Modern Architecture & Design news

The San Francisco office of Perkins+Will, winner of an international design competition for the project, has been retained by Singapore’s National Research Foundation to design “CREATE” (Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise), a precedent-setting, 650,000 sq ft scientific research center to be located at the National University of Singapore’s new seven acre University Town campus. Perkins+Will aim for CREATE’s design to surpass current performance benchmarks for scientific research facilities in the tropics and raise the bar for environmental sustainability.

As part of Singapore’s accelerating national thrust towards an inventive, innovative and entrepreneurial economy, CREATE will be a unique, multi-national, multi-disciplinary research enterprise that stimulates innovation, discovery and entrepreneurship through interaction and collaboration with scientists and engineers from around the globe. The campus will include three mid-rise buildings and a high-rise tower. The tower’s first two floors will serve as part of the Olympic Village for the first International Youth Olympics in 2010.

CREATE’s design will pioneer the tropical use of advanced environmental and energy-saving technologies. Perkins+Will’ s Russ Drinker explains that, “This will be far more than a research complex in the tropics – it will be an integral part of the tropical ecosystem.” The design will allow daylight to illuminate an unprecedented amount of the interior, while energy for electric lighting will be solar generated. Among many sustainable approaches chosen for their effectiveness in the tropics are wind turbines driven by tropical breezes and enthalpy wheels that capture wind-generated warmth. Green roofs will reduce stormwater runoff, minimize interior heat gain and conserve energy, while basic water needs will be met by capturing tropical rainfall. Landscape design is modeled after a tropical rainforest, reinforcing the natural environment and helping recreate a habitat attractive to endangered animal species – leading to a potential rebirth of the site’s natural ecosystem. The project is scheduled for completion in 2010.

 

 

At the Royal College of Art Show Two last month, architecture graduate Gemma Douglas presented her conceptual design for a combined Ministry of Defence headquarters and integration centre for citizens arriving in the UK.

Using imagery derived from needlepoint and heraldry, which Douglas feels represent ideas of Britishness, the building is designed for a fictional new state called Albion in the Thames estuary.

Here’s an explanation from Douglas:

–

UKHQ

Less than half the population of Britain consider themselves British (YouGov poll, 2007)

How can the British town hall, the apparent public face of a community, be updated to reflect a society in constant flux, with a tendency for nostalgic perception of a bygone era?

Albion Town Hall is reinvented as a Home Office Department of Britishness and secure immigrant accommodation, to act as the headquarters of a region with displaced populations of soldiers, relocated civil servants and potential new British citizens, and to nurture growth of identity in a new town.

Village greens become secure landscaping, acting as a buffer between industrial and residential areas.

Can architecture help ensure our cultural survival? A British embassy in Britain explores the ambiguity and fluidity of Britishness, as a first port of call for new citizens arriving in the UK, alongside a relocated Ministry of Defence Heaquarters.

Cross stitch, heraldry, and the picturesque appear as reinvented symbols of our national heritage and form a seemingly benign landscape simultaneously nurturing and securing new citizens and a central government department encouraging assimilation and integration.

Architects McDowell+Benedetti have completed Castleford Bridge at Castleford in West Yorkshire, England.

The following information is from McDowell+Benedetti:

Castleford Bridge officially opens

Residents of Castleford took their first steps across Castleford Footbridge on Friday when the bridge was officially opened by Wakefield Council Leader Peter Box and TV presenter Kevin McCloud.

The £4.8 million bridge has been funded by Wakefield Council, Yorkshire Forward and English Partnerships. It creates a safer more pleasant pedestrian route than the 200 year-old Victorian road bridge further downstream. The new bridge will unite the north and south of Castleford’s riverside community connecting Aire Street to Mill Lane.

The opening of the bridge marks the completion of The Castleford Project group of community improvement schemes in the former mining town of Castleford in West Yorkshire. The initiative is the focus of a major forthcoming television series, which will be presented by Kevin McCloud, presenter of Channel 4’s ‘Grand Designs’, and televised on Channel 4 this August.

Architects of the bridge McDowell+Benedetti were selected by local community representatives as winners of an invited competition in 2003 to design a river crossing as part of a wider waterfront regeneration masterplan. Principal Renato Bendetti has worked closely with the community project champions from the outset in a committed consultation process which helped to ensure the quality of the design.

Designed by McDowell+Bendetti with Alan Baxter Associates and Arup and constructed by Costain, Castleford bridge is the most ambitious of the eleven interventions in Castleford and has already been shortlisted for the prestigious Prime Minister’s Award for Better Public Buildings as part of the British Construction Industry Awards scheme.

A public space not an icon
The opening of the bridge will re-focus the river and bay as Castleford’s prime natural asset. The 130 metre long ‘S’ shaped bridge curves in response to the site context of the mill, the weir and old wrecked barge, giving users maximum experience of these landmarks and the lively flow of white water over the weir apron.

Anchored by only three V-shaped supports, the deck structure appears to hover over the River Aire offering a ‘magic carpet’ from which to enjoy the picturesque setting.

The streamlined timber deck bridge is designed as a generous public space as well as a route, with the structure rising through the deck to create four 20 metre curving benches to sit and enjoy the panoramic views.

Materiality
Materials include untreated Cumaru timber for the bridge decking and handrail, stainless steel for the balustrades, tension cables, bench panels and a central grille in the timber deck to mark the midpoint of contra-flexure.

The bridge is the first major bridge in the UK which is fully Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified. The curved Cumaru timber boards have been sourced from sustainable forests in Brazil and were chosen for their durability (Cumaru is two and half times the density of oak). The decking area is 524m2 and if laid end to end the boards would stretch a distance of 8km. The boards run longitudinally along the bridge and over the benches (with anti-slip strips on the edge) and are fitted together by a unique concealed clamped-fixing system, tailor made for the project. This system avoids invasive drilling and minimises disruption to the bridge’s slender deck and streamlined form. It presents the maximum timber surface to walk on, while allowing the wood to expand, contract and weather naturally.

Lighting is embedded under the Cumaru handrails, which run the 130m length of the bridge. Balustrade posts are curved to reduce climb-ability and a series of stainless steel marker plates which sit flush with the deck and rise up from the benches, create arm rests to define personal space and to dissuade skateboarders from edge ‘grinding.’

Subtle and innovative structure
The understated engineering is subtly innovative and integral with the construction methodology. Four identical 26m curved spans are joined by three 9m support spans, two curved and the third straight (at the central point of contra flexure). The continuous spanning structure consists of two 500mm x 400mm box beams, with one box beam increasing in depth to 1000mm, to provide the additional strength required for each long span. This extra structure rises above the deck in a gentle curve to create generous benches in a wave-like rhythm over the length of the bridge, minimising overall bridge height while maintaining the 1 in 100 year estimated flood water-clearance required by the Environment Agency.

The three white bridge supports also minimise visual impact and disruption of river flow. Twinned double steel columns branch off foundation caps in a ‘V’ formation spreading the load at bridge level. The base of these columns is permanently below water to emphasise thinness. Twinned stainless steel fins cantilever off the main spanning beams, between which bearers for the timber decking are fixed. The structural timber deck is unfinished Cumaru boards that span ±800mm between the bearers. Every element contributes structurally to ensure the overall profile is as thin and refined as possible.

River Aire master plan
The bridge is the first phase of McDowell+Bendetti’ s proposed waterfront regeneration masterplan, which includes a new public square and boardwalk on the south bank, a landscaped public space on the north bank, and a cohesive lighting strategy surrounding the bay called the “string of pearls”.

At its southern end, the Cumaru boards land onto boards of Streetdeck, an indication of the proposed future phase south bank boardwalk, which will open up regeneration opportunities for new river facing sites between Castleford Bridge and the 200 year old Victorian road bridge.

Architect, Renato Benedetti said: “‘We have worked hard to achieve a minimal structure to accentuate the views and the experience of the water for users. The bridge is more than a crossing. It’s a new public space for Castleford town, uniting communities on both banks. It makes an asset of the river as a focal point for the town and as the first phase of our proposed riverscape masterplan, we hope it will act as a strong catalyst for future regeneration projects.”

The Castleford Project

The Castleford Project is a collaboration between Wakefield Council, Channel 4, regional and national funding agencies and a local community passionate to bring positive change to the town. It was set up in 2003 to identify and develop a group of community improvement schemes and features the work of top UK and internationally renowned designers including McDowell+Benedetti, Martha Schwartz, Hudson Architects and DSDHA.

Project progress has been filmed for a major Channel 4 series to be screened in August. It will become one of the world’s first televised regeneration schemes. Over five years leading architects, designers and regeneration experts have collaborated with Wakefield Council and local people and agencies responsible for improving Castleford. Projects range from the new footbridge to a play forest, green spaces and a new town square.

The project aims to be a catalyst for change in the town, with £11 million of projects funded by a number of agencies. Plus with a further £200 million of other development projects in the pipeline for the town, the future looks bright.

The TV series follows the triumphs and tribulations of the process, looks at the reality of regeneration and finds out what local people and experts make of the experience.

Project Facts:
Location: Castleford, River Aire, Yorkshire WF10, UK
Client: City of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council (WMDC)
Construction Value: £3.2 million
Surface area: Bridge Surface: 524m2, associated work at both banks: 2210m
Total timber weight: 37 tonnes
Decking: All deck boards laid end to end = 8km
Stainless steel deck fixings: total of 7000

Design Team:
Architects: McDowell+Benedetti
Design team: Renato Benedetti, Jonathan McDowell, Phillip Schone (Project
Architect), Roland Karthaus (Project Architect)
Project Managers: McDowell+Benedetti
Structural Engineers: Alan Baxter & Associates
Civil/Hydrological Engineers: Arup Water (Leeds)
Lighting Consultant: Sutton Vane & Associates
Quantity Surveyor: Philip Pank Partnership
Timber Consultant: Engineered Wood Products (EWP) and Eco Timber

Delivery team:
Project Manager: Wakefield MDC
Architectural Consultant: McDowell+Benedetti
Design & Build Contractor: Costain Ltd
Costain’s Structural Engineer: Tony Gee & Partners
Costain’s Electrical Contractor: Nomenca

 

Tony Owen NDM complete phase 1 of the Bundeena Housing Project near Sydney

The project is a collection of 15 stylish beach houses set in a pristine bushland setting. The site itself is just back from the beach and has stunning views of Port Hacking and Hastings Beach. What is unique about this development is that each house has been designed as if it were a stand-alone luxury designer home.

There are, however, a few coastal towns that have maintained this ‘holiday feel’ but are on Sydney’s doorstep. Bundeena, set in the pristine bushland of the Royal National Park south of Sydney, is one such place. Because Bundeena is surrounded by national park and cannot grow, it has retained its intimate and undeveloped charm, yet it has some of the most stunning views in NSW.

Tony Owen says, “You may find one-off contemporary beach houses like this in Sydney, but it is unique to find 15 purpose-built houses grouped together in this way.

“There are three different house types depending on the location, the slope and the shape of the land. Stage 1 are the ‘cross-over house’,” Owen says. In this house, the top floor, which contains the living areas, is oriented east/west and the lower level bedrooms run north/south. This allows the house to sit into the slope with minimal impact. The top floor maximises exposure to the northern sun whilst the lower level is directed toward the beach. This design allows for a large north facing deck area in front of the living room which sits above the bedrooms. Thus simple sustainable principles result in a very sculptural form.

The houses have been conceived specifically for the design-conscious city dweller. The site is sometimes quite steep so the houses have been designed on poles to touch the ground lightly and have minimum impact on the environment.

Owen says:”The houses have a progressive feel with clean contemporary lines. We sought to create a stylish lifestyle, but at the same time the houses are clad in timber and natural materials so that they fit into the natural landscape. We also designed the houses using principles of sustainable design. We always said that we should have a house where a water tank would not look out of place”. Because the site has a strong bushland character, the landscape is integral to the design.

 

 

Today, the Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) honored the region’s finest architecture design projects, including the new Los Angeles Green Building Award, at the 38th Annual Los Angeles Architectural Awards. The Awards Program, which recognizes entire project teams (architects, developers and contractors) , spotlighted the abundance of world-class architecture and sustainable development being built in Los Angeles today. Co-chairs Andy Cohen, FAIA, Executive Director, Gensler and Brooke Lauter, First Vice President – Corporate Communications, Arden Realty and key leadership from sponsoring companies presented the awards to more than 30 project teams across 17 architectural and building categories.

In a new award category this year, the LABC and Mayor Villaraigosa presented the first Los Angeles Green Building Award. This new category was created in order to properly acknowledge deserving projects that advance sustainable development in the city. Reinforcing Los Angeles’ growing prominence in the world of contemporary architecture, 2008 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate Jean Nouvel of France was the event keynote speaker.

“For all of us that believe that growth and business and sustainability and the environment can go hand in hand, our time is now,” said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “The demand in Los Angeles for building greener, more efficiently and earth-friendly has never been greater.”

10000 Santa Monica Boulevard, Ateliers Jean Nouvel

In addition, the LABC presented a special Community Impact Award to the City of Los Angeles along with the exceptional architects and contractors who together comprise the City of Los Angeles Green Building Program. This award recognizes the 56 active sustainable municipal building projects, one of the largest municipal building programs in the nation. The LABC especially commended the Bureau of Engineering as a green building leader in the City, for their management of 49 active LEED projects.

“It’s an honor for the city to be recognized for its environmental leadership,” said Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti, who helped write the legislation that created the Green Building Program. “With the most expansive green building ordinance in the country, we are reducing our carbon footprint and acknowledging the advances of the green building industry.”

Hotel Ray, Belzberg Architects

The LABC Architectural Awards honor project teams whose developments improve the quality of architecture and enhance the urban fabric of Los Angeles. Awards were presented in 17 categories: Civic, Design Concept, Education, Green Building, Healthcare, Housing, Interiors, L.A. Pride, Landscape Architecture, Mixed-Use, New Buildings, Preservation, Renovated Buildings, Retail, Sustainability, Unbuilt and Grand Prize.

“For over a year, the LABC has worked with the City to develop a private sector green building program and today we congratulate those design teams who have voluntarily complied and are building sustainable in Los Angeles,” said Mary Leslie, President of the Los Angeles Business Council.

Edmunds.com, STUDIOS architecture

Also for the first time, the LABC sent a Call for Entries to local high schools and universities and awarded the Rising Star Award to a student team from UCLA. Famed architectural photographer Julius Shulman, a legend himself, honored the next generation and presented the award.

All awardees were selected by a thirteen-member jury of distinguished peers including architects, developers and contractors. To receive an award, projects must be located within Los Angeles County and completed during 2006 or 2007 (“design concept” and “unbuilt” categories exempt). The Broad Contemporary Art Museum at LACMA received the grand prize for developing and supporting the vision for a new LACMA campus. The team designed a series of buildings, connective walkways, grand stairways, open plazas, sculpture gardens, and public art, all in an effort to connect the campus and establish an environment that would unify the new exhibition of contemporary art, with the balance of their current collection.

Winners of the 38th Annual Los Angeles Architectural Awards:

ALLEN MATKINS
GREEN BUILDING AWARD

Built

Project: Luma
Architect: Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects
Contractor: Howard S. Wright Construction
Owner: The South Group

Unbuilt

Project: W Hollywood
Architect: HKS Architects, Inc.
Contractor: Webcor Builders
Owner: Gatehouse Capital

Design Concept

Project: Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
Architect: Belzberg Architects
Owner: Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust

MACERICH
GRAND PRIZE

Project: Broad Contemporary Art Museum at LACMA
Design Architect: Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Executive Architect: Gensler
Contractor: MATT Construction Corp.
Owner: Los Angeles County Museum of Art

AEG
CIVIC AWARD

Project: Broad Contemporary Art Museum at LACMA
Design Architect: Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Executive Architect: Gensler
Contractor: MATT Construction Corp.
Owner: Los Angeles County Museum of Art

CRESA PARTNERS
DESIGN CONCEPT AWARD

Affordable Low-Rise

Project: Sierra Bonita Housing
Architect: Tighe Architecture
Owner: West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation

Residential High-Rise

Project: 10000 Santa Monica Boulevard
Design Architect: Ateliers Jean Nouvel
Executive Architect: House & Robertson Architects, Inc.
Owner: SunCal Companies

Commercial

Project: Hotel Ray
Architect: Belzberg Architects
Owner: The Ambrose Group

PERKINS + WILL
EDUCATION AWARD

Project: LAUSD Miguel Contreras Learning Complex
Architect: Johnson Fain
Owner: Los Angeles Unified School District
Contractor: Clark Construction

L.A. PRIDE AWARD

Project: Los Angeles Dodgers Stadium
Architect: HKS Architects, Inc.
Contractor: DPR Construction
Owner: The Los Angeles Dodgers

ARDEN REALTY
SUSTAINABILITY AWARD

Commercial

Project: Symantec – Culver City
Architect: HOK
Contractor: Webcor Builders
Owner: Symantec Corporation

Civic

Project: Santa Clarita Transit Maintenance Facility
Architect: HOK
Contractor: Intertex General Contractors, Inc.
Owner: City of Santa Clarita

Housing

Project: LivingHome
Architect: Ray Kappe Architects and Planners with LivingHomes
Contractor: Profile Structures INC – modular
Owner: LivingHomes

HOK/FIVEKILLER CONSULTING
HEALTHCARE AWARD

Project: Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
Design Architect: Pei Partnership Architects
Executive Architect: Perkins + Will
Consulting Architect: RBB Architects Inc.
Contractor: Tutor Saliba
Owner: UCLA Capital Programs

WATT COMPANIES
HOUSING AWARD

Single Family

Project: Altamira Residence
Architect: Marmol Radziner and Associates
Contractor: Jerico Development Inc.
Owner: Eric and Susanne Johnson

Project: House in West Los Angeles
Architect: Barton Myers Associates, Inc.
Contractor: Peck Homes

Project: Skyline
Architect: Belzberg Architects
Owner: Skyline LLC

Multi Family High-Rise

Project: Luma
Architect: Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects
Contractor: Howard S. Wright Construction
Owner: The South Group

Multi Family Low-Rise

Project: Habitat 825
Architect: Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects
Contractor: Archetype, Inc.
Owner: Habitat Group Los Angeles

HAWORTH
INTERIORS AWARD

Commercial

Project: Edmunds.com
Architect: STUDIOS architecture
Contractor: Warner Constructors Inc.
Owner: Edmunds.com

Civic

Project: Ahmanson Founders Room
Architect: Belzberg Architects
Contractor: SAS Construction
Owner: Music Center

Retail

Project: Paperfish Restaurant
Architect: Clive Wilkinson Architects
Contractor: Corporate Contractors
Owner: Patina Restaurant Group

SUNCAL COMPANIES
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AWARD

Civic

Project: Santa Monica Airport Park
Architect: ah’be landscape architects
Contractor: L.A. Engineering
Owner: City of Santa Monica

Residential

Project: South Park Streetscape
Architect: ah’be landscape architects
Contractor: Kato Landscape
Developer: The South Group Partnership
Owner: City of Los Angeles

G&C EQUIPMENT CORPORATION
MIXED-USE AWARD

Design Concept

Project: Hotel and Residences at LA Live
Architect: Gensler
Contractor: Webcor Builders
Owner: AEG

2000 AVENUE OF THE STARS/CENTURY PLAZA TOWERS
NEW BUILDINGS AWARD

Commercial

Project: Wallis Annenberg Research Center at the House Ear Institute
Architect: Perkins+Will
Contractor: Rudolph & Sletten
Owner: House Ear Institute

Civic

Project: Santa Monica College – Theatre Arts Building
Architect: Leo A Daly
Contractor: Turner Construction
Owner: Santa Monica College

MARSH
PRESERVATION AWARD

Project: Ennis House Rehabilitation
Architect: Eric Lloyd Wright & Wiehle-Carr, Associated Architects
Owner: Ennis House Foundation
Contractor: MATT Construction Corp.

CHICAGO TITLE
RENOVATED BUILDINGS AWARD

Residential

Project: The Biscuit Company Lofts
Architect: Aleks Istanbullu Architects
Owner: Linear City, LLC
Contractor: Linear City, LLC

Civic

Project: Cloverfield Services Center
Architect: Killefer Flammang Architects
Owner: OPCC
Contractor: Mackone Development, Inc.

GENSLER
RETAIL AWARD

Design Concept

Project: Santa Monica Place
Design Architect: Jerde Partnership
Executive Architect: Omniplan
Owner: Macerich
Contractor: Whiting Turner

UNISOURCE SOLUTIONS
UNBUILT AWARD

Civic

Project: Hollenbeck Replacement Police Station
Architect: AC Martin Partners
Owner: City of Los Angeles
Contractor: FTR International, Inc.

Commercial

Project: Red Building
Design Architect: Peli Clarke Pelli
Executive Architect: Gruen Associates
Owner: Pacific Red, LLC
Contractor: Jones & Jones

Brooklyn architects Solid Objectives – Idenburg Liu (SO-IL) have designed a rooftop landscape of allotments to showcase green roof technologies on an industrial building in Queens, New York City.

The project has been commissioned by Garden City Roofs, a company that specialises in green roof systems.

“As a result of [Mayor] Bloomberg’s PlaNYC, in which he call for buildings to be more energy efficient by 2030, interest in green roofs is on the rise,” says Florian Idenburg of SO-IL. “Our client is a start-up company who is catering to this new interest, mostly by inexperienced building owners.

“She is providing a one-stop-shop, where one can learn about the roughly half a dozen systems available, get structural engineering advices, tax rebate advice, installer and maintenance recommendation.

“We have designed the allotments; and a small sales offices, that doubles as a display for “green” materials for which our client is a rep as well.”

Here is a full project description from SO-IL:

–

Sunnyside Up

A roof garden in the garden city

Roofs are underused in New York City. Garden City Roofs, a startup company headed by Beth Lieberman, caters to a growing need for technical expertise and access to green roof systems. Garden City Roofs is converting the unused roof of a large industrial building into a showroom and knowledge-center for green roof systems. SO-IL has been asked to evaluate access, layout the roof systems and hard-scapes and design a sales- and learning center on the roof. The factory building, where once typewriter ribbons were made and which now houses a gym and billiards hall, is located along the train tracks in Sunnyside Gardens, Queens, opposite of the New York / Korean Presbyterian Church by Gregg Lynn.

Sunnyside (above) is known for one of America’s first planned communities, Sunnyside Gardens. Constructed from 1924 to 1929, this residential area has brick row houses of two and a half stories, with front and rear gardens and a landscaped central court shared by all. This model, based on Ebenezer Howards garden city principles, allowed for denser residential development, while also providing ample open/green-space amenities.

In this spirit, and that of one time resident Lewis Mumford’s ideas of the organic city, the project is conceived as an integral part of the natural roofscape. The idea is to create an atmosphere as if working under a tree with little division between in- and outside. The pavilions form is achieved by slicing and rotating a Truncaded Octahedron, one of the most beautiful Archimedean Solids. The structure will be a showcase of materials that are either completely biodegradable or recyclable. Climate control will be created with natural elements; rain water, sunshine and shading through trees and plants.

Above: the industrial building sits along the train tracks, just north of the historic district of Sunnyside Gardens.

Above: once typewriter ribbons were manufactured in this building, now it houses a billiards hall and gym.

Above: the 21000 sf underused roof is a vast landscape of covered skylights and mechanical equipment.

The idea is to create an atmosphere as if working under a tree with little division between in- and outside.

Above: a 200 sf pavilion sits between the gardens, for information and display of materials. The allotments for the different roof-systems on display can be reached by a pathway connecting entrance, allotments and a deck which is used for educational purposes.

Above: a map of the different materials on display on the unfolded truncated octahedron.

Above: natural light comes in through a sole window.

Above: the building is well visible when landing on La Quardia Airport. The allotments form a recognizable pattern from the air.

Client: Garden City Roofs
Location: Sunnyside, Queens, NYC
Date: 09/01/08
Program: Entrance, office, hard-scape Area: Exterior: 21.000 sf; Interior: 200 sf.
Budget: $40,000
Note: To be completed spring 2009.

New York based architects Rafael Viñoly have unveiled plans for the Museum of Modern Arab Art in Doha, Qatar.

The museum will house over 10,000 articles from the collection of Sheikh Hassan Bin Mohammed Al-Thani.

The collection, ranging from abstract paintings to the earliest Qur’anic manuscripts, will expand as the museum acquires work from contemporary Arabian artists.

The 33,000 square metre project is due to be completed in 2011.

The following is from Rafael Viñoly Architects:

–

Rafael Viñoly Architects has been commissioned to design the Museum of Modern Arab Art, within the Qatar Foundation’s Education City campus in Doha.

The museum will house Sheikh Hassan Bin Mohammed Al-Thani’s collection of modern Arab art and important regional antiquities, composed of more than ten thousand pieces in all mediums.

This collection will form the initial basis of the museum’s holdings and inform its future acquisitions program.

The Museum will comprise approximately 355,000 square feet of accommodation for several uses.

In addition to providing archival-quality controlled environments for the display of art, there is also a library and spaces for the display of art, there is also a library and spaces for the study of Arabic art.

The curation and management of the museum will be housed on-site, as will preservation and collection maintenance facilities.

The building is set into a landscape of sculpture gardens and outdoor terraces which take advantage of the favorable climate, and also has provision for visitor parking.

Once housed in its permanent location, the museum will become an important cultural attraction to Qatar for both the public and specialist researchers.

Creating a place to display and explore this collection provides researchers, artists, art historians, students, visitors and local residents with access to the cultural heritage and current art practice within Arab culture documented by this collection.

The museum will stimulate creativity, educate about the culture whose works it displays, and promote art appreciation to new and existing audiences.

RVA Project Team

Aramouny, Carla
D’Cotta, Cristina
Duren, Ariel
Farid, Omar
Hodge, David
Lee, Yueh-Hung
McManama, Lauren
Pohl, Jonathon
Rampy AIA, Gil
Robles, David
Salinas Noel
Xu, Yunchao
Zirek, Seda

Travelodge container hotel opens in Uxbridge, UK

Travelodge, the budget hotel company, have completed their first recycled hotel made out of shipping containers. The 86 containers used in the Uxbridge hotel were prepared in China with plasterboard walls, electrics and bathrooms already in place before being shipped to the UK, stacked and assembled like lego pieces. The containers are simply bolted together and once installed at the site, windows are fitted, the modules are decorated and furnished, and then the exterior of the building is cladded.

The steel containers used were two different sizes and allowed for 120 rooms and a Bar/Cafe to be installed. The containers are fully re-useable and can simply be disassembled and shipped off to the next location if necessary.

Verbus Systems – a joint business venture between consulting engineers, Buro Happold and constructor, George & Harding has developed its unique modular construction system over the last four years. The design innovation is being considered a revolution for temporary accommodation at festivals and major sporting events due to the ease and speed in which the buildings can be taken apart and reassembled.

A traditional 100-bed hotel costs Travelodge around £5 million to build. Construction using shipping containers reduces costs by up to 10 per cent, making the bill for a hotel of the same size around £4.5 million. Using Verbus Modules also shaves approximately 25% off construction time, meaning a 100-bed hotel can be built in 30 weeks, instead of 40. Travelodge plan to build half of all future hotels this way and a second container hotel is already under construction at Heathrow and due to complete at the end of the year.

  

 

 
 

New Barnet College campus to boost regeneration of North London

Barnet College, one of England’s largest further education institutions, has unveiled the first images of its plans for a new campus in Colindale, North London.

Identified as an ‘opportunity area’ by the Mayor of London, Colindale is undergoing an unprecedented phase of regeneration and is set to see some 10,000 new homes built in the coming years as well as hundreds of new jobs for the area. Key to the London Borough of Barnet’s vision for Colindale is the improvement of local education facilities and the College’s new state-of-the- art campus will play a key role in the area’s ongoing renaissance.

The development – designed by UK-based international architectural firm RMJM, which is renowned for its work in the education sector – will see the relocation of two centres to a central campus close to Colindale underground station. Accommodating a variety of curriculum activities, the state-of-the- art seven storey building will also provide facilities open to the local community including hair and beauty salons, hospitality training suites and a new restaurant.

RMJM director Matt Cartwright, leading the design team commented: “This new campus for Barnet College is an important milestone for the college and for the local community – it will lead the way in transforming Colindale. Urban regeneration must start at a community level and this new campus aims to deliver outstanding community facilities as well as its all important education function.”

The College’s Principal, Marilyn Hawkins, said: “This is an exciting project. The College has a tremendous reputation for delivering quality vocational training for young people aged 14 -19 at our current Grahame Park site. This new centre would allow the College to move to new levels of excellence in modern, purpose-built facilities.

“This is especially important with the new emphasis on apprenticeships and as the new specialist vocational 14-19 diplomas – in which the College is playing a leading role – come on stream.

“The design ideas are striking and very versatile, creating a building of which the community will be proud.”

Barnet College submitted an Application in Principal for funding to the Learning Skills Council at the end of July 2008.

 

Polymer technology used in one of London’s largest projects

The Walbrook construction is occupying 1.6 acres of land which will eventually become a mixed use office and retail development in London’s city centre. When complete, The Walbrook will provide a gross area of 600,000 sq.ft, including 410,000 sq.ft of Grade A net letable area and 35,000 sq.ft of retail and restaurant accommodation. But it is not the project’s scale which makes it remarkable, rather the materials used.

Similar to many buildings, the exterior of The Walbrook will be encased with solar shading which will help keep the building cool in the summer and warm in the winter, thus improving energy efficiency. But the cladding on this development is entirely comprised of a Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) with an automotive finish – making the sheen resemble that of a car. FRPs are commonly used in the aerospace, automotive and marine industries because of their enhanced strength and low-weight, boasting a strength to weight ratio higher than steel or concrete. FRPs have also been used in bridge construction but have not been used to this extent on buildings before.

The Walbrook, designed by Foster + Partners for clients Minerva, is currently under construction in between Bank and Cannon Street stations. Skanska, Arup and Roger Preston & Partners will combine efforts on the construction and engineering and hope to complete the project by the end of 2009 making a high-tech 50 metre long impact along Cannon Street.