The Stiftung zur Förderung zeitgenössischer Kunst in Weidingen (Foundation for the Promotion of Contemporary Art in Weidingen) was founded in 2012 by gallery owners Max-Ulrich Hetzler and Samia Saouma. The Foundation’s aim is to promote contemporary art and culture, especially through annual summer exhibitions in Weidingen. Artists are invited to live and work on the premises.
In this film & photos, we explore the design of Kunst in Weidingen with Anja Axt of Axt Architekten. We explore it’s rationalistic style, intended use, and thought process behind it’s design. The 3 structures created by Axt Architekten all have similar yet different features that make them special in their relationship.
New to Kunst in Weidingen is the Bibliothek Günther Förg. This building is dedicated to this artist and holds a collection from one of Förg’s libraries as well as a few of his most prolific pieces.
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After spending a week on location for this film, we can honestly say it is one of the most stand out projects we have come across. Come take a musical journey through Kunst in Weidingen with Anja Axt and feel the energy of this harmonious place.
From the architect. OVO Wroclaw by Gottesman-Szmelcman Architecture is a mixed-use, grandiose “blob-like”architectural structure combining residential, commercial, hospitality and retail spaces in the heart of Poland’s fourth-largest city, Wroclaw.
The OVO Wroclaw is a landmark edifice spearheading a revolution in urban Polish design. Gottesman-Szmelcman Architecture won the commissions following an international competition and in 2008, their blueprint won the MIPM Future Projects Award for Retail & Leisure.,
Ground Level
The OVO Wroclaw creates a new vision of urban living that unites 180 luxury residences, a five -star DoubleTree by Hilton with 180 rooms and suites, corporate offices with high-end retails aces within a modern and sleek rounded exterior that seamlessly blends the cured lines of the building with a stylish minimalism that typifies the interior spaces.
The amorphsc design that was envision requires alternative building techniques in order to be properly realized. After considering various options, Gottesman-Szmelcman Architecture chose to clad the building in Corian panels. According to Asaf Gottesman, the particular form of the building is a result of the traditional urban guidelines of the city of Wroclaw and the desire to envelop the diverse set of spatial requirements within a unified skin.
Asaf Gottesman comments: “Designing the OVO was a group undertaking, a process of research that required several members of the practice to contribute from their accumulated experience, technical skills and emotional intellectual sensibility. To varying degrees, OVO Wroclaw is a sculpture, an expression of culture and manifestation of optimism, a functional and efficient building, a social and cultural generator; a miniature city.”
Level 5
Within the OVO Wroclaw is a Double Tree by Hilton, featuring 190 spacious and sophisticated rooms, a magnificent ballroom and state-of-the-art conference and meeting room facilities.
OVO Wroclaw’s 5000-square-meter retail space is the city’s most sophisticated leisure piazzas with a massive inner-green courtyard that will host cultural events throughout the year.
Gottesman-Szmelcman Architecture has created a unique and superbly designed environment that holistically integrates living, culture, business and commerce in the heart of the metropolis. The truly stunning architectural form has already made the building a landmark in the city’s skinned and visual repertoire.
There are in essence 3 products that need to be seen as integral to the design of the OVO.
The first is Corian which we chose because it enabled us to translate our architectural vision, without the usual compromises, in the most effective way. In order to maintain the fluid form of the building we could not opt for the regular panel systems that invariably underline divisions. Plastering was also not an option because it would be impossible to maintain perfect curvatures throughout and maintenance would be an issue in the longer term. We needed a material that was both flexible, could be thermo formed to accommodated double curvatures, resilient and easy to maintain. Corian delivered the perfect solution for us.
The second material was Glass Fibre Reinforced Gypsum which enabled us to continue the form of the exterior into the internal spaces. Apart from the exceptionally skilled plasterers, the GFRG preformed “volcanos” lighting enabled us to harmonize the lighting with the interior design throughout the project.
The third material was the thin walnut veneer strips that we used to continue the curvatures that we had achieved with the Corian and GFRG while introducing a rich textural warmth to key internal areas.
The ‘Huaxi Mengxibitan’ residential project is located in Huaxi, a growing district 17km far from the city center of Guiyang, Guizhou province capital. The project dates back to 2004, when the district was starting its expansion. At that time, especially in Guizhou area, construction and technical skills were very basic, that is why architects had to find simple and alternative ways to control project construction. A 1:1 ‘model’ has been created on site using bamboo frames. This helped to control the scale of the project in relationship with the mountainous environment. Positioning these bamboos also helped to highlight critical points, mainly for the foundations, due to the particularly harsh conditions of the site and composition of the soil. The choice to turn this ‘bamboo net’ into a concrete one has been, again, mainly due to lack of construction skills, which could not allow the use of steel frames. The shape of the so called ‘Dream Stream’ takes inspiration from the typical informal architecture of Guizhou wooden villages.
Axonometric
The net has been modeled on the mountain, following its shape. Using this simple grid helped the architects to better control the project. The repetition of a single module originates a system, which, always because of lack of skills, slightly changes. But the architects were aware of these problems and adopted the grid exactly in order to control what could not be fully controlled, allowing mistakes. Mistakes that in the end result as unexpected and surprising changes of the original module.
Courtesy of West-line studio
Axonometric
Courtesy of West-line studio
Axonometric
The main characteristic of this residential project is its complicated circulation system. Forking routes originated different kind of yards and different level of privacy. Yards are the most important spaces in Huaxi Mengxibitan houses’ composition. Some have water, some are sweet-smelling with flowers, others are bamboo yards. Some courtyards are crossed by this articulated system of paths, some are created by paths moving all around, others are ‘covered’ by aerial boardwalks. Stairs also play a crucial role in a project built following the mountain’s shape. Some are open public connections between courtyards, others are more private, enclosed between walls. Together with the path system they help to create floating spaces in between residences, open courtyards on different levels which generate every time different walking experiences.
From the architect. I was surprised twice when I first visited the Daekyoung Factory. The first surprise was the beautiful scenery of the mouth or the river of the Nakdong River, and the second surprise was that the beautiful scenery could not be seen at all from the factory complex. There were three buildings in the complex, with two buildings lined up on parallel lines, making a rectangular plaza. The plaza was busy, with many workers passing by. The third building was placed perpendicularly with the plaza, blocking the scenery towards the sea. I felt sorry for the factory workers, who are so close to the beautiful scenery, but could not even see it.
Diagram
The client wanted a conference room, a studio, and an office for seven workers. He also had a plan to purchase the land on the third factory building and build a new one. We asked the client if the building had to be a single mass. He said it could be divided. This is where we found the clue to the solution. The new factory building was divided into two massed, emphasizing the parallel arrangement of the other buildings, and the plaza in between was opened out towards the see, as in Louis Kahn’s Salk Institute. The office building will be built in the plaza, but the first floor is made with high piloti to open up the view towards the sea as much as possible.
The circulation is coordinated in a counter-clockwise direction wrapping up the building in order to allow the users to experience the full scenery. Because of these design decisions, the structure of the building ended up having each floors shifted from the other. Because this building had to sit on a site covered Ascon, exposed concrete was used as the main exterior material.
Project site is located in wuchang district of wuhan han street near wanda square, covers an area of 205 square meters, the building is divided into upper and lower two layers of space, the owner want to give customer satisfactory service and dining environment.
Diagram
Case based on the style LOFT, extensive use of wood and steel to construct the space, the overall tone of gray and white cement wall as a background to set off paint wood texture.
Restaurant on the one hand, using the simple industrial wind metal materials, and by ground extends to the top surface pine frame, on the other hand, bright white square brick and glass used in the chef workbench and sales window, the two formed a contrast on the material.
Axonometric
The second floor is the dining area, designers use dark blue seats and curtains to bring a little bit quiet interior space, so that customers can enjoy a delicious meal at ease here.
Space accessories extensive use of industrial elements and baking soft decoration, black steel and wood structure with the lap not only sketched out the shape of each space, but also create a unique flow of the restaurant line.
From the architect. Moos House, designed by architect Thomas Tampold of Tampold Architects and Yorkville Design Centre, located Just shy of North York. As Martha Uniacke Breen, of National Post puts it, “It makes sense that this iconoclastic Modernist mid-town house should have decidedly artistic air about it, with its distinctive mosaic art panel and flowing, sculptural shape.”.
Previously a bungalow whose most distinctive feature was its curved corner on the west side, now a modernist-contemporary work of art. The Moos couple were fond of this detail and that was our starting point. Their reverence for such a detail provided us with contemporary inspiration which flows throughout the design .
The face is clad in deep-grey steel panelling that sits off-centre and encapsulates the second floor, while the main floor is clad Japanese white porcelain tile. The integrity of the curved corner is in full-use with a wraparound window and there’s a similar, squared-off window on the second floor.
Ground Floor Plan
The front entrance is set to the side and complimented by a beautiful, digitised mosaic by the architects daughter, Evi Tampold. The entrance is overhung by the second floor, which extends off the side of the house and features bright lights and a red accent on the underside.
At the rear of the home, lines become even more eccentric. A broad, ship-like central promontory juts into the deck, filling the interior with light and topped by a private deck, leading from the upper-story master bedroom. This was a response to another idea from the Moos couple: a kitchen shaped like an eye, with a pair of parabolic counters that face each other in the centre of the room(one topped in white composite, the other in deep-green granite). The back deck is a multi-level decking design, made out of premium Thermory-Weston wood from Estonia.
Implementing green-space was necessary to contrast and compliment the sombre tones of the exterior front and back of the house. Deep- purples and greens, accented with stones in the front; natural green grass, a leafy garden and a tree build into the deck in the back.
The interior was treated as an extension of the exterior, flowing with it’s modernist, contemporary design. A notable example of this is the precision joinery of the staircase treads, which curve around the corner as they rise and form a sculpture of their own. “It was inspired by a staircase designed by Ozenfant, who was a contemporary of Corbusier.”- Thomas Tampold
Pleasing visuals like this make it easy to overlook the practicalities of the design. Chrome levels for door, a multitude of premium Downsview Kitchens cabinets, an L-shaped pantry just off the kitchen, an in-home elevator, storage built into the walls of the master suite, concealing a dressing area and a roomy tub in the heavily glass-partitioned bathroom are just some of the practical, yet luxurious features of the home.
From the architect. Grimshaw is pleased to announce the completed renovation and expansion of Duke University’s West Campus Union in Durham, North Carolina. Situated on Abele Quad, the new student union re-establishes itself as the centerpiece for student life and the communal heart of Duke’s historic campus. Fostering social interaction, inspiring healthful lifestyles and delivering state-of-the-art culinary excellence, the building brings the Duke community together in an exciting environment that unites the University’s storied history with an active, communal and contemporary experience.
First opened in 1931, the West Campus Union was designed by the office of Horace Trumbauer as a social center for the emerging University. The union is part of Frederick Law Olmstead’s master plan for the school and is situated on the quad that now bears the name of the original building’s lead architect, Julian Abele, a prominent African-American designer in Trumbauer’s office.
As part of the reconstruction, the nearly hundred-year-old structure has seen its legacy spaces restored to their original architectural significance while the central core of the building has been replaced and reimagined. Trumbauer’s original structure featured an exterior façade constructed out of locally quarried Duke Stone, while the ornate window tracery, gargoyles, and other decorative elements were carefully crafted from Indiana limestone. These historic elements now frame a transparent atrium that provides a focal point for the building and surrounding academic precinct.
The new design focuses on the introduction of lightness and porosity to the structure, inviting students in from all directions and activating sightlines across the university precinct. The social hub offers a variety of comfortable and dynamic spaces that encourage students, faculty, and alumni to congregate and interact. These student life spaces include environments for both formal and informal study, meetings and presentations, as well as larger spaces for rehearsals and performances.
The West Campus Union has become the nerve center for co-curricular activities at Duke, hosting the University’s diverse collection of clubs and organizations. Conference rooms, small group meeting areas and multi-purpose spaces are spread throughout the building to provide versatile spaces for student connection outside of their residences and classrooms.
Transparency, connectivity and craftsmanship are central characteristics of the building’s design, introducing new spatial compositions meant to foster a greater sense of community. Dynamic and overlapping volumes weave together a myriad of activities that enhance the student experience while linking the historic legacy of the West Campus Union to its newfound energy. Circulation patterns that trace the campus master plan travel to and through the reconnected West Campus Union. Large portals framed into the existing stone walls, lined in blackened steel, open up views across the building.
Steel and glass balconies perched in the gothic wood trusses allow fresh vantage points into the legacy of the past.
A series of glass bridges enable shortcuts that link previously isolated spaces. This new network of connections creates a buzz of movement and interaction around the building, cultivating a palpable energy that defines the revived student community.
The new West Campus Union also brings forward culinary food exploration and education, housing 12 dining venues showcasing international and local cuisines, in collaboration with local vendors and food concepts. The new dining core provides made-to-order cooking featuring fresh ingredients and healthy, farm-to-fork organic options intended to encourage healthy lifestyle choices. No soda is served in the building, rather a range of hand-made flavored waters are made available free of charge.
The activity of coming together around a meal was always central to the historic dining hall’s programming as well as the epicurean ideal of coming together in the “garden” to commune and learn around the sharing of a meal. Today, influenced by the progressive millennial student body, the transformation of the West Campus Union is characterized by a modernized philosophy in higher education culinary offerings toward greater cultural diversity and novelty. The original cafeteria style kitchens in the center of the building have been removed and replaced with exposed kitchens – celebrating food and its preparation. This new core, offset from the surrounding historic dining halls, provides an unencumbered “market” experience. Inspired by hugely popular culinary markets like Eataly in New York, Borough Market in London, and the Terminal Market in Philadelphia, the experience at the West Campus Union provides students with a large variety of food offerings and culinary styles, accessible from a day-lit internal street with ample places to sit amidst a lively dining environment. More conventional seating options are located in the historic dining spaces, as well as outside in the reinvented Crown Commons to the south of the building.
The building’s transformation has also been mirrored by a renovation of the landscape surrounding it. The Abele Quad is now highly ordered, legible, and mature. These areas have been coordinated within the larger landscape master plan and are seamlessly integrated to other recent upgrades on the quad, including Perkins Library. The open expanse has become heavily used as a recreational space for organized student activities and events, as well as impromptu gatherings. The ground level dining extends out into a newly designed exterior space, the Crown Commons, that includes outdoor dining areas, a beer garden, more contemplative seating areas, and is layered with a new bridge/pavilion, designed by James Carpenter floating above.
Plaza Floor Plan
The introduction of these new spaces and connections within the precinct has provided the Duke students and faculty with a revitalized communal home that enhances the values already present at the University. The renovation and expansion of West Campus Union marks a significant architectural intervention that aspires to connect, preserve, and sustain student life.
In preparation for their grand opening on January 11/12, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg has released an interactive drone video that lets you experience the Herzog & de Meuron-designed building at two different speeds: adagio and presto (slow or fast). Using the spacebar to switch between speeds, the footage takes you on a tour up the curving escalator, on to the elevated terrace, around the building and finally into the main concert hall, where the drones meet back up in a dramatic finish.
Screenshot via video
Pop some headphones in and check it out for yourself, here.
(Warning: don’t turn the volume up too loud before you hit the spacebar for the first time!)
From the architect. Machagua is a country house project destined as a second home located in the town of Cachagua, commune of Zapallar. The project is based 183 km northwest from Santiago on a corner plot of 1075 m2, next to a wetland at a distance of 100 m from “Playa Grande”.
A large volume, sturdy and heavy, is displayed as the first level. It was conceived as a large solid coral stone sculpted and eroded, responding to the needs of the requested spaces and their relation to the surroundings.
This volume runs from north to south articulated in the middle, forming a break where the main entrance of the house is located.
Plan 1
Towards the south lies the public program: living room, dining room, kitchen and service facilities. This area opens up to the west main courtyard and a first terrace level, where the outdoor barbecue and dining area are.
Towards the east, the house closes to give its back to “El Golf” Street, a road with a permanent flow of pedestrians and vehicles.
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Section
A large cement slab crosses the ceiling of living and dining rooms, from which large wood beams hang down, incorporating the main lighting of this space. Over this slab there is a second terrace level conceived as a space for relaxing and sunbathing, looking over the main yard and interacting with its immediate surroundings.
The bedrooms face north and their program extends through a great yard divided into a first hard zone where crushed shells and wood railroad ties constitute the ground surface, and a second green vegetal zone that adjoins with the wetland.
Over the solid stone and bedrooms there is a second volume, smaller and built with a rustic character, completely coated in oak, which houses the master bedroom, including a walk-in closet, ensuite bathroom and private terrace. The north facade of this room opens the view towards the “Tigre Hill”, “Los Cardones Hill” and the Polo Club. The south facade closes to the main yard, allowing privacy.
Axonometry
Over this last volume there is a third terrace level with a 360-degree view, seeking mainly to integrate the sea. A grill placed on a large oak counter piece supporting a top slab made of black stone serves this terrace.
A large outdoor staircase connects the three terrace levels, which connects these spaces, increasing the available surface of outdoor courtyard.
This project merges with the terrain through incisions, cuts and breaks that result in controlled green courtyards, enhancing the interior-exterior relationship.
Quicken Loans Arena, home of the current NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers, is set to receive a $140 million transformation. Designed by SHoP and Rossetti, the project will consist of significant upgrades to address the arena’s structural and operational deficiencies and improve the overall fan experience.
Courtesy of Cleveland Cavaliers
The renovation will add a total of 153,000 square feet to the complex, which will include a new civic entry space aimed at connecting to the city by maximizing transparency. Behind the curtain wall, the carapace of the arena will be clad in a undulating panel system that pulls up to invite visitors into seating areas.
Courtesy of Cleveland Cavaliers
Courtesy of Cleveland Cavaliers
The renovation will also consist of a range of new dining, bar and event areas within “activated new neighborhoods” to enrich the visitor experience. Public areas and former bottlenecks will be opened up to improve circulation through the complex and make navigation more intuitive.
Courtesy of Cleveland Cavaliers
Courtesy of Cleveland Cavaliers
The cost of the transformation will be split between private funding by the Cavs/Quicken Loans Arena organization and the County, City, and Destination Cleveland. The estimated $140 price tag compares to a $500 to $750 million range for new built arenas.
Courtesy of Cleveland Cavaliers
Courtesy of Cleveland Cavaliers
Courtesy of Cleveland Cavaliers
As part of the deal, The Cleveland Cavaliers will extend their lease with “The Q” to 2034. Upon the project’s completion, the venue will serve as a future location of the NBA-All star week, which is estimated to bring $100 million in economic benefits to the city.
Sig Nordal 