Architecture
HORIZONTAL SKYSCRAPER/RASCACIELOS HORIZONTAL ⎮ STEVEN HOLL
HORIZONTAL SKYSCRAPER – VANKE CENTER
Shenzhen, China, 2006-2009
Hovering over a tropical garden, this ‘horizontal skyscraper’ -as long as the Empire State Building is tall- unites into one vision the headquarters for Vanke Co. ltd, office spaces, apartments, and a hotel. A conference center, spa and parking are located under the large green, public landscape.
The building appears as if it were once floating on a higher sea that has now subsided; leaving the structure propped up high on eight legs. The decision to float one large structure right under the 35-meter height limit, instead of several smaller structures each catering to a specific program, was inspired by the hope to create views over the lower developments of surrounding sites to the South China Sea, and to generate the largest possible green space open to the public on the ground level.
The underside of the floating structure becomes its main elevation from which sunken glass cubes, the so-called Shenzhen windows, offer 360-degree views over the lush tropical landscape below. Covering the entire length of the building a public path has been proposed to connect through the hotel, and the apartment zones up to the office wings.
The floating horizontal building allows sea and land breezes to pass through the public gardens. The landscape, inspired by Roberto Burle Marx’ gardens in Brazil contains restaurants and cafes in vegetated mounds bracketed with pools and walkways. At night a walk through this landscape of flowering tropical plants will mix the smell of jasmine with the colorful glow of the undersides of the structure floating above.
As a tropical, sustainable 21st century vision the building and the landscape integrate several new sustainable aspects. The Vanke Headquarter wing of the floating horizontal skyscraper is aimed at LEED Platinum. The Vanke Center is a tsunami-proof 21st century hovering architecture that creates a porous micro-climate of freed landscape.
ARCHITECT: Steven Holl ⎮ PROGRAM: mixed-use building including hotel, offices, condominiums, and public park ⎮ SIZE: 1,296,459 sf
CAPILLA EN VALLEACERON S-M.A.O
La pieza de la Capilla se desarrolla alrededor del estudio y manipulación de un “pliegue-caja”, tensionado focalmente. Se sitúa en lo alto de una ligera loma, convirtiéndose en punto de referencia en el paisaje que se domina desde el acceso a la finca -a una cota más baja y a dos kilómetros de distancia-, mostrando distintas visiones desde todo el recorrido. Al llegar a la zona de residencia contigua se rodea la Capilla, convirtiéndose ésta en pieza de giro del acceso. La Capilla se orienta, con un ligero desplazamiento, según el eje Oeste-Este. La entrada se realiza en ascenso por la fachada Oeste, hasta llegar, ya interiormente, al punto focal, en frontalidad no simétrica. En este intervalo de recorrido la escala variable del pliegue hace que el volumen, aunque compacto en un cierto momento, se rompa ofreciendo una sucesión de espacios cerrado-compacto, abierto-fragmentado, en constante cambio de tiempos.
La capilla está pensada desnuda, sin luz artificial, como un lugar en donde la relación espacial exterior-interior determina su atención, su sentido: solamente una cruz y una imagen en el punto focal refuerzan los aspectos simbólicos que conlleva el proyecto. Al plantear un pliegue en la caja -en la “boite” lecorbusierana- surge un único material: hormigón dorado, capaz de capturar todos los matices exigidos al volumen: desde atrapar la luz directa, que irrumpe como un plano más en la composición del espacio, hasta transmitir el aroma inestable y coloreado del alba. La luz se somete así al papel de un segundo material de la Capilla: un material, en contraposición al hormigón, frágil, cambiante, móvil e inestable, que domina o se desvanece.
CHAPEL IN VALLEACERON
The chapel at Valleaceron is part of a larger project undertaken by the Madrid based architecture team of Sol Madridejos Fernandez and Juan Carlos Sancho Osinaga. The architects’ wish to respond to the natural settings with their trademark planar forms resulted in a design that cuts planes, or seemingly folds them, into sharp triangular surfaces that are like sculptural projections on the horizon.
It feels as if any surface could act as another, but their genius is in deciding how to use each in a subtle play of angles that tricks the eye into seeing single surfaces in many and vice versa.
There is no artificial light and only a simple Cross and single image used as a focal point. The chapel is a centre for light and for the trapping of natural light as well as shadows and other dramatic elements of the open sky. The form seems to wrap itself around the streaming sun, acting as a light collection in a handkerchief fashion.
Their method for the chapel is singular, the light, instead of being drawn in, in great waves, is artfully framed and focused.
According to Sancho and Madridejos, this is not purely for atmosphere. They explain that the ‘trapped direct light’ is an inherent part of the design, functioning as ‘an additional plane’ and taking on ‘the role of a second material’, a material, they add, ‘that contrasts with the concrete, being fragile, changing, mobile, unstable; dominating or vanishing’. While many spiritual structures have a special relationship with light, this determination of the natural element as intrinsic to the structure also demonstrates the architects desire to connect with the natural environment, especially as atmospheric changes are so readily perceptible on the hillside setting.
The chapel is private, a place meant for Roman Catholic worship, but clearly the clients have been able to exchange the trappings of ceremony and tradition in favour of reverence for light and earth.
Spertus Institute / Krueck & Sexton Architects
In Chicago, Krueck & Sexton Architects created Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies to accommodate 400-seat multi-use theater, college classrooms, library, permanent and temporary exhibition space. The faceted, folding wall of glass is an expression of light, both metaphorical and actual, which is fundamental to Jewish religious and intellectual traditions.
+ Design statement by Krueck & Sexton Architects
The Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies selected Krueck & Sexton to design a signature architectural statement about the nature of Jewish culture, light and learning.
Spertus, set in the Historic Michigan Boulevard District designed by architects such as Burnham and Sullivan, resembles an exquisitely cut diamond placed into the great wall of stone that rises like a cliff across Grant Park. Its faceted and folded glass façade is an expression of light, both metaphorical and actual, which is fundamental to Jewish religious and intellectual traditions.
Spertus’ logo spells let there be light, which represents the educational and spiritual enlightenment that is achieved through learning. Present day materials and technologies are chosen and rigorously deployed and detailed in order to support the desired building expression, and reveal the inner dynamic and energy of the many programs within. The unabashedly sculptural and transparent expression of the institution is of our time, while engaging in a dialogue across time with masterpieces that put Chicago on the architectural map.
The new building functions as a vertical campus, containing museum galleries, a library and archives, a 400-seat multi-use auditorium, a degree granting college, café and gift shop, and administrative offices.
The inner dynamic and diversity of Spertus is achieved by a soaring ground floor lobby and a meandering atrium at the top of the building. This spatial solution physically and symbolically connects the institution’s varied functions, creating a series of grandly scaled rooms that borrow light, space, and vitality from each other.
Through a variety of measures, including high performance lighting, demand based ventilation, and heat recovery, the building achieves a 29% reduction in energy consumption, resulting in over 300 tons of avoided CO2 per year. Water-saving fixtures are used throughout. The quality of the building’s indoor air is ensured by the use of healthy materials, high-efficiency air filtration, and special humidity controls, providing for the well-being of staff, students, and visitors, as well as the long-term preservation of the Institute’s archival treasures.
Chicago’s First Green Museum
Krueck & Sexton’s Spertus Institute makes history in Michigan Avenue historic district
Architects Krueck & Sexton’s new Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies Building in downtown Chicago recently became the city’s first “green” museum after being awarded a Silver Level LEED certification from the US Green Building Council.
The 10-story, 145,000 square foot structure is also the first LEED-certified building in the city’s Historic Michigan Boulevard District, a 12-block row of mainly late 19th and early 20th Century buildings by such seminal architects as Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, Solon S. Beman and Holabird & Roche.
Among the sustainable elements that made the building eligible for LEED certification are everything from advanced “light harvesting” and heat recovery systems to such low-tech ideas as installing bike racks and a shower in order to encourage employees to bike to work. The building also has a green roof that reduces energy consumption.
A lot of what goes into making a building green – like bringing in natural light and using energy efficient systems — is just common sense… Architects like Mies van der Rohe were green long before the term was invented. For us, green technology is a fundamental part of the design process.
Ron Krueck
There’s a lot of different ways to make buildings sustainable… We’ve always designed buildings that are open, flexible, use energy wisely and have large amounts of natural light… green is not a short term strategy. The real payoffs for companies and landlords come down the road in the form of fewer sick days, higher productivity and significant savings in maintenance and operating expenses.
Mark Sexton
The LEED certification is the latest in a series of honors the building has received since it was completed in 2008. These include three AIA awards, including the highly coveted Louis Sullivan Award; the Commission on Chicago Landmarks’ Excellence in New Infill Construction Award, and Interior Design Magazine’s Best of Year Award.
Spertus occupies a mid-block site at 610 South Michigan Avenue and is at the southern end of the Historic Michigan Boulevard District. The District was created in 2002 to preserve one of the city’s most important historic streetscapes.
Spertus’ decidedly 21st Century design – the elaborately folded and angled façade is composed of 726 individually cut panes of glass in 556 shapes — was made possible by the fact that the building was constructed on what was the last remaining vacant lot in the District.
In their day, the buildings in the historic district were some of the best, most technologically advanced, structures in the city… We wanted our design to reflect that same level of creativity and technology but in a modern vocabulary.
Ron Krueck
The 600 block also contains the French-influenced 1908 Blackstone Hotel by Marshall and Fox, as well as two buildings by Christian Eckstrom, an architect known locally mainly for his innovative industrial and warehouse designs. The Eckstrom buildings are the 1907 International Harvester Company Building at 600 South Michigan and the 1908 Chicago Musical College Building at 624 South Michigan Avenue.
The Historic Michigan Boulevard district also includes such landmarks as Adler & Sullivan’s 1890 Auditorium Building, Solon S. Beman’s 1885 Fine Arts Building, Holabird & Roche’s 1927 Stevens Hotel and D.H. Burnham & Co.’s 1904 Railway Exchange Building.
Ron Krueck and Mark Sexton, the founders of the Krueck & Sexton, have worked together for over 30 years and have amassed a varied portfolio of high profile civic and cultural projects as well as numerous residential and commercial commissions. The firm is also noted for its innovative restoration and historic re-adaptation practice, which is focused on Modernist and other Post War buildings.
PROJECT CREDITS / DATA
Formal name of building: Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies
Location, political (city, state): Chicago, Illinois
Location, geophysical (minor watershed, major watershed, other descriptor): Chicago Central Business District (LOOP), City of Chicago combined sewer and stormwater system
Gross square footage: 145,000
Total construction cost: $40,000,000
Program of spaces: 400-seat multi-use theater, college classrooms, library, permanent and temporary exhibition space
Date completed: December 2007
Owner: Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies
Architect: Krueck & Sexton Architects
Design Architect and Architect of record: Krueck & Sexton Architects
Associate architect: VOA Architects
Commissioning agent: U.S. Equities Development
Interior designer: Krueck & Sexton Architects
Engineer(s): Tylk, Gustafson, Reckers, Wilson, Andrews (Structural), Environmental Systems Design (MEP/Fire Protection/Life Safety)
Consultant(s)
Landscape: Daniel Weinbach & Partners
Environmental consultant: Atelier Ten
Energy: N/A
Lighting: ISP Design Inc., Schuler & Shook (Atrium Lighting)
Acoustical: Kirkegaard Associates
Other: Kirkegaard Associates, Schuler & Shook (Theater Design)
General contractor: W.E. O’Neil
Photographer(s):
William Zbaren
(773) 218-9395
bz@zbaren.com
+ General Specifications
Structural system
Steel Frame with Composite Metal Decking furnished and installed by Kingery Steel
Exterior cladding
Masonry: CMU Block on rear and zero lot-line side elevations, Chicago Block and Brick
Metal/glass curtainwall:
Curtain Wall Engineer – ASI Design
Fabricator of Aluminum Components – Texas Wall
Installer of Curtain Wall – Arcadia
Concrete: Structural Concrete installed by WE O’Neil – 2.5% flyash content by weight
Wood: EIFS, ACM, or other: N/A
Glass: All exterior insulated glass panels by Viracon, insulating unit, Low-E coating, 40% white frit, ½” air space, laminated inner lite
Skylights: Super Sky insulating unit, Low-E coating, 40% white frit, ½” air space, laminated inner lite
Doors: Blumcraft Glass Entry Doors
Roofing: Low-slope roofing, Barret Ram Tough 250 Roofing System, Green Grid Garden Roofing System
Flashing, accessories: Soprema membrane flashing
Interior finishes
Acoustical ceilings: Armstrong Optima Ceiling Tiles, 70% recycled content
Suspension grid: Armstrong XL 1/8” Reveal Grid, 23% post-consumer recycled content
Cabinetwork and custom woodwork: Sierra Pine Medite II, Georgia Pacific, non-urea formaldehyde substrates
Paints and stains: Sherman Williams ProGreen 200 Low VOC Latex Paint
Glazing: AGW, Innovation Glass
Interior
Wallcoverings: Knoll Fabrics “Screenplay”
Plastic laminate: Formica applied with formaldehyde-free adhesives
Special surfacing: Wausau Precast Terrazzo Pavers at Ornamental Stairs, Terrazzo Floor at Main Lobby, Ardex Concrete Floor Finish on 9th and 10th Floor
Floor and wall tile: Daltile Ceramic in Washrooms
Resilient flooring: Tarkett vinyl sheet, Noraplan Mega Rubber Flooring
Carpet: Bentley Prince Street, all GreenLabel Plus
Roller Shades: Mechanized Mecho Roller Shades w/ Eco-Veil Fabric
Furnishings
Office furniture: Knoll Autostrada System Furniture, 40% recycled content, Greenguard certified
Reception furniture: Custom Millwork by Cain Millwork in Main Lobby
Fixed seating: Series Seating
Tables: Teknion (Library tables)
Upholstery: Maharam Fabric, Mohair Supreme, 100% mohair, 100% cotton backing (Lecture Hall)
Other furniture:
Interior ambient lighting: Halo Track Lighting
Downlights: RSA Recessed Adjustable Fixtures, Neoray Strip Fluorescents, Cooper Lighting Downlights
Accent Lighting: Times Square in Lobby Atrium and Upper Atrium
Controls: Lutron
Conveyance
Elevators/Escalators: Mitsubishi Elevator
Chillers: (2) York YCAV0177EA46 Variable Speed Air-cooled Chillers
Plumbing (include water fountains and water-saving fixtures as applicable):
0.5 GPF Urinals (Sloan 8186-0.5) and Dual-Flush Water Closets (Sloan 116 with B-73-A Handle Assembly) were specified.
Sloan EAF-275 low-flow, solar powered lavatory faucets (0.5 GPM) were specified.
1.5 GPM flow restrictors were specified on all kitchen sink faucets.
Symmons C96-500 low flow (2.0 GPM) shower heads were specified.
Building Management System
Direct Digital Control Building Automation System by Johnson Controls, Inc.
House in Sakuragawa: Suppose Design Office
Located in Sakuragawa, Japan, this family home has been designed to create a spacious interior with a limited floor plan.
The site is a 50 square meter corner lot situated in a residential area of Tokyo’s Itabashi city. To the South, across the road, is a park, promising an environment in which the four seasons can vividly be felt. Here we sought to build an expansive home in which a family of two parents, a child, a grandmother, and a dog would be able to live comfortably.
Though the site is small, from the beginning we wanted to build a house that felt big, as if even the park was your own. From the aperture in the 2nd floor living space, with it’s bay windows and bench that make you feel as though you are sitting in the park and where you can keep an eye on your children playing outside, to the split levels that allow you to communicate easily with family members and keep every place in the house connected, we have designed a space with a sense of security and peacefulness.
Certainly the house is not lavishly decorated, but we think we have created a home in which people’s lives can be enriched by interacting with one another. While architecture that places the most importance on facilities and efficiency has its value, we think with this timeless design that emphasizes communication and security you will be able to find new richness in your life.
Architects: Suppose Design Office | Location: Sakuragawa | Country: Japan
Corian Super Surfaces: ALA/DuPont
Corian® Super Surfaces es el nombre de la exhibición que DuPont™ Corian® y Amanda Levete Architects (ALA) presentaron para la pasada edición de Milan Design Week en abril del 2009.
En las imágenes se puede apreciar la redefinición del espacio de ámbito privado: una reinterpretación conceptual de las zonas de descanso como un espacio activo en transito entre lo estático y lo dinámico. Corian® Super Surfaces capturan ese estado que transita en la secuencia de transformaciones dinámicas que a materializado DuPont™ en una elástica y fluida colección que integran cocina, baño, paredes y suelos en una superficie continua e integral. El diseño esta concebido por ALA en colaboración con DuPont™ Corian®.
Fabricado con detalle y siendo fiel a la visión de ALA, esta interpretación escultórica de los espacios, nos muestra la increíble polivalencia del material creado por DuPont™ Corian® y enfatiza su inherente habilidad para modificar la percepción del espacio y forma. A través de la combinación de tecnologías digitales avanzadas de diseño, innovaciones técnicas en la fabricación, y fascinantes efectos de iluminación, ALA nos revela la verdadera naturaleza de las “Super Superficies” de DuPont™ Corian®.
Corian® Super Surfaces is the name of the exhibition that DuPont™ Corian® and Amanda Levete Architects (ALA) have created for the past Milan Design week in april 2009.
What we see is the lounge environment re-defined: a conceptual interpretation of the lounge as a dynamic space of transition between neutral and active states, Corian® Super-Surfaces is a frozen moment within a dynamic sequence of transformations which morph DuPont™ Corian® solid surfaces into a fluid and elastic collection of integrated kitchen, bathroom and flooring concepts highlighted by a feature wall conceived by ALA and materialised with DuPont™ Corian®.
Carefully crafted by the design vision of ALA, this sculptural interpretation of the lounge environment showcases the amazing material performance of DuPont™ Corian® and highlights its inherent ability to modify perceptions of space and form. Through a combination of advanced digital design technologies, innovative fabrication techniques, and fascinating lighting effects, ALA will reveal the ’super-surfaces’ nature of DuPont™ Corian®.
Diseñador: Amanda Levete Architects | Fabricación: Corian® Super Surfaces | Photografías: Leo Torri for DuPont™ Corian®, all rights reserved.
Cabaña Modular
2-B-2 architecture’s andrey bondarenko has designed the arctic mobile unit which accommodates life support for 3 people – who are researching in the north pole and arctic for a duration of 15 days, operating between -40 to +10C and withstanding winds of up to 85 km/h.it is comprised of module parts which make up a washroom, work / rest area, galley and power engine-generator. The arctic mobile unit is equipped with a solar battery, 5kW power generator
and snow melter and is built from a steel frame, carbon panels and polyethylene, thermo-insulating membranes. overall, it weights 1500 kg and measures 2000 x 1600 x 2300mm making it relatively easy to transport from location to location.
Thematic Pavilion, Yeosu Expo 2012 | Soma
We experience the ocean mainly in two ways, as an endless surface and in an immersed position as depth. soma’s concept for the thematic pavilion consists of continuous surfaces with contrasting spatial qualities, transitioning between contrasting experiences to form the pavilion’s outer appearance. towards the sea, the conglomeration of solid vertical cones defines a new meandering coast line, a soft edge that is in constant negotiation between water and land.
On the opposite side, the pavilion develops out of the ground transforming into an artificial roof landscape with gardens and scenic paths. the topographic lines of the roof turn into lamellas of the kinetic media façade that faces the expo’s entrance and the ‘digital gallery’.
ROK Navy Museum: G.Lab
G.Lab*, a department of Gansam Partners in Seoul, was awarded first prize for their design of a Navy Museum in Korea. The design reflects “the turbulent history of the Korean Navy and the unwavering spirit of the men and women who serve this branch.” Inspired by the unpredictability of the ocean, G.Lab*’s form for the museum is an undulating mass that folds. On the interior, the volume creates a circulation path which weaves and intersects in multiple spaces.
The museum leads visitors through several exhibition halls before they are revealed to an observation deck, overlooking the ROK Patrol Boat Chamsuri 357, (the boat that a North Korean patrol boat surprise attacked on June 29, 2002). Since the incident happened in the midst of the 2002 World Cup, the deaths of the 6 seamen aboard the Chamsuri 357 and the 18 wounded did not garner much media coverage. G.Lab* decided to memorialize this event and to externalize it.
“The design immortalizes the brave crew members by taking on the image of the ocean waves- the only witness to the battle. The Patrol Boat is oriented facing the North and inland, the memorial placed behind it, followed by the Sea. The memorial is an eternal wave propelling the patrol boat onward to the North, allowing the Chamsuri 357 to continue the fight which had come to her. The Memorial and supporting landscape design act to simulate an environment in which the Patrol Boat is still Sea-worthy and engaged in battle,” explained the architects.
Architect: G.Lab* by Gansam Partners | Location: Pyongtaek, South Korea | Client: Republic of Korea Navy | Project Architect: Chuloh Jung | Design team: Youn-Sook Hwang, Sang-Hyun Son, Kyung-Mi Ahn, Namjoo Kim. | Project area: 11,000 sqm | Competition Year: 2009 | Construction Year: 2010
Tiendas Ayres – Ayres Stores
The architect Dieguez Fridman has designed a retail store for Ayres Store, located in El Solar de la Abada Mall, Buenos Aires.
The unfolded idea wraps around the store draws the attention from the visitors, that creating a sense of welcoming to the store. The geometry itself expresses the sensuality and amutating infatuation with each perspective changes.
Through a faceted form that unfolds in the store, the project explores the ambiguity between object and container. The form defines itself through its’ contrast of textures, colors and geometry with the container. By approaching it and blending with it at the certain points, and separating from it at others, the space for clothes display and fitting rooms is generated.
Architect: Dieguez Fridman arquitectos & asociados | Project: Ayres Stores | Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
The Meeting Place – Lugar de Encuentro
‘The Meeting Place’ by ASPECT Studios is a playful architectural installation in Little Hunter Street, Sydney, NSW Australia. The idea of the installation is to encourage the social interaction, while heightening the movement of people through the urban room.
People have to negotiate their way through the laneway by communication and contact with other people like themselves that are moving in the opposite direction.
ASPECT Studios
Overview: Design and construction
‘THE MEETING PLACE’ is part architectural installation/ sculpture and social experiment. It is a playful installation which encourages participation and interaction whilst heightening the experience of moving through the urban space of Little Hunter Street.
The concept is to create a space within the existing the lane way – by creating two 4m high curtain walls of elastic fabric. The material has an opacity to it which allows for views through and when lit at night becomes a canvas for revealing movement of people through the space.
People have to negotiate their way through the laneway by communication and contact with other people like themselves that are moving in the opposite direction.
This social aspect of watching, communicating and negotiating with people will increase positive human contact with a sense of play.
Project Title: The Meeting Place – Laneways: By George! Hidden Networks | Location: Little Hunter Street, Sydney, NSW Australia | Client: City of Sydney Council | Landscape Architects / Lead Consultants: ASPECT Studios Pty Ltd | Project Collaborators / Architect: Herbert & Mason | Industrial Designer:Derlot Studio | Completion: 2009 | Photographers: Florian Groehn, Simon Wood Photography
Steven Holl: Centro Knut Hamsun
Steven Holl Architects has designed the Knut Hamsun Center located in Hamarøy, Norway. This is an historical museum for writer Knut Hamsun including exhibition areas, library, reading room, cafe and 230 seat auditorium.
The concept for the museum, “Building as a Body: Battleground of Invisible Forces,” is realized from inside and out. Here the wood exterior is punctuated by hidden impulses piercing through the surface: An “empty violin case” balcony has phenomenal sound properties, while a viewing balcony is like the “girl with sleeves rolled up polishing yellow panes.”
Steven Holl Architects
Knut Hamsun, Norway’s most inventive twentieth-century writer, fabricated new forms of expression in his first novel Hunger. He went on to found a truly modern school of fiction with his works Pan, Mysteries, and Growth of the Soil. This center dedicated to Hamsun is located above the Arctic Circle near the village of Presteid of Hamarøy near the farm where the writer grew up. The 2700-square-meter center includes exhibition areas, a library and reading room, a café, and an auditorium equipped with the latest film projection equipment. (Hamsun’s writings have been particularly inspiring to filmmakers, which is evident in the more than 17 films based on his work).
The building is conceived as an archetypal and intensified compression of spirit in space and light, concretizing a Hamsun character in architectonic terms. The concept for the museum, “Building as a Body: Battleground of Invisible Forces,” is realized from inside and out. Here the wood exterior is punctuated by hidden impulses piercing through the surface: An “empty violin case” balcony has phenomenal sound properties, while a viewing balcony is like the “girl with sleeves rolled up polishing yellow panes.”
Many other aspects of the building use the vernacular style as inspiration for reinterpretation. The stained black wood exterior skin is characteristic of the great wooden stave Norse churches. On the roof garden, long grass refers to traditional Norwegian sod roofs in a modern way. The rough white-painted concrete interiors are characterized by diagonal rays of light calculated to ricochet through the section on certain days of the year.
These strange, surprising, and phenomenal experiences in space, perspective, and light provide an inspiring frame for exhibitions.
Project: Knut Hamsun Center | Program: Historical museum for writer Knut Hamsun including exhibition areas, library, reading room, cafe and 230 seat auditorium | Location: Hamarøy , Norway Building area (square): 24445sf / 2271sm Year: 1994 – 2009 | Client: Nordland Fylkeskommune (County)
Architect: Steven Holl Architects Steven Holl (design architect) Noah Yaffe (associate in charge – construction documents) Francesco Bartolozzi, Ebbie Wisecarver (project team – construction documents) Erik Fenstad Langdalen (project architect – design development) Gabriela Barman-Kraemer, Yoh Hanaoka, Justin Korhammer, Anna Müller, Audra Tuskes (project team – design development) Associate architects (construction documents): LY Arkitekter AS Structural engineer (design development): Guy Nordenson and Associates Structural engineer (construction documents): Rambøll Norge Mechanical engineer (design development): Ove Arup Mechanical engineer (construction documents): Rambøll Norge Lighting consultant (design development): L’Observatoire International Lighting consultant (construction documents): Vesa Honkonen Architects Landscape architect (construction documents): Landskapsfabikken
Libeskind Villa
A crystal growing from rock
Like a crystal growing from rock, a structure emerges from the ground: The Villa, designed by Daniel Libeskind, is a work of art. Built from premium materials, this German-made, sculptural living space meets the highest standards in design, craftsmanship and sustainability.
Libeskind’s Villa awakens the senses: light floods through glass expanses, clean lines invite calm, elegant halls and stair- cases offer seamless transitions. Symbolically and physically, the Villa’s connection with nature is uninterrupted, offering ample natural light and open spaces.
A trio of interlocking architectural bands envelop the Villa in striking angles, creating an asymmetrical interior of spiraling, two-story peaks and smooth transitions to secluded terraces. The entrance hall leads to a Grand Room which highlights the geome- tric space. Design details reveal style and functionality: A balcony adjacent to the master bedroom is adorned with elaborate metalwork; light wells direct daylight into a sauna; and recessed wardrobes streamline dressing spaces.
Façade
The Villa’s exterior is enveloped by a standing-seam zinc façade, which enables the use of 21st Century technologies such as a solar thermal system and a rain water harvesting system. The zinc cladding is available in two hues that resemble naturally aged zinc: pre-weathered blue-gray and graphite-gray, both made by leading German zinc manufacturer Rheinzink.
Large floor-to-ceiling windows create displays of sunlight and transparency inside the house. The aluminum façade, adorned with slim mullions and concealed fittings, offers high thermal insulation, noise reduction and weather resistance. Homeowners may choose from double or triple low-E glazing, as well as diffe- rent surface colors and finishes.
Among the interior ́s amenities is a kitchen ensemble, situa- ted in the Grand Room, with a custom-made island designed by Daniel Libeskind – an attractive focal point for cooking, dining and entertaining.
Rising four meters above ground, a monolithic rain shower in the Master Suite Bathroom on the first floor provides a mix of water, mist, light and fragrance to soothe the senses and quiet the mind. Wellness is also at the heart of the lower level, where a fitness oasis features a sauna, among other state-of-the-art amenities.
The interior of the Villa comes in two styles composed by Daniel Libeskind: The warm, natural “Casual Style”, and the cool, sculptural “Libeskind Style”.
Casual Style
Smoked parquet flooring, slim stainless steel staircases, and soft, bright manufactured stones in the bathrooms distinguish the Casual Style, which evokes a sense of warmth and comfort. Intimate lighting and warm colors, best suited to the Casual Style, create a striking contrast with the exterior architecture of the Villa.
Libeskind Style
Marked by stark white, polished flooring, sculptural bath– room decor, and clear, sharp forms, the Libeskind Style brings the exterior look and feel of the Villa indoors, lending an airy, open feel to the sun-drenched living spaces.
The Villa was conceived and designed to meet today ́s tight sustainability standards and demonstrates that excep- tional architecture can promote the efficient use of natural resources.
Design and Materials
Sustainable materials are at the heart of Libeskind’s design. While not apparent from the exterior, the Villa is largely cons- tructed of wood, a renewable resource that is making a strong comeback as a key building material for the 21st Century due to its carbon-storing capabilities.
The wooden core offers high thermal insulation. With more than 360 mm of recyclable wooden fibers and a heat transition coefficient of 0.11 W/m2K, the insulation of the Villa’s exterior walls matches that of passive houses.
Onsite Renewables
The Villa employs onsite renewable energy sources for heating, electricity and water. Its standard configuration includes a solar thermal system which is invisibly integrated into the zinc façade, as well as a geothermal heat pump system.
In addition, electric power may be generated by photovoltaic modules, while rain water can be harvested from the rooftop for use in the garden’s irrigation system.
Energy Saving Standards
As a result of its high thermal insulation capabilities and renewable energy sources, the Villa is classified as a low-energy structure. It complies with some of the world’s toughest energy- saving standards, such as Germany’s KfW40 code, which indica- tes a thermal energy consumption of less than 40 kWh/m2a.
The Villa is meant to provide homeowners with comfort and a high living standard in a sustainable, eco-friendly manner.
Heating, Cooling, Ventilation
The Villa is equipped with a multifunctional heating, ventilation and cooling system. The underfloor heating provides gentle radiant heat across all floor levels, and can also transport refreshing cool water to living quarters on hot summer days.
The ventilation system provides fresh, pollen- and draught- free air at adjustable temperatures, and recycles air to pre-heat the incoming air at a heat recovery rate of 90%. The system is exclusively powered by solar and geothermal energy.
Electrical and Security
All building technologies are monitored and controlled via an electrical home control system which allows homeowners to pro- gram custom lighting scenes, operate sun shades, regulate room temperatures, ventilation and household devices, and monitor the security system.
Various communication media can be accessed throughout the house, such as internet, telephone, radio and television. TV screens, for example, have been installed behind bathroom
mirrors to connect busy homeowners with the world’s affairs with the touch of a button.
Health and Wellness
All bathrooms are fitted with Dornbracht’s latest bath- room series, which mimics stylistic elements of the Villa’s architecture. Adjacent to the Master Suite, homeowners will find a large handcrafted Jacuzzi tub and a grand rain shower, which sits four meters above ground to provide a mix of water, mist, light and fragrance. On the lower level, a sauna is among the amenities of a wellness and fitness oasis.
ZINC FAÇADE • Zinc cladding with standing seams • Available in pre-weathered blue-gray or graphite-gray, resembles naturally aged zinc • Invisibly integrated solar thermal system and rain water harvesting system
XZTERIOR WALLS • Wood frame construction with high thermal insulation and noise reduction • More than 360mm (14“) of recyclable wooden fibers (heat transition coefficient 0.11 W/m2K) • Fine mineral plaster in infill areas
WINDOW FAÇADE • Large floor-to-ceiling windows with narrow twin aluminum mullions and concealed fittings • Low-E triple glazing (heat transition coefficient 0.7 W/m2K) or double-glazing • Available in different surface finishes
INTERIOR • Parquet flooring (Casual Style) or white epoxy flooring (Libeskind Style)
• Natural stones in bathrooms • Stainless steel staircase to first floor; separated from foyer by glass wall • Built-in push-to-open cabinets
• Sound-absorbing doors • Door handles designed by Daniel Libeskind • Built-in fireplace
BALCONY • Aluminum frame construction with zinc cladding • Rising 10.5m (35’) above ground level • Bankirai wood flooring
HEATING, COOLING & VENTILATION • Multifunctional, integrated system for heating, cooling and ventilation • Underfloor heating across all levels • Underfloor heating controllable room by room, switchable to transport cool water • Ventilation provides fresh, draught- and pollen-free air and
recovers 90% of heat during air exchange • Heating and cooling system powered by solar and geothermal energy
HEALTH AND WELLNESS • Fixtures and accessories by Dornbracht (Supernova series) • Large handcrafted Jacuzzi tub • Rain shower installed 4m above ground • Heated towel racks • Sauna and wellness oasis, including cold water basin
ELECTRICAL AND SECURITY • Home control system to program custom lighting scenes, operate sun shades, regulate room temperatures, ventilation and household devices • Alarm and security system • All media accessible throughout the house: internet, telephone, TV, radio • tV screens installed behind bathroom mirrors (invisible when off) • Light channels and spot lighting across the house
RENEWABLE ENERGIES • Solar thermal system invisibly integrated into zinc façade, switchable to dissipate heat energy during night • Geothermal heat pump with COP 3.2 • Rain water collection for supply of garden irrigation • Optional photovoltaic system to provide electric power • Low energy house, consuming less than 40kWh/m2 p.a. (compliant with Germany ́s KfW40 standard)
KITCHEN (OPTIONAL) • Kitchen ensemble designed by Daniel Libeskind • Made of either stainless steel or manufactured stone
AROUND THE HOUSE • terraces with Bankirai wood flooring • Subterranean staircase leading from basement and sauna area to garden • More features such as a pool or garages available upon request • Support in landscaping and fitting the Villa onto the plot
FLOOR PLANS • two story structure with a full basement • 515 sqm of total net floor space • 200 sqm basement, featuring a sauna and wellness oasis, pantry, laundry, wine cellar and a flexible, multipurpose space • 200 sqm ground floor, comprising a grand room with 95 sqm, a fireplace room, guest room, foyer and an office • 115 sqm first floor, with three bedrooms, including the master suite bedroom situated behind the balcony
Sleep Box: Expendedores de Tiempo
SLEEPBOX
Area: 3.75 m2
architects: Goryainov A., Krymov M.
Design: 2009
Imagine the situation that you are in the modern metropolis, where you are not a local resident, and you have not booked a hotel. It is not comfortable situation, because in the modern, aggressive cities there are no opportunity to rest and relax. If you want to sleep, while waiting your plane or train, it may cause many security and hygiene problems. We believe that urban infrastructure should be more comfortable for people. For this purpose we have developed a device SLEEPBOX. It provides moments of quiet sleep and rest from the city without wasting time searching for a hotel. Here are the possible locations for SLEEPBOX:
- Railroad stations
- Airports
- Expocentres
- Public and shopping centers
- Accommodation facilities
In countries with warm climate SLEEPBOX can be used on the streets.
Thanks to SLEEPBOX any person has an opportunity to spend the night safely and cheaply in case of emergency, or when you have to spend few hours with your baggage.
SLEEPBOX is a small mobile space (box) 2mx1.4mx2.3m (h). The main functional element in it is a bed 2×0.6 m., which is equipped with automatic system of change of bed linen. Bed is soft, flexible strip of foamed polymer with the surface of the pulp tissue. Tape is rewound from one shaft to another, changing the bed. If a client wants to sleep in maximum comfort, he can take the normal set of bed linen for an extra fee. SLEEPBOX is equipped with a ventilation system, sound alerts, built-in LCD TV, WiFi, sockets for a laptop, charging phones. Also under the lounges is a place for luggage. After the clients exit, automatic change of bed linen starts and quartz lamps turns on. Payment can be made on a shared terminal, which provides the client with an electronic key. It is possible to buy from 15 minutes to several hours.
SLEEPBOX is intended primarily to perform one main function – to enable a person to sleep peacefully. But it can also be equipped with various additional functions, depending on the situation. Application of the device can be very broad, not only in the form of paid public service, but also for internal purposes of organizations and companies.
Eco Pods: “Movimiento Okupa Marino en Habitaciones con Vistas”
Los estudios de diseño Höweler & Yoon y Squared Design han propuesto reconvertir los edificios a medio construir de Boston en granjas de algas autogestionadas. Los Eco Pods son cápsulas de plástico modulares capaces de albergar pequeñas granjas de algas u otras plantas útiles para la elaboración de biocombustibes. Una serie de robots se encargarían del cuidado de las plantaciones así como de ir moviendo y encarando los distintos módulos para maximizar los beneficios de las condiciones climatológicas. La energía necesaria para las instalaciones se autogestionaria con el combustible generado por la plantación.
Como dicen, no hay mal que por bien no venga y esta es una interesante iniciativa artística, aunque a mas de uno seguro que no le gusta que las algas tengan mejores vistas que las suyas.
Schiebel, Neustad, Austria/ Preparado para despegar…
MVRDV: Eyebeam Institute/Entre dos mundos.
UNA NUEVA INSTITUCION MEDIATICA: El mundo efímero y fluido de los nuevos medios de comunicación no parece tener nada en común con las cualidades necesariamente estables e inertes de la arquitectura. De igual modo, las nuevas formas artísticas eluden la idea de museo uy su tradicional énfasis en la conservación y la exhibición. El nuevo Eyebeam Institute considera de nuevo la arquitectura del museo como una indagación en marcha sobre la producción y el consumo de arte. En el se combinan la educación, la investigación, el desarrollo, la comunicación y la exposición, y todo ello se hace realidad pensando haciendo y mostrando al mismo tiempo.
LA TORRE HUECA: Para aprovechar el lugar de trabajo digital, se invierte la vieja norma de una zona de trabajo periférica rodeando un nucleo de servicios, y se crea así el máximo espacio de trabajo con el minimo de interrupciones. La doble piel perforada se convierte no sólo en un espacio de circulación, sino también en controlador de los niveles luminosos y acústicos, y en pantalla de proyección colectiva y continua: un tamiz de experiencias.
SUPERTAMAÑO: Cumpliendo la manera sencilla y estricta la zonificación permitida, la envoltura crea un volumen máximo, configura un vacío cavernoso que puede rellenarse libremente con los elementos del programa y que, a su vez, los encierra, permitiendo así una expansión y una mutación casi ilimitadas.
ATOMIZAR: La distribución de las superficies de alquiler dentro de la envoltura – como una serie de haces huecos que van de piel a piel – adopta el máximo de intercambios posibles, generando así un sentimiento de pertenencia colectiva.
HACES OCULARES (Eyebeams): Se propone un catálogo de haces huecos y habitables, identificando para ello los distintos usuarios y programas: estos haces varian en altura y tamaño desde lo estrecho a lo panorámico, y difieren en su orientación; se intersectan y realzan las vistas de la ciudad o descienden y permiten toda una gama de encuentros, al tiempo que refuerzan la integridad estructural de la piel.
LA CATEDRAL: El nuevo Eyebeam Institute proporciona y supone posibilidades y variaciones, ya sean deliberadas o casuales; es un laboratorio que combina el trabajo con la exhibición, la investigación con la retroalimentación, lo íntimo con lo extremadamente grandioso: una nueva catedral mediátic, una interminable “galaxia” para los medios en constante transformación.
Zaha Hadid: Guangzhou Opera House en China
Con vistas al río de la Perla, Guangzhou Opera House está emplazada en el centro de desarrollo cultural de Guangzhou . Con la adopción de tecnologías de vanguardia en su diseño y construcción, será un monumento duradero en el Nuevo Millenium, confirmando a Guangzhou como uno de los centros culturales de Asia.
Su diseño único de doble canto rodado, mejorará la apertura de accesos a la orilla del río y puertos y la creación de un nuevo diálogo con la emergente nueva ciudad. La estructura se levanta y cae a los pies de Zhujiang Boulevard, que reúne a los dos sitios adyacentes a la propuesta y el Museo Metropolitano de Actividades. Como un complemento a la Haixinsha Tourist Park Island, la Opera House presenta un perfil en pendiente para ofrecer unas amplias vistas de la ribera a los visitantes. Visto desde el parque en el centro del Boulevard Zhujiang, el edificio se convierte en el preludio al Tourist Park Island más allá del Parque. Visto desde el río, las torres de Zhujiang New Town proporcionan una dramática caída de apoyo a la Ópera House y dan una visión unificada de los edificios cívicos y culturales de la ribera.
Una calle interior, un paseo que divide el paisaje, que parte de la ubicación de la propuesta del Museo en el lado opuesto del boulevard central y conduce a la Ópera House. Café, bar, restaurante y servicios de venta al por menor que se recogen en este entramado de formas tectónicas se encuentran a un lado del paseo. Los visitantes que llegan en coche o autobús se apean en el lado norte del Huajiu Road. Los vehiculos de servicio acceden a la Ópera House y a los edificios del teatro por cada extremo de la Huajiu Road. El acceso VIP a la Ópera se situa en el extremo oeste del edificio, enfrente de Huaxia Road.
Contrastes entre movimiento y modernidad
“Dimension” es una propuesta gráfica que se aplica a forjados representando imágenes estimuladas por movimientos de circulación y el entorno. Usando la flexibilidad que nos ofrece la impresión digital es posible crear soluciones a medida con suelos laminados dirigidos a un publico o entorno específicos. Con filmaciones del espació arquitectónico, se recogen los movimientos de gente que posteriormente se imprimen y ensamblan creando una superficie abstracta de curvas. Movimientos curvilíneos entre paredes rectas que intersectan. Pensamiento “racional”, movimiento “irracional”…una instalación con múltiples posibilidades de adaptación e interpretaciones.
Sin duda se trata de un proceso que a priori parece laborioso y costoso, pero es un paso para soluciones dinámicas e interactivas que reflejen y varíen en tiempo real estos movimientos y condiciones ambientales.
Dalki: Diversión y consumo para los mas pequeños
Dalki es para la moda infantil lo que Mickey es para Disneyland. Ideado como una mascota y personaje animado para promocionar la moda infantil y el merchandaising, Dalki es una dulce niña muy imaginativa que vive en su propio mundo ahora en forma de parque infantil. El parque infantil Dalki incorpora jardines, tiendas, zonas de juego y exhibición donde los visitantes interactuan con el entorno. Dividido en tres areas principales que incluye una planta baja en forma de jardin artificial el espacio el espacio ultramoderno esta diseñado para favorecer la interactividad entre visitante y entorno mientras el este realiza sus compras. El diseño es un coctel entre hyper realismo y fantasia para dar rienda suelta a la imaginación.
