Hasta La Ideas

Here are the first images of the Maggie’s Centre for cancer care that New York architect Steven Holl is designing for St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London.

Maggie’s Barts will replace a former office block and the initial drawings show it as a cylindrical building with a bamboo interior and coloured glass windows.

Maggie’s was founded fifteen years ago to provide support to anyone affected by cancer and they now have centres all around the UK – see all the ones we’ve featured here, including Maggie’s Gartnavel by OMA and Maggie’s South West Wales by Kisho Kurokawa and Garbers & James, which both picked up an RIBA award last week.

See more stories about Steven Holl »

Here’s the full press release:

Steven Holl Architects reveal first designs for Maggie’s Barts

Maggie’s is delighted to announce that Steven Holl Architects has agreed to design the Maggie’s Centre at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London.

Steven Holl Architects is internationally-honoured with the most prestigious awards in architecture as well as publications and exhibitions for excellence in design.

The practice’s most famous works include the Kiasma Contemporary Art Museum in Helsinki and the 2007 Bloch Building addition to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City.

Steven Holl is also the winner of the 2012 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal.

Maggie’s Barts will replace an existing 1960s block that was once used as offices which is located at the periphery of the square.

Steven Holl said: “It is a great honor to design a Maggie’s Centre and a very special challenge to be given such an important central site in London. The hospital has been at the forefront of medical understanding for centuries. We are inspired by the deep history of the area, and particularly the nearby St. Bartholomew the Great church which has been in continuous use with marvelous music since 1143. Our proposal is like a vessel within a vessel within a vessel. In the spirit of music, architecture can be a vessel of transcendence.”

Laura Lee, chief executive of Maggie’s said: “We are very excited that Steven Holl is working with us to design a Maggie’s Centre. It is also a huge privilege to be able to build a Centre at St Bartholomew’s Hospital and we look forward to opening our doors and helping Londoners who are affected by cancer.”

Director of Barts Cancer Centre, Professor Nick Lemoine, said: “We treat an average of 3,100 new cancer patients every year so thousands will benefit from services offered at the new Maggie’s Centre.

“In addition to the physical effects of cancer treatment, patients and carers often require extra emotional support so I look forward to working with Maggie’s on this special partnership.”

St Bartholomew’s Hospital which serves a population of 1.5m in North East London is the oldest hospital in the country and has always been at the forefront of medical knowledge and understanding. It was the first hospital to train female doctors and the first to trial high voltage radiotherapy for people with cancer.

Today, it is home to one of the most advanced cancer centres in Europe with world-leading specialists and state-of-the-art technology.

Steps connecting the gradually rising floors of this Paris house by Moussafir Architectes can be glimpsed through the cut-out shutters on its glazed facade (+ slideshow).

Located in Paris’ 6th arrondissement, the house has been fitted into the three original stone walls of the site’s previous building.

The steel structure comprises cantilevered floors supported by a central core that’s largely independent of the three outer walls.

The south facade is entirely glazed and fitted with electrically operated steel shutters.

With the exception of the bathroom, there are no partitions between the rooms.

Wooden stairs wrap around the core of the house and each level leading off from the stairs becomes its own room.

The central core, staircase, floors and ceilings are all clad in black locust wood. Concrete boxes have been fitted into the walls to provide built-in shelving.

We recently featured a house in Japan with a courtyard staircase that climbs over a roof – see it here.

See more stories about Moussafir Architectes »

See more stories about houses »

Photographs are by Hervé Abbadie.

Here’s more information from the architects:

Wooden window frames within old masonry walls and steel window frames by Forster within new steel structure; lacquered steel electrically operated shutters, iroko roof terrace, steel roof planters.

Architects: Jacques Moussafir with Alexis Duquennoy, project manager, and Na An.
Consultants: Jean-Marc Weill and Malishev Wilson Engineers (structural engineers)

Contractors: Microsol (deep foundations), Lisandre (structural work, plumbing, fittings), Général Métal (metal frame),

MGN (exterior door and windowframes), B2E (electricity), Tischlerei Bereuter (interior woodwork and panelling).

Maison Escalier (Step House)

Built on the site of an old house set between two buildings in the heart of a very well-preserved block in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, this house is designed as a tree-like structure delimited on three sides by the original walls.

Only the entirely glazed south façade belies the almost total reconstruction of the building and provides a glimpse of the volumetric complexity of its interior spaces.

Even more than that of a tree, the most effective metaphor for the project might be that of a Cyclopean stairway: the house is a stair whose core houses the wet rooms, whose stairwell is defined by the gables of the neighbouring buildings, and whose steps and landings form the various living spaces.

The fact that there was no need to partition the rooms (except the bathrooms) means that there is a sense of total spatial continuity from basement to roof terrace.

The structure, entirely of steel, is made up of cantilevered floors borne by the central core and partly dissociated from the three outer walls onto which have been grafted concrete boxes that act as built-in furniture.

The choice of materials reinforces the architectural design: the partitions of the central core, the floors and the ceilings are all clad in locust tree, whose colour and pattern contrast with the texture and whiteness of the outer walls.

Step House (Maison Escalier) – Paris – 2008-2011
Completed December 2011

Client: Eric de Rugy
Address: 22, rue Jacob, 75006 PARIS

Brief: house reconstruction
Budget: 850 000€ excl. VAT

Surface area: 153 sq.m. + 15 sq.m. roof terrace.

Materials: pile foundations, concrete basement liner, steel superstructure, wooden floors with built-in low temperature heating; ceilings and panelling laid on plasterboard; panelling. Ceilings and floors on upper levels made of locust tree boards by Admonter; floors on lower levels of resinous concrete by Ardex; sheet steel and stainless steel mesh guardrails by Jakob.

Here are some photographs of the Stanton Williams-designed Hackney Marshes Centre, which provides facilities for London’s amateur football leagues and won an RIBA award last week.

Completed last year, the Corten steel-clad centre contains changing rooms for teams competing on one of the 82 grass pitches at the park, as well as a cafe and toilets that can be used by spectators.

Gabion walls line the sides of the two-storey building to encourage the growth of climbing plants, while the interior walls are constructed from exposed concrete blocks.

Above: photograph is by Jim Stephenson

Perforated hatches fold up from the facade to reveal windows, while a glazed entrance leads into a double-height reception that is overlooked by the cafe above.

Above: photograph is by Jim Stephenson

Stanton Williams were announced as the winners of three RIBA awards last week. The other two were for an art and design college campus and a botanic laboratory.

Above: photograph is by Jim Stephenson

See all our stories about Stanton Williams »

Above: photograph is by David Grandorge

Photography is by Hufton + Crow, apart from where otherwise stated.

Above: photograph is by David Grandorge

Here’s some more words from Stanton Williams:

Project Description

Hackney Marshes is a unique place. With its origins in ancient woodland and medieval common land, it remains a vast open space. It is a place set apart from the city by a boundary of trees and by the River Lea. Yet it also connects communities, being an important green space in a densely-populated area.

Above: photograph is by David Grandorge

In addition, as the London home of amateur Sunday League football, it draws people from across the capital. Stanton Williams was commissioned in 2008 to provide a new ‘Community Hub’ at the South Marsh.

Above: photograph is by David Grandorge

New changing rooms, plus facilities for spectators and the local community, will be housed in a welcoming, inclusive structure that recognises the special qualities of this place by bridging the boundary between the natural and artificial. It will connect not only with its immediate surroundings and the local community, but also the adjacent Olympic Park and the rest of the Lea Valley.

Above: photograph is by David Grandorge

The Marshes as they exist today are the product of a series of interventions in the natural environment, and in this respect they recall Cicero’s ‘second nature’ – a landscape shaped by human hands. Part of the ancient Waltham Forest, the Marshes had become common pasture by the Middle Ages. Early twentieth-century maps show the area as a recreation ground, and, after having been used as a dump for rubble during the Second World War, the site was levelled. The result is an open landscape of mown grass, punctuated by the regular rhythm of goalposts and edged by a seemingly more ‘natural’ boundary of woodland and the River Lea. Even here, though, natural and artificial and interlinked, for the river’s course has been straightened to minimise the risk of flooding.

Above: photograph is by David Grandorge

The Marshes have long been known as the home of grassroots amateur football: the site holds the record for the greatest number of pitches in one place, with over 900 matches played per year. However, by the start of the twenty-first century, the facilities provided for the hundreds of players who come with their supporters each week were in need of urgent overhaul. The London Borough of Hackney therefore developed an ambitious vision for the site, recognising its community value and its pivotal location adjacent to the Olympic Park. The authority sought a piece of high quality, well designed architecture that would recognise the unique qualities of the site, that would instil a sense of pride and ownership, and which could increase participation in sport. Education and community facilities were required in addition to those for players.

Above: photograph is by David Grandorge

The Hub has been developed after discussion with local stakeholders and consideration of the needs of users. It is firmly embedded within its landscape setting: it is not an ‘object’ at odds with the surrounding environment. It is located on the south-eastern boundary of the pitches, defining a threshold between the South Marsh and the car park beyond by plugging the gap between an avenue of trees to the south and a coppice to the north. The Hub’s overall massing minimises its impact on the site. Its height has been kept as low as possible, creating a pronounced horizontal emphasis that complements the open, flat nature of the site.

The changing rooms are located at ground-floor level. A number of possible layouts were developed in order to arrive at the linear arrangement of the final structure. This option has the advantage that it avoids undue encroachment on the pitches, as would be the case for a more compact, back-to-back layout. The entrance has been located part-way along the structure to avoid excessively long corridors within. The community and spectators’ facilities, located at first-floor level, are placed at the northern end of the Hub, close to the tall trees of the coppice, into which they merge.

Materials have been chosen for their ability to weather into the surrounding landscape and also for their durability, as there is a particular need to secure the building given the lack of natural surveillance that results from its isolated location.

The ground floor envelope is treated as a landscaped wall. Gabion blocks, more usually associated with landscaping or civil engineering projects, are deployed in a fashion that recalls agricultural dry stone walls. They will weather well, are resistant to vandalism, and form a good structure for climbing plants.

The result will be a living, ‘green wall’, through which light will filter into the changing rooms beyond. Elsewhere, weathered steel is used. This is an industrial material that recalls the manufacturing traditions of the Lea Valley and which, in its contrast with the more ‘natural’ landscaped wall of the lower level, recalls the combination of nature and artifice that gives the site its particular character. But it, too, has a natural quality.

As a material which changes over time, weathered steel has a lively appearance and a rich textural finish. It will be deployed not only to clad the upper level of the structure, but also to form secure gates, louvres and shutters. Punched openings will allow light to enter by day and will also create controlled night-time views into the building, which will glow welcomingly as light emerges through the shutters and the gabion walls.

Entering and using the building will celebrate the acts of arrival, changing and spectating. The main entrance opens into a double- height reception area with views through to the pitches beyond. A corridor to each side leads to the changing rooms. The ends of the corridors are glazed, not only bringing in natural light but also allowing further views out.

The changing rooms themselves are configured so that they can be connected or separated as required. They have been designed to be suitable for use by groups of different ages and genders, with provision for disabled players. The principal finish is fairface concrete, left exposed in the interests of robustness and honesty.

The café is visually connected to the entrance by the double-height reception area; panoramic views out provide a link to the pitches. External shading will prevent overheating whilst passive ventilators on the roof provide natural ventilation.

Click above for larger image

The flexible teaching spaces, meanwhile, have an aspect toward the coppice and the River Lea, emphasising the rich local biodiversity. An acoustic screen can be folded back to create a larger space for conferences or seminars.

The way in which the Hub seeks to reconcile the natural and the artificial through its massing, materials and location embodies a broader aim to synthesise sporting activity and the natural environment. Sports venues often demonstrate something of the tabula rasa in their approach, replacing natural materials with tarmac or artificial hard surfaces, and permeable boundaries with fences.

Click above for larger image

As a result, playing becomes a solely physical experience. Instead, the Hub emphasises the ritualistic nature of sport. Within it, individuals are fused into teams, emerging onto the pitch to demonstrate their collective and individual skills, and to gain sensory and even spiritual stimulation from this rich location.

Project Team
Client: London Borough of Hackney Project Manager: Arcadis AYH
Main Contractor:John Sisk & Son Architect: Stanton Williams
Civil and Structural Engineer: Webb Yates
Building Services Engineer: Zisman Bowyer & Partners Cost Consultant: Gardiner & Theobald
Landscape Architects:Camlins
CDM Coordinator: PFB Consulting
Lighting Design: Minds Eye

Designed in Hackney map:

.

Key:

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

See a larger version of this map

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.

This cafe by Harris Butt Architecture is perched on the edge of an active volcano in New Zealand’s oldest national park (+ slideshow).

Also located beside a ski resort, Knoll Ridge Cafe is built to withstand sub-zero temperatures, wind speeds of up to 125 miles per hour and heavy snowfall in the winter season.

Despite its heavy-duty specification, the building had to be constructed from prefabricated modules light enough to be carried to the site and assembled by a helicopter.

The base of the building is a system of concrete panels, while the angled roofs and glass curtain walls are supported by a chunky timber frame.

Dining areas for up to 400 visitors occupy most of the ground floor level and spill out onto terraces that face down towards the foot of the mountain.

For more architecture featuring volcanos, see our earlier stories about an observation deck in Chile and the entrance to a volcano park in Spain.

See more projects from New Zealand »

Photography is by Simon Devitt.

Here’s some extra information from Harris Butt Architecture:

Knoll Ridge Cafe

Knoll Ridge Café is located at Whakapapa Ski Field on Mt. Ruapehu, Tongariro National Park. Situated on the side of a mountain the commercial ski field is also sited on what is New Zealand’s largest active volcano.

The café replaces the original Knoll Ridge Chalet which was destroyed by a fire in February 2009. As a result an ambitious design and build programme was initiated to replace the chalet with a temporary prefabricated facility for the 2009 winter season.

Once the debris of the original chalet were removed, a 220sqm temporary cafe was erected on the remaining floor slab. This tested the methodology which was later adopted for the construction of the café.

Rapidly changing weather is typical of the conditions encountered on New Zealand mountains, with Mt. Ruapehu no exception. Designing a building for such a severe environment provided its own set of unique challenges.

Limited road access to site and stringent requirements meant extensive planning and logistics were required just to get materials to site.

Prefabricated concrete floor panels had to be rapidly constructed and delivered before the snow melted, these were then hauled over snow 700m up to site before construction began the following summer.

A major consideration in the design of the building was the issue of the remote location. The entire building, from foundation beams/floor panels to roof sections and windows was broken down into a modular panelised system, which allowed for delivery, placement and erection by helicopter on site.

Insulated sandwich panels constructed of plywood and LVL form a large extent of the walls and roof of the café. These like most of the buildings components had to be designed with careful consideration not exceed the helicopters 800kg max load limit.

A 100% thermally broken purpose built glass curtain wall was designed for what is possibly one the most challenging environments to build in.

The glass and framing system had to withstand wind speeds of up to 200km/ph and temperatures well below freezing. Twenty-five tons of glass was used in the 415m2 of glass façade which was all predetermined and ordered from calculations without a site measure.

All the glass units were fitted with 3 equalizing tubes to facilitate onsite argon gas filling, equalizing tubes were also used as a precaution for rapid altitude acceleration during flight.

In the summer season the eastern face of the building can be seen set above the volcanic rock formations located on the edge of the drop off to the Te Heuheu Valley. The north face looks back down the mountain whilst to the west is the chair lift and ski area.

The form of the building reflects the strong geological features of the mountain. The “gull wing” roof was to appear to “cradle” the mountains peak. On a practical level is used to manage the snow. The building is designed to cover with up 3.0m of snow.

Timber has been used extensively inside and out to create the warm “feeling” of the “traditional” mountain chalet without adopting the traditional form.

The glass exterior (particularly to the east wall) is the other feature of the building – allowing full exposure to the magnificence view to the Pinnacle Ridge.

The new café is located approximately 50m down the mountain from the original chalet site, with the main café floor at approximately 2010m ASL.

The new building accommodates café seating for approx 400 people with servery, kitchen and support facilities all on one level.

At this same level, a deck area for approximately 200 people is provided.

The main public toilet area, staff facilities and storage are on the level below with separate access from the outside as well connection to the café via an internal stair.

Architects: Harris Butt Architecture Ltd.
Location: Whakapapa Ski Field, Mt. Ruapehu, Tongariro National Park, New Zealand

Architecture Team: Grant Harris, Ian Butt, Kerry Reyburn, Ben Brown
Completion: 2011
Building Size: 1,516 sqm

Dezeen Wire: the latest RIBA Future Trends Survey shows that the workload index for UK architects has seen a significant increase compared to this time last year.

Improvements were reported in the housing, community and public sectors, whereas the commercial sector saw a slight decline.

See past RIBA Future Trends Survey results here.

Here is the report from the RIBA:

RIBA Future Trends Survey results for May 2012

The upward trend for architects’ workloads, which started at the beginning of the year, continues to grow according to the latest results from the Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) Future Trends Survey.

The Future Trends Workload Index for architects for May 2012 stands at +13, compared with +2 at the same time last year. Large practices with 51 or more staff are the most optimistic about future workloads, reporting a balance figure of +29. Across the UK, most regions reported encouraging workload forecasts, with the only exceptions being Scotland (0) and Northern Ireland (-14).

Across sectors, housing improved by a single balance point to +16, the commercial sector dropped two points to +4, and the community sector forecast saw a two point rise to -7. The public sector forecast saw a significant advance and now stands at -8, compared to -14 in April 2012.

Speaking about the public sector rise, RIBA Director of Practice, Adrian Dobson said:

“This month’s results may be an indication that public sector workloads are beginning to stabilise now that the initial cuts in public sector capital programmes have filtered through. They may also reflect a growing belief that the Government is going to introduce some new fiscal stimulus, which could include additional expenditure on public sector construction.”

The RIBA Future Trends Staffing Index for May 2012 remains stable and is virtually unchanged at -1. In May 2012, 20% of respondents to the survey stated that they had personally been under-employed in the last month. This is the best figure recorded since the RIBA Future Survey began in January 2009 and is further evidence that the economic outlook for architects may be gradually improving.

The latest quarterly data series from the survey has also shown how overall student employment has decreased by 40% since 2008, revealing that the recession has impacted disproportionally upon those architects in the early stages of their careers.