Arch Daily

---

• Common Ruins
• A Selection of the World’s Best Architects
• TRIF House / Sergey Fedotov
• Call for Entries: Turkistan Architect Awards
• Dishan Space / PUJU
• PTH – Phan Thiet House / Studio Happ
• Seorimyeonga Boutique Resort / Archihood WXY
• The Closed Open House / Parallax
• AD Classics: São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) / Lina Bo Bardi
• Peach House / Frederic Schnee
• Houston Museum of Fine Arts / Lake|Flato Architects
• Innocence in Zen / HAO design
• Montauk House / Desai Chia Architecture
• The Faded Pastel Facades of Russia
• Campolivar House / Antonio Altarriba Comes
• Guide for the Ultimate Mid-Century Modern Architecture Road Trip
• Reclaiming Polish Brutalism: Discover the Emblems of Communism
• Ross Barney Architects' CLT Design for McDonald's Expands the Possibilities of Timber Construction

Common Ruins Posted: 28 Oct 2018 09:30 PM PDT YAC YAC - Young Architects Competitions and Mothe Chandeniers launched "Common Ruins", a competition of ideas aiming to breath a new life into an astonishing castle in France. A cash prize of € 20,000 will be awarded to winners selected by a well-renowned jury made of, among the others, Anish Kapoor, Rudy Ricciotti, Edoardo Tresoldi, Dagur Eggertsson, Alfonso Femia, Aldo Cibic, Marco Amosso (Lombardini 22), Luca Dolmetta (LD+SR architetti). YAC Brief There is a special fascination in ruins. There is a sublime hint in dissolved architectures. There is something moving in the pulverizing of time. Silence takes over the architecture. In the long sunset that follows abandonment and preludes destruction, nature completes the design of mankind by taking space back according to its own pace. In that moment, something magical happens. In that moment, architecture gives way to ruins. The castle of Mothe Chandeniers is a perfect ruin. It is lost in the French countryside. It is a gothic lace embroidered in stone. It is an enchanted mirage fluctuating on a calm lake. It is embraced by jealous vegetation that has been twining its bastions and architectures as a greedy lover. The castle evokes an intimate embrace between history, architecture and nature. Faraway from mankind, this place has achieved its most resplendent beauty. However, now it needs mankind in order to forestall its ultimate destruction. Dartagnans is a fund aiming at protecting and safeguarding the international artistic heritage. Recently, it has purchased the castle thanks to more than 27, 910 shareholders' donations. Today, through YAC, Mothe Chandeniers invites designers to highlight the natural fascination of the castle in order to transform it into a destination of contemplation and relax for tourists and visitors from all over the world. YAC How to transform a ruin into a cutting-edge tourist-accommodation facility? How to make a neo-gothic shell communicate with contemporary architecture? These are the questions on which Common Ruins lays its foundations. This competition offers designers the opportunity to dedicate their own design action to one of the most fascinating ruins in the world. They will do so by designing a visitors' center aiming at ensuring a unique, spiritual and regenerating hospitality experience. At the sunset of a building, architecture itself has to protect the remarkable combination of human action and natural activity that is the fascination of Mothe Chandeniers. Architecture has to save the castle from the erosion of time in order to give it back to the community that purchased it. It is an unprecedented challenge that invites designers to deal with a place with a surreal beauty able to create oneiric and refined holiday scenarios. Designers will have to highlight such feature carrying out an architectural intervention aiming to be the milestone of contemporary architecture. Yac thanks all the designers who will take part in this challenge. YAC Jury Anish Kapoor Rudy Ricciotti (Agence Rudy Ricciotti) Edoardo Tresoldi Dagur Eggertsson (Rintala Eggertsson Architects) Alfonso Femia (Atelier(s) Femia) Aldo Cibic (Cibic Workshop) Marco Amosso (Lombardini 22) Luca Dolmetta (LD+SR architetti) Romain Delaume (Dartagnans) Julien Marquis (Adopte un Château) YAC Prizes 1st Prize 10.000 €  2nd Prize 4.000 € 3rd Prize 2.000 € 4 Gold Mentions 1.000 € each 10 Honorable Mentions 30 Finalists Calendar 29/10/2018: "Early Bird" Registration – Start 25/11/2018: (11:59 pm GMT) "Early Bird" Registration – End 26/11/2018: "Standard" Registration – Start 23/12/2018: (11:59 pm GMT) "Standard" Registration – End 24/12/2018: "Late" Registration – Start 27/01/2019: (11:59 pm GMT) "Late" registration – End 30/01/2019: (12:00 pm – Midday - GMT) Material Submission Deadline More information on: www.youngarchitectscompetitions.com Contact us: yac@yac-ltd.com This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

A Selection of the World’s Best Architects Posted: 28 Oct 2018 09:00 PM PDT © Ossip Van Duivenbode. ImageTianjin Binhai Library / MVRDV + Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute To rank architects, or to even pretend that any list or selection would be exhaustive and/or apply to the individual tastes of every architecture lover, seems, on the surface, a pointless task. However, as we move away from looking for inspiration from merely the great masters or the handful of contemporary firms studied in academic programs, it is important to shine a light on the works that we, as ArchDaily editors, have found particularly valuable. Of the thousands of architects whose projects have been selected to be published on our site, we occasionally notice firms whose work stands out. Whether we're drawn to their innovative approach to practice, the role they play in contributing to their local communities, or their generosity, we are eager to display their work as an example, so that others may be inspired to challenge the status quo. With editors from Brazil, the US, Mexico, Chile, China and Northern Ireland, and thanks to the extensive network that we have forged with institutions in Africa, Asia and beyond, we have the rare opportunity to go beyond a purely western-focused overview of the state of today's architecture. We are honored to work with each and every single architect who publishes with us. We are humbled by the amount of people who visit ArchDaily to seek inspiration. And we are delighted to share a selection of architecture firms practicing today whose work sets a high benchmark for architectural production.   Asia © Shu He. ImageHuangshan Mountain Village / MAD Architects Archi-Union Architects Atelier Deshaus Biome Environmental Solutions DnA Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP IBUKU IROJE KHM Architects Jun Igarashi Architects Kashef Chowdhury - URBANA Kengo Kuma Lixiaodong Atelier MAD architects Masahiro Ikeda Architecture Studio Moon Hoon Morphogenesis NISHIZAWAARCHITECTS Piramun Architectural Office Rural Urban Framework SANAA Sanjay Puri Schemata Architects Secondfloor Architects Shigeru Ban Architects Sou Fujimoto Studiomumbai Tadao Ando Architects and Associates Toyo Ito & Associates VTN Architects WOHA Wutopia Lab    Europe © Iwan Baan. ImageThe Interlace / OMA / Ole Scheeren 51n4e Adjaye Associates Alvaro Siza AND-RE Andrés Jaque / Office for Political Innovation Assemble Bernardo Bader BIG Carmody Groarke COBE Correia Ragazzi David Chipperfield de vylder vinck taillieu Dorte Mandrup Eduardo Souto de Moura Fala Atelier Flores & Prats Foster & Partners HARQUITECTES Herzog & deMeuron Jakob + MacFarlane Architects Ateliers Jean Nouvel JKMM Architects Karamuk Kuo Mecanoo MVRDV NLÉ OMA Pedevilla Architects Peter Zumthor Rafael Moneo Renzo Piano Building Workshop Snøhetta SPEECH Studio Associato Bernardo Secchi Paola Viganò Studio Olafur Eliasson TEd'A arquitectes UNStudio Zaha Hadid Architects Heatherwick Studio   North America © Richard Barnes. ImageGlassell School of Art / Steven Holl Architects   5468796 Architecture Bohlin Cywinksi Jackson Bureau Spectacular Diller Scofidio+Renfro Estudio Gehry Partners HOK Pei Cobb Freed & Partners MASS Design Group Miró Rivera Architects Olson Kundig Omar Ganhdi Architect Peter Eisenman RAMSA Skidmore, Owings & Merrill SO-Il Steven Holl Architects Studio Gang   Latin & South America © Federico Cairoli. ImageQuincho Tía Coral / Gabinete de Arquitectura 23 SUL Arquitetura Al Borde Alberto Kalach Angelo Bucci Arquitetos Associados BAK arquitectos Barclay & Crousse Base Urbana + Pessoa Arquitetos BLOCO Arquitetos Carla Juaçaba Centro Colaboracion Arquitectonica Comunal Taller de Arquitectura Cristian Izquierdo ELEMENTAL Estudio Macías Peredo Fernanda Canales Frida Escobedo Gabinete de Arquitectura Grupo Culata Jovai Guillermo Acuña Arquitectos Asociados Isaac Broid José Cubilla Llosa Cortegana Arquitectos MAPA Marko Brajovic Pezo von Ellrichshausen Rozana Montiel | Estudio de Arquitectura Smiljan Radic Tatiana Bilbao Estudio UNA Arquitetos   Africa © Siméon Duchoud. ImagePrimary School in Gando / Kéré Architecture Angela Mingas Kere Architecture Makeka Design Lab Patricia Anahory   Oceania © Trevor Mein. ImageBunjil Place / fjmt ARM Architecture Austin Maynard Architects fjmt Jackson Clements Burrows Pattersons Woods Bagot Production of the list proved a great challenge to the over 20 editors who form part of ArchDaily's editorial team. We questioned each other, mulled over formats and challenged each of our individual and cultural viewpoints. We would love to know about the architecture firms that are impressing and inspiring you today, so we welcome your feedback in the comments below. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

TRIF House / Sergey Fedotov Posted: 28 Oct 2018 08:00 PM PDT © Pygmalion Karatzas Architects: Sergey Fedotov Location: Porto Jeli, Greece Area: 360.0 m2 Project Year: 2017 Photographs: Pygmalion Karatzas Structural Engineer: Peter Kraemer Construction Management: Sergey Fedotov and Elias Gamilis Collaborating Architects In Greece: Elias Gamilis & Associates © Pygmalion Karatzas TRIF House - a minimalist energy efficient villa in Porto Heli Greece designed by Sergey Fedotov The plot is situated on the hills outside Porto Heli in Argolis region of Peloponnese in Greece. With a slope facing south, overlooking the Aegean sea and the island of Spetses, and the access road running across the south side, the house, main veranda and swimming pool were placed in the center with their programmatic development along the east-west axis. The main design concept was to maximize the window openings towards the south while minimizing the direct sun exposure using passive solar design solutions. This was achieved by using frameless sliding windows by Sky-Frame, offering wall to wall and floor to ceiling barrier-free openings for a seamless transition between the inside and the outside. © Pygmalion Karatzas Ground Floor Plan © Pygmalion Karatzas The sliding doors, powered by an electric drive, can be opened at the push of a button for maximal comfort. With the cut-and-fill integration to the slope, half of the volume (north side) is filled with earth, becoming part of the overall landscape, while in the south side the ground floor is protected by a 4 m. overhung and the upper floors by a 3 m. extruding box frame. The ground floor is an open plan, with the kitchen, dining, living and office occupying the main space, while the office is carefully hidden yet open and visually connected. On the western side of the main volume, the auxiliary spaces (parking, storage, bathroom and entrance foyer) are placed, following the longitudinal east-west development axis, hidden and covered with landscaping above. © Pygmalion Karatzas The upper level houses two guest bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and the master bedroom with separate walk-in dressing room and a large bathroom, all enjoying the panoramic view towards the sea with uninterrupted wall-to-wall openings and a large unifying covered veranda. Careful consideration was also given to the landscaping of the plot, with large olive trees placed on both sides of the main veranda, along with the edges of the site and following the main driveway. Narrow pathways are organically placed throughout the site leading to the tennis court, to the roof terrace, and around the main garden. The infinity pool reflects the colors of the sea, while on the eastern terrace an outdoor sauna is hidden in the retaining wall with an open view towards the bay © Pygmalion Karatzas The minimalist design is followed throughout the project, from the overall volumetric composition to the porcelain tile finishing of the facades, the marble finishing of the interior and exterior walls and floors, the staircase design, kitchen, solid wood custom-made furniture, and lighting. The Sky-Frame sliding windows not only evoke the timeless appeal of the rectilinear window assembly but also provide excellent sound and thermal control standards. All the materials used in the construction are natural and environmentally friendly, and the bio-climatic design makes this house energy efficient year-round. © Pygmalion Karatzas This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Call for Entries: Turkistan Architect Awards Posted: 28 Oct 2018 07:30 PM PDT About the Competition Turkistan Architect Awards is an international architectural competition for the conceptual development of objects located in the historical city of Kazakhstan — Turkistan, initiated by the Governor of the Turkestan region. The main objective of the competition is to give a new impetus to the development of the Turkestan region: as a touristic hub with the unique architecture. The competition is aimed at creating equal conditions for creative competition between the participants in order to determine the most interesting and progressive solutions, both architectural and engineering, taking into account the use of innovative technologies, materials, design and methods of building structures in the project. Participants Architects from all over the world can take part in the competition. The competition provides equal opportunities for the participation of both experienced and novice architects, as well as the participation of architectural bureaus. The competition is held in several categories, and participants can submit an unlimited number of applications in each submitted nomination. To submit an application, those interested must first register through the form on the website. Participation is confirmed only by a response letter from the organizer or operator of the project. Main purpose of the Competition Development of the concept and identification of the most progressive architectural and engineering solutions, as well as innovative technologies to create projects of the 21st century in oriental style, that are going to be located in the city of Turkestan. As part of the Turkistan Architect Awards contest, the functions of all buildings must meet modern requirements, tone in with the environment and provide visitors with all the necessary facilities. The competition is held in one stage. October 26, 2018 - November 25, 2018 Participants must provide a complete concept project, in accordance with all the requirements described in the terms of reference for each category of object on the website. The announcement of the winners will be held on December 1, 2018. For more details, visit the website. Title: Call for Entries: Turkistan Architect Awards Type: Competition Announcement (Ideas) Organizers: Turkistan Architect Awards Submission Deadline: 25/11/2018 10:51 Price: Free This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Dishan Space / PUJU Posted: 28 Oct 2018 07:00 PM PDT Architectural evolution. Image © Purel Architects: PUJU Location: #50, Yunjian Walk Street ,Zhongshan Middle Road, Songjiang, Shanghai, China Lead Architects: Qian Yao Participating Designer: Tingting Li, Lulu She, Diamond, Jiayi Su Area: 450.0 m2 Project Year: 2018 Photographs: Purel, Hao Chen Visual Designer: ROCBRAND Construction: Mubo Decoration Furniture: HAY/minimore Lighting Design: PUJU, Colors Architectural evolution. Image © Hao Chen Inspiration Located in Songjiang, Shanghai, DISHAN Space is a brand of collective space aimed to provide all sorts of recreational experience, where people meet to nibble snacks, sip fruit tea, play games and have fun . Considering the site is close to Songjiang Court built from Yuan dynasty, we hope to integrate the modern style into the traditional. After careful analysis, we decide to use the basic shapes that constitute nature, that is, rectangle, circle and triangle, to present an all-compassing DISHAN space. Glimpses from up and down. Image © Purel Reborn Across the space, there is a dilapidated old house built around the Ming dynasty. Dark bricks, rusty plaques and glazed stones scatter about and tell a story from the past. PUJU try to use these materials to realize the design on the space. © Purel © Purel Fiction and Reality Deserted bricks buried in the demolished ruins are reenacted in front of our eyes.  © Purel 1F&2F Plan © Purel Mu Xin, a famed Chinese scholar once wished to have a museum of his own. When asked by the architect about his expectations, he said there'd be wind, water and a bridge, which is a symbolic architectural form in China. PUJU attempts to create a bridge shape on the patio, taking advantage of the walk way in between. Glimpses from up and down. Image © Purel Glimpses from up and down. Image © Purel Glimpses from up and down With a walkway in the middle, the function areas are arranged on the side, and a half-height wall to link spaces to create an illusion of unity and separation. If the pink shades represent femininity, the dominating black and white matches exactly male masculinity. Bridge on Second Floor. Image © Hao Chen Architectural evolution. Image © Hao Chen This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

PTH – Phan Thiet House / Studio Happ Posted: 28 Oct 2018 06:00 PM PDT © Hiroyuki Oki Architects: Studio Happ Location: Bình Thuận, Vietnam Lead Architects: Kuniko Onishi, Victor Llavata Contractor: My Pho Investment and Construction Company Limited Area: 141.0 m2 Project Year: 2017 Photographs: Hiroyuki Oki © Hiroyuki Oki Text description provided by the architects. This housing project takes place in a small fishermen town situated by the coastline of the East Sea, in the province of Binh This, Vietnam. © Hiroyuki Oki The house is an answer to the challenges of both site and local weather, and to the requirements and lifestyle of the client.  © Hiroyuki Oki The site: a 9x15 meters plot is located 100 meters away from the coastline. The breezing from the sea is fresh and humid. But the high temperatures make any kind of shaded or properly ventilated space, a high-quality space in terms of comfort.  Floor plans The design allows for passive strategies, which require low maintenance and are more cost-effective in tropical climates, to take place creating cross ventilated spaces and gar-dens in-between living areas. © Hiroyuki Oki The client request: The client is a family full of energy and vitality, which love to live in con-tact with nature and enjoy outdoor spaces where they can be together. Sections A more public and open area where to gather with friends and family was also a must in the project. © Hiroyuki Oki The project tries to generate comfort spaces as the first priority, without using mechanical devices or technology that need high maintenance. Only by working and combining the wind, shading elements and the position of green areas, we are able to generate great spaces that adapt perfectly to tropical weather conditions. © Hiroyuki Oki The concept of the project can be sketched as a gradient of private spaces starting. Being the most public spaces at the front and the most private at the back, overlaying this with an alternation of green areas and built areas. Being so, we can find a garden at the front that cools down the front facade, after this garden, we find the most public areas in the house, the kitchen, and the living room. This spaces open to the front garden and to the courtyard garden. © Hiroyuki Oki After the courtyard garden, which is an enclosed space with vegetation that allows for cross ventilation and shading, we find the rooms and bathrooms of the house. © Hiroyuki Oki Every volume is sandwiched between gardens and green areas, maximizing ventilation and bringing greenery to the daily life experience of the space. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Seorimyeonga Boutique Resort / Archihood WXY Posted: 28 Oct 2018 05:00 PM PDT © Kyung Roh, Woohyun Kang Architects: Archihood WXY Location: Muju-gun, South Korea Lead Architects: Archihood WxY(Woohyun Kang, Youngjin Kang) Area: 596.64 m2 Project Year: 2018 Photographs: Kyung Roh, Woohyun Kang, Hyunseok Shin © Hyunseok Shin "Hidden" was the most important design consideration point for this project while we designed. © Kyung Roh, Woohyun Kang © Kyung Roh, Woohyun Kang © Kyung Roh, Woohyun Kang During the meeting with the client, the first thing that he asked us was to design the guestroom with its own courtyard space. After the first site visit, we found out that site surround has many different natural contexts. There is the dense forest with tall trees on the north facing together with the beautiful stream. It provides perfect scenery to the visitors who want to stay in this place. However, the other 3 sides scenery wasn't impressive. However, when we see a distant mountain and sky over the site, it seems to have enough to stay with. According to the given site surrounding and requirement for the guest room which needs its own private space, our conclusion was that we need to make a good balance in between 'hidden' and exposing" – It's peekaboo sequence. © Kyung Roh, Woohyun Kang Section 01 © Kyung Roh, Woohyun Kang This place is not shown everything from beginning to till the end. It is not easy to see the entry location when you get into this place as what you can see in the entry sequence is only one large and big chunk of concrete wall piece. This kind of unexpectable circumstance will give you sense of anxiety and nervousness. However, this sense will be change to the pleasurable sensation when you turn the conner of concrete wall and meet the water garden. It's hard to guess the room location from the outside as room sits along the site shape and topography which create background walls within the nature. Furthermore, you can't see the full wall shape as some parts of walls are buried in the ground. The pathway to the guestroom is designed as narrow as possible, so the guests can see their own space only when they enter the guestroom through the narrow pathway. © Kyung Roh, Woohyun Kang Each guestroom can see the different scenery from their own courtyard depending on the height of the ground, the height of the walls, the different gap space, and the angle of each space. Especially, sounds of nature come through the small courtyard will make the guest feel peaceful such as the sound of water in the valley, the singing of the mountain birds, and the falling rain. © Kyung Roh, Woohyun Kang Gucheon-dong in Muju is well known for backwoods town in the mountains far from the world for a long time. Those who come to Seorimyeonga in Gucheon-dong, from a city away, would be able to hide from the crowded world and enjoy real relaxation by entering their secret space in nature. © Hyunseok Shin This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The Closed Open House / Parallax Posted: 28 Oct 2018 04:00 PM PDT © ANAND Architects: Parallax Location: Bengaluru, India Lead Architects: Raghunandan Gururaj & Nagendra Ramachandra Area: 4000.0 ft2 Project Year: 2016 Photographs: ANAND Structural Consultants: Manjunath & Co. © ANAND Text description provided by the architects. Modeled on an open plan, this house was designed for a retired, elderly couple in a semi-urban area in their hometown of Bangalore, India after their 20-year long stay in Amsterdam. The design evolved keeping in mind their current lifestyle and a strong yearning for a home, in touch with their roots. © ANAND Ground Floor Plan © ANAND Capitalizing on the potential of the corner site, the façade can be read as an abstract rearrangement of lines, forming an asymmetrical composition. The minimalist, yet balanced composition brings forth the third dimension, probing depth and bringing forth the feeling of brightness and peace. The use of cement sheath and wood in the interiors is starkly similar to the contrast of the open house enclosed by the compound wall and compliments the light, volume and the serenity of the built space. Concept Sketch Bangalore has a pleasant climate throughout the year which aids the openness of the design. The interior flows out into a shaded verandah which flows into the open courtyard. The physical confines are blurred by these spaces that flow into each other. The true essence of the project is in the application of the industrial design ideology and the materials. Usage of the steel columns and framework with glass adds to the lightness of the structure. This also helps create interchangeable spaces that are designed to adapt to the changing needs of the space. © ANAND The living room is separated from the green backyard by full height fixed glass, allowing immense light to enter the house and liven up the spaces. The visual connectivity is maintained with the greenery outside, best suit our client's needs. Aiding these sources of light are skylights placed in the double-height spaces. The bedrooms prove to showcase the combination of two lifestyles by keeping a tradition of sleeping on the floor with glass around but without disturbing the view from the room. This also leads to inward planning to avoid the sight of the concrete buildings in the surrounding without compromising on the view from the room. Section 1 The ample light and air in the house, the double height windows washing the grey floor with light, the huge sunken living-all enhance the living environment and add play and curiosity to the place while warmly welcoming family and friends for a quiet evening or an all-nighter! The sunlight plays with the dark complexion of the steel columns, wood and concrete tiles, creating lively interior as well as exterior spaces – with little to separate the two. © ANAND This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

AD Classics: São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) / Lina Bo Bardi Posted: 28 Oct 2018 03:00 PM PDT © Pedro Kok This article was originally published on August 14, 2014. To read the stories behind other celebrated architecture projects, visit our AD Classics section. When Lina Bo Bardi received the commission to build a new museum of art on São Paulo's Terraço do Trianon, she was given the job under one condition: under no circumstances could the building block the site's panoramic vistas of the lower-lying parts of the city. This rule, instituted by the local legislature, sought to protect what had become an important urban gathering space along Avenida Paulista, the city's main financial and cultural artery. Undeterred, Bo Bardi came up with a solution that was simple and powerful. She designed a building with a massive split through its midsection, burying half of it below the terrace and lifting the other half into the sky. As a result, the plaza remained open and unobstructed, and in 1968, the iconic São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) was born. © Flickr user Rodrigo_Soldon From the beginning, the project was rife with political overtones. Bo Bardi, who oversaw nearly every part of the building's design, construction, and administration, initially secured the museum's prime location through a "backroom deal" that she negotiated herself with the local governor. [1] However, as the project evolved, it became increasingly clear that her vision for the museum would not belong to the politicians and the city's cultural elite. She would instead attempt to cater to the populist view that the museum and the site on which it stood should belong to the people and the city. Not only would the museum return the same amount of public space that it borrowed, but it would embrace the radical notion that a museum could both exhibit culture and serve as a stage on which it was created. © Pedro Kok The MASP's monumental aesthetic is the result of an ingenious engineering scheme whose structural clarity dominates the building's formal language. Two enormous pre-stressed concrete beams, resting on equally massive piers, traverse the length of the site in parallel and suspend a voluminous box containing the museum's main exhibition and administrative spaces. This upper section is connected to the below-grade levels through a glass elevator that takes visitors on a journey between the museum and the city and back again, intentionally challenging the idea that artwork can exist in disconnect from the people that create it and imbuing the visiting experience with political meaning.  Bo Bardi extended this discourse on art and politics into the main galleries, where for years a modernist open-floor plan radically redefined the hierarchies between works of art. Visitors were released from the elevator into an unmediated field of suspended paintings and required to meander between pieces without a clear sense of progression. As one scholar described it, "each artwork was shown to be its own site, a display mode that attested both to the migratory destiny of the pieces, but also, and more importantly, to a lack of institutional framing." [2] The pieces, which were strikingly mounted on glass panels grounded in heavy concrete blocks, appeared to float in the air, intensifying the liberated chaos of the exhibit and cheekily mimicking the floating form of the building. Bo Bardi's husband, who was the longtime director of the museum, preserved this arrangement until his retirement in 1990, when it was tragically abandoned in favor of a more conventional solid-wall display system. It was just one example of the way in which the architect attempted to force visitors to reexamine preconceived notions of art. © Pedro Kok In the gallery and with the building as a whole, Bo Bardi repeatedly prompts a powerful dialogue between lightness and mass. From the terrace, for example, the weight of the building is intuitively obvious, but as a sensory experience it is notably missing. The great structuralist Herman Hertzberger wrote that "when underneath the building, you feel absolutely no sense of oppression due to the immense presence above you." [3] By a different account, "pedestrians who walk on the plaza beneath the galleries feel nothing of the weight of the structure overhead, but rather sense that a cloud has passed in front of the hot Brazilian sun and given them a delightful moment of coolness." [4] © Flickr user Carol^-^ Much of this tension exists due to the building's juxtaposition of modernist and brutalist elements. On the one hand, the elegant glazing and open floor plans responsible for the visual levity of the museum belong firmly in the International Style tradition. On the other, the colossal concrete piers and structural systems belong to the brutalist movement, which was in its heyday at the time of the museum's construction. Rather than shy away from the contradictions posed by these disparate elements, Bo Bardi draws attention to them, painting the piers bright red and thinning out the floors and elongating vertical elements of the façade to visually dematerialize their width. The effect of the interplay of these ideas is dramatic, and the building's innovative rethinking of conventional aesthetics hearkens to a uniquely Brazilian tradition of concrete modernism that includes Oscar Niemeyer and Roberto Burle Marx. © Flickr user Rodrigo_Soldon © Flickr user Juliana Magro Although the museum is not without controversy or critics, it succeeds in faithfully delivering the vision of Lina Bo Bardi by serving both as a museum and as an informal gathering place for the residents of São Paulo. In this sense, the MASP is a testament to the power of architects to promote egalitarian values and social responsibility and through design. The building exemplifies the best of the brutalist effort to improve the urban condition through architecture and serves as an elegant critical essay on the political dimensions of art. [1] Buergel, Roger M. "'This Exhibition Is an Accusation': The Grammar of Display According to Lina Bo Bardi." Afterall: A Journal of Art, Context, and Enquiry, Issue 26 (Spring 2011), p. 56. [2] Ibid. [3] Hertzberger, Herman. Space and the Architect: Lessons in Architecture 2. 010 Publishers: Rotterdam, 2010, p. 106. [4] Anyone Corporation. "Lina Bo Bardi: Museo de Arte de São Paulo." ANY: Architecture New York, No. 5, Lightness (March/April 1994), p. 24. Architects: Lina Bo Bardi Location: 1578 Avenida Paulista Area: 0.0 m2 Project Year: 1968 Photographs: Pedro Kok, Flickr user Juliana Magro, Flickr user Rodrigo_Soldon, Flickr user Carol^-^ This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Peach House / Frederic Schnee Posted: 28 Oct 2018 02:00 PM PDT © Yuxuan, Frederic Schnee Architects: Frederic Schnee Location: Beijing, China Other Participants : Wang Ruijun, Feng Shu, Mintong Area: 320.0 m2 Project Year: 2018 Photographs: Yuxuan, Frederic Schnee © Yuxuan, Frederic Schnee Text description provided by the architects. Rural housing construction owes little to the State and household savings even enable to build private ownership. By allowing the purchase of materials from local manufacturers and artisans, self-built housing construction is prevalent in rural areas. Private property goes back to the agricultural reform of the 1950s, which did not succeed in establishing collective habitations, but reaffirmed the notion of private property as the expression of the work of the family. They are the homes of peasants – inherited or built with domestic savings. The courtyard house in North China constitutes a form of housing which is the result of a long process of interaction between the built form and social, economic, and cultural needs and habits. © Yuxuan, Frederic Schnee © Yuxuan, Frederic Schnee The task of building a new courtyard house required to examine and engage with modes of life in rural areas of Beijing. An extended analysis of the specific building type, the built environment, the social and historical context and finally the requirements for the new use were absolutely essential prior to the design process. In a preliminary study, the site and its previous buildings were retraced and documented through a graphic reconstruction to understand its layout and function. A timeline starting from the 1950s reveals the different states and transformations the site and buildings underwent. One of the most important characteristics of the courtyard house is its flexibility in accommodating growth and change. The objective was to build a new courtyard house, by lifting the courtyard and creating a space for a convenience store on the ground floor.  The ground floor level was lowered and a new concrete slab poured inside the existing building for the upper floor. © Yuxuan, Frederic Schnee © Yuxuan, Frederic Schnee To follow traditional room layouts and build according to the principles of Feng Shui, the new floor plan was modeled on the typical courtyard house in North China. Special attention had to be paid to the angle and grid of the layout, the positioning of columns and openings to meet all requirements. The building is arranged on a North-South oriented lot, with the main pavilion facing South. The access gate is situated in the South-East corner according to the traditional layout. Ceiling heights and spacing had to follow a specific hierarchy. The layout of the elevated courtyard is introverted to ensure privacy in the courtyard and that of adjacent houses. © Yuxuan, Frederic Schnee © Yuxuan, Frederic Schnee The blue or grey brick is historically prevalent in Beijing and the northeastern region of China, but is less and less used for various reasons nowadays. Cheaper red bricks are mostly used in self-built housing today. The facade design with two different brick colors dissipates the contrast and creates a balance. Moreover, visible scorch marks on red bricks merge the two tones. © Yuxuan, Frederic Schnee This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Houston Museum of Fine Arts / Lake|Flato Architects Posted: 28 Oct 2018 12:00 PM PDT © Richard Barnes Architects: Lake|Flato Architects Location: Houston, Texas, United States Area: 39000.0 ft2 Project Year: 2018 Photographs: Richard Barnes © Richard Barnes Text description provided by the architects. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has finished the second phase in its multi-year campus- redevelopment plan with the completion of the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation Center for Conservation. The 39,000-square- foot, state-of-the-art facility by Lake|Flato Architects brings the Museum's distinguished conservation teams together on the main campus for the first time, in one of the largest, continuous spaces for the conservation of any public museum. In a related announcement, the MFAH has received $750,000 in renewed art-conservation funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. © Richard Barnes Site and Floor Plan © Richard Barnes This grant will be overseen by David Bomford, chairman of the MFAH department of conservation; and Andrew W. Mellon Research Scientist Corina Rogge. It supports a continuing collaboration between the MFAH, the Menil Collection, and Rice University to share resources, research, and expertise initiated in 2006 and recently expanded to the University of Houston. Research begun under the collaboration has since been extended to working with museums nationally, including the Getty Conservation Institute, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, Harvard Art Museums, and the Art Institute of Chicago. © Richard Barnes Gary Tinterow, director of the MFAH, said, "The new Blaffer Foundation Center for Conservation— one of just a handful of purpose-built museum conservation buildings anywhere—dramatically elevates our conservation facilities to the distinguished level of our extraordinary art conservators and scientists. The completion of the center also brings us one step closer to our goal of unifying the Museum's facilities into one contiguous, 14-acre main campus in 2020." That campus transformation is the largest cultural project currently underway in North America, with some 500,000 square feet in new construction. © Richard Barnes "Our team can now easily collaborate across all areas of the MFAH—from the collections on the main campus to those in our decorative-arts house museums, Rienzi and Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens—using the most advanced technology in a space that was designed with the conservation and care of the Museum's varied collections specifically in mind," said Dr. Bomford. "Hand-in-hand with the new facility, the Mellon grant now assures that the Museum can continue to support and share the expertise that Dr. Rogge has brought to our projects and initiatives, in particular, those addressing the materials, treatments, and techniques of 20th- and 21st-century art." © Richard Barnes This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Innocence in Zen / HAO design Posted: 28 Oct 2018 10:00 AM PDT © Hey!Cheese Interiors Designers: HAO design Location: Gaoxiong, Taiwan Area: 183.0 m2 Project Year: 2018 Photographs: Hey!Cheese © Hey!Cheese Text description provided by the architects. Experiencing the "Zen" of lifestyle starts from learning to appreciate the DNA of each type of material: the sense of time conveyed by tree rings, the brushstroke textures reflected in the coating materials or maybe the resilience shown by twisting steel. Through design, we create an emotional effect that is in harmony with the client's frame of mind. © Hey!Cheese This project is located in Kaohsiung's Agricultural 16th Special Zone, close to Riverbank Park, the commercial district and the art gallery. It is the ideal residential area for culture and education. The owners are a husband-wife couple, who are both physicians, living together with their two daughters. The master prefers the simple Zen style and the mistress prefers a Nordic style, simple and natural. The older daughter is outgoing and active while the younger daughter is gentle and quiet. The owners wish to create an ideal playground for their daughters in the home. Floor plan HAO Design observed that the home has the advantage of direct sunlight in every direction but the existing layout is too fragmented. After considering the frequency of each room's usage, we decided to remove two rooms and re-arrange the home into a 2+1 layout. A sliding door is used to flexibly enhance the common space. When the door is shut, the multi-function room can be private enough to be used as a guest room. We also transformed the third washroom into a change room in order to increase the storage space. © Hey!Cheese In the past, designer Ch'en Hung-Wen often used the method of "shared functions" to provide a diverse sense of lifestyle to a small space. To ensure that this home is sufficiently spacious, he dramatically partitioned the functional areas of the space into the living room, dining table, bar, desk and leisure room. The tatami bed has a ten-centimeter thick cushion. The entire home has a rich sense of movement. © Hey!Cheese The most interesting part is the designs of the multifunction room and the children's room. These two areas are not partitioned by a solid wall but rather a large wardrobe is installed in a manner similar to a secret base. The wardrobe comes with a pastel round-shaped door, leading to a tunnel, and sits on sliding rails. Doors of different designs may be interchanged up and down in a flexible fashion in order to freely adjust the position of the entrance and exit to the room. Pull-up bar handles are installed under the ceiling to turn the wardrobe into a viewing platform that can be closed off or opened through at will. The dynamic functions evoke the joy of playing hide-and-seek. © Hey!Cheese To achieve an approachable and down-to-earth visual effect, the atrium floor makes use of chiseled stone tiles and the screen is made of weaved iron netting. There is dark-colored slate tiling behind the piano. On one side, three aspen wood decorations are emplaced next to the kitchen. Some ceilings are ornamented with a linear grille to create a refined Zen style. © Hey!Cheese The furnishing (windows pane, table surface, shelves, cabinets and storage racks) makes full use of solid wood. The bookshelf wall in the study room is designed to emphasize the feeling of volume and enhance the warm of a family home. © Hey!Cheese The four-pane sliding doors that control the openness of the common public space use Kirby's Italian-style plaster and pastel wallpaper.Using different combinations of opening and shutting, three spatial expressions can be created together with the "Lotos" cement solid wall. Featuring a special coating with a rustic texture and hand-crafted furniture, an elegant and casual home is hereby created. © Hey!Cheese This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Montauk House / Desai Chia Architecture Posted: 28 Oct 2018 06:00 AM PDT © Paul Warchol Architects: Desai Chia Architecture Location: Montauk, United States Lead Architects: Katherine Chia, Arjun Desai Area: 4600.0 ft2 Project Year: 2018 Photographs: Paul Warchol Structual: Murray Engineering Civil: Saskas Engineering Lighting: Christine Sciulli Light+Design Landscape: Summerhill Landscapes General Contractor: Aran Inc. © Paul Warchol Text description provided by the architects. This home, designed for a family with two young children, has two levels plus a basement.  The living/dining area & kitchen, the two parents' studies, powder room, and master bedroom suite are located on the upper level.  The ground floor houses the family room, three bedrooms, one bathroom and a 1-car garage. The small lot is on the corner of two quiet streets; a broad, existing oak tree in the front yard provides shade and screening in the summer. © Paul Warchol Upper floor plan © Paul Warchol The house was designed to promote family interaction with easy flow between indoor and outdoor activities and clear sight lines across large sections of the home. Three terraces allow family activities to spill out to the outdoors. One is a "garden" terrace that connects the family room to the landscape.  A second, "reading" terrace is shared by the parents' studies. The third, "breezeway" terrace spans the living/dining areas & kitchen.  Covered by a cantilevered roof, it allows the family to live and dine outside, essentially doubling the size of the living/dining areas in the summer.  Ground floor plan The house facade is a combination of exposed concrete and shou sugi ban- a rainscreen of wood that lets the facade breathe. Shou sugi ban is a traditional Japanese process of burning the surface of wood to make it rot-proof and bug-resistant. The wood color and texture reference vernacular Montauk architecture while articulating an iconic, crisp, modern form. The wood wraps into the interiors, framing the living spaces on the upper floor and cascading down the staircase to the family room. © Paul Warchol End grain wood floors and an exposed "zipper" of beams along the spine of the house reinforce the rugged aesthetic of the home.  All of the materials in the house were selected for ease of maintenance and durability for an active family (as well as the way each of the materials contributes to the textural design palette). © Paul Warchol The design seamlessly integrates several sustainable design strategies. The roof of the house conceals a large photovoltaic array with enough power storage to run the entire home.  To reduce the use of air-conditioning, we positioned windows and the central stairwell to take advantage of natural ventilation from prevailing winds. Shade from the large cantilevered roof and the "breezeway" terrace also help to reduce solar heat gain from the sun's rays on both floors. © Paul Warchol This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The Faded Pastel Facades of Russia Posted: 28 Oct 2018 05:00 AM PDT © Maria Gonzalez During our past trips to Russia - in cities such as Moscow, Kaliningrad, Belgorod and even Grozny, the capital of the Chechen Republic - we documented the subtle pastel exteriors found in several cities around the world's largest country. From neoclassical, to modernist and brutalist buildings, to public spaces and urban intra-structures such as metros, bridges and squares, pastel colors stand out as an essential, cohesive part of Russian identity. See a small selection of pastel-colored urban images below. © Maria Gonzalez © Maria Gonzalez © Maria Gonzalez © Maria Gonzalez © Maria Gonzalez © Maria Gonzalez © Maria Gonzalez © Maria Gonzalez © Maria Gonzalez © Maria Gonzalez © Maria Gonzalez © Maria Gonzalez © Maria Gonzalez © Maria Gonzalez © Maria Gonzalez © Maria Gonzalez © Maria Gonzalez This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Campolivar House / Antonio Altarriba Comes Posted: 28 Oct 2018 02:00 AM PDT © Diego Opazo Architect: Antonio Altarriba Comes Location: Godella, Spain Area: 306.0 m2 Project Year: 2018 Photographs: Diego Opazo Collaborator Architects: Rosa Lafuente, David López, Jesús Sancho-Tello Architecture Students: Álvaro Méndez, Marta Ramón. Construction: Nideker houses © Diego Opazo Text description provided by the architects. The idea was to generate a stone podium that emerged from the base itself, establishing numerous relationships with its immediate surroundings, serving as the base for the sculptural piece of concrete where the program's night area is located. © Diego Opazo Ground floor plan © Diego Opazo Materiality is a fundamental part of this project, the work with stone, textured white concrete, glass and wood, are the elements that in an artisanal but very technological way defines the project. © Diego Opazo Section © Diego Opazo The stone podium is divided into two levels, that of the basement, which houses an illuminated studio through two patios, a laundry room and the garage with the engine rooms, and the ground floor where the access with the lounge is located dining room kitchen and toilet. © Diego Opazo First floor plan © Diego Opazo The children's rooms are located in the concrete volume, which share a bathroom and a multifunctional central space, which is divided with wooden partitions to be able to be incorporated or not into the rooms. The main room with bathroom and dressing room. © Diego Opazo The building appropriates practically the entire plot, generating a landscaped space in the access, and a terrace and pool space on the south side. © Diego Opazo This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Guide for the Ultimate Mid-Century Modern Architecture Road Trip Posted: 28 Oct 2018 01:00 AM PDT Greater Refuge Temple, Costas Machlouzarides, 1968, New York, New York, USA. Image © Darren Bradley The following excerpt from Sam Lubell's Mid-Century Modern Architecture Travel Guide: East Coast USA—with excellent photos by Darren Bradley—provides an introduction to the revelatory and inspiring charm of the East Coast's Mid-Century Modern masterpieces. The book includes over 250 unique projects and serves as record of one of the USA's most important architectural movements. Few experiences are as wedged into our psyches as the Great American Road Trip—a rite of passage chronicled by luminaries from Alexis de Tocqueville to Jack Kerouac. The Great American Mid-Century Modern Architecture Road Trip? Not famous. But that's one of the many reasons it's so appealing. Discovery, in this global, digital age, when few corners are mysterious, has become a rare commodity. And discovery on the East Coast of America—in the context of one of the finest collections of Modern design in the world—is that much sweeter. Phillips Exeter Academy Library, Louis Kahn, 1965, Exeter, New Hampshire, USA. Image © Darren Bradley This place, then and now the economic, political, social, and media center of the country (much to the chagrin of those in other regions), became the world's hub for Modern design after World War II, when the United States was achieving seemingly boundless ascendancy. Up and down this stretch of states Modernism presented itself in every possible building type, from private homes to city halls, and in every possible setting, from the woods of Georgia to Midtown Manhattan. While the roots of the Modern movement were in a unifying, machine-inspired aesthetic, the expression of Modernism along the East Coast varies emphatically as you move from one place to the next, and even from one project to the next. Mortgage Corporation of America Building, Carson Bennett Wright, 1971, Miami, Florida, USA. Image © Darren Bradley Photographer Darren Bradley and I hit the road for several trips to make this endeavor possible. Along the way, from the icons of the architectural canon to the superlative surprises, we took in the beauty and technical prowess of these structures, gaining a clearer understanding of what makes great architecture. This architectural adventure proved for us—and will for you—an unambiguously inspiring experience. Mid-Century Modern architecture of course delivers a nostalgic journey into the past. But it also brings us into a time that valued the future above all else. Americans were thrilled by what was ahead of them and eager to right the wrongs of the past. Through politics, science, medicine, engineering, and, yes, architecture, they would build a better world free of its prior scourges. They would rethink space, light, materials, experience, meaning, everything. Unitarian Meeting House, Victor Lundy, 1962, Hartford, Connecticut, USA. Image © Darren Bradley The Glass House Philip Johnson, 1949, New Canaan, Connecticut, USA. Image © Darren Bradley Of course, not all worked out as envisioned. Nothing ever does. The Modern movement failed almost as much as it succeeded. What started as a visionary, socially concerned undertaking became, to many, a symbol of the arrogant, insensitive status quo. But that sense of bold optimism, and the earnest demand to construct well for everyone, delivers something we are sorely lacking in this cynical, timid, divided, distracted time. You begin to spot the best Mid-Century buildings not just because of their materials or forms, but also because of their audacity, energy, and heart, and their ability to stir and transport. You'll realize just how unambitious and deeply uninspired much of what we build today is, and you'll start thinking about how to change that. TWA Flight Center, Eero Saarinen, 1962, Queens, New York, USA. Image © Darren Bradley A tour of Mid-Century Modern architecture is about much more than discovering new buildings. Discovery goes beyond chalking up miles and checking items off a list. It's also about traveling into ourselves and, if we're lucky, being inspired to change things for the better. United Church of Rowayton, Joseph P. Salerno, 1967, Norwalk, Connecticut, USA. Image © Darren Bradley Smithfield Liberty Garage, Altenhof and Bown, (year unknown), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Image © Darren Bradley This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Reclaiming Polish Brutalism: Discover the Emblems of Communism Posted: 28 Oct 2018 12:00 AM PDT Falowiec / Gdańsk. Image Courtesy of Wikimedia To strip a city of its architecture is to erase its history altogether. Despite a widespread public distaste for Brutalism, the brutalist era in architecture often went hand in hand with political movements promising an egalitarian vision in post-Stalinist Poland. What may now be considered austere and overbearing was originally intended to be anything but; the buildings today carry both an appreciation for their legacy and the burden of unwanted memories. In a recent article in the New York Times, writer Akash Kapur documents his visit to Poland, bringing readers into his experiences and observations of this complex response to Polish architecture. From sharing its history to short anecdotes from interviews, the piece postulates whether these relics can become alive again. Courtesy of Wikimedia More than just changing tastes, the buildings in Poland showcase its long history of invasion, genocide, and occupation. Following World War II, architecture had become a utilitarian practice. Cheap and quick solutions using concrete, steel, and glass were commonplace substitutes for ornate design, sharply contrasting the city's medieval counterparts. The increased prevalence of the Brutalist movement in Poland was indicative of it being a symbol of modernity and a rebuttal to Western capitalism. It represented the mechanism of rebuilding a nation through the power of Communism. Falowiec / Gdańsk What were intended to be hopeful symbols of regeneration, now sadly turned out to be physical reminders of their failures. Kapur writes, By the 1990s, however, the sheen had vanished from the ideology and the buildings, too. Communism was a bad memory, and its architectural legacy inspired, at best, ambivalence. To this day, many Poles mutter about the poor quality and ungainliness of the buildings: gray, soulless reflections of an equally bleak era. Falowiec / Gdańsk. Image Courtesy of Wikimedia As a response to Stalin's Socialist Realism, comprising of the Baroque and Gothic style as seen in the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, the rectilinear and bare facade was a form of liberation for the country's architects. This resulted in the creation of buildings such as the twenty-story Smolna 8 tower, along with icons like the Bunkier Sztuki Gallery and the Spodek arena. © Marcin Lachowicz However, despite protests by architects and activists, buildings such as Supersam and the Rotunda, both curvilinear public landmarks, were recently demolished. The public's antipathy for this Brutalist architecture stems from its oppressive and bleak demeanor; with limited budgets, less durable materials were used resulting in short-lived and low-quality buildings, coupled with the lack of proper maintenance.  © Marcin Lachowicz Almost thirty years later, much of the current generation is somewhat removed from the experiences of Communism and hasn't adopted their elders' attitudes about the legacy of their history and its architecture. People who rejected their history for the American dream, now deem their Brutalist towers as "more livable" as they feature the conveniences of schools and grocery stores within. These long-standing stereotypes of Polish housing are slowly dissolving. Whether an eyesore or the avant-garde, architecture records visions throughout history. Its legacy carries the weight of the individuals who intended to use design as a tool for the greater good. Who, if anyone, should be allowed to determine what is worth saving? News via: The New York Times This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Ross Barney Architects' CLT Design for McDonald's Expands the Possibilities of Timber Construction Posted: 27 Oct 2018 11:00 PM PDT © Kendall McCaugherty, Hall+Merrick Photographers In an effort to reinvent an iconic American fast-food brand, McDonald's U.S. has announced a new direction for the corporation, beginning with rethinking the restaurant's current archetypal design both in its interior eating spaces and exterior urban landscape. A primary example of this commitment can be seen in the recently completed design for McDonald's Global Flagship in Chicago by Ross Barney Architects. The structure, which fills an entire city block in the heart of Chicago, was envisioned as a hallmark example of both the architect and the corporation's shared commitment to environmentally sustainable design. Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), an essential material for the project, replaced many of the commonly-used building materials such as steel, concrete, and plastics that have a larger environmental footprint. © Kendall McCaugherty, Hall+Merrick Photographers McDonald's Flagship is the first commercial use of Cross Laminated Timber in Chicago. CLT is a successful building method thanks in part to the relative simplicity of its construction process. The material is generated with a crosswise stack of lumber boards glued together on each face. The alternating 90-degree orientation of the wood boards vastly increases the load capacity of traditional wooden materials. To maximize the capacity, the outer layers of the panels are oriented, upon installation, parallel to the gravitational load. This novel implementation of a common building material eliminates its common structural limitations. © Kendall McCaugherty, Hall+Merrick Photographers Although CLT has previously been utilized in European construction, the Ross Barney design signifies the material's debut in large-scale American building. The McDonald's Chicago Flagship restaurant utilizes the material both structurally and prominently as architectural features in the interior. © Kendall McCaugherty, Hall+Merrick Photographers In addition to the trailblazing use of CLT, the restaurant features more than 70 trees at ground level, a vegetated roof space and a floating glass garden of ferns and trees. The roofs feature edible plants including apple trees that will be harvested and donated to the Ronald McDonald House. Native and drought-resilient plants are being used throughout the landscape along with permeable pavers for the lot surface to minimize irrigation and reduce stormwater runoff. The restaurant will benefit from enhanced energy performance with an on-site solar panel array for renewable energy collection to offset part of the restaurant's non-renewable energy consumption; interior and exterior LED lighting; and energy efficient kitchen and HVAC equipment including energy saving freezer/coolers, low oil fryers, energy efficient fans and more. © Kendall McCaugherty, Hall+Merrick Photographers The interior of McDonald's Chicago Flagship was designed to provide patrons with a multi-functional space. Not only can one enjoy a quick and tasty meal, but the space also acts as a social hub by providing comfortable group gathering spaces equipped with outlets and charging stations. Natural light floods the space and vegetation is integrated throughout the structure. © Kendall McCaugherty, Hall+Merrick Photographers The concept of environmentally sustainable grab-and-go dining has become increasingly more prevalent around the globe. Food sellers are pursuing innovative design techniques, sustainability tactics, and contemporary aesthetics for their restaurants' architecture. © Kendall McCaugherty, Hall+Merrick Photographers From the street, the Ross Barney's design conjures up a refreshing alternative to that of a traditional McDonald's. A solar pergola covers the sidewalk, providing additional outdoor collaborative spaces and inviting pedestrians to enter the New Age eatery. "Designing for McDonald's is designing for America. We wanted to create a space that is authentic, light-filled, and constructed of natural materials," said firm Principal Carol Ross Barney. "Food means 'Welcome' in every culture and we hope everyone feels welcomed entering the new flagship restaurant."  News Via: Think Wood 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