Arch Daily |
- The Nest / Grupa 5 Architekci
- M House / Paz Gersh Architects
- VIP Hair Club / 4 Architecture Studio
- MT Villa / Alhumaidhi Architects
- I-House / Gooseberry Design
- Escarpment House / Atelier Andy Carson
- Brewman Coffee Concept / 85 Design
- Middle Park Residence / Baldasso Cortese Architects
- OMA's Ellen van Loon Discusses the Firm's New Danish Architecture Center
- PF House / [ b e l e v ê ] + Hrdalo Arq
- A Studio Ghibli Theme Park is Coming to Japan in 2022
- Santa Cecilia Church / FBD Arquitectura y Diseño Urbano
- Mecanoo Reveals Images (And a LEGO Model) of Competition-Winning Social Housing Proposal in Taiwan
- LL328 House / CDM Casas de México
- Good Architecture Is Not Produced by Rejecting History—Or by Replicating it, Either
- Sesc 24 de Maio / Paulo Mendes da Rocha + MMBB Arquitetos
- Architecture City Guide: 10 Towns in Colombia That Every Architect Must Visit
- AIA Announces Top 10 Sustainable Designs of 2018
- Edgar Morin University Library / ROPA & Associés Architectes
| Posted: 03 May 2018 10:00 PM PDT  © Mikołaj Lelewski
 © Mikołaj Lelewski Text description provided by the architects. The 18th-century urban layout that shaped the parcel of land (built up before the war) on the corner of two streets intersecting at a sharp angle became the background for the designed construction. It was the express wish of the Metropolitan Monument Conservator Office that the envisaged structure on this important, prominent street corner should be as "light" and as much glaze as possible. Local development conditions for this long and narrow plot envisioned a possibility of overhangs at the first floor level over two nearby streets – Piekna and Koszykowa – that would reiterate the bays and balconies of neighboring tenement houses.  © Mikołaj Lelewski  Section  © Mikołaj Lelewski Dense municipal utility infrastructure in the area meant that the ground floor outline had to be pushed further back from the street intersection and diagonal pillars as well as steel cables for supporting the cantilever ceilings needed to be installed there – all this in order to shift the load generated by the weight of the 7.5 m overhang at the front. The need to maintain vertical clearance, so as not to hinder traffic at the street intersection, caused the overhang to slant – at its base, it measures 4.40 m. The form of the building is characterized by an overhang just 2.55 m from the level of the pavement. The resulting structure naturally divides the building into two parts.  © Mikołaj Lelewski A monolithic, matt, dark, stone core of the staircase spans the building from the ground floor and reaches high above the rooftop. This particular element is closed and opaque in character and provides a striking contrast with the second, compositionally different part of the building - a glazed overhang, divided into three segments at the 2nd and 3rd-floor level, respectively. It forms a light, translucent element that on the one hand exposes the building's interior and on the other reflects the surrounding tenement houses and the "Koszyki" Market Hall opposite. The design concept brings out the best both in the neighboring buildings and original local urban layout.  © Mikołaj Lelewski  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| M House / Paz Gersh Architects Posted: 03 May 2018 08:00 PM PDT  © Neve Tzedek
 © Neve Tzedek Text description provided by the architects. The House is set in one of the historically preserved neighborhoods' of Tel Aviv. The M-house design concept was planning a modern urban villa which combines local vernacular with modern architecture. The program has given described a vacation home for a European family which hosts relatives and friends all year long. The house had to accommodate the various function and still keeping a "cozy atmosphere" for the inhabitants.  © Neve Tzedek  Ground Floor Plan  © Neve Tzedek M house is a typical row house with two facades one facing north and the other facing south. The exterior garden is located on southern elevation; it was planned as an extension of the interior space of the living room. The northern elevation was designed as a patio that acts as outdoor foyer between the house and the street. Furthermore, the patio functions as a translucent "light well" which attracts reflected northern sunlight during the day.  Section The Houses ground floor plan layout was conceived as an "open plan". The plan assembles most of all the public activities of the house: living room, a reading corner, dining area, and kitchen. The design intention was to diffuse the boundaries of the functions in order to create a visual transparency between these areas. The glass elevation on the ground floor was intended to be a dynamic partition allowing a long perspective through the house spaces.  © Neve Tzedek On the interior, the design is influenced by a strong sense of modern French and Italian of furniture. Warm and soft colors and fabrics were chosen to contradict the main element in the interior of the house the steel library and stairs. This black steel element of the stairs and library has a framing quality within the interior space, it frames all interior view towards the exterior space.  © Neve Tzedek In the lower part of the house, the basement serves as an audio and entertainment room which was planned adjacent to the patio. The upper floors hold all the bedroom suites in these rooms terraces were designed to view the southern garden. The architect's initial plan was to search for an architectural language which combines local references and contemporary Mediterranean elements. These local elements such as a patio, terraces, and garden are redefined with a modern interpretation.  © Neve Tzedek  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| VIP Hair Club / 4 Architecture Studio Posted: 03 May 2018 07:00 PM PDT .jpg?1524228786 "© Peyman Amirghiasvand") © Peyman Amirghiasvand
.jpg?1524229036 "© Peyman Amirghiasvand") © Peyman Amirghiasvand Text description provided by the architects. VIP Barbershop offers both beauty and health services to gentlemen. The Design of their second branch at Enghelab Sports Complex has been assigned to our Team. Location of this Semi-ruined building was adjacent to Tennis courts and on the other side to Green spaces.  Floor Plan and Sections Initially, we were seeking for inspiration within the realm of Concept of Barbershop. Barbershops offer a unique service, where individuals enter with Scruffy appearance and depart feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. This, in essence, was as the responsibility which was assigned to us, to transform this building into a distinct unit. It was as though the Architect had presumed the role of the Stylist. In order to maintain the sense of the passage of time, we had decided to transform the core of the project (styling area) and only organize the remaining spaces. This would both reduce cost and tell a story. .jpg?1524228981 "© Peyman Amirghiasvand") © Peyman Amirghiasvand After attaining the initial idea, we established to spot the functions. There are two important elements in this project. First was the symmetrical aspect of project blueprint and second was the phenomenal scenery of adjoining Tennis Courts and Green spaces. It was imperative to decide which way the styling stations (seats) were to be faced. We chose to select the middle ground and face the seats towards the Tennis Courts. Calculated placement of mirrors allowed for the utility of both scenes in one as a decussate and presentation of both available landscapes to the client. .jpg?1524228843 "© Peyman Amirghiasvand") © Peyman Amirghiasvand The symmetry Plan provided a unique potential. But designing a project revolving an axis of symmetry, we were able to play with shapes and images portrayed in mirrors, which was extremely exciting for us. Actual walls and windows would align coherently with mirrors which would blur and blend the seams between reality and virtual. .jpg?1524229146 "© Peyman Amirghiasvand") © Peyman Amirghiasvand This project witnesses the utility of Neutral Color pallets, this would emphasize and draw focus from the environment and put the attention on the clients. The main colorful attraction of this design is the colors of the motorcycle which is a notion to the symbol of the VIP Barbershop and in turn reflect and draw inspiration from the colors used in the Tennis Court. Plants such as Sansevieria and Aglaonema provide a natural source of Air Filtration and are very resistant and strong against Product used in the Barbershop.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| MT Villa / Alhumaidhi Architects Posted: 03 May 2018 05:00 PM PDT  © Nelson Garrido
 © Nelson Garrido Text description provided by the architects. The project is located in Shaab, Kuwait with a plot area of 500 m2. The house plan applies a clean, contemporary aesthetic designed around the needs of a young family with 2 children. The plot is located across the street from a neighborhood park and views towards the park were encouraged by the owners from most rooms and spaces within the house.  © Nelson Garrido The upper floors contain 3 bedrooms and a master suite in addition to a roof top terrace which overlook the park - floor to ceiling louvres were utilized to provide privacy for the bedrooms from the street directly in front. Additionally, the louvres provide a degree of shading from the harsh south/west sun exposure.  © Nelson Garrido  Ground Floor Plan  © Nelson Garrido The ground floor adopts a U-shaped plan which hugs a landscaped garden. In the center of the U plan is an outdoor covered terrace which anchors the daily kitchen, reception space, as well as the daily living area. The kitchen, with foldable floor to ceiling glass windows can open up onto the terrace; which is also accessible from the main reception space one on side, and the daily living on the other. Foldable floor to ceiling glass partitions line the edge of the terrace and when opened allow for free flow and movement from reception, living, or kitchen through to the terrace and into the garden.  © Nelson Garrido  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 03 May 2018 03:00 PM PDT  © Nattapong Pianchalengek
 © Nattapong Pianchalengek Text description provided by the architects. I-House located in high-density residential area in Samut Prakan, Thailand. Within limited area, Architects design I-shape house with central courtyard which adapted from traditional Thai house.  © Nattapong Pianchalengek This courtyard appeared to be new living environment which spatial create relationship between public and private functions. Therefore, every rooms are enhanced with tranquilly natural view.  Ground Floor Plan - 2nd Floor Plan Due to tropical climates, Architect decide to study brick pattern system which applied to be vertical green façade. This façade system reduce heat from sunlight, provide natural ventilation through courtyard toward residence's comfort zone.  © Nattapong Pianchalengek  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Escarpment House / Atelier Andy Carson Posted: 03 May 2018 01:00 PM PDT  © Michael Nicholson
 © Michael Nicholson Text description provided by the architects. The project lies on 60ha of open field running dairy cows, with green rolling hills to a coastal lagoon, beach, and ocean beyond. The response to the project, chiefly came from the clients brief to provide a modest two-bed guest house that had a simple farm shed-like appearance. The design explores the vernacular steel portal frame building typology in a highly refined and detailed way. The simple rectilinear floor-plan aligned with the long edges facing North/South, set up a strong primary axis as these also make the best use of the ocean views to the south side and pastoral views to the north. At the point of entry, a framed view through the building to the ocean on the south side is formed.  © Michael Nicholson The project utilizes north and south decks as 'winter' and 'summer' outdoor space to enable the occupants to use the building mass as sun or wind protection moving to each side as favored. The local cultural significance of metal shed dairy structures (many of which in view of the project) and iconic green rolling pastures in a seaside setting, is honored and further explored. The site positioning offered a significant view towards the nearby dairy with the setting sun over the escarpment offering a unique user experience.  © Michael Nicholson  Floor Plan  © Michael Nicholson The whole western facade is operable with a system of large operable panels employed to regulate light and views. The system provides dramatic light effects into the living areas or can be fully closed at the touch of a button via Hydraulic cylinders hidden in the subfloor. Sustainability measures incorporated into the design are; passive solar, extra thick highly insulated walls, double glazing, rainwater harvesting (off grid), with UV filtration and treatment, on-site sewage treatment, supplementary solar power.  © Michael Nicholson  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Brewman Coffee Concept / 85 Design Posted: 03 May 2018 12:00 PM PDT  © To Huu Dung
 © To Huu Dung Text description provided by the architects. Brewman coffee concept is a start-up coffee brand of two young people in Danang, Vietnam. They have a great love and a strong belief in Vietnamese coffee. Starting up with a small amount of money, they came to me with the desire to build a small coffee shop in an alley in the central street. They didn`t have much money. They even had to call for the co-operation from another start-up project in the fashion sector to have enough capital for the construction of the project. So in the construction process, everything must be cheap. But what they wanted in this work was the absolute impression at the first sight - small, but impressive.  Ground Floor Plan  Section 2 The biggest question in my mind at that time was how to settle the desires of the employer in a harmonious manner while the biggest difficulty was the finance that was too little to do something strange and impressive. Therefore, in the design process, I thoroughly considered the requirements of the employer.  © To Huu Dung I carefully took into account the space to ensure having the sufficient space for coffee as well as for displaying hand-made fashion products. Everything was packaged in the built area of 80m2 to minimize costs. I used iron and steel structure and a lot of glass. On the first floor, surely it is the coffee shop. There is a small garden and a small Koi fish pond at the entrance. On the mezzanine, it is the space for hand-made fashion alternated with coffee tables so that customers can both enjoy coffee and look and choose a few clothes they like.  Diagram The most impressive is the glass roof through which you can see the whole sky. At night on the starry or rainy day, you will be very excited when you can watch the surrounding wonderful scenery with no limitation while enjoying coffee. However, tropical climate is the biggest problem for this project. In the summer, it will be very hot, so the glass should be treated with heat-insulating films. In addition, to be safer, I designed a mobile roof over the glass roof so that they could shield safely on the sunniest hours of the day.  © To Huu Dung  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Middle Park Residence / Baldasso Cortese Architects Posted: 03 May 2018 10:00 AM PDT  © Tom Blachford
 © Tom Blachford Text description provided by the architects. Set within picturesque Middle Park, this existing double-fronted weatherboard was transformed into a 2-storey, 4-bedroom family home. The project is a series of complementary contrasts: the delicate light detail of the retained heritage façade against the contemporary colorbond and light face brickwork to the new extension; the original ornate features and high ceilings of the retained bedrooms against the intimate textured-orientated first floor master bedroom suite; and the lightness and texture of the living zone against the dark timbers and feature bulkheads in the kitchen.  © Tom Blachford The hub of this home is very much the living/kitchen space – set down from the existing house level to maximise volume whilst staying within the heritage overlay height limitation, with access passing by the feature cantilevered stair, the space is surrounded by natural light and connection to the outside through a series of courtyards and skylights. With a brief for there to be no dining table, the central cantilevered island becomes the gathering place – from breakfast with the kids, to coffee with friends.  © Tom Blachford  Ground Floor  © Tom Blachford The kitchen is a series of fingerprint-proof black and white laminated joinery, with concrete style benchtops and feature brass detailing. Appliances and storage are concealed, with the main preparation space located directly under the feature skylight, flooding natural light into the heart of the home. The reflective splashback ensures connectivity is maintained at all times to the living, dining and study area within this family's forever home.  © Tom Blachford  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| OMA's Ellen van Loon Discusses the Firm's New Danish Architecture Center Posted: 03 May 2018 09:00 AM PDT  Courtesy of Louisiana Channel Louisiana Channel has released a new video interview with Ellen van Loon, the Dutch "design duchess" of OMA. In the interview, available to watch below, van Loon discusses the concept of "architectural contamination" behind OMA's new mixed-use "BLOX" scheme, home of the Danish Architecture Center in Copenhagen. Van Loon discusses the process of "re-invention" needed for the scheme's realization, in terms of both function and location. Situated on an old brewery site, the scheme seeks to embed architects and visitors in their own field of study, "placing them in the center of the building, which meant they would contaminate all other functions." News via: Louisiana Channel  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| PF House / [ b e l e v ê ] + Hrdalo Arq Posted: 03 May 2018 08:00 AM PDT  © Nico Saieh
 © Nico Saieh Text description provided by the architects. This residential project was designed from a sloping terrain, where the main requirement is the location on the site, orientation and focus of the views towards the Andes mountains.  © Nico Saieh On the site, the house seeks to be the least invasive as possible, so the house adapts to the terrain, revealing its natural slope access.  Section A-A The house program is divided in 2 levels; the access is through the second floor that is at the street level. This level contains the parking and all public areas such as kitchen, dining room, living and services, plus the master bedroom located especially to capture the mountain views and achieve a good illumination. While on the first floor, with direct access to the patio, private areas are concentrated as a living room, desk and bedrooms.  © Nico Saieh Since the public areas are on the second level, a winter terrace is created on one side of the living room and a direct exterior access to the garden, which has a pool bordered by a stone deck and under it is the quincho with a shaded terrace.  © Nico Saieh  Section C-C  © Nico Saieh The house takes care of its finishings, for all the accesses, stairs and lattices were specified in detail in the different facades, where the main materialities are exposed concrete, stone and wood.  © Nico Saieh  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| A Studio Ghibli Theme Park is Coming to Japan in 2022 Posted: 03 May 2018 07:00 AM PDT  The Big Ghibli Warehouse. Image Courtesy of Studio Ghibli / Aichi Prefecture A Studio Ghibli Theme Park is Coming to Japan in 2022. New images released by Studio Ghibli and Aichi Prefecture showcase the park themed around the Japanese animation film studio, best known for its anime feature films. Located on a 200-hectare area of land previously used to host the 2005 World's Fair, the park seeks to "inherit the philosophy of the World Expo to the next generation," with an emphasis placed on leisure, walking, and history.  19th century gatehouse themed around "Howl's Moving Castle". Image Courtesy of Studio Ghibli / Aichi Prefecture Contained in the park will be attractions such as the "Elevator Building" incorporating imaginary 19th-century scientific elements featured in such Ghibli works as "Howl's Moving Castle." The Elevator Building will act as a symbolic gate to the park, surrounded by an "Earth Shop" embedded into the ground in response to the sloping landscape. Meanwhile, the "Big Ghibli Warehouse" will display a range of Ghibli-themes exhibitions, play areas, and cinemas.  Courtesy of Studio Ghibli / Aichi Prefecture To further enhance the park's natural surroundings, a new walking path through the forest will be designed, named the "Donko Forest Area." The name is in reference to the movie "My Neighbor Totoro," a film which featured a house currently standing in the forest, built for the 2005 World Expo.  Princess Mononoke Village. Image Courtesy of Studio Ghibli / Aichi Prefecture Meanwhile, "Witch Valley," a currently unused area of the park, will be repurposed to contain attractions themed around the movies "Howl's Moving Castle" and "Kiki's Delivery Service."  Witch Valley. Image Courtesy of Studio Ghibli / Aichi Prefecture Previously scheduled for completion in 2020, the park is expected to be ready by 2022. News via: Aichi Prefecture, Ghibli Museum  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Santa Cecilia Church / FBD Arquitectura y Diseño Urbano Posted: 03 May 2018 06:00 AM PDT  © Enrique Guzmán G.
 © Enrique Guzmán G. Text description provided by the architects. Santa Cecilia church is located in Ciudad Verde, a housing development in Soacha a municipality in the outskirts of Bogotá. Our project done in collaboration with Verónica López was selected as the winner of a private competition held in 2013.  © Enrique Guzmán G. It is occupies a part the garden of a rural house dating from 1940 designed by Vicente Nasi, an Italian Architect that was one of the pioneers of modern architecture in Colombia. The house has been listed and is now surrounded by an expanding urban context. The siting of the church takes advantage of being in the crossing point of two important urban axes becoming a landmark for the community and re configuring the scale of the compound. The House will soon become a parish center.
The Church is connected with the garden through a low narthex. Four pivoting wooden doors provide access and allow larger ceremonies to overflow onto the park. The nave is housed in a pure volume built in brick and rendered white evoking the austere materiality of the house. The interior intends to be a peaceful space for spirituality, free from ornament where natural light filters through the overlaps between the walls and the ceiling. Two aligned crosses constitute the main focal point of the nave. Inside, a cross formed by steel beams stands in contrast to the white masonry. On the outside a second cross subtracted from the wall creates a halo of light behind the first one. At night it is illuminated from the inside acting as a beacon for the community. Two loose and taller walls are combined to form the bell tower.  © Enrique Guzmán G.  Lower floor plan  © Enrique Guzmán G.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Mecanoo Reveals Images (And a LEGO Model) of Competition-Winning Social Housing Proposal in Taiwan Posted: 03 May 2018 05:00 AM PDT  Design concept. Image Courtesy of Mecanoo Mecanoo has released images of their competition-winning social housing proposal for the city of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The 234-unit-scheme embodies Mecanoo's philosophy towards social housing, "defined by flexibility, the right balance of private and communal spaces, mixing housing types, connection with the environment and identity." Comprised of two buildings linked by a green canopy, the scheme is designed for a variety of users, including students, young families, the elderly, or people with special needs.  Design concept. Image Courtesy of Mecanoo The scheme seeks to herald in a larger urban development of mixed-use buildings along a new green corridor. The two buildings, with forms defined by the triangular plot they occupy, feature ground floor commercial units to enhance street life and public spaces. The east building contains most the scheme's apartments, while the west building features a mixed-use program, including a gym, shared kitchen, reading room, and senior's day-care center, as well as apartments. Meanwhile, a "Sky Park" spread over several floors, and connected by green terraces, seeks to act as a social hub to bring together residents and the local community.  Design concept. Image Courtesy of Mecanoo  Design concept. Image Courtesy of Mecanoo The scheme's façade is shaped along a grid of vertical elements and windows, resulting in various playful rhythms, while the depth between the structure and exterior walls gives shade and cooling to interior spaces during the summer months. Green and white ceramic tiles infill a stucco surface, creating a playful composition along the façade to separate the scheme from its surroundings. While the colored tiles are a typical feature of Taiwanese architecture, their application represents a departure from most housing blocks in Taiwan, with Mecanoo using the tiles to create a contrast between structure and walls, rather than using tiles to cover the walls entirely.  Lego model. Image Courtesy of Mecanoo  Lego model. Image Courtesy of Mecanoo Having been chosen in 2016 by way of a design competition, construction of the scheme is expected to be completed by 2020. News via: Mecanoo
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| LL328 House / CDM Casas de México Posted: 03 May 2018 04:00 AM PDT  © Rory Gardiner
 © Rory Gardiner  Lower Plan Text description provided by the architects. The project is an interpretation of a retirement home within the city, which works as a shelter from the everyday routine.  © Rory Gardiner The concept is based on traditional Mexican homes where a central patio fulfills the function of an interior garden, a foyer, and circulatory nucleus around which the program is developed and lived.  © Rory Gardiner  © Rory Gardiner Schematically, the floor plan is organized in a square with a visual and central axis consolidated through the patio, which in turns communicates and separates private areas from social areas, allowing a seamless interaction between the interior and the exterior.  Sections  © Rory Gardiner The spatial layout emphasizes the role of visual fames and different ceiling heights filled with warm colors; the goal was to achieve diverse sensations according to the specific requirements and activities developed in each space.  © Rory Gardiner  Lattice Detail The design develops in three levels to fulfill the needs of a family of 5 members. The basement contains the service areas, storage and garage. Ground floor is composed by the studio, kitchen, family room, living-dining-terrace, and the entry, defined by a metallic lattice wall, and connected to the central patio and characterized by the visual axis that pulls the eye towards privileged views upon the valley behind the house. A complementary resting area is situated in the upper level.  © Rory Gardiner  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Good Architecture Is Not Produced by Rejecting History—Or by Replicating it, Either Posted: 03 May 2018 02:30 AM PDT  Le Corbusier's Plan Voisin For Paris, and one of Yale's new neoclassical residential colleges, designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects. Imageleft: © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plan_Voisin_model.jpg'>Wikimedia user SiefkinDR</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 4.0</a>; right: via Common Edge This article was originally published by Common Edge as "Architecture Ignores History At Its Own Peril." Gravity is undeniable. We stand, lift packages, wince when we see our weight on the scale. For architects, gravity has special meaning: it is the essential force to be dealt with. Weather, energy, materials all matter too—but those all have local realities specific to their location. Gravity is the forever constant. But there is another universal element in design: history, the role of what has passed from idea to reality in all things, everywhere. Whether there are "reasons" for a building being formed or finished in a certain way, the undeniable lens of history is always part of how designers think about what's to be built.
There is a hard break in architecture: dealing with history is a little like eating food. We all have to eat, but to some eating meat is both unhealthy and immoral; killing another animal when plants are available for calories becomes the hardest of convictions. For others a hamburger is no different than the bun that surrounds it. Architecture is similarly bipolar. Either history is fully rejected like a Vegan's take on any animal-based food, or history is the basis of design, like meat is the essential protein in a carnivore's diet. Both fundamental takes on history do not recognize essential truths. The loss of history in architectural design is worse than these simplistic styles. History is a constant, not a "then" and "now" sorter of pre-20th-century and post-contemporary aesthetics. History, and time, is a given, an inevitability. No matter how seductive the fresh image is, architects do not freeze time. We do not control future history. It is time to end the magical thinking. Architects do not create and shape history, we respond to it: just like we respond to gravity. It is easy for designers to use history as a crutch or a whipping boy, and avoid the harder truth that no building is created in a vacuum of time. Buildings are of our culture, neither unprecedented nor replicated. No imitation of the past makes new buildings anything other than new. No abstract aesthetic can effectively deny the world that surrounds it. The advent of Artificial Intelligence will happen soon enough, and the only legitimate value beyond aesthetics architecture can offer our culture will be the human creativity that no technology can imitate, regardless of style. Technology changes buildings, no matter what magical thinking of style-based rationalization we apply. No one said, "We need taller buildings, let's invent steel." Steel happened and skyscrapers resulted from it. That historic fact changed everything: central heating, facades, electricity, elevators. Every technological change creates aesthetic change, because if used it has visual and functional realities. My guess is that this century's technological upheaval will pivot off of AI. In this era where our cultural literacy often devolves to the depth of a Twitter war, the only way human creativity is undeniably important is in the truth of its reality in history. That means that architects, the architectural media and the academic engine could all benefit from a pause from their defensive rituals and look at the larger picture. The breadth of architecture in training, practice and publication needs to be as diverse as history, not as self-serving and exclusive as any individual project's polemic. That means putting an end to the present style-conscious sorting of what is celebrated and taught. There are specific ways of thinking about architecture that are simply not interacting in today's culture. These distinctions are evident in the institutions that are full of media exposure, that laud the teaching of the bipolar mindset of architectural expression. But websites and magazines publish very consistent aesthetics, so why not open up editorial policies to provide exposures of every "type"? In the places I have been, and the people that I know, there is often lip service but an aesthetic herding to one of the two paths of dealing with history (love and hate). So schools need to explore aesthetic diversity, and hire designers as teachers with a range of outlooks—from abstract, to ethnocentric, to historicist and technocratic—and everything in between. I am sure there are those who loudly declare that we have diversity now, that the distinctions are simply diversions of preference, but pick up a magazine, or look at a blog, go to a design jury at a college. The segregation of approaches between the history-worshipping and the history-denying is pretty effective between these institutions. History itself does not reference or deny itself: because history is what all our culture is, not just the parts we prefer. I think we either open up our bandwidth to reflect all of architecture in our teaching, sharing and making of buildings, or the coming universal sorter of AI will make choices for us: like the predetermined routes on our GPS. There are no easy answers for a time when change will be radical and pervasive. We know just enough to know what we don't yet know. Older architects cannot know what the questions will be in the next generation's unavoidable melding with A.I., but this older architect can see how our natural impulse to create "style" as a defense mechanism is a dinosaur of my time. The facts of perspective and creativity can become mute and invisible in the coming tidal wave. If we defer to what is as easy as our GPS, we cease to see the landscape of history, and do not know where we're going—simply because we do not need to. If we come to trust only what is provided by the technology alone, we willfully ignore the vital creativity that is the essence of our history. Forgetting history would be like forgetting gravity. Architects can't hide from the facts that history provides. Le Corbusier's vision for Paris did not become the city's urban future. Yale's new residential colleges are not old. History is a part of everything, because it is the truth, not a style. In architecture, we tend to use the superficial aesthetics seen in history as a way to justify the wrecking or the reproduction of the past. But the new does not exist to simply invalidate or replicate the old. Meter and melody have to work together, or there is no music, frozen or otherwise. Duo Dickinson has been an architect for more than 30 years. The author of eight books, he is the architecture critic for the New Haven Register, writes on design and culture for the Hartford Courant, and is on the faculty at the Building Beauty Program at Sant'Anna Institute in Sorrento, Italy.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Sesc 24 de Maio / Paulo Mendes da Rocha + MMBB Arquitetos Posted: 03 May 2018 02:00 AM PDT  © Nelson Kon
 © Nelson Kon Text description provided by the architects. We believe that the process of transformation and development of cities like São Paulo is slowly adapting to the changes in the customs and way of life of the societies that build them. The new unit of SESC - a complex set of recreational facilities and services - that will occupy the headquarters building of the old Mesbla, found on the corner of 24 de Maio Street and Dom José de Barros Street, downtown São Paulo, is an exemplary problem of transformation in the built urban heritage.  © Nelson Kon  Situation  © Nelson Kon With these premises, the proposed project intends, besides the simple use and adaptation of facilities that originally served the uses of nature so diverse to those that are being proposed, to contribute effectively to the desired recovery of such a remarkable area of the city through the following order of basic ideas:
 Program Diagram
 © Nelson Kon  © Nelson Kon  © Nelson Kon  © Nelson Kon  © Nelson Kon In order to realize these transformations that, in fact, characterize the proposed project and inaugurate a new spatiality, from the point of view of the constructive techniques and prediction of facilities, the following measures were adopted:
 Section A
 © Nelson Kon Demonstrating the virtues of the future life of the city, while claiming the privilege of occupying such a noble place of São Paulo - Viaduto do Chá, Municipal Theater, Barão de Itapetininga, São João Avenue, Praça da República - is the main aim of this project.  © Nelson Kon  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Architecture City Guide: 10 Towns in Colombia That Every Architect Must Visit Posted: 03 May 2018 01:00 AM PDT ![Street in Guatape, Antioquia. Image © Iván Erre Jota [Flickr], Under License CC BY-SA 2.0](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5aaa/968a/f197/cc7c/b400/02d5/medium_jpg/3252352603_5d9b4f51fe_o.jpg?1521129091 "Street in Guatape, Antioquia. Image © Iván Erre Jota [Flickr], Under License CC BY-SA 2.0") Street in Guatape, Antioquia. Image © Iván Erre Jota [Flickr], Under License CC BY-SA 2.0 Calm and silence prevail in many of the municipalities of Colombia, where the ochre colors intermingle with the green of the landscape to preserve the colonial styles that characterize some of the architectural typologies of the place. Small urban centers that hide an incomparable beauty are the main attraction for many tourists who today travel to know these obscure places, where one can go to learn a little of their traditions and their culture, creating an almost perfect adventure, where heritage value becomes a characteristic in common. That is why we have chosen 10 Colombian towns that highlight both the physical-spatial value and the socio-cultural value. 1. Barichara / Santander![Barichara, Santander. Image © Andrea Kirkby [Flickr], Under License CC BY-NC 2.0](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5aa8/000e/f197/cc21/3100/0129/medium_jpg/5510356164_2f2d0712e9_o.jpg?1520959497 "Barichara, Santander. Image © Andrea Kirkby [Flickr], Under License CC BY-NC 2.0") Barichara, Santander. Image © Andrea Kirkby [Flickr], Under License CC BY-NC 2.0 The colors that predominate in its streets, such as ochre are those that still preserve the Andalusian style of the colony, along with its cobblestones and stone streets. It is easy to take good pictures along its streets, as they are accompanied by squares full of trees surrounding the town, the main attraction for visitors. At the moment the site is one of the points of the Peace Routes elaborated by the Colombian Government. 2. Villa de Leyva / Boyacá![Plaza Mayor, Villa de Leyva, Boyacá. Image © Peter Chovanec [Flickr], Under License CC BY 2.0](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5aa6/f0bb/f197/cc56/8a00/00a0/medium_jpg/33784520903_1fe3c71d5b_o.jpg?1520890032 "Plaza Mayor, Villa de Leyva, Boyacá. Image © Peter Chovanec [Flickr], Under License CC BY 2.0") Plaza Mayor, Villa de Leyva, Boyacá. Image © Peter Chovanec [Flickr], Under License CC BY 2.0 The huge cobbled main square is surrounded by old colonial buildings that have been preserved along with large wastelands, which make up part of Villa de Leyva located in the northwest of the Colombian capital, in the Boyacá municipality. It was declared a national monument in 1954, as part of the Heritage Towns Network, one of the must-see tourist destinations. 3. Mompox / Bolívar Albarrada, Mompox, Bolivar. Image © Sergio Gómez The magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez takes on a special relevance in this town in the department of Bolívar. This Heritage Town sits on an island that, during the Spanish conquest was a refuge for the gold and silver that the settlers took out of the kingdom. Founded in 1540, Mompox was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, thanks to its architecture of Sevillian origin and the kindness of its people that make it a magical town. 4. Salento / Eje cafetero![Streets of Salento, Quindio. Image © Triángulo del Café Travel [Flickr], Under License CC BY 2.0](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5aa6/e853/f197/cc21/3100/0010/medium_jpg/5055085922_a2d593e977_o.jpg?1520887887 "Streets of Salento, Quindio. Image © Triángulo del Café Travel [Flickr], Under License CC BY 2.0") Streets of Salento, Quindio. Image © Triángulo del Café Travel [Flickr], Under License CC BY 2.0 Along with a path amidst valleys and mountains with infinite green tones, you reach Salento, a town that embodies the best of the coffee-growing communities that inhabit the Coffee Triangle. Its warm people and architecture are part of the beautiful landscape that melts with tall palms that adorn one of the most beautiful valleys in Colombia, the Cocora Valley, a destination where fog transforms the place into an unparalleled experience. 5. Jardín / Antioquia![Jardín, Antioquia. Image © Pedro Szekely [Flickr], Under License CC BY-SA 2.0](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5aa6/e9b0/f197/cc56/8a00/008b/medium_jpg/24450868541_ed211e410a_o.jpg?1520888218 "Jardín, Antioquia. Image © Pedro Szekely [Flickr], Under License CC BY-SA 2.0") Jardín, Antioquia. Image © Pedro Szekely [Flickr], Under License CC BY-SA 2.0 As its name indicates, this municipality's main park is full of small rose gardens. Along with its colonial architecture, there is a neo-Gothic style basilica where art and antiques are part of the main attractions. It is common to see on the facades of the houses small gardens and fabrics made by the local community. 6. Salamina / Caldas![Salamina, Caldas. Image © Triángulo del Café Travel [Flickr], Under License CC BY 2.0](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5aa6/e955/f197/cc21/3100/0013/medium_jpg/5106031368_7379f83724_o.jpg?1520888145 "Salamina, Caldas. Image © Triángulo del Café Travel [Flickr], Under License CC BY 2.0") Salamina, Caldas. Image © Triángulo del Café Travel [Flickr], Under License CC BY 2.0 This towns houses of bahareque (reeds woven with earth) with roofs of mud and back-to-back balconies that are painted in bright colors, creating the place's unique landscape. Its architecture was the reason it was declared a National Heritage in 1982. The calm and peace in which the locals live are reflected in the hanging ferns that adorn its streets and homes, a place with a great cultural richness to visit. 7. Santa Fe de Antioquia![Santa fe de Antioquia. Image © Iván Erre Jota [Flickr], Under License CC BY-SA 2.0](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5aa6/e899/f197/cc21/3100/0011/medium_jpg/3275740979_03469192b0_b.jpg?1520887957 "Santa fe de Antioquia. Image © Iván Erre Jota [Flickr], Under License CC BY-SA 2.0") Santa fe de Antioquia. Image © Iván Erre Jota [Flickr], Under License CC BY-SA 2.0 Recognized mainly for its architecture and its tamarind candies (an endemic fruit of the region), and located 50 kilometers from Medellín is the city of Santa Fe de Antioquia. With a western style wooden suspension bridge that crosses the Cauca River -designed by the engineer José María Villa, who was also part of the team that designed the Brooklyn Bridge in New York- the town welcomes tourists with cobblestone streets and colonial facades of colors that highlight those of the Cauca river. Its cultural wealth teaches visitors about the stories of different indigenous peoples of the region. 8. Honda / Tolima![Streets of Honda, Tolima. Image © Iván Erre Jota [Flickr], Under License CC BY-SA 2.0](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5aa6/e94e/f197/cc56/8a00/0087/medium_jpg/3705164421_2531198279_b.jpg?1520888138 "Streets of Honda, Tolima. Image © Iván Erre Jota [Flickr], Under License CC BY-SA 2.0") Streets of Honda, Tolima. Image © Iván Erre Jota [Flickr], Under License CC BY-SA 2.0 Located in the center of the country is a city whose main attractions are its bridges and colonial buildings. The proximity to the Magdalena River allows for various water activities, which together with its colonial architecture becomes the main tourist attraction. Its winding cobbled streets are accompanied by old painted houses and cave paintings from seven centuries ago. 9. Guatapé / Antioquia![Streets of Guatape, Antioquia. Image © JoseDGL [Flickr], Under License CC BY 2.0](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5aa6/e946/f197/cc21/3100/0012/medium_jpg/11935610264_d47654ddd7_k.jpg?1520888127 "Streets of Guatape, Antioquia. Image © JoseDGL [Flickr], Under License CC BY 2.0") Streets of Guatape, Antioquia. Image © JoseDGL [Flickr], Under License CC BY 2.0 Despite its small size Guatapé's homes contain special features: its zócalos are one of its main attractions due to the paintings that show different types of figures, from professions to animals, plants and restaurants. Walking along its sidewalks, stopping at each base is undoubtedly one of the most pleasant experiences if you visit this town. Guatapé is located next to the Rock of Guatapé, a rock where a majestic lake is adorned with small green islets, which give the place its name. 10. El Socorro / Santander![Sculpture of Manuela Beltrán breaking the edict, in the historic center of Socorro. Image © Maestro Arcángel Castellanos López [Wikipedia], Under License CC BY-SA 3.0](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5aa6/e962/f197/cc56/8a00/0088/medium_jpg/Rompiendo_el_edicto_-_Manuela_Beltr%C3%A1n.jpg?1520888153 "Sculpture of Manuela Beltrán breaking the edict, in the historic center of Socorro. Image © Maestro Arcángel Castellanos López [Wikipedia], Under License CC BY-SA 3.0") Sculpture of Manuela Beltrán breaking the edict, in the historic center of Socorro. Image © Maestro Arcángel Castellanos López [Wikipedia], Under License CC BY-SA 3.0 The exquisiteness of its architecture and its great influence on the history of the country allowed this town to be part of the Network of Heritage Villages. Every corner of the narrow streets and picturesque homes of El Socorro contain small reminders with the town's rich history. From the first toll road in Colombia to the first breweries, there is a beautiful cathedral, Nuestra Señora del Socorro Cathedral, one of the highest in the country.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| AIA Announces Top 10 Sustainable Designs of 2018 Posted: 02 May 2018 11:00 PM PDT  Courtesy of Fort Mason Center The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Committee on the Environment (COTE) have announced the winners of the COTE Top Ten Awards, the highest honor for buildings that exemplify great design and sustainable performance. The award, now in its 22nd year, celebrates 10 projects that meet COTE's rigorous standards for 10 criteria in several areas of design including economic, social, and ecological value. The winners will be honored in June at the AIA Conference in New York City. Read about the 2018 winners after the break. Albion District Library; Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Perkins+Will  © Doublespace Photography One of the busiest libraries in Toronto, the Albion District Library serves a broad range of services to a diverse demographic, including many recent immigrants. Extensive community consultation shaped the design in fundamental ways, including the decision not to renovate and expand an existing library building, which would require a closure of nearly two years. Instead, our team proposed building a new library on the adjacent parking lot site, allowing the existing library to remain open through construction. The importance of the library as a community hub inspired the central architectural concept of an enclosed garden. Georgia Tech Engineered Biosystems Building; Atlanta, Georgia | Lake|Flato in collaboration with Cooper Carry  Courtesy of Chris Cooper Georgia Tech's LEED Platinum Engineered Biosystems Building (EBB) is an innovative new model for research facilities. EBB challenges the silos of traditional laboratory design, creating a system of open lab neighborhoods that foster engagement. A departure from traditional lab structure, the "cross-cutting lab" implements continuous working lab space running down the spine of the building, with offices and meeting rooms in the wings. Daylight, outdoor views, a water harvesting system and other biophilic elements used throughout the program encourage interaction. Technology and intelligent design work together to create a multi-purpose open space with high levels of ecological performance. Mundo Verde at Cook Campus; Washington | Studio Twenty Seven Architecture  © Anice Hoachlander, Hoachlander Davis Photography Mundo Verde is a bilingual, sustainability-focused public charter school, and as such, its campus is a living framework for the curriculum. Through hands-on, real-world thematic units called expeditions, students explore complex sustainability issues. Material, system and resource efficiencies are measured and monitored; stormwater is captured and repurposed; indigenous plantings support migratory insects and birds; and nutrition and wellness are realized via a garden-to-plate-to-compost food education initiative. The school actively provides high-quality education to students PK3- 5th grade with families from all neighborhoods in the District of Columbia including some of the most under-served neighborhoods. The Mundo Verde project revitalized a derelict urban school site as a demonstration for green, sustainable practices, operations, and education. Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House; San Francisco | Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects  © Bruce Damonte Founded in 1981, Family House is a not-for-profit organization providing free temporary housing to families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at the University of California, San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital. The objectives for the new Family House in Mission Bay were to provide a comforting, healthy, and supportive environment for 80 families in a non-institutional, residential setting. Sustainable strategies focused on combining healthy and restorative living spaces for the families with resource and energy efficiencies critical to the on-going operations of the non-profit organization. The resulting design received a Platinum Level certification under the LEED for Homes program. New United States Courthouse - Los Angeles; Los Angeles | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP  © Bruce Damonte The New United States Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles is a 10-story, 633,000-square-foot building that contains 24 courtrooms and 32 judicial chambers. It houses the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California, accommodates the U.S. Marshals Service, and provides trial preparation space for the U.S. Attorney's Office and Federal Public Defender. Sustainability was a driving factor in the courthouse design from the beginning. It achieved LEED Platinum certification, meets the GSA's 2020 energy objective, and incorporates sustainable design features including a rooftop photovoltaic array and pleated façade that reduces the building's annual radiation and central plant loads. The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum; Washington | DLR Group  © Kevin Reeves; Courtesy of DLR Group|Westlake Reed Leskosky The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum was the first purpose-built art museum in the country, built in 1859 to the design of architect James Renwick, Jr. and was last renovated between 1967 and 1972. The 21st-century renovation replaced and improved major building infrastructure, enhanced historic features, and improved flexibility for exhibits. The project included restoration of two long-concealed vaulted ceilings; re-creation of the original 19th-century window configuration; replacement of all building systems; and improvements for accessibility. The project achieved a 50 percent reduction in annual energy use, while welcoming more than 500,000 visitors and 180 million social media impressions in its first six months. San Francisco Art Institute - Fort Mason Center Pier 2; San Francisco | Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects  © Bruce Damonte Located at the edge of San Francisco Bay, an historic U.S. Army warehouse at Fort Mason has been transformed into a new campus for the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI), creating a dynamic new hub for expanded arts education and public engagement. This historic adaptive reuse preserves the industrial integrity of the landmark structure, supports the school's pedagogical goals, and integrates advanced sustainable building systems. The project integrates student studios, public exhibition galleries, flexible teaching spaces, a black box theater, and a workshop/maker space, while supporting SFAI's commitment to positioning artists at the center of public life. Sawmill; Tehachapi, California | Olson Kundig  © Kevin Scott/Olson Kundig Set in California's harsh Mojave Desert, Sawmill offers a new model for the sustainable single-family home. The client brief called for a self-sufficient home that maximized connection between architecture and nature, and between family members inside. The 5,200 SF concrete block, steel and glass home is designed to stand up to the severe climate of the fire-prone Tehachapi Mountains. Demonstrating that high design can also be high performance, Sawmill is a net-zero home that operates completely off the grid. Sonoma Academy's Janet Durgin Guild & Commons; Santa Rosa, California | WRNS Studio  Courtesy of WRNS Studio Embedded with maker/digital classrooms, productive gardens, offices and a full dining/kitchen, Sonoma Academy's guiding principles of equity, community, and exploration inspired the Guild & Commons two sweeping floors, which stretch to views and integrate into the land. Sliding screens, automated shades, deep overhangs relay how the building responds to climate. Regionally sourced low carbon block, ceramic tiles, reclaimed beams, exterior and interior siding, pair with regionally made lamps and furniture to celebrate community. The living roof attracts pollinators, houses photovoltaics, and connects to tiered planters that filter greywater and stormwater for reuse. One project was also designated as a Top Ten Plus recipient for its exceptional post-occupancy performance data. This year's recipient is: Ortlieb's Bottling House; Philadelphia | KieranTimberlake  © Michael Moran/OTTO Faced with a growing firm and an increasing need for building and meeting space, Philadelphia-based architecture firm KieranTimberlake transformed a former beer bottling plant into a new studio and testing ground featuring a fabrication lab, model making shop, and breakout spaces. The firm took advantage of the mid-century building's naturally ventilating form to create an energy-efficient retrofit that uses passive strategies such as daylight, thermal mass, and operable windows to reduce the building's reliance on mechanical systems by 70 percent. By renovating the existing structure, the firm extended the building's life cycle and preserved the historic character of a rapidly changing neighborhood. News via: AIA.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Edgar Morin University Library / ROPA & Associés Architectes Posted: 02 May 2018 10:00 PM PDT  © Luc Boegly
 © Luc Boegly Text description provided by the architects. The site is marked by the presence of the campus facing the town through the intermediary of the new library. Located at the edge of the campus, the new building curls around the old library to create a dynamic that heralds the development and renewal of the library and a harbinger of the future evolution of the campus. Constraints of the exiting urban plan led to a highly singular S-shaped construction footprint. The extension enclosed the initial volume of the library and defines the limits of the new public square.  © Luc Boegly The morphology of the new building is adapted and deformed while ensuring the continuity of the urban façade. Derived from the characteristics of the campus, aligned with the existing library (G+2) and rising in a movement that reveals the life of the reader unfolding inside the library and fitting into the urban landscape and the line traced by the tramway. The size and the homogeneity of its façade, the new University Library stands out as a large scale public facility, fulfilling its role as interface and transition between the surrounding city and the university.  © Luc Boegly  Axonometric Schema  © Luc Boegly A thickness of concrete sculptured as the effigy of the BU PARIS XIII extends along the base of the new Place François Mitterrand, accompanying the sinuous design of the tramway line and mall, and affirming the presence of this facility designed for collective use, which has become the campus showcase in the public space.  © Luc Boegly  North Elevation - Section AA  © Luc Boegly A glazed façade on the floors above is protected by vertical perforated stainless steel sunshades, introducing a thickness and a distance between exterior and interior and creating the interplay of light and shadow according to the time of day. In winter, in late afternoon and evening, all the activity inside the library is visible all the way up to the top of this volume standing like a lantern on its base. Stainless steel, a noble material, was used throughout with the intention of enhancing appearance and imbuing respect, and offering a new kind of relationship between the town and university users.  © Luc Boegly  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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