Credits: Hend Almatrouk, Gijo Paul George, Abid Naqvi, Abdul Rashid, Yahia Galal
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Courtesy of Studio Toggle
Engineers: Al Turath consultants
Main Contractor: Al Nisf Co.
Courtesy of Studio Toggle
The F.LOT house can be described as a minimal composition of 2 seemingly floating masses intersecting at right angles. A 5m cantilever adds drama and gives the composition its unique character.
Courtesy of Studio Toggle
The house features a 15m long pool which appears to float above the parking. The pool bisects the longitudinal volume which houses the main social spaces and the living quarters.
Courtesy of Studio Toggle
The open-plan ground floor is organized on either side of the pool, which is quite clearly the focal point of the house. These spaces flow into each other connected by a bridge which is enclosed by panoramic sliding windows. The barrier free design of the ground floor is emphasized by the open kitchen and dining, with sliding-folding doors, giving unrestricted access to the landscape/deck and the pool.
Courtesy of Studio Toggle
Plan
Courtesy of Studio Toggle
The basement houses the ‘Dewaniya’ (traditional Kuwaiti gathering space for men), parking for 3 cars under the floating pool, and the staff quarters. The Dewaniya opens into a large courtyard at the basement level, covered in white pebbles, which breaks up the harsh Kuwaiti sun and lights up the basement spaces in a glow of diffused natural light.
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The first floor houses the private living quarters and is lit by panoramic windows on both sides. Aluminum louvers and deep recessed balconies offer effective sun-protection and mitigate the heat gain due to the large window openings.
Courtesy of Studio Toggle
An austere palette of white plaster, exposed concrete and white epoxy flooring gives the social spaces a sense of ethereal openness reminiscent of an art gallery. The first floor on the other hand features solid teak wood and rough-cut travertine cladding giving the living spaces a warmer texture.
This second home has a rather peculiar story. Spasm was commissioned to demolish an existing structure, which was deemed structurally unfit for occupation, and build a new home on the same site. An in depth study, prompted us to reimagine the idea of occupying the site.
Many radical strategies were adopted Retaining and recycling the debris of the demolished building as a mound. The sleeping spaces as an introverted assembly around existing trees on the ground level, where one descends into the coolness and comfort of the earth.
The main pavilion-esque living space on the upper faces the north, overlooking the mature trees which stood on site. The pool sits at the upper level terrace and seems to rise out of the mound. The house has been imagined in Blue Gray Kotah, an Indian stone which forms the main substance of the expression. The naturalness, monolithic quality, cost, availability in different formats, and wear-worthiness of the stone led to its choice as the best defense against the harsh humidity and fierce rain that affects this region. Kotah stone is used in several forms, from fine chips, to strips, to slabs, to solid cove cut skirtings. The bath spaces are finished in white Indian Bhanswara marble.
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The spatial construct makes the occupation of this home about the elements. The changes in light intensity are palpable, as is the mood of the rain whether gentle or violently loud. We hope we have delivered the vessel for the family to live a life under the skies, a place to enjoy the rain, wet breezes, encounter rare bugs , a place to grab the dew laden cool grass between their toes.
From the architect. Located in a suburban satellite city 12 miles west of Jakarta, this 10 person architects’ studio occupies a walled rectangular parcel with several pre-existing tress. The studio occupies a corner of the site and is defined by a 4 x 8 m grid of slender steel columns.
A large reflecting pool abuts the structure on two sides and a wooden terrace cuts across the site, dividing the ground – floor plan of the studio. The ground floor houses a double-height work area at the front of the structure and across the terrace a smaller meeting room.
A painted steel chair leads to an upper floor office. Seperated by an exterior area, an additional two storey volume at the back of the site houses a kitchen and lavatory on the ground floor and a servant’s room on the upper storey. While the exterior walls of the ground floor are glass, the upper storey, wider in plan and thus cantilevering over the space below, is clad in panels of glass-reinforced concrete.
Floor Plan
A pitched wooden roof with concrete tile cladding covers the entire structure, projecting over studio and service volumes. The eaves of the roof are supported by the two exterior rows of columns, five of which fall within the water. Two inner rows of columns, situated within the glass walls of the ground floor, carry the load of the building to concrete foundations. The pool’s water comes to the edge of the glass perimeter, seemingly doubling the spaces of the studio with its relfection.
The use of glass is intended to maximize the view of the surrounding area : exotic leafy trees in an area of 500m2. The studio’s mass follows the pattern of established shady trees, with two buildings built right among the trees. The green landscape is exposed by the architect through the studio. The setting of the buildings are set by the existing of the trees around the site. The building was split it by two separated building one another. It is separated by existing tree which is located almost in the middle of the site.
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The ground floor on the studio, which seems to float, is used for public activities, such as receiving guests, meetings, administrative work and negotiations with clients and suppliers. “We want the leafy trees to be visible to the guests, making them feel at home,’ explains the architect.
The ground floor is efficiently designed with a clean line. There aren’t many ornaments on this floor so that it seems practical, modern and functional. Granite material is installed to exude coolness in the room, as well as a pool that delivers cool air.The second floor on the other hand is more spacious and is utilized as the main building. This is the place where the architects work.
Sinseol-dong is a place that some ‘urban hanok’ still exist. However, as walking that area, it is hard to catch at once that the building is hanok. Because most of them are too old and repaired for several decades. Even some are too old to use as a dwelling and mostly over maximum FAR.
The site of project was so rigid with district plan and restriction. This place is not allowed to construct new building. In detail, it was only possible to construct 50% area of existed building ;49.5 sqm (Previous- 99.9 sqm). Paradoxically, because of the complicated restriction, this shabby, old hanok could survive so far.
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Structural weakness of Hanok(traditional wooden structure)
Due to the Hanok’s wooden structure, It is hard to extend vertically. It became more weaker when remodeling hanok. That is one of the reasons why hanok is limited in progress as a modern architecture.
Before. Image Courtesy of CoRe architect
As a way to extend hanok vertically, we adapted steel frame structure to make the other volume floating above the hanok. So the hanok could be preserved as much as possible. And the new volume could stand as a independent structure.
Exploded Diagram
New possibility (proposal)
All this time, the version of Hanok could be said that ‘the single-traditonal one’, ‘a 2-3 story adapted hanok’ or ‘a hanok on the other volume’.
‘Sinseol-dong hanok’ takes another position. It tries to make other floating volume above hanok by using a new steel frame structure. By repairing and reinforcing, the hanok and new volume could exist respectively and also co-exist. We’ve searched how the hanok could keep its shape and make balance with modern architecture at the same time.
1st Floor Plan
There are many factors to repair and extend existing hanok; structure, restriction, cost etc. Also the factor of restriction and way to resolve will not be same in hanok in buk-chon and hanok in sinseol-dong. It can be said that the restricting factors in sinseol-dong gave clues to make other possibility in this project.
It has 7 steel-columns on the ground -away from the court of ㄷ-shape hanok. It could have been more easy to solve if the column stood in the middle of the roof of hanok, but it would have worse in detail then -like insulation, waterproofing and finishing. To do this, we arranged column avoiding roof of hanok and made cantilever structure using horizontal beams and inclined beams.
Location: 21 Leigh St, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia
Builder : Brojed Construction
Area: 102.48 sqm
Photographs: Courtesy of Sans-Arc Studio
Courtesy of Sans-Arc Studio
From the architect. The brief for the project outlined a concept for a venue, running off a ‘vibrant’ lane way in Adelaide. The experience of this bar was to be entwined with a narrative. This narrative was of the outdoors, a childhood memory of fire cooked food and camping in the forest.
Courtesy of Sans-Arc Studio
Concept
Throughout the design process the concept evolved and settled on exploring the typology of the wilderness hut. Huts are located in remote or isolated areas and often in geographically unique places. Generally speaking materials have to be sourced locally. As a result the materiality and aesthetics of the wilderness hut are varied but with a few common threads. Often timber is sourced by felling the trees on site and stone or earth is gathered from nearby. This approach creates a vernacular style amongst huts, with different elements or nuances associated with a particular region or locality.
Courtesy of Sans-Arc Studio
The intention with Pink Moon was to create its own identity or vernacular; by designing and building in the way a hut should be. Firstly, an understanding of its unique climate. Sitting between two low-rise office buildings, narrow and long, running east-west with limited access to direct sunlight. The hut needs to embrace its surroundings, not dominate them, but embellish and appreciate them. Creating a moment of warmth and shelter within whatever context.
Courtesy of Sans-Arc Studio
Volume and Spatial Planning
At 3.66 x 28 metres, the narrow site lent itself to a Japanese approach to programming. There was an obvious need for light to penetrate the space as well as create a compact, floor plan that dealt efficiently with the limited width. The result was two huts, separated in the middle by a courtyard of similar size, the bar to the street, a dining hut to the rear. This layered approach allows light to filter into both spaces, but also accentuates the movement of walking through the space, crossing multiple thresholds and experiencing three different spaces.
Courtesy of Sans-Arc Studio
Floor Plans
Courtesy of Sans-Arc Studio
The internal ceilings are raked to express the 60 degree roof pitch and timber truss structure. This attempts to relieve the feeling of tightness associated with a narrow space by accentuating the height and overall volume. The front (drinkers) hut is light filled and airy whilst the dining hut is darker, dimly lit and focussed around the fire. The central courtyard has little of its own lighting, but instead allows light into the two huts during the day and is lit by them at night.
Courtesy of Sans-Arc Studio
Materiality
All of the material selection was based around the principles of hut-construction and have been considered in relation to their impact / sustainability of production and ability for re-use. As much as possible, there was an attempt to use familiar Australian materials. The structure is timber framed and uses locally sourced Australian Hardwood as cladding; seconds of Spotted Gum, Tasmanian Oak and Ironbark. Excessive use of steel or other virgin materials was limited as much as possible. The bessa block walls and paving can be seen as the most vernacular masonry option in the Adelaide, our ‘local stone’. The colours are slightly inspired by the weird colour combinations of Himalayan mountain huts, but very much the Pink Moon Saloon.
As part of ArchDaily’s coverage of the 2016 Venice Biennale, we are presenting a series of articles written by the curators of the exhibitions and installations on show.
Responding to the primary theme of 15th International Architecture Exhibition, ‘Reporting from the Front,’ Singapore’s presentation places the small “battles” fought at the home-front. These efforts are contributing to the emergence of an invigorated Singapore.
From within the comfort and the security of the domestic environments and public spaces that have been created over the past five decades, we are now pushing the home-front from within – to create more Space to Imagine, and Room for Everyone.
Through actions, guided and spontaneous, initiated by individuals, establishments and groups, we are witnessing active participation of our citizens: stepping out, taking actions, owning and adopting their environments. They have also heightened the role of design advocacy and participation, both real and imagined, at various scales and levels in schemes of future renewals, intensified in-fills of left-over spaces, in the narrow confines of domestic spaces.
In two broad themes (archetypal terrains), at every scale, in the boundary between the private and public realms, actions like participation, contestations, activations, appropriations, transgressions and occupations are enacted. All these happen in the building and urban fabric – on the grounds, in the void decks in the private abodes of our housing estates, and in our public spaces.
In a battery of actions on these terrains, we forge through design a new society built on the gains of the previous more austere generation. In pushing against this front, in turning Singapore inside out, we move beyond from being productive and technocratic, to be creative and egalitarian. Thus, these “battles” at the front is a poignant visual account of our human capacity building, in looking at the past with new eyes and broadly, and in our attempts to humanize the environments of Singapore.
The design of the exhibition uses the grid as a base onto which different meanings and potentials are projected. The grid (a frame with equal intervals in the x & y dimensions) signifies the order and rationality with which Singapore is planned. The grid however, also provides openness and freedom. In the exhibition space, we set up a grid that allows everyone to move freely, to appreciate the diversity of stories that thrive within.
The effect created is an atmosphere to envelope and immerse the viewer. The curatorial team endeavoured to make an emotionally charged experience using the hundreds of interior scenes from everyday life in our public housing estates, the Housing Development Board (HDB). More than experiencing any one of these HDB interiors in the skin, the exhibition would immerse the viewer intimately in the diverse collection of interiors, an intensified domestic experience.
Eighty-one (81) customised image lanterns are suspended at eye level in the central space. On three faces of each lantern, a photograph from the HDB: Homes of Singapore collection will be mounted. On the fourth side, one will look into the lantern2 to see a small model of the HDB block in which the interiors described in the photographs are sited. A bulb in the centre lights the model as well as the photographs from behind. A viewer will freely meander through these scenes of everyday life, glowing gently.
One may notice that in this pavilion staged for an International Architecture Exhibition, it is not showing buildings. Rather it is showing the connections between people and their spaces. The challenge is that while buildings are traditionally documented in drawings, photographs, and models, the stories of these small “battles” that were found on our home-front had no ready-made form.
To embody the spirit of each participant, the curatorial team selected from each an artefact, a visually striking object that bears the marks of their endeavour or tells the stories succinctly. In one example, the Ground-Up Initiative (GUI) displays the mud-bricks that their volunteers are making for the walls of their new campus. For Participate in Design (P!D), an array of the colourful, now universal, Post-It notes that the protagonists gathered from their consultation sessions is presented.
The selection of the artifacts that will carry the story of each participant is an act of design as much as it is an act of curation. This direct on-the-ground approach, like the preparation of fresh sashimi, is premised on choice and cut. No seasoning is required. The design philosophy for the Singapore Pavilion is, similarly, to present the inspiring stories in an honest and transparent manner.
From the architect. The new agship store for Massimo Dutti is located on Presidente Masaryk Avenue, one of the most prestigious streets in Mexico City. Home to leading brands, it is considered the city’s “golden mile” and has recently undergone a makeover to improve its urban qualities.
With the goal of turning the building into a veritable work of architecture that serves as an aesthetic reference point within this exceptional context, the scale and design of the project re ects a desire to integrate it into the Polanco neighborhood.
The building façade is designed to match the formal landscape of heights and voids found in the zone’s historical architecture. The rhythm of rectangular modules is formed by an orthogonal metal structure, while the texture of the façade is a screen inspired by a reinterpretation of the traditional wrought iron railings of Polanco. The screen generates a series of rectangular niches that are randomly repeated within the orthogonal mesh.
Diagram
This is a lively and exible architecture, thanks to the strong connection between interior and exterior. Each of these niches becomes a window, showcase or closed element, depending on the internal use. This system is only interrupted by the sheet of glass that frames the principal entrance, with a great triple-height vertical window.
The screen was manufactured using molds, and employs berglass in its construction. It represents a superb collaboration between traditional local skills and sophisticated technology.
While the rst impression of clients is of the building’s urban presence, upon entering users experience new sensations in the imposing double-height lobby space. Inside, the store is conceived as an urban and contemporary space with a minimalist style. With simple lines and purity of materials, a versatile and timeless space is created that does not interfere with the demands of fashion and ensures the product holds all the attention.
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The vertical circulation nucleus was conceived as a sculptural element that welcomes clients as the visual backdrop upon entering the store.
The furnishing is simple, with geometric forms in wood and steel detailing. Following the same scheme, the brand’s classic pieces were reinterpreted and simpli ed to be incorporated into this minimalist space. A number of original pieces were designed for the store, including the hanging showcases, exhibition tables, and payment area.
The rooftop terrace was designed to complement the experience of the store for clients and their partners, where they can relax and enjoy a coffee or refreshment. It will provide a versatile space with kitchen and washroom services that offers superb views over the skyline of Polanco, and will also serve to host brand events.
The selection of materials was focused on the classical but innovative essence of the brand to create a neutral setting. Pale stone employing different treatments was used, together with accents in wood and metal.
Elevation / Details
The combination of these architectural elements together with the use of a sober palette for the interior were the tools to achieve the elegance required by the site, and which the brand represents.
From a list of 25 finalists released in May, the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) has announced the winners of the 2016 European Prize for Urban Public Space. Awarded since 2000 to recognize “transformations and improvements in the public spaces of Europe,” this year’s prize names two joint winners along with four special mentions. All 25 finalists will have their work featured in an exhibition that will tour Europe over the next two years, and also will be published in an online archive that features past finalists.
Continue after the break for images and descriptions of the winning projects.
Joint Winner: Recovery of the Irrigation System of the Spa Allotments, Caldes de Montbui, Spain / Cíclica + Cavaa Arquitectes
During the twentieth century uncontrolled urban development of the periphery of Caldes de Montbui seriously damaged the Hortes de Baix (Lower Orchards), more than three hectares ancient agricultural land which, for centuries, had been irrigated by the town’s surplus thermal waters. Bad smells and health risks resulting from the contamination of the irrigation system by sewage, together with partial covering of the main canal, inaccessibility of the orchards and bad management of wastewater from private spas ended up causing a rupture among the community of farmers using the irrigated land and the eventual collapse of the agricultural system.
However, after 2012, the town council introduced a participative process which brought together more than seventy horticulturalists. With their agreement, the sewage was properly channelled, the old irrigated land was supplied with clean water and a new network of accessible paths connected the orchards with the old centre of town. The land is now once again a productive space, keeping the horticultural tradition of Caldes de Montbui alive, contributing towards its food sovereignty and raising awareness among the town’s inhabitants concerning the importance of democratic management of the public good of water resources.
Joint Winner: Przełomy Centre for Dialogue in Solidarność Square, Szczecin, Poland / KWK Promes
Solidarność (Solidarity) Square was a physical expression of the historic fracture in Szczecin after the Second World War. Named in memory of sixteen workers who were killed in 1970 when they demonstrated against the Soviet regime, the square had little relevance beyond this purely commemorative function. Its urban surrounds, anonymous and featureless, had not recovered from the massive destruction of allied bombing attacks at the end of the Second World War, after which the city went from German to Polish control, whereupon its entire population was replaced, with all the tragic effects of such a change. The square, which recently recovered its lost centrality with the construction of the new Szczecin Philharmonic Hall, has been completely refurbished. It is now the site of the underground “Przełomy” Centre for Dialogue, a branch of the National Museum, which aims to heal the wounds of collective memory. Meanwhile the sloping contours of its roof offer the city a public space for intensive, vibrant use in its everyday life.
The restoration of this pre-existing home aimed to create architectural harmony and open up its interior and connecting spaces. Full advantage was taken of natural light and the relationship between different spaces by giving them new uses and maximizing the potential of the surrounding garden.
Previously, the main entrance area was semi-circular with a roof that sloped towards the main living room. The space was surrounded by a semi-circular pergola of round pillars, none of which were related in any way to the concept of the new project. The main entrance is now marked on the outside by a large refection pool, (which mirrors the form of the bedrooms), and highlights the new façade rendering (grooved slate), in this area. Inside, the entrance hall has been transformed into a large, double-height, open space; its ceiling lifted and windows inserted all around the edge, flooding the atrium with natural light.
At the intersection between the two perpendicular sections of the house (living rooms and bedrooms) there was previously an office/library (set over 2 floors) – this was demolished due to its awkward configuration. Most of the windows in the southern and western facing façades had to be resized and light wells created in the main sitting room, winter garden and bathrooms.
The area of all the rooms – both bedrooms and communal living rooms – was increased and private areas separated from guest areas. The communal areas are now contained within one large open space, divided by split-levels, the fireplace and the winter garden. This opening up of space created new visual connections and strengthened links between the indoor and outdoor living areas, all compartments enjoying direct access to the garden. Along the southern side of the house was built a large covering, with a partially open ceiling, which functions as an extension to the interior spaces (living room, dining room, TV room), and provides a huge exterior sitting area.
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The various outdoor spaces have different ambiances and varying levels of privacy depending on the rooms that surround them. For uniformity, the swimming pool has the same proportions as the living rooms and outside roof covering, and extends right up to the main bedroom, emphasizing its position of importance.
Following the news last week that the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will abandon plans for their Chicago location, OMA has released images of their proposal for the museum, which had been beaten out in the original competition by MAD Architects‘ Volcano-like entry. OMA’s design attempts to preserve as much of the lakefront park space as possible, lifting the majority of gallery and educational spaces into the air and capping them with a sky garden enclosed within an ETFE envelope. The plan would have offered up to 8 times more public space than the footprint it occupies.
Courtesy of OMA New York
OMA’s proposal was inspired by its site’s history of sky-reaching structures. During the 1933 World Exposition, it was home to Skyride, an aerial tramway supported by two 628 foot (191 meter) tall towers. Drawing from the ambition of the towers, OMA’s Lucas Museum features cables extending from the building’s peak to the edges and key points within the gallery plate, suspending it in mid-air. The entire structure has been rotated 45 degrees to provide direct lake and downtown views and create clear entries from surrounding pathways.
Courtesy of OMA New York
The core of the museum has been filled with vertical gallery spaces that support the elevated horizontal gallery plate, kept as open as possible for maximum flexibility. On top of the horizontal gallery, the ETFE-enveloped sky garden provides display space for artifacts and serves as a social space that is freely accessible to the public.
The ETFE membrane is fritted so it can be used as a screen for projections from both inside and outside the structure. This allows the building skin to become an interactive part of the museum experience from within, and serve as an outdoor cinema for the park. Theater and lecture halls are included in the tower’s base, allowing for separate entrances to the museum and sky park. The park and gallery levels are accessible by a series of escalators, with an event space and observation deck connected by a elevator bank.
Courtesy of OMA New York
The surrounding park space is designed to be as flexible as possible, which would allow the area to continue serving as a tailgating area for Chicago Bears games at the adjacent Soldier Field. The park could have also become the setting for a range of new public events and activities, framing the building as the backdrop for the city’s cultural loop.
Courtesy of OMA New York
The Lucas Museum is currently searching for sites in California.
Sig Nordal 