Hasta La Ideas

Fir trusses create triangles that meet in the middle of the ceiling at a community hall in California designed by Siegel & Strain Architects.

A grid of tension cables supports the structural trusses, while slatted pine panels fill the spaces between them.

A central skylight runs along the length of the ceiling to provide natural light.

The 25 metre-long hall has large wooden doors resembling those of a barn.

The hall was completed by the architects in 2009, as were a library, youth centre and meeting rooms contained within the same building.

Other popular multi-purpose halls featured on Dezeen this year include one with an arched steel shell and another with a facade of shutters.

Photography is by David Wakely.

Here’s a more detailed description from the architects:

Yountville Community Center

For decades, the residents of Yountville, California, a rural town in Napa County, relied on a small 1920s-era community hall and a hodgepodge of rented spaces to host community events. The hall was in need of renovation, ill-equipped to support art classes and lacking in outdoor recreation spaces. In addition, the town had outgrown its library. In 1998, after surveying residents’ needs, the municipality embarked on a planning process for an expanded town center at the heart of town.

The Yountville Town Center opened in November 2009, weaving new and existing buildings and outdoor rooms into a place designed to enrich community life. Designed by Siegel & Strain Architects and located on a 2.5-acre site on Yountville’s main street, the town center consists of a new 10,000-square-foot community center, the renovated 4,800-square-foot community hall, and the addition of a sheriff’s substation to the adjacent post office. The new community center houses a branch library, multipurpose room, teen center, and meeting and program spaces. It opens onto a new town square framed by the existing community hall and the post office.

Building exteriors blend with the rural character, while inside the spaces are light and airy. The large multipurpose room, 80 feet by 50 feet, is day-lit along the roof’s spine by a ridge skylight, which has splayed walls that soften the light as it enters the room. A unique combination of Douglas fir trusses and cables enables the roof’s structural support system to have a minimal presence in the room and avoids blocking daylight from above. A large, covered porch of red cedar on two sides of the town square connects the community hall and community center, providing shade in the summer. Barn doors extend the multipurpose room onto the adjacent barbecue patio.

Targeted to achieve a LEED Platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council and to achieve energy savings of 44% over Title 24, the design integrates a range of green features. Walkways and bike paths connect the center to surrounding neighborhoods and main street activities. Exterior sunshades, a highly insulated building envelope, and “cool” standing seam metal roofs reduce energy use.

Energy-efficient mechanical systems are integrated with ground-source heat pumps for heating and cooling. A building integrated management system takes advantage of the temperate climate by opening skylights and windows on days with mild temperatures. Operable skylights, controlled by CO2 and rain sensors, and operable windows provide natural ventilation and balanced natural illumination.

Roof-mounted photovoltaic laminates on the new and existing buildings supply energy. Water-conserving plumbing fixtures, harvested rainwater, drip irrigation, subsurface irrigation, and drought-tolerant native plants further reduce water use. The existing parking lot was regraded to slope naturally so that rainwater could be harvested in a bioswale. Overall, site design reduces storm runoff by 40% over preconstruction conditions.
Building materials were selected to minimize life-cycle impacts and provide light and airy interiors free of formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds. Buildings feature durable, recycled content cement-fiber shingles and metal roofs. The new building’s red cedar cladding and Alaskan yellow cedar sunscreens and entrances are regionally harvested. Slatted wood ceilings are locally sourced white pine, and the existing community hall’s oak floor was reused. Over 75% of the wood is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Sustainability may not have been stated as part of the original vision, but the desire to incorporate green design grew over time as the project developed, championed by both civic leaders and the community. Now Yountville has a new “front porch,” bringing together residents of all ages while blending an agrarian vernacular with time-honored sustainable practices.

Architect: Siegel & Strain Architects
Location: Yountville, VA
Client: Town of Yountville
Date of occupancy: December 2009
Gross square footage: 20,000
Construction cost: $9.8M
Contractor: Swank Construction

Structural Engineer: Endres Ware Architects Engineers
Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing: Timmons Design Engineers
Civil Engineer: Coastland Civil Engineering
Landscape Architect: John Northmore Roberts & Associates
Lighting: Alice Prussin Lighting Design
Commissioning: Enovity Inc.
Specifications: Topflight Specs
Construction Manager: Pound Management

See also:

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Milson Island Sports Hall by Allen Jack+Cottier	Sports Hall by Franz Architekten & Atelier Mauch	Community centre by MARP and Dévényi és Társa

Dezeen Wire: Angela Brady will take over from Ruth Reed as president of the Royal Institute of British Architects tomorrow. Brady was elected in July 2010, as reported in Dezeen Wire last year.

Angela Brady becomes RIBA President

Angela Brady will become President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the UK body for architecture and the architectural profession tomorrow (1 September 2011). Angela takes over the two-year elected presidency from Ruth Reed.

Angela is the 74th RIBA President, a position previously held by Sir G. Gilbert Scott and Sir Basil Spence among others; she is the second woman President.

Angela Brady is director of Brady Mallalieu Architects, an award-winning architecture practice specialising in contemporary sustainable design. She holds a number of significant posts including Ambassador for the Government Equality Office, advisor to the British Council, visiting critic and external examiner for a number of UK and Irish universities, and enabler for the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE). Angela has previously served as a member of influential panels including the CABE English Heritage urban panel; as Design Champion for the London Development Agency Board and as Vice-Chair of the Civic Trust Awards.

Angela Brady, RIBA President said:

“I am delighted and honoured to become RIBA President; and to represent an extremely talented and resourceful profession whose work benefits the whole of society. Architecture and the spaces around us have a profound affect on the way we feel and act and how we develop as individuals and as a community. During my term in office I intend to work to increase the understanding that the public and politicians have about the value that well designed buildings bring to peoples lives, and to help bring about the necessary political and education changes to enable the delivery of the best possible built environments.

“The economic collapse of recent years has been tumultuous for the whole construction industry, with many architects, amongst so many others, facing under-employment and cancelled projects. As part of our recovery from this situation, the construction industry must work even more collaboratively in order to cut waste and produce better affordable sustainable buildings. The Government can support us by ensuring short-term cost-saving decisions are not taken to the detriment of our longer-term health, education and prosperity.

“I am particularly delighted to be in office during 2012 – a time when we will be showcasing some of the very best of British architecture and design talent on a world stage at the London Olympics. As former design champion for the London Development Agency BOARD and daughter of a past Olympic competitor (my Dad competed in 1968 and 1972), I will be honoured to be RIBA President at this time and proud that the UK is delivering fantastic sustainable regeneration that will benefit our country during the Games and for many years to come.”

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SUNLAB è un concorso internazionale rivolto ai designer under 35. Il tema del concorso, organizzato dal Salone Internazionale dell’Esterno che si tiene ogni anno in ottobre a Rimini Fiera, è l’outdoor design. L’evento è coordinato dai designer Alessandro D’Angeli e Ivo Caruso e dalle tre edizioni precedenti sono scaturiti prodotti interessanti: degli 80 progetti selezionati, 16 sono stati messi in produzione. Nel seguito dall’articolo pubblico alcuni dei progetti passati: sono proposte fantasiose e divertenti, a volte ingenue, ma si tratta comunque di una vetrina da non trascurare.

Il tema di questa edizione è vivere la città, l’obiettivo è quindi la creazione di arredi per spazi come piazze, parchi, parcheggi o locali pubblici.  Il bando è stato pubblicato ad inizio anno e si è chiuso in maggio; si conoscono i nomi dei vincitori, ma i prototipi dei progetti selezionati saranno mostrati solo durante il SUN, dal 20 al 22 ottobre 2011, a Rimini.

Sono curioso di scoprire le nuove proposte dei giovani designer, che promettano particolare attenzione agli aspetti di ecosostenibilità, sicurezza, comunicazione e mobilità degli spazi urbani contemporanei. Ci sono davvero tante sperimentazioni possibili.

Quello in copertina è un progetto dello stesso Ivo Caruso e si chiama Labiro. Il suo uso è evidente: un pavimento modulare per i parchi cittadini che diventa un labirinto dove i bambini possono giocare con le biglie.

Questi sono i vasi Bulbose di Alberto Caiola.

Balilla è un dissuasore carrabile che può essere usato come porta da calcetto con segnapunti. Progetto di Hey Team.

Seme & bocciolo di Alessandro D’Angeli è un oggetto chiaramente ispirato alle forme di un vegetale che svolge, sia la funzione di innaffiatoio che di irrigatore.

Di SUNLAB si è già parlato molto sul web; in questa pagina del Salone Internazionale dell’Esterno puoi vedere i progetti scelti nel 2010, mentre su Young Designer abbondano gli articoli dedicati ai designer che hanno partecipato alle edizioni precedenti.

Seven new spots to shop in Hollywood’s up-and-coming retail district

From Japanese selvage denim to modern bohemian tunics, La Brea is quickly becoming one of the most creative shopping destinations in Los Angeles. The neighborhood redevelopment project has helped inspire several new stores to open their doors on the extra-large boulevard, revitalizing the blocks between Beverly Boulevard and 2nd Street. Now with Feal Mor, Don Ville shoes, Black Scale, General Quarters and the brand new Post 42, this retail capital of well-put-together stores is filled with independent designs, vintage finds and handmade accessories.

In an area where And Still, Undefeated, Stussy and Union sit side by side near the wacky giant Hollywood signs, and the kitschy pop culture collections of Nick Metropolis are on the same street as American Rag and phenomenal art exhibits at Merry Karnowsky Gallery, we found seven new favorites.

Self Edge

Self Edge is the go-to outfitter for the best selvage denim including Real Japan Blues, Iron Heart and Strike Gold, as well as plaid shirts and jackets. Current stock at the Los Angeles store includes hand dyed Kawatako belts, wallets and bags.

Next up they are launching a line called Stevenson Overall Company made in Japan. It’s an updated classic American style so, according to owner Kiya Babzani, “You don’t look like a railroad worker.”

Don Ville Shoes

With a brand-new retail space connected to a full-service shoe workshop, the cobblers at Don Ville craft bespoke, made-to-measure and ready-to-wear footwear onsite.

Peek into the workroom to see projects in various states of development and lust after the perfect leather for bespoke loafers; drool-worthy examples include turquoise patent oxfords and pearl grey ankle boots.

Black Scale

Founded by Mega and Alfred de Tagle, urban art collective Black Scale fills their minimalist space with graphic black-and-white t-shirts, apparel and accessories with pops of red, along with skulls, pyramids and crucifixes.

Added into the mix, look for grey jackets, vests with multiple layers of fabric and long charcoal sweaters with metal buttons, sleek black high-tops and collaborative projects.

Feal Mor

As a collector of military uniforms, owner JP Plunier designs striped military-inspired sweaters and stocks his store with wetsuits from Amsterdam, as well as short-sleeved button-down oxfords made from super-fine Japanese cotton.

Accessories new and vintage line the shop, which also houses surfboards, bicycles, turntables and other treasures. Based on the French ’56 Jump Jacket, look for the noir black or cognac tan Feal Mor Battle Jacket in the La Brea store and online.

What Goes Around Comes Around

A wonder emporium of classic glamour and style, What Goes Around Comes Around peddles vintage Chanel, Levi’s LVC, The West is Dead, custom Converse high-tops, vintage Louis Vuitton luggage and vintage eyewear. Their own WGACA Collection of ’60s-inspired pieces feature retro prints, embroidered details and fur outerwear.

Stylist Paige Yingst has the back room set up with special merchandise and is ready to help customers find the perfect look for any special occasion.

General Quarters

General Quarters owner Blair Lucio fills his men’s lifestyle store with Americana heritage styles that focus on casual California-inspired designs. Inside you’ll find plaid shirts, soft tees and relaxed denim sitting beside pocket knives, motorcycles, and vintage American bandanas.

Lucio’s favorite lines include Gant Rugger, Life After Denim, Kelty Pack, Pail Car Denim, Groceries and CXXVi. New finds include bracelets made from World War II-era camo parachute para-cord with a old good luck fishing lure recast in bronze.

Post 42

Matt Winter erected two Quonset huts in a parking lot at the corner of 1st and La Brea and quietly opened up shop at Post 42. Officially opening in mid-September, reclaimed furniture and objects, along with new and vintage apparel and accessories, will sell from inside the World War II structures.

See more images from the shops in the gallery below.