15 meters) over the structure's lifespan. A mere seven years after opening, it was discovered that that 645-foot (197-meter) tall skyscraper had sunk 16 inches (0.4 meters) and was tilting 15 inches (0.38 meters) to the northwest. Unlike neighboring high-rises, the Millennium Tower's piles never reached bedrock. The expectation was that the landfill carrying the structure's mass would depress predictably, but it didn't happen. This grave error has produced cracked sidewalks, deformed door frames, and a cringe-worthy 60 Minutes segment where a golf ball is shown rolling across a penthouse floor. As of 2016, the building's tenants had filed a massive class action lawsuit in an attempt to pin the blame on the Transbay Joint Powers Authority and Millennium Partners. If you're in the market for heavily discounted San Francisco real estate, look no further. 2. US Bank Tower's OUE Skyslide, Los Angeles, CaliforniaDuring the summer of 2016, Los Angeles's newest attraction took Facebook newsfeeds by storm. A 45-foot (13.7-meter) long slide, cantilevering 1,000 feet (305 meters) above the ground, was tacked onto the side of the US Bank Tower, LA's tallest skyscraper. After descending a single story onto one of the tower's setbacks, visitors are shot out onto a mat to break their fall. A few months after opening, a woman sued the building's operator, OUE, after ungracefully hitting the landing and breaking an ankle in the process. Although not tragic, the embarrassing incident marred the attraction with negative PR. 3. 5 Pointz Demolition, Queens, New York © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:5_Pointz_Building_Rear_View.jpg'>Wikimedia user Vinniebar</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a> The famous Queens graffiti warehouse, dubbed the "U.N. of graffiti," was tragically whitewashed and demolished in 2014 to make room for bland, revenue-generating luxury apartment towers. Despite organized demonstrations and lawsuits in 2013 by local street artists, a judge dismissed the case and sided with the building's owner, G&M Realty. Their work destroyed, the artists again filed suit in 2015, claiming that the whitewashing of the building violated the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 (VARA). In April 2017, the case was resurrected by a judge who ruled that the street artists' redemptive case may proceed. 4. Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos Ciudad, Oviedo, Spain © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palacio_de_Congresos_Princesa_Letizia,_Oviedo_(Asturias).jpg'>Wikimedia user Jsmq</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a> Santiago Calatrava's exquisite projects are often notoriously maligned, for a variety of reasons. During construction of this extravagant shopping mall and government office block in Oviedo Spain, a portion of the structure collapsed. The incident delayed the project and led to a legal entanglement which resulted in his firm shelling out $4.3 million—a figure arrived at by subtracting the unpaid fees owed by the developer ($9.7 million) from the damages determined by the judge ($14 million). 5. Ray and Maria Stata Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/ensh/4753373622/'>Flickr user ensh</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> Frank Gehry jokingly referred to his own ambitious foray into academic buildings as "a party of drunken robots [that] got together to celebrate." Unfortunately, the Stata center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was less than successful. Gehry's highly intricate forms resulted in a building that sporadically leaked, grew mold, and had plumbing issues. The aggressive freeze/thaw climate of Boston and the irregular design likely contributed to sealant failure. Gehry's firm was sued in 2007, and the case was settled in 2010 after the flawed structure was repaired. 6. Harmon Tower, Las Vegas, Nevada © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Harmon_Hotel_-_South_East_-_2010-03-06.JPG'>Wikimedia user Cygnusloop99</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a> Poor Norman Foster. His firm's first project in Las Vegas was going to be a sleek, glass-clad 49 story tower anchoring the south end of the strip. After inspectors discovered that steel rebar had been improperly installed in 15 floors, construction halted, and the building's height was capped at 28 stories. The building was so plagued with structural issues it was only used as a giant unoccupied billboard by MGM. $400 million in suits were settled between MGM and the Perini Building Company and the stumpy remnant of Foster's vision was demolished in 2015. 7. Johnson Museum Extension, Ithaca, New York © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Johnson-museum-of-art-cornell.JPG'>Wikimedia user Dmadeo</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a> Cornell University slapped Pei Cobb Freed & Partners with a $1.1 million malpractice lawsuit after serious issues with humidity in the Johnson Museum's extension, allegedly compromising the safety of the artwork held within the structure. Although the firm also designed the original brutalist wing of the building in 1972, Cornell was "deeply unsatisfied" by the museum's addition, and thought the design to be "fundamentally flawed." 8. Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Cosa Mesa, California © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/34695342@N00/359233195'>Flickr user paulkhor</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en'>CC BY-2.0</a> Shortly after completion, the Orange County Performing Arts Center filed suit against both Cesar Pelli and the construction firm Fluor Corp. The organization claimed that the project was $40 million over budget and that, while they were largely satisfied with the space, some of the seating was improperly designed and many of the venue's sight lines weren't directed toward the stage. 9. Farnsworth House, Plano, Illinois © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Farnsworth_House_by_Mies_Van_Der_Rohe_-_exterior-8.jpg'>Wikimedia user Victor Grigas</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a> After meeting Mies van der Rohe at a dinner party, Dr. Edith Farnsworth commissioned the famous architect to build her a summer getaway in rural Illinois. Mies's pristine design ran over budget, triggering a series of non-payment and malpractice lawsuits from both sides. Although Mies eventually won the legal battle, the negative publicity took a toll on his sanity. The drama was so rich that Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal are starring in an upcoming major motion picture recounting the event. Mies defended his minimalist modernist masterpiece with brevity: "Less is more." That didn't satisfy Dr. Farnsworth, who bluntly rebutted: "We know that less is not more. It is simply less!"  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| Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital / Sheppard Robson + John Cooper Architecture + GAPP + Ruben Posted: 08 May 2017 02:00 AM PDT  © Tristan McLaren
 © Tristan McLaren From the architect. UK-based architecture firms Sheppard Robson and John Cooper Architecture (JCA) collaborated in 2009 to win an international design competition for the new Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital in Johannesburg. The facility will employ 150 paediatric doctors and 450 nurses.  © Tristan McLaren Sheppard Robson and JCA, responsible for the concept design of the hospital, were joined by local architects GAPP and Ruben Reddy. GAPP Architects & Urban Designers were responsible for the development of the facade and public spaces within the hospital, whilst Ruben Reddy Architects were the local lead and site architects, with a scope that included the design development of the clinical and operational facilities of the building and overall coordination.  © Tristan McLaren The team drew together specialist design skills with local experience and expertise to deliver the vision for the new hospital, which centred on creating a modern state-of-the-art paediatric tertiary facility located on the University of the Witwatersrand's education campus in Parktown, Johannesburg – a central position allowing it to service the needs of the region's populations.  Lower Ground Floor Plan The design is a 200-bed, eight-theatre facility, with advanced diagnostics and future plans for expansion to 300 beds. It will operate in partnership with the University of the Witwatersrand Medical School as a primary base, and will engage with all medical training facilities across the region. The hospital includes specialist facilities for the treatment of: cardiovascular, neurological, haematological, oncological, endocrine, metabolic and renal diseases. The project also includes facilities for paediatric surgery, whilst supporting paediatric academic research and training.  © Tristan McLaren A key element of the brief was to construct a hospital that provides high-quality child healthcare in a natural healing environment. This focus on connecting to nature would go on to shape the design of the project and be a starting point to creating a welcoming, safe environment for both children and parents. The competition-winning design broke away from housing all departments in a single 'box' building, which often leads to deep floorplates where the patients and staff have little contact with the outside world. After extensive consultation, it was clear that long, institutional and windowless corridors should be avoided in favour of a plan that connected to its natural surroundings. Sheppard Robson and JCA's concept revolved around creating six wings, each with its own specialism. These were connected by a 'street' that ran through the centre of the project. This 'street' was vital for connectivity, with three main junctions that enable efficient flow of people. The separation of floors of floors avoided cross-overs and assisted wayfinding.  © Tristan McLaren By breaking down the mass of the building into six elements, the design has a domestic, human scale that reassuring and familiar to children. Further moving away from a feeling of institutional design, each wing has subtle twists of the common design language to give it a distinct identity; for example, the colour of the solar shading walls – formed from horizontal rails – changes for each department, picking up on vibrant, local colours.  Sketch  Concept Section This composition increased the length of the perimeter of the building and created shallow floorplates. This meant more natural light could flood into the building, placing many treatment spaces next to windows which made the most of the views out over the surrounding landscape as well into the internal courtyards created in between the hospitals wings.  © Tristan McLaren Spaces that invite contemplation, the five internal therapeutic courtyards and the three exterior therapy gardens were designed for occupational therapy and children's play.The landscape is predominantly indigenous, using plant species found in the nearby Melville Koppies Nature Reserve.The external spaces were created with healing in mind, and the design encourages patients to use the outdoor spaces as part of their recovery.  Section The wards are positioned on the second floors of the wings to maximise views out, whilst more heavily serviced, critical care facilities are located in more private spaces on the lower levels.  © Tristan McLaren  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Meet the World’s Smallest and Most Stylish Smartlock by BIG and Friday Labs Posted: 08 May 2017 01:00 AM PDT BIG has teamed up with Friday Labs to create the Friday Lock, "the world's smallest smartlock." Through the Friday app, users can unlock their doors wirelessly, as well as automatically as they leave or approach. As an access-granted user's phone approaches the system, the door unlocks automatically. Access can be easily granted, as well as revoked through the app, allowing for temporary users, as well as to remove access if a phone is stolen.  Courtesy of Friday Labs The Friday app additionally keeps track of which users are entering and exiting, sending notifications to the primary user.  Courtesy of Friday Labs  Courtesy of Friday Labs At 2.7 inches, the Friday Lock "has the smallest dimensions of any retrofit lock on the market," and was designed by BIG IDEAS—the think tank within Bjarke Ingels Group—based on the architectural concept of the Saddle Roof. News via: Friday Labs.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| AIA Announces Winner of 2017 Latrobe Prize Posted: 07 May 2017 11:00 PM PDT  © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/cityyear/5915040531/in/photolist-a1G8tr-d7YcWq-d7Ycmu-8onoLj-q9z5zT-puenXT-8aQDiV-4rjAY2-qqZf4M-qqZ4ek-93z5oj-dpQatA-87NYUz-93z6t9-dpQ9KG-dpQb47-a3ZENP-a43xjE-7jU2EN-nWxsEK-qqVQa7-kGQvse-puep26-a3ZF1v-7PDTLx-pueLQ6-qqZ7pi-93AbL7-qoGVhd-ptZDJm-q9yUz2-qqPeXF-aE4Fyt-qqVDK9-93x74H-93z9cG-93z8ph-5ZcB6g-8ojd72-iv2kXD-8ojd3H-aBfxYa-d7Y8hq-ekLoLj-puenbH-fTQ72r-d7YC63-9wbF3e-7xMyFJ-axK3Cr'>Flickr user City Year</a> licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">CC BY-NC-ND 2.0</a>. Image The American Institute of Architects (AIA) College of Fellows has selected a team of three faculty members from Northeastern University's School of Architecture and Resilient Cities Laboratory as the winner of the 2017 Latrobe Prize, for their study of "Future-Use Architecture." Awarded biennially for "a two-year program of research leading to significant advances in the architecture profession," the Prize honors its winners with $100,000. This year's winning study of "future-use architecture" focuses on the balance between flexible and fixed building systems to respond to unforeseeable circumstances and changes.
The winning research is expected to generate both products and architectural education. Learn more about future-use buildings from Northeastern University here. News via: The American Institute of Architects (AIA).  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Los Llanos of Aridane House / Albert Brito Arquitectura Posted: 07 May 2017 10:00 PM PDT  © Flavio Coddou
 © Flavio Coddou From the architect. The island of La Palma is home to the most important astronomical observatory in the Northern Hemisphere as it has one of the clearest skies in the world. Its geographical location, weather patterns and regulation on light pollution make this island a unique area. In this case, we are commissioned to renovate and extend a traditional dwelling sharing party walls, situated in the old town of Los Llanos de Aridane on the island of La Palma.  © Flavio Coddou The house is located in very emblematic surroundings, which are of great interest from an architectural and heritage perspective. Built at the end of the XIX cent., this ensemble of colonial-style houses gives definition to a square where the architecture and vegetation comprise one of the city's most representative places.  Starsqueme The house is comprised of a colonial building that overlooks the square and a reinforced concrete extension added in the 40s. At the time of the intervention, both parts of the building are in very poor condition. The original house has numerous defects in the volcanic rock walls, the wooden coffered ceiling under the hip roof and all the timber joinery work. Furthermore, the previously built extension has to be knocked down as so many years of abandonment have left it in a state of disrepair.  © Flavio Coddou The intervention respects the very typologically built part in its use of materials and construction systems. The intervention from the 40s is knocked down and the original housing is restored, placing value on all the elements that give the property its uniqueness.  Facade Once the old colonial building is repaired, the new housing is built with new rectangular modules, each of which is topped with a pitched roof and a skylight facing a different area of La Palma's sky. These modules are located both inside and outside the existing house, showcasing it and enhancing its formal and tectonic features. While the exterior of each module showcases the scenery of the island and the city, on the inside these parts emphasize the existing elements like the wooden coffering ceiling and volcanic rock walls.  © Flavio Coddou Thus, the different resources that distinguish popular architecture are transferred to the intervention but with a contemporary take on them. The pitched roofs on each of the new modules are a nod to the pitched roofs of the colonial architecture of the different buildings around the square. The construction of the internal courtyards are clear references to the area's traditions and history. The use of a timber structure also acknowledges the old construction systems used throughout the whole neighbourhood.  © Flavio Coddou To carry out the intervention in this style, timber is chosen for various elements of the project. The structure, which could not be built any other way given its geometry, is made of pre-fabricated pieces of cross laminated conifer from the Pyrenees. This material, in addition to its properties and sustainability, is a load-bearing element as well as an interior finishing. The timber is also used for all the interior and exterior joinery, kitchen furnishings, and doors retrieved from the existing building which can be reused in various areas of the house.  Plan Finally, it's worth pointing out that the choice of these pre-fabricated construction systems gives us greater control over work and costs. The technology used in the construction of this housing has allowed us to build a very energy efficient dwelling with extremely high technical quality standards and a deep respect for the heritage.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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