Shimpei Oda reworks humble Japanese house to create light-filled spaces

Japanese architect Shimpei Oda has reworked the dark interior of a humble 1920s house in Kyoto to bring natural light into living spaces and create a small gallery that opens to the street (+ slideshow).

House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda

With a width of just 4.1 metres, House in Shichiku is typical of the long and narrow houses built in many of Japan’s dense urban districts, nicknamed “eel beds”, and the challenge for Shimpei Oda was to work out how to bring daylight inside.

House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda

“Because the next building was way too close, the inside of the house was so dark, even in the daytime,” said Oda.

House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda

The two storeys of the house were re-planned to ensure each of the main rooms received natural light, whether from a window or through openings in the walls or ceilings.

House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda

According to Oda, the house had suffered several poor quality renovations in the past, so missing walls and pillars had to be replaced.

House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda

“The existing structure was arbitrarily shifted and newly inserted structures and reinforcements were painted with white colour,” he said.

House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda

The small gallery is located on the ground floor and is fronted by a square grid of nine windows, some of which fold open to provide a direct access from the street.

House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda

The main entrance sits alongside and leads through to a generous open-plan space that functions as a living room, dining space and kitchen.

House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda

Bathroom and toilet facilities were considered least in need of natural light, so are grouped together in the space between the living room and gallery.

House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda

A lightweight steel staircase with a zigzagging profile leads directly up to a home office with bedrooms on either side. Exposed wooden columns and joists support the roof, while large openings help to bring light through each space.

House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda

Photography is by Shinkenchiku-sha.

Here’s the project description from Shimpei Oda:


House in Shichiku

This was the renovation of a house which was built in the 1920s and the house was surrounded by old rows of houses. The house with a frontage of 4.1 metres and depth of 12.8 metres was like so-called “sleeping places of an eel”.

House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda

Because the next building was way too close, the inside of the house was so dark even in the daytime. The house had been illogically renovated at several times before so that important pillars and walls were missed.

House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda

A resident hoped to live with furniture and paintings. A studio, sanitary, and home office were inserted as volumes of the structure. Those intended not only to reinforce the house but also to softly divide spaces to up and down and left and right.

House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda

The whole image was glimpsed from openings and slits which were widely opened and the volumes itself were painted with white colour so that the texture could visually stand up to indicate the depth and extent.

House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda

The front of the studio opened to alley was changed from a shutter to windows. To change to the well reflective material of lean-to roof, it functioned as a reflector and could get the natural lightning to the inside so it diffused to bright all. Also, it was concerned the transition of brightness by time.

House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda

The existing structure was arbitrary shifted and newly inserted structures and reinforcements were painted with white colour. Those were created the context of time but functionally which meant to indicate those things mixed naturally without any conflicts. The softly divided space may be able to use by any discoveries for the living, studio, and home office as extension with the factor of furniture and paintings which may increase in the future.

House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda

Project name: House in Shichiku
Location of site: Kyoto, Japan
Site area: 83.50 sqm
Building area: 53.60 sqm
Total floor area: 91.00 sqm
Type of Construction: wood
Program: house

House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda
Site plan
House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda
Floor plans – click for larger image
House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda
Long section – click for larger image
House in Shichiku by Shimpei Oda
Perspective diagram – click for larger image

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Wooden structures combine partitions and furniture inside home by João Branco

Portuguese architect João Branco has converted a small office building in Coimbra into a home by installing softwood joinery that functions as furniture, storage and partitions (+ slideshow).

Apartment in Coimbra by João Branco

Described by Branco as being “closer to carpentry than building construction”, the project involved adding three sections of woodwork to the lower floor of the two-storey property to create a living room, dining area, study, kitchen and toilet.

Apartment in Coimbra by João Branco

“The intervention proposes to let the light flow, converting it into a diaphanous space and thus increasing the feeling of spaciousness,” said the architect.

Apartment in Coimbra by João Branco

The first wooden structure sits just beyond the entrance. It creates a study area for two people beneath the staircase, but also accommodates a cloakroom, a shelf and a gridded bookshelf.

Apartment in Coimbra by João Branco

Ahead of this, a low and narrow timber piece doubles as both a sideboard and a bench, separating the living and dining areas.

Apartment in Coimbra by João Branco

The kitchen and toilet are both housed within the third structure. This is made up of floor-to-ceiling partitions, some of which turn out to be doors, and also includes a row of kitchen cupboards and a countertop.

Apartment in Coimbra by João Branco

“The objects are designed to provide the greatest possible sobriety, resulting in a high degree of abstraction and giving the house enhanced spatial clarity,” added Branco.

Apartment in Coimbra by João Branco

An oak parquet floor was added throughout the space, while an existing staircase with wooden treads leads up to bedroom spaces on the level above.

Apartment in Coimbra by João Branco

Photography is by Do Mal o Menos.

Here’s a project description from João Branco:


Apartment in Coimbra

Three pieces of furniture create a home. The aim was to convert a former two-floor office into a rental apartment. The proposal, which develops at the lower level, focuses on reconverting a small area, originally subdivided and dark, to accommodate the social areas of the house.

Apartment in Coimbra by João Branco

The intervention proposes to let the light flow, converting it into a diaphanous space and thus increasing the feeling of spaciousness. The main decision is not to build, intervening by dispensing with traditional construction work, in favour of a dry approach, much simpler, without creating new walls or divisions. To that, the plant is emptied, introducing in the diaphanous space three wooden pieces of furniture that will organise the space.

Apartment in Coimbra by João Branco
Exploded axonometric diagram – click for larger image

Firstly, a box contains wet areas: kitchen and bathroom. A mobile with a bookcase and table gives form to the the entrance and to a small office under the stairs. Finally, a movable lower furniture separates the living and eating areas. With only these three pieces, shape is given to the spaces of the house, always visually connected to maintain unity and flow of southern light.

Floor plan
Floor plan

This work, closer to carpentry than building construction, focuses on the details and encounters. Reducing to a minimum the elements, fittings, switches, etc. the objects are designed to provide the greatest possible sobriety, resulting in a high degree of abstraction and giving the house enhanced spatial clarity.

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Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on medieval pilgrimage route

Architect Sergio Rojo has renovated a dilapidated nineteenth-century cultural centre to create a hostel for weary travellers on the Way of St James pilgrimage route in northern Spain (+ slideshow).

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route

Sergio Rojo transformed the former liceo – an educational facility for arts and literature – to create a sanctuary in the town of Logroño in Spain’s La Rioja wine-growing region.

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route

The town is a frequent stop for pilgrims on their way to the shrine of St James in Galicia, on Spain’s northwestern tip.

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route

The building fell into disrepair at the beginning of the twentieth century, after a new theatre with similar facilities was completed close by.

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route

“It seems that its different inhabitants, like the soup kitchen of the city or the funeral home, didn’t appreciate the strength of its outstanding architectural qualities and therefore didn’t take care of it,” said Rojo. “That is why the liceo fell into oblivion for decades until now.”

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route

Rojo retained the surviving five wooden trusses and beams in the roof, but used new timbers to provide support directly beneath the tiles.

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route

When entering through the restored facade, a hospital room is located to the right and a kitchen plus storage areas are on the left.

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route

Straight ahead, a ramp leads up to a large communal dining room with red chairs, columns and light fixtures breaking up the plain white surfaces.

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route

Two small sleeping areas and washrooms are situated behind the eating area on this floor, while the majority of the accommodation can be found on the floor above.

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route

Upstairs, internal walls only extend to the height of a standard room to leave a open space under the roof so the large trusses can be appreciated.

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route

A void contained by glass walls in the centre of the space brings daylight from a hole in the roof down to the ground floor.

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route

Bunk beds are arranged in rows down the outer walls and bathrooms are clustered along the centre, plus there are two private rooms with ensuite bathrooms.

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route

Three more double bedrooms are fitted in at the front of the property, facing onto the street.

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route

A balcony on top of these is accessed via the same staircase that connects all three floors.

Read on for more information sent to us by the architect:


During the last years of the nineteenth century, this building hosted the Liceo Artísitico Literario, a cultural society which needed urgently a stage while the main theatre was being built.

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route
Site plan – click for larger image

Coinciding with the inauguration of the Teatro Bretón de los Herreros, towards the first years of the twentieth century, the decadence of the Liceo started.

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route
Ground floor plan – click for larger image

It seems that its different inhabitants (like the soup kitchen of the city or the Pastrana funeral home, among others) didn’t appreciate enough the strength of its outstanding architectonic qualities, and therefore didn’t take care of it.

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route
First floor plan – click for larger image

That is why the Liceo fell into oblivion for decades till our years.

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route
Second floor plan – click for larger image

Fortunately, the power of the Way of Saint James has saved it from ruin, given that the new owners have found in it the perfect place for exploiting a pilgrim hostel.

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route
Section – click for larger image

Moreover, the restoration of this place has permitted to reinforce the urban links that existed among other Jacobean milestones as the stone bridge over the Ebro, the San Gregorio’s chapel or the imperial church Santa Maria de Palacio, first pilgrim hospice known in Logroño.

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route
Section – click for larger image

The recovering of the main facade, and above all, the original roof, elevated on five centenary wooden trusses, whose typology is a rare example at this part of the country, are the focal elements of the refurbishment.

Pilgrim Hostel by Sergio Rojo provides rest stop on a medieval travellers route
Section – click for larger image

So the pilgrims have the opportunity of sleeping under five old gambrel trusses, in this building whose architect could be Jacinto Arregui.

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BLOXAS adds periscope-shaped extension and courtyard veranda to Melbourne house

Australian studio BLOXAS adopted elements from Japanese architecture to reorganise the spaces of this Melbourne residence around a courtyard then added a new timber-clad extension shaped like a periscope (+ slideshow).

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda

Located in the suburb of Fitzroy North, the renovated open-plan house was designed by BLOXAS to provide a “dynamic mix of spaces” for a family of four who had previously spent many years living and working in Japan.

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda

The building has an L-shaped plan that wraps around the long north-facing courtyard. A wooden deck runs along the edge of the lawn as an imitation of the traditional Japanese engawa – a narrow veranda –  and prompted the residence to be named Engawa House.

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda

“This design was structured around the concept of engawa,” explained architect and studio principal Anthony Clarke. “This space offers a transition between the yielding comfort of the grassed courtyard and the polished concrete floor of the interior.”

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda

Three red brick chimneys belonging to the old structure are dotted through the house. One sits along the street-facing southern elevation, forming a visual break between the white-painted weatherboards cladding the original house and the black-stained plywood walls of the extension.

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda

Comparing the building to a red brick factory across the street, Clarke added: “The black stained plywood exterior of the facade will age sympathetically with the warehouses surrounding it, offering a unique composition against the retained brickwork fireplace.”

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda

Living, dining and kitchen areas occupy a large rectilinear space at the centre of the house and can be opened out to the courtyard by sliding back a series of floor-to-ceiling glass doors.

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda

A staircase leads up from the living room to a mezzanine study, from which residents can survey activities going on beneath them.

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda

New timber-framed windows puncture the facade and a bathroom wraps around another of the old chimneys.

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda

Photography is by Peter Bennetts.

Read on for a project description from Anthony Clarke of BLOXAS:


Engawa House

Melbourne’s inner-north has a distinct European feel of community living. Small houses compel people towards local parks and curbside gardens, blurring the threshold between public and private. The Engawa House in North Fitzroy, embraces this atmosphere, as the dynamic and historical patchwork of the surrounding context becomes part of each living space.

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda

The clients, a family of four, described a space offering them a feeling of discovery, through a variety of intersecting planes, and the layering of natural light. They required a relocated central bathroom, kitchen, dining, living, additional bedroom with ensuite, as well as a mezzanine office and external entertaining area.

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda

A full facing northern wing, mixing a combination of single and double storey forms, attaches itself to the front rooms of the existing house. The simple orientation takes advantage of the full range of views from the mezzanine, whilst being sympathetic to its elevational context. The living, dining and bedroom/en suite skirt a large and long courtyard garden, maximising sustainable performance, and offering northern light into each new program.

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda

This design was structured around the concept of “Engawa”, referring to an exterior hallway on the side of a traditional Japanese dwelling. This space offers a transition between the yielding comfort of the grassed courtyard and the polished concrete floor of the interior. It also offers a transitional space for informal seating.

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda

The open living and mezzanine enhance a visual and auditory connection, with a distinct lack of privacy, embracing the family’s already strong connection.

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda

Rather than competing with the streetscape, BLOXAS utilised council restrictions to invite exploration yet maintain integrity. The striking black form signposts the street corner and its palette of styles.

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda

The Engawa House interplays scale and height, contributing to the elevational rhythm of the red factory brickwork, single-storey weatherboard terraces and the multi-storey residential context.

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda

Large timber windows to the southern boundary invite the engagement between neighbouring residents and the clients of the Engawa House.

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda

Underpinning the projects conceptual idea was a very tight budget. The addition provides a smaller overall footprint than the previous plan, now maximising the site’s potential. The black stained plywood exterior of the facade will age sympathetically with the warehouses surrounding it, offering a unique composition against the retained brickwork fireplace. This facilitated a high quality interior where the client desired a more minimal and refined finish.

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda

Architect: Black Line One X Architecture Studio
Location: Fitzroy North, Melbourne, Australia
Builder: Zachary Spark Constructions
Project Year: 2013
Furniture: Ross Gardam, Earl Pinto

Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda
Ground floor plan – click for larger image
Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda
Mezzanine floor plan – click for larger image
Engawa House in Melbourne by BLOXAS adopts a traditional Japanese veranda
Sections – click for larger image

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Unknown Architects updates 200-year-old house with twisting staircase and wooden furniture

Emerging Dutch firm Unknown Architects has renovated a 200-year-old house in Leiden by stripping back its interior, and inserting built-in furniture and a twisting white staircase (+ slideshow).

Unknown Architects updates 200-year-old house with twisting staircase and wooden furniture

Daan Vulkers and Keimpke Zigterman of Unknown Architects were careful to restore some of the house’s character and spatial simplicity by removing non-original partitioned walls and suspended ceilings to create open-plan spaces on all three floors.

Unknown Architects updates 200-year-old house with twisting staircase and wooden furniture

Wooden furniture elements were built on each level to accommodate seating areas, work surfaces and screens, while timber ceiling beams overhead were purposefully left uncovered to provide a contrast to the modern additions.

Unknown Architects updates 200-year-old house with twisting staircase and wooden furniture

Keeping to their client’s preference that the kitchen was the hub of the home, the architects allowed it take over the entire middle floor.

Unknown Architects updates 200-year-old house with twisting staircase and wooden furniture

Bleached nutwood was used here to build worktops and cupboards along the side wall, as well as a dining table with banquette seating and an adjoining dresser.

Unknown Architects updates 200-year-old house with twisting staircase and wooden furniture

The ground floor can be used as an office, dining room or guest bedroom. Vulkers and Zigterman built a wooden platform at one end of the space, creating a raised seating and storage area that incorporates a fold-out guest bed.

Unknown Architects updates 200-year-old house with twisting staircase and wooden furniture

A screen wall separates the staircase from a desk that cantilevers off one wall. It also contains recesses to provide extra storage.

Unknown Architects updates 200-year-old house with twisting staircase and wooden furniture

The main bedroom occupies the loft and includes a new bamboo dresser.

Unknown Architects updates 200-year-old house with twisting staircase and wooden furniture

Photography is by Raoul Kramer.

Read on for more text from Unknown Architects:


Unknown Architects completed the renovation of a 17th century house in the historic city centre of Leiden

Unknown Architects is established by two students, studying at the Technical University in Delft. During their studies they became curious about working with clients. As a part of the honours programme they started this project, where they tried to translate the ambitions and wishes of a client in a design proposal. This cooperation turned out so well that this client decided to commission Unknown Architects for their first project, which was completed in November 2012.

Unknown Architects updates 200-year-old house with twisting staircase and wooden furniture

All the non-authentic parts of this monument, like partition walls and suspended ceilings, were removed to bring back the authentic character and spatial clarity. In this relatively small house three fixed multifunctional furniture elements were added.

The ground floor functions as office and second bedroom. One bamboo furniture element incorporates storage space and a platform, covering a guest bed which can be pulled out.

Unknown Architects updates 200-year-old house with twisting staircase and wooden furniture

An important wish of the client was to make the kitchen “the heart of the house” where all activities could come together. This was translated in two kitchen elements, made out of bleached nutwood. The central element includes a table, kitchen dresser and a fixed bench that shields the stairwell andprovides the best sightlines to the outside.

Unknown Architects updates 200-year-old house with twisting staircase and wooden furniture

On the second floor we added one small dresser made of bamboo shielding the stairwell and providing a place to sit under the dormer.

Unknown Architects updates 200-year-old house with twisting staircase and wooden furniture

In this project, we worked with different carpenters who specialised in working with different materials. In order to create a varied experience when ascending through the apartment, we opted for a different choice of wood for the ground floor and the first floor. All the floors – rubber – and walls – fine clay stucco finish – have the same finish.

The uncovered ceilings are intentionally kept as we found them and form a contrast with the new.

Unknown Architects updates 200-year-old house with twisting staircase and wooden furniture
Exploded isometric diagram – click for larger image

Client: DoorZigt B.V.
Location: Leiden, The Netherlands
Program: renovation of house and office
Gross floor area: 75 m2
Project architects: Daan Vulkers, Keimpke Zigterman
Interior design: Unknown Architects
Contractor: Bouwbedrijf Degewij
Interior fit-out: Klaas Olthoff Keukenmakerij, Intopmaat

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Perforated concrete walls encase La Tallera gallery by Frida Escobedo

Mexican architect Frida Escobedo has transformed the former home and studio of painter David Alfaro Siqueiros into a public gallery and encased the entire complex behind a triangulated concrete lattice (+ slideshow).

Perforated concrete walls encase La Tallera gallery by Frida Escobedo

Young architect Frida Escobeda reworked the complex built in the 1960s by late artist and political activist Siqueiros as a mural painting workshop, creating an art gallery and artists’ residence in the small Mexican city of Cuernavaca.

Perforated concrete walls encase La Tallera gallery by Frida Escobedo

A wall of perforated concrete blocks was build around the perimeter of the La Tallera de Siqueiros complex, forming an enclosure around the buildings that groups them together but also allows light to filter through.

Perforated concrete walls encase La Tallera gallery by Frida Escobedo

Two large murals painted by Siqueiros were moved from their original positions around a private courtyard to frame a new entranceway – a move that Escobeda says was key in opening the complex up to the public.

Perforated concrete walls encase La Tallera gallery by Frida Escobedo

“Rotating the murals ignites the symbolic elements of the facade’s architectural syntax, altering the typical relationship between gallery and visitor,” she said.

Perforated concrete walls encase La Tallera gallery by Frida Escobedo

In their new positions, the murals provide a framework for the cafe and bookshop, but also help to separate the gallery building from the old house, which now functions as a base for artists in residence.

Perforated concrete walls encase La Tallera gallery by Frida Escobedo

Siqueiros’s former workshop remains largely unchanged but had been coated with white paint to create a neutral gallery space. Extensions have been built from concrete, with an exposed surface that reveals the markings of its timber formwork.

Perforated concrete walls encase La Tallera gallery by Frida Escobedo

La Tallera de Siqueiros was one of 14 architecture projects shortlisted for Designs of the Year 2014 earlier this week.

Photography is by Rafael Gamo.

Here’s a project description from Frida Escobedo:


La Tallera

La Tallera Siqueiros generates a relationship that reconciles a museum and a muralist’s workshop with the surrounding area by way of two simple strokes: opening the museum courtyard onto an adjacent plaza and rotating a series of murals from their original position. The space itself was built in 1965 and became the house and studio of the muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros during the final years of his life.

Perforated concrete walls encase La Tallera gallery by Frida Escobedo

La Tallera is “an idea Diego Rivera and I came up with in the 1920s to create a real muralist workshop where new techniques in paint, materials, geometry, perspective and so on would be taught”. This is how Siqueiros himself defined this workplace, now a museum, workshop and artist’s residency program focused on art production and criticism. By opening up the courtyard, the museum yields a space for shared activity, while also appropriating the plaza.

Perforated concrete walls encase La Tallera gallery by Frida Escobedo

The murals, originally intended for the outside area, now have a dual role: firstly, as a visual and programmatic link with the plaza by encompassing the public areas of the museum (café, bookshop and store) and secondly as a wall/program that separates the artist’s residence from the museum and workshop.

Perforated concrete walls encase La Tallera gallery by Frida Escobedo

Rotating the murals ignites the symbolic elements of the facade’s architectural syntax, altering the typical relationship between gallery and visitor. Like the exterior, the gallery space, from both an exhibition design and artistic perspective, though unfolding, generates new relationships and spatial connections.

Perforated concrete walls encase La Tallera gallery by Frida Escobedo

The distribution of these spaces and the interplay of planes – in murals and walls among others – is revealed in crossing a perimeter lattice that demarcates the urban surroundings – a single horizontal sculptural piece that contains and displays Siqueiros’ work.

Perforated concrete walls encase La Tallera gallery by Frida Escobedo

Architect: Frida Escobedo
Design team: Frida Escobedo, Rodolfo Díaz Cervantes, Adrian Moreau, Adiranne Montemayor, Daniela Barrera, Fernando Cabrera, Luis Arturo García Castro
Client: Sala de Arte Público Siqueiros – La Tallera
Type: Public building / Museum Adaptation

Perforated concrete walls encase La Tallera gallery by Frida Escobedo

Consulting: BulAu (Carlos Coronel / Hector de la Peña)
Building contractor: Francisco Alvarez Uribe (1st phase), Grupo Mexicano (2nd phase)
Construction Supervision: Fernando Cabrera, Javier Arreola, Frida Escobedo
Furniture design: Frida Escobedo
Total Floor Area: 2,890sqm
Budget: $2,240,000 USD
Invited competition, 1st. Place
Cuernavaca, Morelos
Mexico, 2012

Ground floor plan of Perforated concrete walls encase La Tallera gallery by Frida Escobedo
Ground floor plan – click for larger image
First floor plan of Perforated concrete walls encase La Tallera gallery by Frida Escobedo
First floor plan – click for larger image
Second floor plan of Perforated concrete walls encase La Tallera gallery by Frida Escobedo
Second floor plan – click for larger image
Original plan of Perforated concrete walls encase La Tallera gallery by Frida Escobedo
Original plan – click for larger image

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Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse

Trios of windows and a new lightwell help to bring daylight through the clean white interiors of this renovated townhouse in Porto by local studio Pablo Pita Architects (photos by José Campos + slideshow).

Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse

Pablo Rebelo and Pedro Pita of Pablo Pita Architects added an extra storey to the nineteenth-century residence, known as Casa da Maternidade, to create enough room to house a family.

Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse

The architects extended the original staircase, but rather than following its existing back-and-forth arrangement, they wrapped the extra stairs along the edges of two walls to open up a double-height space in between.

Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse

A skylight was then added overhead to transform the space into a generous lightwell.

Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse

“The lack of an expressive skylight in the original structure defines the approach,” said the architects.

Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse

“A new scale is set in the stair core, overlapping this new vertical walkthrough that runs along the existing house, achieving new see-throughs and different spatial relations between all the floors,” they added.

Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse

The newly added second floor accommodates a master bedroom and a study, both of which open out to rooftop balconies. There’s also an en suite bathroom encased in glass.

Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse

Two smaller bedrooms and a bathroom lined with turquoise mosaic tiles occupy the floor below, while an open-plan living and dining room spans the ground floor and leads out to a terrace and garden.

Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse

Photography is by José Campos.

Here’s a project description from Pablo Pita Architects:


Maternidade

Maternidade House is a single-family dwelling set in a 19th century refurbished house. An example directly restricted to an existing context where the dwelling return to its basis. Adapted to the contemporary needs and standards, the intervention respects its inner scale and typologic scheme.

Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse

Conceptually it reinterprets the nuclear core of this type of model, acknowledging the importance of light. The lack of an expressive skylight in the original structure defines the new approach.

Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse

A new scale is set in the stair core, overlapping this new vertical walkthrough that runs along the existing house, achieving new see-throughs and different spatial relations between all the floors.

Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse

The building is a typical late 19th century Porto house set in the city downtown. It is located in one of biggest city blocks, defined by large gardens in its interior, a bourgeois manor and an early last century maternity. The house itself was a two-storey middle-class example, with little ornamentation and highly modified through time.

Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse

The intervention aims to adapt this typical Porto dwelling typology to the daily contemporary routines. This is set from a depuration exercise, developing mainly the stair core, in order to achieve a unifying element that could relate all these different spaces.

Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse

The stairs and its light were a recurrent theme in such a narrow and long type of housing. The rooms respect its original scale, and a third floor is added considering the block outline.

Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse

The ground floor is the social level, gathering parking, kitchen and living-room, and relating it to the garden located in the interior of the block. In the highest level a guest floor is set with a wide perspective of its surroundings.

Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse

Project name: Casa da Maternidade
Architecture: Pablo Rebelo, Pedro Pita
Consultants: ALFAengenharia, PROQUALITYengenharia, Ricardo Ferreira da Silva
Constructor: F. Moreira da Silva & Filhos, Lda
Location: Porto, Portugal
Date: 2013

Floor plans of Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse
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Section of Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse
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Exploded axonometric diagram of the apartment of Casa da Maternidade by Pablo Pita Architects is a renovated Porto townhouse
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Mexican library renovation by Taller 6A features bookshop covered in boxes

Mexican firm Taller 6A has renovated a library inside an eighteenth-century building in Mexico City, adding a bookshop with hundreds of wooden boxes on its walls, its ceilings, and under its glass floor (+ slideshow).

City of the Books and Images by Taller 6A

Named La Ciudadela, the historical building had previously served as a military headquarters, a prison, a school and a weapons factory, but was converted into a library in 1946. Its last renovation was in 1987, when Mexican architect Abraham Zabludovsky added canopies over the courtyards, so Taller 6A was brought in to modernise existing facilities and make room for new activities.

City of the Books and Images by Taller 6A

The architects created a combined bookshop and exhibition space within a pair of symmetrical corridors at the northern end of the complex.

City of the Books and Images by Taller 6A

Hollow wooden boxes of different sizes and proportions were mounted to the long walls of the two corridors, creating an assortment of niches for storing and displaying books, as well as recessed lighting fixtures.

City of the Books and Images by Taller 6A

More of these boxes cover the ceilings, while the floor comprises a grid of criss-crossing wooden planks that provide extra display areas beneath a transparent surface.

City of the Books and Images by Taller 6A

The project also included the addition of a new children’s library at the western end of the building, which is divided into two sections to separate quiet workspaces from rooms dedicated to group activities and play.

City of the Books and Images by Taller 6A

Here, circular bookshelves and desks are interspersed with brightly coloured furniture, and spaces open out to a pair of adjoining terraces.

City of the Books and Images by Taller 6A

Upgrades to the rest of the building included reinstating the main courtyards as public areas, introducing natural lighting and ventilation, and improving disabled access.

City of the Books and Images by Taller 6A

Photography is by Jaime Navarro.

Here’s a project description from Taller 6A:


The City of the Books and the Images

“La Ciudadela” is a building from the end of the XVIII century and it was conceived as the Royal Tobacco Factory from Spain. It was built at the border of the colonial city of Mexico and it has had different functions over the time: military headquarter, prison, weapons factory, school, and, from 1946 to the present, as a Library; in fact, it was the first Library, as that, in Mexico. In 1987, the building had a big intervention, designed by Abraham Zabludovsky, in which the four main patios and the central one were covered with structures as umbrellas covering them.

City of the Books and Images by Taller 6A

The actual intervention in the historic building aims in: a) reorganising the program of the different activities for a more logical and efficient operation; b) recovering the character of the building by taking back the functioning of the original patios and restoring the pathways, crossing from north to south and in the perimeter, of the building; c) improving the conditions of natural light and ventilation to get a better and rational use of the energy and resources available; d) attending the requirements of accessibility by using tactile guides and signals and ramps in a topography that eliminates any kind of step in the common areas; and e) updating the installations and equipments of the library according to the needs and uses of interconnectivity of the modern life.

City of the Books and Images by Taller 6A

Children’s Library

The project for this area guarantees the safety of the children. The section beside the street houses the Braille area, a multipurpose space, digital teaching, the toy library, and a specialised area for babies, everything organised around a patio; the second one, around a garden that connects this area with the central patio of the building, contains the general library and the workshop area; this differentiation of sections allows the division between playing and reading areas to avoid distractions in the last one. In its interior, bookcases and the control points are solved with independent circular elements adapted to each need that permits free flows, a general visual contact of the area, and to concentrate small groups of children inside them.

City of the Books and Images by Taller 6A

“Alejandro Rossi” Bookstore

Conceived not only for selling but also as an exhibition area, the bookstore is located in two symmetrical spaces separated by the north-south corridor of “The City of the Books in La Ciudadela”: one is for general books, other for young and children material. In both cases, the access contains the control and cashiers area while a long and narrow space is treated as a covering honeycomb which varies in their deeps: in the walls, it works to contain books, screens and seating containers; in the ceiling, it hides the lights and MEP; in the floor, if conforms a mesh, covered with glass, that receives books, objects and other kind of stuff for exhibition to identify each block of the bookstore with kind of public it will receive.

City of the Books and Images by Taller 6A

Project: The City of the Books and the Images Master Plan
Location: La Ciudadela Square, Centro Neighbourhood, Mexico City
Architect: Taller 6A (Bernardo Gómez-Pimienta, Luis Enrique Mendoza y Alejandro Sánchez)
Team Members: Alejandro Juárez, José Barreto, Alfredo Cortes, Christian Santillano, Iván Rey Martínez, Alejandra Aguirre, Edgar González, Mariana Ruiz, Homero González, Raymundo Alonso, Luis Felipe Márquez, Lourdes Lozano, Monserrat Díaz, Roberto Andonie, Otto Pérez, Sebastián Navarro, Álvaro Rodríguez, Héctor Fuentes, Andrea García, José Manuel Estrada, Juvencio Nuñez, Gerardo Estrada, Freddy Jafet, Ana María, Flor.

City of the Books and Images by Taller 6A

Year of Design: 2011
Year of Construction: 2011-2012
Area: 25,450 m2
Structure: Izquierdo Ingenieros y Asociados, S.C.
MEP: Diseños Integrales de Ingeniería, S.A. de C.V.
Lighting: Luz en Arquitectura, S.C.
Landscaping: Entorno Taller de Paisaje.
Graphic Design: Varela + Kimura
Rendering: Erick Barrón
Model: Patricia Aguerrebere
Virtual video: Erick Barrón

City of the Books and Images by Taller 6A
Site plan – click for larger image
City of the Books and Images by Taller 6A
Floor plan – click for larger image
City of the Books and Images by Taller 6A
Section north to south – click for larger image
City of the Books and Images by Taller 6A
Section west to east – click for larger image

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OMA follows up Kunsthal art robbery with major security and layout improvements

News: Rem Koolhaas’ OMA has completed an extensive renovation and security upgrade at the architect’s career-defining Kunsthal gallery in Rotterdam, following the major robbery last year that saw paintings by Picasso, Matisse and Monet stolen.

OMA updates Kunsthal

Twenty-two years after completing the exhibition venue in its home city, OMA returned to improve the energy efficiency of the building, rework some of the circulation routes and implement new security measures to prevent further break-ins.

“The renovation demonstrates the possibility of updating the building to meet contemporary requirements, whilst retaining the original concept of an exhibition machine,” said OMA partner Ellen van Loon, who led the project.

OMA updates Kunsthal

The refurbishment included adding a second entrance, making it possible to access auditorium and exhibition spaces independently.

OMA updates Kunsthal

Existing reception, restaurant and shop areas were integrated into the main route through the building, which OMA says “will enable the Kunsthal to evolve with the growing need for economic independence of cultural institutions”.

High-performance insulation materials were installed around the iconic glass facades and the roof, while other improvements include energy-efficient lighting, climate-regulating systems and sub-dividing partitions.

OMA updates Kunsthal

Completed in 1992, the Kunsthal was one of Rem Koolhaas’ first major projects and was celebrated for its flexible exhibition spaces. However, the architecture came under fire in 2012 when the theft of seven major paintings was blamed on the open-plan layout of the gallery’s interiors.

Photography is by Richard John Seymour and Ossip Van Duivenbode.

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Von M modernises three apartments inside a Stuttgart apartment block

German studio Von M has rebuilt the interior of an apartment block in Stuttgart to create a trio of open-plan homes where built-in furniture divides rooms and stark walls are offset with colourful objects (+ slideshow).

Von M modernises three apartments inside a Stuttgart apartment block

Von M retained and restored the Wilhelminian-style brick and sandstone facade of the four-storey building, but removed almost all of the interior walls and re-planned the layout of the apartments inside.

Von M modernises three apartments inside a Stuttgart apartment block

“Before the reconstruction, layer after layer was carefully removed in order to keep the damage to the original parts as little as possible,” said the architects.

Von M modernises three apartments inside a Stuttgart apartment block

“After the deconstruction all building parts to be saved and conserved were documented and recorded. The documentation then became the basis for the complete reconstruction concept of the apartments,” they explained.

Von M modernises three apartments inside a Stuttgart apartment block

A pair of apartments occupying the lower two floors were adapted to make more efficient use of their area, but the two upstairs flats were combined to create a two-storey maisonette with its own internal staircase (pictured).

Von M modernises three apartments inside a Stuttgart apartment block

This staircase offers an informal divider between the dining area and kitchen that comprise the whole of this floor, while the attic storey above contains bedroom and bathroom spaces.

Von M modernises three apartments inside a Stuttgart apartment block

Walls and ceilings were painted in pale shades throughout each apartment, while bathrooms are lined with white mosaic tiles and cupboards are concealed behind floor-to-ceiling mirrors.

Von M modernises three apartments inside a Stuttgart apartment block

Here’s a project description from Von M:


B 175 – Restoration of a Wilhelminian-Style Apartment Building

The building is a typical Wilhelminian style apartment building in Stuttgart-Heslach consisting of three storeys proper and one attic.

Von M modernises three apartments inside a Stuttgart apartment block

The location within the urban renewal area Stuttgart 22 – Heslach made it possible to support the structural alteration measures and remedial actions by means of municipal financial subsidies. After a number of coordination meetings with local authority representatives a reorganisation plan could be outlined and set.

Von M modernises three apartments inside a Stuttgart apartment block

Because the characteristic brick facade was thought to give distinction to the street picture, we did without any insulation of the facade and decided for a cautious restoration of the brickwork and sandstone blocks. The restoration of the facade was complemented by special energetic measures on the exterior shell in order to get the possibly best preserving and ecological results.

Von M modernises three apartments inside a Stuttgart apartment block

Whereas the reconstruction works were restricted to restoration and dismantling measures on the building’s exterior, the interior underwent considerable alterations of the existing substance. Essential in this context again was the conservation and restoration of original building parts providing identity.

Von M modernises three apartments inside a Stuttgart apartment block

Before the reconstruction, layer after layer was carefully removed in order to keep the damage to the original parts as little as possible. After the deconstruction all building parts to be saved and conserved were documented and recorded. The documentation then became the basis for the complete reconstruction concept of the apartments.

Von M modernises three apartments inside a Stuttgart apartment block

The apartments on the 3rd and 4th floor were combined into a maisonette with internal opening. The constriction of the rooms and the existing east-west orientation of the apartment on the 3rd floor were the reason why all bearing walls were removed, favouring an open and ample floor plan giving diverse mutual views of the different areas. Partitions were only conceived as built-in furniture clearly distinct from the existing building parts and materials.

Von M modernises three apartments inside a Stuttgart apartment block

The result is a collage-like interplay of contemporary architectural elements – as distinctive signs for the alterations – in contrast to the conserved and restored elements.

Site plan of Von M modernises three apartments inside a Stuttgart apartment block
Site plan – click for larger image
Second floor plan of Von M modernises three apartments inside a Stuttgart apartment block
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Third floor plan of Von M modernises three apartments inside a Stuttgart apartment block
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