Open Platform for Architecture is moving forward with plans to build a subterranean residence that will slice into a mountain near Beirut and feature a glass swimming pool for a roof (+ slideshow). (more…)
The United Arab Emirates is considering proposals for an artificial mountain that could help increase the country’s rainfall. (more…)
A 01 is a private home located in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine. Completed in 2012, it was designed by Azovskiy & Pahomova architects. Photos courtesy of Azovskiy & Pahomova architects
From the architect. From a distant path on the outskirt of Santiago do Cacém, an amalgam of white solids emerges from the cork oaks of Portugal’s arid Alentejo. Under the scorching sun light, these gleaming blocks showcase Atelier dos Remédios’ latest creative ambition – Monte do Córrego, a single-detached dwelling project commissioned by a family dreaming of experiencing the tranquility of a pastoral scenery.
The residence can be reached via a minimalist gate that opens into a vast stretch of land wherein the house stands subtlety into the terrain. Monte do Córrego is in part set into the ground, and as a result the massing of its front façade is diminished to create perceptible openings into the countryside behind the building, divulging the bucolic beauty of agricultural fields.
The front entrance is also covertly placed into the earth. A moment of surprise awaits once the sliding door unlocks to reveal the large interior expanse, the richness of the marbled concrete floor, and the numerous courtyards that are concealed within the green roof. The family can gather in one of many social spaces connected to the outdoor and each can as well remain reclusive within their independent sleeping quarters.
Monte do Córrego is about a family coming together to enjoy Alentejo’s scenic countryside, and the design results both from a dialogue between architecture and landscape as well as indoor and outdoor.
An Unconventional Vertical Home Open to the Sky is a private residence renovated by Westway Architects. It is located in Rome, Italy and was completed in 2010. An Unconventional Vertical Home Open to the Sky by Westway Architects: “The interior renovation of a spacious apartment located in one of the most beautiful residential areas of Rome stands out for the careful study of its details, which have produced a bright,..
Once a photograph is uploaded to social media, it ceases to be part of one’s private archive and becomes public property – as well as an object of study for researchers. There have been many attempts to study photographs on the scale of “Big Data.” Take, for example, the numerous and well-publicised projects by Lev Manovich’s Big Data Lab. Evidently, using the results of one study of the huge online archive of photographs to make conclusions about society at large, is not necessarily a good idea. It’s fair to say that our society is not evenly represented online: a 19-year old woman may be posting her selfies daily, but it doesn’t mean that same goes for a sixty-five year old man. That said, we can learn a lot about cities and their inhabitants from the results of studies such as these.
According to Darya Radchenko, Deputy Head of the Centre for Urban Anthropology at Strelka KB, “quantitative and qualitative analysis of a big volume of photographs uploaded online allows us to not only describe the typical practices of amateur photography, but also see the city through the eyes of its visitors, define the key interests associated with it, important objects and ‘blind’ spots, obstacles restricting the use of certain zones.”
Quite surprisingly, even a Muscovite can feel like a tourist in their own city – when transported from the familiar environment of a microrayon to Gorky Park or the Pushkin Museum located in the city centre, for example. So it’s not accidental that in many Russian cities when locals residing on the outskirts decide to visit the city centre they call it ‘going to the city’. A ‘local’ tourist takes just as many photos as a tourist coming from different city, it’s the photographs themselves that differ.
In an interview with Snob magazine said, Grigory Revzin (a Russian journalist and architecture critic), said: “To my mind, the best indicator of the quality of a street is whether it becomes a popular location among the street fashion crowd. The best street in the city is the one most popular among models and fashion bloggers for having their picture taken and uploaded on Instagram. Thanks to the research conducted by the Centre for Urban Anthropology, we can now tell which streets are more more often chosen for walks around the centre of Moscow: infographics show the percentage of selfies and portraits taken on each street.”
Even Jane Jacobs once noted that the attractiveness of a street doesn’t depend on time of day or season. By analysing the level of photo-activity at night it becomes possible to define how healthy the street is, and whether it is considered safe enough.
Interesting Facts
This article originally appeared on Strelka Magazine and has been shared exclusively with ArchDaily readers. Find out more about the magazine, which publishes in both English and Russian, here.
Researchers and students from the University of Stuttgart employed robots to mould and stitch together this laminated plywood pavilion, which is based on the anatomy of a sea urchin (+ slideshow). (more…)
From the architect. The new Travel Centre is located at the heart of the cityof Lahti next to the existing, historical railway station. It forms a public transport hub connecting the rail network to the long-distance and local bus lines.
The new Travel Centre consists of a 60-meter long canopy for the bus terminal, enclosed elevator structures, local bus stops, and supporting landscape elements. There is also a cladding for the 80-meter long tunnel space underneath the new deck that forms a platform for the canopy.Together these elements create an easily perceivable and high quality entity in a complex city environment in various levels.
Historically significant railway station, a solid red brick building from 1930’s, sets a characteristic milieu for the Travel Centre. The station building is included on the National Board of Antiques’ list of nationally significant cultural environments. Partially in front of it stands the new terminal canopy for the intercity busses. As the most prominent element of the new Travel Centre, the terminal canopy initiates a dialogue between the new and old elements. Its minimalistic sculpture-like form embraces the history and value of the area.
In terms of the cityscape, the Travel Centre provides a high quality and cohesive visual impression. The main materials, copper, glass and aluminium, were carefully chosen to meet requirements of the surrounding milieu. The canopy and columns are clad in perforated copper. Next to it, the delicate and airy elevator tower uses glass in both the outer walls and load-bearing structures. Inside the glass shell is the elevator shaft, covered in copper and copper wire mesh. It is an elegant counterpart to the powerful and streamlined silhouette of the canopy. The two other elevator towers, also made of glass and copper, are located in the northern part of the area. The elevator towers connect the lower level street to the northern bus stop shelters on Mannerheiminkatu. Together they create a portal to southwards of the city.
The space under the bridge deck is clad with anodized aluminium profiles. Noise reduction, general lighting and high-quality atmospheric lighting are all integrated behind the cladding. They create visually refined and acoustically pleasing environment to the tunnel-like space. The parts between the main structures – support walls, bridge railings, outdoor benches and walls – are all copper-clad as well to complement the appearance.
The Travel Centre is in use throughout the year and around the clock. Therefore special attention was paid to lighting. The electricity and HVAC equipment is hidden inside the structures. Light sources have been placed behind perforated copper parts in various elements and will enhance the character of the copper parts during the darker seasons.
From the architect. The city of Verdun was marked by a past attached to the history of the first world war.
Nowadays, the architectural and military heritage of the region is visited, showed and presented to the public in a method connected to memories.
The Verdun Memorial Museum represents one of the starting points of a tour which links together all these historical sites and monuments.
It plays the part of an introduction to the history of the Battle of Verdun. It is the reception place for all visitors.
The starting point of our research for this design was a concrete and stone building which had been built in the nineteen sixties according to the aesthetic codes of the nineteen thirties.
Vehicles were parked downstairs even though the entrance into the Memorial Museum was situated on the upper level through a sort of stone bridge.
Designed like an islet standing on a battlefield, the building was completely isolated from its context.
Architecturally rigid, the Eastern and Western walls were structured with a repetition of vertical openings, whereas the Northern and Southern walls were more austere. The flat roof was crowned with a concrete cupola forming a very light dome.
The principal challenge of our design was how to modernize the access to and the progression inside the building by adding technical and museum components on the car park level, thus reinforcing the geometry of the existent building.
So, on either side of the stone building, beneath a plant covered embankment, we bury the whole of the functions necessary to the development of the future permanent scenography of the Memorial.
At the front, the Northern extension built onto the secondary road has been designed like a trench into which to slip the reception functions of the Memorial and of the battlefield of Verdun.
This rift goes through the building from the East to the West and allows space for a vast Hall to the scale of the future Memorial.
The strong presence of the original building, on the level of the secondary road is magnified by the creation of a black stone square facing the initial entry which keeps its ceremonial function.
Lastly, the roof becomes an expression ground for a completely glazed level to crown the stone building.
This is the place for the development of the Memorial into an interpretation centre housing such new functions as a room for temporary exhibitions, a cafeteria, an information centre, an educational room and an area for children. These light and clear environments allow direct views of the surrounding landscapes of the battlefield, the Fort of Douaumont and the Ossuary.
The singularity of this building site situated on the scene of the battlefield of Verdun has haunted every member of the working team during this operation and still does today.
Working in this landscape which had been remodeled by the conflict imposes a respect of memories. This is how the quietness of this artificial forest, which today constitutes its setting, witnessed the rebirth of the Verdun Memorial Museum that the war veterans had wished for.
Water Factory is a private residence renovated by Andrew Simpson Architects. It is located in Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia and was completed in 2014. Water Factory by Andrew Simpson Architects: “This project engages with issues of extended family dwelling, spatial flexibility, and adaptive reuse. The Water Factory involves the refurbishment and residential conversion of a late 19th century industrial warehouse building of individual heritage significance. Located in North Fitzroy the building..
