Arch Daily |
- Healthcare Center in Valenzá / IDOM
- Walloon Branch of Reproduction Forestry Material / SAMYN and PARTNERS
- K.Pok House / Sute Architect
- New Photographs Unveiled as China's First Design Museum Nears Completion in Shenzhen
- This Low-Cost System Creates Sleek Shelving from Simple Plasterboard Profiles
- MAJO House / Estudio 111 Arquitectos
- The Curves of Luís Pedro Silva's Leixões Cruise Terminal Through the Lens of Fernando Guerra
- ReSITE 2017’s “The In/Visible City” Conference Unveils the Infrastructural Heart of Urbanism
- Acolá Store / Vão
- Three Principles of Architecture as Revealed by Italo Calvino's 'Invisible Cities'
- SCL Straw-Bale House / Jimmi Pianezzola Architetto
| Healthcare Center in Valenzá / IDOM Posted: 15 Jul 2017 10:00 PM PDT  © Aitor Ortiz
 © Aitor Ortiz From the architect. The planned building for the new Valenzá healthcare centre in Orense will be located on a plot which is over 3,666 m2 and sits on a steep sloping area half way between the river, the main road in town – in its lower section – and the motorway – on the upper side of the slope.  © Aitor Ortiz The plot is peculiar in that its longitudinal side is pronounced and it is closed off on its eastern front by an access road and a four-storey-high longitudinal block of flats, whilst on its western side, there is a large slope with a big drop, over 16-18 m.  © Aitor Ortiz The urban integration of the new healthcare centre intended to take this delicate situation into account. With this rationale, it sought out a correct placement that would minimize the visual and construction impact of this slope, reducing the boxing-in effect of the centre within the plot. The building would rise slightly over the ground level and would be solved by a single-storey-high body, attached to the slope, and an upper floor arranged around a central courtyard.  © Aitor Ortiz  © Aitor Ortiz From an urban point of view, the suggested solution allowed for the creation of public areas of interest and the correct functioning of the centre. An admissions square was generated which is linked to the ambulance and main entrances, as well as building-services rooms in a central location within the plot, thus minimizing distances, and a back plaza connected to the playing and waiting areas of the paediatrics department, the meeting room and other parts of the programme that might require independent access. The squares are qualified by the presence of trees, benches or stairs and mild ramps or stands on the North side of the plot, minimising the impact of the slope on that area and integrating it into a single urban proposal.  © Aitor Ortiz  Plan During the design of the project, special attention was paid to the protection against excessive sun radiation and to achieving a correct level of lighting as well as to the boosting of the natural cross ventilation of rooms.  © Aitor Ortiz The programme is divided into four great areas of care plus the areas destined for the management and maintenance of the centre. The centre has 5 general medicine surgeries, 5 infirmaries, 1 matron’s room, 1 health education room, 1 dentist + hygienist surgery, 1 sampling room, 1 procedures room, 1 multipurpose room, 1 women’s room, 1 emergency room, 2 paediatrics surgeries, 2 paediatric infirmary rooms, a staff room, a board room and a library.  © Aitor Ortiz  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Walloon Branch of Reproduction Forestry Material / SAMYN and PARTNERS Posted: 15 Jul 2017 07:00 PM PDT  © Daylight Liège sprl
 © Simon SCHMITT From the architect. The Forestry Branch situated at Marche-en-Famenne in the heart of the Ardennes Forest houses the treatment process of sylviculture grains coming from the domains of the Walloon Region. It is essentially made-up of a workshop, a series of cold storage areas and a few offices and laboratories.  © Marie-Françoise PLISSART The actual workshop is composed of a pre-drying zone, storage, and an area for treating grain. The irregular polygon shape of the site, timbered with beautiful 200 year old oaks, made the choice of a compact ovoid form abvious  © Marie-Françoise PLISSART A framework of composed arcs, clamped at the edges in an apron of reinforced concrete, constitutes the structure which covers the whole building. Two secondary buildings are placed inside this shell along its longitudinal sides. They house the cold storage, the administrative rooms and small laboratories. They also help in supporting the arcs of the external structure. The central nave is reserved for large machines which treat and pre-dry grain. The building is covered with 1.691 large tiles of laminated reflecting glass.  © Marie-Françoise PLISSART  Section  © Marie-Françoise PLISSART The initial idea was to use fresh wood because of its capacity to relieve pre-bending stresses from constant curvature. The basic element of the structure is a double layered-arc composed of various rectangular pieces of wood, all between 6,14 and 6,21 meters long. The arc thus formed of circular segments approximates a funicular curve. Their axes are all implanted in radian plans forming a torus section. This is an economic design, since it requires a limited number of different wood sections.  © Marie-Françoise PLISSART The idea of using pre-bent perches to create a building is a concept as old as time, used by Mongolian Yurt to the Zulu Cabin. A revival of interest in this type of construction has taken place recently due to the work of C. Mutschler with F. Otto in Mannheim (1975) and of Kikutake at Nara (1987), as well as to the experimental buildings in Dorset (U.K) by architects Ahrends Burton and Koralec and engineer Edmund Happopld (1982).  © Marie-Françoise PLISSART  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 15 Jul 2017 01:00 PM PDT  © Issira Tonehongsa
 © Issira Tonehongsa From the architect. This house had a three-storey residential building with reinforced concrete structure within the part of shop and warehouse. It located in the center of Det Udom district, Ubon Ratchathani Province in the Northeast of Thailand, the building is a modern style that combines with the tropical climate of Thailand.  © Issira Tonehongsa The main concept of house design was a family reunion which each bedroom that will be had more space for each family member to spend their own hobbies.  Section In the third-storey of the building there was a space for two bedrooms and each room had a double space in their own bedroom in order to the both bedrooms looked like home that had increasingly of a space for own activity and they can see a faraway view, without the surrounding buildings obscured the view.  © Issira Tonehongsa  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New Photographs Unveiled as China's First Design Museum Nears Completion in Shenzhen Posted: 15 Jul 2017 09:00 AM PDT  Courtesy of Design Society A series of new photographs of China's "first major design museum" has been unveiled by Design Society, showing Pritzker Prize winner Fumihiko Maki's design nearing completion in the Shekou district of Shenzhen. Commissioned by the duo of China Merchants Group (CMG) and the V&A Museum in London back in 2014, the project was envisioned as a catalyst for development in the city, given Shenzhen's bustling creative sector of over 6,000 companies. As the photos display, the building is formed through three separate cantilevering volumes, which sit atop a plinth overlooking the waterfront. An exterior corner staircase leads to a number of publicly accessible rooftop terraces, inviting the public to engage with the building at various levels. Finishing touches are being added to the construction with the envelope already complete, while interior spaces and the site landscaping are still undergoing further polish and are yet to be fully resolved. Check out all the photographs of the building below, which will be occupied by Design Society upon completion.  Courtesy of Design Society  Courtesy of Design Society  Courtesy of Design Society  Courtesy of Design Society  Courtesy of Design Society  Courtesy of Design Society  Courtesy of Design Society  Courtesy of Design Society News via: Design Society.
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| This Low-Cost System Creates Sleek Shelving from Simple Plasterboard Profiles Posted: 15 Jul 2017 07:00 AM PDT  © Xavi Torrent The premise for this design was to create an iconic space, with a concept adaptable to any property and versatile when exposing the product. It should also be a design that could be quickly built and at a moderate cost. To reach this goal, DearDesign has designed an open store with a structure that, despite its rigid and orthogonal look, solves flexibility in terms of product display. The design of the store is based on a three-dimensional grid inspired by the Fibonacci sequence, which creates a variable rhythm in a permeable volume, ordering the space by generating niches to exhibit the product along its perimeter. From the Architects. The structure is entirely solved by the use of a single element, which is chosen for its constructive possibilities, as well as for its lightness and affordable cost. Bare plasterboard structure profiles are used for a new purpose. By being fitted, folded and screwed together, they work as studs, shelf supports, and slots for recessed lighting. Linear light acts as a compositional element that emphasizes the rhythm of the grid and also highlights the steel structure.  © Xavi Torrent  © Xavi Torrent In order to provide the space with visual lightness and amplitude, the entire perimeter grid of the store is suspended. A mirror in the lower perimeter stripe emphasizes this effect, reflecting the continuous pavement and causes the store to run beyond its limits. The cellular polycarbonate acts as an ideal complement to form the shelves. These give lightness to the space and allows the light to pass through so that the product is well lit.  © Xavi Torrent The cash register is integrated into the same structure, becoming part of the grid. The central island of the premises, generated by a birch tray resting on a construction trestle, aims to provide the store circulation on its perimeter and at the same time solves the display of smaller accessories in an informal and welcoming way.  © Xavi Torrent The store itself works as a showcase window and acts as a lure for the visitor. The double height façade allows the visualization of the structure that once inside wraps the visitor. To strengthen the grid and achieve a bigger contrast, the ceiling was painted in black so that the galvanized steel structure is emphasized. In contrast, the lower area was painted in white so that the product gains relevance.  © Xavi Torrent Architects: Dear Design  © Xavi Torrent  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| MAJO House / Estudio 111 Arquitectos Posted: 15 Jul 2017 06:00 AM PDT  © Yordana Andaur
 © Yordana Andaur From the architect. The client shows us the need for a second residence that is built in a place of rest, calm and quiet, where you can share and enjoy with family and friends a privileged environment.  © Yordana Andaur The residence, with a metal structure and plaster partitions, seeks to harness as much as possible the aesthetic and natural wealth of the surroundings, elevating the cubic volumes that compose it on a weft of metallic frames and being oriented towards the mountain Campana in such a way that all the spaces of the residence are in direct communication with the surroundings. The house was designed in such a way that, at the moment of entering it, the view goes directly to the large windows that frame, almost like works of art in an exhibition hall, the beauty of the landscape.  Floor Plan Despite its 90 m2 of surface, the perception of who enters the residence is of a large space due to the breadth of its circulation area, the unevenness of the access to the common area and the fact that its windows reach the ceiling.  © Yordana Andaur Outside, the house is lined with wood and has a wooden screen that runs from the terrace to a large part of the back facade and stops at the house access, following and sheltering the one that goes through it. This trellises made of wood fragments the excess sunlight in the morning and the view to the rear area of the house.  © Yordana Andaur Following the principles of energy efficiency the house, in addition to being suspended over the ground level, which facilitates the air circulation, has a double roof that fulfills the same purpose, therefore, it is protected by an ar mattress that surrounds it and allows its self-regulation. The second roof was also designed to capture the environment humidity and the rainwater that is collected and stored in a cistern for domestic use.  Section A-A'  Section B-B' A rain afternoon, resting by the fireplace with a cup of tea and freshly baked cookies, enjoying the view of the mountain is the perfect time…  © Yordana Andaur  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Curves of Luís Pedro Silva's Leixões Cruise Terminal Through the Lens of Fernando Guerra Posted: 15 Jul 2017 05:00 AM PDT  The strategic definition of a new cruise terminal had a double objective: improvement of the commercial efficiency and a better urban integration. In this photoset, Fernando Guerra captures the many sides of the Leixões Cruise Terminal, a project that won the 2017 Building of the Year Awards in the "Public Architecture" category. Get to know all the facets of this building below. Luís Pedro Silva's Porto Cruise Terminal is a small port complex, an initiative of the Administração dos Portos do Douro e Leixões, located at the South Jetty in Matosinhos, Portugal. The project integrates new buildings, berthing work and exterior spaces of public vocation. The main building shelters several programmatic components: cruise ship terminal, marina facilities, the Science and Technology Park of the Sea of the University of Porto, event rooms, and a restaurant. Integrating all proposed uses directly with the city.      To see the entire photo series by clicking here.
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| ReSITE 2017’s “The In/Visible City” Conference Unveils the Infrastructural Heart of Urbanism Posted: 15 Jul 2017 02:30 AM PDT  © PLANE—SITE Now in its sixth year in its home city of Prague, reSITE is a conference that has consistently taken a broad view of urban issues, bringing together the largest concentration of the world's top architects, urbanists, urban planners, landscape architects, and economists under umbrella topics such as Cities in Migration (2016), The Sharing City (2015), and Cities and Landscapes of the New Economy (2014). However, when it comes to events like this, such broad-ranging ambition can be a double-edged sword, flattening and obscuring the nitty gritty details of complex issues. Perhaps reflecting a concern that cities and the challenges they face be seen in full, reSITE 2017's chosen theme was In/Visible City. That particular lens reflects a shift in recent years for events such as this to bring into focus that which has typically remained firmly out of view: infrastructure. An allusion to the technical was manifest in the conference's visual identity: a human heart, with pipe-like arteries and vegetation growing in between the cracks. The heart is to the body like infrastructure is to the city – but just as the body is much more than its circulatory system, the infrastructure cities depend upon is not limited to the obvious, billion-dollar construction projects that make headlines. Urban infrastructure spans all scales and numerous disciplines, ranging from design details to the small print in city policy. In/visible City brought forth the invisible features that give shape to the visible city demonstrating that cultural vitality, social fabric and citizen participation are infrastructural as well.  The poster for reSITE 2017 showing the conference's visual identity of a heart. Image © reSITE But while the focus on infrastructure was a useful device for initiating these kinds of discussions, a danger of the approach is the predominance of an "above/below the bonnet" dichotomy; cities are not cars, nor are they computers. The speakers partaking at reSITE 2017 offered perspectives along a wide spectrum of architecture and urbanism. This international mix encompassed architects such Kazuyo Sejima and Winy Maas, as well as writers, academics and city officials, such as Deputy Mayor of Paris, Jean Louis Missika. His scheme Reinventer Paris serves as a leading model for participatory, quality-based architecture that can be scaled accordingly to have local and citywide impact. The night before the conference's two days of workshops, lectures and panel discussions, world-renowned lighting urbanist Leni Schwendinger kicked off festival proceedings and cast some light onto an oft-overlooked dimension of cities: night time. Schwendinger introduced her Nighttime Design initiative, a time-based discipline that develops innovative approaches to the urban after-dark environment and goes far beyond public safety and security concerns. Armed with a megaphone, Schwendinger led a group of over thirty night-time enthusiasts through the streets of Prague to observe the shades of the city after dark. Under glowing lanterns and colorful window displays, participants discussed heritage and gentrification – both topics with a significant nighttime dimension. Later in the festival, Schwendinger's lecture illustrated how holistic after-dark strategies can engender social infrastructure, healthier communities and vibrant 24-hour economies, as well as improved safety and security.  Jean Louis Missika, deputy mayor of Paris. Image © PLANE—SITE Other speakers illuminating the debate included Monocle's Editor Andrew Tuck, who explained his approach to making cities visible and audible by asking crucial questions in a range of media – from print to podcast. In this way, journalists act as a channel between city hall, architecture and design professionals, and the reader, explaining what is going on in everyday terms – and what is at stake. The discourse of the smart city, for example is a ubiquitous topic at events like this and has an interesting relation to reSITE's 2017 theme given its tendency towards a nomenclature of the visual, with terms such as "transparency" and "vision." Such lofty framings can mean that much of the debate around cities and what's happening in them is conducted away from ground level. Tuck's take on infrastructure emphasizes alternatives to smart city promises, the schemes made by tech companies with grand visions that will cost billions and will probably never be delivered. He identified reSITE as a space that offers real opportunity for city planners to learn from each other. Journalists, says Tuck, must find ways to broadcast some of the challenges, positions and responses that arise to those who are not in physical attendance.  Andrew Tuck, editor of Monocle. Image © PLANE—SITE One city official in attendance was Marlena Happach, the recently appointed Director of the Department of Architecture and Planning for the City of Warsaw. Happach expressed her interest in "sharing expertise and cross-checking it with professionals in similar fields around the world." For Happach, making visible doesn't just concern her own role, but also applies to processes of participation through which the citizens she serves can themselves be shapers of the city. Her personal trajectory to city hall has informed this approach – prior to her current role, she worked as an architect with an NGO, Odblokuj, which promoted participation in architecture and the planning process in Warsaw. Happach's approach in the Polish capital speaks to reSITE's core mission to promote the design of people-centered cities via processes that react and adapt according to what's happening below rather than merely prescribing from above. Happach references a recent decision to change plans laid out ten years ago, which had assumed the Warsaw's population would hit 2 million. But instead, emigration levels rose over that period and because of the lack of density, the city has now made the decision to designate terrain previously slated for development as green space. David Bravo, secretary of the European Prize for Urban Public Space, spoke about the importance of public space, arguing that it should not be reduced to its technical or aesthetic facets but also considered in terms of its ethical and political qualities. Noting the etymological root of "politics" coming from the Greek polis for "city," Bravo argued that we should be considering "if – and in which ways – urban transformations are serving to democratize our cities." He pointed to one such transformation being European cities gaining back public spaces previously taken over by cars; they become more attractive as a result but this can then lead to further transformation via the forces of touristification and gentrification. Likewise, he noted that the digitalization of public spaces must be seen critically, but also as an opportunity to for the technological to complement the physical realm.  Marlena Happach, Director of the Department of Architecture and Planning, Warsaw. Image © PLANE—SITE Many speakers at reSITE bridged local case studies and global discourse, such as Matthias Einhoff of ZK/U (Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik) in Berlin who ran one of the weekend's workshops, producing materials for an on-site demonstration. Through its activities, ZK/U engages with artistic and research-based projects concerning the city and public space, combining a focus on local practices with activities such as the Hacking Urban Furniture initiative and an international residency program. The aim is to establish exactly the kind of link between municipal administrations and the normal populace that reSITE explores. Remarking on the diverse range of participants at the conference, Einhoff acknowledged another benefit: being exposed to ideas one doesn't necessarily like, adding that an informed critic is a more effective one. Teddy Cruz's participation in the conference perhaps embodies the most important section of the architecture/urbanism spectrum that reSITE split through its In/Visible City prism. In his research-based studio, Cruz uncovers a city that is, for many, undiscoverable. He is invested in making processes of practice – of participation, decision-making, of change, of adaptation – visible, be they actions of city hall or the manner in which immigrants respond to mechanisms of marginalization. By turning our gaze towards this hidden city comprised of hidden processes, Cruz, whose work focuses on the border region as a site of urban and political creativity, argues that we also uncover hidden values.  Teddy Cruz. Image © PLANE—SITE Cruz delivered the festival's final keynote reflecting upon the fact that border regions are increasingly demonized as sites of criminalization and polarization, yet they are places "from which to reimage our own procedures as architects, a site from which to confront inequality, reimagine citizenship, from which to return ourselves to do this in a more equitable and inclusive city." This notion of "reimaging" is really what an urbanist consideration of the visible/invisible should be about: not just bringing to light what was once unseen – for that reinforces the initial dichotomy – but actually bringing into view complexity. Such complexity is unseen not necessarily because it is invisible, but because it can be difficult to apprehend when it arises from activities outside of traditional discipline boundaries. But those kinds of entrepreneurial, bottom-up collaborative processes that might exist across a neighborhood – all entailing transactions or negotiations with space, boundaries, resources – amount to what Cruz says is "a lot of information that continues to be ignored by planning agencies." The benefits of widening the spectrum of consideration and turning attention to these activities are clear: "The spatial, social, and economic practices embedded in these environments can be incredible ingredients for enabling communities to be developers of their own housing or their own public space."  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 15 Jul 2017 02:00 AM PDT  © Pedro Kok
 © Pedro Kok From the architect. The invitation to design the new Acolá Store was received with great happiness because, due to the years of friendship between us and its creators, we have closely followed the trajectory of the brand since its beginning in 2012. In the first visit to the new address, a former loft of triangular plan located a few meters from the old store, we faced a tapered, wet and dark place, since there were only four small openings to light and ventilate the entire space.  © Pedro Kok The desire to bring light into the store guided the first project decisions of replacing a part of the roof whose structure was comprimised, by a glass ceiling and visually integranting the levels by partially demolishing the upper slab. In addition to illuminate the entire store, the coverage provides for the exchange of natural ventilation which, added to the internal garden, brings great thermal comfort to the space.  Longitudinal Section The break given by the double height ceiling garden arranged the program in two moments: in the first one, closest to the street, are located the store [ground] and the office [mezzanine]; In the second, at the bottom, a hydraulic core containing all wet areas, sanitary [ground] and pantry [upper level]. Its is also in the garden that the flows between the levels are organized through the ladder and footbridge that crosses the void.  © Pedro Kok Amid the store's free plan, a volume was strategically positioned to create different environments such as the reception area, clothes rack and lounge. The fact that it is loose, without touching the ceiling or walls, allow the circulation between these environments to be fluid and uninterrupted. In this volume are grouped an auxiliary stock, an exhibitor and two changing rooms with pivotal doors which divide, integrate or expand the area according to the need of the moment. In the mezzanine above, where all the walls have been demolished, the spatial organization is also given through another volume, the large stock that divides the open areas [workbench and board meetings] of the closed areas [private room and warehouse].  © Pedro Kok  Changing Room Isometric  © Pedro Kok Among the chosen materials, predominate wood and metal. The decision to use it in their natural state is related to the clothes produced by Acolá, which are most of natural fabrics with handmade techniques of dyeing and stamping. All the woodworking that uses a pink demolition peroba [floor, hydraulic core and changing room] as well as parts of the locksmith's [ladder, footbridge and clothes rack] were carried out in sheds of the family site in the country town, using existing machinery and local labor.  © Pedro Kok On the facade it was decided to preserve the original structure and demolition of the masonry, opening, between pillars, two showcase spans and one span for the entrance. To coat this new front, a frame of metal profiles on which the structre is enclosed inside the window has been proposed. Over it advances a marquee that protects the showcase of direct sunlight and shelters those that transit through the street in case of bad weather. Another urban kindness was also planned by the project: the future reform of the sidewalk with the proposal of a public bench and a place for parking bicycle.  © Pedro Kok  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Three Principles of Architecture as Revealed by Italo Calvino's 'Invisible Cities' Posted: 15 Jul 2017 01:00 AM PDT  Fedora. Image © Karina Puente Frantzen Ah, Invisible Cities. For many of us, Italo Calvino's 1972 novel reserves a dear place in our libraries, architectural or otherwise, for its vivid recollections of cities and their curiosities, courtesy of a certain Marco Polo as he narrates to Kublai Khan. And while the book doesn't specifically fit the bill in terms of conventional architectural writing, it resists an overall categorisation at all, instead superseding the distillation of the cities it contains into distinct boundaries and purposes. For though there is a certain kind of sensory appeal that is captured in the details of places, the real beauty of Invisible Cities lies in the masking of underlying notions of time, identity and language within these details – a feat that is skillfully accomplished by both Marco and Calvino. With this in mind, here are three of many such principles, as revealed by the layered narrative of Invisible Cities.  Diomira. Image © Karina Puente Frantzen Visual Specificity As A Cultural Language Much of Invisible Cities' charm can be attributed to the specificity of its writing, and as a result, its narration. Throughout the narrative, 55 versions of city life are described with enthralling character, the first of which is Diomira, "a city with sixty silver domes, bronze statues of all the gods, streets paved with lead, a crystal theatre, a golden cock that crows each morning on the tower." Details such as these constitute the overall visual communication between Marco Polo and us, as we assume the role of Kublai Khan, contributing to the successful creation of fictional cities through typologies and artifacts. This demonstrates our inherent reliance on specific imagery to create understanding; a facet that is an integral part of architecture.
Yet, the impact of this highly visual culture seems to go unnoticed at times. Polo describes the city of Tamara, laden with signs of all sorts, where "the eye does not see things but images of things that mean other things." This is telling of our current over reliance on distinct symbolic communication, and a reduction of the image to encompass certain connotations. Though architecture is fundamentally a visual field and medium, it is important to allow for an unintentional evolution of meaning and understanding through one's own sensory experiences, as a result of a slightly passive hand of the architect. Marco himself resorts to a more abstract identification of cities, providing genuine translation not possible through the specificity of visual wordplay.
 Isaura. Image © Karina Puente Frantzen Architecture's Reliance On Nature's Omnipotence Nature plays a key role in many of the cities that Marco describes, at times dictating with a certain omnipotence the very functioning of architecture and the behavior of its inhabitants. One example is that of Isaura, a "city of the thousand wells" built over a deep lake, where "the inhabitants dig long vertical holes in the ground and succeed in drawing up water, as far as the city extends." Water, as a vitality of life, is a major driving force behind the formation of a necessary architectural typology (in this case, the dam) as well as the relationship between the city and its people. The importance of water is further embodied in the people's shared cultural understanding; its importance both as a substance and in formulating a kind of landscape architecture, hold elements of the divine.
Now in the age of the Anthropocene, our definition of what constitutes as natural is more varied than before, given our drastic alteration of the natural world in which architecture itself is complicit. As a result, global environmental change will dictate architecture's role more than ever, in order to mediate this and assume a coexistence with its landscape. This notion is apparent in the city of Thekla, which is constantly under construction "so that its destruction cannot begin". When one asks if stopping the construction will cause the city to fall to pieces, the reply is: "not only the city." Soon, it is made apparent that this constant work is being ordained by the cosmic order of the stars, and though this does not directly compare to the threats of global warming, both are natural conditions that call for an architecture to abide by them, to prevent Thekla's demise.
 Tamara. Image © Karina Puente Frantzen The Timelessness Of The City In Laudomia, the city is composed of three identically named sides: that of the living, the dead, and the unborn. As the living city increases in population, so does the periphery of the tombs of the dead and the realm of the unborn, both of which serve the living as they "visit the dead and decipher their own names on their stone slabs" and "frequent the house of the unborn to interrogate them" on their own lives, not the ones yet to come. Such is the nature of the existence of cities and architecture in general; there is a form of the present that precedes its arrival and likewise, a future state that will take its place. A city's identity is molded by both past and present, constantly creating multiple potential futures that simultaneously become possible pasts; the result is a sort of timelessness that a city can identify with.
In another sense, Calvino ultimately argues that all cities stem from one. In the case of Marco Polo, that city is his native Venice, but the overall idea is that all variations are multiple faces of the singular city – a product of timeless constructs "made of desires or fears, even if the thread of their discourse is secret, their rules absurd, their perspectives deceitful." When Kublai begins to describe his own constructed city, Marco replies: "This is precisely the city I was telling you about when you interrupted me," thus alluding to the notion of interconnected identities that are shared by all cities and stem from our collective knowledge.
These three principles as expressed by Invisible Cities are interrelated themselves, as is the case in the book. The identity of a city is ultimately expressed and translated most frequently through our culture of visual specificity, and it is determined by the constraints of landscape and nature that envelope it. The landscape, in our current era, is now also determined by architecture's imposition on it, which in turn is influenced by typological and visual precedents for form and function. Yet, the true value of Calvino is that he offers us a means of exploring architecture past what it presents at face value, inviting us to indulge in potentials of future histories and timeless past in the face of the inferno of modern civilization. Invisible Cities deems it acceptable to look past the blunt technicalities for a moment, and wait for darkness to fall, so we too can see our blueprint in the stars. Illustrations created by Karina Puente Frantzen
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| SCL Straw-Bale House / Jimmi Pianezzola Architetto Posted: 14 Jul 2017 10:00 PM PDT  © Alberto Sinigaglia
 © Alberto Sinigaglia From the architect. The project reveals an idea of architecture based on archetypes as a trend-proof horizon. The archetype for home is shelter. You can make a shelter with a fence, a wall, a canopy; but you still can't get a house.  Ground Floor Plan Two elements, a roof and a wall, define the domestic space. Starting from the house icon we tried to rotate the roof. This single move added three more elements: a patio and two porches.  Scheme Design process is fundamentally rooted on the analysis of climate and the contexts. Information on ground temperature during the year; wind's main direction and strength; sun shading over the seasons and presence of water (rain and aquifer) affects the design mindset.  © Alberto Sinigaglia Context (both at the urban scale and the neighbour) and site layout were studied in order to control external factors. The main goals that the clients wanted to achieve were: privacy of their home; specific functions related to their habits such as a big porch and a playroom.  © Alberto Sinigaglia We designed a compact ground floor on the golden section since we wanted a figure as much stable as possible. The roof is conceived like a folded sheet of paper and it is superimposed on the mass of the white wall. Living room faces south and looks to a patio. Rooms are in the northern part. An attic floor hosts a playroom and a guest room.  © Alberto Sinigaglia The patio is a stone garden that hosts a non-stop natural light show. Here a water basin lies underneath a gravel floor supported by a steel structure. Interiors are in direct visual and physical contact with the gardens. The superimposition effect its clear also from inside. During summer solstice the big east-west oriented roof shades over the main outdoor living areas and windows. In winter time the sun enters inside and lights the patio. Wide openings facing south let the sun fulfil the living even in december. Airflow design and the good transpiration of a straw-bale wall with lime render help to avoid tools and technology. The basin and the foundations are made in reinforced concrete. Ground floor insulation is a layer of recycled crushed foam-glass on a geotextile membrane laid directly on subsoil to avoid rising damp.  © Alberto Sinigaglia In this building we tried to reduce constructive solution to the very few that the project needed. As a single architectural entity the perimeter wall is entirely made with straw-bales. We would like to get the continuity of the perimeter and prove the versatility of the material if carefully protected. The main wooden structure (for both the perimeter wall and the roof) is filled up with straw-bales to maximise the level of insulation. A 30mm lime render finished with silicate paint lets the whole wall transpires.  Sections The straw wall has also an high level of fire resistance, the same thickness of a C.A. wall stands less.  © Alberto Sinigaglia  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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