Here, Byrne speaks at TED2010 about the relationship between architecture and music. Read what he had to say to the TED Blog at the time >>
Friday, April 26, 2013
architecture and music
Below, watch Byrne’s TEDTalk and his latest music video.
Here, Byrne speaks at TED2010 about the relationship between architecture and music. Read what he had to say to the TED Blog at the time >>
Here, Byrne speaks at TED2010 about the relationship between architecture and music. Read what he had to say to the TED Blog at the time >>
Friday, April 19, 2013
Neut by Apollo Architects & Assoc.
I don't know about the outside, but I'm digging the inside!
Enjoy~
Named Neut, the house was designed for a pair of music-lovers, so Apollo Architects & Associates was asked to add a studio with soundproofed concrete walls in the basement of the three-storey structure.
The studio opens out to a glazed triple-height courtyard, which benefits from the light filtering in from above.
A second courtyard is located on the opposite side of the house on the ground floor. This space also sits below a skylight, although it is interrupted by a latticed deck on the uppermost floor.
All bedrooms are positioned on the ground floor, while a living room and bathroom occupy the top floor. All of these rooms face down onto the courtyards through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Interior surfaces are finished in a mixture of raw concrete, white plaster and timber panels. Meanwhile, the facade is dominated by timber louvres, which enclose a cantilevered balcony at the edge of the living room.
Tokyo-based Apollo Architects & Associates is led by Satoshi Kurosaki. The studio also recently completed Still, a concrete house for a surgeon, and Flag, a narrow house with a glazed ground-floor gallery.
Photography is by Masao Nishikawa.
Here's a project description from Apollo Architects & Associates:
Neut, Suginami ward, Tokyo
The ophthalmologist couple purchased this narrow, but deep, parcel of land in a quiet neighborhood to build a house where they could enjoy their hobby of listening to the music.
On the basement level, the courtyard and double-pane glazing provide sound-buffer for this RC-structure studio which is insulated on the exterior.
Natural light enters the studio through the courtyard and makes the space exceptionally inhabitable as a basement.
The balcony extends from the building and acts as the canopy over the garage with pilotis and entrance.
The horizontal wooden slats are used as balcony balustrade to block the view from the street while allowing the air to breeze through.
The randomly sized wooden pieces give the facade distinctive appearance. The ground floor contains private rooms such as master bedroom and children's bedrooms.
The second floor, on the other hand, is intended as family room. The generously-sized gabled-roof space has two courtyards which accentuate the floor plan with their curves.
Through the clerestory windows, the outside scenery and natural light enter the space.
The wet area is separated from the living room by the tiled wall with its upper part glazed. The same wooden panel of the living room ceiling is used in the wet area to create the appearance of a continuous space.
When viewed from inside, the horizontal wooden louver also accentuates the interior space while securing the privacy.
By using only the simple finishing material on the interior, the space has the austere and coordinated feel.
Furthermore, the combination of concrete and wood, as well as the gabled roof motif add warmth to the room's ambience.
This design technique allows the occupants to forget that they are in a dense residential district. It is one of the most popular solutions in the urban setting.
http://www.dezeen.com/2013/04/17/neut-by-apollo-architects-associates/
Posted by Amy Frearson
Enjoy~
Named Neut, the house was designed for a pair of music-lovers, so Apollo Architects & Associates was asked to add a studio with soundproofed concrete walls in the basement of the three-storey structure.
The studio opens out to a glazed triple-height courtyard, which benefits from the light filtering in from above.
A second courtyard is located on the opposite side of the house on the ground floor. This space also sits below a skylight, although it is interrupted by a latticed deck on the uppermost floor.
All bedrooms are positioned on the ground floor, while a living room and bathroom occupy the top floor. All of these rooms face down onto the courtyards through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Interior surfaces are finished in a mixture of raw concrete, white plaster and timber panels. Meanwhile, the facade is dominated by timber louvres, which enclose a cantilevered balcony at the edge of the living room.
Tokyo-based Apollo Architects & Associates is led by Satoshi Kurosaki. The studio also recently completed Still, a concrete house for a surgeon, and Flag, a narrow house with a glazed ground-floor gallery.
Photography is by Masao Nishikawa.
Here's a project description from Apollo Architects & Associates:
Neut, Suginami ward, Tokyo
The ophthalmologist couple purchased this narrow, but deep, parcel of land in a quiet neighborhood to build a house where they could enjoy their hobby of listening to the music.
On the basement level, the courtyard and double-pane glazing provide sound-buffer for this RC-structure studio which is insulated on the exterior.
Natural light enters the studio through the courtyard and makes the space exceptionally inhabitable as a basement.
The balcony extends from the building and acts as the canopy over the garage with pilotis and entrance.
The horizontal wooden slats are used as balcony balustrade to block the view from the street while allowing the air to breeze through.
The randomly sized wooden pieces give the facade distinctive appearance. The ground floor contains private rooms such as master bedroom and children's bedrooms.
The second floor, on the other hand, is intended as family room. The generously-sized gabled-roof space has two courtyards which accentuate the floor plan with their curves.
Through the clerestory windows, the outside scenery and natural light enter the space.
The wet area is separated from the living room by the tiled wall with its upper part glazed. The same wooden panel of the living room ceiling is used in the wet area to create the appearance of a continuous space.
When viewed from inside, the horizontal wooden louver also accentuates the interior space while securing the privacy.
By using only the simple finishing material on the interior, the space has the austere and coordinated feel.
Furthermore, the combination of concrete and wood, as well as the gabled roof motif add warmth to the room's ambience.
This design technique allows the occupants to forget that they are in a dense residential district. It is one of the most popular solutions in the urban setting.
http://www.dezeen.com/2013/04/17/neut-by-apollo-architects-associates/
Posted by Amy Frearson
Friday, April 12, 2013
Farms of the Future
The Dragonfly for New York City (Vincent Callebaut, 2011)
The 600 m high vertical farm building was planned to New York City's Roosevelt Island. It could contain 28 different farms for vegetables, meat, fruit and others. The building would be self-sufficient because of the solar panels and wind power.
(via designboom)
Oasis Tower for Dubai (Rahul Surin and Synthesis Design Studio, 2009)
It would be able to provide housing for some Dubai residents and has vertical farms, which would produce enough food to feed 40000 people in a year. The tower will be powered by renewable energy.
(via inhabitat)
Pig City (MVRDV, 2001)
The Dutch MVRDV's design is all about huge skyscrapers with automated pig farms. There is probably a Thunderdome joke in here somewhere.
(via stroom)
Boatanic, Amsterdam (Damian O'Sullivan and Boatanic, 2010)
The concept is very simple: the Dutch Boatanic team want to convert discarded tourist boats into floating greenhouses. These unused watercrafts are really ideal for this use because of the large glass windows. The only example which was built two years ago has solar panels, a small urban windmill and water filtration system to the automatic irrigation.
(via boatanic)
Urban Farming and Media Interactive Network or Urban F.@.m.i.n for Manchester, UK (Jack O'Reilly, 2010)
The part vertical farm, part TV station was a pod-like plan of an architecture student that would include vegetables and fruits. The water could come from a canal, and the energy from renewable sources like wind power.
Clepsydra Urban Farming (Bruno Viganó and Florencia Costa, 2011)
The Clepsydra can be placed on an average rooftop of an existing building. It's a 10 story tall structure from stainless steel and glass panels and can produce food that is equivalent to six acres of farmland.
(via ecofriend)
London Farm Tower for London, UK (Brandon Martella, 2011)
The hydroponic floors can recycle the greenhouse air, so it can help to the city to breathe. It has an agricultural capacity of 1 million cubic feet, (28000 cubic meters) and it's enough to produce the 20 percent of London's total food demands. The London Farm Tower isn't just for agriculture, but for education, markets and labs with an extra 1 million sq feet of (100.000 sqm) usable area.
(via platforma architectura)
London Tower Farm for London, UK (Xome Arquitectos, 2011)
The beehive-structured tower has a vertical farm in the center of the tower, but there are some small residential areas, too, so the people can access the fresh vegetables and fruits instantly.
(via The Green Eve)
Vertical Life Tower for Barcelona, Spain (Jared Moore, 2011)
The living, green facade hides a huge amount of green areas, homes and a vertical farm on the top floors.
(via ecochunk)
Toronto Sky Farm for Toronto, Canada (Gordon Griff, 2009)
It provides enough food for 35000 people per year from the 59 stories.
(via treehugger and greenme)
Friday, April 5, 2013
Going Green!
TURBINE HOUSEMichael Pelken and Thong Dang
Architect Michael Pelken and aeronautical engineer Thong Dang, both faculty members at Syracuse University, have patented a design principle for optimized integration of VAWTs at a building’s core.
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| Purdue University Students developing a Selfsustaining Street Light with similar technology as Architects Pelken and Dang |
See links below for more information:
Friday, March 29, 2013
Giant Mesh Wall = Air Filter ?
"The best way to deal with smog is to make less of it, but it's too late to just do that. And when it comes to cleaning up your already polluted air, mesh structures like this one in Mexico City are a stylish way to filter a whole city's worth of air.
This porous wall currently being constructed around a Mexico City hospital, designed by the Berlin firm Elegant Embellishments, tackles the smog problem in two separate ways. First, and most obvious, is its design. As Elegant Embellishments' co-founder Allison Dring told Co.Exist, the wall's many oddly shaped holes actually slow down wind and create turbulence to churn as much air as possible through the enoromous filter.
Then, of course, there's the real de-pollution workhorse: a coating of titanium dioxide. When the coating comes in contact with smog, it breaks down the pollutants into simpler, harmless parts like calcium nitrate, carbon dioxide, and water. And all without breaking down the coating at all, leaving it fully intact to desmog every new breeze that sweeps in.
It's not nearly as desirable as a good preventative solution, but structures like this could be the future of dealing with the smog that's already out there and—let's face it—the smog that will continue to be generated for years to come. And the stark, distinctive style of giant filters like these are a way better futuristic development than scenes that look like they're straight out of Blade Runner. [Co.Exist]"
-Eric Limer of Gizmodo
http://gizmodo.com/5992764/this-giant-mesh-wall-acts-like-an-air-filter-for-mexico-city
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Architecture
with Physique
By
Szotyńscy & Zaleski Architekci
The multipurpose building boasts a unique look that was inspired by the fairy tale illustrations of Jan Marcin Szancer and Per Dahlberg. Like Jantzen's imagined works, this venue has a cartoonish appeal. It looks like an animated house, bouncing in place to a jolly tune. There's a jovial liveliness to the place that seems very inviting. How could a family not be drawn to the welcoming Crooked House?
For more information see links below:
http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/szotynscy-zaleski-krzywy-domek-crooked-house
http://timuryn.com/art/szotynscy-zaleski
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krzywy_Domek
Friday, March 15, 2013
What is Modernisim to you?
Here is an article written by Build LLC regarding what they think Modernism means:
The other day, we were optimistically checking out a new internet-based home design site — one of the many portfolio-based websites that seem to be populating the web browsing experience lately. We get approached by a variety of these sites and it usually takes a bit of poking around to determine if the time and energy of adding our project photos is worth the investment. Like many of these architectural idea sites, the homepage was crowded with a discord of interior shots that irritate our design sensibilities and make us reach for the bourbon. Scrolling through the site, our eyes gradually became slits, as if to limit the amount of visual noise attacking the brain. Down near the very bottom of the page was the site’s navigation: a hodgepodge of architectural “styles” that more closely resembled the inventory of a grandparent’s attic than a categorical record of design. Within this jumble of terms, tucked just in between “Mediterranean” and “Rustic” was the diamond in the rough we so often seek. Our Raison d’être and life philosophy, all boiled down to one little word: Modern. Regardless of the particular website, it always feels a bit cheap to see Modern in mingled in with terms like “Tropical” and “Country.”
But the real trouble is this: modern isn’t a style, it’s a way of thinking and being. You can’t just slap modern onto the walls after you’ve already framed the house. A modern design involves everything about the house and the lifestyle within. This includes how the house engages the land, where the windows are located, the relationship between rooms, the shadow lines produced by the roof eaves, and so on. A modern design is just as much about how you live as what the house looks like. It’s as much about waking up to light-filled rooms and fresh air as it is about sleek lines and floor to ceiling windows.
By creating a list of supposedly interchangeable styles for people to swap out at whim, these websites treat design like wallpaper; as if once the house is framed and drywall is up, it’s simply a matter of choosing between “French Country” and “Tuscan” for the finishes. This method of design dilutes the significance of architecture and leads homeowners to end results that function poorly.
Taking a stance on this issue is less a defense of modernism specifically, but more about the mission of purposeful design. Like modernism, many design movements throughout history have a meaningful design philosophy at their root. The American Arts and Crafts movement (also known as the Craftsman style) is an extension of the late 19th century lifestyle. The celebrated nine light windows of the time weren’t developed because people liked a lot of break lines in their windows, but because producing large sheets of glass was difficult and expensive at the time. In other words, the aesthetic had a reason for being. Similarly, houses with double-tiered porches popular in the American South-East (sometimes referred to as the Victorian style) developed out of a necessity to shade the interiors from the hot afternoon sun. The design is an extension of what the house is doing and how the inhabitants are living.
The proliferation of architectural ideas on the internet is a good thing. We love the convenience and speed at which ideas can be accessed and shared in the digital information age. But these ideas (whether promoted by websites, magazines, or people) need to go deeper than surface treatments. They need to treat design and architecture like the functional, three-dimensional objects that they are. This notion of approaching architectural ideas like peel-n-stick styles is breaking an important relationship between what design is doing and what design looks like. Design websites that encourage people to click through an assortment of random and unrelated styles are misleading; these sites miss the boat of what design is actually about. The aesthetic of one’s home is not exclusive of the way in which a person lives. True design doesn’t occur in a vacuum.
Good design is directly linked to reason. Good design, be it modern or otherwise, is a direct extension of how people live, work, and play.
Modernism isn't a "Style"
The other day, we were optimistically checking out a new internet-based home design site — one of the many portfolio-based websites that seem to be populating the web browsing experience lately. We get approached by a variety of these sites and it usually takes a bit of poking around to determine if the time and energy of adding our project photos is worth the investment. Like many of these architectural idea sites, the homepage was crowded with a discord of interior shots that irritate our design sensibilities and make us reach for the bourbon. Scrolling through the site, our eyes gradually became slits, as if to limit the amount of visual noise attacking the brain. Down near the very bottom of the page was the site’s navigation: a hodgepodge of architectural “styles” that more closely resembled the inventory of a grandparent’s attic than a categorical record of design. Within this jumble of terms, tucked just in between “Mediterranean” and “Rustic” was the diamond in the rough we so often seek. Our Raison d’être and life philosophy, all boiled down to one little word: Modern. Regardless of the particular website, it always feels a bit cheap to see Modern in mingled in with terms like “Tropical” and “Country.”
But the real trouble is this: modern isn’t a style, it’s a way of thinking and being. You can’t just slap modern onto the walls after you’ve already framed the house. A modern design involves everything about the house and the lifestyle within. This includes how the house engages the land, where the windows are located, the relationship between rooms, the shadow lines produced by the roof eaves, and so on. A modern design is just as much about how you live as what the house looks like. It’s as much about waking up to light-filled rooms and fresh air as it is about sleek lines and floor to ceiling windows.
By creating a list of supposedly interchangeable styles for people to swap out at whim, these websites treat design like wallpaper; as if once the house is framed and drywall is up, it’s simply a matter of choosing between “French Country” and “Tuscan” for the finishes. This method of design dilutes the significance of architecture and leads homeowners to end results that function poorly.
Taking a stance on this issue is less a defense of modernism specifically, but more about the mission of purposeful design. Like modernism, many design movements throughout history have a meaningful design philosophy at their root. The American Arts and Crafts movement (also known as the Craftsman style) is an extension of the late 19th century lifestyle. The celebrated nine light windows of the time weren’t developed because people liked a lot of break lines in their windows, but because producing large sheets of glass was difficult and expensive at the time. In other words, the aesthetic had a reason for being. Similarly, houses with double-tiered porches popular in the American South-East (sometimes referred to as the Victorian style) developed out of a necessity to shade the interiors from the hot afternoon sun. The design is an extension of what the house is doing and how the inhabitants are living.
The proliferation of architectural ideas on the internet is a good thing. We love the convenience and speed at which ideas can be accessed and shared in the digital information age. But these ideas (whether promoted by websites, magazines, or people) need to go deeper than surface treatments. They need to treat design and architecture like the functional, three-dimensional objects that they are. This notion of approaching architectural ideas like peel-n-stick styles is breaking an important relationship between what design is doing and what design looks like. Design websites that encourage people to click through an assortment of random and unrelated styles are misleading; these sites miss the boat of what design is actually about. The aesthetic of one’s home is not exclusive of the way in which a person lives. True design doesn’t occur in a vacuum.
Good design is directly linked to reason. Good design, be it modern or otherwise, is a direct extension of how people live, work, and play.
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