Fascinating Modern Cube House Design By Vértice Arquitectos

This house was designed in the first row, plot 5 in Lomas del Mar beach in Cerro Azul, 120Km. south of Lima. The plot is a rocky and sandy hill in a half curved shape that reaches 48 meters high above the sea level and drops steeply 8 meters in its lowest part. It has a 180° view to the Pacific Ocean to the south, and a panoramic view of the beach to the east and to the north.

The two main goals to develop the project were to fully exploit the best possible view to the ocean from the social area, as well as from the master bedroom, and to make the most of the plot of land. Two parallel volumes were designed, to accomplish the first objective, one of which leans on the other, which is 1.20 meters higher, to have the view of the sea. The volumes are joined by a main circulation axis which ends in a swimming pool overlooking the beach.

To make the most of the plot big cantilevers were designed, since the useful area of the plot was reducing while the project was reaching the highest level. The first volume is found to the left of the entrance of the house, where most of the bedrooms have been located. The master room and the adjoining terrace are revolved 45° as to have the view of the sea. The second volume, to the right, locates the social and service areas in the first level. A family room and a guest room are located in the second level.

A two-story living and dining room area ends in the swimming pool and in a terrace perpendicular to it. The family room, in the second level, is spatially opened to the living and dining room in the first level, and has also an open view to the ocean. The staircase to the second level is made in natural concrete and flies over the kitchen separating this area from the living and dining room.

The materials used in the project have been: exposed concrete, white painting in the walls, stainless steel, tempered glass and granite stone. The latter has been used to cover the base on which the volumes rest, with the intention of separating these from the natural terrain. The pool is closed by a double face laminated glass in the external face that permits the same transparency to a view of the sea as the rest of the house.

 

Plan 1

 

Plan 2

 Elevation

Section

Architects: Vértice Arquitectos
Location: Las Lomas del Mar Beach, Lima, Perú
Size: 250 sqm
Client: Private
Photographs: Courtesy of Vértice Arquitectos

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Waalse Krook, Urban Library of the Future by UNSTudio

UNStudio have sent us their entry for Waalse Krook, Urban Library of the Future and Centre for New Media in the Belgian city of Gent. Even though this design by Ben van Berkel/Caroline Bos-led Amsterdam practice was eventually not chosen to be the winning design, we are very excited to share it with you.

Project Description from the Architects:

The two main aims in the design for theUrban Library of the Future and Centre for New Media in Gent are to create a dynamic, flexible and open knowledge environment, whilst simultaneously strengthening the character of the location with the introduction of a building with a distinct architectural identity.

Sustainability is the guiding factor in the design, based on the conviction that not only must the environmental and user-friendly design of the Urban Library of the Future be able to evolve along with new media, but it must also offer the possibility for future change of use. Withan open landscape, spaciousness, extensive views, alternative circulation routes, several meeting areas and a public plaza, the design for the library affords a renewal of its urban context.

The building is both fluid in form and accommodating to its surroundings. This is evidenced by its appearance - which varies according to the orientation - as well as from the decision to lift the building volume above ground level, thereby creating light, transparency and expansive sightlines. However the layered structure and low construction volume ensure that the impact of the design on the urban profile is minimal and that views to the characteristic towers of Gent are preserved. The structure also makes it possible to introduce (green) roof terraces whilst also ensuring low levels of direct sunlight penetration.

Based on the functional organisation the volume is lifted in order to create public space around the Library. In conjunction with the promenade along the quays, this results in interaction with the surrounding water and thereby the revival of the Waalse Krook.

The internal organisation of the building is based on an open central void, around which the circulation takes place. This internal void enhances the spatial experience and creates clear orientation through the building.

In addition to providing an extension of the urban context and the junction of the circulation routes, the internal void also functions as a link between the various functional clusters in the design. The void fulfills a bridging function between the city and the Municipal Library, and as such acts as a metaphor for public perception.

Project Details:


Client: CVBA Waalse Krook
Location: Gent, Belgium
Building surface: 19,498.6 m2
Programme: Library and Centre for New Media
Status: Competition entry

UNStudio: Ben van Berkel, Caroline Bos, Gerard Loozekoot with Jacques van Wijk, Wesley Lanckriet and Jordan Trachtenberg, Ren Yee, Wendy van der Knijff , Bartek Winnicki, Aurélie Krotoff, Patrik Noome, Marcin Koltunski, Joerg Lonkwitz, Miguel Noë, Imola Berczi, Elena Scripelliti

Structure: ABT, Antwerp and Netherlands
Installations: ABT, Netherlands
Fire: ABT, Antwerp and Netherlands
Costs: ABT, Antwerp and Netherlands

Local architect: Crepain Binst Architecture, Antwerp
All images courtesy of UNStudio.

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GOOD DESIGN Award 2010

A long list of winners of the 2010 GOOD DESIGN Award was recently announced by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design together with The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. Founded in Chicago in 1950 by architects Eero Saarinen, Charles and Ray Eames, and Edgar Kaufmann, Jr., GOOD DESIGN bestows international recognition upon the world's most prominent designers and manufacturers for advancing new, visionary, and innovative product concepts, invention and originality, and for stretching the envelope beyond what is considered ordinary product and consumer design.

A total of over 500 Awards were given in late December of 2010 by a New York jury, representing the work of thousands of designers and manufacturers in fields like Electronics, Medical, Robotics/Bionics, Textiles, Transportation, all the way to Children's Products, Tools, and Graphics/Identity/Packaging.

Following are the winning projects in the category Environments (click here for the complete list of winners in ALL categories):

View this competition brief:

2010 Green Good Design Awards

Fornari Group Offices, Milan, Italy, 2008-2008

Designers: Giorgio Borruso, Giorgio Borruso Design, Marina Del Rey, California, USA
Client: Fornari SpA., Civitanova, Marche (MC), Italy

Dialogue Café Pod Design, 2010

Designers: Matt Round and David Sutton, Tangerine, London, Great Britain
Client: CISCO Systems, Inc., Middlesex, Great Britain

Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia, 2008-2009
Designers: Ranjit Wagh and Mappaudang Ridwan Saleh, WOHA., Singapore, Republic of Singapore
Client: PT Bukit Uluwatu Villa, Jakarta,

Deutsche Telekom T-Gallery, 2009

Designers: Deutsche Telekom Product Design, Deutsche Telekom AG, Bonn, Germany
Client: Deutsche Telekom Product Design, Deutsche Telekom AG, Bonn, Germany

Reconnection Strategies: BQE Trench In Brownstone Brooklyn, 2006-2010
Designers: Rebecca Hill (Project Manager), Yong Kim, Anne Clark, Delia Kulukundis, and Phil Lee, dlandstudio llc., Brooklyn, New York, USA
Client: New York State Council on the Arts, New York, New York, USA

smart urban stage 2010-2011, 2010

Designers: Manfred Braunwagner, Braunwagner, Aachen, Germany
Client: Daimler AG., Sindelfingen, Germany

BIXI Montreal’s Public Bike System, 2008-2009
Designers: Michel Dallaire, Dominic Arbour, Yolaine Turcotte, Laurent Descamps, Charles Khairallah, Colin Côté and Cycle Devinci (engineering & technical team), Michel Dallaire design Industriel inc., Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Manufacturer: Société de Vélo en Libre-service inc., Lachine, Quebec, Canada

ADDWALL Scalable Moveable Wall Solution, 2010
Designers: Inscape Design Team, Inscape Corporation, Holland Landing, Ontario, Canada
Manufacturer: Inscape Corporation, Holland Landing, Ontario, Canada

Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center, Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, 2010
Designers: Ralph Appelbaum Associates, New York, New York, USA
Client: Anchorage Museum/Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center, Anchorage, Alaska, USA

TKTS Booth and the Redevelopment of Father Duffy Square, New York, NY, 2004-2008

Designers: Perkins Eastman (Architect), Choi Ropiha (Concept Architect), William Fellows Architects now PKSB Architects (Plaza Architect), Perkins Eastman, New York, New York, USA
Client: Times Square Alliance, New York, New York, USA

"Paris Illumine Paris" The Recycling: A Bright Idea, 2009
Designers: Fabrice Peltier, P'Référence, Paris, France
Client: Coco-Cola, Co., Issy les Moulineaux, France and The City of Paris and Designpack Gallery, Paris, France

 



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zaha hadid and suprematism

 An exhibition curated by Zaha Hadid for Galerie Gmurzynska Zurich, completely transforming its gallery space and juxtaposing her designs with masterpieces of the Russian Avant Garde.

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Amphibious garden cleaning european waterways

Physalia is an innovative scientific architectural vessel prototype that aims to meet the need of new generation floating purification station in order to sensitize the population with sulpher and carbon free ecological tools. This amphibious vessel concept is a half earthly and half aquatic floating agora that not only deals with ecology by saving water, but also elaborates strategic solutions to sentient the fluvial network. With its various functional features, this vessel not only contributes the environment by saving water, refilling ground waters, controlling domestic, industrial and rainwater recycling, purifying agriculture pollutions (nitrates, plant health), desalinating sea water and many more, but also promotes the waterways as fluvial tourism and commercial transport, water sports, agriculture irrigation, hydro-electricity production, protection against floods, and many more.

The bionic structure of this self sufficient vessel in energy is inspired from the pneumatophorous, which means “water bubble” and combines the nature and biotechnologies to navigate on the key extra-European rivers. The eco-designed zero carbon emission architecture is based on renewable energies, which means generating more energy than it consumes. The roof is featured with a double pneumatic membrane with smooth photovoltaic solar cells and the hydro-turbines under the hull transform the energy of the fluvial flow in hydro-electricity. The aluminum surface covers the multi-hull steel structure that reacts to the ultraviolet rays to decrease the water pollution. In fact, Physalia is not only a self cleaning vessel, but also it is able to absorb and recycle the carbon and chemical waste of the fluvial water through photo-catalytic effect.

The Physalia interior is featured with four thematic gardens that symbolize their dedicated typical aspects. The Water garden welcomes the boarders at the entrance placed between the square and the berthing gates. The surface of the area can be opened totally to amalgamate with the fluvial landscape and allow the vessel to breath with the calming fluvial breeze. The center of the concept features the Earth garden, a dedicated laboratory for the international researchers to investigate the aquatic ecosystem. A planted vault is placed on the top of this panoramic room that acts as a fertile metaphor to perform molecular analysis. The Fire garden is an underwater lounge with a huge fire timbale surrounded by soft relaxing armchairs where the passengers can enjoy the golden reflections of the fire. Finally, the Air garden is an ecologic amphitheatre with lots of light and oxygen opened towards the external landscape. A theater stage like circular shaped rotating water bar is the key attraction of this area where the passengers can find the H2O acronym.
Designer : Vincent Callebaut Architectures

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