April 2010

Honour: Pritzker Prize Architecture: Malik Architecture

Complimentary copy of Birla White Yuva Ratna Awards 2009 with April ‘10 IA&B issue

VOL 23 (8)

APR 2010

Rs. 100

18 IA&B - APR 2010

BIG Aspirations Bjarke Ingels, founder of BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) has revolutionised the architectural scene. Vibrant, experimental, eclectic—his firm has invented new paradigms in the design world. Through a series of award-winning design projects and buildings, Bjarke Ingels has created an international reputation as a member of a new generation of architects that combine shrewd analysis, playful experimentation, social responsibility and humour. Alongside his architectural practice, Bjarke has been a visiting professor at Rice University’s School of Architecture and at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. He currently holds a guest lecturer position at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. In conversation with Sarita Vijayan, Editor & Brand Director, Indian Architect & Builder Magazine, the maverick entrepreneur reveals the secret behind his architectural genius.

Photograph: courtesy Nicklas Rudfjell

let’s partner

SV. You have broken traditional norms of architecture—you are young, successful and do not play by the rules. What were the difficulties you faced while starting out early in your career?

BI. Architecture is a gentleman’s sport. Projects take half a decade to complete and you rarely get entrusted with significant commissions before you are middle aged. In addition, it is governed by a sort of catch 22 – you won’t get the museum commission before you have already built one. So, breaking in and getting the first project is tough. Finally public projects suffer from the fact that since most architectural projects take at least five years from start to finish and public elections are every 4 years in Denmark – you often run the risk that political change will undermine your projects’ public financing before you get off the ground. We had to tackle all of the above and have failed multiple times before making it through. You have to be like an ‘architectural Duracell Bunny’ and just keep going.

SV. You have worked with Rem Koolhaas, how was your experience and how did it shape your architectural influence and sensibility?

BI. I started studying architecture in 1993, the year S, M, L, XL was published.

In that sense, I studied Rem Koolhaas before I studied Le Corbusier. It is hard for my generation to think of architecture without including Koolhaas.

I think, his biggest influence is the notion that architecture is intricately involved in society and that each project relates to a specific context – be that physical, cultural, political, economical or technological.

SV. How does the nature of your work impact the size and make-up of your practice?

BI. The fact that we now have projects all over the world – Europe, Asia, North and South America (we just got a 80,000sqm commission on the waterfront of Manhattan!) has exploded the ethnic diversity within the office – 2/3 of BIG are internationals and more than 20 different nationalities populate our team (including 3 Indians). This cultural diversity severely enriches the office culture, the amount of references, contacts and ideas that populate the conversations. You get infinitely richer discussions when each problem is viewed from so many different perspectives. Any cultural bias is neutralised by the lack of a monocultural perspective.

SV. What part does ‘networking’ play today, in the field of architecture?

BI. Architecture is the art and science of continually refurbishing the surface of our planet, so it fits better to the way we want to live. If our cities and buildings restrict us or prevent us from doing what we want, we have the skills and the responsibility to change them! But where a sculptor can create a sculpture by hammering on a piece of marble until it looks like what he/she wants to express, an architect cannot achieve anything on his own. You need to get the team to work together towards a shared vision. You need the clients to agree that this is what they

want, the users that this is what they need, the engineers that it will stand up, the contractors that it can be built, the city officials that it is according to code, the financers that they will pay for it etc.... Unless you are capable of getting this heterogeneous army of different people with different agendas to agree – nothing will happen. So, the capacity to communicate and operate within the matrix of social and professional networks is key to any architect today.

SV. What elements do you feel would add to your physiological, meteorological architectural vocabular y in the future? How do you imagine your architectural language will develop over the next 5 years?

BI. Banally, I would say that architecture and nature will fuse more and more.

Cities and buildings will start to operate like ecosystems that channel the flow of resources: energy, heat, air, water etc. as well as the flow of people, bicycles and cars. Not a nostalgic idea of sustainability that sends us back to some romantic notion of the golden days in the past, but a progressive notion of sustainability that imagines new, hybrid, manmade ecologies that are both urban and natural at the same time. Our Mountain House and the up coming Battery projects are small steps in that direction.

SV. Your ‘yes is more’ philosophy is now also a comic strip. Kindly elaborate on the philosophy. Also, how did the idea of a comic strip come about?

BI. Architecture is the art and science of continually refurbishing our planet to fit to the way we want to live. Recently we asked ourselves if we could invent a format that would combine drawings, images and words to tell the stories behind the projects. We discovered that it already existed – in the form of the comic book. So we simply copied the format of the comic book to take you behind the scenes of the design process and reveal some of all the unseen incidents, accidents and influences of society that shape our buildings and cities in to what they are. We called this archicomic ‘Yes is More’ as a sort of evolution of the ideas of some of our heroes. Obviously, Mies van der Rohe triggered the modernist revolution with ‘Less is More’. Then Philip Johnson introduced promiscuity or at least openness to changing styles, saying “I’m a whore”. In fact, we think Darwin is the one who best explained our design process. At each design meeting there are way too many ideas than can possibly survive.

Through a process of architectural selection we select which ones may live and which ones must die. One example is our design for a new city library and hotel in downtown Copenhagen. It was a really hard job.

SV. Your works have been recognised worldwide, when can we see BIG in India?

BI. Soon I hope! I have great interest in India and my CEO Sheela Maini Søgaard is half Indian. So when the opportunity arises—we will be ready for it!

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LET’S PARTNER Maverick architect Bjarke Ingels in conversation with Sarita Vijayan, Editor & Brand Director, Indian Architect & Builder Magazine.

26

CURRENT Latest updates on architecture exhibitions, competitions and news.

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PRODUCTS Featured are contemporary, innovative and stylish products from around the world.

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CONSTRUCTION BRIEF Apprise of the world’s four most fascinating construction projects.

National Museum of Qatar Architect Jean Nouvel’s latest creation promises to cool the hot desert of Qatar.

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Reflections at Keppel Bay ‘Reflections at Keppel Bay’ is architect Daniel Libeskind’s creation in Asia.

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Solar City Tower The 2016 Olympic games is focusing on being an icon oF sustainability, courtesy RAFAA Architecture & Design.

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54

PRODUCT DESIGN Exploring the world of innovative lighting design and the technology behind it.

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Reviewing the chronicle on the conservation works on the Ahhichatragarh Fort at

POST EVENT Essar Steel Masterstrokes: The Icon Exhibition

Nagaur, which received the UNESCO Award for excellence.

A retrospective on the successful Essar Steel Masterstrokes: The

Tokyo Sky Tree Tower Tokyo Sky Tree Tower by architect Nikken Sekkei will be the tallest tower in Japan.

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BOOK REVIEW The Royal Treatment

Icon Exhibition.

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TECHNOLOGY Salt Seasoning

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HONOUR

Featuring architect Thom Faulders latest innovation, a building that grows on its own and

Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA have been

wears salt as its skin. This conceptual tower for the city of Dubai reflects the changing

chosen as the 2010 laureates of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Presenting a

trends in sustainable architecture.

selection of their projects.

Co v e r

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Chairman: Jasu Shah Printer & Publisher: Maulik Jasubhai Editor & Brand Director: Sarita Vijayan Deputy Editor: Sujatha Mani Senior Writers: Hina Nitesh, Ritu Sharma, Hema Yadav Writers: Renuka Singh, Maanasi Hattangadi Copy Editor: Sharlene D’souza Sr. Visualiser: Abdul Muttalib Visualiser: Mansi Chikani Web Designer: Sandeep Sahoo Editorial & Events Co-ordinator: Abhay Dalvi Subscription Co-ordinators: Sunita Lumba (Delhi), Abhijit Mirashi, Sheetal Kamble Production Team: V Raj Misquitta (Head), Prakash Nerkar, Arun Madye Brand Manager: Sudhanshu Nagar Head Key Accounts: Meha Shrivastava Editorial & Marketing Office: JMPL, 210, Taj Building, 3rd Floor, Dr. D N Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001 Tel : +91-22-4213 6400, Fax : +91-22-4213 6401

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ARCHITECTURE Expressive Allegories Featuring four distinctive works of Mumbai-based Malik Architecture, revealing their simple yet distinctive architectural philosophy.

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INTERNATIONAL Fishy Business Featuring a unique seafood restaurant by Italian architect Pierluigi Piu.

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Beyond the Ordinary Refurbishment of the Longford Community School by Jonathan Clark Architects has proven to be a learning experience for all.

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INSTALLATION Air Forest — a temporary public pavilion is surreal in nature but has de facto use.

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26 IA&B - APR 2010

current Student Architecture Competition, Taiwan Category : Type : Deadline :

International Open to Students, Architects & Designers Registration Deadline: 12 May, 2010 Submission Deadline: 19 May, 2010

Category : Type : Deadline :

International Architects/Bachelors of Architecture Registration Deadline: 15 June, 2010 Submission Deadline: 1 July, 2010

The National Taipei University of Technology (NTUT) School of Architecture would like to offer a design competition to promote idea dialogues among students.

Given architecture’s recent involvement with sustainability and global warming, this competition calls for creative responses to these environmental concerns.

The competition takes on an elemental perspective to architectural design and sustainability. Entrants are to imagine and produce creative proposals for an ecological ‘WALL’. The evaluation and definition of ‘WALL’ is open to the applicants’ imaginations. While the term ‘ecological’ is subjected to many definitions, social, economical, sustainable, its re-evaluations are open to students’ interpretations.

Natural calamities in the recent past have ignited more planning for prevention.

ARQUITECTUM, along with the Pelita Harapan University, has proposed a proper Marine Research Center, which would fulfill this need. This project encourages participants to demonstrate how, through architecture, a symbiosis can be achieved between science and art, between landscape and technology. ARQUITECTUM aims to call upon large technology companies, developers or oil companies to incorporate within their vision the principles of architecture. Until now they have not discovered that it is possible for an aircraft carrier to possess an architectural aesthetic, or at least to understand that it ought to possess one.

For further information, contact: Web: http://competition.ntutarch.com

For further information, contact: Web: www.arquitectum.com/index.php

Call for Papers: Terrain Vague Category : Type : Deadline :

International Open to all Registration/Submission Deadline: 1 June, 2010

Submissions are invited from a range of fields, literature, architecture, urban studies, visual arts, film studies etc. for a collection of essays that focus on terrain vague—marginal, semi-abandoned spaces in or along the edge of the city—as abstract concept, specific locale and subject of literary, architectural or artistic intervention. As expressed by Luc Levesque, “the ‘terrain vague’ is the ideal place for a certain resistance to emerge, a place potentially open to alternative ways of experiencing the city.”

For further information, contact: Web: www.amarrages.com/textes_terrain.html

The Land Art Generator Initiative Design Competition

COMPETITION

BALI 2010: Marine Research Center in Indonesia

Category : Type : Deadline :

International Open to all Registration/Submission Deadline: 4 June, 2010

The long-term goal of the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) is to design and construct a series of land art installations that uniquely combine intriguing and artistic concepts with clean energy generation.

The LAGI viewing platforms will be tourist destinations and the art itself will continuously distribute clean energy into the electrical grid. The designs should be considered first and foremost as Land Art Installations. The considerations for energy generation should come in a close second.

For further information, contact: Web: www.landartgenerator.org/

Integrated Habitat Design Competition Category : Type : Deadline :

International Open to all Registration/Submission Deadline: 30 June, 2010

Integrated habitat design ensures that development maintains the health of the natural systems. The focus of the IHDC competition is to ensure that working with nature, adapting to climate change and enhancing biodiversity is integral to the design of new urban, suburban and rural built developments. Submissions are welcome for any built environment design project in an urban, suburban or rural location, of any size, anywhere in the UK and must take into account each of the Design Criteria (Ecosystem Services, Nature, Water, Energy & low-carbon, Livability and Economics). Designs can be for new-builds, retro-fits, open spaces, public spaces, transitional-spaces, residential, commercial, mixed-use, brown-field etc.

For further information, contact: Web: www.livingroofs.org

Architects for Health Student Design Award 2010 Category : Type : Deadline :

International Open to Students Registration/Submission Deadline: 2 July, 2010

Architects for Health invite architectural students to submit projects to be considered for the third annual Student Healthcare Design Award 2010. As in previous years, any project related to the design of a healthcare building can be submitted; however, the 2010 competition introduces a greater emphasis on the sample brief – Designing for Death: Hell, Purgatory and Paradise and a specific prize will be awarded for the most successful response to the sample brief prepared.

For further information, contact: Web: www.afhawards.org

28 IA&B - APR 2010

current Take Note Date : Venue :

Now to May 30, 2010 Octagonal Gallery, Montréal, Québec

Take Note showcases selected key moments in the ongoing association between writing and architecture. Led by Sylvia Lavin, Professor and Director of Critical Studies and M.A./Ph.D.Programs in the Department of Architecture and Urban Design at UCLA with students Whitney Moon and Esra Kahveci, it is developed in partnership with the CCA. The exhibition would feature works from the CCA collection and other archives as well as works from contemporary architectural studios, including Gehry Partners, Greg Lynn FORM, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Stan Allen Architect, Bernard Tschumi, Reiser+ Umemoto RUR Architecture and others. This exhibition is the fifth in a series of CCA exhibitions developed in collaboration with universities.

For further information, contact: E-mail: info@cca.qc.ca Web: www.architectureweek.com/cgi-bin/wlc?http://cca.qc.ca/

Built Works: Guided Tour and Reception Date : Venue :

5 June, 2010 Ridgewood, NJ

The James Rose Centre’s, a 501 C3 non-profit educational foundation at Ridgewood, New Jersey, the former home of modernist landscape architect James Rose, mission is to contribute to a sustainable environment through preservation, research and design. A guided tour of the undocumented James Rose gardens, followed by a catered reception at the James Rose Centre is being organised in support of the foundation’s mission and the ongoing restoration efforts of the Centre. The event will feature a guided tour of local residential gardens by Rose, a guided tour of his home and a catered reception by the James Rose Centre.

For further information, contact: Web: www.jamesrosecenter.org/tour/index.html

Contemporary Architecture

EVENTS

Date : Venue :

June 07 to August 30, 2010 Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK

The V&A is commissioning a group of international architects to construct a series of structures throughout the Museum, which will respond to the theme of the ‘retreat’. The starting point for these experimental projects will be the idea of a small, enclosed space, representing an escape from the chaos of urban life to an area for peace, contemplation, shelter or creativity.

One of the central aims of the exhibition is to move away from explaining architecture through drawings and models and instead allow the visitor to experience the architecture itself.

For further information, contact: Web: www.architectureweek.com/cgi

AIA 2010 National Convention and Design Exposition Date : Venue :

10 June to 12 June, 2010 Miami Beach Convention Centre, Miami, FL

The annual AIA national convention would help in staying competitive in the profession and serving clients most effectively. With hundreds of continuing educational programs, tours, special events and added attractions as well as hundreds of leading-edge companies exhibiting their products and services, it will offer several challenging educational opportunities and many fascinating, entertaining activities that will enhance knowledge and skills.

For further information, contact: Web: www.aiaconvention.com

Shanghai International Summer Program in Architecture Date : Venue :

14 June to 02 July, 2010 Shanghai Study Centre, Shanghai, China

Architecture Studio Shanghai is a three-week program held at the University of Hong Kong Faculty of Architecture Study Centre, in the centre of Shanghai. The course offers participants a design studio experience within Asia’s most active and fastest growing city. A fundamental element of the course is to introduce students to architectural issues and design practices, in contemporary China.

The studio topic is embedded in the context of Shanghai and addresses contemporary issues in architecture and urbanism. The structure of the workshop is coordinated around a studio-based core, accompanied by short lecture courses covering issues in Chinese architectural history, architectural theory and computational technology. The program is taught in English.

For further information, contact: Web: http://fac.arch.hku.hk/Summer/sh/as/

AA – NAi Design Workshop, São Paulo Date : Venue :

July 16 to July 24, 2010 Espaço de Cultura Contemporânea Escola, São Paulo, Brazil

The objective of the joint Architectural Association and the Netherlands Institute of Architects (AA – NAi) Design Workshop in São Paulo is to discover the rehabilitation of otherwise outdated, residual and disregarded urban environments, communities and physical materials through critical urban analysis seminars as well as through the use of innovative computational design and digital fabrication processes. With impetus provided by the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics this workshop will design and produce prototypes for outdoor sports facilities under the viaducts, in the impoverished and multi-ethnic Gliçério neighbourhood of São Paulo.

For further information, contact: Web: www.aaschool.ac.uk/STUDY/VISITING/saopaulo.php www.escolasaopaulo.org

30 IA&B -APR 2010

current Rem Koolhaas to design Quebec City Museum An architecture firm backed by Rem Koolhaas would design Musée national des beaux-arts in Quebec City. The Quebec City Museum is a heritage building on the Plains of Abraham, but its small size has limited scope of exhibitions it can place. It proposes to expand to a site across the Grand-Allée, a Quebec City thoroughfare with a tunnel connecting the existing Beaux-Arts building and the new one. The new site also has heritage interest, as it is occupied by a Dominican monastery and is near the Église St-Dominique. “The proposed pavilion demonstrates concern for sustainable development and clear respect for the adjacent buildings while making a strong statement in terms of its typology,” the jury said in a statement.

Details of the winning design were not released. The building is supposed to cost around $90 million with $33.7 million pledged by the federal government and another $33.7 million by Quebec. A fund-raising campaign has begun to meet the remainder of the capital cost. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2011 and it should wind up by the end of 2013. The finalists’ projects will be on display in the museum beginning in mid-April, and an exhibit devoted to the winner is planned for fall.

Reiser + Umemoto win competition to design Taipei Pop Music Center Manhattan-based architects Reiser + Umemoto disclosed that the firm has won an international competition to design Asia’s first performance complex dedicated to pop music. Formed in partnership with global engineering practice Arup Associates, the winning design for the Taipei Pop Music Centre in Taiwan sets a new standard for performing arts centres everywhere, combing multiple venues and novel design solutions to create an immersive pop music experience. The program for the center comprises an indoor multi-balcony theatre accommodating 3,000 to 6,000 person audiences, in seated and standing formats, an outdoor performing space with 15,000 standing seats, a Hall of Fame museum, a digital music and media library, medium and small indoor exhibition and performing live houses, music industry offices and communities and incubation space.

NEWS

The Wooden Beacons - A New Installation by Matteo Thun and Consuelo Castiglioni – Marni The Wooden Beacons is an installation by Architect Matteo Thun and the Fashion House Marni. It emulates the process of managing the whole lifecycle of a product from its conception, through design and manufacture.The Wooden Beacons is a bridge between two creative worlds: architecture and fashion, hardware and software. The mix of raw and soft elements as a demonstration of lifecycle management. Interni Think Tank as a part of the FuoriSalone 2010 is the ideal platform to convey this idea. All Wooden Beacons will be built in situ by the Italian hardwood manufacturer RIVA1920, a partner who has strong associations with both Matteo Thun and AHEC.

Vancouver Based Firm wins two IIDA Awards North Vancouver firm mcfarlane green biggar architecture + design (mgb), has been awarded two of this year’s six International Interior Design Association awards. 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 out of around 300 projects nominated from across the world. mgb is renowned for their less-is-more approach and the firm often utilizes reclaimed or repurposed materials and buildings in their work. mgb believes that enduring architecture is the only architecture and that architects have a duty to be mature about their ideas, reflective in their approach and responsible to the complexities of a changing world. It was this philosophy that caught the IIDA judges’ attention when reviewing the interiors for Lynn Steven, a new boutique in Vancouver’s historic Gastown neighbourhood. In contrast to the modest scale of the Lynn Steven project are the interiors for the Rennie Gallery + Offices at Wing Sang in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown. A multi-million dollar project, the design entailed the combination of two separate buildings to create a gallery space to house over 1,000 works in the Rennie private collection.

“We are very honoured by winning two awards and we’re pleased that our peers have recognised the diversity of scales and types of projects that our firm is known for,” says mgb Architect and Principal, Michael Green. Nominees were judged for suitability of design to the project challenge, originality of the design solution and the successful integration of interior finishes and furnishings. This year’s IIDA winners also include UNStudio, Clive Wilkinson Architects, STUDIOS Architecture and NBBJ.

HSBC Private Bank Lounge by Campana Brothers HSBC Private Bank associates with award-winning Campana brothers at Design Miami 2008 – Designers of the Year team up to create exclusive lounge and documentary film Design Miami. The Brazilian designers intended the lounge to build the atmosphere of a traditional communal abode from the Amazonian forest. A video interview with the Campanas (winners of the Designer of the Year award at Design Miami 2008), filmed by Dezeen at the brothers’ studio in São Paulo and on location across the city, was screened in the lounge during the design fair.

Green Building Tours across the U.S. Local volunteers of the Sierra Club and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) together will carry out public tours of green buildings across the country to emphasize on the local economic and ecological benefits of energy-efficient, high-performance green buildings. The tours are part of the national ‘Green Buildings for Cool Cities,’ an affiliation between the Sierra Club and USGBC. The project focuses on encouraging cities nationwide make green buildings and communities a key element of their economic and ecological recovery efforts. The buildings on the tours comprise both LEED-certified projects and those pursuing certification.

32 IA&B - APR 2010

products Photovoltaic Pavement Onyx Solar and Butech, a subsidiary of the Porcelanosa Group, have designed a photovoltaic (PV) pavement, likely to hit the market by late 2010. The product will comprise safety glass with integrated PV cells over an elevated ceramic base that produces a completely walkable surface. The pavement will have the ability to be incorporated in a project as a substitute to traditional materials, without losing out on design or aesthetic standards.

It will be adaptable to any kind of weather, including low light and hazy conditions. The pavement is designed to be frameless in structure and attractive in high-visibility applications.

Contact: C/Río Cea 1, H6, 05004 Ávila, Spain Tel: + 34 920 210050 Email: info@onyxsolar.com

eco-solutions

Solar Balloon Designer Seongyong Lee’s latest design for a Solar Balloon collects energy directly from the sky. Inspired by the idea that the most efficient manner to gather solar energy is from high above the earth, the Solar Balloon is made of fluid interweaving colourful solar cell panels blended with an unidentified white material, whose panels turn downward. LED lights are attached along the joints where the white and coloured solar cell panels fuse. Solar Balloon has a 7m diameter and is 10m in height. The innovative design is part of an international design workshop called Sunny Memories that was conducted by London’s Royal Academy of Art (RCA).

Contact: Email: designlsy@gmail.com

34 IA&B - APR 2010

products Emotile Spanish tile manufacturer Ceracasa has introduced a new way to influence technology with their Emotile line. Ceracasa can create a full-bleed transfer of photoquality images on porcelain tile by using a CMYK ink-jet printing process, allowing homeowners to change their walls or floors into a photograph, sketch or any other visual element that can be copied. Images can also be moved across multiple tiles. Emotile is bacteria and mold resistant and can be cleaned with a wet cloth. Tile sizes range from 18½sqin to a 191/3” x 26 2/3” rectangle.

Contact: Ctra Castellón-Teruel, 12,110 Alcora (Castellón), Spain Tel: +(34) 964 361611 Fax: +(34) 964 360967 Email: CERACASA@CERACASA.com Web: www.emotilebyceracasa.com

Weft and Shadows

SU R FA CES

Japanese manufacturer Inax’s Lascaux line appears like an artistic mosaic, with its blend of cuts, slots and geometries, which is suitable for both exterior and interior wall tiles. Lascaux is a series of ceramic wall tiles with an exceedingly visual appeal. The distinctive quality of Lascaux is the relief and the holes in some tiles.

Lascaux can be grouted according to the usage, but the holes always remain open. The tiles are 7.2 x 7.2cm and are provided on sheets of 30 x 30cm. The series has 5 different colours and is also available with a flat surface.

Contact: Tel: +39 0536 911489 Fax: +39 0536 911490 Email: info@armaitalia.it Web: www.armaitalia.it

36 IA&B - APR 2010

products The Rationalizer The Rationalizer is an ‘emotion mirror’ that reflects the power of the user’s feelings.

The system consists of two components, the EmoBracelet and the EmoBowl. The bracelet works as the measuring standard for the arousal component of the user’s emotion recognised by a dynamic light pattern on either the EmoBracelet itself or on the EmoBowl. The dynamic light pattern changes according to the emotional intensity, which alerts the user to relax and think over their actions.

Contact: Tel: +31 (6) 11039136 Email: corine.koopmans@philips.com

INNO VATIONS

Future Flower: Wind-powered Metal Flower Part of a regeneration project for the waterfront at Widnes, London architect Tonkin Liu’s Future Flower has petals of perforated galvanised steel. It is an LED light, powered by small wind turbines at night. The steel structural frame is in the shape of an icosi-dodecahedron, onto which 120 perforated galvanised mild steel petals are attached. A central stalk with branches holds 60 low voltage LED lights within the volume of the flower, which are directed to different clusters of petals. Three mini off-grid wind turbines attached to the stem powers the light.

The LEDs produce different intensities of red, based on the wind speed, ensuing in an everchanging and vibrant flower. In the absence of wind, the petals reflect the changing colours of the sky and the sun. As a universal symbol the flower embodies the optimism for the future of Widnes, while its performance embraces the future of renewable energy.

Contact: 5 Wilmington Square, London Tel: +44 (0)20 78376255 Email: mail@tonkinliu.co.uk Web: www.tonkinliu.co.uk

38 IA&B - APR 2010

products Grow Your Own Chandelier Why construct furnishings and houseware from scratch when we can grow them from the ground up? As a preview to this year’s Milan Furniture Fair, Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka has unveiled a stunning ‘living crystal’ chandelier that is grown in a tank filled with a mineral solution. Ideal for decorating home or office interiors—the designer equates his newest design to ‘a star descended from the sky emitting many rays of light in space.’

Contact: 9-1 Daikanyama-cho Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan Tel: +81 (0)35428 0830 Fax: +81 (0)35428 0835

Floating Drawers

INTE R IO R S

Established & Sons’ Stack is a pillar of floating drawer units that can be pushed and pulled in both directions. This will mostly ensue in a random and irregular procedure, which is both interesting and unusual to the eye. Stack chest of drawers showcases a palette of greens, reds, neutrals and wood veneers in 8, 13 and 32 drawer versions. Positioned against a wall or in the centre of a room Stack creates a rich and wonderful spectacle of colour and form. It can be appreciated from all angles as a sculptural object as well as an entirely functional, practical item of furniture.

Contact: Matter 227 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY Tel: + 718 2301150 Fax: + 718 2301156 Web: www.mattermatters.com

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Ecosmart Fire: Zeta Fireplace John Dimopoulos’ Ecosmart Zeta Fireplace makes a dramatic focal point in any living space. Its striking elliptical form inspired its name. A smart fusion of timber, leather and stainless steel, Zeta sits on a brushed or polished stainless steel swivel base. The plywood structure of the fireplace is shaped from high frequency heated aluminium that melds into the faultless elliptical shape. The internal face of the plywood snaps with a thin stainless steel firebox insert and the exterior is finely leather-coated. Zeta is available in various colours such as ciocolatta, nero, ranch hide and latte. This fireplace heats 376sqft and is able to hold 5l of denatured alcohol.

Contact: 2307 S. Dale Mabry Hwy Suite G Tampa, Florida Tel: + 813 3742131 Web: www.myurbanconcepts.com

Newsworthy Designer A.J. Bocchino has drawn inspiration from creating wallpaper out of headlines. He collects headlines from the New York Times and uses them as data for systems that generate complex networks and forms. The headlines are organised chronologically and colour-coded according to subject. Global, national, and local events generate a continuous stream of news from which colour patterns emerge.

Email: ajbocchino1@gmail.com Web: www.ajbocchino.com

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Contact:

IA&B - APR 2010

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construction brief

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National Museum of Qatar Pritzker prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel takes charge of adding sustainability to the National Museum of Qatar, promising to cool a hot desert.

Compiled by: Renuka Singh

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he desert and Bedouin culture inspired architect Jean Nouvel to design the National Museum of Qatar. The museum is built around the Fariq Al Salatah Palace, which was renovated as the National Museum in 1975.

Recently, the Qatar Museum Authority along with Jean Nouvel proposed the idea to restructure the museum, focusing on sustainability.

The new museum’s unique design takes the shape of a ring of low-lying, interlocking pavilions that encircle a large courtyard space and the historic palace. The structure of the building exudes the expression of ‘caravanserai’, traditional enclosed resting places. Its design also draws a picture of undulating, wind-swept dunes that rise, at their apex, to four storeys in height. Pavilion floors, the exterior walls and the roofs are composed of intersecting disks that look like the petals of a desert rose, which is a mineral formation found in the briny layer beneath the desert surface. The disks are covered with sand-coloured glass fibre reinforced concrete panels that vary in curvature and diameter. The disks have voids that are occupied by glazed facades. The interior of the building also has interlocking disks with sand-coloured polished concrete floors and walls covered with stuc-pierre, a traditional blended plaster that replicates stone. The park surrounding the

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museum will have a vegetation of indigenous plants and an artificial lagoon that will tone down the intense climate. The National Museum of Qatar will have 86,000sqft of permanent gallery space, 21,500sqft of temporary gallery space, a 220-seat auditorium, a 70-seat food forum/TV studio, two cafés, a restaurant and a shop. There would also be separate facilities for school groups and special guests. Staff facilities would include a heritage research centre, restoration laboratories, staff offices and collection processing and storage areas. The structure and design of the new museum stands apart for its alleviation of the desert heat and new-age eco-friendliness.

1. National Museum of Qatar, west view from Doha Bay. 2. Concept drawing of the structure.

3. 3-D Model of the National Museum of Qatar.

FACT FILE: Location Architect Client Photographs

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Qatar Jean Nouvel Qatar Museum Authority Courtesy Artefactory/Ateliers Jean Nouvel

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Reflections at Keppel Bay Plush residential units known as ‘Reflections at Keppel Bay’ is architect Daniel Libeskind’s creation of waterfront living in Asia.

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ingapore’s Keppel Harbour will see its beautiful reflection in the wake of six high-rise towers designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. ‘Reflections at Keppel Bay’is situated on nearly 84,000sqm of land with a widespread shoreline of 750m; the towers are connected by sky bridges and large low-rise villas.

Each tower has a verdant sky garden on its sloping roof, while nine sky bridges connect the towers at different levels, allowing unparalleled views all around.

The residential structures will have sleek curving forms of sporadic heights, creating elegant openings and gaps between them. The spaces between the

buildings would offer generous landscape views. The ensuing composition is an interplay of altering planes and reflections. All the intricacies and aspects of design maximise an interaction with the sea. The engaging panoramic views of its picturesque surroundings include Mount Faber, Keppel Club golf course, Labrador Park, Sentosa and its forthcoming integrated resort and the city skyline.

The project consists of 1,129 luxurious residential units and is expected to be complete by 2011.

1. Construction site.

2. The sleek curving forms of differing heights create graceful openings and gaps.

3. Aerial view of Keppel Bay.

FACT FILE:

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Location Architect Developer Photographs

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Singapore Daniel Libeskind Keppel Bay Pvt Ltd Courtesy the architects

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Solar City Tower, Rio de Janeiro

RAFAA Architecture & Design has envisioned the Olympic games, 2016 to be an icon of sustainability through the energy producing Solar City Tower.

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he Olympic games of 2016 in the city of Rio de Janeiro will have a boost of energy from the Solar City Tower designed by Zurich-based RAFAA Architecture & Design. As the name suggests, it is a tower that will generate renewable energy for the Olympic village and the city of Rio. Located in the bay, Cotonduba Island, the structure will serve as an ideal spot for travellers arriving in the city by air or sea.

This project is a global green movement to attain maximum sustainability and preserve an ecological balance in urban structures. The idea to build an energy-producing tower for an event like the Olympic games enthuses awareness about global sustainability on a larger platform. The tower that also looks like a waterfall has been designed in such a manner that it would produce energy using natural resources.

The tower has a solar power plant that generates energy during the day. This energy is provisioned for utilisation in turbines that would release water during

the night. The energy generated would be appropriately used to light the city at night. Besides energy generation, the tower can turn into an enchanting natural wonder with its waterfall. Also, as its located 60m above sea level, through an urban plaza, it provides access to the beautiful surrounding landscape.

An amphitheatre connects to the entrance on the ground floor. The entrance area leads to the cafeteria and the shop, which are situated beneath the waterfall.

A public elevator takes visitors to observation decks and the urban balcony.

The foyer allows direct access to the administration offices; the semi-public spaces are located at the back of the building. A retractable platform for bungee jumping is located on level +90.5. Long distance observation is possible from an observation deck on level +98.0. The urban balcony is situated at the top of the tower, 105m above sea level, where visitors have a 360° view of the landscape and walk over a glass skywalk.Thus, suitable usage of power through natural resources symbolises the first zero carbon footprint Olympics.

1. Top-view of Solar City Tower from an aircraft.

2. Waterfall view of Solar City Tower.

3. Distant view of Solar City Tower at Cotonduba Island.

4. Rendering of tower’s ground structure.

FACT FILE: Location Architect Client Photographs

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Rio de Janeiro RAFAA Architecture & Design Olympic Games 2016 Courtesy the architects

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Tokyo Sky Tree Tower In times to come, Tokyo Sky Tree Tower, a broadcasting unit by architect Nikken Sekkei would be the tallest tower in Japan at a height of 2,080ft.

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obu Railway and a group of six terrestrial broadcasters (NHK) have undertaken the project of building Japan’s tallest broadcasting tower, the Tokyo Sky Tree Tower. Architect Nikken Sekkei has designed this 634m (2,080ft) tall tower with a tripod base and cylindrical shape that could resist forceful winds, located in the Narihirabashi/Oshiage area of Sumida Ward in Tokyo, Japan. Due to the presence of several adjacent high-rises in the central part of the metropolis and the existing Tokyo Tower’s insufficient height (333m), it is unable to provide complete digital terrestrial television broadcasting coverage.

The new tower has high-tech seismic proofing, including a central shaft made of reinforced concrete. The soft curves that changes from the pinnacle towards the bottom of the tower give the tower an imposing poise. Additionally, as you ascend from the foot to the top of the tower, the base changes from triangular to circular. The base of the new tower is arched and shaped like three open gates. There will be two observatories, one 350m and another 450m above ground. Gourmet restaurants, stores and other facilities are also planned for the 350m section.

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There are plans to construct a glass-clad skywalk around the observatory lobby at an altitude of 450m, the world’s highest.

After completion, at the bottom of the new tower will be a ‘town with a tower’ spanning around 400m from east to west, linking Oshiage Station and Narihirabashi Station, encompassing an area of nearly 3.69ha.

There would a networking plaza leading from Oshiage Station to the tower lobby on level four of the facility. Three plazas in front of the station and along Kitajukken River and Shinsui Park will form a community environment, where visitors and nearby residents can socialise. Expected to be complete by December 2011, the tower should be open to the public by the spring of 2012.

1. Surrounding view of Tokyo Sky Tree Tower.

2. Distant view of Tokyo Sky Tree Tower that highlights its height.

3. Low-angle view of the tower.

FACT FILE: Location Architect Photographs

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Tokyo, Japan Nikken Sekkei courtesy Tobu Railway and Shin-Tokyo Tower Co.

IA&B - APR 2010

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book review

The Royal Treatment An excellent documentation on the conservation works that took place on the Ahhichatragarh Fort at Nagaur, which also received the UNESCO Award of Excellence, a first in India.

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mbodying the struggle to success, frustration to immense joy, rudderlessness to absolute clarity of destination and above all the tremendous sense of commitment by all involved, the book ‘Architecture of a Royal Camp: The Retrieved Fort of Nagaur,’ is a brilliantly compiled documentation of the extensive research and work done on the fort.

Beginning with a comprehensive historical background, an introduction to the region and a word about the spawning of the conservation initiative, the book progresses to the chapter titled ‘Articulative Fortwall’. This chapter beautifully highlights, with the help of plans, the fort wall against the entire fort campus. The chapter details the construction of the Fortwall and the elements it encompasses. Various illustrations in the form of plans, sections and axonometric views make it very easy to understand the mechanism of how elements like baori and the aqueduct walls worked. Furthermore, the section discussing pols and bastions has excellent detailed description of various arches and the techniques used.

Besides being extensively descriptive of the various parts of the entire fort, the book elaborates on ideologies, traditions and construction of this region. One comes across several interesting facts like how people here made up for the absence of foliage in this region by making intricate designs in the buildings and also how the intelligent use of pre-formed and pre-carved building elements existed even then.

An entire chapter dedicated to water, aptly dubbed ‘Water Nuances,’ describes the designs and techniques, which ensured the most effective use of the scarcely available resource. The descriptions range from systems that were purely functional in nature to the ones that added to the aesthetic values.

The last chapter describes in detail the conservation strategies and approach used by the architects. It starts with a comparative study of the pre-conservation (1993) and post-conservation plans (2008). To conclude, the book is a good read for anyone who wants information on the Ahhichatragarh fort in context with its history, conservation strategies and present day use. The book is also a good guide to anyone who wants to learn about the whole process of conservation in terms of documentation, authenticity, historic relevance, interventions and adaptive reuse considering future growth.

– Reviewed by Ar. Prachee Mishra

Book: Architecture of a Royal Camp: The Retrieved Fort of Nagaur Authors: Minakshi Jain, Kulbhushan Jain and Meghal Arya Publisher: AADI Centre Language: English ISBN: 978-8190852807

50 IA&B - APR 2010 1

Salt Seasoning Architect Thom Faulders creates GEOtube, a structure that takes shape naturally through water evaporation and wears salt as its skin.

Text: Renuka Singh Photographs: courtesy the architect

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he city of Dubai will have a sculptural tower, GEOtube, covered with a membrane skin, hazed with salt water collected locally through an external vascular water system. Architect Thom Faulders from Faulders Studio in California has proposed the concept of a building growing on its own. The structure will have a height of 170m and is composed of salt crystal deposits that would grow uniformly.

GEOtube aims to serve as an exclusive refuge for wildlife that would have a harvesting saline skin. The Persian Gulf, which is adjacent to the city, has very high salinity thus making it an apt location for the structure to be built.

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Oceanic salinity is caused due to high evaporation rates in the region from high temperatures and low fresh water influx. Sabkahs, the city’s regional coastal plains are natural formations of salt flats created due to intense heat and humidity, mingled with high salinity. The tremendous climate differences with thermal retrenchment at night and expansion during the day, result in polygonal surface cracking. Halite, gypsum and aragonite together form some of the key subsurface hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Middle East.

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GEOtube is an innovative structure, which is not constructed typically, but enclosed in a salty skin that grows with water evaporation. It is an incessant development rather than entirely complete. Water evaporation and aggregation of salt mineral deposits changes the tower’s exterior from a transparent mask to a vibrant white vertical plane.

1. Web-like exterior of GEOtube.

2. GEOtube structure at night.

3, 4 & 5. Salt deposit growth system.

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Salt water storage Tank directly under cafe/view deck floor plate.

Salt water flows through vasular pipe distribution system via gravity feed.

Vasular pipe system follows grid of structural lattice. Pipe nozzles mist water onto salt skin surfaces.

Salt water supply pipes to storage tank above.

Floating photovoltaic panels power filtering, pumping and general energy needs.

Basement level salt water filtering and pumping station.

New underground viaduct to supply salt water from nearby persian Gulf to the pond.

17,000 gal open air salt water distillation pond.

GEOtube vasular system

Structural stel tube lattice is sheated with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) to protect against corrosion.

Open-celled fiber reinforced polymer Salt layer is deposited through the mesh serves as substrate surface for natural evaporation of salt water salt deposit. redirected from the gulf shore.

Vascular salt water supply system is attached to outside structural lattice; spray mist is directed at salt layer.

Outside environment

6 m gap between lattice layers

Inside Layer

TECTONIC SYSTEM EXPLODED VIEW

Structural stel tube lattice is sheated with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) to protect against corrosion.

Outside Layer

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The web-like design for GEOtube emerges from tracing the planar surface deformation caused by the large wind tube openings; thus, creating an exceedingly superfluous structural lattice made of two layers per wall.

Layers are interlinked with lateral structural bracing through wind tubes. The structural lattice is created with steel tubes that differ in diameter, relative to the overall member length. These tubes are covered with Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) to guard against salt corrosion. The 1m deep outdoor saltwater sanitization pond can hold up to 17,000cu.m of water, over which photovoltaic panels, 3m in diameter, float through a custom pontoon system. The total photovoltaic surface area is 2,041sqm.

Photovoltaic pads are fixed to the bottom of pond with adequate slack that allows random clustering. The panels are wired to the energy grid through a tethered conduit. A prototype lattice surface is washed with a saline solution and then dried. The process of repeated evaporation and washing brings out a solid salt skin formation. Thus, the structure never seems to lose its sheen with natural elements contributing significantly in its formation.

GEOtube will receive salt water through a new 4.62km buried pipeline. Salt water will be purified on site to enhance salinity levels before it reaches the tower’s surface. Water evaporation happens under atmospheric temperatures that range between 24°C in winter to more than 41°C in summer, which saturates seawater onto the skin mesh. Also, prevailing on-shore northwesterly

winds, Shama during the day and offshore southeasterly winds during the night helps evaporation.

Although, regional rain showers are minimal, they aid in cleansing loose particles from the developing salt skin. Annual sandstorms, Al-Haffar, Barih Thorayya, Al-Dabaran etc. also play an important role in scrubbing down rough edges and loose particles. Apart from natural forces, the salt skin requires basic human maintenance like other huge structures. GEOtube extends Zabeel Park skyward and globally broadcasts Dubai’s pioneering integration with its natural surroundings.

6. Salt and mineral deposits on the structural lattice.

FACT FILE: Location Architect Team Associates Team Assistants Year of Proposal Completion Client

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Zabeel Park, Dubai Thom Faulders Jason Chang and Charles Lee Devin Rutz and Scott Blew 2009 International Competition sponsored by ThyssenKrupp Elevator Co.

IA&B - APR 2010

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product design

Transparent Virtuality

The art of lighting is an elusive science. With a unique ability to shape our vision and the world around us, lighting in architecture plays a pivotal role in determining the beauty and functionality of a surrounding as well as space. Presenting, with the help of case studies, the latest innovations and future trends in the field of illumination.

Text: Sharlene D’Souza Photographs: courtesy the architects

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“Architecture is the wise, correct and magnificent play of volumes collected together under the light”.

— Le Corbusier

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ight is an ever changing quality in architecture. The relationship between light and architecture occurs inevitably; sometimes consciously, other times unconsciously. It is almost impossible to imagine the works of the grand maestros without establishing a masterly relationship with light. Depending on how it is used, light can transform the spatial context, creating agreeable or disagreeable, sublime or mysterious sensations, the sensations of enlarging a space or making it smaller, or simply highlighting aspects of the space that interest us. And above all, it makes the space more agreeable, more comfortable, more habitable and more visible. As with good architecture, good lighting—illuminates, clarifies, stimulates; while bad lighting, dazzles, confuses and causes weariness. The choice of building materials and the location of sources of light can transform a finished space, altering the image of how it is perceived. There are times when illusionary effects of space and light are so subtle and so intriguing that they create pleasant vision for the perceptive eye.

Over the years the trend in the lighting design is being focused more on eco-friendly solutions and using recyclable materials to create innovative lighting products. The green lighting movement will be the anthem for the coming year, with more emphasis towards energy efficient lighting.

Digital Wallpaper The office of event agency, Büro Hirzberger, Vienna, just like everyone else, wanted their wallpaper to be something more than ordinary. And stand apart their wallpaper did! Strukt Design Studio realised a unique digital wallpaper for the office space, using only digital projectors. In this self-initiated project, Strukt was given complete creative freedom by the client and developed a system to project video and real time content, undistorted, onto any surface. The designers created the digital wallpaper by mounting multiple projectors to the ceiling and using tricky geometry mapping or ‘deskewing’ to map the projectors to the shape of the room. The program developed by Strukt is scripted in vvvv and is scaleable to any number of projectors and any architectural shape. Several different visualisations have been realised already, amongst it a Pac Man animation as well as moving stripes, with more in development. The content could also be made interactive, reacting to people passing the ground-floor offices. The beautifully simplistic stripes are elegantly realised to create a truly awe-inspiring visual. The black and white striped walls come alive through illuminated moving stripes and even Pac Man animation that recognises success with a ‘Mission Complete’ banner over a flashing, colour-changing wall.

1 & 2. The designers created the digital wallpaper by mounting multiple projectors to the ceiling and using tricky geometry mapping.

3 & 4. Panels will remain lit in abusive environments, withstanding piercing, abrasion, twisting and compression.

56 Superflex We have seen the future of lighting and it is called Superflex. Crosslink has developed a kind of material that can effectively offer almost any object and has the ability to become a light source. SuperFlex is a lightweight, crushable, durable electroluminescent (EL) lighting technology and can be exploited to light in both the visible and near-infrared (NIR) spectrums regardless of the twisted or tattered images. This breakthrough technology will be first used for military purpose in the form of softwall shelters where the lighting system is semi-permanently attached to the inner side of the shelter.

Its distinctive, ultra flexible nature makes SuperFlex technology highly adaptable to daily needs and requirements. Because SuperFlex is a customisable set of inks based on conductive polymers, it can be integrated with a variety of materials. From textiles and composites to plastics and metals—no other alternative technology is this adaptable. SuperFlex inks are applied to substrates as coatings through traditional printing processes, such as screen-printing. A few key benefits of Superflex

Durability: SuperFlex is crushable, able to withstand more than 100 crush cycles in the Gelbo flex test. Panels will remain lit in abusive environments, withstanding piercing, abrasion, twisting and compression. SuperFlex often outlasts the substrates or material it is applied to.

Variety: SuperFlex can be customised to fit any colour and size. Specific colours, including white, blue and green, can be engineered for function, safety, style and integration with graphical overlays. Materials as small as a cell phone button or as large as a billboard can be coated with Superflex.

Bright: SuperFlex can be used to create soft white, solid-state lighting, bright enough for use in a variety of areas from shelters, tents and stairways to the insides of automobiles, aircraft and living rooms. SuperFlex technology creates a uniformly diffuse light source rather than ‘point sources’ of light, therefore SuperFlex can be used to create large area lightemitting surfaces.

Cool: SuperFlex is cool to the touch and flame resistant. It has zero heat emissions so it’s easy to handle and can be packed up quickly.

© Crosslink

© Crosslink

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Greenhouse Green living has become a way of life for many people, especially New Yorkers. New York is now home to the Greenhouse Nightclub; a spot that has club-goers sitting on couches made from recyclable material all under LED lighting. Additionally, toilets that flush efficiently, waterless urinals, table service that comes with fresh juices and offers 360 Vodka in reusable bottles and a LEED-approval, give environmentalists, who have stopped partying because the atmosphere has nothing eco-friendly, a reason to put on their dancing shoes.

Antonio Di Oronzo of Bluarch Architecture designed the two-level 6,000sqft club, lounge and event space; he states, “I decided to stay away from recreating a greenhouse and opted to transpose the notion of landscape to an interior space.” He added, “The design concept was to convey the dynamic

richness of nature as a living system.” The walls of this experimental lands connect to the ceiling via a series of laser-cut ribs creating a shelter within the space with a series of 6 inch round panels organised in an amusing pattern. A third of these panels are upholstered with eco-friendly vinyl, one third of them clad in sustainable boxwood. The disk houses also have around 2,500 LED light point of 0.8 watts. These lights are connected to a computer, which will show effects according to music and its beats.

Another unique thing is the ceiling that is an organic formation of 40mm crystals representing a body of water about to project onto the ground. The crystals slightly vibrate with the music and respond to the green lasers and the LED on the walls and ceiling. Greenhouse has already been host to celebrities like U2, Al Gore, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Jodie Foster, Benicio Del Toro amongst others. With two floors and two separate sound systems, Greenhouse offers multiple VIP sections a raised performance stage and backstage section.

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© Bluarch Architecture

5. The walls connect to the ceiling via a series of laser-cut ribs creating a shelter within the space with a series of 6 inch round panels organised in an amusing pattern.

6 & 7. A third of these panels are upholstered with eco-friendly vinyl, one third of them clad in sustainable boxwood.

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© Bluarch Architecture

© Bluarch Architecture

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59 IA&B - APR 2010

post event

Infrastructure is not the last area one develops in an era of great economic progress. It is, at the very least and essential part and Without initiative, leaders are simply workers; genius is initiative on fire. often a prior condition for great transformation. Building world-class infrastructure is a very tall order for any country to fulfill and involves a multitude of complexities, which can be quite overwhelming. And architecture & infrastructure industry’s role in this aspect is of prime importance. Design empowers the very essence of infrastructure and the lifestyles it caters to.

The initiative, Masterstrokes: the Icon Exhibition, was inspired by the ambition to create an exchange platform for local professionals to get global perspective in terms of architecture and engineering. This platform was further extended to encompass a fleet of virtual enthusiasts with online events.

After showcasing seven global benchmarks under this platform, we are taking a ‘look back’ at the events.

60 THE WORKS OF CUTTING EDGE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING FIRM

BURO HAPPOLD MARCH 2010, NEW DELHI Essar Steel Masterstrokes: The Icon Exhibition showcased the works of cutting edge structural engineering consultancy Buro Happold at the Stainless Gallery, New Delhi from March 25th to 27th, 2010. Buro Happold, the third largest construction and engineering firm in the world, is internationally renowned for cultural, educational, rail and regeneration projects. The exhibition was inaugurated with a special preview at the gallery on 24th March 2010. The inaugural speech was given by Steve Brown, Senior Principal, Buro Happold, UK and J. Mehra, Director, Essar Steel Business Group. The exhibition held over a period of three days saw more than 1000 visitors, including professionals, students and academicians from all over the country. The display included 15 panels rendered with drawings, details and descriptions of the firm’s most iconic projects. The exhibition enthralled the audience with a digital coverage of the firm’s working and detailed walkthroughs. The event acted as a platform for an interactive catalyst to highlight the global empowerment of infrastructure.

All Photographs: © IA&B

1. Welcoming panels at Essar Steel Masterstrokes: The Icon Exhibition.

2. Steve Brown, Sr. Principal, Buro Happold, addressing the packed gathering at the preview night.

3. The panels displayed at the exhibition.

4. The panels briefing the visitors about the projects in various infrastructure sectors worked on by Buro Happold.

5. Louvre, Abu Dhabi provides an inspiring, high-quality space for stunning works of art from around the world.

6. The massive 245,000sqm mixed-use Al Faisaliah development in Riyadh is without doubt one of the most striking buildings in the Middle East.

7. Glasgow’s new Museum of Transport combines stunning design with desire to encourage inclusion and accessibility.

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“Engineering takes scientific and traditional knowledge of the physical and human environment, together with an understanding of construction methods. It is about economy and value.”

Scott Brown, Principal, Buro Happold

ABOUT BURO HAPPOLD Buro Happold is among the top three largest structural engineering firms in the world, providing engineering consultancy, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of buildings, infrastructure and the environment. It was founded in 1976, by Sir Edmund Happold in Bath, southwest England, when he left Ove Arup and Partners to take up a post at the University of Bath as Professor of Architecture and Engineering Design.

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As one of the world’s most dynamic multi-disciplinary engineering consultancies, Buro Happold continually investigates new methods of construction, new materials and new thinking.

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THE WORKS OF LEGEND ARCHITECT

RICHARD MEIER FEBRUARY 2010, MUMBAI

Essar Steel Masterstrokes: The Icon Exhibition organised a four day exhibition featuring the works of Pritzker laureate Richard Meier at Sir J.J. College of Architecture, Mumbai. It coincided with the centennial celebration of the eminent college. The inauguration along with a special preview was held at the college on 16th February 2010.

The event attracted professionals, students and academicians from across the country. Two lectures were organised on the 17th and 18th Feb at the NCPA theatre, Mumbai for professionals and students respectively. Over the period of four days more than 2,500 visitors, including professionals from the AEC industry, students and academicians, visited the exhibition. 12 panels showcasing eleven of Meier’s prominent projects like Perry Street, Malibu Beach House, Jubilee Church, ARP Museum etc. and four project models were exhibited. The event provided an

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opportunity for professionals and students to admire and learn from the master.

All Photographs: Š IA&B

8. (from right to left) Rajeev Mishra, Principal, Sir J J College of Architecture; Rajesh Tope, Minister of Higher & Technical Education, Maharashtra; Scott Johnson, Partner, Richard Meier & Partners Architects LLP and Shekar Ganti, Ganti + Associates lighting the lamp thereby inaugurating the exhibition.

9.View of the podium.

10. Scott Johnson, Partner, Richard Meier & Partners Architects LLP, addressing the audience.

11. Scott Johnson, Partner, Richard Meier & Partners Architects LLP, explaining the panels and models of their work to Rajesh Tope, Minister of Higher & Technical Education, Maharashtra.

12. The time line panel marked the pathway to the exhibition hall.

13. The exhibition showcased 11 prolific projects of Richard.

14. The pristine white model of Jubilee Church.

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“We are all affected by Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Alvar Aalto, and Mies van der Rohe. But no less than Bramante, Borromini, and Bernini. Architecture is a tradition, a long continuum. Whether we break with tradition or enhance it, we are still connected to that past. We evolve.”

Richard Meier, Principal, Richard Meier & Partners Architects LLP ABOUT RICHARD MEIER

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Richard Meier received his architectural training at Cornell University and established his own office in New York in 1963. His practice has included major civic commissions in the United States, Europe and Asia, including courthouses and city halls, museums, corporate headquarters and housing and private residences. Among his most well-known projects are The Getty Center in Los Angeles; the Jubilee Church in Rome, Italy; the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia; the Museum for the Decorative Arts in Frankfurt, Germany; the Canal+ Television Headquarters in Paris, France and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona, Spain.

A common theme runs through Richard Meier’s striking, white designs.

The sleek porcelain-enameled cladding and stark glass forms have been described as ‘purist,’ ‘sculptural,’ and ‘Neo-Corbusian’. His works are characterized by their rationalism, their rather detached purity and their large expanses of reticulated forms masterfully articulating voids and solids. An architect obsessed with visual effects, Meier is known for such large-scale projects as the Getty Center in Los Angeles.

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64 THE ARCHITECTURE OF PRITZKER LAUREATE

FUMIHIKO MAKI MARCH 2009, MUMBAI

This was the first-ever exhibition by an international master architect, in India.

The 69 panels presented aimed to capture the iconic imagery of Fumihiko Maki, who has inspired generations of designers, from his firm’s inception in 1965 till date.

The exhibition was inaugurated on 19th March 2009 with a preview at Hotel Rang Sharda, Mumbai. More than 2000 visitors from various parts of the country and the AEC industries came to see the showcase of 12 projects that included Hillside Terrace, Novartis, Kirishima, Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo, Washington University in St. Louis, Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, Mihara Performing Arts Centre, the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, World Trade Centre Tower 4 - 150 Greenwich Street, Floating PAvilion, Tokyo Church of Christ, were some of the projects showcased at the exhibition. These were supported by streaming videos that became walkthroughs, animating the projects into reality.

All Photographs: Š IA&B

15. Fumihiko Maki lighting the lamp along with Vikram Amin of Essar Steel and Jasu Shah of Jasubhai Publications.

16,17&18. The exhibition set-up of models and panels with project presentations.

19. The humanised spaces at the Hillside Terrace Apartment Complex.

20. Floating Pavillion, the Netherlands.

21. Mihara Centre for Performing Arts.

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“...the urban designer stands between technology and human need and seeks to make the first a servant, for the second must be paramount in a civilised world.”

Fumihiko Maki, Principal, Maki & Associates ABOUT FUMIHIKO MAKI Architect Fumihiko Maki became prominent in the 1960s, a period of growth and vibrancy for Japanese architecture.

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Although still identified with the classic modernism of the international style, Maki moved on to create more complicated and ambiguous buildings that relate to the contemporary movement known as ‘deconstruction’.

Fumihiko Maki was born in Tokyo (1928) and raised there. After graduating from the University of Tokyo in 1952 with a degree in Architecture, Maki pursued graduate work in the United States. He studied at Michigan’s Cranbrook Academy and at Harvard University, where he received a Masters degree from the Graduate School of Design. After completing his formal education, in the mid-1950s, Maki worked first as a designer for the large and successful commercial firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill in New York and then went onto teach at various academic institutions, including Washington University (St. Louis, MO), Harvard University and the University of Tokyo. About his desire to build, he remarked: “I do not want to put my thoughts only on the level of drawings and models. I am a fairly pragmatic sort of practitioner and I want to express these thoughts in real buildings.”

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HANI RASHID AUGUST 2009, ONLINE @ www.aecworldxp.com

Hani Rashid co-founded the award-winning, New York-based practice Asymptote Architecture with Lise Anne Couture in 1989. Asymptote has consistently been at the forefront of technological innovation in the field of architecture and design and garnered praise for visionary building designs, master plans, digital environments and art installations as well as exhibition and product design.

At the online Masterstrokes: The Icon Exhibition, Rashid, showcased his most prominent works and talked about his vision and mission.

All Photographs: © Asymptote Architecture

22. Screenshot.

23. World Business Centre Solomon Tower - the building’s composition was inspired by Busan’s dramatic skyline.

24. Dubai International Financial Centre Central Tower is a powerful, tectonic statement tailored for world’s most dynamic city.

25. Guggenheim Contemporary Art Pavilion - state-of-the-art building with a high performance building envelope lends powerful tectonic elegance.

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“ I am committed to the idea that architecture as a social art and science is above all a driver of cultures and people’s aspirations for their cities and sense of place.I also adhere to a belief that beauty, elegance, intelligence and perfection ( flawed or otherwise) are the harbingers of possibility, change and dignity in the built-environment.”

Hani Rashid, Principal & Founder, Asymotote ABOUT HANI RASHID New York based firm Asymptote is owned by the digital design master, Hani Rashid.

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The inspiration for Asymptote’s works comes from concepts informed by cultural, technological and social dimensions and a global perspective. The firm believes that architecture and urbanism can successfully achieve specific project and client goals while creating meaningful experiences to a large and diverse audience.

Asymptote is constantly seeking cutting edge materials, technologies and techniques for its projects as well as innovative approaches to issues concerning sustainability and the environment. Asymptote also believes that collaboration is the engine that drives creative solutions and fosters a team-based approach that supports this process.

Asymptote’s design approach is based on exceptional model for environmental quality and sustainability. In a rapidly changing world, Asymptote believes in using knowledge acquired through experience and research along with critical thinking to spawn inspiring architects and urbanism that brings new experiences and meaning to life today and propels us into the future.

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DR. KEN YEANG SEPTEMBER 2009, ONLINE @ www.aecworldxp.com

Dr. Ken Yeang, the Malaysian architect and ecologist who has been designing ecological, bioclimatic and energy efficient architecture for 40 years showcased his most profilic works on Masterstrokes: The Icon Exhibition online. The exhibition becomes a platform for Ken Yeang’s ongoing quest for ecological architecture.

All Photographs: Š TR Hamzah & Yeang Sdn. Bhd

26. Screenshot of Masterstrokes: The Icon Exhibition online showcasing Dr Ken Yeang.

27. Digi Technology Operation centre - the facades are designed with vertical green walls that act as living walls.

28. Solaris stands as a dramatic demonstration of the possibilities inherent in an ecological approach to building design.

29. SOMA - mixed use development in Bangalore.

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“Saving our environment is the most vital issue that humankind must address today leading into our fears that this millennium may be our last.”

Dr. Ken Yeang, Principal, TR Hamzah & Yeang Sdn. Bhd ABOUT DR. KEN YEANG

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Dr. Ken Yeang is the world’s leading architect in ecological design and passive low energy design. An architect-planner, ecologist and author, he is best known for his signature, innovative green buildings and master plans. He is regarded as one of the foremost designers and noted authority on ecologically-responsive architecture and planning.

Dr. Yeang pioneered the passive low-energy design of tall buildings, which he calls the ‘bioclimatic skyscraper’. His contribution to leading edge and sustainable design extends far beyond landmark buildings. His thinking infuses peer group discussions on building form and disposition of the public realm through the objectives of sustainability. Dr. Yeang has received numerous awards for his work and designs, including the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, the RAIA International Award, the Prinz Claus Award and UIA August Perret Award, amongst others.

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STEFAN BEHNISCH OCTOBER 2009, ONLINE @ www.aecworldxp.com

The advocate of green design, Stefan Behnisch, used the Masterstrokes: The Icon Exhibition, platform to showcase his successful experiments in ecological design. As an architect who belives in making the buildings people as well as environment friendly, Stefan shares his experience, his vision and how his firm in collaboration with Transolar Engineering are creating evolutionary designs.

Photograph: Š Frank Ockert

30. Screenshot of Behnisch Architekten - Stefan with his team.

31. Office building for state insurance comapny - LVA. 32. Haus im Haus level 2, Bridge to Albert-Schaefer-Saal with view into exhibition.

33. Genzyme Centre’s natural light enhancement system brings natural light in through a series of roof-mounted heliostats (also known as mirrors) that are completely automated and track the movement of the sun across the sky.

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Photograph: © Anton Grassl

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“ We, as architects, are driven by the belief that our surroundings directly influence the quality of our lives, whether in the work place, at home or in the public spaces in between.”

Stefan Behnisch, Principal, Behnisch Architekten ABOUT STEFAN BEHNISCH Since founding the office of Behnisch & Partner Büro Innenstadt, 1989, Stefan Behnisch has directed the design of dynamic, award-winning buildings that promote sustainability within the built environment. His approach to sustainable architecture is highly acknowledged in Europe and worldwide. Prestigious institutions and industry organisations alike have honoured his buildings.

Photograph: © Juergen Landes

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Photograph: © Anton Grassl

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With a design portfolio that includes public buildings, sports facilities, offices, schools and museums, Behnisch oversees a wide range of global projects at all scales, striving to design inclusive buildings that provide maximum benefit to the community as a whole. Stefan Behnisch has been an advocate and educator of sustainable building design and other design-related topics. Behnisch has previously served as a Visiting Lecturer at University of Stuttgart and as an External Examiner at the University of Portsmouth, UK and at Bergen Architecture School, Norway. In 2001, he was a guest professor at the University of Texas in Austin. Behnisch is a frequent lecturer who speaks frequently to public and professional audiences. He has been awarded numerous design honours and was recently designated an ‘Environmental Champion’ by EnvironDesign Journal and Interiors & Sources. Stefan Behnisch is known for creating unique, high-performance structures and it is his reputation for smart, sustainable design that helped edge him over a very competitive field.

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PLASMA STUDIO NOVEMBER 2009, ONLINE @ www.aecworldxp.com

Plasma Studio best known for its architectural use of form and geometry shocased their projects which covered the realms of technology, sustainability and collaboration.

All Photographs: Š Plasma Studio

34. Screenshot of three principals of Plasma Studio - Eva Castro Iraola, Holger Kehne and Ulla Hell.

35. 3G - Extension Gallery installation - makes visitors discover the existing space in a new way.

36. Strata Hotel - The geometry of the timber sticks form a virtual volume that connects the building with the landscape.

37. Hotel Puerta America - entirely made from stainless steel, the trembling surfaces of the corridor deflect the coloured light seams that gradually change along the trajectory.

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“Shifts, folds and bends create surface continuities that are never arbitrary but part of the spatial and structural organisation; this reflects in form & geometry.”

Plasma Studio ABOUT PLASMA STUDIO Founded in 1999, Plasma Studio is a progressive architecture and design practice based in London, Bolzano, Italy and China. Partners Eva Castro and Holger Kehne combine academic research - as Unit Master and graduate school Programme Director at the Architectural Association – with the uncompromising implementation of high-quality residential, commercial, cultural and leisure projects. Furthermore, in collaboration with its affiliated sister company GroundLab, Plasma works on masterplanning, urban and landscape design projects.

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Plasma Studio seeks to move beyond the uniformity, repetition, standardisation and strict determination of space and programme that too often holds back the true value of a project. The studio proceeds through a thorough process of analysing and processing existing conditions, functional and programmatic demands. These become fully integrated into the subsequent design process and form a rock-solid foundation to the different, complex and exciting spatial experiences that are the studio’s trademark. Plasma’s projects aim to appeal to all the senses by framing the dynamics of daily life such as peoples’ activities, light and weather. Spatially, haptically and sensorially the studio develops continuities and multiple relationships that are able to respond to future changes.

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honour

S p a t i a l

E v o l u t i o n

© Hisao Suzuki

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The most coveted prize in the field of architecture—the Pritzker Award for 2010 has been awarded to Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA. Their modernist architectural philosophy emulates the ‘less is more’ maxim to the most intensely rigorous de-materialisation, resulting in some of the most stunning buildings of the century.

Text: Hema Yadav Photographs: courtesy the architects and the Pritzker Foundation

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azuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa have an architectural approach oriented towards the ar tificial and abstract. The duo has evolved from an inconspicuous Japanese firm to a highly reputed and successful international practice. The architectural firm was established in 1995, through Sejima’s collaboration with her formal employee Nishizawa. An alumnus of Japan Women’s University, Sejima worked for the celebrated architect Toyo Ito before launching her own practice in 1987. Nishizawa studied architecture at Yokohama National University and, in addition to his work with Sejima, has maintained an independent practice, Office of Ryue Nisizawa, since 1997. Together they have been awarded many prizes such as the ‘Gold Lion’ at Venice Biennale (2004) and the ‘Arnold Brunner Memorial’ medal of the American Academy of Ar ts and Letters (2002). Their

firm, Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates (SANAA) is renowned for designing power ful, minimalist buildings using common, ever yday materials. In recent years, SANAA has enjoyed growing foreign attention, resulting in several international projects in Asia, Europe and the U.S. Their reper toires of acclaimed works include the Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Ar t in Toledo, Ohio; the addition and renovation to the Valencia Institute of Modern Ar t (IVAM) in Valencia, Spain; the Zollverein School of Management and Design, Essen, Germany; the Novar tis Office Building, Basel, Switzerland; EPFL Learning Centre, Lausanne, Switzerland, the New Museum of Contemporar y Ar t, New York and the Louvre Annex, Lens, France.

They gained critical and worldwide recognition for their first project in the U.S., the single -storey galler y holding the glass collection

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2 of the Toledo Museum of Ar t, Ohio. The ex tensive use of glass caused the structure to resemble Philip Johnson’s famous Glass House, in its exhaustive use of the material. However contrar y to Johnson’s house, where only the ex terior walls are transparent, the pavilion also includes interior glass walls that create a complicated exercise in reflection and transparency. These buildings typify the par ticularly expressive, while still tightly disciplined minimalism marks out SANAA’s evolving style.

Their signature style embraces qualities of light, transparency and openness. Their projects like the Centur y Museum of Contemporar y Ar t In Kanazawa, Japan; the New Museum in New York; the Serpentine

© 2009 Kazuyo Sejima & Ryue Nishizawa SANAA, Iwan Baan

Pavilion, UK, reflect the alchemy of architecture in their subtlety, warmth, lightness and reverence for the human scale. Luminous and deceptively simple, the works by the architects are sophisticated in its treatment of complex detail, while fluid in non-hierarchical spaces. The architecture of SANAA amalgamates complexities within deceptively simple appearances. It has many elements that are difficult to understand unless actually ‘experienced’. All their works are underlined by an intense relationship of the indoor spaces with the natural environment.

Their inventive use of ex terior façades as permeable membranes establish subtle but provocative relationships between interior

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© 2009 Kazuyo Sejima & Ryue Nishizawa SANAA, Iwan Baan

and ex terior, individual and community and the realms of public and private experience. Their New Museum of Contemporar y Ar t, New York, is notable for its sensitive exploration of the relationship between ar t, architecture and those who inhabit them. According to SANAA’s philosophy, the ex terior of a building is to mirror its interior. The asymmetrical stacking of the boxes in the museum provides maximum flexibility, while lending the individual exhibition rooms a sense of definition—a quality that the museum sought.

Most of their projects are driven by planning through dimensional organisation. Their architecture creates a continuous evolution of a spatial functions rather than defining more static and permanent uses. Although the firm adopts a formal style, at times it reveals a

1. The Ogasawara Museum (O-Museum), Japan, is one of the earliest collaborations by architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa.

2. Glass Museum, Toledo Museum of Art - each space is enclosed in clear glass, resulting in cavity walls that act as buffer zones between different climates; museum exhibition spaces, the glass making hot-shop, and the outdoors.

3. The Serpentine Gallery Pavilion.

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© Hisao Suzuki

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© Hisao Suzuki

thematic consistency that transcends site and program. They mould their each project to cater to different requirements of the site and its environment.

4. The architects designed the Dior building in Tokyo with floors of variable heights, to maximise space.

5. The circular 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Japan, has central exhibition spaces surrounded by areas of municipal services.

6. The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, is a high-rise exhibition.

7. The Zollverein School of Management and Design, Germany, is an architectural celebration of the cube. space, designed with staggered floors to maximise space.

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Admirers of masters like Le Corbusier, Mies Van der Rohe and Oscar Niemeyer, the architecture of SANAA can be appreciated as original, establishing subtle relationships between public and private, interior and exterior and individual and community; dimensional organisation driven by constant planning; while being aesthetically luminous and minimal.

The Rolex Learning Centre in Switzerland is testimonial of their minimalist architecture. Built on the EPFL campus, the Rolex Learning Centre is a vast undulating open-space, 166m x 120m, that organically welcomes the public from the inside courtyards, then ushers them through its inner topography of slopes and terraces that mimic the Swiss landscape along Lake Geneva. Though not attempting to directly add Japanese influences into their architectural endeavours, it is evident in many of their works that there is a certain traditional Japanese element present. Kazuyo Seijima and Ryue Nishizawa’s ability to evidently project a traditional Japan into their modern works have made them known the world over. This can also be seen in their private homes, where clarity, purity and whiteness are the main obvious characteristic but the directness, simplicity and playfulness are the interesting aspects. Their publication SANAA Houses: Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa features prominent houses by them like House

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© Hisao Suzuki

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© Hisao Suzuki

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A, S House, House in a Plum Grove, Small House and Moriyama House, Flower House, Garden & House, Seijo Apartments, Ichikawa Apartments, House in China and Eda Apartments. The ‘representations’ of their architectural works incorporates ambiguity and chronological elements.

Their projects have a very distinct character and their architectural language is rooted in Japanese architecture, which the partners have further developed for specific uses. This characteristic makes SANAA one of the most innovative offices in the current architectural panorama.

Their 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Japan is another masterpiece which exhibits their contemporary style. Their intricate use of variation, unevenness, and off-centeredness emphasises the relationship of architectural elements not as discrete entities along a single axis, but rather how they relate to one another.

The Pritzker jury in their decision-making, laid special emphasis on projects like the Glass Pavilion, USA; the New Museum, USA; the OMuseum in Nagano and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa. The jury citation stated: “The architecture of Sejima and Nishizawa explores the ideas of lightness and transparency and pushes the boundaries of these concepts to new extremes. There is no consistency of style in projects of SANAA, they differ from one another in terms of magnitude, approach and execution. The only thread connecting all their creative endeavours is their unfailing imagination.

© Hisao Suzuki

8. The Rolex Learning Centre is a vast complex with a library, a centre for language studies, offices, a cafeteria, a restaurant and a lobby.

9. Interior view of O-Museum in Japan.

10. For the design of Glass Museum, Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio, the architects conceived a single-story plan based on a grid of interlocking glass rectangles.

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Jury’s Citation

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© Hisao Suzuki Ryue Nishizawa and Kazuyo Sejima

For more than 15 years, architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa have worked together in the collaborative partnership, SANAA, where it is virtually impossible to untangle which individual is responsible for what aspect of a particular project. Each building is ultimately a work that comes from the union of their two minds. The buildings by Sejima and Nishizawa seem deceptively simple. The architects hold a vision of a building as a seamless whole, where the physical presence retreats and forms a sensuous background for people, objects, activities and landscapes. They explore like few others the phenomenal properties of continuous space, lightness, transparency and materiality to create a subtle synthesis.

buildings according to the task and budget at hand. One example is the Almere project in the Netherlands, with its many simple classrooms and workshops, all presenting privileged views of the sea. Another example is the Rolex Learning Centre in Lausanne, a space to be used by students day and night. Sejima and Nishizawa originally conceived it as a multi-storey building; but, in the course of their deliberation, it became a single yet vast, flowing space. The building’s many spaces (library, restaurant, exhibition areas, offices etc.) are differentiated not by walls but by undulations of a continuous floor, which rises and falls to accommodate the different uses, while allowing vistas across this internal ‘landscape for people’.

Sejima and Nishizawa’s architecture stands in direct contrast to the bombastic and rhetorical. Instead, they seek the essential qualities of architecture that result in a much-appreciated straightforwardness, economy of means and restraint in their work. This economy of means, however, does not become a simple reductive operation in the architects’ hands. Instead, it is an intense and rigorous investigation anchored in hard work and steely determination. It is a constant process of refinement, where each client’s program is fully investigated and multiple design possibilities are explored through numerous drawings and models that verify every alternative. Ideas are considered and discarded, reconsidered and reworked, until only the essential qualities of a design remain. The result is a deft union of structure and organisation, of logical purpose and precise beauty.

It may be tempting to view Sejima and Nishizawa’s refined compositions of lightness and transparency as elitist or rarefied; on the contrary, their aesthetic is one of inclusion. Their approach is fresh, always offering new possibilities within the normal constraints of an architectural project as it systematically takes the next step. They use common, everyday materials while remaining attuned to the possibilities of contemporary technology; their understanding of space does not reproduce conventional models. They often opt for non-hierarchical spaces, or in their own words, ‘the equivalence of spaces,’ creating unpretentious, democratic

The relation of the building to its context is of utmost importance to Sejima and Nishizawa. They have called public buildings ‘mountains in the landscape,’ believing that they should never lose natural and meaningful connection with their surroundings. The New Museum in New York feels at home in the rough Bowery area of the city. Their glass-enclosed museums, such as the Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, blur the borders between inside and out, providing direct and changing views to the surroundings. While Sejima and Nishizawa have not published theoretical treatises to date, they are cerebral architects, whose work is based on rigorous investigation and guided by strong and clearly defined concepts. The appointment of Kazuyo Sejima as the director of the 2010 Venice Architecture Biennale is a tribute to this.

For architecture that is simultaneously delicate and powerful, precise and fluid, ingenious but not overly or overtly clever; for the creation of buildings that successfully interact with their contexts and the activities they contain, creating a sense of fullness and experiential richness; for a singular architectural language that springs from a collaborative process that is both unique and inspirational; for their notable completed buildings and the promise of new projects together, Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa are the recipients of the 2010 Pritzker Architecture Prize.

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architecture

Expressive Allegories

The work of Mumbai-based Malik Architecture conceals as much as it reveals, leaving the door open for further interpretation. Featured here are four of their recent projects, which demonstrate their preoccupation with developing simple metaphors in architecture, minus concepts and theories.

Text: Amrita Ravimohan Photographs: courtesy Bharath Ramamrutham Drawings: courtesy the architects

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he apparent simplicity in the works of Malik Architecture comes not from naiveté but from the absence of highbrow intellectual and conceptual theories in their design philosophy. Their endeavour to marr y the logical with intangible aspects of architecture is perennially present and manifests both in their architectural and interior projects. In the architectural projects featured here, Ishanya (the Design and Retail Centre for the Construction Industr y, Pune) and the Altana Research and Development Centre (a research park for a pharmaceutical company, Mumbai), cer tain common threads can be traced: the preoccupation with developing fluid interior- ex terior relationships and the use of water bodies as tools for reflection and

creating serenity. The interior projects featured – the NDTV studios and office and the corporate office of IDFC Bank – display a rigorous dedication towards fulfilling the client brief without compromise.

The proclivity to blur the lines between architecture and interiors and their understated holistic approach to corporate design is apparent, right down to the resolution and detailing of the design.

The allegories used are expressed subtly and in an uncomplicated manner, firmly but not loudly, which enables the visitors/viewers an openness in understanding. Thus, there is room for reinterpretation with ever y visit and ever y reading – layers waiting to be peeled back and revealed, experienced and enjoyed.

A view down the central spine of the Ishanya complex.

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A SPACE FOR DIALOGUE – ISHANYA, INTERNATIONAL DESIGN AND RETAIL CENTRE FOR THE CONSTRUC TION INDUSTRY According to the architects, Ishanya was born out of the need to create a habitat and meeting place for designers from architecture, interiors and engineering disciplines and fine arts. For several years now, a number of Indian design professionals have felt the lack of an integrated product display and design centre of a considerable scale that would comprehensively cover all facets of the building and interiors industry. Situated on a 10acre campus in Pune, Ishanya was conceptualised to overcome this very lacuna.

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The project was developed as a series of diverse spaces, as they would in an urban town-planning scheme, with elements such as a main street, courtyards and water bodies. The massive scale of the complex was broken down using this hierarchy of spaces, the relationship between the human and the street being the most intimate of scales. This was followed by the intermediate scale of the courts and secondary spaces and then the almost industrial scale of the tertiary display spaces.

The design of Ishanya was essentially broken down into six ‘arcade’ components, linked by a circulation spine. This ‘street’ that runs across and around the site was envisioned as a civic space, where interaction with the surrounding landscape is encouraged, instead of an enclosed space cut off from the exterior. Each arcade has one element that renders it distinct from the others, but the overall architectural language and material expression are unifying factors for the entire scheme.

83 The materials used, i.e. concrete, glass and steel were chosen because of their capability of reducing on-site construction time. Steel effortlessly allowed for the large interior spaces to be flexible, as they were to host exhibitions on a regular basis.

Prefabricated steel sections were brought in just before installation, thus also minimising site storage space required. The roofing was designed with special insulation to minimise the heat loads for air-conditioning. Natural light infiltrates through the skylights in the roof. Though Ishanya displays a completely contemporary aesthetic, the logic behind the articulation of its elements finds its genesis in traditional local architecture. For example, the design of the buildings with high walls with distinct fenestrations, grouped in two storey clusters around a courtyard, was influenced by the architecture of the local wadas. The main water body was resolved as a kund or stepwell, which has been reinterpreted as an amphitheatre. In fact, the entire development has been envisaged as a commercial destination by day and a cultural venue in the evening, activated by art galleries and the amphitheatre. At its core, Ishanya strives to create, for all design professionals a dedicated environment simultaneously integrated with commerce. For long, designers have shied away from acknowledging the practical aspect of the profession, concentrating only on the esoteric.

Ventures such as Ishanya flourish in the hope that these two facets can blend together and co-exist, a situation that would be beneficial to both the designers and their clients.

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1. View of the entrance, accentuated by the canopy above.

2. The complex uses completely contemporary materials such as steel and glass to express its architectural idiom.

3. Each of the six arcades has one element that renders it distinct from the others, such as this entrance gateway.

FACT FILE:

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Date of Completion Client Area Location

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February 2007 Deepak Fertilisers 6,00,000sqft Pune

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INTELLIGENTLY SIMPLE – RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CENTRE FOR ALTANA PHARMACEUTICALS A large number of trees on the site, an initial area of concern, were used as the focal point for the design development of the Research and Development Centre for Altana Pharmaceuticals.

Even though as a result the area for building development would be limited, care was taken not to tamper with their root systems by designing the building footprint around them and using eccentric foundations where required.

Furthermore, the site also contained an existing house. The designers toyed with the idea of retaining the house, but eventually decided against it due its inadaptability as a Research 4

& Development Centre. This had several design repercussions: a large area without trees was freed, the built-up area could be maximised by the construction of a basement and a contemporary aesthetic more suited for a lab could be developed.

The entrance, being the point of first contact, was used to create such an impact. During the design process, distinct functional guidelines were drawn and defined: for example, the administration and visitor interaction spaces were located closer to the entrance to increase efficiency and naturally provide a simple yet effective security control system, which was an important requirement.

Common spaces were connected by a large water body and landscaped area, forming the central hub. The orientation of the sun was taken into consideration while developing the various building forms and facades. For instance, deeply recessed windows on the southern façade reduced the sun’s glare and thereby reduced airconditioning loads. On the other hand, the northern and eastern façades had the maximum amount of diffused natural light entering the building, as a way of optimising climatic planning. Additionally, clerestories in the roof allowed northern light to filter into the spaces below. The use of solar energy,

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rainwater harvesting and sewage treatment have also been proposed. The trees were utilised to create a unique interior-exterior relationship in more ways than one. Two varieties of glass were used to establish two distinct relationships with the trees. Clear glass was used in the lobby to allow uninterrupted views of the trees in the courtyard beyond. Blocks facing the court were clad with reflective glass to maintain privacy, while still allowing views into the court. The building faรงades seemingly became fluid, due to the reflections of the trees on the glazed surfaces; a collection of visual patterns on inherently solid surfaces. The designers used previous experience of designing R&D pharmaceutical centres for this particular project, which is evident in the deft handling of the practical facets of the project, such as the layout and infrastructure management. In addition, the intangible aspects of the design, like the play of light and shade and the introduction of reflections by means of the water body, have been given their due emphasis to evolve spaces that are functional yet possess an overriding quality of serenity.

4. The reflections of the trees on the glazed facades create an ever-changing play of light and shade.

5. The common spaces have been connected by a large water body and landscaped area, forming the central hub of the centre.

6. The chosen contemporary aesthetic was developed from the entrance itself, which was the first point of contact.

FACT FILE:

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Date of Completion Client Area Location

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March 2004 Altana Pharma Pvt Ltd 65,000sqft Mumbai

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C U LT U R E C R E AT I O N – N D T V STUDIOS & OFFICE The NDTV studios and office showcase an attempt on the behalf of the architects to go beyond the realm of interior design into interior architecture. This manifests itself in the masses, planes and volumes, which once emboldened by lighting create spaces that have a distinct tectonic quality. The brief was to set up a workspace with an open and interactive environment, one that would aptly reflect the vibrant work culture.

The plan was in the form of a large rectangular plate, with the longer end

bound by a glazed nor thern façade. The two larger studios were situated at either end (i.e., facing east and west) while the open office occupied the linear in-between space.

This allowed for the options of filming either with the backdrop of the city skyline or the office in the background. The open office was designed as a series of hexagonal clusters with the lighting system taking off from this form itself.

Suspended interconnected discs flow organically above, providing indirect illumination onto the workstations below, while aluminium channels geometrically radiate from these discs to provide additional

lighting. The cabins, meeting rooms and conference room line the nor thern façade.

An interesting aspect of the design is the treatment of the staff lockers. Rather than relegate them to back- of-house, they have been fashioned as porous cellular par titions, where the component steel cubes are painted white, red and blue, reinforcing the brand’s signature colours.

This particular project is a typical example of a contemporary corporate environment, perfectly in tune with the creative nature of the occupants’ jobs. Moreover, it reflects an attempt by the designers to imbue a distinct architectural quality to this interior space.

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8 Legends Discription 1. Lift Lobby 2. Reception 3. Waiting 4. Cabin 5. Workstation 6. Meeting Room 7. Cafeteria 8. Pantry 9. AHU 10. Male Toilet 11. Female Toilet 12. Ups 13. Studio 14. Tape Library 15. Editing/Graphics 16. Outdoor Cafeteria 17. PCR 18. Green Room 19. Lockers 20. Engineers & IT 21. VTL Compactor 22. Equipment Room 23. V/O Booth 24. Store Compactor 25. Central Machine 26. Transmission Room 27. Editing Studios 28. Promo Room

7. View of the entrance reception.

8. Staff lockers have been fashioned as porous cellular partitions, where the component steel cubes are painted white, red and blue, thus reinforcing the NDTV’s signature colours.

9. View of the conference room.

10. Suspended interconnected discs flow organically, providing indirect illumination onto the workstations below.

FACT FILE:

Proposed Interiors for NDTV Office at lower Parel, Mumbai

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Date of Completion Client Area Location

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Feb 2009 NDTV 20,000sqft Mumbai

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the floor, walls and ceiling, thus further emphasising the concept of continuity. Simple lines have been articulated in combination with a variety of natural and locally occurring materials that subtly perpetuate the idea of an Indian influence.

space is essentially designed as a backdrop for the art and sculpture on display. For example, the discreet lobby, the first contact point for visitors, exhibits photomontages of images ranging from Fatehpur Sikri to Kanha. The overall impact it creates is quite unlike one conventionally expected from the interiors of the corporate office of a bank.

Two curvilinear spaces punctuate this primarily orthogonal space, which adds an element of interest to what could have been termed as sterile. In fact, the treatment of the entire office is akin to that of a museum or art gallery, where

At the IDFC office, like at the NDTV studios and office, there seems to be little difference between the treatment of architectural and interior spaces and the resultant design is an amalgamation of clean spatial expressions and a simple material palette.

REDEFINING ‘INDIANNESS’ – IDFC BANK CORPORATE OFFICE The brief for the design of the corporate office for IDFC was simple – to provide a contemporary space using contemporary technology, while still retaining an essence of ‘Indianness’. The designers took it upon themselves to avoid interpreting this brief in a literal manner and instead chose to introduce this essence abstractly.

White planes that incline and torque in an attempt to create a sense of flow and movement define the space. Lines of light flow to integrate

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13 11. View of the entrance lobby.

12. Two curvilinear spaces punctuate this primarily orthogonal space, which adds an element of interest to what could have been a sterile space.

13. The space is defined by white planes that incline and torque in an attempt to create a sense of flow and movement.

Legends Discription 1. Lift Lobby 2. Waiting 3. Cabin 4. Workstation 5. Meeting Room 6. Pantry 7. AHU 8. Male Toilet 9. Female Toilet 10. Ups 11. Compactor

FACT FILE: Proposed Interiors for IDFC, BKC | Mumbai

TYPICAL FLOOR PLAN

Date of Completion Client Area Location

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April 2009 IDFC 50,000sqft Mumbai

90 IA&B - APR 2010

Fishy Patterns

Olivomare restaurant in London, designed by Italian architect Pierluigi Piu, uses a peculiar decorative language, referencing the marine world and environment.

Text: Sharlene D’Souza Photographs: © Giorgio Dettori, © Architetto Pierluigi Piu 1

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A never-ending pattern of fish and other aquatic life is what frames the interiors of Olivomare, a restaurant located in Londons Belgravia district.

Olivomare is one of a handful of restaurants owned by the London-based brand Olivo; each having a unique menu. Olivomare offers an exclusive gourmet selection of seafood, which consequently became the main inspiration for its design. Designed by Italian designer Pierluigi Piu, the restaurant encompasses everything that resembles the sea — from a sequence of tubular luminescent tentacles evoking imagery of a stray shoal of jellyfish to sea anemones and cladding charactering sandy beach surfaces, even intricate branches of a coral reef that close in around visitors. Apart from the formal and decorative language adopted with references to the marine world and environment, the dÊcor is also meant to reflect the elegant simplicity of the menu.

Intentionally wanting to discern Olivomare from other stereotypical blue-themed seafood venues, the architect chose to clad the restaurant primarily in white, completely void of blue. A sea of white has been used to enhance and link all the elements together, flooding surrounding parts, from walls to ceiling, from the resin floor to the Corian bar counter. Besides exuding a pristine and contemporary atmosphere, white, working in this environment as an undifferentiated neutral background, intentionally disappoints any predictable expectation for the colour blue.

1. Olivomare, a seafood restaurant in London, uses a peculiar decorative language, drawing references to the sea world and environment. In the picture is the main dining room with a bold accent wall of a condensed school of fish, the pattern inspired by artist Escher. The sequence of tubular luminescent tentacles evoking a stray shoal of jellyfish or sea anemone.

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Males’ and Disableds’ Toilet

Dining Area Toilets’ Lobby Projection of rooflight over

Bar Area

Ladies’ Toilet

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GROUND FLOOR PLAN nr.10 and nr.12 Lower Belgrave street

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Lighting is soft, indirect and ambient, like that of sunlight as seen underwater. Light flows down recessed edges in the ceiling, permeates through an overhead skylight and filters between the tentacle-like ceiling detail.

The most explicit aquatic reference, undoubtedly, is the wide wall in the main dining room. It is completely covered by a large cladding featuring a pattern inspired by the works of the visionary artist M. C. Escher. Each portion of colour is laser cut from of a sheet of opaque laminated plastic and juxtaposed on the vertical surface, exactly as if it were a huge jigsaw puzzle.

2. The modern interior repeatedly uses patterns and textures that reference an underwater seascape. The wall of the lobby uses a white, diamond-shaped partition, reminiscent of fishing nets.

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3. The white wavy relief evokes the sandy surface of the beach when moulded by the wind.

4. Drawing detail of the curved wavy wall.

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The wall of the lobby uses a white, diamond-shaped partition, reminiscent of fishing nets. The small dining room at the rear is flooded by natural light, copiously gushing through a wide skylight in its roof. The cladding of its only continuous wall, which also includes a large curve is characterised by a wavy relief, meant to evoke the sandy surface of a wind-moulded beach. This surface has been finished with a special paint providing a ‘peach skin’ effect (paint ‘Velvet,’ by GA NI Color, Italy). Additionally, to emphasise the sculptural quality this moulding, a continuous linear light has been recessed into a perimetrical gap in the ceiling. Last but not least, the bathroom area reinterprets a coral reef in large, scaled red patterning.

The floor of the whole premise is made of a simple flow of industrial white opaque resin, while the skirting – when not joined to vertical

surfaces through a rising curve – is an ‘L’ shaped aluminium profile, recessed along each wall and step of staircase. This decorative pattern is obtained by engraving a double layer (white and red) of thick opaque laminated plastic glued onto both wall and ceiling; its entanglement, when combined with the ‘hidden’ doors giving access to the toilets, adds a sense of momentary disorientation to its aesthetical surprise.

Inside the toilets, a wide frameless mirror panel, fixed at some distance from the wall, stands above the Corian made sinks and the taps, hiding soap dispensers and electric hand dryers. The shop front has been redesigned in order to match the existing one at the adjacent premises – where the delicatessen shop Olivino, that complements the restaurant, is located

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– and it has been painted aubergine color, so that it can hold a dialogue either with the grey ‘pietra serena’ slabs of the external pavement and with the color scheme of the interiors’ decoration.

Pierluigi thus successfully creates a restaurant which conveys its cuisine range through decorative language with obvious reference — but stands apart from the mediocre representation.

5 & 6. Toilet lobby has an intricate design of the branches of a coral reef.

FACT FILE: Project Location Client Interior design Date of Completion Structural engineer Light consultant

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Olivomare London Mauro Sanna – ‘Oliveto & Olivo’ Ltd Architetto Pierluigi May 2007 Michael Blacker, Michael Blacker Partnership Pedro Gaiolas Pinto, ISOMETRIX

96 IA&B - APR 2010

Beyond the Ordinary An innovation in refurbishment of the Longford Community School

by Jonathan Clark Architects has resulted in an enhanced learning experience.

Text: Hina Nitesh Photographs: courtesy the architects

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“We aim to look beyond the ordinary to produce architecture and interiors that not only meet our clients’ needs and brief but also exceeds their expectations.”

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his principle more or less sums up the design practice of Jonathan Clarke Architects whose remodelling of the Longford Community School in Feltham has resulted in an enhanced learning environment for the students. According to the brief, an existing two-storey structure constructed during the 60s had to be refurbished to accommodate new requirements. These included a library with an auditorium for 50 people on the first floor, two new classrooms and a fitness centre at the ground floor. An extension of 5m to the structure added 200sqm to the 550sqm area of the existing block. Since the renovated part of the building was within the school grounds, not visible from any of the surrounding roads, the local planning authority had no issues with the

planning aspect. Also the buildings around the school are due for demolition; hence, there was minimal local context for reference. The challenge the project posed, was how to bring life to a dull and lifeless brick block. As the client stressed on the use of environment-friendly materials, sustainable timber was used for the structure. The brief also called for custom-designed furniture and fittings to suit the teaching methodology adopted in the school.

The architects decided to create a visually and aesthetically appealing structure that both the students and school staff could feel inspired by.

The result—a colourful timber structure that straddles the end of the block like an articulated three dimensionally layered bookend. The form is inspired by a smaller two-storey plywood study structure that the architects had designed and built for the school’s new Sixth Form Centre. This self-supporting structure was clad with different

shades of coloured laminate. The extension, an elaborated enlargement of this structure, provides a reference between the two buildings and has resulted in the development of an architectural theme for future interventions of the school.

The extension is constructed with laminated veneered lumber panels made by overlapping and laminating 3mm thick veneers of spruce.

The colour-stained Finnish softwood laminated ‘fins’ support the first floor structure and the roof and also act as vertical external solar shading device. These external fins are the principal

1. Aluminium grating between the fins provide solar control as well as structural stiffening to the external members.

2. The vibrant colour palette of timber structure brings life to a dull 60s building.

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elements of the new façade; they sandwich central load-bearing columns and beams in a mortise-and-tenon configuration. The shape of the fins generates a unique rhythm and form.

Their presence also provides protection to the middle ply from weather and potential fire damage. High material strength and small width increments allowed precise design of slender columns and fins.

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Prior to delivery, the fins were bonded to each side of the middle ply; mortises were left open to receive the first floor and roof beams. At the site, individual elements were slotted together on the ground and lifted into place. Steel shoe plates connect to the column base via vertical fin plates, fitted into hidden saw cuts. The columns thus appear to be sitting on a single flat plate.

Between each of the fins is an aluminium grating panel that provides solar control as well as structural stiffening to the external structure. At the rear, timber beams are fixed to a steel frame to retain lateral stability in the existing building.

Behind the structure is a two-storey panel of

glazed curtain wall. The roof is a silver ‘Trespa’ panel clad, timber structure and is designed to give the impression of floating across exposed timber roof beams.

Within the library, deep exposed roof beams protrude through the glazed facade to meet the external columns. Clerestory windows are built into the depth of the roof beams to the rear, where the extension steps over the existing building roof line. Light is offered onto the face grain of the beams and association to the external facade elements is continued internally. At the first floor level, the main floor joists protrude as the tenons of the joint, punctuating the space between the building envelope and external columns.

The new library on the first floor houses an auditorium for 50 people, various seating and standing areas, book shelving and the librarian’s desk. The organically curving blue wall encloses on the inside red carpet clad three level seating; this gives the space an intimate and womb like setting for lectures. Porthole windows of varying

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3. A unique rhythm and form is developed by the shape and colour of the fins, which also act as vertical external solar shading devices.

4. The external fins are the principal elements of the new façade; they sandwich central load-bearing columns and beams in a mortise and tenon style configuration.

sizes puncture the wall allowing views on the outside as well as reinforcing the space as a part of the library. The South interior space, in Eastdeveloped Elevation close conjunction with the school staff, is the product of the ideology that ‘learning methods define the space’. The open-plan library consists of different zones to suit different modes of teaching and learning. It includes areas for group study, teaching and learning, solo studies and also access to computers. The specially designed furniture, including the librarian’s desk, tables, benches and cubes, reflect the teaching ethos of the school. The idea was to design something that was functional as well as different from the standard school furniture. Organically shaped desks are designed for use in study groups with a single computer screen, where a teacher will sit with five students. The centrally placed oval shaped tables have been built in place to disguise the series of existing double concrete columns that run down the centre of the space. These tables are to be used as computer stations and have been installed at a higher level so that the students stand while using them, encouraging

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100 more interaction. Away from the glazing and with views of the playground are four long tables with fixed benches. These are designed to seat 8–10 students for individual study. The librarian’s desk is curved to mirror the auditorium and orientated to have a view of the entire space.

Some pieces, like the cube mountain – built up of a series of both fixed and mobile bright red carpet-clad cubes, though quite experimental have succeeded in stimulating the students’ interest. Students can sit on these cubes at different levels and orientations for studying or teaching. These can also be rearranged in rows for informal lectures for about 70 students. A number of cubes have recessed power points for charging laptops. The library has thus become that special place in the school the staff and students enjoy being in.

In addition to the library, two new classrooms have been created. A sliding folding acoustic wall, which allows the flexibility of creating a large classroom measuring 150sqm, as per the requirement, interconnects them. The larger classroom has an organically curving table about 14m in length, allowing interactive teaching.

Some sections of the table are at higher level for standing while others are lower for seating.

Behind a 2m long window with mirrored glass, is a surveillance room for observation of teaching training methods. A new fitness centre has been created with adjoining shower areas. The 140sqm space houses a small running track and various

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5. The random arrangement of tear drop shaped pendant lighting provides visual interest along with being energy efficient.

6. The various types of seating arrangements in the library facilitates group as well as individual study.

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training machines. All classrooms, fitness centre and library have been acoustically enhanced.

The random arrangement of the suspended and recessed fluorescent fittings along with the teardrop shaped pendant lighting provides visual interest simultaneously being functional and energy efficient.

The architects also catered to the needs of the differently abled. Existing entrances have been enhanced with ramps for better wheelchair access; internal layouts were kept open and fully accessible and all seated areas are completely wheelchair friendly. Visual contrast is provided by the different internal finishes like the colours of the carpet clad cubes, laminates on

the desks, the bright blue curved wall and the librarian’s desk.Working with a tight budget, FACT FILE: the funding raised independently by the school, the cost for the extension worked out at less Project than £1,500/sqm. This includes all the custom- built furniture including the carpet clad cubical seating. According to the architects, they “like Location to define spaces and volumes using different Client Architect finishes or materials often creating contrasts Design team with unexpected or subtle use of colour.”

Jonathan Clarke Architects is inclined towards Project Area designing transformable and flexible spaces Civil Contractors Carpentry contractors that can adapt and change to suit different ways Project Estimate of living, working or enjoying. The school at Initiation of Project Longford is an apt adaptation of their design Completion of project philosophy.

: New library, classrooms and fitness centre for Longford Community School : Tachbrook Road, London : Longford Community School : Jonathan Clark Architects : Jonathan Clark, Benjamin Strutz, Anton Risan : 750sqm : Horgan Brothers : French Joinery : £1.1 million : January 2009 : August 2009

102 IA&B - APR 2010 1

Pneumatic Forest A thematic pavilion designed by Korean architectural firm Mass Studies for the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs is a surreal structure with de facto use.

Text: Hema Yadav Photographs: courtesy Sungpil Won

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he historic City Park in Denver, USA is the largest and most-noted park in the city. The 330-acre urban park was the site for Dialog: City, a public arts and cultural event, inspired on the occasion of the city hosting the National Democratic Convention 2008. Organised by the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs, the event invited 10 artists and architects to design or exhibit site-specific projects for the public to converge and spark dialogue through innovative cultural initiatives, at various locations around

the city. One of the participants at the event, Korean architectural firm, Mass Studies’ brief invited a temporary public space incorporating multi-faceted utilities, such as the Yoga Health Festival, a cocktail party for the convention, a high school play, a closing party for Dialog:City as well as a public space for the general public to enjoy.

The picturesque landscape of Ferril Lake was the chosen site for the installation. Working on the concept of ‘sustainable space,’ Mass

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Studies captured fairytales and weaved it into contemporary design, creating an inflatable and unique structure. Baptised ‘Air Forest,’ the vibrant and flamboyant pavilion merged with its surroundings, providing shade while allowing sunlight to filter through. The 1,400sqm synthetic structure was installed along the main axis on the western edge of Lake Ferril, creating a continuation of the existing surrounding forest.

Air Forest was built to harmoniously interact with its environment rather than against it. The 56.3m long and 25m wide nylon structure consisted of

nine hexagonal canopy units, each 4m high. These units were inter-connected as one large piece of fabric, which was inflated with 14 blowers located at the base inside its 35 columns. The columns were 5m apart and contained dirt and lighting elements, which illuminated the skyline at night.

The inside perimeter of the structure consisted of nine units with six pneumatic columns, each connected in a hexagonal manner creating a circular opening. Out of the nine hexagonal units, three were left open-air, while the remaining had vortex-shaped meshes draped from them,

1. The 1,400sqm synthetic structure was installed along the main axis on the western edge of Lake Ferril, creating a continuation of the existing surrounding forest.

2. The inside perimeter of the structure consists of 9 units with six pneumatic columns.

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104 3. The nylon fabric covering the structure was coated with a gradient of silver dots, reflecting the surrounding scenery as well as providing a playful, fun visual texture for the people beneath.

4. The columns were 5m apart and contained dirt and lighting elements, which illuminated the skyline at night.

5. Ideal for small rock concerts and general gatherings, the design for Air Forest is an enigmatic eco-solution to the problem of space.

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to provide shade to the public. The nylon fabric covering the structure was coated with a gradient of silver dots, reflecting the surrounding scenery as well as providing a playful, fun visual texture for the people beneath. The transportable and easy assembled structure could also act as a device to measure site conditions. Not only does it gently sway with the wind, but also acts as a barometer, as the installation becomes structurally weaker (and thus affected by the wind more) as the air pressure drops due to cooler weather or even after sunset. Ideal for temporary shelter, small rock concerts and general gatherings, the design for Air Forest is an enigmatic eco-solution to the problem of space.

FACT FILE:

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Construction Type Date of Completion Location Architects Team

Fabrication / Construction Area Building Scope

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Air Forest Denver Office of Cultural Affairs 2008 Installation May 2007 Colorado, USA Mass Studies Minsuk Cho, Kisu Park, Joungwon Lee, Bumhyun Chun, Kyungmin Kwon and Sungpil Won ABR 673sqm 56.3m (L) x 25m (W) x 4m (H)