Tyson's Blog – June 2010 Archive (26)

This project by Sepka Architects brings a fresh look to the rather mundane idea of urban infill. Although each one of these five concrete structures is connected, they each represent a very deliberate separation of programatic space and function. While this project attempts to pack quite a lot into a very limited space, the configuration of these concrete structures allows for a generous amount of open space to supplement…

Henning Larsen Architects have won the competition for the Batumi Aquarium located in Batumi, Republic of Georgia. The elegant form of the architecture was derived from the pebbles found abundantly on Batumi Beach that are smoothed over time by the ocean waves. It has a very real, albeit obvious, reference to its geographical context.…

A remarkable house designed by DRN Arquitectos. Located in Quinteros, Chile on a hill overlooking the nearby beach, it stands apart from its beautiful landscape. From the architecture's interior, the horizon is framed by the carefully placed strip windows, accentuating the seemingly endless expanse that surrounds it.…

Michael Wolf has produced this series of architectural images that seem to invoke the suffocation of unbridled urban density. Although we tend to think of suburban sprawl as an endless monotony of meaningless repetitive elements, Wolf seems to portray dense development in a potentially similar light. A good reminder that extremes on either end of the architectural spectrum are similarly…

An architecture that is both a museum and a parking garage. I must say that if our parking garages were integrated more like this project by 3GATTI Architecture Studio, then our cities would be in much better shape. You drive up to the roof then walk down through the museum, giving the user both a fast and slow experience of the exhibits. This very much reflects the everyday…

These are very interesting compositions by Christian Faur, an Ohio based artist. Some would call this a new technique, but I would call it a new take on a very old technique. The method is traditionally known as pointillism. Interestingly, Faur has used the drawing implement itself to compose the work. So often we disassociate the drawing instrument from the art itself, but here they are one in the…

Nestle commissioned the design and construction of this red tunnel to showcase its existing chocolate production factory in Mexico City. Aside from its brilliant colors and sharp geometric shapes, the architecture finds space to accommodate guests and houses a theater where they can learn more about the history and production of Nestle's Chocolates. …

An interesting architectural concept by Splitterwerk, the Frog Queen is essentially a physical manifestation of the digital world in which we live. I wonder if the world will become exponentially pixelated as we move further into the digital age, but I digress. While on its exterior, this architecture seems to be succumbing to the modern age of technology, its interior provides a quite…

The Taipei Performing Arts Center is a brilliant design by B+H Architects. This architecture is an excellent example of how structure and skin relate to each other. The skin is derived from actual sound waves transposed into three dimensional form, but also reacts to the buildings structure without being subordinate to it. This organic shell stands out from its urban fabric and provides a pivotal destination…

Another brilliant piece of work by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. This piece really compels the user to interact with its surroundings by both accentuating the views of the water and the urban landscape that surrounds it. This architecture also seems to defy gravity with an impossible cantilever of the upper floor, which provides a grand entry for the building. Most of all, it is amazing that such a…

This sleek concrete building is claimed to be the first "big-bike" center in the Asia/Pacific region. The architecture was designed with the idea of "hugging the curve" as it is known in motorcycle racing. In plan, the building seems to be a series of intersecting lines and planes. The metaphorical vents on the exterior walls makes you feel like the building is in fact a fast machine.…

Yet another attempt at "architecture in a box," Adam Kalkin has designed a shipping container that transforms into a six room apartment via the touch of a button. My ongoing critique of these installations is that they ultimately require protection from a larger, more permanent space. Having said that, I feel that these ideas will spawn something that will be very important to large scale…

This technique named after the american ophthalmologist Adelbert Ames Jr. It has gained wide use in cinema since its invention in the 1940's in movies such as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Lord of the Rings. The trick is to make an irregular shaped room appear to be a uniform box, utilizing various interior elements to further sell the farce. Ultimately this type of architectural trick is facilitated by…

This architectural project is the result of a winning competition bid by Shigeru Ban Architects for the centerpiece of a revitalization plan for a 50 hectare site that was converted from an old freight railway. The tensile roof structure is composed of laminated timber and covered by translucent fiberglass and teflon. The architecture contains several large galleries and an auditorium and a studio…

This structure designed by Woodhead Architects offers an excellent opportunity to soak in the beautiful desert landscape of Nambung National Park in Western Australia. The long horizontal lines in the design accentuate the far reaching expanse that this site provides while also offering some relief from the scorching desert sun. The architecture reflects a true understanding of context and place.…

Xavier Velalta Studio has won a competition for a mixed-use tower that is to be built in the city of Dota, Qatar. A very formally interesting architecture that is based on the pattern of ancient arabic tiles. This is also an interesting example of how modern architecture attempts to embody a geographic history in a contemporary context.…

We normally think of mixed-use architecture in terms of dense downtown buildings with many users. This San Francisco house designed by Craig Steely Architecture is what many of us in the architecture industry salivate over. Although it requires an immense amount of self-discipline, I don't think there's many people who wouldn't mind waking up and walking downstairs as a morning commute. Especially if…

The King Abdullah II House of Culture & Art is a very elegant structure by Zaha Hadid accentuating the relationship between positive and negative space. This is akin to the work of Eduardo Chillada where the distinction between interior and exterior space are more ambiguous. You get the feeling that the architecture is a result of many years of eroding that occurs in many of our natural…

This architecture responds to a very interesting environmental condition. In addition to having an amazingly interesting exoskeleton, the building's mesh reacts to the salinity of the nearby water, which changes the opacity of the skin as the salt builds up over time. This also creates a habitat for local wildlife agreeable to this environment.…