Korean furniture designer Juil Kim, the founder of studio DesignJoo designed the Waveone & Honeybee stool.

Waveone, image courtesy Studio DesignJoo

The Waveone is changeable furniture that could be adjusted with the surroundings whenever the user wants. A leap from the conventional furniture, like putting up blocks as you needed.

Honeybee, image courtesy Studio DesignJoo

The Honeybee stool’s design taking as a motive the honeybee. It can be expressed in various ways for its usage.

+ Designer: Studio DesignJoo | Juil Kim

+ All images courtesy Studio DesignJoo

Danish architectural practice Henning Larsen architects has designed the Hospice Søndergaard.

The purpose of Hospice Søndergaard was to offer terminal patients as much quality of life and dignity as possible in the concluding part of life. The physical surroundings should be dignifying and inspiring – regardless if you are a patient, nurse or relative.

Henning Larsen architects

Hospice Søndergaard, image courtesy Henning Larsen architects

Hospice Søndergaard is the third Danish hospice designed according to Realdania's principles for "the good hospice". The hospice is situated in Måløv, Ballerup, and comprises 14 individual living rooms.

Hospice Søndergaard, image courtesy Henning Larsen architects

The building is a modern interpretation of a traditional farm where the deep niches create private, roofed terraces with a view of the adjacent lake. On the inside, the wings form two luxuriant, timbered courtyards and a varied green path appealing to all senses connects the building to the park and lake.

Hospice Søndergaard, image courtesy Henning Larsen architects

The hospice has a clear and simple layout based on the overall functions of the building. Thus, the common areas and staff facilities are placed near the entrance to provide all rooms with the highest possible degree of privacy. Focus has been on creating a safe and homely atmosphere and all residents have the opportunity to put their personal mark on their 36 furnished square metres.

+ Project credits / data

Architect: Henning Larsen architects | http://www.henninglarsen.com/
Project: Hospice Søndergaard
Location: Måløv, Denmark
Client: Hospice Søndergård/OK-fonden
Gross floor area: 1,800 m2
Year of construction: 2009 – 2010
Type of assignment: First prize in invited competition, 2009
Photography: Leif Tuxen, Dragør Luftfoto and Thomas Buchwaldt

+ All images and description courtesy Henning Larsen architects

HIGH BRIDGE: BRONX, BUILDING CULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE.
ENYA INTERNATIONAL DESIGN IDEAS COMPETITION EXHIBITION OPENING

Exhibition Opening & Book Launch
November 11th 2010 5:30– 8:00 PM
Center for Architecture
536 LaGuardia Place
New York, NY 10012

Free Admission

+ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA), AIA New York Chapter, is thrilled to announce its fourth biennial international ideas competition exhibition opening, "High Bridge." Please join the committee and the winning teams at the Center for Architecture (536 LaGuardia Place), November 11 at 6:00 pm, for the opening party to celebrate the competition winners and the launch of the competition publication, HB:BX, Building Cultural Infrastructure. The exhibition will be on view at the Center for Architecture through March 27, 2011.

The High Bridge: Bronx, Building Cultural Infrastructure competition (HB:BX) encouraged participants to design an arts center that culturally reinforced the physical connection between the Manhattan and Bronx High Bridge communities of New York City.

HB:BX provided a rare opportunity for young professionals and students in the field of architecture and design, who have completed their undergraduate or graduate level education within the past 10 years, to draw awareness to the ongoing efforts to restore the historic High Bridge. In their proposals, entrants explored the potential urban renewal and community improvement that could come with the reopening of the landmark structure.

ENYA partnered with the arts organizations Artists Unite and the Bronx Museum of the Arts, situated at both sides of the Harlem River, respectively in Manhattan and the Bronx Highbridge neighborhoods. The design of an art center on the High Bridge challenged emerging architects and designers to explore how disused historic structures can be reprogrammed into vibrant urban centers. Competition entrants were also challenged to rethink the relationship between infrastructure (aqueduct, railway, highway) and its urban context. These architectural issues, universally relevant to any growing city, take on a more site-specific nature when considering the historic importance of the High Bridge and the topographic challenge posed by the steep riverbanks of the Harlem River.

Three hundred and eighty- six teams and individuals registered for the competition, representing a broad spectrum of domestic and international architects, landscape architects, urban designers, and graphic artists from a total of 41 countries. A distinguished jury of architects, artists, educators, and critics selected three top prizes, one student prize, four honorable mentions, and additional jury selections, all of which are presented in this exhibition.

+ Exhibition Content Coordinators

Exhibition Design: Lyn Rice Architects
Publication Concept: Lyn Rice Architects
Publication Designer: Steven Mosier, New York
Organized by: AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA)
Performances by: The Roof Walkers
Sponsors: Gold: Anonymous; Silver: Aragon; HumanScale; Bronze: Gensler; Situ Studio; Steven Mosier, New York; Thornton Tomasetti
Location: Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place
Awards:
Keith VanDerSys – PEG office of landscape + architecture, Philadelphia, PA (ENYA Prize)
Tetsuya Kawano, Julien Boulley, Chol Pak — Paris, France (2nd Prize)
Yekaterina Yushmanova — Student of Landscape Architecture, University of New Mexico (3rd Prize)
Kristina Guist — Student of Landscape Architecture, University of New Mexico (Student Prize)

Australian Architectural Review (AR) recently awarded Peddle Thorp Architects, Melbourne and Sustainable Built Environments (SBE) a commendation for their finalist listed entry in the Proposition 2065 design competition.

Proposition 2065, render courtesy Peddle Thorp & SBE

Proposition 2065, render courtesy Peddle Thorp & SBE

Jury report

The major strengths of this scheme related to the way scale and connectivity have been handled. The fractured volumes of the key buildings were seen as a clever response to both of these challenges, allowing for both permeability and a dissolving of building mass. The jury also saw the embedding of community programs deep within the heart of the site and integrated into the artificial topography as a good strategic move, as an activation of the ground plane.

The jury acknowledged the improvements made to Peddle Thorp + Sustainable Built Environments' proposal since Stage 1 of the competition, particularly in defining the complex artificial ground plan and the effects of the public domain on the linkages with the key grade connections to the locality.

Proposition 2065, render courtesy Peddle Thorp & SBE

Competition

Proposition 2065 competition is a two stage, open to all architects and anonymous. The competition's aim is to produce innovative architectural concepts and development solutions for a specific Australian site. The brief for 2010 challenged entrants to design a mixed-use development for a disused site in St Leonards in Sydney, immediately adjacent to the train station and major road intersection.

The jury composition, associated workshops and selection criteria reflect a competition that attempts to balance the design potential of a site and the economic realities of commercial development.

Proposition 2065, render courtesy Peddle Thorp & SBE

Activation

The site functions as a circulation hub; designed to interact with the surrounding buildings and spaces, thereby activating the precinct. The site's diverse mix of residential, commercial, retail and community zones that are active at different times of the day creates a 24 hour precinct that has a dynamic synergy with the existing neighborhoods.

Proposition 2065, render courtesy Peddle Thorp & SBE

Retail activities complement existing businesses at the Forum. Provision of commercial space offers the opportunity to consolidate existing healthcare, educational and graphic design uses. The building is offset from surrounding buildings and elevated above the ground plane, creating dynamic edges to the site by generating active spaces in between and by activating the existing static laneways.

Proposition 2065, render courtesy Peddle Thorp & SBE

Circulation

The whole site is a switch back ramp which acts as a circulation hub, actively connecting the site to its surrounds. The site, with its close proximity to excellent public transport networks and residential buildings, is a transit-oriented development. It offers significant employment capacity with the provision of commercial and retail opportunities, which are supported by a diverse mix of community facilities and amenities. Pedestrian walkways and bicycle paths weave through the site, integrating it into the existing neighborhood fabric and connecting it to local laneways, the Hospital, St Leonard's station, the Forum and Talus Reserve. Pedestrian and bicycle movement through Evans Lane to Talus Reserve has been prioritized over vehicular circulation.

Proposition 2065 - Plans, drawing courtesy Peddle Thorp & SBE

The parking area includes dedicated spaces for small, fuel-efficient, hybrid cars and car-share vehicles to encourage building users to maximize use of public transport and to discourage them from using private cars. Universal Design and DDA principles will be incorporated to enhance access for all, as well as CPTED principles to reduce the opportunity for crime. To improve access for all in the locality, a Mobility Centre is located next to St Leonard's station, providing equipment, facilities and services for less mobile and older persons, and people with disabilities.

Proposition 2065, render courtesy Peddle Thorp & SBE

Sustainability

The site has been designed around the triple bottom line concept of minimizing the impact of the development on the environment, enhancing economic prosperity and improving social equity. The site has been transformed into a dynamic ESD platform which facilitates the sustainable operation of the development. The aim is to create an exemplar energy-efficient development. Our approach is to firstly reduce energy demand by employing a climate responsive design strategy, then install energy efficient technology and finally,  supply demand with renewable energy generated on site topped up by energy from low carbon sources. The development aims to balance the water cycle, in terms of the volume of water supplied to and water discharged from the site. The development aims to optimize resource efficiency through the selection of low environmental impact materials, the provision of space for the storage of recyclable waste and the collection of organic waste for use as compost for the community gardens. Affordable housing provides accommodation for key workers associated with the adjacent healthcare and educational facilities, improving social equity. The commercial, retail and community uses generate employment capacity in the locality, thereby enhancing economic prosperity.

+ Project credits / data

Project: Proposition 2065 | Architectural competition |  http://www.proposition.com.au
Status: Commendation
Services: Architectural Design
Location: St Leonards, Sydney city, Australia
Total Built Area: 29 000 m2
Program: Mixed-use (Commercial, Retail, Community & Residential)

Client: Willoughby City Council, Altomonte Holdings
Entrants: Peddle Thorp Architects | http://www.pta.com.au & Melbourne + Sustainable Built Environments | http://www.sbe.com.au
Architectural Design: Antoine Damery
ESD Strategy: Danielle MacCartney, Pratik Shah, Imm Chew, Ben Lornie
Visualization: Charley Lee & Antoine Damery | http://www.adesigner.fr

Hot Pants Smokin', image courtesy White arkitekter

Titled 'Hot Pants Smokin', referring to the song by James Brown, this sculpture of concrete and light was executed by White arkitekter and Butong for the biannual Uppsala Lighting Festival (a.k.a. Allt Ljus på Uppsala).

Uppsala is situated in northern Europe, as far north as Alaska or Greenland. Through the dark month of november this glimmering structure stands in one of the busiest shopping streets of the swedish city.

This is a lighting festival. But as architects we wanted to explore form and material containing light, rather than focusing on the lighting equipment. We wanted to make a mysterious and archaic object, in some ways contrasting to the commercial and mundane part of the city where it stands.

Jacob Melin

The material used is translucent concrete from Butong, mounted into 48 unique frames of thin steel profile. This low-tech BIM-project was developed working with physical models using steel rods joined by small magnetic balls. The rods were then numbered and measured, and L-profiles were cut ten times their lengths and welded into triangles.

Hot Pants Smokin', image courtesy White arkitekter

Each sheet of butong was cut into shape with a knife in it's wet state before being fixed in place in its frame. The filled triangles were then welded together into five boxes, lights were installed and finally the structure was screwed together on the site.

Daniel Ljung took care of the design of the lighting and Philips sponsored with luminaires. Two smoke machines regularily emit smoke which help to catch the light in the air.

Hot Pants Smokin', image courtesy White arkitekter

The result is a 3,5 meter high sculpture that may remind of a pair of glittering disco pants, a starry gate or a space-age Stone Henge. It is placed in a pedestrian street, and it's legs seem to be caught in the middle of a step.

Hot Pants Smokin', image courtesy White arkitekter

Architecture can be interactive without buttons to press. Some choose to walk through, while others circle. Kids stop to peek inside, or pierce new and bigger holes in the structure where the concrete is paper-thin, letting more light out from the inside.

We choose to leave the crusts without protective layer, letting the sculpture tramsform throughout the month

Lars Höglund

+ Project credits / data

Architect: Jacob Melin of White arkitekter | http://www.white.se
Construction and co-design: Lars Höglund and J-C Violleau of Butong | http://www.butong.eu
Location: S:t Persgatan, Uppsala, Sweden
Lighting: Daniel Ljung
Event: Uppsala Lighting Festival 2010
Client: Uppsala City and Uppsala Kommun
Photographs: Per Lundström

+ All images and description courtesy White arkitekter

«House of mister R.» is a clear manifestation of the 'aesthetic of chaos', which Arseniy Borisenko and Peter Zaytsev are so fond of discussing with colleagues and journalists. But 'chaos' has a limited presence here.

House of mister R., image courtesy za bor architects

House of mister R., image courtesy za bor architects

«The accidental rearrangement and (self) organization of form» (as the architects say about their method) turns out to be the result of an extremely rational design process. For all the apparent accidence of its form, the house's layout and functional structure are soundly put together. And a similar quality is to be found in the building itself, which not only makes a good fit with the lie of the land, but also plays a part in shaping that landscape. The house resembles the remains of an armored spaceship.

The work was hampered by a small plot and a large number of old trees that had to be maintained. In the village houses are fairly close, so the entrance facade has virtually no windows – the main rooms are facing the interior of the site where the two wings of the building form a cozy courtyard.

House of mister R., image courtesy za bor architects

House of mister R., image courtesy za bor architects

The premises are located along the southern facade for maximum direct sunlight. Above a double height living room there´s a roof garden. In this garden there is an exit connecting to the corridor on the second floor (bedrooms).

House of mister R., image courtesy za bor architects

Below, on the first floor, we can find the public areas (living room, dining room, ancillary buildings), and on the second floor there are master's and children's bedrooms, and an office.

Skylights on the roof bring natural daylight to the interiors.

House of mister R. - Ground floor plan, drawing courtesy za bor architects

House of mister R. - 1st floor plan, drawing courtesy za bor architects

+ Project credits / data

Project: House of mister R. – residential house in Moscow, Russia
Completion: 2009 year built
Floor area: 560 sq m
Accessible roof area: 50 sq m
Site area: 1800 sq m
Building area: 270 sq m
Architects and Engineering: za bor architects – Arseniy Borisenko and Peter Zaytev
Structure material: concrete and steel
Photographs: Peter Zaytsev + Zinur Razutdinov

+ All images, drawings and description courtesy za bor architects

Moscow based architectural office Za Bor Architects recently has completed the 4th internet company office for Yandex. The Yandex in Yekaterinburg is the 4th office followed by 1st – Yandex Saint-Petersburg, 2nd – Yandex Moscow, and 3rd – Yandex Novosibirsk. Yandex is the the biggest and most popular internet service and company in Russia and USSR formers country.

Yandex internet company office, image courtesy za bor architects

The Yekaterinburg office of 'Yandex' Company occupies the fifteenth floor of a new business center 'Palladium'. The building is close to circle in section and consequently the office space is concentrated around the lift group and technical premises; in plan view it reminds of a horseshoe.

Yandex internet company office, image courtesy za bor architects

Dynamic volumes and expressive furniture are za bor bureau's visiting card; they successfully convey the concept of a prompt exponential 'Yandex' development, while wood and cork chosen as main facing materials illustrate the company's humanism. Stack partitions made from thin profile in the corridors, as well as wood used in the working premises, have not just aesthetic, but also a brightly expressed soundproof effect. Quite low ceilings (3.60 m) have been visually made higher in the corridor, and the communications there have been painted in deep black colour.

Yandex internet company office, image courtesy za bor architects

Since 'Yandex' offices are known for their informal attitude to working process and since they work round the clock, besides large and small conference halls and traditional general working zones the project provided for a sports hall, a kitchen, coffee points and chamber communication 'cells' (or pods) – spaces singled out from the corridor volume with the use of partitions.

Yandex internet company office - Layout plan, drawing courtesy za bor architects

+ Project credits / data

Project: 'Yandex' internet company office in Yekaterinburg
Location: Yekaterinburg, Russia
Architects/Authors: za bor architects | Arseniy Borisenko & Peter Zaytsev
Decorator: Nadezhda Rozhanskaya
Floor Area: 700 sqm.
Photographs: Peter Zaytsev
Floor space: 700 sq m
Project Year: 2009-2010
Design: 10.2009 – 12. 2009,
Construction: 09.2009 – 05.2010.
Opened 23.10.2010

Reception desk design by za bor architects (oak woods and glass)
4-in-1 watches design by Nadezhda Rozhanskaya
Textile in this project – Nadezhda Rozhanskaya
Office partitions – Nayada
Carpeting – InterfaceFLOR
Relax chairs «True Love» — Globe zero 4 (Contract Interiors)
Work chairs & tables – Herman Miller (Contract Interiors)
Coffee tables – Walter Knoll (Contract Interiors)

+ About za bor architects

za bor is a Moscow based architectural office founded in 2003 by principals Arseniy Borisenko and Peter Zaytsev.

The bureau's objects are created mainly in contemporary aesthetic. What distinguishes them is an abundance of architectural methods used both in the architectural and interior design, as well as a complex dynamical shape which is a visiting card of za bor projects. The interiors demonstrate this feature especially brightly, since for all their objects Peter and Arseniy create built-in and free standing furniture themselves.

za bor architects have been involved in more than 30 projects including three residential houses, an office building, a cottage settlement, more than ten offices. Among the clients of za bor architects there are media, business and government companies such as Forward Media Group, Yandex, Inter RAO UES, Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry and others.

+ All images, drawings and description courtesy za bor architects

A young American architectural studio Platform for Architecture + Research designed the Restaurant 659 located in one of LA’s boutique districts, spanning the ground floors of two adjacent retail buildings at 659 La Brea Boulevard, a new 4,800 square foot restaurant and lounge will occupy a currently vacant storefront. North of the juncture of Wilshire and La Brea, the site is in a chic dining and retail district blocks from Renzo Piano’s LACMA Museum. The design aims to reactivate the site with an urban identity that combines intensity with understatement, employing materials and light to emphasize an experiential atmosphere.

Restaurant 659, render courtesy Platform for Architecture + Research

Restaurant 659, render courtesy Platform for Architecture + Research

Dramatic daylight casts a shimmering aura through the large curvilinear glass facade as sunlight bounces from one interior space to the next, while at night the restaurant glows from within. Stripped back to the essentials, a new one-pour concrete floor and white curving walls washed by continuous recessed light envelop the spare and ethereal dining spaces. A series of custom-fitted dining furniture made from cast resin, wood, and aluminum will be designed, in addition to the facade and interior. The restaurant features a main dining area, private dining room, dining mezzanine, lounge, bar, two kitchens, manager's office, and terrace dining.

Restaurant 659, drawing courtesy Platform for Architecture + Research

Restaurant 659, drawing courtesy Platform for Architecture + Research

+ Project credits / data

Project: Restaurant 659
Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
Type: Restaurant
Site Conditions: Urban Commercial Renovation
Building Area: 4,800 SF
Status: 2009 – Present
Client: Undisclosed
Major Materials: Concrete, Plaster, Structural Curved Glass
Design Intent: To reactivate the site with an urban identity that combines intensity with understatement, employing materials and light to emphasize an experiential atmosphere.
Team: Platform for Architecture + Research
Image Credits: Platform for Architecture + Research

+ All images, drawings and description courtesy Platform for Architecture + Research

Kassen Lifestyle Creates the Definitive, Modern Cat-Scratch Post with Skiitch.

Kassen Lifestyle has has proved with the Skiitch that the modern lifestyle can finally coexist with the cats in your life, all without sacrificing modern aesthetics and great design.

The Skiitch cat-scratch post provides 28 inches of vertical and nine inches of horizontal scratching area, which is made from a specially laminated corrugate structure designed specifically to provide the ideal surface for scratching, as well as stretching.

Skiitch, image courtesy Kassen Lifestyle

In addition, the corrugate structure is mounted on a 20-lb. cement base that eliminates all measures of instability, making it an irresistible target for your cats.

I designed the Skiitch based on a cats’ scratching behavior: They wanted to stretch and scratch, and they wanted an immobile yet tactile object to use. The cats rejected traditional, carpeted scratching posts, which also clashed with and sense of modern décor. The Skiitch, on the other hand, combines true Modernist design principles with real utility. The Skiitch cat-scratch post means it’s not too late to save your furniture.

Kassen Lifestyle‘s principle designer, Eric Fescenmeyer

The Skiitch is available for sale now. Each piece is handmade upon ordering, so each may vary slightly. Orders may be made at www.KassenLifestyle.com.

+ About Kassen Lifestyle

Kassen Lifestyle is a design firm located in the Midwest, specializing in well-made and forward-thinking true Modernist pieces, with an emphasis on the Brutalist precept of finding the beauty in everyday materials. The pieces created by Kassen Lifestyle are designed in-house, then handmade with solid, time-tested methods of construction and a constant vigilance to its core principles.

+ All images courtesy Kassen Lifestyle

The fashion center Labels Berlin 2 is a concentration of showrooms for international fashion brands in one building including public spaces such as an event hall, a restaurant and a lounge at the top floor. The design strategy is based on the adjacent warehouse building Labels 1. The interior spaces of this historical building are strongly characterized by the repetition of arched windows used in the façade. This motif became one of the starting points for the design of the project.

The use of two differently cut sine curves generates a specific aesthetic for both the supporting structure and in a modified form with the sine waves for the façade. The result is that the structure and rhythm establish the formative motif for the perception of the new building and link it to the existing neighborhood.

Connected by a heat exchanging device, the whole concrete structure of the building is permeated with water tubes and used as a radiator for heating as well as for cooling. The energy consumption for heating and cooling of Labels 2 Berlin is reduced by 40% due to this combined technique of activating the building mass and using water from the Spree River. HHF architects won the international competition among selected architects in September 2007. The building opened in Spring 2010.

Labels Berlin 2, image courtesy HHF architects | Photo byIwan Baan

+ Project information courtesy HHF architects

Project description & Project

Apart from large trade fair exhibitions fashion firms take pride and pleasure in inviting their professional clients to small and personal presentations of the latest collection in so-called "showrooms". Up to twelve times a year new creations are presented in such locations. The foundation for a truly prominent and exciting fashion headquarters on the Spree Riverfront was laid in 2006 by the establishment of Labels Berlin 1, accomplished through the renovation and reconstruction of a former warehouse.

In response to the large demand of the fashion industry for showroom space, Labels Projektmanagement GmbH & Co. KG conducted an external expert evaluation with an international architectural competition in the spring of 2007 for a new building Labels Berlin 2. In September 2007 the expert commission awarded first prize to the design by HHF architects recommending the project for execution.

Labels Berlin 2, image courtesy HHF architects | Photo byIwan Baan

Design Program, Concept and Construction

The new building Labels Berlin 2 is conceived to provide showroom space for approximately thirty different fashion labels. A large event area and small restaurant are located on the ground floor. The design concept of Labels Berlin 2 responds to the architecture of the adjacent Labels Berlin 1 building by using the arched window façade of this historic warehouse as a starting point and developing it further as the two different raking sinus curves of an impressive ornamental motif.

Labels Berlin 2, image courtesy HHF architects | Photo byIwan Baan

The load-bearing structure of the new building is constructed in exposed concrete. The system consists of supporting panels perforated by sinus curves that are positioned at intervals of 9.625m and establish the supporting structure around the entire façade. Statically this solution gives renters a very high degree of flexibility in subdividing and developing their own interior space – at the same time the load-bearing structure establishes an overriding spatial and iconographic element throughout the entire building. On the ground floor the width of the span of the supporting structure is greatly extended locally making it possible to create a space for events that is as free of columns as possible.

Labels Berlin 2, image courtesy HHF architects | Photo byIwan Baan

The pre-fabricated, painted-green concrete elements, which curtain the thermal façade and fan out towards the bottom, shade the underlying glazing and create an in between space that accommodates the exterior sunscreens, lighting fixtures, security cameras and other elements. The plumbing pipes are embedded in the exposed concrete. As thermo-active building components or system (TABS) the pipes serve to cool and heat the entire load-bearing structure and thereby make it possible to considerably save on energy consumption.

Labels Berlin 2 - Section, drawing courtesy HHF architects

Circulation

Access to the showrooms, event area and lounge on the roof are combined in a canopied entrance on the west side of the building. The restaurant is accessible from the Spree River side. Two cores contain elevators, emergency exit stairs, installation wells and plumbing facilities. A spatially compact spiral staircase out of steel, whose ground plan is defined by the same sinus curves as in the cutout form of the façade and load-bearing structure, connects the showrooms of the upper floors.

Labels Berlin 2 - Ground floor plan, drawing courtesy HHF architects

Ground Floor / Event Area and Restaurant

In addition to the central circulation area for the showrooms the ground floor houses a flexible, dynamically redefinable area for such events as fashion shows, receptions, concerts, etc. The restaurant is an independently redefinable and rentable entity that – like the event area – can be expanded in summer onto the adjacently located terrace. Deliveries to the catering kitchen are conducted directly from outside.

Labels Berlin 2 - Level 3 + Level 4 floor plan, drawing courtesy HHF architects

Upper Floors 1–4 / Showrooms

The showrooms are located on the upper floors 1 to 4. The partitioning walls between two rental units are geometrically independent of the load-bearing structure and can be freely positioned with few restrictions. All units are independently accessible through the cores and each has its own separate water and electrical connections. Proceeding from the hallway in the core area there is respectively one WC per floor – alternately for women or men – all of which are accessible to every renter.

Labels Berlin 2 - Roof plan, drawing courtesy HHF architects

Top Floor

The top floor is a steel construction erected on the concrete ceiling of the fourth floor and relates to other architectonic design principles of the rest of the building in order to preserve the unity of the main volume.

Differently sized aluminium-clad cubes and a wide overhang roof functionally accommodate a large terrace opening towards the Spree River.

Underground Level

The building has a partial basement that is only accessible via the eastern emergency exit staircase. The underground level is used exclusively for housing building technical facilities. A service opening for machines is located on the north side on the ground level of the new street called Hafenstrasse.

Development Options and Leasehold Improvements

Rental units are offered to the potential leaser as "unfinished" space and include exterior walls, partition walls between rental units, attic, electrical and plumbing connections, heating and access to delivery points. The completion of the showroom interiors is in the responsibility of the leaseholder.

+ About HHF architects

HHF architects was founded in 2003 by Tilo Herlach, Simon Hartmann and Simon Frommenwiler. Since then HHF architects has realised projects in Switzerland as well as internationally. The first international work 'Baby Dragon', a pavillion in the 'Jinhua Architecture Park' in China, has been followed by other further projects in China, the USA, Germany, Mexico and Italy.

In addition to building, teaching architecture is also an important part of the firm's work. Simon Hartmann was associate assisting professor at the ETH Studio Basel, which is directed by Professors Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, Roger Diener and Marcel Meili. Simon Frommenwiler was assistant to Professor Harry Gugger at the EPF in Lausanne. The HHF architects office itself was guest instructor at the UIA in Mexico City, at MIT in Boston and guest critic at numerous universities. Since 2009 Simon Hartmann has been Professor for Design at the College of Engineering and Architecture (HTA) in Fribourg, Switzerland.

+ Project credits / data

Project: High Fashion Exhibition Centre Labels Berlin 2
Competition and Construction: 2007, 1st Prize, 2007?–?2010
Building Footprint Area: 1'537 m2
Surrounding Site Improvements Area: 590 m2
Gross Floor Area: 8'191 m2
Useable Floor Area: 6'630 m2
Building Volume: 32'930 m3

Client: LABELS Projektmanagement GmbH & Co. KG
Architectural Design Concept: HHF architects
Team: HERLACH HARTMANN FROMMENWILER with Cella Hubel (Project Manager), Walter Gloor, Yujin Hirase, Janna Jessen, Tonja Kersting, Okhyun Kim
Location: Osthafen, Berlin, Germany
Copyright: HHF architekten GmbH
Project Management: Jasper Baumanagement GmbH
Structural Engineering: PPW D. Paulisch + Partner
HVAC (Heating, Venting, Air-Conditioning): Gneise 66
Photographs: Iwan Baan

+ All images and drawings courtesy HHF architects

Queensland Courtyard House is a recent residential competition submission by Brisbane, Australia based architecture office Plazibat & Jemmott Architects.

+ Project description courtesy Plazibat + Jemmott architects

Concept

The intent of this project is to go beyond the pragmatics of the proposed program and investigate a new potential model for suburban housing. This model takes a holistic approach to the issue of sustainable suburbs and is interested not so much in the technicalities of water harvesting or co-generation, but rather through increased efficiency, density and social interaction.

Queensland Courtyard House, render courtesy Plazibat + Jemmott architects

Queensland Courtyard House, render courtesy Plazibat + Jemmott architects

The proposed site is seen as being part of an existing urban fringe suburb of Brisbane and of a larger group of buildings that form an alternative proposition to inner city density. This context typically has an existing density of approximately 55 to 75 people per hectare. This proposal could conservatively increase the density to approximately 160 to 220 people per hectare.

The proposal began with the initial idea of a public/private courtyard/garden space around which the sub-tropical house programme is developed.

Queensland Courtyard House - Floor plans, drawing courtesy Plazibat + Jemmott architects

The courtyard space provides a focus around which the dwelling can be organized, takes advantage of the natural slope of the site and liberates the ground plane creating visual and physical connection with the landscape to the north of the site. The courtyard also provides an opportunity for an internal landscape to be developed not just on horizontal surfaces but also vertical. The courtyard becomes the pivot point from which the building gains its formal expression, the notion of public (the city aspect) versus the private (the landscape aspect).

The materiality treatment of the project builds on the idea of private and public, the robust brick and concrete external treatment sits in stark contrast to the finely crafted intimate interior, not unlike a piece of finely crafted jewellery.

Queensland Courtyard House, render courtesy Plazibat + Jemmott architects

The site is approached either from the lane to the north or from the street to the south. A public access path on the northwestern boundary provides continuous public connectivity through the site as well as the primary pedestrian entry to the dwelling via the courtyard. The courtyard is accessed several ways and is a constant reference point as one circulates through the house. The landscaped courtyard is framed by the glazed inclined stair bridges and the vertical gardens. The undercroft of the elevated bedrooms is utilized as a protected space which inherently becomes an 'outdoor room' and an extension of the internal plan.

Queensland Courtyard House, render courtesy Plazibat + Jemmott architects

The public and private expression of the building results in a more robust/private expression toward the city/street (south) and a lighter/public expression towards the landscape/lane (north). The southern and northern façades are expressed simply with large openings to the narrow facades. These large openings are protected from solar access via a suspended brick screen to the south and timber screen to the north. These screens also provide privacy and security which enables the openings to be used without concern.

Queensland Courtyard House, render courtesy Plazibat + Jemmott architects

The roof over the northern portion of the building is accessible whereas the roof over the remaining portion is inverted and water is collected centrally. It is intended that the majority of the roof water will be collected and stored directly in subterranean cellular storage tanks, located beneath the driveway. The building will offer additional environmentally sustainable design features such as: solar water heating, thermal mass storage, on-site food production in the garden courtyard and other fundamental design decisions such as single room depths to allow cross ventilation to all rooms.

Queensland Courtyard House - Diagram, drawing courtesy Plazibat + Jemmott architects

Queensland Courtyard House, render courtesy Plazibat + Jemmott architects

Materials

The materials selection focused on using natural modern or recycled materials but also took long term maintenance, proportion, simplicity and timelessness into consideration. Materials such as clay, timber and recycled concrete (coloured) are deemed appropriate for these requirements.

The combination of brickwork and recycled coloured concrete has been selected as the primary building materials. The way it is proposed to be used has been driven by the constraints and opportunities the site presents. Innovative elements such as elevated brickwork walls and screens are proposed to be supported with steel substructure.

Queensland Courtyard House, render courtesy Plazibat + Jemmott architects

Queensland Courtyard House, render courtesy Plazibat + Jemmott architects

The primary materials include:

External walls:
Insitu Concrete – Envirocrete. Colour: Slate
Brickwork – Elan Signature 'Slimline'. Colour: La Mesa
Precast Concrete – Envirocrete.

Floor Slabs:
Insitu Concrete – Envirocrete. Colour: Slate

Roof:
Roof Tile – Shingle Eclipse. Colour: Ghost Gum Grey

The secondary materials include solid hardwood timber floors, hardwood timber decking and screens.

Timber Floors: 130 x 19 mm Solid Strip Flooring. Species: Spotted Gum. Finish: Tongue Oil
Timber Decking: 86 x 19 mm Hardwood Timber Decking. Finish: Natural Stain
Timber Screens: 64 x 19 mm Hardwood Timber Decking. Finish: Natural Stain

+ Project credits / data

Project: Queensland Courtyard House
Date: September, 2010
Architect: Plazibat + Jemmott architects
Project Design Team: Shane Plazibat, Tony Jemmott , Tim Stephens
Program: Competition, residential project

AAKKOSET Shelf / Room Divider, image courtesy KAYIWA

You may use both AAKKOSET’s obverse and reverse to hold books, CDs, magazines et cetera. As a room divider, you may also choose to leave it empty.

The meticulous 4-week process to make just one AAKKOSET uniquely combines the very latest manufacturing technology with traditional craftsmanship: In brief, Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) is fed through a 5-Axis Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) router. It is thoroughly glued, pressed and primed before a deep rich paint job is first mechanically applied and then hand finished.

It is available in black, blue, green, orange, red, violet, white and yellow.

Material: Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)
Length: 168 cm
Height: 185 cm
Width: 40 cm
Weight: 600 kg

+ For more information, visit www.kayiwa.fi

AAKKOSET Shelf / Room Divider, image courtesy KAYIWA

+ All images courtesy KAYIWA

Faustino Winery by world-renowned architect Foster + Partners recently opens in Spain.

Bodegas Portia is our first winery, so we had no preconceptions about how it should work. It was an opportunity to start from first principles – to examine the different stages of wine production and to try to create the ideal conditions for them to unfold. The wine was the starting point, as well as the beautiful setting in Ribera del Duero. Using materials that draw on the region's winemaking traditions, with public spaces open to the landscape, will enhance the visitor experience.

Lord Foster

Faustino Winery, image © Foster + Partners | Photo by Nigel Young

+ Project description courtesy Foster + Partners

Faustino winery opens in Spain

Bodegas Portia is a new winery for the Faustino Group in the Ribera del Duero, one of Spain's foremost wine-producing regions. The project is Foster + Partners first winery and was an opportunity to look afresh at the building type, using the natural topography of the site to aid the winemaking process and create the optimum working conditions, while reducing the building's energy demands and its visual impact on the landscape.

Faustino Winery, image © Foster + Partners | Photo by Nigel Young

The 12,500 square-metre facility has a production capacity of one million bottles per year. The building's trefoil design expresses the three main stages of production: fermentation in steel vats; ageing in oak barrels; and finally, ageing in bottles. These are controlled by an operations hub at the core. The wings containing the barrels and bottle cellar are partly embedded into the ground to produce the most favourable environmental conditions for ageing the wine, while the fermentation wing is exposed, allowing carbon dioxide to be released. A road rises to the roof of the building, where the harvested grapes are delivered straight into the hopper: the winery is designed to take advantage of the sloping terrain, using gravity to aid movement of the grapes within the building, maximising efficiency and minimising damage to the grapes. The concrete structure is clad in shingles of Corten steel.

Faustino Winery, image © Foster + Partners | Photo by Nigel Young

The site in the Ribera del Duero, approximately 150 kilometres north of Madrid, has extremely cold winters, as well as hot summers with limited rainfall. The deep overhang of the roof canopy provides shade and the building is designed to regulate the internal temperatures, at the same time as reducing energy demand. By partly embedding the building within the landscape, its visual impact is minimised and the passive environmental benefits are maximised – the roof incorporates photovoltaic cells and the thermal mass of the concrete structure helps to control interior temperatures.

Faustino Winery, image © Foster + Partners | Photo by Nigel Young

At the heart of the winery a raised public gallery extends into glazed mezzanine areas, which project deep into each wing, allowing visitors to enjoy elevated views of the different processes. Between the wings is a light-filled public reception and administration area, where extensive terraces and pools of water overlook the vineyards. Lined with deep-stained old wine barrel slats, the public areas are designed to evoke the rich tradition of winemaking in the region.

Faustino Winery, image © Foster + Partners | Photo by Nigel Young

Concept

Trefoil plan that reflects the principal process stages: fermentation in steel vats; ageing in oak barrels; and storage and refinement in the bottle.

The two volumes housing the ageing processes are buried into the natural slope of the site, in order to enable gravity-based delivering of the grape harvest. Taking advantage of the thermal cooling benefits of the earth, the building is partly embedded in the landscape.

Operational support and visitors facilities are strategically located in the centre of the building, with the public areas on a mezzanine level. There is also a restaurant with views of the landscape.

Faustino Winery, image © Foster + Partners | Photo by Nigel Young

Sustainability

The partly buried structure, as well as the concrete framing of the building, maximises its thermal mass to maintain a constant internal environment and the optimal thermal conditions required for the ageing of wine. The wing where the tanks are housed is naturally ventilated to allow CO2 to escape during the fermentation process.

Widescale integration of photovoltaics is anticipated into the design of the roof, spreading over the three wings to maximise the surface for capturing energy.

+ Project credits / data

Project: Faustino winery
Construction: August 2006 – September 2010
Location: 150km north of Madrid on the main traffic route connecting the major cities in Spain, in the Ribera del Duero region, one of Spain's foremost wine producing area.
Building Type: Winery – for the production of one million bottles of red wine per year.
Gross Area: 12,500 sqm
Net Area: 11,300 sqm
Site Area: 400 acres
Building Height: 14.5 m (partially embedded into the sloping landscape)
Number of storeys: Two operational levels + grape reception roofdeck (external)
Structure: Concrete structure with pre-cast elements where the structure is exposed and in situ cast concrete where the structure is buried underground, i.e. retaining walls. The boundary link between above and below-grade servicing structures is given visual expression through a continuous linear skylight.
Materials: Materials of building echo the materials used in wine production – steel, oak and glass.
Cladding: Corten Steel shingle cladding to all principal vertical elevations.
Production: Capacity One million bottles of red wine per year.
Storage: Capacity 6,000 barrels of 225 litres, and 750,000 bottles.

Client: Bodegas Faustino SL
Architect: Foster + Partners
Design Team: Norman Foster, David Nelson, Gerard Evenden, Pedro Haberbosch, Nadine Pieper Bosch, Ana Agag Longo, Juan Gabriel La Malfa, Luca Latini, Chris Lepine, Emanuele Mattutini, Josep Mercader, Jaime Valle

Structural Engineer: Arup
Mechanical and Electrical Engineer: Arup
Quantity Surveyor: DLE
Lighting Consultant: Claude Engle
Project Manager: Prointec
Local Architect: Prointec
Main Contractor: FCC
Photography: Nigel Young