Alfikhas

Installing Revit 2022 with Autodesk Education Account

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 12:39:00 +0000

Autodesk Educational Community

Historically, autodesk has been very generous in providing free software to students. At the time of publication, students can download a one-year educational license of revit architecture 2022.

While the revit educational software incorporates all the functionality of the professional software, it may not be used for commercial or for-profit purposes.

Register with autodesk

• step 1: open the website
Www.autodesk.com/education/edu-software/overview in your web browser.
• step 2: click the get started button.

• step 3: complete the requested education benefits information.
• step 4: click the next button.
• step 5: complete the requested registration information. It is recommended that you use your school email address in the email field.
• step 6: click the create account button.
• step 7 (not shown): autodesk requires that you activate your account before you can download revit . Check your email for additional instructions provided by autodesk to activate your account.

Download Revit

• step 1: open the autodesk website:

Www.autodesk.com/education/edu- software/overview in your web browser.

• step 2: click the sign in button.

• step 3: sign in to autodesk’s student website with the autodesk id created during the registration process.

• step 4: sign in to autodesk’s student website with the password created during the registration process.

Tip: make sure your computer meets the minimum requirements for revit 2022.

Once you have signed into your autodesk education account, you can download your free version of revit .

• step 5: select the windows operating system, the 2022 version, and the english language.
• step 6: click the install button
• step 7: once the download is complete, double-click the revit_2022 setup file located in your web browser or your downloads folder.

• step 8: the autodesk install dialog box shows the progress preparing the revit_2022 setup file for installation .

Install Revit

The installation process involves both downloading and installing revit 2022 on your computer. The entire process will vary based on the speed of your internet connection .

• step 1 (optional): tell the autodesk installer where to install revit on your computer. Most users will use the default install locations as show in this example .

• step 2: click the install button .

• step 3: the installation percentage allows you to follow the progress. You should keep your computer connected to a reliable internet connection until installation is complete .

• step 4: click the restart button when the installation is complete.

Activating Revit 2022

The first time you open revit, autodesk will request you register the software . You must be connected to the internet to activate revit .

• step 1: open revit and click the sign in with your autodesk id button .
• if you have a network license or serial number (not common), click the appropriate button in the other license types section of the activation dialog box .

The autodesk licensing dialog box prompts you to sign in with your autodesk account . This is the same email address and password used on page 7 to download revit .

• step 2: follow the prompts to sign into your autodesk account .

• step 3: if you have setup 2 step verification on your autodesk account, autodesk will send you a sms message with a 6-digit security code . Type the 6-digit code in the dialog box .
• step 4: click the enter code button to verify your sign in and activate your revit 2022 software license

Installing family content packs

Beginning in revit 2021, autodesk changed how library content is installed . This change installs a minimal set of content with revit . Other content libraries must be downloaded and installed separately from the main installation of the software .

• step 1 (not shown): visit and www.autodesk.com/download to locate the appropriate family content pack for your revit version .

• step 2: download the appropriate content pack . In this example, we downloaded rvtcpenu.exe which contains us english family libraries in both imperial and metric .
• step 3: launch the installer file downloaded in the previous step .
• step 4: the autodesk install dialog box shows the progress preparing the content pack setup file for installation .

Once the installation completes, both imperial and si libraries of revit families are available for use on your computer .

Revit project files

A revit project file ( .rvt) holds all of the information for a building .

Create a new project

• step 1: open revit architecture 2022 by double-clicking on the desktop icon .

• step 2: click the new project link on the revit welcome screen .

Tip: interior designers and architects should change new project template from construction to architecture as illustrated in the following steps .

Revit prompts you to select a template file for the new project .

• step 3: select the imperial-architectural template .
• step 4: click the ok button to start the new project .

Open an existing project

• step 1: click the open button .
• step 2: navigate to the folder with your revit files . Click once on the file you want to open .
• step 3: click the open button .

Version compatibility tip: revit models are complex databases . Because of these complexities, revit files are not backwards compatible . To say it another way, revit 2022 files will not open in earlier versions of the software, including revit 2019 and revit 2018 . That said, you can upgrade an older revit model by opening it in a newer version of revit .

Saving Projects

• step 1: click the file menu button .
• step 2: click the save as button .
• step 3: click the project button .
• step 4: navigate to the folder or portable drive where you want to save the revit project . Type the filename in the save as dialog box .
• step 5: click the save button .

Active and backup project files

• every time you save a project, revit creates a backup project file from the most recent version .
• by default, revit keeps three backup project files in the same folder with the active project file .
• the active project name contains the file name and the .rvt extension .
• backup project names are appended with a four-digit number that increases with every new backup . In this example, the 0003.rvt file is the most recent backup .
Tip: keep the backup project files on your computer or portable drive in case the active revit project becomes corrupt or fails to open .

Revit User Interface

Graphical user interface

Revit user interface contains multiple elements that you use to create and modify the revit model . The interface is similar to autocad and other autodesk software .

Parts of the user interface

• file tab: first introduced in revit 2018, the file tab replaces the application menu present in previous versions of revit .
• the quick access toolbar contains a list of commonly used tools such as save, undo, and aligned dimension .
• ribbon: see page 15 to learn more about the ribbon .
• the options bar is located below the ribbon and displays tools specific to the selected object or active tool .
• the type selector allows you to change the type of element placed in the drawing area .
• properties palette: see page 16 to learn more about the properties palette .
• the drawing area displays views such as floor plans, legends, and schedule .
• project browser: see page 16 to learn more about the project browser .
• the view control bar contains options to adjust the architectural scale and visual properties of the active view .
• the status bar provides instruction and tips on what to do in revit .

Ribbon

The ribbon is divided into several tabs, which contain revit’s core functionality .

• the architecture tab (shown here) is subdivided into six panels .
• the circulation panel contains the railing, ramp, and stair buttons, all of which are related to building circulation .

Full ribbon state

The full ribbon state is the default layout . Each panel is expanded to show buttons related to the panel .

• click the minimize to panel button to cycle through four different panel states .

Panel tiles ribbon state

The panel tiles ribbon collapses each panel into a large tile with a single icon .

• reveal each panel’s buttons by hovering the mouse over the panel’s icon .
• click the minimize to panel button to cycle to the next panel state .

Panel buttons ribbon state

The panel buttons ribbon collapses each panel into small text icons .
• reveal each panel’s buttons by hovering the mouse over the panel’s name .
• click the minimize to panel button to cycle to the next panel state .

Panel tabs ribbon state

The panel tabs ribbon completely collapses each tab .

• click on the tab name to reveal its panels and buttons . The tab will autohide after several seconds of inactivity .
• click the minimize to panel button to cycle to the next panel state .

Project browser

The project browser displays all of the views in the active project . Views are divided into major categories including floor plans, ceiling plans, elevations, details, and 3d views .

This browser shows the default views in a new architectural project . You’ll notice the views are limited to floor plans, ceiling plans, and building elevations . As you add views to the project, revit will place them in the appropriate category . In addition to the architectural views, the project browser contains legend, schedule/quantity, and sheet categories .

Properties palette

The properties palette displays all available information for the selected object in the model .

• for furniture, like this task chair, the properties palette provides access to the floor level, fabric and finish, comments, and construction phase .
• when nothing is selected, the properties palette provides information about the current view .
• in this example, the 3d view’s properties can be reviewed and updated in the properties palette .

Video driver errors

Revit relies on your computer’s graphics card to create a sophisticated graphics experience . If you receive graphics errors similar to this example when switching to 3d views, your graphics card may not be compatible with revit’s graphics requirements .

Disabling graphics hardware acceleration

Disabling graphics hardware acceleration in revit often eliminates software crashes . Follow these steps to disable hardware acceleration .

• step 1: in the file tab, click the options button at the bottom of the menu .

• step 2: click the hardware section in the options dialog box .
• step 3: uncheck the use hardware acceleration box .
• step 4: click the ok button to save the changes .
• step 5 (not shown): you will need to save, close, and re-open your revit projects for this change to take effect . Only documents opened after this change will be affected by the video card change .

Visibility/graphic overrides

The visibility/graphic overrides dialog box is used to control the display categories in the active view . Categories in revit are often compared to layer in autocad . The primary difference is that elements in revit are automatically associated with the correct category while lines in autocad need to be manually assigned to layers .

Controlling model categories

• step 1 (not shown): open visibility/graphics by typing the letters vv on the keyboard . (type v twice .)
• step 2: the two most commonly used categories groupings are model categories and annotation categories .
• step 3: filter the lists of categories under the model categories tab by selecting architecture .
• step 4: the visibility check box turns the category on or off in the active view . In this example, the doors will be hidden in plan view when the door category visibility is changed to off .
• step 5: the line and pattern overrides allow you to adjust how the category is graphically displayed in the active view . In this example, the cut pattern for the walls category was changed to gray/solid fill .

Controlling annotation categories

Annotative categories contain most elements in a view that contain text including dimensions, room tags, and symbols .

• step 1: the two most commonly used categories groupings are model categories and annotation categories .
• step 2: filter the lists of categories under the model categories tab by selecting architecture .
• step 3: adjust the visibility and line style for each annotative category in the active view .

Arranging views

Working simultaneously with multiple views in revit allows you to see design changes in both two and three dimensions .

Tab open views

• steps 1–2: on the keyboard, type the letter t and then w to create a tab for all open views .
• t w is short for tab windows .
Each open view is presented as a tab as seen in this example . The view name for each window is visible at the top of the window .
• step 3: close any unwanted views by clicking the x .

Tiling open views

Tiling windows is more frequently used when you want to work on multiple views at the same time .

• steps 1–2: on the keyboard, type the letter w and then t to tile all open views in revit .
• w t is short for window tile .

Each open view is arranged beside other views as seen in this example .

• step 3: close any unwanted views by clicking the red x .
• step 4 (not shown): type the letter w and then t to re-tile the open views .

Tip: the close inactive views button in the view tab closes all open views except for the current view . This is helpful when you have multiple views open and do not want to close them one at a time .

What is BIM and Why Should You Use it ?

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 06:59:00 +0000

Autodesk’s Revit Architecture is a revolutionary modeling program for the architectural industry. Revit is in a class of programs that utilize Building Information Modeling (BIM for short) to organize and present large data sets that describe every aspect of a building .

Architectural design, by its nature, requires us to solve complex three-dimensional problems . BIM projects hold huge amounts of project data in a single file . Because of this single database, BIM creates efficiencies during design and documentation phases by quickly presenting and updating objects in multiple views .

Some of these views take the form of architectural drawings like plan, elevation, section, and perspective . Other views take the form of tables and spreadsheets .

The light blue built-in cabinet shown in these views is a single BIM object visually represented in plan view, perspective view, elevation view, and detail section view . Because each view is displaying the same BIM object, any modifications to that object are automatically updated in each view .

In BIM, this principle applies to many other objects like doors, windows, furniture, and stairs . BIM also dynamically builds schedules that accurately reflect the location and quantity of items (like furniture and doors) in a project .

The bottom line is that when an entire project is organized in a single database, you can spend more time focusing on design and less time coordinating information across multiple sheets in a drawing set .

How is BIM Different from CAD ?

Computer-aided Design (CAD) software provided a huge leap forward in building documentation from hand drawing .

• CAD drawings are essentially digital sheets of paper . Like many digital tools, CAD improves productivity and accuracy by allowing users to copy and paste between drawings . CAD also allows users to quickly edit drawings .

• CAD drawings are most commonly organized with multiple layers that host digital lines .

Revit models are organized broadly into three types of elements: Datum elements, Model elements, and View-Specific elements .

DATUM ELEMENTS are the foundation of the Revit model by which everything is referenced .

• Levels are the most commonly used datum element . Levels define the location of level- hosted elements in the model . Level-hosted elements include Walls, Floors, Ceilings, and Furniture .

• Reference Planes are two-dimensional planes used to build three-dimensional objects in Revit .

• Grids are used to define the location of structural elements like columns and walls .

MODEL ELEMENTS are subdivided into host elements and model components .

• Common host elements include walls, floors, ceilings, and roofs .
• Model components often require a compatible host element . For example, a door (model component) can only be inserted into a wall (host element), which is placed on a level (datum element) .

VIEW-SPECIFIC ELEMENTS are visible only in the view they are placed . Annotation text, room labels, and dimensions are common view- specific elements .

Achieving The Multiple Objectives of Distinguishing, Separation and Insulation

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 21:50:00 +0000

Triangular glass blocks are used for this sales gallery to achieve the multiple objectives of distinguishing, separation and insulation.

The glass facade mirrors the characteristics of the light throughout the day

Two sides of the door leading to the semi-sheltered enclosed gardens that is effectively insulated from its busy surroundings

This project is a sales gallery for a condominium project in Bangkok. Due to its proximity to a competi-tor’s sales gallery, one of the main requirements from the client was that the building should ‘disconnect’ itself from the competitor. Leaving a generous gap was not an option for functional reasons, so the design team decided to angle the building’s orientation away from the main road in order to distinguish itself.

The main seating area in the sales gallery

Views of the main seating area

This solution also provides not only a visual break to the dense urban fabric, but also provides an opportunity for greenery for the passersby in a form of a ‘pocket park’. This also enforces the selling point of the condominium development, which features a large green space. A simple box was a then placed facing incoming traffic to create a focal point and to balance out the whole architectural composition.

To make it stand out, the box uniquely features a façade made of about 20,000 glass blocks with a secret garden hidden inside. The facade changes its look perpetually following the position of sunlight as well as the shifting shadow of the trees. At night, the glass blocks are illuminated, turning them into a giant glass lantern.

Aerial view highlights the considered orientation of the sales gallery within its busy surroundings

The glass blocks used are rectangular as opposed to a more conventional square-shaped type. They have also extended edges or wings to cover most of the grouting, reducing the width to 2mm instead of the usual 10mm. This special detail reduces the visual perception of joints, thus creating a continuous all- glass effect to the walls.

The repetition of the glass blocks’ horizontal mortar joints helps to reduce light transmission from the higher summer sun. The rectangular shape also helps to cut down the light transmission by double as compared to a square shape. Additionally, the glass blocks also have a high degree of thermal resistance (R-Value) that helps to reduce heat transmission into the building.

One design challenge the team faced was to create a peaceful environment for visitors to enjoy the garden, despite the heavy traffic in front. To effectively cut down the noise pollution and to block off un-pleasant views of the surroundings, an 8-metre-tall wall enclosing the garden was introduced. To reduce the uncomfortable feeling of being surrounded by massive solid walls, glass blocks were chosen as the building material as natural light can still filter through it. Natural ventila-tion is encouraged by the stack effect caused by lifting the base of the glass block enclosure up to allow movement of cool air to get inside and hot air to rise out through the opening on top. In addition, a water misting system is installed to control the temperature inside the courtyard on sunny days.

Project Information

Project Name: The Glass Fortress

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Principal Use: Sales Gallery

Architect: Firm Archismith Co., Ltd.

Project Team: Jirawit Yamkleeb, Sukonthip Sangiamvongse, Takol Pattanopas, Thanaphon Phumipanchaphak

Built Area: 457sqm

Landscape Designer: Landscape Studio by Arsomsilp

Interior Designer: Six.Seven.S

Structural Engineer: 2-R Engineering

Mechanical Engineer: V.Group Engineer

Main Contractor: T.T.S. Engineering (2004)

Photography: Spaceshift Studio and Sky|Ground

The House of 3 Trees is The Realisation of an Architectural Fantasy

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 21:50:00 +0000

The House of 3 Trees is the realisation of an architectural fantasy – one that explores an alternate reality in which several historical events of the past century did not occur.

The architectural fantasy explored by the architects for this house begins with the question of ‘what if timber resources were not depleted in the late Joseon Dynasty of Korea in the 17th to 19th Centuries?’ And following this, irrespective of the exhaustion of timber, what if globalisation had begun earlier, and had introduced the import of wooden materials from Russia, Canada, Northern Europe and Japan, making timber as afford- able as it is now? And finally, what if reinforced concrete structure had not dominated architecture in the 21st century? The hypothetical result is that timber buildings in East Asia would have continued to evolve. This premise gave the architects an opportunity to retain the culture of timber architecture dating as far back as 1,500 years in Korea, and to evolve it into an ‘evolved’ form of architecture today.

The wooden structure is a combination of ornamentation and structure,

achieved by computer-aided design and digital-fabrication

Dubbed the House of Three Trees, the project reinterpretates the iconic wooden bracket systems ubiquitous in the East Asia timber architecture. Known as ‘Gong-po’ in Korea and ‘Dougong’ in China, this wood bracket system was the most symbolic part of East Asian timber buildings from both structural and aesthetic perspectives. The house perhaps makes a critical statement of today’s superficial application of traditional buildings – that of merely imitating traditional expressions, or in too abstract forms. Instead, the design for this house redefines the virtue of East Asian timber build-ings in its tectonic aspect, which is a combination of structure and ornamentation. It also serves as an example of how technology such as design computation and digital fabrication can reinterpret traditional architecture. Technology can give traditional East Asian timber con-struction the potential to evolve in a new direction.

Structural Axonometric

Three wooden trees form the forest within the house, creating an interior space that responds to the hexagonally shaped building footprint. These trees serve as anchor points as well as to support the roof. Apart from the structure, the wall enclosing the house needed to be insulated for the cold winter in Korea, as well as to tailor the visual experience while inside the space. As a result, people inside experience an enclosed space that is dominated by the tree structures, yet still have a curated view of the outside through the apertures. The change of time can be keenly felt through the sunlight’s movement as it filters into the gap between the roof and wall. It resembles the sunlight falling into a forest. In this way, the trees thus transforms into a forest.

Structural Models

The tree structure of the house is solely composed of wooden joinery. The construction method employing the traditional wooden bracket system does away with the need for any nails or other additive fasteners.

Aerial view during construction

The footprint of the house follows the erratic shape of the site. Despite its irregular hexagonal form, the layout of the house is derived from algorithmic tools. This resulted in a guideline for placing 3 trees. Algorithmic tools also guided the design and analysis of the complex form of the trees. The final optimised result, in terms of construction ef- ficiency and logistics, is composed of 4,006 wooden pieces.

The house at twilight, within it’s surrounding neighbourhood

For the roof, the typical rural houses around the site served as the inspiration for the roof design and material choice. These rural houses were built in the 70’s and 80’s, and were designed according to construction standards set by the government – which resulted in flat roofs that have poor drainage, rainwater accumulation and water leakage problems. The solution back then was to cover the existing flat roof with a pitched roof made of sandwich panels. This incidental design invoked a sense of lightness – the roof appearing to be a thin floating form. This sense of light- ness is further emphasised by the use of asphalt shingles, which is a low-cost material.

Additionally, other commonly used materials in the rural area of Korea were selected for the exterior finish of the house. These include plywood and plastic panels for the exterior walls. Polycarbonate corrugated panels are a common material used for the cladding of warehouses and greenhouses. This translucent material subtly reveals the plywood finishing inside, and similarly for the roof, helps to imbue the house with ethereal lightness, in contrast to the adjacent houses. Functionally, the panels also provide an additional air layer that increases insulation performance, as well as to protect the inner plywood from rainwater.

Project Information

Project Name: The House Of Three Trees

Location: Gyeongsangbuk-Do, Republic Of Korea

Principal Use: Private Home

Architect: Firm Jk-Ar (Jae Kim Architects + Researchers)

Design Team: Jae K. Kim, Seoungbum Heo, Yesol Lee, Youngjune Lee

Design Period: July 2017 ~ March 2018

Construction Period: April 2018 ~ August 2018

Site Area: 271sqm

Built-Up Area: 68.58 Sqm

Gross Floor Area: 85.52 Sqm (1f: 68.58 Sqm, 2f: 16.94 Sqm)

Building Height: 6.35 M

Exterior Finishing: Corrugated Polycarbonate Panel, Spruce Dimension Lumber, Arauco Plywood, Low-E Triple Glazed Window, Asphalt Shingle (Roof)

Interior Finishing: Larch Plywood (Local Product), Gypsum Wall Board With Paint, Rock Solid Floor Coating

Structural Engineering: Jk-Ar

Construction: Jae K. Kim, Seoungbum Heo, Yesol Lee, Minho Kim, Jinho Shin (Jk-Ar) + Myunghee Nam

Photography: Rohspace

Enhance and Balance The Space and Equipment for The Children

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 21:50:00 +0000

Sophisticatedly Child-like

This kindergarten in China distinguishes and appeals to its users with a glass façade that features a printed pattern derived out of simple child-like line drawings.

The simple single-line drawing provides the singular clue of the building’s function

The glass facade with printed pattern creates interesting-patterned light throughout the interiors

This project, the Family Box, is something between an indoor playground and a kindergarten catering for children up to the age of twelve as well as their parents. It hosts different kinds of activities – from swimming, games to various classes ranging from music and dancing to crafting and cooking. Furthermore it has a big ‘playframe’, a reading area and a generous café area. Located at the outer corner of a park, it is placed in a natural environment, which enhances the visibility ofthe building.

Sections

Beginning from the exterior, a glass façade wraps all of the func- tions like a skin, following the given building perimeter. Distinctively, it has a printed pattern, which was developed out of simple single-line drawings made by children. This was modified into a pattern consist- ing of two different-sized squares, with the graphic motif reversed – the background is translucent-white and the drawing is transparent. From afar, the objects on the facade are recognisable, they indicate a building function related to children, fun and recreation.

Lit up like a lantern at night

Bookstore

For the interior, the different sizes and heights between adults and chil- dren and their different angle of view was the starting point for considering the design, which in turn produced two types of spaces – kids-scaled spaces and adult-scaled spaces. The challenge was in finding a balance between these two spaces.

Entrance area

Despite the complex program, another challenging part of this project was to deal with an existing structural system, column grid and also the building footprint – which was due to a different original func- tion of the existing building, as well as the involvement of another design institute at an earlier project stage. The rigid concrete structure of the building did not seem the most suitable for the design purpose,and was counterbalanced in different ways. Since the two upper floors where not yet constructed, floor plates were shifted up and down, with cut-outs in the floor to allow views between the two floors.

The use of independent rooms in the shape of freestanding boxes allows the activities to run parallel, of-fering the most suitable environment for each. The rooms have their own program or theme, and they all differ from the outside space in terms of color and furniture. Each has its own story, allowing the children to concentrate on the program offered. At the same time, small square window openings provides for the contact with the outside, and likewise parents can have a peep inside to see what is going on.The box locations are meant to break the rigid layout of the concrete columns, which is also camouflaged with a series of arches that give a different rhythm to the environment. Visually, the common areas are treat-ed with low contrast finishes in order to enhance and balance the space and equipment for the children.

Project Information

Project Name: Family Box

Location: Beijing, China

Client: Children Enterprise (Uk) Limited

Principal Use: Kindergarten

Architect Firm: Crossboundaries, Beijing

Collaborating Architects & Engineers: Biad International Studio & Biad Tsh International Studio

Site Area: 38,000sqm

Building Footprint: 2,300sqm

Gross Floor Area: 5,625sqm

Design Period 1st Phase: August 2008 – February 2009

Construction Period 1st Phase: August 2008 – December 2009

Design Period 2nd Phase: May - July 2011

Construction Period 2nd Phase: August - December 2011

Photography: Yang Chaoying

The Sepang House in Malaysia has been Designed Utilizing Three Conventional Materials

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 21:50:00 +0000

Tropical Tactility

The Sepang House in Malaysia has been designed utilizing three conventional materials in a manner that sensitively emphasizes and distills the essence and character of each material.

Raw exposed concrete make up the main walls of the exterior

Ground floor staircase that lead up to the first floor

The Sepang House is a single-family house with a built-up area of 450 sqm,and set within a 920 sqm piece of flat land. The design brief called for a moderately sized de- tached house with an outdoor pool. The owners also wanted a large and sheltered outdoor space to enjoy the pool and garden. Another-criteria had been the inclusion of a roof ter- race that would be high enough from which to view a nearby lake.

The resulting design is defined by a large sheltering roof with deep overhangs, shaded terraces and bal- conies along its edges. Raw concrete, bricks and wood are the primary materials used to develop a material language that echoes and seeks con- nection to its tropical settings.

Steel staircase on the first floor that lead up to the attic-like space on the second floor

Different materials are used to distinguish different elements of the house. For example, raw exposed concrete is used for all external walls, bricks for the spine walls that runs along the centre of the house, and timber for roof structures, ceil- ings and the floor. All other surfaces are plastered and painted white. This approach to materiality creates a richness of texture in the house – which serve as an interesting back- drop to contemporary family life.

Ground Floor

First Floor

Second Floor

The design of the house was also driven by the desire for the main living areas to face the cool and shaded north direction and garden. In order to achieve this, spaces are organised along a pair of central brick spine walls that runs east and west. Staircases are placed between these walls. Main spaces such as the living, dining, guest and master bed- rooms are organized to the north of the spine walls, whereas the kitchen and other bedrooms are placed to the south.

Sections

Openings in the spine walls and multiple double height volumes create opportunities for visual and acoustic connections within the house and outdoors, making the house feel more intimate, and warm. The top-most floor is a large attic-like space that is dominated by the low sloping roof and is a space that be be used as a gym or an office. From this point in the house, views to a nearby lake is possible.

The main living areas on the ground floor are directly connected to a large outdoor terrace that canti- levers over the pool. The master and attic bedrooms are also connected to terraces. They mediate between the inside and outside spaces, providing the occupants with shaded cool spaces outdoors, a necessity in the hot humid climate of the tropics. Where possible, windows are placed at opposing ends in a room or space to encourage cross ventilation.

Project Information

Project Name: Sepang House

Location: Selangor, Malaysia

Principal Use: Single Family House

Architect Firm: Eleena Jamil Architect

Floor Area: 450 Sqm

Main Materials: Exposed Concrete, Bricks, Timber

Photography: Marc Tey

Koi Cafe is Creating a Little Natural Green

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 21:50:00 +0000

Koi Cafe

A charming cafe on the streets of Hanoi has been designed around the central motif of a indoor Koi pond, creating a little natural green haven that also boasts its own self-sustaining ecosystem.

Visitors entering the café are greeted by the statement-making koi pond, with dual-pathways on either side.

The Koi Café aims to create a café space that is imbued with the characteristics of typical Koi ponds. The existing building is a three-storey house with a front yard with a total area of 88sqm. Recognising the impermanent nature of cafes, the architects adopted a simple steel structure for ease of installation and removal, allowing for ease of repurposing in the future. The entire interior, from the ceiling to the furni- ture reuses used wood pallet material that was provided by the owner.

The first floor features views that highlight the waterfall as well as the skylight feature with aquaponic greenery

Initial impressions are made from the facade of the building, a porous skin constructed from traditional tiles to mimic the impression of scales. The pattern covers the exterior, creating a distinct impres- sion that hints at its identity while providing an elegant contrast with the surrounding buildings.

Tiles and used wood pallets form the walls and ceilings on the first floor

Sections

At the centre of the interior space is the highlight and focus of the building – an indoor waterfall that flows down from the second floor to a tank on the first floor before culminating to a pond that is filled with Koi carp fish.

Aside from just being a café, the architects sought to introduce an element of ‘urban agriculture’, and an aquaponics system was intro- duced that would take advantage of the waste produced by the Koi-pond. Fish waste is pumped into tanks containing baked clay soils to convert them into nutrients and are fed to a rooftop vegetable patch. In return, the plants purify the water which is then returned to the pond – completing a closed cycle that is completely organic without the use of any chemical dosing for the plants. The vegetables grown are then used by the café’s employees for their own consumption.

Project Information

Project Name: Koi Café

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Principal: Use Café

Architect Firm: Farming Architects

Site Area: 88sqm

Main Material Suppliers: Vietnam Bat Trang Ceramic Company, Ningbo Addlux Electric

Photography: Nguyen Thai Thach

Redeploys Traditional Wooden Shingles with a Combination of Old and New Materials

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 21:50:00 +0000

Shelter Me

This boutique hotel in Chiang Mai reinteprets and redeploys traditional wooden shingles with a combination of old and new materials.

A palette of whites dominate the common interior spaces of this boutique hotel

The Little Shelter hotel is located in Chiang Mai, where its old cityscape and vernacular architecture are characterised by wooden structures with shingle pitched roofs. The hotel’s roof form is inspired by these traditional hip roofs as a nod to the local architectural context and is reinterpreted with an asymmetrical form that blends naturally with the surrounding tree top silhouettes. The west side of the roof is partially carved out to become a roof deck for guests to enjoy the panoramic river view at sunset.

Ceiling installation made of traditional wooden umbrellas serve as a visual connection to the wooden shingles on the exterior

Wood shingles are used on the roof and side walls. On the river facade, polycarbonate sheets are cut into shapes similar to the wood shingles and are used to create a translucent facade. On the entrance façade, the wood shingles and poly- carbonate ‘shingles’ meet, with the upper portion composed of wood shingles, before slowly trickling down to the polycarbonate shingles on the lower part.

The surreal and almost psychedelic effect of the guest rooms, with imagery of Chiangmai reflected from the ceilings

Although working with the traditional shingle system, the uninterrupted translucent surface is achieved by a special design detail using translucent studs and special transparent screws. This façade design explores the possibility of fusing new materials into a cohesive contemporary architectural surface that is still rooted in tradition.

Detail of the polycarbonate shingles

The end result is an arresting façade that glitters in the sun as the light reflects off the different materials – from the solid wood shingles to the different translucency levels of the polycarbonate shingles. At night, with lights from the inside, the build- ing becomes a lantern that glows by the riverbank.

Front Elevation

Rear view at night

The interior complements the exterior’s simplicity, evoking a gallery-like feeling that accommodates the site-specific installations that are inspired by the famous Boh–Srang umbrella, creating delicate and dramatic silhouettes expressing contemporary interpretation of the local handicraft. Additionally, different images of important locations of Chiang Mai are placed on each guestroom ceiling, infinitely reflected onto the two long walls cladded with small mirror shingles, providing a surreal borderless sensation.

Project Information

Project: Name Little Shelter Hotel

Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand

Principal: Use Hotel

Architect: Firm Department of Architecture Co.

Principal Architects: A mata Luphaiboon, Twitee Vajrabhaya

Project Architect: Adhithep Leewananthawet

Design Team: Pitchaya Poonsin, Tanadeth Mahapolsirikun,Supavit Junsompitsiri

Building Area: 890 Sqm

Site Area 468: Sqm

Total Floor Area: 825 Sqm

Landscape Area: 160 Sqm

Storeys: 4 Storeys

Structure Reinforced: Concrete, Steel

Design Period: May 2017 – January 2018

Construction: Period December 2017– April 2019

Interior Design: Team Yada Pianpanit, Apisara Lertrattanakit

Lighting Designer: Accent Studio by Nopporn Sakulwigitsinthu

Structural Engineer: Next Engineering Design Co., Ltd.

Mep Engineer Next Engineering Design Co., Ltd.

Building Contractor: Chatgen Construction and Design Co., Ltd.

Interior Contractor: Archi Construction and Architect (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

Main Materials: Wood Shingle, Polycarbonate Sheet and Coloured-Concrete

Photography: W Workspace Company Limited

The Lakehouse in Hyderabad India Straddles The Line Between Light and Sophisticated Treatment of The Materials Used

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 21:49:00 +0000

Floating Stone

Appearing as floating stone-like volumes, the Lakehouse in Hyderabad India straddles the line between light and heavy with its sensitively considered massing and sophisticated treatment of the materials used.

A private retreat designed as a space for entertaining and as a respite from urban life, the Lakehouse is located on a steeply sloped and rocky site overlooking the Durgam Cheruvu Lake in Hyderabad. While the property is embedded in the heart of the city, by design, it still feels completely removed.

Entrance

View to the house entrance Exterior view from the pool

Due to its topography, the site has prime views across the water to a nature preserve and the contrast- ing density of a distant 150-acre tech park that has become a prominent part of the urban landscape of the area. Contrary to the standard architectural response in Hyderabad, which is to fill, level and clear the site, the house hovers above the ground, allowing the natural terrain to become a celebrated focus of the architectural experience.

Exterior details, composed of a granite stone facade and metal screens

Facing the lake, the building opens with a massing parti of three large teakwood portals that rotate and shift to frame unique views. Along the road and sides, the lightweight steel structure is clad with slabs and thin ribs of local grey granite to create a subtle play of shadow while maintaining privacy from the neighbours. A tension between heavy and light was used to establish a strong material and spatial logic, with floating stone-clad volumes that showcase the skill and precision of the masons who executed the stonework.

Entrance

Bar area looking out towards the living and rear of the house, which faces a lake

Ground Floor

First Floor

Living Area

The wood cladding continues along the interior to create continuity between inside and out, accented by full height wooden screens that allow for immedi- ate, filtered views to the small gardens and city beyond. The landscaping highlights the transi- tion between wet and dry as an integral part of the experiential narrative. From the road, the building appears solid and heavy, concealing the panoramic view, with a lush landscape that is for- eign to the hot and dry climate of the city. As one passes through the building, the verdant planting falls behind, and the dry and rocky landscape of Hyderabad opens up and reveals itself along with the extraordinary pano- ramic view.

Project Information

Project Name: Lakehouse

Location: Hyderabad, India

Principal Use: Weekend Home

Architect Firm: Collectiveproject

Project Principal: Cyrus Patell, Eliza Higgins

Project Team: Divya Shetty, Amandine Romanet

Project Area : 353sqm

Initiation Of Project: May 2015

Date Of Completion: March 2019

Main Materials: Granite Stone Cladding, Steel, Teak Wood, Glass

Photography: Benjamin Hosking

Spotify Focuses on Originality, Authenticity and Wellbeing

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 21:49:00 +0000

Located within the iconic Adelphi Building, Spotify’s new London office provides an inspiring home for both technical and creative teams. The scheme captures Spotify’s energy, focuses on originality, authenticity and wellbeing, and places audio at its heart. Experiential design is considered throughout, with sensory cues such as braille art pieces that enable users to ‘feel the music’.

Well beyond the technical requirements of a typical workplace, the performance and production facilities required significant and clever structural interventions. The showpiece is Spotify Hall, a state-of-the-art, acoustically isolated, 200-capacity music venue in the atrium base of an occupied commercial building. Other facilities include a market-style food hall, fitness studio, rehearsal/jam room, the hideaway, gaming room, podcast and recording studios, listening rooms, training facilities, mindfulness room, café, performance venues, green rooms and VIP artist facilities.

Historic elements have been sensitively restored and abandoned spaces given new purpose. Fit-out materials complement existing elements, taking into consideration sustainability, durability and functionality. Existing concrete soffits were retained, with added acoustic ceiling panels made from recycled PET for the working floors. In the shared spaces, reclaimed timber flooring and products containing recycled content with low VOCs were specified. The ‘industrial deco’ concept balances ‘raw & refined’ while graphics reference London icons such as tube fabric patterns and the Gherkin. Planting, Biophilia and clever lighting are important, particularly in areas with limited daylight. Whether it’s the grand yet welcoming lobby, the gallery-partnered artwork rotation, or the whimsical design touches that pay homage to tech and audio, the space embodies Spotify’s culture of innovation, collaboration, and playfulness.

Project Information

Architect: tp bennett

Air-Lume Range is Quietly Fan-Drawn Through a Primary G4 Fibre Particulate Filter

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 21:49:00 +0000

Research has proven that three of the most significant factors contributing to wellness are air, light quality and sound quality. Air~Lume address each of these factors, arriving at a single, understated solution to quietly, effectively and safely purify the environment all day long.

First, air is quietly fan-drawn through a primary G4 fibre particulate filter. Then, a 10mm deep honeycomb of activated granular carbon removes toxic gasses, VOCs and organic smells. Finally, the filtered air is drawn into a kill chamber with up to 7600 Mw of medical grade UVC sterilising lamps which kills pathogens, bacteria and viruses without production of any ozone gasses.

Unlike bulky, noisy and maintenance-intensive freestanding air purification units, which draw air and dust from floor level with airflow often obstructed or buffeted by furniture, Air~Lume’s smart, yet critical level of air flow comes from above head height, closer to the air we breathe and share, unobstructed within the space. Equally, air conditioning units have very limited sterilisation capability and have been found to incubate viruses, germs and spores before circulating them through our buildings, most of which would be deactivated at a zonal level by Air~Lume’s sterilising chamber.

Aco~Blade’s striking vertical blades – colour and texture customisable – also provide increased surface area and angles, augmented with acoustic foams, which combine to reduce reverberation and promote sound absorption. These principles can be found throughout the Air~Lume range.

In tandem with air purification, Air~Lume’s lighting delivers essential visual comfort, excellent illumination, colour appearance and energy efficiency – with LEDS, optics and opalescent diffusers.

Project Information

Architect: Trinity Lighting

Burke Museum is a Considered Approach to Back of House Spaces Ensures

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 21:49:00 +0000

The Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture cares for over 16 million artifacts and specimens from throughout the Pacific and Coast Salish region, ranging from totem poles and gemstones to fossils. As a teaching institution affiliated with the University of Washington in Seattle, WA, the Burke seeks to help curators, visitors, educators and students understand the connections between the natural world and cultural heritage, while engaging with and honouring Indigenous communities.

In the previous building many items were stored unseen in the basement, but the new Burke Museum breaks down traditional barriers between public and ‘back-of-house’ spaces, turning the museum inside-out. Integrating collections and research labs with galleries enables visitors to engage with the process of scientific discovery in a true working museum.

Efficient floor plans provide 66% more area for research and displays. An intuitive circulation spine acts as central corridor, gallery space and exhibit pathway – reducing the building footprint. A large atrium and ‘smart glass’ skylight overhead foster a bright, daylit interior experience, without risking damage to sensitive artifacts. Large windows frame exterior views and allow visitors to orient themselves; likewise, the Burke’s interior is visible to passers-by.

While most of the Burke Museum’s collections are on display, some are too fragile or culturally significant for public view. A considered approach to back of house spaces ensures that collections are properly housed and provides research staff and volunteers with functional, light-filled workspaces. Storage units can be vertically expanded as collections grow, assuring continued functionality for decades to come.

Project Information

Architect: Olson Kundig

The Google School House for Leaders, a Unique Initiative within Google

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 18:30:00 +0000

The Google School for Leaders, a unique initiative within Google, helps executives develop not just the skill sets but the mindsets needed to lead effectively in the 21st century. Rapt Studio worked with The School to develop an experience framework for a new way of learning, tailored to each leader. As part of this, The Schoolhouse was born ¬– an 830 sqm, flexible, customisable space designed for in-person learning at Google’s HQ in Mountain View, California.

Multisensory components incite heightened engagement in order to optimise learning. Employing the principles of neuroaesthetics, the space responds to the physical, mental, and emotional needs of each participant. The notion of agency was important to create a more engaged and emotional connection; participants are able to move, push, rotate, touch, change, and personalise their experience.

Rapt designed a space that flexes in scale to accommodate intimacy or openness as required. The central room can divide into three parts with mechanical raised curtains made of white parachute material, selected for its ability to let light through while still maintaining privacy. Four large shelving units can pivot 360 degrees to change the focal points and shape of the learning space; they display vintage artifacts and oddities used in conjunction with the curriculum. Break-out rooms can be tailored via music, scent, light colour, and light temperature. An outdoor area extends the learning space with an edible garden and flexible classroom.

To judge success around learning outcomes, data capture and measurement is built into touch points throughout the space.

Project Information

Architect: Rapt Studio

Symons House is Taking Initial Inspiration from the Building’s Architecture

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 17:00:00 +0000

The brief was to create a stand-out student amenities project for London and Scottish Student Housing within their new, BTR Symons House student accommodation block in Leeds. 74 wanted the project to represent a step change away from the bright-and- cheerful approach frequently found in this sector.

The interior design treatment was to take initial inspiration from the building’s architecture, where the materials palette references a recognisable local residential vernacular with a broadly 1930s feel, including brushed brick with a pale-yellow tone and bronzed anodised aluminium window frames.The full suite of amenity spaces includes a reception lobby, back-of-house space, study lounge, meeting rooms, library, communal kitchen, toilets, cinema room, gaming lounge and gym, as well as an 8th floor private dining room.

The material treatment for the scheme includes bronze-finish Crittall-style doors and glazing, which respond directly to the external metalwork, plus a double-dado rail treatment that further ties into the door and window levels. Large, rectangular lighting rafts in bronze-painted timber continue the metallic allusions. The colour palette features neutral colours throughout with subtle, darker highlight areas in browns, greys, deep blues and olive greens.

Planting is also incorporated throughout, though in an unregimented way to ensure the space has a relaxing and non-corporate feel. Lighting design, the choice of furniture and accessories help create more intimate pockets of space in key areas, such as the lounge with its brick-slip fireplace and wall-art and the luxurious kitchen and library areas. 74 also created the project’s branding and wayfinding.

Project Information

Architect: 74

Casa Popeea is an Iconic Art Nouveau Building in the Historic Hellenic Quarter of Braila, Romania

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Casa Popeea is an iconic art nouveau building in the historic Hellenic quarter of Brăila, Romania, built in 1900. Its history is troubled: a fire partially destroyed the building in 1923, and confiscation by the Socialist regime after WW2 led to dereliction. From 2005, urgent consolidation works were required.

Manea Kella worked closely with Tracon to transform Casa Popeea into an 11-room boutique hotel with high quality facilities for guests and the public. The small but complex site called for a coherent strategy to resolve issues of access, circulation and internal space. With careful separation of public and guest access, the main entrance takes you through a courtyard to an intimate, quiet and light-filled reception area in the heart of the building, while the secondary entrance guides you past hand-moulded plastered walls through to Café Popeea, an artisanal coffee shop and brasserie open to both hotel guests and the public.

The restoration emphasises the original spatial context and its materiality. The dark palette in the reception, lobby and coffee shop, with stained solid oak floors, joinery and bespoke furniture opens up to a light-filled stairwell. The original oak staircase has been meticulously restored with the help of carpenters from Transylvania and the use of 1:1 models.

The spa environment invites reflection and relaxation with a refined palette of natural materials including Bulgarian limestone, black marble and stained solid oak. Lighting apertures in the ceiling and through the window louvres bring cool light from outside and emphasise the reflective quality of the stone and warmth of the oak.

Project Information

Architect: Manea Kella

Maggie’s Leeds is a Good Architecture and Uplifting Landscape

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Sat, 06 Jul 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Maggie’s is a charity founded by garden designer Maggie and her husband, architecture critic Charles Jencks to create cancer care centres where people could access emotional and psychological support surrounded by good architecture and uplifting landscape.

The lighting aims to create kinder spaces, as well as being emphatic with the architecture, plants, art and materials. Warm lighting is placed in niches which hold plants, pictures, books and other household things. Elsewhere, simple uplights illuminate the soffits. External lighting is garden-scale and appears unstructured like the planting. Every luminaire serves multiple purposes; simple column-mounted spotlights provide indirect lighting to the high soffits and serve as emergency luminaires.

Night-time transforms the building, making it perfectly legible against the higher hospital buildings. With a fully glazed perimeter, ensuring a seamless transition from the inside out was key. From the inside, the main objective was to avoid specular reflections and maintain clear views out into the garden. Façade lighting was consciously avoided, instead, externally legibility was maintained and soffit overhangs lit by placing sources carefully. Landscape lighting is lowkey: glowing bollards in key locations diffuse light sideways to give visual depth and help understand the irregular and steep surroundings,but disappear within the foliage. Low glare uplights highlight tree specimens, adding vertical references along the terraced landscape.

Project Information

Architect: Light Bureau

The Concept for this Kids’ Bookstore is a Non-Traditional Bookstore and a Composite Parent-Child Space

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 17:00:00 +0000

The concept for this kids’ bookstore is ‘Book-scape’: a non-traditional bookstore and a composite parent-child space with four functions: retail, learning, dining, and amusement. We’ve created an abstract world of a garden from a kid’s storybook, stimulating imaginations and catering for different parent-child activities. The design language manipulates the symbols and shapes of gardens to match functional requirements and create memorable spatial experiences for different zones.

The retail zone is a humanised space for selling books, stationery and other teaching and learning products. Giant glowing petals above allow customers to orientate themselves, functioning as the directory system. The second zone has multi-purpose classrooms with caves of different sizes. Under the organically shaped suspended ceiling, children can learn in an inspiring and relaxing space. All classrooms have natural light.

The third zone is a family restaurant composed of two different areas; next to the window is a VIP area constructed of environmentally friendly wood depicting the shapes of a building block toy.Connected by a full-height bookshelf is the fourth zone – a multi-functional amusement area.

Parents can see children playing in a circular theatre space, in which a starry sky is created by LED lights. For events and book launches, the surrounding area becomes audience seating, and the acoustics of the theatre’s dome ceiling enables speakers to be heard without a microphone. Mirror steel and coloured LED lights transform the quarter-circular exit corridor into a rainbow, creating a transitional space to return children and parents to real life from this abstract and dreamy world.

Project Information
Architect: PANORAMA Design Group

Creating an Architecturally Distinctive Experience for Rejuvenation of an Historic Powerhouse

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Constructed in 1912 by Charles Peter Weeks, this historic building housed the generators and electrical substation for a 69-acre, 19th Century shipyard. The Powerhouse is now reinvented as an 18,000 sq ft facility whose use reflects the evolution of industry to the present day. The developer and the design team closely collaborated with the City and Port of San Francisco, the National Park Service’s office, and California’s Office of Historic Preservation Office.

The industrial infrastructure (massive pneumatic compressors, 5-ton gantry cranes) and early 20th C elements (original factory light fixtures alongside hardwoods, marble, brass, and mosaic tile) are cherished by San Franciscans. While the facades did not undergo significant alternation, work was required to make the interior functional. To create space, defunct electrical switchgear and other equipment was removed except for one of four historic compressors. This artifact, cranes and the building shell, are highlighted with LEDs. Once cleared the Powerhouse’s height is amplified and further accentuated by tall windows.

A new mezzanine uses heavy-timber and steel guardrail balustrades to complement the exposed wood roof and steel trusses. The mezzanine frames the reception, where a concrete desk and freestanding hardwood entry wall separate it from the open workspace.

Below-grade areas of the lower level with reduced or no exposure to daylight accommodate bathrooms, conference rooms, and a kitchen. A new 2,600 ft addition to that level provides daylit open workspace and an accessible deck overlooking a waterfront park site. Lighting design is instrumental in transforming the interior. The lower level is where this is especially significant; the windowless hallway is enlivened by sculptural pendant lights, creating an architecturally distinctive experience.

Project Information

Architect: Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects

Look Both Ways has been Designed with Sustainability in Mind

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Look Both WaysTM combines Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) and carpet tile within one range suitable for all commercial installations. The range features playful patterns and textures such as confetti and concrete; designed to offer endless combinations and create unique spaces the tiles can be fit together seamlessly using Interface’s integrated modular flooring system.

Look Both Ways has been designed with sustainability in mind. It is carbon neutral across its full life cycle through Interface’s third-party verified Carbon Neutral FloorsTM programme, and has been created with a controlled material stream so it can be reclaimed and recycled with Interface’s ReEntryTM programme. The LVT is free of ortho-phthalates and other materials of concern, so can be safely recycled at scale.

The carpet is made with recycled nylon and a patented technology is used to efficiently tuft yarn and recapture the excess to significantly reduce waste during production. The LVT is also made with 39% pre-consumer recycled content. Amongst the variety of backings available is CircuitBac Green, the world’s first commercially available carbon negative backing, which uses a mix of bioplastics and mineral filler.

The LVT is engineered for premium durability in high traffic environments and the carpet tile and LVT tiles both come with a 15-year warranty. The 0.55mm wear layer, embossing and CeramorTM coating help minimise scratching. The carpet tiles’ low modification ratio and solution-dyed nylon provides superior stain resistance in an easy to clean product. The LVT also comes with the innovative Sound ChoiceTM backing and is Quiet MarkTM certified for its noise reduction properties.

Project Information

Architect: Interface

Fleming College’s Sutherland Campus is a Clean and Luminous Appearance

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 17:00:00 +0000

On the edge of the City of Peterborough, east of Toronto, Fleming College’s Sutherland Campus was established in 1973 with buildings designed by Ron Thom with Thompson Berwick and Pratt and Partners. Gow Hastings was commissioned to revitalize the outdated 76,000 sq f A-Wing Building, which serves as the campus gateway and classroom facility.

The building appeared dated and contained systems that had exceeded their life cycles. Overcrowding in corridors and staircases needed to be addressed, and inconsistent lighting and lack of views to the exterior made the building uninviting. The challenge was to transform the dark, heavy, and inefficient building into one that meets the standards of 21st century learning and sustainability, with all renovations taking place while the building was fully occupied.

The dark brown aluminium envelope was replaced with alpolic aluminium panels – a readily available, lightweight material found on gas stations that instantly gives the building a clean and luminous appearance. Entrances and key circulation spaces are demarcated with glass pavilions, adding a transparent central hub that serves as a meeting space for socializing and informal learning. A skylight that draws light downwards over multiple storeys, and replacing classroom and office walls with glazing allows light to pervade the interior.

Performance upgrades included new roofing, energy efficient glazing, LED light fixtures with occupancy sensors, and components made of recycled materials. To improve circulation entrances were adjusted to respond to the most commonly used pathways, and straightened corridors create intuitive and accessible spaces within.

Project Information

Architect: Gow Hastings

WuliEpoch Culture Center is a Hybrid showroom and Community Centre for a Residential Compound

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Sun, 30 Jun 2024 17:00:00 +0000

WuliEpoch Culture Center is a hybrid showroom and community centre for a residential compound in northwest Beijing. Surrounded by the Badachu Monastery, Fragrance Hill Mountain, and the Western Hills-mountain chain, the project attempts to create a triptych of architecture, landscape and interior design.

A circumferential path creates a spatial dialogue with the encompassing landscape, with a dynamic, shifting relationship between the eye and the vista. The path moves between exterior and interior: it hovers up from the ground to the second floor, then turns to the third-floor banquet hall, before exiting to the exterior roofscape. It continues folding up and down on the roof, and then moves gradually along another path down to the ground of the forecourt, where the path began.

As a community centre, the project tries to address people’s spiritual and religious needs and define the spiritual quest in daily life. The circulation logic aligns with the philosophy of the space, representing the endless, evolving quest from the inner self to the outer landscape that defines the truth of life.

A new courtyard typology was designed; instead of enclosing space rectangularly, walls crisscross one another on multiple levels, creating a rich syntax of irregular courtyards that are varied in size, scale, and sectional relations.

Nature is interpreted in three ways: ‘autumn foliage in Western Hills’ is depicted by the field of glittering wood-laminated aluminium panels; an ‘inverted Western Hills’ is created by curved arrays of ceiling panels; recycled concrete blocks are cut into thin pieces and arranged to mimic hills and waterfalls.

Project Information

Architect: Atelier Alter Architects

Cargill Protein Headquarters is a Regional Expression with Modern Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Sat, 29 Jun 2024 17:00:00 +0000

As the design team was beginning work on a new headquarters for Cargill Protein, the subsidiary was going through a rebrand from Cargill Meat Solutions. The signage and experiential graphics had to support this rebrand, and the group’s own unique personality, within the Cargill family. The bathroom walls and cubicles are lined with 1750 recycled painted metal rods. A green terrazzo floor and vanity, mint accents and bespoke lights create a retro design with modern updates.

Working collaboratively with interiors, architecture and landscape, the branded graphics and signage become inseparable from experience. The design theme ‘families feeding families’ drove the approach and ties employees to others in the Protein process, such as the farmers, ranchers, chefs, scientists and engineers. A 28-foot-wide custom art display of ceramic plates symbolizes where Cargill Protein’s work meets the consumer – on the plate.

These plates, like other design elements, are sourced locally and reference the landscape, animals, textures, materials and details that are found in the supply chain. Working with local artists and materials further enhance the sense of place and connection with the Cargill Protein brand, like the rancher’s rope that is used to create an abstracted three-dimensional landscape mural or the custom triptych of the rolling Flint Hills. The creative application of Cargill brand standards further connects the group to the larger Cargill brand for global consistency and local relevance. Hand-drawn sketches are married with corporate brand guidelines to create a regional expression that is both authentic and humble. Together, they create a holistic picture and authentic expression that is uniquely Cargill Protein.

Project Information

Architect: HOK

Verve Residences is an Exemplary Approach to High Density Living

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Verve Residences is an exemplary approach to high density living and a worthy recipient of the 2020 Blacket Prize. CKDS Architecture with Hill Thalis Architecture and Urban Projects have generously seized the opportunity to create a six metre wide public laneway following Cottage Creek, allowing public access along the north-east perimeter of the development. Activating pedestrian and bicycle access, the project enhances connections to Newcastle’s foreshore and contributes new public space to the city.

This active ground plane facilitates and promotes the diversity of inner-city community living. Located within walking distance of local and regional public transport nodes, active retail and commercial precincts, Verve places value in civic spaces, activating the public realm and creating desirable residential living.

A low-rise mixed-use podium level anchors two slender fan-shaped towers. Orientated to the north-east, the design maximises access to sun, fresh air and harbour views while maintaining privacy. A naturally ventilated, four storey carpark is embedded within the centre of the site, screened from the street by the apartments and topped with a communal roof garden providing outdoor communal space. Generous soft landscaping combined with mature tree planting and vegetable gardens create a space that will continue to grow with its new-founded community.

Project Information

Architect: CKDS Architecture with Hill Thalis Architecture and Urban Projects

Photography: Brett Boardman

CBD and South East Light Rail has Led one of the most Significant Transformations in the History

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 17:00:00 +0000

The 2020 Lord Mayor’s Prize goes to the CBD and South-East Light Rail. This project has led one of the most significant transformations in the history of our city’s centre. Rather than simply adding or removing a transport service as in the past, it has enabled an expansion of the public domain as a pedestrian boulevard. It has prioritised people over buses and cars, and reclaimed George Street - arguably Sydney’s most historic street. It will be the backbone that connects the centre’s three future public spaces at Circular Quay, Town Hall and Central Station.

The realisation of the public domain will come in stages, with the first stage from Hunter to Bathurst Streets, already pedestrianised. The next stage, from Bathurst Street to Rawson Place, is likely to start in the near future.The urban design creates real amenity, with street trees, seating, lighting, paving, public art and bronze-clad stops. This will inspire civic activation and we have already seen private investment anticipate what it will become - a boulevard to stroll and take in the city both day and night.

Project Information

Architect: Grimshaw with ASPECT Studios in collaboration with the City of Sydney, on behalf of Transport for NSW, supported by Randwick City Council

Photography: Ashleigh Hughes

Marrickville Library has been Considered as much more than just a Building

noreply@blogger.com (Alarkhas) — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 17:00:00 +0000

The NSW Premier’s Prize is awarded each year to the project considered to best exemplify commitment to the following-criteria; the creation of strong communities, contribution to the public realm, establishing a new benchmark for a local area and innovation in design. In selecting the winner this year, the Premier also considered the contribution made by projects to delivering on two of her key policy priorities, being greener public spaces and greening our city.

Marrickville Library at Patyegarang Place demonstrates these criteria at all levels and has been considered as much more than just a building. It has harnessed the opportunity to create a true community precinct that incorporates history and place and delivers a welcoming and beautiful environment for its diverse neighbourhood.

It is the outcome of an invited competition, and notably the winner was selected with input from over 4000 members of the local community. It has understood the changing role that a library plays in its community – and provides a multigenerational space for learning, interacting, making, socialising and teaching. The community facilities, café and new public open space are all cleverly inter-connected with the adaptively re-used former Marrickville hospital building.

Its signature zig-zag roof extends out from the pitched roof of the old hospital and creates a light filled interior that is warm and inviting. Artworks by local artists are integrated across the site and make an important contribution to the place, and both the library and the community facilities open onto the sunken garden, which provides a sanctuary from the noise of the surrounding main roads.

It is a landmark and skillfully designed building setting a benchmark for adaptability, technology, sustainability and high-quality public spaces.

Project Information

Architect: BVN Architecture

Photography: Tom Roe