Hasta La Ideas

American architect Daniel Libeskind has completed a media centre for the City University of Hong Kong.

The Run Run Shaw Creative Media Centre houses laboratories, theatres, and classrooms for the school’s departments of computer engineering and media technology.

Like much of Libeskind’s body of work, the centre’s faceted volume shoots upward into a sharp point.

Glazed segments wrap around the building’s exterior while intersecting bands of lighting slice through the ceilings of the interior.

The media centre is slated to open in October.

Daniel Libeskind is best known for his Jewish Museum in Berlin as well as masterplanning the World Trade Center site, currently under construction in New York. See all our posts about Libeskind here.

See more stories about Hong Kong buildings here.

Photography is by Gollings Photography.

Here’s some more information provided by the architect:

THE RUN RUN SHAW CREATIVE MEDIA CENTRE

The Run Run Shaw Creative Media Centre for the City University of Hong Kong will provide facilities that will enable the University to become the first in Asia to offer the highest level of education and training in the creative media fields. The Centre will house the Centre for Media Technology and the Department of Computer Engineering and Information Technology.

Address: City University of Hong Kong, Cornwall Street, Kowloon Tong

Technical Details
» Steel-reinforced concrete
» 263,000 square feet

Creative Team:
Design: Studio Daniel Libeskind
Joint Venture Partner: Leigh & Orange Ltd. (Hong Kong)
Structural Engineer: ARUP (London and Hong Kong)
Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing Engineer: ARUP
Geotechnical/Civil Engineer: ARUP
Civil Engineering, Specialists, Environmental, IT & Communications, Audio Visual, Acoustics, Fire, Building Innovation, Traffic Engineering: ARUP (Hong Kong)
Contractor: China Resources Construction
Landscape Architect: ADI Limited (Hong Kong)

Facilities:
» Two sound stages (2,200 sq ft and 5,400 sq ft)
» Two THX screening rooms, one with dubbing facilities
» Three additional screening rooms
» Virtual reality immersive research lab
» Box-in-box sound recording studio
» Television studio
» Computer labs and classrooms for production and research
» Multipurpose theater
» Flexible event and exhibition spaces
» Three lecture rooms
» Wood /metal shop
» Electrical shop
» Restaurant
» Café
» Landscaped garden

See also:

.

Made-to-order villa by Daniel Libeskind	Jewish Museum Extension by Daniel Libeskind	Royal Ontario Museum by Daniel Libeskind

German studio Archifaktur has inserted felt-lined caves and green-floored playrooms into the loft of a 1930s primary school (photographs by Zooey Braun).

Five new attic rooms at the Alte Schule Winterbach provide childcare facilities both inside and outside of teaching hours.

Teachers use one of the green rubber-floored rooms as an office, whilst the other four accommodate activities that include cooking, crafts, music and games.

Behind the playrooms are recessed “caves” – felt-lined compartments that children can hide in.

A series of removable screens allow flexible levels of privacy between the rooms and the 50 metre-long corridor that connects them.

Two other schools recently featured on Dezeen also integrate folding screens and panels – see also a Japanese school with integrated furniture and an Italian kindergarten with removable wall blocks.

More information is provided by Archifaktur:

Kernzeitbetreuung Alte Schule Winterbach

Terms and definitions: ,Alte Schule Winterbach‘ is the name of the building and means Old School Winterbach. ,Kernzeitbetreuung‘ is childcare during the daytime (from 7 am to 4 pm).

Through the transformation of society and its forms arise new demands on classrooms and their peripheral areas.

The model of integrated childcare in primary school aged from 6 to 10 years called for new space. To counteract the unrestrained use of land and to preserve the centrality of the primary function an extension of the childcare was provided in the untapped attic of the school building from 1935.

Dropped boxes should implement the necessary space, light and an extraordinary atmosphere.

The new structures are following the typical of that period stringent grid facade in a 3-1-3-rhythm.

Five cubes brace themselves out on the eastern side of the 50-meter- long roof – self confident and at the same time with respect to the inventory.

The goal was to leave the western view of the building as an identification attribute in original appearance. The spatial concept of different height zones in the cross-section and a meandering layout that allows a flexible division of space into zones of different sizes.

The central corridor develops all the zones in the north-south direction, gives children space to run and it is -cause of a sloped ceiling reflector- a link to the different elevation zones in east-west axis.

The cubes are divided into a teacher’s room and four modules – each module with a little cave: the multifunction module with a variety of games, the art module for painting and handicrafts, the supply module for cooking and baking, the multimedia module for music and dance.

In the south towards the emergency exit there is another multifunctional space, changing rooms and sanitary units to the north. In the caves, lined with soft felt, children can retire while other children participate exciting activities.

The coloring of the interior was limited to a few sensitive coordinated colors and materials: natural white color for built-in furniture, walls and ceilings, happy green rubber floor, dark gray wool felt and natural oak wood.

The integrated sanitary zone rises optically out of the floor and is kept consequent in happygreen. This is to bring foothold, harmony and wellbeing to the offspring. Staged openings allow fantastic views to the village with the church from 1309 and to the valley slopes in the distance.

Location: 73650 Winterbach, Germany
Construction phase: March 2010 – March 2011

See also:

.

School of the Sacred Heart by Atelier SNS	Kindergarten Kekec by Arhitektura Jure Kotnik	Kindergarten Terenten by Feld72

Overlapping arches divide classrooms in this temporary school in Tokyo by Japanese architects Atelier SNS.

The International School of the Sacred Heart provides a kindergarten on the ground floor and a separate junior school above.

Classrooms, cloakrooms and the staff room are accessed from a central hall on each floor and there are no corridors inside the building.

The curved walls integrate bookshelves, white-boards and furniture for each of the nine classrooms.

The temporary building will be used until a permanent school is constructed in ten years time.

More stories about education on Dezeen »

Photography is by Hiroshi Ueda and Seiichi Oosawa.

The following information is from Atelier SNS:

International School of the Sacred Heart Temporary Building

∞ shaped walls to symbolise children’s infinite potential that make up the building

The Kindergarten and Junior School (1st & 2nd grade) temporary building project has been built on a very limited school field. This field had to be used as part of the temporary building and school playground. We were working with limited space.

We had to build a temporary building that is compact and efficient therefore we planned a circular design. As a result, we planned a cluster from where we have a center hall with 7 branches all leading to each individual open classroom.

The walls are designed to be reusable shelves. The shelves are mounted with desks, chairs and storage. This can be transferred to the new completed building in the future.

Classrooms are divided by ∞ shaped walls to symbolise children’s infinite potential.

The entangled arches represent children all over the world holding hands. The meaning of having no walls where the arches cross is to let children know that the world is without borders.

The ∞ shaped walls are used as bookshelves. The walls are well used and the storage is made on the walls which are closed on one side.

There are no hallways and students access to classrooms from the center. Each classroom is color coordinated, so students easily find their classrooms.

The round-shaped hanging ceiling is the air conditioning system covered by wooden louvers.

The entrance to the school curves to welcome the children with open arms.

The approach to the Kindergarten and Junior school is separated by an approach ramp, upper (JS) and the lower level staircase (Kindergarten).

The Kindergarten may also be entered through the ground level.

The extended cantilever flat roof protects the building from the sunlight and rain. Just like the Japanese ‘Engawa’, the mid-term area helps with conserving energy and running cost.

Since this will be used as a temporary building I have designed many parts of the class room to be detached and reusable.The floor consists of one room which is divided by removable walls to separate each class room. The walls are also reusable because they are used as back shelves and storage.

The entangled arches looks as though you are going through a though you are going through a tunnel.

Click above for larger image

At one end of the tunnel, you reach the mirror wall where you can constantly reflect on. An area of reflection.

Click above for larger image

At the other end of the tunnel, you see the future light / sunlight which guides you into the bright future.

Click above for larger image

The desk and chairs are mounted into the wall. This enables the children to use any area along the wall to do their work.

Click above for larger image

Location: Shibuya Ward, Tokyo
Client: International School of the Sacred Heart
Years: 2010
Plot area: 57.212.46 m2
Height: 7.53 m
Floors: 2 above ground
Covered area: 518.28 m2
Total floor area: 759.58m2

Click above for larger image

Architects: Tsuneyuki Okamoto – AteleirSNS
Structures: Span Sekkei
Facilities: SP Sekkei
Contractors: Nakano Corporation

Click above for larger image

See also:

.

Kindergarten Terenten by Feld72	Kindergarten Kekec by Arhitektura Jure Kotnik	Tellus Nursery School by Tham & Videgård Arkitekter

Rectangular voids are carved out of the stone facade of this monolithic pavilion in the Netherlands by Rotterdam-based Shift architecture urbanism.

Sliding glass windows fill the voids, but are recessed to create sheltered terraces along the front and rear elevations.

As part of Tilburg University, the Faculty Club provides a restaurant, lounge and two conference rooms for the use of academic staff and their guests.

More education architecture on Dezeen »

Photography is by René de Wit.

Here is some more text from Harm Timmermans of Shift architecture urbanism:

Faculty Club, Tilburg University, by Shift architecture urbanism

Tilburg University has extended its campus with the Faculty Club, a multipurpose pavilion for the academic staff and their guests. Shift architecture urbanism took the initiative to reanimate the quintessential quality of the Tilburg campus: strong solitary buildings in the green. The monumental modernism of Jos Bedaux served as a frame of reference. Bedaux designed the first – still the best – buildings for the university in the sixties.

By creating a strong formal relation between the existing university buildings and the new Faculty Club, an ensemble of omni-directional solitaires is created. This enables one to recognize the Faculty Club as part of the university, despite its peripheral forest location and exclusive program.

The Faculty Club is designed as a carved-out-monolith, one simple box in which transparency and massiveness melt together. The central restaurant is carved out from the centre, creating a tunnel-effect in the front façade. In order to strengthen its solitaire character the building is lifted from the ground. The height difference is bridged by outside stairs and a ramp integrated within the front façade.

Each façade has only one window. By recessing each window, outdoor spaces are created within the front and rear façades. These mark the entrance in front and form a large covered terrace in the back. The simplicity and plasticity of the three-dimensional window treatment further contributes to the building’s sculptural qualities.

The primary program consists of a restaurant for eighty persons, a lounge and two conference rooms. The secondary program consists of a kitchen, storage space and other services. The further the functions are situated from the campus, the more intimate and informal the space becomes. The conference rooms look out over the campus, while the lounge completely relates to the forest and the garden. All main functions are physically linked by a transparent axis running the length of the building.

Both the lounge and the restaurant are connected to the carved-out terrace situated at the rear of the building. A four-rail system of sliding windows enables one to open up two-thirds of the total eighteen meters of glass façade. This intensifies the experience of the forest without the visitor having to step outside the building envelope.

The construction principles of the Faculty Club are deceptively simple. In order to emphasize contrasting space and mass, the structure, installations and details are integrated within walls and floors. The starting point for the engineering was the visual absence of technique. Key contractors and consultants were engaged early in the process of preliminary design, enabling the development of precise and project-specific details that consistently support the overall concept. Shift architecture urbanism was responsible for the design, including the execution drawings and the site supervision.

Click above for larger image

The result is an integral, durable and engaging building. A monolith carved in such a way as to both profit and profit from the surrounding landscape while maintaining its distinct primary form. Its architecture refers to the heritage of Jos Bedaux by abstracting and updating his formal language. This makes the building into a solidary solitaire, sober and luxurious, massive and transparent, silent and outspoken.

Click above for larger image

Project data:

Client: Tilburg University
Design: Shift architecture urbanism, Rotterdam
Project architects: Harm Timmermans and Pieter Heymans
Collaborators: Sabine Hogenhout, Bahar Akkoclu and Tjeerd Bloothoofd
Developer: Van der Weegen Bouwontwikkeling, Tilburg
Main contractor: Van der Weegen Bouwgroep, Tilburg

Click above for larger image

Construction: Bartels, Eindhoven
Installations: Van Delft Installaties, Nieuwkuijk
Stone façade: Van Stokkum Natuursteen, Venlo
Glass façade: MHB, Herveld
Fixed interior: Smeulders IG, Nuenen
Concrete floor: Van Kempen Bedrijfsvloeren, Bergeijk
Garden: Van Helvoirt Groenprojecten, Berkel Enschot
Lighting: Philips Lighting and Living Projects
Furniture: Brokx Projectinrichting, Oosterhout with Vitra
Garden design: MTD, Den Bosch
Garden realisation: Van Helvoirt Groenprojecten, Berkel Enschot

Click above for larger image

Gross area: Inside space: 518m2
Outside space: 110m2
Address: Warandelaan 3, Tilburg
Delivery: June 2011
Stone façade: Limestone, type: Muschelkalk
Glass façade: Anodized aluminium, type MHB-Skyframe with Saint Gobain glazing
Ceiling: Acoustic stucco, OWA
Lighting: LED, Philips
Furniture: Vitra

See also:

.

School of Technology and Management	Pedagogic Resource Centre by Béal & Blanckaert	Haifa University Student Centre by Chyutin Architects

This Barcelona school by architects Arqtel Barcelona has an exposed concrete structure with painted vertical bands of citrus colours.

Containing both a preschool and primary school, the Les Cabanyes school is arranged along an axis that extends from north to south.

Classrooms face enclosed courtyards, containing playgrounds and outdoor learning areas.

More education buildings on Dezeen »

Photography is by Eugeni Pons.

The following information is from Arqtel Barcelona:

Les Cabanyes Preschool and Primary School, Barcelona

A project is defined by the people who will use it and by how it is situated on the site. When it comes to children, it is important to take special care to address all of their needs by providing warm, pleasant and comfortable surroundings. This project prioritizes attention to detail and is designed within a clear and simple functional framework.

The building’s location reflects a particular understanding of an urban fragment and its unique qualities. The building’s arrangement on the site takes advantage of its specific characteristics. This building generates a dialogue with its surroundings not only through its spatial composition and architectural tectonics but also through its volumetric orientation. As a result, the building optimizes functional program at the same time as it focuses on aspects of light, orientation and the quality of the spaces generated. Retaining a telluric presence, the building brings a sense of order to the site and acts as a landmark among surrounding buildings and fields. Its presence as a building volume makes legible a reading of the building through its organization. Its north-south longitudinal axis opens up in a circulation pattern resembling a comb, alternating playfully between filled and empty spaces that characterize the whole.

The north-south axis, which connects the entire building, opens up to an outdoor, public sphere of access. From here, circulation flows into the preschool and primary school areas are separated, avoiding undue disruption as the children walk to their classrooms. This linear axis, a two-story high space, is marked as intensely as the secondary interior courtyards that organize and link spaces and their associated cross axes, varying according to different programmatic needs. These secondary courtyards function as a preschool playground, the primary school playground, the sports field, and a garden area or courtyards for basking in natural light and relaxing. To react to these varying functions, the façade reflects stratified layers of the building volume.

The building’s orthogonality allows for construction elements that are linear and of limited depths. This purposefully minimizes the extension of building elements into the courtyards to maximize exterior space. This also minimizes the area of the site occupied by building. The entire area is meant to be used with equal intensity; this strategy dictates the location of different programmatic pieces within the building. This same linking mechanism sponsors rhythm from the repetition of the pieces; it unifies them by serving as a datum for the interior spaces.

The northernmost linear piece of the school houses the spaces for the youngest children, with classrooms open to the south. These spaces serve as a refuge from which the children can observe the real world and happenings outside through a transparent and ever-changing wall. At the same time, they are warmed by the heat and light of the sun while they play.

In a similar spatial organization, the central longitudinal volumes are linked by the layout of the classroom spaces that face north to prevent overexposure to the sun. The opening of the corridors to the secondary courtyards allows these circulatory spaces to act as warm and welcoming environments.

The longitudinal piece is designed as an element of closure and transition. In other words, the gymnasium and multipurpose room at the southern-most end serves as a terminus to the north-south grain but also acts as an independent element, accessible with or without engagement from the rest of the building.

The stratification of the facades realizes an intention to create a modern and dynamic presence. The result reflects a kind of animated architectural and material character with exposed concrete walls on the facades of the longitudinal axes. While the facades give shape to the secondary courtyards, they also provide a counterpoint to the materiality of the aforementioned facades. Here, the facades are painted in lively colours, evoking a sense of warmth and joy. They alternate with the transparent sections which are resolved very differently in relation to the interior spaces.

The building section is characterized by its adaptation to the topography and orientation allowing different spaces to receive abundant natural light. When this light is combined with the colours of the corridors and the classrooms, it creates a play of light and shadow within warm and pleasant spaces.

Concerns about the environment and sustainable development have become increasingly important for construction methodologies at large. In accordance with the triple dimension of sustainability – environmental, social and economic – the building is inspired by and adheres to these criteria of environmental excellence. The school is presented as an example of sustainable architecture from its conception and design, ranging from passive climate control systems to the construction. To satisfy the building’s energy demands, it utilizes renewable energy systems such as photovoltaic or solar panels.

With the intention of employing innovative thinking in construction methods, prefabricated systems have been used for the structure, facade and partitions. These systems have enabled the architect to reduce construction time considerably, provide construction elements of outstanding quality, reduce noise and dust emissions and lower the time and waste generated by the construction process itself.

To ensure significant energy savings, both in terms of heating as well as electricity consumption, we have used double walls with thermal inertia complemented by exterior doors and windows with thermal breaks. Other energy-saving tools include the placement of mechanisms to control the interior solar light level, water-saving mechanisms and presence detectors in the rest rooms and changing rooms to control the use of artificial light.

The prefabricated structure is based on the Deltamix system, composed of reinforced concrete pillars sized for one or several floors, pre-stressed hollow-core slabs and DELTABEAM concrete-steel beams. These beams feature a metallic core, which creates a concrete-steel beam when joined to the hollow-core slabs. This beam is highly resistant to flexion, torsion and shear stress and also has excellent fire-resistant properties.

One of the notable advantages of this system is the total absence of suspended beams below the frame of the hollow-core slabs, allowing for thin flat slabs with bases of minimum thickness. Other advantages offered by this system include the reduction in overall construction time and the ability to capture light up to 12 meters with large open spaces. Additionally, the system offers fire resistance up to 180 minutes, elimination of the need for bracing, better acoustic insulation and minimization of the period of environmental impact. It increases the building’s durability with the use of better materials and high-quality products as well as making waterproofing easier. The system also optimizes the building’s life cycle, facilitates the making of spaces of diverse sizes and makes the assembly process safer. Efforts to partition spaces and construct holes for electrical systems as well as other installations are minimized and slabs are reduced to its optimal thickness.

The facades are made of 15 cm or 20 cm-thick prefabricated exposed concrete panels that are painted in one of six different colors or left with an exposed concrete finish. The prefabricated panels are reinforced with an interior double drywall sheet that is 13 mm thick. The 46 mm frame with insulation and the air chamber allows for adequate thermal and acoustic insulation.

The anchoring systems of the upper and lower parts of the panels are exceptional. On the upper portion, anchoring is embedded into the slab when the wall runs parallel to the hollow-core slabs. When the wall is oriented perpendicular to the slabs, the vertical panels use embedded “L” profiles at the top to fasten the beams or the slabs. The bottoms feature U-shaped buttresses so that the base of the facade can be connected to the pavement. This Catalonian school marries playful space with efficient and sustainable construction with charming results.

Client: Catalunya Department of Education

See also:

.

Kindergarten Kekec by Arhitektura Jure Kotnik	Kindergarten Terenten by Feld72	Het 4e Gymnasium by HVDN Architecten