semper's sixth element

January 25th 2012

nothing office
by: alrik koudenburg/joost van bleiswijk
in: amsterdam, the netherlands

One of the most common (and therefore ignored) rules in architecture studio was always “DO NOT CUT ON THE TABLES”. Hopefully that’s not a big concern for the folks who work at Nothing, or else that’s what their interior might be reduced to. The work space is constructed from over 5,000 square feet of cardboard without the use of glue or fasteners in an effort to match the company’s key philosophy. “Nothing is about the power of ideas, about how a single idea can transform nothing into something” explains creative director Michael Jansen. We’d love to find out how everything is holding up (the original article is dated 03/11/09) and if working in such a space is really as fun as it looks.

Posted at 11:58am and tagged with: nothing, architecture, interiors, office, amsterdam, joost van bleiswijk, alrik koudenburg, cardboard, design, furniture, dezeen,.

January 7th 2012

74 notes

W.R. Healy Guest House
by: Paul Rudolph + Ralph Twitchell
in: Sarasota, Florida, USA

Check out this small residential structure from 1950… it’s so Semper! The roof gets its form from flexible insulation boards affixed to steel insulation straps that are connected to the enclosure. It’s protected from rain by an applied vinyl compound that was originally developed and used by the military to weatherproof ship parts. The whole house is elevated on a platform, so not to touch the site or neighboring waterway. We checked google earth and it’s still standing (at least it was in 2011). With a new coat of paint, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it in a contemporary design publication.

Posted at 9:18pm and tagged with: roof, mound, florida, paul rudolph, residence, architecture, design,.

January 5th 2012

24 notes

Capela Árvore da Vida
by: Cerejeira Fontes Architects - Imago Atelier de Arquitectura e Engenharia
in: Braga, Portugal

This hefty timber chapel located inside the existing Conciliar Seminary of Braga serves as a small space for mediation and worship for residents. Called the “Tree of Life Chapel”, we love the way the 20 tons of wood appears weightless, while still feeling like it would offer a warm, intimate embrace. The elevated platform and slatted enclosure pulls people up and inside to the central gathering space. It’s constructed without fasteners and stacked in a way for both natural light to enter and for a soft glow to radiate outwards. We sure hope its visitors have counted their blessings for such a stunning space, but given the user group, we’re guessing that’s probably not an issue.

Posted at 2:54pm and tagged with: mound, enclosure, hearth, wood, braga, portugal, Cerejeira Fontes Architects, architecture, chapel, design, worship, meditate, interior, religious,.

January 4th 2012

2 notes

Maggie’s Centre Aberdeen
by: Snøhetta
in: Aberdeen, Scotland

Maggie’s Centres, drop-in Cancer support centres in Great Britain founded by and named for cancer victim Maggie Keswick Jencks, are designed to provide help for people facing cancer while contributing to the architecture in the region. Jencks believed that buildings have the ability to uplift people, and the network of seven facilities all aim to evoke a sense of warmth and comfort. Snøhetta’s proposed structure, which sits in a grass field, will have a hard exterior concrete shell and soft timber interior finishes. The transition between roof and enclosure is seamless, and nearly touches the site allowing for a secluded courtyard connectivity to the surrounding landscape. While the proposal is still in review by town council, we can only hope that at the very least, such a centre will inspire others to design thoughtful methods to treat the patient and not just the disease.

Posted at 2:16pm and tagged with: Snøhetta, architecture, design, scotland, maggie's centre, aberdeen, roof, enclosure, landscape, design, cancer,.

July 17th 2011

2 notes

Metropol Parasol
by: J. Mayer H. Architects
in: Seville, Spain

What’s being touted as the worlds largest wooden structure, and the world’s largest building held together by glue, has just been added to our architecture bucket list. The waffle grid structure of CNC milled wooden panels and steel connections floats over an open space for a farmers market, bars/restaurants, archeological sites, and a public plaza. It’s a modern catalyst for urban activity in a dense medieval city.

Posted at 2:05pm and tagged with: roof, public space, seville, spain, j. mayer h. architects, urban, gathering space, architecture, design, wood, steel, concrete,.

April 6th 2011

3 notes

undercover lab
by: klein dytham architecture
in: tokyo, japan

Underground lairs are so last century, the new hotness is stealthy lab space that quietly soars right over your head. The second floor enclosure, a 65+ foot black tube, is intended to look anonymous outside, while displaying an apparel line the length of the space inside. The whole structure has an air of intimidation…could you imagine stumbling down a dark alley and running into this? We’d back away slowly for fear of seeing something at shouldn’t be seen.

Posted at 8:27pm and tagged with: enclosure, tokyo, japan, klein dytham, architecture, design, lab, work, display,.

April 5th 2011

serpentine gallery pavilion 2011
by: peter zumthor
in: london, united kingdom

The design has just been unveiled for this summer’s temporary pavilion at the Serpentine Gallery, one that has been previously been designed by Nouvel, SANNA, Koolhaas, and other well known architects. Peter Zumthor’s proposal suggests that the gallery will be getting what we all know and love from Zumthor; a plain exterior shell with surprise warm, gooey center. In the case of this project, the dark scrim enclosure creates a series of passages that leads to a central garden bathed in natural light. The aim is to emphasize the way that emotions and senses influence our take on architecture, rather than the physical surroundings. It’s a cool idea, suggesting that gathering spaces don’t need to be complex or even permanent, but rather just a receptacle and/or simulator for our memories and feelings.

Posted at 6:47pm and tagged with: enclosure, zumthor, serpentine gallery pavilion, london, england, uk, architecture, design, temporary, public, hortus conclusus, flowers, light, garden,.

serpentine gallery pavilion 2011by: peter zumthorin: london, united kingdom
The design has just been unveiled for this summer’s temporary pavilion at the Serpentine Gallery, one that has been previously been designed by Nouvel, SANNA, Koolhaas, and other well known architects. Peter Zumthor’s proposal suggests that the gallery will be getting what we all know and love from Zumthor; a plain exterior shell with surprise warm, gooey center. In the case of this project, the dark scrim enclosure creates a series of passages that leads to a central garden bathed in natural light. The aim is to emphasize the way that emotions and senses influence our take on architecture, rather than the physical surroundings. It’s a cool idea, suggesting that gathering spaces don’t need to be complex or even permanent, but rather just a receptacle and/or simulator for our memories and feelings.

April 3rd 2011

Excerpt from “How to Steal Like An Artist (and nine other things nobody told me)”
by: Austin Kleon
at: austinkleon.com

Not an architecture quote… or really one that has much to do with the actual elements of semper’s sixth… but definitely a nice reminder as to why this blog, and why many of us young designers, are here doing our thing. Learning the ropes of an established profession is challenging, time consuming, and (yes) rewarding, but understanding how it relates to the big ideas and creative dreams we have outside of our 8-5 is almost more difficult. But if we take what we learn/see every day and scrutinize what we like and don’t, then we can begin to focus our energy on what we truly want to create. It won’t be easy, good design never is, but it’s reassuring to have some sense of direction in our endeavors. You can’t not dig that. Right?

Posted at 6:52pm and tagged with: inspiration, design, austin kleon, creative, quote,.

“

The best way to find the work you should be doing is to think about the work you want to see done that isn’t being done, and then go do it.

”

March 29th 2011

Reblogged from ummhello|141 notes

melbourne street
by: tridente architects
in: north adelaide, australia

It seems to be an unfortunate norm that when a designer/developer/owner builds a new multi-story commercial building in 100+ year old one-story residential neighborhood, someone is bound to get pissed. We wonder if Tridente Architects saw that coming, as their response to the problem seems both thoughtful and elegant. The three story building (1st floor parking, 2nd/3rd floor commercial) has a glazed public facade wrapped by a large wood screen. The light colors and translucency create a porous structure that otherwise might have read as a bulky mass. Remarkably, to us, the yellow door sticks out more than the screen. We just hope the neighbors welcomed the project with the same admiration.

Posted at 3:27pm and tagged with: enclosure, commercial, architecture, design, tridente architects, australia, wood, screen, yellow door,.

melbourne streetby: tridente architectsin: north adelaide, australia
It seems to be an unfortunate norm that when a designer/developer/owner builds a new multi-story commercial building in 100+ year old one-story residential neighborhood, someone is bound to get pissed. We wonder if Tridente Architects saw that coming, as their response to the problem seems both thoughtful and elegant. The three story building (1st floor parking, 2nd/3rd floor commercial) has a glazed public facade wrapped by a large wood screen. The light colors and translucency create a porous structure that otherwise might have read as a bulky mass. Remarkably, to us, the yellow door sticks out more than the screen. We just hope the neighbors welcomed the project with the same admiration.

March 29th 2011

open concept architecture transforms city
by: christopher hume
in: the star

(Source: thestar.com)

Posted at 10:24am and tagged with: enclosure, urban, glass, architecture, design, christopher hume, toronto, cananda, open, connectivity,.

“

every building, like every person, is part of something bigger — a neighbourhood and its city.

”

March 28th 2011

7 notes

braga stadium
by: eduardo souto moura
in: braga, portugal

Congrats to 2011 Pritzker Prize recipient Eduardo Souto Moura, who managed to snag architecture’s top honor from countless big names with an almost unanimous “Wait Eduardo who?….. oh damn, that’s cool!”

Posted at 3:48pm and tagged with: roof, cantilever, braga, portugal, eduardo souto moura, architecture, design, pritzker, soccer, football, stadium,.