St Johns Ambulance is a renovation project completed by Marta Nowicka & Co. Located in Conduit Hill, Rye, England, it consists of the rebuilding of a 1970s extension to a private residence. St Johns Ambulance by Marta Nowicka & Co: “Exterior: We rebuilt the 1970’s extension with a pitched roof that visually extruded the pitched roof form of the original building. This was then clad in local Lydd handmade clay..
Bookshelf House / Andrea Mosca Creative Studio
Courtesy of Andrea Mosca
- Architects: Andrea Mosca Creative Studio
- Location: Paris, France
- Area: 160.0 sqm
- Project Year: 2016
- Photographs: Courtesy of Andrea Mosca
Courtesy of Andrea Mosca
A big woodwork of stepped bookshelves is the key element that characterize this remodelling project just outside of Paris: a private three-storey house renovated by Italian architect Andrea Mosca.
Courtesy of Andrea Mosca
Andrea Mosca designed the interior for a family of five who stayed at a friend’s house during the renovation and were enamoured with the living room bookshelf. The aim of this project was to transform this dark, run-down home into a bright and warm space, add an office zone on the mezzanine and create a separate but visible kitchen.
Ground Floor Plan
The beech wood shelves other that just forming a Bookcase, act as stair railing, office space dividers and general storage within the two levels.
Courtesy of Andrea Mosca
Usually conceived as a series of flat shelving, this bookcase is made around a single element that is repeated into the space to design the project. The first unit goes from the first floor to the mezzanine, serving as the main bookshelf in the living room as well as a railing on one side of the stairs.
First Floor Plan
It continues then on the mezzanine level, where it becomes a storage unit that hides the bedroom entry and the office.
Courtesy of Andrea Mosca
A big glass pillar covered with mirrors disclose the theme of this project even before entering the main living room.
Courtesy of Andrea Mosca
The kitchen is separated from the dining room by a glass panel and a glass sliding door to fill the space with natural light.
Courtesy of Andrea Mosca
White painted wood floor and Beech bookshelves fill now the space with warm natural light giving this house a new life.
Courtesy of Andrea Mosca
Valpoi Busstand and Community Hall / Rahul Deshpande and Associates
Courtesy of Rahul Deshpande
- Architects: Rahul Deshpande and Associates
- Location: Valpoi, Goa 403506, India
- Architect In Charge: Rahul Deshpande
- Area: 2862.0 sqm
- Project Year: 2013
- Photographs: Courtesy of Rahul Deshpande
- Client: Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC)
- Hvac Consultant: M/s R.S kulkarni
- Electrical Consultant: Castellino Engg Consultants
- Acoustic Consultant: V.N Purandare
Courtesy of Rahul Deshpande
From the architect. Government of Goa proposes to construct a multi-utility public building in Valpoi, a small town in the Western Ghats. It had to include a Bus Stand, a Community Hall and a Children Park with a Jogging track. The Building complex required to be maintenance free and in low budget, with all units independent in their operations, function and administration.Valpoi being nestled in the magnificent Western Ghats is often frequented by an army of hovering clouds that carry with them an armour of lightning and thunder. The design aspires to capture this wonder of nature.
Courtesy of Rahul Deshpande
Valpoi faces an annual rainfall of 200 inches from June to October. The design evolved in response to the brief and the climate. The plan therefore is Compact, less Porous, yet Open in its attitude, well ventilated and adequately lit.
Courtesy of Rahul Deshpande
Courtesy of Rahul Deshpande
The triangular exposed laterite walls masquerading as mountains in the landscape, gives a sense of direction to the visitor and his eye, being sheltered by an overpowering yet graceful metal clad roof which floats as a cloud, at times teases to express itself as a stroke of lighting. A deliberate attempt to create an illusion of suspension and lightness, is pulled off through a series of eloquent cantilevering roofs and unattached walls.
Courtesy of Rahul Deshpande
Plan 2
The Bus stand is an independent entity boasting with its wide entry and exit, 10 parking bays and 9 idle parking. Its plan is commuter friendly, spacious and open. It provides for shops, waiting areas, toilets and drivers rest areas. The overwhelming roof shelters the buses and commuters from the scorching heat and the fury of rains. The Security House and the Toilet block though separate units blend into the fabric of design.
Courtesy of Rahul Deshpande
The Community Hall
“The journey is more important than the destination”- precisely the notion of the design. Through a labyrinth of laterite wall passages you reach the Community hall welcoming you with its vastness and silence. The decor is minimal, the lighting cleverly restrained and space wonderfully sublime.
Courtesy of Rahul Deshpande
The Children Park
Tucked away in the west end of the site the Children’s park is a contrast in its attitude. The colours clash against themselves fabricating an intentional chaos. The play equipment compliments the chaos as “Child’s Play”. A well leveled and paved walkway meanders around the play area and the orchard, which when walked on surprisingly covers half a kilometer, qualifying it to be Joggers Park too.
Courtesy of Rahul Deshpande
Product Description. Roof sheet of TATA, Bluescope make is the principle material used in the project. Flexibility in usage of the material and the graceful silver colour resembling as a floating cloud, at times teases to express itself as a stroke of lighting, over the triangular exposed laterite walls masquerading as mountains in the landscape.
Courtesy of Rahul Deshpande
Panmun Single Family & Commercial / Seoga Architecture
© Jin Hyosuk
- Architects: Seoga Architecture
- Location: Panmun-dong, Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea
- Architects In Charge: Park Haesun, Oh Seunghyun
- Design Team: Shin Minchul
- Area: 287.01 sqm
- Project Year: 2015
- Photographs: Jin Hyosuk
- Structure Engineer : THEKUJO (Byungsoon Park)
- Mechanical Engineer: Chunglim Technical Construction
- Electrical Engineer : Vision Engineering
- Construction: Nurim Construction Engineering
© Jin Hyosuk
From the architect. Overcoming the shape and capacity of the site………..Although the site has a capacity of approximately 139 m2 on record, the actual area of land available is even less then 83m2 when considering the building regulations. There was a high risk of narrow corners turning into idle patches, furthermore, being adjacent to the 25m-wide road, it was without doubt an inimical housing site, constantly exposed to noise and dust. Moreover, on the other side of the road, new apartments and shopping district were about to go under construction, therefore the occupants were likely to have a big chance of isolating themselves from the fuss for the next few years.
© Jin Hyosuk
Site Plan
© Jin Hyosuk
Above all, it was important to learn the building regulations to find ways to assure the maximum living area on such small plot of land. After a numerous meetings we could come up with a legitimate strategy that also ensures decent living quality.
© Jin Hyosuk
We anticipated that the balcony spaces would help overcome the inefficiency of the land. By cutting off the narrow corners, we found new possibilities in corner areas. One of the corners turned into an open balcony, meeting the client’s wishes, and the other into a private balcony accessible from the bedroom. An atrium-like space full of sunlight is also created with one of the narrow corners. Corners left in interior also found a way to meet the practical requirements of space by creating a storage area for electronic devices such as air conditioner or a vacuum cleaner.
© Jin Hyosuk
Section
© Jin Hyosuk
Last but not least, we proposed adding another layer on the façade to secure the building from the neighboring construction site. This double-skin method provides balcony space enclosed with walls, creating more stable dwelling area from the hostile environment.
© Jin Hyosuk
Villa in Yoron / Case-Real
© Hiroshi Mizusaki
- Architects: Case-Real
- Location: Yoron Island, Yoron, Oshima District, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan
- Area: 187.2 sqm
- Project Year: 2016
- Photographs: Hiroshi Mizusaki
- Design: Koichi Futatusmata (CASE-REAL), Tomoki Katada (ambient place/ partner)
- Design Cooperation, Construction: Tsukasa Architect Construction
- Lighting Plan: Masaaki Sato (ModuleX FUKUOKA)
© Hiroshi Mizusaki
A second house on the shores of Yoron Island, an island which was created from elevated coral reefs. Located on the Southernmost point in Kagoshima prefecture, this island is surrounded by a beautiful emerald green ocean which is visible from this site. The design was centered on the idea of solving a contradictory task of appropriately intaking the view, sunlight and wind, also to protect the people living from the harsh rays and hurricanes this area is known for.
Site Plan
Taking the view in consideration, within the low rise architectural volumes of the project the master bed room was kept on the ocean side to fulfill the given view, and rooms with other functions in face the land side. The large un-even space between these two volumes function as the main space, which becomes the path of the seasonal winds.The main living spaces which have pent-roofs function as a comfortable inner terrace.
© Hiroshi Mizusaki
© Hiroshi Mizusaki
By installing mesh-like fixtures to the outer rims of the pent roof, a buffer zone was created to secure the safety of the interior from objects flying during the hurricanes as well as creating a comfortable opening for the panorama both opened and closed. The mesh fixtures were inspired by a traditional Okinawa construction material called the “Flower Block”. By creating a fixture based on this basic module, a strong exterior image was created. With hammer toned reinforced concrete, and by using natural materials with distinct characteristics in the interior we aimed to create a place that blends into the local climate.
© Hiroshi Mizusaki
Conjunto Volcanes I / SANTOSCREATIVOS + VTALLER
© Miguel Valverde
- Architects: SANTOSCREATIVOS, VTALLER
- Location: Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
- Area: 1645.0 sqm
- Project Year: 2014
- Photographs: Miguel Valverde
- Project: Víctor Valverde, Miguel Valverde
- Site Area: 916 sqm
© Miguel Valverde
From the architect. Conjunto Volcanes is a social living complex located in Guadalajara City, Mexico. Designed for a Real State Development Group that works mostly in middle an low income class regions, Conjunto Volcanes emphasizes on creating economic, accessible living units, that could have aesthetics qualities related to the context and could generate cuality living conditions that can mean a sense of appropiation of the living space.
© Miguel Valverde
The project focuses on placing the program units (16 units in total) on the limits of the lot, to create an interior parking lot, used also as a multipurpose space, where kids can play securely while being watched out from every program unit, creating at the same time air space between buildings, giving the sensation of having privacy and silent as a living experience in the complex. This condition also provides each unit the possibility of having as much as linear meters it could have, to provide proper lighting and crosswind to each unit, giving the sensation of a constant relationship between the interior and exterior environment. As a result of this interior/exterior relationship, a sense of neighborhood is created where users can in some way relate to each other without sacrificing privacy.
Detail
© Miguel Valverde
Using economic materials such as brick and typical masonry building system from the region, the complex stare itself as a game of textures that give the sensation of identity, playing with different kinds of lighting intensities that ensure comfortable living spaces, that can not only give enough natural light to the habitants, but a sense of “home”.
© Miguel Valverde
1st Level
© Miguel Valverde
Chicago Riverwalk Opens to the Public, Returning the City to the River
© Kate Joyce Studios
The third and final phase of the Chicago Riverwalk is officially open to the public. Designed by Ross Barney Architects, the 1.5 mile long promenade revitalizes an underutilized industrial area into an active public space featuring restaurants, cultural activities and amenities while reconnecting the Chicago River to the urban fabric of the city.
© Kate Joyce Studios
“The swampy Chicago River gave birth to arguably the greatest city of the 20th Century,” said design leader Carol Ross Barney. “In Chicago’s formative years, the river was its lifeline, brimming with traffic. Burnham built his 1909 plan on a civic waterway and promenade along the river. We were entrusted with the responsibility of to finally complete that vision and transform what had become a postindustrial leftover into a 21st century urban waterfront.”
© Kate Joyce Studios
© Kate Joyce Studios
The 15-year-long project was completed in 3 phases. Phase 1, completed in 2009, includes Chicago’s Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, Wabash Plaza, and the Bridgehouse Museum Plaza, while phases 2 and 3 are home to six “conceptual, outdoor rooms” each designed to interact with the waterfront in a unique way.
© Kate Joyce Studios
Joining the phase 2 additions, “the Marina,” “the Cove,” and the “River Theater” (completed in 2015), will be the “Water Plaza,” featuring a sundeck and children’s fountain; “the Jetty,” an interactive river ecology learning area; and “the Boardwalk,” a space for relaxing and enjoying views of nearby floating gardens.
© Kate Joyce Studios
© Kate Joyce Studios
Designed to act as the missing seam between Wacker Drive’s Beaux Arts architecture and the natural landscape of the River, the architects hope that the Chicago Riverwalk will become a public amenity that promotes the stewardship and protection of one of Chicago’s most precious resources, the river. Looking forward, the riverwalk has been designed to be expanded into a swimming area for a future when the water is clean and swimmable.
News via Ross Barney Architects.
MA Apartment / Estúdio MRGB
- Architects: Estúdio MRGB
- Location: Brasília – Brasilia, Federal District, Brasil
- Area: 140.0 sqm
- Project Year: 2015
- Photographs: Haruo Mikami
- Collaborators: Ana Orefice, Rodolfo Marques, Flavia Groba
- Authors: Igor Campos, Hermes Romão
- Construction: WW Arquitetura & Construção
© Haruo Mikami
From the architect. A contemporary apartment, with a clear connection to the modern design of collective housing in the beginning of Brasíliadz. That was the guidance, which our clients gave us at the time, today our dearest friends, in the beginning of the architectonic design to remodel the apartment, located in middle of Brasília. Once establish the concept of the design, the intentions were to reach out to a solution that appease the dynamic of modern life and the peculiar way of living in the residential scale of Brasília, idealized by Lúcio Costa.
© Haruo Mikami
© Haruo Mikami
With the free view, spatial generosities that make the DzUrbsdz of Brasília what it is, are a few characteristics that are impregnated in the design of the Estúdio MRGB in Brasília. Clearly appears more or less, depending on the theme that the architects face during the exercise of the daily job. As for the apartment MA the fluidity, permeability and spatial generosity are there clearly in the social spaces such as living room, dining room and work space. All the spaces are fully integrated, and the boundaries are configured subtlety, protected each and every one there functions. The view has no obstacles, all rooms allow their full comprehension, clear and objective of the socialization spaces. The esteem of our clients and ours of the Estúdio MRGB, for the design of the 60’s are insured by the furniture that has an important role, and creates the perfect and intended atmosphere. The pieces that integrate the spaces were designed by the greatest masters, architect Sérgio Rodrigues and Paulo Mendes da Rocha.
© Haruo Mikami
Ground Floor
© Haruo Mikami
Florence Knoll a Charles Ray Eames contributes equally, bringing the spaces the perfect harmony with the contemporary furniture, concepts of the new and promising generation of Brazilian designers, Jader Almeida and Fernando Prado. The borderline between the master bedroom and social area, are defined by a wooden panel, located in the back of the dining room. Integrated into the large wooden panel a door to the master bedroom, which blends with the vertical wood strips of the panel. Those elements grant privacy, comfort and the necessary wellbeing for the perfect use of the spaces intimate and social. On the opposite side of the panel is located a gallery carefully design to enhance the beauty of the art collected by the couple. The narrow relation to the city, a panel of personalized tiles with geometric forms was designed by Estúdio MRGB in reference to the great artist Athos Bulcão, which can be seen in the main buildings of the city of Brasília, became a reference for all architects, artist a citizen of Brasília.
Foster + Partners’ Residential Highrise to Become Miami’s Tallest Tower
"The Towers" by Foster + Partners in Brickell. Image © DBOX. via Curbed Miami
Foster + Partners has released plans for a connected pair of skyscrapers that will provide 660 new luxury condos in the Miami’s Brickell neighborhood. Taking advantage of updated height limit regulations, “The Towers” will top out at 1,049 feet (320 meters), becoming one of 5 new buildings that will share the title of Miami’s tallest tower.
Historically, building heights in Miami have been restricted due to proximity to the Miami International Airport.
A majority of the required parking has been moved underground, opening up 56,800 square feet of public open space that will feature a “signature through-block arcade.”
“The design of these high-rise towers frees up space on the ground to create a pedestrian plaza, with shops, restaurants and art galleries that will serve the local community as well as the new residents in the tower,” said Norman Foster.
“The base of the building continues the axis of Southeast 12th Terrace, drawing life back to the bay. It is a civic response to the city’s enlightened vision, and will make an important contribution to Miami’s public spaces.”
Foster + Partners' "Faena House". Image © Faena Group
The project joins a slew of new residential developments in Miami, which includes Foster + Partner’s own Faena House as well as buildings by BIG, Herzog & de Meuron, OMA, Arquitectonica and Zaha Hadid Architects.
News via Curbed Miami.
Miami’s Porsche Design Tower: A Bland Monument of Hubris in the Face of Climate Catastrophe
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RETOÑOS HOUSE / ESEcolectivo Arquitectos
© Lorena Darquea
- Architects: ESEcolectivo Arquitectos
- Location: La Armenia, Quito, Ecuador
- Area: 180.0 sqm
- Project Year: 2016
- Photographs: Lorena Darquea
- Author Architectes: José de la Torre, Belén Argudo, Pablo Silva y Santiago Granda
- Constructor: ESEcolectivo Arquitectos, Erika Muñoz
- Structural Analysis: Patricio Cevallos
© Lorena Darquea
From the architect. The Retoños house belongs to a large extended family made up of several smaller families. The clients, Alvaro and María, wanted a house in which to bring together their 16 family members, including children and grandchildren. As a close-knit family, they get together very often. Until now, this took place in a small apartment in Quito, so they were looking for a quieter place far from the noise and drab environment of the city.
© Lorena Darquea
The piece of land is located in the suburbs, right across from one of the city’s metropolitan parks. For the first time, they are now able to enjoy their own garden within a large enough space in which to come together. The project had two purposes in mind: to take advantage of the natural surroundings, and to build a place large enough in which to congregate a large multi-generational family.
© Lorena Darquea
The design consists of a large two-story vertical bar that takes up a small portion of the land—a house surrounded by nature. The house stands back from the boundaries and has been placed in such a way to allow two big gardens to grow both in front and in the back. At the center of the bar, an interior garden passage joins the two side recesses with two wide folding doors. When opened, the doors allow double access to the house, so that circulation between the gardens and the house flows naturally.
Ground Plan
Top Floor
The wooden structure acts as a portico covering the whole width of the house, reducing the number of interior walls. The result is a constant communication between the inside and outside, going from the main entrance all the way to the back garden. Unnecessary circulation and isolated spaces are avoided. Service areas such as bathrooms, laundry room, and staircase are distributed along one side of the bar.
© Lorena Darquea
The architectural program prioritized the common areas; the private spaces were reduced to a single master bedroom. The rest of the project is a big living space with no barriers. On the second floor, the open space can function both as a living room or closed off as a private room, with a folding door and cushions on the floor. The two levels are connected by the two-story high interior garden. A net hangs from one of these spaces, acting like a hammock.
Isometric Scheme
Finally, the interior and exterior walls were constructed of dry panels. All the measurements were adjusted and distributed according to the standards of the panels, aiming at minimizing waste. On the outside, cement panels with socket joints were used to protect the wooden structure. On the inside OSB panels are used in the common areas and cement panels were used in the wet zones. The panels were used “as is” and any other finish was avoided to make the construction more efficient.
© Lorena Darquea
Sig Nordal 