Casa Candelaria, Located at the outsides of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, was conceived under concepts that detonate the strength in it presence and belonging to the place where it uproots, for which it was decided to return to the program of the Mexican haciendas and solve the new house around courtyards which themselves contain an activity that represents the tension and the relationship between the functions of the volumes that surround it.
Another key intention for the design development was the decision to use as constructive method rammed earth walls, with natural aggregates that allows the earth to become black toned that seeks the integration and mimicry with the environment where it was intended that the main element outside was the vegetation.
Floor Plan
As for the benefits that the use of rammed earth gives us, is the thermal storage because of the thickness of 50cm, in a place of extreme weather, as San Miguel de Allende, it´s sought to achieve spaces that during the day could stay fresh and at night preserve the thermal gain they achieve during the day and radiate it into the interior, in order to create warm spaces. This strategy along with saving on the purchase and transfer of materials from distant places, make the construction time, cost and functional outcome to optimize in the best way possible.
Volumetrically the house solves each of the areas independently, creating blocks of black soil with predominance of solid and opening to the nature that surrounds the volumes through gaps that arise from floor to a 2.44m height where privacy and control of light is given by wooden blinds, revolving plates that generate an aperture and a total integration with the outdoor space.
Programmatically the project uproots in an area of 4 hectares and consists of a master house, the big house, another smaller houses, the guest house, a club house, the caretaker’s house and a jogging track 1km long that unites and represents all the project itself, giving way along its route activities, contemplation and transit between the volumes that make up the hole house.
The big house consists of 12 volumes that are organized around 2 large courtyards, dividing public and private areas of the house with 930sqm and 630sqm of outdoor areas between patios, terraces, pool and gardens and two interior corridors that weave the total volumes outwards.
The guesthouse consists of 4 volumes connected by a covered courtyard and 200sqm of construction. The materials used in this project as key players are compacted soil walls, parota wood indoor and archaeological stone outdoor, accompanied lesser extent of concrete, blacksmithing and tile floors.
ArchDaily recently posted an interesting article on using animated GIFs for architectural drawings. The article had some great examples but was short on details of how to actually create these images.
I was curious how to create animated GIFs using Revit so I looked into the process. It turns out it’s pretty easy, provided you’re systematic when creating your views and have access to photo-editing software, like PhotoShop. Want to try it yourself? Follow the steps below to create your own animated GIFs in Revit.
Step 1 – Create Views in Revit
Animated GIFs work best when you use a consistent view point and change something within the view, like the visibility of elements or the cutting plane of a section box. For this example, I’m going to change the cutting plane of a section box so my GIF will animate the the movement of the section through the building.
To start, I create the initial 3D view and turn on the section box. This is my starting view so I make sure the section box isn’t cutting the building. I name this view with a “_01” suffix. I also create a new 3D view template and add it to this view. I’ll use this template to control the visibility of the section box in all the animation views.
Courtesy of ArchSmarter
Once that’s done, I duplicate the view, move the section box into the building by about 20 feet and rename the view with an “02” suffix.
Courtesy of ArchSmarter
I continue this process of duplicating the view, moving the section box, and renaming the view until the section box has passed through the entire building.
Courtesy of ArchSmarter
Try to use at least 8 – 10 images. The more images, the smoother your animation.
Once I’ve created all the views, I edit my view template and turn off the section box.
Step 2 – Export Images
Now that you have all the images created, export them using the “Export Image” dialog. Go to the Revit button, select “Export” then choose “Images and Animations” and finally, “Image”. This will launch the “Export Image” dialog.
Courtesy of ArchSmarter
In the “Export Image” dialog, select the views to export in the “Export Range” section. I like to use PNG files so, in the “Format” section, I select PNG for “Shaded views” and “Non shaded views”. Also, set the image size for the images in the “Image Size” section. I like to use 600 pixels horizontal for animated GIFs.
Courtesy of ArchSmarter
Select the output folder then click “OK” to export the images.
Step 3 – Load Images into PhotoShop
Now that we have the image files for our animation, we need to put them in the GIF file and animate them. To do this, we’re going to use Photoshop. The first step is to load the individual image files as layers using the “Load Files into Stack” script. To access the script, go to File > Scripts > Load Files into Stack.
Courtesy of ArchSmarter
Each image will appear as an individual layer in the “Layers” dialog box, as shown below.
Courtesy of ArchSmarter
Step 4 – Open Timeline
Photoshop has a cool feature that lets you manipulate an image over time. We’re going to use this to create the animated GIF. To open the Timeline window, go to Window > Timeline. This will open the Timeline window at the bottom of your screen.
Courtesy of ArchSmarter
With the Timeline window open, click the “Create Frame Animation” button, as shown below. If you don’t see the “Create Frame Animation” button, don’t worry. Just skip to the next step below.
Courtesy of ArchSmarter
Once you’ve done that, click the menu button on the far right-hand side of the Timeline window and select “Make Frames from Layers”. This will import all the layers into the timeline.
Courtesy of ArchSmarter
The individual images that we imported as layers will make up the key frames of our animation as shown in the image below.
Courtesy of ArchSmarter
Step 5 – Set Animation Settings
Now that we have all the frames of our animation, we can specify the time interval between each frame as well as how many times the animation should repeat.
First, shift-click and highlight all the frames in the timeline. Once you have them all selected, click the “0 sec.” drop-down on one of the images and choose your interval. I like 0.5 seconds but you should experiment to see what works best for you.
Courtesy of ArchSmarter
Next, select how often the animation should repeat. I like my animated GIFs to loop continuously so I select the “Forever” option as shown in the image below.
Courtesy of ArchSmarter
To test your animation, click the “Play” button at the bottom of the Timeline window. This will cycle through all the images in your animation.
Step 6 – Export the GIF
Our animated GIF is all set. We just need to export the file. Go to File > Save for Web to open the “Save for Web” dialog.
Courtesy of ArchSmarter
In the “Save for Web” dialog, choose your GIF options. I typically select the “GIF 128 Dithered” preset at the top right-hand side of the dialog. You can also specify your final image size in the “Image Size” section.
Courtesy of ArchSmarter
Once everything looks good, click “Save” and specify the location where you want to save the file. That’s it!
Step 7 – View Your GIF
To view your GIF, drag the file into a web browser, like Chrome or Firefox. This will play the animation automatically.
If you want to step through the file manually, open the GIF in an image viewer like Windows Live Photo Gallery.
Here’s another animation of the same model:
Conclusion
Animated GIFs are a lightweight and easy way to create more dynamic architectural diagrams. Using the steps above, you can quickly express your design intent in a very compact format. If a picture is worth a thousand words, an animated GIF is worth at least a few dozen pictures, right?
How about you? Have you used animated GIFs on your website or in a presentation? If so, what methods have you used to create the diagrams? Leave a comment below!
The PLAY-TIME apartments is a project of seven units for short term rental in Ciudad Lineal, Madrid. The developer chose the place because he was looking for an oasis in the city. As architects , we proposed to intensify that condition. The movement of the building gives each housing with its own terrace and the construction system provides its own garden in the perimeter. The units, two per floor , are independently assembled on a vertical core -with elevator and services- so they can be oriented freely, limited only by urban conditions and the spiral staircase that climbs around the perimeter, to which they turn their backs.
Diagram
The result is seven tree houses, surrounded by more than forty different species of climbing plants, chosen according to the orientation, whether they are evergreen or deciduous, their leaves and fruit color, flowering period, smells and textures. Thus the green tapestry provides the main architectural features of the envelope (solar and hygrothermal control, vision and intimacy adjustments) and a catalog of sensorial experiences.
As a result, the building collects the aspirations of the developer as well as disciplinary obsessions (the vertical garden, the spiral organization, typological subversions, and the apparently free and in-formal envelope shape) but it does so in a way we had to learn everything along the way and we now feel that we could not do without any of the elements without sacrificing the entire project.
Architecture Research Office and FilzFelt have teamed up to create ARO Block, a series of modular acoustic tiles that provide sound control in a customizable, easy-to-install system. Generated from remnant material of FilzFelt’s CNC cut products, which are often times small, ARO Block not only creates distinct felt tile patterns but also prevents leftover fabric from going to waste.
Courtesy of FilzFelt
Inspired by geometry, spoke systems, and architectural shingles and cladding, ARO Block tiles are 3 mm, 100% Wool Design Felt mounted to a thin 10 mm virgin PET acoustic substrate.
Courtesy of FilzFelt
The tiles are available in 63 wool felt colors, and several geometric shapes such as triangles and irregular four-, six- and eight-sided figures. Put together, these tiles additionally create geometrical voids.
Courtesy of FilzFelt
Courtesy of FilzFelt
Since 2008, we have been committed to our reuse policy, notes FilzFelt’s co-founder and Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Traci Roloff. All offcuts and remnants produced during our manufacturing process are collected and repurposed into sampling, products, or sold to customers requiring smaller quantities. As our manufacturing volume has increased, we’ve been challenged with finding new uses for our remnant inventory. Our company has made efforts to seek out design and production partnerships to establish new uses for our remnants.
In 1978, Australian ecologists David Holmgren and Bill Mollison coined for the first time the concept of permaculture as a systematic method. For Mollison, “permaculture is the philosophy of working with and not against nature, after a long and thoughtful observation.” [1] Meanwhile, Holmgren defines the term as “those consciously designed landscapes which simulate or mimic the patterns and relationships observed in natural ecosystems.” [2]
In 2002, Holmgren published the bookPermaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability, defining 12 design principles that can be used as a guide when generating sustainable systems. These principles can be applied to all daily processes in order to humanize those processes, increase efficiency, and in the long term ensure the survival of mankind.
What if we apply them to the design process of an architectural project?
“By taking the time to engage with nature we can design solutions that suit our particular situation.” – David Holmgren
According to Holmgren, the first principle is focused on the observation of nature, in order to understand the elements of the system in which we are working, before acting on it. Attempts to understand and really engage with the situation we face should naturally lead to a deep reflection that allows us to deliver an appropriate response.
In architecture, before sitting down to design, you need to ask yourself: What is the real need of the user of the project I’m designing? What is the context that surrounds it? How can I respond to this need in the most efficient and appropriate way possible?
Connecting with the user and interacting with the context of the project will facilitate our conscious process when engaging with the commission. We will have fewer opportunities to make erroneous assumptions and will be obliged to respect the users’ pre-existing conditions and specific circumstances. A good architecture project will result if we are attentive to the clues that we are receiving.
“By developing systems that collect resources when they are abundant, we can use them in times of need.” – David Holmgren
The “green fever” that overtook architecture a few years ago relies on a rather passive sustainability, with the aim of achieving real efficiency in every possible way. However, beyond the “sustainable techniques” that can be applied, an appropriate question in regards to this principle might be: how do we deliver the best possible architecture using only the available resources, or even less?
Although architecture itself can function as a system to capture, store and use available resources such as the wind, sunlight, and rainwater, our responsibility as architects should not be narrowed down to these methods.
We must be aware that each line that we draw on our plan has an associated cost, a footprint. It makes no sense to raise large skyscrapers full of solar panels if your single construction generates a huge waste of resources and a series of negative externalities in other areas.
“Ensure that you are getting truly useful rewards as part of the work that you are doing.” – David Holmgren
For this principle, Holmgren says that “you can’t work on an empty stomach,” ensuring that we get immediate rewards to sustain ourselves. He adds that the designed systems should ensure the survival of the community without compromising their future and that productivity should be measured in terms of the real products from the effort that was invested.
Beyond the fair and necessary monetary payment we receive for our work, our performance and productivity as architects should be measurable in relation to all the positive externalities that our projects are generating.
An architecture project has the ability to greatly influence the context in which it operates, and we can’t lose the opportunity to identify and develop its potential benefits to the greatest extent possible. A project can’t be considered sustainable if it only fills our pockets but does not “surrender” positively in other ways, or worse, if it harms its environment.
“We need to discourage inappropriate activity to ensure that systems can continue to function well.” – David Holmgren
This principle is represented by the planet Earth, with the idea of showing the most visible “example of a self-regulating ‘organism’ which is subject to feedback controls, like global warming.” The proverb used to describe it suggests that this negative feedback usually takes time to emerge, and the impact of our actions are not immediately visible.
In the case of architecture, we are generally prepared to plan our designs for the present, but not to think too much about what will happen with them in the future. It makes sense to do it that way, because our work needs to fit a user and a context in particular, with needs and requirements that are relevant today. How can we rid ourselves of an unpredictable and unfavorable future?
The key is just to “self-regulate” what we propose, in order to discourage, prevent or rethink the design answers (and/or related activities) that at least today, we can identify as inappropriate.
“Make the best use of nature’s abundance to reduce our consumptive behavior and dependence on non-renewable resources.” – David Holmgren
For this point, the call is to “let nature take its course,” to the greatest extent possible, and Holmgren gives us a somewhat extreme but clear example to understand its depth. The building of the Argentine Permaculture Institute was designed and built with straw and earth, materials that if not maintained – to allow life inside the building – will slowly return again back to earth. Its impact is minimal and its service life is directly associated with its use.
This is a difficult principle to apply because we are used to – and we were trained to – use materials, systems and services based on (nonrenewable) fossil fuel processes, but it challenges us to incorporate as many resources as possible which can be restored at a rate higher than their consumption.
Solar, wind, hydro and geothermal energy, or biomass and biofuels, can be effective options to explore which allow the operation of our “off-grid” projects; while some renewable materials like adobe, cork, straw and bamboo can provide good alternatives if properly applied. Woods produced through sustainable forestry techniques can also be added to this list.
“By valuing and making use of all the resources that are available to us, nothing goes to waste.” – David Holmgren
This principle is simply based on using all the resources we have available, avoiding waste of material. It’s easy to waste when we have abundance, but what would we do if there were no warehouses filled with construction materials to build our projects?
We grew up in a profligate world, and as architects, from our first months at university we begin to spend more than necessary. Every week we make models and print meters of sheets of paper; expensive materials in many cases quickly end up in the trash. In professional life, the plotter is continuously hard at work and our old models are amplified to the scale 1:1.
Why not always design from the standard dimensions of materials to avoid waste? Why not consider whether it is really necessary that our housing project measures 6500 square feet, or whether that cantilever or that curved wall that force us to spend increasingly scarce resources are justified?
“By stepping back, we can observe patterns in nature and society. These can form the backbone of our designs, with the details filled in as we go.” – David Holmgren
To explain this principle, Holmgren gives the example of the spider’s web: each is unique, however, the geometric pattern of spiral rings is universal.
Many times we are told in architecture school that it’s not necessary to “re-invent the wheel” every time we undertake a new project. There are many operations, dimensions and spatial configurations that are obvious and effective for architecture because they arise directly from previous experience and the behavior of human beings.
If we follow these proven patterns using common sense, we will be working on a solid and unquestionable basis, which can then lead to a project’s full potential through its development. The details, as part of our particular contribution, move away from mere ornament to emerge as an added value, that supports and gives identity and specificity to the response.
“By putting the right things in the right place, relationships develop between them and they support each other.” – David Holmgren
This principle is clear and we all have seen it at university or in our working life: “many hands make light work.” It is likely that working together will allow us to reach a better result, because we can share strategies, compare views, and question our ideas with each other, in addition to speeding up a process that individually could take longer and be less effective, or even wrong. But we can go further:
Our designs can be really integrated if all the elements that constitute them are adequately working together, forming a cohesive whole, where nothing is lacking and nothing is superfluous.
Moreover, the possibility is in our hands to define the way the designed space will be inhabited in the future, and in that sense it’s possible to incorporate subtle operations that encourage integration among users, creating spaces of friction and meeting that come into balance with those essential private spaces for individual development.
“Small and slow systems are easier to maintain than big ones, making better use of local resources that produce more sustainable outcomes.” – David Holmgren
At this point, the “maintenance” concept arises as a subject that is far more important than it seems, because the larger a building is, the more resources and processes are required to preserve it and prevent its decay.
If we as architects are really committed to a project and its future, we will try to make our design minimize and facilitate maintenance requirements, from its materials to the size and the configuration of spaces.
A good building should require minimal attention from its users, allowing them to realize their activities without constantly concerning themselves over malfunctioning systems or materials that show excessive wear.
If a project’s dimensions are adjusted to the real needs of the customer, it is more efficient in its construction because it uses fewer hands and fewer resources. In turn, it becomes easier to achieve thermal comfort, facilitating the heating and cooling of interiors, and even improves other everyday issues such as simplifying cleaning.
“Diversity reduces vulnerability to a variety of threats and takes advantage of the unique nature of the environment in which it resides.” – David Holmgren
In this tenth principle, Holmgren says “don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” stating that diversity “offers insurance against the variations of our environment.”
If we take notice, a city has different types of buildings, with different sizes, configurations, and orientations. Each was intended to respond to the specific conditions of each site and particular user. If instead, we find neighborhoods where absolutely all houses are the same, something is wrong. Why should a house located on the main street be equal to one that is located in a quiet side street with little movement? Why should a home that receives plenty of light from the north be equal to one that is oriented more towards the south? It makes no sense.
Diversity reflects a certain specificity in the responses that each architect has delivered, allowing each project to be designed in accordance with the circumstances surrounding it.
“The interface between things is where the most interesting events take place. These are often the most valuable, diverse and productive elements in the system.” – David Holmgren
“Don’t think you’re on the right path just because everyone else used it.” Holmgren is clear to say that the most popular technique does not always match with the best approach.
This principle tells us to seize and to value all the opportunities that at first glance don’t seem relevant, and to analyze the commission received with open eyes, allowing us to see beyond the obvious.
If our project seems to be moving in the wrong direction, it may be good to turn it around completely. If there aren’t variables contained within the site that help us to design, it might be good to look beyond the walls surrounding it.
On the edges, just by being outside the “norm” (or a centralized look), it could be that a series of spontaneous situations can happen which in most cases are correct because they arise naturally, without pressure or stereotypes. Our designs should arise in the same way; avoiding preconceived ideas and fashions that restrict us to working within certain margins, because we can easily ignore the “key point” of the project.
“We can have a positive impact on inevitable change by carefully observing, and then intervening at the right time.” – David Holmgren
Finally, Holmgren said that “the vision is not seeing things as they are but as they will be” and that “understanding change is much more than a linear projection.”
Although it is a difficult task, as architects we must be able to imagine the future. The buildings we are raising today make up the context for other architects in the following decades and somehow, we are determining what will continue to be used or not.
Our responsibility is to anticipate appropriately what is to come and the best way to do this is by making sure that each of our projects helps us orient ourselves, as human beings, to the best possible future.
Perhaps if we follow these 12 principles we would be closer to leaving a good legacy. It’s just common sense.
From the architect. The site is known as Utsikten (“The View”) and is a natural place to stop when driving over the Gaular mountain along the western coast of Norway. For those who have made the trek over the mountain itself, the site affords a sudden and surprising vista overlooking a majestic landscape. Conversely, for those driving up from below, Utsikten constitutes the ever visible apex of the ascent rising up through a series of hairpin bends.
CODE’s project at Utsikten is a large, triangular concrete platform situated right at the side of the road. The platform is 80 cm thick but appears to rest lightly atop the terrain with raised, wing-like corners that protrude outwards and upwards into the air. Similar to how a picnic blanket is neatly arranged in order to create the proper setting for a meal, the concrete platform at Utsikten has been developed to create the proper setting for the entire stopover. The cars drive all the way up to the outlook, and visitors can move around between the corners to experience the spectacular scenery from various angles.
Site Plan
In order to ensure the optimal placement for the finished project and exploit the site’s various qualities, the architects sketched the concept at full scale at the site itself. With the aid of a crane and ropes, the structure was constructed as a wire model over several rounds before finally being transferred into a 3D model, drawings, and the finished product.
The work on the concrete construction proved to be quite challenging because of the mountain’s location, the complex geometry, and the high demands to quality. In order to be as prepared as possible, the various actors involved in the construction project first participated in a trial construction of large sections of the platform in order to make common experiences and quality assure the given choices and approaches.
The finished platform appears as an independent, geometric, and precise object in the landscape. The materials and technology are familiar and robust, while it is the shape itself that is spectacular. Over time the concrete will acquire natural vegetation and its colour will approximate that of the surrounding mountainsides. The rails have been made from thick steel pipes as a visually conspicuous seam along the platform’s edges and reliefs, with outstretched nets that are more or less transparent. The concrete includes surfaces that have been milled, honed, sandblasted or board-sheathed in order to accentuate the platform’s shape and zonal divisions. The raised corners contain holes and reliefs that provide sitting and standing room, access to the restrooms, and egresses to the terrain, or that serve as an outlet for the rainwater amassed at the platform. During rainy weather it is also possible to seek shelter beneath these corners.
The European Space Agency's vizualisation of space debris orbiting Earth. Image Courtesy of "Are We Human" / 3. Istanbul Tasarim Bienali
The 3rd Istanbul Design Biennial, which will officially open on the 22nd October 2016 and last for four weeks, will ask the question: Are We Human? Encompassing a wide range of ideas related to The Design of the Species, from timeframes of 2 Seconds to 2 Days, 2 Years, 200 Years and 200,000 Years, the international show will revolve around one pressing provocation: that design itself needs to be redesigned. It will do so by exploring the intimate relationship between the concepts of “design” and “humanity.”
Five primary venues—the Galata Greek Primary School, Studio-X Istanbul and Depo in Karaköy, Alt in Bomonti, and the Istanbul Archaeological Museums in Sultanahmet—will house more than 70 projects by designers, architects, artists, historians, archaeologists and scientists from thirteen countries. In order to “rethink design from the very beginning of humanity,” the Biennial will be organised into four overlapping “clouds” of projects: Designing the Body, Designing the Planet, Designing Life, and Designing Time.
According to Deniz Ova, Director of Istanbul Design Biennial, the Biennial will “embrace the city wider than ever. Awaiting us this year is a Biennial that will foster a more intense discussion around its rich content, clustered around a striking theme.” She continues: “We profoundly believe that cultural events have the power to unify and heal; the reason why we are working towards the Biennial with great enthusiasm, together with our participants and our team. With our exhibitions and events we are aiming at creating a space for all our visitors to breathe and think.”
Humans have always been radically reshaped by the designs they produce and the world of design keeps expanding. We live in a time when everything is designed, from our carefully crafted individual looks and online identities, to the surrounding galaxies of personal devices, new materials, interfaces, networks, systems, infrastructures, data, chemicals, organisms, and genetic codes. The average day involves the experience of thousands of layers of design that reach to outer space but also reach deep into our bodies and brains.
Design has become the world and it is what makes the human. It is the basis of social life, from the very first artefacts to the exponential expansion of human capability. But design also engineers inequalities and new forms of neglect. More people than ever in history are forcibly displaced by war, lawlessness, poverty, and climate at the same time that the human genome and the weather are being actively redesigned. We can no longer reassure ourselves with the idea of “good design.” Design needs to be redesigned.
Marshmallow Laser Feast with Analog / Memex. Image Courtesy of "Are We Human" / 3. Istanbul Tasarim Bienali
From the curators. The array of projects presented in the Designing the Body section of the Biennial explores all the different ways in which the human body itself is an artefact that is continually reconstructed, from the unique way our hands work to the latest research on the brain. Designing the Planet presents a series of projects that ask us to rethink the human design of vast territories and ecologies. Designing Life looks at the new forms of mechanical, electronic and biological life that are being crafted. Designing Time presents a new kind of archaeology ranging from the deep time of the very first human tools and ornaments to the ways in which social media allows humans to redesign themselves and their artefacts in as little as 2 seconds.
The Academy Programme
The Biennial will host many exhibitions and projects through the Academy Programme, organised in collaboration with universities from Turkey and abroad. The Academy Programme will include products and ideas created through workshops, competitions and projects by various faculties and departments of the universities in their campuses.
Physician Thomas Klotzkowski cleans Florian Steiner, a doctor for tropical medicine, in Berlin. Image Courtesy of "Are We Human" / 3. Istanbul Tasarim Bienali
Embracing the City with “Creative Districts”
The inhabitants of the city will meet with design not only through the exhibition venues but also with the Creative Districts in the Biennial. The project will bring together the visitors with numerous professionals from small manufacturers and big brands, design and architecture studios in their own working spaces.
Creative Districts is a project in which designers and professionals from related fields in Beyoğlu and its surroundings; Beşiktaş, Şişli, Eminönü, Kuruçeşme and Sarıyer districts will find the opportunity to present their brands in their own neighbourhoods. Design-oriented brands in the city will come to the forefront in their own neighbourhoods with the project that will be experienced as a part of everyday life. Through works that will be presented within the scope of the project, the Biennial will integrate into the whole of the city and create an environment in which the phenomenon of design will be visible. Various events will also take place on the weekends throughout the Biennial as a part of the Creative Districts programme.
Chinese public health poster depicting the body as a machine (1930). Image Courtesy of "Are We Human" / 3. Istanbul Tasarim Bienali
Design Routes
Design Routes will include visits to several design offices, stores, ateliers, manufacturing sites and architectural buildings in different parts of the city, offering a brand new vision of Istanbul. The Design Routes—exploring, for example, Nişantaşı, Karaköy or Sultanahmet area—will create the opportunity for participants to observe and get information on several disciplines and stages of design.
Results of the Open Call for Video Submissions
Beatriz Colomina and Mark Wigley invited industrial and graphic designers, architects, artists, film producers, associations, and non-governmental organisations from around the world to submit two minute videos that address the theme Are We Human? posed by the Biennial. An international and interdisciplinary jury consisting of curators Beatriz Colomina and Mark Wigley, Director of Istanbul Film Festival Kerem Ayan, Director of the Storefront for Art and Architecture Eva Franch i Gilabert, artist and film producer Amie Siegel and curator Iván López Munuera evaluated more than 200 videos from 68 cities in 36 countries and selected five videos to be highlighted in the Biennial exhibition and catalogue. The other 141 submitted videos fulfilling the requirements of the Open Call will be presented in a dedicated section within the exhibition itself and will be online on the Biennial website.
The selected videos to be highlighted in the Biennial include:
Alper Raif İpek (Ankara, Turkey)
Dimitris Venizelos (New York, USA)
Görkem Özdemir (Istanbul, Tukey)
Jonathan Hadari, Simona Katsman (Tel Aviv, Israel)
The Biennial will inaugurate a special collaboration with e-flux, a publishing platform and archive for artist projects and curatorial platforms. Superhumanity is the first project by e-flux Architecture, initiated by Nikolaus Hirsch and Anton Vidokle (e-flux) in collaboration with the curators.
Superhumanity will introduce contributions from different fields that respond to the Biennial’s theme by exploring and challenging our understanding of the relationship between concepts of “self” and “design.” It aims to probe the radical implications of the idea that we are and always have been continuously reshaped by the artefacts we shape. These contributions will initially appear online as a series of dispatches circulated by e-flux as well as an installation in the Biennial exhibition, and subsequently as a book. The list of authors includes over fifty writers, scientists, artists, architects, designers, philosophers, historians, archaeologists and anthropologists. Contributions will be published every other day starting mid-September.
Turkey Design Chronology: Two Centuries of Design in Turkey Under Spotlight
Parallel to the theoretical framework of the 3rd Istanbul Design Biennial, a major chronological inventory is being assembled. It is an attempt to bring together fields such as packaging, graphic design, communication and advertisement, housing, furniture, landscape, industrial buildings, and others which have not been addressed from the perspective of design yet, like lighting, toys, music, ceramics, health or non-governmental organisations, within a time frame starting from the Ottoman Tanzimat reform era (beginning around 1839) until today.
It is an effort to list thresholds, indicate a beginning point in our design history, in the social, spatial, urban or historical sense, so that a platform can be achieved to create fruitful discussions in history writing. Topics are being prepared in the coordination of Pelin Derviş, with the contribution of many people who are experts in their fields. Within this framework, another component of the project entitled Archive of the Ephemeral seeks to become a visual source on objects and spaces, through a collection of family photos and found photographs. This huge group that calls itself Curious Assembly seeks to spark debate and reach others who may partake in these dialogues by highlighting an interconnected selection. To this end, part of Studio-X Istanbul will be turned into a research laboratory during the biennial, and topics highlighted in the chronology will be the focus of a series of events and panels. The events will be organised around provocative “curiosity desks” (mini exhibitions) prepared by the Curious Assembly. Additionally, in parallel to this project, Studio-X Istanbul is establishing a research library of design in Turkey, which will serve as an open source for designers during and after the Biennial.
Fritz Kahn: Man Machine (Edited, 2009). Image Courtesy of "Are We Human" / 3. Istanbul Tasarim Bienali
Sustainability in Fashion Design workshop, with H&M
A workshop entitled Sustainability in Fashion Design was held within the scope of the Biennial, under the sponsorship of H&M, and in collaboration with the Consulate General of Sweden and Swedish Institute. Twenty young designers and students of textile and fashion design attended the workshop held by Hülya Sevindik Özyiğit, H&M’s Global Material Team Business Development Manager, Swedish designer Johanna Törnqwist and Mehtap Elaidi, fashion designer and the President of Turkish Fashion Designers Association. Based on the possibility of fashion to be sustainable and eco-friendly, the workshop encouraged the participants to work in recycled materials only. Designs of the participants will be displayed as an installation curated by Demirden Design, at the Adahan Istanbul Hotel from 12th October through 20th November 2016.
The publications of the 3rd Istanbul Design Biennial include a book of reflections on the Biennial’s theme, written by Beatriz Colomina and Mark Wigley and entitled Are We Human?: Notes on the Archeology of Design. It will also serve as a guide for the visitors, including details on the exhibitions and the associated events and a catalogue with texts on all the exhibited projects by the contributors themselves, presentations of the Open Call, Superhumanity and Turkey Design Chronology projects and presentations of the exhibition design, graphic design and social media experiments made in the Biennial.
The exhibitions of the Biennial have been designed by Andres Jacque and his Office of Political Innovation, based in in Madrid. Graphic design has been undertaken by Pemra Ataç, Yetkin Başarır, Özge Güven, Okay Karadayılar, and Sarp Sözdinler. Evangelos Kotsioris is the assistant curator of the project, and the online dimensions have being directed by Iván López Munuera.
Our client asked us to reform an old dovecote in the backyard of his home. We decided to propose a play house for the children and a balneary to serve the pool on the ground floor. The whole family loved the idea.
We look for a way that seemed the main volume is levitating as a tree house but simultaneously it had to be balanced and pure. The idea was that the interior was absent of superfluous elements and were gradually decorated by the works and toys of these children as a reflection of consumer society we are experiencing.
From the architect. Eaves House is characterized by the positioning of the eaves and the style of roofing. The space beneath the eaves is the point where the indoor space meets the outdoor space. It is a space that defines where the inside ends and outside begins.
The framework creates a sense of a large, extended vertical space which ensures privacy of the area. The horizontal line extends to the adjoining land, creating a 3D sense of space. The coexistence of open and closed spaces is suitable for both daily living and various activities. The house connects the inhabitants with the environment.
The kitchen and dining area opens out onto a large, secluded north-facing courtyard garden. The stair winds past a study nook to the private accommodation upstairs.
This design achieved a 7 star energy rating. Leading ESD consultants were engaged to open up possibilities for environmentally sustainable design in the areas of water, energy and material use.
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Acoustic consultants were also engaged so as to ensure that this home is a tranquil retreat within a bustling, inner-suburban neighbourhood.
Sig Nordal 