In an adaptive re-use project, Serie Architects, Grimshaw of London and Pysall Ruge Arkitekten of Berlin were asked to renovate four factories in Hangzhou that would form a new urban core for the city center. For Serie’s factory, the firm decided to preserve the unique16 ft tall main hall of the factory and to “accentuate the industrial drama of this massive void by restoring the concrete truss roof structure and by bringing additional light down through a newly glazed lantern.” The design truly feeds upon the existing conditions, as the newer programs are situated on a large plinth, respecting the historic presence of the factory.
Our friends from Visiondivision shared their latest summer house in Singö, Sweden with us. The architects were limited to designing the small summer house within the confines of an existing shed because the site is exposed every tens years to the overflows of the Baltic Sea. Constructed as a lizard’s tail, the house utilizes a pragmatic strategy where if one part of the building gets exposed to water, that part can easily be replaced without affecting the rest of the building.
In honor of Mackintosh’s Glasgow School of Art’s centennial, student editors Gareth Hanly, Rachel Houghton, Cathryn Lavery, Kieran Sheehan and Katy Holbrook, have designed, produced and published MacMag 35 to document the entire celebration year. Compiled in over 300 pages of crisp graphics and imagery, this year’s magazine provides a true insight into not only the design philosophies of the school, but also gives us a taste of what it is like to experience the famous building.
We’ve featured quite elaborate projects on AD where project budgets that reach the millions seem almost normal. Yet, this is something we haven’t seen: a house – yes, one house – priced at $1 billion dollars. With a price tag like that, India’s richest man, and Forbes’s fourth richest man, Mukesh Ambani, along with his wife and three childen, will be calling the world’s most expensive residence “home.”
To promote their Power Smart month of October, BC Hydro has launched an interesting public campaign for energy efficiency by converting two shipping containers into live experimental spaces in Vancouver. For fours day, actors will live in the 3×6 meter containers “to showcase how – and how not – to live and work in an energy-efficient manner.” The two containers are meant to depict the extreme opposites of energy consumption and show the simple steps people can take to increase their efficiency. As the containers are fully glazed on one side, passersby can see how the actors go about their daily routines – one completely wasteful with a constantly blasting television and all the lights on, while the other actor uses natural daylight for illumination and adds extra layers of clothing for warmth. Displays are fixed to the exterior of each container to provide simulated consumption readings, allowing the public to see the difference in the energy use when comparing energy-efficient living to inefficient and wasteful behavior.
Check out Korea-based Chae Pereira Architects‘ latest residential project situated in the crowded urban neighborhood of Sangsu. The neighborhood, which is crowded by slum houses weaving around little alleys, provides a “stimulating landscape both socially and physically” which the architects took aspects of the existing houses to inform their design strategy. The recycled elements of the surrounding houses, specifically their corrugated panel roofs, in addition to Sangsu’s power plant, inspired the architects to experiment with a layer of translucent polycarbonate fixed on a regular steel frame to show the 13MM aluminum-coated insulation and circulations spaces.
More images and more about the project after the break.
Yesterday, it was announced that Daniel Libeskind will design a landmark building for the UK that will house the new Institute for Democracy and Conflict Resolution. As part of the University of Essex, the UK’s highest ranked university for social science research, this new building seeks to become an “international beacon for democracy” as it will build upon the university’s 40 years of practical and academic expertise in the field of human rights, justice and governance. Libeskind commented, “I consider it an honor to be involved in a project with such visionary humanitarian objectives. I have always believed that democratic openness and conflict resolution is critical not only in the political sphere but in the making of architectural space.”
NRJA shared their competition entry for an extension of the Latvian National Museum of Art with us. The project proposes a reconstruction plan incorporates new features that will not disturb the historical structure of the museum, but will considerably improve its structural and sustainability performance. The museum sits at a dominant location in the center of Riga and NRJA’s extension seeks to link the existing historical building with a new park gallery.
A few months ago, we featured a conceptual house designed by group of young Greek architects, Dimos Moysiadis + Ioannis Oikonomou+ Xaris Tsitsikas. Thethree, plus Kostas Panopoulos and Grigoris Vegliris, have just shared their latest conceptual project, a façade renovation of an old public theater in Corfu and a new urban plan for the adjacent square. The intent was to re-establish the public theater as a city landmark by emphasizing its past as well as its attributes as a piece of contemporary architecture.
More images and more about the project after the break.
Norway based Eriksen Skajaa Architects’ proposal about Urban Beehives was recently acknolwegded in the Oslo Triennale. The project explores how biodiversity can act as a catalyst for urban development and generate ideas to respond to social diversity. The study examines the environment of the Aker River as an infrastructure for urban food production as well as an apiary at the Vaterland Park. The proposal intends to illustrates how biodiversity, small-scale urban gardening and food production can contribute to a new layer of urban development centered on the riverbanks.
More images and more about the proposal after the break.
We had the opportunity to interview Thomas Phifer yesterday in his amazing studio on Varick Street (we’ll be sharing the video with you soon!) and he was excited to tell us about the new annex for the US Courthouse the firm is currently working on. Situated in Salt Lake City, Utah, the courthouse design not only provides a functional structure, but also draws upon Phifer’s attention to nature, specifically the site’s changing seasons and sun conditions. The courthouse respects the monumental presence of the justice system but that monumentality is balanced by the structure’s acknowledgement of its surroundings. ” It embodies both American idealism and practicality. It feels like it belongs to the people, and consequently inspires and reminds all that it stands for,” added Phifer.
More images and more about the courthouse after the break.
David Adjaye’s new affordable housing building for Sugar Hill, Harlem is expected to strengthen the community with its mixed program on the base level and impvero the poverty-stricken neighborhood by providing quality housing for 124 families. In addition to apartments that will house some of the city’s poorest residents, a new educational, cultural and arts space will also be incorporated into the scheme. Resting at the bottom of Adjaye’s stacked and shifted volumes, the 18,000 sqf Faith Ringgold Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling will hold a permanent exhibition of Ringgold’s quilt art in addition to temporary exhibitions. As bdonline.uk reported, “Ringgold, who grew up in the area, has developed the museum in order to provide local children with early education through art. The museum will, in particular, attempt to foster pride in Harlem’s own artistic legacy.” The building’s construction is projected for later this year. We’re hoping this building has the potential to uplift a burdened community; what do you think?
If you find yourself in Manhattan for the weekend of October 14-17, be sure to check out the Architecture and Design Film Festival on Varick Street in Tribeca. Films running anywhere from a quick 2 minutes to 80 minutes will feature popular pieces such as Citizen Architect about Samuel Mockbee and the Spirit of the Rural Studio, to a film about the Kimbell Museum, an interview with Oscar Niemeyer and even a film about dumpster pools. The event will also include discussions with some of the filmmakers and architects about the design process. As this will be the first film festival celebrating the creative spirit of architecture and design in the United States, be sure not to miss it!
In the next six years, a new collaboration between the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the BMW Group is seeking to explore various issues of urban life. Three labs, which will be assigned a theme, an architect, and a graphic designer, will be placed in major cities that will engage the public, bringing people together to discuss and experiment with new ideas. Traveling across the globe, the labs will interact with people from all different backgrounds and cultures with the intention to shed light upon a broad spectrum of issues.
Our friends from NRJA (be sure to view previous NRJA projects on AD, especially their 2009 Building of the Year House) shared their finished competition entry for a cemetery in Järva Common, Stockholm with us. Designing a cemetery is a difficult challenge as it is a place filled with symbolic importance and infused with a commitment to offering hope. The architects decided that this new cemetery will provide a place where the identity of the site is defined not only by the environmental quality of the space and its historical importance, but also by the project’s emphasize on concentration on the memory of the deceased.
More images and more about the project after the break.
Erich Remash and Chris Thomas shared their Helix Spire, a temporary 25 foot sculpture constructed from 196 2x4s and weighing 2000 lbs. The tower was designed to be easy to climb, bringing those up to a small space that can function as a small gathering place or a small observation platform. Rising into the sky, the tower’s geometry creates an interesting visual against the sky as it spirals upward. The Helix was constructed two times this year; once at LARC near Conway Washington for Critical Massive, and then in the heart of Nevada’s Black Rock Desert for Burning Man.
A $10 million lawsuit has been filed against Arup for flaws in Renzo Piano’s addition to the Art Institute of Chicago’s Modern Wing (check out our previous coverage of the museum). The museum claims that certain documents made by Arup were flawed and have resulted in serious problems for the museum. Although most of the problems were addressed before the 264,000 sqf wing opened in 2009, the Institute still states that errors have led to condensation in the vestibule and incorrectly sized temperature and humidity controls. Determined to maintain their highly esteemed reputation as a world-class museum, the Art Institute has clarified that although the building has experienced problems, no artwork was ever in jeopardy of being harmed.
Check out this installation designed by Noa Biran and Roy Talmon for the Timing 2010 – Bat Yam Biennale of Landscape Urbanism. The Biennale is a reaction to existing municipal infrastructure projects, whose long periods of construction disrupt the communities while waiting for ‘a better future.’ The participants were asked to takes these disruptive events and transform them into opportunities for improvement. Biran and Talmon design a new type of fence that replaces the standard corrugated fence on construction sites. This new fence is comprised of different operable sections of recycled plastic shutters that can be open or closed to form an ever-changing façade.
