Few sights evoke the American West more than the saguaro cactus, found only in the Sonoran Desert. Saguaro National Park, close to the urban center of Tucson, Arizona, protects these majestic cacti. At the park, you can hike through fantastic desert scenery year-round. #Sunset photo courtesy of David Olsen.
From the architect. On a gritty stretch of Venice Boulevard in Los Angeles, the PSPMLA office sits on a previously vacant 2,500 sf infill commercial parcel. Dubbed the “Light Box” for its simple geometry slotted in acknowledgement of the natural solar conditions, the 2,200 sf office for a boutique property management firm discretely slips into the streetscape of tightly packed auto body shops, neon sign fabricators, digital printers, and various light commercial businesses. The design expands upon the urban texture of the street, while also carving out a bright, naturally illuminated respite for the office staff and their clientele.
The project is composed of two primary furniture elements, a double height rift sawn white oak clad spatial volume and a white lacquered cluster of seating modules, inserted into a 25’-0” wide X 66’-6” long X 22’-6” tall building envelope. To maximize the useable area of the narrow lot, the exterior walls were assembled and waterproofing installed horizontally on site and then tilted into position along the property lines with a crane. Following the completion of the envelope, the furniture elements were installed within the space. The office’s interior is organized into three zones of program: the double height ground floor area contains the primary circulation and the staff seating; the ground floor of the wood insertion is populated by the waiting room, conference room, two management offices, and the restrooms; and the mezzanine holds additional staff workrooms and storage areas.
In response to the contrasting goals of an open and naturally lit, yet secure and private working environment, the “Light Box” is fitted with an array of skylights within the ceiling slots at the roof and a perforated steel screen at the Venice Boulevard façade. The skylights register the time of day through the constantly changing light on the wood interior. In addition, the scale and orientation of the façade screen provides diffused lighting in the afternoon and presents an illuminated edifice by night to safely light the sidewalk and bike parking at the street. Ultimately, the “Light Box” serves as a device to both capture and emit the quintessential glow of Los Angeles.
Product Description. The rift sawn white oak cladding is used to define the double height furniture element inserted into the overall building envelope. To contrast the purity of the smooth plaster interior, this furniture element is assembled of various sized panels detailed at the scale of furniture. This composition proves an excellent canvas to capture the changing light patterns throughout the day.
Ennead Architects has broken ground on the construction of an addition to the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, the country’s oldest continuously operating museum (since 1799).
The expansion project includes a new 40,000 square foot wing and 17,500 square feet of renovation to adjacent structures. Upon completion, total gallery space will be increased by 15% for a total of 100,000 square feet, making the Peabody Essex into one of the top 20 art museums in the country.
“Designed to clarify and strengthen the Museum’s current programming, the new wing will enhance the older sections of the museum while providing new gallery spaces dedicated to the presentation of the museum’s extensive collection, creating a new, unified sequence throughout,” says lead designer and Ennead partner Richard Olcott.
The new wing will be located on the northwest corner of the museum complex, linking the East India Marine Hall to the east, the Asian Export Art Wing to the south, and a new 5,000 SF garden to the west. Behind the structure’s stone and glass facade, a three-story gallery space will connect to the existing museum through a double-height glass atrium, bringing natural light into the building.
“This naturally lit, interior atrium brings the historic Salem street fabric into the museum while providing new space for circulation, respite and events,” explain the architects in a press release.
The project is led by Richard Olcott along with management partner Molly McGowan. The new wing is scheduled to open to the public in 2019.
News via Ennead Architects.
Chicago – Illinois – USA (by Aurimas)
From the architect. We spent a year and a half or more on this project, working with one of the persons I care most in the world and who also happens to know about architecture. Having such clients is a privilege, because they let you do your work with an understanding of the reasons for your decisions.
Developing the plot was not the hardest thing: from the beginning we wanted the house to be positioned at the end of the plot and give priority to the views and breeze in order to make full use of the plot’s amplitude 5,000 –square-meters (50 by 100 meters).
The requirement was to make a garden more than a house. The challenge was creating a setting rather than a container, with a unique program. The house is arranged in two volumes, one sitting firmly on the plot and other one floating above, with a visual connection between both. A special virtue of the project is the diversity of scales in the various areas: double-height spaces, corners with 2.20 meters, open-plan spaces throughout with a cozy slab that is welcoming and level changing on the floors.
The common and service areas are all on ground level. The second volume contains the bedrooms and at the same time is the roof of a large terrace. Between the two volumes is a reflecting pond, with fish and lilies. It works as a screen which reflects various episodes of architecture throughout the day. I consider that this house needs more time for the gardens to assume the leading role that they had when the project was first conceived.
The one and a half year of developing the project and the two years of construction, were very eventful. Sudden changes, readjustments of the soul and unforeseen absences, all combined to create a house that happened to be a special experience.
From the architect. We spent a year and a half or more on this project, working with one of the persons I care most in the world and who also happens to know about architecture. Having such clients is a privilege, because they let you do your work with an understanding of the reasons for your decisions.
Developing the plot was not the hardest thing: from the beginning we wanted the house to be positioned at the end of the plot and give priority to the views and breeze in order to make full use of the plot’s amplitude 5,000 –square-meters (50 by 100 meters).
The requirement was to make a garden more than a house. The challenge was creating a setting rather than a container, with a unique program. The house is arranged in two volumes, one sitting firmly on the plot and other one floating above, with a visual connection between both. A special virtue of the project is the diversity of scales in the various areas: double-height spaces, corners with 2.20 meters, open-plan spaces throughout with a cozy slab that is welcoming and level changing on the floors.
The common and service areas are all on ground level. The second volume contains the bedrooms and at the same time is the roof of a large terrace. Between the two volumes is a reflecting pond, with fish and lilies. It works as a screen which reflects various episodes of architecture throughout the day. I consider that this house needs more time for the gardens to assume the leading role that they had when the project was first conceived.
The one and a half year of developing the project and the two years of construction, were very eventful. Sudden changes, readjustments of the soul and unforeseen absences, all combined to create a house that happened to be a special experience.
From the architect. We spent a year and a half or more on this project, working with one of the persons I care most in the world and who also happens to know about architecture. Having such clients is a privilege, because they let you do your work with an understanding of the reasons for your decisions.
Developing the plot was not the hardest thing: from the beginning we wanted the house to be positioned at the end of the plot and give priority to the views and breeze in order to make full use of the plot’s amplitude 5,000 –square-meters (50 by 100 meters).
The requirement was to make a garden more than a house. The challenge was creating a setting rather than a container, with a unique program. The house is arranged in two volumes, one sitting firmly on the plot and other one floating above, with a visual connection between both. A special virtue of the project is the diversity of scales in the various areas: double-height spaces, corners with 2.20 meters, open-plan spaces throughout with a cozy slab that is welcoming and level changing on the floors.
The common and service areas are all on ground level. The second volume contains the bedrooms and at the same time is the roof of a large terrace. Between the two volumes is a reflecting pond, with fish and lilies. It works as a screen which reflects various episodes of architecture throughout the day. I consider that this house needs more time for the gardens to assume the leading role that they had when the project was first conceived.
The one and a half year of developing the project and the two years of construction, were very eventful. Sudden changes, readjustments of the soul and unforeseen absences, all combined to create a house that happened to be a special experience.
From the architect. We spent a year and a half or more on this project, working with one of the persons I care most in the world and who also happens to know about architecture. Having such clients is a privilege, because they let you do your work with an understanding of the reasons for your decisions.
Developing the plot was not the hardest thing: from the beginning we wanted the house to be positioned at the end of the plot and give priority to the views and breeze in order to make full use of the plot’s amplitude 5,000 –square-meters (50 by 100 meters).
The requirement was to make a garden more than a house. The challenge was creating a setting rather than a container, with a unique program. The house is arranged in two volumes, one sitting firmly on the plot and other one floating above, with a visual connection between both. A special virtue of the project is the diversity of scales in the various areas: double-height spaces, corners with 2.20 meters, open-plan spaces throughout with a cozy slab that is welcoming and level changing on the floors.
The common and service areas are all on ground level. The second volume contains the bedrooms and at the same time is the roof of a large terrace. Between the two volumes is a reflecting pond, with fish and lilies. It works as a screen which reflects various episodes of architecture throughout the day. I consider that this house needs more time for the gardens to assume the leading role that they had when the project was first conceived.
The one and a half year of developing the project and the two years of construction, were very eventful. Sudden changes, readjustments of the soul and unforeseen absences, all combined to create a house that happened to be a special experience.
Sig Nordal 