Hasta La Ideas

The next intake of architecture students at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia will be accommodated in modular student housing with stark concrete interiors (+ slideshow).

Designed by Spanish studios H Arquitectes and dataAE, the housing isn’t assigned exclusively to architecture students but it is located alongside the Vallès Architecture School in Barcelona.

The project comprises a pair of parallel two-storey blocks positioned either side of a central terrace. Both buildings sit in the lowest point of a sloping site, which allowed the architects to create ground-level entrances on both storeys with a series of first-floor bridges.

Each of the 57 rooms comes with its own kitchenette and small washroom, but otherwise the interiors are left bare and unpainted with exposed concrete ceiling beams overhead.

“From the beginning we decided to give the students an empty home,” Xavier Ros Majó of H Arquitectes told Dezeen. “We decided to use the structural concrete of the modules as a finished interior material, so no plaster and paint were used. We actually love that the architecture students will have the opportunity of designing their home, –inside at least.”

A single module was used for each rectangular room, even though the client favoured modules containing two or more L-shaped rooms. This means all modules can be individually removed, relocated or added to in the future, as the needs of the university change.

The exteriors of both buildings are clad with galvanised steel. The architects have also recently added a polycarbonate roof over the central terrace so that it can be used as a sheltered venue for school events.

H Arquitectes has been established in Barcelona for over ten years. Past projects include a school gym in Barberà del Vallès and a wooden house in Vacarisses. See more architecture by H Architectes.

See more architecture in Spain »

Photography is by Adrià Goula.

Above: site plan – click above for larger image

Here’s a project description from H Arquitectes:

The new dwelling house for university students is located in the same block as the Vallès Architecture School. The project proposed intends to keep its balance among the existing buildings, outside areas and the new dwelling house, which is formed from two parallel to street blocks layed out over two floors and separated by a central atrium.

Above: block plan – click above for larger image

For it is a dwelling house for architecture students, we have come up with a program that permits intense connections among the users both individual and group level, owing to the interior flexibility of the apartments and the potential use of the atrium as an event space.

Above: apartment plan – click above for larger image

The project banks on industrialized construction by using just one housing module type made of pre-formed concrete without partition walls. Each unit has just the necessary fixed elements, simplifying finishing and installations. Most of the components are installed and assembled by dry-build systems so every module and its finishing can be dismantled and reused or highly recyclable. The building is laid out over two floors in order to take advantage of the existing topography making accessible entrances without the need of using elevators and to reduce a 50 percent of square meters in corridors and stairs. The central atrium is covered in order to create an intermediate bioclimatic space that makes increase the energy efficiency of the building and, at the same time, economizes the building enclosure.

Above: apartment section – click above for larger image

The cycle of life analysis demonstrates that this project saves up to 50 percent the energy associated to construction materials and a 70 percent the energy demand in respect to standard buildings according to CTE regulations.

Above: site section – click above for larger image

Project: Student Housing (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya)
Situation: Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona.
Authors: H Arquitectes (David Lorente, Josep Ricart, Xavier Ros, Roger Tudó) dataAE (Claudi Aguiló, Albert Domingo)
Collaborators: Ana Tamayo, Toni Jimenez, Blai Cabrero, Montse Fornés, Carla Piñol, Anna Bonet, Montse Quiròs (H Arquitectes), ÀBAC enginyers, Societat Orgànica
Customer: UPC / UTE Compact Hàbit i Constructora d’Aro

Above: long site section – click above for larger image

Competition: 1st Prize
Year of realization: 2009-12
Surface constructed: 2.400 m2
Constructor: Constructora d’Aro

The post Student Housing in St. Cugat
by H Arquitectes and dataAE appeared first on Dezeen.

Chinese studio Archi-Union has converted an office block in Shanghai into an art gallery with a concrete staircase twisting through its middle (+ slideshow).

The facade of the building remains unchanged but the interior spaces are entirely renovated to accommodate two exhibition galleries and a bar, with a glazed atrium sandwiched between.

Made up of six components, the contorted concrete staircase creates a spiralling route through the three split-level floors, while additional corridors cut across at different levels.

“Faced with the change in the use of the building, we first deconstruct the straightforward logic of the space and blur the functions’ interface,” says Archi-Union.

“The complex logic of the staircase form breaks the traditional two dimensional layer relations, but it’s not an arbitrary treatment out of control,” add the architects. “Every perceived line has its logical necessity; but the curving surface softens this logic, it gives the visitor a feeling between rationale and randomness, creates an exciting spatial feeling at the edge of conflicting ideas.”

A permanent exhibition occupies the ground floor gallery and is dispersed between a collection of rectilinear space dividers. A second gallery for special exhibitions sits directly above, but is instead sectioned off by undulating surfaces.

Recesses in these new volumes provide display areas for artworks, while a doorway in the first floor gallery leads through to a small seating area referred to as “the teahouse”.

A smaller exhibition room is also located on the first floor, while the floor above contains a meditation room, a study room and a staff kitchen and dining room.

Archi-Union is a Shanghai-based studio led by Philip F. Yuan. The studio previously created a similar concrete staircase in the Tea House library, which was one of our most popular stories of 2012. Another recent project is the Lan Xi Curtilage restaurant and members’ club in Chengdu.

See more recent architecture in China, including a new mixed-use complex by architect Steven Holl.

Photography is by Xia Zhi.

Here’s the full project description from Archi-Union:

Jade Museum by Archi-Union

Located in the high-density Xuhui District, in downtown Shanghai, Jade Museum is a renovation from an office building. For this project we were commissioned to convert the noncomplex office space into a multi-functional communication art museum on the premise of keeping the original building structure. Faced with the change in the use of the building, we first deconstruct the straightforward logic of the space and blur the functions’ interface. We implement the tools of digital design early in the conceptual phase, to help us rebuild the logic of space and translate the folding of the circulation flows into a folding of space itself.

Different layers of functions are organized around the main circulation space, facing the central courtyard. The simple single-layer mode was redefined with the introduction of a non-linear space. The simple vertical and horizontal circulation movements influence each other in the inserted space, the blur of the interface and boundaries make the space fold and integrated. The circulation flow adapts itself to this incision in the body of space. The antithesis between sloping and balance, continuity and boundary turns the simple coexistence of elements into a discussion of geometry. The complex logic of the staircase form breaks the traditional two dimensional layer relations, but it’s not an arbitrary treatment out of control: steps, door openings, handrails, beams and roof are distinguished components of the building structure that have a delicate and reasonable interconnecting relation. Every perceived line has its logical necessity; but the curving surface softens this logic, it gives the visitor a feeling between rationale and randomness, creates an exciting spatial feeling at the edge of conflicting ideas.

The folding of circulation lines and the twisted form of the inserted space create an entrance on the first floor, which faces the central courtyard. The permanent exhibition hall is located in front of the entrance. Via the stairs near the exhibition hall, one reaches the VIP exhibition space. The curving walls divide space into several micro spaces and also guide the visitors’ flow. The artworks are placed into the curving walls. Resting and communication space peer from behind these walls. In front of the VIP exhibition space is the teahouse, which is connected to the outdoors terrace.

Above: ground floor plan – click above for larger image and key

Digital fabrication, as a methodology, is implemented throughout the design and construction process. Non-linear form and geometrical decomposition lie in the core of fabrication. The abstract multi-dimensional surface generated by the computer is decomposed into workable and controllable CNC panels; their exact position controls the 3D assembly. The curving form is transferred into linear machine logic closely following the geometrical principles. The three-dimensional space that the traditional two-dimensional drawings cannot express is eloquently expressed through the fabrication logic. This combination of digital lofting and CNC fabrication reduced the construction budget and at the same time improved construction quality and speed without compromising the design integrity.

Above: first floor plan – click above for larger image and key

In addition to geometry and fabrication, light, as a third key-element in design coordinates with the folding, irregular spatial module and the flowing exhibition hall design to enhance this multi-dimensional experience.

Above: second floor plan – click above for larger image and key

Project Name: Jade Museum
Location: Xuhui District, Shanghai
Area: approx 1000 sqm
Design/Completion: 2012/2013
Client: Jade Museum
Architect: Philip F. Yuan / Archi-Union Architects
Design Team: Alex Han, Fuzi He

Above: ground floor axonometric – click above for larger image

Above: first floor axonometric – click above for larger image

Above: staircase concept diagram and plans – click above for larger image

Above: staircase sections – click above for larger image

The post Jade Museum
by Archi-Union appeared first on Dezeen.

The rippled aluminium cladding of this climbing centre in northern Italy is dotted with tiny perforations that allow the walls to become see-through after dark (+ slideshow).

The Vertikale Kletterhalle, or vertical climbing gym, was designed by architects Martin Mutschlechner and Barbara Lanz of Stadtlabor, in collaboration with local architect Wolfgang Meraner in the town of Brixen.

By day the building appears as an opaque box with a crumpled exterior inspired by the ripples of a curtain, but once the sun goes down the interior becomes visible and reveals climbers scaling the 15-metre wall inside.

“We wanted the building to be hermetic during daytime and completely transparent at night,” Mutschlechner told Dezeen. “The first idea was to create a curtain and the waving of the facade was added to create a moiré effect. It was very important for us to have a facade that changes transparency during the day and changes pattern if you move around the building.”

Climbers also benefit from the perforated facade, as it offers them a view towards the Dolomite Mountains on the horizon during the day. “The climbers love the transparency and bright interior,” said Mutschlechner.

An additional climbing wall is mounted onto the building’s exterior so that climbers can choose to be subjected to the elements.

The metal panels also form part of a multi-layered building envelope that incorporates a climate control system providing natural ventilation, heat storage and anti-glare filters.

Other unusual climbing centres completed in recent years include a centre with tread-like indents in its concrete facade and a climbing wall contained in a windowless yellow cube.

See more stories about climbing walls or see all our stories about sports centres.

Photography is by G.R. Wett.

Here’s a project description from the architects:

Indoor Rock Climbing, Brixen

The indoor rock climbing hall in Brixen arises close to the historic center and is therefore – compared to other similar sport infrastructures – designed with a high aesthetic and artistical claim.

Nature and landscape are transported into the building through a transparent façade design; at the same time, the inside remains visible to the outside. The multi-layer facade creates a moiré effect, generating always new impressions for the moving observer and both the users inside as also the viewer outside in a dynamic relationship to the climbing gym provides.

In the planning of the climbing hall, ecological aspects and sustainability were essential. Through detailed planning and a sophisticated climate control system with multi-layer façade assembly, ventilation and heat storage by intermediate zones in the facade construction, as well as creation of thermal mass in the building. With the use of solar energy, the seasonally changing façade envelope and natural ventilation, mechanical cooling is not necessary and results in significant cost savings for construction and operating costs.

The climbing hall is south-facing from the new town square, facing north from the upper City Park a connection to the new underground car park is provided; the disabled access guarantees also the use for therapeutic purposes.

The open design of the climbing hall with free-standing climbing towers allows a view outwards on park and square, as well as inward on the entire hall. The technical concept makes the climbing hall suitable for sport climbers and recreational climbers, for training and competition.

Client: Community of Brixen, Italy
Architecture: ARGE Mutschlechner, Architekten Lanz, Arch. Wolfgang Meraner
Contractor: Frener & Reifer
Installation Engineering: Transsolar
Light advice: Halotech, Zumtobel

The post Vertikale Kletterhalle Brixen by
Stadtlabor and Wolfgang Meraner appeared first on Dezeen.

A living and dining room with six-metre high ceilings sits at the centre of this small white house in Japan by architects Shinichi Ogawa & Associates (+ slideshow).

The house was designed with a square-shaped plan, creating a symmetrical building where all rooms surround the central living space.

The entrance sits at the centre of the east facade and leads straight into the living room, so there was no need to add any extra corridors.

A wall of bookshelves lines the edge of this room, while a long narrow skylight spreads natural light across the space and glass doors lead out to private courtyards at the north and south ends of the house.

“It is a house for a client who is a great reader,” says Shinichi Ogawa & Associates. “He can live enjoying his reading time in this quiet but rich space, feeling the change of seasons thanks to the closed courtyards.”

The architects add: “The toplight makes it an impressive space, giving sky view and natural light from the upper side.”

Bedrooms and a bathroom wrap around the west and north sides of the house and an office is positioned in the south-east corner so that the client can work from home.

Library House is located in a residential area in Tochigi and is constructed from concrete.

Shinichi Ogawa first established his studio in the 1980s and has offices in Tokyo and Hiroshima. Past projects include the long narrow Minimalist House in Okinawa and Cube House in Kanagawa, which also features a double-height living room.

See more houses designed by Shinichi Ogawa & Associates, or see more stories about Japanese houses on Dezeen.

Above: site plan

Above: floor plan

Above: section north to south

Above: section west to east

The post Library House by
Shinichi Ogawa & Associates appeared first on Dezeen.

This yacht house on the southernmost tip of the Crimean coastline by Robin Monotti Architects includes four holiday apartments (+ slideshow).

Located within the Foros Shore holiday resort, the Foros Yacht House was conceived as stack of box-like volumes intended to play down the scale of the fifteen-metre-deep and six-metre high room for storing the yacht at the centre of the building.

“Yacht House is an organic composition,” said Robin Monotti. “We started with the box for the boat, then added accommodation alongside, terraces, and finally the stair tower.”

The architect drew inspiration from the traditional “dacha” holiday homes of the Ukraine’s neighbouring Russia and planned the building as a contemporary reinterpretation, with off-white walls to reflect sunlight and porthole windows that reference naval architecture.

A captain’s lodge is located on the ground floor and leads through to the yacht storage, while a studio flat occupies the first floor and two-bedroom apartments span the building on the second and third floors.

Floor-to-ceiling windows open out to glass-fronted balcony terraces, offering guests a view straight out to sea.

“Ultimately the building is about the nearness of the sea and the huge skies,” said Monotti. “We wanted people to experience their surroundings – the sound of the water, the sea winds, the changing light and moods, the changing temperatures, even the salty taste in the air – as if they were already on a yacht.”

The chunky stair tower runs up the rear corner of the building and has vertical slit windows that limit daylight. The architect explains that this was intentional, so that guests are overcome with light as they enter the apartments. “Yacht House helps you experience nature in a powerful way,” he adds.

Italian architect Robin Monotti set up his London studio in 2007.

Other boathouses completed in recent years include a Victorian boathouse in England and a cylindrical boathouse in Texas.

Photography is by Ioana Marinescu, apart from where otherwise stated.

Here’s a project description from Robin Monotti Architects:

Foros Yacht House, Crimea, Ukraine
Robin Monotti Architects

London based Robin Monotti Architects completed ‘Yacht House’ in September 2012. The 875 sq m contemporary building creates an outstanding feature on the Crimean shoreline. It houses four rental apartments arranged around tall yacht storage at ground level, and connected by a staircase tower. The apartments provide spectacular views across the sea and the mountains, and a direct and immediate connection to the coastal environment that surrounds them.

In 2011 Robin Monotti’s Ukranian client acquired the site which lies within the Foros Shore resort owned by the Donetsk Steel Group. With a Mediterranean-like climate and dramatic scenery, the Crimea is known as the Russian Riviera. Foros is located at the southernmost tip of the Crimea, along the most sought after 30 km band of coastline in the Ukraine. Because of its enduring popularity, the area has a rich political and architectural heritage. Neighbours include the dachas of former USSR president Gorbachev and current Ukrainian president Yanukovich, and close by are magnificent palaces and churches from the Tsarist era.

Yacht House is a contemporary response to Russia’s dacha tradition. Robin Monotti’s design is uncompromisingly modern, but also open, playful and people focussed. This is important for a country that remembers the repressive Soviet regime and its association with brutalist architecture.

Brief

The client initially required winter storage space for his 13 metre yacht. The client then decided to add three rental apartments and captain’s accommodation to make the most of the outstanding site. A significant challenge was how to design the building so that the apartments were not overpowered by the massive door required for the yacht. Other challenges were presented by a steeply sloping site in a seismically active area, and its proximity to the sea which in bad weather could drench the house in corrosive salt water.

Solution

The design commenced with a yacht room 7 metres wide, 15 metres deep and 6 metres high on the ground floor giving access via a 25′ door to a railed slipway in front. To balance the 25′ door and enable dramatic, unrestricted views across the Black Sea, Robin Monotti proposed three distinctive volumes above and beside the tall boat house. By offsetting the volumes, the design provided a variety of terraces at different levels, extensive views and outdoor access.

The outside is brought inside by 9 metre wide floor to ceiling windows in the main apartments which provide almost seamless seascapes. When the bi-folding doors are fully open the interior living spaces feel like shaded outdoor spaces. Porthole windows continue the marine theme.

Glass railings to all balconies and terraces allow for uninterrupted views, and a shared 135 sq m solarium terrace on the fourth floor provides 360 degree views of the sea and the Crimean Mountains behind. A variety of different outdoor terraces and balconies offer contrasting views over the surrounding landscape.

A tall stair tower links the floors and, with its slit-like windows, recalls the nearby defensive Genoese fortifications of Balaklava. The narrow windows restrict light and views so that surprise and delight is enhanced when the main living areas, with their astounding light and views, are entered from the tower. The slit windows also provide privacy on the side of the building that faces the resort.

Above: ground floor plan

The captain’s accommodation and the first floor flat provide studio accommodation, with two bedroom apartments on the third and fourth floor. The flats are fully furnished with high quality white Italian furniture.

Above: first floor plan

Environmental features

The building is constructed of reinforced concrete throughout to make the structure capable of withstanding earthquakes and to provide additional protection against winter storms.

Above: second floor plan

There was a conscious effort to reduce light pollution in the outside areas. It was important that the focus for guests at night time would be on the natural landscape, in order for them to witness the reflection of the moon, stars and sea. An influx in outside lighting would restrict guests from engaging with nature and the surrounding landscape.

Above: third floor plan

Off-white paint was chosen for the exterior of the building in order to absorb the least amount of solar radiation possible, as well as to enhance the visibility of the building. Porthole windows to the sides of the building provide cross ventilation.

Above: roof plan

Architect: Robin Monotti Architects: Robin Monotti Graziadei, Fannar Haraldsson
Client: Private
Structural engineer: Gennadiy Gyrushta
Main contractor: Igor Shutkin

Above: section 

Begun: August 2011
Completed: September 2012
Internal and External Floor Area: 875m2
Internal Floor area: 575m2
Yacht store dimensions 7 metres wide, 15 metres deep and 6 metres high
Sector: Residential Holiday Flats
Total cost: £1M
Address: Foros, Crimea, Ukraine, Ukraine

The post Foros Yacht House by
Robin Monotti Architects appeared first on Dezeen.