The Metropolitan Museum of Art has released a 360° video of the recently renovated Met Breuer, the former home of the Whitney Museum designed by Marcel Breuer in 1966 that now houses sections of the Met’s modern and contemporary collections. The video takes you through several areas of the building including the entry, the lobby and the sunken garden courtyard. Orbit around the video to check out the unique apertures of the landmark facade and the finely detailed interiors, featuring the building’s iconic ceiling.
From the architect. The High Trestle Trail Bridge, is the fifth longest pedestrian and bicycle bridge in the US. The bridge, over a half mile long, spans the Des Moines River Valley, and connects over 600 miles of trail in central Iowa. With design embracing local coal mining history and geology of the area, the site-specific installation utilizes a tunnel of steel cribs, mimicking the structure of an old mine shaft, and abstracting them in a manner which evokes a sense of whimsical travel through time and space.
The experience becomes even more surreal as night falls, and blue LED’s highlight the playful geometry of the cribs, drawing users in and gently releasing them through the other side. Not only has the installation been an experiential gift to the public, but it has also been recognized as a major contribution to regional economic development, with an additional 15 to 20 thousand people per month traveling to the local communities on both sides of the bridge.
Thanks to the collaboration between public artists, engineers, architects, lighting designers, owner and the public, this installation is now the keystone, uniting five distinct communities along the trail.
Diller Scofidio + Renfro and partners Rockwell Group have released a new animation of “The Shed” (previously known as “The Culture Shed”), a convertible cultural center designed for New York City’sHudson Yards development overlooking The High Line. When complete, the building will contain 170,000 square feet of exhibition space for temporary installations, concerts, performances and other cultural productions. Watch in the video as The Shed grows out of its partnering residential skyscraper, also designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Rockwell Group, and transforms to serve various program types.
A part of Phase 1 of the Hudson Yards project, construction on The Shed began in mid-2015 and is scheduled to be completed in 2019. The venue will serve as the new home of several high profile events, including New York Fashion Week.
From the architect. Located in the Laval science and technology park, the Servier “Centre of Excellence” project consisted of the design and construction of a new, independent office building which was followed by a complete retrofit of the adjacent older head office complex.
A main objective of the project was the reorganization of departments and the integration of equivalent work spaces for all staff, in both size and quality of finishing. The project was also designed to achieve high energy economies and an environmental sensibility to achieve LEED NC (without documentary burden).
Building accommodations include open office areas, meeting/discussion bubbles, divisible conference spaces, hospitality areas, coffee and break zones, high-density archives, a small fitness center, mechanical penthouse and underground storage rooms.
1st Floor Plan
2nd Floor Plan
The personality of the new building reflects and contrasts with the vocabulary of the nearby more stylistic head office with its mansard roofs. Rhythm and materials were carefully selected and inspiration drawn from the original palette of colours.
This project was followed by the complete refurbishment of 2,183 m² of the existing older head office building spaces to reflect the newly introduced spatial allocations and high quality finishing.
New images from HOUSE VISION Tokyo 2016 have been released as the event opened to the public this past weekend. This year’s theme, “Co-Dividual: Split and Connect / Separate and Come Together,” explores how architecture can create new connections between individuals, and the ways Japanese housing can adapt to cultural shifts through the implementation of technology.
This year’s exhibition features house designs by top Japanese architects including Sou Fujimoto, Kengo Kuma, Shigeru Ban and Atelier Bow-Wow, each paired with a leading company to envision and implement new strategies in housing design.
Continue after the break to see images from the event and the pavilions.
Venue Entrance / Kengo Kuma
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
The House with Refrigerator Access from Outside / Yamato Holdings × Fumie Shibata
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
Yoshino-sugi Cedar House / Airbnb × Tsuyoshi Hasegawa
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
Hiragana-no Spiral House / Panasonic × Yuko Nagayama
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
Tanada Terrace Office / Muji × Atelier Bow-Wow
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
Nomad House / Mitsukoshi Isetan × Tanijiri Makoto Ai Yoshida
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
Courtesy of HOUSE VISION Tokyo
Rental Space Tower / Daito Trust Construction Co., Ltd. × Sou Fujimoto
From the architect. This single-family 1,650 square foot residence and 550 sf guest house was designed to broaden the owners’ already strong emotional connection to the living world. The owners and architect Jim Cutler of Cutler Anderson Architects chose the site of an overgrown, man-made pond in an area of the owners’ 88 acre vineyard that was not conducive to cultivation.
The design attempts to make the pond and residence a single entity in which the owners can enjoy and connect with the wild creatures that come to the water on both regular and varied schedules. To this end, the building of Douglas Fir and Cor-ten steel was placed as a bridge across the north end of the pond. The pond itself was enlarged and loosely ordered to integrate with the structure of the residence.
The site plan was choreographed so that visitors park their vehicles 150 feet away. They then walk through the forest to a bridge crossing a small section of the pond, and on to the main entry. The broad vista of the pond offers a compressive release upon opening the front door. It is the hope that this experience will be memorable to the visitor.
Site Plan
Designed as a simple steel frame carrying a wooden roof structure, the primary box houses a kitchen, living/dining room and master bedroom. An indoor mudroom “link” connects the home to the garage. To enable guests to experience the place, the guest house is connected by an outdoor covered walkway.
Integral to the design of the residence, south-facing glazing (Cardinal LoE 272) maximizes light and warmth in the Pacific Northwest. The home also uses radiant heating in the floors. The wood and steel construction materials were locally-sourced; and native vegetation fosters wildlife.
To date the owners regularly observe: Dragonflies, Crawfish, Rainbow trout, Bats, Cedar waxwings, A blue heron (named Herman), Wood ducks, Hawks, Garter snakes, Frogs, Salamanders, Possum, Deer, Raccoons, Coyotes.
With the opening ceremony of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics fast approaching, the city’s preparations have hit another setback. The main ramp at Marina da Gloria, which will serve as the Olympic sailing venue over the next few weeks, has partially collapsed. The structure was intended for temporary use as the main access point for boats to enter the water. No one was injured in the incident.
Philip Wilkinson, a spokesman for the Rio 2016 organizing committee, said the damage was caused by high tides and a stormy sea, and that a construction crew has already been contacted for repairs. The ramp is expected to be back in working order within four days, just three days before sailing events are scheduled to begin on August 8.
“It would be wrong to make a great deal” of the Marina da Gloria incident, said Mark Adams, International Olympic Committee spokesman. “In the run-up to the games, things happen.”
World Sailing spokesman Malcolm Page said that a coach boat pontoon was also damaged on Saturday.
Another recent incident in Rio saw TV Studios on Copacabana Beach near the volleyball arena flooded with water after the weekend’s exceptionally strong winds. Iron boards were needed to contain the force of the waves.
From the architect. Power to the People is a 0-energy project composed of seven solar-powered rowhouses. Each flat has its own articulated south-facing roof and the maximum number of solar panels allowed by the municipality.
The building site is flanked by two dead-end streets that are running in an east-west direction, which meant that if the houses were to line the existing streets then half of the flats would have a north facing terrace which is clearly undesirable in a nordic climate.
So we created a small “alley”on the site. The alley is on private property but left open for pedestrian connectivity. it connected the two dead-end streets which not only increased pedestrian activity in the neighborhood but also opened up the property and the neighborhood to the hiking trailheads that are adjacent to the site. This alley allowed the rowhouses to be oriented in a north-south direction which gave all of the flats west-facing terraces with afternoon and evening sun.
For those of us that aren’t based out of a university—and even for many who are—finding research resources that cover the topic you’re interested in can be a challenge. But they can be found, and thanks to the internet your search no longer needs to be limited to nearby libraries. In fact, many world-renowned libraries and magazines are now working to digitize important parts of their collection, while a number of online organizations have sprung up with missions to improve access to information. To help you identify some of the most useful, we’ve put together a list of 18 free websites that offer scholarly articles, publications, photos, videos, and much more.
JSTOR is a must-know, and one that you’ve probably come across before. JSTOR contains digitized back issues of leading academic journals, current issues of journals, books and primary sources. JSTOR’s digital library has a number of excellent architectural publications, and has broad coverage of humanities, sciences, and social sciences.
Well-known for its Case Study House program, Arts & Architecture magazine highlighted the development of single-family dwellings during the Post-war period, with specific focus on the work of Southern California architects like Richard Neutra, Rudolf Schindler, Charles Eames, Frank Lloyd Wright, and John Lautner among others. Published from 1929 until 1967, the website now dedicated to cataloging Arts & Architecture offers digitized versions of selected articles from 1945 onwards, as well as full issues from the magazine’s last 11 years.
Created by North Carolina Modernist Homes (NCMH) and Hanley Wood (parent company of ARCHITECT), Colossus focuses on 20th century architectural publications, and especially on designs from the 60s, 70s and 80s. When complete, the digital archive will provide over 1.3 million pages, becoming the largest online reference for modernist architecture.
The hugely influential Archigram group was active from 1961 to 1974, and their work has now been digitized. Students from the University of Westminster created this platform in collaboration with the remaining members of Archigram or their heirs. The database include digital versions of drawings, collages, paintings, photographs, magazines, articles, slides and multi-media material, and original texts by Archigram where available. Given that most of Archigram’s work remained unbuilt, its digitization provides a poetic structure to the collective output of the architects involved.
In 2014, Getty Publication launched its virtual library, featuring over 250 titles to read for free online. Works published by Getty Publication complement the work of the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Conservation Institute, and the Getty Research Institute. The library’s resources cover architecture, but also art, photography, archaeology, conservation, and the humanities at large. You can also find interesting material on Getty’s education portal.
With over 21 million publications, ISSUU is an engaging publishing platform for magazines, catalogs, and newspapers, and has become a go-to platform for small publishers and individuals who want to make their work available online. The digital media company offers both leading and emerging titles, on subjects of culture, arts, lifestyle, and (most importantly) architecture.
Archnet focuses on the built environment and iconic buildings of the Islamic World, and provides a wide range of documentation: images, drawings, publications, seminar proceedings, articles, monographs and architect’s archives. This research tool is a must-see for people interested in Islamic Art and Architecture.
You may know the Royal Institute of British Architects for their awards and advocacy for the British architecture industry—but did you know RIBA also has its online image library? RIBApix features over 85,000 digital images issued from the British Architectural Library. From iconic buildings, to street scenes and vernacular architecture, the platform gives photographic evidence from different historical periods. The collection is frequently updated with recently built projects, and covers interior design, landscape, topography, planning, construction and the decorative arts. All images can be downloaded in low resolution for free, and can be purchased to illustrate a publication.
The Architectural Association’s online photo library contains 8,000 images that represent the highlights of the school’s broader collection. Slides, negatives and prints of historical and contemporary architecture are available in low resolution for educational purposes, but can also be purchased for commercial use. The AA also offers photographs of its students’ work since the 1880s, as well as a video archive for its lectures, conferences, and symposia.
The Courtauld Institute offers online access to some major primary sources and images of its collection. The online database includes 40,000 photographs, cuttings, architectural drawings, and publications, spanning the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Although the Courtauld is best-known as an art history institution, its Conway library focuses on architecture and is a valuable resource for researchers and students alike.
Harvard Library’s VIA (Visual Information Access) provides descriptive records, architectural drawings, and photographs. All images are available for educational use only.
New York Public Library’s photographic archive offers over 180,000 high resolution images that are public domain and not subject to copyright restrictions. These images chronicle New York’s street scenes and historical buildings, and include incredible documentation on the design of the Chrysler building, and construction of the Woolworth building. But the library also has panels of photographs from demolished or destroyed buildings across the world, like London’s Crystal Palace demolished in 1936.
On ArchInform, you will find complete biographies of architects, and descriptions of the buildings that shaped their career. Buildings under construction, completed buildings, and unbuilt projects, as well as awards received and publications are all listed on the website. Moreover, ArchInform has a very wide database that gives credit to both famous and less well-known architects.
Run by Ross Wolfe, this blog presents excerpts of primary sources and historical material. Although it is not an archive in the stricter sense, this platform can prove very useful when researching on Modernist Architecture in Germany and Eastern Countries, and on Russian Constructivism.
Run by the Internet Archive—who you may have heard of thanks to “the Wayback Machine” or any number of their other archival missions—this ever-expanding collection of monthly publications and digitized magazine so far features archives of “The Builder,” the UK’s oldest and most comprehensive magazine on the building industry that dates back to the 19th century.
The magazine Canadian Architect has shared digital archives of its publications since 2008. Articles report on architectural practices in Canada, review designs across the country, explore newly built projects, and look at the use of new technology in current practices.
Location: Lago De Puente Moreno, Jardines de Virginia, Boca del Río, Ver., Mexico
Area: 788.0 sqm
Project Year: 2015
Photographs: Courtesy of Rozana Montiel | Estudio de Arquitectura
Associated Architect: Alin V. Wallach
Collaborator: Alejandro Aparicio
Client: INFONAVIT
Exterior Area: 624 sqm
Courtesy of Rozana Montiel | Estudio de Arquitectura
From the architect. COURT is the public space rehabilitation of a public housing unit with more than 8000 dwellings located in the suburbs of the Veracruz port. The unit counts with several open areas, never thought as public spaces, which became residual.
Courtesy of Rozana Montiel | Estudio de Arquitectura
One of those areas had an asphalt court that remained underused for lack of shade and protection from sun, rain and heat. The goal was to create an inhabitable area to reactivate the court and its surroundings.
Courtesy of Rozana Montiel | Estudio de Arquitectura
Floor Plans
Courtesy of Rozana Montiel | Estudio de Arquitectura
More than a roof
The lack of urban amenities gave this roof an extended function to its initial use and became a multipurpose portico-style cover. The program, inserted between the columns, includes balconies, playgrounds, reading room, activity rooms, bathrooms and furniture like stands, hammocks and swings that give alternative uses to the structure. We also integrated an outdoor fitness area, a forum and urban furniture that allows round-the-clock use of the space. The incorporation of local vegetation recovers shade as an essential element of public spaces in hot weather.
Axonometric
The result is a structural replicable model that responds to sports-use but also to recreational, educational, religious and contemplative uses. The court becomes a meeting point for neighbors that works as a community center housing multiple activities.
Courtesy of Rozana Montiel | Estudio de Arquitectura
Detail
Courtesy of Rozana Montiel | Estudio de Arquitectura
Sig Nordal 