David Hoicka's shared items

Architec: Matsunami Mitsutomo
Location: Hozumidai, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka, Japan
Site Area (One of four buildings): 75,91㎡
Construction Area(One of four buildings): 40,79㎡
Total Floor Area(One of four buildings): 12,04㎡
Year: 2007
Photographer: Matsunami Mitsutomo

This is a mass-produced type ready-built house often developed on a large scale, and as such, has the advantage of producing entire housing of rows.In many cases, as the appearance is coordinated at the designation of the owner, rows of houses that do not necessity match esthetically are created.

In order to overcome this 4 units are created together at Hozumidai to appear as one building by design, carrying out a strong message to the town. Price competitiveness was maintained by cost effective production of the facade design.

Architect: C. F. Møller Architects in collaboration with Christian Carlsen Arkitektfirma
Location: Løgten, Denmark
Landscape Architect: C. F. Møller Architects
Engineer: Niras
Client: Løgten Midt A/S
Size: 3000 m2 (silo conversion housing), 1500 m2 (mixed-use urban centre)
Year: 2004-2010
Photograph: Julian Weyer

Many towns in Denmark have centrally located industrial silos; most are no longer in use, but continue to visually dominate the local skyline. This is also the case in the town of Løgten north of Aarhus, where the former silo complex has been transformed into a ‘rural high-rise’, with 21 high-quality residences composed as individual and unique ’stacked villas’.

They are an alternative to standard apartments or to detached suburban sprawl, and are a mix of single storey flats and maisonettes, meaning that even the lower levels fully get to enjoy the views, and that no two flats are the same.

The actual silo contains staircases and lifts, and provides the base of a common roof terrace. Around the tower, the apartments are built up upon a steel structure in eye-catching forms which protrude out into the light and the landscape – a bit like Lego bricks.

This unusual structure with its protrusions and displacements provides all of the apartments with generous outdoor spaces, and views of Aarhus Bay and the city itself. Similarly, every apartment enjoys sunlight in the morning, mid-day and evening, whether placed to the north or south of the silo structure.

At the foot of the silo, a new ‘village centre’ is created, with a public space surrounded by a mix-use complex with shops, supermarket and terraced housing, and a green park containing small allotments for the residents.

The nature of the silo’s ‘rural high-rise’ remains unique – since it is a conversion, no other building in the area can be built to the same height, and it will remain a free-standing landmark. It is an example of how the transformation of redundant structures can hold the potential to both give a new identity, and introduce density to suburban outskirts.

The body of the silo is deliberately left visible on the side of the building facing the new centre, to ensure a continued legibility of the history of the site, and to acknowledge that these types of structures have an equal validity as rural historical markers as do for instance the church bell-tower or historic windmills.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Check out this master plan video by Vandkunsten for designing sustainable cities.  Not only do we love the animation techniques, by the layers of information are presented in a clear manner.   Upon viewing the video, the zoning of public space, circulation routes, and green spaces are made evident while great glimpses of zoomed-in perspectives tie the ideas together.  The video depicts three different master plan ideas: reusing a shipyard in Sweden, redefining a recreational space in Denmark in an attempt to better integrate the area with the surroundings, and the renewal of a suburban city center in Denmark.  Enjoy!

3XN’s winning proposal for the new structure marking the entrance to Vällingby Parkstad in Stockholm, Sweden,  creates a close relation between work life, housing, and leisure. The building’s curved design embraces the area and the lively shaped balconies opens up the structure towards the surroundings thus raising the park up in the air. The dense city structure at the base adds activity at eye level and life thrives on active roof tops and flowering balconies. Construction is planned to begin in 2011.

More images after the break.

Architects: Matsunami Mitsutomo
Location: Katayama-cho, Suita-shi, Osaka, Japan
Date: March 2007
Area: 1,190 square feet (110.55㎡)
Construction area: 69.97㎡
Total floor area: 3,675 square feet (341.38㎡)
Floor area per apartment: 35.7㎡～23.2㎡
Number of apartments: 10 apartments
Photographer: Matsunami Mitsutomo

As the apartment has ‘A room arrangement matching that of the window pattern’, the part that was once unavoidable has now become a large subject of the design. Taking the challenge of a small apartment within those conditions, whilst dealing with a strict budget, the Katayama apartment was born.

The Katayama Apartment is a small apartment block built on a site of 110m² and consists of 7 stories, 2 apartments per floor and a total of 10 apartments. On the north side is located the elevator, stairs and the passage with the basis being a flat plan. However, in part there is a high-ceiling maisonette covering 2 floors incorporated like stacked blocks. The layout is quite apparent when viewed from the façade of the south side. The sectional structure is reflected as it is in the outline of the façade. In other words, the lifestyle inside the apartment itself designed the façade, reflecting the intent to let the vitality of life spread out into the landscape of the homogenous rows of houses in Katayama. For the external finish a distinct black and white colour was chosen, in order to show the strong presence of a simple box against the surrounding dull buildings of beige, grey or brick shades.

In order to realise this façade design, restrictions due to the evacuation plan had to be overcome. Various patterns that would not impose on the balcony standard for emergency evacuation were considered and resulted in this design.

The variation to the cross-sectional design was brought about by the strategy of the business proprietor of ‘How can additional value be achieved’. Since supply of article for lease affair in this area meets the demand, distinction from other properties and elevated value was an absolute necessity. Since legal height restrictions permitted, a high ceiling room was integrated and, bringing together 3 plan types and finishing materials, a combination of 10 patterns was fashioned. By these means, a space offering both diversity and economic efficiency was obtained. It is these elements which makes the characteristic façade and maintains no apartment vacancies to date.

In Paris, France, BASE has created  an environment for the imagination with their latest playground design.  Working with children and adults in different workshops, BASE was able to understand the users’ wishes and visions for the project.  ”Our work then consisted in synthetising and interpreting the public’s expectations to provide a spatial response both truthful and original,” explained the designers.

More images and more about the playground after the break.

The main element is a large playhouse which can be designed in several versions,”a tree-dwelling, a troglodyte, forest, etc.”  The playground also features a climbing course with different inclinations for different levels and different age groups.

Depending upon your imagination, this “magical mountain” can included a large pirate ship, a flying carpet, or perhaps become a medieval fort.  Whichever you image, the playground is sure to provide a great setting for any child’s play.

As seen on blog.bellostes

Contractor : City of Paris, Direction des Parcs, Jardins et Espaces Verts
BASE landscape designer mandatory + TERRASOL engineer + Luc Mas consultant
Construction : EIFFAGE (Béton VRD) PYRRHUS (charpente, serrurerie, jeux)

Paris / 20ième
budget / 1,1 M€
surface / 1000 m2
completed / 2008

It’s the place where your little kid will spent most of their time outside your house. Shouldn’t it be nice? Here’s our third selection of previously featured kindergartens. Check them all after the break!

Medo Brundo Kindergarten / njiric+ arhitekti
How to design a kindergarten on a too small plot ? What if the plot is overshadowed by a massive nine-story block on it’s south side ? What if the plot is surrounded by the heavy traffic? The kindergarten is initially conceived as a single-story mat building – compact, introverted, autocatalytic, with clearly defined borders. Due to the context, the mat is pushed away from the shadow and folded up towards the sun (read more…)

Katarina Frankopan Kindergarten / Randić & Turato
New kindergarten, on the island of Krk in Croatia, is located on northeastern border of the town, amongst mostly touristic apartments and shopping malls. In such unattractive neighborhood, this kindergarten is shaped as enclosed and introverted insula, surrounded with soaring stone walls. Inside of this small town-kindergarten, units-houses are combined with open gardens, placed next to pedestrian communications (read more…)

Fireplace for Children / Haugen/Zohar Arkitekter
The office was invited by the municipality of Trondheim to suggest an outdoor project for a kindergarten. Although the region is characterized by predominantly maritime climate and the weather varies considerably throughout the seasons, there is a popular saying ‘there is no such thing as bad weather only bad clothing,’ and all seasons are equally attractive to the Norwegian children that enjoy outside activities all year round (read more…)

Nursery School in Pamplona / Javier Larraz
The impressive potential acquired by a child in its first years of life leads us to think deeply about the responsibility of designing an elementary school. We firmly believe in the pedagogical value of architecture and in its capability to generate spaces where, in combination with a proper educational task children can both grow and develop themselves in a stimulating, appealing and safe way during their first three years (read more…)

Kindergarten Barbapapà / ccd studio
The project of Kindergarten “Barbapapà” was designed to a notice competition for project financing, in 2006, proposed by Vignola’s municipality. The program consisted in the space for 60 children divided in four classroom. The area is located on the border of urban development, on the hill up the city, not so much far to the historical centre. The natural environment induced specific assessments to preserve this atypical part of the landscape in the Emilia Romagna’s region (read more…)