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Loop Architects completes ring-shaped nursing home for dementia patients in Iceland

Loop Architects completes ring-shaped nursing home for dementia patients in Iceland

This circular care facility in Selfoss, Iceland, was designed by the Danish architectural firm Loop Architects to be "homey and exciting" for dementia patients. A two-story, ring-shaped building with a courtyard garden at its center has 50 private accommodations in the specialized facility in the town in southern Iceland. The idea was created for Iceland's government property agency FSRE by Aarhus firm Loop Architects and Reykjavik business Urban Arkitektar.
The team's goal was to create a new design for dementia care facilities that offer a secure and welcoming setting that is adapted to the needs of the inhabitants. With that project, Mette Nymann stated, they had created a structure that embraces its occupants while simultaneously opening onto an inner, sensory world in the lush, secure courtyard. They recognized the possibility of redesigning care facilities for people with dementia to make them more hospitable, stimulating, and long-lasting. The building's circular floorplan is intended to enable seamless mobility within it, giving tenants access to facilities like common lounge areas while ensuring they always return to their accommodations. According to Loop Architects, "everyone shares common functions located in the inner half of the circular building," making the shape democratic and creating equal chances for everybody. In order to maximize views of the surrounding landscape, including Ingólfsfjall mountain and the lfusá river, residences are arranged along the building's perimeter. The 22-square-meter homes have a typical design, with the en-suite bedrooms leading onto balconies on the first floor and patios at ground level. A concrete framework placed in place served as the foundation for the care facility. Its exterior is covered in imported Norwegian wood, creating surfaces that are cozy and sensuous.
07.07.2022
Studio of Environmental Architecture drapes sails over mountainside home in Bequia

Studio of Environmental Architecture drapes sails over mountainside home in Bequia

On the Caribbean island of Bequia, the Studio of Environmental Architecture employed enormous sails to create a "land yacht" that was constructed from reused wood and features a sophisticated rain collection system. Sail House has a distinctive look thanks to a system of tightly stretched shade components constructed of the same material as modern sails.
According to a California-based company, due to the challenges of building in the Caribbean with its scarce resources, all of the home's components were constructed in Indonesia before being carried in containers to the island. The project at Bequia, an island in the Grenadine group, had a main residence, a caretaker's cottage, and guest houses dispersed across the face of the steep slope. Tensile shade structures, in accordance with the architectural studio, offer more shade than conventional, rigid roofing would, making the house better suited for an equatorial environment. In addition to creating a thermal chimney to expel heat from the top by increasing cross ventilation, the roofs produce a swooping curve that is intended to gather rainfall. The studio said that the grouping of structures was constructed with this purpose in mind. Each building rests on a concrete base that serves as an anchor for the canopies' support system, which is made of aluminum. Rainwater is gathered on the canopies, channeled through the aluminum "masts" by metal clamps, and then drained to the massive cisterns that are housed in the concrete base. The studio claims that these cisterns enable 100% of the water utilized for the home to be collected from dew and rainfall and also produce a cooling effect when cross ventilation from the sails mixes with the water in the cisterns. Local production meets the annual water requirements, demonstrating that resiliency may be both aesthetic and strategic. The main building has three levels. There is a lounge next to the curved pool on the same level as the cisterns. The living room, kitchen, dining
30.06.2022
BIG wraps Lapland hotel treehouse in 350 birdhouses

BIG wraps Lapland hotel treehouse in 350 birdhouses

The Biosphere treehouse, which is surrounded by birdhouses, was designed by the Danish architectural firm BIG and is located in the Treehotel in Swedish Lapland.
The hotel room, which was developed in association with Swedish naturalist Ulf Hman, was intended to completely immerse visitors in the forest setting close to the village of Harads. Before the epidemic, Bjarke Ingels, the founder of BIG, claimed to have been in a handful of the Treehotel rooms and experienced a sense of renewal from total absorption in nature. The notion of allowing not only the human visitors but also the local bird and bat population to cohabit in a circular swarm of nests came to life almost immediately. He couldn't help but wonder if there was a way to enhance the immersion. The hotel room is enclosed in a mostly glass cube that hangs between two trees. 350 different-sized birdhouses are supported by a metal grid that surrounds the cube to make a spherical shape. There is hope for the glass to remain clear within this cloud of aviary construction after our initial chats with Ulf Ahman from the Norrbotten Ornithological Association revealed that birds do not drop where they nest. A suspension bridge leading to the 34-square-meter Biosphere treehouse at the Treehotel has a gentle upward slope. It comprises a toilet and shower facility, as well as a double-height living area with huge windows for viewing the birds and the nearby forest. A stepladder leads from the living area to a double bed that is elevated over the To encourage a variety of birds to nest, the hotel was covered in birdhouses of all sizes. According to ornithologist and Norrbotten Ornithological Association chairman human, the room is intended to improve local bird populations in addition to providing visitors with a unique experience. He claimed that surveys conducted in Norrbotten County by the County Administrative Board and us, as ornithologists, reveal that a variety of bird populations are declining. The number of natural holes in
29.06.2022
ODA designs tapered skyscrapers wrapped in a steel grid in Fort Lauderdale

ODA designs tapered skyscrapers wrapped in a steel grid in Fort Lauderdale

The two-skyscraper Ombelle complex in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, will be covered in a steel grid described by the architects as an exoskeleton, according to the architects. The Ombelle project will include a large base with two tapered towers of equal height extending from it, encircled by balconies supported by an exterior steel structure.

The structure was designed by ODA for Flagler Village, a neighborhood in the city's northeast that was previously primarily industrial but is now home to various art galleries and residential blocks. There will be 1,100 residential units spaced out over a base pavilion and two 43-story towers in the housing complex. It will be one of the city's tallest structures, with the current tallest structure standing at 45 stories.
Both buildings will rise from a base that is encircled by columns at street level. The foundation will be recessed from the roadway at important spots, providing covered plazas. Commercial space will cover more than 10,000 square feet (930 square meters) on the ground floor. The two towers will taper skywards from this terrace. Tapering appears to occur from several angles. The towers are skewed from another side when an additional horizontal piece steps out from the base of the tower and tapers up to a uniform middle. The "exoskeleton" of metal beams that run outside of the glass façade adds to the structure's sculptural fluidity, giving it an almost accordion-like look. The remarkable exterior, according to ODA, is made up of a fragile exoskeleton with an outer shell of terraces and balconies that vary in depth, length, and density to give each residence a sense of individual character. The introduction of this Fort Lauderdale scheme follows ODA's announcement of the Broward Tower, We are happy to be a part of Fort Lauderdale's transition into a healthy forward-thinking city and international attraction, said Eran Chen, founder and CEO of ODA. The city was embracing change with the implementation of a well-thought-out master plan. With a bridge connecting two towers, Broward Tower will be more self-consciously sculptural. The massing rests atop one of the towers, angling down to blend in with the other. The structure's façade will be covered in terraces, with a window
07.06.2022
Studio Dlux converts industrial buildings into Red House School in São Paulo

Studio Dlux converts industrial buildings into Red House School in São Paulo

Studio Dlux, headquartered in Brazil, has introduced whimsical aspects to a disused warehouse that now houses an international school in So Paulo. The Villa-Lobos Red House School is located in the upscale Vila Leopoldina neighborhood.

The private school, which caters to students from kindergarten to high school, is part of a Brazilian network of Red House International Schools. The school provides a multilingual education that emphasizes the development of socio-emotional skills and a global outlook.
Red House kids, according to Studio Dlux, learn via active research and exploration both within and outside of the classroom. The Villa-Lobos campus aspires to be a model for international and bilingual educational institutions in Brazil. The project involved the adaptive reuse of two concrete structures from 1978. The blocky, two-story structures were originally utilized as electronics warehouses. The designers used vanilla-colored plaster on the facades and added robust lattices made of "ecological wood" and plastic. A new metal sky bridge was built to connect the two blocks. A preschool, café, and indoor sports court are all housed in one of the buildings. The primary and high school areas, as well as a library, a maker space, and music rooms, are located on the other side of the building. The team included fun elements like gabled forms, circular cutouts, and swaths of brilliant color throughout the school. Vinyl flooring, foam acoustical panels, and plywood are among the interior finishes. Studio Dlux chose the wood decor from open-source files and had it
03.06.2022
Feilden Fowles completes the timber-framed dining hall at the University of Cambridge

Feilden Fowles completes the timber-framed dining hall at the University of Cambridge

Architecture studio in London Feilden Fowles has constructed a timber-framed dining hall with a faience-tiled volume situated above a pigmented-concrete colonnade at the University of Cambridge's Homerton College. The dining hall features the main eating space, as well as a smaller room for eating called a buttery, kitchens, and staff amenities, and was designed to reflect the adjacent arts and crafts-style Ibberson Building and the college's Victorian Gothic Revival structures.

The structure was created by the London-based studio of Fergus Feilden and Edmund Fowles to replace Cambridge's youngest college's former dining hall and dark, cramped, and obsolete kitchen facilities. The college relocated to the site in 1894 from its previous location in east London, and it now occupies many buildings built for Cavendish College in the 1870s.
Edmund Fowles, director of Feilden Fowles, said the hall's design was reflective of Homerton's modern attitude and daring objectives while still being in conversation with Cambridge's rich architectural legacy. There were echoes of King's College Chapel's marching buttresses, references to Homerton's Cavendish College buildings' Victorian Gothic Revival, and themes from the nearby arts and crafts Ibberson Building. They come together as a symbol of contemporary architectural thinking, an embodiment of low-tech principles, and 21st-century arts and crafts. The structure is intended to serve as a social hub for the college campus, with a number of courtyards and cloisters surrounding it, providing informal gathering spaces for unexpected encounters. The ground floor plinth is made of pigmented concrete, with columns spaced on a three-meter grid to give the elevations a logical and orderly appearance. The structure is partially coated with green faience tiles that reference the arts and crafts movement while also complementing the college's previous buildings, particularly the Great Hall, which are made of red brick, sandstone, lead, and oxidized copper. The 3,200 tiles were created in collaboration with architectural ceramics manufacturer Darwen Terracotta and may be found on numerous Victorian public buildings in the United Kingdom. The architecture studio went on to say that the design
25.05.2022
Populous designs solar-powered arena as "landmark for Munich"

Populous designs solar-powered arena as "landmark for Munich"

The Multifunctional Concert and Congress Center stadium, which architecture group Populous is creating in Munich, Germany, will be surrounded by a colorful exoskeleton that echoes the Bavarian flag. The spherical 20,000-capacity arena, which will hold a mix of concerts and large-scale events, will be built on parkland next to Munich Airport's LabCampus innovation hub.

According to Populous, the design will have a "high recognition factor" while paying respect to Bavaria's legacy, which includes Munich. The building's distinctive rhombus-shaped exoskeleton, which reflects the lozenge-like features that make up the Bavarian state flag, will help achieve this. The design, according to Populous associate principal Sin-Jae Yoo, strives to create a distinctive destination that is compact, efficient, and visually attractive.
It would be an easily recognizable location that reflected the area's identity and culture while providing an unrivaled visitor experience. Munich will gain a new landmark with the arena. The winning submission in a multi-stage competition for the design of the Multifunctional Concert and Congress Center (MUCcc) was Populous' proposal. It is now being constructed in partnership with local developer SWMUNICH Real Estate with the goal of enhancing the region's cultural offerings and local economy. Along with a homage to Bavaria, the design will integrate renewable energy sources, which are expected to provide all of the energy needed to run the stadium. A row of trees will wrap around the roof of the structure, which is intended to be visible "even from afar." MUCcc's seating will be laid out in a horseshoe shape with a high gradient to maximize sightlines and stage views. According to the firm, the design would use "state-of-the-art technology and the knowledge of acoustic professionals." The project's start date has yet to be confirmed, but it is expected to open within the next five years, according to the MUCcc website. Populous is also
23.05.2022
Tiled facade wraps curved convention centre by Woods Bagot and Warren & Mahoney

Tiled facade wraps curved convention centre by Woods Bagot and Warren & Mahoney

The Te Pae Convention and Exhibition Centre, designed by Australian firm Woods Bagot and New Zealand studio Warren & Mahoney, has a curved exterior tiled in herringbone tiles. The sinuous structure, which overlooks the Avon River in New Zealand, is designed to avoid the typical "big box" image of convention centers. Te Pae Convention & Exposition Centre has a 2,000-seat auditorium, exhibition space, food facilities, and meeting rooms.
Woods Bagot and Warren & Mahoney ringed the building's periphery with glazed foyers that frame outward views, pushing these functional sections to the center.
Woods Bagot said that unlike conventional convention centers, which tend to be a generic 'big box', the building was smaller in scale and wrapped in a fluid facade. Views from the function room back to Cathedral Square; the opening out onto Victoria Square; the leaning toward the river – these were very specific moves to make the building engage strongly with what's around it. The Te Pae Convention and Exhibition Centre's architecture, like much of the reconstruction following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, pays homage to New Zealand's indigenous Ngai Tahu people. Puamiria Parata-Goodall said that the new Ōtautahi (Christchurch) reflected both its was Ngai Tahu and European histories. The center's tiled façade, irregular curved parts, and windows that cut across its form allude to the braided riverbeds of the Canterbury Plains and the shape of New Zealand's Southern Alps, both important areas in Ngai Tahu's history.
18.05.2022
Jacquemus creates surrealist interpretation of his own bathroom for Selfridges pop-up

Jacquemus creates surrealist interpretation of his own bathroom for Selfridges pop-up

At London department store Selfridges, French fashion designer Simon Jacquemus has unveiled a series of surrealist pop-up installations, including a luxury bag vending machine and a swimming pool changing room.

The exhibit, titled Le Bleu, can be found throughout the store, including the brand's creative retail section The Corner Shop and the Old Selfridges Hotel, a former hotel that is currently being used as a pop-up event. Pale blue tiles cover the interior of the Corner Shop, which serves as the installation's main retail space. A giant transparent tube of toothpaste pours red and white gel ribbons into the shop's window.
In the space, a large bathtub, sponges, shower facilities, and sinks serve as exhibition places for a range of unique Jacquemus items and pieces from the brand's Spring Summer 2022 collection. Selfridges described the pop-up spaces as a "surrealist reinterpretation of Jacquemus creator Simon Jacquemus' very private bathroom." After seeing a tablet fizzing in a glass of water, the designer was inspired to construct one of the installations, an enormous glass. A life-sized vending machine packed with exclusive editions of the brand's Chiquito and Bambino bags can be accessed for shopping 24 hours a day on Edwards Mews behind Selfridges. The area, a square room lined with five-by-five rows of bags and accessories displayed in gigantic, deep blue-hued vending machines, is entered through a wide circular doorway. The final pop-up in the Old Selfridges Hotel, Le Vestiaire, is a sensory piece inspired by swimming pool changing rooms.MThe now-familiar blue tiles that cover the walls, floor, and furniture of the room greet visitors. A curving welcoming desk was placed in front of a tile-covered wall that held a stack of rolled-up
13.05.2022
Bala's SoHo store by Ringo Studio features oversized fitness equipment

Bala's SoHo store by Ringo Studio features oversized fitness equipment

Ringo Studio in Brooklyn has created a pastel "playground" as the first retail space in New York City for fitness brand Bala, which includes scaled-up versions of its products. Bala distributes weights, bands, and other workout equipment in a variety of candy colors, and was founded by Natalie Holloway and Max Kislevitz, who appeared in the reality TV show Shark Tank.
Madelynn Ringo, the CEO of Ringo Studio and a former retail designer for Glossier, cold-called the duo and asked them to keep her in mind when they established their first real retail location.
Ringo was recruited to convert the brand's concept into interior design when the opportunity to take over a 1,300-square-foot (120-square-meter) location at 99 Spring Street in SoHo arose. Soft, rounded curves are characteristic of the products, so they were duplicated throughout the store. The store's entrance is hidden under a black arch that resembles The Power Ring, one of the brand's hallmark goods. Beyond it, a pale green counter with a curving top displays a range of weights. Color-coordinated regions complement the shown products. A 12-foot-tall Bala Beam is held up against a mirrored wall with vertical light strips separating it. On the other side, a gigantic reproduction of a Bangle swoops down from the ceiling to form a plush leather bench, which is employed as an ankle weight. A pale blue arch leads to another room with pink walls, ceiling, and counter, as well as velvet fitting-room drapes and a fuzzy carpet. The store will also hold training classes incorporating the various goods outside of retail hours. Pastels
11.05.2022
Zaha Hadid Architects completes dune-like Beeah Headquarters in Sharjah

Zaha Hadid Architects completes dune-like Beeah Headquarters in Sharjah

When designing the sinuous headquarters for environmental management company Beeah Group in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, Zaha Hadid Architects sought graphic cues from undulating desert dunes.

The long-awaited Beeah Headquarters, designed by the late architect Zaha Hadid, takes the shape of a series of "interconnecting dunes" that mimic the desert surroundings of Al Sajaa.

The 9,000-square-meter structure houses Beeah Group's management and administrative offices. It has a focus on sustainability, according to Zaha Hadid Architects, to mirror the company's work. It is solar-powered and satisfies LEED Platinum certification criteria, the highest level of the green building certification program, establishing "a new norm for future workplaces." The form of the Beeah Headquarters is planned and oriented to resist the extreme weather conditions experienced at the location while reflecting the neighboring sand dunes. The building is powered by a solar array connected to Tesla battery packs, which, according to the studio, meets the structure's energy requirement all day and night. To avoid exposure to the strong desert sun, the office's glazing is kept to a minimum, while glass-fiber-reinforced concrete panels on the exterior aid to manage internal temperatures. Additionally, on-site water treatment facilities filter effluent to reduce consumption. The structure is separated into two wings on the inside. The public and managerial departments of the Beeah Group are housed in one, while the administrative zone is in the other. The center courtyard, defined by Zaha Hadid Architects as an "oasis within the building" that helps supply natural ventilation, connects these regions. The building's 15-meter-high domed entrance, which has been built to increase natural ventilation and enable natural light to seep through, is a centerpiece of the
02.05.2022
"Smog-eating" ceramic fins cover hospital in Milan by Mario Cucinella Architects

"Smog-eating" ceramic fins cover hospital in Milan by Mario Cucinella Architects

The wave-like structure of this hospital building in Milan, designed by Italian group Mario Cucinella Architects, is covered in large ceramic fins with a titanium dioxide coating that can break down pollution particles.

The Iceberg, a 40,000-square-metre hospital with a 284-bed inpatient facility, integrates university teaching and research areas with an emergency room and 10 stories of San Raffaele Hospital.

With a curved, nearly totally glass structure sitting on a single-story podium dressed in earth-colored tiles and planted with a garden on its roof, its design was influenced by the supply of huge amounts of daylight for both patients and employees. The hospital's form continues to the south, forming a bridge elevated above the ground on metal stilts that connects to the next structure. The ceramic fins that cover the building's top five stories change depth in reaction to the sun's path and have been carefully manufactured with a titanium dioxide coating to disintegrate pollution particles while also conserving heat. The emergency center is located on the podium level, and a surgical building with 20 operating rooms is located below three basement levels. Seven stories of inpatient and instructional spaces are arranged above a central gap that lets light into the lower levels. For family visits, less clinical, "home-like" rooms have been constructed to provide a broader diversity of interior settings for patients, and additional lounges for visitors have been organized in the building's glazed corner portions. The inside finishes were chosen for their durability and simplicity of cleaning and upkeep, with a pastel color palette to emphasize the sensation of light. Mario Cucinella Architects had previously completed a curved, white concrete church in Mormanno with a
26.04.2022
Kengo Kuma & Associates' HC Andersens Hus opens in Denmark

Kengo Kuma & Associates' HC Andersens Hus opens in Denmark

Following a soft opening at the end of June 2021, a new museum dedicated to Danish fairytale author Hans Christian Andersen planned as a unique "fantasy world" of gardens and underground display spaces, has formally opened in Odense. The museum, designed by Japanese architects Kengo Kuma and Associates, is situated near the author's birthplace in the historic center of Odense, Denmark, and has been home to the H C Andersen House Museum since 1908.
The H C Andersen Hus plan, which is set in a lovely green setting, expands the existing home with new exhibition rooms, public facilities, a cultural center, and a children's play area.
Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairytales, the museum's cylindrical, latticed timber forms are connected by meandering, maze-like pathways surrounded by green hedges, creating a trip between the "real world" and the "dream world." The above-ground parts house the reception, shop, and cafe, while the underground areas house all of the exhibition rooms. Visitors can see between the two "worlds" through cutouts in the landscape above. The upper areas are almost fully transparent and laced with timber beams, giving the impression that they are "merging" with the surroundings. Exposed concrete is used to finish the darker show halls. The exhibition halls offer a "fairytale experience" with interactive, multimedia works by twelve international artists responding to the themes and places of Andersen's stories. Some design features are inspired by specific stories, such as a Little Mermaid water pool through which visitors can see exhibition spaces below and a Giant's Garden with gigantic plants to make visitors "feel like a Thumbelina." Other fairytale-inspired projects include Kada Wittfeld Architektur's Brothers Grimm
13.04.2022
La Firme reorganizes centuries-old Montreal loft with contemporary finishes

La Firme reorganizes centuries-old Montreal loft with contemporary finishes

An apartment in an 1800s textile mill has been restructured by La Firme, a Montreal architecture firm, using cabinetry to create a new interior plan.

Studio left most of the building exposed, including tall, rough-hewn oak beams and brick walls with structural arches as hallways between rooms.

These authentic materials serve as a "counterpoint" to their intervention, which comprises white wood cabinets that define and redefine rooms while also providing enough storage.
The apartment was able to accommodate two bathrooms as part of the renovation: one for guests and the other within the main bedroom. In the ensuite bathroom, a Calcatta marble wall has been book-matched to create a subtle geometric design with the stone's veins. The long kitchen countertop is half at bar height and then transitions to table height due to a step on the apartment floor. A counter with drawers is opposite the kitchen and can be used for storage or as a workstation. A supplementary living area is a conservatory, which is separated from the combined living room and kitchen by brick arches. Except for white wood cabinetry and a few stone pieces, the architects employed a rather limited palette for the intervention. Other apartment alterations in Montreal include a 1920s unit reconstructed by Naturehumaine with curved walls and pastel green cupboards, as well as a galvanized metal-encased residential expansion.
01.04.2022
Council of Paris approves plans for the greening of the Eiffel Tower Site

Council of Paris approves plans for the greening of the Eiffel Tower Site

The Council of Paris has given final permission to Gustafson Porter + Bowman's landscape design for the Eiffel Tower site (Conseil de Paris). The designs were examined by the mayor as well as the general public through an online survey at the end of last year. The project comprises 35% extra planting, over 200 new trees, and pedestrianization of the Iena bridge. Phase One is planned to be completed in time for the Summer Olympics in 2024.
The 'OnE' design by Gustafson Porter + Bowman offers a single central axis that honors the Eiffel Tower at the focal point between the Palais de Chaillot on Place du Trocadéro and the École Militaire on Place Joffre. This backbone creates a readable landscape of revitalized spaces, including lawn terraces at the Trocadéro, expanded public space at the Varsovie Fountains, the reincarnation of the Pont d'Iéna as a green bridge, the creation of two new squares at either end of the bridge, a planted landscape beneath the Eiffel Tower, and raised lawns for the Champ de Mars.
Points of interest are generated by discovering and staging fresh viewpoints of the tower from which to appreciate the vista. The center axis landscape of power serves to highlight the Tower's sense of perspective from both ends of the site. A second landscape frames this, recalling the French 'picturesque' and its history of gardens as areas of creative experimentation and biodiversity expansion. Again, the human size is prioritized, resulting in spaces for enjoyment and pause that have their own personality. With a diverse mix of ornamental and natural flora, intimate garden areas frame the central axis, enabling temporary events and exhibits. “We are delighted that the Tour Eiffel “One” project is moving into the first phase of construction. This is an important moment for a major historical site to become more accessible to all people and be more environmental, sustainable and resilient. We have also worked on increasing biodiversity across the site, including modifications to historical lights to meet new standards. We thank the city of Paris for leading the way in their movement to a more sustainable, healthy and liveable city.
31.03.2022