Arch Daily |
- Kata Farm in Varnhem / AIX Arkitekter AB
- Ihaidō for Kōrin-ji Temple / Takashi Okuno Architectural Design Office
- SR House / nataneka architect
- Steel Grove / ar-Architects
- Cheese Tart Shop BAKE / 07BEACH
- Home for Three Households / Fujiwaramuro Architects
- Greenpoint EMS Station / Michielli + Wyetzner Architects
- Rodin 199 Building / José Cortines + Domingo Delaroière + Víctor Stolkin
- Terracota Apartment / AR Arquitetos
- ARANZAZU House / Besonias Almeida
- 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial Approaches Closing Date
- Duplex Tibbaut / Raúl Sánchez
- The Engineering Behind the Louvre Abu Dhabi's Striking Geometric Dome
- Balcones House / Mell Lawrence Architects
- Can You Guess the Names of These Architects From the Emoji Clues?
- These Modernist Birdhouses are Inspired by Famous Architects
- 2071 Gazebo / za bor architects
| Kata Farm in Varnhem / AIX Arkitekter AB Posted: 28 Dec 2017 07:00 PM PST  © Antonius van Arkel
 © Antonius van Arkel Text description provided by the architects. In 2005, excavations were initiated in a hill near Varnhems monastery church. There were found remains of a farm church from the 9th century, which testifies that Västergötland was christened 100 years earlier than was believed. The ruins are the remains of Sweden's oldest Christian church and probably even the oldest Swedish building. Kata was the woman who ruled the farm and allowed the church to be built, and that is why the place was named Kata farm. In order to make the old church accessible for visits, the church foundations with its burial sites are protected from weather and wind.  Plan With a structure that works like a roof, the foundation is protected, but also creates a space for exhibiting and explaining the stories about the place and its history. The building is constructed of glued laminated timber beams that form an equilateral triangle in its cross-section, a timber roof truss. The timber roof trusses are placed on horizontal sill plates of glued laminated timber, which rests on a number of pillars in the ground. The sloping walls of the building are covered by pine tar treated woodroof. The room above the ground is open to see the masonry from above.  © Antonius van Arkel  Axonometric  © Antonius van Arkel The glazed railing lets visitors see the basement. Even Kata's tomb from the mid-1000's is visible through the glazed floor from above. A breakthrough in the limestone wall reveals the incision of the foundation wall and provides access to the stone basement. An electrical lifting platform with glazed walls is installed between the basement and the roof structure as an accessible alternative to the entrance staircase. The structure above the ruin and grave is 12 meters wide, 19 meters long and 12 meters high. The building is not heated. The existing road to the monastery church has a hard surface to facilitate the visit to the ruins. In May 2017, the exhibition hall and weather protection were opened over the ruin of Sweden's oldest church.  © Antonius van Arkel  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Ihaidō for Kōrin-ji Temple / Takashi Okuno Architectural Design Office Posted: 28 Dec 2017 06:00 PM PST  © Shigeo Ogawa
 © Shigeo Ogawa Text description provided by the architects. It is located in northwest Shikoku, in the mountains of Tamagawa-chō, Imabari City. This project in modernization involved building an ihaidō (hall for housing Buddhist memorial tablets) at a temple that boasts a 1316-year history.  © Shigeo Ogawa The theme of this project, which is the first step in a series of steps to be taken in the re-planning of the temple, is to "create a temple for the future" using modern materials.  Floor Plans On a steel framework, around 800 cypress rafters are extended diagonally and left exposed, much like a hakama (traditional Japanese skirt-like garment), and 88 pieces of glass are fitted randomly. The number "88" is the same as the number of sacred spots visited on an ohenro pilgrimage made around Shikoku. The space created as a result becomes a corridor of light, a place for calming one's spirit. The colors of the lights shift and change throughout the year, depending on the rich nature that surrounds the temple grounds. The structure architecturally expresses the spirit of shogyō mujō, a fundamental Buddhist doctrine which teaches that all things are impermanent.  © Shigeo Ogawa In addition, the hakama portion also serves to protect the main body of the steel structure, as the grounds are at times exposed to powerful winds and rain. We chose widely distributed, readily available materials and used no technically specialized construction methods to ensure that local craftsmen would be able to carry out the necessary maintenance work for many years to come. To create a building that lasts for a long time, components and the hakama portion with replaceable roofing material are very important.  © Shigeo Ogawa People think of their loved ones as they face the building and bring their hands together in prayer. It is our hope that the sprinkles of light climbing toward the heavens will serve as a source of comfort for people's spirits.  © Shigeo Ogawa  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 28 Dec 2017 04:00 PM PST  © Mario Wibowo
 © Mario Wibowo Massing and programming  First Level Plan Floating Mass  © Mario Wibowo Entrance  © Mario Wibowo Extended Space  © Mario Wibowo  Section A  © Mario Wibowo  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 28 Dec 2017 02:00 PM PST  © Sergio Pirrone
 © Sergio Pirrone <Steel Grove> is a modern translation of a traditional Korean house in terms of how exterior spaces are composed. The mainstream housing for Koreans are "the apartments". More than 90 percent of Korean population lives in apartments or houses that resemble apartments.These functional living machines don't have exterior spaces. Tradition Korean houses have various exterior spaces; front yard, backyard, taenmaru (narrow wooden porch running along the outside of a room), daecheongmaru (main porch).  © Sergio Pirrone Each exterior spaces have different function to different rooms. Furthermore, some exterior spaces even have relations with the streets outside the fence. <Steel Grove> has various exterior spaces that resembles the characteristics of a traditional Korean house. Each exterior space relates with each other and has different function to individual rooms. When you open the main door, you enter an open roofed space, and that space is connected by an atrium to the dining room. That atrium also relates to the front garden which is connected by the living room. The front garden is also related to the 2nd floor's deck. While most of exterior spaces in <Steel Grove> are located in-side the house and function with-in the house, the south façade and the south garden, however, tries to relate, or to communicate, with the streets of the neighbourhood.  © Sergio Pirrone  Diagram  © Sergio Pirrone We tried to give a sense of privacy while creating a relationship with the neighbourhood when designing the south façade, which faces a four lane road. In order to create privacy, one needs to close a façade. In order to create a relationship, one needs to open a façade. These two characters innately contradict each other. We came up with the idea of "Steel Grove" to solve the two contradicting qualities. After many studies, the "Steel Grove" was designed in the form of a stain-less steel pipe, which not only creates a sense of privacy, but also relates to the nature and the neighbourhood. The "Steel Grove" is made of 4 different types of stain-less steel pipe. It was produced after many sample productions in order to find the most stable balance.  Facade The "Steel Grove" not only solves the functional aspect of the house but also tries to create a new type of relation with the streets of the neighbourhood. When the sun is up, the "Steel Grove" stands out and acts as the façade. The direct sun light is delicately scattered by the "Steel Grove" when entering the room. When the sun is down, the lights from the rooms permeates through the "Steel Grove" generating a different façade from the daytime. The façade changes create a different environment for the street trough times of the day. By doing so we tried to give a relation-ship between the house and the neighbourhood.  © Sergio Pirrone When we started to dig, we found a foundation for a wall from "Joseon Dynasty". A "wall" symbolizes protection and implementation of the most advanced technology to maximize that function of protection. We tried to integrate the meaning of a "wall" in the designing process in terms of applying protection of the house from the everyday hazard and using the most advanced construction method we could find.  © Sergio Pirrone A "wall" from Joseon Dynasty protected its city from external forces; mainly from war. The fence of a "Steel Grove" works like the wall from Joseon Dynasty in a more intimate scale. While the wall from Joseon Dynasty protected its citizens from war, the fence of "steel grove" protects the family from external hazards.  © Sergio Pirrone Throughout our careers as an architect, we met one of the best concrete construction team and the most sophisticated metalsmith team in South Korea. We were privileged to know these teams to realize the details of the "Steel Grove".  © Sergio Pirrone  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Cheese Tart Shop BAKE / 07BEACH Posted: 28 Dec 2017 12:00 PM PST  © Hiroyuki Oki
 © Hiroyuki Oki Text description provided by the architects. The major design components for the first shop in Vietnam of Japanese cheese tart brand BAKE.To utilize the property's character which faces a street and has a double-height ceiling, The stairs from the entrance to the cashier was designed to show passersby customers are queuing in a vertical direction. It made each tart-display table be stair-like and inside floor for staff be sloped. It was required from the client to show inside openly rather than constructing optical border between staffs and customers.  © Hiroyuki Oki In seeking something light touch for that, the idea to hold the table with a point-fixing bolt attached to glass has come up. In computer rendering, I sometimes apply different lightness on each surface of the same material to emphasize a shade of an object. The same method was taken in the real construction, applying the lighter color of mortar on horizontal and darker one on vertical surfaces of stairs.  Elevation Also, the lighter mortar was applied to walls in staff area and the darker one to customer area and accordingly the amount of light to the staff area was designed brighter so that it got highlighted like a stage. Displaying tarts to passersby is important for BAKE. However, the store's floor level is higher than a street by 400mm, Due to that level difference, only slightly side of tarts can be seen from a street. To complement this, the stair-like mirrored ceiling was designed to reflect tarts to a street.  © Hiroyuki Oki  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Home for Three Households / Fujiwaramuro Architects Posted: 28 Dec 2017 11:00 AM PST  © Shintaro Fujiwara
 © Shintaro Fujiwara Text description provided by the architects. The clients, a married couple, approached us with a request to tear down and rebuild their grandmother and uncle's house so that they could move in together. The design enables family members spanning four generations—the clients, their children, their grandmother, and their uncle—to live under one roof while also establishing three separate households. The design process began with some doubts as to whether it would be possible to create a multi-generational residence on the relatively small lot. After considering both a two-story and a three-story design, we settled on a three-story structure with a steel frame.  © Shintaro Fujiwara The family was close even before moving in together and often gathered at the grandmother's house. For this reason, we took care when creating the floor plan to ensure that the residents would be able to sense one another's presence even while occupying different floors. Ensuring as much natural ventilation and light as possible given the dense residential neighbourhood was also a priority. To achieve both of these goals at once, we included two voids in the design. These voids link the first through third floors, serving to connect the residents as well as bring in light and air.  © Shintaro Fujiwara  Section A  © Shintaro Fujiwara Their exterior walls and roof of the void are made of glass, which allows sunlight to pour into the entire house; the height differential enables air to circulate. The first floor contains rooms for the grandmother and uncle as well as a kitchen and bathroom. The second floor contains a living room and kitchen-dining area for use by the entire family, with each room separated by the glass to give the space a more expansive feeling. The third floor contains bedrooms for the clients and their children. The result is a home for three households, each of which is able to maintain the distance it needs but still feel connected to the others.  © Shintaro Fujiwara  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Greenpoint EMS Station / Michielli + Wyetzner Architects Posted: 28 Dec 2017 09:00 AM PST  © Alexander Severin
 © Alexander Severin Text description provided by the architects. The two-story, 12,400-square-foot contemporary design accommodates the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) ambulance crews and vehicles and occupies a prominent site on Metropolitan Avenue near Bedford Street in the rapidly developing Williamsburg, Brooklyn neighbourhood. The station is part of FDNY's plan to improve response time to medical emergencies throughout the city by increasing the number of stations and thereby reducing the distance and time ambulances travel to those in need. The station's requirements led to a four-part division of the facility.  © Alexander Severin Since the space for housing vehicles calls for a higher ceiling height than in the rest of station, one side of the station is taller than the other and that change helps organize its functions. On the ground floor to the east is space for four vehicles, a vehicle support zone and personal protective equipment storage, while to the West are the lieutenant's office and other administrative space. On the second floor, the east side supports locker rooms and bathrooms for the 54 women and 97 men who maintain the station's three shifts. On the west side are a fitness facility, training room, and 700-square-foot combined kitchen and lounge area.  Ground Floor Plan The first floor's different ceiling heights repeats at the second floor and the roof line. The architects mark it with a skylight that extends from the front to the back of the building bringing daylight to the second floor and through an opening in the floor to the ground level. The double height glass-enclosed entry also marks the division between functions and is filled with natural light. On the exterior, roll-up FDNY red doors on the vehicle side introduce bright colour for what is otherwise a primarily cool, glass façade.  © Alexander Severin Providing a diagonal sculptural break is the transparent exit stair, with perforated aluminium sandwiched between two sheets of glass that runs parallel along the street façade, connecting the entrance to the second floor. The 90-foot-long, second-story translucent glass wall, with a honeycomb pattern glass insert, appears to float above the ground floor and is part of the building's strong identity. Aglow in the evening, the new Greenpoint EMS Station is a distinct presence in the Williamsburg community.  © Alexander Severin  Section Elevation  © Alexander Severin  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Rodin 199 Building / José Cortines + Domingo Delaroière + Víctor Stolkin Posted: 28 Dec 2017 08:00 AM PST  © Camila Cossio
 © Camila Cossio Text description provided by the architects. A project of 19 apartments from 78 to 96m2, in a building composed of two blocks of 5 levels each with a central core. The relationship between the exterior/interior is discreet by the use of windows embrasures to let natural light into the interior but not let see the privacy of the apartment from the street.  © Camila Cossio Brick latticework and large balconies are also used to protect the pristine views inside and at the same time expand the living space. The apartments on the 5th floor have direct access to a private roof garden by exterior stairs, two of them pass through the facade. It also has a common roof garden for all departments in order to take advantage of the 5th façade at 100%.  Ground Floor Plan The structure of the building is made of concrete with brick walls. The bricks walls were specially made for this project with mass coloring to obtain the desired shade. Both the brick, the black enclosure, the- volcanic local Stone) floors and the tzalam doors are Mexican products.  © Camila Cossio  Typical Floor Plan  © Camila Cossio  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Terracota Apartment / AR Arquitetos Posted: 28 Dec 2017 07:00 AM PST  © Maíra Acayaba
 © Maíra Acayaba Text description provided by the architects. The project began by rearranging the internal organization of the original floor plan in order to create an opened office which communicates with the whole area around it, generating greater fluidity in the living area, kitchen and bedrooms.  © Maíra Acayaba  Floor Plan  © Maíra Acayaba A metallic shelf that can be seen as the main element of the apartment was built. Made in a burgundy metal sheet with a few niches this element works in three dimensions, setting different spaces up: the same shelf transforms itself into lighting for the living area, office table, support for the bar, as well as finishing layer for the corridor that leads to the bedrooms. The whole apartment is marked by the set of burgundy metal sheet and wood panel, creating a common aesthetic language for the whole apartment.
The kitchen was separated from the living room by a Wood panel with flexible openings, being able to remain shut or opened, as needed. This same panel includes the front door forming a type of internal façade. By the intimate area this shelf made it possible to enlarge the main bedroom, now turned into a suite, enabling more closet space for the client.  © Maíra Acayaba  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| ARANZAZU House / Besonias Almeida Posted: 28 Dec 2017 05:00 AM PST  © Federico Kulekdjian
 © Federico Kulekdjian The Place  © Federico Kulekdjian The lot to intervene is crossed by a row of large oaks and varied species on one of their fronts and in the bordering lots.  © Federico Kulekdjian The Commission  © Federico Kulekdjian Regarding the programmatic needs, the house had to have four bedrooms, one on the ground floor and one with an integrated bathroom and dressing room, a spacious living room with a fireplace, and a space of intense family life integrating the dining room, the kitchen and an intimate living room. It should also have a large gallery with a grill, places to eat and be outdoors, a pool and space to park three cars.  Ground Floor Plan The Proposal  © Federico Kulekdjian We thought then that the house had to develop accommodating itself in the free holes left by the trees and wrapping them to make them part of the proposed spaces.  Section To achieve this, we decided to work with a spatial grid of 3.80m on each side, of double or single height depending on the case, which would allow us to solve the different rooms and also the gaps that allow the trees to pass.  Section  © Federico Kulekdjian In relation to the materiality requirements of the clients, we decided that the ground floor of the house, and its prolongation in the semi-covered spaces, would be resolved with visible concrete partitions towards the public space. These form a continuous plinth that is drilled according to the needs of the rooms that define and on which rests a lighter structure of metal profiles and panels with minimal openings to the streets and with external termination of wooden boards. On the contrary, towards the interior and enveloping the oaks, the house is completely open, so that each room participates in the contiguous room and the landscape.  © Federico Kulekdjian  © Federico Kulekdjian  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial Approaches Closing Date Posted: 28 Dec 2017 04:00 AM PST  © Tom Harris The 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial is drawing to a close next week after almost 4 months of exhibitions, discussions, tours, film screenings, and other events. The second edition of the event, which opened on September 16th and is based upon the theme of "Make New History," will round out with two final events before the exhibition finally closes on Sunday, January 7th. Read on for more about the remaining events. On Friday, January 5th at 5:30 pm, the Biennial will host a screening of Nathan Eddy's recent documentary "Starship Chicago," which recounts the history and uncertain future of the Helmut Jahn-designed Thompson Center, the home for many of the government agencies of the State of Illinois. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion; click here to find out more and RSVP. Following this, on Saturday, January 6th at 2:30 pm is a panel discussion entitled The Interior: Collected, Observed, and Explored. Inspired by the Biennial's Horizontal City exhibit, in which participants were asked to reconsider the status of the architectural interior, this discussion "brings together Biennial participants with curators for a conversation on 'the interior' as represented in an exhibition context." The lineup features Thomas Kelley (Norman Kelley, Chicago/New York), Wonne Icxk (PRODUCTORA, Mexico City), and Anna Neimark (First Office, Los Angeles) in dialogue with Lindsay Mican Morgan, curator of the Art Institute of Chicago's Thorne Miniature Rooms. Click here to find out more and RSVP. To see all of ArchDaily's coverage of the 4-month Biennial, check out the links below:
15 Must-See Installations at the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial Social Agenda vs Social Media: Reviewing the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 28 Dec 2017 03:00 AM PST  © José Hevia
 © José Hevia Text description provided by the architects. The starting point was two independent dwellings on top of each other on the ground floor and mezzanine of a modest, old apartment building between dividing walls in the heart of the Raval (Barcelona). Both dwellings were in an absolute state of neglect and disrepair. The client's requirement was to concentrate the main living spaces on the mezzanine floor and expand them on the ground floor with other spaces with more diffuse functions that could be used as living room, study, work area... The proposal is clear and direct: in the middle of the space, insert two 2-meter side squares rotated 45º over the dominant axis, their vertices overlapping without touching the original walls, and extruded through both floors.  © José Hevia  Floor Plans  © José Hevia A simple and resounding arrangement in which two ideal shapes, two perfect extruded squares, are imposed on the existing irregularity and arrange all the floor space without the need for any other means or elements. One of the squares will hold the stairs communicating both floors, and the other will house the bedroom on the upper floor and the toilet and office spaces on the ground floor. The very rotation of these squares results in the specialization of the space around it without needing any additional doors or enclosures (except those that provide the required privacy to bathrooms and bedrooms), since the new volumes, as they approach and move away from the perimeter walls, define these areas. The proposal's emphasis runs parallel to the sought-after inner spatial complexity and a firm intention to underplay the different areas and circulation.  Exploded Axonometric Thus, the stairs are enclosed in one of the volumes, and their spiral pattern aims to disorient and conceal to surprise at the landings; for the same purpose, there are multiple axes of symmetry that double up circulation and enhance the spatial experience, for example, at the landing on the ground floor with two possible exits, or all those axes that are placed at the squares' vertices; the enclosed bathroom area on the upper floor, the most isolated and private of the whole, mirrors and unfolds its negative space, a double-height empty area linking both floors; the highly reinforced top floor structure is cut off before touching the façade to reach it with a glazed floor pane, linking both floors, and thus isolating the existing façade wall, including the outer sliding carpentry are placed in that wall's interior plane; no element touches the volumes, which are read independently inside, ending just before they touch the ceiling; lights, door knobs, shower heads, drains ... all elements replicate the 45° turn with respect to the surface where they are inserted ...  © José Hevia The treatment of colours and materials highlights the two extruded volumes, which are coated in glossy, gold finish paint mixed with gold powder and varnished, surrounded by white cladding (micro-cement and paint) covering and coating the existing perimeters. The inside of the staircase dug into one of the volumes, is a dark world of black contrasting with the exterior whites, just as the bed area in the bedroom, excavated into another of the volumes and covered with painted OSB wood boards and varnished in black. The door frames (all glass) and openings are either brass or black steel, depending on the area to which they give access; hinges and handles are also brass or chrome ... The material and colour code always matches the nature of the element where it is applied, whether existing or new, either inside the squares or outside.  © José Hevia From the outset, the structural intervention required overhauling the foundation, high precision in placing the central squares, as well as the precise cutting of the existing wooden beams for the openings and double heights. The cut wooden beams either rest on the new steel porticos or lean on the lower wing of the new beams, always for the purpose of allowing the clean extrusion of the squares. The duplex is equipped with underfloor heating with a highly efficient air-therm system. On the ground floor, three existing paintings of Brazilian origin have been preserved, and the proposed inside circulation places them right at the stairs exit. These paintings are the reason the client, of Brazilian origin herself, initially decided to buy these two properties and undertake the project.  © José Hevia  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Engineering Behind the Louvre Abu Dhabi's Striking Geometric Dome Posted: 28 Dec 2017 01:30 AM PST  © Luc Boegly & Sergio Grazia Walking into Abu Dhabi's new Louvre Museum, one is immediately greeted by a flood of dappled light created by the stunning, multi-layered lattice covering the interweaving interior spaces of the building. The intricate geometric dome is both reminiscent of traditional Arabic architecture screens and crucial in achieving Architect's Jean Nouvel's vision for a "rain of light." But what went into the design and construction of the building's most striking element, and how does it function structurally? Ateliers Jean Nouvel worked for over one year in close collaboration with BuroHappold Engineering to develop a design which is both an architectural and structural masterpiece. We spoke with Andy Pottinger, Associate Director at BuroHappold, to understand the dome in more depth.  © Luc Boegly & Sergio Grazia When first establishing a suitable pattern for the geometric dome, a vital concern was creating an arrangement avoiding the appearance of a traditional space-frame. "Initial studies related to geodesic approaches (based on triangles) and orthogonal approaches (an approximately square grid)," explains Pottinger. "But all of the designs studied clashed with the architectural base pattern of four triangles surrounding a single square." After a few different iterations, nothing felt quite right. So, one afternoon the designers started from scratch and decided to embrace this architectural pattern. "Instead of adding long straight lines we added further squares and triangles and the result is what you can see above the Museum today," says Pottinger.  © BuroHappold Engineering  © BuroHappold Engineering Each of the 8 layers of cladding in the dome now consists of these repeating star-like shapes. Every layer, however, is respectively scaled and rotated to add complexity and perception of randomness from a geometrically logical pattern:
 © BuroHappold Engineering Altogether, the dome comprises 10,968 individual elements, 7,850 individual stars, 8 cladding layers, and weighs more than 7,000 tons, supported by two layers of steelwork ("we consider the dome to have 10 layers," says Pottinger). To support all of this, four support towers are hidden among the various room structures within the museum to achieve a floating appearance, which was vital to the vision of the dome:
 © BuroHappold Engineering The dome itself was carefully designed to be self-sufficient, evading the necessity of a lateral restraint, and further employs a triangulated rim structure to prevent the dome from spreading. To ensure that each of the four supports was equally loaded, the dome is actually symmetrical along one axis. Such patterns are hard, though not impossible, to detect from the museum below, something which Pottinger identifies as one of the most rewarding aspects of the design:
 © Luc Boegly & Sergio Grazia Considering the massive size and weight of the dome, the physical construction of it proved to be a difficult task. "Waagner Biro, based in Vienna, did an extraordinary job," confirms Pottinger—workers formed the dome in 85 "super-size" components which were then lifted onto over 120 temporary towers, each one different due to the irregular spaces below. Once assembly was completed, the entire dome was lifted by synchronized hydraulic jacks over 600 millimeters vertically to sit on their permanent bearings.  © Luc Boegly & Sergio Grazia And the engineering marvels of the dome don't stop at the end of construction. In order to ensure that the structure can be maintained, the design team has developed several access strategies. A walkway around the perimeter of the dome allows entrance to an extensive network of inner walkways. Furthermore, a walkable stainless steel mesh exists across the entire bottom surface with strategically-placed service islands which allow access to the top surface:
Louvre Abu Dhabi / Ateliers Jean Nouvel Critical Round-Up: The Louvre Abu Dhabi by Jean Nouvel  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Balcones House / Mell Lawrence Architects Posted: 28 Dec 2017 01:00 AM PST  © Leonid Furmansky
 © Leonid Furmansky Text description provided by the architects. From the street, the house appears as a wide-brimmed glass pavilion rising from a solid concrete base. Its forthright, lantern-like public face is complemented by the solid form of the guest house, its back turned coyly to the street. Together they form a processional entry, first approached by gentle stairs cut into the grass, then passing between them to reveal a peek at the pool, as well as views of the length of the site.  © Leonid Furmansky The main house's ground floor interior expands horizontally through the massive sliding glass doors of the living room and kitchen. The volume is expressed as a simple box that contains a smaller box, which houses the powder room, stairs, pantry, and mechanical system and is wrapped in untreated framing-quality fir, chosen for its warm and tactile qualities. A ceiling of steel beams with structural fir decking engages the southern length of the space, creating subtle material shifts above and below to frame the views to the outdoors. This lofty ceiling provides a contrast to the lower drywall ceiling that shifts the color and texture palette toward the kitchen and dining area's sleek, simple, white cabinetry—a minimalist setting for the colors and activities of the kitchen.  © Leonid Furmansky The pool is placed right outside this public area; when the sliding doors are open, the transition is expansive, seamless and immediate, converting the house itself into a pool house of sorts, and expanding its footprint well beyond its walls.  © Leonid Furmansky  First Floor Plan Upstairs spaces are organized in the same straightforward approach: perimeter floor-to-ceiling glass connects interiors to the tree canopy, sky, and distant views to the downtown skyline. The entire western facing end is devoted to a 15-foot-deep screened porch nestled into the treetops, inviting a sensory experience of the outdoors in a comfortable, protected setting.  © Leonid Furmansky  Second Floor Plan The guest house doubles as a home office and art studio, its glass wall framing views to the activity inside from the entry court and the outdoor spaces beyond. Like the spatial strategy of the main house, the guest house is conceived as a box within a box. The interior box contains cabinetry and separates the bathroom from the front room while housing a fold-out desk and drawers, as well as a queen size bed that unfurls when needed.  © Leonid Furmansky Cast-in-place concrete is the dominant voice in the material conversation, the remnants of its two-foot-wide plywood forms texturizing the surface just enough to catch fleeting shadows and animate the surfaces. The main house's concrete walls address the challenges of the Texas climate—the smaller exterior wall acts as a buffer against the harsh Texas sun while the thicker interior wall acts as a thermal flywheel, allowing interior temperatures to remain steady even in extreme summer heat. Eight-foot overhangs further mitigate heat gain in the hottest season during which no summer sun penetrates the house on the southern exposure, while welcome sunlight washes into the living areas in winter months.  © Leonid Furmansky Moving along the site from the lowest point at the street to the highest at its western edge, the house appears comfortably tucked into the hill, its openings oriented toward lightly choreographed scenes of respite and nature. Its simplicity of form magnifies the attention to detail that can enchant the simple acts of every day life.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Can You Guess the Names of These Architects From the Emoji Clues? Posted: 28 Dec 2017 12:00 AM PST .jpg?1514402280 "Courtesy of What Building?") Courtesy of What Building? Is your knowledge of the world's most notable architects the best of the best? Can it stand the test of cryptic emoji-based clues? In lieu of their usual daily building identification quiz, online architecture quiz What Building? has created a fun knowledge test, converting the names of 20 famous architects into strings of emoji. Covering architects both past and present, the quiz is a great test of both architecture knowledge and lateral thinking. How many can you get? Guess the answers from the image above and see all the answers over at What Building? here.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| These Modernist Birdhouses are Inspired by Famous Architects Posted: 27 Dec 2017 10:00 PM PST  via Sourgrassbuilt.com Douglas Barnhard, the owner of the home decor company Sourgrassbuilt, designs and builds birdhouses. Built out of repurposed materials, his designs are inspired by mid-century modernism and pay homage to the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright, Joseph Eichler and the Bauhaus School in Germany yet mix with Barnhard's experience of the rich surf and skate scene in Santa Cruz.  Mixed Media Birdhouse. Photo by Toy/Sunset Publishing. Image via Sourgrassbuilt.com Nature's architects build themselves nests - the vernacular birdhouse - whilst these exquisitely detailed structures provide a miniature piece of modernism for the garden out of teak, bamboo, and plywood. Some of the designs include living walls of succulents to attract the birds and built-in troughs for birdfeed, cohesive with the schemes. These birdhouses center the designs right within nature, something Frank Lloyd Wright would have approved of himself.  Eichleresque Atrium Birdhouse. Image via Sourgrassbuilt.com The Eichleresque Atrium is influenced by Eichler's housing development across the San Francisco Bay area. In the atrium style, the birdhouse includes two houses with an aluminum slanted roof and tall windows facing into the central atrium where a bamboo trough provides a space for succulents or birdfeed. The quintessential Eichler rafters and deck are teak wood and the houses themselves are covered in a high-end laminate.  Seabright Bauhaus Birdhouse. Image via Sourgrassbuilt.com A few of the birdhouses are based on the influential teachings of the Bauhaus School during the period of 1919 to 1933, these structures include sharp corners in their retro designs and full living walls.  Living Wall Bauhaus Birdhouse. Photo by Toy/Sunset Publishing. Image via Sourgrassbuilt.com On top of the modernist styles, Barnhard's experience of the surfing culture is entwined within his designs, particularly prominent in the Kauai House that uses the unique architecture of Hawaii to inform his stylistic choices. Besides the handmade surfboards perching on the deck, the birdhouse embraces the outdoor/indoor living ideals of the tropical island.  Kauai House Birdhouse. Image via Sourgrassbuilt.com The modern birdhouse using bamboo has been inspired by the Japanese Tea Garden in the San Francisco Golden Gate Park and is accented by the three lower walnut decks. The Mixed Media Birdhouse also uses bamboo in the decking with cedar post and beams, incorporating styles from the Bauhaus School, Eichler, and Frank Lloyd Wright.  Sunset Modern Birdhouse Living Wall Bauhaus Birdhouse. Photo by Toy/Sunset Publishing. Image via Sourgrassbuilt.com News via: Sourgrassbuilt.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 2071 Gazebo / za bor architects Posted: 27 Dec 2017 09:00 PM PST  © Peter Zaytsev
 © Peter Zaytsev Text description provided by the architects. In Moscow there is a kind of summer tradition – to run, as far as possible out of the city, closer to nature, to dachas. This was especially true for a large family, who had ordered interior in a country house to za bor architects.  © Peter Zaytsev A beautiful garden with old pine trees was quite nice, but in Moscow's freaky summer you cannot often have open air picnics, since there is no veranda in the house. The studio suggested a spacious gazebo with a summer kitchen that allows to have a rest comfortably with the whole family and friends not depending on the weather.  © Peter Zaytsev The gazebo form is caused on one hand, by the desire of architects to create the most airy, subtle forms, so that the sizeable structure do not look heavy. On the other hand – to hide the space from the neighboring area – so there are large volumes of satinated glass. In the direction to the garden and the forest, volumes, on the contrary, are as open as possible.  © Peter Zaytsev Ancient pine trees influenced the whole design as they had to be preserved. And as a result, the location of trees has caused complex outlines of the plan.  Floor Plan The gazebo is divided in two parts, located in different levels, emphasizing the change of relief on the site. In the upper part, located closer to the house, there is a "food zone": a large kitchen with a spacious counter equipped with a sink and a barbecue, and a dining area with a light table for 12 persons. In the lower part there is a sitting area with mobile upholstered furniture (armchairs-bags and puffs).  © Peter Zaytsev Despite the apparent ease, the design is capital, designed for long-term usage. The foundation is pile, with a cast iron-concrete slab, and a metal frame with a precast roof. The most difficult part of the project was decorative metal – all complex junctions with glass and additional illumination along the perimeter were developed together with construction workers on-site. The walls of the gazebo are made of glass, and covered with matting film. Complex geometric elements are made of painted metal sheet. All za bor studio projects usually have broken complex shape, but this one is particularly significant, since, unlike large-scale buildings, it can be seen entirely. In the dark the object creates a special impression due to LED lighting around the perimeter. Mysteriously shining among the ancient trees, the gazebo looks intriguing, resembling either a flying saucer, or a giant Chinese lantern.  © Peter Zaytsev  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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