This actually seems pretty great – I’d love to see some video of people actually playing a song [which you know someone must have done].
“Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator and feel better” is something we often hear or read in the Sunday papers. Few people actually follow that advice. Can we get more people to take the stairs over the escalator by making it fun to do?
Sushi is a good metaphor for my architecture. The importance in sushi is to choose the best material from the place, in season.
If the journey of the ingredients is too long, the taste of the sushi is compromised. That is a problem that can’t be solved by modern technology, and that programme of using local material in season is the secret of good taste, and the secret of my style.
There are two important things to make sushi. One is the material and the other is the skill… For sushi, both the power of the material and skill is important and their balance is very important.
I believe that this balance is what people want. People and society are seeking the thing like sushi for the architecture and their city. A variety of people are interested in Japanese architecture and traditions and this is parallel to why sushi is popular in Western country.
It’s Monday – and I definitely wasn’t planning on talking football here on AMNP. BUT – did you ninjas see the Pats Titans game yesterday? I thought Drew Brees rolling over the Giants was a crazy thing to see – until Tom Brady piled 5 touchdowns on the Titans in ONE QUARTER. Holy crap. I mean, I don’t think that this means the Pats “are back”, but it was pretty feckin’ nuts either way. 59-0, ouch.
Moving along, I’m looking to do a series of posts here on AMNP featuring various architecture photographers – and I’m looking for suggestions of who’s work to have on the site, etc. So if you know of some great archi-photogs, leave a comment, drop me an email, or hit me up on Twitter [@ArchitectureMNP].
And as always, if you see anything on the web that you believe should be linked-to from AMNP -as part of Ninjas on the ‘Net, or the sidebar – feel free to drop me an email at architecture@myninjaplease.com.
- Richard Rogers wins Stirling Prize for Maggie’s Centre [Architects' Journal]
- lastly, don’t miss myninjaplease.com’s two newest features:A Dozen, and The Industry. Our ninja Kookiecrumbles has been hard at work interviewing artists and featuring their work as well as speaking to industry insider – coming up with some great content that should not be slept on.
Project Presentation: Natural Fuse
Usman Haque
Introduction by Mark Shepard
Recorded: September 18, 2009
Running time: 1:02:07
Presented as part of the public program series organized in conjunction with the Architectural League’s fall 2009 exhibition Toward the Sentient City.
For many of us these days, “home” is an idea constructed from several places – we live in social environments and neighborhoods composed of networked fragments that bridge huge geographical distances. Usman Haque will talk about such architectural issues with specific reference to “Natural Fuse,” his project for the League’s exhibition Toward the Sentient City. “Natural Fuse” is a city-wide network of electronically-assisted plants that act both as energy providers and and as a shared “carbon sink” resource. The project encourages collective cooperation in regulating energy consumption through a network of “circuit breakers” distributed throughout the city.
BIO Usman Haque has created responsive environments, interactive installations, digital interface devices and massparticipation performances. His skills include the design of both physical spaces and the software and systems that bring them to life. As well as directing the work of Haque Design + Research he was until 2005 a teacher in the Interactive Architecture Workshop at the Bartlett School of Architecture, London.
::Video Sundays, or VS, is a weekly feature here on AMNP. For more architecture-related videos, click on any Sunday in the sidebar calendar, or on the ?videos? category in the ?archjutsu?section. And don?t hesitate to submit suggestions for video features to architecture[at]myninjaplease[dot]com::
[please click images to view full size - photos by Scott Burrows]
Located within a suburb of Brisbane, the Balmoral House by ARKHEFIELD set out to create a dynamic and contemporary addition + renovation to an existing ‘Queenslander‘ [an iconic housing type] – while also addressing the specific needs of an expanding family [the clients found out they were pregnant with twins during the design process]. Utilizing a naturally sloping site and available space behind the existing structure, the designers were able to ‘open up’ the house to a newly created sheltered outdoor courtyard and pool area – while also elevating some of the interior spaces enough to provide framed views out over the suburbs and to the city.
The project is classically divided into ‘public’ and ‘private’ uses – where the existing ‘Queenslander’ was preserved and used as a more sheltered, private space for the children’s bedrooms and other quieter, more private areas. The addition, in contrast, is then open and spacious, meeting the communal needs of the family. The addition also provides a new master bedroom for the parents, creating a sense of privacy between the adult’s space and the children’s space.
The existing house becomes a deep, sheltered space encapsulating the private zones of the house. The new house forms the public zone, the fulcrum from which the family distributes its own pattern of interaction. The gap between old and new forms a new gathering place for the house. The back of the existing house becomes the new core. The rear-flung kitchen becomes the centre of a new household distribution. The existing house becomes the private living room and new buildings feed its activity.
Colour, water, volume and moving walls articulate the central space upon which the two pavilions (old and new) counterbalance creating a new character of entry and arrival.
The old and new are connected by the shared family space: living room, dining room, and outdoor space. A new pathway from the front of the house along the side of the structure even ends in this interconnected living room / patio – emphasizing this space as both the literal and figurative ‘center’ of the house.
The resulting structure plays off the interesting enforced dichotomy between old and new, closed and open, private and public – creating a dynamic and unique home that should be easily adaptable to the changing needs of a growing family over time.
The owners are currently a young family with grandparents in tow. The house is currently used as a series of clusters. In a few years, these clusters will dissipate and spread. In ten years, there will be new fiefdoms. Throughout these changes, the central outdoor space will dominate interactions, oversee coming and going, and be the lifeblood of the family.
Lastly, some sustainability / green issues were also taken into account – as the designers reused rocks existing on the site to create retaining walls; created a solar hot water and pool heating system; considered solar exposure and natural ventilation through the inclusion of operable blinds + louvers, along with eaves for all the project’s windows; bought the timber used from ‘certified’ sources; and paid particular attention to the orientation of the ‘aperture’ created by the new structure’s form and the courtyard space.
More images – and larger versions of those seen here – over at AMNP’s flickr page.
::all images + information provided by ARKHEFIELD::
NORD [Northern Office for Research and Design] Architects have recently been named the winners of a competition to design a new healthcare center for cancer patients in Copenhagen. Run in collaboration with the Danish Cancer Society, the project was inspired by “Maggie’s Centre” in Great Britain – and will function as an independent institution that provides cancer patients and their families with counseling and rehabilitation.
[note: this image was cropped from the preceding image, to show more detail]
Founded on the principles of ‘healing architecture’, the center has been specifically designed so as not to resemble a hospital / typical health institution – instead using massing elements suggesting the form of a house [or series or houses]. Conceptually this is intended to both make visitors/users feel more at ease, while also creating an iconic structure that will be recognizable within the community.
“This is a very meaningful assignment to us and we have given a proposal that expresses and defines itself as a new typology between a house and an institution.”
~ Johannes Pedersen and Morten Rask Gregersen, partners at NORD
This saw-toothed gabled roofline runs around the perimeter of the center, forming a central courtyard which can be accessed from a number of locations – creating a public, interior garden area that connects the interior spaces of the project [there's even a climbing wall, seen in the image below]. A series of balconies open off of this central space, further connecting the building with its site and surrounding neighborhood.
[note: this image was cropped from the preceding image, to show more detail]
And this is yet another example of the current popularity / trend of the iconic gabled roof structure – this time applied to a building that contains no housing at all. So far I’m still into it – but maybe that’s because I’ve yet to come across a project that completely fails in its use of the gables. We’ll see. I’m a fan of this project, regardless – based on the limited information I have [just these images and a few paragraphs of text] I think the project looks as if it could be pretty dope – time will tell.
It’s been months now since I first mentioned the BLDGBLOG book, by our ninja Geoff Manaugh, here on AMNP – and months since I got my hands on a copy. That being said, I’ve chosen it to be the first in what I hope to be a bi-weekly [at least] series of book reviews here on AMNP.
“Finally, I want to reiterate that BLDGBLOG is fundamentally about following, and not being ashamed by, your own enthusiasms, whether or not they are rigorous and appropriate for the academic mores of the day, or even interesting for your family and friends.”
First things first – don’t take my taking 2 months to talk about the book again to mean anything. Once you get yourself a copy you realize that the BLDGBLOG book isn’t something to be consumed all at once, or quickly in general. Manaugh’s essays and interviews are fascinating and thought provoking, encouraging you to put the book down and think about what you’ve read. That, and Manaugh’s continuous name-dropping and cultural references will have you jotting down a new list of things to google every time you sit down with the book.
Which brings me to my first complaint: no hyperlinks! I know, it’s a book, not a blog – but one of the most enjoyable aspects of the BLDGBLOG site is that it is guaranteed to send you off down the rabbit hole of the interwebs as you further investigate a topic. There really isn’t anything Manaugh could have done about this, obviously – but it means this is a book best read with a notepad or a smartphone at hand.
Working our way from the outside in, and from the book itself to its content – I’m a big fan of the design and layout, by the graphics team at MacFadden & Thorpe. The book is a nice size – and was released straight to paperback – making it portable and readable just about anywhere, while large enough for some great images and to mix-up the page layouts. I’m also really feelin’ the matte finish of the pages – both for their tactile quality, and because no glossy pages for color images means that you can read the BLDGBLOG book under a direct light source [bedside lamp, for instance] without going blind. The layout of the text is also interesting, with short, tangental, speculative essays and notes in ’sidebars’, sprinkled throughout larger essays. This captures Manaugh’s thought process to some extent, as it allows him to explore a topic without wandering too much in any particular easy. That said, those of you with attention problems may find yourself continuously [if not pleasantly] distracted by these tangents.
The BLDGBLOG Book’s content is divided into five chapters: Architectural Conjecture, Urban Speculation; The Underground; Redesigning the Sky; Music Sound Noise; and Landscape Futures. A nice touch was adding a ‘further reading’ section at the end of these chapters, whee Manaugh puts together an interesting and eclectic list of books, websites, publications, and movies for you to check out. This layout, however, brings me to my second, more serious, complaint – the lack of a more in-depth table of contents. I must admit that this makes exploring the book fairly interesting, as you’re not sure what you might find while reading any particular essay – but it still left me wishing that some of the longer essays and interviews were listed someplace [not that that is much of a critique].
As for the writing itself – Manaugh does not disappoint. Ranging from a proposed ‘gonzo’ architectural journalism that would involve visiting every building designed by Mies and applying Rogaine while inside, to the storm sewers of Manchester, England, and their relationship to Euclidean geometry. Where else but in a BLDGBLOG book could you read about ’sci-fi regionalism’, then flip forward a few pages to consider the idea of constructing WWII-era ’sound mirrors’ as landscape attractions?
All of this barely scratches the surface of the book, but attempting to summarize the BLDGBLOG book is like trying to describe the original website – which is probably done best by the cover of the book itself: Architectural Conjecture :: Urban Speculation :: Landscape Futures. Suffice it to say, any fan of BLDGBLOG is going to thoroughly enjoy the BLDGBLOG book – both for its references to and expansions on topics first featured on the website, and for the wide range of new, original content. The BLDGBLOG Book is highly recommended reading for ninjas everywhere [non-architects included], as Manaugh’s collection of essays and interviews is going to get any true ninja’s creative juices flowing.
“In other words, forget academic rigor. Never take the appropriate next step. Talk about Chinese urban design, the European space program, the landscape in the films of Alfred Hitchcock in the span of three sentences — because it’s fun, and the juxtapositions might take you somewhere. Most importantly, follow your lines of interest.”
This week’s ninja math was submitted by AMNP reader [and repeat ninja arithmetic creator] Matt.
::To submit an idea for some ninja math, email us at ARCHITECTURE[at]MYNINJAPLEASE[dot]COM. For past entries, click on the Ninja Arithmetic category under archjutsu::
Really, I love the idea that people are passionate about their city and their surroundings, but let’s get real here – these ninjas live in New York. When people here in the Bean started to freak out about Renzo Piano designing a 1,400 feet-tall skyscraper downtown, I understood where they were coming from – the thing would’ve been about 600 feet taller than Boston’s current tallest structure. But let me say it again – these ninjas live in New York.
Is Nouvel’s proposal tall? Of course – but it’s also SICK. Those shadows they show it casting in the video look like they’ll be pretty lost within all the others – it’s not like this tower will suddenly block the sky. Will some people lose specific views, and some direct sun? Yes, obviously – but that’s been going on for the past century in NYC.
My suggestion: if you don’t want a new skyscraper going in across the street, move to Brooklyn.
Paul Goldberger, writer and architecture critic for the New Yorker, writes on Jeanne Gang's new Aqua tower in Chicago - explaining why it's an even more impressive project than understood at first glace. .:read the full article->
The Brookings Institute has graded President Obamas infrastructure spending / plan as an "A-" - but in reading the actual article, I'm not really sure why. Sure, it seems like a good idea - but the fact that it hasn't really been implemented properly / most effectively should be reflected in Obama's grade, shouldn't it?
Well, no Planning Department - thats the new direction some cities/towns are taking, opting to contract planning work out to private firms rather than staff a full-time planning department.
Or really, 'Not on my Planet'. The NIMBY movement is possibly being elevated to a global scale, with Pacific Islanders (Micronesia, in particular) taking legal steps to block the Czech Republic from building a coal plant due to the affects said plant would have on the island nation - some 6,000km or so away. Well played, Micronesia! I have no doubt that this won't work directly - but it keeps the effects global warming has on small island nations and their populations in the news, which is a big deal. Also, this shows (in case you weren't aware) that the people of Micronesia are ninjas - using the Czechs' own laws against them.
Paul Goldberger, architecture critic for the New Yorker, sits down to discuss his new books - and the current state of things in the world of architecture - with Charlie Rose.
Architecture students want more design/build projects in school - which will only make them more effective in the workplace, giving them valuable construction experience.
How good of a job are architecture schools doing at integrating sustainability into their curricula? Apparently, not so impressive. Check out "Ecological Literacy in Architectural Education".
Experts say that even though commercial real estate is tanking, that it both won't be as bad as the housing market's collapse and won't cause another recession. Ninjas will not be holding their breath (well not for this, anyways) - and architects will probably still be screwed.
For completely screwing-over the entire planet. Brilliant! A writer for the Guardian, who was in the room for a number of the Copenhagen talks, explains how China blocked all the major iniatives - and how Obama isn't [really] to blame. "I am certain that had the Chinese not been in the room, we would have left Copenhagen with a deal that had environmentalists popping champagne corks in every corner of the world."
Autodesk, makers of AutoCAD and Revit [among other software] have created an online videogame to build awareness about the importance of green building. My ninjas, PLEASE...
Are LED traffic signals too efficient for cold climates? Apparently they don't necessarily give off [read: waste] enough heat to melt snow - which can then pile up enough to block the signals from the view of drivers.
Can abandoned 'big box' retail be converted to suburban farming? It would certainly put these spaces in the 'burbs to good use - and would [I imagine] be more cost efective than vertical farming in our cities. Something to think about...
Boston-based architecture firm Cubellis Associates, Inc. is closing shop. The 24 year old firm had recently opened a number of offices around the country, and employed roughly 400 people. Clients are being transitioned to start-ups created by employees Cubellis has recently let-go.
What is going on with Gwathmey Siegel & Associates' U.N. Mission project? If they were going for secure, why not put everyone in an actual bunker then?
"The concrete-paneled pillar opens grudgingly as it rises, transitioning from a blank wall to perforations just wide enough for an archer, to vast executive windows near the top. The structure embodies the latest in security doctrine and technology, but it has a stark, medieval look, as if it were meant to defend against catapults and trebuchets. Welcome to your friendly federal government's new diplomatic presence on the Manhattan skyline."
Minarets are now banned in Switzerland, in a move that is so absurdly ignorant that all I can do is laugh. Consider this: what is a minaret but a different word for something that is essentially the same as a common feature in Christian churches/cathedrals? Bell towers and tall steeples? My ninjas, please - same exact thing. Shit, bell towers even serve the same purpose as a minaret. Why not just build giant signs that read "hey, all you Muslims - we'd prefer it if you got the hell out of here". This is why in a true democracy [so nowhere] you don't have popular votes on these kinds of issues - because people in large groups are all too often biased, small minded, clique-orientated, bigots. Last time I checked popular demand wasn't a solid reason for the government allowing the many to mistreat the few...
This, I think, is a really cool / interesting story: "It all started when Google's Tom Wyman and Chris Cronin started getting enthusiastic calls and e-mails from architects who had children on the spectrum. Their kids, the parents reported, had discovered the software program and loved it. All they needed was their creativity and a computer mouse and they could design entire neighborhoods."
"The Long Island Chapter of the American Institute of Architects awarded Bates Masi + Architects the prestigious Archi Award for the Lakeside residence in Montauk, Long Island. The award was for the category Best Single and Multi-Family Residence."
"Paul Goldberger wants to remind us of why architecture matters, in shaping lives and cultures. From ancient Rome to the next wave of American - or Asian - building. This hour, On Point: Paul Goldberger, on the power of the built world around us."
Thanks mostly to pro-industry nuts, the climate change / global warming discussion has reached a strange level of apathy - mostly because - quite literally - people don't perceive their environment as 'warmer'. My ninjas, PLEASE. To suggest that climate change isn't happening - contrary to the opinion of the majority of scientists - because you still need to wear a coat in the winter is RETAHDED. Two new comments on the debate are from Amanda Baillieu [editor of bd] - claiming that "scientific evidence has now shifted enough" to suggest climate change isn't an issue to worry about [she doesn't source anyone, of course] - and a response by Hattie Hartman at the Architects' Journal, wondering mostly what the hell Amanda is talking about. An important point I'd like to make: saying that scientists think / support something isn't the same as showing they do. Many of these people claiming that science has debunked climate change are supposed to be journalists - even as a lowly blogger I know you need some sources to back something like that up. Sh!t.
"Just six weeks ago PLP Architecture was set up following a headline-grabbing fracture within Kohn Pedersen Fox Architects (KPF). Yet the new practice, led by the US giant's London founding member Lee Polisano and partners David Leventhal, Fred Pilbrow, Karen Cook and Ron Bakker, already boasts a 60-strong workforce and an enviable client list."
Zaha Hadid-designed Maxxi, the new museum of contemporary art in Rome, is opening soon - and Nicolai Ouroussoss gives us an overview of Hadid's latest work.
Thom Mayne spoke at Cornell recently, and dropped some gems: "His design philosophy opposes the "conservative" idea of "architecture as a contextual activity," wherein buildings are simply efficient containers for the prearranged activities that take place inside them. Mayne prefers constructing large-scale "environments" wherein the architecture provokes an active dialogue: the buildings and its surroundings mutually interpret each other. Innovation arises in a matrix of conflicts - rather than necessarily underwriting the given function of a space, Mayne's designs often challenge the idea of spatial coherence."
Check out SOM's vision for expanding Beijing's Central Business District - a project that could eventually displace up to 10,000 residents. Yay for progress! Wait, what...?