Hasta La Ideas

This social housing block in Slovakia by Bratislava studio Nice Architects features a series of protruding balconies that angle towards sunlight whilst blocking out the noise of car traffic below (+ slideshow).

Nice Architects shaped the balconies in accordance with the sun’s trajectory across the facade of the four-storey North Star Apartments building, which is located in Senec, a small town outside of Bratislava.

The architects were tasked with creating social housing situated on a busy street that would be visually appealing but came at a low cost – €500 Euros per square metre.

“The goal was to enrich this locality and create an iconic, easy to remember and original building, as an opposite to the patchy and chaotic surrounding development,” said architect Tomas Zacek.

The building’s location, opposite the town’s observatory and perfect north-south orientation inspired the architects to name the building after the famous star.

“North Star is not only the brightest star on the northern hemisphere, it was traditionally used for high seas navigation,” explaned Zacek.

The building contains nine one-bedroom apartments across its three upper storeys, while five small shops occupy the ground floor.

Each apartment features one of the angular balconies, which protrude from the all-white facade at different lengths.

The top corner of every balcony is exposed to the south, reflecting the sun’s rays into the apartments. As the sun traverses the front, the shadows alter the appearance of the building depending on what time it is. They also offer seclusion from neighbours.

The lower sections of each balcony are deliberately enlarged on one side to shelter the space from oncoming traffic.

The windows that do not feature the enclosures are fitted with Juliette balconies and a small outer area covered in gravel.

All of the windows in the development face directly west, giving residents the opportunity to enjoy sunsets over the local school garden across the street.

On the ground floor, the facade is made up of monochrome stripes graduating from black to white to deter graffiti artists.

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at North Star Apartments by Nice Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

This small bookshop in Bratislava, Slovakia, has a climbing wooden floor that allows it to double up as an informal auditorium.

In the daytime these chunky wooden steps provide seats for anyone having a leaf through the books, while during events and talks they can be filled with rows of spectators.

Completed by Slovakian architects Martin Jančok of Plural and Aleš Šedivec of Totalstudio in 2010, the bookshop also contains a coffee shop at the floor’s peak.

A staircase here leads down to staff rooms and storage areas that are concealed below.

One of our most popular stories of all time features a bookshop inside a former church – see what you think here or see all our stories about bookshops here.

Here’s a little more text from the architects:

Bookshop and coffee bar.
2010, Bratislava, Slovakia

How can a small bookshop compete within a network of firmly established booksellers? What can it offer to customers? How can it draw attention?

Our aim was to create a flexible space that would not only sell books but would also be capable of facilitating various collateral events such as projections, readings, minor concerts, workshops, etc.

Two focal points of the bookshop are placed at both ends of the longitudinal space.

A checkout is next to the entrance and a coffee bar is on the opposite side on an original elevated gallery.

Both levels are connected with cascades which serve as an auditorium during collateral events and allow customers to sit, read, relax or communicate through regular opening hours.

Books are stored in long shelves along both sides of thebookshop. By this means a clear oragnization and a monumental effect is achieved. New titles and bestsellers are displayed at several mobile stands.

The permanent part of the program – storage, deposit, office and lavatory – are placed under the gallery and accessible via a staircase at the edge of the coffee bar and cascades.

Authors: Martin Jančok (Plural), Aleš Šedivec (Totalstudio)
Graphic design: Marcel Benčík
Client: Ladon, s.r.o.

Structural engineering: Geostat
Carpenter: Treeman
Total floor area: 170m²

Slovakian architects Vallo Sadovsky have created a flexible pavilion for a public square in Bratislava. (more…)