Archinect - News

New video tells the story of a dissolving house saved by a record-breaking metal box

2022-02-10T11:47:00-05:00

In a rainy region of western Scotland, an architectural masterpiece has been given a new lease of life. Built in 1904, the Hill House is regarded as one of the most iconic residential homes to be designed by the famous architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. After over a century, however, the masterpiece mansion is feeling its age.

The Hill House Box, designed by Carmody Groarke, was completed in 2019. Now, a new video by British YouTuber Tom Scott offers new insights into the original building, the issue with its façade, and the architectural intervention undertaken to save it, including interviews with the building's managers.

Due to the wet, windy climate common to Scotland’s west coast, many buildings in the region are clad in a lime coating infused with small stones and pebbles. Once dried, the mixture forms a weatherproof layer to protect the building’s external walls from the elements. However, for the Hill House, Mackintosh departed from convention and replaced the lime coati...

Construction workers are battling the heat in unexpected regions

2021-07-24T09:00:00-04:00

Late last month, however, the Pacific Northwest saw the temperature skyrocket and break multiple records. The thermometer soared to 115 in Portland and 108 in Seattle. The heatwave caused up to 100 deaths in Oregon [...]. The usual regional temperature in June is in the high 80s. For outdoor construction work, the heat posed an unusual challenge in the region.

The potential for disruptions due to extreme weather comes as the industry was beginning to pull away from materials shortages caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Oregon has joined several other states in adopting protective labor laws. An updated OSHA protection rule is expected soon.

Construction Drive has more on the industry's response attempts to beat the heat here.

Carmody Groarke preserves Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Hill House with an encasement

2019-06-11T13:19:00-04:00

The work of Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh belongs to the early modernist period, along with that of Austria's Adolf Loos and California's Irving Gill. Though Mackintosh built very few projects during his career, the few that have survived have continued to be of great importance for modern architectural history.

Hill House, by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh.

Hill House, built in 1904 in the hills of Helensburgh, Scotland, is among the most significant. Designed by Mackintosh and his wife Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, the home rises from the landscape like a castle stripped of all ornament, a novel mix of the old and new worlds. The 115 year old home has been a popular tourist destination for years, though it had long been in serious need of preservation. The wet weather of Northern Scotland has been increasingly challenging for the Portland cement exterior, and calls for preservation proposals were made in 2017.

Hill House Box, by Carmody...

Can architecture brace itself during the Polar Vortex? Here are 5 examples of structures designed to withstand freezing temperatures

2019-02-03T10:49:00-05:00

There's no way to sugar coat it, the Polar Vortex of 2019 has aggressively hit various parts of the world. As people have braced themselves for the cold and frigid temperatures, how does the harsh cold remind us of building more resilient structures? Chicago and many other areas in the U.S. have made headlines with its reaction to the Polar Vortex. Photos and videos of snow covered roads, icicle buildings, and frozen bodies of water have graced the media. Although these record-setting temperatures in the Midwest have made a substantial impact on several people, the solution to designing thermal resilient structures is nothing new in the world of architecture.

Several architects and designers have constructed buildings that were made to withstand some of the most extreme temperatures. Places that are prone to the cold like Antarctica and Norway are home to several structures built to withstand such extremes. Below are 5 examples and descriptions of buildings that can brace the cold.

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Muji designs autonomous shuttle bus uniquely fit for all weather conditions

2018-11-02T14:02:00-04:00

The Japanese retailer MUJI, known for their minimalist home furnishings and micro-apartment designs, has designed an autonomous vehicle. Teaming up with Sensible 4, a Finnish startup working on weatherproof technology for autonomous vehicles, the two companies have collaborated on a sleek new shuttle bus—the Gacha—uniquely designed to fit all weather conditions.

Companies looking to be global pioneers of automation technology have zoomed in on California and Southern Europe to develop their systems. The Finnish company believes that this will severely hinder the viability of autonomous technology to work in a variety of weather conditions. For example, Tesla's autopilot function works mainly as a video camera-based lane guard. However, as CEO Harri Santamala noted, "if it cannot see the lanes [due to the weather], it is easy to conclude what is going to happen."

Sensible 4's automation technology, alternatively, relies on a multi-sensor system, complete with thermal cameras and rada...

Florida Keys get new affordable housing after Hurricane Irma destruction

2018-08-29T14:42:00-04:00

Irma instilled new urgency to address the islands’ housing problem. “What was an emergency prior to the storm is now a crisis—an utter and complete crisis with regards to the housing for average worker here in Monroe County,” said Mike Laurent, executive director of the Florida Keys Community Land Trust.

The Florida Keys Community Land Trust was developed after Hurricane Irma hit last year to help built new affordable housing, which suffered the most damage on the islands. So far the trust has four new affordable cottages under construction with plans of building 20 more.

The new homes have been designed by Marianne Cusato, who led a similar disaster architecture project in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. Designed to withstand 200 mile-per-hour winds and at an elevation of 12 feet, the cottages' monthly rent will be capped at $1,588 with preference given to families displaced by Irma.

Louvre relocates artwork as the Seine floods

2016-06-02T13:30:00-04:00

As heavy rainfall floods Paris, the Louvre isn’t taking chances with its priceless art collection and will close on Friday to prevent water damage. The museum will move pieces from its underground stores to higher floors to keep them safe, according to a Thursday statement. The Louvre is right next to the Seine river, which has risen 16 ft. above its normal levels due to rain over the past few weeks, AFP reports.

Abnormally heavy rains have caused flooding in northeastern France as well as parts of Germany this week. In Paris, the Seine has risen 16 feet – the highest since 1960 but still short of the standing record of 26 feet from 1910.

The rains and flooding have resulted in nine deaths in Germany, disrupted the French Open, and provoked two of Paris' major, riparian museums – the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay – to plan for the worst.

In related news:

Melbourne tower to display weather data via LED animations on its façade

2015-03-29T09:00:00-04:00

The 40-storey building at 888 Collins Street, in Victoria Harbour, will interpret real-time weather data from the Bureau of Meteorology and will transmit the next day's forecast every half-hour. However, rather than showing the weather report in numbers and with a temperature display [lighting designer] Canadian-born Bruce Ramus said it would be more of an abstract representation and reflection of the environment of Docklands.

Checking the weather forecast on your smartphone is so passé. The Woods Bagot-designed apartment tower will show off a flashy accessory that gives real-time weather data, conceived by lighting designer Bruce Ramus. Completion of the 40-story building is scheduled for 2017.

Icy Storms and Freezing Temps Pummel the Eastern US

2015-02-18T15:01:00-05:00

The aftermath of a deadly winter storm paralyzed much of the eastern United States on Tuesday and forecasters warned of the worst cold in two decades from another arctic front this week.

From New England to the Carolinas and into the Midwest, winter has definitively come for much of the United States and forecasters are warning that the worst cold in two decades could be on the horizon:

The National Weather Service reported temperatures in the negative 30's in Saranac Lake, New York.
States of emergency were declared from Mississippi to Washington, DC, where the federal government shut down after getting hit with about 5 inches of snow.

According to NBC, Boston received more than 13 inches of snow, raising its total snowfall for this winter to 95.7 inches, a foot away from the all-time record. The city has spent more than $30 million on snow removal already this year, according to CNN. According to local news stations there, the MBTA (Metro Boston Transit Authority) is paying students, union workers, and anyone looking to make some cash $30 an hour to shovel snow. Prison inmates have also been enlisted to help remove snow, possibly for as little as 20¢ an hour (the med...

Task force created to prepare New Yorkers for extreme weather

2013-06-13T15:01:00-04:00

New York City must take urgent steps to protect New Yorkers and its buildings from the next extreme weather event, according to a report released today by the Building Resiliency Task Force at a press conference.

In the devastating aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, Mayor Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn charged the task force with giving recommendations to improve the resiliency of city buildings and maximize preparedness for extreme weather conditions like high winds, high temperatures and flooding. Urban Green Council led the 200+ member task force.

Highlights of specific suggestions:

Create stronger buildings—require new and replacement doors and windows to be wind resistant; anchor homes to their foundations; design sidewalks to capture storm water.
Ensure reliable backup power—make it easier for buildings to use backup generators and solar energy; require buildings to keep stairwells and hallways lit during blackouts; add hookups for roll-up generato...

Fox River Flash Flooding Surrounds the Farnsworth House

2013-03-13T21:00:00-04:00

Above freezing temperatures and continued rainfall has left the Fox River that runs next to the Farnsworth House in a state of rising flood waters today, March 11, 2013. The house is fully surrounded by river water, but neither the lower deck nor the upper deck has yet to be breached.