The architectural review (2002-2005)-part 2

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1 Site context.2The oratory lies at the heart of the campus.3The oratory cube, seen through the glazed cloister.4Refined geometry and raw materials give the structure an elemental power. A cast glass door heralds entry.

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Fusing the secular and metaphysical, this oratory on a campus is a modern response to the numinous.

LIGHT SPIRIT

The combining of sacred and secular in a complex of buildings is a familiar architectural programme, and one that encourages a creative combination of the functional and the spiritual. In this instance, the judges were impressed by the calmness and serenity of the oratory space, with its shades of Tadao Ando, not to mention Le Corbusier, in its exploitation of concrete and varying types of light.

The oratory element creates what the architect describes as the equivalent of a crescendo in music, but one which breaks from the remaining fabric of a campus which also has educational and administrative functions. Its location and height mark it out from the everyday

buildings around, while the rotation in plan is intended to signify the break between secular and sacred, and to create a void between building types which can be used for communal gatherings of varying size, or for private meditation.

The threshold between the outside world and the oratory is marked by a sculptural cast-glass door, designed to gather and refract light, which glows brightly at the perimeter and luminously at the centre as a result of the lens-shaped plan. The architects intended to achieve a fusion of secular and metaphysical experiences through light, shadow, colour and movement, before visitors and congregation take their place inside.

PRIZEWINNER

CHURCH COMPLEX, LOUISIANA, USAARCHITECT

TRAHAN ARCHITECTS

[Architecture.Ebook] The Architectural Review - Sellection(2002-2005)

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5Communing with the numinous.6Interior has an almost Japanese asceticism.7Light and materials convey a sense of peace and spirituality.

site plan50 | 12

PRIZEWINNER

CHURCH COMPLEX, LOUISIANA, USAARCHITECT

TRAHAN ARCHITECTS

cross section

general plan of complex

ground floor plan of oratory (scale approx 1:250)

1 administration 2 classroom 3 religious education 4 oratory 5 altar 6 pulpit 7 presider’s chair 8 crucifix 9 pews

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Internally, the oratory is intended to evoke a sense of mystery while providing a pure space which could be described as womb-like. Each of the six sides is the same size, and has the same colour and texture, the uniformity creating a certain lack of orientation and sense of mystery. Variation and stimulation is provided by light drawn into the oratory through irregular activities cast into the walls, whose thickness varies. As the images show, the effect is to introduce brilliant light near the ceiling and softer light near the floor. Each aperture is inspired by a single episode of the paschal mystery of Christ.

No costly materials have been used in the creation of this complex – board-formed

concrete, plate glass and cast glass are the key elements, creating an atmosphere the architect intended to be neither opulent nor overly austere. The judges, on balance, felt that this had successfully been achieved, and that a feeling of serenity pervaded the design, doubtless helped by the simplicity of the plan and the cloister reference in what is in part, at least, a community resource. P. F.

ArchitectTrahan Architects, LouisianaProject teamVictor F. Trahan, Brad Davis, Kirk EdwardsPhotographsTimothy Hursley



With the unrivalled rate of development in China, there is a genuine concern (admittedly from foreign observers) that Chinese architects are yet to find a coherent contemporary architectural identity. Traditionally, China has had a rich architectural heritage within which even the most elementary architectural eye could identify common architectural motifs: Dougong brackets that articulate the junction between column and beam; sweeping concave roofs that create distinctive silhouettes in both urban and wild rural contexts; brightly painted timber; and perhaps most fundamentally, the systematic grouping of buildings around courtyards, where the now overused Western architectural cliché of making inside/outside space had merit, authenticity and appropriateness.

As last year’s Beijing Biennale demonstrated, the most interesting home-grown talents were those who had chosen to work with, rather than against, their heritage. With this project, Li Xiaodong is very much part of this generation; a generation that while not necessarily being completely satisfied with the resolution of their own architectural language, nevertheless works rigorously to extract essence and nuance when considering how to build.

The Yuhu Elementary School and Community Centre, completed last year, nestles in the foothills of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, in Lijiang, home to the 280 000 or so members of the Naxi minority nationality. Providing educational space for 160 students and community activity space for up to 1300 villagers, the complex comprises three small buildings arranged in a Z-configuration. This creates two courtyards, each set aside for separate school and community activities. Deriving significance from the Naxi

HIGHLY COMMENDED

SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY CENTRE, LIJIANG, CHINA

ARCHITECT

LI XIAODONG DESIGN STUDIO

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1From the south, the school courtyard is set beside a large maple tree.

Li Xiaodong revisits established architectural typologies when placing this contemporary group of buildings within a sensitive UNESCO World Heritage site.

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION



tenet that sees the mountains as the backbone and water as the soul of their culture, both stone and water feature heavily; as do reinterpretations of the traditional Naxi home.

One such reinvention is the articulation of the stair, which forms a focus to the community courtyard. Traditionally occupying one corner of a Naxi house, the stair frees up space to provide more flexible orthogonal rooms while celebrating the ritual of teachers making their way to the classrooms below. Effort was also made to simplify the architectural language while respecting traditional details

and techniques. The use of traditional timber-frame detailing with mortise and tenon joints, for example, is a proven safeguard against earthquake collapse, with all masonry being independently reinforced and non load-bearing. Traditional ornamentation is also reduced to basics, with curved ridgelines straightened and gable end ornament simplified to a simple lattice framework inspired by traditional grain racks. Sliding and casement windows are also abundant, bringing fresh air, light and access when required. The uniqueness of the design within a very particular context impressed the judges,

as a demonstration of how local materials, technology and spatial arrangements can be transformed into a fresh language. The challenge for this generation, however, with Li Xiaodong and many contemporaries based in cities like Beijing, will ultimately come when they are given the opportunity to raise their game, and to tackle the problems associated with large-scale urban developments. R. G.

ArchitectLi Xiaodong Design Studio, BeijingProject teamLi Xiaodong, Yeo Kang Shua,Chong Keng Hua, Stanley Lee Tse ChenPhotographsMelvin H. J. Tan

2From within the classroom, nature and landscape remain dominant and distracting.3,4,5Within the community courtyard, the twisted staircase forms a focus ... a contemporary twist, in an otherwise traditional context.6The community courtyard, reflecting pool and Snow Mountain beyond.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY CENTRE, LIJIANG, CHINA

ARCHITECT

LI XIAODONG DESIGN STUDIO

first floor

ground floor (scale approx 1:500)

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1 museum 2 classroom 3 exhibition area 4 community courtyard 5 reflecting pool 6 school courtyard 7 staffroom

site plan

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1The new roof swells out over the stadium.2The grandstand in action.

Originally completed in 1938, the famous Helsinki Olympic Stadium was built to attract the summer Games, which eventually came to Finland in 1952. Designed by Yrjö Lindegen and Toivo Jäntti, the building’s svelte Modernist lines evoked an era of social optimism and architectural progressiveness. Finns are keen athletes and the Olympic Stadium had the distinction of appearing on the Finnish 10 mark banknote, prior to the country adopting the euro.

Since the late ’30s, the stadium has undergone various stages of modernisation which have

improved facilities and reduced spectator numbers from 70 000 to a more manageable 40 000. The latest phase was catalysed by Helsinki’s hosting of the 2005 World Athletics Championship, the most prestigious athletics meeting outside the Olympics. Though the city saw off rival bids from Berlin, Rome and Moscow, among others, the IAAF (the sport’s governing body) insisted that the stadium should be upgraded with an extra roof to provide additional covered seating. Helsinki-based K2S Architects won a competition with a bold proposal that

reinterprets yet also respects the original Modernist ethos. The new roof extends to cover part of the grandstand on the stadium’s east side, where the bank of spectator seating is at its widest. Though a strong presence inside the stadium, the new structure is virtually imperceptible from the outside, much like the existing 1930s canopy. Supported by a row of steel columns and tied back to the original concrete structure, the new canopy cantilevers with supple grace over the grandstand.

The steel roof structure is optimised by a double sinusoidal

curved section. This generates a gently undulating geometry, so that the canopy swells and tapers along its length. The curve of its underside is emphasised by a skin of thin pine strips which tempers the huge surface both visually and acoustically. Structural analysis of the aerofoil roof form was backed up by extensive wind tunnel testing using a 1:180 scale model made of aluminium and plexiglass. The judges admired the elegance and simplicity of the concept and thought it a thoroughly fi tting addition to a heroic landmark of Finnish Modernism. C. S.

cross section through stadium

cross section through new canopy

stadium plan (scale approx 1:2500)

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ArchitectK2S Architects, HelsinkiProject teamKimmo Lintula, Niko Sirola, Mikko SummanenPhotographs1, Johan Fowelin2, Mikko Summanen

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1 new roof 2 existing

grandstand 3 tower 4 running track 5 pitch

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FLYING FINNSHelsinki’s Olympic Stadium is dignified and enhanced by a bold new grandstand roof.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

STADIUM CANOPY, HELSINKI, FINLAND

ARCHITECT

K2S ARCHITECTS



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Graduates of Porto’s architectural school and in practice in the city since 1990, António Portugal & Manuel Maria Reis are in the vanguard of an emerging generation of Portuguese architects. Their modest, tactful work epitomises what critics and curators describe as ‘critical scarcity’, making use of limited budgets, materials and construction techniques in a way that responds imaginatively to the Portuguese condition. Their sensitive remodelling of the historic Casa da Cerca into a library and archive (AR July 2004) helped an antiquated structure

make the challenging transition from decaying relic to working public building.

There is a strongly enigmatic and understated quality to their approach, epitomised by this project for a restaurant near the village of Brufe, in Portugal’s rugged far north. Utterly simple in conception and execution, the building is an almost imperceptible horizontal blip in the landscape, its long, low slung volume echoing the forms of the granite terraces on which it is poised. Much of its bulk is, in fact, excavated into the hillside, so that the roof becomes part of the

terrain, a grass-covered plateau edged with a minimal upstand to prevent mishaps. From this vantage point, diners descend a set of external stairs cut into the hill to another terrace that thrusts out from the box of the restaurant.

Dining takes place in a large, airy room illuminated by a long slash of picture window glazing, while the cooking and serving end of things is kept well out of sight in the buried rear of the building. Rough horizontal planks of timber are employed to clad both lower terrace and box, giving it a rustic, barn-like character that echoes

the vernacular architecture of the surrounding farm buildings.

The judges were intrigued by the project, whose presentation embodied the sparse, enigmatic quality of its architecture. They were especially impressed by how the building related to its setting, deferring to the landscape but celebrating it, and the way the simple materials were combined with a restrained formal language to achieve powerful effects.

CATHERINE SLESSORArchitectsAntónio Portugal & Manuel Maria Reis, Porto with Paulo FreitasPhotographsLuís Ferreira Alves

1Embedded in hillside, roof becomes viewing plateau.2Rough timber cladding alludes to farm buildings.3,4,5The main terrace has breathtaking vistas.6 The new restaurant is poised on granite terraces.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

RESTAURANT, BRUFE, PORTUGAL

ARCHITECTS

ANTÓNIO PORTUGAL & MANUEL MARIA REIS

long section cross section

DINING TERRACEThis restaurant in Portugal’s rugged north responds to and celebrates its wild setting.

roof level plan

restaurant level plan (scale approx 1:500)

1 terrace 2 restaurant dining room 3 servery 4 kitchen 5 external staircase 6 roof

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H OU SIN G, IN N SBRU CK, AU ST RIA

ARCHITECT

BAU MSCH LAGER & EBERLE

SH UT T ERED ROOMSDistinguished by formal rigour and a concern for energy use, this complex of compactly planned, mixed tenurehousing blocks on the edge of Innsbruck is animated by an external skin of folding shutters.

1Mid-rise blocks are arranged aroundcommunal spaces. Car parking isrelegated underground, freeing up theexterior for semi-formal gardens.2Framed by alpine peaks, the blockshave a geometric rigour and precision.Copper-clad folding shutters animatethe exterior (although in realityperhaps to a more random patternthan shown here).

Housing (of both the statesubsided and private sectorfunded kind) accounts for over athird of construction work inAustria. Regulated by planninglaws and cost constraints,opportunities for innovation arelimited, with the result that townsand cities tend to be dominatedby dull residential developments.In this apparently reductivist areaof architectural activity,Baumschlager & Eberle haveapplied themselves to researchingand evolving a successful housingtype based on a compact,doughnut-shaped plan with aninner ring of servant spaces andan outer ring of served rooms.The building envelope is usuallyformed from balconies andloggias, creating a semi-publiclayer enclosed by an external skinof folding or sliding shutters. Byadapting and modifying this basictype to various conditions,

Baumschlager & Eberle havegradually developed it in terms ofarchitectural form, constructionalcomposition and ecologicalperformance. The particularcharacter of this approach is notto seek the outlandishly special,but rather to aspire to the higheststandards for what is normal.

The latest in this series ofhousing projects is for a site onthe western edge of Innsbruck.Dramatically framed by alpinepeaks, it extends an existingresidential area. The complexcontains 298 flats of varying sizes(from one to three bedrooms)divided more or less evenlybetween rental and ownership.Apartments are organized in sixidentical blocks between five andseven storeys high. Cars arerelegated to a subterranean park,so freeing up the areas betweenthe blocks for gardens andcommunal social spaces.

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73 |6ground floor plan (scale approx 1:300)site plan

typical upper level plan cross sect ion out lining principles of environmental control

longitudinal sect ioncross sect ion

a solar collection panels

b water tanks for heat storage

c car parkd ventilation outletse heat pump & boilerf living room/

bedroomg wc/bathroom/

kitchen

a main entranceb lightwell courtyardc liftd stairse flatsf access galleriesg balconies

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Pollarded lime trees mark theedges of paths and will mature toprovide enclaves of shade.

Each of the blocks follows thesame compact arrangement offlats tightly planned around acentral lightwell and servicecore. Each has a single communalentrance that penetratesthrough the block to the centralspace; from here you either takethe lift or stairs to communalgalleries on each level that leadto individual apartments. Flatsare simply and economicallyplanned with a narrow strip ofkitchens and bathrooms on thelightwell side serving larger livingspaces facing out to views andlight. Each flat has access to abalcony that runs continuouslyaround each floor. Inner faces ofthe blocks are clad in verticalstrips of cherry. Folding shuttersmade of copper and balustradesof translucent toughened glassgive protection from theelements and provide privacy.The changing concertinarhythms generated by theshutters (which will surely have amuch greater degree of lyricalrandomness than the regimentedpatterns shown here) animatethe geometrically stern facades.

As with Baumschlager &Eberle’s previous projects (ARJanuary 2000), the Innsbruckhousing is characterized by athoughtful degree of energyconscious environmentalcontrol. The highly compact planreduces the surface area tovolume ratio. Walls are highlyinsulated and windows are tripleglazed, in order to minimize heatloss. Each apartment is equippedwith a compact ventilation unitwith heat recovery, as well as asmall heat pump for air heatingand a boiler for hot water. Thecontrolled air ventilation systemprovides a constant, comfortablesupply of fresh air as well as

3Lushness of the landscape tempers theformal abstract ion.4 Balconies run around the edge of eachblock, enclosed by the shutters andtranslucent glass balustrades.

HOUSING, INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA

ARCHITECT

BAUMSCHLAGER & EBERLE

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optimizing space heating andminimizing ventilation losses. Italso maintains a balance ofrelative humidity, reducingproblems of buildingdeterioration due to pollution,humidity or mould.

Around 70 per cent of theannual hot water demand iscovered by a solar poweredsystem. Solar collectors with asurface area of 140-190sqm perblock heat water in storagetanks located around theperimeter of the undergroundcar park. During the summer,domestic hot water is warmed inthe solar tanks and supplied toindividual flats. Any extraheating is carried out by the heatpumps. In winter, solar energy isused to preheat fresh air in thecontrolled ventilation system.Rainwater is collected from theroofs and used to flush thelavatories, accounting for overhalf the annual demand.

This conflation of energysaving measures gives rise to avery low annual heatingrequirement, compared withmore conventional housingdevelopments, with consequentcost savings and reductions incarbon dioxide emissions.Combining formal precision withecological inventiveness,Baumschlager & Eberle’sarchitecture shows what can beachieved even in the mostunpromising of programmes.

CLAUDIA KUGEL

ArchitectBaumschlager & Eberle, Lochau, AustriaProject teamCarlo Baumschlager, Dietmar Eberle,Gerhard Zweier, Herwig Bachmann Structural engineersMac Wallnöfer, Fritzer & SaurweinEnvironmental engineerGMI IngenieureLandscape architectKienast VogtPhotographsEduard Hueber/Arch Photo

5At the heart of each block is a lightwell.6Galleries give access to individual flats.

HOUSING, INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA

ARCHITECT

BAUMSCHLAGER & EBERLE

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The London ContemporaryDance School is to be found atThe Place in a quiet backwateroff busy Euston Road. Establishedin 1969 by philanthropist RobinHoward, The Place has becomeone of the world’s famous dancecentres. Its theatre was createdout of the old Drill Hall of theArtists’ Rifles, constructed in1889 and listed by EnglishHeritage. A landmark in theKing’s Cross Partnership area, itopens onto the tiny Georgianoasis of Duke’s Road (built with

the adjoining Woburn Walk inthe 1820s by Thomas Cubitt aspart of the Bedford Estate).Behind, and to the east of, thetheatre, dressing rooms andancillary spaces, is the dancecentre, housed for most of its lifein a triangular warren of buildingsconverted at various times intostudios, classrooms and offices.

Equipped with money from theNational Lottery (through theArts Council) and a grant fromKing’s Cross Partnership, ThePlace has been undergoing

much-needed improvements byAllies and Morrison. Pressure onspace and facilities had becomeacute. The centre, open sevendays a week from early morninguntil late in the evening, is usedby great numbers of studentsand professional performers,and has to house around 80 staff.

Work is being carried out intwo phases. The first, nowcompleted, has provided a newbuilding to the north and east ofthe triangle. Entrance is througha three-storey glass fronted stair

tower, facing east and visiblefrom a distance – particularly atnight when illuminated. Glassbalconies between landings actas stretching zones so from thestreet you see silhouetteddancers in motion, figuressuperimposed one above theother. This tower is the centre’sshop window, advertising itspresence to the neighbourhood.

Landings lead to new studioscontained in a building to thenorth hard up against the backwall of a hotel block running

DAN CE SCH OOL, KIN G’S CROSS, LON DON

ARCHITECT

ALLIES AN D MORRISON

ARCH IT ECT S

1Glazed stair tower with stretchingareas, gives access to studios, r ight .2Lower ground floor studioscombined by folding central dividingscreen away.3Interior skylit stair tower: landingsand glass balconies are used bystudents for meet ings and exercise.4Stair tower onto street . Dividingscreen of metal mesh from gkd.

Leading the dance A new extension to a famous dance centre in the King’s Cross district of London rat ionalizes a rather

difficult site, adds spacious new studios, and provides a shop window that establishes its presence locally.

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ground floor plan (scale approx 1:950)

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along Euston Road. There aretwo large airy studios on each ofthe two levels, and another pairexcavated out of the ground.

Every part of this workmanlikescheme is permeated by thequiet architectural intelligencecharacteristic of this practice.From the beginning, thearchitects worked closely withtheir professional clients to workout proportions and details (likethe specially designed studiobarres, in section shaped like aninverted egg to make them easierto grasp correctly).

Studio walls on the north,facing straight onto the hotel, aremade of glass blocks whichdiffuse light while maintainingprivacy; and these translucentwalls are supplementedelsewhere by strategically placedwindows admitting the exterior.For the dancers these studiosare introverted places for

south-north cross sect ion

west-east long sect ion

lower ground floor plan

second floor plan

first floor planisometric

1 entrance and stair tower2 new studio3 modernized studio4 theatre5 bar6 theatre entrance7 box office8 backstage9 dressing room

10 changing room11 office

DAN CE SCH OOL, KIN G’S CROSS, LON DON

ARCHITECT

ALLIES AN D MORRISON ARCH IT ECT S

5U pper studio with glass block wallfrom Luxcrete to north, andJunckers sprung floor.

intense concentration, but anysense of claustrophobia isdissipated by the subliminalimpression of light, air andreflection off sprung floors andmirrored walls.

Services – ventilation andacoustic separation – are carriedby the concrete structure. On thelower ground floor, it waspossible to eliminate the heavycentral wall and replace it with afolding screen to create oneenormous space. This phase alsoincluded refurbishing andgenerally tidying up the existingbuilding. Phase two consists ofwork to the theatre and is due forcompletion by this autumn. P. M.

ArchitectsAllies and Morrison Architects, LondonProject architectsBob Allies, Graham Morrison, Eddie Taylor,Paul Appleton, Jo Bacon, Ben Elsdon, StuartKing, Adrian Morrow, Jane Parker, OliverRalphs, Pauline Stockmans, Ria SummerhayesStructural engineerPrice and MyersServices engineerMax Fordham & Partners PhotographsDennis Gilbert/VIEW

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Oslo is one of the largest cities in the worldin terms of area. It stretches from the neo-Classical core far up into the surroundinghills, where suburbs and forest increasinglyblend. In the worst areas, this leads toslummification of the wild, but in the bestparts, the two interact, bringing humanityand nature into creative conjunction. LundHagem’s two attached houses at Furulundare a prime example of such a dialogue.

The site is squarish, sloping from north tosouth, on a corner of two roads in an areawhere nineteenth- and twentieth-centuryvillas are scattered lightly through thewoods. The basic plan of the new houses was

generated by the twin desire to preserve the25 best trees on the plot, and to avoidoverlooking and overshadowing by existingbuildings. So the L-shaped houses arearranged to open onto a double garden courtwhich is divided by a thick (partly storage)wall which gives them a degree of privacyfrom each other. The garden courts facesouth-west, into a wooded gap betweenexisting buildings.

The houses are completely different inplan. The upper (more northerly) one isbased on a corridor that runs at garden level,double and single sided, south-west from theentrance to a covered belvedere at the far

end of the garden. En route, it passes themaster bedroom on the left, and the mainfamily area which includes kitchen, dining andsitting and is dominated by a large fireplace.Next to this is a small flight of stairs whichleads down to a little private study. Above isthe children’s area, from where a secret stairin the chimney breast goes up to a roofterrace above the living area.

The other house is fundamentallyorganized round the half levels of its stair. Ithas a car port tucked into its volume, and itis entered from the same side as thenorthern house. To the left is a double-height study, and the stairs go down to the

T W O H OUSES, FU RU LU N D ,O SLO , N ORW AY

ARCHITECT

LUN D H AGEM

IN N ORW EGIAN W OODSIt may seem odd to start an issue on group housing with a pair of housesin an Oslo suburb, but these are so responsive to landscape, that theysuggest many possibilit ies for larger groupings of houses which could paysimilar attention to nature and human response to it .

1 Entrance front: blank and ratherforbidding with windows hiddenbehind thin natural oak strips. Carport for southern house penetratesfrom road to private gardens.2Entrance to upper (northern)house: axial route to privatenatural world.3Keeping as many trees as possiblewas one of the key aims of design.N orthern house in foreground.4Southern house: studio seen fromentrance.5Southern house: studio fromgarden.6Garden side of southern house.

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45 |644 |6 lowest level (scale approx 1:370)

1 entrance2 living/kitchen3 main bedroom4 study5 garage6 studio7 gallery mezzanine8 children9 childen’s common room

10 cellar11 car port


ARCHITECT

LUN D H AGEM

entrance levels north-south cross sect ion through houses

north-south sect ion through north house garage and south house

upper level



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7Fireplace in living room ofnorthern house.8Stair in southern house isorganizing device for spat ial flow.9Kitchen in southern house.10Garden side, southern house.11, 12Sit t ing area, southern house, withlight washing over south wall, andwindow which brings trees intoconversat ion.


ARCHITECT

LUN D H AGEM

children’s level, where three sleepingcabins with sliding doors open off thecommunal area. They look out onto thegarden court, to which each has accessthrough the glass wall. If, instead of goingdown to the children’s floor, you go up, youarrive in the living area, which is the spatialtour de force of the whole affair. Tall andlong, it looks north towards the garden, butgains much of its atmosphere from acontinuous rooflight which poursluminance down the largely blank southwall. A wide and generous bench followsthe light and turns at the south end to formthe base of the fireplace which again

dominates the sitting area. Just at the turn,a large window is suddenly cut low into thewall to look out point blank into thebranches of a fine mature birch tree, whichgives the space privacy from the road. Afurther flight up from this level is the mainbedroom, slung over the car port wherethere is access to the mezzanine of thestudy. Another short stair leads to theprivate roof terrace over the living area.

Construction is lightweight concreteblock, rendered outside and in, with internalsurfaces lightly dragged to give them texture.Upper floors on the entrance (east) side areclad in thin natural oak strips of varying

length and thickness; behind are smallwindows which get some light and glimpsesof view through the slits. The effect from theroad is dark and a little austere, but once thewooden entrance doors are open, the spacesare welcoming, with floors of solid oiled ash,slate and oiled concrete, ash joinery and lightbirch slatted ceilings.

Of course, such finishes would beimpossible in less expensive houses, as wouldall the many subtle manoevres in plan andsection. But the thoughtfulness with whichsite and family needs have been related dorepay study, and could inform housing on aconsiderably larger scale. P.D.

ArchitectLund Hagem Arkitekter AS, OsloProject teamSvein Lund, Karine Denizou, Arvid Pedersen, Andreas PoulssonPhotographsEspen Grønli, Jiri Havran, Morten Brun, Svein Lund

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TOUCH IN G N AT UREEncased in a carapace of weathered steel, a ret irement house in the spectacular

splendour of the Arizona desert appears part of its raw, elemental, landscape.

1T he gent ly angular peaks of theroof mimic the topography of thedistant mountains.2Embedded in the slope, the housepresents a modest profile from theapproach road.3T he shed-like volumes of the mainhouse and its smaller guest wingenclose an intermediate courtyard. 4Courtyard is landscaped in a veryprecise fashion, with cubic plantersand calm pools of water.5A weathered carapace of rustedsteel cladding envelops the house.

In southern Arizona, close to theMexican border, landscape andsky collide in an exhilarating rush of space and light. Thiselevated desert area is known for its awesome summer lightning storms and very clearnight skies (accounting for thepresence of several astronomicalobservatories). Within thisextraordinary natural arena, RickJoy has built a house, a tautlygraphic composition of glass andplanes of hoary, rusted steel thatsits lightly and low on the ground,like a lizard basking on a rock.

His clients were a couple fromOhio who had spent theirholidays in the Southwest andbecome seduced by its vast,primeval landscapes to the pointof commissioning a retirementhome. Covered with scrub,native mesquite trees and lowwild grasses, the desert siteslopes gently down to the south.In the distance, snow-cappedmountains delicately frame thehorizon. Apart from the usualliving and guest spaces, the clientsrequested two studies, areas forentertainment and an optical

telescope platform (the husbandis a former radio astronomer andthe site was selected as much forits night-time view of crystal clearskies as daytime panoramas). Allthis had to be contained on asingle floor.

Joy’s response was to carve alevel shelf into the hill, defined bytwo U-shaped retaining wallsskewed towards one another.This establishes a datum for thehouse. The retaining walls formthe ends of two shed-likevolumes (the main dwelling and asmaller guest house) that gently

nudge into each other, with alinear courtyard occupying theintermediate space. From theapproach road, only the glazedends of the sheds are visibleabove the ground; at night thesebecome glowing abstract forms,apparently hovering in space. Agravel-covered garden spikedwith plump cacti flanks theentrance. To get in, you descendthrough a stair wedged in thecleft between the two retainingwalls, to emerge in thetranquillity of the courtyardbelow. Pools of water and

H OU SE, ARIZON A, USAARCHITECT

RICK JOY

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1 courtyard2 entrance3 living4 kitchen5 pantry6 bedroom7 study8 workshop9 garage

10 porch11 pool12 guest house

cross sect ion


mesquite trees provide coolingshade and the fragrant vegetationattracts hummingbirds andbutterflies. The very precisedetailing of the courtyard –concrete paving, crisplyrectilinear planters and cubicvolumes of water – expressesthe controlled, man-madecharacter of the house againstthe rawness and unpredictabilityof nature. At the west end of thecourtyard, a swimming poolextends the vista towards the fardistant horizon.

The house’s organizationemphasizes the connection withthe exterior, as internal andexternal spaces meld fluidly withone other. Flanked by the

courtyard, the main living space isa long bar with a covered porchat its far end overlooking theswimming pool. To the rear is themaster bedroom and bathroomand twin studies, which face thecourtyard but also overlook asmaller private patio and pool,enclosed by the retaining wall.Each window exactly focuses andframes a particular view; somewindows are set flush with thesteel surface, some are box-likeprotrusions, some unglazed cut-outs. The smaller guest wing alsohouses a garage and a platformfor an optical telescope.

Joy likens the house to a geode,the coarseness of the rough steelexterior contrasting with the

refinement of the interior. Usedextensively in farm buildings andstructures, rusted steel is acommon sight in the Arizonacountryside. Because of theintensely dry climate, steelweathers quickly but does notrust through, so it was notnecessary to use costlyproprietary types of oxydizedsteel cladding. From a distance,the rough, red carapace of thehouse is a strong yet familiarpresence, resonating with thehues of the desert. Inside, whiteplaster walls and black polishedconcrete floors impart a simple,understated elegance. Pale maple,sandblasted glass and stainlesssteel complete the interior

palette. Sliding glass panelsheighten the connection with theexterior and assist in crossventilation, although the dwellingis also air conditioned. Joy’shouse extends the Modernisttradition of domesticating nature,yet powerfully rooted in thelandscape, it is also sensitive tonuances of a remarkable place.

C. S.

ArchitectRick Joy, Tucson, USAProject teamRick Joy, Andy Tinucci, Franz Buhler, Chelsea GrassingerStructural engineerSouthwest Structural EngineersMechanical engineerOtterbein EngineeringPhotographyJeff Goldberg/Esto

H OU SE, ARIZON A, USAARCHITECT

RICK JOY

6Carefully placed openings frame,focus and edit views of the vastlandscape beyond.7Main living and dining spaces. 8An enclosed terrace and sensuouspool terminate the west end of themain house.

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Today more than ever the smallhouse serves as a testing groundfor architectural ideas. In fewplaces is the ground so testing, soexpensive, crowded, and prone totremors, as central Tokyo.

And in few societies are ideasand, it might be added, trends sotenaciously pursued as incontemporary Japan. KazuyoSejima’s Small House is easilyfound at the end of a short cul-de-sac in Tokyo’s affluent Aoyamadistrict. It’s a miniature towercontaining 77 square metres offloor area on an allowable imprintof 36 (the site measures 60square metres in its entirety).

The house is wrapped inopalescent glass and galvanizedsteel with a vein-like standingseam. From the lane, there areonly glimpses of life through thehouse’s western translucent zoneand occasional small transparentpanels. Furthermore, the clientsclaim they did not want expansiveviews out, as the house overlooksthe Sony establishment where thehusband works as a productdesigner. A vertical pavilionalmost touching its easterlyneighbour, the house bulges inthe middle, then tapers intowards the roof (a space-agemansard?) and down towards theentrance. There the slope inwardaccommodates – to thecentimetre – the family’s silver-grey Honda van.

To south and east, the skin ismostly opaque and hides severalservice hatches. It is made almostentirely of glass; however, to theback and to the west, alandlocked lot belonging to anadjacent temple provides Sejima’sclients with views of greeneryand, metaphorically at least, somebreathing space. The building isstructured about an open steelshaft with inner spiral stairs; bothare painted white. Each floorspreads from this trunk to rest onthin steel tubes slanted at varying

U RBAN H OU SE, T OKYO , JAPAN

ARCHITECT

KAZU YO SEJIMA & ASSOCIAT ES

JAPAN ESE MIN IAT UREW ith extraordinary invention and ingenuity, Kazuyo Sejima fits this t iny houseinto the densely woven, indifferent texture of downtown T okyo. Curiously, forall its apparent wilfulness, it draws its origins from its very t ight site.

1A space-age mansard?2Form of house is generated byrights of light regulat ions.3H ouse becomes transparent at theback, overlooking temple grounds.4Constant interplay betweentranslucency and transparency.5Open steel shaft core.1

2 3 4

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angles about the perimeter. Theouter skin is simply laid againstthis cage. Ground level entrysteps are formed from a foldedplane of concrete; external metalrungs provide service access tothe roof above.

The architect has divided theprogramme into four distinctelements. In a semi-basement isthe parents’ room with storagerecessed beneath the clerestoreyfenestration and a tiny lavatory.Raised slightly above street levelis the hall and guest bedroom. Onthe piano nobile – the broadestand tallest space – are kitchen,dining and living quarters (oneshelf has an eye-catching displayof recent Sony products). Thehouse terminates in a bipartitezone with a comparatively grandbathroom and an enclosed roof

terrace that looks across theempty lot to the towers ofShinjuku in the middle distance.

The chamfered form of theSmall House results partiallyfrom neighbourhood zoning andsunlight demands: it’s a miniature cousin to HughFerriss’s 1920s images ofmetropolitan massing. Thecanted sides are howeverdetermined more by Sejima’sstrategy of stacking, a strategyshared by such current vanguardprojects as MVRDV’s DutchPavilion at the Hanover EXPO(AR September 2000). In Sejima’swork, the envelope becomesfabric stretching betweendifferently-sized slabs. The floorsthemselves are concrete, heldbetween an ingeniouslyengineered steel cage.

basement (scale approx 1:120)

ground floor plan

north sect ion south sect ion

1 parking2 entrance3 guest4 kitchen5 living/dining6 main bath7 enclosed terrace8 main bed9 light court

6H ouse terminates in bipart ite zonewith grand bathroom and enclosedroof terrace.7Fundamentally, house is aninhabited flue.

U RBAN H OU SE, T OKYO , JAPAN

ARCHITECT

KAZU YO SEJIMA & ASSOCIAT ES

In a climate prone to chillywinters and warm, rainysummers, the Small House hasonly a few operable windows,mostly to the east. It is expectedto act as an inhabited flue, warmair rising to be expelled upstairs.Floor-to-ceiling expanses of glassare screened by thin slips of whitecurtain. Sejima’s independentwork, and that in association withRyue Nishizawa, is marked byostensibly contradictorycharacteristics: it appears bothfunctionalist and natural,machine-like yet so delicate as tobe almost ephemeral. With thelarge glass panels tilting in bothhorizontal and vertical directions,the Small House seems less like atree house and more like a treeitself, a weeping willow perhaps.

RAYMUND RYAN

first floor plan

second floor plan

ArchitectKazuyo Sejima & Associates, TokyoProject teamKazuyo Sejima, Yoshitaka Tanase, Shoko FukuyaStructural engineerSasaki Structural ConsultantsPhotographsCourtesy of Shinkenchiku-Sha

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Honeycomb, flies’ eyes, frog spawn, cuckoo-spit – choose your organic simile. Built tocontain biological specimens, the biomes ofthe Eden Project look like giant biologicalspecimens themselves, some kind of fungusfrom outer space, perhaps, fruiting weirdlyin this worked out Cornish china clay-pit.The design seems to have been inspired bynatural and/or science fiction images but,though some Grimshaw buildings are indeedimage-inspired, in this case the impression ismisleading. The inspiration was not whatnature looks like but how it works, itsprocesses and structures. The fact that theEden Project is a ready-made set forQuatermass and the Pit has been useful in themarketing of the whole enterprise, but itwas a by-product rather than the startingpoint of the design.

The greenhouses had to be sited in theunshaded strip at the foot of the cliffs on thenorth side of the pit. The first idea was for alinear, lean-to structure rather likeGrimshaw’s International Terminal atWaterloo station (AR September 1993). Thisform posed a number of problems, however.For one thing the three-dimensional profileof the site, far more complicated than thelevel curve of Waterloo, meant that it wasdifficult to use cheap, standardizedcomponents. To make matters worse, theground profile was constantly changingduring the development of the design,because the site had not yet been taken overby the client and was still being quarried. Along-span, arched structure would have beenheavy, bulky and difficult to carry down intothe pit. It would also have cast unwanted

EDEN PROJECT , CORNW ALL, ENGLAND

ARCHITECT

N ICHOLAS GRIMSHAW & PARTNERS

1 T he bug-eyed geodesic domes of the H umidT ropics Biome appear to engulf the grassroof of the café housed in the link building. 2Like huge soap bubbles in the Cornishlandscape, the interlinked domes have abeguiling (but decept ive) fragility.

EDEN REGAIN EDSpectacularly colonizing a Cornish china clay-pit , the Eden Project is a monumental palm house for the

twenty-first century, its ingeniously engineered biomes inspired by natural processes and structures. comparat ive drawing showing sect ion through the H umid T ropics Biome and Kew Palm H ouse

1

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45 |844 |8

shadows on the plants inside. A morepromising alternative was a much lighter andmore economical geodesic dome, but it hadthe wrong plan-form and would have beenimpossible to divide up into different zones.The idea of a line of smaller, intersectinggeodesic domes was arrived at late in theday, but it solved all the problems at onceand made the project possible.

It works like this: take a row of spheres ofdifferent sizes, made like footballs out oftwo-dimensional hexagons and pentagons,and squash them into one another, formingperfect circles where they intersect. Thensquash the whole row into the site, in theangle between the cliff and the quarrybottom. Circles become arches, and thehexagons and pentagons are removed asnecessary around the perimeter toaccommodate the irregular ground profile.Structural components, mainly of tubularsteel joined by spherical nodes, are identicalin each dome and small enough to be easilyhandled. These are not conventional domesin that they exhibit tensile as well ascompressive structural behaviour. Theouter compressive grid is linked bytetrahedrons to an inner tensile grid. Thedouble grid is necessary because the lattice

steel arches break the continuity of thestructure. For the same reason, the domeswere not self-supporting during erection buthad to be assembled from a temporaryscaffold so big that it has entered The

Guinness Book of Records. This is a slightdisappointment for techno-organicistsraised on Buckminster Fuller (nature doesnot use scaffolding), but there is nothingheavy or awkward about the finishedstructure. The geodesic grid is scaledaccording to the size of each dome andexcept in the smallest dome, where itbecomes rather dense, the effect isamazingly light for such enormous spans. Atthe junctions with the arches, the grid isadapted ad hoc, creating irregulargeometrical shapes. Architecturally, thismay seem a worrying inconsistency, but it isexactly what happens in nature when, forexample, the hexagonal grid of veins in adragonfly’s wing meets a leading edge or astructural spar.

The largest hexagons are 11m across andtherefore impossible to span with a singlesheet of glass, especially since it would haveto be double glazed and toughened. Thelightness of the structural grid is madepossible by a new high tech material –

ethyltetrafluorethylene foil (ETFE). Thislight, transparent, flexible film forms triple-membrane cushions which are kept inflatedby a constant low pressure air supply.Because they were formed and fitted on site,the ETFE cushions could adapt easily togeometrical variations without any need forcomplicated scheduling or productionplanning. The biomes are beautifulstructures because they are efficientstructures – a kind of beauty common innature but rare in architecture.

Like their humbler horticultural cousins,however, they also have a ruggedpracticality. The branching network offlexible air-supply pipes, for example, isclipped to the structural steel members withno attempt at concealment. The heating andventilating system simply consists of free-standing air handlers in ordinary metalboxes placed at intervals around theperimeter, poking their twin circular ductsstraight through the walls of the domes.Such artless functionalism is easy to accept,though the heavy duty adjustable glasslouvres associated with the ducts areperhaps a little too clumsy, their insistentlinearity stubbornly at odds with the fluidityof the geodesic grid.

3Open vent ilat ion panels form a jaggedline along the biomes’ curved profile.4Café terrace and link building, withW arm T emperate Biome beyond.5Detail of biome roof structure, withquarry cliffs behind. T he buildingoccupies a worked-out china clay-pit .6, 7T he smaller W arm T emperate Biome.

EDEN PROJECT , CORN W ALL, EN GLAN D

ARCHITECT

N ICH OLAS GRIMSH AW & PART N ERS

3 5

4

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site plan


ARCHITECT


8H exagonal roof structure underconstruct ion, giving some sense of theenormity of the scale.

longitudinal sect ion

roof plan (scale approx 1:1500)

A site access roadB parkingC coach parkingD disabled parkingE Humid Tropics BiomeF link building/café

G Warm Temperate BiomeH visitors’ centre

1 Humid Tropics Biome2 air handling units3 link building/café4 roof lights above plant

holding area5 Warm Temperate Biome

typical roof node detail 8



49 |848 |8

But once inside the enormous bubbles ofthe Humid Tropics Biome, such details areinsignificant. A winding gravel path climbs upthrough what will be a dense forest (theplanting is still immature) to a big, noisywaterfall. Though we can never quiteimagine that this is a real rainforest, it isnevertheless a unique spatial experience,certainly more like nature than architecture.The sheer size of the enclosure, the word‘biome’ and the very name ‘Eden Project’ alllead you to expect a complete ecosystem,or at least an approximation of one, but itsoon becomes clear that this is really just abotanical garden, the Palm House at Kewwrit large. There are no animals, apart fromthe crowds of people. The neighbouringWarm Temperate Biome is smaller andmore comfortable, not just because it isrelatively cool and dry, but because thestructure of the domes is close enough togive it scale. It feels more human, more like

architecture, though the technology isexactly the same.

In early versions of the design, theentrance to the biomes was housed in achain of very small domes. This proved to betoo fussy and expensive, but it was hard toimagine any kind of conventional buildingthat would look comfortable between thebig domes. The answer was to bury thebuilding in the ground, reducing it to a fewsimple planes – a curved, grass-coveredroof, a glass curtain wall and an entrancebridge leading to a first floor concourseoverlooking restaurants below. Anothercurved, linear, earthbound building forms anartificial crest high on the opposite ledge ofthe pit. Visitors arrive at the back of thisbuilding from the cascade of car parksbeyond, pay their entrance fees and emergeonto a terrace, cameras at the ready fortheir first view of the whole site. From herethey make their way down to the entrance

bridge through a richly cultivated open airtheatre – the ‘roofless biome’. Comparedwith the biomes, which express a compellingengineering logic, the ancillary structuresseem rather sketchy and artificial. Thearrival building (AR August 2000), forexample, which houses shops, cafés andoffices, is elegant and well planned but itsuse of materials like shingles, rammed earth(taken from the clay-pit) and gabions, seemsmore like a symbol of green constructionthan the real thing.

But then the Eden Project is not anarchitectural expo: it is a theatre in whichhumankind’s relationship with the plantworld is dramatized. The specimen plantsare magnificent, the garden arrangementsare imaginative and the scale is breathtaking.The crowds in the biomes soon forget aboutthe delicate net arching high over theirheads. They have come to look at the plants,not the greenhouses. COLIN DAVIES

ArchitectNicholas Grimshaw & Partners, LondonProject teamNicholas Grimshaw, Andrew Whalley, Jolyon Brewis,Vincent Chang, David Kirkland, Michael Pawlyn, JasonAhmed, Vanessa Bartulovic, Dean Boston, Chris Brieger,Antje Bulthaup, Amanda Davis, Florian Eckardt, Alex Haw,Perry Hooper, Bill Horgan, Oliver Konrath, AngelikaKovacic, Quintin Lake, Richard Morrell, Tim Narey, MonicaNiggemeyer, Killian O’Sullivan, Debra Penn, Martin Pirnie,Juan Porral-Hermida, Mustafa Salman, Tan Su LingStructural engineerAnthony Hunt AssociatesServices engineerOve Arup & PartnersLandscapingLand Use ConsultantsGlass louvresM&VPhotographsAll photographs were by Peter Cook/VIEW except no 7 byChris Gascoigne/VIEW


ARCHITECT


9Filled with luxuriant vegetat ion, theinterior of the H umid T ropics Biomeis a lush expanse of greenery.10T he delicate net of the roof gracefullyencloses the plant ing.11Like a heroically-engineered set out ofa science fict ion film, the Eden Projectis both surreal and breathtaking.

9

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MEW S H OU SE EX T EN SION ,SOU T H KEN SIN GT ON , LON DON

ARCHITECT

Z IGGU RAT

1 entrance2 bedroom3 bathroom4 kitchen5 living6 dining7 study8 courtyard

gallery plan

south-north long sect ion

ground floor plan and internal elevat ion (scale approx 1:100)

An ingenious scheme, by Ziggurat,for extending a tiny mews housein South Kensington, enlarges thevertical dimension and uses lightto draw out the horizontal.

The original house was built asone of a pair in the 1970s, onderelict land. Stuccoed externallyto accord with its Victorianneighbours, the house was onestorey high with four rooms andvery little natural light. The frontof the building, with bedroom,bathroom, entrance lobby andhall, was retained with someremodelling; the remainder of thebuilding was virtually demolished.

Behind the existing remnant,Ziggurat excavated and lowered

2Dining room, stairs to gallerybedroom and television recessedinto wall under stairs.3, 5Dining table and sliding door tocourtyard is one assembly.4Dining room under curved ceiling.Bedroom gallery above.

the floor level several feet, andcreated a double-height volumewith a roof that curves away fromthe street, so that externally thebuilding seems unchanged. A glasswall marks division between thehouse and a tiny courtyard,painted white to become anexterior room diffusing luminanceback into the house. Ziggurat hascleverly established a shiftingdiagonal axis through the plan,from the entrance and hall on thesouth-west side of the building tothe radiant white courtyard. Theprogression through the house isone from dimness to bright light,from enclosed space to its suddendramatic expansion and colour.

At the front of the new volume,the architects installed a gallerycontaining sleeping quarters. Thebedroom is partly enclosed by acut-out wall, painted mint green,and looks onto a double-heightdining room set under thereflective curve of the new roof.Beneath the gallery is a livingroom and small kitchen; and fittedunder the stairs to the bedroom isa curved desk forming a tiny study.To have inserted so much dramaand delight into such a small spaceis an achievement, and the schemehas been executed with a greatdeal of elegance. Materials aresimple – painted walls and a beechfloor flowing into concrete as it

approaches the courtyard – andthe composition, which has theclarity of an early Modernist work,is sharpened by use of colour hereand there. Details are constantlyintriguing: the dining table that ispart of a sliding door to thecourtyard, the sinuous concretebench, like a piece of sculpture,lining and seeming part of thecourtyard wall, and the rotatingdoor to the kitchen, whichsimultaneously turns out to be acupboard.

ArchitectZiggurat, LondonProject architectsAndrei Bowbelski, James Davis withLaurence Guerrini, Areti TheofanopoulouStructural engineersWhitby Bird and Partners – Special ProjectsPhotographsJames Morris

2

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Immediately behind the Brandenburg Gate liesPariser Platz (AR January 1999), the greaturban piazza that terminates the triumphalaxis of Unter den Linden. Before the War, itwas the grandest square in Berlin, site of theAmerican and French embassies, the AdlonHotel, the Akademie der Künste and blocks ofluxurious flats and offices. After the War andthe Wall, it was laid waste and became part ofBerlin’s deadly no-man’s land. Since Germanreunification it has been rebuilt in an attemptto emulate the spirit of its grand urban past,with new embassies, hotels, and office blocksslotted back into the original street pattern.The rules of reconstruction, which stipulateconstraints such as eaves heights, proportionsand materials (obligatory stone cladding), donot allow much scope for formal experiment.The result is that Pariser Platz’s newoccupants resemble a collection of ratherbland, expensively dressed guests minglingpolitely at an upmarket cocktail party. Theintroduction of Frank Gehry into the mixmight in theory be calculated to induce anelement of raciness and unpredictability, buthe too has been obliged to conform to thedress code. Being Gehry however, he has stillmanaged to spring a few surprises.

The genesis of the project dates back to1995, when Gehry’s competition entry forBerlin’s historic Museum Island was underconsideration. At that time, the DG Bankinvited him and six others to produce aproposal for the bank’s new Berlinheadquarters. The brief included financialoffices, apartments and semi-autonomousconference spaces that could be hired out tocorporate clients. Gehry did not prevail in themuseum competition, but his design for theDG Bank won unanimous approval.

The site lies on the south side of the square,in the middle of Pariser Platz’s evolving urbanjigsaw. The rectangular block is hemmed in onits long sides by Behnisch’s new Akademie derKünste and Moore Ruble Yudell’s AmericanEmbassy, with the short ends overlookingPariser Platz and Behrenstrasse. Theorganization of the new building is a logicalresponse to the constraints of site and brief.A necklace of office spaces extends aroundthree sides of the perimeter, enclosing a hugeatrium space (of which more later). Theresidential annexe, which has its own separateentrance, is placed on the fourth sideoverlooking Behrenstrasse and a site that willeventually house the Memorial to theMurdered Jews of Europe. Flats range in size

1N ew DG Bank headquarters in theshadow of the Brandenburg Gate. 2Massive bank facade exudes anaustere monumentality thatconveys lit t le sense of life within.3Breathtaking main atrium.

GEH RY’S GEODET he new DG Bank headquarters in Berlin forms part of the wider andongoing reconstruction of Pariser Platz – but its urban sobriety hides arich inner life, animated by the interplay of light, form and materials.

BAN K OFFICES & FLATS, BERLIN , GERMAN Y

ARCHITECT

FRAN K O. GEHRY

3locat ion plan

1

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53 |852 |8

from studios to larger maisonettes and areseparated from the offices by an elliptical voidenclosed by a swirling, shimmering glass wallsuspended from the roof that cascades downto a pool below. Two glazed lifts glide up anddown through the void like air bubbles.

Gehry has clearly taken the Pariser Platzdress code to heart; both bank and apartmentfacades are models of sobriety and severity.The apartment block is marginally lessaustere, stepping back as it rises over 10storeys with faceted bay windows likeconcertinas animating the wall plane. But themain bank facade overlooking Pariser Platz isan utterly plain, utterly stripped downcomposition of creamy buff limestone (tomatch the Brandenburg Gate) and glass.Openings are punched into the stone tocreate deeply recessed windows that slideback at the touch of a button to revealterraces enclosed by blade-like glassbalustrades. Clad in 4 inch thick stone, the

bank facade is almost as shocking in its solid,rationalist monumentality as Gehry’ssignature sinuousness and its extreme weightand abstraction only serve to show up theflimsiness of the surrounding pastiche.Ironically, in Berlin’s traumatized cityscape,such solidity also embodies a reassuring senseof permanence and institutional stability,doubtless important concerns for Gehry’sbanker clients. (‘The bank guys loved it’, heobserved, ‘although it cost them a lot ofmoney to do it’.)

Sadly, most Berliners will never see beyondthis massive stone wall to the real drama andspatial pyrotechnics within. Radicallyupturning his expressive gestural vocabularyand relocating it to the interior, Gehry hashad to pour his design into the cavity of theperimeter block. Here, Californian ad-hocismmeets the European masterplan. The inside isscooped out to form an immense atrium –allegedly one of the largest in the world –

enclosed by a delicate steel and glass lattice,improbably morphed and warped to form abarrel-vaulted roof canopy that curves in twodirections. Within the atrium is a free-standing structure like a giant horse’s headrearing and writhing through the space.Encased in a thin skin of stainless steel, thisextraordinary object contains a conferencechamber. The inner surface is lined with stripsof red oak (finely perforated for acousticreasons), so being inside the chamber is likebeing cocooned inside a contorted ship’s hull.The regimented orthogonality of the exteriorextends to the perimeter offices, which areedged by a series of arcades lined with red-oak veneer. From these vantage points, thesquirming biological specimen of theconference chamber can be fully appreciated.

Beneath the shell of the chamber is abasement level containing a lecture theatre,along with the bank’s cafeteria and a largefoyer; these can be combined to create a

BAN K OFFICES AN D FLAT S, BERLIN ,GERMAN Y

ARCHITECT

FRAN K O. GEH RY

7Offices are arranged around perimeter,overlooking a writhing horse’s headconference chamber and glass roof enclosingstaff cafeteria at lower ground level.8Staff cafeteria, which can also be used as abanquet ing and meet ing space.9Clad in a thin skin of burnished steel, theconference chamber appears to float inthe vast space.10Seduct ive play of form and materials.


ARCHITECT

FRAN K O. GEHRY

4Rippling concert ina facade of the apartmentblock steps back as it r ises.5W indows are punched deep into the bank wall.Blade-like glass balustrades enclose terraces.6Atrium is framed by a gridded arcade.

4 5 6

7 9

8 10



55 |8longitudinal sect ion


ARCHITECT

FRAN K O. GEHRY

11Inside warped hull of conference chamber.

cross sect ion54 |8 lower ground floor plan ground floor plan (scale approx 1:1000) first floor plan

fourth floor plan fifth floor plan ninth floor plan

1 staff cafeteria2 executive dining3 kitchen4 foyer5 lecture theatre6 ramp to parking below

7 bank entrance8 bank offices9 conference chamber

10 apartments entrance11 lift lobby12 apartments

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generous space suitable for banquets andmeetings. Another warped glass canopy,smaller cousin to the main roof, enclosesthese spaces allowing light to percolate downto the lower levels. (During the course of siteexcavations Albert Speer’s bunker wasdiscovered, but no trace of it now remains.)

As with Gehry’s other projects, thetranslation of initial ideas to built form isachieved through a design and constructionprocess that combines sophisticatedcomputer software programs with a craftapproach to building. Initial generativesketches, which defy conventional logic andgeometry, must be painstakingly interpretedas a precise system of co-ordinates andknown structural and material properties.Gehry develops his ideas slowly, from roughdrawings through an exhaustive series ofhandmade models. Using the Catia programto represent complex three-dimensionalobjects, these crude wood and cardboardmock-ups are scanned into the computer anddigitally translated back into working modelsand drawings. Employed as an instrument oftranslation rather than generative device, thecomputer enables the representation and

manipulation of that which cannot otherwisebe drawn. In this case, unusually, the exteriorpresented no such challenges, but the glassroofs and conference chamber proved tests ofdesign and manufacturing ingenuity. Thetriangulated space frame of the roof is madeup of solid stainless steel rods that form sixpointed stars screwed into nodal connectors.The complex geometry of the roof meant thatthe rods meet at different angles, so to matchthem precisely, the nodal connectors werecut from 70mm-thick stainless steel plate bycomputer-controlled milling machines. Theframe is infilled by 1500 triangular glazingpanels bedded on neoprene gaskets. Theconference chamber is clad in a 2mm skin ofbrushed stainless steel plates (basicdimensions 2m x 4m) stretched and fashionedby skilled boatbuilders to accommodate theconflation of complex, bulbous forms.

Superficially, this might well appear aconservative building, but clearly it is anythingbut. In the extreme and startling contrastbetween its outer and inner life, it resemblessome kind of weird rock or geode that, splitopen, reveals a spectacular mineral formation.It is tempting to see the entire exercise as a

metaphor for Berlin – beneath the haughtyPrussian exterior lies decadence anddebauchery – but after all it is only a bank andthe morphological conspicuousness of theconference spaces is perhaps as much to dowith commercial viability as being vehicles ofarchitectural imagination. Yet in the decorouscontext of Pariser Platz, it is definitely one ofthe more unorthodox and welcome guests.

CATHERINE SLESSOR

ArchitectGehry Partners, Santa Monica, USAProject teamFrank O. Gehry, Randy Jefferson, Craig Webb, Marc Salette,Tensho Takemori, Laurence Tighe, Eva Sobesky, George Metzger, Jim Dayton, John Goldsmith, Jorg Ruegemer,Scott Uriu, Jeff Guga, Michael Jobes, Kirk Blaschke, Nida Chesonis, Tom Cody, Leigh Jerrard, Tadao Shimizu, Rick Smith, Bruce ShepardAssociate architectPlanungs AG – Neufert Mittmann GrafStructural engineersIngenieur Büro Müller MarlSchlaich Bergermann & PartnerServices engineerBrandi IngenieureFacade consultantPlanungsbüro für Ingenieurleistungen PhotographsAll photographs by Christian Richters apart from 1 and 5which are by Waltraud Krase

12Glazed wall of conference chamber.13Curving steel and glass lat t ice of barrel-vaulted roof gracefully encloses atrium.14Apartment block is arranged around anellipt ical void.


ARCHITECT

FRAN K O. GEHRY

12 13 14



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m at er ialit y

Makino Museum of Plants andPeople is spread over the gentleslopes of Mt Godai above KochiCity on the island of Shikoku.Designed by Naito Architect &Associates, the place is dedicatedto the memory of TomitaroMakino, eminent scholar andfather of Japanese botany. Thisinspiration, the museum’sbotanical purpose, and the factthat Kochi Prefecture is animportant timber-producingregion, suggested wood as themain material for construction,and Naito’s manipulation of it hasproduced structures ofextraordinary poetic power.

Because of complex landownership the museum was splitinto two parts: a museum with

research facilities and anexhibition hall; with the twolinked by a 170m corridor.

To disturb the landscape aslittle as possible, both buildingsare low and sinuous, theirorganic forms hugging themountain contours so that theyseem almost a part of thetopography. Such forms presentlittle resistance to the salt-ladenwinds to which the site isexposed and construction takesaccount of the region’soccasionally severe storms.Neither building is taller thansurrounding trees.

The site, an angular S-shape,stretches across the mountainfrom the museum on the west tothe laboratory on the east. Both

Double curvatureA museum on the island of Shikoku, Japan, hugs the contours of its mountainsite and celebrates the organic through form, materials and contents.

1U pper deck of main museumbuilding with central well. Deck oflocal silvery cypress responds tosilver roof of zinc and stainlesssteel.2Exterior of exhibit ion hall.3Exhibit ion room of exhibit ionbuilding.

MUSEUM, SHIKOKU , JAPAN

ARCHITECT

N AITO ARCHITECT & ASSOCIATES

site plan: museum to left , exhibit ion hall to right

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2 3



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buildings, each on plan lookinglike a fossil, wrap round a centralcourtyard and are covered withcontinuously curving roofs. Spunround the courtyards aregalleries, cafés, meeting rooms,offices and so on. The museum isequipped with a laboratory,library and studies.

Enclosing the buildings withsinuous walls of reinforcedconcrete, hollow steel sectionsform ridges, eaves and columns,spanning between ridges andeaves with laminated woodenbeams of Douglas fir. The roofs’complex geometry meant thateach beam is different,connected at the ridge by castmetal joints which allow forvariations in angle. Duringdesign, wind-tunnel tests,simulating the effects of a severetyphoon, were carried out,exerting a pressure of over a tonper square metre on parts of theroofs and building framesadjusted accordingly. Roofs aretyphoon-proof with laminatedpanels of zinc and stainless steel,their unique dimensions andforms achieved by computer-aided design. As a furtherprecaution against Kochi’s windsand rain, the architects devised aspecial guttering system betweeneach panel.

Sensually the interiors andexteriors of the buildings aredistinct. Externally, the smoothsilvery forms of the roofs emergefrom vegetation in serpentinemanner. Internally, thewonderful scale and articulationsof the sweeping roof dominate.Unlike its cool external carapace,its underside is warm and red,sheathed in the inner surfaces ofKochi-grown Japanese cedar(sugi). The upper level of themain museum building extendsout onto a deck where the woodchanges in response to the roofcovering, to local silveryJapanese cypress (hinoki). P. M.

ArchitectNaito Architect & Associates, TokyoProject architectsHiroshi Naito, Nobuharu Kawamura,Tetsuya Kambayashi, Daijirou Takakusa,Taku YoshikawaStructural engineerKunio Watanabe, Structural Design GroupPhotographsKazunori Hiruta/Naito Architect &Associates

museum sect ion

exhibit ion hall sect ion

upper level plan of museum

exhibit ion hall plan

museum ground floor plan (scale approx 1:750)

1 main entrance2 deck3 shop-restaurant4 audio-visual hall5 meeting room6 gallery7 studio8 study9 machine room

10 Japanese room11 office12 laboratory13 library14 book stacks15 storage16 courtyard17 lecture hall

MUSEUM, SHIKOKU , JAPAN

ARCHITECT

N AITO ARCHITECT & ASSOCIATES

4Interiors are dominated bysweeping wooden roof.



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One of the few Modernists ofthe postwar generation tocontinue working in the Heroictradition, Harry Seidler is bestknown for his innovative andsometimes controversial urbanhigh-rise structures (see forinstance AR August 1991 andJune 2001).

At the other end of the scale,Seidler also has an outstandingrecord of house designs, ofwhich this recently completedholiday house in the SouthernHighlands of New South Walesis the latest. He was acquaintedas a student in the US with suchluminaries as Gropius, Breuer,

Albers and Niemeyer. His early career in Sydney wasdistinguished by carefully sitedtimber-framed houses, stronglyinfluenced by Breuer’s NewEngland work; they fittedsurprisingly well with Australianbuilding traditions.

This house owes more toNiemeyer, with whom Seidlerworked in Brazil, and to Seidler’sown later inclination as a maturearchitect towards sculpted andbold forms. It stands in directopposition to the more modestand restrained tradition ofcontemporary Australianresidential architecture

established by Glenn Murcutt,Philip Cox and Rex Addison,whose sophistication and foreigninfluences are mostly concealedby more obvious regionalelements. Situated in the midstof wilderness and dramaticallypoised on the crest of a redsandstone escarpmentoverlooking a river, Seidler’sdesign asserts itself as a self-consciously Modern work,shaped as much by a globalculture and technology as by the rugged landscape it inhabitsso forcefully.

Seidler achieves this splendidlyconfident result through a

number of classic Modernistdevices. A simple, ‘L’-shapedplan accommodates bedrooms,bathrooms and other privaterooms in the shorter leg along anorth-south axis at the rear,parallel with the cliff. Living,dining and kitchen are groupedin one large space in the other,longer leg pointing westwardsover the cliff edge.

Functional and spatial divisioninto cellular and open planspaces is further marked by adrop in floor level from east towest which follows the fall in therocky plateau. The north-southaxis is also picked up again by a

1 Vertiginously poised on the crest of arocky escarpment, the house forcefullyinhabits the landscape.2The long leg of the L-shaped plan,containing the main living, dining andkitchen spaces, points westwards over thecliff edge.3Curved roof planes gracefully envelop thehouse, like a gentle wave.

AUSTRALIAN CLIFFHAN GERT eetering on the edge of a cliff, H arry Seidler’s latest remarkable house is an assert ive work in the tradit ion of

H eroic Modernism, shaped equally by global culture and technology and local influences from site and place.

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HOUSE, SOUTHERN H IGHLANDS,NSW , AUSTRALIA

ARCHITECT

HARRY SEIDLER & ASSOCIATES



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swimming pool cut out of therock to the north and by aseparate garage to the south, thetwo being linked by a continuoussandstone retaining wall runningunder the house, where it formspart of the basement. Adifferentiation of the structurefrom heavy below (reinforcedconcrete floors, random rubblewalls and fireplaces) tolightweight above (steelsuperstructure) helps to rootthe house securely into its site.

This classic design is combinedwith more recent concerns withenergy efficiency, the isolatedhouse being by necessityrelatively self-sufficient inpower, heat and water supply, aswell as waste management andbush fire sprinklers (which are fed from the swimmingpool/reservoir).

What turns this essentiallystraightforward and mostlyfamiliar configuration intostunning spectacle, is Seidler’s

handling of the curved,overhanging lines of the whitepainted steel roof, which seemsto float above the rest of thehouse and the yawning spacebeyond the cliff, defying gravity.Made from curved steel beamswith differing radii using newindustrial technologies andcovered with corrugated steelroofing bent to suit – a localtouch there – the sculpturedroof shapes loudly proclaim anartistic intent as well as modern

technique. A suspended steelbalcony thrusting its way outbelow the dipping roof line fromthe living space invites visitors(those who don’t suffer fromvertigo that is) to step out intothe void and reinforces thegenerally assertive tone of thedesign. Heroic Modernism isdead? Not in Seidler’s hands.

CHRIS ABEL

ArchitectHarry Seidler & Associates, Milsons Point,NSW, Australia


longitudinal sect ion

4Pool and terrace enclosed by arandom rubble wall. 5Living space is a glazed eyrie withbreathtaking views. A suspended steelbalcony enhances the drama.

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HOUSE, SOUTHERN H IGHLAN DS,NSW , AUSTRALIA

ARCHITECT

HARRY SEIDLER & ASSOCIATES



ar house

As an architect, Werner Sobek isinformed by his conviction that,in formulating an architecturethat is truly modern, which has aradical and positive relationshipwith the natural environment andinhabitants, architects must makedemands on the wealth oftechnologies, materials andtechniques available, rather thanhaving recourse to tradition. (Hehas never forgotten Frei Otto’sheartfelt plea, made in a speechfor the Schinkel celebrations in1977: ‘Will you please stopbuilding the way you have beendoing’).

This house in Römerstrasse,designed by Sobek for himself andhis family, is set on a steep hillsideoverlooking Stuttgart. Rising fourstoreys high out of lightwoodland, it is a pure crystallinebox which at night becomes an

illuminated beacon. In spite ofappearances, it is a green building,made of recyclable components;it is free from noxious emissionsand energy efficient.

The sloping site presentedproblems, for as well as being atthe edge of the hillside, it was atthe end of, and some distancefrom, a steep narrow road. Itcontained a dilapidated anddangerous structure dating fromthe early ’20s which had to bedemolished with light equipmentand a great deal of manuallabour. But it provided afootprint for new foundations –a concrete raft with built-in frostapron over a channel for cablesand pipelines. Most of thefoundation work had to be doneby hand. There is no basement,so the building did not requiredeep excavations.

HOUSE, STUTTGART , GERMAN Y

ARCHITECT

W ERN ER SOBEK

PHOTOGRAPHS

ROLAN D HALBE

1Lowest floor opens onto deck, butaccess …2… is by bridge to topmost level.3Modern glass and a sophist icatedenvironmental control systemmake interior equable.

Crystal boxH ouses chart the continuing, century-old romance of architecture andglass. T his is an elegant, ecologically aware addit ion to the canon.1

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HOUSE, STUTTGART , GERMANY

ARCHITECT

W ERNER SOBEK

long sect ionsite plan

Being modular, the building couldbe erected quickly, (and, equally,dismantled and recycled). A steelframe stiffened by diagonalmembers stands on the concretefloor slab. The entire four-storeyframe was assembled in four days.Floors of prefabricated woodenpanels were then simply placedbetween beams, again withoutscrews or bolts. Being modular,loadbearing and non-loadbearingelements are held together byeasily detachable connections.There is no plaster or screed sono wet-trade waste. And noconcealed installations – cablingand pipelines are contained insheet metal ducting along walls.Instead of light switches, fittings,door or window handles, thehouse is activated by touchlessradar sensors and voice control.

The building is entirelytransparent for, in addition to thesuspended triple-glazed skin,there are no internal walls andspace is defined by a few,strategically placed pieces offurniture. Entrance is from a

cross sect ion

structural junct ion

bridge to the fourth floor andkitchen and dining room. Below,are living quarters, and belowagain, main bedroom, withchildren’s and service rooms onthe lowest level. All floors arelinked by the vertical stairwell.

To create such a house, thearchitect had to devise a new wayof managing energy withoutcompromising aesthetic idealsand components, each bythemselves innovatory, areworked into a coherent system.Triple glazing, with coated panels,has a k-value of 0.4. Solarradiation passing through thefacade is absorbed by water-cooled ceiling panels and theenergy transported through aheat exchanger to a heataccumulator which helps warmthe house in winter. Ceilingpanels act as thermal radiatorsand, says Sobek, there is no needfor additional heating. Bathroomsare contained in a cubic unit, twostoreys high; and all operationslike flushing, opening doors,water flow and temperature, are

controlled by sensors linked to acentral computer.

Sobek says that the house wasnever intended to be a universalmodel – after all not everyonewould choose to live in whatwould appear to be an elegantfish bowl. But it is an experimentthat works very well on manylevels and which has provided thepractice with the opportunity ofdeveloping ideas for the future.As an exquisite architecturalessay, it is a very personalmanifestation of architectural,artistic and social convictions.

V. G.

ArchitectWerner Sobek, StuttgartProject architectsZheng Fei, Robert BrixnerStructure and facadeIngo WeissPhotographsRoland HalbeBöhelmstrasse 4570199 StuttgartGermanyTel: 0711-607 40 73Fax: 0711-607 41 78Mobile: 0172-711 580Email: [email protected]

third floor: cooking and dining

second floor: living

first floor: sleeping

ground floor: workshops (scale 1:200)

4T op floor – entrance from bridge isto right of void.5Living floor: note bathroom, left .6,7H ouse is a series of horizontal planesin space: planes radiate heat inwinter and absorb it in summer.Some glass wall panes can be openedfor direct vent ilat ion.

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m at er ialit y 1In Ginza, T okyo’s prestigiousshopping area, H ermès’ calmauthority contrasts with morestrident tradit ional shopping.2Discreet entrance. Glass blocksin the huge wall are intended toshow imperfect ions of craftwork.3At night, the building radiatesterritory around itself, a newpublic space determined byevent, not geometry.

With well-dressed bodiessleeping rough on the streetoutside, two days before itsdoors opened to the public,Hermès’ new Tokyo flagshipstore can clearly disregardJapan’s current economicrecession, the most serioussince the war.

This building’s inspiration wasas much cultural as commercial,an expression of the principlesthat have underlain Hermèsproducts for generations –handmade craftsmanship andquality materials – and the waythat these characteristics areconsistent with the historicarchitecture of Japan.

It is within this context that

Renzo Piano established hisdesign. With a museum, galleryand cinema, this is effectively athemed public building ratherthan purely a commercial space.

By day, the curved planes ofthe glass-block veil flicker andglisten and transform the chaoticstreets outside into subtleshades when viewed fromwithin. By night, the buildingbecomes what Piano describesas ‘a magic lantern’ – a vastglowing crystal that establishes,by the light it radiates, aterritory around itself – a newpublic space in a city thatconceives of such things asplaces of event, rather thanurban geometry. Suspended

Japanese lanternTokyo’s new Hermès building is as much a cultural centre as a big shop,

and it is becoming a significant moment in the city’s play. Piano’s combination of high technology and handcraft humanises large urban intervention.

SH OP, GIN ZA , T OKYO , JAPAN

ARCHITECT

REN ZO PIAN O BU ILDIN G

W ORKSH OP

PHOTOGRAPHS

M ICH EL DEN AN CÉ/ARCH IPRESS

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SH OP, GIN ZA , T OKYO , JAPAN

ARCHITECT

REN ZO PIAN O BU ILDIN G

W ORKSH OP

PHOTOGRAPHS

M ICH EL DEN AN CÉ/ARCH IPRESS

shop level plan (scale approx 1:250)

sketch detail of glass-block wall (scale approx 1:15)

from the top, the glass veilexpresses mass but at the sametime defies gravity – its supportsystem being imperceptible.And, on this long, narrow site –only 12m wide – the translucentwall creates interior spaces thatare both intimate and infinite.

This was not easily done. Theglass blocks are the largest evermade – 450mm square – cast inItaly, then hung in Tokyo in asteel frame transported fromSwitzerland. It is a marriage ofhandcraft and high-precisionengineering, each block beingunique – the glass poured byhand into single-sided moulds,leaving different flow-lines andimperfections – a differentiation

that is crucial to Piano’s visionthat this project be clearly thework of artisans.

The large size of the blockswas determined by Piano’s wishthat this be perceived as atranslucent wall, not as a net ofopaque horizontal and verticaljoints. For the same reason, herejected assembling the blockswithin a steel-frame super gridthat prevents lower blocks beingcrushed by those above. Instead,each block is supportedindividually between slendersteel bars that are silvered oneach side face, rendering themall but invisible, and which allow4mm movement at every joint, inboth directions, to cope with

seismic disturbances.Integral to this concept is the

revolutionary flexible design ofthe building’s long, thinstructural steel frame. At 50mtall and with a main structuralspan of only 3.8m, the unusualslenderness of the structureresults in high overturningmoments during an earthquakeand high levels of tension in thecolumns. The engineer, OveArup & Partners, foundinspiration in the tall, thinwooden Buddhist pagodas ofJapan. Records show that, in thepast 1,400 years, only two havecollapsed – believed to bebecause the columns arediscontinuous from floor to

floor. In the Hermès building,the same principle was adopted,with the columns on one side ofthe frame being held in basejoints that allow uplift androtation simultaneously andseismic energy to be absorbedby viscoelastic dampers. This isthe first building of moderntimes to have columns that liftoff the ground in an earthquake.

One particularly fascinatingaspect of the interior spaces isthe way that, despite thedifferent palette of Piano andRena Dumas – the interiordesigner of Hermès’ shopsworldwide, including the lowerfive floors of the Ginza building –there is convincing consistency

between all parts, which Pianodescribes as the consistent‘vibration of work done by hand’.

Dumas’ spaces are elegant,discretely lit arrangements offine wooden furniture andprecious tactile materials,generously spaced to reveal theglass-block perimeter wall at alltimes. Piano’s upper levels arehandcrafted in an entirelydifferent tradition, with preciselydetailed partition systems,minimalistic steel-frame doors,exposed light fittings and electricraceways – all rigorouslycontrolled, and meticulouslyfabricated and assembled. Thesedifferent, but complementary,approaches to spacemaking are

united, appropriately, by theproducts they display, the worksof the painstaking Hermèscraftsmen. TOM HENEGHAN

cross sect ion

4,5T he glass veil gives Alice inW onderland quality to spaces, inwhich all elements are detailed withgreat precision.6Glass blocks are the largest evermade, and are cast individually byhand (standard blocks, left ). W holeglass veil is suspended, and can flexin earthquakes.

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1 shop2 atelier3 office4 exhibition5 plant6 storage

Architect , landscape and interiorsRenzo Piano Building Workshop with RenaDumas Architecture Intérieure (Paris)Design team (architecture)P Vincent, L Couton, G Ducci, P Hendier,S Ishida, F La Rivière, C Kuntz, C Colson, Y KyrkosStructure and services consultantOve Arup & PartnersPhotographsMichel Denancé, Archipress, 16 rue de la Pierre Levée75011 ParisFranceTel: (1) 43 38 51 81Fax: (1) 43 55 01 44



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1Looking from pat io to living areawith screen drawn back.2Pool in living area acts asseparat ion between formal andmore private parts of house, aswell as throwing light upwards.3Living area: combinat ion ofOriental and W estern formality.

SIN GAPORE SIT EA tall thin house in the Singapore suburbs suggests new patterns ofdevelopment which will increase density, much needed in a t ightly-packedisland. But it draws on Chinese tradit ion and abstracts from it .

H OU SE, SIN GAPORE

ARCHITECT

SCDA ARCH IT ECT S

Land is at a premium in theisland state of Singapore, sopermitted densities have beenallowed to rise in the suburbs.As a result, new individualhouses can be more tightlypacked together and made tallerthan what was allowed before.So the Teng residence, designedfor a single professional man andhis mother, has a parti whichalmost totally covers the plot,leaving only enough room for apatio at the front of the houseand long thin gardens at side andback. Such little strips of openland would seem very mean inother latitudes, but at theequator, where there is verticalsun and luxuriant vegetation,they can work and be pleasantto look into, if not be in.

SCDA Architects wisely choseto elaborate on an ancientmodel for the basic design. Thetraditional Chinese shop househas a very deep plan withnarrow frontages. To make itbearable, atria (in the propersense) were often carved intothe middle of the footprint tobring light and air to most of theinner rooms. At the Teng house,the stratagem is abstracted andused with finesse. Basically, ithas a three-storey stack ofrooms at front and back with avertical circulation and light voidin the middle. This shaft of lightis irregularly linked to a longmetre-wide slot between thehouse proper and a blank wallthat rises between the houseand its neighbour to the left.

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Only at ground floor level is thewall pierced, to allow views fromthe living room to the thingarden between the two houses.So the living room, the firstspace you come to after theconstrained entrance from thecar port, is full of light both fromabove (the central well) and theside (the sliver of gardenbetween neighbour and shearwall). Luminance is increased bywhite walls and floor. And thealmost surreal device of a long L shaped pool which reflectslight upwards, and acts almost as

a barrier between formal andinformal worlds. Inner areas ofthe house are suggested throughtranslucent glass panels.

A stair is cantilevered over thegranite clad pool, drawing youup through the central well. Atfirst floor level, the straight flightconverts to a sculptural spiral,almost hovering in space, andconnecting first and secondfloors. Honed steel and woodbridges connect front and backstacks of rooms across the void.Up at the top is one of the mostmoving spaces of the house: the

studio that looks into a calmlittle patio where TyphaAngustifolia grows against thewhite concrete shear wall, andlooks out through a louvredscreen over the moreconventional houses around.

Externally, the louvred firstand second floors make anelegant, veiled box hoveringover the virtually transparentground level, which can open atthe front to throw living roomand patio into one large space,interior and exterior at the sametime. Structure is largely steel,

over a concrete ground floor.The upper floors have, in effect,a double wall with the louvresshading a glass box that hasmovable panes so spaces can becooled naturally as well as by airconditioning. HELMUT GRÖTZ

ArchitectsSCDA Architects, SingaporeDesign teamChan Soo Khian, Rene TanStructural engineerT.H. Ng Management & Consultancy ServicesServices engineerGKL AssociatesPhotographs Peter Mealin

ground floor (scale approx 1:250) first floor roofsecond floor

4Studio on top floor looks intosmall pat io with tall elegantstrands of T ypha Angust ifolia.5U pper stair is spiral object almostfloat ing in space.

cross sect ion long sect ion

H OU SE, SIN GAPORE

ARCHITECT

SCDA ARCH IT ECT S

1 carport2 entrance3 landscape 4 patio5 living6 kitchen7 pool

8 maid9 bridge

10 bed11 altar room12 void13 studio14 rooflight

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5 6

6Bedroom can have floor to ceilingwindows because louvres provideprivacy screen.



The architectural review (2002-2005)-part 2

Design

Transcript of The architectural review (2002-2005)-part 2