Kiyonobu Nakagame & Associates designed a villa on the Boso Peninsula, east of Tokyo. Even though the residence is less that two hours from the city, the natural setting surrounding the home could not be any more different from the chaotic streets of the downtown Tokyo area. The secluded setting allows the home to take full advantage of the landscape and provide a great space for relaxation. The minimalistic design creates wide spacious areas to sit and become lost in the panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean to the front, and magnificent views of the mountain ranges in the back. “Having these in our mind, we came up with the design concept to provide the one continuous wall folded in different directions setting up the various views,” explained the architects. This continuous wall does not create a bulky structure that is intrusive on the landscape, but rather, the folded wall creates an elegant residence that embraces the surroundings by making the users focus on the natural instead of the built.
Reiulf Ramstad Architects have high hopes for Norway. The firm has designed a 16-17 storey tall wooden cultural center in Kirkenes, Norway that will surpass the current tallest wooden structure which stands 144 feet tall in Arkhangelsk, Russia. The Norwegian Barents Secretariat hopes their tower will ”serve as a physical symbol of their important role in the High North – a lighthouse of sorts and a beacon of knowledge and development.”
Oxford University’s science center was way behind the times. Although the center was equipped with state of the art technology and some of the brightest minds, its fragmented and independent research areas made any attempt at interaction between scientists impossible. Working off academic J Rogers Hollingsworth’s theory that when scientists can frequently converse and exchange ideas, major breakthroughs are bound to happen, Hawkins Brown‘s new biochemistry building is a step in the right direction for Oxford.
More about the new Biochemistry facility after the break.
The idea of using recycled shipping containers is becoming a growing trend as the crates are strong, efficient and inexpensive materials. We’ve featured a few cargo projects in the past for retail designs like LOT-EK’s Puma City, office spaces such as the first in Seattle by HyBrid Architecture + Assembly, plus the artist residences for Pier 57 in New York, all featured previously on AD. Now, the use of containers has spread to the education sector as Scabal has completed a sports hall for Dunraven secondary school in Streatham, London. Working with a limited budget and the pressing demand of the clients to produce a “new building of architectural distinction”, Scabal decided that using shipping containers would fulfill both requests.
Erick van Egeraat‘s extension of InHolland University in Rotterdam adds more than 15,000 square feet to the growing education center. van Egeraat designed the original building in 2001 and now has added a volumetric addition which includes study areas, classrooms, offices and space for commercial functions.
Located in the Bowery, the Lower East Side Hotel designed by the Office for Design and Architecture will feature minimalistic interiors to allow the “guests to use their personal aesthetic as an impromptu installation”. By designing tempered and laminated interior cylinders for the shower, toilet and closet, and using stark colors teamed with expansive city views, the small rooms seem larger than their dimensions.
The Office for Design and Architecturehas designed a new Jewish Community Center for Long Island, New York. Sharing the site with an existing land mark synagogue from 1930, a school center from 1948 and a new wing of social facilities from 1966, the JCC’s space was limited. Yet, the firm aimed to create a center that would serve as “an iconic sculptural statement in a moderately conservative community” even in the tight space.
Hamburg-Harburg Harbor, Germany, is on the cusp of it’s first nearly entirely sustainable creative-industrial complex. The development ECO CITY, designed by tec architecture with the help of ARUP, aims to attract industry, entertainment and pedestrian life back to the neighborhood. ECO CITY’s ten major structures, ranging in size from studios to large warehouses, offer a variety of “different spaces for different purposes, bringing both large-scale industry and creative start-ups together in one, cooperative, and eco friendly business community.”
The design team of L. Tuleikis, R. Antinis, K. Vaikšnoras, K. Lanauskas, and P. Vaitiekūnas shared their competition entry for the renovation of Lukishkiu Square in Vilnius, Lithuania. The competition highlighted “freedom” as the square was established for a memorial space. The team’s proposal consists of a gently carved out central Freedom Field, surrounded by sculptural compositions and an external flame along the perimeter of the site.
The Waterpod ProjectTM has been floating around the New York area for the past few months gaining a lot of attention. Beginning in Newtown Creek, between Brooklyn and Queens, the Pod is moving down the East River and Hudson River. As reported by Melena Ryzik for The New York Times (view her articles here) this experimental project investigates the blend of community living and artistry. Showcasing artworks, performances and such, the WaterpodTM, is an eco-conscious environment that was designed “In preparation for our coming world with an increase in population, a decrease in usable land, and a greater flux in environmental conditions, people will need to rely closely on immediate communities and look for alternative living models; the Waterpod is about cooperation, collaboration, augmentation, and metamorphosis,” explained Mary Mattingly, a photographer who thought of the Waterpod idea.
Suppose Design Office has just shared with us their latest work for the Diesel Denim Gallery in Aoyama, Japan. While Makoto Tanijiri, the principle of Suppose, has designed over 60 residences (several of which we have featured previously on AD) his work also includes commercial and exhibition spaces. Tanijiri and Masaaki Takahashi, an independent writer and editor specializing in various fields of design and this exhibit’s curator, have created a gallery space for the Diesel clothing line. The Diesel Denim Gallery, the signature store of the brand name, functions as a gallery space for art installations and exhibits throughout the year showcasing talented rising artists. For this year’s store installation, Tanijiri has created an “innovative art space” entitled Nature Factory.
DeStefano and Partnershave created a new commercial center for Ninbgo, China. Extending the existing canal system, the Yinzhou Fantasy Island master plan fuses the current wetlands and parks with the commercial aspects of the city as a way to balance the ecological with the cultural. The plan will not only include retail areas, but also entertainment, business, leisure and cultural facilities placed strategically along pedestrian boulevards in close proximity to mass transit systems.
Robert D.Henry Architects just finished the latest SHO Shaun Hergatt restaurant at 40 Broad Street in Manhattan, New York. The restaurant aims to “touch on all of the five senses” to create a full dining experience. “The more our senses are engaged synchronistically, the more powerful our experience; this viewpoint shapes everything we do now,” explained Henry.
The internationally acclaimed Herzog & De Meuron unveiled their re-conceptualized design for the Parrish Art Museum on the 14-acre Hampton site. The new design replaces the firm’s original idea which featured a villagelike cluster of pavilions scattered throughout the site. When the museum could not seem to raise the $80 million necessary to realize the project, they approached Herzog & de Mueron for a more modest proposal. The architects took the challenge and created a new building for less than a third of the original budget. The new museum’s long profile, which measures 94 feet wide and 634 feet long, houses galleries arranged in two long rows along a central corridor. The temporary walls allow the room sizes to be adjusted to account for the changing sizes of the temporary exhibits.
Kjellgren Kaminsky shared their proposal for a fish market and its surrounding square in Bergen, Norway. The five story building will house a market hall on the entrance and first floor and try to attract visitors and tourists who are passing by. “We believe that the traditional market would gain more visitors if it was combined with a modern marketplace fully equipped and under one roof,” explained the architects.
Santiago Calatrava is known for his elegant bridges that combine structure with a sculpture-esque touch. Yet, could his iconic style be changing? His latest design for Calgary, Canada is a red and white tubular structure, an aesthetic quite unlike of his earlier works. The new footbridge, slated for completion in 2010, will span the Bow River and aid approximately 5,000 people a day commuting in and out of the city on foot or on bike.
Internationally recognized practice RMJM Architects have recently announced their groundbreaking $1 billon mixed-use complex for the Atasehir district, the growing residential and business area of Istanbul, Turkey. RMJM’s complex will allow the new business center to flourish by serving 20,000 people and providing for a variety of their needs. The project will be revolutionary for Turkey as it will become the country’s first LEED-certified mixed-use development upon its 2011 completion date.
More images and more about the complex after the break.
