Courtesy of TEd’A arquitectes

• Architects: TEd’A arquitectes
• Location: Carrer Mestre Josep Porcel, 26, 07230 Montuïri, Illes Balears, Spain
• Author Architects: Jaume Mayol, Irene Pérez
• Promoter: Jordi Biel Mayol, Àfrica Serra
• Area: 311.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2015
• Photographs: Courtesy of TEd’A arquitectes

Courtesy of TEd’A arquitectes

The house is located on a plot, not very large. This situation invites to compact the house on one side, continuing the alignment of the street façade while maximizing the patio with good solar exposure.

The house occupies a corner plot. For this reason, instead of adopting the usual uni-directional organization (street-patio), of houses between medians, the proposal is organized in two perpendicular directions. The house does not have a dominant direction. The house wants to look in all directions.

Courtesy of TEd’A arquitectes

The structure is resolved with load-bearing walls arranged in a swastika form. The structure also does not have a dominant direction. The structure configures the space.

Aiming for the wall structure to be the protagonist of the space, services are placed in the perimeter, forming a thick façade, liberating the centre of the plan and allowing for visual and use relations between the rooms. 

Courtesy of TEd’A arquitectes

The habitable sctructure coincides with the bearing walls structure. In these walls exterior windows are opened facing the street as well as interior windows facing the other rooms. There is no difference between them.

Courtesy of TEd’A arquitectes

The materialization of these walls will be fundamental in the construction process. A small building of bearing walls in marés, a local sandstone, already existed in the plot. Common sense leads us to reuse these pieces. The strategy is already served.

During the work process it is decided to reuse the marés. By handling and rearranging it, the work of the craftsman who years ago chiseled the grooves of the ancient abeuradors increases in value. These grooves were the space in which the mortar grout was poured to join the pieces together, nowadays the auberadors aren’t necessary anymore.

Courtesy of TEd’A arquitectes

Now they will provide texture and character to Can Jordi i n’África’s façade, a texture which through the years will absorb the patina added by time. The old pieces of marés, because of their quantity, are combined with new pieces. The new pieces, brought from the same quarry as te old ones, are used in the points were we need to define the work with higher detail: window frames, roof finishings, etc. 

Courtesy of TEd’A arquitectes

Thus the building is implanted in the site through reading the environment and understanding the material and its construction.

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© Architexts

Ahh, the neverending struggle between architects and their plotters. We’ve all been there. And these problems always happen when there’s a looming deadline. Still, we’ll take it over going back to manual drafting, right?

The relationship we have with our plotters is a complicated one. Between CAD and plotters, the production part of our job as architects is much easier than it was, even just 10 years ago. We still have plenty to complain about though, as the characters in Architexts demonstrate. If you have your own similar experiences, we’d love to hear from you for our next book project, Architects, LOL.

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Courtesy of Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter

Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter won the competition to design an extension for the headquarters of the Danish Society of Engineers (IDA). ‘‘The Opal’’ will form part of the scenic Copenhagen Harbour, accommodating a conference hall and restaurant. Of all shortlisted designs, the IDA stated that The Opal best-reflected “[their] vision of engineering.” 

The eye-catching design alludes to the gemstone it is named after, which reflects light to take on multiple colours. This reference is seen both in the structure and form of the new addition to the Copenhagen Harbour.

Courtesy of Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter

The building’s façade consists of interlocking opaque and transparent triangles. Integrated LED lights allow The Opal to become a nocturnal spectacle. The light design is credited to the creative concept developed by Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter in collaboration with engineers from Søren Jensen Rådgivende Ingeniører.

Resting on just four steel columns, the new landmark’s oval shape makes the volume ‘‘appear to float above the ground,’’ Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter state in a press release. The IDA committee described the gravity-defying design as a ‘‘distinctive and organic form [floating]in the space between the two existing buildings.”

“The proposal offers a unique architectural approach for creating a visionary and distinctive new landmark for IDA’s headquarters (…) illustrating the symbiosis between the art of engineering and architecture,” stated the competition jury.

• Architects: Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter
• Location: Kalvebod Brygge 31, 1560 København V, Denmark
• Engineers: Søren Jensen Rådgivende Ingeniører
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Courtesy of Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter

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© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

• Architects: Pinearq
• Location: Av. de los Principes de España, 28823 Coslada, Madrid, Spain
• Architect In Charge: Albert de Pineda
• Area: 3157.86 sqm
• Project Year: 2013
• Photographs: Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

• Architecture: Juan Garcia, Gerardo Solera, Pedro Pombinho
• Structure: Manuel Arguijo
• Installations: Grupo JG
• Technical Architecture And Construction Management: Enne – Gestión Activa de Proyectos
• Contractor: FCC, Fomento

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

From the architect. The program’s density, the area of the plot of land and  the  allowed construction requires to  resolve the project within a compact shape building that occupies the entire surface of the plot of land.

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The proposal takes this location into account as a starting point, coming up with a compact volume, which, however, has been perforated by a series of patios where vegetation climbs high achieving a good quality space and well lit building.

Ground Floor Plan

From its internal organization point of view, the volume is divided in two distinct blocks, the dynamic and static, these blocks then split longitudinally giving more importance to the building and organizing the functional program, the circulation as well as other factors such as light, sound, thermal conditions and privacy requirements.

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The dynamic fringe is located in the southern part of the building, running East to West with a width of 7.5 m.  This range contains all the dynamic activities and services, therefore, the corridors, attention to the public, internal offices, warehouses and store shelves of books, leaving the second strip to spaces primarily for reading.

Section

This whole area has patios that run vertically and offer visitors a more global vision of the complex through double and triple height spaces where series of potted trees are located.

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The passive strip is located on the north side and around the building from east to west with a width of 12 m.  It is dedicated to the reading room and there are three reasons which justify its location: the first is the level of noise, these rooms open to a park instead of opening on the Honduras street traffic, secondly, the light, the indirect lighting provides a north facade which is the most suitable for the reading activities, and thirdly, the views and proximity of next door buildings that in the case of the north facade overlooks a park and the nearest building has only one floor plus three giving the rooms a breath, the south side would not have this due to the proximity of the close by buildings which are 13 story towers.

First Floor Plan

The north, east and west facades, are a combination of wood and transparent modules, however they are designed with a modular system that is very flexible allowing the façades to be modified depending on the uses that occur within, we could say that the function is defined with the façade’s configuration, which together with the flexibility of the structure gives the building a capacity to adapt to changes that may be occur.

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The south facade is the filter we have already discussed above, and is an accurate reflection of the activity that occurs and the uses, a mesh of variable density protects it, modifying its density according to not only climatic but also conservation and lighting needs of each area.

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We decamp to Veneto in northern Italy for a report on the best from the 15th International Venice Architecture Biennale. Chilean curator (and recent Pritzker Prize-winner) Alejandro Aravena has invited the designers of 61 national pavilions to explore how architecture can tackle some of the pressing social and political concerns of our times. Monocle’s Chiara Rimella reports.

In the latest edition of Section D, Monocle 24’s weekly review of design, architecture and craft, Chiara Rimella reports from the Veneto in northern Italy for a report on the best at the 15th International Architecture Biennale – La Biennale di Venezia. Covering Aravena’s central exhibitions, Reporting From the Front, and the designers and curators of the 61 national pavilions, the show seeks to understand how architecture can tackle some of the pressing social and political concerns of our time.

© Laurian Ghinitoiu

Find out more about Monocle 24’s Section D here.

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© Luc Boegly

• Architects: Manuelle Gautrand Architecture
• Location: Boulevard d’Indochine, 75019 Paris, France
• Leading Architect: Manuelle Gautrand
• Project Manager: Cécile Ortolo
• Area: 5500.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Luc Boegly

• Operator: Hipark Residences
• Interior Design: Didier Gomez Int.
• Structure Engineer: SYNA4
• Facades Engineer: VP & Green
• Fluids Engineer: GESYS
• Economy : DAL
• Acoustics : AVLS
• Sustainability: ALTO ING.
• Execution Aca And Coordination: C2L
• Technical Controller: Veritas
• General Contractor: Leon Grosse
• Cost Of Construction: 9,5 M€ HT

© Luc Boegly

This development is in the 19th arrondissement on the northern edge of Paris, within an urban environment characterised by the brick buildings of low-cost housing units developed between the wars.

© Luc Boegly

The triangular site, which measures around 10,000m2, is orientated north–south on its long axis. It is bordered:
– On the east by the Parisian périphérique ringroad,
– On the south by Rue des Marchais,
– On the west by Boulevard d’Indochine, along which runs line T3 of the Paris tramway,
– On the north by the city gate Porte Chaumont.

© Luc Boegly

The site slopes steeply from its southern point at the Porte Brunet down to its northern point at the Porte Chaumont.

Plan

Alongside the périphérique, a 6m-high acoustic barrier wall runs for some 280m, protecting the site from traffic noise. Further pressure is put on the site by maintenance access for this barrier.

© Luc Boegly

Our apartment hotel project is on the northern tip of the plot, built as one continued line with Jacques Moussafir’s student residence. The hotel forms a sort of “prow” to the overall development, pointing straight towards Jean Nouvel’s Philharmonie de Paris.

© Luc Boegly

The building is in dialogue with two different environments:
– To the west, Boulevard d’Indochine, mostly comprised of the brick facades of the blocks of between-the-wars housing and the landscaping of the T3 tramway,
– To the east, the périphérique, a much less human environment, with streams of traffic and all their associated pollutants. 

© Luc Boegly

The building, which fills every inch of the site right up to its edges, moulds itself around urban constraints, requirements in the programme, and land restrictions, notably the buttresses of the acoustic barrier on the périphérique side and the related access routes.

A TAPERED FORM DETERMINED BY THE CHALLENGING SITE 

The various spatial and technical restrictions literally sculpted the forms of this project: the site is really very narrow, “squeezed” on its southern side by the student residence, and eaten into on the east by the access requirements for the maintenance of the acoustic barrier. The building had to find sufficient space for itself within these constraints to provide the required number of rooms for this apartment hotel.

© Luc Boegly

The resulting volume is tapered: different inclining planes allow for fire access along the eastern facade, while lost space is clawed back on the Boulevard d’Indochine side. Further along, where the hotel meets the student residence, the same crisp angles carry through to this second building; the two projects, hotel and student residences, are powerfully related to one another.

© Luc Boegly

These different angled faces, of a volume that was virtually rectangular to begin with, provide very different perceptions of the building: according to the viewpoint, surfaces appear brighter or darker, more or less cambered, conferring a powerful dynamism to the entire building.

Plan

The facade on the Porte de Chaumont side appears very high because of its narrow width, creating a pedestrian landmark for the Boulevard d’Indochine, and a beacon on the périphérique. 

© Luc Boegly

The main pedestrian entrance into the building is at the north-west corner. The proximity of the Porte Chaumont, a tram stop and a vélib city bike stand on the pavement outside, all facilitate access to the hotel.

Section

The hotel has a car park, located beneath the adjoining office building. Access is via the southern corner of the site.

© Luc Boegly

In terms of logistics, a service access between the périphérique and hotel allows for deliveries and waste collection. Coaches can also use this route, which has a secondary, parallel entrance for dropping off guests.

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© Amit Geron

• Architects: Pitsou Kedem Architects
• Location: Herzliya Pituah, Hertsliya, Israel
• Initial Design And Planning: Irene Goldberg, Pitsou Kedem
• Architects In Charge: Raz Melamed
• Area: 750.0 sqm
• Photographs: Amit Geron

• Lighting Design: Orly Avron Alkabes
• Styling For Photography: Eti Buskila

© Amit Geron

The skyline – the meeting of earth and heaven – is the Archimedean point in every swath of architecture that orients the building in its surrounding. Whether it be built in a dense urban fabric, on a high mountain or a narrow, deep canyon – each building is measured by its sky. Classical architecture that developed within the bosom of the church, aspired toward the sublime, the dimensions were propelled upwards by way of vertical windows and tall columns. In contrast, however, modern architecture, particularly residential constructions, see the skyline as a backdrop of human creativity, a horizontal emphasis on the buildings’ dimensions or even as a mere tool serving human needs. 

© Amit Geron

In both the ancient and modern cases, the skyline is the simplest element required to place the building in a concrete context, even an imagined one. Second to that is the presence of another building and then trees and so on down the list of elements in the environment. Perhaps because of this, the architecture of private homes is the last bastion of the architecture of objects – not required to kowtow to its surroundings – it engages both architecture and sculpture.

© Amit Geron

Plan

© Amit Geron

Such is the S house located in — . At first glance it is a hovering horizontal prism, emphasized by a double skyline – above and below. A second glance seeks out the meeting of the prism with the ground, attempting to decipher the system of physical balance that allows the composition to float while being anchored, as it were, to a horizontal concrete wall resting on a steel beam hovering above an English garden. The result is a choreographed construction held eternally in a gravity-defying pose. 

© Amit Geron

© Amit Geron

The levitation of the prism, formed by clean lines, dictates the entirety of the grounds and entrance by way of transparent partitions of different types – dropping down toward and marking the ground. As such, the public spaces of the home – the dining room, kitchen, living room, garden and decorative pool – have their inner and outer boundaries entirely blurred. Similarly, the entrance from the street prepares the visitor for the “space vessel” with the aid of shutter-like walls of wood – forming an outdoor lobby – barely visible from the street and open to the interior of the house. A lobby which is built in proportion to the salon, inchoate as it were, formed by an additional mass of concrete that further amplifies the hovering prism. 

© Amit Geron

The design of the lower floor is separate from the prism above, yet nonetheless balances it through cross sections with a certain constructive functionality. It is indeed a counterweight, a balance sheet or even technical anchor in every sense. It gives shelter to intimacy and privacy, housing the bedrooms and managing the inverted relationship to the environment, thereby establishing that this house is not only a virtuous object but a space around which life is calculated. 

© Amit Geron

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Courtesy of RAW Architecture

• Architects: RAW Architecture
• Location: Puri Indah, West Jakarta, Indonesia
• Architect In Charge: Realrich Sjarief
• Architecture Project Team : Bambang Priyono, Tatyana Kusumo, Miftahuddin Nurdayat, Rio Triwardhana, Suryanaga, Anton Suryanto, Andhang Trihamdhani, Emmy Ulfah, Randy Abimanyu, Septrio Effendi
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Courtesy of RAW Architecture

• Architecture Project Team : Bambang Priyono, Tatyana Kusumo, Miftahuddin Nurdayat, Rio Triwardhana, Suryanaga, Anton Suryanto, Andhang Trihamdhani, Emmy Ulfah, Randy Abimanyu, Septrio Effendi.
• General Contractor: > O + Workshop
• Supervisor In Charge: Sudjatmiko and Singgih Suryanto
• Construction Manager : Endhang Syamsuddin, Bonari Ari Dzaki
• Structure Engineer : John Djuhaedi
• Master Carpenter : Syarifuddin pudin
• Mechanical And E Lectrical Engineer: Bambang Priyono, Andi, Karim, and Hamim
• Landscape : Mr. Wirawan and Family
• Team Leader Plan And Illustration: Miftahuddin Nurdayat, Tatyana Kusumo
• Project Team Plan And Illustration: Teddie Gunawan Wijaya, Eunike Nathania, Raranisa Raras.

Courtesy of RAW Architecture

From the architect. Located in Puri Indah, West Jakarta region, the tropical open house creates intimate space from entrance through void in the garden, in living room, library, and the roof top garden.

Courtesy of RAW Architecture

“I want a house. A house to retreat, to relax with my family,” explains homeowner Mr. Wirawan in his brief to Realrich Sjarief. Situated in the increasingly crowded West Jakarta area, the 500 sqm house occupies a 450 sqm plot of land. Reflected by owner’s name, Wirawan House forest wood, Size-wise it is inconspicuous, but its exposed brassed wood facade gives it a humble look.

Plan

Section

The architecture of Tropical Open House separated the service on the ground floor, lifted the building floats with living room, and master bedroom on the first floor and bedroom for three children in the second floor. The composition is designed by designing multiple small landscape based on view from each intimate spaces, this way the heat is reduced by facing the opening to the north south side while opening the skylight and the window to let air and light in. The house has one receiving area then no more separation wall at the first floor which is living room. In the living room, the kitchen also takes some importance its final layout is the result of few adjustments based on the owner’s domestic habits. The only enclosed space in the second storey is Wirawan’s study, which doubles as a library and his space to remember memory for his family. A simple foyer and a light well integrated with stair, and art work is placed after the receiving area. The second story houses private spaces. At the end of the corridor is 2 bedrooms of his daughter’s equipped with suite bathroom and a walk-in closet. An outdoor feel showering area is attached to the bathroom, while the surface connecting its indoor and outdoor area is made of clear glass. The material used in this building is choosed based on the best craftmenship available in Jakarta.

Courtesy of RAW Architecture

5 types of local Wood was picked based on each unique character. First is, dried pine wood 180 mm x 30 mm x 3000 mm, for the facade, and 85 mm x 10 mm x 3000 mm for the ceiling. Pine wood was chosed because of the durability and the lightness. Second, reused Iron wood which is most durable material used for phinisi boat, combined with bengkirai wood which is more economic for the less walkable space is used for indoor – outdoor decking because of the texture, durability, and economic. Teakwood is used for main area bedroom, library, and foyer area, and merbau wood 300mm x 480 mm x 2800 mm combined in single door is used for door because of its tolerance on expansion, the most available material in Jakarta.

Courtesy of RAW Architecture

An additional bedroom, bathroom and a multi function room linked by a corridor leading to an open space beside the void leading to the stairwell and stair case, a pretty bow to knot the horizontal and vertical circulations together. The project installed storm water harvesting and reuses it in water landscaping. While storm water harvesting is increasingly common in some countries, it is still a rare, exceptional facility in Indonesia, one that this project was determined to have in this home. The attention of to the play of light and shadow, created through a combination of materials and artificial and natural light is fundamental to the design of the house and evokes the quietude of such a retreat house which stated by its architecture.

Courtesy of RAW Architecture

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Courtesy of MCHAP

Seven projects have been named finalists in the second edition of the biennial Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (MCHAP). Selected from a pool of 175 nominees, the chosen buildings represent the best built works of architecture realized in the Americas from January 2014 to December 2015. The inaugaral award, which was given to the best project from 2000-2013, was shared by Álvaro Siza’s Iberê Camargo Foundation and Herzog & de Meuron’s 1111 Lincoln Road.

Continue after the break for the list of finalists.

Weekend House / Angelo Bucci; Sao Paulo, Brazil

© Nelson Kon

UTEC Campus / Grafton Architects; Lima, Peru

© Iwan Baan

Pachacamac Museum / Llosa Cortegana Arquitectos; Lima, Peru

© Juan Solano

Tower 41 / Alberto Kalach; Mexico City, Mexico

© Yoshihiro Koitani

Star Apartments / Michael Maltzan Architecture; Los Angeles, California

© Iwan Baan

Grace Farms / SANAA; New Canaan, Connecticut, United States

© Iwan Baan

Fort York National Historic Site Visitor Centre / Patkau Architects & Kearns Mancini Architects; Toronto, Ontario, Canada

© Tom Arban

The MCHAP 2014/15 Jury includes Jury President Stan Allen, architect and former Dean of Princeton University’s School of Architecture; Florencia Rodriguez, editorial director of Piedra, Papel y Tijera publishers; Ila Berman, Dean, UVA School of Architecture; Jean Pierre Crousse of Barclay & Crousse, and Wiel Arets, Dean of The Rowe Family College of Architecture at IIT.

The winner will be announced at a symposium held at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture on October 19, 2016. The winning team will also receive funding of $50,000 in support of research and a publication related to the theme of “Rethinking Metropolis.”

News via MCHAP.

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© Roland Halbe

• Architects: COE Architecture International
• Location: 4 Chome-15 Seta, Setagaya-ku, Tōkyō-to 158-0095, Japan
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Roland Halbe, Kai Nakamura, Kei Takashima-Nacasa, Norihito Yamauchi, Kunihiko Ishijima, Masao Nishikawa

• Contractor/Executive Architect : Tokyu Construction Company
• Interior Architect: COE Architecture International
• Interior Designer: ILYA Corporation
• Café Interiors: Seshimos Architects
• Lighting Designer: SOLA
• Landscape Architect: SOLA
• Graphic Designer: Artless, Inc.

© Roland Halbe

This innovative building replaces the original Seta Sports Connection built in 1982, which was one of the first membership fitness clubs in Tokyo. The new six-story, 6,000 square-meter facility accommodates the private club’s new emphasis on personal sports training, Japanese bathing and social activities.

© Kei Takashima-Nacasa

Designed in a striking minimalist aesthetic, Aqua Sports & Spa is the first project to be completed by COE Architecture International in Japan. The significance of the new Aqua Sports & Spa draws on a sensitivity Christopher Coe developed early in his career as a designer with celebrated architect Richard Meier.

© Kunihiko Ishijima

Embracing the project’s complex urban site and varied program, the architect explored Western and Japanese concepts of spatial definition and materiality. Although a private club, the design intent was to create a transparent building with a welcoming and public presence, one with a serene and refined demeanor in sharp contrast to the chaotic surroundings of Tokyo. The design echoes an ancient calmness in opposition to the frenetic context.

© Roland Halbe

The building is located on a steep hillside site, which was once part of a Tokugawa country estate containing onsen springs, rich forests and a spectacular view of Mt. Fuji. Today the site is bordered by a large highway, apartment buildings and small houses. But there remain large pockets of trees on both sides of the highway, which became primary considerations in the building design.

© Roland Halbe

Diagram

© Kai Nakamura

The building is comprised of spaces serving both the sports and social functions of the club. Fitness facilities include the only private 50-meter swimming pool in greater Tokyo, as well as a fitness gym, locker rooms, spa lounges and men’s and women’s showers and Japanese baths. The social facilities include a lounge, bar, dining room and a public cafe with outdoor terrace.

© Kei Takashima-Nacasa

Aqua Sports & Spa focuses on high-level personal service for its members and the building design needed to bridge the wide gap between a utilitarian fitness club and a luxurious hotel.  Programmatically, the club functions are separated into sports and social spaces. Each assemblage of spaces is housed separately in white or dark gray concrete volumes which vary in scale related to their function. 

Section

Plan 1

Section

Enclosed in the largest white volume, the pool is raised in the air level and parallel to the adjacent highway and sidewalk. Enormous windows allow both private swimmers and passing pedestrians to visually engage each other from only 2 meters away.

© Roland Halbe

At the upper end of the site a smaller white volume sits perpendicular to the pool volume. It contains the member’s lounge which floats above a clear glass box enclosing the ground floor entry lobby and public café. The upper lounge is totally transparent at its east and west ends to take advantage of the unique tree-top views of the historic site. The centerpiece of the lounge is a modern pavilion of wood slats defining the main seating area and fireplace within the larger lounge space. A driveway slips under the elevated lounge and between the entry and café, providing access to the roof-top parking, similar to Corbusier’s Villa Savoye.

© Kai Nakamura

Expressing internal functions within a refined massing of varying scale, the design negotiates the complex site and blurs the traditional boundary between private and public spaces and activities.

© Roland Halbe

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