Courtesy of Graham Baba Architects

The Kolstrand Building is an adaptive reuse of a 1910 marine supply building in the industrial neighborhood of Ballard. The upgraded building stretches the urban core south with a mix of new services: offices, retail and restaurant space. (1 retail/cafe, 3 restaurants, 4 commercial offices, and 1 wine storage) The goal of adaptive reuse of the historically significant building is to preserve a vernacular that is quickly disappearing in Ballard.

The Kolstrand Building designed by Graham Baba Architects received a 2010 AIA Seattle Design Award for Washington Architecture – Commendation. Follow the break for drawings and photographs of this mixed use building.

Architects: Graham Baba Architects
Location: Seattle, Washington, USA
General Contractor: CDB General Contractors LLC
structural engineer: Swenson Say Fagét
Civil Engineer: Saez Consulting Engineers
Energy Consultant: Ecotope Inc
Geotechnical Engineers: Pan Geo Inc
Mechanical Contractor: Emerald Aire
Structural Steel Fabricator: Lincoln Industrial
Developer: 4743 Ballard Avenue LLC
Project Year: 2010
Project Area: 17,790 sqf

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© Åke E:son Lindman

Thanks to the New York Post article we noticed that this project Pionen White Mountain, which we featured November 24, 2008, is indeed the WikiLeaks Headquarters.   Pionen – White Mountain designed by Albert France-Lanord Architects is housed in a former 1,200 sqm  Cold War bunker (originally built as a World War II bunker); an amazing location 30 meters down under the granite rocks of the Vita Berg Park in Stockholm.

One of the original founders of WikiLeaks is architect John Young. Sections and more photographs following the break.

Update: It seems that the New York Post article was misleading. The Pionen – White Mountain facilities, a Bahnhof computer center, hosts two Wikileaks servers at these facilities and provides power, cooling, and Internet access to the servers.

Architects: Albert France-Lanord Architects
Location:Stockholm, Sweden
Program: Datacenter
Collaborators: Frida Öster and Jonatan Blomgren
Geology Consultant: Geosigma AB
Construction: Albert France-Lanord Architects
Client: Bahnhof AB
Construction Area: 1,200 sqm
Project year: 2008
Photographs: Åke E:son Lindman

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© Jörg Hempel Photodesign

Architects: dagli + atélier d’architecture
Location: Dudelange, Luxembourg
Client: Sanichaufer sci
Project area: 250 sqm
Project year: 2010
Photographs: Jörg Hempel Photodesign

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© Philippe Ruault

Architects: Jean Paul Viguier Architecture
Location: Marseille, France
Project Manager: Andres Larrain
Project Leader: Edwige Caumont
Associate Architects: Atelier 9
Structure Consultant: SETOR
Landscape: Alep
Safety Consultant: Cabinet Casso
Technical Inspection: SOCOTEC
Coordinator: Euro Pacte
Project Area: 21,000 sqm
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: Philippe Ruault

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© Lara Swimmer Photography

Urban Outfitters Corporate Campus, designed by Meyer Scherer & Rockcastle transformed four dilapidated historic buildings in Philadelphia’s Navy Yard, into an award winning adaptive reuse headquarters.  The Anthropologie, Free People, and Urban Outfitters retail brands’ design studios and offices are housed within each building. A campus commons and services’ offices are efficiently shared among the different divisions of the company.  This project received a 2010 AIA Honor Award for Architecture.

Follow the break for a video discussing the site and design featuring Urban Outfitters, Inc company founder Dick Hayne. More photographs, drawings, and project description after the break as well.

Architects: Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd.
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Principal-in-Charge: Jeffrey Scherer, FAIA
Project Manager: Josh Stowers, AIA, LEED AP
Interior Designer: Leanne Larson, CID, IIDA, LEED AP
Client: Urban Outfitters, Inc
Total construction cost: $100 million
Project Area: 285,000 sqf
Project Year: 2006
Photographer: Lara Swimmer Photography

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© Thea vd Heavel

According to OIII Architecten the starting point for this design was scale, creating a harmony not dependent on difference in scale but in how a larger scaled building could connect to the surrounding smaller building through textures and details.

Architects: OIII Architecten
Location: Winterswijk, The Netherlands
Client: Victoria Winteswijk BV
Design: Maarten Sanders, Armand Paardekooper Overman, Emile Revier and Hans Witt
Team: Joeri Apontoweil, Chanthal den Boer, Jelle Seffinga, Kitty Luiken, Wim de Pagter and Martin Vinkensteijn
Construction: F. Wiggers Ingenieursbureau
Building Physics: Nieman
Project Area: 10,520 sqm
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: Roos Aldershoff and Thea vd Heavel

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© Davor Konjikusic

Architects: UPI-2M
Location: Zagreb Lucko, Hrvatska, Croatia
Investor: Stipić Grupa
Author: UPI-2M – Vedran Jukic, Berislav Medic, Alan Leo Plestina
Architectural Design: UPI-2M – Vedran Jukic, Alan Leo Plestina, Ivan Cikes
Structural Design: UPI-2M – Hrvoje Mihal, Marko Đuran, Tomislav Iličkovic, Goran Janjuš, Darko Makar, Ivan Peso, Ivan Habuš
Project area: 2,500 sqm
Photographs: Davor Konjikusic, Petar Petrovski, Vanja Solin, Zvonimir Katancic

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© Jose Hevia

Architects: Hoz Fontan Arquitectos
Location: Irun, Spain
Partners in Charge: Angel de la Hoz, Cristina Fontan
Collaborators: Gurutze Aldanondo, Angel Alvarez
Rigger: Juan Murua
Structure: Jose Antonio Gurruchaga
Contractor: Altuna y Uria
Photographs: Jose Hevia

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© Jeff Dean

Located in Racine, Wisconsin, the SC Johnson and Son Administration Building is one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most important statements about the nature of office buildings. H.F. Johnson Jr. commissioned Wright to design a worldwide headquarters administration building for the family company and in 1936 Wright’s drawings were approved and the building officially opened in April of 1939.

Often referred to as the Johnson Wax Building, its most identifiable element are the dendriform columns, the name used by Wright because of their tree like shape. Wright’s ability to effortlessly incorporate the organic metaphor into his architecture is revealed in the building via a tall slender mushroom column that tapers to a base of a mere 9-inch diameter. They rise 30 feet and terminate at the roof level as broad circular lily pads of concrete 18 1/2 feet wide. Wright’s imagination led to creating these hollow cored columns that serve as storm water drains and which feature hinged bases with pin jointed bronze shoes. The circular lily pads of concrete are woven together by a membrane of Pyrex glass tubing that illuminate spaces with natural light. The use of Pyrex glass tubing allowed for a lot of diffused light to enter the interior of the Johnson Wax Building. The large workspace is well lit with indirect light and very little glare, resulting in a work environment conducive for creativity.

More on the S.C. Johnson and Son Administration Building following the break.

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© Fernando Alda

Architects: Antonio Blanco Montero
Location: Camas, Sevilla, Spain
Client: Camas Municipality
Structure Calculation: Sergio Estévez Salazar
Project area: 720 sqm
Project year: 2006 – 2009
Photographs: Fernando Alda

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© Robin Hayes

Architects: Brunnberg & Forshed Arkitektkontor AB
Location: Kungsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden
Principals in Charge: Hans Bergström (Partner)
Project Architect and Manager: Staffan Corp (Partner)
Project Team: Håkan Brunnberg, Fredrik Liljeström, Charlotta Turesson, Louise Rangmark, Björn Holm, Bosse Nilsson, Stefan Brink, Marianne Jonsson, Walter Wangler, Olga Allpere-Stinzing.
Project Area: ~35,000 sqm
Project year: 2006-2010
Photographs: Robin Hayes read more »

Courtsey of Ernst Giselbrecht + Partner

Ernst Giselbrecht + Partner present the Kiefer Technic Showroom, an office building and exhibition space with a dynamic facade that changes to outdoor conditions, optimizing internal climate, while allowing users to personalize their own spaces with user controls.

More after the break.

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Courtesy of Hantabal Architekti

The Omnipolis administrative building incorporates itself into the previously existing Omnia Campus in Slovakia. Challenged by a rather limiting site, including height restrictions, Hantabal Architekti teamed up with AFR to design a building that is expressive through its rich colors and horizontal repetition. Follow the break for photographs and drawings.

Architects: Hantabal Architekti & AFR
Location: Bratislava, Slovakia
Project Team: Hantabal Juraj, Frecer Miroslav, Kostrian Jan
Client & Partners: Omnia Real
Project Area: 15,000 sqm
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Courtesy of Hantabal Architekti

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© René de Wit

The new head office for Simed Health Care Group, designed by DHV Architects, received the Audience Award of the Rietveldprijs 2009. The building provides a new dynamic work environment for the employees, and is capable of storing medical equipments.
The main building is split into two sections, office and business hall. Designed as robust uniform spaces, the building responds to the adjacent existing hospital and Midden Weteringand. After the break are more photographs and drawings of this award winning design.

Architect: DHV Architects
Location: Utrecht, The Netherlands
Principal Architect: Roel Brouwers
Structural Engineer: DHV B.V.
Building Systems Engineer: DHV B.V.
Architectural Lighting: Har Hollands
Contractor: Korteweg Bouw (Civil), BAM Installatietechniek (Electrical), Warmtebouw Utrecht (Mechanical)
Client: Simed Health Care Group
Project Area: 7,000 sqm
Project Year: 2005 – 2008
Photographs: René de Wit

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© Rainer Viertlboeck

The recipient of the 2010 Washington Building Congress – Craftsmanship Award, 1999 K Street aims to provide a work environment in Washington DC that is responsive to its urban surroundings. Murphy Jahn approached this design focused on filling each work space with natural light. The result is a simple, efficient and sustainable building. 1999 K Street received LEED Gold Certification in 2009.  Follow the break for more photographs and the architects description about the design.

Architects: Murphy Jahn
Location: Washington DC, United States
Lead Designer: Helmut Jahn
Associate Architect: WDG Architecture
Structural Engineer: Tadjer Cohen Edelson
Special Structures: Werner Sobek Ingenieure
MEP: GHT Limited
Client: Vornado / Charles E. Smith
Project Area: 309,000 sqf
Project Year: 2009
Photographer: Rainer Viertlboeck

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© Rainer Viertlboeck

Hegau Tower’s design is a direct result of close collaboration between architect and client; a clear modernist expression.

Located in Singen, Germany, 20 km west of Lake Constance and in immediate proximity to the Swiss border, this design by Murphy Jahn is part of a larger development plan.  The redevelopment on the south side of the main train station is a representation of  the transition of this industrial town of roughly 45,000 people from production to service based businesses.

The building is full of highly functional and energy efficient details, including thermal mass activation and integration into the HVAC system, exterior flexible shading on southwest facing facades, natural ventilation, nighttime cooling, and daylight optimization.

More photographs after the break.

Architects: Murphy Jahn
Location:  Singen, Germany
Lead Designer: Helmut Jahn
Associate Architect: Riede Architekten, Fischer und Partner Architekten
Materials/Products: Clauss Markisen (exterior shades)
Structural Engineer: Werner Sobek Ingenieure
Mechanical Engineer: Transolar Energietechnik
Client: GVV Städtische Wohnungsbaugesellschaft
Project Area: 17,056 sqm
Project Year: 2008
Photographer: Rainer Viertlboeck

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© RTKL.com

Signaling the growing influence of China’s inland cities, global architecture, engineering and urban design practice RTKL, announced the groundbreaking of the first phase of Pearl River New Town, an 80-acre district in Chengdu that will form the heart of the city’s westward growth and modernization. More images and architect’s description after the break. read more »

©New York Times- Tony Cenicola

Famous on all ends of the architectural spectrum, the Orange County Government Center takes Paul Rudolph‘s fundamental ideas of the houses he designed decades before to a much larger scale. This fascinating architectural structure was built to be the office and government of Orange County in New York, containing everything from records to a Department of Motor Vehicles for the state.

The obviously brutalist style was infused with Rudolph’s interest in “working with Mies Van Der Rohe’s concept of implied space.”

More on the Orange County Government Center after the break.

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© Gian Marco Finazzi & Paolo Ravasio

Architects: Lab255, arch. Dario Perego
Location: Bergamo, Italy
Client: Electric Line
Design Principal: Dario Perego
Project Architects: Dario Perego, Palmisano Aristide, Quadri Daniele
Project Area: 1200 sqm
Project Year: 2007-2008
Photographs: Gian Marco Finazzi, Paolo Ravasio

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© Courtesy of P-A-T-T-E-R-N-S

Architects: P-A-T-T-E-R-N-S
Location: Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
Client: Chengdu Qingyang Suburb Construction & Development Co.
Firm Principal/Partner in Charge: Marcelo Spina and Georgina Huljich
Project Manager: Courtenay Bauer
Project Designers: Rick Michod and J. Travis Russet
Project Assistant: Jeeyea Kim
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Courtesy of P-A-T-T-E-R-N-S

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