This house sits in a corner of a large lot in the center of Bridgehampton, New York. Reminiscent of an old farmhouse with it’s simple shape and repetitive openings, also shares it’s DNA and it’s open space plan with that of a New York loft.
The house, which was designed and built in 8 months, provides numerous connections to it’s surroundings – gardens, outdoor shower, pool & BBQ pit, while the larger double height end windows maximize the relationship with distance spaces beyond.
Wicker balconies project from the brick facade of this apartment block in north London, which was designed by Amin Taha Architects with a cross-laminated timber structure. (more…)
During the IV International Congress in Pamplona, organized by the Architecture and Society Foundation, we had the opportunity to speak with Bjarke Ingels about his approach to theme “Architecture: Climate Change.” The founder of BIG told us about the importance of clean technology and how these technologies must be integrated into architecture. He asserts that new industrial projects must also break from traditional paradigms and question established concepts in order to be reintegrated into communities as clean, attractive and multi-use spaces. Ingels suggests that clean technologies holds exciting possibilities for public spaces.
One of the most innovative and sustainable experiences that Ingels spoke about is the partially completed Amager Bakke waste-to-energy plant in Copenhagen. The plant not only converts trash into energy, but also includes a roof-top ski slope. This out-of-the-box design was only possible because the plant produces the cleanest by-products in the world.
This interview was originally conducted for ArchDaily en español.
A door latch and a pair of pliers are among the mechanisms created without screws, bolts or other fixings by researchers working with a new technology called metamaterials (+ movie). (more…)
S House is a private residence designed by Pitsou Kedem Architects. It is located in Herzliyya, Israel and was completed in 2016. S House by Pitsou Kedem Architects: “The skyline – the meeting of earth and heaven – is the Archimedean point in every swath of architecture that orients the building in its surrounding. Whether it be built in a dense urban fabric, on a high mountain or a narrow,..
On Tuesday, September 6th, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the newly planned “Berliner Block,” the Zalando Headquarters — a structure designed by HENN Architects for Europe’s largest online dealer in footwear and fashion. Along with David Schneider of Zalando Management Board and Berlin’s governing mayor Michael Muller, architect Gunter Henn spoke about the construction project currently underway.
Courtesy of HENN Architects
In 2015, HENN Architects won the competition to design the Headquarters in Berlin. Their project will bring the entirety of the Zalando offices into a group of two buildings located on one city block. Hence, a Berliner Block.
Courtesy of HENN Architects
While a typical Berlin block-edge development is horizontal or vertical, the Headquarters plan rotates the building grid diagonally to the plot. The outcome, in effect, allows for naturally illuminated workspaces and transitions between office and public space, linked by translucent facades.
Courtesy of HENN Architects
Beyond the central “marketplace,” catwalks connect most of the areas, while an adaptable rooftop terrace can be used for a range of activities. The Headquarters, which are under construction now, are expected to open in Autumn of 2018.
The idea of this pavilion is projected through the particular relation of the wooden volume gently hovering above a crossing water surface, creating an ensemble precisely aligned with the cardinal directions.
The poetic relation between the pavilion and the water surface is highlighted through a work on the vegetal environment that confines the pavilion’s position inside the private park that spreads around it.
Plan
The Gramineae mounds around the pavilion and the pool create a fluid vegetal belt, changing colors and movements with the seasons, and hiding the pavilion from direct views, allowing only partial or indirect perceptions. It is only fully revealed when penetrating among the mounds.
A special attention is given to lighting design (natural and artificial) in order to preserve the site’s intimate character. In both lateral volumes, skylights allow natural light in, while suspended spotlights and indirect lighting enhance the rhythm of timber cladding and the the ceiling’s corners.
The pavilion itself is composed by a crossing central void, flanked by two lateral volumes. The ensemble sits on top of a wooden platform cantilevered over the lawn and pool. The structure is made of V4A stainless steel covered by thermo-coated solid ash wood in walls, floors and ceilings.
The central void includes two slight reinforcements on the floor in an asymmetric position and can be closed by sliding elements from inside the walls. Each lateral volume contains a different function: the changing room and bathroom in the west one and the summer kitchen and storage in the east one.
Apartment in Pastels is a private home located in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Completed in 2016, it was designed by Izabela Gajewska. Photos courtesy of Izabela Gajewska
The Lisbon TriennaleMillennium bcp Début Award was created to celebrate the achievements, and promote the careers of, young architects and practices under the age of 35.
More than 140 applications were received, representing five continents and including 39 countries including Portugal, Germany, Brazil, and Mexico, as well as Iran, Jordan, Sudan, and Palestine. The jury have praised the very high level of the proposals across the board.
The experts especially appreciated the ability for participants to expand and experiment with the limits of the discipline, connecting technological innovation to socially and environmentally conscious solutions.
Ten finalists have been chosen by the jury to compete for the second edition of the award. The winner will be announced during the opening week of the Lisbon Architecture Triennale (5th-9th October 2016) and will give a lecture on the closing week (7th-11th December 2016).
Founded in 2007 in Quito, Al Borde is led by architects Pascual Gangotena (1977), David Barragán (1981), Maria Luisa Borja (1984) and Esteban Benavides (1985). The collective focuses on the human dimension of space achieved through a minimal resort to available resources. Drawing on the “ordinary”, they wish to expand the human condition engaging people and communities in the design process, questioning the subjection of architecture to bureaucracy and capital. In 2015 they were nominated for the Design of the Year Award at the Design Museum in London, while this year they figured in the official selection of the Venice Architecture Biennale.
Based in Kigali, this architectural practice is currently involved in a long-term project combining research, education, design and construction. ASA is responsible for the realization of the first kindergarten in Rwanda (2012), 11 preschools, more than 60 maternity wards, health centers and facilities. To this activity they combine the commitment to the creation of the first Architecture School in Rwanda, where they wish to promote opportunities for the future architecture graduates.
After graduating from the Architecture School of Barcelona, in 2009 Carles Enrich founded his own studio initiating projects at different urban scales. His work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale both in the Catalan Pavillion (Vogadors) in 2012 and in the Spanish Pavilion (Unfinished) in 2016. Since 2008 he holds a teaching position at the Architecture School of Barcelona as well as at School of Architecture in Reus.
El Umbral, Mexico
Founded in Mexico City in 2013, El Umbral is led by architects Mercedes Landa Quintanilla, Mario Ramos Catalá, Jos Sacre and Pamela Martínez. Their activity includes the construction of residential buildings, public spaces as well as urban design projects. In 2014 the practice was awarded the Jardin San Hipolito Award and was recently chosen with other two finalists to present a proposal for the international cultural fair in Mexico City.
The practice was founded by Guillermo Hevia Garcia (1986) and Nicolás Urzúa Soler (1986), who are both graduates of the Pontificia Universidad Católica do Chile, where they now teach in the school of architecture. They won the first prize in the 2016 YAP Constructo Award and were between the finalists of the Iakov Chernikhov Award in 2014. In 2015 they represented Chile at the fourth Architecture Biennale of Latin America.
Architect (1982) trained at the University of Coimbra and at the NTNU, in Trondheim, Norway. He has worked with OAB, Office of Architecture in Barcelona, as well as with 51-1 Arquitectos in Lima, in the same city he was one of the co-founders of AMA (Afonso Maccaglia Architecture).
Pedro Pitarch, Spain
Architect (1989) and contemporary music composer. Pedro Pitarch works and lives in Madrid. Occupying a somewhat tangential position within the architectural practice, his investigations focus on the interrelations between society, contemporary culture and media.
Plural was founded by Martin Jancok in 2009 and later joined by Michal Janak in 2013. The practice’s projects are based on a conception of architecture as a public domain, a common language whose structure should be used for the common good. In 2015 Plural received the first prize for the SSE-Complex Award, and was awarded an honorable mention in the House for the Elderly Award in 2014.
Founded by Danilo Terra, Pedro Tuma and Fernanda Sakano, the practice is devoted to research and design at different scales. Through the combination of their respective experiences, the three founders wish to give shape to ambitious projects able to exploit at best of the technical assets of available materials.
Founded in 2011, by Ignacio Garcia Partarrieu (1984) and Arturo Scheidegger (1983), Umwelt develops research and design projects at different scales. Umwelt has exhibited projects at the Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Santiago and Venice Biennales as well as at the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York. The practice has recently been selected for the 2015 Iakov Chernikhov Award as well as for the 2016 Emerging MCHAP Award.
The jury was composed by André Tavares (PT), Chief Curator of The Form of Form; Fernanda Bárbara (BR), architect; Luís Santiago Baptista (PT), architect and critic; Margarita Jover (FR), architect; Mimi Zeiger (US), critic, editor and curator; Tetsuo Kondo (JP), architect; and Tim Abrahams (UK), architecture critic and editor at Machine Books.
The winner of the Début Award receives a 5000EUR prize and will deliver a public lecture in Lisbon as part of the main programme of the Lisbon Architecture Triennale. With this prize the Triennale wishes to support new voices and forms of practice, expecting that the prize will contribute to the young professionals’ creative, intellectual and professional growth at a crucial and potentially transformative stage in their career.
The career of Japanese architect Kenzō Tange features a curious anomaly: he received the same commission twice. In 1952, during the early stages of his career, Tange designed an administrative building in Yūrakuchō, Tokyo, for the city’s metropolitan government. Over thirty years later, when the government relocated to Shinjuku, Tokyo, he again won the commission to design its administrative building. Completed in 1991, this would be one of his last, and most ambitious, projects. The second incarnation now dominates the city’s skyline, its highly distinctive design guaranteeing it landmark status. Nicknamed Tochō (an abbreviation of its Japanese name Tōkyō-to Chōsha), its architectural references to both tradition and modernity act as a visual metaphor for the eclectic city over which its inhabitants govern.
Plan of the Complex (Public Domain)
Though usually referred to as a single building, Tochō would be more accurately described as a complex comprising three structures. Though visually distinct and individually named, all three buildings within the complex are linked by pedestrian routes. No.1 Building is the tallest of the three; the main structure stands thirty-four stories high but its twin towers soar to forty-eight stories, making it the tallest building in Tokyo at the time of its construction. Clad in precast concrete panels, the façade is inset with light and dark granite to create a variety of geometric patterns.
At its base, the façade of No.1 Building forms a sheer face which becomes increasingly articulated as the two towers ascend. This irregular composition adds visual interest and prevents the building from appearing monolithic, despite its height. The articulated surfaces also perform a practical function by disrupting the strong winds which buffet the building at its highest points. Receding cutouts at the tops of the towers create a frame for a collection of satellite dishes, transforming aesthetically unappealing—though necessary—elements into intentionally decorative features.
No.2 Building
To the south of No.1 Building stands No.2 Building. Its structure comprises three interlocking towers of increasing height, the tallest of which stands at thirty-four stories – level with the main structure of its counterpart. Again, no attempt is made to conceal less attractive architectural elements, with many of the building’s services displayed prominently on the large balconies formed by the rooftops of the lower towers; an example of the architectural honesty which typifies Tange’s work. The façade of No.2 Building features the same patterns of granite and concrete as its neighbor; by maintaining stylistic consistency across the complex Tange was able to create a visual link between its individual components.
The third building in the complex is the Assembly Building, an eight-story semicircular structure which sits at the foot of No.1. While the No.1 and No.2 Buildings primarily house government offices, the function of the Assembly Building is more specific: it serves as the meeting chamber for the councilors of Tokyo. The sweeping curve of the building encompasses an expansive courtyard which is sunk below street-level, separating it from passing road traffic to create a tranquil clearing in which open-air concerts, for example, can be held. As the building extends westward, its arms become high-level walkways raised on piloti. The southern arm intersects with a bridge spanning the gap between No.1 and No.2, binding together the three components of the complex through a system of pedestrian circulation.
No.1 Building
Tange’s architecture is characterized by an interplay between tradition and modernity; he believed that “the most vital task of today is creatively to elevate both past and future.”[1] Many of his early works lean heavily on the architectural traditions of his native country of Japan – particularly evident in his design for his own home of 1953. However, while he acknowledged the influence of Japan’s heritage, he repeatedly attempted to distance himself from purely historical associations. “Tradition can be compared to a catalyst;” he wrote, “it stimulates our design process, but just as a catalyst disappears after the chemical action, so tradition does not remain in the final design.”[2]
By the late stages of his career, references to architectural history in Tange’s designs had become less overt, but remained extant. At Tochō, the geometric pattern of the façades recalls the screen paneling of traditional Japanese houses. The twin towers of No.1 Building, meanwhile, can be compared to the split towers of Gothic cathedrals.
Unknown Author (25 January 1955). Public Domain. ImageKenzō Tange's residence
Throughout his extensive writings, Tange frequently extolled the virtues of modern technology. This is somewhat surprising given that his first completed project, the Hiroshima Peace Park, bore witness to the destructive potential of human ingenuity. Nevertheless, Tange’s design for Tochō directly invokes technology through its design; the architect cited the computer chip as the stylistic inspiration for No.1 Building.[3] This digital imagery is repeated within the building, where a circuit-board motif decorates some of the ceilings.[4]
Given the economic climate in Japan at the time, references to computing were particularly apt. Thanks to its world-leading technology industry the country was enjoying an economic boom and the computer chip had become a national symbol for modern Japan. Tange even borrowed the rhetoric of technology, quoting Norbert Wiener (the inventor of cybernetics) when describing his own architectural designs as “communication spaces” linked by “informational channels.”[5] As such, the transfer of people through the corridors and elevators of No.1 Building emulates the transfer of information through electrical signals in a computer. Not only does the building employ the iconography of a computer chip, it also functions as one.
Elevation of No.1 Building (Public Domain)
Tange’s embrace of modernity did not, however, extend to the adoption of European Modernism; a style of which he was highly critical. Though he admired the work of Le Corbusier, he disdainfully noted that for most Modernist architects “the mere white box—which was no more than a starting point—was in itself a true goal.”[6] Tange also took issue with the functionalist attitude of the International Style, which he saw as overly simplistic and rigid: “criticism has often been made by people living and working in these buildings that this restricts their life and I believe their complaints are worthy of attention.”[7]
Tange’s own design process involved a “typification of function,”[8] wherein the most fundamental needs of the building’s future users were prioritized and other needs, deemed arbitrary, were ignored. For instance, the massive scale (and $1billion cost) of Tochō led to public outrage during construction but, as justified by the project’s construction manager, “it needed to be this size to house the ganglia of a huge computer network intended to make the Tokyo government the most sophisticated in the world.”[9]
Satellite dishes on No.1 Building
While Tange may not have subscribed to the European model of Modernism, he did share the movement’s aim to (ostensibly) sweep away the old and build anew. Tochō‘s new site in Shinjuku—the historic red-light district of Tokyo and a notorious center for Yakuza activity—afforded Tange the perfect opportunity to do so. The area had been targeted for regeneration by city councilors in the 1980s, and the construction of Tochō signalled the beginning of the redevelopment of Shinjuku as a modern financial district. Though the neighborhood still retains some aspects of its insalubrious past, its transformation into a thriving economic hub has been hugely successful. Twenty-five years after completion of Tochō, the area is now strewn with skyscrapers which house the headquarters of national and multinational corporations.
It has been suggested that Tange’s belief in the regenerative power of architecture has its roots in the cycles of growth and decay described by Buddhist teachings.[10] The demolition of Tange’s original Metropolitan Government Building shortly after the opening of Tochō completed this cyclical process. Though Tochō is often overlooked within the architect’s oeuvre, in many respects the complex exemplifies his style through its harmony of tradition and modernity, its typified functionalism, and its capacity to reflect a national identity.
The Assembly Building and Public Square
References [1] Tange, Kenzō. “Creation in Present Day Architecture and the Japanese Tradition”. In Robin Boyd. Kenzō Tange. New York: George Braziller, 1962. p.113 [2] Tange, Kenzō. “In Search of a New Architecture”. Japan Quarterly, 31:4, 1984. p.407 [3] Weisman, Steven R. “A Plush City Hall, but Please, No Marble Bathtub!”. New York Times, 20 August, 1990 [4] Žaknić, Ivan. 100 of the World’s Tallest Buildings. Victoria: Images Publishing, 1998. p.104 [5] Ibid. Tange. “In Search of a New Architecture”. p.408 [6] Ibid. p.406 [7] Ibid. Tange. “Creation in Present Day Architecture and the Japanese Tradition”. p.116 [8] Ibid. Tange. “In Search of a New Architecture.” p.407 [9] Ibid. Weisman. [10] “Tange, Kenzō”. Oxford Art Online. Accessed 13 July, 2016. [access]
Sig Nordal 