David Basulto
Design Build Bluff Studio
Rural Studio has been a good teaching model, which made students get involved on communities as they learn architecture, a good approach to form architect’s that are part of the society. This model, first initiated by Sam Mockbee in 1993, is still being used in schools in the US. A good example of this is DesignBuildBLUFF, a studio taught by Hank Louis (AIA) through the University of Utah College of Architecture + Planning.
First year architecture graduate students build a home for a needing family on the Navajo Reservation near Bluff, Utah. During the first semester the students design following the requests of the client, and during the second semester they actually build the house. Because of the remote nature of the sites the buildings are usually required to function off-the-grid. This gives students an opportunity to explore sustainable methods and materials.
DesignBuildBLUFF is a non-profit funded by charitable donations and grants. Building materials are often donated and they seek to utilize the latest in innovative and “green” products.
The Sweet Carolina House (pictured above) built in 2006 won the People´s Choice Award from the AIA Utah Chapter. You can see more on their past projects at their website, and keep up to date on this year´s house fund raising, design and construction on their blog.
This model is also being used by the Universidad de Talca in Chile, on which graduating students need to build their work as part of their final examination, resulting in over 100 buildings that are part of the community infraestructure, growing every year. You can see some good examples: a canopy for wineyard workers (which allowed the wineyard to obtain ISO certification), a lookout for a tourist route funded with goverment funds and rest stops on the landscape across the region.
Mark Magazine #16
I was very eager waiting for the mail man on this one, because as i stated before, Mark Magazine is one of my favourite publications when it comes to new projects.
The October/November issue has a very nice texture on the cover, featuring Sou Fujimoto´s Log House. This issue´s central theme is “House Rules”, with 7 amazing houses on the inside.
But lets start by the beginning, with the section Notice Board.
Indra Corporate Building / b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos + R&AS
Architects: Fermín Vázquez (b720 Arquitectos) + Carlos Rubio, Enrique Álvarez-Sala (R&AS)
Location: c/Tánger 120, Sector 22@, Barcelona, España
Program: Edificio corporativo (PB+12) destinado a oficinas y aparcamiento en el sector 22@
Area: 10.375m2
Project and construction: 2004-2006
b720 Arquitectos team: Cristina Algás Ana Caffaro, Laia Isern, Pietro Peyron, Peco Mulet, Alexa Plasencia, Andrea Rodríguez, Miquel Santos
Technical architect: Josep Maria Forteza y Victor Forteza ( Tècnics G-3)
Client: GRUPO CASTELLVÍ
Contractor: G&O – Guinovart&Oshsa
Structure: BOMA
Installations: PGI Grup
Photography: Rafael Vargas
Peter Eisenman and Wolf d.Prix on architecture education
Interesting conversation between Peter Eisenman and Wolf d.Prix on architectural education during a studio presentation. What do yo think?
On a side note, the 92nd Street Y Association is hosting an interesting conversation with Peter Eisenman and Greg Lynn (moderated by Kurt Forster) this Thursday. Entrance is $27 ($10 for students). About the architects:
One of the most influential architects of our time, PETER EISENMAN is known for his pure and sensual designs and his belief that architecture is an autonomous art. Founder of the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies, and author and co-author of numerous books and articles, he works from his New York-based Eisenman Architects. GREG LYNN uses computer-aided design to create sculptural, biomorphic structures. His interest in digital fabrication, calculus and what he terms “blob architecture” have put the architect-theorist at the forefront of architectural discourse. Influential theorist KURT FORSTER is the founder of the Getty Research Center and the Canadian Center for Architecture in Montreal. He has published widely and has curated groundbreaking shows, such as those on Herzog & de Meuron in Montreal and on Schinkel in Chicago.
Thursday, Oct 23, 8:15 pm
92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave at 92nd Street
More info at: www.92Y.org or 212.415.5500
Shanghai World Financial Centre / KPF (Kohn Pedersen Fox) Architects
The Burj Dubai by SOM hasn´t been finished yet, but it´s currently the world´s tallest structure. Meanwhile, the Shanghai World Financial Centre by KPF has been opened a few weeks ago, which is (as for now) the tallest building in the world when it comes to roof height with 492m (1,614.2ft). The Taipei 101 in Taiwan is 509.2m (1,670.60ft) if you count the antenna, but its roof is only at 449.2 m (1,473.75 ft).
The building took almost 11 years to be completed, delayed by the Asian Financial Crisis of 97-98 and change on design, but it was finally opened to public on August 30, 2008. You can see an interesting tour of the building on the video posted above.
The observatory on the 100th floor is amazing, with a transparent floor.
Also, I found an interesting documentary by National Geographic on the construction of the World Financial Center, posted it below. Enjoy!
Jumeirah Gardens / SOM & Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
UPDATE: We wrongly credited the whole project to AS+GG, but they were only comissioned to design the three main towers, on a master plan designed by SOM Chicago.
It seems no one told Dubai about the financial crisis, as new projects keep being unveiled. This time, our green friends over Inhabitat tipped us on a mega development, owned by Maraas Holding: The Jumeirah Gardens. The master plan for this project was designed by SOM Chicago, and consists of a mixed-use development that incorporates low, medium, and high-density zones for business, residences, retail, leisure, and recreation – a city within a city, with an estimated cost of US$95 billion.
The three main towers were comissioned to Chicago based architects AS+GG (Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill), The most impressive one -and the third tallest tower in the UAE- is 1 Dubai, pictured above. The tri-partite skyscraper will be 3218 ft (981m) tall, and the towers will be connected by a series of glass suspension sky-bridges. This bridges are so big, they even grow palms on them as you can see on the further renderings. At the base of the buildings, grand arched entrances allow boats to travel underneath the building and into a central atrium space. The mixed-use development includes a hotel, residential, commercial retail and entertainment space totaling 800,000-900,000 square meters.
Underwater museum for Egypt / Jacques Rougerie
Architect Jacques Rougerie -an expert when it comes to space and underwater structures- has designed the soon-to-be first underwater museum. It will be located off the coast of Egypt, near the new Library of Alexandria, where Cleopatra once had a palace on an island in one of the largest human-made bays in the world back in the day, submerged by earthquakes in the 4th century.
The ruins were discovered years ago, and include several sphinxes, statues, roman and greek shipwrecks and pieces believed to be from the Pharos of Alexandria lighthouse (one of the seven ancient wonders of the world).
This ruins haven’t been moved, since it would be a tremendous effort that could damage the ruins in the process. Also, it follows the 2001 UNESCO convention for the preservation of underwater heritage.
With that in mind, the museum is designed as both inland and submarine. The building will have four tall structures shaped like the sails of fellucas, the traditional sailboats used in the Nile. From the inland building, underwater fiberglass tunnels will take visitors to structures where they can view antiquities still lying on the seabed.
eVolo Skyscraper Competition 2009
eVolo Skyscraper Competition 2008 Winner – Elie Gamburg
eVolo Architecture was created by a group of international architects in New York as a forum of discussion of new ideas. One of their strategies have been architectural competitions, held since 2005.
For the last 3 years (2006-2008) the competition has been inviting architects around the world to explore the future of skyscrapers. The 2009 Skyscaper Competition looks to continue exploring new ideas and concepts for vertical density. And to really give you the freedom to explore this kind of project, there´s no restriction on site, height and shape. But always being technically feasible, enviromentally responsible, aware of its urban context and define new programmes for a vertical structure.
With that freedom, contestants can focus on on pushing the concept of skyscrapers beyond the concept we are used to.
The competition is opened to students, architects, engineers and designers. Registration deadline is on January 12, and submission deadline on January 19, 2009.
Michael Schumacher World Champion Tower in Dubai / L-A-V-A
LAVA (Laboratory for Visionary Architecture) unveiled the design of the Michael Schumacher World Champion Tower in Dubai, the first project of a series of branded towers, a new concept by PNYG:COMPANY, a company focused on branding. I´ve heard about branded towers such at the Porsche Towers by OMA, but it´s the first time i hear about a building branded after a Formula 1 champion.
LAVA is a practice formed a year ago by associate architects of the Mercedes Benz Museum and the Watercube, who decided to start their new practice focused on new technologies and innovation.
According to the architects, the design of the 59 storey luxury tower is abstracted from the geometric laws of snowflakes and Formula 1 aerodynamics, in order to obtain an effficient/minimal structure, maximum views and optimal light and air distribution.
Something that took my attention were the first levels of the tower. Since the tower wides on the base, which emerges from the water, the lower level has been reinterpreted as a series of wharf apartments, terraced similar to a cruise ship deck.
California Academy of Science / Green roof construction and opening
Fernando Herrera shared with us some very interesting photos of the California Academy of Science (previously posted with the official photos). First, a series of pictures from the opening day on which you can see the building with people on it, and get a better idea on the scale and how it works. He even caught Renzo Piano admiring his own work!
Also, he sent us a series of pictures of the green roof during construction, on which you can see more details such as the irrigation system and the skylights.
Enjoy the gallery! I also recommend checking out Fernando´s Flickr page, he has photographed an interesting selection of contemporary buildings in the US and Europe.
Free Sketchup plugins for download
Sketchup is, by far, the easiest tool for modeling. Google acquired this software in order to crowd-source the 3D modeling of the earth, since anyone can use it to model their house, school or favourite building. But being simple and fast doesn’t mean it lacks on features.
You can enable several options available on the free standard version, or go pro for more. Also, you can extend it via plugins. Below, two plugins I have found very useful, and also available for free.
The first one is Soap Skin & Bubbles, a plugin designed by german engineer Josef Leibinger, designed to help you in the study of mechanically and pneumatically strained surfaces. The author has also been developing a plugin for tensile structures, but it hasn’t been released yet. But you can still play around with tensile structures on this plugin. You can download Soap Skin & Bubbles for free on their website, and also watch a video tutorial on The Sketchup Show.
The second plugin was developed by Integrated Enviromental Solutions, which lets you assign important sustainable design information like location, building and room type, construction types and HVAC systems to your Sketchup model. From there you can do energy, carbon, daylight and solar analysis, or take this model with all this info to your favourite BIM software. It also allows you to More info and download a the IES Sketchup plugin website. Complete video tutorial on YouTube.
Two very helpful tools for your design pocess, with the ease of use of Sketchup.
Please share with us any other Sketchup plugins you find useful on the comments below.
Mark Magazine #15
Mark Magazine is by far one of my favourite architecture magazines. Their motto “Another architecture” tells us what we´ll find inside: fresh architecture – the main reason we love this magazine so much.
This bimonthly magazine is structured in 5 sections: Noticeboard (a collage of new projects), Cross Section (short articles on new buildings and architectural subjects), Viewpoint (interviews with architects on the rise), Long Section (in depth articles on buildings) and Service Area (new building materials).
On the August/September issue (October one on the mail, more about that soon) we find an amazing house by spanish studio Ensamble, shown on a collage with embossed textures, something that has become a signature on Mark Magazine covers.
Denmark Pavillion for Shanghai Expo 2010 / BIG
In my opinion Bjarke Ingels, founder of BIG, is one of the best architects when it comes to give shape to the interests of an “unspoken” client on public buildings,either representing the values of a country or a culture. All with exceptional syntax and presentation skills.
And BIG‘s latest project (in collaboration with Arup and 2+1), the Danish Pavilion for the Shanghai 2010 Expo, does it again, by taking the best of living in Copenhagen and placing it on China for visitors to experience.
Basically, the pavilion is a big loop on which visitors ride around on one of the 1,500 bikes available at the entrance, a chance to experience the Danish urban way. At the center of the pavilion there’s a big pool with fresh water from Copenhagen’s harbor, on which visitors can even swim.
OMA unveils new images for their New York residential tower
Remember the renderings from the mid-rise residential project by OMA in New York we posted a few days ago?
Well, OMA sent us more renderings that show more on the structural facade and the amazing cantilever of this building. more images after the break.
56 Leonard Street, New York / Herzog & de Meuron
Yesterday, I was visiting the Skyscraper Museum in New York, and I saw an incredible aerial photo that shows the evolution of downtown Manhattan during the last century, from the water reclamation to the black towers to the new skyline without the twin towers. Undoubtedly, this city changes its shape very often.
And as of now, new residential buildings are bringing new forms to this skyline. First, we have OMA on the 23rd street with its structural facade and cantilevered volume, and now the 56 Leonard Street building by Herzog & de Meuron, which entered the construction phase.
This 57-story residential in the Tribeca area will house 145 residences, each one with its own unique floor plan and private outdoor space. This typology makes the building look like a stack of houses, away from the traditional skyscraper form. I wonder how the concrete structure works on this building, which was done by consultant firm WSP Cantor Seinuk (who also worked on the Freedom Tower).
Glass bottling Plant Cristalchile / Guillermo Hevia
Architect Guillermo Hevia has been doing nice industrial works, focusing on sustainability. This glass bottling plant features passive ventilation and a daylight use strategy that reduces the energy consumption of the building. Check the sections for more info about that.
Architect: Guillermo Hevia H.
Collaborators: Francisco Carrión G. (Architect), Marcela Suazo M. (Development/CAD)
Bioclimate: BIOTECH Chile Consultores, Jorge Ramirez F.
Location: 5 Norte Route, Km. 85, Llay-Llay, V Región – Chile
Site area: 270.000m2
Built area: 27.500m2
Year: 2006
Building materials: Steel, Silk-screened glass and concrete
The Norwegian Embassy in Nepal / Kristin Jarmund Architects
This is funny: While browsing architecture offices websites in look for new works to publish in ArchDaily for our beloved readers, I found this project. I bookmarked it to contact the architects the next day, and when I woke up I had an email from Kristin Jarmund Architects offering us this project for publishing.
Well, enough of this, lets go to the project description.
OMA unveils design for their first residential tower in NY
This morning, while walking down Union Square i noticed the new tall and slim tower at One Madison Park, currently under construction. The developer of this tower, Slazer Enterprises, is also working on an adjacent project with OMA, which resulted on their first residential tower in New York, which was unveiled yesterday.
Located at at 23 East 22nd St, the 335 ft (107 m) tall mid-rise tower -which you can see on the second plane behind One Madison Park at the rendering- features an innovative design when it comes to towers, an evolution of the OMA studies on new high rise designs. The building cantilevers 30 feet over its neighbor, a form that “provides a number of unexpected moments that appear at each step – balconies at the upper part of the building and floor windows at the lower part — providing a variety of unit types and features throughout the building”, in words of Rem Koolhaas.
This project is led by Rem and Shohei Shigematsu, a partner at OMA currently in charge of OMA NY. When we visited their office back in March to interview Shohei (an interview i recommend you to watch), we saw a lot of experimentation around new forms for towers, such at the Jersey City project and the Bicentennial Tower. I bet OMA will surprise us in the future with more innovative tall building designs.
Pentagon Memorial / KBAS Studio
The Pentagon memorial will be inaugurated tomorrow, 7 years after 9/11. This memorial is the result of a competition won by KBAS Studio, who worked closely with the familiars of the victims. Pre fabrication and computer modelling where vital on the design and construction process of this memorial. More pictures after the architect’s statement.
“Like many people, from the moment we witnessed and learned of the horrific loss of life on the morning of September 11, 2001, we simply wished to extend our hearts to those whose lives had changed forever. Words will never describe how honored we feel to have played such a significant role in the Pentagon Memorial. It has been a true privilege to be part of a stellar team, and to have worked so closely with so many people who gave the project their absolute best. Further, we will forever be inspired by the strength and determination that carries all of the family members we have come to know so well over the past 6 years. Thousands of people contributed to this place so that its contemplative integrity will persist into the distant future and with its dedication, the Pentagon Memorial will take on its own life, attracting meaning and contemplative interpretation from all of those who visit this special place.”
Keith Kaseman
Julie Beckman
House Dijk / Jager Janssen architecten
A nice house with a steel skin. You can also see it on 3D over Google Maps.
Architect: Jager Janssen architecten BNA
Design team: Alex Jager, Rogier Janssen, Sanne Braakenburg
Location: Blauwestad, Netherlands
Client: Michel Dijk & Karin Berrelkamp
Gross area: 318 sqm (incl. souterrain)
Completion: July 2007
Consultants: Solke Abbring (installations)
Contractor: Marcel van der Sluis
Photography: Rob de Jong/SAPh, Michiel en karin Dijk
AirXY: From Inmaterial to Rematerial / M-A-D
The 11th Venice Biennaleis just around the corner, starting on Sept 14th with a preview on Sept 11th-13th. I´m eager to see the pavillions and installations on the Biennale, specially because the title for this version is “Out There: Architecture Beyond Building” on which Aaron Betsky, the curator, says ” “will point the way towards an architecture liberated from buildings to engage the central issues of our society; instead of the tombs of architecture, which is to say buildings, it will present site specific installations, visions and experiments that help us figure out, make sense of and feel at home in our modern world”.
One of this installations is “AirXY: From Inmaterial to Rematerial” by M-A-D, an interdisciplinary design firm with primary expertise in branding and visual communications. From their authors: he airXY screen is folded to seem as if it had burst out of the wall behind. as visitors approach they notice what appears to be a giant checkerboard with a vertical line scanning from left to right. suggesting the surface of an interface, a desktop and a machine simultaneously, on further observation, the visitors see that the composition is, in fact, charting the passing of time along an XY axis divided into 24×60 units. in addition to the vertical line and rectangular XY units, tiny green abstract icons are floating across the screen, looking like runes, contemporary urban signs or the graphic language of circuit diagrams”.
More pictures after the jump.
