Arch Daily

This Company Designed a House Out of Seaweed with 50% Fewer Resources Than the Average Social Housing Project
Mood Changers: Lighting Design 101 – Why Lighting Is The Most Important Design Feature
Houses A·2 / buerger katsota architects
It Goddeloas Fiersicht / NEXT architects
Streetmekka Viborg / EFFEKT
The Space Between Walls / HYLA Architects
Hilltop Gallery / dEEP Architects
Nulla Vale House and Shed / MRTN Architects
Renovation of Auditorium in North Campus, Central Academy of Fine Arts / Yu Yang · CAFA
AD Classics: Azadi Tower / Hossein Amanat
FILMATICA: The Mexican Studio that Explores Architecture and Cinematography
Serious Question: Should We Call Them Slums?
Artery Residence / Hufft Projects
How to Make a Facade with Recycled Materials: 16 Notable Examples
"I Don't Really See AI as A Threat": Imdat As on Artificial Intelligence in Architecture
St. Augustine Park / Donal Colfer Architects
The Noun Project: Over a Million Downloadable Icons for Your Architectural Diagrams
Re-imagining the Empire State Building in 9 Different Architectural Styles

This Company Designed a House Out of Seaweed with 50% Fewer Resources Than the Average Social Housing Project

Posted: 30 Sep 2018 09:00 PM PDT

Over the past few months, Quintana Roo's coast has been overtaken by an invasion of seaweed that has put the locals to work cleaning up the beaches as the weeds wash ashore. The work is an exhausting day-to-day ordeal and while the cause of the invasion is still unknown, many point to the changes in climate impacting the Atlantic Ocean.

Currently, over 60 tons of seaweed has been gathered from the coast and locals are already putting the plants to good use as raw materials for biodigestors, cosmetics, plastics, fertilizers, and pharmaceuticals. However, another use for seaweed has recently come to the public's attention.

Omar Vázquez Sánchez, the founder of Blue-Green in Puerto Morelos has debuted a house constructed in 15 days with seaweed being the primary building material. Vazquez Sanchez said the idea came to him 6 years ago when he noticed the cyclical presence of the plants on the coast. By mixing adobe with seaweed, he was able to create a building material able to withstand everything from earthquakes to hurricane force winds, as proven by tests done by UNAM. The house features two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, and required 50 percent fewer materials than the standard social housing unit, not counting the dwelling's thermal aspects.

The principal objective of the house is to give lower-income people a chance to have their own home. We've approached both private and government institutions, as well as NGOs so that they can join the cause to benefit the families living in marginalized areas.
- Omar Vázquez Sánchez.

This transformation of a natural phenomenon into something good for the community has sparked the interest of various corporations and construction companies, who have gotten to work in scaling up the project as a way to provide for future sustainable housing developments. Without a doubt, this is a great way to continue studying how a natural phenomenon can contribute to the very places and people that they impact without damaging the environment. Omar Vazquez Sanchez's project is further proof of Mexican ingenuity in the face of hardship.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Mood Changers: Lighting Design 101 – Why Lighting Is The Most Important Design Feature

Posted: 30 Sep 2018 08:30 PM PDT

Walk into a room bathed in cozy, inviting light and you'll feel instantly at ease. Walk into the same room buzzing with harsh fluorescents, and your teeth may start to grind.

Why?

In 2014, a Journal of Consumer Psychology study found that the more intense the lighting, the more affected and intense the participants' emotions were — both positive and negative.

The study included six experiments that examined the link between emotion and ambient brightness. Feelings of warmth increased when participants were exposed to bright light with hints of reddish hues. A sensation of angst increased when bluer light dominated.

And the brighter the light, the more intense the participants' emotions became. Both the intensity and the color of the light affected people's moods.

How Does This Affect Your Next Remodel?

When designing a space, lighting needs to be addressed as soon as the space itself, and how it will be used, are defined.

For example, if it's an office space you are designing, "office lighting should encourage alertness and productivity," said Rebecca Hadley, manager of Eaton's SOURCE lighting education center. It also helps to "incorporate controls that allow for changes throughout the day. Ideally, you'd have the ability to adjust the intensity of your lighting with a dimmer switch."

When lighting for a home, the purpose of each room comes into play. The kitchen, a work space, demands brighter, high CRI (color accurate) light while the living room calls for more mellow, warmer lighting.

Our association of orange-ish light with feelings of warmth and relaxation is probably evolutionary and originates from our earliest ancestors who, for both warmth and safety from predators, made sure to light a fire at night.
-David Hakimi, Alcon Lighting Co-Founder

The entrance of your home should welcome guests, creating a smooth transition from the bright daylight to your home's interior lighting. At night, the lighting should ease the visitor from the dark outdoors into a warm interior light that will not overload their senses and help them relax. Before bed, lighting should be lowered to promote "winding down" but remain bright enough so that you can navigate your home safely.

Mimicking Outdoor Lighting

Vast research documents the many benefits of incorporating natural light into our living spaces. According to Architectural Lighting Magazine, natural light — or daylighting — provides the stimulation needed to regulate human circadian rhythms, or the internal body clock. Learn more about the health benefits of natural light here.

In addition to circadian rhythms, natural light also affects our moods and can increase productivity and comfort in a workplace setting. A study by HMG titled "Daylighting Impacts on Retail Sales Performance," found that the presence of skylights was the third-most important criterion of statistically significant factors in increasing sales volume. HMG also studied daylighting in schools and found a strong connection between schools that reported improvements in test scores — more than 10 percent — and those that reported increased natural lighting in the classroom.

Natural lighting can have a similar impact when incorporated in a home's lighting plan. Beyond energy savings, exposure to natural light improves mood and can help make falling asleep easier. Spending your day in areas that are enhanced by natural light can improve the function of your circadian rhythm, which can increase your happiness and energy levels. Exposing yourself to too much blue light from electronics in the evening is directly associated with the opposite effect, which you can read more about here.

Eaton's Hadley said industry research suggests indoor light (during the day) should mimic the color of light we experience outside by seeking similar gradations over time: "…cool light in the morning, to white light at midday, to warm light in the evening."

Of course, the most important factor in lighting your home is what you yourself prefer. But Alcon Lighting's David Hakimi recommends one key step everyone can take to create a calm, pleasing environment that mimics outdoor lighting:

At night, use lights that feature warmer color temperatures – those that fall in the 2,700 to 3,000 Kelvin range. That's the way to emulate the outside environment's evening light and get ready for sleep. Lowering lighting actually helps reduce blood pressure and encourages people to relax. So dimmer lights in the bedroom — and no blue computer light!

Flexibility is Key

Flexibility is one natural benefit of smart lighting design. New advancements in lighting controls have made lighting for mood easier than ever.

Newer LEDs with integrated controls and the ability to dim to warmer color temperatures are becoming popular in the hospitality industry because of their ability to affect the customer experience. "Warmer light and lower light levels have been shown to slow heart rate and create a relaxing state," Hadley explained. "As a result, customers might be inspired to enjoy appetizers and cocktails rather than rushing through to the main course." Conversely, some restaurants might put brighter light in an area where they want to turn tables quickly.

Color Plays a Role, Too — but it's Easier to Adjust Lights.

Color is the most important aspect in lighting and mood.

However, Alcon's Hakimi notes that It's much easier to adjust lighting than to paint walls. In fact, you can change the color of your room just by brightening or dimming it.

The Most Important Design Element

With the ability to largely affect the mood of a room, lighting is the most important element to consider when designing a space.

In addition to altering the mood of the occupants in a room, lighting can transform the room in shape and size. In a den that is particularly small, painting the walls a light color and having extra lighting reflecting off the walls will help the room appear larger. Recessed lighting can add a soft glow to a room without protruding into the space, which can also help the room appear larger.

With its versatility in brightness levels and light colors, designers continue to turn to LED lighting. Advances in LED technology have led to several new fixtures, including LED skylights that imitate the look of a window and the sky. These "skylights" shed light that is the same temperature as natural light — offering an open, airy feeling and helping the room's occupants to feel a more positive vibe.

With continued research and innovation in lighting, homeowners and designers have many options when it comes to selecting the right lighting to set the right mood for their space.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Houses A·2 / buerger katsota architects

Posted: 30 Sep 2018 08:00 PM PDT

Architects: buerger katsota architects
Location: Paros, Greece
Design Team: Stephan Buerger, Demetra Katsota, Maria Chassioti, Georgios Kourakos, Klelia Siska
Area: 500.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Yiorgis Yerolymbos

Structural Engineers: P. Panagiotopoulos & Associates
Engineers: Clima Therma, D.P. Kryfos & Associates
Landscape Design : Greenways Hellas Landscape Architecture
Site Management: Stamatis Delavinias

Text description provided by the architects. On the Cycladic island of Paros, within an area under natural protection, the conversion of two degraded 8-room rental studio complexes into two quality holiday residences required careful renegotiations on several scales and architectural dials.

The proposed scheme, with regards to massing and articulation, combines proportions and composition of cubic volumes, repetition and standardization of openings, generous outdoor shaded spaces and the use of environmentally sound materials in order to redefine the complexes' expression, achieve a plasticity of form but also an architectural unity that respects Cycladic architecture, adopts to the landscape and responds to the demands for contemporary holiday living.

Each building is rearticulated as an assemblage of cubic volumes upon an expressed 'base' -a platform- that negotiates the harmonious adaptation into the landscape. At three meters above the 'base', a timber pergola with cantilevering slender beams creates shaded, comfortable and wind-protected areas, for lounging and sun bathing, showering, dining and food preparation ensuring all-day, outdoor living.

The 'private' spaces are accommodated on the ground level facing south and taking advantage of the views towards the sea and the level access onto the 'base'. A central, fully glazed common space is created as an extension of the outside but also as an indoor continuation of the pergola, allowing the landscape to form a dynamic, alternating, double-aspect presence.

The common living, dining and kitchen areas as well as an independent guestroom are accommodated on the upper level taking advantage of the panoramic views from both the interior and the generous terraces. In-between the common spaces and the guestroom, a protected outdoor seating and dining area with a barbecue is created.

For the unbuilt areas of the plot, mild interventions in combination with the intensification of the existing vegetation aim to enhance the sense and quality of the natural Cycladic landscape.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

It Goddeloas Fiersicht / NEXT architects

Posted: 30 Sep 2018 07:00 PM PDT

Architects: NEXT architects
Location: Friesland, The Netherlands
Lead Architects: Michel Schreinemachers, Marijn Schenk and Bart Reuser with Wiebe Strick, Mark Jongerius, Klaas van Olphen, Geert Durk de Jong, Douwe Strating, Stelios Polyviou, Eilish Camplisson en Marta Lata
Team: Bart Reuser, Marijn Schenk, Michel Schreinemachers with Wiebe Strick, Mark Jongerius, Klaas van Olphen, Geert Durk de Jong, Douwe Strating, Stelios Polyviou, Eilish Camplisson and Marta Lata
Area: 7.5 m2
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Sander Foederer

Collaborator/ Associate: Paul Edens
Advisor Construction: Bouw-Construct (Jan Wielenga)
Advisor Ecology: ALTENBURG&WYMENGA (Eddy Wymenga)
Main Contractor: G. de Haan & Zn
Contractor: Noppert Beton
Client: Provincie Frislân / Projectbureau De Centrale As

Text description provided by the architects. It Goddeloas Fiersicht (literally: "the godless sight") openend in the Northern Dutch province of Friesland. It has become a mystical place where visitors enjoy and experience a panoramic view of the landscape of the Noardlike Fryske Wâlden. It Goddeloas Fiersicht is one of three artworks that are executed in the context of the newly constructed provincial road DeCentrale As.

This is not the first viewing platform designed by NEXT: last summer the office announced it won the competition for a viewingplatform on the belgian coast. Both artworks create a strong connection between architecture and the unique characteristics and history of the place. It Goddeloas Fiersicht is a layered artwork that offers both a poetic insight and a unique outlook at the intersection between nature, geology, history and legends.

A look back in time
More than 200.000 years ago, during the Ice Age, the ice cap was several metres thick. Rising 7 meters above the current ground level, It Goddeloas Fiersicht brings back the old ground level. A drilling back in time, through the different layers of soil.

A glimpse between past and present
The Ice Age brough numerous boulders to the area. Many of the boulders have been excavated during the construction of De Centrale As. The largest is on display within the tower, as a relic of an ancient past.

A vision of a mystycal place
The artwork's name refers to the historic path that was built here in 1453 as a monastery path between Dokkum and Drachten. In the Middle Ages, the path was used by monks as a safe trade route through the area.

A sight from old stories
There is a small pond at the end of the path. The legend goes that the devil himself pulled innocent souls in the water. It Goddeloas Fiersicht becomes a safe place to seek refuge.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Streetmekka Viborg / EFFEKT

Posted: 30 Sep 2018 06:00 PM PDT

Architects: EFFEKT
Location: 8800 Viborg, Denmark
Area: 3170.0 m2
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Rasmus Hjortshøj

Collaborators: BOGL, Rambøll, Thomas Andersen A/S
Consultants : Luke Jouppi, Lars Pedersen, Jonathan Linde, Copenhagen Bouldering, Nørlum
Client: Viborg Kommune and GAME with financial support from Realdania, Lokale- & Anlægsfonden, TrygFonden and NordeaFonden.

Text description provided by the architects. Streetmekka is a new cultural destination offering a wide variety of facilities for self-organized sports like parkour, skate, bouldering, basketball, trial as well as a series of customized workshop areas for music production, DJ'ing, an animation studio, fabrication lab and various artist studios and wood and metal workshops.

Social spaces and informal meeting areas are distributed throughout the building and strategically interwoven in-between primary functions based on the notion that proximity to activities lower the threshold for participation.

Breathing new life into abandoned industrial buildings
The original building once served as a windmill factory and is a typical example of one of the many mass-produced warehouse or factory buildings from the late 1960's and 70's found in almost every suburban industrial zone in the western world. Constructed from prefabricated concrete panels or corrugated steel, these industrial leftovers are perceived as having little or negligible historic, cultural and architectural value.

Instead of taking the traditional approach and demolishing the leftover building EFFEKT wanted to explore how to re-use and re-program this type of insignificant and mostly introverted building typology in a qualitative way and at a very limited budget?

'However uninteresting and grey the exterior of these boxes appear, they often contain an impressive interior space of magnificent scale and almost cathedral-like proportions based on a repetitive, neatly arranged structural system. To us this vast space posed the only true value of the building – and we wanted to expose and highlight this to the outside world.' says Tue Foged, Partner at EFFEKT.

' Our approach was simply to remove the walls at both ends of the building and to place all the administrative functions and workshop spaces on one side of the existing structure and the skate-areas on the other side, leaving the internal former manufacturing space intact. This clear re-organization also equips the building with a completely new envelope and exterior and allows us to pull in more daylight through the two new glass facades while improving the connectivity to the exterior spaces and activities." Foged continues.

With many vacated industrial sites being incorporated in urban expansion, this approach may be replicated and can pave the way for the revitalization of many other disregarded buildings left to deteriorate or facing demolition. New neighborhoods can benefit from these industrial heritage markers to build identity and sense of place.

Individualized and self-organized alternatives
The functional goal of the new Streetmekka is to create a series of functional spaces for sports, cultural and social purposes arranged in a highly complex programmatic network. The aim is to meet the increasing demand for self-organized and individualized alternatives to the established club-sports and cultural activities, supporting GAME's mission to attract local youth and create lasting social change through street-sports and culture, enabling integration and empowering them in their future lives.

"Targeting a broad demographic audience from across a variety of cultural backgrounds, gender, age and interests, our goal was to create an open and welcoming building, lowering the threshold for involvement and engagement. We achieved this by making a transparent building with a clear, well-defined organization intuitive to everyone," says Foged and continues: "An anti-elitist, pop-culture take on a hybrid between a sports facility and a culture house, that is robust enough to stay open to the public 24 hours day without supervision and where the users are in charge and take initiative."

Growing new communities
The new Streetmekka 2.0 is for everyone. It doesn't matter if you want to participate, create, hang out or observe – there is a designated space for everything and everyone. The idea of expanding the original program to include so many different types of activity under the same roof is based on the notion that co-existence breeds new synergies and new social relations. Additionally, it exposes visitors to new types of activity they might never have realized existed, encouraging future engagement.

The maker labs and workshop areas enable the users to continuously develop and reconfigure the facility. Streetmekka Viborg is not static in terms of program nor in physical appearance. It will continue to evolve with the users – both short term (due to the animated facades and the street-art) as well as long term (when new programs are added, and old ones removed).

Indoor streetscape
The architectural concept is based upon the idea of an indoor streetscape. The project opens the introverted industrial building and transform the impressive central factory space into a new kind of interior space: a covered streetscape open to the outside. The streetscape concept is used to define and organize the various functions and place them in relation to specific requirements, such as spatial quality, daylight, materiality and temperature zones.

The new volume is then wrapped with a functional translucent polycarbonate skin, giving the appearance of a light and welcoming building while also serving as a giant canvas for the local visual artists to display and project their art but also clearly differentiates the building from the surrounding industrial facilities. Streetmekka in Viborg is the first lot to be transformed in the new neighborhood and will work as a catalyst for city life in the upcoming area.

The surrounding landscape becomes the natural extension of the indoor surface with various street-sports and cultural functions placed in a recreational string of greenery connecting the site to the downtown area through a future pedestrian and bicycle path.

Cost
The preservation of the original structure and the reuse and upcycling of materials made it possible to carry out the refurbishment at a very low expense. Many of the original components were also repurposed as furniture elements for the parkour activities and hang-out spaces. The final cost of the building is approximately one third of a traditional sports hall.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The Space Between Walls / HYLA Architects

Posted: 30 Sep 2018 05:00 PM PDT

Architects: HYLA Architects
Location: Singapore, Singapore
Lead Architect: Han Loke Kwang
Project Team: Crystal Chew, Kompiya Rattanangkul, Chong Wen Jin, Thomas Ong
Area: 455.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Derek Swalwell

Structural Engineer: Thymn Pte Ltd
Main Contractor: QS Builders Pte Ltd
Landscape Contractor: Green Forest Landscape Pte Ltd

Text description provided by the architects. This semi-detached house is detached from its façade and party wall to create courtyard spaces that allow light, ventilation and private views.

At the front, an almost blank brick wall conceals these spaces and the front door is similarly hidden in a timber wall. A swimming pool runs along the side and front creating a tranquil oasis for the house.

The timber staircase overhangs the pool and its covered by a glass and timber pergola that runs along the length of the house. Upstairs the gardens continue into two more courtyards which two bedrooms and a study look into.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Hilltop Gallery / dEEP Architects

Posted: 30 Sep 2018 03:00 PM PDT

Architects: dEEP Architects
Location: Luanping, Chengde, China
Principal Architect: Daode Li
Design Team: Yiying Wu, Yuan Zhou, Ding Kuai, Xinyuan Zhang, Jing Zhou, Wenmo Liu
Executive Architect: BIAD
Interior Design: dEEP Architects
Area: 2600.0 m2
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Baiqiang Cao / ZERO

Structural Engineer: BIAD Complex Structure Research Institute
Contractor: Kingsway Engineering Co. Ltd.
Lighting Consultant: Beijing Sign Lighting Industry Group
Landscape Consultant: ECOLAND
Client: Providence Enterprises Investment Holdings

Text description provided by the architects. Hilltop Gallery locates on Yanshan Mountains bordering Beijing and Chengde, where there is a perfect view to Jinshanling Great wall. With 1500㎡ construction area and 2600㎡ floor area, the building not only functions as an art gallery and venue for related cultural projects, but also a reception, dining and exhibition area for Phonenix Valley project.

The site of the gallery is at a saddle on the top of the mountain. We hoped to use the natural terrain to celebrate the idea that the building grows in conformity with the mountain. "Leaning hills and taking advantage of the trend" is the principle we followed in this project. The concept of "势"(potential) itself is also a traditional Eastern philosophy. It is the thinking that ancient Chinese faced in the construction within nature.

A slightly tilted entrance introduces the visitors to the museum's main exhibition space on the Ground Floor, where it offers unobstructed views to the breathtaking mountainous landscapes in distance and the elegantly resting pine trees in the front, leaving the entire space constantly submerged in nature. Following the undulation of the roof, you will find the exhibitive high space located at the bottom level of the building. The two main floors hosting general art-pieces are interloped by the sweeping loop stairs, and a hall catering for super-scaled art installations is made from a triple-height space.

To the East of the bottom floor where it has physically extended into the mountain is an interactive audio-visual room and a theatre, that do not require much lighting. To the North is the café with an outdoor terrace platform looking to the nature. Except for the elevators, the giant spiral stairs penetrating the whole building can take the visitors straight up to the top floor, which serves as a reception area for the VIP visitors, as well as tearooms and resting and dining areas. The space is flexible for different functional necessities.

To the South is a multifunctional ballroom facing the Great Wall, with a larger scaled space and translucent glass curtains, and an open cooking area gives rise to interactive activities for the visitors.

To the West is a concrete box that works as a connection to the inside and outside. People may approach the peak via the bamboo boardwalk on the roof or even arrive at the Eastern outdoor platform by climbing over the roof. The box melts the spatial boundaries of the entire roof area.

The process of climbing and excursions, combined with the undulating hyperbolic tile roof, is like the winding path leading to a hidden place in the traditional Chinese gardens. At the same time, it resonates with the touring process of Jinshanling Great Wall coincidentally. There is a natural connection between the top and bottom, interior and exterior, and space of the entire Hilltop Gallery, where all the boundaries of spaces are blurred.

The shape of roof is not only in consideration of the internal functional space and aesthetic thinking, but also been subjected to rainwater analysis and wind tunnel experiments. Optimal results have been obtained through deliberation of the digital model and the structural performance of the physical model. In the actual construction stage, the application of digital technology has enabled the precise positioning and construction of complex building structures and forms. Definitely, besides high-tech digital support, it was also quite important to use the most primitive manual work, such as the laying of the bamboo slabs on the roof boardwalk and the traditional terracotta on the roof.

Localized material and construction make such a building belong to the digital era without losing the charm of traditional Chinese architecture. The design and construction of the Hilltop Gallery is another newer attempt to present digital design method in the Chinese context.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Nulla Vale House and Shed / MRTN Architects

Posted: 30 Sep 2018 01:00 PM PDT

Architects: MRTN Architects
Location: Nulla Vale, Australia
Area: 50.0 m2
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Peter Bennetts

Site Area: 1,200,000 m2

Text description provided by the architects. To reach Nulla Vale you continue driving past Tullamarine Airport for an hour. Just past the airport the landscape changes from tract housing to pastoral land and small rural communities. Dotted along the drive are old agricultural outbuildings and early settler dwellings. Simple structures, almost primitive, that are part of the landscape. Nostalgia for this connection between land and building was the guiding principle for our Nulla Vale House and Shed.

Much of Nulla Vale is 'granite country' a landscape that is both beautiful and harsh. A landscape created through geological conditions over millions of years and by land clearing and grazing. The granite outcrops created by the erosion of soft rocks leaving the hard igneous granite exposed. The site a 300-acre parcel of pastoral land that is dotted with granite outcrops and the occasional gumtree. Our clients are intending to eventually build their full-time home on this land. But to begin with they asked for a place to be able to stay, a basic dwelling with the minimum of amenity. Somewhere they could spend weekends as they make a connection to the land and begin their caretaking period of the site.

The design is intended to anticipate the final home without predetermining it. They also required a shed to house land care equipment and the PV panels and battery required to power the house. With no mains connection to services of any kind, the house is 100% off-grid. The building site selected is located on a saddle of the land half way along a desire line that runs from site's high point to a natural ledge with distant views in the west. The structures are conceived of as settler wagons, arrested in motion as they pass through the site.

The Shed and House are identical in their overall dimensions and from a distance, their silhouette is the familiar gable ended form commonly associated with farming sheds. Up close, however, the two structures are clearly defined as shed and house through the material, void, and volume. The shed was custom designed by us directly with a shed fabrication company using their systems to create a shed that is part storage part entryways. Clad entirely in heritage grade corrugated galvanized iron with a roof oriented and pitched to maximize solar exposure through the seasons.

The House is constructed from salvaged bricks and corrugated iron in addition to rough sawn timber and new galvanized roofing on pre-engineered timber trusses that are left exposed both inside and out. Materials were selected to meet the clients' brief that house fit within the cognitive idea of an 'old shed'. Internally the finishes are the same as outside, no plasterboard and no paint. LED lighting strips concealed on top of the rafters reflect light off the foil-backed insulation. The house provides the means to eat, sleep and wash in a space that is part of the experience of being on the site and not removed from it.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Renovation of Auditorium in North Campus, Central Academy of Fine Arts / Yu Yang · CAFA

Posted: 30 Sep 2018 11:00 AM PDT

Architects: Yu Yang · CAFA
Location: CAFA, Beijing, China
Architect In Charge: Yu Yang · CAFA
Interior Designer: Yu Yang · CAFA
Landscape Designer: Xiaolei Hou · CAFA
Area: 1000.0 m2
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Weiqi Jin

Text description provided by the architects. Auditorium in North Campus was originally used as a lecture hall. The renovation is designed to expand the space and improve the quality of the equipment, which will be used to host international conferences, and to serve as the student activity center. In the traditional concept, auditorium symbolizes sense of honor and order, which presents introverted and stylized stability. However, based on the current open and flexible teaching atmosphere of college, we define the auditorium as a part of the public space of the campus, and make it a diversified interactive place for campus activities, academic exchanges, assemblies and so on.

Spatial Expansion
The biggest problem of the auditorium is the constraint of the internal public space and the disorder and waste of the external environment. First of all, we knocked off the outer facade so that the original narrow front office can extend to the square. Secondly, we removed the wall of the south side of the hall, so that the abandoned flower-shelves were incorporated into the interior, and designed a miniature garden with adjacent green space, making it an independent reading area facing the landscape. Finally, we enlarged the area of the foyer of entrance, and added a path from the side to the reading area, forming a courtyard surrounding the landscape on the south side of the building.

Window Scenery and Stage
The folding steel plate newly constructed and the original building components intersect each other to form several continuous windows. These windows change from privacy to openness as people walk. Its core meaning lies in breaking the boundary between indoor and outdoor, and creating an open, vivid and interesting activity place for students.

The widows formed due to the juxtaposition of old and new structures with the intervention of miniature garden, the south side effectively isolates the indoor and external square environment. People's activities inside the building attract people outside through the courtyard to create the interest of peeping.

The facade of the building is a huge folding window, 6 meters high and 20 meters wide. In the daytime, it incorporates the exterior landscape into the interior to get maximum lighting and an open view. At night, looking from the outside to the inside, because the indoor platform is 90 cm higher compared to the outdoor ground, so it forms a stage facing the external square naturally. The inner activity is like a vivid stage play.

The Space Composition of Red and Black
Piet Mondrian said, real modeling was purely abstract compositions that expressed a dynamic balance through black grid lines and blocks of primary colors on white and grey grounds. Inspired by this, the red of the stair has the effect that controls composition and balances in the space.

The frame formed after the removal of original outer wall was reinforced into two huge window frames. Through them, stair showed the graphic relation of black and red. When people stand outside the window, they can feel the dramatism overlapping of shape and color through the frame. The stair also becomes a show field full of sense of form.

The significance of the existence of campus public space is to make teachers and students have the desire to use, as "use" is an important way to realize the interaction between human and space. Behind the rational and rigorous grey brick architecture in the Central Academy of Fine Arts is various scenes of art and cultural life with disorder and vitality. We hope the space after renovation can be the stage to show these scenes.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

AD Classics: Azadi Tower / Hossein Amanat

Posted: 30 Sep 2018 09:30 AM PDT

This article was originally published on 26 October, 2015. To read the stories behind other celebrated architecture projects, visit our AD Classics section.

Commissioned to celebrate the 2500th anniversary of the Persian Empire, the Azadi Tower has been a site of celebration, unrest, and revolution. Despite its association with the deposed Shah, the tower has been embraced as a national symbol of Iran, playing host to both pro- and anti-government demonstrations, following the controversial 2009 Presidential elections.

In 1966, the Shah, eager to display the wealth generated from oil exploration, and to distance himself from past political turmoil, held a competition to design a monument to commemorate his rule, and the 2500th anniversary of the founding of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great. Architect Hossein Amanat had just graduated from the University of Tehran when he learned about the competition, and he abandoned plans to continue his studies in the United States, instead forming a small architecture studio in his bedroom to work on a design for the monument. With the help of a few friends who were still in school, Amanat's design–inspired by his fascination with Persian history–won the competition.

© flickr user: froderamone, licensed under CC BY 2.0

Amanat describes the design as the culmination of everything he had learned in architecture school, and in his travels around Iran, citing many historical precedents as influences. The main archway of the tower combines the parabolic arch of the pre-Islamic ruins at Ctesiphon with the pointed arches of the Islamic period, encapsulating millennia of Persian history. To reconcile the two arch shapes, Amanat took inspiration from the beautifully detailed squinches found in historic Persian architecture. Even the windows at the top of the tower are influenced by similar features in historic tower structures.[1]

To help realize the complex geometry of Amanat's vision, Arup was hired as the structural engineer. To address the challenges of the both the form and the seismically active location, the tower was constructed of reinforced, poured-in-place concrete, clad in glistening white marble. Because of the complexity of the arches and curves of the tower structure, the shape of nearly every piece of the stone cladding was unique.[2]

The tower was completed in 1971, and originally known as the Shahyad (literally "King's Memorial") Tower. It is the focal point of the largest plaza in Tehran, and one of the largest plazas in the world, at over 120,000 square meters.[3] The complex also includes an underground museum housing displays and artifacts of Persian history.

Only a few years after its completion, the tower became the focal point for demonstrations against the Shah's regime. Following the 1979 revolution, some expected the tower to be destroyed. As structural engineer Sir Michael Duncan described, "Because it was the Shah's icon, his motif, I rather expected it to be ritually destroyed in front of the cameras. But in fact, it turned out like all revolutions, they are national, and the people's will is a factor. The people loved it. The leaders were not going to spit in the eye of the people, so they've rebranded it."[4] Today the tower is known as the Azadi ("Freedom") Tower, and it continues to be a rallying point for national celebrations, and protests, including the massive demonstrations of the so-called Green Revolution in the aftermath of the 2009 Presidential elections.

Amanat was not as lucky. As a member of the Baha'i faith, and of Jewish descent, he faced persecution in the newly formed Islamic Republic. Allegations against him included accusations that the use of nine windows on each of the main facades of the tower was a Baha'i symbol.[5] Amanat was forced to flee Iran, settling in Canada, where he continues to practice architecture.

Unfortunately, a 2013 report from Reuters indicated that the tower has recently been suffering from neglect, including cracked ceilings, water damage, and peeling walls. Recent repairs had damaged the drainage system, exacerbating water damage in the structure. Officials indicated that repairs were being planned, but the story found that previous repairs had been carried out with low quality materials, raising doubts about the effectiveness of any future efforts.

© flickr user: kosoof, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

In Amanat's office in Vancouver, an enlarged photograph of the tower during the 2009 protests, surrounded by thousands of demonstrators, hangs on the wall. In a 2011 interview for BBC Persian, he described his reaction to that scene: "That day, as these people gathered in front of this building, someone asked me, 'how do you feel?' It was as if a father was embracing them. A father's warm embrace. A father who had been there for two or three thousand years. That long. This is because of Iran; it has nothing to do with me."

[1] "Az Shahyaad taa Aazaadi, Tehran's Icon; As told by Hossein Amanat." BBC Persian, 2011. http://www.amanatarchitect.com/video/video.html. Accessed October 1, 2015.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

Image of Azadi Tower via shutterstock.com

Image of arch detail via shutterstock.com

Architects: Hossein Amanat
Location: Azadi Tower, Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Structural Engineer: Arup
Project Year: 1971
Photographs: rickyd / Shutterstock.com, flickr user: kosoof, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0, rasoulali / Shutterstock.com, flickr user: froderamone, licensed under CC BY 2.0

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

FILMATICA: The Mexican Studio that Explores Architecture and Cinematography

Posted: 30 Sep 2018 09:00 AM PDT

Founded by Juan Benavides in 2014, FILMATICA is an architectural film studio dedicated to making videos with a curatorial focus. The selection of projects is carried out in order to empathize with the formal interests of the studio, responding to aesthetic spatial conditions surrounded by powerful landscapes. With this in mind, FILMATICA makes a series of narratives that highlight architecture, time, movement, and our journey through the world. Below, a compilation of videos of contemporary architectural works narrated through the lens of Juan Benavides and the FILMATICA team.

SJA III by CDM | Casas De México
Pacífico Mexicano, 2018

Courtyard House on a River by Robert Hutchison
Greenwater, WA, 2018

Museo de Arte e Historia de Guanajuato by Nuño, Mac Gregor y de Buen Arquitectos
León, 2018

HOUSES OF MEMORY: Nine Allegorical Works of Architecture
Seattle, WA, 2018

Jardín Botánico by Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO
Culiacán, 2018

Casa 2i4e de P + 0 Arquitectura
El Jonuco, 2018

Where the Trees Made the Rules by SIGNAL
Bellevue, WA, 2018

Casa Bedolla by P+0 Arquitectura
El Jonuco, 2018

Centro Cultural Comunitario by PRODUCTORA
Teotitlán del Valle, 2017

Casa Palmas by DOSA STUDIO
Texcoco, 2018

Casa Espigas 41 by Dear Architects
Monterrey, 2017

Casa VR by Alexanderson Arquitectos
Guadalajara, 2017

Museografía MXCD01 by PALMA
Mexico City, 2017

Juan Benavides (Monterrey, 1991) graduated in Architecture at the University of Monterrey in 2014 with studies at the Universidad Mayor in Santiago, Chile. Between 2015 and 2018 he worked as a Project Director in Productora. He received the Young Artists Grant 2016-2017 given by the National Fund for Culture and Arts (FONCA) for his research Divided Authorship.

info@filmatica.mx
@juanbenavidesl
www.juanbenavides.mx

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Serious Question: Should We Call Them Slums?

Posted: 30 Sep 2018 07:00 AM PDT

Guatemala City "favela" type housing near downtown. Image via Shutterstock

Slum. Shanty Town. Favela. Ghetto. Barrio Marginal. Bidonville. The list goes on.

We have the foresight to understand and predict that demand for shelter in urban environments will continue to expand, perhaps indefinitely, but certainly until the highly-cited prediction that by 2050, more than two-thirds of the global population will live in cities. With this reality, is it time to reassess the way in which we talk about different forms of urbanization?

Laundry service in Dhobi Ghat. Yavuz Sariyildiz / Shutterstock.com. Image via Shutterstock

The negative connotations of the word "slum" are apparent. But beyond the assumed, unhelpful undertone, the term is inadequate.

By using catch-all terms for the real issues that create and propagate precarious human settlement, we miss the opportunity to pinpoint problems specific to each city, population and even the particularities of legislation that cause or prevent changes.

ArchDaily has used the word in the way that we seek to question here. But is it time to reconsider how we speak about human settlements? So many in the profession have turned their attention to "slums" with the right intentions, completing insightful research and proposing novel ideas. But are such constructive ideas able to really shine through when the conversation begins with a marginalizing and inaccurate term?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Your opinion may be included in a follow-up article.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Artery Residence / Hufft Projects

Posted: 30 Sep 2018 06:00 AM PDT

Architects: Hufft Projects
Location: Kansas City, United States
Principals In Charge: Matthew Hufft, Dan Brown
Area: 10650.0 ft2
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Michael Robinson

Fabrication Manager: Scott Beattie
Landscape Architect: 40North
Structural Engineer: Bob D. Campbell
Façade Consultant: Zahner
Lighting Designer : Derek Porter

Text description provided by the architects. This home we named the Artery residence. The couple has been repeatedly named by ARTnews in the top 200 contemporary art collectors globally. The focus of this home is the art collection and how it flows and is pumped throughout the home, by way of a main 'artery'.

Art is at the heart of this home. Hufft designed a custom residence for two prominent contemporary art collectors and philanthropists. The design of the home centered on a sub-grade gallery space that houses paintings, photography, and sculpture spanning 20 years of collecting with specific lighting and climate control for the preservation and display of such works.

The abundant collection seems to pump out of the gallery and into the double-height atrium nodes that connect the gallery and living spaces. These art-laden circulation paths become the "arteries" that bestowed the residence's name. The upper level of the home contains five bedrooms, his and hers offices, a high-end kitchen, and elegant dining room, all of which contain curated works of art. The living spaces are contained in cantilevered horizontal bars, clad in cedar and aluminum. The home's exterior and landscape design blurs the line between residential yard and sculpture garden. Large-scale sculptures are intentionally placed around the home, creating moments of interest along terraces and engaging the tension-edge pool in the backyard.

We strived to create moments and places to experience the art throughout the home. Perhaps the entire home takes on a "piece of art" persona when viewed from the street.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

How to Make a Facade with Recycled Materials: 16 Notable Examples

Posted: 30 Sep 2018 05:00 AM PDT

With the aim of supporting architects to become active agents of sustainable design, this week we present a selection of facades that incorporate different recycled materials. Beyond the typical uses of plastic and glass, in this article, you will find innovative materials such as mattress springs, ice cream containers, plastic chairs, and recycled waste from agricultural and industrial products. A look at 16 remarkable projects using recycled materials to create an attractive facade.

Naju Art Museum / Hyunje Joo

Recycled semi-transparent plastic baskets

Ningbo Historic Museum / Wang Shu, Amateur Architecture Studio

Recycled tiles

Cortesía de Wang Shu, Amateur Architecture Studio

Capilla San Bernardo / Nicolás Campodonico

Recycled bricks from a rural house

Bima Microlibrary / SHAU Bandung

Recycled plastic ice cream containers

Backyard Cabin / Emerging Objects

Recycled agricultural and industrial waste products

PET pavilion / Project.DWG + LOOS.FM

Recycled plastic bottles

Properly Breathing House / H&P Architects

Recycled ceramic bricks

Vegan House / Block Architects

Recycled windows

China Academy of Arts' Folk Art Museum / Kengo Kuma & Associates

Recycled tiles from local houses

Kamikatz Public House / Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP

Recycled windows from abandoned houses

Luxury Pavilion / Fahed + Architects

Recycled bedsprings

Head in the Clouds Pavilion / STUDIOKCA

Recycled plastic bottles

Carroll House / LOT-EK

Recycled shipping containers

Collage House / S+PS Architects

Recycled windows and doors of demolished houses

The Beehive / Luigi Rosselli + Raffaello Rosselli

Recycled terracotta roof tiles

Gallery of Furniture / CHYBIK+KRISTOF

Recycled plastic seats

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

"I Don't Really See AI as A Threat": Imdat As on Artificial Intelligence in Architecture

Posted: 30 Sep 2018 02:30 AM PDT

Is Artificial Intelligence (AI) the doom of the architecture profession and design services (as some warn) or a way to improve the overall design quality of the built environment, expanding and extending design services in ways yet to be explored? I sat down with my University of Hartford colleague Imdat As. Dr. As is an architect with an expertise in digital design who is an assistant professor of architecture and the co-founder of Arcbazar.com, a crowd-sourced design site. His current research on AI and its impact on architectural design and practice is funded by the US Department of Defense. Recently we sat down and talked about how this emerging technology might change design and practice as we now know it—and if so, would that be such a bad thing?

This article was originally published as "Doom or Bloom: What Will Artificial Intelligence Mean for Architecture?" on CommonEdge. It has been slightly abridged for publication on this platform; the full interview can be read on CommonEdge here.

via Revit 2018 Architectural Course For Beginner With Project / Udemy.com

Michael J Crosbie: What are the most direct applications of AI to architecture on the horizon?

Imdat As: In the short term I think we'll see AI-driven CAD-software that can assist architects in the early stages of design development. The software tools we use now, like Revit, are actually not very good in early conceptual phases of a project.

Conceptual design requires a lot of exploration, testing several ideas at the same time. The best way to do conceptual design is still with pencil and paper. However, with new AI-driven software, a designer might provide a host of constraints, say, a chair made out of a particular material that can hold 300 pounds. The software could generate hundreds of optimal chair variations that the designer could choose from and develop further.

In the long run I can see AI-driven systems performing more complex tasks. Like, designing a home for two adults (one who uses a wheelchair) with two kids of certain ages and genders, a dog, on a particular lot. The system could pull all zoning data, building codes, and disabled design data, and generate design variations that also follow a certain design vocabulary and offer options—perhaps directly to the client, who picks the most responsive design.

MJC: What do you see as the potential benefits of AI to architectural practice?

IA: Deep learning is a very powerful analysis, identification, detection, and classification tool. Where data are available, AI can help architects with lots of analytical tasks, to have a better understanding of context, circulation patterns, spatial and material performance. This is true for not only the quantifiable and obvious characteristics of design, but also the more non-quantifiable ones, like maybe how a space makes you feel. We usually can't easily quantify these qualities and they often get neglected.

MJC: What do you see as the potential benefits of AI to architectural design—what will be the impact of "deep learning" by machines on generating designs.

IA: Deep-learning machines could decipher patterns in architectural design that architects have intuitively or intentionally created over the years. Think of Christopher Alexander's A Pattern Language, which compiled various patterns in the way we design residential architecture. AI could potentially expand such patterns to include not only functional and programmatic concerns, but also socio-economic, ideological, geographic, climatic, or other patterns that shape the built environment. With such a resource, AI-software could assemble the best patterns for a given problem into new compositions. Design decisions can become much smarter, which might lead to new hybrid vocabularies, and novel dynamic, adaptive, and synthesized compositions we never thought of.

Therme Vals / Peter Zumthor. Image © Fernando Guerra

MJC: AI can "learn" to design according to functional aspects of architecture; but what about those intangible qualities of architecture—human fascination, amusement, even spirituality? Can AI incorporate these qualities into design?

IA: Deep learning is all data driven, and any aspect of design, even intangible ones, can be analyzed—given there are data. For example, you could train a DNN about what makes a person of a certain culture perceive an architectural space as "spiritual." You might collect data on such spaces and their ability to provoke spiritual feelings (based on perceptions recorded from visitors of various sacred spaces). The DNN could decipher major patterns that it identifies as essential to create a spiritual space. Looking at thousands of examples, the DNN might discover that such human perceptions of spirituality occur because spaces have certain proportions, lighting, height, scents, or aural qualities. Some of these might be obvious—the result that the architect intended. But others might be latent, that we never thought of. Such work is really based on the availability of data, and the more the better.

MJC: What are the possible threats of AI to current architectural design and practice? How could it radically change the way architecture is created?

IA: I don't really see AI as a threat. As a technology that can eventually help designers and clients drastically improve their built environment, I think with emerging AI tools designers will benefit from a swarm of design ideas very early on—one could compare it to crowdsourcing designs online but with no human designers. In addition, all the grunt work we do as architects could potentially be automated. We then could reach a much wider audience, and provide access to quality design to a broader portion of the public.

Cleveland Clinic / Gehry Associates. Image © Matthew Carbone

MJC: How do you think AI could change the role of "starchitects"? Will AI be able to do better "Gehrys" than Gehry?

IA: There are actually style-transfer applications on 2D images, text, or audio. For example, "Neural Doodle" by Alex Champandard translates any rough doodle into a painting by a famous artist. At some point this will be achieved in 3D as well. It could be a hybrid system where a graph-based DNN like the one we worked on is combined with an image-based DNN that identifies a personal design vocabulary or style and applies it to a new composition. Such a development has the potential to impact practice. This is wild speculation, but perhaps architectural practice could be modeled on the music industry, where, for example, Frank Gehry develops a "style" and whoever uses his language through an AI-driven system pays him a royalty. Gehry in that way might "design" millions of structures around the world. We could even have architects who long ago ended their careers "designing" again via AI.

MJC: Some observers warn that AI might be the end of human civilization, as machines take over decision making from the planet's "inferior beings" (that's us). Do you see a similar potential in architecture?

IA: There is a project by MX3D, a robotics start-up company, to 3D print a bridge on one of Amsterdam's canals without physical human intervention. If in the future 3D printing could happen autonomously, we might have intelligent, self-constructing 3D printers that build, re-adjust/re-evaluate, build again, based on climatic conditions, circulation methods and paths, safety concerns, and so on. It would be interesting to see what type of architectural spaces, urban layouts they might develop.

I don't predict a "Westworld" scenario with machines taking over humanity, at least not for the foreseeable future. I actually think the opposite. With the problems we are facing on earth—like climate change, overcrowding, poverty—AI is perhaps an essential technology that will allow a major leap in human history to organize, produce, and improve. The problems we are facing are very complex, and will be difficult to solve without AI intervention.

MJC: Five years from right now, how do you think architectural design and practice will be different because of AI?

IA: We always talk about the Renaissance master builder as the archetypal designer, who was not only an architect, but also a builder, an engineer, and was able to marry fields of the practice that we now separate. The power of building information modeling tools like Revit or ArchiCAD was that they somehow brought back the power of the master builder, because they enabled a single creator to not only design the edifice, but also model structural efficiency, simulate energy consumption, and other factors. They empowered the architect, so it is not surprising that 72 percent of all architectural offices in the US are one-to-two-person offices. Perhaps this trend will be further enhanced with AI coming into play. Not in five years, but perhaps further down the road, AI-driven design systems could be used directly by clients. I think this will help the 90 percent of construction work currently done without architects. These AI-driven design tools for the non-professional would be created by architects, allowing them to extend or expand their design knowledge and influence to areas of the built environment they currently don't have access. It would be a blooming of quality design accessible through AI-driven design software. One way or another AI will have a deep impact on the way we conceive, represent, and develop architecture and shape our built environment. I think this is truly a turning point in architectural history.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

St. Augustine Park / Donal Colfer Architects

Posted: 30 Sep 2018 02:00 AM PDT

Structural Engineer: David Maher & Associates
Main Contractor: M. Nastasse Construction

Text description provided by the architects. An addition and renovation of a 1990s semi-detached dwelling in Blackrock, Co. Dublin. The client brief was to introduce a new internal room which was peaceful space and removed from the existing dwelling.

A sloped rear garden allowed for the introduction of a series of overlapping terraces combine with a strategic cast-insitu concrete structural frame to form new internal and external spaces through the layering of secondary timber structural elements, glazing and brick facades with this primary system. The new layout is configured to maximise natural light in both the north facing addition and reconfigured living areas while also opening up the rear of the existing dwelling on ground floor level.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The Noun Project: Over a Million Downloadable Icons for Your Architectural Diagrams

Posted: 30 Sep 2018 01:00 AM PDT

Via <a href='https://www.lingoapp.com/a/35DA42F0-2F9E-40CE-8B80-471E96F9A40B/-hBqKYpN8igf9ZqDEbERBoARlyPBSOrKBgWR9zj1dI8/?k=6A90F478-575D-4F32-8019-F27331DA7A09&sect=96DCC6E5-06AF-42BA-8A8A-616F0A8AA561&s=6&v=0&tkn=PnvqFdbbGRkcjfZbs9EIaBoNYdYQNVCFn8gwuZSUsrE'>The Noun Project</a>

The title says it all: if you've spent hours browsing the web for simple design icons for diagrams and architectural representation - a relevant tool to optimize organization, analysis, and communication - then this universal online library from The Noun Project will be very useful.

More than one million drawings generated by a global community are presented in the "Icons for Everything" gallery, which you can use by crediting the author through a Creative Commons license or paying a suggested amount for each design.

And why icons? They are a kind of universal visual language, an excellent form of direct communication for when words - or translations - are missing across the borders of the world.

Start your search here.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Re-imagining the Empire State Building in 9 Different Architectural Styles

Posted: 29 Sep 2018 11:00 PM PDT

The iconic Empire State Building, the first construction to have more than 100 floors, went on to define the modern concept of the skyscraper. These images—originally published by HomeAdvisor—allow us to indulge in the brief folly of what the Empire State Building might have looked had it been conceived under a variety of easily recognizable architectural styles.

A classic of Art Deco design, it's so iconic that it is hard to imagine it looking any other way. But what would it look like as a Renaissance or Gothic construction? Discover this iconic landmark in 9 different architectural styles.

1. Ancient Roman

Roman architecture followed classical orders such as the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Despite this reverence towards the legacy of Ancient Greece, Roman architects were great innovators and developed new construction techniques of their own. They were the first civilization to use arches to support their structures, as seen in many iconic structures such as triumphal arches and amphitheaters. To give their buildings a traditional look, the Romans continued to incorporate columns even after they were no longer structurally necessary.

2. Renaissance

Renaissance architecture originated in Florence in the early 15th century. Architects of the time rejected Gothic style intricacy, instead opting for a return to the simplicity and balanced-proportions of Roman classicism. Rounded arches and domes were revived, and architects strived to create structures which would appeal to both emotion and reason. Buildings such as the Florence Cathedral and the Basilica of San Lorenzo prove that they succeeded in their ambitions.

3. Gothic

Originating in northern France in around 1140, the Gothic style produced some of Europe's most beautiful, and impressively engineered buildings. Gothic cathedrals and churches can be identified by their pointed arches, ribbed vaults and flying buttresses. Constructions such as the Notre-Dame in Paris and London's Westminster Abbey. Rib vaults, flying buttress and pointed arches were all designed to increase natural light in the soaring spaces of the buildings.

4. Art Nouveau

Starting around 1890, the Art Nouveau movement produced some of the most beautifully-crafted buildings in history. Architects throughout Europe and America made use of materials such as glass and wrought iron to create elaborate curved lines and shapes inspired by natural forms. Perhaps the best known examples of this style can be found in Barcelona, thanks to the legendary Antoni Gaudí who designed many of the city's landmarks.

5. Traditional Japanese architecture

Steeped in tradition and emphasizing harmony with nature, Japanese architecture, aka 日本建築 Nihon kenchiku, has a very long history. Structures were usually elevated slightly off the ground, with sliding doors instead of walls, allowing the space to be customized for different occasions. Many of the country's spectacular shrines and temples built in this style are still standing. Japanese buildings were traditionally built with wood because of the abundance of timber at the time, but also due to the material's resistance to earthquakes.

6. Postmodern architecture

In the late 1960s many architects began to question the modernist outlook that architecture had the power to remedy societies' problems. They wanted to move away from the formality and lack of variety of modern architecture. This new-found freedom resulted in a style that's impossible to define because many postmodern architects resist classification.

7. Brutalism

Over the years, Brutalism has been demonized and celebrated in equal measure. The term was coined by the British architectural critic Reyner Banham in 1955 to describe the work of architects Peter and Alison Smithson. From the 1970s on, these fortress-like, concrete monoliths became immensely unpopular. They only rose in popularity recently when new admirers started to praise buildings like Preston Bus Station and Park Hill in Sheffield as architectural landmarks. While Brutalist buildings were obviously not the first to use concrete, they were the first to use it for the construction's facade. Before this, concrete was usually hidden beneath the surface.

8. Deconstructivism

Like postmodernism, deconstructivism doesn't revolve around one coherent ideology. It's more about breaking traditional architectural rules. Deconstructivist architects are strongly opposed to the idea that a building must look consistent and organized. They, instead, design structures that are broken into seemingly unconnected components. The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao is perhaps the best-known example of this mind-bending style. Deconstructivism was born out of the philosophy of Derrida, who sought to undermine preconceived beliefs around reason and logic.

9. "Sustainable" architecture

Sustainable architecture is on the rise in today's eco-conscious world. Natural and renewable materials such as concrete, wood and rock, along with recycled glass and lumber and even living plants are used. In our re-imaging, a frame attached to the middle of the building allows for the planting of a 'green-wall' consisting of thousands of plants. Sustainable architecture isn't just about materials though. Designers also focus on how energy will be used in the structure. The Shanghai Tower has wind turbines at the top which power its outer lighting.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

ponedjeljak, 1. listopada 2018.

Arch Daily

How Does This Affect Your Next Remodel?

Mimicking Outdoor Lighting

Flexibility is Key

Color Plays a Role, Too — but it's Easier to Adjust Lights.

The Most Important Design Element

SJA III by CDM | Casas De MéxicoPacífico Mexicano, 2018

Courtyard House on a River by Robert HutchisonGreenwater, WA, 2018

Museo de Arte e Historia de Guanajuato by Nuño, Mac Gregor y de Buen ArquitectosLeón, 2018

HOUSES OF MEMORY: Nine Allegorical Works of ArchitectureSeattle, WA, 2018

Jardín Botánico by Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIOCuliacán, 2018

Casa 2i4e de P + 0 ArquitecturaEl Jonuco, 2018

Where the Trees Made the Rules by SIGNALBellevue, WA, 2018

Casa Bedolla by P+0 ArquitecturaEl Jonuco, 2018

Centro Cultural Comunitario by PRODUCTORATeotitlán del Valle, 2017

Casa Palmas by DOSA STUDIOTexcoco, 2018

Casa Espigas 41 by Dear ArchitectsMonterrey, 2017

Casa VR by Alexanderson ArquitectosGuadalajara, 2017

Museografía MXCD01 by PALMAMexico City, 2017

1. Ancient Roman

2. Renaissance

3. Gothic

4. Art Nouveau

5. Traditional Japanese architecture

6. Postmodern architecture

7. Brutalism

8. Deconstructivism

9. "Sustainable" architecture

Nema komentara:

Objavi komentar

SJA III by CDM | Casas De México
Pacífico Mexicano, 2018

Courtyard House on a River by Robert Hutchison
Greenwater, WA, 2018

Museo de Arte e Historia de Guanajuato by Nuño, Mac Gregor y de Buen Arquitectos
León, 2018

HOUSES OF MEMORY: Nine Allegorical Works of Architecture
Seattle, WA, 2018

Jardín Botánico by Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO
Culiacán, 2018

Casa 2i4e de P + 0 Arquitectura
El Jonuco, 2018

Where the Trees Made the Rules by SIGNAL
Bellevue, WA, 2018

Casa Bedolla by P+0 Arquitectura
El Jonuco, 2018

Centro Cultural Comunitario by PRODUCTORA
Teotitlán del Valle, 2017

Casa Palmas by DOSA STUDIO
Texcoco, 2018

Casa Espigas 41 by Dear Architects
Monterrey, 2017

Casa VR by Alexanderson Arquitectos
Guadalajara, 2017

Museografía MXCD01 by PALMA
Mexico City, 2017