Architechture

“Whether you in music and us in architecture, everybody is interested in structure.
For me, structure is the creator of light. When I start working on a structural pattern, it demands one column after the other, so a rhythm comes alive and it looks like this: lack of light – light – lack of light – light – lack of light – light. (…). The architecture makes us believe we are in a world inside other world (…)”
Louis Kahn, in L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui

Situated in Nordelta Neighbourhood, in Buenos Aires Province, with its particular topographic conditions given not only by the geometry of the space but also by the unique relationship with its surroundings, the residence tries to handle the fact of thinking a residence in a private neighborhood. Bordered by water in two of its sides, to which the project expands its visuals, and next to existing construction, the building permanently tries to dialogue with its nearby surroundings. One of the main questions during the project work has to be with the relationship between interior and exterior spaces… how does this landscape should be inhabited? which is the meaning of redefining the domestic world?Save this picture!

The house takes this issue as its main concept, creating an inner outside (but inside) green central space, which not only relates the different activities of the house among them but also represents the key point in the pursue of finding a suitable relationship between interior and exterior spaces. After this gap, empty but so-full-of-live space, a continuous transition of vertical and horizontal visuals, is followed, redefining the public and private spaces, looking for the edges to be disolved. In the ground floor, the pool rests above the slope, creating a direct bound among the lagoon, the living room, and the outside dining room.

Also, the living room takes place as a transition between two different exterior situations, being them “the own exterior” and the exterior which belongs to the landscape itself. In the first floor, the bedrooms stays located in two volumes also defined by the inner exterior space, giving different answers depending on the surroundings. Another important concept that comes alive in the house is the relationship between material and structure, in this case, represented the first by concrete which defines the main structure and the second by wood. The columns stand for the concrete slabs which hang from the superior concrete beams. The structure, with its different textures and dimensions, defines the boundaries among the spaces and takes the main role by achieving a clean floor ground with blurred edges. The only clear verge comes to be the horizon the landscape sets.

Text description provided by the architects. Offering a lifestyle that is rich in nature and embraces the true meaning of community, Elaleni Coastal Forest Estate is set to inspire sustainable living in the last indigenous coastal forests on the North Coast.

The approach to “The Gates”, is by means of an entrance causeway over an elegantly layered water feature, further emphasising the transition from the busy, fast paced outside world, to the tranquil, protected lush forest within.

Every aspect of The Gates incorporates natural or raw elements where possible, encouraging engagement with its forest context. Embracing an over-riding environmental conscience, the design utilises natural locally sourced material pallet of stone, timber, concrete and glass.

Carefully placed at a natural entryway to the forest estate, a simple form is arranged along the building’s axis. Using natural stone spine walls to support the vast cantilevered off shutter concrete green roof, this natural entrance portal and gateway to the estate is emphasized with natural indigenous greenery taking precedence over the architecture.

The indigenous naturally planted berms and roof plane set up the internal spaces along the building’s axis. “The Gates” building program consists of: Access Kiosks, Security control room, lettable offices, shared workspaces, home owners association offices and “The Hide” coffee shop and social pause area.Save this picture!

Elaleni residents and local community members are encouraged to engage with the features on offer, with many local design professionals relocating their offices to “The Gates”.

Text description provided by the architects. It is a horizontally built apartment building on a confined plot of land in the city of Santa Fe, located at the intersection between the streets Pasaje Maipú and the north-east corner of Calle Urquiza. The built volume lies on the south and west medians, freeing the corner to configure a square with trees, functioning as an entry for pedestrians and vehicles.

In this type of undertakings, the space used for common space is considered as a non-quantifiable area in terms of money, therefore, these sectors are usually reduced to the indispensable minimum. On this occasion, the entire built mass (which houses 18 units with surfaces that vary between 40 and 65m2) is articulated around the common space; which constitutes of an ascending route of diverse configurations. The access platform on the ground floor is followed by three floors of large platforms and internal stairs, the green terrace for common use on the 4th floor and there, emerging from the volume of apartments, the staircase/balcony for the seven upper floors. It is a route that relates in different ways to the immediate environment: the presence of the entrance platform minimizes the impact of the building on this neighbourhood of low houses. Open shields allow visual contact in both directions, interior-exterior, exterior-interior, as a sign of empathy with the environment.Save this picture!

The bearing structure is solved with a system of slabs without beams. This system considerably decreases the amount of concrete needed and has a thermal superior efficiency to the conventional solid slab. The enclosure is formed with a double-wall composed of an exterior face of precast concrete bricks placed in a rotated manner. This succession of small-sized parasols forms a “self-shading” facade: a surface that casts shade on itself in summer and allows a greater impact of the sun in the winter. In its inner face a 15cm thick cellular concrete brick wall complements the system.

Text description provided by the architects. Lilla Integralen is a distinct and unique four apartment house located in the new residential district Vallastaden. Inspired by old industrial buildings, the façade is made of sinusoidal profiled colour coated steel that makes for an interesting and playful expression, and an eye-catching contrast to the surrounding houses. The unorthodox choice of material creates a reflective façade, where the captured sunlight smoothens the borders to the sky and neighbouring houses alike.

The twin house has four apartments: two smaller apartments occupying a total area of 55 m2 on the bottom floor, and two larger apartments of a total area of 110 m2 on the first floor. The bottom floor apartments have access to a peaceful patio while the top floor apartments have access to a wood coated rooftop terrace that occupies the entirety of the top floor and offers a magnificent view over Vallastaden.

The house stands as an example of modern urban living rooted in past tradition and allows for two extended families to live close but separate in their own homes. Generation housing was long the common way of living for the Swedes but is today a rare phenomenon in the country in general and in the metro areas in particular. Inspired by our own history and by other cultures where extended families still live and grow together, our goal was to build a house that will last not just through our lives, but that can proudly be passed on to coming generations.

Text description provided by the architects. Seeking to create greater integration of the study of genes, the brain and behavior, the University of Pennsylvania desired to co-locate their psychology, biology and behavioral sciences programs into a common facility. The Stephen A. Levin Neural and Behavioral Sciences building, planned, programmed and designed by SmithGroup, is a state-of-the-art integrated sciences facility that acts as an iconic center and connector for a newly-defined life sciences precinct. By virtue of its location at the convergence of vehicular and pedestrian approaches to the campus, the precinct plan and program became a critical link between the surrounding neighborhood and the University.

The new NBS Building smooths that transition at the edge of campus and serves as a destination for students and faculty. Its efficient bar design abuts an existing lab facility and links to another via an underground tunnel. A below-grade auditorium extends south covered by a green roof and active pedestrian plaza. The 77,000 sqf facility houses multiple programs to promote synergy among them, including Psychology and Biology as well as ancillary life sciences management program (connected with business school) and the Biological Basis of Behavior (connected with medical school) program.

The building contains dry research laboratories, wet teaching facilities, the 180-seat auditorium, an 80-seat active learning classroom, and faculty and graduate student offices that are tied together with a series of spaces designed to foster socializing and collaboration. The building’s bar form is divided into functional overlapping volumes. A white metal and glass volume connects indoor public spaces, circulation areas, and offices, and cantilevers into the garden. A green copper-clad volume, with a patina that will mature like a living organism, houses the carefully controlled lab environment and addresses the public street.Save this picture!

The green copper and white metal provide a point of punctuation between the adjacent dark brick buildings and reference other green buildings on campus. On the south side of the building, which presents a public face to the community along a busy avenue, the curtain wall is shaded by an aluminum sunscreen that mimics biological branching forms, hinting at the study within. Designed efficiently using only two patterns that connect as they are rotated or mirrored, light and shadow dance through the sunscreen softening daylighting in the building’s corridors. Together with other sustainable strategies, the NBS Building has achieved LEED Silver certification.

The near-transparent ground floor provides a welcoming entry and a seamless connection with the natural setting of the surrounding gardens. A long open stair connects the ground floor and lower floor, visually linking the spaces and funneling light into the lower-level lounge, a comfortable central gathering point for easy interaction and collaboration among departments. A perforated, back-lit wood ceiling adds warmth and detail to the public areas. Its pattern intensifies in areas of greater circulation such as the entry vestibule and lower level stairs, suggesting that the building is adapting to movement. Glass sidelights provide views into instructional labs and team-teaching classrooms, putting “science on display” and further conveying a sense of vitality and transparency.

Text description provided by the architects. Logistics of a working family typically requires all (family members) to stay tethered to their homes for longer periods than each would prefer individually. This can become a phycological drag when all your time at school, work and home is spend indoors, as had been the case for a New Orleans Architect and his family. They reached a point where many families decide to move to the suburbs, exchanging great public parks and amenities for a back yard. Rather than moving far away, they decided to make a bold change by build a new house that flipped the script on indoor home life on a small urban lot. There was no way to afford the ongoing cost of a single-family home in the city, so a duplex with a rentable unit was baked into the concept early on.

The duplex is designed to maximize use of the lot (32’x105’) with suitable space for separate, large families (or groups of people) in each unit.  The central goal of the design was to configure communal spaces in a way that best accesses outdoor light, air and volume despite the density of required spaces.  The rear unit (primary residence) is 4 bedrooms with 3 ½ baths and the front unit (short-term rental) is 3 bedrooms 2 ½ baths.  The layout orients the rental unit as its public face, actively engaging travelers with the city, while mirroring the position of the primary unit to connect with the rear yard for a greater amount of seclusion.Save this picture!

The 1 ^st Floor spaces were designed to be voluminous with 12’ ceilings and compressed stairs to maximize the sf area of the communal spaces.  In the rear unit, an exterior deck continues from the interior communal space over the entire rear yard and extends under part of the upper floor volume along with a raised pool.  Two sliding glass walls open to enlarge both interior and exterior spaces.  In the front unit, a sliding glass wall is also provided to create a grand aperture to the exterior and leads to a deck flanking the front sidewalk.  A raised planter wraps the front deck and is tall enough to provide inhabitants inside with privacy but short enough for engagement with people walking by and visibility of the 1 ^st floor interior.Save this picture!

Architectural forms are configured to accentuate the transparency between the interior spaces of the 1 ^st floor and the exterior.  The upper floors contain more private spaces (such as bedrooms) and are wrapped by exterior surfaces forming an echelon of suspended cubic forms legible from multiple viewpoints including the underside.  The exterior cladding wraps horizontally as the 1 ^st floor ceiling material as an artifice to convey the space below as “outside.”  The walls supporting the cubic forms are a series of monolithic, exposed concrete walls with a narrow gap between the walls and the cubic form to render each (the wall and cubes) distinctly.  The static forms juxtapose the more animated interior space as a frame, reinforcing the transparency.

Text description provided by the architects. Too often the architectural response to flood-prone sites is to distort conventional designs and methods to meet the flood protection requirements, masking the issue at best.  In contrast, the design for this property overlooking a coastal pond and the ocean beyond celebrates the periodically rising water levels. Rather than hiding the flood damage prevention measures, the design takes advantage of them, thereby embracing the duality of the wetland landscape to intertwine nature and built form.

The house, pool, decks, and sanitary field are elevated and broken apart to let flood waters flow around and between them, thereby reducing the potentially damaging hydrodynamic pressure of coastal flooding.  Thus the house becomes a series of vertical volumes from which to observe the ocean view, the agrarian landward view, and the dynamic ground plane itself.  Perched safely above, flooding becomes a non-threatening event, a periodic change in the home’s relationship with the ground.  From the glass-enclosed bridges that connect the volumes, one can appreciate the dramatic spaces between the them, whether flooded in wet periods, or interconnected by flows of native plantings in the typical drier periods.

The composition of the volumes in the landscape is guided by program and the surrounding context.  The orientations of each volume are influenced by the desire for ocean views or sights of the pastoral landscape and respond to the use that occurs within. Programmatically, pulling apart the spaces allowed for maximum privacy as four guest bedrooms are separated from the living areas and master suite. Communal spaces have flexibility to flow to the outdoors and extend onto elevated decks by means of full height sliding glass doors.

The building’s location, straddling the agrarian and coastal landscapes, inspired the articulation of the wood siding.  The board and batten design is reminiscent of nearby vernacular structures while its two-layer composition allows for selective control over its opacity.  At grade level the boards are omitted and the battens form an open screen to let floodwater flow through it per FEMA regulations.  Above, overlapping boards and battens are opaque to mask neighboring houses from view.  At the roof line, the battens are omitted to let light filter between the boards.  The transitions between the varying opacities occur along horizontal datum lines that ring the towers, breaking up the verticality of the facades and referencing tide lines left by fluctuating water levels.

The language expressed by the exterior siding translates to the design of the interior spaces as well. The horizontal datum lines are visually transcribed onto the interior walls by means of material transitions for interior finishes and wall claddings. Wood clad walls at the first level transition into wainscoting and light painted walls at the upper floors. This visual link expresses the seamless connection between interior and exterior as one travels throughout the house.

By creating a homogenous relationship between the architecture and nature, one is constantly reminded of the place in which they reside. Natural elements are invited into the home and are experienced on a daily basis, thus becoming a part of everyday life.

Text description provided by the architects. Ripple Pavilion is the annual outdoor pavilion project at Gyeongnam Art Museum in South Korea.  Thousands of pixels – acrylic tubes with mechanical joints – span across a waving canopy while scattering light and color in constantly changing expression.  It is an interactive installation where people’s movements transform the appearance of the pavilion at different moments in time.  The overall effect of the pavilion begins from a small contact with a tube, which swings other pixels in the vicinity to create rippling phenomenon.  Then the physical movement translates into refracted colors transforming the whole installation into a moving iridescent field.

“The concept of the pavilion was conceived as a responsive environment” commented the lead designer Soohyun Chang.  “A small initial input, such as a child’s touch, could propagate into unexpected patterns on the whole array of pixels like a butterfly effect. The playfulness of pavilion invites people at all ages to participate and to create their own moments.”

The geometry of the pavilion paid special attention to maximizing interaction. The waving double curvature optimizes contact points at different heights for different users. To fine-tune the interactive points in the 3d geometry, several iterations of the parametric model were shared with other consultants.

Then collaborative feedbacks helped to reach the final form. As a result, there are moments of pavilion suitable for standing users while crawling is the best way to experience in other areas. The mix of concave and convex spaces also allow a diverse array of colors to be perceived at any viewpoint. Dichroic film was used to amplify the impact of even a small movement. As the angle of the light changes for the viewer, each pixel wrapped in the film offers dramatically different color & light expression for a static audience as well as moving passer-by. With this dichroic effect of the pixels, the pavilion is a constantly transforming environment where active participants become a crucial part of the installation.

An immersive installation that invites audiences to explore the interplay of sunlight and shadows cast through a series of architectural perforations, drawing inspiration from the Mashrabiya. The concept, developed by design duo Carlos Gris and Rimsha Kidwai of design studio Tinkah, was developed alongside wood manufacturers Finsa for Dubai Design Week 2019. The intention was to offer visitors a moment of solace from the sun in the long transition from the car park and into the show.

An immersive installation that invites audiences to explore the interplay of sunlight and shadows cast through a series of architectural perforations, drawing inspiration from the Mashrabiya. The concept, developed by design duo Carlos Gris and Rimsha Kidwai of design studio Tinkah, was developed alongside wood manufacturers Finsa for Dubai Design Week 2019. The intention was to offer visitors a moment of solace from the sun in the long transition from the car park and into the show.

The Mashrabiya, an element of traditional Middle Eastern architecture, was historically used as a window screen or spatial partition. The Mashrabiyas’ geometric perforations enable occupants to observe activity without themselves being visible. Simultaneously, it prevents the sun from overheating homes by limiting the amount of light allowed in whilst still inviting a breeze.

Finsa commissioned the studio to create the Gateway Installation using their pioneering ‘Fibracolor’ material, a fully sustainable and pigmented MDF. Tinkah imagined this material into a structure comprising of 2 skins with varying geometric Emirati inspired textures. The outer skin is in bright yellow to reflect the sunlight away whilst the inner skin offers more comforting color tones. The heat is captured in a volume between the two layers and ventilated upwards through the roof.

The installation also acts as a natural compass to visitors as they arrive, by steering them in key directions. As they transition through the space sunlight paints lattice patterns over guests and the surrounding area. The whole environment evolves throughout the day as the sunlight shifts. This change is highlighted on the monolith slab furniture pieces made from multiple layers Fibracolor.

Text description provided by the architects. CACTUS, a clothing brand, has a concept retail store in Xi’an. The client expects it to be pink and romantic. The garden of that early morning years ago recurred in my mind as we wandered and explored the empty site. Vaguely, the pink atmosphere and poetic filled in the air, which brought me back to that day’s mist and fantastic colors, as if waiting for our exploration…

About the Site
It was a north facing two-story store on the corner, with a cluttered neighborhood and old front steps. The first and second floor areas of it were respectively 40 m ² and over 200 m ² . With its limited width, the ground floor space assumed the role of guiding and channeling guests from outside to inside and from downstairs to upstairs.Save this picture!

In the northeast of the second floor, there were large L-shaped windows and open spaces along the street. However, the green glass on the aluminum grid wall blocked the view, and the space was abruptly cut by several large square columns. Two high windows at the southwest corner gave a view of the windows of the disordered residential area.

About the Space, Light, Clothes and Oneself
A large area of pink will bring an excessive sweet taste to the space, and we are vigilant against this sweet and greasy. Instead, we tried to convey the tenacity and fashion qualities advocated by CACTUS while maintaining the natural and pristine nature of the space.

In the search for materials with pink elements, we were intrigued by the old ceramic bricks for construction in Southern Fujian. In addition to its simple style and pink appearance, there was also the implication of “stones from other hills”. The transom of the exterior wall was removed and replaced with transparent glass, which not only brought more transparent views but also made full use of natural light and views inside and outside.

The window next door was rented to widen the front of the store. Through the integration of lateral ramps, the conversion of interior and exterior spaces on the ground floor was effectively organized. The green glass removed from the old windows was made into a counter on the ground floor to complement the color scheme of the space. In view of the spiritual status of art in space, large paintings of women were selected and hung in the store, which were soft, emotional and in pink tones. As a work that was selected at the beginning of the design, Modigliani’s Portrait of Jennie perfectly integrated with the whole space.

A white spiral staircase serves the “Communicating device” between the two floors and spirals up in the pink space. The outline of the stairs and ceiling is reflected in the circular sink below, like a metaphor leading to a pond by the garden steps. In a space nearly nine meters high, several irregular concentric circles are inlaid on the ceiling to form a scene of drifting clouds in the sky, demonstrating the appeal of freedom and bringing the space a fancy and charming sense.

All the way to the second floor, there is a delicate light throughout the space. In spite that the windows are north facing, there will be sunlight reflected from the curtain walls of two opposite buildings in turn, which will last for nearly three hours intermittently. As the street bustles with traffic, the sunlight is reflected by the car windows before scattering on the wall of the store, like films of stream of consciousness. With the typeface on the store windows being weaved in it as well, the light is flickering and giving a glimpse of the scene, as if to see flow of time.Just looking at the transformation of pink shadow, you can see it for a long time …

With a splintered circle, the space on the second floor was divided in to different functional areas, which presents the layout of a garden and forms two spatial relationships inside and outside. The garden is raised overhead by steel structure and paved with red old bricks. At the top of it, largely identical pink blocks with minor differences are misaligned to correspond to the theme.

By a T-shaped passage extending from the center, the garden is deconstructed and divided again, while areas of different heights and functions inside and outside are connected. In this way, different layers are formed among different areas, and the transformation of layers is accompanied by that of the functional areas. In addition, the undulating surface creates a “sense of hilly area” similar to Chinese gardens, whereas obviously there are differences between the two.

In the back of the garden lies a hole,which breaks through the wall in a diagonal cut. The washroom and storeroom are hidden in it, leaving the broken fragile walls exposed. Despite the northwest corner is farthest from the windows and is backlit, thanks to two high windows in the cracks between the south-facing residential buildings, it is the only place with direct sunlight for an hour around noon.

C Nevertheless, we shield it and equip with a “periscope” device. Apart from screening out the clutter outside the window, it filters out the bright light that comes straight in and forms a sharp contrast to the light inside. The two compressed viewports invite people to look out, into the windows with red sunboard filters inside, and into the verses and pink light on them…

Through the way we live, we are all expressing ourselves, which is about emotion and temperature. As another layer of skin or shelter of human beings, architecture and clothing provide us with protection and outlet of expression. They are expected to be aesthetically pleasing and appropriate to our body shape and temperament. Both of them need to be touched and experienced. It is hoped that the space will enhance our sense of clothing, thus finding and expressing ourselves…Save this picture!