News: more than 200,000 people from 140 countries have applied for a one-way ticket to join a human settlement on Mars (+ slideshow).
On Monday non-profit organisation Mars One closed their first call for volunteer astronauts wanting to travel to the red planet.
The £4 billion project, founded by Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp in 2012, plans to establish the first permanent human settlement on Mars in 2023 and has proposed that humans will live in a modular environment made up of multiple inflatable units.
The settlement would comprise of 1000 m3 of living space – a total of 250 m3 per person for a team of four. The colony would live inside ‘lander’ living units that each feature an inflatable living section. The landers would be installed by roaming rovers and be filled with breathable air from a life support unit before the humans arrive.
“As the habitat will be modular, and constructed using fully redundant systems, even if one inflatable unit is damaged beyond repair, the habitat will still be secure and fully functional,” said the organisation.
There will be solar panels outside of the living quarters and an indoor farm for growing and harvesting foods.
In April, Mars One launched an application website to search for the volunteer astronauts and asked people to submit videos to pitch why they should be selected for the colony. In five months the organisation received 202,586 application videos from people across the world.
Three further application rounds will take place over the next two years. Mars One will then select up to ten teams of four individuals for a seven year training programme – and in 2023 just one team of four people will travel to Mars and settle permanently on the planet, according to the organisation.
“The first footprint on Mars and lives of the crew thereon will captivate and inspire generations; it is this public interest that will help finance this human mission to Mars,” said Mars One.
Over 200,000 apply to first ever recruitment for Mars settlement
The first round of the Mars One Astronaut Selection Program has now closed for applications. In the 5 month application period, Mars One received interest from 202,586 people from around the world, wanting to be amongst the first human settlers on Mars.
Mars One applicants come from over 140 countries; the largest numbers are from the United States (24%), India (10%), China (6%), Brazil (5%), Great Britain (4%), Canada (4%), Russia (4%), Mexico (4%), Philippines (2%), Spain (2%), Colombia (2%), Argentina (2%), Australia (1%), France (1%), Turkey (1%), Chile (1%), Ukraine (1%), Peru (1%), Germany (1%), Italy (1%) and Poland (1%).
From this applicant pool, the Mars One Selection Committee will select prospective Martian settlers in three additional rounds spread across two years. By 2015, six-ten teams of four individuals will be selected for seven years of full-time training. In 2023, one of these teams will become the first humans ever to land on Mars and live there for the rest of their lives.
Each Round 1 applicant is now being screened by the Selection Committee, which is expected to take several months. Candidates selected to pass to the next round will be notified by the end of 2013. The second round of selection will start in early 2014, where the candidates will be interviewed in person by the Mars One Selection Committee.
Aspiring martians who have missed Round 1 or could not meet the age restriction can join subsequent Astronaut Selection Programs. Mars One will commence regular recruitment programs as the search for follow-up crews continues.
Japanese studio Apollo Architects and Associates arranged the spaces of this tall, angular house in Tokyo to frame views of the nearby Skytree observation tower (+ slideshow).
Located on an irregularly shaped site at the end of a narrow street, the three-storey Alley house centres around a four-storey stair tower, leading residents to a roof terrace with a view across the city skyline.
Apollo Architects and Associates planned the residence for a family of four, adding bedrooms and bathrooms on the top and bottom floors, and sandwiching a large kitchen and dining room on the middle storey.
A split level creates a natural divide between the kitchen and family dining table, which is designed around a sunken space so that diners have to climb inside.
Large windows line this corner of the building to frame views of the 634-metre observation tower beyond. “People can relax while enjoying the gorgeous view of Tokyo Skytree,” explained architect Satoshi Kurosaki.
A metal staircase rises up through the tower to connect the floors. More windows bring sunlight into this stairwell, plus open treads allow it to spread through the building.
On the ground floor, sliding doors open a guest bedroom out to the entrance hall, creating a multi-purpose reception room.
“By sitting on the edge of the intermediate space, a sense of unity with the entrance hall can be felt, and this reminds us of good old Japanese houses,” said the architect.
A wooden frames gives the house its structure and is revealed by exposed ceiling beams on each floor.
The exterior is clad with galvanised steel and coloured brown to blend in with the surrounding buildings.
“The ceilings with exposed joists and the see-through stairs are lit up at night, and the exterior appears as a tower of light,” added Kurosaki.
Here’s a project description from Apollo Architects & Associates:
Alley House
A client for a house, of which I designed and supervised eight years ago, got married and bought a small lot near Tokyo Skytree, which is located in a place with a downtown atmosphere. Due to difficulty of construction within the small narrow site at the end of a narrow path, a wooden construction was chosen. Soft, dark brown galvanised steel exterior walls create a Japanese impression, and the house naturally blends into the old neighbourhood.
By using glass walls on the street side, indoor views include the surrounding environment. The ceilings with exposed joists and the see-through stairs are lit up at night, and the exterior appears as a tower of light. In addition to the large opening on the facade, the high window on the penthouse provides sufficient light to the interior, and these do not make one feel that the house is in a high density residential area.
Behind the large entrance earth floor, a small multipurpose space that can be used as a reception room was made. By sitting on the edge of the intermediate space, a sense of unity with the entrance hall can be felt, and this reminds us of good old Japanese houses. For the family room on the second floor, instead of chairs or a sofa, a hori-gotatsu (a sunken area for sitting around a built-in table) style table was designed where people can relax while enjoying the gorgeous view of Tokyo Skytree. A large U-shaped open kitchen allows the couple to cook authentic dishes together, and to welcome many guests. A step was made between the kitchen and the family room in order to add an accent and a rhythm to the small space, and indirect lighting creates an unusual impression. For the busy couple, the ‘small cosmos’ that enables them to be their natural selves is the exact ideal for their desired small house.
Location: Sumida ward, Tokyo Structure: Timber Scale: 3F Typology: private housing Completion: 2013.02 Lot area: 52.78 sqm
Builiding area 32.89 sqm 1F floor area 32.89 sqm 2F floor area 32.89 sqm 3F floor area 32.89 sqm PH floor area 3.46 sqm Total floor area 102.13 sqm
Structure engineers: Masaki Structure – Kenta Masaki Facility engineers: Shimada Architects – Zenei Shimada Construction: Kara Construction
Copenhagen designer Nikolaj Steenfatt has created a range of pendant lights, chairs and stools made from coffee granules, sawdust and animal glues (+ slideshow).
Graduate designer Steenfatt created a biodegradable composite which he calls Impasto after the painting technique of applying thick layers of paint.
He makes it by mixing waste materials including sawdust, wood chippings and animal glues with water and coloured pigments. The mixture is made into a dough, pressed, rolled and folded into flat sheets, and then vacuum-formed to create the range of chairs, stools and pendants.
“The development of the production process is driven by an idea of creating a process that is adaptable to the industry, but has a unique output as if it was handmade,” said Steenfatt.
Stool
The project was based on sustainable materials research.”This led to experiments with different natural fibres and binders, with the aim of creating a new material that is biodegradable, easy to work with and simple to understand,” Steenfatt explained.
Pendants
During the production process, the coloured pigments are only partially mixed in, making each sheet unique.
Apartments appear to be stacked up like boxes at this concrete housing block in Paris by French studio RH+ Architecture (+ slideshow).
Named Plein Soleil, the building was designed by RH+ Architecture with a 36-metre-long south-facing facade that features dozens of sunny balconies with sliding glass screens.
These loggia spaces also have a second function; they create a thermal buffer that allows daylight to penetrate the apartments whilst providing an insulating boundary against cold outdoor temperatures.
“The depth of these loggias allows tables and chairs to enjoy the sun,” said the architects. “It is both a balcony and a winter garden.”
Located in the north of Paris, the seven-storey building contains a total of 28 apartments in its upper levels, as well as a crèche on the ground floor and a car park in the basement.
The volume of the structure is intentionally staggered to relate to the heights of surrounding buildings, as well as to allow sunlight to reach the crèche garden at the rear of the building.
A mixture of studio flats and apartments of one, three and four bedrooms are located over six storeys. Many come with double-height living rooms and some feature decked terraces rather than balconies.
Communal corridors have been positioned along the edges of the building so that they can benefit from natural light.
Here’s a more detailed project description from the architects:
Plein Soleil
Location in the site
The situation of the plot at number 16 Rue Riquet is exceptional: largely visible from the corner of Avenue de Flandre, it is very close to the Bassin de la Villette and has a length of 36 metres of frontage facing south with a depth varying from 18 to 22 metres. The building at the corner of Avenue de Flandre constructed at right angles as well as the small buildings with adjoining ground floors gives to the western corner of the plot a very valuable “faubourg” touch.
On the other side of the same street, the large gable of number 14 allows the new building to be built upon. The whole of these characteristics bear a rich urban potential. Our project aims at making the most of it in the setting up and design of the new building.
1. The Program
The private owner has a vacant land of 700 square metres located rue Riquet in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, near le Bassin de la Villette and Avenue de Flandre. He has decided to build 28 free rental units with a crèche on the ground floor (run by the association “ABC childcare”).
Some options have come out as obvious:
» To develop an environmental approach in the first stage of the design, with the integration of engineering consultants specialised in “High Environmental Quality”, RFR Elements » To make the most of the linear facade » To gradually move west back from the neighbouring building and create views for the new building » To create a garden at the bottom of the plot and a way to lead to the block of flats from the rear on the north side
The objectives of the operation
The owner together with his project delegate AURIS has set the following targets:
» To get a building project both robust and lasting with an architectural signature » To optimise the building capacity in order to receive the bonus floor area ratio by getting the BBC Label with HQE certification
To create a building matching the values of project management particularly on the following aspects: aesthetics and urban integration, quality and sustainability.
To respect the following constraints:
» To create business premises on the ground floor to become later a crèche run by an association. » To optimise the design of the building in order to reduce operating costs and thus the costs charged to tenants. » To optimise maintenance costs. » To reduce energy consumption. » To offer a balanced distribution of typologies.
Envelope and environmental qualities
To secure a thermally efficient project, losses should be minimised. The thermal performance of the envelope has been obtained by the systematic elimination of thermal bridges.
That has been done by:
» The choice of insulation from the outside (material stands before the insulation slab nose). » The use of thermal break on the south side to detach the thermal structure at the front of the inner facade (unheated part) from the inside of the flats. » The choice of a console on the north side meant to carry for a limited period the floor of the corridors.
The south facade is organised on a principle of loggia. The thermal limit is located at the level of the 30% opaque and double-glazed very efficient inner facade. The exterior sliding window pane is a simple, slightly printed glazing for the bedrooms and transparent for the living-rooms. In winter and at the beginning/end of the mid-season that is to say during the heating period which usually runs from mid-October to mid-March, these loggias play the role of a buffer space whose function from a thermal point of view can be developed in three ways:
» function of protection of the inner glazing against the effects of the wind, which result in increased heat transfer and infiltration of cold air, » function of heat buildup when the weather is sunny and the loggia exposed to direct sunlight, the temperature is then higher than the outside temperature, » function of preheating the fresh air, the air intakes for mechanical ventilation being placed outside the rooms and lounges thus the loggia (appropriate as far as energy and thermal comfort are concerned).
As winning project of the call for low consumption building projects (BBC) from ADEME 2010, and having obtained the certification Cerqual H & E profil A, we have offered a philosophy of clean environmental approach. The project is part of a plot of high quality characterised by a significant linear facing south. Before the sketch work was carried out, the design team has focused on environmental issues so in our answer the issue is intimately linked to the architectural offer and rooted in fundamental elements of the quality of life.
Spatial organisation and environmental qualities
As far as the ground plan and spatial organisation are concerned, the qualities of the project are obvious: all flats are through and the bathrooms get daylight. What’s more, each flat opens widely on to the south side to capture the most of the sun.
The inner environmental qualities of our project consist in:
» A supply of free sun on the southern facade » Possibility of a through ventilation in summer, appropriate to refresh the flats at night and thus lob the peaks of heat » These qualities have a large impact on comfort but also on energy consumption: less heating needed in winter and in summer, no discomfort which would likely lead to the use of side air conditioners, disastrous in terms of energy and environment
We should also mention as highly appropriate from an environmental point of view the fact that the parts in common are mostly on the outside of the buildings: this will reduce heating consumption, artificial lighting and thus the costs.
2. The Building’s Setting in Terms of Sunshine
Making the most of the south facade can be achieved through the design of a thermal facade together with private outdoor spaces that increase the comfort and quality of the flats.
A thermal southern facade: the concept of loggia favours both summer and winter comfort. The loggia is a buffer zone consisting in two sliding glass walls that can open and close according to the variations of temperature.
This concept provides several functions:
» A function of protection: heat losses are reduced. » A supply of free heating by the sun: that heat is absorbed by the floor and the walls and released at night. » Given the 1.700 hours of sunshine per year, this supply is particularly significant in terms of energy savings. » The function of preheating fresh air, provided by controlled mechanical ventilation.
Provide comfort of use
This “thick” facade consisting in loggias running outside along the living rooms and the bedrooms provide a nice patio area. The depth of these loggias allows tables and chairs to enjoy the sun. As extensions of the living rooms some of the loggias have clear glass bays on two levels. This extra space can be opened or closed depending on the sunlight. It is both a balcony and a winter garden. As extensions of the bedrooms loggias have clear glass bays in the foreground and screened glass bays over the street. This treatment filters views and sunshine for more privacy.
3. Integrating the Project in the Context
West terraces – neighbouring buildings at number 18 rue Riquet have an identity of their own: they form a complex with a very “faubourg” touch in the type and height of the buildings and the imbrication of the plots.
It appeared to us that in many ways there was a strong connection between the project and this complex:
» There must be respect in the way the buildings are linked, the project must not crush the existing buildings nor pour too much shade on them » The project must offer flats widely opened on the outside with views to the west (good position, facing multiple directions). » Sunlight should reach the garden at the bottom of the plot.
For all these reasons we opted for gradually decreasing terraces on its western side. The terraces would run from west to east but also from south to north which allows light to reach the bottom of the plot. The choice of terraces and vegetal roofs make it even more pleasant for future residents and the neighbourhood.
Compliance with the local urbanism plan
Consistent with Parisian architecture and in accordance with the Local Urbanism Plan, the project suggests marking a base to ground floor by the building of a glass facade running all the imposed 3.20 metres of height. The two last levels stand back in conformity with the templates, so that the attic stands out. The yard created at the north east corner of the plot as an extension of the existing adjoining courtyards is there to create crossing flats.
4. Create Outdoor Space to Benefit Everybody
The project offers several types of outdoor spaces: A large courtyard with a real garden for the crèche on the ground floor. Keeping in mind the fact that the flat is located in a plant growing area, the two of them form a large open space of pleasant proportions: 150 square metres.
This creates a vegetal strip of land which can be enjoyed not only from the ground floor but also from the corridors of distribution and the west terraces. These buildings have an open outlook and leave perspectives free. And finally this garden is a valuable space for the buildings close to the imbricate plots.
As an extension of an already existing adjoining yard, a yard in the corner allows the creation of crossing flats and on a city scale to keep open spaces designed to let the housing block breathe.
Each flat except for the studios overlooking the courtyard owns a private outdoor loggia. The western corner flats even have a terrace facing southwest.
All flats are at least all-through flats. Those located on the western side face south-west and north. There is a flat on the ground floor with a 35 square metre terrace facing west. Except for the two rooms overlooking the courtyard, they all have private outdoor space. The ceilings are 2.50 metre high and on the west side living rooms have partial double heights(+ 1 metre). Typologies follow that pattern: seven studios, eight one-bedroom flats, five three-room flats, eight four-room flats.
A cantilevered storey projects from the side of this house in Gifu, Japan, to create a sheltered alcove on the edge of the garden (+ slideshow).
Keitaro Muto Architects designed the family home for a 171 square metre plot in a residential neighbourhood of the city.
The cantilevered section is raised 1.4 metres above the ground, providing a sheltered space where the family’s children can play and from which a hammock has been slung.
A staircase leads from a paved parking area into an entrance hall in the cantilevered space, which also houses the master bedroom.
The floating theme continues inside the house, where a staircase with horizontal wooden treads that seems to hover in mid air descends into the open-plan kitchen and living space.
A flight of perforated metal stairs leads from the entrance to the upper storey, which houses two bedrooms, a toilet and a walk-in closet.
The garden is visible through windows below the level of the cantilever, while a void extends the living space to the height of the second storey.
This concrete-clad house in northern Portugal by Arquitectos Matos comprises an L-shaped block that folds around a courtyard (+ slideshow).
Portuguese studio Arquitectos Matos designed the single-storey home, named Casa de Mosteiro, for a family living just outside the town of Santa Maria da Feira.
The dark concrete exterior contrasts with the house’s bright interior, which features white walls alongside wooden floors and fittings.
Two adjoining blocks give the house its L-shaped plan. The first contains the dining room, living area and kitchen, while the second accommodates three bedrooms, a bathroom and a study.
Floor-to-ceiling doors slide back to open various rooms out to a wooden deck, which folds around the grassy courtyard and features a small swimming pool.
“The interior spaces are directly associated with the patio,” said the architects. “[It] unifies the different areas of the house and intensifies the daily experiences of the family.”
A flat concrete roof overhangs this side of the building and creates a sheltered patio and garage in one corner.
One wall is tiled with bright-green glazed ceramics, salvaged from the house that formerly occupied the site and belonged to the owner’s parents. The architects refer to it as a “memory wall”.
The site is located on the outskirts of Santa Maria da Feira, surrounded by a diffuse and changing landscape.
The concept of the project comes from the combined interpretation of the functional program of a single-family house with the specific premises of the clients, as from the study of the characteristics of the lot and its surroundings and morphological conditions.
The house is organised in a single floor around a central courtyard, facing South and West, protected from the street on the North side. Shaped as an “L”, it is divided in two parts – a longitudinal volume organised the service areas and the leisure zone, while the bedrooms are located in the shorter volume, transversal to the lot.
An additional volume, a storage room placed in the limit of the terrain, accurately defines the central courtyard.
Access to the house is made from the east side, by a ramp that serves as a transition between the level of the street and the main and service entrances.
At the intersection of the two volumes of the L, a void announces the main entrance, that inward, through its transparency, reveals the central courtyard and leads to the different areas of the house.
The interior spaces are directly associated to the patio, though protected by the porch, that externally unifies the different areas of the house as intensifies the daily experiences of the family.
The living room is an ample space, where the dining and living areas are commonly organised, spatially extending to the outdoor through natural light.
The volume, simple and compact, is coated by an opaque ventilated façade made of prefabricated black textured concrete panels on its public surfaces, whilst its interior walls, facing the private patio, are fully open through their transparency.
The background scenery of the courtyard and garden is framed by the “memory wall”, built out of stones from the demolition of pre-existence.
Designation: Casa de Mosteiro Location: Santa Maria de Feira, Portugal Project: 2008-2009 Construction: 2010-2012 Client: Private Architecture: Arquitectos Matos (Ricardo Matos, Nuno Matos) Co-author: Luís Loureido Architecture collaboration: Huge Gomes
Spain and Switzerland-based studio Kawamura-Ganjavian have scaled down their Ostrich Pillows for ad-hoc snoozing to be suitable for children aged six and over.
Originally funded on Kickstarter, the padded grey helmets are designed to make sleeping at the desk, on long car journeys or in waiting rooms more comfortable – find out more in our previous story.
The design has been modified for kids so the whole face is visible through the hole in the front, compared to just the nose and mouth on the adult model.
Patterned fabric now lines the inside, visible through the two hand holes on either side.
When we published the adult version, our commenters called it “a pickpocket’s dream” and compared it to a “garlic clove” and a “locust head”.
Ostrich Pillow hit the headlines across the globe 12 months ago and everybody was talking about it, from Perez Hilton to Stephen Fry, Jimmy Kimmel to the cast of ‘Modern Family’, Tech Crunch to the Sun, Hypebeast to Loose Women, Huffington Post to Bloomberg.
The Ostrich Pillow launch made a sensation last year when it it’s founders raised more than $200,000 in just 30 days via the amazing crowd-funded Kickstarter campaign.
The people have spoken with sales stretching across the globe, and the sleep-deprived masses have been relishing the calm in their “Ostrich Pillow moments”. Have you Instagrammed your’s yet?
We at Ostrich Pillow like to be inclusive so now with public demand telling us to think about the kids, so here we are announcing the launch of Ostrich Pillow Junior. From ages six plus, the Ostrich Pillow Junior is the perfect travelling and napping companion for kids for car journeys, study breaks and general time outs.
Beautifully designed, hand-made to perfection in Spain and supercool, this new addition is more fun, more functional and more bang for your buck.
Ostrich Pillow Junior comes with a larger opening for the face so both eyes and mouth are visible enhanced padding at the forehead and neck to give more comfort, support and ease for the younger user.
The pillow comes with two unique interior colours – Berry Snooze and Dreamy Waves and comes with a more attractive price and retails at €59, $75 and £50.
Alongside the launch of Ostrich Pillow Junior, the designers have created more colours for the adult range. As well as the original Ostrich Pillow Blue, we now offer you the choice of Mellow Yellow for those bright happy times and Sunset Siesta for those chilled out and laid back moments, solving more of your gifting dilemmas’ as the holiday season draws nearer.
Here are more public spaces on the back of bikes: a swarm of tiny mobile parks covered in grass are being pedalled around the city of Baku this month (+ slideshow).
Designed by John Bela of design firm Rebar Group and Till Wolfer of Scandinavian collective N55, the Parkcycle Swarm project consists of four pedal-powered miniature parks.
Each one has a bike in the centre and is surrounded by a rectangular metal frame with a grassy surface. One of the parks has a tree attached to the frame and another folds up like a sun lounger.
They can be cycled to a chosen location and installed for public use. Visitors to the micro-green spaces are encouraged to take a break, have some lunch, relax and sunbathe.
The project intends to highlight new possibilities of public installations and to raise awareness of cycling, community participation and the value of green space, according to the designers.
Parkcycle Swarm will be traveling around the Azerbaijan capital city as part of arts organisation Yarat’s Public Arts Festival called Participate this month.
A joint project by N55 and Rebar Group, Parkcycle Swarm has landed for August-September 2013 at PARTICIPATE: Baku Public Art Festival 2013, produced by YARAT.
The work joins YARAT’s founder comments, “Parkcycle Swarm is a brilliant addition to the Public Art Festival, helping expand our expectations of ‘public art’ and creating a social, green space wherever its components travel. We hope to inspire artists and the public alike with our programme, so we are delighted to welcome both the Parkcycle Swarm and Rebar group’s director John Bela to give a lecture at YARAT.”
Parkcycle Swarm consists of four small mobile parks, which are being cycled through the city. Described by Rebar group as a “human-powered, open space distribution system,” Parkcycle debuted in San Francisco in 2007, offering immediate access to green space for the neighbourhoods it parked in. By bringing the project to Baku, Rebar Group aims to expand the possibilities of public sculpture whilst raising awareness of cycle-power, community participation and the importance of green space.
Works at the Baku Public Art Festival 2013 range from a giant Rubber Duck by Florentijn Hofman (Netherlands), which arrives on 5 September, to Farkhad Haqverdi’s (Azerbaijan) Yard Art initiative, which has transformed Baku’s most neglected spaces, through to a performance and installation 9th Apartment by Georgian collective Group Bouillon, which questioned post-Soviet ideas of public and private space.
Parkcycle Swarm will be followed by Florentijn Hofman’s Rubber Duck, landing in Baku 5 September.
About YARAT
Founded in 2011 by Aida Mahmudova, YARAT is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to nurturing an understanding of contemporary art in Azerbaijan and to creating a platform for Azerbaijani art, both nationally and internationally.
Based in Baku, YARAT, (which means ‘create’ in Azerbaijani) realises its mission through an ongoing program of exhibitions, education events, and festivals. YARAT facilitates dialogue and exchange between local and international artistic networks, including foundations, galleries and museums. A series of residencies further fosters opportunities for global cultural dialogue and partnerships.
YARAT’s educational initiatives include lectures, seminars, master classes, and the Young Artist Project ARTIM (meaning ‘progress’ in Azerbaijani). ARTIM aims to encourage the next generation of Azerbaijani creative talent to seek a career in the arts and gives young practitioners the opportunity to exhibit their works in a professional context.
Founded as part of YARAT’s ongoing commitment to growing local art infrastructure, YAY Gallery is a commercial exhibition space. In line with this, YAY (meaning SHARE in Azerbaijani) shares all proceeds from sales between the artist and YARAT and supports a range of national and international artists.
“Cricklewood is a community with no public space: no town hall, no library, no square, not even a single bench,” explained the designers. “The square will take the form of a civic folly on the back of a rickshaw bicycle, housing everything necessary to create a bona fide town square, including benches, stools, a clock tower, games and signage.”
The miniature square will be installed at a number of temporary locations, including outside a DIY superstore, on a pavement near a bingo hall and a rooftop car park. It will be used to host events for the local community such as dances and film screenings.
“The project aims to show what public space can do for a community, and how even these scraps of land can be used to create a sense of place,” said the designers.
When the town square is fully installed it covers 10 metres squared. The mobile folly including the bicycle is 1.22 metres wide and 2.8 metres long. It rises to 3.2 metres in height.
It has a custom-made five-wheeled base with 12 millimetre plywood covering, faux-brick cladding and a hand-made clock. Inside, there is a collection of furniture including umbrellas, benches, tables and chairs.
“The structure is both a practical solution – a vehicle to move the kit around – and a folly, providing a civic backdrop, helping to frame the spaces,” said designer Kieren Jones. “I hope this playful solution can be the town hall that Cricklewood never had.”
Cricklewood Town Square will be travelling around north London until 28 September. It will also be exhibited at the RIBA Forgotten Spaces exhibition at Somerset House in London, which runs from 4 October to 10 November 2013.
Spacemakers produce the world’s first mobile town square
Spacemakers, the civic design agency behind the successful transformation of Brixton Village market, has enlisted Studio Hato and Studio Kieren Jones to create the world’s first mobile town square. Constructed from a clever kit of parts, the innovative town square will travel by bike and move across north London from 31 August to 28 September, inhabiting patches of disused land and turning them into vibrant public spaces for all.
Cricklewood, north west London, has an intriguing history but little civic amenities left to show for its heritage – not only is there no town hall or library, there’s not even a single public bench. Now the team that created the cult Brixton Village renaissance are turning their attentions north, seeking to highlight the dire lack of public space in Cricklewood via their ingenious mobile town square.
Designed and built by Studio Kieren Jones, the mobile town square will emerge in a series of forgotten spaces: from an unloved patch of grass next to B&Q, to an empty pavement outside a bingo hall, and even a rooftop car park. The square will take the form of a civic folly on the back of a rickshaw bicycle, housing everything necessary to create a bona fide town square, including benches, stools, a clocktower, games and signage.
To bring the Capital’s newest public space to life Londoners are invited to join in, with a dynamic programme of events running throughout the installation, from dog shows and chess championships, to tea dances and debates. Many of the events play on Cricklewood’s little known past, with film screenings on a car park roof referencing the area’s long lost film studios, and a DIY library where locals can read books by the town’s famous literary progeny.
Designer Kieren Jones explains: “In response to the relative lack of civic space in Cricklewood, I have created a miniature and mobile town hall, which will enable the activation of places and spaces within the town centre that have been previously underused. The structure will also house a set of bespoke furniture, using local suppliers, that can be flexibly deployed. The clock tower is a reference to the Smiths clock factory that used to exist in Cricklewood, and to the decorative clock that used to exist on Anson Road, but which was sold for scrap during the war.
The structure is both a practical solution – a vehicle to move the kit around – and a folly, providing a civic backdrop, helping to frame the spaces. Cricklewood has a thriving community, but no space for this community to exist. In a way, I hope this playful solution can be the town hall that Cricklewood never had.”
The fully installed space will be up to 10 metres squared, the mobile folly including the bicycle is 1.22m wide x 2.8m long x 3.2m tall and made from a bespoke, dip-coated 5-wheeled bike base, a steel frame, with 12mm plywood covering, faux-brick cladding (polyurethane, resin and brick dust) and a hand-made clock. The square’s furniture is made from a welded steel base, dip-coated in Cricklewood by local car-resprayers and finished with locally sourced, reclaimed wood.
Studio Hato were tasked with creating the signage and graphics for the square. Their solution was to come up with a DIY sign-making workshop, where local people could use stencils to create their own signs, and set their own rules, for the space.
A unique font, based on the standard British ‘transport’ font used on street signs across the country, has been created, and will be applied using stencils to pre-cut, temporary boards, with marker pens in official signage colours: blue, red, green and brown. Wayfinding signs will also be created, pointing towards the square, and re-positioned each time the square moves.
For Spacemakers it’s the incidental activities which take place on the structure which will be the most fascinating element of all, as project director Tom James reveals: “It’s these unplanned elements that will really generate the social life of these squares, attracting passers by. Our project is all about giving local people permission to sit, rest, play and meet in these spaces. This free, public space, open to everyone, is vital to making any place feel like a real community.”
James notes that the project aims to show people what’s possible, even in these scraps of land, but more than this, it aims to start a conversation. “We hope to use this project to get an idea into Cricklewood, to set a precedent that local people can use to help them work towards a permanent public space. The structure will stay in the community long-term: but just as important is the inspiration.”
Cricklewood Town Square is funded by the Mayor’s Outer London Fund, as part of a set of interventions in Cricklewood, led by Gort Scott Architects.
Cricklewood Town Square director Tom James is a writer and urbanist. His previous projects include GO, a cult fanzine about Sheffield which was named as one of Britain’s Top Ten Arts Secrets by the Observer, featured at the Venice Biennale for architecture in 2006, and is part of the V&A’s Permanent Art Collection; and Sheffield Publicity Department, an imaginary tourist board for Sheffield.
Furniture
Kieren Jones is a designer and maker. His award winning work includes the Sea Chair project, a method of harnessing waste plastic in the oceans to make furniture, and the Blue Fence project: a proposal to reuse olympic fencing to create social furniture. In 2006, his ‘Flatpack Rearranged’ project, repurposing Ikea furniture, gave rise to the ‘Ikea Hacking’ subculture. Kieren leads the Materials Futures MA course at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London.
Volcanic stone walls feature a geometric pattern of copper-leaf triangles inside this restaurant and nightclub on the banks of the Seine river in Paris (+ slideshow).
Mexico City architects Emmanuel Picault and Ludwig Godfrey collaborated with Paris architect Nicolas Sisto to insert the Nüba nightclub on the upper level of a shopping centre and exhibition hall near Austerlizt station.
The project is inspired by Mexican architecture and materials. “Living in Mexico City for a few years, this project of Nüba brought us back home to Paris through our adopted country Mexico,” said Godfrey and Picault, who both grew up in France.
The trio shipped five tonnes of volcanic stone from Veracruz to Le Havre to build the interior then applied 300 square metres of copper leaf from Santa Clara Del Cobre across the ceiling.
These materials helped to create a dark and shadowy interior with simple undertones of brown, grey and gold, illuminated by low lights and the reflection of the copper-leaf detailing.
The tessellated wall patterns are complemented by triangular cornices. “Simple and sharp geometry is the defining aesthetic of this project, reinforced by the use of the best Mexican handcraft, a tribute to this country,” the architects added.
The space operates as a restaurant during the day, transforming into a concert hall and club at night.
A kitchen and bar area are positioned at the rear of the space, with the restaurant area off to one side. A dancing area with a raised, wooden stage and small backstage area leads out onto a large outdoor bar and terrace.
Small wooden stools are positioned along the front of the bar and grouped together with tables in the restaurant.
The Franco-Mexicans architects Emmanuel Picault, Ludwig Godefroy and Nicolas Sisto have just completed a new restaurant/club in Paris, called the Nüba. Located on the rooftops of Paris, right in the city centre, in the recently revitalised neighbourhood of gare d’ Austerlizt, the generous 1400sqm space is widely open on the river Seine.
This project is the story of a voyage.The journey of Lionel Bensemoun, owner of Le Baron (Paris, New York, London, Tokyo), with the purpose of giving a party in Mexico City made happened our first encounter with him.Living in Mexico City since a few years, this project of Nüba brought us back home to Paris, through our adopted country, Mexico.
According to the genesis of the project, we decided to flight a project from Mexico to Paris. Using Mexican references and materials, we landed a temple on top of the French capital, a revisited one, fit to host a music consecration.
Simple and sharp geometry is defining the aesthetic of the project, reinforced by the use of the best mexican handcraft, a tribute to this country.
Among all materials, the most significant we shipped were, 5 tons of volcanic stones from Veracruz to Le Havre, as well as 200 sqm of leather from Leon Guanajuato to cover the walls, and 300 sqm of Santa Clara Del Cobre copper leaf for the ceiling.
With the help of our friend and ally, architect Nicolas Sisto, we managed to gather together all the materials in Mexico and rebuild the project in Paris, on the rooftop of the cité de la mode et du design, built by architects Jakob & Macfarlane.
Restaurant during the day, and concert hall and club at night, the space is centred around a large terrace providing a fluent and festive runaround for the clients, passing from one interest spot to another, from the inner bar to the outdoor one, enjoying this way either the outdoor DJ set on the terrace, the one inside or maybe the band playing live music on the stage.
Architecture: Emmanuel Picault (Mexico), Ludwig Godefroy (Mexico), Nicolas Sisto (Paris) Conceptual team: Lionel Bensemoun, Jean Marie Tassy, Gael Personnaz, Emmanuel Picault, Ludwig Godefroy, Nicolas Sisto Industrial design: Atelier Antoine Daniel, Emmanuel Picault, Ludwig Godefroy Advisors: Helena Ich&Kar Administration in Mexico: Roberto Ayala Administration in Paris: Alice Stahl Interior finishing: Aaron Yepez, Jose Luis Madrigal Construction: Josue Caniah (JRC)
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