Courtesy of VERITAS Architects

• Architects: VERITAS Architects
• Location: 105, Lebuh Melayu, George Town, 10100 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
• Contractor: Mr. Ch’ng Ewe Hong / Genesis Projects Sdn Bhd / Genesis Decor
• Project Year: 2015
• Photographs: Courtesy of VERITAS Architects

Courtesy of VERITAS Architects

From the architect. Located at the edge of the Core Heritage Zone of the UNESCO World Heritage city of Georgetown, this multi-functional arts space and lodging house is converted from a late 19th century 2-storey Straits Chinese shophouse.

Courtesy of VERITAS Architects

The design aspires to bring together the past and present by inserting an entirely new 3-storey steel pavilion at the rear of the typical long and narrow shophouse site while preserving the front block with its historical street façade and original timber floor structure.

Elevation

Having been used as a warehouse, the back of the house was much deteriorated and modified, justifying its complete rebuilding.  The old timber joists were salvaged and recycled to replace worn-down timber elements at the front section.

Courtesy of VERITAS Architects

A distinguishing feature of this existing shophouse is its long narrow tapering site resulting in a narrow gap with its neighbour. The design exploited this as an opportunity to insert a narrow light well along the entire length of the building, thus bringing in daylight and natural ventilation into the typically dark and brooding interiors of most shophouses.

Courtesy of VERITAS Architects

Courtesy of VERITAS Architects

All the rooms in the building now open out onto this light slot along its side, bringing in light and natural ventilation to all the rooms. Similarly on the other side, the new steel structure is pulled away from the party wall, thereby disengaging the new structure from the party wall and allowing daylight to filter all the way to the ground floor whilst also facilitating the new bakau pile foundation to be done without intervening with the old party wall foundation.

Ground Floor Plan

1st Floor Plan

2nd Floor Plan

The courtyard is where the old wing of the front portion confronts the new, where one will be able to experience fully the unapologetic intervention of a modern steel structure with a historical 19th century shophouse, where the present engages the past.  It is also the space where indoors and outdoors merge in celebration of the tropical climate.  Here one constantly experiences the light of the sky, the moving shadows of rapid passing clouds and the energy of the monsoon rains, creating a constant connection with the nature deep in the historical dense city centre.

Courtesy of VERITAS Architects

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© Lauro Rocha

• Architects: Verri & Galvão Arquitetos
• Location: Maringá – Floriano, Maringá – PR, Brazil
• Architect In Charge: Aníbal Verri Junior
• Design Team: Eduardo Lopes Verri, Daniele Tezin
• Structure: Ingaplan J. Bordini & Cia
• Hydraulic: Maria Regina Crachineski
• Electrical: Moran Projeto
• Area: 759.3 m2
• Project Year: 2015
• Photographs: Lauro Rocha

© Lauro Rocha

From the architect. This single family house, built in a residential condominium, was developed from 2011 to 2015. We took responsibility for the architectural and furniture projects, as well for the construction monitoring.

© Lauro Rocha

The rectangular projection of the house, with 7 meters front setback, occupies two plots that together add up to approximately 1200 m², with its largest dimension parallel to the street in a north-south direction. The interior space opens to a garden at the back of the plot, where, in addition to the visuals to city and the beauty of the vegetation, they are bathed by the rising sun.

Ground Floor

The volumetric conception of the house is expressed by the strong inclined line of the roofs, that starts in the extreme north of the lot, descending to south, an inclination that is present in the internal rooms, with wood-lined ceilings and which have indirect artificial light.

© Lauro Rocha

In the space organization, the different functions were gathered with social area and services on the ground floor and intimate rooms on the superior floor. From the social access, a large room opened to the garden, containing the spaces of fireplace, living, meal and cellar. The dining area and kitchen can be isolated from the social spaces with folding doors of ipê wood. Articulated with the garden and positioned on the side of the kitchen, a veranda with the grill. The kitchen connects to the services, pantries, dependencies of employees and a garage for services on the right side.

© Lauro Rocha

The span of 11 meters to shelter the cars is positioned on the left side, also allowing access to back of the lot, where in a half-buried level, there is a workshop for the client’s hobby, covered with green roof, which in a way mimics in the garden. The void for the garage is structured by a beam that stands from the left border and connects with the volume of the office, providing the scale of the access with orthogonal lines to the composition. Due to the business activity of the client, the office has access by the street and independence of the daily routine of the house, opening to a front courtyard.

Section

Section

The upper floor shelters three bedrooms with its bathrooms, besides an home theater, and it is accessed by elevator and two stairs, positioned at the social access and at the services sector.

© Lauro Rocha

The house hasn’t much openings to the street, ensuring complete privacy for the residents, but it is totally bathed with natural light. The volumes received, externally, facing ceramic bricks from the region, which are made with the characteristic red land from the place, a necessary condition to control the incidence and the reflection of the light on the exterior walls and to refer to the color of the ground, so accentuated in the north of paraná.

© Lauro Rocha

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© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

• Architects: João Tiago Aguiar Arquitectos
• Location: Costa da Caparica, Portugal
• Design Team: Renata Vieira, Ana Caracol, Ruben Mateus, João Morais, Rita Lemos
• Area: 290.0 m2
• Project Year: 2014
• Photographs: Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

From the architect. The house where our intervention took place consists of a villa located in the seaside resort city of Costa da Caparica. This is a specific and surgical intervention in a highly deteriorated villa from the seventies. Although the refurbishment seemed urgent the financial contention demanded that the substantial architectonic intervention was limited to the 1^st floor, attic and terrace over the garage, the rest of the house being renovated in a simpler and more convenient way.

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The kitchen was open to the living room thus enlarging the living area both physically and sensorially by allowing the entrance of natural light through the kitchen window. The presence of the kitchen elements was eased by designing a cabinet block as a black volume poked to one side of the new living room and separated from the dining area by a white Estremoz marble kitchen island which praises and qualifies the new atmosphere.

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

First Floor Plan

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The whole interior flooring was replaced by a plank floor giving a warm and cozy atmosphere. In the lower ceiling areas such as kitchen, bathrooms and circulations, light-boxes were placed in order to emit a very comfortable surrounding lighting.

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

Section

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

In the bathrooms, the varnished cement was largely used on floor, walls and ceiling, thus creating a clean and homogeneous environment with a very unique identity. In order to establish some principles of continuity the use of cement was extended to more informal exterior spaces such as the roof of the garage (used as terrace) and the attic.

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The state of the roof of the garage was distressing with an informal shelter in a totally unhealthy asbestos-cement. A new roof that would work as an extension of the existing veranda and do the bridge between the terrace and the house was idealized. Though in order not to compromise the lighting of the outside space, two skylights were opened on the designed roof in a simple and functional single gesture. This roof was held to the volume of the composing elements of the barbecue such as work surface, cupboards, grill and chimney, combining all these elements in one single piece that would define the exterior space. We sought to install some clarity and serenity in an environment that confronts with quite often disorganized and chaotic patios. 

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

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In 2017, British news magazine The Economist will move to a new home, leaving behind its iconic home of 52 years, Economist Plaza.

The project represents the first major commission by British duo Alison and Peter Smithson, who would go on to have esteemed careers as champions of the Brutalist style. Located at 22 Ryder Street, not far from Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace, Economist Plaza marked a significant breakthrough in tall building design, replacing the traditional streetfront of a podium and tower design with stairs and a ramp leading to an elevated plaza from which 3 buildings would rise.

Watch the video above to learn the story behind the project, and read more about the legacy the Economist will leave behind, here.

News via the Economist.

Spotlight: Alison and Peter Smithson
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© Pablo Blanco

• Architects: Fantuzzi + Rodillo Arquitectos
• Location: Valparaíso, Valparaiso Region, Chile
• Design Team: Roberto Fantuzzi, Jaime Rodillo, José Tomás Caballero, Mercedes Angulo
• Area: 810.0 m2
• Project Year: 2015
• Photographs: Pablo Blanco, José Benasco

• Builder: FRAC Ltda.

© Pablo Blanco

From the architect. The project involved the rehabilitation of a former boarding school built in the late nineteenth century, in the area of Cerro Alegre in Valparaíso. In a slope and with access to two pedestrian streets, the building is located above the Dimalow promenade overlooking it with its main facade while releasing a backyard towards the Caracoles passage. The property built in masonry and wood, was originally a compact building of two floors, facing north and south while being attached to other buildings on both sides to the east and west.                                           

© Pablo Blanco

The condition of the building was good except for some specific places (facade to the south) that were affected by moisture and termites. The entire house had suffered numerous interventions due to its successive uses (housing, boarding school, home for women). The intentions of the project were to accommodate the building for its new purpose while recovering its original character, to improve the living conditions of the property and to improve the relationship of the building with the environment by strengthening the public space. All interventions and changes such as non-original interior subdivisions of the house were removed, leaving only the original structure of floors and walls. A courtyard was opened in the center of the original volume providing light and ventilation to all areas. A new underground level was built accommodating the warehouses, cold storage rooms, technical facilities and rooms for the staff so the rest of the building can be used completely for its main purpose.

© José Benasco

In order to form a continuous facade, an urban characteristic of patrimonial neighborhood, the service yard was transformed into a new facade. Dimalow and Caracoles passages are now connected through an axis linking both entrances. The program considered the implementation of a bar-restaurant, exhibition hall, game room, meeting room, conference room, radio and local design store.

Axonometric

© Pablo Blanco

© Pablo Blanco

© José Benasco

© Pablo Blanco

© José Benasco

© José Benasco

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HAUT, a proposed 240-foot timber-framed tower to be built in Amsterdam. Image Courtesy of Team V Architectuur

The key to engineering wood strong enough to support skyscrapers may lie in the interaction between molecules 10,000 times narrower than the width of a human hair.

A new study by researchers at the Universities of Warwick and Cambridge has solved a long-held mystery of how key polymers in plant cells bind to form strong, indigestible materials such as wood and straw. By recreating this ‘glue’ in a lab, engineers may be able to produce new wood-based materials that surpass current strength capabilities.

The discovery lies in the bond between the Earth’s two most common polymers, cellulose and xylan, both of which are found in the cell walls of wood. For some time, scientists have pondered how xylan, a long, winding polymer coated in ‘decorations’ of sugar and other molecules, could adhere to the thicker, rod-like cellulose molecules.

“We knew the answer must be elegant and simple,” explained research lead Professor Paul Dupree from the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge. “And in fact, it was. What we found was that cellulose induces xylan to untwist itself and straighten out, allowing it to attach itself to the cellulose molecule. It then acts as a kind of ‘glue’ that can protect cellulose or bind the molecules together, making very strong structures.”

The scientists believe this understand may have a dramatic effect on wood-related industries such as paper and biofuel production by greatly reducing the amount of energy required for their processes to occur, as well as allow for innovation that could create stronger engineered-wood materials.

With timber-framed skyscrapers already appearing around the world, these new materials could potentially solidify wood as the standard for tall building construction for years to come.

Learn more about the discovery, here.

News via Phys.org.  

Timelapse: The Construction of the World’s Tallest Timber Tower
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SOM’s Timber Tower System Successfully Passes Strength Testing
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The Compact Wooden City: A Life-Cycle Analysis of How Timber Could Help Combat Climate Change
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© Zooey Braun

• Architects: ARSP
• Location: Kochel, Germany
• Project Leader: Dipl.-Ing. Arch. Rike Kress
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Zooey Braun

• Project Team: Andreas Dirnberger, Bernhard Wachter, Gonzalo Cieza, Caroline Volz, Franziska Abler
• Planning And Supervision: Albert Rüf, Frank Stasi

© Zooey Braun

The Schmiedhof Alm Restaurant lies in the exclusive Zell am See Ski region of Austria, 1,720 meters above sea level. In the course of a single generation, the new owners of the Schmiedhof Alm have managed to create one of the finest restaurants in the area. In an effort to make the restaurant truly world class, a complete renovation of the old building was required. The Architecture was an integral part of the new, innovative gastronomic concept. Providing an atmosphere that invites the Skiers and diners to linger and enjoy their time. A stark contrast to the mass production facilities commonly found in Ski resorts. 

© Zooey Braun

The appearance of the new building combines traditional style with a strong contemporary architectural influence. The concept is based around the careful addition of volumes in a range of forms: a classically styled timber ski hut with a pitched roof was placed on top of the existing basement. The additional monolithic concrete element, binds the building to the surrounding mountains. 

© Zooey Braun

Floor Plans

© Zooey Braun

The perforation or openings of the building followed two basic principles: The windows of the concrete basement level and the monolith were pressed inwards to intensify the immense sense of mass of these elements. In contrast, the panoramic windows of the timber construction are pushed outwards, as if parts of the inside are trying to peer out. The resulting booths offer a unique view of the ‘Grossglockner’ mountain. 

© Zooey Braun

The food and drink service takes place in the elongated timber structure as well as in the outdoor terraced area, each supporting up to 200 skiers at once. With the innovative service of the introduced Ski-Drive-In quality dining is also made available for price conscious customers. For customers, the column-free guest area provides and open feel, with easy access to all areas. Window seats and careful partitions enhance the homely feeling, encouraging guests to take their time and enjoy the views. The use of exposed timber beams, interspersed with a sound absorbing lattice, further adds to this feeling despite the restaurant being able to accommodate many guests at once. 

© Zooey Braun

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Architects and students of architecture stereotypically never stop making, and their creative talents continue to flow irrespective of the holiday season. Our annual challenge is an unashamed way to channel the inventiveness, originality and artistry of our readers from around the world into that most humble of gifts: the holiday card. Out of the 200 submissions, these are 43 of our favorites.  

Featured gif by Rebecca Lou

Submitted by Evan Chan

Submitted by Evan Chan

Submitted by Evan Chan

Submitted by Adrian Conterno

Submitted by TIMEA-LAURA TIFAN GY

Submitted by SHUBHRA GOEL

Submitted by Fiona Wong

Submitted by Fiona Wong

Submitted by sangeetha polisetti

Submitted by Vorstermans Architects

Submitted by Alan Power

Submitted by Xenia Konteati

Submitted by Raha Parsa

Submitted by Tyler Kraft

Submitted by Işınsu Dikmen

Submitted by Samyukthaa Natarajan

Submitted by Emma Barrett

Submitted by Anne-Marie Rondeau

Submitted by CHAI PHAY YUNG

Submitted by Ghida Farhat

Submitted by WVA Architects

Submitted by Ellen Ng

Submitted by Ana Claudia Ocampo

Submitted by Patakfalvi Csenge

Submitted by Emeline Porcheron

 

Submitted by Samyukthaa Natarajan

Submitted by ZANEENA M KAREEM

Submitted by Brian Frolo

Submitted by Rivers Barden Architects

Submitted by Georgia Moraiti

Submitted by VASILIKI BAKAVOU

Submitted by Florian Bengert (BNGRT)

Submitted by Sebastian Beingolea

Submitted by Igor Vukičević

Submitted by BRTO Studio

Submitted by Mark Tanner Schreiber-May

Submitted by Emeline Porcheron

Submitted by Solongo Batsaikhan

Submitted by Adam Wiercinski Architekt

Submitted by Georges J Hakim

Submitted by Josh Bergman

Submitted by David Louis

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© Paul Warchol

In Le Corbusier’s 5 points of architecture, he advocates the inclusion of flat roofs hosting roof gardens, providing valuable outdoor space for the inhabitants of the building in order to replace the ground lost to the construction of the building. But while this acknowledgement of outdoor space was important for people, Le Corbusier‘s sculptural concrete roof gardens were little consolation to the non-human flora and fauna that were displaced by his works.

Recent improvements in our understanding of ecosystems and the environment, as well as a better scientific understanding of the needs of plants, have changed this dramatically. In the past few decades, green roofs and living roofs have exploded in popularity, and now adorn every kind of building–from small private houses to the gigantic surface of Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn.

We’ve collected together some excellent examples of these living roofs, including the structural detailing that makes them possible. Read on for 13 spectacular green roofs that achieve environmental benefits including reduced stormwater runoff, and reductions in energy use and the heat island effect.

+ Lakeside Retreat / GLUCK+

© Paul Warchol

Lakeside Retreat / GLUCK+

+ House for Trees / Vo Trong Nghia Architects

© Hiroyuki Oki

House for Trees / Vo Trong Nghia Architects

+ Vias Cultural Center / Estudio SIC

+ House at León / ALARCÓN + ASOCIADOS

+ House C / Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP

+ Galeria Mario Sequeira / Carvalho Araújo

+ Cubierta Verde / Cardoso + Zúñiga

+ Senior Citizen Community Center / F451 Arquitectura

+ OS House / NOLASTER

+ Volcano Buono / RPBW

+ Villa Bio / Enric Ruiz Geli

+ Line of Work / Jill Anholt Studio

+ Sports Pavilion / Filipe Brandão and Nuno Sanches

Check out more great projects with green roofs here.

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© Filip Dujardin

• Architects: Urbain Architectencollectief
• Location: Sint-Denijs-Westrem, 9051 Ghent, Belgium
• Architects In Charge: David Niville, David Claus, Dieter Delbaere
• Area: 240.0 m2
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Filip Dujardin

• Structural Engineer: Sileghem & Partners
• Client: Private, Sint-Denijs-Westrem, Belgium

© Filip Dujardin

From the architect. In this project a solitary sixties bungalow with a gentle sloped roof was refurbished and extended.

© Filip Dujardin

A new clear plan was distilled from the existing, with a maximum relation with the garden.

© Filip Dujardin

The existing rooms on the northern facade of the bungalow were adjusted in order to form a functional strip, serving as entrance hall, bathroom, storage rooms and a private office space. The living spaces were aligned in an open space along the southern facade, benefiting from large windows that give acces to morning and afternoon terraces and the garden. Two furniture elements divide the open space: a fireplace and a kitchen cabinet.

Ground Floor Plan

In the existing garage two compact children’s bedrooms are fitted in, which open onto a playroom. On top of the bedrooms a volume is added with a master bedroom, a bathroom and a dressing. This crow’s nest is reached through an open staircase in the living room.

© Filip Dujardin

A newly constructed flat roof, with visible wooden beams, gives rhythm to the interior space. The span is reduced by introducing a new central bearing line, by means of a steel profile, resting on two tender steel columns.

Section

The bungalow is provided with an insulating shell, covered with a cladding of thermally modified timber. By preserving the existing isolated cavity wall, deep window bays are created, with windows reaching to the floor level. In the detailling of the cladding facade horizontal joints were introduced in a well-balanced composition.

© Filip Dujardin

Product Description. The thermowood cladding gives the facades a modern look, as the timber ages it becomes plain gray, which works very well in combination with the natural anodised aluminium profiles.

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