From the architect. The program, packed and complex, offers a dual programming in the same site, including a childcare centre with its staff housing and 13 students housing units.
The project must integrate different qualities: openness and privacy, daytime operation for the childcare centre, evening and night for the housing, friendliness and safety…
Master Plan
Section
The nursery is set up on the first two levels and the housing overhang on the two upper levels.
The ground floor reminds this typical base effect of the Parisian buildings. It has a texture, a particular material, made of rough bricks. Some glazed color bricks are randomly embedded at different heights dancing on the façade. Their colors discreetly recall the vocation of the building intended for children.
In the higher levels, a wired glass skin called reglit unifies the facade. Sometimes opalescent, opaque or opened by windows, it discloses the activity taking place in the common areas of the housing units. In the evening, it shines and forms an urban window on the street while the nursery falls asleep.
The street façade develops a large loggia on the second level. Overlooking the street, children feel protected while they are observing the surroundings from their headland and satisfying their growing curiosity. The garden is like a microcosm where every children’s living unit can focus on. The outdoor spaces allow different uses, adapted to different ages, seasons, times of day.
In the nursery, the functional simplicity of the plan allows children and adults to locate themselves easily.
Friendly, open, functional and programmatic nesting; the new equipment reflects the values of the neighborhood and it will surely become its strong element.
« So the tiny, a narrow door if ever there was one, opens a world. The particular of a thing can be the sign of a new world, a world which as all the worlds, contains the attributes of the greatness. In La poétique de l’espace, G. Bachelard
Everything starts in 2013 with the visit of an empty plot of land in a borough of Reims (France). The future owners wondered about the possible construction of a house on this strange triangular plot of land. It is well orientated, there is enough space to build a 100m2 house with garden and it is little overlooked. Nevertheless, the sharp form of the ground seems difficult to occupy. At the same time, we were looking for a place to build an architecture office, a space to work and study.
We made the following proposition to the client : using the necessary space to build the house and employing the triangular extremity with the small office building. The program was then established : A house, a small office, an exhibition space open to artists, architects and musicians. We started to work and quickly decided of the external form : A dark and almost blind façade on the street, with concrete base. On the other side very open and ultra luminous living spaces.
The house is built on the larger part of the site. So a garden can be created on the back side. The northern facade on the street, is almost blind to preserve the intimacy of inhabitants. Living spaces are largely opened to the southern garden. On the ground floor, there is a complete life unit (living room, kitchen, main room with bathroom) and on the first floor a huge mezzanine is connected to a guests room. With large horizontal windows inserted between the 2 slopes of the roof, these spaces have an optimum luminosity.
The double height of the living room and geometrical lines of the ceiling create a set of intermingling volumes. This space has a small surface but with an impression of greatness. On the mezzanine, a large window offers a picturesque view on the surrounding gardens. Oak parquet floor and stairs bring warm notes to this immaculate decoration. Finally some circular lamps punctuate the different rooms of the house in counterpoint to the ceiling sharp lines.
The office building skip into the acute part of the plot of land, abandoned for a long time. With a reduced ground surface it develops on 3 storeys high. Each storey’s got a function : ground floor is the exhibition space, first floor receive the open space office and the second floor is dedicated to meeting room with a small kitchen facilities and terrace. A black metallic stair connect these non divided spaces.
Voluntary bare and raw, working spaces are very luminous and good place for work. Joist floor slabs stay apparent, all ironworks are crude steel. Only walls received a white painting. A dark purple colour is applied on the triple height of the staircase wall. This dusky wall blurs the end of the space, the black steel stairs comes to end in. Finally the terrace ends this architectural promenade leaving pink and yellow shining.
Section
Le lieu minuscule
Le Lieu Minuscule, which means In french The Tiny Place, is a place dedicated to architecture and contemporary art : an exhibition space and a workspace. It has been inaugurated in September 2015 by Aurore Dudevant and Philippe Zulaica, architects. It takes place on the ground floor of the small building office, conceived to be occupied by an architecture office on the first and second floor.
Le Lieu Minuscule is a project carried and maturated for a long time. Born form fuzzy, crossed and perhaps contradictory desires : to have a working place for professional and personal research; create a place of exposure to present the work of artists and architects sharing commons reflexions; to accommodate musicians and performances in a singular space.
Le Lieu Minuscule exhibits monographic or thematic exhibitions. This place is the continuation of the online review Trapèze, contemporary art architecture and landscape created in 2009.
From the architect. A new built, 4600 sqft built up bungalow on an apprx 7400 sqft land in SS3, one of the bigger residential suburbs of Petaling Jaya.
I had received an email inquiry from the client stating they needed a family home built and were looking for someone to work with them “fanatically” to make it happen ASAP. Oh, and on top of that, they also have a fairly limited budget! – Not exactly the right mix of terms any consultant would jump up to grab…. but I thought what the heck, let’s just meet up with them. I did and we surprisingly hit it off!
The clients were involved in the building industry and already had an idea of what they wanted. They were particulaly interested in the current trend of the raw, industrial aesthetic which was popular among younger architects in Malaysia.
Although I can appreciate that aesthetic (which I felt was getting to be a tad bit overdone!!), I felt that for that look and feel to permeate all throuhout a home may not be the best, especially for a home with children. Instead I proposed that we do a mix; we have some features using fairface concrete/ cement screed/ plaster and bricks but balanced off with “finished” elements as well – this would give the house more layers and contrasts and thus have more character
They were also very into all things vintage and had quite an eclectic collection of old furniture, lights, artwork and other assortments. We thought this would all work rather well to come together and create a very rich and unique home.
As we all our other residential projects we always start with at least one options (with some variables) of what the client wants – the wish list. And we also added another option (or options) of what we think could work instead based on how we intepret the bried. In the end, its usually a hybrid of options, working on various strengths to come up with something just right.
The site didn’t pose any real problem as it was quite large and flat with no real major tree or vegetation to retain. There was an existing single storey bungalow on site which we demolished entirely. So basically, its was like a blank page with no site contraints. The main planning and orientation of the house was pretty much determined by the entrance and sun orientation: the pool and the public spaces of the house would face East, to get the morning sun. The other contraint /requirement was of course Feng Shui. Once we had a prety workable layout, the clients had to consult their Feng shui consultant and we made a few tweaks (thankfully it wasn’t major!) to comply to the geomancy requirements.
We like to think we’re very good at space planning and especially good at making small spaces look larger than they actually are. That’s one of the principles we always try to adhere to – to have the minimum footprint as possible for the home while meeting all the space requirements. One of the tricks to make spaces look bigger is managing and maintaining the ‘line of sight’. We always try to enable the users to look from one space into the next and beyond. That’s why we always encourage double volume spaces and mezzanines- It enables all the levels of the house to interact visually with one another. Especially with homes with children; its always useful as you can always watch them wherever they are and shout at/for them! – no excuse for them not hearing you!
Playing with high volumes also gives another dimension to the space and combined with an open horizontal light of sight – like the open view to the pool from all the main spaces of the ground floor – it makes the user experience the entire house as a much larger space than it actually is. Of course the larger volumes also bring other benefits such as increased natural lighting and the ability to allow more cross ventilation. Given a choice, we would have preferred that most of the spaces are left just fully naturally ventilated, but with the annual occurrence of the haze in this part of the world in the recent years, this doesn’t seem feasible any more – the house has to be fully sealed when the needs arises.
For the overall external outlook – the clients did want something very visible and iconic. They also were very taken by the aesthetic of fairfaced concrete. So the main double volume living space was done entirely in free form fair concrete as the main feature for the entrance of the house. – this would be complemented by a horizontal screen that would wrap round the master bathroom. We actually went throught countless of options for this screen! – from steel, to concrete blocks to green walls till we finally settled on a simple screen of vertical cement board strips on a steel frame (wich also hid the front aircon outdoor units).
The other main fairface concrete feature was the visually cantilevered entertainment block/ lanai on the first floor which overlooked the pool. Originally intended as a closed up space, it was finally left as a semi open area. We intentionally didn’t close it up as a full 4 sided “box” and left a side of it broken for visualy articulation.
The open feature staircase was also framed in fairface concrete and the base and underside of the actual staircase was also in exposed concrete. However we chose to temper the hardness of the concrete staircase with solid timber treads and steel balustrades inspired by retro grill designs.
We would have loved to have built the entire first floor entirely of fairface concrete – as a floating concrete box, but budget contraints forced us to be very selective of which areas were to be treated as features, so we built the other areas as plastered brickwalls.
For the interior base finishes, we didn’t want to go too industrial as the exterior was already quite raw, so we had a more “finished” look. The common corridors (including the dining and dry kitchen) at the ground floor and first floor were left as cement screeding with aluminium inlays for breaks, as a budget consideration. The living room was done is broken Ipoh white marble – a throwback to traditional flooring which was very popular in Malaysia, in the 60’s and 70’s. The bedrooms were all finished in LEEDs certitied, luxury vinyl tiles which had a timber grain look and feel.
The built-ins were all custom designed by us. We had some industrial quirks on them like the steel framed structure for the kitchen island and cement board panelling (and secret doors) at the dry kithcen. The master wardrobe and ground floor study had steel frame construction with shelving. The clients also sourced some retro items like the vintage sewing machine which we incorporated into the power room vanity, and precast terrrazo bathtubs, basins and pots from Bali, which we also included into the designs. These, mixed with some retro tile selections gave a very distinct, ecclectic flavour to the bathrooms. We also sourced some printed cement enclaustic tiles from Singapore (Hafary tiles) which were used for effect along the terrace/ apron facing the pool.
At the first floor entertainment terrace/lanai and “play room”, we used collapsible grills reminscent of the old shop houses to divide the 2 spaces. This area is actually the man of the house’s “mancave” or “den” of sorts! When the “lads” are out drinking on the lanai, the collapsible grill can be opened up into the “play room” which is actually a home theatre space. There is a pull down projector screen and the lads can watch football, etc from the comfort of the open lanai space!
The client also found an interesting solid timber table set which came with a pair of head chairs with extremely high back rests! Not the most stable of chairs but they really look good in the double volume dining space! The Vibia “inspired” wire framed pendant light above (also sourced by the client) completes the look!
The clients had been running about shopping and sourcing for the loose furniture pieces and accessories for the house on their own. During the selection process we would then be consulted to test whether the size is correct or suits the space for the major items before the clients makes the purchase. For others, we’ll just work around what they had purchased and figure out how to use them. Sometimes we need to modify or add on to the items purchased to make them usable (like the sewing machine vanity!).
All in all, it was a fairly enjoyable process I think for both us and the clients. The clients were heavily involved in the design and we actually encourage that as the house then really becomes an extension and reflection of their personalities as well.
In this case, the clients were also involved with the actual build process as the clients are in the construction industry. They were even staying in the house next door when the construction was going on! – so they experienced the entire build firsthand! The client’s father was also the client’s project manager on site!
Minamisoma city is the place suffered from the earthquake and tsunami of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Fire Department building of Minamisoma city was also damaged and required to be rebuilt. In the confusion of the aftermath of the earthquake, it took three years from the schematic design to the completion of building combining the functionalities of fire department with wide area fire-fighting headquarter, while this building became the first reconstructed public building in Minamisoma city.
Sadness still remains in this disaster-stricken city with many victims. Therefore, it is hoped this center to become a place for giving hope to the citizens throughout the future, while the building will play important roles for firefighting, disaster prevention, and disaster prevention education foothold.
The space in the center connecting those two functional facilities was elaborated as a symbolic structure as three-story high wellhole, intended to be utilized as a disaster prevention education zone for the citizens.
Elevation
A spatial configuration with top light and organic spiral space, as well as its symbolic upward quality of the space creates affordance to navigate movements of people. The top light frame was assembled with flat bars in 50 mm width to achieve lightness in appearance. Gravity ventilation system with the aid of wind force was adopted, based on the simulations performed during the design phase, in order to realize the system to allow comfortable airflow throughout the building.
In this disaster prevention education zone, the design for exhibition space was also provided. By linking this exhibition space with the rising quality of the wellhole, it was configured based on the themes of; the “past” that we must not forget; the “present”; and the “future” for restoration. The actual height of the tsunami reached at this location was also represented with three-dimensional quality.
The exhibition walls and handrails continuing from the first floor to the third floor have varying heights to intentionally deviate the line of sight by locations. Those exhibition walls were placed to provide a space showing only what is needed to be shown– records of emergency activities during the disaster, messages from all over the world, fire engines and fire fighters in the actions seen through glasses. It was intended for citizens to clearly realize the importance of disaster prevention again, by alternately and sequentially exhibiting daily firefighting activities and scenes from the disaster.
What happened there, how people acted, how people felt, and what people will do from now on–it is what this disaster prevention center should be to exhibit them.
Location: Cheonggyecheon-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Area: 10955.0 sqm
Project Year: 2015
Photographs: Courtesy of Soon Gak Jang + SIGONGtech + Jay is Working + Space NEN
Space Nen Designers: Seuk Hoon Kim, Myung Jae Lee, Sukwon Le
Jay Is Working Designers: Wonwoo Chae, Heejeong Koo, Jaewoo Park, Kyung Shin
Construction: Miraespace CND
Client: Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA)
Courtesy of Soon Gak Jang + SIGONGtech + Jay is Working + Space NEN
From the architect. CEL Venture Complex project first started as Korea Tourism Organization moved to Wonju, Gangwondo and remodeling was initiated for the existing building transform into venture complex and academy for small venture entrepreneur and start-ups. CEL Venture Complex, which is operated by Korea Creative Content Agency(KOCCA), consists of areas such as 24-hour open start-up studio zones, supportive spaces for K-Wave, network lounge and converging head office for networking among users. From 7th floor to 17th floor, all of these areas are distributed for incubating new ideas of Korean culture. Other areas such as K-Wave experience zone, and auditorium operated by CJ corporation are located on other floors to support the building.
Courtesy of Soon Gak Jang + SIGONGtech + Jay is Working + Space NEN
Overall space concept can be summarized as a word, ‘C-Cross’. This keyword is consisted of the letter ‘C’ of the Creative, Culture, Co-Work, Communication, Collaboration, Challenge and the word ‘Cross’ for the horizontal and the vertical connection between floors. In order to think beyond the limitation of the space the complex has, collaboration and communication are the critical point needed within the building for various type of convergence. New vertical circulation is added to connect all the floors and allow for spaces of collaborations such as lounges, food and beverage spaces, and meeting rooms. This penetration of circulation connects all the start-up offices from 11 to 15th floors of the venture complex.
Courtesy of Soon Gak Jang + SIGONGtech + Jay is Working + Space NEN
Another interesting point of this CEL Venture Complex is that all the floors are reflecting different design elements which allow for the users to be inspired for creativity. Three themes for space are incorporated, ‘Creative Line’ for breaking work spaces with curvature divisions, ‘Creative Sense’ for bringing in a new environment with three dimensional unified color, and ‘Creative Block’ for showing a uniqueness of industrial materiality to the users. 16th floor is opened for users with functional rooms in need for financial, invest, legal consultations, and the network lounge of 17th floor shows the open atmosphere with food and beverage section allowing for more active communications between the users of the offices, studios, and academy. Also a vertical circulation is added between these two floors which allows for more possibility of interaction between the people.
Courtesy of Soon Gak Jang + SIGONGtech + Jay is Working + Space NEN
The objective of this competition is to select the appropriate master plan proposal for the National Museum Complex (NMC), with the aim of realizing a cultural base that is the spatial core of the Administrative City. This competition is an open international competition for all professionals and consists of two stages. In stage one (1) of the competition, conceptual land use plan of the whole project site (190,000m2) and conceptual master plan of the project area (75,000m2) of the 1st phase of the NMC project are reviewed. Entries of stage two of the competition are limited to winners of the stage one.
Stage One
Open Competition
Conceptual development plan on the whole NMC site (190,000m2 ) + Conceptual master plan on the 1st phase area (75,000m2)
Stage Two
Invitational Competition(Limited to Winners of the Stage One)
Developed master plan on the 1st phase area (75,000m2 ) + Architectural design on facilities in the 1st step of construction (i.e. Central Operation Center, Central Storehouse, National Children Museum, and Parking Lots)
This brief provides information only for stage one(1) of the competition, and the information for stage two(2) will be provided later.
Eligibility: Any professionals in architecture, urban design, landscape design, cultural design, or other fields can enter. One (1, individual or corporate) representative of the team should be a licensed architect whose license should be current and valid at the time of registration.
Schedule
Announcement of the Stage One(1) : 2016.5.18.(Wed)
Project Site Tour : 2016.5.26.(Thr) 11:00 (GMT+9:00)
Registration Closing of the Stage One(1) : 2016.6.17.(Fri) 17:00 (GMT+9:00)
Submission Deadline of the First Stage : 2016.7.13.(Wed) 10:00 – 17:00 (GMT+9:00)
All courier and postal service including the international entry must have a stamp marked no later than 2016.7.12.(Tue), and the delivery must be arrived at the reception of the competition office by 2016.7.15.(Fri) 17:00 (GMT+9:00).
Adjudication by Jury for the Stage One(1) : 2016.7.20.(Wed) – 2016.7.21.(Thr)
Announcement of Winning Entries of the Stage One(1) : 2016.7.25.(Mon) 10:00 (GMT+9:00)
Announcement of the Stage Two(2) : 2016.8.8.(Mon)
Submission Deadline of the Stage Two(2) : 2016.11.4.(Fri)
Adjudication by Jury for the Stage Two(2) : 2016.11.10.(Thr) – 2016.11.11.(Fri)
Announcement of Winning Entries of the Stage Two(2) : 2016.11.14.(Mon) 10:00 (GMT+9:00)
Download the information related to this competition here.
Title: International Competition: National Museum Complex Master Plan for Korea’s Administrative City
From the architect. In the fall 2008 we started designing interior of Barin Resort at the same time we were working on the exterior of the project. Barin is located in the heart of mountain just about 1 kilometer from the Shemshak ski resort ,the second largest ski area in Iran after Dizin and about 55 minutes drive from Tehran. Here, nature is so impressive that we decided to take this as a demonstration project which investigates the interface between nature and architecture.
This purpose of the project is to show new ideas that help in modifying the relation between architecture and nature without blindly repeating vernacular models or copying imported historical styles .It aims to reach that the logic product of any architectural design process should be free and flexible formation responding to the surrounding forces. Natural forces here were Snow-covered landscapes as the characteristic feature of the region and the fluid lines of mountain embracing the building. In design process we were also inspired by Igloos, the shelters which are built by native arctic residents’, but here topographic layers instead of ice blocks are put on each other horizontally to make a domical form. Thereupon this was a Combined Metaphoric Design which used both natural and human-made objects as inspiration sources to achieve its final form.
Here, all the project necessities are defined in the main body to provide the space purity and integrity, resembling when snow lies on the ground and homogenates all the things from different colors and shapes.
Bricks are an iconic element of Solano Benítez’s studio. An ancestral material, forged by man using an ancient technique of modeling and baking. Bricks are very versatile, cheap and easy to manufacture – even marginalized areas of the world can afford to build houses with brick. Benítez feels the poetry of brick and has experimented with its versatility, relying solely on bricks as the main construction material. [1]
Gabinete de Arquitectura‘s exhibition, designed by Solano Benítez, Gloria Cabral and Solanito Benítez, was awarded the Golden Lion for Best Participant in the International Exhibition, Reporting From the Front, for “harnessing simple materials, structural ingenuity and unskilled labour to bring architecture to underserved communities.”
In a corner space, surrounded by the most important hotels of Mexico City, facing Reforma, the ceremonial boulevard created in the 19th century by Maximilian Habsburg as Emperor of Mexico and across the street from Chapultepec, one of the largest urban parks in the world, stands Barberia Royal, a barbershop that offers services as privileged as its location.
Through our design we wanted to incorporate the bits and pieces of a previous proposal that was under construction on the site for a different barbershop that was never finished, recycling mismatching moldings and other wooden elements almost randomly, fitting them in a contemporary form that still references the traditional symbols of European royalty.
The lower half of the space relates in colors and materials to the long standing heritage of traditional barbershops including a black and white hexagonal tiles floor with a flower pattern and the Royal name greeting all the patrons at the entrance.
In contrast the ceiling is shaped with an intricate faceted surface that adapts to the changing heights of the space and the structural elements of the building finished with a laser-cut golden anodized aluminum reflective surface that mirrors the plan view of the shop and sharpens the edges of the volume creating a point of interest for the clients as they lay back on the service chairs.
The store plan is distributed into two equally important zones: the waiting area with a fully stocked courtesy bar, very comfortable leathered stools and sofas, shelves with exhibition of the best grooming products for sale that share the space with a real life buffalo head and a fully restored vintage Triumph motorcycle as decorative highlights; the service area is furnished with original chairs from the 1950s upholstered in mustard yellow each facing a large scale beveled mirror with a rounded gilded frame with golden heads of a lion, a wolf, a stag, a zebra, an elephant and a moose fixed onto its surfaces.
The interior is sheltered from the outside with a double wooden façade reminiscent of old English storefronts reduced to its minimum expression.
The branding and image design was realized by Andy Butler who devised a flexible communication system that incorporates symbols associated to royal houses and heraldry along with the barbers’ basic tools to create graphic elements that work from the scale of a card or a product to large scale signage and digital applications.
Peruri 88, a 400-meter proposal by MVRDV for Jakarta. Image Courtesy of RSI-Studio
Are tree covered buildings really in tune with ecological and sustainable principles, or are they just a form of greenwashing? This is the question posed by Kurt Kohlstedt in his essay, Renderings vs. Reality: The Improbable Rise of Tree-Covered Skyscrapers, for 99% Invisible. The author notes that vegetated designs come about for myriad reasons – the appearance of sustainability, better air and views, investment intrigue – but that most of these concepts will never leave the realm of paper or virtual architecture. For as many reasons that these buildings have become popular, there are detractors for why they simply cannot be built, including daunting construction hurdles (extra concrete and steel), vast irrigation systems, added wind load complexities, and the trees themselves having difficulty adapting to their vertiginous conditions.
Kohlstedt cites Bosco Verticale by Boeri Studio as a “vertical forest” project that has actually been built and subsequently praised. The project received numerous awards and accolades including being named the 2015 Best Tall Building Worldwide by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) and LEED Gold certification, but critics have noted that the amount of resources required to place and maintain the trees far outweigh their ecological merit.
Of the article’s several conclusions, those that stick out are Kohlstedt’s note that extensive green coverage (mosses, succulents, herbs, and grasses) are easier to implement than intensive green coverage (roofs or balconies with shrubs and trees), and that vertical gardens can seem to have egalitarian merit, but they are park conditions that benefit the few not the many. ArchDaily has taken on this issue previously, with authors who defend and others who denounce the trees on buildings phenomenon.
Peruri 88, a 400-meter proposal by MVRDV for Jakarta. Image Courtesy of RSI-Studio
For Kohlstedt’s complete evaluation, read the full article on 99% Invisible, here.
Sig Nordal 