Hasta La Ideas

Armée d’une Red Epic 5K Camera, Mark Toia a profité d’un vol de près de trois heures en hélicoptère pour capturer des images incroyables des paysages néo-zélandais. Des images magnifiques à découvrir en vidéo dans la suite qui plairont aux amoureux de la nature et de très grands espaces.

News: architects and critics have called for the earthquake-damaged Christchurch Cathedral in New Zealand to be restored to its original gothic appearance after rejecting two contemporary proposals as “bizarre” and “architecturally illiterate”.

Writing for the New Zealand news website The Press, British architecture critic Kieran Long said the proposals by New Zealand firm Warren & Mahoney, which were unveiled by Anglican leaders last week, offered “a fairly mediocre architectural choice.”

If pressed to choose between the three options – a full restoration, a traditional redesign or an entirely new building – Long said he advocated the complete rebuilding of British architect George Gilbert Scott’s gothic revival cathedral, which was constructed in the second half of the nineteenth century and suffered major structural damage during Christchurch’s 2011 earthquake.

Above: traditional redesign proposal
Top: new building proposal 

“It is the only piece of architecture of these three that will have enduring meaning. It would speak of continuity, which is surely something valuable in a city like Christchurch today,” said Long, who was recently named senior curator of contemporary architecture at the V&A museum in London.

The traditional redesign proposed was “architecturally illiterate”, he noted. “The hexagonal facade treatment is bizarre and at odds with the ornamental logic of the gothic – the pattern and the rose window jar horribly.”

He also criticised the contemporary timber and glass proposal as “too generic to be interesting”, adding: “Its clumsy modern gothic is a kind of euphemistic architectural language that wants to appear rooted in history but in fact doesn’t take it very seriously.”

Above: original restoration proposal

Ellis Woodman, architecture critic for the Telegraph in London, also called for a straightforward restoration, dismissing the two alternatives as “painfully voguish”, while Australian architecture critic Elizabeth Farrelly agreed that the “depth and mystery” of the original gothic cathedral should be preserved.

Professor Paul Walker from the University of Melbourne and Australian architectural writer Justine Clark added to the debate by saying reconstruction should be “given serious consideration”, but called on Anglican leaders to think more carefully about their options.

An online poll conducted by The Press found that, as of this morning, 30.6 per cent back the restoration option, 24.2 per cent are for the traditional redesign and 39.6 per cent approve of the contemporary proposal, while 5.6 per cent of voters say they want something else.

Above: photo by Searlo

Christchurch’s mayor Bob Parker backed the contemporary option, saying it “points us to where we need to be thinking as a city” while its lower costs and shorter estimated completion time also worked in its favour.

“I love the idea of something new. I think it’s about looking forward rather than looking back, and this design helps with that,” he said.

Japanese architect Shigeru Ban has meanwhile designed a transitional cathedral for the city made from an A-shaped frame of cardboard tubes, which is due to be completed this spring.

Above: Shigeru Ban’s cardboard cathedral, photo by Shigeru Ban Architects

Earlier this year we featured a spiralling titanium-clad church completed in northern Norway and a proposal for a chapel in Miami shaped like a flowing gown – see all churches on Dezeen.

Images are by Warren & Mahoney except where stated.

The post Critics reject “clumsy” proposals for
earthquake-hit Christchurch cathedral appeared first on Dezeen.

Découverte des clichés de ce photographe de mariage américain Sam Hurd captant les paysages et la nature au sein du pays de la Nouvelle-Zélande. Des images spectaculaires et une série complète « Shots of New Zealand » à découvrir sur son portfolio et dans la suite de l’article.

New Zealand architects Studio Pacific have created public toilets shaped like headless dinosaurs in Wellington (+ slideshow).

Red steel armour plates cover the roofs of the two structures, which each contain a single toilet cubicle.

A long neck cantilevers out from the chunky concrete base of each one for natural ventilation.

The architects liken the structures to crustaceans or sea creatures, evoking “the crusty saltiness of the sea” in the harbour nearby.

Other unusual toilets we’ve featured include some resembling origami cranes and tree-mounted urinals.

See more stories about toilets on Dezeen »

Here’s a project description from Studio Pacific Architecture:

Kumutoto Toilets, Wellington, New Zealand

These public toilets are located at the Synergy Plaza in the Kumutoto Precinct, situated at the northern-most end of Wellington’s waterfront.

As well as taking into account practical considerations such as security, hygiene and vandalism, the brief was to create a structure with a sculptural form, something iconic, highly visible and unusual that was also well integrated into the visual and historical context of the surrounding precinct.

To be seen in the round, the design comprises two elongated, irregularly curved forms, instantly recognisable from all key pedestrian approaches and terminating a sequence of spaces and elements along the laneway.

These organic forms, eye-catching and instantly memorable, are suggestive of crustaceans or sea creatures, as if the structure was a kind of fossilised husk that had been discovered and inhabited. Recalling the waterfront’s shipping past, they evoke the crusty saltiness of the sea in the smooth levelness of the precinct, clinging to its surface like barnacles to the underside of a boat.

Along with adding a playful element to its surroundings, this aquatic reference also links back to the origins of the name Kumutoto, a former pa and ancient stream running under the reclaimed land.

Each form contains one accessible public toilet, with one of the two also including cleaning facilities. Their robust concrete construction is appropriate to the surrounding maritime environment. A metal rainscreen, painted the brick red of the neighbouring sheds, ties them into the heritage context and enhances their visibility.

While they contrast with the linear architecture of the surrounding buildings, again contributing to their visual distinctness, the curves of the new structure also echo some of the ornate detailing on the nearby sheds. Cantilevered ‘tails’ provide natural ventilation.

Architect: Studio Pacific Architecture
Project team: Stephen McDougall, Bret Thurston, Guy Marriage, Peter Mitchell
Client: Wellington Waterfront Ltd
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Size: 26.5m2
Completion: September 2011
Materials: Concrete, steel

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Studio Pacific appeared first on Dezeen.

Wooden shutters fold, tilt and slide open to let in the sun and keep out the burglars at this weekend cabin in New Zealand by architects Crosson Clarke Carnachan.

Located on the northern tip of North Island, the single-storey house has an entirely wooden structure with a black-stained facade.

Rooms are arranged either side of a corridor that spans the house, with bedrooms at the back where they face the ocean.

The open-plan kitchen and living room is located at the front and opens onto a barbeque deck that can also be screened behind folding shutters.

Other houses that can be closed up like bunkers include a residence with a steel drawbridge-like hatch and a house that transforms into a fortress by night.

See more projects in New Zealand »

Photography is by Simon Devitt.

Here’s some extra text from the architects:

Tutukaka House

Architect: Ken Crosson, Crosson Clarke Carnachan Architects Auckland

Designed as a refuge from the frenetic city lives of the owners, the Tutukaka House provides relaxed holiday living.

The plan is organised around a central spine, with spaces orientated to specific views.

The open plan living area flows seamlessly onto a generous northern open deck to the view, and an alternative sheltered space with bbq and outdoor fireplace, to the north-west.

The bedrooms are in contrast more protected, with shutters that lift up to provide protection from summer sun, maintaining cooler temperatures.

Materials are primarily timber, with stained shiplap cladding and plywood linings.

Exposed structure is saligna, and flooring is kwila.

Click above for larger image

Translucent elements are used in parts of the roof and cladding, introducing a delicate light quality to the circulation space and outdoor fire area.

Click above for larger image

The house closes down with the use of sliding panels and hinged shutters, ensuring security is maintained when not in use.

Click above for larger image

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Carnachan Architects appeared first on Dezeen.