¿Great home or small town? Arts center of Verin provides the intimacy of a home and the heterogeneity of a town.
The initial approach of the project comes from a previous study of the environment.
From this analysis, we get the conclusion that Concello do Verín stands out by the heterogeneity of its blocks, which have been developed around an urban nucleus. Even though each block has different shapes, the way they are set is the same in most of them.
Site Plan
This occupation is based in many small buildings that are aligned with the edges of the patchs, standing next to the road and leaving gaps to the interiors for common spaces, grouped in this way, into small communities or ‘towns’ within the whole Verin. ‘Towns’ with a random order that are being defined by the flexibility of its uses.
This project is a Centre of Arts where the fact that each use works by its own way but on balance is emphasized. The example we follow is the scheme above mentioned, where each unit works independently to the exterior and in conjunction to the interior, not interfering with others.
This basic premise involve the concept of the proposal. Each use of the program required by the City Hall materializes as a unit, as a volume that is aligned to the edge of the plot creating a space of coexistence and relationship, without hierarchies, supporting the idea of small community.
Model
Once comes to this point, we reach the conclusion that it is impossible to avoid the relations between the different uses, so respecting the scheme of individual volumes to the exterior and common space to the interior, the units are sliding according to its use and letting interstitial spaces appear.
The Centre of Arts turns into a space of cohabitation of different activities, an special place where its units works as separate ‘houses’ and as ‘town’ all together.
Formally the design method is surprisingly accurate. The displacement and delicate turn of volumes generates a random appearance scheme but full of relationships and variants. It is a place defined by its own flexibility, unpredictable. Something involuntary that occurs as a result of the relationships of their own uses.
Between volumes irregular spaces arise as a cell, places of different scales that allow users enjoy rooms center and hide at once. Like a small town, center users interpret and live spaces freely and at will. They walk from one side to another, seeking privacy behind a corner or leave, are left to see and relate.
Sections
In conclusion, this scheme make separation and connexion of the units compatible, generating numerous nucleus that interact and change depending on the use of its occupants.
The general aspect is filled by ‘the fifth façade’ of the building, the deck. In this case, it is made of green cover.
Despite of the simplicity of its construction ( concrete and glass volumes), the centre has a outstanding character, without dismissing the environment it is set and taking care about the scale (size and height) with the surroundings.
Due to the way it is set in the plan, and the independence of its use, this is a centre that can be changed and expanded easily, because both appearance and operation are unalterable.
Detail
Talking about the access, the visitor could entry through a large square in the corner where the three main roads conclude. A walk that will continue inside the building to enhance the idea of ‘town’.
In addition, every time that the volumes contact with the edge of the patch, some common spaces are generate, at the same time of exterior access of each volume is created.
The last remarkable aspect of the building is its sustainable manner, due to the materials in the urban land (Green spaces and recyclable pavement) and the installations, that allows energy and water savings.
JAJA Architects has been announced as the winners of an open international competition to design a new parish church in the Sydhavnen (South Harbor) district of Copenhagen. When completed, it will be the first new church built in Copenhagen since 1989.
The competition, organized by The Danish Association of Architects, sought proposals for a 3,200 square meter church to be located on a waterfront site in the revitalized district of Sydhavnen that could be used for a range of religious, social, cultural and musical events. Construction of the church is expected to be completed in 2019.
Continue reading to see the winning proposal as well as several additional entries.
Project description via JAJA Architects. Designed as an upward-moving spiral walkway of ramps, the harbor landscape merges with the church roof, inviting the city dwellers to ascend to the top and enjoy the view. A gathering point for the congregation as well as for the whole city, the church space with its view of the city skyline becomes common property.
Courtesy of JAJA Architects
Courtesy of JAJA Architects
A colonnade following the movement of the façade from the bottom to the top forms a soft transition between inside and outside, accentuating the building entrances along the way. The spiral walkway enables direct access to all the church functions without passing through the main entrance. Various terraces form little havens along the walkway, inviting people to pause for a while and let thoughts flow freely.
Courtesy of JAJA Architects
The more ‘extrovert’ church functions are located on the ground floor, such as the main entrance, the café and the lively cultural spaces towards the harbor, providing active façades along all sides of the building. The nave is placed on the top floor, its inner spiral form reflecting the outer shape of the church.
Courtesy of JAJA Architects
Water is a universal element to the church – both by its Christian reference, but in as much as a reference to the harbor and the location by the waterfront. Architecturally, the water becomes an integral part of the church experience by letting a water spring create a flow of water basins and water gardens, as it trickles down the building from a source on top of the church to the harbor. The water experience will vary as a reflection of the weather throughout the day. Heavy rain will cause the water basins to overflow, creating a dramatic series of smaller waterfalls along the church façade. The colonnade offers shelter for the rain, allowing for poetic experiences in all weather.
Project description via Studio David Thulstrup. As part of Folkekirken (The Danish National Church), the new Sydhavn parish has an important role in Danish society and it’s immediate surroundings. The new church in the harbour district called “Sydhavn” is to house all the necessary framework for the parish daily service as well as an abundance of cultural activities for it’s citizens. The aim was to have the right balance between the public-, holy-, and a ceremonial atmosphere. It was therefore important for us that the church had the visual qualities that make it recognisable as a church, both from the street and in the church itself.
Courtesy of Studio David Thulstrup
Courtesy of Studio David Thulstrup
A church space has been intended as a place where the church guests have an opportunity to form a bond with the parish and celebrate some of their lives momentous occasions. From baptism, weddings and funerals, the church is designed to accommodate the full range of human emotions.
Courtesy of Studio David Thulstrup
Relatively early in our design process, we took the decision that the building’s appearance should communicate its programme. The combination between a church and a culture house was very interesting to us and we felt that it should be very clear which is which. Depending on where the building is seen from, one would be able to read the programme of the building. This gives the building a juxtaposed, but a very dynamic appearance.
Courtesy of Studio David Thulstrup
Courtesy of Studio David Thulstrup
The choice of light bricks as the church’s facade material is chosen based on its natural and welcoming nature and connection to the greater Sydhavn context. The brick is strongly represented throughout the building, both inside and out. Other selected materials, for example, concrete, glass, metal and wood. All chosen materials mature beautifully, hold a great tactility and durability.
Project Description via Architects of Invention. This design proposes a church with a vertical emphasis, creating a distilled space for religious ceremonies, and an accessible venue to the community for a variety of activities both day and night. The proposal reflects the industrial past of the site, taking one of Copenhagen’s landmarks – Masterkraanen – as an inspiration.
Courtesy of Architects of Invention
Analysis of traditional church architecture (in Copenhagen especially) suggests that the organization of church buildings is mainly horizontal. Although churches themselves may be tall, there is no functional use made of the verticality of the church (except in a notional or spiritual capacity).
Courtesy of Architects of Invention
Taking this as a starting point, we developed the concept of a Vertical Church. This new church would be able to provide operational space for a full range of activities (mass, concert, lecture, etc.) – but as a vertically inhabited space, the building becomes more intense as well as more flexible. The skin of the building is designed as an exterior structural skeleton with a fractal pattern creating sharp shadows inside. From a distance, it appears as a blurry abstract cloud with a distinctive silhouette.
In using raw materials (wood, concrete, etc.), we preserve the stature of the building as well as making it a more sustainable project.
From the architect. Incorporating the site’s dynamic landscape into the daily life of its residents, the Bracketed Space House is designed as a meaningfully-framed procession through the property with nuanced natural lighting throughout. A continuous and jogging retaining wall from outside to inside embeds the structure below natural grade at the front with flush transitions at its rear facade. All indoor spaces open up to a courtyard which terraces down to the tree canopy, creating a readily visible and occupiable transitional space between man-made and nature.
The courtyard scheme is simplified by the common and private wings – connected by a glass dining “bridge.” This transparent volume also visually connects the front yard to the courtyard, clearing for the prospect view, while maintaining a subdued street presence. The staircase acts as a vertical “knuckle,” mediating shifting wing angles while contrasting the predominant horizontality of the house.
From the architect. One storey high private house is located in Koidu village, Estonia in a private housing area. The geometry of the building is inspired by the plot and the movement of the sunlight. The building is a shape-shifter offering different views from every angle and changing its form to catch as much warm southern and western sunlight as possible.
The main building was erected on the western side of the plot while the grill house stands on the east side inside a small hill and acts as an echo of the main building. Between these two volumes an inner rectangular courtyard is created with golden ratio proportions. The landscape protects the yard from the traffic noise and offers privacy.
Spacious living room, with a height up to 6 meters, is located on the western side of the building and opens into both south and west. The living room is tightly connected with the terrace outside. The shape of the patio is also created to follow the sun and open to the south and west. The main part of the terrace is covered with the edge of the roof protecting it from the rain. The wide overhang protects the living room from the sharp and hot summer sun. In the winter when the sun is lower, the light passes under the eave to warm the building. There is a chance that a neighbouring house will block the western sunlight in the future. To maintain the access of the valuable evening light into the living room, a special sun window was created higher from the eyelevel.
Ground Floor
Main parts of the constructions are made out of stone and laminated wood. The facades are covered with painted larch wood. The natural tree sap in the wood protects the material and holds is appearance for decades without any artificial additives.
Product Description.The most important material in this project is wood, which is used in both structural design as well as on the façade. Wood is a renewable material and the production has a relatively small ecological footprint. Laminated wood used for the roof construction in this project is made out of local Estonian wood and produced by an Estonian company Arcwood.
The facades are covered with painted larch wood. The natural tree sap keeps the material weather proof and it can last for decades.
Due to its ability to mold and create different shapes, concrete is one of architecture’s most popular materials. While one of its most common uses is as a humble foundation, its plasticity means that it is also used in almost all types of construction, from housing to museums, presenting a variety of details of work that deserves special attention.
Check out this collection of 40 projects that highlight the use of concrete. Impressive!
This article was originally published by Metropolis Magazine as “Q&A: Steven Holl.”
For twenty years, Maggie’s Centres have been providing cancer treatment to patients within thoughtful, beautiful spaces designed by renowned architects like Rem Koolhaas, Frank Gehry, and Zaha Hadid. Steven Holl‘s Maggie’s Center Barts, located adjacent to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in central London, is slated to open at the end of this year. While the design has been somewhat controversial in the UK due to its contemporary nature, the cancer care facility incorporates innovative lighting, sustainable materials, and a compact structure in a way that is—according to the architect—entirely complementary to its historical neighbors. We spoke with the renowned architect to learn more about the project and what it has meant to him over the past four years.
Vanessa Quirk: What is your relationship to the city of London?
Steven Holl: I went to the Architecture Association in London, and lived there in 1976. Those were great days, when Zenghelis and Rem were running Unit 9. I was a critic there, in the graduate school. We discovered Zaha Hadid as a student. It was a wonderful year. There was amazing energy happening at the AA.
VQ: And that particular site, where the hospital is?
SH: I recall being there, and, of course, when we were given the commission, we did a lot of studies about that site. That square and the history of that place goes back hundreds and hundreds of years. It’s a very important area, in the heart of London.
VQ: Can you discuss the challenge of designing a vertical building that still maintains all the goals and aspirations of a successful healthcare building?
SH: Well, it had to be vertical, because of the constricted nature of the site, but that was an exciting challenge. It’s like a house, you know, and it has a sense of vertical space, a sense of movement up.
Looking at my first concept drawing from 12th of March, 2012, you see this idea of a thing within a thing within a thing: a glass case surrounding a concrete frame, inside of that, a kind of basket-like bamboo structure, which gives a kind of warmth, a kind of structure on the inside. The development of it really has a lot to do with that site. I was inspired by this ancient Gregorian chant notation, because right there is St. Bart’s, the church where that notation was used. That cathedral is that old.
Courtesy of Steven Holl Architects
We developed something for this project that’s never been done before, with a company in Germany, because I wanted these colored notations floating on the staff lines of the façade. We developed something really exciting, a UV safe film that’s layered between two layers of a material called Okalux, that carries the color. It’s like a micro-optical painting. It gets blurry at the edges. This is a super-economic, 21st-century stained glass experiment.
It’s not just a glass wall. If you look at Okalux, it’s like polar bear hair. It’s hollow, it’s in tubes. It’s wedged between two panes of glass; it creates an insulating boundary, and it allows light through.
Courtesy of Steven Holl Architects
VQ: There’s been a lot of research lately about lighting and health. Do you think there will be some impact with this kind of lighting on wellness?
SH: Absolutely. The whole building is carefully orchestrated in natural light; all of my buildings focus on this condition of natural light. I believe that is a very important, helpful aspect of making architecture in the 21st century.
As the day changes, and the light changes, there’s a real interest in the way this color wash can be thrown onto the interior in small ways, and always changing. I’ve always loved the feeling of the light that comes in the cathedral, where splashes of color come down on the floor, projected down.
There’s a train station in the middle of Helsinki that Eliel Saarinen made, with these subtle pieces of stained glass in the façade wall, and it throws these wonderful pools of color into the interior. Really something that gives a kind of special energy to the place. It changes the way we feel in space. It gives us an uplifting feeling. I’ve been in Rem Koolhaas’ Maggie’s Centre, and Zaha’s, and I think there’s a quality to the architecture that improves our psychological well-being, to be in these spaces.
What’s really interesting about this project is that it’s promoted by Charles Jencks. Now, if you remember, Charles Jencks wrote a book called “The Language of Postmodern Architecture” in 1977. In that book, he argues that modernism was all wrong. It can’t change the way we live, et cetera, et cetera. Look, they’re blowing up the Pruitt-Igoe housing. Architects should give up trying to change the way people live, et cetera, et cetera. Right? It’s a very cynical statement.
Now, with these Maggie’s Centres, he’s come 360 degrees. He and I both discussed this—architecture does change the way we live. It can be something that transforms our feelings, our emotions, our sensations, and our feelings of well-being, and that’s what these Maggie Centres are all about.
It’s 6,500 square feet. It’s not a big project, but it’s a very important project, because it says something, in the history of architecture. We went through this terrible period called postmodernism, which really, I think, was a waste of a lot of people’s focus. What’s really exciting is the dimension of architecture which is uplifting—that’s what’s exciting about working on these Maggie Centres.
VQ: When you’re designing a healthcare facility, do you think carefully about the healthiness of the materials?
SH: Absolutely. It doesn’t have to be a healthcare facility. Every piece of architecture that we make, we think carefully about. We just finished a house called Ex of IN House. Everything that’s in that house is considered carefully. There are no formaldehydes, there are no off-gassing materials. It’s all natural woods, without anything on them.
I think all buildings should be done with this care, not just in cancer care. They all should be done with extreme care. Certainly we should never use carcinogenic materials in our constructions, and I never do. I’m always working to be as green as possible. Like in the Ex of IN House, it’s all geothermally heated, with special thin film solar panels on the roof.
VQ: And the inner layer of perforated bamboo? Why that material?
SH: Because it’s ecologically sustainable. Bamboo grows overnight, and it’s more ecological than cutting trees down. I’ve been using bamboo in China a lot, and there we use it in our projects for the same purpose, to maximize sustainability.
Courtesy of Steven Holl Architects
VQ: To what extent do you think a contemporary design needs to be referential to its context?
SH: The Gibbs building is a very important historic building, and I think the real way to give it its due is not to ape it in any way. I think the last thing you would do is to make a stone extension, trying to imitate that beautiful stone—you can’t.
I think it’s a similar thing that we did at the Pratt Institute, where you have these two buildings, 1850 and 1864, flanking this new section. The idea is that the new section is unabashedly 21st century, but it pulls lines from the other two, as the floor plates are pulled through.
We developed the same complementary contrast with our addition at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, which opened in 2007. We saved the 1933 neoclassical stone museum façades all the way around, and added a connection below ground to our glass architecture in the landscape. That’s a super modern expression, but it’s the best way to save and complement that existing building. We won that competition because the other architects were going to build up against the building on the north wall. They all followed the competition brief, and we said, “Wait a minute, that’s not what you should do here. You should keep all the façades free.”
Courtesy of Steven Holl Architects
There’s a kind of plasticity of modern architecture that allows it to reveal and geometrically respect the historic architecture, while being something quite different.
Each project takes on a different series of challenges, but this one, I’m very excited about it. I think we achieve a lot in the little urban fragment of a postage stamp size that we’re allowed—a glowing lantern, if you will, in that constrained site.
It’s been a long process. It’s four years so far, but architecture takes time. And it’s there for a long time afterwards. I feel very fortunate to be able to make something in the great city of London. Even if it’s very small. I’d say that architecture doesn’t have to be large to be meaningful.
Aedas has unveiled plans for Gemdale Changshou Road, a new mixed-use project located within Shanghai’s urban city ring that will add 45,000 square meters (484,000 square feet) of terraced office and retail space within close proximity of a planned residential development.
Led by Aedas Hong Kong Director Andrew Bromberg, the design is nicknamed “Cloud on Terrace,” as it uses a series of green terraces as a visual and occupiable “bridge between the low-rise, residential developments to the south and Changshou Road to the north.”
Courtesy of Aedas
At its base, the retail podium creates a streetwall along the property edge, gradually stepping away with vegetated terraces to meet the tower setback. Entrances to the retail areas are located at both ends of the building, facing the most highly-trafficked pedestrian junctions and linking to two nearby metro station entrances. According to Aedas, these design decisions will make the development highly accessible, providing a “missing ‘humanism’” to the neighborhood.
Courtesy of Aedas
As the building rises, the terraces dissolve into the tower’s deliberately ambiguous form, articulated with soft corners and a rippling curtain wall façade to gently reflect its surroundings. The architects describe the visual impact as one that will “allow the tower to float above the green terraces of the retail below as a ‘cloud’ may sit on hill.”
Section. Image Courtesy of Aedas
Further contributing to its interaction with the street, the tower has been oriented to optimize views along Changshou Road, while below, a recessed ‘cave’ breaks down the mass to a human scale.
Level 1 Floor Plan. Image Courtesy of Aedas
Typical Office Floor Plan. Image Courtesy of Aedas
The building has also been designed for ideal light conditions: horizontal ribs around the tower act as sunshades and high-performance, low-e, low-iron glass has been specified for the curtain wall to reduce solar gain on the office floors. Natural landscaping on the podium balconies will also provide cooling and shading benefits to the naturally-ventilated environment.
Courtesy of Aedas
Gemdale Changshou Road is expected to be completed in 2019.
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and Hyperloop One have unveiled joint designs for an autonomous transportation system and the world’s first Hyperloop pods and portals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The designs are being presented as Hyperloop One signs a deal with the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), bringing the project one step closer to reality.
In May of this year BIG, along with Arup and AECOM, partnered with business magnate and global innovator Elon Musk to design and develop the vehicles and spaces necessary to make the Hyperloop system human-friendly. Initial tests on a system built in the desert outside of Las Vegas saw the model pods reach speeds of 187km/h (116mph) in just 1.1 seconds. Hyperloop One partnered with BIG in order to develop a detailed feasibility study, financed by the RTA. Their joint concept designs for autonomous transportation in the UAE also includes plans for the world’s first Hyperloop One Portals and Hyperloop One Pods that will take passengers from downtown Dubai to downtown Abu Dhabi in twelve minutes, replacing a two-hour drive.
“Together with BIG,” Josh Giegel, President of Engineering, Hyperloop One has said, “we have worked on a seamless experience that starts the moment you think about being somewhere – not going somewhere.” He continued:
We don’t sell cars, boats, trains, or planes. We sell time.
According to BIG, the design of the scheme is based on a study of “how an urban and inter-city transport network should integrate with existing infrastructure.” They describe it as autonomous, point-to-point and able to vastly simplify the experience of “getting from front-door to final destination.” The locations of the initial route in the UAE have been selected by passenger density and proximity to existing or planned transportation hubs. They state that “all of the portals have been designed as individual answers to different contexts, yet appear similar and easily recognizable.”
According to the designers, “all elements of the travel experience are designed to increase convenience and reduce interruptions. The main objective of the design is to eliminate waiting from the passenger experience. Hence, the stations are called portals. All departure gates are immediately visible upon entering the portal, and a simple numbering system allows passengers to quickly identify them. Passengers will travel in pods that have room for 6 people. The pods are contained within a transporter, a pressure vessel attached to a chassis for levitation and propulsion that can accelerate the transporter to 1,100km/h.”
“Passengers board the next pod that is available, which moves onto a transporter to their final destination. The relatively small unit-size of the pods paired with a high arrival and departure-rate allows for on-demand travel. Different interior environments and seating arrangements offer passengers a travel experience tailored to their needs, whether travelling solo or in groups, for business meetings or casual trips.”
“The pods operate autonomously from the transporter, which means they are not limited to the portal area and can move on regular roads and pick up passengers at any point. At portals, pods are loaded onto the transporter and hyperjump to another portal, where they merge onto the street and drop passengers off at their final destination.”
From the architect. The building is located on the higher grounds of Geneva’s Mervelet neighbourhood. At the heart of a rapidly changing residential area, the site has the remains of a garden-city with scattered century-old houses and trees.
Depending on use and context, the outside skin of the building can have several expressive overlays. It reacts like a sensitive interface between inhabitants and their perceived and lived environment. Facing south and west, the alternate assembly of prefabricated concrete modules creates the structure of an inhabited hive.
On the loggias, stainless steel railings lean forward and rotate gradually. The create a curved lining that is perceived differently depending on daylight and location. This arrangement offers both intimacy and transparency.
The rough combination of building materials continues in common areas; a polished concrete slab on the floor, walls covered with cement and iron for the stairs’ railings. The oakwood used for the handrail and entrance doors creates a domestic and nostalgic feeling when entering the apartments.
Inside the apartments, the large hallway allows views across the day and night areas, and creates a space with multiple uses. In the rooms, alternating high and low windows define the volume. Living rooms with fullwidth glazed windows continue onto loggias. These exterior living quarters project themselves towards the surrounding trees and scenery.
Section
These typologies and arrangements provide the dwellings with the distinctive attributes of a family house surrounded by a garden. In doing so, the 63 public utility housing units are designed as a Building-Villa.
The strength of Dutch Design Week (DDW), held annually at the end of October, lies primarily in product design. Although the event has expanded over the past five years to incorporate more fashion, graphics and architecture, small-scale industrial design has retained its preeminence. Many of the designers on show in this year’s edition, however, have embraced the challenges of other design disciplines and allowed them to feed into their work. But where does product design meet architecture? Building materials and, most notably at the 2016 event, some really nice bricks. Rotterdam-based architect Alison Killing guides us through her top installations.
Upcycling
A number of designers across DDW have been working on ways to put industrial waste to constructive use. Often the result of their research is to have the relevant waste product—be it rotten fruit, broken glass, worn out leather or fragments of stone—crushed down and compressed into, you’ve guessed it, bricks. What may at first appear reductive nevertheless involves a complex research and design process in order to ensure that the material binds correctly, is able to bear the loads required for its use in construction, and is also aesthetically attractive.
Of the many projects which have travelled this track, two projects stand out. Thomas Missé’sFrom Ash at the Design Academy Eindhoven graduation show takes a large number of the by-products from a coal power plant—fly and bottom ash, water vapour, heat, and the portion of electricity which is wasted without making it to the grid—to create a “geopolymer,” a hard, ceramic-like material, as well as a small number of bricks which incorporate a shiny, black, coal-like aggregate.
Tom van Soest is a graduate of the Design Academy and is showing at DDW as part of the Young Designer section of the Dutch Design Awards. His graduation work, from 2012, is also a study of transforming waste products into bricks – this time, waste from the construction industry. It is a strength of the Academy that many of their students go on to develop their thesis work into industrial products for sale and van Soest is far from the only designer at DDW showing professional work that was initially developed during their study days. In the past four years van Soest has worked with the industry in developing the bricks to meet the technical standards for new build construction in The Netherlands, and to create a company—”Stonecycling“—that can produce them at scale. On display is one of the company’s designs, incorporating crushed glass to produce a wall with a shimmering, silvery surface.
Over at the Klokgebouw, students from Amsterdam’s Academie van Bouwkunst have displayed their designs for the bricks of the future. Producing bricks is both energy and material intensive, so the students have spent the past three months working with three brick manufacturers from across The Netherlands, experimenting with substitute materials and shapes that require less energy to make. The resulting forms—zigzags, crosses, and lozenges—also produce interesting textural effects as they are stacked into walls.
The best brick on show however, goes to Rotterdam-based practice MVRDV, and the solid glass block that they developed for Chanel’s Amsterdam storefront together with the Technical University at Delft, ABT and Poesia. The brick is part of the Product section of the Dutch Design Awards, on show here as an object in its own right rather than simply one element, albeit a notable one, in a wider architecture project. They’re displayed, unglued, in a low wall through which light can refract and where, since they’re unfixed, they can be handled by visitors.
Heavier than they initially appear, smoothly polished, and with rounded corners they come across as an unlikely construction material – they lack the rough edges and appearance of toughness you would typically expect. They look instead like really expensive paperweights, and yet they are also able to meet the stringent demands of being the main structural element in a load bearing facade. MVRDV’s larger claim for them—that creating buildings with transparent glass walls will transform architecture and our cities—didn’t stack up in the early 20th Century, and almost certainly doesn’t stack up now. That said the bricks that they have created are an impressive aesthetic and technical achievement.
The strength of Dutch Design Week lies in the close links between the work of design schools and the younger designers who are driven primarily by the exploration of concepts, alongside wider industry, whose main interest is in presenting goods for sale.
Sig Nordal 