Arch Daily |
- Terratinta Ceramiche / Enrico Bergamini
- Why We Shouldn't Build a Memorial for the Grenfell Fire—Not Yet At Least
- House CR / dmvA
- Philosophical Seminar at the Cathedral Square / Peter Böhm Architekten
- Micro Courtyard House / Atelier Kaiser Shen
- Fuzzy House / SO
- House in Senzoku-Ike / Monolith / Kidosaki Architects Studio
- Shanghai C&D Building / gad
- Lake Wendouree House / Porter Architects
- eVolo Announces 2018 Skyscraper Competition Winners
- Devon Auditorium / Pickard Chilton
- Studio Gang's "Solar Carve Tower" Tops Out in New York City
- MX House / Morales architects
- Sou Fujimoto, Nicolas Laisné and Dimitri Roussel to Build 28,000 sqm "Village Vertical" in Grand Paris
- House on Ancaster Creek / Williamson Williamson
- How Satellite Images of the Earth at Night Help Us Understand Our World and Make Better Cities
- Qatar National Library / OMA
- In Celebration of Our 10th Anniversary: 10 Buildings That Bring to Mind the AD Logo
- Is Architecture Synonymous with Stress?
| Terratinta Ceramiche / Enrico Bergamini Posted: 17 Apr 2018 10:00 PM PDT  © Filippo Poli
 © Filippo Poli Text description provided by the architects. Context  Ground Floor Plan Goals  © Filippo Poli Design  Perspective Section The ceilings are characterized by a wooden system that is light and stylish. It seems like a flying carpet made of floating elements that adapts itself to the different functions and shapes of the spaces where is installed. The wooden elements improve the ambient acoustic performances. They are easily removable, making the workspaces and the shared areas more adaptable in time. The furnishings are an essential part of the entire design. They are custom elements designed to improve the relations among users. The big desks in the open spaces, for example, allow the users to work together keeping the independence of every workstation.  © Filippo Poli Showroom  © Filippo Poli  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Why We Shouldn't Build a Memorial for the Grenfell Fire—Not Yet At Least Posted: 17 Apr 2018 09:00 PM PDT  The burned remains of Grenfell Tower in London. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/londonmatt/35651730645'>Flickr user londonmatt</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> This article was originally published by Common Edge as "Why the Best Response to the Grenfell Tower Fire Isn't a Memorial." Memorials play an integral role in marking significant people, moments, or events. In recent years, they have become glorifications of tragedy by attempting to express unimaginable horrors in poetic and beautiful ways. The issue with the many forms that memorials take is that they seek to placate the immediate reaction and hurt of an event, an understandable societal reaction, but one that often feels rote and hallow. But what if memorials sought to preserve the memory of those affected by offering a solution that addressed how the tragedy occurred? The international response to tragedy has, by default, become to install a statue, build a wall, create a healing water feature, erect an aspirational sculptural object, or simply rename a park. None of these responses are inherently bad—they're usually well-meaning and on occasion quite moving—but there is another approach available to us: changing the public perception of memorials by looking at them through the lens of solutions, encouraging people to think of them as a testament or proper response to tragedy, not just a plaque that over time goes unnoticed. While this approach might be difficult in some instances, the case of Grenfell Tower fire in London presents a rather obvious solution.
At Grenfell, the tragedy was completely preventable, and many people recognized this in the immediate aftermath. The question that lingered wasn't why this happened, but, rather, how did we let this happen. The victims of the fire died because of gross and systemic negligence. Social housing isn't given the same quality of construction as other projects because of budget restrictions and excessive value engineering. Recently, social and affordable housing have been pushed to the forefront of architectural and urban discourse. Some high profile designers are starting to take the issue seriously. But we're still surrounded by aging buildings that are doomed to fail due to decades of neglect. To find a past example of social housing that works is a rarity, and the social housing situation around the world is in deep crisis. Rather than investing money and time into a memorial, those resources can be put towards studying and prototyping social housing that isn't built at the expense of its occupants. It seems that the reason flammable materials were used in Grenfell wasn't because there was a lack of options available. It was, perhaps worse still, an oversight in material specifications. The insulation installed during the reconstruction was deemed acceptable for a building of Grenfell's height by the Local Authority Building Control, but was to be used strictly with non-combustible cladding, such as fiber cement panels. Unfortunately, polyethylene filled panels were used instead, making the exterior of the tower layering of combustible cladding panels and synthetic insulation. The materials specified by the manufacturer were used in combinations that had never before been tested. The gross negligence of a whole chain of people, who should have been aware of the material specifications, allowed this to go unnoticed until it was too late. In Newtown, Connecticut, following the Sandy Hook shooting, legislative decisions on gun control were made at the state level, a new school was built for the community balancing safety and impactful design, and more recently, a memorial commission began accepting submissions for the town's future memorial. The order of actions they took proves that they had the foresight to address the big problems that led to their tragedy, and only after they had worked towards creating a safer place for their residents and students, did they approach the topic of a memorial. Newtown has become an example people call upon when they reference the plague of mass shootings in America, everyone knows them for their tragedy. But they've taken some of the first steps towards revolutionizing how societies, at the local level, can respond to disaster in a way that sparks change and moves the world in a positive direction.  The new Sandy Hook Elementary School, designed by Svigals + Partners. Image © Robert Benson When the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site began, the construction of the Freedom Tower took into account some of the factors that made its predecessor so vulnerable. The new building seems to be another glass tower but the structure and the glass were carefully selected with sensitivity to the site—they rebuilt it stronger than it was before. By addressing part of the issues from the attack, to the extent that they could, and building a beautiful memorial at the base, they created a cooperative response between remembrance and solution. What perpetuates the problem with Grenfell is the stigma much of the world has against social housing. Thinking that people who utilize the services they are lawfully entitled to are lesser people leads to the design and construction of buildings that are lesser. Even for some architects, engineers and policy people, it remains a highly charged issue. Patrik Schumacher, of Zaha Hadid Architects, a sort of reckless provocateur, has actually called for the abolishment of social and affordable housing. In his "social housing manifesto," he argues that social housing tenants have no right to precious city-center sites. Schumacher also attacks council tenants, civil servants, public parks, national infrastructure—virtually all of the communal things that shape the urban conditions of our built environment. In the same way Sandy Hook showed the world that they would not be remembered only for their tragedy, Grenfell has the opportunity to do the same for a different tragedy. The various designers that have been tasked with generating ideas for the site—Adjaye Associates, Cullinan Studio, Levitt Bernstein, Maccreanor Lavington, and others—have the power to use their response to Grenfell as an answer to questions surrounding the larger issue of social housing. As part of a society where tragedy unfolds around us in a constant series of news cycles, we cannot succumb by simply building memorials and carrying on with our own lives. We must build better societies. Safe buildings—for students and residents, for people—aren't optional. Rima Abousleiman is an architectural designer and freelance writer based in New Jersey. She writes frequently for Jersey Digs, and is interested in the positive ways redevelopment can enhance existing communities. Her website is www.rimaabousleiman.com.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 17 Apr 2018 08:00 PM PDT  © Sergio Pirrone
 © Sergio Pirrone Text description provided by the architects. Liesje Reyskens is a young Belgian art photographer. She prefers working with young cute models, portrayed as dolls in a colourful, pink and barbie-like world.  © Sergio Pirrone The Flemish rural development is characterized by a ribbon development. Along the main roads, you will find a lot of detached and semi-detached houses. The brief of our client was to design a contemporary house with integrated workspace that could be used as exhibition space as well.  © Sergio Pirrone Keywords in her program of requirements were flexibility, light, privacy and the tight budget. The biggest challenge was to give an architectural response to the adjacent house on the left side of the building plot.  Section dmvA started designing by searching for the ideal form that fitted in with the adjacent house. The new building consists of an almost completely closed ground floor and a rather small upper structure with a gabled roof.  © Sergio Pirrone dmvA designed a completely open living and workspace, structured and divided into different sections by three inner courtyards. The patio's act as light-catchers and 'ambiance generators'.  Ground Floor dmvA wanted to create an icon, a landmark, as a response to the often-ridiculous building regulations and the unadapted town planning regulations in Flanders. So they opted for white and smooth plasterwork as finishing material for all facades. To reinforce the monolith character of the new building, the gabled roof is finished by white tiles.  © Sergio Pirrone To reduce energy cost, dmvA opted for a green roof. The side facade of the archetype-like superstructure is finished as a double skin, consisting of horizontal white aluminium bars and hanging flower boxes. Pink flowers refer to the work of the photographer.  © Sergio Pirrone Anecdotes:  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Philosophical Seminar at the Cathedral Square / Peter Böhm Architekten Posted: 17 Apr 2018 07:00 PM PDT  © Herr Lukas Roth
 © Herr Lukas Roth "The location between the cathedral square and the Aa-shore prompted us to form the courtyard as a small and quiet square with the entrance to the new "Philosophikum". However, the old entrance on the cathedral square is to be reactivated as another access. The new building of the "Philosophikum" forms a unity with the old building, connected through a Attrium that acts as a gap. This unified character is also strengthened by the materiality of the brickwork facades, which receive a sand-colored lime-cement-mortar slurry, through which the reddish brick shimmers.  © Herr Lukas Roth  Section  © Herr Lukas Roth Toward the square, the building shows up with its library, which forms the border of the square and which appears as a high shelf wall. On the hall side, the parapets are designed as reading tubes. In the old building, the seminar rooms are located on the lower floors, above the offices. The clear and orderly development structure with the two decentralized stairwells contributes to a very open atmosphere."  © Herr Lukas Roth  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Micro Courtyard House / Atelier Kaiser Shen Posted: 17 Apr 2018 05:00 PM PDT  © Nicolai Rapp
 © Nicolai Rapp Text description provided by the architects. At first glance, the Micro Courtyard house seems out of place. Perched between four sets of stoplights, it stands upon a traffic island in Ludwigsburg, a city near Stuttgart. On a given day, thousands of vehicles pass by and pedestrians walk hurriedly across the intersection. The Micro Courtyard house is a new approach to dealing with "living in minimal space". Despite being in the midst of a busy crossroad, it provides high privacy by separating adeptly the living space from the outside world.  Floor Plan The interior is secluded from the outside, with only a spiral entrance leading curiously inside. At merely 7.3 square meters, the Micro Courtyard house contains all of the required utilities. The bathroom, cupboards, and kitchen have a depth of 85 cm and are arranged along the main wall, which also features a foldable table and bed. A square window along this wall connects the living area to the outside world. Opposite to this side, a long glass door spanning the entire length of the house loosely separates the living space from the tranquil garden.  © Nicolai Rapp In summer, the glass door can be slid open, effectively merging the house and the courtyard. The exterior design is inspired by traditional Chinese courtyard houses. A single tree stands beside a fountain, creating an asymmetric arrangement. The fountain not only serves aesthetic purposes but also as an effective acoustic feature against noise. Spruce panels with timber frames lay on top of pillars 20 cm above the ground, generating a light ambiance.  Section The cozy atmosphere of the inner wooden wall contrasts the dark corrugated iron sheets of the external facade. The juxtaposition between inside and outside, open and closed, noise and quiet, privacy and public, enriches the architecture. It thus becomes clear that the Micro Courtyard house is an ideal solution to utilizing minimal space, even the most unusual ones. Despite being situated in a tight and hectic space, one can still escape from the busy world and gaze into the open skies.  © Nicolai Rapp  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 17 Apr 2018 03:00 PM PDT  © Filippo Poli
 © Filippo Poli Text description provided by the architects. This private house is situated in a plot where the owner left empty for many years. The land had been used by the people around the area as a shortcut between 2 local roads, which has created a path/trace almost permanently.  Lower Floor Plan  Upper Floor Plan The house was considered to still let that path being in function even when the construction is finished, and to appear almost as nothing much happens from constructing this house. The result is a building fuzzily sits between privacy and public domain whereas the owner can live his private life within the double enclosed space.  © Filippo Poli Even though one of the entrances shares the same path that run through the house from front to back, the separated little weed garden that can be seen before entering the house, can only be entered once going through the whole house to the 2nd floor and make the way out to the terrace then cross the small bridge over the pathway and go down to the garden where will be another terrace in the future.  © Filippo Poli The rooftop terrace of this house is considered to be a multifunction outdoor hangout area with the stair-shaped roof where visitors can sit to look back at the front yard where anything could happen before one's eyes.  © Filippo Poli  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| House in Senzoku-Ike / Monolith / Kidosaki Architects Studio Posted: 17 Apr 2018 01:00 PM PDT  © 45g Photography - Junji Kojima
 © 45g Photography - Junji Kojima Text description provided by the architects. The creation of a building in which the space is simplified to the utmost limit and the people could have primitive experiences there: the House of Senzokuike, known as Monolith, was created under that proposition. Its initial concept was strongly influenced by the story of the 1968 movie "Space Odyssey 2001", in which "Monolith", a black extraterrestrial slate, first gives "intelligence" to an ape.  © 45g Photography - Junji Kojima Not only the necessity of meeting the strict laws and regulations for the protection of quiet cityscapes, but also its location with differences of elevation, which might cause the windows to face other houses' windows, provided this building with the theme of integration between the heaven and underground.  First and Second Floor Plans With this theme in mind, materials were carefully selected, and the house was built with a universal design language using three elements; stone & concrete, steel panels and glass.  © 45g Photography - Junji Kojima This house with a balanced and neat facade may look different every time you visit it because of the combination of the outer wall of the hot-dip galvanized phosphoric acid steel panels and the metal black stone floor. That is why the building, despite its simple form, gives people different impressions depending on his/her viewpoint, and its appearance has profoundness and nobility.  © 45g Photography - Junji Kojima The interior is composed of three overlapping spaces with different volumes, namely, "Sky" in which the transitions of the sky leading to the heaven are introduced into the room from the top portion, "Earth" in which the level difference between the exterior and its floor brings a sense of relaxation like dwelling in a primitive pit, and "Underground" with a far larger space than you would expect.  Sections Light and shade through the stairway and atrium that connect the "Sky", "Earth" and "Underground" intertwine, creating a microcosm with the graceful imaginativeness in the space where a tense atmosphere could be felt.  © 45g Photography - Junji Kojima This house, which is the outcome of elaborate detail work, begins to express its real value only when you enter into it and experience the space. The decoration is a medium for drawing out the essence hidden in details, and countless small judgments on the optimization of the dimensions of each part and the application of various materials eliminate impure elements and elevates the building to the pure Monolith. It is anticipated that the passing of the time will sublimate this pure and innocent Monolith into one and only existence.  © 45g Photography - Junji Kojima  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 17 Apr 2018 12:00 PM PDT  © Jinrong Huang
 © Jinrong Huang Text description provided by the architects. In the morning at the Qinhuangdao Road Ferry of Shanghai North Bund, people have already started the daily busy stuff. Once, it was the port dock for trade transportation of Shanghai. Now, there are still relics in old time, such as the former shipyard site, the warehouse architecture, dock ferry etc.  Position C&D Building is located to the north of the Qinhuangdao Road Ferry. Lujiazui core business district stands on the opposite. The ambition and prudence, the breakthrough and balance of a city are just across the river.  © Jinrong Huang Architectural intention: Abstract extraction of elements Dock culture in Shanghai has a long history. The existing Qinhuangdao Road Ferry seems the mark of the port dock in old days. Now, it still plays the role of connecting the transportation on the two banks.  © Jinrong Huang Starting from the dock culture in Shanghai C&D Building, we extract the container element as the architectural intention, which respects and responds to the old relics of the site and also implies the active momentum of rising.  © Jinrong Huang The overlapping form of the architectural mass as well as the overhanging up to 9m highlight the distinct industrial temperament of the architecture. The irregular movement reinforces the mass sense of the building, and creates the sight scattering of internal space.
There are three atrium spaces in the office area, with a height of 5 floors, forming natural transition from office space to outdoor space. You may see the unique skyline of the upright buildings at the bund in the south and the urban view with co-existence of old and new buildings in Yangpu District.  © Jinrong Huang Space and Flow Line: Clear Response to the Site C&D Building is located at the Metro stop Yangshupu Road. The modern transportation ways in the area such as metro and bus connects the transportation vein on the two banks in series as well as in and out of the area. Since the project is over the metro and considering the complicated conditions of existing public transport hub, we solve by applying logical function division and flow line origination.  © Jinrong Huang The 3-floor podium stretches over the metro passage. The restriction conditions make the construction process more difficult. To ensure safe and orderly construction, we try to explore sufficient space for the construction by way of retreating for 10 meters. The planning of bus flow line effectively relieves the pressure brought by overlapping of vehicles flow and pedestrians. The design of covered glass roof make the architectural building and the bus hub into an entirety.  Plan After the planning of transportation flow line, two routes running through the architectures are formed. Metro, bus and dock closely connects here, making C&D Building into the important transportation hub of this area. At the same time, we try best to take the comfort of the pedestrian into consideration, and realize the architectural function independence, space abundance and industrial richness.  © Jinrong Huang Facade and Material: Active Infusion into Environment To ensure the transparency of the atrium and the simplicity of architectural appearance, single cable glass curtain wall is adopted for the north of the architecture. The cable is used to consolidate the glass in a while. The linear elements of the architecture in facade organization presents dynamic expression in solidified form. The traverse lines dispel the tension of dimension while the vertical lines stress the uprightness of the architecture. The alternative line appearance render better identification degree of C&D Building.  © Jinrong Huang The selection of glass material with low reflectivity reduces urban light pollution due to light reflection, making it to infuse into the neighborhood modestly.  © Jinrong Huang Space/Time  © Jinrong Huang  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Lake Wendouree House / Porter Architects Posted: 17 Apr 2018 10:00 AM PDT  © Derek Swalwell
 © Derek Swalwell Text description provided by the architects. When Tom and Meeghan McInerney bought a 1940s house in Lake Wendouree it was, despite its age, anything but a renovator's delight. Previously owned by two sisters who had lived there for 60 years, the property had been extremely well looked after, even coming with a maintenance record that detailed such upkeep as biannual repainting.  Proposed Floor Plan The original timber paneling and ornate plasterwork on the ceiling were also in pristine condition. Nevertheless, the couple was keen to create a light, modern space within their new family home, and Ballarat architect Nathan Porter shared their vision. "It was very dark and underwhelming (and) one of the things Meeghan and Tom wanted to do very early on was have a glimpse of naturally lit spaces as soon as you enter the building," says Nathan. "We kept as much original as possible, but there were some helter-skelter areas at the back that needed a good tidy up."  © Derek Swalwell The plan was to create two architecturally delineated zones, the original front with bedrooms, bathrooms and a study, leading to a contemporary, naturally lit extension. The existing hardwood floors that were in perfect condition at the front of the house were matched with recycled floorboards in the rear extension, creating a common thread which works for both zones and unifies the new and the old. The bedrooms have been treated to contemporary en-suites, with on-trend black tap fittings and classic wall tiles sourced by the couple.  © Derek Swalwell Generously-sized windows look out onto the north facing backyard, this larger living space where the family has spent plenty of time since moving in at the end of March this year. "What we found as we put the glass in was it opened up to all these vistas of other beautiful details in houses around town," says Nathan.  © Derek Swalwell A small courtyard created by two little zones gives clear surveillance over the backyard and lets Tom and Meeghan supervise their young daughters without hovering over them. Timber paneling breaks up the expanse of brickwork on the facade, while reclaimed 1940s bricks were laid in a contemporary pattern to continue the union between the old and the new. Meghan's favorite aspect of the renovation, however, is the naturally light-filled kitchen. "It's a beautiful kitchen to work in," she says. "I just love how we're living in the house. It's exactly how we envisaged having the kids playing here, and we've had some nice dinner parties." She looks to Nathan who nods and says, "It's probably exceeded our expectations."  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| eVolo Announces 2018 Skyscraper Competition Winners Posted: 17 Apr 2018 09:12 AM PDT  Skyshelter.zip: Foldable Skyscraper for Disaster Zones. Image Courtesy of eVolo eVolo Magazine has announced the winners of its 2018 Skyscraper Competition. Now in its 13th year, the annual award was established to recognize "visionary ideas for building [high-rise] projects that through [the] novel use of technology, materials, programs, aesthetics, and spatial organizations, challenge the way we understand vertical architecture and its relationship with the natural and built environments." This year, 3 winners and 27 honorable mentions were selected from a pool of 526 entries. Among this year's winners are a foldable skyscraper inspired by origami, an urban building for rice farming, and a prototype for vertical housing in areas damaged by wildfires. First PlaceSkyshelter.zip: Foldable Skyscraper for Disaster Zones / Damian Granosik, Jakub Kulisa, Piotr Pańczyk  Skyshelter.zip: Foldable Skyscraper for Disaster Zones. Image Courtesy of eVolo More and more natural disasters happen annually across the world. When dealing with forces so powerful, standard means of crisis-management often prove to be inefficient. Whether a certain region is struck by earthquake, flood or hurricane – help needs to arrive quickly. This is often easier to be said than done, as damages to transportation infrastructure or remote localization can make it extremely difficult. The Skyshelter.zip tries to address these issues by proposing a structure that while offering large floor surface is compact, easy to transport anywhere and can be deployed with a minimum amount of time and manpower requirements. It is meant to serve as a multi-purpose hub for any relief operation. Second PlaceShinto Shrine / Urban Rice Farming Skyscraper / Tony Leung  Shinto Shrine / Urban Rice Farming Skyscraper. Image Courtesy of eVolo The objective of this proposal is to restore the traditional interactions between Jinja (Japanese Shinto Shrine) and local people by reterritorializing a busy urban corner in Ginza, Tokyo with a vertically organized Jinja cum rice-farming complex. In the past, Jinja and rice farming were the center of the Japanese economy. The paddy field and Jinja complex also served as centers of everyday interaction. Many local Jinja not only housed the relevant Kami (deities) but also served as a warehouse for harvests. Also, the biggest communal festival, Matsuri, happened during spring seeding and autumn harvesting. As cities expand, both rice farming and Jinja remains in the shadow of urban livings. Jinja complex is overshadowed by modern skyscrapers. However, more than two centuries ago, according to some ancient manuscripts, Izumo Shrine was said to be reaching 96m high above ground i.e. a historical origin of skyscraping Jinja. On the other hand, recent development in hydroponic farming technology makes vertical rice farming possible. The pitched roof of a Jinja can be converted to a stepped paddy field, which conforms to the traditional idea of using organic roofing material in Jinja construction. Third PlaceWaria Lemuy: Fire Prevention Skyscraper / Claudio C. Araya Arias  Waria Lemuy: Fire Prevention Skyscraper. Image Courtesy of eVolo Forest fires are one of the greatest agents of degradation of ecosystems in the world. Although fire is part of the natural dynamics of some habitats, large disturbances cause a deterioration of their functionalities. Fire modifies biogeochemical cycles, produces changes in vegetation, soil, fauna, hydrological and geomorphological processes, water quality and even changes in the composition of the atmosphere. Each of these elements puts at risk not only the existing geography but also directly threatens population centers, putting at risk the lives of people, their goods, infrastructure, among other things. The proposal looks for a new way of inhabiting the territory, through a system of buildings at height, avoiding the effects of the old settlement model. The objective is to face the reconstruction from a new perspective, recover the lost housing and infrastructure, added to a restoration of the flora and biodiversity, through a system that prevents and mitigates future catastrophes, through a renovating process that allows coexisting with the geography and the territory. Honorable MentionsLevitated Broadway – Los Angeles / Kaiyu Xi, Fan Wu  Levitated Broadway – Los Angeles. Image Courtesy of eVolo Sand Dam Anti-desertification Skyscraper / Jiangchen Hu, Yining Bei, Xiayu Zhao, Mingwen Zhang  Sand Dam: Anti-desertification Skyscraper. Image Courtesy of eVolo The Urban Lung: Timber Skyscraper / Ryan Gormley  The Urban Lung: Timber Skyscraper. Image Courtesy of eVolo Saltscraper in India / Kartik Misra, Krishan Sharma, Dewesh Agrawal, Kritika Kharbanda  Saltscraper in India. Image Courtesy of eVolo Civilization 0.000: Floating Power Station / Dimo Ivanov  Civilization 0.000: Floating Power Station. Image Courtesy of eVolo Manhattan of the Desert / Estelle Filliat, Charlotte Ferreux, Duc Truong, Elias Vogel  Manhattan of the Desert. Image Courtesy of eVolo Ever-changing Skyscraper for Post-capitalism World / Ngai Hang WU, Han-Hsun, Hsieh, Man Nguyen  Ever-changing Skyscraper for Post-capitalism World. Image Courtesy of eVolo River Square: Water Purification Skyscraper in India / Kang Tae Hwan, Kim Min Jeong, Yun Seo Jun, Lee Se Won  River Square: Water Purification Skyscraper in India. Image Courtesy of eVolo Revealing the Boundries / Jun Ho Han, Yungi Jung  Revealing the Boundries. Image Courtesy of eVolo Vapolator: Seawater Extraction Skyscraper / Seunghwan Jung, Ryeojin Jeon  Vapolator: Seawater Extraction Skyscraper. Image Courtesy of eVolo Synctopia: Air Purification Skyscraper for Tehran / Golnaz Mayel Afshar, Faranak Momeni Azandaryani  Synctopia: Air Purification Skyscraper for Tehran. Image Courtesy of eVolo LAX 2.0: The Vertical Airport / Jonathan Ortega  LAX 2.0: The Vertical Airport. Image Courtesy of eVolo Vertical Cemetery / GuoChao Deng, QingMing Xiao, Yuan Feng, Liwei Shen, Qin Xiong  Vertical Cemetery. Image Courtesy of eVolo Icemill Skyscraper: Pure Water for Global Sustainability / Katarzyna Przybyła  Icemill Skyscraper: Pure Water for Global Sustainability. Image Courtesy of eVolo Project 1111: Sustainable Vertical City / Philip Nikandrov, Stepan Kukharskiy, Aleksandr Muraviev, Ivan Mylnikov, Vadim Zamula, Vladimir Travush  Project 1111: Sustainable Vertical City. Image Courtesy of eVolo Manhattan Ridge: Affordable Housing for Commuters / Zhenjia Wang, Xiayi Li  Manhattan Ridge: Affordable Housing for Commuters. Image Courtesy of eVolo City Rehab – Detroit / Yassin Nour Al-tubor, Fawzi Bata, Boran Al-Amro, Yazeed Balqar  City Rehab – Detroit. Image Courtesy of eVolo Volcanic Tower / Chunyang Li, Shuai Yang, Zhenhang Zhao, Ruize Xiao, Yuequn Wang  Volcanic Tower. Image Courtesy of eVolo Hong Kong 2.0 / Huy Bui, Howard Mack  Hong Kong 2.0. Image Courtesy of eVolo Amman Living Quary / Baraa Kawasmi, Amal Tatfi  Amman Living Quary. Image Courtesy of eVolo E Mare Libertas: Skyscraper on Water / Alexander Nikolas Walzer  E Mare Libertas: Skyscraper on Water. Image Courtesy of eVolo Earth Healer Skyscraper / Dong Jingzhe , Li Boyu , Zhang Zihan , Sun Zhe , Wu Yilun , Yu Yang , Zhang Haohao  Earth Healer Skyscraper. Image Courtesy of eVolo The Reincarnation: Buddhist Skyscraper / QiLong Wu, WuHong Fang, HuiFang Duan, HuiChen Bao  The Reincarnation: Buddhist Skyscraper. Image Courtesy of eVolo Northern Anticline: Arctic Skyscraper-City / BoSheng Liu, Jon Rankin, Bryan Daily  Northern Anticline: Arctic Skyscraper-City. Image Courtesy of eVolo Community as a Cloud / Keon Hee Lee, Dong Hyun Kim, Elicia Jiwoo Eom  Community as a Cloud. Image Courtesy of eVolo Additive Effect: 3D-printed Skyscrapers / Jinzi Wei, Yiliang Shao  Additive Effect: 3D-printed Skyscrapers. Image Courtesy of eVolo Liulin Skyscraper: Communist Experience Center / Peitong Liu  Liulin Skyscraper: Communist Experience Center. Image Courtesy of eVolo This year's jury consisted of:
Learn more about the competitions and read detailed project descriptions, here. News via eVolo
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| Devon Auditorium / Pickard Chilton Posted: 17 Apr 2018 08:00 AM PDT _Alan_Karchmer.jpg?1523929669 "© Alan Karchmer") © Alan Karchmer
_Joe_Aker_.jpg?1523929467 "© Joe Aker") © Joe Aker Text description provided by the architects. Defining an urban edge between Oklahoma City's business and arts districts, the freestanding auditorium is a prominent, multi-use venue designed to support private and public events. As a key component of the adjacent Devon Energy Headquarters, the 300-seat auditorium's strong presence activates street life and supports downtown's revitalization. The intimately scaled auditorium is nestled in a landscaped garden and provides dramatic views of downtown and the adjacent city park, Myriad Gardens. _Alan_Karchmer.jpg?1523929603 "© Alan Karchmer") © Alan Karchmer The Devon Auditorium's design respects the city's urban renaissance and encourages a vibrant street life. A high level of transparency serves to connect interior functions with exterior events enabling the building to be engaged in its surrounding neighborhood. A double height lobby with a 38-foot angled glass wall projects out towards the street, accentuating its public profile. The entry sequence crosses under a threshold of skylights, creating a curtain of daylight above the main entrance stair and at the back of the auditorium. Designed with a focus on the user experience, the seating is wrapped with planes of wood, soft lighting and a striking view to the garden. _Alan_Karchmer.jpg?1523929696 "© Alan Karchmer") © Alan Karchmer  Section _Alan_Karchmer.jpg?1523929739 "© Alan Karchmer") © Alan Karchmer The connection of a delicate, glass-enclosed skybridge from the headquarters to the auditorium's second level ensures secure access while defining pedestrian access to the park. While designed to support company events, the auditorium is available for use by the public and is designed to acoustically support a range of musical performances. The space's programmatic flexibility enhances its value to the community thus providing a significant civic amenity for downtown Oklahoma City. _Joseph_Mills_Photography.jpg?1523929562 "© Joseph Mills") © Joseph Mills  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Studio Gang's "Solar Carve Tower" Tops Out in New York City Posted: 17 Apr 2018 07:00 AM PDT _copy.jpg?1523972795 "Courtesy of Studio Gang") Courtesy of Studio Gang Studio Gang's 10-story commercial "Solar Carve Tower" has topped out in New York's Meatpacking District. Officially named "40 Tenth Avenue," the scheme responds to a perceived lack of site-specific design in New York, with Studio Gang prioritizing "intentionality and contextuality" as their guiding principles. The scheme is therefore defined by a dramatic curtain wall, chiseled shape, and a dynamic relationship with its surrounding environment.  Courtesy of Studio Gang  Courtesy of Studio Gang 40 Tenth Avenue embodies Studio Gang's solar carving strategy for enhancing connectivity in tall buildings, using angles of the sun's rays to sculpt the architectural form. The design process sought to preserve maximum access to light and air, with the building's form "carved out" to create a scheme narrower at the bottom than at the top.  Courtesy of Studio Gang  Courtesy of Studio Gang The 139,000-square-foot scheme will contain more than 40,000 square feet of retail space fronting onto 10th Avenue. The scheme also includes over 20,000 square feet of outdoor space, including a 10,000 square foot shared roof deck and 8,000 square foot second-floor balcony adjacent to The High Line.  Courtesy of Studio Gang 40 Tenth Avenue topped out on April 12, 2018, with an anticipated completion date in March 2019. News via: Studio Gang  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 17 Apr 2018 06:00 AM PDT  © Luis Gordoa
 © Luis Gordoa Text description provided by the architects. The housing MX emerges the multifaceted necessity of the users who look for a prototype of housing of sale different to the commercial thing through a mortgage.  © Luis Gordoa The project is based on an analysis and a study of the local neighborhood market. Morales architects designs a prototype with a risky proposal to the existing criteria and customs, minimizing the commercial without suspending certain traditional factors, since this plays an important role in the risk-time-cost of sale with a limited and controlled budget based on experimental criteria.  Plans Society is currently experiencing a constant growth but a tradition problem that is somewhat complex to change, for the office it is important to passively experience the MX prototype by fusing a design criterion across natural elements and spatial lines starting from a composition that it concatenates the concepts of the form, without drastically inhibiting the common visual and tangible dwelling.  © Luis Gordoa MX is located in the north zone of the port of Veracruz, in a polygon of 5.50 x 18 with a steep slope in a mid-level colony with three adjoining boundaries.  Longitudinal Section - Main Facade In response to the commercial market is a house that after the development process responded favorably after completing the sale of the project in the tenth week bringing favorable responses. MX has open spaces, heights of 3m. cross ventilation, spans, flexible, using natural materials for the main facade as the partition, forming an adaptable lattice design, concrete block and transparency elements, having a total of 111m2 of construction with a program that is distributed from a vestibule, half bathroom stay, dining room, kitchen, laundry area, garden, 3 bedrooms upstairs with a functional circulation, the main one with bathroom, the other two rooms with shared bathroom lighting and natural ventilation by flexible elements.  © Luis Gordoa  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 17 Apr 2018 05:00 AM PDT  © Sou Fujimoto, Nicolas Laisné and Dimitri Roussel Sou Fujimoto, Nicolas Laisné and Dimitri Roussel will be building a new gateway to the city of Rosny-sous-Bois in Grand Paris. Their project, Village Vertical, has been chosen as the winning proposal for the "Inventons la Métropole du Grand Paris" competition. The team includes landscape and urban designers from Atelier Georges and urban developers from La Compagnie de Phalsbourg and REI Habitat.  © Sou Fujimoto, Nicolas Laisné and Dimitri Roussel The Village Vertical is a 28,200 square-meter mixed-use project. On the ground floor and roof top, the architects plan to have 6,000 square metres of open community space such as a food-court, a daycare center, a family office, community centers, an escape game and a rooftop bar.  © Sou Fujimoto, Nicolas Laisné and Dimitri Roussel  © Sou Fujimoto, Nicolas Laisné and Dimitri Roussel A sports hub will span the entire height of one section of the complex. The hub will feature climbing walls, urban soccer pitches and a gym.  © Sou Fujimoto, Nicolas Laisné and Dimitri Roussel  © Sou Fujimoto, Nicolas Laisné and Dimitri Roussel The other levels will be dedicated to 17,000 square metres of housing, including 5,000 square meters of social housing.  © Sou Fujimoto, Nicolas Laisné and Dimitri Roussel The structure will comprise of a 120m timber frame with elegant white columns, irregular balconies and glazed facades. While the structure is certainly imposing, the materials and shapes lend it lightness.  © Sou Fujimoto, Nicolas Laisné and Dimitri Roussel  © Sou Fujimoto, Nicolas Laisné and Dimitri Roussel  © Sou Fujimoto, Nicolas Laisné and Dimitri Roussel The Grand Paris project aims to improve life for residents and to even out disparity between territories while building a sustainable city. As a part of the project, Inventons la Métropole du Grand Paris has held competitions to rejuvenate 112 sites across 75 municipalities, of which Rosny-sous-Bois is site number 93. To anchor Paris' status as an international megacity, the Grand Paris project will also be introducing the Grand Paris Express, the largest transport project in Europe. These ambitious developments are not contained solely within Paris. Outside of the capital, Bjarge Ingels Group has won the masterplan competition for Europa City and will be introducing 800,000 square meters of cultural, recreational and retail development in Triangle de Gonesse, France. Sou Fujimoto, Nicolas Laisné and Dimitri Roussel are no strangers to working together or building projects in France: they have also worked on the Ecole Polytechnic learning center at Paris-Saclay and a tree-inspired housing tower for Montpellier.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| House on Ancaster Creek / Williamson Williamson Posted: 17 Apr 2018 04:00 AM PDT  © Ben Rahn / A-Frame Inc.
 © Ben Rahn / A-Frame Inc. Text description provided by the architects. A wide lot backing onto Ancaster Creek is the site for an intergenerational home for a couple and their elderly parents. The house was conceived as two distinct residences, each formed into a linear bar containing the full program of a home. The bars sit perpendicular to each other, creating a landscaped courtyard setback from the street, and stack at the corner.  Massing Diagrams 1  Massing Diagrams 2 The parent's suite occupies the ground floor with the living and dining space anchoring the view. The suite is laid out as a single floor accessible apartment with added features to accommodate the specific challenges facing the ageing parents. Among them, well-located drains and a master power switch mitigate issues that have come with memory loss: a sink left running, or an oven left on.  © Ben Rahn / A-Frame Inc. Running parallel to the creek is the main residence. The kitchen anchors the south end of the house. Set in a double height volume, the 20-foot-tall pyramidal ceiling creates an expansive space that opens to the creek, the courtyard, and above to the sky.  © Ben Rahn / A-Frame Inc. The grand gesture of a wood-clad spiral staircase connects the living room to the second floor master suite, creating a unique moment in the otherwise orthogonal room and celebrating the connection between floors. The curvature opens as it rises and becomes the ceiling of the adjacent wing, creating a pinwheeling effect that leads to the parents' suite.  © Ben Rahn / A-Frame Inc. The ground floor of the house is clad in 3-1/2" thick locally quarried Algonquin limestone which meanders around the perimeter. The coursing is designed to highlight the compression and layering that forms this sedimentary rock. 12" tall stones at the top-most course compress to 4" at the bottom. The horizontal joints are raked deep and the vertical joints are filled flush to emphasize the horizontality of the rock.  Site Plan with Ground Floor To reduce the ecological footprint, energy consumption was decreased through several key moves. Most importantly, two families are now living on a single-family lot, increasing density without increasing building area. Second is the envelope: A high-performance glazing system, triple-pane wood-frame windows with an average Uw = .77 anchor the highly insulated envelope. Radiant floor heating can then be used sparingly and only to compliment a high efficiency furnace. Finally, a 37 module 9.8 kW solar array was installed across two of the flat roofs, offsetting energy consumption. Combined with LED lighting, these measures culminate in a low-energy home that not only sits comfortably in this Northern climate but met the target for the 2030 challenge in its permit year.  © Ben Rahn / A-Frame Inc.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| How Satellite Images of the Earth at Night Help Us Understand Our World and Make Better Cities Posted: 17 Apr 2018 02:30 AM PDT  Nighttime view of Western Europe: England (top right), Paris (bright city near the middle of the image) and Belgium and the Netherlands (middle-right of frame). Image courtesy of the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center Satellite images of Earth at night make for fascinating, beautiful pictures. But they also confront us with a growing form of pollution. Why do we waste so much energy to light outer space when we only need light on the ground? High-resolution satellite data can now deliver detailed insights into how humans have shaped the night, and these earth observation systems are about to reform our urban planning. They can become an integral part of project development and control, as many strange ecological, political and social phenomena become apparent with a closer look at the night-time imagery of our planet.  Berlin at night, 2016. Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center Low-flying scanners can generate higher quality resolutions compared to satellite images. However, they usually work infrequently. In contrast, satellites constantly produce updated information worldwide. They have laid the foundation to study light pollution over time. Accessing the data gets easier with the proliferation of public open online platforms like Google Earth, NASA Worldview or the Global Human Settlement Layer. These detailed night-time images have turned into an interesting indicator for growing urbanization and ecology. Cities appear as glowing centers on our planet. At the same time, the luminosity on the ground reduces the ability to watch the stars in the sky. Bright lines signify coastlines or transport routes like the Trans-Siberian Railway line from Moscow to Vladivostok. Also, gas being burned off wastefully in the US or at oil platforms in the North Sea or around the Persian Gulf region can be clearly spotted in satellite images. But has modern LED technology effectively helped to reduce light emission? We Encounter Severe Rebound Effects with LED Transition Earth at Night, 2016. Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center The recent change from conventional lighting to LED has quickly spread worldwide. Cities expected huge energy savings. Unfortunately, the satellite images show that we have more light pollution than before. A recent study in Scientific Advances reveals a "rebound" effect, because clients dared to specify more light based on the associated energy savings. Some cities have saved energy by switching to LEDs, but on a global scale the hypothesis that LED transition would reduce light pollution cannot be shown to be true. From 2012 to 2015, almost 60 countries increased their levels of illumination at night between 110 to 150 percent. For an effective reduction of light pollution designers and engineers have to think beyond the luminous efficacy of LEDs and need to recover the sky with precise and suitable optics, luminaire arrangements and controls. In addition, we need to rethink our motivation for lighting at night. Night Lighting Does Not Always Relate to Prosperity, Reduced Crime, and Safety North and South Korea, 2012. White inset box shows light of fishing boats in Yellow Sea. NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using VIIRS Day-Night Band data from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership. Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center Looking at nocturnal illumination in South Korea in comparison to North Korea might lead us to the conclusion that outdoor lighting is related to prosperity. But if we shift our view to Germany and Belgium, we encounter a similar level of prosperity between the two countries but a significant difference in night-time lighting. One reason for this is that Germany rarely lights its highways and urban areas are lit conservatively, as light pollution expert Christopher Kyba remarks. In addition, Belgian roads symbolize a profitable but also questionable relationship between politicians, electrical distributors and energy suppliers, notes The New York Times.  Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands, 2016. Image via NASA Worldview When Kyba compared the USA and Germany, he discovered that American cities have more than five times more light per capita. Nevertheless, Germany has a low crime rate – with a burglary rate only 1/3 of the rate in the brightly-lit Netherlands and just over 1/2 of that in Belgium, observed Kyba. When it comes to traffic, Germany has 1/3 fewer deaths due to traffic than the USA or Belgium. For Kyba these facts demonstrate clearly that bright illumination does not ensure crime reduction and safer driving, but rather wastes energy and causes light pollution. The Universe Knows When We Celebrate City lights shine brighter during the holidays in the United States when compared with the rest of the year, as shown using a new analysis of daily data from the NASA-NOAA Suomi NPP satellite. Dark green pixels are areas where lights are 50 percent brighter, or more, during December. Credits: NASA's Earth Observatory/Jesse Allen No matter whether we look at Christian or Muslim traditions, light emission rises considerably for major holiday seasons, according to NASA. Night lighting shines 20 to 50 percent brighter during Christmas and New Year's around many major US metropolitan areas when compared to the rest of the year. During Ramadan, nighttime lights increases more than 50 percent in some Middle Eastern cities compared to the rest of the year. This effect demonstrates vividly that the consumption of light is not only influenced by individual factors like price but also by the belief of cultural or religious groups. Unethical Developments Reducing Light PollutionIn some regions, we are able to detect severe reductions in lighting at night. However, often these changes are not linked to smart lighting design, but rather derive from cruel warfare. The differences in nighttime lighting in Syria and Iraq between 2012 and 2016 shed light on the devastating consequences of conflict, especially around Aleppo. As much as 80 percent of the lights have gone out in Syria over the past few years, remarks a 2015 report from the Voice of America. Knowing Where Rescue Is Most Urgent Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, September 27-28, 2017. NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using data courtesy of Miguel Román, NASA GSFC, and Andrew Molthan, NASA MSFC. Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center After disasters like earthquakes or hurricanes, rescue crews are faced with the challenge of quickly surveying large areas with impassable roads. But when infrastructure like the electric power grid and telecommunication networks are highly damaged, scientists can contribute useful data with satellite night-time images. In the case of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017, researchers took advantage of before-and-after images and combined them with high-resolution data from OpenStreetMap to show streets precisely. A careful image composition process is essential in these situations in order to avoid misleading conclusions because of errors like cloud cover and changing moonlight conditions. Resorts to Enjoy the Night City lights of Africa, Europe and the Middle East, 2012. NASA Earth Observatory image by Robert Simmon, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data provided courtesy of Chris Elvidge (NOAA National Geophysical Data Center) Where are the places that offer a clear view of the milky way? Greenland and the jungles of Africa and South America are the few natural areas where electric illumination does not yet dominate. Astronomers have shown a professional interest in locations with low light pollution for many years in order to find suitable spots to analyze the stars and to identify locations for future observatories. But this interest has expanded outside the boundaries of scientific communities. Cities and national parks have sensed that a dark sky is an important quality for recreation and tourism. As a consequence, Dark Sky Parks have emerged, internationally mirroring the pursuit of political initiatives for sustainability. When Satellites Shape Our Cities and Landscapes Composite image of Europe at night, 2016. NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Román, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Impressive nighttime images have already raised awareness of light pollution internationally. Hence, several regions have imposed lighting regulations to reduce energy waste. The Italian Lombardy region bill requires cutoff lighting distributions to avoid spilling light to the sky. The Czech Republic even published a national edict. However, newer satellite images have revealed that these measures were not applied successfully. The light levels actually increased over time, even though the legislative framework leads in the right direction. In contrast, in other regions legislative programs turned to be very effective when applied correctly, remarks Kyba: "Cities like Tucson, Arizona, show that well designed LED lamps allow a two-third or more decrease of light emission without any noticeable effect for human perception." Future Real-Time Response for Astrospatial DesignThe future of remote sensing technology will soon bring an even higher precision to night time observations, in shorter cycles for real time applications. As a consequence, satellite images of the night will shortly be considered more frequently to design a better nocturnal environment. Daily updates will turn into detailed feedback to evaluate changes in outdoor lighting instantly. Combinations with other maps will open new options for design, research and visualization-based data journalism. While we have numerous regulatory frameworks for air or water pollution on a national level, the pollution of lighting still awaits equal consideration. The public access to nighttime imagery will also help dark sky advocates to point out insufficient lighting activities. But today, we can already start with education and awareness campaigns to reverse the increase of light pollution and to use the benefits of LED lighting in a smart and sustainable way. Light matters, a column on light and space, is written by Dr. Thomas Schielke. Based in Germany, he is fascinated by architectural lighting and works as an editor for the lighting company ERCO. He has published numerous articles and co-authored the books "Light Perspectives" and "SuperLux". For more information check www.erco.com, www.arclighting.de or follow him @arcspaces.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 17 Apr 2018 02:05 AM PDT  © Iwan Baan – OMA
 © Iwan Baan – OMA The Library by Rem Koolhaas One similarity between architecture and bookmaking is that both have unbelievably long traditions but are also forced to be of the moment, constantly updating in order to survive. We have designed many libraries and built a few. Libraries, as a typology, are so exceptionally suitable to produce radical architecture. Apparently, there is a paradox that such a traditional form produces inventive solutions, and that is the case for the Qatar National Library. The building is 138 meters long, equivalent to the length of two 747s. This is not to boast about scale but because from the beginning the idea was to make reading as accessible and as stimulating as possible to the population of Qatar as a whole. We thought we could achieve that by creating a building that was almost a single room, not divided in different sections, certainly not into separate floors. We took a plate and folded its corners up to create terraces for the books, but also to enable access in the center of the room. You emerge immediately surrounded by literally every book – all physically present, visible, and accessible, without any particular effort. The library is a space that could contain an entire population, and also an entire population of books...  Delfino Sisto Legnani and Marco Cappelletti © OMA Project Description  © Iwan Baan – OMA Qatar National library is the latest expression of OMA's long-term interest in the library, which goes back to the competition for the National Library of France in 1989. At that moment, the "electronics revolution" seemed "to eliminate all necessity for concentration and physical embodiment" of knowledge (S,M,L,XL). The whole raison d'être of the library was being questioned: Would we still need libraries? Could libraries survive the digital culture? With Qatar National Library, we wanted to express the vitality of the book by creating a design that brings study, research, collaboration and interaction within the collection itself – a collection that consists of over one million volumes, among which are some of the most important and rare manuscripts in the Middle East.  © Iwan Baan – OMA The library is conceived as a single room which houses both people and books. The edges of the building are lifted from the ground creating three aisles which accommodate the book collection and, at the same time, enclose a central triangular space. This configuration also allows the visitor to access the building at its center, rather than laboriously entering from the perimeter. The aisles are designed as a topography of shelving, interspersed with spaces for reading, socializing and browsing. The bookshelves are meant to be part of the building both in terms of materiality – they are made of the same white marble as the floors – and of infrastructure – they incorporate artificial lighting, ventilation, and the book return system.  © Iwan Baan – OMA  Level 1 Floor Plan © OMA  Delfino Sisto Legnani and Marco Cappelletti © OMA A column-free bridge connects the library's main aisles, allowing for a variety of routes throughout the building. The bridge is also a meeting space: it hosts media and study rooms, reading tables, exhibition displays, a circular conference table, and a large multipurpose auditorium, enclosed by a retractable curtain designed by Amsterdam studio InsideOutside, who were also responsible for the landscaping.  Delfino Sisto Legnani and Marco Cappelletti © OMA The heritage collection is placed at the center of the library in a six-meter-deep excavated-like space, clad in beige travertine. The collection can also operate autonomously, directly accessible from the outside. The corrugated-glass façade filters the otherwise bright natural light, creating a tranquil atmosphere for reading. The diffuse light is directed further into the core of the building by a reflecting aluminium ceiling. Outside, a sunken patio provides light to the staff office space in the basement, and at the same time acts as transition space before entering the world of books.  Delfino Sisto Legnani and Marco Cappelletti © OMA Qatar National Library plays a central role in the Education City, a project initiated by Her Highness Shiekha Mozah and the Qatar Foundation as part of Qatar's transition to a knowledge-based economy. The master plan, designed by Arata Isozaki in 1995 and inaugurated in 2003, consists of education and research facilities, including branches of internationally acclaimed universities and the headquarters of the Qatar Foundation, also designed by OMA and completed in 2016.  Delfino Sisto Legnani and Marco Cappelletti © OMA  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| In Celebration of Our 10th Anniversary: 10 Buildings That Bring to Mind the AD Logo Posted: 17 Apr 2018 01:00 AM PDT  This year, ArchDaily marks our 10th anniversary as a global platform for architecture. In the past 10 years, we have democratized access to architecture and brought a daily dose of information, knowledge and inspiration to students and professionals. To celebrate this important milestone, we have compiled a series of projects that recall our iconic logo: the blue three-story, prismatic house. We've curated over 33,543 built projects so far, including classics and flashbacks. We went through this enormous archive of projects and made a note of the ones that amused us and delighted us with their rectangular prism shapes and oddly occurring windows. They remind us of the beloved ArchDaily logo, and we're pleased to see that this shape can take on so many forms, all over the world. Micro House Slim Fit / ANA ROCHA architecture Micro House Slim Fit / ANA ROCHA architecture. © Christiane Wirth Townhouse / Elding Oscarson.jpg?1523630603 "Townhouse / Elding Oscarson. © Åke E:son Lindman") Townhouse / Elding Oscarson. © Åke E:son Lindman 5.5m x 5.5m / LVPH 5.5m x 5.5m / LVPH. © Jérôme Humbert Wolf House / Pezo von Ellrichshausen.jpg?1523630592 "Wolf House / Pezo von Ellrichshausen. Courtesy of Pezo von Ellrichshausen") Wolf House / Pezo von Ellrichshausen. Courtesy of Pezo von Ellrichshausen Kumagai House / Hiroshi Kuno + Associates.jpg?1523630582 "Kumagai House / Hiroshi Kuno + Associates. Courtesy of Hiroshi Kuno + Associates") Kumagai House / Hiroshi Kuno + Associates. Courtesy of Hiroshi Kuno + Associates House in Oimachi / LEVEL Architects House in Oimachi / LEVEL Architects. Courtesy of LEVEL Architects Ogikubo House / MDS Ogikubo House / MDS. © Toshiyuki Yano Mews House / Russell Jones Mews House / Russell Jones. © Rory Gardiner Black Box House / TAKATINA LLC Black Box House / TAKATINA LLC © Mikiko Kikuyama House in Fukushima / BHIS + K's planning House in Fukushima / BHIS + K's planning © Shinkenchiku-sha  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Is Architecture Synonymous with Stress? Posted: 16 Apr 2018 11:00 PM PDT  © Filipe Vasconcelos The idea of becoming an architect and working in the field can seem to go against notions of a good work-life balance. With long journeys, pressing deadlines and the need to make informed decisions quickly, combined with potentially low wages and a quagmire of tricky working relationships and red-tape, architecture is conceived to be one of the most stressful professions. A survey by Architect's Journal in 2016 found that 25% of UK architecture students are seeking mental health related treatments. In an article by Jennifer Whelan, published in May 2014 about mental health of architectural students, the author discusses the results of research conducted by the University of Toronto Graduate Student of Architecture, Landscape and Design (GALDSU) where the majority of students admitted to regularly pulling all-nighters, skipping meals, forgoing extracurricular social activities, and rarely exercising in order to finish projects on time. Furthermore, many architecture offices seem to seek out people who will perpetuate these practices. It is not uncommon to read, in job and internship opportunities, skills such as "resistance to stress," or "having a high level of stress control and the ability to maintain an overview in chaotic circumstances," for example. This is already on top of other demands, from having years of experience to proficiency in various softwares and languages, agility in teamwork, and free availability for field trips. Although these job postings state their requirements with remarkable frankness, what they ask for is not common if we compare it to companies outside the field. As architects, we always try to design spaces where people feel good and live comfortably. On the other hand, we do not apply these same concepts to our day to day life. To discuss this, we proposed this AD Discussion. Do you think that architecture should be stressful? Does pressure lead to better work? Or do you think architecture offices should be better aligned with the value proposition that happier employees produce more? What is your experience? We want to know!  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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