New York 2016: American designer and architect David Rockwell has designed a collection of three simple lighting fixtures for New York company Rich Brilliant Willing. (more…)
From the architect. The project is part of the construction of the new ANDINA SA beverages bottling plant, which was built between 2012 and 2015. The project was lead by Sabbagh Arquitectos and we were invited design one of the buildings considered in the Master plan, the Building of Logistics, Sales and Expedition Canopy (E Body).
Located close to the southern access to the plant, the E Body is a support building for the logistics operation, becoming the first filter, for the trucks entering or leaving the plant to be inspected.
The building consists of a two storey high continuous bar, structured by reinforced concrete slabs and rigid frames. On top of this, a continuous metallic roof with independent geometry is laid out. It wraps around the concrete structure at the same time it projects over the street consolidating the Expedition Canopy. Under this envelope other double height spaces are also generated, such as the entrance plaza and areas more functional to the operation – like the first floor logistics area – through which is possible to ventilate the spaces in a natural fashion.
The two-storey building contains the bank offices and the management area for the securities collected by the carriers from different parts of Santiago city. It also houses the operations and sales administrative areas, which are located on the second floor.
The Expedition Canopy, sited across the whole width of the access path, covers 9 lanes and serves to accommodate the control operation of the loads carried by trucks entering and leaving the plant. This operation is supported by three office modules and every lane has a metal platform to facilitate the inspection process.
The siting defined in the Master plan, considered a narrow strip of land which determined building’s orientation to be east-west. The project responds to this condition by proposing metal screens with varying degrees of openness depending on their orientation and the function of the space behind. To the east, because of the proximity to the street, a higher degree of opacity was proposed, to protect the operation that takes place in the Expedition Canopy. On the west, where the main building program develops, a micro-perforated metal screen was proposed; it has two different types of aperture, which control the direct radiation and allows the visual relationship with the surroundings of the industrial complex.
Warrandyte House is a private residence designed by Alexandra Buchanan Architecture. It is located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Warrandyte House by Alexandra Buchanan Architecture: “A contemporary bushland house designed for a young family that love the outdoors and entertaining, this Warrandyte site occupies a prime location perched above the Yarra River in stunning bushland. Covered in trees, with restricted access and falling steeply to the river, the site posed a..
French artist Daniel Buren has covered the glass sails of Frank Gehry’s Fondation Louis Vuitton building in Paris with an array of multicoloured filters (+ slideshow). (more…)
Seattle-based architecture and design firm NBBJ has formed a new business partnership with startup Visual Vocal to develop an innovative virtual reality (VR) productivity platform. Using this new tool, distributed project stakeholders will be able to immerse themselves into unbuilt environments and provide instantaneous feedback.
As opposed to traditional methods of communication such as email, a new VR platform, combined with mobile and cloud-based communications, could help expedite and facilitate the sharing of designs with clients, in a way that has “the potential to transform workflows within the field of architecture and beyond,” state NBBJ in a press release.
“NBBJ’s decision to launch Visual Vocal is representative of our ongoing mission to find more informative and inspiring ways to engage clients in the design process. This partnership will radically shift the way design feedback is sourced and integrated into projects, and the speed at which it can be done,” said NBBJ Managing Partner Steve McConnell, FAIA, in a press release. “As a result, we can more broadly and deeply engage project stakeholders than we could have dreamed in the past. Whether for clients or the general public, virtual reality will deepen design discourse and bring together communities in new and exciting ways,”
While several firms within the design industry have explored VR platforms, this partnership marks the first instance of “an established design firm incubating a VR startup inside its own offices and developing new tools to improve decision-making and remove waste from the design process.”
“Visual Vocal is building a platform for distributed conversation, collaboration, and decision-making through the power of immersive computing technologies,” said Visual Vocal Co-Founder John SanGiovanni. “For the past year, we have worked closely with NBBJ’s technical, creative, and project leadership to understand the complexities of distributed collaboration. Together, we have forged a new VR framework aimed at making 3D decision-making more accessible, enjoyable, and efficient.”
Visual Vocal will launch the beta version of its platform as an NBBJ exclusive later in 2016, and NBBJ will pilot the software on design projects for healthcare, corporate, and urban planning clients.
Learn more about the project here.
News via NBBJ.
A New York-based co-working company has plans for the UK’s underused but iconic red public phone booths: it is transforming them into micro offices for workers on the go. (more…)
Villa Vortex is the result of a collaboration between architect Paulo Flores and ggarchitects for a site in the city of Queretaro, Mexico.
The concept of the project is developed crafting a circulation “vortex” that carefully erodes the interior volume creating a series of patios and triple height zones that articulate the inner spaces defining the dynamic and elegant composition of the project.
Unlike traditional organization principles defined by walls, doors and corridors, the circulation in Vortex remains organic and visually continuous connecting interior and exterior spaces through curved walls and organic openings that are linked via a playful stair that dramatically crosses over the eroded inner spaces.
The circulation vortex is expressed on the exterior via distinct volumes that are softly interlocked by a continuous glass strip. These volumes are accentuated by their different materiality and construction system.
The lower volume is formed by a series of organic flowing fair-faced concrete walls that seem to challenge gravity to choreograph the division of the living areas, kitchen, dinning room and the master bedroom while providing the base support for the house.
The upper volume is made of a lightweight composite that is supported by a steel frame that reduces the need for visible columns where a studio space is located with direct access to a more private elevated open terrace on the second floor.
The façade that links directly to the elevated terrace is developed with elegant horizontal slits allowing direct views out while at the same time providing more privacy from the street below.
Two-guest bedroom with a shared bathroom are located on a volume that appears to float above the second floor providing amazing unobstructed views towards the beautiful landscape surrounding the city of Queretaro.
The seemingly opaque and heavy appearance of the volume from the exterior is contrasted with the luminous and dynamic openness of the interior spaces.
The project responds to strict local planning regulations by reinterpreting them to result into a contemporary, exciting and innovative space for living.
Architect Rafael Viñoly’s candid thoughts on his 432 Park Avenue tower in New York lead this week’s Dezeen Mail, which also features Instagram’s rebrand and robot-built architecture.
Read Dezeen Mail issue 305 | Subscribe to Dezeen Mail
From the architect. Located in the Sugar Bowl Ski Resort, 2.5 hours northeast of San Francisco, this 5 bedroom ski cabin was designed for 3 generations to enjoy simultaneously.
The essential diagram is straightforward: take the alpine chalet building type andlift it onto a concrete plinth to protect it from the snow. Located at an elevation of 6,800 feet (2,000 meters), the building needs to withstand extreme snowfall that can exceed 800 inches (20 meters). The residence’s positioning on-site, however, is more nuanced. Influenced by prevailing wind-drift direction and other climatic factors, the orientation shields the building from the street and directs views to a private stream and forest beyond. Living spaces are arranged along the open, south-facing facade to maximize solar exposure. The shaded northern face contains utility rooms where small punched windows draw in indirect northern light but minimize heatloss.
Tar-treated wood siding recedes among the tree trunks of this wooded site, and at dusk the interior finished with minimally treated fir glows warm through the windows.
Foster + Partners has won planning approval for a pair of faceted glass skyscrapers in San Francisco, which will be among the tallest buildings in the city. (more…)
