Thick, galvanised-steel frames highlight a selection of windows on the concrete facade of this apartment block in Tokyo designed by Japanese studios Sasaki Architecture and Atelier O (+ slideshow). (more…)
From the architect. The Ceramic house project is a retrospective attempt which tracing back to architectural fundamental authenticity. We wish to integrate the new house with the site by the truthful simplest design methodology, which makes the house in connection with the site as an authentic way of being, rather than making judgments only through aesthetic visual aspects.
In the existing site, there are some old buildings and one big tree which as irreplaceable site features. Rather than remove and replace them with a brand-new object, or build a fake reality nostalgic context. We take the old as the inseparable elements along with the new building. Their existence represents the reemergence of site memory.
The new building slightly attach on the old façade through the reasonable structure layout and circumspect construction detail design. Mottled worn walls and simply plain materials such as brick and wood, they naturally coexist and integrate with each other ideally. The old wall represents the signing of timing, which becomes the unduplicated characteristic feature of the site.
The big tree becomes the shading for the south balcony which prevent directly sight explosion from the road, and provide the diversity light and shadow on the facade in different seasons. As a place for ceramic artists’ exhibition, communication and working, slightly rough texture material such as concrete and brick make a delightful contrast with refined ceramic art works. The humble authentic architecture itself becomes the background of the art works.
For his first solo exhibition in the USA, Berlin-based architect Diébédo Francis Kéré has created a rainbow-coloured installation made of hundreds of strands of lightweight cord (+ slideshow). (more…)
From the architect. Conceptually, the A&M Houses have been an experiment in drawing a relationship and balance between a reduced footprint, comfortable living and maximised amenity.
The undulation of the roof line and the north facing skylights open up the narrow volumes to the sky above promoting the feeling of abundance of space. The detailing of large openings and the continuation of the limestone flooring into the courtyard spaces aims to create generous and seamless connections to the outdoors, visually expanding the constricted floor-plate. Zinc cladding and waxed stucco walls contribute to the material palette and respond to the client’s ‘no-maintenance’ brief and the site’s close proxiity to the beach as no painting is required – ever!.
Inhabitants of the A&M houses are encouraged to modify and adapt spaces to facilitate maximum amenity in both an environmental and social sense. The use of sliding wall panels in the form of timber screens, frosted glass and linen curtains eliminate the need for fixed swing doors and allows each space to open up or close off according to visual and acoustic privacy needs.
Central to the material selection was the requirement to eliminate future maintenance. Anodised aluminium windows and internally waxed walls have a higher initial cost to install, however will be a more cost effective outcome in the longer term. Sustainability is at the core of the project. A smaller footprint not only generally requires less energy in the manufacture of the components but also the running costs of the building. The house is not air-conditioned and the tiled floors are conditioned with hydronic heating. All windows are double glazed and have external electrically controlled blinds to allow the user to control comfort.
Half the size of a typical new house, the A&M houses aim to provide a modest floor plate without compromising liveability.
From the architect. A consolidated landscape surrounded by gardens with big trees within the metropolis of Madrid is the fortunate starting point of this house.
The piece, of metallic and horizontal nature, produces the effect of having just one storey. With its proportions and materiality it both contrasts and blends with the tall trees of its environment.
The scale of the house is moderated through the understanding of the day area as a base emerging from the same natural stone which paves part of the plot. The night zone is placed on it and focuses the view to the north and south while protecting itself from the eyes of the neighbours and generating shaded terraces in which to enjoy the exterior.
The substantially square plan is designed to unite the program in a compact way. The staircase and central inner atrium distribute the rooms, establishing a functional hierarchy in which all spaces open up to the garden.
Graduate shows 2016: University of Westminster graduate Tia Kharrat has designed an architectural structure based on the eggs of a rare butterfly species (+ slideshow). (more…)
Found in places as diverse as the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, Willis Tower, and Tokyo Skytree, glass bottom observation decks have become the favorite engineering marvel of thrill seekers looking for a new perspective on the world. Now, the U.S. Bank Tower in downtown Los Angeles has upped the ante for adrenaline-spiking structures – affixing a glass side to the building’s facade. Spanning from a window on the 70th story to a terrace on the 69th, the 45-foot-long chute opened to the public on Saturday, providing those brave enough to ride it with unprecedented views of the city.
The slide is made of made of four-inch-thick clear glass, and was designed by M. Ludvik Engineering. It constitutes the most daring part of Gensler’s $50 million renovation to the Harry Cobb-designed tower, which at 1,018 feet (310 meters) has held the distinction of tallest building in LA since its opening in 1989.
Suffering from occupancy rates hovering around 50 percent, in 2013 the U.S. Bank Tower was purchased by Singapore-based OUE Ltd., who set out to reinvigorate the skyscraper in hopes of riding the recent wave of revitalization hitting downtown LA spots like Pershing Square and FAB Park. About to lose the title of tallest tower to the Wilshire Grand tower opening next year, OUE needed something splashy to make the building stand out from the skyline. Thus, the Skyslide was born.
In addition to the Skyslide, other new facilities include redesigned lobby spaces, a café, a 54th story “transfer floor,” and a restaurant/bar, as well as California‘s tallest open-air observation deck.
News via LA Times, Video from the Wall Street Journal. Read LA Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne’s review of the Skyslide here.
From the architect. The overall vision was to create a space with a design that surrounds the Nordic kitchen to the dual atmosphere of city and garden – urban gardening. The idea was to create a vivid and organic space, as a garden party.
The heart of the restaurant is a large greenhouse, built through the two floors of the space, thereby transporting the guest into the sensation of a lush garden. The vision was to create a particular ambience, reminding you that you are seated right in the middle of the underground of old Copenhagen – just like plants live partly underground, so does the restaurant.
The restaurant is built on principles of environmental sustainability.
Using recycled materials not only has a positive environmental impact by reducing waste, it also offered the designers and architects unique and historical materials that adds on to the authenticity.
Here is a list of the things we have (re)used :
⁃ The shelves in the bar is made of file drawers from the National Bank ‘s archive.
⁃ All mahogany fillets are made out of the old grandstand from a stadium (Lyngby Stadion).
⁃ Glass shelves comes from Denmark’s first P – house, garages Palace in Copenhagen from 1934.
⁃ Auditorium chairs in the characteristic style of 50’erne- 60s in teakwood from an old High School.
⁃ Old Swedish fruit boxes
⁃ the bar is made of old Swedish Scaffolding planks.
⁃ The floor of the basement is made of old floorboards from an old factory
⁃ Cabinet fronts in the bar is made of old floorboards.
⁃ The lamps are made of old zinc milk cans.
⁃ The Sails in the basement is made of old tablecloths.
The Masterpiece London art fair’s Zaha Hadid Commemorative Salon will showcase paintings, sketches and jewellery designs by the late architect (+ slideshow). (more…)
