Arch Daily

Church in Diagonal Mar / ERITHACUS
Up-Cycled Warehouse / Zen Architects
Cloud-Shaped Pavilion is SANAA's Latest Work in Naoshima
This Innovative Cooling Installation Fights Soaring Temperatures in New Delhi
Lorimer Street Townhouse / Elizabeth Roberts Architecture and Design
Ecuadorian Document Captures Emerging Trend Characterized by Conscious Use of Local Resources
From Brunelleschi to Today, This Documentary Tracks the Evolution of Architecture in Tuscany
Casa de los Aguacates / Jorge Ramón Giacometti Taller de Arquitectura
10 Must See Gaudí Buildings in Barcelona

Posted: 09 Sep 2017 07:00 PM PDT

Architects: ERITHACUS
Location: Carrer de Ramon Turró, 324, Barcelona, Spain
Author Architects: Guillermo Maluenda, Tomás Ivars
Area: 2115.0 m2
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Joan Guillamat, Pere Planells

Quantity Surveyor: Josep Armenter
Collaborating Architects: Thomas Wissing, Fabio Bagnara
Engineering: Sala Consultors S.L.,Margal
Builder: URCOTEX I S.L.

From the architect. The radial floor falls naturally in the site converging towards the presbytery, as a point of isolation and in the direction north southbound opening to the chamfer, the street and symbolically to the whole neighborhood...

The rose window which presides as a great overhang in the main front is a steel corten area of 120m2 which with"the word"die cast and retro-illuminated announces the Gospel message to the city.

The facades of concrete, in order to get an indoor environment of seclusion, are articulated through planes of orientation and different heights and accommodate various bas-reliefs typical of Christian symbolism that invites meditation, like on the pilgrim and enduring character of the Church.

The nave and presbytery receive natural illumination" from above" by prismatic skylights oriented northwards, which in turn promotes energy savings.

In counterpoint to the horizontality of the building is the slender bell tower of 28m high. It combines concrete, wood, steel cortén and copper.

It can be said that this church largely has been built up as it was done in the past, with a generous and selfless support of many faithful and excited people about the idea of making this the Church in this new neighborhood of Barcelona.

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Up-Cycled Warehouse / Zen Architects

Posted: 09 Sep 2017 01:00 PM PDT

Architects: Zen Architects
Location: Richmond, Australia
Architect In Charge: Ric Zen, Penny Guild
Area: 240.0 m2
Project Year: 2013
Photographs: Emma Cross

Builder: Truewood Constructions

From the architect. The ethos behind the conversion of this 1960's warehouse was to retain and re-use as much of the existing building as possible while still transforming it into a comfortable and energy efficient family home.

The philosophy of retaining and re-using materials was applied throughout the project. In addition to the building envelope being retained, many original elements were re-used.

The existing warehouse floor slab was also kept, partially due to restricted site access, but also for its inherent embodied energy.

The addition of a north-facing courtyard provides a generous amount of light and heat in winter in an otherwise poorly oriented building. Cross ventilation is achieved through new high level louvres. Mezzanine rooms float within the original volume and structure of the warehouse. A new raised deck links the living areas with the courtyard.

By inserting a garden and light into an existing warehouse we have created an warm and liveable family home.

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Cloud-Shaped Pavilion is SANAA's Latest Work in Naoshima

Posted: 09 Sep 2017 09:00 AM PDT

The cloud-shaped bicycle terminal on the island of Naoshima is SANAA's latest work. The pavilion is known for its impressive collection of outdoor art and contemporary architecture, with works by prominent exponents such as Yayoi Kusama and Tadao Ando.

The eight-meter high cloud shaped pavilion was designed to offer visitors a place to park bicycles, as well as public toilets.

Its structure, consisting of pillars and wooden beams, serves as a support for the unique coverage of polymer reinforced with fiber, a material that allows the partial entrance of natural light inside the terminal.

Despite its scale, the creativity and originality of the project positions the terminal as a new architectural landmark in the island.

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This Innovative Cooling Installation Fights Soaring Temperatures in New Delhi

Posted: 09 Sep 2017 07:00 AM PDT

This installation is a bespoke attempt to simplify and reinterpret the concept of air-conditioning, understanding that standardized solutions may not be universally applicable given the constraints of cost and surrounding environment. Using computational technologies, the team at Ant Studio has reinterpreted traditional evaporative cooling techniques to build a prototype of cylindrical clay cones, each with a custom design and size.

Description from the architects. Indian summers are a challenging time and specially at a workplace that has close proximity to a generator system. Not only do sweltering employees lose enthusiasm and productivity, excessive heat can take a toll on the health and wellbeing of employees. Deki Electronics was facing the same issue; however, large and expensive air-conditioning systems were not an option. The brief required an economical, energy efficient and robust solution.

The team found the answer to this challenge in a traditional technique and ancient wisdom -Evaporative Cooling– reducing the temperatures using water and some local material- A wisdom that traces back to the Egyptian period.

It allows for an ultra low maintenance, sustainable and inexpensive alternative using the porus terracotta as a heat exchange medium tapping on to cooling properties of water, converting the hot air from the gen-sets into a pleasant breeze.

'As an architect, I wanted to find a solution that is ecological and artistic, and at the same time evolves traditional craft methods,' said Monish Siripurapu, founder of Ant Studio.

The Working

Earthen cones were used to create the prototype. The design and size of the conical components were customised through advanced computational analysis and modern calibration techniques. The thickness and the length of the material were modified with CFD analysis.

The use of cylindrical cones provided for a larger surface area to maximise the cooling effect. The temperature of the air flow around the installation was recorded. It was noticed that the hot air entering the installation was above 50 degrees Celsius at a velocity of 10m/sec.

Water recycled from the factory at room temperature was allowed to run on the surface of the cylinders. This process cooled the hot air passing through the earthen pots. It was observed that after achieving the cooling effect, the temperature around the set up dropped down to 36 degrees Celsius while the temperature outside remained high at 42 degrees Celsius. And the air flow was recorded as 4m/sec.

While recycled water might need regular maintenance to clean the pores on the exterior surface, regular water is recommended for long term performance.

'I believe this experiment worked quite well functionally. Findings from this attempt opened up a lot more possibilities where we can integrate this technique with forms that could redefine the way we look at cooling systems, a necessary yet ignored component of a building's functionality. Every installation could be treated as an art piece,' explained Monish.

Not only does this installation deliver the brief with utmost simplicity, Ant studio sees it both as a scalable technical & functional solution as well as an art installation. "The circular profile can be changed into an artistic interpretation while the falling waters lend a comforting ambience. This, intermingled with the sensuous petrichor from the earthen cylinders allow for it to work in any environment with the slightest of breeze. Having said that, there are many factories throughout the country that face a similar issue and this is a solution that can be easily adopted and a widespread multiplication of this concept may even assist the local potters."

Architects: Ant Studio
Location: New Delhi, India
Team: Monish Siripurapu, Abhishek Sonar, Atul Sekhar, Sudhanshu Kumar
Client: Deki Electronics, Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Photograpy: S. Anirudh

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Lorimer Street Townhouse / Elizabeth Roberts Architecture and Design

Posted: 09 Sep 2017 06:00 AM PDT

Architects: Elizabeth Roberts Architecture and Design
Location: Brooklyn, United States
Lead Architects: Elizabeth Roberts, Dennis Mendoza, Polly Horne, Jessica Gould
Area: 2500.0 ft2
Project Year: 2015
Photographs: Dustin Aksland

From the architect. The Lorimer Street Townhouse is a three-story, twenty-five foot wide, two-family house located in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Every wall, ceiling, stair, floor, and window of the house was replaced in the extensive renovation. The result is an open, loft-like home for a family of four.

A custom, steel, and solid wood tread stair divide the Parlor Level into a Living Room side at the street front and a Dining and Kitchen side at the rear of the building with garden access through 3 new, patio doors.

Existing wood joists were exposed on the Parlor Level with insulation added to the underside of the floors above. Reclaimed floors compliment the existing joists and add to the rustic feel of this urban home.

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Ecuadorian Document Captures Emerging Trend Characterized by Conscious Use of Local Resources

Posted: 09 Sep 2017 05:00 AM PDT

In recent years Ecuadorian architecture has been producing interesting concepts that are characterized by high standard design outcomes based on the conscious use of local resources. This type of practice is led by a generation that puts collective work and social values above individualities, in order to develop a "do a lot with little" style of architecture.

Thanks to the joint work of the Ecuadorian office Al Borde and the duo comprising of Katerina Kliwadenko, a Chilean journalist, and Mario Novas, a Spanish architect, we will soon be able to see this inspiring moment in Ecuadorian architecture. Here, we share the teaser of the documentary "Making a Lot with a Little'" which will undoubtedly mark a milestone in the history of contemporary architecture in Ecuador.

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From Brunelleschi to Today, This Documentary Tracks the Evolution of Architecture in Tuscany

Posted: 09 Sep 2017 02:30 AM PDT

Each year, thousands of tourists flock to the Italian region of Tuscany to view works of architectural mastery. Renowned architectural figures such as Michelangelo and Brunelleschi transformed Tuscan cities to be stages of cultural rebirth during the 14th-17th century. These times, however, have passed. Today, Tuscany is faced with problems such as the decline of suburbs, abandoned buildings, and property speculation. The modern Italian architecture scene is in decline, and the country is experiencing an oversupply of architects, requiring many to emigrate in search of work.

Can the spirits of these Renaissance architectural masterminds be emulated today in modern Tuscany? This is exactly the topic that cultural association 120g explores in their new documentary, Tuscanyness. The film depicts how this nature of cultural rebirth is alive today through the architects born and educated in the Tuscan region. Here, emerging architects have the unique opportunity to listen to the teachings of the past to inform the architecture of the future.

Tuscanyness will premiere on September 14 in Pisa, Italy at the Cinema essai Arsenale. The documentary will then tour around Europe, showing at the Sweden Architecture Film Festival on October 6 and in Lisbon, Portugal at the Lisbon Architecture Triennale on October 14.

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Casa de los Aguacates / Jorge Ramón Giacometti Taller de Arquitectura

Posted: 09 Sep 2017 02:00 AM PDT

Cortesía de Jorge Ramón Giacometti Taller de Arquitectura

Architects: Jorge Ramón Giacometti Taller de Arquitectura
Location: Ecuador
Area: 300.0 m2
Project Year: 2015

Technical Information: Daniel Hegen, Francisco Triguero, Patricio Cevallos, Dunia Rivadeneira, Jerónimo Zúñiga, Tomas Guerrero, Nere Guarrotxena

From the architect. The “Casa de los Aguacates” reform proposal is based on opening the preexistent volume to the patio and avocado’s garden. We developed a constructive system, which allowed us to solve this new orientation and illumination task and reinforce the preexisting structure simultaneously.

This new system is composed by wood frames placed between the old eucalyptus columns and over a new concrete base. Therefore, we carefully took out the brick walls between the columns first.

This new wood frames resolve front door, and ventilation as well. Besides this, we filled with bricks old openings, we reconstruct installations, reinforced structure, floors, stairs, and other works of maintenance. The intervention has approximately 300m2 and a cost of 200 $ by m2. Everything is realized by hand craft with materials obtained in the surroundings.

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10 Must See Gaudí Buildings in Barcelona

Posted: 09 Sep 2017 01:00 AM PDT

© Tom Walk [Flickr], license (CC BY-ND 2.0)

In this Barcelona guide, we have rounded-up the architecture of probably the best known and most influential architect from the beginning of the century in Spain, Antonio Gaudí. Gaudí spent most of his life in Barcelona and the city boasts the largest concentration of his works in the world. His style is unique, often imitated but never matched.

Gaudí´s ideas shaped the way of thinking about architecture for a whole generation. His influence on Catalan modernism was immense, creating a unique style that many have tried to replicate. It is difficult to find a person who doesn´t at least know Gaudí by name. Of the 10 most visited attractions in Barcelona, 4 are buildings by Gaudí. In this guide, we wanted to compile the 10 essential Gaudí buildings, all located in Barcelona, necessary to gain an appreciation of his work. The first 7 building are considered heritage of humanity.