© Adria Goula

• Architects: GRND82
• Location: Carrer de Can Travi, 08035 Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
• Architects In Charge: Sergi Serrat, Ginés Egea, Cristina García
• Area: 8925.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2009
• Photographs: Adria Goula, Jordi Castellano, GRND82

• Promoter: Patronat Municipal de l’Habitatge
• Structure: BaseDos S.L
• Installation: Consulting Lluís Duart S.L
• Running Address: Carles Bima Bima & Partners SL
• Project Management: Sergi Serrat + Roberto González
• Building Company: Construcciones San José
• Budget: € 6.962.222,33

© Adria Goula

The mixed program of housing and facilities was determined by high economic restrictions that obliged us to maximize the best part of the site: the spectacular views of Barcelona and the ocean beyond. Orientation and topography defined the initial design. Facilities resolve the topographic jump and become a platform from which the south-facing housing units rise in an L-shape.

Taking advantage of the Mediterranean climate, each unit is provided with a large terrace that organizes the program of the space. This terrace is understood as an empty space, an excavation of the white mass of the building volume. Its size exceeds the scale of the apartment inside and establishes direct dialogue with the rest of the building as well as the city. The units alternate floor to floor, thus forming across the façade a staggered chessboard pattern of white and black that cloaks the building in a distinctive texture.

© Adria Goula

© Adria Goula

These terraces condense the life inhabiting them. They expose the domestic activities of the users to the city beyond, like the central courtyard of the houses of the Algerian Kashba translated onto the vertical plane. Each user makes the space their own. The collection of actions and activities of the inhabitants remains integrated in the volume of the building through the interior position of the terrace. The architecture is saturated with daily life, and shows itself to the city as such. White covers everything, from the individual curtains to the façade as a whole, unifying the building like the snow on the distant horizon.

© Adria Goula

Plan

© Jordi Castellano

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Courtesy of S+PS Architects

• Architects: S+PS Architects
• Location: Parsik Hill, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra 400614, India
• Design Team: Pinkish Shah, Shilpa Gore-Shah, Mayank Patel, Gaurav Agarwal, Shrutika Nirgun, Divya Malu, Manali Patel, Ved Panchwagh, Priyadarshi Srivastava
• Area: 520.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2015
• Photographs: Sebastian Zachariah, Ira Gosalia, Photographix Pinkish Shah

• Liasion Architects: Sopan Prabhu Architects
• Structural Engineers: Rajeev Shah & Associates
• Services Consultants: Arkk Consultants
• Landscape: S+PS Architects
• Site Supervision: Amish Mistry Architect
• Main Civil Contractors: Homework Constructions
• Fabrication: Deepak Mhatre, Shafibhai, Imam Steel, Furkan Sheikh
• Aggregate Plaster: Arvind Rathod
• Windows: Natwarlal Kawa
• Plumbing Works: Ajay Majhi, Hussainbhai
• Carpentary: Aditya Rana
• Electrical: Praful Sonawane, Mahesh Sawant
• Civil Finishing Works: Kantilal Suthar, Sawarmal, Jagdish Mulchand, Jagrut Kumar
• Painting& Polishing Works: Bajrangi
• Textured Plasters: Junaid

Courtesy of S+PS Architects

From the architect. Living in Mumbai, India it is impossible to ignore the informal settlements in the city, and if looked at closely there are many lessons to be learnt in frugality, adaptability, multi-tasking, resourcefulness and ingenuity. A visual language emerges that is of the found object, ad-hoc, eclectic, patched and collaged. An attempt has been made here to apply some of these lessons without romanticizing or fetishizing them. The project looks at the idea of recycling and collage in several ways, from the very physical – like materials, energy, etc. to the intangible – like history, space and memories.
The front façade sets the tone for what lies within, with a “corner of windows” that recycles old windows and doors of demolished houses in the city. This becomes a major backdrop for the living room with a exposed concrete faceted ceiling above countered by the polished white marble with intricate brass inlay on the floor. Metal pipe leftovers pieced together like bamboo form a “pipe wall” integrating structural columns, rainwater downtake pipes and a sculpture of spouts that in the monsoon are a delight for all the senses.

Courtesy of S+PS Architects

Courtesy of S+PS Architects

In the central courtyard on one side scrap rusted metal plates are riveted together, Kitsch colored tile samples retain a planter in the middle and on the third side is a wall clad in cut-waste stone slivers lifted off the back of stone cutting yards and waste generated on site. Hundred-year-old columns from a dismantled house bring back memories, and nostalgia is nourished with a lightweight, steel and glass pavilion (with solar panels above) on the terrace level overlooking fabulous views down the hillside. This approach is reinforced again in the interior materials and elements. It plays up this contrast between the old and the new, the traditional and the contemporary, the rough and the finished. One finds use of recycled materials like old textile blocks, Flooring out of old Burma teak rafters and purlins, colonial furniture, fabric waste (chindi) along with new ways of using traditional elements and materials like carved wooden mouldings, beveled mirrors, heritage cement tiles, etc.

Diagram

A language emerges that is both new but strangely familiar at the same time and that makes us rethink notions of beauty that we take for granted around us. To make this mélange more “acceptable”, it is encased in a “garb of modernity” (Nehru). This concrete frame – in a rough aggregate finish outside and in a smooth form finish inside – wraps and connects all the spaces from back to front and across all three levels.

Courtesy of S+PS Architects

Section

Courtesy of S+PS Architects

To build on top of a hill is always exciting, until the architects discovered here that they were surrounded by neighbours on all sides. This led early on in the design process to look inwards and build around the quintessential Indian courtyard, albeit slightly modified. The court is actually raised a floor above the ground level and hidden below is a large rainwater harvesting tank wrapped with rock that was removed from the hillside during excavation. It is the core around which this large four-generation family is organized and comes together.

Courtesy of S+PS Architects

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Buildings and cityscapes – or the lack thereof – change the way we hear significantly. Acousticians and acoustic engineers are often hired to solve problems with sound leakage, but few people consider the difference between a shout across a city block and the same shout down a closed hallway. In this video, the differences in sound quality in various environments are compared, as the “Wikisinger” performs the same song in 15 places.

Cycling between places like a cathedral, a field in front of oil naves, a concrete tunnel, an abandoned attic and a silence chamber, the acoustic differences between each space are made clear as the song reverberates or lands flatly against the walls surrounding it. Splicing and augmenting the different sounds of each place, the singer creates a kind of orchestra of architecture, inviting listeners to take a second to hear the buildings around them.

Via Openculture.

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© Luis Gordoa

• Architects: Toyo Ito
• Location: Via Atlixcayotl, Reserva Territorial Atlixcáyotl, Corredor Comercial Desarrollo Atlixcayotl, Puebla, Pue., Mexico
• Architectural Project: Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects
• Local Architect: Federico Bautista Alonso
• Area: 18149.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Luis Gordoa

• Promoter: The State of Puebla, Governor Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas
• Concessioner: Constructores del Museo Barroco S.A. de C.V.
• Contractor: Grupo Hermes
• Museography: Miguel Ángel Fernández Villar
• International Link: Guillermo Eguiarte Bendimez
• Coordination And Design Development: Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects and Estudio Arquitectura S.A. de C.V.
• Team Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects : Toyo Ito, Yoko Izumi, Takeo Higashi, Shuichi Kobari, Makoto Fukuda, Nils Becker, Takayuki Ohara Martínez, Kota Tamaki, Yuta Martínez Ono, Adrià Clapés i Nicolau, Carlos González Acedo, Mariana Ramírez Escoto, Luis Alberto Hidalgo Miranda
• Team Estudio Arquitectura S A De C V : Federico Bautista Alonso, Alejandro Bribiesca Ortega, Miriam Carrada Legaria, Armando Mauleón Bonilla, Daniel Rosas Ortiz, Erika Carral González, Gardi Albrecht Junghanns
• Structural Engineers: SAPS (Mutsuro Sasaki, Toshiaki Kimura), SC3 (Ing. Ernesto Lira)
• Mechanical Engineers: AKF de México
• Lighting Design: Artec 3 (Maurici Ginés, Mariel Fuentes)
• Signage And Corporate Image: Identity Design S.L. (Tomo Iida)
• Furniture: Fujie Kazuko Atelier
• Natural Lighting Study: Bioàmbit, enginyeria bioclimàtica (Carles Guillén Amigó, Ivan Pérez Carretero)
• Landscape Architecture: Tada Arquitectos (Antonio Cesar López Willars)

© Luis Gordoa

The plot of five hectares is located approximately seven kilometres from the city centre of Puebla, at the intersection of the “Boulevard de Atlixcayotl” and the “Avenida de las Torres”. Currently access to the site is either by car, by a public transport bus system or by a bike path circuit connecting the Museum with other parks and public spaces in the city. Parking is organized on 2 levels on the eastern side of the Museum and has about 440 boxes, parking for 4 buses, 42 motorcycles and 50 bicycles.

To frame the main facade of the museum a large square has been designed which receives the incoming visitors. It includes a passenger drop-off point for buses and cars, benches, information banners, a large stepping bench for giving explanations to visiting groups, and an entrance canopy which welcomes and protects the visitors waiting to enter the museum. This facade will also receive night time projections of images related to current exhibitions, which also illuminate the museum and make it stand out from a distance.

Site Plan

The building, 19.52 m maximum height, is elevated 2 m from original ground. Thus it is easily recognizable from the two main roads, acting as a beacon. The MIB has two levels above ground. The total floor area is approximately 18,149 m2, of which 9,855 m² correspond to the lower floor (ground floor), 7,316 m² to the upper floor and 978 m2 to the mezzanine level. The structure consists of concrete walls and slabs that have been developed in collaboration with the Mexican company DANSTEK which specialises in precast concrete. The structure composed of precast walls and slabs were also developed jointly with DANSTEK. The walls are precast on the exterior and cast in-situ on the interior. The precast part, consisting of two panels of 65 mm white concrete joined as a sandwich panel, also acts as lost formwork whilst simultaneously controlling the final finish; the inside, cast on site with grey concrete, merge the pieces together with the reinforcement, producing a monolithic wall.

The exposed concrete has a bush-hammered texture, making it easy to rectify any defects to the finishes on site. The walls function as structural load-bearing walls with a total thickness of 36 cm. (Including the 2 precast concrete elements). The slab is a 70 cm deep lightweight composite with recycled hollow polyethylene (PET) spheres and semi-prefabricated precast slabs for easy and fast assembly.

© Luis Gordoa

As part of the structural strategy, the museum is a single rigid volume, giving the building earthquake resistant qualities. The foundation transmits vertical loads on the ground filler compacted soils. The foundation was built as a strip footing with an adjusted depth according to the requirements of outdoor spaces.

Exhibition spaces are mainly located on the lower floor. Upon entering the building one will reach the main hall, from which you can immediately access the museum exhibition areas, the auditorium as well as the upper level. The ticket office, cloakroom, museum shop and information centre are also located in the main hall. In this area one can also enjoy several large benches designed by Kazuko Fujie Atelier which were developed in collaboration with local textile artisans in Hueyapan, Puebla. This space communicates with the exhibition hall, from which you can access both the permanent  and temporary exhibitions. The permanent exhibition includes a visit to eight exhibition halls, each with a different theme that provides a broad view of the various appearances of the Baroque. This includes the main subjects of art, architecture, theatre, music, literature and the influences of Baroque on everyday life. The eight rooms plus an outdoor terrace with selective views over the adjacent lake and park, surround a large courtyard of 1800 m2, where visitors can take a rest freely during their visits. In this extensive patio, dominating the space we can find a large fountain designed as a swirling water motif. In the Baroque, moving water is a recurring theme; in the MIB it is a metaphor for the ‘generation’ of the museum.

3D model

The temporary exhibition is in three 400 m2 adjacent rooms, which can be used as individual halls, flexibly merged into a large hall of 1,200 m2 or configured into a medium sized 800 m2hall with one small 400 m2 hall. On this same floor there is an auditorium with 312 seats, allowing it to be used independently for other cultural uses or serving the adjacent exhibition areas at different times. The ceiling height of these rooms is 6.5 m.

© Luis Gordoa

Rooms related to research, education and dissemination of Baroque art are located on the upper floor. Visitors can observe the restoration process of Baroque works of art, seek reference inoriginal documents in the specialized library, playfully learnabout the Baroque in the educational link (both children and adults), and enjoy the baroque flavours in the restaurant with a terrace overlooking the park. Also on this floor is the “International Baroque Saloon”, where international experts on this period will gather for symposiums. This space can also be used in connection with the auditorium below, depending on the nature and size of the event.

The museum offices are located on the upper floor at a priviledged location overlooking the park, allowing the curatorial staff to be at a creative work environment for fresh and innovative exhibitions.

Section

Section

All internal and ‘back of house’ functions are organised on the eastern side of the building. Loading and unloading, the transit storage and the quarantine room are located on the lower floor; on the upper floor we find the collections storage, restoration workshop, museography storage and other workshops. These two levels are connected by a service elevator with the dimensions of 7 x 4 m and 4 m height and a capacity of 12 Tons.

All rooms that hold works of art have strict temperature and humidity control, separated from the public areas, to preserve the art work at its optimal conditions. This control can be adapted individually to each room providing maximum flexibility.

© Luis Gordoa

The Museum was carefully designed to meet international standards and special requirements documented in the “Facility Report”, in order to guarantee safety to the works on loan from other institutions or museums. Moreover, the museum wishes to explore innovative and interactive means to exhibit art works from a past era using new technology.

The MIB will be a cultural meeting centre, not only for Mexico but embodies international ambitions. People from around the world will gather here and exchange their thoughts and reflections. This cultural institution will become a timeless point of attraction to the world and represents pride and joy for the people of Puebla.

Upper Floor Plan

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1st Prize Exterior View. Image via Bee Breeders

International architecture competition organizers Bee Breeders have announced the three winners and honourable mentions of their competition to design a Charlie Hebdo Portable Pavilion. Intended to be a travelling exhibition of the work of the French Magazine “Charlie Hebdo,” participants were asked to “support and promote” principles of free speech in their design. Responding to the terror attacks against Charlie Hebdo and the ensuing global discourse on free speech, the competition sought to deconstruct the “conventional assumptions of free speech,” and look specifically at “what makes speech free and how much of it comes at a cost.”

Entries were judged for the way they challenged these assumptions in terms of space, material and form. Preference was given to projects that had clear concepts, circulation, sequence and narrative, in addition to public engagement and a “reconciliation between the abstract and theoretical with the physical and real.” Consideration was also given to the way projects contributed to a discourse – rather than expressing an opposition – concerning the growing grey areas between “ideological, political, and cultural binaries.” 

3^rd Prize Winners

3rd Prize Rendered View. Image via Bee Breeders

Luca Longagnani, Alexine Sammut, Marta Fernandez Guardado | Germany

Using a “universalizing architecture of silence”, the 3rd prize winner transcends the ideologies present in other entries, breaking down “binaries between cultures, economic systems and political regimes”. A circular wall with a single entrance separates site from within, and two off-center circular walls create a progression of interiors. A mirrored exterior, and plain, matte interior with no prefigured function create a “territory of discussion, contemplation, and reflection.”

2^nd Prize Winners

2nd Prize Rendered View. Image via Bee Breeders

Shuzhi Yang, Yupeng He, Liwei Yu | China

The second prize winner utilizes two distinct geometries – a sphere and a plane – to express its ideas. A massive balloon floats above the site, holding a steel roof afloat. The suspended ceiling creates a platform for engagement or individual contemplation. The balloon and roof – the sphere and plane – create an “analogous contrast”, engaging the metaphysical and metaphoric with its play of lightness and heaviness. Its universal form and monumental qualities pay homage to an “enlightened ideal, and the sacrifices of those who have pursued it”.

1^st Prize Winners

1st Prize Exterior View. Image via Bee Breeders

Aurélie Monet Kasisi, Anouk Dandrieu | Switzerland

Through its “selection, organization, and representation of autonomous archtypes,” the first prize winner creates a sense of “no-place (Utopia)”, allowing it to exist free of political bias. This results in a platform for liberated speech. Easels, organized in a “striated but ordered field condition” create space for expression, and are carved out to create “nodes of concentrated activity.” Although the field as a whole remains open, the easels individually act as walls, enclosing individuals while relating them to a whole. In both its design and representation, the project embodies free speech and the “spirit of expression Charlie Hebdo fosters.”

Find more details, including interviews with the winners and the honourable mention proposals, here.

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