This hilltop staircase by Dutch firm NEXT Architects appears to create a continuous pathway, but it’s actually impossible to walk round more than once without climbing off (+ slideshow).
NEXT Architects designed the rusting steel structure for a grassy peak in Carnisselande, a suburb south of Rotterdam, where it provides a viewpoint overlooking the city skyline.
Rather than designing a simple loop, the architects based the form of the structure on the single-surface volume of a Möbius strip. This means the surface of the pathway wraps around onto its underside, making it impossible to walk around the entire periphery.
“Based on the principal of the Möbius strip, the continuous route of the stair is a delusion – upside becomes underside becomes upside,” explained the architects. “The suggestion of a continuous route is therefore, in the end, an impossibility.”
The structure is built from pre-weathered Corten steel, giving it a vivid orange tone that contrasts with the bright green of the grass below.
It was completed as part of a local art initiative entitled The Elastic Perspective.
Here’s a project description from NEXT Architects:
The Elastic Perspective
A rusty steel ring is gently draped upon a grass hill in Carnisselande, a Rotterdam suburb. It’s a giant circular stair leading the visitor up to a height that allows an unhindered view of the horizon and the nearby skyline of Rotterdam. The path makes a continuous movement and thereby draws on the context of the heavy infrastructural surrounding of ring road and tram track. While a tram stop represents the end or the start of a journey, the route of the stairway is endless.
However, the continuity and endlessness have a double meaning. Based on the principal of the Möbius strip, the continuous route of the stair is a delusion – upside becomes underside becomes upside. It has only one surface and only one boundary. The suggestion of a continuous route is therefore, in the end, an impossibility.
The Elastic Perspective is a local art plan for which NEXT architects designed this stair. The project reflects on the ambiguous relationship of the inhabitants of the Rotterdam suburb Carnisselande with their mother-town, which is expressed in both attraction and repulsion. “The view on Rotterdam is nowhere better, then from Carnisselande” as one of the locals put it.
The circular stair offers the suburbians a view on the Rotterdam skyline – only a couple of kilometers ahead – but forces them to retrace their steps back into their suburban reality. Rotterdam, by tram just minutes away, but in perception and experience tucked behind infrastructure and noise barriers; far away, so close.
Location: Carnisselande, Barendrecht NL Client: Municipality of Barendrecht Programme: Local Art plan Design: NEXT architects, Amsterdam Engineering: ABT consult, Velp Contractor: Mannen van Staal, Leeuwarden Budget: 150.000 euro
Swedish design studio Visiondivision has come up with a proposal for a sheltered promenade, outdoor cinema and art gallery for the redundant space within the structure of Stockholm‘s Tranebergsbron bridge.
Anders Berensson and Ulf Mejergren of Visiondivison developed the Under the Bridge strategy to shorten the time it takes for pedestrians to cross the waters between the city island Kungsholmen and the western suburb of Bromma.
According to the designers, the walk currently takes 15 minutes and involves following a noisy highway. They believe this time could be reduced to just three minutes by adding a new walkway that follows the arch of one of the existing concrete vaults.
“We looked at the bridge as a whole and saw that the beautiful concrete vaults were ideal to make a more rapid connection between the two sides, and that connecting these two hotspots would also allow a much greater potential in creating activities,” the designers told Dezeen.
The passageway would pass through a series of pre-existing doorways in the concrete pillars that support the bridge. The main construction needed would be the addition of stairs on the vault, new lighting and balustrades.
“Since it is relatively cheap to build and will have a huge effect on the site, we really hope to see this realised,” added Berensson and Mejergren.
The designers suggest that the huge concrete pillars could also be used as projection walls for occasional movie screenings, or could function as exhibition spaces for hanging artwork.
Red concrete paving tiles would be added to encourage people to follow the path, and small kiosks could be set up in the abutments.
Here’s a project description from Visiondivision:
Under the Bridge
Stockholm’s many islands has created a beautiful city to live in but it has also created barriers between the inner city and the suburbs. Large scale bridges connects many of these places to each other, often built with the car in mind.
Tranebergsbron is one of the most beautiful bridges in Stockholm and connects the city island Kungsholmen with the western suburbs. It was completed in 1934, at that time having the world’s largest bridge vaults in concrete.
Location map
In 2005 an identical bridge vault was added to the two original ones, allowing more cars on the bridge. As many bridges that is predominantly built for cars, the construction begins to incline many hundreds of metres on land on both sides the shore, this means that if you want to walk over the bridge it will involve a strenuous 15 minute walk in a noisy environment considering that you will walk just next to a busy highway.
We therefore propose to use the actual concrete vault of the recently built bridge to cater to the neglected pedestrian traffic between these two important areas in Stockholm and to dramatically shorten the time between the two shores and make the journey into a pleasant three minute walk in a beautiful and relaxed setting. To do this, only a minimal intervention is required.
Existing aerial view
The concrete pillars that connects the vault with the surface of the bridge already has holes in them, so the only thing that is necessary to do is to extend the upper part of the vault to allow passage and to add stairs on to the vault, proper lighting and a protective fence. The ground before the arc begins could also be treated with red concrete tiles to highlight the new path better and make it more accessible.
The two shores would benefit tremendously from being better connected to each other and they are both major gateways that are currently undergoing a great expansion with new housing and services.
Existing structure
With the underworld of the bridge suddenly being used, this would also mean that the beautiful space underneath the bridge will be better activated, which leaves room for new functions and ideas. The impressive concrete pillars would be perfect to use as a temporary art gallery and the stairs on the vaults can have a double use as seating to watch film screenings on the pillars.
The two abutments would be attractive spots where small kiosks could be set up when weather permits.
Russian studio Wowhaus has transformed a four-lane highway beside Moscow’s Moskva River into the city’s first year-round park, featuring rows of trees, fountains, cafes and artists’ studios (+ slideshow).
Photograph by Alexander Minchenko
Extending from the northern perimeter of Gorky Park, the Krymskaya Embankment project creates pedestrian pathways and cycle routes alongside the southern bank of the river, connecting with the Central House of Artists gallery building and Muzeon Fallen Monument Park.
Photograph by Alexander Minchenko
Starting at the Krymskaya Bridge, Wowhaus divided the stretch into four zones that each accommodate different activities, then used a wave motif to unite various design elements that include cobbled paving, wooden benches, buildings and pathways.
Photograph by Alexander Minchenko
“The central design element of the embankment is the wave,” said the architects. “Wave-shaped benches, and pedestrian and cycling waves create an artificial landscape.”
“In summer the wave-shaped multi-level layout can be used for walking, cycling or roller skating, while in winter it is a perfect setup for sledging, skating or skiing,” they added.
The first zone encompasses the area in front of and underneath the bridge. It includes a wooden stage for outdoor performances, as well as a series of sheltered benches made from reconstituted stone and wood.
Photograph by Alexander Minchenko
The next section accommodates the artists’ studio and exhibition spaces, which are contained within a 210-metre-long structure featuring wavy roof profiles.
Photograph by Alexander Minchenko
A riverside pathway runs along beside the structure, leading on to a fountain area behind. Here, jets of water are laid out on a 60-metre-long grid to create an interactive water feature, flanked by rows of linden trees designed to reference classic French streetscapes.
Photograph by Olga Ascension
The final zone, entitled Green Hills, includes landscaped areas interspersed with winding pathways and various pavilions. Wooden benches slice into the hillsides and are surrounded by rowan trees, apple trees and hawthorns.
Photograph by Olga Ascension
Here’s a project description from Wowhaus:
Krymskaya Embankment
A once unappealing Krymskaya embankment, only recently separated from the Muzeon park and the Central House of Artists, has been transformed beyond recognition: what once was a road has turned into a lane for pedestrians and bicycles. Fountains have been set up, wave-shaped artist pavilions have replaced a chaotic exhibition area and small hills with benches scattered about have become part of the landscape park thus extending a green strip from Gorky park on the other side of the Krymsky bridge.
Objective
To turn a quiet four-lane road into a new city landmark, thereby bringing life to the deserted area of Muzeon park between the Central House of Artists and the Moskva river.
Photograph by Olga Ascension
Solution
To link the Krymskaya embankment to a 10 km pedestrian and cycling route that starts at Vorobievy Gori and to replace the road with a landscape park with distinct transit and sport features while preserving the artists’ exhibition zone.
Photograph by Olga Ascension
The transformed Krymskaya embankment is the first year-round landscape park in the centre of Moscow. In summer the wave-shaped multilevel layout can be used for walking, cycling or roller-skating while in winter it is a perfect setup for sledging, skating or skiing. The central design element of the embankment is the wave: wave-shaped benches, pedestrian and cycling waves create an artificial landscape.
The park zone was divided into four parts: an area in front of the bridge, an artists’ zone around a “Vernisage” pavilion, the Fountain Square and “Green Hills”. When planning each zone, the view from the other bank was also considered.
Photograph by Alexander Minchenko
Under the Krymsky Bridge
A transit zone connecting Gorky Park with the Krymsky embankment has become a popular spot and also provides shelter from the rain now that a stage, and two wooden amphitheatres have been built. 28 artificial rock and metal benches illuminated from the inside are scattered along the way as an amenity for pedestrians and cyclists from Muzeon to Gorky park.
The entrance of Muzeon is a 210 metre wooden vernissage with a wave-shaped roof (the pavilion was designed by Asse Architects).
Photograph by Olga Ascension
Fountain zone
The fountain zone which is the central element of the new park, faces the Central House of Artists and is separated from the river by a linden alley. A fountain jet, 60 metres long and 14 metres wide, is one of the options of the so called “dry” fountains when the edge of the water is level with the paving. The fountain has an internal system of dynamic lighting that allows various lighting patterns.
49 lindens were planted in a classic French park order to the north-east of the fountain on the embankment. A special planting technology, used in Russia for the first time, allows walking and cycling on these lanes without causing damage to the trees.
Photograph by Olga Ascension
“Green Hills”
When planning this part of the pedestrian route special attention was paid to the artificial landscape and plantation. Hills designed for walking and resting were furnished mainly with steppe plants. Trees and bushes with decorative crowns like lindens, hawthorns, rowan trees and ornamental apple trees were planted on hills from where one can contemplate and admire the scenery.
Photograph by Alexander Minchenko
The artificial relief is accentuated by wave-shaped wooden benches and beach beds that are “cut” into hills between walking lanes. There is also an artificial pond in this part of the park.
Photograph by Alexander Minchenko
Pavilions
In accordance with the bureau’s project there are three pavilions on the Krymskaya embankment, the fourth one will be completed by the end of 2013 and will replace a gas station. Pavilions will be used as cafes, stores and bike rentals.
Pavilion near the fountain square is designed by Darya Melnik and the cafe-pavilion in the “Green Hills” zone is designed by Anna Proshkuratova. The bike rental pavilion closest to the 3rd Folutvinsky Lane is equipped with a concrete roof ramp for bikes or skateboards, designed by Roman Kuchukov.
Photograph by Olga Ascension
All pavilions feature an extensive use of glass, some of them even use structural glass shapes – U-shaped toughened glass with high-bearing capacity.
Photograph by Olga Ascension
Lighting solutions
To make the park accessible and attractive for guests 24 hours a day, planning takes into account night time illumination, especially the point lighting of certain landscape elements. Ornamental lamps that are installed in groups among plants on the hills illuminate the area and create a striking visual. All the lanes are illuminated as well so that pedestrians and cyclists do not get lost.
Photograph by Olga Ascension
On the Fountain Square the “dry” fountain together with the linden alley make up a lighting composition that combines the dynamic colour lighting of the fountain jets with the softer warm-white illumination of the regular rows of the linden alley.
Area of the Krymskaya embankment:45 000 m2 Length of the embankment: 1 km Area of planting: 10 700 m2 Planting: 44 726 perennial and ornamental plants, 96475 bulbous plants, 485 trees and bushes. Number of flowerbeds and hills: 34, 3 of which are breast walls Area of paving: 24 318 m2 Length of bicycle lanes: 4684 m2 Light: 1419 light fixtures Fountain info: fountain dimensions – 12m х 60 m, 203 sprayers Area of pavilions: pavilion on the Fountain Square – total area 275 m2, pavilion on “Green Hills” – total area 35 m2, bike rental pavilion: total area 200 m2.
Bureau partners: Dmitry Likin, Oleg Shapiro Leading project architect: Mikhail Kozlov Architects: Maria Gulida, Alena Zaytseva, Roman Kuchukov, Darya Melnik, Tatyana Polyakova, Anna Proshkuratova, Anastasia Rychkova, Tatiana Skibo, Yarmarkina; with the participation of Yuriy Belov, Anna Karneeva, Olga Lebedeva, Anastasia Maslova Senior project engineers: Dmitry Belostotsky, Ivan Mikhalchuk Planting: Anna Andreeva Lighting: Anna Harchenkova Constructors of pavilions: Nussli (consulting), Werner Sobek Artificial landscape consulting: LDA Design Fountain and electricity engineering: Adline Chief design contractor: MAHPI
Photos: Olga Alekseenko, Yuriy Brazhnikov/Village, Nikolay Vasiliev, Olga Voznesenskaya, Elizaveta Gracheva, Darya Osmanova
London architecture firm Studio Octopi has designed a concept for swimming pools that would enable Londoners to enjoy views of the city centre while bathing in the tidal waters of the River Thames.
Studio Octopi developed the proposal in response to plans from the city’s water supplier Thames Water to upgrade London’s 150-year-old sewage system, which would result in a huge improvement in water purity.
“A lot of people screw their noses up at the thought of swimming in the Thames but it already occurs within very controlled conditions, such as at Hampton Court and the Docklands,” Studio Octopi director Chris Romer-Lee told Dezeen.
Thames Water plans to construct a new tunnel, dubbed the Super Sewer, which will remove 96 percent of the sewage currently entering the river and is scheduled for completion in 2023, if planning permission is granted.
Exploded view of structure
Studio Octopi proposes building pools at two of the Super Sewer construction sites; Shadwell in the east of the city and Blackfriars Bridge in central London.
“Imagine the views from the waterline, downstream to the London Eye, upstream to the City,” said Romer-Lee of the Blackfriars location. “Whether it’s for sport or leisure, bringing these alternative uses to the heart of cities unites diverse communities, encourages physical activity and invigorates the flora and fauna of our much overlooked river.”
Romer-Lee pointed out that the concept doesn’t rely on the Super Sewer, but does require the UK government to take steps to improve the current sewage system and water quality in The Thames, which currently falls below European standards.
The architects worked with structural engineering specialist Civic Engineers to develop the design, which includes a pair of pools supported by a concrete slab and raised to the height of the high water mark on a series of steel columns. The pools would be replenished with fresh river water at high tides.
A further pool made from concrete waffle slabs anchored to fixed posts would float on the surface of the river, rising and falling with the tide while protecting swimmers from the tidal currents.
Sketch showing view from the water
Concrete decks with cast-in air pockets would surround the pools, providing places for swimmers to rest and counterbalancing heavy gabion cages filled with rocks and plants.
Jonathan Cook Landscape Architects contributed ideas for planting to enhance the natural look of the pools, including reeds to fringe the floating pool and perennials and ferns along the wharf edge. Over time, algae, ferns and saline plants would cover the supporting structure as it gradually weathers, while native plants would colonise the planted areas.
The concepts for new ways to make the most of the River Thames were presented last autumn as part of the exhibition Richard Rogers RA: Inside Out, at London’s Royal Academy.
London-based architects Studio Octopi propose reintroducing swimming in the tidal River Thames
As a result of the collaborative London As It Could Be Now project, developed by The Architecture Foundation with Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and the Royal Academy of Arts, Studio Octopi were selected as one of five teams to work up new visions for the Thames. The teams were encouraged to explore ideas that increased interaction with the waterway and raised awareness of this important artery running through the Capital. Thames Baths Project is collaboration between architects Studio Octopi, Civic Engineers and Jonathan Cook Landscape Architects.
In 1865, Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s London sewage system was opened. 150 years later the sewers are at the limits of their capacity. In 2012, 57 combined sewer overflows discharged 39 million tonnes of sewage into the River Thames.
Thames Water is planning the Thames Tideway Tunnel, or ‘Super Sewer’, for completion in 2023. This tunnel will remove 96% of the sewage currently entering the river. Instead of a weekly discharge into the river, the Super Sewer will overflow a maximum of 4 times a year.
When Sir Joseph Baselgette’s sewer system was finally completed in 1875 swimming in the River became a common occurence. In the same year a floating swimming baths opened on the foreshore at Charing Cross. Heated river water was pumped around an iron and glass structure. Then in 1878 Agnes Beckwith ‘the greatest lady swimmer in the world’ safely swam 20 miles from Richmond to Westminster and back again. The improvements in water quality open the possibility for once again swimming in the tidal Thames. The Thames Baths Project looks to re-establish an intimate and playful link between Londoners and the historic lifeblood of the city, the River Thames. Here is an opportunity for Londoner’s to reclaim ownership of their largest outdoor public space.
Studio Octopi’s proposals are focused on two of the Super Sewer construction sites: Blackfriars Bridge Foreshore and King Edward Memorial Park Foreshore. These sites were chosen for their contrasting London contexts. As well as creating a community resource and tourist attraction, its proposed that these floating and fixed aquatic landscapes should also continue to improve the ecology of the River Thames. Growing from planted rock cages (gabions) an array of native planting forms enclosure and frames views to the surrounding city. The fixed pools, lifted high on timber and steel piles, are replenished at high tide like coastal rockpools. The floating pools rise and fall with the tide offering a unique experience with the river. The sunken structure protects the swimmers from currents, whilst the planting offers tantalising views to the city beyond.
Intertidal Flora by Jonathan Cook Landscape Architects
Imagine swimming in the tidal river, surrounded by reeds that frame tantalising views of the city around you. The pools are not just for swimmers, but provide refuge and habitat for fish, birds and a wide range of flora.
Here in the heart of London is the upstream limit of saline plants on the Thames, and a series of layered habitats. From the algal slime at the base of the structure to the gabion-protected surface planting, the stages mimic salt marshes to freshwater wetlands.
As the supporting timbers weather they will be colonised by algae, ferns and saline plants such as sea beet and sea aster. The extensive planting of reeds around the pools will frame viewpoints edged with low sedums, and surface beds of yellow flag iris. The flooded pool will feature salt marsh species such as rushes and water plantains, while the wharf edge planting will be a relaxed mix of colourful perennials (red valerian) and ferns. All planted areas will soon be accompanied by naturally colonising plants, some native, others typical of London’s introduced alien flora.
Structural Principles by Civic Engineers
The fixed structure consists of a randomly ordered grillage of small sectioned steel channels founded in the river bed and extending to a height just below the high water mark. Embedded within the frame will be non-structural timber members to encourage the colonisation by flora. The fixed pools are split across two levels and sit on a concrete slab suspended on the steel frame.
The second adjoining floating structure is free to rise and fall with the tide. This is restrained with a series of substantial fixed posts which allow the open concrete waffle slab to rise and fall. Surrounding the pools, a concrete deck with cast-in air pockets counterbalances the weight of the planted rock gabion cages. The concrete deck can be precast off site and floated up the river into position.
News: architecture firm Snøhetta has concluded the first phase of a major overhaul of New York‘s Times Square, continuing the initiative started in 2009 to pedestrianise large sections of the popular tourist destination.
The $55 million reconstruction project is the largest redesign of the square in decades and encompasses the transformation of five public plazas between 42nd and 47th Streets, which will be entirely reconstructed to remove any traces that vehicular traffic once ran through the square along the Broadway.
Rendering by Snohetta and MIR
Snøhetta completed the redevelopment of the plaza between 42nd and 43rd Streets just in time for the New Year’s Eve celebrations. It features flattened-out curbs that create single-level surfaces for pedestrians, as well as new benches and paving surfaces.
Working alongside engineers Weidlinger Associates and landscape architect Mathews Nielsen, the architects plan to open a second plaza by the end of 2015 and complete the entire project the following year.
Rendering by Snohetta
This stretch of the Broadway was first closed to traffic in 2009 as part of an initiative by New York mayor Michael Bloomberg to provide additional space for more than 400,000 pedestrians who pass through Times Square every day. Since then the square has seen a 33 percent reduction in traffic-related injuries, as well a 180 percent increase in shop lets around the square.
“Since we first introduced temporary pedestrian plazas in Times Square, we have seen increased foot traffic and decreased traffic injuries – and businesses have seen more customers than ever,” said Bloomberg. “With more than 400,000 pedestrians passing through Times Square every day, the plazas have been good for New Yorkers, our visitors, and our businesses – and that’s why we’re making them permanent.”
Once complete, the restructuring will add 13,000 square-metres (140,000 square-feet) of new pedestrian space to Times Square. It will feature ten solid granite benches, as well as two-tone paving slabs with embedded metal discs, designed to reflect the neon glow from surrounding signs and billboards.
“With innovative designs and a little paint, we’ve shown you can change a street quickly with immediate benefits,” said transportation commissioner Sadik-Khan.
French studio TVK has overhauled the Place de la République in Paris to create an even larger pedestrian plaza that includes a new cafe pavilion, water features and over 150 trees (+ slideshow).
TVK‘s largest intervention was to adapt the surrounding road layout to make more pedestrian-priority areas. This increased the size of the square to 280 metres wide by 120 metres long, making it the largest pedestrian space in the city.
“The redevelopment of the Place de la République is based on the concept of an open space with multiple urban uses,” said the architects.
“The elimination of the traffic circle frees the site from the dominating constraint of motor vehicle traffic. The creation of the concourse marks the return of calm in an airy, uncluttered two hectare space,” they added.
The new cafe has been added to the south-west side of the square. Named Monde & Médias Pavilion, which translates as World and Media Pavilion, it was designed to host different public activities.
All four sides of the building are glazed to allow views through. A solid canopy cantilevers from one side to create a sheltered seating area and its underside is clad with reflective aluminium.
French studio NP2F Architectes designed the interior of the cafe, which features a fluted marble bar, wooden chairs and an assortment of plants.
Three different kinds of concrete slabs were used to create the surface of the square and are interspersed with plane trees, honey locust trees and lighting columns.
A circular water basin has been added around the nineteenth century statue at the centre of the square, while the a second water feature comprises a plane of water covering a small area outside the cafe.
Monde & Medias Pavilion and Place de la République, Paris
TVK hand over the redevelopment of the Place de la République, inaugurated by the mayor of Paris on June 2013.
Due to its exceptional size (120m by nearly 300m), its symbolic dimension as a representative public statement and its location in the city, the Place de la République occupies a special place in the international hub that is Paris.
The redevelopment of the Place de la République is based on the concept of an open space with multiple urban uses. The elimination of the traffic circle frees the site from the dominating constraint of motor vehicle traffic. The creation of the concourse marks the return of calm in an airy, uncluttered two hectare space. The new square, now skirted by motor traffic, creates a large-scale landscape and becomes an urban resource, available and adaptable for different uses. Clear connections with the large boulevards promote a new balance centred on soft transport for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.
The statue of Marianne, the reflective pool, the pavilion and the rows of the trees form a strong axis. This harmony is amplified by the serene balance of the mineral element and a very gentle slope of 1%. All these elements contribute to both the interpretation of unitary materials in a perennial and contemporary manner and multiple explorations (colours, water, lights) creating different urban ambiances. The Place de la République is now the largest pedestrian square in Paris.
The south-west part of the square houses a 162 m² pavilion, a unique building, glazed throughout to retain a continuous impression of this singular space. The pavilion was conceived and designed by TVK Architectes Urbanistes. It’s interior layout has been designed by NP2F architectes.
The articulation of public and pedestrian areas
Abandoning the traffic circle model
The redevelopment of the Place de la République is based on a decision to create the largest possible public pedestrian area. Paris was in need of an exceptionally large and versatile public place, like an open field in the heart of the city, a feature found in many other large cities. Also, it was essential to move away from the traffic circle model.
Functional & environmental dissymmetry
Two-fold dissymmetry, both functional and environmental, is used along the long axis of the square to blend it into the general urban setting.
Motor traffic has been reorganised. It now runs along the southern edge and two smaller sides of the square only. Now that the traffic runs in both directions and the pavements have been widened, the road is much more similar to the large Parisian boulevards.
Unity and balance
The Place de la République is also open to varied groups participating in a very wide range of activities. The aim of the project was to cater for these users by changing the balance between the roadway and the concourse. The most important challenge was to reunify and harmonise the attributes of a city with those of a local neighbourhood.
The pavilion’s design
In line with the principles adopted in the redevelopment of the Place de la République, the “Monde & Médias” Pavilion is a perennial building, designed to last. It is scalable and adaptable, but also is a strong presence, opening onto the square. It is the only edifice in the new square. The Pavilion is sited on the southwest part, in line with the reflective pool and the statue de la Republique. It is fully glazed so as not to obscure the view and provides a continuous vista of the square. The pavilion houses a “World & Media” themed café and its entirely modular interior can host a wide variety of festive, social and cultural events and uses in all seasons and all weathers.
The pavilion is assertively simple in design, comprising a closed volume, 9.29m by 18.20m and 3m high, and a 0.75m-thick roof with an 8.70m cantilever.
The pavilion’s envelope is entirely glazed. The visual impact of its structural assembly is minimal, so as not to perturb the prismatic appearance of the overall volume: the metallic elements are integrated to a maximum and the opening zones are concentrated to create an image of large glazed planes jointed together.
The supporting structure also participates in this self-effacement to achieve transparency: reduced to four small-diameter metallic posts at the corners, it is similar in design to the metallic elements. The roof band is composed of aluminium sheeting whose assemblage is invisible, with its horizontal and vertical aluminium rigidifying elements following the same rhythm as that of the glazed panels.
The cantilever’s underside is clad with large sheets of perforated aluminium. Echoing the large symmetrical composition of the Place de la République, the space’s interior organisation is dictated by a partition dividing it lengthways into two distinct and symmetrical areas.
Composition of the area and surface
The surface
The surface consists of paving slabs of different colours and sizes. The shady areas of the square are paved mostly in darker colours, while the open areas are generally paler.
The choice of prefabricated concrete ensures good performance in all weather, offering maximum resistance to the greatest variety of uses. This material also enables the use of monochrome colours, creating continuity with the surrounding surfaces of roads and roofs.
Three types of concrete paving slabs have been used in the square, reflecting its overall layout: – “large module” prefabricated slabs in the centre of the concourse, to give a wide perspective and cater for large-scale uses, – “medium module” prefabricated slabs for the rest of the esplanade along the concourse, – and lastly, “small module” prefabricated slabs (on a more ordinary scale) for the north and south pavements. The bus lane to the north of the square is made of poured concrete.
Before and after photographs
Levels
The density of the networks present under the Place de la République mean it also serves as a “roof”: the site is home to five Metro lines, sewers, telecom tunnels, etc. The levels create a main movement of great simplicity, vital to the spatial comprehension of the square and an understanding of its vastness. The simple 1% incline of the central concourse reveals two wide terraces at the back of the esplanade, in keeping with the scale of the surrounding area. The terraces continue the concourse but are edged to the north with steps. Between these terraces, the ground drops consistently towards the two large palace buildings and the shared trafficked area (pedestrians, cycles, buses, taxis), providing continuity of traffic flow and excellent accessibility.
Design diagram
A large garden, a large concourse
The square is unified by the single grand compositional movement and the one inorganic surface treatment. This unity helps to indicate three distinct sections: the urban garden of over 2,000 m2, planted and organised into several sub-areas; the central concourse of almost 12,000 m2 and 35 metres wide with the statue de la Republique as the focal point; the continuity of all the boulevards, with the road system on three of its sides and the widened pavement (13 metres on the longer side to the south west, which is the busiest side).
The terraces on the Place de la République
At the rear end of the esplanade, two flat terraces are each marked by a single step on three of their sides, which conducive to sitting and socialising. The new tree planting establishes a specific ambiance. The terraces will be equipped with movable structures expressing day-to-day and local themes, and changing with the seasons (roundabout, toy library etc.).
The playground is now located on the east terrace.
Water – in various forms and with a myriad of uses (climatic, social, recreational, aesthetic) – is a key feature of the central esplanade.
The monument basin
The statue de la Republique dominates the centre of the new pedestrian esplanade. The new base takes the form of a large circular basin, at the edge of which visitors can sit, walk, play, or examine the bas-reliefs.
During the summer months, it is filled with water, adding to the number of uses. The base also houses a new lighting system for the statue. Spotlights, sunk under the sheet of water, project moving reflections over the entire monument.
On the west concourse of the esplanade, facing the Monde & Médias Pavilion, the theme of water is repeated in a minimal, contemporary version. In summer, a fine sheet of water runs down the 1% slope, covering an area of more than 270m2 (23mx12m). Sprays are connected to this sheet of water. When switched off, they affect neither the topography nor the uses of the concourse, so are almost imperceptible.
News: British architect Norman Foster has unveiled a concept to build a network of elevated pathways above London’s railways to create safe car-free cycling routes, following 14 cyclist deaths on the city’s streets in 2013.
Entitled SkyCycle, the proposal by architects Foster + Partners, landscape architects Exterior Architecture and transport consultant Space Syntax is for a “cycling utopia” of approximately 220 kilometres of dedicated cycle lanes, following the routes of existing train lines.
Over 200 entrance points would be dotted across the UK capital to provide access to ten different cycle paths. Each route would accommodate up to 12,000 cyclists per hour and could improve journey times across the city by up to half an hour.
“SkyCycle is a lateral approach to finding space in a congested city,” said Foster, who is both a regular cyclist and the president of Britain’s National Byway Trust. “By using the corridors above the suburban railways, we could create a world-class network of safe, car free cycle routes that are ideally located for commuters.”
If approved, the routes could be in place within 20 years, offering relief to a transport network that is already at capacity and will need to contend with 12 percent population growth over the next decade.
“I believe that cities where you can walk or cycle, rather than drive, are more congenial places in which to live,” said Foster.
“To improve the quality of life for all in London and to encourage a new generation of cyclists, we have to make it safe,” he added. “However, the greatest barrier to segregating cars and cyclists is the physical constraint of London’s streets, where space is already at a premium.”
According to the designers, construction of elevated decks would be considerably cheaper than building new roads and tunnels. The routes would offer greater health benefits for London residents and would make more efficient use of space, as more car owners could be encouraged to cycle rather than drive to work.
“At crucial points in London’s history major infrastructure projects have transformed the fortunes of the capital,” said Space Syntax director Anna Rose. “For example, Bazalgette’s sewer system helped remove the threat of cholera to keep London at the forefront of the industrial revolution; the Underground strengthened London’s core by making long-distance commuting possible.”
“SkyCycle is conceived in this tradition as a network of strategic connections from the suburban edges to the centre, adding the much needed capacity for hundreds of millions of cycle journeys every year with all the social, economic, environmental and health benefits to London that follow,” she added.
Cycling safety in London was called into question in November last year when six cyclists died in road accidents in a two-week period, bringing the total for the year up to 14. A poll by BBC News found that one in five cyclists in London stopped cycling to work following the accidents.
Hungarian art and design collective Szövetség’39 has unveiled a concept to reduce the impact of rising sea levels in the world’s delta regions by introducing a modular structure that will cultivate mangrove forests to form natural dams.
Anna Baróthy of Szövetség’39 worked in a design team that included biologist and diver Gergő Balázs, designer Janka Csernák and scientist Viktor Grónás to develop the CALTROPe concept, which seeks to prevent the loss of agricultural land caused when pollution and climate change provoke water levels to rise.
After carefully studying the biological qualities of mangroves, the designers found that the salt-tolerant plants act as a natural breakwater against tides, trapping river sediment in their strong roots and helping to prevent ecosystems from washing away.
“After having examined the processes of sedimentation, the hydrodynamic characteristics, and the ecological conditions, we concluded that the intentional retention of water-borne alluvium carried in big qualities by the delta rivers could be the key to compensate land loss caused by sea level rise,” explain the team in their design report.
The designers propose an structure that can be easily installed beneath the water’s surface, providing a modular infrastructure to house growing mangrove plants, which thrive in coastal habitats.
“The modules serve as containers and incubators for the young mangrove saplings that, getting stronger with time, will become self-supporting and form a natural dam,” said theteam.
The project is named CALTROPe – a mixture of the words caltrop (a kind of water chestnut) and rope. The first is a reference to the the curving shape of the objects, while the second refers to the lacy appearance of the modules when combined.
Made from a combination of concrete and organic materials, the structures are expected to crumble away after 15 to 20 years. By this point the plants will be strong enough to support themselves and the dissolved material will become part of the sediment.
“We believe that, when the sea level will go beyond a critical point, the quantity of sediment trapped will form sufficiently high dams to save the current lands,” said the designers. “The protected areas can also be used agriculturally or can be populated because their soil is rich in nutrients and they are solid enough.”
Another benefit of the structure is that it will create new habitats for oysters and prawns.
The project was recently named one of three overall winners in a design competition launched by the Jacques Rougerie Foundation, a non-profit organisation focussing on the relationship between architecture and the sea.
Here’s a project description from Szövetség’39:
CALTROPe: Grand Prix winner Hungarian architecture project in Paris
The Budapest-based Szövetség’39 creative team has won the Grand Prix in the category ‘Architecture and sea level rise’ awarded by the International Architecture Competition organised by the Jacques Rougerie Foundation. The young Hungarian designers’ project called CALTROPe answered the challenge caused by loss of territory due to the water level rise in an innovative and sustainable manner.
The aim of the project is to synthesise and balance the natural dynamics and forces of the delta regions applying an easy-to-install modular structure. CALTROPe is a lace-like structure that is able to catch and collect river sediment with the help of mangrove plants, so integrating natural and architectural elements. Working like a catalyst, it will provoke positive changes at the most critical shoreline points. With this cooperative, participatory and locally supplied work can also reorganise and socialise the local population in a constructive and self-supporting manner.
CALTROPe comes from the words ‘caltrop’ (water chestnut) and ‘rope’, ‘caltrop’ referring to the shape of the object, and ‘rope’, to the linear, lace-like installation principles.
The concept of CALTROPe has been set up by Szövetség’39 Art Base that focuses usually on especially complex artistic planning. In this case the members of the team were Anna Baróthy, leading designer and project manager of Szövetség’39, Gergő Balázs biologist and diver, Janka Csernák designer, Dr. Viktor Grónás senior lecturer of the Szent István University’s Nature Conservation and Ecology Department, diver, Peter Kovacsics graphic and animation designer, Viktor Pucsek and Peter Vető industrial and 3D designers. The project staff was Melinda Bozsó, designer of Szövetség’39, Daniel Csomor architect, Kata Kerekes graphic designer, Vera Krauth architecture student, Ábel Kurta and Veronika Szabó product design students and Nóra Lajkó student in fine arts and painting.
This spring the Jacques Rougerie Foundation announced an international architectural competition in three categories. The call for a total of 529 entries were submitted from 76 countries of the world, out of which CALTROPe won the grand-prix. The competition is named after Jacques Rougerie who is one of the world’s most innovative visionary architects. Rougerie is an expert in space and underwater structures – he has designed the soon-to-be first underwater museum in Egypt and the SeaOrbiter that is a cross between a skyscraper and a boat for exploring the unchartered territories of the earth’s oceans.
Concept diagram
Szövetség ’39 is an association of artists who primarily deals with complex artistic design. The subject matter of design typically related to some form of spatial situations, such as installations, artistic design of buildings, actions and artworks of plazas, public spaces. The current members of the group are: Anna Baróthy, Csenge Kolozsvári and Melinda Bozsó joined by artists and creative groups in the workshop as well. Szövetség ’39 is an open workshop-site and assures an open-mind, recipient ambient for the development of tentative concepts. Just as the Szövetség ’39 conveys new-thinking and innovative ideas through hosting related events, actions regularly in the workshop. The main profiles of the present members are: architecture, media-art, computer graphics, web design, experimental programming, animation and design of glass.
News: architects Rem Koolhaas and Foster + Partners will work alongside Hollywood power-couple Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin to create a new ocean-side cultural quarter at Miami Beach in Florida (+ slideshow).
Faena Miami Beach will include an arts centre by Rem Koolhaas/OMA, a beachside condominium tower by Foster + Partners, and a restoration of the landmark Saxony Hotel by husband-and-wife team Luhrmann and Martin.
The all-star cast has been assembled by Argentinian hotelier and property developer Alan Faena, who presented the plans during the Art Basel and Design Miami fairs in the city earlier this month.
“In Miami Beach we are creating a new epicenter for the city,” Faena said. “Acting as curators, we are commissioning a group of standout talents to create an urban installation without equal.”
Faena Miami Beach will stretch six blocks along Collins Avenue, between 32 Street and 37 Street, and extend from the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Creek waterway.
Koolhaas’ Faena Arts Center, due to open next year, consists of a cubic volume and a cylindrical volume, both featuring diagonally banded facades.
The development will also include two further projects by Koolhaas: the Faena Bazaar retail building and Artists-in-Residence Center and Faena Park, an automated car parking garage.
“We were invited to design three buildings – an arts center, retail bazaar and car park,” said Koolhaas. “These distinct functions are linked by a sequence of public domains including a plaza, courtyard and marina dock.”
“Culture is at the core of Faena’s vision, and has been the driving force for our collaboration in Miami Beach,” Koolhaas added. “By curating their neighborhood with programmatic diversity, Alan’s sphere of influence will likely extend beyond this development to the rest of Miami Beach.”
Foster + Partners’ 18-storey residential tower, Faena House, will feature distinctive wraparound, Argentinian-style “alero” covered terraces on each floor (“alero” is the Spanish term for a projecting eave).
Faena House by Foster + Partners at Faena Miami Beach – sketch
“We were talking about the nature of indoor and outdoor living, remarking on how much one used the alero, the outdoor terrace,” said Brandon Haw, senior partner at Foster + Partners. “This really became very much the leitmotif of the project.”
Faena House by Foster + Partners at Faena Miami Beach – sketch of alero detail
The aleros will be up to 37 feet (3.3 metres) deep and the glazed walls of the apartments will feature sliding glass doors up to 12 feet 6 inches (3.8 metres) wide, allowing the terraces and interior spaces to be used seamlessly.
Faena House by Foster + Partners at Faena Miami Beach – sketch of climate strategy
The building will also feature a lobby with water pools to help cool the ground floor.
Film director Luhrmann and production designer Martin, whose credits include The Great Gatsby and Moulin Rouge, will oversee the renovation of the Saxony Hotel. Built in 1947, this was once one of the most glamorous luxury hotels at Miami Beach. Luhrmann and Martin will oversee the design of the 168-suite hotel – including the interiors and the staff uniforms – as well as curating entertainment in the theatre, cinema and public spaces. The hotel is due to reopen in December 2014.
Faena Miami Beach is the first project outside Argentina by Faena, who previously turned a stretch of abandoned docklands at Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires into a thriving arts-led urban quarter, featuring the Faena Hotel designed by Philippe Starck and the Faena Aleph residential buildings by Foster + Partners.
This movie shows how a redundant Second World War bunker in the Netherlands was turned into a sculptural visitor attraction by slicing it down the middle to reveal its insides.
The bunker was built in 1940 to shelter up to 13 soldiers during bombing raids and the intervention by Dutch studios RAAAF and Atelier de Lyon reveals the small, dark spaces inside, which are normally hidden from view.
The movie shows a diamond wire saw being used to cut a straight section through the centre of the monolithic structure, and a crane lifting it away to create a narrow slit.
It took 40 days to slice through the solid concrete bunker, which was one of 700 constructed along the New Dutch Waterline, a series of water-based defences used between 1815 and 1940 to protect the cities of Muiden, Utrecht, Vreeswijk and Gorinchem.
“Our aim with the project was to question the policies on monuments by doing this intervention,” Ronald Rietveld of RAAAF told Dezeen, adding that the bunker was subsequently elevated from a municipal monument to a national monument and is now part of the New Dutch Waterline’s bid for UNESCO World Heritage status.
The designers also constructed a set of stairs to connect the nearby road to a path that leads through the centre of the bunker onto a wooden boardwalk raised above the flooded area.
“The pier and the piles supporting it remind them that the water surrounding them is not caused by e.g. the removal of sand but rather is a shallow water plain characteristic of the inundations in times of war,” said Rietveld in a statement about the project.
Visible from the busy A2 motorway, the bunker is part of a 20-year masterplan begun in 2000 to transform the Dutch Waterline into a national park. It was completed in 2010 but was officially opened last year and recently won the Architectural Review Award 2013 for Emerging Architecture.
Here’s a project description from RAAAF:
Bunker 599
In a radical way this intervention sheds new light on the Dutch policy on cultural heritage. At the same, it time makes people look at their surroundings in a new way. The project lays bare two secrets of the New Dutch Waterline (NDW), a military line of defence in use from 1815 until 1940 protecting the cities of Muiden, Utrecht, Vreeswijk and Gorinchem by means of intentional flooding.
A seemingly indestructible bunker with monumental status is sliced open. The design thereby opens up the minuscule interior of one of NDW’s 700 bunkers, the insides of which are normally cut off from view completely. In addition, a long wooden boardwalk cuts through the extremely heavy construction. It leads visitors to a flooded area and to the footpaths of the adjacent natural reserve. The pier and the piles supporting it remind them that the water surrounding them is not caused by e.g. the removal of sand but rather is a shallow water plain characteristic of the inundations in times of war.
The sliced up bunker forms a publicly accessible attraction for visitors of the NDW. It is moreover visible from the A2 highway and can thus also be seen by tens of thousands of passers-by each day. The project is part of the overall strategy of RAAAF | Atelier de Lyon to make this unique part of Dutch history accessible and tangible for a wide variety of visitors. Paradoxically, after the intervention Bunker 599 became a Dutch national monument.
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