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The residence is located at the “valley” of Antiparos, surrounded by an environment of agricultural character, gentle topography, sparse buildings of small scale, natural vegetation coexisting with crops of olives and vines. This is a reconstruction of the traditional building type of “katikia” with respect to the natural environment and traditions of the island.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

The house evolved from the ruins of an elongated farm house, a layout knows as known as traditional “katikia”, placed on the edge of the plot at the top of a small hill. The interior of the “katikia” was composed of small individual single room, each for every different function, according to the needs of its residents. The basic methodology was the preservation and evolution of this traditional typology in order to provide an architectural product of “history and memory” while serving the modern aesthetics, serving the needs of the owner and the contemporary “rural” everyday life.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

One could describe it as small, simple, low, modest, rough, vernacular, a house that remains close to earth and embraces its users. These elements provide with a sense of tranquillity and develop a simple lifestyle that covers basic needs. In this context, the plans were adapted on the existing premises and retained basic elements of traditional architecture, like the exterior oven, the small openings, the recesses in the trowelled plaster, the small heights, the thickness of the walls, the stone gutters, and of course “simple traditional” materials.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

At first glance, the house is characterizedby the “stone masonry”, which consists of the existing stones of “katikia”, integrating perfectly into the natural “dry” landscape of the island. The masonry evolves to internal paddock that embraces the exterior “protected” yard of the house, highlighting the white plastered volume that hosts the kitchen and living room. A free- standing stone wall in conjunction with the stone building of the bedroom creates a seating area framing the natural topography of the northwest side of the valley. Raw wood, smooth cement and recesses of the interior walls replace regular cabinets and are the key elements of the aesthetics. Inside and out, the house is “paved” with traditional forged cement in the colour of sand, combined with traditional, white roof beams.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

The simplicity and harmony of materials are amplified and supplemented by the inclusion of old marble sinks in the areas of bathrooms and kitchen, the custom made shutters separating the kitchen and living area, and by the iron casted table . These elements designate the coexistence of old and new in total harmony, preserving at the same time the small scale, being loyal to the traditional principles reconstruction. The one level layout along with the linear switch of spaces with the kitchen as a central axis and the direct connection with the bigger in size courtyard are the elements that make the house simple to use.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

What make the residence so special is the proportions and dimensioning of ‘traditional’ “katikia” and make it differentiate from a modern summer residence.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

Il paesaggio della maremma è parte integrante del progetto. L’interno e l’esterno si fondono in un’architettura che offre un punto di vista privilegiato sul paesaggio. La casa è pensata come un piccolo borgo che si sviluppa intorno ad uno spazio esterno-interno. Il perimetro ben definito, costituito da una L in cui trovano spazio gli ambienti della casa e da due muri sul lato opposto che richiudono il patio, dialoga continuamente con lo spazio circostante, offrendo una vista a 360° del paesaggio collinare che degrada lentamente fino al mare. In questo luogo si è immersi in un’atmosfera surreale fatta di silenzio e natura. L’ampia apertura vetrata inquadra il territorio della maremma, da Tarquinia fino all’Argentario e all’isola di Giannutri.

The house is located on a planar plot, surrounded by a rural environment of sparse, small scale buildings, intense natural vegetation and crops of olives and vines. The ruins of a farm house, which existed in the plot, formed the basis for the new dwelling. The design focused on the reconstruction of the old house, preserving the traditional architecture and typology of the island of Antiparos.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

Following the above axes, with respect to the history of the house, the layout adapted to existing spaces. Particular attention was paid to the maintenance of individual elements such as recesses, built ovens and the preservation of proportions and dimensioning of spaces.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

The heights remained low, having a maximum internal height 2,40m and the thickness of walls reached 0,50 to 0,70m. These dimensions differentiate from the modern construction and can be easily correlated to human dimensions. On exterior surfaces, the dominant colors are the white of the raw plaster on the walls and the olive green chosen for the doors and windows.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

The building is placed on the north corner of the plot, and its volume looks solid, variating in height, according to the change or uses in the interior. With its back to the strong north wind, the house serves as a protective wall for the outdoor living spaces creating in the same time a U-shaped terrace around an olive tree. The consistent openings in the northern side achieve natural ventilation of premises.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

The interior spaces consist of two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an open space that functions as kitchen and living room. The functionality of spaces is characterised by a discontinuity, a characteristic which was common in traditional rural houses or else “katikies”. Back then, the “katikia” consisted of small individual single space buildings, one fort every different function: living room – kitchen, laundry room, sheepfold, etc. The evolution was organic, in accordance with the alternating needs of the family and resulted from the addition of areas that where easier to build, with no interior access from the foregoing parts of the building. Most of the circulation was external. Following the above, one room has its own bathroom but no kitchen access and the other is in contact with the kitchen but outdoor access to the bathroom.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

In order to maintain the roughness and the plasticity of the final surface the wall were plastered completely by hand. As a floor surface, forged cement was used and white plaster for the walls. The frames follow the form of old ones and the doors function as “stable – doors”, which open either in half or as a whole. Old marble sinks and custom made furniture adapted to the special dimensions of the house making into reality the coexistence of old and new.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

The house is characterized as simple, humble, rough. It is a building that remains close to the earth, respecting the landscape and embracing user. House and environment coexist in harmony and creating unique scenery in calmness that develops a simple lifestyle in direct contact with nature and basic needs.

Photo by Yiorgos Kordakis. Published on December 05, 2013.

La plaza es una superficie, una topografía trazada en relación con el movimiento del agua y construida con el trabajo de los pedreiros siguiendo unos patterns abstractos pero no caprichosos.
Sobre esta superficie, flota un objeto. En su base el agua, aquí helada se transforma en pista de patinaje.
Josep Lluís Mateo, 2013

La relación entre el Centro Cultural y la Plaza
Este proyecto se presentó como un reto para resolver la gran complejidad del espacio público y los diversos problemas de tráfico y urbanos del centro histórico de la Castelo Branco. Con el Centro Cultural, además, se quería convertir el casco antiguo en centro neurálgico cultural de la ciudad.

Así, la plaza, realizada en una primera fase (2007), se moldea sobre el terreno para salvar los problemas topográficos iniciales y da acogida a distintos edificios diseñados en consonancia con la misma. Ubicada a la falda del Monte del Castillo, utiliza la topografía en la configuración de franjas transversales, hasta limitar en el espacio central del proyecto una plaza cuyas suaves pendientes permitan la aparición casi natural de un estanque de agua en el centro de la plaza, justo delante del Centro Cultural.

El Centro Cultural, construido en una segunda fase pero planteado desde el inicio, flota suspendido por dos pies sobre la plaza, como un puente volado, liberando así en la base una pista de patinaje sobre hielo cubierta, que confiere continuidad al gran espacio público, a la plaza, al parque contiguo. Es un complemento más de la plaza y enlaza con la tradición portuguesa del patinaje y el clima continental y frío.

Con una fachada de madera, la opuesta de hormigón armado y recubierto de zinc en la parte suspendida, es una burbuja de acti- vidad, una cubierta y un suelo que flota sobre el terreno relacionando la secuencia urbana, la plaza y el parque.

Visita Guiada
Bajando a través de una de las rampas generadas por los plie- gues del pavimento de la plaza Largo da Devesa, encontramos la entrada principal al Centro Cultural de Castelo Branco. Avan- zamos hacia ella obnubilados por la gran fachada de lamas de madera, abatibles en una de sus partes para regular la entrada de luz, que nos mirar desde arriba, suspendidas en el aire.

Casi sin darnos cuenta, en este descenso, llegamos a la recep- ción, ubicada bajo el nivel del suelo y antesala de una gran sala de exposiciones. En esta planta, además, se aloja la zona admi- nistrativa.

Continuando con los juegos del suelo, un progresivo desnivel nos lleva hasta el parking, de uso público, que se expande tanto bajo el edificio como bajo la plaza.

En el interior de la obra la planta baja es sólo un espacio de transición que nos conecta con las plantas más elevadas del mismo. Sin embargo, en el exterior, esta planta es la muestra evidente de la conexión entre plaza y centro cultural, acogiendo una pista de hielo que recorre la extensión del edificio de extremo a extremo y que interactúa directamente con su entorno convirtiéndose en un foco de actividad. Es un espacio exterior que genera movimiento, color, luz en la noche, música.

Distintos lucernarios aprovechan esta apertura al nivel del suelo para dotar de luz la planta subterránea, creando así un ambiente luminoso y cálido al mismo tiempo.
Volvemos al interior desde otra entrada ubicada en la planta baja, bajo la fachada de madera. En los niveles más altos nos encon- tramos con el auditorio y una sala de exposiciones que, gracias a su mimetización con la estructura del edifico, se disponen en una doble altura.

En un extremo la sala de exposiciones, que ocupa las plantas primera y segunda con una rampa que cambia de nivel acompañando a la estructura del edificio. De esta forma, el visitante tiene una visión global más amplia, de conjunto, del espacio.

Al otro lado el auditorio, que también se amolda de una forma natural a la curvatura del edificio para la disposición de las buta- cas. Todo en negro, contrastando con los tonos más claros del escenario, para centrar la atención en el mismo. Además de estos espacios, en la primera planta también se ubi- can los camerinos que dan acceso al escenario. Mientras que en la segunda, enfrentada al escenario, se encuentra la sala de control del auditorio y un bar conectado con la entrada principal del mismo para el esparcimiento de los visitantes. También existe un espacio polivalente en esta planta, cerrado entre la sala de exposiciones y el auditorio. Desde la parte superior, gozamos de unas inmejorables vistas Castelo Branco, incluido el castillo que da nombre a la ciudad. Por último la cubierta, que esconde toda la maquinaria y se abre sobre la sala de exposiciones en un gran lucernario para aportar luz a la misma.

The Cidade das Artes is situated between sea and mountain, in the center of fourteen kilometers of plain which saw recently developing the new major district of Rio de Janeiro: Barra da Tijuca. The landscape is monotonous, deprived of strong urban marks and public spaces. The site is structured by two highways that cross the district. In the centre of this cross, designed by Lucio Costa, the Cidade das Artes will be in the very heart of the new city.

The building is a little city contained in one big structure raised and established on a vast terrace ten meters above ground, from which one will see the mountain and the sea, floating upon, a public park, a tropical and aquatic garden, draw by Fernando Chacel. This terrace is the public space; it is the gathering place that gives access to all facilities. There, Cidade das Artes will gather a large variety of places: a concert room, worldwide unique, because convertible in room of opera and in theatre, a room of chamber music and popular music, movie theatres, dance studios, numerous rehearsal rooms, exhibition spaces, restaurants, a media library. The Cidade das Artes is seen as a large house, a great veranda above the city, homage to an archetype of Brazilian architecture.

Between the two horizontal plates of the roof and the terrace are set the large curved concrete walls that contain the halls in an interplay of volumes and voids. The project is a public symbol, a new landmark in the greater Rio area, an urban signal, floating on the plain with a large visibility. The architecture echoes the beautiful curves of the Siera Atlantica Mountains and the line of the sea.The place will become, for the travellers of the train which will arrive on Ayrton Senna Avenue, the front door in Barra da Tijuca.

PROGRAM: Cultural equipment : Philharmonic Hall (1,800 seats) transformable into an Opera Hall (1,300 seats), Chamber Music Hall (500 seats), electroacoustic room (180 seats), headquarters of the Brazilian Symphonic Orchestra, music school, 10 rehearsal rooms, media library, 3 movies theaters, restaurant, shops, administra- tion offices, technical spaces and parking lots.
SURfACE: 46,000 sq.m. / Gross Total Area: 90,000 sq.m.

The renovation of this cob barn adds another layer of history to a building that has been expanded and stitched together over the last two hundred years. The project celebrates the rich patchwork of materials comprising of cob, stone, concrete and brick. Keeping much of the existing fabric, the project sought to insert a new load-bearing timber frame within creating further distinction between old and new constructions. The use of cob, made up of material excavated on site, grounds the building on the site and results in a tonally subtle and contextual response. Over time the cob is weathered to reflect the prevailing wind direction, similar to the arching wind-blown trees. This barn required a robust strategy to cope with the wild coastal weather blowing in from the Atlantic, hence the deep eaves and sunken courtyard spaces. Sunlight plays on the rough cob and masonry textures, while stark shadows are cast against the more refined clerestory reveals and crisp pre-cast concrete window surrounds.

Photo by Henrietta Williams. Published on December 09, 2013.

Structure
The strategy is based on keeping much of the existing fabric while inserting a new load-bearing timber frame inside. In order to avoid excessive underpinning, the foundations are set inbound of the existing walls with a cantilevered slab picking up the load of the the timber frame. Larch fins support the load of the roof above the inserted load-bearing structure.

Photo by Henrietta Williams. Published on December 09, 2013.

Form
The tapering plan and section is a result of the form set out by the masonry barn and gently rising slope with the cranked kitchen space enclosing the external space for more private use. The shifting walls, in turn impacts on the roof form, resulting in rising eaves to allow for a consistent ridge line and planar roofs. These historic influences on the form create a variety of subtly different spaces and aspects.

Photo by Henrietta Williams. Published on December 09, 2013.

Materials
The original 18C barn was constructed in masonry stone walling, then considerably extended using cob construction. Cob blocks were used to patch the walls and extend the western gable end before being finished with a flick-coat. For more recent agricultural use, concrete lintels and blockwork were used to patch the building, a technique referenced in the crisp pre-cast concrete surrounds used for the new windows, while the slender timber fins support the roof and contrast with the heavy cob and masonry outer walls.

Photo by Henrietta Williams. Published on December 09, 2013.

Environment
The thick cob walls offer some thermal mass, and combined with the insulated timber frame internally, creates a highly insulated building, shielded from external temperature fluctuations. The whole site complex is heated using a ground-source heat pump serving the main farmhouse and two barns. The cob barn is also fitted with a central wood burner for peak winter periods. Where possible, reclaimed materials were used, for example in the slates, oak floorboards and cob material reclaimed from a derelict cob shed.

Photo by Henrietta Williams. Published on December 09, 2013.

Immerso nel verde della campagna trevigiana, in prossimità del fiume Sile e della tenuta di Ca’ Tron, questo insieme di edifici è il risultato di un lungo lavoro di restauro, ricostruzione e nuova edificazione che ha portato alla nascita di un complesso direzionale organico e strutturato che riflette il carattere in continua evoluzione della logica della società H-farm, Venture Incubator di fama internazionale.

Photo by Giuseppe Dall’Arche. Published on December 09, 2013.

Partendo dal vecchio fabbricato principale e da una serie di volumi annessi legati al mondo dell’attività agricola, sono state ricavate diverse strutture autonome ma collegate, ognuna con una o più funzioni, dove trovano spazio uffici, sale riunioni e open-space. L’intento progettuale è stato quello di restituire al casone l’immagine originaria che ne era propria, riqualificando gli edifici annessi nella posizione vincolata in cui si trovavano grazie all’uso di tecniche e materiali congrui a quelli della tradizione agreste.

Photo by Giuseppe Dall’Arche. Published on December 09, 2013.

Gli edifici risultanti sono dodici, dei quali solo il nuovo è ricollocato rispetto alla planimetria originaria, essendo ricavato dal recupero volumetrico delle strutture metalliche che nascondevano la facciata principale. Gli interventi su scala territoriale qui proposti intendono presentare un modello insediativo di nuove attività direzionali basato su sinergie strategiche che abbracciano lo sviluppo economico del territorio, la valorizzazione del paesaggio agricolo e l’attuazione di interventi sostenibili.

Photo by Giuseppe Dall’Arche. Published on December 09, 2013.

Allo stato di origine l’intero complesso di edifici appariva in evidente stato di degrado e costituito da volumi in parte incoerenti tra loro. Oltre al fabbricato principale, riconoscibile per architettura e dimensioni, erano presenti due strutture metalliche a sud, collocate in aderenza al portico dello stesso; un piccolo fabbricato ad ovest; un silos, una stalla ed un ulteriore struttura a nord che serviva come mangiatoia. Il fabbricato principale si configura con tre aree ben distinte in pianta, che corrispondevano al nucleo centrale utilizzato come granaio, l’essicatoio e il portico a sud. Il granaio disposto su tre livelli era caratterizzato da uno stato di forte degrado ai piani superiori, mentre al piano terra erano visibili interventi in calcestruzzo e tamponamenti in laterizio che presupponevano un rimaneggiamento postumo.

Photo by Giuseppe Dall’Arche. Published on December 09, 2013.

L’essicatoio si presentava come un corpo più basso del precedente, sul quale era stato costruito con travi e lamiera un volume d’innesto nella copertura che serviva al funzionamento del sistema di distribuzione del grano. L’intento progettuale è stato quello di restituire al fabbricato principale la sua immagine originaria, riqualificare gli edifici annessi nella posizione vincolata in cui si trovano e ricollocare la volumetria delle strutture metalliche in modo tale da realizzare un complesso più armonico e funzionale dell’esistente. Per avere un’esperienza tridimensionale del progetto visita il walkthrought .

Photo by Giuseppe Dall’Arche. Published on December 09, 2013.

Photo by Giuseppe Dall’Arche. Published on December 10, 2013.

An open structure
The new Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) is located in Museum Park, part of the redeveloping downtown waterfront on Biscayne Bay. Its direct neighbours are the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science and a major freeway, connecting mainland Miami with Miami Beach. Simultaneously oriented towards the park, the water and the city, the new PAMM is an open and inviting structure from all sides alike.

Photo by Iwan Baan. Published on December 05, 2013.

Miami is known for its iconic art deco district, decorated boxes with no great relationship and exchange between inside and outside. What makes Miami so extraordinary however, is its amazing climate, lush vegetation and cultural diversity. How can these assets be fully exploited and translated into architecture?

Photo by Iwan Baan. Published on December 05, 2013.

Nature
As in previous examples of our work, such as the Dominus Winery in Napa Valley, the building’s environmental circumstances become central to its architectural concept. Due to its proximity to the water, the museum is lifted off the ground for the art to be placed above storm surge level. We use the space underneath the building for open-air parking, exposed to light and fresh air that can also handle storm-water runoff. Rising from the parking level, the stilts supporting the museum platform become columns supporting a shading canopy, which covers the entire site creating a veranda-like public space that welcomes visitors to the museum and the park. Facing the bay, a wide stair connects the platform to the waterfront promenade. In this exceptional location, we wanted the museum to offer generous views to the outside. Yet all the building’s expansive windows are recessed, with wooden planks under the concrete beams to minimize the sun’s impact on the glazing and to reduce the building’s energy consumption for cooling. Tropical plants selected for their resilience to the local conditions engulf the structural system. Roof and plants combined will create an overall microclimate reducing the extreme temperature gaps between outside and inside in the hot weather. The exterior surface of the museum’s massive concrete walls is chiseled in places and polished in others. When adjacent to the glazing, the concrete is smooth and reflective. When facing the outside, the concrete becomes rough, exposing its natural ingredients. Rather than being an isolated “jewel box” (Schatzkammer) for art lovers and specialists, the museum provides comfortable public space for everybody. It is an extension of the park, offering gradual transitions from the outside to the inside, from the warm to the cool, from the humid to the dry and from the street to the art.

Photo by Iwan Baan. Published on December 05, 2013.

Specificity
The expression of the building comes from the canopy, the platform, the columns, the vegetation: in other words, the Veranda occupying the entire site. The museum’s interior volume nests within it, suspended amid the structural framework, each floor assuming the shape it needs. Because the galleries did not have to fit into any given form, we had the freedom to develop the curatorial layout, in close collaboration with the museum staff, to what felt like an optimal configuration to exhibit and develop the growing collection as well as to provide ample space for temporary exhibitions.

Photo by Iwan Baan. Published on December 05, 2013.

PAMM is organised around four different gallery types: Overview, Focus, Project and Special Exhibition galleries. They occupy part of the first and the entire second floor. The Overview galleries, displaying the museum’s collection, serve as the connecting tissue between the other gallery types. Fluidly connected in a non-linear sequence, they allow relationships to be formed between spaces. They are characterized by large openings with views onto the park, downtown Miami, the bay and the freeway. Along this flowing sequence of rooms, single enclosed spaces punctuated by windows show an individual artist, a theme, a specific collection or a commissioned work. These spaces are called Focus and Project galleries. The fourth type, the Special Exhibitions galleries function as spacious exhibition halls designed to accommodate contemporary art exhibitions. The Overview, Focus and Project galleries form a firm and rhythmic sequence through the building, varying in proportion and relationship to the outside. On the other hand, the Special Exhibitions galleries are flexible, with fewer openings to the outside and can be subdivided by temporary walls.

Photo by Iwan Baan. Published on December 05, 2013.

The spaces at PAMM and their materiality are very specific. They can be considered an antithesis to the flexible, abstract white cubes that have been a dogma in most recently built art spaces. Concrete and wood are used in different combinations, reflecting the outside materials of the building. Typical drywalls are detailed in a way that they are legible as added to the main structure. In order to enhance the inside-out transition, we designed a customized concrete mullion system that holds the largest ever-used hurricane-proof glass in Florida.

Photo by Iwan Baan. Published on December 05, 2013.

Community and views
At the heart of the building, a stair as large as a gallery connects the two exhibition levels. This stair also functions as an auditorium, using sound-insulating curtains in different configurations to provide space for lectures, film screenings, concerts and performances. Our idea was to avoid for such events to be isolated in a space remaining unused for most of the time. At PAMM, events in preparation are visible. When the space is not actively used for events, it is used by visitors and staff for individual readings, introductions to groups and the like. The museum shop and bistro are located on the platform level and are oriented to the bay. Education and research facilities are on the third floor along with the museum’s offices. We place these communal spaces at the periphery of the building, maximizing their exposure to the Veranda, Biscayne Bay, and Museum Park.

Herzog & de Meuron, 2013

Photo by Iwan Baan. Published on December 05, 2013.

CREDITS

Partners: Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, Christine Binswanger (Partner in Charge)
Project Team: Charles Stone (Associate), Kentaro Ishida (Associate, Project Manager), Stefan Hoerner (Associate, Project Manager)
Adriana Mueller, Ahmad Reza Schricker, Daekyung Jo, Dara Huang, Günter Schwob (Workshop), Hugo Moura, Ida Richter Braendstrup, Jack Brough, Jayne Barlow (Associate), Jason Frantzen, Jeremy Purcell, Joana Anes, Margarida Castro, Masato Takahashi, Mehmet Noyan, Nils Sanderson, Roman Aebi (Workshop), Silja Ebert, Sunkoo Kang, Valentine Ott, Wei Sun, Yuichi Kodai, Yuko Himeno

Photo by Daniel Azoulay photography. Published on December 05, 2013.

The surrounding forest is the starting point for URA to design a simple building which contains all confrontations of the site : open vs. closed, trees vs. slope, materiality vs. transparency, building vs. environment. The gymnasium is dug into the natural slope. The facade shows the duality of the context : a strong, closed concrete wall on the one side and a wooden structure with a black steel plates cladded facade on the other side. These two facades meet in the perspective of the stage-stair. The surrounding trees are seen from different perspectives. “Going to the gym” confronts the pupils (again) with the basic elements of nature.

Surface: 540 m²
Budget: 700.000 EURO
Dates: 2009 (competition); 2013 (completion)

Community versus individuality: within post-war urbanism

Amsterdam Osdorp was built in the 1960ties and is since a few years in a process of urban renewal. The ambition of the program is to create a bigger variety of more individual housing types serving the middle class. Big parts of the existing building structures with mostly small apartments are demolished and replaced by bigger, more contemporary homes. One of the important questions that arose during the process is how to deal with the urban and architectural heritage of post-war modernism. The building project is situated in the southern part of the “Masterplan Zuidwest-Kwadrant”. The plan is developed and supervised by the De Nijl – a Rotterdam based firm for urban planning and architecture. Ambition of the master plan is to maintain the typical wide urban street profiles and the green collective courtyards by integrating parking garages under the new buildings.

The building project takes the very relaxed urban setting as direct starting point for the organisation of the houses and tries to find a convincing solution for the parking. The result is a prototypical housing project that supports the more collective scale of Amsterdam Osdorp without suppressing the individual expression of the single homes. Traditional values of modernism get a new interpretation and more contemporary forms of living are stimulated.

Down-to-earth architecture: Economic strategy

The building budget is with 850 € / m2 corresponding to the normal Dutch standard and is relatively limited for Amsterdam conditions. To create a good starting point for the materialisation the following strategy is forming the basis for the design. The span of the town houses is reduced to an acceptable minimum of 4,80m. By doing so the façade surface is in comparison to the standard 20% less. The plan is with a size of 12,50m ca. 30% deeper than the standard. Inside the house a lot of “cheap square meters” are produced and good conditions for energy efficiency are created. The produced spatial confinement is compensated by introduction of a complete glass façade and a double high living room.

The necessary parking garage is not built under ground but at ground level to avoid waterproof concrete constructions and mechanical ventilation. The garage is realised as a cost-effective steel construction and put in front of the concrete construction of the town houses. The roof of the garage is used for private terraces.

Drive-in home: prototypical typology

Within the created basis a search is started for an optimum organisation of the house. The living room continues over two levels and is on both sides related to a specific outside space. The house is accessed from the west side through a front garden with a depth of 6 meters. The garden is surrounded by hedges but has a more public character stimulating the personal contact among the inhabitants. The double high kitchen-cum-living room is directly related to the front garden but also accessed through the private parking garage. An open stair connects the space with the living room on the first floor that is flooded by light from two sides. The living room is protected from views from out the public space by a closed balustrade and is related to an intimate private terrace of 30m2 offering a nice view on the green courtyard. The second floor is used for sleeping and working rooms. Partitions are movable and allow a variety of spatial organisations. An optional roof space on the third floor is offered during the selling procedure to the future inhabitants.

Informal lightness and dematerialized collage: materialisation

The use of materials is relatively unpretentious and tries to support a more contemporary lightness of living. The inside spaces are extended towards the outside by big glass windows from floor to sealing. Therefore the town house project has no façade in the classical sense but presents itself as skeleton demonstrating the construction. Within the skeleton – behind the glass – the living is exhibited towards the public space. The glass façade is made of slightly reflecting sun protection glass guaranteeing climate comfort through the year without extra outside sunscreens. To save space the entrance door is realised as a special designed sliding door.

The courtyard façade is dominated at the ground floor by the parking garage with an open metal mesh as façade system. In the future the mesh will be grown with ivy. The terraces on top of the garage are separated from each other by synthetic light-transmissive screens. The actual façade of the houses has big windows as well but is partly closed with a façade system of corrugated metal sheets. The same system is used for the head facades.

The interior design is very modest. Corridors are avoided to be able to save space. The stairs are directly positioned into the living room. Very economic standard stairs are used but covered by a special designed balustrade to integrate them into the total composition of the houses.

For economic reasons the project is constructed out of an efficient collage of different building materials and technologies like concrete- and steel construction; aluminium- and wood windows; steel-, aluminium- and wooden doors and different synthetic materials. To create a quiet general impression for the building and to let dominate the space above the material all building elements are coated in RAL 9010. The housing estate gets optically dematerialized and presents itself as a classical white structure forming a perfect background for the living spaces. For this background the IKEA generation gets the opportunity to realise their dreams of a free and light way of living.

This project is presenting a counter pole against the New urbanism movement that is at the moment very dominant in the Netherlands. The project is not the result of sentimental ideas about historic forms but a consequent result of the inner organisation of the living spaces.

Also the prejudices against contemporary architecture are to prove wrong. Modern architecture has not to be more expensive than a more traditional way of building. Good modern architecture is also easy to sell – all houses have been sold within the very short period of just 2 weeks.   

El Edificio Municipal de Usos Múltiples en Villanueva de Algaidas, también llamado Museo Berrocal, es un centro multidisciplinar que cuenta con una extensa planta museográfica, a la vez que aulas, salas de reuniones y de conferencias, oficinas y talleres de formación en dos plantas inferiores.

El edificio dialoga con la obra del escultor Miguel Berrocal al que se refiere. Las esculturas de Berrocal son piezas compactas fragmentadas en elementos internos, unidades formadas con segmentos que van a ser montados por el espectador. El complejo ensamblaje de esos elementos pauta la construcción de la obra, la obra es la materia organizada en el tiempo por el espectador.

Al igual que las esculturas de Berrocal, el ámbito museográfico es una unidad formada por el ensamblaje de espacios interiores, por el trabado de dos grandes salas gemelas mediante una secuencia central de salas menores y patios de escultura.

Entre los espacios de la planta museográfica no existe un recorrido único, un relato lineal, sino que se abren múltiples trayectos, aquellos que cada visitante traza en su deambular por el ensamblaje central de salas y patios de escultura. Cierres vítreos deslizantes permitirán el tránsito abierto entre salas y patios exteriores en el corazón interno de la planta.

El espacio contenido es un escenario neutro y estable en el que el protagonismo recae en las piezas escultóricas y en el movimiento de los observadores, un paisaje interior en el que los hechos existen en función de quien los construye.

Edificado en un terreno municipal de pronunciada pendiente frente al paisaje de la Sierra Norte, el Centro cuenta con tres plantas superpuestas para albergar distintos usos diferenciados.
La superior acoge el Centro de Interpretación de la Cultura del Agua y la Cultura Contemporánea, espacio que presenta una importante colección de obras del escultor Miguel Berrocal en su población natal.

Bajo este primer nivel museográfico, una entreplanta se destina a oficinas, salas de reuniones, salas de conferencias y talleres de formación abiertos al paisaje.
En un segundo nivel semienterrado se encuentra una amplia sala iluminada naturalmente. Con las mismas dimensiones que las salas gemelas de exposición, este espacio completa el programa de usos públicos disponibles.

Un jardín exterior se extenderá horizontalmente desde el nivel inferior del edificio. Iniciado en una gran logia cubierta para la exposición de escultura al aire libre, quedará delimitado por un muro perimetral que protegerá su horizontalidad frente al paisaje, conteniéndolo como plataforma entre las inmediatas calles en pendiente.

Landscape and architecture

Three buildings, covered with wood, are situated on a gentle slope with a beautiful view in Aalen. Originally the site was an enlargement area of the existing university of applied sciences, a building designed of Günther Behnisch in 1969. There was an existing urban masterplan with a linear arrangement of the buildings and a central pedestrian zone. Trees planted along the streets integrate the buildings in the nature. A square surrounded by the library and the different faculties provide an open-air space for recreation after exhausting lectures. The now realised buildings are the first steps of a small hopeful growing village, a campus of research and education.

Touching the ground

Precise shaped objects arranged on linear terraces divided by low walls. The buildings are fixed on the angle of the walls. Ramps are connecting the different levels of the terraces. Pathways and squares form an urban system built with concrete, asphalt and gravel. A light and transparent texture of wooden slats enclose the massive body of the houses. The precise structure creates a new relationship with the seasonal changing trees along the streets. This emphasises the relationship between nature and building.

Organisation

The layout of the buildings are organized into three functional layers. On the east side you can find the offices and functional spaces and on the west side the seminar rooms and laboratories. The lecture rooms and large exercise rooms form the front end of the buildings. Light courts and staircases alternate in the corridor zone.

Precise shapes

The clearly compositions attract attention to the facades who are textured with numerous vertical lines. Made in larch, the wooden shutters create a deep, changing surface; a game between visual transparency und closeness. It takes 90 seconds to open the shutters and the transparent facade appears. Depending on the position of the louvers the building look like a box of wood or a glass object. 2420 revolving shutters cover about 4500 sqm of the main facades. Due to the modular grid of 60 cm the design enables a flexible partitioning of rooms.

The supporting structure of the three story buildings is caste-in-place concrete. The traces of the castings show how the building was erected. Inside the building this skeleton is sophisticated in the finishing details and elements. The public areas are covered with blue grey shell limestone from the area. The colour is very similar to concrete. The not-supporting walls are made out of gypsum carton and painted white.

Technique

Basically the main facade is split into three levels of function. The room-high glass facade covers the long sides of the buildings. Prefabricated wooden post-and-rail construction with a modular grid of 60 cm includes double glazing which provides the thermal isolation. The ventilated cavity between the glass facade and the wooden sunscreen is used as service space. On the galvanised steel substructure the wooden shutters are fixated. Because of its self-supporting system only the horizontal forces are lead to the concrete construction. The rotating shutters are individually mechanical operated.

Special Spaces

Because of the beautiful view to the city of Aalen the library was expanded with a outdoor reading room, the balcony. A quiet relaxed space for reading, thinking or to take the air.

Inside the faculty building the massive concrete core creates a very intimate atmosphere. The long internal corridors are interrupted by three story high voids. So the interior space support the strong contrast to the outside of the building. The empty voids are covered with glass. Walking down the central staircases, a sequence of windows frame the view to the landscape. Untreated concrete and natural stone form a strong and massive impression in the busy heard of the buildings.

Precision in form and technique create a new building like pieces of wooden furniture on the new campus.

The project demonstrates the logic and rationality of Dutch agriculture and unearths surprisingly romantic qualities within its limited conditions. The architectural starting point is a fascinating new building element: the ‘smart screen’. The smart screen is an ivy hedge grown in Dutch greenhouses. It is produced in sections measuring 1.2 by 1.8 meters and planted in gardens. Essentially an industrial product, the hedge can be deployed to build ‘green walls’. Normally, it takes years for ivy to grow and cover a building. The smart screen makes a green building possible instantly.

The dimensions of the Hedge Pavilion are 20×6.5×10 meters. It is, in fact, a pergola. Its compact shape, topped by a roof and entered through four-meter-high doors, gives it the enclosed character of a house. This is balanced by the see-through character of the ivy. A steel framework creates five rows of channels filled with earth from which the smart screens grow. A computer-controlled system of pipes provides irrigation for the hedges. The structure has no conventional diagonal bracing but is stabilized by four star-shaped corner columns that can withstand all horizontal loads. Vertical loads are carried by a multitude of five-centimeter-thick columns. The hedges are visually continuous and look as if they support the structure. The hedges partly conceal the star-shaped columns, each of which weighs 4000 kilograms, and make them appear less substantial. Visually, the hedges seem to turn the corners, yet at the same time the corners are subtly marked.

The interior is enclosed on all sides by 10-meter-high green walls of ivy. Covering the top of the space is a screen of translucent plastic. The space is very neutral and modest and can accommodate different functions. Interesting light conditions predominate inside. Light entering through the ceiling gives the space the character of a classical museum, and more light filters through the enclosing hedges. The result is a game played between inside and outside. The light from above makes the space feel like an interior, while the light entering through the hedges gives the space the character of an exterior space. What’s more, the gentle sway of the leaves and their shadows enhances the perception of the space.

The amphitheater house is built in Hydra, a traditional small town, situated in an island close to Piraeus, the port of Athens. The building was constructed above the ruins of an older quasi-orthogonal foundation wall: none of the characteristics of the older construction was obvious when the operation for its design started. The material of its walls is the material that occurred from the excavation of the stone that laid underground the site.

The project challenges the possibilities of an empty –“construction site” like – living place.   The space is organized around a high-ceiling interior that reaches, in parts, 10 meters height. The amphitheater that occupies the central part of the high space replaces the living room of the house; the amphitheater gives shape to the gatherings that occur in it or around it. The house’s kitchen space and the rooms are included in a narrow zone, located in the eastern part of the house. A horizontal wooden platform is suspended over the interior space, proposing an area that can be used as a master bedroom viewing the island’s port.  

The house orchestrates a multiplicity of different situations that can swift its character according to each temporary inhabitation. The inhabitation of the house is analogue to the series of its transformations. Different interpretations of the house are translated in different dispersions of mobile objects and elements of its electronic equipment. The scene of the house has been designed in order to present every dispersion of its objecthood.   The amphitheater house is proposed as an essay about emptiness and theatricality while it forms a post fordist – vacation space or an immaterial labor villa in the conditions of a post network society.

The design of the house is a dual response to the particular topography of the site and to the rural domestication techniques that in the past shaped the raw ‘Cycladic island’ landscape.

Photo: Ed Reeve. Published on December 13, 2013.

In the past, dry-rubble stone walls domesticated the land for agricultural purposes and were the most prominent man-made interventions in the landscape. The walls retained earth and transformed a steep topography into a series of arable plateaus. Today, the Cycladic islands are being reshaped by a very different force: the demand for holiday homes. The design uses the precedent of earth-retaining stone walls to create an artificial landscape that is both rural and domestic in use.

The site is a natural saddle where two slopes meet. In the North-South axis the slope rises between two hills while in the East-West axis the slope drops, opening to the sea views. Two long stone walls bridge the hills allowing the house to nestle in the space within while maintaining the continuity of the landscape which flows over it. This simple strategy blurs the edges of the house and makes its mass imperceptible within the broader skyline of the island.

The presence of the house is revealed by the four courtyards carved into the flowing landscape. The courtyards separate the living spaces into five interior areas, an arrangement which resembles the fifth side of a dice. As a result, the house is protected from the elements, yet is full of natural light, generous views and a compact but rich relationship to its setting.

Photo: Ed Reeve. Published on December 13, 2013.

The name of the house itself, Aloni, refers to the remains of a crop-harvesting circle that was found and preserved as part of the agricultural past of the site.

Building Area: 237sqm
Property Area: 12,952sm
 Design: 2006-2007 
Completion: 2008

Photo: Mads Mogensen. Published on December 13, 2013.

Photo: Julia Klimi. Published on December 13, 2013.

Voronoi’s Corrals is a project located in an isolated natural setting with an area of 60,000 m2. The overall design strategy was to segregate the rural areas of the landscape from the wild ones with clearly defined borders that form four distinct corrals. Each corral takes clues from its microenvironment and adopts sustainable strategies to amplify the experiential qualities of both the house and the landscape.

Photo: Stale Eriksen. Published on December 13, 2013.

The Immersion corral is in a plateau at the edge of the white tuff and limestone cliffs which characterize the Southern coast of the island. Here the senses are bombarded by the presence of the raw natural elements: the sounds of the sea, the intensity of the sun and the wind, and the broad views of a horizon framed by geological formations. The 170 m2 building on this plateau is organized around exterior courtyards which are used to funnel and control the prevailing winds and provide ventilation. The mass is defined by volumes that step down to follow the natural slopes of the area. The exterior shell of the building is articulated by the stacking, coursing and stepping of long limestone blocks which have low heat conductivity and provide excellent thermal protection. Furthermore, like the cliffs, the material ages naturally changing appearance during the seasons.

Photo: Stale Eriksen. Published on December 13, 2013.

The Orchard corral is the largest corral, enclosing a planting area of 18,320m2. It preserves the agricultural nature of the property which has been regularly cultivated for generations. An orchard of 550 Olive trees was planted along with grape vines, vegetables and aromatic herbs. Only local Mediterranean varieties were selected to minimize the irrigation needs. The scale of the corral provided the opportunity to absorb the excavation material of the entire site, reshape the topography, and install a horizontal geothermal network which provides energy efficient cooling and heating for the entire project. In this new topography, as the land slopes gradually downwards, the long rubble stone wall of the corral increases in height to reveal the façade of a small building otherwise hidden by the olive field above it. The thick walls and shading elements protect the façade from the harsh southern orientation, an 80cm layer of soil insulates the roofs, and towards the north the carved earth forms a ramp that funnels the prevailing winds to ventilate the interior spaces.

Photo: Stale Eriksen. Published on December 13, 2013.

The Preservation corral is located in an area of 580m2 where the morphology of the land creates a zone undisturbed by the winds. This provided the opportunity to create a protected ecotope which is planted with fruit trees of varieties unique to the island and which are almost extinct.

Photo: Stale Eriksen. Published on December 13, 2013.

The Isolation corral is in a small clearing that is accessed through a narrow path passing through the native forest. It is the most isolated location on the site, surrounded by wilderness and in close proximity to a small brook. This is the smallest corral and will be built by hand to preserve the surrounding vegetation. Like in other traditional structures in the islands, the edge of the stone wall will define the shape of a small shaded resting space.

Photo: Stale Eriksen. Published on December 13, 2013.

Building Area: 300sqm
Property Area: 60,000 sqm
Design: 2009-2010
Construction: 2011-2012

Photo: Stale Eriksen. Published on December 13, 2013.

Situata su un promontorio che si affaccia sul mar d’Africa l’abitazione è costituita da due volumi collegati tra loro da un pergolato. Il più grande dei due corpi è il risultato della ricostruzione ed ampliamento di un rudere esistente. L’intento è stato quello di ricostruire nel rispetto degli elementi della tradizione locale cercando di rendere il volume più“essenziale” possibile. L’edificio, a forma di L, è costituito da una parte con tetto a falde dove è ubicata la zona living dell’abitazione a cui si lega un volume più basso con tetto piano, dove è prevista la zona notte. Il secondo corpo di fabbrica destinato a dependance, è il risultato della rifunzionalizzazione di un magazzino esistente. Un piccolo locale tecnico posto dietro la dependance diventa elemento di separazione tra la zona piscina e un orto concluso. I muri dell’orto, di altezza massima di 2 metri, contribuiscono a dare compattezza a tutto il sistema mettendo in diretta relazione, sia formale che funzionale, il gruppo di edifici. Formalmente il progetto si esplicita in elementi riconducibili a volumi “puri” che, “legati” tra loro da un sistema di muri, acquistano “complessità”; dall’organicità del complesso si generano una serie di spazialità“intime” dove gli elementi del paesaggio vengono “selezionati”.

Photo by Santo Eduardo Di Miceli. Published on December 12, 2013.

Missing image

Photo by Santo Eduardo Di Miceli. Published on December 12, 2013.

Pianta

Sezione

Prospetto 1

Prospetto 2

Prospetto 3

Modello

CONCEPT: The house is situated on the top of a hill on Antiparos, in the Cycladic islands, Greece. The design was conceived as an inhabitable Krater, a dwelling, which is inextricably linked to the landscape that forms it. During the design process a scene from ‘Zabriskie Point’, a film by Michelangelo Antonioni, inspired us. We used the scene as a reference for spontaneous, sensual inhabitation of the landscape.

Photo: Nikos Kangelis. Published on December 13, 2013.

DESIGN CHALLENGE: The location of the house on the top of a hill created two basic challenges for the design. We needed to protect the exterior living areas from strong winds of the Aegean Sea and we wanted to hide the volume of the house from the settlement, which is located at the foot of the hill. The concept of Krater was ideally suited to confront both challenges. The main exterior areas of the house were dug into the landscape forming the ‘Caldera’ of the Krater, a sunken area that is protected from the full force of the winds. Additionally a two-story stone volume was placed in front of the prevailing North-Eastern summer winds. Since all the elements of Krater were sunken into the landscape, only the second storey of the stone volume is visible from the village.

Photo: Nikos Kangelis. Published on December 13, 2013.

DESIGN ATTITUDE: The beauty of the landscape intrigued us. The primary objective of the design process was to explore the unique sensual identity of the site (genius loci) and through this exploration create a complementary dialogue between the intervention and the existing condition. We aimed to create events and experiences that spring from the powerful presence of the landscape, rather than designing a building that appropriates the landscape.

Photo: Nikos Kangelis. Published on December 13, 2013.

DESIGN PROCESS: In order to situate the intervention on the hill we analysed the local topography and the views from the site extensively. We carved into physical models of the area in order to form the inhabitable crater. Information was transferred from the model onto the landscape where the limits of the Krater, the direction of the lava flow and the vanishing points of the strongest views were marked and manipulated on site. All the information was transferred back from the site onto drawings through a detailed survey. Our findings were refined and developed further in a series of sections through the landscape that explored the flow and the interweaving of the four basic ingredients of the dwelling: Stone, ‘lava flow’, ‘the alien’ and water.

Photo: Nikos Kangelis. Published on December 13, 2013.

Stone: stone surfaces define the borders of the Krater. On the North side, a double height stone volume protects the Krater from the wind and houses multiple sleeping rooms and public gathering spaces. On the East, stone angled walls surround the Krater and form the entrance ramp. The South side features a stone volume, with a metal structure that supports a bamboo roof. Finally the West is open to sea views.

Photo: Nikos Kangelis. Published on December 13, 2013.

‘Lava Flow’: A path flows under the lap pool, like lava overflowing from the Krater. It is directed towards the guest house. Stone walls form its boundaries, folding back to let a small garden come to life. The guest house consists of two sheltered spaces and one roofless room (courtyard), in between them. One room is visible, the other is buried into the landscape.

Photo: Nikos Kangelis. Published on December 13, 2013.

‘Alien’: A long rectangular white volume is placed inside the Krater. Its central location reflects the cultural importance of its use: the preparation and enjoyment of food. Large glass sliding doors blur the boundaries between the interior space and the exterior courtyard. The kitchen windows frame specific views of the pool and the surrounding small islands.

Photo: Nikos Kangelis. Published on December 13, 2013.

Water: A 25 meter long lap pool marks the Krater’s Western boundary, in axis with a small rocky island north of Antiparos and opens views of the sun set. The swimmer experiences a visual unification of the pool water surface and the sea, through the overflow on the western edge of the pool, right at the moment when turning for a breath. The lap pool becomes deeper and wider as it enters the Krater’s main courtyard.

Photo: Nikos Kangelis. Published on December 13, 2013.

Building Area: 570m2 construction, 125m2 exterior covered spaces, 735m2 exterior paved areas
Design: 2002
 Completion: 2004 

As a reaction to the chaotic streetscape that is created due to the uncontrolled use of balconies, the decision was made to conceive the facade as a single volume that is built up out of loggias. This volume cantilevers three meters above its base, making it appear to float. The facade conceals the thickness of the floors. This is done so by ending all extremities of the facade into sharp edges. This system alters on every floor its orientation giving the facade a very specific rhythm. The shadow plays a different role on each surface. From the square in front, the view of the building is experienced differently from each angle. This building was developed and built personally.

Photo by Adonis Kekidakis. Published on December 03, 2013.

Building surface: 970 m2
Design 2008
Construction 2009-2010
Cost: E 820.000
Second place at the Domes Awards 2011 with an honorable mention of Steven Holl: “The problem of ragged balconies along typical Greek urban streets is addressed in a simple and fresh way. While in strong contrast to the adjacent buildings, this new structure sets a finely proportioned space of inspiring geometric liveliness due to the subtle adjustment in the structural concrete planes.”

Photo by Adonis Kekidakis. Published on December 03, 2013.

This building was designed based on the relationship of man with the landscape and particularly the earth. The entrance from the street is created by two parallel walls which contain the staircase and “slice” the earth in order to guide you to the ground level of the house. This level accommodates the most introvert-private spaces of the house, the bedrooms, and it has been designed to either open up towards the landscape or be completely isolated from it, according to the mood of its inhabitants.

In contrast, the level of the living-dining-kitchen area, the more extrovert-public spaces of the house is surrounded by glass, allowing the landscape to become part of the living space. A staircase leads to the planted terrace and from there a bridge proceeds directly into the landscape where the half-suspended swimming pool “floats” over the sloping plot.
Design phase: 2004-2006
building phase: 2006-2009
surface area: 500,00m2