Arch Daily |
- Ravan[pak] Villa / Babak Abna
- AZ House / nabil gholam architects
- D House / ARO Studio
- Around Magazine Office Building / FHHH friends
- Office Design in Ho Chi Minh City / 07BEACH + Studio Happ
- ShanghaiTech University / Moore Ruble Yudell
- Brunswick House / Chan Architecture
- Madison Square Garden Unveils Plans for Spherical Event Venues in London and Las Vegas
- Emancipation Park Expansion and Renovation / Perkins+Will
- New Renderings Show Off Plans For What Could Become Portland's Future Tallest Building
- Lake House / Cadi Arquitetura
- Downtown Brooklyn's Latest Megaproject Will Feature a 986-Foot-Tall Tower and 2 Schools by ARO
- TreeHouse / LEVER Architecture
- Is Architecture Too Interdisciplinary? Or, Why Architects Need to Start Talking About Architecture
- CAD House / tda
- Archstorming Announces Winners of Mosul Postwar Camp Competition
- Dorte Mandrup Wins Competition to Construct Heritage Center Atop a WWII Bunker
| Posted: 14 Feb 2018 07:00 PM PST  © Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh and Hamed Farhangi
 © Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh and Hamed Farhangi Text description provided by the architects. A dead villa, with vividly animated childhood memories which is located in the north of Iran by the Caspian Sea, was saved from unsustainable demolition and reconstruction and revived only by its inhabitant's nostalgia and desires. It is a private residence situated within a gated family community surrounded by 3 other similar lots, in the town of Kelarabad.  © Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh and Hamed Farhangi  Ground Floor Plan  © Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh and Hamed Farhangi The design strategy in kept with the client's desires in order to fully serve the users and not just to fulfill the will of an abstract entity design. This path is followed even to the extent of referring to other finished model projects around the world, curated by client when he was traveling or on internet search. But these architectural desires are conceived in accordance with the dominant building's language and did not stem from architectural juggling, but rather it is a collage of memories and desires. On the other hand there were two design criteria: to minimize demolition and to bring back the lost northern sense of space.  © Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh and Hamed Farhangi The existing building was disconnected from the immediate and broader context. It was a developers "conception" of architecture, with not much architectural significance. The building's north-south and elongated orientation is disrupted by a loop-flow necessitating a mezzanine and a suspended walkway which acts as a bridge between indoors and outdoors, from a centralized position, rather privately and a balcony with a breathtaking Caspian Sea view is added. This space resembles the vernacular spatial typology of "kootam", an outdoor shaded sleeping area during warm seasons.  Section A All of the existing spaces are rearticulated; a dominant extra-large kitchen replaces the usual large living room to be occupied for "introverted" social activities. This space is extended rather unconventionally due to the client's passion for cooking and also an existing narrative which indicates that guests spend most of their time at the kitchen counters rather than in the living room.  © Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh and Hamed Farhangi Some surfaces during the finishing process are deliberately left almost unfinished so that the builders hands can be traced visually, avoiding overworking for smoothness. Integration of surfaces of new exposed concrete, smooth renderings and concrete repairs is "playful", in order to keep the actual state; old and new. There is some demolition but the debris is mostly reclaimed and glued together for furnishing.  © Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh and Hamed Farhangi The domed ceiling of the TV area is added to express the client's requisite familiarity, but it is modified to diffuse sound, contrary to a perfect dome's acoustic properties.  © Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh and Hamed Farhangi There is Home spa combined with the main bedroom separated by a transparent border. The nature is brought in here, rather privately. The space opens toward a small private garden and the tactile materials and natural elements like fire, water and light affect their calming presence here.  © Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh and Hamed Farhangi In this project the organic nature of the design process was a successful alternative way of practicing architecture. Here the decision making was not fully concluded until the construction was executed, meaning that we went back to the drawing board (computer) on site, to re-examine certain design decisions and re-sketched when necessary during the whole process. The key point was that the client was there and had been fully exploring the design options together with the architect at every step of the way.  © Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh and Hamed Farhangi  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| AZ House / nabil gholam architects Posted: 14 Feb 2018 06:00 PM PST  © Richard Saad
 © Richard Saad Text description provided by the architects. This simple white cube, measuring 16 meters on each side, with recessed windows, carved volumes containing suspended gardens and at its uppermost level, an extruded frit glass box housing the bathroom facilities of the master suite, has a Mondrian-esque façade that lends it the air of a Chinese puzzle box.  Site Plan The house occupies a small but ideally located site in a densely constructed neighborhood at one end of the sweeping Bay of Jounieh to the north of Beirut. Although it gives little hint of this at first, the house is very much designed with the drama of its surroundings in mind.  © Richard Saad As the house faces onto Lebanon's busy coastal highway, the first impression is of a mute, almost fortified façade but when seen from the garden, which is shielded from the neighbors by tall hedgerow, the AZ House reveals itself an exercise in expansiveness.  © Richard Saad Whether it is from the recessed patio on the upper level, the plunge pool on the roof, the long balcony fronting the living area or the artfully placed pool at the edge of the small cliff-top garden, the house makes the most of its location. The gaze is constantly drawn towards the sea, Jounieh's dramatic mountain backdrop or the shimmering towers of Beirut on the horizon. Where neighboring buildings impinge, windows become slit-like. Where the view is open, they become more generous, framing the landscape like a painting.  © Richard Saad Though relatively modest by the standards of other family houses in its category, by orienting itself to draw in and integrate a lengthy swathe of Lebanon's mountainous Mediterranean coastline, the house feels almost boundless, it's sense of space further emphasized by the fact that no columns clutter its floor plan.  First Floor Plan The most public areas are the garden level pool house and the assorted living spaces of the double height entry level, where the mezzanine contains a guest bedroom.  © Richard Saad Family bedrooms are located on the floor above. They are linked to one another and to the master bedroom and spacious rooftop terrace above them by a series of staircases, punched-in atria and a triple-volume louvered patio, which deftly balances the desire for openness and cross-ventilation with the need to preserve privacy.  Panoramic vVews / Diagram 04 With more than a touch of a Mediterranean townhouse about it, the AZ House is an oasis of serenity set in busy surroundings, an elegant architectural exercise in rigor and playfulness.  © Richard Saad  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 14 Feb 2018 04:00 PM PST  Courtesy of ARO Studio
 Courtesy of ARO Studio Text description provided by the architects. Due to the rapid urbanization of the city, the city's environment is seriously affected, many townhouses in Vietnam lack of necessary green space. The process of urban concreting influences the heat absorption which is causing average temperature in urban areas increased significantly. In addition, city residents are living and working at the speed life which seems to cause the loss of connection between family members. In addition, the source of fresh, quality vegetables is also a concern of many citizens.  Courtesy of ARO Studio Witnessing these situations, ARO studio Architects are looking forward to creating a solution to bring better quality to the urban population. The house is located in the old urban area of Hanoi with very high density and maintenance, due to its location in the lowest part of the city, so flooded all year round in the rainy season by waving the first floor of the house right is raised higher than the highest flood level annually.  Courtesy of ARO Studio The house is designed for a typical Vietnamese family of three generations. Each generation has a different way of living and needs. The first generation of the oldest came from farmers, so the agricultural practices were required to be established. The second generation was at the working age, so it was necessary to have a more relaxed atmosphere with nature. work stress and finally the third generation needs most is always in contact with nature to be explored daily activities. From there the blocks of space appear naturally and blend together.  Section Diagram The shape of the land is a multi-directional shape with many distortions, normally a disadvantage. But architects have taken advantage of that advantage to make the space more square and easier to use, and the distortion angle is maximized to create gaps for lighting and combinations. with green spaces. Almost the main functional spaces always have two sides of the natural light source and are adjacent to the green space. Combined in green space with the local and natural materials to make the project become more special, granite wall grafts make contact with layers of rock cascading in nature.  Courtesy of ARO Studio The front of the house is mainly inclined to the east so it is convenient to catch the wind in the hot season and disadvantage in the cold season, therefore, the space required to have the flexibility of opening and closing. Green roof gardens not only protect residents from direct sunlight, street noise and pollution but also produce clean vegetables that provide abundant supplies to homes and neighbours. In addition, natural ventilation through the façade along with three voids allows the home to save a great deal of energy in the harsh climate of northern Vietnam.  Courtesy of ARO Studio  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Around Magazine Office Building / FHHH friends Posted: 14 Feb 2018 02:00 PM PST  © Kim Yong Kwan
 © Kim Yong Kwan Text description provided by the architects. Yeon-Nam-district which the site is located have been residential neighborhoods for long time. but these days the waves of development begin to swirl around this town.  © Kim Yong Kwan The site is located on the dividing line between commercial area and residential area. the site has been undeveloped condition for long time because of distinctive land shape. Different from surrounding site, the site has triangular shape.  © Kim Yong Kwan <Around magazine> is a publisher suggesting various life style for ordinary days. And they wanted to permeate into ordinary lives. That is why they chose this site with distinctive shape.  © Kim Yong Kwan Green wall The railway passthrough the town on 15meter height from the ground. To block the train noise, A long wall have been built along the railway. Under the railway, the vertical green wall is constructed. So, the north side of the site is recognized as only huge green wall. Only we can recognize the existence of the railway by the train noise comes occasionally.  © Kim Yong Kwan Corner In north side of the site which is facing that green wall, there were a persimmon tree and a plane wooden bench so there used to be a resting place for surrounding inhabitant. Despite the tree and bench are displaced, we tried to maintain warm memories of the place.  © Kim Yong Kwan We considered surrounding inhabitant by give some part of site to public as a path, as gathering place. Triangular shape The building is made up with 3 faces. Lightless Northside is facing noisy railway. We defined this side of site as unpleasant condition. While there is rich sunlight in south side. We made many openings and resting decks as possible on southside of the building instead of close all the plane of north side of the building. Also, the sunken planned in south side of building what allows the sun light into the deepest basement of the building.  © Kim Yong Kwan Three volumes There are three programs in this building- commercial, office, residence. - and the building consists of three volumes. Each volume contains each different program. This is our intention to expose the function of the building by equating the program to the structure.  Section Between space We intended people to concentrate on between spaces of the buildings, not only the special figure of the building. Wishing our intention to be understood effectively, we made much of directness of shape in designing facade. we chose the materials in the same vein. So, we could finally meet light shape of the building. It looks like folded paper now.  © Kim Yong Kwan Stair way. The stairway goes by the circumference of the building. passing every face of the building the stairway leads people to the top floor. Under side of every stairway planned as separated storage to maximize the efficiency of space.  Section  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Office Design in Ho Chi Minh City / 07BEACH + Studio Happ Posted: 14 Feb 2018 12:00 PM PST  © Hiroyuki Oki
 © Hiroyuki Oki Text description provided by the architects. IT company EVOLABLE ASIA is located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This project is to make a new office for 500 staff of the rapidly growing company to expand their business. Staff is mainly young Vietnamese and multinational engineers, the company is filled with energy and has a friendly and unconstrained atmosphere. The space was designed aiming to stimulates creativity of the staff working in such a young and energetic company. It consists of 5 floors of working place and one communal floor for events, meetings and breaks.  © Hiroyuki Oki [Office floor]  Isometric The green and the colorful stripes provide a connection between individuals from different teams, separated during a daily work.  © Hiroyuki Oki [Communal floor]  Isometric Also a meeting room which can be used flexibly from small private rooms to one large room controlled by partition was designed and its multi-colored floor reflects the concept that colorful individuals unite into one.  © Hiroyuki Oki  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| ShanghaiTech University / Moore Ruble Yudell Posted: 14 Feb 2018 11:00 AM PST  © Colins Lozada
 © Colins Lozada Text description provided by the architects. Located on a prominent site adjacent to two of Shanghai's principal connections to the Pudong - Shanghai International Airport, and centered within the Zhang Jiang Science and Technology Park, the new campus for the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is an iconic symbol of the region's exciting growth in the high-tech field while simultaneously creating an innovative, memorable and humane place for study and research.. The new university campus is a vibrant hub of activity bringing students, faculty, administration, as well as, business and research leaders into joint entrepreneurial pursuits furthering the richness of the campus experience.  © Colins Lozada  Scheme  © Colins Lozada While great universities are primarily known for the quality of their academic and research pursuits, the physical setting greatly contributes to the faculty, student, researcher and visitor experience and the institution's sense of Identity. The built and landscaped environment, through the quality of materials used and the shaping of space, creates its being a Memorable Place. Great campuses around the world are known for this memorable quality which often develops from a set of richly landscaped spaces and structures clad in a palette of locally sourced materials. Rather than style, the underlying consistent use of materials, patterns, textures and colors allows for flexibility and growth unifying structures of varying scales, styles and uses.  © Colins Lozada Initiated as the winner of an invited international design competition, the master plan for this new, ground-up campus was recognized for its creation of world-class research facilities rooted in an environment that is uniquely of the Shanghai region. Each aspect of the campus was carefully considered in how these frame and support the academic core. Welcoming visitors to the University, a contemporary Crescent links Administration, Teaching and Library with the Great Lawn on the campus' south side. Extending northwards radially from the Lawn are three axes of differing landscaped characters – pastoral, formal academic and lively urban – each a linear "green" and primary north-south pedestrian connection for the campus' three primary neighborhoods. Intersecting the Greens and linking the neighborhoods is the Gallery, a curved, glass-roofed multi-use promenade that extends from the Residential Village on the east to four of the academic Colleges and the primary entrepreneurial and incubator facility. A fifth College, recreational facilities, a student center, faculty housing and a multi-use conference and hospitality center complete the major components of the campus.  © Colins Lozada Deeply rooted in sustainable design principals, the master plan embraces innovation and cutting-edge technologies, while developing spaces to encourage connection and interaction. High performance and sustainable design strategies for the project have been developed with an emphasis on innovative solutions that will reduce the environmental footprint of the built environment measured in terms of carbon, energy, water, and waste. Developed with an integrated below-grade service level that eliminates most surface vehicular traffic, interwoven waterways that drain the campus while providing unique settings for campus life and a wide variety of passive and active energy production and conservation approaches, the campus strives toward being a leading example of sustainable resource stewardship in China.  © Colins Lozada  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Brunswick House / Chan Architecture Posted: 14 Feb 2018 09:00 AM PST  © Tatjana Plitt
 © Tatjana Plitt Text description provided by the architects. Renovating a semi-detached, single fronted Edwardian terrace house always poses a unique set of challenges. The sites are often long and narrow with a shared party wall on one side and an existing house which can be over 100 years old. The main challenge is always how to create modern, flexible, light-filled spaces with limited site access and a tight budget.  Plans With the Brunswick house, we designed the extension to be built to boundary on both sides with high ceilings, light internal materials and strategically placed skylights to bring the light in from above. We also designed the cabinetry to be customised to the client's needs so that everything had a place and how each space was to be used was carefully considered. The kitchen and dining areas also completely open up to the backyard, extending the feeling of space to the north.  © Tatjana Plitt  Sections  © Tatjana Plitt The external view from the backyard was designed to showcase the clean, rectilinear lines of the first floor extension with fine perimeter detailing, and the vertical batten cladding providing visual depth and transparency to the façade. The steel box around the window provides shelter, shading and privacy to the upstairs windows.  © Tatjana Plitt The materials were carefully chosen to provide texture and variety to give each element and room its' own individuality, in particular with the selection of flooring, wall tiles and joinery finishes.  © Tatjana Plitt  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Madison Square Garden Unveils Plans for Spherical Event Venues in London and Las Vegas Posted: 14 Feb 2018 08:20 AM PST  © Madison Square Garden Company The Madison Square Garden Company, the eponymous group behind New York City's iconic concert and events venue, has revealed plans to building two new arenas on opposite sides of the world that will both be shaped like giant spheres. To be branded as MSG Spheres, the venues will be located in Las Vegas and in London, and will be designed by Populous, the Kansas City-based firm responsible for a large number of stadia and arenas across the globe.  © Madison Square Garden Company According to a press release, the MSG Spheres will feature " an iconic design, and will be equipped with game-changing technologies that push the limits of connectivity, acoustics, video, and content distribution." Early conceptual visuals of the Las Vegas venue were released with the news, showing the interior and exterior of the building. Located just off the Strip behind the Venetian hotel and casino, the arena will contain 18,000 seats and a 5,000-person standing area for a total capacity of 23,000.  © Madison Square Garden Company  © Madison Square Garden Company The London Sphere will be located on a site near the Olympic Park in Stratford. Further details of the building will be released later this year. "London is one of the world's greatest cities, and we are delighted to be taking this first step towards making it the location for MSG's first international venue," commented MSG's Executive Chairman and CEO, James L. Dolan. "We believe that a large-scale, next-generation venue will not only become a premier destination, but also drive growth in London's overall music and entertainment market – benefiting artists and fans, and serving as a long-term investment in the future of this incredible city."  © Madison Square Garden Company  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Emancipation Park Expansion and Renovation / Perkins+Will Posted: 14 Feb 2018 07:00 AM PST  © Mark Herboth
 © Mark Herboth Text description provided by the architects. In Houston's Third Ward neighborhood, Perkins+Will has transformed the historic Emancipation Park into an interwoven tapestry of buildings and landscape that celebrate the park's rich history while embracing the present and future of its community.  © Mark Herboth  Site Plan  © Mark Herboth Established in 1872 by four former slaves who pooled their funds to purchase ten acres of open space, Emancipation Park commemorates the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas, today celebrated as Juneteenth. Until the 1950s, it was the only public park and swimming pool in Houston that was open to African Americans. The condition of the park had grown tired and underused when Perkins+Will was commissioned to restore it, including refurbishing landscapes and playgrounds, renovating two historic buildings, and designing a new building and plaza.  © Mark Herboth Consistent with the 1938 Hare & Hare plan for the park, the new design organizes major commemorative elements (a repurposed community center, renovated and expanded pool house, and a new recreation center) along a large entry plaza – Founder's Promenade. This new central spine is anchored on one end by the indoor/outdoor stage of the Community Center and extends to a grand gateway sculpture commemorating the movement from slavery to freedom. Its landscape stitches together entrances of each building with a flowing texture that branches out to activate and connect perimeter zones of the park.  © Mark Herboth  Renovated Aquatic Center Plan  © Mark Herboth The new Recreation Center is clad in colorful composite panels on the east and west facades. The rust and earth-tone colors of the panels echo the familiar patina of nearby shotgun house roofs and the red brick foundations of historical homes in the neighborhood. A large porch connects the interior of the building to the plaza and mimics in scale the native live oak trees that were carefully preserved during the project. Altogether, the new Emancipation Park reflects the pride, resilience, and hope its founders expressed when they established the park 145 years ago.  © Mark Herboth  New Building Plan  © Mark Herboth  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New Renderings Show Off Plans For What Could Become Portland's Future Tallest Building Posted: 14 Feb 2018 06:00 AM PST  Courtesy of William Kaven Architecture New renderings have been revealed of Kaven + Co. and William / Kaven Architecture's plans for the new Broadway Corridor in Portland, showcasing the full masterplan for the first time. Conceived as a new mixed-use district and transportation hub connecting Union Station and the Pearl District, the Broadway Corridor will feature the city's new tallest and one of the west coast's tallest buildings.  Courtesy of William Kaven Architecture The masterplan would add nearly 5 million square feet of new development spread across several high and low-rise buildings, including the signature skyscrapers linked by a glass-enclosed botanical garden bridge. The taller of the two towers could cap out at over 970 feet, making it one of the tallest buildings west of the city. The garden bridge would also reach new heights – at 680 feet in the air, it would constitute of the world's highest bridges between buildings. Other program elements include four additional residential towers, an indoor marketplace, a museum and a central reflecting pool.  Courtesy of William Kaven Architecture  Courtesy of William Kaven Architecture "This is a historic opportunity to revitalize a core area of our city," William / Kaven partner and Kaven + Co. founder Daniel Kaven says of the studio's plans. "Our vision is to develop an urban district capable of accommodating Portland's rapid growth and provide the building blocks of future transportation resources. It is our hope to work with the City of Portland and its stakeholders to fully realize a vision that will both be an architectural draw to Portland and spur economic and cultural development far beyond the scope of the project."  Courtesy of William Kaven Architecture  Courtesy of William Kaven Architecture The proposal was submitted as a response to an RFQ for the Broadway Corridor redevelopment by the City of Portland's urban renewal agency, Prosper Portland. A shortlist for the project will be announced in March. If successful, RFPs would be requested from other firsts across the globe for the design of the site's other buildings. "It is our firm belief that development at this scale works best when executed by multiple hands," Kaven added. "Successful cities are the sum total of a diversity of design and building typologies. It is our desire to help lead the grand vision of the district in tandem with the City and its stakeholders, but ultimately share the the load of the design and development. The combined experience and financial resources afforded by this multi-team approach will maximize proceeds to the taxpayers and foster a democratic vision and process. What we have put forth as a design concept is just the beginning."  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 14 Feb 2018 05:00 AM PST  © Cristiano Bauce
 © Cristiano Bauce Text description provided by the architects. Space to meet friends and enjoy good music. This was the wish of the owner, who is a DJ and is 26 years old. Located near the city of Imigrante, in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, the place is in the highest part in the middle the mountains that surround the city. The property of 96m² is a refuge in the middle of nature.  © Cristiano Bauce The concept of the project started from the idea of a cabin since the surroundings have an artificial lake of more than one thousand square meters of area. The cabin is only used for leisure and therefore does not have dorms. The project has a large leisure area that includes living spaces and TV, kitchen and diner facing large openings that connect to the outside, allowing a privileged view of all angles of the lake and mountains.  © Cristiano Bauce  Ground Floor Plan  © Cristiano Bauce The nature of the place and the rustic style were the inspiration for the design of the hut where we used a lot of wood and Jacarandá stones in their raw state, that is, without mortar between them reminiscent of the existing taipas in the place.  South Facade The interior space has a fireplace with 3m long thought due to the climate of the place that is quite cold and humid, as it is located 500m altitude in the middle of the closed forest. The decor followed the industrial style and transformed the house into a rustic contemporary space. In the kitchen area, the lighting was made on rails with spots and the structures that house the cabinets have black metallic tubes. The apparent wood, combined with the burnt cement of the floor, gave warmth and warmth to the environment.  © Cristiano Bauce In the external area, we interfere as little as possible, because the objective was to maintain the more natural and organic air that the property has, using only parallelepiped marking the accesses. The only element designed was a sitting near the lake, with decking bench and a floor grill also used as fireplace.  © Cristiano Bauce  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Downtown Brooklyn's Latest Megaproject Will Feature a 986-Foot-Tall Tower and 2 Schools by ARO Posted: 14 Feb 2018 04:00 AM PST  Courtesy of Alloy Development Renderings have been revealed for another landmark addition to Brooklyn's skyline: 80 Flatbush, a dual tower and school complex to be built in the borough's fast growing Downtown. Located on a triangular site directly across the street from TEN Arquitectos' recently completed 300 Ashland and steps from the Barclay's Center, 80 Flatbush will consist of a mix of new-built and renovated historic structures. Two towers designed by Alloy Development – the taller of which will reach 986 feet – will flank two new schools designed by Architecture Research Office and two 19th century buildings that will be repurposed as retail and cultural facilities. Open spaces will be designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects.  Courtesy of Alloy Development In total, the project will create 900 residential units (200 of which will be affordable), 200,000 square feet of office space, a 15,000-square-foot cultural facility and 15,000 square feet of retail.  Courtesy of Alloy Development  Courtesy of Alloy Development According to the developer/architects Alloy, the design was massaged through a design process including over 100 meetings with community stakeholders. Each building of the complex has been designed to harmonize with each other and their existing historical content.  Courtesy of Alloy Development  Courtesy of Alloy Development Construction is scheduled to begin next year, with Phase One (including the shorter tower and schools) expected to open in 2022. Phase Two, featuring the second tower and renovation of existing buildings, is planned to debut in 2025.  Courtesy of Alloy Development  Courtesy of Alloy Development Learn more about the project on the official website, here. News via New York Yimby, 80 Ashland  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| TreeHouse / LEVER Architecture Posted: 14 Feb 2018 03:00 AM PST  © Lara Swimmer
 © Lara Swimmer Text description provided by the architects. Treehouse is a 7-story, 69-unit, multi-family apartment building located on a steeply forested site on the Marquam Hill campus of the Oregon Health & Science University (OSHU) in Portland. The project program provides housing for OHSU staff, students, and affiliates who are interested in a live/work/no-commute lifestyle, as well as a new retail destination on the ground floor.  © Lara Swimmer  Floor Plan  © Lara Swimmer The design bridges the urban and topographical qualities of the campus by placing the building as an "in the round" object in the forest. Instead of cutting into the hill, the building form is carved to follow the landscape. From the interior entry lobby, the experience of the forested landscape is framed. From the exterior, the building connects the upper-level bridge entry to the lower level retail and rain garden landscape and deck that mitigates all stormwater runoff.  © Lara Swimmer The units are designed as a series of interlocking volumes arranged around a compact central core. The irregular octagonal plan was driven by mandated setback points required to allow for glazing on every face of the building. Windows have been carefully placed to maximize daylight and spaciousness in the studio and one bedroom flats.  © Lara Swimmer The façade of the building is inspired by the textures and light of the forest. A continuous carved building skin is achieved by eliminating the expression of floor levels by incorporating all expansion joints into the custom window surrounds. Special attention was paid to the framing to allow for the precise placement of the windows at the corners, as well as the detailing of thru façade venting. The skin has a consistent texture and pattern but intentional variety that gives the façade a dynamic quality that changes as you move along and around it and with the time of day.  © Lara Swimmer  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Is Architecture Too Interdisciplinary? Or, Why Architects Need to Start Talking About Architecture Posted: 14 Feb 2018 01:30 AM PST  The Pantheon in Rome. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/80038275@N00/14984463972'>Flickr user Michael Vadon</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> This article was originally published by Common Edge as "What We Talk About When We Don't Talk About Buildings." One of the last programs I attended as part of the Chicago Architecture Biennial was a panel titled "Making/Writing/Teaching Contested Histories" at the Chicago Cultural Center. The panel, organized by the Feminist Art and Architecture Collaborative (FAAC), aimed to "foreground issues of class, race, and gender, interrogating how they partake in the production of the built environment." The panelists, all academics in fields related to the built environment, were asked to bring in an object central to their practice or their teaching method. The objects on display were a painting, a pier, a refugee camp, and a living room. Three or four decades ago, this array would've scandalized an audience of architects and architectural scholars, who might've been expecting, I don't know, a photo of the Pantheon, or a plan of it, or even a piece of wood or a brick. Maybe even the choice of a piece of furniture would've induced some surprised gasps or confused looks.
But it's 2018 (or, it was 2017, when this panel took place) and architecture has exploded beyond its disciplinary boundaries, at least discursively. The conversation that ensued at the FAAC panel explored how each of these objects opens up the possibility to practice or teach in a way that doesn't rely on the architectural canon. The canon—that annoying set of buildings picked out by a bunch of white/European men behind closed doors under the cover of night by the light of a candle—consists of a bunch of buildings mostly of religious or civic nature if they were built before the 20th century; if they were built after, their programs span a wider range but are still most likely built by the same kind of people who decided they belonged in the history books. The desire to want to get rid of this dusty catalog of Buildings You Should Know Because Some Dead Guy Said So, is well-founded. Students, practitioners, really anyone who thinks about or engages with architecture, would be much better off if their references were less Paul Rudolph, more Lina Bo Bardi. But what made each of the objects presented at the FAAC panel non-canonical was not their location outside of the architectural canon, but rather outside of the discipline of architecture altogether. The panel's remarks yielded some insights into the dangers of over-reliance on the canon to teach and practice architecture, which, as we know, can be an enterprise that redoubles many of the negative cultural symptoms of our capitalist societal structure (individualism, self-exploitation, competition; not to mention sexism, racism, ableism). But ultimately, the panelists' intimations of how to change the state of affairs in the discipline of architecture aimed less at expanding or changing the canon and more at getting rid of it altogether in order to replace it with, well, something else, something new, something not architectural at all. Architecture, it seems, buildings, are tired. Old, boring, not interesting, we've talked about them so much our eyes and ears are going to fall off, there's nothing to see here anymore, let's talk about a painting or a living room or philosophy or literally anything else. Let's read Society of the Spectacle one more time. Architects are taught early on that they're the great Renaissance Men (yes, men), that they can do anything, that their profession encompasses the world itself and that they should feel they are the masters of their domain and everyone else's. I recently heard an anecdote about a young architect telling his potential clients—a liberal arts university—that they should hard-pivot to a STEM-focused curriculum. I'd venture a guess that this architect probably read an article about the growth of the STEM (or is it STEAM now?) disciplines in higher education and deemed himself an expert. Maybe he was bored with the canon as a student, yawned one too many times at plans of the Farnsworth House, and decided for himself to throw it out. Which, I think, is what the FAAC panelists were suggesting we do. I have a counter-suggestion. At the risk of sounding terribly conservative, or unfashionable, or—god forbid!—old-fashioned, I think throwing out the canon is nearly impossible. What we need to do is change what's in it. We're always going to need to teach, always going to need case studies to pick apart, precedents to study, examples to analyze and pore over, and throwing out the idea of a set of objects with which to do this would rid architectural education of its disciplinary specificity. The academy's impulse to transcend the discipline, to find something larger, better, more true, beyond it, has made its way out of captive-audience, hermetic-academic conversations, and into popular publications. There, talking about "the city" or all things "urban," has practically replaced any discussion of architecture, or, to be more specific, buildings. One-liners about capital-C Cities ("more than half of the world lives in cities," "by 2030 37 million people will live in Tokyo") are now fodder for small talk. A gloss of the work of architecture critics at prominent American publications—Christopher Hawthorne at the Los Angeles Times, Blair Kamin of the Chicago Tribune, Michael Kimmelman at the New York Times—illustrates this growing bias not only toward the city, but away from architecture. Kimmelman's latest piece is about objects designed to improve the lives of those with sensory, cognitive, and physical disabilities. It's a topic deserving of attention, surely, but what about the ways in which building elements can fill this need? Is architecture impotent in this regard? Maybe architects aren't doing enough to address the needs of visitors with disabilities, but wouldn't a piece, in the paper of record, directly addressing that shed some light on the problem? This is just one example. The San Francisco Chronicle doesn't have a dedicated architecture critic, but rather an "urban design critic," John King, who covers "architecture, planning and related issues." Maybe architecture just isn't worth talking about by itself anymore, even though just a few miles away from San Francisco a big British architecture firm is making a building that looks like an iPhone's home button, even though the city's rampant housing crisis is being addressed with buildings paneled in plastic and unlikely to stand for more than ten years. Maybe, if they could read about how cheap construction and materials yield lower costs per square foot for developers and therefore higher profits from rent, San Francisco residents—or residents of any city for that matter—would start caring about architecture. At the end of the FAAC panel, someone asked whether we were getting ahead of ourselves, whether we shouldn't linger a little longer on the architectural discipline itself, whether or not there's not already enough material there to mine for lessons. The panelists answered, almost in unison, that they were trying to open up the discipline by introducing new material. This answer reveals a tendency toward escapism, an impulse to just go around the problem instead of through it. There are plenty of non-canonical architects and buildings worth a deep-dive. And, there are plenty of non-canonical ways to look at canonical buildings. What if we considered La Tourette through the sourcing of its materials? What if we only looked at details (maybe of that infamous leaky roof) of the Farnsworth House? These are hypotheticals, but they get at the question of how to expand how we teach and think about architecture: through wider breadth? Or further depth? One gets us architects telling universities how to write curricula, and the other, well, it might get us one or two people showing up at a planning meeting, asking what material the facade of their building is going to be. If we—and by we I mean those of us who write, think, talk, teach, and make architecture—want people to care about our field, we have to give them a reason to, a reason better than "architecture is related to this other thing you already care about." It might be that architecture has lost some of its surface attraction, become overshadowed by new technologies or the sheer immensity of cities. But it's through buildings that people inhabit cities. Our audiences are already there, in the middle of it, in their three-flat apartment or their mid-century office building or their California bungalow; maybe they're wondering why no one is talking in detail about any of these things. If we want them to care about our field, let's meet them where they are. It might be that the task of making architecture more accessible is not about opening it up to other disciplines, but rather to itself, and to those who inhabit it. Marianela D'Aprile is an architectural worker, writer, and educator based in Chicago. Her work addresses the intersection of politics and architecture, with a focus on Latin America, Left movements, state violence, and public spaces.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 14 Feb 2018 01:00 AM PST .jpg?1518390742 "© Federico Cairoli") © Federico Cairoli
.jpg?1518390690 "© Federico Cairoli") © Federico Cairoli Text description provided by the architects. A plot of 12x30. .jpg?1518390869 "© Federico Cairoli") © Federico Cairoli A solution could be proposed by graphing reality, assuming it as limiting, understanding that all those issues that make this opportunity unique must be respected and accompanied, and that we can only order them functionally.  Upper Floor Plan But... we assume a different role, we draw not only what exists (reality), but we also force ourselves to state the reality we need, the one we do not have but urgently crave. .jpg?1518390882 "© Federico Cairoli") © Federico Cairoli That reality that we do not know, that seduces us but at the same time that offers no certainty.  Section Consequently... we would produce knowledge based on experience. to the purest say of the renowned Ernesto Sabato, when he writes. "A creation is one that in something perfectly known finds new unknown aspects". .jpg?1518390894 "© Federico Cairoli") © Federico Cairoli Take familiar issues, and with them raise something new. In this first period (football speaking) .jpg?1518390645 "© Federico Cairoli") © Federico Cairoli Using the topography as an excuse, the private area, it is located in a semi-level and the public room and kitchen dominating the landscape.  Lower Floor Plan In a second period, the same block will appear, but in front, .jpg?1518390776 "© Federico Cairoli") © Federico Cairoli The structure names and arranges. The blind sides treated with a rough envelope in broken common brick, provides identity in addition to thermally conditioning the interiors. .jpg?1518390932 "© Federico Cairoli") © Federico Cairoli  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Archstorming Announces Winners of Mosul Postwar Camp Competition Posted: 14 Feb 2018 12:15 AM PST  Courtesy of Archstorming Archstorming has announced the winners of their Open Ideas Competition: Mosul Postwar Camp. In the competition for architects and architecture students, the challenge was to design a social reintegration solution with essential humanitarian aid for people who return home to Mosul after the Iraq war against ISIS. The competition results proved there are many ways to revitalize the lives of displaced people through the spaces they inhabit. Expert judges, such as Director at Zaha Hadid Architects Charles Walker and former UN Refugee Agency specialist Corinne Gray, among others, thoughtfully selected the three winners listed below. First Prize: ImpulseAlexandre Houdet, Valentine Aguiar, Antonin Belot, Hans Fritsch |
| Dorte Mandrup Wins Competition to Construct Heritage Center Atop a WWII Bunker Posted: 13 Feb 2018 10:00 PM PST  © Mir Danish firm Dorte Mandrup A/S has been announced as the winners of a competition to design the new Trilateral Wadden Sea World Heritage Partnership Center on a historic UNESCO naval site in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Selected from 14 entries, the firm's winning proposal will seemingly float atop an existing World War II bunker and house the offices of a joint Danish, German and Netherlandish corporation working to protect the Wadden Sea area. In the mid-1850s, this area of the Wadden Sea—an expansive intertidal ecosystem of shallow waters, wetlands, and tidal flats that provide a key habitat for migratory birds—was slowly developed into a naval harbor. Following the Second World War, the site was decommissioned and has since served cursory functions to the German Navy. As the conservation area was inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009, the concept limits the amount of land and resources used by developing above one of the site's few remaining unmovable structures. "After studying the context of the site, we decided to integrate the heavy bunker into the new building," explains principal Dorte Mandrup. "This practical and aesthetic application gives way for the bunker to act as the building foundation for what at night becomes a shimmering and open lighthouse for the area."  © Mir The four-story addition is separated into two floors of office space, a meeting/conference floor, and a technical floor with additional storage as well as common spaces that also feature a wind protected terrace with views overlooking the Wadden Sea coastline. The glazed facade will extend down over the existing bunker, wrapping the structure in a single layer of glass, and provide a flexible space for exhibitions, events, and archival storage. The landscape surrounding the bunker will be transformed into organic pools to collect rainwater while offering public gathering space during dry periods. Dorte Mandrup's proposal is intended to reflect its context as the coated inner layer of the double-glazed facade creates a "poetic ever-changing reflection" to mirror the shallow surface of the Wadden Sea. The lighthouse-like volume will become a beacon at night, reflecting in the surrounding rainwater pools, while illuminating the heavy heritage foundations it rests on.  © Mir The firm completed the Wade Sea Centre—an exhibition and cultural facility in Ribe, Denmark— last February while this summer marks the beginning of construction for the Icefiord Center in Greenland on yet another UNESCO protected site. News via Dorte Mandrup A/S
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