Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies by Krueck & Sexton Architects | Photo courtesy of William Zbaren

In Chicago, Krueck & Sexton Architects created Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies to accommodate 400-seat multi-use theater, college classrooms, library, permanent and temporary exhibition space. The faceted, folding wall of glass is an expression of light, both metaphorical and actual, which is fundamental to Jewish religious and intellectual traditions.

+ Design statement by Krueck & Sexton Architects

The Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies selected Krueck & Sexton to design a signature architectural statement about the nature of Jewish culture, light and learning.

Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies by Krueck & Sexton Architects | Photo courtesy of William Zbaren

Spertus, set in the Historic Michigan Boulevard District designed by architects such as Burnham and Sullivan, resembles an exquisitely cut diamond placed into the great wall of stone that rises like a cliff across Grant Park. Its faceted and folded glass façade is an expression of light, both metaphorical and actual, which is fundamental to Jewish religious and intellectual traditions.

Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies by Krueck & Sexton Architects | Photo courtesy of William Zbaren

Spertus’ logo spells let there be light, which represents the educational and spiritual enlightenment that is achieved through learning. Present day materials and technologies are chosen and rigorously deployed and detailed in order to support the desired building expression, and reveal the inner dynamic and energy of the many programs within. The unabashedly sculptural and transparent expression of the institution is of our time, while engaging in a dialogue across time with masterpieces that put Chicago on the architectural map.

Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies by Krueck & Sexton Architects

The new building functions as a vertical campus, containing museum galleries, a library and archives, a 400-seat multi-use auditorium, a degree granting college, café and gift shop, and administrative offices.

Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies by Krueck & Sexton Architects | Photo courtesy of William Zbaren

The inner dynamic and diversity of Spertus is achieved by a soaring ground floor lobby and a meandering atrium at the top of the building. This spatial solution physically and symbolically connects the institution’s varied functions, creating a series of grandly scaled rooms that borrow light, space, and vitality from each other.

Through a variety of measures, including high performance lighting, demand based ventilation, and heat recovery, the building achieves a 29% reduction in energy consumption, resulting in over 300 tons of avoided CO2 per year. Water-saving fixtures are used throughout. The quality of the building’s indoor air is ensured by the use of healthy materials, high-efficiency air filtration, and special humidity controls, providing for the well-being of staff, students, and visitors, as well as the long-term preservation of the Institute’s archival treasures.

+ Description courtesy of Chicago Design Bureau

Chicago’s First Green Museum

Krueck & Sexton’s Spertus Institute makes history in Michigan Avenue historic district

Architects Krueck & Sexton’s new Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies Building in downtown Chicago recently became the city’s first “green” museum after being awarded a Silver Level LEED certification from the US Green Building Council.

The 10-story, 145,000 square foot structure is also the first LEED-certified building in the city’s Historic Michigan Boulevard District, a 12-block row of mainly late 19^th and early 20^th Century buildings by such seminal architects as Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, Solon S. Beman and Holabird & Roche.

Among the sustainable elements that made the building eligible for LEED certification are everything from advanced “light harvesting” and heat recovery systems to such low-tech ideas as installing bike racks and a shower in order to encourage employees to bike to work. The building also has a green roof that reduces energy consumption.

A lot of what goes into making a building green – like bringing in natural light and using energy efficient systems — is just common sense… Architects like Mies van der Rohe were green long before the term was invented. For us, green technology is a fundamental part of the design process.

Ron Krueck

There’s a lot of different ways to make buildings sustainable… We’ve always designed buildings that are open, flexible, use energy wisely and have large amounts of natural light… green is not a short term strategy. The real payoffs for companies and landlords come down the road in the form of fewer sick days, higher productivity and significant savings in maintenance and operating expenses.

Mark Sexton

The LEED certification is the latest in a series of honors the building has received since it was completed in 2008. These include three AIA awards, including the highly coveted Louis Sullivan Award; the Commission on Chicago Landmarks’ Excellence in New Infill Construction Award, and Interior Design Magazine’s Best of Year Award.

Spertus occupies a mid-block site at 610 South Michigan Avenue and is at the southern end of the Historic Michigan Boulevard District. The District was created in 2002 to preserve one of the city’s most important historic streetscapes.

Spertus’ decidedly 21^st Century design – the elaborately folded and angled façade is composed of 726 individually cut panes of glass in 556 shapes — was made possible by the fact that the building was constructed on what was the last remaining vacant lot in the District.

In their day, the buildings in the historic district were some of the best, most technologically advanced, structures in the city… We wanted our design to reflect that same level of creativity and technology but in a modern vocabulary.

Ron Krueck

The 600 block also contains the  French-influenced 1908 Blackstone Hotel by Marshall and Fox, as well as two buildings by Christian Eckstrom, an architect known locally mainly for his innovative industrial and warehouse designs. The Eckstrom buildings are the 1907 International Harvester Company Building at 600 South Michigan and the 1908 Chicago Musical College Building at 624 South Michigan Avenue.

The Historic Michigan Boulevard district also includes such landmarks as Adler & Sullivan’s 1890 Auditorium Building, Solon S. Beman’s 1885 Fine Arts Building, Holabird & Roche’s 1927 Stevens Hotel and D.H. Burnham & Co.’s 1904 Railway Exchange Building.

Ron Krueck and Mark Sexton, the founders of the Krueck & Sexton, have worked together for over 30 years and have amassed a varied portfolio of high profile civic and cultural projects as well as numerous residential and commercial commissions. The firm is also noted for its innovative restoration and historic re-adaptation practice, which is focused on Modernist and other Post War buildings.

+ Project credits / data

Formal name of building: Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies
Location, political (city, state): Chicago, Illinois
Location, geophysical (minor watershed, major watershed, other descriptor): Chicago Central Business District (LOOP), City of Chicago combined sewer and stormwater system
Gross square footage: 145,000
Total construction cost: $40,000,000
Program of spaces: 400-seat multi-use theater, college classrooms, library, permanent and temporary exhibition space
Date completed: December 2007
Owner: Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies
Architect: Krueck & Sexton Architects

Design Architect and Architect of record: Krueck & Sexton Architects
Associate architect: VOA Architects
Commissioning agent: U.S. Equities Development
Interior designer: Krueck & Sexton Architects
Engineer(s): Tylk, Gustafson, Reckers, Wilson, Andrews (Structural), Environmental Systems Design (MEP/Fire Protection/Life Safety)

Consultant(s)

Landscape: Daniel Weinbach & Partners
Environmental consultant: Atelier Ten
Energy: N/A
Lighting: ISP Design Inc., Schuler & Shook (Atrium Lighting)
Acoustical: Kirkegaard Associates
Other: Kirkegaard Associates (Theater Design)
General contractor: W.E. O’Neil

Photographer(s):

William Zbaren
(773) 218-9395
bz@zbaren.com

+ General Specifications

Structural system

Steel Frame with Composite Metal Decking furnished and installed by Kingery Steel

Exterior cladding

Masonry: CMU Block on rear and zero lot-line side elevations, Chicago Block and Brick
Metal/glass curtainwall:
Curtain Wall Engineer – ASI Design
Fabricator of Aluminum Components – Texas Wall
Installer of Curtain Wall – Arcadia
Concrete: Structural Concrete installed by WE O’Neil – 2.5% flyash content by weight
Wood: EIFS, ACM, or other: N/A
Glass: All exterior insulated glass panels by Viracon, insulating unit, Low-E coating, 40% white frit, ½” air space, laminated inner lite
Skylights: Super Sky insulating unit, Low-E coating, 40% white frit, ½” air space, laminated inner lite
Doors: Blumcraft Glass Entry Doors
Roofing: Low-slope roofing, Barret Ram Tough 250 Roofing System, Green Grid Garden Roofing System
Flashing, accessories: Soprema membrane flashing

Interior finishes

Acoustical ceilings: Armstrong Optima Ceiling Tiles, 70% recycled content
Suspension grid: Armstrong XL 1/8” Reveal Grid, 23% post-consumer recycled content
Cabinetwork and custom woodwork: Sierra Pine Medite II, Georgia Pacific, non-urea formaldehyde substrates
Paints and stains: Sherman Williams ProGreen 200 Low VOC Latex Paint
Glazing: AGW, Innovation Glass

Interior

Wallcoverings: Knoll Fabrics “Screenplay”
Plastic laminate: Formica applied with formaldehyde-free adhesives
Special surfacing: Wausau Precast Terrazzo Pavers at Ornamental Stairs, Terrazzo Floor at Main Lobby, Ardex Concrete Floor Finish on 9th and 10th Floor
Floor and wall tile: Daltile Ceramic in Washrooms
Resilient flooring: Tarkett vinyl sheet, Noraplan Mega Rubber Flooring
Carpet: Bentley Prince Street, all GreenLabel Plus
Roller Shades: Mechanized Mecho Roller Shades w/ Eco-Veil Fabric

Furnishings

Office furniture: Knoll Autostrada System Furniture, 40% recycled content, Greenguard certified
Reception furniture: Custom Millwork by Cain Millwork in Main Lobby
Fixed seating: Series Seating
Tables: Teknion (Library tables)
Upholstery: Maharam Fabric, Mohair Supreme, 100% mohair, 100% cotton backing (Lecture Hall)

Other furniture:

Interior ambient lighting: Halo Track Lighting
Downlights: RSA Recessed Adjustable Fixtures, Neoray Strip Fluorescents, Cooper Lighting Downlights
Accent Lighting: Times Square in Lobby Atrium and Upper Atrium
Controls: Lutron

Conveyance

Elevators/Escalators: Mitsubishi Elevator
Chillers: (2) York YCAV0177EA46 Variable Speed Air-cooled Chillers
Plumbing (include water fountains and water-saving fixtures as applicable):
0.5 GPF Urinals (Sloan 8186-0.5) and Dual-Flush Water Closets (Sloan 116 with B-73-A Handle Assembly) were specified.
Sloan EAF-275 low-flow, solar powered lavatory faucets (0.5 GPM) were specified.
1.5 GPM flow restrictors were specified on all kitchen sink faucets.
Symmons C96-500 low flow (2.0 GPM) shower heads were specified.

Building Management System

Direct Digital Control Building Automation System by Johnson Controls, Inc.

+ All images and drawings courtesy of Chicago Design Bureau

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The Meeting Place, image courtesy of ASPECT studios | Photo by Florian Groehn

The Meeting Place, image courtesy of ASPECT studios | Photo by Florian Groehn

‘The Meeting Place’ by ASPECT Studios is a playful architectural installation in Little Hunter Street, Sydney, NSW Australia. The idea of the installation is to encourage the social interaction, while heightening the movement of people through the urban room.

People have to negotiate their way through the laneway by communication and contact with other people like themselves that are moving in the opposite direction.

ASPECT Studios

+ Design statement courtesy of ASPECT Studios

Overview: Design and construction

‘THE MEETING PLACE’ is part architectural installation/ sculpture and social experiment. It is a playful installation which encourages participation and interaction whilst heightening the experience of moving through the urban space of Little Hunter Street.

The Meeting Place, image courtesy of ASPECT studios | Photo by Simon Wood

The concept is to create a space within the existing the lane way – by creating two 4m high curtain walls of elastic fabric. The material has an opacity to it which allows for views through and when lit at night becomes a canvas for revealing movement of people through the space.

The Meeting Place, image courtesy of ASPECT studios | Photo by Simon Wood

People have to negotiate their way through the laneway by communication and contact with other people like themselves that are moving in the opposite direction.

This social aspect of watching, communicating and negotiating with people will increase positive human contact with a sense of play.

+ Project credits / data

Project Title: The Meeting Place – Laneways: By George! Hidden Networks
Location: Little Hunter Street, Sydney, NSW Australia
Client: City of Sydney Council

Landscape Architects / Lead Consultants: ASPECT Studios Pty Ltd

Project Collaborators:
Architect: Herbert & Mason
Industrial Designer: Derlot Studio

Completion: 2009

Photographers: Florian Groehn, Simon Wood Photography

+ All images courtesy of ASPECT Studios

Related posts:

1. Bondi to Bronte Coast Walk Extension | ASPECT Studios

Bondi to Bronte Coast Walk Extension, image courtesy of ASPECT Studios

Bondi to Bronte Coast Walk Extension, image courtesy of ASPECT Studios

Australian landscape design firm ASPECT Studios has completed the Bondi to Bronte Coast Walk Extension in Calga Reserve & Waverley Cemetery, Sydney NSW Australia. The walk has been designed to traverse the cemetery by elevating the boardwalk above the Eastern cliff tops, this is to minimize the damage to the cemetery monuments and heritage walls due to the amount of pedestrian use.

The walk is in equal parts a ribbon of movement though the sublime eastern clifftop landscape and a place to stop and embrace the heightened experience of this unique cultural, environmental and heritage landscape asset.

ASPECT Studios

+ Design statement courtesy of ASPECT Studios

Overview: Master planning, concept design, design development, documentation, and site advice.

Special Factors:

The Public Asset

A 515m long publicly accessible walkway perched, folded and stretched over the sublime Sydney landscape adjacent the culturally and heritage significant Waverley Cemetery.

The Construction

Although the brief was relatively straight forward, the site conditions were complex and had a large influence on the design principles, developed concept and method of construction. The structure covers a variety of topographical and geological conditions, in many instances piling was required to broach deep areas of municipal fill waste to reach the bedrock. Site access constraints for machinery resulted in a limit on machinery size, and the construction access corridor was only 4 metres wide. This constraint was maintained throughout the construction process to protect the existing landscape.

The Consultation Process

The consultation was exhaustive with a three step process of open meetings, leaflet drops and notification and invitations for comments were backed up by site tours with stakeholders throughout the construction process. Direct involvement by the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council included walk throughs and notification of potential areas of aboriginal archaeology.

The Complexity of Issues

There was a broad spectrum of disciplines contributing professional input into the design process. These included geotechnical, ecological, aboriginal archaeology, heritage, structural engineering, and cost planning. The input from these disciplines was drawn heavily into guiding the design process and project outcomes.

Bondi to Bronte Coast Walk Extension, image courtesy of ASPECT Studios

The Materials

The choice of materials for the project was carefully considered and tested during the design development process. Various decking materials (including galvanised steel mesh) were placed on site for a period of time to measure the impact of corrosion. The final combination of electropolished stainless steel, fibreglass mesh and sustainably harvested class 2 hardwood was selected to achieve the high quality finish, robustness and sympathy with the surrounding landscape that the project required.

Description:

Sydney’s sublime headlands, sandstone outcrops and stunning regional views are expressed along this  environmentally sensitive elevated boardwalk high above Sydney’s Eastern cliff tops.

Bondi to Bronte Coast Walk Extension, image courtesy of ASPECT Studios

Bondi to Bronte Coast Walk Extension, image courtesy of ASPECT Studios

ASPECT Studios’ design for this elevated boardwalk is in response to Waverley Council’s brief which was to create a unique public experience along the east facing cliff tops, whilst retaining unobstructed access outside the edge of the heritage cemetery for the 700,000+ visitors who use the walk annually.

The previous condition, which traversed the cemetery, caused significant damage to the cemetery monuments and heritage walls due to the amount of pedestrian use.

Bondi to Bronte Coast Walk Extension - Landscape plan, drawing courtesy of ASPECT Studios

This 515m long walkway is part of the nationally significant 9km coastal walk from South head to Maroubra. The walk is in equal parts a ribbon of movement though the sublime eastern clifftop landscape and a place to stop and embrace the heightened experience of this unique cultural, environmental and heritage landscape asset.

The project resolves complex geotechnical, structural and heritage conditions and retains the significant cliff top heath community on the hanging swamps along the exposed sandstone platforms. As a direct result, the materials of the boardwalk change from timber to a gridded fiberglass, allowing light and water through to remnant vegetation. The material changes register the various conditions underfoot. The walk has been designed with a high degree of sensitivity to the natural context and ameliorates any visual impact of the walk from the cemetery and surrounding vantage points.

Bondi to Bronte Coast Walk Extension, image courtesy of ASPECT Studios

Bondi to Bronte Coast Walk Extension - Section, drawing courtesy of ASPECT Studios

Five Lookout points with bespoke furniture create opportunities to pause, rest and enjoy the spectacular views along the sandstone coast.

+ Project credits / data

Project Title: Bondi to Bronte Coast Walk Extension
Location: Calga Reserve & Waverley Cemetery, Sydney NSW Australia
Client: Waverley Council

Landscape Architects / Lead Consultants: ASPECT Studios Pty Ltd

Project Collaborators:
Structural Engineers: Ducros Design
Geotechnical Engineers: Jeffery Katauskas
Ecological Consultants: Biodesign
Quantity Surveyor: Wilde & Woollard
Access Consultants: Access Australia

Completion: 2009
Cost: 2.52 million AUS Dollars

Photographers: Florian Groehn

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1. The Meeting Place – Laneways: By George! Hidden Networks | ASPECT Studios
2. Fresh Water House | Chenchow Little Architects
3. Trollstigen National Tourist Route Project | Reiulf Ramstad Architects

Jesolo Magica by Zaha Hadid Architects

Zaha Hadid Architects has designed the Jesolo Magica shopping mall and office complex located in town of Jesolo, Italy. The project was divided into two zones that situated half way between Jesolo town center and waterfront.

+ Project description

This year, ZAHA HADID is the leading guest architect for “Barbara Cappochin” International Biennial of Architecture with a personal show set up in the Palazzo della Ragione in Padova, Italy.

The initiative is promoted by the Barbara Cappochin Foundation and the Chamber of Architects, Planners, Landscape Architects and Conservationists of the Province of Padua with the Veneto Regional Government and Padua City Council, in partnership with the International Union of Architects (U.I.A) and the National Council of Architects, Planners, Landscape Architects and Conservationists (C.N.A.P.P.C.).

Zaha Hadid has designed a retail and business center in the town of Jesolo, Italy, currently on display in Palazzo della Ragione in Padova.

Location Plan

The new Jesolo Magica shopping mall and office complex is divided into two zones that are located halfway between the town centre and the Jesolo waterfront. Both areas give onto Via Roma Destra, a strategic position making the project a major gateway to the town. In the area to the west of Via Roma, the project envisages the creation of a retail centre on two floors surrounded by areas for public use and car parking.

This zone will also house a gym and nightclub. To the east of Via Roma will stand a new hotel with a conference centre and health spa; the project will be completed by offices and a restaurant offering panoramic views.

Diagram

Like the petals of a flower, the volumes that comprise the Jesolo Magica retail centre open up around a central space; here, the main axes of circulation traverse a gallery that has been transformed into a piazza. The hotel, which forms the final “petal”, frames the view beyond the road and enjoys views over the Venice lagoon.

Jesolo Magica by Zaha Hadid Architects

The retail and congress centre, Jesolo Magica, dialogs with the precious territorial environment, thanks to its sinuosity and long entrances allows natural light and natural environment go dip through the petals-buildings, which became observation point towards the Lagoon.

+ Project credits / data

Project: Jesolo Magica
Client: Home Group
Architects: Zaha Hadid Architects
Design: Zaha Hadid with Patrik Schumacher Project Director: Gianluca Racana
Project Architect: Paolo Matteuzzi
Design Team: Marco Amoroso, David Campos, Ayat Fadaifard, Massimiliano Piccinini, Ivan Valdez, Francesca Venturoni
Consultants Structures: Favero & Milan Ingegneria

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La Isla Beach House, image courtesy of Juan Carlos Doblado

La Isla Beach House, image courtesy of Juan Carlos Doblado

Peruvian architect Juan Carlos Doblado has designed the La Isla Beach House located on the seafront, overlooking the islands of Asia.

The project aims to demonstrate the connection between an abstract architecture and its surroundings, establishing a relationship between man and nature, between the desert and the sea. The desert generates the need to create a private area in the vastness of its territory; the ocean invites to open their horizons.

Juan Carlos Doblado

+ Project description courtesy of Juan Carlos Doblado

The house is located on the seafront, overlooking the islands of Asia (Peru). The project aims to demonstrate the connection between an abstract architecture and its surroundings, establishing a relationship between man and nature, between the desert and the sea. The desert generates the need to create a private area in the vastness of its territory; the ocean invites to open their horizons.

La Isla Beach House, image courtesy of Juan Carlos Doblado

La Isla Beach House, image courtesy of Juan Carlos Doblado

The logic used in the design of this house is subtractive. The consignment was seized with the maximum buildable area through a rigorous geometric solid volume, which was then drilled generating a sunken courtyard. The terrace roof is a front overhang with the same proportion of the gap in the courtyard, a “displacement” of the horizontal plane of the roof.

Thus, establishing a vertical relationship with the sky and another horizontal with the sea.

This is achieved at a dialectical relationship between architectural enclosure and openness, transparency and opacity, privacy and exteriority.

La Isla Beach House - Ground floor plan, drawing courtesy of Juan Carlos Doblado

La Isla Beach House - 1st floor plan, drawing courtesy of Juan Carlos Doblado

La Isla Beach House - Section, drawing courtesy of Juan Carlos Doblado

+ Project credits / data

Project: Home front to an island (La Isla Beach House)
Architect: Juan Carlos Doblado
Structural Engineers: Pedro Moscoso
Electrical Engineers: Abelardo Grados
Sanitary Engineers: Gonzalo Herrera
Location: Playa La Isla, Asia, Cañete, Perú.
Area of Land: 209.00 m2 2249 sf
Constructed Area: 258.00 m2 2777 sf
Year of project: 2007
Year of construction: 2007
Photography: Elsa Ramírez

+ All images and drawings courtesy of Juan Carlos Doblado

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Vintage, image courtesy of Munkii

Singaporean furniture retailer Munkii recently has launched the designer bookshelf – Vintage which is designed by Jaren Goh. The Vintage is made of medium density fibreboard, dressed in lurid, piano white finish with matte liver red interiors.

+ Product information courtesy of Munkii

The concept of Vintage was first released in 2007 and had received riveting reviews. A prototype was displayed in Nhow Hotel Milan in the same year. Vintage is finally available through Munkii Singapore after 2 years of perfecting its conception.

This elegant bookshelf harmoniously adopted both classic and modern aspects. Crafted entirely out of environmentally-conscious MDF, the white gloss exterior and dark matte interior should be able to complement any living space flawlessly and the simplistic and basic profile makes it a charm to set up against any walls or corners.

+ All images courtesy of Munkii

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Parma #33, image courtesy of Bottega Studio Architetti

Parma #33, image courtesy of Bottega Studio Architetti

Italian architecture practice Bottega Studio Architetti & Giocosa Palitto Architetti recently have completed the Parma #33 project located in Torino, Italy. The facade in Via Parma 33, has been transformed to a “skin” Corten steel. There are 4 balconies protruded from the facade towards the street, serving as poetic elements with the words of “UNO ODO, DUE SENTO, TRE ASCOLTO” (ONE I HEAR, TWO I HEED, THREE I LISTEN), and finally “I GOT IT”. It aims to create a dialogue between architecture and art, engaging the people on the street and who lives within.

+ Project description courtesy of Bottega Studio Architetti

VOLUMI – VOLUMES

A project by BSA (Bottega Studio Architetti) Cerruti Ricciuti Valle & Giocosa Palitto Architetti

The idea springs forth from thoughts on the malaise generated by living places which have lost their capacity of being – or never even been – people-friendly.

Aim of the project is to equip architecture with a form of communication that uses other expressive, artistic languages, in addition to building style.

The result is this experiment, standing on the crossroad between architecture and private artwork: the objective is to take an active part in renovating urban areas skirting historical town centres.

Our intent is to add communicative capacity to architectural interventions which goes beyond the language of shapes. Being able to interact, to increase the degree of interaction between buildings and people walking in the street. Pausing to reflect on what they see. Some may agree, others will not, but in all cases it is an opportunity to attract and focus.

A building is no longer a container of people and things, dialoguing only with those who live within it, but instead belongs to the city, for more than one reason, because the dialogue is directed outwards.

Parma #33 is the first instalment of an articulated disseminated urban intervention project which will involve rethinking other low-value or even underprivileged places – or VOLUMES – giving life to a masterpiece building cycle.

Parma #33, image courtesy of Bottega Studio Architetti

parma #33 – TORINO
By Francesca Referza

For VOLUMI, a project by BSA – Bottega Studio Architetti + Giocosa Palitto Architetti, Torino.

Friday 25 September, 7 o’clock p.m. Unveiling of parma #33 – TORINO, the first intervention in the VOLUMI project, standing on the crossroad between art and architecture, created by BSA and Francesca Referza. For parma #33, Italian artist Vittorio Corsini was invited to team up with the architects of BSA and design a facade for the building located in Via Parma 33, Torino.

During my first contacts, Stefano Cerruti of BSA explained the idea of creating a series of urban renovation projects with a strong communicative connotation in which a dialogue between architectural and artistic elements was to be established at the earliest stages of design.

explained Francesca Referza

The underlying idea of the VOLUMI project is to suggest a less monumental, more human vision of architecture, an alternative to the costly macro projects of great architectures working worldwide.

Our starting point was the awareness that architecture communicates… The urgency we felt was to create a direct contact between architecture and art.

explained Cerruti Ricciuti Valle

Parma #33, image courtesy of Bottega Studio Architetti

The facade of the building in Via Parma 33, designed by BSA + Giocosa Palitto Architetti, is entirely panelled with Corten. This material was chosen as the “skin” of the building because of its ductility and natural colours. Without interfering with the global view of the architectural design as a whole, Corsini stepped away from the wall, leaving his call for attention suspended in midair. Halfway between the inside and the outside, between private and public, between the rooms of the building and the street. In sequence, one after the other, Corsini’s words are printed in block capitals on the Corten skin across four balconies. The words are a three-step emotional approach, starting from physiological-auditory attention getters “UNO ODO, DUE SENTO, TRE ASCOLTO” (ONE I HEAR, TWO I HEED, THREE I LISTEN), and finally I GOT IT, confirming the positive outcome of the gradual progression in listening propensity.

My attempt was to create a work of art which is not legible in an instant, immediately as a whole, but rather to create a path… I focused on the balconies because these elements protrude from the facade outwards, towards the street. On these balconies, I place the accent on the steps of a process of awareness, a route, which also contains the sense of the relationship, of meeting others. This is why I focused on the act of listening, which implies a propensity, a willingness, the necessary conditions for constructing a relationship. Then it is all solved in an instant, like a poem: I GOT IT”.

explained Vittorio Corsini

The balcony parapet is 100 from the balcony floor… It is approximately 6 cm thick and made of two plates arranged at a reciprocal distance from one another to form a concealing internal structure. The two plates form a sort of box in which a neon light system which displays Vittorio Corsini’s words at night is arranged…

commented architect Cerruti on the Via Parma 33 project.

Parma #33, image courtesy of Bottega Studio Architetti

Parma #33, image courtesy of Bottega Studio Architetti

The facade of Via Parma 33 has a two-level interpretation: one during the day, a discreet, two-dimensional appearance in which only the surface of the balconies can be seen; the other at night, more evident because of the light which penetrates through the laser cut letters, three-dimensional and projected outwards, towards the street and passers-by.

+ Project credits / data

Architect: Bottega Studio Architetti
Project: Parma #33
Location: Via Parma 33, Torino, Italy
Photo: © Beppe Giardino

+ All images and drawings courtesy of Bottega Studio Architetti

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Araras Cultural Centre - before, image courtesy of AUM arquitetos

Araras Cultural Centre - after, image courtesy of AUM arquitetos

Araras Cultural Centre designed by Brazil-based AUM arquitetos, is a winning project in the national competition in 2004, the goal of the project was to restore an old railway station and transform to a cultural center.

+ Project description courtesy of AUM arquitetos

The growth of the center east of São Paulo was supported with the expansion of the railway system. The Araras station began to operate in 1877, as the end of the line of the section of the Companhia Paulista that started in Cordeirópolis. The fast expansion of the railway line assured more importance to the Araras Station. The original construction, a wood warehouse, was replaced with brick edification in 1882.

Araras Cultural Centre - before, image courtesy of AUM arquitetos

Araras Cultural Centre - after, image courtesy of AUM arquitetos

The building went through innumerous interventions during the first decades of the XX century. The warehouses were built in 1887 and 1924. The station was used for passenger transportation until 1977 and the trains that were used for cargo handling discontinue their operations in the end of the 1980 decade. Slowly the rails were removed and the edifications abandoned. Besides the natural deterioration the area was damaged by vandalism and ransack. The massive process of abandon was also erasing part of the railway history and also the history of Araras.

In the 2003 year, as per ACAAR (Associação de Culura e Artes de Araras) initiative, the Institute of Architects from Brasil (IAB) jointly with the Bienal Foundation of São Paulo organized a national contest. This contest was made in order to qualify once again the old Railway Station of Araras with the purpose of transforming it into a Cultural centre.

Once winning the contest, our team was hired to develop the executive project and 6 years later we have part of the project already built. Through this initiative of ACAAR we were able to contribute for the rescue of part of the Araras population memory.

Araras Cultural Centre, image courtesy of AUM arquitetos

The intervention in the area pre-existed had the goal of rescue and worship the historical characteristics of each construction, through the restoration of its constructive elements and the insertion of new attributes related to the change of the exercise. The new items that were incorporated to the patrimony are characteristics of actuality. Therefore we reinforce the distinction between the intervention and the originality of the area.

Regarding the function, the architectonical side was regulated in the distribution of the need’s program throughout the original constructions, in the creation of a new edification in order to complement the space needed and the expansion, using a new structure, of the sheltered area of the old gare.

Since 1882 the old headquarter of the station suffered various alterations. The proposed project seeks to highlight those most significant characteristics that last throughout the time. The internal compartments are new and are willing to attend the actual use of the building: administration of the cultural centre. The entire casement is also new and count with contemporary characteristics, without any frill.

The old warehouses that in the past were used as deposit for materials and commodity for the rail now are hosting culture. The newest, built in 1920 decade, has a nice high ceiling of 15,7 feet, and became the exhibition centre. Adjoining to this, the primal warehouse, that had a high basement, was the more fortunate to host the auditorium. Therefore, the presentation room can fit up to 175 spectators. The central portion of the warehouse was reserved for the sanitary installation and for the kitchen that offers support to the snack bar in the foyer area.

The isolated block that formerly served as residence of the Station Chief had all its features reconstructed and today hosts the support area for the employees of the Cultural Centre.

Araras Cultural Centre, image courtesy of AUM arquitetos

The platform of the station act as the integrator element of the edification set. The cover of it was extended throughout the construction of a concrete marquee that acts like a new structure of connection; a new element that emphasizes the reminiscent edifications, configure new common areas and establish relations with inside and outside spaces. The marquee extends itself into the central portion of the scenery in a way to create a shelter for the common area

The linearity of the complex was reinforced throughout the suggestion of the new edifications, constructions that make allusion to the old use of the space. A reflecting pool with 803 feet long makes reference to the old rails, act like a emphasize factor to the edifications and also contribute for the environmental comfort of the set.

Laid over the reflecting pool, in the center of the space, the new block designated to the ateliers and to the library remit to big wagon. Projected with a structure made of corten steel, proposes to dematerialize this same volume transforming its facades into translucent elements, changing the perception way of the volume into a “skin” idea.

Unfortunately besides all the dedication and efforts the project was not built integrally.

+ Project credits / data

Architecture: AUM arquitetos + www.aumarquitetos.com.br

André Dias Dantas, Bruno Bonesso Vitorino e Renato Dalla Marta + André Maia Luque and Fernando Botton (authors). Aline Pek, Ana Maria Montag, Maíra Baltrusch, Bruno Conde and Tiago Macedo melo (colaborators)

Project: Araras Cultural Centre
Location: São Paulo, Brazil
Pictures: Nelson Kon

+ All images courtesy of AUM arquitetos

Related posts:

1. Exploratory Science Museum | CHN arquitetos
2. The Pinnacles Interpretive Centre | Woodhead
3. Phase 2 Darwin Centre | C. F. Møller Architects

Q-bo – new Italian brand for precious natural and marble stone wall- and floor-coverings realised with innovative processing and specifically developed equipment and technologies – adds a range of elegant, ecological and resistant floorings to its wall-covering programme.

The “Tech”, “Floreale”, “3D and Tessuto” collections, materials of a new generation, decorated in a bas-relief, compose the range.

Q-bo, Tech

The simple graphic decoration of “Tech” plays with the contrast of glossy and matte, conferring a modern and minimal look to it. The square format of each tile is divided into two triangles, one sand-blasted and the other polished (natural, in the case of Ardesia).

Q-bo, Floreale

“Floreale” is a fascinating and impacting floor tile: stylized flowers and branches, as a brushed or polished relief, develop throughout the entire surface.

Q-bo, 3D

“3D”, as its name suggests, offers a particular sense of depth, created by its graphic decor of lines and squares of different size and thickness. Of elegant and contemporary style, 3D is available with brushed or polished surface (natural, in the case of Ardesia).

Q-bo, Tessuto

“Tessuto” boasts a tight-woven decoration, created by the weaving of wave lines, engraved through sandblasting. The relief surface is brushed, solution that provides a natural and tactile sensation.

“Tech”, “Floreale”, “3D” and “Tessuto” floor tiles by Q-bo are available in the precious Bianco Carrara, Crema Luna and Ardesia Ligure materials.

The format of the modules is 50×50 cm or can have a customized size up to 60×120 cm.

Thanks to the sandblasting process, the decorations of Q-bo floor tiles are gradual and free of edges. The borders of the decorations are therefore very resistant to splintering and usage. This makes Q-bo floorings, characterized by their high precision finishes of exclusive design, an ideal solution for residential and public environments.

Related posts:

1. New Retro-Futurism design | Samal Design
2. Crocotile series and Orientile series of Ceramic tiles | Can Yalman Design
3. Cassette Tapes Lamp | ooo my design

Ran Stone - Hairdresser, image courtesy of Ilan Adar

Israeli designers Ilan Adar and Ronen Landes recently have completed the Ran Stone – Hairdresser interior design project located in Netanya, Israel.

+ Project description courtesy of Ilan Adar

The barbershop is located next to the beach – on a hill overlooking the sea in Netanya City center.

Concept

showing a clean / minimalist / modern / bright and shiny look geometric.

Inspiration

Persecution – lines slanting sharp scissors / paper cutting /
Customer requirements presented maximum utilization of small shop space divided into multiple and different work zones.

1. Manicure /Nails construction Area
2. Beautician room
3. Main working space – Hairdresser
4. Waiting area – Lounge
5. Reception

Ran Stone - Hairdresser, image courtesy of Ilan Adar

The shop space built in straight lines / geometric / modern. Maximum utilization which can be seen once entering the barbershop. The Lounge located on the front is overlooking the sea – the customers can sit and watch the spectacular scenery through clear glass while they wait. The waiting area (lounge- made out of leather notched slanted lines continue into the concrete floor and continue to shop positions – an element that repeats itself.

The most important requirement: planning should be practical and comfortable to allow maximum convenience for customers and employees.

We had to create a separation between main work area, waiting area and other functions, using partial, invisible; partitions. This creates a sense of comfort for the client. The reception located in the center of the space itself and is used as the main separator.

Natural and artificial light is reflected on the Inner shell built plaster walls in order to create an illusion of greater space in the back wall there is a huge mirror covering the all wall-which Multiplies the size of the shop/the light in the shop/ and is contributes to the size illusion While putting the sea front view inside.

Ilan work gives proper attention to detail.

+ Project credits / data

Design: Ilan Adar / Ronen Landes – Interior architectural design
Project: Ran Stone – Hairdresser
Area: 60 sq .m.
Location: Netanya – Israel

+ All images courtesy of Ilan Adar

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1. Neil Barrett Tokyo Store | Zaha Hadid
2. Ayres Store| Dieguez Fridman

FFAT House, image courtesy of Arquitectos Anónimos

Portugal-based Arquitectos Anónimos has designed the FFAT House located in Vila Nova Gaia, Portugal.

two criteria led to the final solution: on the one hand, by using the urban plan statutory regulations restricting the perimeter and the possible location of the building; and on the other hand by manipulation of the interior space in relation with the neighboring buildings.

Arquitectos Anónimos

+ Architectural concept courtesy of Arquitectos Anónimos

The project came about after consideration given to the concept of a small house, and we have tried since the beginning to involve ‘reality’ as one of the decisive factors in this work. It indeed helped to reveal the project. In that sense, two criteria led to the final solution: on the one hand, by using the urban plan statutory regulations restricting the perimeter and the possible location of the building; and on the other hand by manipulation of the interior space in relation with the neighboring buildings.

FFAT House, image courtesy of Arquitectos Anónimos

The starting point in developing the building was the maximum volume allowed, which in the course of the design process has been manipulated in order to create the roof terrace that allows a view of the sea. The excessive proximity of the adjacent houses led to an architecture closed off to its neighbours. The dark waterproof plywood of the facade served as ‘spacesuit’ that protects against the ‘radiation’ of the reality, its context and its territory.

FFAT House, image courtesy of Arquitectos Anónimos

The interior is completely white, with distinct temperatures of colour. The two skylights bring permanent day-light to the house, even when the exterior ‘skin’ is entirely closed. The insertion of the skylights makes an improvement to the sunlight and ventilation while providing privacy to the interior life. At the same is a contrast to the accuracy of the ‘black box’ dimensions.

It is a way to face the challenge of building in such small allotments.

+ Project credits / data

Name of the project: FFAT House
City: Vila Nova Gaia – Portugal
Architects: Arquitectos Anónimos®
Client: Fernando Afonso and Fátima Cardoso.
Structural consultant: Paulo Lima and Manuel Branco Leite
Photos: © Abel Andrade

+ All images and drawings courtesy of Arquitectos Anónimos

Related posts:

1. NG House | Arquitectos Anónimos
2. Principado’s House | g8vs arquitectos
3. House in Nordelta | Sternberg Kohen Arquitectos

NG House, image courtesy of Arquitectos Anónimos

NG House, image courtesy of Arquitectos Anónimos

The NG House in St. Tirso, Portugal was designed by Arquitectos Anónimos to sit on the existing stone wall, the house is finished in wooden skin and full glass at both sides, creating a beautiful contrast on the materials.

+ Architectural concept courtesy of Arquitectos Anónimos

Sometimes we dig up foundations only to cover them up again. A safe certainty to determine what´s showable in the pre-existings. This extension, a wooden finished container, side toped with big glass plans, answers to a simple program possible to become a private house.

NG House, image courtesy of Arquitectos Anónimos

It is an open space with the pavement equiped, ready to receive the adequate facilities (bath and kitchen modules) to become a single person house.

NG House, image courtesy of Arquitectos Anónimos

NG House, image courtesy of Arquitectos Anónimos

We design a light metalic system which permits ample overhangs, freeing up the interior space from other structural elements or walls. The transmition of forces from the tube-box is supported on the powerful existing stone wall.

NG House - Ground floor plan, drawing courtesy of Arquitectos Anónimos

NG House - 1st floor plan, drawing courtesy of Arquitectos Anónimos

NG House - Section, drawing courtesy of Arquitectos Anónimos

+ Project credits / data

Name of the project: NG House
City: St. Tirso – Portugal.
Architects: Arquitectos Anónimos®, Maria Veloso and Vasco Aragão.
Structural consultant: Hélder Ferreira
Photos: © Abel Andrade

Related posts:

1. FFAT House | Arquitectos Anónimos
2. Principado’s House | g8vs arquitectos
3. House in Nordelta | Sternberg Kohen Arquitectos

Norreport Train Station, rendering courtesy of COBE

Norreport Train Station - Section, drawing courtesy of COBE

Danish Architects COBE, in collaboration with Public Architects, Grontmij Carlbro and Bartenbach LichtLabor, have won the international competition for the new Norreport Train Station in Copenhagen, Denmark. The design is conceived as series of floating roofs, covering the transparent glass pavilions, it creates the welcoming sense and is easily accessible and visible from all around.

Norreport Train Station has a special significance for all residents in Copenhagen. We look forward to develop our proposal and deliver a new train station which will be a new useful urban space for all people in Copenhagen.

Dan Stubbergaard, Partner-in-Charge, COBE.

+ Project description courtesy of COBE

COBE wins competition for The New Norreport Train Station in Copenhagen, DK

Danish Architects COBE, in collaboration with Public Architects, Grontmij Carlbro and Bartenbach LichtLabor, are awarded first place in the international competition to design the new Norreport Train Station in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Norreport Train Station, image courtesy of COBE

Norreport Train Station is the busiest train station in Denmark with around 250000 persons passing daily. The new train station and surrounding urban space will be a new attraction for the area and a natural gathering place.

Norreport Train Station, rendering courtesy of COBE

The project is conceived as a series of rounded, almost floating roofs covering individual transparent glass pavilions. All station facilities will be visible and easily accessible and the station will appear like an open and welcoming public space.

Norreport Train Station, rendering courtesy of COBE

Norreport Train Station - Diagram of bicycle parking, drawing courtesy of COBE

The project wants to show that Copenhagen is proud to be called the world’s best bicycle city. This is why all bicycle parking will be a visible and central element in the future urban space.

In order to create a clear hierarchy between the area for bicycles and the area for city life, all bicycle parking is placed 40 cm below the city floor. The bicycle parking will be lighted by innumerable LED lights in the night.

Furthermore 11 ventilation towers will be placed on the plaza surrounding the train station. They will provide fresh air to the underlying train platforms. The towers will also function as lightning on the plaza and as digital information pillars with fully integrated LED screens for information about train departures, cultural events, advertisement etc.

Norreport Train Station - Site plan, drawing courtesy of COBE

+ Project credits / data

Architect: COBE, in collaboration with Grontmij Carlbro and Bartenbach LichtLabor
Project: The new Norreport Train Station
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark.
Status: 1st prize
Rendering: Luxigon

+ About COBE

COBE is a young architecture office based in Copenhagen and Berlin, founded in 2005. COBE’s main focus is urban matters in complex situations. Our profession spans from the physical realization of architectural design to the research dimension of strategic urban planning.

COBE has just finalized the construction of the new Taastrup Theatre in Taastrup, Denmark and is now, among other projects, working on the New Culture House and Library in Copenhagen North West, and the planning of the most extensive city development project in Scandinavia: The new sustainable city district, Nordhavnen, 4 kilometres from the city centre of Copenhagen, Denmark.

COBE currently has a staff of 15 dedicated people and is led by the two young architects Dan Stubbergaard and Vanessa Miriam Carlow.

Related posts:

1. Italian Pavillion for Shanghai Expo 2010 | BiCuadro Architects
2. Awards of Allied Arts Medal + the honourable mention for Innovation in Architecture | Paul Raff Studio

Warm House, image courtesy of Ludilajt / Theza architects

Poland-based Ludilajt / Theza architects recently has completed the Warm House interior project.

+ Project description courtesy of Ludilajt / Theza architects

The Warm house – modern space with the warm attitude. The Warm house contains two ways of living – fast, everyday hurry and calm , relaxing. It allows typical duplex space to be duplex also in use.

Interior seems simple , bright , modern because of sunlight coming on walls and other reflecting materials in the morning .

Warm House, image courtesy of Ludilajt / Theza architects

In the evening spotlights illuminate the wood floor giving warm beige glow on the walls. The surface light illuminates art noveau style graphic on the wall making it softer and the stairs lighten by amber Leds seems to be warm in touch. Additionally , the pattern is a protection of walls, making it easier to clean – which is useful while having small kids.

Warm House, image courtesy of Ludilajt / Theza architects

The shiny, mat game can also been seen on the art noveau style pattern. The accent is repeated in the furniture, wall and bathroom and it is visible when surface lightened.

The art nouveau style became leitmotiv of warm house project after works done in Brussels – the world capitol of Art Nouveau Style .

All that metamorphosis change house into the warm , calm place suited perfectly for relax. This change is strictly connected with needs of inhabitants schedule.

Realization of this design took fourteen months and there were lots of problems among this time. Eventually it came quite similar to the visualizations which is the biggest advantage of whole project – it means it suits the inhabitants perfectly.

Warm House - Layout plan, drawing courtesy of Ludilajt / Theza architects

Warm House - Bathroom section, drawing courtesy of Ludilajt / Theza architects

+ Project credits / data

Location: Bedzin, Poland
Design: Ludilajt / Theza architects – Ludwik Kaizerbrecht / Beata Lisiewska
Assosiates: Bartlomiej Zaboj / Weronika Juszczyk

Project: Warm House
Total house area: 150 sqm
Project area: 85sqm
Design: 2008
Finished: 2009
Photography: Kaizerbrecht / Zaboj

+ All images and drawings courtesy of Ludilajt / Theza architects

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2. A-House | FKL architects
3. House L | Pott Architects

Thom Mayne, image courtesy of Morphosis Architects

Among the 25 individuals/professions, Thom Mayne [founder of Morphosis Architects] has been appointed by President Obama to serve on the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities on 2nd November 2009. Here is the full list of the 25 individuals.

+ Press release

President Obama Appoints Thom Mayne to Serve on the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2, 2009

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON -

President Obama also announced that he has appointed the following individuals today to serve on the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities:

J. Ricky Arriola, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Mr. Arriola is the President and CEO of Inktel Direct, where he oversees business development, operations and overall strategy of the business process outsourcing company. He is actively involved in the arts and humanities community in Florida, serving as the Chair of the Board of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County.

Madeleine Harris Berman, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Ms. Berman serves on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of Americans for the Arts and the Boards of Directors of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Michigan Opera Theater and the Detroit Zoological Institute. She previously served on the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities in 1994.

Richard J. Cohen, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Mr. Cohen is a Minnesota State Senator chairing the Finance Committee. He serves on the boards of the Tyrone Guthrie Theater and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Formerly, he was the chairman of the Arts, Tourism and Cultural Resources Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures, and this year he received the Public Leadership in the Arts Award from the Americans for the Arts.

Paula Hannaway Crown, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Ms. Crown is a Principal of Henry Crown and Company, a private investment firm, and an artist. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Modern Art, Duke University, the Executive Committee of the Chicago Community Trust, the National Council of the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Board of Advisors of the Nasher Museum of Art, the Women’s Board of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Conservation International.

Christine Forester, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Ms. Forester – an architect specializing in hospital architecture – switched careers in the 1980s to head Christine Forester Catalyst, a business, marketing and branding company. She served on the Board of the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego; the Board of the Museum of Photographic Arts; the Advisory Panel for the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture’s Allocations Programs; and, currently, Scripps Institute of Oceanography’s Advisory Council.

Teresa Heinz, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Ms. Heinz is the Chairman of the Heinz Endowments and the Heinz Family Philanthropies. She is a member of the Trustees Council at the National Gallery of Art and in 2001 was elected to be a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. She founded and serves as chairman of the Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment and also serves on the board of trustees at the Brookings Institute and Carnegie Mellon University.

Victoria Strauss Kennedy, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Ms. Kennedy is an educational consultant for Loyola Marymount University. She has worked at Harvard University as Head Teaching Fellow for an undergraduate literature course, and as a Fellow for the Derek Bok Center. Ms. Kennedy is a youth coordinator and board member of a number of community service initiatives. She is co-founder of the Go Campaign and is currently designing a nautical children’s museum in Washington, D.C.

Bryan Lourd, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Mr. Lourd is a Partner and Managing Director of Creative Artists Agency, an entertainment and sports agency. He also helped create the CAA Foundation, which facilitates members of the global creative community in contributing their time and resources to improve conditions locally, nationally and worldwide. Mr. Lourd is also a Board member of InterActiveCorp.

Anne Luzzatto, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Ms. Luzzatto served as Obama-Biden Transition Team review lead for the National Endowment for the Arts. She has also served as Vice President for Meetings, Council on Foreign Relations. During the administration of President Clinton she served as Special Assistant to the President and White House Deputy Press Secretary and Assistant US Trade Representative for Public Affairs.

Yo-Yo Ma, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Mr. Ma, a cellist and 2001 National Medal of Arts recipient, maintains a balance between his engagements as a soloist with orchestras throughout the world and his recital and chamber music activities. He has recorded more than 75 albums, won 16 Grammy Awards, and serves as the Artistic Director of the Silk Road Project.

Liz Manne, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Ms. Manne is an independent film producer and consultant. Formerly an executive with Sundance Channel, co-founder of Fine Line Features, and consultant to HBO Films, Ms. Manne has helped shepherd more than 100 independent films to diverse audiences. Ms. Manne is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Thom Mayne, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Mr. Mayne is founder of Morphosis Architects, co-founder of the Southern California Institute of Architecture and Distinguished Professor at UCLA Architecture and Urban Design, where he extensively researches and publishes on contemporary urbanism. Recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, Mr. Mayne’s architectural projects include the San Francisco Federal Building, the Cooper Union academic building in Manhattan, Phare Tower in Paris, and the FLOAT House – an affordable, sustainable, and pre-fabricated housing prototype in New Orleans.

Edward Norton, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Mr. Norton is a two-time Academy Award-nominated actor, producer, and director. He is also engaged in social and environmental issues, serving on the Board of Enterprise Community Partners, National Landscape Conservation Foundation, Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, and Signature Theater Company.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Ms. Parker is an award-winning actress and producer, having won four Golden Globe Awards, two Emmy Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. She is on the board of the New York City Ballet and she also serves as a UNICEF Representative for the Performing Arts and Goodwill Ambassador for the United States.

Andy Spahn, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Mr. Spahn is the President of Andy Spahn & Associates, an entertainment industry based consulting firm that specializes in public affairs, strategic philanthropy and communications. Prior to founding his company, he was the Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications for DreamWorks. He has spent more than 25 years in national politics and the non-profit world and is a founding board member of the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.

Jill Cooper Udall, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Ms. Udall is a lawyer and former Officer of Cultural Affairs for the State of New Mexico. She currently works with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian. Ms. Udall also sits on the Board of Visitors and Governors for St. John’s College, and the Boards of Directors for Ford’s Theatre, Santa Fe Conservation Trust, and the Meridian International Center.

Reginald Van Lee, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Mr. Van Lee is an Executive Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton. He is a published author and serves as the Chair of the Board of the Evidence Dance Company, Chair of the Board of the New York International Ballet Competition, Trustee and Treasurer of the Studio Museum in Harlem and Vice-Chair of the Board of the Washington Performing Arts Society.

Agnes Varis, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Dr. Varis serves as the founder and President of Agvar Chemicals and Modavar Pharmaceuticals. She is actively involved in the arts community, donating the Agnes Varis Performance Stage to Jazz at Lincoln Center, sponsoring children’s programs at the Metropolitan Opera, underwriting a senior citizen orchestra multi-seat program at the Metropolitan Opera, and underwriting the Jazz Foundation of America’s national educational children’s Jazz In School Program, which employs unemployed elderly jazz musicians.

Kerry Washington, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Ms. Washington is an award-winning actress. She is a board member of The Creative Coalition and is on the Artists Committee for Americans for the Arts, organizations which work to promote the arts in America. She is also on the board of V-Day, an organization dedicated to ending violence against women and girls.

Alexa L. Wesner, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Ms. Wesner is the founder of Blue Texas PAC and formerly co-founder and President of HireTECH, a high technology recruiting firm in Austin, Texas. In addition, she works with a variety of nonprofits and charities in Texas, including the Austin Film Society, The Blanton Museum, Breakthrough Austin, LifeWorks, SafePlace, and Arthouse.

Forest Whitaker, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Mr. Whitaker is an Academy Award-winning actor, director, producer and game developer. He is a social activist and is involved in several humanitarian and philanthropic causes for which he has twice received the Humanitas Prize. He has been honored with the Cinema for Peace award for using film as a medium to promote peace, freedom and tolerance and this year is being recognized as Patron of The Arts by UNESCO.

Anna Wintour, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Ms. Wintour has served as the Editor in Chief of VOGUE since 1988. She has also significantly contributed to fundraising efforts for AIDS research and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She spearheaded the Council of Fashion Designers of America/Vogue Fashion campaign to help fund emerging fashion designers.

Damian Woetzel, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Mr. Woetzel is a renowned ballet dancer, who performed during his career as a principal dancer at New York City Ballet. He is the founding Director of the Jerome Robbins New Essential Works Program, Director of the summer Vail International Dance Festival, and Cultural Programming Producer for the World Science Festival. Mr. Woetzel has served on the Harvard Task Force on the Arts and the Artists Committee of the Kennedy Center Honors.

George C. Wolfe, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Mr. Wolfe is a Tony award-winning theater and film director and playwright and served as the producer of The Public Theatre/New York Shakespeare Festival from 1993 to 2005. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award, and was declared a living landmark by the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

Alfre Woodard, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Ms. Woodard’s work as an actor has earned her an Oscar nomination, four Emmys, three SAG Awards, and a Golden Globe. She serves on the National Film Preservation Foundation Board, as well as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences International Outreach Committee. Ms. Woodard co-founded Artists for a New South Africa, a non-profit working to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS and further Democracy and Human rights in South Africa and the United States.

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2. Kräfta Scheme for Sundsvall Arts Centre and Theatre | Harri Mäkiaho
3. Granatum – Granada Performing Arts Centre | AH Asociados in collaboration with Kengo Kuma & Associates

Connector for Technical University of Lodz, image courtesy of formodesign

The Connector by formodesign, is an extension project for Architecture and Engineering buildings at Technical University of Lodz, Poland. The project is composed and stacked by 3 linear forms with the open views towards the park.

The idea for our concept was not only to make a form that would connect the buildings but which also would be mind and eye pleasing for students of both, so different, departments.

formodesign, Lukasz Skirzynski & Jedrzej Lewandowski

+ Project description courtesy of Formodesign

Our office was asked by the Technical Univeristy of Lodz representatives to prepare a detailed concept for a building which would connect two separate departments of Architecture and Engineering. The challenge was to pay respect to rules dominating the existing buildings, as they were designed by well known Polish architect Boleslaw Kardaszewski (one of the University’s leading professors).

We used the existing module of 3,3m as the base dimension during the design process.

Connector for Technical University of Lodz, image courtesy of formodesign

The idea for our concept was not only to make a form that would connect the buildings but which also would be mind and eye pleasing for students of both, so different, departments.

Here are some other factors we had to take in consideration:

• the need for fire-safety drive
• only 1st floor was available at the Architecture Department (the tall one)
• need for an elevator
• need for a small workshop on the ground floor
• both departments are situated next to a park on the side of the connector
• connect Architecture 1st floor with Engineering 2nd and 3rd floors

Connector for Technical University of Lodz, image courtesy of formodesign

We designed a 2 storey main form which is flat-closed with a classrom on each floor. The staircase and elevator are incorporated into the construction supporting system.

The corridors, with an open view on the park, are used for exposition of student works – for educational reasons we wanted to let the students of both departments use the same expo space!

Under the main connector, on the 1st floor level, we proposed a space which connects the new and old buildings and would be used for exibitions that need to be lit only by artificial light. As this space would be mainly used for communication there is an outer garden available.

The ground level glass box hides the construction supporting columns and is used as the students’ (workshop) space with a view on the park.

Connector for Technical University of Lodz - Ground floor plan, drawing courtesy of formodesign

Connector for Technical University of Lodz - 1st floor plan, drawing courtesy of formodesign

Connector for Technical University of Lodz - 2nd floor plan, drawing courtesy of formodesign

Connector for Technical University of Lodz - 3rd floor plan, drawing courtesy of formodesign

+ Project credits / data

Project: Connector for Architecture and Engineering buildings at Technical University of Lodz, Poland
Authors: formodesign - Jedrzej Lewandowski, Lukasz Skirzynski
Location: University of Lodz, Poland
Status: Project is currently pending to be used for UE funds for modernisation gaining process by TUoL / A&E Departments. It also has been used as the educational material during the lectures and laboratories of steel construction design.

+ All images and drawings courtesy of formodesign

Related posts:

1. North House South | formodesign
2. Ewha Womans University | Dominique Perrault
3. Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University | Aedas

North House South, rendering courtesy of formodesign

Polish architectural firm formodesign has designed the house which is oriented North-South, and named “North House South“. Spatially the living zone and sleeping zone was organized in each contrast architectural form, and intersected each others.

Build of clear contrast forms, modern yet partially covered with wooden shingles. This is a house designed to be through and through.

formodesign, Lukasz Skirzynski & Jedrzej Lewandowski

+ Project description courtesy of Formodesign

For who:

designed for 2+2 family.

Site:

It is designed to be located on a difficult N-S oriented site with the drive entry located in the southern border.

Both, N and S, sides of the site are planted with a large number of old trees.

Form of the house:

Black and White.
It is a combination of a traditional pitched roof house and a simple modern one.

North House South, rendering courtesy of formodesign

„N house S” is open in both directions and makes it possible to see each part of the site from the opposite side. On the other hand the living room is hidden from the view of the neighbour sites.

The white parts are designed as rooms for parents and children and are open in the direction of the existing trees. Under the raised bedroom a parking „breezeway” is located.

Two separate terraces are connected by the living room and in fact are an extesion of the houses daily space. Some trees are located directy in the terraces and are used as the sun-shading „system”.

North House South, rendering courtesy of formodesign

Interior:

It is very clear and can be seen from the outside. Thanks to numerous openings it is very bright. We used natural finishing materials to keep the interior warm and to make „N house S” have the feel of cohesion with the surrounding area.

North House South - Ground floor plan, drawing courtesy of formodesign

North House South - South elevation, drawing courtesy of formodesign

North House South - West elevation, drawing courtesy of formodesign

North House South - North elevation, drawing courtesy of formodesign

North House South - East elevation, drawing courtesy of formodesign

+ Project credits / data

Project: N-House-S / North House South / „northausouth”
Authors: formodesign - Lukasz Skirzynski, Jedrzej Lewandowski
Area: 220 square meters

+ All images and drawings courtesy of formodesign

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Furà, image courtesy of Studio06

Furà by Italian-based Studio06 is the winning lighting design at the Biffi luce design competition. The design was inspired by the penetration of light through the rocks.

+ Product description courtesy of Studio06

Furà (the suspension lamp) makes an amazing ambient, it symbolizes light that filters through the rocks. A new perfectly smooth and polished finish gives elegance to this lamp.

+ Product data

Designer: Studio06 (Roberto Guadrini, Massimo Guglielmotto, Paolo Mattiolo)
Email address: info@studio06.it
Title of design: Furà
Award: 1st prize at Biffi luce design competition
Manufacturer: Biffi luce S.r.l, Italy

+ All images courtesy of Studio06

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Alef Bet Culinary School, image courtesy of Stephane Malka

Paris-based Stephane Malka has designed the Alef Bet Culinary School located in Paris, France.

The colors made sense instantly; White for the abstract space of the blank, the ante-genesis of the writing itself. Red for the flame letters, core of the alcoves and the floor.

Stéphane Malka

+ Project description courtesy of Stephane Malka

The Alef Bet genesis is the Alpha & the Beta, the Alphabet itself. This place is devoted to the learning of the “jewish” food, roots and ramifications.

Rebuild the culinary alphabet in a modern way, based on the traditions. The influence of the design came from the flame letters, the hebrew anciens letters from the book of the books.

Alef Bet Culinary School, image courtesy of Stephane Malka

The colors made sense instantly; White for the abstract space of the blank, the ante-genesis of the writing itself. Red for the flame letters, core of the alcoves and the floor.

Alef Bet Culinary School, image courtesy of Stephane Malka

The light scenography changes the wall colors from abstract white to a burning red as the nights sleeps throught, as a physical representation of the Hebrew lunar calendar.

The bar seems to float into another dimension, talking about time. Red flames letters pushes the wall’s limits and creating alcoves. The ceiling is torn by a fluid movement, followed by the bright red concrete floor bringing the energy over the inside part, as an incitation to discover the introspective spaces.

Stephane Malka’s works has, since he has started graffiti in 1986, been a love affair for the calligraphy, the structure of the letter itself, it’s own architecture and equilibrium has leaded him to seek for more into architectural studies, in order to bring to another dimension the architectural alphabet, exploring new worlds, seeking for hibryd form and meta-spaces.

+ Project credits / data

Architect: Stéphane Malka - Architecte D.P.L.G.
Project: Alef Bet Culinary School
Location: 25, rue galande – Paris
Size: 250m2
Program: Restaurant, bar, coffee shop, fooding lessions & tableware furnitures

+ All images courtesy of Stephane Malka

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BSBO School, image courtesy of VBM architecten

VBM architects has designed the BSBO School in Halmaalweg Sint-Truiden, Belgium. The school was built to take care of mentally handicapped and autistic children, this is the good attempt of the randomized openings on the elevation which is the result of the program to stimulate the visual sensitivity of the children.

+ Project description courtesy of VBM architects

To avoid non-systematic spatial growth, the first step was to design the extension together with a long-term master plan. The built and the green areas are interlaced and have a continuous mutual contact. The extension can be stepped in 3 phases, but it always maximizes the garden and playground surfaces.

BSBO School, image courtesy of VBM architecten

The extremely simple and consequent structural concept is cost effective, while the form of the facades is the result of the programme that explicitly expressed the need of autistic children for visual stimuli positioned in a randomised rhythm.

BSBO School - Master plan, drawing courtesy of VBM architecten

BSBO School - Ground floor plan, drawing courtesy of VBM architecten

BSBO School - 1st floor plan, drawing courtesy of VBM architecten

BSBO School - West + South elevation, drawing courtesy of VBM architecten

BSBO School - Long + Cross section, drawing courtesy of VBM architecten

+ Project credits / data

Design team – architecture: VBM architecten (Bogdan & Van Broeck Architects and LAVA Architecten)
Project: BSBO School
Site: Halmaalweg Sint – Truiden,
Client: Gemeenschapsonderwijs
Design date: 2003 first prize Open Oproep 3
Completion: 2005 – 2006
Budget: € 844,983
Surface: 848m²
Engineering: BSTK ingenieursbureau
Health and safety adviser: Ve-Co bvba
Contractor: Postelmans – Frederickx nv

+ All drawings and images courtesy of VBM architects

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