Shimogamo Jinja Hojoan by Kengo Kuma and Associates

Japanese architect Kengo Kuma built this temporary hut using cedar, ETFE plastic and magnets to pay tribute to a humble dwelling chronicled by Japanese author Kamono Chomei over 800 years ago (+ slideshow).

Shimogamo Jinja Hojoan by Kengo Kuma and Associates

In his seminal book Hōjōki, or “An Account of My Hut”, Chomei outlines his experiences living alone in a three-by-three-metre hut that has since become synonymous with the history of Japanese dwellings in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

Shimogamo Jinja Hojoan by Kengo Kuma and Associatesc

Kengo Kuma and Associates wanted to create a modern interpretation of the hut using contemporary materials and construction techniques.

Shimogamo Jinja Hojoan by Kengo Kuma and Associates

“Kamono Chomei built Hojo-an as a movable house at the time of the turbulent medieval age in Japan,” explain the architects. “To emphasize his idea of ‘mobility’ we made a combination of ETFE sheets that can be rolled up and portable.”

Shimogamo Jinja Hojoan by Kengo Kuma and Associates

Magnets are fixed onto a latticed framework of cedar beams and hold the plastic sheets in a sandwich structure. “The three soft sheets are combined to a single unit, and grow into a hard box,” added the architects.

Shimogamo Jinja Hojoan by Kengo Kuma and Associates

The hut was constructed at Kyoto’s Shigamo Shrine, where Chomei’s home is said to have stood, and it remained in place until December.

Other recent projects by Kengo Kuma include the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center in Tokyo and a pharmacy and clinic with plants growing on its facade. See more stories about Kengo Kuma and Associates.

Photography is by Rei Niwa.

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Zaha Hadid’s Oxford college project to start on site

News: Zaha Hadid’s planned extension to a centre for studying Middle-Eastern culture at the University of Oxford is set to begin construction later this month (+ slideshow).

Middle East Centre at St Antony's College, Oxford, by Zaha Hadid

Zaha Hadid Architects designed the addition in 2006 for St Antony’s College, one of the seven graduate colleges that comprises the UK’s oldest university. A series of planning and funding issues had delayed construction but the ground breaking is now scheduled for 30 January.

Middle East Centre at St Antony's College, Oxford, by Zaha Hadid

The extension will provide a new library and archive for the Middle East Centre, the college’s facility for the study of humanities and social sciences in the Arab World. Built using stainless steel and glass, the structure will bridge the gap between the centre and a neighbouring college building and will appear from the street as a reflective tunnel suspended in space.

Middle East Centre at St Antony's College, Oxford, by Zaha Hadid

A staircase will wind up between the two storeys of the building to link a large ground floor reading room with a first floor archive dating back to the start of the nineteenth century, as well as a lecture theatre in the basement.

Middle East Centre at St Antony's College, Oxford, by Zaha Hadid

The project forms part of a wider masterplan for St. Antony’s College proposed by architects ADP. Meanwhile, British architect Alison Brooks is currently working on a scheme for a new quadrangle at the university’s Exeter College.

Middle East Centre at St Antony's College, Oxford, by Zaha Hadid

Zaha Hadid has also been in the news recently over a building she designed in China, which has been pirated by a rival developer.

Middle East Centre at St Antony's College, Oxford, by Zaha Hadid

See all our stories about Zaha Hadid »

Here’s a project description from Zaha Hadid Architects:


Middle East Centre, St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford

The Middle East Centre of St. Antony’s College is the University of Oxford’s centre for interdisciplinary study of the Modern Middle East. The centre was founded in 1957 and it is focused on research on humanities and social sciences with a wide reference to the Arab World and its geographic adjacencies. The Centre’s research core is a specialised library and substantial paper and photographic archive covering material from 1800’s onwards. At present, the Middle East Centre’s Library and Administration facilities are housed in the former Rectory of the Church of SS. Philip and James at 68 Woodstock Road. The archive is housed in the basement of the neighbouring property at 66 Woodstock Road, sharing the building with other facilities and rooms of the college. The Middle East Centre also had 3 workrooms in the same property. To tie in with the St. Antony’s College future plans the Middle East Centre is planning a new Library and Archive to meet the current use for research and academic activities. Construction for the Zaha Hadid Architects designed scheme, situated in the garden plot between 68 and 66-64 Woodstock Road, is due to commence in January 2013. The new building will comply with the College’s vision for growth and add formal coherence to the existing quad, and tie in with the ambitious ADP’s masterplan for St. Antony’s college.

Middle East Centre at St Antony's College Oxford by Zaha Hadid

Above: ground floor plan – click above for larger image

Architect’s statement

Our approach is to define a series of plateaus and territories where different academic and research affiliations can be apparent from the character of the interior space. Form is driven by a series of tension points spread on a synthetic landscape that blends built and natural elements. The new structure deforms and adapts to this new abstract environment, revealing paths and flows, whilst containing the more introvert aspects of the programme brief. The new bridging form allows for programme connection at different levels, gradating space in relation to the public/ private dichotomy. The intention is to create a suspended structure that allows for the more public aspects of the brief to infiltrate the building and spill into the college’s curtiledge facing the Hilda Bess building. This is a flexible territory where space is layered through contrasting use of built elements and materials.

Middle East Centre at St Antony's College, Oxford, by Zaha Hadid

Above: first floor plan – click above for larger image

The main bridging shell is linked to this open area by a central staircase that lead the user to the centre’s main academic components, the new library and the new archive. The contrast in scale and depth is highlighted by a concave/convex nature of the main reading spaces, where the limited variation of use is complemented by material difference in relation to the public plateau. By lifting the connection between 68 and 66 Woodstock Road, it allows for a more diverse and complex articulation between the interior and exterior and well as the programme brief elements themselves, opening up new public spaces and reconnecting the Middle East Centre with the south boundary of the College through a new organized quad link. By defining the main bridge in terms its flow and dynamism, we allow for the existing structure to be read as separate elements, complementing their current detached character.

Middle East Centre at St Antony's College Oxford by Zaha Hadid

Above: long section one – click above for larger image

The building does not aim to impose; but instead the floating nature of the ‘bridge’ is emphasised via the chosen cladding material. The main building body will be clad with stainless steel, which has a light and ephemeral appearance, because the existing context of listed buildings and trees are mirrored in its surface; as are the ever changing light conditions and seasonal changes.

Middle East Centre at St Antony's College Oxford by Zaha Hadid

Above: long section two – click above for larger image

The impression of a floating link is further supported through the use of frameless glazing to the base of the stainless steel clad main body. Located here on the ground floor of the Softbridge building is the foyer, which doubles up as a multipurpose space for exhibitions or small events. The expanse of frameless glass towards the landscaped area in front of Woodstock Road encourages to linger, rest and reflect.

Middle East Centre at St Antony's College Oxford by Zaha Hadid

Above: long section three – click above for larger image

Viewed from the South where also the entrance is located the building opens itself up towards the internal courtyard, where a new landscaped level connection is being created as the access route between the new Gateway building and the Softbridge building.

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Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

A gigantic yellow giraffe pokes its heads out from the roof of this nursery and childcare centre in Paris by French studio Hondelatte Laporte Architectes (+ slideshow).

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

The larger-than-life statue appears to act as a supporting column, as its body pushes up through a cantilevered upper storey so that only legs, a long neck and a head can be spotted by passers-by.

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

“The idea is to animate the urban landscape by using a child’s imagination,” explains Hondelatte Laporte Architectes.

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

The aptly named Giraffe Childcare Centre accommodates a 60-bed childcare facility and a nursery for up to 20 children, in addition to playgrounds on each of its three levels.

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

As well as the giraffe, the playgrounds feature a white bear and a parade of huge ladybirds, all constructed from concrete. “Through their affable form, the lively animal sculptures invite us to live our dreams,” say the architects.

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

The centre is located beside Jean Nouvel’s Horizons offices, in the riverside Boulogne-Billancourt district in the south-west of the city.

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

The entrance is positioned at the end of the building so that visitors have to walk through the giraffe’s legs on their way inside.

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

The architects used corrugated metal cladding for the whole exterior, creating a series of bright white elevations.

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

Animal sculptures are a recurring feature in designs for children and we’ve previously featured a restaurant with a model elephant inside.

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

Giraffe fans may also enjoy a house with a front door tall enough to let one of the animals, or the giraffe enclosure at Rotterdam Zoo.

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

Photography is by Philippe Ruault.

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

Here’s some project details from the architects:


The Giraffe childcare centre is located in the C1 block of the Seguin Rives de Seine district in Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburban area of Paris. The program houses a 60 bed childcare centre and 20 bed day nursery. The building has been awarded the green “zéro Energie Effinergie” label. This public building is located next to Jean Nouvel’s “Horizons” tower, at the junction between the “Vieux pont de Sèvres” neighbourhood, built in the 70s, and the new area called “le Trapèze”. The high density of this area gives it a rugged skyline. To be integrated into this particular urban landscape, the building is composed of three tiers. Each of the south-facing playgrounds is in continuity with the interior spaces and is identified by a unique concrete animal sculpture. Viewed from the surrounding towers, the regular sequence of terraces offers a real “fifth facade” to the neighbourhood.

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

The facades of the building are made out of white corrugated iron that provides a minimal background to the wild animal sculptures. The idea is to animate the urban landscape by using a child’s imagination. The wild animals appropriate the space; a giraffe appears to be peacefully eating the leaves of the trees from the neighbouring park, a polar bear tries to clamber up the steps, while a family of ladybirds climbs the façade in an attempt to reach the interior patio.

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

Architecture turns into storytelling. The building changes its identity and becomes a landscape in its own right, a metaphor for the urban jungle. The animals and the trees link the building to nature and motion. The giraffe has become a banner for the nursery since it is visible in the surrounding area from all angles. We walk through its legs to enter the building. Through their affable form, the lively animal sculptures invite us to live our dreams. These playful and dreamlike sculptures introduce a little bit of fantasy into the routine life of the town in order to inspire our lives with a bit of poetry.

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

Project name: Giraffe childcare centre
Architect(s): Hondelatte Laporte Architectes
Project manager: Virginie Davo
Project team: Charlotte Fagart (architect)
Engineering: Studetech
HEQ Engineering: GCB Gestion Conseil Bâtiment

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

Client: SAEM Val de Seine Aménagement
Program: 60 bed childcare centre and 20 bed day nursery.
Lieu/Location: Boulogne-Billancourt (92) – France
Competition: January 2009
Delivery: 2012
Area: 1450 sq m
Cost: 3 744 000€ HT
Construction companies): SPIE SCGPM (general contractor), AAB (animals sculpture)

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

Above: site plan – click above for larger image

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

Above: ground floor plan – click above for larger image

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

Above: first floor plan – click above for larger image

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

Above: second floor plan – click above for larger image

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

Above: roof  plan – click above for larger image

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

Above: side elevation – click above for larger image

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

Above: front elevation – click above for larger image

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

Above: side elevation – click above for larger image

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

Above: rear elevation – click above for larger image

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

Above: long sectional elevation – click above for larger image

Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes

Above: cross sectional elevation – click above for larger image

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Jeté hair salon by Sides Core

White walls are sandwiched between the exposed concrete ceiling and floor of this minimal hair salon in Kobe by Japanese designers Sides Core (+ slideshow).

Jete hair salon by Sides Core

Sides Core transformed a former cafe on the ground floor of an apartment block into a salon by stripping out the space and changing the original entrance into a window while moving the main access to the back door.

Jete hair salon by Sides Core

Translucent curtains are draped over the large windows on two walls and four gold spotlights provide the room with additional lighting.

Jete hair salon by Sides Core

Two freestanding easel mirrors paired with dissimilar chairs and a small black table are the only pieces of furniture in the cutting space, while a shampooing chair and sink sit in a niche created by a partition beside the door.

Jete hair salon by Sides Core

Equipment is kept hidden from view in a small store room clad in wood on the other side of the entrance.

Jete hair salon by Sides Core

The most recent hair salons we’ve featured include a pop-up salon by Zaha Hadid and Fudge at London Design Festival and one covered in ceramic tiles laid in a traditional English brickwork pattern. See all our stories about salons »

Jete hair salon by Sides Core

Photography is by Yoshiro Masuda.

Read on for more text from Sides Core:


There are just some places you never want to leave.

Theme parks, parks, and pubs, and for me it’s especially when I visit my friends’ home that I feel this way. There is nothing special about the doors or windows of this shop, and there are no large signs to be found. To start with, it is situated in part of the first floor of an apartment building. I think that the appearance of this shop is not that of a shop that is intimidating, but rather, that of a shop that possesses a perfect sense of comfort. That’s the reason you just never want to leave.

Jete hair salon by Sides Core

When I first asked about my client’s requirements, I got a sense of this perfection. I thought that the site, its location, and the services provided were very understated. The client’s wish was to create a place that prized relationships between people over all else. That’s why I felt that it was up to me to create something in a way that combined “just right” with the client’s “wish.”

Jete hair salon by Sides Core

I went about making my sense of “just right” and the client’s “wish” into reality. I made the existing door into the entrance and hung a plate on the doorknob for its sign. I then put lace curtains on the windows to ensure that no one could see too much, whether inside or out. I made sure that the set mirror was not too big and made it lightweight enough to provide for easy movement. Doing so allows one to change the room’s mood with ease.

Jete hair salon by Sides Core

When I thought about my client’s wish to foster relationships between people, I wanted to create a place where two people could come and spend time without feeling constrained. To put it another way, I wanted to make it into a place where couples or parents with children would not hesitate to visit. For it is my sincerest wish for this to be a place involved in the creation and continuance of relationships.

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ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

Israeli studio Paritzki & Liani Architects has squeezed a house with an exposed brickwork interior into the space between two existing properties in Tel Aviv (+ slideshow).

ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

“A new building almost ‘not present’ from the outside is generated,” Paola Liani and Itai Paritzki told Dezeen. “We tried to reinvent what is not present in this particular context and zone of the city – creating an intimate, rich, deep space overlooking a small garden.”

ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

The constrained site prevented the architects from giving the building many windows, so they added a long narrow skylight across the width of the roof to bring light down into both the ground and first floors.

ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

A first floor corridor lines up with this skylight and features a gridded metal floor that lets light filter through to the open-plan kitchen, living room and dining area below.

ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

The metal floor also allows residents on the ground floor to see others coming in and out of bedrooms on the level above.

ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

A staircase with cantilevered iron treads connects the two floors and climbs up the side of one of two exposed brick walls. “We invested in this material because it moves the walls and the light, in a codified, almost historical way,” said the architects.

ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

More gridded metal is mounted into rectangular frames to act as a semi-transparent screen for the staircase, taking the place of a balustrade.

ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

Paola Liani and Itai Paritzki founded their studio in 2001 and have also designed a house beside the face of a cliff and an apartment with a PVC ceiling.

ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

See more architecture in Israel »

ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

Photography is by Amit Geron.

ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

Here’s some more information from the architects:


ZBL House | Paritzki & Liani Architects

The house is inserted in a series of row houses, not far from the university area in Tel Aviv. It is a pedestrian oasis composed of attached houses, only one story high, and filled with green areas. The building restrictions for that specific zone permit utmost a height of 4.5 m for the façade and 6.5 m for the roof top.

ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

The idea of this residential volume situated between two walls and two strips of green is to design the space with the natural light, excluding any full-height subdivision or typological hierarchy; only by inserting two voids that trace the movements of the inhabitants.

ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

Two shifted rectangular cutouts of light: the first, located in the center of the volume directs the light from the roof level to the ground level, which is lifted 90 cm above the pathway (kitchen, dining, living area). The second, located on the external border between the house, the pool and the garden, consents the creation of a second naturally illuminated court, on underground level.

ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

Once entering the house, one perceives the visual depth between the different levels and micro gardens of Sambucus on ground floor.

ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

The suspended passage (bridge) that leads to the night area on the first floor is a diaphragm made of metal net grid only 2 cm thick that assumes the value of a lightweight veil that refines the zenithal light while extending the silhouettes of who walks through it, “in order to see nothing but the sky”.

ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Total site area: 198 m2
Total floor area: 300 m²
Number of stories: 3
Status: Completed, 2012

ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

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

ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

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

ZBL House by Paritzki & Liani Architects

Above: long section

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Medical Practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten

This doctor’s surgery in the Austrian Alps by Graz-based architects Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher was inspired by small wooden hay barns that dot the local landscape (+ slideshow).

Medical practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten

The medical practice by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten is located in the remote village of Ramsau, known for its cross-country skiing and ski jumping.

Medical practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten

“The building’s shape and the materiality is reminiscent of the typical historical hay barns of the Ennstal area,” explained the architects.

Medical practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten

The facade is vertically clad with roughly sawn, untreated spruce.

Medical practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten

Spruce was chosen “because it turns grey very consistently on all sides of the building,” architect Dietmar Hammerschmid told Dezeen.

Medical practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten

Inside the building are three treatment rooms, a waiting room and a pharmacy.

Medical practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten

The architects used larch to build the benches in the waiting room and the counter in the pharmacy.

Medical practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten

“Larch has a lot of branches in the texture, so it has a very rough look,” said Hammerschmid.

Medical practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten

The walls behind the benches are covered in grey loden, a thick wool fabric traditional to the Austrian alps.

Medical practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten

We’ve featured a couple of other buildings by the same architects – a distillery with an asymmetrical timber roof and a renovated stone chapel with skeletons in the basement.

Medical practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten

Other projects in Austria we’ve published on Dezeen include a cocktail bar in Vienna with a ceiling inspired by mountains and a concert hall with a dramatically angular roof – see all our Austrian buildings.

Medical practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten

See all stories about Austria »
See all stories about health »

Medical practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten

Photographs are by Dietmar Hammerschmid.

Here’s some more from the architects:


The medical practice is located in Ramsau, an elevated plateau between the mountain Dachstein and Schladming.

Medical practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten

Above: floor plan

The shape and the materiality is reminiscent of the typical historical haystacks of the ennstal area.

Medical practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten

Above: north elevation

The very rough design of the outer surface is continued in the interior.

Medical practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten

Above: east elevation

Massive larch and loden was used for the furniture.

Medical practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten

Above: south elevation

Medical practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten

Above: west elevation

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Up at the O2 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Bblur Architecture

These shots by photographer Edmund Sumner show some of the first visitors able to scale the roof of the O2 Arena in London, thanks to a new fabric walkway designed by architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Bblur Architecture (+ slideshow).

Up at the O2 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

Up at the O2 opened this summer ahead of the Olympic games, offering visitors the opportunity to don specially designed “roof suits” and climb up to a viewing platform on the peak of the roof, 53 metres above the ground.

Up at the O2 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners developed the concept for the walkway, while Bblur Architecture took over to deliver the project in collaboration with engineers Buro Happold.

Up at the O2 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

Climbers begin their ascent on the south side, where stairs and a glass elevator lead them seven metres up to a starting platform equipped with uniforms and harnesses.

Up at the O2 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

From here, they can climb up onto the fabric walkway, which is held in place by a system of tensile cables.

Up at the O2 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

Once they reach the top, visitors are faced with a panoramic view of London’s skyline, before they make their descent down the northern side of the building.

Up at the O2 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

“Up at the O2 is a unique experience which millions of people will enjoy,” said Mike Davies, senior partner at Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. “It is both an exciting challenge and a truly special view of London.”

Up at the O2 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

The O2 Arena, originally named the Millenium Dome, was designed by Richard Rogers Partnership in the 1990s, before the studio rebranded as Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners in 2007. It comprises a domed fabric structure held in place by bright yellow masts and tensile cables.

Up at the O2 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

The firm recently completed NEO Bankside, a set of six-sided apartment blocks in London, and also received the Stirling Prize in 2009 for designing a Maggie’s Centre for cancer care.

Up at the O2 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

See more stories about Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners »

Up at the O2 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

See more photography by Edmund Sumner on Dezeen, or on the photographer’s website.

Up at the O2 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

Here’s some more text from Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners:


The ‘Up at The O2’ experience, originally conceptualised by architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners with engineers Buro Happold, features a tensile cable and fabric walkway that will take climbers on a thrilling journey over the venue’s roof, that includes breathtaking views of the City from a purpose built viewing platform mounted on top of the iconic structure.

Up at the O2 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

The groundbreaking roof walk project, a partnership between AEG, owner and operators of The O2 and O2, the UK’s leading communications company, is unlike anything else ever constructed in the UK and draws on all of the delivery team’s specialist experience with large scale tensioned cable and fabric structures.

Up at the O2 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

The climbing experience begins on the south side of The O2 where ISG has constructed a staircase and glass lift connected to a platform 7.5m high. From here the fabric walkway, built by Base Structures and designed by Buro Happold with bblur Architects, suspends above the existing fabric structure to its apex with a lanyard cable and hand rail running the full length of the walkway.

Up at the O2 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

Climbers will be provided with ‘roof suits’ and harnesses at a pre-tour induction, enabling them to be attached directly to the cable as they climb to the top. At The O2’s apex, 53m above ground level, there is a 12m diameter viewing platform with a panorama plate to direct climbers to key London landmarks. The roof walk then extends to the north side of The O2 where climbers descend to ground level.

Up at the O2 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

The high level of accessibility for Up at The O2 was inspired by Helen Keller’s famous words: ”Life is either a daring adventure or nothing”. Buro Happold’s Inclusive Design experts worked closely with client and disabled groups (The O2’s All Access Advisory Forum) to question assumptions about climbing and to create an attraction that is truly inclusive. A key driver in its delivery has been to make the experience exciting, fun and safe for everyone within the technical constraints imposed by both equipment and safety. Step-free access means that anyone, including wheelchair users who enjoy the demands of climbing, will have the opportunity to experience this amazing challenge.

Up at the O2 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

Place: London, UK
Date: 2007—2012
Client: AEG
Concept Architect: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
Design Architect: Bblur
Engineer: Buro Happold
Main Contractor: ISG
Specialist Fabric Consultant: Base Structures

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Spiralab by KINO Architects

The angled columns of an earthquake-proof structure frame a series of window slits on the exterior of this Tokyo research laboratory by KINO Architects (+ slideshow).

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Located in an industrial area beside Tokyo Bay, the building is used as a chemical research facility for a materials development brand and comprises a U-shaped block with a horizontal slice through its middle.

Spiralab by KINO Architects

This slice offers clues about the internal arrangement of the building, which is based on the abstraction of a linear plan. KINO Architects planned a route through a reception, an auditorium, meeting rooms and laboratories, then stretched it through all three floors to create a loop from one ground floor entrance to another.

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Offices and meeting rooms required the most privacy, so the architects located them on the middle floor where they can be separated if necessary.

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Meanwhile, laboratories can be found on the ground and second floors and feature a modular grid of power inlets, drainage and water points, enabling a variety of different desk layouts.

Spiralab by KINO Architects

The architects named the building Spiralab, as a reference to its looping interior layout. “The spiral shape responds to the three requests: research efficiency, high-security and comfort,” they explained. “Also, the spiral form becomes the key to the last request – symbolism. We think that true symbolism of architecture comes from the architecture itself; designed through logical thinking.”

Spiralab by KINO Architects

The earthquake-proof structure is described as a cross between a rigid frame and a truss framework, with angled columns that can take both horizontal and vertical stresses. A curtain wall structure is constructed in front and clad with concrete panels to give the building its smooth grey facades.

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Japanese studio KINO Architects have offices in both Tokyo and Shiga. Previous projects by the firm include a house with four attics and a concrete residence with views of a nearby castle. See more stories about KINO Architects on Dezeen.

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Photography is by Hiroyuki Hirai and Daici Ano.

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Here’s some more information from the architects:


Spiralab

A “Spiral” fills the needs.

This building is a new chemical research laboratory for a world leading materials development corporation. It is on a large site in an industrial area near Tokyo bay.

Spiralab by KINO Architects

We responded to the request for “research efficiency” by using flexible experimental rooms where researchers can adjust their research space according to their needs. To the requests for “high security” and “comfort” we responded with high-security, and high-comfort offices and break areas throughout the entire building. We responded to the request for “symbolism” with symbolic architecture that helps promote the company’s abilities to the world.

Spiralab by KINO Architects

First, we horizontally aligned the main rooms: laboratories, an office, meeting rooms, an auditorium and a reception room along a common corridor and put the guest entrance and the researchers entrance at either end. By adopting a plan with a common corridor, the clients can freely select doorways and move partitions in the experimental rooms according to their needs. The security door is easily adjustable due to the linear shape of the plan and the separation of guest and researcher entrances.

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Next, we transformed this linear plan in three-dimensions. The office and the meeting rooms need the highest confidentiality, so these were separated from the linear plan. The linear plan spirals around the office and meeting rooms. As a result the office and the meeting rooms are untouched by other rooms on every side, horizontally.

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Vertically these rooms are in the centre of the spiral. Therefore the access to the experimental rooms on the upper and lower floors becomes easy. Additionally while these rooms have high-security the walls are transparent, giving a comfortable open-air atmosphere.

Spiralab by KINO Architects

The break areas were made by widening the main corridor. As a result, researchers can take a break while changing rooms. In addition, the linear break areas spirals around the court yard. Therefore, this vertical plan allows the researchers to see the court yard from various points of view.

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Architect: Masahiro Kinoshita / KINO architects
Location: Chiba, Japan
Principal use: research laboratory
Structure: steel

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Scale of building: 3 stories
Site area: 600 ha
Building area: about 1300 sqm
Total floor area: about 3000 sqm

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Above: site plan

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Above: ground floor plan – click above for larger image

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Above: first floor plan – click above for larger image

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Above: second floor plan – click above for larger image

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Above: cross section one

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Above: cross section two

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Above: long section

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Above: plan concept

Spiralab by KINO Architects

Above: earthquake-proof structure

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Zumthor lets his holiday home to guests

News: Swiss architect Peter Zumthor is now inviting guests to rent a holiday home he built for his family in the mountain hamlet of Leis in Vals (+ slideshow).

Zumthor Vacation Homes

Zumthor, the most recent recipient of the Royal Gold Medal for architecture, built two neighbouring timber houses in 2009 for himself and his wife and named them the Oberhus and the Unterhus. “Annalisa had always dreamed of living in a house built of wood,” wrote the architect in the year of construction.

Zumthor Vacation Homes

Both three-storey houses feature a similar vernacular design, with gabled roofs and large balcony windows, but it is the Unterhus that Peter and Annalisa Zumthor have made available to rent. Peter Zumthor has also designed a third house, named the Türmlihus, which is due to complete this year and will start accepting bookings in the autumn. “We are very much looking forward to having guests in our timber vacation homes in Leis,” say the pair.

Zumthor Vacation Homes

The Unterhus contains five rooms and sleeps 4-5, while the Türmlihus will contain four rooms and will accommodate a maximum of four people. The Türmlihus will also feature a sauna and a cross-shaped layout that offers views in four different directions.

Zumthor Vacation Homes

Zumthor is best known for designing buildings such as the Therme Vals thermal baths in Switzerland and the Kunsthaus Bregenz gallery in Austria, but his more recent projects include a memorial to commemorate witches burned at the stake. See more stories about Peter Zumthor, including an interview we filmed with him at the opening of the 2011 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion.

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Iceberg by Wouter Biegelaar at Icehotel

Dutch designer Wouter Biegelaar used blocks of ice to sculpt a single piece of furniture for lounging, sleeping and dining inside a suite at the Icehotel in Lapland (+ slideshow).

Iceberg by Wouter Biegelaar at Icehotel

The Icehotel is constructed afresh every year in the small village of Jukkasjärvi and is only open to guests for a few months before the walls of ice and snow begin to melt.

Iceberg by Wouter Biegelaar at Icehotel

Each year a number of artists are invited to design and build a suite during November and December. This year, Wouter Biegelaar was invited for the first time.

Iceberg by Wouter Biegelaar at Icehotel

He wanted to create “an iceberg in a soft environment”, which prompted him to design a single icy object lit from within, incorporating a bed, a sofa and a dining table with two seats.

Iceberg by Wouter Biegelaar at Icehotel

The arched walls and ceiling of the suite are covered with snow, sculpted to resembled the soft padded upholstery of a Chesterfield sofa.

Iceberg by Wouter Biegelaar at Icehotel

“It was my first time working with ice and snow,” the designer told Dezeen. “It was a really nice experience. You can work really fast with them. The best feature was that the materials have no grain or direction. Where a chisel would follow the grain in wood, in ice it’s a direct result of how much pressure you apply, so it does exactly what you want.”

Iceberg by Wouter Biegelaar at Icehotel

Suites at the Icehotel can be rented privately for overnight guests but during the day each one also becomes a gallery that is open to visitors.

Iceberg by Wouter Biegelaar at Icehotel

The hotel is now in its twenty-third year. Previous installations include a barrel-vaulted space with a bed surrounded by icy fins and an ice church.

Iceberg by Wouter Biegelaar at Icehotel

See more stories about ice and snow in our weather category »

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