“The Paper Factory Hotel has defined the ultimate New York City boutique hotel experience. In the heart of Long Island City’s urban scene, at the crossroads of the charming Kaufman Art’s District and trendy Astoria, The Paper Factory Hotel is an ideal choice for the seasoned business traveler as well as the lifestyle-driven tourist eager to access the vibrant city.
This one-of-a-kind hotel caters to the value-minded, yet stylishly distinguished guest. The Paper Factory Hotel’s impeccably chic décor and thoughtful service, all punctuated with a touch of savoir vivre, embodies all that is Long Island City: cultured, eclectic, and undeniably fashionable.
With the demands of sustainability today placing tight restrictions on performance metrics such as how airtight a building is, one of the sacrifices that often has to be made is user control. Windows are often no longer openable; shades and blinds often replaced with non-openable louvers. In recent years new technology such as smart glass (sometimes called "switchable glass) has promised a modicum of compromise, allowing windows to be tinted on demand. But smart glass is limited - it's either on or off, clear or tinted.
Until now, that is. At the AIA convention in May, SageGlass revealed a range of innovations that greatly increase the options available to designers when specifying smart glass.
Courtesy of SageGlass
Among the new capabilities offered are the opportunity to not only tint sections of a single pane of glass independently, but even for architects to specify a wide variety of geometric shapes which can function independently from the rest of the glass pane - from simple triangles and rectangles to chevrons and diamonds.
In addition to the internal, tinting possibilities of the smart glass, window panes can be supplied in a variety of colors and shapes, as demonstrated by the recently-completed Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, designed by HOK with triangular smart glass windows throughout. Finally, in a bid to return user control to buildings, SageGlass unveiled a mobile app with which users can change the tint level of the glass from wherever they are.
"Achieving accurate and uniform tint levels across non-standard shapes can be a significant engineering challenge for traditional solar control mechanisms such as shades, and impossible with other dynamic glass products," explained SageGlass.
"These options allow greater design freedom for architects and building owners in the future," added Derek Malmquist, VP of Marketing at SageGlass. "Having broader shape and tinting options eliminates the all-or-nothing tinting trade-offs that architects may have to weigh when evaluating dynamic glazing for their designs."
Goettsch Partners (GP) has been commissioned to design a 605-foot-tall "Park Tower" for San Francisco. Planned to rise in the SOMA district, on the corner of Howard and Beale streets, across from the new Transbay Transit Center, the new building will feature a variety of office space, flanked by a series of outdoor terraces - "mini-parks in the sky," hence the tower's name.
"The tower’s façade is comprised of floor-to-ceiling glass and is articulated with a series of vertical glass fins that relate to the location of the tower terraces, which occur at a three-story module," said GP in a press release. "The podium façade also utilizes a series of vertical double fins in addition to a module of fritted glass. The fritted glass element is repeated through to the base of the building to help continue the tower articulation and materiality throughout the three tower massings."
"The materiality and scale of the façade changes with each of the separate tower massings. However, they are in concert with each other and the scale becomes smaller as we approach the base of the tower. The overall tower design is meant to create a timeless aesthetic that will provide a positive addition to the Transbay area as well as the San Francisco skyline," adds Scott Seyer principal at GP.
The tower's base is made up of a covered, 5,000-square-foot outdoor plaza that connects to retail and the building's main lobby space. An artist-designed, site-specific installation is expected to mark the building's entrance.
Construction is expected to being this October, with completion slated for 2018.
From the architect. Woods Bagot’s design for Brookfield Multiplex’s new Melbourne office accommodation provides an innovative work typology that represents the Brookfield Multiplex brand which promotes knowledge sharing and increases staff interaction. Shifting to a fully-open workspace, the design encourages greater interaction and efficiency of work flow.
The design is based on four key principles: flow, longevity, showcase and parklife. These principles informed the design concept of a mobius strip, representing the infinite flow of connectivity between the two formal elements of the floorplate: the existing core and the newly introduced light atrium. Linking the two parts, the mobius reference is manifest in the curved lines throughout the space, including the walls, ceiling lining and floor.
“The mobius wraps the social heart of the workplace, around which an infinite loop of movement is generated, creating and containing energy and encouraging use by all.” says Woods Bagot Associate Kylie Holton.
Drawing the outside in, light wells encourage natural light to penetrate the deep floor plates. Referencing the park, an internal garden atrium helps to connect the reception area with social breakout spaces. An external rooftop terrace can be accessed directly from the workspace floor and client meeting suite.
Third Floor Plan
Circulation of the floorplate is key. Each space flows seamlessly with the next creating a malleability of zones with convergence in the social spaces. Floor plates are easy to navigate with a spiral stair connecting the upper and lower levels.
The size of the new tenancy allows for a greater cross section of the Brookfield Multiplex team to utilise the work floors at once, integrating graduates, site managers, estimators, business administrators and senior management in an open-plan space. It also provides a flexible space to enable start up site office teams to prepare for on-site operations pre site establishment.
Interiors are refined but futuristic, enabling a mix of work settings to suit a variety of activity-based tasks. Comprising a diversity of open-plan and enclosed collaborative meeting spaces, the design allows for greater interaction of staff across the business, allowing for an enhanced sense of community. To support the firm’s social culture, large, open breakout spaces encourage staff to meet in a relaxed setting.
The reception and external meeting spaces are designed as a gallery to showcase the building work Brookfield Multiplex has completed. A soft and considered materials palette, finishes are modest but well detailed, creating a backdrop for the artworks and models to be displayed.
Recognising Brookfield Multiplex’s 50+ years in construction, the firm’s new workplace supports the business’s collaborative styles of working, offering staff an inspiring and dynamic place to work.
From the architect. Indonesia has a tropical climate. Tropical areas have rains almost the whole year through. For the reason of extreme weather, the home design should be able to accommodate the climate. The House Located in Griya Loka, Serpong in a suburb area near Jakarta (the capital city of Indonesia). These townships residential area is dense enough. The home design-oriented is focusing on natural resources for lighting and ventilation.
‘Breathing House’ is located in an area, which has been formed since the 80s. The site is blended with the surrounding environment as a green area. We optimize the potential asymmetrical shaped into the owner's identity with a functional approach. The owner is a dynamic young family with two children. Both are eager to have a more comfortable dwelling, environmentally friendly and at the same time also represent personal identity. "Form follow function" became a common thread in keeping the desired characteristics.
Section
Site follows the asymmetric land, forming a new grid and creating unexpected spatial experience. Elements of surprise are inserted into the flow of circulation between spaces. The ground floor as the public areas is designed to 'breath' naturally through the large ventilation that is provided from the holes pattern in some areas of the building. All space is centered at large void holes, which has skylights on it. Under the skylight there is indoor swimming pool, which also aims to lower the room temperature naturally.
The private bedroom area, workspace and living space are on the second floor. On the third floor, we designed a roof garden that serves as an additional open area resident to do outdoor activities and family events.
We used natural and green materials such as bricks, Gain Reinforced Cement (GRC), and recycle metal are explored in order to have a contemporary new design. This house also works independently with recycle rainwater to watering garden and car washing. The house is expected to represent the identity of an eco-friendly Indonesian modern family home.
From the architect. Our client, a DINKS couple with profound knowledge of architectural design, acquired a lot within a quiet residential are in Kawasaki-city, Kanagawa--for realizing their own residence with a patio space by reflecting their own taste and interest in its design. The contrast between the exterior wall covered with red cedar strip flooring pieces in dark brown color and the white volume stuck out at the second floor level promotes striking impression of the exterior design.
Courtesy of APOLLO Architects & Associates
In contrast to the exterior with confined expression, an airy patio space filled with natural light rests inside as the core of the interior spaces. This patio space enables easy and casual access between the Japanese-style room with tatami mats adjacent to the entrance, and the main bedroom situated opposite to the Japanese-style room across the patio. A Body-care room is provided continuous to the open area next to the bathroom, in order to provide a unified space with relaxing atmosphere as well as a smooth circulation for housework.
Floor Plan
Going up the strip stairs at the center overlooking the stewartia monadelpha planted in the patio, an impressive slanted ceiling surface constructed with SPF timber becomes visible. The glass surface reflects the natural light from the patio space, producing attractive shades on the ceiling surface.
Courtesy of APOLLO Architects & Associates
Built-in furniture is provided next to the living space for storing books and record disks for hobby use, while large sliding doors are installed for the unity of this area with the exterior living area. The dining kitchen area is situated on a raised floor, allowing gradual separation of the dining kitchen from the living area, along with some theatrical aspect of the space.
Floor Plan
An extra space is provided next to the dining kitchen area for spending spare time--reading or working on hobbies--which helps residents to fully enjoy their lives without limiting where they may be Indirect lighting at night gives a different atmosphere from daytime by illuminating the ceiling with gradation of light.
Location: Joá, Rio de Janeiro - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
Team: Thiago Bernardes, Camila Tariki, Francisco Abreu, Ilana Daylac, Daniel Vannucchi, Thiago Moretti, Antonia Bernardes, Fernanda Lopes, Maria Vittoria Oliveira, Ana Paula Endo, Renata Evaristo,Caroline Premoli
From the architect. The siting of the Chapel was defined by the irregular topography of the land and the search for a quiet place without a flow of people. It was important to place it where the natural surroundings - forest, sky, sea - were present in the experience of the space.
Sketch - Section
The conceptual search for simplicity has guided the design of the project and has allowed a systematic construction. The two steel beams that support the upper roof are supported by only two points - the existing road and the column that rises at the bottom of the site.
The main structure supports plywood frames, which at the same time structure the envelope of the internal space. Glass walls line and protect the wooden structure, while they blend in with the forest through the reflection of the trees.
Inside the chapel, the perception of the forest is possible through the rhythmic sequence of frames. These gradually increase in height and lead the views to the ocean. The large metal pillar supports a roof of vertices that rises and becomes the cross framed by the landscape.
Plan
The chapel is present between the treetops, at a height that allows the view of infinity. It is a space with a conceptual simplicity that is steeped in its materiality and its constructive solutions, which improves the sensory experience of those seeking silence and reflection.
We're just three days into the four-month display of SelgasCano's 2015 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion and the comments it has generated from ArchDaily readers have already been as colorful as the pavilion itself - with criticisms ranging from "worst Serpentine Gallery Pavilion ever" to "trash bag monster" and a few other comparisons that I'd rather not even repeat. This may surprise some people, but at ArchDaily we do actually read the comments section, and we get it: unless you're the brave and persistent soul who comments as "notyourproblem," who thinks "it must be exciting getting inside those tunnels," there's a good chance that you hate this pavilion - and I don't use the word "hate" lightly.
But is this violent dismissal warranted? In short, is SelgasCano's pavilion as bad as you probably think it is? Fortunately, we're not the only publication giving the pavilion extensive coverage: as usual the Serpentine Gallery has attracted a number of the UK's most well-known critics. Find out what they thought of the pavilion after the break.
One critic who would almost certainly disagree with our commenters is Edwin Heathcote. Writing for the Financial Times he admits that the pavilion lacks finesse, but still seems to find plenty of reasons to forgive this:
"From close up, this year’s Serpentine Pavilion looks a bit of a bodge; taped together, perhaps a little leaky, ad hoc with an almost childlike sense of fun rather than permanence. But it is also a terrifically enjoyable blast of candy-coloured sweetness, a Pop Art kickback to a 1960s sensibility of disposability and playfulness."
Recalling the somewhat modest first installment of the Serpentine program, a rather simple angular tent by Zaha Hadid all the way back in 2000, Heathcote argues:
"This year’s contribution is closer in spirit to Hadid’s tent than it is to some of the more structurally ambitious efforts, something between an agricultural polytunnel and a Pop-Art inflatable funscape."
Like Heathcote, in The Guardian Wainwright admits that the design "feels a bit thrown together, with details and junctions not quite worked out," but again is won over by the pavilion's sense of fun:
"The place comes alive with people, a shadow-dance of shapes and reflections, as park life melds into a pearly soap-bubble mirage. At night, it transforms into a fantastical alien glow-worm."
Noting the Serpentine's desire for a "party pavilion" to celebrate their 15th anniversary, Wainwright adds that SelgasCano "have followed the Serpentine’s brief for a festive folly to the letter: the pavilion could well have been fashioned from leftover balloons and party-popper streamers, woven together in a celebratory tangle." He also adds that:
With its multiple orifices and alluring glimpses around corners, it is also an Instagrammer’s paradise, something that is no coincidence: Selgas admits that how it would be photographed played a key part in the composition"
"Both embody an almost anti-architectural approach, quite distinct from the first decade of monument-pavilions by big-name architects, and seem to be consciously resisting the pressure to construct a manifesto in miniature. Architectural purists might sniff at what looks like a kids’ funfair maze from the outside – until they’re sucked through the wormhole and swallowed inside Selgas Cano’s trippy womb."
"You can imagine what the architects had in mind — a shifting kaleidoscope grotto or a brilliant chrysalis formed by one of nature’s more flamboyant creatures. Unfortunately, what’s been delivered is a clown’s sleeve."
"However, (almost) all is forgiven when the sun comes out as the overheated poly-tunnel is transformed into a cathedral nave: the sunlight casts panels of colour across the white floor while shadows from the opaque ribbons recall the lead framing of stained glass. It is a transitory glimpse of what might have been."
Perhaps the most interesting take on the pavilion comes from Ellis Woodman, writing in the Telegraph. For Woodman, the appointment of SelgasCano represents a continuation of the Serpentine's "renewed sense of purpose" of the past few years, with the Gallery seeking out true emerging talents rather than "playing it safe" with the big names it has dabbled with in the past. But while he applauds that fact, he believes that the pavilion itself "tries hard but doesn't quite work":
"Viewed across the park, the effect is startling and promises to be still more so at night when internal lighting transforms the pavilion into a glowing beacon. Seen closer up, however, the treatment is less convincing."
While he recognizes the practicality in the fact that this pavilion is "one of the most cheap and cheerful for many years," he argues:
"It is still hard not to be disappointed by the distinctly ropey nature of the structure’s detailing. Reconciling the plastic membrane to the complicated geometry of the steelwork has clearly proved a particular challenge. After a heavy-night’s rainfall, the assembled members of the press found themselves dodging drips at Monday’s launch."
He also finds reason to question the supposed intentions of the designers:
"The architects describe the desire to establish a relationship between the pavilion and its parkland setting as a key motivation behind the design, so it is somewhat bewildering to discover that, on entering it, we are almost entirely unable to look out."
However, despite his disappointment, Woodman concludes with a pointed comment on the experimentation, and by extension the constant threat of failure, that is offered by the Serpentine commission:
"If their efforts represent a near-miss, the Serpentine is still to be applauded for its commitment to supporting this unique annual experiment. The pavilion programme offers architects a rare opportunity to try out ideas that a more costly and permanent commission would not allow. The right to fail comes with the territory."
For more images of the 2015 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion by SelgasCano, follow the links to our previous coverage below:
Gaudí in 1878. Public Domain image taken by Pau Audouard
When Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) graduated from the Barcelona Architecture School in 1878, the director of the school Elies Rogent reportedly declared: "Gentlemen, we are here today either in the presence of a genius or a madman!" [1] Well over a century later, this tension is still evident in Gaudí's work; though he is widely regarded as a genius architect, his distinctive style stands as a singularity in architectural history - simultaneously awe-inspiring and bizarre, never fitting into any stylistic movement, and never adapted or emulated, except by those still working to complete his magnum opus, Barcelona's famous Sagrada Família.
Born in the Catalan village of either Riudoms or Reus (the records conflict), from a young age Gaudí was fascinated by nature. Between 1875 and 1878, Gaudí was conscripted for compulsory military service, but due to ill health - which he struggled with all his life - he was able to spend much of his time studying at the Llotja School and the Barcelona Higher School of Architecture.
Guadí's fantastical style was informed by a number of influences, and was very much a result of the context of late 19th century architecture, when the requirement to follow strict historical styles was beginning to fall out of favor. As such, Gaudí was able to take inspiration from Oriental styles, and was heavily influenced by the Revival Gothic architecture of the time, most notably encapsulated in the work of French architect Viollet-le-Duc. However, he believed that Gothic architecture was "imperfect," and began to infuse his work with a variety of motifs drawn from nature.
Casa Batlló. Image via Wikipedia
However, as much as his works of architectural decoration are striking, Gaudí is equally notable for his advanced understanding of structures. Having studied geometry in his youth, Gaudí followed advances in engineering and his work regularly features catenary curves, hyperbolic paraboloids, hyperboloids and helicoids, shapes which he used to create efficient (but more importantly dynamic and organic) structures.
Gaudí gained recognition very early in his career with designs such as the Casa Vicens, and in 1883, aged just 31, he was appointed to the Sagrada Família project. Over the following three decades, the work of Gaudí became almost synonymous with Barcelona, as he changed the face of the city and its surrounding regions with projects such as the Parc Güell, Colònia Güell and Casa Milà.
However, in 1915 Gaudí ceased all other projects in order to focus exclusively on the Sagrada Família. He worked on the building for the next 11 years, until he was hit by a tram and died in 1926.
See all the works of Antoni Gaudí featured on ArchDaily via the thumbnails below, and further coverage below that:
From the architect. The “La Palomera”(pigeon loft) project arose from a number of coincidences starting a few years ago, when, after remodelling a floor of offices in Santiago we were left with 37 windows, they were 3.2mts high with widths varying between 40cm and 120cm. Among them 15 were frosted glass and 10 were protex type hinged doors (1), in addition there was a kitchenette and a complete bathroom. We also took a box of focal lights, albeit not knowing what for, just to rescue them from the rubbish tip.
Section
It is located in an area known as “La Paloma” (The Pigeon/Dove) in Zapallar, where a link road between La Ligua and Valparaiso was built over 40 years ago and cut through the original property leaving this scrap of land, on which the project was constructed.
Courtesy of Schmidt Architects
3 years after the completion of another project in the area we took theconcrete formwork including the wooden ceiling support posts, the roof of the building site office and other leftover materials to start the construction.
With all this we proposed to make a simple, minimalist, self-sufficient project with the added plus of enjoying a splendid sea view given by the land. A basic "Petit Cabanon", an unpretentious, recycled shelter with a large main room that serves as the living room, study and dining room and at night the sofa converts into a bed transforming the space into a large bedroom.
Courtesy of Schmidt Architects
To get the best possible view, the project was placed at the highest point of the land, but also the most confined by the site limits. With the variable widths of the windows we did not give in to temptation to build a parallelepiped construction, one of the glass walls is even arranged at an angle, moderating privacy levels of the large area and highlighting the position of the project on the steep slope, pushing the apex higher over the ground. The front corner of the rectangular base is divided by the front glass wall, extending over the steep slope up to a tree and thus providing an outside terrace area for the cabin.
Exploded Axonometric
Similar to the "Farnsworth" house the programmatic outline of a single book cabinet separates the bathroom, closet and kitchenette from the main room, avoiding doors, and leaving the main space devoid of anything to distract the view and integration with the landscape. Almost without a boundary between the inside and outside, the precarious glass structure, with unions hidden by the recycled wooden ceiling support posts, gives the sensation of an exterior folly.
32 windows were placed around the perimeter, the frosted glass placed at the back to give privacy to the bathroom, closet and kitchenette, and 6 of the protex doors connect the main space to the terrace, two were left as windows and the last, the only frosted, was used as the front door. It was built in 35 days by 5 master carpenters.
Malevich's Tektonik (1976-77). Image Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
The first retrospective exhibition of her work in Russia, Zaha Hadid at The State Hermitage Museum provides unprecedented insight into the work of Zaha Hadid in a mid-career retrospective highlighting her exploration of the Russian Avant-garde at the beginning of her career, and the continuing influence of its core principles on her work today.
The exhibition, in the historic Nicolaevsky Hall of the Winter Palace, showcases many of the seminal paintings, drawings, models and design objects of Hadid’s forty-year repertoire; conveying the ingenuity and dynamism of her architectural projects in variety of media including film, photography and installations.
In 2004, Hadid was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in the theatre of the State Hermitage Museum. Accepting the prize, Hadid stated, “The spirit of adventure to embrace the new and the incredible belief in the power of invention attracted me to the Russian Avant-garde. I realized how Modern architecture built upon the break-through achieved by abstract art as the conquest of a previously unimaginable realm of creative freedom. The idea that space itself might be warped and distorted to gain in dynamism and complexity without losing its coherence and continuity.”
With its far-reaching experimentation, Hadid directly engaged with the work of the Russian Avant-garde early in her career, developing an artistic inventiveness that transcends the context of the Russian social experiment and continues a narrative of a new spatial perception.
The Peak (1982-83). Image Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
The exhibition outlines the pioneering research that permeates the architect’s career. The Peak Club in Hong Kong (unrealized, 1982-83) represents an early manifestation of her exploration of Kazimir Malevich’s compositional techniques of fragmentation and layering. Further projects include the Rosenthal Centre for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati (completed, 2003), Phaeno Science Centre in Wolfsburg (completed, 2005), BMW Central Building in Leipzig (completed, 2005), MAXXI: Museum of XXI Century Art in Rome (completed, 2010), London Aquatics Centre (completed, 2011) and Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku (completed, 2012) continue Hadid’s ongoing research towards a new architecture that addresses the increased complexities and dynamism of our future.
Built on the site of an old Soviet tank factory, the centre in Baku dissolves the conventional differentiation between architecture and city, offering welcoming porosity in place of segregated fortification.
“Hadid championed the unconsummated work of the Suprematists. She reengaged the debate and set out to build their revolution,” explains critic Joseph Giovannini. “The Baku center represents a new era in architecture. If a culture can be extrapolated from the architectural posture represented by the Heydar Aliyev Center, it would be freer and more spirited, and applied with a light touch as well as principled discipline. The center, an embodiment of an enlightened philosophical framework, is poetic, compelling, and charismatic. Its open forms promise to help open Azeri culture by an act of attraction rather than imposition. Hadid has designed and crafted an object lesson and a parable. Azerbaijan commissioned a building, and Hadid met the program. But she also read between the lines and exceeded the brief by delivering a futuristic vision and aspirational ideal."
The World (89 Degrees) (1983). Image Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
As the exhibition explores the architect’s forty-year career, we see that, far beyond simply continuing the unfinished project of Modernism and the unfettered spirit of the Avant-garde, Hadid has transcended these ideas, creating an entirely new spatial paradigm; an architecture of the future.
Zaha Hadid at The State Hermitage Museum is organized in cooperation with Zaha Hadid Architects as part of Hermitage 20/21 launched in 2007 to collect, exhibit and study the art of the 20th and 21st centuries.
The exhibition is curated by Ksenia Malich, Curator of Contemporary Art Department, The State Hermitage Museum, and Patrik Schumacher, Zaha Hadid Architects.
A fully illustrated catalogue will accompany the exhibition (Fontanka Publishing House, London, 2015), containing an extensive interview with Ms. Hadid, as well as an essay by Patrik Schumacher.
Title: Exhibition: Zaha Hadid at The State Hermitage Museum
Espacios de Paz (Spaces for Peace) / PICO Estudio & Movimiento Por la Paz y la Vida. Image Courtesy of ASF International Awards
Architecture Sans Frontières has announced the winners of their inaugural ASF International Awards, which aim to recognize “efficient solutions developed by architects globally to the many social, environmental and economic challenges facing the built environment.”
From 68 submissions, three winners were selected: PICO Estudio & Movimiento Por la Paz y la Vida’s Espacios de Paz (Spaces for Peace) project in Venezuela; ASF France’s La Passerelle in Saint-Denis, France; and Building Trust International for their work in Asia and Africa.
Learn more about the winning projects after the break.
Award for the Social Production of Habitat
Espacios de Paz (Spaces for Peace) / PICO Estudio & Movimiento Por la Paz y la Vida
Espacios de Paz (Spaces for Peace) / PICO Estudio & Movimiento Por la Paz y la Vida. Image Courtesy of ASF International Awards
Espacios de Paz is an exercise in participative design in Venezuela, during which architecture groups from across Latin America work with communities in neighborhoods dominated by violence, high dropout rates and crime to convert deteriorated and abandoned spaces into public places of peace. The initiative has been carried out the past two years, and this year ArchDaily en Español Editors, Nicolás Valencia M. and José Tomás Franco were invited to document and view the final projects. Learn more here.
La Passarelle / Niclas Dunnebacke with Annelise Archen (from ASF France)
La Passarelle / Nicolas Dunneback with Annelise Archen. Image Courtesy of ASF International Awards
Carried out by Niclas Dunnebacke and Annelise Archen of ASF France, La Passarelle consisted of upgrading temporary housing for Romanian immigrants in Saint-Denis, France. “Collaborating with some of the Romanian immigrants, as well as other workers with socially integrative contracts, a complete envelope was built with mainly recycled materials like old windows or outdated advertising canvas from the Centre Pompidou. An alternative heating system and a common garden are the following steps of the project,” according to the architects.
Award for the Challenging Practice
Building Trust International
Building Trust International’s Building Apprenticeship Program. Image Courtesy of ASF International Awards
Founded in 2010, Building Trust International aims “to address the need for all built environment professionals to come together to address the changing needs of global development.” Building Trust partners with community groups, local governments and NGOs to “provide innovative solutions to school building, low cost housing, medical facilities and conservation projects.” In 2012, they held a competition to find flood resistant house designs for Cambodia. Learn more about the organization and some of their projects here.
Learn more about each of the projects and the awards on the ASF site.
From the architect. Seen from above, the cubic geometry of the Blum project becomes an incident in its surroundings, one horizontal object among many vertical on the Santa Fe financial district.
This canonical contemporary object is framed both by the dense infill of new construction in the area and by the nearby freeways, and the flux of vehicular transportation.
Floor Plan
The showroom apartment is truly an example of modernist subtle architecture. Its vertical lines & horizontal planes create a project that resembles both the sensual and the intellectual.
Despite harsh criticism for being too large and costly, Tokyo's 2020Zaha Hadid-designed National Stadium will be realized. As USA Today reports, the Japanese government has announced its decision to move forward with the design, saying any major modifications would lead to construction delays.
The 80,000-seat stadium has already undergone some design changes, due to backlash led by Pritzker laureatesToyo Ito and Fumihiko Maki; it's most recent design is said to be more "efficient, user-focussed, adaptable and sustainable." However controversy continues as the city and central government must now decide how to split the stadium's estimated $2 billion bill.
Construction is expected to being by October with completed slated just before the Rugby World Cup in 2019. The National Stadium will be the centerpiece of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Snøhetta has unveiled plans for a flagship public market in Portland - the city's first in over 70 years. Named after a famous chef and Portland native who helped initiate the fresh food movement in the US, the James Beard Public Market will showcase Oregon's best cuisine within an "ambitious civic hub" that will reenergize an underutilized site in Downtown Portland.
"Linking the city to the river, the market will be an asset for residents and visitors alike," says Snøhetta. The market will feature more than 60 permanent vendors, 30 day tables, full-service restaurants, a teaching kitchen and event space.
"Located on the Willamette River, not far from the waterfront location of the original Portland Public Market, the spectacular site straddles an iconic drawbridge, sits adjacent to a waterfront park, and brings with it a host of unique challenges. Currently, the Morrison Street Bridge and automobile ramps slice the site into two symmetrical halves, barring pedestrian access from three sides," describes Snøhetta.
"Two broad moves are proposed—realigning the Morrison Bridge ramps and introducing a pedestrian through-road along the western edge of the market in order to increase the overall buildable site area, and make the new Market accessible and safe for pedestrians from all four sides.
"The new James Beard Public Market will rise up in a wing-like form to either side of the bridge, acting as a gateway to downtown Portland and creating a recognizable icon at the center of the city. Large doors open up along the entire market facade to a widened sidewalk, allowing guest seating to spill out during good weather. The market stalls are arranged along a pathway that connects the main entrances to the outdoor market and pedestrian street. Soaring ceilings clad in natural wood are supported by exposed structural steel columns and trusses, reminiscent of the neighboring bridges.
"A generous pedestrian street will run north and south, swelling at the sunniest portion of the site to create an outdoor room for vendor stalls, seating, and green areas for Pacific Northwest native plantings. On top of the market, an inhabitable green roof splits and folds, forming large clerestories which naturally light the market below. From the upper level of the market, visitors can access the large rooftop terraces with views of the waterfront park, Willamette River, and Mt. Hood in the distance. A hydroponic garden is located on a sunny, terraced portion of the green roof, adjacent to the demonstration kitchen and event space."
Snøhetta will realize the James Beard Public Market in collaboration with local partners, Mayer/Reed, SERA Architects, Studio Jeffreys and Interface Engineering.
"In a scenario in which the economic and social challenges are increasingly complex, there are increasingly more architects who begin their professional practice outside of a traditional context. This means that they start their own projects, raise funds to carry them out, trading places to implement legislation that would allow their construction. This reality challenges the traditional structures of the practice (...) of architecture. "
in M. Pestana (May-August 2013), The Spontaneous Architect, Jornal Arquitectos nº 247
Cortesy of Moradavaga
SWING is the title of an experimental project conceived by the Moradavaga collective under the Pop Up Culture program sponsored by the European Capital of Culture - Guimarães 2012.
It is an interactive, temporary installation (halfway between architecture, industrial design, and artwork) based on the (green) principle of swing to produce electricity, with the intention of also functioning as an ode to the rich industrial heritage of Guimarães, reflecting in its mechanical devices and evocative sounds, those once produced in the ancient city of factories.
Cortesy of Moradavaga
The base platform (4844mm x 11230mm), consists almost entirely of wood, to serve as a podium for a structure of swings while containing the hidden electrical system. Traditional hemp rope, chains, wheels, dynamos, bicycle lights, concrete weights and even accessories and metal screws complete the range of colors of the materials used in the construction.
In addition to responding to the immediate function of the playful and didactic program, the intention of the project was to develop and test a construction system based on the standardization and prefabrication of elements that can be easily assembled / disassembled and transported.
Cortesy of Moradavaga
In this sense, the choice of the wood Euro-Pallet (1200 mm x 800 mm) as the main building block emerged as the natural result of its seamless integration with existing systems of logistics and transport.
In addition to rely on its inherent modularity, we also use raw components (beams and national pine wood slats) in its production, thus exploiting the whole production chain associated with the production of such strategies. The development of an integrated system in which the building module dissolves in the project, achieving a perfect harmony between the various elements of the composition.
Cortesy of Moradavaga
Taking advantage of the logistical support of the company Palsystems -. Pallets and Packaging Ltd, it was possible to assemble and test the elements of Moradavaga in the warehouse, to disassemble, transport and place them on site, the Platform of Arts and Creativity of Guimarães, within a week.
Again, the choice of wood as a building material proved right because, in our opinion, GIRO could establish during its short stay in the square, a contrasting and aesthetically attractive dialogue with the high technology metal facades and impeccable glass building designed by Atelier Pitágoras Arquitectos.
Cortesy of Moradavaga
As it was an ephemeral project, the sustainability factor also entered the project equation, ensuring recycling / reuse of most of the elements used in the construction and the reintegration of the pallets in the used circuit.
Technical Drawings
Construction Process
As this is an ephemeral construction, several factors were taken into account in the design.
Therefore, the idealized solutions focused on process of standardization and prefabrication in order to respond effectively to the need for easy installation, removal and transport of the different components of the building.
Cortesy of Moradavaga
We also took into account aspects related to the sustainability of the intervention, the adoption of construction techniques that allow a rapid disassemble of the project and reuse of its various elements. Therefore, the use of screws instead of adhesive for fastening the different parts and the option to apply the wood without any finishing, makes it reusable for different purposes. Furthermore, the minimum intervention on the Euro-used allows their reintroduction into the circuit of used pallets, ensuring the continuity of the life cycle.
Axonometric
Construction elements (wood):
48 local pine wood Europallets (1200mm x 800mmm) 22 local pine wood pieces (4800mm x 100mm x 22mm) 6 local pine wood pieces (3745mm x 144mm x 22mm) 2 local pine wood pieces (4844mm x 144mm x 22mm) 11 local pine wood pieces (4800mm x 100mm x 60mm) 10 local pine wood pieces (2400mm x 100mm x 60mm) 4 local pine wood pieces (1876mm x 100mm x 60mm) 4 local pine wood pieces (600mm x 100mm x 180mm) 16 local pine wood pieces (2500mm x 100mm x 22mm) 16 local pine wood pieces (1895mm x 100mm x 22mm)
Through their pioneering theory and provocative built work, husband and wife duo Robert Venturi (born June 25, 1925) and Denise Scott Brown (born October 3, 1931) were at the forefront of the postmodern movement, leading the charge in one of the most significant shifts in architecture of the 20th century by publishing seminal books such as Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture (authored by Robert Venturi alone) and Learning from Las Vegas(co-authored by Venturi, Scott Brown and Steven Izenour).
Born in Philadelphia and Northern Rhodesia (modern day Zambia) respectively, Venturi and Scott Brown met while they were both teaching at the University of Pennsylvania in 1960. They married in 1967, and in 1969 Scott Brown joined Venturi's firm - then named Venturi and Raunch - as partner in charge of planning. The firm rebranded in 1980 to include Scott Brown's name, and then again in 1989 when partner John Rauch resigned, then forming Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates.
In their theoretical writings, Venturi and Scott Brown were critical of the Modernist doctrine that at the time dominated architecture. In his 1966 book Complexity and Contradiction, Venturi argued for a more eclectic architecture which used more historic references; often referred to as his "gentle manifesto," it formed a basis for postmodernism, and was then reinforced by Learning from Las Vegas.
Designed with the architect in mind, nendo has created a morphable Architect Bag for TOD's. "In the extended form," says nendo, "the bag holds a full-size A3 drawing as well as samples with quite a bit of length. Folding it into half creates two spaces where you can store A4 size drawings and documents, and the middle part of the flex section houses rolled-up drawings, heavy catalogues or books and samples of construction materials. With the ability to store away the two handles, you can turn it into a clutch bag when you have fewer things to carry." Take a closer look, after the break.
From the architect. TRA are a leading edge research and analytics business who are at the forefront of their industry. A key part of what they do is gathering and analyzing consumer information for their clients, offering insights to unlock and drive new avenues for growth. We wanted to play on the capture and processing of information and somehow translate what TRA does into a 3 dimensional form, into the architecture of the space.
The existing space was on the top floor of a 100 year old heritage building adjacent to the ports of Auckland, the space was comprised of 2 hipped roof forms with a central 7m high loft set between them. All of the timber trusses and structure were exposed and had been uncared for, with some areas showing signs of fire damage. We saw the raw nature and patina of the existing space as an important part of the history and character of the building and we wanted to immortalise and accentuate it rather than mask it.
Floor Plan
The spatial brief asked for an open plan office of 40, including a boardroom as well as a series of smaller meeting rooms and a staff break-out area. In order to preserve the character and not dominate the existing space, the new spaces were created by the insertion of pragmatic volumes within the existing framework. These volumes were then clad with mirrored panels so as to dematerialize, reflect and accentuate the raw fabric, in particular the history and patina of the existing building.
As part of their rebranding, artist Paul Hartigan was commissioned to create a neon artwork of their new abbreviated name TRA. Playing off this, we introduced neon into the heart of the space to represent the continual flow of information/data running through the company, it is ethereal, energy filled, 24/7. Heavy materials such as solid timber and raw steel were selected for their mass and weight to contrast the ethereal nature of the neon.
The materials also reference the steel and timber prevalent throughout the existing building and the shipyards of the neighbouring port through which they were imported into Auckland. We wanted the reception desk to feel like a heavy monolithic sculpture enhancing the tension between light and mass, the ethereal and the tangible. The steel screen behind it spans the full 7m height of the central loft and creates a vertical axis that draws attention to the height, which tethers on cathedral like proportions and lends gravitas to the space. The central vertical axis gives the impression that the screen runs right through the heart of the building up into the heavens beyond.
The existing timber floorboards were damaged beyond repair and could not be salvaged. Rather than replicating these with a new equivalent, we saw this as an opportunity to create something unique and introduced a module of 1.2m x 2.4m stained meranti plywood panels as the finished surface. The size of the panels enhance the scale of the space and were set out in a repetitive staggered pattern across the entire floor, creating a grid, giving order and setting up a rational framework on which to process the information flow, the neon. The mirrored wall panels are the same module size as the floor and precisely align with the meranti plywood flooring, further enhancing order.
Black acoustic insulation was introduced onto the back walls of the open plan workspace, this is held in place by vertical raw steel sections. The brief called for individual lockers for each staff member, this was conceived of as a line of floating data set within the vertical steel, a pattern of circles set within the form that also double up as handles. This circle pattern is also applied to the kitchen cabinetry.
A mirrored volume was created within the central back wall of the open plan workspace. This has 2 small retreats within it for staff to use for private calls or more focused work. Stepping into these is like a pause in the data flow, moving away from the light into a smaller more intimate space, in contrast to all the energy flowing around the office.
We wanted the experience of the boardroom to provide a sense of stepping into a void, into a black-mirrored box, that still had reference to TRA, the building and its location. It is rectangular in plan, we used high gloss cut and buffed black lacquered panels on 3 of the 4 walls, leaving one wall original and untouched.
The neon TRA sign was located on this wall and the result is a room that gives you a formal summary of what happens in the main space. We carefully proportioned the panels around an existing window so as to be reminded of the location, the reflections of the water and the rest of the city. Acoustic panels were incorporated into the ceiling to enable this space primarily composed of hard surfaces to function as a boardroom.
.jpg?1435151136 "Serpentine Pavilion 2015 designed by selgascano. Image © Laurian Ghinitoiu")
.jpg?1435151731 "Serpentine Pavilion 2015 designed by selgascano. Image © Laurian Ghinitoiu")
.jpg?1435152403 "Serpentine Pavilion 2015 designed by selgascano. Image © Laurian Ghinitoiu")
.jpg?1435226672 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu")
.jpg?1435226660 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu")
.jpg?1435226627 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu")
.jpg?1435226627 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu")
.jpg?1435226660 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu")
.jpg?1435226672 "© Laurian Ghinitoiu")
.jpg?1435240535 "The World (89 Degrees) (1983). Image Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects")
