Architects: Camenzind Evolution
Location: Zürich, Switzerland
Project Team: Stefan Camenzind, Tanya Ruegg
Client: Google Inc.
Site Managment: Quadras Baumanagement Ltd.
Building Engineering: Amstein + Walthert Ltd.
Office Furniture Consultant: Büronauten Ltd.
Catering Consultant: Planbar Ltd.
Project Area: 12,000 sqm
Project year: 2007
Construction year: 2007-2008
Photographs: Camenzind Evolution

Google is not a conventional company, and does not intend to become one. This is readily apparent in their new offices for Google’s EMEA Engineering Hub in Zurich, Switzerland, where the design cultivates an energized and inspiring work environment that is relaxed but focused, and buzzing with activities

The new EMEA Engineering Hub is located within the ‘Hurlimann Areal’ within easy walking distance of Zurich city centre. The site was originally a local brewery that has been regenerated into a vibrant mixed-use development of apartments, shops, offices and a spa hotel. The Google building is a contemporary seven storey shell and core office block offering 12’000 m2 floor area for up to 800 staff.

Google is in the process of rapid expansion in Zurich where the headcount has doubled in the last 12 months. The challenge for the architects was therefore to set up a tailor-made design and construction process, which would meet the tight time and budget constraints whilst endorsing a very broad participatory design methodology. Based on their method statements, Camenzind Evolution was selected in a competitive tender-interview process to become the lead architect and project manager for the interior design and fit-out of the new Google Engineering Hub.

Google celebrates individuality, creativity and innovative business practice within a high-energy environment and emphasises the importance of the individual and maintaining a small-company ambience throughout company growth.

level 01 floor plan

A key element in the design approach was that the Googlers in Zurich (fondly referred to as Zooglers) should participate in the design process to create their own local identity. Under the guidance of the Director of International Real Estate at Google in Mountain View, an interactive and transparent approach to the architectural process was implemented from the beginning. A diverse team of local Zooglers were formed as the steering committee to represent the entire office. This committee reviewed, challenged and approved the design throughout the project. This unique method of engagement provided open collaboration, unique perspectives and ideas, and supplied a direct sense of ownership throughout the Zurich office. To this end Camenzind Evolution was neither given a specific brief nor a corporate identity manual and was explicitly asked not to research the organisation and design of other Google offices.

The architects began with a rapid process of research and analysis to map out the opportunities and challenges posed by the building as well as the emotional and practical requirements of the Zooglers. The latter was achieved by conducting a survey of all the Zooglers, complemented by a series of workshops and interviews. This research, guided by a psychologist, extended beyond purely functional aspects, and provided information about the Zooglers personality types, representational systems, values and motivational factors.

Although the details of the survey outcomes remain confidential, the process revealed that the optimal working environment for Zooglers needed to be diverse and at the same time harmonious whilst making it a fun and an enjoyable place to work in. The survey also showed that while personal workspace needed to be functional and more neutral, communal areas had to offer strong visual and more aesthetically enjoyable and entertaining qualities to stimulate creativity, innovation and collaboration.

Based on the survey, concept options were developed and presented. The Zooglers decided early on that they preferred to reduce their personal net area of workspace in order to gain more communal and meeting areas. The working areas were therefore designed with a high degree of space efficiency. Additionally, they had to be able to accommodate frequent staff rotation and growth. On average a Googler moves twice a year within the building, consequently the office layout was designed for maximum adaptability so that all groups and departments can use any part of the office space. The office areas are organised along a central core and are a mixture of open-plan workspaces for 6-10 people and enclosed offices for 4-6 people.

All office enclosures are constructed using a glass partition system, which maintains transparency and optimises daylight while reducing noise and achieving the required degree of privacy for working teams. Each office floor is colour-coded and themed for easy orientation, for example on the blue floor large photographs and graphics on the themes of water and snow enhance the colour concept and make it an integral part of the interior design.

The Zoogler engineers tackle some of the most interesting challenges in computing today. As many of the teams in Zurich work together with Google teams all over the world, meeting rooms fitted with video-conferencing equipment are very important. Consequently there are a large number of small to medium-size meeting rooms situated throughout the office space. Apart from the standard meeting rooms, there are also many informal meeting areas, which have a more relaxed atmosphere for teams to have creative discussion around white-boards. Some of them also incorporate the theme of the floor, like the Igloo Satellite Cabins with penguins and the original ski-gondolas in a snow-scape on the blue floor.

The concept of the communal areas relates directly to the project research conclusions and wider research that indicates relaxation to be crucial to innovation and stimulating original thought. Work and play are not mutually exclusive, or as Google puts it “it is possible to code and pass the puck at the same time”. Based on this concept Camenzind Evolution developed themed communal areas associated with sport and leisure, for example, an aquarium water lounge for relaxation and a games room to play billiards, table football and interactive video games. There is also an antique- themed library and a massage spa to soothe any tight shoulder muscles. Most of these spaces also contain ‘micro kitchens’ offering the Zooglers a variety of drinks and snacks throughout the day.

The diversity of the communal areas provides a great choice of distinctive emotional and visual experiences and activities. These ensure that there is a suitably relaxing or inspiring environment for the individual needs of the more than 50 nationalities represented in the Zurich office. The communal areas are intentionally dispersed throughout the building to encourage Zooglers to circulate throughout the seven floors to enhance communication between the different working groups and teams. In this way the building has evolved into a Google city with easy reference points for Zooglers and visitors to navigate the building. To allow speedy movement with fun between floors, “quick connections” comprising fire poles to slide down, link some of the communal areas with the floor above – making sure the Zooglers can reach their coffee that bit faster. And for the really hungry Zooglers, a steep and fast slide spirals down from the offices on the first floor directly into the centre of the Milliways cafeteria on the ground floor.

Food is very important to Google and the Zurich office is no exception. The Milliways cafeteria serves free breakfast, lunch and dinner and the chefs use only fresh, high quality ingredients and local produce to make healthy delicious food. Coming together for eating is also a great opportunity for the Zooglers to meet and talk to people they don’t work directly with. To balance the good food, a staffed gym offers yoga, Pilates and fitness classes and encourages the Zooglers to keep fit and healthy.

There are also a large number of technical talks at Google. Google ‘Tech Talks’ are designed to disseminate a wide spectrum of views on topics ranging from Current Affairs, Science and Engineering to Entertainment and the Arts. For these talks and many other events, conference facilities for up to 200 people have been designed on the ground floor.

Architects: Sangrad d.o.o.
Location: Sv.Martin na Muri, Hrvatska, Croatia
Project Architects: Vedran Pedisic & Mladen Hofmann
Contractor: Tanja Baljkas, Boris Baljkas
Client: Toplice Sv. Martin d.d.
Site Area: 16,339 sqm
Constructed Area: 1,328 sqm
Budget: $1,5 M Euro
Project year: 2008
Photographs: Sandro Lendler

Purpose and the Location of the Project

New two-part sports arena is located in the immediate close of outer sporting courts (tennis, football, basketball, table tennis, volleyball) and it is integral part of sports facilities named Spa and Golf resort Saint Martin.

Spa and Golf resort Saint Martin is a planned complex which contains number of sports, recreatonal and resting facilities. Apartments, sports arena, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, golf courses with SPA GOLF HOTEL compose natural and eventful development with tendency of expansion and melioration.

site plan

Due to the plan and characteristics of natural environment the arena comprises the western part of the development marking the continuous strip of resort parts.

Position of the sports hall generates well natural lighting for inner courts. Main hall is situated in east-west direction which enables dispersive lighting through continuous window stripes of northern and southern facade. Smaller gym hall oriented southern with its volume on the upper level ensures covered space of entrance porch and create a effect of mighty surrounding aspiration inside the hall.

Layouts

Various programmes of the sports arena are separated on two levels. Entrance hall, sport halls, services (dressing rooms, sanitary facilities and stores) are located on the ground level, while the gym hall, fitness room, hall with a cafe, access gallery for telescope stands and technical spaces of hall preside the upper level.

Shape and the Skin of the Sports Hall

The natural environment offers various choices of movement and recreation depending on wishes of a individual. This environment is a ambiental scenario for pedestrians using the spaces between the sports arena and the hotel and golf courses on the other end of the development.

The organic landscape is challenged by simple building forms which by means of used facade materials reflect the nature encompass it.

The arena is a landcabile in its environment due to the functional needs and dedication of its users for sports in question.

Facade panels compose the elevations with regards to the changing seasons of the year. These panels corresponding to the natural brown colour of the earth vary in texture and reflection with the flow of the day and its seasonal characteristics.

Bridges are built to connect, traverse, and inspire. The pedestrian and cyclist bridges planned to reach across the run will be the defining elements in bringing people to the shores of the stream and to each other. As pieces of transit infrastructure, the bridges will also link neighborhoods, streets, and pathways, thus providing a more accessible and desirable means to walk or bike across the region. The first of these bridges is to establish the design language for the others to follow, and is the subject of this professional competition. Taking inspiration from its surrounding natural and industrial elements, the bridge is to be a modern, sustainable, and sculptural piece, spanning clear across the run with minimal impact to the stream bed.

The competition to design and build this bridge begins with a request for qualifications and culminates in a public presentation given by three finalists. A winning team will be chosen based on the strength of their professional skills and the potential for their conceptual design to become an icon for the Four Mile Run and its surrounding community. Seen at deathbyarchitecture. For more details on submission, visit the competition’s official website.

Architects: The Design Firm
Location: Kengeri Satellite Town, Bangalore, India
Project Head Architects: Sujit Muralidhar & K Krubha Karan
Project Architect: Phanindra, Antony Justus
Client: Mr.Satish Nayak
Models: Dinesh G
Structural Consultants: Sigma Consultants, Mr. Satish Shanoy
P H E Consultants: P K Consultants, Mr. Prasanna Kumar
Contractors: Vivek and Co.
Site Area: 204 sqm
Project Area: 279 sqm
Budget: Rs.35 lakhs
Project year: 2009
Photographs: The Design Firm

The architecture of this building is to create a dichotomy of cultural, futuristic, aesthetic and function. This dwelling takes the maximum advantage of light although to the detriment of its function.

The objectives of this project has to do with economy and also with the perception of the areas designed to be enjoyed by senses. Though the house is located near to a busy road on the rear of the property the front of the house are tranquil.

The evolution of the design came from a simple geometric compositions which complemented to the spatial and distinction of layouts.

The image of “containers” placed on top of another occurred when it was decided for two families and was situated at the end of a corner road.

The concept applied intended to combine 2 houses with different economies and distinct housing layouts, one of which have to integrate for rental occupancy with limited economy.

solar heating diagram

The plot measuring 2200 sq ft, located at the end of a corner road in an upcoming suburban layout of Bangalore. This east facing house is divided into 2 sections as lower house comprised of a 2 bed dwelling unit purely for rental occupancy, whereas the upper levels comprised of a formal lounge, courtyard, and bedrooms on second level.

This SN house is an attempt for climatic and applied energy efficient principles in architecture. Its simple, compact planning integrates accessible construction technologies with simple design solutions. It demonstrates that energy effectiveness results not of the exhibition of means – technological or material but of its capacity in answering rationally to many requirements of human living.

From Architectural design to adequate definition of particular solutions, the SN house shows that its possible to integrate contemporary technologies to sustainable solutions – good design as the support to good human comfort.

The result is remarkable for its simplicity, sense of adequacy and economy, respecting the greater values of environmental sustainability that served as inspiration.

Architects: Jasmax
Location: Waiuku, New Zealand
Client: Manukau City Council
Team Members: David Mahon, Hamish Boyd, Jeremy Bennett, Matt Robinson & Sandeep Ram
Budget: $1.5 M
Project Completed: 2006
Photographer: Simon Devitt

The project involved the refurbishment and extension of an existing 1960’s ‘A-frame’ Church. The church space has been re-organised to increase seating capacity and a new lounge, kitchen, office and meeting rooms added.

Design intent focused around the need to open the facility up more to the community, to create a building which is transparent and inviting to the public of Waiuku.

A second simple form intersects the existing dominant A-frame structure, with significant amounts of glazing to each side.

east elevation

The notion of wrapping is taken from the original Church and developed in the new works, with careful attention placed on transitions between old and new.

The facility is intended to become more than a simple Church, with the ability to operate as a theatre for performance, as a functions venue and youth and community centre.

Arreletes Day Care Centre / Xavier Vilalta Studio
Els Alamús, a small village of seven hundred inhabitants, is situated on a hill in the middle of the plain of Lleida, surrounded by a landscape where are predominant agricultural fields and fruit trees, a geometric landscape, planned and designed, result of the work of men’s hands and the engineering (read more…)

Kindergarten Dandelion Clock / Ecker Architekten
The kindergarten ‘Dandelion Clock’ educates children with physical or developmental handicaps. Four similar modules form the building, three of which contain two classrooms and a therapy room. Overhangs shade façades and permit outdoor play in poor weather. The units are radially distributed about an atrium (read more…)

Kindergarten Sighartstein / Kadawittfeldarchitektur
Situated on the periphery of the site of green meadows and felds, the first impression of the construction site provided the idea for the sculptural facade by way of an elevated grass turf. The oversized “grass blades” communicate the building’s unique identity and provides an orientation marker for the kindergarten (read more…)

Day care centre de kleine Kikker / Drost + van Veen architecten
The new building is a playful design, joyful and with a lot of colour. It overlooks the grazing sheep in the meadow. Next to the building, to the left, there is a characteristic old farm, a monument, with a thatch roof, on the right, a wooden cowshed. The new building is conceived as a contemporary type of farm (read more…)

Children’s Recreation Centre / AIR Architecture
The children’s recreation centre is located in a small rural town in the midst of agricultural warehouses. The plan takes into account the particular layout of the site: the building can be accessed only through a narrow path that stretches into it. The main structure follows and reinforces this urban pattern, thereby becoming an articulation (read more…)

Architect: Department of ARCHITECTURE Co., Ltd.
Location: Phuket, Thailand
Owner: SALA Phuket, Co., Ltd.
Principals in Charge: Twitee Vajrabhaya Teparkum and Amata Luphaiboon
Collaborator: Penwisa Kietduriyakul
Interior Designer: Department of ARCHITECTURE Co., Ltd.
Lighting Designer: ACCENT Studio
Structural Engineering: SPC Consulting Engineers Co., Ltd.
M&E Engineering: A E Two O Co., Ltd
Interior Contractor: New Muang Thong Furniture Co., Ltd.
Project year: 2009
Photographer: Wison Tungthunya

Sala Phuket Restaurant is a main restaurant for a resort in Phuket, Thailand. Because of its pristine surrounding, the design is intended to respond to the sensational dimension of experience embodied within the area—beauty, simplicity, and silence. Taking advantage of its tropical climatic conditions and its beachfront location, the restaurant is designed to operate as an open-air pavilion. With 50 indoor and 70 outdoor seats, the restaurant offers its patrons with island breezes that beautifully accompanied by unimpeded views and sound of the sea in front.

The volume of the restaurant and bar has been programmatically stretched horizontally to maximize overlooking beachfront view to all patrons. Contrary to the grid system which usually demarcates a clear boundary line, structural columns are re-positioned at an unconstrained rhythm, thus creating an ambiguous edge– a sense of borderless. Consequently, the inside space and surrounding environment is seamlessly merged into one.

While exterior appears to be more solemn, overall atmosphere of the restaurant is soften with elaborate architectural details of interior space. Ceiling for instance, instead of a plain wooden slats, technique of splitting and rotating is employed to create various patterns on the ceiling. The same technique is applied to front panel for a counter bar as well.

Besides dining area on the ground, a new landscape of dining experience can be found on the restaurant’s rooftop. Dining area is depressed forming sunken dining pods. By replacing conventional guard rails with water boundary, visual obstruction is removed. The space is extended outward indefinitely.

Even though accommodating a number of elements such as structures, water ponds, seating pods, and shading device, the roof has been carefully designed to appear thin and light. By suspending the ceiling from the roof structure creating a gap between the roofs and ceiling. Functionally this gap allows technical elements to be concealed inside. To further emphasize an impression of thinness, the pond’s edges are lowered to form gutters whose outermost edges are shorter than those of the pond. The thinness of the roof which does not seem to be inhabitable further intensifies excitement when the outdoor dining area is finally discovered on the rooftop.

Solid volume of the service area, including kitchen and restroom, is separated from the main building; allowing the dining area to be surrounded entirely by nature. Unlike the dining area, the restroom, with constraint on its location, establishes its relation with nature in a different way. Hidden behind the wall, an outdoor space is carved out of the solid volume of the service area. This hidden open space with installation-setting vanities serves as a surprising entrance to the restroom.

© rasmussen | brunke | sauer

German office rasmussen | brunke | sauer shared with us their design of the new administrative building for BSU in Hamburg, Germany. It was an invited competition and they won the first prize ex aequo with three other offices (Sauerbruch Hutton, Behnisch Architects and GAP). More images and architect’s description after the break.

Situated in Hamburg Wilhelmsburg vis-à-vis the area of the IGS 2013 (International Garden Exhibition 2013) the new administrative building for the “Behörde für Stadtentwicklung und Ummwelt (BSU)” is one of the central buildings of the IBA 2013 (International Building Exhibition 2013).

It is integrated into a greater urban masterplan that aims on linking the central part of the city of Hamburg north of the river Elbe with the southern districts.

The aim of the new building itself is to concentrate the different units of the BSU that are nowadays distributed widespread at different locations in the central city. The building will house around 1400 working places plus additional functions and will cover an area of around 58000 m² in total.

Operating in the boundaries of the strict and dense conditions of the building lot defined by the urban master plan, a three dimensional sculptural building approach, integrating the landscape of the surroundings into the structure, is developed. Therefore it is possible to walk literally through the building without entering it. The strong meandered body of the building is culminating in a massive high point which functions as a landmark and widely seen symbol of the new BSU.

The monolithic white body of the upper floors seems like floating over the warm coloured ground floor. While the Ground floor, with its public functions is clearly inviting visitors to enter and explore the building the upper body, mainly containing office spaces, acts more diffuse. It is neither totally transparent nor is it a completely introverted. The perception lies in between.

The buildings façade is besides atmospheric and aesthetic parameters designed as an energetic active façade using phase change material to save solar energy that can be used time-delayed as thermal energy for the buildings energy household.

The façade is only a part of an overall energy concept that ensure a high standard for a low energy office building that was designed to get the DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) Certification in Gold.

© Orlando Fonseca

Architects: Matéria Modular
Location: Alviães, Palmaz, concelho de Oliveira de Azeméis, Portugal
Project team: Adelino Pinheiro, Marco Ferreira, Maria José Matos, Pedro Ribeiro, Zita Torres
Client: ACS, Investimentos Imobiliários Lda.
Project year: 2003
Construction period: 2007-2009
Constructed area: 938,44 sqm
Photographs: Orlando Fonseca

The houses that compose the complex Casas da Fonte (5 houses – lot 45 to lot 49) are integrated in the allotment developed in 1999 by Matéria Modular, Arquitectura Lda., for Lugar de Alviães, Freguesia de Palmaz, city of Oliveira de Azeméis.

© Orlando Fonseca

Following the Urban Director Plan, the lot is included in the transition zone, which is characterized by the occupation of small volume buildings. The proposed solution fits legally both in terms of typology and use, and it involves a set of parallel volumes that define patios, which organize functionally the programmatic relations.

© Orlando Fonseca

The lot develops pending towards south and sunset. To avoid big soil movements, it is made a contact of the volumes with the soil. Therefore, the edification adapts naturally to the allotment drawing and also to its infrastructures.

Architects: Elenberg Fraser Architecture
Location: Falls Creek, Victoria, Australia
Client: Zacamoco
Project team: Callum Fraser, Valerie Tan, Hazel Porter, Frank Olbrich, Lorenzo Nuti, Kathrin Wheib, Marcus Ieraci, Caroline King, Iva Foschia, Andrew Prodromou, Beth Solomon, Karl Engstrom
Project Management: PDS Group
Structural consultant: Bonacci Group Pty Ltd & VSL Australia Pty Ltd
Builder: LU Simon
Quantity Surveyor: Slattery Australia
Building Surveyor: Gardner Group
Budget: AU $24 millions
Project year: 2007
Construction year: 2009
Photographs: Peter Bennetts, Tony Miller & Peter Clarke

Situated in Falls Creek, the development is an essential and exciting new Gateway concept for the Village. Com- prising two elegantly formed buildings emerging from the landscape, the view on arrival is complimented by the clearly framed aspect up to the ski fields beyond.

At ground level there will be a new retail strip fronting Bogong High Plains Road enlivening the street frontage and creating weather protected spill out zones for visitors to the Village. Entries to the upper level apartments are integrated into this dynamic facade language with prominent entry canopies announcing the unique interiors of the St Falls lobbies.

The winding ramp system moves the visitor up through the two buildings and the broad central public staircase brings visitors up between the two buildings. Both paths of movement pass several retail and amenity spaces nestled into the rock faced walls, arriving at the elevated level of the revitalised Slalom Plaza and the expansive north facing terraced café & restaurant areas.

At Slalom Plaza level there are large commercial tenancies opening directly onto the large public meeting place. From the Plaza looking out over an endless view to the Valley and Mount Spion Kopje below, the buildings offer a multitude of spaces and programmes from which to relax and enjoy the surroundings. Plaza level entries to the upper level apartments are again integrated into this dynamic building language.

ground floor plan

Within the two buildings the apartments are unique in their concept, reflecting the exclusive nature of the overall St Falls concept. Expansive views through generous windows orchestrate the light filled interior spaces. Dining zones move into living spaces that flow to external balconies. The balconies all hold a hot tub and extend beyond the beautifully articulated timber building skin to present maximum availability to the views beyond.

The apartment materials exude a luxury reflective of the design quality and inspired approach to the idea of hotel apartment living. First class appliances and fixtures and fittings are used throughout. Furniture is included as part of a considered overall designed aesthetic.

The development is respectful of the natural environment within which it is situated and recognises the work that Falls Creek Resort Management Board has put into maintaining these values. The development will utilise passive techniques such as solar orientation and thermal massing, as well as more pro active measures where viable.