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This medical research building at the University of California in San Francisco by Rafael Viñoly Architects projects out from a forest hillside, supported on steel truss stems that fan upwards from the ground.

Designed to accomodate 125 individual biology laboratories for scientists studying stem-cell treatment, the building has one laboratory floor split into four levels, which step down half a storey at a time as they descend the hill.

Offices are located above each level, connected by a stepped circulation route on the exterior of the building which also bridges across to the adjacent medical centre.

The building has south-facing glazing to maximise natural light into the laboratories and offices.

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The following is from the architects:

Stem Cell Building at UCSF by Rafael Viñoly Architects:

San Francisco, California: Rafael Viñoly Architects’ design of the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building at the University of California, San Francisco has been completed.

The project is targeting LEED Gold certification. DPR Construction served as the design-build contractor and the Smith Group served as executive architect. The University held a grand opening celebration of the building on February 9, 2011.

Located on a steeply sloping urban hillside, the Dolby regeneration medicine building presented the design team a unique challenge: executing a horizontal structure on an uneven site.

RVA responded by creating a beautifully sinuous, serpentine building that makes use of every foot of available space.

The main floor functions as one continuous laboratory divided into four split levels, each stepping down a half-story as the building descends the forested hillside slope, and each level is topped by an office cluster and a grass roof with wildflowers and plants.

Exterior ramps and stairs, taking advantage of the temperate climate, provide continuous circulation between all levels, and the facility connects to three nearby research buildings and UCSF Medical Center via a pedestrian bridge.

The building structure is supported by steel space trusses springing from concrete piers, minimizing site excavation and incorporating seismic base isolation to absorb earthquake forces.

Inside the building, the transitions between the split levels are designed as hubs of activity. Break rooms and stairs located at these interfaces increase the potential for chance interaction – a goal for promoting a cross-pollination of ideas among the scientists –  and interior glazing maximizes visual connectivity between the lower labs and the upper offices.

To further promote collaboration, the laboratories occupy a horizontal open-floor plan, with a flexible, custom-designed casework system that enables the rapid reconfiguration of the research program.

Abundant south-facing glazing fills the open laboratories and offices with natural light and views of the wooded slope of Mount Sutro nearby.

Green roof terraces impart environmental benefits and an outdoor amenity for building occupants and campus community.

Visible from surrounding campus buildings’ upper floors, the terraces create a welcoming transitional space where the dense campus meets the forest.

The Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building is the headquarters for The Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCSF, which extends across all UCSF campuses.

The Center encompasses 125 labs made up of scientists exploring the earliest stages of animal and human development.

The goal of these studies is to understand how disorders and diseases develop and how they could be treated based on the knowledge of, and use of, stem cells and other early-stage cells.

The Institute’s mission is to translate basic research findings to clinical research and on to patient care.

Scientists in the Institute will work closely with clinical researchers at UCSF Medical Center, located nearby, to translate discoveries into therapeutic strategies.

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United States Senate by Rafael Viñoly	Cleveland Museum of Art by Rafael Viñoly	Medical Centre by Doblee Architects

With the Whitney Museum of American Art slated to break ground on its new Renzo Piano-designed building in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District on May 24, the fate of its uptown flagship is newly sealed. The Brutalist icon, designed by Marcel Breuer and completed in 1966, will be used by the Metropolitan Museum of Art for exhibitions and educational programming, the museums announced yesterday. An agreement approved by the boards of trustees of the Met and of the Whitney provides for an eight-year “collaboration” beginning in 2015, when the Whitney opens its downtown facility.

The Met plans to focus its programming in the Breuer building on modern and contemporary art. “This will be an initiative that involves curators across the museum, stressing historical connections between objects and looking at our holdings with a fresh eye and new perspective,” said Thomas P. Campbell, director of the Met, in a statement issued yesterday by the museum. “This project does not mean that we are taking modern and contemporary art out of the Met’s main building, but it does open up the possibility of having space to exhibit these collections in the event that we decide to rebuild the Lila Acheson Wallace Wing where they are currently shown.” The announcement also notes that the Whitney and the Met will seek to collaborate on collections sharing, publications, and other educational activities. Meanwhile, like any savvy Manhattan property owner, the Whitney will keep some space in its former home for storage, as well as for site-specific works of art that will remain there on a permanent basis.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

This house on a rocky hilltop in Sweden by Swedish architect John Robert Nilsson sits upon on a limestone-covered concrete plinth, which provides a continuous floor surface inside and outside of the house.

The exterior of Villa Överby is finished in matte black, interrupted only by glass walls which provide views out towards the sea.

The glass wall frames sit in recesses in the limestone slabs, allowing the base of the glass to be flush with the ground.

The plinth extends out into a terrace at the rear of the building with a cut-away at the edge that creates a sunken swimming pool.

Photography is by Åke E:son Lindman.

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The following information is from the architect:

Villa Överby
Värmdö, Stockholm

Situated on a natural plateau atop a rocky headland, the house enjoys panoramic views across the bay and the evening sun to the west. The Gotland limestone on concrete foundation is crafted like a massive plinth, building walkways along three of the house’s façades under the roof’s deep overhangs.

On the side facing the sea, the limestone-covered foundation opens out into a large terrace with a sunken swimming pool and recessed sitting area providing shelter from the wind. The same limestone-covered foundation forms the connected floor space throughout the house.

The entrance side of the house features a solid façade wall, plastered and decolored to matte black. The only interruption is a ceiling-high pivot door with a thin lattice of black stained oak filtering the light. The other façades are made up of a structural glazing system of full glass walls.

The insulated glass consists of an outer layer of Optiwhite glass, reducing daylight discoloration, and an inner layer of thermal control glass to avoid condensation and downdraft.  The bottom of the glass frame is completely recessed and hidden between limestone slabs, making the boundary between outside and inside practically non-existent. A hidden moat around the house, constructed of stainless steel with a limestone cover, channels rain and snow water away.

The floor plan of the house, a simple rectangular shape, is clearly divided into private and social spheres. The private sphere is further divided into bedrooms, bathrooms and storage, built around an open-concept living space. Instead of traditional doors, most openings are ceiling height. Simply turning the corner gives you the impression of entering a new room.

The formative idea behind the house was to create a clear and concentrated form in marked contrast to the surrounding landscape. The presence of a concrete object, abstract for the location, also heightens the experience of the rich shades of nature.

While an agreement on the basic idea was reached quickly, finalizing requirements regarding quality, precision and attention to detail was an extensive project. Behind the clean lines hides a series of advanced technological systems. Tap water is extracted from the sea and treated in a desalination unit. Heating for the floors, outdoor pool and hot water is produced by a geothermal heat pump.

District cooling, so-called free air-conditioning, is also pumped into the house through the rock shaft, which means that all air-conditioning is basically free of charge. All systems are operated by a smart control and monitoring solution, using a web-based interface, controlled via the internet or a mobile handset.

Architects (chief, managing and co-workers): John Robert Nilsson Arkitektkontor, Robert Nilsson chief, Maria Århammar managing, Niklas Singstedt / Martin Zetherström / Vincenzo Cassotta contributory.
Interior design: John Robert Nilsson Arkitektkontor
Landscaping, garden: Mikado Mark & Trädgård, Robert Forsberg
Other contractors: Geo Markservice AB, Eva Holmqvist (water/sewage), CSE Projekt, Henrik Nilsson (construction), Itecon AB, Eskil Stenstrand (water), Jan Fransson Elkonsult AB, Håkan Ackland (electricity)
Glass contractors/Suppliers: JB Glaskonsult AB, Johan Backlund, JONI Metall & glasprojektering/ CL Specialglas, Claes Lundén
Client: Private
Construction form: Shared construction
Building contractor: Liljestrand Entreprenad LE AB
Gross area, sq. m: 250 sq. m
Year built: 2007-2009

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House Morran by Johannes Norlander Arkitektur	Solbrinken Ordinary House by In Praise of Shadows	Hölick Sea Resort

Concrete wedges project out from the facade of this single-storey residence near Madrid by Spanish architecture studio A-Cero.

Surrounded by grass landscaping, Concrete House II has grass ramps that slope up between the concrete fins and onto the roof.

On the rear of the building the lounge, dining room, library, study and bedrooms have fully-glazed walls overlooking the garden.

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Here are some more details from A-Cero:

Concrete House II

The architecture studio A-cero presents one of its last works about a big single-family house.

It takes place in the outskirts of Madrid on a 5,000 m2 plot. It is a single storey building and it has a 1,600 m2 built surface.

The first sensation that this house produces when people go into the plot is that the building seems to be hidden between concrete walls and vegetable ramps that extend up to the roof.

They are dyed in dark gray and contain, between them, vegetation areas that seem to climb towards the sky.

The house´s façade show a spectacular organic view of the whole house and so even the hard concrete shows its most kind face.

The back front of the house is totally opened towards the garden where the lounge, dining room, library, study and bedrooms are.

In this façade the wide windows, the volumes set and the projections (made of concrete too enhance).

These elements cover the several house´s porches.

The large window of the main lounge hides itself automatically in order to make this stay completely opened to the exterior areas.

The plot includes also an elegant garden, a small lake and a padel track.

The ecological aspect is very in this A-cero´s work: the façade and the roof have the main ecological roles because they are covered with low consume vegetation.

Furthermore on the house´s roof has been implemented a renewable energy system made of wide surfaces with solar tubular collectors who allow that the energy autonomy of the house.

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The House with Balls by Matharoo Associates	Earth House by BCHO Architects	Cottages at Fallingwater by Patkau Architects

A renaissance man with an intrinsic sense for color and shape boldly redefines modern interiors

by Meghan Killeen

Rafael de Cárdenas‘ signature blend of saturated colors and stark geometry turns classic architecture into a common language of striking patterns and eye-popping hues. “Graphics lend themselves to a very immediate reception, which I’m very drawn to,” he recently told Cool Hunting. With an impressive roster of diverse projects in his portfolio, de Cárdenas’ ability to translate color and form across platforms stems from his varied background, which began in the fashion world. Shortly after graduating from RISD, de Cárdenas worked for Calvin Klein as a menswear designer, but he reflects, “I never explicitly set out to pursue any one thing. I was fairly schizophrenic in my various pursuits as a young boy and teenager. But more importantly, I was interested, and always have been, in moods and generating atmospherics.”

While completing a Masters in Architecture at UCLA, de Cárdenas became acquainted with progressive architect and mentor, Greg Lynn—who he later collaborated with on a proposal for the redesign of the World Trade Center, a finalist for its beautiful series of interconnected buildings reminiscent of a cathedral. “Every time I left a meeting with him, I felt like something I’d previously not known was revealed to me. The WTC competition was a dream-team and possibly one of the most awe-inspiring projects ever,” he enthuses.

After working as creative director of experience design at Imaginary Forces, de Cárdenas opened his own design firm called Architecture At Large, where he continues to take “note of the past while daydreaming the future,” with projects focused on the conceptual design of residential and commercial interiors. His ingenuity has been the leading force behind customized interiors for celebrities and CEOs alike. He explains, “I don’t think about things going or not going. I think if something has an interesting story it will work.” For supermodel Jessica Stam, de Cárdenas returned to the referential silverscreen theme of decadence, styling her lavish apartment in monochromatic jewel tones, specially curated eBay finds and vintage wallpaper.

De Cárdenas’ ability to personify spaces is as iconic as it is personal, as encapsulated in his design of Nike’s experiential store, Bowery Stadium. Integrating his own interest in running and love of Brazilian culture, de Cárdenas created the space using vertigo-inducing zig zags and illuminated pegboard, accented by yellow and green flooring. De Cárdenas elaborates, “With Brazil as the theme and a soccer field as the visual start, I played with visual ideas of gravity and space through the use of everyday materials. The stadium’s disorienting stripes and floating elements are key in bring out a sense of actual play within the sport rather than competition. The aim of the stadium was play for the sake of play. We used pegboard as the unsung hero emblematic of the amateur athlete.”

His brazenly dynamic aesthetic continues to make its mark, appearing at the many OHWOW galleries and concept shops popping up around the world. De Cárdenas cites diversity and atmosphere over set style as the key to artistic longevity, adding “I like to bend the rules of traditional architecture to produce moods and elicit emotional response.” This can also be seen in his work for Cape Town’s new men’s store Unknown Union, where he used a gradient of bold colors and square shelving units to create depth.

Stepping outside interiors, de Cárdenas recently co-curated an exhibition entitled “New York Minute” with Kathy Grayson, director of NYC’s The Hole. The exhibition features fifty New York-based artists and is on view at Moscow’s Garage Center for Contemporary Culture through 5 June 2011. He will also debut his first furniture collection, a neon colored homage to Frank Lloyd Wright and Bruce Goff, at NYC’s Johnson Trading Gallery from 13 May to 25 June 2011.

The Audi Icons series, inspired by the all-new Audi A7, showcases 16 leading figures united by their dedication to innovation and design.

The Audi Icons series, inspired by the all-new Audi A7, showcases 16 leading figures united by their dedication to innovation and design.