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Nicolás del Campo Architect - Casa Viguet in Pilar, Buenos Aires

2010-03-14T10:47:09Z

Casa Viguet is a 70 m2 (750 sq ft), intentionally minimalist, single room house located in Pilar - Buenos Aires. The architect, Nicolás Del Campo, placed the house in the center of the much larger, 1,500 m2 (16,100 Sq ft), naturally landscaped site, generating multiple gardens for the user to enjoy. The house becomes a synergy between the monolithic interior and the multi-faceted exterior.

Mahlum - Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, Lake Washington School District in Kirkland, Washington

2010-03-13T21:03:28Z

Set within a residential neighborhood interlaced with equestrian trails, horse paddocks and mature stands of Douglas fir trees, Benjamin Franklin Elementary School shares its 12-acre site with a large wooded area.

Recognizing the value of this rich environment, the new replacement facility is positioned to preserve and harness the forest as a site amenity and learning opportunity. Moreover, it is designed to reinforce connections with the broader surroundings, and achieve green goals for resource efficiency and sustainability.

All photos by Benjamin Benschneider

Hawkins\Brown - New Biochemistry Department, University of Oxford

2010-03-13T15:07:39Z

The Biochemistry Department at Oxford University is the largest in the UK and internationally renowned for research work in DNA, cell growth and immunity. The building achieves a new ethos of “interdisciplinary working” where the exchange of ideas is promoted in a large collective and connective environment. At the same time researchers have the space to concentrate on intense work in highly serviced laboratories.

The new building designed by Hawkins\Brown deliberately challenges public perceptions of the secretive nature of research. Elevations are transparent with research spaces brought to the external face, making a political point about the value and integrity of biomedical research.

Base Architecture – Munro House in St. Lucia, Brisbane QLD, Australia

2010-03-12T12:58:30Z

The proportions of this house have been dictated by the restraints of the site. A flood level two meters above natural ground and the 405m2 area of the site meant that this home had to be developed across three levels. Living occurs on the mid level and opens to both a rear deck and central courtyard deck to provide a connection to the outdoors where close proximity to the landscaped yard was not possible.

Two IIDA Awards to Vancouver Based Firm

2010-03-12T10:17:28Z

North Vancouver firm mcfarlane green biggar architecture + design (mgb) has been honoured with two of this year’s six International Interior Design Association awards. Out of nearly 300 projects nominated from around the world, the design for the Rennie Gallery + Offices at Wing Sang, and the inventive interiors for Lynn Steven boutique were both chosen as winning entries for the 37th Annual Interior Design Competition.

LEED Certification for HCM-Designed Friends Community Schools

2010-03-10T14:14:19Z

Hord Coplan Macht, Inc. (HCM) announced yesterday that one of its projects entitled Friends Community School, located in Greenbelt, Maryland, has achieved LEED-New Construction Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

As described by the architects, the 26,900-square-foot, high-performance building accommodates 200 students in kindergarten through eighth grade with a staff of 30. Planned to help teach the school’s core science and environmental curriculum – and built of a rapidly renewable material – its straw bale construction is ideal for its acoustical and thermal insulation qualities.

Wallflower Architecture + Design - Enclosed Open House in Singapore

2010-03-10T11:21:27Z

Singapore based architect, Wallflower Architecture + Design has created innovative architectural spaces amidst urban density for a homeowner in Singapore East Coast area.

The owners wanted a spacious, contemporary house that would be as open as possible but without compromising security and privacy at the same time.

Surrounded by neighbours on four sides, the solution was a fully fenced compound with a spatial programme that internalised spaces such as pools and gardens, which are normally regarded as external to the envelope of the house. By zoning spaces such as the bedrooms and servants’ quarters on alternative levels, i.e. 2nd storey and basement levels, the ground plane was freed from walls that would have been required if public and private programmes were interlaced on the same plane.

Photographer: Albert Lim

Continued Weakness in Housing Market Prompting Shift Away from High-end Kitchen and Bath Features

2010-03-09T15:53:12Z

Homeowner preferences lean to energy efficiency and simplicity in design

The AIA Home Design Trends Survey issued its monthly report evaluating the US housing market. Without the rapid appreciation in home values seen between 1995 and 2005, design of kitchens and bathrooms has recently been somewhat more modest. Functionality is now preferred to more and larger kitchens and bathrooms within U.S. homes. Households are placing a premium on products and features that promote energy efficiency, and adaptability in the use of space for seniors and those with accessibility concerns.

Residential architects continue to report declining business conditions, indicating that the housing market is not yet entering a full recovery phase. These findings are from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Home Design Trends Survey for the fourth quarter of 2009, which focused specifically on kitchen and bathrooms.

Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects - Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at University of California, Davis

2010-03-09T14:25:35Z

For more than 125 years, the University of California, Davis has maintained active research and education programs in viticulture, enology, and food science,. In 2001, Robert Mondavi, renowned California wine producer, made a personal gift of $25 million to establish the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science within the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at Davis, opening a new era of opportunity for UC Davis in its widely acclaimed wine and food programs.

The Robert Mondavi Institute allowed the University campus to move two departments, Viticulture & Enology and Food Science & Technology, under one roof. Moreover, in the new facility these two departments, recognized as the best in the world in their respective areas of scholarship, have been linked with other disciplines investigating the role of healthy and safe foods in the quality of life.

schmidt hammer lassen architects wins the competition for the International Criminal Court in The Hague

2010-03-08T12:46:51Z

After years of accommodation in temporary premises, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has revealed its design for new permanent headquarters by schmidt hammer lassen architects (SHL). The Danish office was selected in an architectural design competition with a twenty strong international shortlist including David Chipperfield, Mecanoo Architecten, OMA/Search, Ingenhoven, Wiel Arets, and Kengo Kuma & Associates.