Spanish architecture firm A-cero present one of its first residential projects: a single-family house of 250m2 that tales place in Mera, a coastal village of La Coruña.

It is a construction with a simple design based on straight lines and geometrical volumes. These architectural pieces have been created as terraces and corbels in the back façade from where is possible to see the spectaculars views of Atlantic Ocean.

Housing in Mera-La Coruña, image courtesy A-cero

Limestone covered the whole building. Furthermore the housing's façade includes many large windows that give a lot of luminosity and spaciousness sensation.

Housing in Mera-La Coruña, image courtesy A-cero

Housing in Mera-La Coruña, image courtesy A-cero

It is a threes-story building (basement, ground and first floor). The main access is locate din the left side. From this area the visitor is leaded until the lounge and living room. These rooms have a roof with double high and wide windows that look towards the porch and the exterior swimming pool. Kitchen is also communicated with these social rooms.

Housing in Mera-La Coruña, image courtesy A-cero

The upper floor includes two bedrooms with terraces, bathrooms and dressing rooms. The garage and utilities rooms are in the basement.

Although A-cero designed this project looking for make the most space and light, it is important to stand out that the building work management and interior design were not made by A-cero.

Housing in Mera-La Coruña - Basement floor plan, drawing courtesy A-cero

Housing in Mera-La Coruña - Ground floor plan, drawing courtesy A-cero

Housing in Mera-La Coruña - 1st floor plan, drawing courtesy A-cero

+ Project credits / data

Project: Housing in Mera-La Coruña
Architect: A-cero
Location: Mera-La Coruna, Spain
Program: House

+ All images, drawing and description courtesy of A-cero

In San Francisco, WRNS Studio has recently completed a dramatic multi-story parking structure in the heart of the city's Mission Bay redevelopment zone. This new seven story elevated parking structure serves adjacent laboratories and offices with 1,420 spaces.

Mission Bay Block 27 Parking Structure, image courtesy WRNS Studio

Mission Bay Block 27 Parking Structure, image courtesy WRNS Studio

The north and east façades, which border a public plaza, are clad in perforated aluminum panels whose pixelation evokes California's redwood forests and nearby foliage. Subtle folds in the panels further disrupt the monolithic surface and engage the pedestrian scale of the plaza below.

Mission Bay Block 27 Parking Structure, image courtesy WRNS Studio

The south façade, adjacent to a heavily trafficked street, incorporates a steeply canted plaster wall that dramatically registers sunlight and shadow over the course of the day. A recessed ground level along the south and east elevations provides a covered walkway for pedestrians, and lightens the building's mass by lending the façades the appearance of hovering above the ground.

Mission Bay Block 27 Parking Structure, image courtesy WRNS Studio

The primary pedestrian access point is located at the building's northeast corner, where an upper-level, multi-story platform provides views of the surrounding parks. This volume employs the same formal language as the plaster façade to the south, contrasting with the light aluminum panels that surround it and creating a distinctive presence when viewed from the public areas below.

+ Project credits / data

Project: Mission Bay Block 27 Parking Structure
Location: San Francisco, California, USA
Architect: WRNS Studio

+ All images courtesy WRNS Studio

Plera is a new suspension lamp designed by DZstudio of Enrico Zanolla and Andrea Di FIlippo. Pleara means funnel in Friulan, the language spoken in northeastern Italy.

The idea was to realize a small suspension lamp which could express minimalism but with the soft touch of the wood in opposition to the cold touch of porcelain. The inversion of a simple shape like that one of a funnel creates a really simple lamp, where the wood gives the last friendly touch in contrast to the elegant and classic appearance of the porcelain.

+ Project credits / data

Design: DZstudio of Enrico Zanolla + Andrea Di Filippo
Year: 2010
Status: concept, not commercialized yet
Diameter: 19cm H17 cm

Plera Pendant Lamp, image courtesy DZstudio

Plera Pendant Lamp, image courtesy DZstudio

Plera Pendant Lamp, image courtesy DZstudio

Plera Pendant Lamp, image courtesy DZstudio

Plera Pendant Lamp, image courtesy DZstudio

The Dutch studio sprikk designed an innovative meeting centre for youmeet. Youmeet offers meeting- and workshop spaces as well as training sessions in innovative ways of working hosted by creative professionals. The space provides environments according to five steps in the creative process :

'create' generating ideas, hosting brainstorm sessions
'design' laboratory for developing ideas, strategies and solutions, visualisation of concepts,
'reflect' reflecting upon ideas and strategies in an informal atmosphere
'decide' taking decisions in a concentrated setting
'speak' presenting ideas, hosting discussions

Youmeet Meeting Centre - Layout plan, drawing courtesy sprikk

In contrast to common practice, where all stages of the development of ideas take place in one generic space, this meeting centre assigns specific, balanced environments to each step in the process. Youmeet supports the activities in terms of setting, atmosphere and high-end IT technology becoming a physical manifestation of the creative process.

Youmeet Meeting Centre, image courtesy sprikk

The interior is designed as an open floorplan, allowing the space to be perceived as one continuous space.

Floor and ceiling form a neutral basis on which objects and furniture are placed in order to divide the meeting centre into the zones mentioned above. Birchwood elements, incorporating storage spaces, fitted with presentation screens and sound installations form divisions between the rooms. Glass partitions ensure acoustic insulation while allowing for communication, unobstructed views and plenty of daylight.

Youmeet Meeting Centre, image courtesy sprikk

The hospitality area is formed by the reception desk, coffee counter and sitting area. These monoliths remain low in height as not to interfere with visual connections. Haptic qualities of natural materials are combined with high-end communication- and presentation technologies.

Youmeet Meeting Centre, image courtesy sprikk

A limited set of finishes creates a homogeneous space in which each room remains unique in character. The individual spaces are planned and equipped according to their role in the creative process acting as variations on a common theme.

Youmeet Meeting Centre, image courtesy sprikk

Carpets, upholstery fabrics and furniture are specially designed for each space.

Sprikks created a unique space that defines youmeet's identity as a highly creative and professional meeting facility.

+ Project credits / data

Project: Youmeet meeting centre
Location: Utrecht, The Netherlands
Design: sprikk
Team: Johan van Sprundel, Max Rink, Klaas Kresse
Client: YNNO B.V.
Contractor: Steenland Interieurbouw B.V.
Photography: Edward Clydesdale Thomson

+ All images, drawings and description courtesy sprikk

OSB Office, image courtesy mode:lina

Designers from mode:lina have recently finalized their premises in an elegant 60′s building basement in Poznan / Poland.

Faithful to the idea of using cheap materials without cheap appearance, designers used  lacquered OSB boards for the flooring and furniture. Desks, also made of OSB, are covered with artificial leather to make sketching and drawing more comfortable.

Luminaries are produced out of standard profiles used for gypsum-cardboard wall systems and fluorescents. OSB office furniture brings more intimate atmosphere and hides all the cabling and recycle bins.

OSB Office, image courtesy mode:lina

OSB Office, image courtesy mode:lina

+ Project credits / data

Project: OSB Office
Design: mode:lina
Completion date: September 2010
Photos: Marcin Dondajewski

+ All images courtesy mode:lina

Future Proofing Property Conference, one of the Australia’s Top Green Building Event that will take place in Brisbane Conference and Exhibition Centre (Queensland, Australia) on 8th-9th November, 2010. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to hear from over 25 of the world’s leading domestic and international sustainability thinkers.

Future Proofing Property is this year’s most important international conference on sustainable building and will discuss the most critical topics of the industry including, retro-greening, energy efficiency and sustainable urban development.

And now, when you purchase a ticket to Future Proofing Property you will also receive a second, free of charge. The registrations close on the 3rd of November 2010; register now to avoid missing out on this one of a kind conference.

+ Click here to get the registration form online
+ For additional information, visit: http://www.futureproofingproperty.org/

+ Event information

What: A 1.5 day conference on the commercial and environmental sustainability of buildings

When: 8-9 November 2010

Where: Brisbane Conference and Exhibition Centre, Queensland

Who’s Attending: 350 to 450 property investors, developers, asset managers, facility managers, project managers, architects and consultants

Price: $999 plus GST – BCI Member and Research Partners
$1,199 plus GST – All others
* Fees include copies of conference presentations, lunch, dinner and refreshments

FUTURE PROOFING PROPERTY and its organisers proudly support the Youngcare
initiative by donating $20 from each registration received.

Docks en Seine building, image courtesy outdoorz gallery

For the occasion of the Chic Art Fair Paris, British designer Tom Price created this serpentine bench by seamlessly weaving together 5 separate Blue Cable Rope chairs. A perfect compliment to the newly renovated Docks en Seine building which now houses the Paris center of fashion and design on the left bank of the Seine.

The Cable Rope Chair is part of Tom Price’s ongoing series which uses a variety of commonplace plastic products to create a strikingly diverse collection of sculptural seating.  The Blue Rope chair was also featured this year in an exposition at the Museum of Art & Design in N.Y.C entitled Second Lives.

+ Designer: Tom Price

Blue Cable Rope chairs, image courtesy outdoorz gallery

Blue Cable Rope chairs, image courtesy outdoorz gallery

Blue Cable Rope chairs, image courtesy outdoorz gallery

Foster + Partners has won an international competition to design Luxembourg Royal Hamilius, a mixed-use development in the heart of Luxembourg City developed by Codic International.

We are delighted with this excellent result and look forward to further developing the scheme. Our proposal is based on a sequence of rich public spaces, inside and outside, which will extend and add to the urban life of the city, rather than be isolated from it. Balancing the classical and modern, the magnificent Hotel des Postes will be complemented by a sky garden and futuristic bar – this, we hope, will be an exciting new destination for the people of Luxembourg.

Stefan Behling, a design director at Foster + Partners

Render courtesy Foster + Partners

Designed to enhance and repair the urban fabric and create a suitable setting for the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site, the project comprises a department store, offices, shops, apartments, and a variety of social and civic spaces.

Render courtesy Foster + Partners

Designed as a gateway to the historic quarter of the city, the development is anchored by the historic Hotel des Postes, which provides the backdrop to a new civic square with space for ice skating, markets, open air concerts or cinema screenings. The arrangement of buildings maintains the principal visual axis along the Grand Rue and Avenue Monterey and draws on the existing urban identity of Luxembourg, replicating its diversity of spaces.

Render courtesy Foster + Partners

Rue Aldringen will be transformed into a shopping street, with access to apartments above, and the scheme is topped by a sky garden, with panoramic views of the city. A curving steel structure, set in the landscaped surroundings of the park, encloses a rooftop bar and will be visible throughout the city.

Render courtesy Foster + Partners

+ Project credits / data

Project: Luxembourg Royal Hamilius mixed-use development
Location: Luxembourg
Design architect: Foster + Partners
Collaborating architect: Tetra Kayser
Client: Codic International

A french product designer Guillaume Lehoux designed the SOD Project which was based on the results of a NASA experiment.

This experiment was designed to study the influence of certain psychoactive substances on the behavior of living things. The researchers inoculated the test substances (marijuana, caffeine, benzedrine and chloral hydrate) to spiders and then let them weave their webs.

SOD Project, diagram courtesy Guillaume Lehoux

Patterns of each webs make visible in a graphical way the action of each studied substance.

SOD Project, image courtesy Guillaume Lehoux

In nature, spider webs are traps, they are used to catch unwary insects which venture to them. This project uses the graphic results of the NASA experiment to design a serie of five “retaining objects” like the spider web (fruit baskets, loose change trays, …).

+ Designer: Guillaume Lehoux

+ All images courtesy Guillaume Lehoux

Sand & Birch this time goes back to its first and most successful inspiration, and presents a new interpretation of a concept that made this young italian studio known by public: just like the famous Velvet Sofa, this Velvet Chair takes its shape from the idea of a ribbon three times wrapped on itself.

Thanks to its slenderness due to the absence of arms, and its thin size, Velvet Chair perfectly and elegantly fits in every place of your home.

Velvet Chair’s structure is made of curved wood, and covering is available in three different versions: velvet, cotton or microfibre.

+ Designers: Sand & Birch | Andrea Fino and Samanta Snidaro

Chair Velvet, image courtesy Sand & Birch

Chair Velvet, image courtesy Sand & Birch

Flip Table, is a recent creation designed by Effie Bouras. The table itself is constructed of recycled steel, according to designer, the steel was a scrap for an art sculpture, it has been re-used and dubbed “the flip” because of the conspicuous table top that forms a sharp 90 degree angle turning into a half shelf upon completion of its “flip”… edges are sharp, joints are grounded down to a smooth finish so transition from vertical supports to horizontal supports are seamless.

+ Designer: Effie Bouras

Flip Table, image courtesy Effie Bouras

Flip Table, image courtesy Effie Bouras

Flip Table, image courtesy Effie Bouras

Flip Table, image courtesy Effie Bouras

SitTable, is a recent realized furniture design for PROOFF designed by Dutch firm UNStudio.

The SitTable is designed for the various ways in which people communicate. Through a cross combination of usage possibilities, it extends the traditional role of the table as a social meeting place.

Ben van Berkel

SitTable for PROOFF, image courtesy UNStudio

SitTable for PROOFF, image courtesy UNStudio

Sit down, sit up, lounge, hang, repose, move, work, read, consult or relax. Alone or together.

People communicate in a variety of ways. The design for the SitTable caters to the needs of these divergent varieties. It allows for the table to become a thinking place as well as a social meeting ground, whilst offering a diversity of options for functionality.

SitTable for PROOFF, image courtesy UNStudio

SitTable for PROOFF, image courtesy UNStudio

It may become a quiet reading table found in a library, or a work and relaxation place located in an airport lounge. It could simply be used in a waiting room, in a front office or in a school. It may also act as a meeting space for exhibitions or in shops. Whichever role it fills, everyone is given the opportunity to discover their own practical use for the SitTable. It is designed to serve one’s own intended purpose for functionality and arrangement.

SitTable for PROOFF, image courtesy UNStudio

SitTable for PROOFF, image courtesy UNStudio

The hybrid form of the SitTable combines two pieces of multi-functional furniture, offering a variety of space-creating authority to the user. Numerous tasks can be carried out simultaneously at the SitTable – both solitary and social, or a combination of the two.

UNStudio has long been interested in hybrid forms of all scales, from large scale mixed-use urban projects through to programmatic and volumetric transitions in public buildings and private residences. A similar approach is often taken to products designed by the studio, where hybridisation offers increased performance potential to a wide variety of users. The SitTable is a new addition to this family of designs.

SitTable for PROOFF, sketch courtesy UNStudio

+ Project credits / data

Client: PROOFF

Materials/dimensions:
SitTable Type 1 (pictured):
tabletop: wood veneer, dark oak A32 – Morado
fabric seat: Divina 462 ( mustard yellow )
frame: steel C3, Anthraciet Grey
l x w x h: 3800 x 1750 x 750mm.

SitTable Type 2 (pictured):
tabletop: white HPL, white veneer
fabric seat: Divina 692 ( purple )
frame: steel C3, Anthraciet Grey
l x w x h: 5450 x 1750 x 750mm.

UNStudio: Ben van Berkel, Caroline Bos with Juergen Heinzel, William de Boer and Machteld Kors, Martijn Prins, Daniela Hake

Advisors:
Prooff – Leo Schouten, Tim Orriens, Antoinette Veneman
The SitTable is produced by Arco Contemporary Furniture/ Arco – Jorre van Ast, Roelof Janssen

Photography: Roel van Tour & Pim Top

The Aluminum House by Swedish architectural firm Unit Arkitektur is an extension for a Swedish house with a traditional gable roof.

+ Project description courtesy Unit Arkitektur

Around the lake Gärdsken, in the southern parts of Alingsås, a residential area with villas mainly from the 20th century is situated. Originally, these were small wooden two storey houses with a basement in stone and vernacular detailing. Nowadays however, almost every single house is rebuilt and enlarged beyond recognition. The owners of one of the few houses left intact wanted more space as well as renovating the existing house. The first sketches were made in 2005 although the construction did not start until late in 2008 because of the overheated construction market.

Aluminum House, image courtesy Unit Arkitektur | Photo by Krister Engstrom

There is a well-developed grammar in Swedish building culture on how to extend a house with a traditional gable roof; usually a ridge is established at right angles to the existing one. To be successful this requires that the extension is subordinate in size. The possibility to build in a completely traditional style was tested in a sketch, but was found too obtrusive because of the size. The new wing "devoured" the old house. Thus we chose instead to aim for maximum contrast in expression.

Aluminum House - Conceptual diagram, drawing courtesy Unit Arkitektur

On the eastern part of the plot is a beautiful old stand of trees. The proposed movement in this project follows the principle often used in Japanese garden art; first you spot the main vista (the orchard), then it disappears out of view – but is not forgotten. In the third step of the sequence the viewer stands before the garden again. A large custom made shelf is the element that obscures the garden in the second step and forms a filter between the hallway and the living room with its view of the garden.

Aluminum House, image courtesy Unit Arkitektur | Photo by Krister Engstrom

A new corridor and entrance is introduced between the new building and the existing house. From this corridor almost all the rooms of the house can be reached and it can also provide a more representative entrance to the living room when necessary. The new living room has a maximum of openness towards the garden, but is closed to the street to ensure privacy. At the same time, the city planning office required window openings in this facade to lighten up the impression from the street. The solution was to shape the aluminium sheets of the facade as a trellis for growing vines. It always takes time for the vines to establish, therefore we have designed a pattern that brings a lifelike quality to the facade in the absence of greenery. The laser cut pattern is inspired by vines and forms a favorable shape for the tendrils to climb on.

Aluminum House, image courtesy Unit Arkitektur | Photo by Krister Engstrom

The house is founded on masonry walls. The bottom floor is constructed of 220mm beams while the roof is supported by glulam beams. As the facade material was chosen 3 mm anodized aluminium plates applied with stainless recessed screws on an adjustable framework of galvanized steel profiles. All sheets are prefabricated at the workshop. The extension is heated with floor heating.

In Sweden there is a long tradition of working with steel sheeting (about 0.6 mm thick), connecting the different sheets with folds to achieve an impervious surface. This technique is mainly used on horizontal surfaces; when applied to facades the steel (about 1.0 mm thick) is often folded into cartridges to achieve stiffness. Both of these applications will result in a buckled and dented surface because of temperature movements combined with the fragility of the thin plate. Japan with the architect Fumihiko Maki as chief advocate has a highly evolved tradition of using thicker sheet metal in facades. These give an entirely different precision and a smooth impression and require new detailing as they can not be shaped on-site by sheet-metal workers. Since we wanted a contrast between the existing and new house, we chose 3mm thick aluminium plates to achieve a high precision.

Aluminum House, image courtesy Unit Arkitektur

Aluminium can be utilized with a raw or anodized surface. Eventually raw aluminium forms an oxide layer, but it's just one-hundredth as thick as is achieved in anodizing. It also makes a more organic impression with streaks from running water and a living surface. An advantage is however the ability to bend the raw aluminum on the construction site.

Since we were seeking a precise expression we chose anodized plate. The plates were first processed mechanically and subsequently sent to a finishing company that through an electrolytic process created an oxide layer on the plates to a selected thickness (25 micrometres in this case). This provides a 100-year durability which meets the clients request for minimal maintenance. This oxide is as hard and brittle as the glaze on china in terms of hardness rendering it impossible to perform any kind of processing to the anodized plates without cracking this layer.

Aluminum House, image courtesy Unit Arkitektur

We chose to work with subcontractors to the automotive industry for the production of the plates. If one dares to say that the Swedish construction companies often work with a dubious precision, the Saab and Volvo subcontractors excel at a high level. They work with digital fabrication and industry tolerances +/- 0.1mm compared with the permitted construction tolerance of +/- 10mm. Riboverken in Gothenburg, laser cut all of the plates with CNC (Computer Numerical Control) according to our drawings. In this process, it is no more costly to cut a curved line than a straight. With prefabricated plates, you get a clash between two different sets of tolerances; the exact surface and the imprecision of the studded frame. This is addressed by an adjustable framework for the facade plates.

Aluminum House, image courtesy Unit Arkitektur

The eye-catching pattern on the gables is a plant motif that are developed by us and translated into digital manufacturing drawings; also laser cut at Riboverken. Laser cutting can be done to a certain thickness. For thicker plates you have to switch to water-jet cutting. Aluminium is available in a variety of alloys and because we wanted a small bending radius and a anodizing we chose alloy 5005.

Aluminum House - Elevation & Floor plan, drawing courtesy Unit Arkitektur

Aluminum House - Detailed section, drawing courtesy Unit Arkitektur

+ Project credits / data

Project: Aluminum House
Location: Alingsås, Sweden
Client: Anna-Karin and Alf
Architects: Unit Arkitektur AB
Design Principal: Mikael Frej + Klas Moberg
Project Architects: Frans Magnusson
Floor area: 65 sqm (extension)
Project year: 2008-2010
Photographs: Krister Engström (www.kristerengstrom.com), Unit Arkitektur

+ All images and drawings courtesy Unit Arkitektur

[+MOOD] site was down in last few days due to some technical issue, but now we are back, and our loading speed even faster than before. During the server down, we might miss some of the submissions from our readers, if you do send something to us, kindly resend them, so we can publish them as soon as we can.

We also apologize for any inconvenience caused. Thank you for your patience and support.

David K. + Jimmy M.
[+MOOD] editors

Architectural studio GROUP A and multi-disciplinary design agency Fabrique together have won the European tender for the renovation of the stations of Oostlijn of the Amsterdam Metro. According to the jury, the proposal by GROUP A / Fabrique not only 'returns to the basics of the  original design', but is also 'a vision for the future ', and thus the answer to the client's request. On September the 23rd 2010, the design has been presented to the City Council.

Renovation of the Stations of Oostlijn - vision Wibautstraat transfer area, render courtesy GROUP A + Fabrique

Renovation of the Stations of Oostlijn - Concept, drawing courtesy GROUP A + Fabrique

The Oostlijn runs from the Central Station to Amsterdam Zuid-Oost, partially underground and partially elevated. The brutalist design for the Oostlijn, by architects Spängberg and Van Rhijn, dates back to the seventies. Over the years, however, the original concept has become muddled, the Oostlijn is no longer equipped to face the future. The commission for the renovation includes the refurbishment of the underground platforms, the hallways and the entrances of sixteen stations. For the tender phase we were asked to illustrate our vision by using two stations as examples: the underground station Wibautstraat, and the elevated station Bullewijk. Currently, we are applying this vision to all 16 individual stations; after consultations with the different stakeholders, we will then proceed to the final design stage.

Renovation of the Stations of Oostlijn - Bullewijk entrance existing situation, render courtesy GROUP A + Fabrique

Renovation of the Stations of Oostlijn - vision Bullewijk Station entrance, render courtesy GROUP A + Fabrique

According to GROUP A / Fabrique, the aim of the renovation is to create a modern metro system which functions adequately, is comprehensibly organised, and pleasant to use. This is achieved without denying the original character of the metro. Instead, this existing 'DNA' functions as a solid and neutral background for the renovation. Through indirect lighting of the background, the metros' spaces will feel more comfortable. Well positioned light accents and voids enhance the travellers' orientation. All 'cluttering' elements will be integrated in functional clusters. These clusters provide clarity and colour, and are adaptable to future changes. Through these interventions, the Oostlijn will once more become functional, comprehensible, and a pleasant addition to public space in Amsterdam.

Renovation of the Stations of Oostlijn - Weesperplein platform existing situation, image courtesy GROUP A + Fabrique

Renovation of the Stations of Oostlijn - vision Weesperplein platform, render courtesy GROUP A + Fabrique

In the past couple of years, GROUP A has worked on a number of renovation projects, like the CaballeroFabriek, the Coberco Factory and the former NDSM iron works. Fabrique has extensive experience in developing visions, corporate identities, signage and furniture for infrastructure projects, and has also worked for the Dutch Railways and Belgian transport company De Lijn. Together, GROUP A and Fabrique complement and strengthen each other to find an appropriate answer to the given task.

Renovation of the Stations of Oostlijn - Wibautstraat transfer area existing situation, image courtesy GROUP A + Fabrique

Renovation of the Stations of Oostlijn - vision Wibautstraat platform, render courtesy GROUP A + Fabrique

The renovation of the stations by GROUP A / Fabrique is part of a larger plan to renovate the entire Amsterdam Metro system by the DIVV. The Oostlijn (which comprises the 53 line from Central Station to Gaasperplas and the 54 line from Central Station to Gein) is thirty years old. After all these years, many parts of the Oostlijn are in need of replacement. The tracks in the underground tunnel system have already been replaced in 2008. The coming years will see the improvement of the emergency exits and fire safety measures, and the renovation of all underground and elevated stations. In 2014, when all these measures have taken effect, the Oostlijn will comply with all new rules and regulations.

+ Project credits / data

Project: Renovation of the Stations of Oostlijn of the Amsterdam Metro
Client: DIVV, Gemeente Amsterdam
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Team GROUP A: Maarten van Bremen, Folkert van Hagen, Adam Visser, Suzanne Linders, Maarten Lever, Chris Woltjes, Tuomas Jarvinen, Jacek Szczegielniak, Anna Szczegielniak, Qian Ren, Pia Fischer en Engin Kinsiz
Team Fabrique: Jeroen van Erp, René Bubberman, Merijn Hillen, Floor Baas, Chris Nijkamp, Iraas Korver en Frank van Leeuwen

Thermosensitive Swamp Stool, image courtesy NunoErin

Early this year, we’ve posted NunoErin studio’s Love Handles Chair which features an interactive finish that shifts color in response to body heat. Again, here is another similar concept that also applied to this Thermosensitive Swamp Stool, a touch-sensitive seating in three vibrant new thermosensitive colors.

Each piece will appear purple, pink, or green at room temperature and shift color quickly and dramatically when touched with warm hands. With each touch, body heat is transferred to the furniture and leaves behind a bright thermosensitive print that lasts for several seconds.

The new colors are highly responsive to warm temperature and offer engaging sensorial experiences that connect people with objects in a more intimate way. Interacting with this collection is a playful way to express the warmth our bodies naturally produce.

NunoErin's new thermosensitive products will be featured at Boston Build in the Innovation Pavilion from November 17th thorough the 19th.

+ Design: NunoErin

+ All images courtesy NunoErin

The team of Maria Kadyrova + Sam Buckley + Martina Caddeo shared with us their work which was done in their Master degree program in Scuola Politecnica di Design (Milano). Alias Evolution was an organic response to the brutality and minimalism of the host buidling and the surrounding environment, combining a fluid aesthetic with a landmark structure which highlights the monumentality of Moretti’s famous Architecture in the centre of Milan.

+ Project description courtesy Maria Kadyrova + Sam Buckley + Martina Caddeo

When we started this project, one of the first things that came to our attention was the huge contrast between the very high and powerful architec­ture of the Moretti building on Corsa Italia, Milano, and that of the surrounding buildings.

Alias Evolution, render courtesy Maria Kadyrova + Sam Buckley + Martina Caddeo

The Moretti building was built in 1953 at the height of the Brutalist ar­chitectural period and this is no exception to the imposing grandeur seen else­where in this intriguing Italian style. The building has a very overpowering height, exentuated by the very bold and clean lines of the exterior of the build­ing, and also the frank statement of the cantilever which protrudes out over the street as one walks through to the main thoroughfare of the site. Whilst there are 3 main volumes to the Moretti building we were to be concentrating on the main aspect of the site with the cantilever over Corsa Italia. The site extends along the length of Via Rugabella to the north and circles the site with two other huge projections which tie all the buildings together to form a courtyard in the middle, from which all the forms can be accessed.

Alias Evolution, drawin gcourtesy Maria Kadyrova + Sam Buckley + Martina Caddeo

Having seen the site and done some basic research on the client, Alias Furniture, we were then given a guided tour of the showrooms of the client, highlighting the design issues involved in producing some of their superlight furniture, the reasons behind many of the designs, but also key factors as to their success and also how they wanted to be viewed by their clients and pro­spective customers. After a very insightful tour we then had a chance gather our own thoughts on both the building and also of the client, their needs, and also their wishes.

Alias Evolution, render courtesy Maria Kadyrova + Sam Buckley + Martina Caddeo

The starting point of our research was to delve deep into the interpreta­tion of the ambiguity found within a few of the collections of Alias furniture, namely that of the Dehors range and the Frame range. We had singled these out from the other pieces within the company as they has a dual aspect to them with regards to their ability to utilised as outdoor furniture, for which, they had been specifically designed to withstand the harshness of outdoor weathering, yet would look equally good as indoor furniture.

From the offset we had found something that was of great debate to ourselves and a great source of inspiration for the direction in which the project would eventually lead.

From this dual aspect of these pieces we started to ellaborate on what we had seen at the showroom, and decided to take a closer look at pieces that we had at first glance decided were very angular and, like the architecture of Moretti's building, quite brutal. Having studied their forms more closely we then came to the conclusion that maybe our initial thoughts towards the bold linearty of Alias furniture had been misfounded, and were infact much more ergonomic, fluid and organic than we had first anticipated.

Alias Evolution, render courtesy Maria Kadyrova + Sam Buckley + Martina Caddeo

With this new found realisation of the aesthetics of the clients furniture and having heard how the Managing Director had explained to the other group about certain key features of one range of furniture we took the step in declar­ing our intentions for the basis of the project, that of Organicity and Hidden Organic geometry.

But how do organic forms and a fluid architectonic language fit in with a building, widley respected as one of the most powerful Brutalist monuments in the centre of Milan?

If we look at any city, we can see that nature is a notion held back by the forces of man in their conquest to create the biggest, best and most functional environment for business and living, yet it is always nature that intervenes, and always finds a way to be ever present in these manufactured landscapes. If we look at any derelict building, or one that has been neglected for many years we can see the signs of the natural environment reclaiming what was once green land. This is a notion that we had talked about and subsequently had found a number of interesting images depicting the harmonious dischord of manmade and organic forms creating something stunning without prejudice for either side. A feeling of apathy for the prevailing natural growth of mother nature working with a man made structure to create such a thing of beauty, yet defined as complete opposites.

Once we had discovered this natural aesthetic to the Alias furniture, we saw that it could work in harmony within a brutalist structure, but it also needed a more organic backdrop to really exentuate these notions that hadn't been so obvious to us in our initial studies, so we needed some sort of fluid organic no­tion to propel and confound our deliberations and discoveries.

Alias Evolution, render courtesy Maria Kadyrova + Sam Buckley + Martina Caddeo

Now that we had found a direction in which to take the project we had to address a couple of points that had become apparent on our site visit to the Moretti building that would prove to be of great importance to our proj­ect, namely, the need to highlight where the entrance to the building was and how we would be able to transport non residents to the roof top which we had singled out as the ideal location for a luxurious semi outdoor bar.

Once we had identified these problems we explored how they could be satisfied within the scope of language that we had discovered to be of great importance to us, and our interventions led us to hypothetical considerations for the use of the space, both as residents of the hotel and of the general public whom would want to enjoy the space at the top of the building, whilst making sure that the identity of the Moretti building was not lost.

Alias Evolution, render courtesy Maria Kadyrova + Sam Buckley + Martina Caddeo

We looked at the apparent island that Moretti had created in the centre of Milan with these huge monolithic forms, the importance of access within the building, but also how to soften the appearance and help create a connection between the furniture and the setting in a Milanese style. This lead us to the creation of a powerful structure shaped by organic ideology that could envelop and penetrate the building and help draw attention and intriguige to the hotel and client, thus creating a organic refuge within this grey urban area.

Alias Evolution, render courtesy Maria Kadyrova + Sam Buckley + Martina Caddeo

For underlining the verticality of connections and continuing on the idea of dematerialization of the space and emphasising Alias products, our research into the use of colours culminated in the use of a grey scale across the building, starting form the bottom level with a white scenary of the interior space and ending with a dark-grey in the outside space of the roof level. In this way The only accents of colours are left to Alias furniture, so that it could interact with the space as a relationship of contrasts.

Finally, we wanted to let the building stand out during night-time with an almost un earthly glow passing through the exterior structure, keeping the attention of passer-by towards the buildings and with another essence : night-time life in Milan .. on Alias seats.

+ Design: Maria Kadyrova + Sam Buckley + Martina Caddeo

LAN won the competition organized by SAEM EURALILLE to design an office building for Sogeprom/Projectim in Lille, France. The project is located in the Block 4.1-A, the last area to build of Euralille urban developement design by OMA in 1994.

Is it possible to reaffirm the city in an architectural project?
This question, shared by our entire team, was the departure point for our search for a sensitive but daring response.

LAN Architecture

LILLE Office Building, render courtesy LAN Architecture

LILLE Office Building - Site strategies, drawing courtesy LAN Architecture

+ Project description courtesy LAN Architecture

The plot's strategic position, at a major crossroads in an urban district, directed us towards a "multiform" architecture whose geometry could provide a specific response to problems linked to the project's scale, geography and demands.

We realised that the building's location enables it to articulate different urban scales, both near and far. Its verticality can act as a visual axis and marker, whilst finding a just and respectful relationship with its immediate context.

LILLE Office Building, render courtesy LAN Architecture

The purpose of this architecture is to construct a new urban space combining the private and public, the vertical and horizontal. The building's envelope is conceived as an apparatus for the city's constant visual reinvention.

The windows break with the modularity of office buildings, creating a more domestic image and ensuring the transition between a residential and a business district. The result is a kinetic architecture constantly changing with different viewpoints.

To increase this visual richness, the design of each façade was generated by its orientation, use and thermal considerations. This creates successions and superimpositions of glazed areas, windows on the city, and different, fixed or mobile systems of wooden cladding, enabling constant change in function of the building's daily life.

LILLE Office Building - Detailing, drawing courtesy LAN Architecture

Materiality of the facades: networks and wood

The design of the facades and the building's interior spaces is structured by a 1.35 metre grid composed of a U-shaped metallic element running the entire height of the building, to which the envelope's various components are fixed.

LILLE Office Building - Isometric model view, render courtesy LAN Architecture

This vertical grid is interrupted three times by horizontal wooden bands, running around the building and ending at the acroter.

Secondary horizontal and vertical grids regulate the design of the fixed or mobile wooden elements.

We chose red wood for the cladding of the facades, using it in different configurations depending on their purpose, and alternating this with larges windows looking out over the city. Wood is used as a fixed cladding in the opaque or semi-glazed parts of the façade, but also, depending on the orientation, in the form of pivoting openwork shutters, enabling precise control of light penetration. But is also used as a fixed sunscreen.

The project's conception provides residents and office users with a public space based on horizontality, circulation and social interaction on a human scale. Unable to build right to the plot's limits, we opted for a form of portico, a walkway providing shelter from the weather, a lively exterior space in which passers-by and shop customers can intermingle.

LILLE Office Building - Site plan, drawing courtesy LAN Architecture

LILLE Office Building - Ground floor plan, drawing courtesy LAN Architecture

LILLE Office Building - Typical floor plan, drawing courtesy LAN Architecture

+ Project credits / data

Project: LILLE Office Building
Program: Construction of an office building and retails
Location: Euralille, Block 4.1-A, Lille, France
Date: 2010
Client: Sogeprom / Projectim
Size: 3,475 m²
Cost: € 6M excl. VAT
Timetable: 2010–13
3D Rendering: IDA+
Team: LAN Architecture
HEQ Consultant: Act Environnement
All-Trades Engineers: IOSIS

+ All images, drawings courtesy LAN Architecture

JP Designs is a design & development group with a policy focused on creating products with a recognizable point of difference. The Rhombus Table, Bale Pendant Light and Revolver Pendant Light are 3 of the latest creations designed by JP Designs & manufactured in Australia.

Rhombus Table, image courtesy JP Designs

1. Rhombus Table
The dynamic form of the coffee table is achieved using repetitious rhombus shapes made from PVC tubing. The modular base is the dominant feature from any angle and is simply finished with a glass top.

+ Dimensions: Height 320mm, Width 640mm, Length 1510mm

Bale Pendant Light, image courtesy JP Designs

2. Bale Pendant Light
Simple wood shavings offer a natural elegance to this pendant. The shavings are woven through a wire mesh cage and is treated with a fire retardant.

+ Dimensions: Height 400mm, Width 600mm

Revolver Pendant Light, image courtesy JP Designs

3. Revolver Pendant Light
The concave base and top created by the angles of the tubing gives an engaging form and offers a powerful presence. It is available in white and orange.

+ Dimensions: Height: 200mm, Width 600mm

+ About JP Designs

JP Designs is a design and manufacturing group that creates products with a recognisable point of difference. We are conscious of the environment and the importance of using materials and processes that have minimal impact. This approach has enabled a successful release of tables and lighting in our 2010 product launch. The reoccurring theme of simplicity form and function is integral and typical of our designs.

Next year (2011) June 27– 29, is the 48th IFLA World Congress 2011 Zurich, Switzerland, organized by the International Federation of Landscape Architects IFLA, the organizing partners BSLA (The Swiss Federation of Landscape Architects) and Grün Stadt Zürich (the city of Zurich’s Office of Parks and Open Spaces), it is the largest Gathering of Landscape Architects in the World.

The IFLA World Congress is an international professional congress to be held in Zurich that is expected to be attended by more than 700 professionals and students from the fields of landscape architecture, landscape planning, research and associated professions from throughout the world to discuss current topics, exchange experiences and establish contacts. During the three days of the Congress, keynote lectures will take place in the morning and in depth sessions in the afternoon.

“Scales of Nature – From Urban Landscapes to Alpine Gardens”

With this "Call", you are invited to submit an abstract of a paper presentation as a proposal of your own contribution to the conference. The accepted papers will be presented and discussed in "parallel sessions" as well as published in the Congress' Proceedings.

+ Deadline for the submission of the abstracts: November 30th 2010
+ For more information, please visit the IFLA official website at www.ifla2011.com.