Arch Daily |
- Meet the Three Winners of the 2018 ArchDaily Refurbishment in Architecture Award
- Heritage Depot Potyze / Claeys - Haelvoet Architecten
- Estonian Pavilion at 2018 Venice Biennale to Demonstrate How Built Architecture Is Inherently Political
- North Orleans Housing / SeARCH
- A45 / BIG
- Hakka Indenture Museum / DnA
- The Verandah House / Modo Design
- Hefei Wantou Vanke Paradise Art Wonderland / Shanghai Tianhua Architectural Design
- Venue Hotel / Aline Architect
- Frick Environmental Center / Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
- Open Call: 2018 MAD Travel Fellowship
- Griffin School / Murray Legge Architecture
- Shortlist Released for 2018 Young Talent Architecture Award
- House in Salvador / Norte Arquitetos
- The Macallan New Distillery and Visitors Experience / Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
- Stop Talking Kanye: No More Defense for Kanye West
- Maison Gauthier / Atelier Barda architecture
- The Lost History of the Women of the Bauhaus
- Material and Immaterial Poetry: The Work of Lina Bo Bardi
| Meet the Three Winners of the 2018 ArchDaily Refurbishment in Architecture Award Posted: 22 May 2018 04:51 AM PDT  The polls are closed and the votes are in! With nearly 15,000 votes cast over the last three weeks, we are ready to unveil the winners of ArchDaily's inaugural Refurbishment in Architecture Awards. This crowdsourced architecture award, developed in partnership with MINI Clubman, showcases the best refurbishment projects published on ArchDaily throughout 2017, with our readers filtering a 450-strong shortlist down to 15 finalists, and ultimately, three winners. Reflecting ArchDaily's global reach, the 15 finalists hailed from five continents, with the three winners located in South Africa, Mexico, and the United States. The award therefore demonstrates the global importance of architectural refurbishment as a means of enhancing sustainable urban environments at different scales. Without further ado, meet the winners of the ArchDaily's 2018 Refurbishment in Architecture Awards. 1st Place - Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa / Heatherwick Studio Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa / Heatherwick Studio. Image © Iwan Baan  Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa / Heatherwick Studio. Image © Iwan Baan  Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa / Heatherwick Studio. Image © Iwan Baan 2nd Place - Colonial House Recovery on 64th Street / Nauzet Rodriguez Colonial House Recovery on 64th Street. Image © Pim Schalkwijk  Colonial House Recovery on 64th Street. Image © Pim Schalkwijk  Colonial House Recovery on 64th Street. Image © Pim Schalkwijk 3rd Place - Memphis Teacher Residency / archimania Memphis Teacher Residency / archimania. Image © Hank Mardukas  Memphis Teacher Residency / archimania. Image © Hank Mardukas  Memphis Teacher Residency / archimania. Image © Hank Mardukas  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Heritage Depot Potyze / Claeys - Haelvoet Architecten Posted: 22 May 2018 10:00 PM PDT  © Piet-Albert Goethals
 © Piet-Albert Goethals Text description provided by the architects. Amidst a landscape of fields and farms, and near the military cemetery of Saint-Charles de Potyze, the new heritage depot is located. The depot is a depository of local heritage and art collections, where these treasures from the past are stored under the strictest conditions.  © Piet-Albert Goethals The collection consists of objects ranging from old postcards, paintings and archaeological finds, to memorabilia and militaria. Part of the collection originates from the "In Flanders Fields Museum" and bears witness to the historical war record of the very soil on which the depot is built.  Ground floor plan At first sight, the building seems a simple volume of blind facades and sloping planes, made up of brown-red clay tiles that seamlessly immerse themselves in the rural landscape. As natural daylight in the storage space would be harmful to the objects, the walls remain mostly blank. Only the entrance, corridors and work places are provided with windows, through which one has a beautiful view of the surroundings.  © Piet-Albert Goethals All objects are kept in specifically designed storage systems, such as compactus shelving, picture racks, filing cabinets, … dispersed over a floor surface of ca. 1300 m2, divided in two levels. This space is quite modest in relation to the size of the collection it houses, but the compact and efficient storage systems, as well as the vertical stacking structure, allow for a large number of objects to be stored there.  © Piet-Albert Goethals The depot is compartmentalized in four areas: a large space with pallet racks, a storage space for fragile items such as paintings and textiles, a storage for metal objects, and a secure armory.  Section The heritage is guarded 24/7 under strict climatological conditions. An investment has been made in the principles of low energy storage. There are almost no climate installations, which results in a durable building with low exploitation costs. The "Denmark model" was applied in this building, meaning that storage spaces are not heated or cooled. The walls are well isolated, but not the floor, which limits fluctuations in temperature (the soil works as an accumulator). Only dehumidification of the spaces is necessary; this is achieved by air-tight walls and a dehumidifier. The necessary energy is obtained through solar panels.  © Piet-Albert Goethals Aside from the storage spaces that form the bulk of the building, there are supporting spaces, such as offices, a quarantine room, a packing room, a cold store, … This collection of spaces make the building into a professional regional heritage depot where history is preserved for future generations.  Courtesy of Claeys / Haelvoet Architecten  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 22 May 2018 09:00 PM PDT  © Weak Monument As part of our 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale coverage we present the proposal for the Estonian Pavilion. Below, the participants describe their contribution in their own words. Estonian Pavilion curators, Laura Linsi, Roland Reemaa and Tadeáš Říha, explore the spectrum between the explicit representation of the monument and the implicit politics of everyday architectures: from the triumphal column to the pavement beneath it, through all that is in between. The title itself – Weak Monument – is an oxymoron, a rhetorical device that offers fresh perspectives on how to recognize politics in any built form.
CURATORIAL  © Weak Monument Weak Monument examines architecture's capacity to be political, by juxtaposing two antithetical notions – weakness and monumentality. Monuments reside on the margin of the architectural discipline while directly embodying some of its most central qualities, such as relation to the site, delimitation of public space and capacity for representation. Monuments represent power explicitly, but not universally. In Estonia, the notion of monument appears as a foreign intruder. Its presence is marginal, its tradition nonexistent and its form tormented by an apparent cultural displacement. Underscaled, skewed and displanted, half demolished and neglected, monuments stand in their oblivious surroundings as uncanny souvenirs brought from distant lands. The Estonian cultural specificity has been increasingly accordant with a wider contemporary distrust of the monument as a device of oppressive authority. Weakness is at once a reflection and a proposition. It is full of contradictions, multiplicity and concealed meanings. In other words, everything that the classical concept of monument is not. It introduces strictly non-hierarchical structures, where politics is only implicit. It can be the pavement beneath the monument, the scaffold that allows for climbing the previously unclimbable; it can be the gap made explicit or the ruin that inspires the imagination. EXHIBITION  © Roland Reemaa Weak Monument invites visitors to expand their understanding of how, where and why architecture can be recognized as political. The former church of Santa Maria Ausiliatrice is overtaken by a pavement and a wall. A suburban interlocking pavement covers its colored marbles, while a monument-like concrete wall divides the exhibition space into two. The every day and the exceptional structures are forced to occupy the same baroque interior. A scene is formed, which invites the visitor to step onto, and through it. The concrete wall, which initially appears grand and impenetrable, can be crossed. Behind it, its internal structure and richness of materials unfold. In this transitional space, a broad collection of weak monuments is unveiled. Estonian, as well as European examples, are showcased through existing and newly commissioned photographs, through drawings and models, and in the catalog. BOOK  © Weak Monument In parallel to the exhibition, a book, entitled "Weak Monument – Architectures Beyond The Plinth" edited by the pavilion curators, has been published by Park Books, featuring guest essays by Tom Avermaete, Eik Hermann, Margrethe Troensegaard, Toomas Paaver and Klaus Platzgummer. In keeping with the Weak Monument working method, it presents an eclectic collection of architecture in paintings and personal snapshots, drawings and film stills, from known European archives and from small Estonian museums. Although far from traditional architectural practice, all the examples are presented as architectural projects. The publication includes five potent chapters: The Ruin, The Gap, The Scaffold, The Base and The Shelter – challenging readers to reconsider the importance and potential of seemingly unnoticed architectural forms within our public spaces.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| North Orleans Housing / SeARCH Posted: 22 May 2018 08:00 PM PDT  Courtesy of SeARCH
 Courtesy of SeARCH Text description provided by the architects. SeARCH has designed a new residential building of 120 studio apartments for students or young professionals, located right beside our own offices on the Spijkerkade in Amsterdam North.  Courtesy of SeARCH The district, originally an industrial area, is undergoing very rapid transformations. In the urban redevelopment process, creative industries are finding their place in the former factories and warehouses, creating a new dynamism in the North. With the development of new transport links from the City Centre district to North district, such as a new metro line and a pedestrian bridge, the area is in need of new housing. Therefore this was the ideal location for this residential complex.  Typical floor plan The individual studios are fully furnished, prefabricated concrete modules, which are stacked on the building site in six layers of 20 units.  Courtesy of SeARCH On the ground floor the modules have extra height to be used as the entrance of the housing building, the concierge office, postal boxes, bicycle storage, Laundromat and a communal lounge. The complex is built in a U shape around a central garden and terrace with barbecue, open to all residents.  Section 02 The façade is made of COR-TEN steel elements added to the prefab modules to create circulations and private balconies with a view towards the IJ River. It reveals its unique color after rainy days and enhances the industrial character of the building.  Courtesy of SeARCH  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 22 May 2018 07:00 PM PDT  Courtesy of BIG
 Courtesy of BIG Text description provided by the architects. A45 is the first prototype constructed in upstate New York and will be customizable inside and out for future home-owners to purchase, tailor and have the tiny house built within 4-6 months in any location, for any purpose. The design evolves from the traditional A-frame cabin, known for its pitched roof and angled walls which allow for easy rain run-off and simple construction.  Courtesy of BIG To maximize the qualities of this classic structure, A45 creates more usable floor area by taking a square base and twisting the roof 45 degrees to raise the tiny home to a soaring 13 ft height. The resulting crystal-like shape gives A45 an ever-changing appearance.  Courtesy of BIG Upon entering, the 180 sqft interior space reflects a minimal Nordic abode prioritized for 'hyggelig' comfort and design. From the exposed timber frame in solid pine, the Douglas Fir floor and customizable space-grade, insulating natural cork walls, A45 brings nature inside. An elegant Morsøe wood-burning fireplace is nestled in one corner while off-the-grid equipment is tucked away in the back. A petite kitchen designed by Københavns Møbelsnedkeri, hand-crafted furniture from Carl Hansen and a bed fitted with Kvadrat fabric designed by Soren Rose Studio are some of the handcrafted Nordic furniture to adorn A45. The bathroom is made of cedar wood with fixtures by VOLA.  Courtesy of BIG  Section B  Courtesy of BIG A45 is assembled in modules on site and consists of 100% recyclable materials including the timber frame, wall modules, a subfloor and the triangular floor-to-ceiling window featuring seven glass pieces that allow natural daylight to illuminate the interiors. The structure is slightly elevated by four concrete piers to give optimal support and allow homeowners to place their tiny house in even the most remote areas without the use of heavy machinery.  Courtesy of BIG  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 22 May 2018 05:00 PM PDT  © Ziling Wang
 © Ziling Wang Text description provided by the architects. The village of Shicang, whose residents belong to a Hakka ethnic group, is located in a narrow valley in the south of Songyang Country. The Hakka are also referred to as 'guests', since they migrated here as refugees from northern regions in the past centuries. They have retained their special status until today, which is characterized by the strong internal cohesion of the group.  © Ziling Wang  Circulatioon  © Ziling Wang The name of the village of Shicang can be translated as stone storage, which in turn refers to a legend, according to which there were able to supply themselves. Greedy inhabitants allegedly broke open the cave, which consequently lost its ability to produce grain. In place of the grain, it was afterwards only possible to find stones.  © Ziling Wang To commemorate this story, which gave the village its name, Xu Tiantian developed a building that takes up the local construction of bridges and residential buildings. Coarsely hewn stones are layered in a wild lattice to create massive walls that continue the slope on the edge of the village out into the landscape. The architecture is connected with the landscape by means of various sequences of spaces both inside and out.  © Ziling Wang  Elevation & Section  © Ziling Wang An existing irrigation channel was guided over the roof and provides water, which, on particular days, is sprayed by nozzles to create a water curtain on the inside. By means of a linear opening in the roof, sunlight falls on the water curtain, where a rainbow forms. This temporary phenomenon attracts visitors, who then enliven neighboring villages as well.  © Ziling Wang The museum itself has no controlled access and only exhibits copies of, in part, several-hundred-year-old Hakka indentures. The inspiration from the local legend situates the museum, with which both craftsmanship and material culture have been revitalized.  © Ziling Wang  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Verandah House / Modo Design Posted: 22 May 2018 03:00 PM PDT  © Bharat Aggarwal
 © Bharat Aggarwal Text description provided by the architects. This house is on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on a 4-acre land having dense flora, a lily pond and an existing outhouse having a vernacular typology. The new house was to be a permanent dwelling away from the city into the natural wilderness. Earlier the Munshaw family owned a colonial style house in a densely populated locality of Ahmedabad and which was build in mid 20th century. The owner's initial brief for the new house included a preference to avoid a rigid box formation, a mention of lifestyle that was mostly outdoors, and a dwelling that would be a container for the collection of artifacts, paintings, Persian rugs, books and ancestral furniture.  © Bharat Aggarwal  Floor Plan  © Bharat Aggarwal The proposed design weaves and integrates the above concerns. The fluid curvilinear formation is a reinterpretation of imagery of old ancestral house and also to reiterate the existing natural formation on the site. The house bends to allow views of the lily pond. and simultaneously generates an element of surprise in the experience of interior space. The entry verandah, lower and upper verandah that comprises a major part of the house and all these are oriented towards main garden and lily pond. These are a 15 feet cantilevered and hovering spaces that fuses with the surrounding landscape. The interior space lavishly opens into these semi-open verandah spaces.  © Bharat Aggarwal The house is a ground floor structure having the master bedroom and daughter's room at a higher level. The central spine segregates the living, dining, library and master bedroom on the side that has the main garden and lily pond. The rear bay houses the kitchen, mother's room, and daughter's room. The rear bay is also interspersed with landscaped entry court and the central court that relieves this bay and lets natural light within the house. The central spine also is illuminated by skylights to have a contrast to the dark Kotah floor.  © Bharat Aggarwal  © Bharat Aggarwal The house is a fusion of raw character of outdoor spaces and the finesse of the interiors. The exterior material palette is natural jute panels on the curving beam face, Valsadi wood paneling, and doors, concrete ceilings, terracotta colored rough surface and rough Kotah stone flooring. This is further complemented by old renovated wood and cane furniture in the verandah spaces. The interior space, in contrast, has white walls, polished Kotah stone. The interior space fuses old and customized new furniture along with lots of artifacts, paintings, and Persian rugs.  © Bharat Aggarwal  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Hefei Wantou Vanke Paradise Art Wonderland / Shanghai Tianhua Architectural Design Posted: 22 May 2018 01:00 PM PDT  Volume comparison of white and grey. Image © Xin Nie
 Birdview. Image © Xin Nie Text description provided by the architects. Vanke Xinzhan Project Kindergarten is an education-supporting building for Vanke new residential area near Hefei new station. The planning and design of the project include a compact park, a 15-class kindergarten and a community image entrance of the supporting buildings of the style and pension. The early stage of the project serves as a demonstrating image of the new district life, creating a new and interesting commemorative scene, and integrating the high-quality collaborative projects in the landscape.  Lighting design. Image © Xin Nie At the beginning of the design, the area was designed to carry out the design of emotional value. The most striking object is the kindergarten itself. We hope that the building will reflect children's perception of the original concept of "house".  Entrance. Image © Xin Nie  Plan  Nightview. Image © Xin Nie At the beginning of the design, we extracted the architectural features from the children's paintings: the sloping top was simple and easy to be identified, and the doors and windows of different sizes were clear and colorful. We take seven lively units to define the courtyard, surrounding the unique music classroom and the game-like tree house space. It was a reflection of the childhood world.  Funny spiral stairs. Image © Xin Nie In the eyes of children, the world is colorful. But we hope to leave enough "white space" as the main architectural language of this project. In order to present the kindergarten with a simple "white space" image, the material selection is as clean and tidy as possible. The white and grey textured coatings are used on the exterior wall, and the details of the construction process are concealed, which makes the small houses more integrated. The contrast of the colors has a visual impact, and the color itself is in contrast to the virtual reality of the block.  Activity space. Image © Xin Nie In terms of material texture, the contrast is even more extravagated, since the gray house is covered in decorative aluminum tube like the pencil drawing with a layer of delicate light shadow. This makes the buildings more exquisite and chic. The design of baluster and parapet design is integrated, which also choose gray vertical bar aluminium tubes and appear in the facade with pure and clean form.There is always a time when vanity is lost, but the real life is the real art.  Activity terrace. Image © Xin Nie  Talking and outdoor space. Image © Xin Nie  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 22 May 2018 12:00 PM PDT  © Hiroyuki Oki
 © Hiroyuki Oki Text description provided by the architects. Located in the central square of Nha Trang City, the building stands out among regular square blocks. The façade area is quite narrow, so the architect has transformed the monotonous glasses into colorful "walles". A part of elevation space is used as a place to plant trees, as a result, it creates "green" balconies, brings the comfort feelings to the users. The façade area is quite narrow but the land plot is such a corner plot so the whole room is designed to receive direct natural wind and sunlight. All rooms come with sea views.  © Hiroyuki Oki From the perspective of architects, we always want a building that impresses visitors from viewing angles, feelings to the use which need to be most comfortable and convenient. Reducing the construction cost and operation of the building are also paid attention, so all the materials in the building are purely local materials, solar cells that provide adequate hot water for all the rooms, lighting system, there are 100% of rooms receiving direct lighting, so it minimizes the use of electricity.  Ground Floor Typical 2 After the research process on climate in Nha Trang, we shall offer solutions as follows:  © Hiroyuki Oki  18th Floor Plan In all hotel rooms, the building elevation is inspired by a traditional roof (sloped roof tiles) and stylized in combination with green tree pots that are arranged sequentially in a chain to create a crystal form for covering the entire building with more than 120 pots cleverly arranged throughout the entire elevation. Therefore, when in the room, visitors will feel the light and green trees in combination with the views through the windows like a house, eliminating the feelings of dryness and facilitating the intimate relationship.  © Hiroyuki Oki  Facade  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Frick Environmental Center / Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Posted: 22 May 2018 10:00 AM PDT  © Alexander Denmarsh
 © Elliott Cramer for Denmarsh Phot Text description provided by the architects. The Frick Environmental Center, the first municipally-owned, Living Building Challenge-targeted project in existence, will be a world-class center for experiential environmental education. As a joint venture between the City of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, the new Environmental Center will serve as a gateway to Frick Park—the city's largest public park at 644-acres—and embody the "neighborhood to nature" ideal that served as inspiration for its formation more than 80-years ago.  Site Plan The Frick Environmental Center encompasses nearly four-acres of development, including restored historic gatehouses and fountain; visitor parking; a service barn; extensive landscaping and ecological restoration; and the new Environmental Center. The entrance to the site, marked by a pair of stone gatehouses, leads to a formal allée of native trees and plantings. The new building, nestled into a sloping hillside, is approached via a walkway and bridge, which allows visitors to engage with the park beyond from the elevation of the tree canopy. The building's exterior, clad in locally and sustainably harvested black locust, blends with the surrounding woods, evoking a tree house quality. Inside, full-height wood windows emanate warmth and allow for expansive views of the park. The 15,600-square-foot facility features a public living room and gallery; classrooms for K-12 environmental education programs operated by the Parks Conservancy; and offices, storage, and support space for Parks Conservancy staff.  © Alexander Denmarsh  © Alexander Denmarsh To meet Living Building and LEED Platinum challenges, this project will achieve on-site net zero energy and net zero water through many components, including a 650-kilowatt photovoltaic array; geothermal heating and cooling system; locally sourced non-toxic building materials; continuous daylight dimming controls and occupancy sensors; and a reclaimed water system. Inspired by the clients' mission to educate and engage, the project incorporates these and other features as interactive elements in the building and site design, providing children and families from the Pittsburgh region with hands-on environmental education, and fulfilling the Environmental Center's role as a "living laboratory."  © Alexander Denmarsh  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Open Call: 2018 MAD Travel Fellowship Posted: 22 May 2018 09:00 AM PDT To architecture students worldwide, MAD encourages you to apply for the 2018 MAD Travel Fellowship.
Program description provided by MAD Architects. Following the successful 2017 expansion of the "MAD Travel Fellowship" to include international students, MAD officially launches the 2018 global program. This 8th edition will support the travels of five undergraduate/graduate architecture students from across globe so that they can conduct field work and further research into their architecture topics of interest. Ma Yansong will select the candidates who will propose their travel destinations of choice, aligning with their thesis topics. We are now opening the call for applications for the 2018 MAD Travel Fellowship. For more information on how to apply, visit: http://www.i-mad.com/fellowship/  Courtesy of MAD Architects How to Apply: Application Requirements: Please submit the above materials as a single 6MB (max.) PDF, in A4 format (both horizontal and vertical layouts are accepted) to: travel@i-mad.com Application Deadline: June 8th, 2018 For the 2017 edition, the fellowship was extended to include five international students from Costa Rica, Greece, Iran, Italy, and Scotland who traveled to China to explore the deep culture and tradition in architecture and urban planning of the country; while Chinese students traveled abroad. As we kick-off the 2018 program, we look back on the travels of the 2017 MAD Travel Fellows who collectively visited 40+ cities in 10 countries; and through MAD's assistance, met with famous architects in their studios, including Hermann Hertzberger, Philip Yuan, among others.  Courtesy of MAD Architects Issy Zhe Yi, Yale School of Architecture, Graduate Student  Courtesy of MAD Architects Li Qiwei, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Undergraduate Student  Courtesy of MAD Architects Wei Tangchenxi, Southeast University China, Graduate Student  Courtesy of MAD Architects Wen Zishen, Tsinghua University, Graduate Student  Courtesy of MAD Architects Wu You, Princeton University, Graduate Student  Courtesy of MAD Architects Federico Fauli (Italy), Architectural Association, Graduate Student  Courtesy of MAD Architects Hossein Goudarzi (Iran), University of New Mexico, Graduate Student  Courtesy of MAD Architects Kyrioki Goti (Greece), University of Stuttgart, Graduate Student  Courtesy of MAD Architects Roberto Vargas Calvo (Costa Rica), Universidad Veritas, San José, Undergraduate Student  Courtesy of MAD Architects Shaun McCallum (Scotland), University of Applied Arts Vienna, Graduate Student  Courtesy of MAD Architects We would like to extend our thanks to our sponsor, China Express Airlines, for making this year's program possible. We are now opening the call for applications for the 2018 MAD Travel Fellowship. Please visit the MAD Travel Fellowship webpage for further details. Via MAD Architects.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Griffin School / Murray Legge Architecture Posted: 22 May 2018 08:00 AM PDT  © Leonid Furmansky
 © Leonid Furmansky Text description provided by the architects. Griffin School is a college preparatory high school located in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Austin, TX. The school's diverse, liberal arts curriculum and creative student body define its reputation. For many years the school has occupied an assemblage of buildings in a residential neighborhood. The campus consists of a repurposed church, a house converted to classrooms, and a small workshop. To accommodate growing enrollment and to create an environment that embodies their core values, Griffin School added a new two-story classroom building to the existing ensemble.  © Leonid Furmansky
 © Leonid Furmansky A master planning project goal was to transform the eclectic assemblage of structures into a cohesive, vibrant campus by uniting them around a central quadrangle. The new building forms the enclosing northern boundary of this courtyard. Daily movement of students and faculty–class changes, instrument practice, Ping-Pong, basketball, lounging, shop projects, and outdoor classes–are all showcased within this new, concentrated public space. These highly visible activities form the beating heart of the campus.  Plan L1  Plan L2 The new building enhances the social character of the school by encouraging engagement. In a nod to Texas vernacular buildings, a generous, deeply shaded south-facing porch opens up to the courtyard, providing a comfortable place to shelter from the summer heat and bask in the winter sun. Farther into the building, the central corridor opens up visually to the porch and courtyard beyond through a long expanse of windows. Finally, an exterior stair protruding into the courtyard offers an elevated perspective of the campus. Throughout the building there are unexpected moments of visual connections to specific places in the campus. This layered connection forms a highly social experience of movement through, around, and between buildings.  © Leonid Furmansky Griffin School is an engaging and interactive community, and the new building strives to cultivate and inspire the creative aspirations of the school. Modest materials are used in surprising ways to sculpt light, space and movement into a rich, tactile experience. On the ground floor, exposed trusses and wall framing reveal the structural bones of the building, adding contrasting texture to expanses of clean white walls and exposed concrete floors. The upper floor is contained within the sloping underside of the gable roof and gives the intimate feeling of being inside the attic of a house. Rather than the straight-laced character of a typical school, the Griffin School building has the airy roughness of an art studio or workshop.  Section 2 The new building fits into its residential neighborhood context through a combination of aesthetic and formal gestures. The basic form of the building draws on traditional residential elements: a brick base with an iconic gable profile on top. The second floor is contained entirely within the gable, which allows the eaves to be lowered closer to the ground to effectively reduce the building's scale. The gable end is oriented towards the street and stepped back on the second floor to present the smallest face of the building to the neighborhood. Light is introduced to the second floor through dormer windows that echo traditional house construction.  © Leonid Furmansky  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Shortlist Released for 2018 Young Talent Architecture Award Posted: 22 May 2018 07:00 AM PDT  via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award The Fundació Mies van der Rohe has announced a list of 40 projects that will compete for the Young Talent Architecture Award (YTAA) 2018. The award was established in 2016 to "support the talent of recently graduated Architects, Urban Planners and Landscape Architects who will be responsible for transforming our environment in the future," and joins the Foundation's European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award "in promoting high quality work amongst emerging and established architects through the acknowledgement of the value of good buildings." More than 330 projects were submitted from over 118 European, Chinese, and Korean architecture schools, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of 40 projects by an esteemed jury of architects and curators. The YTAA 2018 exhibition is a collateral event at the Venice Biennale, opening on May 24th at the Palazzo Mora, where 12 finalists will be announced. The names of the four winning schemes will become known on June 28th. The shortlisted projects are: Agua Espraida Urban Integration / Beatrice Gevi from University of Genoa  Agua Espraida Urban Integration / Beatrice Gevi from University of Genoa. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Benevolent Scarring / Sean William Murphy from University of Limerick  Benevolent Scarring / Sean William Murphy from University of Limerick. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Between the Limit and the Trench / Margarita Zakynthinou-Xanthi, Elena Mylona, Zoi Tzoundidou from National Technical University of Athens  Between the Limit and the Trench / Margarita Zakynthinou-Xanthi, Elena Mylona, Zoi Tzoundidou from National Technical University of Athens. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Build to make a change / Francesca Vittorini from Marche Polytechnic University  Build to make a change / Francesca Vittorini from Marche Polytechnic University. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Ceramics – Design of a factory / Sina Pauline Riedlinger, Franziska Kauferle from Technical University of Berlin  Ceramics – Design of a factory / Sina Pauline Riedlinger, Franziska Kauferle from Technical University of Berlin. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award City of Fatigue / Joon II Myeong from Hanyang University  City of Fatigue / Joon II Myeong from Hanyang University. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Civic Games / Maeve Curley from University of Limerick  Civic Games / Maeve Curley from University of Limerick. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Confluence / Joshua Penk from the Architectural Association School of Architecture  Confluence / Joshua Penk from the Architectural Association School of Architecture. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Crafting the disused / Frederice Koch from Delft University of Technology  Crafting the disused / Frederice Koch from Delft University of Technology. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Deplorable Framework / Matthew Gregorowski from London Metropolitan University  Deplorable Framework / Matthew Gregorowski from London Metropolitan University. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Forms of defence / Enrico Miglietta from Polytechnic of Milan  Forms of defence / Enrico Miglietta from Polytechnic of Milan. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Hong Kong – New New Territories / Caterina Barbon, Tommaso Petrosino, Matteo Vianello from IUAV University of Venice  Hong Kong – New New Territories / Caterina Barbon, Tommaso Petrosino, Matteo Vianello from IUAV University of Venice. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award House, Kitchen, Garden in Alcacer do Sal / Pedro Frade from Universidade Autonoma de Lisboa  House, Kitchen, Garden in Alcacer do Sal / Pedro Frade from Universidade Autonoma de Lisboa . Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Interstices of Urban Dualism in Maputo / Joao Pedro de Brito Oliveira from University of Lisbon  Interstices of Urban Dualism in Maputo / Joao Pedro de Brito Oliveira from University of Lisbon. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Kifufu Integrative School / Michael Schwarz, Paul Grofler from Vienna University of Technology  Kifufu Integrative School / Michael Schwarz, Paul Grofler from Vienna University of Technology. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Last Landscape / Simone Marchetti, Sofia Paoli, Beatrice Maria Rogantini Picco from Polytechnic of Milan  Last Landscape / Simone Marchetti, Sofia Paoli, Beatrice Maria Rogantini Picco from Polytechnic of Milan. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Lasvit flagship store / Filip Galko from Czech Technical University  Lasvit flagship store / Filip Galko from Czech Technical University. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Manufaktur Schloss Welsberg / Stegan Prattes from Graz University of Technology  Manufaktur Schloss Welsberg / Stegan Prattes from Graz University of Technology. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award May I use the front/backdoor? / Nele Bergmans from Catholic University of Leuven  May I use the front/backdoor? / Nele Bergmans from Catholic University of Leuven. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Media Monastery / Christopher Weir from Ulster University  Media Monastery / Christopher Weir from Ulster University . Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award NEUE BAUIAKADEMIE BERLIN – a club for the former & future architecture / Hendrick Brinkmann from Berlin University of the Arts  NEUE BAUIAKADEMIE BERLIN – a club for the former & future architecture / Hendrick Brinkmann from Berlin University of the Arts. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Old Brickyard – Landbad Bordenau / Nick Chadde from Bauhaus-Universitat Weimar  Old Brickyard – Landbad Bordenau / Nick Chadde from Bauhaus-Universitat Weimar. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Perdido (Lost) –P.R.U.S. of Madrid / Julio Gotor Valcarcel from Polytechnic University of Madrid _-P.R.U.S._of_Madrid_.jpg?1526999072 "Perdido (Lost) –P.R.U.S. of Madrid / Julio Gotor Valcarcel from Polytechnic University of Madrid. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award") Perdido (Lost) –P.R.U.S. of Madrid / Julio Gotor Valcarcel from Polytechnic University of Madrid. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Powerful spaces / Diogo Veiga from Porto University  Powerful spaces / Diogo Veiga from Porto University. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Public Bath / Leslie Rahel Majer from Bauhaus-Universitat Weimar  Public Bath / Leslie Rahel Majer from Bauhaus-Universitat Weimar. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Rhizome / Arianna Fornasiero, Paolo Turconi from Delft University of Technology  Rhizome / Arianna Fornasiero, Paolo Turconi from Delft University of Technology. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award San Junipero / Ara Gonzalez Cabrera from Polytechnic University of Madrid  San Junipero / Ara Gonzalez Cabrera from Polytechnic University of Madrid. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Sominedepotet, As Found / Greta Caterina Malavolti from Polytechnic of Milan  Sominedepotet, As Found / Greta Caterina Malavolti from Polytechnic of Milan. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Stadium Strahov / Veronika Indrova from Czech Technical University  Stadium Strahov / Veronika Indrova from Czech Technical University. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Symbiosis in Hutong: Community Center in Historic District / Mengjia Liu from Tsinghua University  Symbiosis in Hutong: Community Center in Historic District / Mengjia Liu from Tsinghua University. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award The Agonistic City / Benjamin Wells from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts  The Agonistic City / Benjamin Wells from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts . Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award The Bank of England: a dialectical project / Leod Stolte from Delft University of Technology  The Bank of England: a dialectical project / Leod Stolte from Delft University of Technology. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award THE CITADEL OF TIDES / Marie Moors from Hasselt University  THE CITADEL OF TIDES / Marie Moors from Hasselt University. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award The Common House / Jacob Hoppner from University of Stuttgart  The Common House / Jacob Hoppner from University of Stuttgart. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award The Fallen Monuments of Egerkingen / Eva Lanter from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich  The Fallen Monuments of Egerkingen / Eva Lanter from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award The Permanently Temporary / Viktória Sándor from University of Applied Arts Vienna  The Permanently Temporary / Viktória Sándor . Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Thick brick building in Munich / Mari Brorsen, Max Panhans, Vanessa Salm from Technical University of Munich  Thick brick building in Munich / Mari Brorsen, Max Panhans, Vanessa Salm from Technical University of Munich. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Towards a new individual place: A self-sufficient community / Guillem Pascual Perello from Polytechnic University of Catalonia  Towards a new individual place: A self-sufficient community / Guillem Pascual Perello from Polytechnic University of Catalonia. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award TRIADI / Paul Thynell from Aalto University  TRIADI / Paul Thynell from Aalto University. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award Urban Safari / Sungbum Heo from Hanyang University  Urban Safari / Sungbum Heo from Hanyang University. Image via YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award This year's jury included:
More information can be found on the award website, here. News via Fundació Mies van der Rohe  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| House in Salvador / Norte Arquitetos Posted: 22 May 2018 06:00 AM PDT  © Manuel Sá
.jpg?1526943856 "© Manuel Sá") © Manuel Sá Text description provided by the architects. The house, located in a private condominium in Salvador of Bahia, Brazil, was designed to meet the needs of a young couple with a daughter. The terrain had a trapezoidal shape, with a front of 13m, 40m sides and a 24m back. The topography was more favorable to the implantation of a building in a range of 20m from the front of the lot, since in this section the variation between levels was of 1,40m of height, the result of a slope that turned into a small plateau. The second half of the terrain had a slope of 10 meters height, with an average slope of 35%. .jpg?1526943933 "© Manuel Sá") © Manuel Sá  Section 01 .jpg?1526943779 "© Manuel Sá") © Manuel Sá The northwest-southeast orientation of the lot required that the residence program would be arranged to avoid the setting sun from the west, thus enhancing the best winds from the eastern quadrant. The western facades should protect from the setting sun, having punctual openings for exhausting and providing cross ventilation. The facades of the eastern quadrant should be more open, receiving maximum ventilation and natural light. To mitigate the high temperatures of the city of Salvador, especially in summer, the pool should be at the end of the lot, in the east quadrant, receiving the prevailing winds, acting as a water surface, bringing a comfortable breeze into the building. .jpg?1526943817 "© Manuel Sá") © Manuel Sá  Ground floor plan .jpg?1526943957 "© Manuel Sá") © Manuel Sá The goal of the project was to have the smallest constructed area possible. The only requirements of the guests were a double foyer, a swimming pool and maximum green area. .jpg?1526943886 "© Manuel Sá") © Manuel Sá Taking advantage of the natural slope of the first portion of the terrain, a necessary dig was made for the garages and service areas of the house, half level below the front of the lot. On the ground floor, 1.40m above the level of the sidewalk, the whole social program of the residence is developed around a central patio, totally visually permeable, where one has access to the living room, kitchen, video room and a toy room . All the rooms turn to the patio, promoting greater integration of the interior and exterior spaces, functioning as a continuous plan that, from the living room, interconnects to the green areas and the pool in the background. The ground floor balcony houses the outside use program of the house and is a result of the layout of the three upper deck bedrooms. The rooms have a system of sheds, with manual activation, that allows the crossing of natural ventilation, avoiding the air conditioning use. To reduce costs, the only balcony on the first floor of the house is the result of the roof of the video room, which is established by cantilevered slab with 2m length, under the master bedroom. .jpg?1526944038 "© Manuel Sá") © Manuel Sá  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Macallan New Distillery and Visitors Experience / Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners Posted: 22 May 2018 04:02 AM PDT  © Joas Souza
 © Joas Souza Text description provided by the architects. The new Macallan distillery and visitor experience is set into the landscape of the estate that has been distilling the world's leading single malt since 1824. The Macallan is one of the most sought after whiskys in the world and wanted to create a building that could reveal the production processes and welcome visitors while remaining sensitive to the beautiful surrounding countryside.  © Joas Souza  Diagram  © Joas Souza The new distillery will enable production of The Macallan to increase by a third if required. Internally, a series of production cells are arranged in a linear format with an open-plan layout revealing all stages of the production process at once. These cells are reflected above the building in the form of a gently undulating timber roof. Grass-covered peaks rise and fall from The Macallan estate grounds, signaling to approaching visitors the activities housed beneath. Set into the naturally sloping contours of the site, the design makes direct references to ancient Scottish earthworks.  © Joas Souza  Section  © Joas Souza The visitor experience starts with an introduction to The Macallan in an exhibition and gallery area, before progressing through a sequence of spaces that follow the production story of the whisky. Natural materials – local stone, timber and the living meadow roof – as well as the landscaping design not only evoke the environment and ingredients of whisky production but also serve to provide an atmospheric journey for the visitor.  © Joas Souza  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Stop Talking Kanye: No More Defense for Kanye West Posted: 22 May 2018 02:30 AM PDT  Kanye West performing at Boston's TD Garden during his 2016 Saint Pablo tour. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/kennyysun/29441840635'>Flickr user kennyysun</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a> Since the publication of "Keep Talking Kanye: An Architect's Defense of Kanye West" I have become an unwilling Kanye apologist. Each time he produces music that tempts us to use the moniker "creative genius" he quickly follows with an interview or tweet that makes him look like anything but. Invariably thereafter, a chain of text messages and emails with titles like "just to irritate you" or "come get your boy" begin to flood my inbox. My standard response is often no different from SNL's Michael Che on Weekend Update: when presented with a headshot of Kanye and the caption "slavery was a choice" the comedian shakes his head and states simply, "Pass!" However, now that Kanye has once again entered the sphere of architectural discourse with a proposed new endeavor called "Yeezy Home" I am compelled to intervene once again with a more direct "put up or shut up" message.
The central thesis of "Keep Talking Kanye" remains pertinent. Using one's celebrity status to help increase architecture's appeal to a broader audience is great for the profession, especially given that celebrity's ability to reach grossly underrepresented populations. This may be the most plausible silver bullet solution to architecture's continued lack of diversity, profitability, and cultural relevance. There is a huge chasm, however, between Kanye being a champion for Black architects and promoting the architectural equivalent of $120 brown t-shirts and $260 gray sweatpants. We initially believed Kanye's intentions were in the right place after he agreed to meet with the leaders of Harvard GSD's African American Student Union in 2013. We imagined at the time that the meeting would be a catalyst for recruiting new Black and Latino architecture students, funding their education, investing in their development, and potentially collaborating on designs that would directly engage these young designers and their communities. The excitement and hope that filled the room quickly dissipated. Though many enlightened conversations came out of that moment and the ensuing social media frenzy, the meeting itself had no productive outcomes besides getting a deeper understanding of Kanye's frustrations with not being taken seriously as a designer. Though I maintain that the first reaction within the architecture community to his design aspirations are slanted with structural racism and institutional elitism, he has yet to distinguish himself from other celebrity designers. None of his design collaborations thus far have been with or for underserved groups; instead, they have been exclusively with wealthy white male designers (a group with no need of additional endorsement) and for his own ego-driven projects.  Kanye West at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2013. Image via Instagram User dvirnm Inevitably, our two narratives are forever connected by that moment. For Kanye, it gave much-desired legitimacy to a design agenda initially ridiculed by the discipline's gatekeepers. Having Harvard connected to your name tends to do that. For me, it became a catalyst for my work on Hip-Hop Architecture, a topic I'd originally been exposed to at Cornell in the mid-1990s, and had long considered exploring more thoroughly. Though others in the field have based much of their argument on casual celebrity connections with architecture, my work over the last five years has sought to consolidate experiments by students, academics, and practitioners into a singularly cohesive narrative. The result of this research will be the subject of a new exhibition at the AIANY Center for Architecture this fall, entitled, "Close to the Edge: The Birth of Hip-Hop Architecture." The central questions of this show—What is Hip-Hop Architecture? Who are its practitioners? What does it look like?—must be directly applied to Kanye's new venture. If a hip-hop artist opens a design firm hiring architects to design high-end projects for himself and his peers does that constitute Hip-Hop Architecture? To answer these questions, I've organized the content of the exhibition into three categories—identity, process, and image. A section of the curatorial statement for the show is excerpted below to elaborate on these three pillars: Identity"Identity is a key pillar of hip-hop culture. Having been stripped of their histories, names, language and sense of self as African slaves, Caribbean immigrants, or recipients of public services (housing, schools, prisons), the hip-hop pioneers invented a new identity as aggressive, defiant, and flamboyant as anything New York had ever experienced. Practitioners in this category explicitly identify as hip-hop by first being a practitioner of one of the original four elements or by adopting hip-hop as their personal identity. This will include work from Carlos "Mare 139" Rodriguez and Boris "Delta" Tellegen, noted writers from the early days of graffiti in New York and Amsterdam respectively, who now produce sculptures, installations, and even architectural façades. Also included will be the work of Tajai Massey, part of the Oakland-based groups Souls of Mischief and Hieroglyphics, who recently received a Master of Architecture degree from UC Berkeley." Process"Each of the four elements [of hip-hop: DJing, MCing, b-boying, and graffiti-writing] expresses itself through a unique set of techniques, methods, and processes. DJs sample, scratch and mix aspects of preexisting sounds from contemporary references, rare musical discoveries, and long-forgotten standards. MCs deftly layer their rhyming schemes over the structure of pre-engineered beats, weaving in and out of synchrony with the timing of bars. B-boys twist, contort, spin, pop, lock, and defy gravity in myriad formal styles, each conforming with the predetermined hierarchy of up-rock, down-rock, power move, and freeze. Graf writers transform surfaces in obscure, forgotten, disregarded, and hard-to-reach locations. They layer paint, stencils, stickers, and other materials unto any accessible face of the built environment. The work presented in this category, mostly student theses, professional speculations, and products of hip-hop-themed architecture courses from Stephen Slaughter at the University of Cincinnati and Chris Cornelius at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, reflects one or more specific processes reminiscent of the four elements or a process born out of hip-hop culture in general." Image"The image of hip-hop has been reified through decades of album covers, music videos, fashion, and photo documentation of early hip-hop environments. Each graffiti-bombed abandoned building or subway car, rope chain, do-rag, baggy denim, Kangol hat, or shell-top Adidas helps to compose the overall image of hip-hop culture and burn it into the global collective consciousness. Though there is no one image that represents the entirety of the hip-hop experience work in this category is primarily invested in finding an architectural language easily recognizable as hip-hop. The work of visual artist Olalekan Jeyifous, to be heavily featured in the show, is possibly the best a hip-hop image for architecture's future while simultaneously constructing a convincing link between Afro-futurism and Hip-Hop Architecture." There are several other progressive individuals, like Amanda Williams, Lauren Halsey, James Garrett, Jr. and Craig Wilkins, who have been working diligently to produce spaces and to construct narratives that reveal the complex relationship between hip-hop culture and architectural production. Each will deservingly be exhibited, debated, and recognized during the show's three-month run, within the associated symposium, and in the subsequent print publication. Meanwhile, Kanye appears out of his league among these designers who have equally valid hip-hop credentials, and no part of the Yeezy Home announcement suggests a process that will be any different from the standard elitist practices for wealthy patrons. Kanye West, with his millions of fans and social media followers, has the power to bring this work to the attention of a much broader public. Instead, he has chosen to undercut all of its potential impact with his fixation on self-aggrandizement. His rants, once the catalyst for five years of fruitful work, have now become its main distraction. Kanye West's New Architecture Venture: Who, What, Why and... Really?  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Maison Gauthier / Atelier Barda architecture Posted: 22 May 2018 02:00 AM PDT  © Maxime Desbiens
 © Maxime Desbiens Context and setting  © Juliette Busch Organization and perceptual narrative  © Maxime Desbiens  Cross Section A  © Juliette Busch From the entrance arch, the sequence marks a division between the service areas, the artist's studio, and the more intimate family space. The curved corridor forms a threshold between the two wings. Its lowered ceiling produces a sensation of darkening and narrowing, which starkly contrasts with the expansive volume and light of the main room at the end (interesting chiaroscuro effect). Here, high, inclined ceilings are divided by two vertical veils that partition the kitchen, dining room and living room without compartmentalizing the volume. The gazebo marks a fluid extension from the interior towards the exterior.  © Maxime Desbiens Proportions and materiality of the void  Model 1 Separated from the living area by a thick dividing wall, the bedrooms and bathroom are organized within the fold of the V-shaped volume of the house, creating an intimate, introspective ambiance. The variety of interior spaces contrasts with the apparent simplicity of the exterior volume. The massive roof rests on a seven-foot brick base. The geometries converse with the impressive body of the existing farm, at the same time making their mark in the natural surroundings. The asymmetrical volume, enveloping form, chiaroscuro effect of the curved corridor, shadows, margins, thresholds, voids, and raw materials allow the unique atmosphere of the place to emerge without concealing the structural logic of the house.  © Maxime Desbiens  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Lost History of the Women of the Bauhaus Posted: 22 May 2018 01:00 AM PDT  Bauhaus Dessau <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/naterobert/4682696561/in/photolist-88N3xB-npY611-6aqQwQ-nGatE5-nGrciN-npYjaj-nG9Qqe-nGvKkA-npYqJD-npYpNk-nGfnvR-nGsHjP-nGxkd4-nq42zc-nq3Uu3-nGfeXW-npYpCF-nEuDdb-nGaNzP-nEuCEh-9Y2jdg-9Y2mGM-9Y2gpt-9Y2odZ-9Y5fPQ-9Y2jVc-f8PAC-67iWjb-9Y2ipP-67eH1x-ny4LyP-9Y5cD3-nxNLFQ-nxNMPb-7ziahW-mXjKi-7PNctT-BsbHrS-AWNtto-pKx1ud-bM4Bo6-e8M3FW-BJJ9cs-88RfZU-nxNYsW-6psJce-bM4Bei-XmGiwz-5a8ubB-jskX71'>© Nate Robert via Flickr </a> License Under CC BY-SA 2.0. Image When Walter Gropius created his renowned school of design and arts in 1919, he devised it as a place open to "any person of good reputation, regardless of age or sex," a space where there would be "no differences between the fairer sex and the stronger sex." His idea occurred in a period when women still had to ask permission to enter fields that were once off-limits. If women received an artistic education, it was imparted within the intimacy of their home. But at the Bauhaus and the Gropius school, they were welcome and their registration was accepted. Gropius' idea was so well-received that more women applied than men.  Walter Gropius <a href='https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Gropius#/media/File:WalterGropius-1919.jpg'>© via Wikimedia </a> License Under Public Domain. Image However, Gropius' declaration of gender equality never realized in the way he initially professed. Architecture, painting, and sculpture were reserved for the "stronger sex," while the "fairer sex" was offered other disciplines that were not, in the founder's opinion, so physical. Why? According to Walter Gropius, women were not physically and genetically qualified for certain arts because they thought in two dimensions, compared to their male partners, who could think in three. Thus, it was the men of the Bauhaus who have gone down in history, figures like Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, László Moholy-Nagy, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, while their colleagues have been forgotten or, in the best of cases, are recognized as "the wives of." This masculinization of the Bauhaus became more evident in the early 1930s during Mies van der Rohe's period as director. His teachings were oriented mainly towards architecture and metal works, a field women had previously been barred from.  Poltrona Barcelona <a href=''>© Vicens via Wikimedia </a> License Under CC BY-SA 2.5. Image But Lilly Reich turned a deaf ear. The German designer and architect was a close collaborator and partner of Mies van der Rohe for more than 12 years. Reich never studied architecture, but she practiced it along with other artistic disciplines, such as design. It was that field, industrial and fashion design, that began Reich's career. She and Mies van der Rohe worked together on various projects including the apartment building for the Deutscher Werkbund exhibition, the "Velvet and Silk Cafe" exhibition in Berlin, and the German pavilion for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition. She also participated in two paramount works of Bauhaus architecture: the Tugendhat house and the Lange house. When Mies van der Rohe was appointed director of the Bauhaus, he invited Reich to give a workshop at Dessau. He also named her director of the interior and fabric design workshop, a position she held simultaneously at both the Bauhaus in Dessau, and in Berlin. Reich thus became one of the few educators to teach at both schools. Their partnership ended when he emigrated to the US in 1937. She took over the architect's studio, business, and family responsibilities. Their last collaboration was in 1939 when Reich moved to the US and participated with her former partner in the ITT project in Chicago. Reich wanted to stay, but Mies van der Rohe was not fond of the idea, so she returned to Germany in the middle of World War II. They never saw each other again, although maintained an epistolary relationship until his death. At the end of the war, she taught interior design and building theory at the University of Berlin. In Berlin, she reopened her design and architecture studio where she worked until her death in 1947. According to Albert Pfeiffer, the vice president of design and management at Knoll and a researcher of Lilly Reich, the success of the famous architect is closely correlated with the period of his relationship with Reich.  Gunta Stolz <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunta_Stölzl#/media/File:Stolzl_bauhaus_ausweis.jpg'>© Sascha Wagner via Wikimedia </a> License Under Public Domain. Image "It is becoming more than a coincidence that Mies' involvement and success in exhibition design begin at the same time as his personal relationship with Reich. It is interesting to note that Mies has not developed any modern furniture successfully before or after his collaboration with Reich." Furthermore, two of the most famous chairs in the world was designed by the pair: the Barcelona and Brno. She was not the only female teacher at the male-dominated institution. Gunta Stölzl, Anni Albers, Otti Berger, Marianne Brandt, and Karla Grosch all worked at the Bauhaus. But unlike Reich, all were former students.  Cadeira com tapeçaria Gunta Stolzl <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=Gunta+Stolzl&title=Special:Search&go=Go&searchToken=24j8k4xsxz7pgyr5rxc1e7bm0#%2Fmedia%2FFile%3AMarcel_breuer_con_stoffe_di_gunta_st%C3%B6lzl%2C_sedia%2C_1922_02.JPG'>© Sailko via Wikimedia </a> License Under CC BY-SA 3.0. Image Gunta Stölz was the only female teacher listed above who has worked in every position at the Bauhaus: a student, workshop teacher, and director of the textile workshop. As the other disciplines such as architecture, sculpture, and industrial design were reserved for men, ceramics and the art of weaving were exclusively for women. This was Gropius' strategy to stop the avalanche of female matriculants. Without knowing it, he was supplying the workshop with great female artists, that in the end, acquired great strength and acclaim. Stölz was a woman of character who showed that the "fairer sex," as defined by Gropius, could also make a career at the Bauhaus. Among other projects, she designed furniture upholstery for Marcel Breuer at the school in Dessau. However, after being harassed by several, radical right students (at a time when Nazism was growing) for marrying a Jewish architect, Stölz left her post and the Bauhaus and moved to Switzerland. There she continued her career as a textile designer and established her studio.  Anni Albers <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anni_Albers#/media/File:Anni_Albers.jpg'>© Gobonobo via Wikimedia </a> License Under Fair Use. Image But if anyone elevated the art of loom and textile design, it was Anni Albers. Like many others, Albers entered the Bauhaus with the intention of training in painting, but the school's policy only allowed her to enter the textile workshop. Although the instruction given to the students was very practical, Albers finished the course demonstrating her ability to weave and innovate. For her senior thesis, she created a soundproof, reflective, and washable fabric made of cotton and cellophane tailored for a musical audience. The school's policy didn't stop her from including painting in her textile works. If she was not allowed to show her art on a canvas, she turned her fabrics and tapestries (which she called hangings) into paintings. Her works are known for their picturesque fabrics, where abstraction takes prominence, just as it did in many of the great figures of the Bauhaus, such as Kandinsky and her future husband, Josef Albers. But above all, she was influenced by the paintings of Paul Klee, her teacher, whose style she wanted to reflect on her canvases. "I watched what he did with a line, a point or a stroke of the brush, and I tried to some extent to find my own direction through my own material and artistic discipline," the artist explained in a 1968 interview. Anni Albers described the philosophy of the Bauhaus: "What was most exciting about Bauhaus was that there was no teaching system yet in place. And you felt as if it depended only on you. You had to find your way of working in some way. That freedom is probably something essential that every student should experience." When the Nazi party closed the school in 1933, Albers and her husband left the country to travel through Europe. Later that same year they traveled to the US, accepting an invitation of Philip Johnson, an architect and the curator of MoMA in New York. They were appointed to teach at the newly inaugurated experimental school Black Mountain College in North Carolina. It is in America where Albers found her space to experimenting freely, and where she started designing fabrics for companies like Knoll and Rosenthal. Already established in the United States, the couple continued traveling through Mexico and South America. The result of these trips is the influence of the pre-Columbian motifs that are shown in some of their tapestries and fabrics. She became so immersed in the techniques and drawings of these cultures that she ended up publishing her research in the 1965 book entitled, "On Weaving." Albers continued working on her designs and printing techniques until her death in 1994. She was the first woman textile artist to have a solo exhibition at the MoMA in New York. Just as Lilly Reich managed to work in architecture despite being a woman, Marianne Brandt broke the glass ceiling in another discipline reserved for men: metal. Brandt was many things: a painter, sculptor, industrial designer, and at the end of her life, a photographer. She began her studies in painting and sculpture at the Weimar School of Fine Arts, but the most impactful decision of her life was to enter the Bauhaus. Initially, after being denied access to painting workshops, Brandt participated in the textile workshop under Gunta Stölz. But she did not stop until she received a position in the metal workshop run by the Hungarian photographer and painter László Moholy-Nagy. Moholy-Nagy was impressed by Brandt's work and did not hesitate to accept her into his workshop, despite the reluctance of many. She later replaced him as the director of the studio in 1928.  Marianne Brandt <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne_Brandt#/media/File:Marianne_Brandt.jpg'>© Mteuchert via Wikimedia </a> License Under CC BY-SA 3.0. Image Her passage through the Bauhaus was not easy. The fact that a woman was producing works at a high level and directing the factory did not sit well with her male counterparts. Unfortunately, after only a year she left her post and the Bauhaus. By that time, Marianne Brandt had already designed some of the most recognizable, everyday objects. In all her designs, the stylistic footprint of the Bauhaus is evident, such as her use of free forms. Brandt opted for the triangle, cylinder, and sphere which can be seen in her famous coffee set MT50-55a (1924), ashtrays, mythical teapot MT49, and the well-known Kandem 702 lamp.  Ceiling lamp HMB 29 Marianne Brandt <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/kaiseidler/3925875412/in/photolist-6YV8Z7-4gvbV9-b2h4Ji-8UbxRp-5iCTq8-dpG3es'>© Kai 'Oswald' Seidler via Flickr </a> License Under CC BY 2.0. Image Brandt then began to work at the Walter Gropius studio. After the Second World War, the designer devoted herself to teaching at the faculty of arts in Dresden. In the 1970s, Marianne Brandt took up photography. She is remembered as a pioneer of experimental still life and self-portraits. These women are just three great examples of the many outstanding roles women played at the Bauhaus. Other great artists include Otti Berger, a textile designer and founder of the famed Berlin shop Atelier for Textiles; the potter Marguerite Friedlaender-Wildenhain, who achieved fame in the US thanks to her pottery Pond Hall; and the toy designer Alma Siedhoff-Buscher.  Chaleira 1924 Marianne Brandt <a href=''>© William Cromar via Flickr </a> License Under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. Image They had the audacity to prove their worth during a time when women were relegated to the home and family. If a woman wanted to pursue an artistic career, she was only allowed to study “feminine” forms of art such as weaving, regardless of the many talents she had shown in painting or sculpture. It was believed that if women were allowed to weave, they could placate their artistic sensibilities and return to the path that society marked for them. However, these women became pioneers of hand-crafted design, an art form that is much more appreciated today. By mastering their craft, they were able to express themselves and therefore transform home objects and materials into modern masterpieces. As Gunta Stölz said, "we wanted to create living things with contemporary relevance, appropriate to a new lifestyle. Before us, there was an enormous potential for experimentation. It was essential to define our imaginary world, to shape our experiences through material, rhythm, proportion, color, and form." And they succeeded, although their story is often untold.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Material and Immaterial Poetry: The Work of Lina Bo Bardi Posted: 21 May 2018 11:00 PM PDT  Facade - Valéria Cirell House. Image © Instituto Lina Bo e P.M. Bardi. Italian-born architect Lina Bo Bardi is one of the most important figures of Brazilian design. Her ability to blend architecture, politics and popular culture made her an icon throughout the country and world, while her relentlessness to break from traditionalisms made Brazil the ideal location for her work. Bo Bardi's architecture incorporates both materiality and culture. In addition to the concrete and solidified elements, she designed pieces based on cultural factors and intense political discussions. She wished to break the barriers between intellectuals and everyday people.  Solhar do Unhão. Image © Manuel Sá Her first constructed work, the Glass House, was designed in 1948 for her and her husband. It sits on a hilltop in the Morumbi neighborhood and demonstrates her admiration for nature that has marked her entire career. Reinforced by slender pillars with large glass windows along the facade, the residence floats over the surrounding vegetation. Bo Bardi also designed some of the furniture, interiors, and even door knobs.  MASP. Image © FLAGRANTE A few years later, she was invited to design the Chame-Chame House in 1958. During this period, she divided her professional career between São Paulo and Salvador. The rounded volumes of the Chame-Chame House alleviated the problematic corner street with recesses and retaining walls. The outer walls incrusted in pebbles and various plant species draw in the viewer. The house appears and extends out at every angle. Of Bo Bardi’s works designed in Brazil, SESC Pompéia perhaps best exemplifies her style. Elements such as the floor design, amphitheater, and verticalization of the multi-sports courts highlight a spectacular urbanity.  Valéria Cirell House. Image © Pedro Vannucchi To paraphrase Olívia de Oliveira, space conforms as a "passage," [1] demonstrating its urban intention for the place. It also acts as a spatial recovery, poetically summarizing that there are other ways to approach urban problems, in search of solutions that are more realistic. When she designed the São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP), the architect "organized the building in two parts, one totally elevated, aerial, crystalline, and another half-buried, surrounded by gardens and vegetation," [2] creating a relationship between the building and the city. Thus, the transparency of the building allows for a view of the great valley: the appropriation of public space, the liberation of sight, and therefore the creation of a "silent interval."[3]  Sesc Pompéia. Image © Nelson Kon Bo Bardi also designed furniture, objects, clothes, sets, and paintings highlighting her restless and multifaceted personality. Her character is mirrored in all her works. Each quite different from the other, yet guided by their surroundings, denoting her respect for the natural environment. The architect's portfolio also features graphic design, including magazines, posters, and exhibition materials.  Sketch - Bowl Chair. Image © Instituto Lina Bo e P.M. Bardi.  Bowl Chair. Image © Instituto Lina Bo e P.M. Bardi. Bo Bardi’s legacy remains relevant to this day, from her writings to illustrations, and architectural works to objects.  MASP. Image © FLAGRANTE  Teatro Oficina. Image © Nelson Kon Notes [1] (OLIVEIRA, 2006, p.201) Bibliographic References OLIVEIRA; Olivia de. Lina Bo Bardi – Sutis substâncias da Arquitetura. São Paulo: Romano Guerra, 2006.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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