Arch Daily |
- Aalto University Metro Station / ALA Architects + Esa Piironen Architects
- São Francisco / FIlipe Pina
- RO House / Echo Design
- Shanghai-South Station / AREP
- The House at the End of the Beach / T.R.O.P : terrains + open space
- ChicBus Alipay Flagship Store / LYCS Architecture
- Houses in Arrayán / Espiral
- Blip | Porto Nascente / Inception Architects Studio
- École de l’Espoir / Emergent Vernacular Architecture
- These GIFs Compare Cities' Metro Maps to Their Real Life Geography
- LRC House / BDB Arquitectos
- Even in Wealthy Cities, Architects Must Work for Social Justice in Every Way Possible
- Angle Lake Transit Station and Plaza / Brooks + Scarpa
- New Website For Women Pioneers in Architecture
- Reinvent or Die: The Transformation of Malls Under The New Economic/Urban Paradigm
- Brickwall / YCL studio
| Aalto University Metro Station / ALA Architects + Esa Piironen Architects Posted: 29 Dec 2017 09:00 PM PST  © Tuomas Uusheimo
 © Tuomas Uusheimo Text description provided by the architects. The first phase of the western extension of the Helsinki metropolitan area subway line, the West Metro, opened for traffic on November 18, 2017, connects Ruoholahti, Helsinki to Matinkylä, Espoo. The West Metro will service over 170,000 passengers per day. The objective that has been set for the architecture of the eight new stations along the first, and the five new stations along the second phase of the extension is to create distinctive, location-specific identities for them on both urban and interior scale. At the same time the metro will act as a link between the various urban centers of the City of Espoo and in a way create its new backbone.  Level 1 ALA Architects and Esa Piironen Architects have designed two of the new stations along the first extension phase: the Aalto University Station and the Keilaniemi Station. ALA is additionally working on three stations in Kivenlahti, Espoonlahti and Soukka along the second extension phase to be opened for traffic in the early 2020s.  © Tuomas Uusheimo Otaniemi, today home to Aalto University, has since the 1950s had a strong individual character linked to science, technology and the general belief in the future. The growing campus is defined by the Alvar Aalto designed red-brick buildings.  © Tuomas Uusheimo The Aalto University metro station resides in the heart of the growing university campus in Otaniemi. Its main entrance opens straight towards the former Helsinki University of Technology main building.  © Tuomas Uusheimo Among other design decisions, the Aalto University station distinguishes itself from the other stations along the metro route through its rich material palette. The palette has been picked as to avoid gloss, and to emphasize natural materiality. The station's lowered ceiling is made of Cor-ten steel panels. It visually connects all the public areas of the station, and relates to the surrounding red brick environments with its color. The faceted ceiling flows through the main entrance, to the platform level and up to the secondary entrance on Tietotie street.  © Tuomas Uusheimo Aged dark copper sheet cladding, grey granite and Cor-ten sheets form the basis of the material palette for the above ground parts of the entrance pavilions. Visible structures are reduced in the entrance space with an engineered, athletic, light form reminiscent of origami. Natural light is brought down to the platform level via an escalator shaft that terminates with a view towards the lime alley of the Otaniemi Mansion.  © Tuomas Uusheimo  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 29 Dec 2017 06:00 PM PST  © João Morgado
Text description provided by the architects. Located in the city centre of Guarda, this is an urban typical house of the first half of the 20th century, presenting 3 sides and a garden.
The surrounding buildings are characterised by several types of construction, a consequence of the suc-cessive city urbanistic growth stages.  © João Morgado The clients (and also friends) wanted a pragmatic solution to the project, "willing to renew and rehabilitate the house with minimum demolition and in the most economical way".  © João Morgado The optimal conditions and building characteristics of the house allowed for a good project development.  Ground Floor Plan Soon we understood that the living spaces of the house needed to be simplified, as it did show some old-fashioned elements added over time by the different owners, with external parts losing their coherence and some gloomy interiors agglomerated in quite messy, obsolete and isolated rooms.
We kept the original functional layout of the house, where we only inserted few changes in view of adapting it to actual modern requirements, namely for the kitchen, toilets and bathrooms, and very seldom demolitions which allowed new internal paths.  © João Morgado It was also decided to keep the original floors, wooden structures, some the roof and surfaces.  © João Morgado Now the house lives from its inside where all spaces merge into one unique light and bright room.  © João Morgado Therefore, the initial goal was achieved, with São Francisco being a clear and objective solution to the clients' needs and requirements, on top of an enhanced friendship, with costs in line with the initial estimates of approximatively 280€/m².
 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 29 Dec 2017 02:00 PM PST  © Shai Gil
 © Shai Gil Text description provided by the architects. A few years ago a couple approached us, more or less our age, to design their second home. The new lot they purchased was 2500 square meters, right next to their existing lot. The couple's old house was built and planned while they were very young. It didn't suit their current needs nor their current taste. When asked for some general design guidelines we were told that they knew what they didn't want, but couldn't point out what they did want. However, they definitely wanted a spacious house that could host a lot of people at any given time, as well as an overall design that wouldn't be too flashy.  © Shai Gil We decided to take full advantage of the construction permits and planned a 400 sqm house with another 80 sqm for roofed balconies. We designed a house with very clean, crisp lines. The "L" shaped design created a seamless transition into the garden and took advantage of the natural light. The couple has five children in a wide age range – Post military to kindergarten. They wanted each of them to be given a comfortable spacious room that's still modest. We designed the three children's rooms with two bathrooms, as well as a suite for the girl with a walk-in closet and private bathroom. The same area has a big laundry room with a roofed space for hanging laundry.  © Shai Gil The children's rooms were designed linearly, connected via a wide well-lit hallway. Walking through it, you can see glimpses of the communal spaces and garden through the side vitrine, allowing the children to exit straight into the garden from the hallway. The master bedroom is on the other side of the house, giving the couple complete privacy. The bedroom has a walk-in closet and big bathroom. Between the shower and bedroom, we designed a patio space that gives them privacy in front of the shared garden and allows more natural light to seep through. The communal spaces were designed on both sides of the house so that the kitchen faces the main road – Though at the same time, you can see the whole garden, living room and dining area in one big space alongside vitrines that allow you to exit into the garden.  © Shai Gil Next, to the kitchen, there's a big pantry and garage with entry straight into the kitchen. The outdoor communal spaces (perfect for hosting plenty of guests) feature an 80 square meter covered balcony, a swimming pool at the back of the yard, toilet, shower, kitchenette and pool storage. Additionally the garden has two pergolas- one bigger and spacious with an outdoor kitchen, grill, plancha, outdoor stove, sink and surfaces for both cooking and dining – The other pergola is further to the side for more intimate gatherings. Other than the meticulous design, we knew that we needed professional landscape architecture. We took on a landscape architect for this project to design the outdoor spaces and pull the entire look of the house together.  © Shai Gil  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 29 Dec 2017 12:00 PM PST  Courtesy of AREP
 Courtesy of AREP Text description provided by the architects. An international competition for the Shanghai-South station took place from May to September 2001, over 3 different phases. AREP and ECADI won this competition jointly.  Courtesy of AREP With its design, the Shanghai South station goes beyond the traditional function of the railway station as a mere exchange hub, to become an active participant in the role of Shanghai as an economic, financial, cultural and creative world class city.  Courtesy of AREP A destination in itself, the station provides travellers and visitors alike many services as well as prestigious retail spaces.  Roof Plan Its circular form allows for a simple and straightforward operational mode: it provides good circulation conditions to vehicles, and it offers travellers the most direct and logic way to waiting rooms and platforms. The slight difference of level between the different services and retail spaces located on level 9.90 m and the waiting rooms on level 7.50 m, creates a large amphitheatre-like open space from which all the station is visible, and all functions and circulation patterns are understood, from cars drop-off to trains.  Courtesy of AREP The most striking architectural element is the 255 m diameter roof, which, despite an area of 60 000 m², still remains a light, slender and elegant element of the project. It is composed of three different layers: the external sun breakers, the transparent polycarbonate surface and the internal perforated metal skin. The combination of those three layers filters and diffuses natural light throughout the space.  Courtesy of AREP The lighting principles of the station constitute an essential design element. Light poles are distributed evenly over the station according to a rigorous and precise grid, in order to obtain a homogeneous light. The use of concealed lighting, lamps trained directly on the under-face of slabs and roofs, guarantees that the station remains a bright beacon at night. Directional lighting is used in order to put a strong emphasis on the roof structure and gives it its full architectural expression.  Courtesy of AREP Using materials such as glass (transparent or pattern printed), transparent polycarbonate elements, perforated steel or brushed aluminium to achieve a play of transparency, gives the station both lightness and a modern expression.  Section 01  Courtesy of AREP  Section 02 Urban, regional, as well as long distance means of transportation all converge towards Shanghai-South station, which in turn becomes more than a simple hub, and fully assumes its role as the City of Shanghai South Gate.  Courtesy of AREP  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The House at the End of the Beach / T.R.O.P : terrains + open space Posted: 29 Dec 2017 11:00 AM PST  © Wison Tungthunya
 © Wison Tungthunya The Site  © Wison Tungthunya The Flat Land  © Wison Tungthunya To serve residents of 353 units, the owner requested 3 swimming pools in the property. The first, also the largest, of the 3 swimming pools was proposed right next to the drop off. The proposed area happened to be occupied by some existing trees. We had to carefully measure their root balls and designed special planters in order to keep all of these trees within our new swimming pool. A series of walls were proposed to create a courtyard-like space, separating the road and drop off area away from the main pool.  © Wison Tungthunya The Hill  © Wison Tungthunya The Roofs  30th Floor Plan Overall, the design team has created resort-style facilities as requested by the owner while, at the same time, tried our best to make the project as environment friendly as possible.  © Wison Tungthunya  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| ChicBus Alipay Flagship Store / LYCS Architecture Posted: 29 Dec 2017 09:00 AM PST  Virtual Space and Real Space. Image © Elton, Xianjuan Hu
 Cutting Line. Image © Elton, Xianjuan Hu Text description provided by the architects. ChicBus is a chain collection store of trendy technology products, aims at building a closer relationship between technology and life. LYCS Architecture takes the challenge to upgrade its retail store design and applied it in its newly opened ChicBus Alipay Flagship Store in Hangzhou, China. Inspired by the "Greenwich Meridian", the design attempts to reveal the contrast of futuristic fantasy and traditional humanistic sentiments. The design depicts the dialogue of future and traditional way of life along the fast development of technology, and provides a distinctively branding image of the new ChicBus.  Plan As its role of "the connector of the virtual and the real world", the design of ChicBus reveals its space by obliquely dividing its rectangular site. The cutting line of zero degree, also acting as the principal axis as the "Greenwich Meridian", divides the space into two different sides: "virtual space" and "real space". These two distinctive spaces encounter at 180 degrees. The cutting line dramatically magnifies the collision of virtual and reality and provides an inviting gesture to the visitors. The line area also becomes a great place for selfies.  Virtual Space. Image © Elton, Xianjuan Hu Seeing the "invisible partition", which extended from the floor to ceiling, as the boundary, the two sides offer totally different experiences of illusion and reality. The clearly divided sides are designed for different kinds of products, which on one side displays the high-tech products of young and coolness while the other side displays the traditional products of fashion and vitality. Though the bright "virtual space" is clearly distinguished from the dark "real space", however, the integration has been kept by the arrangements of showcases and the alignment of material textures.  Greenwich View. Image © Elton, Xianjuan Hu In the high-tech zone which is composed of light-coloured matrix, the "energy filler" showcase and the transparent glazed surface reveals a sense of future. The extensive dark plywood clad traditional product zone, together with brass, contributes to a raw industrial "real space".  Virtual Space. Image © Elton, Xianjuan Hu The illuminations are organized in terms of different atmospheres. The illumination system of the "virtual space" is placed in line with the cross lines of the matrix, which aims to intensify the matrix, and thus portrays a bright "virtual space". Besides, by using the metallic droplights and the assembled lightings inserted in the cabinets, plus the darker plywood, the "real space" bring visitors a traditional humanistic experience.  Real Space. Image © Elton, Xianjuan Hu  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 29 Dec 2017 08:00 AM PST  Cortesía de Espiral
.jpg?1497593723 "Cortesía de Espiral") Cortesía de Espiral Text description provided by the architects. The project consisted in designing two incremental, Mediterranean and identical houses of 140m2 on a big slope inside the mountains of Santiago de Chile, in the El Arrayán ravine. .jpg?1497593697 "Cortesía de Espiral") Cortesía de Espiral These two houses are designed for a family, compose by an uncle and his nephew, but the project was planned to leave open the possibility to receive other inhabitants outside the family in the case that any house could be sold or rent.  Site Plan On the other hand the place has a great view to the south, to the ravine of the Arrayán, while to the north, at the top of the site, passes the channel La Poza, where the owners wants to protect themselves visually for safety. .jpg?1497593837 "Cortesía de Espiral") Cortesía de Espiral Initially the program was defined by the clients: two bedrooms, one living room and another one integrated to the kitchen and a large dressing room near the main bathroom inside the master bedroom.
Whit this, the design was thought as a generic but adaptable model, designed from the inner spaces, ensuring the possibility of future modifications and adaptations. After conceiving the habitable space inside the dwell we develop the expression of the house as a complement to the inner common spaces and the exterior public spaces. The project was thought as a place where the life will develop in the common spaces, where all the enclosures, at both levels, converge towards the center of the dwelling around a great atrium in two heights connected to the exterior through a large window and a terrace projected toward the ravine. .jpg?1497593813 "Cortesía de Espiral") Cortesía de Espiral The project define open, flexible, mutable and interrelated spaces between the two levels of the house through different ways of spacing the internal volumetric. It is projected a solid and airtight first level by the concrete and a light and warm second level of wood and strategic windows for incorporates radiation to the large central atrium. These two systems are linked through the atrium in two heights, by the ladder as a central element that acts as a screen between interior and exterior and between circulation and living spaces. The first level projects its walls to the north, configuring the parking lots and containing the hill with the objective of propitiating future extensions over the parking structure for the second floor, and inside of the parking space in the first level for another new enclosure. Each house has in the first level an access hall, living room, kitchen, loggia, guest bathroom and a terrace, the master bedroom with an incorporated bathroom and a walk-in closet. The second level has the second bedroom and a living room convertible to a hypothetical third bedroom facing the living room with another bathroom. On the circulation bridge we develop a large bookcase on the window.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Blip | Porto Nascente / Inception Architects Studio Posted: 29 Dec 2017 07:00 AM PST  © ITS – Ivo Tavares Studio
 © ITS – Ivo Tavares Studio Text description provided by the architects. The blip offices are located in one of the oldest parishes in the city of Porto, the parish of bonfim. This is an urban zone with a strong presence of industrial activity in its past. The building that houses the new office of web engineering, a specialist in high-performance web applications, is an example of this strong industrialization in the city of Porto. In its exterior, this property presents an imposing façade emphasizing the impressive and outstanding masonry work and the huge wrought cast iron windows, illustrative of times past. The interior is characterized by an amalgam of successive increases and alterations, necessities of different and distant times. here stand out their impressive metallic trusses for the support of the roof and the huge counter that creates a majestic emptiness in the centre of the building.  © ITS – Ivo Tavares Studio  Third Level Plan  © ITS – Ivo Tavares Studio The creative concept base for the architecture project reveals an ambitious program. The same is based on the creation and distribution of about 400 jobs in an "open-space area", which merge and blend with areas of a meeting, teamwork and leisure. These spaces arise in a non-imposing ambivalence, which invites to work in a casual, almost informal way. Like the exterior, all the original language of the building remains inside. There are white walls and peripheral walls, functioning as a second layer, a cocoon, which receives the large open-space area and the large central court designed for twenty-one meeting rooms, spread over two floors. Here we observe the same organizational logic, work zones and "break-out areas" in a transparent pyramid that broadens but limits the visual horizons in an intricate of spaces and uneven landscapes that consume the various points of the building. So, going through these paths becomes a functional, fun and a relaxed task.  © ITS – Ivo Tavares Studio Entering the building, the reception space is crossed, which is characterized by its spaciousness and functionality, as it also serves as a place/area for the presentation/realization of internal or external events, given its proximity to the cafeteria space. In this last space stands out a huge wall with multiple openings, which reveal a little of the rest of the interior of the building and its work zones. At the rear of the building were added more areas intended for meeting areas and for mural art, merging into space an old automobile circulation ramp that used to connect the floors. At the level of the ground floor, other important valences emerge: an auditorium, that can be configured flat or inclined; the "nap room", a room designed for pause and rest; an infirmary; and a gym with shower rooms, ideal for the end of the working day. This project presents a coherence that seeks the symbiotic balance between work and fun and where the architectural idealization of the same plays a fundamental role.  © ITS – Ivo Tavares Studio  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| École de l’Espoir / Emergent Vernacular Architecture Posted: 29 Dec 2017 05:00 AM PST  © Gianluca Stefani + Etienne Pernot du Breuil
 © Gianluca Stefani + Etienne Pernot du Breuil Text description provided by the architects. Located at the edge of Delmas 32, a slum neighbourhood of approximately 100,000 inhabitants in the centre of Port-au-Prince, Ecole de l'Espoir is a school aimed at extending educational services to vulnerable children of the surrounding area, including those with physical and cognitive difficulties.  © Gianluca Stefani + Etienne Pernot du Breuil In informal urban areas in Haiti, schools, often run by privates or local associations, are to a large extend hosted in facilities initially built to serve as houses or churches, where national guidelines for schools are rarely respected. Compliance to structural safety and hygienic standards (they often lack of adequate sanitation) is insufficient, and classrooms result dark, overcrowded, and not ventilated.  © Gianluca Stefani + Etienne Pernot du Breuil In Haiti, especially in urban informal contexts, children with special needs (including learning disabilities and behavioural issues) are prevented from receiving dedicated care or assistance. Often marginalised at school and in the community because of poverty or other special needs, these pupils are therefore denied their right to education and the consequent development opportunities.  Plan With the aim of building the new school as close as possible to the targeted community, J/P HRO was forced to opt for a small and extremely sloping site due to the scarcity of land available in the neighbourhood.  © Gianluca Stefani + Etienne Pernot du Breuil In contrast, the site offers a beautiful and extremely rich natural environment. Keeping all the existing trees on site, along with the constraints of its topography, was the key to our interpretation of the school which is organised like a campus.  Section Whilst the sloping site has been shaped into different terraces to minimise groundwork and to reduce building costs, the architectural programme has been distributed in different pavilions articulated along an accessible ramp, forming the hearth of the project. The organisation of the pavilions around common courtyards and ramps allows easy movement between the classrooms and administrative functions.  © Gianluca Stefani + Etienne Pernot du Breuil With the goal of avoiding a physical separation among children with different abilities and providing an effective inclusive environment, the design encourages all pupils to use the ramps as the main means of navigating through the school site. These campus 'streets' take the place of traditional corridors and balconies, typical in Haitian schools. With astonishing views of the surrounding nature, both ramps and pocket courtyards shaded by existing Flamboyants act as recreational areas where communal life takes place.  © Gianluca Stefani + Etienne Pernot du Breuil All classrooms are dual aspect which provides cross natural ventilation and optimal daylight. The facades' patterns emphasise the geometry of the ramp and the campus in plan with a series of vibrant colours. Through an open conversation with the school committee and children, the chosen colours were aimed at introducing a different colour palette, which in an informal neighbourhood is often cement-grey due to a lack of resources for finishes.  © Gianluca Stefani + Etienne Pernot du Breuil Since its completion in 2016, Ecole de l'Espoir provides quality education to over 1,000 children of Delmas 32 thanks to the initiatives of the Ray of Light Foundation and J/P HRO.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| These GIFs Compare Cities' Metro Maps to Their Real Life Geography Posted: 29 Dec 2017 04:00 AM PST
Metro and subway maps can tell us a lot about cities. For example, by comparing metro maps from different cities, you might be able to understand those cities' relative size or level of development. Or, by comparing a metro map to an earlier version from the same city, you can learn about the pace of development being experienced in that city. What these "maps" rarely tell you with any reliability, though, is the actual geography of the city itself. In a fascinating series of posts over at /r/dataisbeautiful earlier this year, Reddit users created GIFs comparing the official metro maps of cities around the world with the real geography those maps correspond to. The results show the incredible changes that cities are subjected to in the name of visual clarity: in cities such as London, Tokyo, and Berlin, transit maps expand the urban core, masking the density at these regions' centers; in other cities such as Washington DC, shortened lines hide the extent of the city's suburbs; while in some cities, entire neighborhoods are moved to the other side of the city to make the map layout more attractive (we're looking at you, Prague). Read on to see 11 of the best creations by Reddit users. New York City
GIF via Reddit user playhouse_animation London
GIF via Reddit user Pham_Trinli Hong Kong
GIF via Reddit user barrettxav Paris
GIF via Reddit user hlake Berlin
GIF via Reddit user vinnivinnivinni São Paulo
GIF via Reddit user sweedishfishoreo Tokyo
GIF via Reddit user --Ninja- Washington DC
GIF via Reddit user stupidgit Singapore
GIF via Reddit user tomeczak Prague
GIF via Reddit user Swordslayer Athens
GIF via Reddit user vroidos H/T The Guardian  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 29 Dec 2017 03:00 AM PST  © Santiago Donovan
 © Santiago Donovan Text description provided by the architects. The House is located in a batch of 21,60 meters long, with a significant slope of 8,50 meters from the +/-0,00 to its highest point in the gully of San Isidro. This gully is testimony of the original coast and the won surface into the Río de la Plata river throughout our short history, reason for which it seemed to us important to alter it as little as possible.  © Santiago Donovan Keeping the original slope of the land allowed us to minimize efforts on structural resolution. The result is a House of reinforced concrete that is embedding in the original slope and whose occupation in plan will increase while the slope of the lot retracts. A longitudinal staircase accompanies the house from one end to the other and emphasizes the intention of respecting de gully.  Section The House plan in “L“ form, was placed in the batch to generate a courtyard on level 1, this courtyard allows to take advantage of sunlight in the House throughout the day.  © Santiago Donovan The entrance hall, the garage and services are located in the ground floor, the public part of the House, living room, kitchen and the courtyard with the swimming pool are on the first level, on the second level the private part of the house, bedrooms and playroom, and on the third level, a lookout studio and terrace garden from where Río de la Plata river can be seen.  © Santiago Donovan  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Even in Wealthy Cities, Architects Must Work for Social Justice in Every Way Possible Posted: 29 Dec 2017 01:30 AM PST  Woodward's Redevelopment. Image © Bob Matheson The "about" section of Vancouver-based studio Henriquez Partners Architects' website boldly states: "We believe that architecture should be a poetic expression of social justice." While empowering communities through socially conscious design is hardly a new concept, the term "public-interest architecture" tends to call to mind images of low-budget constructions. Rarely is it employed to describe the large, mixed-use projects that have come to characterize downtown Vancouver and Gregory Henriquez's firm. However, experimenting with different models of social regeneration through architecture is the driving principle of the studio's work. Throughout the years, Henriquez has explored concepts such as affordable ownership and dignifying design for the city's disenfranchised communities. In partnership with local real-estate development and culture company Westbank, he has built a number of projects that seek to equalize living conditions for all in one of the world's most affluent and progressive societies. Here, in an exclusive interview with ArchDaily, Henriquez describes his firm's ethos, his stance on issues such as homelessness, affordable housing, and gentrification, and the lessons he's learned in over 30 years of heading Henriquez Partners Architects.  Telus Garden. Image Courtesy of Henriquez Partners Architects Karina Zatarain: Your firm's website states that you "believe architecture should be a poetic expression of social justice." Can you tell me more about that? Gregory Henriquez: Well, I have a strong training in history and theory, in terms of more philosophical ideas surrounding meaning and architecture... I thought I was going to be an academic. But my father started this practice 50 years ago, and when I came home in the late 80s to work before I was off to go teach, he got sick with cancer and that's how I started helping to take over the firm. And a lot of the way [the firm] has evolved over the last 30 years stems from this real interest in trying to approach the issue of meaning in contemporary architecture. There's been a huge schism between theory and practice, and connections are tenuous at best. Most practitioners, even the most conceptual ones, really have very little understanding of architectural theory. So what we try to do here is to make some sense of our contributions to society, which in the case of Vancouver is very affluent, but our problems are severe in contrast to the affluence, which is quite interesting. For the first 15 years of my practice, we dealt with the homeless community and the disenfranchised and developed a practice where we thought if we could find a way to bring shelter over someone's head, there was some meaning to that. And the issue of social justice really came from the belief that real design-oriented architecture wasn't serving the people who need it most. If you go back to the Bauhaus modernist vision, it's really been appropriated for consumption. So anyhow, back to the initial question: ethics, poetics, they have to come together. For the Greeks, for something to be beautiful, it had to be ethical, for something to be ethical, it also had to be beautiful. And so our fundamental mission in this practice is to try and merge the two.  6th & Fir West. Image Courtesy of Henriquez Partners Architects KZ: You speak of the disenfranchised; what does that mean in Vancouver? GH: Well, it's homeless people. You might only have a few thousand here compared to large cities, but in a place as affluent as this, one is too many. All of our projects attempt to deal with the equalization of that; even our condominium projects, such as Oakridge, has social housing and rental housing in it. It has a civic center and all sorts of community amenities built into it. We realized through doing Woodwards that we didn't have to wait for government funding for social housing. KZ: Can you tell me about the Woodward's redevelopment project? Do you consider the building a success? GH: When the competition occurred, I went to Ian [Gillespie, of Westbank Corp.] kand begged and pleaded for him to be our developer on the project, because I knew the wrong thing was going to happen on that project... I don't know if you know but the downtown east side prior to Woodward's was the second-largest HIV epidemic outside of Africa, which is mind-boggling. So Woodward's was sort of born out of that context, and we actually were even more successful than we wanted to be, the level of gentrification in the neighborhood has exploded and Woodward's for all intents and purposes is a great success.  © Karina Zatarain KZ: What are the biggest social justice challenges that Vancouver is currently facing? How do you think that architecture can address them and ultimately contribute towards their resolution? GH: Affordability is an issue. We've become a global player in terms of real-estate investment, so the issue is, how do you create affordability for people making regular salaries in the context of our very expensive real-estate climate? The city is actually doing a very good job adapting more inclusive zoning, they have a number of projects now where the city takes back 25% of units for social housing. There's definitely mechanisms that this affluence allows, as long as you tax the purchaser through community-amending contributions or through social housing being integrated into the project. But yes, affordability is a huge issue, and in terms of housing, it's the biggest issue Vancouver is facing.  60 West Cordova. Image Courtesy of Henriquez Partners Architects KZ: What are your thoughts on gentrification? GH: I think inclusionary zoning is the answer. If I was "King of Vancouver" or whatever, every building would have 25% affordable housing built into it. I think the integration is healthy for a society.  Oakridge Redevelopment Aerial. Image Courtesy of Henriquez Partners Architects KZ: Different cities around the world are facing these same challenges but in different contexts. Are there any particular firms whose work inspires you, or do you consider Vancouver so unique that it's not helpful to look elsewhere for possible solutions? GH: There are universal lessons that can be learned about inclusivity, community consultation, and the different forms of democracy that work better. And when you go to other cities you learn that the planning culture and the political culture are the things that deviate the most. And every city has its own political landscape. Our buildings are all born out of a collaboration between many people, out of much community consultation, out of a very political process because in Vancouver we have a very strong, left-leaning council who wants to accomplish some very idealistic goals, which is fabulous, and then the usual bureaucracy which struggles with keeping up. I feel a very strong sense that I'm a part of this city, and that what we do doesn't apply elsewhere to the same degree. And vice versa. Vancouver has a very specific cultural-political situation that needs to be navigated not necessarily only by architects, but I see myself a political activist as much as an architect. What we do in this practice is only re-zoning. We only do projects that don't have zoning, or have zoning that we believe is obsolete, and we rezone them to more inclusive zoning. And to me, that's not an architect's role, in the traditional sense, but it's the role of anyone who believes that this sort of concept of Canada as a nation of immigrants is a meaningful thing.  Mirvish Village. Image Courtesy of Henriquez Partners Architects KZ: Can you tell me about the projects you're currently working on? And in a broader sense, what are your firm's priorities for the future? GH: We've made a choice to work on large, complex mixed-use projects and we're doing them in all the major cities around here. From Oakridge which is 5 million square feet, to one in Seattle which is a million and a half... they're very large projects which incorporate housing, retail, institutional, and commercial uses. The reason we've gone down that route is that I think we can affect the most change that way, rather than doing the little fetishistic objects like we did early in our career, which are beautiful but you know, they're just for other architects, or someone very wealthy. Prior to Woodward's we were about 20 people, and the firm's grown quite a bit, just in the last year and a half we've grown to 75.  Courtesy of Westbank Corp KZ: Congratulations. GH: No no, it's no good [laughs]. We've filled every desk in the whole office and that's it, we're not trying to grow anymore. We're making it work as it is. The practice has changed a lot in the last 25 years... technology has enabled us to make some very organic, complex forms, but when you try to translate that into a building... Much in the world is done with two sets of architects; you look at a practice like BIG and they have a design architect and a production architect. But here, we're an old-school practice where we do everything, and it's very complicated. When you travel and visit contemporary architecture you can see that the disconnect between the physical reality and the image is often profound. It's mind-boggling. The translation doesn't occur properly because technology has its own methodology of making things and the idea may not be in sync with reality. What we're trying to do—we have a bunch of older people here that know how to make buildings still—is to figure out how to use that technology and still make buildings that tell the real story. That's the goal of this little practice.  Mirvish Village. Image Courtesy of Henriquez Partners Architects KZ: I see there's a lot of young people working here... what do you find is true or untrue about the stereotypes associated with millennials? GH: It's tricky. They have a dexterity without insight; an inability to build a building. So you have this incredible dexterity in designing but you don't know how to translate it to something real so, where do you go from there? KZ: Isn't that true of all generations of architects who were fresh out of college? GH: No. Things have changed a lot. It used to be that architectural education was more grounded in sort of the physical body... today you spend so much time in virtual reality that you actually live there. These people live in these drawings, they live in a world without gravity, they draw things that don't need to stand up. And so part of what you're seeing with all this stuff that's very exciting is that it's other-worldly, it's something new, but sometimes it's fantasy. So how do you make sense of it? It's a profound issue for this generation.  Mirvish Village. Image Courtesy of Henriquez Partners Architects KZ: What would be your advice to architecture students? GH: Seek a mentor that makes sense of the world for you. It's an existential search, so each individual architect has to make sense of their own life, and what they want to do. Explore multiple ways of seeing the world through different mentors, theories, and ideas and figure out one that resonates with you, and then throw yourself into it for the next seventy years. .jpg?1513899876 "Mirvish Village. Image Courtesy of Henriquez Partners Architects") Mirvish Village. Image Courtesy of Henriquez Partners Architects KZ: As an architect, what do you find meaningful? GH: I remember the sixties... It was a very idealistic time, but we thought we could actually change the world for the better. We really did believe it. We thought there was hope for humanity and that the architect's role in society was really important. And it turns out it isn't. It turns out, most of us are just form-givers of other people's visions, and architects are just not respected nor are they very articulate about what needs to happen. And so, for me, it's about doing as much good as I can in my day to day life with the opportunities that are presented to me, and hopefully a few of these kids in my office will open their own practices and do something meaningful as well. But that's all you can do. The trajectory of the planet is scary, and it's questionable whether humanity is even worth saving, but given all of that, you still can't give up. I have a quote here, from the Talmud, let me find it...
The message is really that we can't fix the world, but we have to do what we can, touch as many people as you can, and hopefully it makes a difference.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Angle Lake Transit Station and Plaza / Brooks + Scarpa Posted: 29 Dec 2017 01:00 AM PST  © Ben Benschneider
 © Ben Benschneider Text description provided by the architects. With ample space for people to live, work, and play, the new Angle Lake Transit Station and Plaza is an Envision certified sustainable mixed-use facility consisting of a 1-acre connecting plaza and community event spaces, a drop-off area for light rail users, retail space with dedicated bike storage and parking and a 35,000 square-foot parcel for future transit-oriented development. It also includes a parking structure for 1,150 cars designed to accommodate conversion to new future uses. Serving over 2,500 passengers daily, including the headquarters for Alaska Airlines, which employs more than 7,500 people in the immediate surrounds and over 4ooo people living within ½ mile of the station, Angle Lake Station is an important transit hub in the Sound Transit portfolio of transit facilities.  Courtesy of Brooks + Scarpa Inspired by William Forsythe's improvisational piece 'Dance Geometry' where dancers connect their bodies by matching lines in space that could be bent, tossed or otherwise distorted, we began to think of the possibilities where simple straight lines are composed to produce an infinite number of movements and positions with little need for transition. This idea lessens the need to think about the end result and focus more on discovering new ways of movement and transformations'.  Exploded Axonometric Using ruled surface geometry, the undulating façade is formed by connecting two curves with a series of straight lines to form the surface of the façade. Each of the custom aluminum façade elements were designed and segmented into standardized sizes for the most efficient structural shape and material form, while maximizing production, fabrication and installation cost efficiency. This technique allowed the design team to work with complex curved forms and rationalize them into simple, cost-effective standardized components, making them easy to fabricate and efficient to install. The entire façade was installed in less than three weeks without the use of cranes or special equipment.  © Ben Benschneider Every unique condition of the project's shape had to be geometrically rationalized. In other words, a fabricator must somehow measure and build off a set of drawings with the assumption that automated fabrication techniques are not always at hand. Beginning with the top and bottom chords, every segment of the curves was reduced to either measurable arcs for a pipe roller or straight-line segments for standardized shapes. Following this process, the lines of the ruled surface had to be segmented into standardized sizes for efficient fabrication while adhering to a set of rules given by the structural properties of the material. The architect provided analysis, constructability, and digital documents for direct and automated fabrication.  Axonometric Diagram The seven acre 400,000 square foot mixed-use complex was the result of an international design/build competition. It features a seven-story, cast-in-place and post-tensioned concrete structure with an exterior façade that uses over 7,500 custom formed blue anodized aluminum façade panels. Using ruled surface geometry, the undulating façade is formed by connecting two curves with a series of straight lines to form the surface of the façade. Each of the custom aluminum façade elements were designed and segmented into standardized sizes for the most efficient structural shape and material form, while maximizing production, fabrication and installation cost efficiency. This technique allowed the design team to work with complex curved forms and rationalize them into simple, cost-effective standardized components, making them easy to fabricate and efficient to install. The entire façade was installed in less than three weeks without the use of cranes or special equipment.  © Ben Benschneider With five levels above ground and two levels partially below ground the mixed-use structure takes advantage of the sloping site topography. It is accessible from three different street locations at various levels with 2,500 square feet of retail space at ground level and a 35,000-square-foot site to the west to support future transit-oriented development. As part of a multi-modal transit plan the station also has secure storage for bicycles with integrated lockers and racks and charging stations for electric vehicles.  Section Details 01 The public plaza, on the third level, connects directly to the light rail entry, parking structure and public streets. It includes a passenger drop-off area, para-transit loading areas, and a covered walkway from the garage to the station. It forms a physical and visual connection between the project elements and includes several displays of regionally inspired artwork. Ornately designed seat walls, pathways, paving, native planting, and storm-water catchment features help to engage transit users as they move through the space, creating quiet places for social interaction while waiting for a transit connection. The plaza is designed to accommodate community events, such as festivals, farmers' markets, art exhibits, and other outdoor public gatherings. The design and location of major project elements maximize function, sustainability, and aesthetics while providing an efficient use of space.  © Ben Benschneider The 1.6 mile elevated light rail extension provides rapid public transit from the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, the Rainier Valley, downtown Seattle, and the University of Washington.  © Ben Benschneider  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New Website For Women Pioneers in Architecture Posted: 29 Dec 2017 12:00 AM PST  Courtesy of Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation The Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation launched a new website called "Pioneering Women of American Architecture." The website seeks to promote and document important women in architecture. It is the end result of numerous house conducting interviews, collecting research and photo documentation, as well as fact-checking. Since 2012, Beverly Willis and Wanda Bubriski have been working towards bringing to light the complete works of women architects in America. A jury of architectural historians selected the women on the website based on strict criterias. Some of the women included on the site are Marion Mahony Griffin, Ada Louise Huxtable, and Ray Kaiser Eames.  Courtesy of Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation According to the website, Reyner Banham called Griffin, "America's (and perhaps the world's) first woman architect who needed no apology in a world of men." Griffin worked alongside Frank Lloyd Wright, spreading the American Prairie School style not only in America but also in Australia and India.  Courtesy of Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation Being a New York Times' architecture critic, Huxtable had control over others architectural reputations. Her new online profile highlights her accomplishments such as being the first women to be a Pritzker Prize jury member, winning a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Pulitzer Prize and more.  Courtesy of Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation The web page discusses Ray Eames' contribution to everything from architecture to furniture, textiles, film, and toys. It was thanks to Ray's art background that bold, colorful Mondrianesque panels made their way onto the front façade of the Eames house. Thanks to BWAF, all these women, and 47 others, are immortalized on the new website. The site was designed by Los Angeles-based Yay Brigade and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and dozens of design firms. BWAF plans to expand the site, adding more women, and hopes that women's architecture history will encourage more young women to study and practice architecture.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Reinvent or Die: The Transformation of Malls Under The New Economic/Urban Paradigm Posted: 28 Dec 2017 10:00 PM PST  Southdale Center Circa, portrayed by Grey Villet (Minnesota, United States), 1956. Image via Shorpy In this collaboration, the Spanish office Ecosistema Urbano analyzes the rise and fall of the shopping centers as an authentically American typology of the twentieth century and with commercial success in the rest of the world, although it does not undergo significant changes in "its spaces, solutions, and elements." According to the authors, this typology is currently undergoing an inflection due to the new economic and urban paradigms that force them to reinvent themselves or die. They plan a series of revitalization strategies in a mall in the outskirts of Barcelona (Spain) that seeks their "reconfiguration through the introduction of new programs in an attempt to convert it into a much more public space, being able to attract users who would otherwise not come." Full article after the break. A few months ago, we had the opportunity to start working on a project absolutely connected with the current situation of economic/urban change: the urban revitalization of a shopping center. A generic space, in a generic place of any urban periphery. For us, urban planners who are concerned with detecting the needs of contemporary society, this project was a very stimulating reality injection that forced us to reconsider our position on malls and their role in the present city. The concept of shopping, as we understand and experience it today, may have their days counted. The world of shopping centers, which has enjoyed great glory in recent years, has not been precisely a field of experimentation and innovation. Imported from the United States and closely linked to car mobility, the shopping center is a model that has been implemented in different geographies and cultures with very limited variations: the same brands, the same gastronomy in an absolutely generic atmosphere, controlled, heated and disconnected from the outside, both physically and culturally. A legitimate atmosphere only to consume, without even providing spaces of rest or the conditions so that the "common" spaces function as a truly public space, understood as space for the relation between the people, the socialization. An interior space, privately owned and with very restrictive rules of use, that emulates an "outside" public space. The worst thing about urban innovation is when any wear and repeated until satiety typology is economically profitable. In this situation, we may erroneously think that we are doing well, because endless money is the best antidote to reflect on many other aspects, as much, or more importantly, as the economic balance. Now I ask: would it be so bad to stop and think for a moment? As a first exercise, we did a Google search and this was the result:  Courtesy of Ecosistema Urbano It is curious to see how buildings in such distant and distinct contexts offer spaces, solutions, and elements so homogeneous. The first note that could be made is that the aesthetics and philosophy behind these malls, as well as their exclusively 'machine-to-sell' purpose, are very similar anywhere in the world. Buildings such as these fully represent the phenomenon of the globalization of architectural language and the reproduction of a social and economic model on a world scale. Many artists have interpreted and recorded this reality; among them the photographer Michael Galinsky, who in 1989, at the age of 20, decided to take a trip through several shopping malls throughout the United States. This work was compiled in the book Malls across America, published thanks to a crowdfunding initiative in kickstarter.  © Michael Galinsky How did it happen? The concept of a 'street' space with trades on both sides, where one can walk protected from the weather and where the citizen/customer chooses in which shop to make their purchases, is an invention that finds its historical roots in the post-revolution industrial society. The appearance of the bourgeoisie, and with it the seed of the current consumer society, began to shape in this direction the form of contemporary urban centers. The most well-known historical embryo of these new urban spaces, where social life and commerce were completely covered, the Paris galleries in the nineteenth century. These luxurious shopping streets, covered by sophisticated glass and steel structures to allow the passage of natural light, can be considered the antecedent of the contemporary shopping mall, creating "small cities, miniature worlds" within the urban fabric of cities, such as defined by Walter Benjamin. But the shopping center as we know it today is considered an 'invention' of the Austrian-American architect Victor Gruen, who in 1952 defined his vision in an article in the Progressive Architecture magazine, stirring up the imagination of entrepreneurs and prefectures. Gruen conceived the first prototype of an enclosed shopping center in Edina (Minnesota, United States) in 1956, and his initial idea was to include all the elements of the city, housing, schools, public spaces, and vegetation. The utopian Gruen's original design for the Southdale Mall finally omitted the rest of the elements in its realization, and all of the innovation focused on the "closed space for shopping" format. Later, the Victor Gruen Associates office continued to design a large number of shopping malls, even defining a specific typology of buildings for this commercial purpose. The enormous diffusion of this generic model that simplifies to the extreme the overlapping of urbanity, social life, and commercial activity, has changed the patterns of consumption, the way of moving, and the leisure habits of millions of American families. The model has been extended to today is therefore totally focused on the subject of consumption, leaving out the reflection on the public space and city.  The US automotive culture fostered the trend of suburban shopping malls. Image via Malls of America The incredible economic success of shopping malls in America was reinforced by the consumerist style of the "American way of life," and finally, in a progressive way, many cities eventually abandoned their urban center by converting mall as a container for social life or meeting for adolescents. In 1990, the malls lived their peak of popularity and in the US 140 new developments were opened to the year. This format has been expanding in other cities and countries and has also been exported to Europe and installed in the old continent as a redesign of the commercial gallery invented in cities like Paris, having little to do with this archetype. It is created in parallel with a new urban culture and consumption that implies the use of the automobile, the expansion of the urban spot and life on the periphery. European cities, with an intense urban life in their centers, also reproduce this model. How does it work today?  "Mall of the World", centro comercial actualmente en construcción en Dubái. Image Cortesía de Dubai Holding Since the beginning of the new century, the creation of shopping centers has been slowing down. There are several reasons for this:
Reinvent or die. Possible solutions for urban revitalization. Today it is necessary to think of the citizen-client, not as a mere consumer who is trying to sell as much as possible, but as someone who can enjoy having a different experience when visiting the place. Potentializing the idea of public space in a privately-owned building is a conceptual challenge, which goes against the very definition and goals of a shopping center. But this new economic reality requires rethinking the precepts that have worked until then, opening new possibilities and strategies that did not fit thanks to the economic and urban crisis. These buildings cannot continue to base their survival on a declining attraction. The possibilities are to renew or die. The shopping model, as we know it until now, has to open up the space that accommodates it, to be less hostile to the environment and its visitors, and to provide an experience more linked to the reality of users and the city where it is implanted. On the other hand, the current crisis allows the incorporation of uses and programs, expelled from other spaces, and can be used to introduce new contents to available spaces. Santa Monica Commercial Center: From shopping mall to commercial open street.  El centro comercial Santa Monica Place, que gracias a la sostenibilidad de su transformación ha recibido la certificación LEED. Image Cortesía de Macerich (Creative Commons) The shopping centers compete today to entertain the customer, providing a different experience, an atmosphere that offers other incentives besides a wide commercial offer. In search of experience, the strategy for Santa Monica Place, a shopping center designed by Frank Gehry more than 30 years ago, which after investing $ 265 million and closing temporarily, has been an interesting strategy to reconfigure itself by demolishing it and becoming an open commercial center/area overlooking the ocean, mountains and pier of Santa Monica. A magnificent example of the reconfiguration of a commercial space, which opts for a radical solution by creating a more urban experience, in front of an encapsulated and climatized atmosphere that predominates in the cloned typology of shopping centers. The urban ecosystem experience "Shopping Mall" We had the opportunity to dive deeply into the shopping center located in the peripheral area of Barcelona. This center was created in the 90's, facing the suburban character only accessible by car, it can also be accessed on foot or by public transport, which gives it a tremendous value. Its location is particularly favorable, so the proposal has a strong urban character, where the main challenge has been the identification of a revitalization strategy or questioning of its own identity in relation to the urban fabric that surrounds it: What activities or uses can be incorporated? How to connect with the citizens of the area? How to respond to the social reality of the neighborhood? What role can this new building play? How to maintain trade and economic activity, allowing the city to appropriate this space in current decadence?  Cortesía de Ecosistema Urbano The proposal addresses the reconfiguration of the center by introducing new programs in an attempt to make it a much more public space, being able to attract users who would otherwise not come. Confronted with the possibility of proposing a single program that 'solved' the current pathologies, the proposal studies possible alternatives to stimulate the building creating a new identity for each one, can be distinguished from other shopping malls, which as we have mentioned, lack a distinctive identity. One way of reinventing new social functions in a large covered space is by identifying different themes and activities - linking to the place - creating a new identity, linked to new needs or desires. Establishing new relationships between space and sports, games, culture, technology, gastronomy, networks or any other urban activity, can connect with citizens, tired of experiencing a monofunctional building, are attracted by increasingly complex urban experiences. One of the measures necessary to achieve the greatest possible integration of the commercial center in the urban environment operations is to dilute the boundaries between interior and exterior, favoring one between the other, making the enclosed space more permeable, more physically connected and conceptually with its immediate environment. The physical limit of connection between both is the facade and on this focuses a good part of the intervention. The facade becomes an interface for citizens, serving as a support for many types of new activities (climbing, descending a toboggan, watching movies, visualizing a digital platform to interact via cell phones, increasing the presence of plant species, etc..) The proposed model for the commercial center in Barcelona could be an example of how these buildings can be converted into public equipment, so that, thanks to an approach that considers aspects of the environment, participatory and technological, they can update places that have become obsolete, anachronistic or underutilized. StrategiesA // Shopping Center + Physical Activity  Introducción de actividad física-deportiva en el espacio comercial.. Image Cortesía de Ecosistema Urbano
B // Shopping Center + Playground  Edificio para experimentar y descubrir.. Image Cortesía de Ecosistema Urbano
C // Shopping Center + Creativity and Culture  Actividades culturales y creativas asociadas al centro comercial. Image Cortesía de Ecosistema Urbano
D // Shopping Center + Digital Layer  La dimensión digital incorporada como parte del edificio.. Image Cortesía de Ecosistema Urbano The digital as an extra layer added to the existing:
E // Shopping Center + Gastronomy  La comida como catalizador social. Image Cortesía de Ecosistema Urbano
F // Shopping + Networking  Espacios que inducen a crear nuevas conexiones y generar iniciativas. Image Cortesía de Ecosistema Urbano
We hope that these proposals will inspire the many "unidentified" shopping centers that are in our cities, and that they explore more complex and stimulate ideas and visions to adapt to the new economic reality and respond in an active and creative way to the new realities social policies. -------------------------------- Ecosistema is a Spanish office founded in 2000 by the architects Belinda Tato and Jose Luis Vallejo, who lead a team of architects and urbanists focused on urban social design, operating in the fields of urban planning, architecture, engineering and psychology. They have received more than 30 national and international awards and their work has been exhibited in galleries, museums and institutions around the world.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 28 Dec 2017 09:00 PM PST .jpg?1514463551 "© Andrius Stepankevičius") © Andrius Stepankevičius
.jpg?1514462972 "© Andrius Stepankevičius") © Andrius Stepankevičius Text description provided by the architects. In 1976 architects Jean and Veronique Boland-Springal designed and built a row house for themselves in the sleeping quarters in Brussels. Even though owners changed several times and the building went through several maintenances, main spaces and architecture stayed the same. The dwelling is organized into 6 levels, which creates compelling spaces, engaging perspectives and connects street and inner-courtyard on different levels. Building framework is from monolithic concrete columns and slabs and is compressed in a 5m gap between masonry brick walls. Bay windows with an open concrete structure framework are duplicated in the interior spaces. Meanwhile, the captured representation was oppressing – everything was painted in various colors and enclosed with diverse materials, which were physically and morally worn out. .jpg?1514463562 "© Andrius Stepankevičius") © Andrius Stepankevičius In the interior project, we attempted to emphasize main values of the building – existing spaces, concrete structure and warm of the masonry bricks. Firstly, the whole area was cleared up of unnecessary partitions, doors, massive furnace, even the courtyard was purged off from old brushwood. Since deep spaces lack natural light, we solved it with a help of white surfaces, transparent partitions and railings. Consequently, variant level space between living and dining rooms becomes more solid and continuous. Guest toilet gets the natural light through the transparent glass block partition, while master cloakroom - from an opening in the wall. Masonry bricks, which are inherent for Brussels, were polished and displayed at one side of the dwelling. Wall's rough texture and warm color unexpectedly mediates and moderately highlights main spaces. Concrete structures are exposed on the white surfaces. Beams of various forms, columns, bay windows are sanded from paint and become an active participant in the interior space. Furthermore, all furniture, doors and partitions are tied to these elements. Reinforced concrete, together with masonry bricks becomes a peculiar heritage (even from 70's) on the background of new surfaces materials, for this reason, we tried to avoid the abundance of them. Basically, these are lush playful-patterned parquet, subtle grey tiles in the basement, utility rooms and white painted surfaces. The airy mood is livened up by camouflage green color, which appears on different furniture and surfaces, as well as new black/white heaters harmonized to dwelling's epoch times.  Section  Floor Plans For now, the building continues to exist side-by-side with the new growing family, so eventually the interior will be filled in with designed inside/ outside furniture, additional lightning and courtyard will lush with new greenery. .jpg?1514463777 "© Andrius Stepankevičius") © Andrius Stepankevičius  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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