* Architecture: Park 1 Stockholm by White Arkitektur

Architecture: Park 1 Stockholm by White Arkitektur: “..white arkitectur’s ‘park 1′ is a new typology for a civic structure, one that contributes to the greenery of the urban environment while dutifully performing the functions of an infrastructural complex. designed to house a traffic and emergency management center in addition to a fire station, the building serves kungsholmen, an island district of a historical province in stockholm city, Sweden. in a bid won with associates at AG arkitekter, the pragmatic program of 1200 new workplaces is bolstered by the dynamic inclusion of a restaurant, cafe, conference facilities and exhibition areas, all open to the public. the active spaces are arranged in five layers, with the fire station at the bottom level and the civic services center and office at the top, sandwiching the public floors. the architecture inclines back from the busy street of lindhagensgatan and cantilevers over the essingeleden highway– a poetic gesture that expresses a self-conscious sense of aestheticism. the building transcends purely functional geometry with a generous green roof, affording views from an impressive 50 meter height and acting as a foliage-filled oasis of rest and recreation. the structure complies with the eco-certification BREEAM and sweden’s own sustainability policy miljöbyggnad; the public rooftop park acting as a particular contributor to the biodiversity of the site and significant producer of solar energy. developed with london-based engineers at AKT, a double-skinned facade is informed by the intricate shapes of a circuit board, itself characterized by myriad nodes and synapses individually simple but infinitely combinable. the conceptual pattern describes the coordination center’s round-the-clock functions and connects the building activities of coordination, management and infrastructure with the architectonics of the exterior..”

image: © white arkitektur; article: Designboom

designalog : contact

* Architecture: Stamp House by Charles Wright Architects

Architecture: Stamp House by Charles Wright Architects: “..CWA were approached by the project client to deliver a carbon neutral (in operation) solution for an environmentally sensitive site off-grid on the edge of the FNQ beachfront rainforest. The aim was not to simply produce an engineered outcome but produce a building which made the most of the sites natural amenity and re-introduced the surrounding native wetland environment. The building is literally reflected by way of its siting over an engineered water ecosystem which was the result of lengthy liaison & collaboration with National Parks, Environmental Agencies, State and Local Government..The design is formed in an innovative combination of in-situ and precast concrete. The concrete has been engineered & insulated incorporating a total solar panelled roof to provide for a constant cooler & more comfortable ambient temperature year-round. The design utilises massive cantilevers to mitigate impact from potential flooding & king tide inundation associated with cyclonic activity. The project has been designed to be solid and to withstand intense cyclones..ESD initiatives include: total 250,000 ltr water harvesting, recycling & reticulation, renewable solar energy generation with solar backup non-reliant on fossil fuel backup generation, On-site Advanced Tertiary Sewerage treatment plant, grey water recycling & irrigation, Shaded & Insulated Thermal mass engineering, ‘green’ cooling & energy conservation controlled via building automation system (CBUS)..  Interesting form; contextuality; green design..

See another building by Charles Wright Architects:  Architecture: Cairns Botanic Gardens Visitors Centre by Charles Wright Architects.

designalog : contact

image: © Patrick Bingham Hall; article: ”Stamp House / Charles Wright Architects” 25 Feb 2013. ArchDaily

* Residential Architecture: The FLOAT House – Make it Right by Morphosis Architects

Residential Architecture: The FLOAT House – Make it Right by Morphosis Architects: “..The FLOAT House is a new kind of house: a house that can sustain its own water and power needs; a house that can survive the floodwaters generated by a storm the size of Hurricane Katrina; and perhaps most importantly, a house that can be manufactured cheaply enough to function as low-income housing..Make It: Affordable: A new approach to mass-producing low-cost homes that respond to local culture and climate..The FLOAT House optimizes the efficiency of mass-production, while respecting New Orleans’s unique culture and context. The Ninth Ward’s colorful vernacular houses, which local residents have traditionally modified and personalized over time, reflect the community’s vibrant culture. The FLOAT House grows out of the indigenous typology of the shotgun house, predominant throughout New Orleans and the Lower Ninth Ward. Like a typical shotgun house, the FLOAT House sits atop a raised base. This innovative base, or “chassis,” integrates all mechanical, electrical, plumbing and sustainable systems, and securely floats in case of flooding. Inspired by GM’s skateboard chassis, which is engineered to support several car body types, the FLOAT House’s chassis is designed to support a variety of customizable house configurations..Developed to meet the needs of families in New Orleans’s Lower Ninth Ward, the FLOAT House is a prototype for prefabricated, affordable housing that can be adapted to the needs of flood zones worldwide. The FLOAT House is assembled on-site from pre-fabricated components:

• The modular chassis is pre-fabricated as a single unit of expanded polystyrene foam coated in glass fiber reinforced concrete, with all required wall anchors, electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems pre-installed. The chassis module is shipped whole from factory to site, via standard flat bed trailer.
• The piers that anchor the house to the ground and the concrete pads on which the chassis sits are constructed on-site, using local labor and conventional construction techniques.
• The panelized walls, windows, interior finishes and kit-of parts roof are prefabricated, to be assembled on-site along with the installation of fixtures and appliances. This efficient approach integrates modern mass-production with traditional site construction to lower costs, guarantee quality, and reduce waste.

Make It: Float: A flood-safe house that securely floats with rising water levels..Global climate change is triggering ever-harsher floods and natural disasters. Nearly 200 million people worldwide live in high risk coastal flooding zones , and in the US alone, over 36 million people currently face the threat of flooding. The FLOAT House prototype proposes a sustainable way of living that adapts to this uncertain reality..To protect from flooding, the FLOAT House can rise vertically on guide posts, securely floating up to twelve feet as water levels rise. In the event of a flood, the house’s chassis acts as a raft, guided by steel masts, which are anchored to the ground by two concrete pile caps each with six 45-foot deep piles..Like the vernacular New Orleans shotgun house, the FLOAT House sits on a 4-foot base; rather than permanently raising the house on ten foot or higher stilts, the house only rises in case of severe flooding. This configuration accommodates a traditional front porch, preserving of the community’s vital porch culture and facilitating accessibility for elderly and disabled residents..While not designed for occupants to remain in the home during a hurricane, the FLOAT House aims to minimize catastrophic damage and preserve the homeowner’s investment in their property. This approach also allows for the early return of occupants in the aftermath of a hurricane or flood..Make It: Green: A high-performance house that generates and sustains its own water and power needs..On track for a LEED Platinum Rating, the FLOAT House is an innovative model for affordable, net-zero annual energy consumption housing. High-performance systems sustain the home’s power, air, and water needs, and minimize resource consumption:

• Solar Power Generation: The roof supports solar panels that generate all of the house’s power, resulting in net-zero annual energy consumption. The chassis incorporates electrical systems to store and convert solar power for daily use, and to give back to the electrical grid during the temperate fall and spring months.
• Rainwater Collection: The sloped concave roof collects rainwater, and funnels it to cisterns housed in the chassis, where it is filtered and stored for daily use.
• Efficient Systems—including low-flow plumbing fixtures, low-energy appliances, high performance windows, and highly insulated SIPs (Structural Insulated Panel) walls and roof—minimize water and power consumption, and lower the lifecycle cost for the home owner.
• High-grade energy efficient kitchen, appliances and fixtures maximize durability and reduce the need for replacement.
• Geothermal Heating and Cooling: A geothermal mechanical system heats and cools the air via a ground source heat pump, which naturally conditions the air, minimizing the energy required to cool the house in the harsh summer months and heat it in winter..

See our post on another home for Make It Right for post-Katrina New Orleans: Residential Architecture: Duplex by Frank Gehry for Make it Right.

designalog : contact

image: © Iwan Baan; article: ”The FLOAT House – Make it Right / Morphosis Architects” 02 Aug 2012. ArchDaily. <http://www.archdaily.com/259629&gt;

* Residential Architecture: Pryor House by Bates Masi + Architects

Residential Architecture: Pryor House by Bates Masi + Architects: “..The house occupies a hill in Montauk  (Long Island, New York) with a distant view of ocean. A site that the owners, a couple with two young boys, spent years to find.  It is the couple’s reprieve from their home in the city, to share the outdoor lifestyle with their family and to remember their teenage years together in Montauk.   The house design prompts the owners to interact with the surrounding environment, evoking experiences of camping..A departure from typical residential planning, the house is entered through multiple areas for different guests and occasions. Large glass doors slide open to the living, dining and kitchen area for a large gathering, a smaller scaled swing door for an occasional guest opens to the center hall with a view of the ocean, and a sequence of auxiliary spaces – beach equipment area, outdoor shower, sand and mudroom – create a seamless ritual from the daily activities for the family and friends.  In all living areas and bedrooms, glass doors and insect screens slide in and out from pocket walls, transforming rooms to screened porches or spaces completely open to the landscape.  The living area, a double height space with kitchen, dining and living area, has thirty-six feet wide glass doors that pocket into southern and northern walls.  When open, the dining room becomes a picnic area and the living room fireplace becomes a campfire.  Multiple layers of bronzed metal fabric at the clerestory windows in the living area fold and unfold to adjust sunlight for optimal brightness & temperature of the space.  These operable architectural elements use the natural environment to create suitable living conditions..The house is environmentally friendly in its overall construction and planning with such specifics as geo-thermal heating & cooling, shading & venting systems, solar panels, organic finishes and materials.  Lending to the structure’s sustainability, the house is assembled, rather than built, with prefabricated foundation, panel siding and efficient built-ins minimizes construction debris or toxins such as concrete foundation tar on the site. With the owner’s initial premise of camping, the design and functionality of the house promotes a memorable experience for friends and family in the natural environment..”  Extensive glazing, natural light, clerestory windows; indoor / outdoor sensibility; sustainability; interesting interior volumes and interior decoration..

See our posts on four other homes by Bates Masi + Architects:

• Residential Architecture: Noyack Creek House by Bates Masi Architects
• Residential Architecture: Quail Hill House by Bates Masi Architect
• Residential Architecture: Lion’s Head by Bates Masi Architects
• Residential Architecture: Genius Loci, Montauk by Bates Masi + Architects

image: Bates Masi Architects; article: Arthitectural

designalog : contact