Arch Daily |
- Alejandro Aravena Shares the Foundational Philosophies at the Core of His Socially Conscious Practice
- Indigo Atelierwoning / Woonpioniers
- The Workplace Paradox: Join the IE School of Architecture and Design's Master Class
- Brick by Brick: a Doctor's House for Maji Moto / Studio TOTALE
- Villa Wennerström / Max Holst Arkitektkontor
- Robatayaki Genroku & Kaiseki Shakuhachi / Tsutsumi & Associates
- H Queen's / CL3 Architects
- PH House / Mét Vuong Studio
- Dongguan TP-LINK Industrial Park / CCDI
- Johnston Marklee's Menil Institute is a Quiet Triumph for a Quiet Art
- Owl Creek / Skylab
- 15 Incredible Architectural Works in the Mountains
- Ephemeral 'Origami Lava' Installation at Catalonia's Lluèrnia Festival of Light and Fire
- Owl's House / estudio GonzaloGA
- The Same People who Designed Prisons Also Designed Schools
- Modern as Metaphor: Where the Tate Stands in a Post-Brexit World
- HASSELL Envisions a Restorative Redesign For San Francisco's Crumbling Waterfront
| Posted: 18 Nov 2018 08:00 PM PST  Villa Verde Housing / ELEMENTAL. Photos by Suyin Chia Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena shares the fundamentals of his design philosophy in a documented interview titled "To Design is to Prefer." The Pritzker Prize winner founded his practice in 2001, committed to exploring socially conscious design practices. His firm, Elemental, first gained international recognition for its work creating social housing projects in Chile, but its portfolio continues to expand to include work from museums, universities, transportation, and urban infrastructure. This video highlights the mental process behind Aravena's personal practices and insights into Elemental's unique approach to design. The interview begins discussing Aravena's introduction to architecture as a teen and how architecture, a rather obscure phenomenon to the young Aravena, became his passion. Throughout the film, Aravena flips to the pages of his sketchbooks, illustrating the raw hand of the architect.
Elemental's approach to a project begins by formulating a question. Once the completed question is introduced, the team can begin to experiment with architectural solutions. Many of these solutions, Aravena has found, require architecture to be in a state of "irreducible existence" or "without frills." At its core, architecture is composed of a series of decisions, the architect describes. When working on projects with limited resources, each decision has a greater impact on the overall design.  via 99 Percent Invisible Aravena recognizes some elements of his projects as more successful than others, but Elemental's approach to architecture and ability to propose a solution to contemporary social issues through innovative building practices have provided the international architecture community with greater knowledge to solve global issues. News via: Louisiana Museum  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Indigo Atelierwoning / Woonpioniers Posted: 18 Nov 2018 07:10 PM PST  © Henny van Belkom
 © Henny van Belkom Text description provided by the architects. Indigo is an ecological modular building concept. Positioned between "product" and "architecture", this project explores how "mass-customized" ecological building could provide healthier homes for all of us, while avoiding one-size-fits-all solutions. Instead it allows flexibility for dwellers and their context and lifestyle by inviting them to join the design process. Therefore, not one Indigo is the same.  © Henny van Belkom  Ground Floor Plan  © Henny van Belkom Lia's Indigo is the result of a design process in which her wishes were clearly identified, leaving only the essentials. Here, between the trees, overlooking the landscape, Lia can dedicate herself to making her natural stone art. The work is done downstairs while relaxation prevails on the first floor. Surrounded by the curves of the structure, with a view towards both sides, this space offers an almost spiritual experience.  © Henny van Belkom  Longitudinal Section  © Henny van Belkom Indigo exists of pre-fabricated, bio-based elements, which can be installed on location within one day. In these pre-fabricated elements, the curved connections between wall and roof are moment resistant. Besides these, no other structural walls are necessary, resulting in complete freedom for the interior lay-out. In Lia's case, all facilities are organized in a central furniture piece, allowing both the living- and the working space to be next to the completely transparent façade. This provides plenty of daylight and a stunning unblocked view through the building.  © Henny van Belkom  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Workplace Paradox: Join the IE School of Architecture and Design's Master Class Posted: 18 Nov 2018 07:00 PM PST  At IE School of Architecture and Design, we know that the world of work is changing so fast that we cannot always keep up. Industry disruptors, such as emerging technologies, are unsettling the setup of the traditional office. Workforce demands, the ongoing talent war, and the threat of job replacement by AI all contribute to a workforce under tremendous pressure, creating new dynamics at work. Join our upcoming Online Master Class to learn more about the evolution and disruption taking place in the workplace. This talk will explore the forces driving change in the workplace and showcase some of Gensler's latest research into this field, demonstrating, through selected case studies, how people are reclaiming place in a placeless world. Register here. The class will be taught by Philip Tidd, Principal at Gensler & professor in IE's Master's in Strategic Design of Spaces. With more than 20 years of experience in workplace consultancy, real estate advising, and design and urban strategy, Philip has worked with global organizations across mainland Europe to implement workplace programs in line with the region's many cultural and legislative variations. Philip has also advised numerous European public-sector organizations on how enhanced work environments can lead to improved performance.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Brick by Brick: a Doctor's House for Maji Moto / Studio TOTALE Posted: 18 Nov 2018 06:00 PM PST  © Maria Chiara Gatti
 © Maria Chiara Gatti Text description provided by the architects. Maji Moto is a spontaneous village in the northern Tanzania, Arusha area, nearby the Kilimanjaro mountain. The Doctor's House needed to keep the medical center operative, will grant access to basic healthcare treatments for the population by allowing dwelling for those who will work in the dispensary.
The building itself is a prototype for both sustainable technology and spatial distribution. The 30sm surface is divided into four equal modules: three indoor spaces (two bedrooms and one living), one outdoor space (cooking area). This space helps to avoid intoxication by smoke caused by the common habit of cooking indoors. Is covered yet open to create a dialogue with the other buildings and environment.  © Maria Chiara Gatti  Floor Plans  © Maria Chiara Gatti The porch is a filter between public and private space. The project is built with local materials: soil, stone, and gravel. The walls are built in C.S.E.B (Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks). The use of wood is kept to the minimum needed. The technologies involved are low cost, quick and easy to build. We aimed to blend tradition with contemporary standards to promote some small yet effective innovations.  © Maria Chiara Gatti  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Villa Wennerström / Max Holst Arkitektkontor Posted: 18 Nov 2018 05:00 PM PST  © Lars Grafström
 © Lars Grafström Text description provided by the architects. This house was designed for a private client in 2014 and completed 2016. It is situated in a rural area east of Stockholm and the site has a dynamic topography with visible granite rocks, view over a beautiful landscape and magnificent trees of a great variety – mainly oak and pine.  © Lars Grafström  First floor plan  © Lars Grafström Our ambition was to create a building with a clear architectonic shape and structure that would follow the conditions set by context and as much as possible blend into the surroundings but at the same time create a contrast to the organic landscape. We believe this is achieved by the repetitive pattern of the facades and simple geometries as well as the decision to divide the program into two volumes.  © Lars Grafström The main volume contains public functions such as cooking, dining and socializing and the other rooms for media, work and sleep. The volumes are slightly angled to better follow the topography and hence simplify construction as well as to create better views from the interior of the house and an exterior space between the two volumes.  © Lars Grafström  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Robatayaki Genroku & Kaiseki Shakuhachi / Tsutsumi & Associates Posted: 18 Nov 2018 04:00 PM PST  Robata day. Image © Wei Liu
 Facade. Image © Wei Liu Text description provided by the architects. The project is located on the ground floor of Chengdu Shangri-La Hotel with a street frontage.There are two categories with a single kitchen,one is for the Japanese-style barbecue Robatayaki, the other is for Kaiseki which is a traditional Japanese meal brought in courses. Referring two different traditional typology of Japanese houses, civilian's house and tea-room of Samurai, we extracted characteristic elements and expanded them multiple-layered, so to create an enduring space without being consumed.  Robata day. Image © Wei Liu In the part for Robatayaki which is on the lineage of civilian, we referred to Yoshijima House in Gifu which has a dynamic wooden structure. First we installed an aged wooden frame in the utmost height, then put the mirror on the ceiling to show dynamic reflected image with double height wooden structure. On the wall facing the street, windows and washi light box are set in checkered pattern, and those directional light raise the wooden frame elegantly.  Robata night. Image © Wei Liu  Robata night. Image © Wei Liu In the part for Kaiseki which is on the lineage of tea-room, we overlapped tilted ceilings that is a typical language of traditional tea-room. These ceilings made by Sunoko which is a small fine louver panel has different angle each other, and the moire pattern caused by those layering directs extraordinary. The private rooms also consist of Sunoko elements, and upper light behind the wall and top light on the ceiling makes diversity in the tiny room.  Kaiseki counter. Image © Wei Liu  Kaiseki counter. Image © Wei Liu The façade, as Jorn Utzon once said "the characteristic of Japanese architecture is the roofs", is designed to be like roofs. That of Robatayaki should have been defined as thatch, but due to the fire code, it is now painted mud taste with rice straw. That of Kaiseki is covered with ruffled copper plates which was invented by Fujimori, it will look like a traditional copperware finished by hammers.  Public corridor. Image © Wei Liu Above all, the aging of the copper can be enjoyed for a long time, in the consumption society where the life span of shop interior will be often very short, we hope this project has durability as it won't be easily consumed.  Facade. Image © Wei Liu  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 18 Nov 2018 03:00 PM PST  © Nirut Benjabanpot
 © Henderson Real Estate Agency Limited Text description provided by the architects. H Queen's is a commercial building that mixes 2 distinct components: Art galleries and F&B to form a unique lifestyle building. At 125 meters tall, the building is clad in Low-E glass achieving LEED gold status. Of the 24 floors, 2/3 are designed for art galleries with 4.65 meters high floor to floor.  © Nirut Benjabanpot The exterior is triple glazed with zero UV penetration. The bottom floors and the top are F&B floors with staggered terraces for al fresco dining, resulting in interlocking sculptural form. Alongside the historic Pottinger Street, and the 2 lanes wide Stanley Street, a series of terrace setbacks was created to allow openness and daylight penetrating onto Stanley Street.  © Nirut Benjabanpot  © Nirut Benjabanpot The main problem in loading large artworks into the building is solved by mounting a crane on the roof. Artworks are hoisted from Stanley Street, through a 3-meter x 4.5-meter openable curtain wall panel directly into the building, lifting a weight up to 1.25 ton. The building's openable façade allows passive energy use and flexibility for tenants who want natural ventilation.  © Nirut Benjabanpot  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 18 Nov 2018 01:00 PM PST  © Công Lý Phạm
 © Công Lý Phạm Text description provided by the architects. PH House with land west, size 8 * 20m, 2 floors, for married couples and two children, a son, a girl. Urban life today pressure, hurry, Meter Studio design solutions PH House is an introverted project. After a day of work and study, all family members return to their homes, join in their activities, eat, chat, gather in the open space and Koi.  © Công Lý Phạm  Floor plans  © Công Lý Phạm The house is introverted but still provides ventilation, full natural light for the space. Large dining table for the whole family combined guests. Koi ponds and trees are interwoven into the space of the building.  © Công Lý Phạm  © Công Lý Phạm PH House aims at the natural beauty of materials such as wood, steel, concrete, brick, stone ... and other natural materials available locally, thus saving maximum construction cost.  © Công Lý Phạm  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Dongguan TP-LINK Industrial Park / CCDI Posted: 18 Nov 2018 11:00 AM PST  Facade rhythm and order of dormitory. Image © Jian Fang
 General Relationship. Image © Jian Fang Text description provided by the architects. After moving away from Shenzhen, TP-LINK found a new site in Dongguan Eco-Industrial Park, south of Yuetang Lake, quiet waterway passed by, flat terrain, natural scenery is very beautiful. The project is an industrial production park, divided into two parts: the production plant area and the dormitory area, the factory area is located near the lake, the dormitory area is located at the north of the factory area.  Connecting building in the industrial park. Image © Jian Fang The problem we are facing  Site Location The relationship between architecture and landscape Facade rhythm and order of dormitory. Image © Jian Fang Organic growth pattern of industrial parks  Pedestrain in the industrial park. Image © Jian Fang  Two-story pedestrian walk-through space in the industrial park. Image © Jian Fang A cross-shaped walking axis is placed between the three courtyard spaces, and a traffic lane is arranged on the outer side to form a layout of pedestrians in the courtyard space, and the vehicle is arranged in the outer loop, and a unloading site is arranged at the corner of the venue; Through the courtyard space and the cross-shaped two-layer penetrating space, natural ventilation can be effectively improved, and energy consumption in transition season can be reduced.  Circulation Analysis Renovation conditions: For the entire project to meet the needs of urban development and change, this 30-meter-long interlocking garden-style industrial park layout provides excellent conditions for the factory to change into office and commercial space. It can greatly expand the life cycle of the entire buildings, which is also in line with the planning concept of the sustainable park.  Building detail in the industrial park. Image © Jian Fang  Pedestrain entrance in the industrial park. Image © Jian Fang Diverse dormitory public space hierarchy and interaction  Dormitory building subverts the traditional concepts. Image © Jian Fang  Rich and diverse event space. Image © Jian Fang Space placement: the upper and lower floors are connected by external staircases ,activity centers and platforms, dormitory area adopt one-corridor design, the whole dormitories' room have southern aspect, which have excellent conditions of lighting and ventilation, when you open the door of dormitories' room and walk to the outer corridor, you can see the beautiful scenery of Yuetang Lake. The landscape stairs connect to the upper and lower level, and dormitories' staff activity center set between rooms, provide a multi-dimensional public space for the park staff.  Set back platform communication space in outdoor corridor dormitory. Image © Jian Fang  Courtyard relationship between dormitory. Image © Jian Fang Set-back model overlapping: The dormitory formed set-back model by layer, facing the central main square, so that there is a better interaction between the building and the environment. While the dormitory has created a distinctive image, it has also created a rich and diverse space for activities. Young employees can enjoy the leisure time after work by strolls, recreational sports, leisure and relaxation.  Vertical connection corridor between dormitories. Image © Jian Fang The design concept of "sustainable industrial park"  The dormitory building forms an activity space by set-backs. Image © Jian Fang  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Johnston Marklee's Menil Institute is a Quiet Triumph for a Quiet Art Posted: 18 Nov 2018 06:00 AM PST  The Menil Drawing Institute / Johnston Marklee. Image © Courtesy Richard Barnes/ the Menil Collection, Houston Johnston Marklee has rapidly become one of the US' most exciting practices. After years of completing sensitive and complex domestic-scaled works in Los Angeles, the office vaulted to prominence after being selected to curate Chicago's 2017 architecture biennial. Since then they've completed and embarked on numerous significant projects - none more so than the Menil Drawing Institute.
The Menil, notable as the first public museum in the US dedicated to the art of drawing, was founded in Houston by art collectors and philanthropists John and Dominique Menil in 1987. The collection has been comfortably ensconced in Houston's Montrose neighborhood since 1988, in Italian architect Renzo Piano's first American built work. The building strikes a fine balance in scales, negotiating its institutional nature with its residential context. It's this complexity - and its uniquely focused program - that made an addition such a complex challenge. "We traveled to see precedents," Johnston Marklee co-founder Sharon Johnston says. "The research was intense, but we didn't find one building that set the precedent."  The Menil Drawing Institute / Johnston Marklee. Image © Courtesy Richard Barnes/ the Menil Collection, Houston Drawings, while rich for the viewer, are a challenge to preserve and display. Light and humidity in even small amounts can quickly degrade the quality of a drawing. Houston has both in spades. As a result, Johnston Marklee's addition for the Menil had to be cave-like but not cavernous; a kind of architectural cocoon. It's been a great success. "This quietly innovative architecture of the Menil Drawing Institute allows us to make drawing, the most personal of all artistic practices, accessible as never before, to artists, to scholars, and to the public," said Menil Collection director Rebecca Rabinow. But perhaps the greatest achievement of Johnston Marklee's building is its ability to elevate not itself, but its subject. Says Aaron Seward in Metropolis Magazine, "...the building also gives the Menil something that it desperately needed: more of itself." Read the full review in Metropolis Magazine here.  The Menil Drawing Institute / Johnston Marklee. Image © Courtesy Richard Barnes/ the Menil Collection, Houston  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 18 Nov 2018 05:00 AM PST  © Robert Reck
 © Robert Reck Text description provided by the architects. Perched on the hillside, with panoramic views of Snowmass Mountain, the Owl Creek Residence was built on the idea that a physical place can deepen the connections between friends, families and the natural world. Initial site challenges and slope constraints were solved by anchoring the structures directly into the landforms.  © Stephen Miller At Owl Creek a single shared, stand-alone home was built for two families. Additionally, a collection of lodge-like communal areas are clustered together, creating a space that is both intimate and open.  © Jeremy Bittermann  © Jeremy Bittermann Natural light was a constant consideration, with every effort made to minimize visual separation from the outdoors. This all-weather mountain retreat is designed for recharging social relationships and renewing connections to the rugged Rocky Mountain landscape.  © Jeremy Bittermann  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 15 Incredible Architectural Works in the Mountains Posted: 18 Nov 2018 04:00 AM PST  © Adolf Bereuter The mountains—one of the contexts that almost every architect would like to build in at least once. And yet even though it's an attractive setting, the associated challenges, including, but not limited to the sheer remoteness of mountain regions and their distance from basic services, make building in the mountains particularly demanding. Thomas JantscherNew Mountain Hut At Tracuit / Savioz Fabrizzi Architectes © Thomas Jantscher Felipe CamusChalet C7 / Nicolás del Rio + Max Núñez © Felipe Camus Anze CoklAlpine Shelter Skuta / OFIS arhitekti + AKT II + Harvard GSD Students © Anze Cokl inexhibit.comMessner Mountain Museum Corones / Zaha Hadid Architects © inexhibit.com Cristobal PalmaElqui Domos Astronomical Hotel / Duque Motta & AA © Cristobal Palma Roger FreiHoliday Home in Vitznau / Lischer Partner Architekten Planer © Roger Frei Fearon Hay ArchitectsMountain Retreat / Fearon Hay Architects Cortesía de Fearon Hay Architects Søren Harder NielsenSplit View Mountain Lodge / Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter © Søren Harder Nielsen Kengo Kuma & AssociatesMont-Blanc Base Camp / Kengo Kuma & Associates Cortesía de Kengo Kuma & Associates diephotodesigner.deWild Reindeer Centre / Snøhetta © diephotodesigner.de Marc LinsMountain Cabin / Marte.Marte Architekten © Marc Lins Liam Frederick PhotographySan Cayetano Mountain Residence / Paul Weiner | DesignBuild Collaborative © Liam Frederick Photography Janez MartincicWinter Cabin on Mount Kanin / OFIS arhitekti © Janez Martincic Albrecht Imanuel SchnabelHaus Fontanella / Bernardo Bader Architects © Albrecht Imanuel Schnabel Adolf BereuterSki Lodge Wolf / Bernardo Bader Architects © Adolf Bereuter  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Ephemeral 'Origami Lava' Installation at Catalonia's Lluèrnia Festival of Light and Fire Posted: 18 Nov 2018 03:00 AM PST  Courtesy of SP25 Arquitectura In the wistful irony of creating liquid fire through sheets of paper, David Oliva of Barcelona-based firm SP25 Arquitectura and Anna Juncà of Atelier 4 collaborated to fabricate an installation piece for the LLUÈRNIA festival of fire and light in Catalonia. Titled, "Origami Lava", the field of flame cloaks the 100 m2 surface of an abandoned building using over 10,000 pieces of origami.  Courtesy of SP25 Arquitectura Drawing inspiration from the natural environment of Olot, a town native to dormant volcanoes, the eruption of the incandescent lava illuminates the otherwise pitch-black night. The ephemeral experience is generated by positioning a series of lights throughout the site coupled with the use of smoke machines to synthesize light and heat.  Courtesy of SP25 Arquitectura  Courtesy of SP25 Arquitectura Oozing across multiple storeys between the facade of the building and past the terrace below, the lava comes to life as a singular entity from the array of origami elements. The photographs encapsulate the mysterious glow of the "lava mat".  Courtesy of SP25 Arquitectura Shades of red, yellow, and orange tinge the paper to create the look of the wild flames. The individual origami itself is folded similar to that of children's classic fortune tellers, however, in this context the four tips of each element is reflective of the urban topography of the environment.  Courtesy of SP25 Arquitectura News via SP25 Arquitectura  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Owl's House / estudio GonzaloGA Posted: 18 Nov 2018 01:00 AM PST  © Luis Díaz Díaz
 © Luis Díaz Díaz BACKGROUND  © Luis Díaz Díaz PROGRAM  © Luis Díaz Díaz STRATEGY  © Luis Díaz Díaz  Elevations  © Luis Díaz Díaz TACTICS  © Luis Díaz Díaz The new reconstructed wing has a formal and constructive duality, sharing aesthetics and similar solutions to the previous house in the entire north façade (arrival to the house) since it is in this area of the house where you can see both eras. This facade has been resolved with traditional construction techniques to achieve the integration of the new part with the old. On the other hand, the south façade takes advantage of the views and the sunlight by opening large windows, resolved with a constructive hybrid system between the traditional and contemporary construction techniques.  Ground Floor Plan  Upper Floor Plan The roof of the building is done with a structure of metal trusses whose inclinations vary in each block. Part of the new roof is made with the old tile recovered and the rest is completed with a flat tile similar to the preexisting, giving continuity to the language of the original house.  © Luis Díaz Díaz  Section  © Luis Díaz Díaz  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Same People who Designed Prisons Also Designed Schools Posted: 18 Nov 2018 12:00 AM PST  New City School, Frederikshavn / Arkitema Architects . Image Cortesía de Arkitema Architects According to architect and academic Frank Locker, in architectural education, we keep repeating the same formula from the 20th-century: teachers transmitting a rigid and basic knowledge that gives students, no matter their motivation, interests, or abilities, little to no direction. In this way, says Locker, we are replicating, literally, prisons, with no room for an integral, flexible, and versatile education. "What do you think of when you're in a space with closed doors and a hallway where you can't enter without permission or a bell that tells you when you can enter and leave?" asks Locker. !["March of the 100 thousand umbrellas," protest in the context of the student marches of 2011 in Chile. Image © Rafael Edwards [Flickr CC]](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/54d9/0b1e/e58e/ce19/1200/019b/medium_jpg/6056624971_479816f691_o.jpg?1423510294 "\"March of the 100 thousand umbrellas,\" protest in the context of the student marches of 2011 in Chile. Image © Rafael Edwards [Flickr CC]") "March of the 100 thousand umbrellas," protest in the context of the student marches of 2011 in Chile. Image © Rafael Edwards [Flickr CC] The fact that global educational models are being questioned and put in various forms of transformation (or crisis) is nothing new. We've seen it since the French Revolution and the fall of the Ecclesiastical monopoly on education during the Old Regime. Transformations in education happen slowly and with time. Curiously, they're typically ignited by those who grew up in now-defunct educational systems and their results will be seen by generations not even in existence. No matter the system, be it positive or negative, architecture tends to reflect upon rather than rebel against. Architecture is, after all, the visions of the state and other private entities made real beyond the allowed margins of spatial creativity.  Lucie Aubrac School / Laurens&Loustau Architectes. Image © Stéphane Chalmeau So, in the era of information (a more accurate description than the era of knowledge), citizens are demanding changes in their educational models to better fit their societies and distinct idiosyncrasies. In our case, Columbia's GSAPP, directed by Mark Wigley, was inspired by education that would address the future questions of architecture. While studying architecture in Latin America is still a route to social mobility, in many developing parts of Africa and Asia, new architects are forced to deal with the lack of basic needs, like infrastructure and services. School as a Prison and Fear of the Teacher Kirkmichael Primary School / Holmes Miller. Image © Andrew Lee Locker was in Colombia assessing the Department of Education in Bogotá and advising architects and construction companies about a new model of study with the ability to address society's current social and cultural changes. With decided conviction and vast experience in architectural education, Locker says that we are limiting ourselves by continuing to use the "prison" model and by falling back on the old 20th-century formula of teachers passing on rigid and uninspiring knowledge to students with no concern for their different interests or abilities. The American architect said in a recent interview with the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo that his interest in educational architecture began when he received assignments that were a far cry from the traditional school building: what he calls the "prison model." When asked why today's schools were designed like prisons, Locker responds:
 Saunalahti School / VERSTAS Architects. Image © Tuomas Uusheimo The spatial design and the time that children spend in this type of environment is reflected in the classrooms. In another interview with Colombian news outlet, Semana, Locker states that "in some cultures, it is expected that students fear the teacher, and school layouts reflect this educational philosophy." Looking back on our own school days, the layout of the desks, the unrefutable authority and knowledge of the teacher, it is easy to see Locker's point.  Escuela Saunalahti / VERSTAS Architects: segundo nivel. Image Cortesía de VERSTAS Architects Nevertheless, this is the 21st century, the informational age, and teachers are no longer the guardians of the knowledge gateway. With the new generations growing up with near limitless access to the internet, teachers must take on the role of a guide rather than a gatekeeper, helping students along their educational journey rather than dragging them kicking and screaming. Of course, this shift in the educational paradigm has physical repercussions as well:
Locker states that schools should foster a feeling of community, where "students have the necessary space and tools to meet in groups of all sizes and participate in active learning," and where "students are no longer anonymous and avoid problems with coexistance. These places are where the director and the teachers really get to know their students." The classrooms are circular and have everything needed to encourage active learning, from furniture that promotes collaboration among the pupils, to readily available electronic devices, to laboratories for projects. School: Flexible, Educational, Public, and Urban Escuela Primaria y Centro Comunitario Legson Kayira / Architecture for a Change. Image Cortesía de Architecture for a Change Journalist and historian Anatxu Zabalbeascoa along with Catalonia political scientist Judit Carrera, point to Finland and its 40 years of trial and error as an example of architecture's impact on educational reform. Zabalbeascoa states that "the best learning spaces are those that have been designed with everyone in mind, that establish a relationship between the space and the outside world, and that is flexible and can be reinvented." Carrera points out that the Finnish "treat schools as simultaneously urban, educational, and political spaces. As such, schools should inspire a feeling of home. For Finnish architects, building a center for learning is a matter of pride and prestige," and even more so when it means educating future architects. Nevertheless, Finland's success isn't a one size fits all solution. It's not a franchise to be replicated nor a prescription to be taken around the world, no matter how tempting it may seem to do so. Much like a lesson in architecture...it's all about context. Yes, social, economic, spatial, geographic, and perceptual context. For example, you cannot understand the success of the Finnish model without looking at the fierce cultural pressure faced by the Finns after gaining their independence from Russia in 1917, not to mention the years of economic hardship throughout the 50s while its European neighbors rebuilt themselves through industrialization, consumerism, and the progressive urbanization of society.  New City School, Frederikshavn / Arkitema Architects: primer nivel. Image Cortesía de Arkitema Architects "In 1970, we had little education. We were a poor agricultural nation that needed education to develop our country's prosperity and security," recalls Pasi Sahlberg, a Finnish specialist in educational policy, in a recent interview with a Chilean journalist about the historical context of reforms that changed Finland some 40 years ago. As much as the press wants to present Locker's ideas and the Finnish method as "the education of the future," in reality the need to reform the current educational paradigm is a contemporary issue. To paraphrase Mark Wigley, perhaps we are giving the correct answers to poorly asked questions. So, before thinking about how to design future (current) spaces of educational architecture, it's important to ask ourselves, "what and how do we want to teach exactly?"  New City School, Frederikshavn / Arkitema Architects . Image Cortesía de Arkitema Architects  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Modern as Metaphor: Where the Tate Stands in a Post-Brexit World Posted: 17 Nov 2018 11:00 PM PST .jpg?1467325496 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu Editor's Note: This article was originally published on 30 June, 2016. While the debate surrounding the terms of the UK's exit from the European Union continues to rage, the Tate remains a steady icon for London and the UK. But the building has also become a symbol in a new fight: one between the capital's elites and the general public. As the political sands in Britain continue to shift, it may be interesting to see how - and with whom - the building aligns in the future. - Katherine Allen, Managing Editor Architects in the United Kingdom have been subjected to a month of monumental highs and lows. After Herzog & de Meuron's Tate Modern extension (known as Switch House) opened Friday, June 17, the following Thursday, June 23, the country proclaimed its (ill-planned) desire to leave the European Union. It would be easy to see the two events as separate, with no obvious overlap. But in fact the Tate seems to have an odd symbiosis with the Brexit decision - if in no other way than by promoting a vision emphatically against it. .jpg?1467325436 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu Making the Tate Modern Chatter of the Tate Modern's expansion began in the mid-aughts, years earlier than had been originally forecasted based on visitor projections. The original building, which opened in May of 2000 and is now known as Boiler House, was anticipated to have 2 million annual visitors. Just over a month after opening, the museum had already received its millionth patron, and by 2014 attendance had climbed to 5.7 million per year, making it the most visited modern and contemporary art museum in the world. Founded in 1897 when sugar magnate Sir Henry Tate donated his paintings collection and £80,000 to the British capital, forming the Tate Gallery, the museum has been London's principal venue for modern art since 1916. .jpg?1467325475 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu Always straddling between the nineteenth and twentieth century, the need for a separate modern art museum was acknowledged early on, but not addressed until the early 1990s. What is now the Tate Modern began as Bankside, an ill-placed power station at the heart of London, on the south side of the Thames opposite St. Paul's Cathedral. Designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1947, the power plant began operations in 1963 but was quickly decommissioned in 1981, and was almost demolished in the subsequent decade. In April 1994, Bankside was selected as the home for the Tate's new outpost, and Herzog & de Meuron won the building's design competition in January 1995. Known for his clairvoyance, Tate Director Nicholas Serota saw the advantage of Bankside's scale – a museum of its size could never have been built for the same cost from scratch - and also recognized that the site offered the possibility for future expansion. The museum announced its plans for such a proposal in 2005, when Herzog & de Meuron were selected again for the expansion. At the time, it was stated that the addition – which would add 60 percent more gallery space – would be completed in time for 2012 Olympics in London, but all bets were off after the onset of the Financial Crisis. .jpg?1467325421 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu After the 2005 announcement, Herzog & de Meuron unveiled their initial design for the museum in the summer of 2006. The proposal revealed an irregular and slightly precarious heap of rectilinear glass boxes, gradually tapering in a ziggurat-like shape. The then-all-glass extension echoed the glossy "light block" that was Herzog & de Meuron's one significant structural addition to the Giles Gilbert Scott building during the original renovation. For a point of comparison, one can look to Herzog & de Meuron's headquarters building for Actelion in Allschwil, Switzerland, completed in 2010. The facility employs a similar – albeit more linear – heap of geometric forms, fused together, forming a structural whole. As noted by Serota, the growth of the Tate's attendance also spurred an exponential expansion of the range and scope of works found in the museum's collections. Describing the inaugural display in the combined Switch House and Boiler House in an interview with The Art Newspaper, Serota stated, "There is [a] much higher incidence of us showing work by women, a much broader geographical spread and much more photography. These are big changes compared with Tate Modern 2000." Formulated in the 1990s, after the 11/09/89 fall of the Berlin Wall and before 09/11/2001, the opening of Tate Modern in 2000 came off the heels of the millennium and the optimism, inclusiveness, and prosperity, that color a decade which we might now reconsider with fondness. Tate After Brexit: Modern as Metaphor .jpg?1467325485 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu On the day following the Brexit vote, the photographer Wolfgang Tillmans – who was the first non-English person to win the Turner Prize in 2000 – wrote his own crestfallen reaction to the new reality and era ushered in by the decision. Tillmans expressed his own advocacy for "Remain" by designing a series of posters meant to promote popular reasoning for Europe to continue to be unified. In his short, stream of consciousness style reaction to the vote, Tillmans describes how the Tate's opening in 2000 seemed like the coronation to an age of openness that was cultivated during the 90s. And in retrospect, it is easy to see the parallels the new museum of art of the twentieth and twenty-first century, intent on collecting and establishing a global narrative for art, as a pinnacle achievement on a path towards greater acceptance. .jpg?1467325656 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu Two years after the original design was unveiled, the glass-box proposal was out, and in its place, Herzog & de Meuron created a version of the extension sheared of its block-like extrusions, establishing a form that had the austerity of the original Scott building. As noted by The Guardian architecture critic Oliver Wainwright, "The faceted form of the extension is a result of the forces acting on it from all sides, sculpted by its neighbors' rights to light and the invisible lines of protected views to the dome of St Paul's Cathedral across the river." .jpg?1467325623 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu The building's facade had also changed from glass to brick; translucence shelved for opacity. Although similar to Bankside in the of use of brick as a skin or sheet over a concrete substructure, the actual appearance is clearly distinct. The brickwork of Switch House is a lattice of double-bond bricks threaded onto steel rods, appropriately compared to "knitwear" by the architects - or in the words of Oliver Wainwright, "hung like chainmail...draped over a muscular concrete cage like a masonry veil." Wainwright extends his medieval analogy to the full stature of Switch House, comparing the form with one that "rears up like a defensive watchtower, there to ward off property developers from encroaching any further on the former Bankside power station." Considering Serota's position on the diverse mission of the Tate, and in light of the extension's defensive appearance, perhaps we should view the construction of Switch House and the emphatic departure from glass to brick in a new light? .jpg?1467325466 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu Museum as Social Condenser .jpg?1467325448 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu Considering other developments on the south side of the Thames, Oliver Wainwright recently wrote an editorial for the Harvard Design Magazine, "Fortress London: The New US Embassy and the Rise of Counter-Terror Urbanism," in its current issue: Run for Cover! No. 42 S/S 2016. In his essay, Wainwright uses the new US Embassy in Nine Elms, designed by KieranTimberlake, as a launch point for a discussion of what he calls a new kind of "anxious urbanism." .jpg?1467325507 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu The design of the US Embassy is heavily driven by defensive elements disguised in its outwardly "transparent" appearance – walls made of six inch glass, a set-back and raised ground condition, steel and concrete bollards hidden in the landscape, and others - KieranTimberlake has stated that the building's inspiration came from European castles, and thus creates a strange symbiosis with the Tate's new appearance. While real life fortifications protect the embassy, those of Switch House – the protective layer of bricks, the slit-like windows, and the "crow's nest" lookout on the building's tenth floor – are aestheticized and ornamental, but the buildings do seem to share a defensive strategy protecting what happens within. What if Herzog and de Meuron's structural choices – although only fortress-like in an iconographic sense – are in fact a metaphor for the defenses required by a museum that is promoting a de-Westernized, all-inclusive narrative for art in a post-Brexit world with nationalism on the rise? .jpg?1467325645 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu Ending on an anxious note in his essay for the Harvard Design Magazine, Oliver Wainwright discourages this "fortress urbanism" that is an opposition and obstruction to civic life, but luckily the Tate's strategies are a mere smokescreen. Switch House proffers an image of defense as a foil for the atmosphere of acceptance that lies within. Maybe Herzog & de Meuron's shift from glass to brick was not so much about continuity between the past and future of Bankside, but was instead a prescient decision to implement the architectural fortifications necessary for a building promoting a mood of inclusiveness that now lies in question? In her essay for The Financial Times, "How Tate Modern transformed the way we see art," Jackie Wullschlager expresses how in making us feel small, the Tate Modern has consistently allowed viewers to see beyond the individual: "[the museum's] beyond-human scale exerts a particular kind of mastery: it encourages us to surrender to, rather than closely engage with, works on display. This is especially the case in regard to its immense installations, but the effect ripples on in the exhibition galleries. Counter-intuitively, feeling small brings liberation, the excitement of being swept away, not needing to judge or even make sense of the museum or the art." .jpg?1467325634 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu") © Laurian Ghinitoiu As Oliver Wainwright notes in his review of Switch House, the findings of a survey of patrons of the Tate Modern found that one of their main reasons for visiting the museum was to encounter other people - in other words, art museum as social condenser. Building on this, Wainwright admires how the museum's new interior is equipped with nooks and niches in what makes for "a people-watching paradise." And as Wullschlager remarks in The Financial Times, museums in the twenty-first century are "a place of encounter, social nexus, a contemporary agora." Switch House now appears to symbolize the chasm that has been lodged between conservative and progressive politics. The inclusiveness of the Tate may live on in its interior space, but the facade suggests that the progressiveness of the art world is something increasingly rare. It begs the question, should architecture emphasize the insular defense of these progressive visions, or seek to promote them outside its walls?  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| HASSELL Envisions a Restorative Redesign For San Francisco's Crumbling Waterfront Posted: 17 Nov 2018 10:00 PM PST .jpg?1542418264 "Courtesy of HASSELL") Courtesy of HASSELL With its historic but dilapidated waterfront, San Francisco has decided to restore the shoreline that could greatly influence the future of the city both environmentally and economically. The Port, contemplating between a piecemeal rebuilding pier-by-pier and a singular comprehensive construction of the waterfront, invited architecture and landscape firms to submit the reimagined proposals. Global design firm HASSELL, known for their innovative recreational projects, envisioned an approach to preserve the significant history and culture of the pier while creating a sustainable green corridor in a playful manner. In order to activate the Embarcadero as an "interconnected greenway," HASSELL plans on developing the ecological areas along the waterfront as well as improving the accessibility between the recreational land with the surrounding transit hubs.  Courtesy of HASSELL Preparing for the inevitable sea level rise and earthquakes, repairing former piers in the sea-wall lots and performing seismic upgrades seem to be the most promising strategies. Currently, the sea-wall lots are utilized for parking, however, the firm believes this space can be transformed for better purposes. In conjunction, the missing piers can be revitalized through funds from the waterfront infrastructure as well as the restoration plans, instead of requiring brand new construction altogether. .jpg?1542418241 "Courtesy of HASSELL") Courtesy of HASSELL To boost the waterfront by creating usable public spaces, the proposal features a series of rehabilitation tactics to attract a diverse range of users through various programs and activities. With six outlined steps, HASSELL shares the formal and spatial ways in which they renovate and resurrect each pier within the district. Ranging from possibilities of creating sports hubs and museums to mixed-use development and retail to open parks and wildlife sanctuaries, the corridor can become a new thriving center. The transformation of San Francisco's waterfront is scheduled to be completed by 2023 to ensure the long-term viability of the foreshore corridor. News via HASSELL  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| You are subscribed to email updates from ArchDaily. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
Nema komentara:
Objavi komentar