Arch Daily |
- Florida Polytechnic University Student Development Center / Straughn Trout Architect
- Allied Works and OLIN Create a Museum for Both People and the City
- Understanding and Using Architectural Scales
- Housing Building Refurbushment / Sergio Rojo
- Lumion 9: Rendering Living Environments for Real Beauty
- Block House / nimtim architects
- BENFERRI Multifunctional Building / Rafael Landete + Emilio Cortes
- Workshop building Landscheide / kit
- Alliance Francaise Bangkok / Stonehenge
- AD Classics: Kuwait National Assembly Building / Jørn Utzon
- Butterfly House / Feldman Architecture
- Cabin 192 / JiA
- Rethinking the Future of Air Travel: Students and Fentress Architects Collaborate in Venice Biennale Exhibition
- Studio Gang & SCAPE, Two Women-Led Firms, Selected for Memphis Riverfront Transformation Project
- House Villa-Lobos / Una Arquitetos
- These International Award-Winning Photographs Capture the Beauty of Architecture and Urban Spaces
- Top 10 Architectural Photography Locations in Bogotá
| Florida Polytechnic University Student Development Center / Straughn Trout Architect Posted: 04 Nov 2018 10:00 PM PST  © Chad Baumer
 © Chad Baumer Text description provided by the architects. Elegant and resolute, the Student Development Center (SDC) at Florida Polytechnic University (FPU) in Lakeland, Florida, USA, portrays the creative spirit and interactive vibe of a blooming academic and research community located in an emerging technology corridor. With a form inspired by the student-selected mascot and a material palette aligned with Santiago Calatrava's signature Innovation, Science and Technology (IST) Building and original campus master plan, the facility emboldens students, faculty, staff and extended community members to advance their wellness and academic pursuits.  Plan  Section With an architectural program directly linked to the student body, the Student Development Center successfully reflects the dynamic student culture that recently played an active role in the selection and development process of the university's mascot, the Phoenix. Imagery and connotations of the phoenix are not only emblematic of the university's research-focused scholastic vision, but also metaphorically symbolize the building's focus on health and wellness. Exercise activities initiate a phoenix-like "regeneration and renewal" through personal physical fitness during periodic intermissions of academic endeavors. Managing Principal Tim Hoeft, AIA conceived the building's form as an opportunity to promote institutional brand awareness through a contemporary gesture of architecture parlante, or "speaking architecture". With a site location on campus with high visibility from an adjacent highway, the building design serves as an outward physical display of school spirit to the greater Central Florida community.  © Chad Baumer The multi-purpose facility for indoor recreation, outdoor aquatics, and student affairs staff personifies the unique "info-tech" character of the university. Brutalist techtonics delineate an architectural symmetry that echos forms from nature, respectful not only of Calatrava's immediate context (and work globally), but also characteristic of Frank Lloyd Wright's work at Florida Southern College just 10 miles (16km) across town. In a biomimic abstraction of aerodynamics, the unconventional butterfly-roof "wings" direct rainwater to celebrated water spouts aimed at landscaped rain gardens adjacent the lap pool. Both exterior form and interior space are expressed as a direct resultant of the cohesive architectural and structural approach. Primary interior spaces are flooded with natural light and are presented with a simple and clear organization. A primary material pallet of concrete, glass, steel, and monochromatic finishes is balanced with natural wood and stone interior accents.  © Chad Baumer  © Chad Baumer Passive energy savings are captured via a true north/south solar orientation and exaggerated roof overhangs on all sides. The northern façade (including the entry lobby) incorporates strategically located glazing that minimizes direct solar heat gain and glare prevalent in the subtropical climate. Views to the exterior campus are framed to capture views toward the preserved wooded area of grand oaks to the north that offers a place for gathering and passive recreation. The central upper roof is designed to support and shade the 30-foot (9m) (future) rock climbing wall outside the main entry and maximize future opportunities to incorporate photovoltaic panels for on-site renewable solar energy and associated research. Both the building and lap pool's heating and cooling demand is met through a joint-use open-loop geothermal heat pump (GSHP) system.  © Chad Baumer  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Allied Works and OLIN Create a Museum for Both People and the City Posted: 04 Nov 2018 09:00 PM PST  © Aerial Impact Solutions, via Metropolis Magazine Allied Works has, since their founding in 1994, become known for their portfolio of delicately balanced and civic-minded works. Their Clyfford Still Museum in Denver has in particular been recognized in numerous awards and publications - but may perhaps be overshadowed by their most recent built work. The National Veterans Memorial and Museum, located in Columbus, Ohio elevates what might have been a staid and somber program into a public space with an urban outlook. The museum, composed of intersecting white concrete bands, opens onto a lustrous landscape (designed by OLIN) and connects the formerly neglected riverfront to the small city's downtown.
 © Brad Feinknopf, via Metropolis Magazine The project is a triumphant moment for Columbus' riverfront development efforts (efforts now nearly decades in the making.) And the museum's striking design is an essential ingredient. "The desire for the building was to create a symbol to draw people across the river," Brad Cloepfil, founder and principal of Allied Works, told Metropolis Magazine. "Part of the monumentality of this form, of these large cantilevers and woven concrete arches, is to have a larger presence." Given its public-facing program, accessibility (not just visibility) was a great concern for the design teams. "We needed this to feel like a memorial in a park setting, yet still have presence at the street level," explained landscape architect Laurie Olin, founder and principal of his eponymous firm. While the project may be built, its public life is only just beginning. Says Cloepfil, "what space does more than anything…when it's powerful, is move you to pause, move your soul, and opens you up to ideas." Read Metropolis' full review of the project here.  © Brad Feinknopf, via Metropolis Magazine  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Understanding and Using Architectural Scales Posted: 04 Nov 2018 08:00 PM PST  © ArchDaily The work of an architect and urban planner can take on many forms thanks to the diverse curricular composition of most graduate courses, with subjects that deal with designing in different scales and contexts. From great urban plans to home renovations, and the metropolis to furniture design, these branches deal with different objects, however, all in common are the use of drawing and models as a tool for representation. Whatever the project may be, drawing is the way to represent reality, ideas, speculations, and conceptions. Scale, a factor that establishes the level of reading one must make of these representations, determines the link between the real world and the dimensions of the drawing or model. For instance, the scale 1:1 is also known as "full size." More than a relation between two numbers, scale works as a guide to the degree of detailing and/or indicates in which phase the project is in (since the natural tendency of the designing process is to start from a broader thought process, which requires a smaller scale, to a more detailed consideration, which requires a larger scale). However, how do you determine what is the ideal scale for a specific representation?  © ArchDaily 1:50.000 to 1:2.000 Map of Material Flows - Physical traces of commodities trading. Courtesy of the Brazilian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2018 The scope of small scales of representation, that is, drawings that are reductions of reality, are usually good for big dimensions. cartography, urban maps, regions, and even small towns can make use of them, for they can handle comprehensive data. This type of scale is also found in urban planning and zoning propositions, such as master plans, as well as in aerial photogrammetric surveys. 1:1.000 to 1:500 Minimob/MAPA. Courtesy of MAPA Zooming in on projects that demand a contextual reading without needing to show large territorial extensions, the interval between 1:1000 and 1:500 is ideal for most site plans. An overview of the building and its location in the urban fabric, such as a block or a neighborhood, for example, can be contained in those scales. It is possible to highlight important elements such as the availability of infrastructures, among others. When it comes to studies and researches, they come in handy for surveys such as buildings' heights, land use, etc. 1:250 to 1:200 Communal Kitchen of the Lands of the Coast / ateliermob + Collective Warehouse. Courtesy of ateliermob + Collective Warehouse Once the representation's aim stops being the surrounding context and starts focusing on the design itself, it becomes necessary to zoom in. The scales 1:250 and 1:200 handle these type of site plans. The components of the design become more evident here; the shape and volume, the access, roof characteristics, and the relation among built and empty spaces. These scales can also serve plans, sections, and elevations in larger buildings for a broader reading of the proposal, and they can even contemplate some spatial compositions and layouts. Even when it comes to smaller interventions, they can be used on a first approach, working satisfactorily in the early phases of discussions and decision making that, with time, will guide a more accurate development of technical and constructive matters. 1:150 to 1:100 Partners In Health Dormitory / Sharon Davis Design. Courtesy of Sharon Davis Design As the scales get bigger, it is necessary to evaluate the degree of expressiveness and the size of the work being represented. Scales between 1:150 and 1:100 can also work well for first approaches of smaller works and typologies. In the case of larger buildings, they contemplate more detailed drawings and models, including structural elements and a better-defined layout. In any case, it is important to consider the intentions behind each representation, be it two or three-dimensional, so as to rank which elements are to be highlighted. 1:75 to 1:25 Surfer's Residence / Java Architecture. Courtesy of Java Architecture Just as well, the scales 1:75 and 1:50 work with structures, layouts and the relations among floors.  Urbanization of the Jardim Vicentina / Vigliecca & Associados. Courtesy of Vigliecca & Associates In some cases, they are also valid for flooring, specifying wall coatings and for interior design. From 1:50 to 1:25 it is also possible to zoom in on rooms to better detail specific components, such as plumbing, electrical or structural plans. .jpg?1540844392 "Skjern / Johansen Skovsted Arkitekter River Pumping Stations. Courtesy of Johansen Skovsted Arkitekter") Skjern / Johansen Skovsted Arkitekter River Pumping Stations. Courtesy of Johansen Skovsted Arkitekter 1:20 to 1:10 Surveillance Module / Escobedo Soliz. Courtesy of Escobedo Soliz A more specific use of the 1:20 and 1:10 scales is to represent furniture. This is common for both architects and furniture designers to present the workings of the components and their structure. Being smaller objects, the need for a greater scale is evident.  AYC / DX Architects. Courtesy of DX Arquitectos In buildings, these scales are used in detail drawings. 1:5 to 1:1 White Angel Building / Albert Simó Bayona and Eugénia Rodríguez Segarra. Courtesy of Gradhermetic When the aim is no longer to represent the spatial organization of the projects, but the constructive aspects and its components, the large scales are the ones that allow us to communicate the technical details with more precision. It demands great development in drawings, particularly when it comes to materials, fixings and fittings, that is, the functioning of the components and how they should be built. This means that they are more common in the advanced phases, such as an executive project.  Bicycle bridge over the Sava River / Arhitekti dans. Courtesy of dans arhitekti Large-scale tridimensional models are better suited as prototypes for solutions that come about during the designing process that may or may not be used in the construction site. __ The attempt to systematize a guide for the use of scales in architecture intends to highlight the importance of thinking and decision making when it comes to selecting what is to be shown in a project. Scaling reality to deal with different levels of complexity during the designing process is part of every architect's development and daily work. Note: the examples presented in this article were not necessarily made in the referred scale. Digital reproduction issues and zooming tools make it impossible to confirm the real scales. They are hereby shown to illustrate the elements that can be part of architectural drawings in each of the aforementioned scales.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Housing Building Refurbushment / Sergio Rojo Posted: 04 Nov 2018 07:00 PM PST  © Josema Cutillas
 © Josema Cutillas Text description provided by the architects. This project involves the revitalization of a small abandoned part of the old town. It's the rehabilitation of a building located in the neighborhood of the Ollerías Altas y Bajas, an urban area where most of the pottery industry of the city along the Modern Age was. It was renovated by architect Fernando Salvador Carreras in 1928.  © Josema Cutillas  Floor Plan The rehabilitation without demolition maintains its original alignment so that the original layout of the urban fabric is preserved in this point. This fact has allowed converting our southern dividing wall into a real façade, taking advantage of the slight setback of the adjacent building. Thus, three new windows open to the Espolón square.  © Josema Cutillas One of the main challenges of the project is to recover the bearing capacity of the original wooden structure. Its use will be set aside for dwellings and commercial premises.  © Josema Cutillas  © Josema Cutillas  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Lumion 9: Rendering Living Environments for Real Beauty Posted: 04 Nov 2018 06:30 PM PST  Lumion 9 Lumion has always set out to define what rendering should be: fast and stress-free with exceptional results. Now, with the latest version of its 3D rendering software, Lumion 9, it's easier than ever to show off your 3D models in a living environment, with beautiful, real-life skies, an endless variety of landscapes, and exceptional lighting and materials. Oh, and rendering takes minutes, not hours. Add the new, one-touch Real Skies to cast a new light on your model and instantly create a beautiful, unique setting for your designs. Let realistic rain communicate cozy spaces, which you can now decorate with furry rugs and fluffy blankets. For the true-to-life garden shot, apply the new Customizable 3D Grass materials and you'll almost feel the freshly cut lawn beneath your feet. New streamlined scene-building tools help you create complex environments in minutes. Add to the improved workflow, Lumion's jaw-dropping rendering speed and outstanding images and videos are within your reach, on all your projects. Brief Overview of What's New in Lumion 9Lumion 9 comes with Real Skies. Select a real sky background and watch as it works together with the updated Sky Light effect to cast a new light on your design, placing it in an evocative context with a stunning backdrop.  Lumion 9 New, highly realistic 3D grasses and fur textures heighten the beauty of your designs, stimulating the senses of your audience with details they can easily imagine touching, smelling and hearing. The new Atmospheric Rain and Snow is like a mood-creation toolbox, whether you're going for peaceful and cozy or the dramatic and suspenseful. Watch the raindrops splash in puddles or the snow building up outside, and unlock the emotions of your client so they can truly feel the intent of your design. Real SkiesWith 39 Real Skies and their pre-configured Sky Light settings in Lumion 9, it takes a single click to give your design a clear blue morning, a stormy afternoon or an unforgettable sunset.  Lumion 9 Sky Light 2 and Real Skies are entirely responsive and they work in concert with other scene-building tools and effects. Add a cloudy Real Sky, for instance, and an overcast, muted light is thrown over your design and the rest of the scene. Change the heading of the clouds and watch as shadows stretch and shrink, darken and lighten. By combining the Real Skies with one of the Styles, you'll be within reach of an awe-inspiring render in literally seconds. Customizable 3D GrassesFrom the ornamental garden to the public park, Lumion 9 helps you infuse mind-bending realism into your landscape designs. With the new customizable 3D grass materials and presets, the green spaces in your renders will immediately connect with your audience, providing a sense of location that'll draw viewers to the front door of your design.  Lumion 9 You can also mix and match multiple 3D grasses in the same scene. Wilt and vary the grass in the neighboring field to bring viewers into a more wild environment, and, at the same time, show your design with the picture-perfect suburban lawn you'd find alongside summer barbecues and lemonade stands. Atmospheric Rain and SnowGet in the mood and communicate the feeling of your designs with new Atmospheric Rain and Snow precipitation effects. In Lumion 9, you can quickly create everything from a light drizzle to a full-blown tempest, from a winter flurry to a whiteout blizzard. Watch as interiors take on a cozy mood with the rain falling outside, or infuse your landscape with a sense of peace by making a video with raindrops splashing in puddles on the ground.  Lumion 9 The Atmospheric Rain and Snow is located under the Precipitation effect in Photo and Movie mode. And Furry Materials!Soft to the touch. Colorful and fluffy. With a new furry material setting in Lumion 9, you can give a soft, comfortable appearance to any wall, floor, ceiling or other surface or textile. In seconds, you can create a lifelike rug or carpet, an ultra-comfy fleece blanket or a highly realistic object, such as a teddy bear.  Lumion 9 Lean Scene-Building WorkflowWhen it comes to forming real connections between the client and your designs, context is critical. For Lumion 9, an intelligent interface with heightened intuitivity enables lightning-fast scene building with exceedingly beautiful context.  Lumion 9 Selecting objects now happens on-screen, letting you instantly cycle between trial-and-error options and choose the exact tree, furnishing or another object that's perfect for your design. After selecting an object, the model is rendered in real-time so that you can correctly review, scale and place objects or groups of objects with greater ease and control. Living Environments. Beautiful Spaces. Rendered Faster than Ever.With Lumion 9, you'll be importing a model, creating a scene, and capturing your designs in beautiful, living environments and context. Visit our buy page to add Lumion 9 to your architectural and design workflows!  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Block House / nimtim architects Posted: 04 Nov 2018 06:00 PM PST  © French + Tye
 © French + Tye Text description provided by the architects. nimtim were approached by a young family who had recently bought an end-of-terrace Victorian house in Stoke Newington. The house was in a state of disrepair and priority was placed on upgrading and creating an open plan ground floor family space. The existing lean-to conservatory was demolished to allow for a new side extension. Nimtim introduced a double height internal courtyard to the center of the house with a glass block wall to one side and an opening roof light above.  © French + Tye  Axonometry  © French + Tye This space acts as a focal point for the entire house, organizing and choreographing the spaces around it: bringing light and ventilation to the parts of the house that might otherwise be dark and airless. The courtyard is expressed differently; borrowing materials from the garden to distinguish it from the living spaces, reinforcing its identity as a conceptually external space. Cost effective and robust materials, more often associated with industrial rather than domestic architecture, are used to create a quality of warmth and lightness.  © French + Tye The structural walls of the extension are all built in grey cement block with exposed aggregates - matte on the outside and polished internally. The sand-blasted glass blocks create a diffused light internally and emphasize the translucency of the space. These glow at night from the internally lit space, illuminating and breaking up the exposed side flank wall. European Oak flooring, terracotta tiles, and the soft pink concrete kitchen worktops also add warmth and an ethereal quality to the interior space.  © French + Tye  Section A - Existing and Proposed Use of contrasting materials, such as the earthy texture of the oak and terracotta used for the floor and light bright materials, such as glass and polished concrete blocks used for the envelope, work together to form a harmonious and contemporary palette. At the rear, a large face-fixed sliding door allows most of the rear elevation to open out onto the new garden. The project has created a new family home that is bold and honest in its use of materials whilst retaining a sense of warmth and domesticity which the clients and their young children have embraced.  © French + Tye  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| BENFERRI Multifunctional Building / Rafael Landete + Emilio Cortes Posted: 04 Nov 2018 05:00 PM PST  © David Frutos
 © David Frutos Text description provided by the architects. White architecture. A play of faceted volumes share prominence with a pure solid to define spaces of light and texture.  Location Plan  © David Frutos The geometry of the building responds to three main programs. A main volume sits by a diving wall hosting the auditorium and related programs. This space extends into two attached volumes: the social living room which is connected internally to the auditorium and the library separated by an outdoor plaza. This void acts as a gateway from which you can access the three programs independently.  © David Frutos Due to the flat topography of the plot, in order to be able to offer a direct access to users and loading trucks, the auditorium has been sunk. A gentle slope of 5.7% connects the access of the building to the stage which is at level -0.90 meters. This allows for a better visibility in the room and avoids the introduction of a goods lifts as both spaces are access at street level.  Elevations and Section Due to the flat topography of the plot, in order to be able to offer a direct access to users and loading trucks, the auditorium has been sunk. A gentle slope of 5.7% connects the access of the building to the stage which is at level -0.90 meters. This allows for a better visibility in the room and avoids the introduction of a goods lifts as both spaces are access at street level.  © David Frutos The auditorium is also equipped with a translation and management room accessed from the main hall of the building.  © David Frutos The facades are closed from the streets as if they would protect from the exterior and open up to the interior plaza and courtyards. Smooth enclosures and inclined planes give rhythm to the facades and the roof which can be appreciated in the graphic documentation provided.  © David Frutos  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Workshop building Landscheide / kit Posted: 04 Nov 2018 04:00 PM PST  © Ruedi Walti
 © Ruedi Walti Text description provided by the architects. The Landscheide workshop in Wald-Schoenengrund offers structured daytime workspaces to people with disabilities. For this purpose, the new building by kit | architects provides bright studio spaces, with the clever layout ensuring a protected environment that fosters independent work. The simple building structure offers a variety of spatial experiences and can be used flexibly. The walls have been deliberately left rough, and the wood and concrete ceilings underline the workshop character, while the inclusion of the surrounding nature creates a calm and relaxing atmosphere.  © Ruedi Walti  Cross Section 1:200 Site-Specific Situation  © Ruedi Walti  Floor Plan Level 0 - 1:200  © Ruedi Walti Building  © Ruedi Walti Rooms  © Ruedi Walti Façade and Structural Concept  © Ruedi Walti The façade, together with the internal reinforced concrete walls of the four u-shaped brackets, forms the load-bearing system.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Alliance Francaise Bangkok / Stonehenge Posted: 04 Nov 2018 03:00 PM PST  © Beersingnoi
 © Beersingnoi Text description provided by the architects. Found in 1912, Alliance Française (AF), is the leading institute to promote French art and culture in Thailand. With this role, AF provides an extensive range of functions for art and cultural activities; a large exhibition space, 200+ seat auditorium, French restaurant, media library, classroom, workshop and studio, research center and management offices.  Diagram 04  © Beersingnoi In designing a new cultural center for French, the challenge faced by Stonehenge team is how to create a building that is lively and open enough to provide a multidisciplinary space for vibrant French art and cultural events.  © boonchai tienwang  Section B The 6-storey with one basement building accommodates 3 main functions; art & culture, academic and office. They are configured around the vertical atrium that carve the building from ground to skylight above. The atrium is not only allowing the natural light to inner space, but also providing a set of staircases that encourage people to walk through for sustainable development.  © Beersingnoi As it is the first project being built in ONE BANGKOK, the largest urban development in Thailand that aim to finish its 1st phase in 2021. Facing to the colossal neighbor, we find it necessary to reinforce a dialogue between AF and ONE BANGKOK. Hence, its façade is designed to provide a certain degree of connection and separation. The 725 sq.m. pleated aluminum façade is treated with perforation. Inspired by the shape of France, the perforation is in hexagonal. The opening size is varied following to the requirement of natural light and visual connection for inner program. None of the aluminum panel is identical. The result is the animated façade that communicate to surrounding and yet create its own privacy. The bottom part of the front façade is left transparent revealing the temporary exhibition space and the event stair.  © Beersingnoi Arriving at the main exhibition space, visitor perceives a gigantic event stair as the main feature. It is designed for multipurpose use. This stair is as much a circulation as a seat and a stage for all kind of events. It aims to promote interaction between people, activities and the building together. Connecting the temporary exhibition space to the library and finally bring people to the auditorium on the 3rd floor.  © boonchai tienwang As a cultural center, auditorium always plays the main role and becomes one of the busiest venues; with multipurpose uses for wide range of events; talk show, art movie, concert or stage performance. To achieve the desire acoustic quality with state-of-art design, the whole volume is enveloped with 9 timber acoustic bands. Each band provides a perforation with the fiber membrane backing. Meticulously calculated, they are bent and curved in particular direction to ensure the pleasurable acoustic quality for all audience.  Diagram 05 With the interconnected versatile art and cultural spaces, the role of Alliance Francaise is enhanced with more vigorously engagement between people, community and cultural events.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| AD Classics: Kuwait National Assembly Building / Jørn Utzon Posted: 04 Nov 2018 02:00 PM PST  Covered plaza. Image © Jeffrey van der Wees This article was originally published on November 20,2014. To read the stories behind other celebrated architecture projects, visit our AD Classics section.  © Jeffrey van der Wees Designed in 1972 by the Danish architect Jørn Utzon, best known for his design of the Sydney Opera House, the political narrative of the National Assembly Building began controversially with the commissioning of the foreign-born architect. As has been the case for other legislative buildings, including in Scotland, Dhaka, Chandigarh, and soon Albania, the decision to import non-native architectural traditions for high-profile cultural projects can be interpreted as a strong—and even anti-nationalist—political statement. (Perhaps the clearest example of this symbolic gesture's importance occurred earlier this year, when Zaha Hadid was controversially appointed to design the Iraqi Parliament Building for her native country ahead of a foreign firm that had allegedly won the competition.) In Kuwait, however, even the decision making process was delegated to foreign authorities; six entrants were chosen for the invite-only event by an international jury, overseen by the British modernist Sir Leslie Martin, from whom Utzon was selected to enact his design.  Section through the assembly hall  Late-stage plan Utzon's scheme most prominently features a public colonnade of soaring, thin piers that support a graceful, draped concrete roof over an open plaza. Its dramatic curves, composed of a series of semi-circular shells set onto steel cables, gesturally sweep down from atop the columns to the height of the building behind it in the natural form of a catenary. Utzon claimed that the cloth-like sensation of the roof references the iconic tent construction of the Arabian Bedouin people. Rising up toward the Kuwait Bay in front of it, the architecture is both inviting and forward-looking, casting its lofty gaze outward toward the sea and beyond. The most astounding aspect of the plaza is its innovative and somewhat deceptive material deployment. Much has been made of Utzon's ability to make the concrete roof appear to "billow" in the wind, conveying the delicacy of fabric despite its inert rigidity. Its texture is enriched by a dual-parabolic geometry, in which individual sections curve upward perpendicularly to the curve of the whole. The experiential reward of this complex form is unmistakable: despite the staggering mass of the 600-ton beams, the roof is sensationally weightless.  Concrete segments of the plaza roof. Image © Jeffrey van der Wees  Concrete ceiling of the main corridor. Image © Jeffrey van der Wees The bulk of the government spaces are contained in a more conventional, rectangular and flat-roofed building behind the plaza. Again appropriating a local vernacular typology, Utzon draws inspiration from the Arabian and Persian bazaars in his layout of government working spaces and hallways. Organized within a simple grid system, rooms are clustered around central courtyards, which are in turn surrounded by circulation spaces, creating modular units that are then repeated throughout the grid. Elements from this part of the building are assembled from a small selection of precast concrete forms, bringing into clear focus a juxtaposition of modern construction methods and a tenuous connection to historical identity.  Interior corridor. Image © Jeffrey van der Wees Beyond conceptual schematics, Utzon's well-intended attempt to appeal to a somewhat fantasized Kuwaiti culture at times devolves into a reductive imitation of Arab structures and ornament. Selectively abstracting and modernizing certain historical motifs such as arcades of pointed arches, he superimposes "local" language onto a modern set of forms that may actually derive more continuity from the previous work of Utzon's firm than from the traditional architecture of Kuwait. Arab ornamentation, such as palmetto detailings on the windows of the debating chamber, is used freely but often abstracted almost to the point of meaninglessness. Yet, there is an undeniably regional aspect to the building's visual presence, indicating at least a measure of success in Utzon's reconciliation of competing and somewhat incompatible design objectives.  Ceiling of the debating chamber. Image © Jeffrey van der Wees  Palmetto ornamentation of the debating chamber. Image © Jeffrey van der Wees  Interior of the assembly hall. Image © Flickr user Kuwaitelections2012 In his criticism of the project, MIT professor Lawrence Vale draws a clear distinction between the building's legitimate vernacular allusions and what may amount to little more than convenient explanations for clearly imported forms. [1] Pointing out that the chaotic character of the Arab bazaar that Utzon references is necessarily poorly quoted within the constraints of a modernist grid, he asserts that Utzon could have just has easily claimed inspiration from "ancient Roman town plans" given the ambiguous origins of the interior scheme. Furthermore, the billowy tent-like canopy possesses none of its Bedouin prototypes' crucial sense of impermanence, just as it is unable to provide the environmentally responsive protection afforded by canvas enclosures. According to Vale, the covered plaza hearkens as much to ship sails and a tradition of water-based merchant trade as it does to a nomadic desert tradition, an ironically appropriate, if unintentional, homage to the actual source of modern Kuwait's cultural and economic success.  The upside-down "dead" palmetto detailing that drew the criticism of MIT Professor Lawrence Vale. Image © Jeffrey van der Wees As a political object, the building conflates several revealing narratives. A tension between the domestic and the foreign, a constant concern in a country with a longstanding immigrant population, is present both in the historical record of the architectural process and in the sleek, modern forms of its product. A second but more subtle conflict, existing again in both architectural and political structure, lies in the apparent challenge to navigate between genuine historical tradition, a fictionalized idealization of Kuwaiti history, and an imported western philosophy of governance and design. While one could argue that this multiplicity of unresolved messages represents a weakness of the architecture, it could also be the case that the accuracy of the building's textual reading in a purely national context—deliberate or not—epitomizes the successful syncretization of architectural and political meaning in singular form.  © Flickr user Cajetan Barretto [1] Vale, Lawrence. Architecture, Power, and National Identity. Yale University Press: New Haven, 1992.
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| Butterfly House / Feldman Architecture Posted: 04 Nov 2018 11:00 AM PST  © Joe Fletcher Photography
 © Jason Liske  Site Plan Text description provided by the architects. The clients approached Feldman Architecture to design a retreat for eventual retirement and visits from their grown children—a retreat befitting the natural beauty of the location in the Santa Lucia Preserve, a 20,000-acre private development, and land trust near Carmel, California. The clients were meticulous in the selection of the site, searching for two years for a spectacular piece of land that was flat enough to accommodate living on one level. In an initial meeting with Feldman Architecture, the clients noted their vision of butterflies alighting on the meadow site, which the architects took as inspiration.  © Joe Fletcher Photography  Floor Plan They also expressed a desire to integrate indoor and outdoor spaces with a simple, modern aesthetic and to provide separate spaces for their visitors. Sitting lightly on the land, the house is divided into three pavilions that are topped by expressive butterfly roofs. Each pavilion has a separate function: the central pavilion houses the main living, dining, and cooking spaces, while two other pavilions provide for sleeping, bathing, and relaxing. The structures are modest in size, yet each expands into an outdoor room that opens up to dramatic views of the canyon below and hills above.  © Joe Fletcher Photography Beyond poetic gesture, the butterfly roofs bring in views of the surrounding hills, expand the main living spaces into the outdoors and also harvest rainwater. Water, an increasingly limited resource, is celebrated throughout the design. Each roof funnels water to a rain chain fountain and into landscape collection pools, which then gather in cisterns where it is stored and used to irrigate the landscape. In addition, the pavilions were sited to allow stormwater to flow under the office bridge during the rainy season and seep slowly into the ground in the main courtyard.  Concept Diagram  © Joe Fletcher Photography The landscape design furthers the movement of water through the property, using the natural topography to carry it from upslope to the stream on the valley floor below. The seamless transition between nature and building continues throughout the home, with the landscape weaving between the three pavilions. As the plants slip through the interstitial spaces in the architecture, they serve to celebrate views beyond. They announce the movement of water across the site in their coloring, texture, and growth patterns—inspiring a quiet and artful awareness.  © Joe Fletcher Photography The neutral palette of the house—concrete floors and walls, large glass openings, plywood ceilings, and steel structure—flows from indoors to outdoors. The use of concrete and large expanses of glass acts as a heat sink—absorbing heat from the sunlight all day and releasing that heat at night. The house uses little energy as a result of extensive daylighting and passive thermal strategies. A large solar array located out-of-sight provides much of the energy that is used.  © Joe Fletcher Photography  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 04 Nov 2018 05:00 AM PST  © Alfredo Martiz
 © Alfredo Martiz Text description provided by the architects. Thinking about creating a space for you and your family often ends in a utopia.  © Nadine Sam In this case, the clients - my parents and my two brothers - agree that we did not aspire to have a luxury or ostentatious project. Rather, we always aspire to have a space where we can meet as a family, a simple and low-cost project.  Site Plan  Diagram  Section The cabin 192, is located in Altos del María, a mountainous area at the west sector of Panama.  © Nadine Sam When visiting the site for the first time, we noticed the large number of pine trees -a species not native to this region- and we understood that the site should be reforested with native species that would produce the necessary shadows to improve environmental comfort.  © Nadine Sam From there, we decided to reuse the wood of the pines to include it in the project. One part was used for the perimeter fence of the lot, and the other for the cabin.  We base the design process on basic concepts of tropical architecture: raising the hut above the natural soil level to keep the humidity of the tropics off; we generate a upper perimeter window that allows to keep the house cool and we include pallet windows that allow us to control the ventilation.  © Alfredo Martiz In the same way we work with a combined structure system: pine wood beams and columns, fiber cement boards for walls and floor, metal mooring structure and an insulated thermopanel EPS for the ceiling. The project not only had local workforce, but also my father, my brothers and friends participated during the construction process.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 04 Nov 2018 04:00 AM PST  Deemed to be the homogenized "spaces of circulation, consumption, and communication", airports around the world appear to be almost indistinguishable in their dissolution of identity. Despite technological changes in air travel, the typology of the airport has remained consistently ordinary. In the European Cultural Center's biennial exhibition, students from North Carolina State University's College of Design worked alongside Curtis Fentress, Ana-Maria Drughi, and Joshua Stephens of Fentress Architects to propose innovative concepts for reshaping air travel. PLANE—SITE's latest film from their series of short videos of the Time-Space-Existence exhibition showcases this design collaboration. Responding to the prompt of redesigning the normative airport, five teams integrated advanced transportation technologies in relation to their location's culture, geography, and economy in different cities around the world. Instead of simply being a transportation hub, the airport was considered to be a vital urban site of connection and exchange to discover the full potential of its purpose in an increasingly networked world. Tackling issues related to sustainability, ecology, building technology, and social justice, each concept was actualized with a series of architectural models and video renderings. For example, some students disregarded the flat urban landscape typology that is typically associated with buildings, to create a tall tower densely located in the heart of the city. Others, for instance, explored the possibilities of bridging the gap between the stark poverty and wealth in the country of Brazil. Professor, Wayne Place, who coordinated the Global Thinking studio states,
Explore all of the videos in the Time-Space-Existence series here on ArchDaily. News via: PLANE—SITE  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Studio Gang & SCAPE, Two Women-Led Firms, Selected for Memphis Riverfront Transformation Project Posted: 04 Nov 2018 01:30 AM PST  Courtesy of Studio Gang's 2017 Riverfront Concept Studio Gang, an architecture firm and urban design firm recognized for their ingenuity and creative approach, has partnered with SCAPE, the NYC-based design-driven urban design and landscape architecture firm. The international architecture community has recognized both firms' female founders, Jeanne Gang and Kate Orff, respectively, as innovators in their design fields. Together, these firms have created the selected proposal for Memphis' waterfront. The waterfront's edge is composed of five zones: Fourth Bluff, Mud Island, Tom Lee Park, MLK Park, and Greenbelt Park. Areas like Tom Lee Park encompass a vast area of flat terrain, pedestrian paths, and simple amenities. The park's greatest feature is its view that spans both the natural and urban elements of the city's landscape.  Courtesy of Studio Gang's 2017 Riverfront Concept The project was driven by establishing a concept based on three design principles: foster, restore, and connect. The Studio Gang/SCAPE scheme fosters civic pride and local identity while restoring the natural ecology of the waterfront and connecting elements of the waterfront to the downtown.  Courtesy of Studio Gang's 2017 Riverfront Concept "At the core of our work, we believe in a process of co-creation to translate complex visions into realizable actions alongside neighborhoods and stakeholders. Tom Lee Park presents a tremendous opportunity to engage Memphians and visitors alike with the Mighty Mississippi." – Kate Orff, Founder, and Principal of SCAPE.  Courtesy of Studio Gang's 2017 Riverfront Concept Previously selected by ArchDaily as one the world's best architectural firms, Studio Gang's expansive portfolio spans building typologies. The design for the Memphis Riverfront allows visitors to engage with the area through various activities that will appeal to a diverse set of people. The project began with a careful study of the site, its civic and economic potential, and community engagement, as well as an ecological analysis.  Courtesy of Studio Gang's 2017 Riverfront Concept Made possible by a partnership with The Memphis River Parks Partnership, the organization will work closely with the design team and the Memphis community to introduce additional public engagement opportunities throughout the project and integrate the development of the waterfront into the local culture. News via: Memphis River Parks Partnership  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| House Villa-Lobos / Una Arquitetos Posted: 04 Nov 2018 01:00 AM PST  © Nelson Kon
 © Nelson Kon  Basement floor plan Text description provided by the architects. Built on the top of a hill in a residential neighbourhood in São Paulo, the house seeks to adapt to the geography and to appreciate the views over the extensive wetlands of the Pinheiros river, quite wooded in this western section.  © Nelson Kon The ground floor of the house follows the smooth slope of the land. Dining room and kitchen form a continuous space and are at a slightly elevated elevation relative to the sidewalk. Mid level below is the living room. In this movement, veranda and living room gain a double height and maintains a direct relationship with the lower level of the terrain. Three gardens surround these programs. The entrance garden is marked by a cherry tree already existing on the site; the central garden intercalating garage and veranda; the back garden gains the full width of the plot and includes a swimming pool.  © Nelson Kon  Section B For a better use of the veranda, the support of this entire portion of the house was limited to two metal columns, eccentric in relation to the slabs, and which are connected with a large metal beam over the house. This 16.50m long beam, which runs through the entire volume, hangs the ends of the slabs with metal rods of 32mm in diameter. Thus, the volume is suspended on the ground, releasing an extensive view that crosses the whole house. A cutout over the central garden creates an internal void in the volume around which various spaces communicate, from the living room and the veranda from the ground floor to rooms and upstairs studio. The metal columns have distinct geometries and punctuate these spaces on the level of the gardens.  © Nelson Kon A large concrete block contains the stairs inside it. The climb inside this structure increases the surprise of the wide landscape that opens on the upper floor, where a veranda and a family room are located. The children's bedrooms are lined up on the northwest face, while the couple's room faces the opposite side. They are rooms, always protected by the eaves of the roof slab and closed with sliding wooden panels with movable shutters. The roof is also terrace, a large wooden deck with an amazing view over the city.  © Nelson Kon A cobertura por sua vez é também terraço, um amplo deck de madeira com uma surpreendente vista sobre a cidade.  © Nelson Kon  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| These International Award-Winning Photographs Capture the Beauty of Architecture and Urban Spaces Posted: 04 Nov 2018 01:00 AM PDT  Toy houses. Image © Fyodor Savintsev (RU), 1o Classified The winning entries of the Siena International Photo Awards 2018 have been unveiled. The "Architecture and Urban Spaces" category winners offer a wide range of subjects, locations, and perspectives, from the relationship between the Moon and the Leaning Tower of Pisa to snow-capped "Toy houses." The Siena International Photo Awards saw 48,000 images submitted from 148 countries. The announcement of the winners coincides with the launch of the "Beyond the Lens" exhibition of the winners, running until 2nd December 2018 in Siena. Below, we have rounded up the full list of winners for the Architecture and Urban Spaces. Further details can be found on the official website here.  Toy houses. Image © Fyodor Savintsev (RU), 1o Classified  Henningsvær Football Field. Image © Misha De-Stroyev (FR), 2o Classified  Prada. Image © Matt Portch (AU), 3o Classified  4 Hours of Air Traffic. Image © Garret Suhrie (US), Honorable Mention  Harbin Opera House. Image © Adrien Barakat (CH), Honorable Mention  Save the last dance. Image © Stefano Barattini (IT), Honorable Mention  The stairs. Image © Brigitte Schatz (DE), Honorable Mention  Orthographs. Image © Yiorgis Yerolymbos (GR), Honorable Mention  Ancient and modern. Image © David Fletcher (GB), Honorable Mention  Rainy Harbor. Image © Ute Scherhag (DE), Honorable Mention  Dubai. Image © Thomas Kalak (DE), Remarkable Award  Viale Ortles. Image © Laura Zulian (IT), Remarkable Award  The squaring of the circle. Image © Alexander Schönberg (DE), Remarkable Award  EMP Museum. Image © Pygmalion Karatzas (GR), Remarkable Award  City Gete. Image © Mono Wang (TW), Remarkable Award  Centro Niemeyer. Image © Ulli Zupin (IT), Remarkable Award  Ponte Bir-Hakeim. Image © Gian Matteo Tagliabue (IT), Remarkable Award  Salt-Houses. Image © Klaus Bittner (DE), Remarkable Award  Moon and leaning tower. Image © Marco Meniero (IT), Remarkable Award  Under the bridge. Image © Peter Plorin (DE), Remarkable Award  Turningtorso. Image © Frang Dushaj (SE), Remarkable Award  Siena. Image © Stefano Moschini (IT), Remarkable Award  Elevation. Image © Víctor Vargas (EC), Remarkable Award  Old Harburg Bridge. Image © Alexander Schönberg (DE), Remarkable Award  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Top 10 Architectural Photography Locations in Bogotá Posted: 03 Nov 2018 11:00 PM PDT  Torres del Parque. Image © Stefanía Álvarez If you're an architecture aficionado, the Colombian capital of Bogota should be high on your list. The city's architecture contains bits and pieces from throughout the country's history, from colonial structures to classical designs from the time of the Republic. If you're a first time visitor to Bogotá —or a native tourist in your own city— we recommend this architecture guide for the top 10 locations to capture the city's best works. Plaza de Bolívar |
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