Arch Daily |
- BECYCLE / götz+bilchev Architekten + Lien Tran + DRAA
- Pablo Bronstein to Exhibit an Exploration of "Pseudo-Georgian Architecture" at London's RIBA
- Trinity College Renovation / Aires Mateus
- Villa Rypen / C.F. Møller Architects
- Bussy Saint George 77 / Antonini + Darmon Architectes & Rmdm Architects
- House in Fukushima / BHIS + K's planning
- Catholic Suzuka Church / ALPHAVILLE
- Toulon / Studio William Hefner
- Harvey Pediatric Clinic / Marlon Blackwell Architect
- RKW Architektur + Wins Competition for Stone-Clad Mixed-Use Building in Stuttgart
- CSF House / López Duplan Arquitectos
- Plans for "Iron Ring" Sculpture in Wales Put on Hold After Public Outcry
- Social Center Vilar do Paraíso Requalification / éOp – arquitectura e design
- Toyo Ito Announced as Winner of UIA Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement
- Güths House / ArqBr Arquitetura e Urbanismo
- 251 1st Street / ODA New York
- A Success Story of Architecture and Art in One of Mexico's Most Violent Cities
- Revised Design for Washington DC WWI Memorial Unveiled
- The Beauty of Everyday Life: Ward Robert's Courts
- Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Art / Dietrich | Untertrifaller Architekten
| BECYCLE / götz+bilchev Architekten + Lien Tran + DRAA Posted: 26 Jul 2017 10:00 PM PDT  © Waldemar Salesski
 © Waldemar Salesski From the architect. The BECYCLE boutique fitness studio is a flagship project for a new concept in the wellness sector, which captures a great potential by merging health, fitness and style. Whereas traditionally gyms have pursued a more neutral or even aseptic atmosphere, our proposal follows a contemporary spirit of uniqueness and simplicity by acknowledging the less pristine and natural side of things. Where old or even decay doesn't imply outdated but quite the contrary, an opportunity to find distinctiveness. As such our design mingles the preexistent with the new in a blurry way, creating a new space for personal discovery.  © Waldemar Salesski In spring 2015 in Berlin Mitte we met with the clients to discuss this new concept that would bring together indoor cycling and the characteristic Berlin clubbing culture. The place they had in mind was not another regular fitness studio with a dedicated spinning room, but a home for the urban nomad, with areas to co-work, eat vegan food and meet like-minded people in a stimulating atmosphere. Over the next weeks a first concept draft was developed by the design team, but it took another six months to finally come up with a suitable location that could carry both, the boutique and the fitness image.  © Waldemar Salesski The commercial unit on the ground floor formerly served as a bank and therefore featured an old vault and heavy brick walls, but also a fragmented layout. The first challenge the architects faced was to reclaim the open space. With more than 100 years on its watch, the entire building was not developed with an open space layout in mind. Once the internal walls were down, the ground floor was left with a multitude of indefinable clearings connected by awkward corridors. The solution to this problem was an architectural parasite in form of a brass structure that reshaped the interior and functioned as a backbone that would accompany the visitor from entrance, through the lounge and reception area, to the quick changing lockers and finally the ride room and refine studio. Along the design phase the brass body became the centerpiece and the architectural swiss army knife of the boutique studio, containing retail, toilets, storage, lockers and even a water dispenser.  Ground Floor Plan The main attraction of the boutique studio is its ride room, a black box, which is acoustically detached from its surrounding with sound cancelation standards equivalent to a recording studio. It allows DJ sets to be played at volume levels and with deep base of Berlin nightclubs for ecstatic ride experiences, without disturbing the neighborhood. Its light show, sound system and sophisticated displacement ventilation system were custom designed for BECYCLE to enhance the dynamics and feeling of movement on static spinning bikes.  © Waldemar Salesski In contrast to the loud and dark ride room, the refine studio, changing rooms, lounge and café (MyGoodness) transport the calm of a boutique, in the shape of minimalistic solitaires in selected materials like oak, concrete, marble, slate and united by brass.  © Waldemar Salesski  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Pablo Bronstein to Exhibit an Exploration of "Pseudo-Georgian Architecture" at London's RIBA Posted: 26 Jul 2017 09:00 PM PDT  Detail: 132-135 Sewardstone Road, Victoria Park E2 9JQ. Ink on Paper, 21 x 14 cm. Copyright Pablo Bronstein, 2017. Courtesy Herald St, London and Galeria Franco Noero, Turin. Image Courtesy of RIBA A new exhibition of commissioned work by artist Pablo Bronstein at London's Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) will explore "ubiquitous" neo-Georgian developments as exemplar of a British vernacular. The show—Pablo Bronstein: Conservatism, or The Long Reign of Pseudo-Georgian Architecture—will feature fifty new drawings of buildings constructed during the second half of the 20th Century in "an ostensibly neo-Georgian style." These will be presented alongside historical Georgian and neo-Georgian material chosen by Bronstein from the RIBA's collections.  Competition design for the Daily Mail Ideal House. Donald Hanks McMorran, 1927. Copyright and courtesy RIBA Drawings Collection. Image Courtesy of RIBA Bronstein, collaborating with Apparata (Nicholas Lobo Brennan and Astrid Smitham), will "transform the RIBA's gallery space into a domestic environment in which the objects will be arranged." The practice will also create "a site-specific installation" in the entrance to the RIBA's building at Portland Place, expressing "the practice's belief that classical architecture is a progressive force, associated with leaps in human knowledge, the escape from ignorance and superstition, and the birth of democracy."  1-4 Cassland Road and Well Street, Hackney E9 7AN. Ink on Paper, 21 x 14 cm. Copyright Pablo Bronstein, 2017. Courtesy Herald St, London and Galeria Franco Noero, Turin. Image Courtesy of RIBA
 1 Haverstock Street, Haverstock Place, Islington, N1 8BX. Ink on Paper, 21 x 14 cm. Copyright Pablo Bronstein, 2017. Courtesy Herald St, London and Galeria Franco Noero, Turin. Image Courtesy of RIBA  428 Hackney Road, corner of Temple Street, E2 7AP. Ink on Paper, 21 x 14 cm. Copyright Pablo Bronstein. Courtesy Herald St, London and Galeria Franco Noero, Turin. Image Courtesy of RIBA  132-135 Sewardstone Road, Victoria Park E2 9JQ. Ink on Paper, 21 x 14 cm. Copyright Pablo Bronstein, 2017. Courtesy Herald St, London and Galeria Franco Noero, Turin. Image Courtesy of RIBA  Imperial House, Victory Place, Limehouse E14 8BQ. Ink on Paper, 21 x 14 cm. Copyright Pablo Bronstein, 2017. Courtesy Herald St, London and Galeria Franco Noero, Turin. Image Courtesy of RIBA The exhibition will open on September 21, 2017.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Trinity College Renovation / Aires Mateus Posted: 26 Jul 2017 08:00 PM PDT  © Nelson Garrido
 © Nelson Garrido From the architect. The project starts with the consideration of heritage and historical values. We differentiate between the "eternal" value of the project´s masses: the compression of the great walls and domes, and the "ephemeral" character of the old structures: constructive systems traditionally made of wood.  © Nelson Garrido  Section  © Nelson Garrido The project was developed following this understanding of passing time, preserving the value of the "eternal" and proposing a new "ephemeral". A structure made of steel, separate and flooded with light, suggests a new contemporaneity.  © Nelson Garrido  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Villa Rypen / C.F. Møller Architects Posted: 26 Jul 2017 07:00 PM PDT  © Julian Weyer
 © Julian Weyer From the architect. Villa Rypen is a single-storey detached house situated on the edge of a forest in Aarhus. Inspired by the unique site, the forest is invited in, and the house extends its terraces to reach out to the forest's tall trees, and also to the garden. The different seasons of the year are apparent from the house's living rooms, as well as from the exquisite wooden terraces.  © Julian Weyer Large window sections in a serrated design idiom ensure an inflow of light from several directions, and the view of the forest is exquisitely framed, to provide a unique backdrop to the living rooms in the house.  © Julian Weyer  Floor plan  © Julian Weyer Villa Rypen has a flexible layout around an airy central living and kitchen space. The room has access to a south- and east-facing terrace towards the garden, and a north- and west-facing terrace towards the forest. The house can be arranged according to a family's changing requirements, and the rooms towards the forest can be closed off with sliding doors. Currently, the house can have several light living spaces and three east-facing bedrooms.  © Julian Weyer The terracotta tilec screen façades are set off by the forest's changing nuances and the material's burnished glow is in perfect harmony with nature. The wooden terraces visually extend the living rooms and give a sense of ample living space. The window sections from floor to ceiling out to the terraces give a sense of the room continuing and merging with the outdoors.  © Julian Weyer  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Bussy Saint George 77 / Antonini + Darmon Architectes & Rmdm Architects Posted: 26 Jul 2017 05:00 PM PDT  © Pierre l'excellent
 © Pierre l'excellent From the architect. Extension of an existing building designed by Dominique Perrault, this project is intended to archive documents from the libraries of universities and research centers in the Paris region, as well as from the French National Library.  © Julien Lanoo  Scheme 04  © Julien Lanoo  Scheme 02  © Julien Lanoo The CTLES designed by Dominique Perrault imposes a strong identity on the site. The logic of the layout and the architectural style constitute a harmonious and appropriate whole; the building's sequences and the creation of the internal road give the site its structure. Maintaining the consistency and integrity of the existing building, our addition represents a natural extension, but detached to avoid distorting the original structure.  © Pierre l'excellent To ensure proper conservation of the archives, the easy flow of documents and ease for the user, the project relies on three major functional principles: Two silo buildings to conserve the document collections, served by a central gallery with natural light, secured by an enveloping skin bringing together all the technical requirements on the periphery.  © Julien Lanoo  Section 04  © Julien Lanoo From the point of view of both implementation and architectural expression, the extension works in continuity with Perrault's building. Again taking metal as the sole material, the extension is covered in veined stainless steel; its brightness contrasts with the dullness of the original aluminum.  © Pierre l'excellent  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| House in Fukushima / BHIS + K's planning Posted: 26 Jul 2017 03:00 PM PDT  © Shinkenchiku-sha
 © Shinkenchiku-sha From the architect. The site is at Fukushima city in Fukushima prefecture. I had a plan to build my house on the site that my family owns. The site was a piece of bare land burned down by fire. It happened a half year after The Great East Japan Earthquake. After the earthquake, I suffered a down turn in my life.  © Shinkenchiku-sha  Site Plan  © Shinkenchiku-sha For example, the damage due to the earthquake in Fukushima and the resulting nuclear pollution caused by it was devastating. In addition, my grandmother's death has affected my personal life. In the midst of that situation, I envisioned an open Architecture.  © Shinkenchiku-sha I thought about the relationship between nature and architecture, where and how to place the cube geometrically. The internal wall creates an abundance of life and relates it seamlessly to the external wall.  Plan Providing a flexible finishing touch to the external wall, for the surface I used clapboard. In the inside, by representing a frame work of conventional wooden architecture, it made possible to create space and atmosphere of a folk dwelling.  © Shinkenchiku-sha The nine cubes that are split by angles create harmony and various spaces by length or size and so on. Inside, it has a succession of walls that constitutes a link to the external environment. The entrance has a surrounding that gives the home a natural look.  © Shinkenchiku-sha The array of internal view creates a sequence. Because it is my own home, I create a spatial composition, which makes it possible to renew for expansion. It was my goal to ''live within the frameworks''. This is similar to a way of living in an old folk home. It adapts to social background and family structure.  © Shinkenchiku-sha The people who live in it are refreshed by it, and achieve the mission of ''Metabolism in the Fall''. To satisfy the mission, I used building material that is only necessary for the architecture of Quasi-Fire zones and I hardly used any finishing material.  © Shinkenchiku-sha The plan was for me to live with my mother. Next door, there are two apartments that I own. On the same site, I plan to build an additional minute building cube. This can share the function of the house and be the core to the node.  © Shinkenchiku-sha To achieve this purpose, the bathroom is located at a location that is easily accessible from the outside. Since my mother holds a daily music class, many kids enter and exit the house. My wish is that the site creates happiness and joy. I hope the view of kids becomes part of the house. Then, I can show the open environment to the neighborhood.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Catholic Suzuka Church / ALPHAVILLE Posted: 26 Jul 2017 01:00 PM PDT  © Toshiyuki Yano
 © Toshiyuki Yano From the architect. Responding to a dramatic growth in the foreign Catholic community in Suzuka, a new religious space is needed not only for worships but also social interactions. The Catholic Suzuka Church, presented by the Alphaville Architects, is an integration of multiple functions including a chapel, a community hall and residences for priests. Located in Suzuka, where the HONDA motor industry bases, the presented project is sitting on the cross junction of two major streets, with one being a newly built motorway and the remaining one being an ancient road connecting Tokyo and Osaka since Edo period.  © Toshiyuki Yano  Axonometric  © Toshiyuki Yano The project features an expressive roof which wraps up all the functional spaces. It is shaped as multiple diagonal arches overlapping each other with gaps. This was inspired by the stunning mountain scape surrounding the city, and reminds citizens of the natural elegance.  © Toshiyuki Yano To handle crowds on Sundays, the whole volume is lifted to maximize the car parking space underneath without shrinking the other functional areas. The roof is split into pieces every five meters – referring to the parking lot module – for skylights to introduce the southern natural light to the interiors. Connected by two gently inclined staircases, the pilotis and the entrance lobbies on the second floor define a plaza for social events and buffering from the heavily motorized city.  Section Referring to the "Nori's figure/ground theory", the lobby is designed as an extension of the city pathways, manipulating relationships among the "inside-out" spaces converging at the church that allow easy approaches.  © Toshiyuki Yano  Structural Diagram  © Toshiyuki Yano With its lively gesture, this project surpasses precedents with enhanced accessibility, translating worships into daily-life philosophy and bridges mankind to the holy with falls of natural light.  © Toshiyuki Yano  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Toulon / Studio William Hefner Posted: 26 Jul 2017 12:00 PM PDT  © Roger Davies
 © Roger Davies From the architect. A couple commissioned a new home with an emphasis on natural light and the surrounding landscape. The contemporary design rises from the site, presenting the street with a dynamic façade in which rugged walls of concrete and metal provide privacy to the first floor while soaring glass at the second floor fills the house with light. Tilted roof planes nod to the traditional sloped roofs of the neighborhood.  © Roger Davies At the rear, the second floor features a louvered trellis that runs the length of the house and a thick floor system that extends far beyond the first-floor area below. Recalling le Corbusier's Villa Savoye, this accentuated horizontal volume conveys the sense that it hovers above the site. At the same time, it integrates the house with its surroundings by creating shaded outdoor rooms to complement interior spaces for seamless indoor-outdoor living.  © Roger Davies  Site Plan  © Roger Davies Inside the hard shell of concrete, metal, and glass, the interior is warm and open. Living spaces flow together in an open plan, with cues in the finishes and lighting strategies to subtly differentiate spaces. The palette of materials ranges from striated marble to finely grooved tile and backlit birch-wood ribbons. The textures and muted colors of the materials brings an intimate, human scale to the bright, airy volumes. The art studio, a uniquely serene and private space, is bare but for a window onto a private garden and a skylight system that composes its entire roof.  © Roger Davies  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Harvey Pediatric Clinic / Marlon Blackwell Architect Posted: 26 Jul 2017 10:00 AM PDT  © Timothy Hursley
 © Timothy Hursley From the architect. The Harvey Pediatric Clinic is the new home of a thriving pediatric clinic based in Rogers, Arkansas. Situated in a land formerly dotted by the silhouettes of singular objects such as barns, sheds, silos, RV vehicles and semi-trucks, the building is a biological cousin to these different typologies. It is a silent, yet strong, contrast in figure and color to the excess of materials, weak forms, and beige tones that make up the everyday suburban landscape that surrounds the building.  © Timothy Hursley The building's bold profile provides the Clinic's identifIcation for children and parents alike while establishing a strong presence along South 52nd Street, the main commercial corridor in the area. Cayenne-colored metal panel wraps the south elevation, which is lit from above along the edge with a skylight that stretches the length of the building. A portal at the ground floor creates a drop-off area for patients under the elevated cayenne form. Tenant spaces on either side of the pass-through are wrapped in glass, providing a connection with the surrounding landscape and an establishing visual and material separation from the upper floor.  © Timothy Hursley Entering the building from the portal, one ascends a stair that is embedded in the "foot" of the structure. Blue glass in the skylight above washes the stair with blue light. The color creates a vertical threshold that suggests a place of healing lies above. Upon ascending the stair, patients arrive in the waiting room at the east end of the building. Fins along the eastern glass wall guard the interior from excessive solar exposure.  © Timothy Hursley  Section  © Timothy Hursley Sixteen exam rooms are organized along a looping corridor creating a simple circulation path from the waiting room and check-in, to the exam room, to check-out. Skylights over the two nurses' stations, which are distributed between the exam rooms, bring ample natural light into the center of the building.  Level 1 Plan  Circulation Diagram  Level 2 Plan The west end of the building houses the Clinic's administrative functions. The Flex Space is the hub for the administrative staff. The double-height space is capped by the pop-up along the south half of the building, which contributes to the bold, figural shape and holds a mezzanine – a private break room for Dr. Harvey – with a wall of glass to the north, allowing light to wash the interior and providing a visual connection to the sky. A break room for the staff at the west end of the ground floor is the point of arrival for the staff and looks out onto a small porch and garden, providing a quiet place of reprieve.  © Timothy Hursley  © Timothy Hursley The Cayenne metal panel is a custom color that was developed specifically for the project. A standard, weathered zinc metal panel is used on the north side of the building, which is formally quieter yet abstract in its detailing. A ribbon window reinforces the horizontality of the form and the darker, cool gray recedes, giving emphasis to the saturated, warm color used on the south figure. A flat metal panel profile is used on the west elevation and soffit, while a box rib metal panel profile lends a subtle texture to the north and south elevations. Custom break metal trims are used throughout, allowing the detailing of the skin to reinforce the abstract quality of the building's shape.  © Timothy Hursley The Harvey Pediatric Clinic is a progressive building for a progressive client, one who seeks a holistic approach to medicine and healing. The building compliments the practice and elevates the medical office typology and delivers a high-quality, efficient space enclosed in a bold figure.  © Timothy Hursley  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| RKW Architektur + Wins Competition for Stone-Clad Mixed-Use Building in Stuttgart Posted: 26 Jul 2017 09:00 AM PDT  RKW Architektur + , Rendering: Foormtool Anton Kolev RKW Architektur + has been selected as the winners of a competition to design a new mixed-use residential tower located at Mailänder Platz in Stuttgart, Germany. Rising from a triangular site, the building features a dynamic facade of shifting stone that creates openings for vertical greenery, and an abundance of public space, including cafes, retail, a hotel and a library.  RKW Architektur + , Rendering: Foormtool Anton Kolev Project description from the architects. The guiding principle of the present draft is the development of a powerful and natural figure which logically adopts the angles and influences resulting from the overall urban concept of the Trojan + Trojan office and further develops them in the sense of a modern architectural design and the southern flair of the quarter. By doing so, the desire for an easy-to-care for façade greening is taken just as seriously as the windows and axis values required for hotel and residential housing usage. The prominent location of the building site vis-a-vis the monolithic Stuttgart municipal library and the vibrant Milaneo brings great responsibility as well as an opportunity to mould and greatly shape Stuttgart's cityscape. An ensemble of two stone cubes, which appear to be suspended over delicate glass floors shape the appearance as a whole.  Courtesy of RKW Architektur + The recess of the building at the ground floor in the direction of the library called for in the development plan extends through the first upper floor. A large arcade stretches which, with the seats of the cafés in the ground floor of the Moskauer Straße, is made into an obvious and lively entrance into the new hotel and the library.  Courtesy of RKW Architektur + The interweaving of the new building with the Europa quarter and the improvement in the quality of stay will also consist in the northerly direction on the Londoner Straße. The stipulated shops will be raised in an intermediate floor in such a way that they will not be enclosed under the stairways to be created, but naturally situated at the "street front" and handicapped-accessible through the first ramp directly from Mailänder Platz. This way, three additional kiosk areas can be erected in the direct vicinity of the subway entrance, which make this more attractive and urban. All these measures give the "tower at Mailänder Platz" not only a green and modern long-distance effect, but also a face towards the city and the passers-by.  Courtesy of RKW Architektur + The niches, which are to be planted with robust grapevines, provide both a decorative and useful effect. The maintenance-required opening serves as a tilt ventilation flap in the apartment house, but can also be completely opened by the service personnel for the care of the grapevines. The downlights integrated into the top of the niches illuminate the plant in the evening hours, and thus ensure the distinctive CI of the building. The water supply for the plants is ensured through a watering system which uses falling rainwater gathered on the roofs.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| CSF House / López Duplan Arquitectos Posted: 26 Jul 2017 08:00 AM PDT  © Héctor Armando Herrera
 © Héctor Armando Herrera From the architect. The lot shape is a basic rectangle and we adjusted the project to its size to get the most benefit from the space. On the facade 2 planes are clearly appreciated as part of the same volume. We decided to use stone as the main material to add strength and enhance the personality of the project. The second plane was softened with vegetation to mark the difference between both and define a gesture of the presence of nature throughout the design. For the hallway that leads to the main entrance we selected stone for the floor and the left wall creating a very special dynamic due to the characteristics and porosity of the material that contrasts with the wood on the right wall that gives warmth and joins to welcome with the vegetation that runs than the hall on the floor level.  © Héctor Armando Herrera The house is formed by public and private areas divided into three main floors and half one for various services. On the ground floor a generous living and dining room is located next to the kitchen that integrates a living area. Family life is very important so we decided to create a harmonious and flexible ambiance to suit all the activities. On the first level we located the children rooms and the master bedroom on the second level. We designed the back garden and the central courtyard that gives life and privacy to the whole house. In this area of the city there is no space between houses so we decided to make the most of the open space to give this family and oasis that they can enjoy indoors as well as outdoors. This generous garden also helps to provide natural light and lovely views. We consulted with an agronomist that besides orienting us on the selection of the right species helped us with the aesthetic result of the whole design.  © Héctor Armando Herrera We consulted with an agronomist that besides orienting us on the selection of the right species helped us with the aesthetic result of the whole design. The courtyard allowed us to achieve a central space that besides joining to the sources of natural light and greenery for the interior, created a transition area that hides a corridor that connects the service areas to the public areas on the ground floor. All areas have large windows and doors that open and hide to convert each area in a single one, open or closed. In this project it was very important to consider the total interaction between the inside and the outside to make the most of the space.  © Héctor Armando Herrera A very important goal for this residence was complete flexibility as the daily activities of this family can be a normal routine or completely new, so it was very important that each area can be easily adapted to both possibilities. We managed through divisions and a strict architectural program a home where there can be total privacy and where you can also have a wide open space. For the furniture we selected materials like wood and different stones that resulted in a natural color palette where the natural texture of each element stands out. The goal for the interiors was to achieve a harmonious and very warm ambiance for the family and its visitors. We seek to create an atmosphere where all the details are designed to enjoy quality total life, beyond the challenges that must be overcome every day.  Lower Plan Lighting design focused on evening activities, as the large windows of all areas of the house flood it with natural light throughout the day giving personality and warmth to all the spaces. A centralized control system was installed to have different environments and it was also used for the audio and other systems that this house has. The neutral color palette was selected to highlight the nature of the materials and the range of soft and harmonious colors that blend perfectly with the greenery of the garden and courtyard, making a warm balance that allows spaces to grow with the family and adapt to changes over time.  © Héctor Armando Herrera The hardest thing was to make a home for this family. Each of the spaces was resolved so that a complete coexistence was achieved in public areas and full functionality in private ones. One of our main objectives was to create a warm environment in which both residents and visitors feel at home. We also managed to develop custom details such as special tub for the daughter who has a disability, achieving to integrate functionality with warmth so that her daily routine is a pleasant experience. We are very pleased with this project because all areas are accessible by wheelchair using a central elevator and a ramp at the main entrance.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Plans for "Iron Ring" Sculpture in Wales Put on Hold After Public Outcry Posted: 26 Jul 2017 06:45 AM PDT  Courtesy of George King Architects Plans for a new iron ring sculpture located at Flint Castle in Wales have been put on hold following public outcry. Earlier this week, George King Architects was selected as the winners of a competition held by the Welsh Government to design a signature art piece celebrating Wales' Year of Legends with their proposal, the Iron Ring, which consists of a large circular structure embedded in the earth at just two points to create a cantilevered observation point with views of the castle and the River Dee. But opponents of the design have claimed that the sculpture is an overt reference to the "iron ring" of fortresses used by King Edward I to "subjugate and oppress" the people of Wales during his reign from 1272 to 1307. After an online petition calling for the project to be scrapped reached over 7,000 signatures, Economy Secretary Ken Skates announced a "pause" to review the design.  Courtesy of George King Architects "We have listened and recognise the strength of feeling around the proposed art installation at Flint Castle and feel it is only right that we now take a pause and review the plans for the sculpture," said Skates. "Working closely with local partners we will continue to work on proposals for developments at Flint, including reviewing new visitor facilities."  Courtesy of George King Architects  Courtesy of George King Architects Located at the site where the British crown was handed down from one medieval dynasty to another, the Iron Ring was designed to symbolize "a giant rusted crown representing the relationship between the medieval monarchies of Europe and the castles they built." "The sculpture will take a precariously balanced form, half buried beneath the ground, half projecting into the air, to demonstrate the unstable nature of the crown," said George King.  Courtesy of George King Architects The £395,000 sculpture would be built from weathered steel, allowing it to span up to 7 meters (23 feet) high and 30 meters (98 feet) in diameter. Quotes and words chosen by the local community would be engraved into the ring's surface, celebrating the sculpture's connection to other local landmarks, historic towns and natural environment.  Courtesy of George King Architects "The sculpture has been carefully designed to work at many scales. From afar its striking, iconic form resembles a giant ancient artefact, washed up on the shore of the Dee Estuary," King continued. "Its scale and dynamic appearance means that it will become an instantly recognisable landmark for the area. However, as you approach the sculpture it becomes obvious that the piece is more than a sculpture."  Courtesy of George King Architects Also included in the project are improvements to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed castle, including a new stainless-steel spiral staircase, and a preliminary masterplan covering the wider Flint Foreshore. News via George King Architects, 38 Degrees, BBC News.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Social Center Vilar do Paraíso Requalification / éOp – arquitectura e design Posted: 26 Jul 2017 06:00 AM PDT  © Nelson Garrido
 © Nelson Garrido From the architect. The São Pedro de Vilar do Paraíso Social Center is a social institution of solidarity, located in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal. The institution plays a determining role in the community guaranteeing the most different social responses for community and old / senior people.  © Nelson Garrido The requalification of the São Pedro de Vilar do Paraíso Social Center, intends to reorganize the space and services, endow the building with more values. The building known as the "Casa das Freiras" Palace with more than 100 years, suffered rehabilitation works in the different floors, to adjust the community needs, giving the spaces a multifunctionality that provokes a big dynamics to the institution. This freedom of space, takes the São Pedro de Vilar do Paraíso Social Center a place to improve creativity and social entrepreneurship.  © Nelson Garrido A promising space, not only for its spatiality but also for the amazing of its inclined planes, a consequence of the narrative of the roof gaps, taking advantage of the exiting elements. It is the roof gaps that mark their own identity of space, complaining their spatiality and textures of the material in theirs original state. The classic details of wood and stone are a testimony of the story of this building.  © Nelson Garrido The project aimed to create new spaces with a capacity for change, where the creativity of its users can be put into practice. An accomplice and inspiring space, able to improve a visionary spirit to serv the common welfare, inside the concept and history of this institution.  Sections It was intended to achieve a free space and not static, mutated and creative, planned for the people and thought for the future.  © Nelson Garrido  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Toyo Ito Announced as Winner of UIA Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement Posted: 26 Jul 2017 05:00 AM PDT  Tama Art University Library / Toyo Ito & Associates. Image © Iwan Baan The UIA (International Union of Architects) has announced the winners of the 2017 UIA Gold Medal and Prizes. Established in 1961, the UIA Prizes are awarded every 3 years to "honour professionals whose qualities, talents, and actions have had an international impact on the diverse sectors of architectural practice." This year, a total of 46 nominations were considered by the Secretariat. This organization's top honor, the UIA Gold Medal (established in 1984), was awarded to Japanese architect Toyo Ito. The distinction is regarded as the "highest honour awarded to a living architect by his fellow architects." Previous winners include I.M. Pei (2014), Álvaro Siza Vieira (2011), Teodoro Gonzalez de Leon (2008), Tadao Ando (2005), Renzo Piano (2002), Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis (1999), Rafael Moneo (1996), Fumihiko Maki (1993), Charles Correa (1990), Reima Pietila (1987) and Hassan Fathy (1984). Other winners include:
One additional award, the Sir Patrick Abercrombie Prize for Town-Planning or Territorial Development, was not awarded this year. The winners will be receive their medals at a special awards ceremony on September 6 during the 25th UIA World Congress in Seoul, South Korea. News via UIA.
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| Güths House / ArqBr Arquitetura e Urbanismo Posted: 26 Jul 2017 04:00 AM PDT  © Joana França
 © Joana França From the architect. The house is located in a quiet area of Brasilia's outskirts. The aim was to construct a 300m² single story house to be mostly used during weekends, providing spaces for leisure and socializing.  © Joana França The major challenge was to distribute storehouse in a reduced plot area shaped in a trapezoid form and open to the greenery as much as possible.  © Joana França  Ground Floor Plan  © Haruo Mikami The house's footprint comes from the idea of organizing the occupation of the land in two different volumes. The first volume disposes the spaces in a linear wayrepresenting the more intimate sector of the house. The second concentrates on the social sector, such as the meeting places. Intentionally, both volumes are articulated creating a square turned to the inside, which provides privacy to the owners.  Longitudinal Section  © Joana França  Cross-Section The composition of the façades and the materials chosen reveals the inside spaces: the concrete corresponds to a more intimate area; the wooden slats allow permeability to the spaces enclosing the social area; the meeting areas are simply composed by open spaces framing the outside landscape as portraits.  © Joana França  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 26 Jul 2017 02:30 AM PDT  © Miguel de Guzman / Imagen Subliminal
From the architect. Situated at the corner of 4th Avenue and 1st Street in the coveted Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, 251 1st by ODA New York is the firm's latest manifestation of its steadfast commitment to improving quality of life in urban areas. In this case—taking a page from its well-documented playbook—ODA's inflected the building's upper massing with a cascade of setbacks and terraces, yielding substantial outdoor space, as well as multiple exposures for units.  © Miguel de Guzman / Imagen Subliminal In addition to light and outdoor area, playing with the massing in this way also provides a sensitive contextual nod: A more formal, closed exterior on bustling 4th Avenue—suitable for the major commercial artery—gives way to the porous push and pull of the terracing along 1st Street, design language meant to mimic the small scale of area brownstones and to engage with 1st's intimate, more residential quality. In this interaction between disparate exterior elements, 251 1st also references an abstract undercurrent—the generational and cultural shift, as Brooklyn, a once sleepy, largely residential outer borough, continues its transformation into one of NYC's great cultural epicenters. In other words, both legs of Brooklyn's changing identity receive expression on the exterior of 251 1st.  Render © Heroes Visuals  © Miguel de Guzman / Imagen Subliminal Inside, ODA's design is conceived as a kind of urban oasis. While the clean lines and unabashed geometry of the contemporary canon are prominent on the exterior, the lobby—open planned, full-floored and attended 24 hours (via doorman and virtual concierge)—has a softer, distinctly natural, almost zen-like aura, with a strong emphasis on materials: a rich medley of woods, concrete, and metals. In the lobby's lounge areas, living green wall receive ample light through transparent front and rear glass.  Render © Heroes Visuals Units, in contrast, feature muted palettes—and are, per usual, elegantly appointed. Wide plank white oaks floors lay beneath soaring ceilings, circumscribed by floor-to- ceiling glass windows and doors. Powder rooms, secondary baths, and master baths are outfitted with Italian marble, imported porcelain, and white honed marble, respectively. And eleven light-filled penthouses boast panoramic vistas reaching from the Manhattan skyline to the Verrezano-Narrows Bridge.  © Miguel de Guzman / Imagen Subliminal  © Miguel de Guzman / Imagen Subliminal And, as ODA residents have come to expect, the building features a generous slew of amenities, from the familiar—two sun-soaked courtyards, a landscaped terrace—to the luxuriantly unexpected: an entry floor library, stroller valet, fitness/yoga room, and even a pet grooming station, among others.  © Miguel de Guzman / Imagen Subliminal  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| A Success Story of Architecture and Art in One of Mexico's Most Violent Cities Posted: 26 Jul 2017 02:30 AM PDT  Cortesía de Jardín Botánico de Culiacán What becomes of public space once violence is normalized in a city? Though it is naive to believe that architecture by itself can present absolute solutions to complex social and political issues, it is also important to explore and understand its possibilities as an agent of social change, however small. In Mexico, the wave of violence that has arisen in recent decades is more palpable in certain regions of the country, resulting in entire communities who have been made vulnerable by a fluctuating state of insecurity. For over ten years now, Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao has been participating in the development of a multidisciplinary project in the city of Culiacán, the capital of the state of Sinaloa and widely recognized for the drug-related violence it harbors. The Jardín Botánico Culiacán (Culiacán Botanical Garden) is a public space that undertook an ambitious project in 2002 directed by a local businessman with an extensive private contemporary art collection. A slew of artists were commissioned to visit the site and create installations that added an artistic dimension to the space, inspiring varied reactions in its users and functioning as an aesthetic, sensorial, and intellectual experience. Somewhat incredibly, this small city in northern Mexico is now home to a public space where one can visit pieces by internationally renowned artists such as James Turrell, Olafur Eliasson, Dan Graham, Richard Long, Gabriel Orozco, Teresa Margolles, and more.  Cortesía de Jardín Botánico de Culiacán In the following interview, Bilbao speaks on the completed phases of the project, the phases yet to come, the social responsibility of an architect when working with unfamiliar communities, and the advantages of presenting contemporary art outside of the "white box" offered by traditional museums. Karina Zatarain: When and how did you get involved in this project? Tatiana Bilbao: There's really not an exact date for when this project began... I can tell you I started working on it in June of 2005. The Botanical Garden has undergone many evolutions. At first, there was Carlos Murillo, who focused on the amazing task of building a botanical collection. Then Agustín [Coppel] got involved and began donating a couple of pieces from his art collection, and eventually, he invited Patrick Charpenel to help curate the site. That was when it all really began to take shape, between 2004 and 2005. Patrick proposed a more ambitious project: commissioning each artist to make a site-specific piece for the Garden. That's when I was invited; I arrived and said "why don't we do a more integrated project?" First we decided our main objective was to design a space that would take the Botanical Garden to a new level, making it one of the best in the world. For that, we had to invest strongly in the art collection and how it would be experienced spatially. The local Environmental Operations agency began to work on a classification of all the species present in the Garden. At that moment, Patrick [Charpenel] asked the artists to travel to the site in order to sensitize themselves to the space and the social context that surrounds it. On the other hand, I was trying to find a way to integrate everything spatially: the existent garden, the art collection, and the future construction of some buildings and pavilions that would enable the program to function. First we analyzed, in terms of built space, what the Garden required: storage and office space, maintenance areas and areas for employees. For the botanical aspect: seed collection, a herbarium, a greenhouse... finally, the educational and art programs: an auditorium, a classroom, exhibition space, and a library. We designed a program and began building in phases.  Cortesía de Jardín Botánico de Culiacán KZ: The Culiacán Botanical Garden is a project you've worked on for over a decade. As an architect, what do you gain by developing a project over such a long span of time? TB: You gain so much. Back in 2005 it was one of my first projects and it was so exciting; it still is... But at that moment it was the only one. So I wanted to see it all built and ready to use. And now, after so much time has passed, I think back and it's been incredible... One thing that we as a profession seem to no longer understand is the time that architecture requires, and that's very harmful. On one hand there's the subject of the ephemeral, and of how technology has enabled us to build quickly, and for some programs it's a positive thing to strip them of the weight of permanence. But I think with public space specifically, it benefits from being developed during a broad period of time. As an architect, time gives you permission to really see what is happening there, to understand the place and react in a deeper way. And even so, we still don't understand it fully, I can assure you that someone from Culiacán sees it differently than I. I wasn't born there and it isn't my culture, but I do think that being given the opportunity to experience it through time has allowed me to act differently than I would have otherwise.  Cortesía de Jardín Botánico de Culiacán KZ: In a city facing the social issues Culiacán does, what is architecture's role or responsibility? TB: First, the biggest responsibility is not thinking you know everything. It's very arrogant to arrive thinking you're going to solve something you're not familiar with. You must understand that out of everyone there, you have the least knowledge of the place and situation, and only by acting in this way can you offer a real benefit in your outside perspective. In the Botanical Garden it is amazing to see how all kinds of people converge and how it has become an oasis in the middle of the city. It's a curious thing, because it's a fully accessible space where all social strata converge, all ages, and as I see it, it's something of a refuge from the city. To have generated—and it wasn't me but Carlos Murillo many years ago—a democratic space that offers interesting activities to all citizens is a very valuable contribution. That's what we should promote, in terms of public space: that it be a democratic space, an open space, and that it offer possibilities for all. A space that offers no resistance to whatever society decides to do with it is the best thing architecture can achieve. It's what has really made the Culiacán Botanical Garden a success.  Cortesía de Jardín Botánico de Culiacán KZ: I have never seen people interact with art the way they do here, without knowing it’s been deemed art (expensive art, at that) by professionals and academics and yet, seemingly sensing something from it; something different to what is going on in the rest of the city. Why do you think this is? TB: You know what that is? Breaking the white box. And that was something we didn't realize until we were there. It's so impressive to see how the Botanical Garden is promoting contemporary art in Culiacán in a way that nothing ever has before and nothing else would have been able to do. For instance, the Sinaloa Art Museum [MASin] has undergone many transformations and has presented amazing exhibitions, but it is still a museum. There's still a symbolic barrier that exists and many people don't dare enter it, because it remains an institution, a closed space. By adding art in such a spontaneous way, with no restrictions, to an open space, it begins to interact with the public on its own.  Cortesía de Jardín Botánico de Culiacán KZ: And under the public's own rules... TB: Absolutely. For instance, it was curious what happened with Teresa Margolles' piece, a series of benches made with concrete that was mixed using the same water from the morgue that had washed the bodies of victims of drug-related violence. We installed them, but for a year they lacked the inscription that explained what was going on with that piece. When it was finally installed, it ignited a revolution. People contacted their elected officials, the women that had used the benches complained that nobody had explained this to them. They didn't understand the piece or what it was trying to achieve. Then Teresa went to the garden and gave a lecture, and suddenly these same women became the most enthusiastic promoters of art in the Garden. And that's what contemporary art has to do, that's what it's about, being a reflection of our time and allowing people to ponder certain subjects through it. Of course some art is more political than other art, evidently this piece is political, but it's also a social matter. And what happened with it would never have happened in a museum. These women approached art in a very important way, a very visceral way, because they were confronted by it and had a chance to appropriate it and incorporate it to their everyday lives. That's the key, breaking the barriers and making art accessible.  Cortesía de Jardín Botánico de Culiacán So that tells me a lot about how to act. In this case, having a collection and someone to donate the funds, anyone would have thought, great, let's build a museum! And what would have happened? Nothing. The art would not have permeated into society in the way it did. That leads me to think about how to act from many different angles and to understand that as an architect you can't impose a certain program. It's not easy to detach yourself from that habit and I don't think I've managed to do so completely. In the Garden it was an amazing coincidence. This experience has taught me to reflect deeply before taking any steps forward in my design process... how to act, how to avoid imposing my beliefs about what is good. If this had been a museum, obviously the intentions would have been great. But a good intention does not necessarily produce a good result. By participating in this project I have learned to always question whether what I propose is truly the best solution for that place and culture. It has made me integrate all sorts of people in my process.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Revised Design for Washington DC WWI Memorial Unveiled Posted: 26 Jul 2017 01:00 AM PDT  Courtesy of National Capital Planning Commission The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) has reviewed the revised concept for the National Washington WWI Memorial as part of several major commemoration and transport projects taking place in the capital city. Designed by architect Joseph Weishaar and sculptor Sabine Howard, the proposal won the memorial's competition last year, beating out 4 other finalists with its multilevel design and use of relief sculpture.  Courtesy of National Capital Planning Commission Though the initial design sparked controversy due to its plan to demolish most of the existing Pershing Park, its updated redesign seeks to maintain more of the park than previously proposed. The park, designed by landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg and Oehme van Sweden, is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the National Park Service (NPS). The updates in the redesign seek to balance the new memorial with the existing site.  Courtesy of National Capital Planning Commission The main components of the memorial are a 65-foot long bronze bas-relief wall on the site's western edge and a water feature. A few significant changes have transformed the design from its original 2014 entry: the size of the wall is smaller in order to improve views across the park and look for ways to better integrate it into the park's existing features, like the terracing and steps; the original granite materials from the park's initial landscaping will also be retained. (Some minor swaps include a kiosk replaced by a flagpole and the repositioning of a statue of Pershing).  Courtesy of National Capital Planning Commission The original pool which forms the centerpiece of Pershing Park is set to remain, with the revised design adding a path across it to access the relief wall (instead of removing the pool). Instead of wrapping around the edges of the pool, the path is set back and narrower, leading to a more subtle design intervention than what was originally intended. Described as a "restored pool concept," Weishaar's water feature design sets out to re-invent the pool area for pedestrians to interact with the new sculpture that would be occupying its west side. Water will cascade from the top of the relief sculpture to the main pool, creating a third elevated water feature.  Courtesy of National Capital Planning Commission Overall the revised design will retain most of the existing terraces and original pool unique to the park instead of demolishing them. The water feature is modified for better circulation and the original fountain will be with the bas-relief sculpture wall as originally planned. Information Courtesy of National Capital Planning Commission
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| The Beauty of Everyday Life: Ward Robert's Courts Posted: 25 Jul 2017 11:00 PM PDT  Courts 01. Image © Ward Roberts Showing nobility in everyday places requires a sense that goes far beyond first impressions. New York-based photographer Ward Roberts offers a fresh and engaging perspective in his photographs - documenting sports courts of all kinds around Hong Kong, Bermuda, Hawaii, and New York (to name a few). Roberts' work beautifully captures the innate tension between the familiar and the foreign that sports courts evoke: bringing a sense of place, in any place.  Courts 02. Image © Ward Roberts  Courts 01. Image © Ward Roberts The influence of urban space Every city plan considers space for sports architecture - from large stadiums up to neighborhood courts sports spaces are those that any inhabitant can quickly connect with. Roberts' 'Courts Project' is inspired by the artist's own personal history. His Hong Kong based childhood featured his love of sports as being aesthetically influenced with their striking color palettes and as typological elements in architecture. As Roberts likes to say: "Perfection is the enemy of greatness." Throughout the Courts series, one can distinguish perfect compositions between flashes of everyday life - hanging clothes, murals and many distinctive expressions of urban life.  Courts 01. Image © Ward Roberts Courts 01 2007-2012  Courts 01. Image © Ward Roberts  Courts 01. Image © Ward Roberts  Courts 01. Image © Ward Roberts Courts 02 2011-2015  Courts 02. Image © Ward Roberts  Courts 02. Image © Ward Roberts  Courts 02. Image © Ward Roberts Book 'Courts 02 by Ward Roberts' will appear in two separate book releases (a standard edition plus a collector's edition of 100 copies only), and for the very first time, a selection of prints (23.4in x 23.4in) will be made available.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Art / Dietrich | Untertrifaller Architekten Posted: 25 Jul 2017 10:00 PM PDT  © Bruno Klomfar
 © Bruno Klomfar From the architect. The Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Art, an art school in Nancy, forms the northern end of the new university campus ARTEM (ARt, TEchnology, Management), the largest new university complex in France, and occupies a central position between the city and the new campus premises. It accommodates all the facilities needed for the three educational fields of art, design, and communication, such as studios, workshops and lecture halls, including the administration and spacious exhibition areas. Dietrich | Untertrifaller Architekten and Zoméno Architects won the competition in November 2010.  © Bruno Klomfar  Ground Floor Plan  © Bruno Klomfar Joined by two glass connecting structures, the four-story "Vauban" building on the northwest side and the five-story "Signal building" on the southeast side enclose an inner courtyard. The clear spatial organization is apparent as soon as one enters the building. The ground floor of the Signal building contains exhibition spaces, which are topped by the administration offices. The lower Vauban building accommodates the workshops. An auditorium and the two-story entrance hall are located inside the connecting buildings.  © Bruno Klomfar The two structural elements have very distinct appearances: the highly chamfered design of the Signal building is clad entirely in a perforated sheet façade made of brown-black, anodized aluminum. The roof has the same design, thus becoming a fifth façade. The windows towards the street are slightly offset for each floor and gradually change their sizes in the direction of the park.  Section The rectangular volume of the workshops is clad in black facade panels and shows the regular structure of large-format windows in a linear arrangement. As a visual connection to the bright variety of the adjacent university buildings by Nicolas Michelin and for acoustic reasons, the architects hung colorful felt drapes in front of the windows, while the Signal building on the south side receives shade from exterior awnings.  © Bruno Klomfar Despite the external differences, both buildings have the same support structure: the clear-spanned workshop platforms range around a reinforced concrete core with exposed concrete, which houses all of the vertical developments, the toilet facilities, and technical systems. The passages on the courtyard side were deliberately not conceived as "hallways" or narrow "tubes", but as light-flooded, bright lounge areas that can also be adapted for exhibitions. They open up to the courtyard with large windows, creating a strong visual connection between the inside and outside.  Standard Floor Plan Opened in 2016, this art school in Nancy is already the sixth project by Dietrich | Untertrifaller in France. A school in Broons (Brittany) was completed in 2015, followed in 2016 by two sports centers in Longvic (Burgundy) and Lyon as well as the Strasbourg Convention Centre. After winning a competition in 2015, the firm is currently constructing a school in Lamballe, Brittany.  © Bruno Klomfar  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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