2017. március 2., csütörtök

Dazzling art-filled passageway immerses visitors in everything that makes Amsterdam special

The city of Amsterdam just added another attraction to its long list of must-sees. Artists Arno Coenen, Iris Roskam and Hans van Bentem converted an arched passageway into Amsterdam Oersoep, an immersive art project decorated with seemingly innumerable references to the city of Amsterdam, its history, and its future. Glass mosaic, traditional Italian terrazzo, gilded mirrors, and recycled bicycle chandeliers are just a few of the beautiful elements that make up the intricate and enchanting artwork.

Commissioned by Bouwinvest, Amsterdam Oersoep was created as part of a redevelopment project called Nowadays that encompasses the passageway and the buildings attached to it on Nieuwendijk and Damrak. Amsterdam Oersoepâ€”Oersoep is Dutch for â€˜primordial soupâ€™â€”was created in Beurspassage, a passageway between Damrak avenue and the street of Nieuwendijk popularly used among Amsterdam residents and tourists. The renewed Beurspassage was created as a major tourist attraction, beautification project, and to include the worldâ€™s longest coffee bar in the world: Liquid Mokum.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf89uLLvO5A

The Amsterdam Oersoep pays homage to the cityâ€™s canals with its color scheme and wavy images that give the effect of walking through an underwater tunnel. The ceiling is covered in 450 square meters of glass mosaic embedded with iconic symbols of Amsterdam, from fish and air bubbles that allude to the canals to bicycle gears and a floating Vincent van Gogh ear. The sides of the passageway are lined with bluish-green tiles as well as large gilded and engraved Art Deco-styled mirrors. Handmade stained glass lamps, crafted in thirteen different shapes, hang from the sides. The traditional Italian terrazzo flooring is decorated with icons symbolic of the cityâ€™s rich heritage of art and trade. Seven golden chandeliers hung from above are made from recycled bicycle parts like gears, headlamps, and handlebars. Every detail in the Amsterdam Oersoep hints to the stories of Amsterdam, creating a richly layered and beautiful artwork that fully immerses whomever walks through the passage.

+ Beurspassage

Images by Kees Hummel

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2017. március 1., szerda

2017 Pritzker Prize goes to Catalan firm RCR Arquitectes

Architecture's most distinguished award just went to a relatively unknown firm from Catalonia. The Pritzker Prize recipients Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem, and Ramon Vilalta from RCR Arquitectes have completed few projects outside of northeast Spain, but their elegant work emphasizing the environment has gained global attention.

The trio started their firm in Olot, Catalonia in 1988. They've designed projects as diverse as an athletics track to a kindergarten. Pritzker jury chair Glenn Murcutt, an Australian architect, said of RCR Arquitectes, "They've demonstrated that unity of a material can lend such incredible strength and simplicity to a building. The collaboration of these three architects produces uncompromising architecture of a poetic level, representing timeless work that reflects great respect for the past, while projecting clarity that is of the present and future."

The firm emphasizes structures that will last. They eschew trends in favor of well-done construction. They're known for taking care to fit structures in beautifully with surrounding nature. They sometimes will design custom furniture for the buildings, finding it hard to find other furniture that fits their vision. There are even rumors they ask clients to sign contracts saying they won't change the buildings since they constructed so precisely.

Many of RCR Arquitectes' projects can be found in Catalonia, although they have also designed a museum and art center in France. Recycled steel or plastic are often among the building materials they utilize.

Tossols-Basil Athletics Track

Their Tossols-Basil Athletics Track in Girona, Spain winds through oak forest clearings, deftly avoiding trees, and is green to match the natural surroundings.

Bell-Lloc Winery

A sloped pathway takes visitors down to their Bell-Lloc Winery, also in Girona, beneath a roof of recycled steel. The dark interior, broken up by light streaming through slots in the roof, provides visitors with a new perspective on winemaking.

El Petit Comte Kindergarten

Their El Petit Comte Kindergarten lacks conventional walls; instead, colorful plastic tubes let light filter playfully through. Some are solid and others can be turned, allowing children to interact and play with the building itself.

Barberí Laboratory

Even RCR Arquitectes' office, Barberí Laboratory, provides a glimpse into their unique design. They converted an old 20th century foundry, preserving older features of the building like crumbling walls while adding massive glass windows to flood the space with natural light.

Soulages Museum

The Soulages Museum is one of RCR Arquitectes' projects in France and houses artwork by abstract artist Pierre Soulage. The firm utilized Cor-Ten steel, which will evolve over time.

La Lira Theater Public Open Space

The demolishment of the old La Lira Theater left a void in Girona, Spain. So RCR Arquitectes created a unique public square there, hearkening back to the size of the theater while creating a space overlooking the Ter River that could be used for many different activities.

Les Cols Restaurant Marquee

Stone walls support tubes comprising the roof of the Les Cols Restaurant Marquee; the weight of the tubes causes them to gently drape downward. The semi-open space fills a hollowed-out area of the volcanic countryside in Olot, Spain, allowing it to blend in.

Sant Antoni - Joan Oliver Library

This Barcelona library includes a tree-filled courtyard open to the public that serves as an extra reading room for the library. A senior citizens center can also make use of the courtyard.

La Cuisine Art Center

RCR Arquitectes started the La Cuisine Art Center with a 13th century castle in France. They renovated and constructed new steel and glass kitchen and exhibition rooms by a courtyard, allowing people to pursue the design and art of cooking.

Row House

Row House is located in RCR Arquitectes home town, on the site of an old house torn down. The architects kept the original main facade, as per town requirements, but erected a home that has what they describe as floating platforms, seen from the outside by a large glass window.

+ RCR Arquitectes

+ Pritzker Prize

Via Dezeen and The Guardian

Images by Javier Lorenzo Domínguez and Hisao Suzuki via Pritzker Architecture Prize

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Repurposed shipping containers make a bold statement at the National Theater Company of Korea

Seoul’s trendy mall made of shipping containers isn’t the only place you’ll see cargotecture in the city. Urbantainer, the same local firm behind the world’s largest cargotecture mall Common Ground, recently completed an extension for the National Theater Company of Korea, one of the nation’s flagship theater companies based in the capital. The new visitor area comprises a series of red shipping containers skillfully transformed into a contemporary and functional space that still preserves an industrial character.

The National Theater Company of Korea (NTCK) commissioned Urbantainer to create a visitor area that would serve as a social space within the grounds. To integrate the new space with the existing buildings, the designers aligned the containers with the building axis and painted them the same shade of red as the NTCK logo. “While highlighting the modular form of containers, the design is deliberately held light and maintains a balance with existing features and objects such as a former oil station and the grass square,” writes Urbantainer.

Although the cargotecture building looks like it’s made up of separate containers stacked together, many of the container walls were removed to create an interior with a 12-meter-long column-less space to accommodate large gatherings. High ceilings, access to natural light, and the light color palette give the interior a spacious and open feel. The flexible open-plan area can be manipulated with partitions and moving walls to allow for a variety of functions.

+ Urbantainer

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2017. február 28., kedd

Trump will give architects just five days to submit proposals for a Mexican border wall

Donald Trump is pushing ahead with his campaign promise to build a massive border wall between the US and Mexico, disregarding criticisms about the cost and physical feasibility of the project. Despite the fact that the wall will be a massive infrastructure project, the administration seems to be in a rush to begin work as soon as possible – last week, the Department of Homeland Security issued an open call for designs - but architects have just five days to submit their proposals.

There’s won’t be a lengthy period to prepare for the open call period, either – submissions open soon, starting on March 6th and closing on March 10th. The administration plans to choose a set of finalists by March 20th and to make final contract awards in mid-April. In a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference on February 24th, Trump claimed construction would begin as soon as possible, calling the project “way, way, way ahead of schedule.”

Architects and designers have, of course, already published numerous plans for the border wall online, although none of their suggestions are likely to please the new President. One Mexican design firm suggested a hot pink wall that would cut through cities, across rivers, and through mountain ranges. Another suggested building it out of recycled shipping containers. One other tongue-in-cheek suggestion involved an Ikea-style instruction booklet for building the 1,000-mile barrier.

Despite an estimated price tag of potentially billions of dollars, it’s still unclear exactly how the wall is going to be funded. The rush to award a contract seems a bit premature in light of the budgeting issues involved.

Via Dezeen

Images via Wikipedia and EdmondMeinfelder

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