Urban Lab Global Cities (ULGC): January 2011

1/31/2011

54 Collective Housings, ZAC Montjoie, Saint-Denis (France) by TGT Architects

Parisian Agency TGT Architects completed 54 collective housings located in ZAC Montjoie, Saint-Denis (Île-de-France). Two lots belonging — 6B and 6D —, located in the ZAC are used to develop these housings. The overall aim is to create a unity of composition with two expressive volumes.

This group of houses consists of two corbelled volumes characterized by two frontispieces on both sides of a private square.

The west-facing frontispiece occupies vertically four levels while the east-facing frontispiece is structured horizontally in two levels.

Volumes — some are dynamic and vertical, others are static and horizontal — continue up to the two frontispieces.

In the depth of the block, the volume of the buildings repeats the same composition of the frontispieces: verticality to the West, horizontality to the East.

Colors of the envelope of these two volumes are also treated differently: the one is sober, the other is expressive. These two distinct colors seem to be chosen to call attention to these two volumes as a contrast to the other housings.

Model © TGT Architects

This group of houses is punctuated by voids, balconies, loggias, and terraces respecting the intervals of setbacks as required.

Openings are quite simple and with regular arrangements.

Dwellings have various arrangements. Apartments with large spaces take advantage of a double amount of sunlight. These apartments offers best orientations and attractive views.

Who are they?
Parisian agency TGT Architects is founded by Jean-Claude Garcias, Jean-Jacques and Jerome Treuttel in 1980. in 2001, Laurent Fichou and Stephane Pourrier joined the agency. It is composed of five architects and 15 collaborators. Ongoing projects consist of housings located in Savigny-sur-Orge, Blanc-Mesnil, Saint-Denis, Nantes, Chaumont, Bobigny and various renovations in Paris.

Building facts
Project: Housings, ZAC Montjoie, Saint-Denis
Programme: 54 collective housings
Architects: TGT Architects
Surface area: 4,500 sqm
Client: BNP Paribas Immobilier
Completion year: 2010
Photography: Cyril Sancereau

Plans © TGT Architects
Photographs © Cyril Sancereau

A Morphogenetic Library in Florence by Tommaso Casucci

I discovered this project which consists of a design proposal, for a new library for the school of architecture in one of the most interesting Architecture magazines evolo. This project is designed by Italian architect Tommaso Casucci. The school of Architecture is located at the limit of the old city of Florence, Italy.
Tommaso Casucci's design belongs to a renovation plan of large area of this school. Pre-existing spaces will be conserved. They, however, will be converted into Archive. The new addition will provide study areas, meeting spaces, auditorium, exhibition spaces.
The building looks like a porous "UFO" which seems to be "transplanted" in the School of Architecture site.

New Library for the School of Architecture, Florence — Model, Florence, Italy, © Tommaso Casucci.
Originally appeared on evolo.

This free-form-shaped building appears to be in perpetual evolution such as an organic system. The shape seems to be directly linked to the influences of external forces — surroundings, environmental constraints. It has been structured by site analysis data.

Such a building requires the usage of tools, techniques and technologies in service of site such as the School of Architecture site. The skin seems to be bodily adapted to climate control and to environmental pressures as the diagram below shows. Computational design processes and advances in digital fabrication technologies allow architects to think about form-finding and space-making.

This project belongs to "New materialism" in that it is, as Neri Oxman mentions (Architectural Design, vol.80 July-August 2010), based on the concept of "form first, structure first, material first". Precisely, this project stresses the "hierarchical nature of the design process with form being the first article of production, driving both structural and material strategies" (Oxman).

© Tommaso Casucci. Originally appears on evolo.
> Simulation of the building.
The building's evolution responding to various constraints.
Shape, structure and materials are linked to the influences
of internal and external forces acting on the building.

Tommaso Casucci's building is perforated allowing for a best diffusion of natural light and ventilation within the building in response to environmental constraints — urban contexts, bioclimatic issues, etc.

Surface porosity, Tommaso Casucci says, is based on triply periodic minimal surfaces structures to define a performative interface of bioclimatic regulation where irradiation values on the surface are used to module light perception in the interior spaces of the library. Hence this perforated morphogenetic structure.

Inner spaces differ from exterior since it is smooth to create a space for study quietly as if the architect wanted to protect users from exterior racket.

© Tommaso Casucci. Oiginally appeared on evolo.
> Natural light and ventilation penetrate the building through perforations providing best conditions of usage of the library spaces for the users .

© Tommaso Casucci. Originally appeared on evolo.
> The building appears to be an "UFO" transplanted in
a typical street in Florence.

© Tommaso Casucci. Originally appeared on evolo.
> "the system explores how the modulation of isosurfaces, based
on intensive fields from site analysis data,
can achieve highly differentiated spaces and performative structures (T. Casucci)

Source: evolo

1/30/2011

Dictionary of Advanced Ecological Urbanism: Landschaft

I post the abstract of a new entry, landschaft, from the project on which I am working. This definition needs to be improved so it is a "beta" version. If you want to have detailed definition of this word, I suggest you to read (if not already done) James Corner's book Recovering Landscape: Essays in Contemporary Landscape Architecture, precisely his text "Eidetic Operation and New Landscapes".

Landschaft
Landschaft is employed to designate a mode of relationship between patterns of occupation, activities and space as well as buildings and fields. Landschaft, also, suggests an immediate admission of human impact on land. It differs from landscape in that landschaft means an occupied milieu which has been structured by effects and significance through tactility, use, engagement over time while landscape is the sensible aspect of the relationship between a society and space and nature. Precisely, landschaft, as James Corner writes in his text "Eidetic Operations and New Landscape", means not only territory but also community and polity while landscape is a collective form of subjectivity.
As James Corner mentions, landschaft thus differs from landskip since the last one means much more landscape as contrivance, primarily visual and sometimes also iconic or significant.

—> landscape, landscraping, urban re-use, environment

Reference
Corner James, "Eidetic Operations and New Landscapes", in Corner, James (ed.). Recovering Landscape: Essays in Contemporary Landscape Architecture. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999.
Olwig Kenneth R., 1996. Recovering the substantive nature of landscape. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 86 (4), 630-653.
Olwig, Kenneth R., 2002. Landscape, nature, and the body politic: from Britain's renaissance to America's new world. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison.
MacPherson Hannah. Landscape's ocular centrism beyond?.

1/29/2011

MADE IN winners of the Maritime and Popular Music Center, Kaohsiung

Spanish agency Made In wins the Maritime and Popular Music Center Competition, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
The central and direct goal of this competition is to create a Marine Culture and Pop Music Center that highlights the unique character of Kaohsiung City while satisfying the needs of the local people, the industries and future trends.

Aerial view of the site © Maritime and Popular Music Center, Kaohsiung.

Design and planning must be based on the cultural assets of Kaohsiung, the strengths and conditions of the Project site and the characteristics of the pop music and marine culture industries. The design requirements articulated nine points:

Outdoor performance area
Large performance hall
Small performance halls
Pop music exhibit area
Pop music industry (incubation) center
Marine culture exhibit center
Music and marine culture commercial area
Harbor wharf and passenger service center
Integrated environment planning

The site has a total area of approximately 11.89 hectares with waterfront access. It is located in a strategic position to link the Port of Kaohsiung with the rest of the world, act as a symbolic gateway for the nation, galvanize the surrounding space and activate local industries. This Center is conceived as a world-class music performance venue with a program encompassing a large performance hall, small "incubator" performance halls, a home for the pop music industry and communities and marine culture exhibit space. It is also required to build a landmark that will become part of the Asian pop music network.

Made In's design proposal articulates three zones. The first zone that finished off by two towers or lighthouses, one of 113 meters of height and the other one of 83 meters, will consist of the outdoor performance area for 12,000 seats, the Large Performance Hall for 5,000 seats and the Pop Music Exhibit Areas. The two towers will act as a landmark in Kaohsiung.

Maritime and Popular Music Center, Kaohsiung — Zone 1, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, © Made In
> The zone 1 also called The light house and the waves contains
the pop music industry center, the pop music exhibit area
and the outdoor area.

The second zone will host the night market and the commercial area. The night market is a leisure very popular in Taiwan. It will guarantee a 365-day activity. The building will have a height of six meters and will be conceived as a "promenade" between the different pavilions and with the sea always present in the skyline. Two other important elements are the marine museum and the park as the plan below shows.

Zone 2 — The Sponge and the city © Made In

This zone will contain an underground parking garage.

Zone 2 © Made In

Two important poles of attraction will be implanted in the third zone: the new station of ferrys located in the southern part of this zone, and the new night market in the northern part. Different streets will be created: a gallery covered with cultural activity.

Coralium — Commercial Music Park © Made In

This gallery will permit to access the 8 small Performance Halls for 200 to 400 seats, a maritime walk with different gardens of water, and a walk dedicated to bicycle.

Zone 3 © Made In

The roof of these 8 small performance halls will be covered of vegetation. The walk accessible by slopes, particularly its spatial design concept can remind the Yokohama PORT designed by FOA in that this walk will act as an extension of the urban ground.

Social Life — presentation of the design proposal © Made In

The articulation of these three zones will form a continuity with its environment and produces spatial qualities between all the areas of this Center.

Social Life © Made In

Marine life © Made In

Building facts
Project: Kaohsiung Maritime Cultural and Pop Music Center
Program: Interior auditorium, exterior auditorium, Eight small auditorium, Maritimal museum, a Music museum, and Commercial area.
Architects: Made In
Surface: 80,000 sqm, including 20,000 sqm of open air public space
Budget: 100 millions of euros
Location: Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Credits
All plans, diagram © Made In

Source evolo, archdaily and Kaohsiung Maritime Cultural and Pop Music Center

1/28/2011

Ehrlich Architects winning the United Arab Emirates Federal National Council's New Parliament Building Competition

Ehrlich Architects announced this week to be the winners of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Federal National Council's (FNC) New Parliament Building competition located on Abu Dhabi Corniche.

Their proposal design proposes a building melding familiar Arabic design language with contemporary form and the latest technological advances. This strategy creates meaning, maximum functionality and environmental sustainability with the aim of providing an harmonious balance of modernity and tradition.

United Arab Emirates Federal National Council's New Parliament Building, Abu Dhabi, UAE, © Ehrlich Architects

Structural System
This building is anchored by a striking hundred-meter-diameter dome structure creating a shaded micro-environment while casting Islamic patterns of dappled light onto the white marble Assembly Hall.

The choice of the structural system for this parliament responds to its environment. Ehrlich Architects' design proposal embodies the unique identity of the United Arab Emirates, that is, a modern society moving boldly into the future while retaining a strong connection to its history and traditions. This parliament aims at serving as a landmark for public gatherings as well as a model for conservation of the regions precious resources.

The lattice dome structure design creates triangulated roof apertures varying in size which act as skylights. Variations in the size of the openings permit natural light and ventilation to penetrate within the dome which becomes a skylight or a courtyard.

The traditional Arabic design is treated with the mashrabiya lattice panels used for the dome. This will shade windows while the concrete and metal dome's task is to minimize direct sunlight onto the building.

The sustainable issues: an energy efficient master plan
The design of the building itself pushes sustainable ideas even further. It is based on solar passive design which task is to reduce heat gain and cooling loads. This building is designed to absorb the heat from daily sunlight and to release it at night using thick, light-colored walls which serve as thermal mass. As mentioned previously, the mashrabiya panels as well as the concrete and metal materials reinforce this energy efficient program in that, on the one hand, the panels shade inner spaces avoiding electrical cooling, and, on the other hand, the concrete and metal materials allow for reducing direct sunlight on the building.

Mixed-use commercial, housing and students' residential block with facilities, Boulevard Masséna (Paris, 13th arrondissement), by ecdm

Parisian agency ecdm announces to have been selected for the construction of a mixed-use commercial and residential block in Masséna — Paris 13th arrondissement.

This mixed-use block is located rue Claude Bernard. It consists of a housing, residential students' residential and commercial block, facilities with central courtyard combo. The principle of the design is to compose an mixed-use block which is characterized with its solid and void patterns and spatial typology.

According to ecdm the notion of "expanded landscape" is more appropriated than a tower or a common mixed-use building. The façade must reflect this concept in terms of setback as well as limit and relation to the street.

Diagram © ecdm

The ground level is occupied by a cluster of shops while upper floors are devoted to dwellings.

Program © ecdm

The building has been lifted up to liberate the ground in order to host shops as well as entrances and circulation below the block. Some parts of the buildings block are raised on stilts others not.

Rendering © ecdm
> The window bays in two types of arrangement — vertical and horizontal —
and varying in width and heights are combined
producing a highly varied surface when arrayed
along the length of the buildings block

The overall volume of this vertical green block is perforated offering distinctive voids, depth and various plans. This strategy results in an architecture between block and city. Views are established from the streets, that line the corner lot, through the building block and from the voids and the flat to the surroundings.

Program © ecdm

ecdm's goal is to build a quality of life rather than a building block. Height permits to gear down the building's contour and spaces for communication.

The building has an absolute height of 50 meters. its morphology allows for establishing new interaction with its environment.

The façade being geared, many apartments facing the plaza and the boulevard Massena with a southern and south-eastern orientation toward a landscape will be created. They will possess a good sunlight exposure and a beautiful quality of natural light.

Even if these apartments will be facing the boulevard Masséna privacy will be preserved. They will be equipped with flexible balconies that measure 1,80 meters in depth and surface area total between 12 and 15 square meters adapted to specific needs of users.

The transversal section shows the vertical distribution inside the block. It will contain a three-level underground parking garage. The distinctive cut-out sections allow for the arrangement of vegetation. These voids will not be limited to green areas; users will appropriate these spaces for various usage such as sports, leisure, or other activities which makes these voids flexible for specific needs of occupants.

Longitudinal section © ecdm
> The cut-out sections provide benefits such as depth,
views throughout the building and daylighting.
Natural light can penetrate easily within the block.

Perforated metal double skin will be punctuated by window bays with various forms and sizes — vertically and horizontally — creating a rhythmic surface when arrayed along the length of the buildings block.

Rooftops will be covered with vegetation and photovoltaic panels in accordance with ecdm's concept of "landscaping block".

This mixed-use block will be organized around a courtyard with trees that can be viewed from the exterior of the building throughout these openings.

The resultant block is an attractive mixed-use commercial, housing, and students' residential block offering best living conditions for the users and good views from and to the surroundings.

Building facts

Project: Mixed-use commercial, housing and students' residential block and facilities, rue Claude Bernard, Paris, 13th arrondissement

Architects: ecdm
Client: Paris Habitat OPH
Localisation: 21 bis rue Claude Bernard, Paris XIII
Surface area: 15 000 square meters
Competition: 2010

Credits
All plans, sections, renderings, diagrams © ecdm