Building art is a synthesis of life in materialised form. We should try to bring in under the same hat not a splintered way of thinking, but all in harmony together.
700 PALMS RESIDENCE: Sustainable Style in Venice, CA
Mike Chino in Inhabitat
The stunning 700 Palms Residence is a prime example of site-specific architecture. Designed by Steven Ehrlich Architects, the striking structure mixes raw industrial materials with a polished modern aesthetic, making it a monument to eponymous SoCal style and a sustainable marvel in its own right. Its breezy construction seamlessly integrates outdoor spaces with a flowing interior floor plan that was carefully considered to address the freedoms and constraints of residential design in Venice, Los Angeles.
RoboVault
Geoff Manaugh in BLDGBLOG
Yesterday, 10:20 AM
RoboVault describes itself as a Maximum Security Robotic Storage facility.
Hurricane-resistant, fully insured, and protected by biometrics, RoboVault is proposed for "an extraordinary location at the crossroads of several major roadway arteries including Port Everglades and the Hollywood/Fort Lauderdale International airport." "No one enters the storage part of the facility," we read; this has the effect of "minimizing the risk of theft or damage." Indeed, "This revolutionary concept in storage uses robotic parking garage technology, allowing you to operate your rented storage unit automatically, so you can store and retrieve your possessions when you want."
Much Larger BMW Museum Reopens
mediabistro.com: UnBeige
Elsewhere in Europe, the much-anticipated BMW Museum finally reopened yesterday after a two year closure while the company completely overhauled the whole structure and had it redesigned by Atelier Brueckner GmbH and Art+Com AG. The plan is, of course, the same one held by the massive, also-new Mercedes Museum: to both show off the design legacy of the automaker, but also make you think, as you exit the museum's gift shop, "Man, I'm not sure what it is, but I really want to buy a BMW right now." Here's a bit about the building itself: BMW will showcase its 90-year history in a 5,000-square-meter (53,800-square-foot) space next to its Munich headquarters...
Marina City: in Cans, Preserved, and with Angelina
Lynn Becker in ArchitectureChicago PLUS
Yesterday, 1:01 AM
You have only until through Sunday, June 22 to view the entries in Canstruction Chicago 2008, where 80,000 pounds of canned food are used to build 20 large sculptures. For this year's winner, a team from 4240 Architecture built Marina City's twin towers out of cans of tuna, with cans of corn marking the transition from the parking to the residential floors. Lighting design firm Charter Sills & Associates recreated the House of Blues, as well as a Hotel Sax made out of Campbell's soup cans.
Zen Interview Master Aby Rosen Commissions Condo for Condos
mediabistro.com: UnBeige
Thursday, 4:07 PM
People who bandy about the term "media training" should clip and laminate the full salmon-hued page that the New York Observer recently devoted to a sit-down with real estate mogul and art collector Aby Rosen, whose RFR Holding company owns such properties as Lever House and the Seagram Building. In the face of some tough questions by the Observer's indefatigable reporter Max Abelson, Rosen exhibited a Zen-like calm, offering matter-of-fact musings on even such potentially incendiary topics as Tom Wolfe's ad hominem argument against his project at 980 Madison ("It had a nasty undertone that I didn't care much for.") and the decor of his children's bedrooms ("Sure, there are Basquiats. The kids chose them."). His greatest regret? "I should have been more aggressive when I pursued the Chrysler Building."
zaha deemed awkward
AMNP
Thursday, 1:08 PM
http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/dailynews/2008/06/zahas_oxford_college_extension_branded_awkward.html
Zaha Hadid’s proposed extension to the Middle East Center at St Antony’s College in Oxford has been branded ‘awkward’ and ‘in constant competition with its neighbors’ by CABE [read the article from The Architects’ Journal by clicking the title of this post].
A Pearl for Beijing
Design Build Network
Since it opened up towards the West, China, the most densely populated country in the world, has not only been attracting western industrial companies but has also been changing the appearance of many of its major cities. An increasing number of buildings designed by international architects have appeared, heralding the dawn of a new age. In recent years, the Chinese government has invested several billion euros in spectacular projects on a grand scale, like the stadiums for the Olympic Games 2008 or the headquarters of the state TV broadcaster CCTV. The current high point in this trend is the China National Grand Theater in Beijing, the future venue for world-class opera, theater and concerts. At the beginning of 1999, the Chinese authorities extended an invitation to tender architectural proposals for this attractive and ambitious project.
Spinnaker Tower Stairs to Generate Electricity
Jorge Chapa in Inhabitat
Imagine being able to collect the energy of every person walking up and down the stairs from the Spinnaker Tower viewing platform in Portsmouth, UK. That is the proposal being put forward by David Webb, from the British consultancy of Scott Wilson. His hope is to install miniature “heel-strike” generators underneath the stairs that would capture the power generated by a person as they walk down the tower. His ultimate goal is to install them in every rail station, shopping center and even in your shoes!
Juan Herreros (from former Abalos & Herreros) won the 2nd place on the international competition for the new builings of the CEA Cadarache Research Center. Long buildings reduce the impact of the construction in order to keep the forest density.
From the architect´s description:
The project consists of five pieces of architecture located in a forest rich in biological activity. We have con-
cluded of our visit to the site, that the best option is to inhabit the forest without exceeding their height, making architecture as a new species that respects, protects and enhances the forest, until create a new balanced system in which buildings and trees are sharing rights and obligations. With this we will not competing with the size nor the presence of a large reactor or reduce the value of the ecosystem of a wooded garden at the foot of the buildings.
Our deployment strategy is compromised to build without altering the conditions of the forest, to inhabit the forest without violence creating a symbiotic architecture with its microclimate and its density. To do so, we are disclaiming to open large breaks on the continuity of natural cycles and are proposing to build linear buildings of optimum and constant width that occupies corridors from which have been lifted only the required trees, allowing the maximum proximity of the remaining facades. The original density of the forest will always be present and architecture appears filtered through the foliage.
Hopefully you're eating good, hanging out with friends and family, and enjoying this day that we celebrate. Keep it real, keep it careful, and we'll be back with you as always tomorrow morning.
Architects: 3LHD
Location: Zagreb, Croatia
Project team: Saša Begović, Marko Dabrović, Silvije Novak, Tatjana Grozdanić Begović, Irena Mažer, Marin Mikelić
Collaborators: Paula Kukuljica, Lucija StaniÄić, Marija Babojelić
Project: 2004
Construction: 2005-2007
Site area: 687 sqm
Gross floor area: 396 sqm
Footprint: 159 sqm
This family house for a couple with children is located in the green residential part of the city of Zagreb. The former family house was built in the 1950s on a steep hill slope and did not fully use all the advantages of the site nor did it meet the requirements of contemporary living standards. The beautiful view to the city and large garden was not valued appropriately.
On both sides the site is bordered by a street and a high building. These contextual facts determined the concept and the shape of the new project. The “L” layout with closed fronts “protect” the house from the street and the neighbouring building. At the same time the garden has been redesigned with all the main rooms in the house oriented towards it.
The living room, dining room and kitchen form a unique space and together with a swimming pool are built into the ground. In this way, being at the same level and separated from each other by a glass wall they bring the garden into the house. The house entrance is above, at street level, together with garage, storages, closet-space and studio. The family area is above the entrance space along with the living and dining rooms.
The materials used for the façades correspond to the spatial organisation of facilities. The living and dining spaces are separated by glass walls which completely open the living space to the outside; on the other hand, the bedroom walls are alternatively panelled by wooden boards.
Forget the fact that I lived in Japan and absolutely love its culture, I didn't know that Toyota had a homes unit. And they've been in the business of making homes for over twenty years! The company adapts automobile manufacturing technology to build stylish, earthquake-resistant homes for sale within Japan. The Toyota Homes unit accounts for only .5% of the company's $262 billion in annual sales, and Toyota would like to beef that up a little bit. Plus, with the roll-out of the plug-in hybrid beginning in 2010 (remember all that discussion here about solar homes and plug-in hybrids replacing gas stations?), Toyota would like to do more with their environmentally-friendly, prefabricated homes.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Toyota Homes are built from six or more modules in under 45 days. They have a conservative home model called the Smart Stage that sells for $200k. It's about a 1000 sf, two-story home. There's also a more expensive, custom-built 2600 sf home that sells for around $800k. Toyota Homes are strong and guaranteed for about 60 years, which is twice the average lifespan of a home in Japan.
As you might imagine, homeowners are also Toyota car owners.
The company sold 5000 homes in 2006 and 4600 homes in 2007 (due to the housing slump). But what's interesting about that number is that it shows how effectively homes can be manufactured using the same techniques that are used in the auto industry. And the Toyota Homes unit is profitable, too. That's some pretty incredible scale, if you ask me.
Plus, imagine the purposeful relationship of a plug-in Prius, Toyota Home with solar panels, and technology that charges the car during off-peak hours. If you can do this, you're not only going to stick it to the oil man, but you're going to stick it to the coal man, too. I like those odds.
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