BREAKING NEWS: Architecture

Neri&Hu surrounds Junshan Cultural Center with angled aluminium louvres

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 02:00:46 +0000

Angled aluminium louvres cover the reclaimed brick walls of the Junshan Cultural Center near Beijing, China, designed by Neri&Hu.

Nestled amongst the mountains around Miyun Resevoir, the Junshan Cultural Center transforms an existing two-storey sales building that previously only contained conventional office spaces.

The overhaul was commissioned by a Chinese developer to improve the facilities and go beyond the limited offerings of a traditional sales centre by incorporating a mix of arts and cultural amenities for local people to enjoy.

Neri&Hu's introduced a series of public spaces that include a library, exhibition hall and a bar.

Gardens and courtyards are woven in between the buildings, to complement its mountainous setting.

"The client is a developer in China. As a group they have started to emphasise the need for a community centre that goes beyond the typical services that such centres often provide," said the studio's founders Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu.

"The previous function of the building was purely for administrative office work, so given the programmatic shift, there needed to be a complete overhaul," they told Dezeen.

"They wanted to recreate the image of the building to represent their sophisticated lifestyle ethos. The old building was a typical object sitting on a landscape and we urged the client to have the building engage with the landscape more."

Neri&Hu's overhaul of the Junshan Cultural Center makes use of the existing building's concrete structure.

A few floor slabs were removed to create new openings, and a small section of the roof was lost to create a third storey.

It is now distinguished by a bright facade of aluminium louvres. These louvres enclose an inner facade of grey reclaimed bricks, which were chosen by Neri&Hu to reduce the building's visual impact.

Inside, all of the Junshan Cultural Center's interiors are positioned with views of the new outdoor spaces, which Neri&Hu has designed to blur the boundary between the outside and inside.

This sensation is enhanced by "extending the exterior landscape into the interior", where the same brick used to clad the building's facade also lines many of the interior walls.

"The building quietly rises out of the water as a brick mass with carved out spaces for programs interlocked with gardens that blur the boundary between inside and outside," explained the studio.

On the ground floor, visitors to the centre are greeted by a double-height reception provides access to multipurpose hall, sales reception and an art exhibition space, alongside a bar, business lounge and mix of outdoor spaces.

Above, the first floor hosts a library, which is designed to double as an events space and is lined with bookshelves and intimate reading nooks. This sits beside a sales area, bar, children's activity room and more offices and dining spaces.

The new second floor hosts a bar and rooftop deck to provide visitors with uninterrupted views of the surrounding mountains to the west of the site.

Photo is by Xia Zhi

Throughout the building, these spaces are complete with a simple material palette of wood and stone detailing, teamed with the brick walls and soft lighting.

These pared-back finishes are designed for a "sense of understated luxury", and help to retain focus on playful sculptural ceilings, customised furniture pieces and brass metal furnishings that adorn the spaces.

Neri&Hu is a Shanghai-based design studio founded by Neri and Hu in 2004. Alongside architectural projects like Junshan Cultural Center, the practice also designs products such as lamps that emulate morning sun and art deco-inspired furniture.

Other recent buildings designed by the studio include the Aranya Art Center in Qinhuangdao, the Alila Bangsar hotel in Kuala Lumpur and the Tsingpu Yangzhou Retreat that references "traditional courtyard house typology".

Photography is by Pedro Pegenaute.

The post Neri&Hu surrounds Junshan Cultural Center with angled aluminium louvres appeared first on Dezeen.

When work keeps you up at night, what do you do?

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 01:50:33 +0000

Losing sleep can be a drag. Especially, since we know sleep deprivation drastically impacts the cognitive functions so crucial to work in architecture. Things like judgment, critical thinking, problem solving, planning, and organization, are but a few of the influenced aspects of our mental health, writes Rebecca Zucker in her Harvard Business Review essay entitled How to Stop Thinking About Work at 3am. In the piece, Zucker offers some strategies to combat one of the causes of sleep deprivation — thinking about work when we should be sleeping. Here are 3 of her pointers:

Make a to-do list: According to research by Baylor University and Emory University, makings a to-do list for the following day helps us fall asleep faster, writes Zucker. Many times, our preoccupations with work at home are due to uncompleted tasks. Writing them down acknowledges them, putting them out of the mind.
Engage in physical activity: Exercise and overall physical fitness help in our mental performance. Whe...

Edinburgh Pavilion / Archer + Braun

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 01:00:00 +0000

architects: Archer + Braun
Location: Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Project Year: 2019
Photographs: David Barbour
Area: 470.0 m2

Welcome II the Dawn: North Tumbleweed Residence by Webber + Studio, Architects

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 00:23:23 +0000

Perched atop a dry-stacked native stone plinth on a rugged Central Texas hilltop, this new single family home juxtaposes passive, climate-adapted design, stark minimalism, and tantalizing details that pay homage to an unexpected muse: Prince.

Complimenting an austere backdrop of unadorned Venetian plaster and polished concrete floors, the home’s plan and elevation mirror the symmetry inspired by the “II” in its name. This balance continues throughout the main spaces: the rooms are not large but they are sufficient, a work space is offset by a kitchen peninsula, and appliances are hidden in an open pantry area which the homeowner curates.

Austerity in both design and materials flows from inside to outside, reflecting the owner’s desire to connect the home both visually and physically to the surrounding environment. Frameless, full-height glass flanks the house, creating visual continuity to the outdoors and flooding the home with light. Large doors, cross ventilation at corners, and ...

Green Concept House / YANG DESIGN

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000

architects: YANG DESIGN
Location: South Square, Nation Stadium, No.1, South National Stadiom Road, Caoyang District, Beijing, China
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Fangfang Tian
Photographs: Jamy Yang
Photographs: Courtesy of YANG DESIGN
Area: 150.0 m2

New homes to begin repopulating Port Dundas

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 23:15:41 +0000

Industrial land at Port Dundas, Glasgow, has been earmarked for a block of 68 flats for private rent as part of the emerging Dundashill area. Situated on Craighall Road the project would necessitate the demolition of an attractive red-brick Victorian building to begin the process of bringing residents back to an area of inner-city depopulation by building on the established Speirs Wharf...

Khesht-Baf House / Imagearchitects

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 23:00:00 +0000

architects: Imagearchitects
Location: Shahrak-e Gharb, District 2, Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Mohammad Hossein Hamzeloui
Photographs: Mohammad Mahdi Sharafatpeima
Area: 912.0 m2

Casa Cook Kos Hotel / Mastrominas ARChitecture

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 22:00:00 +0000

architects: Mastrominas ARChitecture
Location: Kos, Greece
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: George Fakaros
Photographs: Georg Roske
Area: 5771.0 m2

Forensic Architecture's first American survey goes on view at Miami's Museum of Art and Design

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 21:18:19 +0000

Forensic Architecture's first United States survey exhibition, Forensic Architecture: True to Scale, made its debut last week at Miami's Museum of Art and Design at Miami Dade College.

The exhibition, according to a press release, "explores a new understanding of architecture, a new evidentiary aesthetic, and a new form of coalition activism," and is going public as news surfaces that Forensic Architecture director Eyal Weizman was denied a visa to visit the United States for the exhibition's opening by Department of Homeland Security authorities. Weizman's visa application was denied because "an algorithm had identified a security threat that was related to him," The New York Times reports. Weizman published an open letter describing the situation on the Forensic Architecture website.

Investigation #31: the Seizure of the Iuventa (2018). Image courtesy of Forensic Architecture.

The exhibition in Miami highlights a collection of Forensic Architecture's recent research projects, whi...

Upside down Tillydrone School enhances education provision

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 21:05:56 +0000

Aberdeen City Council has tabled new plans for a replacement Riverbank School on the site of the former Tillydrone Infant School at Coningham Gardens. Incorporating a separate and secure early learning and childcare facility the split-level facility will locate teaching accommodation in clusters along the lower floor with common spaces and the principle entrance located above. In a...

Pia's Villa / MMGS ARCHITECTS

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 21:00:00 +0000

architects: MMGS ARCHITECTS
Location: Kurunduwatta, Sri Lanka
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Ramitha Watareka
Area: 2655.0 ft2

SSAC Call for Martin Eli Weil Prize and Paper Proposals

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 20:02:18 +0000

Photo courtesy of canada-architecture.org.

The Martin Eli Weil Prize is awarded annually by the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada to a student who submitted an essay on the role played by the built environment in Canadian society.

The $250 prize and certificate will be awarded to the winner at the Annual Assembly of the Society, where the recipient will be invited to present a conference on their essay. The winning essay will also be published by the Society.

All part-time and full-time students registered in a program leading to a university degree in a Canadian university are eligible; submissions from students registered in a foreign university, but dealing with a Canadian subject, are also invited.

The essay, in French or English, may deal with a specific building, contemporary or historic, whether existing or at a proposal stage; a complex of attached buildings; a specific building type (examined for its historical, functional, structural, or aesthetic importance); cultural landscape (parks, cemeteries, farms, etc.); the life of a person who has influenced the built environment; or a philosophical, sociological, or historical issue related to the built environment.

Essays should be sent to the person in charge of the competition, by April 3, 2020.

The Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada is also accepting paper proposals for its 46th annual conference.

Researchers, professionals and students from any discipline whose work relates to the built environment in Canada can submit a proposal by sending an abstract of not more than 250 words, accompanied by a one-page CV, to SEAC.2020.SSAC@gmail.com.

Entrants must indicate which session from the following list their proposal addresses by March 1, 2020.

Research by design: a tool of innovation in city making
Drawing Forward
Teaching Architecture and Design History in Canada
The Making and Re-Making of Imperial Architecture in Canada
Changing Contexts and Reintegrating Spaces
On Current Indigenous Architecture and Planning: Building on Reconciliation
The Italian Sojourns of Canadian Architects: Transitions, Translations, and Transformations
The Medieval Tradition in Canadian Architecture
Dis-placements: Spatial Stories of Migration
Globalizing Architectural Scholarship in Canada
Rethinking major urban public parks, between continuity and reinvention
Sense experience as a built environment analysis tool?
Settings and atmospheres in Canadian ecclesial architecture
An example of prefabrication before prefabrication: the manufacturing of doors and windows in the 19th century
Current Research

For more information, visit: canada-architecture.org/call-for-papers-ssac-2020-annual-conference/.

The post SSAC Call for Martin Eli Weil Prize and Paper Proposals appeared first on Canadian Architect.

Afraa Home Residential Building / Raavi Studio + Adib Khaeez + Ramtin Taherian

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 20:00:00 +0000

architects: Adib Khaeez
architects: Raavi Studio
architects: Ramtin Taherian
Location: Lavasan, Tehran Province, Iran
Project Year: 2019
Photographs: Parham Taghioff, Did Studio, Milad Namdar
Area: 593.0 m2

Two winning designs selected in the 2020 City of Dreams Pavilion Competition

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 19:58:21 +0000

The 10th annual City of Dreams Pavilion Competition has announced the verdict, and not one but two winning designs have been chosen this year: The Pneuma by Los Angeles-based designers Ying Qi Chen and Ryan Somerville as well as Repose Pavilion by Brooklyn-based architect and educator Parsa Khalili.

The jury reasoned that both entries had responded to the competition brief most creatively, envisioning a temporary gathering place while also considering the environmental impact of their designs and the full life-cycle of their materials. Both designs were selected from a field of five finalists that were unveiled in January.

Since time, space, and fundraising constraints only allow for one design to be assembled on New York City's Roosevelt Island this summer, the choice ultimately fell on The Pneuma. The pavilion will serve as event site during the arts festival FIGMENT NYC on June 6-7 and remain open to the public through early July. A current Kickstarter campaign is inviting financ...

BIG's first couch is a kit of parts inspired by the video game Minecraft

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 19:11:18 +0000

The Voxel consists of four core components: a seat, backrest/armrest, a pillow, and ottoman. The components can be configured in a number of ways, allowing users the freedom and flexibility to customize their optimum layout. According to Fast Company, BIG says the Voxel is inspired by everything from the game Minecraft to the modernism of Mies van der Rohe.

"Very often, architects are a little bit like curators of building components. We source door handles, lamps, window frames, heaters, and so forth. And so everything that goes into our buildings is something that another designer or engineer has done," said BIG partner Jakob Lange in a conversation with Fast Company's Mark Wilson. "The aim with BIG Ideas was to support the creation of the architecture, [when] sometimes we just simply couldn’t find the lamp or chair to fit our building."

19 Douro Apartments / Motus Architecture

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 19:00:00 +0000

architects: Motus Architecture
Location: South Fremantle WA 6162, Australia
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Trasko Photographics
Area: 2110.0 m2

AIA presidents pen letter to President Trump opposing proposed executive order

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 18:46:49 +0000

In a statement posted the American Institute of Architects (AIA) website, the organization explains that a group of former AIA presidents have written a letter directly to President Donald Trump denouncing the "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again" executive order.

Previously on Archinect: "New executive order could make classical architecture "the preferred and default style" for America's public buildings." The Jamie L. Witten Federal Building in Washington, D.C., designed by Philadelphia architects Rankin, Kellogg and Crane in 1901. Image courtesy of Wikimedia user U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The letter comes as 2020 AIA President Jane Frederick, AIA CEO and Executive Vice President Robert Ivy, and 2021 AIA President-Elect Peter Exley all denounced the initiative at the Grassroots Leadership Conference held in New Orleans las week.

The controversial proposal would impose a federally mandated neoclassical style on all federal building projects with budgets higher than $50...

The latest and greatest architecture jobs can be found at Allied Works, Bates Masi+Architects, Frederick Fisher and Partners, and TruexCullins

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 18:46:46 +0000

If you're just starting out your design career or already have a few years of professional experience under your belt, and you're on the lookout for new opportunities, why not start your job hunt with the latest listings from last week's Employer of the Day featured firms.

Allied Works Architecture is currently seeking Junior Designers for their Portland and New York offices for immediate hire. Candidates must have 0-3 years of professional work experience, exceptional concept design abilities represented with iterative models, diagrams, and architectural drawings; the ability to execute exceptional presentation deliverables within very tight schedules, and more.

National Music Centre of Canada by Allied Works Architecture. Photo: Jeremy Bittermann.

Specializing in modern residential and boutique commercial architecture, Bates Masi + Architects is currently seeking a Junior Architect (0-2 years experience). Qualifications include an interest in building technology, construction techn...

'Lego Grandma' constructs wheelchair ramps out of Lego

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 18:32:57 +0000

Ms. [Rita] Ebel, who has been in a wheelchair herself since a car accident 25 years ago, said the idea was born after a friend of hers, who is also in a wheelchair, said she could not get out of a shop with steps and had to enlist the help of four people to carry her chair down. Ms Ebel then saw a picture in a medical journal for paraplegics, of a woman in an electric wheelchair going over a Lego ramp.

Earning the nickname 'Lego Grandma,' Rita and her husband work together on the ramps, often spending two to three hours a day building them, reports RTE News. While wood or aluminum ramps would provide a proper solution, Rita says that the bright Lego "makes her message stand out and highlights the day-to-day problems faced by people with disabilities." These playful bricks have become a form of advocacy.

"For me it is just about trying to sensitive the world a little bit to barrier-free travel, I mean it could happen to anyone that they suddenly end up in a situation that puts them in a wheelchair, like it did [to] me," Rita expressed, according to RTE News.

Engineers praise balanced form of ZHA's One Thousand Museum in Miami

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 17:40:56 +0000

Engineering News-Record (ENR), a leader reporting news and projects in the construction industry, has recently announced its 2020 ENR Awards of Excellence. Judges have selected 20 winners for this year's "Best of the Best Projects" competition. Among those 20 honorees, Zaha Hadid Architects' One Thousand Museum was chosen as the winner for the Residential/Hospitality category.

As Archinect reported earlier this month, the tower's structural design consists of a volume and facade engineered to withstand Miami's sometimes devastating environmental conditions.

One Thousand Museum. Image © Alena Graff

As stated by ZHA's project director Chris Lepine in an interview hosted on the ZHA website, the tower's formal attributes come out of a balanced blend between structure and form. Lepine states, "What you see is literally structure getting thicker and thinner, as needed. There's a continuity between the disciplines, between the architecture and engineering, to create that impression."

Acco...

T(EA) House by Joeb Moore & Partners

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 17:25:50 +0000

The T(EA) House is sited in New England along southern Long Island Sound. The property is a linear lot that connects two streets and reaches out toward views of the water. It is part of a historic neighborhood of summer homes dating back to the beginning of the 20th Century that has slowly transformed into a private neighborhood of single-family residences.

A long, processional pathway defines the house entry from both the east and west streets. This connection and axis forms the basic plan parti of the house. The domestic indoor program and activities are organized along the north side of the property while the outdoor gardens are organized along the south side. The intersection of the north/south and east/west axes at the center of the property produces the “T” form house plan and establishes the location of the central stair element that rises up three stories to the rooftop gardens and studio. From the rooftop studio and gardens there is a panoramic, 270-degree view of Long ...

Monica Obniski appointed curator of decorative arts and design at High Museum of Art in Atlanta

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 17:14:31 +0000

Monica Obniski, the current 20th and 21st Century Design curator at the Milwaukee Art Museum, has been selected to lead curatorial efforts for the decorative arts and design at the High Museum in Atlanta.

According to a High Museum press release, Obniski will oversee exhibitions and programs for the institution's 2,300-object collection, which dates from the 17th century to today. Obinski will also oversee the High’s Piazza activations event series, a "multiyear initiative that launched in 2014 to animate the Museum’s outdoor space with site-specific commissions that engage visitors of all ages in participatory art experiences," according to the announcement.

Photo of the High Museum in Atlanta. Image courtesy of Flickr user Aleksandr Zykov.

In a statement, Obniski explained: “I am excited to contribute to the High’s mission centered on diversity, inclusion and accessibility as well as build on the museum’s noteworthy decorative arts and design collection. As a curator and historia...

Stackt Summer Installation / StudioAC

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 17:00:00 +0000

architects: StudioAC
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Project Year: 2020
Photographs: Jeremie Warshafsky
Area: 360.0 ft2

Technoflesh: An Interview with Simone Niquille on Normalizing the Body Digitally, Physically, and in the Workplace

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 16:56:54 +0000

Creator of the design and research practice Technoflesh, Simone Niquille draws from her background in graphic design, photography, and branding to demystify the processes behind the digitization of the body. Currently working in Amsterdam, Niquille received a BFA in Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and an M.A. in Visual Strategies from the Sandberg Instituut Amsterdam. While currently teaching Design Research at ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem, Niquille continues to produce research, graphic work, films, and installations internationally, most recently as a commissioned contributor to the Dutch Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Biennale entitled Work, Body, Leisure.

Backland development establishes Water of Leith as an urban corridor

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 16:35:13 +0000

Kiltane Developments have brought forward plans to replace warehousing with 217 student beds and 59 residential apartments on a backlands site off Edinburgh’s Gorgie Road. Accessible from the ground-floor of the current ELS House , which will be refitted to serve as an entrance and amenity space for new build accommodation to the immediate south designed by Susan Stephen Architects....

National Museum of African American Music to open this summer in Nashville

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 16:12:01 +0000

The National Museum of African American Music is on track to open in Nashville later this year...it will be the only institution dedicated to showcasing music genres created and inspired by black Americans. In 2015, [mayor] Karl Dean, announced that plans would move forward to redevelop the old convention center on Fifth and Broadway into a brand-new space...Nearly three years from the start of the project, the museum is nearly finished and it is expected to be completed by this summer

Designed by Nashville-based Harold Thompson Architects, the museum will house more than 1,400 artifacts, seven galleries, a theater, and live music. "The perception nationally, I think, is that Nashville is just country music. And while we love country music, I think it’s important to touch base on all the other musical genres African Americans have helped to influence," said Tamar Smithers, director of Education and Public Programs, reports Black Enterprise.

Check out the virtual tour below:

Discover the MONCLER GENIUS 2020 Set Design

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 16:05:13 +0000

©Moncler Genius 2020 Moncler 1952 W Set Up

MONCLER GENIUS presented their 2020 collection in Milan, Italy on February 19th. The brand showcased 12 different installations, 12 different concepts, 12 different visions to build up the Moncler Genius message of “One House, Different Voices”. Take a look at the stunning set designs after the jump.(...)
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Statues of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman unveiled in Maryland capitol

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 16:04:40 +0000

At a time when states are debating the removal of Confederate monuments, Maryland unveiled bronze statues of famed abolitionists Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass during a ceremony Monday night in the Maryland State House. The life-sized statues were dedicated during a special joint session of the Maryland General Assembly in the Old House Chamber, the room where slavery was abolished in the state in 1864.

According to ABC News, the statues were dedicated during Black History Month and have been made to show Tubman and Douglass as they would have appeared in age and dress in 1864.

Harriet Tubman. Photo by Danielle E. Gaines. Via marylandmatters.org

"A mark of true greatness is shining light on a system of oppression and having the courage to change it," ABC News reports Adrienne Jones, the state's first black and first female House speaker saying in regards to the new installment. "The statues are a reminder that our laws aren’t always right or just. But there’s always room for improvement."

Parking Italy 723 / Taller de Arquitectura La Fundación

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 16:00:00 +0000

architects: Taller de Arquitectura La Fundación
Location: Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: German Arese
Area: 37943 ft2

Important Reasons Why You Should Deep Clean Your Office

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 15:25:30 +0000

Whatever business you are running, deep cleaning the office is a must. Your office is where you spend most of your days and time. Therefore, it should be kept thoroughly clean all the time.
Failing to clean the workspace can cause harm to your staff, customers, and yourself.(...)
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Kirsch Pharma HealthCare’s Factory by SAOTA

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 15:01:03 +0000

Photography by © Adam Letch

South African-based architecture firm SAOTA, recently completed Kirsch Pharma HealthCare’s new factory and headquarters in Wedemark, Germany. The architects approached the project by creating a strong architectural statement and designed a building that stands as a sculptural object in the landscape. Take a look at the complete story after the jump.(...)
Read the rest of Kirsch Pharma HealthCare’s Factory by SAOTA

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Studio Vural imagines off-the-grid Dune House for Cape Cod

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 15:00:17 +0000

Architecture practice Studio Vural has envisioned a seaside holiday dwelling that is carved into sand dunes and operates without relying on public utilities.

Dune House is designed for a coastal site in Wellfleet, a small hamlet located on the hook-shaped peninsula of Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

The architect Selim Vural, who leads an eponymous firm in Brooklyn, knows the area well, as he vacations there with his family every summer.

After years of studying the local climate, landscape and architecture, Vural was approached by a New York City real estate developer seeking to build a personal holiday house on the beach. Vural conceived a two-storey, self-sufficient dwelling that is carved into sand dunes. He calls it "subtractive architecture".

"Since the house is only recognisable from sea as a circle with a cut, it blends seamlessly with nature," Vural said. "The shoreline silhouette remains unchanged – the house is immersed, not imposed."

Vural said that construction is scheduled to begin this fall, noting that he is "looking further into coastal regulations".

In plan, the upper level of Dune House takes the shape of an octagon. It consists of two wings that are linked by a central breezeway. This top floor houses public functions, such as a kitchen and dining area.

Stairs lead down to the lower level – which is rectangular in plan – where the architect has placed a series of bedrooms and a den. Wedge-shaped windows are designed to bring in daylight and offer views of the water.

The home is designed to be anchored to the site via deep piles. Walls are intended to be made of fly-ash concrete and large stretches of triple-insulated glass set within metal frames. The windows are designed to be storm-resistant.

In the scheme, a significant portion of the dwelling is blanketed with native plants that help "sponge up" carbon emissions. The decking of the breezeway is made of porcelain planks that resemble wood in the architect's renderings.

The images show interior spaces that feature white-painted concrete walls, polished concrete floors and blue clay tiles. Bamboo is used for cabinetry and panelling.

A solar panel array and mini wind turbines are intended to generate electricity for the home. Extra power would be stored in the "the latest oxidised-zinc batteries designed to be replaced as the technology advances".

The aim is that a rainwater collection and storage system would supply fresh drinking water. Sinks and showers would use filtered groundwater, of which there is an abundance in the area.

A geothermal system would heat and cool the dwelling, with an "eco-concrete basin" under the house aiding in temperature control.

"The anchoring sand piles also contain conductive fluid piping, which convey the coolness in the summer and warmth in the winter," the architect added.

"Once you touch the concrete walls in the summer, it will feel like a chilled soda can, and in winter, it will be a lukewarm tea cup."

Other unusual houses that have been envisioned for natural settings include a modernist concrete dwelling by designer Amey Kandalgaonka that is integrated into a giant boulder, and a modular treehouse by Precht that features tube-shaped rooms and large round windows.

Images are by Studio Vural.

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EL165 Kiosk / BR3 Arquitetos

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 14:00:00 +0000

architects: BR3 Arquitetos
Location: Gravataí , Gravataí - RS, Brazil
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Marcelo Donadussi
Area: 105.0 m2

MoDus Architects wraps Bressanone tourist office around a tree

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 12:20:22 +0000

The TreeHugger tourist information office in Bressanone, northern Italy, features smooth concrete walls that curve around the trunk of a tree.

Designed by local studio MoDus Architects, the small building sits adjacent to the Bishop's Palace, a 13th-century villa that is one the town's main tourist attractions.

The building is named TreeHugger, because its shape responds to a pair of established trees – the only obstacles on what would otherwise have been an empty, triangular plot.

One tree stands at the far north corner, out of the way. But the second proved more of an challenge, taking up a chunk of space in the southwest portion of the site.

MoDus Architects, led by Matteo Scagnol and Sandy Attia, decided to embrace rather than avoid the trees.

They wrapped the building around the second tree, creating a circular cutaway in the building volume that translates to the walls. They then designed a curved concrete wall as the north facade, subtly framing the first tree.

As the building has two storeys, the architects were able to create setbacks at ground level, allowing plenty of open space around the perimeter.

All glazing sits behind the concrete, sometimes close but other times far away, making it look like a glass box is enclosed within the building. The effect carries through upstairs, where windows take the form of round-cornered openings.

The architects hope visitors will find similarities between their building and the Chinese and Japanese pavilions in the palace garden. The design also references the many other tourist offices that previously stood on this site.

They describe TreeHugger as "the most recent episode in a series of architectural homicides", all featuring sculptural overhangs and delicate proportions.

"Historical documentation reveals a lineage of eccentric and remarkable pavilions at the service of visitors, which have met their unfortunate demise through demolition, making way for the next victim," said the studio.

"The project takes on the qualities of airiness and levity that characterise these pavilions."

The 430-square-metre building opened to the public in September 2019.

Its open-plan ground floor contains a series of counters and seating areas, while the upper level is divided up into private offices and workspaces. There is also a basement level.

A spiral staircase connects the floors.

Photography is by Oskar Da Riz.

Project credits:

Client: Bressanone Tourist Association
Architect: MoDusArchitects (Sandy Attia, Matteo Scagnol)
Project team: Irene Braito, Filippo Pesavento
Structural engineer: Luca Bragagna
Contractor: Unionbau
Site works: Goller Bögl
Electrical installations: Elektro Josef Graber
Thermo-hydraulic installations: Pezzei

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Adamant Hospital / Seine Design

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 12:00:00 +0000

architects: Seine Design
Location: Port de la Rapée, 75012 Paris, France
Project Year: 2019
Photographs: Sergio Grazia

Alison Brooks Architects unveils brick archways on London apartments

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 11:23:00 +0000

Red brick archways define the lower and topmost levels of Cadence, a housing development designed by Alison Brooks Architects next to Coal Drops Yard at King's Cross, London.

A total of 103 homes will be built behind the terracotta-coloured facades.

Dramatic brick archways will form a colonnade along the ground floor, reflected back in a water feature in a central courtyard. White-washed vaulted communal spaces will feature at the entrance.

Arches will also feature at the top of a multi-storey block of apartments that will have a row of recessed balconies.

"We've created a new language of brick arches and vaulted spaces that echo the exuberant architecture of King's Cross and St Pancras stations," said architect Alison Brooks, founder of Alison Brooks Architects.

"It will reveal itself slowly as you move around and through it."

Designed for developer Argent, the 103 homes will be a combination of studios, and one, two and three bedroom apartments.

Conran and Partners, the architecture firm that recently converted Centre Point tower into housing, will be designing the interiors for 53 of the Cadence homes.

Small homes developer Pocket Living will be managing the other 60 units in the development, renting them out to local workers on middle incomes.

Pocket Living collaborated with architecture studio Metropolitan Workshop to build a 27-storey tower of 86 apartments in Wandsworth.

Cadence, which is due to complete in 2022, will be located in London King's Cross area, close to the Thomas Heatherwick-designed shopping centre Coal Drops Yard.

Heatherwick converted two 19th-century coal houses for the project, adding swooping slate roofs that meet in the middle.

A large swathe of land behind the King's Cross railway station is under redevelopment. Victorian gas holders have been turned into housing by WilkinsonEyre, and both Facebook and Google are building office blocks.

Alison Brooks founded her eponymous architecture studio in 1996 The studio was a finalist for the Mies van der Rohe Award for a development of 44 homes that is part of the South Kilburn Estate Regeneration Masterplan.

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Pritzker Prize 2020 Winner To Be Announced Tuesday, March 3rd

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 11:20:00 +0000

Courtesy of Pritzker Architecture Prize

The Hyatt Foundation has revealed the announcement date of the Pritzker Prize 2020 Winner. The most relevant recognition in architecture will be announced on Tuesday, March 3rd, 10 am EST.

Interview with Yona Friedman: “Imagine, Having Improvised Volumes ‘Floating’ In Space, Like Balloons”

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 11:00:00 +0000

Courtesy of Yona Friedman

At 92 years of age, for his entire career Yona Friedman has occupied an unusual spot within the architecture world; his signature concept, the Ville Spatiale which he first proposed in 1956, combines the top-down megastructural thinking visible in later projects such as Archigram's Plug-In City with a total freedom for occupants to design and build their own homes within the structure. In this installment of his “City of Ideas” column, Vladimir Belogolovsky interviews Friedman at his home in Paris to talk about the Ville Spatiale and his theories of mobile and improvised architecture.

Phineas Harper appointed director of Open City

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 10:30:21 +0000

Writer and Dezeen columnist Phineas Harper has become director of London-based charity Open City, which organises open house events in over 40 cities around the world.

In his new role Harper, who joined Open City after working as deputy director of the Architecture Foundation for five years, wants to encourage people to be more involved in decisions that impact their cities.

"I believe a good city is one in which all its citizens have a voice in how it is made," he told Dezeen.

"Open City has for years been a pioneer of diversity in the built environment, creating educational programmes which expand who is able to study architecture and create the city we live in. All organisations who want to help create better cities must now have diversity at the heart of their agenda and practice."

"I hope to help Open City lead debate about London's future"

In London, where Open City is based and the Open House London event opens over 800 buildings to the public each year, Harper wants to organisation to lead discussions about the city's future.

"I hope to help Open City lead debate about London's future, making the propositional case for a truly equitable, adventurous and open city," he told Dezeen.

"Buffeted by the climate crisis and political change, I believe the UK faces an uncertain future intrinsically connected to the key question of its openness. Simultaneously, it is without doubt that cities and towns, rather than nation-states, will be the centres of ambitious social and economic thinking and innovation in the coming decades," he continued.

"Against these intersecting challenges, Open City is at the centre of some of the most dynamic discussions in urban thinking today."

Open City's "strength is the incredible volunteers"

Harper hopes that Open City's huge network of volunteers can be encouraged to collaborate on other ethical projects that benefit the city.

"Open City's unique strength is the incredible volunteers who give their time to organising the Open House festival every year. It is an extraordinary event and testament to what is possible when like-minded people come together behind a meaningful project," he explained.

"I wonder what else Londoners who care about ethical city-making, from young architects to veteran planners, could accomplish by using the Open City network to collaborate on something together that would be impossible alone."

Beyond London, Harper wants the organisation to help connect people with architects, planners and designers to help create more open cities.

"Over a quarter-century, the Open House Worldwide network has given citizens from Lagos to London greater ownership and access to their cities," he explained.

"In the crucial years ahead, our network of 40 sister organisations has a key role to play connecting people with policy-makers and urban practitioners exploring what real openness should mean in the twenty twenties."

Harper replaces former Architects' Journal editor Rory Olcayto as director. He will take up his position at the end of March 2019.

Open City was established in 1992 and is best known for running Open House London, which it describes as the largest architecture festival in the country.

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La Palometa House / sanahuja&partners

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Curators Announced for “Space Wars”, the Kuwait Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2020

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Courtesy of Asaiel Al Saeed, Aseel AlYaqoub, Saphiya Abu Al-Maati and Yousef Awaad

The National Council for Culture, Art and Letters (NCCAL) has selected curators Asaiel Al Saeed, Aseel AlYaqoub, Saphiya Abu Al-Maati, and Yousef Awaad, to design the Kuwait Pavilion at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia.

Creating Vertical Gardens and Green Facades with Steel Cables

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 07:35:00 +0000

Cortesia de Jakob

With the high population density of cities and voracious appetite of the market for every square meter, it is not uncommon for urban vegetation to be forgotten. For this reason, forests, vegetable gardens, and vertical gardens have aroused much interest and figured into a variety of different innovative proposals. Using the vertical plane to maintain plants in an urban setting is a coherent and common-sense solution, especially when there is little possibility of bringing green to the level of the people on the streets.

Cam Thanh A&A Villa / VRA Design

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 07:00:00 +0000

architects: VRA Design
Location: Cẩm Thanh, Hội An, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam
Project Year: 2020
Photographs: Ha Phong Dang
Area: 450.0 m2

DIALOG Announces Canada's First Zero-Carbon, Mass Timber Higher-Education Building

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 06:33:00 +0000

Courtesy of DIALOG

Centennial College, Ontario's first public college, has collaborated with DIALOG, Smoke Architecture, and EllisDon to design and build the first zero-carbon, mass timber higher-education building in the country. Scheduled for completion in 2023, the new gateway structure will bring together Indigenous and Western cultures in both form and function.

For Architects, Patience is Definitely a Virtue

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 06:01:22 +0000

Most architects have to learn patience over the course of their career, it’s actually one architectural character trait that I always think about but rarely bring up because it always falls into the “Doctor heal thyself” category … for I have little patience.

As I sit here on the couch this rainy Sunday afternoon, wondering what I would talk about in today’s post, it didn’t take long before I settled on the retail area of the medical practice building I have been working on for the last two years. I’ve even continued to work on this project 6 months after leaving the firm I was with when I started this job, mostly because I really like the project but also because the clients are pretty amazing and I can’t imagine not being around to see this particular project come to fruition.

The sketch above is from a post I wrote about this project that dates back to February 19, 2018 – exactly 2 years and 4 days from this moment as I write today’s article.

Continue reading For Architects, Patience is Definitely a Virtue at Life of an Architect.

Villa Courbe / SAOTA

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 06:00:00 +0000

architects: SAOTA
Location: Lake Geneva, Switzerland
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Adam Letch
Area: 3827.0 m2

Residential-led redevelopment on the cards for former Killearn Hospital

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 05:45:32 +0000

The former Killearn Hospital is in line for residential-led redevelopment under new proposals brought forward by CALA Homes and Barton Willmore. The brownfield site has lain disused since the hospital’s closure in the 1970s during which a succession of redevelopment proposals has failed to get out of the ground. Now a hybrid application calls for the demolition of remaining hospital...

Lucas Museum's Steel Frame Takes Shape in Los Angeles

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 05:00:00 +0000

Courtesy of MAD Architects

The steel frame of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is beginning to take shape in Los Angeles. Designed by MAD Architects, the project takes its name from Star Wars creator George Lucas and will stand at the gateway to the city’s Exposition Park. The landmark project will be MAD’s first museum built in the United States.

Two-toned wood wraps Washington home by Open Studio Collective

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 18:00:58 +0000

Hand-charred wooden planks contrast whitewashed cedar in the facade of this residence in Washington state, designed by Portland practice Open Studio Collective.

The builder made the dark facade boards by hand using Shou Sugi Ban, a traditional Japanese technique of charring wood to increase its resistance to moisture and insects. The rest of the building is covered in pale, whitewashed cedar planks.

The studio designed the three-level Terrace Residence for a sloped site in Camas, Washington. It is located in a residential area that overlooks the Columbia River, which separates the states of Washington and Oregon.

The wooden exterior was chosen to contrast the look of the more traditional surrounding homes.

"The use of clean lines and Shou Sugi Ban wood siding creates a very contemporary moment in a dead-end drive of a very traditional subdivision," said Open Studio Collective.

Visitors enter through the upper level. Inside, the home has a flipped layout, with the upstairs occupied by the kitchen, living and dining rooms, as well as a guest bedroom with its own en-suite bathroom.

A continuous staircase runs the entire width of the house to lead the backdoor downstairs and the surrounding forest."From the front door, you can look down the spine through both levels of the house and see the woods," studio founder Allison Bryan told Dezeen.

The firm said the staircase helps to organise the programme into two distinct halves. It describes it as a "central spine".

On the first level, it separates the living spaces from the kitchen and dining room. Both spaces have access to a balcony that offers expansive landscape views. "The site allows for incredible views of the surrounding Camas, WA hills and valley," said the firm.

On the ground floor, one half of the spine is occupied by the master suite, including a walk-in closet and access to a small terrace outside the bedroom, that is sheltered from the rain by the main level balcony above.

The studio included the bedrooms for the family's twin sons on the opposite side. They are laid out symmetrically and linked by a sliding door.

The interiors feature clean lines and minimal decoration but the architects aimed to provide visual interest by colour-blocking blues and greens in the kitchen and bathrooms.

"Since our studio also does graphic design and environmental graphics, we also try to be as graphic as possible with colour or material," Bryan continued.

"The client loved the green cabinetry, but we also felt it really tied into the lusciousness of the Pacific Northwest."

Founded in 2015, Open Studio Collective describes itself as "anti-disciplinary," and also works within the fields of furniture and branding.

Other projects in Washington include a home for a swimmer that integrates three different pools into the layout, and a residence for an art collector by Olson Kundig.

Photography is by Bob Martus.

Project credits:

Architecture & Interiors: Open Studio Collective
General Contractor: Greener Concepts

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Studio Okami Architecten hides Sloped Villa in a Belgian hillside

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 12:00:10 +0000

Studio Okami Architecten has dug a brick and concrete home into a sloping hillside, looking out over the valley landscape of Mont-de-l'Enclus in Belgium.

Rather than conform to the strict building regulations of the area, which would have required a pitched roof, local brick and predefined window sizes, Studio Okami Architecten designed what they described as an "invisible house".

Called Sloped Villa, the house's living spaces are hidden under a green roof.

"By using the sloped terrain to hide the project, the city council was convinced to step away from the traditional regulations, allowing the client his dream for infinite views over the valley," said the studio.

Almost imperceptible on approach from the west, the protruding fireplace chimney and slim balustrades are all that declare the home's presence.

Two brick staircases along its northern and southern edges lead down into entrances at either side.

From all other angles, however, the building presents bold brick elevations.

A run of columns creating large openings onto the veranda that surrounds the home.

A glazed curtain walls is set back from the raised, covered brick veranda, which provides outdoor seating for looking out at the landscape.

Sloped Villa's interior, decorated in wood, concrete and metal, is mainly a single room.

A large living, kitchen and dining area occupies the majority of the interior, which is organised around a series of structural concrete columns and a central fireplace.

"Everyday living takes place in a loft-like space, with ceiling to floor windows painting the magnificent landscape," said the studio.

Three cave-like bedrooms sit underground at the rear of the plan.

Light and air reaches them via an internal glazed courtyard, which also acts as a small external patio.

The bathroom sits directly off this courtyard.

Looking out into the courtyard, the bath is given privacy by a large potted tree.

Studio Okami Architecten was founded in Antwerp by Bram Van Cauter and Hans Vanassche.

Other homes that have been hidden beneath hills include Aires Mateus' project in Portugal covering a home with a cantilevering roof, and a recent project by Niko Architect in Russia that sees a home buried underneath undulating artificial hills.

Photography is by Filip Dujardin.

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