Arch Daily |
- New Plans to Revitalize Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter
- What Industrialized Construction Could Learn from Ford's Model T
- Architools Crafts the Perfect Minimalist Notebook for Architects
- Big Green Egg Europe / Team Paul de Vroom + Sputnik
- Primary School and Kindergarten Täuffelen / Morscher Architekten
- Young Family Apartment in Vilnius / SA atelier
- Solntsevo Metro Station / Nefa Architects
- Wuzhou Urban Multi-fiction Center / XAA
- The Shadow House / Nic Owen Architects
- Second Stage of Hangzhou Cloud Town Exhibition Center / Approach Design
- The Renovation of Dondon / FATTSTUDIO
- Casa Piedra Blanca / Pablo Lobos Pedrals, Angelo Petrucelli
- AD Classics: World's Columbian Exposition / Daniel Burnham and Frederick Law Olmsted
- Rehabilitation in Manoteras / Estudio Bher Arquitectos
- Park City Modern House / Sparano + Mooney Architecture
- Woods Bagot and Peddle Thorp Win Auckland Skyscraper Competition
- Miraie Lext House Nagoya / Kengo Kuma & Associates
- Designs by Grimshaw and Arup Revealed for the UK's High Speed Rail Stations
- Treow Brycg House / Omar Gandhi Architect
- Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners' Sky Garden will be an "Urban Living Room" for Shenzhen
| New Plans to Revitalize Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter Posted: 09 Oct 2018 10:00 PM PDT  Courtesy of Glenn Howells Architects Home to the historic engineering firm, AE Harris, for over 50 years, Birmingham's treasured Jewellery Quarter is being revamped on account of modernized manufacturing methods adopted by the company. Joint venture partners Galliard Homes and Apsley House Capital are working alongside Glenn Howells Architects to transform the site into a residential-led, mixed-use hub for the quarter.  Courtesy of Glenn Howells Architects The proposal features 320 new loft- and duplex-style homes and an aggregate of 100,000 square feet of work, food and beverage, and retail space across 20 buildings costing an estimated total of £125 million. Additionally, a new pedestrian route will weave through the heart of the Jewellery Quarter from the city center, by opening up a section of Northwood Street. To further spur walkability in the district, new shops, bars, and restaurants will be opened at the street level to create a public space. The plans are yet to be approved by the Birmingham City Council.  Courtesy of Glenn Howells Architects Despite the new modern construction, the architects aim to preserve the existing urban fabric by sharing a "contextual palette of materials, detailing and proportions" so as to reanimate the character of the site. By mimicking the building facades and brickwork textures, the project celebrates the historic identity of the town, while simultaneously aims to revitalize the area by providing the much-needed amenities, homes, and workspace.  Courtesy of Glenn Howells Architects In the process of converting a previously industrialized district to a commercial center at such a large scale, the three firms are working with the local community and council to be "respective of and regenerative to the historic area." The entire scheme is anticipated to undergo construction for a duration of five years. News via Glenn Howells Architects  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| What Industrialized Construction Could Learn from Ford's Model T Posted: 09 Oct 2018 09:00 PM PDT  Disbrave Car Dealership / João Filgueiras Lima (Lelé). Image via Disbrave On October 1, 1908, Ford launched its first model car in the American market, the Ford T, starting the automotive industry and establishing new paths for industrialization. Inspired by the manufacturing systems of weapons and sewing machines, in 1913, Henry Ford revolutionized production with the first moving assembly line to produce the Model T; a simple, safe, reliable and cheap car. The price decreased over time as production became more efficient. The Model T cost $850 in its first year and, as the manufacturing process became more efficient, it decreased to $290 in 1927, the last year it was produced. Industrialization led to optimized costs, time, and logistics. Similar to the automotive industry, the construction market moves large amounts of capital, with large investments, incentives, and the need to employ a great number of people in its productive chain. Despite this, the use of technology and serialized production did not evolve in the same way. In architecture, industrialized materials represent only a limited amount of what is made, and many times it is restricted to specific cases. However, it is important to highlight some efforts in this direction. For instance, with the use of pre-fabricated components, it usually means better conditions on the construction site and the ability to save time, materials, and money.  Ford Model T The approaching industrialization of building construction was also a concern in Walter Gropius’ writings, who, in the 1929 Bauhaus manifesto, said:
In Europe, the use of prefabricated components increased during Post-World War II reconstruction. A time in which the sector saw great development, establishing itself as a widely used method in construction. It reached America a couple of years later where it finally found its place in the construction of skyscrapers. In Brazil, some architects made remarkable efforts to include industrialized processes into the production of their work. Not only with proposals that made use of prefabrication, but also considering industrial techniques to think of the work: such as planning the construction site, the scheduling and strict execution of the steps, mechanizing tasks and giving special attention to how to manage site and labor. These professionals helped to leverage technical and productive knowledge in construction. At the beginning of his career, architect João Figueiras Lima, known as Lelé, worked with masters of Brazilian architecture during the construction of Brasília. After working with Oscar Niemeyer on a couple of projects, Lelé began to focus on the constructive efficiency of his work.  Sarah Kubitschek Salvador Hospital/ João Filgueiras Lima (Lelé). © Nelson Kon He proposed strategies to make construction more sustainable and organized, as well as faster and cleaner. Throughout his career, he made use of prefabricated systems of reinforced and pre-stressed concrete, and self-supporting components made of mortar. In the late 1970s, Lelé also implemented a light steel system in his factories in Salvador, which later became a research and technology development center for construction efficiency. Lelé is considered a Brazilian master and has inspired following generations to consider this process in their works.  Taguatinga Regional Hospital / João Filgueiras Lima (Lelé). © João Filgueiras Lima Modulation and prefabrication are also present in the works of other leading Brazilian architects. Paulo Mendes da Rocha, for example, launched a residential building typology in the 1960s that made use of the material expressiveness of concrete. The first of these buildings is Edifício Guaimbê, which represents an allegory between industrialization and the technological limitations that often prevented a strict project execution. The original design, made together with João Eduardo de Gennaro, displays slabs, brick, and other prefabricated elements, but, after the construction began, these solutions proved unfeasible. In a 1967 edition, Acrópole published an article that attributed this impossibility to technical limitations.  Guaimbê Residential Building / Paulo Mendes da Rocha and João Eduardo de Gennaro. © Revista Acrópole, n. 343 Despite this experience, Mendes da Rocha was involved in later projects that used this process, such as the Zezinho Magalhães Prado Social Housing (in collaboration with Villanova Artigas and Fábio Penteado) and the Butantã House, among others. Another primary figure is Eduardo de Almeida. In his renowned projects, the architect has combined constructive systems available in Brazil with technologies that were being developed in other countries. For example, his project for the offices of the metallurgical company Morlan, in Sao Paulo, combines a reinforced concrete structure with a space framed roof developed by the German company MERO, which produces independent parts articulated by fittings.  Morlan Office in Sao Paulo / Eduardo de Almeida. © Cesar Shundi Iwamizu Contemporary production has certainly been inspired by previous masters of Brazilian architecture. Some works that highlight the potential of prefabricated systems are Estúdio Madalena by Apiacás Arquitetos, a building made from a steel structure and prefabricated concrete boards. Another recent project is the New Triangle House by Metro Arquitetos Associados, which was built of cement, polycarbonate boards, and expanded steel sheet panels, all industrially produced.  Madalena Studio / Apiacás Arquitetos. © Leonardo Finotti  New Triangle House / Metro Arquitetos Associados. © Leonardo Finotti Be it the automotive or architecture industry, industrialization is an economic factor that has a great ability to imbue quality to its finished products and constructive processes. While the Model T highlighted this in a symbolic and definitive way in 1908, architecture and construction are still searching to leave their mark. References: Ford Model T Page, from Wikipedia available here;  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Architools Crafts the Perfect Minimalist Notebook for Architects Posted: 09 Oct 2018 08:30 PM PDT
After creating the perfect sketchbook, Architools is back with a minimalist notebook made for designers and architects alike. The project is now raising funds on Kickstarter, and aims to bring a subtle elegance to the humble notebook. Named the Dérive, or "drift" in French, the notebook embodies qualities of wanderlust and sensory exploration. Featuring refined materials and design, it was made to inspire the next project or adventure.  Dérive. Image Courtesy of Architools
Dérive is inspired by the idea of "a technique of rapid passage through varied ambiances." This unscripted wandering through the urban terrain sees participants disregard their usual routines, and "let themselves be drawn by the attractions of the terrain and the encounters they find there". Dérive features lay-flat binding for double-page sketching or scanning, opening into a clean A4 canvas. The smyth-sewn binding takes a step up from previous notebooks with a higher signature-to-page ratio for a stronger and more intricate bind. The design also includes gilded edges and colors in both a rose gold or copper edge option.  Dérive. Image Courtesy of Architools
The minimalist notebook features 100 pages of 80gsm cream paper that is friendly to fountain pens, fineliners, and most markers. On the front and back, 2 layers of 350gsm card come together to form a sturdy cover that doubles up as a folder for loose papers and receipts. It also includes a 12-month planner designed to be concise and easy to use. Individual date numbers are self-fill, so that your planner is relevant for any year. The Architools Notebook is currently raising funds on Kickstarter; you can order one here.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Big Green Egg Europe / Team Paul de Vroom + Sputnik Posted: 09 Oct 2018 08:00 PM PDT  © Ossip van Duivenbode
 © Ossip van Duivenbode Text description provided by the architects. For the high-end office building of Big Green Egg Europe, Team Paul de Vroom + Sputnik has created an all-encompassing total design in which the architectural, interior and furniture design fit seamlessly together and reinforce each other. The building has a robust exterior and a light and attractive interior organized around the central patio. The high-quality materials and finishes underline the quality level and the appearance of the Big Green Egg brand. The building is sustainable in the broadest sense. It generates its own electrical power supply, heat, and cold and it contributes green roofs to the environment. Due to its timeless design, flexible plan and application of honest materials, the building has a durable aesthetic.  © Ossip van Duivenbode  Lower Floor Plan  © Ossip van Duivenbode Explanation  © Ossip van Duivenbode A barbecue happens outside, therefore the outdoor area is designed in close relation with the building. A square patio is centered in the building. Its floor level is halfway the ground floor and the first floor. This allows all the representative spaces on the ground floor and the office spaces on the first floor a direct relation to the self-created outdoors. A full-grown tree marks the middle of the patio and provides comfortable lively shade from the sunlight all through the building. In the interior, the design and layout of each room are tailored to the specific use. This can be a formal reception, a group brainstorming session or a private phone conversation. The different representative spaces logically follow each other, flow into each other and eventually lead to outdoor spaces.  © Ossip van Duivenbode Consistently natural, high-quality materials have been used in the interior. Examples of this are the flagstone floor that runs from the main entrance over the staircase and the lounge into the patio and the floor of travertine stone that combines the garden room, the terrace, and the outdoor kitchen into one continuous space. For the more confined spaces in the building, where private conversations and meetings are held, special dynamic wall furniture has been designed. In the boardroom, a complete wall is covered with a felt artwork, which makes both the atmosphere and the acoustics pleasant. For small meetings, a joint lunch or the reception of large groups, a triangular table was designed by Team Paul de Vroom + Sputnik, of which six were produced.  Section The 60 ° table unites the intimacy of a roundtable with the modularity of a square model. The spatial and sustainable design of the building goes hand-in-hand. The building generates its own electricity, heat, and cold supply by means of sun collectors on the roof, and underground cold and heat storage. A green roof is applied with a rainwater storage system and the terrain around the building is paved with grass tiles that allow easy drainage. Where visible, like the green roof or the pavement, the technical sustainability measures enhance the building's durable aesthetics. By its timeless design, flexible plan and application of honest materials, the building will have a long lifespan and will gain even more character while aging.  © Ossip van Duivenbode  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Primary School and Kindergarten Täuffelen / Morscher Architekten Posted: 09 Oct 2018 07:00 PM PDT  © Damian Poffet
 © Damian Poffet Text description provided by the architects. The Täuffelen Primary School and Kindergarten complex and its thought-through architecture for school buildings, offers pupils and teachers a maximum window seat capacity and benefits from fantastic views of the Berner Seeland.  © Damian Poffet Project  Section The new building hosts four spacious classrooms, two flexible kindergartens at ground floor level and a variety of separate multi-purpose rooms. Offering fully fletched minergie standards, photovoltaic roof top systems, the whole project complies with all aspects for special needs.  © Damian Poffet The new fire protection standards in Switzerland have been taken into full account and hence allowed to optimize the access areas to the individual classrooms. As a result former long dark hallways turned into key signature features of the building: attractively furnished multifunctional spaces allow pupils and teachers space to retreat, work, rest and chat.  © Damian Poffet Limitation to a minimum of carefully selected materials and the harmonious interaction of concrete, warm colour shades used for floors, window frames and ceilings, grant a quiet, relaxing atmosphere. Wooden lamella ceilings in the multifunctional areas and ribbed concrete ceilings in the classrooms allow all technical installations to be discreetly integrated. This again grants an attractive distraction-free tranquil appearance.  Ground floor plan This kind of school building architecture, offers flowing spatial and multi-levelled landscapes for flexible multi-purpose usage, outstanding room qualities and a unique identity, allowing new forms of interactive teaching and communications.  © Damian Poffet  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Young Family Apartment in Vilnius / SA atelier Posted: 09 Oct 2018 06:00 PM PDT  © Norbert Tukaj
 © Norbert Tukaj Text description provided by the architects. A young family apartment in the Old Town, near the train station takes place in the house built in 1862 with its glamor and magnificence that marked the peak of the bourgeoisie times. Over the course of 156 years, the building has changed its purpose and landlords. Until today, the building has become tired and surrounded by homeless and criminals.  © Norbert Tukaj The interior design of the apartment was aimed at releasing its space from the past oppressive stage. A new space is created as if it flows through the entire apartment, revealing the prospect of multiplicity and the depth of the premises. The openings in the old walls are cut in such a way that the new space is adapted to the modern family life, but at the same time leaving a mark of the old structure of the plan.  © Norbert Tukaj  Plan  © Norbert Tukaj Only one new partition is designed in the apartment, which is at the same time a wardrobe and an engineering communications collector. On the one side it holds kitchen, on the other side it serves the needs of the bathroom, and on the top it supports entresol for larger things to store. Inside the apartment there is only one door for bathroom which has a hole for pets. The bathroom is abstract, its image almost does not give out the function. All accessories are integrated, the sink is located in the niche of the former window. While standing in the shower, through the open door, you can see the entire length of the apartment, at the end of which the view is extended by a mirror.  © Norbert Tukaj All original authentic decorations have been preserved: panel parquet, ceiling decoration, door frames. Furniture, lamps and switches were made by the residents themselves. The implemented project marks a new and bright stage in the whole building life, along with the young families that are starting up there.  © Norbert Tukaj  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Solntsevo Metro Station / Nefa Architects Posted: 09 Oct 2018 05:00 PM PDT  © Ilya Ivanov
 © Ilya Ivanov Text description provided by the architects. In 2014 our project was chosen through an international open call held by Strelka KB upon request of Moscomarchitecture. The concept is site-specific and based on two main subjects: Sunlight, its architectural comprehension and a characteristic slope roof of a summer cottage "dacha".  © Ilya Ivanov  Light Diagram  © Ilya Ivanov Name of the site inspired the Sun motif and the slope roof motif came from the history of the area, that in the 1920s and 30s was one of the first places designated for workers settlements. Perforation of the entrance pavilions creates an effect of sunbeams penetrating the roof, in the underground halls we use the same effect but generated by reflected artificial light instead of daylight.  © Ilya Ivanov The outdoor pavilions are assembled from a number of white concrete panels, on the outside concrete is textured with vertical grooves that are repeating the lines of joints between panels. The notches are visible in order to highlight the rhythm of the facade. .jpg?1539090471 "© Ilya Ivanov") © Ilya Ivanov  Floor Plans and Elevation - Ticket Hall .jpg?1539090570 "© Ilya Ivanov") © Ilya Ivanov  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Wuzhou Urban Multi-fiction Center / XAA Posted: 09 Oct 2018 04:00 PM PDT  Entrance Perspective View. Image © Changheng Zhan
 Perspective of the day view of the eastern slope. Image © Changheng Zhan Text description provided by the architects. The Wuzhou Urban Multi-fiction Center (refers as WUMC) locates in the old downtown of Wuzhou city, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; it is backing the Baiyun mountain and facing the Xijiang river. Some historical architectures could be found around its neighborhood, like the sien temple, arcade corridor mega blocks, sun yat-sen memorial hall and sailors eudemon temple.  East Side Bird View. Image © Changheng Zhan  West Side Perspective View. Image © Changheng Zhan Along with the development of new downtown, the decentralization has emerged in the old downtown; therefore, renovation or revitalization has been the main objective of this project.  South Elevation. Image © Changheng Zhan The architect team was taking the responsibility of overall controlling all sections during the building process, by insisting the 'co-working' design philosophy.  South Side Perspective View. Image © Changheng Zhan  Sketch. Image Courtesy of XAA  South Entrance Perspective View. Image © Changheng Zhan In order to revisit the local humanity environment and renovation, thorough out the design process, architects always focused on spatiality relationship; via restrained volume, materials and design language.  The relationship between the mirror on the south side and the background Baiyun Mountain. Image © Chao Wu The WUMC was put at the turning of a uphill way, with its outstanding transparency and big scale white overhang platform, it presents like suspending above the water; moreover, it presents as the humble gesture to pedestrians and try to generate public space make up for consuming public land.  Second Floor Rest Area. Image © Jian Peng  Atrium Second Floor Corridor. Image © Jian Peng The slope connects different platforms and ground, visitors could see the old and new downtown from here; through this way, we build a joint between the city past and future.  Perspective of the night view of the eastern slope. Image © Changheng Zhan  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Shadow House / Nic Owen Architects Posted: 09 Oct 2018 02:00 PM PDT  © Christine Francis
 © Christine Francis Text description provided by the architects. The owners originally approached us with the view of demolishing the existing house and replacing with two town houses (inspired by neighbouring examples). The house is listed as individually significant by the local council. The owners were quickly talked away from their original ideas and we recommend a sympathetic extension to the dwelling. To our excitement their vision changed with a view to upgrading the house for their own personal use.  © Christine Francis The existing dwelling, titled "O'Brian house," is an Art Deco house created in 1938 for John Patrick O'Brian, a librarian. The property is significant due to the highly distinctive gabled and hipped roof, as expressed by unusual brick window hood details and the curved entry porch formed all set on a corner site.  © Christine Francis The owners required more usable space, light, better relationship to the outside, an extra bedroom plus a modern fit-out throughout.  Existing floor plan  © Christine Francis  Proposed ground floor plan Our approach was to create a shadow of the existing form, a modern sympathetic "copy" of the O'Brian house which offers a simple homogeneous sculptured form, carefully positioned to complement the original building. The house had to offer privacy from the busy south facing side street whilst benefit from northern sunlight. Therefore, the new monolithic form is windowless to the south side street with the ground floor set back to the south boundary. The roof form mirrors the existing roof pitch, the 1st floor is set against the north boundary (away from the street) to respect the original house form and present the original house chimney. Careful thought and detail went into the design of the external skin of the new building to ensure a simple clean aesthetic, removing all superfluous visual elements.  © Christine Francis The Majority of the existing house was retained, with only the rear skillion, wet room fit-outs and an internal wall removed. The ground floor living area was opened up with the addition of a meals area. The existing bathroom was enlarged and functions as an ensuite / bathroom. The first floor contains a third bedroom with adjacent ensuite. There is a large 4.7m x 0.6m skylight on the north side of the 1st floor roof offering light to the bedroom and ensuite whilst still providing privacy from the street / neighbours. A retractable awning over the skylight regulates light and temperature – see attached Video link.  © Christine Francis One unique feature of the house is the "hidden" sliding side gate. The council would not allow off-street parking or a dedicated cross over. Therefore, a rear side fence secretly slides back into the house wall to provide vehicle access if required! - see the attached video of this gate in action.  © Christine Francis The shadow house, a three-bedroom inner city residence on a small site offers a sympathetic response to historically sensitive inner-city living.  © Christine Francis  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Second Stage of Hangzhou Cloud Town Exhibition Center / Approach Design Posted: 09 Oct 2018 01:00 PM PDT  Aerial view of second-stage. Image © Lianping Mao
 Citizens exercising, roaming and resting on the roof. Image © Lianping Mao Text description provided by the architects. The project lies in the birthland of characteristic towns——Cloud Town, Hangzhou. For actively embracing imagination, a once unfinished industrial park has now become the industrial hub of cloud computing, big-data and artificial intelligence. The 'Computing Conference' held in autumn every year has become the largest-scale scientific and technological fiesta. Oddly enough, the conference was held outdoors several years in a roll simply because of the 'impropriety' of available venues. Of course, by no means does 'impropriety' suggest those venues were inferior in terms of size or grade, it's just that the conference founders didn't want to see people's imagination being constrained by a venue. Therefore, as the designers of the exhibition center, we intended to break away from past experience and the 'desire to create', contemplating and making breakthroughs from its origin instead of constructing yet another generic exhibition center on this land. By nature, an exhibition center is a vehicle for urban public cultural life. In fact, exhibition centers all over the country tend to adopt a pompous design, being pinned with the hope that their dimensions and unique looks could fully highlight the ambition of a city. However, from the standpoint of an individual, these features often intimidate people, so much so as to discourage them and detach from the life of the populace. Therefore, in the process of designing the first-stage of Cloud Town Exhibition Center in 2015, we came up with an atypical exhibition center design, abandoning specific models and so-called sense of ceremony, thus making the long-standing image of a 'high above' out-of-reach exhibition center nowhere to be found around here. The replacements are refreshingly concise exterior, blurred boundaries and a fully open space accessible for anyone.  First-stage project perspective drawing from southwest. Image © Lianping Mao The free, equal, easy and open experiences epitomize the town's atmosphere, giving every visitor a sense of belonging and joy. In leisure time, large numbers of people come here every day to take a walk, rest, meet up and play around. Everywhere you can see their presence. There are even spontaneous shows going on. Therefore, the building turned from a makeshift structure into a permanent building representing the entrepreneurial spirit of the town.  The woven rod has blurred the boundary of the building, infusing the inner space with air and sunshine as natural materials. Image © Lianping Mao  The woven rod has blurred the boundary of the building, infusing the inner space with air and sunshine as natural materials. Image © Lianping Mao  A relaxing and stress-free atmosphere is being created inside the building. Image © Lianping Mao Two years later, in 2017, due to the increased scale of 'Computing Conference', a three-times larger second-stage Cloud Town exhibition center was to be constructed opposite to the first-stage structure. Just when everyone expected an even larger 'iconic' building, we designed it as a short '3D-Park'. There was no modelling to begin with. It didn't even strike people as a building. The plan caused instant controversy and opposition. However, hidden behind it was our reimagination of urban large-scale public building design paradigm, which had already gone above and beyond an exhibition center itself.  First/second-stage overall aerial view from northeast. Image © Lianping Mao  Part of east facade. Image © Lianping Mao Today, almost every city owns an exhibition center, which requires the support of a huge amount of urban resources. However, only few people know that even the busiest exhibition centers merely have a usage rate of 40%, meaning that they lie idle at least 200 days a year. The usage rate of most other exhibition centers is below 10%. On the flip side, the inertial thinking and typical characters of traditional exhibition centers make them hard to be utilized in any other ways, causing a huge waste of resources invisibly. As such, we start to question ourselves: is it possible to facilitate ordinary people's life on the premise of fulfilling the original functions of an exhibition center? Can higher resource utilization rate be achieved, by sharing the same body with other types of urban public facilities or by integration of some sorts? .jpg?1538993806 "Layered axonometric drawing") Layered axonometric drawing Consequently, we first decided to reduce the building's huge size, in order to dampen its 'aggressiveness', compressing this 66,000 square meters mega-structure to merely 6.6 meters tall. It presents itself as a huge low rooftop covered in lawn, giving it as low a profile as possible and attracting people to approach it.  'Sneak-peek' of the couple from the grass slope . Image © Lianping Mao All around the building sit a multitude of gentle grassy slopes, and thus the whole roof appears to be an extension of the horizon, openly welcoming people to walk onto the rooftop. In comparison to raising up the building and returning the bottom level to the public in the first-stage design, the second stage design returns all the land occupied by the building to the public, in a more intriguing and environmentally-friendly '3D-Park' manner.  Schematic section Looking at both designs, one is 'light' and the other is 'heavy'. People enter from the bottom of one building, then exit on top of the other without realizing it. A harmonious and interesting dialogue is thusly initiated at the same site.  View of the rooftop garden from the first-stage open floor. Image © Lianping Mao In order to control the height of the roof so that people can easily access, the design embedded one-third of the 9-meter-high exhibition hall underground, which makes people walk down when entering the venue. This has created a strong contrast from the ceremonial large step of the previous convention centers. The building almost filled the entire second phase due to the low building height, and both building density and greening ratio break through the existing design specifications (even if the roof was covered with green land, it could only convert 20% of the total greening demand). This idea has once again suffered a huge controversy, and several times it was asked to overthrow and redo it. Fortunately, Hangzhou City is willing to accept the imagination and listen to the architect's ideas, even more willing to create more benefits for the people's livelihood. Under the concerted efforts, this several-time "death penalty" plan passed the various approvals in a reasonable and compliant manner.  People can easily access the roof through the grass slope which would naturally attract people to rest and stopover. Image © Lianping Mao  People can easily access the roof through the grass slope which would naturally attract people to rest and stopover. Image © Lianping Mao The rooftop isn't just a park. We also introduced ten-odd types of fun-having facilities such as football field, watchtower, sand pit, studio theatre, roller skating platform, community vegetable garden, pavilion and hopscotch, all of which are joined by a 760 meters long winding rooftop runway. All these seemingly non-exhibition-center-related designs attract numerous top-level conferences to be held here. On usual days, large numbers of people come here every day to exercise, rest and play around. With spontaneous community activities such as township concert, football match, carnival and marathon going on, the exhibition center has become the place to be for workers and inhabitants of the town on a daily basis.  Rooftop football field and track. Image © Lianping Mao  Md-air runway. Image © Lianping Mao We also preinstalled a large number of ports beneath the lawn. Should people possess interesting ideas, they can simply uncover the lawn and plug in like LEGO. The free development of the building and activities taking place here can both benefit from this. We wish this building would never limit the imagination of its users.  Mobile cabin, community garden. Image © Lianping Mao  Community Garden. Image © Lianping Mao Today everyone is talking about interconnecting and sharing, but it appears that all the connections are virtual connections, and all the sharings are alternate sharings. We are living in an age of extremely advanced social networking, but the opportunities for people to truly get to know each other are fewer and fewer. We are in an age of 'universal interconnection', and we are ignoring the quintessential interconnection——interconnection between people. We wish to design this attractive open place to encourage people to get out of their home and their office and come to this park to embrace nature. We wish people could meet here and develop all sorts of interesting stories.  Children's BMX game, Teenagers' aircraft model training. Image © Lianping Mao The rooftop park extends all the way to the sink-style square at the main entrance, in conjunction with half-enclosing stairs, creating a round-the-clock studio theatre.  Sink-style square at the entrance. Image © Lianping Mao In the corner, previously monotonous freight ramp has been redesigned into an undulated origami shape. People utilize it in all sorts of ways——a roller-skate platform for the youngsters or a slide for kids.  Freight ramp transformed into a teenager's roller-skate platform. Image © Lianping Mao The interior of the building no longer serves solely as an exhibition hall. Through integration of space and functions, we confer upon it a new property – 'Sports-Warehouse'. In absence of a conference, the exhibition hall can be immediately transformed into facilities for a series of sports such as basketball, badminton, table tennis, fitness training and etc., with the addition of closet, showering and professional mechanical/electrical equipment, making it a hustling and bustling place every day. So much so that the demand is well in excess of its capacity.  The exhibition hall has become the town's 'sports warehouse'. Image © Lianping Mao  The exhibition hall has become the town's 'sports warehouse'. Image © Lianping Mao This is an unprecedented trial. Although it is roughly the same place and construction scale, the end result is not only an exhibition center but also the first public park and stadium for the town. Furthermore, it injects new vitality and infinite possibilities into the town. Looking back on the whole design, it has neither eye-catching exterior, nor complex and costly technique, nor obscure and esoteric ideas. The open, compound and civic design alone makes it the most popular place in town, maximizing the public value of urban resources behind the building. The design is an active imagination of and bold attempt at the urban public building design paradigm under the requirements of the new era. The project has come a long way, here is our special thanks to all the decision-makers and participants for your understanding, support and industrious contribution.  Rooftop theatre and bleacher. Image © Lianping Mao  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Renovation of Dondon / FATTSTUDIO Posted: 09 Oct 2018 12:00 PM PDT  © Panoramic studio - Thinnapop Chawatin
 © Panoramic studio - Thinnapop Chawatin Text description provided by the architects. In the last decade, the Ari district used to be the hipster area in Bangkok which contains with good quality of coffee shops including with varieties cafés and restaurants in the old days. When the city has expanded, many firms and condominiums outgrew from the city center to relocate around the district. The companies came with numbers of working people that affected to demand around the area. From alternative cafés area transformed to the battlefield of restaurants which are competing for officers and the new high ground neighborhood.  © Panoramic studio - Thinnapop Chawatin A project start with the client had 3 units of row houses which didn't connect clearly, the 2units is wooden workshop named "Made here on earth" and the other one is a yoghurt café named "Yo". The main problem was they also had settled nice courtyard behind the row houses that come along with styling coffee shop, is named "SA-Ti" However, the entrance from the street had to access through the yoghurt café. The issue affected to the coffee shop directly because a customer didn't realize where was the courtyard even though they found on google map. We were called to solve the conflict and came with the new program which was delivered, The new program was Bento bar and the new row house between existing the row houses was taken already.  Isometric presentation The Dondon is a Japanese bento bar which aims to provide a good quality meal for working people, Especially officers who are working for the public relations department opposite the site. However, the food box must have a reasonable price for everyone and customers could be effort every working day.  © Panoramic studio - Thinnapop Chawatin First of all, we intended to manage the main circulation from the street to lovely courtyard behind the building as our main concern. We planned to renovate the Yo café and the beside one. The duo row houses were demolished walls to connected the ground floor. On the first floor, we also demolished all the walls and floor to reinstall new criteria instead. Above the space was also demolished, the roof had been changed and installed polycarbonate roofing panel on some area to lets the sunlight come into the area.  © Panoramic studio - Thinnapop Chawatin According to the positioning of the Dondon, It was defined as open kitchen bar beside the entrance corridor which mean we designed the main entrance corridor from the street to the courtyard and located the bar beside the wall. After that, we decided to reject the air-conditional as usual the neighbor always do because the bar concept is takeaway meal box. The façade design was designed to project heavy rain from outside but It still allows natural ventilation to reduce heat from the open kitchen and chill the entrance corridor. The façade is working with the first-floor void which was removed and reinstall in a smaller size. The missing piece floor turned to be the main entrance double space approach people to get into comfortable courtyard inside. The street light was the last ornaments which remain people who walk through the entrance hall as the footpath.  © Panoramic studio - Thinnapop Chawatin Finally, the white perforated aluminum façade, polycarbonate skylight, and the new layout upper floor have worked together, the good quality of entrance corridor has become, people could walk into the comfy courtyard to sit and drink good coffee after hard working weekday, properly. In the precious lunchtime, they could have a little walk to buy delicious meal box for lunch and have more time for enjoyable conversation.  © Panoramic studio - Thinnapop Chawatin  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Casa Piedra Blanca / Pablo Lobos Pedrals, Angelo Petrucelli Posted: 09 Oct 2018 10:00 AM PDT  © Pablo Casals Aguirre
 © Pablo Casals Aguirre Text description provided by the architects. The house is located in the ecological community on a site of 1500m2.  © Pablo Casals Aguirre The couple hopes to be in greater contact with nature, conduct low energy consumption practices, self-supply with autonomous systems and be able to count on the benefits granted by the landscape and low urban density.  © Pablo Casals Aguirre  Plans  © Pablo Casals Aguirre The architecture has been in charge of giving language and measurement to the request, of projecting optimum bright and thermal comfort zones, and in parallel representing exhaustively the building processes avoiding unforeseen events and fitting the work with the budget.  © Pablo Casals Aguirre The construction team is a society of professionals and contractors who work independently with the principal as a last resort, without receiving financial gains, and the expenses paid directly through thorough reports of each item purchased by-weekly and tables of graphic summaries of the process, making transparent all the economic aspects involved in the operation as a basis for the trust of the cooperative.  Metalic Structure / Axonometry  Constructive Detail The BIm system, in addition to reports, Gantt charts and progress reports, constitute representational elements included in the architecture, this time not separated from itself, which help to understand the magnitude and veracity of the physical fact of the meaning of the house in its project stage, eliminating the uncertainty characteristic of this type of company.  © Pablo Casals Aguirre  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| AD Classics: World's Columbian Exposition / Daniel Burnham and Frederick Law Olmsted Posted: 09 Oct 2018 09:30 AM PDT _-_Administration_and_Cour_d'Honneur.jpg?1497053167 "Viewed from the far end of the Great Basin, the Administration Building looms over the court of honor and the surrounding great buildings of the fair. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain)") Viewed from the far end of the Great Basin, the Administration Building looms over the court of honor and the surrounding great buildings of the fair. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain) The United States had made an admirable showing for itself at the very first World's Fair, the Crystal Palace Exhibition, held in the United Kingdom in 1851. British newspapers were unreserved in their praise, declaring America's displayed inventions to be more ingenious and useful than any others at the Fair; the Liverpool Times asserted "no longer to be ridiculed, much less despised." Unlike various European governments, which spent lavishly on their national displays in the exhibitions that followed, the US Congress was hesitant to contribute funds, forcing exhibitors to rely on individuals for support. Interest in international exhibitions fell during the nation's bloody Civil War; things recovered quickly enough in the wake of the conflict, however, that the country could host the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition in 1876. Celebrating both American patriotism and technological progress, the Centennial Exhibition was a resounding success which set the stage for another great American fair: the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893.[1] _-_Map.jpg?1497053293 "A map of the 1893 Exposition shows how much of the fair's buildings were laid out on axis with the court of honor. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user scewing (Public Domain)") A map of the 1893 Exposition shows how much of the fair's buildings were laid out on axis with the court of honor. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user scewing (Public Domain) Like its predecessor in 1876, the 1893 Fair would have a dual significance. It was planned as a commemoration of Christopher Columbus' first voyage to America in 1492, hence the name "World's Columbian Exposition." Like the Centennial Exhibition, the Columbian Exposition would also showcase American industrial capability and technological innovation.[2] However, it fell to the 1893 Fair to demonstrate something that the 1876 Fair had not: that the United States was not only the technological equal of Europe, but had risen past a century of cultural inferiority to stand on even footing with the "Old World".[2] The city chosen to host the Fair was Chicago, the great urban center of the Midwest which had flourished exponentially in the years since its decimation by fire in 1871. The city's population and trade, rather than being dampened by the blaze, had actually increased by the following year. It was a fitting setting for an event which was expected to showcase America's rise from a collection of mostly rural colonies to an international power: what had been a backwater fur-trappers' village in 1830 had, in less than a century, developed into a full-fledged metropolis with a variety of cultural amenities.[3] _-_Birds_Eye.jpg?1497053224 "Courtesy of Wikimedia user scewing (Public Domain") Courtesy of Wikimedia user scewing (Public Domain Daniel Burnham, a noted Chicago architect, was chosen to serve as the project's director. At his disposal were 686 acres of land along the city's southern lakefront, a vast swathe of land which he developed with the help of famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. A team of architects from Chicago, New York, Boston, and Kansas City was gathered to produce the Fair's individual buildings. Their individual efforts were united by a stylistic mandate: rather than the metal-and-glass pavilions that had characterized World's Fairs since the Crystal Palace, this new exhibition would take on the appearance of a real and permanent "dream city" realized in the Beaux-Arts style.[4,5] _-_Midway.jpg?1497053242 "Courtesy of Wikimedia user Tuvalkin (Public Domain)") Courtesy of Wikimedia user Tuvalkin (Public Domain) The team had less than two and a half years to plan and build their new city. A slew of proposals, many of which were for towers designed to outshine the Eiffel Tower of 1889's Exposition, were presented and rejected by Burnham's team, which largely enforced the Neoclassical aesthetic throughout the fairgrounds.[6] The new city that arose on the shores of Lake Michigan was a gleaming antithesis to the rest of Chicago: an orderly ensemble of grandiose, stylistically harmonious structures arranged around an axial court of honor and reflected in a series of lagoons. The entire scene was electrically floodlit at night, bathing the city in an otherworldly glow which, to attendees, would have made the fairgrounds feel entirely removed from the industrial cities to which they were accustomed.[7] _-_Administration.jpg?1497053187 "The magnificent Administration Building set the standard for all the main buildings at the Exposition. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain)") The magnificent Administration Building set the standard for all the main buildings at the Exposition. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain) Three entrances allowed visitors into the fairgrounds. Pedestrians could enter from the street onto the Midway or take a steamboat from downtown Chicago to a pier on the Fair's lakefront. Most visitors, however, arrived via the railroad terminus at the southern end of the grounds. Those who entered via the two latter means first encountered the monumental Administration Building. Designed by New York architect Richard M. Hunt, the enormous domed building housed the offices of the Exposition's chief officers. It also set the tone for the Exposition's fourteen "great" buildings, establishing a uniform cornice height of 60 feet (18.25 meters) and a white-stuccoed, geometrically logical Beaux-Arts aesthetic.[8] _-Mechanical_Hall.jpg?1497053448) The Machinery Hall, or "Palace of Mechanic Arts," displayed American industrial products and served as the White City's power plant. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain) Several of the Fair's other important buildings lined the same court of honor and Great Basin as the Administration Building: the Machinery Hall, the Manufacturers and Liberal Arts Building, the Electricity Building, and the Mines and Mining Building, all of which, with the exception of the last two, were designed by separate firms. Here, at the center of the ideal city, the architects knew their respective buildings required a unity beyond the basic style template. With this in mind, they agreed not only to match their cornice lines, but to use a twenty-five foot (7.6 meter) bay as a standard module for the façades of their buildings.[9] _-_Agricultural_Building.jpg?1497053251 "The Agricultural Building housed some of the more bizarre displays at the Exposition, many of which were images or objects made of food by participating nations. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain)") The Agricultural Building housed some of the more bizarre displays at the Exposition, many of which were images or objects made of food by participating nations. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain) Just south of the Administration Building, the Machinery Hall was, like most of its neighbors, a Classical façade hiding a cavernous single exhibition space packed tightly with exhibits. Designed by the Boston firm Peabody & Stearns, the 435,500 square feet (40,459.27 square meters) of floor space in the Machinery Hall were unsurprisingly filled with technological marvels of the time, such as sewing machines and the world's largest conveyor belt. The Hall also housed the 43 steam engines and 127 dynamos which provided electricity for the entire Fair. McKim, Mead,, & White of New York designed the neighboring Agricultural Hall, featured farm equipment and produce from around the world, including such unusual items as a map of the United States made of pickles and a 22,000 pound "Monster Cheese" from Canada.[10] _-_Manufacturers_1.jpg?1497053307 "The vast Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building easily dwarfed any other structure in the White City. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain)") The vast Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building easily dwarfed any other structure in the White City. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain) The largest building at the Fair, by far, was the Manufacturers and Liberal Arts Building. Covering a full eleven acres, the enormous structure was used to display consumer goods not only from the United States, but from around the world. Between exhibits by manufacturers from the Americas, Europe, and Asia, visitors could also view assorted items of historical significance, including furniture owned by the King of Bavaria and a spinet which had belonged to Mozart.[11] The Manufacturers and Liberal Arts Building was so large that its waterfront façade extended for a third of a mile (.5 kilometers) along the shore of Lake Michigan.[12] _-_USG_Building_and_Ho_O_den.jpg?1497053430 "Although the building itself was handsome, the exhibits of the United States Government Building failed to entice many of the fair's visitors. In the foreground stands the Ho-O-Den, a replica medieval Japanese palace. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain)") Although the building itself was handsome, the exhibits of the United States Government Building failed to entice many of the fair's visitors. In the foreground stands the Ho-O-Den, a replica medieval Japanese palace. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain) To the north of the Manufacturers and Liberal Arts Building stood the U.S. Government Building and the Fisheries Pavilion. The former, designed by the Treasury Department's supervising architect J.W. Edbrooke, was a relatively modest structure containing displays from various branches of American government. It was not considered among the Fair's better offerings, especially when compared to the Fisheries Pavilion just across the lagoon. Designed by Chicago's own Henry Ives Cobb, the Pavilion broke from the whitewashed Beaux-Arts standard of the buildings on the Great Basin and court of honor with colorful glazing and flags. The highlight for visitors, however, were the floor-to-ceiling aquaria within the building, which contained hundreds of species of fresh and saltwater marine life.[13,14] _-_Fisheries_Building.jpg?1497053273 "With its colorful glazing and flags, the Fisheries Building stood apart from its Beaux-Arts neighbors and earned the admiration of many visitors. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain)") With its colorful glazing and flags, the Fisheries Building stood apart from its Beaux-Arts neighbors and earned the admiration of many visitors. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain) Altogether, forty-three US states and twenty-three other countries contributed their own buildings to the Exposition. Unlike the larger main buildings, these were less likely to be rendered in Beaux-Arts style. The committees in charge of funding these pavilions were also tasked with designing them, resulting in an eclectic collection of styles ranging from Spanish Colonial in the California Pavilion to a reproduction of Pompeii by Vermont. There were even medieval Japanese structures on the Wooded Island that rose from the middle of Olmsted's relatively naturalistic lagoon.[15] _-_Midway.jpg?1497053411 "The Midway was a collection of various themed environments and funhouses which entertained visitors while simultaneously persuading them to spend more money on the fair. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain)") The Midway was a collection of various themed environments and funhouses which entertained visitors while simultaneously persuading them to spend more money on the fair. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain) One of the most memorable elements of the Exposition had little to do with monumental architecture: the Midway Plaisance. Although initially intended to be educational, the Midway ultimately became the entertainment center for the fair. Visitors could visit reproductions of streets in Cairo or Vienna, see both a German and a Javanese village, or enjoy the wax figure museum in the Moorish Palace. Perhaps the most famous of the Midway's amenities was the world's first Ferris Wheel, a ride on which cost twice as much as admission to the entire fair.[16] _-_Midway_4.jpg?1497053391 "Towering over a fake Viennese street is the world's first Ferris Wheel, one of the Exposition's most popular attractions. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain)") Towering over a fake Viennese street is the world's first Ferris Wheel, one of the Exposition's most popular attractions. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain) The effects of the World's Columbian Exposition were both immediate and far-reaching. The fair grounds, affectionately nicknamed "The White City," laid the groundwork for what soon became known as the City Beautiful movement. Inspired by the Neoclassical harmony of the Exposition's main buildings, set against the backdrop of Olmsted's manicured parks and waterways, architects like Burnham would soon set out to transform what they saw as dirty, unsightly industrial cities into elegant and orderly successors to the White City. The movement gained traction not only in Chicago, but across the entire United States, from San Francisco in the west to Washington, D.C. in the east. It was a design philosophy which captured the imagination of a generation of architects and urban planners – one which long outlasted the temporary structures of the Exposition that proved its first—and most successful—example.[17] _-_Manufacturers_2.jpg?1497053326 "Courtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain)") Courtesy of Wikimedia user RillkeBot (Public Domain) References
 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Rehabilitation in Manoteras / Estudio Bher Arquitectos Posted: 09 Oct 2018 09:00 AM PDT  © Javier Bravo
 © Ana Patricia Rodríguez Text description provided by the architects. This project was the winner of the 1st Prize in the Ideas Competition to rehabilitate a 10-dwelling building in the neighbourhood of Manoteras, whose target was to serve as a "pilot project" for future actions in the area.  © Ana Patricia Rodríguez The building belongs to the "poblado dirigido" of Manoteras, a neighborhood in Madrid built in the 1960s, with simple techniques and which currently presents a significant degradation. Over the years the owners have closed terraces, modified the dimensions of the windows and added elements to the façades, adapting the houses to their needs while blurring the unity of the whole and aging the image of the building.  © Mixed Estudio Bher The main principle of our project is the respect of the existing and the unity of the whole, being aware also of the damage on lighting and views that an excessive procedure might cause to the inhabitants of the houses and the rest of the neighbours living in the surrounding buildings.  © Ana Patricia Rodríguez We have carried out an intervention that not only solves the existing pathologies and means an important reduction of the energy demand, but also gives the whole a contemporary, unique and kind image, in which the new volume of the elevator is completely integrated with the rest of the building: it does not attack or shadows aesthetically what exists, adapting itself to it without generating divisions between "the old and the new".  © Ana Patricia Rodríguez  Elevations / Section  © Ana Patricia Rodríguez By superimposing solar control systems on the façades, we simplify its layout. We thus approach the simplicity of its original composition, with large windows in the living room and terraces in depth, but respecting the individuality and diversity of the holes in the facades left by the passing of time and the transformations due to use.  © Ana Patricia Rodríguez  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Park City Modern House / Sparano + Mooney Architecture Posted: 09 Oct 2018 07:00 AM PDT  © Derek Israelsen
 © Derek Israelsen Text description provided by the architects. Located in a mountain setting with views of Park City and the Utah Winter Olympic Park, the design approach sought to embed the home into its site; stepping with the topography from the public areas of the program, the entry and the great room, to the most private zone, the master suite. The house celebrates Utah's brilliant light and raw beauty as nature provided the architectural order. Outdoor living spaces are integrated off the master suite and living room and a rooftop deck that overlooks a nearby golf course.  © Derek Israelsen  © Derek Israelsen Exterior materials are both rough and refined: a highly textured board-formed concrete wall is capped with smooth wood panels and glazed surfaces above. These materials reference the highly textured scrub oak prevalent at the site under an expansive western sky. The vegetated rooftop incorporates native plant materials and will mirror the surrounding landscape each season: from the snow in winter to green in the spring to muted brown and yellow tones of late summer.  © Derek Israelsen  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Woods Bagot and Peddle Thorp Win Auckland Skyscraper Competition Posted: 09 Oct 2018 06:00 AM PDT  65 Federal Street. Image Courtesy of Woods Bagot Woods Bagot and Peddle Thorp have been announced as the winners of the international competition to create a new high-rise tower in central Auckland. Drawn from five finalists including Warren and Mahoney, Cox Architecture, Zaha Hadid Architects, and Elenberg Fraser, the winning design will stand 180m high. The building design is inspired by New Zealand's natural landscape and the country's unique geology and fauna.  65 Federal Street. Image Courtesy of Woods Bagot Designed by Melbourne-based architects Woods Bagot, in partnership with local New Zealand firm Peddle Thorp, the building will be built a block away from the 237m high Sky Tower. The new multi-use high-rise will have 226 apartments, a 233-room 5-star hotel, and a ground floor Market Place. Pete Miglis, principal architect at Woods Bagot, says the project will transform Federal St and its surrounds, especially at street level with a focus on giving the streets back to the people. "It will also enhance the city's skyline and importantly it's all about a building that will reinforce Auckland as a global city."  65 Federal Street. Image Courtesy of Woods Bagot The core of the project was a desire for inclusive public space, from the street level to a roof-top Zen Garden with 360-degree views of Auckland. Miglis states that, "we know that the skyline defines a city's identity, yet it is the streets – where people inhabit the city – that define its character. So, understanding the future vision for Auckland was important when designing the building's lower level. Through Federal Street's transformation into a pedestrian laneway, it has the potential to become a public destination, like a town square or public plaza, and that's very much what we had in mind with the idea of a Market Place where local produce is on sale alongside restaurants and cafes." Richard Goldie, Director at Peddle Thorp, says the design has a strong sense of place and community, which will be highlighted by the use of curved and pleated timber in the building. "Our major civic buildings, the Auckland Museum and Auckland Art Gallery, both use timber to stunning effect. It's the material with which we privilege our most significant buildings and the curved timber designs we have created will be prominent on the lower levels of 65 Federal St for everyone to see and share." The landmark tower competition was run by Melbourne-based property development company ICD Property. ICD launched the competition between the five architecture firms in July. Each of the teams were asked to complete two versions of their design, one following current city Unitary Plan rules and one version that could be built given more open planning parameters. ICD believes that the new $200m Auckland tower will contribute to the city's future growth and development.  65 Federal Street. Image Courtesy of Woods Bagot Architect and urban designer Julie Stout of the selection panel discussed how the design will enhance Auckland's skyline and the street level experience. "The most elegant thing that Woods Bagot and Peddle Thorp did was address the street. They created a very active urban people space and populated it with every day activities like eating, shopping, and a market type environment. This area of Auckland is going to see exponential growth in the next 10 years with the Convention Centre, more hotels in SkyCity, and the City Rail Link being finished. There is going to be a flood of people into that area and Federal St will be a terrific laneway street and this building will create an interesting community building." ICD will take ownership of the site from Sky City in April 2019. Construction on the 65 Federal Street tower is expected to finish in 2022.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Miraie Lext House Nagoya / Kengo Kuma & Associates Posted: 09 Oct 2018 05:00 AM PDT  © Kawasumi Kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office
 © Kawasumi Kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office Text description provided by the architects. We designed a banquet hall in the center of a busy city (Nagoya-shi) covered with a large roof fostering a warm and communal atmosphere.  © Kawasumi Kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office We didn't want a building like a closed box, so we placed the entire structure under a sloped roof to express the space like a well-preserved forest.  © Kawasumi Kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office By attaching long pieces of cedar and larch, we added a rhythmic variation to the ceiling and the wall. The space was further enlivened by the passing of light through the ceiling like komorebi, or light filtering down through the trees in a forest.  © Kawasumi Kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Designs by Grimshaw and Arup Revealed for the UK's High Speed Rail Stations Posted: 09 Oct 2018 04:00 AM PDT  © Arup via HS2 New images have been published of Grimshaw and Arup-designed stations for the UK's "High Speed 2" railway system. Connecting London to the British Midlands, the mega-infrastructure project will be the UK's second high-speed rail system, with HS1 already connecting London and the South East to the Channel Tunnel. The Grimshaw and WSP-designed Curzon Street station in Birmingham will be the first brand new intercity station to be built in Britain since the 1800s, while Interchange Station, designed by Arup, will serve as a gateway station to the West Midlands and Birmingham Airport.  © Grimshaw via HS2 Curzon Street will feature 7 high-speed platforms when opened in 2026, while also functioning as a public space for Birmingham city center. Integrating with the city's tram network, the scheme will sit at the nexus of pedestrian, cycle, taxi, bus, and rail connections. The scheme's West concourse features the "ambiance of a modern airport terminal" under a grand arched space, while the East concourse encompasses the historic Curzon Station building to revitalize the surrounding area.  © Grimshaw via HS2
 © Arup via HS2 The Arup-designed Interchange station will feature a roof designed to integrate with the surrounding landscape, with environmental considerations such as a rainwater management system and daylight-maximizing form.
 © Arup via HS2 A series of public engagements will be held throughout October 2018. The stations are expected to be completed by late 2026. News via: HS2  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Treow Brycg House / Omar Gandhi Architect Posted: 09 Oct 2018 03:10 AM PDT  © Ema Peter
 © Ema Peter Text description provided by the architects. Located adjacent to the wild landscape of Kingsburg Beach on the south shore of Nova Scotia, set amongst tall grasses, roaming deer and the raw scent of the sea. The dark silhouette of the fortress-like structure, one of few things seen through the thick fog. Leaning forward with a canted back shell inspired by local gambrel-rooved barns, the residence braces itself for the unpredictable Nova Scotian weather.  © Ema Peter Composed of two levels and an interstitial space for circulation hugging the heavy steel back wall, the home takes advantage of the stunning seaside views while maintaining a high level of privacy from adjacent neighbours and passers-by. Both the deep-set windows and the brise soleil in addition to the back canted wall help to control solar gain. A large ground-level terrace enclosed by the canted wall and slatted screen enclose a plunge pool and fireplace – all opening up to the front facing view of the beach.  © Ema Peter  Main Floor Plan  © Ema Peter  Ground Floor Plan The lower level includes a garage and guest wing both flanking the internal breezeway and a steel staircase clad in walnut and black steel. On the second floor, the living space is surprisingly rich and warm with hints of colour, brass fixtures and a warm palette of light and dark wood tones. Centred in the room is a linear fireplace. An outdoor space protects both privacy and the intense summer sun with a wood brise soleil. The deck cantilevers out from the house, projecting towards the beach and peripheral views.  © Ema Peter A wall of windows flanks the ocean side of the residence, providing an uninterrupted view of the curvilinear beach and the sounds of the landscape. The entry side is hyper minimal and mysterious with slight glimpses out from within, providing only a tease on approach from the road.  © Ema Peter Heavy, black steel frames repeat from end to end of the structure providing the armature for its dynamic form. The heavy, dark shell is clad in extra-dark bronze, aluminum standing seam.  © Ema Peter  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners' Sky Garden will be an "Urban Living Room" for Shenzhen Posted: 09 Oct 2018 02:00 AM PDT  via Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners has been confirmed as designers for an "Urban Living Room" masterplan in the Qianhai area of Shenzhen, China. Formed of reclaimed land, the scheme will feature a 1.2-kilometer elevated sky garden. The scheme is envisioned as a "heart and a new horizon against which people can orientate themselves" in an emerging urban center.  via Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners The scheme is directly linked to a range of public transport systems, such as the street and underground. The resulting transport portfolio creates a series of urban flows, from the fast pace of the underground, to the medium pace of the street, to the slow pace of the sky garden. Elevated above the road network, the sky garden also allows for easy access between adjacent plots. The sky garden terminates at a major public space to be known as "Performance Park," featuring an Opera House and Convention Center directly linking the city to Qianhai Bay. Meanwhile, the city edge is celebrated by a distinctive landmark tower.  via Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
News of the scheme comes after Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners unveiled their Toronto "HUB" Tower, set to become a dominant fixture on the Toronto skyline. News via: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| You are subscribed to email updates from ArchDaily. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
Nema komentara:
Objavi komentar