Hasta La Ideas

Criss-crossing metal beams surround a first floor reading room at a multimedia library near Paris.

Designed by French architect Philippe Gazeau, the Médiathèque Romain Rolland is situated within a residential neighbourhood and overlooks a community park.

Offset behind the white lattice exterior and glazing is a second layer of criss-crossing beams, finished in black, that could be mistaken for shadows.

The reading room occupies the entire first floor of the building and surrounds an enclosed second floor mezzanine where multimedia facilities are located.

The ceiling of this room subtly undulates to create natural drainage slopes on the grass-covered roof above.

Offices, meeting rooms, toilets and an auditorium are located on the ground floor of the library.

Another recently featured building that employs metal latticework is a design institute in Hong Kong – see our earlier story here.

More stories about libraries on Dezeen »

Here are some more details from Philippe Gazeau:

Media Library Romain Rolland

Rue Albert Giry, quartier Cité Cachin, 93230 Romainville

The Romainville multimedia library is located in the heart of a dormitory town that is being completely renovated. The town planners wanted to open up the district by fragmenting the housing blocks, creating a central plain to provide a large park and two facilities, including the multimedia library which is intended to act as an attractive magnet on a neighbourhood level.

The new building floats between two flying carpets. Following a continuous movement, the multimedia library’s volume sweeps over the level of the street and the public garden to slide under the gentle slopes of its planted roof.

It is the project’s roof that gives the initial driving force. The roof’s hills and valleys transmit the sweeping movement through to the level of the central plain, crossing through the large reading room on the upper floor.

This is achieved by the negative curves reflecting the undulating movements of the roof through to the ceiling. As well as traversing, the oriented interior space of the reading room overlooking the street and garden is also traversed and suspended by the landscape as it rises up to become the ceiling.

The new media library at Romainville can be seen as a building with simple architectural forms, but with great power and expressive richness. It is a building ‘oriented’ between the new street and the large redesigned garden.

It is a building ‘hierarchized’ on the basis of 3 superimposed horizontal sequences: a base on the ground floor, a large metal covered hall on the first floor cantilevered on both the street side and the garden side, lastly a topographically undulating vegetated roof. These three main elements structure and bring together the building’s architectural and functional image.

The project is no more extensive than the surface area of the plot proposed in the overall development plan, thereby freeing up the largest possible area for the future garden. The main volume is aligned with the new street, but the ground floor recess under the first floor cantilever is an opportunity to lay out a vast covered, sheltered passage between the public roadway and the media library.

The building takes its characteristic appearance from the first floor metal structure’s extensive columnless overhang. On the street, the monumental awning opening onto this big covered area naturally signals the entrance to the building.

Some powerful architectural sequences accompany the user or visitor from the outside right into the heart of the media library: the parvis under the awning, the exhibition hall, the vertical link space with the grand staircase, from where you come to the main reading room.

Finding one’s way around is facilitated by the large north-east and south-west windows facing each other like a pair of indoor-outdoor bookends.

Another powerful feature of the reading room is its ceiling, which follows the underside of the undulating vegetated roof. The very fluid crossing space is also set in movement through the random shapes of the ceiling, contrasting with the straight frontage walls.

A second mezzanine floor houses the multimedia area: on the ‘Russian doll’ principle, this area readily accessible from the adult and children’s sections hovers slightly above the rest of the browsing areas for reasons of soundproofing, while remaining highly visible and attractive from the central area.

The two glass frontages are picture windows looking onto the city or the garden through the filter of the exterior metal structure A maintenance area midway between the glazed façade and the structure gives depth to the casing. This depth is used to install the outer blinds protecting the reading areas in conditions made to last.

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Circular translucent skylights nested in the roof bring extra light to the central area, while providing smoke ejection from the interior volume.

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The green roof is treated as a natural but hanging extension of the future garden. Its topography lends it a different status from the ordinary vegetated terrace roof. This roof can be seen from neighbouring buildings, and we feel it is very important that it blends in with the future landscaped area.

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The inverted impact of its undulations is a key element in characterizing the atmosphere in the large reading room, and evidences the determination for this project to be highly consistent, with continuity between the work on the interior spaces and the handling of the exterior architecture. The metal structure featuring like a grid around the first floor, and the cantilevering over the ground floor areas are the other main examples of this.

Client : Mairie de Romainville
Architect : Philippe Gazeau
Project manager : Lorraine Pele, Benjamin Clarens
Engineers : SLH
Area : 2085 m² SHON
Cost : 3 730 000 € HT
2004-2011

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Torre Telefónica Diagonal ZeroZero by EMBA	Pedestrian bridge by Bernard Tschumi	Design Institute by CAAU

UK studio a:b:i:r Architects have redesigned the traditional English beach hut to be accessible for wheelchair users.

Four separate huts are contained inside a single building on the seafront in Bournemouth.

Brightly coloured stripes of yellow, green and blue are painted onto plywood fins that wrap the seaside cabins.

Ramps give access to the huts from the promenade, while a sloping pathway provides a route onto the beach.

A shared drinking water fountain is located between the two pairs of cabins, which are divided internally by removable partitions.

An electrical charging point for mobility scooters is provided nearby, as are accessible toilets.

Design consultant Peter Lewis collaborated with the architects on the competition-winning design.

Other British seaside projects from the Dezeen archive include a cafe that resembles a rock and a 324 metre-long seafront bench.

Photography is by Richard Rowland.

Here are some more details from the architects:

Brighton architects deliver UK’s first accessible beach huts

New accessible beach huts designed by a:b:i:r architects and Peter Lewis will be unveiled later this month in Boscombe (Bournemouth) as the UK’s first designed specifically for people with disabilities.

‘The Seagull and the Windbreak’, which draws upon traditional seaside imagery of a line drawn seagull and multi coloured stripes of the traditional windbreak, beat off worldwide competition from 173 international entries. Voted for by the public, disabled beach users and a panel of seven expert judges, the buildings combine ergonomics with contemporary design. Funded with a grant from the Commission for Architecture & Built Environment (CABE) the Boscombe beach huts are designed to promote inclusion, health and wellbeing.

Facilities include high colour contrast surfaces and flooring to assist the visually impaired, dual height kitchen units with a gas stove and a communal outside area with a fresh water fountain. An electric charging point for mobility scooters is also available as well as improved accessible toilets, parking and a wooden beach trackway to enable easy access onto the beach. The four huts, designed as two pairs with retractable partition walls for increased flexibility, each accommodate up to four wheelchair users.

a:b:i:r architects, who are developing a reputation for seaside architecture following the award winning £1million refurbishment of the Brighton ‘Birdcage’ Bandstand, assembled a team which included Eastbourne based contractor Push Studios to deliver the project. The huts were constructed under factory conditions and delivered to site for quick installation.

Overlooking Bournemouth’s award-winning sandy beaches demand is high for the Dorset seaside retreats; each one is already fully booked. Linda Nelson from Bournemouth was quick to rent a hut for the entire season. She said: “The new beach huts are brilliant. Having been involved in the development and consultation process it is great to be able to reap the benefits. I had trouble getting in and around the old beach huts and was constantly worried about falling over. These new huts take away all those old problems; they are a tremendous asset for the area and a fantastic facility for disabled people.”

The Bournemouth suburb’s visitor numbers have soared following £13.5 million regeneration works and in 2010 Boscombe Pier was crowned Pier of the Year by the National Piers Society. The regeneration scheme has since won a number of national awards for regeneration including the Local Government Chronicle regeneration project of the year award. Andrew Emery, Boscombe Sea Change Project Manager for Bournemouth Borough Council, says the resort’s vision is ambitious but simple: “Continuing with the theme of regeneration in the vibrant Boscombe area the new huts incorporate high quality design, visual flair and unique function. We believe that they will become iconic symbols of the continuing renaissance of the British seaside resort and will open up our award-winning seafront area to new visitors.”

Construction team Architect: a:b:i:r architects
Collaborator Designer: Peter Lewis
Structural Engineers: IE Structural Engineers
Design & Build Contractor: Push Studios
Materials: Steel framed structure, Trespa board & plywood infill, Plywood fins finished with high performance, marine grade paine, Single ply membrane roof

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Dri Dri by Elips Design	Lords South Beach by BHDM	The Longest Bench by Studio Weave

Steel whirlpools spiral into skylights in the roof of a church in Austria by architects Coop Himmelb(l)au.

The swirling roof, which was manufactured in a shipyard, rests like a table-top upon four steel columns over the prayer room of the Martin Luther Church.

Daylight penetrates the room’s stucco-covered ceiling through the circular voids, as well as through a street-facing facade of projecting glass triangles.

Through glass doors at the rear of the prayer room is a church hall used by the local community, while a sacristy, pastor’s office and toilets are situated alongside both spaces.

A 20 metre-high steel bell-tower soars up into the sky in front of the building’s entrance.

Other buildings by Austrian architects Coop Himmelb(l)au include a tower covered in a folded metal skin and an energy-generating canopy over a passageway – see all our stories about Coop Himmelb(l)au.

Photography is by Duccio Malagamba.

Here’s a more detailed description from Coop Himmelb(l)au:

Project
Martin Luther Church Hainburg, Austria
(2008-2011)

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Architectural Concept

In less than a year a protestant church together with a sanctuary, a church hall and supplementary spaces was built in the centre of the Lower Austrian town Hainburg, at the site of a predecessor church that doesn’t exist anymore since the 17th century.

The shape of the building is derived from that of a huge “table”, with its entire roof construction resting on the legs of the “table” – four steel columns. Another key element is the ceiling of the prayer room: its design language has been developed from the shape of the curved roof of a neighboring Romanesque ossuary – the geometry of this century-old building is translated into a form, in line with the times, via today’s digital instruments.

The play with light and transparency has a special place in this project. The light comes from above: three large winding openings in the roof guide it into the interior. The correlation of the number Three to the concept of Trinity in the Christian theology can be interpreted as a “deliberate coincidence”.

The church interior itself is not only a place of mysticism and quietude – as an antithesis of our rather fast and media-dominated times – but also an open space for the community.

The sanctuary gives access to the glass-covered children’s corner, illuminated by daylight, which accomodates also the baptistery. The actual community hall is situated behind it: folding doors on the entire length of the space between the two main chambers allow for combining them to one continuous spatial sequence. A folded glass façade on the opposite side opens the space towards the street.

A third building element, a longitudinal slab building along a small side alley, flanks both main spaces and comprises the sacristy, the pastor’s office, a small kitchen and other ancillary rooms. A handicapped accessible ramp between the three building components accesses the church garden on higher ground.

The sculptural bell tower at the forecourt constitutes the fourth element of the building ensemble.

Like other projects of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU the roof elements of the church building were assembled in a shipyard. The implementation of the intricate geometries required specific technologies of metal-processing and manufacturing only available in shipbuilding industry. The reference to shipbuilding is at the same time also reminiscent of Le Corbusier who served as an important role model, not least because of his La Tourette monastery.

Technical Description

Due to its shape with three skylights the roof of the Martin Luther Church in Hainburg was designed as a self-supporting steel construction with a stucco ceiling. The structure was assembled in a wharf at the Baltic Sea. The exterior skin is made of 8 mm thick three-dimensionally curved steel plates welded on a frame construction. In turn, this structure of steel plates and frame sits on a girder grid. The compound of grid, frame and steel skin transfers the total load of the roof (23 tons) on four steel columns which are based on the solid concrete walls of the prayer room.

The roof construction was delivered in four separate parts to Hainburg, assembled and welded on site. There, the coating of the whole structure was finished and mounted with a crane in the designated position on the shell construction of the prayer room.

On the interior ceiling the suspended frame structure was covered in several layers of steel fabric and rush matting as carrier layer for the cladding of the stucco ceiling, whose geometry follows the three-dimensionally curved shape of the roof with the skylights.

The free-form bell tower of the Martin Luther Church was also manufactured, by means of shipbuilding technology, as a vertical self-supporting steel structure with wall thickness between 8 and 16 millimeter, only braced by horizontal frames. The 20 meter high tower weighing 8 tons is welded rigidly to a steel element encased in the concrete foundations.

Team
Planning: COOP HIMMELB(L)AU
Wolf D. Prix / W. Dreibholz & Partner ZT GmbH
Design Principal: Wolf D. Prix
Project Architect: Martin Mostböck
Design Architect: Sophie-Charlotte Grell
Project Team: Steven Baites, Daniel Bolojan, Victoria Coaloa, Volker Kilian, Martin Neumann, Martin Jelinek

Client: Association „Freunde der Evangelischen Kirche in Hainburg/Donau”, Austria
User: Evangelische Pfarrgemeinde A.B. Bruck a.d. Leitha – Hainburg/Donau, Austria
Structural engineering: Bollinger Grohmann Schneider ZT GmbH, Vienna, Austria
Construction survey: Spirk & Partner ZT GmbH, Vienna, Austria

Main works / finishing: Markus Haderer Baubetrieb Ges.m.b.H, Hainburg/Donau, Austria
Steel construction (roof/ tower): OSTSEESTAAL GmbH, Stralsund, Germany
Steel Construction (façade): Metallbau Eybel, Wolfsthal, Austria
Fibre cement cladding: Eternit-Werke Ludwig Hatschek AG, Vöcklabruck, Österreich SFK GmbH, Kirchham, Austria
Altar: Idee & Design, Stainz, Austria

Project data
Site area: 420 m²
Sanctuary for 50 people, community space und ancillary rooms
Total gross floor area: 289 m²
Height (slab building / community space): 3,5 m
Height sanctuary: 6 m
Height roof: 10 m
Length: 25 m
Width: 10-17 m
Height bell tower: 20 m

Chronology
Start of Planning: 2008
Start of Construction: 08/2010
Opening: 04/2011

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Church in Foligno by Doriana Fuksas	Tampa Covenant Church by Alfonso Architects	Dove of Peace by Sunlay Design

The roof and upper walls of a house in Tübingen, Germany, are covered in rubber, like a fisherman’s hat pulled low over his eyes.

Designed by German studio Architekten Martenson und Nagel Theissen, the five-storey Just K house has walls that pitch in and out to maintain views from neighbouring houses to a nearby castle.

The raised seams that line the house are welded together and allow rainwater to naturally drain from the walls.

As the family grows, the house could be split into two separate residences with entrances on the basement floor and at first floor level, accessed by an outdoor staircase.

Rooms are warmed and cooled by passive house technology, where hot air is drawn up through the building by a ground-air heat exchanger, and solar panels on the south elevation provide additional electricity.

An open plan living room with a raised living area platform occupies the ground floor, while two floors of bedrooms and an attic living room are located above.

Exposed softwood provides the surfaces of walls, floors and ceilings throughout the timber-framed house.

A recent debate on Dezeen questions whether the use of exposed timber inside houses (particularly in Japan) is a consumptive trend that should not be encouraged just because of its natural appearance – join the debate here.

This is the second project by Architekten Martenson und Nagel Theissen on Dezeen this month, following a cafe pavilion in a town cemetery edged with both round and pointed arches.

Photography is by Brigida González.

Here are some more details from the architects:

Project: Just K

Living space for 2 adults and 4 children in Tübingen

Site and commission

This 365 square-metre site is located in Tübingen; on a south-facing slope with a view over the city and of Tübingen castle. The 1960s development plan stipulates a specific position for the house on the site as well as “insertion into the surroundings” according to §34 of the Federal Building Code. The client commissioned the design of a family home that would provide passively heated living space for two adults and four children. Use of energy efficient passive house technology, natural application of materials and prudent use of the resources at hand, make the building sustainable. The potential adaptation of the house to the family’s living situation was an important aspect thereof.

The question is, what is “good” living space? What defines it and what does one really need? These issues guided us in our approach to the layout of the house, which has been efficiently designed to optimally deliver maximum use of space, functionality and flexibility. We strove to create outstanding spatial quality using a minimum of materials. Imaginative overlapping of spatial areas and uses were designed to give the inhabitants a feeling of spaciousness, manifold atmospheres and various realms of possibility—despite minimised living area.

Envelope

The parameters of a limited-sized site, distance spacing regulations, and ample living space for six people, led the building to grow upwards in tower-like fashion. JustK relates to the surrounding grey 1920s tuff buildings in a contemporary manner through its compact envelope and defined roof volume. The swing of its hipped roof and its multiply-kinked shape derive on the one hand from a desire to create maximum spatial volume with minimum distance spacing, which the 70° angle facilitates in adherence to state building regulations, and on the other hand from a request by the neighbours to keep the view of Tübingen Castle unimpeded—under which conditions they sold the site.

Roof Cladding

The top and roof level of the house has been clad in a “southwester hat” of roof sheeting to provide protection from wind and weather. Similar to exterior “seams”, the roof sheeting meets to form ridges at the edges, these have been welded together to stand out from the water surface. This interpretation of the ridge seal accentuates the envelope of this membrane-covered warm roof. A drainage edge on the eaves guides away the rainwater that falls on the roof cladding, just like the brim of a hat.

Prefabrication, Structure, Surface Treatment

The structural physical demands on passive houses, their short construction period as well as sustainability considerations, all culminated in a decision to build this house in solid wood, optimally using the potentials of prefabrication. The whole building consists of 136 elements, which were fabricated with notches for carpentry and joinery as well as with drill holes and grooves for installation of the electrics.

Wood is the main material to be used consistently throughout the structure and interior surfaces; as a renewable raw material it was chosen not least for its favourable energy balance. To keep costs down, the wooden surfaces in the common rooms have been designed in “refined shell construction.” The industrial surface of these cross-layered wooden elements have been sanded down, bucked and soaped to preserve the light character of the wood.

Splittable

One can become two. Sustainable and flexible; the house can be split into two living units with separate entrances without much effort should the family situation change to require that. The total area of the house is 138 square-metres; one unit would measure 81 square metres and the other 57. In the warmer months of the year, this living space can be extended by the 12 square-metre balcony and the 23 square-metre forecourt.

Ground floor Climate Zone

The staggered main living space creates various room heights which zone the ground floor and automatically create different climate zones in winter. Cold outside air remains trapped in the lower entrance area while moderate temperatures prevail in the kitchen-living room and the sitting room higher up is warmest.

Architects: Björn Martenson, Sonja Nagel and Jan Theissen.
Structural planning: Ingenieurbüro von Fragstein
Energy planning: Dipl.-Ing. Jörg Lammers

Site: 365 m²
Floor space: 138 m² (81m² + 57 m²)
Gross floor area: 278 m²
Cubic content: 583 m³
Energy needs: 14,4 kWh/(m²a)
Building costs: € 330.000,-
Design period: November 2007 to December 2008
Construction period: April 2009 to June 2010 (with discontinuities)

Firms involved:
Cross-Laminated Structural Timber Pabeks/Lenotec: Finnforest Merk GmbH
Synthetic Membrane Roof: Roofing Membrane, synthetic rubber/ Polyisobutylene (PIB)
Composite Thermal Insulation System: Sto AG
Ventilation system: Drexel und Weiss Energieeffiziente Haustechniksysteme Gmbh
Windows – Alu2Holz: Optiwin GmbH
Skylight Windows: Fakro Dachfenster GmbH
Sloped Glass Roofs: RAICO Bautechnik GmbH

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Wrap House by Future Studio	Villa Bussum by GROUP A	Yachiyo by Atelier Tekuto

Dezeen Screen: here’s a movie by architectural photographer David Vintiner of vintiner/ap about Folly for a Flyover, a temporary canal-side cinema under a London motorway flyover. Watch the movie »