A new museum dedicated to rock, pop and youth culture will open today in the Danish city of Roskilde. Designed collaboratively by Dutch-based practice MVRDV and Copenhagen-based COBERagnarock, as it is to be known, has been described by its designers as “oozing rock’n’roll attitude, with its golden exterior and velvety red interior.” The museum is part of ROCKmagneten, a masterplan for the site of a former concrete factory which COBE and MVRDVwon together in 2011. The area has since been designated as a creative and cultural neighborhood and the museum, which is now at the heart of this transformation, is set to be open to the public all year round.
According to Dan Stubbergaard of COBE, the design aim centered on “translating the special energy, image and attitude of rock and pop music into architecture.” The building, he continued, “will introduce the audience to the world of rock music in a tangible way. […] It is an homage to rock and pop stars like Bowie, Hendricks and Jagger.” Stubbergaard suggests that “the analogy of rock has been carried through into the museum, where the scarlet red interior of the foyer resembles the velvety inside of a guitar case.”
According to the designers, “the museum spans four storeys and has a twenty-meter cantilever. The building contains a number of public functions such as a large exhibition hall, auditorium, library, recording studios, museum shop, café, workshops, patio and an outdoor music venue.”
COBE and MVRDV will continue to collaborate on the realization of the nearby Roskilde Festival Folk High School, which is set to be completed in 2018.
The jetty at Bagaúste is not grounded. It is over a broad expanse of the river Douro, tucked tightly against the fast and violent riverside road. It houses the hustle and bustle of canoes and rowboats in two perfect cabins. The café and the boathouse are simultaneously platonic and enigmatic. They reflect the westerly sun whit their aluminum panels.
The quiet waters over which we have placed a long promenade nevertheless challenge the newer sound. All directions converge on the warm-shaded esplanade or under the blue sky echoed inside the bar… The train on the opposite bank is no longer futuristic… The boathouse could be a one-bedroom hotel, as taught by Aldo Rossi.
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The Cais de Bagaúste was conceived as an imperfect diptych and the two cabins, which are not aligned, are the beginning and the end… out-dated archetypes in an idolized landscape.
Boats on the river are reached via floating decks or can be towed along solid ramps. The changing rooms are concealed in the café cabin. The full grow trees were there already, at the foot of the sloping vineyards.
An embankment of big stones, operated by one man and his machine, guaranteed solid ground. The rest of the project was constructed on the waterside, with cautions but clear-headed daring stripped of all fantasy. The metal structure of the cabins was covered in layers of insulation, waterproofing and finally aluminum panels. To prevent the possibility of corrosion no nails or screws were used. The rainwater filters through narrow slits.
From the architect. Ragnarock, MVRDV and COBE’s museum of pop, rock and youth culture in Roskilde, Denmark, stands as an architectural embodiment of rock music which hopes to inspire a new generation of musicians, artists and creative professionals. The 3.100m2 building, complete with colossal cantilever, houses the main museum experience which also includes an auditorium, administrative facilities and a bar. The golden studded building stands as the front-man in a larger 11.000m2 masterplan, ROCKmagneten, which looks to transform the existing cement factories on the site into a district for rock music and youth culture whilst adding three new buildings, the completed Ragnarock, a new Danish højskole and the headquarters for the Roskilde Rock Festival.
Ragnarock, designed for the Danmarks Rockmuseum, aims to touch the existing site as lightly as possible with the intention to preserve the raw and informal character of the site which has been, and still is, used by skaters and artists alike. The new structure plugs into the factories, standing on four legs which take visitors up into the museum and auditorium above. A clear divide, identified by a separation in materials, distinguishes the old and the new; raw concrete in contrast with vivid red studs. The combination of materials radiate a rock-like atmosphere; from the golden anodised aluminium studded façade which pays homage to lead singers throughout rock history, to the vivid red interior, reminiscent of a guitar case’s soft velvet inside.
“Ragnarock is the translation of rock music into architecture; the energy, the defiance, the statement. Loud and in your face!” says MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs, “It’s not just the looks though. The relationship between Ragnarock and the original halls creates spaces that will breed a new generation of rock stars in a hugely creative environment.”
The experience throughout the building takes visitors on a journey into the life of a rock star, combining traditional museum with immersive exhibitions. The red carpet welcome, the rise to fame up to the performance space which hangs daringly in the air, and the inevitable fall down to the bar. “Walking towards the golden building over the red carpet will turn each visitor into a star,” Jacob van Rijs explains about the approach to the museum. Ragnarock itself also becomes an stage; performances can either face the large public plaza on one side, or the refurbished industrial halls on the other. The golden overhang defies gravity in a true rock and roll style and welcomes visitors not only into the museum, but also in the future will act as the entrance into the larger ROCKmagneten masterplan.
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The social intentions of the scheme open up new possibilities for music creativity by providing an inclusive environment with constant connections between education, leisure and performance. The buildings themselves, led by Ragnarock, inspire but also leave room within the scheme, such as outdoor plazas, to breed creativity through a new social, informal platform.
Ragnarock stands out in its environment as a catalyst for future development. Architecture editor Karsten Ifversen described the museum, in the Danish newspaper Politiken, as a modern day cathedral, “This is how cathedrals were built in the past; in unknown areas. You built them in the middle of nowhere and then the city emerged around them.” Ragnarock is the first band member in the new masterplan for the creative suburb ‘Musicon’. The process over the coming years will see new members joining the stage: the rock højskole, a regenerated concrete factory hall marked by a hovering volume; and the Roskilde Festival housing, a dynamic environment accommodating the future students and teachers of the højskole. Both MVRDV and COBE will continue to work on the next phases of the masterplan and look forward to presenting them in the future.
MVRDV and COBE won the international competition for ROCKmagneten and Ragnarock in 2011 and have since worked with: Landscape architects, LIW Planning; engineers and consultants, Arup, Transsolar, Wessberg, Dansk Brand Institut and Nordconsult; as well as exhibition designers Kossmann de Jong.
Crossboundaries stepped into the project when the shell and core of the building already had been completed. The intervention had to consider limitations such as low ceiling heights, rigid column grid and a standard hotel plan layout with a central dark corridor and rooms on the sides.
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The program includes a restaurant, 11 private dining rooms, KTV, 17 standard hotel rooms, bar, SPA, resting areas, 10 suites, offices, meeting rooms and the chairman office.
To create a spatial experience from the moment one enters the building, the design concept concentrates on a continuous, central “path” that absorbs the visitor and channels him to the different excitements and rooms of the club.
Corridor Activities
In order to achieve this, the former cuboid corridor was adjusted so that walls are slightly angled. Depending on the needs of the activities, further modification such as lowering or lifting the ceiling is implemented. The corridor is reshaped to expand its previous volume and functionality.
Functions such as an open restaurant, lobby, resting areas and one meeting room are integrated into the corridor as part of a continuous sequence. This changes the traditional spatial arrangement within hotels, where different social activities are fragmented.
Perspective section through corridor
This sense of continuity of the “path” is further enhanced by the play of light of materials. Lights follow the slanted ceiling and angled wall, changing the dynamics of the corridor. Throughout the ceiling and wall is a perforated steel surface while the floor is covered by woven vinyl of the same steel color.
The sleek, steel-colored corridor presents an immediate coolness of a machine aesthetic. Yet behind the metal paneling are walls painted in different colors. Representing different emotions, these colors subtly speak variety and intrigue through the perforation, arousing visitors’ interest of the unknown behind the walls.
2nd floor-color studies
The metal surface allows further for the integration of diverse art pieces and enhances the visitor’s experience. Its content sequence starts with the evolution of knowledge from the basic primitive forms on the ground floor philosophy and politics on the upper level.
DROO Projects is a Paris/London based studio specializing in high end residential design. This boutique apartment building tucked in behind a narrow listed Shop House building, in Melbourne’s inner suburb of Hawthorn.
The long narrow Shop house building typology allowed for the existing building to be extended to create a two compact mini towers to the rear separated by a generous courtyard internally, providing light and outdoor living spaces for the individual apartments.
From the architect. The cafe is located on the ground floor of a newly opened commercial facility connected to Shinjuku Station. We intend to create a fair relationship between all people present: “hosts” and “guests” mixing with each other, people waiting in line; seated and standing customers; staff working at the casher; ballista brewing coffee inside the counter and more.
First, we carefully adjusted details to suit everybody’s eye level at the same height, and then placed a hollow-square counter in the center, where multiple layers of people overlap each other. Furniture height is set below the waist height to keep out of sight; and floor and ceiling are finished with the same material as the common area to erase the boundary between the shop and the common area, allowing the space to extend beyond to create a cafe that serves the entire facility.
The new Blue Bottle Coffee counter stands here in the light-filled urban square.
From the architect. Arup Associates, working in collaboration with Arup engineers in Australia, are celebrating completion of an elegant pedestrian and cycling bridge that spans the inlet of the Swan River in central Perth. The bridge is effectively a gateway to the central business district, its curvaceous form visually linking the river with the city,
The bridge was officially unveiled to the public on the 29th January with a breath-taking outdoor light and water display showcasing the precinct inlet as the heart of the development. A striking architectural feature, the 22m high cable-stayed bridge offers impressive 360 degree views across the Swan River and the Perth CBD.
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The bridge is central to the bold plan by the West Australian Government to revitalise central Perth, Elizabeth Quay features a stunning 27000 m2 inlet and 15000 m2 promenade, surrounded by a vibrant mix of offices, apartments, hotels, shops, bars and restaurants. The project returns the city’s focus to the Swan River and provides a world-class waterfront destination for Perth.
The 110m long pedestrian and cyclists’ bridge allows for continuous movement around the Quay. It connects The Island with the western promenade and Williams Landing, and also links The Island onto the popular ‘bridges’ recreational circuit around the Swan River. Visitors to the precinct can now run, cycle or even ride a Segway across the bridge as they wander around the promenades and explore the many attractions on offer.
“It’s very rewarding to see our design come to life. We are incredibly proud to have been involved in delivering the bridge and being a part of the transformation of Perth’s Swan River waterfront. It is an iconic project that will forever change the way people enjoy one of the country’s most vibrant and diverse cities.”
Arup was engaged by managing contractor Leighton Broad to design the project, and worked closely with the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority to provide multi-disciplinary services from detailed design through to construction completion.
Given the bridge’s unique but constrained location, and the considerable level change required for clearance height for vessels, Arup’s team of architects and engineers knew that the bridge’s design needed to be longer and more complex than a simple ‘straight line bridge’. In response the architects, using parametric design tools, started to play with complex curves, therefore lengthening the path, while the engineers developed a structural diagram to mirror this proposal. This resulted in the beginnings of a design that echoed what the bridge needed to provide functionality-wise, while incorporating aesthetically appealing design curves, an easily-accessible pathway and a sound structure.
The concept design was driven by a desire to have a simple but iconic form that respected the Quay’s existing master plan, while ensuring that the structure took full advantage of its spectacularly unique location.
“The architect’s unique sculptured form for the cable-stayed bridge presented an interesting design challenge which Arup’s engineers enjoyed creating design solutions for.”
The architects and engineers worked closely together from the outset of the design using analysis software to create efficiencies in the arches geometry relative to the bridge deck geometry. This ensured that the arches dramatic leans were optimised in their cross-sectional form with the critical structural support they provide.
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Nick Birmingham, Project Architect, Arup Associates, London, said: “The local and luxurious Jarrah timber decking, resonates strongly with the West Australian maritime context. In contrast, the complex parametric steel forms, refined stainless steel details and dynamic lighting solutions propel the project into the contemporary context.”
Arup is very proud of what has been achieved in the design of the Elizabeth Quay pedestrian and cyclist bridge, and we are delighted to now present this stunning completed project to the West Australian public.
SHoP has unveiled the design for a new 900 foot tall skyscraper in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The 77 story, 500,000 square foot, mixed-income tower will have 600 units, 150 of which will be permanently affordable and distributed evenly throughout the building. The project has been developed as a collaboration between SHoP and JDS who are co-owners of the development, with the partnership of two not-for-profit groups: Two Bridges Neighborhood Council (TBNC) and Settlement Housing Fund (SHF).
Courtesy of SHoP
JDS and SHoP believe that partnerships like this can be used in other parts of the city to help build more affordable housing and aid in not-for-profit group goals. Built on a site adjacent to TBNC senior housing, the project will make improvements to the adjacent property including a new lobby, a connected community space on the first floor of the new tower, and access to a roof garden. The project was able to be developed through the sale of air rights owned by TBNC and SHF, allowing affordable housing to be built without public subsidy, and for these organizations to support efforts and goals in the broader neighborhood.
Open to the Strait of Gibraltar, it enjoys an exceptional strategic location, which has made it into a natural set of historical events of great importance.
Located south of the city of Algeciras, it is a high place about twenty meters above the sea, forming cliffs around its perimeter exposed to the sea, the last natural barrier of the Park of the Acorns, though detached from it by the construction of second home neighborhoods reaching the very edge.
It is part of the Natural Park of the Strait, given the biological quality of the coastal strip. The geological feature configuration is the denominated Flysch of the Field of Gibraltar, which with the waves enhances the cliffs and large bars leading into the sea.
The climatological component confers special features to the landscape, as since the temperatures are typical of the Mediterranean climate, prevailing winds whip across the Strait area with particular virulence.
The goal of the Centennial Park project is the valorization of these situations, through a strategy of consolidation, prioritization and characterization of pre-existing conditions as well as the inclusion of new parts that work together to establish a dialogue between the natural and artificial elements, resulting in a journey that is enriched by the experience of the transition between each of the elements, as well as the understanding of the experience of the place.
For this purpose, minimal intervention criteria are adopted. It is not about making an urban park, but to show the citizen another experience of the natural landscape, with minimal infrastructures, implementing a series of elements that provide shelter, while allowing the contemplation of the environment, and helping in its understanding.
Bunkers
The itinerary is constituted as a support to a continuous path, stitching existing elements of interest as well as new interventions.
From the architect. The multimedia building on Havneholmen is tailored from outside to in to fit the island location and its users – CAE and Aller Media. With its gently curved triangular form, the building delineates the point of ‘Havneholmen’ that projects out into Copenhagen harbor, and is surrounded by water on both sides. CAE and Aller Media, which previously had their main address in Valby – another part of Copenhagen, chose to consolidate their many activities and publications in the new multimedia headquarters to create an efficient and diverse work environment. The building itself has created value for Aller Media’s brand and marketing activities, and the atrium is often used for external functions and events. The building has been meticulously designed from the overall architectural lines down to the detailed interior design and it was awarded by the Copenhagen Municipality in 2009. The award committee called the building a “gesamtkunstverk” (work of art).
“The project makes a statement that is very difficult to ignore. Like the cutting edge of a knife, the building’s dramatic presence on the corner has an artistic power that is exceedingly convincing.
The building is a ”Gesamtkunstwerk” (work of art) – everything has been carefully considered. Even the new energy and environmental requirements have been addressed – everything has been functionally developed.
The atmosphere within offices and work areas is soft, inviting and warm – very compelling and of extremely high quality. The building exudes Scandinavian sensuality. It is situated perfectly with all visual lines coming together in the ground plan.
It stands apart as one the most exciting buildings in the area.”
A large atrium extends right through the center of the building like a ravine with soft edges. It pulls daylight so far into the building that on bright days there is no need for artificial lighting during daytime. The floor slabs withdraw further and further back as you move up the building, creating a bright, terraced room that opens towards the harbor and the heavens. The colors and materials are inspired by the Nordic landscape; the fells, the forest, the sea, the moor in the changing of seasons. Materials and surfaces are restrained in sober colours that submit to the predominant visual lines and establish a calm framework for daily life in the editorial groups. The tones alternate between the cool, the mild and warm. The undulating balustrades towards the atrium are lined with oak slats in a warm glow, highlighted by soft, diffuse lighting. The stairs and walkways across the atrium have a cool and airy expression of green and white hues in the glass surfaces.
Aller headquarters is designed for Aller Media’s users from an activity-based and relatively open interior design concept that corresponds to the organizations working methods. At the same time, the building’s interior is so flexible that the layout can change in response to Aller’s dynamic development – both as an organization and media producer. The comprehensive, interactive user process which PLH conducted as part of workplace design program has provided the foundation for the building’s differentiated interior design, with varied types of workspace that meet the needs of individual editorial groups.
A competition was held for the commissioning of a work of art that could be placed in the central atrium. It was won by the Swedish artists, Bigert & Bergström with “Tomorrows Weather “. The artwork is an installation of lights that simulate atmospheric molecules and change color in accordance with the next day’s weather forecast, relayed directly from DMI (The Danish Bureau of Meteorology). The spiral-shaped installation stretches over several floors where the large, glazed atrium façade faces the water. Here it is visible from inside and outside, so that from Island Brygge on the island of Amager and from Bryggebroen (a bicycle and pedestrian bridge connecting Havneholmen and the island of Amager) one can experience the weather and Aller building’s changing color scale.
Sig Nordal 