Arch Daily |
- Tatami House / Julius Taminiau Architects
- House Brotero / phdd arquitectos
- Arimon House / García-Durán & Equipo
- PA House / IDIN Architects
- Space of Engraving Lights / J.R Architects
- Lucia's Garden / studio_GAON
- The Honeyworks House / Paul Butterworth Architect
- Lazaridis Hall / Diamond Schmitt Architects
- NEWSUBSTANCE's Coachella Pavilion Takes Visitors on a Journey of Light and Color
- Mais Fitness Fitness Club / Estúdio AMATAM
- 22 Projects Named Continental Winners of Prix Versailles 2018
- Old Building Renovation on Zhenbang Road / TEAM BLDG
- Edoardo Tresoldi Unveils Neoclassical Wire Mesh Sculpture at Coachella Festival
- Library, Museum and Community Center ‘De Petrus’ / Molenaar&Bol&vanDillen Architects
- The Next Sustainability Crisis: Humans Are Using So Much Sand That We May Actually Run Out
- Red Brick Country Auditorium / Huazhong University of Science and Technology + ADAP Architects
- This Wooden Geodesic Dome Contains the World's Largest Planetarium
- AD Classics: Arts United Center / Louis Kahn
| Tatami House / Julius Taminiau Architects Posted: 16 Apr 2018 10:00 PM PDT  © Norbert Wunderling
 © Norbert Wunderling Text description provided by the architects. The house is designed by Julius Taminiau Architects and based in a "floating village" within Amsterdam. The budget for this project was very low and therefore it was decided to rationalize the design as much as possible and to make it as clever as possible. The Japanese Tatami size and arrangement was used as an inspiration for this project. A Tatami is a type of mat which is used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms.  © Norbert Wunderling  Section  © Norbert Wunderling There are rules concerning the number of Tatami mats and the layout of the Tatami mats in a room. The proportion of the Tatami is similar to the proportion of a standard sized plywood panel (and a lot of building board materials). We used the Tatami as a grid for the house. The floor-spans are linked to the maximum timber spans (and linked to Tatami). The cladding is also linked to this Tatami grid and is a subtle reference to a fish-scale pattern. The dark matt and glossy surfaces of the panels echo the tone and reflective quality of the water.  Upper Floor Plan  © Norbert Wunderling  Lower Floor Plan The benefit of this total system and strategy is that the proportions of the rooms, cladding, and building materials all relate together and will be well proportioned, the left-overs from materials will be minimized and this will result in using less material and fewer expenses. One of the spaces is double height and has a flexible layout, functioning during the week as an office and in the weekend as a guest room. The 100 square meter rooftop is half filled with solar panels which are concealed by the balustrade.  © Norbert Wunderling  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| House Brotero / phdd arquitectos Posted: 16 Apr 2018 10:00 PM PDT  © Francisco Nogueira
 © Francisco Nogueira Text description provided by the architects. In a neighbourhood of small buildings this project was always developed with the intention of a careful integration of the house in the local context. For the street the house is revealed like a small traditional volume, with roof tiles and typical sized windows with local stone, setting the relationship with the scale of the neighbourhood.  © Francisco Nogueira This volume is attached to another one exposed as a big wall, without any openings, where the main social areas of the house open to the garden in the back. On the connection between the two different volumes is the house circulation around a patio that brings light to the centre of the building.  © Francisco Nogueira To the back and the interior of the block, the house is totally opened with big windows with a close connection to the exterior garden. The big Jacarandá influences the views and offer privacy to the inside areas at the same level from the treetop. In the first volume, by the street, there are the technical areas of the house, leaving to the back, near the garden, the social areas like the kitchen and the living and dining rooms.  © Francisco Nogueira  Ground Floor Plan  © Francisco Nogueira In the first floor are the private areas. The main suits over the garden and the rooms to the street at east. The patio that goes through all the floors brings light to the interior corridor. In the last floor is the multifunctional terrace of the house. An exterior space partially covered where the main references are the sky and the Jacarandá. An area where light and shadow create different atmospheres during the day.  © Francisco Nogueira  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Arimon House / García-Durán & Equipo Posted: 16 Apr 2018 07:00 PM PDT .jpg?1523639428 "© Adrià Goula") © Adrià Goula
.jpg?1523639637 "© Adrià Goula") © Adrià Goula Text description provided by the architects. Interior renovation of the Arimon house in Sabadell, for Plàcid Garcia-Planas. Special emphasis was placed on the restoration of the different layers of history and the integration of contemporary comfort. .jpg?1523639251 "© Adrià Goula") © Adrià Goula Our client wrote: Architecture is essentially the search for light. And this is what the architect Marc García-Durán did in the renovation of our old family home. .jpg?1523639604 "© Adrià Goula") © Adrià Goula The house was originally built by the architect, urban planner and mathematician Josep Oriol i Bernadet in 1858. It was completely renovated in a modernist style by Josep Renom i Costa in 1911 and partially renovated by Santiago Casulleras i Forteza in 1945. In 2008 Marta Domenel and Núria Bartomeu designed the handrail of the main staircase.  Plan In an amazing dialogue with the architects who preceded him, Marc García-Durán has cut walls with his drawing pen and stripped staircase structures. Not to create new spaces or rediscover old spaces. But rather to create while rediscovering. To dilute the hands of time. To search, definitively, for the light. .jpg?1523639205 "© Adrià Goula") © Adrià Goula The architect has not only dialogued with time. He has also talked with the space, with the factory that is next to the house, and with the family’s textile tradition, while transforming wool into glass and old boxes of thread into closets. .jpg?1523639346 "© Adrià Goula") © Adrià Goula The exterior of the house is officially classified as cultural patrimony. I have no doubt that after Marc García-Durán’s intervention the interior will be also awarded one day. .jpg?1523639373 "© Adrià Goula") © Adrià Goula  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 16 Apr 2018 05:00 PM PDT  © Ketsiree Wongwan
 © Ketsiree Wongwan Text description provided by the architects. PA House is a private house for a small and new settled family. There are 3 bedrooms including one master bedroom and two bedrooms reserving for guest and their child in the future. Not only the bedrooms but there are also 2 more main requirements from the owner which are a great common area for living and dining, where the owners always get together with their friends as the new generation's lifestyle does, and the privacy, the owner's most important issue, from the unpleasant surroundings. While the house needs privacy, it still has to be roomy and clear in the same time.  © Ketsiree Wongwan  Plan 1  © Ketsiree Wongwan Therefore, the concept design begins with studying the surrounding buildings about their height to outside-in and inside-out view of the house, to fit each function to the site appropriately. In the other hand, the surrounding buildings are not only the conditions but also the assistance to help the architects plan the layout and zoning of this house. In order to achieve such requirements, the wall planes are created for screening out the outside-in view, opening the inside-out view and creating an internal space in the same time. The main area of the house is the common area where owners can have a dinner and take 180 degree view of the green area through the swimming pool. Each wall plane is intentionally designed to float and locate around the house to define the house's view and shade out the sunlight getting into the area simultaneously.  © Ketsiree Wongwan  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Space of Engraving Lights / J.R Architects Posted: 16 Apr 2018 03:00 PM PDT  © Yu-Chen Tsao
 © Yu-Chen Tsao Text description provided by the architects. Within the alleyways of Tainan, there sits a brick house that emits lights. One can see sunrise, the elderly neighbor, and the birds resting on the pole of the house.  © Yu-Chen Tsao The building was originally an outdated hostel hidden in the old alleyway and is now renovated into an office space. From the early site investigation, we noticed the wooden partition walls were all unusable due to the lack of maintenance and aging. The overly done expansions rendered the interior space dark and chaotic; however, we saw rays of lights penetrated through the fragmented apertures and engraved stardust-like spots on the walls.  © Yu-Chen Tsao That image sparked the initial concept idea. For the project, we wanted to insert a unique yet humble design within the region. In order to response to the local geo-context, we chose to use brick facade with large geometric openings along with some scattered punctures, which were inspired from the lighting spots on the walls. We chipped off the painted surface of the interior walls to reveal the materiality of bricks and put on white environmentally-friendly paint to create a more contemporary and lively ambience.  © Yu-Chen Tsao  Section  © Yu-Chen Tsao Light is the soul of this project. Meanwhile, the brick walls are merely the skins of the containment. In order to allow lights to re-enter the old building, the design team removed some of the second floor decks and roof panels. The once clustered house now has been released, and allows the light to come into the interior space and outdoor courtyard. We kept the wooden post and lintel system to enclose the negative space with old house frame, and reinforced the wood with steel structures, which can also be the supports for lighting fixtures that create a more dynamic lighting and shadow effect.  © Yu-Chen Tsao  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 16 Apr 2018 01:00 PM PDT  © Youngchae Park
 © Youngchae Park Text description provided by the architects. Lucia's garden is located in the old downtown of Gong-Ju city. (Gong-Ju is one of the oldest historical city in Korea.) The house was originally built in 1964.: the first house was mainly built on the soil of unmade yard, and has two small rooms , a tiny kitchen, and a narrow attic. However, when it comes to the story how the first house of Lucia's garden was built it gave us different look of the ruined old house.  Sketch. Image Courtesy of studio_GAON 50 years ago, there was a family man he was poor but always try to be a good husband and a father to his five loving children. He was very determined to own a house for his family but it was not easy for him. So, he decided to build a small house by himself. However, the small house was not just little for him, it was too big for him alone. It took over 3 years to complete a basic house of 33 square meter size. : He had to earn and save for a single nail. He had to stop the construction when it ran out its stocks. And then back again when he earned the stocks , and stop again.......After all he completed his dream house, not much longer he lived there. Because of his sudden death. He lived there for only 3 years.  © Youngchae Park Since he died, his wife and children never left there and look after the small house. After children had grown up and left home to a big city for working, yet his wife were still living in there. She loved a small flower garden where planted long way beside of the house wall. For her, the house was not just an empty nest but a house for love and belief. She was very faithful to go to the Cathedral nearby the house. People called her Stella which is her baptismal name. She lived in the house until she died. Since that there was no one left in the house. The house was abandoned for years. No one interested in a ruined empty house until an unexpected visitor walking through the house.  Sketch. Image Courtesy of studio_GAON She seemed a middle aged women. Her name is Lucia. She was seeking to buy a house but hard to find what she really liked one. Meanwhile she found an alleyway that was too narrow to drive down. Almost instinctively she got off the car walking through the narrow alleyway ,and saw the abandoned house. The steel house gate that rusted and broken was hanging on the tilt. The pieces of the broken earthen pots and fallen bricks and blocks were everywhere. (in Korea, Traditionally, the home made soy sauce , soybean paste and red pepper paste have been naturally fermented over years in large earthen pots outdoors. It is not just a condiment but represents the history of a family.) At the south part of house wall , there were a broken refrigerator and worn out household goods dumped at the courtyard. However, she really liked the house. In terms of its location she thought it is very quiet. Particularly, when she saw the small flower garden where planted long way beside of the house wall, she made up her mind to buy it, 'No need to think it over anymore!'  © Youngchae Park Not until that she did not know the house was Stella's. Actually she knew Stella , not a close friend but they went to the same Cathedral. Now the small flower garden Stella loved has led to Lucia's hands. The ruined house might have chosen the best landlady because she was the only one who saw the house ,not a ruined, as a treasure.  © Youngchae Park After hearing all the stories, we planned to mend the house like reknitting a thick sweater worn to a thread. First, we began to demolish it as a normal procedure for renovation but we speculated what to remove and what to remain, like saying remain is main, sadness become happiness and memories become histories , each meaning of the place regarded as a means of remodeling. As Lucia's wish that remain all breathing of Stella's trace, we replaced and reused torn down the old part of the house like the ship of Theseus. The wooden veranda that collapsed by corrosion has become an antique table and a vintage shelf. The closet that placed at the space in between two room as a partition has moved to the floor and become a dish cabinet. The broken earthen pots has become flower pots with the soil of unmade yard. The rusted steel house gate and the rough cement roof tiles have been remained at the original position. The transparent plastic awning has become the same shape of bright iron plate shading.  © Youngchae Park The house was situated on the long site ,south to north, faced to east, when you enter the house you can not see the front of the house ,only possible to see the side of the house. Hence we have torn down the wall and put a window bring the sun light into the house. And also it makes that looks like it as a main facade. Furthermore, we had to do something about the narrow and dark attic: we removed the ceiling and exposed the structure of rafter, in order to make it more specious and to bring more sun light. While we removed them we remained something old traces like window frames and patterns of glass kitchen door. Likewise we have attempted to remain the old traces as much as we could but exploited the modern convenience applied as a material component.  Longitudinal section 2 While the power of nature can be forever the human life can not be. I think it is not a matter of eternity but the acceptance of constant changings and movings. Thus, although the changing of Stella to Lucia it will be continued as long as the power of nature exist. That is why we named the house as Lucia's garden: In Korean, soil, land, yard, garden and earth means all the same and represented as Mother Nature. We just looked into the small flower garden as the will of the house and it has led us to a way how architecture can be sustained over time.  © Youngchae Park  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Honeyworks House / Paul Butterworth Architect Posted: 16 Apr 2018 12:00 PM PDT .jpg?1523619637 "© Christopher Frederick Jones") © Christopher Frederick Jones
.jpg?1523619553 "© Christopher Frederick Jones") © Christopher Frederick Jones The wish list of Brisbane empty nesters Peter and Jacquelyn was simple. They wanted an affordable new home with plenty of room to accommodate their grandchildren, and Peter's honey-manufacturing business. Architect Paul Butterworth found the sweet spot — delivering 'Honeyworks House' on budget and surpassing the couple's design expectations. Central to the brief was a desire to create safe, light-filled spaces in which their young grandchildren could play. Mindful of the couple's modest budget, Paul Butterworth devised a way to deliver the pair ample space, along with little luxuries. .jpg?1523619681 "© Christopher Frederick Jones") © Christopher Frederick Jones "Essentially, we had two choices," Paul explains. "We could build multiple rooms that would be predominantly unoccupied most of the year, or we could create one large multi-modular area and distribute the remaining budget to elegant touches to elevate everyday living." The latter plan delivered a practical, yet luxurious solution. Paul humbly describes the design as a little akin to a warehouse conversion. "The home basically comprises two metal boxes, conjoined in an L-shape configuration," he says. A burnished slab and plasterboard walls were chosen for their high function and low cost. Then, the bulk of the budget was deployed to fill the box-like shapes with beautiful fixtures and fittings.  Floor Plan Elegant tapware, custom lighting, timber veneer cabinetry and luxurious stone products all combine to transform everyday living into a truly joyful experience. Meanwhile, the multi-purpose room features a queen-size bed concealed behind a wall of rich Tasmanian blackwood. Other thoughtful features include a two-way mirror in the powder room, designed to showcase both the home's entry and its central courtyard. .jpg?1523619722 "© Christopher Frederick Jones") © Christopher Frederick Jones In total, three outdoor spaces are easily accessible to the residents and visitors of Honeyworks House. In addition to the internal courtyard, the back garden also plays a vital role in this family home. Here, Peter nourishes his business interests with a honey harvesting, spinning and bottling facility. Meanwhile, plots in the back garden grow watermelons, corn, grapes, passionfruit … and a healthy array of other fruit and veg. .jpg?1523619856 "© Christopher Frederick Jones") © Christopher Frederick Jones The front garden too is a highly productive space. Paul ensured the landscape design incorporated plants to attract bees to the property. This is, after all, an apiarist's address! An advocate of sustainable design, Paul recycled some of the brickwork from the original home that was demolished to make way for Honeyworks House. The salvaged white concrete breeze blocks not only provide a visual point of contrast but also help circulate cool air throughout the home's interior. .jpg?1523619835 "© Christopher Frederick Jones") © Christopher Frederick Jones Both externally and internally, Paul has deployed red bricks reminiscent of those found throughout the streetscape. It was a very deliberate decision to help create both a sense of domesticity and connection with neighbouring homes. "We wanted Honeyworks House to feel comfortable in its surroundings, without mimicking its surroundings," Paul explains. Based on the residents' own appraisal, Paul has certainly succeeded in designing a house that not only suits its environs but it's inhabitants too. "I really feel a sense of calmness when I walk through my front door — I'm instantly relaxed," owner Peter says. "I was very happy with Paul's approach. He was always open to our input but steered us away from any impractical ideas. Paul's up to speed with the latest materials and he's got a great group of contacts." .jpg?1523619701 "© Christopher Frederick Jones") © Christopher Frederick Jones
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| Lazaridis Hall / Diamond Schmitt Architects Posted: 16 Apr 2018 10:00 AM PDT  © doublespace photography
 © doublespace photography Text description provided by the architects. Lazaridis Hall is the new home of the School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. The building also houses the Department of Mathematics and a center for entrepreneurship and social innovation.  The design brief was to craft a highly sustainable building and to support the development of academic and community leaders with management and economics skills for a complex and changing global environment.  East-West Section The design response is a flexible facility that serves a variety of functions, including academic program delivery, faculty and administration offices, gathering and peer learning areas to serve the entire campus, a multi-purpose auditorium and a seasonal conference agenda. To satisfy the demands of the growing technology focus in the region – Waterloo is the heart of Canada's technology triangle – the building serves as a state-of-the-art incubator to promote collaborative research between the university and community.  The building is designed as a landmark to create identity and to signal expansion of a new campus precinct. Curvilinear wood-lined volumes define large spaces at either end of the building and disrupt the rigor of the stratified orthogonal façade. These are given further emphasis by the significant cantilevered space above the 1000-seat elliptical auditorium and positioning the 300-seat lecture hall in a double-stacked drum that appears to 'float' above a glass-encased café.  First Floor Plan These moves express an effortless simplicity that belie the underlying complexity of this hybrid steel and concrete building. A syncopation of charcoal grey zinc panels furthers the volumetric deconstruction of this large building to contextually fit into the community. These considerations allow for a fully expressive, multi-featured design to achieve the client's many objectives.  © doublespace photography Woven into the site topography is a continuous ground plane linking the exterior and interior with ramps, stairs and seating plinths. A continuation of building shape, materials and palette further supports this inviting and seamless transition. At the center is a large wood-lined atrium, a crossroads around which a generosity and variety of spaces are immediately apparent. This public square is bathed in natural light beneath an undulating freeform skylight that reinforces themes of transparency and connectivity to create an engaging space in which to gather and learn.  © doublespace photography Informal study lounge space and breakout rooms interspersed around the atrium on all levels are designed to facilitate the sort of informal exchange that supports peer learning and collaboration. A range of educational settings includes active learning classrooms to support new pedagogies. A mix of academic offices (240) and classrooms throughout create adjacencies designed to break down silos and facilitate encounter. Expansive hallways with moveable furnishings and nooks further enhance the opportunity for interaction.  © Tom Arban The large 140ft x 70ft structural glass and steel freeform skylight creates a light-infused space in the atrium at the heart of Lazaridis Hall. This efficient, lightweight structure contains an undulating architecturally exposed triangulated steel frame that allowed for minimal customization, supporting economy, prefabrication, ease of installation and an elegant design solution. The skylight is calibrated to maximize sky views and through the use of 40 percent surface fritting and high-performance low-e coatings, a comfortable interior is achieved without glare or solar gain. From design through construction, this feature was realized through Building Information Modelling (BIM), as was the entire building.  © doublespace photography Lazaridis Hall reframes this inward-looking campus and enlivens the streetscape to create a new urbanity and profile. The building bridges the physical divide from the main campus with a fully glazed ground floor that conveys a sense of openness and accessibility.  The building targets LEED Gold and the 2030 Challenge through comprehensive and fully integrated systems that make this an exemplar of sustainable design on a large scale.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| NEWSUBSTANCE's Coachella Pavilion Takes Visitors on a Journey of Light and Color Posted: 16 Apr 2018 09:00 AM PDT UK-based design studio NEWSUBSTANCE has debuted at the Coachella Valley Music & Art Festival with a seven-floor pavilion taking visitors on an "ever-changing journey of light, color and perspective." The 75-foot-high (23-meter-high) pavilion named "Spectra" consists of a spiral form featuring an observation deck at its peak, projecting a rainbow band of color. The dazzling color scheme is produced by the separation of light waves by their varying degrees of refraction, embodying the lively spirit of the Coachella festival. Through this manipulation of the physical properties of light, Spectra is capable of producing over 16 million colors. Spectra seeks to explore the relationship between light and landscape, and how it influences visitors who transition through it. Set against the color-enriched sunrises and sunsets across the festival, from burning red in the morning to rich blues and purples in the evening, Spectra engulfs visitors in contrasting or complimentary artificial color as they move through the pavilion.
Spectra's color scheme responds to the natural Coachella lightscape in varying ways throughout the day, sometimes perfectly blended into the California sky, sometimes sitting in stark contrast. A journey through the pavilion rewards visitors with unique views of the festival landscape, withdrawn from the lively buzz of the Coachella festival in a peaceful, serene atmosphere. News via: NEWSUBSTANCE
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| Mais Fitness Fitness Club / Estúdio AMATAM Posted: 16 Apr 2018 08:00 AM PDT  © Gentleman
 © Gentleman Text description provided by the architects. What is it to be MAIS (plus) FITNESS? Understanding the charisma behind one existing brand is to comprehend that what defines it is the people. It is the will to belong to this “tribe” that makes the people to join and want to belong to this fitness community. From this concept comes the motto for this new gym in Torres Vedras, a middle size city in the West region of Portugal. Our main challenge was the creation of a spatial image identity for this and future MAIS FITNESS gyms.  © Gentleman A tribe communicates by symbols and colors, and it was this language that we proposed to identify in order to affirm the identity of the MAIS FITNESS brand. The new gym was to be settle in an existing building, so much of the formal exercise was to accept the characteristics of the existing and when possible adapt and reformulate it, so as to make the most of the spatial qualities in behalf of what we intended to transform this gym into.  Axonometric At the programmatic level, the task was simple. The charisma of MAIS FITNESS is associated with people’s positive energy, and the sharing of this energy in group classes with the maximum number of athletes. Thus, a XXL studio was mandatory - the bigger the better! The definition of the positioning of this space in the layout, as well as the existing access stairs to its interior, were the predominant factors in the program distribution. Placing the reception desk as a nuclear point of the circulation dynamics inside the gym was one of the requirements. Hence, its centrality, allow establishing relations with the lounge area, the studios, the office and service area, and even with the changing rooms. For the creation of the brand spatial identity, we sought to explore concepts associated with its universe: elegance and energy, black and yellow, - and +. By exploring these elements in different intensities in spaces environments, chromatic compositions and graphic patterns, we intend to transmit an exclusive, coherent, contemporaneous and unique identity, inseparable from what MAIS FITNESS represents. The positioning of the brand dictated the remaining options. We avoided conveying a Low Cost design connotation, but rather a democratic premium. The environments of the spaces, as well as the choice of materials reflects this, elegance and good taste, with a touch of irreverence in the details. We believe that less is more, so we sought to take advantage of a sensible and just pallet of materials, in order to convey unity but also differentiation between the different uses of the gym.  © Gentleman CHANGING ROOMS  © Gentleman SOCIAL AREAS  © Gentleman  Plan  © Gentleman In the lounge area, the ambience becomes whiter, giving preponderance to the fabulous view and the green elements that are randomly placed, stimulating a certain emotional relaxation and well-being, combined with the comfortable and relaxed furniture.  © Gentleman CORRIDOR  © Gentleman SPINNING STUDIO  © Gentleman  © Gentleman FITNESS STUDIO  © Gentleman UNDERGROUND SPACE  © Gentleman  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 22 Projects Named Continental Winners of Prix Versailles 2018 Posted: 16 Apr 2018 07:00 AM PDT  Apple Store Michigan Avenue © Nigel Young - Il Mercato image © Documentación Arquitectónica - Ateliê Wäls image © Daniel Mansur - Japan House São Paulo image © FLAGRANTE - Norton Restaurant Image © Haruo Mikami - Ixi'im Restaurant Image © Eduardo Calvo Santisbón. Image On Saturday in Santiago, Chile, the Prix Versailles Committee announced the continental winners of its annual awards celebrating built commercial architecture. Ten winning projects in Central America, the South and the Caribbean and twelve in North America are awarded in four categories: stores, shopping malls, hotels and restaurants. In May, built projects in Africa and Asia will be awarded in Algiers and Beijing. The European winners will be announced in Paris. Continental Winners Central America, the South and the Caribbean:RestaurantsRestaurants - Prix Versailles Central America, the South and the Caribbean 2018 Restaurants - Special Prize Interior  Ateliê Wäls / Gustavo Penna Arquiteto e Associados. Image © Daniel Mansur Restaurants - Special Prize Exterior  STANDARD 69 / CAPÓ estudio. Image © Gonzalo Viramonte Shopping Malls Norton Restaurant / BLOCO Arquitetos. Image © Haruo Mikami Shopping Malls - Prix Versailles Central America, the South and the Caribbean 2018: Shops & StoresShops & Stores - Prix Versailles Central America, the South and the Caribbean 2018 Shops & Stores - Special Prize Interior:  Japan House São Paulo / Kengo Kuma & Associates. Image © FLAGRANTE Shops & Stores - Special Prize Exterior: HotelsHotels - Prix Versailles Central America, the South and the Caribbean 2018 Hotels - Special Prize Interior Hotels - Special Prize Exterior Continental winners North America Tierra Chiloé Hotel / Mobil Arquitectos. Image © Nico Saieh Shopping MallsShopping Malls - Prix Versailles North America 2018: Shopping Malls - Special prize Interior  Il Mercato / Landa + Martínez Arquitectos. Image © Documentación Arquitectónica Shopping Malls - Special prize Exterior Shops & StoresShops & Stores - Prix Versailles North America 2018: Shops & Stores - Special prize Interior: Shops & Stores - Special prize Exterior: Restaurants Apple Store Michigan Avenue, Chicago / Foster + Partners. Image © Nigel Young Restaurants - Prix Versailles North America 2018 Restaurants - Special Prize Interior  Ixi'im Restaurant / Jorge Bolio Arquitectura + Lavalle + Peniche Arquitectos + Mauricio Gallegos Arquitectos + Central de Proyectos SCP. Image © Eduardo Calvo Santisbón Restaurants - Special Prize Exterior HotelsHotels - Prix Versailles North America 2018 Hotels - Special Prize Interior Hotels - Special Prize Exterior  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Old Building Renovation on Zhenbang Road / TEAM BLDG Posted: 16 Apr 2018 06:00 AM PDT  © Eiichi Kano
 © Eiichi Kano Text description provided by the architects. 114 Zhenbang Road is a restaurant project renovated from a historical building with traditional "Qilou" – arcade surroundings. It is distinctive for the original archi-tectural form and its unique location, Zhongshan Road which was the old city cen-ter in Xiamen. Existing buildings in this area can be traced back to 1920s, as a common architecture typology of arcade in the southern Fujian area. Our project is a five-storey arcade, located in the street corner, with the area of 45 sqm per floor  Diagram The site context and architectural features are significant aspects of design con-siderations at the same time of meeting functional requirements. Although all the buildings in the surrounding are arcade, the street elevation seems to be some-what littery on account of long time and lack of maintenance.  © Eiichi Kano We hope that the reborn elevation can bring the lightsome and lively atmosphere to the old street and maintain the inner relationship with the traditional architectural form. Therefore, we modify the original facade design into aluminum grating, adopting the size of local red brick in Xiamen as a module to express the traditional form with modern material.  © Eiichi Kano Furthermore, the rhythm of holes in the grating is designed with parameterization according to the daily light data. As a result, there will be gradual change of density from top to bottom, so that the daylighting and heat preservation can be guaran-teed.  © Eiichi Kano  2F plan  © Eiichi Kano Interior design emphasizes the contrast of light and heavy, dark and light to the ex-ternal facade. In addition, terrazzo is applied in the area of floor and wall, and con-sequently forms a grey core vertically running through 5 floors. In the evening, the livest time in the Zhongshan Road area, it can be seen even in the distance as a self-luminous volume with massive inner core and lightsome frock.  © Eiichi Kano  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Edoardo Tresoldi Unveils Neoclassical Wire Mesh Sculpture at Coachella Festival Posted: 16 Apr 2018 05:00 AM PDT  © Roberto Conte Italian artist Edoardo Tresoldi, known for his majestic wire mesh sculptures, has unveiled his biggest artwork to date for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California. Titled "Etherea," the site-specific installation represents the culmination of Tresoldi's research in the music field, realized as three transparent structures taking inspiration from Neoclassical and Baroque architecture. The Italian artist has established a reputation for wire mesh sculptures, having been named by Forbes as one of the 30 most influential European artists. The Etherea sculpture represents the artist's investigation into architecture as a tool for contemplation, a "dedicated space where the sky and clouds are narrated through the language of classical architecture."  © Roberto Conte  © Roberto Conte The transparent wire mesh of Etherea consists of three structures, measuring 36, 54, and 72 feet in height, representing a significant change in scale from Tresoldi's previous works. The scheme's transparency allows the California landscape to penetrate the space, with the form of the wire mesh filtering and influencing the internal atmosphere.  © Roberto Conte  © Roberto Conte
 © Roberto Conte  © Roberto Conte Designed for continuous interaction with the festival's audience, Etherea forms an anchored public space within the temporary city created for Coachella. The scheme seeks to embody the spirit of the festival itself, an artwork designed to express the transient nature of clouds, and the majesty of the natural environment.  © Roberto Conte  © Roberto Conte The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival will take place over two consecutive weekends, on April 13-15 and 20-22, 2018. News via: Edoardo Tresoldi
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| Library, Museum and Community Center ‘De Petrus’ / Molenaar&Bol&vanDillen Architects Posted: 16 Apr 2018 04:00 AM PDT  © Stijn Poelstra
 © Stijn Poelstra Text description provided by the architects. After an extensive renovation the church, which dates from 1884, was redeveloped into a multifunctional center containing a library and a museum but also a bar and shops.  © Stijn Poelstra All functions are blended into a large open space which is open to the public. The most striking element is the mezzanine floor. This distinctive element gives the church a new look fitting for its new function. The 500 m2 (5380 sq ft) floor accommodates additional functions such as a study area and meeting rooms. The first floor also houses technical facilities as heating, acoustic covering and lighting. The mezzanine is placed mainly in the aisles so the original spatial quality of the church is preserved. The first floor offers new and spectacular views of the church.  Ground Floor Plan  Section  First Floor Plan The bookshelves are placed on a rail system so they can be moved to the aisles of the church. In this setting the church can be used for large events several times a year. Because of this the church floor can be used in a highly flexible way, providing room for events on all scales as well as functioning as a library.  © Stijn Poelstra On the outside the church space is expanded. The mezzanine floor continues outside as the roof of four pavilions connected to the church. A restaurant is located in the garden pavilion on the south side of the church.  © Stijn Poelstra  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Next Sustainability Crisis: Humans Are Using So Much Sand That We May Actually Run Out Posted: 16 Apr 2018 02:30 AM PDT  Objects made of Finite, a material developed by students from Imperial College London using desert sand. Image Courtesy of Finite Sand is the most-consumed natural resource in the world after water and air. Modern cities are built out of it. In the construction industry alone, it is estimated that 25 billion tons of sand and gravel are used every year. That may sound a lot, but it's not a surprising figure when you consider how everything you're surrounded with is probably made of the stuff. But it's running out. This is a scary fact to think about once you realize that sand is required to make both concrete and asphalt, not to mention every single window on this planet. The United Nations Environment Programme found out that from 2011 to 2013, China alone used more cement than the United States had used in the entire 20th century and in 2012, the world used enough concrete to build a wall around the equator that would be 89 feet high and 89 feet thick (27 by 27 meters).  Objects made of Finite, a material developed by students from Imperial College London using desert sand. Image Courtesy of Finite Many of us have the common misconception that sand is an infinite resource, but the harsh reality is that it isn't. At the rate we are using it, countries such as Vietnam could run out by as soon as 2020, as estimated by the country's Ministry of Construction. A specific sand is required for use in construction and, unfortunately, the abundance of sand from the world's deserts is of very little use to us, as the grains are too smooth and fine to bind together. The usable sand we need can take years to form and with our current consumption, it's just not sustainable. This issue has only been raised over the last ten years or so. At last year's Dutch Design Week, Atelier NL held a symposium in which they discussed the subject and brought it to the attention of the media: "As the urbanization of our modern world expands, so does the need for this unassuming resource," said Atelier NL's Nadine Sterk and Lonny van Ryswyck. "Yet sand is being excavated at a rate faster than it can renew itself. It is disappearing from shorelines, rivers, and seabeds, causing disastrous effects for both environmental and human systems."  Sand samples collected for Atelier NL's project <em>To See a World in a Grain of Sand</em>. Image Courtesy of Atelier NL As the demand for sand continues unabated, so do the worldwide problems associated with it. The multibillion-dollar industry is causing onshore sources to become depleted and sand miners are turning to less favorable supplies. Dozens of islands have already vanished in Indonesia, according to a 2015 WIRED article, and the damage to ecosystems has been so vast that countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia have all put restrictions or bans on exports of sand. However, the restrictions on sand exports are only adding fuel to the fire; illegal sand mining has attracted criminal gangs to sell the material on the black market and countless lives have been lost as collateral. Further to the concerns of the "sand mafia," are the worries that tighter restrictions on sand exports will cause the price of sand to surge. Of course, this is no new phenomenon—we have seen this pattern again and again with other non-renewable materials.  Glass samples created from sand collected in Atelier NL's project <em>To See a World in a Grain of Sand</em>. Image Courtesy of Atelier NL If we want to prevent any further damage to ecosystems and to people's lives, we need to re-evaluate how much sand we are using and where it is coming from. In the 21st century, it is almost impossible to look beyond a world in which our previous sand resources are depleted, so several companies and start-up firms have begun to seek alternatives, using the "wild sand" that would normally be deemed unusable. Atelier NL, who presented their project To See a World in a Grain of Sand at last year's Dutch Design Week, called upon people to send sand samples from across the world to study the varieties in their compositions when melted into glass, with the ultimate aim of discouraging long-distance imports. The results are simply beautiful, with colors and textures unique to their location.  Objects made of Finite, a material developed by students from Imperial College London using desert sand. Image Courtesy of Finite A group of four students from Imperial College London have also been taking advantage of the abundance of wild sand that is often overlooked. The start-up has developed a composite material, suitably named "Finite," made from desert sand that shares the same strength as housing bricks and residential concrete. However, in comparison to concrete, it has less than half the carbon footprint due to the simple process using organic binders and has the added advantage of being reusable—offering an environmentally friendly material choice for short-term infrastructure projects.  Objects made of Finite, a material developed by students from Imperial College London using desert sand. Image Courtesy of Finite Although both of these alternatives are in the early stages of development, they look to find a solution to this very 21st-century problem. Much like the earth's other non-renewable resources, we need to change our perspective on sand. So next time you decide to use it in construction, take a moment to think about all of the implications, not just on the planet, but on people's lives.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Red Brick Country Auditorium / Huazhong University of Science and Technology + ADAP Architects Posted: 16 Apr 2018 02:00 AM PDT  © Gangyi Tan, Jinghao Feng
 © Gangyi Tan, Jinghao Feng Text description provided by the architects. We would prefer to share the story between us and the farm owner (Mr. Xiong) rather than simplying outlining the design concept to the readers. Nanyao Zui, in Liangzi Lake district of Ezhou City, is the birth place of Nanyao according to the local people. Mr. Xiong who claims to be the descendant of the king of Chu appears to have inherited some of his ancestral craftsmanship.  © Gangyi Tan, Jinghao Feng
 © Gangyi Tan, Jinghao Feng When it's the golden time for iron and steel industry, Mr. Xiong built a shaft furnace with about 200,000 red bricks to make pellet (crushing and sintering coal gangue into a ball). Unfortunately, the steel market fell sharply before two batches of products produced and the shaft fell into disuse. Afterwards, Mr. Xiong starts to run this agritainment . And when it comes to the movement of Beautiful Village, he is dedicated to renovate his farm and cottages.  The auditorium and blast furnace define a narrow lane, which develops a dialogue between old and new arches. Image © Gangyi Tan, Jinghao Feng This small village auditorium was born in this context after two years' construction. We were impressed by the simple form and powerful force of the blast furnace as well as the perseverance of Mr. Xiong when we first arrived at this village. Considering that this "rural industry" reflects the influence of supply-demand relationship between the urban and rural markets on rural industry, and the rugged style of this "structure" also reflects a kind of country aesthetic, we discouraged Mr. Xiong when he was planning to remove the brick blast furnace used as the materials of the reconstruction of Beautiful Village. Its scientific, artistic and historical value are insignificant, which can be viewed as a unique memory and symbol of the village that have endowed it with a special temperament.  The auditorium first floor plan We suggest that the depot and platform on one side of the blast furnace should be renovated as a stage for the village show, and the blast furnace becomes a stage background, which could create incomparable momentum more than any indoor theaters or outdoor performance fields. Certainly, the stage is also supported by brick arch, echoing the base of the blast furnace.  © Gangyi Tan, Jinghao Feng The empty space near the platform is used as a distribution square, simply levelled. We adapted our measures to local conditions and planted fruits, vegetables and flowers on theset-back areas to beautify the surrounding environment around the stage. The left corner protruding out of the stage was once designed as a locker room and lounge. However, the performance route is not fluent. we utilize the spiral brick column to lift a tile roof in order to create a raised small stage, responding to the big one. The juxtaposition of different performance spaces is conducive to different performance, which can create a rather dramatic effect. Especially in the village, the small stage can be decorated as the loving netting fibers for the bride in the wedding. What surprises us is that there are a series of country shows being held when we just tided up the stage, including even international country rock concerts.  The single arch in the middle of the lane. Image © Gangyi Tan, Jinghao Feng Flash past half a year, the other side of the blast furnace was still piled up with rusted coal burning machines (which was later placed on the slope for decoration) and various sundries. As the rapid construction of the village, we suggested Mr. Xiong to transform this area into a small auditorium for the villagers or tourists, which could also be a tasteful dining room of his agritainment. What's important is that the space could also be used by the performers for changing costumes and resting.  The exhibition of ironmaking processes It was still a bold red brick, It was still a simple and repetitive form of logic. Seven successive vaults form the roof with the middle one indented, forming a side yard with the retaining wall. Originally, we had already discussed with Mr. Xiong about the construction methods of the vault and brickwork. However, Mr. Xiong, who would always neglect the drawings, adopted the most common red brick erection when he started to construct the vault. We went back to the site again, tried the procedure of Catalonian arch with Mr. Xiong, and then created a hybrid approach, that is to say there are actually three types of masonry on the seven vaults.  The auditorium forms a side yard with the retaining wall. Image © Gangyi Tan, Jinghao Feng According to our request, the pillar-covering bricks couldn't be built to the top, so that to achieve the effect that we expected of the suspending roof. We jointly selected the location of the toilet. It is separated from the auditorium and connected with the small stage on the other side of the blast furnace by steps. As a result, the space on both sides is naturally connected and vivid.  The flowing space inside the auditorium. Image © Gangyi Tan, Jinghao Feng Mr. Xiong added a love pattern made of wine bottles to our design of the retaining wall construction, I am not sure whether it is a gift made for his beautiful wife, but it's the " self-assertions" of Mr. Xiong that make the space have another kind of countryside style. Such a country auditorium does not have large room for party functions as the general auditoriums, otherwise. It creates another prototype by the vague indoor and outdoor spaces, the route and use of performance and viewing space of the stage.  The blast furnace at the junction is the sign of this village. Image © Gangyi Tan, Jinghao Feng  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| This Wooden Geodesic Dome Contains the World's Largest Planetarium Posted: 16 Apr 2018 01:00 AM PDT  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko The project inscribed inside a gasholder in St. Petersburg, aims to transform an industrial area into an educational and scientific center with a large projection screen. The fun part? It is located in a large geodesic dome. The geometric model is made up of mainly with wood and metal links for a light and resistant construction. From the architects. The geodesic dome of the Planetarium is part of a large-scale idea to transform an industrial area into a modern architectural project and a scientific and educational center with "the world's largest planetarium."  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko The central building of the planetarium is a gasholder on a water canal, an architectural monument with historical connotations. Built in 1884 by Rudolf Bernhard for the "City Lighting Society" of St. Petersburg for storage and supply of gas for street lamps, it has remained abandoned for 120 years since the appearance of electricity. In 2015, the future author and inspirer of the project saw the gasholder for the first time and a thought about a large planetarium that would be inscribed into the existing design came into his mind. Two years later, this dream, seemingly fleeting and incredible, came true — the planetarium was opened on November 4, 2017.  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko In this ingenious way, history gave a second chance to the gasholder by retaining its main function of lighting and recreating it with the help of modern construction technologies and visual projection art:
 © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko Structurally, the gasholder is a brick tower of 42 m in diameter and 20 m in height, with a total volume of 40,000 cubic meters. On the top of the building, there is a Schwedler dome with radial metal trusses, connected by rods forming a self-stressed "bicycle wheel" structure. Such constructions laid the foundation for the development of lightweight load-bearing coating systems for large-diameter spaces.  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko The appearance of a geodesic dome inside the Schwedler dome seemed to demonstrate the next stage in the development of these kind of systems, based on a more optimal (in terms of structure) geometric model of construction. It is noteworthy that the first full-size geodesic dome (based on the icosahedron) also was a planetarium, opened in Jena in 1926.  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko Proceeding from the task of constructing a three-dimensional projection screen in a half-sphere of 37 meters in diameter, the corresponding scheme was selected. 10-frequency sphere dictated the choice of the material of its parts (foamed PVC). The geometry of the fullerene (hexagonal grid) is applied as a structure. Thus, in each triangle of the geodesic dome framework, a hexagonal element is inscribed. Each element is surrounded by other elements forming a single screen, which consists of 1400 parts of 36 dimension types.  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko The frame of the dome is made of LVL-beams (150×75 in cross-section) on steel connectors called "Haeckel" (named after the German naturalist, explorer of natural forms) that resemble starfish. In total, the framesett consists of 1500 beams and 507 steel connectors, and the weight of the whole structure is 20 tons.  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko In the process of construction, the engineers faced the challenge to design, produce and assemble a central projection sphere for 39 projectors that could evenly illuminate the huge screen of the planetarium. Given the overall hexagonal screen geometry, they decided to use the fullerene C60 molecule model for the external form of the central pyramid of projectors. Designers used cad-simulations of strength and airflows from heating projectors (generating about 18 kW of heat), selecting for the optimal thickness of the metal to lighten the construction and accelerate and simplify the assembling process.  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko Scientifically speaking, such a fractal nesting of fullerenes of the same frequency in another fullerene is literally called a "Russian matryoshka." It perfectly describes this historical object.  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko The project was designed, produced, assembled and launched in 2 months by the community of private dreamers, engineers, architects. Due to budget constraints and tight deadlines, the team mobilized a network of small local workshops, which designed various elements of the construction. The "DomesWorld" international community of dome builders brought them together in the construction site (10 to 30 people worked on the site during the whole month).  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko Evgeny Gudov and the team of the Art-technologies company worked on the Planetarium multimedia content and equipment, synchronization of projectors and public event design. His previous projects were dedicated to multimedia animation. He "animated" paintings by Russian and foreign artists ("Living Canvases") and created projection museums in various cities of Russia.  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko  © Anastasia Ra, Daria Priroda, Olga Romanenko Now, the first part of the project — the planetarium and educational platforms — is implemented: there is a lecture hall and a laboratory-workshop. The next stage is the construction of a whole scientific cluster consisting of a star hall, a museum of space exhibits, VR-halls, education classes and an observatory. The estimated capacity of the planetarium after accomplishing the main stages of construction is 1 million persons per year.   Design and production: Geosota Company  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| AD Classics: Arts United Center / Louis Kahn Posted: 15 Apr 2018 11:00 PM PDT  © Jeffery Johnson In 1961, the architect Louis I. Kahn was commissioned by the Fine Arts Foundation to design and develop a large arts complex in central Fort Wayne, Indiana. The ambitious Fine Art Center, now known as the Arts United Center, would cater to the community of 180,000 by providing space for an orchestra, theatre, school, gallery, and much more. As a Lincoln Center in miniature, the developers had hoped to update and upgrade the city through new civic architecture. However, due to budget constraints, only a fraction of the overall scheme was completed. It is one of Kahn's lesser-known projects that spanned over a decade, and his only building in the Midwest.  © Jeffery Johnson Kahn's original proposal encompassed a philharmonic hall, art school, gallery and civic theatre bound together in a large complex. Yet, troubles began early in the project as the architect's 20 million dollar estimate dwarfed the expected 2.5 million dollar cost of the Fine Arts Center.  © Jeffery Johnson From 1961 to 1964, while also completing the Richards Medical Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Kahn and his office worked a series of schemes for the expansive project. A collection of plaster models held by MoMA reveal Kahn's intention to arrive at a single entrance for all activities—accessed either by foot or car. "I think when all these activities come together, there is a kind of thing that is created," Kahn said. "They surely function in themselves but when they come together there is something new." [1] These interests in the relationally of building and program would, like a majority of the project, bow to economics. The mundane realities of parking meant Kahn's intention for an elevated parking tower as part of the complex would vanish in later study models.  © Jeffery Johnson .jpg?1522862463 "© Jeffery Johnson") © Jeffery Johnson A more developed scheme appears to have been settled around 1964. A site plan reveals a campus of nine buildings orbiting around central courts and gardens. In this concept, the Philharmonic Hall was linked to the Theater of Performing Arts by an octagonal Philharmonic Annex bridging the spaces. A central courtyard connected these theatres to the Historical Museum, Art Museum, Reception Centre, and Amphitheatre while the School of Art occupied four separate structures at the edge of the site.[2]  © Jeffery Johnson However, by 1964 funding for the project was scarce. His plans for the Fine Arts Center were put on hold until 1966 when attention turned from the larger complex to the design of the Theatre of Performing Arts. Developed while finishing the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, Kahn's concept for the articulated double-structure hinged on the notion of a violin and its case, or, as he described, a "violin inside the violin case." The concrete "violin," with its faceted panels, would represent the inner structure of the hall while the brick exterior, housing lobbies and adjacent spaces, would act as the violin case entirely separate from the contents within.[3]  © Jeffery Johnson This concept was less metaphoric than pragmatic. As the site was adjacent to railway lines, the physical as well as acoustic separation of the theatre and concert hall was a primary concern for the architect. This notion of a building-within-a-building also builds on Kahn's interest in classical ruins and appears in a concurrent project: the Phillips Exeter Library in New Hampshire, conceived as three "rings" of ruin-like structures.[4] The essence of the theatre also captivated Kahn during the course of the project—both in what it meant for the audience as well as the performers themselves. Cursory spaces for rehearsal and preparation were conceived as secular actors' chapels in the lineage of the classical structures at Delphi where performers could engage with their craft.  © Jeffery Johnson For the audience, the experience was to be more entrancing than reflective. "When you hear the familiar strains of the Fifth Symphony, it is like a relative entering the room whom you haven't seen in a long time, and you realize for the first time that his eyes are blue," Kahn once said. [5] A series of sketches produced between 1966 and 1968 show an ongoing struggle to negotiate form, space, acoustics, sightless, and vantage points. Thus, the concrete "violin" was conceived as an inhabitable instrument—one that allowed viewers to both see and feel as well as engage with the familiar and the foreign.[6]  © Jeffery Johnson Aside from the concrete interior, perhaps the most striking element of project is the anthropomorphic facade. Two broad brick arches and the nibbed beams coupled with the recessed entranceway give the appearance of a mask or face, where the arches represent the eyes while the beams suggest the nose above the entranceway or mouth. The focus on the importance of this single entrance to the structure was a hold-over from the original masterplan, where Kahn had wanted to provide a clearly delineated procession to reveal the life of the building. The two eye-like arches of the facade frame the second floor assembly and gathering spaces.[7]  Plan  Exterior Elevations By the summer of 1970, Kahn's office had completed the working drawings for the theatre, and construction proceeded shortly after. In the end, only the Theatre of Performing Arts was completed out of the nine proposed buildings for the Fine Arts Center of Fort Wayne. The theatre was officially inaugurated in 1973, a year before Kahn's death in 1974.[8]  Sections  Sections Ultimately, the Theater of Performing Arts was relatively disappointing for Kahn as it represented only a shadow of the original plan and betrayed his vision for an architecture of interrelations. "Form is that which deals with inseparable parts," said Kahn. "If you take one thing away, you don't have the whole thing, and nothing is ever really fully answerable to that which man wants to accept as part of his way of life unless all its parts are together."[9] As Joseph Rykwert comments, it's hard to believe that the striking face on the facade was an accident.[10] Instead, it remains a lasting testament to the negotiations and often frustrating realities of making architecture.
[1] Heinz Ronner, Sharad Jhaveri and Alessandro Vasella, Louis I. Kahn: Complete Works 1935-74 (Boulder: West View Press, 1977), 205.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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