US firm Hanrahan Meyers Architects has created a his-and-hers studio building in Pennsylvania that is lifted off the ground in order to provide views of the scenic terrain (+ slideshow). (more…)
From the architect. Located in Northcote, Garth was once a dilapidated nineteenth century Italianate Victorian masonry dwelling who has since been restored and added to with an elegant and restrained timber addition to accommodate a young family of five and two energetic dogs.
The original house is one solid form with all rooms contained within a single volume, and on a high level when considering how to add to what was already there, a conscious decision was made to approach the design with architectural contrasts and similarities. The new build adopts the rectilinear forms of the old, but varies their sequence and size to create a series of intimate internal and external spaces. Externally the new addition reads as a reserved collection of rigid forms stacked on top of, or next to one another, while the internal circulation functions as a seamless transition from one defined space to the next.
Similar in scale of footprint and mass, and both reserved and devoid of unnecessary detail, the two buildings sit side by side with a calm air of confidence and presence within their landscape.
Norway’s Public Roads Administration have begun conducting feasibility studies on the installation of what would be the world’s first floating underwater tunnel system. Norway is famous for its fjords, whose incredible depths make traditional bridge building a costly headache. Instead, the most common way to traverse them is through the use of ferries, a system that is both slow and subject to harsh weather conditions. As a result, engineers began looking for a new solution.
The “submerged floating bridges” would avoid these issues by being hung from floating pontoons on the surface and stabilized with trusses, and then sunk 100 feet into the water, a depth large enough to allow for passing naval ships overhead. With minimal above water presence, the tunnels would preserve the landscape’s natural beauty.
Each bridge system would consist of two tunnels for traffic in either direction, like many of the 1,150 traditional traffic tunnels already found in Norway. Officials claim the experience of being inside the tunnel would be no different than in those standard tunnels.
The project has been estimated to cost upwards of $25 billion dollars, with a potential completion in 2035. Studies on how environmental factors would affect the system have just begun, and will determine whether or not the project will receive funding.
Find out more about how the tunnels would work here.
News via Wired, H/T Inhabitat. Images via The Norwegian Public Roads Administration.
Rio 2016: a 2.5 million-square-metre area west of Rio de Janeiro has been transformed by Brazilian firm Vigliecca & Associados to become one of two major locations during the city’s Olympic and Paralympic games (+ slideshow). (more…)
From the architect. 3DReid have completed a new Health & Wellbeing Centre for the Thistle Foundation – a charitable organization who offer support to those with disabilities, enabling them to live independent lives, in their own homes.
The new facility is located at the heart of the original Thistle Foundation development, now a designated Conservation Area. A philanthropic gesture, put in place at the end of the Second World War, the original scheme comprised 103 houses, in a model village-esque arrangement, with the Arts & Crafts-style Robin Chapel, at its heart (both now Listed developments). Pioneering at the time, the scheme was one of the first to be designed to cater for those with disabilities – specifically, injured returning service men.
Replacing a former facility that was no longer fit for purpose and uneconomical to reshape to suit current needs, the footprint of the building was rotated through 90 degrees, forming a more permeable public realm to the front of the building and improving the setting of the Chapel, whilst creating a secured garden space to the rear.
Anchoring a series of complementary facilities, including a gym, consultation and training rooms and the Charity’s office accommodation, around a double-height ‘Hub’ space, the project has been shaped to best cater for those who come to visit.
Through extensive use of timber cladding, both inside and out, the project offers a warm and inviting environment for those who visit, many of whom suffer from anxiety-related conditions. Crafting a non-institutional and friendly presence was instrumental in ensuring that the built environment did not compound these and that the design of the Centre remained completely aligned to the core ethos of the Charity.
Pressure treated with a blend of preservation and pigmentation, the timber cladding will retain its current hue, throughout its lifespan, maintaining consistency at the interfaces between the internal and external use of the material, whilst offering a palette that tonally aligns to the building’s surroundings. Extended fins to the East and West facades help reduce solar gain and glare, to the first floor office spaces, whilst the cladding also integrates the ‘Thistle’ logo.
Externally, the palette of materials is completed via use of brickwork and pre-cast concrete – selected to complement the stonework of the Chapel and rendered facades of the surrounding houses, respectively. Sited in an area in which some degree of anti-social behaviour has been a historic problem, the application of these, at ground floor level, offers a sense of robustness, without sacrificing the welcoming feeling of the development.
Internally, the Hub provides the main focus of the building. Furniture has been carefully selected to offer a range of seating types and environments, that provide visitors with a choice as to the most comfortable area in which to meet others, or relax. Hinged partitions to the breakout spaces, fronting the Hub, allow these rooms to be open, or closed, to the wider space, offering flexibility in their use.
With the public-access facilities all situated at ground level, the office accommodation occupies the upper floor of the building, offering staff a degree of privacy, whilst still maintaining a connected feel, through the introduction of full height screens overlooking the central double-height space.
Punctuating the open-plan office space, honeycombed acrylic panels have been utilized to form ‘quiet pods’ – spaces in which more sensitive discussions and phone calls can take place – introducing concentrated blocks of colour, aligned to the core branding of the organization.
A new landmark on the Brooklyn skyline, TEN Arquitectos’ DBCD (Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District) South building at 300 Ashland, is nearing completion, with tenants expected to move in by the end of the summer. The mixed-use building will feature 379 apartment units and will also become the new home of a number of cultural tenants, including the performing arts organization 651 Arts, MoCADA, Brooklyn Academy of Music cinemas, and a new branch of the Brooklyn Public Library.
Reacting to its site and context, the 32-story tower has been articulated as three volumes: a central circulation spine and two flanking volumes, where the apartments are located. The tower is skinned in perforated aluminum, which will pick up the colors of the surrounding streets, buildings and sky.
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Located in booming downtown Brooklyn, the tower rises from the south section of a triangular site at the intersection of Flatbush, Ashland, and Lafayette Avenues in downtown Brooklyn – its slim footprint allowing the majority of the site to be dedicated to a new 15,000 square foot public plaza.
The building podium is comprised of a series of outdoor landscaped terraces that create public spaces screened from the noise of Flatbush avenue and visually connected to the Grand Plaza. The terraces allow for entrances into the building on multiple levels, and the opportunity for outdoor programming like film screenings, dance performances or farmer’s markets.
On the ground floors, the building will house 50,000 square feet of cultural space and 43,000 square feet of retail space along Flatbush Avenue. By folding the civic plaza upwards, the retail space can line the full perimeter of the base, avoiding an internalized “mall organization.”
The bulk of the 32-story tower will be residential, featuring studio, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom units (20% of which are affordable housing), a 24 hour gym and a 29th floor outdoor roof deck designed by James Corner Field Operations.
From the architect. On the Norwegian island of Tjøme, NOMA architects transformed the roof of an old garage into a library.
By using natural and untreated materials such as wood, stone and concrete, architects Vincenzo Marchese and Petter Nordahl created a combined library, kitchen and workspace without changing the original size of the area.
The walls are elevated in all directions in order to optimize the number of bookshelves. The windows are integrated into the bookshelves in order to create an exciting geometrical space highlighting the beautiful daylight.
Now on display as part of CURRENT: LA’s Public Art Biennial is “The Waterfall Pavilion,” designed by Los Angeles architects wHY’s Objects Workshop division in coordination with contemporary artist Rirkrit Tiravanija. The temporary installation is located at the point where water from Lake Balboa flows via a waterfall into the Los Angeles River, and consists of an open pavilion and a water purification wagon, corresponding to this year’s festival theme of ‘Water.’
The project as described by the architects:
When the international conceptual artist Rirkrit Tiravanija was commissioned to create a piece for the first Los Angeles Public Art Biennial, our Objects Workshop worked closely with his studio and the City’s Cultural Affairs Department to realize the artists’ vision for a place of meditation and rest as well as a series of programs ranging from watercolor classes to Chado tea ceremonies. Using available panel sizes and common construction-grade materials to keep costs on budget, we were able to work closely with the engineer and contractor to deliver the project on a tight deadline.
The gesture of the structure recalls the act of walking; the two ‘feet’ of the deck step across a spillway for recycled water. Large stones walk to the pavilion, encouraging visitors to linger. A unified roof with upturned beams creates a simple ceiling plan as well as a clean space to meditate, talk, or fish. A hidden helical pile foundation minimizes the impact of the temporary structure on the park.
The architects used the the expertise of non-profit Water One World Solutions to develop the water purification system, which allows the non-potable water from the river to be reclaimed, purified and publicly consumed. The water was also featured in performances during the festival’s opening weekend.
“I am interested in the potentiality of a terrain that is located in the exchanges between the urban fabric, its users, and the wider context, and in the constant reformulation of this relation of exchange,” said Rirkrit Tiravanija. “For CURRENT:LA I propose Waterfall Pavilion, a relational space that socializes and activates this otherwise forgotten area.”
“wHY has a long history of collaborating with artists on structures, bringing the technical expertise necessary to realize their ideas.” added Kulapat Yantrasast, architect at wHY. “This project is exciting because the Waterfall Pavilion introduces an alternative for the LA River – by crossing the river and cleaning the river, we are connecting people back to something they’ve avoided for quite a long time.”
Other collaborators included Logik Structures (Engineer) and Robert Polo Building Studio (Contractor).
The pavilion is open every day from 5:30 am to 10:30 pm, and will be on display until the conclusion of CURRENT on August 14.
