Just in time for the summer, Visiondivison‘s new pre-fab housing series is geared toward accommodating summer time guests in a flexible, yet compact space. Pyramidal in shape, the house features a playful facade that is climbable, affording each guest his own entrance hatch that can be reached from the outside.
More images and more about the houses after the break.
Using their award-winning campus master plan as a guide, the new international school in Baton Rouge, LA designed by Trahan Architects has just entered into the schematic design phase. The facility will be comprised of a gymnasium, stage, classrooms and an administrative suite. After interviewing Trey Trahan and being introduced to several of his projects, it is evident that the firm’s emphasis on understanding the context, in terms of both built form and culture, continually provides the backbone for their design process.
A few weeks ago, we shared our opinion on the benefits of the open architecture competition. Whether you believe entering competitions degrades architects because ideas are shared without monetary compensation, or whether you find that competitions inspire your creative edge, how about this scenario: a competition canceled one day after the submission deadline.
More about the canceled competition after the break.
For this small residence situated deep into the hillside, MYCC designed a strong frame that outlines the overall house form, which is then sandwiched with rusted steel panels. The perforated panels are printed with different shades to represent a fragmented piece of the forest. These holes filter natural light during the day and conversely, filter artificial light during the night. The interior’s lofted condition overlooks a grand living space.
More images after the break.
The curvaceous undulating towers designed by MAD Architects for Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto, Canada, are under construction. Set for completion in 2011, the towers mark the architects’ first international win back in 2006. Located at the intersection of two main streets, the towers serve as a gateway to the city beyond. The textured band-like facade is created by a continuous balcony that wraps the entire building . The building is also shifted off its core by varying degrees to provide views of the surrounding scenery, keeping city dwellers attune to the natural environment. The architects explained, “This building is more than just a functional machine: it responds to the significance of being located at the junction of two main streets, elegantly bearing its landmark status and acting as a gateway to the city beyond. It is something beautiful, sculptural and human.”
More images after the break.
The Argyll House & Atelier by D-form is not the typical home and workspace. As an attempt to break-out of the ‘architectural box’ that Edinburgh, Scotland seems to have confined itself to, the project acts as a ‘catalyst of change’, ignoring the existing urban language and context to pave a new way.
More images and more about the residence after the break.
After working under names such as Renzo Piano and Dominique Perrault for almost a decade, French architect, Cyril-Emmanuel Issanchou, recently opened his own practice. For his Maison Eco-rce, translated to mean the Bark House, Issanchou challenged the preconceptions of traditional timber constructed residences to design a contemporary house with strong emphasis on design.
More about the residence after the break.
A few weeks ago, we featured an open ideas competition that asked participants to fortify the Airplot. ArchDaily reader Marc Drewes shared his proposal with us that placed in the top 5. The simplistic design, constructed of recycled concrete, proposes a “resistant piece of protest architecture” that will allow Greenpeace and the local residents to show their determination in fighting against the construction of a third runway at Heathrow airport which will lead to the destruction of many residences.
More about the proposal after the break.
Built on Taylors’ Island, Kieran Timberlake‘s Loblolly House is nestled into a grove of loblolly pines and responds in an “environmentally ethical” way to its surroundings. Lifted on skewed wooden pillars in order to rest lightly on the site, the residence seems to float amidst the trees and aims to put the focus on the natural environment, such as the sun, the trees and the Chesapeake Bay. The video shares some of the thought process, assembly and construction process as well as the finished project. We find the project extremely thoughtful and hope you enjoy the video!
Take a look at this video on the Danish Pavilion (thanks again, Seppe!) and be sure to view yesterday’s on the UK Pavilion. The Shanghai 2010 Expo is in full swing and several of the pavilions are living up to their expectations. Which pavilion is your favorite?
We’ve been covering the Shanghai 2010 Expo a lot on ArchDaily, and our reader Seppe shared some videos of the pavilions with us. Today, we’re featuring a cool video on one of our favorites, the UK Pavilion (be sure to read about the project featured previously on AD) and be on the look out for more videos contributed by Seppe this week.
Last week, we introduced Atelier Altern and their landscapping vision for the historic French town of Toulouse. Today, we bring you their second chosen work for Amiens which is for the islands of the Hortillonnages. The project, ‘On vous raconte des salades’, which translates to mean ‘to spin a yard’ is about the installation telling a story of forgotten varieties of salad.
More about the proposal after the break.
Studio 8, a group of young Hanoian architects, designed a competition proposal to transform a street in Hanoi, Vietnam. The project earned third prize and focuses on finding a contemporary solution to bring the street life of Trangtien “to its gracefulness in the near future.”
More about the proposal after the break.
A few months ago, the Guggenheim Museum exhibited Contemplating the Void in honor of the museum’s 50th anniversary. After receiving 200 submissions, curators from the museum selected five winners. We’ve shared different proposals with you previously on AD, and today, we bring you Bad Architects Group’s winning Void Codition. In German, void or “Luftraum“, literally translates to “air-space“. By conditioning the given air, which is already present in the void, the architects create the possibility to access the space as is without interrupting how it currently exists. The proposal “adds another dimension or layer to the existing experience in form of a vertical wind tunnel.”
The work of two young French landscape designers, Sylvain Morin and Aurélien Zoia, has been selected for Imaginez Maintenant, a summer national event where young landscapers experiment and share their ideas. The designers have been chosen to work on two French heritage sites, one in Toulouse and the other in Amiens. Today, we share their design for Toulouse, and next week, we’ll share their strategy for Amiens.
More images and more about the landscape after the break.
Metous Studio, a young mock firm of 10 undergraduate architecture students from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo working under the guidance of the head partners David Lee and Anthony Stahl, have designed a fresh and dynamic housing tower for Mexio City. Placing above 30 international entries, Lee and Stahl’s tower has been awarded first prize in the 2010 Mock Firms International Skyscraper Challenge: Collegiate Division. Their approach reconfigures the traditional Mexican street as an open-air high-rise to provide unlimited potential for a new type of urban environment. ”The meaning of the tower is a living being that breathes in the city and is truly defined by Mexican culture and people,” explained Lee and Stahl.
Check out some great images, diagrams and much more about the award winning project after the break.
Often regarded as the greatest architect of our time, Frank Lloyd Wright has left several stunning works students, practitioners and even those unrelated to the field of architecture study, visit and appreciate. Yet, as Wright’s projects suffer the telling signs of age, dozens of restorative efforts have tried to preserve his masterpieces. Thanks to design firm Zünpartners, we can rest assured that Wright’s works will remain in perfect condition for years to come. The firm, who just earned a Webby, has designed a complete virtual tour of the Robie House using a special digital restoration process.
More about the website after the break.
With all the software options available, often times we jump between programs as some are suited better to certain aspects of design. Google SketchUp may be your software of choice for early design stages, as its ease of use does not limit schematic ideas from sprouting. Yet, now, with a new partnership between the Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES) and SketchUp, expect to use the program more frequently.