Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2013

                                Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2013
                                        Designed by Sou Fujimoto
                                           Until 20 October 2013

 

"It is a really fundamental question how architecture is different from nature, or how architecture could be part of nature, or how they could be merged...what are the boundaries between nature and artificial things." Sou Fujimoto



The Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2013 is designed by multi award-winning Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto.

He is the thirteenth and, at 41, youngest architect to accept the invitation to design a temporary structure for the Serpentine Gallery. The most ambitious architectural programme of its kind worldwide, the Serpentine's annual Pavilion commission is one of the most anticipated events on the cultural calendar. Past Pavilions have included designs by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei (2012), Frank Gehry (2008), the late Oscar Niemeyer (2003) and Zaha Hadid, who designed the inaugural structure in 2000.

To Read more on the serpentine gallery click here

TURNING ORDINARY PLACES INTO AMAZING SPACES

London based architectural practice offering a rare blend of practical, hands-on experience and creative design flair. They don’t design offices, skyscrapers, bridges and other large scale structures, but concentrate on what we’re really good at – turning ordinary places into amazing spaces.

 

A team of architects with offices on the banks of the Thames in Putney with great views of the river. design philosophy – a way of approaching architecture and interior design which puts the dreams and aspirations of the client at the very heart of business. call it ‘Design from the Inside Out’ because the starting point for all their work is flesh and blood not bricks and mortar. Put simply it means they spend a great deal of time with clients trying to understand their vision and discussing how they can translate that into beautiful, yet practical spaces.

 

 

                         For more info on dyer grimes click here 

Dynamic facade

The Kiefer technic showroom

This facade changes continuously, each day and each hour shows a new " face" The facade is turning into a dynamic sculpture.

                                      For more info on giselbrecht click here

Modern Residential Architecture in Hollywood

A modern style statement visible from afar, the contemporary Openhouse by XTEN Architecture is nestled on a steep slope in the Hollywood Hills with the iconic Sunset Boulevard at its feet. The bold residential design features retaining walls that are built into the hillside, placing the main living area within the landscape and allowing for two levels of garden terraces. Glass is a major player in this unique home design. A total of 44 sliding glass panels, each measuring seven by 10 ft., allow the front and rear facades of the house to slide open, blurring the boundaries between indoors and out. Additional fixed panels of glass and mirror reflect the cool, contemporary ambiance of this trendy spot where nature meets contemporary urban living. “Openhouse appears as a simple folded line with recessed glass planes, a strong sculptural form at the scale of the site. The minimalist logic of the architecture is transformed by direct and indirect connections to nature,” explain the architects. Supporting the expanses of glass are solid elements of stone, concrete, dark-stained oak and plaster, which really ground the house and lend it an all-enduring quality. XTEN Architecture

Celtic Museum

Gerrman architects Kada Wittfeld Architektur have completed this metal-bodied museum in Glauburg, Germany, that cantilevers out towards a historic Celtic burial mound. 

Similar to an excavated archaeological find, the metal body of the museum juts out from the landscape and forms a counterpart to the burial mound. More of a mysterious object itself rather than architecture, the museum should be stumbled upon by its visitors as a marker of landscape discovery.

 

For more info click here

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Holy Rosary

LOCATION: St. Amant, Louisiana
AREA: 17,000 Square Feet
CONSTRUCTION COST: $2.5 Million
COMPLETION: 2004

The design of the Holy Rosary Complex – comprised of an oratory, administrative building, and religious education building – for a rural Catholic Parish in South Louisiana, is an honest exploration of form, function, light and materials that results in an engaging and profound study in sacred space. Neither opulent nor austere, Holy Rosary Chapel presents a thoughtful meditation on sacred spaces and the spatial embodiment of spiritual experience. The masterplan for the rural campus creates a strong sense of place and draws a distinction between the program’s sacred and secular components. Secular components of the campus take form as linear or “edge” buildings – an administrative block, two linear classroom bars, a religious education building – which form the courtyard in which the oratory is located. The oratory, or chapel, is the focus of the otherwise orthogonal composition, but is itself skewed to further underscore its importance and to create a sense of expectation.

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For more info on trahanarchitects click here 

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Trahan architects: louisiana state museum + sports hall of fame

trahan architects create 'LSMSHOF' in tribute to culture
image © tim hursley
all images courtesy of trahan architects


In celebration of the gulf state's rich history, trahan architects design the louisiana state museum and sports hall of fame (LSMSHOF) to unite history and athletics, covering the region's great cultural wealth. located in the territory's oldest settlement, natchitoches, the site overlooks the cane river lake at the edge of the red river valley. the architectonics mimic the natural forms of its surrounding. inside, a central atrium at the entrance is a focal point of the design. it is intended to be a gathering place for the community. from here, corridors curve and meander throughout the building, leading visitors between athletic memorabilia from over 250 local sports figures, and 28,000 square feet of historic artifacts and exhibitions. the exterior of the building is clad in wood planks as a reference to the area's timber industry. their spacing and organization allows ample daylight and air to enter the building, while giving the building rhythm and scale.

Corridors curve and meander throughout the building like the neighboring river
image © tim hursley




A large skylight fills the atrium with light
image © tim hursley




The museum pays tribute to the area's local timber industry
image © tim hursley




The cast-stone finish adds lightness to the space
image © tim hursley

For more info click here

A 100 square foot timber wonder

© Tengbom Architects via Designboom

 

                                            Designboom shows two of our favorite things in one little project: A 100 square foot "smart student unit" made out of cross-laminated timber (CLT) the super-strong wood panels made from sustainably harvested wood.


© Tenbom Architects via Designboom

I love how the tables fold up into the wall and seal the windows. This thing is solid and safe.
Tengbom architects write:

This truly compact-living flat still offers a comfortable sleeping-loft, kitchen, bathroom and a small garden with a patio. Through an efficient layout and the use of cross laminated wood as a construction material the rent is reduced by 50 % and the ecological impact and carbon footprints is also significantly reduced. Energy efficiency is a key issue when designing new buildings.

© Tengbom Architects via Designboom

Choosing right material and manufacturing methods is vital to minimize the carbon emission and therefore wood was chosen for its carbon positive qualities, and as a renewable resource it can be sourced locally to minimize transportation. The manufacturer method was chosen because of is flexible production and for its assembling technique which can be done on site to reduce construction time.

Lots more images at Designboom
Story source Lloyd Alter  lloydalter twitter

Solar Decathlon heads to California

CC BY-ND 2.0 Dept of Energy Solar Decathlon

 

The Solar Decathlon has always been a favorite of ours. Every year, teams of students from universities around the country and the world show off their brilliant ideas for how to make solar powered homes beautiful, efficient, functional, sustainable and affordable -- all teams' homes must be made for $250,000 or less. Many teams submit designs for the Department of Energy sponsored event, but only 20 are chosen to build their homes and compete in the contest.

The competition will be held at Orange County Great Park in Irvine, CA from October 3 - 13, 2013. This is the first year in the competition's history that it has been held outside of Washington, D.C.
Teams take part in ten contests: Architecture, Market Appeal, Engineering, Communications, Affordability, Comfort Zone, Hot Water, Appliances, Home Entertainment and Energy Balance. The winning homes always produce as much or more energy than they consume.
The 2013 contest has some amazing entries that all reflect the climate and natural surroundings of the team's locations like this one from from University of Alberta.



Dept of Energy Solar Decathlon/CC BY-ND 2.0

And this one from the University of Nevada Las Vegas.



Dept of Energy Solar Decathlon/CC BY-ND 2.0

Features on the homes include things like retractable solar panels that act as shade for a patio on the University of North Carolina house, home automation systems that allow everything to be controlled on a smartphone on the West Virginia University house and an under-floor heating and cooling system on the Capital DC team's house. Electric car charging will be a part of half of the teams' homes to showcase how the houses can power a family's entire lives.

Take a look at computer animated tours of some of the homes below and go to the Solar Decathlon website for much more information on the teams, great photos and videos. Check back in October to see the results of the competition.

Story source Megan Treacy  

Robert Bruno’s steel house

Architect and sculptor Robert Bruno’s steel house/sculpture in Lubbock, Texas. Bruno spent 23 years building this strange home that looks like something from the film director Ridley Scotts movie Alien The house is made out of 110 tons of steel.

                                                          

 
Robert began his sculptural home in 1973, with a very fluid and organic plan. Trained as a sculpture, he moved to Lubbock from Mexico to teach at Texas Tech. A bit dismayed by the flat local landscape, he soon discovered an anomaly at Ransom Canyon. Even as you near the canyon, you can't truly see it, as it is carved into the flat landscape. But here you will find a vista with more drama, while keeping all of the incredible vast Texan sky. This proved to be a perfect setting for his home.


 
Over the years, the look and structure of Robert's home has changed dramatically. Originally intended to be 1 story, he kept adding on, carving away, adjusting walls, etc. All of the walls in the home are either welded metal, or original glass/stained glass creations. All designed to optimize light and his visual experience. Walls were removed to increase visual vistas, stained glass added to create contrast to the rusted metal (with a subtle nod to his love of catholic iconography and visual language, as well as the old churches of Mexico). Not limited to expressions in glass and metal, Robert also created a beautiful wooden entry table of fluid lines and delicate grace. And he does it all himself, setting this home apart from a typical architectural project with other draftsmen and craftsmen contributing. (unlike another famed architect known for his fluid organic style.






pictures sources :
robert bruno website
sources : artificialowl.net