A distinctive and refined modification retaining the character of the Mews.

‘Daleham Mews is a compact scheme in the heart of the Belsize Park Conservation Area in London. The brief was to provide additional space to accommodate the client’s expanding family. The scheme more than doubles the usable area of the house.

The envelope is a combination of black rubber and glazing, with Western Red Cedar brise soleil providing a screen at the upper level. The louvres inhibit solar gain in summer whilst the lower level glazing and large rooflights open completely to allow for an unhindered stack effect to ventilate the whole house.

The treatment of the new elements creates a modulated façade from outside, where transparent, obscured and opaque elements are suspended above retained brickwork. The goal was to create a distinctive and refined modification that nonetheless retained the compact domestic charm and delight of the Mews. On the inside the arrangement allows for far views across North London but simultaneously respects the privacy of the adjoining properties.’

ARCHITECT: Moxon Architects, London, UK. LOCATION: Belsize Park, London, UK. DESCRIPTION: residential. STATUS: completed. DATE: 2013. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

The exhibition will reference Paul Smith’s influences and fashion designs, charting the rise of one of the world’s leading fashion brands.

Early portrait

Paul in his first shop

Paul in his office

Paul in Japan 2013

Korea

Melrose Avenue Store LA

Tokyo

Westbourne House London

SS13 Mens

SS13 Unisex

SS13 Womens

SS13 Womens

SS13 Womens

‘The Design Museum invites you into the world of fashion designer Paul Smith, a world of creation, inspiration, collaboration, wit and beauty. Looking to the future as well as celebrating his career to date, the exhibition will reference Paul Smith’s influences and fashion designs, charting the rise of one of the world’s leading fashion brands.
Looking at the impressive scale of its global operation today, the exhibition will draw on Paul Smith’s personal archive, from the company’s beginnings in Nottingham to its international prominence today. The exhibition will explore how Paul Smith’s intuitive take on design, together with an understanding of the roles of designer and retailer, have laid the foundations for the company’s lasting success and offer a unique insight into the magnificent mind of Paul Smith.
‘Hello My Name is Paul Smith’ will take visitors on a journey through Paul Smith’s world. The exhibition will showcase and celebrate the brand through collections selected by Paul. The different stages of design and production will be explored, offering a rich insight into his design process and highlighting how the principles of traditional craftsmanship of tailoring and techniques are retained but given a contemporary edge.
Paul Smith’s first shop in Byard Lane, Nottingham, which measured 3m x 3m, will be recreated in the exhibition alongside an immersive digital room rich in still and moving image. Thoughts narrated by Paul himself and sounds will place you in the mind of the designer.
The exhibition will include a recreation of Paul’s personal office, containing a myriad of books and objects that are a continual source of inspiration. Projections, audio and film clips from fashion shows and behind-the-scenes will reveal the inner workings and influences of the Paul Smith brand. Showcasing a selection of jewellery, books, art and antiques that compliment the clothing collections, every Paul Smith shop is unique and will also be explored in the exhibition.
From humble beginnings in a Paris hotel suite in 1976, the company now shows seasonally in London and Paris fashion weeks and includes fourteen different collections. As a result, and in spite of its scale, Paul Smith has retained something unique, a personal touch.
Welcome to the world of Paul Smith.’

EXHIBITION: ‘HELLO, MY NAME IS PAUL SMITH’, London, UK. LOCATION: London, UK. DESCRIPTION: Exhibition. STATUS: Pending. DATE: 15 NOVEMBER 2013 – 9 MARCH 2014. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

A fourteen degree part rotation created a playful origami-like geometry between its volume and voids.

‘The house is designed for 4 members of a family with two kids.
The house is placed at urban district and a small plot of only 43.21sqm in Osaka, Japan. Around the site is the mixed-use area where small houses, small factories, and small office buildings coexist together without any harmony.
The client’s former house, which stood at this site, was a wooden two-story house. The adjacent sites were close and natural light didn’t enter into the old house. Therefore the client requested the family room (living area, dining area and kitchen) to be as large as possible without pillars or road-bearing walls, and that natural light that comes into the house, especially into the family room.
First, since the site was narrow, the volume of the building took up as much of the site as possible.
According to the lifestyle of the client, the bedroom of the couple and wet areas were placed in the ground floor, the family room was placed in the first floor, the rooms of children were placed in the second floor and the terrace was placed on the roof. For a structural reason, the large openings were not able to open out on the road side of the first floor of the building. So, I rotated the volume of the second floor 14 degrees for the axis of the building, and interstitial spaces between the rotated wall and the outer wall of the building became voids. The skylight was set up in the upside of the void, and is intended to allow natural light to drop on the family room of the first floor.
Moreover, one of two walls rotated 14 degrees on the plan of the second floor is also inclined to the verticality, and the part which overlaps with stairs is turned up, and has become like origami or a facet. This inclined wall frees people’s feeling by deviation from the norm, simultaneously the sense of touch of the degree of inclination and the light to reflect of that inclination cause a new physical sense.
The building’s white box is completely different from the building of the neighborhood. It is the appearance which the cylindrical volume of the second floor rotated 14 degrees penetrates into the building. Box-shaped cantilevered stairs are floating in the void.’

ARCHITECT: , Osaka, Japan. LOCATION: Osaka, Japan. DESCRIPTION: residential. STATUS: completed. AREA: 94.46 sqm. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Masakazu Taguchi / Taguchi Atelier Planning Structure. STRUCTURE SYSTEM: timber construction. DATE: 2013. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

Living under the same sky.

‘This project is a two-family home of complete separation type.
While we design completely separate house, find meaning to live in a home together.
Project began on the theme of such a thing.
So we tried to design a one-story house overlooking the same sky.
We arrange courtyard dividing in the middle of the house and family live as to surround around the courtyard.
We hope two families feel that they are looking at the same sky from the place of each and which make them to feel living in home together.’

ARCHITECT: ALTS DESIGN OFFICE, Shiga, Japan . LOCATION: Shiga, Japan . DESCRIPTION: residential. STATUS: completed. AREA: 169.76 sqm. DATE: 2013. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

Early-bird entries are open now until Sunday 14th July, 2013.

Open – Nature-John Eastcott & Yva Momatiuk

Amateur – Built Environment-Abdulaziz Alasosusi

Amateur – Built Environment-Dominic Burdon

Amateur – Built Environment-Sergey Semenov

Amateur – Built Environment-Sergey Semenov

Amateur – Built Environment-Thomas Baur

Amateur – Nature-Anita Erdmann

Amateur – Nature-John Chaney

Amateur – Nature-Mike Isaak

Amateur – Nature-Xiao-Sheng Ho

Open – Built Environment-Bernhard Hartmann

Open – Built Environment-Bernhard Hartmann

Open – Built Environment-Marek Czarnecki

Open – Built Environment-Peter Blakeman

Open – Nature-Craig Bill

Open – Nature-Mark Gray

Open – Nature-Aaron Feinberg

Open – Nature-Matteo Colombo

‘Professional and amateur photographers around the world are invited to enter The EPSONInternational Pano Awards to compete for approximately $35,000 in cash and prizes. Early-bird entries are open now until Sunday 14th July, 2013. Enter online at www.thepanoawards.com
The fourth Epson International Pano Awards is dedicated to the art of panoramic photography. Advances in digital photography and software such as PTGui and Adobe Photoshop has resulted in an explosion in imagestitching, especially in the panoramic format.
Panoramic film photography also remains alive and well. The Epson International Pano Awards showcases the work of panoramic photographers worldwide and is the largest competition for panoramic photography.
‘Epson is renowned for the highest standards of professional photographic reproduction including gallery quality art, so we are very pleased to continue our support for what has become a very high profile global competition,’ said Epson Australia’s Business Solutions Manager, Craig Heckenberg.
‘The quality of entries has been outstanding and the competition gets tougher each year. I look forward to seeing this year’s winners,’ said Craig.
The 2012 competition saw 3853 images submitted from 893 photographers in 55 countries.
The 2013 competition is now open for all professional and amateur photographers with a record combined prize pool of approximately US $35,000 in cash and prizes! Prizes include an Epson Stylus Pro 7900 printer, an Epson Stylus Pro 4900 printer, and an Epson EB-1775 Ultra-Slim Projector.
We are excited and honoured to welcome world-renowned photographer Peter Lik to the judging panel! Peter brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the competition, and is eager to see this year’s entries.
Also new in 2013 is the introduction of three new awards in the Open Competition;
- Highest Scoring Gigapixel Image
- Highest Scoring Image from Film Capture
- Highest Scoring Spherical/360 Image
The judging panel includes some of the world’s top panoramic photographers and industry professionals, including Peter Lik, Christian Fletcher, Nick Rains, Jaspal Jandu, Christian Fleury, Tom Putt, Michelle Novak, Doug Segal, Michel Dusariez, Aaron Spence, Scott Highton, Joergen Geerds, Mark Gray, Craig Bill, Sam Rohn, Eric Herrmann and Ignacio Ferrando.’

ARCHITECT: The EPSON International Pano Awards 2013, Fullarton, Australia. DESCRIPTION: Photography Competition. STATUS: Ongoing. DATE: 2013. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

In search for a new shape; An inhabited landscape created by four buildings with a concavo-convex shaped plan.

‘This clinic is located in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki prefecture, Japan. The place next to rice paddy and riverbed is surrounded by nature. There are rice paddy, riverbed, cherry blossom trees, and beautiful sky.
Client (female doctor) demanded no rigidly formal clinic. On the other hand she really demanded reasonable and efficient circulation of doctor, staff and patient. We designed the clinic by some clues (sceneryseasonal winds, sun trajectory and neighbouring buildings ). We found out concavo-convex shape plan with keeping reasonable circulations. And, we suggested characteristic forms which is four buildings with eachdifferent roof which is leaded to relationships between inside and outside environment. The format of this architecture is unique to particular places. Whole building form is generated there by some elements. Allrooms are rich in light due to offered sunlight by concavo-convex shape plan and different roofs. We can feel inside-space like passing through under some mountains in clinic. This building could be seemed such asvillages from people walking along riverbed. It’s important to for us to consider environmental interrelationship. We strongly desire that the clinic is loved by neighbourhood inhabitant and as new symbol in this local area. Although architecture actually has fate as huge artefact, we have to design new architecture which could be integrated environment. Its ‘scenery’ may be called as ‘new nature (semi-nature)’ through their times and affection. It could be new shape of future clinic.’

ARCHITECT: kimitaka aoki / ARCO architects, Tokyo, Japan. LOCATION: Tsuchiura, Ibaraki, Japan. DESCRIPTION: residential. STATUS: completed. AREA: 198.90 sqm. ARCHITECT IN CHARGE: Kimitaka Aoki. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Yasuhiro Kaneda. DATE: 2013. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

Aamodt Plumb Architects Wins in Winnipeg – Warming Huts Competition

‘Aamodt Plumb Architects, a young design studio based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, saw its second completed project built this January along The River Trail at The Forks in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The firm’s SMOKEHOUSE collaboration with felt artist Rebecca Howdeshell was one of three winning entries to The Warming Huts v.2013: An Art + Architecture Competition on Ice. Jury members selected designs that best ‘push the envelope of design, craft and art’ in an open competition that drew over 100 entries. (www.warminghuts.com)
In responding to the harsh winter conditions of The River Trail, the design of the SMOKEHOUSE uses form and materiality to provide as well as signify shelter and warmth. The charred wood exterior alludes to the fire within while rendering it resistant to fire, rot and pests. The interior is lined with industrial wool felt, also naturally fire resistant, and provides both insulation and wind break. The felt is shingled and some of the panels are embossed by artist Rebecca Howdeshell with prehistoric imagery from the area dating back 6000 years. The primitive structure has a single small entrance and a vent hole in the roof that acts like a chimney.
‘The elemental, pure form of the hut, almost the very symbol of home, rendered in the stark black of charred wood, is nestled in soft white snow. Inside, layers of thick ivory felt line the walls and seating, creating a nest-like interior reminiscent of ancient gathering places strewn with animal pelts. On closer inspection, one discovers the felt layers embossed with delicate patterns and textures, a subtle sanctification of intimate space. The room has a unique sound, or absence thereof: it is silent, like the sound of new snow on the street.’ – Aamodt Plumb Architects
Response to the SMOKEHOUSE was overwhelmingly positive. One local skater wrote personally to the architects, ‘Thank you so much for the beautiful warming hut you placed on The Mighty Red River in Winnipeg. I try and skate the River Trail every day and always sit in your hut for a few moments. It’s stunningly beautiful and quietly embraces so much of our history and landscape… Once again, thanks for the hut and bringing joy to what has been a brutal winter. – Norma’

ARCHITECT: Aamodt Plumb Architects, Cambridge, Massachusetts. LOCATION: The River Trail, The Forks, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. DESCRIPTION: Pavilion. STATUS: completed. DATE: 2013. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

gmp wins competition in Tianjin, China

‘With their design for the Tianjin Exhibition Centre, the architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp) won the 1st prize of an international design competition. To win the prize the practice had to prevail against competiti¬on from FUKSAS, HHP, NBBJ/BIAD and others.

In addition to Shanghai and Guangzhou, Tianjin is now the third city where an exhibition centre of internatio¬nal importance will be built. With a total square area of 1.2 million square metres and dedicated exhibition floor space of 400,000 square metres, one of the world’s largest exhibition centres will be created in the east of China over the next few years.

The site is located at Tianjin Avenue, the main traffic artery which links Tianjin’s historic centre with the so-called Binhai Development Area at the coast of the Yellow Sea. To the north, the site borders the river Haihe which is instrumental in shaping the character of the city. The exhibition ground’s central access avenue runs between these two poles and thus generates a spatial connection between the traffic artery and the waterway.

The design concept proposes two almost identical construction phases. They both consist of a central entrance hall roofed over by filigree canopies, 8 exhibition halls on both sides and a main central thoroughfare that connects the entrance halls with the exhibition halls. The functions of the exhibition centre are rounded off with open-air exhibition space, a congress centre, hotels, offices and administration facilities.

The entire exhibition floor space is located on one level. The central access avenue is elevated 9 m above the exhibition and road level. Access to the exhibition halls and the congress centre is from here. The exhibition halls, which are arranged in a linear layout with a floor space of 12,500 square metres each, can be used separately or combined with an adjoining hall to provide a total of 25,000 square metres of space. The shed-type roof structure of the halls allows the ingress of daylight. With a display of gardens, open air areas and restaurants, the circulation areas provide a convivial atmosphere.’

ARCHITECT: gmp • von Gerkan, Marg and Partners • Architects, Hamburg, Germany. DESIGN: Meinhard von Gerkan and Stephan Schütz with Nicolas Pomränke. CLIENT: Tianjin Planning Bureau. LOCATION: Tianjin, China. DESCRIPTION: Cultural / Convention and Exhibition Centre. STATUS: Competition Winner. AREA: Gross floor area Messegelände: 1.200.000 square metres, additional space for urban design purposes: 2.150.000 square metres. PROJECT MANAGEMENT, COMPETITION: Simon Schetter, Patrick Pfleiderer. TEAM, COMPETITION: Helene Käschel, Katja Pötzsch, Jens Förster, Keke Ye, Stefan Hornscheidt, Bernd Gotthardt, Ulrike Finkbeiner, Thilo Zehme, Jan Deml, Zhou Bin, George Liang, Christian Machnacki, Gai Xudong, Wu Di, Wang Jue, Lin Wei. PROJECT MANAGEMENT, PLANNING: Stephan Rewolle, Matthias Wiegelmann, Bao Wei. TEAM, PLANNING: Lin Wei, Tian Xueli, Mulyanto, Wu Di, Stefan Hornscheidt, Yulia Gandasari. DATE: 2013. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

The architecture does not impose upon a ‘form’ that attracts the users, but rather it asks the users to interact with it.

‘Community
Gosan Library in Daegu is designed to create a strong sense of ‘local hub’ that binds people of all ages together. Gosan Library is envisioned to promote learning through positive social and cultural exchange within the community. The concept of transferring knowledge within a communal space, where all generations can read, learn, study, meet and connect manifests itself into a series of open and flexible ‘rooms’ that blur between the inside and the outside across all three levels of the library. Every room is connected to an open green space or internal courtyard, where the visitors can simultaneously engage with the architecture and its immediate landscape.
The architecture does not impose upon a ‘form’ that attracts the users, but rather it asks the users to interact with it, whether it is on the grass, under the tree or from within the reading rooms. By reducing down to the few essential built elements, the building can be fully adapted and experienced by its users from all walks of life. It is a social and cultural hub for its community, which promotes a long-term sustainable lifestyle for generations to come.

Architecture
With encouraging interaction and communication between generations being the primary interpretations of the program brief, the Gosan library will activate and revitalize the site with new energy.
The design takes into consideration of three main aspects. Fundamentally, the building context contributes to the function of the library, where the internal and external spaces are designed to support one another contextually and environmentally.
Secondly, the longevity of the architecture is expressed in its most pragmatic approach from its structural considerations to its flexibility in planning. The structural discipline is designed to accommodate changes through time. The undefined layout provides flexible spaces to cope with technological changes and future expansion.
Lastly, the three levels of open plan are connected by a central courtyard, providing sufficient daylight deep into the floor plate that is generally darker and less desirable. The vegetation within the courtyard also functions as a subtle layering of soft material, which provides natural acoustic separation between the levels. While rooms such as lifelong learning, multi-purpose room and children area etc. that require higher levels of acoustic separations will be enclosed by internal glazed partitions with curtains for further visual separation.

ZoningDiagram
The programmatic functions and the transparent nature of the building are designed to draw visitors to interact, play and communicate within the ground level area, seamlessly blurring the boundaries between the indoor and outdoor spaces. The library encompasses facilities such as children room and the main hall lounge area on the ground level, allowing the community to engage with one another in a public space.
With the information service area and general collection locating on the second level, this quieter zone is designated primarily for reading, studying and learning. The juxtaposition between the reading area and the green park will inspire and motivate young readers. It aims to generate a quiet space for reflection and imagination; fostering lifelong reading habits can begin with designating quiet time and slow space for the community to indulge in reading.
Multi-purpose room, lifelong study and office spaces are located on the third floor. These spaces are delineated in a simple and pragmatic approach, which aims to maximize the flexibility of space to accommodate for different uses and functions.

Sustainability
The orientation and placement of every tree surrounding the library is considered, forming an integral part of the façade design. The building envelope with its glazed façade is protected from direct sunlight during the summer months. Direct light is designed to be filtered through the surrounding trees around the perimeter of the library. During the winter months, deciduous trees will admit the low-angled sunlight to reach deep into the building, allowing the thermal masses of the concrete floors to store energy and heat the building naturally. Incorporating the trees into the sustainable low cost façade system not only helps to regulate the sun impact and temperature, it also enhances the public green spaces within the local context.
The library is designed to be naturally ventilated with the option to heat or chill the room temperature by air-intake through the use of underground channels to pre-heat and pre chill the air supply in combination with using the heat exchangers.
The structural system is reduced to a rational grid without excavating an underground level, which reduces the overall construction cost. There are eight ground level car parking spaces, which include two disabled parking spaces. The loading bay for delivery is located on the ground level. The layout also integrates approximately 100 bicycle stands. By keeping the parking spaces to a minimum, will also increase the usable land area, which strengthens the connection between the architecture and the land.
Creating a low cost building without comprising the spirit of the community is the fundamental mandate that the design is set out to explore. Ultimately, the cost savings in construction is envisaged to be contributed back towards other operational costs, such as acquiring more private book collections, accommodating longer operational hours, investing into a ‘library bus’ to allow for easy access to and from the library, as well as providing outdoor bookshelves for ‘book swapping’ to encourage a more sustainable lifestyle and reading culture for the city of Daegu.’

ARCHITECT: Cheungvogl Architects, Hong Kong, China. LOCATION: Daegu, South Korea. DESCRIPTION: Library, Community center. STATUS: Ongoing. AREA: 3,100 sqm. DATE: 2013. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

The use of the house generates a direct experience with materials, tactile sensations and a different consciousness of its elements.

‘Casa 2G is a 360 square meter single family home designed by S-AR, an architectural firm based in Monterrey, Mexico.
The house was designed as a sanctuary from the surrounding urban environment, as well as a series of memorable architectural spaces with the people that live in them at their conceptual core.
Casa 2G creates sensory experiences and moments that enrich its inhabitant’s daily lives, thanks in part to its sparse materiality and handmade features, which pay tribute to the artisan work of local craftsmen. The nature of this space contrasts with false ideas of human progress in a world dominated by appearances and trends.
By taking a morning tour of Casa 2-G, the viewers are able to experience those special everyday moments spent in the house. As the windows open, we take in the natural changes in the environment, and we witness the dialogue between the house and the natural light as it evolves throughout the day.
Come nightfall, the house opens up its spaces so that the light from the fire can fill us with peace as it vibrates over the raw surfaces of its walls. In Casa 2G, ordinary routine is pleasantly interrupted, and transformed into memorable moments of harmony and spiritual consciousness.

Proposed as a basic house, the project is a simple rectangular volume with a courtyard that divides the social from the private area. Located in a residential area, the volume starts few meters behind the line of the street creating a courtyard for pedestrian and vehicular access.
A concrete wall with a door is to simplify the design of the facade of the house, making it as basic as possible. However, this lack of openings to the street, contrasts with a wide open interior space that visually connects the whole social area with the central patio, the backyard and the Sierra Madre Mountains filling the interior spaces with light and natural ventilation and establishing a strong dialogue with the landscape.
The private rooms are protected by a segmented wall that allows privacy; also every private room has a private patio to bring lighting and ventilation. The social area is a continuous sequence of kitchen, dining room, lounge and a large terrace that connects to the rear garden.
Doors, windows, metalwork and construction system are the most basic possible. The materials are left in a raw and natural way. Many of them have been done on site using materials and local labour with the intention of rescuing traditional constructive systems and jobs that have been displaced by a market of prefabricated materials, which generates low local employment and architecture based on repetition and mass.
Manual opening systems for windows and skylights and doors were designed especially for the project, developed by working closely with experienced local carpenters and blacksmiths. The architecture of the house invites the users to be part of their material structure. The use of the house generates a direct experience with materials, tactile sensations and a different consciousness of the elements that are part of the house in times of extreme lack of contact between people and objects and also between people and architecture.
Thus 90% of the components of the house have been made by local labour and have only used the lowest number of industrial materials to preserve the essential idea of the project.
Structurally, the whole volume made of reinforced concrete made in site (walls, slabs and inverted beams) floats on a platform that helps to provide insulation for the interior space, also the orientation of the house ensures the protection of the solar incidence using the existing trees on the site which bring shade to the roof of the house and also using higher volumes of neighbouring houses.
The house is a reinforced concrete monolith that has been perforated to create the interior space which is then defined with a glass membrane to emphasize the continuity of the material in floors, walls and slabs and its quality to be gradually transformed by the movement of the light and the shadows that occurs both inside and outside of the house during the course of the day.’

ARCHITECT: S-AR stación-Arquitectura, San Pedro Garza García, NL México. LOCATION: San Pedro, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. DESCRIPTION: residential. STATUS: completed. AREA: 360 sqm. PROJECT TEAM: César Guerrero, Ana Cecilia Garza, María Sevilla, Carlos Flores. PLANS AND TECHNICAL DRAWINGS: S-AR stación-ARquitectura. MODEL: S-AR stación-ARquitectura. STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING: Ing. Jesús González. TECHNICAL SUPERVISION: S-AR stación-ARquitectura + Gonzalo Taméz. CONSTRUCTION: Gonzalo Taméz, Enrique López, Jesús Galván. MATERIALS: Concrete, Steel, Glass and Wood. CONSTRUCTIVE SYSTEM: walls and slabs of reinforced concrete. DATE: 2009. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

AGi architects, in collaboration with Bonyan Design, win the competition for this building.

‘The design proposal developed by the architecture firm led by Joaquin Perez-Goicoechea, Nasser Abulhasan and Salvador Cejudo, AGi architects, in collaboration with Bonyan Design, has won the competition for the design and building of the future General Department of the Information System (GDIS), in Kuwait.
The project is based on three principles: representativeness, security and functionality, turning the complex with a total gross area of 135,482 sqm into a strong civil icon representing Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior Affairs.

Architectural concept
Building design aims for the clear transmission of a conceptual duality it derives from: technology, innovation and transparency on the one hand versus strength, stability and security, which are inherent to the Ministry of Interior Affairs, main occupant of the building, on the other.
This concept is driven in the building by two contrasting layers that are superimposed onto one another. From afar the building is perceived as a light volume elevated from the ground floor, becoming a landmark in the urban landscape for the citizens, while a closer approach will show the massiveness of the stone plinth, a lower part of the building that is opened to the public through the main gates and lifts from ground to hold the upper levels lighter glass structures that house the offices of the various departments.
The podium is envisioned as a thick occupiable wall, engulfing the complex on all four sides, protecting and safe guarding the building with minimal openings to reinforce the security. The protective wall is only interrupted on the ground level to allow for public penetration into the inner confines of the building: this is achieved through three main openings that are separated and treated differently, catering to the various users of the building, such as employees, VIP guests and regular visitors. The visitors’ entrance is capped with a large cantilevered stone, inviting individuals to enter. The podium is raised to a height of 8 meters, this dimension along with the use of continuous matt stone and a large cantilever elicits a sense of empowerment and security.
Above the podium, the various directorate buildings grow separately inwards and upwards from the monolithic security wall establishing connections to one another through visual transparency, evoking a campus-like environment. This transparent façade is covered using a light protective skin that allows for sunlight penetration whilst simultaneously preventing over exposure to harmful direct light. During the day, the design of the campus-like buildings and openings allows for light to flood into the innermost sections of the site, and at night the transparency of the upper structure transforms the volume into a glowing star, emitting light and attracting attention from afar, marking the site and becoming an icon for the city and the country. Advanced technology is to be introduced not only for security and office operations, but also for building management and regulation. The integration of this technology coupled with a functional organization plan and formal composition will result in a unique building that represents a sense of state unity, strength and pride.’

ARCHITECT: AGi architects, Kuwait, Spain. CLIENT: General Department of the Information System (GDIS). LOCATION: Kuwait. DESCRIPTION: Institutional. STATUS: competition Phase. AREA: 135,482 sqm. DATE: 2013. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

The staircase as a compressed spatial motion element of a former free field.

‘In a renovated roof top apartment of a private building owner in Vienna/Austria the architect’s office heri&salli conceived the design of a staircase. Two intertwined handrails accompany a single storey flight of stairs to come consequently to a gallery style end.
In the most simple of cases you could regard a staircase as a connecting element between two different levels with the necessary fall protection. But from a different point of view you can regard parts of architecture in a way that the thoughts go beyond the material and function and thus tell the story of a spatial structure.
In this project the staircase is a compressed spatial motion element of a former free field where we orient ourselves, find our way, and, in the ideal case can go wherever we like. The closer the space, the freer our thoughts could become, against the movement. The animated attractiveness of our surroundings takes away the feeling of being cramped and gives us the possibility to look beyond.
True, we move on one single staircase, but in the end there can be different possibilities that accompany us-these additional options accompany us in this case…in a dancing way.
Architecture cannot dance but maybe it can tell a story about it.

Construction:
The construction of the staircase was jointly developed with the engineering office ‘Werkraum/Vienna’ and consists of welded flat steel profiles. All profiles with a different character were laser cut and further on positioned and welded on the spot or in part bent 3-dimensionally. The single steps were manufactured of leached and oiled solid oak.’

ARCHITECT: heri&salli, Vienna, Austria. LOCATION: Vienna, Austria. DESCRIPTION: Staircase. STATUS: completed. PROJECT TEAM: Stefanie Theuretzbacher, Alexander Karaivanov. STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING: Werkraum Wien – ingenieure zt gmbh / Vienna. METAL CONSTRUCTION: StahlundForm / Vienna. WOOD WORK: Feichtinger GmbH / Scharnstein. CNC – WORK: SFK Tischler GmbH / Kirchham. PAINTING – FILLING – MOSAIC: Hans Ortner GmbH – Martin Ortner / Vienna. DATE: 2012. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

The flagship design features a façade of 210 stacked, translucent display boxes in a herringbone pattern.

Designed by Shohei Shigematsu and OMA’s New York office, Coach’s newest flagship store opened on Omotesando, a prominent retail corridor in Tokyo.
The flagship design features a façade of 210 stacked, translucent display boxes in a herringbone pattern of vertical and horizontal orientation that accommodate the brand’s wide repertoire of products. In addition to the façade, OMA designed a ‘floating’ tower of 105 illuminated acrylic units that encase the store’s central stair, drawing pedestrians to the upper level. Consolidating the display on the facade and circulation creates a condition in which the shopper is continuously surrounded by Coach’s products, while simultaneously liberating floor space.
Shigematsu commented: ‘In comparison to the increasingly decorative elevations that characterize Omotesando, OMA’s design integrates display into the façade, communicating an uninterrupted survey of Coach’s full collection with its storefront. Viewed from the interior, the display units seamlessly provide an active backdrop for merchandise, filtering Omotesando’s streetscape into the shopping experience.’
Coach Japan President and CEO, Daniel DiCicco said: ‘We are delighted by the limitless possibilities to utilize OMA’s design, which provides an innovative environment to curate our full range of lifestyle merchandise. It is certain to become a shopping landmark in Tokyo.’
This is OMA’s second collaboration with Coach – following a kiosk designed for Macy’s in New York – and the office’s first built work in Tokyo.

ARCHITECT: OMA, New York, USA. PARTNER-IN-CHARGE: Shohei Shigematsu. PROJECT ARCHITECT: Rami Abou Khalil. CLIENT: Coach, Inc. LOCATION: Tokyo, Japan. DESCRIPTION: retail. STATUS: completed. AREA: 444.75 sqm. MATERIALS: Façade: 210 glass units, Circulation Tower: 105 acrylic units. PROJECT TEAM: Yolanda do Campo, Benedict Clouette with Jackie Woon Bae, Cass Nakashima, Phillip Poon, David Theisz. LOCAL ARCHITECT AND ENGINEER: Obayashi Corporation. FAÇADE CONSULTANCY: Michael Ludvik. INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE: Nomura, Co., Ltd. DATE: 2013. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

Open, Youth and 3D winners announced.

Krasimir Matarov, Bulgaria, Winner, Nature & Wildlife, Open Competition 2013

Elmar Akhmetov Kazakhstan Winner Low Light Open Competition 2013

Manny Fajutag, Philippines, Winner, Travel, Open Competition 2013

Jimmy, Taiwan, Winner, Environment, Youth, 2013

Berta Vicente, Spain, Winner, Portraits, Youth Award 2013

Martina Biccheri, Italy, Winner, Architecture, Open Competition 2013

Yeow Kwang Yeo, Singapore, Winner, Panoramic, Open Competition 2013

Gilbert Yu,_Hong Kong, Winner, Arts and Culture, Open Competition 2013

Alecsandra Raluca Dragoi, Romania, Winner, Culture, Youth Award 2013

Ming Hui Guan Mac Kwan, China, Winner, Smile, Open_Competition 2013

Hisatomi Tadahiko, Japan, Winner, People, Open Competition 2013

Hoang Hiep Nguyen, Vietnam, Winner, Enhanced, Open Competition 2013

MatjazTancic, Slovenia, 3D Competition Winner 2013

Matvas Galvez, Chile, Winner, Split Second, Open Competition 2013

‘The World Photography Organisation revealed the winners for the Open, Youth and 3D categories of the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards. With photographers from as far apart as Chile to Vietnam, the winning images capture in a single shot a huge variety of subjects from the moment before a couple get married to the Mangystau night sky in Kazakhstan and the ‘Fung Shun’ fire dragon dance in Southern China, plus much more.
All category winners receive a Sony A77 and will have their images exhibited at Somerset House, London, from 26 April – 12 May as part of the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition. The photographs will also be published in the 2013 edition of the Sony World Photography Awards book.
122,665 images were entered in total to the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards – 62,654 Professional entries, 54,851 Open entries and 5,160 Youth entries images.’

CREATED BY: The World Photography Organisation (WPO), the World Photography Awards, sponsored by Sony LOCATION: Somerset House, London, UK. DESCRIPTION: Photography Exhibition. STATUS: Ongoing. DATE: 26 April – 12 May 2013. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.

A bathroom where mutually alternating fragmentary mirror surfaces and lighting fixtures form a jigsaw puzzle of an image and a reflection.

‘The architect’s office heri&salli from Vienna/Austria designed in an apartment of a private building owner a bathroom where mutually alternating fragmentary mirror surfaces and lighting fixtures form a conglomerate like a jigsaw puzzle of an image and a reflection. Sections of the room are more indicated momentarily than carried through.

Man nowadays renews almost at will the outer appearance of his body or in other words of the parts of his body. From a superficial point of view it’s possible to say that a human being consists more of fragments than a grown entity.
The perfection we get from the human body is an accumulation of aesthetically idealized sequences. The original body serves only to hold together these sequences or fragments-thus the body becomes more and more an intermediary space that’s not visible…the interface of our surfaces that cover the human being.
In an affine way we fragment the body standing in front of it by the mirror images (reflections) and in the same way this body is illuminated and put on the scene. Different moments of the body become visible when the user passes the mirrors. Behind it and surrounding it are located tools and utensils of hygiene and aesthetic, which the user needs to prepare himself in the deepest space of privacy for the open space of public. And it’s exactly there where he meets once again the seemingly belonging together ideal image of a body…in the form of built up images of an unity simulated by us.

The space as a reflection of the society we live within.

Manufacture:

The pavement as well as the walls, ceilings and parts of the built-in furniture are manufactured with the spatula or casting technique Pandomo. The surfaces of the mirrors and lighting fixtures are carried out with the sides in brushed stainless steel. Free-standing built-in glasses mark areas of different use in the room.’

ARCHITECT: heri&salli, Vienna, Austria. LOCATION: Vienna, Austria. DESCRIPTION: residential. STATUS: completed. PANDOMO FLOOR / PANDOMO WALL: Hans Ortner GmbH Wien / Martin Ortner. MOSAIC: Hans Ortner GmbH Wien / Hans Ortner. WOOD WORK: Feichtinger GmbH / Scharnstein. GLASS WORK: Glaserei Sallfert / Trasdorf. LIGHTING: Lichtland Rittenschober / Gschwandt. PROJECT TEAM: Stefanie Theuretzbacher. DATE: 2012. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.