The installation can be dismantled in the space of just a few hours and sorted out into its discrete constituent parts. Photo by René Müller). Image Courtesy of Werner Sobek

The appointment of Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena as the curator of the 2016 Venice Biennale  (La Biennale di Venezia) has seen the exhibition take a more vested interest in social responsibility. In harmony with this theme, German architect Werner Sobek has presented a large cube with a sobering social and environmental message. Entitled “Beyond Form,” Sobek’s intention mirrors Aravena’s; it forces the viewer to look beyond the formal elements of architecture to the unavoidable issues facing it in the near future. 

The cube is visually deceptive, as it floats above the floor with a certain lightness that ignores its large mass. As viewers get closer, they can begin to decipher the textual inscription which covers its surface. Intended to provoke discussion around population explosion and global warming, the Assessment Report from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) is inscribed in 12 languages. The black fabric acts as a veil, concealing half of the message. 

According to Werner Sobek, the future of construction does not lie in questions of form, but in creating more buildings with fewer materials in a completely recycling-friendly way. Photo by René Müller). Image Courtesy of Werner Sobek

In Sobek’s opinion, “the search for the architecture of tomorrow is no longer focused on issues of form. Instead, it is concerned with answering the two major questions surrounding the future of construction. Firstly, due to the population explosion, we must find a recycling-friendly way of using fewer and fewer materials to produce greater numbers of buildings that function without any need for fossil fuels. Our second challenge is to avoid consuming fossilised sources of energy altogether. The enormous volume of CO2 emissions generated during the construction and operation of our buildings exacerbates the problem of global warming in an irresponsible manner.

Despite its volume, the cube designed by Werner Sobek for the 15th Architecture Biennale looks totally weightless. Its message is of great contemporary importance. Photo by René Müller. Image Courtesy of Werner Sobek

The extremely light, fabric covered structure can be easily disassembled, despite its size. It will be dismantled into its constituent parts on the 27th November 2016, the day that it will cease to be exhibited at the Biennale. Check out this article on Sobek’s demand for emission free cities to find out more about Sobek’s plight for climate protection and sustainable living.

News via bering*kopal.

http://ift.tt/2b1hZWC

© Antonio Vázquez

• Architects: Marcos Miguélez
• Location: Ponferrada, León, Spain
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Antonio Vázquez

© Antonio Vázquez

From the architect. The project is located in Ponferrada’s City Hall Square, next to the base of the Clock Tower, in one of the 5 gateways to the walled medieval city. This stretch of the wall remains intact due to its shared joint ownership with the cloistered convent of the Conceptionist, which has allowed its preservation until today.

© Antonio Vázquez

The building corresponds to the traditional construction of XVIII Century houses in El Bierzo: rectangular, formed by volumes attached, with facade shield, courtyard, stratifying its uses by heights. The upper floor is devoted to housing, with a noble area in the square and another craft workshop in the courtyard. The ground floor housed commercial activities.

The walls and eaves, stairs and floors as well as the windows, railings and balconies are protected elements. Witness the different stages of the city growth. The developer is required to adapt the functions of the old building to its new use as a restaurant, while keeping its identity and readapting its spaces. We’ve decided to assess the historical phases of the building: the thirteenth century medieval wall with its overlapping phases and heights, the well, the shield and the tower define the typical features of the house in the style of the XVIII Century; the coffered plaster, hydraulic tiles and stairs that define the interior of the industrial bourgeois house of the nineteenth century; with regards to the XX Century the changes in their facades with new openings for commercial purposes define this era; and finally the stabilization and conservation works of the early XXI Century demonstrate the additional elements implemented during this era.

© Antonio Vázquez

We propose a clear strategy in order to meet the needs of comfort and facilities with contemporary technology. Spaces enhancing the historical value of the buildings are redefined, while respecting traditional building techniques and working with fine materials.

© Antonio Vázquez

© Antonio Vázquez

The building is emptied and the superfluous layers are extracted, a process in which most unusual items appear: loadbearing walls of masonry, traditional partitions with timber frame and stone, hydraulic tiles flooring, plaster of paris ceilings decorative pieces of furniture and joinery doors, windows and grilles.

Section

Section

Providing definition to the spaces of the building, the first body of the building is organized around a double height that allows dialogue between the ground and first floors. The second body revolves around the courtyard and the medieval wall. The result summarizes a project full of peculiarities, which is intended to return part of its heritage to the city.

© Antonio Vázquez

http://ift.tt/2bKgKem

Courtesy of Studio Kamppari

• Architects: Studio Kamppari
• Location: 78200 Varkaus, Finland
• Architect In Charge: Sini Kamppari
• Area: 56.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Courtesy of Studio Kamppari

• Builder: Pekka Kämäräinen

Courtesy of Studio Kamppari

This 600 square foot summer cottage is a guest cabin and owner’s retreat. Perched high on a granite ridge, the cabin has panoramic views of high latitude forest and lake Saimaa in Eastern Finland. The property has been a summer holiday destination for the client for the past 30 years. The brief was to create a new space that can house extended family and also serve a purpose when visiting with smaller groups.

Courtesy of Studio Kamppari

The double height living room pulls the outside in with over-sized operable windows on the north and south. The living room is a voluminous indoor/outdoor space that shelters you from the elements and mosquitoes while allowing you to enjoy the breeze and warmth of the sun. This main space connects to a loft through a slotted floor. The whimsical loft feels like a tree house; it is a perfect place to hide and read a book. Generously sized bedrooms bookend the living space to the east and west, each with a picture window to the site.

Model

High care was taken to preserve the beauty of the site. The window assemblies and logs were manufactured off site and lofted into place with a crane. The materials palette blends with the natural surroundings. The vertical screening filters light and echoes the tall nature of the forest. Wooden walkways follow the contours of the landscape, providing a path to the cabin while keeping the surrounding nature untouched.

Courtesy of Studio Kamppari

Section

Courtesy of Studio Kamppari

The design combines old ways with new technologies. The main structure is made of pine logs, like many traditional structures in Finland. In contrast to cozy and dark log cabins, the new cabin is voluminous and filled with light. The exterior is treated with iron oxide, a treatment which accelerates the natural graying process of wood. The vertical screening is strategically located on the west, south, and east facades where sun exposure is the highest. The screening is like a protective coat, it is removable and replaceable. The interior of the cabin reveals the untreated pine log walls and bare roof rafters. The gable roof form and log walls are common in Finnish cabins, while the details, volume, and quality of light are unexpected.

Plan

The cabin combines traditional forms and materials with contemporary systems and details to create an instantly recognisable summer cabin that is functionally and aesthetically modern.

Courtesy of Studio Kamppari

http://ift.tt/2b2Q7OI

© Dmitry Chebanenko

• Architects: SPEECH
• Location: Golovinskoye sh., 5, Moskva, Russia, 125212
• Project Authors: Sergei Tchoban, Igor Chlenov
• Architect In Charge: Anna Deryabina
• Area: 191893.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2015
• Photographs: Dmitry Chebanenko

• Architects Team : M.V. Digileva, O.A. Kalugina, A.S. Kavitskaya
• Principal Project Engineer: Igor Tsukanov
• Client: MR Group
• Area Of Footprint: 5547 sqm

© Dmitry Chebanenko

This residential complex consists of five 26-storey buildings arranged in a checkerboard pattern on top of a multi-storey underground car park. This configuration of volumes of identical shape and height has made it possible to create a system of semi-enclosed inner courtyards between the blocks. The main entrances to the buildings face the courtyards and take the form of stately portals.

© Dmitry Chebanenko

The complex’s architectural image combines a memorable contribution to the city’s skyline with finely detailed façades made from ceramic tiles in different colours. Each building has façades of unique design involving the use of glazed ceramic surfaces of various colours and textures.

Plan

Plan

Plan

Each tower contains studio and one- and two-bedroom apartments with floor areas of between 39 and 97 sqm. The ground floors of the buildings contain all necessary infrastructure, including social facilities such as a kindergarten, a fitness club, cafes and restaurants, and household services.

© Dmitry Chebanenko

© Dmitry Chebanenko

The decoration of the complex’s entrance areas makes use of drawings from Sergei Tchoban’s City and Water series. Executed in different years and in different cities, the drawings study the drama of the interaction between architecture and aquatic space. The architect and client together selected a total of 15 works (three for each entrance area), which were then digitally printed on glass. According to the architects, this gives each of the staircases its own distinctive character while also exploring the significance of the complex’s name.

© Dmitry Chebanenko

http://ift.tt/2b639tB