In a short film exploring some of the National Participations at this year’s Venice Biennale, Monocle Films take a considered look at how different countries have responded to the Biennale theme, Reporting From the Front in both explicit and more indirect ways. Visiting the Austrian Pavilion, the Nordic Pavilion, the Turkish Pavilion, the British Pavilion, the Irish Pavilion, the Australian Pavilion and the Romanian Pavilion, the film studies what discourses are being waged in the compressed geo-political world of the Giardini di Biennale.

Central Pavilion, Giardini. Image © Francesco Galli

Find out more about Monocle Films, here. See all of ArchDaily’s coverage of the 2016 Venice Biennale, here.

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© Rob Duker

• Architects: The Matrix… Urban Designers and Architects
• Location: Whites Rd, Port Elizabeth, 6001, South Africa
• Architect In Charge: The Matrix… Urban Designers and Architects
• Area: 310.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2015
• Photographs: Rob Duker

• Structural Engineers: AfriCoast Consulting Engineers
• Mechanical Engineers: Royal Haskoning DHV
• Electrical Engineersz: Royal Haskoning DHV
• Quantity Surveyor: Markus Burri Quantity Surveyors
• Heritage: Bryan Wintermeyer and Gerrie Horn
• Contractor: GVK-Siya Zama Building Contractors (EP) Pty Ltd
• Text’s Author: Tony Danev

Location

From the architect. The Port Elizabeth Opera House was originally designed by local architect George William Smith and opened its doors on 1 December 1892. Four additions followed – the first in 1911, followed by extensions in 1927, 1934 and 1985. The current Opera House is thus made up of five distinct parts which throughout the years have merged into a single building of a distinct neo-classical style. At present the Opera House is the oldest theatre in Africa and also the oldest operating theatre in the Southern hemisphere.

© Rob Duker

Conceptual Sketch

In 2011 the Port Elizabeth Opera House Board decided to rationalise circulation in the Opera House, renovate the building internally, and to extend the cabaret theatre and improve its access. In order to achieve this, the following formed part of the Project scope:

• Addition of a dedicated Foyer space and passenger lift serving the cabaret theatre – known as ‘The Barn’

• Extensions to ‘The Barn’

• Renovations to existing Opera House foyer and main theatre inetranlly, including internal/external painting and damp damage repairs

• Upgrade of Staff offices, including new circulation core

• Replacement of Carpets and Wallpapers

• Major upgrade of Air-Conditioning, Lighting, Fire Detection and Ventilation systems

• Compliance with National Building Regulations in terms of access for disabled persons

Section

The Matrix… Urban Designers and Architects were appointed in September 2011 to facilitate the Project and conceptualise the Design brief and it implementation.

Following extensive consultation with local heritage practitioners and public stake holders through the preparation of a comprehensive Heritage Impact Assessment, the design approach taken was based on three main principles:

© Rob Duker

Contrast:

In line with contemporary heritage practices to avoid re-creating a false impression the ‘new’ extensions are intentionally contrasted with the ‘old’ through form, materials, tectonics as well as spatial character. The vertical and horizontal proportions of the ‘old’ building is re-interpreted in an elegant stainless steel screen. The new Foyer Extension is also spatially extraverted in nature further contrasting the largely introverted old building. Floor levels are intentionally ‘misaligned’ further articulating the threshold between the different spaces through a ‘transparent’ glass bridge. It was further decided to acknowledge the history of the building throughout the years by creative use of colour and painting the various additions throughout the years in different hues from the same palette. The colours vary from light (oldest) to dark (newest) thus depicting a visual timeline of the Opera House throughout the decades.

© Rob Duker

• Background Building: The Foyer Extension is distinctly contemporary, however, far less articulated compared to the old building thus achieving a background aesthetic instead of competing with the richly decorated ‘old’ building. The extension further recedes ‘behind’ the old Opera House while the height is kept lower than the existing. A clear glass ‘break’ is deliberately established separating the ‘old’ from the ‘new’ both spatially and visually

• ‘Green’ Principles: The new Foyer Extension is naturally ventilated though means of a stack effect. Cool air is drawn into the building at lower levels through ducts and a stack effect is used to circulate hot air out at the top through a system of motorised louvers.

Conceptual Sketch

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Courtesy of INUCE

• Architects: INUCE
• Location: Fuzhou, Fujian, China
• Project Year: 2014
• Photographs: Courtesy of INUCE

Courtesy of INUCE

Sketch

From the architect. Intact nature: After three decades of accelerated urbanization, most cities in China are tormented by thick clouds of smog and the stench of polluted rivers. Not so Fuzhou: Enclosed by intact forests and infused with parks and green belts, the capital of Fujian Province maintains the best air quality amongst all major cities in the country. The water quality of the city’s Min River is good, allowing citizens to refresh themselves in its cool floods during summer. 

Courtesy of INUCE

Diagram

Transformation into high density work environment: One of the major Chinese real estate corporations is developing a large scale SOHO district at the southern shore of the Min River, transforming the undeveloped riverbank into a dense urban work environment for hundreds of start-up companies. To build a “lifestyle gallery” vis-à-vis with the actual construction site can provide customers with a “real life” experience of the development prior to its completion. 

Courtesy of INUCE

Plan

Completion in less than 150 days: The challenge for the architect was to plan and realize the architecture from sketch to handover within the nearly impossible timeframe of less than 150 days. The gallery was assembled on site using prefabricated steel, glass, and aluminum components. The usual project phasing was abandoned in favor of an intricate overlapping of planning and construction as far as reasonably possible: Foundations were laid once the schematic plans had been drafted. The construction of the interior was well on the way even before the curtain wall had been installed. Three 8-hour shifts kept the construction ongoing for 24 hours a day. 

Courtesy of INUCE

Unexpected Idyll on muddy construction site: In order to meet young buyers’ need for a creative and flexible work environment, which offers urban convenience whilst upholding a close link to nature, the architecture needed to constitute a space which turned the visit of a muddy construction site into an unexpected fun experience and celebration of the riverside location. 

Courtesy of INUCE

Literally built on top of a water surface, the gallery is composed of two staggered volumes orbiting around a central water fountain. The upper volume is cantilevered by 8 meters and supported by a single column. It constitutes a floating courtyard focusing the view onto the blue sky above. Floors, walkways, staircases and squares are conceived as a continuous trajectory which provides a constant exposure to the surrounding nature. Inside the gallery visitors embark on a carefully planned experience route around the courtyard – from receiving a welcoming drink at the reception bar, all the way to enjoying the exclusive river view from the full – scale sample units. Upon returning home, the visitor has a last look from the viewing platform onto the construction site and witnesses the “soon-to-be-his” SOHO unit being built. 

Diagram

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© Studio Bauhaus, Ryuji Inoue

• Architects: HIBINOSEKKEI, Youji no Shiro
• Location: Mie Prefecture, Japan
• Area: 1242.37 sqm
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Studio Bauhaus, Ryuji Inoue

• Surface Area: 846.57 square meters
• Site Area: 4529.83 square meters

© Studio Bauhaus, Ryuji Inoue

Plan

From the architect. The site is located at north of housing development, which is about 10 kilometers from Tsu City in Mie Prefecture.

It is an area surrounded by sufficient nature with green where you can feel change of season such as field, pond, forest, woods and others, and in addition, comfortable wind blows.

© Studio Bauhaus, Ryuji Inoue

© Studio Bauhaus, Ryuji Inoue

For those who live in this area, the field, pond and trees they can see from the site are not special but close to them. The change of the nature they can feel by season teaches children variable facts throughout a year. In summer, water spreads in the field, trees turn red in autumn, snow falls in winter and flowers start blooming in spring. In this project, we emphasized that this scenery they feel naturally is input into the body of the children deeply and they learn by experience.

Plan

© Studio Bauhaus, Ryuji Inoue

In dining room, a large window is set at two phases where they can see the scenery such as the field and pond. By this setting, they can enjoy eating while seeing change of the scenery throughout a year. At front, a terrace is set, and they can have lunch by feeling sunlight and wind at their skin as if they were having a picnic on nice day. To stimulate imagination of the children, in the hall, we set a light at random as if it were constellation they can see from here. By discovering the constellation by themselves and teaching each other, they develop joy of discovery, mind of searching and curiosity. A device of accumulating water is designed on top of the terrace in the hall, and cooled air is brought into the building by using vaporization heat. On hot days in summer, it is used as an Ashimizu (putting foot in the water to cool down) where they can have fun, and thereby they can live without relying on air conditioner.

© Studio Bauhaus, Ryuji Inoue

Elevation

As a place for developing an area and establishing a community, we created a place where raising of the children is supported. Its purpose is not only to reduce stress of child care of the parent who has a problem in raising children but also mothers and those in the area can communicate each other easily. The space as if it were an open café lounge makes visitors feel relaxed and provides an environment where they can easily consult.

© Studio Bauhaus, Ryuji Inoue

In the garden, a variety of trees such as the one producing fruit are planted. They bring this fruit to the kitchen, cook it by themselves and eat. By this experience, they develop sensitivity, curiosity and mind of searching.

© Studio Bauhaus, Ryuji Inoue

© Studio Bauhaus, Ryuji Inoue

Recently, as there are numerous plays where they do not use their body in the building, they lack a variety of experiences they need when they are growing up. It leads to increase of children who cannot communicate with others well. In this project, we created an environment where they develop the mind that they feel beautiful when they see the beauty and feel delicious when they eat delicious food by creating an environment where they feel bounty of nature at their skin all the time through their experience.

© Studio Bauhaus, Ryuji Inoue

© Studio Bauhaus, Ryuji Inoue

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© Jack Lovel

• Architects: Davidov Partners Architects
• Location: Melbourne VIC, Australia
• Architect In Charge: Davidov Partners Architects
• Area: 400.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2015
• Photographs: Jack Lovel

• Interiors: Davidov Partners Architects
• Landscape Architect: John Patrick Landscape Architects
• Structural Engineers: Pat Baygar and Associates

© Jack Lovel

Diagram

From the architect. LSD Residence was designed for a couple of soon to be empty-nesters. A significant driver behind the came about from the irregular sized lot on which the residence was built. The aim was to make both inhabitants and visitors unaware of the change in width reducing from 12m to 8m wide. The perceived width of the property is maximised through the careful consideration in the programming of both levels. As the site is fairly linear, the design was conceived as 3 blocks punctuated by 2 glazed interstitial zones which contain the staircase/entry and kitchen/bar/alfresco areas.

© Jack Lovel

The kitchen’s design proves to be a novel element in LSD Residence. The clients required a public kitchen or bar to be presented in such a way for it to be a natural hub when visitors and family are around, however also wanted another private kitchen for the real cooking and cleaning to take place. This resulted in a butler kitchen designed in close proximity to the central island of the now communal kitchen area.

Plan

Additionally, the master bedroom, which has been designed in the guise of an open plan hotel suite, has a feature façade glazing which extends from below the floor level to the parapet line allowing for completely full height windows which maximise view lines. The room also incorporates an innovative oculus in the concrete rendered shower which features a concealed LED lighting halo as the only artificial light source. The curved wall of the shower animates the stark façade of the building, which, depending on the lighting levels and time of day emerges and submerges from view from the street.

© Jack Lovel

Apart from the irregular block for the site, a major challenge during the project were town planning restrictions. Attempting to maximise view lines on such a constrained block brought up limitations with overlooking. Additional challenges that needed to be catered to were overshadowing, and boundary walls due to the limited space present.

© Jack Lovel

Sustainability

LSD Residence achieves a 6 star energy rating through the use of multiple sustainable design featured. All glass employed in the design is high performance and has a low E value and the use of brick veneer walls and an insulated concrete slab on ground further improves the thermal performance of the house. The finishes and render used internally and externally are significantly hard wearing and low maintenance allowing the building to age gracefully. Solar boosted hot water and rain water harvesting is also present in the design. The 2 feature ponds are also intended to assist in passive cooling. The limited palate of natural materials, namely cement render and unfilled travertine are used throughout the house both internally and externally. Over time the contrasting effects of external wear and internal protection will allow the inherent nature of these materials to become more pronounced adding another layer of interest and subtle contrast to the house.

Section

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Earlier this week, the temporary sea wall that had been separating the Louvre Abu Dhabi from the seawater of the Persian Gulf was removed, creating a new harmony between site and structure as envisioned in the original project renderings. The building, which was conceived in 2007 and designed by Jean Nouvel, is set to open later this year.

Courtesy of Tourism Development & Investment Company

The museum sits on an artificial island that employed a hydraulic cutoff wall to remove water during construction, allowing for excavation, piling, and subsequent building to proceed with dry conditions. The recently completed saturation process can be seen in a time-lapse video above, in which adjacent waters rise slowly and systematically, allowing for the structure to be precisely framed by the seawater; an opposition of white stone and azure waters. According to Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), the master developer of tourism, cultural, and residential construction in Abu Dhabi, which is also behind the museum project, the removal of the seawalls and subsequent site flooding took place in three stages.

Courtesy of Tourism Development & Investment Company

“This is a great milestone in the development of Louvre Abu Dhabi,” said His Excellency Ali Majed Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Board at TDIC. “This delicate process is the result of months of planning and preparation to ensure that the inflow of seawater takes place in a controlled manner around and within strategic places in the museum. We are confident that once it is concluded future visitors to Saadiyat island will be able to see the beauty of Louvre Abu Dhabi and experience first-hand how the vision for this project has been turned into reality.”

Courtesy of Tourism Development & Investment Company

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