Global Architects has transformed the interior of a 1980s Dutch residence, by inserting a house-shaped volume that provides cosy bedrooms and secluded bathrooms (+ slideshow). (more…)
Photo essay: a shark in a corridor and a toad seated on a filing cabinet are among the scenes found by Austrian photographer Klaus Pichler when he went backstage at the Natural History Museum Vienna (+ slideshow). (more…)
From the architect. The administrative building of the Federal University of Ceará´s campus in Crateús municipality is the first of a series of blocks planned at the master plan of this academic unit. The building has a dual function: to host the administrative part of the program and to serve as a gateway to the campus. This determined the shape of the building, which is split by a shift in its floorplan that separates a solid and closed part from a more open and fluid one.
The access is located at this open space, that, more than just a building, it is a big shade of double height, creating an area for meeting and socializing. This space was designed intentionally without a defined use, changing throughout the day, both through a garden that receives light designed by a group of pergolas, and also because of the landscape and sunset reflected in the glass facade which gives access to the more closed part of the building.
The part that houses the administration is an airtight volume where is almost impossible to see what happens inside, both because of the mirrored facade of the entrance, because of the rear perforated wall (north) that protects from direct sunlight, and also because of the front facade (south), opaque and with zenith lighting. These devices contribute to better isolation of its interior and also to the possibility of the building to receive future changes without interfering in its external character. Internally a double height reception distributes the flows in the two floors. On the ground floor are located the boardrooms, office, service areas and a set of toilets and changing rooms. Upstairs are the coordination rooms, a battery of toilets and pantry. A corridor connects these areas, functioning not only as circulation but also as a meeting space.
The building materials mitigate the austerity of its double height. More than different materials, the building works with possibilities of different lights and shadows, taking advantage of the strong insolation that Crateús has, emphasized by the contrast of white and dark textures.
It’s a shame that the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial has already come and gone, and that the Windy City will have to wait until next fall for another dose of architectural euphoria. But it’s worth revisiting one of the event’s standout exhibits, an installation equally exemplary for its display as for its expiry. “Rock Print,” created by Gramazio Kohler Research of ETH Zurich and Skylar Tibbits of MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab, was a four-legged, neo-primitive tower of stones and string that was erected without mortar or other reinforcement, meaning its disassembly would be the exact inverse action of its construction. The string, laid down by an algorithm, was the binder for stones laid by hand in thin stacks – the team called them “slices” – in what amounted to a type of analog version of 3D printing. The material process has been given the name “reversible concrete” and could be a paradigm shift in construction for its portability and versatility.
In the above video, the deconstruction of “Rock Print” is shown in abridged stages, where the structure’s string is dislodged and returned to a motorized spool on the gallery floor. The small stone fragments spew from the top of the structure like debris from the top of a volcano in the midst of eruption, and all that remains at the end is a small mound of concrete pebbles occupying a large circumference. A structure like “Rock Print” emphasizes that detritus can be avoided by adapting the process of building to vanguard materials that seek to match the brevity of contemporary construction with materials that curtail the waste.
Gramazio Kohler and Skylar Tibbits’ “Rock Print” Is a Gravity-Defying Pile of Stones
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Canadian studio Architecture Microclimat has created a simple athletic facility in Ontario with a lofty ceiling that enables gymnasts to hang high in the air (+ slideshow). (more…)
The project consists in the recuperation of an old commercial warehouse emplaced in Villa el Dorado in Vitacura, as a Strategic renewal of the comercial infrastructure of the neighborhood.
The new presented programme is a showroom for furniture sales and exhibition.
The warehouse, built in 1962, was in a major state of deterioration, due to poor maintenance, a fire and countless interventions which were also in poor shape.
The recuperation strategy starts by cleaning the site, removing everything that was not originally part of the construction, in order to bring the original structure to value.
The original structure is divided in two main areas, north and south. The southern portion of the building is a low height construction built on reinforced concrete pillars and beams, on which prefabricated concrete beams are mounted as a part of the deck structuring, construction features of the time, that are brought to value as a part of the recuperation project. AS to the northern area, with higher ceilings, an existing skylight was recovered as a natural lighting element.
Afterwards, programmatically, four independent elements were added as a way to occupy the inner space:
These are organized within the original warehouse, with different orientations, so as to create new sub-spaces around them, in order to create different settings for the furniture to be displayed in.
Finally, the exterior is projected, on one hand with a steel plate façade, which contemplates the recuperation of the original roof wing and the improvement of the public space in front of the site, and on the other hand, generating patios that allow the exhibition and sale of goods.
Stockholm architecture studio Tengbom has added a zinc-clad extension to a traditional brick courthouse building in the Swedish town of Alingsås (+ slideshow). (more…)
Mr Lu Residence is a private residence renovated by Alfonso Ideas. The home is located in the Nangang District of Taipei, Taiwan. Mr Lu Residence by Alfonso Ideas: “This is the 30 year old apartment which is given by owner’s parents as a wedding gift. Although the space of this unit isn’t too big, and the storage space is quite limited. In order to create the bigger living environment, we..
Celebrate Easter by gorging on all of our chocolate-related stories. Dezeen’s confection selection includes a cafe with walls that appear to ooze melted chocolate, edible Lego bricks and a geometric hen-shaped Easter egg. See more design with chocolate »
