Hasta La Ideas

The entrance to Punchouse 234 features a sunken playspace. The lawn is made from synthetic turf that requires no water for maintenance.

On a quiet street in Santa Monica this past week, Marco DiMaccio Punchouse Design Group unveiled his latest architectural design, PUNCHouse 234, the new home of journalist Lisa Ling and her husband Dr. Paul Song. But as much as the home is distinguished by its celebrity owners, it also holds distinction under the more rigorous LEED Platinum rating it earned. What’s more, the studio tells Core77 that it’s Santa Monica’s first zero emissions home.

To meet these standards, DiMaccio and his team applied a number of strategies, starting quite literally from the ground up. They relied on “100% waste diversion,” namely, taking apart the previous structure and either recycling it, repurposing it for the new project or donating it—in this case, to Habitat for Humanity. Rainwater is collected to supply for irrigation, while synthetic turf eliminates the need for water entirely in large swaths of the space. Other strategies, such as solar panels, aim to provide for all the electricity needs—including for the electric BMW ActiveE parked in the back—while Angelenos’ beloved air conditioning has been discarded in favor of a design that uses air flow to passively cool the home.

The Punchouse team with the new homeowners.

“To deal with contractors to get this to happen a certain way is the most challenging,” noted DiMaccio, who had to maintain tight oversight on the entire process to ensure LEED compliance. “It takes an extra level of energy to monitor [contractors],” especially those drawn to the glamour of constructing a celebrity home. “The details are always a challenge.”

And the details are everything. Although low energy consumption was the primary design consideration, the home is also gorgeous to behold, and I saw visitors casually running their hands on the different features and trying to determine the materials. DiMaccio took time to show me the tracking system for the sliding glass door, which few guests paused to notice. We knelt down as he explained the particulars of what made it effective, with sealed bearings to keep out the elements (and keep in heat) and a precision frame from Switzerland.

The backyard space is perfectly suited for cocktails and entertaining.

(more…)

Austrian studio BWM Architekten und Partner has completed a hotel in central Vienna with big oval windows all over its brown mosaic facade.

Above: photograph is by Anna Blau, Lenikus GmbH

Behind the glass, the windows are lined with cushions so that they can be used as sofas by guests.

Named Hotel Topazz, the skinny 10-storey building butts up against a neighbouring building and is located just a few streets away from St. Stephens Cathedral.

Other hotels we’ve featured include one that looks like children’s game Connect Four and one behind the facade of a derelict pub.

See more stories about hotels »

Above: photograph is by Anna Blau, Lenikus GmbH

Photography is by the architects, apart from where otherwise stated.

Here’s some more information from BWM Architekten und Partner:

Hotel Topazz by BWM Architekten und Partner, Vienna

The new Topazz design hotel by BWM Architekten und Partner in Vienna’s city centre can be likened to a glistening, dark-coloured gemstone. Its brown mosaic façade, which absorbs and reflects the natural light, ensures that this building – on one of Vienna’s smallest building sites – is a real eye-catcher. The design, created by BWM Architekten und Partner, is characterised by striking elliptical window openings that jut out slightly.

This unconventional, distinctive treatment of the façade gives this round-cornered building a sense of weightlessness and elegance as well as an unusually physical presence within the fabric of Vienna’s historical architecture. Inside, the curved window recesses serve as comfortably rounded spots for sitting or lounging while you watch the hustle and bustle of the city below. In this way, the exterior and interior spaces engage in close dialogue and complement each other. The idea with the portholes was born partly out of a lack of space – with the aim of making the best possible use of the 153 square metres of site area. After relaxing and daydreaming in one of the niches, you will open your eyes and say: Good morning, Vienna!

Architecture: BWM Architekten und Partner, DI Michael Manzenreiter
Building concept, Facade: BWM Architekten und Partner
Floor plans, Interior designr: DI Michael Manzenreiter

A kilometre-long cable car designed by British architects Wilkinson Eyre has opened today over the River Thames in London.

Suspended 90 metres above the water, the 34 cars connect the O2 arena on the Greenwich Peninsula with the ExCeL centre at the Royal Docks, which will be the venue for a number of indoor events at this summer’s Olympic games.

Three twisting towers will hold the cables in places, while two glazed terminals are located on either side of the river.

See all our coverage of London 2012 here, including a slideshow of all the new permanent buildings.

Wilkinson Eyre also recently completed a giant tropical garden in Singapore – see it here.

See more stories about Wilkinson Eyre Architects »

Here’s some more information from Wilkinson Eyre Architects:

Emirates Air Line opens to the public

First flight for London transport scheme designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects

The newest link in London’s transport network will open to the public today (28th June 2012). The infrastructure was designed by London-based Wilkinson Eyre Architects, and the Emirates Air Line cable car will lift passengers up to 90 metres above the river Thames as they travel the 1.1km route between the Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks.

The Royal Docks and Greenwich Peninsula are two of the most active areas of regeneration in London. The Emirates Air Line emerged as the preferred solution to provide a pedestrian link across the Thames that would support this regeneration effort.

Wilkinson Eyre was commissioned, with Expedition Engineering, as architects of the scheme after a design competition. The team had to fit the crossing in to a ‘corridor’ with numerous constraints that included a minimum 54-metre clearance for Tall Ships above the Thames, constraints in plan and section relating to City Airport, multiple landholdings and existing infrastructure.

The sculptural form of the Emirates Air Line’s three towers makes an exciting addition to the London skyline. Their open, spiralling structure merges engineering and aesthetics to provide a visually light construction that minimises perceived mass.

Wilkinson Eyre’s design for the terminals of the Emirates Air Line is for a pair of visually light, stand-alone glazed pavilions. The plan of the terminals, with their radiussed ends, reflects the path of the cabins as they pass around the drive wheels at either end of the system, engaging with the machine aesthetic inherent to the buildings. The lightweight, glazed upper storey of the design houses the boarding platforms, which cantilever outwards above the ticket office and other services, located in the core at ground level. At Emirates Royal Docks, the smaller of the two terminals, the entire structure has been built on a deck over the water of Royal Victoria Dock. The Emirates Royal Docks terminal houses the electric motor which drives the Emirates Air Line, while a garage for servicing the cabins occupies an adjoining building at the Emirates Greenwich Peninsula terminal.

Oliver Tyler, Wilkinson Eyre Architect’s Director for the project said;
“The Emirates Air Line makes a dramatic architectural statement and will help to define the emerging character of the Greenwich Peninsula and Royal Docks. I am sure the towers will become a clearly identifiable symbol for the area and that travel Emirates Air Line will add a dash of excitement to the experience of commuting as well as become a ‘must do’ experience for visitors.”

The Emirates Air Line is fully accessible to wheelchair users and the mobility- impaired, with step free access in both terminals.

Wilkinson Eyre developed plans for the Emirates Air Line with Expedition Engineering and Mott Macdonald for Transport for London. The practice was instrumental in assisting TfL to win planning permission for the project from the London Boroughs of Newham and Greenwich as well as the approval of the Mayor’s office in early 2011. The plans were taken to completion through a Design & Build contract run by Mace, with Aedas as delivery architect.

Lead Architect: Wilkinson Eyre Architects
Project Director: Oliver Tyler Project Architect: Alex Kyriakides
Structural Engineer: Expedition Engineering
Building Services Engineer: Mott MacDonald
Project Management: Mott MacDonald
Acoustic Consultant: Mott MacDonald
Lighting Designer: Speirs + Major Landscape Design: EDCO
Client: Transport for London

L’artiste suisse Nicolas Feldmeyer s’amuse à jouer avec l’architecture pour installer ses oeuvres. Le dernier exemple est ici présenté avec Woven Portico sur le bâtiment central de University of College à Londres. Des bandes viennent ainsi jouer avec les colonnes et donne un aspect visuel des plus réussis.

Hoxton architects Edgley Design have tucked a rubber-clad residence and aluminium artist’s studio behind a row of semi-detached houses in Hackney.

The two new buildings take the place of an old workshop that previously filled the site and they can only be accessed through a gated alleyway.

Because of their proximity to surrounding residences, both buildings have few windows and instead receive natural daylight through rooftop glazing.

A wall of plants climbs up around the side of the rubber house, while two small courtyards are squeezed into the spaces between and in front of the buildings.

The house and studio are occupied by textile designer Laura Hamilton.

Edgley Design are located on Hoxton Street, in the southern part of the London borough of Hackney.

See more projects from our Designed in Hackney showcase »

Here’s some more explanation from Edgley Design:

Amhurst Road

Concept

Our clients have owned and worked on the site for over a decade and want to modernise the buildings, as the existing studios are poorly built and insulated and in a state of disrepair. However, they want to retain the principles of the existing buildings, to create a new and sustainable small community.

The proposal is to knock down the existing studio, and rebuild an artists studio with better facilities, as well as a separate two bedroom house all within the same footprint.

The concept is for a shiny metal box for the studio, as a domesticated re-interpretation of an industrial shed, contrasted with a rubber clad, tactile black box for the new house.

The proposal is designed to be flexible so that it is possible for it to operate as separate buildings with separate occupations as well as allowing the option for it to be used by a single inhabitant.

Artists Studio

The studio is a simple shed constructed from exposed aluminium sandwich cladding panels. The shiny industrial material will reflect the working nature of the studio, while this will be offset by minimal detailing which gives the shell a domestic quality suited to its context.

Residential Unit

The new dwelling is organised as a series of internalised experiences, that create a private retreat from the bustle of its Hackney Central location. This concept also allows for privacy and security, important issues in a backyard location, both for the inhabitants and neighbours.

The main volume of the house is articulated as a black rubber clad box, tactile and seamless, in sharp contrast to the rambling greenery of the surrounding sites. A wall wraps around this as a separate element, forming rooflights to the hall and stair. Planting in front of this wall will give the appearance of a ’green wall’ almost entirely hiding the house from the view of neighbours.

Security/ Privacy/ Overlooking

The proposal is designed so that there are few windows looking out. Most daylight and sunlight is received from roof lights and the internal courtyard.

Designing an inward looking house enables complete privacy for the inhabitants. Moreover it prevents any problems with overlooking from neighbouring properties as views are private.

The few windows which are proposed are carefully orientated to avoid overlooking any neighbours, while making the most of some of the wonderful views out from the site.

Security is an issue for the site as it is hidden from view, and accessed only by an alleyway. The design deals with these issues as it has no windows on the ground floor, and the only access at ground level is by the front door to each property.

The existing access to the site is the same but the proposal incorporates a safer environment by providing a private gated entrance to the new dwelling and a shared semi-public space outside the workshop.

Sustainability: Technology/ Materials/ Environment

During the technical development stage of the project we will be looking at all the environmental opportunities in the project, such as water recycling, solar hot water, and biomass boilers. The intention of both our clients and ourselves is to create a building performing to the highest environmental standards.

The proposal is inherently environmental through the re-use of an existing brownfield site. From a social point of view, the proposal is also supporting a small business, and creates a small, sustainable, mixed use community.

The construction strategy is to use timber frame for the new house. This allows the external envelope to become effectively solid insulation, and in a backland site allows a structure to be transported in small parts and easily assembled to a complex form on site.

For the artists studio, a composite insulated metal panel system was used. These composite panels are lightweight and quick to erect, and are well suited to simple large span buildings such as this. While not suitable for a residential building, they are ideal for a studio building, giving good thermal performance and maximising working space.

Both systems reduced time on site, which reduced the inconvenience to neighbours during the construction period. They are highly sustainable through control of wastage and quality off site, and in the case of timber frame through the use of timber.

The design incorporates a low tech green wall which is both environmental and also hides the main building, providing a screen for the views from Amhurst Road properties.

The proposal does not include a car parking space and promotes greener travel by incorporating bicycle facilities on site.

Scale and appearance

The original workshop footprint covered 164 sq m. This building almost filled the site, and had no private exterior space. The new building reduces the footprint to 141 sq m and allows the site to breath by incorporating private external space (the residential courtyard)

The area of the residential unit is 105 sq m
The area of the artist’s studio is 79 sq m

The buildings surrounding the site are all 2 or 3 storey buildings, mostly substantially larger than the proposed building. To the back of the site there is a large gable wall with no windows, which provides shelter visually for the proposed residential building, and the main mass of this building is built up against this gable wall.

The studio building is lower to reflect the more open nature of this side of the site.

A low sheltered terrace between the two buildings functions as a secondary living space to the residential unit at ground floor, while providing a visual break between the two buildings when viewed externally, reducing the apparent bulk of the scheme, and articulating clearly the differing uses of the site.

The proposed green wall is slightly lower than the main residential block, which helps to reduce the apparent bulk and size of the residential building.

where: Amhurst Road, Hackney
who: Private Client
completion: Oct 2011
value: £300,000

Designed in Hackney map:

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Key:

Blue = designers
Red = architects
Yellow = brands
Green = street art

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Designed in Hackney is a Dezeen initiative to showcase world-class architecture and design created in the borough, which is one of the five host boroughs for the London 2012 Olympic Games as well as being home to Dezeen’s offices. We’ll publish buildings, interiors and objects that have been designed in Hackney each day until the games this summer.

More information and details of how to get involved can be found at www.designedinhackney.com.