Arch Daily |
- Psychiatric Center / Vaillo+Irigaray Architects
- Mandanila House / Somia Design
- Teatr na Podoli / Drozdov & Partners
- W House / ODE ARCHITECTS
- Redcliffs Village Library / Young Architects
- Place J / KYWC Architects
- Garage House / Foomann Architects
- 5 Video Works Selected to Exhibit at the 2018 U.S. Venice Biennale Pavilion
- Adelaide Prévidi Corporate / Tagir Fattori Arquitetura + STA
- OMA / AMO Completes Flexible Permanent Exhibition Space for Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam
- Canto Cholul Residence / Taller Estilo Arquitectura
- The Results Are In: 2017 Was Another Record-Breaking Year for Skyscrapers
- Cape Square / BOOM Landscape
- Eduardo Souto de Moura: “I Look Beyond Solution; I Look For an Expression”
- HOMB | Taft House / Skylab Architecture
- Monochrome and Polychrome Collide for Art Basel Miami Beach
- White Arkitekter and Citu Release First Images of Climate Innovation District in Leeds
| Psychiatric Center / Vaillo+Irigaray Architects Posted: 14 Dec 2017 07:00 PM PST  © Rubén P. Bescós
 © Rubén P. Bescós Text description provided by the architects. The project is a reflection on memory: the pass of time and the evolution of architecture... The proposal is a way to intervention in a 19th century building ... the traces of the past are engraved in the new buildings, like a memory of ancient geometries ... It is an unfinished architecture that the time will end up composing in the place ...  © Rubén P. Bescós Intervention Proposal The proposal maintains and enhances the original values: pavilion typology in a 19th century building, pleasant scale in a landscaped surround, but neglected until now: interesting spaces between pavilions, suitable scale, well-proportioned patios: good connection between the patient and the concrete environment and environmental: perfect relationship between nature and architecture.  Facade Detail  © Rubén P. Bescós  Photoconcept The aim is to enhance the original "hygienist spirit" and "therapeutic spirit" favouring occupational therapy and daily activities as fundamental treatments elements for good care of patients: therefore the relationship of architecture with the "domesticated" nature is re-focused, the exterior spaces and courtyards generated between the general circulations...  © Rubén P. Bescós Prosthetic Strategy The project aims to offer a hybrid between new and old buildings, trying to make the most of the values of the existing and making it possible thanks to new "dressings" that re-vitalize the desired function: as a functional "prosthesis".  © Rubén P. Bescós In the same way that prostheses help the original member to recover a lost function, in this case they reconfigure the space and make possible the new functions, in addition to complementing the structure to accommodate the new healthcare trends and channel and assimilate the new technologies.  Model Poetic relationship between the new and the old It is intended to generate an "atmosphere" analogous to the existing one, through buildings of contemporary invoice, supported by current and flexible technological construction systems for their future use, and inspired by existing architectures, with which they should complement and mutually revalue.  © Rubén P. Bescós It is a balanced proposal that follows the geometrical patterns of the old buildings but undertakes its design from its own functionality.  © Rubén P. Bescós The buildings provide timeless gestures in their formal resolution: recovery of the geometry of the roofs; reuse of the geometries derived from the arch, rectilinear buildings, infinite distributors...  Photoconcept Construction in concrete The entire building is constructed in structural architectural concrete - facades and roofs - so the entire construction acts as a large beam. The concrete is dyed in mass with the colour of the cement that joins the stones and the brick of the old buildings. In this way, it is intended to take the colour of the dominant atmosphere as a whole. The geometries of the arches of the old buildings are engraved on the new facades, as a "memory" ... the memory of what was left ... with time, the building will blacken and take on the patina of the old buildings, depending on its orientation and dominant winds, and little by little the building will blend with the previous ones ...  © Rubén P. Bescós  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Mandanila House / Somia Design Posted: 14 Dec 2017 06:00 PM PST  © Mario Wibowo
 © Mario Wibowo Text description provided by the architects. This renovated house sits on a 320 square meters lot at a small residential complex in Denpasar, Bali. Located in front of an elementary school where noise and school activities indirectly impact the house during the daytime. This house was initially a kitchen and garage of one big house that used to produce foods for a catering business. Afterwards, the owner decided to split the house into two separate houses. At that time the house was quite large, yet suffering from the minimum penetration of natural light and its conditional hodgepodge finishes. Talking about the brief, client desires a tropical Balinese house that will suit the casual lifestyle of the family. Those issues challenge the architect to solve this renovation project. How does the architect transform a service area into a whole new livable urban house?  Section  © Mario Wibowo  Render Interior It was clear that the most important change would be the reorganization of the plan. The new plan provides 3 bedrooms with one bathroom for each room. The architect makes sure every room obtain plenty of natural daylight. "embracing the natural habit of tropical living - we create warmth with a seamless flow between inside and out, in a minimalistic way". Over than 4 meters high lattice wall covers up the house in order to reduce the noise that comes from the school. In addition to that, it conceals the residents' activities inside the house. Made of a thousand modular arranged rosters (cement block), this wall also appears as the icon of the house. A combination of loose pebbles and wooden deck lead us to the entrance. Passing through a large pivot door, we are being surprised by a small garden that lies behind the main door so that we can barely know which area belongs to the outside and the inside. There is no exact border between one another.  © Mario Wibowo Not likely similar to any other common houses, this house doesn't come with a guest room as we step into the house. The journey in this house starts with a hallway that can be used as a foyer to welcome the guests. At the end of the hallway, we are pleased by a feature wall made out of bricks which bring warmth into the house. As we enter the main room, there is a living room, dining and working space held in one space without any divider wall. Here all the activities of the family member could be done together in one place. This kind of open plan—layout makes this space become more spacious. The brick wall becomes the background for the room and it brings warmth and homey feel.  Floor Plan This renovation project was difficult yet challenging for the architect. It is because there were structure limitations that architect couldn't get rid of and that is the reason why we could see a wall in the middle of the main room. It happened to be a structural column which then transformed nicely into a decorative divider wall between daybed and dining area. The aim was to create an open space where the activities blend into one another. For instance, daddy can work on the working desk, mommy does her duty on the pantry while the kids can play on the daybed and they all still able to interact freely in this room. To solve the lack of daylight issue, the architect put a garden alongside the house as a wind and light tunnel. During the day, there are plenty of light coming through the rooms. It also brings a 'breathing space' for the house.  © Mario Wibowo  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Teatr na Podoli / Drozdov & Partners Posted: 14 Dec 2017 04:00 PM PST  © Andrey Avdeenko
 © Andrey Avdeenko Text description provided by the architects. The construction of Teart na Podole started back in the 90s and has remained abandoned ever since until recent private initiative has come into play. The newly-proposed renovation project suggests considerable changes to the previous building. Its functional character has undergone significant transformations as the theater has evolved from an exclusive "palace" into an inclusive public space. Almost the whole layout scheme has been altered, together with most of the levels, which has greatly simplified the interaction between the theatre itself, its guests and the city. The fly loft and the stage are the only volumes that have remained intact.  © Andrey Avdeenko  Sections  © Andrey Avdeenko The new façade made of recycled bricks recovers the lost parceling and the volume within the overall scale of the street. All massive technical features inherent to a theatre are placed within the retracted volume clad with titan-zinc. The building merges with the green hill rising behind it. The voids on either side of the theatre are part of the entire entertainment scenario, which is at the disposal of the guests. The entry portal establishes both physical and visual communication between the street and the lobby, which is a venue for various events both during the day and in the evening. The portal "broadcasts" events from one space into the other, with theatre guests and pedestrians turning into actors and spectators, and vice versa, depending on the view point.  © Andrey Avdeenko  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 14 Dec 2017 02:00 PM PST  © Youngchae Park
 © Youngchae Park Text description provided by the architects. The traditional Hanok seems to tells us that architecture does not have to be the protagonist. It shows that becoming part of a scenery by itself is an incredible feat and interaction with nature in all directions can happen effortlessly. Although unilaterally controlling the surrounding environment for a protagonist is interesting and exhilarating, it is also burdensome to the surrounding. As such power and tension seeps into architecture, a sense of supremacy is presented but at the same time a burden of not trying to taint its authority and control. This burden causes an incessant or abandoned unilateral struggle, but in a way, nobody wanted that struggle in the first place.  © Youngchae Park Continuous change through the multidirectional communication we possessed was what was aspired for W House, rather than a sold linear and unilateral appearance. Because nature is the agent of constant change, it is extremely hard for architecture to continuously change without forming an interrelationship with nature.  Section  Section Although the obvious fact of depending on nature at times takes a whole new meaning, we must acknowledge this fact more in-depth if we are to muster the courage to let nature take its course and leave things be.  © Youngchae Park Arrangement for the Garden As befits its title as the repository of cultural heritage, Gyeongju gives off a strong sense of cultural symbolism as it is surrounded by layers of Hanok-style buildings and cultural assets. The plot of land in Gyeongju is vast and the gentle slope towards the southside allows for a comfortable and uninterrupted far off view of Mt. Byeokdosan. The building is stretched out towards the south, and partially protrudes out on the south and north entrance sites, providing space for a secure garden and backyard, and clear sense of direction with the surroundings. The main rooms are situated around the south garden and have open windows facing south. Service areas are placed on the northside to offer convenience and a sense of independence to the main rooms. The corridor is comprised of a long ceiling so that light seeping in through the space on both sides divides the space and accompanies people walking through the corridor.  © Youngchae Park Eaves form the Medium that Creates an Interrelationship with Nature The eaves extend with the similar proportion to Hanok eaves. The eaves on the southside control the amount of the strong light that pours down for long hours, bridge the internal and external areas, and perform many other functions. The free formed eaves fall in line with the surroundings by softly and elegantly embracing the mountain terrain like the inside waist line of Hanok eaves, thus allowing the scenery to take in the building to become part of the background for someone looking in.  © Youngchae Park To allow for a deeper and more detailed relationship with the surroundings, curves are exposed in pattern-form on the concrete surface of the eaves, much like the size seen in Korean concave tiles.  © Youngchae Park Furthermore, the concave tiles and patterns project the movement of light as shadows, and subtly gives distinctness and clarity to the movement and existence of light. The interrelationship between the movement of light expressed by architecture and the expression of architecture through light will continue on as long as the building stays standing.  © Youngchae Park  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Redcliffs Village Library / Young Architects Posted: 14 Dec 2017 12:00 PM PST  © Dennis Radermacher
 © Dennis Radermacher Text description provided by the architects. The Redcliffs Village Library is a volunteer library run by the community, in a building that is owned by the Christchurch City Council. The rebuild of the earthquake damaged building was driven by the community, and we worked very closely with them, as well as meeting the Christchurch City Council's requirements for the sustainability of the new building. The community needed an affordable library building that also provided space for community meetings. The City Council required the building to be low maintenance and efficient.  © Dennis Radermacher  Site Plan  © Dennis Radermacher The architecture of the building is full of metaphors associated with the library and its contents -The roofing and cladding represents the dust cover of a book, with the spine and edge reflected in the curved flashings.
 © Dennis Radermacher -The polycarbonate street gable is back-lit to glow at night time, in a similar way to a lighthouse. In this sense, the lighthouse symbolizes:
 © Dennis Radermacher -The reception counter is designed to represent books between two book ends.  © Dennis Radermacher  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 14 Dec 2017 11:00 AM PST  © KIM Jaekyung
 © KIM Jaekyung Text description provided by the architects. Various programs, like spaces for parties or retail are planned for the building. As programs are typically related each other, a flexible system has been proposed to connect them as necessary. A three-dimensional structure created by the irregular site, setback regulations, and the layered programs makes a different impression according to the particular view-point. In other words, it can be said that the building's shape changes according to its urban relationship.  © KIM Jaekyung The volume includes various types of space. Every level has its unique sense of space like three stories high party room with meeting rooms added as the form of balcony, triangular roof garden with sky view. The stone finished external wall is cut by brown stainless parts including balcony, terrace, and entrance which function as spatial device to communicate with urban space. The main volume made of vertical limestone louvers is read as a group of lines rather than as a mass.  Section A  © KIM Jaekyung  Section C A paradox was intended between the lightness of segmented lines and the weightiness to the property of the stone. The Place J is established in the coexistence of the opposites; all these paradoxes such as maximized floor area ratio with many voids, privately owned space open to the public, and possibility of connection between separate areas as necessary. Architecture is something to embrace mixed hopes and goals in one place.  © KIM Jaekyung  Detail Diagram  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Garage House / Foomann Architects Posted: 14 Dec 2017 09:00 AM PST  © Willem-Dirk Du Toit
 © Willem-Dirk Du Toit Text description provided by the architects. This house was designed to be shared. With home-ownership in the inner city becoming increasingly out of reach; shared living arrangements will become increasingly common. This project seeks to embrace this and create a living situation that takes the best elements of communal living into a more grown-up space. The strategy was to provide flexibility and options; underpinned by sustainable principles. The site now has two standalone buildings that face each other across a shared garden. A low bluestone wall positioned centrally provides a natural location for high landscaping should a need for more autonomous living arise. This allows inhabitants to control what they share and their level of privacy. Something that can evolve with their changing needs.  © Willem-Dirk Du Toit  © Willem-Dirk Du Toit The overall strategy creates sustainable outcomes. Designing a standalone building at the rear of the site removed the need to demolish the good building while providing higher density with communal space that reduces inhabitants' individual footprints. Given the flexibility provided and by retaining the original home, the design has provided a solution that could last the clients' lifetime. The main fabric of the building is economical with small details designed to elevate the overall effect. We used recycled bricks, recycled iron-bark posts and enduring materials throughout. A 6.5-star energy rating was achieved with screens, blinds, internal zoning and an insulated garage door, that provides excellent cross ventilation when open just a few centimetres.  © Willem-Dirk Du Toit The spirit of flexibility extends to the interior with adaptable spaces that still feel tailored and assured. The robust downstairs can function as a garage, studio or living space. In its current guise as the site's primary living space, the garage door is the only clue to its alternative use. The room is robust and simple, with concrete and no fixed joinery, the quality of the space has been elevated with a cut and polish floor, generous glazing, timber light fittings and excellent thermal performance. Upstairs can be one or two bedrooms and is highly organised with abundant natural light creating an increased perception of space. The home is an economical, robust and low impact building that brings joy to the occupants. A solution that promotes communal living and a strategy to provide affordable housing in the inner city.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 5 Video Works Selected to Exhibit at the 2018 U.S. Venice Biennale Pavilion Posted: 14 Dec 2017 08:45 AM PST  Courtesy of School of the Art Institute of Chicago and The University of Chicago The curators of the U.S. Pavilion exhibition at the 2018 Venice Biennale have revealed five film and video works that will be featured within their Dimensions of Citizenship exhibition at next year's Venice Biennale. Entitled "Transit Screening Lounge," the collection of videos will explore narrative, speculative and impressionistic perspectives on the spatial conditions of citizenship. "While each of the installations commissioned from the architects and designers will consider what it means to belong at different and specific spatial scales, the 'Transit Screening Lounge' will offer more ambiguous readings of contemporary citizenship, involving blurred boundaries, gray areas, and alternative histories," said curators Niall Atkinson, Ann Lui, and Mimi Zeiger. "The selected works look at citizenship through a lens of movement: migration, transgression, transmission, travel, and mobility, as a way to visualize conditions that can be difficult to delineate through traditional architectural means." The selected films include: Afronauts (2014) / Frances Bodomo  Afronauts (2014) / Frances Bodomo. Image Courtesy of School of the Art Institute of Chicago and The University of Chicago It's July 16, 1969, and the U.S. is preparing to launch Apollo 11. Thousands of miles away, the Zambia Space Academy is hoping to beat America to the moon. Inspired by true events. Frances Bodomo, born in Accra in 1988, is an award-winning Ghanaian filmmaker. Her two short films Boneshaker (2013) andAfronauts premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to play at several other major festivals, including the Berlin International Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, and SXSW Film Festival. Afronauts was also exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art as part of the group show Dreamlands: Immersive Cinema and Art, 1905-2016. Bodomo is currently developing the feature film version of Afronauts. Exodus (2012) / Mandana Moghaddam  Exodus (2012) / Mandana Moghaddam. Image Courtesy of School of the Art Institute of Chicago and The University of Chicago Borrowing a title best known from the Bible, Exodus addresses the mass flight of people across the world in the wake of war, poverty, and social injustice. Through images of luggage adrift at sea, the video evokes the sense of being uprooted, losing one's identity, and having to fight for one's integrity. Mandana Moghaddam, born in Tehran in 1962, is an Iranian-Swedish contemporary visual artist whose installation work was most notably exhibited in the 51st Venice Biennale. Following the Iranian Revolution, Moghaddam was granted asylum in Gothenburg, Sweden, where she continues to maintain her studio. Her work, which examines themes such as alienation, communication, and gender, attempts to bridge boundaries, inspire intercultural dialogue, and memorialize oftentimes contentious aspects of Iranian life. Dark Fiber (2015) / David Rueter and Marissa Lee Benedict  Dark Fiber (2015) / David Rueter and Marissa Lee Benedict. Image Courtesy of School of the Art Institute of Chicago and The University of Chicago Tunneling through commercial and industrial fiber optic networks and traveling in their shadows, Dark Fiber follows the course of a single cable, in a video that pushes against conventional representations of networks and logistics. The video's montage sequences depict movement between systems and scales as seen in vast landscapes, industrial infrastructure, media apparatuses, art venues, domestic spaces, and imagined worlds. Marissa Lee Benedict, born in Palm Springs, Calif. in 1985, is a sculptor and writer who currently lectures in visual art. Considering subjects that range from the distillation of algal biodiesel to the extraction of a geologic core sample with a set of gardening tools, her work draws on traditions of American land art to investigate the material conditions of our recently networked world. She earned an MFA in Sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. David Rueter, born in Ann Arbor, Mich. in 1978, is a visual artist, programmer, and assistant professor in art and technology at the University of Oregon. Employing video, custom electronics, software, cartography, and performance, Rueter's experiments and interventions confront established technical systems and their philosophical counterparts, opening cracks for radical alternatives and imaginations. Rueter is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's MFA program in Art and Technology Studies. Cosmic Generator (2017) / Mika Rottenberg  Cosmic Generator (2017) / Mika Rottenberg. Image Courtesy of School of the Art Institute of Chicago and The University of Chicago Cosmic Generator explores a kaleidoscopic world in which the U.S. and Mexico are linked by a secret system of tunnels, which enable trade among various places and actors. The tunnels lead from the Golden Dragon Restaurant in Mexicali, Mexico, to a 99 Cents Store in Calexico, California, while an enormous plastic commodities market in Yiwu, China, also plays a role in the imaginary network. Mika Rottenberg, born in Buenos Aires in 1976, lives and works in New York. Through film, architectural installation, and sculpture, she illuminates the connections among seemingly unrelated economies. Collapsing geographies and narratives, Rottenberg weaves documentary elements with fiction into complex allegories about human conditions and global systems. In 2018, Rottenberg is scheduled to present solo shows at the Bregenz Kunsthouse in Austria, the Bass Museum in Miami, and Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art at the University of London. Where the City Can't See (2016) / Liam Young  Where the City Can't See (2016) / Liam Young. Image Courtesy of School of the Art Institute of Chicago and The University of Chicago Where the City Can't See is the first narrative fiction film shot entirely with the laser scanning technology used for navigation by self-driving vehicles. In a Chinese-owned and controlled Detroit Economic Zone, a group of young auto workers drifts around in a driverless taxi, searching for a place they know exists but that their car doesn't recognize. They are part of an underground community in which people adorn themselves in machine-vision camouflage and anti-facial recognition masks to enact escapist fantasies in the city's hidden spaces. Liam Young, born in Brisbane in 1979, lives and works in Los Angeles and London. He is a speculative architect who operates in the spaces between design, fiction and futures. He is cofounder of Tomorrow's Thoughts Today, an urban futures think tank that explores the local and global implications of new technologies, and of Unknown Fields, a nomadic research studio that travels on expeditions to chronicle these emerging conditions as they occur on the ground. He has taught at the Architectural Association and Princeton University and now runs the groundbreaking Master of Arts program in Fiction and Entertainment at SCI-Arc in Los Angeles. The exhibition at the 2018 U.S. Pavilion will be led by co-commissioners The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and the University of Chicago and curators Niall Atkinson, Associate Professor of Architectural History at the University of Chicago; Ann Lui, Assistant Professor at SAIC and co-founder of Chicago-based architecture practice Future Firm; and Mimi Zeiger, a critic, editor, curator, and educator based in Los Angeles. Learn more about the exhibitors here:
News and film descriptions via The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Adelaide Prévidi Corporate / Tagir Fattori Arquitetura + STA Posted: 14 Dec 2017 07:00 AM PST  © Marcelo Donadussi
 © Marcelo Donadussi Text description provided by the architects. Located in Caxias do Sul, the building occupies a wide corner, due to the pre-condition of large roads, making them very wide and of great flow. Low-rise and small-scale buildings occupy the surroundings. In this scenario, the building becomes a protagonist, being the focal point for people and vehicles which pass by. The commercial building has seven floors: parking basement, three ground floor shops with mezzanine, three floors with four commercial offices each and technical space. The smaller scale of the building (the total constructed area is about 2,000 m²) and the insertion in a corner allowed us to "sculpt" the primary prism and transform it.
The small building is hierarchized on the ground floor with shops protected by a marquee that projects itself three meters towards the street. The mezzanine is between the marquee and the first typical floor, this first typical floor protects it as if the pavement recedes in relation to the main volume. In order for the building to create a transition between its neighbours, vertical volumes have been created that serve as the bulkheads for future buildings that can be installed there, so the building can be loose, free of adjustments from the rhythm of the surroundings.  © Marcelo Donadussi In the typical floor, the subtractions and additions create a "come and go" of volumes, identifying the office rooms. The intention was to create distinct visuals with the facade that becomes dynamic. The composition based on "boxes" that leap from the body of the building like observatories, create movement and tension. The materials used to highlight the independent blocks, while on the ground floor at the level of the walk we have black granite in the pillars between retail stores and grey aluminium in the marquee, in the body of the building we have the walls of masonry plastered and painted with closure with glazing. The porcelain ceramic coating marks the division between units.  © Marcelo Donadussi  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| OMA / AMO Completes Flexible Permanent Exhibition Space for Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam Posted: 14 Dec 2017 06:30 AM PST  Photograph by Delfino Sisto Legnani and Marco Cappelletti. Image Courtesy of OMA AMO, the research and think tank wing of OMA, has completed a flexible new exhibition space for the permanent collection of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Named Stedelijk BASE, the bespoke display system is constructed from "very thin yet solid" free-standing steel partitions that interlock like puzzle-pieces to create an open-ended flow for viewing art from the late 19th and 20th centuries.  Photograph by Delfino Sisto Legnani and Marco Cappelletti. Image Courtesy of OMA Led by Rem Koolhaas and Federico Martelli, AMO spent two years working closely with the curators, researchers and technical staff of the Stedelijk Museum to create an analytical matrix of the relationships between the artworks and objects in the museum collection. The architects then used this research to design the final architecture of the display system.  Collection Relations Diagram. Image Courtesy of OMA  Stedelijk BASE model. Image Courtesy of OMA Located on the museum's Lower Level Gallery, the 1,340-square-meter (14,423-square-foot) space has been organized chronologically. However, the open floor plan encourages visitors to break the order to create follow their own perceived course through the exhibition. "In a productive collaboration with Stedelijk, Arup and Tata Steel, we have created walls like screens, thanks to the slimness of the steel structure," commented Koolhaas. "These enable a lightness and flexibility in navigating the exhibition space, and encourage the viewer to take different paths in the space, as adventurous as circulation through any city."  Photograph by Delfino Sisto Legnani and Marco Cappelletti. Image Courtesy of OMA  Photograph by Delfino Sisto Legnani and Marco Cappelletti. Image Courtesy of OMA  Photograph by Delfino Sisto Legnani and Marco Cappelletti. Image Courtesy of OMA Each self-standing wall has been designed in collaboration with ARUP engineers to meet strict standards of stability, vibration and security. The resulting steel partitions are just 45 millimeters thick, giving them a solid yet elegant appearance and allowing the art to stand out boldly. Vitrines and platforms have been integrated into several of the platforms, allowing objects of different proportions and shapes to be displayed prominently. "The exhibition responds to new ways of absorbing information," added Martelli. "Viewers have become capable of focusing on many things at the same time, and the multiplicity of information in our environment stimulates our curiosity. While the organization of the exhibition responds to thorough research of the museum's collection, it is not rigid: we have designed a landscape which allows visitors to discover associations between various artworks and objects." News via OMA  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Canto Cholul Residence / Taller Estilo Arquitectura Posted: 14 Dec 2017 05:00 AM PST  © David Cervera
 © David Cervera "Humans should not try to conquer nature with technology, they should create architecture that is blessed by nature" Toyo Ito.  © David Cervera Immersed In a ground of 2300 m2 containing around 60 trees, is located the Canto Cholul Residence, a project that aims to create a dynamic and formal living space between nature and architecture.  Site Plan Curved walls made of local stone and pigmented cement embrace the trees and give a welcome into the house, creating paths through the trees and shadows that direct the users to the main access of the building.  © David Cervera The residence is distributed in a "U" scheme and the social area that receives the user in a linear way: the living room, dining room, kitchen and service area with glass walls that provide a transparency to the covered terrace and to the central courtyard, a natural space that organizes and structures the project. The sequentially located rooms, even discreet in their connection to the courtyard, show their extroverted part by turning to the rest of the garden through the back, framing nature.  © David Cervera A set of spaces configured towards the central courtyard, which surprises by the circular movement of its cover, somehow highlighting the characteristics of its surroundings. The terrace / playground area is incorporated into the architectural program but is not linked to the building, making it a living space inserted to fulfill its function without affecting the privacy of the users.  Section Finally, the main room, directly related to the central courtyard, is composed of the bedroom, closet and main bathroom, all organized in such a way that ventilation and natural lighting make all the spaces pleasant both day and night.  © David Cervera Shined and polished gray cement, blue and black pigmented cement, polished white cement, brushed white cement, cedar wood, stone and glass make the Canto Cholul Residence a simple dwelling in its materiality.  © David Cervera The relationships between the built space and the preexisting landscape is emphasized through courtyards and corridors, some trees pierce the slabs to affirm the design hierarchy. The relation between ground-cover in gray cement forms the perfect frame for white cement walls that accentuate the essence of the house.  © David Cervera Gardens of different dimensions, different vegetation, water and stone slopes give meaning to the place, understanding and affirming its topography. A carefully oriented project where one observes the simplicity and beauty of the interlacing of architecture, memory and nature.  © David Cervera  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Results Are In: 2017 Was Another Record-Breaking Year for Skyscrapers Posted: 14 Dec 2017 04:45 AM PST  Tallest 20 skyline. Image Courtesy of CTBUH 2017 was another banner year for skyscraper construction. According to the 2017 Tall Building Year in Review, the annual web report from The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), a record-breaking 144 buildings 200 meters tall (656 feet tall) or higher were completed in 2017, led by the 599-meter-tall Ping An Finance Center and 555-meter-tall Lotte World Tower. In the report, CTBUH outlines this year's trends in tall building design. Notably, 2017 proved to be the most geographically diverse year in history for tall buildings, with 69 cities across 23 countries completing new towers, an significant increase from 54 cities and 18 countries in 2016. Of those numbers, 28 cities and 8 countries completed their new tallest building.  World 100 tallest by location. Image Courtesy of CTBUH  Geographic diversity. Image Courtesy of CTBUH "The data from 2017 shows a continuation of the trend towards a greater global proliferation of skyscraper construction," commented CTBUH Executive Director Antony Wood. "High-rise construction is no longer confined to a select few financial and business centers, but rather is becoming the accepted global model for densification as more than one million people on our planet urbanize each week. Thirteen cities saw their first 200-meter-plus high-rise completion in 2017, in addition to the 28 cities and eight countries that saw their tallest building completed this year."  Completions by country. Image Courtesy of CTBUH  Completions by city. Image Courtesy of CTBUH While geographic diversity was up, China more than retained its reign as the world leader in skyscraper construction, completing 53 percent of all new buildings over 200 meters. In fact, one Chinese city, Shenzhen, finished 12 of such buildings this year, more than any other country. The U.S. ranked second in the country list, with 10 new completed skyscrapers in 2017. Other trends identified by the report include a shift in program type from all-office to mixed-used and residential towers. After representing 52 percent of all completions in 2016, all-office buildings constituted just 39 percent of this year's total.  Completions by function. Image Courtesy of CTBUH  Completions timeline. Image Courtesy of CTBUH "It is tempting to speculate that we are now seeing the built results of a full-blown recovery from the 2008 economic crisis, as greater confidence in single-function programs sparks a resurgence in speculative residential development," said Steve Watts, CTBUH Chairman. "Further, there's been growing interest over the past several years in residential real-estate investment by absentee owners as a wealth management strategy. However, market dynamics vary greatly between regions, so it's likely there are other factors to the story." According to the report, 2018 is projected to be another record breaking year, led by the anticipated completions of two 500-meter-plus buildings, the 597-meter-tall Goldin Finance 117 in Tianjin and the 529-meter-tall China Zun Tower in Beijing. Find the whole online report, here and check out some of the most significant skyscrapers completed in 2017, below: Lotte World Tower; Seoul, South Korea / KPF  Lotte World Tower; Seoul, South Korea / KPF. Image Courtesy of CTBUH South Korea's tallest and the world's 5th tallest tower features a number of record-breaking features, including the world's highest glass-bottomed observation deck, the world's highest swimming pool and the world's fastest elevator. Ping An Finance Center; Shenzhen, China / KPF  Ping An Finance Center; Shenzhen, China / KPF. Image Courtesy of CTBUH At 599 meters (1965 feet) tall, the Ping An Finance Center ranks as the world's 4th tallest building. Perhaps its most innovative feature is its facade: Constructed from 1,700 tons of stainless steel, it allows the building to be unique resistant against corrosion from the city's salty coastal atmosphere. 3 Manhattan West; New York City, New York / SOM Lester__Ali.jpg?1513267298 "3 Manhattan West; New York City, New York / SOM. Image © Lester Ali") 3 Manhattan West; New York City, New York / SOM. Image © Lester Ali The 78th tallest building completed in 2017 (at 223 meters, or 730 feet tall), 3 Manhattan West is the first skyscraper completed within SOM's Manhattan West master plan. 50 West; New York City, New York / JAHN Lester__Ali.jpg?1513267310 "50 West; New York City, New York / JAHN. Image © Lester Ali") 50 West; New York City, New York / JAHN. Image © Lester Ali New York City's new 25th tallest building, 50 West contains 191 residential condominiums and a 64th floor observatory featuring views of the New York Harbor, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. 150 North Riverside / Goettsch Partners Nick__Ulivieri__Photography.jpg?1513267321 "150 North Riverside / Goettsch Partners. Image © Nick Ulivieri Photography") 150 North Riverside / Goettsch Partners. Image © Nick Ulivieri Photography The newest skyscraper on the Chicago Riverfront, 150 North Riverside is notable for its sleek facade that culminates in a dramatically tapering base. Beekman Hotel & Residences; New York City, New York / GKV Architects Lester__Ali.jpg?1513267343 "Beekman Hotel & Residences; New York City, New York / GKV Architects. Image © Lester Ali") Beekman Hotel & Residences; New York City, New York / GKV Architects. Image © Lester Ali New York's historic Temple Court Building at 5 Beekman Street (originally completed in 1883) has been revived as a luxury hotel, and now connects to a brand new residential tower capped with turrets inspired by those on the original building. Britam Tower; Nairobi, Kenya / GAPP Architects & Urban Designers + Triad Architects Johan__Smith.jpg?1513267359 "Britam Tower; Nairobi, Kenya / GAPP Architects & Urban Designers + Triad Architects. Image © Johan Smith") Britam Tower; Nairobi, Kenya / GAPP Architects & Urban Designers + Triad Architects. Image © Johan Smith At 200 meters (656 feet) tall, Nairobi's Britam Tower has become the tallest building in Kenya and the second tallest on the African continent (behind Johannesburg's Carlton Tower). Concord International Center; Chongqing, China / Gensler + Chongqing Architecture and Design Institute CityOfChongqing_com.jpg?1513267378 "Concord International Center; Chongqing, China / Gensler + Chongqing Architecture and Design Institute. Image © City of Chongqing") Concord International Center; Chongqing, China / Gensler + Chongqing Architecture and Design Institute. Image © City of Chongqing China's largest inland city, Chongqing is now home to 35 buildings 200 meters or taller, including the Concord International Center, which just misses out on supertall status at 290 meters (951 feet) tall. FMC Tower; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania / Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects + BLT Architects Lester__Ali.jpg?1513267393 "FMC Tower; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania / Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects + BLT Architects. Image © Lester Ali") FMC Tower; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania / Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects + BLT Architects. Image © Lester Ali Billed as Philadelphia's "first vertical neighborhood," the 223-meter (730-foot) tall building offers commercial, retail and residential elements within a single volume, including a massive club on the 28th floor featuring a pool, spa, fitness center, theater and lounge. Madison Square Park Tower; New York City, New York / KPF Lester__Ali.jpg?1513267443 "Madison Square Park Tower; New York City, New York / KPF. Image © Lester Ali") Madison Square Park Tower; New York City, New York / KPF. Image © Lester Ali Another KPF-designed tower to complete this year, New York's Madison Square Park Tower is notable for being the tallest building located in between Midtown and the Financial District, giving it a stand-out presence on the skyline. Marina 101; Dubai, UAE / National Engineering Bureau Lester__Ali.jpg?1513267462 "Marina 101; Dubai, UAE / National Engineering Bureau. Image © Lester Ali") Marina 101; Dubai, UAE / National Engineering Bureau. Image © Lester Ali Even in a city known for its supertall buildings, Marina 101 still stands out, becoming Dubai's new second tallest building at 425 meters (1394 feet). New World Center; Hong Kong / KPF New__World__Developemt__Company_Limited.jpg?1513267484 "New World Center; Hong Kong / KPF. Image © New World China Land Co Ltd.") New World Center; Hong Kong / KPF. Image © New World China Land Co Ltd. Located on the southern tip of the Kowloon Peninsula, the New World Centre took advantage of new zoning laws implemented following the relocation of the Hong Kong Airport to become the tallest building in Tsim Sha Tsui. Raffles City Hangzhou; Hangzhou, China / UN Studio Hufton_Crow_025.jpg?1513272972 "Raffles City Hangzhou; Hangzhou, China / UN Studio. Image © Hufton+Crow") Raffles City Hangzhou; Hangzhou, China / UN Studio. Image © Hufton+Crow Located in the Hangzhou neighborhood of Qianjiang New Town, the Raffles City Hangzhou development features two similar (but not identical) 256-meter (841-foot) tall towers connected by a lively mixed-use podium. Rosewood Sanya and International Finance Forum; Sanya, China / Goettsch Partners  Rosewood Sanya and International Finance Forum; Sanya, China / Goettsch Partners. Image © 1st Image Located on the island of Hainan, Sanya is the southernmost city in China. The Rosewood Sanya offers a world class resort and conference center, with its tower becoming the city's tallest building. Shahar Tower; Givatayim, Israel / AMAV A. Niv - A. Schwartz Architects + Barely Levitzky Kassif Architects Assaf__Pinchuk.jpg?1513273115 "Shahar Tower; Givatayim, Israel / AMAV A. Niv - A. Schwartz Architects + Barely Levitzky Kassif Architects. Image © Assaf Pinchuk") Shahar Tower; Givatayim, Israel / AMAV A. Niv - A. Schwartz Architects + Barely Levitzky Kassif Architects. Image © Assaf Pinchuk Israel's new 3rd tallest building, the Shahar Tower is one of seven buildings of 150-meters-plus completed in Israel in 2017. Telkom Landmark Tower 2; Jakarta, Indonesia / Woods Bagot William__Sutanto__Arti__Pictures.jpg?1513273109 "Telkom Landmark Tower 2; Jakarta, Indonesia / Woods Bagot. Image © William Sutanto Arti Pictures") Telkom Landmark Tower 2; Jakarta, Indonesia / Woods Bagot. Image © William Sutanto Arti Pictures The second tallest building completed in Indonesia in 2017, the Telkom Landmark Tower is part of a massive mixed-use complex containing a wide range of program including retail, auditorium, restaurants, a fitness center, and a mosque. Torre KOI; San Pedro Garza García, Mexico / VFO Arquitectos (master plan by HOK) IDEI.jpg?1513273086 "Torre KOI; San Pedro Garza García, Mexico / VFO Arquitectos (master plan by HOK). Image © IDEI") Torre KOI; San Pedro Garza García, Mexico / VFO Arquitectos (master plan by HOK). Image © IDEI Mexico's new tallest tower tops out at 279 meters (916), offering panoramic views of the city of Monterrey and the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains. Wilshire Grand; Los Angeles, California / AC Martin AC__Martin.jpg?1513273048 "Wilshire Grand; Los Angeles, California / AC Martin. Image © AC Martin") Wilshire Grand; Los Angeles, California / AC Martin. Image © AC Martin The United States' new tallest building west of the Mississippi River was also the 6th tallest completed worldwide in 2017, thanks to a large architectural spire rising from its peak. The Wilshire Grand was also notable for being the first skyscraper completed since the city's 2014 decision to remove the stipulation that all buildings over 75 feet must feature a flat roof to serve as a helipad. Zhuhai St. Regis Hotel & Office Tower; Zhuhai, China / Coscia Moos Architecture + RMJM  Zhuhai St. Regis Hotel & Office Tower; Zhuhai, China / Coscia Moos Architecture + RMJM. Image © Jason Leung The 10th tallest building completed in 2017 was also Zhuhai's new tallest tower, topping out at 323 meters (1059 feet).  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 14 Dec 2017 03:00 AM PST  © Blerta Kambo
 © Blerta Kambo Text description provided by the architects. How do you create a sense of place on a dirty, neglected stretch of coast between a small strip of beach and a promenade? This was the challenge facing BOOM Landscape, in partnership with Cityförster, when we were commissioned by the mayor of Durrës to design a new public space on the site of a waterfront building-debris fly-tip. Explicit in the commission was the ambition to provide an inspiring transformation in the context of a national campaign to improve Albania's sometimes mistreated coastline.  Render The country's Adriatic shore comprises a succession of capes and bays, which gave us the idea of creating an artificial mini cape that would act as a local landmark. Taking our cues from the site itself, we proposed adding more rubble, in the form of local stone quarried from the hills above Durrës; this creates a base on which a superstructure of creamy-white concrete, made from local sand and aggregate, forms a relief landscape of gently descending terraces. Both instant geological formation and amphitheater seating, this artificial peninsula offers sweeping views over the port of Durrës to the southeast, while behind it a large paved space links up with the coastal promenade. To animate this considerable surface area, two different local stones were used, one light and one dark, laid according to local paving techniques in such a way that the letters D U R R E S are spelled out when seen from the air (or on Google Maps).  © Blerta Kambo  © Blerta Kambo We also designed a planting scheme for the rear part of the site, between the paved area and the surrounding urbanity, which will be realized once a new hotel has been constructed on an adjacent lot. Once again we turned to the surrounding landscape for inspiration, eschewing the glitzy palms of California or the Côte d'Azur in favor of indigenous Mediterranean species such as parasol pines, thyme, rosemary, lavender cotton and centaury to provide a mixture of relief and ground cover. We also added a couple of exotic non-native species, such as cacti and agaves, to strike a contrasting note of dissonance.  Vegetation Since there was inevitably a political dimension to this commission, we were given only twelve months to undertake both design and construction, so that Cape Square would be ready in time for upcoming local elections. Adhurim Qehajaj, architect and consultant to the mayor, was indispensable in getting the work realized on schedule and to the required standard. After completion of Cape Square, locals immediately adopted it, affectionately nicknaming it "Sfinksi" (sphinx) and gathering there every day to watch the sunset. Albanian pop group Young Zerka even made a music video there — for a song they entitled Boom Boom.  © Blerta Kambo  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Eduardo Souto de Moura: “I Look Beyond Solution; I Look For an Expression” Posted: 14 Dec 2017 01:30 AM PST  Casa das Histórias Paula Rego, 2008. Image © Fernando Guerra | FG+SG The architectural approach of 2011 Pritzker Prize-winner Eduardo Souto de Moura can be difficult to summarize. His convictions on matters of aesthetics and design are strongly held, but also highly individual and at times even unusual. In his work, this translates to buildings that are enigmatic, yet not flashy—in the words of the 2011 Pritzker Prize jury, "His buildings have a unique ability to convey seemingly conflicting characteristics—power and modesty, bravado and subtlety, bold public authority and sense of intimacy—at the same time." In the latest interview from his "City of Ideas" series, Vladimir Belogolovsky speaks to Souto de Moura to probe his architectural mind and understand the thinking behind these powerful yet modest works. Vladimir Belogolovsky: I had a chance to visit your Paula Rego Museum in Cascais outside of Lisbon, which is a very sculptural composition of iconic forms... Eduardo Souto de Moura: Why are you saying it is sculptural? I don't agree.  Casa das Histórias Paula Rego, 2008. Image © Vítor Gabriel VB: [Laughs.] Well, I am just expressing my impression and you can tell me why you think it is not sculptural. SM: I like sculpture. I like art. But architecture is not art, and it is not sculpture. The Paula Rego Museum is not a sculpture because a sculpture has no function inside. If I cut a sculpture—inside there will be nothing. Paula Rego Museum is architecture. The museum is a complex of several buildings. They contain drawings, paintings, and installations for the permanent collection, a bookshop, a cafeteria, and one space in the middle for temporary exhibitions. The museum is very small, just on the ground floor, so from a distance you can't see it. Where is the museum? So I proposed to identify these different spaces of the museum with red towering forms in contrast to the greenery and tall trees all around. The scale of these forms is similar to a palace nearby and the materials I used are similar to other memorable buildings in the area. So the museum is constructed out of my memory of the place. .jpg?1513004532 "Braga Municipal Stadium, 2003. Image © Leonardo Finotti") Braga Municipal Stadium, 2003. Image © Leonardo Finotti VB: The reason I wanted to start this conversation by talking about your interest in sculpture has to do with sculptor Donald Judd. You knew him in person, right? SM: In 1993, I was teaching in Zurich and my students introduced me to the work of Judd. I didn't know it before. They gave me his book Architecture and I went to see his furniture exhibition in a gallery in Zurich. I bought the catalog and read his texts, and became fascinated with his writings. He said he was tired with the very abstract solitary work of a sculptor and he expressed a desire to do architectural projects with social purpose. When I read it, I identified it with my own desires because I felt tired with architecture and I was still dreaming about becoming a photographer. In the book, he said that he didn't want to work alone like an artist. The artist lives alone, while the life of an architect is the opposite. We are surrounded by too many people who want to influence our decisions—our collaborators, engineers, politicians, the public, and so on. Anyway, I liked his ideas and one day I was in a bookstore and heard someone talking about Portugal and Álvaro Siza. So I came up, introduced myself, and the person was Donald Judd. We started talking and I promised to him to organize his lecture in Porto. A few months later, we received all the necessary support for his trip and then we found out that he passed away from cancer. After that, I visited his foundation in Marfa, Texas and saw many of his installations in open landscapes and small buildings that he remodeled and built. I like how he crosses abstract art with vernacular art and architecture. He is a hero to me, and one of the key references for my architecture. Mies van der Rohe is another important influence.  MIEC + MMAP, by Álvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura, 2012. Image © João Morgado VB: So after what you told me about being influenced by Judd, would it be accurate to say that your work is a cross between sculpture and architecture? SM: No! Forget sculpture. I am not a sculptor. My point was that Judd shifted from sculpture to architecture because he was tired of working alone as a sculptor, gravitating toward the much more collaborative work of an architect to produce work that has a social dimension and social significance.  Braga Municipal Stadium, 2003. Image © Leonardo Finotti VB: What would you identify as the main intention of your work? SM: There is no intention! I hate when architects try to explain their intentions by saying that they want to make poetic architecture, for example.  Convento Das Bernardas, 2012. Image © Luis Ferreira Alves VB: You said that "narrative architecture is a disaster." SM: Exactly. I don't like explanations and particular emotions that are intentionally provoked. For me, an object is enough. I am not interested in knowing what the author wanted to say. I want to read and interpret architecture for myself.  Cantareira Building, 2013. Image © Luis Ferreira Alves VB: You want to make architecture itself, not represent anything. SM: I want to make objects where people can live and be happy. I hate Intentions in Architecture, the book by Christian Norberg-Schulz. And I like the phrase, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions." You can't rationalize the process. A project is not a meaningful conclusion. If you try to explain your intentions, you are lying.  Miguel Torga Space, 2011. Image © Luis Ferreira Alves VB: Then what is your goal? What do you want to achieve with your architecture? SM: First, to express my personal way, my personal opinion. I am my own client, meaning that first, I do architecture for myself. If I am happy, if my work is useful, and it makes my client happy then the goal is achieved. Architects who say they are working for others are lying. I have to satisfy myself first. If that happens, there is a chance for others to be satisfied as well.  27 Dwellings in Sete Cidades, by Eduardo Souto de Moura and Adriano Pimenta, 2011. Image © Luis Ferreira Alves VB: How do you typically start a project? I read that you never like to start something entirely from scratch. SM: It is not wise to start from scratch. There is so much knowledge... I often recycle my previous projects to see how they can adapt to the new situation. This is just to start and then they transform. Every time I start a project in the hope that it will change into something. If nothing changes, the project is over. The quest is fulfilled. When I work, I need as much information as possible. I always challenge my forms and plans to see how they conform to the problem at stake. And, of course, you always need a client. Even if a client is stupid, I need his stupidity. I can't work in a vacuum. There is no one process. The beauty of life is in its contradictions. I need tension. Le Corbusier said, "Architecture is not this or that; it is in between."  Convento Das Bernardas, 2012. Image © Luis Ferreira Alves VB: Your book, Floating Images: Eduardo Souto de Moura's Wall Atlas features your sketches, photos of various projects, ruins, clippings from newspapers and magazines of houses, medieval towers, aircraft carriers, offshore oil platforms, ads of elegant dresses and cigarette packs. All these images are pinned or archived at your studio here. What role do they play in your work and how do they influence you? SM: Directly. It is like a flash. I see something intriguing that sparks my interest. I don't think about it. If I like an image, I keep it and I might use it or I may never use it. Look at this picture on the wall. [Points to a picture pinned on the wall right behind me.] This was a fire in China. If you frame it in a particular way, you may recognize some projects by Frank Gehry in there. There is a connection between such images and projects. But I don't like explaining how the process works. .jpg?1513004540 "Casa da Musica Subway Station, 2005. Image © Fernando Guerra | FG+SG") Casa da Musica Subway Station, 2005. Image © Fernando Guerra | FG+SG VB: So you collect these images and they may spark this flash one day or they may not... SM: Architecture is all about copying. We copy the things that we see. But when this copying process happens consciously it is a disaster. It should be subconscious, almost unintentional.  Santa Maria do Bouro Convent, by Eduardo Souto de Moura and Humberto Vieira, 1997. Image © Luis Ferreira Alves VB: So nothing is invented. This process of coming to a solution is transformational. SM: Let's say I have a library of images in my head. When I am working, these images come up. This is unconscious. I look beyond solution; I look for an expression. I also collect phrases. For example, I like Freud's, "From error to error one discovers the entire truth." Another one is by Beckett, "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." So the intention is always the same—to try to find something special and personal.  Burgo Tower, 2007. Image © Fernando Guerra | FG+SG VB: You mentioned that Mies is one of your main influences. But only a few of your projects, such as your Torre do Burgo here in Porto, hint at that. What is it that draws you to his work? SM: He is perhaps the most contradictory architect. He said one thing but did something entirely different. He designed glass buildings but lived in a 19th-century stone neoclassical building. Mies said, "Beauty is the mirror of truth." But look at his detail drawings. I have a whole collection of them here. All of those drawings are lies!  Cultural Center of Viana do Castelo, 2013. Image © João Morgado VB: [Laughs.] But they are so beautiful to look at. SM: Oh, they are divine! [Laughs.]  São Lourenço do Barrocal, 2016. Image © Nelson Garrido VB: So you are saying that these complicated layered details are not necessary. SM: Of course, they are necessary! That's what makes architecture. These beautiful details may not be functional, they are not truthful, but they are so beautiful and therefore, essential. They are a sort of skin-deep make-up... As Nietzsche said, "We have art in order not to die of the truth." All façades are fake. I tried to show that in my Torre do Burgo project. Every façade is a story, a point of view...  Hotel & Catering School, by Eduardo Souto de Moura and Graça Correia, 2011. Image © Luis Ferreira Alves VLADIMIR BELOGOLOVSKY is the founder of the New York-based non-profit Curatorial Project. Trained as an architect at Cooper Union in New York, he has written five books, including Conversations with Architects in the Age of Celebrity (DOM, 2015), Harry Seidler: LIFEWORK (Rizzoli, 2014), and Soviet Modernism: 1955-1985 (TATLIN, 2010). Among his numerous exhibitions: Anthony Ames: Object-Type Landscapes at Casa Curutchet, La Plata, Argentina (2015); Colombia: Transformed (American Tour, 2013-15); Harry Seidler: Painting Toward Architecture (world tour since 2012); and Chess Game for Russian Pavilion at the 11th Venice Architecture Biennale (2008). Belogolovsky is the American correspondent for Berlin-based architectural journal SPEECH and he has lectured at universities and museums in more than 20 countries. Belogolovsky's column, City of Ideas, introduces ArchDaily's readers to his latest and ongoing conversations with the most innovative architects from around the world. These intimate discussions are a part of the curator's upcoming exhibition with the same title which premiered at the University of Sydney in June 2016. The City of Ideas exhibition will travel to venues around the world to explore ever-evolving content and design.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| HOMB | Taft House / Skylab Architecture Posted: 14 Dec 2017 01:00 AM PST  © Stephen Miller
 © Stephen Miller Text description provided by the architects. Skylab Architecture and Method Homes partnered on developing a modular and prefab building system named HOMB. The system uses 100 square foot triangle modules designed to be site adaptable which fasten together to create endless form possibilities. Modules are stacked and assembled to meet the height and square footage requirements for each unique project.  Main Level Composed of 28 triangle modules for the Taft Housewas erected and assembled in one day. While the subgrade basement was built on site, the modules were being built offsite. The two modular levels were delivered in 6 units and consists of 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and an accessory dwelling unit for a total of 3,930 square feet.  © Stephen Miller HOMB has a super-insulated building skin which is estimated to save 40% energy over code, utilizing warm floors connected to a solar powered efficient mechanical system and water conservation features. This prefab design minimizes waste and recycling at the factory by creating an efficient assembly line and sources sustainable materials using low-voc processes.  © Stephen Miller This building module process can range in scale from a single family residence up to a 50,000 square foot commercial building, the use of modularity simplifies the design process, streamlines the construction phase and future needs of any additions or re-configurations.  © Stephen Miller  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Monochrome and Polychrome Collide for Art Basel Miami Beach Posted: 14 Dec 2017 12:00 AM PST  The Prada Double Club Miami / (c) Casey Kelbaugh. Image Courtesy of Fondazione Prada As part of Art Basel in Miami Beach, a modern and contemporary art fair that highlights galleries and the newest developments in the visual arts, Carsten Höller created an installation piece for the Fondazione Prada. The installation, "The Prada Double Club Miami" is only open for a few days as part of Art Basel and is a fully-functioning nightclub.  The Prada Double Club Miami / (c) Casey Kelbaugh. Image Courtesy of Fondazione Prada The nightclub creates a unique experience by amalgamating hospitality and entertainment with contemporary art, music, and design. The installation is completely transformative of the 1920's film studio which was prior to that, an ice factory, creating two distinct spaces, the interior monochromatic club contrasts with the outdoor hyper-polychromatic garden.  The Prada Double Club Miami / (c) Casey Kelbaugh. Image Courtesy of Fondazione Prada Höller first introduced the 'double club' concept in 2008 for the Fondazione Prada where the bar, restaurant, and club were split and showed a Western aesthetic contrasting the Congolese side in London. The artist is extending his investigation of two-sidedness. "The audience is presented with two different spaces which offer visually and acoustically opposed experiences with no concession to fusion. The vital and most important aim of "The Prada Double Club Miami" is to allow art to move outside its usual restrictive contexts transforming it into a real-life experience."  The Prada Double Club Miami / (c) Casey Kelbaugh. Image Courtesy of Fondazione Prada  The Prada Double Club Miami / (c) Casey Kelbaugh. Image Courtesy of Fondazione Prada This is the second, yet very different, iteration of Carsten Höller's acclaimed concept which first debuted in London in 2008 for eight months. In this new project, the artist further investigates the notion of two-sidedness: the audience is presented with two different spaces which offer visually and acoustically opposed experiences, with no concession to fusion. The vital and most important aim of "The Prada Double Club Miami" is to allow art to move outside its usual restrictive contexts transforming it into a real-life experience" explains the Fondazione Prada. News via: Fondazione Prada.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| White Arkitekter and Citu Release First Images of Climate Innovation District in Leeds Posted: 13 Dec 2017 10:00 PM PST  Courtesy of Citu Scandinavian firm, White Arkitekter, working closely with urban developers Citu, have designed the masterplan for the new Climate Innovation District in Leeds, in the United Kingdom. A central brownfield site in the city will be developed and converted into a sustainable, resilient, mixed-use neighborhood of more than 500 apartments and homes. Scandinavian urban densities and principles have inspired the development, with a high standard of environmental performance and fully integrated services including healthcare, schooling, commercial offices, and manufacturing. Wide access to a range of social and green space is also crucial to the scheme and non-vehicular movement is a priority. Consideration is given to the distance people have to walk to access daily facilities, ensuring the complex is pedestrian and cycle-friendly. The green infrastructure embedded throughout the infrastructure to encourage social interaction, physical activity, and play, reduce urban heat island effect, improve air quality and overall quality of life for the residents.  Courtesy of Citu The complex will be comprised of the Citu Home - a new timber framed housing system which will be one of the most airtight and energy efficient homes in the world. Unrivaled in energy performance, it is hoped that when manufactured on a mass scale the system will help to mitigate the United Kingdom's housing crisis while being climate-conscious in the face of climate change. Chris Thompson, founder and managing director of Citu, says of the project:
A mix of 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes will all be manufactured on site at Citu Works, which once under operation will be able to produce 750 low carbon homes each year for future developments. The Citu Home system was developed in collaboration with Leeds Beckett University and the district will be completed in two phases.  Courtesy of Citu The first phase of 121 homes and 191 apartments will be designed by White Arkitekter and the second phase by Manchester-based firm Ollier Smurthwaite Architects. Riverside apartment blocks and a range of waterfront homes will be constructed on top of an undercroft car park of parking spaces with electric vehicle charging capabilities. Each Citu home will include - rainwater and stormwater collection, socialist mechanical ventilation with Heat Recovery system, cycle storage provision supplemented by cycle paths incorporated into the wider development, Smart-Home digital technology, solar paneling and green roofs and surfaces on riverside homes.  Courtesy of Citu The scheme will no doubt act as a catalyst for future sustainable city and housing design. The first of the apartments are due to be completed in early 2018. More information visit here. News via: Citu and White Arkitekter.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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