© Gayle Babcock

• Architects: CannonDesign
• Location: Springfield, MO, United States
• Architect In Charge: David Polzin, Design Principal
• Area: 58000.0 ft2
• Project Year: 2015
• Photographs: Gayle Babcock, Peaks View LLC

• Landscape Design: CDI
• Civil Engineering: Land3 Studio
• Mep, Fp, Telecom: KJWW

© Gayle Babcock

The O’Reilly Clinical Health Sciences Center is a new teaching and learning facility serving as the third of a trio of buildings that make up the College of Health and Human Services at Missouri State University. Through its careful siting and unique physical presence, the new building creates a micro-campus for the college within the university’s broader campus context. Its bold, angular form cantilevers over the building’s chamfered corner entry, acknowledging its companion buildings and inviting in the students who circulate between them.

Diagram

Public Space Diagram

Programmatically, the center is comprised of undergraduate and graduate curricula in occupational therapy, nursing, nurse anesthesia and physician assistant studies, with each requiring tailored classrooms, specialized skills labs and simulation labs, faculty offices and support spaces. The building cuts back its southwest corner to create a second entry plaza for a ground level outpatient clinic serving the local community.  Housed in an otherwise purely academic building, the clinic is designed to be not only a fully functioning healthcare facility but also provide real-world experience for students.

© Gayle Babcock

Section

© Gayle Babcock

Collaborative spaces for students flow throughout the building, creating an interior “street” in the social sense and continuously connecting all levels by a faceted, undulating wood ceiling. The lobby itself contains a variety of options for student collaboration, from café tables outside the center’s main lecture hall to seating pods for small group interaction. Spreading vertically from the lobby and flowing across level two, additional seating pods, a tech bar and group study rooms adjoin the more formal learning spaces.  The street culminates at the third level in a student lounge with dramatic views back to the main campus and an outdoor courtyard terrace that doubles as both respite and didactic learning space for occupational therapy instruction. Collectively, this variety of collaborative environments connect teaching and simulation labs, and also form community space that brings students from diverse programs together for inter-disciplinary learning.

© Peaks View LLC

Materially, the building reinterprets the campus’ palette of limestone and cast concrete with a fiber cement rainscreen. This material choice helps define the dual character of the building’s expression – it is at once a light structure, barely touching down on the campus, and simultaneously a chiseled mass. In either interpretation, it is a significant addition to the campus’s growing array of contemporary architecture.

© Peaks View LLC

Product Description. Swiss Pearl was selected as the exterior cladding material, as its planar characteristics coupled with a concealed mounting system resulted in the visual emphasis remaining on the chiseled building form.
The glass was selected to be as color neutral as possible, so as to resemble voids nested within the building mass. 

© Gayle Babcock

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© Pixabay user Skeeze. Licensed under CC0 Public Domain

The Supreme Court of Vermont has ruled that architecture is legally allowed to be ugly.

The judgement was made in response to lawsuits filed by Vermont residents against several planned solar developments, claiming that the “unsightliness” of the panels was damaging to their property values.

But the court found that ugliness alone does not qualify as nuisance under state law, citing a long-standing rule barring private lawsuits based solely on aesthetic criticism.

“Property values are affected by many factors; a decrease in market value does not mean there is a nuisance, any more than an increase means there is not,” argued the court in their statement.

Prosecutors had previously argued that the nuisance law was wide-reaching enough to cover the claim, noting the state’s tradition of valuing “scenic resources” in policies including strict anti-billboard  laws.

News via WCAX.

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© Vincent Monthiers

• Architects: Guiraud-Manenc
• Location: 64600 Anglet, France
• Architect In Charge: Guiraud-Manenc
• Area: 1799.0 m2
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Vincent Monthiers

• Construction Economist: BETIKO
• Landscaping: Trouillot & Hermel
• Ergonome: Anteis,
• Structural And Envelope Consultants: TERRELL
• Hqe Design Office: AI environnement
• Hvac Fluids, Electricity: Atlantic Map
• Vrd Office: IMS
• Opc : Rodolphe Guérin
• Client: Agglomération Côte-Basque-Adour

© Vincent Monthiers

From the architect. Located on the Landes de Juzan campus in Anglet, the Activity Generator proposed by the Côte-Basque-Adour Agglomeration is a place where innovative young companies can be found, encouraging interdisciplinary cross-fertilization between academic research and industrial knowledge.

© Vincent Monthiers

This business hotel is set in an urban wasteland, open on a wood and a protected estey in the heart of the Basque coast Adour. The building is a reflection of the dialogue between this landscaped site and the program.

Site Plan

To answer the environmental challenges of the program: dual certification and the BEPOS objective, the idea is to make architecture the vector of these performances, playing with the assets of the context and appealing to the common sense of the users.

© Vincent Monthiers

 Creating an interior landscape built in echo to the natural landscape, the building is manifested in its implementation by making perceptible the structural forces, the innervating networks and the envelope of the building as architectural elements in full participating in the Identity of the place. The atmospheres are qualified by precise assemblages of raw and durable materials such as concrete, wood and metal, providing a sensitive touch at the spaces.

© Vincent Monthiers

The architecture of the generator is revealed with subtlety in order to create, at the heart of the effervescence of the agglomeration, a privileged environment, calm and conducive to work, a way to inhabit this place. The limits between the exterior and the interior are intentionally blurred in order to benefit from the vitality of the environment, with the concern to integrate in the heart of the building the presence of natural light and its variations.

© Vincent Monthiers

In the West side, in an urban connection, the experimental hall exposes itself in a panorama on Mirambeau street, by a large horizontal incise, as a signal announcing the research and development work housed in the generator.

© Vincent Monthiers

To the east, echoing the landscape of the Estey, the facade of the offices opens generously on nature. External walkways let you enjoy the softness of the site and encourage informal meetings by extending outside the workspaces.

At the heart of the generator, the bioclimatic atrium brings together these workspaces as a forum open to debates of ideas.

Section

It also gathers the vertical and horizontal circulations treated in rhythmical route, revealing the activities, letting enjoy natural light and offering framing on the trees landscape.

Each one is no longer the inhabitant of a floor, an office, but a place of work in which are shared knowledge, tools, dedicated spaces and services.

Evolutive, the building is designed to shape, adapt to the demand, suspended to future societal, technical and energy evolutions. Leaning on the structure as a pivot, the envelope is an interchangeable and recyclable skin. The interior is designed as flexible and reversible, it remains ductile to the uses.

The generator will live at the tempo of the young companies that will invest it, appropriating it and making it evolve.

© Vincent Monthiers

Product Description:

-A structural logic inseparable from architecture:

The innovative companies hotel is based on three interacting strata that make up its structural architecture.

The telluric grip:

The cascading earthworks anchor the building in the site. The reinforced concrete structures partition the plateaus of the terraces and initiate the verticalities, in an atmosphere of mineral landscape.

© Vincent Monthiers

The structure adapted to spaces:

The main structure in reinforced concrete is designed without the fall of a beam, by a principle of posts / slabs “mushroom” favoring the modularity of the partitioning. Exposed in raw way, sails and concrete floors participate in the passive design of the building by their large capacity of inertia. The structure and framework of the technichal hall (volume without intermediate support point) are composed of glued laminated pine douglas elements and metal connectors.

© Vincent Monthiers

An efficient envelope:

This structure is protected by a technical wrap adapted to the uses and orientations. This wrap of glued laminated timber casing douglas pine presents various qualities according to the needs: opaque, transparent, translucent, waterproof, porous, filtering, insulating …

The facades of the offices are designed on a modular principle in plug on the regular weaving of the structure. This system is designed to allow a simple and quick modification of the façades while guaranteeing air and water waterprooffing and sound and thermal insulation.

 The glazed parts are all accessible on one level or by external gallery for easy maintenance and without nacelle or special equipment. Similarly the roofs all have direct access from the floors.

© Vincent Monthiers

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Courtesy of Factory Manchester

OMA’s first major public building in the UK has been granted planning approval. Known as “Factory,” the groundbreaking new cultural center will serve as a the new home of the Manchester International Festival (MIF) and as a year-round concert and arts venue.

Courtesy of Factory Manchester

OMA was selected for the project following an international competition in 2015, beating out proposals from firms including Rafael Viñoly Architects, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Zaha Hadid Architects and Mecanoo. The project is being led by partners Ellen van Loon and Rem Koolhaas.

Courtesy of Factory Manchester

Courtesy of Factory Manchester

“Much of my professional life has been spent undoing limitations of the traditional typologies,” said van Loon. “From classical opera and ballet to large scale performances and experimental productions, Factory in Manchester provides the perfect opportunity to create the ultimate versatile space in which art, theatre and music come together: a platform for a new cultural scene.”

Courtesy of Factory Manchester

Courtesy of Factory Manchester

Courtesy of Factory Manchester

The £110 million venue will be located in the new St. John’s neighborhood of Manchester on the site of the former Granada TV Studios, and will be developed in partnership with developer Allied London. Economic impact of the project is estimated to create almost 1,500 full-time jobs and add £1.1 billion to the city’s economy in a 10-year period.

Courtesy of Factory Manchester

Courtesy of Factory Manchester

Construction is scheduled to begin in Spring of 2017.

News via OMA.

OMA Selected to Design Manchester’s ‘Factory’, Their First Public Project in the UK
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© Bates Masi Architects

• Architects: Bates Masi Architects
• Location: Amagansett, NY, United States
• Architects In Charge: Paul Masi, Danielle Caylor
• Area: 2300.0 ft2
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Bates Masi Architects

• Structural Engineer: Steven L. Maresca
• Contractor: K. Romeo, Inc.

© Bates Masi Architects

From the architect. Across the street from the property, in the low dunes near the Atlantic Ocean, a historic Life Saving Station serves as a cherished reminder of the maritime, military and architectural history of this coastal landscape.  Built over a century ago, the station is part of a network of structures used to provide rescue and relief for shipwrecked sailors, and it was from this station that a guard once discovered Nazi invaders coming ashore during World War II.  Designed with lookout towers, weather-protected cupolas and elevated decks, the stations offered many views for the crews to survey the horizon through all seasons.  Inside, large, open storage rooms often featured boats, oars and other useful items hung from exposed beams for easy access.  Taking cues from this structure, the design of the new residence strikes a dialogue with the landmark to enrich the experience of the new home and celebrate the local history.

© Bates Masi Architects

The principal strategy for the home stems from the utilitarian practice of hanging boats and other items from the station’s wooden post and beam structure. In a modern reinterpretation, the residence features an exposed steel structure which defines the main living spaces and forms a framework onto which other functions can be hung: the main stair is strung from beams above, and the rods used to support each tread serve as guardrail for the stair; a wood burning stove sits on a suspended steel shelf; light fixtures are fastened to the flanges using standard beam clamps; a swinging chair hangs from the cantilevered living area above.     

© Bates Masi Architects

On the exterior, a system of bronze bars was developed to hang the thick cedar siding boards in place without fastening through the wood, allowing the boards to expand and contract naturally with changes of temperature and humidity. Like the weathered cedar shingles on the Station across the street, each material—cedar, bronze, and weathering steel—was chosen for its proven durability in the coastal climate.  As each material weathers over time, the appearance of the siding will record the cycles of rain, sun, freeze and thaw: cedar will lighten from the sun; bronze bars will patina to dark brown and eventually turn green; weathering steel will develop a deep rusted texture on the surface which protects it from further corrosion by the salty air.  The weathering steel around the base of the building marks the height the home was raised above the flood plain. To minimize the impact of the footprint on the sensitive ecological environment, the main living area is stacked above the bedrooms, and, like the lookout towers of the stations, an even higher roof deck provides elevated views of ocean.    

© Bates Masi Architects

By taking cues from the historic lifesaving station, the home responds to the environmental and historical context.  In so doing, it honors the local heritage and enriches the present day experience.

© Bates Masi Architects

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© Pixabay user Unsplash. Licensed under CC0 Public Domain

The Eiffel Tower is set to undergo a massive renovation project: a 15-year, €300 Million endeavor that will preserve the attraction for decades to come.

Built 128 years ago as a temporary structure for 1889 Universal Exhibition in Paris, the tower has since grown into a global icon, attracting nearly 7 million visitors per year and serving as an important symbol of French unity during times of both celebration and tragedy.

© Pixabay user nuno_lopez. Licensed under CC0 Public Domain

The project will encompass a full structural analysis, replacement of the tower’s lighting systems and an overhaul of the tower’s elevators, which still use some of Eiffel’s original workings. Additional improvements will include a modernization of security technology and an enhanced visitor experience to reduce wait times and shelter tourist from harsh weather conditions.

“There could be one or more places for the public to wait that are sheltered. Today, they are queueing in the rain and snow, and that’s not the best welcome for our foreign tourists,” said Jean-François Martins, the deputy mayor of Paris.

The announcement was made as Paris bids for the 2024 Olympic Games and the Universal Exhibition in 2025.

The project will break down into a €20 million per year investment, a 45% increase from the €13.7 million already spent each year on maintenance. The tower is fully repainted every seven years, a process which requires 66 tons of paint and 20 months to complete.

The last major renovation to the tower took place just 3 years ago, when the first floor reopened following two years of work. Previous to that, the last large-scale renovation occurred in 1986.

The project proposal will be presented to the Paris council for approval at the end of January.

News via The Guardian.

AD Classics: Eiffel Tower / Gustave Eiffel
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© Marc Faasse

• Architects: BETA office for architecture and the city, Elisabeth Boersma
• Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Area: 3000.0 m2
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Marc Faasse

• Client: Stichting Samen Ondernemen
• Landscape Architects: Rob van Dijk
• Engineer: Huibers Constructieadvies

© Marc Faasse

In the early 2000s, the Ru Paré School was emblematic of the social problems facing the Amsterdam borough of Slotervaart. The Ru Paré is now the neighborhood’s living room and accommodates an extraordinary social experiment.

A New kid on the Block 

In response to austerity measures in the Dutch economy, a social entrepreneur developed a model for solidarity in challenging neighborhoods. Inhabitants are offered tax advice, computing or language classes in return for community service; at the building level receding funding is supplemented with profitable start-ups.

© Marc Faasse

By the end of 2013 BETA and Elisabeth Boersma were asked to test this concept in a former school. A series of events was organized which not only led to useful input for the building’s transformation, it also led to the establishment of a neighborhood enterprise. The KlusLAB would later take up renovation work both in the school and the surrounding neighborhood, stimulating the local economy.

Render Section

A so-called urban-mining project was initiated with students of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. A catalogue of materials from housing corporation Eigen Haard’s nearby demolition project was drawn up. Demolition company Oranje would secure the materials, after which the KlusLAB would install them in the Ru Paré. This supply chain served to reduce waste and building costs.

© Marc Faasse

Turning A Liability into an Opportunity 

With its many classrooms surrounding a generous hallway, the school was great at accommodating different organizations. The school’s gymnasium was a different story altogether. Comprising more than 10% of the building’s floor area, this space represented a significant liability for the project’s fragile cash flow. It could serve as a foyer, but its position far away from the original entrance cancels this advantage. Relocating the entrance to the gymnasium proved to be a bold, cost-efficient and spatially convincing move in recoding the building.

© Marc Faasse

A Concentrated Intervention with Effect

Several ambitions were realized with this pirouette. The cash flow was reinforced by generating more small scale units with a greater marketability. By employing the economically less viable, but spatially extraordinary gymnasium as a foyer, accessibility and visibility were increased whilst forming an attractive public interior. Simultaneously on the sunny side of the building, the sunny schoolyard could now be reinvented, transforming from an undefined transit space into a functioning public courtyard.

Plan 3

A New Face For The Neighborhood 

Spatial interventions are concentrated to maximize their effect. A mezzanine with five thematic greenhouses was introduced, offering complementary space to both the foyer and the traditional classrooms. The previously introverted gymnasium is opened up by installing full-height overhead doors. With the flick of a switch the former gymnasium can be transformed from a generous foyer to an airy public interior. This rich spatial experience extends outwards onto the adjacent balcony overlooking the immediate surroundings.

© Marc Faasse

Product Description. The garage style sectional overhead doors amplify the spatial relationship between the newfound foyer space (the former gymnasium) and the public garden (the former schoolyard). In the summer, the interior of the gymnasium transforms into an airy public interior with the flick of a switch. During the winter, all internal activity is communicated to the neighborhood.

© Marc Faasse

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Courtesy of The Scarcity and Creativity Studio

• Architects: The Scarcity and Creativity Studio
• Location: Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Ecuador
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Courtesy of The Scarcity and Creativity Studio

• Student Team: Åsmund Amandus Steinsholm, Cecilia Sundt, Guro Langemyhr, Jan Kazimierz Godzimirski, Magdalena Georgieva Alfredova, Magnus Hermstad, Synnøve Solberg, Jørgen Joacim Høy, Therese Andrea Nygaard, Torunn Oland Stjern, Vilde Vanberg, Viola Ulrika Kristin Svens, Wilma Hiemstra, Yaohan Yu
• Teachers: Christian Hermansen Cordua, Solveig Sandness, Joseph Kennedy
• Collaborators: Torgeir Blaalid, Finn-Erik Nilsen
• Sponsors: Lund & Slaatto, Nordic, MAD, 4b arkitekter as, økaw arkitekter, Byggindustrien, Astrup og Hellern, LPO, Lund Hagem, Flakk
• Client: Municipality of San Cristobal, Galapagos

Courtesy of The Scarcity and Creativity Studio

The Municipality of San Cristobal, Galapagos, asked The Scarcity and Creativity Studio to build a shade shelter with showers as part of the municipal project to refurbish and build new facilities in the main beach of Baquerizo Moreno Port. The project was designed and build in a period of slightly more than two weeks. The reasons for the short design/build period are explained below. 

Courtesy of The Scarcity and Creativity Studio

Having arrived is Galapagos to find that the project we were prepared to build had to be cancelled (see: http://ift.tt/2iDvPPG), the SCS team had financing, four weeks in Galapagos, and no project. We then approached several local institutions with a view to obtaining a commission to design and build a project. Four possible projects emerged from this initiative: 1. A bridge over a causeway in a new park the Municipality of San Cristobal was building. 2. A building for yoga training in the highlands 3. A police tower to catch cattle thieves. 4. A shade shelter in Playa Man. 

Floor Plan

Elevation

The SCS studio decided to opt for the shade shelter project in Playa Man. As time was now at a premium, SCS organised a three days internal architectural competition, starting with individual projects, choosing the ideas with most potential to develop further, until the final project was chosen. As we had purchased the bamboo for the previously cancelled project this mad to be the main building material. The project was built in two weeks, many of the details previously developed for the cancelled Scouts Centre project were used. The project provides shade to users of Playa Man as well as providing three open air showers.

Courtesy of The Scarcity and Creativity Studio

Courtesy of The Scarcity and Creativity Studio

Courtesy of The Scarcity and Creativity Studio

Bamboo grows locally and it is ready to be used in construction after only four years. However in Galapagos it is considered a ‘poor persons’ building material and thus seldom used. The SCS team was pleasantly surprised at how many locals praised the use of bamboo and hope that the Playa Man project will have some influence in the reconsideration of this strong and sustainable building material.

Courtesy of The Scarcity and Creativity Studio

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