subota, 3. ožujka 2018.

Arch Daily

ArchDaily

Arch Daily


Black House in Vilnius / Laurynas Žakevičius architects

Posted: 02 Mar 2018 09:00 PM PST

© Leonas Garbačauskas © Leonas Garbačauskas
© Leonas Garbačauskas © Leonas Garbačauskas

Text description provided by the architects. Accurate, precise, purified aesthetics. Natural stone tiling, wood sticks and concrete panels are used for facades. The house and the site slope are composed together as a continuous space. The site is divided into two different level areas – approach area and inner yard for relaxation. The main entrance and technical premises are one level lower than main living house area. The approach to the yard rises along the natural slope ramp under the house, directing visitors toward the rear of the site. Within the inner garden, the ground becomes continuous with the floor of the house living, dining and sleeping areas. You can come out on the grass straight from the room.

© Leonas Garbačauskas © Leonas Garbačauskas
Upper Floor Plan Upper Floor Plan
© Leonas Garbačauskas © Leonas Garbačauskas

The idea of the project was inspired by the site terrain keeping it as natural as possible. We divided the house into two functional areas: the entrance, garage and technical facilities on the northern side at the bottom of the slope, and all the living space - at the top of the slope, on the southern side, where the terrain is already flat. So this organically splits the plot as well to an auxiliary area in the north and recreational living area in the south. A narrow, high and grey staircase enters the living space of the house. The upper area is L shaped. One part is for the lively living area and a long monochromatic corridor leads to quite bedrooms.

© Leonas Garbačauskas © Leonas Garbačauskas

The concrete cladding of front elevation was selected to blend with retaining concrete walls. The remaining part of the house is covered with black slated stone tiles and natural wood. Clear and minimal house style and dark natural colours of the building merges harmoniously with nature and surrounding. The austere interior is for a comfortable life. Well organized spaces are in clear geometric forms. Each detail is used to provide the required function. Living space is the highest -around 4meters high and is separated from the dining area with hanging cube above the table. Sitting at the dining table is like being in a different area. The secret and intrigue attract as through the deep sunroofs you can see the sky.

© Leonas Garbačauskas © Leonas Garbačauskas

The forms of furniture and interior details are clean and clear, even the chair legs create some distinctive graphical drawing. All house is monochromatic grey with a natural oak wood floor and contrast details. Long L shaped corridor is underlined with a long luminaire, which is a protruding line of the wall. A softly illuminated wall can turn into the gallery of the house. The essence of the interior is freedom, unobstructed by any additional details. It creates a feeling of perfect lightness, relaxed atmosphere which is aimed in every home.

© Leonas Garbačauskas © Leonas Garbačauskas
Sections Sections
© Leonas Garbačauskas © Leonas Garbačauskas

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71sqm. Apartment Renovation / Xue Jin Architecture Network

Posted: 02 Mar 2018 06:00 PM PST

Entrance view. Image © Chuan Bai Entrance view. Image © Chuan Bai
  • Interiors Designers: Xue Jin Architecture Network
  • Location: 1 Shuanggang Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, China
  • Designer In Charge: Jin Xue
  • Collaborators: Isabel Escudero
  • Area: 71.0 m2
  • Project Year: 2018
  • Photographs: Chuan Bai
Living room. Image © Chuan Bai Living room. Image © Chuan Bai

Text description provided by the architects. The apartment, a unit in a 21-year-old residential building sitting at the central section of Chongqing City, China. The building constructed on the mountain, respecting the original landform, is a typical precious local residence. It used to be the home of a couple with their only child in the past two decades. It is now owned by a young couple. Dissatisfied with the original layout, lighting and ventilation, the young couple wishes to have the apartment reconstructed so that it is to become more pleasant, comfortable and functional to meet their needs.

Living room. Image © Chuan Bai Living room. Image © Chuan Bai
Section Section

For reconstruction of the apartment, it is required to focus on the kitchen and toilet. The owner wishes to have a brighter and more spacious kitchen, for daily cooking and enjoyment of preparing foods with friends there. As to toilet, the owner wishes to have a relatively independent bathroom with a bathtub provided.

Cooking area. Image © Chuan Bai Cooking area. Image © Chuan Bai

The original kitchen and toilet are small with unpleasant insufficiency of lighting. Therefore, it is of necessity to expand the kitchen and the toilet. However, since almost all the walls inside the residential building are load-bearing and cannot be dismantled, design of the new internal organization must be based on the existing wall structure. This undoubtedly adds to the difficulty in reconstruction. The core of design is to relocate the kitchen without dismantling main wall bodies, meanwhile the kitchen need to be combined with other functional areas to make the apartment of greater capaciousness, brightness and comfort. While the original kitchen area is to be transformed the bathroom. The toilet and bathroom are to be designed as two relatively independent parts. 

Bathroom. Image © Chuan Bai Bathroom. Image © Chuan Bai

The new apartment will have two relatively private bedrooms, and one shared open space that flexibly serves for multiple purposes. The open space so designed is to remove spatial limitation and make the occupants closer to each other while doing the normal daily activity there. Meanwhile, fixtures such as sofa, desk and cabinet are combined to form an entirety and set against the same wall, making the apartment appear luxurious with more room for activities.

Guest room. Image © Chuan Bai Guest room. Image © Chuan Bai
Contrastive Contrastive
Living room. Image © Chuan Bai Living room. Image © Chuan Bai

Presently in China, high-rise buildings are coming into being like mushrooms after rain, while old buildings are gradually falling into oblivion. This case is intended to provide a reference for reconstruction of old apartments, in the hope that more designers will be dedicated to exploring and improve the reconstruction value of old apartments. 

Shoe shelf. Image © Chuan Bai Shoe shelf. Image © Chuan Bai

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Gheisizadeh Residential Apartment / ASHARI Architects

Posted: 02 Mar 2018 02:00 PM PST

© Parham Taghioff © Parham Taghioff
  • Architects: ASHARI Architects
  • Location: Shiraz, Fars Province, Iran
  • Lead Architects: Amirhossein Ashari
  • Design Associates / Team: Zahra Jafari , Afshin Ashari
  • Area: 1140.0 m2
  • Project Year: 2017
  • Photographs: Parham Taghioff, AmirAli Ghaffari
  • Executive Team: Hamid Gholami, Ali Gheisi Zade, Asghar Gerami, Ayoob Hashemi
  • Research: Elnaz Amini khanimani
  • Graphic (Diagrams): Sara Zahmatkeshfard Shirazi, Amir Iranidoost Haghighi
© Parham Taghioff © Parham Taghioff

Text description provided by the architects. In Gheisizadeh residential apartment project, our main effort was to provide the maximum possible outdoor space to the residents, while creating the maximum visual privacy from outside to inside. The initial idea was to create a flexible and variable building façade. The intention was to reach the desired result by changing the openings, "While giving the residents the right to choose their level of privacy". 

Diagram 2 Diagram 2

The effort was to, while respecting the introversion aspect of the residential units, consider implementing a terrace to protect the disturbing severe direct sunlight in summer and benefit from the sunlight in the cold weather of winter because of the warm and dry climate of Shiraz. As a result, after the trial and errors on different materials, we chose the metal punched sheets with furnace colour coating. These tiles are connected to the terrace by the hinges and can bend on each other. When the hinges are closed, there is no visual connection from the outside; In addition, due to building front elevation which is located at the southern façade and also 80 degrees sun radiation in the summer noon of Shiraz, this type of facade controls the disturbing summer light.

© Parham Taghioff © Parham Taghioff

We implemented green elements in the vertical wall of the facade to induce more "sense of home" and to link with natural materials which controlled light and view in residential spaces. Jasmine Dutch and Pich Amin-o-dowleh were our plant choices. The windows are framed with boxes that were extruded from the façade surface, created shadows on the windows and the south facade. The frames were installed in a scattered pattern due to the visual aspect of the design and prevent monotony on the façade

© AmirAli Ghaffari © AmirAli Ghaffari
Floor Plans Floor Plans

At night, in addition to the brightness of the light reflected from the punched holes, the small square openings on these sheets with coloured lights on the grey facade were created and ultimately all of these factors help to create a wall with visual and functional flexibility in the facade.  Another notable point was the creation of an integrity between the residential building and the yard, which caused the sheets to extend along the walls. At the entrance, the flooring continues inside the yard to the sidewalk to emphasize its unique identity for the building.

© AmirAli Ghaffari © AmirAli Ghaffari
Diagram 1 Diagram 1

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H Academy / CJ Studio

Posted: 02 Mar 2018 12:00 PM PST

© Kuo-Min Lee © Kuo-Min Lee
  • Interiors Designers: CJ Studio
  • Location: Datong District, Taipei, Taiwan
  • Lead Designer: Shi-Chieh Lu
  • Design Team: Shu-Ju Chen, Bos Sun, Ice Chen, Ivan Chen, Yu-Ting Huang
  • Area: 460.0 m2
  • Project Year: 2018
  • Photographs: Kuo-Min Lee
© Kuo-Min Lee © Kuo-Min Lee

Text description provided by the architects. H Academy primarily offers hairdressing courses including hair cutting, dyeing, perming, and additionally, make-up, and nail art. The plan focuses on the teaching process and how the program functions. The teaching consists of academic and practical learning. More complicated activities would be performed in practical learning, so there is only one classroom for academic and two for practical.

© Kuo-Min Lee © Kuo-Min Lee

The hairdressing procedure usually separates into two categories, the primary that takes longer duration and the minor that lasts only temporarily, such as the differences between hair cutting and washing. Thus, space for minor procedure could be shared between two practical classrooms and in turn forms a cycle to each practical classroom. In such specialized relationship of sharing, a lab box that includes washing and perming is embedded between these two classrooms. Eventually, there exists an individual lab box within the interior and becomes "a box within a box" as a layered space.

© Kuo-Min Lee © Kuo-Min Lee

Entering the lobby, visitors could easily locate service counter nearby for general information enquiries. Next to the lobby is a long corridor lounge where people can meet or share ideas. The prior mentioned lab box sits next to the lounge. Visitors could occasionally see lab performances in real time through the dark grey glass. All spaces that surround the lab box are connected continuously as a cycle without any dead end. 

Plan Plan

The academic classroom could be entered from the lobby. The practical classroom could be accessed either from the lobby or through the lab box. Flexible partition walls are adopted between each classroom. In such a way, space of different size could be transformed according to activity requirements. All salon chairs and stations are moveable and could be kept in storage. Eventually, A fashion hairdressing show could be held when all the partition wall pulled back and three classrooms converted into one big space.

© Kuo-Min Lee © Kuo-Min Lee

"A box within a box" is the main concept that has related to manifold meanings. First, from an education view point, it is a skill-oriented school that it is better doing rather than sitting listening. To emphasize this characteristic, the washing and dyeing procedures are deliberately exhibited to the public as an education interface. Second, on a branding level, the box space is framed with black metal and grey glass to create an atmosphere of being low-key and mysterious. 

Diagram Diagram

Together with illuminated by projected lights, hairdressing is virtually compared to chic boutique goods. Third, on a spatial level, to be more easily sensed as a stage, the lab box is designed with a lifted floor and a dark grey wire-net ceiling for height variation. Due to privacy protection, curtain would be temporarily lowered down along the procedure until timing is right. By doing this, It is also a symbol of a stage as if it were changing a scene.

© Kuo-Min Lee © Kuo-Min Lee

Among homogeneous furniture, there exist two exception spots where specialized furniture is designed. One is the bar area next to the service counter. It could be a focal point when visitors entering the lobby. The other is the counter in the hair color cream lab, the so called lab box, where its diamond shape creates a window shopping alike effect to the visitors. The whole ceiling is open without being encased.

© Kuo-Min Lee © Kuo-Min Lee

The only trick applied is the original concrete finish reserved for ducts and piping area above certain height and other materials, color paints underneath that height. Lighting, as an element to represent an invisible ceiling, is hung angled from top at a specific height referred as a space boundary that guides the spatial hierarchy and its contained activities.

© Kuo-Min Lee © Kuo-Min Lee

To sum up, this project is a teaching space based on working procedure, part of which is treated as a performance stage that brands its unique identity. Activities are flexible and reorganized from time to time according to necessary programs that enriches space multiplicity. Being minimal and sophisticated at the same time, the space precisely resonates the fashion frontline of hairdressing.

© Kuo-Min Lee © Kuo-Min Lee

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Jagat Tower
 / Sindhu Hadiprana Design Consultant & Studio Sa_e

Posted: 02 Mar 2018 11:00 AM PST

© Lindung Soemarhadi © Lindung Soemarhadi
  • Design Principal: Sindhu Hadiprana & Ario Andito
  • Contractor: PT. Total Bangun Persada

  • Structure: PT. Perkasa Carista Estetika
  • M & E: PT. Policipta Multi Desain
  • Owner: Pt. Jagat Konstruksi Abdipersada
© Lindung Soemarhadi © Lindung Soemarhadi

Text description provided by the architects. Situated in Jalan Tomang Raya Jakarta, Jagat Tower is the new office of Jagat Construction, a company engaged in construction field. The client asks the architect to design an office tower not only as their main office but also as a rental office. Its total area is 1740,5m2, and consist of 9 floors. On the lower ground there are lobby and banking hall, 2nd-8th floors are for tenant office and 9th floor for the most private function, meeting room / ballroom room.

© Lindung Soemarhadi © Lindung Soemarhadi

The main aim of design was to create an effective and efficient space program of office. To achieve the desired level of effectiveness and efficiency, the architect tried to arrange the building mass in such a way. With the length of site 42m, the form of a large-volume building should be avoided because it will ruin the urban fabric of the city.The mass composition of the building must be able to break the massive and bulky mass.

© Lindung Soemarhadi © Lindung Soemarhadi

After several attempts, the architect decide that the most suitable mass arrangement for this building is stacked one. With a "stacked box" mass configuration, building efficiency can reach up to 80%, quiet effective for a comercial building. Such mass configurations also allow the architect to add open space serves as a communal space on the roof of 6th, 8th, and 9th floor. This communal space also serves as a socialization space for workers. Actually it's not an easy job to convince the client about the importance of these communal space. But in the end the architect is able to convince the client how important this communal space is to the workers. Because the space for socializing will increase the effectiveness in work

Section Section

As for the facade concept itself, the facade exploration illustrates an equalizer to analogize the company's progress flow with 3 blue boxes. The inspiration also comes from the "san" character in chinese number means three. It's the analogy of the number of generation of Jagat Construction.

© Lindung Soemarhadi © Lindung Soemarhadi

The building facade is designed with double glass system. With this facade system, the gap between the glass will trap the heat and noise from the outside so it can reduce the heat and noise from the outside of the office. The glass selection also important. The selected glass is a kind of glass with low OTTV value. Another facade feature added by the architect is the vertical aluminium bars. This aluminium bar fuctioan as a sun shading for this office building.

© Lindung Soemarhadi © Lindung Soemarhadi

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Cat House / FANAF

Posted: 02 Mar 2018 09:00 AM PST

© Lei Zheng © Lei Zheng
  • Architects: FANAF
  • Location: Shanghai, China
  • Lead Architects: Xin Jin
  • Area: 31.0 m2
  • Project Year: 2017
  • Photographs: Lei Zheng, Xiaowen Jin
© Lei Zheng © Lei Zheng

Text description provided by the architects. Entrusted by the popular television program, "Change Your Life", FANAF Architects accepted a renovation project to breathe new life into a home in Shanghai's old residential Xuhui District on Leshan Road. A couple and 51 cats shared the client's single room, which spanned a total of 31 square metres.

© Xiaowen Jin © Xiaowen Jin

To begin the project, the designers lived with the clients and their cats in the space for an entire day. The unique experience allowed the designers to understand the client's lifestyle needs and areas of concern in sharing a small area with so many cats. Through the experience, the designers identified that the room lacked separate areas. The couple's living space was completely occupied by cats, causing discomfort for the owner.

Section Section
Section Section

The extent of the problem meant that it was common to find cat hair on kitchen utensils, and to sleep with more than a dozen cats at night. The owner did not have a place to relax alone and guests could not sit and enjoy conversation or stay for long periods. Secondly, in order to keep the cats from escaping, the windows were constantly shut, meaning the room did not have adequate ventilation. Additionally, as the place was located on the first floor of the building, sunlight could not be enter the room during the day. The closed-off, tightly-knit area resulted in an unhealthy environment for the people and cats living in it.

© Lei Zheng © Lei Zheng

FANAF executed its vision with a three part strategy: separation, functionality and open/closed environments. 'Separation' refers to dividing the space between the master bedroom and the cats' living quarters; the kitchen and dining room and the cats' play area; and the human bathroom and cat bathroom. 'Functionality': The owner wanted a space to indulge in his love of tea, so the designers established a small tea area for hosting guests and entertaining. The rooms were also transformed to become multi-functional, with 'Open/Close' environments. Moveable walls and doors were installed to let the cats to move freely and allow more privacy when required.

© Lei Zheng © Lei Zheng
Courtesy of FANAF Courtesy of FANAF

To make the space sustainable, FANAF focused on three elements: light, ventilation and water. Parts of the courtyard were restored to invite the open air and stylish roof lights were installed to direct natural sunlight. This became the cats' main area of activity. Ventilation was improved with the construction of new doors in the main entrance and kitchen. They now have functions to become like blinds – opening enough to let air in, but not letting the cats escape.

© Lei Zheng © Lei Zheng
© Lei Zheng © Lei Zheng

Finally, a water-efficient recyclable pump system was installed, with a pebble-filled stream of water running through the main courtyard, allowing the cats to drink water easily. The circular channel also helps the tree in its centre to absorb water, which will then transpire and create oxygen. In this way, the living water system supports green irrigation and provides a modern, eco-friendly living environment. FANAF debuted a new place that now feels cosy, breathable and inviting for all those inhabiting the space.

Courtesy of FANAF Courtesy of FANAF

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LEGO Announces Launch of Sustainable Pieces Made From Sugarcane

Posted: 02 Mar 2018 08:00 AM PST

Courtesy of LEGO Courtesy of LEGO

LEGO is going green. The Danish company has announced that they have begun production on a range of pieces made from a plant-based plastic sourced from sugarcane.

As a nod to their plant-based origins, the first sustainable pieces will take the form of LEGO botanical elements such as leaves, bushes and trees.

The sugarcane material will be broken down and reformed as polyethylene, a durable yet flexible plastic, making them technically identical to the conventionally produced pieces.

The sugarcane itself will be sustainably and ethically sourced following guidelines set by the the Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance (BFA) and the Bonsucro Chain of Custody.

"At the LEGO Group we want to make a positive impact on the world around us, and are working hard to make great play products for children using sustainable materials. We are proud that the first LEGO elements made from sustainably sourced plastic are in production and will be in LEGO boxes this year. This is a great first step in our ambitious commitment of making all LEGO bricks using sustainable materials," said Tim Brooks, Vice President, Environmental Responsibility at the LEGO Group.

Learn more here.

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Casa Soporte / Albor Arquitectos

Posted: 02 Mar 2018 07:00 AM PST

© Aslam Ibrahim Castellón Maure © Aslam Ibrahim Castellón Maure
  • Architects: Albor Arquitectos
  • Location: Cienfuegos, Cuba
  • Design Team: Carlos Manuel González Baute, Alain Rodríguez Sosa, Camilo José Cabrera Pérez, Merlyn González García
  • Collaborators : Raúl Manuel Pla León, Onna Jaurreguí Montero
  • Area: 117.0 m2
  • Project Year: 2017
  • Photographs: Aslam Ibrahim Castellón Maure
© Aslam Ibrahim Castellón Maure © Aslam Ibrahim Castellón Maure

Text description provided by the architects. Building in Cuba is a complex endavour. For an architect, is an ever ascending challenge, that be by the perennial absence of materials, elevated costs or the commissioner´s reluctance to work on contemporary proposals. A cuban architect is an utopian character, whose work is not a necessity, neither aesthetic nor conceptual. Hustling in this hostile environment, Albor challenges reality guided by tis believe that from within the crisis, their architectural porposal can thrive and bloom.

Assuming the design and completion of a dwelling that fulfill every requisite, at the same time highlighting itself from the context and using nothing more than the most common and accesible of materials, is an challening feat; specially due to the aforementioned materials are often regarded as the resources for the less wealthy.
This particular commision stated from the beginning that the final value of the estate double the maount invested on purchase and execution.

Concept 01. Image Courtesy of Albor Arquitectos Concept 01. Image Courtesy of Albor Arquitectos
Concept 02. Image Courtesy of Albor Arquitectos Concept 02. Image Courtesy of Albor Arquitectos
Concept 03. Image Courtesy of Albor Arquitectos Concept 03. Image Courtesy of Albor Arquitectos

Several real estate gestors were consulted to acquaintance about the main features of recently acquired houses. The investigation gave as main aspects the location the proximity of the center of the Old City, the existence of a garage, at least one bedroom and bathroom at the first level, unity of spaces, a versatile backyard, and regadless of the amount of bedrooms and their level location, each one must contain a private bathroom. the convivence of at least two families and space for a possible economic activity was also demanded.

For the achieving of these goals, a dwelling was conceived that, even as it couldn´t comply with all the initial exigences due to the characteristics of the lot (4x15mts), allowed fast and expedite remodelation without compromising the integrity of the dwelling, regardless the intentions of the supposed buyer.

Longitudinal Section 01 Longitudinal Section 01

Resources like a double-height access, centered-lighting that goes though three levels and a backyard that ensured enviromental control of all the spaces of the houses. At the same time, a tructure was devised that allowed a fast remodelation, reducing finishing costs and mantaining the initial objectives. Cement stuccos were used on bathrooms and kitchen, cement floors, artisan-casted alluminum external fixtures and internal fixtures made of sugar-cane cardboard. Finally, a three-level dwelling was projected and finished that comprises a first free floor (where the public spaces are ocated, a private zone for bedrooms on the second and a double-funcion third floor with a terrace (providing an outstanding view) and laundry.

© Aslam Ibrahim Castellón Maure © Aslam Ibrahim Castellón Maure

Albor make use of all these elements-mainly by neccesity-because its handling and implementation has become their aesthetic signature to maintain a viable and economic architecture and style. This house is a showcase of what Albor is defined and defend.

© Aslam Ibrahim Castellón Maure © Aslam Ibrahim Castellón Maure

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Flower Duplex / Modal Design

Posted: 02 Mar 2018 05:00 AM PST

© Nico Marques © Nico Marques
  • Architects: Modal Design
  • Location: Los Ángeles, United States
  • Area: 3263.0 ft2
  • Project Year: 2016
  • Photographs: Nico Marques
  • Landscape Architect: Gaborn Allen
  • Structural Engineer: Gordon Polon Structural Engineers
  • Surveyor: Becker Myamoto
  • Consultant: Solargy
© Nico Marques © Nico Marques

Text description provided by the architects. Located on a tight lot in Venice, California, the Flower Duplex is a union of opposites. Initiated by a local couple who had opposing styles, Modal Design resolved programmatic needs by replacing an existing duplex with a new structure that blended their distinct aesthetics. While the project was fairly straightforward programmatically, aesthetically the task was more challenging as their ideas for their new home were distinct. Hers: a rustic and potentially traditional home that evoked images of ageing barns in her home state of Colorado. His: a modern and open space connected to the outdoors. 

© Nico Marques © Nico Marques
Floor Plan 1 Floor Plan 1
© Nico Marques © Nico Marques

The client's desire to nurture their close relationship with their long-time tenant yet maximize individual living areas also played into the mix. The resolution came via a question mark-shaped building form that offered private as well as communal exterior spaces. Two exterior gardens were carved out from the building mass, each programmed for individual activities and needs such as eating, relaxing and dining, and responsive to the sun's path.  A private yard near the street takes advantage of early morning sun and a grassy lawn for the owner's dogs, while a more public yard in the rear embraces late afternoon sun and proximity to a covered outdoor eating patio. This rear public space is shared between the upper and lower units and allows for both physical and visual interaction between the clients and their tenants.

Diagram 1 Diagram 1

Architecturally the design uses materiality and application to resolve the client's aesthetic differences. Traditional materials such as reclaimed wood siding salvaged from snow fences in Montana are integrated into a modern, streamlined structure. Their reverse board and batten application suggests a traditional palette but offers a more distinct, modern twist. Sloped roofs typically found on traditional homes and barns were used, but in standing seam metal. It tilts towards or away from the yards to maximize privacy and to optimize light penetration into the structure via skylights and light wells.

© Nico Marques © Nico Marques

On the home's interior, materials in the lower unit include polished concrete floors for durability and the same reclaimed wood siding applied as an accent in the main living space's ceilings. Emphasis on the efficiency of space and interest in maintaining large outdoor areas resulted in diminutive but comfortable rooms and combination spaces, most notably an extended kitchen island that serves not only as the centre of the main living space but the principal dining table as well.

© Nico Marques © Nico Marques

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South American Architects Sandra Barclay and Gloria Cabral Win 2018 Women in Architecture Awards

Posted: 02 Mar 2018 03:30 AM PST

Site Museum of Paracas Culture / Barclay & Crousse. Courtesy of Barclay & Crousse. Image Site Museum of Paracas Culture / Barclay & Crousse. Courtesy of Barclay & Crousse. Image

Two South American architects have been selected as the winners of The Architectural Review and The Architects' Journal's 2018 Women in Architecture awards. This year's top prize, Architect of the Year, has been awarded to Peruvian architect Sandra Barclay, while Paraguayan architect Gloria Cabral has been selected as the winner of the Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture, with both being recognized by the jury for their mastery of materials.

Architect of the Year

Site Museum of Paracas Culture / Barclay & Crousse. Image © Cristobal Palma Site Museum of Paracas Culture / Barclay & Crousse. Image © Cristobal Palma

Founding partner of Barclay & Crousse, Sandra Barclay has been awarded the Architect of the Year for her work on Peru's Site Museum of Paracas Culture (Museo de Sitio de Paracas). Located in the harsh environment of the Paracas Desert, the museum was built to replace a structure destroyed in a 2007 earthquake. Responding to these conditions, the building is designed to work with and withstand the difficult natural conditions. 

Judges' comments:
'Aware of the lack of control onsite and limited resources, the architects responded to the lack of context with a design that is both robust and simple, yet powerful, and even its man-made imperfection adds value to the building'

The shortlist for the 2018 Architect of the Year award also included:

 

Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture

FADA / Gabinete de Arquitectura. Image © Federico Cairoli FADA / Gabinete de Arquitectura. Image © Federico Cairoli

Gloria Cabral, partner at Asunción-based Gabinete de Arquitectura, has been awarded the Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture. A protégé of Peter Zumthor, Cabral has developed a keen sense of elevating humble materials in inventive ways. Employing perhaps her favorite material, Paraguayan brick, Gabinete de Arquitectura constructed the soaring brick arch selected as the winner of the Golden Lion at the 2016 Venice Biennale.

Cabral will receive a £10,000 prize named for former director of design at the V&A, Moira Gemmill. The fund will be used to support Cabral's continuing professional development.

Judges' comments:
'Beyond her deep understanding of materials and construction, Cabral showed a sensitive appreciation of the life and use of the buildings she designs. Her commitment is extraordinary and her passion is infectious'

The shortlist for the 2018 Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture also included:

Two other prizes awarded as part of the Women in Architecture awards program, the Jane Drew Prize and the Ada Louise Huxtable Prize, were given earlier this year to Amanda Levete and Madelon Vriesendorp, respectively.

News via The Architectural Review and Architects' Journal

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Adobe Headquarters Renovation / Gensler

Posted: 02 Mar 2018 03:00 AM PST

© Emily Hagopian Photography © Emily Hagopian Photography
  • Architects: Gensler
  • Location: San Jose, CA, United States
  • Lead Architects: Kevin Schaeffer, Natalie Engels
  • Project Year: 2017
  • Photographs: Emily Hagopian Photography
  • General Contractor: BCCI, Devcon
  • Mechanical Consultant: ACCO Engineered Systems
  • Electrical Consultant: Cupertino Electric, Inc.
  • Plumbing Consultant: United Mechanical, Inc.
  • Structural Consultant: Nishkian/Menninger
  • Civil Consultant: Kier & Wright
  • Av Consultant: Charles M. Salter Associates, Inc.
  • Project Manager (Third Party): Nova Partners, Inc.
  • Furniture Dealer: Pivot Interiors
  • Furniture Manufactures: Herman Miller, Bernhardt, Martin Brattrud, Stylex
  • Flooring Manufactures: Interface, Shaw
  • Ceiling Manufactures: Armstron, Filz Felt
  • Wall Finishes: Stone Source, Filz Felt
  • Lighting: Vibia, Buzzi
  • Textiles: DesignTex, Maharam
  • Millworker: Mission Bell, Commercial Casework
  • Food Service: RAS Design Group, LLC
  • Graphics: Splash
© Emily Hagopian Photography © Emily Hagopian Photography

Text description provided by the architects. Adobe's headquarters has become the physical extension of the company's brand, representing the company's creativity and innovation. Conveying Adobe's belief that its employees are their greatest asset, the renovated vertical campus is meant to foster collaboration and creativity for all of Adobe's employees through an open and vibrant working environment. New open workspaces, numerous gathering/meeting areas, including a terraced meeting space with bleacher seating and "living rooms," outside collaboration spaces, creative conference rooms and amenities, allow employees to connect in a multitude of ways.

© Emily Hagopian Photography © Emily Hagopian Photography

As downtown San Jose's largest tech firm, the headquarters was designed to pay homage to both the city's past and present. The city's agricultural past is celebrated with an art installation that creates Adobe's iconic "A" from locally sourced orchard crates. A custom-designed rooftop trellis creates an outside space that draws employees outside for ad hoc meetings or cocktails with the city's skyline as the backdrop. Locally made rugs, furniture and decorative pieces showcase the community's artists and makers.

© Emily Hagopian Photography © Emily Hagopian Photography
West Tower / Second floor plan West Tower / Second floor plan
© Emily Hagopian Photography © Emily Hagopian Photography

Adobe's focus on creativity, innovation and community informed the design approach – a vibrant, purposeful use of color throughout, minimal finishes in each space, incorporation of curated art and locally made furnishings, and environmentally sustainable materials –resulting in a space that is the company's brand manifested and a headquarters that expresses the next generation of the innovative workplace.

© Emily Hagopian Photography © Emily Hagopian Photography

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2018 Venice Biennale Reveals Further Details About This Year's Theme, "Freespace"

Posted: 02 Mar 2018 02:03 AM PST

© Andrea Avezzu. Image Courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia © Andrea Avezzu. Image Courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia

At a press conference earlier today, curators of the 2018 Venice Biennale Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects revealed more information about this year's upcoming event, to be hosted from May 26th to November 25th. Building on the thematic concept the duo presented last June—"Freespace"—the event will feature a main exhibition in the Central Pavilion of the Giardini and the Arsenale featuring work by 71 participants, while two Special Sections will feature a total of 29 further participants. Elsewhere, 65 national pavilions will present contributions from around the world, including 7 first-time participants: Antigua & Barbuda, Saudi Arabia, Guatemala, Lebanon, Mongolia, Pakistan and the Holy See.

Biennale President Paolo Baratta commented on the theme:

The desire to create FREESPACE can become the specific individual characteristic of each individual project. But space, free space, public space can also reveal the presence or absence of architecture, if we understand architecture to be 'thinking applied to the space where we live, that we inhabit.' And the International Architecture Exhibition will offer us examples, teachings, and topics of discussion. Therefore, we are thankful to Farrell and McNamara for having accepted our invitation and for the choice, which adds an important link to the chain of Exhibitions held over the years.

The Special Sections will be titled "Close Encounter, meetings with remarkable projects," presenting works that were inspired by a reflection on famous historical buildings, and "The Practice of Teaching," presenting projects developed as part of a variety of teaching experiences. The two sections will feature 16 and 13 participants, respectively.

Further, two special projects will be presented:

  • The Forte Marghera Special Project in Mestre, an installation by Sami Rintala and Dagur Eggertsson will be built to host a series of events scheduled in Forte Marghera.
  • The Special Project at the Applied Arts Pavilion in the Sale d'Armi in the Arsenale, which will present a fragment of the Robin Hood Gardens social housing estate, which was acquired by the Victoria & Albert museum in late 2017. In a continuation of the Venice Biennale's collaboration with the V&A museum, the fragment of the building will form part of an exhibition curated by Christopher Turner and Olivia Horsfall Turner.

Finally, related events will be held throughout the Biennale period, including "Meetings on Architecture," in which participants will get the opportunity to discuss different interpretations of the "Freespace" manifesto.

Excerpt from the "Freespace" manifesto released in June 2017

FREESPACE describes a generosity of spirit and a sense of humanity at the core of architecture's agenda, focusing on the quality of space itself.

FREESPACE focuses on architecture's ability to provide free and additional spatial gifts to those who use it and on its ability to address the unspoken wishes of strangers.

FREESPACE celebrates architecture's capacity to find additional and unexpected generosity in each project - even within the most private, defensive, exclusive or commercially restricted conditions.

FREESPACE provides the opportunity to emphasize nature's free gifts of light - sunlight and moonlight, air, gravity, materials - natural and man-made resources.

FREESPACE encourages reviewing ways of thinking, new ways of seeing the world, of inventing solutions where architecture provides for the well being and dignity of each citizen of this fragile planet.

FREESPACE can be a space for opportunity, a democratic space, un-programmed and free for uses not yet conceived. There is an exchange between people and buildings that happens, even if not intended or designed, so buildings themselves find ways of sharing and engaging with people over time, long after the architect has left the scene. Architecture has an active as well as a passive life.

FREESPACE encompasses freedom to imagine, the free space of time and memory, binding past, present and future together, building on inherited cultural layers, weaving the archaic with the contemporary.

To read the manifesto in full, see our previous article here.

Participants in the "Freespace" Exhibition

1. 6a architects (London, UK)
Tom Emerson; Stephanie Macdonald; John Ross; Owen Watson

2. Alison Brooks Architects (London, UK)
Alison Brooks

3. Álvaro Siza 2 – Arquitecto, SA (Porto, Portugal)
Álvaro Siza Vieira

4. Amateur Architecture Studio (Hangzhou, China)
Wang Shu; Lu Wenyu

5. andramatin (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Andra Matin

6. Angela Deuber Architect (Chur, Switzerland)
Angela Deuber

7. architecten de vylder vinck taillieu (Ghent, Belgium)
Jan de Vylder; Inge Vinck; Jo Taillieu

8. Arrea architecture (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Maruša Zorec

9. Assemble (London, UK)
Jane Issler Hall; Mathew Leung; Alice Edgerley; Adam Willis; Fran Edgerley; Amica Dall; Giles Smith; James Binning; Paloma Strelitz; Lewis Jones; Joseph Halligan; Louis Schulz; Maria Lisogorskaya; Karim Khelil; Anthony Engi Meacock

10. Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner (Haldenstein, Switzerland)
Peter Zumthor

11. Aurelio Galfetti (Lugano and Bellinzona, Switzerland)

12. Barclay & Crousse (Lima, Peru)
Sandra Barclay; Jean-Pierre Crousse

13. BC architects & studies (Brussels, Belgium)
Ken De Cooman; Nicolas Coeckelberghs; Wes Degreef; Laurens Bekemans

14. Benedetta Tagliabue - Miralles Tagliabue EMBT (Barcelona, Spain; Shangai, China)
Benedetta Tagliabue; Elena Nedelcu; Joan Callís

15. BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group (New York, USA; Copenhagen, Denmark; London, UK)
Bjarke Ingels; Sheela Maini Søgaard; Finn Nørkjær; Thomas Christoffersen; Kai-Uwe Bergmann; Andreas Klok Pedersen; David Zahle; Jakob Lange; Beat Schenk; Daniel Sundlin; Brian Yang; Jakob Sand

16. Burkhalter Sumi Architekten (Zürich, Switzerland)
Marianne Burkhalter; Christian Sumi with Marco Pogacnik (Venice, Italy)

17. Carla Juaçaba (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

18. Caruso St John Architects (London, UK)
Adam Caruso; Peter St John

19. Case Design (Mumbai, India)
Anne Geenen; Samuel Barclay

20. Cino Zucchi Architetti (Milan, Italy)
Cino Zucchi

21. Crimson Architectural Historians (Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
Ewout Dorman; Michelle Provoost; Cassandra Wilkins; Wouter Vanstiphout; Simone Rots; Annuska Pronkhorst

22. David Chipperfield Architects (London, UK; Berlin, Germany; Milan, Italy; Shanghai, China)
David Chipperfield; Alexander Schwarz; Martin Reichert; Christoph Felger; Eva Schad; Harald Müller

23. de Blacam and Meagher Architects (Dublin, Ireland; Ibiza, Spain)
Shane de Blacam; John Meagher 

24. Diller Scofidio + Renfro (New York, USA)
Elizabeth Diller; Charles Renfro; Ricardo Scofidio; Benjamin Gilmartin 

25. DnA_Design and Architecture (Beijing, China)
Xu Tiantian

26. Dorte Mandrup A/S (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Dorte Mandrup; Frants Nielsen

27. Elemental (Santiago, Chile)
Alejandro Aravena; Gonzalo Arteaga; Juan Cerda; Diego Torres; Victor Oddo

28. Elizabeth Hatz Architects (Stockholm, Sweden)
Elizabeth Hatz

29. Estudio Carme Pinós (Barcelona, Spain)
Carme Pinós

30. Flores & Prats (Barcelona, Spain)
Eva Prats; Ricardo Flores

31. Francesca Torzo Architetto (Genova, Italy)
Francesca Torzo

32. Gion A. Caminada (Vrin-Cons, Switzerland)

33. GrupoSP (São Paulo, Brazil)
Alvaro Puntoni; Joao Sodre 

34. Gumuchdjian Architects (London, UK)
Philip Gumuchdjian

35. Hall McKnight (Belfast and London, UK)
Alastair Hall; Ian McKnight

36. Inês Lobo, Arquitectos (Lisbon, Portugal)
Inês Lobo; João Rosário

37. Jensen og Skodvin Arkitekter AS (Oslo, Norway)
Jan Olav Jensen; Børre Skodvin; Torunn Golberg; Torstein Koch

38. John Wardle Architects (Melbourne, Australia)
John Wardle, Stefan Mee, Meaghan Dwyer, Bill Krotiris, Jane Williams

39. Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA (Tokyo, Japan)
Kazuyo Sejima; Ryue Nishizawa

40. Kieran Long (Stockholm, Sweden) with Johan Örn; James Taylor-Foster (Stockholm, Sweden)

41. Lacaton & Vassal Architects (Paris, France)
Anne Lacaton; Jean Philippe Vassal

42. Laura Peretti Architects (Rome, Italy)
Laura Peretti

43. Maria Giuseppina Grasso Cannizzo (Vittoria – Ragusa, Italy)

44. Marie-José Van Hee architecten (Ghent, Belgium)
Marie-José Van Hee

45. Marina Tabassum Architects (Dhaka, Bangladesh)
Marina Tabassum

46. Matharoo Associates (Ahmedabad, India)
Gurjit Singh Matharoo

47. Michael Maltzan Architecture (Los Angeles, USA)
Michael Maltzan

48. Niall McLaughlin Architects (London, UK)
Niall McLaughlin

49. O'Donnell + Tuomey (Dublin, Ireland)
John Tuomey; Sheila O'Donnell

50. Paredes Pedrosa Arquitectos (Madrid, Spain)
Angela Garcia de Paredes; Ignacio G. Pedrosa

51. Paulo Mendes da Rocha (São Paulo, Brazil)

52. Peter Rich Architects (Johannesburg, South Africa)
Peter Rich

53. Rafael Moneo, Arquitecto (Madrid, Spain)
Rafael Moneo

54. Rintala Eggertsson Architects (Oslo and Bodø, Norway)
Dagur Eggertsson; Vibeke Jensen; Sami Rintala

55. RMA Architects (Mumbai, India; Boston, USA)
Rahul Mehrotra; Nondita Correa Mehrotra; Robert Stephens; Payal Patel

56. Robert McCarter, Professor of Architecture (St. Louis, Missouri, USA)
Robert McCarter

57. Room11 Architects (Hobart, Tasmania, Australia)
Thomas Bailey; Nathan Crump; Megan Baynes

58. Rozana Montiel Estudio de Arquitectura (Mexico City, Mexico)
Rozana Montiel

59. Salter Collingridge Design (London and Ludlow, UK)
Peter Salter; Fenella Collingridge

60. Sauerbruch Hutton (Berlin, Germany)
Matthias Sauerbruch; Louisa Hutton; Juan Lucas Young

61. Skälsö Arkitekter (Visby and Stockholm, Sweden)
Joel Phersson; Erik Gardell; Lisa Ekström; Mats Håkansson; Axel Wolgers

62. Souto Moura - Arquitectos, S.A. (Porto, Portugal)
Eduardo Souto de Moura

63. Studio Anna Heringer (Laufen, Germany)
Anna Heringer

64. Studio Gang (Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, USA)
Jeanne Gang

65. Studio Odile DECQ (Paris, France)
Odile Decq

66. Talli Architecture and Design (Helsinki, Finland)
Pia Ilonen; Minna Lukander; Martti Lukander

67. Tezuka Architects (Tokyo, Japan)
Takaharu Tezuka; Yui Tezuka

68. Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects (Tokyo, Japan)
Toyo Ito

69. Vector Architects (Beijing, China)
Gong Dong

70. VTN Architects (Hochiminh City, Vietnam)
Vo Trong Nghia

71. Weiss/Manfredi (New York, USA)
Marion Weiss; Micheal Manfredi

Participants and Projects in the "Close Encounter" Special Section

1. A2 Architects (Dublin, Ireland)
Peter Carroll
Museo-Fundación Oteiza / Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza (Alzuza, Spain)

2. BOYD CODY Architects (Dublin, Ireland)
Dermot Boyd, Peter Cody
E-1027 / Eileen Gray (Roquebrune), and Tempe a païa / Eileen Gray (Castellar, Alpes Maritimes, France)

3. Noreile Breen (Dublin, Ireland)
Noreile Breen
Casa Luis Barragán / Luis Barragán (Ciudad de México, Mexico)

4. Bucholz McEvoy Architects (Dublin, Ireland)
Merritt Bucholz, Karen McEvoy
Delaware Park / Frederick Law Olmstead (Buffalo, USA)

5. Carr Cotter & Naessens Architects (Cork, Ireland)
Louise Cotter, David Naessens
Salle Cortot / Auguste Perret (Paris, France)

6. Clancy Moore Architects (Dublin, Ireland)
Andrew Clancy, Colm Moore
Hornbækhus / Kay Otto Fisker (Københavns, Denmark)

7. DePaor (Wicklow, Ireland)
Tom de Paor
Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista "dell'Autostrada" / Giovanni Michelucci (Campi Bisenzio, Firenze, Italy)

8. Donaghy + Dimond Architects (Dublin, Ireland)
Marcus Donaghy, Will Dimond
Anhembi Tennis Club / João Batista Vilanova Artigas (São Paulo, Brazil)

9. Kevin Donovan (Dublin, Ireland) Ryan W. Kennihan Architects (Dublin, Ireland)
Kevin Donovan, Ryan W. Kennihan
Maison du Peuple / Jean Prouvé, Eugène Beaudouin, Marcel Lods, Vladimir Bodiansky (Clichy, France)

10. GKMP Architects (Dublin, Ireland)
Grace Keeley, Michael Pike
Edificio de viviendas / José Antonio Coderch de Sentmenat (Girasol, Madrid, Spain)

11. Hassett Ducatez Architects (Dublin, Ireland)
Grainne Hassett
Edificio per abitazioni in via Quadronno 24 / Angelo Mangiarotti, Bruno Morassutti (Milano, Italy)

12. Heneghan Peng Architects (Dublin, Ireland)
Róisín Heneghan, Shih-Fu Peng
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University / Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) (New Haven, USA)

13. Mary Laheen Architects (Dublin, Ireland), Aoibheann Ní Mhearáin (Dublin, Ireland)
Mary Laheen, Aoibheann Ní Mhearáin
Centre Jeanne Hachette / Jean Rénaudie (Ivry sur Seine, Paris, France)

14. Steve Larkin Architects (Dublin, Ireland)
Steve Larkin
Otaniemi Chapel / Heikki and Kaija Siren (Espoo, Finland)

15. Dominic Stevens, JFOC Architects (Dublin, Ireland)
Dominic Stevens
Maravillas Gymnasium / Alejandro de la Sota (Madrid, Spain)

16. TAKA Architects (Dublin, Ireland)
Alice Casey, Cian Deegan
Centro Comunal y Recreativo Nueva Santa Fe / Rogelio Salmona (Bogotá, Colombia)

Participants in "The Practice of Teaching" Special Section

1. Aires Mateus (Lisbon, Portugal)
Francisco Aires Mateus, Manuel Aires Mateus

2. architetto Riccardo Blumer (Casciago - Varese, Italy)
Riccardo Blumer

3. Atelier Cube (Lausanne, Switzerland)
Marc Collomb

4. Bearth & Deplazes Architekten (Chur and Zürich, Switzerland)
Valentin Bearth, Andrea Deplazes, Daniel Ladner

5. Kéré Architecture (Berlin, Germany)
Francis Diébédo Kéré

6. Mario Botta Architetti (Mendrisio, Switzerland)
Mario Botta

7. Michele Arnaboldi Architetti (Locarno, Switzerland)
Michele Arnaboldi

8. Miller & Maranta (Basel, Switzerland)
Quintus Miller, Paola Maranta, Jean-Luc von Aarburg

9. OBRAS Architectes (Paris, France)
Frédéric Bonnet

10. PROAP / GLOBAL (Lisbon, Portugal)
João Gomes da Silva, João Nunes

11. Sergison Bates architects (London, UK; Zürich, Switzerland)
Jonathan Sergison

12. Valerio Olgiati (Flims, Switzerland)

13. walter angonese, architekt/architetto (Caldaro - Bolzano, Italy)
Walter Angonese

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Grit vs Globalism: What the City of Blade Runner 2049 Reveals About Recent Trends in Urban Development

Posted: 02 Mar 2018 01:30 AM PST

The action in <em>Blade Runner 2049</em> often doesn't even take place in Los Angeles. Here, K approaches Las Vegas. Image © 2017 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. <a href='http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/mediaindex'>via imdb</a> (used under fair use) The action in <em>Blade Runner 2049</em> often doesn't even take place in Los Angeles. Here, K approaches Las Vegas. Image © 2017 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. <a href='http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/mediaindex'>via imdb</a> (used under fair use)

There ought to be a word for this kind of film—halfway between a sequel and a reboot—but there isn't, so we just have to call it Blade Runner 2049. The film is perhaps more subtle in the way it refers to Ridley Scott's 1982 dystopian cult classic than some recent sci-fi restorations—Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I'm looking at you—but it isn't above a bit of blatant parallelism. For example, it's easy to see reflections of Blade Runner characters in 2049: private dick Rick Deckard is now the stoic, world-weary K; femme fatale Rachael is Joi, a hologram companion who straddles the line between mortal and machine; wacky Roy Batty is the single-minded, murderous Luv; not to mention a bevy of replicants passing for humans and cops with hidden agendas. In fact, one of the few prominent characters not recast is the city of Los Angeles, whose architecture is strikingly absent compared to the first film. The resulting movie feels curiously devoid of a civic soul, which is perhaps the point.

The architecture in the original <em>Blade Runner</em> shows more of a "civic soul" than its successor. Image © 1982 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. <a href='https://theredlist.com/wiki-2-17-513-863-823-1226-view-fantasy-sci-fi-6-profile-1982-bblade-runner-b-1.html'>via The Red List</a> (used under fair use) The architecture in the original <em>Blade Runner</em> shows more of a "civic soul" than its successor. Image © 1982 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. <a href='https://theredlist.com/wiki-2-17-513-863-823-1226-view-fantasy-sci-fi-6-profile-1982-bblade-runner-b-1.html'>via The Red List</a> (used under fair use)

Los Angeles in Blade Runner was a paradox: dead but vibrant, dirty but drenched in rain, overcrowded but in the constant process of being abandoned. It's a complex heritage that belongs to both the city and cinema. Los Angeles has been used as a setting for many films, and its unique architecture has been invoked by filmmakers and studied by art historians on screen. The city has been so prominent throughout cinema history, in fact, that films such as the 1955 noir Kiss Me Deadly can be considered a kind of cinematic primer on LA architecture that isn't there anymore.

One need look no further than the use of the Bradbury Building. The downtown Los Angeles landmark is hardly camera shy. It has been used in both film noir (D.O.A., Marlowe, Chinatown) and science fiction and fantasy (The Outer Limits, The Night Strangler) since the 1940s, so its use in Blade Runner was almost a given.

In perhaps its most famous role, the Bradbury Building reflects the eclecticism of the architecture in <em>Blade Runner</em>. Image © 1982 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. <a href='http://bladerunner.wikia.com/wiki/Bradbury_Building'>via bladerunner.wikia.com</a> (used under fair use) In perhaps its most famous role, the Bradbury Building reflects the eclecticism of the architecture in <em>Blade Runner</em>. Image © 1982 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. <a href='http://bladerunner.wikia.com/wiki/Bradbury_Building'>via bladerunner.wikia.com</a> (used under fair use)

In fact, that film's climactic final battle through the Bradbury is probably the building's most famous role. That it can feature in films from the 1940s to the fictional 21st century suggests the timeless nature of the Bradbury's construction, which is reflected by the futuristic LA's distinctly eclectic architecture.

Accordingly, the Los Angeles of Blade Runner is not too different from the Los Angeles of Chinatown. Both films understand that Los Angeles is about space, both the potential of empty space and the crush of filled space. Compare Deckard fighting his way through people and animals on the LA streets around Taffy Lewis' club with the crowd that suddenly surrounds Jack Nicholson's J. J. Gittes at the end of Chinatown. Each scene makes a crowded urban space seem oddly weightless: Blade Runner thanks to slow motion and Chinatown thanks to airy photography.

In <em>Blade Runner</em>, the architecture is ominous and even Gothic in character. Image © 1982 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. <a href='http://moviecitynews.com/2012/10/wilmington-on-dvds-blade-runner/'>via Movie City News</a> (used under fair use) In <em>Blade Runner</em>, the architecture is ominous and even Gothic in character. Image © 1982 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. <a href='http://moviecitynews.com/2012/10/wilmington-on-dvds-blade-runner/'>via Movie City News</a> (used under fair use)

Both films also understand the ominous, Gothic nature of the city's buildings—what was Spanish Revival in Chinatown becomes Beaux Arts in Blade Runner. One might argue that Blade Runner has a burnt-out and used-up streak that is missing from Chinatown, but consider the central theme of the latter: water and its importance to civilization. Faye Dunaway's well-groomed estate is just a drought away from resembling the desert-like underbelly of the LA River, where Gittes encounters cracked earth, an abandoned set of furniture and a lone boy on a donkey. If it had been raining, the scene could have been in Blade Runner.

There is not much distinctiveness to the architecture of Los Angeles shown in <em>Blade Runner 2049</em>. Image © 2017 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. <a href='http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/mediaindex'>via imdb</a> (used under fair use) There is not much distinctiveness to the architecture of Los Angeles shown in <em>Blade Runner 2049</em>. Image © 2017 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. <a href='http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/mediaindex'>via imdb</a> (used under fair use)

This surreal distinctness has evacuated by 2049. For one thing, the narrative doesn't stay in Los Angeles—the film even opens north of the city. And these far afield locations lack identity. There are no landmark structures. LAPD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles really doesn't seem that different from the central California farms or endless dumps of San Diego. There also isn't much variation within the scenes themselves. While Blade Runner was filled with contrasting light and shadow, 2049 has a monochromatic palette, practically in all caps: farmland is GRAY; Las Vegas is ORANGE; a night out at the beach is BLACK. It's as if color is a stand-in for architecture.

In <em>Blade Runner 2049</em>, architecture is largely replaced with monochrome cinematography. Here, Las Vegas is ORANGE. Image © 2017 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. <a href='http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/mediaindex'>via imdb</a> (used under fair use) In <em>Blade Runner 2049</em>, architecture is largely replaced with monochrome cinematography. Here, Las Vegas is ORANGE. Image © 2017 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. <a href='http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/mediaindex'>via imdb</a> (used under fair use)

In fact, if there is any holdover of notable local scenery, it's the ubiquity of public advertisements—and not just because of the "Blade Runner curse." In our own time, the billboards of Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood are infamous for an omnipresence that approaches garishness. In the future of Blade Runner, corporations that cross borders as easily as pandemics bombard an increasingly disillusioned population with glitzy images. By 2049, commercials are even more invasive. Late in the film, K encounters an enormous advertisement (PURPLE) for the Joi hologram on the city streets. She is at once familiar and indistinguishable from every other lonely man's Joi—a giant who stretches up and down the coast, eschewing individuality for unity. Overwhelmed, K collapses.

There is not much distinctiveness to the architecture of Los Angeles shown in <em>Blade Runner 2049</em>. Image © 2017 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. <a href='http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/mediaindex'>via imdb</a> (used under fair use) There is not much distinctiveness to the architecture of Los Angeles shown in <em>Blade Runner 2049</em>. Image © 2017 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. <a href='http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/mediaindex'>via imdb</a> (used under fair use)

The future is now homogeneous, an unfortunate side effect of globalization. When global culture is local culture, Los Angeles looks like San Diego, so why shouldn't Sunnyvale, California, resemble Qingdao, China? Along with the uniform pollution and the melting pot blandness that began with city-speak, the future of 2049 may not be as architecturally distinct as before, but it's no less terrifying—and cinematically impressive—than it was in Blade Runner.

Colin Newton is a Los Angeles based freelance writer. His work has appeared in local newspapers and blogs, and he frequently covers arts and culture. He writes about film, philosophy and more at IdolsAndRealities.wordpress.com.

Barozzi Veiga's Unbuilt Museum Project Immortalized In Blade Runner 2049

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Ancram Barn / Worrell Yeung Architecture

Posted: 02 Mar 2018 01:00 AM PST

© Magda Biernat Photography © Magda Biernat Photography
© Magda Biernat Photography © Magda Biernat Photography

Text description provided by the architects. Worrell Yeung recently completed this new 1,500 square foot multi-purpose barn in Ancram, New York. Located on a 30-acre property with a traditional existing house and other structures, this modern barn adopts an unmistakably contemporary design approach, while incorporating key elements of the agrarian vernacular of the Hudson Valley region.

© Magda Biernat Photography © Magda Biernat Photography

The building's overall form is clean and simple, and its volume is a single, unobtrusive gabled roof structure that nestles into the hillside with retaining walls that create a drive court between the barn and the house.

© Magda Biernat Photography © Magda Biernat Photography
Exploded Axonometric Exploded Axonometric
© Magda Biernat Photography © Magda Biernat Photography

The barn accommodates storage for two cars along with a dedicated garden/potting area and a flexible, covered outdoor room. This space offers a dramatic vantage point onto the property with large portals that strategically frame the Berkshires mountain views. Inside, the prefabricated wood scissor truss structure and wood framing are left exposed.

© Magda Biernat Photography © Magda Biernat Photography

Material selections throughout were made to be durable and require little maintenance given the climate zone. The roof is black metal and the exterior is clad in vertical black-stained hemlock wood siding while the interior is clad in the same hemlock wood but left natural.

© Magda Biernat Photography © Magda Biernat Photography

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Woods Bagot to Transform 82-Year-Old Chinese Textile Mill Into Entertainment Destination

Posted: 02 Mar 2018 12:00 AM PST

© Woods Bagot © Woods Bagot

Fosun Group hired Woods Bagot to transform commercial planning of Dahua, an 82-year-old historic textile mill, into China's next retail and entertainment district. Located in Xi'an's urban center, the site sits next to Daming Palace, the Tang Dynasty's royal residence and a national heritage site which attracts thousands of tourists each year. 

© Woods Bagot © Woods Bagot

These historic buildings already have their own story to tell. We want to let them speak for themselves and then build on that story by writing the next chapter. Our design binds together old and new and turns conflict into dialogue, creating vitality from contrast. When it's complete, Dahua 1935 will set the bar for retail-led historic renovation projects in China and create a world-class retail and entertainment destination for this vibrant city said Ian Png, Principal at Woods Bagot.

© Woods Bagot © Woods Bagot

Connecting past and future, Woods Bagot integrated layers of the imperial, industrial heritage which shaped the original site with modern innovation. The 65,000 square meter complex will be broken up into six themed zones: the dream workshop, amusement workshop, market workshop, power workshop, and two others dedicated to music and culture. The dream workshop is a colorful space for idea stimulation. Cirque du Soleil will be showcased in the amusement workshop. Visitors can shop local produce at the market workshop, while the power workshop will focus on sports and health. In between the zones, history-inspired sculptural art will create focal points throughout the site. Many users will arrive at the site via a new subway station which China plans to add within the year.

© Woods Bagot © Woods Bagot
© Woods Bagot © Woods Bagot
© Woods Bagot © Woods Bagot

The building was designed by Land-Based Rationalism D-R-C. China's new entertainment district is expected to be open for business in 2019.

News via: Woods Bagot.

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UAE Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Biennale to Explore Human-scale Landscapes and Social Spaces

Posted: 01 Mar 2018 10:00 PM PST

Children playing soccer on sandy street outside the boundaries of bigness. Image Courtesy of National Pavilion UAE - la Biennale di Venezia Children playing soccer on sandy street outside the boundaries of bigness. Image Courtesy of National Pavilion UAE - la Biennale di Venezia

As part of our 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale coverage we present the proposal for the UAE Pavilion. Below, the participants describe their contribution in their own words.

The National Pavilion UAE will present "Lifescapes Beyond Bigness," an exhibition exploring human-scale architectural landscapes, at the 2018 Venice Biennale. The exhibition aims to highlight the role of architecture and urban design in forming the choreography of people's daily routines. It particularly investigates the role of 'quotidian' (every day) landscapes in accommodating, enhancing, and facilitating social activities across different places in the UAE.

Contrasting Urbanism: Human Scale Landscape in the foreground, and contemporary downtown Dubai in the background. Image Courtesy of National Pavilion UAE - la Biennale di Venezia Contrasting Urbanism: Human Scale Landscape in the foreground, and contemporary downtown Dubai in the background. Image Courtesy of National Pavilion UAE - la Biennale di Venezia

The everyday life or the choreography of informal, un-programmed lifescapes in the UAE will be explored through a curatorial selection of different typologies and places from the UAE's diverse landscape, such as neighborhoods, urban blocks, streets and alleyways, squares and public spaces, mountains and agrarian settings.

Through sophisticated site observation and mapping research techniques, the exhibition will present an exploration of their physical characteristics and typologies; behavioral rhythms and informal patterns of life; and the architectural and design traditions that have shaped them. It will also invite visitors to experience important landscapes that are often overlooked in common perceptions about UAE's megadevelopment discourse.

"Lifescapes Beyond Bigness" is curated by Dr. Khaled Alawadi, an Emirati scholar and architect, and Assistant Professor of Sustainable Urbanism at the Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi, part of Khalifah University of Science and Technology.

Children playing at their doorstep and in the alleyways of Bani-Yas, a traditionally designed Abu Dhabi neighborhood. Image Courtesy of National Pavilion UAE - la Biennale di Venezia Children playing at their doorstep and in the alleyways of Bani-Yas, a traditionally designed Abu Dhabi neighborhood. Image Courtesy of National Pavilion UAE - la Biennale di Venezia

"The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE's founding father, believed that urban planning should aim to support happiness and social cohesion by putting human needs at the center of the design. In line with this principle, many of the UAE's pre-1990s urban and non-urban 'quotidian' landscapes were socially responsive and facilitated the development of diverse, vibrant communities," says Dr. Khaled Alawadi. "This exhibition is an excursion into these humane and under-celebrated areas of the UAE, highlighting the interplay between the physicality of architecture and places, and the dynamic choreography of everyday life. The exhibition weaves an array of original observations about different sites and lifescapes in the UAE, enriching our understanding of what UAE's urbanism are about outside bigness".

Khulood Al Atiyat, Manager of Arts, Culture and Heritage at the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, commissioner of the National Pavilion UAE, says: "Rather than focusing only on the design and physicality of the architecture itself, Dr. Alawadi's research encompasses human behavior and social life to paint a rich picture of the UAE which will challenge preconceptions. His important original research will make an invaluable contribution towards understanding the region's architecture and urban development."

Curator

The first UAE national scholar to specialize in the design of sustainable cities, Dr. Alawadi is Assistant Professor of Sustainable Urbanism at the Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi, part of Khalifa University of Science and Technology, where he founded the MSc. in Sustainable Critical Infrastructure program. He is a trained architect, planner and urban designer whose research is devoted to urban design, housing and urbanism, especially the relationships between the built environment and sustainable development.

Dr. Alawadi recently served as Visiting Assistant Professor at MIT's Center for Advanced Urbanism, and previously worked as an architect for Dubai Municipality and as an Assistant Professor at UAE University. He holds a PhD in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Khaled Alawadi, curator of National Pavilion UAE - la Biennale di Venezia 2018 Dr. Khaled Alawadi, curator of National Pavilion UAE - la Biennale di Venezia 2018

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