F2 House / Donovan Hill
Achitects: Donovan Hill
Location: 30 Bamberry Street Fingal, Australia
Project Team: Brian Donovan, Timothy Hill, Michael Hogg, Phil Hindmarsh, Martin Arroyo, Craig Channon
Builders: Simcorp Developments
Landscape: Donovan Hill
Structural: Mark Traucnieks Consulting Engineers
Geotechnical: Border Tech
Town planners: Plan It Consulting
Certifier: Build It Certification
Total Floor Area: 200m²
Design Period: 1 year
Construction Period: November 2007– September 2008
Photo Credits: Jon Linkins
Mirage House / Supersudaka
We featured Chilean firm Supersudaka several times previously on AD because we enjoy their architectural philosophy – especially their claim that, “We don’t want to change the world with architecture, we want to change architecture with the world.” For their Mirage House, the client could not make a decision about what to build on his 5000 m2 plot, leading Supersudaka to think up an interesting solution.
More images after the break.
A101 Block City Masterplan Competition / Call for portfolios
Masshtab Development Company is announcing a competition for the design of the masterplan for A101 Block City: an area of 127 ha with over 1 million sqm of housing in the A101 project. The A101 project is a new town of around 150.000 people and 13 million sq m of housing located south of Moscow.
The Masterplan competition has two stages: the first stage is an open selection procedure for architects and urban designers based on portfolios, the second one an invited competition among four selected participants.
The competition is based on the Block City concept that was developed by Bart Goldhoorn and Aleksander Sverdlov in the context of the International Architecture Biennale in Rotterdam in 2009. For more information click here. Seen at Bustler.
Atelier Hitoshi Abe: len-tic-u-lar-is, an exhibition discussion
Len-tic-u-lar-is, a new exhibition by Los Angeles and Sendai-based architecture firm Atelier Hitoshi Abe (AHA), will be on view from July 30 to September 12, 2010, in the SCI-Arc Gallery at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc).
The first architectural subject that AHA will tackle in Los Angeles is the design of a new large-scale roof over the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC) Plaza, designed by Isamu Noguchi. For this plaza, Noguchi created a singular landscape inspired by a Zen garden that isolates itself from the surrounding townscape. Although a very important place for the community, the JACCC Plaza is too exposed to the climate of Los Angeles to host various activities, and the walls that enclose the plaza conceal it from the neighborhood and make it invisible to the city.
Exhibition discussion with Hitoshi Abe and Eric Owen Moss, followed by the opening reception will take place July 30 at 7pm. Admission is free. More information can be found here.
Kanagawa Institute of Technology Workshop / Junya Ishigami
Check out Junya Ishigami and Associates‘ amazing studio + workspace where students of the Kanagawa Institute of Technology get to spend their days designing. The studio is about the closest you can get to the feeling of working outside while being indoors. The floor-to-ceiling glass makes the building appear weightless and elegant, and the open plan preserves the building’s sense of transparency as the viewer’s eye can shoot directly across the uninterrupted space. 305 columns of various sizes support the stripped roof of skylights, yet their white color keeps the focus on the space and the view, not the structure. The columns, although seemingly random, as specifically placed to create the sensation of zoned spaces, but their nonrestrictive quality provides a flexible layout to suit the changing needs of students.
Inspiring place to design in, wouldn’t you agree?
More photographs by Iwan Baan after the break.
Villa Nyberg / Kjellgren Kaminsky Architecture
Architects: Kjellgren Kaminsky Architecture
Location: Borlänge, Sweden
Team: Joakim Kaminsky, Fredrik Kjellgren, Oscar Arnklitt, Daniel Andersson, Corina Bermúdez
Client: Emrahus & the Nyberg family
Project Area: 156 sqm
Photos: Kjellgren Kaminsky Architecture
AD Interviews: George H Miller
During the 2010 AIA Convention in Miami Beach we had the opportunity to sit down with George H Miller, AIA President.
George is also a partner at Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. Given his position as a partner on one of the most recognized firms in the US and as the voice of the architects through the AIA, George has a very good idea on the current state and future of the profession. We did our usual set of questions, but also included two things that I find very important: The importance on pushing IPD and the role of the AIA during the financial crisis (and what lessons can be learned after it). We also recommend you to read our article on his position regarding small business taxes, part of his efforts to improve the way architects practice in the US.
We published each question as a separate video so you can easily watch them. On a side note, there is some audio noise due to a bad mic placement. My fault, won´t happen again.
M.H. de Young Museum / Herzog & de Meuron
The M.H. de Young Memorial Museum by Herzog & de Meuron is a remarkable revival of a building that no longer exists. The original museum, which opened in 1895, was an outgrowth of a fair modeled on the Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition the previous year known as the California Midwinter Internation Exposition of 1894. Located in the sunny San Francisco, California, the museum was formerly named for one of the city’s newspapermen M.H. de Young. The old museum was a bulky structure decorated with concrete ornaments, which began falling off the building and became hazardous, leading to their removal in 1949. The building was completely destroyed, however, in 1989 by the Loma Prieta earthquake.
More on the museum after the break.
REPEAT: Digital Fabrication Competition
Architecture is defined by connections: the method and the material by which an assembly is developed to create enclosure. This process results in an active performative connection, one that is specific and definitive producing an architecture that can be built through iterative means. REPEAT asks that you look first at the connection and then – through repetition – define the whole. In brief, by evaluating the design process from this perspective, what emerges?
REPEAT as an international competition is established to foster the creative spirit in the burgeoning field of digital fabrication. We encourage the generation of cutting edge design proposals for a structure of your design with the only caveats being it be generated and conceived digitally, incorporate repetitive elements, be optimized for relocation and transportation and be produced through fabrication technologies available within Houston, Texas.
More information on schedule, jury, submission and awards can be found on the competition’s official website.
Our Cities Ourselves Exhibition
Our Cities Ourselves: The Future of Transportation in Urban Life has just kicked off its worldwide tour starting in New York at the Center for Architecture. The exhibit shows the visions of ten of the world’s developing cities from ten of the world’s leading architects. Over the next 20 years, these places will experience urban growth on a grand scale and the urban planning efforts will create successful cities through better transportation.
More about the exhibit after the break.
Football Training Center / Chartier – Corbasson
Architect : Chartier – Corbasson
Location: France
Client : Amiens Métropole
Net surface : 1 900m² SHON
Budget : 3,2 M€ HT
Program: Accomodation for 45 players, dressing rooms, classrooms, training halls catering
Year: 2009
Photographes: Philippe Ruault, Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre
Higher Tax will hurt Honest S-Corporations
President of the American Institute of Architects, George H. Miller, has voiced his concerns over Congress’ efforts to raise taxes on S corporations. Miller states, “In this economic climate, Congress’ effort to raise taxes on small businesses that form S corporations is clearly misguided. Such corporations create jobs and economic growth by reinvesting hard-earned capital.”
Indeed, the proposed heightened tax will hurt honest S-corporations. Small businesses, who are already paying their taxes, will have to lay off workers just to pay this higher tax. This move will inevitably slow down progress and increase unemployment – neither a good move for our economy these days.
However, some businesses wrongly categorize themselves as S-corporations to benefit from the lower tax rates. These firms should identified and their actions reprimanded. Yet, this new tax does not distinguish between honest and dishonest firms, “punishing thousands of honest small businesses that follow the rules,” explained Miller.
From The Washington Post via @AIANational.
The Apartment House / Formwerkz Architects
Architects: Formwerkz Architects
Location: Singapore, Singapore
Design Team: Seetoh Kum Loon, Alan Tay, JY Pang, Koh XuanYi, EkaChai
Site Area: 1,190 sqm
Gross Floor Area: 1,000 sqm
Photography: Courtesy of Formwerkz Architects
Happy Haus / Donovan Hill
Architects: Donovan Hill
Location: Not available (images are from Australia, but house is prefab, it can be anywhere!)
Project Team: Brian Donovan, Timothy Hill, Michael Hogg, Kim Baber, Chris Hing Fay, Greg Lamb, Phil Hindmarsh, Christina Cho, Jon Shankey, Dana Hutchinson
Builders: Hutchinson Builders
Total Floor Area: 26-42m²/unit
Design Period: 1 year
Construction Period: 8 weeks plus site works
Photography: Jon Linkins, Donovan Hill
The Waterhouse / Neri & Hu Design and Research Office
Located on the banks of the Huangpu River in the historic dockyard district and in the vicinity of the 2010 World Expo site, The Waterhouse at South Bund is rooted in an inversion of internal & external spaces. Shanghai-based Neri + Hu Design and Research Office (NHDRO) have transformed a non-descript 1930s riverside building into a modern expression of Chinese aesthetics. This architectural intervention enhances the building’s industrial presence, while outfitting the interior with the ammenities of a luxury hotel.
More about the hotel after the break.
Saint-Hilaire Du-Harcouët Media Center / Serero Architects
Serero Architects shared with us the Saint-Hilaire Du-Harcouët Media Center, a 300-seat performance hall with a foyer, 4 art and music studios, 1 restaurant, a rehearsal hall, administrative offices and associated technical spaces. They received first prize in a restricted competition and it’s expected to be completed by 2012.
More images and architect’s description after the break.
AD Round Up: Libraries Part IV
I love how different these five libraries are. From Poland, The Netherlands, Germany, Finland and Turkey, each one has its own unique design. Check them all after the break. Which one’s your favorite?
University of Poznan Library / Consultor + APA Bulat + Neostudio Architects
Polish and Classical Philology Faculty Library of Adam Mickiewicz University is located in the heart of Poznan – in the close proximity to historical buildings from the beginning of twentieth century, in the immediate vicinity of the Poznan Opera House and the Prussian Imperial Castle. It was designed as an extension of the Collegium Maius – the former building of “Hakata” – the Royal Prussian Colonization Commission. The parcel is hidden at three sides by the Collegium Maius and by the building of Regional Government Office (read more…)
Ninth International Design Contest Trieste Contemporanea
Pocket luck is pleased to announce that it is now possible to participate in the ninth edition of the International Design Contest Trieste Contemporanea which is promoted by the Trieste Contemporanea Committee under the patronage of the C.E.I. (Central European Initiative).
The competition deadline is August 31st, 2010. The entry is free. Designers from 23 Central Eastern European countries are called to submit a project for a new pocket lucky charm/talisman. You can read more about the provided prizes and check the competition notice on www.triestecontemporanea.it.
Flattened Field / Konyk Architecture
We are loving the fact that as Field Operations and DS+R’s High Line keeps developing, new residential and commercial entities are following suite, popping up adjacent to the tracks, over the tracks, and even under the tracks. And now, Konyk Architecture will join in the urban renewal which is unfolding in the Meat-Packing District with their new event space that will rest underneath the High Line adjacent to Neil Denari’s HL23 Condominium (previously featured on AD).
More about the winning event space after the break.
AD Classics: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library / Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill
Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library is the largest building in the world dedicated to the containment and preservation of rare books, manuscripts, and documents. It was designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill and is located in New Haven, Connecticut. Prior to the completion of this project, Yale University placed its rare books on special shelving in Dwight Hall, which was the Old Library in the late 19th century. In 1930 these special books were relocated to Rare Book Room collection in the Sterling Memorial Library. The Beinecke library was a gift from the Beinecke family, and since 1963 has accomodated six major collections in its rare and marvelous structure that coincides with the literary gems it stores, including those from the Rare Book Room. The major collections are the General Collection, which are divided into the General Collection of Early Books and Manuscripts and the General Collection of Modern Books and Manuscripts, the Collection of American Literature, the Collection of German Literature, the Collection of Western Americana, and the Osborn Collection of British Literary and Historical Manuscripts.
More information and images of the library after the break.
Public Lecture / Triskelion: The Presidio Habitats Exhibition Pavilion
Presidio Habitats is a site-based art exhibition celebrating the wild Presidio. It began with an invitation to an international group of artists, architects, and designers to submit a proposal for a temporary habitat sculpture serving a Presidio “animal client.”
San Francisco Architects Zoe Prillinger and Luke Ogrydziak (Ogrydziak Prillinger Architects), known for their progressive, modern designs that include new media technologies, discuss their creation of the Presidio Habitats Exhibit Pavilion from repurposed shipping containers arranged at 120 degree angles around a central atrium.
The public lecture will be held next Thursday, July 8, 7-8 pm at The Log Cabin, San Francisco Presidio (get directions here). For more on the Log Cabin Lecture Series click here.
