Arch Daily |
- Gymnastic Training Center of Guimarães / Pitagoras Group
- The Expansive and Inclusive Architectural Galaxy of Archive of Affinities
- Westland Town Hall / architectenbureau cepezed
- Coallia - Residence and Social Restaurant / Peripheriques Architectes
- Tanpo Solar School / Csoma's Room Foundation
- [GOL]KHANEH House / SHABOFFICE
- Architect's Studio / Atelier TAO+C
- Francis Artisan Bakery / Willis Kusuma Architects
- Culturalia / ALTOVA
- Tooker House at Arizona State University / SCB
- Stefano Boeri Architetti Unveils Vertical Forest Tower for Megaproject in Paris
- Silver House / Hyde + Hyde Architects
- This Ultra-Thin Concrete Structure Was Constructed Using a Novel Steel-Net Formwork System
- RF.C9 - Mountaineer's Refuge / Gonzalo Iturriaga Atala
- Spotlight: Paulo Mendes da Rocha
- The World's Most Expensive Buildings
- King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre / Zaha Hadid Architects
- S9 Architecture's Dock 72 Tops Out in Brooklyn
- Greenspace Takes Over London with WATG's 'Green Block' Proposal
| Gymnastic Training Center of Guimarães / Pitagoras Group Posted: 25 Oct 2017 10:00 PM PDT  © José Campos
 © José Campos Text description provided by the architects. With a 3100m2 of covered area, the Gymnastic Training Center of Guimarães is located at the East limit of the city park and was conceived for practice and training of high performance gymnastics. The intent of applying the technologies that transform this kind of building into an energy-independent structure with low CO2 emission was the big challenge, but the objective was surpassed and the building is already a landmark in sustainability, energetic efficiency and innovation. The Training Center achieved high performance ratings by the LiderA system, with an A++ certification, recognition which is rare in sustainability, not only in Portugal but all around the world.  © José Campos The building sits between two pre-existing streets, both permit access to the building, the one at a higher level is the main street, and the other, on a lower level, limits the city park and is used for exclusive access to the Training Center.  © José Campos The Training Center is exclusive for the practice of high performance gymnastics and consists of a pavilion, a gym, locker rooms, administrative offices and public spaces that grant access to the stands.  © José Campos The choice of materials for the building reveals a pedagogic intent and shows environmental concern in the building design, serving the energetic efficiency and searching for a clear balance between technology and architecture. The facade, built from dark agglomerate cork, is a perfect example of that versatility, intending to represent a strong design trait for the project while keeping the association with the environmental sustainability.  © José Campos  Section 1 + 2  © José Campos The volumetric composition of the building was defined by its core programmatic needs and by the will to create a building that is integrated in the local landscape. Therefore, the building searches for scale and references on the surroundings, using its volumetric presence to create another element for the park walking paths, like the entrance plaza, that not only connects the two levels of the building but also allows the contemplation of the park and the eastern hillside of the city.  © José Campos  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Expansive and Inclusive Architectural Galaxy of Archive of Affinities Posted: 25 Oct 2017 09:00 PM PDT  Courtesy of Archive of Affinities / Chicago Architecture Biennial This article was originally published on the blog of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the largest platform for contemporary architecture in North America. The 2017 Biennial, entitled Make New History, will be free and open to the public between September 16, 2017 and January 6, 2018. In the era of the Internet every image is an advertisement. Almost every architect contributes to the limitless overabundance offered by social media by sharing instantaneous personal archives, student projects, and their own work. Each image is a miniature manifesto shared with the broader public, circulating freely and endlessly – they shape and identify the work of architects, they track and create lineages and alliances, and they also begin to form and transmit sensibilities, ideologies, and aesthetic preferences, both individually and collectively. Archive of Affinities is a contribution to this melee. It began in 2010 and has run continuously since as a project with no deadline, no client, and no budget. It is therefore a project that has no outside impositions, ruled only by a free play of pure preference and passion. While Archive of Affinities is a deeply personal pursuit, it is also extremely public. Strictly speaking, Archive of Affinities as a "site" is an Instagram account, a Tumblr blog, a Twitter feed, and a single folder on a hard drive. All four contain versions of the same collection displayed in different ways.  Courtesy of Archive of Affinities / Chicago Architecture Biennial The archive is a constantly updated collection of architectural images that exploits the dual meaning of affinity: personal predilection and the resonant relationship between images. If the canon of architecture is a solar system, Archive of Affinities strives to be a galaxy. If the canon is limited and exclusive, this is expansive and inclusive. The project began because it was difficult to find obscure images by architects on the Internet. At the same time, it is also an endeavor to discover architectural works that are not immediately part of current architectural discourse. Archive of Affinities is similar to, but different than, an image bank. An architect's image bank is a way to gather inspiration and measure their output with that of the past. There are three general steps to the production of the project: The SearchThe search occurs in a state of controlled randomness. The search is not specific or based on individuals, theories, or movements. The material that eventually makes its way as part of Archive of Affinities is the result of an incremental process of drifting and browsing through old media. The SelectionDuring the search, architectural images and objects are selected based on their qualities. The qualities vary in size, form, shape, mass, proportion, character, posture, figure, organization, distribution, color, recognizability, and so on. The materials selected may appear to be wholes but are to be understood as fragments – extradited from the baggage of their original context and placed into a reserve where they wait to be redeployed in a new one. The ScannerOnce images and objects are selected, they are scanned. The scanner is a leveling device for all gathered images and objects. The material that has been tracked and hunted is equalized first by scanning and then by archiving. The original context is erased. This record of scanned and archived images is not an end itself; it is material waiting to be mobilized.  Courtesy of Archive of Affinities / Chicago Architecture Biennial The more images discovered offline, the more a familiarity between historical and contemporary images comes into view. Archive of Affinities begins to reveal how historical the present can be and how contemporary the past can be. This affinity between images in history and images in the present points to the importance of teasing out what architects call the discipline of architecture. In many ways, Archive of Affinities is an archive of the overlooked. For example, lesser-known works by well-known architects, works of people trained as architects that did not practice architecture, works of non-architects that have made architectural work, works of artists whose subject matter is architectural, alternate representations and photographs of well-known projects, and the architecture of the everyday. The project is a never ending search for the good, the bad, and the ugly. It seeks, searches out, and scans architectural oddities, anomalies, accidents, misfits, mistakes, outtakes, follies, and rarities.  Courtesy of Archive of Affinities / Chicago Architecture Biennial Because this type of work is not immediately celebrated, recognized, or made part of the architectural canon, it can be thought of as the Architectural B-side. The Architectural B-side exists on the periphery of the discipline; it tests architecture's limits and ultimately allows it to contract or expand. Recently, Archive of Affinities has explored an interest in advertisements for building products that appeared in American architectural magazines and journals during the late 70's and early 80's. During the same time period the architect Bernard Tschumi produced a canonical series of imagined "Advertisements for Architecture." Tschumi notes, "Each was a manifesto of sorts, confronting the dissociation between the immediacy of spatial experience and analytical definition of theoretical concepts."  Courtesy of Archive of Affinities / Chicago Architecture Biennial The "real" Advertisements for Architecture feature the necessary actors of architecture such as toilets, water fountains, carpets, lights, tiles, sprinklers, blinds, windows, doors, walls, and so on. These core necessities, which usually play a background role in a building, are momentarily rendered as superstars. As such, the "real" Advertisements for Architecture discover an alternate publicity that frame architecture—particularly Postmodern architecture—through the lens of utilitarian building products. The "real" Advertisements for Architecture can be understood not only as a medium for selling products but also as an index of ideas and tropes that relate to both the practice and the discipline of architecture. They play up and even exploit binaries such as natural and artificial, inside and outside, functional and functionless, reality and fantasy, high and low, permanent and temporary, and so on.  Courtesy of Archive of Affinities / Chicago Architecture Biennial Precisely because they are real advertisements they are easily digestible, consumable and blatant in transmitting their messages. They triangulate between an academic discourse, issues that confront practice, and mass market appeal. Archive of Affinities makes adjustments to these images in Adobe Photoshop in order to amplify the message of the advertisements. After each image is scanned from old media, the levels of the image are adjusted (the command 'auto levels' in Photoshop is the digital equivalent of blowing the dust off of a book), the image is cropped such that all attempts are made to conceal the company behind the product being sold, and gratuitous copy other than the central, punchy slogan is deleted. The stripped-down result, a reconstructed "real" advertisement, becomes a meditation on architecture through the process of erasure.  Courtesy of Archive of Affinities / Chicago Architecture Biennial The advertisements generally have an attention-grabbing image that follows one of a number of formulas: building products photographed as if they were glamorous or luxurious objects, building products placed in surreal scenarios, building products that are artificial but try to look and act natural, or building products arranged to make humorous visual puns. The "real" Advertisements for Architecture celebrate the quotidian against the backdrop of the monumental: for example, a water fountain standing isolated in the lobby of the atrium of John Portman's San Francisco's Hyatt Regency is "Supremely Distinctive". Need new office furniture? A do-it-yourself kit of parts can be assembled to look like Kurt Schwitters' Merzbau! Find yourself in need of an approach that's both contemporary and historical? This reduced gothic window in pink will do the trick! Looking for furniture that has that classic modern look? These white sofas outside James Stirling's Neue Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart (perhaps a high end modernist yard sale?) are the sofas for you! Having difficulty specifying a door for a project? Specifications are as easy as picking food from a tray! Le Corbusier once said that "The history of architecture is the history of the struggle for light…" and these windows allow you to win that struggle!  Courtesy of Archive of Affinities / Chicago Architecture Biennial In the current, endless sea of images that we willingly allow to fill our devices, clarity and succinctness are integral to not only having a message but communicating one. At one level, the "real" Advertisements for Architecture become a case study in the production of effective messages. At another, the "real" Advertisements for Architecture engage a practical and disciplinary context and also can reach across audiences from those "in the know" to those that are not. In other words, they might become a real promotion for architecture itself. The 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial blog is edited in partnership with Consortia, a creative office developing new frameworks for communication who are editing the Biennial blog.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Westland Town Hall / architectenbureau cepezed Posted: 25 Oct 2017 08:00 PM PDT  © Lucas van der Wee
 © Lucas van der Wee Text description provided by the architects. On Wednesday September 27, the new Westland town hall and municipality office were opened in Naaldwijk. The opening included an official ribbon cutting ceremony by mayor Sjaak van der Tak, alderman Bram Meijer, Volker Wessels CEO Dik Wessels and Volker Wessels director Piet van der Hoeven. The town hall functions as a center for the council as well as for public services and ceremonial gatherings. It is situated at the Verdilaan. The new municipality office houses the majority of the municipal staff and is located at the Laan van de Glazen Stad (Lane of the Glass City). The new edifices were jointly realized within the framework of a Design Build Finance Maintain and Operate-assignment that was granted to the Groene Schakel (Green Link) consortium, which consists of Boele en Van Eesteren, Homij Technische Installaties, the PHC Dienstengroep and Kondor Wessels Projecten. The architecture and interior were designed by cepezed and cepezedinterior.  © Lucas van der Wee The buildings were conceived with a focus on a variety of theme's, such as representativeness, spatial quality, functionality, flexibility, comfort and sustainability. On both locations, the architecture is based on the metaphor of a green house. After all, the green house is an omnipresent element in the urban, cultural and economic aspects of the Westland municipality. Within the context of the green house metaphor, the façade is the covering of everything that lives and grows inside; a thin shell enabling internal processes to proceed swiftly and smoothly. The new town hall is a place with optimal transparency. This adds to the building's experience as well as to the staff's and visitor's well-being, but it also underlines the democratic character of the town hall; there is a strong visual connection between the inside and outside, between the government and the civilians. Also characteristic of both the green house and the new town hall and government office is the repetition in the rhythmic of the façades. On both locations, this renders a pleasant and quiet streetscape. All color is on the inside.  Floor Plans The town hall and municipality office were designed such that all logistic movements proceed naturally and intuitively without mutual hindrance. Both buildings have a high degree of flexibility, among other things because of the large, almost column-free floor fields that are easily rearrangeable according to any way of use or interior concept. The installation techniques are fully aligned to this spatial flexibility; for instance by means of the application of climate ceilings, the buildings remain climatologically comfortable throughout, regardless of the type of use or interior arrangement. No matter the arrangement, it is also always easy to connect to the variety of installation-technical facilities such as AC and ICT outlets.  © Lucas van der Wee The buildings are CO2-neutral. The use of energy is strongly reduced by means of a variety of modern-day techniques and materials such as triple glazing, LED-lighting and the control of lighting and ventilation based on (the degree) of human presence. The energy nonetheless needed is largely derived sustainably through over 1.120 m2 of partly thermal pv-panels with a joint revenue of 115.000 kWh per year. Phase Change Materials function as a thermal buffer storage.  © Lucas van der Wee Open staircases are prominently positioned, stimulating their own use and with that a healthy use of the building. Daylight gets through everywhere and is omnipresent. The materials are robust, need little maintenance and were produced sustainably.  Section Sustainability was also achieved through the method of industrial, flexible and demountable (IFD) construction, which rendered the realization highly efficient and made for a minimum of materials and waste. A flexible use and optimal possibilities for the re-use and recycling of elements are also key within the method.  © Lucas van der Wee The centre for the council and public services at the Verdilaan has the character of a 'house of the community'. It is an open and accessible building with a representative appearance that offers space for the council, the public services and the Westland society. It is the location where the Mayor and Aldermen fulfil their duties, where democracy is visibly in action and where ceremonial happenings take place. It is also a location that offers room for initiatives, gatherings and events.  © Lucas van der Wee Fitting in with the urban scheme, the building basically consists of a long rectangular volume. At its backside, a generic bay of three storeys contains the public consulting rooms, the restaurant kitchen, offices and the historic archive with accompanying reading room.  © Lucas van der Wee In front of this generic bay lies a large, transparent and inviting atrium. One side of its ground floor level holds the public entrance area; the representative reception area and restaurant are situated on the opposite side. In the middle of the atrium, the council functions are housed in a spacious 'furniture-like' construction. This has had rounded ends, extra high ceilings and a skin of glass and wooden slats. The lower level contains the shared functions of the the administrative apparatus like the committee rooms and the conference center. The upper level comprises among others the council hall, the room for the Mayor and Aldermen and the party chambers.  © Lucas van der Wee The transparent atrium façade offers passers-by a direct view on the administrative functions, while the wooden slats nevertheless make for a sense of demarcation as well as lend the administrative furniture-piece a special appearance and dignity. The high degree of insight and transparency is inviting and the light and warm appearance accommodates an agreeable working environment. The layout of the different services is logical, natural and clear. The boardroom is sizable and many rooms are multifunctional. Movable wall panels grant maximum flexibility and adaptability. During the day, the committee rooms can be used as meeting rooms. When the flexible walls are fully opened, a large open space for press conferences, parties, weddings, exhibitions and large gatherings comes into being  © Lucas van der Wee The materialization is typically Westland-related: elements like plant beds in the surrounding area, as well as the use of glass and wood, refer to the glass city's greenhouses. The furniture is upholstered in the colours of the Westland's municipal logo. The atmosphere is open and intimate at the same time. Visitors feel welcome, also due to the hospitality of the staff. Along the Verdilaan, the building is in full interaction with its environment. Among other things due to its transparency and location in the heart of Naaldwijk, but also because of the integration of the municipal archive, the public and administrative center is the place where the Westland past and present meet.  © Lucas van der Wee The exterior of the municipal office at the Laan van de Glazen Stad has a matter-of-fact appearance; the interior is spacious, inviting and representative. The building consists of two generic office bays with a high, luminous and green atrium in between them. Among others things, the atrium comprises the reception and restaurant. It has a strong visual relation with the entrance square.  © Lucas van der Wee The large open space of the atrium holds several 'islands' that seem to float freely in space. They are connected to the office floors by means of walkways. The islands are fitted with seats and coffee pantries; it is here where employees discuss the weekend or, for example, eat cake on a birthday. Thus, the islands not only significantly contribute to spatial diversity, but also play a key role in stimulating meetings, interaction and social cohesion. Also, they are part of the traffic routes between the two office bays, which can be arranged freely.  © Lucas van der Wee The municipal office offers a contemporary working environment with different types of workplaces and many options for meeting and sharing knowledge. The ground floor houses general functions like the project, meeting and instruction rooms, as well as the dispatch and technical areas. The upper floors are arranged with different types of workplaces in open, semi-open and more confined areas in a gradual scale ranging from bustle through murmur and peace & quiet. The quieter, more private areas are situated along the façades; the areas for meeting and cooperation are positioned along the lively atrium. The informal living rooms with both high and low tables and chairs connect directly to the meeting islands. At the building's end, the upper floor holds a special brainstorm lounge connected to an outdoor balcony.  © Lucas van der Wee The municipal office has an overall appearance that is both professional and attractive. As in the public and administrative center, the colors used for the interior elements stem from the colors in the Westland logo. As an identity-enhancing element, wall-wide photo prints with typical scenes from the Westland life are used in a variety of spaces.  © Lucas van der Wee  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Coallia - Residence and Social Restaurant / Peripheriques Architectes Posted: 25 Oct 2017 07:00 PM PDT  © Luc Boegly
 © Luc Boegly Text description provided by the architects. Design a new migrant workers home by following an environmental approach while compromising with an existing building such is the objective of this operation. Located at 13/15 Lorraine street to Paris 19th land crossing giving on the Crimée street. The plot is bounded by a modern 9 storey building in the northwest and a suburban Parisian building of 7 levels in the southeast. This new project includes 173 housing of Type T1 and T1 ' and a social restaurant of 500 flatware. The features of project lies in its construction phase which should include the partial occupation of the site by some residents. In this context of constraints: deadlines, phasing, environmental ambitions, programs, two buildings very degraded of 1979.  © Luc Boegly  Facade Structure Detail  © Luc Boegly The choice is to compose with the existing, to densify the plot and to redefine the urban skyline of the building. Thus a building is preserved and restructured, the second is demolished to make way for a new construction containing lower parts implanted in the alignment of streets, so constituting a continuous urban front. This new density protects inside the plot a landscaped courtyard. All these constructions is unifed, any distinction between parts rehabilitated and new parts, by a homogenous facade design: an enamelled terra-cotta cladding which reacts to its environment by sending back iridescent reflections of sky and surrounding buildings.  © Luc Boegly  Ground Floor Plan  © Luc Boegly The openings are declined in two types, organized in a rigorous and arranged in a random order frame, to erase any repetitive nature of the program: 173 housing T1. Inside each housing is composed by a functional wall with bathroom and kitchenette that provides open space and to offer each resident a friendly space, open to the outside.  © Luc Boegly  Floor Plan R+2  © Luc Boegly  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Tanpo Solar School / Csoma's Room Foundation Posted: 25 Oct 2017 05:00 PM PDT  © Balázs Szelecsényi, Brigitta Kovács, Borbála Bagi, Szilvia Odry
 © Balázs Szelecsényi, Brigitta Kovács, Borbála Bagi, Szilvia Odry Text description provided by the architects. The project was requested by Tanpo village community, in the remote valley of Zanskar river in Ladakh, the Indian Himalayas. The main architectural challenge was to provide a viable environment without burning fossil fuel in the Himalayan winter, for education purposes. Probably due to the small percentage of the ladakhi population inside India, no Ladakh-specific school standard plan has been developed for the region, the same buildings are being built like on lower altitude areas of Jammu&Kashmir. These buildings, lacking heating and insulation, are not suitable for winter use at 3800 meters altitude above sea level. Thus the Himalayan region suffers from a forced winter break lasting 3 months.  © Balázs Szelecsényi, Brigitta Kovács, Borbála Bagi, Szilvia Odry The local community of Tanpo village had a regular sponsor to finance their teacher for the winter education since 2011, but they had to hold classes at altering locations in different living rooms. Csoma's Room Foundation, an NGO registered in Hungary, has been active in the region since 2008. They started out as a monument conservation project based on volunteers, later developing into a social enterprise focusing on education and sustainable development. A sight to Sky, an NGO from Singapore, the Title Sponsor of the Tanpo Solar School, has been organizing medical missions to Ladakh since 2015 with volunteers.  © Balázs Szelecsényi, Brigitta Kovács, Borbála Bagi, Szilvia Odry The Tanpo Solar School is the second of the schools designed and constructed by the Foundation. The program was requesting a solar room providing shelter for 25-30 kids during winter daylight hours. The simple geometry and the robust volume was devised to get in dialogue with the highly functional approach to the local architectural context and to provide a confirmation for the community of their traditional values. The location was chosen together with the village, considering the optimal access from the houses and flood safety, on the upper embankment of Zanskar river.  Floor Plan The design attempts to achieve a low ecological impact, by the use of locally collected construction materials, like stone, pebble, and mud. The beams and planks came from lower areas of Ladakh, and the glass was the only material that came from an industrial source, having no traditional substitute. The foundation is a mere 30cm deep, shallow by western standards, but following the local tradition that proved to be sufficient for centuries. The lower part of the wall is built of stone to another 30cm above ground, to reach the inner floor level. The upper wall structure is built of two layers of 30cm sun-dried mud bricks, with locally sourced straw insulation between. The mortar was the same mud used for making bricks.  © Balázs Szelecsényi, Brigitta Kovács, Borbála Bagi, Szilvia Odry The huge window facing almost South has a double glazing, a simple, yet unused (for financial considerations) technique by the locals. The two opening window panes help the ventilation necessary on sunny days. The corridor on the North acts like an extra insulation towards the coldest direction that never gets sunshine. The corridor has a window to the West for proper light, shelving and washbasin on the left, and a long bench to the right. The classroom has some shelves and a wall with a pattern of protruding wooden sections to provide nailing possibility for a board and some posters. The roof features a hidden water drainage with a hidden pyramidal slope and double spouts to the Eastern and Western sides.  Cross Section The building gets warm very soon after sunrise, thanks to the large windows acting like a greenhouse, and cools down soon after sunset, mainly through thermal radiation through the same windows, but the teaching only lasts during daylight. The project aimed to become an open source design, available for reuse, and as an inspiration to the locals. Through the community involved construction, the principles of planning have already begun to spread in the region.  © Balázs Szelecsényi, Brigitta Kovács, Borbála Bagi, Szilvia Odry  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| [GOL]KHANEH House / SHABOFFICE Posted: 25 Oct 2017 03:00 PM PDT .jpg?1508810701 "© Parham Taghiof") © Parham Taghiof
.jpg?1508810384 "© Parham Taghiof") © Parham Taghiof [GOL]KHANEH is located on the outskirts of the city of Karaj, about 60km west of Tehran. It is designed and built as a vacation home for a family of 6. .jpg?1508810923 "© Parham Taghiof") © Parham Taghiof Two adjacent but separate plots – each about 5000 square meters – form the site for this project. Plot A was thick with old fruit trees while Plot B, adjacent to a noisy street with a chaotic line of low-rise residential buildings, was dry and barely had any trees because of a previous fire. Therefore, Plot B was chosen as the building site and creating a buffer to maximize privacy and limit views and noise transfer from the neighbouring street to the site quickly became a priority in design. .jpg?1508810965 "© Parham Taghiof") © Parham Taghiof  Ground Floor Plan .jpg?1508810990 "© Parham Taghiof") © Parham Taghiof Massing of this project is a direct response to site conditions as it aims to form a long and linear volume - similar to a thick wall - and act as a barrier against the noise and chaos of the adjacent street and to block views into the site. The volume is further deformed to embrace the swimming pool and create a private pocket around it. Insertion of the driveway and the swimming pool affect the volume on the ground level and result in shaded areas for drop-off and outdoor sitting. .jpg?1508810407 "© Parham Taghiof") © Parham Taghiof  First Floor Plan .jpg?1508810554 "© Parham Taghiof") © Parham Taghiof The resulting dynamic and modern form is wrapped with a brick skin - a long-standing element in Iranian architecture. Bricks are from Heydari Kiln - traditional full bricks each made by hand. The brick layering technique is "Kaleh-rasteh", one full brick followed by a half brick. Three simple variations on this technique create the opportunity to have different textures on the façade to register level 0 and level 1 as two separate layers and have porosity at windows and balcony balustrades. .jpg?1508810832 "© Parham Taghiof") © Parham Taghiof A line of full-height windows on the ground floor opens the façade to focus all views on the swimming pool and on Level 1 a long shaded terrace connecting the bedrooms overlooks the pool and the rest of the site. Back of the building remains closed and solid. .jpg?1508810187 "© Parham Taghiof") © Parham Taghiof Structural system is concrete slab and columns with columns pushed to the sides and following the direction and form of the building. .jpg?1508810809 "© Parham Taghiof") © Parham Taghiof Landscape design remains integral to the project. Path lines are following building lines and material palette is cast-concrete and gravel. Plants are chosen from a wild and grass-type palette to create a natural and accidental feel. .jpg?1508810128 "Courtesy of SHABOFFICE") Courtesy of SHABOFFICE  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Architect's Studio / Atelier TAO+C Posted: 25 Oct 2017 01:00 PM PDT  © Su Sheng Liang
 © Su Sheng Liang How do we find and make a place in which to live and work？ Find  © Su Sheng Liang Make  Axonometric By compressing the living into such an object, leave us more flexible and changeable space for working. The space is articulated with a united shelf - track system which growing from the bedroom, wrapping around the light shaft, concealing the small kitchen and bathroom behind and extending toward the backyard. The pine shelves are grid in tongue and groove connection, the tracks are customized with zinc coated steel which works as light tunnel as well as playful tracks for sliding doors and curtains.  © Su Sheng Liang The size and depth of backyard became problematic, it's too small and too close to the road, we need to figure out a way to enlarge it without touching the walls and not losing indoor space which is already tight. We carried out with A hollow box with slim wood frames sitting half inside half outside, brought the backyard in and meanwhile allowed light to penetrate into the heart of room. It appears to be a bewildering space which is both outside-in and inside-out. The itinerary of moving from a solid serenity box to an open garden, resting at the negative space, reminiscing a familiar Asian space typology - Engawa. While the thin frames and glass also evoke an alien and surreal moment.  Axonometric Half year later, the backyard went through a growing. The wall in between two yards was removed. Applied with the same material and language of the former box, a convex glass room extruded from the next residence. The two boxes- one open, one closed, formed a conversation in open air. The inside of next room was used as library and meeting room and installed with the same shelves and tracks. The route of walking through two residences in-out-in, is an experience of light and air.  © Su Sheng Liang The process of making, take form from inside and grow to the fabric of building, suggested a mode of dwelling and working in tune with the modern condition of changeability and transparency.  © Chen Hao  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Francis Artisan Bakery / Willis Kusuma Architects Posted: 25 Oct 2017 12:00 PM PDT  © Mario Wibowo
 © Mario Wibowo Text description provided by the architects. Francis is a local artisan bakery designed by Willis Kusuma Architects with the concept of "artisan meets modernity" of a French-Japanese patisserie. Occupying one corner of the lower ground level of St Moritz Lippo Mall Puri, Jakarta, Indonesia, the bakery encloses an area of approximately 120m2.  © Mario Wibowo Given the brief to design a simple and unique yet accommodating bakery, the decision is to have a design approach that creates the warm feeling of a home. Buyers will be welcomed by the 'pitched roof' ceiling, naked bread, exposed kitchen and raw materials, yet modern elements are added to balance the traditional ambience. The conventional shaped pitched roof is playfully reconfigurized into a contemporary undulating ceiling, composing various senses of scale and dimensions inside the bakery. In the background, the glass separator between the store and kitchen introduce the customer to the art of baking. Behind the glass are the warm hands exhibiting the beautiful process of hand-crafted loaf, which is the heart of an artisanal bakery. In terms of materiality, the idea is to achieve a traditional feel with a modern twist. A combination of traditional raw materials such as exposed bricks, wood, concrete and mosaic are used to accentuate the marriage of French and Japanese and enhances the warmth of the bread. Contrastingly, white marble and copper are weaved in, bringing tensions into the dialogue between the traditional and the modern.  © Mario Wibowo  Floor Plan  © Mario Wibowo Moreover, to fully express the idea of 'artisan meets modernity', creating a dynamic space and functions are equally as important as creating a mixture of style. One familiar issue is 'emptiness' when it gets closer to closing time. Hence, our team proposed to design adjustable furniture to reflect the modernity and timelessness of the bakery. While the big display table stays permanently at the front to engage the passerby attention, the foldable shelving on the side dances as the day goes by. This dynamic design allows the shelves to be opened and act as a display cabinet for the bread or closed and be a continuation of the wall.  © Mario Wibowo  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 25 Oct 2017 10:00 AM PDT  © Ángel Gabriel Penagos Gordillo
 © Ángel Gabriel Penagos Gordillo Text description provided by the architects. Culturalia is a not for profit organisation whose objectives are linked to the exchange of knowledge and expertise in the areas of education and natural resources conservation.  Sketch Culturalia also includes an English language school, for language is understood as an important part of culture, a means to make sense of our surroundings for everyday life.  © Ángel Gabriel Penagos Gordillo  Ground Floor Plan  © Ángel Gabriel Penagos Gordillo The project was developed in Comitán de Domínguez Chiapas, Mexico. The city has an average temperature of 23°C. The structure was established in an irregular area of 8X50 m. with a descending slope and numerous trees. The plot was contiguous to a family property that could be shared with the structure.  Diagram 04 The materials used in the finishes were concrete, red brick, steel, glass and wood. The position and orientation of the structure allow for cross ventilation and adequately covered sunlight.  © Ángel Gabriel Penagos Gordillo The main objective was to create a multi-purpose space to use as front-desk, waiting room, meeting room, screening room or music room. It was thought as an area that would allow visitors to make a transition from the street or public areas, to the classrooms and offices and which should include the surrounding nature.  Sketch Thus, the natural assets are better appreciated thanks to the transparency of the glass walls. The vegetation was preserved and enhanced to create visual finishes at every angle of the structure. This includes a Bee Garden where lavender, mint and rosemary will allow pollinators to feed.  © Ángel Gabriel Penagos Gordillo At night the structure is lit to resemble a lamp as an evocation of the light of learning, wisdom and teaching.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Tooker House at Arizona State University / SCB Posted: 25 Oct 2017 08:00 AM PDT  © Bill Timmerman
 © Bill Timmerman Text description provided by the architects. Tooker House at Arizona State University is a new 7-story, 458,000-square-foot living/learning facility for freshman engineering students. The building features 1,582 beds; five staff apartments; a 27,000-square-foot, 525-seat dining hall; a convenience store; numerous dedicated student study and social lounges; a large maker lab and flexible classroom; and a fitness center.  © Bill Timmerman Sustainable design for a desert climate  © Bill Timmerman The building's siting, shape, and massing were developed through extensive shading studies on the constrained campus site. The complex's figure-eight shape positions the two primary building masses in parallel positions facing east-west, which allows the building to "self-shade" interior courtyards and facades.  Systems Diagram The southern façade incorporates U-shaped visors and an array of perforated vertical louvers designed and positioned according to a sophisticated algorithm, presenting visual interest and ensuring appropriate daylight control unique to each window's location on the façade. The massing also facilitates wind movement, which flows predominantly from a westerly direction, through the interior, shaded courtyards, and between the building's masses. Perforated metal panels on the building's bridges and breezeways promote airflow through those spaces. Rainwater is harvested from the roof and nourishes select landscape zones in bioswales, reducing the reliance on potable water while also reducing the amount of underground piping and vault infrastructure. The building is on target to reach LEED Gold certification.  © Bill Timmerman Living/Learning  © Bill Timmerman A large maker lab enjoys a prominent and highly visible location on the ground floor of the building, expanding the academic core of the campus and providing residents with space and resources to continue class work and experimental ideas at any time of day. The maker lab features sliding glass walls that allow activities to spill outdoors, where exhibition pedestals enable student residents to present their work and invite passersby to learn more about ASU's engineering program.  © Bill Timmerman  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Stefano Boeri Architetti Unveils Vertical Forest Tower for Megaproject in Paris Posted: 25 Oct 2017 07:30 AM PDT  Courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti The next Vertical Forest tower will be located in France, as Stefano Boeri Architetti have revealed renderings of their designs for Forêt Blanche, a 54-meter-tall mixed-use tower located within the Paris metropolitan region in Villiers-sur-Marne. The latest in the family of Vertical Forest concepts, which have included built and planned projects for China, Europe, South America and the United States, Forêt Blanche will be covered by 2000 trees and plants – a green surface equivalent to a hectare of forest and more than 10 times the building footprint.  Courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti The tower will be organized programmatically, with residences on the upper floors, offices in lower floors and commercial at the base. Balconies housing plantlife will dot the four sides of the building, while the east and west elevations will use transparency to allow sunlight to pass through the building throughout the day, illuminating apartments and opening up panoramic views of the Paris skyline.  Courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti  Courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti Forêt Blanche is one of the 12 architectural structures proposed within a masterplan developed by Compagnie de Phalsbourg called Balcon Sur Paris. Other buildings include designs by Kengo Kuma & Associates (Sora, Le Palais des Congrès), Oxo Architectes (Le Potager De Villiers, Business Home), KOZ Architectes (2 buildings, Archipel), Michael Green Architecture (Peuplier Blanc, Prairie Blanche) and X-Tu (La Ressourcerie, Green Jenga). The masterplan itself also fits within the wider "Inventons la Métropole du Grand Paris," a competition for urban development within the Paris region. News via Stefano Boeri Architetti.
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| Silver House / Hyde + Hyde Architects Posted: 25 Oct 2017 06:00 AM PDT  © Michael Sinclair
 © Michael Sinclair Text description provided by the architects. Ask Kay and Kristian Hyde to name the things that help make a good design a great place to live, you can never be quite sure what the response will be. It might be light, space and good poetry. Or a search for a certain gravitas. In the case of Silver House, it was authenticity, dignity, and a certain architectural integrity.  © Michael Sinclair Perched up high on a limestone cliff on the Gower Peninsula, where the Bristol Channel meets the Atlantic Ocean, this cherished part of the Wales coastline was the first recognised Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the UK.  © Michael Sinclair The Silver's family's move to this spot looking out towards Oxwich Point was a statement in itself. They wanted to escape. They craved peace and solitude away from London. They wanted to feel part of the natural environment and reconnect with nature. The warmth of wood protects them. Exposed beams echo the tectonic construction of agricultural buildings. The stone reminds them of the many miles of dry stone walls built on Gower in the medieval tradition, and protects them from the heavy storms that pass over.  © Michael Sinclair Recently, Silver House was awarded the Royal Society of Architects Wales "Best Building of 2017". It also won Highly Commended at the Sunday Times British Homes Awards (large house of the year category) was nominated for Wales' Gold Medal for Architecture at the 2017 National Eisteddfod of Wales and is shortlisted for The Daily Telegraph Homebuilding & Renovating Awards 2017, the Build It Awards 2017, the RIBA Stephen Lawrence Prize 2017 and the Blueprint Awards 2017.  © Michael Sinclair These accolades reflect Hyde + Hyde's innovative approach. And just as it did with Silver House, the process always starts with the personal stories of the clients. This work has just as much to do with raw emotion as it does with raw materials.  © Michael Sinclair Even before the preliminary sketches are drawn, there are conversations to be had, questions to be asked.
"It's important to get personal," says Kristian. "Our clients come to us with a desire to create something more than just a design aesthetic. They like the idea that we can help them reflect who they are and what their home means to them. We question how they live, open up new ways of celebrating this life. This whole process is about them making their personal mark, telling a story that will last through the ages."  © Michael Sinclair Just as each project resonates with an intimate narrative, every design also has a strong connection with the environment and the forces of nature. Silver House provides the perfect illustration of how this works in practice.  1st Floor Plan  Ground Floor Plan The embedded visual iconography of the home captures the remote coastal nature of the site and the vernacular heritage nearby. It responds to the untamed weather fronts that pass over the peninsula. It endures and celebrates its wild context.  © Michael Sinclair The internal programme of Silver House reacts to the shifting coastal light throughout the day. The kitchen is located towards the rising sun, living spaces for midday, with the master bedroom facing the setting sun.  © Michael Sinclair  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| This Ultra-Thin Concrete Structure Was Constructed Using a Novel Steel-Net Formwork System Posted: 25 Oct 2017 05:10 AM PDT  © Block Research Group, ETH Zürich / Michael Lyrenmann Materials researchers from ETH Zurich has revealed a prototype for an ultra-thin, sinuous concrete roof system with an average thickness of just 5 centimeters. Using digital design and fabrication technologies, the team was able to calculate and construct a self-supporting shell structure using the minimal necessary material. This was facilitated through the use of a novel formwork system consisting of a net of steel cables and a polymer fabric stretched into a reusable scaffolding structure. The prototype covers a floor area of 120 square meters with a 160-square-meter surface area. Structural analysis calculated the exact thickness of the material throughout the shell, with thickness varying between 3 centimeters along the edges of the roof to 12 centimeters at the crucial support surfaces. The researchers, working under Block Research Group, believe that the unique steel-net formwork system developed for the project could quickly be adopted in the construction industry as it allows for reduced material cost and less invasive structuring – during the concreting of the roof, the area underneath remained unobstructed, allowing interior work to continue simultaneously.In a four-year-long research process, the team also developed a proprietary spraying technique that allows the concrete to be viscous enough to stick to the formwork while staying liquid enough to be sprayed through a nozzle.  © Block Research Group, ETH Zürich / Naida Iljazovic This new formwork technology will be utilized for the first time in a real-world project in a planned roof-top residential unit called HiLo, built on top of the NEST living laboratory in Dübendorf, Switzerland. This project will integrate insulation and heating and cooling coils on top of the inner concrete layer, upon which a second layer of concrete will be sprayed. The upper surface will then be clad in thin-film photovoltaic cells to allow the residence to be energy-positive.  © Block Research Group, ETH Zürich / Naida Iljazovic "We've shown that it's possible to build an exciting thin concrete shell structure using a lightweight, flexible formwork, thus demonstrating that complex concrete structures can be formed without wasting large amounts of material for their construction," says Prof. Block, leader of Block Research Group. "Because we developed the system and built the prototype step by step with our partners from industry, we now know that our approach will work at the NEST construction site." Read more here.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| RF.C9 - Mountaineer's Refuge / Gonzalo Iturriaga Atala Posted: 25 Oct 2017 04:00 AM PDT  © Federico Cairoli
 © Federico Cairoli Text description provided by the architects. The commission consisted of a roof, a kitchen, a bathroom and one room. The necessary to start at dawn the route traced the day before.  Isometric The proposal consists in constructing through planes and angles a cover that in its folds allows the entrance and in its cuts the exterior views. Composed of a central corp of services, the form is established from folds that correlatively determine it interior and exterior.  © Federico Cairoli At one end the main room and a secondary room for mountain implements. At the other end, a common enclosure where the mountain leads the view towards the outside.  Section A  First Floor Plan  Section C The shel composed of pine wood, metal elements and crystals are transformed to fulfill two functions, structural and volumetric. .jpg?1508849905 "© Federico Cairoli") © Federico Cairoli Using a ventilated facade on all sides and a system of piles, the shelter functions as a hermetic element suspended on the ground that from specific openings uses the rising current of the mountain to ventilate its interior.  North Elevation  West Elevation  South Elevation It is the point of arrival and departure to each course defined by the mountaineer, a monitoring and rest station that gives in a privileged place the opportunity to contemplate and visit. Here is the refuge.  © Federico Cairoli  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Spotlight: Paulo Mendes da Rocha Posted: 25 Oct 2017 03:30 AM PDT  Museu Brasileiro de Escultura (MuBE). Image © Paul Clemence
Paulo Mendes da Rocha is one of Brazil's greatest architects and urbanists. Born in Vitória, Espírito Santo in 1928, Mendes da Rocha won the 2006 Pritzker Prize, and is one of the most representative architects of the Brazilian Paulista School, also known as "Paulista Brutalism" that utilizes more geometric lines, rougher finishes and bulkier massing than other Brazilian Modernists such as Oscar Niemeyer.  Courtesy of the Paulo Mendes da Rocha Archive Mendes da Rocha's interest in Latin American Modernism began early in his career, while he was studying at the Mackenzie Prysbyterian University of São Paulo. One of his earliest buildings is a testament to this: completed in 1957, just three years after his graduation, Mendes da Rocha's Athletic Club of São Paulo has been described by the Pritzker Prize as an "early masterpiece."  Cais das Artes. Image Courtesy of Paulo Mendes da Rocha Between 1961 and 1969, he taught at the University of São Paulo's Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, but was then banned from his position by the military government due to his opinions on the social role that architects should have. In 1980, he returned to his position as Professor of Architectural Design until retiring from teaching in 1999.  New Leme Gallery. Image © Leonardo Finotti In addition to his 2006 Pritzker Prize, in 2001 Mendes da Rocha won the Mies van der Rohe Award for Latin American architecture for his transformation of the neoclassical Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo. In 2016, Mendes da Rocha performed a near clean-sweep of architecture's most highly-prized awards, winning the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the 2016 Premium Imperiale, and the 2017 RIBA Gold Medal. He has also served as the president of the Brazilian Association of Architects.  Museu dos Coches. Image © Fernando Guerra | FG+SG See all of Paulo Mendes da Rocha's work featured on ArchDaily via the thumbnails below, and further coverage via the links below those: Paulo Mendes da Rocha Awarded Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement Paulo Mendes da Rocha Named 2016 Praemium Imperiale Laureate RIBA Awards 2017 Gold Medal to Paulo Mendes da Rocha Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Brazil's Golden Lion Paulo Mendes da Rocha: "Architecture Does Not Desire to Be Functional; It Wants to Be Opportune" Video: Paulo Mendes da Rocha on His Museu dos Coches in Lisbon Patriarca Square / Paulo Mendes da Rocha Video: Paulo Mendes da Rocha's Cais das Artes / Pedro Kok Paulo Mendes da Rocha and MMBB's Newest SESC Franchise Opens in São Paulo  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The World's Most Expensive Buildings Posted: 25 Oct 2017 02:30 AM PDT  If the Great Pyramid were to be built today, it would cost between 1.1 and 1.3 billion US dollars, according to a cost estimate by the Turner Construction Company—not surprising, considering how that is roughly the same amount of money that it took to build the Trump Taj Mahal or the Petronas Twin Towers. Complicated structural requirements, delayed work timelines, complex building programs, the need for good earthquake or typhoon proofing, the use of advanced mechanical and electronic systems, and costly materials and finishes can all add up to the eventual cost. But sometimes—and especially in cases in which governments or powerful clients set out to beat existing records such as the "tallest building in the world"—money is spent for no real reason except for an unabashed display of wealth, power or strength. Emporis, the renowned global provider for building data, has compiled a list of the top 200 money-guzzlers from recent years, and not surprisingly, a lot of high-rises have made the list. Read on to see the top 20. 1. One World Trade Center, New York City ($3.9 billion) 1. One World Trade Center, New York City ($3.9 billion). Image © James Ewing 2. Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi ($3 billion) 2. Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi ($3 billion). Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/o_0/15856776560'>Flickr user Guilhem Vellut</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> 3. Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest ($3 billion) 3. Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest ($3 billion). Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/archer10/7557753382'>Flickr user Dennis Jarvis</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a> 4. Wynn Las Vegas, Las Vegas ($2.7 billion) 4. Wynn Las Vegas, Las Vegas ($2.7 billion). Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimg944/6047895339'>Flickr user Jim G</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> 5. Shanghai Tower, Shanghai ($2.4 billion)Connie_Zhou.jpg?1508876965 "5. Shanghai Tower, Shanghai ($2.4 billion). Image © Connie Zhou") 5. Shanghai Tower, Shanghai ($2.4 billion). Image © Connie Zhou 6. The Venetian Macao, Macau ($2.4 billion) 6. The Venetian Macao, Macau ($2.4 billion). Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/montoya711/8300656204/'>Flickr user Melv_L - MACASR</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a> 7. Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide ($2.1 billion) 7. Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide ($2.1 billion). Image © <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:New_Royal_Adelaide_Hospital_15-7-17.jpg'>Wikimedia user Sandyx99</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 4.0</a> 8. Goldman Sachs Headquarters, New York City ($2.1 billion) 8. Goldman Sachs Headquarters, New York City ($2.1 billion). Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Goldman_Sachs_Tower_200_West_Street_Battery_Park_City.jpg'>Wikimedia user Beyond My Ken</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/'>CC BY-SA 4.0</a> 9. The Palazzo, Las Vegas ($1.9 billion).jpg?1508244743 "9. The Palazzo, Las Vegas ($1.9 billion). Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palazzo_Casino,_Las_Vegas_(3479650636).jpg'>Wikimedia user Alex Proimos </a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en'>CC BY 2.0</a>") 9. The Palazzo, Las Vegas ($1.9 billion). Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palazzo_Casino,_Las_Vegas_(3479650636).jpg'>Wikimedia user Alex Proimos </a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en'>CC BY 2.0</a> 10. The Shard, London ($1.9 billion) 10. The Shard, London ($1.9 billion). Image © Eric Smerling 11. Taipei 101, Taipei ($1.76 billion) 11. Taipei 101, Taipei ($1.76 billion). Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/yuchinmchu/3513942635/'>Flickr user Yu-Ching Chu</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> 12. Burj Khalifa, Dubai ($1.5 billion)_Nick_Merrick_for_Hedrich_Blessing_(10).jpg?1508876948 "12. Burj Khalifa, Dubai ($1.5 billion). Image Courtesy of SOM") 12. Burj Khalifa, Dubai ($1.5 billion). Image Courtesy of SOM 13. CapitaGreen, Singapore ($1.4 billion) 13. CapitaGreen, Singapore ($1.4 billion). Image © CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Singapore_CapitaGreen-Building-01.jpg'>via Wikimedia</a> 14. Kyoto Station, Kyoto ($1.25 billion) 14. Kyoto Station, Kyoto ($1.25 billion). Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/andersondotcom/484730029/'>Flickr user Gavin Anderson</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a> 15. Wilshire Grand Center, Los Angeles ($1.2 billion) 15. Wilshire Grand Center, Los Angeles ($1.2 billion). Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wilshire_Grand.jpg'>Wikimedia user Fredchang931124</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 4.0</a> 16. Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg ($1,027,510,000) 16. Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg ($1,027,510,000). Image © Iwan Baan 17. New United States Embassy, London ($1 billion – predicted) 17. New United States Embassy, London ($1 billion – predicted). Image © <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:New_Embassy_of_the_United_States_of_America_in_Battersea_Nine_Elms,_London,_seen_from_Pimlico.jpg'>Wikimedia user Curran2</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 4.0</a> 18. Mercury City Tower, Moscow ($1 billion) 18. Mercury City Tower, Moscow ($1 billion). Image© <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_from_Imperia_Tower_Moscow_04-2014_img12.jpg'>Wikimedia user A.Savin</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a> 19. Niagara Falls Hilton Phase 2, Niagara Falls ($1 billion) 19. Niagara Falls Hilton Phase 2, Niagara Falls ($1 billion). Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hilton_Niagara_Falls.jpg'>Wikimedia user Domenic Scaturchio</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en'>CC BY 2.0</a> 20. Bank of America Tower, New York City ($1 billion) 20. Bank of America Tower, New York City ($1 billion). Image Courtesy of Cook+Fox Architects You can also visit Emporis to see the full list of the world's 200 most expensive buildings.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre / Zaha Hadid Architects Posted: 25 Oct 2017 02:10 AM PDT  © Hufton + Crow
 © Hufton + Crow Text description provided by the architects. KAPSARC (King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre) is a non-profit institution for independent research into policies that contribute to the most effective use of energy to provide social wellbeing across the globe.  © Hufton + Crow KAPSARC develops policies and economic frameworks that reduce the environmental impact and overall costs of energy supply and enable practical technology-based solutions to use energy more efficiently.  © Hufton + Crow Collaborating with international research centres, public policy organisations, worldwide government institutions and global industry, KAPSARC brings together leading experts from around the world to tackle energy challenges; freely sharing its knowledge, insights and analytical frameworks.  Drawing © Zaha Hadid Architects The 70,000m² KAPSARC campus incorporates five buildings: the Energy Knowledge Centre; the Energy Computer Centre; a Conference Centre with exhibition hall and 300-seat auditorium; a Research Library with archives for 100,000 volumes; and the Musalla, an inspirational place for prayer within the campus.  © Hufton + Crow KAPSARC's design has solid technical and environmental considerations at its heart, drawing the five elements of the campus into a unified whole. ZHA's first project to be awarded LEED Platinum certification by the US Green Building Council, the centre is designed in response to the environmental conditions of the Riyadh Plateau to minimise energy and resource consumption.  © Hufton + Crow The primary organising strategy of the design is a cellular, partially modular system that integrates different departmental buildings as a single ensemble with interconnecting public spaces.  © Hufton + Crow Hexagonal prismatic honeycomb structures use the least material to create a lattice of cells within a given volume. This structural and organisational principle determined KAPSARC's composition as an amalgamation of crystalline forms that emerges from the desert landscape, evolving to best respond to the environmental conditions and internal programme requirements. The honeycomb grid is compressed towards its central axis as an extension of the natural wadi that runs to the west.  © Hufton + Crow A research centre is by its very nature a forward-looking institution and KAPSARC's architecture also looks to the future with a formal composition that can be expanded or adapted without compromising the centre's visual character.  © Hufton + Crow The modular design generates consistent organisational, spatial and structural strategies that drive all elements of the plan. The six sides of the hexagonal cells also offer greater opportunities for increased connectivity when compared to rectangular cells with only four sides.  © Hufton + Crow KAPSARC's five buildings differ in size and organisation to best suit their use. Each building is divided into its component functions and can be adapted to respond to changes in requirements or working methods. Additional cells can readily be introduced by extending KAPSARC's honeycomb grid for future expansion of the research campus.  © Hufton + Crow The specific arrangement and form of KAPSARC's buildings contribute to softening the strong light and heat of the Riyadh Plateau. The buildings of the campus surround a large public courtyard shaded by canopies supported from a forest of crafted steel columns. Presenting a solid, protecting shell to the harsh sunlight from the south, the KAPSARC campus opens to north and west; encouraging prevailing winds from the north to cool the courtyard during temperate months and facilitating connections with any future expansion of the campus to the north, as well as creating connections with the researcher's residential community to the west.  © Hufton + Crow Privileging the pedestrian, each of the buildings within the campus is entered through this central public courtyard that also serves as a meeting space and link between buildings during temperate seasons. An underground link also connects the main buildings on the campus for use at the hottest times of the year. With its strong, protective shell on the exterior that shields from the extremes in weather, KAPSARC's architecture is porous within. Specific hexagonal cells strategically located within each building are left open to create a series of sheltered courtyards that bring softly-controlled daylight into the interior.  © Hufton + Crow Orientated for the sun and wind conditions, the crystalline forms of the prismatic architectural cells gain in height towards the south, west, and east to shield internal spaces from direct sunlight, while the courtyards within are oriented to the north and northwest to bring indirect sunlight into the spaces below. 'Wind-catchers' integrated within the roof profiles on the southern sides of each courtyard catch the prevailing winds from the north, cooling each courtyard.  © Hufton + Crow KAPSARC's architecture promotes transparency and encourages an active exchange between researchers and visitors. By strategically off-setting floorplates, spatial layering effects are created throughout the centre to provide views to the floors above and below; offering transparency between floors in public areas designed as collective zones for researchers to meet informally and exchange ideas. Secure areas and rooms requiring privacy are located within areas of each building where floorplates overlap.  © Hufton + Crow KAPSARC was awarded LEED Platinum certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) through its application of passive and active solutions including:
 © Hufton + Crow KAPSARC has also been named Saudi Arabia's 'smartest' building in the Honeywell Smart Building Awards programme. Based on criteria that include environmental sustainability, safety and productivity, KAPSARC received outstanding scores across all three categories.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| S9 Architecture's Dock 72 Tops Out in Brooklyn Posted: 25 Oct 2017 01:00 AM PDT  Courtesy of S9 Architecture S9 Architecture's Dock 72, a 17-storey commercial office project expected to bring 4,000 workers to the Brooklyn Navy Yard area, has been topped out this month marking the completion of the building's steel superstructure. Over 350 construction workers, local business leaders, community representatives and public officials attended the ceremony, which ended with the raising of the final beam signed by all the members of the Dock 72 team.  Courtesy of S9 Architecture  Courtesy of S9 Architecture With completion expected in the summer of 2018, the project is part of an ongoing commercial renewal at the Yard, serving as a hub for emerging creative and technology industries. There is a focus on urban and public amenity to encourage innovation and collaboration between occupants, with the inclusion of a specialty food hall, a health and wellness center, a conference centre, multiple lounges for socializing and meetings, a lawn with games, bike valet parking and an outdoor basketball court, all with access to a new city-wide ferry stop.  Courtesy of S9 Architecture Inspired by the formal language of the ships once built on the site, 20 sets of 42 foot tall V-shaped columns hold the main mass of the building suspended, protecting the structure from potential flood damage in the event of a superstorm. Terraces with views of Brooklyn, Manhattan and the East River will be created as the mass of the building steps down towards Wallabout Bay.  Courtesy of S9 Architecture As Brooklyn's first ground-up office tower in more than three decades, Dock 72 is an exciting project of regeneration and as developer Bill Rudin said, "this project is all about collaboration," in both the construction process and the aims of the end result. News via: S9 Architecture.
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| Greenspace Takes Over London with WATG's 'Green Block' Proposal Posted: 24 Oct 2017 11:00 PM PDT
London Mayor Sadiq Khan proposed the challenge -- how does London become a designated National Park City-- and WATG, London-based landscape team, headed by Demet Karaoglu, accepted the challenge. In addressing the Mayor's challenge, the team worked with Daniel Raven-Ellison, Guerrilla Geographer and Creative Explorer leading London's campaign to become the world's first National Park City.  'Green Block' is the modular concept WATG has proposed to fuel their exploration of how to transform cities toward a greener future. The highly adaptable, 100% recyclable 'Green Block' is a living building material impregnated with native wildflower seeds. The unit is maintenance free with its integrated irrigation reservoir and climate specific seeds. 
 The visualizations show the many different adaptations of the 'Green Block' within an urban landscape. WATG has created the 'Green Block' module as a building material to be used throughout the city as the residents see fit. Immediate adoptions could include green-ing the sidewalk experience with parklets (parking-stall-sized parks) outside coffee shops and storefronts, to delineate bike lanes, and to string together the city's existing parks providing ecological corridors. Used as a green wall, the Green Block could be used to shroud construction sites and clad buildings. The modular system can reclaim asphalt for green space in response to the redundant roads and parking lots that are anticipated with the coming of autonomous and shared vehicles.  The 'Green Block' is currently being prototyped and tested and is expected to be ready for use in early 2018. Daniel Raven-Ellison commented, "To make a greener future a reality for all Londoners, we need to work together and leverage our collective creativity and resources." With the full support of Mayor Khan, London's steps toward becoming a National Park City will be declared in 2018 and launched in 2019. Find out more about the campaign to make London a National Park City, visit here. News via: WATG.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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