This summer, C. F. Moller Architects & Space Group / Brisac Gonzalez won the shared first prize in the international architectural competition to design the new opera and culture house in Kristiansund. Congratulation to C. F. Moller Architects who have been selected as final winner.

Here are some of new images of the project, or click here to read the full description of the project.

Kristiansund Opera and Cultural Centre, rendering courtesy C. F. Møller Architects

Kristiansund Opera and Cultural Centre - Section, drawing courtesy C. F. Møller Architects

+ All images and drawings courtesy C. F. Moller Architects

Carlos Lozano shared with us his recent work of Rufo House which was designed by Spanish architect Alberto Campo Baeza.

+ Architect’s statement courtesy Alberto Campo Baeza

The brief was to build a house on a hilltop outside of the city of Toledo. The hill faces southwest and offers interesting views of the distant horizon, reaching the Gredos Mountains to the northeast.

The site measures 60 x 40 m and has a 10-meter slope.

Rufo House by Alberto Campo Baeza, image courtesy lotzphoto

Rufo House by Alberto Campo Baeza, image courtesy lotzphoto

At the highest point, we established a longitudinal podium, 6 meters wide and 3 meters high, that extends from side to side the entire length of the site. All of the house's functions are developed inside of this long box, the length of concrete creating a long horizontal platform up high, as if it were a jetty that underlines the landscape with tremendous force.

Rufo House by Alberto Campo Baeza, image courtesy lotzphoto

This long concrete box is perforated and cut into, conveniently creating objects and voids to appropriately accommodate the requested functions (courtyard + covered courtyard, kitchen, living room-dining room-hall, bedroom, courtyard + courtyard, bedroom, garage, swimming pool, bedroom, courtyard).

Rufo House by Alberto Campo Baeza, image courtesy lotzphoto

In this distribution the living-dining room opens to the garden while the bedrooms face onto courtyards open to the sky and garden, affording them the necessary privacy. The stairway connecting the upper floor is situated in the area behind the living-dining room.

On top of the podium and aligned with it, a canopy with ten concrete columns with a square section support a simple flat roof, as if it were a table with ten legs. Under this roof, behind the columns, is a delicate glass box. To protect the views of the house from the back, a simple row of poplars were planted.

Once again, the theme of the Hut on top of the Cave. Once again, the theme of a tectonic Architecture over a stereotomic Architecture.

Rufo House - Floor plans, drawing courtesy Alberto Campo Baeza

Rufo House - Section, drawing courtesy Alberto Campo Baeza

+ Project credits / data

Project: Rufo House
Architect: Alberto Campo Baeza | http://www.campobaeza.com/
Location: Toledo, USA
Photography: © Carlos Lozano / lotzphoto | http://www.lotzphoto.com/
Program: Residential – House

+ All drawings courtesy Alberto Campo Baeza | Photo © lotzphoto

Spanish architectural firm Hoz Fontan Arquitectos recently has completed the Zaisa Office Tower in Irun, Spain. Located close to the border between Spain and France, the new office tower is the last building of the Zaisa transportation hub in Irun, and houses Zaisa's headquarters and rental office space.

Zaisa Office Tower, image courtesy Hoz Fontan Arquitectos

Zaisa Office Tower, image courtesy Hoz Fontan Arquitectos

The tower is inserted in front of a building that has a crescent like façade, and over a previously existing underground parking. When the parking was built, some pillars were raised from the ground level waiting for a future development.

Zaisa Office Tower - Axo, drawing courtesy Hoz Fontan Arquitectos

The first volume of the tower is an elliptical base that groups the pillars that came from the parking. On top of this ellipse, eight stories of offices are located. The two volumes have a different structure that is connected by a W that also points the entrance of the building. Zaisa’s headquarters are located in the two upper floors, which are connected by a double height space. The last floor provides two garden terraces, accessible from the meeting rooms.

Zaisa Office Tower, image courtesy Hoz Fontan Arquitectos

The building is covered by a double layer glass façade, which allows the air to flow between the layers, and in which one of the layers is treated to block solar radiation. A variety of glass modules are used, the smallest one can be opened, while the wider one forms a cut in the outer layer, providing a more direct contact with the views.

Zaisa Office Tower - Floor plan, drawing courtesy Hoz Fontan Arquitectos

Zaisa Office Tower - Section A-A, drawing courtesy Hoz Fontan Arquitectos

+ Project credits / data

Project: Zaisa Office Tower
Location: Irun, Spain
Program: Office

Architecture: Hoz Fontán Arquitectos | http://www.hozfontanarquitectos.com
Project directors: Angel de la Hoz, Cristina Fontan
Project team: Gurutze Aldanondo, Angel Alvarez
Photography: José Hevia | http://www.josehevia.es/
M/E: Juan Murua
Structural Engineer: Jose Antonio Gurruchaga
Constructor: Altuna y Uria

+ All images, drawings and description courtesy Hoz Fontan Arquitectos | Photo by José Hevia