Binario Architectes has used Corten steel, concrete and wood to create a series of new additions to the Villers Abbey in Belgium, including a visitor centre and an elevated pathway (+ slideshow). (more…)
From the architect. We were approached to design a mental health clinic in Saga City specializing in the treatment of patients with dementia. As in other towns and regions, Saga’s aging population has created a greater need for healthcare for the elderly. Ordinarily, healthcare facilities are planned and constructed on the advice of medical professionals with the sole consideration of creating a space for efficient and safe treatment of patients.
In this clinic, however, a special “Learning” common space was created intended for patients living with dementia and their families.
This “Learning” space is not meant to directly treat the illness but rather to provide visitors with a starting point for facing the condition of dementia.
In addition to an outdoor garden designed to recreate the local scenery of rice fields and mountains using local flora, a 30 meter bookshelf was constructed containing pictorial books intended not so much to be “read” but rather to be “seen” and impart an impression on the reader.
By creating a common space where patients, staff and families can interact, we seek to connect people through “Learning.”
Gulfoss (The Golden Waterfall) is a magnificent 32m high double waterfall on the White River (Hvítá). The flow of the river from the regular rains and the glacial runoff, particularly in summer, makes it the largest volume falls in Europe.
It´s one of the most visited tourist destination in Iceland but very few have seen this beautiful waterfall from this side since the other bank of the river is where all sightseeing is directed from. It´s a bit of a hike from a bumpy gravel road to the edge of the waterfall but the view is amazing and you will be the only person admiring it from this side
US studio Fougeron Architecture has completed an urban residential building in a San Francisco neighbourhood that features faceted facades covered with grey rods (+ slideshow). (more…)
From the architect. As a response to the site, environment and client’s requirements the pod extension is a true expression of ‘form following function’. A modern structure is not restricted with a period (Victorian) architectural language but is free to respond honestly to the brief, site and restraints.
By separating the pod from the existing house the new structure is free to respond whilst respect the past. This is evident in the series of articulated plans of the new pod extension directly responding to the external factors / forces. The roof extends out around the meals to provide solar shading from the summer sun but allow low winter sunlight to enter. The higher family room roof folds down to the west to protect from the harsh western sunlight whilst still offering views to the back yard.
The lower roof to the south side respects the south neighbours right to light and setback codes. The change in ceiling heights defines the kitchen / meals and family areas. The separate structure also has a financial advantage; with less time spent dealing with the existing structure the ‘fiddle factor’ is reduced, providing a simpler and more cost efficient solution.
Studio Pei-Zhu has unveiled their design for the Jingdezhen Historical Museum of Imperial Kiln, a museum dedicated to the unique history of ceramics in Jingdezhen, China. Located in the heart of the historic china-making district of the city, nestled between ceramic workshops that date back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, the museum draws inspiration from the special forms of the kilns, creating gallery spaces out of a series of hand-crafted vaulted structures.
According to Studio Pei-Zhu, the city of Jingdezhen was “born by a kiln” and rose to economic prosperity over thousands of years through the creation of high-quality, sleek china pieces. As symbols of this prosperity, the remaining workshops hold important cultural and historic value to the city. Studio Pei-Zhu’s museum design is therefore deferential to this context, maintaining a relatively low profile that encourages visitors to look out at the city, with direct sightlines to important monuments such as the Tang Dynasty pagoda.
Rather than attracting attention through size and scale, the museum stands out through its composition, rotation and gathering of individual volumes and vaults. The arrangement consciously breaks with the existing urban fabric to activate its surroundings and provide visitors to the exhibition spaces with an unexpected experience.
“Vaults of the museum reflect unearthed relics, while half of its volume remains underground. It creates connections, both physical and spiritual, between the aboveground and underground; present and history. The museum guides visitors into kilns, to ruins, and back to the traditions and culture of local history. The form is simple and primitive, yet full of strength. In silence and light people are encouraged, by the honesty of architecture, to feel the history and culture. We expect visitors will have a chance to rethink upon the relationship between this city and its kilns, its past and its future,” explain the architects.
Studio Pei-Zhu also hopes that the museum will serve to garner global attention to Jigndezhen, both to increase awareness of the city’s role in the history of ceramics, but also to change the city for the better.
“A single museum is capable of changing an entire city. The historical museum of china is bound for carrying on the culture of china, telling the stories of Jingdezhen’s history and culture to the world, and bringing out new life and events to the city.”
Construction on the project begins this year, with an expected completion date in 2017.
Studio Pei-Zhu’s design for the Jingdezhen Historical Museum of Imperial Kiln is currently being exhibited as a part of “Towards a Critical Pragmatism: Contemporary Architecture in China,” now on display at the Harvard GSD.
Sig Nordal 