Arch Daily |
- Guilherme Torres Office / Studio Guilherme Torres
- Puhui Office Design / hyperSity architects
- Khyaung School / Building Trust international + Weston Williamson+Partners
- Chiang House / 2BOOKS design
- House in Ikoma / FujiwaraMuro Architects
- The Culinary Village / LUKSTUDIO
- Lake View House / grupoarquitectura
- New York's $4 Billion Tappan Zee Bridge Project Set to Open to the Public
- Life After Madrid / Arhitektura AB objekt d.o.o.
- Peter Pichler Architecture Wins Competition for Looping Towers in The Netherlands
- Theatro / MiMool Arquitectura & Design de Interiores
- MVRDV + ADEPT's Dynamic Ku.Be House of Culture in Movement, Photographed by Ossip van Duivenbode
- Educational Ensemble Terenten / feld72
- How (and Why) to Let Weather Into Your Buildings
- Wong Dai Sin Temple / Shim-Sutcliffe Architects
- Reflections, a Tribute to Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion
- 25-Story, Trellised, Mixed Use Development to Improve Pedestrian Access in Downtown Monterrey
- Backyard Painting Studio / Open Kaart
| Guilherme Torres Office / Studio Guilherme Torres Posted: 24 Aug 2017 08:00 PM PDT  © Denilson Machado – MCA Estúdio
 © Denilson Machado – MCA Estúdio From the architect. Studio Guilherme Torres is a company of talents, composed by his founder and by his enfant terribles – the architects Rafael Miliari and Enrico Beer Boimond, and managed by the luxury industry specialist, Debora Atsuko. It was founded in 2001 in the city of Londrina. Ten years later, it moved to São Paulo and, nowadays, is currently crossing an important renewal phase.  © Denilson Machado – MCA Estúdio CONCEPT  © Denilson Machado – MCA Estúdio STRUCTURE  © Denilson Machado – MCA Estúdio The building has two floors. The ground floor is composed by a gallery, designed to receive art expositions, and a meeting room, fulfilled by natural light during all day. The two spaces are divided by wooden pivoting doors. The second floor is where the team creates and works in the projects. The materials used – such as wooden floors, the marble and cork coated walls and the dark finishing for the furniture – brings contrast and elegance to the spaces.  © Denilson Machado – MCA Estúdio  Floors Plans  © Denilson Machado – MCA Estúdio LOCATION  © Denilson Machado – MCA Estúdio As widely known, the city is the biggest metropolis of South America and concentrates the most important financial and corporate center of the country. It's known by its concrete landscape, full of skyscrapers and buildings of mixed types and periods.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Puhui Office Design / hyperSity architects Posted: 24 Aug 2017 07:00 PM PDT  Courtesy of hyperSity architects
 Courtesy of hyperSity architects From the architect. Inclusive Finance Office is located in the galaxy SOHO, Beijing designed by Zaha Hadid. The total area of 2600 square meters. The overall inner space of the office echoes the design language of Zaha's building, which provide a relatively coherent working atmosphere for the users.  Axonometric Drawing A series of corridors connect various types of indoor space, including reception room, lounge area, tea room and all the size of the office space.The formation of a continuous traffic loop breaks down the traditional isolated working units.  Courtesy of hyperSity architects In addition, the designer creates a public area near the entrance, as the multi functional space for gatherings, meetings and recreations. The architect not only envisions diversified compelling functional zones, but also to maintain different departments with cohesive shared values and synergies. Dynamic working, dinning and leisure space, achieve balancing coordinated status between different functional areas.  Courtesy of hyperSity architects Design concept is not only to bring the basic layout and all the diverse functions into one connected space, but also consider the juxtaposition forms for the wide range of envisioned activities.The steel structural furniture, ceilings and floor pattern are created as part of the floating curvy geometry on site, through the dynamic interaction between daily activities and movement in the space.  Courtesy of hyperSity architects The corridors as traffic path linking each area bring vivid views and enable a blurred use with inside and outside activities, which achieve a smooth transition between three dimensional space and horizon plain.Here, the office space is no longer rigid, but flexible and adaptable.  Courtesy of hyperSity architects  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Khyaung School / Building Trust international + Weston Williamson+Partners Posted: 24 Aug 2017 05:00 PM PDT  © Lucas Veuve
From the architect. Reinventing rural school design through re-imagining of the humble brick A new school in rural Cambodia, designed and built pro-bono by Weston Williamson + Partners alongside Building Trust international officially opened on International Children's Day. BTi worked with WW+P, Engenuiti and Integration to design a building which was flexible and adaptable meeting current and future needs. The school design comprises of three additional classrooms, a library and a covered external classroom with a play area, which doubles as a small amphitheatre.  © Lucas Veuve Until now the school in Khyaung village, 40km north east of Phnom Penh has catered for 359 pupils aged 3-17 in two old buildings. The lack of accommodation has meant that children travelling from six surrounding villages to this, the area's only school catering for children up to secondary age, had to attend in shifts, part-time.  Sketch The new schools innovative, cost-effective and low maintenance design maximises the use of external and internal spaces, incorporating traditional verandas to enable teaching and play in small groups. The classrooms open onto the central school yard area, whilst cross ventilation is maximised by the use of high level openings and using the bricks cavities to increase airflow. The cross section and orientation of the school building responds to the local environmental conditions of the site, with the distinctive 'top hat' zinc roof form incorporating overhanging verandas which provide solar shading to the classroom walls to prevent overheating.  © Lucas Veuve These external covered spaces also provide a shaded area for smaller informal classes. The library opens onto the adjoining external covered space, which is central to the plan and offers a shaded and flexible space, providing a stimulating environment for learning and play. It also provides a community meeting space outside of school hours.  © Lucas Veuve Locally available materials have been used throughout, and the setting-out of the building has a direct relationship to the distinctive brick module of the region. The detailing and arrangement of the brick walls has been carefully considered to maximise cross ventilation while also providing variety and interest. The rhythm of the brick detailing to the library differs to that of the classrooms so as to allow great light levels internally and increase passive ventilation.  Section Says WW+P, Senior Partner Philip Breese: "The school was designed in close collaboration with the local community and Building Trust International. It's only the start of what we hope will be an on-going exchange of skills and ideas with our friends in Khyaung Village." A central aim of the project was to foster an on-going relationship with the local community in Khyaung, allowing ideas to be shared and knowledge to be exchanged. To achieve this, the design was developed in close collaboration with the school allowing for skills sharing and brainstorming ideas with local contractors and the community.  © Lucas Veuve  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 24 Aug 2017 03:00 PM PDT  © moooten studio
 © moooten studio From the architect. This project is intended for a single-storey apartment in the new building. In the construction planning, the builder had limited most of the interior pattern, making it impossible to change too much. For this, we set a goal. We hoped to grant this common project a subject, to show the unique lifestyle of the client.  © moooten studio Early in this project, we worked on the interior colour configuration, and hoped to figure out a colour scheme to coordinate the things of everyday use, such as the sofa, dining set, and some daily necessities.  Floor Plan Later, we sorted out two main colour systems: grey and white. We used a hierarchy of grey in different textures and shades to harmonize the space, and used white to highlight the greys.  © moooten studio Clean lines are another emphasis of this design, used to direct the vision. Regarding the configuration of the public space, we opened up one of the bedrooms for reserved use as a greenhouse. We also extended the flooring materials and used glass doors with clean lines to blur the boundaries, making the public space more open and more flexible.  © moooten studio In the island area, we matched up different flooring materials. The flooring with bright materials formed a contrast with the rustic cement flooring. The combination of different materials made it possible to separate the spaces, but with an open vision. The island cabinet was made of stainless steel, another display of grey. The two woodgrain cement walls on the sides made the island cabinet a stable space.  © moooten studio  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| House in Ikoma / FujiwaraMuro Architects Posted: 24 Aug 2017 01:00 PM PDT  © Toshiyuki Yano
 © Toshiyuki Yano From the architect. This residence is located slightly apart from the main residential area in Ikoma, Nara prefecture. The residents purchased the property because they liked the feeling of nature close at hand. The lot is longer from east to west than from north to south, with woods on the east side; Mt. Ikoma is visible to the west. In this district, regulations stipulate the colors of exterior walls and roofs on newly built houses, and require that they have sloped gable roofs. The architects therefore sought a design that made optimal use of the required triangular roof.  Floor Plan The residents have a largely indoor lifestyle, and wanted windows from which to view the woods and Mt. Ikoma, as well as walls on which to display the Japanese-style paintings that they enjoy creating as a hobby.  © Toshiyuki Yano The architects responded by proposing that the living-dining-kitchen area and other areas shared by the whole family serve as a "gallery" running all the way from east to west. Because the gallery meanders back and forth in a zigzag shape, the atmosphere varies from one section to the next, with direct and reflected light from the east and west ends blending in an interesting way.  Courtesy of FujiwaraMuro Architects The entryway and kitchen are located in the central space, with the living-dining room, sunroom, and studio on the east side. The living room and sunroom are designed so that neighbors cannot see in, but the residents inside are able to look out on a view of the woods. On the west side of the entryway is a second living room with a view of Mt. Ikoma.  © Toshiyuki Yano  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Culinary Village / LUKSTUDIO Posted: 24 Aug 2017 12:00 PM PDT  © Peter Dixie for LOTAN Architectural Photography , PROJECT|ION| motion picture production
 © Peter Dixie for LOTAN Architectural Photography , PROJECT|ION| motion picture production From the architect. Based on the idea that a kitchen is the heart of a home, Lukstudio creates a culinary village where kitchen appliances are displayed in four domestic settings, alongside a gallery, a cooking classroom, a VIP lounge, and a multi-functional courtyard. The design has transformed the original 1000-sqm mechanical floor into a complete brand experience for manufacturer Arda.  © Peter Dixie for LOTAN Architectural Photography , PROJECT|ION| motion picture production  Floor Plan  © Peter Dixie for LOTAN Architectural Photography , PROJECT|ION| motion picture production Situated by a reflective pooland framed by green walls, a white box marks the entrance of the journey. Following stepping stones in the shallow water, visitors enter a dark tunnel. On the left, an introductory video is accompanied by a water feature of dishwasher jets; on the right, a peek into the courtyardsahead of their discovery. The main displayarea is organized as a series of white huts, each presenting an ideal kitchen: minimalistic white, total black, rustic country and modern American. Lukstudio has placed these volumes carefully, carving out strategic openings to create a visual dialogue with one's movement.  © Peter Dixie for LOTAN Architectural Photography , PROJECT|ION| motion picture production Walking along the stone pavement, a vaulted shed stands out within the quiet "village". Reminiscent of an outdoor kiln, the space displays the evolution of oven technology and creates an interesting twist in the spatial experience. Next to the red-brick structure, afully-equipped classroom with movable doors and cooking stations provide a multi-functional area for try-out sessions and company events.Passing windows with views to the exterior courtyard, one reaches the VIP lounge where exquisite dinners will be served. Lined with travertine stone slabs and walnut wood panels, this elegant room promises memorable gatherings.To top it all, guests are welcomed into the adjacent conservatory and outdoor courtyard where herbs are planted and picked to garnish their dishes. Reinventing the experience of a conventional kitchen showroom, Lukstudio has created an artificial village of different homes, set in a cozy courtyard that brings water, daylight and plants into close proximity. While the project presents many possible consumer experiences, it also reflects on the essence of an ideal living environment.  © Peter Dixie for LOTAN Architectural Photography , PROJECT|ION| motion picture production  © Peter Dixie for LOTAN Architectural Photography , PROJECT|ION| motion picture production  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Lake View House / grupoarquitectura Posted: 24 Aug 2017 10:00 AM PDT  © Agustín Garza
 © Agustín Garza From the architect. The concept of the house are two volumes intersected by a vestibule space and stairs, all spaces have views of Valle de Bravo Lake. The house is built with a bolted metal structure and the slabs are of exposed wooden beams with planks. The walls are of exposed planked concrete and without coating.  © Agustín Garza The volumes are wide open to the gardens and terraces facing to East-West to capture all the sunbathing on the terraces, so we design some aluminum sunshades and we have outdoor seating areas with shade.  © Agustín Garza All the floors in the upper story are from Oak, the interior spaces of the public areas are concrete and the terraces with the pool are marble, Travertino Silver Gray.  © Agustín Garza All the furniture is imported proposed by Piso 18 Contract and includes brands like Flexform, B & B, Manutti, others and the kitchen is Modulnova.  © Agustín Garza In terms of sustainability the house has an optimal orientation for all spaces, so in terms of temperature is very comfortable, all the crystals are Low-E. We have a wastewater recycling system for irrigation and a system of several filters of the state of the art for water purification. For water heating and for electricity generation, we have 2 systems of solar panels that fulfill both functions, which makes the house wholly sustainable.  Ground Floor  Sections  Top Floor In the house all the electrical systems are automated, including lighting, audio, video, security, heating, blinds, etc ... .. which also contributes to the save natural resources.  © Agustín Garza The process of the work as being all exposed required a lot of discipline to the contractors for previously stated location of all the elements like lamps, electrical outlets, speakers, etc .... And the precision of the anchors with the metallic structures, the concrete as being exposed had a very carefully workmanship of carpentry since at the end of casting and removal of falsework the structure was finished.  © Agustín Garza  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New York's $4 Billion Tappan Zee Bridge Project Set to Open to the Public Posted: 24 Aug 2017 09:40 AM PDT  The bridge today (Aug 24). Image Courtesy of New York Governor's Office The long-awaited replacement for New York City's longest bridge, the Tappan Zee, is set to open to the public on Friday, announced Governor Andrew Cuomo. After four years of construction, the first of the $4 billion dollar project's twin two-span cable-stayed structures will welcome automobile as well as pedestrian and bicycle traffic for the first time.  The bridge today (Aug 24). Image Courtesy of New York Governor's Office Renamed the late Mario M. Cuomo (after Cuomo's father, himself a former NY Governor), the 3.1 mile bridge replaces its 61-year-old steel truss counterpart, built at one of the widest points of the Hudson River, connecting the New York counties of Rockland and Westchester. The bridge design features eight 419-foot angled concrete towers, from which 192 stay cables connect back to the main decks. More than 110,000 tons of steel and 330,000 cubic yards of concrete were used in the project's construction, including 6,000 precast concrete road deck panels. The bridge is estimated to accommodate approximately 140,000 per day.  Conceptual renderings of the bridge. Image Courtesy of New York State Thruway Authority  The bridge today (Aug 24). Image Courtesy of New York Governor's Office Once fully completed, the new bridge will include eight standard traffic lanes with an additional four lanes for breakdowns and emergency vehicles – a component that the current bridge lacks, leading to frequent traffic issues and delays. According to the Governor's Office, these extra lanes could also be used in the future as space for bus rapid transit or commuter rail lines. Also included in the final designs is a bicycle and walking path that will feature six individually-designed resting/viewing platforms.  Conceptual renderings of the bridge. Image Courtesy of New York State Thruway Authority  Conceptual renderings of the bridge. Image Courtesy of New York State Thruway Authority The project is one of the largest infrastructure projects to use a design-build construction process intended to speed construction time and reduce total costs. Carried out by a consortium of firms known as Tappan Zee Constructors, the project is currently on schedule to be completed on time and $1 billion under initial estimates. Construction on the eastbound bridge continues to progress, with an expected completion in 2018. News via New York Governor's Office, The New York Times.  Conceptual renderings of the bridge. Image Courtesy of New York State Thruway Authority  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Life After Madrid / Arhitektura AB objekt d.o.o. Posted: 24 Aug 2017 08:00 AM PDT  © Miran Kambič
 © Miran Kambič From the architect. The small urban apartment is located in one of the famous skyscrapers designed by the renowned Slovenian architect Edvard Ravnikar. These were built all across Ljubljana in the early 1960s, reflecting the tendency to fill the gaps in the city centre and the desire to build as many flats as possible. The construction of these skyscrapers brought a new, "metropolitan" way of life to the city centre, while simultaneously making use of the available town space. The apartments were built according to the highest living standards and are distinguished by their rationally designed centralized floor plan. This kind of layout allows more daylight to enter the living space and ensures a good communication between the individual parts of the flat.  Axonometry The authors of refurbishment, who are also the investors in this project, wanted to preserve and restore the spirit of Ravnikar's modernist design and fuse it with their recent experience of living and working in Madrid. La Movida Madrileña, the legendary Madrid countercultural movement, influenced the design of the relaxed, partly even hedonistic, placement of furniture within the strict, rationalistic design of the flat.  © Miran Kambič Our goal was to preserve the basic floor plan of this 50 m2 flat, which connects the central meeting space with other living spaces – the kitchen, the bedroom and the study At the same time, we wanted to move all the service and utilitarian elements – such as the water heater, washing machine, and wardrobe – to the narrow space dividing the flat into two halves – the public and the private. The service space relieves the living quarters of additional storage surfaces, thus creating open and light ambients.  Element Plans Design-wise, some of the Ravnikar's original furniture pieces have been restored and highlighted, for example the unique cast-iron vertical radiators, the herringbone oak parquet, and the wide terrazzo shelf in the dining room. Pure-white furniture pieces, in the form of doors and closets, have been introduced with an almost surgical accuracy to this historic and modernistic ambient. In parts, they are playfully softened with elements honouring the memory of Madrid and furniture pieces by local designers, e. g. the Rex chair by Niko Kralj and the Alone in Kyoto stool by Matej Štefanac.  © Miran Kambič  © Miran Kambič  Element Plans In the kitchen and the dining room, the furniture ambience is purposely distinct from the remaining setting of the flat. It wants to catch the visitor's attention by introducing stainless steel as the main material and in this manner remind them that they are situated in the heart of the flat. The absence of standard living room is intentional, as the life of investors revolves around cooking and socializing in the dinning area.With its bright neon sign and together with the leading material, which is most frequently found in restaurants and bars, it also introduces them to the essence of the vibrant and cosmopolitan Madrid's social life.  © Miran Kambič  Floor Plan  © Miran Kambič  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Peter Pichler Architecture Wins Competition for Looping Towers in The Netherlands Posted: 24 Aug 2017 07:40 AM PDT  Courtesy of Peter Pichler Architecture Peter Pichler Architecture has been selected as the winners of a competition to design a new residential tower complex in the town of Maarssen just outside of Utrecht, Netherlands. Called the "Looping Towers," the scheme consists of two L-shaped residential towers that connect as their ends to create a figure-eight shape that is optimized for its site. Located along a main artery connecting the cities of Amsterdam and Utrecht, the 35,000 square meter complex is envisioned as a "social engine" for the area, which is expected to grow significantly over the upcoming years. The scheme will contain approximately 260 apartments as well as a parking garage and an abundance of amenities, including a unique running track on the roof. PPA's concept is derived from massing studies calculated to optimize views and natural sunlight. The architects explain: "[We started with] massing studies of straight extrusions that are moved towards the end of the plot to guarantee the view from the offices behind towards the river and the old city center of Maarssen"  Courtesy of Peter Pichler Architecture  Courtesy of Peter Pichler Architecture "The special situation of the site (north side with view, south side sunlight) and the unsophisticated orientation of the apartments within a straight extruded tower with central core led to a slim L shaped geometry that guarantees multiple views and sunlight. While sloping back the L shaped towers with the lower tower on the west side, better views are generated for adjacent buildings with a minimum shadow impact."  Courtesy of Peter Pichler Architecture  Courtesy of Peter Pichler Architecture The facade was then overlaid with a sawtooth geometry that allowed for each unit to receive a terrace, connecting the apartments with the city. Most of the apartments in the building are designed as a duplex, giving units views in two directions and increasing the amount of occupiable area within the building.  Courtesy of Peter Pichler Architecture At the podium level, the towers connect to create two green courtyards. Shared amenities such as the gym as located on these levels, as well as access to the rooftop running track. Construction on the project is slated for completion in 2020.
 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Theatro / MiMool Arquitectura & Design de Interiores Posted: 24 Aug 2017 06:00 AM PDT  © ITS – Ivo Tavares Studio
 © ITS – Ivo Tavares Studio 'Theatro' is born from the dream of a new society of young entrepreneurs, who wished to build a multifaceted space that would be able to fulfil the dream of each one. Therefore, a versatile space emerges, where the bookstore and cultural dissemination merged to a restoration area are the fundamental uses.  © ITS – Ivo Tavares Studio The chosen building, an old theater hall from 1910, which was abandoned and had suffered several changes over the years, but kept it´s historical meaning. The concern is to bring back the lost identity and recover the original features of the building through an intervention based on the  © ITS – Ivo Tavares Studio Regarding the main façade, keeping the existing alignments, the building seeks to separate from the neighbour through a big vertical window, as a way of reinterpretation of the original volume. The original tiles were cleaned and some adjustments to the windows were made, specially in the main entrance where the original arch was rebuilt.  Section  Section Conceptually it was suggested that there should be no physical barriers between the different interior areas, instead these would be defined by furniture and differences in materials, fulfilling the premise of the proposal, intervening as little as possible at the construction level. This option is clearly assumed in the kitchen volume, which being a new volume in space was treated with corrugated sheet, simulating an industrial container, reinforcing its character as an external element to the pre-existence.  © ITS – Ivo Tavares Studio This kind of intervention allowed to solve the program, developed in two floors.  Plan At the ground level the entrance is a mixed area of cafeteria with bookstore. In the main room the dining area is marked by the bar and wine cellar, clearly new structures with "industrial" character which combined with the furniture distinguishes the areas, giving the character of dynamism requested by the client.  © ITS – Ivo Tavares Studio The "container" volume houses private service areas as well as the toilets. The lateral hallway is marked by a large bookcase that assumes the main exhibition area which allows access to the upper floor spaces, a wine bar and a multi-purpose space.  © ITS – Ivo Tavares Studio The selection of materials and construction systems was related to the need to relate existing construction systems and current construction methods.  © ITS – Ivo Tavares Studio  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| MVRDV + ADEPT's Dynamic Ku.Be House of Culture in Movement, Photographed by Ossip van Duivenbode Posted: 24 Aug 2017 05:00 AM PDT Completed in 2016, MVRDV + ADEPT's Ku.Be House of Culture in Movement has since become a beloved community amenity that encourages residents to participate in a wide range of activities including running, jumping, climbing, dancing, learning and meditating. Engagement in these activities is encouraged by the complex's dynamic, playful architecture, where brightly colored wall surfaces meet concrete sliding areas meet suspended climbing nets. This energetic spirit has been captured in a new photo series by Ossip van Duivenbode, where the center's elements are being enjoying by people of all ages. Check out the full gallery below, and click here to learn more about the project.  © Ossip van Duivenbode  © Ossip van Duivenbode  © Ossip van Duivenbode  © Ossip van Duivenbode  © Ossip van Duivenbode  © Ossip van Duivenbode  © Ossip van Duivenbode  © Ossip van Duivenbode  © Ossip van Duivenbode  © Ossip van Duivenbode  © Ossip van Duivenbode  © Ossip van Duivenbode  © Ossip van Duivenbode  © Ossip van Duivenbode  © Ossip van Duivenbode  © Ossip van Duivenbode  © Ossip van Duivenbode  © Ossip van Duivenbode  © Ossip van Duivenbode
 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Educational Ensemble Terenten / feld72 Posted: 24 Aug 2017 04:00 AM PDT  © Hertha Hurnaus
 © Hertha Hurnaus Educational ensemble  © Hertha Hurnaus The educational ensemble opens itself to the village and vice versa - it becomes part of everyday life. A prerequisite for the implementation of this progressive and modern concept was the exemplary educational autonomy of South Tyrol and the very committed teachers involved in the project. The premise was to create an engaging and activating learning environment that encourages discovery, experimentation, and research. As a sensory instrument, which changes and sharpens perceptions, the new school building does not only offer a suitable house for up-to-date teaching and learning but is itself a teaching tool. By making the space available and comprehensively allowing this space to be experienced in all its dimensions, it also contributes to structural and architectural understanding.  © Hertha Hurnaus The kindergarten  Concept The primary school  © Hertha Hurnaus The rough plaster of the outer facade interplays with the exposed concrete facade of the kindergarten. The sloping terrain in which the original building stands creates interesting special situations at varying levels.  Ground Floor Plan To the East, the free area used for break time which is adjacent to the school hall is also where the school connects to the kindergarten, thereby promoting cooperation between the two. New passages along the school provide direct access from the pedestrian zone in the North to the playground in the South. Due to the sloping topography, the basement of the primary school opens out to the playground and also contains a public library in addition to the canteen. Divided into different small-scale spaces, the library contains a media section as well as niches for reading.  © Hertha Hurnaus In the upper floors, a connected atmosphere is achieved via the high-ceilinged design of the school hall. A viewing gallery joins the rooms on the second floor with the central space of the building. The original circulation is transformed into a learning landscape, around which classrooms, additional rooms, the central cloakroom, the staff room and the toilets are grouped.  © Hertha Hurnaus Spacious glazing to the outside as well as between the school hall and classrooms ensure exciting visual connections as well as views of the surrounding mountains. Each classroom is assigned a window niche, which offers sufficient storage space and provides additional seating for the school hall. These new openings transform the previously small spaces into a large whole. In this way, different places of learning also develop outside the classroom.  Section The largest structural change was made by transforming the attic into a large, cohesive area – the Open Space; this multifaceted and multifunctional space supports the research aspect of the pedagogical concept. Movable furniture as the room divider, crafting tables, workbenches and a kitchenette ensure the versatility of the space and allows for infinite possibilities of reinvention.  © Hertha Hurnaus  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| How (and Why) to Let Weather Into Your Buildings Posted: 24 Aug 2017 02:30 AM PDT  Bringing the weather inside is usually the opposite of what you want from a building envelope. However, new research from the University of Oregon, described in an article by The Washington Post, aims to show the physical and psychological benefits of letting nature inside. Signs of nature and change are both beneficial to our well-being, yet we don't always have access to them when inside buildings—and humans are now spending 90% of our lives inside. But even in an urban setting, where nature may be hard to come by, there's no escaping the weather. When researchers found ways to bring things like wind and dappled reflections of the sun inside, they found that exposure to these natural movements lowered heart rates, while being less distracting than similar artificially generated movements. By now, green buildings are a familiar concept, but the article in The Washington Post proposes moving beyond green buildings as we know them today. While green building can be great in new construction, that excludes a lot of existing buildings that could and should also benefit from an intervention of nature. Ideally, buildings should actively demonstrate their relationship with nature, moving beyond simply "doing no harm." Adding movement to existing sustainable building techniques can help make inhabitants aware of these green features. An example from the article involves adding a shallow layer of water to a light shelf, which is then rippled by wind, creating sunlight patterns across the ceiling. The movements of light, wind, and rain have been shown to have a calming effect on building occupants. The researchers in the article even studied whether these natural movements could be replicated by software but found that the artificially-generated movements were no substitute for live nature. However, while bringing nature into the design is often fairly simple in projects such as houses, it can be more of a challenge in institutional projects such as hospitals, schools, and offices. So what smart tricks can be used by architects to add a natural touch to their designs? Below, we have listed a small selection of projects which have each used a different innovative technique to incorporate nature for the benefit of their occupants and the planet. Santa Fe de Bogotá Foundation / El Equipo de Mazzanti © Alejandro Arango In urban Bogotá, this effort at creating a "garden hospital" incorporates a solarium space where exposure to nature can be a beneficial part of patient treatment. Through planting and an innovative use of brick, the solarium is protected yet gives access to shifting light patterns, natural ventilation, and fresh air from the plants. The solarium allows patients to have contact with nature via protected cubicles or directly on the patio, and as a result the hospital has since seen a reduction in recovery time. Maggie's Oldham / dRMM © Alex de Rijke Another health center, Maggie's specializes in support for those affected by cancer. This particular Maggie's Centre focuses on the healing aspects of nature, specifically of trees and wood. The center is built around a tree, which grows up through the middle of the building and can be viewed through glass walls from anywhere within the space. KMC Corporate Office / RMA Architects © Carlos Chen This office building rethinks the concept of a "green wall" with a double-skin system that includes integral hydroponic trays and a misting system on its outer plant-wall façade. The vegetation modulates light and air within the building and different plant species are organized to create a seasonal aesthetic change on the building's exterior. Brick Passive Designed University / Taisei Corporation © Hiroyuki Oki In tropical Vietnam, this university building uses passive strategies to maintain comfort. Large canopies create a semi-outdoor terrace protected from the sun and rain and porous brick screens allow natural light. The small openings in the brick pattern scatter the sunlight coming through, creating constant change throughout the day. Students are protected, yet not isolated, from nature. EDU Headquarters / Empresa de Desarrollo Urbano EDU + Salmaan Craig © Alejandro Arango In Medellin, Colombia, the new EDU Headquarters building aims to be a "building that breathes," utilizing an innovative type of passive ventilation. Buoyancy ventilation is better able to respond to increases in the building's occupancy and is more reliable than wind-driven ventilation. Even without wind, buoyancy ventilation can sustain a pleasant breeze throughout the building. Chupei Reception Center / CYS.ASDO © K. M. Lee As nature weaves throughout this office space, specific views are framed, creating shadows that mark the passing of hours and seasons as they change. The form of the building creates openness and transparency for a blended indoor/outdoor experience. And of course, don't forget to find out about the science behind nature in buildings over at The Washington Post.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Wong Dai Sin Temple / Shim-Sutcliffe Architects Posted: 24 Aug 2017 02:00 AM PDT  Courtesy of Shim Sutcliffe Architects
 © James Dow From the architect. The Wong Dai Sin Temple is a modern sacred space that houses a dynamic Taoist community committed to their inner spiritual development through the ancient physical practice of tai chi. The Fung Loy Kok Institute of Taoism needed a new spiritual home in suburban Toronto that had to reflect not only the heart and soul of their religious beliefs but also the modern contemporary world of their congregants. This place of worship is located on a major suburban arterial road surrounded by a shopping mall and cul de sac's lined with oversized single family residential mansions.  © James Dow This new temple building demonstrates asymmetry and counterbalance while maintaining its equilibrium much like a measured tai chi pose. The building's south elevation is visible from the busy roadway to the south, reveals a major and minor cantilever supported on slender concrete piers. Stringent on-site parking requirements necessitated elevating the spiritual space above ground and providing surface parking below. This sacred space is supported on a two-way concrete slab integrated with seven rectangular poured in place structural concrete piers tied to a robust raft foundation.  © James Dow The two-way bonded post tensioned concrete slab system with its 10.2m cantilever on the west hovers over the parking area which acts as the structural support for the sacred space above. A smaller 5.2 m cantilever on the east side of the post tensioned structure accommodates an exterior terrace over the parking below and serves as a counter balance for the longer cantilever to the west. Exposed concrete is also used for the two cantilevered staircases, on the north east and south east, which along with an elevator, provides access to the second floor worship space.  © James Dow The building's exterior on the north and south facades is clad in shaped weathering steel vertical fins that are used to control views from the inside looking out. Large vertical floor to ceiling window openings in the prayer space splay outward ensuring both natural light at the perimeter and good cross ventilation. The west and east elevations facing the neighbours are clad in large abstract panels of weathering steel ensuring privacy.  Section A Inside the Wong Dai Sin Temple, large circular motorized skylights are linked to large red light monitors which defines the natural light entering the space and also provides supports for large rings of incense used for Taoist chanting and prayer ceremonies. These glowing red lanterns of varying diameters create a cosmic ceiling plan and provide ethereal natural light which co-mingles with burning incense creating a spiritual space linking sky and ground and connecting our interior self with the external world beyond.  © James Dow Within the prayer hall is the most introverted space in the Wong Dai Sin Temple which is its memorial hall. This small wooden building within the temple is a contemplative space where ancestors are honoured. Bamboo memorial plaques line this internal wooden room providing a place for private contemplation. There are opportunities for congregants to leave offerings of gratitude and to light incense in honor of their love ones.  © James Dow This space is inextricably tied to other ancient Wong Dai Sin Temples in other parts of the world through its manipulation and amplification of natural light, its instrumental use of colour and its commitment to a carefully composed and tactile material palette. The daily worship of one of the world's ancient religion of Taoism is embedded in the fabric of this modern sacred space.  © James Dow  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Reflections, a Tribute to Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion Posted: 24 Aug 2017 01:00 AM PDT There is always something new to say about Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion. Sometimes we uncover an unknown detail, other times an intervention is revealed or we discover a new lens to observe it. The latter is the case with Spanish architect and audiovisual creator Fernando Ayuso, who wanted to pay homage to this historical work. "It is a simple tribute to such an illustrious architect that seeks to demonstrate the love for architecture that many feel and that a large part of society, probably due to ignorance, doesn't share. The intention is to bring those people, those who lack an appreciation or understanding of modern architecture closer to it," explains Ayuso. Author: Fernando Ayuso.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 25-Story, Trellised, Mixed Use Development to Improve Pedestrian Access in Downtown Monterrey Posted: 23 Aug 2017 11:00 PM PDT  Courtesy of Miró Rivera Architects and Ibarra Aragón Arquitectura An important step in providing pedestrian access along downtown Monterrey's main transportation routes, Torre Citica is a 25-storey mixed-use development designed by Austin-based Miró Rivera Architects and Mexican firm Ibarra Aragón Arquitectura (IAARQ) in Monterrey, Mexico. The project is the first of its kind situated over Venustiano Carranza, a significant thoroughfare that links Monterrey with the neighboring municipality of San Pedro Garza García.
 Courtesy of Miró Rivera Architects and Ibarra Aragón Arquitectura  Courtesy of Miró Rivera Architects and Ibarra Aragón Arquitectura Sitting on a polygonal site with extended frontage, Torre Citica accommodates a variety of shops and restaurants on the ground and second floors, interacting with the outdoor public green space that is shaded by a screen of interlaced steel tubes. The corner of the site is dominated by a grand staircase, acting as an appealing public threshold between the street below and spaces above. The tubular trellis screen is a consistent element that manifests itself elsewhere in the project, by shading six levels of parking above the commercial programs and providing a framework for hanging vegetation that "recall the overgrown ruins of ancient temples scattered throughout the jungles of Central America." The lattice unifies the three primary masses of the development.  Courtesy of Miró Rivera Architects and Ibarra Aragón Arquitectura  Courtesy of Miró Rivera Architects and Ibarra Aragón Arquitectura Above the commercial base, two separate volumes accommodate 8 floors of office space, along with 9 floors of apartment units, which capture views of the northern part of the city to the southern peaks of the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range. With the long side of the building facing north and south, the east and west facades are protected with vertical trellises functioning as solar screens. In addition to the 87 residences, amenities provided include a rooftop terrace, a pool, and a gym. Having broken ground recently, the development is expected to be complete by December of next year. News via: Miró Rivera Architects.
 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Backyard Painting Studio / Open Kaart Posted: 23 Aug 2017 10:00 PM PDT  © Rufus de Vries
 © Rufus de Vries From the architect. The long cherished wish of a private painting studio became reality in the backyard. An unsightly shed grew to a light studio with attic. The side walls of the barn remained as witnesses for those who couldn't believe this would be possible.  Axonometric After renovating the house and garden, there was a simple shed waiting for a destination. At first glance, it offered little possibilities: it was small, did not have any insulation nor foundation and a leaking roof. In addition, the function as a storage space had to be retained. Even though, by replacing the roof and one of the facades for a light wooden volume, enough space was created to carry out the owner's business - giving painting workshops - at home. By building on the existing shed, a studio with attic could be realized within a limited budget. Through the sophisticated detailing, the conservative local requirements are united with the desire to add an elegant building to the cluttered sea of sheds.  © Rufus de Vries Co-creation The clients have worked intensively with the project. Many design sessions have taken place at the kitchen table. The youngest son of the client made a model of the preliminary draft. A brother in law made a new stained glass window. Neighbours have been consulted early and expressed a positive attitude about the extra quality and possibilities introduced by the plan.  © Rufus de Vries Transformation It has been chosen to leave 3 of the 4 walls of the barn. Within these limits a new wooden volume has been raised. The half-stone masonry is maintained, which expresses the relationship between old and new. The planks and slats of preserved wood give depth and rhythm to the simple volume  © Rufus de Vries All-electric The interior is finished with multiplex plates in which led lights, rails for paintings and an infrared radiation panel are embedded. The floor is equipped with electric underfloor heating and the tap water is heated with an electric boiler. With this the studio is all-electric and energy efficient.  © Rufus de Vries Future The attic is spacious enough to function as storage space and retreat at the same time. A tree in the garden offers privacy and a pleasant view through the dormer. The design took into account the option of expanding the studio later on with a bathroom. It can then serve as a tiny house for one of the sons or as a custody house for a future owner. The project shows how unexpected possibilities can be added to the backyard with modest means.  © Rufus de Vries  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| You are subscribed to email updates from ArchDaily. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
Nema komentara:
Objavi komentar