News: Danish firm BIG has unveiled plans to install a wooden maze with a concave surface inside the National Building Museum in Washington DC.
BIG, led by architect Bjarke Ingels, will use Baltic birch plywood to build the 18-metre-squared maze in the west court of the National Building Museum‘s Great Hall.
The architect says the structure will borrow forms from mazes throughout history, from ancient Greek labyrinths to European hedge mazes and modern American corn mazes. Starting with a height of five and a half metres, it will gradually diminish towards its centre.
“The concept is simple: as you travel deeper into a maze, your path typically becomes more convoluted,” explained Ingels. “What if we invert this scenario and create a maze that brings clarity and visual understanding upon reaching the heart of the labyrinth?”
“From outside, the maze’s cube-like form hides the final reveal behind its 18-foot-tall walls,” said Ingels. “On the inside, the walls slowly descend towards the centre, which concludes with a grand reveal – a 360 degree understanding of your path in and how to get out.”
The “BIG Maze” will open on 4 July and will remain in place until 1 September. Visitors to the museum’s upper-floor balconies will be offered an aerial view.
The brief asked designers to explore two options for the building: to retain it as a stand-alone library or to extend upwards and convert it into a mixed-use complex. The architects will now work together with library staff to decide the best approach.
“My dream is that people will start to love this building so much that they even bring their books from home to read in the library,” said Mecanoo principal Francine Houben, during the design presentation.
She continued: “We will pay respect to Mies van der Rohe and research what is possible to prepare this building for the library of the future. But most important is bringing out the values of Martin Luther King. My dream is to make this building to reflect his ideals.”
Ten architects were originally shortlisted for the project, including OMA and SOM, and the list was whittled down to three at the end of 2013.
Seattle firm Olson Kundig Architects used dynamite, chippers and saws to bore through the huge boulders of a rocky outcrop on a North American island to make room for this raw concrete house (+ slideshow).
Named after the French word for stone, the Pierre is a single-storey residence designed to cut into the protruding bedrock of the client’s existing property, located on one of the San Juan Islands off the coast of Seattle.
“Putting the house in the rock follows a tradition of building on the least productive part of a site, leaving the best parts free for cultivation,” said Tom Kundig, a director at Olson Kundig Architects and the lead architect on the project.
Photograph by Dwight Eschliman
The house is slotted between two sections of rock. Its walls are made from exposed concrete, with a smooth surface that opposes the rough stone, while the roof is covered with grassy plants to allow the building to merge into the landscape.
Photograph by Dwight Eschliman
Traces of the stone continue through the house’s interior, where a cave-like bathroom tunnels through one of the boulders and features a mirror that hangs down from a hole in the ceiling.
A large living and dining room spans the length of the building and features a fireplace hearth comprising a carved rock with a levelled surface.
The master bedroom sits off to one side and includes a sink with a basin made from another huge lump of stone, where polished sections allow water to cascade down three separate pools.
Photograph by Dwight Eschliman
All rooms of the house are furnished with a selection of antique pieces, artworks and custom-designed lighting fixtures.
Leftover rock from the site excavation was turned into crushed aggregate for use during the construction.
Here’s a project description from Olson Kundig Architects:
The Pierre
The owner’s affection for a stone outcropping on her property inspired the design of this house. Conceived as a retreat nestled into the rock, the Pierre (the French word for stone) celebrates the materiality of the site. From certain angles, the house – with its rough materials, encompassing stone, green roof, and surrounding foliage – almost disappears into nature.
To set the house deep into the site, portions of the rock outcropping were excavated through a combination of machine work and handwork. The contractor used large drills to set the outline of the building, then used dynamite, hydraulic chippers, and wire saws and other hand tools, working with finer and finer implements as construction progressed. Excavated rock was reused as crushed aggregate in the on all the stonework, a reminder of the building process, while huge pieces of rock were employed for the carport structure.
Photograph by Dwight Eschliman
With the exception of a separate guest suite, the house functions on one main level, with an open-plan kitchen, dining, and living space. A wood-clad storage box (made with siding reclaimed from a Lionel Pries-designed house) transitions from outside to inside. Its two large bookcases open to provide concealed access to laundry and kitchen storage. A large pivoting steel and glass door provides access to a terrace.
Photograph by Dwight Eschliman
Set at a right angle to the main space, a master suite features a custom-designed bed with a leather headboard and footboard set in the middle of floor-to ceiling bookshelves.
Throughout the house, the rock protrudes into the space, contrasting with the luxurious textures of the furnishings. Interior and exterior fireplace hearths are carved out of existing stone; levelled on top, they are otherwise left raw. In the master bathroom, water cascades through three polished pools, natural sinks in the existing stone. Off the main space, a powder room is carved out of the rock; a mirror set within a skytube reflects natural light into the space.
The materiality of the built structure – mild steel, smooth concrete, and drywall – create a neutral backdrop for the interior furnishings and artwork and the exterior views to the bay and surrounding landscape. Contemporary works of art by Cameron Martin, Jesse Paul Miller, Andres Serrano, Franz West, and Claude Zervas are mounted inside and outside the house. Antique furniture and art objects are complemented by custom pieces. The custom light fixtures are based on the designs of Irene McGowan, a Seattle artist and lighting designer best known for her work with noted Northwest architect Roland Terry.
Design Firm: Olson Kundig Architects Lead Architect: Tom Kundig
Inspiré notamment par « Empty America Series » de Ross Ching, Bruce W. Berry Jr a tourné ces images de la ville de Philadelphie vidée de sa population, en utilisant un filtre infrarouge pour un rendu surréaliste incroyable. Une création vidéo à découvrir dans la suite de l’article.
News: a Utah congressman has launched an attempt to scrap architect Frank Gehry’s proposed Washington D.C. memorial honouring President Dwight D. Eisenhower, citing the project’s cost and controversial design.
Last week Rob Bishop introduced legislation seeking to reject the current design by Gehry – whose best-known buildings include the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles – and invite new proposals for the memorial while eliminating $100 million of future funding.
The Canadian-born architect’s planned memorial, which is projected to cost $142 million, includes statues of the president surrounded by large woven steel “tapestries” depicting images of his childhood home in Kansas – but members of the Eisenhower family have criticised the design as too extravagant.
The congressman’s efforts to scrap the design drew strong opposition from the American Institute of Architects, which said last week that lawmakers should not attempt to censor architectural work.
“Representative Bishop’s legislation allows Congress to exercise governmental authority in a wholly arbitrary manner that negates the stated selection process,” said Robert Ivy, the institute’s chief. “It is nothing more than an effort to intimidate the innovative thinking for which our profession is recognized at home and around the globe.”
Tutu Project est une initiative dans le but de soulever des fonds pour la Carey Foundation qui se consacre au cancer du sein. L’homme ici pris en photo en tutu dans divers endroits, est une personne qui a soutenu et accompagné sa femme dans la maladie il y a quelques années. Plus d’images dans la suite de l’article.
The second of two new libraries in Washington DC by architects Adjaye Associates comprises grey concrete blocks with yellow timber fins.
The William O. Lockridge/Bellevue Library is located in a residential neighbourhood in the south of city and sits on a gently sloping site.
The central volume of the building contains reading areas for adults, children and teenagers, while group study areas and conference rooms are located in the three wings that adjoin. Faceted concrete legs raise these wings above the ground, creating a sheltered amphitheatre and bicycle parking area by the entrance.
Adjaye Associates’ Community Libraries in Washington DC open to the public
Adjaye Associates’ new neighbourhood libraries for the District of Columbia, the William O. Lockridge/ Bellevue Library and Francis Gregory Library, have opened to the public. The brief called for the new buildings to be “flexible, accessible, welcoming and inviting” and the libraries challenge the traditional closed typology, introducing a social element with a strong urban and cultural programme.
The William O. Lockridge/Bellevue Library
“Communities need empowering buildings – and this neighbourhood library is all about the creation of a strong beacon for its community. The primary act of public architecture is to create spaces that are socially edifying and socially liberating – using design excellence as a social force that makes good. This is at the heart of my work, so it is very exciting to see this building welcome its community through its doors.” – David Adjaye
The William O. Lockridge/Bellevue Library is characterized by its celebration of views across the neighbourhood, and the insertion into the dramatically sloping site topography. The challenge was also to create a civic building within a residential context. Rather than a single monolithic form, the library is a cluster of geometric volumes, both elevated and grounded physically to the site.
Using the grounded main volume to host the library central stacks and primary reading, the elevated volumes create a welcoming portico at the entrance that can be used for events and informal gatherings. The volumes mediate the scale of the building by using small, medium and large forms, derived from the library’s program but also capturing the surrounding urban fabric and the site topography, while resonating with neighboring residences of a similar composition. Wrapped in a concrete and glazed skin replete with timber fins, the envelope not only resolves structural and shading requirements, but also articulates the vertical presence of the building juxtaposed to the sloping landscape.
By fragmenting the building into smaller volumes, the arrangement takes advantage of the natural topography by setting the library to maximize the eastern exposure for filtered natural lighting, which is the primary light source. On plan, the volumes follow the geometry of the site to form a series of identical, shifting rectangles.
The library service areas are layered, with adults, teenage and children’s services contained within the separate volumes. The first floor contains the circulation desk, adult browsing, sights and sound, a meeting room and library staff support spaces. The second floor has additional adult browsing and children services. The third floor contains further adult, meeting rooms and teen services. The concrete staircase, taking visitors up to the higher levels, matches the incline of the street to suggest a sense of bringing the street – and the neighbourhood – inside.
A chequered facade of timber and glass surrounds one of two new neighbourhood libraries by Adjaye Associates to open in Washington DC.
Behind the glass outer skin, the chunky timber boxes give depth to the walls and create a row of window seats at the base. A floating roof overhangs the walls and shelters a plaid-patterned ceiling of glazing above a double height atrium.
Located within the Fort Davis Park in the east of the city, the Francis Gregory Library contains reading areas for adults, children and teenagers, as well as a public meeting room and a series of conference rooms.
Adjaye Associates’ Community Libraries in Washington DC open to the public
Adjaye Associates’ new neighbourhood libraries for the District of Columbia, the William O. Lockridge/ Bellevue Library and Francis Gregory Library, have opened to the public. The brief called for the new buildings to be “flexible, accessible, welcoming and inviting” and the libraries challenge the traditional closed typology, introducing a social element with a strong urban and cultural programme.
The Francis Gregory Library
“Our mission, with the Francis Gregory Library, has been to offer a new way to experience books, reading and story-telling. Rather than a traditional closed building, this library is porous and open, with the canopy providing a welcoming entrance that invites people inside. Conceived as an extension to the park, it is not only a place to gather, but also a place of contemplation and learning.”- David Adjaye
The sketch-like quality of the Francis Gregory Library suggests a woodland folly – a building that is a pavilion within Fort Davis Park. Views of the park are framed from within, while the exterior of the building both reflects and complements the dense composition of trees and the striking natural environment. Viewed from the street, the building appears to flicker with the changing light, providing a lens through which to see into the park. The two-storey library provides space for three major library services: adults, teenagers and children. There is also a public meeting room and conference rooms.
Achieving LEED Silver, the design strategy is highly sustainable, with the building taking advantage of the natural vegetation, maximizing the winter sun exposure and controlling the summer sun with a large canopy over the pavilion. The canopy welcomes the public inside, providing an effective transitional space from the street.
The structural system is articulated in the reflective geometric façade that supports the curtain wall and roof, while the network of quadrilateral openings continue inside and frame the views of the park. A number of windows are deep set to enable seating within the aperture, itself, encouraging visitors toward the perimeter of the building to reflect and enjoy the views. The material palette inside the building is largely timber – again, resonating with the woodland setting.
Construction will begin this week on the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC designed by architect David Adjaye.
Sited beside the National Museum of American History and the Washington Monument, the museum will accommodate more than half of its volume below ground.
Bronze plates will cover the tiered exterior of the building, perforated in patterns that reference the history of African American craftsmanship.
Here’s a longer description of the project from Adjaye Associates:
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) Washington DC, USA, April 2009 – September 2015
Winning the competition to design the National Museum of African American History and Culture has consolidated the practice’s US portfolio with arguably the nation’s most prestigious new building. Located on Constitution Avenue, adjacent to the National Museum of American History and the Washington Monument, the museum will house exhibit galleries, administrative spaces, theatre space and collections storage space for the NMAAHC. As lead designer for the Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup (FAB) team, David Adjaye’s approach has been to establish both a meaningful relationship to this unique site as well as a strong conceptual resonance with America’s deep and longstanding African heritage. The design rests on three cornerstones: the “corona” shape and form of the building; the extension of the building out into the landscape – the porch; and the bronze filigree envelope.
Situated on the Washington Monument grounds the museum maintains a subtle profile in the landscape – more than half is below ground – with five storeys above. The corona is based on elements of the Washington Monument, closely matching the 17-degree angle of the capstone and the panel size and pattern has been developed using the Monument stones as a reference. The entire building is wrapped in an ornamental bronze lattice that is a historical reference to African American craftsmanship. The density of the pattern can be modulated to control the amount of sun¬light and transparency into the interior. The south entry is composed of the Porch and a central water feature. An extension of the building out into the landscape, the porch creates an outdoor room that bridges the gap between the interior and exterior.  At 50m (49’-2”) deep, the setback is similar to other buildings on the north side of the Mall. The underside of the porch roof is tilted upward allowing reflection of the moving water below. This covered area creates a microclimate where breezes combine with the cooling waters to generate a place of refuge from the hot summer sun. There is also an outdoor patio on the porch rooftop that is accessed from a mezzanine level within the building.
Inside the building, visitors will be guided on a historical and emotional journey, characterised by vast, column free spaces, a dramatic infusion of natural light and a diverse material palette comprising pre-cast concrete, timber and a glazed skin that sits within the bronze lattice. Below ground, the ambience is contemplative and monumental, achieved by the triple height history gallery and symbolised by the memorial space – the “oculus” – that brings light diffused by a cascade of water into the contemplative space from the Monument grounds. Moving upwards, the views become pivotal, as one circulates along the corona with unrivalled panoramas of the Mall, Federal Triangle buildings and Monument Grounds.
Architect: Adjaye Associates Client: Smithsonian Structural Engineer: Guy Nordenson and Associates, Rober Silman Associates Mechanical Engineer: WSP Flack + Kurtz Total Area: 313,000 sqf Contract Value: $500m
Dezeen Wire: fifteen international design teams are in with a chance of redesigning one of three sites on Washington’s National Mall following the announcement of the shortlist for the National Mall Design Competition.
The competition aims to renovate three key sites in America’s most visited national park, which is home to some of the capital’s most famous landmarks including The Lincoln Memorial, The Washington Monument, The Jefferson Memorial and other monuments honouring former presidents and America’s war heroes.
Superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, Bob Vogel says: ”The National Mall Design Competition will be a new chapter, providing sustainable design that respects historic landscape and structures.”
A jury of experts in landscape design, urban park design, historic preservation and the arts will judge the competition, with the winner to be announced in May 2012.
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