design – Page 189 – Sig Nordal

De Rede Amsterdam / Global Architects

September 23, 2016signordalLeave a comment

Architects: Global Architects
Location: The Netherlands, Amsterdam
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Mirko Merchiori

Contractor: Bot Bouw
Project Architects: Tomáš Beránek, Arthur S. Nuss

From the architect. If you say Amsterdam, you say canals. Everyone knows the image of the canal houses, lined up side by side, each building with its own character. This streetscape is the result of private customers’ initiative, who had their building designed according to their own taste. In the Amsterdam Houthavens (literally Wood Ports), history is repeated. In the river IJ, seven artificial islands are being created which will offer space to groups of private buyers to design their own dream house at the waterfront. The result: a varied array of facades with eye-catching architecture. From a transshipment port, the Houthaven will morph into the hippest new neighbourhood of Amsterdam, offering space for locals and professionals alike.

CPO De Rede

The building ‘De Rede’, an initiative of Global Architects and Bot Bouw Initiatief, has been developed in Collective Private Commissioning (Collectief Particulier Opdrachtgeverschap, or CPO).

This form of development involves a group of private individuals who themselves retain control of the building process. It all starts with a vision: a group of people organize themselves around their idea of a dream home. Next, they will search for a location, an architect and, in many cases, involve a contractor to mitigate the (financial) risks. This way, CPO is also feasible for people without private funds. Together with this team, the residents will shape their own ideal building. They will determine –within the possibilities of the lot– the price level, architecture, materialization, provisioning, and collective utilities of the building. Together with the architect, each of the participants will also design their own home. The architect is commissioned to convert all these wishes into a progressive design.

De Rede emerged from the desire of the group to build at the waterfront in an exciting new neighbourhood of Amsterdam, and from the wish for an affordable building with a luxurious appeal. Together with the residents, Arthur Nuss has designed a modern canal-side house in which each dwelling has its own character. The mixed programme, with apartments of 36m2 to 160m2, appeals to a wide variety of people. De Rede was delivered as a shell and completed by its residents according to their own taste.

Architecture

De Rede consists of two different buildings that share a number of features: they are relatives. The larger building at the Haparandaweg and the ‘canal-side houses’ at the Houthavens are intimately linked. For the facades of the complex, a solution was sought that ensured both the unity of the building and left room for the private interpretation of each resident. The facade panels, balconies, and conservatories are different for each house, which allows the building to retain its dynamic character within a collective design. The old-time feel of the canal houses is most palpable at the side of Houthavens. The larger building behind it is more minimalist and matches the desire for robust and modern living.

In order to emphasize the port area’s original character, the materials chosen have a raw look. Robust fencing, stucco, large glass panels and rough hardwood give the place an industrial feel.

Sustainability: climate neutral

De Rede is 100% carbon-neutral. A number of applications were instrumental in achieving this: on the roof, photovoltaic panels have been installed for the generation of solar energy. To reduce energy consumption, the houses are well insulated through the use of HR++ glass. The water from the river IJ is used for heat/cold storage so that, in combination with floor heating, little extra energy needs to be added.

These measures comply with the agreements made between the municipality and the developers to turn the Houthaven into a 100% carbon-neutral neighbourhood. Sustainable construction is key to the Houthaven and the entire energy requirement is generated in a sustainable way.

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Santiago Calatrava Designs New Office Building Integrated into Zurich’s Stadelhofen Station

September 23, 2016signordalLeave a comment

Santiago Calatrava has unveiled plans for a new office building in the city center of Zurich, Switzerland. The new five-story building will be integrated into Stadelhofen Station, the transit hub and city landmark also designed by Calatrava in 1990.

“This 21st century office building in the heart of Zurich interplays with the area’s streetscape and adds to its vibrancy by encouraging bicycle use and improving pedestrians’ connection to the Stadelhofen Station,” said Calatrava.

Commissioned by Swiss insurer AXA, the new building is envisioned as part of an initiative to expand transit-oriented design in the Swiss city and increase connectivity throughout the metro area. Nearly 80,000 commuters travel through Stadelhofen Station each day, many of whom are cyclists. This has caused the plaza space in front of the station to become overcrowded with bicycles. Calatrava’s design will directly address this problem by including approximately 1,000 underground parking spaces specifically for bikes.

Calatrava was selected by AXA for “his commitment to innovative, functional design and to ensure consistency with the adjacent station’s architecture and appropriateness within the surrounding city fabric.”

The building comes after Zurich’s City Council passed new development regulations on the project’s site of Kreuzbühlstrasse 1, allowing for the construction of “an avant-garde building that would provide bicycle parking for both neighborhood riders and station users.”

Calatrava’s redesign of Stadelhofen Station opened in 1990, becoming the first rapid-transit system to be built in Switzerland. It has since become the country’s seventh busiest rail station as well as one of eight railway stations worldwide designed by Calatrava.

News via Santiago Calatrava Architects & Engineers.

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660 Congress Street / Present Architecture

September 23, 2016signordalLeave a comment

Architects: Present Architecture
Location: Portland, ME, USA
Area: 700.0 sqm
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Robert Deitchler

General Contractor: Bayhill Building and Design
Structural Engineer: Engineering Design Professionals

PRESENT Architecture, a New York City-based architecture practice, is proud to announce the opening of 660 Congress Street, a designated landmark building, which they have transformed into a contemporary residential and retail space that defines the ambitions of an emerging design-minded Portland, Maine. Located at the corner of Congress Street and Longfellow Square, it’s situated in the thriving Portland arts district near the famed art museum, Maine College of Art, acclaimed restaurants, and a short walk to the harbor.

Originally built in 1886, 660 Congress Street had been abandoned for many years when a fire, followed by prolonged water exposure, destroyed its interior. In 2011, under new ownership, it was determined that the compromised structure and deteriorating brickwork required immediate attention and that the building needed a comprehensive rehabilitation.

PRESENT approached the $2M redesign with a vision to revitalize the landmarked facade and modernize the building’s interior, allowing the spaces to flow fluidly together. The 7,500 square foot structure was completed in 2016, and includes a pair of two-bedroom apartments, and a light filled commercial space on the ground floor with a spacious basement retail space.

The fire presented a clean slate for the architects, and their approach was to create a new design aware of the past, but not bound to it. “After researching local records, we couldn’t find any documentation of the interiors. We returned to the historical facade, tracing the silhouette of the mansard roof with gently curving walls. At the third floor ceiling, the expansive volume of the roof is revealed with dramatic coffers that bring light into the spaces through skylights and hidden architectural lighting,” said Andre Guimond, co-founder and partner of PRESENT Architecture.

In other areas, fragments of history were left untouched, like arched doorways, fireplaces, original brickwork, and fire escapes that were converted to balconies for the apartments. The new residential entrance features a blackened steel stair with solid white oak treads, fabricated by a local Maine welder. The thin industrial lines of the steel balusters continue along the stair for three stories, casting shadows from the overhead skylights onto the space’s exposed historic brick. Everywhere, there are high quality materials and building methods that reinforce the ambitions of the renovation. Many of the modern improvements are hidden from view, such as new HVAC and utilities, code compliant structural work, and upgraded environmental and life safety systems.

The front facade on Congress Street features meticulously rehabilitated brickwork and ornamental terracotta, a restored slate mansard roof, and large floor to ceiling storefront display windows that were added in the early 20th century to capture the attention of passing pedestrians and motorists. Noteworthy improvements to the facade include the replacement of the double hung windows, and refurbishment of the leaded glass transoms. New copper roofs were installed, and unsightly downspouts which had been haphazardly attached to the facade over the years, were returned to their original concealed brick pockets. The pressed tin frieze and dentil ornamentation were both carefully restored on site, while the rotted wood storefront window frames were replaced in kind.

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NYPL’s Stunning Rose Main Reading Room to Open After Two-Year Renovation

September 23, 2016signordalLeave a comment

This article was originally published by 6sqft as “PHOTOS: After two-year renovation, NYPL’s historic Rose Main Reading Room will reopen October 5th.”

After being closed for a two-year restoration, the New York Public Library’s historic Rose Main Reading Room and Bill Blass Public Catalog Room will reopen to the public ahead of schedule on Wednesday, October 5th at 10am.

The $12 million project, managed by Tishman Construction Corporation, came about in May 2014 when an ornamental plaster rosette fell 52 feet from the Reading Room’s ceiling. In addition to recreating and replacing this piece, all 900 rosettes in both rooms were reinforced with steel cables. Other work included the recreation of a 27′ x 33′ James Wall Finn mural on the ceiling of the Catalog Room and the restoration of the chandeliers. To mark the occasion, the NYPL has shared an incredible collection of photographs documenting the restoration work and the Rose Main Reading Room with nearly all scaffolding removed.

EverGreene Architectural Arts were tasked with recreating the mural. Unlike those in the Reading Room, also by James Wall Finn, this one had not been restored in the 1990s, and therefore it was determined that its loss of original paint, discoloration, and patch jobs were irreparable.

The Reading Room ceilings before restoration. Image © Jonathan Blanc / NYPL

The recreated ceiling mural in the studio before installation. Image © Jonathan Blanc / NYPL

While the work was going on in the Reading Room, the historic oak desks and their brass lamps, which are bolted to the floor, had to be covered. Aurora Lighting restored the chandeliers and added LED lights.

Not only will the rooms be open for research and study, but there will be daily tours of the building including these two spaces at 11am and 2pm.

And while this work was going on, the Library was also busy moving materials into a new, $23 million state-of-the-art storage facility below Bryant Park. This project was conceived after controversy over a previous plan to move the research collection to New Jersey and will be complete by early 2017. The new space will hold 4.3 million research volumes, allowing the Library to “fill over 90 percent of research requests with materials located on-site.” To do this, they also installed a $2.6 million modern conveyor system that uses 24 individual cars to bring these materials up from storage to the Rose Main Reading Room.

The New York Public Library is celebrating the re-opening with a free exhibition of these and many more photographs at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. “Preserving a Masterpiece: From Soaring Ceilings to Subterranean Storage” will be on view until October 9th, and will also include historic photos from the construction of the building and its early years, as well as two decorative plaster rosettes from the Rose Main Reading Room ceiling.

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Zaha Hadid Architects’ Antwerp Port House Photographed by Laurian Ghinitoiu

September 23, 2016signordalLeave a comment

Zaha Hadid Architects’ new Port House in the Belgian city of Antwerp, which has been almost a decade in planning and construction, officially opens this week. A monumental new structure sits above a repurposed and renovated (formerly derelict) fire station, providing a new headquarters for Europe’s second largest shipping port. Housing 500 staff, who will now be under the same roof for the first time, the building represents a sustainable and future-proof workplace for its employees. Photographer Laurian Ghinitoiu has visited to capture his unique perspective on this new addition to the city’s crane-covered skyline.

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James River House / Architecture Firm

September 23, 2016signordalLeave a comment

Architects: Architecture Firm
Location: Scottsville, VA 24590, United States
Area: 2200.0 ft2
Photographs: James Ewing

Builder: Peter Johnson Builders

From the architect. The James River House was designed as a place for three young boys. It is a place where they can grow and learn from their surroundings – experience mud, moths, flowing water, and the changing light of the seasons; a place that would allow for many gatherings of all the people who love them.

Three volumes hover above a bluff alongside a bend in the James River, arranged loosely and lightly on the land like a scattered group of stones around a campfire. As a visitor slips between the volumes, the house opens up to light and river views and the fully enveloping woods.

The quiet yet open interior is built around a large and flexible gathering space that can be intimate, expansive, interior, or exterior. Flanked by sleeping quarters, this central living area is at once hearth, tree house, and dining hall and is the nexus of activity for the family and the three boys who fill the house with light and motion.

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LOT-EK Architecture Uses Recycled Shipping Containers for Its New Structure in Socrates Sculpture Park

September 23, 2016signordalLeave a comment

Courtesy of Lot-EK and Socrates Sculpture Park

Perched on Long Island City’s waterfront, Socrates Sculpture Park is celebrating its 30^th anniversary with its first permanent structure.

Its form? Cubes.

LOT-EK architecture firm’s “The Cubes” — initially commissioned for New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art — is composed of eighteen recycled shipping containers that create two levels of indoor space. The building’s 960 square feet of flexible interior space promises a multi-functional facility, with most areas built for holding classes of up to 70 people.

We are thrilled to create a new home that will expand our programmatic possibilities and secure our future as an arts organization in New York City, says Executive Director, John Hatfield.

In addition to educational and office areas, a 480 square foot deck and solar-paneled rooftop adds to the structure. Floor to ceiling windows allows natural light and generous views of the park and skyline below, while the interior provides year-round opportunities for exhibitions.

Socrates Sculpture Park draws 150,000 people annually. Formerly a landfill, this Queen’s culture-hub was revitalized in 1986 and now features contemporary art exhibitions, an international film festival, and educational youth programs. “The Cubes” maintain the park’s fundamental intention: adaptable re-use.

The growth of Socrates Sculpture Park from an abandoned landfill and illegal dumpsite into one of New York City’s internationally recognized cultural destinations is a reflection on the great borough of Queens and our emphasis on supporting arts and culture at all levels, noted Queens Borough President Melinda Katz in a press release.

Plans for the structure will be shown to the Queen Community Board 1 – an appointed advisory group for city services in the area – on Tuesday, September 20th. Over the past thirty years, more than 1,000 artists have featured at Socrates Sculpture Park, the park is currently showcasing “Concave Room for Bees,” an earthwork by Meg Webster.

News via: Socrates Sculpture Park

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Froscen Architects Unveils Sustainable Micro-Houses to be Built on WWII Phone Bunker

September 23, 2016signordalLeave a comment

Dutch firm Froscen Architects has unveiled FOON HOUSE(S), a tiny house concept in Leiden, the Netherlands. To be built on a former communications bunker from World War II in the middle of the city, the design focuses on the adaptive reuse of a small concrete complex overgrown with ivy.

The project will consist of four separate micro-houses on top of the bunker, each with a floor space of about 38 square meters, and equipped with necessary facilities.

The first floor of each house will contain the living area and kitchen, which will have room for a dining table and storage bench. The top floor will feature space for a double bed and sitting area, the bathroom and a built-in wardrobe. Each house will additionally have a private outdoor terrace.

Our aim with the design is two-fold, stated the firm. On the one hand we want to promote the concept of Tiny Houses in the Netherlands by building and example for all people to see. On the other hand we want to give the bunker a more prominent role in the history of the city by ‘crowning’ it with a more modern architecture. This way the story behind the bunker can become a part of the collective consciousness of the citizens of Leiden.

The houses will be constructed almost entirely of wood, in order to contrast with the heavy concrete of the bunker below. Each façade will feature a structure of wooden ribs against a black background, which will appear to change color as users walk by.

In line with Passive House principles, the walls of the houses will be nearly 30 centimeters thick to lower energy consumption and heating costs. Similarly, the houses will utilize natural cooling processes, as well as sustainable features like rainwater collection, solar heating, and LED lighting.

News via Froscen Architects.

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Haus zur Blume / Marazzi Reinhardt

September 23, 2016signordalLeave a comment

Architects: Marazzi Reinhardt
Location: Löhningen, Switzerland
Area: 400.0 sqm
Project Year: 2013
Photographs: Ramon Spaeti

Zur Blume is a baroque farmhouse in the center of the municipality of Löhningen, a small village in the north of Switzerland. The building is part of the historical row development along the main street. The space where the barn once stood was left as a void for years. The new building, which extends the main house, fills this empty space. In this way, two generous flats, flexible in their use and with different spacial qualities, are created as a new ensemble.

The aim of the extension is to provide spacial varieties to both apartments: a ground level access, two floors, cellars, a filtered and private exterior space. It is was a design objective that both units should be able to profit from the specific qualities of the old and the new building. Therefore the two apartments share the old and the new construction overlapping each other through a vertical organization. The atmospheric and structural qualities developed become tangible: the arched cellar, the baroque living rooms, the generous, the neutral space of the extension and the mazed gardens. A shell, made out of lamellas, surrounds the new building completing the facade on the street. The facade is permeable, the wall as well as the roof, obtaining copious light. In spite of the porosity of the new building, from the street the new intervention is clearly readable and refers to the original barn in its volumetry and materiality. The substance of the existing house, where possible, was restored and transformed.

The extension distinguishes itself from the existing building through its prosaic and economic use of materials. It finds its richness in the geometry of the spaces and in the lighting qualities.

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Experience the “Brutal Faith” of Gottfried Böhm’s Pilgrimage Church in Neviges

September 23, 2016signordalLeave a comment

Courtesy LOBBY Magazine. Image © Laurian Ghinitoiu

This exclusive photo essay by Laurian Ghinitoiu is featured in the fifth issue of LOBBY. Available later this month, the London-based magazine—published in cooperation with the Bartlett School of Architecture—examines the theme of “Faith” as a fervent drive, a dangerous doctrine, a beautifully fragile yet enduring construct, an unapologetic excuse, a desperate call for attention and a timely consideration on architectural responsibility.

In 1986 the Pritzker Architecture Prize announced their first German laureate. In a speech at the ceremony in London’s Goldsmiths’ Hall, the Duke of Gloucester suggested that the prize “may not guarantee immorality,” inferring, perhaps, that not even the most prestigious award in architecture could compete with an œuvre so compact, focussed and enduring as that of Gottfried Böhm – a “son, grandson, husband, and father of architects.”

The Pilgrimage Church in Neviges (a small hamlet close to Dusseldorf, Germany) was conceived in the context of an invited international competition—issued in 1962—and a progressive client: the Archdiocese of Köln and, to be precise, Archbishop Josef Cardinal Frings. The resulting structure, which required 7,500 cubic metres of concrete and 510 tons of steel-reinforcing bar—along with its Via Sacra and surrounding buildings—is one of the most decisive, significant and unsung spaces of the twentieth century.

This photo essay was originally published by LOBBY Magazine in advance of their fifth issue, Faith. You can find out more about the issue, which launches on the 30 September 2016, here.

About LOBBY #5: “Faith”

People, no matter how different, have always felt protected under the aegis of a common belief and have united to accomplish the unthinkable. But faith can too easily become a fossilised creed, begging the question, at what point do inspiring and everlasting morals turn into inescapable dogmas carved into old stones? In 21st Century architectural discourse, where does our faith lie? The fifth issue of LOBBY aims at a critical reflection on the theme of “Faith” as a fervent drive, a dangerous doctrine, a beautifully fragile yet enduring construct, an unapologetic excuse, a desperate call for attention and a timely consideration on architectural responsibility. Exclusive features in the issue include interviews with Caroline Bos (UNStudio), Jason Surrell and Maurizius Staerkle-Drux.

LOBBY #3: Meaningful Defiance in a Disengaged Culture

‘Defiance’ manifests itself in many forms: riots in Baltimore, makeshift housing in Rwanda, Pink Floyd in Venice and plants growing where they ought not sprout. To defy the norm is an act of rebellion and in architecture, doubly so.

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LOBBY #2: Projecting Forward, Looking Back
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LOBBY: The Spectacle Of The “Un/Spectacle”
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