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8 Student Projects Demonstrate Ingenious Approaches to the Future of Accessibility
CategoriesArchitecture

8 Student Projects Demonstrate Ingenious Approaches to the Future of Accessibility

By Zarkon Group,

Universal Design, the practice of creating environments equally usable by anyone regardless of physical circumstance, is increasingly gaining traction among design professionals. As this practice requires designing beyond minimum standards set by codes that seasoned practitioners have spent decades learning to master, a change in approach must come from the bottom up. That’s why the University of Arizona’s College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture hosts an annual Universal Design awards program for architecture students with Ascension Wheelchair Lifts.

Now in its second year, the program aims to instill in future architects an inclination to envision how the spaces they design will be used. “The ability to imagine spatial experience is essential in architecture,” Teresa Rosano, one of the program’s studio professors, said. “Doing so can hone our awareness of all our senses and also serve as a practice in empathy – a skill that transcends any discipline.”

For this year’s program, students were asked to design an arts center on a steeply sloped site in Bisbee, Arizona, a town defined by elevation changes. Public staircases, emblematic of the challenges facing the implementation of Universal Design, are famously utilized by the town to connect vertically separated streets, including on the site chosen for the competition. Here’s a look at the winning designs.

“Bisbee Mercado” by Alexis Campion

First place honors went to Alexis Campion’s Bisbee Mercado, an open-air space for local artisans to make and sell their work. Neatly organized around a three-story atrium, each floor opens to the exterior directly at grade, connecting to an adjacent commercial district, city park and residential neighborhood without level changes.

Campion also considered sensory concerns caused by the site’s slope. “Digging into the earth can create an environment similar to a basement,” she said. “To resist this, I split the space down the center to create an atrium bringing light into all the spaces.”

“Bisbee Art Center” by Andy Demetriou

Inspired by an existing graffiti-covered wall on the site, Andy Demetriou’s Bisbee Art Center was awarded the second place prize. Demetriou’s design kept the existing wall in place, expanding it into an ever-evolving outdoor gallery. “Over time, the graffiti changes into new designs and layers on top of each other,” he said.

The outdoor gallery is distributed onto several levels connected by a simple, intuitive system of ramps. These levels are all aligned with the levels of an adjacent, indoor multi-purpose space, leading one juror to describe the solution as “masterfully integrated Universal Design.”

“Apiledo Theatre Company” by Brandon Willmon

Coming in third, Brandon Willmon’s Apiledo Theatre Company reconciled Universal Design principles with the enjoyment of kinetic performance styles. Centered around the exhibition of Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that combines acrobatics with music and dance, mid-air stages hang dramatically in a triple-height performance venue ringed by fully accessible viewing areas on multiple levels.

“My inspiration for a ‘free floating’ performance, in lieu of a better phrase, was derived mostly from the fluid nature of Capoeira coupled with getting physically challenged members of the community involved in such a physically demanding art form,” he said.

“Bisbee Sculpture Park & Museum” by Ralph Mersiowsky

Ralph Mersiowsky’s Bisbee Sculpture Park & Museum earned the program’s “Innovation in Universal Design” award by co-locating multiple modes of vertical circulation, ensuring a common experience of traveling from floor to floor. Distributed across three levels with minimal overlap, the challenge of artfully placing a staircase, elevator and ramp adjacent to each other was overcome by making each one a unique architectural feature.

“Light + Life + Performance” by Tyler Newman

Garnering the “Innovation in Graphics” award, Tyler Newman’s design for a group living community explores the effect that light and materiality have on perception. Focused on tactile experience for the benefit of people with differing levels of sensory ability, walls and floors featuring wood, concrete and other materials offer feelings of warmth, coolness or other sensations depending on the time of day.

“Culinary Arts Center” by Eva Serbin

Eva Serbin’s methodology for creating a culinary arts center bisected by an open-air thoroughfare likened to a canyon won the program’s “Innovation in Design Narrative + Process” award. All the various uses in the multi-level “canyon” are connected with an ingenious system of ramps one juror described as “an exciting spatial experience all can participate in.”

“The Living Mural” by Alyssa Fink

Alyssa Fink’s The Living Mural distributes its program across separate buildings but makes the paths between them the star of the show, “highlighting the spatial quality and experience of the in-between spaces,” as one juror put it. Switch-backing ramps between buildings are surrounded by artful graffiti displayed on dramatic architectural forms, earning the project one of two “Innovation in Design Concept” awards.

“To Intersect & Carve” by Freddy Arvizu

Awarded the second “Innovation in Design Concept” honor, Freddy Arvizu organized spaces dedicated to painting and artist housing within overlapping, angular forms one juror called “a strong generative move that is carried throughout the spatial experiences.” Eschewing ramps, a centrally located elevator offers easy access to all parts of the building.

To learn more about how you can make your upcoming projects accessible with the help of the experts at Ascension Lifts, click here.

Reference

What Kéré Architecture’s Renderings Reveal About the Firm’s Design Process
CategoriesArchitecture

What Kéré Architecture’s Renderings Reveal About the Firm’s Design Process

By Zarkon Group,

The 10th Annual A+Awards is still accepting entries! New this season, firms can gain recognition for their entire portfolio of work thanks to the addition of the new Best Firm categories celebrating practices of all sizes, geographies and specializations. Start your entry today.

Images tell powerful stories of people and place. For Kéré Architecture, renderings provide a way to showcase design and relate to larger contexts. Founded by Francis Kéré in 2005, with a dual focus on design and social commitment, the studio’s scope encompasses building, design and knowledge sharing. Known for its use of structure and materials, the practice’s portfolio spans a wide spectrum of projects from civic infrastructure to temporary installations, from concept to execution and across diverse geographies.

Kéré’s architectural reputation is strongly tied to the work’s built realization, and rarely is the process of a project’s creation explored through working images and visualizations. The following article examines a range of Kéré Architecture’s work through rendering, and it does so across different approaches and scales. A common thread emerges that is grounded in the renowned Burkinabè architect’s pioneering approach to sustainable modes of construction and context. The result is a portfolio that centers process and vision as the heart of design.

Inspired by the particularities of each project’s locality and its social tapestry, Kéré and his team work on projects across multiple continents. At the intersection of utopia and pragmatism, the team creates contemporary architecture that feeds the imagination with an Afrofuturist vision. Informed by tradition, the practice explores new modes of construction for which the foundations have long been laid.

Innovative uses of local resources and participatory design methods allow them to work beyond the boundaries of most established design practices and shed dominant norms. Exploring the many crossroads of the architectural realm and other disciplines, from art to technology, they expand their design practice through a deeper understanding of the relationship between rendering, illustration and built work.

Interior of Thomas Sankara Memorial. Render by Kéré Architecture

Interiors: Thomas Sankara Memorial

The Memorial Thomas Sankara is a project to honor and commemorate the memory of the seminal 20th-century Burkinabè thinker, former president and change-maker Thomas Sankara. The design proposal for the memorial reflects the genesis of revolution. The aim is the integration of a structure into an existing landscape that places innovation at its fore. In this rendering, the studio visualizes the interior of the memorial tower, an 285 feet (87 meters) high urban landmark for the Burkinabè capital, a design that stands on the site of the 1987 assassination of Sankara and his comrades.

Visitors are invited to climb the structure using a helicoidal ramp. The path is purposefully long and demanding, emulating the call not to fear the challenging road to change. Tackling the winding route is rewarded with stunning views across the city from a unique vantage point, which also features a restaurant shaped as the contour of Burkina Faso. A suspended funicular cabin provides access to the summit for older people and other abled. This rendering view is used to emphasize materials, light and circulation — all central elements of the design.

Xylem, Render by Kéré Architecture, photograph by Iwan Baan.

Early Concepts & Materials: Xylem

Kéré Architecture designed Xylem, the gathering pavilion for the Tippet Rise Art Centre, as a quiet, protective shelter. Named to evoke the vital internal layers of a tree’s living structure, Xylem is a place where visitors of this vast outdoor art space can gather to converse or sit and contemplate in solitude. Early renderings for the project show a much more playful and artistic interpretation of the finished design. Favoring illustration over realism, the renderings evoke layering that is much more conceptual than later renderings.

The logs of Xylem’s canopy are grouped in circular bundles within a modular hexagonal structure in weathering steel, supported by seven steel columns. The upper surface of the canopy is carved sinuously to blend into the surrounding hills. Simultaneously massive yet light, the roof is inspired by the tuguna, the sacred gathering space of many small Burkinabè communities. These low-level wood and straw shelters offer protection from the sun while allowing for ventilation.

Inside the pavilion, sunlight filters through the vertical logs, creating a soft play of light and shadow on the curvilinear seating and polished concrete circular platform below. The spatial complexity of the carved wooden seating elements encourages visitors to explore different views of the surrounding landscape.

Xylem, Render by Kéré Architecture, photograph by Iwan Baan.

Design Development & Scale: Xylem

Later in the design process you can see how Kéré Architecture’s renderings evolve to a more realistic approach. This brings in scale, sky and photo-realism as an entirely different approach to illustration. Located in a slightly sunken landform between the main facilities of the art center and the start of the hiking tracks, the pavilion nestles in a clearing surrounded by aspen trees, facing a small creek. Entirely carved in wooden logs, the pavilion invites visitors into the heart of the trees. The sustainable pinewood used for the entire pavilion, locally sourced from a natural pruning process that saves forests from parasitic bugs, is used in its raw state.

For Kéré Architecture, the definition of local resources has many layers, all of which are tightly interwoven. The studio believes that to build in a particular location means to engage actively with all aspects of the building practices of that place. Perhaps the most significant local resource is the existing built heritage, which teaches us how to adapt to our given context. In the work of Xylem and the render process, you can see how the studio strongly believes that a comprehensive understanding of local resources grounds each of their projects in its specific site and context.

Waterfront of the Niamey Nyala Masterplan. Render by Kéré Architecture.

Masterplans: Niamey Nyala Masterplan

Not only does Kéré Architecture work at the scale of architecture and pavilions, but also masterplans. The Niamey Nyala Masterplan puts forward a new vision, based on the premise of transforming the city by harnessing the hugely untapped potential of its riverbanks. The plan intends to create a network of public spaces along the Gounti Yéna (a tributary of the Niger River flowing through the city from south to north) and the Yantala Corniche on the left of the river, promoting Niamey’s biodiversity. The studio’s rendering for the masterplan combines an aerial view of the river and city superimposed with textures, architecture and infrastructure for the new project vision.

Along the Yantala Corniche, the existing tree nurseries and market gardens are reorganized to integrate recreational areas. In turn, the illustration shows how housing is planned along the riverside to slow the city’s expansion into the desert, as well as water transport to improve the connection between various points along the banks. The promenade planned along the Gounti Yéna waterway is combined with a series of waste stabilization ponds that filter the water through plants and sand. At the heart of the masterplan, a pedestrian bridge connects the two main promenades and spans the ring road, offering Niamey’s citizens a new vantage point over their city and its river.

Façade of the TUM Tower. Render by Kéré Architecture.

Large-Scale Landmarks: TUM Tower

At the start of 2019, Kéré Architecture was commissioned to design a multi-use civic centre at the heart of the Technical University of Munich’s Garching research campus. Complementing the science facilities, this new central hub aims to promote cross-pollination between the public, faculty, alumni, students and researchers of various disciplines. The rendering especially showcases how each terrace is brought to life by the green façade, which serves as the building’s natural climatization system.

The design explores the organic and flexible possibilities of geometric forms, starting from the simple square. The TUM Tower includes a 360° view of the campus, made possible by the 22.5° rotation of a squared plan around its core axis. Acting as a landmark visible from afar, the TUM Tower brings the form of the campus’s functional architecture to new light. It playfully evokes both the essence and shape of the Bavarian maypole or Maibaum tradition – an annual celebration of communal gathering around a soaring tree-like structure.

Interior of the Serpentine Pavilion. Render by Kéré Architecture, photo by Iwan Baan.

Pavilions & Light: Serpentine Pavilion

Since 2000, the Serpentine Galleries annually commission an international architecture practice to design the Serpentine Pavilion in Kensington Gardens, London. In 2017, they chose Francis Kéré. Taking inspiration from the great tree in his hometown of Gando, under which members of the community meet to reflect on the day, Kéré’s design is based on creating this sense of community while connecting people with nature. A great overhanging roof canopy made of steel and a transparent skin covers the entire footprint of Kéré’s Serpentine Pavilion, allowing sunlight to enter the space while also protecting it from the rain.

Not only does this rendering showcase the materials and vision for natural light, but it also points to a larger approach to pavilion design. The project is defined by wooden shading elements that line the underside of the roof, creating a dynamic shadow effect that changes with the movement of the sun and clouds. The wall system is made of prefabricated wooden blocks assembled into triangular modules with slight apertures, giving a lightness and transparency to the building enclosure. The curved walls are split into four fragments, allowing four unique access points to Kéré’s Serpentine Pavilion. Completely detached from the roof canopy, these elements allow both the air and visitors to freely circulate.

Façade of the Benin National Assembly. Render by Kéré Architecture.

Architecture & Facades: Benin National Assembly

Having outgrown its current building, which dates back to the colonial era of its past, the parliament of the Republic of Benin has entrusted Kéré Architecture to design a new national assembly that will embody the values of democracy and the cultural identity of its citizens. The project takes inspiration from the palaver tree, the age-old West African tradition of meeting under a tree to make consensual decisions in the interest of a community. Here, an approach to rendering not only accentuates the conceptual idea and brings it to life, but also tells a story of structure and the building façade.

The assembly hall is defined by the dynamic reach of the structure. The crown is comprised of offices and auxiliary functions, set back from the deep façade, which filters the sunlight. The trunk is hollow, creating a central courtyard that allows circulation spaces to be naturally ventilated and indirect light to penetrate the plan. A spiral staircase in its center connects the assembly hall on the ground floor to the offices above. In the southeast corner of the site, a public square marks the civic façade of the building, across from the former national assembly where Benin’s independence was historically declared.

The 10th Annual A+Awards is still accepting entries! New this season, firms can gain recognition for their entire portfolio of work thanks to the addition of the new Best Firm categories celebrating practices of all sizes, geographies and specializations. Start your entry today.

Reference

How Universal Design Can Drive Inclusivity
CategoriesArchitecture

How Universal Design Can Drive Inclusivity

By Zarkon Group,

Celebrate a decade of inspirational design with us! The 10th Annual A+Awards is officially underway, and the Extended Entry Deadline is March 4, 2022. Click here to start your entry today.

Despite all the talks around inclusivity and diversity in all aspects of life, the idea of universal design is still not one that is widespread. The term, first coined by American architect Ronald Mace, and then later popularized by architect Selwyn Goldsmith, explores a branch of design that caters to everyone regardless of their age and abilities. This implies going beyond wheelchair-accessible spaces and addressing the vast spectrum of disabilities that can exist.

The limitations of designed environments first became a topic of discussion after the second World War when we saw a large number of injured veterans. While the advancement in medicine made it possible for them to live longer lives, there wasn’t enough infrastructure that was entirely accessible to them. Veterans in the United States demanded equal rights for themselves, leading to the establishment of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.

Enabling Village by WOHA in Singapore | Photo by Edward Hendricks

But having equal rights was not enough. When it came to spaces and environments, Mace was instrumental in creating the seven principles of Universal Design in 1997. These are equitable use, flexibility in use, simple and innovative use, perceptible information, tolerance for error, low physical effort and size and space for approach. They are meant to serve as guidelines for designers to create more inclusive and accessible environments.

Equitable use implies the provision of the same degree of access, security and safety for all users. The principles also point to flexibility by accommodating a wide range of preferences such as left and right-handed access, provision for different paces of movement and so on. They also state that the design should be intuitive in a way that individuals with different literacy and language skills should be able to navigate the space without any difficulties. The information provided should also be presented in graphic, audible and tactile forms. Each space must have warnings of hazards and errors and preferably have these high-risk elements isolated. Transparency in buildings, recurring seating spaces, anti-skid surfaces, tactile floor guides and handrails with easy grips are just a few other examples of elements that can be included.

Enabling Village by WOHA in Singapore | Photo by Edward Hendricks

According to Indian architect and Universal Design advocate Kavita Murugkar, Universal Design is an almost fundamental value given that it ties in with accessibility and, in turn, an individual’s right to freedom. She said, “Everyone is talking about equality and extending equal rights and opportunities for all individuals, and creating equal possibilities of participation in the society. This is possible only through equal means of access.”

While we have come a long way in our understanding of what design needs to do, there is still a slightly limited perspective of disability while designing. The needs of someone who is an amputee might be very different from someone who is visually impaired. The latter might need many more tactile and audible cues to guide them in spaces whereas an amputee could require some more room to accommodate any aids they might have.

Enabling Village by WOHA in Singapore | Photo by Edward Hendricks

Furthermore, someone with missing arms could require alternative ways to use buttons or even open doors. An individual with Parkinson’s might need spaces that have finishes and interventions that are favorable for those who struggle with balance. And that is just on the physical level. People with autism might require quiet rooms and those with dementia could benefit from surroundings that have fewer identical elements.

A project that has tried to address this is the Enabling Village in Singapore. Designed by WOHA, the community space offers retail, recreational and training services for differently abled individuals. All public spaces and restrooms in the building are wheelchair accessible. The event spaces have induction loops that can transmit audio to people using hearing aids with T-coils and they also provide braille maps of the space if needed. Even elements like ATM machines in the center have braille labels and earphone ports. The project includes a center for innovators to gather and test ideas for assistive technology. It is equipped with a room where these inventors can also test their products in fully soundproof and lightproof spaces. Furthermore, they are also creating job opportunities for the differently abled members of the community.

Friendship Park (Parque de la amistad) by Marcelo Roux, Gaston Cuna, Patricia Roland and Federico Lezama, Montevideo, Uruguay | Photos via issuu.com

Another example of inclusive design is the Friendship Park in Montevideo, Uruguay that is designed by Marcelo Roux, Gaston Cuna, Patricia Roland and Federico Lezama. It is made in a way that children of all ages can enjoy the space regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities. Apart from the easily accessible spatial arrangement, materials like concrete, metal and rubber are used in abundance to provide tactile and aromatic cues to the users. The team has tried to incorporate more curved surfaces to avoid sharp edges; they have also used a variety of colors throughout to make it appear more fun and the spaces easy to recognize and remember.

Murugkar said the awareness about Universal Design is still not as much as it should be, especially considering its importance. She introduced it as an elective in Dr. B. N. College of Architecture in Pune, where she is an Associate Professor. But she believes that we need to get to a point where the subject is integrated into the entire curriculum and not just taught as a specialization. “Universal Design is a utopian idea. You can definitely not have a design that addresses the needs of every single individual on this earth,” she said. “It just aims to make the spectrum of usability of a particular service or product or an environment broader and broader.”

Inclusive design is more of a way of approach than a design methodology that must be implemented right from the conceptual stage and carried through to the smallest element in the final product. While this approach may give rise to innovation, the question remains: is actually possible to cater to every individual and make this philosophy a reality?

Celebrate a decade of inspirational design with us! The 10th Annual A+Awards is officially underway, and the Extended Entry Deadline is March 4, 2022. Click here to start your entry today.

Reference

E-Build Pakistan: Pakistan’s First Ever Online Buy & Sell Construction Industry Material & Services Portal
CategoriesConstruction National News News Zarkon Group

E-Build Pakistan: Pakistan’s First Ever Online Buy & Sell Construction Industry Material & Services Portal

By Zarkon Group,

What’s E-Build Pakistan?

E-Build Pakistan is Pakistan’s First Online Marketplace Portal to Buy & Sell Construction Material & Services that brings the country’s construction industry stakeholders and processes to a digital landscape.

From idea to execution, building the vision of EBP to a viable product was a year-long journey that will commence on 14 August 2020 when the web portal and mobile application will be made available nationwide.

E-Build Pakistan will provide national digital access to the key players in the construction industry to broaden the customer base, be a stimulator in the construction industry, open the market for new national & international construction brands to access the market, bring better products at competitive prices, help the construction industry to grow at least at 40% better rate, create online & rapid digital supply chain, connect the buyer to the supplier overriding the conventional price hikes, create employment for educated & talented youth, create dedicated income platforms for household women, contribute towards per capita income, to contribute in government National Housing Construction Schemes, to contribute in Digital Pakistan vision, create an internationally recognized construction learning programs for locally talented individuals, bringing e-learning programs for the civil, mechanical, electromechanical and architectural industry, create a competitive environment for contractors, educating the end-user, and helping them choose better suppliers & servicemen to build their dreams.

Timeline: From Concept to Reality

 

August 2019

The idea for E-Build Pakistan started from seeing a sore lack of digitalization in the construction industry all Over the world.

January 2020

After conducting research and connecting with like-minded individuals. design and development Of the EBP platform was begun.

August 2020

The platform will be ready for onboarding vendors, testing. and optimization by July. and will be launched during Pakistan’s independence day on August 14th.

October 2020

The EBP vision goes beyond business – we hope to build a thriving community. Provide relevant training. and conduct events to further Pakistan’s digital agenda.