18 February 2019

Facades enhance up to become urban decoration projects. And now it is becoming a trend in the City, no more just a technical requirement. It concerns not only on public buildings that are renewed, starting from the exterior, but also on private homes buying charm with luxury finishes.

The British Squire& Partners architectural studio has restructured a three-levels private house, Mayfair House, in Mayfair Conservation Area, in Westminster, just starting from the exterior. This is a shining example of architectural decoration.

Taking inspiration from the urban development of the area and, in particular by a 1800s’ building whose facades are covered with leaves and vines, the architects have clad the exterior and the roof of the house with over 4,000 leaf shape metal elements: each leaf has been folded and aluminum ppc coated. These metallic elements were produced in different colours, ranging from red to orange, to make the project recall the vegetation that characterizes the English homes, which changes color with the changing of the seasons.

The impact project is the result of a research project lasted three years and developed in partnership with the Swiss manufacturer Tuchschmid.   www.squireandpartners.com

Edoardo Croci

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

25 November 2018

DuPont Glass Laminating Solutions announces the commercial launch of DuPont™ SentryGlas® N-UV ionoplast interlayer a new interlayer technology for durable architectural safety glass with unsurpassed transmission of natural UV light into spaces containing special light-requiring flora and fauna. Located in Seocheon, Republic of Korea, the Ecoplex ecological park is a government led initiative to preserve the natural environment of the region and to create a national hub to gather various ecological valuables for advanced research and exhibition in Korea. The site was originally allocated to be developed as an industrial zone but due to its environmental values, the Korean government changed the plan and commissioned a design competition for the Ecoplex and its various facilities which was won by Samoo Architects & Engineers. The Ecorium is composed of various greenhouses and controlled environmentsin order to reproduce the global ecosystem of five different climatic zones ranging from the tropical to the polar regions. Planned as an eco-friendly building, the Ecorium is strategically designed to become a leading facility in regards to sustainability. For example, the alignment and the orientation of the various greenhouses were simulated to create an ideal environment depending on the climate zone the greenhouse would represent. Also, air-flow simulations were carried out so that natural ventilation effects could be maintained throughout the 4-seasons for necessary facilities. The sloped curtain-wall of each climate zones would gather rain-water for cooling & watering plants. With these various efforts, the whole facility was able reduce total energy consumption by approximately 10%. With a grand vision of becoming the hub for education and research on ecology, the Ecorium within the Ecoplex will play an important role in providing an opportunity for visitors to have a hands-on experience of the various ecological environments around the world and teach us the importance of our natural environments. "Bringing full-spectrum light through laminated glass is proving attractive to botanists and other life science professionals," said DuPont Advanced Interlayer Business Director Ron Hull. "Our decision to fully commercialize and promote SentryGlas® N-UV ionoplast interlayer for this market reflects growing demand from around the world for this unique product." The latest project specified in high-UV-transmissive DuPont interlayer is South Korea's National. Ecological Institute (NEI) "Ecorium" project, a 33,090-square-meter, multi-domed, multi-climate-zone nature reserve and sustainability-minded study center under construction in Seocheon-gun. While invisible to humans, UV light is critically needed by many terrestrial and aquatic species for food identification, mating and display, proper growth and good health in environments as close as possible to their normal outdoor habitat. Most architectural laminated glass includes UV blockers to protect interior fabrics and furnishings from discoloration and to avoid prolonged human skin exposure to the UV light rays. Compared with other interlayers available to the laminated glass industry, DuPont™ SentryGlas® N-UV is not cross-linked or cured, relying instead on intrinsic ionoplast stability to resist degradation or loss of clarity from extended exposure to sunlight. Like normal ionoplast sheet, DuPont™ SentryGlas® N-UV offers up to 100 times the stiffness and 5 times the toughness of traditional safety glass interlayers, allowing for larger glass spans. This can further improve natural light transmission when used in combination with high-transmissivity glass. Structural engineering advantages of SentryGlas® interlayer often allow for thinner glass and minimally supported glazing. The interlayer's outstanding resistance to moisture ingress and chemical attack make it ideal for open-edged designs, even in warm, humid environments. SentryGlas® N-UV interlayer is available in sheet form, in 1.52-mm (0.060-in.) thickness. To help life science professionals and others explore product application ideas, DuPont has sample interlayer sheets available immediately for lamination and testing with user-specified glass for envisioned projects. (Fabiana Cambiaso, Università La Sapienza) www.samoo.com © Samoo Architects & Engineers; © Young Chae Park   Ecorium, National Ecological Institute (NEI), Seocheon-gun, Republic of Korea Samoo Architects & Engineers, Grimshaw Architects Area: 33.090 sqm Completion: 2012 Materials: Glass Applications: Envelope.

Carlo Bardelli

28 November 2018

Mud huts, wooden houses, stone houses: the architecture of all the world is changing, evolving and adapting to the environment, climate and local materials. Great examples of sustainable construction, expressions of traditional cultures, arise from here.

"Learning from Vernacular" exhibition was staged at the Vitra Design Museum. It has been an opportunity to discover examples of traditional architecture: a contemporary design that hides new forms of construction, from South Africa, Egypt, China, to Malaysia up to Cameroon; wooden architecture, spectacular projects in bamboo up to structures that resemble tunnel and were made with Palm grass.

The exhibition presents the residential projects of the Auburn University of Rural Studio in Alabama, the collaboration between architects and craftsmen in India, the work of architect Carin Smuts in South African townships or the bamboo structures of the Colombian Simón Vélez. Films, photographs and plans demonstrate how the buildings were built and the everyday life of their inhabitants.

With its 40 models, the exhibition presents a veritable panorama of world architecture. And it opens the eyes of the public for the abundant variety of materials, shapes and construction techniques that exist outside of the commercial market and are handed down from generation to generation. In these cases, the social aspects of architectures are often just as important as aesthetics or the economy. Thanks to the numerous examples of renewable raw materials and energy-neutral solutions, it offers numerous opportunities for sustainable development of resources. Learning from vernacular was made possible thanks to the complete collection of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). This collection includes more than 700 1:20 scale architectural models and many documents. The collection is part of a large archive dedicated to modern architecture, whose Director Pierre Frey is the curator of the exhibition. One of the pioneers of sustainable and social construction practice is the architect Anna Heringer, that held a conference at Vitra Museum about projects in countries such as China, Morocco or Bangladesh, where she developed a unique approach to architectural design that closely involves the community and local materials. www.design-museum.de www.anna-heringer.com  

Marco Mignatti

Choosing concrete as material for a luxury residence. The young Mexican architect Abraham Cherem (Cherem Arquitectos) recently completed the project of a residence on the outskirts of Mexico City, built for a well-known local football player. The project is based on the study of the views of the house and the movement of the light on the inside. The architect has two overlapped blocks of concrete, creating a complex set of rectangles and curved walls. The goal is to minimize the outskirts views of the metropolis, by focusing our gaze on the large patio. The 44 cm thick walls alternate with smooth walls in corrugated surfaces. Inside, the walls are conceived as concrete curtains, regulating spaces and the entry of light at different times of day. Abraham CheremThe use of concrete is inspired by the work of Brazilian architects Lina Bo Bardi and Oscar Niemayer

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

15 March 2019

The stems of banana plants, which were traditionally destined to be discarded, become a new natural material today. Green Blade is the quality and eco-friendly semi-finished product presented at Made by French company FIBandCo, the result of a process carried out on these plants. The result is a natural plating, ethical and sustainable coating. Green Blade has the look of wood and it comes in four hot colors obtained through a manufacturing process, without the use of water or chemicals. This material is born in the wild and is treated with ECHO and responsible processing. In the hands of architects, designers and planners it becomes versatile material. It is used mainly in the form of plating, for cladding and architectural panels, but also to decorate kitchens, furniture and design objects thanks to its flexibility, thin thicknesses and translucent effect. An added value is that FIBandCo is a company committed to sustainable development. The bosses of the company are two young French engineers former students of ESIEE Paris, l'École de l'Innovation Technologique, who developed this particular innovative process to enhance the stems of banana plants in small units installed in the heart of banana plantations. The company was founded in Martinique, in the heart of the plantations: a choice that makes it possible to optimize resources and reduce carbon emissions. The fiber manufacturing process does not require the use of any chemical agent and the company produces its energy through solar panels. A green-oriented style, for sure!   www.fibandco.fr

Marco Mignatti