Sa House by Yosuke Ichii

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

Residents of this small Japanese house can warm their feet in a heated sunken hollow beneath the dining table.

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

The heated kotatsu table is raised on a platform in the central living area of the u-shaped Sa House, which was designed by architect Yosuke Ichii.

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

The largest room inside the single-storey property is given over to the client’s three children.

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

Residents can climb a ladder from the bedroom on the other side of the house to reach an elevated den.

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

The house also contains a kitchen, hidden behind a softwood screen, and a study alcove.

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

This is the second house by Yosuke Ichii to be published in the last week, following a steel-clad home with a concealed balcony.

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

Japanese houses are always popular with readers on Dezeen – see all the stories about them here.

Photography is by Takumi Ota.

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

The information below is from Yosuke Ichii:


Sa house

House of the young couple and children built in northern part of Himeji City.

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

The family gathered centring on the kotatsu built into the floor (it is a kind of foot warmer in Japan), and naughty children were on good terms, and the request I want the family into which you can grow free from all cares.

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

The volume of the one-storied house is arranged in U-shape to a site.

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

They take a big window in the south and the east side which face the courtyard and become cheerful in well ventilated open space, closing an outer wall face which faces the road in the north and the west side more and protecting privacy.

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

Each room isn’t divided small as a private room, but the eyes pass and achieve the open internal space by losing a hallway and linking it gently.

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

The quiet location of “privacy” varies the height of the floor of a living room and a study in it, and while it’s a wall of the height as the 190cm (the upper part is open, the wall the eyes don’t penetrate), is also born at the same time by settling.

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

I don’t shut myself up in the private room, but it’s the house where you can be here by that and enjoy personal private time while always feeling an aggregate as the family.

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

Location: Hyogo Prefecture
Japan architects: Yosuke Ichii Architect
Site area: 328.32 m²
Building area: 102.72 m²

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

Floor area: 95.16 m²
Structure: wood, 1 story
Completion date: November, 2010
Family composition: parents and 3 children

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii

Sa house by Yosuke Ichii


See also:

.

Hi House
by Yosuke Ichii
J House by Isolation Unit
and Yosuke Ichii
More Japanese
houses

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

A drawbridge-like flap lowers from the steel-plated facade of this Melbourne bunker to reveal a bedroom window.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

Australian architects Muir Mendes designed Law Street House for themselves.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

The building occupies the site of a former workman’s cottage and is flanked on three sides by other houses.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

Designed to be termite-proof, the house features a steel structure plus steel doors, window frames and joinery, as well as a tallow wood floor that is unpalatable to the bugs.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

A bedroom, living area and bathroom occupy the ground floor of the two-storey property, while a study, second bedroom and second bathroom are located on the first floor.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

A double-height corridor crosses the house and is naturally lit by a skylight.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

Law Street House is the fourth Australian house to be featured on Dezeen this month, after a cliff-top home anda glass-roofed residence in Sydney, and a cantilevered house in Melbournesee all our stories about Australia here.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

Photography is by Peter Bennetts.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

Here’s more information from the architects:


Law Street House

Located in a tight single lane street in South Melbourne the original dilapidated one bedroom workman’s cottage built in the 1880s formed the initial brief for architect’s/owner builders Bruno Mendes and Amy Muir.  To pursue the desire to construct using ones own hands formed a very important part of the brief.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

Joe Mendes who manages steel fabrication for a large construction company formed the final link.  The following 3 and a half years of demolition, excavation and construction would be referred to as ‘the daddy Mendes apprenticeship’.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

While working full time in practice the new house was constructed on weekends. This formed the construction program and associated cash flow.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

The 93m2 site adjoined to the north and south neighbouring properties and contained by a rear property called for access to natural light and a view beyond. Flanked by a two storey modernist red brick façade and the ornamented timber cottage to the south, Law Street House became the fourth little pig.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

Constructed from plate steel the façade adopts a condition of blankness concealing the second storey within the adjusted roof pitch mimicking the form of the site’s former cottage.  A ‘draw bridge’ to the front window provides privacy and curates light to the front bedroom providing a signal of occupation to the house beyond.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

Upon entry the double height corridor directs the gaze through the full length skylight to capture a view of the existing palm tree. The inversion of the enclosed cottage corridor is adopted in order to maximise the penetration of natural light to the interior and provide an aspect ‘out’ of the tight site.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

Sky becomes an important distraction for the gaze. The white walls play host to the passage of light that dances across the interior as the day passes patterning the walls as it moves.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

A memory of the original lean to roof lines ripple across the underside of Level 1 defining the ‘section’ of the house.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

The rear of the house forms a continuation of the roof line folding down the Rescode diagram to the south. The rear façade to the east is tilted ensuring that no additional overshadowing was caused to the neighbouring property.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

Click above for larger image

Internally the wall is pleated incorporating the heating panel and concealed blind to the window on Level 1.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

Click above for larger image

Steel construction was adopted to combat the tight site and aggressive termites. Windows, doors, stairs and joinery have been fabricated from steel puncturing the white interior. Tallow wood flooring was selected given that it does not suit the selective pallet of the termite. The flooring folds through the space and up the walls providing a robust skirting.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

Click above for larger image

Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, one study, open plan living and storage have been carefully crafted into the 115m2. The house is divided into two living zones with the Level 1 gallery study forming the in-between space.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

Click above for larger image

Borrowed light and borrowed vistas articulate a space for living, for gazing, for pondering, for thought.


See also:

.

Safe House by
Robert Konieczny
House 77 by
dIONISO LAB
House in Ropponmatsu
by Kazunori Fujimoto

House in Marupe by Open AD

House in Marupe by Open AD

A roof terrace can be glimpsed between the metallic grey timber beams that surround a two-storey house near Riga, Latvia.

House in Marupe by Open AD

House in Marupe was designed by Latvian architects Open AD.

House in Marupe by Open AD

Doors from the two first-floor bedrooms lead directly onto the screened upper terrace, above an open-plan living area that is visible through a circular roof light.

House in Marupe by Open AD

A third bedroom, utility rooms and a spa are also provided on the ground floor.

House in Marupe by Open AD

The floor of the house is finished in black concrete, while timber boards provide an external deck behind the building.

House in Marupe by Open AD

This building is only the second in Latvia to be featured on Dezeen – see also a sports hall inspired by chunks of amber washed up on the Baltic coast.

House in Marupe by Open AD

This week on Dezeen we’ve also published beautiful houses in Japan, Germany and Australia – see all our stories about houses here.

House in Marupe by Open AD

Photography is by Maris Lagzdins.

House in Marupe by Open AD

Here’s some more information from the architects:


The building was constructed around a growing body compositional center-
inner garden.

House in Marupe by Open AD

It was conceived Stylistics Japanese tsubo garden form of the
 Japanese garden culture generally been integrated inside the house, as a
recreational area.

House in Marupe by Open AD

Space around the garden was intended to be transparent, 
thereby fusing, at the same time separating the functions of acquiring and 
natural feeling to a room.

House in Marupe by Open AD

During project implementation, unfortunately, the
 customer refused to inner garden, adding indoor seating area.

House in Marupe by Open AD

Shape the direction of home was holding against the neighboring streets,
 parcel boundaries and corners.

House in Marupe by Open AD

Building a vertical direction followed by the 
sun span, thus the second floor of the south side places deeper,
 resulting in direct sunlight.

House in Marupe by Open AD

On the second floor bedroom has a spacious 
terrace with a planned green plants.

House in Marupe by Open AD

Building is finished with a blackish tree, creating a variety of boards in
 rhythm, but resulting in a seamless whole volume, where the main emphasis
 put on the form.

House in Marupe by Open AD

Click above for larger image

Finishing a different highlight only the entrance area, 
including the smooth metal door in the plane.

House in Marupe by Open AD

Click above for larger image

Emphasizing the building face, 
the remainder of the plot-driven corner wooden footbridge, situated in an
 outdoor fireplace.

House in Marupe by Open AD

Click above for larger image

From there, the building is perceived in its entirety.

House in Marupe by Open AD

House in Marupe by Open AD


See also:

.

Streckhof Reloaded by
Franz Architekten
Ogaki House by
Katsutoshi Sasaki
Meakins Road by
b.e. Architecture

The Periscope by VW+BS

The Periscope by VW+BS

London studio VW+BS have designed an office building for Singapore that resembles a giant periscope.

The Periscope by VW+BS

Tacked onto the rear of a listed 19th century shophouse, The Periscope will have a dramatically cantilevered top floor that will oversail the existing roof.

The Periscope by VW+BS

This cantilever will contain a top-floor restaurant above four storeys of offices.

The Periscope by VW+BS

The building is to be constructed of reinforced concrete, infilled with perforated aluminium panels on the front and rear facades.

The Periscope by VW+BS

A two metre-wide gap will separate the extension from the shophouse, which will be refurbished to provide offices on the first and second floors.

The Periscope by VW+BS

The project is currently awaiting approval from the local planning authority.

The Periscope by VW+BS

Shophouses, usually composed of a shop with flats stacked above, are common in the urban areas of south-east Asia – check out our earlier story about shophouses converted into a live-work unit and a photography story from last year about shophouses in Thailand.

Other bizarre cantilevers from the Dezeen archive include a balancing house with a swing below and a freestanding ski jumpsee all our stories about cantilevers here.

More information is provided by the architects:


The Periscope

The Periscope is an office building located in the Upper Circular Road conservation area in Singapore. Made up of warehouses and shophouses that serviced the commercial activity around the nearby Singapore River until the latter half of the 20th century, the area has recently undergone regeneration and the restored buildings now accommodate offices, hotels, restaurants and shops.

Our site comprises a listed 19th century shophouse which was remodelled in the 1930s. It has road access along the front via a covered public walkway and pedestrian service access along the rear of the building. There are traces of both the 19th century and 1930s interventions and our addition is positioned so that it reads as a distinct layer in addition to the historic ones.

The Singaporean conservation rules allowed us to redevelop the site behind the first 7.5 metres. Our strategy is therefore to retain the original features and character of the front portion of the building as much as possible and create our insertion to the rear of and above it, thereby keeping it as a distinct entity. The extension comprises a service core with office spaces to its rear which ascends four storeys before cantilevering on the top floor over the historic roofline. The cantilever lies behind this conservation boundary and together with the vertical portion of the extension acts as a visual frame to the listed building.

A two metre deep airwell separates the extension from the existing building. It ensures that light and ventilation is maintained throughout the deep building, a device borrowed from traditional shophouses in this region.

Planning rules also dictated that we keep the side walls blank to allow future adjacent development. In the meantime we propose roughcast side walls made of reinforced concrete that act to accommodate the cantilever structurally.

The front and rear facades in contrast are in lightweight perforated aluminium panels to act as sunscreens for these facades.


See also:

.

NHow Hotel Berlin by
NPS Tchoban Voss
Hamburger Hof by
NPS Tchoban Voss
BLC Headquarters by
Atelier Hapsitus

New Medals, Finished Buildings, Weird Mascots and Strange Type: A 2012 Olympic News Bonanza

We told you a few days back that with just a year left before it kicks off, we were going to start hearing a lot more about the 2012 London Olympics. And of course we were right, because we’re not only smart, but we’re also gifted with the second sight. Just in the last couple of days there’s been a bevy of news about the games and their various accoutrements. First, it’s been announced that construction is now complete on all the main venues. Furthermore, organizers are bragging that the whole effort came in both on time and under budget. Said chairman of the London Olympics, John Armitt, “In 2006 we said that the summer of 2011 was the point when we wanted the venues available for test events.” Thanks to a great team effort, we are exactly where we wanted to be.” Among those now-finished buildings is the much-discussed Aquatics Center by Zaha Hadid, which was broken in on Wednesday with a ceremonial first dive. In Building Design‘s review, they like the building itself, but aren’t so hot on the extra seating temporarily affixed to the sides that will allow Olympic-sized crowds. Next, hot off the heels of last month’s unveiling of the torch, the 2012 medals have now been shown to we the public. Designed by David Watkins, they’re nice and shiny and each has all sorts of symbolism, as you’d expect. Finally, we make two quick judgements: First, although they’re apparently already more than a year old, we’re only just now learning about the 2012 mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville. Maybe they’re a nod to some sort of thing that only British people understand, or maybe London is just continuing that popular tradition of making mascots that don’t make a bit of sense, but either way, we’re confused. Second: they’re apparently still really keeping to the standards book that must’ve been created along with Wolff Olins‘ controversial logo, because that’s the only thing that can help explain the “1 Year To Go” signs that were everywhere during this week’s announcements (see the photo above). Either that or they thought of reminding people about the time left only seconds before the press conferences and just decided to using masking tape to make a couple of podium signs.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena by Estudio Barozzi Veiga

Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena by Estudio Barozzi Veiga

A seafront auditorium in southern Spain has concave walls that resemble the deflated cheeks of someone taking a deep breath (photographs by Julien Lanoo).

Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena by Estudio Barozzi Veiga

Designed by Barcelona-based architects Estudio Barozzi Veiga, the Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena provides a hall for theatre and concerts in the town of Aguilas.

Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena by Estudio Barozzi Veiga

Located on the seaside promenade, the building provides sheltered terraces within recessed balconies.

Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena by Estudio Barozzi Veiga

Two large rectangular windows on the south facade offer sea views from the central lobby and stairwell.

Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena by Estudio Barozzi Veiga

This auditorium is the second sea-facing building featured on Dezeen this week, following a cliff-top house in Sydney inspired by a Picasso painting.

Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena by Estudio Barozzi Veiga

Other auditoriums recently featured on Dezeen include a convention centre crowned by a ring of mesh thorns and a performing arts centre resembling a pair of shells.

Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena by Estudio Barozzi Veiga

See also: a house with a concave roof also by Estudio Barozzi Veiga.

Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena by Estudio Barozzi Veiga

Here’s some more information from the architects:


Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena in Águilas, Spain

The project is a natural response to the particular stimulus, offered by the location.

Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena by Estudio Barozzi Veiga

On one hand the need to respect the urban tissue that growths inside, on the other, the one’s to preserve the expressive hue of the natural landscape.

Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena by Estudio Barozzi Veiga

It is through from this contrast, that we define and articulate tensions which allows the project to organize itself while a coherent response to the constraints of place.

Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena by Estudio Barozzi Veiga

The building is a dialectic reflection, simple but at the same time strong, between the urban artificiality and the organic naturalness.

Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena by Estudio Barozzi Veiga

Click above for larger image

Thus, the building results in a large mass, shaped in function of the tensions that proceeds from the different character of the spaces surround it.

Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena by Estudio Barozzi Veiga

Click above for larger image

Tangent to the town, the facades are clean, orderly and paused, while tangent to the sea, the facades translate the surrounding space and the configuration offered by the landscape and geography, through large and concave surfaces, that provides a direct and intensive relation with the surrounding natural environment.

Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena by Estudio Barozzi Veiga

Click above for larger image

International Competition: I Prize
Project: 2004
Construction: 2008- 2011
Investor: City of Aguilas
Use area: 10 200m2
Architects: Estudio Barozzi Veiga S.L.P.
Team: Alberto Fernandez Veiga, Fabrizio Barozzi, Luca Colomban, Paulo Lopes , Tanja Oppowa, Antonio Pinto, Agnieszka Samsel , Antonis Vourexakis

Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena by Estudio Barozzi Veiga

Auditorium and Congress Palace Infanta Doña Elena by Estudio Barozzi Veiga


See also:

.

Harpa by Henning
Larsen
Cité de l’Océan et du Surf
by Holl and Fabião
Turner Contemporary
by David Chipperfield

Battles Begin Over Inclusion of ‘World Trade Center Cross’ at National 9/11 Museum

What’s the best possible way to get people worked into an angry froth? Easy. Just combine one part religion and one part World Trade Center site and sit back and watch it lather itself. As you might have read, in quieter, more peaceful times, a steel T-beam found in the wreckage after September 11th that had been preserved and placed in St. Peter’s church because it resembled a cross, was quietly being lowered into the soon-to-open and already extremely popular National September 11th Memorial and Museum. After that everything went south. A group called American Atheists have called for its removal, filing a lawsuit (pdf) that argues that “government enshrinement of the cross was an impermissible mingling of church and state” and that they “not allow the many Christians who died get preferential representation over the many non-Christians who suffered the same fate.” This, of course, is the sort of thing that outrages the sorts of people who get outraged about such things. Chief among the critics of the critics has been the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), who has vowed to help fight off the lawsuit by “preparing a critical amicus brief to be filed in support of the Cross memorial.” As the Village Voice reports, the ACLJ was founded by Pat Robertson and was also “one of the groups who tried to block the Islamic center in downtown New York.” Hearing reference to that lengthy screaming match from last year, and now knowing who is already involved in the argument, you’re no doubt thinking, “Oh no. How long is this fight going to last?” which is exactly the same question we have. Our advice: settle in and get comfortable.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Castell d’Emporda by Concrete

Dutch architects Concrete designed flattened parasols of rusted steel to shelter the terraced restaurant outside a historic castle in Girona, Spain.

Castell d’Emporda by Concrete

The canopy is composed of twelve steel-coated discs that overlap one another to cover up to 200 diners at the restaurant.

Castell d’Emporda by Concrete

Gaps between circles on the canopy surface are filled with glass.

Castell d’Emporda by Concrete

Transparent curtains can be hung around the parasols to provide additional protection from the wind.

Castell d’Emporda by Concrete

Surrounding the courtyard is the fourteenth century castle, which was converted into a boutique hotel back in 1999.

Castell d’Emporda by Concrete

This story is our third in recent months to feature a converted castle – see our earlier stories about castles converted into museums in Germany and in the Alps.

Photography is by Ewout Huibers.

More information has been provided by the architects:


Program: a terrace covering to accommodate 200 people.

Short design story

Hotel Castell D’emporda located in Girona, Spain offers a signature restaurant including a large terrace with great views over the surrounding landscape. Concrete designed, at the clients’ request, a roof or covering for this terrace with the possibility to create an enclosed space with full wind and rain protection. One of the design conditions was to create a covering that works in harmony with the historical and listed building. Additionally we wanted to maintain the terrace feeling while be seated under the covering.

Castell d’Emporda by Concrete

Click above for larger image

In principle a terrace is an outdoor space where one can enjoy the weather. If necessary, you need a parasol for sun or rain protection, but there is almost no obstruction between the visitor and the view. The solution was to create abstract parasols. 12 Circles in divers diameters are placed randomly on the terrace. Where the circles touch they melt together, the open spaces between circles are filled in with glass. The circular parasol shapes enhance the feeling of being in an outdoor environment on a terrace. The shape of the covering appears as a separate almost temporary element, leaving the ancient building untouched.

A glass roof or a winter garden would to much become a building, create a feeling being inside a structure and would also appear as an extension of the building, damaging the ancient character.

The top and edge of the parasols are made in rusted steel, seeking harmony with the ancient building and the natural environment. The white painted steel columns and ceiling create an open and light outdoor atmosphere under the parasols. Transparent sliding curtains can be hung easily in colder periods but always stay open. When the mistral winds suddenly appear the whole terrace can be closed in a couple of minutes.

Round and square marble tables and two white leather lounge couches create different seating facilities. Underneath one parasol a circular outdoor bar is placed. The restaurant now has his own name: Margarit.

Castell d’Emporda by Concrete

Click above for larger image

History Castell d’Emporda

Castell d’emproda was build in 1301 on a hill nearby the small city of La Bisbal close to Girona (Spain). The castle has been owned for centuries by the Margarit family. In 1973 Salvador Dali wanted to buy the castell for his wife, but the owner refused a payment in artworks. Since 1999 Castell d’emporda has been transformed into a boutique hotel.

Project: Castell D’emporda
Client: Albert Diks, Margo Vereijken – Castell D’emporda – La Bisbal, Girona

Concept, architecture and interior: Concrete
Office address: Rozengracht 133 III
Postal code: 1016 lv
City: Amsterdam
Country: the Netherlands

Project team concrete: Erikjan Vermeulen, Rob Wagemans, Cindy Wouters, Melanie Knuewer

Advisors:
Building regulations: Figa Arquitectos – Girona
Structural advice: Bellapart Construction – Olot

Contractors and suppliers:
Steel construction and corten steel: Bellapart Construction – Olot
Groundwork, ceilingwork and electrical: Burgos Gasull – la bisbal
Transparant curtains: Iaso – Lieida
Bar, loungeseating and tables: Roord Binnenbouw – Amsterdam
chairs: Academia – Italy
lighting: Modular

Covered area: 250m2
First briefing: januari 2011
Opening: june 2011
Duration of construction: 2 months


See also:

.

Tree Restaurant by
Koichi Takada
Metropol Parasol
by J. Mayer H.
Pormetxeta Square by
Xpiral and MTM

London Aquatics Centre 2012 by Zaha Hadid

London 2012 Aquatics Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects

The aquatics centre designed by Zaha Hadid for the London 2012 Olympic Games is complete.

London 2012 Aquatics Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects

The 17,500-seat centre is the final permanent venue to be completed at the Olympic Park, one year ahead of the games.

London 2012 Aquatics Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects

The aquatics centre features an undulating wave-like roof that critics originally speculated would be too complex to build on time.

London 2012 Aquatics Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects

The competition and diving pools are sheltered below this steel roof, enclosed within the main hall.

London 2012 Aquatics Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects

Above photograph is by Anthony Charlton / Getty

A third pool to be used for training is located beneath the Stratford City Bridge, which is also sheltered by the curving canopy.

London 2012 Aquatics Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects

Above photograph is by Anthony Charlton / Getty

Wings on each side of the building provide additional seating but will be removed once the games are over.

London 2012 Aquatics Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects

Above photograph is by Anthony Charlton / Getty

Other completed venues on the Olympic Park include the Olympic Stadium by Populous, the Basketball Arena by Sinclair Knight Merz and the Velodrome by Hopkins, which was recently nominated for the Stirling Prize. See all our stories about London 2012 here.

London 2012 Aquatics Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects

Zaha Hadid also recently completed the Riverside Museum, which has a zig-zagging zinc-clad roof – click here to see all our stories about Zaha Hadid.

London 2012 Aquatics Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects

Photography is by David Poultney/Getty, apart from where otherwise stated.

London 2012 Aquatics Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects

Here are some more details from the Olympic Delivery Authority:


Aquatics Centre unveiled as main Olympic Park venues completed on time and budget

With exactly a year to go until the start of the London 2012 Games, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has announced that the Aquatics Centre is now complete, the last of the six main Olympic Park venues to finish construction.

The Olympic Stadium, Velodrome, Handball Arena, Basketball Arena and the International Broadcast Centre were all completed earlier this year.

The Aquatics Centre is being unveiled with British Olympic hopeful Tom Daley making the first dive into the pool.

Back in July 2006, the ODA set out a challenging brief to clean and clear the Olympic Park site and build the new venues and infrastructure needed in time for test events by the summer of 2011 – a year before the Games. This has now been achieved on time, to budget, with a safety record far better than the industry average, and by setting new standards in sustainability and accessible design.

Double Commonwealth Gold medallist and 2012 hopeful Tom Daley said: ‘Marking the 1 year to go, by diving in the Aquatics Centre is an incredible honour. Only a few years ago, this was a distant dream. The fact that I qualified at the weekend and am taking the first dive is a complete privilege. I can’t wait for next year and the honour of representing Team GB.’

ODA Chairman John Armitt said: ‘The Aquatics Centre will be a fantastic gateway to the Games in 2012 and a much-needed new community and elite sporting venue for the capital afterwards. Five years ago, in July 2006, we published a delivery timetable which set out the ambitious target to complete the main venues a year before the Games. Today, with the completion of the sixth main permanent venue, I am proud to say that we have delivered on that commitment.

‘The completion of the Aquatics Centre is the latest chapter in a British success story where tens of thousands of workers and business from across the UK have demonstrated the ability of this country to successfully deliver major projects.’

LOCOG Chair Sebastian Coe said: ‘With construction now complete on the Aquatics Centre, we are another step closer to the spectacular Olympic Park which will be host to world class sport in 2012. And after the Games, the venue will become a much-needed swimming facility for London with community use at its heart, epitomising the spirit of London’s bid – a Games which would bring lasting change and encourage people to choose sport. Everyone involved can be very proud of this venue and the progress of the Olympic Park as a whole. I congratulate the ODA and their teams who have done a fantastic job.’

Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport Jeremy Hunt said: ‘The build project for London 2012 has been a huge success for the British construction industry, public sector and UK plc as a whole. The completion of the Aquatics Centre is the final permanent world-class sport venue to be finished on the Park and a proud moment for the ODA. All those that have worked on the Olympic Park deserve huge credit for what they have achieved. The venues are stunning and the stage is now set for us to put on the greatest sporting show on earth.’

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: ‘It’s fantastic to add the beautiful Aquatics Centre to London’s list of first class venues which are already set to welcome the world’s greatest sportsmen and women. To have all six permanent venues complete with a year still to go to the Games is a great achievement, and a firm sign that we are well on track to deliver a truly spectacular show in 2012. Congratulations to the ODA and all those who have worked on the construction of the Olympic Park for reaching this milestone.’

Andrew Altman, Chief Executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, said: ‘The Aquatics Centre will be a unique facility in London that puts sport at the heart of regeneration. As a focal point for community, national and international swimming, it will sit at the centre of the south plaza – London’s newest public space which will welcome visitors to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park after the Games.’

Construction started on the Zaha Hadid-designed Aquatics Centre just over three years ago in June 2008 and has been completed on time and with an exemplary safety record. Over 3630 people have worked on the construction of the venue and over 370 UK businesses have won contracts including the steel for the roof from Wales, pool lights from Scotland, pumps from Bedfordshire, under-floor heating by a company from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and water testing done by a Flintshire-based business.

In total, over 40,000 people have worked on the Park since April 2008 and over 1500 direct contracts worth £6bn have been distributed to thousands of companies across the UK.


See also:

.

2012 Olympic Arena
by Sinclair Knight Merz
2012 Olympic Stadium
by Populous
2012 Olympic Velodrome
by Hopkins Architects

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

A private balcony is concealed behind the black galvanised steel exterior of this house in Yao, Japan, by architect Yosuke Ichii.

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

The screened terrace is situated on the middle floor of the three-storey Hi House, revealed on the facade by a narrow window at ankle-height.

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

This cantilevering balcony shelters the front door and driveway.

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

Living and dining areas occupy the first floor of the house, whilst bedrooms are located above and below.

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

A rectangular opening in the roof reveals another balcony on the top floor.

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

Yosuke Ichii previously completed a house in Osaka in collaboration with Isolation Unit – see our earlier story.

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

Other popular Japanese houses published this month on Dezeen include one with a circulating route of staircases and another resembling a half-submerged submarinesee all our stories about Japanese houses here.

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

Photography is by Takumi Ota.

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

Here’s some more information from the architect:


Hi house

1 division is lotted in the narrow area at this place developed in 1970′s.

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

Each housing is built by the biggest volume and equals, it’s an uptown which crowds.

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

Strip stairs are installed in the center of the building, it’s made void space and a big skylight is being put on the upper part.

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

Light shines from there to the first floor hall, enveloped in soft light throughout.

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

To open and shut a window electrically, a void will be stack effect, and for air to flow and discharge collected heat around the ceiling, a new wind is to enter from a lower floor, and you can have time comfortably.

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

Privacy from a neighborhood is protected by making the wall in the balcony which connects with a living room expensive, and even if many people gather, a relative and my friend have secured the enough size for one room space including an outside deck.

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

The simple space where the eyes don’t stop to put it in the wall using a transformed pillar as 200×100 is being produced.

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

The light and open space which can’t be imagined from the outward appearance is spread in the interior, is narrow and is the housing which doesn’t make a built-up area feel by controlling sunlight, a breeze and the eyes.

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

Location : Osaka Prefecture
Japan architects : Yosuke Ichii
Architect structural engineers : Takashi Manda Structural Engineer
Site area : 74.10 m²
Building area : 51.60 m² total
Floor area : 125.24 m²
First floor area : 38.90 m²
Second floor area : 46.03 m²
Third floor area : 40.31 m²
Structure : steel frame, 3 stories
Completion date : September, 2010
Family composition : grand mother and couple and brother
Photo : Takumi Ota

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

Click above for larger image

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

Click above for larger image

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii

Hi House by Yosuke Ichii


See also:

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House in Sakuragawa by
Suppose Design Office
Yachiyo by Atelier
Tekuto
Y House
by TOFU