BIArch Open Lecture of the Spring 2010 Cycle: Stan Allen
A couple of days ago we featured the first BIArch Open Lecture by Yung Ho Chang. The second of the BIArch Open Lectures of the Spring 2010 cycle was delivered on June 11th by Stan Allen, principal of Stan Allen Architect and Dean of the Princeton University School of Architecture (SOA). The lecture was titled “From Object to Field (and back).” Stan Allen will be part of the faculty for the first edition of the Institute’s MBIArch Master’s Degree in Architecture program.
Introduction was conducted by Madrid-based architect Arturo Franco, editor of Arquitectura COAM Magazine. You can see the introduction video after the break.
A Secular Retreat / Peter Zumthor / Living Architecture
Although Peter Zumthor’s success is undisputed in the architecture world, it was interesting he would tackle a residence for Living Architecture as his past works have gracefully unfolded after years of development. For Zumthor’s project, entitled A Secular Retreat, the architect employs his signature strategy of using nature as a source of relaxation. The hill-top retreat is a quiet and passive design, truly taking the backseat to the surroundings. The home is designed to exploit the beauty of its location, capitalizing on views and providing perfect places for reflection. The home, Zumthor’s first project in the UK, is the perfect residence of the Living Architecture projects to visit for some peaceful downtime.
More images after the break.
Cerveira House / dEMM Arquitectura
Architects: dEMM arquitectura, Emanuel Silva
Location: Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal
Collaborators: Manuel Pais Vieira
Structural Engineering: Gepec
Contractor: J. Camilo
Constructed Area: 600 sqm
Photographs: Pedro Lobo
German Pavilion / Shanghai 2010 Expo
Here’s another great time lapse video from Seppe, this time walking us through the German Pavilion in Shanghai designed by Schmidhuber + Kaindl GmbH (more Shanghai coverage here). Entitled Balancity, the pavilion is designed by Lennart Wiechell and at 6,000 m2, it is the country’s largest structure at any exposition. The building’s geometric mass was conceived as a three dimensional sculpture and the form wraps certain spaces which showcase different aspects of Germany. As you can see in the video, the pavilion includes a central energy source, a factory-like section, an opera and cultural section, and even a park. The areas show Germany’s technological progressions and products meant to help solve urbanization problems, and visitors slowly glide past certain installations on moving walkways. Unlike other countries’ pavilions that seem to work off of one cohesive theme, the German pavilion seems much more “busy” – it is a conglomeration of many different ideas and products with lots to see at each turning corner. What do you think of Balancity?
Check out other videos Seppe has shared with us like his British Pavilion time lapse or his Denmark Pavilion video. Full list of credits after the break.
Twin Houses / Felipe Gonzalez-Pacheco
Architects: Felipe Gonzalez-Pacheco (MGP Arquitectura y Urbanismo)
Location: Bogota, Colombia
Collaborators: Alvaro Bohorquez, Camilo Correa, Gabriel Campusano, M. Juliana Sorzano
Client: Laura Gonzalez-Pacheco y Felipe Gonzalez Pacheco
Contractor: Tierra S.A.
Project Area: 1,136 sqm
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Andrés Valbuena, Jorge Gamboa, Rodrigo Dávila, MGP Arquitectura y Urbanismo
The Lightcatcher at Whatcom / Olson Kundig Architects
Architects: Olson Kundig Architects
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA
Design Principal: Jim Olson
Project Area: 42,000 sq ft
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Tim Bies & Benjamin Benschneider
2010 Downtown Columbus Strategic Plan
Jeffrey Pongonis’ blog, MSI Design – Beyond the Studio, is chock full of urban issues ranging from new green initiatives to schematic designs for new developments. What attracted our attention was the strategic plan for Columbus Ohio, an initiative to restore Downtown’s vitality by building upon the area’s success from the 2002 Strategic Business Plan for Downtown Columbus.
More about the plan and more images after the break.
Standard Receives Honors for Hidden House
Standard, a Los Angeles-based architecture and design practice, received an award from the Los Angeles Business Council (LABC), as winner of the Single Family Housing category at the 40th Annual Los Angeles Architectural Awards for the Hidden House project. The modern single family residence was chosen as an example of local architectural innovation for the home’s eco-friendly construction, which involved incorporating an existing two bedroom cottage into a new, larger structure, without marring the natural context of the home’s expansive and rare 7-acre site.
Bartlett School of Architecture Year 1 Program Videos
The Bartlett’s BSc degree programme aims to develop a creative, diverse and rigorous approach to architecture and design from the outset. Year 1 is centred on the design studio and is taught to the year as a whole. Students observe, draw, model and design, based in the School’s design studios and workshop from the first week onwards.
You can now see three videos of the Year 1 program, including a sketchfilm by Brook Lin, who sketched for 13 hours, transformed in a 10 minute film. For more information click here. See the other two videos after the break.
Impression of the Infinite / MetamorphOse Architecture
When five Belgian architects, Axel Cailteux, Celine Hautfenne, Delphine Termote, Amelie Schweisthal and Julie Neuwels, created MetamorphOse, the firm became an outlet for the young minds to rethink architecture at various scales. “We use, as architects in different firms and with different centers of interest, our combined experiences of the city and the existing or future urban assets to put forward contemporary, sustainable or ephemeral interventions,” explained the architects. For their landscape installation in Beziers, France (which was created for Technilum for the festival “Heureuse Coincidence”), the architects have not created a new building volume or designed a large scale construction, but rather, “a simple gesture” that is just enough to make an impact on the way the space is perceived.
More about the installation after the break.
Tooth & Nail Records / Lead Pencil Studio
Architects: Lead Pencil Studio
Location: Queen Anne Neighborhood, Seattle, USA
General Contractor: SR Company – Redmond, WA
Project Area: 3,600 sq ft
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: Ben Benschneider
Brusselssprout’s proposal for Design as Reform Competition in Dubai
Brusselssprout’s design “Mosque is More” was selected as finalist for the Mosque Category for Design as Reform Competition in Dubai. You can see more images, a video and architect’s description after the break.
Mobîlot / COMCECI
We just found this short video by French architects, COMCECI. The video provides a snapshot of their project “Mobîlot,” an installation set in the public streets of the city that is comprised of “mobile terraces” on a dis-mountable metal structure the size of a parking space. Closed, the structure provides a quick resting place for passersby, and open, the wooden inner furnishings are the perfect place to enjoy a bite to eat with others. Enjoy!
Update: The Balancing Barn / MVRDV / Living Architecture
As promised, we are starting our coverage of the Living Architecture houses beginning with MVRDV’s Balancing Barn. We first shared this project awhile back on AD, and now, since the home’s completion, we have new interior shots of the rent-able residence.
More about the home and more interior images after the break.
Hotel Nuts / Upsetters Architects
Architects: Upsetters Architects / Shuzo Okabe
Location: Shinjyuku,Tokyo, Japan
Project Area: 141 sqm
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Yusuke Wakabayashi
Vastu House / Khosla Associates
Architects: Khosla Associates
Location: Bangalore, India
Project Team: Sandeep Khosla, Amaresh Anand and Lavina Taur
Structural Engineering: Manjunath & Co.
Landscaping: Sanjiv Basappa
Civil Contractor: Hi Tech Engineers
Site Area: 2,148 sqm
Built up Area: 1,211 sqm
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Courtesy of Khosla Associates
Fakro House / Tim Stephens
A few weeks ago, we shared Tim Stephens’ urban farm model – an organized set of plots for people to grow their own food – and, today, we feature his Fakro House. For this small residence, Stephens incorporated the local vernacular into a modernist retreat in the Whangaripo valley. By acknowledging the site’s importance, in terms of views and ecological values, Stephens’ design is a smart fit for the New Zealand location.
More about the project and more images after the break.
BIArch Open Lecture of the Spring 2010 Cycle: Yung Ho Chang
Yung Ho Chang, founder of Atelier FCJZ, China’s first private architectural practice and head of the Architecture department at the MIT, delivers the first BIArch Open Lecture of the Spring 2010 cycle: “China, Carb, City, China”.
The introduction of this lecture was given by Albert Ferré, director of Actar. You can see the video of the introduction after the break.
AD Round Up: Museums Part IV
Beautiful museums from all over the world. From a museum made of stone in China, to a refurbishment project in USA, and even a Nestlé Chocolate Museum in Mexico. Check them all after the break.
Ningbo Historic Museum / Wang Shu, Amateur Architecture Studio
Iwan Baan shared with us one of the latest works he photographed, the Ningbo Historic Museum designed by Wang Shu, Amateur Architecture Studio. An amazing stone work (read more…)
Facebook Fan Page: Celebrating our 100,000 fans!
Today, our Facebook Fan Page reached 100,000 fans. We are very happy of the amazing group everyone has helped us achieve. To celebrate it, we’re launching the second edition of “Architecture Offices Around the World”. Last year, through the Facebook Fan Page, we asked you to take a photo of your office and upload it. We received many, and selected a few which you can see right here. This year we want to do the same, but with a small giveaway. Among all the photos we receive, we’re giving two DVD’s of “Rem Koolhaas: A Kind of Architect”.
So just take a photo of your office, upload it through our Facebook Fan Page and let’s all share our working spaces!
You can watch the movie trailer here or find out more about it here (courtesy of New Video Digital).
Argos, Building for an Electrical Generator at a Cement Factory / Felipe Gonzalez-Pacheco
Architects: Felipe Gonzalez-Pacheco & Juan Ignacio Muñoz (MGP Arquitectura y Urbanismo)
Location: Yumbo, Valle, Colombia
Collaborators: Alvaro Bohorquez, Camilo Correa, M. Juliana Sorzano
Client: Cementos Argos
Contractor: Concreto S.A. – Cementos Argos
Constructed Area: 575 sqm
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: Andrés Valbuena
