Arch Daily |
- Countryside Villa / MIDE architetti
- Poolhouse O / Steven Vandenborre
- Golestan Apartment / Razan Architects
- Manhwaricano / Rieuldorang Atelier
- Stage of Forest / META-Project
- The Renovation of Ngamwong-wan 44 / FATTSTUDIO
- Piccolo Haus / SMART ARCHITECTURE
- Zupagrafika Presents BLOKOSHKA: A Modernist Architectural Matryoshka
- Studio House / Zen Architects
- Apple Announces Plans to Construct Second U.S. Headquarters
- 'Nuestra Señora de la Consolación' Church / Allan Cornejo Arquitecto
- Second Chicago Architecture Biennial Closes with Over 500,000 Attendees
- Butterfly Studio / Valerie Schweitzer Architects
- "Loose or Corroded Bolts" Found as Likely Culprit of Indonesia Stock Exchange Collapse
- Beach House / Schmidt Arquitectos Asociados
- Sharing the City: 5 Takes on How We Should Create and Use Public Space
- Dos Plátanos School / Murmuro
- Neat and Tidy or Messy and Cluttered: Which Inspires More Creativity?
- Richard Meier On Color in Architecture and His Only Black Building
- House 1219 / HARQUITECTES
| Countryside Villa / MIDE architetti Posted: 17 Jan 2018 09:00 PM PST  © Claudia Nalesso
 © Claudia Nalesso Text description provided by the architects. The building is located near Montebelluna, in the province of Treviso. The design idea results from the will to valorize the existing context, gently immerging the new house into the greenery: two parallel lines identify the base and the flat roof, protecting in between the 'dwelling box'. The idea of timber cladding provides the projects with a high degree of integration with the surrounding environment and, with the use of wide glazed openings, allows a tangible continuity and uninterrupted relation with the vast park that belts the parcel.  © Claudia Nalesso High visual permeability and generous contributions of natural light feature the interior spaces of the construction. The architectural circuit develops horizontally within a single deck: North block hosts the living area, the kitchen, two bedrooms with respective bathrooms and a laundry room; in the South one have been placed a studio and a pool hall required by the client.  © Claudia Nalesso  Axonometric  © Claudia Nalesso The extremely simplicity of the plan contributes in radically improving the functionality, optimizing the available surface and reducing that of corridors, in favor of the more important areas of the house.  © Claudia Nalesso  Floor Plan  © Claudia Nalesso The use of heterogeneous materials such as reinforced concrete, timber and plaster play a significant role in highlighting the volumetric purity of the new house.
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| Poolhouse O / Steven Vandenborre Posted: 17 Jan 2018 07:00 PM PST  © Tim Vandevelde
 © Tim Vandevelde Text description provided by the architects. The project brings together a walled courtyard and a swimming pool. The living area is a glass box contained within a concrete garden pavilion. By making the poolhouse entirely out of glass, with minimal framed windows, both inside and outside seems to disappear. Natural light is entering the pavilion by creating enclosed gardens.  © Tim Vandevelde  Floor Plan  © Tim Vandevelde The overall atmosphere is a combination of rough and soft materials creating an intense, silent luxury the length of the pool allows you to experience swimming in a garden, under a building and in a building.  © Tim Vandevelde  Details 1  © Tim Vandevelde The garden (designed by Alderik Heirman) is gently entering the building and results in a perfect marriage of nature and architecture.  © Tim Vandevelde  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Golestan Apartment / Razan Architects Posted: 17 Jan 2018 06:00 PM PST .jpg?1516118857 "© Parham Taghioff") © Parham Taghioff
.jpg?1516118885 "© Parham Taghioff") © Parham Taghioff Text description provided by the architects. Golestan Residential Building is located in a wide dead end, with a maximum height of 20 meters close to a military area. The quiet atmosphere of the alley, which is due to its proper width and impassability, and also the green mass of the tree in the courtyard, led us to pay special attention to the main pavement of the project, and use this potential for Improve the quality of indoor spaces and make communication with the yard and the city. In this regard, the role of the terraces as the spaces of this communication becomes more remarkable.
Creating double height terraces that do not overlook is a challenge that transformed the facade into stepped terraces, and was also a response to the aspect ratio of the building. The shadings and the filled and empty spaces and stretching the facade material into the interior spaces have improved the quality of living space.  Section
Here, by scattering and increasing the number of voids at the project, lighting is provided for three units directly and for one of them, three separate voids on three different sides are considered. The lobby of the elevators and the middle sections of the larger units also benefit from natural light. .jpg?1516119268 "© Parham Taghioff") © Parham Taghioff In this project, by lowering a part of the yard as much as one floor, a semi-closed and a secure outdoor space has been created in order to be dedicated to the children's playground and a place for inhabitants to relax or have a friendly chat. .jpg?1516119290 "© Parham Taghioff") © Parham Taghioff With the construction of new buildings in an alley and the destruction of old buildings, the image of the inhabitants of their neighborhood is ruined and gradually disappears, and after all, all forms are completely changed. In order to respect the visual memory of the people from the walls of the alley, we decided to preserve the walls of the old property and, for the openings, we considered glass walls, so that the inhabitants can experience continuous sight through the walls. .jpg?1516119319 "© Parham Taghioff") © Parham Taghioff  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Manhwaricano / Rieuldorang Atelier Posted: 17 Jan 2018 04:00 PM PST  © Yoon Joonhwan
 © Yoon Joonhwan Text description provided by the architects. At one time in Korea, the book "botong-ui jonjae" (Normal Being) was a best seller. The beauty that is found in ordinary life is the theme. The emergence of this viewpoint is a natural phenomenon in Korea, which has achieved rapid growth in a short period of time. Through this book, the public reflects on the past that lived without the preciousness of mediocrity, and was comforted by the situation that it became harder to live than before.  © Yoon Joonhwan  © Yoon Joonhwan In order to discover beauty from ordinary things, it is necessary to have a poetic sensibility to look back on ordinary things from a different point of view. I started designing with the question of how architecture can enter the world of emotion.  © Yoon Joonhwan A paradox of normal form The project site is plain and the surrounding houses are in various forms. From a different point of view, there was the usual variety. I thought that the paradoxical way of reversing the existing grammar would be effective in feeling special emotions in ordinary scenery. Specifically, the general form is reversed. It is a way to empty the gable roof form in the form of a square box. In other words, it reverses the normal form and intends to ask what is normal.  © Yoon Joonhwan  Diagram  © Yoon Joonhwan The vacated space in the form of a gable becomes one of the sequences going into the house. And let it shine the sunshine indirectly. The vacated space in the form of gaps changes with time, and the feeling of space also changes. The vacated space of the normal form changes with time due to indirect sunlight and creates a point where ordinariness changes into specialty.  © Yoon Joonhwan The most important of the client's requirements was the space under the eaves. In the suburban housing, eaves play a very important role. A lot of things that you cannot do in an apartment are possible under the eaves. It is a place where you can do various activities without being influenced by the weather. I was touched by her husband's affection for her family and wanted to present a special sensibility for her family. It was hoped that it would be a precious thing found in ordinary everyday life. Daily routines will repeat and the landscape of the village will always be the same. When these families got used to life here, they expect that they will occasionally receive special gifts that change over time in ordinary space.  © Yoon Joonhwan  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Stage of Forest / META-Project Posted: 17 Jan 2018 02:00 PM PST  Exterior. Image © Su Shengliang
 Panorama. Image © Su Shengliang Text description provided by the architects. The Stage of Forest at Songhua Lake Resort of Jilin, China, is situated on a hillside between the forest and the slope.  Entry Level The site is surrounded by luscious greenery in summer and covered by an overwhelming white snow in winter. As is a delicate site for a "Land(scape) Mark", one whose indefinite programming demands a careful degree of deliberation. The location and triangle shape of the "stage" was only determined after precise examination and deduction of the site condition, to minimize the impact for the existing vegetation and to maximize the view on the platform. While sitting on the hill, it is facing the Songhua lake at a distance, who is famous for the rime in its surrounding areas.  Exterior. Image © Su Shengliang As one descends from the mountain top, the "Stage" rises slowly above the undulating landscape, in a way like a piece of leaf floating on the water. Positioned with the 2 side-line along the approaching eyesight of the visitors from two routes: the trail in the woods and the ski-slope. Not only it doesn't obstruct the view to the lake and mountains, it even enhances the experience by inducing ever-changing tension between the cantilever and the surrounding landscape. The entire "stage" is like growing out from the mongolian oak forest, and cantilevering on top of the ski-slope. Because the orientation of the distant view (horizontal unfolding lake), and the close view (vertical extending slope) is at a different angle, the building results in a twisted gesture between the wood "stage" and the concrete "base".  Exterior. Image © Su Shengliang  Exterior. Image © Su Shengliang The building combined rough materiality with its sensuous form. Seen from afar, the "stage" is a dark, free-floating monolith in the landscape, with a heavy concrete "base". Come closer, the reflection on the charred cedar shingles (Shou-Sugi-Ban) becomes faintly perceptible - even turns silvery with the changing angle of sunlight. After one meandering through the forest boardwalk and finally arriving in front of it, the chapped surface of the shingles and the wood texture of the cast concrete become tangible.  Exterior. Image © Vanke Songhua Lake Resort  Section  Interior. Image © Su Shengliang The interior is choreographed through a carefully plotted experience. Upon entering the concrete vestibule, in the moment your eye adjusts to the dimmed light, a vertical view along the stretching slope will catch you first, then a narrow staircase hints the only way of elevating. When you arrive at the platform level and turn around, what suddenly opens up to you is a great panoramic view of the Songhua lake, winding in-between the hills, clear or hazed by with the ever-changing mist, an exceptional vista that is breathtakingly beautiful and magical.  Interior. Image © Su Shengliang  Floor Plan  Interior. Image © Su Shengliang A pair of ovals openings cut through the volume, one on the roof leading sunlight and snowflake into the space, the other one on the floor intriguing interaction between people above and under the "stage". The red cedar wall has been left untreated and is vivid in color shades, in contrast to the building's dark Shou-Sugi-Ban exterior.  Exterior. Image © Shibiao Cao META-Project believes, designing in nature is to introduce an enlightening medium between nature and people. The "Stage of Forest" is not just a look-out, it is a flexible public space that can hold events, exhibitions, meetings and workshops... The building is intended to stimulate people to come up with more ideas of exploring their relationship with the nature, and itself also becomes part of the nature.  Lighted View. Image © Su Shengliang  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Renovation of Ngamwong-wan 44 / FATTSTUDIO Posted: 17 Jan 2018 12:00 PM PST  © Ketsiree Wongwan
 © Ketsiree Wongwan Text description provided by the architects. In early 2016, young couple plan to get married so they had decided to renovate husband's sister's bedroom. The project started with how to manage the 90 square meters area, 70 Sqm. on main floor and another 20 Sqm. above as mezzanine. Our clients required living area and bedroom with decoration style which we haven't known it before.  © Ketsiree Wongwan The existing huge bedroom's ornament was demolished. Only wooden floor finished that had been kept before It was rebuilt and treated properly. The main idea of the transformation is how to deal with the octagon mezzanine above because in the requirement It will be space for collecting all painting and space of wardrobe that didn't relate with space and style which had required before.  Isometric First of all, we decided to address three wardrobes at long side of the room then we has 27 square meeting and they has 800 millimeter depth which was separated to 3 part of its. In the middle of wardrobe wall, was designed to be display clothes and surround with volcanic grey stone which break apart from entrance door. After we managed the closet, the other walls were ready for provided for painting nor picture frames which be placed in future.  © Ketsiree Wongwan After that the spiral staircase was design instead of the old one that linear stair. The reason why the existing star had to be removed is we have to expand space for living room and increase display wall from lower floor until mezzanine ceiling and the new stair will be defined as the highlight of octagon wall which was expand area for steel frames windows both of stories.  Elevations The wooden ceiling in the octagon hall was surprising things that didn't expect before the construction. They were found when while contractor was removing existing ceiling. We decided to uninstall its carefully for treatment and return it properly in the end. The surpassing ceiling effect to mood of living space more over than expectation and increasing contrast between living room and bedroom atmosphere.  © Ketsiree Wongwan Even the project has tiny area but the process of design and construction had more than two years, It had been revised more and more according to situation and adapting by new requirement from clients. If the renovation of Chef condo which were published in 2016 is gentle man, this project could be a young lady who has been prepared to be lady in future.  © Ketsiree Wongwan  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Piccolo Haus / SMART ARCHITECTURE Posted: 17 Jan 2018 11:00 AM PST  © Yoon Dong-gyu
 © Yoon Dong-gyu Text description provided by the architects. The area, where the remains of Rock shade have been found, is livelihood from old stone age. This place is located in wind path, so there is always a fresh wind from south area - Cheong do, Ga chang. The mountain to the west of site keeps out hot sunlight in the afternoon. And Shin-cheon river flows at the bottom of mountain, so there is enough water.  Birds View This small house situated in an entrance to Pa-dong, is across from an apartment complex gate.The site is adjacent to 12m-wide road to the south and 4m-wide cluttered passing road to the north.  © Yoon Dong-gyu The house consist of one commercial space on first floor and one detached house for young parents with 3 children from the second floor to the fourth floor.  © Yoon Dong-gyu  Section 01  © Yoon Dong-gyu The staircase and parking lot's location was determined by a shape of site, and all rooms in house were planned to face the south.  © Yoon Dong-gyu Whole building's external facing is finished using bricks and galvanized steel sheets and window system. The facade adjacent to the southern road is finished using brick masonry with space between the rows on outside heat-insulation wall method wall for privacy.  © Yoon Dong-gyu  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Zupagrafika Presents BLOKOSHKA: A Modernist Architectural Matryoshka Posted: 17 Jan 2018 10:00 AM PST  BLOKOSHKA. Modernist Architectural Matryoshka by Zupagrafika Inspired by the former Eastern Bloc concrete modernist estates, "BLOKOSHKA: Modernist Architectural Matryoshka", is a playful tour inside out the "sleeping districts" of Moscow, plattenbau constructions of East Berlin, Warsaw estates built over the ruins of old ghetto, and the panelak blocks in Prague. The Modernist Architectural Matryoshka is a set of 4 pre-cut and pre-folded nesting blocks to open in half and place inside of one another. Includes a note on Eastern European housing architecture. Includes a note on Eastern European housing architecture.  After World War II European cities were in urgent need of providing their population with new homes in the quickest, most efficient and affordable way possible. Soon, extensive estates were erected and started shaping the post-war continent's urban landscape.  In 1950s-1980s the "house factories" had their real heyday. The new precast technology allowed building entire districts from scratch, especially in the former Eastern Bloc. Those urbanizations became tangible reflections of the pre-war modernist ideas of open urban spaces, minimalist design and social egalitarianism. 
 Zupagrafika Presents BLOKOSHKA: A Modernist Architectural Matryoshka  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 17 Jan 2018 09:00 AM PST  © Jack Lovel
 © Jack Lovel Text description provided by the architects. Our client contacted us with a request to design an extension to their existing property in order to accommodate the needs of a growing family. In this case, the small area of the site required a unique approach to achieve the required outcomes.
In response, we designed a flexible, multi-purpose studio that requires very little land. It includes two sleeping areas, a bathroom and a generous living space with the potential to be arranged into a living, kitchen and dining space. We arranged the shape of the building to minimise amenity impacts to the neighbours, while also controlling sunlight and views from windows, thereby creating a sense of space without sacrificing privacy.  © Jack Lovel  Section  © Jack Lovel As the building was positioned beside a laneway, we were also able to provide it with its own private entrance, separating it from the main home. The clients can now cater to their immediate need for more space while enjoying flexible choices for future use. Without impacting amenity they are now able to enjoy views of their own architecture across a shared garden space.  © Jack Lovel  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Apple Announces Plans to Construct Second U.S. Headquarters Posted: 17 Jan 2018 08:15 AM PST  Apple has announced plans to open a second U.S. campus as part of a $30 billion plan to invest in United States operations over the next 5 years. Apple's new Foster + Partners-designed headquarters, known as Apple Park, opened last year. A location for the new campus has yet to be announced, though it is unlikely the company will go through as transparent of a selection process as fellow tech giant Amazon is currently staging in their search for a secondary U.S. headquarters. The company is predicting a major hiring spree that will see 20,000 new jobs created between the two campuses. Currently, the second largest Apple office is located in Austin, Texas, where it houses customer service agents and some manufacturing facilities. In addition to the new headquarters, Apple may also be looking to expand its number of data centers in the United States. The tech company has already built its own data facilities in North Carolina, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona, and an upcoming Iowa complex, and leases data center space in several other states. Also, check out the latest drone footage from Apple Park below: News via Reuters.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Nuestra Señora de la Consolación' Church / Allan Cornejo Arquitecto Posted: 17 Jan 2018 07:00 AM PST  © Ana Paola Fiorini
 © Ana Paola Fiorini Text description provided by the architects. In the district of Rímac in Lima, it was erected in the decade of the 60s by the Congregation of Religious Agustinas Daughters of the Most Holy Savior. The passage of time, the weather and the application of poor maintenance diminished the state of their structures, accelerating their deterioration. After a thorough analysis, it was approved to carry out a new coverage design and the reinforcement of its structures, in such a way that value is added to the existing church.  © Ana Paola Fiorini For the new design of the coverage four very important points were considered: the Constructive System that best suits the planned, the Height of the Interior Space to provide and size the ship, the Altar as the main point of attention and finally the New Facade and the Interaction with the Environment.  Isometric Considering all the aforementioned, it was decided to use steel as the predominant material due to its malleability, resistance and optimization in execution times.  © Ana Paola Fiorini The use of pointed arches allowed to cover large lights and achieve the appropriate height, providing the desired comfort to the user.  Section In order to make the altar the main point of attention within the enclosure, "La Paloma", symbol of the Holy Spirit, was adopted as a conceptual image. By means of the superposition of three planes at different heights it was possible to symbolically represent a dove with open wings, located in the upper part of the altar can be appreciated from any place of the ship, denoting the presence and company of the Holy Spirit in all moment.  © Ana Paola Fiorini To integrate the façade with the surroundings, in this case integrate the park that faces the street, it was proposed to transfer the idea of Altar to the street figuratively, and to achieve it, glass panels were raised between the facade and the roof, creating an independent element that simulates an altar, where the image of Our Lady of Consolation was placed, made in steel by the renowned sculptor Luis Sono Cabrera.  Plan This new spatial configuration created a strong link between the inside and the outside, generating a new interaction with the user, inviting him to enter and remain inside.  © Ana Paola Fiorini Without violating and completely forgetting the context and the existing scene, it was possible to create a unique and striking space environment, composed of a spacious environment, white walls, transparencies that let natural light sinuously, artificial lights strategically located that views of far they denote the presence of something important. Lightness, peace, comfort and religious identity, is what comes together in this spiritual space.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Second Chicago Architecture Biennial Closes with Over 500,000 Attendees Posted: 17 Jan 2018 06:30 AM PST  © Tom Harris Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has announced the figures for the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial, which closed its four month run on Sunday, January 7th. The second edition of the event, helmed by Artistic Director Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee, was able to match the success of the inaugural edition, seeing 554,866 visitors from around the world.  © Steve Hall "The second Chicago Architecture Biennial reinforced Chicago's reputation as the vanguard of architectural, art and design innovation on the national and international stage" said Mayor Emanuel. "The City of Chicago is naturally suited to host an architectural event of this scale, and I want to thank all of the architects, organizers, and residents who made this such a tremendous cultural, educational and economic success for our city." Titled Make New History, the 2017 edition featured installations and performances from 140 architects and designers from 20 countries, activating important cultural spaces throughout the city. The core sites of the Biennial, including the Chicago Cultural Center and the City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower, received 290,834 visitors throughout the exhibition, an 8% increase over 2015. An additional 264,032 people attended satellite sites extended all over the city and the region, including the 6 new Community Anchor Sites. "Mark Lee and I were honored to serve as artistic directors of the second edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial and to have the chance to enable artists and architects from around the world to address its "Make New History" theme," commented stated Johnston. "We feel incredibly lucky to have experienced the Biennial as both participants in the 2015 edition and as artistic directors for this edition." "In this transformative year for our practice, it has been incredibly meaningful to engage with architects and artists from around the world in questions of history and architecture as an evolutionary practice," added Lee. "The enthusiastic reception to the Biennial and its embrace by the general public confirms that our inquiry has launched a dialogue that has far-reaching significance which will resonate into the future." Mayor Emanuel and Chicago Architecture Biennial Chair Jack Guthman also announced the dates for the third edition of the event. The 2019 Biennial will run from September 19, 2019 to January 5, 2020. See more coverage of the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial below:
News via Chicago Architecture Biennial  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Butterfly Studio / Valerie Schweitzer Architects Posted: 17 Jan 2018 05:00 AM PST  © Tom Leighton
 © Tom Leighton Text description provided by the architects. Inspired in part by the closing of a butterfly's wings and other organic forms, this 350 square-foot art studio and the private office for a family home in Westport, Connecticut, provides a serene refuge. Like shards protruding from the earth, the studio's angled panels clad in stucco and recycled teak, impart a primitive and futuristic quality at the same time. The structure exploits the potential of glass, wood and steel.  © Tom Leighton The expansive skylight of steel and thermally-insulated glass eliminates the need for day-lighting, even for an artist. It also creates an airiness despite the confined floor plate. Efficiency is furthered by the sealed poured concrete floor that contains radiant heat piping; one may roll a work desk on wheels throughout the space.  © Tom Leighton  West Elevation  © Paul Bartholomeuw Due to the skylight and narrow windows, there is a strong sense of privacy and being hidden from the rest of the world. The view of changing skies and light create an optimal space for intermittent reflection during artistic production. Cross-ventilation is achieved by carefully placed windows that capture breezes off the proximate Long Island Sound. A half-bath is included.  © Tom Leighton  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| "Loose or Corroded Bolts" Found as Likely Culprit of Indonesia Stock Exchange Collapse Posted: 17 Jan 2018 04:00 AM PST  via <a href='http://https://twitter.com/cnni/status/952909523118903296'>CNN International</a>. ImageThe mezzanine after its collapse Loose or corroded joints have been identified as the likely culprit of the collapse of a mezzanine floor at Jarkarta's Indonesia Stock Exchange on Monday that resulted in injuries to more than 70 people. According to the Australian Broadcasting Company, a preliminary report released by the Indonesian Ministry of Public Works based on interviews with building management and analysis of CCTV footage found that the structure had possibly failed as a result of weak shear joints from "loose or corroded bolts." This scenario could have caused the mezzanine to be vulnerable to high weight concentrations, such as occurred Monday when nearly 100 visiting university students were gathered on the platform.  © Flickr user <a href='http://https://www.flickr.com/photos/33542052@N07/5893413686'>Seika</a>. Licensed under CC BY 2.0. ImageThe Indonesia Stock Exchange, completed in 1995 "We would like to convey that this report is a preliminary report of the results of a review by ministry staff, that is unofficial," said the public works ministry's press department in a statement. "Further and closer observation is required on-site, and of construction documents." The walkway was constructed as part of the original structure, designed by BBGM and PT. Arkonin and completed in 1995. Davy Sukamta, head of the Indonesian society of civil and structural engineers, commented that incidents such as this are difficult to predict, and could have resulted from lack of proper maintenance. "It may be because of degradation of materials over time and because of earthquakes, and to prevent that we would have to develop more foolproof materials and connections," said Sukamta. "If a building has a special construction like this, it must be inspected more regularly for wear and tear." Read the full story, here. News via Australian Broadcasting Company.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Beach House / Schmidt Arquitectos Asociados Posted: 17 Jan 2018 03:00 AM PST  © Aryeh Kornfeld
 © Aryeh Kornfeld Text description provided by the architects. For the owners, an academic couple with grown-up children, the house "should allow the following: - Living room with fireplace and view.  © Aryeh Kornfeld Landscape The site is located on the third row of properties facing the sea, gently sloping with a blanket of Doca Carpobrotus aequilaterus, characteristic to the central coast of Chile. It has a great view of the sea and the sunsets and is exposed to the cold south west wind. The project is set with its angled geometry, by way of contrast, making the most of the surrounding landscape. The consolidated sand slope joins to accommodate the spacious interior of pure and simple materials.  © Aryeh Kornfeld Identity More than a formal commitment, we understood that the owners sought, through their demands, a traditional beach house lifestyle, where there was greater programmatic freedom and integration of spaces, with the consequent break from the traditional rigid formal city houses, generating a more calm and relaxed feeling.  © Aryeh Kornfeld We proposed a beach terrace, an outside area that projects onto the view of the distant ocean. This place of contemplation is integrated into the main autonomous volume of living room, dining room and kitchen through a large window that is found connecting the public space of the house. The open corridor, being the same size as the bedrooms, is also integrated, generating a large common limitless area.  © Aryeh Kornfeld The Beach The Beach is the central space of the house where everything occurs and happens. To support the idea of relaxation instead of laying a hard floor to the terrace, we proposed covering it with sand, so one can walk barefoot, without pretension. The only hard material, wooden decking, was used for the main pathways for access and for connecting the children’s and guest rooms. A small hot tub, allowing year round use, is accompanied by a concrete deck chair that simulates a stone. This synthesis of a natural landscape, by gathering its elements, is a reinterpretation of the distant coast.  © Aryeh Kornfeld Order and Program The arrangement of the forms creates an enclosed area. The main block faces north and rises from the ground, protecting The Beach from the wind. This works as an autonomous body, incorporating the living room, dining room and kitchen, beneath this is the service area and above, on the second floor, is the more private master bedroom.  © Aryeh Kornfeld The east wing houses the children’s and guest rooms and is completely independent, it is connected to the main body by an exterior corridor supporting the idea that The Beach is always the center of all crossings, meetings, events and activities.  2nd Floor Constructive Design and Materiality. The house is considered as a traditional construction of reinforced concrete, looking to resemble an adobe construction, the molds of the panels leave their texture exposed so absorbing the gleaming light throughout the day. This simple materiality supports the idea of calmness and relaxation, no sophisticated or difficult to maintain materials were proposed, on the contrary the idea was to reduce unnecessary worries and enjoy the experience in peace. To compensate for the coldness of the concrete walls and floors, the roof is made of laminated wooden beams and the ceilings of plywood boards, improving the acoustics and delivering a natural texture, humanizing the environment. The decoration and the furniture, made of natural materials, also seek that freedom and generate unprejudiced environments.  © Aryeh Kornfeld  Section  © Aryeh Kornfeld
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| Sharing the City: 5 Takes on How We Should Create and Use Public Space Posted: 17 Jan 2018 01:30 AM PST On December 1st 2017, reSITE invited a handful of intellectuals to Berlin for the My City / Your City salon held in partnership with Airbnb, spending a day and night with them brainstorming about public space, sharing, and inclusiveness. To close the event, we served them a cocktail of simple questions that were not always easy to answer. In the following text, artist Charlie Koolhaas, the architect and founding partner of Topotek 1 Martin Rein-Cano, the curator and writer Lukas Feireiss, the curator and architect Anna Scheuermann, and the professor Ivan Kucina, share their various opinions on issues ranging from how best to create public space to their thoughts on the very principle of sharing.  Founder and Chairman of reSITE Martin Barry addresses attendees. Image © Tomas Princ If you had to write a manifesto for a good public space of the 21st century, what would be the most obvious thing that would have to be included in this manifesto?Martin Rein-Cano: I do not believe in manifestos. So I would write public spaces do not need a manifesto... That is the first thing I would write. Lukas Feireiss: Trust in the process. Charlie Koolhaas: The problem with public space is that it always implies that everyone has to get on well. In the end, what it means is that people have to avoid each other or ignore each other in order to avoid conflicts. So, what would be really interesting is to create a public space that would force people into debate, discussion or even conflict. These days we can see lot of different people with many conflicting ideas who live together but there is no space in which they could actually interact, discuss and work out that conflict. Such unresolved conflicts then seem to be exacerbated by the two opposing sides that fight for the attention of media. So, I would create a public space that forces people into confronting the things that are difficult between them. Anna Scheuermann: I think it would be important for me to get people from different social backgrounds together for a project. I can imagine a workshop where people could create something in a space - people from completely different backgrounds who would never normally come together. People, who would not be in school together, or even the same supermarket. But for a project like the one I have in my mind, they would go back to the roots, build something with their own hands and create maybe a space, maybe a sculpture... What would be the most important aspect is to get these people to work together side by side.  Anna Scheuermann (left) and Charlie Koolhaas (right). Image © Tomas Princ When we plan cities, we have in mind the next generation. But isn't it natural that the kids move away from their parents, away from the nest, away from their control? If we think of this, whom should we plan for?Charlie Koolhaas: It is an interesting question because I have just moved back to my parent's country after many years living abroad. I was 18 when I moved as far as possible from my parents and I stayed away until quite recently at the age of 35. It is definitely a very strange experience to be back and it felt quite unnatural to come back and to be around my home where I was growing up. But I did move back so that I could connect my parent's generation with my son's generation. I also think that it is very common that you go away as far as you can when you are young but then you come back when you need a help raising your child. But what I really think that needs to be planned for are the new types of families, particularly broken families. I am a single mother and I live alone with my son and therefore I need a totally different kind of environment, different city and actually a different living environment. I realized that I am living in a condition that is very common and probably will be more common in the future as people have more alternative families. And we are not really planning for that right now. Also, the old model of families is being erased too; the homes that could fit different generations in it. So, I think we should plan for the different types of family units. Martin Rein-Cano: We shouldn't design the cities for our children. We should design the city for ourselves and they should design the city for themselves. However, I think it's very wrong to suppose that we know what will happen in the future.  Lukas Feireiss. Image © Tomas Princ Lukas Feireiss: Planning future cities and their challenges is something that is far beyond my children or your children. There are political global forces that are so huge that we don't even have the slightest idea of the challenges that we are facing within the next, let's say, 20 years. Where my son lives or where your children live is the smallest of the issues I believe. We are facing such humongous challenges in the next 10 to 20 years and I think that we do not have the slightest idea what these will be. I am sure that the society as we know it is going to massively change, and in very unexpected ways. Ivan Kućina: Well, I would say we should plan the cities for us. One of the worst problems of our time is that we have been idealizing the future. We should think more about us, what we like and what we think is good because then we would probably be much more humble and less ambitious. Such behavior would then probably create much more civilized spaces. On the other side, obviously we would not have many churches if we acted less ambitiously. So, it is rather good to have both; the future oriented ideas that are big scale and really progressive, testing edges and borders and on the other side we should have common sense and think what we like today. Anna Scheuermann: I think there are two groups we should plan for. We should do short-term projects, which will change the cities right at the moment, and then we should think about long-term projects that will be realized at a time when we become old. We also need to consider how old and young generations will live together. It's not only about our kids because they will move to the city they want to, but it is also about us.  Ivan Kućina (left). Image © Tomas Princ What do you think we need more of to improve our cities? More bottom-up initiatives and more participation or stronger leaders with clear visions?Charlie Koolhaas: I actually think we need less. We are listening too much to what people are saying, to what politicians are saying. I think we need less interference, less ideas for how to change the world. If you go on YouTube it almost seems like every single person has an idea for how to change the world and how to improve it. We need less idealism and we need more practical approaches to things. We should learn to ignore some problems and live with them. What I want to say is that sometimes we need fewer solutions and not more. Martin Rein-Cano: I believe we need a connection between those two, because bottom-up solutions also need to be visionary to complement and overcome their limits. They need to go beyond their limits and they need vision for that. So, I would not choose between those two. Ivan Kućina: It would be wrong to say that we can do everything from above and the problem is solved. I think that we need both elements in good cities. However, it also always depends on particular cities, their citizens and problems. What is certain is that we should not allow the state not to take responsibility over the public spaces when it comes to investment, maintenance, and some of the decisions. It is needed. But that doesn't mean that it is not good to also have bottom-up movements. These bottom-up initiatives, however, should work in places which are overlooked by the state or not seen by officials. Simply, they should work in different areas and on different problems. Anna Scheuermann: We definitely need bottom-up initiatives. But we also need leaders who will listen to the bottom-up movements and make something big out of their ideas. Lukas Feireiss: Obviously, it is the combination of both that brings a change. So, it is not an "either-or" question but rather an "and" question. You need a vision and you need a strong personality behind it which kind of follows up with the idea. But at the same time bottom-up approaches grow more naturally. So simply put, we need both.  Martin Rein-Cano. Image © Tomas Princ What is the strangest thing you have ever shared with anyone?Martin Rein-Cano: I don't know what is strange because for me strange things are normal things. Charlie Koolhaas: I know the grossest thing I have ever shared. It was a public toilet in India. It was probably about ten of us squatted in the toilet room with a concrete floor. We were all watching each other and smiling. And then another strange space I have shared was a sauna in China where I laid on a bench with many other women while certain women scrubbed us with something similar to a sandpaper. They scrubbed every single bit of our body when we lay naked. This experience was the most over my comfort zone because of the nudity. There was, however, something interesting about being in China and in places where there was a different kind of privacy than I was used to. Being nude around other people felt awkward at first before but then I got used to it. So, those were the most memorable things that I have ever shared. Anna Scheuermann: I cannot particularly think of the strangest thing that I have ever shared. However, the first thing that comes to my mind in terms of sharing is when I was six years old and my parents and I switched homes with another family. We lived in their house for three weeks during the summer holidays and they lived in our house. For me this was a very extraordinary experience because I never shared my home with anybody before and to think of how they used my space for themselves was something special for me. Later after that summer experience we exchanged our homes for the whole year. Actually, I would really like to do it again now so that my children can experience the same thing.  Martin Rein-Cano (left) and Anna Scheuermann (right). Image © Tomas Princ The next volume of the My City / Your City multi-city Salon series will take place in Prague on March 27th, 2018. On February 12th, reSITE is also hosting RESONATE, a one-day conference on architecture, art and sound. Follow reSITE for details of both.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 17 Jan 2018 01:00 AM PST  © Pedro Nuno Pacheco
 © Pedro Nuno Pacheco Text description provided by the architects. Dos Plátanos is a school in Sintra which educates children from the age of 3 to 14; the project consists of the expansion and reorganization of the school. Having acquired a set of low quality buildings east of the existing school, the client intended to demolish them and expand the school complex eastwards, adding a series of new classrooms, complementary spaces and sport facilities. During the design phase the client changed course and decided to maintain the east buildings and commissioned a new construction of smaller scale, connecting the east and west buildings, the construction had to occur in two phases, allowing for a reduced investment as our country was facing an economic crisis. This decision also required the development of an intermediate structural solution and controlled demolitions in order not to interrupt the daily school operation; only with the conclusion of the second phase would the entire complex be fully articulated.  © Pedro Nuno Pacheco  Third Floor Plan and Section  © Pedro Nuno Pacheco The new building is simultaneously a connection and articulation point; connects the east and west buildings and articulates the levels of the south outdoor courtyard, the sports area to the north and the covered outdoor area to the east.  © Pedro Nuno Pacheco The client set the use of natural ventilation as a requisite, as well as the protection of the northern openings, given the proximity to the sports area. We chose to create a permeable brick facade that allows air to flow for the natural ventilation of the building, illuminates the northern rooms, protects the windows and hides the necessary ventilation grids. To the south exterior shading slabs and interior screens were used in order to control the light intensity in the classrooms.  © Pedro Nuno Pacheco The concern with materiality is also foreseen inside the building; the preschool classrooms are covered in cheerful, bright colored panels. The walls are also coated with a material that simultaneously allows acoustic conditioning and the display of the children’s works, in an attempt to enhance the appropriation of the space. The outside spaces will be designed later on.  © Pedro Nuno Pacheco  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Neat and Tidy or Messy and Cluttered: Which Inspires More Creativity? Posted: 17 Jan 2018 12:00 AM PST  © ArchDaily | Eduardo Souza & Matheus Pereira While architects are known for promoting sleek, clutter-free spaces, we have to ask: is this the best way to inspire creativity? Personal preference certainly plays a large part in how you respond to a stark table-tops with nary a stray pencil--maybe this is your nirvana. Or perhaps it's theoretically preferable but once you have to sit down and work, you find yourself uninspired. Author Tim Harford researched and compiled a number of examples for his book Messy in which "creativity, responsiveness, [and] resilience" were "integral to the disorder, confusion and disarray." Do you agree? Or perhaps more importantly, what are you surrounded by when you're in the zone and at your creative peak? With this question we launch the first AD Discussion of 2018. Do you prefer working in organized or disorganized spaces? And since there isn't a right answer, how can neat-freaks peacefully coexist with the disheveled in shared working spaces?  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Richard Meier On Color in Architecture and His Only Black Building Posted: 16 Jan 2018 10:00 PM PST Get a better understanding of Richard Meier in PLANE-SITE's latest short film in their series, Time-Space-Existence. The series focuses on the principles behind each architect they feature. Known for his pristine white, geometric buildings, Meier talks about architectural context, timelessness, universal color, and his only black building.  Courtesy of PLANE—SITE Quality of architecture gives life to a city. It creates a space that belongs to a city, says Meier.  Courtesy of PLANE—SITE In the film, Meier discusses his love for museums. Each one is different and it is for the public to not only come together but to learn as well. Throughout the five-plus decades Meier dedicated to the field, he has been a champion for the impact architecture has on government, education and community. The film shows images of Meier's works such as the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, the Getty Center in Los Angeles and the Jubilee Church in Rome.  Courtesy of PLANE—SITE  Courtesy of PLANE—SITE Once a month leading up to the GAA Foundation's Time-Space-Existence exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennial in May 2018, PLANE-SITE publishes a short video interview with a prominent architect. Kengo Kuma, Tatiana Bilbao, and Arata Isozaki's episodes were released, but we can expect Frei Otto and Richard Hassell to be featured in the upcoming films. News via: PLANE — SITE.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 16 Jan 2018 09:00 PM PST  © Adrià Goula
 © Adrià Goula Text description provided by the architects. On a plot without salient features, the project took as starting point the restrictions marked by the geotechnical study, which showed that the first meters underground had a low resistance capacity. To avoid a deep foundation, not recommendable for both economic and environmental reasons, it was necessary to reanalyze the organization of the house and its building systems. The design called for a very light construction, or else one that would evenly distribute the loads to the ground. The light construction option was discarded because it was considered important to gain interior thermal inertia for a better passive behaviour.  © Adrià Goula  Floor Plan  © Adrià Goula The first decision was to build a house on ground level in order to distribute the weight of the building. The second, to use decking to convey the load of the pavements and use directly to the ground. The third, to use a linear structural system organized in a grid to fully and proportionally distribute loads of the roof to the ground. In sum: taking the project to the limit, adjusting to the maximum and overloading the terrain to an extreme to achieve the heaviest house possible with the màximum mass (inertia) the terrain could take.  © Adrià Goula The volume freed up below the deck was filled with a thick layer of gravel, creating a thermal collector with a high inertia that pretreats the air renewal of the house. In the design process, any problem was treated as an opportunity that could be taken as an advantage to improve the project. The program is distributed in ten equal spaces of 3.5 x 5.12 meters. The versatility of these 18 square meters and the generous relationships between them offers, surprisingly, great freedom and allows imagining that the house can be used in very different ways over the years, creating rooms that can be independent or used as a single space.  Detail The architecture pursued was one that responds to the minimum and basic needs, avoiding superfluous elements, but that allows at the same time a maximum potential of uses. The house is just an infrastructure where the users can choose the best way to make it their own. The solar protection reproduces the interior grid with a vegetal protection organized like small chapels, creating a threshold that will prevent the summer sun from overheating the house, minimizing the visual impact of the construction, which will blend with the garden. House and garden would want to be one same thing, to live using the whole plot.  © Adrià Goula  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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