Housing: The Latest Architecture and News

In an article originally published on Plataforma Arquitectura, Guillermo Hevia Garcia describes his experience when visiting the Unité d’ Habitation in Marseille, France, also known as Cité Radieuse. On February 9th, the building was overcome by a large fire that was said to have been started due to a heating problem. The blaze took hundreds of firefighters nearly a day and a half to put it out. Eight residential units and four hotel rooms were destroyed, and approximately 35 other units were severely damaged by smoke or action relief. Most residents have returned home to the Unité d’ Habitation, Le Corbusier‘s thesis on domestic life, as they continue to live the communal life that the renowned architect dreamt up.

Read on for more after the break.

+ 8

Newark-native Richard Meier has not forgotten his roots. Established by the Puritans as a colony to follow the rules of the church in the 17th century, Newark evolved into a prosperous industrial center during the 19th century, experienced a harsh period of industrial and social decline after WWII, and is currently seeking to reestablish its reputation as a renewed urban metropolis. Meier has supported such efforts to restore the city’s vitality, including chairing an international design competition for the creation of a Visitors’ Center for Newark (check out some proposals we’ve previously featured here). Back in 2010, Meier & Partners shared their vision for a new Teachers Village for the city – a four block-long mixed-use development aimed at attracting young professionals who work in the educational system to reside in the downtown area. This past week, we are happy to share that the Village, which includes two school buildings with three charter schools and a daycare center, 70,000 sqf for retail space, in addition to the rental apartments for Newark teachers, has broken ground.

More about the project after the break.

Studioninedots + HVDN shared with us their winning proposal for the student housing competition for TU Delft Campus. The project parameters were to design a volume of 67 meters long and 5 storeys high, with its own strong identity and a collective space on the roof including a rain water harvesting element. More images and architects’ description after the break.