sunset chapel
by: bunker arquitectura
in: acapulco, mexico
Mound, hearth, enclosure, roof, and column. The way we see it, Gottfried Semper and scholars already figured out what makes honest tectonic form. We're looking for the element that satisfies our primitive urge to value architecture that's good.
sliding house
in: suffolk, uk
by: dRMM
At the top of the brief given to dRMM, the client wrote: “we are prepared to be radical”. In 6 minutes, the roof and enclosure of the narrow, linear house, slides effortlessly open to reveal a glass shell beneath the siding. It is a creative response to connecting the occupants with the changing seasons, weather, and site conditions… As well as an awesome reminder that while building elements have to enclose and protect us, there’s no reason why they must be static.
IT Building Proposal
by: Nicolas Laisne
in: New Delhi, India
We’re big fans of the BBC show “The IT Crowd”, so whenever we see mention of anything IT, our first response is to respond “… have you tried turning it on and off again?” Unfortunately for comedy, but to the great fortune of the intended occupants, this proposed IT building forgoes reliance on heavy mechanical systems, and instead uses cooling techniques like building orientation, double facades, and various fenestration sizes and screens to keep cool.
For some reason “Helloooo… IT… Have you tried turning your passive cooling system on and off again?” doesn’t quite have the same ring.
sleeper cells
by: suzanne husky
in: san francisco, california
a series of sculptural pods that embody primitive enclosure. they are intended to blend into the environment, while serving as an inhabitable space.
From the artist: “Sleeper Cell: A group of, people (sleepers) who remain dormant in a community until activated, by a prearranged signal, to perform acts of espionage, sabotage, or terrorism.”
Sounds stealthy.
hat tea house
by: A1Architects
in: Ostrava, Czech Republic
So this is what happens when you take a traditional Japanese tea house and place it in an entirely different environment, in this case Middle Europe. The elements are all present, and constructed of local materials that will age as the structure does. We’d very much like to drink a cup of tea here, but for some reason, wouldn’t say no to a nice czech beer on a warm summer day either.
(Source: dezeen.com)
pixel building
by: studio 505 architects
in: carlton, australia
a carbon neutral office building with colorful recycled aluminum shading panels enclosing an otherwise standard, almost typical green building design>
(Source: theage.com.au)
shenzhen stock exchange
by: OMA
in: shenzhen, china
Really enjoy how moving type becomes part of the building envelope. The stock tickers on the underside of the the canopy are brilliant and speak to the future of economic design in our urban cores.
“For millennia the solid building has stood on a solid base which anchors the structure and connects it emphatically to the ground. In the SSE building the traditional base is lifted up the tower to become a floating platform to broadcast the economic information of the virtual market and in turn liberate the space on the ground for public space and events.”
caracas symphony complex
by: adjkm arquitectos
in: caracas, venezuela
Two concert halls ranging between 500 - 1700 seats are wrapped in a vertical louver enclosure, and float over a block embedded in the ground containing a music conservatory and its support spaces. The form is light yet rigid, perhaps as a response to characteristic of the surrounding vegetation.
culinary art school
by: gracia studio
in: tijuana mexico
board formed concrete wraps the wine cellar (we think) while timber overhead encloses the space. we love how the linearity of the space is emphasized by the recognition and expression of an otherwise typical construction method of each element.
(Source: archdaily.com)
MiNo youth hostel
by: Antonio Ravalli Architetti
in: Migliarino, Italy
Translucent fabric cylinders become places to stay in a converted warehouse.
(Source: dezeen.com)
the lace fence
by: demakersvan:
in: the netherlands
“fencing is a sign how we modified and cultivated our environment…. what would happen if a patch of of embroided wire would meet with and continue as an industrial fence.”
netherlands institute for sound and vision
by: neutelings riedijk architects
in: hilversum, netherlands
We’re big fans of this building in the Netherlands, namely its facade which encloses a big public atrium. It’s made of glass reliefs of images of dutch television, allowing colored light to wash the interior of the building, an interesting technique. It allows the exterior of the building to act as a contemporary advertisement of the function of the space while appearing as a work of art. Internally the images are seen abstracted and muted, and the sun and daylight conditions appear to create an ever changing color palate on top of neutral construction.
Menjarosa
by: Dooa Arquitecturas
in: Torrevieja, Spain
Los Nogales School Chapel
by: Daniel Bonilla Arquitectos
in: Bogata, Columbia
Materiality and expression is something that comes up in school a lot. Generally haphazard at first, we soon learn the unforgettable Kahn quote:
“What do you want Brick?”
And Brick says to you: “I like an Arch.”
And if you say to Brick:”Look, arches are expensive, and I can use a concrete lentil over you. What do you think of that Brick?”
Brick says: “… I like an Arch”
We realize that there’s an importance to honoring what a material can do, and yet even fully understanding we continue to struggle. When projects like the Los Nogales School Chapel are completed, it serves as an example of honoring the nature of the material (concrete that forms a solid enclosure) and suggests the potential extreme ability they holds as well (massive wooden doors that swing open by only one person). Coupled with the importance of addressing urban design, the balance of urban morphology, building typology, and building use will shape the future of success in our profession. The thoughtfulness of a project like this coupled with the simple use of materials suggests an important period of design. Modernism and brutalism have paved the way for rough materials to express elegant form.
cradle to cradle home design
by: matthew coates + tim meldrum
in: seattle, washington
Designed as a home that “ends the paradigm of consumption and beings the paradigm of giving”, this C2C competition winner utilizes passive technologies and a state of the art system infrastructure. Unlike typical single family units, this project reaches out to the community by distributing excess energy, treating shared waste, and linking outdoor space with neighbors
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