Arch Daily

Cow Barn / F.A.B. + Forschungs + Architekturbüro AG
One Tower Bridge / Squire and Partners
Country House / zaa
SO-IL with Ana Prvački Debut Musical-Spatial Performance at 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial
Gigi-Verde Kobe / SIDES CORE
Half House / SU Architects
Anfrum Hair Salon / Hidenori Tsuboi Architects
Homework / SAVVY Studio
Foster + Partners Gains Planning Permission for Snowdon Aviary Transformation at the London Zoo
"Campus of the Digital Age": Cornell Tech Officially Debuts on Roosevelt Island in New York
Minima | Maxima / MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY
K House / Architectstm
Studio Gang, Diller Scofidio + Renfro Among Exhibitors Selected for US Pavilion at 2018 Venice Biennale
Tribo São Judas Building / Onze arquitetura
Mauricio Rocha and Gabriela Carrillo: “It is Important Not to Doubt That Architecture is Art”
Lanka Learning Center / feat.collective
The 10 Best Revit Apps and Add-Ins
Spotlight: Tadao Ando

Cow Barn / F.A.B. + Forschungs + Architekturbüro AG

Posted: 13 Sep 2017 10:00 PM PDT

Architects: F.A.B. + Forschungs + Architekturbüro AG
Location: Basel, Switzerland
Architect In Charge: Georg Schmid, Jonas Wuest
Area: 2000.0 m2
Project Year: 2005
Photographs: Christian Baur - Serge Hasenböhler

General Contractor: Zaugg AG
Landscape Architects: Stauffer + Schönholzer GmbH

From the architect. The cow barn is located in the vicinity of Basel on the foothills of the Jura. As the farm needed a new orientation the decision fell on the increase of milk production and therefore a new cow barn had to be built. On this hilly site the building should fit harmonically into the landscape. Furthermore natural materials which could be found in the surroundings should be incorporated. All the same it should be a building with its own architectural presence which reflects also the industrial character of agriculture.

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One Tower Bridge / Squire and Partners

Posted: 13 Sep 2017 08:00 PM PDT

Architects: Squire and Partners
Location: 1 Tower Bridge, London SE1 2UP, United Kingdom
Area: 68000.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: James Jones

Landscape Architect: Gross Max
Theatre Architect: Haworth Tompkins
Planning Consultant: Barton Wilmore
Structure & Services: Meinhardt
Client: Berkeley Homes and the London Borough of Southwark

From the architect. Squire and Partners' masterplan for One Tower Bridge on London's South Bank is fully realised this month with the opening of The Ivy restaurant and the launch of the Bridge Theatre for the London Theatre Company.

The plan was conceived as a lasting new piece of the city which articulates the transition between More London's contemporary architecture and the warehouse vernacular of Shad Thames, and respects its prominent riverside location on Potters Fields Park adjacent to the Grade I listed Tower Bridge.

Designs identified hotel and residential accommodation supported by significant cultural, leisure, restaurant and retail uses, as well as new landscaped public spaces at the centre of the development and pedestrian connections which visually and physically link Tower Bridge with Tooley Street.

Defining the edge of Potters Fields Park is Cambridge House, a low horizontal building clad in strips of Catalan Gris limestone, with a double height ground floor accessing the 6,870m2 cultural space for the London Theatre Company.

Sharing the same palette and set within a central landscaped courtyard is The Tower, a 20 storey slender 'campanile' offering one apartment per floor, topped by a glazed garden terrace. The Catalan Gris stone is offset with finely detailed bronze anodised windows and chamfered recesses.

Three apartment blocks with projecting stone balconies are positioned between landscaped gardens at the centre of the development. Two further buildings step down in scale towards Tower Bridge Road, constructed from London stock brick to relate to the adjacent Shad Thames. Interest is added with handset basketweave brickwork and a series of projecting timber balconies.

A new pedestrian route, Duchess Walk, has been created to maximise views through the site from Tooley Street to th esouth tower of Tower Bridge. This street is animated by shops, cafes as well as a spa and gymnasium.

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Country House / zaa

Posted: 13 Sep 2017 07:00 PM PDT

Architects: zaa
Location: Treviso, Italy
Other Participants: Mogs srl
Area: 450.0 m2
Project Year: 2013
Photographs: Paolo Belvedere

From the architect. A country house gets new life by the renovation of the interiors and the expansion of the living space designed with the juxtaposition of a glass and cor-ten steel volume.

The extension talks with the natural landscape through the wide windows. From the outside, the glass volume reflects the surrounding nature becoming part of it, from the inside the windows become invisible giving the impression of being outdoor: the living room becomes one whole space with the countryside.

The wide windows have been designed in an unvarnished but highly oxidized metallic material, according to with the rustic quality of the site. Particular attention has been paid to the maximization of energy savings and acoustic comfort, using hardware with high thermal-break section bars and high-performing glasses, cooperating to the benefit of the wide glass curtain passive safety.

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SO-IL with Ana Prvački Debut Musical-Spatial Performance at 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial

Posted: 13 Sep 2017 04:00 PM PDT

L'air pour l'air / SO-IL and Ana Prvacki. Image © Laurian Ghinitoiu

Today SO-IL, in collaboration with Ana Prvački, debuted L'air pour air on the occasion of the press preview of the second edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial. The performance explores the art of performing behind a filter in an age where many cities suffer from the environmental impact of human habitation. Described as "part installation and part musical performance," the creators have drawn inspiration from abundant plant life and the interconnectedness of people and nature.

A public presentation of L'air pour air will be held on Saturday Sep 16th, 2017 at 3:00pm to 5:00pm.

From the architects. Titled L'air pour l'air, the project aims to ensure the continued legacy of street musicians as our cities' atmospheres grow more polluted. Inspired by the abundant plant life in the Garfield Park Conservatory, SO – IL and Prvački have created an ensemble of air-filtering mesh enclosures, designed to clean the air through breathing. Part mask, part shelter, the enclosures will be worn by an ensemble of saxophone, flute, trombone, and vocals from the Chicago Sinfionetta. Through performing an original composition, De Aere (concerning the air), by composer Veronika Krausas, the musicians will "clean the air that produces the music." The installation and performance encourages its viewers to meditate upon the complex notions such as the relationship between purity and pollution, and the distinctions between self, body, objects and nature.

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Gigi-Verde Kobe / SIDES CORE

Posted: 13 Sep 2017 03:00 PM PDT

Architects: SIDES CORE
Location: Fujimoto Bldg. 1F 2-4-12 Nakayamatedori, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo, Japan
Area: 76.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Takumi Ota

Designer: Sohei Arao
Construction: THE

From the architect. Flower arranging space. Gigi Verde is an atelier that creates custom flower arrangements for party and event spaces in addition to serving as a retail flower shop. Flowers are intrinsically beautiful. Flower arranging plays different types of flowers against each other to create dynamic expressions.

One element that changes the expression of Gigi Verde's space is the arch. It becomes a central element, defining the role of others in the space. Movable fixtures allow for flexible layouts. Adding flowers, plants, and lighting to the arch creates a space reminiscent of a wisteria trellis. The project also represents a novel flower arrangement proposal for an event space.

Structural supports are painted gray to bring out the colors of fresh flowers. Fixtures are made from concrete panels, and we utilized the roughness of the existing concrete floor. A partition in the back of the store goes up to hip level, limiting visibility of the work space during busy times without concealing the movement of people, creating a vibrant and active space. It's a space that enhances the constantly changing arrangements and expressions of flowers.

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Half House / SU Architects

Posted: 13 Sep 2017 01:00 PM PDT

Architects: SU Architects
Location: Mogan Shan, Deqing, Huzhou, China
Architect In Charge: Keyuan Ma
Design Team: Shaoxun Guo, Jiachen Xie, Ming Tang
Area: 400.0 m2
Project Year: 2015
Photographs: Hao Chen, Xuguo Tang

From the architect. The site is located in Moganshan, a beautiful mountain with the well-keeping natural ecology, in Zhejiang Province. Originally, the existing building construction in the site is a hundred years old house, the main structure is the rammed earth wall with column-and-tie wooden structure. The design strategy intends to furthest retain the original rammed earth walls and wooden structure, and companied with the new construction of the brick-concrete structure. Finally the new part and the preserved part became a formation of a mutual entanglement, a relationship of be within each other. The architecture itself is no longer just a country house, but altered into a local museum, a time shuttle. The walls are no longer encirclement, the wood is no longer the structure, but the storyteller under the spotlight. All these formations would lead the experimenter to get a dramatic sense of ritual in these daily small-scale spaces.

Objects: the transformation of architecture itself

Since the site is located in the mountain area of Zhejiang, and the existing building construction on site is a century-old two-story country house, with the rammed earth wall with column-and-tie wooden structure, which was the traditional typical residential building system in local western area of Zhejiang. As a result of years of disrepair, the internal wooden structure had local collapsed, the external rammed earth wall had stripped into its real color from the original white lime paint, two-storied rammed earth wall tilted seriously, with a danger risk of total collapse.

Originally, the client wanted to demolished the whole existing house and build a brand new concrete house. But considering the house as one of the few old houses in this village, mottled rammed earth walls and blacked structural woods despite look vulgar, but it is the window of the past to recall the treasure images of this house even the whole village, it is the truly value of the existing construction. After persuading the client to preserve the rammed earth walls and wooden structures, the tasks of design turned into a proposition essay: how to found the balance of modern living comfort and traditional context continuity in a small scale old house?

Demolition vs. preservation: after our investigation and mapping on the site, we decided to remove the decaying outereave columns and the outwardly sloping part on the second story of the west side wall. Preserved the main body of the wooden structure that in well-condition and almost all of rammed earth walls.

Addition & creation: the new addition part of the building is using concrete frame structure, the roof with steel roof truss bear the load independently. Digging the space for foundation beam underneath the side of rammed earth wall, and build a 240mm new brick wall inside of the wall, as a new building envelope and structural load bearing system. This strategy released the existing rammed earth walls and wooden structures out from the building load-bearing system.

After the demolition of the upper rammed earth wall with yellow mud repair leveling, as the bottom layer of the template, then constructed cast-in-place concrete cross-over beam above the template to support the load of upper building construction.

In order to prevent the total collapse of existing inward tilted rammed earth wall, the new constructed roof extended out to cover the wall avoiding rain erosion, also by increasing the horizontal steel support system on the inside of the wall to ensure that no inward collapse happen.

Scenes: the reflection of spacial elements

Grown from the earth: the existing rammed earth walls and wooden structures are well preserved, and fully presented at interior space. Soil and wood, these two materials express a warm rustic taste that filled within the space. The new added part should be as leaving blank, so that let the original colors of the soil and wood warm and shower in the entire space.

Chiseling wall for the light: since the dim light of in the old house, when chiseled down the rammed earth walls on the second story, also open the upper part of west side wall to bring the light into the interior space. In order to illumine the whole interior area in this old house, and the high windows can still cut off the sight viewing, to avoid that taking everything both inside and outside in only one glance.

Double layered wall form a ritual: between the rammed earth walls and the bedroom, using a glass wall to separate them, then lighten the rammed walls. On the one hand to increase the interior lighting, on the other hand, to create the rammed earth wall as standing in the spotlight, that form expression of sense of stage. The separation forced the experiencer backward to keep a distance to the rammed earth wall, when they taking a sight of the wall as taking a sight on a piece of art, a ritual sense rising from the deep heart. This piece of art in bedroom altered the daily sleeping into a type of memorial and expectation.

Facing a wall, and thinking over: normally, large-scale space is given a commemorative sense, small-scale space is given a daily using purpose. When people are in an introverted little space, viewing is easily concentrated at a point or a surface, it will produce a strong focus, triggering time and space interspersed, the object or the space itself would be redefined. So this kind of concentration focusing is given a sense of monumental and memorial to a small scale space, just as an old Chinese saying, that facing a wall, and thinking over, thinking of the future in the past.

Emotion: the expression of contraction

This project is named as the "half" house, because it is all about a "half" concept. Half soil with half wood, half new spaces with half old construction, half about space and half about time, there is no values comparison. From the outside, the lower part is formed by rammed earth wall and the upper part is new added glasses; from the inside, under feet is new concrete floor and above head is old wooden roof trusses. The new and the old are not in a relationship of mutual concessions, confrontation, nor primary and secondary, they are more like a wonderful symbiosis, you have me and I have you. As the concept of drama "Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land ", two different plays expressed different time and space showing on one same stage. At the same time staged, and dialogue with each other.

If treat the "half" house as a drama play, the new constructed part is the carefully built stage art for the story; and the old time rammed earth walls and wooden structures, they are no longer play the original role, but the dancer in the spotlight, the successor of time, and the narrator for the story. When the audience get into the theater, living in the interpretation of actors and stage art scenery, a perception of time crossing rising from the dramatic sense. Thus, the "Half" house, transformed as a "companion".

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Anfrum Hair Salon / Hidenori Tsuboi Architects

Posted: 13 Sep 2017 12:00 PM PDT

Architects: Hidenori Tsuboi Architects
Location: Uehonmachinishi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 542-0062, Japan
Lead Architect: Hidenori Tsuboi
Area: 55.8 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Daisuke Shima

From the architect. This is a plan of a hair salon located in Tanimachi 6-chome, Osaka, at the top of a narrow alley (about 50 meters long) in which there are many old wooden houses. Run by a female owner herself, it is simply composed of a styling station and a shampoo booth.

Since the salon is a one-to-one private space between the hair stylist and customer, she requested to design it for customers to move freely around the salon, not sitting down at the seat all the time.

As such, a large table sits in the center of the salon where customers can wait, read magazines, drink coffee, or engage in consultations with the hairstylist. There is enough space around the table for them to move freely. This table will display books and artwork that reflect the style and personality of the salon, and be a trigger for conversations.

Other than a staff room, it is a continuing space that does not have a partition wall. To give a sense of unity, I reduced certain elements as much as possible by limiting the materials and colors used and utilizing existing steel columns and beams. Even with its simple style, this salon is also designed to have a feminine atmosphere which reflects the owner.

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Homework / SAVVY Studio

Posted: 13 Sep 2017 10:00 AM PDT

Architects: SAVVY Studio
Location: De La República 9, Tabacalera, 06030 Mexico City, CDMX, Mexico
Area: 1000.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photography: Jaime Navarro

From the architect. Located in Colonia Tabacalera, Homework is a 1000 sq. m. co-working space that is divided into workspaces, meeting rooms, mini-offices, a café, a terrace and lounging areas.

Distributed over three levels, we designed a friendly, comfortable and flexible space, professionally equipped with the latest technology to create a casual and dynamic environment for this community of creatives.

We chose an open office design in order to create a collaborative environment, conducive for working in teams. The Homework spaces were designed to fit the needs and personality of every client; meaning that we created a spatially diverse place that includes spaces that allow for more privacy, such as the private offices, and also more communal spaces, equipped with visual projectors and conference room facilities. All common areas are built with fixed work surfaces, including the auditorium and the café.

Materials such as metal were used to give the co-working spaces a modern aesthetic, while natural materials such as wood were used to create comfortable, welcoming ambience. This mood is emphasized through the use of warm tones and organic forms, such as plants, that enhance that complement and add diversity to the space. A central element of the space is the tables that define each workspace. Different modular piece come together to form a whole structure that can be broken down into assemblable parts. With a focus on both multipurpose use and aesthetic value, each piece offers practical, pragmatic design with a touch of character.

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Foster + Partners Gains Planning Permission for Snowdon Aviary Transformation at the London Zoo

Posted: 13 Sep 2017 09:00 AM PDT

The Westminster Council has approved plans for the Foster + Partners-led transformation of the Snowdon Aviary at ZSL London Zoo. Designed by English architect and theorist Cedric Price in collaboration with Frank Newby and Lord Snowdon, the Grade II-listed structure became the first aviary in the UK to allow visitors to walk through a natural bird habitat when it opened to the public in 1962.

The revamp will preserve many of the original design qualities from the original structure, while updating safety and viewing strategies for its new inhabitants: a family of colobus monkeys and parrots. To make the monkeys feel at home, the design features a series of platforms and vertical elements, allowing visitors to learn about the animals as they swing, jump and explore their surroundings.

"The rebirth of the Snowdon Aviary continues our work with historical structures," said Norman Foster. "It is about the fusion of the old and new, but also about repurposing this extraordinary structure. The brand-new walk-though home will allow it to extend its role for decades to come. It will ensure the preservation of an iconic structure and honour its distinguished authors from the past, while preserving a unique built example of Cedric Price's work."

The project also features a new educational center that will give groups of up to 30 people the chance to learn more about the animals and the architectural history of the Zoo.

Working with Kirsten on the Snowden Aviary - a project in Londons zoo from the 1960's - giving it a new life .

A post shared by Norman Robert Foster (@officialnormanfoster) on Apr 27, 2017 at 11:51pm PDT

"We're delighted that the Council has recognised the value of the restoration of ZSL London Zoo's Snowdon Aviary, and has granted us planning permission to carry out this exciting work," said Professor David Field, Zoological Director. "The new exhibit is set to be turned into a walk-through colobus monkey enclosure, which will give visitors a unique and up-close experience of the stunning primates. Our plans for the Aviary will both improve its use as an important habitat for our animals and ensure it serves as an educational hub for the millions of people who visit the Zoo to be inspired by wildlife - while recognising its heritage status and prominent position on the Regent's Canal."

The project is estimated to cost a total of £2.5 million. Renovations are hoped to begin in January 2018 with a grand reopening in summer 2019.

News via Foster + Partners, City of Westminster

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"Campus of the Digital Age": Cornell Tech Officially Debuts on Roosevelt Island in New York

Posted: 13 Sep 2017 08:15 AM PDT

The innovative Cornell Tech campus has officially opened on New York City's Roosevelt Island. Master planned by SOM and featuring buildings and landscapes by Morphosis, Weiss/Manfredi, Handel Architects, and James Corner Field Operations, the campus represents a new vision of a campus for the digital age. Two years after breaking ground in 2015, the campus now houses some of the most environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient buildings in the world.

Driven by principles of collaboration and innovation, the master plan is arranged as create a place that is both separate from and integrated into the city, providing students with a calming atmosphere that is closely linked to New York's entire city of resources.

"We felt strongly that the framework should stimulate invention — both architectural and scientific. We designed a campus framework that would encourage the creative process now and into the future, flexibly accommodating a growing and evolving institution," said Colin Koop, Senior Designer on the project and a Director at SOM.

Arranged within this plan are three main structures: The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Center, The Bridge, and The House.

The Bloomberg Center / Morphosis. Image © Matthew Carbone for Morphosis

Designed by Morphosis, the Bloomberg Center is the first academic building on campus, featuring a variety of re-thought learning spaces including both flexible collaborative areas and private work spaces. Ambitious both in concept and in design, the building is striving to become one of the largest net-zero energy buildings in the United States.

"The aim of Cornell Tech to create an urban center for interdisciplinary research and innovation is very much in line with our vision at Morphosis, where we are constantly developing new ways to achieve ever more sustainable buildings and to spark greater connections among the people who use our buildings. With the Bloomberg Center, we've pushed the boundaries of current energy efficiency practices and set a new standard for building development in New York City," said Morphosis founder and design director Thom Mayne.

The Bridge / Weiss/Manfredi. Image © Iwan Baan

Next door is the Weiss/Manfredi-designed hub known as The Bridge. A new type of building, The Bridge offers spaces for students to work alongside start-ups and leading companies on diverse technological and business projects. The building is highly open, with gathering areas on each level, including a a multilevel "Tech Gallery" and a solar trellis-shaded rooftop terrace.

"The building is a crystalline social condenser, one that reveals expansive skyline views and creates spaces for academics and entrepreneurs to slow down, talk to one another, and generate ideas in unprecedented ways," said Marion Weiss and Michael A. Manfredi, co-founders of WEISS/MANFREDI.

The House / Handel Architects. Image © Field Condition

The final building to open is The House, the tallest and largest residential Passive House building in the world. Designed by Handel Architects, the building meets the strict Passive House standards for construction to reduce energy use and create a "healthier and more comfortable living environment for a fraction of residents' usual energy costs." The building will be occupied by both students and Cornell faculty, creating a year-round campus community.

"The House is a groundbreaking example of sustainable architecture -- the largest and tallest Passive House building in the world. It's our answer to the call for change to combat global warming," said Gary Handel, President of Handel Architects.

The House / Handel Archtiects. Image © Iwan Baan

The campus' open spaces have also been designed with community-building and environmental sustainability in mind, with landscapes designed by James Corner Field Operations. Occupying the entire width of Roosevelt Island, the campus offers extraordinary views of the Manhattan and Queens skylines. A central pedestrian spine known as the Tech Walk connects the buildings of Phase 1 with future phases, while green spaces have been designed to rainwater harvsting and stormwater management.

"With Cornell Tech's new campus, we have been able to integrate technology, sustainability, and landscape architecture to create a unique urban campus," said Karen Tamir, James Corner Field Operations' Principal-in-Charge. "Each of the open spaces work together to provide settings for students, faculty, staff and visitors to sit, talk and collaborate, creating a lively, welcoming, and social environment."

Learn more about the Cornell Tech campus, here.

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Minima | Maxima / MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY

Posted: 13 Sep 2017 08:00 AM PDT

Architects: MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY
Location: Astana 020000, Kazakhstan
Context: World Expo 2017
Commissioned By: Epazote Sa. Vladislav Sludskiy
Material: ⅛" Power-Coated Aluminum | # Structure Stripes: 5,312
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: NAARO

From the architect. Minima | Maxima, the latest Structural Stripes 'Crawling Assembly' from MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY, provides a moment of contemplation amid the busy grounds of World Expo 2017.

Why, among visitors of all ages, does it seem instinctive to engage the structure playfully? For instance, to tuck one's body inside a pleat at the base, assuming a contorted curved form that matches the structure itself. To be inside Minima | Maxima is to be transported to a strange, future, science fiction world, removing us from ourselves and finding within a sense of naive wonder. The project is radically different than the built environments we know. The impulse is to explore, to visually wander. Transformed into a childlike state, visitors can do so without the pretense of reference or concepts, employing instead the potent investigative powers of our senses.

The project extends MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY's research and development into achieving structural integrity through ultra-thin, self-supporting structures which find their strength in the double curvature of their form. In the whimsical yet durable universe the studio creates, curves win out over angles; branches, splits and recombinations make columns and beams irrelevant. A 'networked' surface rolls in, on and around itself, transforming into a space that obscures our preconceived notions of enclosure, entrance/exit, and threshold, while also providing its own support to stand up. The surface is ultra-thin: 6 mm aluminum. If an egg were scaled up to the same height Minima | Maxima, it would be much thicker.

Towards the base of the structure, the rolling surface begins to softly corrugate, its zig-zag angles gently rising into a full pleat as they meet the ground platform. The visual threshold of this transition -- from pleated base to smooth and doubly-curved, continuous surface -- is subtle, yet its structural effect is significant in achieving the height of 43'.

The project is a multi-ply composite: three layers of flat stripes -- white and white sandwiching pink -- are constructed in tandem, supporting one another as they assume curvature and gain height. One layer never exists independently, but contributes to and benefits from the unified whole. The stripes of each layer move perpendicularly from one another, creating an anistropic composite material (structural property of composite depends on direction) from an isotropic material, such as aluminum (properties of material are mostly the same in all directions).

The system warrants comparison to fiber technology -- such as carbon or glass fiber -- yet is unique in that unlike fibers, each individual component does not need to be in tension (a straight line), and/or their processing does not require any mold or temporary scaffolding. Also such a composite system is mechanically bonded, allowing for recomposition and corrections during construction.

Minima | Maxima was commissioned for World Expo 2017, an event with a history of architectural and engineering innovations. The structure was situated prominently on the grounds in Astana, Kazakhstan, where it will continue to live as a permanent structure. The environment it creates proved to be a successful destination and experience for visitors, inciting curiosity from afar, providing a moment of contemplation within.

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K House / Architectstm

Posted: 13 Sep 2017 06:00 AM PDT

Architects: Architectstm
Location: Ranelagh, Ireland
Architect In Charge: Tom Maher
Area: 104.0 m2
Project Year: 2015
Photographs: Ros Kavanagh

Engineers: Downes & Associates

From the architect. The site of this house is located to the rear of an existing period house facing onto a cul de sac, offering views west to the dome of Rathmines church and indirectly north to the grand canal.

Views and light to the east and south were restricted by site constraints and city council planning policy. The clients are greatly informed and deeply interested in architecture. There were lengthy discussions with their total involvement in the project. We collectively considered idea's of comfort as not just to create a stable thermal environment or reproducing the known and familiar but as the capacity or disposition of the occupants to experience different situations with regard to light and shadow, to space that may bear the between, to use, to views of and to the urban context, to views of the sky, to exterior and interior reflections held within and to colour change in developing a minimal tough simplicity to be carried out with 'exactitude'.

The house takes the form of an inhabited light scoop,to provide spaces for refuge and prospect and extends between two outside rooms, a ramped entrance court with a small water pool to slow and dissipate the city and a roof terrace, a place to perch and capture sunsets and the local city skyline. At once without and within, forming the kitchen and dining mezzanine on second, living and study on first, bedrooms and bathrooms on ground and clad with untreated copper and lime washed maple. It is held between rendered peired walls, with niches and voids that house kitchen, wardrobes, wall beds, storage cabinets, library, toilet and natural / artificial lighting.

Flamed Limestone is laid throughout the ground floor and entrance court with sliding clear/ opaque glazed partitions defining the bedrooms and bathrooms. Sapele strips are laid on the roof terrace mezzanine and ceiling to first floor.

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Studio Gang, Diller Scofidio + Renfro Among Exhibitors Selected for US Pavilion at 2018 Venice Biennale

Posted: 13 Sep 2017 04:10 AM PDT

The curatorial team for the U.S. Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale have announced the seven designers who will create the pavilion's main exhibitions. Consisting of architects, landscape architects, artists and designers, the group will produce responses to the theme of Dimensions of Citizenship, exploring "the meaning of citizenship as a cluster of rights and responsibilities at the intersection of legal, political, economic, and societal affiliations."

The seven exhibitors include:

Amanda Williams & Andres L. Hernandez (Chicago, IL)
Design Earth (Cambridge, MA)
Diller Scofidio + Renfro (New York, NY)
Estudio Teddy Cruz + Fonna Forman (San Ysidro, CA)
Keller Easterling (New Haven, CT)
SCAPE (New York, NY)
Studio Gang (Chicago, IL)

"These seven teams represent the breadth of design practice today: from social to speculative; technical to theoretical," the curators commented in a statement. "They are united by researched-based methodologies and the drive to use that research to push boundaries—formal, disciplinary, and political."

In addition to and in dialogue with each contributor's creation, existing projects that follow the teme by other architects and artists will also be displayed. These participants have not yet been announced.

Learn more about the curatorial team and the pavilion theme, here.

Curators and Theme Announced for US Pavilion at 2018 Venice Biennale
The U.S. State Department has announced the individuals and institutions that will serve as curators and commissioners of the United States Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale.

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Tribo São Judas Building / Onze arquitetura

Posted: 13 Sep 2017 04:00 AM PDT

Architects: Onze arquitetura
Location: R. Sebastião Guimarães Corrêa, 37 - Vila Monte Alegre, São Paulo - SP, 04304-060, Brazil
Architects In Charge: Eduardo Telles, Max Tango, Rogério Takeuti
Area: 3126.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Pedro Mascaro, Nathalie Artaxo

Realization: Tribo Incorporadora
Construction: E2 Engenharia e Empreendimentos
Signage:: Disco Design
Landscape Design: Marcelo Kubo
Interior Design: Márcia Brunello

From the architect. The house, as conception of space, comes through the ages, representing the culture and way of life of its users. In this way architecture design tends to abolish the extreme compartmentalization, increasingly referenced with contemporary yearnings and demands. Today, more fluid and integrated spaces that allow greater coexistence between the residents and their visitors are more consistent with the "contemporary dwelling. That's the way Tribo São Judas was conceived, from totally connected collective spaces, which allow a visual amplitude and greater conviviality, to the design of its private spaces.

This project for a 32-unit residential building, located near the São Judas subway (south of São Paulo), was part of an enterprise that escapes the recurrences of the real estate market and presented unusual solutions and materials.

Located on a plot of 800 square meters in an eminently residential area, mostly composed of small houses and villas, the building had to present a differentiated volume to suit the strategic master plan of the time. Due to this zoning, two blocks with similar characteristics and distinct volumes were created. The back block was limited to 15 meters in height, due to a restriction from an existing housing estate in the rear portion of the land.

These blocks are connected by a third, higher volume, which is the vertical circulation of the building. The taller block, which contains two units of two bedrooms per floor, arranged on eight floors, calls the attention from pedestrians on the street. Combining the existing colors and window shutters of the façade with the scale of the structure itself creates visual movement that is pleasing to the eye. The back block has four floors, each containing two units of two bedrooms and two units of single bedrooms. In this way, a market demand was answered, as the number of people living alone grows worldwide.

On the ground floor there is the party hall, gym, swimming pool and sauna. Complementing the leisure areas dedicated to the residents and visitors of the Tribo São Judas building, a large terrace was created on the roof of the back block, where there is a barbecue area, garden and common restroom.

In this space, taking advantage of the large blind facade generated by the vertical circulation block, we developed a large panel inspired by "pixel art" and playing with the color palette chosen for the project. Both the panel and the visual identity of the project were designed together with the architecture.

The overall result is a building that stands out in the landscape and delivers various elements that contribute as much to the quality of life of its residents as to the city.

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Mauricio Rocha and Gabriela Carrillo: “It is Important Not to Doubt That Architecture is Art”

Posted: 13 Sep 2017 02:30 AM PDT

Estudio Iturbide, Coyoacán, México City, 2016-2017. Image Courtesy of Taller de Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo

In August I moderated a round table at UNAM in Mexico City in which I posed a provocative question: is architecture art? The participants, architects Mauricio Rocha, Gabriela Carrillo, and Victor Legorreta argued that despite architecture's limitations, it is architects' attempts to overcome them that makes it art. Meanwhile Gabriel de la Mora, an artist trained as an architect, drew a line, separating the two disciplines: "Art is art and architecture is architecture," he insisted. Yet both sides were not quite satisfied with their initial assertions and the discussion continued, opening up to many interesting positions that pulled and pushed the interlocutors closer together and further apart with every attempt to give an explanation. I loved the discussion and I hoped we would not reach any definitive answers; the last thing we need in architecture is a consensus. It is our insistence on questioning that leads to new visions and unique solutions.

The following is my conversation with Rocha and Carrillo, as part of my City of Ideas column, in which we talked about their desire to make gravity feel light, seeing each project as a dialogue, their love for making decisions based on accidents, and their disinterest in being perfect. The architects strive to achieve a "meaningful silence" and they prefer to pay no notice to that line between architecture and art, the boundary that so few architects even dare to approach.

School of Plastic Arts, Oaxaca de Juárez, México, 2007. Image Courtesy of Taller de Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo

Gabriela Carrillo: I think it is very important to read and listen to what architects are saying and what they are thinking about because our students of architecture are no longer paying enough attention to ideas; they are driven almost entirely by images.

Vladimir Belogolovsky: Right, images are very important, but it is the questions that architects ask that lead to the images they create, and it is the questions architects ask that makes their work distinctive. Mauricio, how did you start your initial practice?

Mauricio Rocha: I was still a student when I started designing a house for my mother, the well-known photographer Graciela Iturbide. I finished the house in 1991. Then I started getting other projects and opened my practice in 1998 right there – in my mother's house.

The Bathrooms, El Tigre, Ensenada, BC, 2012. Image Courtesy of Taller de Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo

VB: That house must have been very important for you. Did you do it the way your mother asked you to?

MR: No. I did what I wanted to do! [Laughs.]

VB: It was a manifesto.

MR: Well, before I did the house, I was not quite sure if I wanted to stick with architecture and I was thinking about studying cinema. I was confused about what I really wanted. I liked art, cinema, photography... I loved Tarkovsky, and I was very serious about studying cinema in London. But my mother asked me to design a house for her. And when I finished it, I was really surprised. I was 25, just graduated, and, I suppose, I liked the result. Art is still with me; many of my friends are visual and conceptual artists. I love doing art interventions within architecture. To me, art and architecture are the same thing. I love doing ephemeral architecture. Well, architecture is art; there is no discussion about that.

Scenography for the Great Animal Orchestra, Paris, France, 2016. Image Courtesy of Taller de Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo

VB: And what about you, Gabriela? How did you discover architecture?

GC: Well, I am 13 years younger, so when Mauricio was designing his mother's house I was just 12. [Laughs.] Later when I studied architecture, my professor introduced me to Mauricio's work and I was drawn to his art interventions even before I knew anything about his architecture. I loved how his works fuse vernacular with contemporary, how they offer an entirely new sensation of experiencing space and going through it. To me, his art was architecture. I was still a student when, in 2001, I heard that Mauricio was hiring, so I immediately applied and got the position.

Library for Blind and Visually Impaired People, Ciudadela, Mexico City, 2012-2013. Image Courtesy of Taller de Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo

VB: Mauricio, you just said that architecture is art; there is no discussion about that. What makes it art? Why do you think so?

MR: Sure, only exceptional architecture is art. Once Tarkovsky was asked about his favorite directors. He named several who didn't just make good films, but who created their own internal worlds that did not exist before: Kurosawa, Fellini, Hitchcock, Bergman. The same with architecture. There are only a few masters who were able to create their own internal worlds: Wright, Le Corbusier, Mies, Kahn, Barragan.

GC: In a way, it is important not to doubt that architecture is art. It is art because there is a need to go beyond function; architecture is about provocation, emotion, sensitivity. That's what art does.

Deans Building School of Commercial Banking, Juárez, Mexico City, 2015. Image Courtesy of Taller de Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo

VB: Mauricio, do you agree with this statement? Should architecture be provocative? Why? Provocative for what?

MR: For thinking.

GC: For feelings, excitement.

MR: I love the work of Duchamp; particularly the story behind The Large Glass. It cracked during one of the moves and he said "leave it like that, it is part of the piece." He made the decision about the accident and accepted it as part of the artwork. I learn from such things. I love making decisions based on accidents.

Public Buildings, Milpa Alta, Mexico City, 2004. Image Courtesy of Taller de Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo

VB: What do you think your work is about? What are the intentions of your architecture?

GC: Everything starts right there at the site. We try hard to feel it, to understand it, to listen to it, to read it, and to extract something that's already there. Yes, architecture is about something new, about provocations and emotions, but I also think that silence is important. There is so much noise around us. I think what is important for us is to create a sense of abstraction. The provocation is to search for a meaningful silence. We work with space, light, materiality, and such elements as shadows and wind.

MR: Yes, the most important thing is to understand the site, the situation. That means reading typography, urban context, culture... People often ask us, what type of architecture do you do? Big, small, houses, commercial... We do all kinds of architecture. Every project is an opportunity. Every project can bring a surprise. Every project is about creating space and experimenting with materiality. We are working with light, atmosphere, and local culture to create unique spaces, and not just unique but contemporary. Every time we try not only to create architecture but to express a point of view. And the most important point is that we want to create architecture, which is not about a form but about a void and emptiness. In other words, our architecture is about being in a particular space and experiencing the place.

Cuatro Caminos Photo Museum, Mexico City, 2015. Image Courtesy of Taller de Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo

VB: Your work is not only about building but also about interacting with existing architecture in the most unexpected ways and making art installations. Could you talk about how you combine these projects – architectural and artistic?

MR: Architectural projects take many years. That's why we like to mix these projects with art installations that are done much quicker. They are very refreshing to us so we typically do one or two per year. The way we approach these projects is the same as we do architecture. To us, they are part of the same process. But people want to frame us. When I started doing art installations critics said that I am no longer an architect, I am an artist. When I did architecture, they said I am no longer an artist, just an architect. But I see myself as Mauricio Rocha and I simply do different kinds of works. I call my art installations ephemeral works and I call my architecture permanent works. We work with space and we don't care how critics label it or how they label us. When Rothko did his chapel in Houston, was he an artist or architect? When Donald Judd worked on architectural-scale projects in Marfa, Texas, was he an artist or architect? We don't like thinking of boundaries. We work with space, emptiness, and experience. Is it art or architecture? Both.

GC: Working on art installations is an important part of our investigation. We are constantly looking for ways to cross all kinds of boundaries. We don't like to emphasize where exterior stops and interior begins, where inside becomes outside… Look at Michael Heizer's Double Negative, the deep scars in the earth. To us that's space and whether one calls it art or architecture is irrelevant. Our compositions, however sparse and disciplined are, in a way, a canvas that gets deconstructed by the landscape of rocks, hills, sunlight reflections, gravity, and the program. Our architecture is activated by light that transforms every 90-degree angle into an infinite array of shapes that continue to change as the day progresses. It is always fascinating to discover how seemingly straightforward space becomes incredibly complex when animated by sunlight. It is the use of our orthogonal grids and basic geometric forms that help us emphasize the complexity that may take some effort to discover. We simply want to do more with less.

Compensatory Care Center for Blind and Visually Impaired, Mexico City, 2001. Image Courtesy of Taller de Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo

VB: There is a beautiful quote that describes your work: "The simple stacking of one material on top of another, or the pressure of one leaning piece against another constitutes the principal method to establish physical relations in between the solid elements, creating unalloyed geometries of repetitive components." Would you like to add to that?

GC: We love to compose space with tension and void; they are as important for us as any material. We are endlessly fascinated by all kinds of in-between spaces and how one can move through the space. We tend to use the absolute minimum of materials. We prefer simple stacking, but always in ways that would provoke a structural tension and evoke lightness and weightlessness. Establishing physical relations is a good way to describe our strategy. We are interested in discovering new possibilities in the relationships between the body, the eyes, the mass, and the void.

MR: Mies said, "Less is more." Someone else said that less is enough. I agree. In other words, I am not after architecture that requires a lot of money to be realized. I love the work of such architects as Peter Zumthor or John Pawson, but I also think that there is a conflict in their work simply because such architecture cannot be done without money; I mean serious money. I question such a decorative approach. I don't mind if our work is crude; it is not about being exquisite or flawless. I like coming up with solutions when I am challenged. Good work is about the intelligence of architecture itself; whether it takes more money or less is irrelevant. We are happy to work both on public projects and rich people's houses. And one is not better than the other. The important thing is to be able to translate the time and energy it takes to make something into the final project; you can have all the money in the world and fail to achieve that. And being challenged and not having resources can lead to a brilliant solution or detail. The important thing is to be able to make complex and yet quick and consequential decisions; to create an inventive composition and space.

Criminal Courts for Oral Trials, Pátzcuaro, Michoacán State, México, 2012-2015. Image Courtesy of Taller de Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo

VB: You used to like perfection in architecture and you succeeded in achieving it in some of your projects, but now you question that.

MR: Yes, I am a bit sick of that… I don't think it was my best work. Now I am searching for something different. You can ask – why? I don't know. I assume this has something to do with my attempt to show the process. I love the process – the construction process, the thinking process. I like working with specifics and limitations. That leads to better architecture because then you have to go beyond limits. That's the reason why I don't care about making a form or an object. Architecture is about more complex issues – the composition, the connections, the details, and, most importantly, the quality of space.

GC: We extract ideas and possibilities from everything. To observe art is a beautiful way to calm one's mind, and, of course, it always creates powerful memories that later may be referenced in our work. Everyday life is an important part of our inspirations.

MR: We like to deconstruct a traditional construction system and traditional architecture because we never forget that we live in the 21st century. My mother has documented many indigenous dwellings, and I can see the dignity of these places. I love to study traditional ways of building houses, patios, or cities. But the question we ask as contemporary architects is how do we interpret this or that? I don't like completely new ideas of architecture. I don't like architecture from scratch. I like to reinterpret architecture.

Sound Pavilion, San Luis Potosí, SLP, 2008. Image Courtesy of Taller de Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo

VB: What do you strive to achieve with your work?

MR: I don't like making a statement. I want my architecture to be invisible. I would like it to look like it was always there, and once you are in it you discover something very special, something you've never seen before.

GC: We fight a lot to achieve a feeling of timelessness. I would also add silence, light, gravity, melancholy, reflection, movement, and deconstruction of the way humans relate to each other and the way they live their lives.

Academic and Cultural Center of San Pablo, Alfred Harp-Helú Foundation, Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca, 2008-2011. Image Courtesy of Taller de Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo

VB: Why do you want your architecture to be invisible?

GC: Because we want to be present! [Laughs.]

Sayavedra House, Sayavedra County, State of Mexico, 2006. Image Courtesy of Taller de Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo

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.

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Lanka Learning Center / feat.collective

Posted: 13 Sep 2017 02:00 AM PDT

Architects: feat.collective
Location: Sri Lanka
Design Team: Matthias Both, Carolin Lintl, Felix Lupatsch, Noemi Ott, Valentin Ott, Stefanie Schwemle, Spela Setzen, Felix Yaparsidi
Area: 710.0 m2
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Barbara Vetter - Vincent Heiland

Collaborators: MBKI Bau-Ingenieure, Stuttgart

From the architect. In the framework of a seminar and design project, the foundation for a school and training center on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka was created through a cooperation between the IRGE at the University of Stuttgart and Transsolar.

In the Batticaloa district, which is still suffering from the consequences of a civil war and a tsunami, the building was constructed with local entrepreneurs, craftsmen, and workers.

The prerequisite for the location of the building on the spacious property was that it would receive the most shade possible from the trees. The placement of the structures around a natural clearing met this prerequisite while also generating a shielded open space.

Five pavilions with the same design were grouped around a generous courtyard. Through its modulation, the exterior wall touches all structures and shapes them into a larger form that creates a protected interior. The concentration of different applications in a central open space generates a small urbanistic moment that can usually only be found in the markets in bigger cities.

With its construction and materiality, the architecture borrows from the prevalent and reliable construction of the local structures. Through the precise modulation of generic design elements, the project aimed to showcase potential approaches for the architectural appearance, the utility, and the handling of the adverse climatic conditions.

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The 10 Best Revit Apps and Add-Ins

Posted: 13 Sep 2017 01:00 AM PDT

This article was originally published by ArchSmarter as "The 10 Revit Apps You Should Be Using in 2017."

I recently asked ArchSmarter readers what tools they're using to be more productive in Revit. Over 75 different add-ins were recommended! I tallied up all the votes and came up with this list of top-ten recommendations. There are some repeat nominees from my previous round-ups (which you can read here and here) as well as some welcome newcomers.

So who made the cut? Here's this year's list of the top 10 Revit apps you should be using.

1. Coins Auto-Section Box

For the second year in a row, this was the top recommended app by ArchSmarter readers. And it's no wonder – this super useful tool enhances Revit's already great Section Box tool. Though Revit 2016 introduced the somewhat-similar Selection Box, many ArchSmarter readers far prefer this app. FREE.

2. Flux

Flux is like a Swiss-Army knife for BIM data. It can pretty much do everything. Less a single tool than a whole platform, Flux makes transferring data from one application to another relatively painless. Need to get your column locations from Tekla into Revit? Flux has you covered. How about taking your surface panel layout from Grasshopper to Revit? Yup, Flux will do that too. The Evaluation version is FREE. The Pro version is $60 / month (USD).

3. Palladio X BIM WindowsLayout

Another perennial favorite on the list. If you're like me, you probably have a whole bunch of Revit windows open at any given time. But managing those windows isn't exactly easy. This simple but effective tool helps you with that. Use it to manage and arrange all your open Revit windows in Revit. FREE.

4. Enscape

Enscape is a real-time rendering engine for Revit. If you need to create beautifully rendered virtual walk-throughs of your projects, this is the tool for you. Enscape can export directly to the HTC Vive and Occulus Rift VR headsets for a fully immersive experience. Cool stuff! $45 USD / month or $449 / year.

5. Ideate BIM Link, Explorer, and Sticky

Want to import and export Excel data to and from your Revit model? Try Ideate's BIM Link. This tool creates a link between Excel and Revit for easy data extraction and editing in Excel. Explorer is a tool to review and query your model's data. Use Sticky to import Excel tables directly into Revit. This is useful when you need to include non-BIM data in your Revit drawing set. BIM Link starts at $850 USD while Explorer and Sticky retail for $395 USD.

6. Xrev Transmit

Easily export and print drawings in multiple formats simultaneously. Supported formats include DWF, DWG, DGN, DXF, and PDF as well as any network printer. A super useful tool for those project deadlines. $69.00 (USD).

7. RTV Xporter Pro

Similar to Xref Transmit, RTV Xporter lets you batch export and print from Revit. Xporter also lets your schedule print and export jobs. Handy when you want to print your sheets on a daily basis. Xporter starts at $49 (USD).

8. Rushforth Tools

Rushforth Tools, or RT for short, is a cornucopia of time-saving productivity tools. There's something for everyone here. Favorites include the Parameter Transformer and DraftXL, a tool for importing and exporting to Excel. Single license costs $99.99 USD. Site licensing is available.

9. Kiwi Codes Bonus Tools

Another collection of productivity tools, this one from our friends in New Zealand. Bonus Tools includes 100(!!) individual tools such as "3D View for Each Level" and "Views to Sheets". Bonus Tools starts at $35 USD / year.

10. ArchSmarter Power-Pack for Revit

OK, this is my own add-in but it's a good one. I took seven of the most popular free macros from the ArchSmarter Toolbox and combined them in a convenient app format. Rather than loading the individual macro files, you can access the tools directly from the add-in ribbon. Power-Pack is available for Pay-What-You-Want. That's right, you get to name your own price!

Other Apps

With more than 75 apps recommended in this year's survey, it's hard to narrow the list down to just 10 apps. Here are some others apps that just missed the top 10:

Archisoft Isolate Warnings

BIM One Import / Export Excel

Xinaps Fire Safety Assessor

CTC BIM Project Suite

Tally

BIMSmith Forge

How about you?

So what apps are you using? What's missing from the list? Leave me a comment below!

If you liked this article, sign up for ArchSmarter updates and get weekly productivity tips, webinar invitations and access to the ArchSmarter Toolbox, a collection of time-saving Revit macros, Excel templates and more!

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Spotlight: Tadao Ando

Posted: 12 Sep 2017 11:00 PM PDT

Church of the Light. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/hetgacom/22029029686'>Flickr user hetgacom</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a>

As the recipient of the 1995 Pritzker Prize, Tadao Ando (born 13 September 1941) is highly regarded for his unparalleled work with concrete, sensitive treatment of natural light, and strong engagement with nature. Based in Osaka, Japan, Ando's ascetic yet rich version of modernism resonates with the traditional Japanese conception of architecture, and has caused him to be regularly referred to as a "critical regionalist."

© <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/krss/3166875352/'>Flickr user krss</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a>

After briefly working as a truck driver and a professional boxer, Ando embarked on a largely self-taught architectural education that included apprenticeships, night classes, and visits to renowned buildings across the world. He opened his office in 1969 in Osaka and achieved fame quickly, being awarded the Annual Prize of the Architectural Institute of Japan as early as 1979 for his Row House in Sumiyoshi (commonly referred to as the Azuma House). Ando honed in on the characteristic design feature of bare concrete walls—however unlike in many concrete designs, Ando's walls are renowned for their smoothness, an effect he achieves by varnishing the formwork before pouring the concrete.[1]

Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art. Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hyogo_prefectural_museum_of_art08s3200.jpg'>Wikimedia user 663highland</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a>

Ando's mastery of light, nature, and space catapulted him onto the global stage during the 1980s. It was in the latter part of this decade that he completed his two most recognizable designs, the Church on the Water in 1988 and the Church of the Light in 1989. It is perhaps no coincidence that these two designs remain some of Ando's most well-known; with both attempting to provide spiritual spaces organized around an appreciation of a single natural element, they are perfect examples of Ando's architectural principles.

Ando's buildings derive their form from simple geometries that contrast with complex 3-dimensional circulation, reflecting his desire for his architecture to be an immersive physical experience. He has explained his method by saying: "When I design buildings, I think of the overall composition, much as the parts of a body would fit together. On top of that, I think about how people will approach the building and experience that space... If you give people nothingness, they can ponder what can be achieved from that nothingness."[2]

The Langen Foundation. Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Langen_Foundation_Neuss_02.jpg'>Wikimedia user Perlblau</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/de/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 2.0 DE</a>

While most of Ando's work is located in Japan, since the mid-1990s he has worked increasingly in other countries, with notable projects including the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts in St Louis. He is also now working on his first project in New York, a residential building announced in 2014.