Arch Daily |
- Guerau de Peguera School / taab6
- Are Part-Pedestrianized Zones In Dense Urban Environments Dangerous?
- A Barn / OPA FORM arkitekter
- Lumière Cinema Maastricht / JHK Architecten + Verlaan & Bouwstra architecten
- Dr. Schär Offices / monovolume architecture+design
- Đàm lộc House / V+studio
- Chu Hai College Campus / Rocco Design Architects
- BB 501 / JAM
- The Dairy / THOSE ARCHITECTS
- Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos Reveal Design of the New Montblanc Museum in Hamburg
- CIC do Imigrante / Escola da Cidade + B Arquitetos
- Zaha Hadid Architects Among 80 Designers to Create Dog Houses for UK Pet Charity
- Tiki Tiki Tulum Hotel/ Arturo Zavala Haag
- Landscape Architect Kate Orff and Urbanist Damon Rich Awarded 2017 MacArthur "Genius" Grants
- Sunset House / Casa14 Arquitetura
- Casa dos Pátios / PF Architecture Studio
- The Evolution of Light in IM Pei’s Museums, from Dark Concrete Voids to Luminous Glass Pyramids
- Architecture Portfolio Hacks: How To Create A Recruiter-Approved Portfolio
- OMA / Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas Selected to Design New Museum Expansion in New York
- Temporary Porcelain Clad Pavilion Addresses The Notion of Ornamentation in Architecture
Guerau de Peguera School / taab6 Posted: 11 Oct 2017 10:00 PM PDT
From the architect. The new school Guerau de Peguera in Torrelles de Foix is located on the edge of the national road at the entrance of the village and in transition between the industrial urban structure and a residential area. The building opens to the south, towards a landscape of vineyards that cover the surrounding hills. From the industrial to the domestic, from the infrastructure to the landscape, the building is located strategically to dialogue with each one of them. The school (for kids from 3 to 12 years old) is a building composed of four volumes connected to each other with a linear porch that opens onto the courtyard. The main access is located in the volume which embraces the administration, the offices for the teachers and the direction of the center. This volume acts as an articulation and lobby/ distribution hall of the center. Distributed in two floors, the volume of classrooms grows up to the west, while the library, dining room and gym, occupying the ground floor, opens up to the east in two different volumes. The composition of the Y-shaped buildings embraces the courtyard, protecting it from the noise of the national road, thus forming an outdoor landscape (patio), open, sunny and linked to the landscape, but safe and protected from traffic. The materials used are large in size and very light, allowing a rapid and sustainable construction. The skin of the building is made of an industrialized construction that combines GRC and recycled lacquered aluminum. Different colors of glazing and U-Glass define a lighter ground floor that filters the light inwards to identify its uses and accesses. A game of numerous white textures with its nuances by the materials used such as concrete block, DM wood and pladur fon, defines the interior of the building and are ready to be colonized by users. Three of the four volumes that form the building, are solved with sloped roof plate that generates interiors of a great amplitude giving a new scale to the different uses of the center. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Are Part-Pedestrianized Zones In Dense Urban Environments Dangerous? Posted: 11 Oct 2017 09:00 PM PDT Tristram Hunt—director of London's Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)—has expressed concern about one of the city's most successful semi-pedestrianized zones: Exhibition Road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. As reported by The Art Newspaper, Hunt has argued that the traffic arrangements are "confusing, dangerous and unsatisfactory". His answer, following a traffic collision on October 7, 2017, which injured 11 people, is to fully pedestrianize the area. With the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Royal Albert Hall, and Imperial College London in close proximity, the area—known locally as "Albertopolis"—was redeveloped five years ago to become "a shared space for vehicles and walkers." A new entrance to the V&A designed by AL_A was recently opened in the vicinity of the road. The incident and Hunt's concerns raise questions about the ways in which cities can safely redevelop high-density urban areas. You can read the article in full, here.
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Posted: 11 Oct 2017 08:00 PM PDT
The Barns They Are A Changin´ In the valley Myrkdalen on the west-coast of Norway you find old farming land, but also new land for the recent developed grand scale skiing-resort Myrkdalen. The small barn is situated right in the middle, on the high end of the old farming-land, right below the modern ski-lift, facing the spectacular view of the valley. The old agriculture building has been empty for a long time, it has lost its original use and function and for a while now it has been neglected. But the times they are a changin´, soon it will be hosting tourist from all around the world. A family of four, a couple on their honeymoon, or skibums, can spend a memorable night here since a modern sleeping module has been installed inside the old barn. OPA FORM architects has infused new life into the old characteristic barn by adding a module that provides all the comfort you might need for a good nights sleep. Seen from the outside there are only small signs of the barns transformation. A sculpturesque window stretches out of the old cladding, towards the great view, witnessing a modern structure. Entering the barn you´ll find yourself in the authentic stable, with rough surfaces, an un-insulated room that used to shelter cows. Here nothing is changed, but across the room you´ll see the addition, a module clad in bright aspen with a circular entrance. Hence the small scale of the host, the module is built with the uttermost precision and at the same time great respect for the barn-structure. The addition is self-sufficient, carefully fitted around the existing structure. Part of the module stretches up in-between the low beams, resulting in a spacious vertical room where visitors are able to stand upright. Rest of the interior is carefully designed to offer comfortable sitting and sleeping space during the stay, organized around the central fire-place and the adjacent spacious window. Travelling the norwegian west-coast one can easily spot worn-down buildings scattered across the scenery fjord-landscape. Old barns clinging on the steep landscape don´t make any useful agricultural buildings anymore since the farming industry changed. But these barns make an excellent tourist destination. Transforming the old buildings function rather than transforming the building-structure is the concept of the strategy called "the barns they are a-changing". To ensure the envisioned product, OPA FORM arkitekter personally followed the project every step on the way, from the early 1:1 sketches, the building of the module in the offices workstead and to the installation in the old barn, it was all done in-house and hands-on. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Lumière Cinema Maastricht / JHK Architecten + Verlaan & Bouwstra architecten Posted: 11 Oct 2017 07:00 PM PDT
From the architect. Commissioned by Maastricht City Council, JHK Architecten, working together with Verlaan & Bouwstra architecten, has transformed the former electric power station and boiler houses of the Sphinx factory in Maastricht. After extensive restoration and renovation, the listed power station has now become the new accommodation for the Maastricht cinema Lumière. The 1910 complex is part of the new culture cluster of 'the Timmerfabriek' and is located on the inland harbour 'the Bassin' on Boschstraat. The redevelopment of this complex is part of the urban development project 'Belvédère Binnensingel', within which the culture cluster will serve as a boost for the future redevelopment of this former industrial area to the north of the centre of Maastricht. The complex consists of four buildings: the listed machine hall at the corner of the Bassin, two boiler houses directly behind and a carpentry workshop which links the machine hall to the other buildings in the culture cluster. The beautifully decorated listed machine hall now provides space for the cinema's café/restaurant facility. The first floor, where the old steam machines used to be located, has been transformed into a stylish industrial restaurant in the middle of the old installations. On the ground floor, between the old masonry foundations of the steam machines, is the restaurant kitchen and a separate bar area directly connected to the terrace on the Bassin. In the boiler houses behind are the six new cinemas, with a total capacity of 500 seats, stacked according to the box-within-a-box principle. The three largest have been installed in a half-submerged basement construction, which has left sufficient space in the halls to continue experiencing the iconic roof structures. This basement with the new cinemas represents an organizing intervention that together with a number of tactical breakthroughs of the various buidings has created a single, clear and surprising complex. The restaurant level, the elevated ground floor, continues above the half-submerged cinemas so that the four buildings could be linked with each other at this level. As a result, visitors to the cinemas can walk straight into the boiler houses from the restaurant and access one of the six cinemas from the elevated ground floor. The three large cinemas are equipped with so-called 'parabolic tiered seating' which means that the seating at the back of the cinema rises up gradually. As a result, you have an excellent view of the screen from every seat, but you can also see the rows in front of and behind you which increases the feeling of a shared cinema experience. In addition, this special form of seating is reflected in the acoustic wall cladding by having the height of the panels correspond with the landings in the tiers of seating. The entrance to the cinema is housed in the adjacent former carpentry workshop. There used to be an alley between the workshop and the power station which was later closed off. This closed gap can be clearly experienced internally because the old side wall of the power station can still be seen inside. This later filled-in zone forms the entrance to the cinema, from where people can ascend to the centre of the cinema via a new passage and a 'lazy' staircase. Outside, beside the entrance, a public passageway has been made on the ground floor of the carpentry workshop, which links the inner courtyard of the building block, 'the Cour', to the Bassin. Above this passageway are the Lumière offices, and on the Cour side, where the street level connects to the first floor due to the large height difference, an extra multifunctional space has been situated. The carpentry workshop is one of the earliest and most slender examples of a 'Hennebique' construction. This construction principle means that beams, floors and columns are all cast at the same time, so that extremely slender constructions could be realized. The construction of this building has been significantly reinforced, particularly under the intermediate floor, but the most slender columns on the upper floor can still be seen from the inside in the Cour wall, even after the repurposing. The large cinema in the complex has been placed under the level of the Cour by making use of the great height difference between the Cour and the Bassin at the front of the power station. As a result, the desired future connection to the adjacent Sappi site directly behind the complex can be realized and there will also be room for future developments where the entire Cour will be enclosed. The complex, which has been extended and rebuilt over the years, was full of abandoned technical areas, some of which had even been bricked up for years. By combining the basement construction, which fits into the complex like a machine, with clever routing it has been possible to give all these areas a new function, and most are now accessible to the public. Even the cinema toilets are worth a visit now because of this. Toilets were realized under the heavy masonry arches of a former railway line next to the power station, which was used to transport coal for the boilers. The toilet group next to the restaurant is however in a bright high-ceilinged space with beautiful light from above and classic green tiles, where the unit with the toilets and washstands are now free-standing in the space. The toilets for the cinemas are located in the former alley between the buildings. The former outside wall was left in full view here so that the history of the complex has been left visible for the observant visitor. Since the complex consists of extremely diverse buildings, each with its own condition and status, every building was tackled in a different way, technically speaking. In order to be able to restore the heavily dilapidated boiler houses in a sound and durable way, the masonry, which was in a very bad state, was removed and the steel construction was preserved in its entirety. The walls were then rebricked and insulated, so that a much more comfortable and durable entity was created. By opting for this approach, the complex could be preserved in its entirety, including the slender steel constructions. At the same time, this approach made it possible to construct a basement under the existing buildings for the cinemas, which meant that space was left in the halls to experience the halls as a whole. The listed machine hall has been restored and renovated as well as possible. As a basis, the choice was made here to retain with improvements where possible, without changing the appearance of the monument too greatly. As a whole, it is a magnificent complex, where the industrial heritage of the Sphinx has been combined with state-of-the-art cinemas and an extensive and welcoming restaurant in a wonderful atmosphere: a unique cinema at a unique location! This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Dr. Schär Offices / monovolume architecture+design Posted: 11 Oct 2017 05:00 PM PDT
From the architect. The company of the Dr. Schär AG is located in the southern part of the commercial area of Burgstall. Because of the steady growth of the company also the space requirement increases and therefore the existing administration block has been extended. Due to the limited base area, the building was conceived on three floors. The characteristic of the design of the new part of the building is the sophisticated, restrained and linear architecture. The glass facades create a new light and clear look of the building and also of the whole company. The sun protection is made of slanting glass flakes, it is aimed at a kind of double façade.The visible Attica panels of the ceiling are covered with white tiles, the flat roofs are designed as green roofs. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Posted: 11 Oct 2017 03:00 PM PDT
From the architect. With a land area of 52 m2, it is typical of the typical tube house in Vietnam. The width is 4m and the length is 13m. According to the local design, the stairs will be placed in the middle of the face. The first floor will be a garage, living room, dining room, kitchen and toilets will be placed under the stairs next to the floor of the floor is the bedroom at the two toilets and toilet in the middle. The advantage of this type of design is that it is easy to apply the extra bedroom space. The disadvantage of this design is the space is not clean rooms will share with the garage ... lose the luxury and clean. Next to the stairway between the house and toilet under the small stairs dark without natural light. The dinning room and narrow kitchen lack the natural light that leads to unsanitary. So with this design the architect changed the staircase direction to squeeze the side to save space for the green tree and aquarium aquarium. The living room of the house is inspired by the tranquil scene of the village of Vietnam (each village has a big tree under the tree is a small tea house where the guests stop when away from the village and is a gathering place of people in the village when they go to work, where children play, they sit under the tree to rest and tell each other stories about life, farm work). Next to the kitchen and dining room, the dining room is designed for families of about 4 people with 2 back seats and the front of the chair with no backrest so that you can sit comfortably on the wall reading. trees and fish swimming. On the 2nd floor of the house, there are 2 bedrooms with plenty of natural light and the windows can be opened to see the trees ahead. The 3rd floor is a place of worship of the family and the workplace of the house is also full of trees and natural light. The facade outside the house used is the type of ventilation bricks used widely in Vietnam in the 1980s and 90s. This type of brick is made of concrete. Now reused because of its useful features fit modern living in urban areas with small independent households as well as external security, rain cover but still guaranteed natural ventilation. But the great advantage of it is that light through the slits creates very special emotions. So with a change of architecture, it has transformed Vietnam's current tube house with a dark and hot defect into a house of light and trees, but also filled with emotion while living within it. too much space to use compared to the surrounding houses and construction costs are also modest about $35000 USD. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Chu Hai College Campus / Rocco Design Architects Posted: 11 Oct 2017 01:00 PM PDT
From the architect. The new campus design signifies a highly linked & connected institution. It looks into the compact urban condition of Hong Kong itself for direct inspiration and epitomizes a miniature city, dense and connected. The spatial organization maximizes density by stacking multiple slab blocks of different programs vertically on top of each other over a podium of communal activities, including a number of lecture theatres and a gymnasium. A folded vertical Student Boulevard rises to form a 3-dimensional street network in the air that weaves and binds the different blocks and levels into a connected whole. From the Boulevard, students can gain free access to a series of sky gardens and roof decks of various scales on different levels: turfed green lawn sloping towards the sea, student plaza & mini café etc., all afforded with magnificent sea views and lively atmosphere. The footprints of the buildings are restricted to that of the existing foundations to minimize unnecessary modification. Programs requiring larger footprints such as the classrooms and libraries are suspended out from the main slab blocks to make up for the required floor area. Architecturally, the library and the student union are remodeled as bridges that connect the east and west slab blocks into an iconic gateway. The classrooms on the upper floors are tapered outwards, creating a sloping wall as a reflector to redirect sunlight to the interior corridor and allow natural ventilation to reach the lower levels. The elevation of the building reflects an authentic expression of its complex section. Formally, the cantilevers and bridges extending from the slab blocks resemble the image of a tree crown and symbolize the primitive learning space under the shade of the green canopy. Its composition and construction also resemble the inherent spirit of Chinese Calligraphy, namely the beautiful balance of solid and void in the elevation. The erection of the new campus in essence alludes to the creation of a new character: a new rudiment that would form the root of new knowledge for the generations to come. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Posted: 11 Oct 2017 12:00 PM PDT
From the architect. It is a room of five-stories multi-family residence located in the suburbs of Chongqing, China. As the dwelling was handed over at the skeleton, the layout was only roughly planned. It was necessary to rationally arrange the rooms after putting together the storage and functions there. I conducted a number of property research with clients and selected construction companies. The client who loves nature and book sought a white and beautiful space that various plants and furnishings could shine From the opening on the east side, soft natural light enters through the glass frit and shea curtain. Space is suppressed color and material, making it a reasonable placement plan. Dry flowers and miscellaneous goods are displayed on stone counters, and they show subtle harmony with old furniture they possess. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Posted: 11 Oct 2017 10:00 AM PDT
From the architect. Most on-site property sales offices are pragmatic structures that sit alone, often uncomfortably, on large tracts of land: temporary, prosaic and utilitarian beasts, there to serve a short term purpose, and no more. This site and sales office on a former dairy farm, designed by Sydney-based architecture practice THOSE Architects for their client Stockland is the opposite. Conceived as a 'building in a landscape' it is a tactile piece of architecture in its own right: a building that is uniquely of its place, designed to heighten the visitor's experience of that place and convey a sense of the community that will eventually reside there. And unlike most sales and site offices, it has a longer life: it will remain as a cafe and meeting place when the new residents move in. The Dairy project is underpinned by THOSE Architects' ideas about the way people relate to buildings and landscape: how the architecture moves them into a built space, then through the space, and how it connects them to the landscape beyond. "We see this as a discrete work of architecture, designed to inform the potential purchaser about the place where they may live, and how it might feel to live there," said Ben Mitchell, director of THOSE Architects. "It's all about the architecture. So, for example, unlike most sales offices, it has no signage, and is carefully calibrated to covey an experience of its place." THOSE Architects' brief was to achieve this on a super-shoestring budget, so they focused on finding ways to use modest materials in a powerful way, to heighten the experience of what it feels like to be in this lush, flat former dairy pasture landscape. The circulation sequence through and around the building is carefully curated in order to create moments of tension and relief, camouflage and revelation, intimacy interspersed with long vistas. With the main view from the building situated to the North-West (over dairyland to the Blue Mountains beyond) the building is approached from the South-East via a honed concrete ramp which intersects lush pasture. An imposing black timber wall is punctuated by two openings, one of which is lined with copper cladding to define the entry point. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos Reveal Design of the New Montblanc Museum in Hamburg Posted: 11 Oct 2017 09:00 AM PDT Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos has revealed the design of Montblanc Haus, a new museum, visitor center and event space in Hamburg, Germany dedicated to the "art of writing" and the finely-detailed craftsmanship of Montblanc products. The At the announcement, Hamburg Mayor Olaf Scholz and Montblanc CEO Nicolas Baretzki unveiled the design of the 39,395-square-foot (3,660-square-meter) project for the first time, presenting it as a new architectural icon for the city. Estimated to cost 20 million euros, the museum will tell the story of Montblanc through the company's iconic writing utensils and products. The design of Montblanc Haus is formed by a 100-meter-long volume reminiscent of a pen case that conceals "a sophisticated sequence of spaces in three levels, articulated around a central illuminated atrium." A signature element of the project is the graphic facade. The architects explain:
To be located in the Altona district in Hamburg, Montblanc Haus is expected to open to the public in 2020. News via Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
CIC do Imigrante / Escola da Cidade + B Arquitetos Posted: 11 Oct 2017 08:00 AM PDT
From the architect. The new Citizenship's Centre for Immigrants in Barra Funda, São Paulo, came up from of a partnership between São Paulo's State Department of Justice and Defense of Citizenship and the architecture school Escola da Cidade with the financial support of Inditex and the State Labor Prosecutor's Office. The project was developed as a pedagogical effort of academic extension, involving undergraduate and graduate students and professors. The proposal faces the challenge of converting railway buildings into meeting spaces, welcoming people and providing basic instruments of citizenship to the immigrants that arrive in São Paulo. In addition to the good metaphor (the train, the station, the arrival), the two buildings were immediately detected as the best structure to adapt: continuous and big enough space, with the possibility of expansion over time within the same logic of intervention. The main idea was to provide a nice welcome place with a large reception square along the street, accessible by some steps or ramps. This open space is not only an arrival, but also the connection to the two occupied buildings and is able to define the using spaces of the complex, separating cars and pedestrians zones. The square extends to the existing garden by boundaries of the railroad, and becomes a public space suitable for the frequent celebrations, assemblies and meetings of organized entities of immigrants. The railroad operation building was converted into supporting spaces such as a coffee shop, children's space and internet access. All the roof has been rebuilt, and the entire system for doors, ventilation and lighting has been reviewed. The linear shed building concentrates the service sector - to be operated by the Federal Police, the main support agent for documents and regularization of foreign people. The longitudinal dimension of the old railway warehouse is reaffirmed by the organization of the service stations, aligned along almost 70 meter. The original elements of the roofs were restored and, without any ceiling, called to participate in the space in the new venue. A third element is proposed as a link between the two existing blocks and as a solution of separation of users: a steel mezzanine partially defines in its upper level the private office spaces and organize the public service and support spaces at the lower level. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Zaha Hadid Architects Among 80 Designers to Create Dog Houses for UK Pet Charity Posted: 11 Oct 2017 07:00 AM PDT Who says architecture is only for humans? Not UK-based pet charity Blue Cross for Pets, whose BowWow Haus London campaign is bringing design into the doghouse. Joining a growing list of more than 80 architects, designers and artists, Zaha Hadid Architects is the latest practice to design a one-of-a-kind dog kennel that will be be displayed before being auctioned off at a gala next May to benefit the more than 40,000 sick, injured and homeless pets helped by Blue Cross for Pets each year. Named 'Cloud,' ZHA's design is constructed from CNC-milled plywood and is elevated slightly off the ground to shield dogs from cold floor surfaces. "Designed for the BowWow Haus exhibition, Cloud continues our ongoing commitment to support those doing great work in our community," said Patrik Schumacher, principal of Zaha Hadid Architects. Proceeds from the gala will go toward the renovation and refurbishment of Blue Cross' re-homing centre in Kimpton, UK, as well as toward promoting other community art projects led by event organizer, the Outdoor Arts Foundation. Check out some additional kennel designs below! Shiro Studio AHA Design The "Bark-alona Pavilion" - Jia-hao Syu, Design Haus Liberty Shiguru Foo-foo Pavilion - Jia-hao Syu, Design Haus Liberty FT Architects with Bruce Oldfield Studio Shaw Matt Maynard Brian O'Tuama Architects - INU-GOYA JH - Collective kittycat - "The Diamond In The Woof" BowWow Basil - Russian for Fish Jeff Pelszynski - Fleischman Garcia Architects See more designs and learn more about the event at the BowWow Haus London. website, here. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Tiki Tiki Tulum Hotel/ Arturo Zavala Haag Posted: 11 Oct 2017 06:00 AM PDT
From the architect. The Tiki Tiki Hotel Tulum has only fifteen rooms and is surrounded by a magnificent jungle. Its architecture is inspired by the modern architecture of the 1950s, where attention to detail and space quality make the project a good choice of accommodation. Modernist and Art Deco details have been designed, blending characteristics of regional designs and materials that are found in the region. Local wood was also used to design furniture and carpentry. The exterior ceramic insert was designed specifically to honor the beautiful architecture of Palm Springs. We seek to maintain the maximum amount of vegetation and trees on the ground, the hotel is distributed around a central swimming pool that is the heart of the project, a refreshing and visual oasis surrounded by tropical plants and an architecture that mixes in a friendly way with their surroundings. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Landscape Architect Kate Orff and Urbanist Damon Rich Awarded 2017 MacArthur "Genius" Grants Posted: 11 Oct 2017 05:30 AM PDT The MacArthur Foundation has announced the 24 recipients of their 2017 MacArthur Fellowships Grants (sometimes referred to as 'Genius' Grants), and for the first time since 2011, the list includes individuals from architectural fields: urban planner and designer Damon Rich and landscape architect Kate Orff. Established in 1981, the grants are awarded annually "to encourage people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations." This year's fellowships come with a $625,000, no-strings-attached stipend for individual pursuits. Founding principal of landscape architecture practice SCAPE, Kate Orff has dedicated special attention toward addressing the challenges associated with urbanization and climate change, including rising sea levels, pollution and biodiversity loss. Together with her firm, Orff has developed master plans for cities and districts across the country using innovative, pedestrian-friendly schemes, such as in SCAPE's 2014 Buckminster Fuller Challenge-winning climate change adaptation plan. Recently, the firm was chosen as a lead exhibitor for the US Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Biennale. She is also an Associate Professor & Director of the Urban Design Program at Columbia GSAPP. Orff was lauded by the MacArthur Foundation for her "resourceful design approach" that "calls attention to the most distinctive natural attributes of a given place, while her collaborations and community outreach strategies extend the boundaries of traditional landscape architecture." Also a GSAPP faculty member (adjunct associate professor), Damon Rich is co-founder of design studio Hector and founder of the Center of Urban Pedagogy (CUP), a New York City-based nonprofit organization focused on the educating students and young people about urban planning processes such as affordable housing, infrastructure design and tenant's rights. Trained as an architect (at Columbia), Rich has used his design background to create physical representations of planning concepts, such as in his Red Lines Housing Crisis Learning Center exhibit at the Queens Museum in 2009. Recently, Rich has served as chief urban designer and director planning (2008–2015) for Newark, New Jersey, where he helped to spawn new development and revitalization by redrafting outdated land-use and zoning laws by organizing a citywide coalition of neighborhood representatives. Read more about Orff and Rich as well as the other 22 grantees, here.
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Sunset House / Casa14 Arquitetura Posted: 11 Oct 2017 04:00 AM PDT
From the architect. The renovation of a townhouse in São Paulo, deteriorated after 40 years of use, led the office to rethink the original design of the 1970s. With compartmentalized pavements, poor clarity and impaired circulation, the project had as its architect the rethinking of the social and integrate the spaces of the house inhabited by a young couple. In order to make the necessary changes possible, the architects had to overcome some obstacles, such as the excess walls that divided the spaces; a backyard building that occupied 100 square meters of backyard grounds, and on the ground floor a two-step gap made the challenge even greater. In order to organize the program, the architects proposed the elimination of the annex and the removal of partitions in the lower part of the house, and then the leveling of the floor of the social area. According to Mariana Andersen, this made it possible to integrate the rooms and enlarge the gardens - including the internal one, which made the balcony become the main living environment, responsible for the transition between living room, kitchen and backyard. Upstairs is the intimate area. A glass frame was installed in the living room, extending the sliding door, to increase the perception of lateral recoil and lighting, which allowed the internal garden to be extended and repaginated. The renovation also made it possible for the rooms to communicate, surrounded by a curtain of sunlight and plants and under an even more special factor: it made the rooms on the west face gain a privileged position for sunset. From the street, anyone who sees the house does not imagine that it is a townhouse - the pivotal main door gives access to the intermediary level of the residence. On the right side, the office has separate entrance. The request for a kitchen partially joined to the social area was attended with the concrete leaked partition and joinery. Before dark and closed, the environment had the wall in front of the porch replaced by sliding doors - and the connection inside-outside gained a reinforcement. Something similar happened in the office, where the slab rests on the side walls, releasing the stretch from the ceiling to the glass closure. The pergola of reinforced concrete has four main beams that support the pillars of the facade and extend to the beginning of the internal garden, making the great balance possible. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Casa dos Pátios / PF Architecture Studio Posted: 11 Oct 2017 02:00 AM PDT
From the architect. The Casa dos Pátios project aimed to rehabilitate an 18th century building located on the Sto Ildefonso street, Porto. The building which had throughout its existence diverse of uses, as services and housing, having even been used as a school, was abandoned and in pre-ruin state for decades. The proposal intended to create a set of apartments and shops, retaining all the structure and spatial concept of preexistence. The original building, although apparent from the outside having only two floors, actually contains a curious organization that takes shape on four habitable floors. In spite of the advanced state of degradation, the Baroque organization still evident in the interior, namely in the stairs of access to the first floor, served as starting point for the definition of the proposal. A simple and rigorous organization, where the spaces are strongly illuminated and marked by the conserved elements of the original spaces: the arcs of separation between divisions, granite masonry, carpentry elements and stairs. The most affirmative moment of the project is the common stairway access to the second floor since it is a new element. It was the need to create thie element - and the impossibility of diluting in the whole - that led us to assume it, giving it a geometric and contemporary reading, coupled with an absolutely Baroque color. The result is eleven apartments of t0, t1 and t2 typology, where the interior space creates a peaceful dialogue between the past and present, reflected in restrained and elegant spaces, animated by the variation of light. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The Evolution of Light in IM Pei’s Museums, from Dark Concrete Voids to Luminous Glass Pyramids Posted: 11 Oct 2017 01:45 AM PDT Although the Louvre pyramid, often recognized as his masterwork, created a luminous icon for presenting culture, IM Pei's early museums were characterized by the harsh shadows of brutalism. Project by project, the Chinese-American master developed a sophisticated, open architectural language. Pei's holistic approach for welcoming museum visitors comprises powerful symbols which utilize sunlight to its fullest during the daytime, while employing the magical glow of illumination in the evening. Whereas most assessments of the Louvre have praised the achievements of the luminous pyramid as seen above the ground, the actual design challenge laid underground, in offering visitors a successful underground space. Later, Pei transferred his language to multiple other museum projects, where light was always a key factor in defining museum experiences. In a year of celebratory events such as "Rethinking Pei: A Centenary Symposium," which begins tomorrow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, an examination of Pei's use of light in museums can contribute an important cultural emphasis. Brutalist Boxes Brought Together in LightThe imagery of IM Pei's museums shows vividly how his imagination has shifted over time, from an intense play of shadows with cubes towards complex glossy reflections with light-flooded spaces. This observation is not limited to the exterior façades but also applies to the buildings' entrance zones. His Everson Museum (Syracuse, 1968) anticipated the debate surrounding museum buildings which act as giant sculptures and break the long tradition of classical imagery, as epitomized by Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. In Syracuse, cantilevered boxes separate the museum façade from the ground through intense shadows; Pei was fond of early cubist sculptures and how light contributed to the perception of form. "Without the play of light, form is inert and space becomes static; I would like to think that when I design buildings light is one of my first considerations", remarked Pei in a conversation with writer Gero von Boehm. Gaps between the cubes enable some daylight to enter the central entrance space at the Everson Museum. The massive waffle-slab roof rests heavily above the central court, with its bush-hammered concrete creating a dimmed atmosphere. Details like the central monolithic spiral staircase—which will reappear later in an elegant form at the Louvre—have also been included in the strict concrete environment. Against Museum Fatigue: Windowless Boxes Encounter DaylightIn contrast to the horizontally-oriented Everson Museum, the sloped terrain at the Cornell campus led to the decision for a vertical concrete museum. The clustered volumes at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art (Ithaca, 1973) have a higher level of perforation. Compared to the Everson Museum, this tower engages long views and invites sunlight to flood the exterior sculpture terrace from different directions. Pei paid close attention in order to avoid the common problem of museum fatigue caused by rows of monotonous exhibition spaces. He enriched the movement between the windowless art galleries with spaces where daylight offers points of rest, animating the museum experience. Nevertheless, the museum requires visitors to approach through intense shadow below a heavy cube to reach the entrance before encountering the illuminated artwork—a gesture which shows vestiges of Pei's approach at the Everson Museum. Introducing Glass and PyramidsThe East Building of the National Gallery of Art (Washington, 1978) marked an essential shift towards transparency in Pei's museum design language. This was the moment that he introduced glass pyramids for the first time. The seven small, scattered crystal skylights on the plaza harvest natural light for the underground concourse linking the East and West Buildings. Originally Pei designed a brutalist concrete ceiling for the central atrium similar to his previous museums, but studies revealed that this created a depressing atmosphere in the monumental space. As a result, the ceiling was opened to daylight with a triangular space frame system spanning the atrium including tubular bars to reduce the glare. The distinctive new patterns etched by the sun brought a pleasant counterpoint to the uniform atrium surfaces. Before his breakthrough with the Louvre entrance, Pei also used the glass pyramid motif on two commercial buildings. At the IBM Somer Office Complex (1984) he welcomed the company's clients with a large elevated glass pyramid between two triangular buildings. Due to the reflective glass coating, the mirror image of the sky overpowers the effect of transparency, obscuring any inside view and leaving a monumental impression. In contrast, the octagonal pyramid at the entrance pavilion of the IBM Headquarters (Armonk, 1985) is located at the front of the main building, but in this project it appears more like the roof of a two-story pavilion than an iconic, grandiose form. Transforming the Egyptian Archetype into a High-Tech Modern PyramidBy copying the 51-degree angle of the Great Pyramid at Giza, Pei reproduced a famous icon and symbolically reinforced the Grand Louvre's pursuit of high culture. At the same time he modernized the antique symbol with transparent glass. Providing a counterpoint to the iconic main pyramid, Pei also added an inverse pyramid and surrounded them with grass and water, intensifying the Egyptian metaphors of life and death. However, from a functional point of view, Pei sought a solution in which he could create an optically minimal volume in the main courtyard for the new entrance, respecting the existing buildings. During the daytime, the sides of the central pyramid reflect the sky. The surrounding water creates a reflecting pool, underlining Pei's desire to create a light atmosphere and to dematerialize the Egyptian symbol. Even from the underground entrance, visitors can enjoy the view to the surrounding historical Louvre facades. The filigree construction on the underside has turned the icon into a high-tech element, and at night the pyramid appears like an urban jewel in the city of Paris. Converting an Opaque Archetype into a Sparkling DiamondFor a striking image at night, Pei worked alongside the American lighting designer Claude R. Engle to create a solution in which the pyramid would not create any dominant reflections which would interfere with the views in the courtyard or from the basement to the surrounding facades. As the pyramid does not span the complete court, the designers searched for a strategy to create an illusion of daylight in the underground areas which are too far away from the pyramids. Claude Engle was aware that the eye alone determines the impression of in a space: this process is not based on measuring the illuminance level but on the brightness perception of the space, in which walls are a key contributor. This simple principle requires that lighting designers illuminate the vertical surfaces surrounding the space. Additionally, our eyes are used to a graduation of brightness from high levels down to the ground, which feels natural to us. As a consequence, Engle highlighted the pyramid as a prominent eye-catcher, and created a bright basement with the impression of a luminous ceiling and vertical illumination. Because glass itself cannot be illuminated, Engle used grazing light for the delicate supporting structure of the glass pyramid. For the ceiling of the entrance space, Pei reproduced and multiplied the pyramid in a much smaller size. By illuminating two sides of all these concrete pyramids, the visitors receive the impression that the bright sky is extending into the interior. Uniform wallwashing completes the setting of the underground entrance. Transferring the Pyramid into a Contemporary ContextAfter the successful addition of the glass pyramid as a counterpoint to the renaissance Louvre façades, Pei used his new icon and daylight approach for two projects in the 1990s. For these museums he set his entrance glass structure in a modern context, unlike the historical setting of the royal palace in Paris. The glass façade for the lobby of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (Cleveland, 1995) demonstrates a stunning similarity to the Louvre pyramid. The slightly staggered tetrahedral glass tent looks like two glass pyramids when accessing the building from the front—the front one whole, with a truncated pyramid. The scale and grid of the glass pattern continues on the other solid volumes and unites the composition, forming an expressive icon for music culture. However, this building holds a stronger relationship to controlled cubism than to the roaring beats of Rock and Roll. For the later Japanese Miho Museum (1996) Pei chose a rather subtle dialogue with the surrounding landscape and regional architecture. Delicately filtered daylight passes through the glass structure and creates a luminous impression in the spaces, especially the grand hall. "In the beginning the shadows bothered me," admitted Pei in his interview with Gero von Boehm. "But now I no longer worry about it, because the shadow patterns change all the time. In fact, I find the constantly changing pattern quite fascinating." At night the pavilions emanate a warm glow like lanterns—here more scattered in comparison to the one luminous pyramid in Paris. Adapting Skylights to Local CultureAfter 2000, with time after the design of the Louvre, Pei's museums began to reveal different reinterpretations of his trademarks of pyramid, glass, and stone. For example, the extension of the German History Museum (Berlin, 2003) grabs attention with its exposed glazed spiral staircase. The glass entrance welcomes visitors, without historicizing features, on the magnificent "Unter den Linden" boulevard. Even the entrance to the basement via a tunnel from the adjacent building involves daylight. On the top floor, tetrahedral ceiling bays with a special luminaire on the apex indicate an obvious link to the grid pattern of the Louvre ceiling. The Musée d'Art Moderne / MUDAM (Luxembourg, 2006), superimposed on the ruins of a fort, plays again with historical symbols: the glass lanterns on top of the translucent pyramids link the solid Egyptian pyramid with the motif of a fortress tower. Materialized in glass, they lift the cultural site into modernity and leave the past of the dark fortress behind. When the museum is illuminated at night, people see a light on the hill, providing an attractive force at night. In contrast, the Suzhou Museum (2006), as Pei's first museum in his home country, avoids large iconic gestures. Instead, the subdivided composition includes multiple ascending roof patterns linked to traditional Chinese motifs with smaller glass openings for daylight and views. Finally, Pei's last major museum project, the Museum of Islamic Art (Doha, 2008), quotes traditional Islamic design patterns, visible in the skylight of the Museum. Sensitive to the intense sunlight in the Middle East, here Pei has avoided large openings to the sky and grants the visitors a shaded representational entrance to the world of arts. The faceted, sky-lit dome in the central atrium plays with the different shades and finally confirms Pei's turn away from his early cubic brutalism. Light matters, a monthly column on light and space, is written by Dr. Thomas Schielke. Based in Germany, he is fascinated by architectural lighting and works as an editor for the lighting company ERCO. He has published numerous articles and co-authored the books "Light Perspectives" and "SuperLux". For more information check www.erco.com, www.arclighting.de or follow him @arcspaces. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Architecture Portfolio Hacks: How To Create A Recruiter-Approved Portfolio Posted: 11 Oct 2017 01:00 AM PDT The following article, originally published by the self-titled "Portfolio Queen," Stephanie Gleeson, gives you an insider's perspective into what recruiters are looking for when they open your portfolio. Gleeson, a Senior Consultant at boutique recruiting firm Bloomfield Tremayne & Partners, offers her top tips on everything from hierarchy tips, software and formatting, and how to present your portfolio in the interview. Your portfolio can tell a potential employer so much about you as an individual:
We want you to ace the portfolio, so here are my top hacks from having gone through the grueling process myself and what I've seen as a recruitment consultant. And trust me – I've seen a lot. 1. How Should I Structure My Portfolio?
Your portfolio should be structured to the role. If the role is primarily documentation with the potential for concept design, highlight the documentation first over concept design. Provide more weight to certain aspects of your work over others. Place the most relevant work in the first couple of pages. Just as with a job interview – first impressions count and your portfolio is no different.
As with hierarchy, ensuring that your portfolio shows your most relevant and recent work is critical. You may hear people say that your portfolio should tell your story, however, your story doesn't need to be in chronological order – maybe your start really belongs at the end, maybe that one job prior in commercial interiors should be placed just before your most recent project.
The first portfolio is a teaser trailer. It should be a 5-10 page preview portfolio that accompanies your cover letter and CV. It is critical that this one is highly relevant to the role as this is what you'll be first assessed and judged on. Your second portfolio should be an elaborated version of the first, that you present at the interview. Here is your chance to highlight any additional skills you may have – keeping in mind that you need to build off what you presented in your first. It is often a good idea to also print of a documentation package to accompany your second portfolio. 2. Where Do I Start?
Using the correct software to build and present your portfolio is critical – you're going into design after all. Your layout does not need to be overly complicated but don't use programs such as Microsoft Word or PowerPoint as these programs won't show off your software skills. I would recommend using Adobe InDesign to curate your portfolio.
Stick to simple typography, like Arial or Helvetica etc. unless you want to justify your decision. Readability is key. You may see some people knock down Arial for being overused – but it is available on most computers and devices, so you won't experience font scramble where suddenly all your formatting is all over the place. Focus should be on your work, not your font.
If a firm is looking through a dozen applications, naming your file correctly will help make their life easier. A good way to name your file is 'Firstname_lastname_company'
There is nothing quite like opening your inbox on a Wednesday morning to find half a dozen emails – all from the same person because they've sent their portfolio through on multiple PDF pages. Often this is because they haven't compressed their portfolio themselves, so their only option is to split it up. Ain't nobody got time for that! Not sure how to compress your portfolio? You can use Adobe, or there is a range of free online PDF converters to use – just go to Google.
Online portfolios do have many benefits: it's a click away, instantly available, you don't need to mess around with those pesky file sizes (than again, you do in case of slow internet), and it will build your online presence. But unless you have a UX/UI Design background, stay away since you won't be able to control and curate the viewer's journey through your portfolio. They can jump from here to there, completely missing certain areas of your work. 3. What Content Should I Include?
Seems self-explanatory? And yet I cannot stress this enough. We see a lot of portfolios that only show the final visualizations of the project – while this looks impressive, considering that most visualization work is outsourced to specialists, they do nothing to showcase your skills. Show me your raw skills, show me:
Because that will show your interviewer what you can actually do. If you want to include the "hero shot" visualization to show how all your work looked in the end, that's fine, but please provide credit to who did the final piece. And if you did the final visualizations – well certainly include that, but you still need to take me and your interviewer from concept to visualization. Step by step. Don't skimp out.
I could talk for days on this, but once again, repeat after me: hierarchy! Provide more weight to certain aspects over others as relevant to your role. And if you're presenting yourself as an all-rounder provide samples of your work from all stages.
Keep it simple, keep it short. Ideally in dot point form. A useful template to use is: Title & Build Value (if know): x Project Phase: x Software Used: x
The annotation needs to align with your CV. All images and project samples should relate to projects notated on the resume. 4. How Do I Present My Portfolio At Interview?
You can honestly do either – but keep a few things in mind. If you're presenting your portfolio in softcopy:
With hard copy make sure you have used a quality printing service to best showcase your work – OfficeWorks will always do a clean job.
Keep your concept to the point. To help structure your response, use the following formula:
My number one tip is to practice talking through your portfolio with friends from within the industry and outside the industry! Also practice presenting your portfolio upside down as you will at interview.
There are dozens of articles from Forbes, Business Insider, and many other sites about body language in interviews- and there is a good reason for it – while your portfolio may be amazing, the interviewer will be thinking: Can I put this person in front of a client? I've had candidates sit hunched over, barely make eye contact, crossing their arms – and often this is due to nerves and not self-aware of what negative messages they could be sending. Their portfolio work is killer, they are incredibly passionate about what they do, and they will be an asset to any firm but their body language will become their greatest barrier. So, to avoid bad body language, here are my top three tips:
And that's it – keep simplicity, readability, accessibility, and approachability front of mind when constructing and presenting your portfolio, and overall honesty in that the work you are presenting is yours! This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
OMA / Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas Selected to Design New Museum Expansion in New York Posted: 11 Oct 2017 12:10 AM PDT Rem Koolhaas and Shohei Shigematsu, both partners at OMA, have been tapped to design the recently-announced expansion of the New Museum in New York. OMA will design a new building adjacent to SANAA's tiered-box museum. The project is expected to break ground in 2019 and will give the New Museum an additional 50,000 square feet (4,650 square meters) for "galleries, improved public circulation and flexible space for the institution's continued exploration of new platforms and programs." This will be Koolhaas' first public building in New York. According to the New York Times, the New Museum—the only museum in New York City exclusively devoted to contemporary art—has already raised 50 percent of the cost. Koolhaas showed his reverence for his future neighbors by commenting:
Shohei Shigematsu, the long-time head of OMA's New York office, said:
Lisa Philips, a member of the New Museum board of trustees, said:
New via OMA and The New York Times This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Temporary Porcelain Clad Pavilion Addresses The Notion of Ornamentation in Architecture Posted: 10 Oct 2017 11:00 PM PDT The Pavilion d'Eau, designed by EPFL architecture student Alexander Wolhoff, was constructed in Lake Geneva, Switzerland. The pavilion is a product of six months of research, prototyping, and coordination with different local and academic organizations done in conjunction with LHT3 labs. The exterior of the octagon pavilion has a structural aesthetic, while the interior -- only accessed by wading in the water -- is ornamental, clad in handmade ceramic tiles. The UNESCO World Heritage Site municipality of Saint-Saphorin en Lavaux allowed for the temporary pavilion in the waters of Lake Geneva. The project is designed to touch the landscape lightly, not affecting the natural lake bed. The pavilion is comprised of materials including lake stones, wood, and porcelain tiles. To ensure a minimal and reversible impact on the site, the footings of the pavilion are made of seven gabions, metal cages filled with stones collected from the lake. The wood structure was built by starting with a series of seven prefabricated spines placed into the gabion cages and then weighed down with 1.5 tons of lake stones. Next, a series of horizontal members were bolted on for added stability and to maintain the octagonal form against lateral loads. The entire pavilion used 400 linear meters of wood. The 150 porcelain tiles that adorn the interior of the dome are hung on the wood structure. The porcelain tiles were individually hand-made in partnership with the CERCCO lab of HEAD. The textural relief on the porcelain takes inspiration from the alpine crests and waves. The surface of the tiles facing inwards on the dome are glazed with blue, playing with reflections of light off the lake water. For the installation of the tiles, they were each pre-mounted onto horizontal members and hung in sets that taper with the dome-like shape the wood spines create. After six months of research, a dedicated month of production and just two days of assembly, the pavilion was constructed in the waters of Lake Geneva. Architect: Alexander Wolhoff This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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