Arch Daily |
- Public Bar / Nowdays office
- The Glasshouse / Glen Thomas Architecture
- The Layer House / Prime Architecture
- Harim Group Headquarters Building / The Beck Group
- Coco Republic / HAO Design
- Courtyard House / Design Guild
- SC Office / Reinach Mendonça Arquitetos Associados
- Graham Foundation Awards Over $400,000 in 2017 Grants to Organizations
- Milán 44 ReUrbano / Francisco Pardo Arquitecto + Julio Amezcua
- Explore the Sacred Spaces of BBGK Architekci's Katyn Museum with This Video
- L Houses / Martín Aloras
- CEMEX Announces 2017 Mexican Premio Obras Finalists
- Spotlight: Peter Eisenman
- Alberto Kalach: “Imagine if All Rooftops in Our City Were Green!”
- Impostor / Les Malcommodes
- Yona Friedman's "People's Architecture" Inhabits Space Using Hula Hoops
- Spotlight: Joshua Prince-Ramus
| Posted: 11 Aug 2017 10:00 PM PDT  © Yuri Palmin
 © Yuri Palmin From the architect. In recent years Moscow has developed a taste for the so-called speakeasy bars: "secret" drinking venues where you need to be acquainted with the owner or, at least, a regular to get in. The entrance to one of these is hidden within the inner courtyard of a XVIII century building in a historic neighborhood situated centrally. The rules of the speakeasy genre require the absence of a sign, so only those who know where to go would find the way. Eight steps down a ladder, that also serves as a storage for cocktail ingredients, and a visitor finds himself in a two-room clandestine underground venue, ironically called the Public Bar.  Plan The design concept was implemented in two steps: firstly, the surfaces were coated with the material of choice (concrete) to visually consolidate the space. Secondly, character and intrigue were added by carefully chosen details.  © Yuri Palmin The first room accommodates the concrete bar counter and four small tables mounted into the wall. Mirror and brass-bottle shelves that cover two of the three walls gleam in the dim light, building up that magic bar ambiance. The bar interior is laconic yet, upon closer examination, filled with unique touches throughout table legs that look like PoMo sculptures, geometrically patterned XIX century French tiles, and brass details. All the small but necessary things, like hangers, ashtrays, WC utensils, holders, as well as beautiful brass lamp above the counter were designed in collaboration with the artist Maria Fedorova. A solid, cool to the touch and slightly vesicular concrete bar counter grows out of the concrete floor and merges into the concrete wall.  © Yuri Palmin The second room is a minimalistic setting for cocktail sipping at a communal table under a hand-made lamp with a backdrop of old bricks and concrete. During the makeover, a concrete "cup" covering one-third of the wall was inserted inside this part of the bar space, which continuously frames the room.  © Yuri Palmin  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Glasshouse / Glen Thomas Architecture Posted: 11 Aug 2017 07:00 PM PDT  © Richard Wood
 © Richard Wood From the architect. Glen Thomas Architecture's latest project, 'The Glasshouse', is a radically contemporary development of a stunning three-story Victorian house in a Welsh conservation area, for a couple and their two children.  © Richard Wood Although the clients brief was to preserve much of the original elements of the property, their main desire was LIGHT. In a dark, damp old Victorian structure, this was a big task to undertake.  Ground Floor Plan Working closely with the Structural Engineer, many of the load bearing walls were demolished, allowing for an open plan interior, whilst allowing a flood of natural light into the core of the house. The more recent addition of a double height flat roof extension was removed and replaced with a 9m long structural glass roof which had to be made in Germany and craned into position.  © Richard Wood The rear ground floor walls were replaced with full height glass walls. The new, transparent skin of the structure welcomes views of the sky and the tree lined avenue adjacent to the property, which can now be seen from anywhere on the ground floor.  Axonometric Throughout the house, full height sliding pocket doors emerge from open spaces, allowing for rooms to be secretly sub-divided, creating a flexible spatial environment for its inhabitants.  © Richard Wood The new Anthracite aluminum clad, flat roof rear extension, formed a seamless internal continuation of the open plan Kitchen / Dining space, framing the garden. The hand made Eucalyptus wood and gray matt lacquer kitchen, the drop down cinema screen, the frameless glass steam-room and the integrated home audio and lighting systems, create a perfectly modern and detail engineered environment - a sympathetically designed, contemporary living space, within the fabric of a beautiful Victorian home.  © Richard Wood  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Layer House / Prime Architecture Posted: 11 Aug 2017 03:00 PM PDT  © Andy Hwang
 © Andy Hwang From the architect. We were appointed to design a 4 bedroom house in Yong-in near Seoul. The client had previously lived in a nearby 'high-rise' development, and keen to live in a house that providing more space for his children.  Scheme Through our design we wanted to address the lack of interaction present between the family members. The dynamic of people spending more time isolated in their rooms watching TV or working say, was not specific to our Client's family, but becoming more reflective of modern family living. This leads to a lack of communication and sharing within a family.  © Andy Hwang Our design intention was to create a house that provided the family with independent space, combined with a strong focus on shared areas. The circulation space would provide the basis of this concept as these areas are used by all members of the house to access the 'independent rooms'.  Ground Floor Plan  1st Floor Plan The circulation space provided a traditional corridor but also became the living room, dining room, kitchen and study, with no walls or partitions dividing the areas. In between these areas, we positioned the 'independent boxes' which provided the 4 bedrooms. In order to access these rooms a user first has to pass through the open plan circulation and living areas.  © Andy Hwang In placing importance on having large circulation a living areas, and the number of required bedrooms, it provided a challenge to achieve this given the site constraints we had with regard to the volume of the building.  Section  Section To overcome this challenge, we created a number of 'layers' of differing floor levels throughout the house. The 'independent rooms' in effect became stacked boxes around the circulation area and in the main, all accessed by a serious of steps. In total there are 8 different floor levels throughout the building, which gave name to the project as the 'Layer House'. This layered approach provided a unique internal layout which further helped identify the open plan living areas from the private independent rooms, all linked together by the continuous circulation area which formed the core of the house.  © Andy Hwang Externally black clay bricks, which are more widely used in Korean houses, are used on the elevations where the circulation and living areas are internally. Patterned stacked bricks were used on the main font façade to bring in natural light to the main living room combined with floor to ceiling glass leading to the internal courtyard. Elsewhere a white stucco finish was applied on the elevations where the private independent rooms are positioned, with small square windows providing light to these rooms.  © Andy Hwang Upper floors consists of secondary living room, family bedrooms, family library and family music room to be completely family oriented space, while the ground floor is left more inviting to surrounding. This created the hierarchy of interaction where ground floor is trying to interact family with surrounding and upper floors between the family members.  © Andy Hwang  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Harim Group Headquarters Building / The Beck Group Posted: 11 Aug 2017 01:00 PM PDT  © Sung Hoon Yum
 © Sung Hoon Yum From the architect. The Harim Group Headquarters building is located in the Gangnam district of Seoul, on one of the most active pedestrian streets in the city. The project consists of three stories of retail space at the base with 14 stories of office space above.  © Sung Hoon Yum The client is the largest agricultural business in Korea and he wanted this building to provide a strong identity on the skyline during the day and particularly at night. It was important that the building be sustainable and provide a strong public presence on the street.  © Sung Hoon Yum Within a tightly constrained floor area, a vertical recessed slot allows the eastern summer wind to create a low-pressure zone along the north face of the building. This low-pressure zone allows natural ventilation of the office space from the operable windows around the perimeter of the floor. This slot is allowed to curve linking the public area on the ground floor with the roof garden, providing a visual identity for the building.  © Sung Hoon Yum The slot is highlighted with polished stainless steel panels incorporating a perforated and textured pattern. These are illuminated at night by a series of recessed white LEDs that through multiple reflections create a soft, shimmering lighting effect. The building includes high-performance glass, LED light fixtures, underfloor air distribution, a green roof, and perimeter operable windows.  © Sung Hoon Yum To maximize the building height within the zoning code, a large public space is provided on the ground floor. This public space flows from the street to a courtyard in the back which is defined by aluminum panels which graphically recall the curve at the building front. This space will provide restaurants, fountains, and public seating in a district with almost no public amenities.  © Sung Hoon Yum The roof has a circular conference room overlooking the roof garden and the city beyond. The interior and public spaces reinforce the architectural concept through the consistent and rhythmic use of materials and geometric patterns, creating a texture and pattern that weaves throughout the building.  © Sung Hoon Yum  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 11 Aug 2017 12:00 PM PDT  © Hey!Cheese
 © Hey!Cheese From the architect. A dreamlike scene set in reality, this two-story building is a fusion restaurant in Pingtung that makes chocolate ganache. Made to look like chocolates stacked upon one another, the entrance leaves a delectable trace, the fork lifting the delicious sign up cleverly serving as a resting area for guest waiting for their desserts, while special paint gave the outer walls the texture of cocoa powder. Coupled with unconventional materials such as faux rust boards and metal pipes, the building amazes even from afar. Silky as chocolate, it invades the senses and sweeps your taste buds away with its bittersweet taste.  Diagram Dividing up the chocolate cube, the inner space is sectioned into mismatched dining areas of different tones, deliberately leaving 50% of the space to allow a smooth flow of human traffic and create a comfortable eating environment.  © Hey!Cheese Lines and crevices crisscross into raised squares. Imagine that you're standing on a chocolate brick, enveloped by a chocolate world! We wanted to create a feeling of being surrounded by chocolate, so we added a lot of cocoa elements to the indoor dining area, using design techniques to tell different stories in each space. For example, in one semi- open boxed area, banana leaf patterns and green walls imitate the tropical rainforests in which cocoa beans grow.  Ground Floor Plan The space incorporated many designs with a mix and match of materials, such as using black metal pieces and metal nets to extend the 3D wall made with chocolate-shaped molds. Corresponding it is a large window that, through the mosaic and transparent nature of glass, not only brings in the warm brightness of southern Taiwan, but also shows a view of the greenery outside, creating a dining atmosphere of light industrial style merged with a tropical flair.  © Hey!Cheese Bar seating by the window was added to create some change to the layout. Like cocoa and white fillings encased by rich black chocolate, the white draining board material connects layout of the counter and aisles from the ceiling. Whether it's the imagery of melting chocolate, the use of soft furnishings, vintage tiles and translucent brick walls in the restrooms, or the quirky way of how someone seemed to have taken a bite out of the industrial container, the whole place is full of chocolate themes, forming unique outlines.  © Hey!Cheese We embedded many surprises among the bold design, letting the rich texture dance on our tongues, having enjoyment spread through the senses as we engage our palette, not just connecting food with the environment, but also displaying the uniqueness of the commercial space.  © Hey!Cheese  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Courtyard House / Design Guild Posted: 11 Aug 2017 10:00 AM PDT  Courtesy of Design Guild
 Courtesy of Design Guild From the architect. Designing private house is all about designing the life of family members. We need to fully understand their life styles. For this project, after several meeting, we made stories for each members of family at their side. and, after all of them agreed with this architect's imagination, we started to draw in paper finally. There is not much our philosophy and style in this project, but mostly interaction and mutual understanding.  Program Diagram This house is located in the middle of private house community. Even though, it is at the beginning of uphill, the land is almost flat. Actually mostly private houses are facing front yard which is not so wide, so it made people to lock themselves from inside: shutting all the curtains, and cannot really go out the the frontyard. how inconvenient.... before they wear properly, they cannot really go out the frontyard.  Courtesy of Design Guild We installed courtyard in the middle of house, for the better privacy. They don't need to shut the curtains, they don't need to care about people passing by. They can have breakfast at the courtyard with pajama at the courtyard. They can dry underwears at the courtyard. and, they can have their own beautiful autumn sky framed by their house.  Section 05  Courtesy of Design Guild  Section 02 This house is composed with 4 gabled masses. each masses its own attic. Left bigger one is for mom and dad, and right smaller ones are for both daughters on 2nd floor. and 1st floor is kitchen, Living room and grandma's room. there is small cinema and bar on basement.  Courtesy of Design Guild  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| SC Office / Reinach Mendonça Arquitetos Associados Posted: 11 Aug 2017 08:00 AM PDT  © Leonardo Finotti
 © Leonardo Finotti From the architect. The Edifício Argentina, located in Botafogo Beach, is a significant business center of the city. It was built in 1978 during the Brutalism architecture of the 70s and has a central line distribution and two elevator blocks organization. When we were asked to implement this branch office in Rio de Janeiro, for whom we have already projected its head office in São Paulo, we faced a building that all receptions were central and next to the elevators, far from the natural light and consequentially dark.  © Leonardo Finotti  Floor plan  © Leonardo Finotti Our main idea was exactly to reverse this logic and redeem the iconic view of Pão de Açúcar towards the reception, thus everyone that arrives on the floor be surprised by the view. In order to obtain the view, the central circulation axis was enlarged up to the ending façade turned to the beach and a mirrored wall was placed to duplicate the amazing view. On the opposite side of this axis is a secondary access for employees that pass between suspended shelters, configuring the library.  © Leonardo Finotti Behind the library, a wide space with shared tables forms the work area, that is surrounded by many private lawyer's rooms. The conference rooms are placed on both sides of the reception and along with the main façade turned to the view. A sculptural lighting fixture designed by Frank Gehry completes the elevators lobby lighting and give life to all.  © Leonardo Finotti  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Graham Foundation Awards Over $400,000 in 2017 Grants to Organizations Posted: 11 Aug 2017 07:00 AM PDT  The Graham Foundation has announced the list of recipients of their annual Grants to Organizations program, established to "advance new scholarship, fuel creative experimentation and critical dialogue, and expand opportunities for public engagement with architecture and its role in contemporary society." For 2017, over $400,000 USD has been awarded to 41 projects from around the world within 5 categories: Exhibitions, Film/Video/New Media, Publications, Public Programs and Other Fellowships. In its 61 year history, the Graham Foundation has given more than 4,300 grants to individuals and institutions. "This year marks an extraordinary group of projects from organizations around the world working to advance architectural thinking, push the boundaries of the field, and expand into previously underrepresented areas," said Graham Foundation director Sarah Herda on the 2017 grantees. Continue reading for the full list of recipients, with descriptions provided by the Graham Foundation. Exhibitions (14 awards)THE COOPER UNION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE AND ART-IRWIN S. CHANIN SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE HERITAGE FUND-THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF BARTHOLOMEW COUNTYLANDMARK COLUMBUS LIVERPOOL BIENNIAL OF CONTEMPORARY ART  Gwyneth Shanks, From Above Looking Down, 2017, Los Angeles. Courtesy the artist. From the 2017 organizational grant to Materials & Applications for "Privacies Infrastructure". Image courtesy of The Graham Foundation MATERIALS & APPLICATIONS THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART  helloeverything/SelgasCano, Kibera Hamlets School, 2016, Nairobi, Kenya. Courtesy of architects. From the 2017 organizational grant to New York Foundation for Architecture-Center for Architecture for "Scaffolding". Image courtesy of The Graham Foundation NEW YORK FOUNDATION FOR ARCHITECTURE-CENTER FOR ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION  Roundhouse, DuSable Museum of African American History, 2017, Chicago. Photo: Assaf Evron. From the 2017 organizational grant to Palais de Tokyo for "Singing Stones". Image courtesy of The Graham Foundation PALAIS DE TOKYO QUEENS MUSEUM  Richard Rezac, Quimby (painted steel, plate glass, enameled plate glass, and cherry wood), 2017, Chicago. Courtesy of the artist. From the 2017 organizational grant to The Renaissance Society for "Richard Rezac: Address". Image courtesy of The Graham Foundation THE RENAISSANCE SOCIETY S AM SWISS ARCHITECTURE MUSEUM  Francis Kéré, Serpentine Pavilion, 2017, London. Photo: Iwan Baan. From the 2017 organizational grant to Serpentine Galleries for "Serpentine Pavilion 2017 by Francis Kéré". Image courtesy of The Graham Foundation SERPENTINE GALLERIES SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK STOREFRONT FOR ART AND ARCHITECTURE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO-REVA AND DAVID LOGAN CENTER FOR THE ARTS Film/Video/New Media (2 awards)THE ARCHITECTURAL LEAGUE OF NEW YORK CHICAGO ARCHITECTURAL CLUB Fellowship (1 award)UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO-SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE Public Programs (8 awards)ASSOCIATION OF ARCHITECTURE ORGANIZATIONS HARVARD UNIVERSITY-GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN-AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENT UNION ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY-GRAHAM RESOURCE CENTER & MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE + URBANISM PROGRAM INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS LAMPO NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION-FARNSWORTH HOUSE NAVY PIER UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO-SCHOOL OF ART & ART HISTORY Publications (16 awards)ANYONE CORPORATION ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE-UNKNOWN FIELDS DIVISION  Estudio MMX, Eco Pavilion, 2011, Mexico City. Courtesy of Buró-Buró/Museo Experimental el Eco. From the 2017 organizational grant to Buró-Buró for "Libretas Pabellón Eco/Eco Pavilion". Image courtesy of The Graham Foundation BURÓ-BURÓ E-FLUX ARCHITECTURE FLAT OUT FRONT EXHIBITION COMPANY THE FUNAMBULIST HARVARD UNIVERSITY-GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN-NEW GEOGRAPHIES HET NIEUWE INSTITUUT-RESEARCH DEPARTMENT NEW MUSEUM PERFORMA  Hirsuta, Ambivalent House, 2017. Courtesy the artist. From the 2017 organizational grant to Project: A Journal for Architecture for "Project: A Journal for Architecture". Image courtesy of The Graham Foundation PROJECT: A JOURNAL FOR ARCHITECTURE RICE UNIVERSITY-SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE  Pietro Paolini, UR12 Downward Spiral: El Helicoide's Descent from Mall to Prison. El Helicoide, Caracas, Venezuela, 2012. Courtesy of Pietro Paolini/Terra Project. From the 2017 organizational grant to Terreform for "UR (Urban Research) 2017". Image courtesy of The Graham Foundation TERREFORM UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES-DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN DESIGN UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA-SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE About the Graham Foundation Upcoming Grant Application Deadlines News via Graham Foundation  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Milán 44 ReUrbano / Francisco Pardo Arquitecto + Julio Amezcua Posted: 11 Aug 2017 06:00 AM PDT  © Diana Arnau
 © Diana Arnau From the architect. Designed by Francisco Pardo Arquitecto, in collaboration with architect Julio Amezcua, Milán 44 is an urban-regeneration project located in Colonia Juarez, Mexico City. The project transforms an old four-storey warehouse that was originally home to an auto-parts store into an urban market that reactivates a neighborhood, which connects two entirely contrasting areas. On one side, the booming business district that lines the emblematic Paseo de la Reforma, and on the other side, the lively epicenter of hipster subculture, Colonia Roma Norte. This area, which has been in decay since the 1985 earthquake, is currently experiencing a slow gentrification process. Centrally located and rich in history, it has been equipped with new infrastructure and now holds the genetic code for the city's future development.  Before. Image © Diana Arnau  © Diana Arnau Transforming the existing building according to the new dynamics of the area has been the main challenge for the architectural firm, who decided to integrate a regular grid of concrete beams, columns and slabs, originally conceived from a utilitarian perspective, into the poly-dynamic venue's new public role.  © Diana Arnau Left exposed like a raw skeleton, the reticular structure is the framework for a two-storey local market, restaurants, and several private commercial spaces including a barber's shop and a yoga studio. The new public program intrinsically and physically forms an extension of the city itself: the former warehouse with its blind façades vigorously shakes off its skin, opening up and inviting the urban fabric to come in.  © Diana Arnau While maintaining its original scale and structure, the building has undergone a complete metamorphosis: a green staircase has been added to generate fluid vertical circulation. Acting like a fil-rouge, this element connects the spaces and invites visitors to explore the building extensively.  Axonometric "Through it, the street folds to the inside and upwards" says Francisco Pardo, founder of the architectural practice. "it's like a vortex that transversely crosses the building, pulling the street right up to the rooftop".  © Diana Arnau The architectural peak culminates on the top floor, which is also open to the public and hosts a beer bar: in this way, the Milán 44 project gives back to the city much more than just the ground floor of a standard building, which is typically designated for commercial use. In its place, an entirely fresh, dynamic venue has emerged, in homage to the collectivity that embodies the radical change embracing the area.  © Diana Arnau  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Explore the Sacred Spaces of BBGK Architekci's Katyn Museum with This Video Posted: 11 Aug 2017 05:00 AM PDT In this video, BBGK Architekci take you into their recently completed Katyn Museum in Warsaw, Poland, a space dedicated to the events of the Katyn Massacre during World War II. Selected as a finalist for the 2017 EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture—Mies van der Rohe Award, the project bridges the divide between an existing historic structure and a new intervention through the use of material and the sequencing of sacred, powerful spaces.
Check out the video for a tour of the museum, with commentary from critics including Aaron Betsky, the director of Warsaw's Heritage Protection Department Michał Krasucki, and editor-in-chief of Poland's Architektura-Murator Magazine, Ewa P. Porębska.
 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 11 Aug 2017 04:00 AM PDT  Casa ML. Image © Walter Salcedo
 Casa ML. Image © Walter Salcedo From the architect. San Sebastián is a gated community located in Funes where we arrived with the project of two houses, at the beginning of its development.  Casa DL. Image © Walter Salcedo The lack of adjacent constructions and forestation shows us limited references where the land still merges the sky and the appropriation of the pampas is noticeable only because of the car circulation, the technical areas of the facilities and the boundary markers between the lands.  Casa DL. Image © Walter Salcedo Two brothers, together with their families, set out on an exodus to this type of residential area due to the deterioration of the quality of life in the neighborhoods of the City of Rosario, because of the big insecurity they sense.  Implantation Scheme The assignment anticipates that the houses would be planned with a difference of a couple of months between them, being the DL house the first one to be designed.  Casa DL. Image © Walter Salcedo This construction looks for the replication and recovery of the current way of living of the owners, typical of urban houses based on a strong space of containment and, especially, a lot of privacy.  Casa DL. Image © Walter Salcedo This is how we undertake a reinterpretation of the relations between front and back, public and private, and also the concept of street by mainly trying to recover the space of a house in relation to a patio.  Casa DL. Image © Walter Salcedo The vast and complex programme allows the construction, arranged as an "L" according to the best orientations, to reach the boundaries of the plot and, through a free-standing wall, the street is blocked, giving character, privacy and a clear and intentioned urban facade.  Lower floor plan / DL This patio, waiting for the second construction, will be another open-air space, firmly designed. The private rooms are located in the upper level, protected from lines of sight by a blind parapet balcony. The recreation areas (rehearsal studio and wine cellar) were located in the basement, for acoustic and climate reasons, and the public spaces were located at the ground level.  Casa DL. Image © Walter Salcedo Interstitial spaces caused by setbacks are used to place an organic vegetable garden and an area for the 6 dogs of the owner to live in. The use of concrete was a wish set out by the contracting party, that is why, and through the exploration of its structural capacities, its formal expression was searched for.  Casa DL. Image © Walter Salcedo ML House The house secondly planned proposes a similar programme, but some requests of the contracting parties (firstly, to differentiate it from the first one) and the proportions of the plot, determine the project.  Casa ML. Image © Walter Salcedo The plot area has a smaller front than the previous one, and it imposes a more compact construction that arises from interpreting that the empty space caused by the patio of the first construction is a consequence of the subtraction of a mass that will be set in the adjoining plot.  Casa ML. Image © Walter Salcedo Through shifts of a structural sequence that search for small internal patios, this apparently compact mass is supplied with light and we find a formal expression of the character directly related to the adjacent construction but different from it in terms of form and way of living.  Section and views / ML This is how these two apparently similar constructions rehearse the following opposite pairs: open/close – vast/compact – tall/short – full/empty – brim/sunken – front/back – group/individual.  Casa ML. Image © Walter Salcedo The material is the same but its relation with the exterior, where the patios are smaller and more controlled, is not. This independent piece frees the back of the plot where the swimming-pool will be located.  Casa ML. Image © Walter Salcedo  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| CEMEX Announces 2017 Mexican Premio Obras Finalists Posted: 11 Aug 2017 03:30 AM PDT  Held annually, the CEMEX Building Award honors the best architecture and construction both in Mexico and abroad. Yesterday the cement company announced the finalist projects located in Mexico, and in categories ranging from social housing to infrastructure. Each project will be evaluated by a jury convened by CEMEX; the qualities to be evaluated include integrated sustainability, architectural design, structure and innovation in the construction process. Below see the full list of finalist projects located in Mexico. Vivienda EconómicaURVITA  Courtesy of CEMEX DEPARTAMENTOS LA SEXTA  Courtesy of CEMEX CASA GALÁ  Courtesy of CEMEX Vivienda ResidencialPATIO INFILTRADO  Courtesy of CEMEX OYAMEL  Courtesy of CEMEX CASA ACOLHUÁS  Courtesy of CEMEX InfraestructuraTUXPAN PORT TERMINAL S.A. DE C.V.  Courtesy of CEMEX TÚNEL LAS CASCADAS  Courtesy of CEMEX PLANTA DE TRATAMIENTO DE AGUAS RESIDUALES, 3ERA ETAPA, AGUASCALIENTES  Courtesy of CEMEX Espacio ColectivoCIUDAD DE LOS ARCHIVOS, EDIFICIO DEL ARCHIVO HISTÓRICO DEL ESTADO DE OAXACA  Courtesy of CEMEX CENTRO CULTURAL COMUNITARIO TEOTITLÁN DEL VALLE  Courtesy of CEMEX CASA DEL ABUELO  Courtesy of CEMEX EdificaciónTORRE REFORMA  Courtesy of CEMEX KOI  Courtesy of CEMEX EDIFICIO DE RECTORÍA DE LA ESCUELA BANCARIA Y COMERCIAL  Courtesy of CEMEX DESTILERÍA LOS AMANTES  Courtesy of CEMEX Premios EspecialesTRC [TABIQUE + REUSO + CONTEXTO]  Courtesy of CEMEX PRODUCCIÓN SOCIAL DE VIVIENDA, SIERRA NORORIENTAL DE PUEBLA  Courtesy of CEMEX TORRE REFORMA  Courtesy of CEMEX CIUDAD DE LOS ARCHIVOS, EDIFICIO DEL ARCHIVO HISTÓRICO DEL ESTADO DE OAXACA  Courtesy of CEMEX CENTRO CULTURAL COMUNITARIO TEOTITLÁN DEL VALLE  Courtesy of CEMEX CASA DEL ABUELO  Courtesy of CEMEX  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 11 Aug 2017 03:30 AM PDT  Wexner Center for the Arts. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/75905404@N00/3484952969'>Flickr user OZinOH</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/'>CC BY-NC 2.0</a> Whether built, written or drawn, the work of renowned architect, theorist and educator Peter Eisenman (born 11th August 1932) is characterized by Deconstructivism, with an interest in signs, symbols and the processes of making meaning always at the foreground. As such, Eisenman has been one of architecture's foremost theorists of recent decades; however he has also at times been a controversial figure in the architectural world, professing a disinterest in many of the more pragmatic concerns that other architects engage in.  © Chris Wiley After receiving degrees in architecture from Cornell and Columbia universities and then a PhD from Cambridge university, Eisenman rose to fame in the late '60s, as part of the New York Five, a group that shared an interest in the purity of architectural form and besides Eisenman included Michael Graves, Richard Meier, John Hejduk and Charles Gwathmey.  House II. Image <a href='https://www.an-onymous.com/peter-eisenman/'>via an-onymous.com</a> Eisenman has maintained his position at the fore of architectural theory thanks to what Stefano Corbo, in his book "From Formalism to Weak Form," calls "propagandistic activity": for example, from 1967 to 1982, Eisenman founded and directed the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies (IAUS), which brought together many key figures, Kenneth Frampton, Rem Koolhaas and Anthony Vidler among them. Currently, Eisenman teaches at Yale and is professor emeritus at the Cooper Union school of architecture.  House VI. Image © NJIT In the 1980s, Eisenman tried to connect architecture to the ideas of deconstructivist philosophy through an ambitious collaboration with the philosopher Jacques Derrida on his competition entry to design the Parc de la Villette. The collaboration did not go to plan: not only did the design lose to fellow deconstructivist Bernard Tschumi, but during their correspondence Derrida began to question the rigor of Eisenman's architectural deconstructivism. Nevertheless, ten years later, Eisenman chose to publish his entire correspondence with Derrida in the book "Chora L Works: Jacques Derrida and Peter Eisenman."  Axonometric drawing of the Wexner Center. Image <a href='https://www.an-onymous.com/peter-eisenman/'>via an-onymous.com</a> Given his significant influence in the profession, Eisenman has built surprisingly little; however the buildings he has completed are often incredibly dense in their ideological underpinning, frozen manifestos for his theory. Among his most critical works are House VI, the Wexner Center for the Arts, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and the City of Culture of Galicia.  The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/dalbera/9617851018/'>Flickr user dalbera</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> See all of Peter Eisenman's built work featured on ArchDaily via the thumbnails below, and further coverage of the architect and his theories below those: From Formalism to Weak Form: The Architecture and Philosophy of Peter Eisenman Eisenman's Evolution: Architecture, Syntax, and New Subjectivity Interview with Peter Eisenman: "I Am Not Convinced That I Have a Style" AIA Honors Peter Eisenman with 2015 Topaz Medallion AD Classics: 1988 Deconstructivist Exhibition at New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Peter Eisenman: American Architecture Today Venice Biennale 2012: The Piranesi Variations / Peter Eisenman  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Alberto Kalach: “Imagine if All Rooftops in Our City Were Green!” Posted: 11 Aug 2017 02:30 AM PDT  Reforma 27. Image © Yoshihiro Koitani Last month I went on an enlightening trip to Mexico City, during which I had a chance to meet with half a dozen leading Mexican architects and critics. Those meetings included insightful conversations with Miquel Adrià, Tatiana Bilbao, Victor Legorreta, Mauricio Rocha, and Michel Rojkind among others (many of which will also feature in future installments of City of Ideas). I asked them many different questions, but two were consistent: "who would you name as Mexico's best architect at this moment?" and "what one building built in the capital over the last decade is your favorite?" All of my interviewees pointed to Alberto Kalach (born 1960) and his Vasconcelos Library (2007). My Conversation with Kalach took place the next day after visiting the library on the rooftop of another one of his iconic buildings, Tower 41 overlooking Bosque de Chapultepec, Mexico City's Central Park. We spoke about books, libraries, and his idea of buildings as inventions.  Vasconcelos Library. Image © Yoshihiro Koitani Vladimir Belogolovsky: You once said that "verbal constructions about architecture are boring" and that "architecture should be read in the drawings." You don't think architecture should be talked about or explained, if not to others, at least to yourself? Alberto Kalach: Did I really say that? Of course, I like talking about architecture. I love how Victor Hugo talks about Gothic architecture in his Notre-Dame de Paris or the wonderful stories of Scheherazade in One Thousand and One Nights. But I don't like how architects talk about architecture. I don't find it very exciting. Yet I love architecture in the literature of Jorge Luis Borges, Umberto Eco, and so many others.  Tower 41. Image © Yoshihiro Koitani VB: This building here, Tower 41, where your studio is located, is very unusual, as it is the tallest in the neighborhood. But once you get in, you don't feel like you're inside of a building at all; it is a garden on the ground floor, another one on the roof, and there are seven spacious double-height open-plan floors in between, each facing the city and park. I understand that you own this land and proposed to a developer to build a commercial tower here. AK: Yes. We occupy one floor and several other companies such as an architect, editor, and insurance company have one floor each. The footprint of the building is very small. It made total sense to have a garden in place of a usual enclosed lobby because by the time the space was allocated to the elevator, stairs, circulation, and underground garage entrance there was not much left for rent. It would be very greedy to try to find a few square meters to rent. So on the bottom we only have a garden and a small reception area. The roof garden is open for everyone to use as an amenity. Imagine if all rooftops in our city were green!  Vasconcelos Library. Image © Yoshihiro Koitani VB: Your Vasconcelos Library is a fantastic microcosm. The building, which is hardly a decade old, has this power of obscuring time; it sends you into both past and future – only in the future can spaces be so generous and full of light – and the past because the building's structural elements are reminiscent of such venerable engineering marvels as Brooklyn Bridge and the Eiffel Tower. AK: You could say that. You are referring to the tensile structures of the building's roof. VB: This building is a result of a competition and you said that as a contestant you have to make a statement to grab the jury's attention. You mentioned that the idea was to make a gallery space where one could see all the books, all the knowledge at once. Could you talk about the main concept? What models did you have in mind? AK: Architecture is made up of different building types such as towers, museums, or houses. A library is a type. There have been many iconic library buildings built throughout history. Ever since I was a student, a library was a dream project to me, and if you analyze libraries built or imagined in the past, you will see the two basic types. One type is a labyrinth such as the very complex labyrinth of hexagonal rooms described in Jorge Luis Borges's The Library of Babel. It is a library in which you get completely lost. And the second type is the 18th-century Enlightenment model proposed by Boullée as a single vast space with endless stacks of books that would contain all the knowledge. To be honest, the Borges type of library is more attractive to me but we wanted to win the competition, and for that reason, a public building has to be transparent and full of light.  Vasconcelos Library. Image © Yoshihiro Koitani VB: In other words, you wanted to use both models. AK: Of course. Therefore, the building we proposed was to have a single space. We used the image of Boullée's vaulted nave space to create a single space in the building and we used the bookshelves themselves to create various atmospheres along the visitors' paths in that single vast space. VB: Let's talk about your inspirations and where they come from – art, architecture; where else? AK: Well, in the beginning there are no inspirations. Initially, there is a response to a specific problem. How do you put together a particular program with the required amount of spaces? How do you marry the spaces and program with the site? How do you fit into the given budget?  Reforma 27. Image © Yoshihiro Koitani VB: And you expect me to believe all that? What about an idea coming from an architect before any of those pragmatics come into play? Let's go back to this building here. It didn't start with the program or the budget, or any of that. It came from you – you had a vision of a tower and only after that, you started searching for a potential client or developer. AK: But this building started with a program as well. VB: You just said the program could be anything. Every floor is an open space. AK: You know, architecture is related to the pragmatic world. VB: But it is not the pragmatics that lead to architecture and you are the best architect in the country! Everyone told me that. You know, I've been interviewing architects for the last 15 years and we never used to talk about pragmatics. Since the 2008 economic crisis and critics' newly assumed agenda of criticizing anything that may be remotely interpreted as individualistic and artistic, I need to spend one hour talking about pragmatics before you tell me how you really think. AK: But it is true, architecture always came out of particular human necessities... Well, if you conceive a column simulating a palm tree, that's a different story. Sure, architecture can be inspired by a painting, a story, a film, and so on.  Tower 41. Image © Yoshihiro Koitani VB: So what were the inspirations behind this building here, the Tower 41? AK: Out of real necessities! I used to have my old studio here on this land, which I own and I had no work at the time. I thought – if I rent this space out, all I could get would be $2,000 USD per month. That's not enough for me to live. So I researched what would be the maximum height that I could build here, which is eight stories, and I decided to propose a project that could attract other businesses. Obviously, I wanted a good project to work on, but at that point, there were no inspirations other than introducing the gardens on the top and bottom, opening views on the park in front of us, which is directly to the north, and opening to the south – to have sun in winters. Closing the east and west walls to make them part of the structure, using diagonals for seismic requirements, and here you have a tower, which is the expression of its place and structure.  Tower 41. Image © Yoshihiro Koitani VB: You said that there is not a single way of doing architecture; there are many. Which way is yours? What is the intention of your work? AK: Well, I don't like to work much, so I try to solve a problem in a very direct and easy way. [Laughs.] VB: Let's rewind a bit. Do you honestly think that your library is a direct way of addressing a problem? To me, your space is incredibly complex. AK: As a result, yes. But conceptually and structurally it is not complex at all. If you take a section through the building practically at any point, they are almost identical. There is a lot of repetition there with certain elements being added or subtracted. It is an apparent complexity. But it is not nearly as complex as works by Carlo Scarpa or Frank Gehry. Anyway, I am fond of different approaches in architecture. There should be as many different architectures as architects, I suppose. Just as every person has a different face, every architect should have a different way of doing architecture. That's very enjoyable to have many different expressions.  Plan of the Vasconcelos Library. Image Courtesy of Alberto Kalach VB: I think that's the intention of every architect – to find his or her own expression or voice. So what is your intention? AK: Distinction is not my intention at all. I don't think architects should be concerned about having different styles, as people are not concerned about having different faces. You have the face you have and you do things the way you do. Architecture should be about expressing structure. When you visit ruins, it is the structure that's left; the rest is gone. I find that very appealing about architecture. And thanks to our climate we don't have to worry about insulation, and I don't worry about decoration either. I like to leave buildings undecorated. I always like to show how my buildings are built. Nothing is hidden. You can learn a lot about buildings that way.  Galería Kurimanzutto. Image © Pedro Rosenbleuth VB: Are there any particular concerns that you would like to share? AK: I am concerned about housing projects. Carlos Zedillo (Head of the Research Center for Sustainable Development of the Mexican National Workers' Housing Fund Institute—INFONAVIT) said something quite fantastic. He said that 80 percent of construction is housing; if we address the look of just this one type of buildings, we will change the look of our cities. The question is – how do we make social housing attractive?  Reforma 27. Image Courtesy of Alberto Kalach VB: Luis Barragán said, "You should design houses as gardens and gardens as houses." And I read that after you built your own house you realized that you wanted to be a gardener. Could you talk about that? AK: It was an exaggeration... I remember spending months building a house and then once the plants came everything changed. It was extraordinary. Architects should give the same importance to buildings and what's around them. A garden should be thought of as an extension of a house. Gardens enhance architecture; they keep growing and extend the life of buildings. I like that.  Garden at the Vasconcelos Library. Image Courtesy of Alberto Kalach VB: I heard you visit Barragán's last house, Casa Gilardi, often. How important is that house to you? AK: It is true. That house is important and Barragán is very important to me. He was very conscious about things that were forgotten in architecture. And it was understandable that they were forgotten because the mainstream of architectural thinking in Europe was about how to rebuild Europe after World War Two. The concerns were about building social housing. Le Corbusier said, "A house is a machine for living in." And here there was this guy, a provincial aristocrat from Guadalajara, who was interested in the work of garden designer Ferdinand Bac. He was writing beautiful stories; he was friends with artists. He was in another world. But he reminded us about the mysterious qualities of architecture and that architecture can be about such feelings as silence, serenity, intimacy.  Reforma 27. Image © Yoshihiro Koitani VB: Do you remember how you discovered his work? AK: I first saw his work published in the catalog of his show at MoMA curated by Emilio Ambasz in the mid-1970s. I have bought that thin book at least ten times; every time someone "borrows" it from me, I have to get a new one. [Laughs.] VB: MoMA staged The Architecture of Luis Barragan in 1976. When I asked Ambasz how he discovered Barragan, since his catalog was the very first book on Barragan's work, he said that there were publications on his work in local magazines. So it is curious that you discovered his work through a book published on the occasion of his exhibition in New York. Was he really unknown here before then? AK: He was not that unknown, but he was not taken seriously. The mainstream architects here in Mexico used to say that he was into scenography, not architecture. The show made him known. Ambasz discovered him. The opinion of his work changed immediately.  Tower 41. Image © Yoshihiro Koitani VB: In one of your interviews you said something very interesting: "I believe that once buildings pass a certain volume and scale, they tend to be more autonomous, less integrated with their landscape. The building lifts off the ground and becomes an absolute invention. The greatest ideas in architecture are the ones that break from their context." Could you talk about this idea of architecture as an invention? AK: I did say that. I suppose an invention is a state of mind. There are just buildings and there are inventions. Falling Water is an invention. The Guggenheim is an invention. Ronchamp is an invention. Crown Hall by Mies is an invention. VB: Your library is an invention. AK: My library is an invention. Yes, sometimes you can invent things. [Laughs.]  Vasconcelos Library. Image © Yoshihiro Koitani VLADIMIR BELOGOLOVSKY is the founder of the New York-based non-profit Curatorial Project. Trained as an architect at Cooper Union in New York, he has written five books, including Conversations with Architects in the Age of Celebrity (DOM, 2015), Harry Seidler: LIFEWORK (Rizzoli, 2014), and Soviet Modernism: 1955-1985 (TATLIN, 2010). Among his numerous exhibitions: Anthony Ames: Object-Type Landscapes at Casa Curutchet, La Plata, Argentina (2015); Colombia: Transformed (American Tour, 2013-15); Harry Seidler: Painting Toward Architecture (world tour since 2012); and Chess Game for Russian Pavilion at the 11th Venice Architecture Biennale (2008). Belogolovsky is the American correspondent for Berlin-based architectural journal SPEECH and he has lectured at universities and museums in more than 20 countries. Belogolovsky's column, City of Ideas, introduces ArchDaily's readers to his latest and ongoing conversations with the most innovative architects from around the world. These intimate discussions are a part of the curator's upcoming exhibition with the same title which premiered at the University of Sydney in June 2016. The City of Ideas exhibition will travel to venues around the world to explore ever-evolving content and design.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 11 Aug 2017 02:00 AM PDT  © Simon Parent
 © Simon Parent From the architect. The project aimed to question the relationship that Quebeckers have with their built heritage. We were trying to create a distinctive element, in contrast to the highly touristic environment it's questioning. The pink monolithic passage generates the illusion of a crossing; It offers visitors a colorful and immersive experience that plunges them into another universe that passes through a historical piece of architecture.  Implantation Plan The perforation lets hundreds of light beams penetrate as they follow the sun's cycles. At the end of the passage, an inclined mirror returns the back of the frames that are painted in another color in order to give the illusion of a continuity. We seem to be able to cross this impassable fortification as the angle of the mirror hides our reflexion and shows a different path.  © Simon Parent The royal battery was originally a front in the St. Lawrence River. Built at the end of the 17th century, the fortification was designed to protect the territory and its resources against invasion.  © Simon Parent  Plan  © Simon Parent However, over the years, the structure has disappeared from the Québec City waterfront. Then obsolete and completely abandoned, it deteriorated and was buried under successive layers of bitumen. It was only in 1977 that the drum was completely unearthed and rebuilt. Today, the water again cyclically touches the foot of the fortification; It is then that the residue of history regains sporadically its meaning.  © Simon Parent Why have we rebuilt what we ourselves have forsaken? Ironically, the impassable moat is no longer. What then becomes of his role in the contemporary city? Impostor seeks to question the authenticity of the area by creating a false passage in a false royal battery; Two fake pieces that meet each other.  © Simon Parent False moat, false drawbridge. Who is the true impostor? What remains of authenticity in this sector? The battery? The passage? Our image ...?  © Simon Parent  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Yona Friedman's "People's Architecture" Inhabits Space Using Hula Hoops Posted: 11 Aug 2017 01:00 AM PDT  Courtesy of Yona Friedman Architect and theorist Yona Friedman has brought his playful "People's Architecture" installations to Rome's MAXXI Museum, Paris's Les Halles and Denmark where they were recently assembled in a workshop at the Danish Association for Architects. Built using plastic hula hoops, each installation is assembled spontaneously, creating new variations of space with each turn. Says Friedman: "Architecture for people proposes a variant of the original "Ville Spatial." It is based on a structure easy to modify, a structure not necessarily raised over ground level, keeping that option open if wanted." Friedman, now 94, is a lifelong advocate for playful, mobile architecture that grows through an elevated urban space and celebrates people living in homes that they design themselves – as "non-specialists" of architecture. His "Ville Spatial" visualizations are credited as one of the architect's most important contributions (during an interview with Vladimir Belogolovsky) along with his 1958 manifesto for Mobile Architecture, which inspired avant-garde groups like the Japanese Metabolists and Archigram. On Ville Spatial Friedman describes the relationship with People's Architecture:  Courtesy of Yona Friedman
 Courtesy of Yona Friedman Courtesy of Yona Friedman Friedman's theories continue to stay relevant today, with migration, nomadic populations and housing crises universal issues for the global population:
The "Mobile Architecture, People's Architecture" exhibition is currently running in Rome's MAXXI Museum until October 21. News via: Yona Friedman.
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| Spotlight: Joshua Prince-Ramus Posted: 10 Aug 2017 11:00 PM PDT  Vakko Headquarters and Power Media Center. Image © Iwan Baan Joshua Prince-Ramus (born 11th August, 1969) has made a significant mark as one of the most promising young architects working today. Named one of the five greatest architects under 50 in 2011 by The Huffington Post, Prince-Ramus made a name for himself as one of Rem Koolhaas' many protégés before forming his practice, REX, in 2006.  © Art Streiber Receiving a bachelor of arts in philosophy from Yale, Prince-Ramus graduated from Harvard's Graduate School of Design in 1996. He gained prominence at a young age as a founding principal of OMA's New York office—perhaps most notably working as partner-in-charge of the firm's acclaimed Seattle Central Library project after Prince-Ramus, a Seattle native, flew across the Atlantic on a day's notice to register the firm's interest in competing for the commission. Prince-Ramus eventually bought out Rem Koolhaas' share of the company in 2006 to form REX, taking the 35 staff of OMA's New York office with him.  Seattle Central Library. Image © Ramon Prat In addition to the Seattle Central Library, during his tenure as director of OMA New York he oversaw the design of Las Vegas's Guggenheim-Heritage Museum and the beginnings of the Dee and Charles Wyly Theater in Dallas, completed in 2009 under REX. Other notable projects include the Vakko Headquarters and Power Media Center, which won a number of awards including one of ArchDaily's own 2010 Building of the Year Awards.  Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre. Image © Iwan Baan In recent years, proposed projects by REX have taken on a particularly distinguishing characteristic, with building elements which dramatically adapt to their surroundings. In both the firm's "Equator Tower" proposal in Malaysia and a pair of towers in the middle east, as well as in the firm's proposal for a shading device for the Nasher Sculpture Museum, moving parts react to the sunlight to provide adaptable shelter. See all of Joshua Prince-Ramus' work (as REX) featured on ArchDaily via the thumbnails below, with further coverage below those: Joshua Prince-Ramus Wins $100,000 Marcus Prize REX Reveals Design of Perelman Performing Arts Center at WTC in New York  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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