AIA JURORS’ Comments:
Jurors’ comments:  “The jurors found this design engaging and dynamic. The central vortex was described as creating a focal area for an interesting series of spaces for the community. The building section illustrated for the jurors, the attention for both an urban and internal connectivity. The various adjoining spaces spiral inward in celebrating how the library can become a community center for the neighborhood.”

Ted and his team have previously submitted the scheme to the Dalian Planning Bureau for an international design competition.   In the competition, 10 is pleased to be able to compete with some of the world’s most high profile architects including Zaha Hadid Architects, Kengo Kuma and Associates, Hopkins Architects and AC Architects .”  Givens says, “Although the decision on the commission of this project is yet to be announced, we are proud that the design has already gained recognition from a professional body, the AIA.”

The library is intended to be a transformative environment that pulls visitors into a unique landscape. The building weaves into the ground creating a series of courtyards and topographic undulations- rooting itself, and then sweeping up into the air forming a bold urban landmark. The shifting of the mass creates spaces ranging from the intimate spaces for reflection in the courtyard to the dynamic and expansive views offered from the tower volume. The tower volume has a series of internal voids and terraced spaces to further enhance the variety of spatial conditions and to provide internal connectivity. A series of retail functions including cafes will help draw a larger audience to the library. A large media center that shares the central drop-off can be used after hours and function independently.

The mass responds and is shaped by views into the site and outward to the surrounding sea and mountains. A green hill over the media center forms an outdoor gathering space and amphitheater and will offer water views to the southern sea. A roof top café on the tower volume provides panoramic views of the mountains and sea.

The façade of the library is a dark grey brass that will develop a beautiful patina over time. The metal skin will have a natural resistance to the marine conditions and harsh weather. The smaller voids in the buildings mass will use an anodized aluminum brass alloy to remain vibrant and colorful as the rest of the building transforms with time.

FACTS:
Design team at 10: Ted Givens, Mohamad Ghamlouch, Emre Icdem, Judy Chan and Abraham Fung
Site area: 45,400 sq m
GFA: 55,400 sq m
Building Height & Nos of Floors: +39.00 m / 6F above ground, 2F below ground
Function: Library & Media Centre

Web: www.10design.co

© Pierre Soulard

The concept is well defined through the name of the restaurant, especially because the restaurant is managed by blinds and sponsored by the foundation mira. Site selection, accessibility and interior planning were the guidelines for the concept, selected to be approved by the crsss. The challenge was in the organization of two (2) types of circulation: the public and the blind waiters. The sensitive approach is perceived through the floor textures and dividing low walls.

© Pierre Soulard

The different materials and inclined planes create a particular atmosphere using all the senses, helped by giant screens: walls and sloping floor modify the perception of space. Located at the back of the restaurant, dogs’ room is visible for the customers and mostly to provide a link between the dog and his owner.

Source: v2com

© Stéphane Groleau

Located near the downtown of Sherbrooke, the Exhibition Center serves as a gathering place and an unique representation place in the region. Which offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of rental space.

The project’s main objective is to create divisible exhibition areas if needed for dedicated events for the wide public. The program includes the creation of exhibition halls, meeting rooms, offices, central hall, cloakroom, ticket office, restaurant and other technical spaces.

© Stéphane Groleau

The total project area is approximately 103,000 square feet. The main exhibition hall of 60,000 square feet, designed according to the highest standards in terms of functionality and specialized equipments, can be divided into three exhibition spaces when various events take place simultaneously. On each sides of the exhibition spaces are located the related services. On one side, the technical spaces with the loading areas, storage areas and recycling areas, and on the other side, public spaces including the lobby, cloakroom, ticket office, services, restaurant and meeting rooms on the second floor.

© Stéphane Groleau

The architectural concept can be resumed essentially by the desire to express the internal activity of the building. Upon his arrival on the site, the visitor sees a large glass hall that show partially the internal activity of the exhibition center. The main hall contains the essential services and allows visitors to walk through a space flooded by natural light. The pixels pattern on the glass surface created by a semi-transparent film adds a light veil on the indoor activities taking places in the hall and adds a subtle texture to the glass wall. From the outside, the angular shape rises and highlights the main entrance. Sculpted and defined as a break of the glass block, the main entrance is the key element of the project and marks the transition between the exterior and the interior environment. The use of bright yellow color shows the internal activity of the exhibition center. This color sequence animates the facades like if the internal boiling energy was breaking up partly and shows the festive character of the place.

Web: www.ccm2.ca
Source: www.v2com.biz

The house is located in the hottest area in Japan during summer. There is humid and high temperature. And temperature may exceed 40 degrees. Because of that, almost houses have an air conditioner. However, since the client doesn’t like cold winds from air conditioners, he wants to the comfortable house without an air conditioner. In the beginning, to make air easily flowing, we put boxes like tunnel to divide yard into south and north.

In hot summer,not to sunlight brighten the room, we adjusted “eaves”, “wall” and “wing walls”, and had windows leaning to get more breeze. It is considering bringing pleasant, obstructing surrounding eyes, to have windows leaning. And then we had ceiling leaning to enlarge the breezes into the room. In cold winter, the sun orbit is lower than in summer, so that sunshine light in the room.

© StudioGreenBlue

As white floor and leaning ceiling reflect light, sunlight reaches in the recesses of the room. When designing the breezes flowing, we got Shape of “Ojigi(a Japanese bowing with his whole heart)”. That figure spread mellow lights the indoor and the outdoor. During the day, you can delight in the beauty of contrast between lights and shadows.

During the night, you shall be enchanted by the mellow and elegant gradation of lights. last summer, Japan recorded the hottest summer. But the client told us happily “winds flowed through the rooms, I had comfortable times in last summer”.

Project name: The shape of breeze

Architect: StudioGreenBlue
Office address: 1580-8 2F Ishiuchi, Ora town
Postal code: 376-0604
City: Gunma prefecture, Ora district
Country: Japan
E-mail: info@greenblue.jp
Website: www.greenblue.jp

Project Location
City: Gunma Prefecture, isesaki City
Country: Japan

Project Information
Design team: Mitsuharu Kojima
　　　　　 　 Wataru Kobayashi
Structural engineer: Kakinuma Architecture Office
Project area: 114.27 sqm
Project year: 2010
Photographer: StudioGreenBlue

Web: www.greenblue.jp

Located in the hills of Pacific Palisades, the design for this house was derived by stacking and slicing volumes, thus creating distinctions between programmatic elements and glazed openings. The design, however, was required to maintain the same footprint and height envelope of the previous building. In order to meet this constraint, the 4-bedroom house was buried partially below grade with the first and second floors appearing as separate stacked volumes. The design incorporates stone cladding on the lower floor, creating the appearance of a sturdy plinth, which supports a more delicately sculpted upper floor. Faceted white walls with slit openings help define the outer edges of the building, creating a distinctive facade.

The striated exterior “visually reduces” the perceived height in favor of a sleeker profile that actually maintains the interior’s generous, but true, height. The entire upper floor acts like a “sleeve” holding the domestic functions that figuratively “slide” towards the most optimal views and retract for optimal privacy. The palette of exotic and sculpted wood uniquely expressed on the outside, finds its way inside forming the skin to common area walls and ceilings – all in one inter-connected whole.

Size: 5,500 sq ft
Status: To Be Completed Late Spring 2012.

Web: www.kannerarch.com

Asbestos is a substance which used to be commonly used in building work, but which is now used with far less frequency – primarily because of greater awareness of the effects that prolonged exposure to asbestos can have on a person’s health –whether it is someone living in a home with asbestos built into the structure, or someone working with it on a daily basis.

Probably the most common disease that can result from prolonged asbestos exposure is lung cancer, although other diseases of the lungs are also common results of such exposure. These include conditions such as asbestosis, mesothelioma and non-malignant lung disorders. The conditions generally develop as a result of long term exposure to the substance, rather than occasional short term exposure, making those who work with asbestos – and there immediate families – the ones who are at the greatest risk of developing any of these serious lung conditions.

Although an individual can work with, or around, asbestos for many years, they may experience no symptoms of any health disorders until years after they have ceased to be exposed to it. Most of the major conditions caused by asbestos, such as asbestosis and various cancers, do not manifest themselves for a long time after the initial contact with asbestos – indeed many of those who work with asbestos products do not begin to show symptoms of lung cancer or other lung problems until around fifteen years after the initial period in which they were exposed to it.

This lengthy gap between exposure and the public display of symptoms was a major factor in the failure to recognise asbestos as the common denominator in such cancer cases, for a long time after people began developing them. In the case of other asbestos related health conditions – such as mesothelioma – the time period between exposure and the manifestation of symptoms has sometimes been as long as thirty years. This is the primary reason why the dangers of asbestos were not fully recognised for a long time, and why workers required to use it were not provided with adequate protective clothing.

If you have been around asbestos, and you have some illness because of this, and you want to learn more about making asbestos claims you can discuss things with a solicitor, such as those at www.mesotheliomamatters.com.

The Waste Treatment Facility (CTRV, in Spanish) is located on a hillside overlooking the Coll Cardús massif in the municipality of Vacarisses, in the district of the Vallès Occidental. This site is currently taken up by a controlled waste landfill site nearing its capacity limit. This fact has caused its managing body to consider regulating the closure of the facility and to study possible future uses for the area. The choice of the location of the CTRV has also taken into account different criteria of logistical and economic suitability, as well as the minimization of the environmental impact resulting from the installation and operation of waste management-related activities.

The activity of the landfill site has led to unfriendly topographical alterations and modifications in the natural environment. For this reason, we decided to establish the facilities in those areas where the activity of the landfill had already damaged the natural environment. Despite the size of the plant facilities, it is intended to achieve the highest landscape integration with the environment. In order to achieve this goal, we pursue a high topographical adaptation, where the impact from roofs and facades is minimized by the subsequent landscape restoration.

The building uses the water and energy generated by the Plant itself. The water comes mostly from the collection of rainwater and the energy needed is obtained from the biogas generated by the waste materials found at the neighboring Coll Cardús landfill site.

The project involves the construction of two large treatment areas under a large roof. These areas, separated by a driveway, are different in height and they sit at different levels. That is the reason why the roof changes its geometry according to the programs and dimensions of each precinct.
The roof will cover a variety of requirements: forced air vents, skylights, etc., and they will blend together by the use of a graphic structure that may be transformed into a landscape roof.
The different circles contain earth, gravel, and native groundcovers and shrubs. Over time, they will balance the impact of the facility without resorting to camouflage or mimicry.

Official name of the project: WASTE TREATMENT FACILITY FROM VALLÈS OCCIDENTAL IN VACARISSES (BARCELONA)
Location: Vacarisses (Barcelona)
Client: Consorci per a la Gestió dels Residus del Vallès Occidental
Architects / Designers: Enric Batlle Durany (architect) and Joan Roig Duran (architect) Batlle & Roig Architects
Design team: Enric Batlle Durany and Joan Roig i Duran
Authors: Enric Batlle, Joan Roig, architects Collaborators: Xavier Ramoneda, architect, Mario Suñer, architect, IDEMA, engineering
Project date: 2008
Work date: 2010
Area: 45.000m2
Developer: Consorci per a la Gestió dels Residus del Vallès Occidental
Builder: UTE CTR-VALLEYS (HERA, FCC and Urbaser)
Budget: 74.000.000€
Engineers: IDEMA, engineering
Landscape architects: Enric Batlle Durany and Joan Roig i Duran
Contractor: UTECTRV (FFC + HERA + URBASER)
Lighting design: Lourdes Romeo, architect
Surface: 45.000m2
Project end date: Project date: 2008 Work date: 2010
Photographer: Francisco Urrutia

Web: www.batlleiroig.com
Source: v2com

© Jacek Jarnuszkiewicz

The project that Jacek proposes responds, in a conceptual form, to EDC’s* mission. Designed to be integrated into the architectural context of 150 Slater in Ottawa, it is also related to his ARBORESCENT SCULPTURES, which build, in a formal and symbolic mode, on the notion of vital force embodied by plant growth and result in the representation of a fundamental archetype: the tree of life.

© Jacek Jarnuszkiewicz

In the present work, the idea of the tree is expressed by the two vertical elements evoking oversized blades of grass. Their large size makes us think of a tree that bears a third element, like a jewel case figuring the world: a complex structure composed of interlaced keys evoking progress, growth, and development. This structure, both geometric and fluid, symbolizes the nest – an entity that evokes a nourishing environment, a protected area, a safe environment, and a prospect for the future – all notions that are intrinsically linked to EDC’s activities.

© Jacek Jarnuszkiewicz

On a strictly formal level, the proposed sculpture was to be in harmony with the spare, refined style of the architecture. The niche in which it was to be installed immediately imposed a soaring form with clean lines and an ability to produce visual surprise by initiating a dialogue with the geometry of the building. With its airborne elegance, the proposed sculpture heightens the impression of peaceful plenitude emanating from the building and strengthens, through a subtle visual play, the formal balance of the structure. Finally, the sculpture was to support and confirm the stated modernity of the architecture. Stainless steel, with its structural and visual qualities, seemed to be the perfect material to reach this objective.

Source: v2com