Archinect - News

Snøhetta launches national park regeneration project in Japan

2024-04-26T11:57:00-04:00

Snøhetta has announced a new regeneration project with the Japanese private environmental agency BOND. The scheme for a yet-unnamed national park has several planned outcomes aimed a different social and environmental issues in Japan, which is experiencing a crisis of aging and still recovering from damages caused by seismic events in January and throughout the course of the last decade.

In a social media post, Snøhetta says: “Our masterplan will strengthen the relationship between earth, people, and nature, while beginning to heal and restore the scarred landscape to its original state of biodiversity and natural richness. Eco-concepts for health, wellness, and educational facilities are woven together with active public spaces spread across the park. This ecotourism development is the first step in furthering BOND’s vision of linking top stakeholders, government agencies, and locals to offer sustainable solutions for some of the long-term challenges facing the country.”

The firm h...

A Palestinian architect looks for a future in Gaza’s rubble

2024-02-05T11:47:00-05:00

Over 60% of the buildings in Gaza have been destroyed. But it's also the heritage, the culture, the collective memory. So it's important for us to rethink how to rebuild, how to accommodate one of the highest densely populated spots on Earth. Do we go vertical? Do we go horizontal? You've got an urban fabric. You've got a coastal fabric. You've got a rural fabric. Each one requires a different way of looking at it.

Yara Sharif is the London-based co-founder of the group Architects for Gaza. The Palestinian architect tells NPR the task now is to assemble a society literally of the rubble using the remnants of some 200,000 buildings that have been destroyed and in the most environmentally sensitive ways possible. A top-down solution that keeps Palestinians out of any post-war rebuilding process has been a growing concern for activists, who brought the issue to the International Court of Justice as part of South Africa's attempt to use it to stop the violence in December.

To date, the IDF’s military strategy has razed more than 70% of all residential structures, plus another 20 or so hospitals and approximately 350 schools. Its plan to establish a 23-square-mile "buffer zone" within the Gaza Strip's borders has become another recent point of contention (h/t LA Times).

MVRDV completes colorful HAUS 1 office conversion in Berlin

2023-12-04T14:24:00-05:00

MVRDV has completed work on a vibrant new conversion project in Berlin called HAUS 1 that reworked an aging office building from 1997 into a new hub for innovation and community.

Other than the eye-catching canary color finish, the project is visually dominated by an extended grand external staircase. A new terraced timber pavilion space is enacted on the rooftop, completed by an arrangement of native plants and constructed using a palette of bio-based materials. Inside, floorplans are altered to maximize flexibility. Other important aspects of the design include low-temperature underfloor heating and a rainwater harvesting system that will help the building to function sustainably year-round.

Photo © Lukas Drobny

MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs says: “The newly transformed HAUS 1 is more than a gateway to this unique campus devoted to impact. It is a representation of the Atelier Gardens community and their commitment to chart a different vision of society...

Another Banksy mural destroyed after the building it was painted on was demolished

2023-12-01T17:41:00-05:00

A mural painted by Banksy which first appeared not long after Britain voted to leave the European Union (EU) has been destroyed after the building it was painted on was knocked down. The artwork, said to have been valued at around £1m, first appeared in the coastal town of Dover in 2017, the year after Britain voted to leave the union in a controversial referendum.

The mural, located on the side of the Castle Amusements building, depicted a worker chipping away at one the 12 stars on the EU flag. In 2019, the mural vanished after it was whitewashed. And, now, despite efforts to potentially restore the work, the building it was painted on has been demolished as part of a regeneration project. Prior to the building’s demolition the Dover City Council (DCC) determined that the Banksy could not have been conserved without major costs to local taxpayers.

Previously on Archinect: Banksy's latest mural on abandoned UK farmhouse has been demolished

That being said, the Council has said that its contractor, DDS Demolition, is exploring ways to preserve the artwork in any way. As reported by CNN, the demolition firm has said that pieces of the Banksy have been retrieved and are currently “being assessed.”

BIG designs stepped concave towers for ‘Europe’s largest regeneration project’ in Greece

2023-10-18T12:15:00-04:00

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has designed a major residential complex in Athens, Greece. Named Park Rise and commissioned for LAMDA Development, BIG’s scheme is part of The Ellinikon, described by LAMDA as “Europe’s largest urban regeneration project and a smart city being built from the ground up in Athens.”

Image credit: Bjarke Ingels Group / LAMDA

Park Rise will form the centerpiece of Little Athens, a new residential neighborhood located within the Ellinikon master plan. BIG’s concept will contain 88 residential units across five building cores: two rising to five floors, two rising to eight floors, and one rising to 12 floors.

Image credit: Bjarke Ingels Group / LAMDA

From the outside, the scheme is defined by a curved concave facade which, the architects say, “creatively reimagines the classic Greek column while adding a soft geometry to the aesthetic.” Off-white glass-reinforced concrete with exposed aggregates is integrated into the facade to “harken to the natural landscape.”

I...

MVRDV transforms former U.S. military barracks with 'catalog' of residential dwellings

2021-08-27T16:46:00-04:00

MVRDV has broken ground on their Traumhaus Funari project in Mannheim, Germany, transforming a former U.S. military barracks into a suburban residential neighborhood. The design for the new neighborhood is shaped by a series of options and rules, intended to promote diversity in the streetscape by allowing residents to make meaningful choices about their homes.

Image via MVRDV

Funari is one of five districts forming the redevelopment of Mannheim’s Franklin quarter, which once housed a U.S. military base. For the scheme’s development, MVRDV partnered with prefabricated housing developer Traumhaus, who specializes in housing created from mass-produced, standardized elements. For Funari, MVRDV adapted this standardized approach to create a catalog of housing typologies, allowing residents to choose from variations in materials, sizes, interior layouts, and connections to external space.

Image via MVRDV

“Traumhaus has already shown how a systematic construction approach can increase a...

2019 World Interior of the Year awarded to J.C. Architecture's regenerated JCA Living Lab in Taipei

2019-12-06T19:17:00-05:00

Described as a “laboratory for future living”, the JCA Living Lab by J.C. Architecture is a regenerated Japanese Colonial residential house in Taipei that preserves its past while accommodating the modern-living needs of its occupants. Today, the project was announced as the 2019 World Interior of the Year at the INSIDE World Festival of Interiors in Amsterdam, following a final showdown between the nine category winners that were revealed yesterday. The JCA Living Lab won the Residential category.

Local craftspeople were brought in when needed and recycled elements were also incorporated into the design. The house combines traditional craftsmanship with modern detailing, like the hanging circular light in the living room, against a backdrop of preserved materials. A roof skylight shapes a path that acts as a guide for the entire house.

JCA Living Lab by J.C. Architecture. Photo © Kuo-Min Lee.

The configuration of the house was designed to be adaptable. Communal spaces like a kitchen...

Brutalist block repurposed for 21st century Royal Docks workspaces

2017-09-01T01:29:00-04:00

A former beer factory in the Royal Docks is set to become London’s newest creative workspace hub, which will open later this year. The Silver Building, from SODA and Nick Hartwright, will be one of the first elements of the Royal Docks’ regeneration, which will continue throughout the next 15 years.

Brutalism is quickly becoming one of London's most celebrated styles, with the love for these post-war concrete structures growing over recent years. This project will build on the city’s hunger for not only iconic modernist buildings, but for creative spaces.

Photo Credit: Agnese Sanvito, Luke O’Donovan

The project bears the hallmarks of most regeneration hubs in London, providing cafes, galleries, function rooms, breakout spaces, studios, and workshops. The importance of these community-friendly creative hubs within London cannot be ignored; this project is a great solution to the scarcity of available workspaces for start-ups and small businesses in the city. With 50,000 square-foot...

Another, now Versace-branded, luxury apartment tower to be built in London

2017-08-25T04:00:00-04:00

A property firm run by a business partner of US President Donald Trump has awarded a £250 million ($320 million) contract to developers for the construction of a "Versace-branded" skyscraper in London. Nine Elms Property awarded the contract to developers Multiplex for the construction of AYKON London One, a fifty-story tower to be built in central London at Nine Elms on the South Bank.

"The world's first Versace-branded tower", AYKON London One, valued at £590 million, will consist of fifty floors and 450 apartments from one to three bedrooms, interiors of which will be designed in partnership with luxury fashion house Versace and feature panoramic-view "winter gardens". In addition to residential units, the KPF-designed building will contain 10,000 square feet of "communal gardens", four floors devoted to office space, and a sky bridge between the two towers. Although the building is scheduled to be completed by 2022, forty-five percent of the apartments are said to be already pre-sold.

The multi-billion pound "regeneration" scheme of the River Thames bank, of which the AYKON London tower is a part of, also involves the construction of luxury apartments in Battersea Power Station and a new US embassy. As noted by Business Insider, Dubai-based Hussain Sajwani, who owns DAMAC International, the main developer in charge, is a close associate of Donald Trump.

Manufacturing Site of First London Routemaster Transformed into Arts Hub

2017-07-30T13:31:00-04:00

The manufacturing site of the first London bus in E17 has been converted to celebrate London’s maker culture in SIDESHOW, an installation with interactive, family friendly elements opening mid-August. The project was undertaken by U+I and Blackhorse Workshop, the latter a ‘pioneer in the maker-space movement’ which started supporting the regeneration of the Blackhorse Road Area in 2014.

The installation of a giant marble run is central to the exhibition, and was created by Blackhorse Workshop alongside young architectural practice Ehk! using components of the original London Routemaster buses which were historically developed and manufactured in the space. This fascinating marble run incorporates disused bus parts as well as over 200 steel ball bearings, with the piece celebrating the history of the 3-acre industrial site, which is earmarked by U+I for development next year. Their plans are to work on a new mixed-use development, providing 337 new homes and workspaces for small busin...

New Rooftop Observatory launched at Bold Tendencies

2017-07-25T05:36:00-04:00

Peckham’s famous multi-storey car park has a new addition; a new viewing gallery created by Cooke Fawcett. The young practice, based in London’s creative Clerkenwell, was formed just two years ago, by directors Oliver Cooke and Francis Fawcett, after working on the Tate’s Switch House at Stirling-prize winning practice Herzog & de Meuron.

This project, a spectacular kiosk and viewing gallery for arts space Bold Tendencies, will not only provide breathtaking views of London but also act as an interactive setting for installations and specially commissioned art pieces. This arts-focused structure joins (and benefits from) Peckham’s famous rooftop hangout, Frank’s Bar. Over the past decade, the Peckham multi-storey car park has been slowly transformed by Bold Tendancies, through a programme of culture. Immersive public space and unique views have drawn over a million visitors south of the river, to this unlikely home of the arts.

Francis Fawcett: “For an avant garde cultural institut...

Boxpark opens in Croydon

2016-11-02T11:57:00-04:00

Boxpark established itself in Shoreditch in 2011 and now, after five successful years, has opened a new venue in Croydon, designed by BDP.

The venture is part of the council's plan to transform the borough and create new public spaces. Next to East Croydon station, the venue, like the original site, offers dining as well as space for small independent traders.

Architect director at BDP Gavin Elliott said:

"Shipping containers are an intrinsic component of the Boxpark brand. There’s something quite magical about taking this mundane and ubiquitous object and turning it into something desirable and transformational. We’re using 96 containers in total and only four of them are unaltered. The whole assembly is like a giant 3D jigsaw puzzle but the finished result looks deceptively simple.

Boxpark Croydon is a place for people. The design comes alive now it’s occupied. It was incredible to see it over the opening weekend, at dusk, with the lights on and the music pumping. Rammed with people...

Xu Weiping envisions a future for abandoned London docks

2014-02-20T00:10:00-05:00

“I’m a man with a vision and the ability to turn my dream into reality,” said Mr. Xu,

Julia Werdigier updates readers on Mr. Xu's plans for the long derelict Royal Albert Dock lands. His company Advanced Business Park , has proposed a $1.6 billion development to convert the current "wasteland" into a vibrant global trading hub and "world-class international business district".

Thought and quality: London's (2012) Olympic Village

2012-01-10T20:36:00-05:00

Reviving the Maida Vale model is often talked about but rarely done, and although the athletes' village version hasn't quite captured the lushness and generosity of the originals, it is at least there. It is also welcome that there is a degree of calm to the buildings, compared to the frenzied gesticulations, the visual shouts of "buy me, buy me" that typify most works of regeneration.

Rowan Moore visits the 2012 Olympic Village in London. The now athlete and later, mix of affordable and for profit, mass housing estate, is a massive go at post-Olympic regeneration. The village features design and planning work by the likes of Fletcher Priest, Arup and West 8 and he acknowledges that in a former job he helped select them. However, despite the strengths and weaknesses of the project, what is most disappointing to Moore is the fact the precedent it sets comes as the result of the huge energy associated with the Olympic Games and not just standard operating procedure.