Viewing from the street,the black box is white! A group of white box with different openness cleverly fit into the corner of an aging urban community. Steel beams & columns, corrugated steel and perforated steel plates indicate its temporary, the fitness figure and basketball slap Sound of the black box clearly describes its function, the blooming light through glass and perforated steel plates in the night proudly announce that it’s the center of vitality in this slightly dull neighborhood.
The interior of black box is indeed dominated by dark colors. under owner’s low cost demanding, steel, wood, concrete slab and other basic materials complete indoor color changeing,also describe the building function alternately: sports and fitness, art exhibitions, sharing of life, PARTY etc.
As the building itself plumply fill the entire site boundary, the heart of the site is considered the center of outdoor activities, while almost all of the traffic stream organizations, space onversion of inside and outside are around the heart to start.the building entities surrounding the center produce an uncertain twist and flow, thus enriching the volumes.
The uncertaintiy of municipal management and the uncertainty of business decide the uncertainty of the building function, thus reveal the space fluxility of a temporary building with an full utilizing of boundary conditions. The architects focus on openness & closure of the building, so they face problems such as community activation and interaction, functional change and convergence, the construction of the relative temporary building and many other complex challenges, and ultimately result in the philosophical meaning of ambiguous and moderate undefined conclusions.
From the architect. BRUMA winery is located in the wine region of Baja California, in the Guadalupe Valley, the winery is part of a complete project which includes a hotel and villas.
The Quito Publishing House is located in La Floresta neighborhood: a bohemian, artsy and closely knit community in the heart of Northern Quito. Its idiosyncratic nature posed the greatest design challenge. We were asked to introduce an office building where few exist and in the midst of a community with a strong sense of civil awareness, adamant about preserving the spatial values of its neighborhood. The program we were assigned was exciting: three publishing companies, formerly housed in separate floors of a high-rise, wanted to share one large space. Their employees are creative individuals with a strong aesthetic sensibility. This tripartite ownership of the building gave us more flexibility in terms of how we could program and distribute the space; all companies could relate within a similar hierarchal level. All three revolve around a central void, share the privilege of the same views, and have access to a roof garden. They also share communal spaces and we expect the fluid arrangement of the plan and section to catalyze a community atmosphere analogous to the one that characterizes the neighborhood.
Axonometric
From a formal standpoint, the great Modern domestic architecture of the surroundings inspired many of the elements that compose the building. In some of the houses of La Floresta, architecture and nature intertwine. Walking through its streets, one discovers a hidden garden beneath a staircase, or a staircase floating effortlessly above a pond, or a spatial procession that leads to the front door of a house. There are layers upon layers to be unveiled at La Floresta. We chose to emulate the mix of Modernity and nature; to create a spatial sequence that leads the users into the building and its roof garden; to open a central void or “hanging garden” that serves as a chimney and reinterprets the colonial courtyard, which besides capturing the zenithal light of Quito provides a visual cross section. The work spaces are wrapped by a double skin, the outer portion of which is a louvered screen, partially colored. Works of art punctuate the shared spaces, which act as galleries. The slope of the site is dealt with in the traditional Quito-way: through the integration of a zócalo, built in concrete and clad in black stone.
The Quito Publishing House received the first Leed Gold attributed to a building in continental Ecuador, for its intent of applying environmental design principles to a corporate building in the tropics.
The building is conceived of as a bioclimatic machinery, whose performance reduces to a minimum the dependence on mechanical systems of ventilation, heating and cooling. Since there are no elements projecting shadow upon the building, the northeastern and southeastern facades are subject to considerable solar exposure, particularly direct in the mornings. The “curtain” which would allow to regulate solar incidence was transferred from the interior of the building to the exterior, as a filter, understood as a biological wall, whose skin is interactive and capable of responding to temperature and humidity variations. The orange louvers respond to a climatic simulation that was more affordable than the introduction of sensors in each louver of the filters; flows of air ultimately depend on human manipulation, the most cost efficient option to reduce energy consumption. The fin shape of the louvers is aerodynamic so as to refract light and stimulate the generation of vortexes that accelerate the transfer of air. Its figure coincides, in section, with the operable windows. The central patio acts as a chimney that sucks the air towards the upper sections of the building and also serves as a funnel of zenithal light brought into the core of the building at the lower levels. This mechanism also injects air into the parking located underground. A vegetation layer shares with maintenance shelves the intersticial spaces located between skins (glass and louvers), providing an additional filter to purify and scent the air, buffer air flows and provide shade. The back façade provides enough thermal mass to absorb and liberate energy. The water surface in the ground floor, besides being a cooling device, responds to the need of rendering air circulation visible: it serves as a meter of the building´s performance through the rippling of the water surface. These mechanisms were introduced in order to take the greatest advantage of natural resources such as light and air, and in order to reduce to a minimum the consumption of energy and water.
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Water
The building has an integrated system of rain water collection that is channeled towards the bathrooms and the garden roofs or vertical gardens, where it is used for irrigation purposes. A double piping system facilitates trickle irrigation along the gardened facades and reduces water consumption.
The vertical gardens act as another layer of thermal insulation within the chamber of the perimeter, just as the roof gardens above. Native Andean species were chosen for the gardening –most consume low portions of water.
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Flexibility and adaptation
The sustainability of a building is proportional to its ability to adapt to different uses throughout time. The plans of QPH are open and lodge accessible electric, mechanical, lighting and communication installations to facilitate technological up-grades and maintenance.
QPH was built with a system of pre-fabricated, partially animated components that demanded a close collaboration between design and the local industry.
The maintenance shelves introduced along the perimeter of the building serve as dust buffers, support for the pots, gardening area, and introduce corridors that facilitate cleaning windows and louvers.
The building incorporates the elements that are necessary to sort, collect and compact waste.
Transport
In order to support the cycling culture of La Floresta neigborhood, QPH provides bicycle racks, showers and lockers. The location of the building was selected taking into account is articulation to the public transportation system.
Visitors to Bermuda are likely to notice one key feature about its architecture: across the islands, the pastel-painted houses all share a distinctive white, stepped roof style. A recent article on BBC News Magazine explores the original reason for, and subsequent history of, this unique roof design, showing how vernacular architectural elements often fit into a larger narrative of culture and geography.
The original reason for the roofs is relatively simple: with no permanent fresh streams or lakes on the islands, early settlers had to rely entirely on rainfall for their water source. To ensure that none of the region’s rainfall was wasted, builders developed the stepped roofs as a way to slow down heavy rain and prevent the building’s gutters being overwhelmed. Being constructed of limestone, the roofs were also heavy enough to resist hurricanes, and the white color reflected UV light from the sun, which helped to purify the water.
The technique was later written into Bermuda law. Every new house in Bermuda is now designed for a certain level of self-sufficiency, as each one must have 8 gallons (36 liters) of tank space per square foot (0.1 square meters) of roof area to store water.
However, as Bermuda’s residential and tourist populations grow, the islands are beginning to experience challenges relating to this water strategy. As the temptation to build upwards increases, the ability of these roofs to collect enough water for everybody is decreasing, and the islands now have 6 water desalination plants to cope with demand. Increasingly, the story of Bermuda’s distinctive roofs is intertwined with the story of its water challenges. Find out more about these challenges, and the roofs themselves, over at BBC News Magazine.
From the architect. The Junction Shadow House is a semi-detached residential dwelling that began as a mirror-image of its attached neighbour. Early in the design process, it became evident that the previous additions (front room over the porch, rear Mud Room) were structurally compromised and threatening to destabilize the original masonry structure. As a result, they were demolished, leaving the shell of the original house to work with, in the shadow of its longer neighbour. Natural light was not available from all sides, so the design focused on maximizing the light penetrating from the south, as well as moving it through the house as much as possible. The interiors are a bright white colour and the spaces are visually interconnected on all levels through a feature staircase, creating views and plays with shadows on all levels.
The front of the house was re-designed to include a large window, linking exterior and interior life. Similarly, a new rear Mudroom addition at the ground floor allows for easy access to and from the rear yard, and more importantly, access to the dog washing station in the basement. A third floor addition was built to create an open relaxing area for the homeowners, as the while maximizing the use of floor area and animating them with plays on light and dark. The finishes further reflect the idea of shade, with a palette of whites, blacks and greys…and occasionally a pop of colour.
MahaNakhon’s sculptural design includes a “pixelated” spiral of terraces which cut through the sheer glass curtain wall to, in the words of Scheeren, “reaveal the grain of its inhabitation.” This unique form was created to combine elements of simplicity and intimacy in a city that is already full of a festival of architectural form-making. In the video, filmed before the building’s completion in August, Scheeren takes in the rawness of the building, saying that “In some ways, it seems almost incomplete or unfinished. At this time the building itself is still in its raw state. You can very strongly feel the reality of the building.”
You can watch a teaser for CNN’s video above or see the full video here.
From the architect. The KN10 building – among the first to be completed by COSTA LOPES and home to its head offices – roots itself in its location in Rua Kwame N’Krumah, opposite to Rua Moisés Cardoso, a continuation of the upper city ridge (one of Luanda´s main urban structures) and, on the other hand, in its generic programme which at the time met the need for qualified office spaces. It also takes in account the uncertainty in relation to the transformation of the neighboring urban plots.
The horizontal portico, circumscribed in the plot and open to the street, gives place for 10 overlapping functional modules with open-space offices (one or two units with a kitchenette). They are served and anchored by a vertical access core (stairs and lifts, with sanitary facilities on each floor). The building also features 3 underground floors for car parking and technical areas.
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The fanfold facades are consequence of the overlapping and physicality of the reinforced concrete. Each module is highlighted by the different angulations of its façade distended rings, compressing side to side fenêtres en longueur and guaranteeing some environmental mediation. They give an autonomous expression to the building in relation to the transformation of the neighboring area, while maintaining a strong urban presence.
The KN10 unveils itself from inside-out and vice-versa. It overlooks the city, particularly the higher floors, from Ilha do Cabo to the hinterland. It indulges in the city, flowing through it and revealing its working environments from the public space.
The key to quick, efficient CAD modeling is to have a solid library of CAD blocks – pre-prepared sets of common objects and details that you can simply drop into your drawing as and when they are required. Fortunately, there are many ways you can build up your own CAD blocks library without having to create all of your own objects from scratch. One of them is to purchase sets of blocks from websites like boss888.net, which has a wide array of CAD objects available for download – and is even offering a selection of their catalog for free.
boss888.net’s 61 free downloads encompass everything from furniture, plants and people to detailed drawings of the classical ornament, to floor and roof parapet details. You can find their full selection of free items here.
The pavilion of transhumance is located close to the “tratturo del re” , a green path linking the Apulian plains to the mountains of Abruzzo in central Italy.
Courtesy of CiminiArchitettura
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Courtesy of CiminiArchitettura
The project has the aim of enhancement of rural traditions and enhance the local tourist routes and products, mainly related to the olive oil and wine production. Products that, for millennia, the locals have traded with the shepherds in transit, contaminating each other, even passing on culture, history and legends.
The functional program is very simple: a single flexible space equipped with ensuite facilities.
Courtesy of CiminiArchitettura
The project aims to symbolically interpret the path of sheep tracks opening and directing the large central room to the sea and to the opposite side towards the mountain. Conceptually a “space of passage” from which sight the landscape.
Courtesy of CiminiArchitettura
This dual opposite opening also allows natural ventilation in summer. The land on which stands the building, however, is in direct contact with a road. This is why the volume of the pavilion was deformed upward to avoid the views of the cars and focus instead on the beautiful surrounding countryside.
Courtesy of CiminiArchitettura
This changed morphology has also allowed us to create a small cavea and optimize coverage for the installation of photovoltaic panels and technical installations.
Courtesy of CiminiArchitettura
The structure of the building (apart from the reinforced concrete base) is made entirely of wood, as well as the outer covering of larch pretreated.
Paul de Ruiter Architects designed a new building for the high-end engineering firm Fluor that completely reflects the company’s unique style of working. The aim was to create a space where everything revolves around collaboration, interaction and sharing knowledge. At the same time, there needed to be ample opportunity to work on sensitive projects in separately secured areas.
A unique combination of security and interaction The Fluor style of working is unique in the Netherlands. Small teams start working on assignments that ultimately develop into highly complex technical projects involving collaboration between dozens of employees. Our goal was to design a building in which the different project teams are connected while safeguarding the security of sensitive information. A combination of communal areas and separate departments, but above all an attractive building in which employees can be productive and feel comfortable.
Ground Floor Plan
Robust and airy When entering, the spacious atrium immediately attracts attention. A large wooden staircase in the central hall creates a direct visual connection between the building and the people. The black steel floor gives the atrium a solid and robust feel and the glass roof ensures that everyone’s working day has a bright and pleasant start.
We wanted every working area to have natural daylight. At the same time, our aim was to prevent the sun from overheating the building. In order to avoid the blinds being closed all day, we aimed to prevent direct bright daylight causing a nuisance for the staff. We therefore designed façades that filter the sunlight whilst directing daylight indoors. The result is various floors where hundreds of people can work together in an environment with natural daylight and a view.
Energy consumption halved The smart innovations are what make this enormous building sustainable. Daylight reaches every room, reducing the need for artificial lighting. The building’s insulation is equally important. After all, the less energy you need for heating in the winter and cooling in the summer, the lower the consumption of energy.
The heat we gain in the summer is stored in the ground for the winter. Equally, we store the winter cold for cooling in the summer. Combined with our climate platforms, this reduces energy consumption by half, a valuable investment in view of Fluor’s desire to occupy the building for decades. Finally, we installed a total of 2,250 m2 of PV panels to enable the building to provide for its own energy needs. The building has been awarded a BREEAM Excellent certificate.
Product Description. The black steel floor panels have been applied to give a very robust and solid character to the atrium of the Fluor office building.
Sig Nordal 