Japanese studio Nendo has completed its biggest-ever project: the exterior and interior renovation of a department store in Bangkok that founder Oki Sato believes represents a new way of shopping (+ slideshow). (more…)
From the architect. The site for this house is a comparatively large lot, long in the north-south direction. The south side fronts a road and has the following existing features: a gate that encloses a courtyard, a main house and a secondary long house, both around a hundred years old. On the north side there was a concrete house connected to the main house. Also there is an expansive back garden covered in wild grass. The project site was between the garden and the existing buildings, with original rice fields making this a humid location. For this reason, the new house is raised on columns, or pilotis, to gain good airflow through the internal spaces. The elevation of the house on pilotis gives an optimum location for natural ventilation. The raised volume operates as a wind tunnel ensuring the entrance of fresh air during the summer time.
The site is large, with an existing main house and a secondary terrace house. Between the main house and the terrace house, many additions were made. The north side of the site was allocated for the new house, with the main house to be used as a guest house and the terrace house to be used as an office. The other buildings were demolished and access from the courtyard to the new house was maintained. Because there are rice fields, the humidity is high and so the new house was designed on the first floor, raised on columns, or pilotis. In so doing, the expansive back part of the site could still be viewed from the main house and the terrace house. Also, a visual and spatial sequence was created that included the front garden, courtyard, and back garden.
Due to the unconventional shape of the house in the area, the selection of materials was faced as an opportunity to link the building to the local features. Burned wood panels has been traditionally used as finishing in many houses of these area, because of its durability and fire resistance.The dark timber, is applied in the building taking into account the main views where the new house can be seen surrounded by the existing
SHoP Architects has just broken ground on their first project in Mexico, a mixed-use development in Tijuana. The complex, which will be know as BAJALTA, explores new ideas about open-space and mixed-use developments, yielding a better quality of life for residents and visitors.
According to SHoP, “[Bajalta] aims to provide a new architectural expression,” meaning that opposing functions will integrate in synthetic arrangements, such as a hotel and office hybrid, or a mixture of commercial and public functions. The most prominent feature of the development will be the Manzanita, or little block, located at the intersection of two prominent streets in Tijuana. Considered the gateway to Bajalta, it is intended to be a cultural and educational nexus of the city.
Tijuana is dramatically close to the US border and the state of California, and the design is meant to establish a dialogue between these two places, reflecting their geographic similarity and cultural diversity. SHoP describes the project as taking on “the characteristic push-and-pull of the border culture.” In turn, Bajalta will not only connect with the urban fabric of the surrounding area, uniting the city as one, but it will also become a destination for outside visitors.
The overall goal of this project is to show that Tijuana is establishing a stance on high-density living that reflects a positive balance “between image and lifestyle.” The development broke ground today, and does not yet have a scheduled completion date.
From the architect. A contempory double story extension clad in zinc boldly pushes the boundaries of this family home in the conservative Adelaide suburb of St Peter’s. Whilst the 5m hipped roof ensures reference to the front of the home, the extension proudly asserts itself over the sloping block, seamlessly connecting to an outdoor timber framed deck, pitched high over an infinity above ground pool. The overall result is a confident statement about modern architecture’s place in such a historic context- it can create a wonderful contrast, redefining our appreciation of ‘elegance’ itself.
Adelaide’s leafy suburb of St Peter’s features avenue after avenue of grand old homes, a homogenous convention of villas and cottages, which are perfectly complemented by rows of gigantic plane trees. The original dwelling was classified as a ‘contributory item’ in a historic conservation zone, and as such the facade needed to remain. ‘I recall seeing the block for the first time and thinking, these challenges, the irregularity of the block, the marked slope, the context, we need to turn these into assets, we can’t let them limit us, recalls Architect, Don Iannicelli.
And on first glance, the dwelling is so at home in the area, it is easily overlooked. The extension however, just visible from the street, causes little offence, but captures the wondering eye, begging to be explored. Wanting to reference the original home and its classical context, Glasshouse designed a hipped roof vernacular form, sympathetic and unimposing to the streetscape. Utilizing the land’s fall by building underground, assisted in minimising its visual impact, but also created much needed internal space. This ground floor, takes advantage of the site’s thermal mass and houses a retreat, kitchenette, study, guest bedroom and bathroom. This zone is a welcome retreat for the interstate visitor, for violin practice, for playing video games at ungodly volumes. The large storage room services this active family, hiding away all sorts of utilitarian possessions with wheels.
Using bluestone masonry as nod to the surrounding villas and cottages, the extension appears heavily anchored. By contrast, the top floor is where the extension comes into its own, exploiting modern materials such as lightweight standing seam zinc cladding, black aluminium framing and oversize glazing
‘The solid base gave the extension its structural integrity, but importantly, opened up a myriad of design possibilities for the top floor, allowing us to use lightweight zinc which supported those 5m cathedral ceilings and those large panes of glass’, mentions Don.
The connection between the old part of the home and the new addition is quasi celestial, thanks to the brilliant light flooding through the glass roof, welcoming the inhabitant out of the dark hallway. The corridor continues but is now contrasted in a veneered oak, the panels of which conceal the master ensuite, a powder room, the children’s bathroom and a laundry.
Opening out into the vernacular structure which accommodates the living area and kitchen, the high raked ceiling and oversize glazing create a feeling of expanse, albeit minimising over -looking issues. This functional kitchen and large living space accommodate meal times and homework, whilst allowing a connection to the sights of soccer practice on the lawn, and dad swimming laps.
The outdoor deck is minimally delineated by use of black butt timber fins which focus the field of vision solely on the spilling water of the above ground pool. Giant cascading steps not only create a visual sculpture, providing a subtle path to reach the lawn and pool area, but conceive spots to soak up the sun. The pool resourcefully sits on the narrowest part of the block, using its height to form a barrier on the rear access and to allow a plant room to service it, and, the surrounding lawn and garden.
‘Every element of this extension was approached with the needs of the family in mind, not only for their enjoyment now, but also with the flexibility to adapt as the family itself, evolves’, asserts Don.
Canadian firm Hemsworth Architecture has completed a factory in British Columbia that utilises the products created within the facility: prefabricated wall panels intended for eco-friendly Passivhaus construction (+ slideshow). (more…)
Google has used its Jacquard technology to weave conductive threads into a Levi’s jacket, turning its sleeves into touch-sensitive panels that can be used to control electronic devices (+ movie). (more…)
The University of Chicago has approved a preliminary design by New York architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro for a facility devoted to hosting talks and events. (more…)
The initial task was to enlarge and renovate the old headquarters of the 5th Fireman brigade of Ñuñoa. This station, originally built between 1960 and 1962, had to be adapted to the new operating needs.
A master plan was designed in order to update the infrastructure of the building, where different stages of development were established. This scheme defined the progression of various stages, following a studied prioritization order, according to constructive and technical allowances, optimization of resources, and special needs of firemen. The request of keeping the quarters functioning throughout the new construction process was also a strong consideration to have into account while executing the building labors.
The new building includes the construction of 3 apartments for employees, a changing room for firemen, and a new machine room for two large fire trucks.
Two new volumes were proposed to accommodate the required program. The first, a reinforced concrete rectangle of 18 m of length, 4.3 m of width, and 8.35 m of height, reaches the original height of the quarters, making room for three stories, instead of the two considered in the original building. The gap between the existing building and the new proposed volume allows to incorporate a steel structure between the two, where the new fire trucks are located. The walls of this room have to be as permeable as possible, in order to always keep a clear visual relationship between pedestrians and the work of firemen.
The project proposes a new façade facing Grecia Avenue, aiming to unify the existent structure with the new addition, resulting in only one building, which is the reflection of a solid, modern institution dedicated to serve the community.
The new building incorporates high standard and leading technologies, in the areas of automation, communication, illumination and extraction of vehicle gas pollution. All of this has enabled the 5th Brigade to have one of the best-equipped quarters of the whole country.
The Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) has collaborated with La Biennale di Venezia on the Special Project Applied Arts Pavilion with an exhibition called A World of Fragile Parts. The project will examine threats faced by global heritage sites and how copies can act as an aid in the preservation of cultural artifacts.
“Climate change, natural disasters, urbanisation, mass tourism and neglect, as well as recent violent attacks have brought the risks faced by many heritage sites and cultural artefacts into public conversation,” states the A World of Fragile Parts press release, outlining the concerns of the project. “Artists, activists and educational institutions are beginning to respond to the urgent need to preserve by exploring opportunities provided by digital scanning and new fabrication technologies. Several key questions emerge: What do we copy and how? What is the relationship between the copy and the original in a society that values authenticity? And how can such an effort be properly coordinated at a truly global and inclusive scale?”
The V&A itself has a long history with the production of copies in its Cast Courts. Favored in the 19th century for their ability to educate visitors who didn’t have the option to travel, in the 20th century casts became maligned objects, castoff as mere imitation. Now in an era saturated with competing forces of natural decay, neglect, and iconoclasm, those same copies are experiencing a resurgence in popularity for their preservation of patrimony. The V&A’s collections of plaster casts, including a facsimile of Trajan’s Column, opened in 1873 and are still open to the public today.
A World of Fragile Parts examines the 200 year history of duplicate productions, including 19th century plaster casts, electrotypes, photographs, and some contemporary projects that employ copying as a preservation strategy. The V&A has also cheekily included a facsimile of The Conventions for Promoting Universally Reproductions of Works of Art (1867), an arrangement made by the V&A’s first director, Henry Cole, as an accord for exchanging copies.
“One of the main projects emphasising the urgency inherent in A World of Fragile Parts is a 1:1 scanned replica of a shelter from the Calais ‘Jungle’ refugee camp by Sam Jacob Studio (2016). The ephemeral plastic and wood shelter, which responds to the enormity of refugee crisis, is rendered in CNC milled synthetic stone, transforming its value and meaning by elevating it to the status of a sculptural monument. The fragility in question is not only one of material objects and structures, but also of human lives and experiences.”
“A 3D print of the Nefertiti bust by artists Nora Al-Badri and Jan Nikolai Nelles (2015) is also on display at the Pavilion of Applied Arts. The bust of the Egyptian queen, excavated in Egypt in 1912, has been on show at the Neues Museum since its unveiling in Berlin in 1924, despite the requests of the Egyptian authorities to return the artefact. Furthermore, a detailed digital scan had been created but not made publicly available. In reaction, artists Nora Al-Badri and Jan Nikolai Nelles secretly scanned the bust using a staged Kinect Xbox controller. The ethical art heist, known as #NefertitiHack, resulted in the 3D model displayed at A World of Fragile Parts.”
According to V&A Director Martin Roth, “Replicas are a phenomenon of our age, and are rapidly transforming attitudes towards authenticity. As a complement to ‘traditional’ conservation, the value to culture of being able to create, store and protect accurate records of objects that might one day no longer exist or become inaccessible is clear.”
Roth acknowledges that such practices often raise more questions than they answer, such as: “What do we choose to record digitally?”; “When does it become appropriate to recreate something in a physical form and with whom does the responsibility lie?”; “Might an abundance of copies actually do more to endanger our cultural heritage than protect it?” Such questions, Roth believes, will have an important effect in shaping the museums of the future and our relationship to questions of authenticity in the applied arts.
A World of Fragile Parts is curated by Brendan Cormier (Victoria and Albert Museum) and a team, including Danielle Thom, Research (Victoria and Albert Museum); Charlotte Churchill, Project Manager (Victoria and Albert Museum); Ordinary Architecture, Exhibition Design. The exhibition runs from May 28 – November 27, more information can be found on the Biennale website, here.
Project descriptions have be taken from the exhibition’s press release.
Opinion: New York’s design scene would benefit from looking outward and engaging with America’s manufacturing centres further west, says Alan G Brake, who found a lack of originality at the city’s design week this year. (more…)
