See the latest from our new and improved recruitment site Dezeen Jobs, including positions with Layer, Commune Design and WilkinsonEyre, the firm behind the Titanic-themed SeaCity Museum in Southampton, UK (pictured). This is also the last chance to apply for roles with MAD, Ben Adams Architects, RIBA and more…
(more…)
Tuatua House is a private home located in Omaha, New Zealand. Completed in 2016, it was designed by Julian Guthrie. Tuatua House by Julian Guthrie: “The Tuatua house is located in a coastal subdivision. The brief required a generous family holiday home suitable for frequent guests and informal entertaining, with space to garage a boat and sports equipment. The site is north facing toward the view, but visible from the..
Four pebble-shaped volumes form this cultural centre completed by Bargone Architetti Associati on the stoney shoreline of Lake Maggiore, Italy (+ slideshow). (more…)
From the architect. The new Waterford Fire Station will become the regional centre for fire fighting, river rescue, public consultation and training for the whole of the south east of Ireland; it provides a 24 hour response unit for the region.
Located close to a ring road, the building is shaped around the active service it delivers, being derived from the tracking movements of the appliances. Training includes cutting up vehicles, underground and confined spaces training, breathing apparatus training and desk study training.
The building encloses space and makes an artificial landscape; function is paramount. Office and ancillary functions are housed in a simple zinc volume, folded around like a piece of origami to enclose a large the drill yard; the roof is extended and angled to suit operational dimensions. Zinc is cut away at ground level to give views of the appliances behind their glazed bay doors, addressing the ring road and giving definition to an essential piece of public infrastructure.
Atrium House is a residential project designed by RAMA Construcción y Arquitectura. It is located in Guadalajara, México. Atrium House by RAMA Construccion y Arquitectura: “It gets its name from the concept of the atrium as the main hall of the old houses which integrates every room in the house, therefore, the principal and central element of the Atrium house is a large double-height space in which They find the..
Situated on the peak of Bergisel Mountain above the picturesque alpine city of Innsbruck, Austria, the Bergisel Ski Jump represents the contemporary incarnation of a historic landmark. Designed by Zaha Hadid between 1999 and 2002, the Ski Jump is a study in formal expression: its sweeping lines and minimalist aesthetic create a sense of graceful, high-speed motion, reflecting the dynamic sensation of a ski jump in a monumental structure that stands above the historic center of Innsbruck and the mountain slopes around.
The Ski Jump has been a fixture atop Bergisel Mountain since its first construction in 1926. It has been the home to two Winter Olympics competitions – first in 1964, and then again in 1976. Even outside its service as an Olympic venue, the facility saw constant use; scheduling was so densely booked, in fact, that the local city authorities could only authorize one year between the demolition of the old structure and the opening of the new.[1]
In 1999, Innsbruck began a project to refurbish its aging Olympic Arena. Unfortunately, as the original ski jump facility no longer conformed to contemporary international standards, it was deemed necessary to build a replacement. The new Bergisel Ski Jump was to provide a greater variety of functions than its predecessor: alongside the specialized sports program, the facility was to include new public spaces, comprising a viewing terrace and a café.[2] Beyond these programmatic requirements, the Austrian Ski Federation evidently sought to create more than a piece of athletic infrastructure. They were calling for a new monument.[3]
With these specifications in mind, the Austrian Ski Federation hosted an international design competition for the new ski jump in 1999, and Zaha Hadid Architects were awarded the first prize in the competition in December of the same year.[4] Hadid’s proposal was massive, measuring 90 meters long and towering almost 50 meters over the peak of Bergisel Mountain. Despite its size, however, the Ski Jump was designed to blend seamlessly with the mountain: the various program requirements were molded into a single, minimal mass, with the ski ramp continuing the slope of the mountainside up toward the sky.[5]
Hadid described her design as an “organic hybrid” between a tower and a bridge.[6] The tower is a tall concrete shaft, forming a seven-meter square in plan.[7] Two elevators ferry visitors from the base of the tower to the café, which is situated 40 meters over the peak of the mountain. The café is part of the larger spatial volume perched atop the tower, which fuses the public spaces and the ski ramp into a visually cohesive whole.[8] The observation deck provides an uninterrupted view in every direction, allowing visitors to survey both downtown Innsbruck and the surrounding Alps, from a single space.[9]
The articulation of the Ski Jump’s different components as a single seamless, uninterrupted mass was not dictated by the program; nor was it purely intended as a visual confirmation of the hybridization of a tower and a bridge. A ski jump is the site of extraordinary speed and even flight. It is this spirit of motion that informs the flowing form of Hadid’s design, which embodies the dynamic nature of the sport it was built to facilitate.[10]
Unfortunately, while Hadid’s minimalist design captured the spirit of motion, it was not universally accepted. Some locals rejected the notion of having an unabashedly modern building looming over their town; Innsbruck was, for the most part, an emphatically traditional alpine city.[11]
The unease surrounding Hadid’s proposal was perhaps to be expected in Innsbruck, whose streets are lined with buildings dating back to the city’s rich medieval origins. The capital of the Austrian duchy of Tyrol since 1420, Innsbruck is peppered with monuments to its history. Most of the city’s most prominent landmarks, such as the Fürstenburg building, have existed for centuries – to introduce introduce a tower of concrete and glass overlooking the medieval spires of historic Innsbruck was seen by some as incongruous.[12]
Despite opposition, construction proceeded on schedule and the new Bergisel Ski Jump opened to the public in 2002. Like its predecessor, the new facility became the locus for constant activity: it is the third site of the Four Hills Tournament every January, while the summers see many world-renowned ski jumpers come to Bergisel to train – some for the Olympics. Other visitors can simply enjoy the view from the observation deck, whether they choose to watch the athletes skiing below or simply survey the surrounding alpine mountainsides.[13]
References
[1] Jodidio, Philip. Zaha Hadid: Hadid: Complete Works 1979-2009. Köln: Taschen, 2009. p159.
[2] Noever, Peter, ed. Zaha Hadid Architektur. Vienna: Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2003. p119.
[3] Jodidio, p159.
[4] Noever, p119.
[5] Papadakis, Alexandra, ed. Zaha Hadid. London: New Architecture Group Limited, 2005. p145.
[6] “Bergisel Ski Jump.” Zaha Hadid Architects. Accessed April 25, 2016. [access]
[7] Jodidio, p159.
[8] “Bergisel Ski Jump.”
[9] “Bergisel Ski Jump.” Austria. Accessed April 27, 2016. [access]
[10] Noever, p159-160.
[11] Noever, p159.
[12] Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s. v. “Innsbruck”, accessed April 27, 2016. [access]
[13] “Bergisel Ski Jump Innsbruck.” Tirol. Accessed April 27, 2016. [access]
Bands of shutters featuring a geometric perforated pattern appear to form seamless surfaces that extend across the facade of this house in Tel Aviv by Israeli architect Pitsou Kedem (+ slideshow). (more…)
From the architect. Ashton (Old) Baths is a Grade II* listed building and one of the first ever municipal swimming pools to be built in the UK. Built by the Victorians in 1870 its Main Pool Hall has a cathedral-like quality and its Italianate chimney is an established landmark within the town. The baths closed in the 1970s and a short time afterwards the pool was filled in to be used as a storage space. It remained empty for over 40 years and has been on English Heritage’s ‘Heritage at Risk’ register ever since. The building is such an important local landmark to the people of Ashton, before the process of redevelopment began the general public queued around the block to relive their childhood memories of the space.
The project was funded with support grants of £1m from the European Regional Development Fund, £1m from Tameside Council and £1.7m from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The unique development of a business incubation centre along its dedicated operational structure has now secured the long term future of the baths..
Together with developer PlaceFirst, MCAU developed a brief to deliver a new building within a building, which now houses one of the most innovative and inventive commercial office spaces in the country and has preserved the future of arguably the grandest example of a Victorian swimming baths. Phase 1 of the project involves the former Main Pool Hall and associated ancillary spaces. The Phase 2 Fit-Out Project is currently underway and Phase 3 will see the redevelopment of the annex portion of the building.
Phase 1 of the completed development is a new office premises aimed at creative and digital industries and offers dark fibre broadband for high performance and incubator services for new start-up companies. The listed exterior of the building has been completely restored and refurbished to preserve the Victorian heritage of the structure.
Early comparisons were made between the existing pool hall & gallery and large museum type spaces, where visitors can circulate, engaging with the existing building’s fabric as well as pieces of art / sculpture/ exhibitions.
Several cultural and physical references were considered during the concept stage such the grand architectural innovations first used by the Victorians: the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace and the Natural History Museum both built in the mid 1850’s.
The building’s listed status meant any strong architectural interventions dividing up the vast space would have been unsympathetic to the history of the building and the solution proposed by MCAU provides fit for purpose commercial spaces, whilst at the same time preserving the spatial quality of the former Main Pool Hall. The new self-contained, free-standing office pod provides over 650 sq m of office space over four floors, with additional meeting rooms, breakout spaces, and a new rooftop terrace.
The project is designed to enhance the historical elements whilst bringing the building back into the contemporary working environment. The dialogue between historical and modern was therefore an essential premise. Careful consideration was made to the compatibility of new materials, whilst providing a clear distinction with the existing fabric., and the pod is predominantly clad with a combination of plywood and western red cedar boards.
The building form is curved and pulls away from the internal face of the external envelope to preserve views up to the impressive roof structure, which can now be viewed in detail from the 3rd floor roof terrace. The new pod ‘floats’ on a floor–to-ceiling glazed ground floor maintaining immediate views through the space and reflects the original use of the Main Pool Hall. Within the first and second floor office spaces, large windows offer views of the original architectural details from heights otherwise unobtainable, whilst also framing external landmarks, such as the nearby St Peters Church, through the existing ornate external windows.
The building achieved a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating and is an exemplary showcase of strong relationships and collaborations between the client, project partners, stakeholders and the community to save and secure a working future for a formerly derelict Grade II* listed building.
Modern Home Interior is a residential project designed by Yodezeen. It is located in Kiev, Ukraine. Modern Home Interior by Yodezeen: “One of our typical twilight interiors. The main goal of this project is the updated floor plan. We succeeded in repurposing several areas and using them in a more efficient way. Variations of shades of grey was used as a basis of the design concept and let achieve a..
From the architect. Hashim Sarkis was awarded the commission of the new Byblos Town Hall a er an anonymous open compe teon. Byblos, one of the oldest continuously inhabited ci es in the world and a World Heritage Site, has been growing outside the historic city bounds to the point where most of the city’s population now lives in the city’s suburbs. Boasting a historic harbor, two crusader castles, several historic churches and mosques in addition to an extensive Phoenician, Hellenistic and Roman heritage, the city is the most visited tourist site in Lebanon.
In an effort to re‐center the city, the new town hall site was chosen at the interchange of the north south highway that separates the city from its eastern suburbs, in a public park and near a tourist informa on area. The building is broken down into three large blocks that span over the park, each housing a different component of the program, the gaps between them bringing light into the park and the buildings. The park as well as the ground floor of the complex are maintained open to the public. The three blocks are carried by the circula on cores to the east and a long wall to the west that acts as a noise barrier with the highway. To protect from noise and heat, the blocks are closed to the outside and clad with sand stone, the “official stone” of the city. The offices are open to the spaces between the blocks with the facades clad in aluminum louvers that turn horizontally to become pergolas over the park that weave between the blocks.
A future urban design scheme will include a pedestrian bridge over the highway to connect between both sides of the park and between the older and newer parts of the city. Each of the three volumes contains a component of the program, namely offices for three en es sharing the building: the municipal departments, the municipal council offices, and an interactive museum for the . alphabet, that also provides a multi purpose hall for the town. The volumes are at once separated from each other and connected at the ground level. The glass‐enclosed ground floor level combines the common spaces of the program: entrances, informa on, city cashier, cafeteria and exhibition space. Technical programs and the police department are located within the constructed base, at the level of the park.
The municipality is built out of reinforced concrete. Each volume’s structure consists of the core, two columns to the west embedded in the noise barrier and in the case of the two longer boxes, two additional columns. The spaces of the boxes are le open and clear for maximum flexibility. In order to avoid the unpredictable patterns of sandstone and to express the monolithic nature of the stone pieces, the stones were cut into thin strips of 7 cms wide and a variety of lengths. They were ten separated into four shades and then assembled on the façade following a pixelated pattern of yellow travertine. On the inner face of the lobby, a mural representing a geometric abstraction of the Phoenician alphabet introduces one of different forms of expression between art and calligraphy that the building’s architecture hosts.
