Arch Daily |
- Life Between Paintings / XTOPIX
- Damesalen Laboratories - Københavns Universitet / Mikkelsen Arkitekter
- Good Time Community Center / B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio
- Weekend Villa / Nitin Killawala + Associates
- Ideal Space / Robot 3
- The Exchange / Harry Gugger Studio
- 350 E. Locust St. / Neumann Monson Architects
- Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners Breaks Ground on Green Roof Topped Louvre Storage Facility
- Ewok House / Fones Arquitectos
- 10 Bathrooms To Match Your Favorite Bathbomb: The Best Photos of the Week
- New Renderings Reveal the Design of Adjaye's First New York Residential Tower
- Black Drop Coffee Shop / ark4lab of Architecture
- Spotlight: Charles and Ray Eames
- Why Postmodernism's New-Found Popularity Is All About Looking Forward, Not Back
- Shelter in the Vineyard / Ramón Esteve
- Spotlight: Oscar Niemeyer
- Winners of the LafargeHolcim Awards 2017 for Latin America Focus on Water Management
- Kunsthalle Mannheim Building / gmp Architekten
| Life Between Paintings / XTOPIX Posted: 15 Dec 2017 09:00 PM PST  © Ondřej Tylčer
 © Ondřej Tylčer Text description provided by the architects. The lightness, openness and natural flow of an airy space are the main features characterizing a maisonette apartment covering the area of approximately 200 m2. The flat was built in the 90s in the attic of the apartment constructed in Prague's quarter called Vinohrady. The disposition adjustments of the flat were minimal, due to already existing sophisticated spatial plan originating from the previous owner's pen. One of the cornerstones in designing the proposal was the fact that clients being a young couple are passionate collectors of paintings.  Interior Design 6th Floor - Proposal  © Ondřej Tylčer The resulting solution thus leaves largely blank white walls as a neutral gallery background for a growing painting collection. Hanged paintings are complemented by a series of composed interior elements featuring other artistic installations - a light mosaic above double bed, a circular cutout in the wall between the bathroom and the living room with a view of the bathtub (the window can be shaded with a built-in electric blind) or a large format painting by our client's favorite artist printed on the glass above the kitchen desk.  Interior Design 7th Floor - Proposal  © Ondřej Tylčer The living room naturally creates the heart of entire flat thanks to its unique character; it is dominated by growing ficus and spacious relaxing multilevel platform evoking the "archetypal rural furnace". This atypical interior element has been customized especially for the clients, integrating a large-format sofa with chairs and a conference table, a library or an indoor space serving children as a bunker (a system of larger or smaller mutually interconnected spaces). The residential quality of the duplex is reinforced by vast south-facing terraces overlooking the roofs of the surrounding neighbourhood.  © Ondřej Tylčer  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Damesalen Laboratories - Københavns Universitet / Mikkelsen Arkitekter Posted: 15 Dec 2017 06:00 PM PST  © Søren Aagaard / Mikkelsen Arkitekter
 © Søren Aagaard / Mikkelsen Arkitekter Text description provided by the architects. Damesalen resulted from the need for new testing laboratories. The concept for the building was to replace the roof of a former university gymnastics hall with a new floor that would accommodate the various functions of the program. The project offered the opportunity to explore an architectural concept where the additional floor was enclosed in a simple elegant glass box. Architectural and functional variations occur in the glass façade depending on the program and functions of the spaces behind. The design was also informed by its surroundings and its orientation.  © Søren Aagaard / Mikkelsen Arkitekter Bespoke glass solutions were developed by both the architects and suppliers to create a building envelop that would embody design and performance in the form of a novel and integrated concept. With an increasing request for higher performing envelope solutions, the tendency is to go towards thicker insulations, deeper facades, and reduced glass areas. In many cases, the overall quality of the architecture is weakened and the interaction between inside and outside reduced. Integrating thin transparent high performance insulated layers into double or triple glazed units is an interesting alternative to deep facades.  © Søren Aagaard / Mikkelsen Arkitekter Coming from double skin facades which consist of various layers placed within the depth of a meter, it is difficult to imagine that such a rich architectural expression can function within the depth of a 78mm deep triple glazed unit. But the architectural quality of very thin facades is interesting. Imagine a façade driven by a 2D graphic experience rather than depth and layering or an architectural language based on the integration of transparent screens or prints, translucent filters, or thin insulation placed within the cavity of glazed units.  Exploded Axonometric A façade must make sense and express quality from a distance as well as close up. The challenge is to communicate scale and materiality from a distance while expressing more as people get closer. It is important that façades are experienced not only from the outside but as well from the inside. We often see facades fail to do so. By positioning an insulated material within the cavity of a triple glazed unit there is an opportunity to experience the same material from both sides or to create a deliberate difference.  © Søren Aagaard / Mikkelsen Arkitekter For Damesalen, the metal mesh surfaces follow this principle, therefore giving an overall homogenous understanding of the building.  © Søren Aagaard / Mikkelsen Arkitekter  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Good Time Community Center / B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio Posted: 15 Dec 2017 02:00 PM PST
 © Ruijing Photo Text description provided by the architects. Undertake a variety of media, business and cultural exchanges, this space is divided into the foreground, activity hall, guest room, VIP reception room and auxiliary area with renovation. The space height also change as the type of space changing, present a different space effect. The simplified arch is to be elements of ceiling, different directions of arch divided different areas, but at the same time the arch also achieve a smooth transition, to satisfy the metabolic and fluent unified effect of the space.  © Ruijing Photo The space is made of plain cement, with the original wood color, while showing the sense of calm and gentle relatives. Clean wooded furniture with brass cupboard door, showing a modern style. Compared with the arch of western architecture, bringing out harmony contrast. We can see the mixed culture from an interweave of form and texture.  © Ruijing Photo The foreground and VIP lounge are arranged in a natural light area, and the entrance retains the transparent glass to ensure that the entrance and bar areas are clean and bright. Reception area on the second floor chooses adjustable wood louver which is matching with spaces. We choose ultrawhite electrolytic glass as wall surfacing of inner space to satisfy the private require of watching activities which is based on consonant texture.  © Ruijing Photo The activity hall retains the high effect and uses the height advantage to design a big step that can be used for viewing. In order to meet the space requirements of different activities, the large steps can be retractable. When the steps are fully unfolded, it can contain about 70 people with speech, report and other activities. When the steps are packed up, it can accommodate up to 40 people to watch 3 or 4 persons' performances. The large step's opposite, ceiling conceal a width of 4 meters of projection curtain depends on it's arc-shaped which is equipped with sound equipment accordingly. When the lights are turned off, the curtain goes down and the hall becomes a small theater. The ceiling of the second floor to connect activity hall was hidden in the ceiling, which was used for hanging the drawing, and could be turned into a miniature gallery when needed.  © Ruijing Photo  Plan  © Ruijing Photo This is a space of less than 200 ㎡ contains business and commercial activities, negotiation, rest and so on various functions and needs. It makes the space has variability through the use of materials and technology, thus, it also contains the core of cultural integration from material and form.  © Ruijing Photo  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Weekend Villa / Nitin Killawala + Associates Posted: 15 Dec 2017 12:00 PM PST  © Dinesh Mehta
 © Dinesh Mehta Text description provided by the architects. Perched atop Amarja Hills in Pawna at the tip of a hillock is the cluster of cuboids forming the basic structure of this weekend escapade  © Dinesh Mehta Each room is trapezoidal in plan as well as section focusing on view frame of serene Pawna Lake and soft mountains cape. In order to define the individuality of each room these cuboids are placed apart connecting by a low height connector lobby. The cuboids are placed like dices to suit the contours and capture best views.  Ground Level Plan Also, the structure is like a simple garage like blocks having two strong walls along its depth while large openings on both ends for cross ventilation. Two long walls of concrete blocks clad with black basalt for easy maintenance and weather proof having galvanized deck sheets placed on steel purlins to simplify the structure. This roof in steel in place of concrete slab avoids shuttering / scaffolding etc. Also, instead of false ceiling for thermal insulation, clay tiles are placed over thin layer of concrete  © Dinesh Mehta Three out of four cuboids are linked with a large sprawl of lawns, by constructing optimum retaining wall and earth fill to get seamless view between the wide openings of structures and the distant water body.  © Dinesh Mehta Amarja Hills is no different. Any setting with natural elements of water and mountains are always exotic especially during sunsets and sunrises.  © Dinesh Mehta  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 15 Dec 2017 11:00 AM PST  © Robot 3 Studio
 © Robot 3 Studio Text description provided by the architects. The location of the project is in Plaza66, Zhongjie Street, Shenyang. Two walls were built in the house in the street, a wall divides inside and outside, a wall divides the left and right direction. The "Wall" is in our hearts all the time, giving us shelter, imprisonment, and hope.  © Robot 3 Studio  © Robot 3 Studio The two walls create a dream, the wall is transparent, and the long wall is stretched. The space between the walls is determined and blurred, but visible to each other. It is possible and hope, not imprisoned and closed. The long wall that stretches outside to the house is a guidance and the wall can be living, not just a divider or reference.  Sketches. Image © Robot 3 Studio It is possible and hope, not imprisoned and closed.The long wall that stretches outside to the house is a guidance and the wall can be living, not just a divider or reference.  © Robot 3 Studio  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Exchange / Harry Gugger Studio Posted: 15 Dec 2017 09:00 AM PST  Courtesy of Credit Swiss
 Courtesy of Credit Swiss Text description provided by the architects. Surrounded by water and framed by mountains, the unique urban cityscape of Vancouver's downtown is defined by its spectacular natural setting. 'The Exchange' is located in the heart of this downtown area. As one of a select few new, high density, office developments in the city's central business district this new tower will bring valuable diversity, revenue and jobs to the neighbourhood and to the city as a whole.  Before. Image Courtesy of Credit Swiss The design rationale for the new 'Exchange' tower is entirely derived from its surrounding context and environment; in particular the existing Old Stock Exchange building, which is to be preserved and rehabilitated on the site. This refined, handsome and elegant building has facades of carefully composed vertical pilasters that are designed both to best accentuate its height and at the same time ground the building within the streetscape of the city.  Elevations The new tower does not attempt to dominate or compete with this prominent original building but rather to successfully work together with it in order to create an overall composition that looks at once to Vancouver's future without obscuring its past.  Courtesy of Credit Swiss By both breaking up the mass of the tower over its entire height and by recessing its bulk from the perimeter of the site above the Old Stock Exchange, the new building allows the existing structure to fully define the streetscape, retaining and confirming its proud position within the heart of Vancouver's downtown.  Section As the form of the tower retreats lower down to better define the original form and independence of the Old Stock Exchange, it consequently grows higher above to maximize its potential on the site. Here at the upper, more valuable floor levels, the tower steps out in two directions to provide larger, more efficient floor plates. These steps consequently create terraces on the tower's sides that are optimally positioned to exploit the best views of the surrounding city and the dramatic panorama of the mountains beyond.  Courtesy of Harry Gugger Studio The stratification and stepping of the tower's form, coupled with the chamfering of its corners both reduces its overall bulk and impact on its neighbours and leaves the Old Stock Exchange building as the single-largest element on the site, emphasizing its presence within the city centre.  South Elevation Restricted from creating a strong intervention on this skyline, 'The Exchange' instead looks to create a distinctive icon within the space of the city itself. Viewed from the street, its cantilevered form creates a unique identity for the tower at the centre of Vancouver's business district. Seen in-the-round 'The Exchange's' form is different from all angles yet remains identifiably the same coherent structure, clearly distinct from its neighbour's and further pronouncing its individuality and historical pedigree.  Courtesy of Credit Swiss A respect for the architectural and significant social heritage of this original building is also paramount to the origins and identity of the tower's façade design. The strongly vertical nature of the Old Stock Exchange's façade is echoed in the elegant pinstripe of the tower's external aluminium mullions. This unified system responds to the solid pilasters of the Old Stock Exchange Building that is to be retained on the site whilst accentuating the verticality of the tower itself, defining a more uniform and slimmer overall appearance of the building from all orientations.  Plans The vertical mullions perform a further function, shading the building envelope and significantly reducing its cooling load requirements. Their passive screening effect also greatly improves the visual privacy between the tower and its immediate residential neighbour, Jameson House. Harry Gugger Studio in collaboration with Iredale Group Architecture.  Courtesy of Harry Gugger Studio  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 350 E. Locust St. / Neumann Monson Architects Posted: 15 Dec 2017 07:00 AM PST  © Assassi Productions
 © Assassi Productions Text description provided by the architects. This five-story, 45,000 sf historic district mixed-use project offers retail, twenty residential units, and a penthouse office. Proportioned to accord with its surroundings, the building offers calculated departures from the traditional.  Site Plan Material and massing articulate the program. The palette is simple: dark brick, clear glass, anodized aluminum, and weathering steel. The circulation spine's glazed wall connects steel-clad egress towers to the brick residential block raised above the retail floor. The penthouse, a glazed white beacon, completes the ensemble.  © Assassi Productions  Plans  © Assassi Productions At the street level, expansive windows connect passers-by to 6,000 sf of commercial space. Recessed tenant entries to the east and west provide privacy and cover. Above, residential units share a layout concept in which the kitchen, which is centered on the living space, parallels the exterior wall and shares a plumbing wall with a primary bathroom. Level four boasts projecting glass and steel balconies as well as an outdoor commons space – available to all tenants—that offers westward views of the skyline. On level five, the penthouse workplace doubles as an occasional social gathering venue. A linear service core provides programmatic flexibility. Three fully-glazed fritted exterior walls take advantage of downtown views and open to a perimeter roof terrace.  © Assassi Productions  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners Breaks Ground on Green Roof Topped Louvre Storage Facility Posted: 15 Dec 2017 06:30 AM PST  Renderings of the project. Image Courtesy of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners has broken ground on a new conservation and storage facility for the Louvre in Liévin, France. Capable of housing conservation and storage facilities for as many as 250,000 works, the building will is aiming to become of one of the world's most advanced research and study facilities.  Renderings of the project. Image Courtesy of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners Located a short drive from the SANAA-designed Louvre Lens, the new facility will contain 18,500 square meters (199,000 square feet) of space, including a 1,700-square-meter (18,000-square-foot) conservation treatment area and 9,600 square meters (130,000 square feet) of storage space. Built into the the natural terrain, the single-story building will grow out from the landscape with a lush green roof framed by two pairs of concrete walls reminiscent of the French military architecture of Vauban. Materials have been chosen based on their "simplicity, resilience, and sobriety." "The simple and elegant concrete frame provides a highly efficient structure and stable environmental conditions," explain the architects.  A photo from the groundbreaking ceremony. Image Courtesy of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners  Renderings of the project. Image Courtesy of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners A wide, barrel-vaulted corridor known as the "boulevard of the artworks" will serve as the main circulatory backbone of the building, where art will pass from the 400-square-meter delivery bay to the dedicated areas for conservation and treatment. "The work done here has enriched our architectural vocabulary," said Graham Stirk, senior partner at Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and lead designer on the project. "The Louvre-Lens building will blend almost completely into the landscape and marry the sloping form of the terrain. The single storey height of the building will also greatly facilitate the movement of the works."  Renderings of the project. Image Courtesy of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners  Renderings of the project. Image Courtesy of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners is collaborating with landscape architects Mutabilis Paysage & Urbanisme, technical consultants Egis Batiment Nord, environmental consultants Inddigo SAS, and project managers VPEAS SAS. The building is expected to be completed by summer 2019, with works to be gradually transferred to the facility throughout the second half of the year.
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| Ewok House / Fones Arquitectos Posted: 15 Dec 2017 05:00 AM PST  © Antonio Aros
 © Antonio Aros Text description provided by the architects. The site is located in an area of the city marked by an irregular topography with the characteristic slopes of the mountain foothills, surrounded by dense vegetation and facing a small canyon that make views to gain a leading role.  Section These elements created a house that relate with the immediate landscape, through views that integrate nature and environment.  © Antonio Aros The first challenge was to approach the steep slope, placing the house on a large wall-base that formed the house´s access and courtyard, raising the house and making the public street and vehicular traffic disappears. The orientation of the main volume of the house was fundamental to take advantage of the views towards the green areas of the landscape, avoiding views of nearby constructions and keeping privacy respect to other houses in the neighborhood.  © Antonio Aros Another challenge of the project was to strengthen the relationship between the exterior and interior of the house. The main volume was located strategically in the upper part of the site, allowing the relationship between the views and the interior circulations of the house with the two types of courtyards in the project conformed by the slope, the house volume and the views. In this way, the wide windows generate a transversal connection of the house with the exteriors, integrating the living room with the courtyards, terraces and gardens.  First Floor Plan  Second Floor Plan The intersection between interior and exterior spaces becomes the essence of the project´s paths, where a patio, a terrace or an exterior view always follows each one of the circulations inside the house. A double patio in the access, a living room connected transversely with a patio and a terrace or a tree that vertically crosses both floors of the house are some examples of the interior and exterior relationship.  © Antonio Aros The same happens in the kitchen, where daily uses are differentiated, creating a work zone defined by a central island and another dining room area that connects to a green slope through a large window.  © Antonio Aros The first floor´s height is 2,90mts, where the concrete planket ceiling and porcelain tile floor contrast with the green interior courtyard.  © Antonio Aros The neutral colors and sober materials used in every room in the house, give the owners the chance to choose the decoration and define the personality of their home.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 10 Bathrooms To Match Your Favorite Bathbomb: The Best Photos of the Week Posted: 15 Dec 2017 04:00 AM PST  © Peter Clarke With the right configuration of materials and shapes, small enclosure, such as bathrooms, have unending design potential. Progressively, architects and designers are striving to make washrooms more welcoming and attractive places for its users. Often times we will hear clients ask for their bathroom to be somewhat of a personal spa. This week we have compiled 10 compelling images of bathrooms from all over the world. Bathrooms whose materials, patterns, colors, shapes, and textures begin to tell a story. Below, photographs by Peter Clarke, José Hevia, and Erieta Attali. PhotographixTreeVilla at Forest Hills / Architecture BRIO © Photographix WU Yong-ChangReturning Hut / FM.X Interior Design © WU Yong-Chang Justin AlexanderNorth Bondi II Residence / Tobias Partners © Justin Alexander Ralph FeinerRefugi Lieptgas / Georg Nickisch + Selina Walder © Ralph Feiner Simon DevittTakapuna House / Athfield Architects © Simon Devitt Erieta AttaliLes Cols Pavilions / RCR Arquitectes © Erieta Attali José HeviaWinery in Mont-Ras / Jorge Vidal Tomás and Víctor Rahola © José Hevia Åke E-son LindmanFagerstrom House / Claesson Koivisto Rune © Åke E-son Lindman Ezio ManciuccaAP House Urbino / GGA gardini gibertini architects © Ezio Manciucca Peter ClarkeArmadale Residence / BE Architecture © Peter Clarke  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New Renderings Reveal the Design of Adjaye's First New York Residential Tower Posted: 15 Dec 2017 03:01 AM PST  Exterior. Image Courtesy of Lightstone New renderings have revealed of Adjaye Associate's first New York City residential tower, 130 William, as foundational work on the project is underway. Located in the Financial District not far from the World Trade Center complex, 130 William will rise 66 stories to contain 244 luxury condominiums.  View of the upper story loggias. Image Courtesy of Lightstone While early conceptual renderings for the project showed a gleaming golden facade, the updated visualizations show a system of dark concrete arches inspired by the lofts that once populated the neighborhood. As the building reaches its uppermost levels, the arches flip to create a series of wraparound outdoor loggias. Bronze detailing will feature on the ground floor and in the window casing and mullions. "The design for 130 William acknowledges the tower's location on one of the city's earliest streets," explains David Adjaye. "Understanding that rich history, I was inspired to craft a building that turns away from the commercial feel of glass and that instead celebrates New York's heritage of masonry architecture with a distinctive presence in Manhattan's skyline."  Entry plaza. Image Courtesy of Lightstone  Pool. Image Courtesy of Lightstone Being developed by the Lightstone Group, the building will offer unit types ranging from studios to five-bedroom penthouses, along with an abundance of shared amenities including a health club and spa, a swimming pool, hot and cold plunge pools, a sauna, massage rooms, and a fitness center containing a yoga studio and basketball court. Other features including a private IMAX theater, a golf simulator, a lounge, a club and game room, a chef's catering kitchen with a private dining area, children's play rooms, a pet spa and outdoor terraces. A private observatory deck will cap the building at nearly 800 feet in the air. At the base of the tower, a new public plaza park will create a buffer between the busy urban district and the residences, as well as create a zone for relaxing and gathering.  Double height living room interior. Image Courtesy of Lightstone "Sir David Adjaye is one of today's most preeminent architects and we are thrilled to be collaborating with him to bring an iconic building to downtown Manhattan," said Lightstone President Mitchell Hochberg. "The design for 130 William simultaneously embraces the architectural legacy of Manhattan's downtown neighborhood, while offering luxury condominium residences that discerning buyers will find is unlike anything on the market." Sales on the building are expected to begin in Spring 2018, with construction slated for completion by Spring 2020. News via Lightstone.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Black Drop Coffee Shop / ark4lab of Architecture Posted: 15 Dec 2017 03:00 AM PST  © studiovd.gr
 © studiovd.gr Text description provided by the architects. In the center of Kavala, a city located in the northern Greece, you can have an alternative coffee break. The black drop is a coffee shop where coffee is treated more like an experience, an urban act. A stand built of mosaic becomes an interactive space for informing and exchanging views on the art of coffee. Materials such as Copper, terrazzo, exposed concrete, old wood surfaces, rusted walls give you the sense that you are a part of a laboratory where you can act and react.  © studiovd.gr  Floor Plan  © studiovd.gr Α wooden platform built in levels and positioned towards the 'Kapnergaton' square removes its boundaries with the exterior transforming the coffee shop into an urban space of gathering. this emerging urbanity is complemented by a wooden structure with references to the parametric design where the user can sit and enjoy the coffee in different ways.  © studiovd.gr Among the old walls, there are works of art embedded in the space, such as a portrait made of traditional tiles and a rhinoceros model analyzed in triangles. A black drop is a place where post-industrial contemporary urban aesthetics meet the 'obsession ' of coffee lovers in a way that coffee experience becomes a social act.  © studiovd.gr  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Spotlight: Charles and Ray Eames Posted: 15 Dec 2017 02:30 AM PST  Eames House. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/jkz/20338540121/'>Flickr user jkz</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a> Charles (June 17, 1907 – August 21, 1978) and Ray Eames (December 15, 1912 – August 21, 1988) are best known for their personal and artistic collaboration, and their innovative designs that shaped the course of modernism. Their firm worked on a diverse array of projects, with designs for exhibitions, furniture, houses, monuments, and toys. Together they developed manufacturing processes to take advantage of new materials and technology, aiming to produce high quality everyday objects at a reasonable cost. Many of their furniture designs are considered contemporary classics, particularly the Eames Lounge & Shell Chairs, while the Eames House is a seminal work of architectural modernism.  Ray and Charles Eames. Image © Eames Office Charles Eames began his architectural study after he was awarded a scholarship to study in his hometown at Washington University in St. Louis. However, after just two years at the university he left, at least in part due to the school's teaching: he once described how classical architectural training "forces upon the young designer a system of sterile formula," and a teacher reportedly claimed that he was "too modern." Undeterred, Eames set up a firm with partner Charles Gray, and the pair was later joined by Walter Pauley. In 1938, Eames accepted the invitation of Eliel Saarinen to study at the Art Academy in Cranbrook, Michigan, where he would later become head of the industrial design department.  Eames House. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/danagordon/4261127586/'>Flickr user danagordon</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> Nicknamed Ray-Ray by her family, Bernice Alexandra Kaiser was born in Sacramento, California. Her artistic talent was recognizable from a young age, so after high school Ray left California to study in New York City with German Abstract Expressionist Hans Hofmann. She then went on to study at the Art Academy in Cranbrook, where Charles was one of her teachers. Charles divorced his first wife and married Ray in 1941, and the two moved to Southern California where they opened their famous design firm.  Eames House. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/jkz/19711512313/'>Flickr user jkz</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a> They initially supplied the American Navy with leg splints and stretchers during World War II, and following the war they took what they had learned about molded plywood and applied it to their groundbreaking furniture designs. Their furniture made of cast aluminum, fiberglass-reinforced plastic, wire mesh, and molded plywood was distributed by Herman Miller and brought their studio international acclaim. As early as 1945 the couple became successful enough to design and build the Eames House, the work they are most known for in the architectural realm. Together they also produced over 80 experimental films that showcased many of their philosophies on design.  The Eames House After Charles' sudden death in 1978, their office was closed and Ray dedicated all of her time to organizing and archiving their lifetime body of work in addition to collaborating on numerous books about their design studio. Interestingly, Ray passed away on the same day as Charles exactly ten years later, but the significance of Eames Design lives on to this day.  Eames House. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/jkz/20332522285/'>Flickr user jkz</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a> You can read more information about Ray Eames here, or click the links below to see ArchDaily's coverage of the duo and their work. Below that, we've rounded up a selection of videos either about the Eamses, or made by the couple themselves. Films by Charles & Ray EamesManufacturing the ChairsThe Power Couple This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Why Postmodernism's New-Found Popularity Is All About Looking Forward, Not Back Posted: 15 Dec 2017 01:30 AM PST  Team Disney Building / Arata Isozaki. Image © Xinai Liang Postmodernism is back, it seems, and the architectural establishment has mixed feelings about it. This revival has been brewing for a while. In 2014, Metropolis Magazine created a "watchlist" of the best postmodernist buildings in New York that had been overlooked by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission, and were therefore at risk of being altered or destroyed. Last year, the listing of James Stirling's One Poultry in the City of London kicked off a discussion about the value of Britain's postmodernist buildings from the 1980s, as they reach an age when they are eligible for listing for preservation by Historic England. More recently Sean Griffiths, co-founder of the former architectural practice FAT, warned against a postmodernist revival, arguing that a style that thrived on irony could be dangerous in an era of Donald Trump, when satire seems to no longer be an effective political tool. The debate looks set to continue as, next year, London's John Soane museum is planning an exhibition devoted to postmodernism. .jpg?1513215939 "Courtesy of Adam Nathaniel Furman") Courtesy of Adam Nathaniel Furman What exactly does "revival" mean? Certainly, there are signs that the postmodernist aesthetic is having a resurgence in popularity as people grow weary of the quiet Scandi-modernism and the technology-driven iconic architecture that had dominated design and architecture in recent years. But a historical reference or colorful flourish is no more a symptom of the return of the postmodernist ethos than a Hans Wegner chair in a corporate office lobby is a sign that we're embracing the social democratic values of mid-century Denmark. The more interesting question is whether we are, or whether we should be, seeing a return to the philosophy out of which the postmodernist movement emerged? And, if so, what exactly is this philosophy?  Piazza D'Italia / Charles Moore. Image Courtesy of The Charles Moore Foundation It's these questions that a new book co-authored by Terry Farrell and Adam Nathaniel Furman considers. As visually rich as its subject matter, it's a book in two parts: a 47-page architectural image gallery separates two sections. In the front, Farrell offers his personal recollections of the rise and fall of postmodernism, drawing on his experiences while growing up ("appalled by the introduction of mass high-rise housing in Newcastle"), the eclecticism he came to appreciate as a student and through his friendship with pioneering postmodernists Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, and his career as the architect of such notable postmodernist structures at the MI6 building in London. In the second half of the book, designer and architect Furman looks at the postmodernist era as a scholar of and enthusiast for the style, but one too young to have lived through it.  708 House / Eric Owen Moss. Image © The estate of Marvin Rand They frame postmodernism not simply as an architectural style, nor even a clearly defined movement that occurred in the 1980s, but rather a tendency that has popped up in the work of architects of all stripes and at several points in history. They reference well-known examples of postmodernist buildings and practitioners, as well as ones those that fit less obviously into the paradigm, including Le Corbusier's later embrace of an "earthy," handmade aesthetic in buildings such as his chapel in Ronchamp, vernacular-influenced Scandinavian modernist designers such as Alvar Aalto and the expressive modernism of Eero Saarinen. Furman points to theorists such as Jane Jacobs, who advocated for diversity and preservation of communities in urban planning, and Bernard Rudofsky's exploration of vernacular architecture as examples of the postmodernist ethos.  Chung Tai Chan Monastary / C Y Lee. Image Courtesy of C.Y. LEE & PARTNERS The argument put forward by both writers is that postmodernism is a kind of anti-style. It is defined not by specific rules or aesthetics—not bright colours, historical references and decorative colours—but by its eclecticism, inclusivity and contextuality. As such, the postmodernist spirit can be seen in the materiality of brutalism, Superstudio's critical exploration of the grid as an organizing principle and Charles Correa's integration of Indian symbolism into his designs, as well as the buildings we might more commonly think of as postmodernist.  The Factory / Ricardo Bofill. Image © RBTA - Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura The movement, they explain, was a response to what many saw as the orthodoxies of modernist architecture, which prioritized rationality, progress and science, over intuition and emotion. While modernists sought universal answers to local problems, postmodernists tried to reinstate the lessons of the past and importance of context in architecture and urban planning. Postmodernism eventually became associated with a particular aesthetic and, in the UK at least, the neoliberal policies of the Thatcher era, as financial institutions in the City of London adopted its visual language. But as the authors point out, there is nothing intrinsically corporate about postmodernism: architects such as Ricardo Bofill have used it to build social housing in Paris, just as modernism has been employed to build banks.  Les Espaces d'Abraxas / Ricardo Bofill. Image © RBTA - Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura Ultimately, Furman and Farrell are trying to make a case for the pluralistic, contextual, and historical sensitivity that underpinned the postmodernist movement. Farrell emphasizes the movement's recognition of community and locality, and its inherent challenge to established social structures. Furman points to its emancipatory potential, making links between the diversity and non-conformity it encourages and our contemporary social condition: in which the internet and social media offer us cultural references from all eras and locations and in which there is increasing acceptance of ethnic and sexual minorities and different personal choices—when history is collapsing in on itself and the certainties of the past are dissolving.  Markthal / MVRDV. Image © Ossip van Duivenbode It's not hard to see why these ideas are resonating today, at a time when there is both a backlash against the homogenizing effect of globalization and an increasing acceptance of diversity. There is no reason why these two tendencies should be in conflict, but in reality tension has emerged between the two, when a notional divide has been created in many countries between "citizens of the everywhere" and "citizen of somewhere." As Farrell says, in the UK "the inward battle of taste and culture on this island is always a struggle between what is global and what is special for us." In that respect, the postmodernist project appears to be vulnerable to the accusation that it's too broad and too slippery to define—that it is trying to be all things to all people. But just as it provides no universal truths, it also does not claim to provide easy answers or solutions. It's this very broadness and openness that has allowed its ideas to thrive and perhaps will continue to do so.  State of Illinois Center / Helmut Jahn. Image © Rainer Viertlböck Debika Ray is a London-based freelance journalist, writer and editor with more than 12 years' experience at a range of daily, weekly and monthly publications. Until October 2017, she was senior editor at the design and architecture magazine Icon. She is also the founder and editor of Clove, a magazine about South Asian culture that launched in 2017.
 Revisiting Postmodernism  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Shelter in the Vineyard / Ramón Esteve Posted: 15 Dec 2017 01:00 AM PST  © Mariela Apollonio
 © Mariela Apollonio Text description provided by the architects. Shelter in the vineyard is located in the municipality of Fontanars, on the outskirts of the urban area, in an area of large areas of cultivation. The project seeks the maximum landscape and environmental integration, due to its border location between a pine forest area and the vineyards of the farm, practically diluted in the vegetation. The decision to develop the whole program in a single plan, in addition to the materiality chosen, which contributes coherent tones with the place, contributes to this.  Diagram How the Form is Generated  © Mariela Apollonio Its geometry consists of schematizing the perimeter line that defines the traditional house to extrude it later, forming an envelope under which the whole project will be developed. This line-concept, converted into a long shell of concrete, articulates the whole program of the house and is traversed transversally by the rooms materialized as boxes of pine wood.  Diagram "The volume is composed of two monolithic structures that form two large masses differentiated by their material, one of white concrete, both inside and outside, which is intersected by structural boxes of heat-treated pine wood", Ramón Esteve.  © Mariela Apollonio Environment and Landscape  © Mariela Apollonio Spaces  © Mariela Apollonio All pine furniture and carpentry have been designed specifically for this shelter following this modulation. The materiality is consistent with the nature of its structure, whether it is white concrete or wood.  © Mariela Apollonio  Floor Plan  © Mariela Apollonio Green Technology  © Mariela Apollonio The energy saving is optimized thanks to the materials used and thermal insulation of rock wool with great insulating capacity. Likewise, the installation of lighting is energetically effective due to a control system that optimizes the use of natural light.  © Mariela Apollonio All the interior architecture has been designed specifically for this project including elements such as cranks, faucets, lighting pushbuttons, chimney ... everything is personalized and integrated into the architecture.  © Mariela Apollonio  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 15 Dec 2017 12:00 AM PST  Cathedral of Brasília. Image © Gonzalo Viramonte Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho, or simply Oscar Niemeyer, (December 15, 1907 – December 5, 2012) was one of the greatest architects in Brazil's history, and one of the greats of the global modernist movement. After his death in 2012, Niemeyer left the world more than five hundred works scattered throughout the Americas, Africa, and Europe.  Courtesy of ON Niemeyer attended the National School of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro in 1929, graduating in 1934. He began working with the influential Brazilian architect and urban planner Lúcio Costa in 1932, a professional partnership that would last decades and result in some of the most important works in the history of modern architecture.  Ministry of Education and Health Building, Rio de Janeiro. Image © Marina de Holanda In 1936, Niemeyer joined a team of Le Corbusier, Lúcio Costa, Affonso Eduardo Reidy, Carlos Leon, Jorge Moreira and Ernani Vasconcellos to design the headquarters of the Ministry of Education and Health, located in the center of Rio de Janeiro. Aged just 29 years, Niemeyer was assigned as a draftsman for Le Corbusier, however after Le Corbusier left Brazil the young prodigy made changes to the design that greatly impressed Lúcio Costa—so much so that by 1939 he appointed Niemeyer as the project's lead architect. The building, a horizontal bar that intersects a vertical blade, was completed in 1945 and became the cornerstone of modern Brazilian architecture, attracting international attention.  National Congress of Brazil. Image © Andrew Prokos In 1956, then-president Juscelino Kubitshek invited Niemeyer to participate in the largest urban and architectural work of the country's history: the construction of the new capital in the middle of the savannah, Brasília.  Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, Pampulha. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/56218409@N03/5198791347/'>Flickr user Matthias Ripp</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> Lúcio Costa, the masterplanner of the new capital, said in an interview with Ana Rosa de Oliveira in 1992: "when Juscelino became president, he had an architect in his pocket, Oscar Niemeyer. He was a pre-selected architect. This means that the competition was only for the city's urban planning, the masterplan." The collaboration of Costa and Niemeyer gave the world something entirely new: the first major city designed entirely on the basis of modernist principles of functionality and aesthetics.  Niterói Contemporary Art Museum. Image © Gili Merin Oscar Niemeyer was never a scholar, never interested in theories, jargon, or clichés. His freeform, flowing lines were always accurate. Though he had strongly held political views, unlike some other Modernists they were not especially apparent in his work. His goal was simple and innocent: give beauty to the world. And he did.  Cathedral of Brasília. Image © Gonzalo Viramonte See the thumbnails below for all of Oscar Niemeyer's works featured here on ArchDaily, and the links below those for our articles on the great architect. Infographic: Oscar Niemeyer's timeline Oscar Niemeyer, Brazil's Modernist Icon, Dies Tribute to Oscar Niemeyer by Norman Foster Oscar Niemeyer, My Dear Old Friend Quotes from Oscar Niemeyer (1907-2012) Norman Foster on Meeting Niemeyer Gallery: Oscar Niemeyer's Cathedral of Brasília Photographed by Gonzalo Viramonte Oscar Niemeyer Through the Lens of Haruo Mikami Video: Niemeyer Center / Oscar Niemeyer Oscar Niemeyer's "Favorite Project in Europe" Captured in Spectacular Photo Set by Karina Castro See Oscar Niemeyer's Unfinished Architecture for Lebanon's International Fair Grounds Explore Oscar Niemeyer's Unbuilt House in Israel with This 3D Model Louis Vuitton's Cruise '17 Collection Unveiled at Niemeyer's Niterói Contemporary Art Museum One of Oscar Niemeyer's Final Designs Will Be Completed Posthumously in Germany Petterson Dantas' Illustrations Are a Colorful Ode to Oscar Niemeyer  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Winners of the LafargeHolcim Awards 2017 for Latin America Focus on Water Management Posted: 14 Dec 2017 10:00 PM PST  As we face a global climate crisis that must be addressed, sustainability has quickly become one of the most crucial aspects to consider in contemporary architecture. Designs that go beyond current standards, showcasing sustainable responses to technological, environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues have arisen in recent years, garnering much-deserved praise for the innovative and environmentally-friendly solutions they propose. The LafargeHolcim Awards stands out as the world's most significant competition for sustainable design. The criteria of the USD 2 million competition are as challenging as the goal of sustainability itself. The competition is for projects at an advanced stage of design, not finished works. Although construction is a globalized industry with intensive exchange across continents, this year significant differences were seen between the projects in each region. "In Latin America, a striking number of project authors dealt with water," says Sarah Nichols, representative of the Academic Committee of the LafargeHolcim Foundation who supported the jury meeting at the University of São Paulo.
763 projects were up for consideration by the jury, chaired by Brazilian architect Angelo Bucci. "Projects that are good for the community fundamentally enhance their chances of being realized," he remarks. "The history of the competition proves that the Awards will give the winning projects additional recognition that helps them to move forward," adds Carlos Espina. The following projects were the winners of the LafargeHolcim Awards 2017 for Latin America: LafargeHolcim Awards Gold 2017 Latin America  Courtesy of LafargeHolcim Awards LafargeHolcim Awards Silver 2017 Latin America  Courtesy of LafargeHolcim Awards LafargeHolcim Awards Bronze 2017 Latin America  Courtesy of LafargeHolcim Awards LafargeHolcim Awards Acknowledgement prize 2017 Latin America  Courtesy of LafargeHolcim Awards LafargeHolcim Awards Acknowledgement prize 2017 Latin America  Courtesy of LafargeHolcim Awards LafargeHolcim Awards Acknowledgement prize 2017 Latin America  Courtesy of LafargeHolcim Awards LafargeHolcim Awards Acknowledgement prize 2017 Latin America  Courtesy of LafargeHolcim Awards LafargeHolcim Awards Next Generation 1st prize 2017 Latin America  Courtesy of LafargeHolcim Awards LafargeHolcim Awards Next Generation 2nd prize 2017 Latin America  Courtesy of LafargeHolcim Awards LafargeHolcim Awards Next Generation 3rd prize 2017 Latin America  Courtesy of LafargeHolcim Awards LafargeHolcim Awards Next Generation 4th prize 2017 Latin America  Courtesy of LafargeHolcim Awards  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Kunsthalle Mannheim Building / gmp Architekten Posted: 14 Dec 2017 09:00 PM PST  © Hans-Georg Esch
 © Marcus Bredt Text description provided by the architects. The new museum building at Friedrichsplatz in Mannheim links up with the existing Art Nouveau building, the so-called "Billing" building, and has been designed as a "city in the city." Within a simple overall structure, individual cubes have been arranged in an inspiring composition to provide exhibition space and rooms for supporting functions. They enclose a central atrium and are linked via galleries, terraces, and bridges. In analogy to the elements that make up urban environments—buildings, blocks, streets, and squares—varied circular routes are created for the visitors through closed and open spaces with changing vistas and outlooks.  © Marcus Bredt Nevertheless, visitors find it easy to get their bearings in the museum, which replicates the straightforward, ordered structure of the "city of squares" that is Mannheim. At the same time, every situation along the route of the exhibitions offers new impressions—just as in cities no place is like another owing to the diversity of the architecture, changes in the building lines, and recesses, squares, and open spaces. As had already been envisaged at the time of the foundation of the Kunsthalle a hundred years ago, it is given a prestigious elevation towards the park at Friedrichsplatz. From there, visitors enter the central atrium via the new main entrance.  Section A  © Marcus Bredt  Section C The atrium is the point of orientation and also the starting point for the circular tours through the exhibition areas on three levels, two of which are connected with the Art Nouveau build- ing via the historic Athene tract and from there with the open-air sculptures garden. The exhibition concept consists of large spaces with light ceilings, which can be used in various different ways, and two cubes with side lighting. On the third floor, a roof terrace has been integrated into the circular tour, from where visitors can enjoy the panoramic view of Friedrichsplatz with the distinctive water tower. This space concept results in the museum and city spaces being functionally and visually interwoven, ensuring that the art radiates out into the city through the architecture and also that the city flows virtually without barriers into the rooms of the new buildings.  © Marcus Bredt  Floor Plan 2  © Marcus Bredt The facades are cloaked with a transparent metal mesh with a bronze-colored coating that defines the external shape of the building and creates a respectful dialogue with the sandstone colour of the neighbouring buildings. Varying degrees of transparency are achieved with different mesh widths. Thus, the integrity of the overall building shape is preserved so that the individual volumes can be seen in their graded differences from close up or further away, by day and by night. Just as the urban structure of a city provides the ordering context in which each individual building expresses itself, the "city of art" concept creates an architectural framework which gives rise to an identity and, at the same time, provides maximum flexibility for the curator.  © Hans-Georg Esch  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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