The project is the result of a competition initiated in 2009 by the Town of Asse, Belgium for a regional fire station and a youth center. The site (a brownfield of formerly asphalt production industries) is located on the outer edge of the Town Center. Beyond the ring road the landscape is open, rural. A “land-form” concept was developed as a means to preserve existing landscape features and create a dialogue between the new buildings. The land form is scaled appropriately to the landscape and organizes the new buildings – a youth center and a fire station – into one common shape. As a singular and bounded entity, the form does not suggest sprawling growth in any direction, but rather offers a clear vision for future landscape, infrastructure and building decisions.
Diagram
A subtle bend in the landform and building denotes the principal entrance to the site. A clear solution had to be found for addressing the public functions given the multiple buildings (where is the front door?). As opposed to a strip of buildings with a parking lot to serve as the main orienting device, a public plaza between the youth center and the fire station serves as a formal front. Custom pavements, markings, road obstacles, street furniture, lighting, local trees and plant species, and a smooth topographic contour break down the scale of this large universally accessible plane.
The plaza acts as a ‘town square’, gathering and distributing the many building users: pedestrians, cyclists, cars, buses, emergency vehicles, and fire trucks. Both the fire officers and youth center have staged public events and festivals in the square. It is within the public plaza where a fundamental ideological basis for the project is confirmed. Upon entering the plaza: the site, form, and scale akin to a “Big-Box” setting are designed to create a civic environment.
Plan
Plan
The Fire station has a solid, sober, and functional appearance and maintains a banality characteristic of Big Box typologies. Building voids in and around the programmatic spaces reveal the buildings economical and repetitive construction logic. However, through detailing precision, material joints, alignments, and finishes –any sense that this is a conventional building technology is disrupted.
Within the building, a circulation corridor cuts through the programmatic spaces, extends vertically via a long continuous stairway, and follows the curve of the building. The upper levels, which house the private living and sleeping quarters of the fire officers, are formally distinguished. Four volumes, each with different functions (kitchen, dining, private rooms, gymnasium), roof slopes, and separated by roof gardens are supported and punctuated by red painted glue laminated beams.
From the architect. The house is located in a scenically privileged position, high on a hillside in a residential settlement in which a small church also is a part The dominant view and an excellent south-west exposure are a tangible presence in every space of the house.
We have been working on a project maintaining the originally thought out architectural concept including two levels in order to adapt the design to the steep slope of the ground.
The lower level presents a longitudinal and hypogean development integrated in the hillside as a natural stone terrace. Here you will find bedrooms, studio and fitness zone. Centralness and individuality characterize, on the contrary, the upper level of the living area that, as a rock is resting on the structure and thus remains fixed, has become the principal entrance from the high-positioned street. On this level the outdoor spaces take a longitudinal trend; towards north the pool is going out from the section of the stone wall, on the opposite side a large terrace opens itself on the top of the garage.
Detail
The project challenge, which we have felt important from the beginning, has been how to succeed in managing, in the inside of the house, all of the outside nature, the many types of sky with different and strong weather conditions, without conflicting emotions.
Observation and protection have become the objectives of the project.The will to involve all the outside beauty is coexisting with the opposite approach to create intimacy and concentration inside the house. On one side you have large glass surfaces which as a segmented diaphragm opens the house to the scenic nature, on the other side wooden wings and functional elements that are carrying us into the organism of the house, tracing flowing and continuous passages along the glass surfaces for then to enter the semi-darkness of the inner spaces.
The definition of the organism has also taken shape from the comprehension of the dynamics of two persons’ common life with different rhythms and characters: identify and understand each person’s liberty, the areas to divide and those to protect. This is transferred into a flowing, continuous space without interruptions. The borders are not defined, the spaces are changing following the rhythmic moments of the day. Big full-height sliding panels are modeling ideal rooms, creating fissures for company, light and curiosity like a dynamic play. We didn’t want it to be necessary to “close a door” in order to isolate a room.
A further control of the project has been the attention to the dynamics of the natural borders of light and shadow which are drawn on the floor at the different moments of the day. The concrete floor of the upper level emphasizes and highlights the contrast between light and darkness; the borders in the afternoon seem sharp and precise. On the contrary, the wooden floor of the lower level absorbs and mitigates the differences; the shadow tones are softer, the atmosphere more relaxing.
Outside near the windows of the living room the pool water is reflecting the variability of the sky. Inside, within a short distance, the fire of a brazier placed on the floor creates heat and gives company in the cold winter days.
From the architect. Designed by the architectural practice of IttenBrechbühl and constructed by the main contractor HRS, Modern Times Hotel enjoys a perfect location amongst the hills above the town of Vevey. It sits adjacent to the motorway for easy access by car, only a stones-throw from the new Charlie Chaplin Museum with the mountains, the heart of Vevey itself, and the famous UNESCO World Heritage site of the Lavaux vineyards closeby. Thanks to its highly visible location, the buildings seems to welcome its visitors with open arms just after they leave the main road. Modern Times Hotel has become a new gateway to the region and is emblematic of Charlie Chaplin’s presence in Vevey.
The hotel is located between the main roads to the north and the quiet residential quarter of the town to the south which is still under development. By way of its position, lying parallel to the hillside, the building itself both defines and serves to protect the whole of the buildable area of the site.
The building is perfectly embedded into the naturally sloping topography of the site taking full advantage of its relief and surrounded by a large landscaped garden. At the heart of this park one may walk amongst the colours of the Mediterranean and come across a small pond adjacent to the main terrace on the Southern aspect of the hotel. Protected by a canopy, the terrace offers great views to the mountainside of the “Rochers de Naye”.
The building stretches along the length of the site but its façade has been designed as a rhythm of elements broken by only two folds which announce the main entrance to the hotel and the location of the restaurant. Ribbons of metal that run all around the building otherwise highlight its horizontality. Panels of warmly coloured vertical glazing– brown, bronze, and grey – give the building an elegant, yet calm, character. The northern façade of the hotel reads as a sequence of planes which change in their appearance according ones particular viewpoint and also with the changing natural light.
The ground floor is a unique and open space featuring the main reception, restaurant, lounge bar, and conference facilities. The different activities function independently of the main hotel and allow it to have a life all through the year. The decor of the different spaces are distinguished by their own particular atmosphere: In the reception area, a large kinetic sculpture commissioned from the artist Charles Morgan and inspired by Chaplin’s lm “Modern Times” adds metallic touches to a colour palette which is predominantly black and white; in the conference rooms, an elegant floor of solid oak; fresh and lively colours of purples, oranges, and blues give the lounge bar the feeling of a New York speakeasy; the restaurant features Versailles parquet flooring and its atmosphere is more intimate with large lamps illuminating a softer palette of beige and grey punctuated by blues and greens.
From the architect. This house is built on a bad land shape which is separated from the narrowest part of a large land. It has ugly shape and is most cramped. In suburban, people often build houses on very large land plots, therefore, the small area (in comparison with the land in this area) is paid less attention to build a house.
It is almost abandoned until a young man buys it at cheap price. He is my relative and he would like me to design it. We face the situation that the land is located far from center and local construction workers are not professional and illegible with architectural drawings.
Section
Section
It is really hard for us to develop a special concept with much details when implementing. We have considered the designed solutions so much and finally we choose a very practical and minimalist concept. A skin is made of brick with hollow to create the void in the most tapering angle in front of the land, it is used for planting trees to provide privacy to the interior, separates from road but still enables good ventilation and lighting for the living room and the front façade. At the back of land, in the most tapering edge, a void is created and we make a concrete panel which is hung 70cm above ground with the cupboard below and the garden above. This design enables the light, ventilation, and creates depth for kitchen and dining room (originally it is very narrow area).
The remaining spaces are bedrooms, stair, roof, toilets which are designed minimally and practically to maximize space utilization and minimize construction cost. The house is complete with the joy of the host and create new exciting atmosphere to residents walking across the road in front of the house.
Nashare Hotel locates in a forest beside Huandao south road in Xiamen of China. It is facing Taiwan Canal by the most popular Huandao Road beach and just ten minutes drive from the attractive cultural town – Zengcuoan. The hotel is built in a tranquil space consisting of acacias, pines and natural stones far away from the city. It’s an ideal hidden world for relaxation.
Nashare, related to “Naza Hotel” design series, has only 12 rooms and the vast majority of which are independent units. Every unit has a separated entrance and courtyard to ensure quiet and private home spatial experience. In addition, the magnificent ocean and forest could be seen from all rooms.
plan
Design Intention
The relationship between the nature and design is achieved by elaborate design control in cooperation with environment. Creating an appropriate space to engage with nature is the main idea of Nashare. The house is the space carrier; therefore, “Invisible container” is the design concept.
There are two room types. One is renovating the existing space, including container refurbishment. Another is placing the container on the hill after renovation. The rocks and trees create a great view for all rooms. Furthermore, the renovation and placement of containers are environment-friendly. In terms of the landscape, keeping an original status is achieved by reducing artificial elements and blurring the boundary between the architecture and surroundings.
Dotted single unit congregates on site as a cluster, and each of them could completely engage with nature. Due to the level change, every unit has different height. Consequently, it looks like a vertical cluster. Although the house is separated from each other, they are connected by the path and views. Architecture as an “invisible container” is to emphasize the experience of nature.
Exposed facade is painted in dark gray to merge into the shadow. In comparison of exterior gray, the interior warm wood color could reflect soft light to create a relaxing atmosphere especially at night. The design from space to furnishings is plain and unvarnished.
The purity of environment provides an opportunity to present the design and art in Nashare. The hotel collaborates with designers, artists to provide a space for creation, displaying and communication. The space could host painting and photograph exhibitions and salons to combine relaxation and meditation in such a natural environment.
The task was to design a house within the middle of the existing village Budenheim close to Mainz. We kept the volume of the existing building although we could not maintain the whole substance.
The old sheds gave us an idea of what the relation between the new volumes should be. The existing walnut tree supported the concept of keeping the courtyard. The heights of the house are orientated toward the neighbor’s heights.
The new house got space for two children, a big living room including a kitchen and the eating area. The parents have their own rooms in the volume with the flat roof. All rooms are orientated toward the courtyard with the walnut tree.
Image adapted from screenshot of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane model by Matthew Brennan
Online model sharing site Sketchfab last week announced three new features intended to solidify its position as one of the web’s foremost platforms for sharing VR-viewable 3D models online. Originally launched in January of this year, the virtual reality features of Sketchfab’s platform have proven to be popular and has even led to Sketchfab being referred to as “the Youtube of VR.”
However, with its initial launch Sketchfab’s VR capabilities clearly privileged simplicity and a low barrier for entry—the platform was viewable using just a smartphone web browser and basic VR headset such as Google Cardboard, and models required no extra work to make them VR compatible. As a result, Sketchfab’s VR platform lacked the features of more high-end systems of viewing VR. With their latest update, Sketchfab has added useful features while keeping barriers to entry low.
The new features launched are:
Teleportation within the model
Previously, moving around a model while in VR mode was impossible without removing the headset and swiping your way around the model with your finger. Now, Sketchfab has implemented a simple “look and click” teleportation system which allows you to position yourself on any flat surface simply by looking at it and clicking the built-in button on Google Cardboard or any other headset.
VR Scene Editor
While Sketchfab automatically enables any model to be viewed in VR, effectively showing a model in VR is a lot more complex than adding stereoscopic vision and a motion tracker. Sketchfab has now added a built-in VR scene editor to the model settings which allows designers to set things such as the correct eye-height to view a model—an indispensable tool for architects wanting to give a realistic experience of interiors.
In-headset browsing
Finally, Sketchfab has added a system to browse their vast library of models without the tedious task of removing the headset between each model. Using the same “look and click” system as the teleportation feature, users can now navigate from within the headset itself.
Technical Coordinators: Ronald Werner (Master Plan/Arena da Juventude), Fernanda Trotti (Parque Radical), Kelly Bozzato (Centro Olímpico de Hóquei), Rafael Alcântara, Pedro Ichimaru (Hipismo e Readequações)
Landscape: Raul Pereira e Rulian Nociti
Design Team: Ana Luiza Galvão, André Ciampi, André Godinho, Angélica Larocca, Barbara Iseli, Carolina Passos, Cintia Marino, Dalmer Ordontis, Daniel Pizzocolo, Fabio Ucella, Guilherme Filocomo, Guilherme Maia, Hernani Paiva, Juan Sebastián Longhini, Julio Bastos, Lina Corrêa, Lucia Viana, Lucila Pintos, Maria Elisa Fernandes, Mariana Puglisi, Marina Piccolo, Rebeca Grinspum, Renato Silveira, Romildo Barros, Thaís Velasco
Operational Support: Neli Shimizu, Arielli Siqueira, Caroline Picolo, Deborah Giannini, Hediane Kuasne, Laryssa Cardoso, Luci Maie, Martha Martins, Paulo de Arruda Serra
Consultants: Focus Group (Engenharias), Robert Campbell, John Felton, Damien Dungworth (Canoagem Slalon), Tom Ritzenthaler, Johan Lindstrom (BMX), Pierre Michelet (Hipismo), David Douek, Caterina Chippari (Sustentabilidade), Raphael Magalhães, Pedro Moretti (Consultoria Ambiental), Marília Martins (Consultoria de Especificações Técnicas)
Capacity: 71.800
Client: Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro/Ministério do Esporte
Courtesy of Divulgação Ministério do Esporte
From the architect. The Deodoro Olympic Park has an area of 2 million square meters, being the largest of the Olympic areas with the second largest capacity, as it hosts 11 Olympic and four Paralympic sports modalities in the RIO 2016 Olympics. The Olympic sports are Canoe Slalom, Cycling (BMX and Mountain Bike), Field Hockey, Shooting Sport, Modern Pentathlon, Basketball (women’s only), Rugby and Equestrian (Jumping, Dressage and Eventing). The Paralympic competitions include Wheelchair Fencing, Shooting, 7-a-side Football and Equestrian Dressage.
After the Olympics, Deodoro will offer the greatest legacy of RIO 2016. Instead of just simply aiming at creating a center of excellence competitions, the project developed by Vigliecca & Associates architectural firm had as a main objective the Olympic legacy. Differently than what we have seen so far in terms of post-olympic legacies, Deodoro’s legacy goes beyond the sporting sphere. It is focused mainly on generating recreational areas for the population.
Courtesy of Divulgação Ministério do Esporte
Considered radical sports, Canoe Slalom, BMX and Mountain Bike were grouped in the same area within the complex. An extra layer of significance was given to this radical sports complex by incorporating a public park with additional features such as a skate park, a picnic area, multipurpose rooms and elevated walking and running tracks that together make up the Radical Park, which will be the second largest public park in Rio de Janeiro. This area in particular has the largest amount of young people and one of the lowest Human Development Indexes (HDI) in the city.
The creation of the Radical Park reinforces the hope for social and sportive development for the local young community. It is predicted that Deodoro’s legacy will attend 1.5 million people living in 10 neighborhoods and 3 cities. With 490 thousand square meters, of which 60% is green space, the Radical Park showcases the importance of preserving the local vegetation that will also be enriched by new species of vegetation coming from the Atlantic Forest. It also contributes in the establishment of an emotional connection between the population and the city through an interaction with the environment.
Courtesy of Divulgação Ministério do Esporte
This is a unique situation that offers the opportunity of an important shift for the population as well as a consolidation of one of the most symbolic legacies for Rio de Janeiro. An urban park in one of the most underprivileged areas of the city that fulfills its social and environmental functions in addition to connecting to the public transportation system, already available on site. A large park that is connected to the city. A public facility of metropolitan scale.
In addition to the recreational function, the Radical Park will be used as a place of education and training of athletes for the modalities of Slalom, BMX and Mountain Bike. Another legacy of Deodoro will be the Youth Arena. The building, which during the Olympic Games will host Female Basketball and Modern Pentathlon Fencing competitions, will turn into an athlete improvement training center and will continue the work that already has been developed in Deodoro, evidenced by the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. Almost half of the medals won by Brazil – more precisely 48% – were won by military athletes who are part of the High Performance Program of the Ministries of Defense and Sports.
Courtesy of Divulgação Ministério do Esporte
The Deodoro Olympic Park exists since 2007, year in which it was created for the Pan American Games. One of the biggest challenges for the RIO 2016 project was to adapt existing sports facilities to Olympic standards and integrate them into the new facilities, forming a unit while making them useful and economic once used in legacy mode. The complexity of the project was enhanced by the steepness of the terrain, the presence of a railway, two roads and a river crossing the area of intervention.
Since Deodoro covers a large area, it was divided in two sectors: North and South. The North sector is subdivided in Zones A and B while the South sector concentrates Zone C. Zone A houses the Extreme Park, including the Olympic Slalom Stadium, the Olympic BMX Centre and the Mountain Bike Olympic Park. Zone B comprises the Youth Arena, the National Shooting Centre, the Deodoro Aquatics Centre, the Deodoro Stadium and the Olympic Field Hockey Centre. The C Zone includes the Olympic Equestrian Centre, formed by the Cross Country Circuit, the Central Arena and the Groomers Village, a veterinary clinic, blacksmith, stables, a training track, the Coliseum, a hot Walker and an organic waste shelter.
Masterplan
This project is the result of an international public competition which Vigliecca & Associados architectural firm, through a consortium, was the winner. The competition, sponsored by the State Government of Rio de Janeiro in 2013, determined basic guidelines for the Deodoro Olympic Park project and the general urban plan as well.
The main structure is a 2500sf artist’s studio, o ce, and storage building that is clad in barn wood though inverts the pitched-roof form of the original. The inverted pitch roof creates sweeping double height spaces for art production and storage, while providing natural ventilation, natural light, and views out toward the property.
A 720 sf concrete kitchen and dining space grows out from the studio. Nicknamed the “Amoeba,” it reaches toward the landscape and literally captures it to create a lush interior garden that softly separates the kitchen from the dining area. The roof is an exposed wood, scissor-beam roof construction with a large, di use skylight that brings light into the center of the building for people and plants.
Though its form and material may seem foreign, it follows a similar pitched form as its host and is board-formed using the same barn wood as formwork. When the concrete had dried the boards were removed and reused as a fence elsewhere on the property, further continuing a many decades-old material lineage.
Located on Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City’s most renowned avenues, Torre Reforma is part of a cultural, historical, and financial district. It is a turning point for vertical urban growth in the megalopolis of Mexico City, having a 2,800 m2 ground site, extremely small for a high-rise building of roughly 87,000 m2.
Its shape, derived by the architectural-structural parti, takes into consideration many social, financial and environmental factors. The 57 story building, distinguished by its triangular form, is composed of two 246 meter high exposed concrete walls, resembling the form of an open book, closed by a third glass-façade-metallic diagrid, with a panoramic view to Chapultepec Park. Its façades allow for a versatile column free space and have a great impact on the reduction of energy consumption, shifting from an all-glass façade generation. The existing historical house on site is integrated, forming part of the main lobby. The commercial areas at ground floor and first basement allow for the street activity to unfold into the building.
The building has an array of services that includes, sport facilities, open spaces and terraces, bars and restaurants, gardens, auditorium, and common meeting rooms.
In accordance to the actual importance towards mobility, Torre Reforma is very accessible and well connected to the urban infrastructure and services. Its strategic location is surrounded by important avenues such as Paseo de la Reforma, Avenida Insurgentes, the longest avenue in Mexico City, and Circuito Interior, an urban freeway connecting the city’s central neighborhoods. At ground level the sidewalks were expanded and made accessible for all users, giving priority to pedestrians rather than vehicles. The historical house was restored to recover its urban value, serving as a transition from a small scale at pedestrian level to a high rise building scale. The existing infrastructure includes two subway stations, transit buses, and multiple public bicycle stations.
Diagram
Torre Reforma is one of the leading skyscrapers in a developing area where many others are yet to come. Torre Reforma improved the visual quality of the city’s skyline as well as at street level for pedestrians.
The solid concrete structural and architectural facades are influenced by Pre-Hispanic and colonial Mexican architecture where solid materials (concrete or stone) are predominant.
The glass façade turns 45 degrees to face the best views of the city as well as slopes 14 meters over the historical house. The allowed height for the building is twice the width of the street in front of the property, in this case, Paseo de la Reforma. However, although there are façade height restrictions, the regulations applicable to the property allowed for a higher density. According to the Mexican norm, an imaginary line is traced at 1.80 meters in height from the opposite side of Paseo de la Reforma, passing through the highest point of the façade. The potential height of the building is the limit of the imaginary line. This allowed Torre Reforma to have 246 meters in height, and have a sloped façade starting at 200 meters in height.
Section
It is organized into 14 four-story clusters, buildings within the building, allowing users to interact on a larger scale with the city to a smaller scale within their workspace. In a city with high seismic activity, the concrete walls were designed to bend due to its openings, repeated every cluster along the tower, providing natural light to interior triple height gardens. These gardens are an extension from the horizontal public space at street level to a vertical axis, creating indoor micro spaces.
Considering the AIA 2030 Commitment for energy performance, Torre Reforma’s structural efficiency and architectural design has obtained the Platinum USGB precertification. The building envelope generated a great energy performance with a 24% reduction according to ASHRAE. The reduction of energy consumption is due to the façade-structural design: the concrete walls and the double layer glass façade with shades, allowing natural lighting in all office spaces. This drastically benefits the user by providing aesthetic and comfortable interior spaces for better performance.
Rain and waste water is 100% reused in the water treatment plant mainly for bathrooms and the air-conditioning. Water tanks, located along the tower for more effective water system, rely on gravity rather than pump use, particularly in fire emergency.
The building is designed to optimize the users flux within the building but also in relation to the city. Within the building, the elevators for Low, Mid, and High Rise are separate in order to optimize the different users but share the same shaft space for efficiency. By an EEES System, elevators can be used during a fire due to pressurized shafts and refugee areas on each floor. The two robotic parking buildings for 400 cars have a low impact on the environment because no toxic fumes are emitted while parking and the space doesn’t need to be lit or ventilated. In order to have the least impact on neighboring streets, the underground parking has a third ramp that can adapt its direction: entrance in the morning and exit in the afternoon.
Elevation
Forming part of the property is an early twentieth century house that is historically protected. In order for the building to be economically feasible, the house was integrated into the main lobby and the space beneath was used for the foundation underground parking, and services.
As a result, the house was moved. It was reinforced by thickening its walls and pouring a concrete slab underneath it which was placed on top of rails and moved temporarily 18 meters away from its original position. After the foundation was completed, the house was returned to its original position, and the underground levels were dug. The old, damaged limestone has been restored and is currently rented for retail space.
Sig Nordal 