By Gimena | Published:
October 31, 2009
Boston based DesignLAB Architects designed the World Headquarters for the International Fund for Animal Welfare(IFAW). Given the mission of the IFAW (”provide a better world for animals and people”), the challenge was to incorporate this through sustainable design. The program distributed in 54,000sqf is arranged in three clean volumes sitting on a reclaimed brownfield site. The volumes are open to the outside, integrated with the surroundings, through transparent planes. To control the sun over these facades, a series of louvres are arranged along them as you can see on the photos. The building received the LEED Gold Certification, validating the sustainable strategy.
Posted in architecture | Tagged brazil, china, creative-center, design, garden, italy, mexico, netherlands, ordos-100, selected, spain, usa |
By Matt | Published:
October 31, 2009
The Parametric Design Workshop will take place in New York on December 5. This workshop will focus on the conceptual context and technical understanding of parametric design through a carefully constructed 2-day curriculum. Participants will learn to engage the parametric modeling plug-in Grasshopper in a meaningful and productive way that draws upon the collective sensibility present in the group. Emphasis will be placed on strategies for deploying constraint-based design, associative modeling techniques, and environmental influencers for parametric geometry creation, analysis, and documentation. Attendance will be capped at 15 to provide each participant maximum one-on-one time with instructors. For more information click here .
By SHS | Published:
October 31, 2009
© Julien Lanoo Architects: TANK Architectes / Olivier Camus & Lydéric Veauvy Location: Villeneuve D’ascq, 59, France Architect in Charge: Bruno Drumare Site area: 2,485 sqm Constructed area: 390 sqm Budget: $750,000 Euro Project year: 2009 Photographs: Julien Lanoo site plan The project is settled at the back of a nice private wooded plot. The demand of the clients was to built 4 houses for moving executives, which could be merged in 1 or 2 entities. © Julien Lanoo The houses are composed of 4 branches built on stilts. Such a tree structure allows a free use of the 4 parts, whether separate or joined. The ends of each wings are twisted following the natural restrictions and the aspects. The space’s flexible, liberated from any technical constraints to make easier any future change in the use of the houses. Each house is unique by its view, its exposition and its shape.
By LydiaD | Published:
October 30, 2009
These gorgeous wood and glass staircases by Siller are about as close as “interactive art” as you can get! Indeed you’ll feel like you’re scaling a sculpture as you make your way up the Mistral staircase design – a stylishly simple, barely there floating staircase. The minimalist design enhances every modern space with the clean, clear look of glass, which allows light and space to flow uninterrupted. Customizable to suit any space, large or small, these wood and glass staircases add instant chic to every home. Put a modern twist on your style and take it to the next level with the Mistral staircase. Check it out at Siller .
Architect: Supple Design / Eoghan Lewis Location: Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia Client: Stockland Property Trust Structural consultant: HKMA—Phil Mance Environmental Consultant: Steensen Varming – Chris Arkins Site area: 950 sqm Floor area: 130 sqm Design year: 2004-2005 Construction year: 2005 Photographs: Ian Tatton, Eoghan Lewis Macarthur Gardens is a new housing estate one hour West of Sydney. The Education and Display Suite is where the project ‘vision’ is communicated and where individual housing lots will be sold. When all 900 Lots are gone, the building will be packed up and re-assembled at the next development, the current site developed. The client’s brief seemed simple; a re-useable structure that would stand out from its residential context and act as a tool to help educate potential purchasers about environmental processes and the benefits of more sustainable ways of living. floor plan Inspired by Jørn Utzon’s unbuilt Bayview House’s of the 1960’s, a ‘lego set’ or kit of parts was created, whereby the logic of a repeating structural system (precast concrete) is the architetcure. Wherever possible the structure is revealed and explored for its sculptural and material qualities. Elements like the roof/gutters that tip water into the concrete awning, then down a rain chain and into tanks for reuse is a small metaphor of the sites hydrology that helps underscore the relationship of the building to the land. Apart from concrete the other major material is timber. Recycled blackbutt elements internally and ochre-stained rough-sawn plywood cladding externally. Notions of ‘home’ – moments of warmth and intimacy act as counterpoint to the cool gallery environment; limed hoop-pine and brushbox contrast and complement the cool rationality of the concrete structure. For us the building acts as prototype for a new approach to the issue of low-cost suburban housing. Our clients loved it and version 1.1 in Melbourne was also finished.
Posted in architecture | Tagged architecture, california, chile, cool, france, italy, mexico, ordos-100, prefabricated, products, project, read-more-raquo, selected, spain |
By SHS | Published:
October 30, 2009
Konyk Architecture has created a renewed identity for the International Flavors and Fragrances Headquarters in New York. To uplift the corporation’s appearance, Konyk proposed a new laboratory addition entitled “Floating Gardens.” These gardens are composed of a series of overlapping roofs with a variety of flowering plants. The building appears to float above West 57 th Street because the gardens begin on the 7 th floor. A garden at street-level public is planted with multi-hued flowers and plants. Rendered in chrome, the undersides of the floating laboratories mirror the floral patterns on the ground creating the illusion of a reflected garden in the sky. Inside the 200,000 sqft building, the main workspaces are comprised of a flexible modular office system. The system allows spaces to be configured into various sized conference rooms as well as personal offices optimized for all the different administrative and laboratory environments needed. Title: IFF Creative Center HQ NYC Location: West 57th Street, Manhattan NYC Client: IFF Area: 2,000m2 Design Architects: konyk ( www.konyk.net ) Principal in Charge: Craig Konyk Project Manager: Mary Ellen Devers Project Team: E. Sean Bailey, David Iseri, Moniera Buck Associate Architect/Planner: Gruzen Samton LLC, Susan Drew, Principal-in-Charge MEP/Structural Engineering: ARUP NYC Laboratory Design: Samuel Anderson Architects Project Cost/Construction Management: F.J. Sciame Year of Design: 2008.
Posted in architecture | Tagged australia, brazil, california, chile, creative-center, denmark, garden, iff creative center hq, netherlands, ordos-100, read-more-raquo, spain, usa, user |
Tomorrow people from all over the world will celebrate Halloween. Children in costumes, many candies and several horror movie-marathons on TV will help create the scary mood we are used to. In ArchDaily, we didn’t want to be left behind so for todays Round Up, we bring you previously featured scary places to be tomorrow night. Enjoy! Tanatorio Municipal de Leon / BAAS The building is conceived as a tomb of tombs. A completely buried construction, it eludes its volume and its signification in order to camouflage itself in the interstices of a too-close residential area. A sheet of water by way of a roof constitutes the single facade, reflecting León’s sky like an allegory of death (read more…) Santo Stefano Cemetery in Italy / Amoretti + Calvi + Ranalli The purpose of the project is the amplification of a small municipals cemetery of Santo Stefano al Mare on the north-west side of Italy in front of the Mediterranean sea. The new intervention is situated on a small land strip between the old cemetery’s wall and the waterfront way. This strip is orientated from east to west (read more…) Estrela Cementery / Pedro Pacheco + Marie Clément The cemetery and mortuary chapel constitute an ensemble of two enclosed spaces, built in a holm-oak field. One of the holm-oaks becomes part of the enclosure, as an element of the cemetery anchorage, transforming the chapel patio into an important shadow space. This gesture acquires a structural significance (read more…) Luz Cemetery / Pedro Pacheco + Marie Clément To displace a cemetery means not only transporting it’s tombs but equally it’s memory and rituals consolidated over the times. The old cemetery’s regular and geometric figure, which follow the ground pendent is reproduced. The vicinities between tombs are maintained as place recognition elements, as well as their orientation (read more…) Rennes Métropole Crematorium / PLAN 01 Largely marginal in the 1970’s, cremation has experienced a slow but regular progress for the last 20 years, reaching a 29% rate today. In 2030, cremation will become the main funeral practice in France, outreaching the symbolic 50% rate. This true reversal of traditions underlines the progressive spreading of cremation (read more…)
By LydiaD | Published:
October 30, 2009
One of the US practices I’ve been looking forward to meet has been Trahan Architects. Based in Louisiana, the firm has been very involved in institutional projects for the local community (such as the Holy Rosary Church Complex and the Baton Rouge Library ), universities and also in Make It Right. I find that their involvement with the community, the embracement of new technologies in architecture result in what I feel that “american architecture” is (or should be). But since traveling to Louisiana wasn´t on my plans, at least in the near future, I had no chance to personally meet Victor “Trey” Trahan (FAIA), principal at Trahan Architects. But thanks to some coincidences, I was able to meet him briefly between connecting flights and do this interview. Hope you like it as much as I did. As usual, find the HD version of the interview at Vimeo .
One of my biggest regrets is that I don’t have a good hand at drawing. I mean I can copy someone else’s sketches but there’s a lot room for improvement. Incidentally, the ScribbleBot is a drawing tool for people like me. Ones who crave to draw neatly, but just don’t have the in-built talent for it. The device can be fed with a preconceived drawing paths downloaded off the internet, to maneuver your hand and pen in way that results in some awesome sketching. The video gives you the hang of how things are done. Designer: Jon Cumberpatch ScribbleBots from Jon Cumberpatch on Vimeo .
Posted in Gadgets, product-design, technology | Tagged accessories, automotive, drawing, exhibitions, Gadgets, green, product-design, scribblebots, technology, tool, travel |
By jp6212 | Published:
October 30, 2009
© Stephane Chalmeau Architects: Powerhouse Company Location: Burgundy, France Partner in Charge: Charles Bessard Client: Withheld Contractor: Covre Charpente Sarl, Berthoud toiture, Ets Favérial, SA Gandin Project Area: 200 sqm Budget: 300.000 € Project year: 2005–2008 Photographs: Stephane Chalmeau “We want a house with a twist, a house that has something something to say.” A house with a twist When a young french family approached the Powerhouse Company to design a house-extension with a twist they had no idea that could result in a truly twisting house. As opposed to the existing house, an old Burgundy farm, the new wing is dedicated to host their guest and visitors. With a large living room and a series of guest rooms the extension is not only an invitation into their home but also a picturesque experience of the surrounding landscape offered to their visitors. Set in the middle of a generous property of 13.000m2, crossed by a small river and planted of a wide variety of old ornamental trees, the Spiral House enjoys the sweet and pastoral charm of the landscape of Burgundy. © Stephane Chalmeau A loop into the landscape Despite its traditional architecture the existing house was struggling to inhabit and occupy the share size of the park. By contrast the Spiral House expands freely in the garden seeking to create as many experiences of the garden as possible. In a gentle swing from the ground floor to the roof level it creates a surprising variety of spaces that blurs the boundaries between the house and the garden where the architecture and the landscape merge together. ground floor plan Wrapping the house around a planted patio the Spiral House reminds the “Clos”: the walls enclosing the famous vineyards of the region. In the Spiral House this “Clos” is transformed into an inviting gesture, the peripheral wall is transformed to create a spiral: a continuous invitation from outside to inside, a continuous movement from the entrance to the more intimate rooms of the house. The patio, the covered terrace and the panoramic views connect the house with the garden and invite the guests to unwind and enjoy the garden’s life. More than a house, the Spiral House is a pleasurable and sheltered promenade in the landscape to its guests. © Stephane Chalmeau Open and intimate With its abstract and sculptural volume the Spiral House escapes any pre-set style and dialogues spontaneously with the old house and the garden. Its geometry grew from the internal organisation of the house and the particular wishes of the client such as large and open rooms with high ceilings on the ground floor for the living room and the library, and smaller and intimate spaces for two guest suites. It also includes a multi-purpose dorm/playroom for the the kids and their friends. Together with the existing house, the Spiral House describes a programmatic loop and additionally creates a patio in the centre of the house. All the rooms are distributed around this patio along gentle stairs that rises gradually from ground floor to first floor. Visitors enter the extension by the patio and are thus welcomed in the heart of the house. © Stephane Chalmeau The architecture of the Spiral House is focused on the distribution of openness and the intimacy of space. The fully glazed patio floods the house with sunlight and create a great openness without compromising its intimacy. The external façades are perforated with windows varying in size and proportions and framing selected views on the garden to create a particular atmosphere in each room. It is a continuous space of soft transitions from public to private. The rooms functions as a successions of mezzanines that can be closed or opened, providing the guest with a subtle feeling of participating in the life of the house. Elegant and adaptable Powerhouse Company’s design approach allowed the Spiral House to be build with a conventional budget for a mid range single family house. Priority is given to quality of the spaces, of light exposures and view rather than the expenses in materials. That means that a large part of the budget was invested in the structure to realize the complex geometry and achieve a surprising diversity of spaces with only 200m2 of floor area. © Stephane Chalmeau The clients specifically wished for a design that would permit them to supervise the entire construction of the house themselves. The Spiral House is built with a wooden structure, a system that creates a high degree of flexibility and adaptability. This made it relatively easy to adapt the complex geometry on site and further reduce the budget risks during the building phase. In terms of materialization, the sculptural dimension of the volume is balanced with minimalist materials and details for the façade, giving it an elegant touch. The hidden window frames reduce the number of visible details on the façade. Additionally, the smooth plaster on the exterior walls contains subtle golden glitter-shine that playfully captures the light.
Posted in architecture | Tagged australia, california, france, houses, italy, kamyk-heritage, landscape, netherlands, spiral-house, stephane, stephane-chalmeau, tamizo-architects |
By Joshua | Published:
October 30, 2009
Svalbard Science Centre / JVA, photo by Nils Petter Dale While looking for works to feature on ArchDaily like a year and a half ago, I was going through a norwegian magazine I found at a friend’s house and saw an enigmatic copper building sitting in the snow: the Svalbard Science Centre (pictured above). Since it was in norwegian, all I could figure out was the name of the practice: JVA . So I googled it and immediately got in touch with Einar Jarmund, one of the partners of JVA, and was able to see the high level of architectural production being done by this office, which you can see on the 11 works we have featured so far at ArchDaily . Since then, they became one of my favorite practices. During this year the exhibition about their Work, “Lost in Nature”, has been on display in several cities and for the first time in North America. The exhibition is currently at the Washington University in St. Louis in the Steinberg Hall Architecture Gallery. It was opened with a lecture by Einar Jarmund yesterday, and it will be on display until November 29. If you are around, I highly recommend you to visit it. During 2010 the exhibit will be at the State University of New York (Buffalo, NY, USA), the Museum of Nordic Heritage (Seattle, WA, USA), the Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada) and in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).
Poland based Tamizo Architects have sent us their latest project, the Kamyk Heritage Park. The idea of the park’s concept was to create a kind of small village with a few different buildings/functions which mix village with contemporary style at the same time. The plot is located in a small village in Poland called Kamyk. It’s quite big and it’s located in a village landscape plot with two small ponds in the center of it. The main building of the whole concept and a first part of the competition was a restaurant/wedding house building. More images and full architect’s description after the break. One of the most important guideline for this project was that the building should be able to serve three separate wedding parties at the same time which should be serviced by one kitchen. Of course the plan should be flexible and in case of big parties, the need to merge it in one space. The architecture of the building should be modern but at the same time it should correspond to the surrounding buildings character. That’s why we use typical sloping thatched roofs as a symbol of the village style and simple white walls with big openings as a contrast and symbol of present time architecture. The openings give a great view at the beautiful landscape. The building consists in 3 separate solids with restaurant areas joined by the main entrance area and the kitchen. In a center of it there is a big rectangular patio. The second part of the ‘Kamyk Heritage Park’ consists in a small hotel building for the wedding parties guests. It could be designed as a part of the restaurant building, but because of the functional aspects we decided to design it as a separate building. The function was realy simple: six rooms for the parties guests and some technical rooms. The main challenge was to define solids which could correspond to the scale and character of the village. Our final decision was to tract each hotel room as a separate house. The mix of six different wooden houses with white simple boxes give us an interesting result which was quite different than the wedding house building, but at the same time it suits well to it. The whole concept will be completed by following functions: temporary market with local vegetables, fruits, meats, cheeses… small scene for occasional ceremony, and others…
Posted in architecture | Tagged australia, california, france, hotels-and-restaurants, kamyk, kamyk-heritage, mexico, mixed-use, read-more-raquo, tamizo, tamizo-architects |
Is publishing your contents on online design communities or hosting your own portfolio site enough for creative satisfaction? Don’t you want evaluation or recognition for your efforts? Much like how a post is done on YD, where we hear scores of you either trashing or praising a design, forcing the designers to re-think his strategy or go-ahead with his convictions. The Bombardier YouRail Design Contest by HYVE gives you instant feedback, allowing you to re-think your contribution or simply refining it. The contest is really simple, you only need to register, get inspired and submit your design ideas. The contest is about the creation of new and innovative interior designs for trains. Questions like how a modern train interior should look like and what kind of innovative features should be integrated need to be solved. It is irrelevant if participants have great experience in interior design or not, the contest is addressed to professionals, students, hobby designers and everyone who is interested into the topic. The designs can be submitted drawn freehand or computer generated, by using the configuration tool or just by explaining the interior idea. Participants may either design a seat upholstery with the configuration tool or freely create an interior design to the following three topics: The Leisure Passenger The Business Traveler The Everyday Passenger Like I mentioned to participate you need to simply join the community and submit your own vision for interior design in trains. Or you can create your own seat cover with the 3D – configuration tool . Anyway, you can discuss and evaluate the designs of the community and win great prizes : The members with the three best freely created designs amongst all three topics win cash prizes up to 2.000 Euros . The members with the three best configured designs also win cash prizes up to 600 Euros. Plus: The members with the 4th to the 10th best freely created designs win netbooks. Hurrah! The winning design will be built as a prototype and will be exposed on the InnoTrans 2010 in Berlin which is the leading trade fair in transportation. Besides, the designer of that winning design will be invited by Bombardier to visit the InnoTrans 2010. In addition, the most active member as well as the best freely created and configured designs according to the community evaluation are rewarded with a netbook, too. Finally, one idea will also win a netbook (and a signature book about Bombardier) by the “president’s pick” where the jury select the most unconventional idea. The jury has an impressive line-up with high-level management and design experts – get to know them here . What is really impressive is that like our YD community, there is instant feedback and reaction to your designs by the community members. So participating in this contest really makes sense. You get evaluated not only by your contemporaries, but also by an elite panel of judges. Which other design competition can boast of this killer combo? To know more on the contest details hit here. The whole contest phase is being charged by the HYVE Innovation Community GmbH. HYVE is a German innovation agency dealing with customer integration into the product innovation process. Feel free to get all important information about HYVE on their website , or contact them directly.
Posted in Gadgets | Tagged accessories, announcements, architecture, Competitions, design, dining, exhibitions, games, kitchen, Lighting, luxury, office, podcast, travel |
Architects: HyBrid Architecture Location: Seattle, WA, US A Project team: Robert Humble, Nicholas Williams, Jonathon Lemons, Barrett Eastwood, Joel Egan, Melissa Burchett Builder/General Contractor: HyBrid Assembly Structural Engineer: Davido Consulting Civil Engineer: Davido Consulting Custom Carpentry: Sugar Hill Photographs: Lara Swimmer , Cleary O’Farrell and Nick Williams HyBrid Architecture + Assembly acted as architect, developer, and construction manager to empower their decisions from inception to the built form. To break down the massing of the two buildings to address the small scale of the adjacent neighborhood, the two structures were sited to allow southern solar access and view corridors to all four units. HyBrid chose to respect the small single-family homes neighboring the property by creating a detached single family home at the rear alley. This house has similar characteristics including a horizontal paulownia open-joint rainscreen enclosure assembly which mimmicks the lap-siding of the existing homes in the neighborhood. The three units facing the street reach out to pedestrians akin to the rowhome developments that were prevalent in larger cities. The front stoops reach to the ground inviting neighbor interaction, while the penthouse stair towers reach to the sky, engaging the Seattle skyline in the near distance. A building should be designed to be adaptable for the many generations that will enjoy it. In 100-years the building will likely have a completely different use as the city and zoning change. Because of this, HyBrid chose to allow the building to adapt over time. The bottom floor has rough-in plumbing for a future kitchen, its own entrance, a 3/4 bathroom, and is designed with a demountable wall to be built-out to completely separate it from the 2 floors above. This simple design technique allows the building to double its occupancy if necessary. The roof gardens are equipped with 9″ of soil to allow for gardening by the inhabitants.
Posted in architecture | Tagged architecture, brazil, denmark, france, house, mexico, netherlands, ordos-100, read-more-raquo, selected, swimmer, usa, veronica-arcos |
