From the architect. Clos de Tres Cantos, as part of the contemporary design trend, the main idea was to integrate the context natural and cultura undertaking the site and its topography, as well as the material usage and its semiotics. The project is formed by a winery, hotel, office and library.
In this project the respect for the environment is the fundamental part. The origin of the material, its relocation and fabrication method are not incidental.
The building was conceived as a project based on the Land Art, surrounded by its natural landscape.
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BIG has revealed plans for a 2.6 million square foot (242,000 square meter) mixed-use complex in LA’s burgeoning Arts District. Called 670 Mesquit, the project will take the form of a series of stepped boxes containing 800,000 square feet of office space, 250 residential units and two hotels. The development will mark BIG’s first project in Los Angeles.
Located along the Los Angeles River, the proposed complex consists of two connected 30-story buildings inside of an L-shaped building footprint, organized around a grid of concrete cubes measuring 45 feet on each side. The large size of these modules will allow interiors to be subdivided based on program types and the needs of the incoming tenants with varying ceiling heights and mezzanine levels.
As the two building masses rise, the concrete cubes pull back to create accessible terraces on each level. In the riverside building, the volume steps back three full cube lengths for each rise, while in the western buildings, the cubes shift slightly as they are stacked.
To open up view corridors and circulation, three bays of the concrete armature have been left unfilled, essentially creating several unique buildings within one larger superstructure. The passageways will connect the public to both retail areas within the complex and the proposed outdoor areas above the existing railyard and along the river.
“The Arts District is experiencing a rapid renaissance, drawing creatives from all fields from fine arts to engineering. We have asked ourselves if we can renew the arts district by embracing rather than replacing the qualities that have spawned this unique urban culture,” said Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner of BIG.
“We have imagined a hybrid of two unique local typologies—the downtown warehouse and the case-study house. Like a flexible framework the project operates on two scales: the big bare bones of the buildings and the human-scale completion for its individual inhabitants. The freedom of the warehouse loft meets the individual customization of the stick-built case study house.”
“As a gateway to the Arts District and the LA river, it will constitute a major step toward reclaiming and transforming the river bank into a vital new urban landscape that can be enjoyed and appreciated by residents and visitors to this vibrant part of Los Angeles.”
Developed by Vella Group, the project is currently being presented to the city and neighborhood groups. Its construction would require significants variances from LA’s planning department and likely affect the masterplan for the LA River, conceived by Frank Gehry last year.
You can learn more about the project here.
News via BIG, LA Times.
From the architect. Detached from the ground
Puma Energy’s headquarter in Paraguay is located on Av. Spain, one of the main streets of the city with high traffic intensity and undergoing transformation. The surroundings are defined by buildings of two and three heights which are intertwined with the greenery as well as with utility poles, billboards and cables.
The corporate headquarter is located on a corner plot and thus, highly visible and in contact with urban traffic. Taking advantage of this situation, the building rises from the ground on four pillars releasing the ground floor, which allows a direct connection between the city and the building. Thereby, working spaces are concentrated in an elevated block, surrounded by greenery and isolated from the bustle of street.
Public ground floor
The project has a clear urban vocation. Ground floor is conceived as a flexible space without a specific program, in direct relation with the street and covered by the large concrete slab. The enclosure of the lobby is conceived as a series of concatenated doors that may be completely opened for public events. Therefore, ground floor acts as an extension of the city into the building where interior and exterior merge, as well as their public and private nature.
Compact and flexible
The office block is supported by four pillars only, which not only determines an open ground floor, but also an office space completely diaphanous and without structural constraints. Thus the perception of spaciousness and flexibility for possible changes in the future distribution is favored.
The horizontal structure is materialized in two-way post-tensioned slabs, avoiding thick solutions and favoring the necessary compactness due to height limitations set by the local regulations to 12m. high. The slabs are optimized thanks to the inner location of the pillars which compensates for large spans of approximately 15 meters by creating a continuous overhang all around the perimeter which acts as a large threshold for public access.
Vibrant perception
The façade solution is conceived for a double purpose. On one hand, it has been designed to maximize natural light while minimizing solar heat loads. On the other hand, is has been conceived to be perceived as light veil; a cloud of slender profiles, which perception is dynamic while the user moves around it by car or on foot. The building creates a visual dialogue with the spectator as he or she moves around it.
Its configuration, based on the addition of vertical profiles arranged on slightly curved facades, allows a dynamic and vibrant perception of it from the passing vehicles. The slightly curved contour of the building stresses the relationship with its immediate surroundings, towards and away from the neighbouring buildings and nearby trees.
The resulting perception either from the inside or from the outside is of a light and slender veil, an abstract and dynamic urban block which is detached from the ground, and suspended in the air.
The team led by light artist Leo Villareal and architects and urban planners Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands has been announced as the winner of the Illuminated River International Design Competition.
Selected from a six-strong shortlist of internationally acclaimed architects and designers, the winning design was lauded by Illuminated River Foundation Chair Hannah Rothschild as “beautiful, ambitious and realisable but always considerate to the environment, lighting levels and energy conservation.”
Led by London architect firm Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, placemaking agency Future\Pace and American light artist Leo Villareal (known for his work on The Bay Lights on San Francisco’s Bay Bridge) the design emcompasses both site-specific colored displays at each bridge, as well as forward-looking strategic plans and partnerships which aim to control commercial lighting along the river and increase public engagement through a variety of installations.
“In order to nuance the concept design and create presence and legibility, we intend to take time to study the river in all its manifestations. We want to listen to Londoners in developing the scheme to deliver at all levels of art and light, urban design and architecture, the environment and sustainability,” said Leo Villareal.
“Our aim is for a lighting masterplan which reduces pollution and wasted energy, is sensitive to history and ecology and subtly rebalances the ambient lighting on the river to provide a beautiful night time experience for residents and visitors.”
The full winning team is as follows:
Organized by Malcolm Reading Consultants, the competition saw submissions from 105 teams in 20 countries. Funding for the project will come entirely from private and philanthropic sources.
The team will now continue to develop their design concept, in collaboration with stakeholders and the public. Construction on the project is scheduled to take place in 2017.
You can learn more about the project on the Illuminated River website, here.
News via Malcolm Reading Consultants, Illuminated River Foundation.
6 Shortlisted Designs Unveiled in London’s Illuminated River Competition
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“a small miracle!” said Massimo Bottura at the press conference of the Refettorio Gastromotiva Cafeteria on the day of its inauguration in Lapa, Rio De Janeiro. He was not referring to the food, but to the construction timeframe of the project, whose 450m2 were constructed in just 55 days. This combination of restaurant and school is the result of a partnership between Massimo Bottura elected best chef in 2016, the food critic Alexandra Forbes and the NGO Gastromotiva, run by celebrated chef David Hertz. Together they assembled a creative team including Vik Muniz, Maneco Quinderé, the Campana brothers and METRO who were responsible for the architecture, art and design for this new environment.
The Cafeteria was inspired by Masimo Bottura’s ‘Food For Soul’ initiative, which aims to combat global food waste by transforming products that might have been discarded into sophisticated and nutritious meals. The site chosen for the project – between the Lapa Arches and the Aterro Do Flamingo – was donated by the city and has a large homeless population who will be eligible for free dinner as part of the project while paying guests bring revenue during lunch time.
Situated on the edge of a small square and adjacent to one of the city’s main thoroughfares, the restaurant was designed to reinforce connections with these public spaces and the surrounding community. The kitchen occupies the centre of a long and narrow site, 50m in length and 6m wide. A single volume alternates between single and double height spaces and has generous openings onto the road and the neighboring square. The building is clad in translucent polycarbonate panels that ensure that the restaurant feels welcoming and accessible to all.
The material palette is of authentic, industrial materials that are commonly found in the area, resulting in an honest, no-frills aesthetic that celebrates the essential construction elements and services. In this environment chefs were invited from all over the world to create delicious meals with the surplus of the 2016 Olympic Games, offering nourishment with dignity and beauty to people in vulnerable social situations.
This heron at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware has the right idea. It’s always nice to find a good perch and enjoy the peaceful beauty of a fall sunset. As urban development increases along the Atlantic Flyway, protected lands for migratory birds becomes even more important. With more than 16,000 acres of forests, fields and wetlands, the birds can find a place to relax; and maybe you will, too. Photo by Tim Williams, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
