Arch Daily |
- Where Eagles Dare House / GRAS arquitectos
- Enclave Book Pavilion / Aether Architects
- Forest and House / JHW IROJE architects&planners
- Wujiachang Kindergarten / Atelier Fronti
- Hi-Lo House / CAPD
- Entrance for XANADU Park / Atelier Li Xinggang
- Life on MAARS / maarch
- Norman Foster Named Next President of the UK's Royal Fine Art Commission Trust
- Demountable Studio / Jorge Andrade Benítez + Jorge Guillermo Andrade
- RSHP and Aedas Unveil Boundary Crossing Building for World's Longest Motorway Bridge in China
- Siskiyou House / Beebe Skidmore Architects
- New Renderings Reveal Thomas Heatherwick's Design for Residential Towers Straddling NYC's Highline
- Cloud House / ARQUIDROMO
- Fact Check: Which of These Architecture Rumors are Actually True?
- Gravitational Indifference / Ruptura Morlaca Arquitectura
- The Arc de Triomphe as an Elephant?! These Illustrations Reveal What Famous Monuments Could Have Been
- The Record Breaking 31 Meter Tall "Flamenco Ice Tower" Opens in Harbin, China
| Where Eagles Dare House / GRAS arquitectos Posted: 15 Jan 2018 07:00 PM PST  © José Hevia
 © José Hevia Text description provided by the architects. WHERE EAGLES DARE a house in connection to the sky. A nest in the mountain. Ethereal architecture for a new time thanks to technology. An opportunity for new materials and construction systems. The house wants to fly and leave the hill, cutting out its natural connection to the ground. All about this project is the site: a hill top in Mallorca, an empty natural space offering dramatic topography and fabulous views. How to design a house in such a plot at the best possible location?  © José Hevia The program defined by the client demanded maximization of the 360 º panoramic views whilst keeping privacy; is it possible to expose the house to the views and keep privacy? The design strategy projects the house out of the hill as much as possible; the house "flies out" of the mountain with a dramatic cantilever; by doing this operation, the house takes distance from the street, providing privacy, and opens to the views: the valley and the sea. The organization of the house is very simple but very effective. The house is accessed through a plaza at the back of the house, a Mediterranean plaza paved with local stone and lush vegetation. The house hides the view so a surprise effect is achieved once in the house.  © José Hevia All the view immediately opens up once entering the house, providing a full panoramic view of the valley and the sea. The are no borders between the interior and the exterior, all is a big open lounge space. The pool due to the infinity effect brings the distant sea closer to the house. .jpg?1515378871 "Elevations") Elevations By projecting the first floor out as much as possible a shelter-shade opportunity is given to the ground floor, so the living areas are protected from the strong Mediterranean sun of the island. The program for the ground floor is mainly the living area, kitchen and a small TV room.  © José Hevia All house floors are connected through a central core with a glass elevator and a floating stair. The first floor is the "eagle", the part of the house leaving the mountain and creating the dramatic unique effect of the house.  © José Hevia The bedrooms are located here, all of them with an outdoor terrace. The special location of the master bedroom is an opportunity for a full corner opening maximising the floating effect. The roof top is just a deck, what else can it be at its location. Breathtaking views for extra sitting and lounge areas.  © José Hevia The program of the basement is complementary to the house, a garage, a gym, a small Spa and guest accommodation where the basement is visible because of the slope. The glass walls of the pool create an interesting interaction and provide natural light to the basement.  © José Hevia The garden design is based on the traditional Mallorcan terracing strategy due to the extreme slope. Different levels, "Bancales" are created using the local stone. Olive trees, rosemary, lavender an other local plants are planted. Paths are created between the different levels and small plazas, terraces become great viewpoints to enjoy the views.  © José Hevia The choice of materials for the house reinforces the concept. The white krion coating at first floor provides lightness to the design, and not less important, less weight to the structure. Ground floor is mostly glass, both windows and façade, protected from the direct sun by the cantilever of the first floor. The windows with transparent sun protected glass and the façade with ventilated frosted glass. The basement is cladded in the same stone as the mountain so it merges with the rocks.  © José Hevia The structure of the house is a big challenge. The concrete structure at the basement is the base for the steel structure of the rest of the house. The big cantilevers of the project, as already mentioned, protect from the direct sun, so does the design of the fins at first floor, all that combined with the position of the house at the top of the hill makes the house extremely efficient in summer, providing shade and cross ventilation. The house is also built with the highest sustainable standards: passive insulation, ventilated facades and full reusage of rain water and grey waters for irrigation purposes.  © José Hevia  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Enclave Book Pavilion / Aether Architects Posted: 15 Jan 2018 06:00 PM PST  © Zhang Chao
 © Zhang Chao Text description provided by the architects. The project is located in Nantou village of Shenzhen, is part of the urban village space renovation plan by SHUM YIP LAND INVESTMENT & DEVELOPMENT CO.LTD (SHENZHEN). The aim of the project is to take the renewal space as the medium, then introduce the diversified cultural and activity factors into the village. The reconstructed building will be used by the ENCLAVE INDEPENDENT BOOKSHOP, which is mainly based on operates of poetry publishing, art exhibitions and exchange speeches.  © Zhang Chao  © Zhang Chao The original building is a residential house with an outline of 12.85m X 3.6m, in addition to the storage and staircase areas, the main renewable area is 8.7m X 3.6m (around 31 square meters). This is a space as narrow and deep "tunnel" geometry; therefore, how to fulfill the function needed and achieve a diversity space in such narrow area without feeling cramped is the fundamental thinking of the project.  Concept Diagram Here, we change our way of thinking about this site: "This interior space is not an internal space; it is a site has six-surface restrict its length, width and height, is a slender street. We will place a new building in this street, and this building will remodify the proportions and layers of the street space, and then bring out new interior and exterior, public and private spaces." We try to create a "local city" with diversity landscape and space in this 31-square-metre field.  © Zhang Chao This inserted Architecture is a three-dimensional curved volume according to the site restricts conditions that evolve from the prototype of bookshelf. It divides the site into three parts, the middle is the public, and the two sides are private. The concave and convex forms generates different scales of public and private fields on both sides of the building interface, the building form changes vertically and horizontally to accommodate the different spatial feelings of the human body, in the middle, it becomes more and more open from low to high thus to releasing the sense of freedom of body when people moving in public areas, on the other hand, space on two flanks is more and more narrow from low to high since this areas is mainly for sitting.  © Zhang Chao  Structure Analysis  © Zhang Chao Ultimately, in this narrow field we placing a building form that is connected and superimposed by different curvature, it has derived the layering and infiltration phenomena in space, and formed a "local city" for the change of scenery.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Forest and House / JHW IROJE architects&planners Posted: 15 Jan 2018 04:00 PM PST  © Youngkwan Kim
 © Youngkwan Kim The Second Life: The client, who is a professor and an engineer, is facing retirement in three years time. He wants to prepare for this second life, where he will enjoy the surrounding environment in a nature-friendly home. 0001.jpg?1515441631 "Site Plan") Site Plan The Yard-less House: A house is built on a small mountain, land borrowed from Mother Nature. The trees are carefully dug up in order to set the house's foundations. Because the lot is borrowed from nature, the creation of a yard for human pleasure was felt to be unnecessary. There is only a small path leading towards the entrance. As there is no yard, the entire surrounding environment-where one lays his/her eyes become the yard.  © Youngkwan Kim Scattered Rooms: Each room is widely scattered and placed on the edge of the site. The shell-shaped rooms seem to occupy the site at its widest reaches, but they actually take up a minimal land area. The smaller the architecture, the more abundant the relationship with nature. A glass house is placed between the areas of the rooms. A roof panel is placed on top at a tilted angle. Building a glass house that is to be part of nature, allows one to be as close to nature as possible by becoming nature itself.  © Youngkwan Kim The Forest and the House: The forest share the house and the house shares the forest by allowing one to step out from the functional spaces of life. The social relationship transforms the act of occupation to an act of sharing, becoming the starting point for the client's second life.  © Youngkwan Kim  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Wujiachang Kindergarten / Atelier Fronti Posted: 15 Jan 2018 02:00 PM PST  © Xia Zhi
 © Xia Zhi Text description provided by the architects. Wujiachang kindergarten project, located in Lianxijiayuan community on the south side of Lotus Pond West Road in Haidian District, Beijing city, is a kindergarten with nine classes. This kindergarten is built as a supporting facility for the surrounding economically affordable housing.  © Yun Wang  1F Plan  © Hao Chen Looking downward upon the main building, it is divided into two functionally different sections by an east-west corridor. The required activity rooms, lounges and restroom spaces for each class form a standard functional unit. The three classes on each floor are accompanied by two staircase spaces, which are lined along the east-west direction on the south side of the central plane corridor, and on the south side of the building, the same functional planes develop up to the third floor.  © Hao Chen In addition to the above functional layout, the most important consideration of the kindergarten is to view its entirety as a mode for spatial experience to be provided for children's use.  © Yun Wang Therefore, a rich spacial playing system is formed by the kindergarten through linking up the vertical transportation components and spacial devices on the north side. The space within the cantilevered physical volume over the platform connects with the platform through a traffic pipeline near the north facade of the building.  © Xia Zhi On the east side of the platform, there is a cambered physical volume extending upward from the wall of the outdoor courtyard at the first floor. In this space, the first floor and the platform at the second floor are connected by a staircase ascending along the wall.  © Xia Zhi In the northeast corner of the platform, an outdoor staircase connects with the courtyard on the north side, and an outdoor staircase is arranged in the middle of the platform close to the corridor on the south side, which can be connected to the first-floor corridor.  © Xia Zhi The two main staircases on the south side will allow people to access the roof activity platform on the south side of the building. The activity space is cordoned by a glass fence in a region of triangular plane. In such a system, there is a wide range of possibilities for the connection between those spaces, allowing every child to travel with an abundance of choices and contingencies. The whole building seeks to become a huge "spacial toy" for children to play in.  © Yun Wang  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 15 Jan 2018 12:00 PM PST  © ad hoc inc - Daisuke Shima
 © ad hoc inc - Daisuke Shima  Plans Text description provided by the architects. A rectangular site with a long depth to the frontage that is well seen in urban areas. The building which will be seen only like a one-story warehouse at first glance from the road side is a house planned this time.  © ad hoc inc - Daisuke Shima The front door was designed to be put from the side, and the roof and the wall were set. It's just this, but it's a nifty space to keep your privacy, your bicycle, and your luggage when you open it when it rains or when you lock it up.  © ad hoc inc - Daisuke Shima  © ad hoc inc - Daisuke Shima When you enter, the first impression of the appearance is changed, and it becomes a large space blown up to 5m super. From there, the courtyard is then followed by a full two-storey room. The roof which keeps climbing from the entrance is interrupted once in the courtyard part, and it descends slowly as the top of the courtyard side of the room space.  Section Because it is a building with "length" along the site shape, a big height difference fits without impossibility, and it finished to the building with movement. As well as the actual height of the appearance, of course, the expression of the size of the gap that I felt when I entered from outside, nicknamed "Hi HOUSE".  © ad hoc inc - Daisuke Shima  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Entrance for XANADU Park / Atelier Li Xinggang Posted: 15 Jan 2018 11:00 AM PST  © Guangyuan Zhang
 Overlooking. Image © Guangyuan Zhang Text description provided by the architects. The workstation locate south of the Site of XANADU Park(the ruin of the Yuan Dynasty Upper Capital), consists ticketing, security, management offices, resting and tourists' lavatories for the park, and is part of the Site's application to become a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. Architecture locates on one side of XANADU axis as a cluster.  Geometric Control and Volume Cutting. Image Courtesy of Atelier Li Xinggang On one hand, this cluster leaves the axis as a landscape and a visual connection towards the ruin. On the other hand, a cluster strategy provides a more friendly scale compared to a large block. A group of white circular and oval buildings with pitched roofs interconnected with each other to enclose a private courtyard for staff and a public one for visitors.  Semi-enclosed Courtyard Perspective View. Image © Guangyuan Zhang  Section  North Perspective View. Image © Guangyuan Zhang According to the internal functions, these small buildings vary in size and height, and form an interesting dialogue between each other. Up close, one will discover that these little "tents" are quite unusual: On the side facing the courtyards, the circular and elliptical volumes were sliced continuously into a curving interface of fair faced concrete, later covered by a layer of white paint.  PTFE Membrane Details. Image © Guangyuan Zhang  Cornice Detail. Image © Guangyuan Zhang The continuous curvy joint of two materials (the PTFE membrane and concrete) provides a comparison of light and heavy, soft and hard. Light fixtures hidden In the cavity between the membrane and the exterior wall emit a soft white glow at night, bring a feeling of lightness and impermanence as if the buildings can be moved away at a moment's notice like the nomads' yurts, and paying respect to the Site.  Office Interior. Image © Guangyuan Zhang  Bay Window Detail. Image © Guangyuan Zhang Built-in furniture is designed in connection with the curved walls and bay windows. Sunshine filters in through the windows and skylights, framing a picture of the prairie below an azure sky. From far to near, and near to far, the seemingly similar but unusual group of prairie buildings brings a little drama to the visitors.It is small and grand, light and heavy, temporary and eternal, manmade and natural.  General Model. Image Courtesy of Atelier Li Xinggang The building's presence when it contrast to enviorment not only shows respect to the culture and history, but also has its own identity.  Bay Window Detail. Image © Guangyuan Zhang  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 15 Jan 2018 09:00 AM PST  © Douglas Mark Black
 © Douglas Mark Black Text description provided by the architects. Located on a granite outcrop of the scarp, this small project is a restrained piece of contemporary design, a steel and glass box.  © Douglas Mark Black This site (near Darlington on the Perth Darling Range), required careful consideration of the placement of the architectural solution within the natural environment. The brief called for garden room and kitchen extension, plus interior and exterior renovation works that built upon the bones of an existing late 1970‚Äôs dwelling on the site.  © Douglas Mark Black The original building, largely of masonry (brown brick with concrete floors), offered good thermal mass qualities, but was inward looking and with generally low ceilings. The architectural solution was to extend north into the bush and allow for breakout spaces for outside living to occur either side.  © Douglas Mark Black The glass frames a view of the vegetation and rocks beyond, and establishes a relationship between the house and landscape setting that previously did not exist. An external bench seat in cement finish forms the garden edge. The design opens out towards the weather, the owners are at once transported deep into the landscape itself. In the morning and evening surrounded by birdlife with the sounds of insects at dusk.  © Douglas Mark Black The intervention quietly lands a modernist box in a foreign (almost alien) landscape. It feels like a long way from anywhere. The lights of the city below are only visible in the distance, still some sense of 'otherworldy' is here, particularly at dawn when the sky is cold.  © Douglas Mark Black Within this space, a well-designed interior is a sharp contrast to the primality of the landscape outside. This is not a spaceship, but feels like a functional and refined interior HQ. The Interior Cabinetwork design evolved through a close working relationship with Simone Meraldi, an Italian joiner. Plywood edge and grey laminate, reflecting a simple and reduced interior palette. The table was commissioned by local Furniture-maker Nathan Day, the plan had been to provide a new family space where the owners would be able to cook and sit whilst being able to keep an eye on a newborn.  © Douglas Mark Black The building integrates natural good ventilation principles, with breezeway louvres flushing out the warm air overnight with cooling easterly breezes and insect screens. Light and shade are balanced between old and new, achieved in an intelligent architectural solution. The project is successful in combining the interior spatiality with exterior rooms and views. These ancillary spaces support an indoor-outdoor lifestyle, where an awareness of the seasons is played out between the landscape and the house. In summer, these are entertainment decks where music and cooking happen. In winter the kitchen space is filled with light, or the rain plays out from the comfort of within. Fundamentally constructed in timber structure by Hans Donni, a Swiss Builder whose careful attention to detail made this project a reality. The site is in a bushfire zone, but eliminated some of the risks by being built away from the upward slope, so the team succeeded in achieving open glazed areas where otherwise not possible. However, construction access to this site was not easy. Lightweight construction was chosen for practical reasons – avoiding footings in granite, speed and the inherent sustainability of wood. Cement sheet where required was used for protection to the frames. High levels of insulation in walls and glass selection were integrated to achieve optimum performance for the client.  © Douglas Mark Black  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Norman Foster Named Next President of the UK's Royal Fine Art Commission Trust Posted: 15 Jan 2018 08:00 AM PST  Lord Norman Foster speaking at the Royal Fine Art Commission Trust's annual lecture in Manchester last year. Image Courtesy of Royal Fine Art Commission Trust Lord Norman Foster has been named the next President of the UK's Royal Fine Art Commission Trust, an independent charity aimed at promoting "visual awareness and public appreciation of high-quality design" within the United Kingdom. Chaired by one of architecture's foremost patrons, Lord Peter Palumbo, the organization was established in 1987 as a complement to the Royal Fine Art Commission (since absorbed into the UK Design Council), the Government's advisor on matters affecting public amenity and aesthetics in England and Wales. As the newly minted president, Foster succeeds former Secretary General of NATO Lord Peter Carrington, who has also been announced as the charity's first Patron. "We are delighted that Norman Foster has agreed to serve as our President," commented Lord Palumbo. "Britain's most eminent architect, renowned across the world as a master of his profession, he combines huge accomplishments with a laser-sharp strategic vision of how our cities should develop. We look forward to working with him to help ensure that the good design is seen across the country, especially in the context of the Northern Powerhouse, as something that both creates and enhances economic growth". At the Royal Fine Art Commission Trust's annual lecture in Manchester last year, Foster argued for the potential of northern cities to rise to become leaders in innovation and intelligent design, challenging architects and decision-makers from all fields to think globally. "It is ironic," said Foster, "that one of our prime exports – design and engineering skills – continues to fuel investment and growth globally, while being restricted by indecision and short-termism in the UK." In addition, architect Sir Terry Farrell and Dr. Maria Balshaw, Director of the Tate Galleries, were appointed to the Royal Fine Art Commission Trust's Advisory Board for three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2018. Learn more about the Royal Fine Art Commission Trust, here. News via Foster + Partners  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Demountable Studio / Jorge Andrade Benítez + Jorge Guillermo Andrade Posted: 15 Jan 2018 07:00 AM PST  Courtesy of Jorge Andrade
 Courtesy of Jorge Andrade Text description provided by the architects. In order to create a temporary workspace and use reclaimed elements such as wood, steel and glass; the idea of a demountable studio is conceived. A place thought for architecture design and urbanism that also represents its users. It is conceived as a project that is materialized with existing elements that are in their second use but still have adequate structural, functional and formal characteristics to be included in a new project. The site where the studio is built is land on the loan that was in disuse and that is revitalized and enhanced by the presence of this structure.  Courtesy of Jorge Andrade  Ground Floor Plan  Courtesy of Jorge Andrade For this reason, the study was thought to be eventually disassembled and moved to another location. If this is the case, the components can be disassembled in a simple manner and then reconfigured as an architectural element located elsewhere. The design process was based on the search for the optimum use of each available material to be reclaimed. It was planned in such a way that the studio could be self-constructed, employing unskilled labour and being completed very quickly. The final construction time was less than one month.  Courtesy of Jorge Andrade
 Courtesy of Jorge Andrade The structure is composed of a combination of steel columns (vertical structure) and wood beams (horizontal structure), which were recovered from old buildings that were remodelled.OSB modules become the outer covering of wooden panels that were previously used as retail shelves, thus forming the lower walls and the work tables. Planks used in building scaffolding are now shelves for books, folders and implements. Cargo pallets form the shape of the upper walls, with different shades that create contrast with the lower ones. The final result is an ecologically conscious construction that takes advantage of existing resources, providing comfort and spatial quality to its users.  Courtesy of Jorge Andrade  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| RSHP and Aedas Unveil Boundary Crossing Building for World's Longest Motorway Bridge in China Posted: 15 Jan 2018 06:00 AM PST  Courtesy of HKBC Construction Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) and Aedas have unveiled the design of a new boundary crossing that will serve as an important transportation exchange point within the Pearl River Delta, linking Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China. Already under construction, the project is expected to be completed in 2019.  Courtesy of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities (HKBCF) will be sited on a new 150-hectare artificial island located northeast of the Hong Kong International Airport. The Crossing Facility will be the final element of the long awaited Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, which was originally intended to open in 2016 before a judicial review was filed to identify the project's environmental impact. When it finally opens, the bridge will be one of the longest in the world (based on how you measure, also potentially the longest to allow motor traffic) and will reduce the travel time between Hong Kong and Macau from 4.5 hours to 40 minutes.  Courtesy of HKBC Construction  Courtesy of HKBC Construction The HKBCF will allow visitors to drive between the key Chinese cities of the Pearl River Delta, and will allow for connections to nearby transport links at the Hong Kong International Airport including the SkyPier Ferry Terminal, and the MTR's Airport Express and Tung Chung line. "The bridge will provide essential connectivity to roughly 120 million people who live in the Pearl River region to the south – one of China's three great megapolis' formed by the conjunction of Hong Kong, Macao, Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Dongguan and Guangzhou," said Keith Griffiths, Chairman of Aedas. "I am humbled and honoured to have been involved in the design of this beautiful gateway to these cities in the world's largest megapolis."  Courtesy of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners  Courtesy of HKBC Construction Inspired by the constant movement of vehicles and people that will occur within, the structure features a undulating waveform roof reminiscent of RSHP's Madrid Barajas Airport. Simple, clear circulation informs the building's interior spaces, allowing visitors and employees to easily navigate between bus and vehicle processing points. Full height "canyons" will penetrate the building to allow natural daylight to reach the innermost points of the building and to create a visual connection to the linear roof form, reinforcing the building's intuitive wayfinding. Thanks to the roof's modular form, the majority of the structure will be able to be prefabricated offsite, enabling an efficient, high-quality construction process. The building is aiming for the highest standards of environmental sustainability, through both passive design and the implementation of innovative green technologies.  Courtesy of HKBC Construction  Courtesy of HKBC Construction "I am delighted to be working on such an innovative project, which brings beauty and elegance to the everyday activity of travel," commented RSHP partner Richard Paul. "The new crossing will benefit those living and working in the region greatly, and provide an appropriately visually arresting building for such a beautiful local environment."  Courtesy of HKBC Construction  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Siskiyou House / Beebe Skidmore Architects Posted: 15 Jan 2018 05:00 AM PST  © BuiltPhoto
 © BuiltPhoto Project Goals The design goal is to create eye an catching form and facade based on a recurring pattern of large corner windows without mullions. The construction goal is to create a light, sleek appearance by detailing overhangs, cantilevered roofs, and siding details in as sleek and flush of a way as possible using conventional wood framing construction.  © Bruce Wolf Style Craftsman style houses rely on carpentry technology for both structure and ornament. Wood beams, rafters, eaves and window sills are economical but full of flourishes. Here, basic carpentry and essentially traditional wood detailing are used to bring texture and subtle shifts to the facade.  © BuiltPhoto Ecology The house is full of up-to-date, high-efficiency heating and cooling, intelligent thermostats, advanced insulation techniques, high performance windows and doors, and low V.O.C. finishes. Perhaps the most eco-conscious aspect is the plan, which emphasizes seamless indoor/outdoor living in both the front and back, and access to fresh air cross-ventilation throughout. Large corner windows placed high in the wall keep the house naturally lit, reducing the need for electric lighting.  1st Floor Plan  Section  2nd Floor Plan Materials Siskiyou house is more a thoughtful application of common materials than a showcase for specialty materials. Most of the working surfaces in the house, for example, ceramic tile, cabinets and counters, are not luxurious or high-end. The emphasis is on quality of open space, like that which might be found in a small art gallery. Examples of workmanship necessary for this kind of result: very smooth gypsum board walls, mono-pour etched concrete exterior stairs and porches, and clean, continuous white oak wall caps and fireplace surrounds.  © BBSKD Privacy/Open Although the floor plan is completely open from front to back, you can't see through the house from the street because a) the main floor is set four feet above street level, so passersby are looking up at the ceiling, b) windows are pushed to the corners creating large areas of solid wall along the street, and c) main floor rooms are arranged in a zig zag plan. For example, the homeowners can receive guests at the front door completely out of sight from the street. The second floor master bedroom which is also street-facing is strongly sheltered from direct sight-lines while strategically capturing an unexpected view of the distant downtown Portland skyline.  © Bruce Wolf Neighborhood Because the house is a contemporary expression, it is somewhat aggressively distinct from the typical houses in the neighborhood. However, it's still a two-story, painted wood house. Exterior materials and detailing are congruent with and complimentary to Portland's wood house milieu. The house doesn't shy away from window trim, window sills, corner boards, and articulated siding. These elements "talk" to all the wood houses in the neighborhood. We hope to have brought all these elements together in a way that is sharp in appearance and coherent without being too decorative.  © Bruce Wolf  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New Renderings Reveal Thomas Heatherwick's Design for Residential Towers Straddling NYC's Highline Posted: 15 Jan 2018 04:00 AM PST  Courtesy of Heatherwick Studio Thomas Heatherwick is touching the New York Architecture Scene again, revealing his design for a pair of residential towers in a pair of renderings. The two towers will flank either side of the New York High Line, located at 18th Street, it will situate itself adjacent to Frank Gehry's IAC Headquarters building. Perhaps the buildings' most striking features are it's barrel-shaped windows, appearing to bulge from the building's masonry walls. To achieve this look, the top, bottom, and sides of the windows are tapered inward (similar to that of a bay window) to create the curved shape. This is not the first time we have seen Heatherwick playing around with this window shape—a similar style can be seen in his Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art in Cape Town, South Africa.  Courtesy of Heatherwick Studio Although both towers will exhibit these windows, they differ in both size and shape—one likely standing at 22-stories high, and the other at 10—likely an attempt to maximize views on to the Hudson River. The two towers will become one underneath the High Line, giving entrance into the luxury apartment building. The 425,000 development will hold over 17,000 square feet of retail and gallery space, a total of 180 condominiums, as well as other high-end amenities for the residents, such as a fitness center, spa, and 175 on-site parking spots. "With a site crossing both sides of the High Line there was a unique opportunity to celebrate the urban texture of the elevated park and the distinct character of the Chelsea neighborhood." "The studio wanted to create a new kind of panoramic visual connection for the building's residents and re-conceived the residential bay window as a three-dimensional sculpted piece of glazing that provides light-filled interiors as well as exciting internal moments." "At the smallest scale the raw brick exterior, influenced by Chelsea's heritage of industrial brick buildings, will give a handmade feel and microtexture to the facade. At the largest scale, the use of the three-dimensional windows will add another distinctive layer of textural character to the fabric of the city." News via: Heatherwick.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 15 Jan 2018 03:00 AM PST  © Daniela Barocio
 © Daniela Barocio Text description provided by the architects. This 240sqm private residence designed by ARQUIDROMO is built on a former municipal right of way; a residual space with an irregular shape that, although initially perceived as a disadvantage, turned out to be a design opportunity.  © Daniela Barocio CLOUD HOUSE has a dynamic, three-dimensional and sculptural character. Usually, lateral walls on this housing scale lack aesthetic intent and remain hidden in narrow, dark service corridors; however, the irregular format of this lot enabled a lateral face of the building to be visible from the street, making it a fundamental part of the composition of the main façade.  © Daniela Barocio The composition consists of a set of white monoliths that are stacked in an organic and lyrical way. Each part of the residence's program is materialized in one of these cubic modules of varying dimensions in order to suit its function. The disorderly order of the composition is the result of the loose relationship between its parts, like the molecules of water in a cloud.  © Daniela Barocio The rectangle-shaped lot is bent at a 45-degree angle forcing all the program behind the garage to be rotated. This creates a contrast that accentuates the difference between the two main parts of the composition: the garage, a base of dark and rough concrete; and -the cloud-, of white and smooth surfaces.  © Daniela Barocio The garage is a portico that receives pedestrians and motorists alike: A carpet made of sea-salt texturized concrete and river stones receives you on the sidewalk and before leading you to the main access door, it takes you through a space inhabited by vines that grow freely on the walls, the floor and the roof without restriction. A gray prelude to a symphony of whiteness.  © Daniela Barocio After opening the main door, you find a dark and low corridor that prepares you for a great contrast with the next part of the journey.  Ground floor plan  First floor plan  Second floor plan A double heighted space full of light makes you look up. This room is articulated by the continuity of voids generated between the white monoliths. This is the heart of the house, the center of the cloud containing the social areas.  © Daniela Barocio  © Daniela Barocio Although from the outside, the house has a hermetic appearance, this room has large windows that blur the boundaries between interior and exterior. Views towards the neighboring constructions are avoided, framing only the sky and mountains, creating an atmosphere of distance and serenity.  © Daniela Barocio The white plastered walls and ceilings of this space are a low-cost solution that express a lack of materiality and emphasizes form over textures; On the other hand, rustic and cozy materials were chosen for the floor and furniture.  Section A-A The concrete stairs are a central and sculptural piece that takes you to a semi-private living room on the second level of the residence; a low and cozy space that serves as a transition to the third level where a corridor wrapped in overhead natural light takes you to the three independent and modest bedrooms.  © Daniela Barocio CLOUD HOUSE takes advantage of the irregularities of its plot and turns them into design opportunities. The proposal gives priority to social spaces over private spaces to encourage family encounters and gatherings.  © Daniela Barocio  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Fact Check: Which of These Architecture Rumors are Actually True? Posted: 15 Jan 2018 01:30 AM PST  Fact-checking website Snopes (also known as the internet's first fact-checking website) has now been debunking Urban Legends and setting the record straight when it comes to "questionable" and/or fantastic stories for 23 years. In its two decades of operation, it has amassed not only thousands of well-researched explanations to perplexing myths but has also garnered the praise of news outlets like The New York Times, CNN, and Forbes. So what can Snopes tell us about our dear profession? Get your facts right with our list of dubious (and some not-so-dubious) claims about architecture, buildings, and city design. Did a man die while demonstrating a skyscraper's window's strength? The TD Bank Tower, right, from which Garry Hoy plunged to his death in 1992. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/mtl_shag/1119933256'>Flickr user mtl_shag</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/'>CC BY-ND 2.0</a> Tragic but true, Toronto-based lawyer Garry Hoy faced an untimely death in 1993, as he demonstrated the strength of the windows of the 24th floor of the Toronto-Dominion Bank Tower building to a group of visiting law students. Quite confident about his much-rehearsed stunt, Hoy threw himself at the glass panes only to bounce back safely as the amused crowd looked on, but the second attempt quickly turned to panic as the man crashed through. Was there really a half toilet built in Sochi, Russia?
We've all seen this peculiar half-toilet making the rounds on social media, haven't we? Shared and reshared during February 2014 and purported to have been spotted in Sochi, Russia, this #EpicFail came to be associated with the Winter Olympic's rickety sports facilities. But as it turns out, the half-toilet had nothing to do with Sochi—it existed as a photo (with no traceable origin) on the internet long before the Olympic's opening! For all we know, it could easily be a photomanipulation or even an artwork. Is it illegal to take photographs of the Eiffel Tower at night? The Eiffel Tower. Image © <a href='https://unsplash.com/photos/QAwciFlS1g4'>Unsplash user Anthony Delanoix</a> Thanks to slippery copyright laws, this rumor is surprisingly true! Taking pictures of the Eiffel Tower itself is legal because the design of the 129-year-old structure is now in the public domain, but the more recent light show is considered an artwork protected by copyright, and thanks to France's laws on freedom of panorama, therefore illegal to photograph for commercial purposes. Although the French government isn't particularly strict about the law, you might want to think twice! Was fake snow made from asbestos marketed as Christmas decor?— Kev Viggor (@MugToby) December 30, 2017 Recently, a photo of a vintage box of the "cleanest-whitest-best" decorative snow called "Asbestos: Pure White Fireproof Snow" was widely circulated on social media, causing many to question whether asbestos was actually used to manufacture the fluffy, harmless-looking product. Turns out that this deadly carcinogen, apart from being a "miracle material" in the building industry, was used freely in Christmas tree decorations in the early 20th century. To this day, asbestos isn't exactly banned in the US! Was the Pentagon originally intended to be a hospital? The Pentagon. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/rudiriet/3271963755'>Flickr user rudiriet</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a> An over-abundance of restrooms, spacious hallways, and dozens of ramps instead of stairs or elevators—all in a massive building located close to a cemetery. Sounds more like a hospital than a military office building, doesn't it? But as Snopes reveals, the Pentagon in Virginia was never meant to be a hospital: the bathrooms came about as a result of racial segregation laws at the time, while the rest of the architectural features were for pure practicality or cost-effectiveness. Conjectures also arose regarding the use of the building after WWII and among other suggestions, turning it into a hospital was one of them. Is there an astronaut carving on an ancient Spanish cathedral? The astronaut carving on the Catedral Nueva in Salamanca, Spain. Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sculpture_of_astronaut_added_to_New_Cathedral,_Salamanca,_Spain,_during_renovations.JPG'>Wikimedia user Marshall Henrie</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a> In the Spanish city of Salamanca stands Catedral Nueva which dates back to the 16th century and surprisingly features a fine carving of an astronaut. It is no mystery, however: the cathedral underwent rigorous restoration in 1992 and a cathedral builder named Jeronimo Garcia simply left behind an astronaut to mark his work. This way, not only his name, but the period of restoration was literally set in stone—the astronaut being chosen specifically as a symbol of the 20th century. Is the Kansas City Library's facade made of giant books? Kansas City Library. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/timsamoff/44726082'>Flickr user timsamoff</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/'>CC BY-ND 2.0</a> Giant replicas of well-loved books do indeed adorn the facade of Kansas City Library's parking garage. Far from being a photomanipulation, the "Community Bookshelf" lines the garage built in 2006, where twenty-two "books" up to 25 feet tall display popular titles chosen with the help of community input. Here, you will find Marquez, Dickens, Tolkien, Mark Twain, and many others! Was Dubai's Cayan Tower really delayed by a huge flood? Cayan Tower in Dubai. Image © Tim Griffith / SOM It isn't often that construction schedules go awry because of water gushing in from a man-made marina, but in the case of the construction of the helical, 75-story Infinity Tower (now known as Cayan Tower) in Dubai, it's unfortunately anything but a rumor. During February 2007 the wall holding back the waters of the Dubai Marina cracked and split, completely flooding the site within minutes, while over a hundred workers scrambled to safety. Does Washington DC have no 'J' street because city designer Pierre L'Enfant bore a grudge against Chief Justice John Jay? Andrew Ellicott's 1792 revision of Pierre Charles L'Enfant's plans for Washington DC. Image <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:L%27Enfant_plan.jpg'>via Wikimedia</a> in public domain It is hard to believe that Pierre L'Enfant meticulously planned the whole of Washington DC and somehow forgot about the street lettered 'J.' But while it was a deliberate omission, a closer inspection reveals that it had nothing to with any grudges against Chief Justice John Jay. The reason, in fact, was quite plain (and boring!): in Old English, the letters 'I' and 'J' were often interchangeable, similar-looking, and hence confusing especially when written together, so out of the two, 'J' was left out of the lettering system. Was this public toilet made with one-way glass walls? Monica Bonvicini's "Don't Miss a Sec". Image via Snopes In December 2003, artist Monica Bonvicini installed a rather interesting work at a busy construction site across the Tate Britain in London: a public toilet with reflective glass walls that allowed the user to look out, while no passersby could look in. Titled "Don't Miss a Sec," the installation, like much of Bonvicini's other work, played on the viewer's gaze, ideas about space, and the user's relationship with the surrounding site or environment. Is George W Bush's house more eco-friendly than Al Gore's house?In 2007, an email comparing the houses of former Vice President Al Gore and (now former) President George Bush created quite a stir by describing the former's house as "an inconvenient truth." Reports revealed that Al Gore's extravagant Nashville mansion was actually an energy-guzzler compared to the George W Bush's "model of environmental rectitude"! However, while (mostly) true in 2007, by 2009 the claims of the email were deemed out-of-date, with Bush moving to a new home twice the size and Gore altering his home until it was LEED-certified.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Gravitational Indifference / Ruptura Morlaca Arquitectura Posted: 15 Jan 2018 01:00 AM PST  © Ruptura Morlaca
 © Ruptura Morlaca Text description provided by the architects. The desire to live of the users on a serene, silent, vast, spacious and full of trees, where nature is able to show its greatness, has led them to identify a place in the sector of Ricaurte in Cuenca-Ecuador, a almost intact site that in the mornings is stripped of a mist characteristic of the mountains of the area that floats on the sloping territory managing to guide the gaze to the top of the trees, mountains and clouds.  © Ruptura Morlaca  Site Plan / Roof Plan  © Ruptura Morlaca Working with the natural slope of the site allows us to observe architecture as a landscape and buildings as their mountains, which would generate an artificial territory that adapts to the topography, manipulating as a scenario a landscape within another to obtain a new geography that rises when moving between the treetops, building geography more than architecture.  © Ruptura Morlaca This artificial geography allows the social areas to approach the trees to enjoy the visual, wind and shade of the morning, likewise, these are supported in the private areas of the house, concentrating on a mass to avoid radiation direct sunlight in the afternoon and conserve heat for the cold of the night, all these spaces on platforms are unified to a promenade that follows the silhouette of the topography in a place of shadows, exposing itself to the height of the trees and disconnecting from a domestic scale; ending its journey in a plain that brings you closer to touching the treetops in a space that takes you away from the daily, allowing you to contemplate the natural cycle and find yourself as you move through the platforms and gardens, translating into stones and plants.  Axonometric View  © Ruptura Morlaca  In the way of appropriating the territory by "not touching the ground" and not affecting the scale of the place, we want the element to appear at the minimum height of the trees, eliminating all verticality so as not to cover the horizon, in the same way, the private spaces are closed to avoid the incidence of the sun and the user can obtain the peculiarity of observing and not being seen, of granting privacy to hide the person who inhabits, allowing him a life that is profoundly free regardless of all moral and social vigilance.  © Ruptura Morlaca  © Ruptura Morlaca What should be the first impression of the subject with the matter? Upon arriving at the site invaded by a haze that for centuries has been floating in the imaginary of dreams, where the only private space is the mind, it exposes thought to endow the concentrated mass of security and energy efficiency in one piece. suspended weightless like a cloud over that serene landscape, where however, the stone is remarkably heavy and typically anchored to the ground, cut out to generate a colorful threshold like the skirts of the “Cholas Cuencanas” that incites you to reach beyond that concrete natural scenario in a material capable of resisting and adapting to the passage of time, endowing it with timelessness since it was always floating in that place within the thought and desire that will allow levitating matter, possessing even of mass, but no longer of terrestrial gravity elevating you to the world of Dreams.  © Ruptura Morlaca Coming to create an image no longer of lightness but of levitated matter, of gravitational indifference.  © Ruptura Morlaca  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 15 Jan 2018 12:00 AM PST  Courtesy of GoCompare A city's monuments are integral parts of its metropolitan identity. They stand proud and tall and are often the subject of a few of your vacation photos. It is their form and design which makes them instantly recognizable, but what if their design had turned out differently? Paris' iconic and stunning Arc de Triomphe could have been a giant elephant, large enough to hold banquets and balls, and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. could have featured an impressive pyramid. GoCompare has compiled and illustrated a series of rejected designs for monuments and placed them in a modern context to commemorate what could have been. Here are a few of our favorites: Arc De Triomphe, Paris Courtesy of GoCompare 45 years before the Arc De Triomphe was built, 18th Century architect Charles Ribart proposed to construct a three-story elephant on the exact same site. The proposal was turned down by the French government, but what a sight it would have been if it was built! The elephant would even have boasted a spiral staircase in its underbelly and a trunk which served to irrigate the surrounding gardens. Sydney Opera House, Sydney Courtesy of GoCompare The Sydney Opera House is one of the world's most recognizable builds and considered a masterpiece of modern architecture. The conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Eugene Goossens, organized a international design competition asking for proposals for the building. Goossens, himself displayed his vision for the landmark, with a rectangular body and tall, striking entrance. His design, however, was beat out by Danish architect, Jørn Utzon, who is responsible for the design we know today. Tower Bridge, London Courtesy of GoCompare As the East End of London became more commercially important in the 1800s, it became clear a new bridge across the Thames was needed. The challenge was to design something which maintained a steady flow of road traffic while not closing off the river to the tall-masted ships. While we're grateful Sir Horace Jones's design was chosen, this idea by F.J. Palmer was one of the most creative runners-up: the bridge features movable platforms at either end, allowing traffic to pass even when the boats were crossing. Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. Courtesy of GoCompare Henry Bacon's Lincoln Memorial is a national symbol, but would it still have been if it was a pyramid? The other favorite to design the monument was John Russell Pope, an architect who went on to design other iconic DC buildings like the National Archives and Jefferson Memorial. Pope's graphic sketches for the Lincoln Memorial offered jarringly different alternatives—borrowing from the grand past of other cultures, he suggested a Mayan Temple, Egyptian Pyramid, and even the Ziggurat, pictured above. Tribune Tower, Chicago Courtesy of GoCompare In 1922, the Chicago Tribune ran a competition to design a new headquarters with a brief to create "the most beautiful building in the world." Over 260 architects from 23 countries entered and changed high-rise architecture forever. New York architects John Howells and Raymond Hood won with a Gothic tower drawing on French traditions which we can see today. However, if the circumstances had played differently, we could have been look at something like this expressionist pyramid by German architect Bruno Taut. Descriptions of each project were provided by GoCompare. You can see more of these rejected monuments in GoCompare's online gallery, here.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Record Breaking 31 Meter Tall "Flamenco Ice Tower" Opens in Harbin, China Posted: 14 Jan 2018 10:00 PM PST  Courtesy of Eindhoven University of Technology Beyonds igloos, sculptures, and Sweden's ICEHOTEL, ice is not often seen as building material. An international team of Dutch-end Chinese students and professors from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), Summa College, and the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) have used the freezing material to construct "Flamenco Ice Tower" in Harbin, China - the home of the International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival.  Courtesy of Eindhoven University of Technology The eye-catching tower's design was inspired by the shape of traditional Chinese towers and the flamenco dress. It stands at a mighty 31 meters tall, the equivalency of a 6-story building, making it the world's largest ice shell - 10 meters taller than the team's previous attempt in 2015.  Courtesy of Eindhoven University of Technology  Courtesy of Eindhoven University of Technology The key behind the tower's success is using a fiber-reinforced ice. Natural fibers, such as wood, are blended with the ice to strengthen it, generating an extremely reliable building material. This discovery could hold solutions for temporary construction in cold area, events or even a Mars mission.  Courtesy of Eindhoven University of Technology  Courtesy of Eindhoven University of Technology To construct the large tower, a balloon was first assembled and inflated to both act as the base and serve as the mold for the structure's interior. An average thickness of 25 cm of the fiber-reinforced ice was then sprayed onto the balloon. Once all of the ice had been sprayed and settled, the bright blue balloon was then deflated and removed to reveal a smooth, white surface on the interior. The construction of the ice tower can be seen in the video below: The official opening of the Flamenco Ice Tower was held on January 10 by the Dutch Ambassador, and the TU/e and the HIT intend to continue with the possibility of ice structures for the Olympic Winter Games in 2022.  Courtesy of Eindhoven University of Technology  Courtesy of Eindhoven University of Technology  Courtesy of Eindhoven University of Technology  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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