Sebastian Jordana
Video: Cosmic Communist Constructions Book, by Frédéric Chaubin
In his book Cosmic Communist Constructions Photographed, French photographer Frédéric Chaubin captures the eerie beauty of Soviet brutalism. In his quest to document Brezhnev-era architecture, he stumbled upon 90 Soviet buildings scattered across 14 former-USSR republics. The diversity and lack of a recurring theme across the buildings signaled the end of the Soviet Union.
AD Round Up: Health Architecture Part IX
Five great healthcare projects published early 2011 for our 9th selection! Waldron Health Centre was designed by Henley Halebrown Rorrison in London and was completed in 2010. The Moerkerke Medicare And Neighborhood Facility by Krill Architecture answers the following question: How to implement a necessary, but impopular program in a run down neighbourhood? You can’t miss the beautiful Fonderie, designed by Atelier Zündel & Cristea in France. And to finish this one, we have two dental clinics: Smile Designer Dental Office Interiors by Antonio Sofan and Dental INN by Stasek.
AD Recommends: Best of the Week
Five great projects from last week that you may have missed! Check out the Renovation of the Baeza Town Hall in Spain, or the Huludao Beach Exhibit Center in China. Don’t miss Dominique Perrault’s latest, a footbridge completed in 2010 in Madrid. The Chapel of Rest in Graz was designed by HOFRICHTER-RITTER Architects in Austria. Finally, the beautiful House in Tanglewood, designed by Schwartz/Silver Architects in Massachussetts.
The Blade / Dominique Perrault Architecture
Dominique Perrault has been selected to build a tower within the future Yongsan International Business Center in Seoul, whose master plan was designed by Daniel Libeskind. The tower, called The Blade, will reach 300 meters high. More images and architect’s description after the break.
VillaLóla / ARKÍS architects
Architects: ARKÍS architects
Location: Akureyri, Iceland
Size: 128 sqm
Completion: 2010
Photographs: Courtesy ARKÍS architects
House for Five / RTA Studio
Architects: RTA Studio
Location: Grey Lynn, Auckland, New Zealand
Area: 280 sqm
Photographs: Patrick Reynolds
Saltwater Coast Lifestyle Centre / NH Architecture
Architects: NH Architecture
Location: Point Cook, VIC, Australia
Design Team: Peter Dredge, Hamish Lyon, Andy Gentry, Fiona Collie, Emily Kilvington, Astrid Jenkin, Mitch McTaggart, Chris Reddaway, Silvia Tasani, Jan Vastestaeger, Chad Harrison, Ramiro Marroquin
Completion: 2011
Cost: $6.1 million
Photographs: Dianna Snape
Reactor Films / Brooks + Scarpa Architects
Architects: Brooks + Scarpa Architects
Location: 1330 4th Street, Santa Monica, California, USA
Principal in Charge: Lawrence Scarpa
Design Team: Angela Brooks, Jackson Butler, Adam Davis, Mike Ferguson, John Jennings, Gwynne Pugh, Lawrence Scarpa
Furniture and Fixture Design: Mike Ferguson, John Jennings and Lawrence Scarpa (with Dave Scott)
Steel and Furniture Fabrication: Dave Scott of DESU
Construction Team: Brian Crommie and Tom Hinerfeld of BT Builders
Client/Owner: Stoney Road Productions and Reactor Films
Total Square Footage: 7,000 sq. ft.
Costs: $350,000.00 ($50.00/sq. ft.) includes building shell upgrades
Photographs: Marvin Rand
Ironbank / RTA Studio
Architects: RTA Studio
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Architects Team: Richard Naish (Design Director), Tim Melville (Technical Director), Ben Hayes (Studio Director/Project Architect)
Builder: Macrennie Commercial Construction Limited
Completion: 2009
Building Size: 9,600 sqm
Photographs: Patrick Reynolds
House at Tanglewood / Schwartz/Silver Architects
Architects: Schwartz/Silver Architects
Location: West Stockbridge, MA, USA
Completion: 2009
Photographs: Alan Karchmer/Sandra Benedum
Video: Bar Strelka / Strelka Institute
Minutes from the Kremlin lies Bar Strelka, a revisited loft space housed in a former confectionery factory, which serves as a hub for the students of Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design. Formerly heading the institution’s educational programme was world renowned architect Rem Koolhaas, now one of the five research theme directors. The institute’s aim is to develop fresh perspectives on key issues in contemporary Russia, bringing architects, intellectuals and designers together under one roof. Roman Mazurenko, the Special Projects Director shows Crane.tv around the bar and chats to them about the institute’s programme and why it will revolutionise Moscow’s landscape.
Video: COS debut in Milan
Five years on from their launch in London’s Regent Street, COS has made their way to Italy, debuting with a pop-up shop at Salone del Mobile in Milan. In collaboration with set designer Gary Card, the Swedish clothing label has produced a pop-up store in the form of a deconstructed, maze-like wooden cube that houses the garments. Here, COS Women and Men’s designers Karin Gustafsson and Martin Andersson explain how less is more, how they look to Scandinavia for references, and the importance of balance and contrast of proportion.
The Red Line / BIG
The invited design contest calls for a strong architectural master plan, comprising residential, commercial and cultural programme, forming a new urban area around the existing Ratina sports stadium in one of the most rapidly developing regions in Finland. BIG is selected as a winner of the competition by Finnish developers Rakennustomisto Pohjola & YH-Länsi, among proposals from Swedish Wingårdhs, German Behnisch Partner and Finnish JKMM.
BIG’s proposal, The Red Line, seeks to uncover the urban potential of the 50 000 m2 site located on the Ratinanniemi peninsula, which serves as an important link between Tampere City Centre and the nature area of Eteläpuisto Park. BIG’s design embraces and builds upon the existing qualities of the site which is naturally divided into three distinct zones, each holding a unique character. More images and architect’s description after the break.
SOM’s newest building at Beijing’s China World Trade Center (CWTC) complex
Ground will be broken on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 for Skidmore Owing & Merrill LLP (SOM)’s newest building at Beijing’s China World Trade Center (CWTC) complex. The 58-story Phase 3B Tower features sleek horizontal bands of canted glass that wrap the building’s square floor plates. The 918-feet (280-meters) tall icon will be located immediately northeast of the 74-story, SOM-designed China World Trade Center Tower 3, completed in 2010—which is the tallest building in the Chinese capital. More images and complete press release after the break.
AD Recommends: Best of the Week
Best from last week, just in case you missed it. Sou Fujimoto’s House NA was designed for a young couple in Tokyo, and it’s designed is associated with the concept of living in a tree. A little bit bigger, here’s Vaillo & Irigaray & Galar CIB’s building in Spain. We stay in Spain for Guallart Architects’ University Housing. Dominique Perrault also shared with us his housing and office building in The Netherlands. Finally, a beautiful house in Switzerland designed by Lussi + Halter.
AD Round Up: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion
We now know Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei’s design for the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012. While we waited for it, we decided to prepare a small Round Up with our previous coverage on the famous London’s Hyde Park pavilion. This includes the designs of Peter Zumthor, Jean Nouvel, and SANAA. To complete the Round Up, we have our post announcing the upcoming pavilion, and the special infographic we prepared earlier this year.
Coburn Residence / Harris Butt Architecture
Architects: Harris Butt Architecture Ltd. – Grant Harris
Location: Jacks Point Golf Course, Queenstown, New Zealand
Completion: 2009
Building Size: 712 sqm
Photographs: Simon Devitt
Owhanake Bay House / Strachan Group Architects
Architects: Strachan Group Architects
Location: Waiheke Island, New Zealand
Head Architect: Dave Strachan
Builders/Main Contactor: Tomik Ltd (Auckland & Waiheke Island based)
Structural Engineer: Adam Mackenzie
Photographs: Patrick Reynolds
Knoll Ridge Cafe / Harris Butt Architecture
Architects: Harris Butt Architecture Ltd. – Grant Harris
Location: Whakapapa Ski Field, Mt. Ruapehu, Tongariro National Park, New Zealand
Design Team: Grant Harris, Ian Butt, Kerry Reyburn, Ben Brown
Completion: 2011
Building Size: 1,516 sqm
Photographs: Simon Devitt, Sharon Mazey
PointCrowd: RhinoScripting in Python
PointCrowd is a RhinoScripting workshop using the remarkably easy to learn Python programming language that is available in the upcoming release of Rhino 5. This three week mini-course will start with the basics of programming and move into the mathematics of space and Rhino’s representation of geometry. The workshop is designed specifically for architects and designers with little or no programming experience or those interested in learning a new platform for expressing geometrical ideas algorithmically. Anyone with a good working knowledge of Rhino is welcome.
Workshop Topics:
Automation: Increase your efficiency by programming Rhino to complete tedious drawing and modeling tasks.
Optimization: Create a better design product by testing and improving your models against physical conditions like light and circulation.
Generative Design: Work through complex geometric ideas using simple Python scripts.
The class will also touch on topics such as scripting in Grasshopper and interfacing with other programs. Sessions will be held in DUMBO, Brooklyn on Monday and Thursday evenings from 6:30-10pm to fit into the schedule of working professionals. Register by May 7th to save $100. Please visit www.pointcrowd.com for details.
