© Nick Stephenson

• Architects: Inbetween Architecture
• Location: Doncaster VIC 3108, Australia
• Area: 71.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2015
• Photographs: Nick Stephenson

• Builder: Seventy7 Projects
• Structural Engineering: T.D. & C.
• Landscape Design: Peachy Green Garden Architects
• Landscape Contractor: Straw Brothers

© Nick Stephenson

From the architect. From the Architect: The existing 1970s brick and weatherboard dwelling on a large triangular site was well loved but had been outgrown by its family. The client had a diverse brief, including both definite and abstract goals such as maintaining and enhancing connections to the established garden, adding a master bedroom suite, providing a secure and defined entrance and reconfiguration and refurbishment of the existing layout and spaces. The combination of these elements led to the non-conventional addition of a new pavilion to the front of the site. The form of the addition closely references the typical gable form of the existing house but juxtaposes it with fiercely contemporary detailing and materiality.

© Nick Stephenson

Ground Floor Plan

© Nick Stephenson

Once through the sheltered entry and front door, the garden aspect is immediately appreciated with a large-scale, fully glazed sliding door that opens onto the landscaped rear yard. This glazed bridge forms the connection between the old and the new and is set down from the main living zone, helping the extension sit snugly on the site.

© Nick Stephenson

The internal rearrangement of living areas, kitchen and bathroom now complement the existing 3 bedrooms and take full advantage of the northerly aspect and elevated position of the house on this steeply sloping site. A secondary entry, rumpus room and home office, along with amenities and ample storage, are tucked into the undercroft at the rear. The outcome is a fully updated home, suitable for the changing demands of a contemporary family lifestyle. It maintains a comfortable and lived-in ambiance and pays homage to the best aspects of the original cottage.

© Nick Stephenson

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In the past few weeks, the fates of two classic Brutalist buildings by architect Marcel Breuer were determined – with differing results. For the Atlanta Central Library, it was good news, as the Fulton County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to support the renovation of the building, saving it from the wrecking ball. Meanwhile, the American Press Institute in Reston, Virginia, was not so lucky, as Fairfax County’s board of supervisors voted to tear down the building to make room for a new a townhouse development project.

Atlanta Central Library, Atlanta, Georgia / Marcel Breuer. Image via Docomomo

First opened in 1980, the Central Library in Atlanta contains a 300-seat theater, a restaurant and space for 1 million books, and a facade representative of Breuer’s sensibilities, with its bush-hammered concrete panels and Bauhaus-inspired forms. Over the years, the building fell into disrepair, with its theater closing in the mid-1990s, and the restaurant closing a few years later. Even after a $5 million restoration in 2002, in 2008 taxpayers voted to approve a $275 million bond referendum, which would replace the Breuer-designed building with a new library.

Since then, the library’s fate had been up in the air until the board of commissioners’ vote two weeks ago. The current proposal now calls for a $40 to $55 million renovation of five of the floors, as well as a “nominal investment” on the four remaining floors to potentially lease out the space. Exact plans for the project are still being determined, with ideas including calls for a new arts center or partnership with Georgia State University’s art department, Woodruff Arts Center or Fulton County’s Arts & Culture department.

American Press Institute, Reston, Virginia / Marcel Breuer. Image via ipetitions

A few states north in Fairfax County, Virginia, preservationists received bad news as Breuer’s American Press Institute (API) headquarters was slated for demolition. Built in 1974, the 48,000 square foot building, featuring precast concrete panels, was built in Reston’s non-profit district to serve as a conference center for API events. After merging with the Newspaper Association of America in 2012, the API headquarters closed its doors, leaving the building vacant.

Historians had argued that the building constituted a significant work in Breuer’s catalogue, and suggested repurposing the building as a library or the home of another non-profit. A vote by the Planning Commission to not demolish the building gave preservationists hope, while an online petition received over 1,600 signatures from people all over the world. But with no county funds available to preserve the site and no buyers expressing interest in restoring the building, it was not enough to stop the redevelopment plan from going through. The site will now be used to build 34 townhouses and an apartment building as part of a masterplan designed to construct higher-density housing near Metrorail’s Silver Line train route.

News via the Washington Post, Architect’s Newspaper, WABE Atlanta and Curbed Atlanta.

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© Gabriel Heusi

• Architects: Vigliecca & Associados
• Location: Deodoro, Rio de Janeiro – State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Area: 450000.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Gabriel Heusi, J. P. Engelbrecht, Renato Sette Camara + Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro, Andre Motta, Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro, Miriam Jeske

• Seating Capacity: Estádio Olímpico De Canoagem Slalom: 8.000
• Seating Capacity:Centro Olímpico De Bmx: 7.500
• Seating Capacity: Parque Olímpico De Mountain Bike: 27500
• Area: Estádio Olímpico De Canoagem Slalom: 35.500
• Area: Centro Olímpico De Bmx: 4.000
• Area: Parque Olímpico De Mountain Bike: 450.000

© Gabriel Heusi

Olympic Canoe Slalom Stadium

The Olympic Canoe Slalom Stadium is considered the most complex structure built for RIO 2016. Designed by the architecture firm Vigliecca & Associates with the consultancy of Whitewater Parks International, the project aimed to create one of the best Slalom Canoe competition channels in the world. It also focused on being very economic to operate, specially once in legacy mode. It is the first artificial whitewater course in Brazil.

© Gabriel Heusi

The mandatory use of an artificial circuit for the practice of Canoe Slalom at the Games began in 2000 in the Sydney Olympics since more predictable parameters needed to be established.

Canoe Slalom Model

Instead of opposing the difficult topography of the site the Olympic Canoe Slalom Stadium takes advantage of it. The equipment was placed in the least sloped area of the site in order to balance the earthwork. Already the stadium seats, which will be installed for the Olympics, follow the natural slope of the land. In its legacy version, this slope will function as the park seats themselves.

© Renato Sette Camara + Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro

One of the main challenges was to create a strong rapid with the ideal slope recommended to practice the sport. In order to get rapids with these characteristics, it would be necessary to pump water from a height of 10 m, which would heavily burden the operation.

© Andre Motta

In order to attend the needs of the Games and also ensure a sustainable operation in legacy mode, Vigliecca & Associados, along with Whitewater Parks, made ​​a careful analysis to be able to pump water for the shortest possible time and still have quality rapids. The solution, already used in the 2012 London Olympics, was improved and refined. This analysis included hydraulic tests at the University of Prague, a reference in research in the area, in order to assess the behavior of water and the designed moveable obstacles in the rapids. The analysis was done using three-dimensional hydraulic digital models and a large hydraulic physical model, which provided the necessary detailing for all of the surfaces and obstacles.

© Andre Motta

These studies have also shown that it would be possible to operate the whole system with less water than previously expected, resulting in water savings and an overall reduced construction costs.

© Andre Motta

The Olympic Canoe Slalom Stadium has two channels: a 280 m competition channel and a 210 m training channel. The depth ranges from 1.80 m to 2.40 m. The structure of the competition channel is in precast concrete, which allows better quality control of the finished concrete. The 25,000 m³ lake/reservoir, the pump house and the starting pools were built in in-situ reinforced concrete. The obstacles were attached to concrete tracks found on the bottom of the channels.

© Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro

This facility once in legacy mode will be adapted to be used as a recreational area. Security structures and floating decks will be installed at the lake in order to restrict public access to deeper areas and technical areas. In the Radical Park there are intentions of installing the Family Clinic and the Knowledge Ship. Once in legacy mode, the Slalom and BMX administrative buildings will be used to house environmental education activities, community events in addition to an administration office for the park.

© Renato Sette Camara + Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro

Olympic BMX Centre

The goal was to create a very contemporary and challenging BMX track. The project was designed by the architectural firm Vigliecca & Associados consulted by the company Elite Trax, the same who built the BMX track for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, year the sport debuted at the Olympics, and the track for the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games.

© Gabriel Heusi

The BMX track for the 2016 Rio Games has been designed considering local topography and the prevailing winds, features that can interfere with the performance of the athletes. The track is made of clay and an extremely thin asphalt in the corners. Ripples were placed at intervals of 10 meters to give route options to athlete such as the option to jump every 10 meters at a higher speed or to stay at ground level at a lower speed. The track has a 350 meters circuit for women and a 400 meters circuit for men, covering an area of ​​about 4,000 m².

BMX Model

BMX Plan

The start ramp, unlike other BMX tracks around the world, was built as a permanent element with great visual impact, lined with wood and finished with multiple non-slip adhesives.

© J. P. Engelbrecht

BMX Section

© Andre Motta

Synthetic grass was used in steep areas between the tracks in order to prevent erosion. Around the facility and in support areas it used natural grass. The circuit will feature a temporary grandstand with 7.500 seats during the Olympic Games, which will be installed near the date of the event due to maintenance. In legacy mode, the professional BMX track will be kept, but restricted to athletes. A beginner’s track will be built for the general public.

© Gabriel Heusi

Mountain Bike Olympic Park

The infrastructure project for the Mountain Bike Olympic Park was done by Vigliecca & Associados. It includes local connections with other areas of the Deodoro Sports Complex, a heavy flow of people, interaction with the track itself, outlining the overlay and back of house areas, studies on the grandstands and the starting and finishing lines of the circuit. The track was designed with the advice of ex-cyclist Nick Floros and Rogério Bernardes, a specialist in the construction of mountain bike tracks.

© Miriam Jeske

The Mountain Bike circuit is 4.9 km long and is located in an area of ​​19.200 m². This circuit will be completely redesigned once left as a legacy. The part of the track that is in army-owned land will be dismantled; the other section, assigned to the City of Rio de Janeiro by the Army, will be reconfigured to become a smaller mountain bike circuit.

© Gabriel Heusi

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Shanghai Tower / Gensler. Image © Gensler/Shen Zhonghai

Architectural Record has released the latest edition of its annual list of the “Top 300 Architecture Firms” in the United States, based on architectural revenue from the previous year (2015). Gensler, which became the first firm to surpass $1 billion in revenue in 2014, held on to the top spot with earnings of $1,181,030,000 in 2015. Los Angeles-based AECOM maintained its number 2 position after a revenue increase of more than 30 percent, making it the largest publicly traded company in the LA area. Perkins+Will continued their steady climb up the list, finishing at number 3.

See the top 50 after the break.

1. Gensler; San Francisco, CA (Architect)

2. AECOM; Los Angeles, CA (Engineer-Architect)

3. Perkins+Will; Chicago, IL (Architect)

4. Jacobs; Pasadena, CA (Architect-Engineer-Contractor)

5. ARCADIS/Callison RTKL; Highlands Ranch, CO (Architect-Engineer)

6. HOK; St. Louis, MO (Architect-Engineer)

7. HKS; Dallas, TX (Architect)

8. CH2M; Englewood, CO (Engineer-Contractor)

9. HDR; Dallas, TX (Engineer-Architect)

10. Bechtel; San Francisco, CA (Engineer-Contractor)

11. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP; New York, NY (Architect-Engineer)

12. Stantec; Irvine, CA (Engineer-Architect-Landscape)

13. IBI Group; Irvine, CA (Architect-Engineer)

14. Perkins Eastman; New York, NY (Architect)

15. Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC; New York, NY (Architect)

16. Woods Bagot; New York, NY (Architect)

17. NBBJ; Seattle, WA (Architect)

18. ZGF Architects; Portland, OR (Architect)

19. Cannon Design; Grand Island, NY (Architect-Engineer)

20. Populous; Kansas City, MO (Architect)

21. SmithGroupJJR; Detroit, MI (Architect-Engineer)

22. Corgan; Dallas, Texas (Architect)

23. DLR Group; Omaha, NE (Architect-Engineer)

24. EYP; Albany, NY (Architect-Engineer)

25. Hammel Green and Abrahamson; Minneapolis, MN (Architect-Engineer)

26. Leo A Daly; Omaha, NE (Architect-Engineer)

27. NORR; Chicago, IL (Architect-Engineer)

28. Page; Washington, DC (Architect-Engineer)

29. Gresham, Smith and Partners; Nashville, TN (Architect-Engineer)

30. Elkus Manfredi Architects; Boston, MA (Architect)

31. Burns & McDonnell; Kansas City, MO (Engineer-Architect-Contractor)

32. KTGY Architecture & Planning; Irvine, CA

33. HMC Architects; Los Angeles, CA (Architect)

34. Flad Architects; Madison, WI (Architect-Engineer)

35. Robert A.M. Stern Architects LLP (RAMSA); New York, NY (Architect)

36. VOA Associates Inc.; Chicago, Illinois (Architect)

37. Little; Charlotte, NC (Architect-Engineer)

38. Solomon Cordwell Buenz; Chicago, Illinois (Architect)

39. STUDIOS Architecture; Washington, DC (Architect)

40. LPA Inc.; Irvine, CA (Architect)

41. Cuningham Group Architecture Inc.; Minneapolis, Minnesota (Architect)

42. Ware Malcomb; Irvine, California (Architect)

43. PBK; Houston, TX (Architect-Engineer)

44. Harley Ellis Devereaux; Southfield, MI (Architect-Engineer)

45. Huckabee; Fort Worth, TX (Architect-Engineer)

46. LS3P; Charleston, SC (Architect)

47. Cooper Carry; Atlanta, GA (Architect)

48. WATG | Wimberly Interiors; Irvine, CA (Architect)

49. RS&H Inc.; Jacksonville, FL (Architect-Engineer)

50. Ennead Architects; New York, NY (Architect)

Find Architectural Record’s complete list here.

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© Alejandro Peral

• Architects: Estudio PKa
• Location: La Costa Partido, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
• Author Architects: Ignacio Pessagno & Lilian Kandus Arquitectos
• Area: 175.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2014
• Photographs: Alejandro Peral

© Alejandro Peral

This beach house is located in the Atlantic coast of Argentina, 10 kilometers away from Pinamar, and 400 meters away from the beach, where the sound of the sea is constant. One of the main premises was to respect the coniferous forest, along with the “L” shape facing north. It is developed in one-story with the open possibility to build a new floor on top (one of the patios sets the space for the potential stairs). This “L” configuration allows to separate the public area from the private, articulating these spaces through three patios which capture light. The house is introverted towards its front façade, providing intimacy as well as a sense of mystery to the passersby. A compact “box”, where the attention is stolen by the pedestrian ramp, which finishes in the residence’s entrance patio.

© Alejandro Peral

Context
The interior/exterior relationship is fluid, the residence lives the landscape in a direct way, since it is surrounded by the existent vegetation. Facing north the openings are from floor to ceiling, and it matches with most of the view towards the forest. The lot is uneven as it rises from front to back. The house joins into this movement: the public nave, 3 meters high, is positioned by taking the sides of the lot, in the front, and is settled at +0.5 meters. The private nave, respecting the existent soil, sets at +0.9 meters.

Plan

Materials
The constitution of the residence is based on noble materials: masonry, independent concrete structure and wood. In the public area – living room, dining room and kitchen – the exposed concrete slab is the main character principally because local wood has been used for the formwork, leaving its print in the ceiling. The 3 meters pivotal main door, covered in “petiribí” (cordia trichotoma) finish this space warmly. There is a clear opposition between the dark exterior and the whiteness of the interior. The patios, which generate reflections in the interiors, along with the constant sound of the sea make of this house a place to truly rest and relax.

© Alejandro Peral

System
The house is accessed through a ramp, which intercepts the blind wall in the front and articulates with the first patio of the residence. The social space opens to the north and to the landscape. Going through the second patio – between the public and private areas – and going up a few steps, the circulation connecting the rooms is found, where a projected linear slab and an opening in the bottom that takes the entire circulation, bathes the space with light, projecting it sharply on the floor, and generating intimacy in the rooms. The rooms live the landscape with openings from floor to ceiling. The third patio is articulated with the main room, creating a “camera of air and light” between the guest or kids rooms and the main dormitory.  

© Alejandro Peral

Bonds
This beach house exceeded the owners expectations; since it has transformed into a permanent residente and gave a closer bond with the wildlife. It has become a frame to admire the landscape, a container for reading and meditation; habits that are hard to achieve when coexisting with the noise and pace of the city. The main nave, with its scale and opening towards the forest, calls for family and social gatherings.

© Alejandro Peral

Research
The biggest challenge facing this project and building this house was to work on a tight budget. We prioritized the orientation, in order to use the energy efficiently in both winter and summer; the flexibility in the spaces – because this was designed as a summer house, it was an important premise that needed to be accomplished -; and also the use of regional and noble materials, along with simplicity and synthesis in the details.

© Alejandro Peral

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In this interview, presented in collaboration with PLANE—SITE, Pierre Bélanger, curator of the Canadian contribution to the 2016 Venice Biennale—explains why Canada’s practices of mining and extraction should be carefully understood for their architectural implications. Together with his firm OPSYS, Bélanger conceived of a miniaturized experience of an “inverted territorial intervention” so that Biennale visitors could personally experience and relate to “the complex ecologies and vast geopolitics of resource extraction.” 

With emphasis and exuberance, Bélanger asks us to reconsider Canada’s image as a pacifist nation, imploring that “we need to understand that essentially our mode of consumption, our mode of living is entirely based on the separation of means of production and territories of extraction. Your life depends on territories in other places where we extract resources.” 

He concludes, “We’re personally interested in how we can change people one person at a time. So, it’s not a pavilion, it’s a counter-pavilion; it’s not an exhibition, it’s not an installation; it’s an intervention, and what’s right behind me is essentially a counter-monument.”

See more of the interviews we conducted with PLANE—SITE and the rest of our Biennale coverage at http://archdai.ly/2016biennale.

‘EXTRACTION’ Exhibition to Represent Canada at 2016 Venice Biennale
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‘EXTRACTION’ Exhibition to Represent Canada at 2016 Venice Biennale
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© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

• Architects: Luís Rebelo de Andrade
• Location: Lisbon, Portugal
• Collaborators: Pedro Dias, Frederico Oliveira Marques, Filipe Ferreira, Pedro Duarte Silva
• Area: 2841.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2015
• Photographs: Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

• Client: Doorm Residência de Estudantes
• Constructor: CivilCasa – Construções, S.A.

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

From the architect. The project in the old glass factory “Gaivotas” has brought to it an innovative program: the first student residence in the enter of historic Lisbon. With an innovative program, this project, in an old glass factory, brought to the historic center of Lisbon its first student residence. Some of the factory’s elements with significant value, but largely destroyed, were refurbished – the façade of Fernando Tomas Street and the old brick chimney – and a new core was built. 

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

Section

The implantation of the new volumes, in dialogue with it’s surrounding context, results in two buildings: one that pops up  behind the pre-existing façade, and another that connects – with an L shape – to the back of the plot, the “beco do carrasco” alley. Around this second building, arise landscaped courtyards where the social functions are faced.

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The existing façade, sustained and attached to a metallic structure, is assumed as a mask, which hides a second skin, designed according to the metric of the new interior spaces. The tiles, a portuguese tradicional coating material, was chosen to apply in this historical façade. 

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

Plan

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

Inside the plot, the building emerges with a corrugated metal sheet coating material – reference to an industrial past –  giving a singular environment to the patios.

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

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Courtesy of Archilogic

As A Quincy Jones rightly said, “There’s no unimportant architecture”.[1] The late architect worked alongside his colleague, Frederick E. Emmons, putting their hearts and souls into the design of Case Study House #24, but sadly it was never built. The location in which Case Study House #24 was to be constructed was once a part of the Rolling Hills Ranch, the area which is now popularly known as San Fernando Valley.

The design of the house started with the surrounding environment, which is richly brought out in the architectural drawings by the architects. The region with its lush green vegetation invites swimming, barbecuing, horse riding and other such outdoor activities.

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The San Fernando Valley is one of the commuter towns of LA where temperature variation is a huge factor in the construction of houses. During the post-war era, in 1945, many of the designs were being selected for community purposes and San Fernando provided an excellent place to start one. Case Study House #24 was actually a communal plan for 260 homes in all. The complete design consisted of a shared park and recreational facilities. However, it all commenced with the plan of the 1736-square-foot house, proposed by Jones and Emmons and sponsored by the post-war estate developer, Joseph Eichler.[2]

Courtesy of Archilogic

The design was planned as a partially underground structure to control the temperature in the area and provide a certain level of privacy to the home owner. The Hammer Museum in LA holds a model of the original plan put forth by Quincy and his associate. Apart from the semi-underground trick, another idea that made #24 a part of the 36 case study designs, was the fact that it held a water reservoir on its roof. Again, this was intelligently done in order to naturally control the temperature during the hottest LA weather. This reservoir was to be connected with an irrigation system which could water the trees and plantation. The above-ground portion of the facade was to be covered with sliding glass doors, offering access to the courtyards created within the retaining walls for the indoor-outdoor lifestyle many post-war buyers wanted.

Courtesy of Archilogic

One element where a great deal of experience and insight from Jones came through was the kitchen. Notably, this space included the introduction of a scullery. According to A Quincy Jones, the kitchen was the heart of most family activities and presented the need for multiple experiences, and was therefore split into two. The main space was intended to be servant-less, while a secondary space, the scullery, could be barred off from the living room and the kitchen. This arrangement allowed the owner to close off the untidy part of the home and easily receive guests, at any time. All the dishwashing and similar dirty chores would take place in the scullery while the sitting area would be in the “actual” kitchen.[3]

Courtesy of Archilogic

Lastly, Jones and Emmons made the growth of trees a part of the design. According to their thought process, a calming atmosphere within the household could only be created if the trees were grown in such a way that they blocked both sound and light.

We encourage you to experience Archilogic’s Virtual Experience in your Browser, create your own designs and share your tours online. To join the Archilogic Platform Sign up here and enjoy the free trial version of the pro subscription.

Courtesy of Archilogic

Archilogic transforms 2D floor plans into interactive, accessible and customizable 3D virtual tours in 24 hours from $69 upwards. Don’t miss Archilogic’s previous models shared on ArchDaily:

• Case Study House #24 / Beverley David Thorne
• Case Study House #1 / Julius Ralph Davidson
• Case Study House #9 / Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen
• Case Study House #6 / Richard Neutra
• Case Study House #22 / Pierre Koenig
• Case Study House #21 / Pierre Koenig
• Case Study House #8 / Charles & Ray Eames
• Farnsworth House / Mies van der Rohe
• Barcelona Pavilion / Mies van der Rohe

Courtesy of Archilogic

References:

1. Kaplan, Sam Hall. “Quincy Jones, the Architect and His Legacy,” LA Times, 3/26/1988
2. Case Study House 24,” Arts & Architecture Magazine, December 1961
3. ibid.

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British Airways i360 Drone. Image © Visual Air

The world’s tallest moving observation tower, British Airways i360, will open to the public this Thursday, August 4th. Designed by Marks Barfield Architects, the firm behind the iconic London Eye, the i360 tower will transport 200 visitors at a time up 138 meters to take in views of the city of Brighton and Hove, the Sussex coast and the English Channel. With a height to width ratio of more than 40:1, the structure was also designated as the most slender tower in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records after topping out in February.

The tower’s sleek, toroidal observation pod is constructed of double-glazed, hand-crafted glass, which will provide a full 360 degree panorama of the surrounding landscape, with views up to 26 miles away. Passengers are welcome to walk around freely inside the pod, or sit and take in the scenery. A pod host will be on board to guide the passenger and stay in communication with the ground via camera and radio links.

At 18 meters in diameter and weighing 94 tonnes, the observation pod is ten times larger than the capsules at the London Eye. The pod is raised and lowered using state of the art cable car technology, while energy recapture technology activated on its descent allows the tower to generate nearly half of the electricity needed to power its ascent.

British Airways i360 Pod Interior. Image Courtesy of British Airways

“We first experienced what impact that heady mix of innovative architecture and engineering, combined with a great view of a great city, can have on the city at the London Eye. How it can be a catalyst for regeneration, breathe new life into forgotten areas and most importantly, give back to the city,” said architect Julia Barfield.

“Once you have experienced this, there is an almost irresistible urge to do it again – to drop another piece of design into the water and watch the ripples. We hope and expect that the i360 can have a similar positive effect on another great city: Brighton.”

Courtesy of British Airways

At ground level, the single story glazed “Beach Building” will house the tower’s technical and administrative facilities, along with a 400-seat restaurant, a retail area, a play area for children, exhibition space, a tea room and event facilities. The building’s roof extends out toward to seafront to become the boarding area for the pod and contain the ticket office and tea room.

Added architect David Marks, “Located at the landward end of the West Pier on Brighton beach, British Airways i360 is a modern-day ‘vertical pier’ whose purpose is simply to delight, entertain and inspire. Its design, engineering and method of construction are innovative, just as the West Pier was in its time. Visitors are invited to ‘walk on air’ and gain a new perspective on the city, just as the original pier welcomed Victorian society to ‘walk on water’.”

British Airways i360 view to east and city. Image Courtesy of British Airways

The idea for a ‘vertical pier’ was conceived in 2005 as a collaboration between David Marks and the city of Brighton & Hove and is part of a larger regeneration plan for the Regency Square seafront in Brighton. Construction of British Airways i360 cost £42.2m, with partial funding coming via a loan from from the Government’s Public Works Loans Board (PWLB). Authorities expect interest on the loan will earn the local community more than  £1 million a year. Additionally, the Brighton & Hove City Council will receive 1% of all British Airways i360 ticket revenues, in perpetuity – a similar deal to the one that helped realize the London Eye.

British Airways i360. Image Courtesy of British Airways

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© Maxime Brouillet

• Architects: Atelier Pierre Thibault
• Location: Lac-Clair, QC J0K, Canada
• Architect In Charge: Atelier Pierre Thibault
• Design Team: Pierre Thibault, Julie Poisson, Mathieu Leclerc
• Area: 21000.0 ft2
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Maxime Brouillet

© Maxime Brouillet

From the architect. La Maison Haute was designed to reinforce the relationship between the residents, their immediate surroundings and the view on Lac Clair. Located on a plateau, in the middle of a steep hill, circled by mature trees and a narrow river, the construction offers an atmosphere of protection within a vertiginous body. 

© Maxime Brouillet

Floor Plan

© Maxime Brouillet

Despite being compact, the living spaces interact through double and triple heights and offer a breathtaking sight of the forest, from the bottom of the trunk to the leaves. The master bedroom acts as an overlook on the nearby lake, giving the impression of sleeping in a cozy cabin, lodged through the branches. Attached to the main volume by a thin entry porch, an exterior room lives by the rhythm of the seasons. Protected from changing weather, sit by the fireplace, residents can appreciate every day the sound of the water pouring, the clicking of leaves or the slow fall of snowflakes.

© Maxime Brouillet

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