Mar 14
MA10 Guidebook
Posted in: UncategorizedThis is last year's guide to Modern Atlanta's "Design is Human" week.
Mar 14
Los Angeles architects Emergent have won a competition to design a sports centre and arena for the 12th National Games of the People’s Republic of China, to be held in Liaoning in 2013.
The Civic Sports Center and 2013 National Games Arena in Shenyang will comprise an arena with 2000 fixed seats, a swimming arena and civic sports centre.
A roof with cellular windows and solar panels will cover the different areas with a form derived from natural crystal formations.
The project also includes football, basketball, tennis, badminton, and volleyball courts.
More design for sport on Dezeen »
The information below is from Emergent:
Emergent wins First Place:
Civic Sports Center and 2013 National Games Arena
Shenyang, 2011
The site for this project is located at the heart of downtown Shenyang. Adjacent to Zhongshan Park, it is a connector between the natural and urban life of the city, making it a perfect location for a sports complex and for a National Games Arena. The facility has a total built area of 123,000 square meters.
Our project is based on creating an artificial landscape for sports activities while also creating an icon for the Games. The roof of the Civic Recreation Center and Swimming Arena are interconnected to make this continuous, differentiated sports landscape connecting Park to city with cascading sports fields, pathways, and open space. This landscape features Soccer fields, basketball courts, tennis, badminton, and volleyball courts at various levels.
The National Games Arena is located on the West end of the site – an iconic figure against the relaxed background of the sports landscape. This building is a symbol of both the Games and the new status of Shenyang as a top-ten Chinese provincial capital and international city. The architecture is based on crystal patterning found in nature at all scales. The design features large membrane bubble windows with views out to the Park and the city. The patterning of the windows spreads out onto the metal panel facades of the building, erupting as zones of solar panels on the roof.
Click above for larger image
THE NATIONAL GAMES ARENA BUILDING
The National Games Arena building has its main entry from the Civic Square, but it can also be entered via bridges from the sports landscape on various levels. The arena is designed for 2,000 fixed seats above the mezzanine level and 2,000 removable seats below. With the lower seats removed, massive events can be held in the 40M x 70M space such as NBA games, Disney on Ice, international conferences, or rock concerts. The other sports functions in the building such as basketball, volleyball, and badminton courts are arranged like a gymnasium rather than in separate rooms. This also allows maximum flexibility of use.
Click above for larger image
THE CIVIC RECREATION CENTER AND SWIMMING ARENA BUILDING
These two buildings are combined into a lively multi-storey complex where people can engage in sports indoors at all times of the year. The Swimming Arena is located to the west end of the complex, nestled underneath the cascading sports landscape. All pools are contained within a grand open space making it a memorable and urban swimming experience. It can be entered either from the South Façade or from the Civic Square.
The recreation center is located adjacent to the Park, and has entries from the north, west, and south. It is organized by a passageway which connects the sides of the site together into a network. Sports activities are located on one of four levels, in clear groups for ease of orientation. Skylights daylight the interior spaces and offer views of people playing sports outside. Ground level functions such as galleries and restaurants cater to the general public, making the space a community center as much as a sports center.
Click above for larger image
STRUCTURE AND MATERIALS
The Recreation Center and Swimming Arenas will be constructed out of reinforced concrete frame and slab construction for economy. Certain areas such as the pools and large gaming courts will feature column-less spaces and increased beam depth. Other spaces will relax back into a 7M x 7M economical grid spacing. This column grid will be carried all the way down through the parking garage in the basement.
The National Games Arena will be constructed out of reinforced concrete, concrete walls, and steel frame. The long span roof will be made from deep sculptured beams which will be stabilized by interior armatures. These beams will also contain the mechanical systems of the space. The opaque skin of the building will be aluminum panel, featuring thin-film solar technology in roof areas. The transparent areas will be made of ETFE bubbles, which are pressurized with air. This system is extremely lightweight compared to glazing, and therefore requires minimal structure to support it. In order to reduce solar gain in summer and heat-loss in winter, we propose to exchange patches of the transparent ETFE bubbles with translucent bubbles consisting of multiple layers of ETFE insulated with aero gel or other high-performance insulation.
Type: Sports Civic Center, National Games Taekwondo Arena, Swimming Arena
Size: 123,000 m2
Design Team: Tom Wiscombe
David Stamatis
Bin Lu
Robbie Eleazer
Amber Bartosh
Josh Moratto
Ryan Lamb
Matt Moran
Esteban Ochogavia
Brent Lucy
Status: Competition Winner January, 2011. In Planning
See also:
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| London 2012 Velodrome by Hopkins Architects | Watercube by PTW Architects | VTB Arena Park by Erick van Egeraat |
Mar 13
Slovenian studio Arhitektura Jure Kotnik have completed this colourful extension to a Kindergarten in Ljubljana.
Called Kindergarten Kekec, the building has rotating vertical shutters over the glazed facade, painted in bright colours on one side and plain wood on the other.
More buildings for education on Dezeen »
Photographs are by Miran Kambič.
The information that follows is from the architects:
KINDERGARTEN KEKEC
Kindergarten Kekec is an extension of a typical Slovene prefab kindergarten from the 1980s. Situated in one of Ljubljana’s residential areas, Kekec answers the growing demand for kindergartens. This comes as a result of Ljubljana having witnessed considerable population growth as well as legislative changes and a planned increase in building density inside the highway ring surrounding the city.
The construction is made from prefabricated wood and was built in three days only.
The main design concept derives from the existing kindergarten’s lack of play equipment.
The new façade solves this weakness by offering a play element along all three exterior walls.
It consists of dark brown roughcast and timber slats revolving around their vertical axe.
The slats are the colour of natural wood on one side but painted into nine different bright colours on the other side.
Aside from serving as a shading element, the toy slats provide for children’s play and learning: as the children manipulate the colourful wooden planks they get to know different colours, experience wood as a natural material and constantly change the appearance of their kindergarten, all at the same time.
The new kindergarten annex is attached to the south side of the existing building and stretches into the garden, which has enlarged the volume by an additional 130m2 of playroom surfaces. Playrooms are compact but allow for the furniture to be arranged in various formations.
Daylight floods the interior from three sides as well as the roof.
Located between the two playrooms, washrooms have large glass openings, which visually increase their volume as well as ease tutor supervision. Wardrobes in the narrow cloakroom are made from pure natural wood.
Wardrobes in the narrow changing room are made from pure natural wood and have pull-out boxes for shoes in all the colours of the façade, which function as a space saver, since they also serve as a bench.
Architect: Arhitektura Jure Kotnik
Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia
Project team: Jure Kotnik, Andrej Kotnik
Client: Mestna občina Ljubljana
Structural Engineering: CBD d.o.o. www.cbd.si
Mechanical Engineering: Linasi Peter
Electrical Engineering: Iztok Zlatar
Project area: 130 m2
Project year: 2009
Construction year: 2010
Builder: Riko Hiše d.o.o
See also:
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| Tellus Nursery School | Kindergarten Sighartstein by | Kindergarten in Granada by |
Mar 11
Brewster’s Discovery Walkway by Sturgess Architecture
Posted in: Sturgess Architecture, viewing platform
Canadian firm Sturgess Architecture have designed a glass viewing platform to cantilever over a glacial valley in the Columbian Icefields of Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada.
Called Brewster’s Discovery Walkway, the project also involves creating a 400 metre walkway in the mountainside.
Sturgess Architecture won the competition in collaboration with engineers RJC and construction company PCL.
The project is due to open to the public early next year.
Click above for larger image
Here’s a little bit of text from Sturgess Architecture:
Sturgess Architecture, RJC and PCL teamed up to design the winning competition for Brewster’s newest tourist attraction in Alberta, Canada.
Overlooking the Sunwapta Valley along the Columbian Icefields in Alberta, Canada, the Discovery Walk is envisioned as an extension of the landscape; one that projects from the shear face of the mountainside to not only shelter and educate visitors, but to expose and astound them. The project weaves a continuous thread of experience through unified geometric and material forms, defining the Discovery Walk not only as a singular destination, but as a catalyst and gateway where guests experience the untouched environment in a way they never have before.
See also:
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| Top of Tyrol by Astearchitecture | Hiding in Triangles clifftop hotel for Italy | Trestles Beach footbridge by Dan Brill Architects |
Mar 10
House I by Yoshichika Takagi
Posted in: Japanese houses
Japanese architect Yoshichika Takagi has completed this house surrounded by car parks in Akita, Japan.
Called House I, the project involved enclosing the kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms and storage in interconnected boxes.
The spaces between these volumes form courtyards, corridors and living spaces.
See also: House K by Yoshichika Takagi
More Japanese houses on Dezeen »
Photographs are by Toshiyuki Yano.
Here are some more details from the architect:
House I
This is a small residential house in Akita Prefecture.
The site is in the centre of Akita City where urban functions are situated. Despite its urban location, this is a special place as it is surrounded by car parks.
Considering that the space is exposed to public eyes in all four directions, it is essential to sustain the elements of privacy, but at the same time, our aim is to drop frontality from its façade.
In order to keep privacy, it is sensible to keep the rooms within the enclosure, and it also helps with the indoor environment in the northern climate.
However, enclosure would give a closed feeling, hence the task is to find a way to layout spaces that are closed enough to keep privacy and would also at the same time give an extensive feeling to the space outside.
First, we made a list of facilities that would require enclosure; kitchen, bathroom, toilet, bedroom and storage room, all of which would be enclosed in box-shaped spaces. A collection of these spaces are gathered like pleats, which create many gap areas in various sizes.
This complex structure of these gap spaces gives depth to the whole place as well as an illusion that there is more space beyond what is visible.
The frames installed in the walls of the boxes overlap with one another, and the whole place looks like a combination of facing mirrors depicting different sceneries.
We designed this house on simple rules based on 2 factors: rooms that need to be enclosed should be kept in boxes and rooms that do not need to be enclosed are in the gaps between boxes.
By applying these rules, the space is presented with a complex structure that gives a feeling of extensive space.
Design: Yoshichika Takagi
Location: Akita Japan
Structural design: Daisuke Hasegawa (Daisuke Hasegawa & Partners)
Gross useable floor space: 100.24 m2
Lot size: 476.99 m2
Start of work: July 2009
Completion of work: October 2010
Structure in: Wooden Structure
Floor: 2-Storey
Walls surfaces: Garvanised stealseat siding
Kitchen companies: Designed by Yoshichika Takagi
See also:
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| House K by Yoshichika Takagi | House in Fukawa by Suppose Design Office | Gable House by FORM/Kouichi Kimura |
Mar 10
Eisenhower Memorial and PS1 Young Architects Program Receive Rival, Unsolicited Competitions
Posted in: Uncategorized
The old saying “you can’t please all the people all of the time” has gotten a workout in recent days, focused on pieces of architecture. Archinect recently started up their “PS1 Young Architects Program People’s Choice Awards,” an unsolicited competition for the MoMA offshoot. The popular architecture site said they felt PS1‘s real competition “is beginning to show signs that its competitors have outgrown their hosts as an increasing number of entrants feel compelled to look beyond the creation of shade and add new dimensions of relevance to their proposals.” A fun, very interesting exercise, but while voting is still open until March 11th, PS1 has already selected the firm Interboro to design their courtyard for the hopefully-here-soon summer.
Elsewhere, in Washington DC, the National Civic Art Society and the Institute for Classical Architecture & Classical America have come together to form the “Eisenhower Memorial Competition.” The groups don’t like the commissioned Frank Gehry‘s likely soon-to-be-given-the-go-ahead plans, which we reported on back in 2009, shortly after Gehry had won the real competition, as possibly being able to “reinvent our thoughts about memorials.” In opposition, the groups have said of his memorial:”Devoid of, and in defiance of, traditional aesthetic principles, the proposed design does not convey the meaning, inspiration and dignity suitable to commemorate a distinguished general and president of the United States.” Furthermore, they say, “This proposal fails Eisenhower, fails beauty, fails our capital city, and, in so doing, fails our nation.” So they’ve opened up their own competition, inviting architects and designers alike to come up with something better. Will the Congress-created commission who hired Gehry reconsider once they’ve seen these alternate versions? Not likely. But if your heart’s in it, it never hurts to try, does it?
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Mar 09
Fagerborg Kindergarten by RRA
Posted in: RRA
Norwegian architects RRA have completed this wood-clad nursery school in Oslo, Norway.
Called Fagerborg Kindergarten, the project features four classrooms that can either be combined or operate separately.
One end of the building is undercut and cantilevers out to shelter the entrances below.
The interior is clad in wood with colourful staircases leading to administrative areas on the upper floors.
More buildings for education on Dezeen »
The information that follows is from the architects:
RRA has been involved in designing a new kindergarten for Fagerborg Congregation in central Oslo. The kindergarten offers 2 units for children between 1-3 years old and 2 units for children between 3-6 years old.
Gross building area is around 1000m2.
There are many cultural heritage guidelines to be considered in the project site. The area is characterised by residential buildings from 1900-1950. As a requirement from the local authority, the kindergarten is to have a contemporary expression.
With its location in the middle of a small city park, the kindergarten has an outdoor area that is protected like an enclosed garden.
The planning solution enables the 4 kindergarten units to function both independently and together as required. All units share a common area and a kitchen in the heart of the building. Administration is placed on the upper floor separate from children areas.
FAGERBORG KINDERGARDEN
Location: Fagerborg, Oslo
Program: Kindergarden
Client: Fagerborg Congregation
Size: 1000 m2
Commission type: Direct commission (2003)
Status: Built
See also:
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| Tellus Nursery School by Tham & Videgård | Kindergarten Sighartstein by Kadawittfeldarchitektur | Kindergarten in Granada by Solinas + Verd Arquitectos |
Mar 09
Not Just A Container
Posted in: UncategorizedCompete to reinvent a shipping container for Brooklyn’s new community market
Located in the heart of downtown Brooklyn’s Fulton Street mall, the upcoming Dekalb Market will be home to a food market and incubator farm, restaurants, work-sell shops, a performance venue and more. One of the spaces dreamed up to enclose all these attractions is a re-imagined shipping container, which Dekalb Market developer Urban Space is challenging you to design. The “Not Just A Container” competition tasks the creative community with coming up with an innovative idea for the structure, with the winner receiving six months free rent and $3,000 for design and construction, as well as one year memberships to 3rd Ward and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.
Beginning today, the contest spans one month and I’m looking forward to checking out the designs as one of judges on the panel. Suggestions for use range from art installation to sports venues, but entrants are free to stretch their imagination while keeping to key criteria like design quality, sustainability, community impact and entrepreneurship. Designs must also conform to the size limitations for an ISO steel shipping container (8′ x 20′ x 9.5′).
For a full list of rules and regulations, visit the Not Just a Container website.
Mar 09
Sky Garden House by Guz Architects
Posted in: green roofs
Here’s a house with gardens on all three levels designed by Singaporean studio Guz Architects on Santosa Island, Singapore.
The Sky Garden House includes a large stone-lined swimming pool that can be viewed from inside the building at basement level through a large glazed window.
A staircase with a glass balustrade and wooden steps snakes across the stairwell.
The curved roof at the top is also covered in grass and affords views of the bay beyond.
More residential architecture on Dezeen »
Photographs are by Patrick Bingham Hall.
The information below is from the architects:
SKY GARDEN HOUSE
This house is located on a new housing estate on the island of Sentosa adjacent to Singapore. The plots are not large and neighboring buildings are built close to the sides of each house.
Thus our strategy was to build a solid wall to each side neighbor to provide privacy where possible, while creating a central light and stair well which would funnel the sea breeze through the center of the building.
The front and rear of the building meanwhile, terrace back allowing each storey to have visual or actual access to greenery.
The intention was to try to allow each roof garden provided a base for the storey above allowing the layered effect to make each storey feel like it was a single storey dwelling sitting in a garden.as much as we could do in the close confines of Sentosa island and with such a large building!!
LOCATION Sentosa Island, Singapore
AREA 852 sq. meters
GROSS FLOOR AREA 654 sq. meters
DESIGN ARCHITECT Guz Wilkinson
PROJECT ARCHITECTS Caroline Witzke and Szymon GoŸdzikowski
See also:
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| Sun Moon Lake by Norihiko Dan and Associates | La Maison-vague by Patrick Nadeau | Villa Rotterdam by Ooze |
Mar 09
Second Employee in Less Than a Week Fires Off Angry Email to All RMJM Staff, Then Resigns
Posted in: Uncategorized
Fresh off our report from the start of this week about the troubles plaguing one of the largest architecture firms in the world, Edinburgh-based RMJM, another employee has fired off an angry company-wide email and effectively ended their career at the firm. As Building Design reports, it was Project Architect Ed Jimenez from the company’s American wing, which had formerly been know as Hillier Architecture. Based off his LinkedIn profile, Jimenez had been with the company for more than seven years, starting back in 2004 before RMJM stepped in to take over in 2007. In his mass mail, he claims that employees there have once again seen their paychecks delayed and bills unpaid (an issue the American office was already suing their parent company over). The company, once again, denied that these delays are happening anymore and told BD, “In a business of 900 people, people coming and going is a natural, regular occurrence.” However, two such public fallouts in less than a week seems far from “a natural, regular occurrence.” Here’s a section of Jimenez’s letter:
“The fact that you have chosen to delay payroll, 401k and consultant payments to the US offices again after the recent Hong Kong fallout shows that you continuously do not value your US clients or employees. This pattern is destined to failure, and you should know that your decisions have had a severe negative impact on the families of your employees.”
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