Arch Daily |
- Stone Facades: 7 Slate Covered Homes
- The Best Architecture of 2018
- Belvedere Tower / René van Zuuk Architects
- Bivouac Luca Pasqualetti at Morion / Roberto Dini + Stefano Girodo
- Villa on the Lake / Mecanoo
- Scotts Tower / UNStudio
- Ermita Guadalupe / S-AR + Comunidad Vivex
- Ingenuity House / Sheppard Robson
- Cancún House / Studio Francisco Elías
- The Garden of Framed Scenes / The Open Workshop
- Musicality School / Manuel Collado Arpia
- Getting In: Admissions Advice from Architecture Programs Around the World
- 30 Years After Luis Barragán: 30 Architects Share Their Favorite Works
- Temporary Pavilion at Picnic «Afisha» / project eleven
| Stone Facades: 7 Slate Covered Homes Posted: 09 Dec 2018 09:00 PM PST  © Mariela Apollonio Slate is a mineral product, completely inert and ecological, with a simple and efficient production process. It is one of the most versatile natural products, adapting to any project as a coating material, from roof to floor and façade.  © Marco D´Ambrogio Ventilated Facade  Cortesía de Cupa Pizarras  Cortesía de Cupa Pizarras  Cortesía de Cupa Pizarras  Cortesía de Cupa Pizarras Summer House / CEBRABoth the roof and facade of Summer House are covered by a dark slate. Generating an interesting contrast between the exterior and interior.  © Mikkel Frost  © Mikkel Frost Villa P / N+P ArchitectureThe materials of this house are simple. Slate and zinc will age with time, reflecting the seasons and passage of years, while resisting the harsh and brutal conditions near the ocean.  © Patrick Ronge Vinther  Cortesía de Cupa Pizarras Montaña House / [baragaño]The facade was assembled by an artisan from the area. The combination of slate and wood represented a mixture of technology and tradition for the architects.  © Mariela Apollonio  © Mariela Apollonio Tandrup Kollegiet / KANT ArkitekterRespecting the scale and dimensions of the neighboring properties, the distinctive black façade covered with blocks of natural slate in contrast to its white balconies automatically makes the building stand out from the rest of the street.  © Marco D´Ambrogio  © Marco D´Ambrogio Home for Life / AART ArchitectsThe house uses slate as solar panels, taking advantage of energy to regulate the heat, the humidity in the air, and CO2 in the rooms. The house also has an automatic façade system that adapts to the seasons and extracts fresh air from the house.  Cortesía de AART Architects  Cortesía de AART Architects Split House / Alma-nacThe slate of the façade becomes part of a palette of colors, which, together with the wood and stone walls, merge into the horizon as part of the landscape.  © Jack Hobhouse  © Jack Hobhouse Bioclimatic 'Longère' House / J Guillo ArchitecteTo integrate the project into the environment, natural slate was chosen and used as a "leaf" folded around the house, offering protection against the oceanic climate, isolation, and a tool for optimizing energy throughout the year.  Cortesía de J Guillo Architecte  Cortesía de J Guillo Architecte See more here.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 09 Dec 2018 08:00 PM PST  To our readers, As we approach the end of the year, we would once again like to thank you all for making 2018 our best year yet. With your continued support, we are now reaching more architects around the globe than ever, and inspiring them in the creation of better urban environments for all. On behalf of the entire ArchDaily team, we are excited to share this collection of 2018's most visited projects, products, and articles. Together with our curated selection of the year's most relevant and noteworthy articles and events, these represent the best content created and shared by ArchDaily over the past 11 months. Here's to a wonderful, architecture-filled 2019!  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Belvedere Tower / René van Zuuk Architects Posted: 09 Dec 2018 07:00 PM PST  © Lisanne Redegeld
 © René van Zuuk Architekten Text description provided by the architects. The Belvedere tower's innovative form, is both informed and defined by the constraints of it's site, it's design began with rigorous analysis of these urban surrounding.  © Peter van Mierlo Located in the town of Hilversum the building's site sits in an area of nondescript, four-storey, post-war housing. In the 1980s six additional, modernist towers were constructed to the south of this area. The tower's site marks the culmination of this series and sits on a prominent bend in the Oosterengweg bypass, a major thoroughfare through the small town. Due to the tower's prominent position the municipality desired a building that would be sculptural in form and architecturally iconic. This exposed location also meant the proposed building would be visible from all sides and it therefore became important to design a building with a clear and logical symmetry.  Plans 03 / Elevations  Plans 04 / Sections The building's superficially large, triangular site is in fact limited by a number of key constraints, including requirements in relation to the minimum distance from the property boundary, as well as a complex network of utility pipes running beneath the site. The building's footprint was therefore limited to no larger than 450 m2 (15% of the plot). These limitation coupled with the stipulation of a maximum building height of no more than 11 storeys meant a traditional tower block design would result in a building comprising of no more than 44 residential units. However, due to the high price of land the apartment complex was only financially viable if comprised of at least 55 apartments, our resulting design approach proposed a building where the floor area increased as the building rose vertically, with upper floors cantilevering from the central core thus maximising usable space on the constrained site.  © Bas Gijselhart Structurally, the cantilever is achieved by balancing the building's mass equally on both sides of the central core, from this symmetrical structure derives the building's floor plan, a cross. This cross shaped layout makes each floor plan incredibly flexible resulting in a building comprised of 55 units where no two apartments are identical. The building's apartments wrap around the oblique corners of the cross resulting apartments that are dual aspect, each with access to a large, open balcony.  © René van Zuuk Architekten The word belvedere is Italian and translates to 'beautiful view'. On the upper floors the buildings balconies provide expansive views, to the North they look over the town of Hilversum and to South they survey the surrounding forest.  © Lisanne Redegeld  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Bivouac Luca Pasqualetti at Morion / Roberto Dini + Stefano Girodo Posted: 09 Dec 2018 06:00 PM PST  © Grzegorz Grodzicki
 © Adele Muscolino Text description provided by the architects. On the 10th of September 2018 the new bivouac Luca Pasqualetti has been placed and made operational at its final destination, the hardly accessible Morion ridge in Valpelline (northwestern Italian Alps) next to the spectacular rocky hole of Becca Crevaye, at an altitude of 3290 m.  © Adele Muscolino The assignment and the territory  © Grzegorz Grodzicki The aim of this project is the rediscovery of these places by lightly improving their availability for mountaineering: a simple structure such as a bivouac, positioned in a remote place with a difficult access, is specifically conceived to stimulate a niche alpinism, interested in the beauty of the wild and solitary Valpelline places, conscious of the commitment and respect required by high altitude environment.  © Roberto Dini Through the cultural association Cantieri d'Alta Quota, the initiative of the guides meets the desire of the Pasqualetti couple from Cascina (Pisa) to dedicate the bivouac to their son Luca, great mountain lover, sadly departed on the Apuane Alps in May 2014.  © Roberto Dini To give support to the operation, during the Spring of 2017, the voluntary association Montagna Sarvadza has been founded. Its aim by statute is the "valorization and protection of the local mountain environment through the awareness of the strict relationship between man and nature, according to a synergy between culture and environment".  © Grzegorz Grodzicki The Morion ridge divides the Ollomont Valley from the Bionaz one and it is formed by dozens of pinnacles and peaks elevating between 3000 and 3500 meters, from the Col of Mont Gelé to Mount Berrio.  © Stefano Girodo The Morion enjoys a privileged position in terms of landscape, with splendid views on Mont Vélan, the Grand Combin, the Matterhorn, the groups of the Mount Rosa and Mont Blanc, on the mountains of Valais and of southern Valle d'Aosta.  © Grzegorz Grodzicki The different itineraries present in this area are constantly immersed in a severe and wild environmental context that thanks to the isolation of the peaks and to the long approaches from the valley floorskeeps its distance from the most popular routes.  © Grzegorz Grodzicki The ridge has been explored between XIX and XX century by different alpinists from England and Valle d'Aosta such as George Alfred Topham, Abbé (abbot) Henry, Renato Chabod, Amilcare Crétier, Lino Binel. The Central Morion was the target of the first ascent attempts. Its conquest occurred on August 18th1891, along its east side, thanks to Fredrick Baker-Grabb and the guides Clemens and Zurbriggen.  © Grzegorz Grodzicki Alessandro Miotti and Toni Gobbi realized the first complete traverse of the Morion ridge from the 2nd to the 3rd September 1943, while Loris Rigollet and Patrick Rollin did the first complete winter traverse in March 2012.  © Stefano Girodo Today, only a few people try their hands at this true high altitude journey, that requires at least two or even three days, depending on the speed of the roped party. The new bivouac can be reached in around 5-6 hours from the refuge Crete Sèche or from the bivouac Regondi and permits to split the long traverse of the ridge directing from Northeast to Southwest.  © Grzegorz Grodzicki The new structure is located near to a rocky ledge at about 3290 m of altitude, close to the saddle between Punta Gaia and Becca Crevaye, with its characteristic hole in the rock.  © Roberto Dini The itinerary, from the Col of Mont Gelé onward has a high level of mountaineering difficulty, estimated as AD+/D-, including a short section of glacier and mixed (from the Col to the Becca di Faudery, with variable conditions depending on the season), and continuing on the ridge, constantly very exposed, alternating sections with good quality rock to much more movable and unstable ones.  © Stefano Girodo The choice to put the bivouac next to Becca Crevaye was affected by several reasons:  © Adele Muscolino The project and the construction  Drawings The high altitude context particularly inaccessible and remote, characterized by complex orographic and geological aspects, required a careful arrangement of every logistic aspect of such an extreme building site, possible only during a short period of summer and bound to perfect weather conditions, as well as dependent on the careful planning of the construction sequence and transport of pieces, people and equipment.  © Grzegorz Grodzicki Every component was sized according to its transport and handling during the final phase of laying and assembly by helicopter, looking for the maximum lightness related to structural solidity.  © Roberto Dini The bivouac is devised to be completely reversible, following the philosophy of minimal environmental impact. The structure lays on non-permanent foundations anchored to the rock in a punctual and not invasive way through a basement in metallic carpentry and can be removed at the end of itslife cycle without leaving permanent traces on the ground.  © Stefano Girodo All the components were completely mounted dry, without using concrete. They are recyclable and ecologically certified. The high quality of the materials and finishes guarantees durability and wear resistance, preserving the living comfort and reducing future maintenance.  © Grzegorz Grodzicki The structure made by composite sandwich panels, wood and steel, completely manufactured in a prefab workshop, can be split in four parts sized for transport and handling, to reduce the number of helicopter flights needed for the final assembly operations at high altitude, condensed in one working day.  © Pellissier Helicopter The bivouac is designed as a simple hut with two pitches, according to the archetypal idea of the shelter. Moreover, in terms of landscape, a structure with sharp edges fits better the jagged geomorphology of the Morion ridge if compared to the classic barrel shape of the "Apollonio" type bivouacs; the chromatic integration with the surrounding rocky context, characterized by the prevalence of rocks with metamorphic origin, is obtained through the grey tone of the metal cladding.  © Grzegorz Grodzicki The interior, interpreted as a cozy and protected shell against the surrounding context, is anthropometrically optimized to live comfortably in a small space. From the distributive point of view, the entrance is located on the side so you can enter from a centered position and create inside the division between day and night areas.  © Roberto Dini This allows the opening of a huge panoramic window on the main facade facing east which means more sun, more light and a warmer internal temperature besides the possibility to enjoy the wonderful landscape with the Becca di Luseney, the group of Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn.  © Adele Muscolino There is a small external niche at the entrance to help protect the door from the wind and precipitations where sticks, crampons and ice axes can be stored.  © Adele Muscolino The living area, facing the landscape, consists of a table with 8 seats on stools and chests; the fitment integrated in the wall contains the sideboard, a surface for food preparation and many storage compartments for backpacks and climbing equipment.  © Grzegorz Grodzicki The night area is located in the rear side and it's made of two wooden platforms with mattresses (8 beds with blankets). The bivouac is equipped with a small solar panel with a battery for minimal lighting.  © Stefano Girodo The bivouac, designed by architects Roberto Dini and Stefano Girodo – researchers at the Istituto di Architettura Montana of the Politecnico di Torino – in cooperation with LEAPfactory, has been assembled in a carpenter's workshop in Aosta between July and August 2017; it has been transported by truck near the Lexert Lake (Bionaz) and inaugurated with a big party on the 27th of August 2017 in the presence of the Pasqualetti couple and a lot of representatives from CAI Pontedera and friends from Tuscany.  © Grzegorz Grodzicki The works for the arrangement of the rocky ground and the installation of the baseplate have been interrupted due to the upcoming winter and concluded during the next summer in August 2018.  © Grzegorz Grodzicki Two teams in action, one up and one down the mountain have completed the transport and the final assembly on the 10th of September 2018, in a single working day.  © Adele Muscolino The event of the realization of the bivouac proved to be an extraordinary catalyst for the meeting and exchange between different people and realities, connecting Tuscany with high Valpelline: a participated process "from the bottom", accomplished thanks to the generosity of the financers and the willfulness of the volunteers that overcame with few resources huge logistic and environmental difficulties building a small, yet very important, piece to help enjoy and discover consciously such a wonderful and wild territory.  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| Posted: 09 Dec 2018 05:00 PM PST  © mariashot.photo
 © mariashot.photo Text description provided by the architects. The guiding design principle was to create a house that combines transparency with sustainability, forging a strong relationship between the villa and the landscape. The harmony between landscape and interior, architecture and nature, was a key design determinant, particularly regarding sight lines, materials, colours, and lighting. The house is designed from inside out, creating uninterrupted views to the surrounding nature while providing shelter and intimacy. All these aspects work together to ensure the house's sense of timelessness.  © mariashot.photo Oasis The villa is situated in a green oasis of trees and plants that hide the house from view. Water plants along the water line alternate with stepping stones that lead to other parts of the garden. On the water side, the villa has an optimal view over the lake. Terraces on two different levels connect the villa to both the land and the water, anchoring the house in nature and giving it a welcoming presence. Glass corner windows in the living room, kitchen and other rooms, make the residents feel like they live on the water. Between the house and the adjacent plot, a hilly finger of land with tall trees ensures privacy.  © Blue Sky By curving the bridge that connects the villa to the main road, the row of trees remains intact. This further increases the sense of privacy and blocks disturbing lights from the traffic.  © mariashot.photo Panoramic view Interior elements such as the fireplace and storage cupboards, divide the house into different places, creating more intimate and private areas within the large transparent volume. In the heart of the house, a full-height void connects all levels and creates another series of diagonal and vertical sight lines. The staircase sews all the rooms together into one interior space. The central atrium brings abundant daylight into the sunken basement and connects the interior to the roof terrace. From the roof terrace, one can enjoy panoramic views as if floating quietly over the expanse of the lake.  © mariashot.photo  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 09 Dec 2018 04:00 PM PST  © Darren Soh
 © Darren Soh Text description provided by the architects. The Scotts Tower is situated on a prime location in Singapore, close to the Orchard Road luxury shopping district and with views encompassing both nearby parkland and the panoramic cityscape of Singapore City.  © Darren Soh The 18,500m2, 31-storey, 231-unit tower consists of 1 to 3-bedroom apartments and 4-bedroom penthouses, along with expansive landscaped gardens, sky terraces, penthouse roof gardens and a variety of recreational facilities.  © Darren Soh Ben van Berkel: "An interesting facet of The Scotts Tower is the way that it reacts to the urban context of Singapore. Instead of the more usual means of planning a city horizontally, we have created neighbourhoods in the sky: a vertical city where each zone has its own distinct identity."  © Darren Soh Vertical City & Home  Analysis diagram Ben van Berkel: "The balconies, combined with the zoning of the individually framed neighbourhoods, in The Scotts Tower create different scales of detail in the structure; both intricate, smaller details and larger gestural details. In The Scotts Tower the balconies form part of the interior furniture."  © Darren Soh Frame  © Darren Soh The vertical city concept along with the green areas are bound together by two gestures: the 'vertical frame' and the 'sky frames.' The vertical frame organises the tower in an urban manner. It unites the tower into one 'vertical city', but also provides clear distinctions between the four residential clusters, providing the neighbourhood effect.  Analysis diagram The sky frame – at the lobby (level 1 and 2) and sky terrace (level 25) – organise the amenity spaces and green areas of the tower and provide areas with panoramic views. The communal nature of these spaces also encourages interaction among users, enhancing the neighbourhood concept.  © Darren Soh Lobby design  © Darren Soh Marble tiles are arranged on the floor in a random pattern and extend upwards on the lower part of the lobby walls to extend the space. Above this, curvilinear wooden ribbons fold on to the ceiling and span across the lobby, connecting both ends and introducing motion and residential warmth into the space.  © Darren Soh  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Ermita Guadalupe / S-AR + Comunidad Vivex Posted: 09 Dec 2018 01:00 PM PST  © Ana Cecilia Garza Villarreal
 © Ana Cecilia Garza Villarreal Text description provided by the architects. The project consists in creating an extension of an existing hermitage dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, located at the south of the Topochico Hill, just above the Croc locality in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.  Axonometric This hermitage originally had an adoration room of approximately 15 square meters and a porch of similar dimensions. The adoration room was in good conditions, so the decision of preserving it within the project was made, creating only a few new openings to the walls to generate a better illumination and ventilation to the complex. The porch and the metallic sheet roof were removed in order to create a space to construct the new annex, which would be used for small meetings and celebrations of religious ceremonies for the community, such as presentations or masses. While the previous hermitage responded mainly to personal and private activities, the new hermitage was transformed to a small public and communitarian building with the idea of creates a social infrastructure for the growth and fulfillment of the local neighbors.  © Ana Cecilia Garza Villarreal  Plan  © Ana Cecilia Garza Villarreal A new volume was proposed to take advantage of the length of the mountain’s level where the porch was before, creating a semi-open space of 14 meters long facing south, to the valley that is between Topochico Hill and Las Mitras Mountains, privileging from the highest location of the site and the orientation views facing to the valley. Furthermore, as the hermitage’s scale was enhanced, it can be seen from the distance and even if it’s an abstract volume in its form and the process of construction regarding its material, the project is expected to be seen as a small and significant urban landmark of the neighborhood. The building is then a recognizable volume in the small landscape of the hill’s plot, where the access is exclusively pedestrian through the stairs that were also built by the neighbors in the past. This project is a covered but open space, maintaining the porch’s previous character, but being used as a religious and lookout site.  © Ana Cecilia Garza Villarreal The project is constructed mainly with wood: wooden bars for the latticework, wooden poles to create walls and wooden planks for the roof. The wooden structure is anchored to a perimeter of concrete beams, which define at the same time the gravel paving of the complex. A small patio, an extension of the construction’s structure, is used as an access atrium for the new hermitage.  © Ana Cecilia Garza Villarreal  Transversal Section 1  © Ana Cecilia Garza Villarreal In order to accomplish the construction of this project, the participation of the members of the community and neighbors living near the San Rafael Arcangel Church led by Father Alberto Lopez was crucial. Due to diverse fund-raising activities made during several months, the community was able to collect a great part of the necessary resources to pay for the construction labor, while the materials were financed through donations made by the Church and through the Civil Association Comunidad Vivex.  © Ana Cecilia Garza Villarreal Once the resources were gathered, the members of the community contributed with time and effort in the construction process, preparing the site and assisting the construction workers with numerous tasks. Even if the construction was relatively fast due to the simple constructive system, the process of the project lasted more than a year, starting with the first approach between the community and architects, the design process, organization of fund-raising activities, and the material and construction management. The community will be the one that will give life to this project, which honors the neighborhood’s Holy Lady and its people.  © Ana Cecilia Garza Villarreal Acknowledgements: Special thanks to all the people that together contributed with time and effort in the fund-raising activities, donations, or construction work, supporting Father Alberto Lopez and San Rafael Arcangel Church in Monterrey. Acknowledgements to all the companies and people that donated materials and resources to Comunidad Vivex; without your help this project wouldn’t have been possible.  © Ana Cecilia Garza Villarreal  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Ingenuity House / Sheppard Robson Posted: 09 Dec 2018 11:00 AM PST  © Hufton + Crow
.jpg?1544144968 "© Jack Hobhouse") © Jack Hobhouse Text description provided by the architects. Sheppard Robson, with its interior design group ID:SR, has completed the 12,000m2, highly sustainable building for the FTSE support services and construction firm Interserve. The building has instigated a cultural shift for the company, consolidating four satellite offices into one collaborative atmosphere, which is centred on a dramatic, open, central space. .jpg?1544144939 "© Jack Hobhouse") © Jack Hobhouse  Section .jpg?1544144894 "© Jack Hobhouse") © Jack Hobhouse Whilst the interiors are warm and civic, the external of the building – sitting close to the high-speed railway network HS2 – has been designed as a brave architectural form. The uncompromising, stepped structure acts as a catalyst for the transformation of the area of the city and is a key element of the region's regeneration strategy. .jpg?1544144862 "© Jack Hobhouse") © Jack Hobhouse The structure of the BREEAM Excellent building, and the spaces it creates, are a direct response to the two over-arching ambitions for the project: environmental performance, with the sustainability agenda revolving around robust, carefully calibrated passive measures such as the self-shading form; and interactivity, with the building co-locating its regional team into one place for the first time. The exterior of the building is defined by an undulating, anodised aluminium facade, creating an 'object' building that is a marker for the ambitious change planned for the area. The building is surrounded by heavy infrastructure and industrial sites, and has very few contextual or architectural cues. Therefore, the boldness of the form and materiality is a statement of change, which is anchored to its surroundings by a podium and landscaping. .jpg?1544145004 "© Jack Hobhouse") © Jack Hobhouse  Location The triangular-shaped building reduces the mass of the structure externally, whilst internally, the plan creates the feeling of a continuous loop that promotes a sense of openness and encourages interaction. The triangular atrium at the heart of the plan builds drama, with the central stairs as the primary route through the building, prioritising physical movement rather than the use of lifts. This composition results in an incredibly compact plan, bringing people closer together and sparking interaction. The interiors are organised as four levels, all similar in size, which step out around a central atrium. This form characterises the building's external identity, with the overhangs naturally shading the structure all year round, whilst also shaping the visual and physical permeability of the interior spaces.  © Hufton + Crow Each floorplan is arranged in the same way, to provide a range of work settings. On the outer perimeter is desking for more focused tasks, whilst more informal meeting spaces line the central space. This creates a series of stepped terraces that line the vast open space, animating the internal atrium, promoting visual connections throughout the building and adding a sense of theatre to the expansive central atrium. .jpg?1544145026 "© Jack Hobhouse") © Jack Hobhouse  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Cancún House / Studio Francisco Elías Posted: 09 Dec 2018 05:00 AM PST  © Guillermo De la Maza
 © Guillermo De la Maza Text description provided by the architects. The project is conceived as a temple in the jungle; the abundant vegetation in the area traced the lead to the conception of this segmented block which permits simultaneously the strongly wished sequence between inner and outer spaces, achieving efficient use in natural sunlight and air-circulation in every room. The premade concrete structure allowed for great clearings facing to the northeast enabling an astonishing view of the sunset over the lake.  © Guillermo De la Maza The sequence of spaces is ruled by surprise: it is set up with a central hall running from the main façade up to the back façade where the swimming pool and the lake are both located. This lengthwise element crossing and articulating the whole of the house has been inspired by the restrained perspectives in Palladio Olympic Theatre, simulating a dual obliged perception of proximity or distance. Likewise, this simple feature serves as a background to the garden framing the threshold to the access.  © Guillermo De la Maza The trajectory focuses on the lake and going through it becomes an aesthetic experience of enjoyment derived from the chiaroscuro sight of the workpiece by Colombian artist Ramon Laserna. It is flanked by walls alongside, which stand out remarkably at sunset time, generating an amazing view of light and shade effects emulating the greatest civilizations of ancient times, like Chichen-Itza, Uxmal or Egypt.  Lower Floor Plan The house is introduced by a fully simple but elegant front facade with significant tree and vegetation bulkiness behind it. In contrast, the back façade faces to the lake and integrates with the required typology satisfying the claims from the residential complex and clients as well. In general, it is a monochromatic architectural piece, in sand-beige and golden shades that warmly welcomes both the landscape project and the original vegetative context. A chromatic fusion with the context is achieved by mimesis with the ground and sand of the area.  © Guillermo De la Maza  Sections 1 and 2  © Guillermo De la Maza The topography of the land was an accomplice element to reach to an efficient solution to the architectural plan. The street was preserved to a +-0.0 level and was also kept all along the ground floor, whereas the land descends to a 15% in a regular way, allowing for the construction of machine rooms in optimum functioning adjacently to the swimming pool and the solarium. The level contrast between the land and the solarium provides for the reception of visitors in an elevated terrace-like style without any indoor step. The level-off work was effortless since a building, fully adapted to the land physiognomy, was accomplished.  © Guillermo De la Maza  © Guillermo De la Maza The architecture and design of the elements, especially the load-bearing walls, are unique and they exhibit a technological language which incorporates the plastic work by the Latin American artist, previously mentioned, and the work performed by artisan-carpenters from the State of Mexico. This sophisticated link ends up in the pleated forms of the central body of the construction, which supplements with the audacious practice of the structural estimation resulting in big frames with clearings over the top allowing for visual openings to the lake in a totalitarian way.  © Guillermo De la Maza  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Garden of Framed Scenes / The Open Workshop Posted: 09 Dec 2018 02:00 AM PST  © Luis Belo
 © Luis Belo Text description provided by the architects. The Garden of Framed Scenes expands the notion of pubic art and sculpture to create a space for the inhabitants of the city. It is situated at an infrastructural crossroads within Fontelo Park—transforming a space of flows into a space of gathering. The outer geometry of the triangle emerges from the site's paths, while the internal square geometry frames a theatre for collective performance. Inspired by local Renaissance painter Grao Vasco's technique of framing and collapsing the background environment into the collective scene of the foreground, the project uses a series of framed openings to recontextualize the surrounding environment. Within the piece, foreground and background are collapsed yet framed, while the position of audience and performer is also oscillating.  © Luis Belo  Axonometry  © Luis Belo  Frames  © Luis Belo  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Musicality School / Manuel Collado Arpia Posted: 09 Dec 2018 01:00 AM PST  © Manuel Collado
 © Manuel Collado Text description provided by the architects. The project for the musicality school is born from a great conversation about the processes of musical learning and creativity. As a result of this symbiosis, key concepts arose to which the architecture of the new space had to respond: awakening musical curiosity / discovery, the circle, collective practice and community, awareness of space and body plus sustainability.  © Manuel Collado These concepts are developed through the following tools:  © Manuel Collado Energy  Axo Music and Geometry  © Manuel Collado  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Getting In: Admissions Advice from Architecture Programs Around the World Posted: 09 Dec 2018 12:00 AM PST  MIT. Image As a follow up to A Glimpse Into the Weird World of Architecture Students' First Assignments I wanted to explore what architecture schools from around the world are looking for in creating their institution's community of young architects. Approximately 3,550 students enroll annually in the United States into an accredited Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) program according to the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) and about 70% of that enrollment eventually graduate with a degree in architecture. There are 51 Accredited BArch programs in the United States compared to over 2,000 architecture programs worldwide. The United States has such a minimum amount of architecture schools relative to the world. An interesting fact is there are twice as many Master of Architecture programs in the U.S., but the initial quantity of student enrollment into each program is very similar. Each school and country has different expectations of their candidates - expectations not always made clear in application forms or promotional material. Through speaking to admissions officers and school administrators from a number of schools, I gained a great deal of insight into what is expected from the applicant. There are varying perspectives on admissions and how an ideal applicant is selected. Expectations range from concrete requirements to loose suggestions; impersonal to deeply intimate. No two are the same, which is why it can be helpful to understand what they are looking for. Below, some advice from professors and admissions officers at universities around the world: United StatesCal Poly Pomona, Department of Architecture Sarah Lorenzen, AIA"As a public school, admissions are primarily based on a combination of GPA and test scores (referred to as the CSU Eligibility Index - EI). Since architecture at Cal Poly is what's referred to as an "impacted" program we take far fewer students than what is listed as the minimum requirements. For our BArch we receive between 1500-2000 applicants for around 100-150 admits. To make a selection we (the university, not the department) start at the highest EI number and work down the list until we have the number of students we can fit into the program. Transfer student admits are based on GPA only and once admitted they are placed into a given year (1st, 2nd or 3rd year) based on the courses they've taken at their Community College and on their portfolio. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)Admissions Office MIT. Image "When we admit a class of students to MIT, it's as if we're choosing a 1,100-person team to climb a very interesting, fairly rugged mountain—together. We obviously want people who have the training, stamina, and passion for the climb. At the same time, we want each to add something useful or intriguing to the team, from a wonderful temperament or sense of humor to compelling personal experiences, to a wide range of individual gifts, talents, interests and achievements." "We are emphatically not looking for a batch of identical perfect climbers. We are looking for a richly varied team of capable people who will support, surprise, and inspire each other." Syracuse University, School of ArchitectureJoseph Godlewski, Ph.D. Syracuse University. Image "Architecture school is academically challenging. Some think math ability is the most important. While it is critical, I've found success in other AP level courses is sometimes a better indicator of future performance in architecture school." "Perhaps more importantly than grades and test scores is expressing a passion for architecture. This can take many forms-- being well-versed in an architect's work, travel to inspirational projects, a sketchbook full of thoughts and ideas, or enrollment in a pre-architecture or other "discovery" program, etc. I always find it perplexing when prospective students haven't read a book about architecture." "Lastly, portfolios are important, but not in ways many may think. What I look for in student work is potential for projective thinking. What separates architecture from other disciplines is its ability to imagine new worlds. Architects creatively speculate about things that are not yet in the world as is. The best portfolios hint at this ability." University of Nebraska-LincolnBrian Kelly
University of Hawai'i at Honolulu, School of ArchitectureSimon M. Bussiere, Assistant Professor Honolulu, Hawai'i. Image
University of Minnesota, Graduate ProgramAli Heshmati, Adjunct Assistant Professor University of Minnesota. Image The most important quality in an applicant is their ability to show how they can be a creative problem solver and an independent thinker. In other words, I do not think students need to seek to find out what the grad school is asking them to do, but emphasize how they can contribute to an existing culture while creating a unique value. Past performance is also very important to me unless one can convince me that they can shine even if they have not done so as of yet. This can be done through a portfolio of past work or current and immediate work that shows engagement with a passion. Statement of purpose is also very important as I see too many students that lack vision and passion. Vision and passion must come from within and be personal. Do not define architecture and tell me what it means to you. Try to consider what it means and then question it. Because if you know what architecture means then you have no business going to school. University of Nevada Las Vegas, School of ArchitectureJoshua Vermillion, Assistant Professor
University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Architecture UIC. Image Kelly Bair, Associate Professor + Associate Director of Graduate Studies
CanadaDalhousie University School of Architecture Halifax, CanadaDiogo Burnay, Associate Professor + Director Applicants are requested to submit a portfolio with a variety of work ranging from watercolors, painting, graphic work, wood work, carpentry, models, photography, poetry...basically a variety of work that allows the admissions committees to appreciate their special qualities. We do value a sense of delight for their subject matter, a love for craft in their work and a sense of caring for how the portfolio is presented. All admissions committees have senior and junior professors and senior students in them. SpainLas Palmas De Gran Canaria Area, SpainJuan Ramírez Guedes, Full Professor Gran Canaria. Image The main characteristics that are demanded can be defined as:
PortugalUniversity of Porto, Faculty of ArchitectureJose Pedro Sousa, Faculty of Architecture
These four qualities will open the door to the growth of an endless passion for our beautiful and unique discipline. Czech RepublicCzech Technical University in PragueHenri Achten, Faculty of Architecture Prague. Image
SerbiaUniversity of Belgrade Department of ArchitectureVesna Mila Čolić Damjanović We have an admissions test with two parts and lasts 90 minutes. The first part tests a candidate's general knowledge that includes history, philosophy, geography, etc. and general knowledge of architecture and art. The second part tests candidate's verbal and cognitive skills such as understanding of text, logical thinking, and the ability to solve problems and make independent conclusions. Some of the main qualities looked for in a candidate is a passion for studying of architecture with an understanding of cultural, historical, philosophical, socio-economical context in relation to architecture. AlbaniaUniversiteti POLIS Tirana, AlbaniaSaimir Kristo, PhDWe are looking for students that are open, open to challenges, knowledge, and education. The first step to develop creative thinking as we are looking for students with potential for creativity. Architecture, design, engineering, urban planning, and environmental studies are fields that tackle in a wide spectrum many problems, students with a background in scientific, social issues and also artistic formation to respond in these challenges. We stimulate our students to express their independent personality and unique way of thinking as they must feel free to express their qualities and what they believe in… POLIS University is "space for thinking" and all the above qualities are fundamental to make it possible. TurkeyErciyes University Department of Architecture KayseriBurcu SalginAdmission is based solely on the national level university entrance examination Student Selection and Placement System. They are selecting students (for the department of architecture) in terms of students' math, science and Turkish scores in this exam. This is a national exam for all of the students in Turkey. This year, 1.2 million students partook. Generally, one month later, their scores are declared and then, they are trying to list their choices. I don't know how many choices they are listing (maybe 10 or 20), but they are trying to fit more suitable departments in terms of scores. Some of my students come to the architecture department with knowledge about the profession. But some of them come to our department without knowing how difficult it is. Sometimes, they want to give up after one month in the department. LebanonLebanese American UniversityElie G HaddadOpen mind, versatility, dedication and commitment, curiosity Design and Built Environment at Beirut Arab UniversityMarwan HalabiWe look for experience, motivation, team spirit, and maybe a persuasive character. PakistanImperial University, Lahore PakistanAli Akbar Husain_evening.jpg?1544097590)
IndiaSushant School of Art and Architecture Gurgaon, IndiaParul Munjal
IranSiamak Panahi Islamic Azad University Admissions OfficeScoring well on Konkour… that's it! (Note from the architecture admissions: [Konkour] is not a proper exam for Architecture. It only covers questions about diploma of mathematics, [chemistry, mathematics, physic, geometry, literature & similar studies], nothing about architecture and designing.) QatarQatar UniversityKas Oosterhuis
EgyptCairo UniversityMohammed Ghonim Cairo University. Image Architectural education is expected to grow a wide range of knowledge, skills, and abilities in order to enable graduates to achieve an appropriate competency level to practice architecture. Readiness to learn architecture is the concern of many architecture schools, so they usually hold admission exams to check how candidates are ready to handle the architectural learning tasks. Actually, measuring the capabilities of the candidates is a critical task that cannot be done easily through few questions or one type of exams. Therefore, besides written exams, oral exams, interviews and portfolios are sometimes applied. Comprehensiveness of admission exams is required to achieve higher reliability levels, as these exams should cover the different knowledge and skills required to learn architecture. Focusing only on the general architectural knowledge and drawing skills might lead to unreliable results. In addition to the aforementioned capabilities, admission exams should always assess the critical and creative thinking skills of candidates, as well as some important personal skills such as communication and management. Moreover, due to the interdisciplinary and sometimes unstructured work environments in architecture, I do believe that self-directed learning skills are highly important to learn and practice architecture. Consequently, when it is possible, these skills should be tested early to achieve a better architectural education. Finally, the reliability of an admission exam -as a prediction tool- should be regularly checked and developed, through comparing the exam records of the accepted candidates against their final records at graduation.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 30 Years After Luis Barragán: 30 Architects Share Their Favorite Works Posted: 08 Dec 2018 10:00 PM PST  Los Clubes - Cuadra San Cristóbal y Fuente de los Amantes / Luis Barragán. Image © Rodrigo Flores On November 22, 1988, one of the most important and revered figures in the history of Mexican and international architecture died in Mexico City. Luis Barragán Morfín, born in Guadalajara and trained as a civil engineer left behind an extensive legacy of published works, conferences, buildings, houses, and gardens that remain relevant to this day. While Barragán was known for his far-reaching research in customs and traditions, above all, the architect spent his life in contemplation. His sensitivity to the world and continued effort to rewrite the mundane has made him a lasting figure in Mexico, and the world. Undoubtedly, Luis Barragán's legacy represents something so complex and timeless that it continues to inspire and surprise architects across generations. It is because of this that, 30 years after his death, we've compiled this series of testimonies from some of Mexico's most prominent contemporary architects, allowing them to reflect on their favorites of Barragan's works and share just how his work has impacted and inspired theirs. Casa Barragan Casa Barragán. Image © Rodrigo Flores Javier Senosian "Almost all of Barragán's works inspire me. However, the most important for me is Casa Barragán. Once I went to see it and while we chatted in the studio with classical music playing in the background, somebody commented that concrete was a cold, gray, dirty, and sad material. Barragán stood there for a moment and then nodded...'above all it is sad.' When we left we all felt as if we were in a trance. The memories I have of Casa Barragán are always serene." "For me, all of Barragán's works are relevant, even the most functional. There are many lessons to be found in his creations. His own house is truly a masterpiece. It's a place that keeps absolute harmony and, from the moment you enter, you're transported into a state of peace and serenity.  Casa Barragán. Image © Rodrigo Flores "Barragán was many things, but what I like most about his work are those moments where he reminds me that he was a human being. That window in his private room that opens up to the neighboring property (the Ortega Garden) is a gateway to his desires, his love of the garden, his past, the nostalgia, and prevalence of beauty. I've always been obsessed with that window. For me, it's an element that speaks profoundly about the human that Barragán was." Javier Muñoz of Muñoz Arquitectos "I think the work that has most influenced me is Casa Barragán. From its discreet positioning on the street, we can see Barragán was more interested in the habitable space than in showing off the house's exterior. Its paths and walkways represent the jarring alternations between compression and liberation in human life. The color, far from being a mere accessory, unites with the light as a way to "paint the space" and to create atmospheres that change throughout the day. The garden first appears unreachable behind the large windows, but afterwards can be penetrated and inhabited as a part of the house, an invitation to enter the depths of your own being and to forget the hostility and enjoy the austerity and simplicity that allow you to experience the peace and quiet that Barragán sought in his home." "I believe that Barragán's greatest lesson was to be an architect without ambition... to achieve an architecture that speaks directly and profoundly in a way that touches the heart. In a time when we're saturated with architects that talk and exaggerate without saying anything of substance...There's so much to learn from Luis Barragán!"  Casa Barragán. Image © Rodrigo Flores Héctor Barroso of Estudio Héctor Barroso "Casa Barragán is Luis Barragán's most important work. I try to visit it periodically, since, for me, it's important to keep reflecting on it. It helps me to step away from the quantity of information and images that we have at our fingertips and to truly live and enjoy his architecture." Augusto Quijano of Augusto Quijano Arquitectos "My favorite work is definitely the house, his house, and workshop … it's the creation of Luis Barragán that has most impacted me because it's about a series of spaces that capture a pressure and tension that can be difficult to convey, but here it is done in a powerful and spatial way. The Portrait of Saint Christopher is the one that has had the greatest influence on me because of its scale and the overwhelming spatial lesson that it gives." Raúl Medina of DOSA Studio "The work by Luis Barragán that has most inspired me is his house in the old Tacubaya neighborhood. It's the creation that unites his maturity as an architect. It's interesting to see and feel how he was able to transmit his spiritual essence into the space. It reminds me a lot of something Richard England said about Barragán: 'It's one of the few times in architecture to have achieved so much with so little and it's one of the few times that such a poor supply of materials has produced so much spiritual wealth.' At the end of the day, I don't believe that architecture is architecture if it doesn't move the viewer or user."  Casa Barragán. Image © Rodrigo Flores Salvador Macías of Estudio Macías Peredo "Casa Barrágan is, without a doubt, my favorite work by Luis Barragán because out of all his works, it's his own house where the architecture, landscaping, and furniture come together in perfect harmony." Javier Sánchez of JSa "What I like about Barragán is his bravery and compromise in the search for his own language and, of course, his house, which I consider a laboratory." The Chapel of the CapuchinasRodrigo de la Peña of RDLP Arquitectos "My favorite work of his is The Convent of the Sisters Clarisas Capuchinas. This is one of the works that has impacted me most as an architect. In all of Barragán's work, but especially in these types of spaces, there is a mastery of light as an architectural tool and as a recurring motif in the living spaces. You can see this particularly in the altar, where you get a stunning sensation as a spectator in this contemplative space as if you were on the receiving end of a spiritual message." "Monumentality is a recurring theme in this work of Barragán's, the weight of the materials used in its construction transmits a somber and direct message, an implicit elegance based on historical references and emotional architecture. You can see this in the central patio of the monastery, an example of the excellence of traditional Mexican architecture, in this case, a trough that also serves as a fountain, using details with multiple intentions and functions." Ignacio del Río of Estudio MMX "As much as I would love to be able to choose a garden (they fascinate me as much as the next person, after reading Axel Araño's analysis of proportions and multi-dimensional sequencing in Barragán's work, I have to choose the Capuchinas Chapel. It offers the possibility of becoming aware in an immediate and intuitive manner, a unique space designed for introspection and spirituality." Derek Dellekamp of Dellekamp Arquitectos "The work of Barragán's that has most impacted me is the Capuchinas Chapel. The integration of light and space in perfect harmony makes the experience of being inside it profoundly spiritual. The space loses its materiality to become metaphysical." "For Barragán, it was essential for architecture to surpass purely rational analysis. He wanted people to acknowledge the wellbeing and peace of religious spaces in his work. Upon visiting his buildings and gardens, it's evident that he understood perfectly the spiritual value of architecture, regardless of faith. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the Capuchinas Chapel, built to evoke total serenity as an antidote against anguish and fear, two feelings that plague the collective conscience of our generation. You cannot deny its relevance." Fernando Romero of FR-EE "My favorite work is the Chapel. I used to go as a student when I was unsure of pursuing architecture." Torres de Satélite Torres de Satélite / Luis Barragán + Mathias Goeritz. Image © Rodrigo Flores Javier Sordo Madaleno de Haro of Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos "My favorite work by the master Luis Barragán is the Torres de Satélite, mainly because it was an agent of change for the area and served as an identity for the Ciudad Satélite. Moreover, I really admire his collaboration with Chucho Reyes, a good friend of my grandfather, Juan Sordo Madaleno."  Torres de Satélite / Luis Barragán + Mathias Goeritz. Image © Rodrigo Flores "One of the most exciting spatial experiences in Mexico City has to be the Torres de Satélite; the evolution of its shape when driving at fast speeds. Afterwards, you get the magnificence of two levels of abstract colors as you walk between them on an inclined plaza and finally uncover the mystery of its interior space that opens to the sky." Cuadra San Cristóbal Los Clubes - Cuadra San Cristóbal y Fuente de los Amantes / Luis Barragán. Image © Rodrigo Flores Carlos Rodríguez Bernal of SPRB arquitectos "My favorite work is Cuadra San Cristóbal. The scale and sequencing of the space are truly flawless. It's a masterpiece where the landscape is built into the architecture and the architecture itself turns into the landscape. It's what we understand as architectural scenery. The landscape doesn't complement the architecture but rather is the architecture. In the case of Cuadra San Cristóbal, Barragán was a minimalist in terms of resources and details... And this made it all the more brilliant... A genius." Casa Gilardi Casa Gilardi / Luis Barragán. Image © Eduardo Luque Gilberto Rodríguez of GLR Arquitectos "Without a doubt, my favorite work is Casa Gilardi. I first came across photos of the house in the Artes de Mexico magazine, where through its doorway I saw its mythical yellow hallway flooded with light. To see it in real life was truly exciting, similar to the surrealist pool with the red wall rising out of the water. I once read that the house had a great sequence of surprising elements that gave it an almost magical theatricality. The only thing I know is that the photos come nowhere near actually visiting the place. I returned a few years ago, accompanied by Alberto Campo Baeza, who was dying to see Barragán's works in person. I believe that Casa Gilardi is a masterpiece, and all of Mexico City's architecture students should witness it."  Casa Gilardi / Luis Barragán. Image © Eduardo Luque Los Bebederos (Drinking Troughs)Gabriela Carrillo of Taller de Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo "I love Barragán's drinking troughs... I love the synthesis of the three elements dematerializing in the reflections, light, and shadows as if to represent profound silence." Ingrid Moye of Zeller & Moye "As a young girl, I spent a lot of time playing in the gardens around Barragán's troughs. My grandmother lived in a colonial house close to the gardens in Arboledas, and this was my favorite place to go with my cousins. I even learned how to ride a bike there. Even though I was small, Los Bebederos always struck me as a different and mystical place. I spent years playing there even though there wasn't a jungle gym. I was happy just running around and exploring every corner of it. What I'll never forget is the smell of the eucalyptus, the reflections in the water of the Great Pool, the shadows of the trees over the walls, and the images of textures, both natural and constructed. The thing that most attracted me was that the place couldn't be placed into just one category. It's somewhere between architecture and nature, between intimate and public, between control and freedom." "I haven't been back to the park since I was a child and, unfortunately, I know it's not in the best state, however, the memories I have of it have stayed with me through the years and in that time I've found the words to describe them. As an adult, I've visited many of Barragan's works but I've never felt as intrigued or at peace as I felt at Los Bebederos." Christoph Zeller of Zeller & Moye "When I still lived in Basil, Switzerland, many years before moving to Mexico, I was moving from my house and I passed into a person that I met in a place that I don't remember. In my conversations with him, I found out that he wasn't only an architect, but, to my surprise, an expert on Luis Barragán. In fact, his project was to research the unknown works of Barragán in order to come up with the most complete compilation of Barragan's works ever published. He was to do this with a series of books published through the Barragán Foundation. At the same time, he was the guardian of the entire archive of Barragán's drawings, outlines, images, books, etc. that strangely found his home in Switzerland via an ocean voyage in an air-conditioned bunker made from walls of meter thick concrete. One day, he showed me the archive that, as of that moment, was off limits to the public. Walking into the cave, I found myself surrounded by walls that could withstand a nuclear bomb. It was there that I found the most moving works of architecture ever put on paper, boxes and boxes of them. We went through a variety of projects, both finished and unfinished. We saw drawings, outlines, and colored illustrations. The work put into every detail of every drawing was astounding. It was like a trip through time from the first mark on paper to the colors carefully put onto the images. It was a very intimate moment with Barragán's work as if I was visiting him in his studio." "Years later, I met my friend out of sheer luck on a street in Houston, Texas. He told me that he was scoping the area for a fountain designed by Barragán for a local neighborhood. Apparently, he had found a sketch of the fountain buried deep in the archives but no other references. Nobody knew if it had even been built. I haven't heard from him since, so I don't know if he ever found that mystical fountain." Casa Ortega"Unbeknownst to me, the first Luis Barragán work I saw at seven-years-old was an influence to me. Casa Ortega, where I played one morning, has since marked me as an architect: the importance of color, textures, and the presence of materials. The garden was an infinite universe and the house a refuge within a landscape full of surprises. Afterward, in university, I visited the Capuchinas Chapel, and then the Casa Egerström which were fundamental to understanding what spaces were made of. Barragán is one of the clearest examples of this concept: you can't understand architecture without first considering the body." Casa PedregalMichel Rojkind of Rojkind Arquitectos "The Casa Prieto or Casa Pedregal is one of the projects that I've been able to visit on different occasions and, for this reason, I've been able to thoroughly enjoy it inside and out. From the gardens of lava to the rocky grounds incorporated into the space, all of these elements make the work one of my favorites and reinforce the emotional aspects of architecture that Barragán so defended." The Glorieta Melchor Ocampo Workshops Melchor Ocampo / VRTICAL. Image © Rafael Gamo Luis Beltrán of VRTICAL "Without a doubt and for reasons of professional involvement, my favorite work of Barragán's are the Workshops of the Glorieta Melchor Ocampo. It was here that we discovered the line between a master who was fixated on international style but who also found purpose in the innards of a project and in sophisticated spatial sequences. I think these were the beginnings of his mature stage." Juan Carral of JC Arquitectura "The work that has always stayed with me is the building where I lived in Cuauhtémoc. I consider it a challenge to talk about Barragán and surprise, Barragán and light, silence, labyrinths, and gardens. I've always found his previous period interesting, where, with a vision of business, he began to design urban buildings that were still very much suburban. This is a lesson in optimism with vision, truly necessary in rescuing our contemporary city."  Cortesía de Juan Carral Enrique Norten of TEN Arquitectos "My favorite work and the one that has interested me most of Barragán's, are the two houses on the east side of Parque México (1928). The modern rigor of the houses isn't only surprising, but it also establishes the parameters for his most known works. Furthermore, it's truly vanguard!" Ana Patrón + Carlos Patrón of TACO Taller de Arquitectura Contextual "Luis Barragán is an architect whose practices we hold dear at TACO. In 2014, we took a team trip to see three of his most emblematic works in consecutive order (The Chapel of the Capuchinas, Casa Barragán y Casa Gilardi), which turned out to be one of the most fulfilling learning experiences that we've had to date. These works introduce modern factors to discussions about architecture, such as local culture and spirituality (among others). Through his mastery of space, materials, light, sound, nature, details, and furnishings, Luis Barragán transmits the essence of traditional Mexican architecture that, although simple, is loaded with delightful emotions for those who witness it."  Casa Gilardi / Luis Barragán. Image © Eduardo Luque Pavel Escobedo of Escobedo + Soliz "We cannot mark Luis Barragán's work as unambiguous since all have been created under a wide variety of circumstances and all carry significance. However, we can talk about experiences around the work. The first of these happened in front of the Capuchinas Chapel. We were searching for a concrete architectural experience that would guide us to the beginning of a project -- we found silence. The second was in the house called Prieto Lopez. It was here that we encountered the atmosphere of a house mutating into the sunset." Carlos Bedoya of PRODUCTORA "More than one work, in particular, it's the speech that Luis Barragán gives after receiving the Pritzker Prize, explaining what sustains his work. In it, he brings to life new, universal, temporary, and transcendental ideas about the task of architects: ideas about myths, beauty, silence, solitude, serenity, happiness, death, nostalgia, enchantment, intimacy, wonder, etc. Ideas that, for me, are essential to our practice and even more so in a time when architectural creation is dictated solely by market values."  Los Clubes - Cuadra San Cristóbal y Fuente de los Amantes / Luis Barragán. Image © Rodrigo Flores Manuel Cervantes of CC Arquitectos "In a compilation of Barragán's texts by Fernando Márquez, Barragán talks about his trips to Morocco and how he found inspiration in the vernacular of the medina for the project he would complete in 1948. Following his footsteps through the places that he talks about in these texts and visiting them is what most impressed me about Barragán. Understanding his way of abstracting and re-interpreting was truly amazing. My favorite of his works was his abstraction, his architectural task."  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Temporary Pavilion at Picnic «Afisha» / project eleven Posted: 08 Dec 2018 09:00 PM PST  © Ilia Ivanov
 © Ilia Ivanov Text description provided by the architects. This pavilion is a part of a project "Open-Air Flat" organized by PIK Group – a leading real estate developer in Russia – for Picnic "Afisha" music festival. Pop-up structures that symbolized the rooms of an abstract flat were situated in different areas of Kolomenskoye park, where the festival has been taking place since 2007.  © Ilia Ivanov  Floor plan  © Ilia Ivanov The object is a reinterpretation of a living room which is a common space for communication and activity in any flat. Not by chance it was situated in one of the most crowded areas of the festival just between food court and main music stage. This specific location implied the pavilion to be an art object as well as having a clear practical purpose.  © Ilia Ivanov  Isometric  © Ilia Ivanov With its semi-transparent walls constructed out of rainbow-colored plastic tubes, the pavilion truly stood out from the surroundings. Inside this building is divided into various compartments. Each of them has a separate and individual structure forming together an accurate rectangular-shaped form filled in with an irregular grid of white metal framework and plastic tubes. Deliberately uneven sections create a dynamic and expressive composition that brings a slight ripple into this seemingly austere shape. Situated on a bright green lawn, the multi-colored living room pavilion can be compared with a glitch effect that had suddenly appeared in a CGI landscape.  Scheme Apart from its remarkable design, the pavilion was also meant to be a functional chill out area. Comfortable armchairs and loungers for festival goers had been installed in every section. These pieces of furniture were merged together with coffee tables and lamps into light-weight constructions. Pavilion's lucidity allowed the visitors to see what was going on in the festival's other areas and even watching the show on main stage without leaving the space.  © Ilia Ivanov Despite being a living room, the building is more of a one-story mansion that calls to mind such 20th century classics as Villa Savoye and Farnsworth House. Its furniture is also inspired by the iconic designs of Marcel Breuer and Le Corbusier. Though highly influenced by a modernist architecture, the pavilion offers its very own outlook on the international style private mansions.  Elevations The extreme transparency of this pavilion is different from that in Philip Johnson's Glass House or the already mentioned Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House. Its emptiness is an emptiness of a clear prism that is waiting for a ray of light to turn into a rainbow. This ambivalent impression is amplified by an irregular framework grid that symbolizes the result of the building's total deconstruction as well as a layout of a building that hasn't been constructed yet. A flickering and always evolving structure relates to the works of 1960s conceptual architecture groups such as Archigram and Superstudio – they both were using grid in their utopian projects considering it an ultimate never-ending game board for their experiments. Few decades later the grid was immortalized in science-fiction cliché of "cyberspace". Using its deconstructed version in this contemporary yet retro-futuristic pavilion is a smart and elegant solution.  © Ilia Ivanov  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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