Hasta La Ideas

This apartment block with a pleated facade of golden aluminium by French studio [BP] Architectures faces the Place de la Bastille, Paris.

When opened, shutters reveal pink, mauve and orange framed windows for the fifteen social housing apartments contained within.

A gallery occupies the fully-glazed ground floor, which is screened behind zig-zagging concrete columns.

Photography is by Sergio Grazia.

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The following details are from Plan01:

14 social housing + Gallery Jacques Henri Lartigues on Bastille Place, Paris

Haute Couture
Is there an architect who has not dreamed of designing a building for the Biscornet site, which lay abandoned for so long? Its location is truly spectacular: slightly set back from the Place de la Bastille, it lies where the rue de Lyon and the road running along the canal basin meet; on one side you have a perspective towards the Gare de Lyon, on the other a view of the Bassin de l’Arsenal.

Looking at the building that now stands here, one has to admit that the architectural response provided by BP fits like a made-to-measure suit: itís a hand-stitched design that oozes a very Parisian form of elegance.

Making best use of the trapezoid shape of the plot, the building abuts onto the neighbouring building then gradually tapers forward; it has a graceful, vertical outline. The side blocks are clad in golden aluminium panels whose distortions give the facades an angular relief that plays with the light.

When all the window shutters are closed, the continuity and unity of the material are entire; when the residents open them, the vivid colours of the windowframes appear, like an exuberant lining alternating flashes of pink, mauve and orange.

The pleated vertical metal panels on the facades continue upwards to form the ëhoodí of the roof, giving the design a strong sense of coherence.

The Lartigue Foundation gallery is on the ground floor, and this change of use facilitates interruption and differenciation: here, the metal stops. The cut is sharply done, and the hem, also pleated, turns inwards to line the inside surface. This contrast is underlined by transparency, and by a concrete structure whose zig-zag shape subtly connects the ground with the pleated surface above.

The building is highly responsive to changes in the light; the metallic character of the materials combined with its surface variations reinforces the interplay of contrasts and transforms perceptions of its colour. The aluminium facades can turn from mustard yellow to glittering gold in just a few seconds.

Although there are only about fifteen flats in the building, the loggias of the eight duplex apartments are behind glass Venetian blinds that form a coninuous, abstract vertical screen. This reflective filter running the entire height of the building is like a ship’s prow. The random angles of the slits capture fragmented reflections, fleeting images of the constantly moving, ever-changing spectacle of our irreplaceable and historic Place de la Bastille.

Architects: [BP] Architectures
Jean Bocabeille and Ignacio Prego
members of the architects’ collective Plan01

Projectís Team
BP ARCHITECTURES ñ architects
BECT ñ Ingeniering
Client: MinistËre de la Culture / SAGI – SNI

Program
14 social housing units + Gallery Jacques-Henri Lartigue (RDC et R-1)
Location: 75 rue de Lyon – 52 bd de la Bastille 75012 Paris
Delivery of the housings: March 2011
Delivery of the gallery: September 2011
Area: 1 609 sqm shon
Cost: 3.2 M ÄHT
Entreprises
FARC / GROS åUVRE + SECOND OEUVRE
SHMM / FACADES

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Le Monolith by MVRDV	Monolith by Erick van Egeraat	High Park by Rojkind Arquitectos

Construction of this apartment block with a stepped elevation by Mexican firm Rojkind Arquitectos is due to commence this summer in Monterrey, Mexico.

The ground and first floors of High Park will accommodate shops with eight storeys of apartments stepping backwards and forwards above.

The setbacks will create both sheltered and open terraces for residents with views towards the mountains.

Each of the 32 apartment interiors have been designed by one of six different local designers, creating a varied layout for each one.

A car park will be located across four storeys below ground.

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Here is some more information from Rojkind Arquitectos:

High Park is located on the outskirts of the northern city of Monterrey, Mexico. Surrounded by the Majestic Sierra Madre Oriental Range.

The project is designed to take full advantage of its geographic location and to help mitigate the extreme climatic conditions.

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As a recurring design concern for rojkind arquitectos and as a way of integrating the building into the pedestrian realm (giving back to the community), the building steps back to create an outdoor shaded space that can be enjoyed by the residents and visitors alike.

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“Normally these types of building don’t allow for the creation of any public space, the entire site is developed with the intention of maximizing the most square footage for it’s commercial interest. This project takes a different approach by allowing its site not to be built in its entirely and provide public space that can be utilize by anyone” Gerardo Salinas, partner, rojkind arquitectos

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To counterbalance the strong sun, the floor plates shift in relation to one another creating a play of light and shadow, and the use of local stone, done by local craftsmen on the facade allows the building to stay cooler and makes its appearance change as the sun moves across the horizon.

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The project offers outdoor terraces for each apartment due to the strict setback restrictions of the site, capitalizing on the views of the adjacent mountains.

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“People enjoy the convenience of a house for its connection to a garden, or exterior spaces, which normally apartments lack. By having a project which integrates, not only terraces but real gardens even at the upper levels, we have achieved an experience unique to Monterrey.” Michel Rojkind, founding partner

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High Park consists of a total of ten levels above grade and three and a half levels of underground parking.

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The first two levels are for commercial retail, the remaining 8 levels for luxury apartments. Within these 8 residential levels, recreational and entertainment spaces will be provided for the residents including a pool, gym, spa, etc.

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These 32 apartments will range in size from 250 square meters to 650 square meters.

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The Building as a Platform for Additional Creative Input

Six local designers have been invited to make each apartment unique and appealing to different styles and different market segments.

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Each apartment has a different layout and configuration, offering a wide range of internal distributions from a one level apartment to a two-story apartment.

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Construction will begin this summer.

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PUU-BO by BIG	Beirut Terraces by Herzog & de Meuron	House for elderly people by Aires Mateus Arquitectos

Strips of perforated fabric are tacked onto the facades of this house near Amsterdam by Dutch architects CC-Studio and Studio TX.

The design for Fabric Facade Studio Apartment was developed in collaboration with client and artist Rob Veening.

Each strip is attached to the elevation along one edge only, allowing the fabric to flap in the wind.

The pieces were cut from rolls of teflon, a coated fibreglass material normally used for conveyor belts in food factories.

A central atrium with a skylight above provides natural light for an artists studio and exhibition space on the ground floor of the building.

The two uppers storeys contain the residential spaces, including a living room with a 4.5m high ceiling.

Photography is by John Lewis Marshall.

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Here are some more details from the architects:

Fabric Façade: Studio Apartment Rob Veening

Description

The house is built on one of the 350 plots designated for construction by private builders (not very common in the Netherlands), an initiative of Alderman Adri Duivesteijn, in the Homerus quarter in Almere (near Amsterdam in the Netherlands). The “Herenhuis” plots, where extra high ceiling clearance (3.5 m) was required at the ground floor level, are suitable for both residential and work functions.

The assignment was to achieve a spacious home with downstairs a studio artist / exhibition space and on the top floors housing. The principal, Rob Veening, had after having lived in Canada for many years, expressed the wish that the house should not be minimally seized and narrow (like many Dutch residences) but spacious, open and giving one a sense of freedom of movement. A dream assignment for space loving designers, with the added challenge of a very limited budget.

To save costs and to make the construction of such a large volume financially viable, a number, some innovative, measures were taken.

The house (hull) was made wind and watertight by the contractor Postma after which the client finished it himself: stairs, insulation, interior finishes, interior walls, doors, equipment and installation of the external cladding. Contractor Postma’s advantage is that in addition to their own timber structure workshop they also produce their own windows and door frames. This eliminates contractors traditional 10% surcharge cost over these items. It also gave a chance to make very large window frames and doors (2.7m high) which could be realized without any fuss.

One of the most expensive items in a building budget is the facade which is usually the first item that is reduced in ambition. This always has serious consequence for the architectural image. From there came the radical proposal.

The municipality of Almere has C2C in high esteem and even drafted its “Almere Principles”! This course offered a chance to see how much they really meant it and how much liberty they were willing to give private clients. From this, cc studio developed the idea to try to produce the facade from residual waste, using their contacts with the tent industry. The extremely durable, non-combustible, residual material comes from rolls of PTFE (Teflon) coated fiberglass fabric, used in the industrial manufacture of conveyors belts for the food industry. This special material was completely sponsored by Verseidag-Indutex from Krefeld, Germany. The 5 m long rolls (about 1200m2 gross) were cut by the principal and cc-studio into strips and placed as overlapping shingles and tacked on a backing of osb panels. The flexible material moves with wind, creating a lively image. In the sidewall up to a height of 7 meters no pattern is applied due to possible future building that must, by regulation, build up to a minimum height of 7 meters.

Through integrated design it was also possible to omit the traditional steel portal for stability. The entire stability comes from stapled Fermacell (fiberboard) plates in the front, rear and side facades.

To ensure the internal spatial relationship vides and split-levels were used. The artist’s studio downstairs is, at the side of the garden façade, visually connected with the living room on the first floor trough a vide. The studio therefore has an extra window giving it more light deep into the studio.

In the middle of the building volume a central vide with at the top a skylight was carved out, visually connecting all the upper floors. A continuous internal space is the result which has a very pleasant light quality and orientation. Additional advantage is that the study / TV room, top level street side, does not need windows nor received them to save costs. Due to the split-level in the front part of the living room the ceiling height reaches 4.5 m giving it a real mansion (“herenhuis”) quality. The dimensions of the wooden doors 3.5 m wide x 2.7 m height contributes also to this sense of space. But due to all those large measurements the scale of the building is quite difficult to read and can only be measured by comparing it with the traditional sizes of the neighboring house.

Finally, the house has a lower energy requirement than demanded by law (A EPC required then was 0.8, achieved 0.6) and also features a number of other sustainability features which made it eligible for “Green” financing (a lower interest rate for sustainable building).

It was a special, very nice and close collaboration between client and designers that made the best use of the, sometimes somewhat unconventional, opportunities.

design: cc-studio & studiotx in collaboration with R. Veening
structural engineer: cc-studio
building physics consultant: bureau Kent
contractor & frame manufacturer: bouwbedrijf Postma
facade material: Verseidag-Indutex
hull completion: september 2010
interior completion: juni 2011
plot size: 168 m²
plot price: € 48.000,-
gross floor area: 190m2 floor + 30m2 vides + 31m2 roof terras
gross volume: 1030m3
height: 13,5m
construction costs hull: € 170.000,- incl. VAT
finishing and installations: ± € 80.000,- incl. VAT
building system: timber frame structure on a concrete foundation and concrete hollow core slab ground floor

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House by Jorge Mealha Arquitecto	Villa by Knevel Architecten	Home 06 by i29

Every room of this house in Japan by local architects Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates is contained in a separate block, connected by sliding doors.

This allows the rooms of Small House to each have unique proportions suited to their interior functions, as well as different material finishes.

The clustered arrangement of blocks creates two defined courtyards that form a garden and a parking area.

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Photography is by Toshiyuki Yano.

Here are some more details from the architects:

Small House

As the site is surrounded by rice fields, we planned “a small house” that the idyllic atmosphere and landscape.

The entire volume of the house was first divided into individual rooms, their each concept were finally linked together taking account of factors such as connection of garden and room, entrance of light, ventilation, flow line of daily activities, etc.

Also, to meet with the demand for a guest parking lot and family garden, we laid out the rooms across the site to secure two exterior spaces.

Multiple Viewpoint

Each room has different volume, finish, and openings.

These differences were made to enhance deeper experience with elements by presenting more than one viewpoint on each element; for example, when the light enters from wide opening, it gives you different impression from the thin ray of light in a dark place.

These elements can be trees in the garden, wind, internal openness, nuance of shadows, and communications between family members.

Connected Air

When opening the door, these rooms become “One single room with connections”.

Although, unlike a general single room, it can not get a view of whole room, one room is visually connected with some and also connected with others beyond by air.

Communication is prompted among the viewable rooms by the strong connection of visual element, and with the rooms out of sight by the senses other than visual sense.

Subsequently, the light and wind streaming into a room, as well as the act and the sign of the family there are transmitted to the adjacent rooms, and are extended beyond.

Supplementary Architecture

The rooms expanded in the site functions as a house without being isolated functionally and spatially.  The important thing is that the rooms are connected.  The “connection” is formed by the persons and nature, and is not limited within the structure and the diagram of architecture.

I think that the architecture is something that acts as a supplement of the “connected air “.

Project detail informations

Project data

Location: Aichi, Japan
Site Area: 464.0m2
Built Area: 85.92m2
Total Floor Area: 85.92m2
Type of Construction: Wooden
Exterior Materials: Metal finish
Interior Materials: Lauan board 、paint finish
Year of completion: April, 2011
Design team: Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates
Structure company  /  g2plan
Construction company / Sunshow industries ltd

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Ogaki House by Katsutoshi Sasaki	Tsumuji+Hako by UID Architects	House in Buzen by Suppose Design Office

The roof of this house in Hashimoto, Japan, by designers Yoshio Oono Architect & Associates folds around to become an exterior canopy with triangular reveals.

Behind the shade of the orange canopy, the glazed facade of House of Wakayama has sliding doors that open to expose the interior spaces to the elements.

On the first floor an open plan room projects out across the building entrance to meet the canopy.

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The following project details are from the architect, as well as some text in Japanese:

Family House

location: wakayama
site area: 175.19 sqm
total area: 93.34 sqm

design development: 2009.4-2010.8
construction: 2010.8-2010.12

structure: wooden
structure engineer: HN

max. height: 6.04m
stories: 2

和歌山県橋本市の閑静な住宅地に建つ、夫婦とその子供達の専用住宅の計画である。

廻りには低層の住宅が立ち並び穏やかな風景が広がり、大きな空がよりいっそういっそう大きく感じられ、比較的身近に自然を感じられる敷地であった。

自然を出来るだけ生活空間へ取り込む事が設計の与条件として感じ取る事が出来た。

『内部と外部の境界線をあいまいとする。』

外の要素と内の要素を近ずける為に、建物で大きな軒下の日陰を作り、生活空間として最小限のエリアを建具で囲う事により

建具の開閉により内部と外部の境界線をあいまいにする事を考えた。

また、内部と外部の境界線をよりいっそう無くすよう、1階への柱をもうけないように、屋根から2階の床を細いスチールの柱により

吊り上げている。その柱は２階の空間へリズムを与える役割として存在している。

外壁においては、大きな風景として存在している、空の色と補色関係のオレンジ色とした。

補色の色関係による、相乗効果を狙ったものである。

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House by Hidehiro Fukuda Architects	Ogaki House by Katsutoshi Sasaki	House in Fukawa by Suppose Design Office