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Courtesy of a01 Architects

Architect: a01 Architects
Location: Vilnius, Lithuania
Project year: 2011
Photographs : Courtesy of a01 Architects

Courtesy of a01 Architects

Soul Box restaurant / bar is located on the main party street of Vilnius city, bearing the same name. The bars’ interior design concept is based on simplicity: two separate spaces – the restaurant / bar and the dance floor. The main axis of Soul Box is an 8m long bar, wrapped in square plywood structure elements, which easily transform into shelves, handrails or lamps. The versatility of the structure elements is what helps create the ambiance of the bar. Building structure and other elements of the old premises, which match the interior, have been uncovered. Soulbox has resurrected the architectural heritage of a bygone era, of a building that perhaps for a bit too long, was left empty.

Courtesy of a01 Architects

Appearance is important, it is the packaging for what is inside – our feelings and our achievements. Within SoulBox there are tens or even hundreds of small details which accentuate the interior. Anyone visiting, no matter whether by day or night, leaves SoulBox impressed.SoulBox has space for different moods of the year and time of day, and will satisfy different needs. You may eat during the day (although the kitchen stays open until the morning), when it gets dark one can dance the night away with DJs or musicians developing a new musical theme each night. No need to hurry home, since SoulBox is the real center of Vilnius.

plan

© Stanley Tigerman, American, born 1930, The Titanic, 1978, Photomontage on paper, Approx. 28 x 35.7 cm, Gift of Stanley Tigerman, 1984.802, The Art Institute of Chicago. Photography © The Art Institute of Chicago

The Graham Foundation in Chicago, Illinois is hosting an exhibition of the works of architect Stanley Tigerman from January 26, 2012 – May 19, 2012. Tigerman, a Chicago native and principal of Tigerman McCurry, undertook more than 400 projects, resulting in 175 built works. As an active member of the local Chicago architectural community, he was a founding member of The Chicago Seven, director of the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago (1985-1993), and co-founded the school ARCHEWORKS with Eva Maddox in 1994 – a progressive socially oriented design. More details after the break.

© Stanley Tigerman, Formica Showroom – Grid Axonometric, 1986

Exhibition Description:

“Ceci n’est pas une rêverie (This is not a dream) is both a retrospective and a reexamination of the architectural concepts of Stanley Tigerman. Throughout the exhibition, Tigerman’s texts, sketches, cartoons, object designs, architectural drawings, and models are organized in relation to nine themes that single out certain leitmotifs of his thought since 1960: Utopia, Allegory, Humor, Death, Division, (Dis)Order, Identity, Yaleiana, and Drift. Evident in this work is Tigerman’s insistence on the transitory nature of architectural interpretations and on the spiritual and ethical value of ambivalence. The installation spreading through all three floors of the Graham Foundation’s Madlener House builds on the playful, oneiric, and surrealist undercurrent of Tigerman’s work and underscores the abiding importance of his approach.”

© Stanley Tigerman, Instant City Model, 1966. Photo Balthazar Korab

The exhibition is being curated by Emmanuel Petit, Associate Professor in the Yale School of Architecture.

See previous coverage of Stanley Tigerman here.

References: www.grahamfoundation.org

© Hiroshi Ueda

Architects: acaa
Location: Yokosuka Kanagawa, Japan
Project Year: 2011
Project Area: 286.93 sqm
Photographs: Hiroshi Ueda

A residential building located halfway up a cliff, overlooking the ocean. Thick clumps of trees that grow along the slope of the land surrounding the house cast a series of organic silhouettes that make the slope seem to come alive. We decided that the appropriate form to build would be as low-lying as possible, while also allowing the architecture to become embedded in the surrounding landscape according to the contours of the terrain. This would allow us to minimize the impact of the building on its environment. The design of the walls plays an important role in creating the overall sense of presence that a building projects. As such, we also tried to prevent the walls of this house from becoming surfaces that would obstruct or impede movement and sight.
Glass and screens along the enclosed perimeter of the house gives the second floor of this residence a certain transparency. Slender, deep-set eaves cast deep shadows on the facade of the building, softening the impact of the building’s physical presence in relation to its environment.

© Hiroshi Ueda

The various components of the building were structured in order to allow the inhabitants to enjoy a different view of the outside on each level. The first floor features a stone floor and concrete walls finished with plaster, while the Japanese paper screens fitted inside the glass reflect the shadows of plants and trees. The hard-edged surfaces and finishes coexist with the soft, muted tones of the Japanese paper.

Sections

The second story, in contrast, features an open-plan living space, the entirety of which can be opened up towards the ocean. A series of wide eaves stand between the outside of the house and the interior, which is articulated into smaller sections by a row of pillars. Going down the staircase-shaped terrace allows one to gradually draw closer to the outdoor landscape. The section that divides the two different elevations on this floor provides seating throughout, functioning as a unique Japanese-style verandah (engawa). A steel-reinforced concrete structure was used for the second floor, and a Vierendeel bridge structure allowed us to float a large, thin roof on top. The pillars consist of square cylindrical poles (measuring 75mm across) made of solid iron arranged in a densely packed formation using wooden modules (900 x 1800mm). By creating several areas of low-level rigidity, we were able to do away with the need for braces.

© Hiroshi Ueda

Courtesy of AECOM

The master planning of the CBD of Jilin city is a collaborative project by AECOM, a team formed by architects, urban designers, landscape designers and economists. Its collaboration across different disciplines was highly affirmed by the client and the government officials, which led to the project situated in the historical city in northeastern China. Their design is proposed to be the future CBD area by the government and has high-value natural and historical resources like the Songhua River and the Xiaobai Mountain. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Courtesy of AECOM

The 200- hectare development project includes a convention and exhibition center, a theater, an urban planning museum, two hotels, several headquarter and office towers, two shopping malls and residential area for thousands of habitants.

Courtesy of AECOM

Green and open spaces are emphasized in the project. The location of the central green belt in the site is modified so that it not only connects the mountain and the riverside, but is also activated by the public activities aside. Additional green belt is added in the residential area so all together it forms a green loop and provides walkable community within the site. The riverside is also designed for public activities and kept open for public leisure.

Architects: AECOM
Location: Jilin, China
Principal Designer: Yimin Wang
Architecture Team: Shipeng Wu, Wubin Bao, Ian Leung, Ling Li, Yong Yang, Weilin Zhou, Mushui Wei
Urban Design Team: James Lu, Xiang Zeng
Landscape Team: Kun Wu
Economics Team: Shalin Jiang

Click here to view the embedded video.

© Aitor Ortiz

Spain-based ACXT have been featured in ArchDaily several times, and even won a Building of the Year Award for their BTEK – Technology Interpretation Center back in 2010. Here’s our selection of five great projects from ACXT. Enjoy them all after the break.

BTEK – Technology Interpretation Center
BTEK is an interpretation centre for new technologies, aimed at student visitors. The site’s location, on one of the highest points of the Vizcaya Technology Park and close to the Bilbao airport’s flight path for takeoffs and landings, helps with the aim of making the building a landmark in its landscape (read more…)

© Aitor Ortiz

CEIBS Beijing Campus
CEIBS (China Europe Internacional Business School) is the Business School leader in Asia. As part of it´s growth has taken the decision of building a new Campus in Beijing contracting AXCT-IDOM Group as design architect. The new Campus occupies about 19,000 sqm in a three floors building and a basement floor in a plot 33,000 sqm in the Zhong Guan Cun Science Park in Beijing. The project is conditioned by the teaching function, the Zhong Guan Cun Science Park master planning which proposes a series of compact buildings (read more…)

© Iñigo Bujedo Aguirre

Bilbao Arena
Limestone rocks sticking out between the banks and trees in the park gave us the key to design and resolve the complex functional and circulation program: use of simultaneous game day sports use, use of court by the neighbors, access to players, officials, public premises for a possible lookout restaurant, sports center with a separate entrance but with access to track so that residents can use the court when there is no match, parking connected to both spaces, etc (read more…)

© Adrià Goula

112 Reus
The new 112 Building in Reus is the model for the new emergencies management and service system in Catalonia, and the first public facility in the country to have a LEED certification. It is a new architectonic typology that brings together all the bodies in charge of managing emergencies in Catalonia (read more…)

© Carlos Casariego

Sports and Leisure Centre
The project has been developed within a plan to transform and regenerate the coal-mining area of Asturias, following a deep crisis in a sector that until now had been its main source of wealth: its coal mines. We understood that within this context, the building should have a symbolic, turn-of-the-century appeal, marking a turning point in the life of the coalfields of Asturias. A final decision as to the exact location of the site was yet to be taken at the competition stage. The project brief asked for an idea, a design concept (read more…)

© Vanessa Larrère

Architects: Vanessa Larrére
Location: Liposthey, Landes, France
Client: Groupe Larrère & fils
Project Year: 2011
Project Area: 276 sqm
Photographs: Vanessa Larrère

Walking through the slender roads of the south west coast of France, an image strikes travelers ‘minds, the repetitive sequences of the pines’ trunk trees along. The rhythm of trees causes a kinetic effect which disturb senses as well as musical variations.
This primitive sense is the basis of the project, located in the heart of the Landes forest: to recreate this tree trunks alternation that line up and let pass through or not the light and views.

Ground Floor Plan

The project is situated on a family farm made of fields and warehouses anarchically arranged over successive extensions. In order to give cohesion to everything, it was about building a founder element in the heart of this place, restoring order and simplicity.

© Vanessa Larrère

The building, new workplace for management had to represent the image of the company and the willingness of owners to move towards an organic, healthy and environmentally friendly agriculture.

© Vanessa Larrère

The building, along the highway, is defined through its wooden structure clearly set out. The façade, consists of repeating structural modules, produced under the changing effects of light, increased itselves by the vision in movement from the road.
Existing buildings were built by the same carpenter, so wood use was an evidence. Its presence as fundamental element was voluntary: to reuse something already present on a different way.

First Floor Plan

Inside, the central double height entrance connects all workspaces. Simple and bright, they are sequenced by views over the fields and distant landscapes. The structure can also be read from inside and defines the different spaces. The interface between the project and the existing buildings is managed through a thick wall including all the cupboards, ducts and access to the plant, all in a unified treatment of panels cleverly arranged.

© Vanessa Larrère

To provide greater openness to the outside, with unobstructed view, windows consist of fixed glazing. Natural ventilation is dissociated and works by opening the wooden panels in front, themselves invisible when closed. Then views pass through and away and create a special relationship with landscape.

© Vanessa Larrère

The Montansier / Paris 2011 © Franck Bohbot

French photographer Franck Bohbot has shared with us a series of photographs based on the interiors of historical Parisian theaters. Bohbot strived to capture the cultural life of the architecture with the absence of people, paying homage to the empty theater. Naked, the photographs reveal a sense of grandeur and intimacy. Continue after the break for more images.

The Madeleine / Paris 2011 © Franck Bohbot

Grand Rex / Paris 2011 © Franck Bohbot

Cnsad / Paris 2011 © Franck Bohbot

Trianon / Paris 2011 © Franck Bohbot

The Ranelagh / Paris 2011 © Franck Bohbot

The Champs-Elysees / Paris 2011© Franck Bohbot

The Abesses / Paris 2011 © Franck Bohbot

Odeon / Paris 2011 © Franck Bohbot

The Chatelet / Paris 2011 © Franck Bohbot

Athenee, Theater Louis-Jouvet / Paris 2011 © Franck Bohbot

Odeon, The Room / Paris 2011 © Franck Bohbot

Opera Versailles / Paris 2011 © Franck Bohbot

Opera Versailles II / Paris 2011 © Franck Bohbot

© Daici Ano

Architects: Kengo Kuma & Associates
Location: 1508-1 Tamagawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Title of the Project: Tamagawa Takashimaya S･C Marronier Court
Client: Toshin Development. Co., Ltd
Site Area: 2,424.40 sqm
Completion: 2009
Photographs: Daici Ano

We inserted a green eave into an aperture between the commercial building and the town. Our aim was how we could lighten and abstract the eave. First, we developed the stainless mesh structure, which we tried at our Green Shelter project near Hoshakuji Station. We rejected the combination of ‘bone and skin’ in steel, and made an eave with its skin alone could work as structure. The length of the eave is 1600mm, and this itself is a cantilever. We secured strength by folding corrugated stainless net (φ5ｍｍ) in the pitch of 75mm×75mm, and anchored it to the wall without any secondary equipment. On top is trained an ivy-type plant extended from the frame of the building, so that the eave with high-level of transparency could be realized, feeling green even under the eave.

drawings

The green consists of Hedera, Carolina Jasmine, vine and blue passionflowers, each blooming in different times of the year. The eave also creates a shade underneath and gently shades the tenant shops of the building. The old Marronier Court had a large courtyard at the center of the building. In our proposal for the reconstruction, space for the garden is deliberately scattered. It is allocated to each tenant of each floor, and together with the green eave, it horizontally expands further to the town. By the articulation of the building, the green continues, changing its face in good rhythm, combining shops and terraces, which has become a new kind of urban space.