Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects

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Project Details:
Client: The International Criminal Court
Area: 46,000 m2 with up to 1,200 work stations
Construction sum: € 190 million ex. VAT
Competition: 2008-2010 restricted international competition
Status: Won, construction 2012-2015
Engineer: Royal Haskoning Nederland B.V. – Esbensen Consulting Engineers
Interior Design and Art: Bosch & Fjord in collaboration with schmidt hammer lassen architects
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“When designing the new permanent premises of the International Criminal Court, the point of departure was to communicate trust, hope and – most importantly – faith in justice and fairness. The building should have the courage to be an ambassador for the credibility of the ICC. The project and its architecture should be impressive and grandiose but should always relate to humans and the human scale. It is important that a formal institution like the ICC does not constitute barriers for people. On the contrary, it must express the very essence of democratic architecture.

Located close to the North Sea the site is placed between the nature and the city. Connecting the dune landscape with the edge of the city has a striking potential. By designing a compact building with a small footprint, the landscape is returned to the city so that the open spaces, the sky and the horizon become an integrated part of the architectural composition.

Through the lightness and simplicity in the architectural design, the values of ‘openness’ and ‘transparency’ are communicated. The building is designed as a sculptural abstraction, – a composition of 6 volumes, firmly anchored to the site and rising from the surrounding dune landscape.

The tallest of the volumes is the Court Tower that rises up as a green element. The architectural idea is to continue the cultivated parterre gardens from the ground floor level, as a cladding on the Court Tower. Historically, gardens have always existed as part of all cultures and all religions. With flowers and plants from each of the 110 member countries, the parterre garden rises up as a symbol of unity, regardless of nationality and culture. The remaining volumes, the office towers, are draped in a tapestry grid, almost like embroidery. The office façade grid is designed with angle and cut-outs, which allows the light to reflect differently in an almost playful way.

The overall architectural expression becomes an abstract and informal sculpture – a backdrop for communicating the values of the ICC.”
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Bernard Tschumi

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Project Details:
Project: Bridge
Location: La Roche-sur-Yon, France
Commission: 2007 – Completion: 2010
COST: $5,500,000
CLIENT: City of La Roche-sur-Yon, SNCF
PHOTOGRAPHY: BTA, Christian Richters
TEAM: Lead Designers: Bernard Tschumi and Hugh Dutton (HDA).
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“The extension of the TGV train to La Roche-sur-Yon and nearby towns bordering the Atlantic marks not only an important moment for the modernization of the European and French train network, but also an occasion to initiate civic improvements. Linking the historic city founded by Napoleon (“the Pentagon”) with new neighborhoods, this pedestrian bridge crosses above high-speed railway tracks, providing an important urban connection for the town.

Conceived through joint collaboration between the fields of architecture and engineering, the bridge was designed by Bernard Tschumi and Hugh Dutton, with their respective teams in Paris and New York. The teams developed the design for La Roche-sur-Yon as both a utilitarian vector of movement and a symbol of contemporary urban relationships. The intention of the designers was to demonstrate an integration of an original structural system with an architectural concept developed from urban scale research of neighborhood identity and carried through the expression of the minutest details.

It has been said that there is no architecture without movement. A pedestrian bridge is not just a static object, but represents a dynamic vector in both its usage and urban perception. The designers have sought to express this dynamic characteristic as much through the structural system as through finishing materials. Interlaced polycarbonate surfaces protect passengers from weather conditions, while lighting follows the rhythm of the structure. Even the bright red-orange color was chosen to emphasize the urban significance of the bridge as a pedestrian vector.” Bernard Tschumi Architects
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REX - OMA - Iwan Baan

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Project Details:
AT&T PERFORMING ARTS CENTER – DEE AND CHARLES WYLY THEATRE
Dallas, Texas

CLIENT: AT&T Performing Arts Center
PROGRAM: 575-seat “multi-form” theater with the ability to transform between proscenium, thrust, arena, traverse, studio, and flat floor configurations with only a small crew in a few hours; and to open the performance space to its urban surroundings
AREA: 7,700 m² (80,300 sf)
PROJECT COST: $354 million, including Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, Annette Strauss Artists Square, and Elaine D. and Charles A. Sammons Park
STATUS Completed October 2009
DESIGN ARCHITECT: REX | OMA
KEY PERSONNEL: Joshua Prince-Ramus (Partner in Charge) and Rem Koolhaas, with Erez Ella, Vincent Bandy, Vanessa Kassabian, Tim Archambault
EXECUTIVE ARCHITECT: Kendall Heaton Associates
CONSULTANTS: Cosentini, DHV, Donnell Consultants, Front, HKA, Magnusson Klemencic, McCarthy Construction, McGuire, Pielow Fair, Plus Group, Quinze & Milan, Theatre Projects Consultants, Tillotson Design, Transsolar, 2x
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Iwan Baan

Following our article back in January, here is update on Vitra Haus with new photos from Iwan Baan.
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Jack O`Reilly – The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester UK

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“The programme proposed provides for the sustainable Manchester. It is centred around food cultures and media networks. Sustainability can be improved by the production of food in urban spaces, sourcing local foods and selling the produce of local farmers.
In essence sustainability cannot survive with out promotion , promoted mainly through current media outputs. Therefore Manchester requires a scheme that produces its own food and has the capabilities to promote this action through media, such as TV broadcasts.”

This program is known as:
URBAN F.@.M.I.N (Urban farming and media interactive networks). Vegetables and fruit are grown hydroponically using water from the canal, which mainly serves as a transport route. The crop produced is sold back to Manchester reducing the cities reliance on importing foreign goods and generates an income to sustain the project. The crop is used in the restaurant, which in turn promotes the urban farming and sustainability to the user.
To reach the widest possible audience a TV studio is integrated which produces programmes
based around food cultures and sustainability.
One of the key points of the scheme is to teach people about sustainable approaches to living. An exhibition space with a ‘hands on learning experience’ allows people of all ages to learn about possible new technologies for the ‘future city’ before seeing them in use on either the farm or TV studio.”
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b720 Architects

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“The new Aeroport Lleida-Alguaire, 15km from the Catalonian town of Lleida, and just a stone’s throw from the Spanish Pyrenees, is a site-focused contemporary take on old-world airport buildings, designed as the chief piece of an accommodating modular system. “
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text courtesy of Wallpaper
photos courtesy of Aeroport Lleida-Alguaire
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“The brainchild of Barcelona-based Fermin Vazquez – b720 arquitectos, the terminal, control tower and garages are gathered into one single construction – typical of airports of yesteryear. The purpose of this single construction is as a sizable volume that works well with the surrounding flat and stratified agricultural landscape and can be extended according to future needs.

The outer walls of the control tower are the defining element of the construction. They curve to become the undulated roofs of the terminal and the garages. Each wall is made up of two adjacent and levelled strips of differing width, that break tandem to ripple in different points over the terminal – allowing natural light in – and finally wrap up at unequal distances off the end of the lower body of the building.

The organic lines of the walls soften the clash between the construction and the surrounding landscape, while the patchwork of lacquered metal, timber and maintenance-free sedum plants on the outer surface of the walls mimics the colours and textures of the nearby plantations.

New modules can be added to the airport either lengthwise, in a Lego-esque fit with the jagged ends of the existing strips, or widthwise with extra strips.”
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mecanoo architecten
photos by christian richters

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Project Details:
Program: Theatre and conference center of 37,500 m2 with a theater (1000 seats), 2 congress halls (400 and 200 seats) which can be divided into smaller halls, an exhibition hall, 2 multifunctional foyers, press room, restaurant, lounge, 9,500 m² parking, a square of 15,325 m2, Mercolleida office and retail space of 2,591 m2, 1st prize competition
architect: mecanoo architecten
client: Centre de Negocis i de Convencions S.A., Lleida
project address: l’Avenida de Tortosa, Lleida, Spain
design: 2005 -2006
realization: 2006 -2010
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“Mise-en-scène
The mountain with the historical cathedral Seu Vella and the Segre river mark the high and low points of the mountainous landscape in which Lleida lies, after Barcelona the second city of Catalonia. On the banks of the Segre, somewhat outside the center of the city, is coming La Llotja, a large conference center with a theater. Mecanoo has interpreted the landscape of Lleida as an exciting decor before which the building has been set down somewhat away from the river. The mise-en-scène is elaborated on three levels of scale. Regarded at the large scale of the region, the building represents a connecting link between the river and the mountain. Viewed at the level of the city, La Llotja and the river forms a balanced composition. At street level the cantilevers of the La Llotja de Lleida conference center provide protection from sun and rain.

Foyers
The large stone edifice seems to have sprouted from the Spanish earth. The building’s horizontal form provides a large garden on the roof, while under the cantilevers begins a square for events, with the stairs of the adjacent building serving as a tribune. Parking is underground, the loading area for trucks is at ground floor, where you also find the floor of the theatre stage, the dressing rooms and the restaurant kitchen. The loading area for small trucks is at -1. In a light court in the center of the building, a monumental staircase rises from street level to the multi-functional hall on the first floor. A ramp leads on to the foyer on the second level where there is a panoramic window looking out across the city and the river. In the foyer are the entrances to the theater, which also serves as a large conference hall, meeting rooms and a small conference room. The latter is visually connected to the multifunctional hall by means of a raked tribune separated by a glass wall. The press office, VIP rooms and a meeting center are situated on the city side of the building, accessed by an internal corridor. The entire functional logistics for the theater and the conference center are situated inconspicuously but extremely functionally. Restaurants with bars are located on the side of La Llotja facing the river and the square. The monolithic building is in fact composed of different pieces of buildings linked together by sound-absorbing foyers.

Roof garden
Materials ensure distinction and orientation in the interior. The exterior is of stone. Inside there are mainly white, plastered walls and either wooden or marble floors. The entrance hall and the multi-functional hall have a marble floor, while the foyer has a floor of mixed hardwood. The theater has the atmosphere of an orchard with walls of dark wood in which trees of light have been cut out. The color palette of fruit is a theme that recurs in small details throughout the building. After all, the region of Lleida is famous for its fruit production. The roof is colorful: pergolas support a range of creepers and climbers like roses, Jasmin and ivy. The garden with its mirador is not only pleasant but also useful since the ground cover keeps the roof cool in the summer, provides a beautiful view for people living in the neighborhood and serves an extra place for conference guests to sojourn.”
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The City * The Arch * The River

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Contest organizers today announced the names of nine design teams selected to advance to the next round of the competition “Framing a Modern Masterpiece | The City * The Arch * The River” to invigorate the park and city areas surrounding the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, MO.
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The lead designers and design teams are:

* Behnisch Architekten, Gehl Architects, Stephen Stimson Associates, Buro Happold, Transsolar, Applied Ecological Services, Limno‐Tech, Herbert Dreiseitl, Arne Quinze, Peter MacKeith, Eric Mumford
* FIT (Fully Integrated Thinking) Team – Arup, Doug Aitken Studio, HOK Planning Group, HOK
* Michael Maltzan Architecture, Stoss Landscape Urbanism, Rafael Lozano‐Hemmer, Richard Sommer, Buro Happold
* Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Steven Holl Architects, Greenberg Consultants, Uhlir Consulting, HR&A Advisors, Guy Nordenson and Associates, Arup, LimnoTech, Ann Hamilton Studio, James Carpenter Design Associates, Elizabeth K. Meyer, Project Projects
* PWP Landscape Architecture, Foster + Partners, Civitas, Ned Kahn, Buro Happold
* Quennell Rothschild and Partners and Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Vishkan Chakrabarti, Buro Happold, Atelier Ten, and Nicholas Baume
* Rogers Marvel Architects and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, Urban Strategies, Local Projects, Arup
* SOM, BIG, Hargreaves Associates, Jaume Plensa, URS
* Weiss/Manfredi, Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Mark Dion

“The Jury had the challenge of evaluating portfolios that represented designers of international and national recognition, emerging designers and design teams comprised of individuals that provide great promise as collaborators,” said competition manager Don Stastny, of StastnyBrun Architects. “The lead designers and design teams invited to participate in Stage II represent individuals and firms that have local, national and international ties – and have the potential to come up with extraordinary solutions to the design challenges presented by the City, the Arch and the River.”

The nine design leaders and teams now have five weeks to complete their teams and present full qualifications to the competition jury, Stastny said.
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In addition, local contractors, minority, disadvantaged, or women‐owned businesses and others are invited to meet Feb. 18 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Old Court House with representatives of the shortlisted design groups for potential teaming opportunities.

“This will be an excellent opportunity for these businesses to learn about the project and to begin considering participating,” Stastny said. “We look forward to a strong turnout.”

The competition, launched Dec. 8, 2009, has three stages. Portfolio submissions in Stage I included a description of the design team, a statement of design intent and philosophy of the lead designer, a profile of the design team and examples of their work. Each team was required to include representatives of architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, engineering and an artist.

Stage II involves the formation of the complete teams capable of executing the project, submission of required paperwork and a jury interview. This phase will culminate April 7, 2010, with the narrowing of the field to four or five teams.

The final stage, Stage III, to take place over the summer, will include a 90‐day design concept competition to explore the finalists’ design approach and test their working methodology.

The competition’s goal is to create an iconic setting for the international icon, the Gateway Arch, honoring its immediate surroundings and weaving connections and transitions from the city and the Arch grounds to the Mississippi River, including the east bank in Illinois.

The public will be invited to two events this spring and summer. A “meet the designers night” will be held in late April. This summer, there will be a public exhibition of the designs. Details will be available soon.

The final jury pick will be announced on Sept. 24, 2010. The project will be constructed by Oct. 28, 2015.

The new design is called for in the National Park Service’s General Management Plan, which was developed with extensive public input over an 18‐month period and approved Nov. 23, 2009.

The competition is sponsored by the CityArchRiver 2015 Foundation, which includes National Park Superintendent Tom Bradley, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, community leaders from Missouri and Illinois, academics, architects and national park advocates.

Financial contributions to the CityArchRiver 2015 Foundation are being handled by the Greater St. Louis Community Foundation, a public charity with more than $140 million in charitable assets and representing more than 350 individual funds.

Donors to the competition include: Emerson, Gateway Center of Metropolitan St. Louis (Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park), Peter Fischer, Emily Rauh Pulitzer, Civic Progress, Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation, Danforth Foundation, John F. McDonnell, Bryan Cave LLP, Greater St. Louis Community Foundation, National Park Foundation, Monsanto, Alison and John Ferring, Bank of America, David C. Farrell and others who choose to remain anonymous.
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A full list of registrants for the competition, “Framing a Modern Masterpiece: The City + The Arch + The River 2015,” has also been released. It can be found with other competition information at www.cityarchrivercompetition.org.
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WORKac

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“WORKac and ZhuBO recently won an invited competition to redesign a 1-kilometer section of Hua Qiang Bei Road. Hua Qiang Bei has emerged naturally from an industrial district to become Shenzhen’s premier shopping and electronics street. This success has also unfortunately created traffic problems, and the street needs a new contemporary expression to reflect its destination status. A single solution – as proposed by Shenzhen’s Planning Bureau – that covers the entire length of the street, could overwhelm this vibrant character. For this reason, we proposed a series of strategic interventions, rather than a single approach.
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We have taken the idea of the 3D Street and created five iconic “lanterns” by twisting the required program into sinuous bands, creating unique, visible destinations through a process of “urban acupuncture” – strategically affecting change where required. These lanterns are high enough to maintain views across the street, while still providing shade and bridge connections. At night, the Lanterns glow with colored light and activity. Each Lantern contains special destination public programs. From an electronics museum at the south, to an urban information hub in the electronics district to an elevated public park at the center, a “figure eight” observation pavilion and a fashion and design museum at the north.
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Underground, new connective spaces provide public amenities – a public library, a food court, and a series of performance and gallery spaces – and provide connections across the street and between four newly created metro lines. Terraced steps create generous entrances at each of the Lanterns. The underground spaces are connected by a wide shopping “boulevard” at mezzanine level.

The project is a collaboration with Arup as consulting traffic, sustainability, structural and MEP engineers and Balmori Associates as landscape architect.”
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THE CITY OF NEW YORK
Courtesy of urbanSHED International Design Competition. Urban Umbrella design by Young Hwan Choi, Andres Cortes and Sarrah Khan of Agencie Group.

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MAYOR BLOOMBERG, BUILDINGS COMMISSIONER LIMANDRI UNVEIL NEW DESIGN FOR SIDEWALK SHEDS THAT PROTECT PEDESTRIANS FROM BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

First Re-Design of Sidewalk Sheds in New York City since the 1950s will Improve Quality of Life, Reduce Construction Impacts on Businesses and Building Owners, Increase Pedestrian Safety and Increase Available Space on Sidewalks.
New Design Generated Through International Competition Organized with the American Institute of Architects
Advances State of City Promise to Promote New Ideas and Foster New York City’s ‘Spirit of Innovation’ to Improve Quality of Life and Help the City Meet the Challenges that Lie Ahead.
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Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Department of Buildings Commissioner Robert D. LiMandri and President of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Anthony Schirripa, AIA, today unveiled a new design for sidewalk sheds – the wood and steel structures built to protect pedestrians walking alongside buildings under construction. The design of the City’s sidewalk sheds has remained primarily unchanged since the 1950s and the new design will improve quality of life, reduce construction impacts on businesses, increase pedestrian safety and increase available space for pedestrians on sidewalks.

An international competition – the “urbanSHED International Design Competition” – was held to challenge the design community to create a new standard of sidewalk shed. The competition winner, “Urban Umbrella,” was developed by Young-Hwan Choi, a 28-year-old student from the University of Pennsylvania. The winning design was selected from 164 designs submitted by architects, engineers, designers and students from 28 countries around the world. The Mayor also was joined at the announcement by Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan; Department of City Planning Commissioner Amanda M. Burden, FAICP; Downtown Alliance President Elizabeth H. Berger; and Building Congress President Richard T. Anderson.

“Yesterday in my State of the City speech I talked about the innovation and enterprise that fuels our city and today we are showing off of that entrepreneurial sprit,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Sidewalk sheds are a part of New York life, reflecting the face of a city that is constantly changing – yet the sheds themselves haven’t evolved at all during the past four decades and its time to bring them into the 21st century. The new structures will complement the City’s architectural beauty rather than take it away from it, while increasing space and safety for pedestrians and reducing the impact of construction on businesses and building owners.”

“Sidewalk sheds are installed to protect pedestrians from construction or building maintenance work, and this design is a perfect way to improve safety and the quality of life for all New Yorkers,” said Buildings Commissioner LiMandri. “This new design is great for building owners because less of your building will be hidden, and it’s great for pedestrians because there’s more space to walk, run or shop than ever before. I am confident this design will change the city’s landscape and make people fall in love with this city all over again. I would like to thank Mr. Choi for his work and all of our partners who made this competition a reality.”

“Sidewalk sheds, while necessary, hide the architectural features that make our streets so attractive and take away from what makes our neighborhoods and business corridors vibrant,” said Transportation Commissioner Sadik-Khan. “This design invites New Yorkers’ eyes back up from the sidewalk and lets them reclaim their streets even before construction is complete.” “Design is all about rethinking what we already know,” said City Planning Commissioner Burden. “This competition created excitement amongst designers, proving that the city’s vibrant streetscape can be enhanced with a smart twist on a simple structure. This innovative new design brings both amenity and delight to pedestrians, and makes sure that New York City streets continue to be welcoming, dynamic and young.”

“The urbanSHED competition shows that good design grows out of effective partnerships among the City, the American Institute of Architects, the New York Building Congress and other groups,” said Anthony Schirripa, President of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. “As a result of this joint endeavor, the sidewalks of New York will be more pedestrian-friendly, safer and more sustainable. I thank all the designers who submitted their great ideas and all of our collaborators for joining with us to promote the power of design for a better New York.”
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The new design is a significant upgrade of the sidewalk shed that is widely used around the city. The “Urban Umbrella” design will:
- Improve neighborhood quality of life with improved aesthetics and more air and natural light reaching the sidewalk;
- Reduce construction impacts on businesses and building owners through a less obstructive design that allow more of the building to be seen;
- Increase safety through a modern design that eliminates cross-bracing and exposed bolts; and
- Reduce the amount of obstructions on sidewalks, increasing space on the sidewalk to allow for more pedestrian traffic.

There are approximately 6,000 sidewalk sheds in New York City, representing more than 1 million linear feet. The Department of Buildings will approve the winning design as a new standard and encourage the real estate and construction industry to use this model in the future.
The costs for contractors to install the new design are expected to be in line with installation costs for the current design, but long term maintenance and installations costs for the new structures will be lower. The new design will not mandated, but it will be in the interest of contractors to use the new design due to the reduce maintenance costs and in the interest of building owners and affected businesses, as the new design will obstruct less of a building’s facade.
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The urbanSHED competition will award Mr. Choi with a $10,000 prize, and the Alliance for Downtown New York will fund the construction and installation of a full-scale prototype of the design at a job site in Lower Manhattan.
Mr. Choi, a first-year architecture student at the University of Pennsylvania, holds a Bachelor of Architectural Engineering from Korea University in Seoul, Korea and moved to the United States in the summer of 2009. Upon being selected as a finalist, Mr. Choi teamed up with Sarrah Khan, a professional engineer, and Andres Cortes, a registered architect, of the New York-based design firm Agencie Group to further develop his shed design.
The competition was sponsored by the Department of Buildings, American Institute of Architects, Alliance for Downtown New York, ABNY Foundation, Illuminating Engineering Society New York City Section and New York Building Congress, with additional support from the Department of Transportation, the Department of City Planning and the Structural Engineers Association of New York.

The winning design was selected by a jury comprised of City Planning Commissioner Amanda M. Burden, FAICP; David M. Childs, FAIA, of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill; Craig Dykers of Snøhetta; Buildings Commissioner LiMandri; Jean Oei of Morphosis; Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan; Craig Michael Schwitter, P.E., of Buro Happold North America; Frank Sciame, CEO of F.J. Sciame Construction Co., Inc., and Ada Tolla of LOT-EK.
Susanna Sirefman of Dovetail Design Strategists was the competition advisor overseeing the development and management of the competition.

During the first stage of the competition, the selection jury chose three finalists based on criteria focused on safety, sustainability and constructability. Designs were also evaluated on their use of natural light and the required electrical lighting, impact on the streetscape and pedestrian experience, and improvements to structural components.

In the second stage, the competition awarded the three finalists with $5,000 to further develop their
concept. They also received recommendations from a technical advisory group of leading design and
construction industry stakeholders. All submitted designs are featured at www.urbanshed.org, and the three
finalists designs are on view at the Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place, through February 10.
Additional information on the competition is available at www.nyc.gov.
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MIMOA

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Location: Teruel – Spain
Function: square
Architects: b720_Arquitectos
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“The project is based on developing a system of large, cobbled paving which has a pattern of luminescent lines embedded in it. This creates a faint atmosphere, without lighting the area too much. The light, understood as a fluid element, extends across the square and finds points of inflection in the Torico’s fountain (which these lighting lines surround), the Fondero and Somero cisterns, and the Arca Secreta (sites where the vectorial density is reduced to a half, to enhance their archaeological value). The square is arranged longitudinally through lines of accentuated perspective, built with linear lighting systems in the porches and gables. Two installation trenches on the outer surfaces of the gates eliminate the service facilities and aerial cables attached on the walls. The lighting project is completed with the installation of lights hidden inside the Torico’s fountain, carrying out the existing light displacement, more vertical to the horizontal plane.”
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Keisuke Maeda / UID architects

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Project Details:
Project Name: MORI x hako
Used materials:
* exterior wall: cedar 120×2050x15mm (processed joint) paint finish
* 1F －floor: Hinoki flooring, wall: structural plywood t=12, ceiling:structural plywood t=9
* 2F・3F – floor: tile carpets, wall: structural plywood t=12, ceiling:structural plywood t=9
Construction methods: Steel structure
Furniture manufacturer: artek, Carl Hansen & Son, sedus
Lighting manufacturer: yamagiwa, DAIKO
Floor manufacturer: Home Co.Ltd
Wall manufacturer: Home Co.Ltd
Floor area:Total: 403.10㎡ 1F: 183.45㎡　2F: 175.89㎡　3F: 43.76㎡
Budget
Date of completion: January, 2009
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Project Description:
Towards a new model for multi-tenant buildings with an appealing philosophy
As an important building type, multi-tenant projects would seem to present somewhat obvious issues for consideration. In practice, however, most projects end up placing top priority on profit maximization and the optimization of floor area. In addition, these buildings often incorporate elements that lead to superficial architecture. Nevertheless, for this project we attempted to rethink the possibilities of a multi-tenant building that would embody an appealing contemporary philosophy while taking into account such routine considerations.
This project is situated in a largely residential area that lies about 1km north of the train station, distinguished by a large number of plots of land that are exceptionally long in relation to their frontage. The site for this project, too, was a narrow, slender plot with a frontage of about 10m and a depth of 50m in relation to the road out front, surrounded on three sides by neighbouring residences. Typically, such a site tends to lead to a situation where the tenant space facing the road out front is blessed with more favourable conditions compared to the other spaces. With this in mind, we tried to work out spatial principles that would allow us to give the inner spaces additional advantages that would equal or surpass the conditions of the front space.
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Layered diversity
Specifically, this project involved a dental clinic on the first floor and an esthetic salon and office on the second floor. These facilities were housed in two boxes oriented towards the east and west, with a third box in the middle containing a staircase and a forest. The four walls formed by this layout of boxes were designed to create a sense of integrated diversity in the architecture, thanks to the layered openings in between the boxes.
Tenants were also involved in the decision-making process from the planning stage onwards. They took a proactive role in deciding how the interior spaces would be designed, and were able to understand the framework of the building as a whole.
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The front and back surfaces of each of the four layers contribute to creating a diverse, interrelated space. The openings ensure the privacy of neighbouring tenants, while the opening and tightening of these openings at regular intervals allows one to be aware not only of vertical connections between floors and horizontal ones between front and back, but also another sort of distance that transcends physical sensations. In addition, we expected that the trees in the forest would cause layers of physical distance to become ambiguous, creating an overall environment that would spread out in an organic manner.
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By manipulating the space in this way, the front tenant space would be separated from the inner tenant space, while also remaining visible to it just beyond the various layers. The mountain scenery that lies beyond the front space, in contrast, feels close and familiar. In this way, it was possible to protect the privacy of each tenant while constructing a space that maintained the tangible presence of both these elements, thus providing the inner tenants with an environment that was equally favourable compared with the front space. The function of a single wall led to both a sense of necessity arising from the multiple layers created by the seemingly random openings, as well as a complex, haphazard character resulting from the movement and behaviour of the tenants. This mixture of necessity and contingency led to a new, three-dimensional expanse and a diversely articulated space.”
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Designer Details:
Designer: Keisuke Maeda / UID architects
Contact person: Keisuke Maeda
Office address: UID architects MORI x hako 2F, 3-10-20 Kinosho-cho
City: Fukuyama-city, Hiroshima
Postal code: 720-0082
Country: Japan
Tel: +81 (0)84 927 0136
E-mail: uid@maeda-inc.jp
Website: http://www.maeda-inc.jp/uid/
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Location Details:
Contact person: Keisuke Maeda
Address: MORI x hako, 3-10-20 Kinosho-cho
City: Fukuyama-city, Hiroshima
Postal code : 720-0082
Country: Japan
Tel: +81 (0)84 927 0136
E-mail: uid@maeda-inc.jp
Website: http://www.maeda-inc.jp/uid/
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Client Details:
Client : Monami Co.Ltd
Contact person: Minoru Ito
Address: 3-10-18 Kinosho-cho
City: Fukuyama-city, Hiroshima
Postal code : 720-0082
Country: Japan
Tel: +81 (0)84 932 7005
Photography credits: Copyrights holder (C）UID architects
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“The new building for Hamburg’s Behörde für Stadtentwicklung und Umwelt/BSU (Office for Urban Development and Environment) consists of one high rise and two wing buildings. Public BSU facilities, like areas for exhibitions and restaurants, are located in the street level floors. The foot of the high rise structure will house a central lobby. Like an amphitheater, it is envisioned to host the exhibition of Hamburg’s urban model which will be highly visible through the large glass facade. From here, the library and conference center can be accessed as well.
Besides the high rise, the concept is structured in seven separate ‘houses’ which are connected via an access ‘road’ that is lit with natural light. Each house has its own open staircase atrium which enhances easy orientation, efficient vertical access, good distribution of natural light into interior spaces, and natural cross-ventilation. Reducing the building’s energy consumption by combining passive and active measures was one of the key ideas behind the concept. Besides enhanced thermal insulation, reasonable transparency, and protection from intense sunlight in the facades, the compact building volume uses renewable resources like natural lighting, natural cross-ventilation, and sun-powered heating. Energy harvested from geothermal and solar equipment is being combined with a gas-powered combined heat and power unit.
The design of the building’s spaces and surfaces supports the quantitatively measurable comfort with an architectural and environmental quality that is appropriate for the agenda of sustainability.”
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Source: Bustler
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Yatzer

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text by Udit Lorraine Belkine for Yatzer

“Civita di Bagnoregio is a small medieval town located in the region of Lazio, province of Viterbo, Italy. The town is noted for its striking position atop a plateau of brittle volcanic tuff overlooking the Tiber river valley. Some time ago, Bagnoregio’s municipality advertised a call to architects inviting them to participate in an open competition for the construction of a new pedestrian path in Civita di Bagnoregio. As many as fifty different architectural firms accepted the challenge and submitted their plans for the complicated demand.

Andrea Carloni and Simone Pratesi, members of the Italian architecture studio Progettospore, sent their proposal as well.
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“”The idea that gave birth to our plan is to enhance the value of the village with such rare formal characteristics through a contemporary project based on past ideas” says Andrea Carloni “In fact, it was while we were reading ‘De re aedificatoria’ by Leon Battista Alberti (1452) and his observations on medieval villages that we laid the guidelines of the project. Our aim was to be able to reach the village by following various “imaginary” ways drawn in the sky having the freedom to float in space as birds. Using an animated program, we floated some visitors in the sky, and, once we found the better trajectories, we used them to plan the three paths that compose the bridge”. ….

Read the rest of the post here
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