Hasta La Ideas

Red brick buildings wrap around an elevated piazza at this education centre in Rwanda by German office Dominikus Stark Architekten (+ slideshow).

Dominikus Stark Architekten used over half a million handmade clay bricks to build the walls, floors and columns of the Education Centre Nyanza, which is located on a road between the towns of Kigali and Butare.

The original brief called for a sheltered forecourt to extend a small existing building. The programme later expanded to encompass various educational projects, forming a self-contained complex where teaching rooms are clustered around a courtyard.

Comparing the design to local agrarian architecture, Dominikus Stark explained: “The complex, in analogy to local building tradition, is set like a boulder in the landscape.”

There are no openings in the outer walls of the complex, as all windows face inwards towards the central piazza. An internet cafe at the southern entrance to the site is the only space that opens to the surroundings.

Narrow patios and brick columns create intermediate spaces between the courtyard and the surrounding rooms, which include a library, a language lab, three classrooms and an administration block.

Ceilings are made from thin sheets of papyrus, while wicker doors and gates were constructed by local basket makers.

“Local craftsmanship gives the building a simple elegance and combines the various elements of the complex to form a robust, clear unit,” said Stark.

A dining hall with one glazed wall allows a variety of different activities – such as talks, parties or even weddings – to spill out into the courtyard.

Gaps in the brickwork facilitate natural ventilation, plus mono-pitched roofs are angled inwards to allow rainwater to be collected and recycled.

Photography is by Florian Holzherr.

Here’s a project description from Dominikus Stark Architekten:

Education Centre Nyanza, Rwanda

The Central African State of Rwanda, commonly known as the “land of a thousand hills”, is rarely the focus of West European interests. On a private initiative, on the road in Nyanza connecting the country’s most important towns Kigali and Butare, a new IT Centre has been built. While the initial order was to design a new roof over a forecourt, after first discussions the idea was born to build a training centre with lighthouse character, with a future-oriented curriculum and training options.

In the agrarian structure, the complex – in analogy to local building tradition – is set like a boulder in the landscape. New buildings grouped around a central piazza integrate the existing building into the new layout. The individual buildings have no outward-facing openings, but are oriented to and open up to the centre. Only the publicly accessible internet cafe with copy shop opens up to the outside and forms the forecourt and entrance to the facility.

Inner courtyards and rows of columns form a filter between the buildings and the central piazza in the middle. The resulting refuge options permit parallel usage. Only the dining hall, which is also used for weddings and movie evenings, opens directly onto the main piazza and resolves the spatial boundary to the exterior. The buildings’ language of colour and form makes reference to local materials. Clay, the traditional building material, manually processed to form fired clay bricks, has been used for the whole complex. The reduction to three basic materials – bricks, steel, and wickerwork – as construction, protection, surfacing or decoration with function, recurs throughout the entire building.

A simple ventilation concept in combination with the thermal storage capacity of the solid brick walls provides a comfortable indoor climate. The way the roof structure is oriented to the inner courtyard also has a functional background: the gathering of rainwater, which is so precious in these latitudes. Because of the shortage of wood, it is not used for building purposes. Local craftsmanship such as the papyrus ceiling linings or the wickerwork of the restaurant doors and courtyard gates made by local basket makers gives the building a simple elegance and combines the various elements of the complex to form a robust, clear unit. The involvement of local craftsmen and others promotes acceptance and contributes to economic and architectural sustainability.

Project: Education Centre
Location: Nyanza, Rwanda
Architect: Dominikus Stark Architekten
Project Area: 5500 m²
Civil Contractors: Stanbuild

Functions: administration, classrooms, language laboratory, library, kitchen, dining room, internet cafe and copy shop
Area of facility: 2400 sqm
Effective area: 1000 sqm
Numbers of bricks: 575,000 bricks
Visible length of joints: 150,000 m
Length of papyrus: 24.000 lfm
Weight of chimney: 52.000 kg
Brick manufacturers: local one-man-companies, burned in a cooperative
Brick size: 200 x 100 x 62mm

Members of staff: Markus Seifert, Adi Wiesenhofer
Consultant structural engineer: Marcel Enzweiler
Materials used: Handmade bricks; steel, wicker, papyrus

The post Education centre in Rwanda built from brick
and wicker by Dominikus Stark Architekten appeared first on Dezeen.

This concrete house in Tokyo was designed by Japanese firm Apollo Architects & Associates for a family that regularly accommodates foreign exchange students (+ slideshow).

As well as two bedrooms and a large family living room for the house’s main occupants, Apollo Architects & Associates included a pair of guest bedrooms that open out to a private terrace at the front of the house.

“One of the key design concepts is to respect the privacy of the family and guests to achieve comfortable and relaxing lifestyles,” said studio principal Satoshi Kurosaki.

The terrace is invisible to people passing on the street because it is hidden behind stainless steel louvres, which interrupt the raw concrete that otherwise dominates the house’s exterior walls.

“The authentic and solid materiality of concrete is contrasted by sharp stainless steel louvres and this facade gives a touch of elegance to the streetscape of the neighbourhood,” added Kurosaki.

Named Calm, the three-storey residence is located in Bunkyo, just north of central Tokyo.

Rooms are arranged around a courtyard in the south-east corner of the building. On the ground floor, it sits adjacent to a music room and a traditional Japanese room that can also function as a spare bedroom.

Sliding doors allow all three spaces to open out to one another, as well as to the entrance hall and dining room behind.

“The floor can be used as a large open space welcoming many guests on occasions such as lectures, parties and more,” said the architect.

Balconies overlook the courtyard from the first and second floors above, plus a steel staircase connects it with a terrace on the roof of the building.

The living and dining room occupies the majority of the second floor, creating a space big enough to host a large group. A kitchen lined with mosaic tiles runs alongside and is lit from above by a narrow rectangular skylight.

Guests also have access to a separate bathroom, which is located on the ground floor.

Photography is by Masao Nishikawa.

Here’s a project description from Apollo Architects:

Calm

This three-story residence is designed to function not only as a house but as a guesthouse that occasionally accommodates foreign guests and exchange students. It is made of concrete using wood formworks composed of 40mm-wide cedar.

The authentic and solid materiality of concrete is contrasted by sharp stainless steel louvres covering the second floor window, and this facade gives a touch of elegance to the streetscape of the neighbourhood. Louvres effectively provide security and privacy at the same time.

On the first floor, a Japanese-style room, which is used as guest room, is located in the back. It is attached to a courtyard enveloped in exposed concrete walls with inscribed horizontal patterns of cedar formworks. By opening the sliding doors, it is seamlessly connected to open space facing the street.

The first floor can be used as a large open space welcoming many guests on occasions such as lectures, parties and more. Toilets and bathrooms for guests are located next to the entrance hall. A soundproof music studio is located at the end of the entrance hall. It is illuminated with soft natural light from the courtyard filtering through the translucent glass facade.

On the second floor, main bedroom and child’s room are located adjacent to the courtyard. Each room has a private courtyard and individual or common bathroom attached. One of the key design concepts is to respect privacy of the family and guests to achieve comfortable and relaxing life styles.

Spacious family room with an attached bathroom is provided on the third floor. By fully opening up wide stainless steel windows, the interior space is integrated with the courtyard of exposed concrete. One can access the roof balcony by exterior stairs from the third floor.

Our goal is to create an ultimate space for relaxation, like a hotel lobby or a salon, where one can feel free to enjoy himself/herself and appreciate elegant Joseon Dynasty-style furniture and art works that are placed here and there.

The interior and the exterior merge into each other at intermediate zones, and the host and the guests gather in harmony. This very atmosphere represents the warm welcoming hospitality of the Japanese culture.

Architecture: Satoshi Kurosaki/APOLLO Architects & Associates
Location: Bunkyo ward, Tokyo
Date of Completion: April 2013
Principal Use: Private Housing

Structure: Reinforced Concrete
Site Area: 125.81 sqm
Building Area: 88.05 sqm
Total Floor Area: 225.67 sqm (70.55 sqm/1F, 74.53 sqm/2F, 73.67 sqm/3F, 6.92 sqm/PHF)

Structure Engineers: Masaki Structure (Kenta Masaki)
Facility Engineers: Shimada Architects (Zenei Shimada)
Construction: Maekawa Construction
Exterior Finish: Exposed Concrete
Floor: Ash Black Oil Flooring
Wall: Stucco
Ceiling: Stucco

The post Concrete Calm house by Apollo Architects
designed to accommodate exchange students appeared first on Dezeen.

News: John Pawson has become the latest designer of a holiday home for Alain de Botton’s Living Architecture project with his proposal for a black brick lodge in the Welsh countryside (+ slideshow).

Named Life House, which translates as Tŷ Bywyd in Welsh, the single-storey residence was designed by John Pawson Architects for an isolated site on the lower slopes of a valley near the small town of Llanbister.

It will become the eighth residence in the Living Architecture series, which was initiated by author and philosopher Alain de Botton to promote modern architecture by offering members of the public a chance to stay in new architect-designed houses.

Pawson’s design features a cross-shaped plan where rooms are set along the edges of two intersecting corridors. Large rooms described as “contemplative spaces” will be positioned at the ends of each corridor, including two set into the hillside and two facing out across the landscape.

Handmade Dutch bricks will be used to construct the building, creating an all-black facade and a contrasting white interior. These will be complemented by terrazzo flooring and oak ceilings.

The house will be available to rent from 2015 and will offer three bedroom suites for guests.

Other Living Architecture projects due to open in the next two years are the Peter Zumthor-designed Secular Retreat in Devon and a house inspired by fairytales by FAT and Grayson Perry for Essex. The first completed house in the series was MVRDV’s Balancing Barn, which cantilevers over a hillside in Suffolk.

Here’s a project description from Living Architecture:

Life House/ Tŷ Bywyd

In mid Wales, near the small town of Llanbister, amidst a landscape of rolling hills, Living Architecture has invited the architect John Pawson to create a timeless house of simplicity and beauty – Life House/ Tŷ Bywyd.

The site lies on the lower slopes of a small and intimate Welsh valley, remote and away from any near neighbours. The house has been designed to reflect the surrounding undulating landscape. Carefully placed to take advantage of the distant Welsh views, it is a series of ‘rooms’ set along two long corridors, at right angles to one another. Each corridor leads to two separate spaces of contemplation, one semi-submerged in the ground, the other set in the wider landscape. Three bedroom suites are individually created for the experience of music, reading and bathing.

The house will be constructed of Dutch handmade bricks; black for the exterior and white for the interior. As would be expected in such a finely detailed John Pawson designed house, the polished terrazzo floor, set against the white brick, and light oak timber ceilings, will create a peaceful and life calming space to spend time in.

The post John Pawson designs countryside lodge for
Alain de Botton’s Living Architecture project appeared first on Dezeen.

Following a preview of the nearly completed Pérez Art Museum in Miami this week, our eighth A-Zdvent calendar window features Swiss architecture duo Herzog & de Meuron. Here’s a picture of their Vitrahaus showroom shaped like a pile of houses.

See more architecture by Herzog & de Meuron » »

The post Dezeen’s A-Zdvent calendar:
Herzog & de Meuron appeared first on Dezeen.

Dutch studio NL Architects used turquoise-coloured bricks to build this apartment block in Rotterdam, which staggers at the top to make room for sunny balconies on one side (+ slideshow).

NL Architects was one of seven firms invited to design buildings for a new residential development in the Nieuw-Crooswijk neighbourhood. Each architect was encouraged to include “elaborate details” in their designs to give variety to the different facades.

This 15-storey tower is the tallest building within its surroundings, so the architects staggered the five uppermost floors to create south-facing sun decks that aren’t shaded beneath the roof of the floor above.

Each floor is the same size, which means these upper storeys project outwards on the opposite side of the building to create the impression that the building is leaning over.

“We wanted to displace the floors in a way that would create a sunny terrace on one side and an interesting facade on the other,” architect Kamiel Klaasse told Dezeen, describing the overall effect as a “freaky cornice”.

The designers named the building Kuifje, the Dutch name for Tintin, to draw comparisons between the hairstyle of the famous cartoon character and the unusual profile of the tower.

Rather than matching the red brick of its neighbours, the walls of the tower are built from turquoise bricks that were made by a process called engobing.

“The aqua-marine effect is caused by something we call engobe, which includes a coloured clay slip coated in this case with copper oxide,” said Klaasse.

Two apartments are contained on each of the building’s 14 main floors, creating a total of 28 units that each feature one double bedroom, an open-plan kitchen and living room, and a study.

Apartments on the regular floors don’t feature sun decks, but do come with smaller recessed balconies.

Photography is by Luuk Kramer.

Here’s a project description from NL Architects:

B05 “Kuifje” Rotterdam

Nieuw-Crooswijk is a residential area in Rotterdam, strategically located near the city centre and Kralingse Bos, a beautiful park. “Everything within 10 minutes.” Large parts have recently been demolished and will soon be reconstructed.

Seven architecture offices were invited to contribute to a differentiated ‘cityscape’. The objective was to create expressive architecture; the focus on refining the facades by to introducing elaborate details; accentuating entrances, articulating bay windows and balconies, introducing intricate brickwork, pronounced window frames and delicate fences: sculptural on the micro scale.

Each of the invited offices designed several blocks that are sprinkled around the area. In order to manage the resulting complexity an experimental organisational system was invented: one single ‘back office’ would draw up all plans and develop them into coherent architecture. ABT is responsible for what is ‘under the hood’; the selected architects can as such concentrate on detailing the facades…

The developer, Ontwikkelings Combinatie Nieuw Crooswijk/Proper-Stok Groep, asked NL Architects to design several of what were called ‘specials’: seven apartment blocks that presumably will play an important role in the area for their position or height.

B05 is part of a series of 7 designs for Nieuw Crooswijk that all emphasise a building part, mostly the outdoor space, to create a both functional and sculptural quality.

B05, or Kuifje (Tintin), is positioned in the second block along the Boezemlaan that is now under construction. B05 is the tallest structure in this cluster; a 15 stories tower, two apartments per floor. The first 10 floor go up straight, but after reaching the maximum height of the neighbours, the building starts deforming.

The highest floors lean forward, piercing through the building line, creating a distinct silhouette. A kind of super sized cornice comes into being.

The standard floors all feature a loggia facing south west. By pushing the upper floors the penthouses can all feature an additional balcony over the full width of the apartment with a sensational view over the skyline of Rotterdam.

Location: Boezemlaan, Nieuw Crooswijk, Rotterdam
Client: OCNC, Woonstad Rotterdam, Proper-Stok Groep, ERA Contour
Program: housing (28 units), retail space, total 3,600 sqm
Process: design 2008, start construction 2010, completion 2013
NL Architects: Pieter Bannenberg, Walter van Dijk, Kamiel Klaasse
Project Architect: Sarah Möller
Collaborators: Thijs van Bijsterveldt, Wim Sjerps, Stefan Schülecke, Florent Le Corre, Gerbrand van Oostveen, Gen Yamamoto
Structural Engineering and Working Drawings: Adviesbureau voor Bouwtechniek (ABT)
Contractor: ERA Contour

The post NL Architects completes turquoise tower
that leans over towards the top appeared first on Dezeen.