Since it opened to the public two months ago, Santiago Calatrava’s World Trade Center Transportation Hub has been the subject of intense debate. Critics and the public alike have tried to answer whether the building, while undeniably unique and striking, was worth the $4 billion price tag that made it the world’s most expensive train station. Key to this question’s answer will be the way that the building settles into its role as a piece of the city’s fabric.
With construction work still surrounding the building – both on the site itself and at the nearby skyscrapers – photographer Laurian Ghinitoiu turned his camera lens onto the station to see how it has been absorbed into the life of the city, capturing the way the structure is revealed from unexpected vantage points and showing how its users react to the sublime internal space of the “oculus.”
Diners at this sushi restaurant on the Italian coast sit inside house-shaped booths, based on the angled silhouettes of stalls in Tokyo’s old street markets (+ slideshow). (more…)
From the architect. This project explores the different possibilities and repercussions of developing a new space, which in this case is an architectural device that not only takes care of a need – a workshop for an architecture student – but also modifies the image of a space with little architectural interest: the roof of a service-bedroom.
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Designing a student’s workshop or work space, a typical assignment for a student of architecture that has taken on the form of cliché, represents an interesting challenge: how do you develop a simple project using devices that broaden the space, and allow for other uses such as sleep, dispensary for materials, and a place to hang out and work.
For this project, design decisions were restricted by the need to develop a blackboard interior, or a surface that could be etched on completely and would be made of formica slate, including the walls and furniture doors. Construction decisions were restricted by market standards and materials.
Plan
Working atop a fully operational house during the construction of the project made us use only the existing, flat roof to ensure no demolition works or other intervention in the house were needed. It also ensured interesting views from the workshop. Only one month of construction was allowed, so all decisions were associated with dry construction operations, considerably accelerating the process, along with working with modulations of structural plywood to minimize material loss and decrease the amount of work to be done onsite. The floor is made of metal and everything else of dry pinewood cut in large sections of a commercial standard.
Old doors and windows, antique wooden columns and metal drainpipes give this house in Mumbai an aesthetic its architects claim is inspired by the ramshackle buildings found throughout the city (+ slideshow). (more…)
738 Broadway is a residential project designed by Escobar Design by Lemay in 2015. It is located in New York City, USA. 738 Broadway by Escobar Design by Lemay: “This lavish four-apartment housing project offers modern living spaces adapted to the Big Apple’s new upbeat generation while allowing the McKenna building to proudly remind us of its industrial origin. The interior design was executed by Escobar Design by Lemay, previously..
Two Barns House is a private residence located in Tychy, Poland. It was designed in 2014 by the Mikołów-based RS+. Two Barns House by RS+: “Zoning plans based on the analysis of the urban area imposed roof geometry and the maximum height of the building. The rectangular shape of the plot and its orientation towards the south-west suggested preferred location of the building. Requirements of investors was that the house..
Designed like a game of cubes, seen from the street, the crèche asserts is playful character by the stacking up and setting of volumes of different materials and colors. A subtle play between the building and gardens is used to divert the constraints of the town planning regulations for the benefit of the building. The program is developed like a walking path from the street to the heart of the block, punctuated by a succession of different gardens and living spaces for children. Thus, the crèche is composed of two elements: the landscape (outside space bringing in light, air, vegetation, water) and the building containing the program. These two elements overlap and interact to maintain a constant flow between the outside and the inside. The interiors and gardens are designed at the scale of the child: “what we, adults, perceive as blades of grass, children perceive as the forest floor canopey”.
-The situation and the context of the project: the neighborhood is primarily residential, it seemed important to create a building that is identifiable as a public building. But we also wanted to create a “cocoon” for children and do not exposed them on the street. That’s why we have made the choice to position all the technical premises and offices one the street side, that’s why the facade is relatively closed. We opened the building on the interior side and the garden.
-The functionality: Our first objective was to create a functional building, which is essential for a nursery where hygiene and safety aspects are quite stricts. Once the functionality was etablished, we could work on the aesthetic part of the building.
Plan
-The early childhood program: We worked on a playful aspect by assembling volumes and colors, while remaining relatively straightforward with materials and soft colors. So users can easily take ownership and add “life”to the building (children's drawings, colorful rugs and games etc …). On the other hand, it was essential for us to work on the light, the framing and the views that are essential tools for the awakening of children. The crèche should not simply be a “building” but an awakening tool and game for children.
For the building’s structure, we have made the choice to use prefabricated materials whether for the ground and the first floor. This reduces the construction time and nuisances for the neighborhood (noices, dust, etc…). On the ground floor, you can found the technique of “insulated double concrete walls” allowing to have concrete finishing inside and outside the building (because the insulator is located between the two skins of concrete).
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The concrete was simply varnished to protect it. On the side of the garden, we have dressed up the front of a wooden trellis ( larch ). On the first floor, the structure is made with prefabricated wood panels. The timber finish (pine) is visible from the inside, the insulation is located on the outside. The wood siding is retified poplar. The windows are made with aluminum. The interior furniture is made with oak veneer.
Tepozcuautla House is a project completed by grupoarquitectura in 2015. The home is located in Mexico City, Mexico and covers an area of 10,764 square feet. Tepozcuautla House by grupoarquitectura: “The house consists of two separate very geometric concrete volumes, one housing services and the other housing the main areas of the house. The two bodies are joined by steel bridges with glass floors that do not touch the trees..
New York 2016:Canadian design studio Lambert & Fils has balanced pairs of glass globes within folded metal frames for its Laurent lighting collection, designed as a reinterpretation of classic pendant lighting (+ slideshow). (more…)
From the architect. STUDIO LOFT is a delicate flat in downtown Budapest. Originally a studio of a well-known hungarian painter, this flat has all the right features to be a contemporary loft home. The huge central space which contains the kitchen and the living room is accompanied by two bedrooms with separate bathrooms each and a small, invisible storage space.
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Naturally, the visually most engaging part is the enormous window in the central space, which is almost 4 by 4 meters. The flat happens to be located on a corner of Budapest’s central park area, Városliget, which is currently being transformed into a multi-layered cultural and recreational park (the Liget Budapest project).
The interior design concept is based on using the existing industrial features and combine them with clear geometry, raw and honest materials, like iron, concrete and wood to create a smooth, airy, empty space. Then add some colorful furnitures and art pieces and finally, add some unique lighting solutions, to perfect the visual consistency.
