12 January 2019

For the Walker Art Center Expansion, the client – represented by Director Kathy Halbreich and Chief Curator Richard Flood – did not aim simply to increase the exhibition area, like so many other museums did in the nineties, but primarily to give the public more room, more room for urban living inspired by the variety and richness of contemporary art.

The Walker Art Center (WAC), as one of the most progressive poles for the transmission of contemporary art, is indeed a "center" and not just a "museum." Its name is an agenda, which is why plans for expansion also include more leeway for electronic media and the performing arts. The intention of the museum and the trustees to enhance urban life at the WAC is especially meaningful and necessary because there is essentially no street life in Minneapolis, due not only to the city's climate but also to the Skyway system of elevated pedestrian walkways.

Initial planning therefore targeted a repositioning of the WAC in relation to existing urban infrastructures. The demolition of the Guthrie Theater will make room for a larger Sculpture Garden, the main entrance will be moved around Vineland Place (back) to Hennepin Avenue, and a second tower will complement the existing tower by Edward Barnes, while also establishing a visual link with the downtown skyline as well as the church spires along Hennepin Avenue.

This second tower is essential not only as an urban landmark; it also expresses the increased importance of the performing arts in the WAC program. Inside the tower there will be a theater encased in a balcony-like, three-story zone for the audience, somewhat like a down-sized version of the Scala in Milan or the open-air Globe theater of Shakespeare's day. This audience zone can also be used as an exhibition area for all kinds of art installations. Pictorial and performing arts can be interwoven here in entirely unexpected and innovative ways. The architecture thus fosters an intensification of the various activities with a view to the targeted urbanism of the new WAC. In contrast to the solid brick of the existing building, the walls are completely glazed, which will allow direct eye contact between the busy thoroughfare of Hennepin Avenue, the new interior of the WAC, and the new enlarged Sculpture Garden. This glazed street level running parallel to the slightly angled street will function like a "Town Square" open to everyone as a meeting point, a place to exchange information and news or to have a cup of coffee. People can also circulate here without going to an exhibition or attending an event. The new exhibitions spaces will be freely arranged within this glazed public area so that the "Town Square" will include cozier spaces, like side streets or alley ways.

This loose arrangement of galleries is a necessary modification of and addition to the rigid shape of the existing brick tower, which looks today like a pragmatic version of Wright's Guggenheim Museum. Edward Barnes' gallery concept along with his choice of materials, especially the terrazzo floors, have clearly stood the test of time and ensured remarkable curatorial freedom. On looking at the new WAC from outside, one is immediately struck by the huge, irregular windows. They look accidental but are homologous forms, showing a kinship in value and structure, somewhat like the shapes of a silhouette cutting. The papery appearance of the façade – also resembling a silhouette – consists of panels, which can simply be folded up along the slanted edges of the openings. Fragile and papery cladding will also be used for the inside of the theater, with its stud-wall construction so typical of US-American buildings that it is the inevitable fate of every architect. (Fabiana Cambiaso, Università La Sapienza) Credits: www.herzogdemeuron.com Figures: © Herzog & de Meuron; © Cameron Wittig.

Marco Mignatti

An excerpt of the final research course of nanotechnology and functional materials for design – Politecnico di Milano, by Sabina Veronica Fontanarosa, Silvia Maria Gauri, Elena Galvez, Anna De Mezzo Liquid wood is a biopolymer thermoplastic composite that is manufactured from substances derived from wood. A material that is still little known however as a valid substitute for thermoplastic polymers with high environmental impact. In our research we wanted to deepen knowledge about the liquid wood composition, classification, technical characteristics, physical and perceptual, investigating the various meanings of the name "liquid wood" and related materials. In a second part of the study we analyzed the current uses of this material, the products thus far and the companies that are experiencing, a key time to understand what is expected of this material and what will be its future.

The material Liquid wood is a bioplastic composite obtained from three natural ingredients: lignin, cellulose and flax, hemp or other plants, adding natural additives. This material was developed by the German company TECNARO, in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology. The trade name with which the material is produced by TECNARO is ARBOFORM or ARBOBLEND: itself suggests the nature (from Latin arbor, that means tree). Liquid wood is characterized by composition, color and smell similar to wood, and it has mechanical and physical properties which are situated, as values, among those of wood, traditional composites and polymers; finally, it can be processed as a thermoplastic polymer, feature from which the name "liquid" comes. The definition of this material combines the concepts of biopolymer, composite and natural materials engineered wood. As biopolymer, it takes part of the "biobased polymer", i.e. polymers based on renewable raw materials; in this case it is retrieved from natural material, and is 100% biodegradable. The classification as composite comes from coexistence in material of a continuous phase, composed of lignin and cellulose, and dispersed, or vegetable fibers. As far as concerns the substances from which the material comes, these are the same that make up wood: lignin and cellulose, with the addition of flax or hemp fibers and natural additives. In fact any type of wood consists of three natural polymeric substances: cellulose (about 45%) lignin (approximately 23%) and hemicelluloses (about 30%). Cellulose and hemicellulose are the fibers, whereas lignin is the inter-fiber that holds them together. Cellulose is one of the most important polysaccharides, lignin is a heavy and complex organic polymer consisting mainly of phenolic compounds. Except of polisacccaridi, lignin is the most abundant organic polymer in the plant world. As the name implies, this is the substance that makes woody plants and that has the function of keeping together the more or less branched chains of hemicellulose, helping the Organization into fibrils. In this way it gives firmness and resistance to the plant. Lignin is also known as material as the encrusting fibers. To extract the cellulose, lignin is therefore first attacked and dissolved to separate the olocellulosa, from where the cellulose and hemicellulose is extracted then. ARBOFORM inherits some characteristics from wood, i.e. property of thermal and electrical insulation, acoustic properties, and, depending on the composition, color and smell. As a mixture with "unsorted" fibers, liquid wood is an isotropic material, instead of the natural wood.

11 October 2018

The renewed impulse towards liturgical building, the sustainability of churches in the urban context and the miraculous properties of porcelain stoneware. "God is in the details," as German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe said, one among the masters of the Modern Movement, stated. Never was an expression more appropriate if we look at sacred architecture and the attention paid to particular technical aspects of design, to the social role of a liturgical building and the significance a place of worship can acquire once inserted in a urban context. These aspects became fundamental once again after the 2nd Vatican Council - with figures such as Cardinal Larcaro dedicated to promoting religious building constantly dealing with the city - and turned into the protagonists of the debate on contemporary architecture also because of the numerous works of religious buildings planned by archistar such as Richard Meier, Le Corbusier, Mario Botta, Renzo Piano and Tadao Ando. But most of all thanks to the renewed impetus of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), involved in supporting this field by organizing competitions which calls for projects of news churches: only in the recent period, besides the call for the diocese of Mantua, also those for Forlì, Lucca and Monreale’s churches are being defined.   The activism of ecclesiastical clients seems to be in contrast to the general slowdown in the industry, with an overall drop in new buildings of 44% from 2006 to 2012 and a non-residential market that is struggling to reverse the tendency. A recovery that seems to be based above all on the development of environmental and urban sustainability, a goal which has always been dear to CEI. If green design and redevelopment are the possible future of architecture, sacred building is very much a part of that "human ecology" which also latest pontificates referred to, specifically: the attention paid to the energy efficiency of the building; the accurate selection of materials not harmful to health; the choice both of construction systems that favour the exposure to the sun of worship places and of technologically-advanced facilities. Good examples do not lack, from more than 700 churches in Germany that have solar panels installed on the roof to the Immaculate Sacred Heart of Mary at Brembo di Dalmine (Italy), where the designers from the PBEB Studio have created a church inside a factory felt into disuse.   A liturgical building that thus presents less features of a monument to show more and more the characteristics of an architecture with specific functional elements, naming universal accessibility and security. As well as respecting the equilibrium with the surrounding environment, be it a landscape, be it the urban fabric. In particular, the majority of religious buildings able to propose a contemporary language associate the innovation of forms and materials to the familiarity of a place aimed to spirituality, a point of reference of the local identity and within the social context it belongs to. Environmental sustainability is consequently the main goal of a sacred architecture aiming at conveying the concept of community, thanks to the use of green materials that represent a synthesis of contemporary aesthetics and functional quality. As for the materials, it is well known that ceramics are historically a common solution employed in the construction of religious buildings, for example for the covering of internal walls or for the decoration of domes and colonnades as well. A prominent role reiterated today by porcelain stoneware with its "miraculous" properties which let it adapt to different colours and spaces with different sizes, thanks to the availability of different shapes and thicknesses. Together with the elimination of glazes, these features allow the use of porcelain stoneware both indoor and outdoor, as in the case of the DSG Ceramics gres tiles which Ithaca Associate Architects and Itinera Associate Studio chose for the project they proposed to compete in the contest for the parish of Santa Maria del Carmine (Naples, Italy), organized by the Archdiocese of Sorrento-Castellammare di Stabia. The DSG products specifically selected for the project of the church facility are Luserna and Basaltina, both in the bush-hammered version: porcelain stoneware slabs able to resist to abrasion, with friction coefficient R11(perfect for uses in high-traffic areas), and with a stone effect capable of enhancing broader areas. An aesthetic detail fundamental for the creation of a unique pedestal that, according to the designers’ intention, should visually arise from the cross inside the church and then reach the exterior of the facility entirely travelling its perimeter, finally turning into a seat in the churchyard, as a symbol of welcoming. The indissoluble connection between the daily lives of all believers and the liturgy are indeed recalled by the principles which the project is based on, and is represented by a volcanic stone-effect flooring eliminating any continuity between the various parts of the sacred architecture.  Finally, to go back to quotations, in particular to another prestigious member of the Modern Movement, Le Corbusier asserts: "Architecture is the learned game, correct and magnificent, of forms assembled in the light." A light that, in some cases more than others, can truly be said to be of divine origin. Here you can download free textures of DSG products.

Marco Mignatti

This project deals with the extension and the restructuration of a young workers residence, a 10-levels building made of a concrete structure with overhangs every 2.50m. The existing building was built in a brutal way in the 1970s on the Fondation Eugene Napoleon domain, a group of Heritage buildings.

To go faster, allow freedom of interior organization and future flexibility, the extensions have been assembled using a metal frame.

The anodized aluminium envelope draws up a new geometry, free of architectural styles, that encompasses the extensions and the existing buildings.

It reflects the light and is slit by openings onto the windows and the balconies/galleries of the garden. Final touch to the Fondation’s composition, the garden is connected to the Boulevard by openings in the outer wall, to the communal life spaces on the ground floor and to the galleries on the western façade.

The housing itself is the result of working on expanding minimum space, on series and repetitions. The metal structure allows shifting forward or backward the light frame partition walls in the flats to create two spaces, the “services” in the hall and the living space close to the window.

 (Fabiana Cambiaso - Università La Sapienza) Credits: suzelbrout.com Figures: ©  Hervé Abbadie; © Frédéric Delangle Young Workers Residence, Paris, France aasb_agence d'architecture suzelbrout / Suzel Brout, Leslie Mandalka Site: 3751 mq Completed: 2011 Materials: Modular panels of anodised aluminium with serial holes made with laser technology, Steel Applications: Envelope, Structure  

10 October 2018

Designed by architects Paolo Brescia and Tommaso Principi from OBR, the new restaurant on the terrace of the Palace of Art, with the "Arts & Foods" Hall curated by Germano Celant, is one of the most important initiatives of the Triennale di Milano for Expo 2015. After restoring the roof terrace over the main hall according to the original plans by Giovanni Muzio, Triennale of Milan shows a new dimension of quality catering, prepared by Michelin-starred chef Stefano Cerveni. All of the Milan Triennale exhibition have defined a synthesis between design and architectural experimentation. At such times the Park was transformed into a theatrical platform of new myths for urban living and Muzio's building became an admirable cultural promotion device. The OBR project, winner of the competition organized by Triennale of Milan in January 2014, interprets the tradition with a lightweight, rigorous and dynamic solution. The restaurant is designed as a transparent greenhouse surrounded by greenery and suspended on the Sempione Park, with a spectacular view of the Castello Sforzesco and the entire skyline of Milan. Going up on the terrace of the Palazzo dell'Arte, you are greeted by an aromatic garden designed by landscape architect Antonio Perazzi, behind which the restaurant Glass Pavilion (33 x 5 metres), set back from the façade portals. “Triennale has always been a reference of social and cultural life of Milan. The restaurant like greenhouse suspended between the Park and the city was born from the idea of enhancing the terrace of Palazzo dell'Arte as a place strong urban sociability, evolving sensitive space that works under dynamic exchanges between inside and outside "-Paolo Brescia and Tommaso Principi explain. The Hall, which is completely open on the perimeter, is characterized by a light stainless steel modular structure which allows easy and fast mounting and dismounting directly in situ, combining industrial technology with craftsmanship. The structure design, engineered by Buro Happold and Milan Engineering and built by Capoferri firm, resumes the geometries of historic spans of Muzio. A large 400 square meter mobile tent floats suspended above the Glass Pavilion. Completely open on one side, it runs the Hall like a greenhouse, thermoregulating with different mode day/night and summer/winter bioclimatic use, and allowing guests to dine repaired by the sun or dining under the stars. As a video installation, the curtain suspended on greenhouse comes alive with images and lights designed by Guido Bianchi, referring to events sponsored by Triennale for Expo and providing guests with a unique experience between haute cuisine and design, suspended between the park and the city. The Pavilion is 33 meters long, 4.7 meters wide, 3 meters high and it has an area of about 150 square meters. The architectural design was developed by Paolo Brescia, Tommaso Principi and Andrea Casetto from OBR, with Maddalena D'alfonso, and it involves the construction of a glass Pavilion above the terrace of the Palazzo dell'Arte of Triennale di Milano, recently restored by the architect Alessandro Pedron.

Edoardo Croci

02 April 2019

Launched in 2004 by the Austrian company Rieder, fibreC (from the English "glassfiber" and "concrete") is a concrete reinforced with glassfiber applicable outdoors and indoors. The deprivation of the iron core inside of plates allows a very thin but highly durable production: sheets of 8-13 mm, very light but very strong.

Sandblasted or brushed surfaces are colored with the addition of iron oxide and natural additives: this provides varying surfaces for appearance and colors. FibreC is very durable, thin and pliable and it can therefore be used in flat slabs, and shaped in a particular way. Thanks to the unique feature of mouldability of these concrete and glassfiber panels and to the production system, this so thin material can find extraordinary possibilities of application. 

Messestand Gasser Swissbau '12 Basel, L3P ArchitektenRegensberg, Fertigstellung 2012[/caption] The architecture is the interplay of contrasting elements and the result of imaginative ideas that come from the continuous updating of materials, colors and texture of surfaces. The panels and the new elements in fibreC encourage the evolution of these ideas with innovative material suitable for all types of solutions. Similar to a skin of concrete, fibreC façade panels offer new solutions. 

Concrete skin coatings give the buildings a more modern aspect, both visually and in terms of innovation, as if they were covered by a second skin. FibreC is a material which allows a wide range of application and creating a wide variety of organic and creative shapes; it adapts to different forms and solutions, for example sliding constructions, curvatures, sloping walls and roofs.

The work shows all the expressive potential of this material that can be used as a second skin or tissue with spectacular effects on the façade of the building.   www.rieder.cc/it/it/home/ rieder.cc/blog/

Edoardo Croci

05 April 2019

Those living in temperate bands of our land, especially in Europe but also in Canada and in the United States, knows how difficult it is to deal with the increasingly extreme and sudden changes in temperature. Often, in fact, severe weather events and disturbances cause significant excursions between the low and high temperatures. In these situations, keeping a high level of comfort at home and at work inside buildings may not be easy.

Marco Mignatti

To ensure good living and working conditions, without resorting to massively expensive and polluting air conditioning systems, it is necessary to have a good thermal insulation system with the right envelope thermal inertia. In this way it is possible to enjoy a very good thermal and acoustic insulation, with the resulting benefits. To obtain optimum results in every type of intervention, Isopan – a company specialized in the field of insulated panels for roofing and wall – achieved Isocappotto coating systems. It is not a traditional coat, but a evolved double skin metal panel faced sandwich, covered with different materials to obtain the same aesthetic of the plastered walls. The ISOCAPPOTTO system can be defined as a kind of faux flashing, as it differs from the classical system of traditional walls for the presence of a double skin metal faced sandwich covered with different materials. In this way you can hide the presence of sandwich panel, imitating the aesthetic of classic plastered walls.

ISOCAPPOTTO is a system that can be applied to any type of intervention, from the construction of new buildings or industrial production sectors (Office buildings, factories, warehouses) as well as residential buildings such as houses or condominiums. The system also represents a valuable solution in case of renovations or improvements of existing buildings.

Isocappotto can have two types of insulation: mineral wool or polyurethane. Polyurethane isolation allows a series of advantages such as: high heat resistance, mechanical stability, speed, stability, lightness and flexibility. The benefits of mineral wool insulation can be summarized in: high thermal insulation, good fire behaviour, high sound insulation, flexibility, dimensional stability and mechanical.