Arch Daily

Sol Plaatje University Student Resource Center / Designworkshop
Vezelka Embankment in Belgorod / Strelka KB + Strelka Architects
SPV29 / ALL in STUDIO LTD
sogoojae / DIDI studio
The VietNam Hostel / 85 Design
Casa La Perouse / elton_léniz
REX to Design Brown University's New $31.6 Million Performing Arts Center
Nike House of Innovation 000 in New York City Reflects a New Generation in Sports Performance
Spotlight: Rem Koolhaas
Allotment House / Kristian Olesen
Andres Gallardo Studies Milan's Contrasting Typologies in Contemporary Architecture
“The New Bauhaus” Film Celebrates the Bauhaus Movement in America

Sol Plaatje University Student Resource Center / Designworkshop

Posted: 17 Nov 2018 09:00 PM PST

Architects: Designworkshop
Location: Bishops Avenue, Kimberley Northern Cape, South Africa
Area: 6364.0 m2
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Roger Jardine

Contractor: Murray & Dickson
Engineer Structural: Aurecon
Engineer Mechanical: Element
Engineer Electrical: Aurecon
Engineer Wet Services: Aurecon
Fire Consultant: Aurecon
Quantity Surveyor: KDM
Environmental: PJ Carew Consuting
Acoustic Consultant: LinSpace
Landscape Architect: Insite Group
Concept Initiation: Andrew Makin, Paul Wygers
Concept Design Development: Mark Horner, Janine Beauchamp, Andrew Makin
Detail Design Development & Construction Delivery: Mark Horner, Janine Beauchamp, Pauline Hayward, Michael Flanagan, Ursula Brunner, Mariska Peel, Mongezi Ncube, Susan Glossop

Text description provided by the architects. In 2014, Sol Plaatje University [SPU] opened its doors as the first new University in South Africa's democratic era. Strategically close to the Square Kilometre Array Telescope [SKA], its initial intake of 135 students is expected to grow to 7 500 within its first 10 years.

Located in Kimberley's Inner City, a progressive Urban Design Framework seamlessly incorporates existing civic, public and education stock with new purpose-built University buildings, positioning tertiary education as an integrated part of Inner City life. Perhaps it's heart.

Designworkshop was successful in a two-stage architectural competition towards conceptualising and delivering a Student Resource Centre as the functional and physical centrepiece of University life, including library, teaching, study, and social space.

The key question we explored was what this emerging typology could optimally be and enable in the South African reality of a globally integrated world.

Ancient images of knowledge-sharing are of people gathered around elders, thought- leaders and gurus, in Public Space. Depending on where and when, this could be by the side of a river, under a tree, in a public square or on a street-side. This is learning and knowledge generation in a social setting. Within society and indistinguishable from it, learning is enabled by the practical and perceived reality of life as it's experienced, often on a platform of traditional cultural practice.

When information was recorded in writing, the emblematic image of learning is often the quiet study table surrounded by books. This is the dissemination of accumulated knowledge, most commonly recorded outside of the direct experience and as a more linear and one-directional transmission abstract from specific cultural settings. The 'neutrality' of science.

The SPU Library and Resource Center integrates both, at the same time. It's a social place where people make themselves available to wide-ranging incidental and planned interchange in the course of daily life, both in physical space and online, with and without books, collectively and in solitude, directed and enabled by mentors or among themselves.

It is at the same time a tree, the side of a river, a public square, and a street.

Centred on a raked public forum, the ground floor is an extension of Kimberley's pavements, paths, squares and gardens. It's a public space sheltered from the cyclical hot and cold extremes of the arid climate.

Ascending from public to private, each additional floor is another 'public square' accessed from its perimeter to enable 3-dimensional exploration of a continuous knowledge-scape.

Solid grass-reinforced moulded mud forms typify South Africa's interior vernacular brakdak construction. The Library scales this heritage up into a 22cm thick freestanding concrete shell rising up to 36m high and lifted off the ground to reveal a single hollowed-out volume ascending upward to its highest point overlooking University Square.

The inverse of Kimberley's iconic Big Hole diamond mine, the building is a distinctive sculptured object, arising from the endless horizontality like a koppie, brakdak house, or mine shaft. In a single material, concrete is structure, enclosure, climatic attenuator, flexible use-enabler, extended tradition, and noble experience.

In everyday university life, the building is a refuge, a 24 hour winter lounge and summer verandah.

In a world of scarce resources, it is highly energy efficient, allowing in the right amount of natural light with significantly mitigated heat-gain or loss, the internal temperature further moderated by hot and cold water pipes embedded into concrete floors.

In the City, it's a landmark of democratic learning, social and cultural exchange, and a generator of economic potential which always comes from empowered knowledge and ideas.

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Vezelka Embankment in Belgorod / Strelka KB + Strelka Architects

Posted: 17 Nov 2018 06:00 PM PST

Architects: Strelka Architects, Strelka KB
Location: Bélgorod, Óblast de Bélgorod, Russia
Lead Architects Strelka Architects: Dasha Paramonova, Jezi Stankevic, Olga Deribas, Ekaterina Korchagina, Ariana Melkonyan, Alisa Ermolaeva, Waldo Mariscal, Sofia Akimenko, Kristina Shleverda
Collaborators: Belgorodoblproyekt
Area: 133000.0 m2
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Maria Gonzalez, Strelka KB

Text description provided by the architects. Belgorod is an ordinary city in Eastern Russia with a population of over 350,000 people. It was almost fully rebuilt after World War II; however, its public spaces have not been modernized since Soviet times. The Vezelka River embankment was one such abandoned place. A year ago, it was completely undeveloped, and parts were completely isolated. However, it has changed radically through the "Future Cities" program.

It is an example of a brand-new sustainable initiative to transform the attitude towards space usage in the Russian regions while bringing added social value. In addition, the urban design concept was not introduced from above, but rather crowdsourced through polls designed to determine the public space that locals need.

The embankment became a proper public space, while maintaining the appearance of natural territory. The main design tasks were simplifying pedestrian traffic between functional zones, connecting the embankment with the center, and increasing pedestrian flow, all while keeping the riverbanks natural.

The embankment is divided into 4 zones, interconnected by promenades and cycle paths. The Local zone features everyday spaces like playgrounds, sports fields, a dog park and footbridges for fishermen, as well as a recreation zone and picnic area near the water. The Memorial zone preserves historical monuments, while the Industrial zone serves as buffer while connecting the city center with areas near the railway.

The Central zone, at the main pedestrian intersection, is a multifunctional square with a landscaped amphitheater overlooking the river. The amphitheater serves as a meeting place and event platform. In summer it included an LED screen which made the area into a prime fan zone during World Cup 2018.

The opposite riverbank serves as the "Children's Embankment," with a playground complex featuring slides and sculptural playgrounds connected to the other bank by bridge. In addition, the island in the middle of the river is to play an ecological role as a water bird reservation with an extensive landing of aquatic plants. People can enjoy the wildlife from wooden bridges without descending to the island.

Initially, the improvement project was planned in several stages, but the majority of the work was actually completed by the end of 2017, and from technical brief to final construction, the process took a record 10 months. Today, the space is a comfortable area for a leisurely stroll, sports games, children's play, or a walk with pets. In the summer, it is a lovely concert venue and festival fairground, while in winter, the embankment can be cleared of snow and outfitted with skating rinks, 'ice towns,' and heated pavilions.

*The "Future Cities" program aims to renovate 223 public spaces, covering a total area of more than 1,200 ha in 40 Russian cities. It is the first programme since the Soviet era to reimagine the public space use to meet global trends and standards while reaching a new level of beautification. Work began in 2017, conducted by Strelka KB and DOM.RF, an integrated housing development institution, with the support of the Russian Ministry of Construction Industry, Housing and Utilities Sector.

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SPV29 / ALL in STUDIO LTD

Posted: 17 Nov 2018 03:00 PM PST

Architects: ALL in STUDIO LTD
Location: Sofía, Bulgaria
Lead Architect: Pavel Yanev
Area: 316.0 m2
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Dian Stanchev

"There's nothing absolutely new, but there is an endless amount of connections and relations between forms, materials and technologies that are not yet made. Innovation means discovering them." This is how we developed the project about Villa #29.

As a house of a young couple with their two kids (5 and 7), located in a residential complex of a closed-type, it defines a particular lifestyle and a set of requirements. The modern cosmopolitan mind and its vision for a city retreat - bringing comfort, high-tech and sophisticated, yet close to nature.
"This is a 100% smart-house. Absolutely everything is controlled with a cell phone. It was fun even while we photoshooted it, as someone had set the curtains on the first floor to be controlled by the switches in the master bedroom."

The space definition and architectural decor on one hand typify the style of ALL in Studio. On the other hand, they carry the scent of strict individuality, caused by the house specificities and the character of its inhabitants. "Each concept begins with the house specificities that we have. If the ceiling is 3.2m, it is 3.2, even if we wish for a 4.5. In this case, the ceilings on the second floor were following the complexities of the roofs, which are asymmetrically pitched. This opens up multiple possibilities to play with stereometry and use shapes to define the space. Afterwards, we had to select the right combination of materials. And so on and so on. The dots just connected by themselves or the way we put it. This project took cues from the desire of the young couple to have "modern, soft materials, wood and stone". We decipher these needs through our prism, offering a new view of the composition. For instance, instead of offering hardwood floor, the parquet goes up on the kitchen doors and the staircase railing.

Challenges:
Some will ask what was the biggest challenge in this project? At first, we thought it would be difficult for us to persuade the clients to use so much black. It turned out a lot easier than imagined. Organising and synchronising all the people that worked on realising this project was the toughest. As the details are quite complex and unique, we had to go over them again and again, explaining and drawing from every angle." The result is a space that is categorical and elusive, coherent and creating visual stimulations all at the same time. It easily transforms, combining, yet defining the intimate and social functions of the different zones. Harmony is achieved through the calm, quiet presence of stone, wood, copper and brass. A sophisticated ether is created through the ephemeral constructions - bookshelf, that appears to be floating in the air, the bold verticals, accented by the decorative metal grid and the wood panelled walls in the master bedroom. The simplistic charm of nature - calming, warm and mysterious is blended with the modern style and trends. Discreet surrealist touch of the compositions and the explicit geometry offer beauty and constant surprise, nurturing the imagination. And what more can you ask for!

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sogoojae / DIDI studio

Posted: 17 Nov 2018 01:00 PM PST

Architects: DIDI studio
Location: Namyangju, South Korea
Lead Architect: Hwi Roh
Team: Nari Kang, Gangkuk Lee, Hyungsuk Jung
Architect Of Record: Sungchul Kim ( Gado architecture)
Area: 563.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Kwangsik Jung

Text description provided by the architects. The beginning of the house began with a recollection of what we had missed rather than what we needed. Instead of worrying about the program of space, I gave priority to the fundamental question about what to feel, what to see and what to listen to. Civilization devices such as TVs and computers are minimized or hidden in order to stay away from artificial things. Instead, we made it possible to see nature everywhere, create eaves to hear the falling rain, and create a shady yard where we could feel the wind. That is, the experience was designed. In the front yard, the client moved the tree that he planted in childhood from the old house. In other words, I made a place to recall time. The memorable house, which is not simply a living house, is completed on a small hill.

Placeness
The location of the site is not easy to access, but it is still hidden in the confines of the surrounding urbanization. It is located on a small hill and maintains a very good view

Two orientations
As the earth meets the river, the building also looks at the river. In order to solve the difference between the building direction considering the feng shui and the practical building direction, the panoramic view was taken up to the inside after superimposing the two directions. As you climb the hill, the inside of the house also climbs, making your privacy more intimate.

Contrast
As the town becomes more and more known outside, its identity is changing. As commercial facilities enter riverside and in the village, visitors are increasing. On the road becoming increasingly crowded, it is separated from the outside by a somewhat closed nature, but on the opposite side, the river side is very open. The difference between what you see outside and what you experience inside is very clear.

Organized Nature
The internal spaces are arranged around or surrounded by external spaces such as yards or courtyards. The small spaces in which nature comes in deeply interact with nature and building, creating heaviness and lightness, lightness and darkness, opening and closing.

Memory
I wanted to build a new house but familiar. The place was reinterpreted such as the warm springtime ridges, cool summer floors, moonlighting window prints, and the cold windy sound of winter nights. It was not a simple building, but a place to communicate with the past. The maple tree planted in childhood moved away from the country house and was planted here. By personifying things with memories, I brought time to the place.

It was a festival to build a house. In addition to functional needs, the house became a friend as it filled the emotional thirst. We prepared festivals while carefully selecting materials and colors.

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The VietNam Hostel / 85 Design

Posted: 17 Nov 2018 11:00 AM PST

Architects: 85 Design
Location: 22 Hùng Vương, Hải Châu 1, Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng 550000, Vietnam
Architect: To Huu Dung
Area: 600.0 m2
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: To Huu Dung

Client: Mac Bao Gia Co.Ltd

Text description provided by the architects. Danang is a famous sea-tourism city in Vietnam. It has not only the beautiful beaches, but also the extremely wonderful Han River and Son Tra Peninsula. Danang is also a destination on the way to the World Heritage site of Hoi An. Therefore, thanks to Tourism, Danang has developed very quickly. Resorts and hotels are built to serve tourists from many countries in the world to Vietnam. However, the type of hostel has just been noticed and built in 4-5 years ago. This type of accommodation is not popular in Da Nang, so there is not enough demand to cater to tourists.

The VietNam Hostel is built opposite to Han Market, the most famous place in Da Nang for all residents and tourists worldwide. Han Market is regarded as the heart of the city. Every day, thousands of visitors come to visit and go shopping here, especially buy the local specialties. In addition, it takes less than a minute to walk from the VietNam Hostel to the romantic Han River. From here, tourists can easily travel around the city.

The VietNam Hostel is designed in a minimalist way, which eliminates all complicated elements to reduce the investment cost as low as possible but still ensures the maximum use factor. So, we use a lot of simple and inexpensive materials. And especially, we limit the materials that damage the environment such as paint, gypsum, etc. We prefer to use environmentally friendly solutions such as construction of unbaked bricks, not plastered walls in the house to limit the use of cement. In addition, we also use a lot of trees and sunlight to get the sun and wind for the purpose of making the space airier and friendlier, which reduces the hardness of the materials.

On the 1st floor: We pushed back the whole building back to the back to reserve a space for parking and garden to isolate the riotous noise of the Han Market and the streets. In addition, the area is used to enjoy coffee and watch the streets. Inside, the reception area is one side. The rest is used to make restaurants and coffee shop to serve both the guests of the hostel and frequent guests. The back of the building is office and garden. Elevators are designed with glass to provide a spacious and airy feeling.

On the 2nd and 3rd floors: They are the beginning of the residence floor, including the Dorm rooms. Between the rooms is a well and the space has green trees, people can walk to these areas to work, relax, talk, and smoke comfortably without disturbing the other on the inside.
On the 4th floor: This floor included Private rooms, playground, coffee shop and shared kitchen

On the 5th floor: We designed two apartments. Why do we do that? There are two reasons: firstly, this land is rented for construction, so the owner needs a financial security plan. If we construct the apartment above, it is very easy to rent for a better price than the Hostel. Secondly, due to the demand for tourist apartments in this area is very large, however, the surrounding area is not enough to serve.

The VietNam Hostel is designed and built with the purpose to bring visitors exciting experiences when coming to Danang. And through this project, we also want to send messages to people that: We can completely build the works at low cost, preferably use less harmful solutions to the environment, but they are still beautiful. Most importantly, they satisfy the users.

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Casa La Perouse / elton_léniz

Posted: 17 Nov 2018 05:00 AM PST

Architects: elton_léniz
Location: Santiago, Chile
Lead Architects: Mirene Elton, Mauricio Léniz, Rodrigo Fernández
Photographs: Marcos Mendizabal

Structural Engineering: Manuel José Ruiz
Constructor: Jorge Carrasco
Technical Consultant: Rodrigo Contreras
Landscape Design: Inés Couve
Energetic Consultant: Rodrigo Tonda
Lighting Design: Interdesign, Paula Martinez

Text description provided by the architects. This new urban house is inserted into a neighborhood of mid 50's modern architecture houses in Santiago. An urban area that is distinguished by large sites, aged trees and spectacular views to the surrounding mountains. The main aim of the project is to construct a compact and rough architecture that accommodates contemporary life, but at the same time safeguard the memory of the urban context, emphasizing the material dialogue and space relationships with the existing types of the old modern houses of the context.

Conceive as a robust volume divided into three levels, this house is organized around a central double height hall with a skylight and a native wooden stair that connects all the three levels. In the ground level, all the public spaces are connected through a series of wooden sliding walls that allows dividing the interior spaces depending on the family needs. Bedrooms are located in the second level with framed views to the surrounding landscape, a series of metal sliding panels work as a flexible skin ensuring privacy and solar control.

The basement functions principally as a space for storage, wine cellars and a multipurpose bedroom that is connected with a buried patio. Before the construction and old existing dwelling was carefully demolished, preserving many of the valuable materials and the principal trees of the garden. Native Alerce wood was preserved and used in the design of sliding doors and a 6 meters height wall that functions as a visual element and acoustic absorber in the main hall.

The exterior materials were selected to aged dramatically and show in the facades the effect of time. The second level is totally clad with grey wood, whilst for the first level concrete walls, oblique pillars, black walls and stone terraces were selected to contrast with the garden and the natural landscape of Santiago. Finally, white brick is used in the perimeters walls of the site dialoguing with the materials of the existing architecture of the neighboring modern houses.

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REX to Design Brown University's New $31.6 Million Performing Arts Center

Posted: 17 Nov 2018 04:00 AM PST

Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, Brown University / Diller Scofidio + Renfro

The New York City-based architecture firm REX will be designing the new performing arts center for Brown University's campus in Providence, Rhode Island. Known for their innovative cultural and recreational sites, the firm aims to accommodate performances and events while serving as a hub for daily social interactions on campus within the 81,000 square-foot site. With the backing of $31.6 million as a gift from donors, the building will become a central convening space of multimedia and performing arts for students, faculty, and visitors.

The site, directly opposite Diller Scofidio + Renfro's Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, lies amongst other arts-centered facilities to create a nexus of innovative practice and experimentation platforms for "intellectual and artistic collisions." The building and other new construction serve as a way to attract more students and faculty to the university for further sustained development in the arts.

Acting as a horizontal slice across the facade, the entrance lobby will be encased nearly entirely by glass order to create a visual dialogue with the surrounding buildings and foster a sense of openness. With expansive views of the Granoff Center and the green spaces in Brown's campus, the lobby becomes a more active and usable space throughout the day rather than limited to scheduled events. The amphitheater-like entrance steps draw the visitors from the ground level to the lobby's vestibule.

Diana Nelson, a primary donor who was interested in the flexibility of the lobby space, stated,

We expect [that the lobby] will be used in ways we might not even envision at this point. To see this become a space that is frequently activated and used creatively in a way that complements the broader mission of a dedicated performing arts center would make us tremendously happy.

Upon finalizing the design, the construction is scheduled to proceed in 2019.

News via REX

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Nike House of Innovation 000 in New York City Reflects a New Generation in Sports Performance

Posted: 17 Nov 2018 03:00 AM PST

Nike House of Innovation 000 continues the athletic brand's redefinition. As a company that prides itself on the innovative design of its foot and athletic wear, Nike has chosen to design its retail locations to reflect a new generation in sports performance. The House of Innovation maintains a foundation in flexible design, allowing the retailer to provide its patron with an immersive brand experience.

The store concept is described as "one floor, one world." Each floor, inspired by the sounds and movement of New York, highlights different collections within the Nike brand. The retail program of each floor gets more specific as the levels increase. The 68,000 square-foot, six-level destination is the second Nike House of Innovation. The first was opened in Shanghai last month. These stores are the first of a new generation of sport retail experiences for Nike, numbered sequentially around the globe.

The store's façade integrates slumped and carved glass. From the street, visitors can witness a display of temporary graphics programmed onto the exterior, creating a full-scale digital billboard to celebrate Nike and NYC's sport's innovation.

A triangular section of the textured glass exterior surrounding the main entrance was replaced by traditional glass. This entry sequence mimics a runner exploding off a starting block. Below the prominent white swoosh and above the doors, the ceiling of this curated entryway is angled at precisely 23.5 degrees - the exact angle of the Nike Swoosh trademark.

News via Black Frame

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Spotlight: Rem Koolhaas

Posted: 17 Nov 2018 01:30 AM PST

With the extensive list of acclaimed alumni of his firm, OMA, it is not a stretch to call Rem Koolhaas (born 17 November 1944) the godfather of contemporary architecture. Equal parts theorist and designer, over his 40-year career Koolhaas has revolutionized the way architects look at program and interaction of space, and today continues to design buildings that push the capabilities of architecture to new places.

© Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/strelka/6504213361'>via Flickr</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a>

Maison Bordeaux. Image © Hans Werlemann, courtesy OMA

Remment Koolhaas was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. At the age of eight, Koolhaas' father was given a position running a cultural program in Jakarta, Indonesia and subsequently moved his family to Asia. The family returned to Amsterdam three years later, where Koolhaas would later pursue filmmaking (a phase he believes still impacts his work today), until enrolling at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London in 1968. Following continued studies at Cornell University and the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in New York City, Koolhaas returned to London to open his firm, OMA, alongside his wife Madelon Vriesendorp and Elia and Zoe Zenghelis. He also began teaching at his Alma Mater, during which time he met a young Zaha Hadid. Hadid soon joined OMA, and together the group began working on a series of highly conceptual, predominantly unbuilt projects, highlighted by the Dutch Parliament Building in The Hague.

Seattle Central Library / OMA + LMN. Image Courtesy of OMA

During this period, Koolhaas penned Delirious New York, an urbanist manifesto that would come to define his future architectural strategy. In the book, Koolhaas celebrates the city's hyper-dense "culture of congestion" as a cultural incubator, a place where unprescribed interaction could lead to innovation and creativity. It was in this text that Koolhaas first proposed the idea of "cross-programming," intentionally introducing unexpected program types within buildings of different typologies, such as running tracks within skyscrapers. The idea has since returned in various forms, such as in his unsuccessful proposal to include hospital units for the homeless within his design for the Seattle Central Library. The book is still considered today to be an essential piece of the architectural canon.

Following Hadid's departure from the firm, OMA received its first major commission, the Netherlands Dance Theater in The Hague. Completed in 1987, the building was a manifestation of many of the ideas from Delirious New York; the design features volumes of varying form and materiality colliding in unique ways to create new types of space and a visually stimulating composition. The success of that building, as well as continued acclaim for their unbuilt competition entries, gave OMA increased international recognition.

Kunsthal. Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/70647624@N00/3672411925/'>Flickr user kleiobird</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a>

The 1990s saw projects of widely varying scale for Koolhaas and OMA, from city master plans, in Euralille, France, to the Rotterdam Kunsthal (1992) to residential projects. The most widely renowned of these residential projects were the Villa Dall'Ava in Paris (1991) and the Maison Bordeaux (1999). In these houses, Koolhaas took cues from Modernist classics, in particular Villa Savoye and the Farnsworth House, blowing their designs into parts and reassembling them to suit the unique needs of the clients. Villa Dall'Ava featured a rooftop pool and a dynamic collage of materials raised 3 stories above the ground by slender, irregularly placed columns and a poured-in-place concrete wall. Private apartment units were connected by a shared glass living space below and the pool above. The design of Maison Bordeaux contained three floors of varying opacity relating to program type, connected by an oversized elevator that doubled as an office for the husband, who was a wheelchair user.

Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre / REX | OMA. Image © Tim Hursley

The following decade saw a massive expansion within OMA, with the founding of architectural think-tank and research group AMO in 1999. AMO has since contributed to designs for numerous exhibitions and events, including stores and runway shows for fashion house Prada. Key buildings from OMA in the 2000s include the Casa da Musica in Porto (2005), the Wyly Theater in Dallas (2009), the IIT-McCormick Tribune Center in Chicago (2001), and the Seattle Central Library (2004). In particular, the Seattle Library has had a profound impact on architectural approach and diagramming in architecture—the word-bubble programmatic diagram used to outline spatial relationships has since been utilized by architects worldwide. The library's pivoting planes highlighting views of the city have also convinced critics that elegant form can be derived from focusing on user experience.

Since then, Koolhaas has had a hand in designing buildings worldwide, including the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, mixed-use building De Rotterdam, the Qatar National Library, and the Fondazione Prada in Milan.

In recent years, Rem Koolhaas' discourse has ranged from breaking down architecture into its fundamental elements in his lauded directorship of the 2014 Venice Biennale, to the feasibility of smart cities, to studies on urbanization in Lagos, Nigeria. He has also often delved into the realm of skepticism, such as his claim that "people can inhabit anything. And they can be miserable in anything and ecstatic in anything. More and more I think that architecture has nothing to do with it. Of course, that's both liberating and alarming."

Shenzhen Stock Exchange HQ. Image © Philippe Ruault

These claims have led to Koolhaas' being called "the most controversial figure in architecture" and "an anti-architect," but those descriptions fail to capture the career of a man who is always chasing the next step in architecture and how he can think bigger. By helping to spawn the careers of Bjarke Ingels, Ole Scheeren, Farshid Moussavi, Jeanne Gang, Winy Maas, and many many others, Koolhaas has perhaps found another way of thinking bigger: by creating the future.

See all of the work featured on ArchDaily by Rem Koolhaas' firm OMA via the thumbnails below, and further coverage of Koolhaas below those:

Rem Koolhaas Asks: Are Smart Cities Condemned to Be Stupid?

Rem Koolhaas and Eurolab Call for Creative Ideas on How to Re-Brand the EU

OMA founder Rem Koolhaas has joined his colleague Stephan Petermann and artist Wolfgang Tillmans in calling for ideas on re-branding the European Union, at a time when the EU is experiencing increased pressure from the rising tide of far-right nationalism.

Why is Rem Koolhaas the World's Most Controversial Architect?

Review: "REM" - A Retroactive, Redacted Study of the World's Greatest Living Architect

Rem Koolhaas' Current Fascinations: On Identity, Asia, the Biennale, & More

Chasing Rem: One Journalist's Journey to Pin Down Koolhaas

13 Things You Didn't Know About Rem Koolhaas

Koolhaas' Career in Film: 1,2,3 Group

Why Rem Koolhaas Switched From Scriptwriting to Architecture

A Biennale of Knowledge: Rem Koolhaas on The Importance of the Archive

Rem Koolhaas on Prada, Preservation, Art and Architecture

Video: Rem Koolhaas Answers Questions From Fans as Part of 'REM' Kickstarter

Rem Koolhaas Sheds Light on Lagos

The Berlage Archive: Rem Koolhaas + Kenneth Frampton (1998)

Watch Rem Koolhaas Present S,M,L,XL at the AA in 1995

Video: Rem Koolhaas and Peter Eisenman on today's critical architectural discourse issues

Rem Koolhaas to Lead OMA's Transformation of the New Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow

OMA has revealed plans for the renovation of the New Tretyakov Gallery on Krymsky Val in Moscow that will increase the accessibility and visibility of the gallery's four sectors. Led by Rem Koolhaas, the scheme will use color and material to create a new visual identity and to establish a new link to the Moscow River.

17 Excerpts from OMA Publications To Read and Download

OMA's 15 Most Outrageous Unbuilt Skyscrapers

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Allotment House / Kristian Olesen

Posted: 17 Nov 2018 01:00 AM PST

Architects: Kristian Olesen
Location: Aarhus, Denmark
Area: 50.0 m2
Project Year: 2018

Text description provided by the architects. The house is located in western Aarhus on the scenic area around the Brabrand-lake. The grounds overlook the meadow by the lake and are situated along the public path circeling the lake.

The design of the house is inspired by the Nordic tradition of allotment houses: Small self-built wooden houses often built in recycled materials.
The gardens serve as recreational getaways from city life with room for living life closer to nature and with the space to grow your own vegetables.

The placement of the house creates a sunny garden connected to the surrounding landscapes. Towards the south and west, terraces are established in continuation of the living room where the house opens to the views of the landscape.

The shape of the house is compact and adapted to optimize the limited space of the plot. The house is elevated on foundations to provide a better view of the surrounding landscape and ensure flood protection.

The interior of the house is organized as a single space that spans the entire length of the building. The space has a vaulted ceiling to reflect the exterior shape inside the house. The space is divided by a central volume that creates to mains rooms. To the west is the living- and kitchen area and to the east is the bedroom. The house can be divided into four rooms with sliding doors on either side of the central volume. A small entrance facing south and a utility room facing north with access to the central bathroom.

To the north, the practical functions of the house are placed in a continuous line that spans the entire length of the house. The line contains storage, kitchen, utility room and outside shed as well as the outdoor kitchen. The function-line combines the practical features in a compact solution that makes extra space for the rest of the functions in the house.

Materials
The house is a wooden structure boarded with various wood surfaces.
The roof surface has boards on clinker inspired by an old Nordic tradition for wooden roofs and the boards continue down the facade to get a complete and calm expression. Hence, the roof slope is integrated into the surface of the facade resulting in an undisturbed geometric form.

The gables are covered with vertical boards that contrast the horizontal boards on the roof and facade. The vertical and the horizontal boards are joined in the corners between roof, facade and gable with a galvanized steel profile that gives the shape of the house a precise edge.

The windows are grouped with frames of douglas wood that cut into the boarding and introduces larger architectural motifs in the facade. Between the windows, the facade is covered with vertical, untreated wood.

The roof and the facade is tarred with Finnish wood tar with black pigment and the gables are untreated and over time it will patinate.

It is the intention to create as simple an interior as possible to increase the sense of spaciousness.

The floor, walls and ceiling are covered with pine playwood to give a homogeneous and calm expression. The central volume is also covered with pine playwoodbut in a smaller size to give it its own expression. Doors and fixtures have pine playwood surfaces as well to appear as integrated into the architecture. Over the sliding doors are glass sections that provide a spacious view al the way through the house.

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Andres Gallardo Studies Milan's Contrasting Typologies in Contemporary Architecture

Posted: 17 Nov 2018 12:00 AM PST

Andres Gallardo's photo series "Urban Geometries" continues, this time the self-taught photographer chose to capture the architecture of Milan. The series focuses on the architectural contours of contemporary structures, varying in both age and function while highlighting the materiality of the façades, architectural, industrial details of each building.

Gallardo's Milan series features the work of Zaha Hadid Architects and Grafton Architects. Other images in the series include elements of the city that often go unnoticed, such as a series of colorful recycling receptacles.

Architecturally, Gallardo captures Zaha Hadid's signature fluid lines in the firm's design for Citylife Milano, a housing complex of seven buildings. The buildings' organic facades are a balance of white and wood finishes that accentuate the serpentine balconies and uniquely shaped windows.

In contrast, the photographer also includes an image of traditional urban Italian residences in this series. With its linear geometries, the strong horizontals and equally proportion rectangular balconies break the facade into uniform components, emphasizing the overall variation in Milan's architectural typologies.

Gallardo also includes images of educational institutions, capturing the hard, stone and concrete shells of Grafton Architects' Università Luigi Bocconi building and Politecnico di Milano's radiochemistry building.

News via Andres Gallardo Photography

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“The New Bauhaus” Film Celebrates the Bauhaus Movement in America

Posted: 16 Nov 2018 10:00 PM PST

The year 2019 marks the centennial anniversary of the Bauhaus' founding. Founded by Walter Gropius in 1919, the school sought to reimagine material reality. Considered by many to be the most visionary school of early 20th-century art and design, the Bauhaus would spark a global movement in a period of world history otherwise marred by war and economic devastation.

In 1933, The Nazi Party took over Germany and eventually closed the Bauhaus school. Many of the Bauhaus' leading visionaries emigrated to the United States – bringing the movement with them. László Moholy-Nagy brought the Bauhaus to Chicago, starting a new chapter in the Bauhaus' history by establishing a school – The New Bauhaus.

A team of filmmakers channeled their passion for architecture, art, and design into the production of an in-depth examination of Maholy's art and vision for the future of design. The film, titled "The New Bauhaus," utilizes specialized access to archives at the Moholy-Nagy Foundation and Maholy's surviving daughter Hattula.

Moholy's new Chicago school went through many iterations before becoming successful. The film offers its viewers an intimate journey through Moholy's life, his artistic experimentation across a variety of medium, and his teachings.

"The New Bauhaus" is directed by Alysa Nahmias. The film is produced by Petter Ringbom, Erin Wright and Alysa Nahmias, and executively produced by Marquise Stillwell. It was shot by Petter Ringbom. The project's funding has already reached its goal on Kickstarter, allowing the team to continue to cultivate footage for the film's release in mid-2019.

News via Opendox

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nedjelja, 18. studenoga 2018.

Arch Daily

Arch Daily

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