ArchDaily

Arch Daily

Podosalud Clinic / Marcos Miguelez
Living Pavilion / Nefa Architects
pointONE showroom / Suto Interior Architects
Archireport: The Site Report App That Has Changed Thousands of Architects' Lives
Tragata / Hiboux + Studio Genua
Chengdu Aerospace Superalloy Technology Campus / Tanghua Architect & Associates
In "Vertical City," 16 Contemporary Architects Reinterpret the Tribune Tower at 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial
Tratum House / stpmj
Peka Peka House II / Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects
House Rio das Contas / 151 Office Arquitetura
Populous and Egis to Develop Plans for 38 Olympic Venues at 2024 Paris Games
Tosepankali Hostel / Proyecto Cafeína
Heatherwick's Floating Pier 55 in New York Officially Abandonded
Stacked Planters House / VTN Architects
New Exhibition Highlights the Best Unbuilt Works by Zaha Hadid Architects
MacArthur Annex / Baran Studio Architecture
Why Jan Gehl, the Champion of People-Oriented Cities, Doesn't Necessarily Dislike Skyscrapers
La Kretz Innovation Campus / John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects
Why Working Long Hours Won't Make You A "Better" Architect
Spotlight: Renzo Piano

Podosalud Clinic / Marcos Miguelez

Posted: 14 Sep 2017 10:00 PM PDT

Architects: Marcos Miguelez
Location: León, Spain
Area: 66.0 m2
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Antonio Vazquez

From the architect. The starting point is the transformation of a space without previous use into a podiatry clinic.

The proposal seeks to solve the program through a continuous flow of natural light.

Located on the ground floor of a residential building, the clinic will be part of the new businesses created in a recently built neighborhood

The openings of light in the opposite facades of the clinic define their volumetry and they establish the essence of the project.

The plant, assimilable to a rectangle staggered on one of its sides, faces its opaque party walls and its facades open to the outside.

We construct glass walls from floor to ceiling to fragment the uses, allowing the transparency of the space throughout its length.

Private activities, such as toilets and changing rooms, are hidden behind opaque cloths of 2m high that allow the passage of light through its upper part

The rooms are organized with distribution axes turned 45 degrees in plan, which articulate the rooms more lightly and approach the accesses to the main entrance.

In short, an interior space organized with transparent layers, which allows the passage of light between end and end of the room.

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Living Pavilion / Nefa Architects

Posted: 14 Sep 2017 08:00 PM PDT

Architects: Nefa Architects
Location: Russia
Architect In Charge: Dmitry Ovcharov
Area: 120.0 m2
Project Year: 2014
Photographs: Ilya Ivanov

From the architect. The country house is located in Odintsovo district, to the West from Moscow city. This is a rather small "summer pavilion" suitable for living all-year-round.

The truth of constructive solutions, the outer metal framework, creating the architectural volume composition, define the overall aesthetic of the home.

On the ground floor of the two-level house there's a common space with a terrace-living-dining-room-kitchen and a double-sided glass fireplace. The public zone is surrounded by glass sliding walls overlooking the surrounding landscape of the plot of land.

On the 2d level there are bed-rooms, a bathroom and an open solarium. A curved-glass roof brightens the space, bringing more daylight into the rooms of the upper floor.

The trees growing right through the pavilion emphasize the environmental friendliness and the naturalness of its image. Some pieces of furniture and lighting used in the project are custom made.

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pointONE showroom / Suto Interior Architects

Posted: 14 Sep 2017 07:00 PM PDT

Architects: Suto Interior Architects
Location: Budapest, Szabadság tér 14, 1054 Hungary
Interior Design: Suto Interior Architects
Area: 300.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Balázs Danyi

From the architect. The pointONE showroom opened in the beginning of June this year in the heart of Budapest. In the new centre the products distributed by the company Decorfloor , installed according to the interior design concept of Suto Interior Architects change everything that has been typical of showrooms in Hungary.

Naturally, those who like and are familiar with international contemporary design trends might think that with products representing high aesthetic and technological quality – including furniture, lamps, and items by Vitra, Diesel-Moroso, and Diesel-Foscarini; the floorings of Cedit, Florim, KAZA Concrete, CP Parquet, and Milliken; and the wallpapers of Élitis and Inkiostro Bianco – any interior design concept is bound to succeed. But who of us has not seen an apartment, store, or office over-composed with top-class products?

The premises of pointOne, set up in a corner store and possessing a gallery level, also enable meetings between designers and creators. Moreover, the group of spaces also includes a rentable conference room that is available to the partners of pointONE for business negotiations and consultations. Accordingly, this venue is a showroom and a meeting place at the same time, and the design concept had to satisfy this complex functional requirement. "The overall atmosphere is reminiscent of an attractive clubroom" – described Kata Suto the interior in an interview. And indeed, here we finally have a showroom without hodgepodge sample collections and rows of chairs and lamps. The spaces, nooks, and niches allow the products to be touched and experienced, but are at the same time "functional": in one spot we find a cosy parlour lit by mood lighting, over there a library corner with a bar counter nearby, further away a display installation specifically focused on presenting a series of floorings, complemented by a washroom that is more like a spacious bathroom.

Nonetheless, these spatial units are narrative and inspiring combinations in themselves; stories told with contemporary objects. It is particularly fascinating how the designers used just a few elements and objects in individual interior areas to combine geometric and streamlined furniture, lamps, and floorings with organic and exotic ones with a more relaxed atmosphere.

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Archireport: The Site Report App That Has Changed Thousands of Architects' Lives

Posted: 14 Sep 2017 06:00 PM PDT

In 2011, Julien, a young entrepreneur, started to build his own house. During the preparation phase, then the construction phase, he realized the difficulties encountered by his general contractor to communicate effectively with the different stakeholders of the project. He told Morgan, his associate, about this problem; in the meantime, Apple unveiled its new iPad 2 with a camera. It wouldn't be long before the idea of a tablet tool grew in their minds: Archireport App.

They decided to meet with different architects and general contractors in order to understand the difficulties that they encountered in their everyday work. A recurring issue comes back in their speeches: the time spent writing site reports.

Archireport: the construction app for the field

Some would like to go home earlier to their families, others would prefer to focus more on their design work, while others would like to improve communication with their clients—all good reasons why Julien and Morgan decided to create Archireport.

Get your free one month trial here.

How does the application work?

Archireport allows its users to realize construction site reports directly on site with a mobile or tablet; no more handwritten notes that need to be retyped at the office. Remarks, drawings, and photos are added directly to the app in an extremely simple way. No more "Paint," it can all be done from a tablet: photos, drawings, annotations.

You've changed my work life!
– L. Baratte, Architect.

If you like to detail your reports or if you want to be sure that your remarks are taken into account, a multitude of features are available to illustrate your document to make sure that you are understood: drawings, annotations on plans, and more.

Archireport is easy to use and the clear and illustrated presentation of reports is very well welcome by customers as well as companies. It consolidates our image and strengthens the confidence our customers grant us.
– Louis Bessard, Architect.

No need to do the layout, everything is instantaneous

You can save 45 minutes per construction site report. All information is entered on site and the pdf report is automatically generated at the end of the visit. The different stakeholders and the client receive the site meeting report instantly. This way, they will quickly be able to take action, with precise information that is saved for 1 or 2 days on the schedule.

A detailed planning accessible online, your stakeholders will love it!

A detailed planning report accessible online

The planning report is another big concern on a construction site, and that's why Archireport have just developed Archireport Planning. Each stakeholder wants to know if they can intervene on the construction site—whether the tiler has finished installing the tile to install the water heater for example. The client or the stakeholders are able to modify the progress of each of their tasks and inform other actors of possible delays.

Archireport Cloud: All documents/plans updated and accessible online

During the construction phase, project elements are often modified and it's always difficult for the stakeholders to get the latest version of the plan. With Archireport Cloud, the project manager can centralize all the documents and grant access to each actor.

Archireport Cloud allows you to also improve your business relationships with your clients. You can upload images of the project so that they can follow work progress. More than a construction site supervision tool, Archireport becomes a commercial relationship tool for improved customer service.

With its community of more than 10,000 users, Archireport is now a major player in France. Following its fundraising at the end of 2016, the company accelerated its international growth to become a must-have for architects, construction managers, and general contractors.

Archireport has 10,000 users, thousands of architectural firms, large building groups, and a presence on 5 continents.

Find out more at https://www.archireport.com.

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Tragata / Hiboux + Studio Genua

Posted: 14 Sep 2017 05:00 PM PDT

Architects: Hiboux ARCHITECTURE, Studio Genua
Location: Cephalonia, Greece
Area: 9.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Marianna Xyntaraki

Research: Michalis Psarras, Nikos Christopoulos
Civil Engineer: Myrto Tsitsinaki
Realization: Louise Lauritzen, Pantelis Pipergias Analytis, Aggelos Pipergias, Dimitris Giannelos, Sofia Panagiotopoulou, Stefano Rosselli,Maria Lekka, Margarita, Marta Juliana Abril, Maher Salameh, Astride, Philippe, Stefanos Parnos, Danai Dahri, Dimitra Chaida, Aggeliki Diakrousi, Herbert Ploegman

From the architect. Tragata is a modern version of the old homonymous temporary timber frame construction that functioned as a short-term residence for the farmers/harvesters to look out their crops, or even as a beach lodge for the hot summer days.

In our case, tragata is not used to oversee the crops, but is rather raised from the ground to provide a vantage point from where to observe the greater context/habitat. This primitive form of observation inspired the overall design concept which is formulated as three core ideas; the idea of 'embarking' on an elevated platform that would float above the tree level, the accommodation in a flexible cube that could adapt in various uses and circumstances during a day, and the enclosure and isolation that this elevated hut can offer by communicating with the world through the thin gaps between the reeds, which compose its external skin. The Tragata could be described as a 'breathing space' within the everyday life, where its resident could experience a primary way of life and disengage with the surroundings. Τhe resident retreats in the observation of the context but also in the observation of the space within, in the realm of slow time.

The main structure of the tragata is a permanent timber frame construction. Its main living space is folded with detachable panels that are made out of reeds abundant on the site. Both the structure and the panels were assembled on site. The bottom parts of the panels are folding outwards to provide shading during the day, to offer natural ventilation and to enable various views of the surroundings. The roof is assembled under the same principles and has the ability to fold in half, to open up and offer views to the night sky. One hidden hatch/storage space is positioned under the floor plane where mattresses and other belongings could be stored during the day. Also, a pulley mechanism will be attached to the main structure to pull various objects into the tragata space. Between the ground and the tragata deck there is a hammock/net to create a floating plane for relaxation. The first tragata is investigating this form of transient accommodation. By looking at it as a generic/modular construction, several tragatas could give shape to an 'elevated camping' that can become the foundation for the establishment of a community. In tandem with existing buildings in the farm, the tragatas can give shape to an inhabiting system adapted to Paliki's landscape.

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Chengdu Aerospace Superalloy Technology Campus / Tanghua Architect & Associates

Posted: 14 Sep 2017 03:00 PM PDT

Architects: Tanghua Architect & Associates
Location: Xihanggang Ave South Extend Line 2999, Shuangliu Xian, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Architect In Charge: Hua Tang
Design Team: Xin Liu, Peng Shao, Shuai Shao, Liu Liu, Ning Yang, Shijiin Ma, Sicong Wang, Fang Deng, Tianhao Wang, Zemin Wang etc.
Area: 291253.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Zhenghuan He, Arch-exist

Design Institute: Xinjiang Academy of Building Research Co., Ltd.
Interior Design: Tanghua Architect & Associates, Turen Design
Landscape Design : Caohui (Singapore) Design Consultants
Client: Chengdu Aerospace Superalloy Technology Co., Ltd

From the architect. The project is located in Tianfu New Area, Chengdu, inside the Southwest Airport Economic Development Zone. Being 14 km away from Shuangliu International Airport, it is part of the New Chengdu Energy Industry District Planning. The project is east to Chengya Highway and west to South Chuanchi Road, an extension area. The site still remains the forestry texture which is unique to Chengdu Plain. The forestry texture is formed mostly by agricultural lands and fish ponds with small settlements and forests scattering in-between. Due to that, our design focuses on how to meet the restricted sloping and elevation requirement inside the project. We also try to preserve most of the unique landform and topography from Chengdu Plain.

When planning the programs and phasing of the site, we choose different topographic manipulation strategies based on their various functions: For the office, exhibition and reception area, we maintain the original topography, using the existing landscape elements to design these areas. The existing fish pond becomes the central water feature after the design. We also maintain most of the original planting without interfering the construction. The strategy is to transfer them into series of various terrace landscape merging into the topography. For warehouses and R&D areas, considering the craftsmanship requirement and smooth topography, we decide to use hardscape to serve the purpose of full function, using rank vegetation as main landscape planting. We also control the height of the vegetation to not block the view and maintain the efficiency of transportation.

The complex building locates in the north-western corner of the site, extending itself along the South Chuanchi road in a holistic, clean style with tube shaped cantilever structure. We choose the west side of the project as main iconic showing area, meanwhile controlling its sunshine angle. The north side of the project is used as an expert reception area. It has convenient traffic access to the complex building and connects itself to the urban main vehicular road. This area has a low impact on construction development, where maintains the original topography and landscape. The north-eastern corner of the site is relatively flat, which is used as R&D center and factory warehouses. The rest of the warehouses are located in the south of the site which is in the phase two construction.

Complex Building
The complex building undertakes most of the office, information sharing and display. The needs for image displaying also impact its architecture design. Steel truss structure forms a tube-shaped space cantilevered in the west side of the side, facing the main urban avenue. It lays down a basic design style of light and dynamic. Inside the east side of the building is the main office area while the west side becomes the meeting room, open space and exhibition hall using the triangle space. At the same time, the panel system on the west side also filters both the sunlight and view.

Chuanxi Club
This area is divided into two parts: the first part is gathering area with reception and meeting rooms, another part is courtyard area with recreation and entertainment. This area has its own independent entrance and exit. Besides the front reception, the gathering area also serves as a connection to the office and reception area. It is interpreted into a collective and holistic image.

Staff Canteen
The staff canteen locates near the demarcation of phase one and two with its main entrance facing the factory area. Its red line reacts to the orientation and angles of the phasing demarcation. In terms of the layout, we use the existing depression to form a semi-underground space. At the same time, water is introduced to the interior space after manipulation. As the main entrance water feature, it forms an atmosphere of forestry canteen through different landscape elements.

Staff Dormitory
The staff dormitory uses its internal courtyard, landscape and corridor to connect different site levels. Following its program, it represents a simple yet modernism façade design.

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In "Vertical City," 16 Contemporary Architects Reinterpret the Tribune Tower at 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial

Posted: 14 Sep 2017 01:55 PM PDT

In a large-scale, central installation at the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial, the likes of 6a architects, Barozzi Veiga, Kéré Architecture, MOS, OFFICE KGDVS, and Sergison Bates—among others—have designed and constructed sixteen five meter-tall contemporary iterations of the renowned 1922 Chicago Tribune Tower design contest.

Located in the Sidney R. Yates Hall of the Chicago Cultural Center—part of the spaces central to the this year's event—Vertical City is a a contemporary reimagining of one of architectural history's most significant competitions. Whereas the original competition required participants to submit renderings in perspective, each drawn from a single vantage point, the 2017 iteration spatializes sixteen models in the form of large-scale installations.

6a architects

Barbas Lopes Arquitectos

Barozzi Veiga

Christ & Gantenbein

Ensamble Studio

Éric Lapierre Architecture

Kéré Architecture

Kuehn Malvezzi

MOS

OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen

with Peter Wächtler and Michaël Van den Abeele

PRODUCTORA

Sam Jacob Studio

Sergison Bates

Serie Architects

Tatiana Bilbao Estudio

Charles Waldheim

with Office for Urbanization Harvard Graduate School of Design and Siena Scarff Design

Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle

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Tratum House / stpmj

Posted: 14 Sep 2017 01:00 PM PDT

Architects: stpmj
Location: Icheon-si, South Korea
Area: 208.7 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Song Yousub

Construction: ON Architecture
Structural Engineering: Centum Engineering

From the architect. Stratum House seeks a new way of concrete casting method simulating a geologic formation. Concrete works in a combination of cement, water and aggregate. Cement is mixed with water to form a paste, and its properties are strengthened together with aggregates. These pastes wrap and fill aggregates of various sizes and become hardened. The project started with a curiosity of concrete composition, its casting process, and reaction on the results from testing the changes of its constituents.

Three constraints are applied; water-cement ratio, use of diverse aggregates and different amount of pigment. The change of concrete shape according to the slump value is the first. When the water ratio is increased, the slump value is increased. The concrete forms a shape close to the horizontal. On the other case, the slump value is reduced and the mound is formed with a mass. The second is the variety of texture on exposed concrete surface depending on the ratio of fine to coarse aggregate. The last is the color changes of the surface. With the combinations of these three variables; shape, texture and color, the concrete of each different quality is cast on-site everyday. It allows to have delicately designed divisions of stacked concrete layers showing time differences.

Stratum House consists of two separate buildings for three families. Two houses sit on perpendicular to share a front and back yard for social gardens and dining. Unit plans are small yet functionally figured. Living rooms are placed towards South and East for sun exposure and maximized view. Kitchens and rooms are connected to the living room with a stair. On the second floor two buildings have individual terraces for private family activities. The buildings outdoor spaces on each level create a dialogue among sequences penetrating inside and outside of the building into nature. 

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Peka Peka House II / Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects

Posted: 14 Sep 2017 12:00 PM PDT

Architects: Herriot Melhuish O'Neill Architects
Location: Peka Peka, New Zealand
Lead Architect: John Melhuish
Area: 275.0 m2
Project Year: 2015
Photographs: Andy Spain

From the architect. Nestled in behind the sand dunes and bounded by a forest of ancient kānuka is an award-winning house positioned to favour privacy and shelter over views of the sea. Designed by John Melhuish, a director at Herriot + Melhuish Architecture (HMA), the house at Peka Peka Beach on the Kapiti Coast won a housing award at the 2016 NZIA Wellington Architecture Awards and was a finalist in the 2016 NZIA New Zealand Architecture Awards.

A beach house unlike any other the almost-20 year old practice has designed before, to make your way onto this Peka Peka property you must first gently push your way past the native bush to get to the front door. The owners intentionally made it this way: you move, the native bush stays where it is.

The native bush was an important starting point for this house, the KCDC district plan ensures that the ancient kānuka along the road frontage remains protected for future owners to enjoy. This guardianship made construction of the house slightly more challenging for contractors with a stipulation that all work would be carried out in respectful deference to the trees.

The judges said: "Using just two simple beach house volumes (main house and sleep out), nearby sand dunes and the surrounding kānuka forest, a clever, casual and very private courtyard has been formed. The layered clerestory windows and pergolas play with light and shade, enhancing indoor and courtyard spaces, while the beautifully consistent and controlled detailing completes what is a very pleasant picture."

A weekend bach that will one day become a place to retire to, the brief for this house was to provide the best of indoor and outdoor living. Set apart from the predominantly glazed, pergola-shaded living area, one can step down to a cosy snug with a wood burner.

Clad in two contrasting cedar weatherboard profiles, the house opens out onto a sheltered internal courtyard protected from the prevailing coastal winds. The main house sits on one side of the glade while a separate sleep-out provides protection and privacy from the neighbouring site.

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House Rio das Contas / 151 Office Arquitetura

Posted: 14 Sep 2017 10:00 AM PDT

Architects: 151 Office Arquitetura
Location: Xangri-Lá, Brazil
Architect In Charge: Guilherme P. Franzoi
Area: 252.0 m2
Project Year: 2015
Photographs: Marcelo Donadussi

Structure : Serrano Engenharia

From the architect. The initial idea for this project, on the Xangri-lá beach, was to give the air of a rural house located on the beach, using a considerable area of the land. In order to meet the owner's expectations, who like an open house without losing privacy, all of the faces of the social area were designed as a part of the external area. In addition, natural light and cross ventilation were used with the aim of avoiding the use of air conditioning. Energy saving was also optimized with the use of LED technology in all ambients. The concrete walls, beyond creating an inequivalent brute and rustic appearance, offer advantages regarding the temperature and low maintenance.

The house has five large bed rooms - four located on the second floor, along with two bathrooms - and a suite on the ground floor, ensuring easy accessibility. In addition, the social area has a toilet. The fireplace was created facing both the living room and the dining room, in order to keep both areas heated in the winter. The kitchen joins the dining area, through a gourmet island. The dining table can be turned into a pool table or a ping-pong table - creating an atmosphere that is perfect for receiving family and friends, in addition to the large barbecue located in the external area. Thermal-acoustic tiles were used in covering the dining room and the terrace and were chosen not only for their main characteristics, but also due to the lightness and resistance they provide.

The land also has a large yard with abundant vegetation and a gas-heated fiberglass pool as well as parking for up to five cars.

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Populous and Egis to Develop Plans for 38 Olympic Venues at 2024 Paris Games

Posted: 14 Sep 2017 09:15 AM PDT

aris 2024 Eiffel Tower at Night . Image © Paris 2024 (Populous-Luxigon)

The team of Populous and engineering consultants Egis will lead the planning of 38 Olympics and Paralympic venues across Paris, after the team received approval as part of the International Olympic Committee's naming of the 2024 host city.

Selected as the winners of a competition for the planning concept in 2016, the team will focus on the logistics and experience of the hundreds of thousands of visitors who will be enjoying the Games.

The plan calls for the creation of new permanent and temporary venues at key locations throughout the city, including cycling events on the Champs Elysees and a beach volleyball arena at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, the design of which will strive to meet Paris 2024's commitment to being the "most sustainable Games ever."

To ensure all venues meet the strict regulations demanded by the IOC and the city, Populous and Egis will be working with sport and culture consulting agency ISC.

"We are proud to have played a part in the successful Paris 2024 bid. Bringing people together to enjoy an unforgettable experience is the overriding ambition of Populous in all that we do and is at the heart of the Paris 2024 vision," said Populous Senior Principal Ben Vickery.

"The city of Paris will be a magnificent Olympic Park and the transformation of some of the world's most beautiful and historic sites into temporary stunning stages for sport will provide unforgettable images around the globe."

Populous Principal Francois Clement added, "Paris is one of the leading cities of the C40 focusing on tackling climate change while improving the health and wellbeing of its citizens. Paris 2024 will share with the world an unforgettable and emotional Olympic and Paralympic Games anchored in the core values and ideals of the IOC. Populous was delighted to be part of the team turning Paris into an elegant and connected Olympic Park , delivering stunning venues in one of the most prestigious World Heritage sites. Under Agenda 2020, Paris 2024 shares the rings of success with LA 2028 for a better Olympics and Paralympics Games in a better world."

Paris 2024 will be the 13th Olympic and 7th Paralympic Games featuring designs by Populous. The firm has also completed more main Olympic stadiums than any other practice, including the main stadiums for Sydney 2000, London 2012 and Sochi 2014.

Paris and Los Angeles Selected as 2024 and 2028 Olympic Hosts
Paris and Los Angeles will become the next Olympic host cities, after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted unanimously to approve a plan simultaneously awarding the 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games to the competing cities.

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Tosepankali Hostel / Proyecto Cafeína

Posted: 14 Sep 2017 08:00 AM PDT

Architects: Proyecto Cafeína
Location: Cuetzalan, Puebla, Mexico
Area: 335.0 m2
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Patrick Lopez

Other Participants: Leonardo Neve, Diego Vilatela, Olivia Gil, Mariana Pedrero, Jose Luis Baez, Javier Flores, Liliana Gonzalez

From the architect. Traveling is a thrilling experience. A moment in your life when you are relaxed and open to new discoveries. The approach to these project was to maximize the experience of traveling and discovery.

Leaving aside the comfort of routine, the new hostel is meant to transport the users into a "new dimension" a place that dialogs with the natural exuberant context, setting the user into a totally new mood.

The Hostel is located at the existing eco-touristic complex Tosepankali. A Nahuatl indigenous cooperative that seeks to increase the quality of life of its members, keeping their cultural legacy and preserving their natural resources. This is why we selected local materials like bamboo, stone, brick, and Bahareque (soil and bamboo panel)

The project intends to merge and dialogue with the rugged topography of the site in a ludic and free style. At the same time recover the local materials and typology. The building emerges from the ground inviting the vegetation to invade it and become one element with the landscape.

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Heatherwick's Floating Pier 55 in New York Officially Abandonded

Posted: 14 Sep 2017 07:30 AM PDT

© Pier55, Inc. and Heatherwick Studio, Renders by Luxigon

Six months after preparatory site work was halted by legal action, plans for the Heatherwick Studio-designed Pier 55 park along the Hudson River in New York City have been abandoned.

Primary backer Barry Diller, chairman of IAC/InterActive Corporation, announced the decision yesterday, citing ballooning costs and gear-halting legal worries. Initially estimated in 2011 to cost $35 million, the project had reached a $250 million price tag due to the complexity of the design and unforeseen environmental and legal concerns.

"Because of the huge escalating costs and the fact it would have been a continuing controversy over the next three years I decided it was no longer viable for us to proceed," said Mr. Diller said in an interview with the New York Times.

The decision was applauded by park opponents including the City Club of New York, but lamented by the majority of the public opinion, including the Hudson River Park Trust and high profile figures such as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Senator Chuck Schumer.

"For such a small group of people to hold up a public and philanthropic project that would benefit so many is just awful," commented Schumer.

The announcement also marks the second high profile bridge park designed by Heatherwick to meet its demise, following the official scrapping of London's Garden Bridge project in August.

425 Park Avenue, New York City

Finalist entry to a competition won by Foster + Partners.

Bolzano Cable Car, Bolzano, Italy

Finalist entry to a competition won by Snøhetta.

Dance & Music Center, The Hague

Finalist entry to a competition won by Neutelings Riedijk Architects.

Heathrow Airport Extension, London

Finalist entry to a competition won by Grimshaw.

Heathrow Airport expansion, London. Image Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects

Museum of the 20th Century, Berlin

Finalist entry to a competition won by Herzog & de Meuron.

The exhibition will run throughout the duration of the Prague Experimental Architecture Biennial, which will close on October 26 with a symposium featuring Patrik Schumacher, Shajay Bhooshan and Jakub Klaska of Zaha Hadid Architects, Ben van Berkel of UNStudio and Wolf D. Prix of Coop Himmelb(l)au.

Learn more about the Prague Experimental Architecture Biennial here.

News via Zaha Hadid Architects.

Title: ZHA: Unbuilt
Type: Exhibition
Organizers: Prague Experimental Architecture Biennial
From: September 12, 2017 11:00 AM
Until: October 27, 2017 07:00 PM
Venue: Jaroslav Fragner Gallery
Address: Betlémské nám. 169/5A, 110 00 Staré Město, Czechia

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MacArthur Annex / Baran Studio Architecture

Posted: 14 Sep 2017 04:00 AM PDT

Architects: Baran Studio Architecture
Location: Oakland, CA, United States
Other Participants : Cal Inman
Area: 4550.0 ft2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Benedicte Lasalle, Adrian Gregoruti, Pat Mazzera

From the architect. In the spirit of Archigram and Superstudio, the project has its roots in adaptable, robotic structures which have the potential to roam and adapt themselves to the urban landscape. Plug-In City and Continuous Monument were among the first to suggest that architecture could be playful, and that architecture did not always need architects. We borrowed from these notions in robotic investigations which allowed us to study how architecture might be modified over time, and in varied spatial circumstances.

This project carries these earlier precedents and projects in its DNA. It is sited adjacent to the freeway, and near a mass transit station. It consists of an existing structure and 33 used shipping containers. The containers are ready-mades in the Duchampian sense, as a product of industry or culture which can be put into play. The ultimate configuration can be adapted to the concerns of the developer, neighbors, city officials, and inhabitants.

Operationally, the site is a node in the rapid transit network, but is also related to the network of shipping containers in constant movement around the port of Oakland. The containers become not just a readily available building material, but a ready-made component that is then assembled with subsequent modules to build a larger system.

The completed system is formed through adaptation to various contextual conditions, responding to topography, existing structures, sound, light and shadow, air, views, circulation, program and economy. The resulting configuration of stacked containers, arranged according to inputs, becomes an open framework from which a community can grow.

The underlying components create a canvas, while the community has populated the project with their own modifications according to their own needs. Members include a record shop, gallery, skateboard artist, shoe / clothing and jewellery makers, acupuncturist, interior designer / tarot card reader, and restaurantuers.

The results are dramatically different from container to container. The lack of top down design direction engenders a rich and sometimes messy texture, but in the end, is a vibrant place to live and work. The architecture becomes the backdrop to interactions, conversations, events, and the evolution of creative.

The project is adjacent to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), a bay wide metro rail system. Auto parking was omitted in favor of bicycle parking. Most tenants and customers take transit, ride bikes or walk to the project. The site is centrally located in Oakland's Longfellow neighborhood, which contains numerous small businesses and restaurants that serve the high density neighborhood.

Due to the proximity of the Port of Oakland, shipping containers are readily available. The project consists of 33 previously used containers; structure, walls and floors remain intact. The shell of the container is modified for openings which provide views, light, and cross-ventilation, taking advantage of a moderate east bay micro-climate. The container structure allows for large openings, and units face south and west to maximize daylight. Glass is treated to minimize heat gain.

The formerly vacant existing structure on the site, a single story, wood framed, retail storefront, was reused for the coffee shop and restaurant.

The project provides a unique financial stability to small, local businesses. A container provides a space between a shared workplace, and a large, high-rent, single tenant office space. The small units provide for an economic system that did not exist previously.

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Why Jan Gehl, the Champion of People-Oriented Cities, Doesn't Necessarily Dislike Skyscrapers

Posted: 14 Sep 2017 02:30 AM PDT

© <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/gruban/288465746/'>Flickr user gruban</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a>

This article was originally published by Common Edge as "Jan Gehl on Why Tall Buildings Aren't Necessarily Bad for Street Life."

Jan Gehl, the great Danish urbanist, has much in common with Jane Jacobs. For the better part of a half-century now, his focus has been on the development of people-oriented cities. The author of a number of books, including Life Between Buildings, Cities for People, Public Spaces—Public Life, and most recently, How to Study Public Life, Gehl and his colleagues have also served as consultants for the cities of Copenhagen, London, Melbourne, Sydney, New York and Moscow. Gehl Architects currently has offices in Copenhagen, New York and San Francisco. I spoke to Gehl about Jacobs, the folly of modernist city planning, and New York City's durable urban form.

Martin C Pedersen: Do you remember when you first read "Death & Life"?

Jan Gehl: I graduated in 1960 and spent a few years doing standard architecture work. Then I got married to a psychologist and started to get interested in the borderland between architecture and the social sciences. And I took a special interest in what people did in public spaces and how the form of those spaces influenced the life of the people who used them. I received a grant to go to Italy for a half-year in 1965, to study Italian squares: how they worked, why they worked, which ones worked, which ones didn't. After that I was invited by the school of architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, to continue these studies on a research fellowship. That resulted in a book I wrote called Life Between Buildings. It was during these studies that I came across her book.

MCP: Did it inform your work, or was it too much from an American perspective. What was your response to that book?

JG: I can remember my enormous surprise that the first chapter was on sidewalk safety, because that was not an issue in this part of Europe at that time. I only learned to know fear in 1972, when I visited North America for the first time. But her book was highly inspiring, especially in relation to my research. My wife and I had started to study how the built form influenced people's behavior. We were incensed to see how traffic was ruining the cities and how insensitive architects and planners were putting up suburbs and modernistic residential areas in concrete blocks. We looked at that and thought: there's something wrong here, something must have been overlooked. And what was overlooked was how all this influenced people's lives. This became my subject of study. Jane was studying the same thing.

I can also tell you another thing: in 1962, a year after her book came out, the city council in Copenhagen closed one kilometer of the main street and turned it into a car-free street. They were reacting to the motor car invasion. And they didn't know a thing about Jane Jacobs. They just thought that the city was deteriorating with all this traffic and they had to do something.

MCP: Did you ever meet Jacobs?

JG: Oh, yes. I was just writing today about my relationship with her, because some people are writing a book about my life. I lived in Toronto in 1972/73, teaching at the university. Jane was living down on Albany Avenue, a few blocks away. But I didn't meet her that year, because we were strictly told by the school of architecture that she was not to be disturbed. She hated local academics who interrupted her work. So I taught Jacobs while in Toronto, but I never approached her. Also, my books had not yet appeared in English. At some point later I sent a couple of books of mine, in English, to Jane, and we soon had a nice correspondence. She was very kind in following my books. We exchanged books and letters. I once got a great letter from her. I'd busted my leg badly and was in a wheelchair. Jane heard about it through some people who had seen me in Copenhagen. She wrote me this two-page letter about busted knees and "how lucky I was that it was a 'mechanical' failure and not a medical failure, because mechanical things can be mended." She hoped that I would soon be fresh again and that I could come to Toronto and together we could do something for the city. That handwritten letter is now framed in my office. I met her personally, rather late, during a visit to Toronto, on her porch. We discussed New Urbanism. Whether that was good for mankind or not so good for mankind. Whether it was good, or whether it was a somewhat hollow marketing gimmick.

MCP: What do you two conclude?

JG: I can distinctly remember that we thought that New Urbanist principles were quite good. And they were especially applicable to infill in existing urban areas, where public transportation was good, and where the city services were nearby. But in many of the new built New Urbanist developments—while those might look like the good old days, and might be called walkable—there would be three cars hidden behind the porch, somewhere, because all of the pre-conditions for people-oriented cities would not be available in American suburbs. You could not dream up a streetcar and light rail, so many of these new settlements were somewhat isolated in the deep sea of suburbia.

MCP: I found a great quote from you on your website the reads: "First life, then spaces, then buildings." Can you explain that progression?

JG: Maybe I shall start with the modernist movement. Let's take Brasilia as an example. That city looks fantastic from an airplane. It's a big eagle. The head of the eagle is the Parliament. The wings are the residential units. The neck is the various ministries for the administration. It's as if Brasilia was conceived from an airplane, where they just moved around the various pieces and volumes on the model until they created a nice composition. There was no one on the ground, looking at how the spaces worked between these volumes. In the old cities, we have spaces; in the modernistic cities, we have left-over spaces. They put down the buildings first. Then they asked landscape architects to tidy up, and then they looked out the window to see if there were any people enjoying these leftover spaces, only to discover that there were none. I call this the Brasilia Syndrome.

In my book, Cities For People, I point out that in the old urban settlements, they always did it the other way around. First, you'd have a path and human activity, then some sheds along the path. Over the centuries, these sheds turned into buildings and streets. So it starts with life, with people moving towards the river, towards wherever they're going, and then next it's the spaces that human life requires, and then the buildings were built in relation to these spaces. This way we have streets, formed by the feet, and town squares, based on what the eye can see. Everything was built on the feet and the eye, until the modernists started to fly around and drop their buildings. That's still a major problem in city planning. I call them the "bird-shit architects," who fly around and plunk down high rise buildings at random. In a process like this, the spaces between these buildings will invariably be left-over spaces, instead of people-spaces.

MCP: You must go crazy when you visit a city like New York and see the high rise buildings there. Those buildings aren't being built to the people-scale, are they?

JG: I'm not so critical about New York, because they have this very firm grid-pattern. Even the newer buildings are lined up on good streets. If you stand in front of the Empire State Building, you can't really guess how tall it is, because it meets the street in a friendly way. It all depends on how these big buildings land on the ground and the spaces they create. As you may know, I have been a consultant to New York on the transformation of Times Square and Herald Square, so I've come to appreciate the city and I'm not so worried. It's not so important how high the building is, or how much it looks like a perfume bottle, it's more important how it interacts with the city. Never ask what the city can do for your building, always ask what your building can do for the city.

MCP: I also found another interesting quote that relates to our site's mission: "Public life in good quality spaces is an important part of a democratic life." What do you mean by that?

JG: It is my viewpoint that man is a social animal. If we want to really punish people, we isolate them from other people. Throughout the history of mankind, people have gathered together with other people, and the spaces where we've met have always been important in our lives. And even today, with the advent of our digital tools, public space is as popular as ever, because it's where we meet our fellow citizens. The First Amendment in your Constitution includes the right to address your fellow citizens in a public forum. We also see that whenever a dictator takes over, the first thing he does is forbid people from gathering. That's dangerous for his dictatorship. When Franco died and democracy returned to Spain, the first thing they did in Barcelona was build two hundred public spaces, so that people could meet each other and celebrate the freedom to speak in the public realm.

MCP: Here in the United States, true public space is getting rarer and rarer. Often it's actually privately-owned public space.

JG: I've traveled a lot in the United States and seen all of these developments. But I have also seen the opposite. Cities, and city centers, which were largely abandoned, getting revitalized. We've seen this in America, and we've certainly have seen it in places like Melbourne. In Copenhagen, where I live, the city has an official policy: We will be the best city in the world, for people. And these other things are implied: that we shall walk more, visit our parks and squares; we shall do this because it's good for the climate, good for the city, good for our health, and good for democracy, if you meet your fellow citizens as part of your day-to-day life. That's the official policy, and they've been quite successful in following it and developing a great city for people. In Copenhagen, you see a lot of children in the streets, because it's a nice city to be a child in.

MCP: It's a nice city to be an adult in as well.

JG: Yes, but that follows.

Martin C. Pedersen is executive director of the Common Edge Collaborative. A writer, editor and critic, he served as executive editor at Metropolis magazine for nearly fifteen years.

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La Kretz Innovation Campus / John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects

Posted: 14 Sep 2017 02:00 AM PDT

Architects: John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects
Location: Los Angeles, CA, United States
Architect In Charge: John Friedman FAIA, Alice Kimm FAIA
Area: 61000.0 m2
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Benny Chan/Fotoworks

Client: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator
General Contractor: USS Cal Builders, LLC
Structural Engineer: Mackintosh & Mackintosh 
Mep And Sustainability Engineer: Buro Happold 
Landscape Architect: AHBE Landscape Architects 
Civil Engineer: VCA Engineers 
Technology / Av / Acoustics: Waveguide 
Specifications: Yagade Consulting, Inc.
Code: AON
Cost Estimation: Del Amo Construction

From the architect. This vital new work and research campus has quickly become a dynamic hub where government, business entrepreneurs, and community come together to forge creative new partnerships. The goal: to foster innovations that advance LA's green economies within the framework of an unusual public-private coalition. The campus includes a transformed 61,000 SF warehouse in the vibrant Arts District. Offices, conference rooms, labs, prototyping workshops, and event space, in addition to facilities serving one of the City's major public utility companies, exist alongside PV-shaded parking, greywater filtration, and a microgrid system.

Flexible open areas support new collaborations. An open circulation "loop'" supports a "village" concept that connects the existing 8 bowstring truss warehouse bays. Natural light penetrates deeply. As people don't always want to work in the open, a variety of semi-open and closed workspaces is provided. The main event space, a "village square," accommodates up to 120 seated people. The constant buzz of shared activity and knowledge gives rise to constant innovation and activism.

The existing structure's simplicity backdrops unexpected moments created by faceted walls, jewel-like skylight "funnels," and a "living wall" at the lobby. Solatubes bring natural light to landlocked spaces. Sculptural geometries promote creative play and give distinct areas of the building individual identities.

In its flexibility and creative transformation of existing building stock, this new campus sets a high standard for urban revitalization while promoting innovation, community, and leadership across disciplines.

Courtesy of John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects

Tenants include Lyft, Arid Lands Institute, CicLAvia, River LA, USGBC, and a range of valuable new cleantech startups.

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Why Working Long Hours Won't Make You A "Better" Architect

Posted: 14 Sep 2017 01:00 AM PDT

Architects are known for pulling all-nighters.

This article was originally published on Brandon Hubbard's blog, The Architect's Guide.

In a previous article, Should You Become An Architect?, I touched on the issue of long working hours within the profession. Since this is such a common talking point for architects, I decided to expand on the topic.

First, let's define what is a "better architect." Is it being more productive? Regularly promoted? Highly paid? Someone who produces excellent design solutions?

Usually, all of these characteristics tend to flow together. If you are a skilled designer you are likely to be compensated and promoted accordingly. So if being good at your job leads to fame and fortune, is productivity the key to excellence?

Often the idea of productivity contrasts with the design world. The word "productive" congers up images of a production line stamping out widgets as fast as possible.

Here is the basic definition of productive:
adjective
1. producing or able to produce large amounts of goods, crops, or other commodities.

Hmmm, doesn't really sound like a dream job does it?

As you can see the definition and the general public view of being productive revolve around the idea of production. It is all about quantity over quality. Obviously, architecture has deadlines like every profession. However, the architecture school culture leans toward the idea that if there is an hour left, it should be used.

Deadlines

Does rushing to the last minute create a better product?

Does pulling all nighters result in a more refined design?

There is the psychological benefit to working up to the last minute. "Well, I couldn't do anymore since I ran out of time." The belief is that you will have fewer regrets in the future when you know there was nothing more to be done.

Speaking from personal experience, working long hours for years on end can be very draining, both physically and mentally. Just because you are logging the hours does not necessarily translate to a superior final design.

Is it Friday yet?

Can you get more done in a focused 8-hour day versus a meandering 12-hour day? What about a 6-hour day?

Sweden recently announced that they are shifting to a 6-hour work day. Linus Feldt, CEO of Stockholm-based app developer Filimundus explained the reasoning.

"I think the 8-hour work day is not as effective as one would think. To stay focused on a specific work task for 8 hours is a huge challenge. In order to cope, we mix in things and pauses to make the work day more endurable. At the same time, we are having it hard to manage our private life outside of work."

To cope with the significant cut in working hours, Feldt says staff are asked to stay off social media and other distractions while at work and meetings are kept to a minimum. "My impression now is that it is easier to focus more intensely on the work that needs to be done and you have the stamina to do it and still have energy left when leaving the office."

While I could go on to debate the health effects or lack of work life balance, the purpose of my article is to focus on the quality of the final work.

Office Culture

Many employees at "starchitect" offices often pride themselves on putting in all nighters and late nights for years on end. While this may be the culture, does staying until midnight achieve consistent results? I am not speaking about the occasional long day but rather the consistent 60+ hour weeks.

Personally, I found that while I was able to get work done, it wasn't really much more than I could have done in a traditional 8-hour day. When you are tired and mentally exhausted the creative process is much more labor intensive.

This creates a vicious cycle. I am tired so I work slower, so I get less done, so I have to work more which makes me tired.

"We architects are artists"

No one can tell an artist how something should be done. Architecture design is certainly a complex task with many moving parts and is filled with inefficiencies like any other profession.

According to a Salary.com survey, 69% of the people surveyed said they waste time at work every single day.

Most people (34%) said they routinely waste 30 minutes or less each day while on the clock. Nearly one-quarter (24%) said they waste between 30-60 minutes daily, with 11% claiming they spend several hours per day wasting time on non work-related items on a daily basis.

The trend in recent years seems to be longer hours, especially for salaried workers. I believe this is not because of an increase in workload but rather the increase in distracting apps, websites, and social media sites. This was obviously not an issue back in the days of drawing boards and drafting chairs.

My generation of "millennials" seems to get the most criticism for this distracted work ethic. However, there is a belief among my peers that our work and personal lives are becoming one. This concept was covered in a recent article, Is Work Becoming The New Church?

They see work as an extension of themselves and their lives in general. They are much more likely to socialise and build relationships with their colleagues – seeing them as part of their family, often when family can live hundreds or thousands of miles away.

Working hours seem to be increasing, this is especially true for white collar workers (architects included). While we are still in the early stages of research on the topic, the issue seems to be more about staying focused than a result of increased workload.

Why does architecture have long hours?

Looking back on my architecture school experience, it really created a model for time-wasting. An open, collaborative space with a group of mostly friends. While this is great and is a fun time, chatting for hours rarely gets much done.

This culture ultimately carries on into the professional world. Some may argue that there just isn't enough hours in the day, usually, it is a case of misdirected focus and lack of planning.

Is pure design talent the key?

There is some truth to the fact that some people have a natural eye for design. However, it is a muscle that can be developed, it just takes more "effort" for some than others.

I don't believe great architects are born but rather through years of consistent, focused work can develop the skills and connections required to succeed. This is why long hours are often associated with younger architects. Not only do they feel the need to "prove themselves" but also they haven't seen many of the design problems before. Therefore they need to learn each solution for the first time.

What can be done?

Without getting into too much detail on how to be more productive (perhaps for a future article) there are a few things you can do to try and minimize your hours.

1. Come in early

This may sound completely counter-intuitive but many people, myself included, can get more done before the rest of the office is in and the phone starts ringing. Also, working out an hour early departure time with your supervisor would be ideal for this situation.

2. Turn off email pop ups

This can be very distracting. Having the urge to stop what you are doing to answer emails can be quite unproductive. I usually try to only check email once an hour or less if possible.

3. Put your phone away

You can check it at lunch or after work. Just like the email pop ups, the countless notifications on your phone will easily eat up your day.

4. Make a to-do list

Create a list of tasks for yourself each morning. This will help keep you on track and give you a sense of accomplishment when you can check each one off.

Final thoughts

Depending on your office culture it may be near impossible to change your working hours. However, a simple rule to keep in mind is to work while you are at work. The office isn't a country club or your living room, treating it as such will only hurt your career in the long term.

There is nothing wrong with working hard when required, just don't make it your lifestyle.

To help you with your architecture job search, I've created a mega-pack of free resources that includes architecture resumes, cover letters, and an extensive collection of application documents. Click for a free download.

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Spotlight: Renzo Piano

Posted: 13 Sep 2017 11:00 PM PDT

Architecture is art, but art vastly contaminated by many other things. Contaminated in the best sense of the word—fed, fertilized by many things.
– Renzo Piano

Italian architect Renzo Piano (born 14 September 1937) is known for his delicate and refined approach to building, deployed in museums and other buildings around the world. Awarded the Pritzker Prize in 1998, the Pritzker Jury compared him to Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Brunelleschi, highlighting "his intellectual curiosity and problem-solving techniques as broad and far ranging as those earlier masters of his native land."

via Screenshot from "Renzo Piano: Architecture About 'Fighting Against Gravity'" interview with Charlie Rose

Centre Georges Pompidou. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/dalbera/2496569412'>Flickr user dalbera</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a>

Born in Genoa, Piano was originally expected to follow the family tradition and become a builder but instead chose design, studying architecture in Milan. After working for Louis Kahn between 1965 and 1970, personal success came early in Piano's career: at the age of 34, he and Richard Rogers won the design competition for the Centre Pompidou in Paris. After the completion of the building, Piano spent four years working alongside Peter Rice, the engineer of the Pompidou, before founding his firm Renzo Piano Building Workshop in 1981.

Menil Collection. Image © D Jules Gianakos

The groundbreaking success of the Pompidou led Piano to a number of other museum commissions, including another of his most widely-praised works, the Menil Collection in Houston which opened in 1987. Today Renzo Piano is perhaps the world's most prolific museum designer, but in his own practice, his designs became markedly different from the flamboyant structural display of the Centre Pompidou; he has instead become revered for his light designs and precise detailing (although many critics sensed the ghost of the Pompidou in his Whitney Museum of American Art, completed almost 40 years later). Piano refutes the idea that his work displays any single style, however, telling The Independent "I think it ['style'] is a trap. But what I don't hate is 'intelligence' or 'coherence.' Because coherence is not about shape, it is about something stronger, more humanistic, more poetic even."

Harvard Art Museums Renovation and Expansion. Image © Nic Lehoux

This reputation for sensitivity and coherence has enabled him to build alongside some of the greatest architectural works of the 20th century: in recent years, he has completed buildings adjacent to Le Corbusier's Chapel at Ronchamp and Carpenter Center at Harvard, and Louis Kahn's Kimbell Art Museum.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Image © Nic Lehoux

In awarding him the 1998 Pritzker Prize, the jury praised Piano's sensitivity but also his versatility, citing projects such as his Kansai Airport Terminal in Osaka as evidence that he was capable of more than just museums—a fact that would be reinforced in the decades to come with projects such as the Shard in London. The jury stated that "by choosing a career as an architect rather than contractor, he may have broken with a family tradition in one sense, but in fact, he has enhanced that tradition in ways his forebears could only have imagined."