Hasta La Ideas

Walls appear to be peeling back from the facade of this house by Chinese office AZL Architects, one of 24 architect-designed buildings underway in a forest near Nanjing, China.

The house forms part of the Chinese International Practical Exhibition of Architecture (CIPEA) programme, which was first conceived back in 2003 as a showcase of modern architecture featuring 11 buildings by Chinese studios and 13 more by architects from abroad. A total of 20 houses are planned for the site in Laoshan National Forest Park, as well as an art museum by Steven Holl, a conference centre by Arata Isozaki, a hotel by Liu Jiakun and a leisure centre by the late Ettore Sottsass.

For his contribution, Zhang Lei of AZL Architects designed a four-storey house with layered concrete walls, intended to resemble the curling forms of traditional Chinese scrolls. Each opening provides a wide aperture, framing views of the surrounding woodland from balconies that wrap the perimeter.

“The concept of Blockhouse is almost the living attitude of many Chinese; a minimal opening to the surrounding landscape is the only perforation of the richness inside the house,” say the architects.

Rooms are contained within a glass volume at the centre of the structure. A living and dining room occupies the ground floor, while the five bedrooms required by the brief are located upstairs along with bathrooms and a study.

A staircase leads up to the roof, where a wooden terrace and swimming pool sit just above the treetops.

Blockhouse is part of the first batch of completed CIPEA houses. Although each one is designed as a functioning home, none of the houses will be lived in and will instead serve as an extension of Holl’s Nanjing Sifang Art Museum, scheduled to open later this year.

See more stories about architecture in China, including a kindergarten in Tianjin and a museum for wooden sculptures in Harbin.

Photography is by Yao Li.

Here’s a little more information from AZL Architects

CIPEA No.4 House / AZL architects

Situated in Laoshan Forest to the west of central Nanjing city, China International Practical Exhibition of Architecture (CIPEA) began in 2003 to bring twenty-four renowned international & domestic architects together onto one site. CIPEA consist of four public buildings and twenty small houses, in accordance with the brief, the houses should have at least five bedrooms, public spaces and hospitality accommodations on 500 square meters.

The Number Four “Blockhouse” sits on a particularly valley site, nestling the house into the landscape. In the spirit of a pagoda, four cubic floors are stacked vertically, allowing for minimal site excavation and land use. The ground floor features living and dining spaces quietly enveloped in the surrounding forest and overlooking a stream, and a communal roof terrace rises to just above the trees. The roof merges into the landscape as another living space, complete with pool and wooden deck within the panorama of the forest. The geometric shape is sculpted from concrete and finished in a white protection surface.

The concept of Blockhouse is almost the living attitude of many Chinese; a minimal opening to the surrounding landscape is the only perforation of the richness inside the house. The horizontal break of each floor – in combination with larger unique curved apertures on each floor – frame vistas in the spirit of Chinese landscape scrolls. Prescribed views have a long tradition in Chinese art history and traditional Chinese gardens, designed to make the viewer reconsider and contemplate the landscape.

Location: Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
Architect in Charge: Zhang Lei
Project Team: Zhang Lei, Jeffrey Cheng, Wang Wang, Wang Yi
Collaborator: Architectural Design & planning Institute, NJU
Project Area: 500 sqm
Project year: 2008-2012

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Black-painted pine clads the walls of this small gabled house by Swedish studio Erik Andersson Architects on an island in the Stockholm archipelago (+ slideshow).

The single-storey house is covered with a traditional Falu Rödfärg paint to give it an austere appearance, while the symmetrical roof is clad with black tar paper to match.

Erik Andersson Architects used an exact 1:3 proportion to generate the dimensions of the building, creating a six-metre height, a six-metre width and an 18-metre length.

Located in a woodland area on the island of Yxlan, the building is constructed over a wooden podium that creates a continuous deck around its perimeter. This allow residents to sit in the sun at any time of day.

Large square windows meet the ground on each elevation so that different rooms can be opened out to the deck.

Contrasting with the exterior, most rooms inside the house have white-painted walls, floors and ceilings. The bathroom is the only exception and is lined with square black tiles.

A living and dining room occupies the central section of the house. A double bedroom sits on one side, while a bathroom, a single bedroom and a sauna are positioned at the opposite end.

The house also features an outdoor plunge pool, which can be heated using a wood-burning stove.

Stockholm firm Erik Andersson Architects also recently completed a pedestrian bridge with a built-in heating system to keep it clear of ice and snow.

See more houses in Sweden on Dezeen, including one with a glass-fronted lookout loft and one with an aquarium-like swimming pool.

Photography is by Åke E-son Lindman.

Here’s some more information from Erik Andersson Architects:

Strict proportions by Erik Andersson

On Yxlan in the northern Stockholm archipelago, Erik Andersson Architects has designed the archetypal house. Designed strictly by using the proportional ratio of 1:3, the house measures six meters in depth, eighteen meters in length and six meters in height.

The facade windows also follow a clear pattern: they are all square in form and have the same size. The villa is situated on natural ground, surrounded by pine trees and spruces, and much of the surroundings have been preserved. A terrace runs around the building, making it possible for the residents to lounge and enjoy the sun at any time of the day.

Glass panels on both sides open views right through the house and provide a constant contact with the sea. The house is clad with horizontal pine panels, painted black with Falu Rödfärg – a traditional Swedish paint that can be traced right back to the 16th century – while the roof is covered with tar felt.

As a contrast to the black exterior, the interior is dominated by white. Everything from the walls and pine floors is painted white – except for the bathroom, where black tiles cover everything from the walls to the floor, and a window, high up in the ceiling, provides a glimpse of the sky.

The house also features a sauna with a panoramic view to the sea and the cruise ships passing by, as well as a custom made outdoor plunge pool, which can be heated for winter use with a wood-fired stove.

Project name: Villa Wallin
Type: Private Residence
Location: Yxlan, Stockholm archepelago, Sweden
Status: Completed
Client: Mats Wallin and Petra Ryrberg
Architect: Erik Andersson Architects
Budget: EUR 150.000
Size: 108m.

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Madrid studio Ábaton has rebuilt a crumbling stone stable in the countryside of western Spain and converted the building into a self-sufficient family home (+ slideshow).

Located miles away from the nearest town, the old building was too remote to be connected to an electrical grid or water supply, so Ábaton had to make use of renewable energy sources. The orientation of the building helps to generate a solar heat gain, while two nearby streams provide hydro electricity, as well as clean water for drinking and bathing.

The stone and timber structure of the stable had significantly deteriorated, so the architects had to replace most of the walls. “[We] decided that building from scratch was the best option as the stable was in a terrible shape,” they explain.

The rustic stone exterior of the house was restored on all four elevations. Windows sit within deep recesses and can be screened behind large wooden shutters that reference the style of stable doors.

Many of the walls inside the house were removed and replaced with metal columns, opening up a large double-height living room along the entire length of the building.

Two bedrooms are positioned at the back, plus the old hay lofts were renovated to create an extra three upstairs.

A swimming pool runs along the front of the building, doubling up as an irrigation tank, plus a small patio is tucked away at the back, where it is overlooked by bedrooms and bathrooms.

The architects added limestone floors throughout the house, plus exposed concrete walls and wooden ceilings. “In short, a mix of modern cement and iron beams coexist with well-worn stone, weather-beaten wood and local stone,” add the architects.

We’ve featured a few converted stables on Dezeen recently. Others include a family house in England and a summer retreat in Portugal.

See more Spanish houses on Dezeen »

Here’s some more information from Ábaton:

Located in a privileged environment in the province of Cáceres, the goal was to transform an abandoned stable into a family home by completely renovating it in a way that would be consistent and respectful with the environment. At the end, the studio decided that building from scratch was the best option as the stable was in a terrible shape.

High on a hill and far from city water or an electrical grid, a thorough investigation resulted in the addition of photovoltaic and hydro power (weighted toward solar in summer and hydro in winter) and worked to ensure the home wouldn’t use much energy. The building’s original orientation also helped as southern exposure allowed for the sun to be the main source of heat during the winter.

A generous eave prevents much sun from entering the home during summer, thus keeping it cool. Large wooden shutters that slide closed like a second skin, cover the large windows at night to trap in most of the home’s daily solar heat gain.

As the building is located far from city water but perfectly located below two streams that flow year round the water is pure and can be used for drinking and bathing. The swimming pool acts as a holding tank for use in irrigation.

In the interior nature has been incorporated almost to every room in the house: bathrooms with views of the interior patio and its stone water fountain, bedrooms with huge picture windows overlooking the countryside.

The position of the architecture is as it was originally and the material used are also the same though given the home’s crumbling state the façade was built with a mix of cement and local stone.

In the interior, supporting walls were replaced by light metal pillars, the haylofts in the upper area were converted into bedrooms and the enormous central lounge serves different purposes. In short, a mix of modern cement and iron beams coexist with well-worn stone, weather-beaten wood and local stone.

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Japanese studio SANAA has completed a circular production hall with rippled acrylic walls for furniture brand Vitra, making it the latest addition to the firm’s campus of buildings by famous architects in Weil am Rhein, Germany (+ slideshow).

Architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA were asked to replace an old factory hall with a larger facility to accommodate production and distribution for Vitra’s shop-fitting company Vitrashop.

The new single-storey building features a circular plan that can be subdivided to allow separate operations to take place simultaneously. The main section of the production hall is used for product assembly, while the northern side provides a stockroom for materials and the southern end is used for the storage of finished products.

The undulating plastic cladding encases the entire facade, concealing the building’s prefabricated concrete and steel structure. Each acrylic component comprises a transparent exterior and an opaque white inner layer, and was vacuum-moulded to create the wavy shape.

Loading bays are distributed around the perimeter and can be converted into offices if necessary. There are also a few windows positioned along the tops of the walls, plus skylights help to bring more natural light in through the roof.

The SANAA-designed Factory Building joins structures by a host of internationally renowned architects on the site, including Herzog & de Meuron’s VitraHaus showroom, the Vitra Design Museum by Frank Gehry, a conference hall by Tadao Ando and a fire station by Zaha Hadid.

First established in the 1980s, the Vitra Campus has become well-known as an unofficial museum of contemporary architecture. The next building proposed for the site is a children’s art workshop by Chilean architect Ale­jan­dro Ar­ave­na.

See more buildings at the Vitra Campus, or see a selection of furniture produced by Vitra.

Photography is by Julien Lanoo, apart from where otherwise stated.

Here’s a more detailed project description from Vitra:

Development of the Vitra Campus

After 1993 – the year in which Tadao Ando’s Conference Pavilion and the Fire Station by Zaha Hadid were completed, followed by the dedication of Álvaro Siza’s factory hall one year later – no new buildings were constructed on the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein for more than a decade. A new expansion phase began in 2006 with commissions assigned to Herzog & de Meuron and the Japanese architectural team SANAA. The Basel-based architects were entrusted with the VitraHaus project on a site outside of the actual production compound in the northern corner of the Campus. The VitraHaus, which opened in early 2010, serves as a presentation venue for the Vitra Home Collection and marks the entrance to the company premises together with Frank Gehry’s Vitra Design Museum. SANAA began to plan a production facility for Vitrashop – a shop fitting company within the Vitra Group – on the south side of the Campus. The completion of these two new buildings also achieved a partial restructuring of the Campus grounds by separating operational logistics from public visitor traffic. The central axis leading to the Hadid Fire Station is now mainly used by visitors, while deliveries and dispatches are primarily routed through the access road that lies on the eastern side of the premises.

A production facility without a role model

Almost all of the major projects that SANAA has completed up until now have been buildings for cultural institutions or universities. In Weil am Rhein – with the first industrial facility to be designed by SANAA – the idea was to apply a similar approach to the construction of a production hall.

The plan for the new structure was initiated by the desire of Vitra’s management to replace an old factory building near the southern corner of the premises that had survived the great fire in 1981 with only minor damage. The extant building was not only showing its age, but was also too small for current demands. The new facility was to provide 20,000 square metres of floor area – compared to 12,000 square metres in the old structure.

The architectural brief presented to SANAA by the company management specified a division of the total space into four separate areas that could operate independently from one another, but would also provide optimal conditions for operations that required use of the entire space. After making a detailed analysis of the brief, SANAA suggested that the preliminary decisions be revised, replacing the four orthogonal volumes that were correlated to the existing grid of the Campus with a single circular building. This proposal, which at first seemed unusual, was based on the realization that logistics and production methods no longer adhere to strictly hierarchical principles, but require flexibility. This was especially true in the case of the future occupants of the new facility, the shop fitting company Vitrashop. Although Vitrashop primarily utilizes standard components in the interiors that it creates for retail and commercial customers, the elements are customized to suit the specifications and desires of the individual clients. This contradicts a strictly linear flow of goods and fabrication methods. Consequently, the interior of the hall is divided into different zones: the northern section provides high rack storage for delivered materials and semi-finished goods; the central zone is reserved for assembly operations; and the southern section contains the storage area for finished products prior to shipping. The circular footprint of the building permits the delivery and loading of goods in completely different locations, so that the flow of traffic inside the hall is reduced, optimized and simplified. The assembly zone in the middle of the building can also be variably configured to meet new requirements based on current orders.

A circular footprint is unusual for a factory building, but all of the conditions in Weil favoured this solution, so that SANAA was able to convince the client to accept their proposal. Another ideal feature of the circular structure is the proportional relationship of the façade’s surface area to the volume of the interior space.

With a diameter of more than 160 metres, the round production hall – which in fact does not circumscribe an exact circle – covers a greater surface area than any other building on the Vitra Campus. Measuring 11.4 metres in height, the hall contains a basement storey in the southeastern half with a spacious underground parking garage and several auxiliary rooms. The building was erected in two stages in order to minimize interference with daily operations. The first semi-circular structure was erected next to the old factory, which was subsequently demolished to make room for the corresponding second half that completed the plan. The façade and the diameter wall that separates the two halves of the building are made of prefabricated concrete elements. Positioned as upright rectangles, the double- walled concrete elements were filled on site, thereby connecting them with one another. Due to the enormous dimensions of the perimeter, it was unnecessary for the individual elements to be curved. Together with the central wall, the round shape creates a perfect, rigid structure, which contains an orthogonal steel framework in its interior. The roof construction is supported by 9.5 metre-high steel columns positioned in a grid based on units of 17.5 x 22.8 metres. Since the exterior concrete walls brace the structure, it was possible to minimize the dimensions of the interior columns.

One of the major challenges for the architects was to find a solution for the installation of complex building technology – electronics, ventilation, roof drainage, fire sprinklers etc., which are distributed in different configurations throughout the interior space – that was compatible with the filigree components of the hall’s support structure. This problem was solved with astonishing precision, resulting in an interior that is clearly different from typical factory spaces. The architects did not treat this interior as a multifunctional, flexible empty space within the shell of a façade, but as a central aspect of the architectural task. Every detail, right down to the screws in the high rack storage shelving, reveals the design intentions of the architects, who left nothing to chance. Excellent lighting conditions contribute to the pleasant work atmosphere in the hall, provided by the close rhythm of parallel rooflights in the ceiling. They are augmented by individual windows in the upper part of the façade. Another essential element of the interior’s atmospheric quality is the radically reductive use of colour. Various shades of grey and white define the interior space, while the signal colours so common to typical industrial interiors are completely absent.

The shelving system, which is positioned in parallel rows that follow the structural grid of the interior – along with the central wall and sparingly distributed windows – provides a means of orientation in a building with enormous dimensions. The high rack storage system can be removed or reconfigured as needed. The loading bays are arranged on both sides of the building in a space along the façade that also contains offices. The radial arrangement of the partition walls is almost imperceptible due to the huge diameter of the hall. Depending on future needs, loading bays can be transformed into offices or vice versa. A workshop for emission- intensive or high-decibel activities is the only other enclosed room on the eastern side of the hall; the open upper deck serves as a lounge area.

Curtain façade

The design of the façade, whose elements are suspended in front of the exterior insulation on the concrete walls and encompass the entire building volume, presented a great challenge. The façade elements are made of acrylic glass with an undulating surface, measuring 1.8 metres in width by 11 metres in height – equal to the height of the building. The outer layer of acrylic is completely transparent, while the inner layer is an opaque white colour. The individual panels were first cast in flat sheets, then heated to 60 degrees Celsius and vacuum moulded to create the wave structure. Since no manufacturer could be found who was capable of moulding such large pieces, an oven had to be specially constructed for the purpose.

One of the architects’ main concerns was to avoid obvious visual repetition. For this reason, three different elements with varying wave patterns of narrower and wider folds were developed. Since the hanging panels – whose mounting hardware is concealed – can be rotated 180 degrees and mounted on either end, this resulted in a series of six distinct types. The aim was to arrange them in a way that avoided a recognizably repetitive pattern and that also conformed perfectly to the openings in the façade (windows, loading bays, doors).

Presenting a homogenous appearance from a distance, with an almost surreal aura due to its luminous white surface, the façade gains vivacity and depth the closer one approaches. Since it is only possible to see just a part of the entire volume, the building appears to be much smaller than it actually is. It gives an impression of lightness and transparency, even though it allows no views into the interior. On the contrary: the building remains an enigma, revealing almost nothing about its function. The almost immaterial character of the factory hall is emphasized by the fact that, from the outside, only the skin of the façade – suggestive of a textile covering – is visible, while the exterior walls, roof and structural framework remain concealed.

Viewed from the outside, one does not recognize – or even suspect – that the geometry of the floor plan deviates from a perfect circle; yet perhaps this unconformity is unconsciously perceptible. Just as SANAA avoids the use of classical symmetry in their architecture, they frequently employ slightly distorted geometric figures. This may recall the aesthetic concept of wabi sabi, the Japanese notion that imperfection and aesthetic consummation are not necessarily contradictory. The subtle shape of the ‘Alessi Tea Set’ (2004) by SANAA points in this direction. In reference to their project for Vitra, Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa also spoke about transferring some of the liveliness inherent in freehand drawing, which always stands at the beginning of their design process, to the reality of computer calculations. Or in their own words: ‘My impression is that the circle, the perfect circle, is a bit too rigid.’

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by SANAA appeared first on Dezeen.

Beijing studio SAKO Architects used all the colours of the rainbow for the playgrounds, classrooms and roof garden of this doughnut-shaped kindergarten in Tianjin, China (+ slideshow).

Led by Japanese architect Keiichiro Sako, SAKO Architects designed the Loop Kindergarten as a squashed circular volume where every room is curved and even the windows have rounded corners.

A total of 18 shades make up the rainbow colour palette, which graduates around the building including across the ceilings and around the windows.

The kindergarten is three storeys high with classrooms arounds its perimeter and playgrounds at its centre. These include an open-air deck on the first floor, while the ground floor contains a split-level indoor playground filled with colourful columns and tiered platforms.

Glass funnels bring light down onto the lower floor, creating three circular courtyards that can be used for different activities.

A huge arch slices through the side of the building to create a grand entrance, where symmetrical staircases lead up to the first-floor courtyard. A circular lightwell is positioned directly above, bringing a shaft of light over the heads of anyone passing through.

Artificial grass covers the looping roof to create an extra play area for the children. Four outdoor staircases lead up to it, each coloured in a different hue.

See more kindergartens on Dezeen, including one with rotating panels on the facade and one with pyramidal chimneys.

Photography is by Ruijing Photo.

Here’s some more information from SAKO Architects:

This kindergarten is formed by curves. R-shaped windows with rounded corners are used to create the atmosphere of freedom and pleasant.

Each playroom on the 3rd floor faces towards to a balcony, with the staircase by which children can go up to the roof garden. Various colours are used on the walls, floors and handrails of the balconies; this is one of the main feature of this kindergarten.

Walking up to the 2nd floor through the public stairs at the main entrance there is a outdoor courtyard, with all of the classrooms facing towards it. The whole courtyard is in the visible range for most adults. This is is a wonderful space for children to play and enjoy the fresh air.

Also under the outdoor courtyard there is an indoor courtyard for multi-purpose uses. It has 3 rounded atriums connecting to the outdoor space on upper level for better natural lighting and for creating a indoor playing space for children in bad weather condition.

The ceiling on each floor is in 18 different colours, with white louver boards under the ceiling. The colour changing can been seen through the gaps between the louver boards when walking in the corridor. Also there are 18 different colour columns in the courtyard, the children can use these colours to identify the location.

Project Name: LOOP in Tianjin
Project Location: Tianjin, China
Project Type: Kindergarten

Architect/s: Keiichiro SAKO, Yoko FUJII, Jing, Junya KAZUNO/ SAKO Architects
Lighting Design: Masahide Kakudate Lighting Architect & Associates,Inc.
Client: Sino-Ocean Land Holdings Limited

Size: 3 stories
Gross floor area: 4,300 sqm
Design Period: 2009/06-2011/03
Construction Period: 2011/04-2012/07

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by SAKO Architects appeared first on Dezeen.