Facebook Data Centre. Image Courtesy of Liam Young
Data centers, automated assembly lines, telecommunications facilities, and warehouses represent a very utilitarian aspect of the built environment, and yet they compose a particular kind of infrastructure within contemporary society, one that is fundamental to the development of everyday life. Rarely discussed within the profession, these new typologies have more recently penetrated the architectural discourse, raising questions about the architectural significance and design potential of the spaces sustaining the mechanics of today's world.
Although there is much conflict surrounding the term Brutalist, there are certain constants and patterns within the movement that offer a concrete idea of the movement and its place in contemporary architecture.
The buildings that adhere to Brutalism—an off-shoot of the Modern Movement that erupted between 1950 and 1970— stand out in part to their constructional sincerity- that is, keeping no secrets about the materials that went into their creation, their bold geometry, and the asperity of their textures and surfaces. Reinforced concrete is the predominant material in Brutalist works thanks to its prominent and dramatic texture, which is put on full display.
When building near the sea, a project’s design strategy must pay special attention to the effects of marine corrosion. The salt content in the environment provokes a chemical and physical process which incites a material breakdown or degradation, compromising the durability of the building’s infrastructure.
As a response to the demands for ocean-side buildings, and the corresponding façade components that go along with them, air-lux has developed a system that aims to perform reliably in maritime conditions. By virtue of its corrosion-resistant materials, improved surface coatings, and technically optimized components, the system withstands marine climates and minimizes salt water damage.
Writer Eva Hagberg and I have known each other for a long time. Way back, in a year I can’t remember, I assigned her one of her first magazine assignments. Literally, dozens of other assignments followed. So it was with some anticipation, and a bit of surprise, that I received her new book When Eero Met His Match: Aline Louchheim Saarinen and the Making of an Architect (Princeton University Press), an intriguing hybrid text, one-part Aline and Eero biography, one part memoir of Hagberg’s experiences as a design writer and publicist. (I am briefly mentioned in the book.) The book’s main argument is that Aline Saarinen largely invented the role of the architectural publicist. Recently I traveled out to the Brooklyn Navy Yard to talk to a very pregnant Eva about the impetus for her new book, its dual structure, and the journalistic ethics of Aline Saarinen.
As our collective conscience challenges the ethics of mass production and the manufacturers of high-end furniture make moves towards more mindful and individually specified making, a design-and-make mentality is becoming ever more present in the industry. It’s new but old. It’s workshops coming to the fore and it’s happening when design entrepreneurs are committed to the very 2022 preoccupations of waste-free production, individualisation and durability.
https://www.archdaily.com/990465/trella-and-the-rise-of-the-designer-makerEmma Moore
From the first traces of a sketch to the ribbon cutting at the official inauguration, a building and its construction process goes through numerous steps. From understanding client demands, complying to local regulations, staying within budget, getting the necessary approvals for development and construction details, a lot of time, resources and decisions are involved. To this end, it is essential to have a workforce that knows and understands the correct processes inside-out, are well informed and have experience and availability. Finding and training this workforce isn't always easy though, and this is where Aligned Studios comes in: a service that creates and manages teams composed of qualified designers for US architectural and construction companies.
Although we usually think of climate change as something that should be addressed by research institutes, governments or official reports, private companies also play a key role in affecting change, as they are on the front lines of production and innovation. This is especially true in the field of construction, as it is an industry that moves a significant amount of resources and people, but also exerts a huge impact on the environment. Unfortunately, not all companies take on this challenge, although this is slowly changing and can be seen in a number of successful examples. One of these is the case of Rieder, which embarked on a journey to become “Climate Positive” by 2030 and, more notably, set the example when building its new headquarters.
The Global Challenge is an annual competition organized by A--D that recognizes the most sustainable architectural projects around the world, and helps accelerate their development.
https://www.archdaily.com/990382/4-ways-the-global-challenge-accelerates-the-development-of-do-it-together-architectural-practicesArchitecture in Development
Much more than a merely utilitarian and functional space, the bathroom can be a relaxing place of privacy, solitude and self-care. It can be approached as an oasis of tranquility within one's home, a space to create bold combinations and highlight originality, or even as a room to surprise visitors and escape the usual designs, with different textures, colors and accessories. To achieve the desired effect of each project, specifying the most appropriate parts for each bathroom accessory is essential, which includes toilets, storage devices, walls and fittings such as taps and showers.
TNC / Taller de Arquitectura de Ricardo Bofill. Image Cortesía de Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura
Catalonia's National Theatre, known by the abbreviation TNC, is a public theatre located in the Plaça de les Arts, near Plaça de Glòries, in Barcelona. It is one of the city's most prestigious buildings and one of the most important cultural institutions in Catalonia.
As the post-pandemic generation of the workplace takes shape, office comfort is fast becoming its main selling point. But that can’t just mean big, comfy ‘working’ sofas and a few scatter cushions. With the hybrid options of home, office, or third space on the table, the majority of employees still choose to spend a large proportion of their working time together, benefitting from the community feeling and creative atmosphere, but most of all the professional working environment and interior. So while comfortably cozy spaces help them feel at home, the traditional set-up with individual desks and chairs for quiet focus, can’t be underestimated
With rising rental rates and major firms already in the process of downsizing to survive the digital work era, only flexibly and adaptably designed workplaces can provide both comfortable and focused typologies.
If you're looking to take your SketchUp skills to the next level, learning how to render animations can be a great way to showcase your designs. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a professional animation using SketchUp and the photorealistic rendering plugin V-Ray. Our first step will be to create a simple camera animation and then animate the sunlight changing throughout the day. After that, we'll animate the clouds to make a time-lapse sky and learn how to share our final rendered clips with others.
Square shapes convey a sense of reliability and safety, while triangles represent stability, balance and movement. Circular forms, in turn, tend to be more "friendly", as they encompass all other shapes. This is known as the psychology of shapes, a science that studies the influence of shapes on people and their meaning and effects on our minds. In fact, geometric shapes are almost naturally familiar to us, even if we have no formal studies or mathematical references specific to them, as this study showed. In architecture, basic geometric shapes are also widely explored through playing with volumes, subtractions and intersections in floorplans and façades. The shapes may also appear in their truest forms, in interior elements and accessories. This is the case of AXOR Universal Accessories, which comprises three product lines, each representing a basic shape: rectangular, round and with rounded corners, reinterpreted into bathroom accessory products.
A city of electric architectural diversity – Belgrade’s Modernist structures give the Serbian capital a unique character. The grey of Belgrade’s Brutalist concrete is one of the city’s architectural signatures, existing in both complex volumetric facades and monolithic rectilinear forms. But while a plethora of architectural appraisals has been conducted on the external qualities of brutalist structures in Belgrade and beyond, photographic documentation of Belgrade’s brutalist interiors is relatively rare – something that photographer Inês d’Orey has sought to change in her most recent exhibition.
Over the years, interior design has evolved according to the needs that arise, but above all, according to the experiences it seeks to evoke in the user. In the last two years, we have witnessed a radical change and a particular interest in this subject because the pandemic forced us to pay specific attention to the configuration of the places we inhabit. This brought about much more holistic designs that seek to address the user's wellbeing, combining colors, sensory experiences, technology, and natural elements that promote health.
Mies Van der Rohe and Lilly Reich’s German Pavilion for the 1929 Barcelona International Exhibition is known as the most written-about modern building. But no matter how many times the pavilion is redrawn for analysis, there are always new angles from which to interpret it. Identifying its capacity to redefine the German image, while genuinely introducing new strategies that continue present in contemporary architecture projects are two key elements of the architects’ intentions behind their design strategy.
'We have to get away from the coldness of functionalism. It is a mistake to believe that to understand the problem of modern architecture it is enough to recognize a necessity for rational solutions. Beauty in architecture, which is a necessity and finality for our time as for past periods, cannot be attained unless we can see beyond simple utility when we build.' – Mies Van der Rohe
The role of a building’s entrance area is critical in a world where first impressions are everything. It anticipates what is to come, marks the starting point to an architectural journey and sets the tone for the rest of the interior. As a practical “passageway” between different places, an entrance connects and unites, but at the same time separates, protects and provides safety for both homeowners and visitors. Thus, every aspect conveys specific formal features to serve that purpose; from the position of the door, to the shape of the threshold, to the structure of the ceiling.
Fashion designer Paul Smith, British band Radiohead and Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman seem to have nothing in common, except for being constantly mentioned as major inspirations for São Paulo architect Isay Weinfeld. A multidisciplinary range of influences that says a lot about his personality and, accordingly , about his works.
