Call for Entries: Submit Your Projects for the 2022 Best of LaCantina Competition!
CategoriesArchitecture

Call for Entries: Submit Your Projects for the 2022 Best of LaCantina Competition!

It’s time to celebrate the most beautiful glazed projects around the globe! Architizer is proud to announce the 5th Annual Best of LaCantina competition in partnership with LaCantina Doors, the nation’s leading design and manufacturing company of folding, sliding and swing door systems. Through the Best of LaCantina contest, architects are invited to showcase built architectural projects that use LaCantina’s innovative products for a chance to win a grand prize and receive major coverage on Architizer.

The competition is free to enter, and the only requirement is that your project was completed in the last four years and includes one or more LaCantina products. To begin your submission, hit the blue button below:

Enter the Competition

If you have ever specified one of LaCantina Doors’ many systems, you will know that their quality and level of detailing is unparalleled, enabling the creation of beautiful, open spaces that blur the line between indoor and outdoor living. LaCantina’s sliding, folding and swing doors all seamlessly integrate sophisticated design with high functionality, harnessing the same signature narrow stile and rail profile across its product line for a complete and perfectly matching door package.

Projects that incorporate any combination of these products are eligible for the competition, which is designed to showcase how LaCantina Doors can be utilized to produce stunning contemporary architecture across all typologies.

A selection of former winners of the Best of LaCantina Competition; images courtesy of the architects / LaCantina

Best of LaCantina Award Categories

This year, there are a total of eight categories in which architects and designers can get their products recognized. They are as follows:

  • Best in Show
  • Best Commercial
  • Best Rural Residential
  • Best Urban Residential
  • Best Suburban Residential
  • Best Compact
  • Best Renovation
  • Most Innovative

All projects submitted for these categories should be built, and projects can be entered for multiple categories in which they are eligible. For example, you may submit a project within one of the typology-based categories (residential, commercial, rural etc.) and for an additional category such as Best Renovation, Most Innovative etc.

Submit a Project

Grand Prize for “Best in Show”

The winning design named “Best in Show” will receive a Grand Prize Trip for two (2) to the 2023 AIA Conference on Architecture (A’23) in San Francisco, June 8-9, 2023.  The “Best in Show” winner will also receive:

  • An article and promotion on Architizer.com
  • Publicity across Architizer’s social media network of 4,000,000+ fans.
  • A Featured Project write up on LaCantinaDoors.com
  • Inclusion in LaCantina Doors marketing efforts including, but not limited to
    • Emails
    • Social Media
    • Digital Display Ads
    • Brochures
    • Print Ads
  • Opportunity to be part of the judges panel for the Best of LaCantina 2023 entries
  • Inclusion in Best of LaCantina 2023 contest promotions

Nathan Fell Architecture’s Bienville House won the “Best in Show” in the 2020 Best of LaCantina Competition; image courtesy of the architects / LaCantina

Every submission in this year’s competition will be carefully reviewed by industry experts spanning architecture, product design and media. Guest jurors will include Raili Clasen of RailiCA Interior Design, Paul Keskeys of Architizer, Brendan and Jillian Bader of Modern Nest Homes, and Best of LaCantina 2020 winner Nathan Fell of Nathan Fell Architecture, who will assist in selecting the winners.

If you have designed a built project in the past four years that features LaCantina Doors’ products, this is a fantastic opportunity for you to showcase your expertise — and potentially win big in the process! Head to the competition site for more information, and start your entry today:

Enter Now

Reference

Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne Station // Bordas+Peiro Architecte
CategoriesSustainable News

Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne Station // Bordas+Peiro Architecte

Text description provided by the architects.

The future Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne station is part of the European train line connecting Lyon to Turin. It will be one of the link of this new connection which will be at the center of the north-south and east-west axes of Europe. The site of this future station take place in a strong duality between the very present mountains and the rail infrastructure.

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

The project is articulated in an « in-between » and follows this subtle dichotomy in its conception._Morphology and shapeThe proposal is built like a rocky extraction, a sculpted volume to give it a dynamic and formal link with the landscape and his context.This mass is percied in a relevant way, creating framing on the landscape and offering natural light in spaces of great heights.Posed on a transparent based, the volume maintains a strong link between the interior and the exterior of the station.

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

A tension is generated between the lightness of the base and the massiveness of its upper part pierced by the train._General accessibility, readable streams, clear thresholdsThe multi-oriented station is designed with several levels of forecourt which allow to identify the uses. A high forecourt to the south in connection with the city center, a lower forecourt for the train and bus station.

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

This public space is open to everyone, a connection forecourt, passage and waiting, which creates a direct link between two parts of the city._Ecological transitionThe prismatic volume is built like a rock from a local, ecological and noble material : the rammed earth with a dark color. A natural and biobased material from the nearby mountains.

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

Its atypical form orients part of the roof that can absorb natural light to create energy. A passenger building for the city, economical in surface area, material and energy..

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne Station Gallery

Reference

The Relic Shelter | Fuzhou Teahouse // Neri & Hu
CategoriesSustainable News

The Relic Shelter | Fuzhou Teahouse // Neri & Hu

Text description provided by the architects.

The project draws inspiration from imagery uniquely associated with Fuzhou: the Jinshan Temple. This is a rare example of a temple structure built in the middle of a river in China. John Thomson was one of the first photographers ever to travel to the country and provided Western audiences with some of the first glimpses into the Far East.

© Neri & Hu

© Neri & Hu

In the album Foochow and the River Min, which documented his legendary journey up the Min River, Thomson captured the ancient structure in its original state resting serenely above a floating rock in 1871. This would become a lasting image unmistakably identified with the city of Fuzhou.
Conceived as an urban artefact and drawing from the historical roots of the city of Fuzhou, the Relic Shelter internalizes a piece of distinct heritage at a time when rapid new development has eroded traditional culture and identity.

© Neri & Hu

© Neri & Hu

The client’s brief posed the unique challenge of creating an enclosure for a Chinese artefact – the wooden structure of a high-ranking Qing dynasty official’s residence, replete with ornamental carvings and intricate joinery. Relocated from Anhui to its new home in Fuzhou, the Hui-style structure is enshrined as the inhabitable centrepiece of a new teahouse.
Envisioned as a house atop a rock, the teahouse is elevated above a rammed concrete base, while its sweeping copper roof echoes the roofline of the enclosed architectural relic.

© Neri & Hu

© Neri & Hu

Its core material, rammed concrete, is a modern homage to the traditional earthen dwellings of the region, emphasizing a raw monumentality. Visitors are presented with two images of the building upon approach: the upright silhouette of the form, and its mirrored reflection duplicated in the surrounding pool of water.
A series of contrasts plays out among elements that are bright and dark, light and heavy, coarse and refined, as visitors enter the grand hall where the structure of the ancient residence is situated.

© Neri & Hu

© Neri & Hu

Sky wells penetrate the roof, bringing natural light into the depths of the enclosure and illuminating the priceless artefact on display. Only upon reaching the mezzanine does the structural configuration of the building begin to reveal itself. The hovering metal roof is lifted 50 cm off the solid base by copper-clad trusses to introduce a sliver of continuous illumination around its periphery.

© Neri & Hu

© Neri & Hu

Wrapping itself around the historical wooden structure, the mezzanine space allows visitors to appreciate intricate carpentry details at eye level.
The basement level includes a secondary arrival lobby housing a rotunda, a sunken courtyard and tasting rooms. At the top of the rotunda, a carved oculus capped by glass is submerged beneath the pool in the courtyard above.

© Neri & Hu

© Neri & Hu

It filters the sun through a thin film of water, creating a mesmerizing play of reflections..

© Neri & Hu

© Neri & Hu

The Relic Shelter | Fuzhou Teahouse Gallery

Reference

Onyx // URBA – Architizer Journal
CategoriesSustainable News

Onyx // URBA – Architizer Journal

Text description provided by the architects.

Designers: URBA and Boldizar SenteskiProject team: Márton Lengyel, Andrea Juhász, Boldizar Senteski, Liza Natasa RakuszClient: OnyxArea: 80 sqmYear: 2021Location: Budapest, HungaryPhotography: Matti VargaText: Lidia VajdaABOUTURBA is proud to present their most recent project, the complete transformation of Hungary’s only 2 Michelin star restaurant called Onyx. HISTORYSince its opening in 2007, Onyx Restaurant has been committed to quality and progress.

© URBA

© URBA

Located in Gerbeaud House in the heart of Budapest, the restaurant has always stood for the reinterpretation of Hungarian cuisine with an attention to local ingredients and an innovative approach. Still, several internal changes and the shift caused by the current pandemic has made it clear that Onyx needs a severe transformation inside out.

© URBA

© URBA

URBA was lucky enough to be part of the beginning, including all strategic discussions, when they defined what it means to offer a fine-dining experience after COVID and how the restaurant ought to operate in the future. These aspects influenced how the restaurant should be a memory making place, something influential in someone’s life.

© URBA

© URBA

TRANSFORMATION, CONCEPTThe transformation itself is transparent to the public: starting with demolishing dinner event called “The Last Supper”, followed by the “Műhely” (meaning Workshop) experimental space opening in November 2021, leading to the final stage of the rebirth expected to open sometime in 2022. MŰHELY – A RESTAURANT WITHIN A RESTAURANTOne of the old guest areas has been repurposed as the hall of Onyx and given its own experimental entity.

© URBA

© URBA

“Műhely” operates as the creative space of the Onyx Creative Community, which opened its doors in November 2021. The glass-covered room is where the meals and presentations are being developed, guests can witness these processes and become a part of them. This personal test kitchen is the complete opposite of what Onyx represented before.

© URBA

© URBA

Instead of the stiff, white-glove dining experience, the small space of “Műhely” seats 16 guests at a shared table filled with the warmth of oak furniture.
The other space that was previously used as a guest area is still undergoing renovations and will be the home of the reforming Onyx offering a refined menu.
The two spaces will be connected physically, but each area will have a different interior, offer different experiences and have different dishes in separate price ranges.

© URBA

© URBA

After the opening of ONYX, “Műhely” will remain a space for research and development and innovation, where guests will see behind the scenes the work processes. However, both restaurant spaces share the vision of presenting progressive Hungarian cuisine based on the intertwining of art, science and gastronomy and that uses local ingredients and focuses on sustainability.Just to mention a few, they pay special attention to kitchen waste management, the use of environmentally friendly detergents, and water and energy-saving kitchen technologies.

© URBA

© URBA

The staff uniform is made from recycled fabrics, and some dishes main ingredients are cooked to perfection chosen from elements refused by other restaurants. DESIGNIn the case of architecture and interior, sustainability means locally sourced materials, well thought through spatial arrangement, multifunctional furniture, and as little surplus as possible. Instead of the old heavy curtains and baroque wallpapers, URBA used a natural stone powder to create texture on the walls similar to rammed earth, to create a more intimate space.

© URBA

© URBA

Furniture includes 9 tables used as singles or combined into one large community table for private dining events or internal experimentation and presentations, explicitly created in this space by URBA. When Onyx commissioned URBA to design the restaurant’s new interior, the client also asked the studio to create a bespoke chair to enrich the space.

© URBA

© URBA

This proved itself to be a complex and lengthy product development process: it had to feel ergonomically right, comfortable for most people, durable, fit the space but not to be too loud visually, and had to be produced in the required quality. The designed chair is characterised by its oak frame and three legs topped with an oil finish and leather back & seat.

© URBA

© URBA

The chairs are produced by KOMOK, a young company committed to working with fellow Hungarian designers and architects to create high-quality products made in Hungary from local materials. Following a metal staircase from Műhely, one can reach a small gastro library and a cabinet of curiosities filled with relics from Onyx’s past.

© URBA

© URBA

The hope is to become a hub for traditional and forward-thinking knowledge for young aspiring chefs. .

© URBA

© URBA

Onyx Gallery

Reference

Gulmeshwori Basic School // MESH Architectures
CategoriesSustainable News

Gulmeshwori Basic School // MESH Architectures

Kids of Kathmandu, an NGO that builds schools in Nepal, recruited MESH to build a new school building for 5-7th graders on a scenic site in the hills outside the city. The organization is committed to sustainable construction, and resources were severely limited by budget, site accessibility, and general material scarcity.

© MESH Architectures

© MESH Architectures

© MESH Architectures

© MESH Architectures

They had had a successful experience with rammed earth and proposed it for the building. MESH eagerly accepted the challenge.Nepalese pedagogy is recognizable as traditional, rote lesson delivery to orderly rows of students crowded into desks. In part to encourage alternative classroom organization and also in response to the open surroundings, we proposed an organization of hexagonal rooms: 3 classrooms, a computer room, and a library.

© MESH Architectures

© MESH Architectures

© MESH Architectures

© MESH Architectures

We added a covered porch as an outdoor space usable during the monsoon and an outdoor plinth to be used as a stage for gatherings, connected by stair to a green recreational roof.

This makes for a variety of spaces within a small footprint. A loose organization of heterogenous spaces like this keeps the mind open and active by continually rewriting the mind’s model of its surroundings.

Rammed earth has a low energy/CO2 footprint because most of the mass comes from the site itself, with a small amount of cement added.

© MESH Architectures

© MESH Architectures

© MESH Architectures

© MESH Architectures

Otherwise, it functions much like reinforced concrete, with thermal mass to modulate temperature, structural strength, and fire resistance..

© MESH Architectures

© MESH Architectures

© MESH Architectures

© MESH Architectures

Gulmeshwori Basic School Gallery

 

Reference

Top 10 Architecture Projects on Architizer in June 2022
CategoriesArchitecture

Top 10 Architecture Projects on Architizer in June 2022

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletter.    

Architizer’s journal is fueled by the creative energy of the thousands of architects from around the world who upload and showcase their incredible work. From conceptual designs to projects under construction to completed buildings, we are proud to serve as a platform for showcasing global architectural talent and the brilliance of visualizers, engineers, manufacturers, and photographers who are crucial members of the industry. A stellar drawing, rendering or photo, as well as a detailed project description, can go a long way in making a project stand out, as does indicate the stellar contributors on a project.

Firms who upload to Architizer share their work with professionals and design enthusiasts through our Firm Directory and Projects database. They also gain exposure by having their projects shared on our FacebookInstagram, and Twitter pages, as well as in our Journal feature articles. Indeed, through these various channels, hundreds of thousands of people in the global design community have come to rely on Architizer as their architectural reference and source of inspiration. In 2022, we’re rounding up our database’s top 10 most-viewed, user-uploaded architecture projects at the end of each month.


By MC arquitectura in Zapopan / El Arenal, Mexico

The objective is to build a rest house developed on a single level, which houses the minimum spaces necessary for living and at the same time offers an experience of peace and total isolation, allowing the user a place of quietness just minutes from the city. This may sound like a tall order, but situated in a rural context on the border between two urban areas, the design masterfully draws on materials from the surrounding area: stone, brick, concrete, wood and the finish on the walls.

This gives a warm and cozy result that allows it to adapt to a bioclimatic environment in constant change and thus achieve a lower visual contrast in the different seasons of the year. The barrel vault structure offers a subtle play of volumes and heights, opening the home up towards the best views. Open air circulations together with 2 outdoor patios, the front garden and the visuals projected on each window invite the user to coexist with the context and communicate with the exterior.


By AOS works : architecture & design — Concept (Southwestern Desert, United States)

This fascinating combination of geometries draws lessons from traditional Japanese tea houses with the aim of transporting visitors to an alternate realm of ceremony and contemplation. The design, evocative of geological formations typically found in the surrounding desert stands out like a land art sculpture set in a vast landscape. The material composition is minimal: thick, battered limestone walls, travertine wainscoting and a roof clad in weathering steel panels.

The project’s size was inspired by a 4.5 tatami mat layout. A sunken hearth serves as the nucleus, framed by a border of alcoves that house the functions of the tea ceremony. The large roof overhang evokes a precariously balanced rock, providing shade in the harsh, sun-drenched environment. The reflecting pool, which defines the space below the roof, and acts as an opposing force to the solid walls of the tea house, which erupt from the earth, also aids in evaporative cooling.


By Horibe Associates, Japan

This house was created for a true car and bike enthusiast, who wished to bring his passion home. This two-story residence makes this dream come true, while also providing a quiet domestic space for the client’s wife and dog on the second floor. On the ground floor, a garage houses the client’s favorite Maserati Shamal, among other Italian cars and motorcycles. Meanwhile, the use of durable, reinforced concrete guarantees the tranquility of the upper level. A courtyard at the end of the garage acts as an outlet for the release of sound and vehicle exhaust. Likewise, the courtyard’s greenery muffles engine noise, while helping to purify the air.


By S+S Architects in Bangkok, Thailand

This remarkable home renovation project is found on Ratchadaphisek Road a suburban area that has a surprisingly high-density. Privacy, safety and elder friendliness were the three values that guided the design. To this end, outer decoration is guards the domestic space, creating more privacy, while the interior design emphasizes voids. The ingenious façade is make of perforated aluminum sheets that screen out the sun and filter in natural breeze; they can be closed or opened as the dwellers’ needs for any interactions with the surrounding neighborhood.


By Robert Konieczny KWK Promes, Poland

Photos by Jakub Certowicz

The design of this private home has an unusual genesis: the owner had already had already begun designing a garden and wanted a home that would respond to it — the inverse of the usual order of business for architects. The design was thus inspired by the curving green oasis that the patron had created. The topographically shaped ground floor is thus contrasted with the block of the upper floor closed with shutters on the south side, providing privacy from the access road. These two different geometries are linked by a softly cut atrium — the green heart of the house.

Ultimately, the idea to start the investment with a garden was inspired, with many benefits over the traditional order for designing things. The moment the house was completed, the client could immediately enjoy greener. Meanwhile, to reach the target size, plants need more time than it takes to build the house, and planting tall trees generates high costs. What’s more, because of the transportation and the need for heavy equipment, it is not environmentally friendly.


By Mado Architects in Senegal

Equality, conservation, cost-effectiveness, construction methods and step-by-step construction: these were the top concerns that drove the design of this project. In Senegal, cultural myths involving baobab trees are the origins of many villages. This was the genesis of the idea to form spaces around the existing trees on the site —  the competition also called for them to be preserved. Two circles with a radius of 8 meters surrounded the central trees of the site, and to provide the area of the yard and playground, a third circle was added to the circles for this purpose.

Circular spaces were formed around the courtyards, which eventually connected to each other and formed a unified form. A triangular shape was used to form the roof and walls of the school, where the roof and the wall were connected. To create dynamic circulation, two movement paths were considered in the inner and outer walls, one of them was dedicated to the ramp for the disabled. To facilitate the construction method and cost-effectiveness, an attempt was made to use native materials such as wood and straw in the project, and to adopt a simple construction method.


By Atis — Concept (for Knowsley, United Kingdom)

This project imagines a new life for the former Cronton Colliery — a disused coal mine at Knowsley near Manchester — as a world class, sustainable park. At its heart, the architects designed a community space that projects the positive co-existence of natural and urban areas. The buildings and infrastructures are inspired by the textures and color palette naturally occuring on the site — grasslands and birch groves. The master plan takes into account extensive land remediation and revegetation  along with the phased introduction of proven community amenities that would draw the public to the area including sustainable housing and eco-tourism in the form of an ecologically designed hotel, conference centre, spa and restaurant.


By Roovice in Nishigahara, Kita City, Japan

Photos by Akira Nakamura

This renovation project is found in the central north area of Tokyo. The owner of the two-floor family house envisioned a DIY atmosphere filled with custom made furniture crafted by himself. In Japan, most traditional buildings have little to no insulation; many are also behind current seismic regulations, which are rapidly constantly evolving. The renovation sought to remedy these outdated aspects, while enhancing other traditional aspects of Japanese design, such as a  using voids above the ceiling to help the ventilation. In sum, the design is characterized by a dynamic double character: the imperfection of the irregular wooden elements and DIY atmosphere mixed with the precision and ingenuity of the newly designed structure.


By line+ in Hangzhou, China

After 4 years, line+ completed the headquarters building for VIEWSHINE, a listed company developing from traditional instruments to intelligence. With integrated design, line+ has created a brand-new office space fit to accommodate the ever-evolving working scenarios and needs in the future and reflecting a unique corporate image in the historic city center. After the tailor-made architectural space language has completed the empowerment of the company’s own brand image, the original concept and vision will be embodied in the spatial details of the user’s personal experience. Through interior design, the intangible corporate values will be conveyed. Ultimately, line+ incorporates corporate culture into the workplace by building its headquarters.


By STOPROCENT Architekci in Zory, Poland

Flamingo house sits on the frontier of a former brickyard, which has been been transformed into a recreation park for the historic city of Zory. The site’s varied terrain, which ranges significantly in height, informed the design. On one side, a simple and light rectangular volume emerges; it is raised above the ground level with a glazed ‘belt’ that delimits the building from the ground, creating the illusion of levitating structure. An internal patio serves as the nucleus for the lower level. The façades revel in the juxtaposition between fullness and transparency, and lightness and heaviness — massive blocks contrast with glazed stripes of the facades and the whiteness of the full surfaces is set off by dark rhythm of the windows.

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletter.    



Reference

The Peak – Boutique Hotel // studio symbiosis
CategoriesSustainable News

The Peak – Boutique Hotel // studio symbiosis

Text description provided by the architects.

The Peak Resort and Spa, is located in the untouched serene landscape of Udaipur, Rajasthan, the desert kingdom of India. Designed as a destination to unwind and rejuvenate the property hosts, 8 pool villas, event space, Restaurant, Spa, Gym, star gazing platform and an outdoor pool.Cocoon villas nested in natureThe design concept amalgamates the untouched beauty of nature that engulfs the site, along with regional architecture of Rajasthan.

© studio symbiosis

© studio symbiosis

The idea of built and landscape is seen as an amalgamation in the design. The original contours of the site have been used as an interface to create architecture. Each villa is nested as a cocoon space in the landscape. These cocoon villas have been designed by excavating earth, to create minimum disruption to the natural beauty of the site.

© studio symbiosis

© studio symbiosis

Local patterns were studied from the architecture of Rajasthan, and a “Hexagonal” pattern that is a common denominator in nature as well as the regional architecture has been used as a unifying element for the design. This hexagonal base pattern has been grafted on the site to create a system driven approach to design the landscape, entrance buildings, scooping of the villas, water bodies, etc.

© studio symbiosis

© studio symbiosis

to create a sense of harmony and symbiosis in the design.Design EvolutionHalf of the site terrain is almost flat and then it slopes drastically from the south towards the north. The dominant views from the site are mountains towards the south. This natural terrain of the site has been used as a design driver.

© studio symbiosis

© studio symbiosis

The flat part of the site that is adjacent to the approach road has been used for Drop-off, Reception, All day dining, and Spa and then further on an open event space. The design idea was to create a form nested in nature. The sloping part of the site has been used as an opportunity to excavate earth and nest villas within the topography.

© studio symbiosis

© studio symbiosis

This helps us in capturing the beautiful views of the south facing mountains. The natural topography of the site creates a height difference between the various villas, thereby giving them all complete privacy.Window to LandscapeArchitecture of Rajasthan boasts of intricate carving and Jharokha’s (Semi covered balconies with perorated windows all around).

© studio symbiosis

© studio symbiosis

The concept of a Jharokha has been translated in the design as the villas are scooped out from the terrain to create these “Jharokha’s” with outdoor pool, star gazing deck and sit-out space. Each villa is conceptually a window (Jharokha) to experience nature. Resource ConservationVillas have been nested in landscape, by excavating the earth of the site.

© studio symbiosis

© studio symbiosis

This excavation of 1427 cubic units gave us 142.7 cubic units of rocks and 90% is mud. As a part of the design process, we are using the excavated earth and rocks, by mixing natural fibres in them to strengthen and create compressed mud blocks. The retaining walls around the villas are being constructed from these mud blocks, where the raw material is coming from the site itself.

© studio symbiosis

© studio symbiosis

It’s an idea of a closed loop civil construction, where we take from mother earth and put it back on the site in a new form, in this case we take mud and rocks and graft back rammed earth walls. Rest of the materials are being locally sourced within 5 kms of the project site.

© studio symbiosis

© studio symbiosis

Given that Rajasthan is the stone hub of India, locally available stone has been used for the outdoor landscape as well as indoor finishes.Villas & earth breamingThe villas are designed for “leisure travellers” as well as for “work from destination”. The design brief looks at creating a home away from home with villas cocooned in nature.

© studio symbiosis

© studio symbiosis

Each villa is 140 sqm indoor and 130 sqm outdoor area. The villas are equipped with the outlook of a long stay traveller, with a master bedroom, living, dining, pantry, outdoor pool, star gazing platform and an outdoor deck.
Using regional patterns, a stone carved pergola has been designed for shading the outdoor decks of the villas.

© studio symbiosis

© studio symbiosis

This helps in shading from the direct sunlight and creates playful patterns of light and shadow on the deck. The villas are nested within earth, to create a heat sink and keep the villas naturally cooled in the scorching dessert heat during daytime, and keeps the villas warm during the night in the winters.

© studio symbiosis

© studio symbiosis

Since each villa is surrounded by earth, the heat gain and heat dissipation happens at a controlled rate. The outdoor terraces and the depth of the villa has been designed to ensure ample light inside the villa, without exposing the surface area of the built to the sun directly. Outdoor space and Shallow water bodiesThe wind direction on the site is from South which is the entrance of the site and travels along the depth of the site up towards north.

© studio symbiosis

© studio symbiosis

This wind movement has been channelized by creating two building flanking either side of the entrance that create a wind tunnel effect and compress and accelerates the wind. Further shallow water bodies have been designed along the path of the wind which cools it down. Given the villas are scooped out of an inclined surface, the wind coming in contact with the water bodies is cooled down and travels seamlessly along the sloped site and creates a cool breeze reaching the villas which is further pushed in the villas with the help of a pergola.
Using cfd, the inclination of the pergolas has been optimized, to direct the wind inside the villas.

© studio symbiosis

© studio symbiosis

Porosity of the pergola has been calculated to retain the wind pressure. The central plaza has been designed as a multifunctional space. This can have regional folk dance, puppet shows (regional to Rajasthan), breakout space for high tea, archery, pool deck, as well as event space.Sustainability Sustainable design solutions have been integrated in the design in various stages of design and construction.

The temperature in this region of Rajasthan can go up to 45-47 degrees. Design strategies have been introduced to reduce the cooling loads in the building and create a sustainable resort.
Natural topography of the site has been used to nest the villas by using earth berming to cool the villas and the outdoor spaces are shaded with pergolas to reduce direct heat from the sun.

The wind blowing on the site from the south has been accelerated by creating a wind tunnel by flanking buildings on either side of the entrance. This accelerated wind passes over shallow water bodies designed in the central plaza, thereby cooling the wind. The cooled wind moves up the inclination of the site and is pushed in the villas using pergolas, optimized by cfd.

Excavated earth from the site is transformed into mud blocks being used as retaining walls of the villas, with rest of the construction materials sourced from within 5 kms of the site.This project is driven by design moves to create a model of sustainable design in scorching heat of Rajasthan..

Reference

Mu Spring Resort // IDMatrix
CategoriesSustainable News

Mu Spring Resort // IDMatrix

 

Text description provided by the architects.

Project name: Mu Spring ResortOwner: Chengdu Blue Town Urban and Rural Construction Development Co., Ltd.Address: Blue Town Group · Mu Spring Resort, Boer Village, Xingyi Town, Xinjin District, Chengdu city, Sichuan ProvinceInterior Finish: IDMatrix (http://www.matrixdesign.cn/)Furnishing: MIXPhotography: Shi Xiang Wan HeFurniture and decoration: M-CASA/MATRIX originalFloral design: M·FLORALMaterial R&D: decorative material studio / Fautaetic PleaeantFloor area: 1825 square metersMain materials: textured latex paint, rammed earth, granite, rustic brick, walnut wood veneer, hand-painted wallpaper, paper rattan, bamboo, oak wood flooringCompletion time: 2021See the mountains and water, and remember homesickness.

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

The hometown returns to people in a familiar but refreshingly warm way.The project is located in the core area of Agricultural Expo Park, Xinjin County, Chengdu City, far away from the downtown and thus providing a tranquil lifestyle. In this idyllic environment with beautiful natural scenery, it appears to have all the elements that an ideal life should have.

Based on the “geography”, “blood” and “emotion” of the place where the project is located, the project made the architecture, landscape and custom as a whole to connect the ecological landscape of country life with the modern concept of urban life, showing the infinite potential and possibilities of future country life.

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

It is committed to building an artistic resort of modern Oriental style with rich cultural memory.The bamboo and wood structure utensils used in ancient times to serve food have several layers. Whether it was a gold-plated box with carved flowers or a bamboo box, they all were made of natural materials, plain but durable.

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

The wall lamps in wooden structure in the reception hall is an excellent modern interpretation of “food box”, a traditional wooden food box from ancient times, and this design demonstrates one’s proper search in the dim lights. The vaulted housing structure also represents cultural inheritance and continuation.The long table with the trace of time avoids any carving and decoration.

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

Under the double presentation by touch and vision, it holds the art installation displaying dead wood sprouting next spring. The intrinsic beauty is fully displayed.The vault structure of “Paddy Fields” restaurant is derived from the green tiled slope roof of Linpan in western Sichuan, making the space spacious. Under the plain base, the direct contact between furniture and people gives rise to tradition.

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

MATRIX Original showcased the modern evolution of different Sichuan’s Chinese style furniture, adding traditional undertones to the design feast.

As the center of the courtyard, “Tea time in paddy fields” pub has two entrances, one front and the other back, completely creating an open space. In warm light, one can enjoy tranquil Zen atmosphere at the end of the bar.While relying on nature, the space also can offer lush bamboo and splendid orchestra with interior running water, which are of great interest.Light and shadow from the garden wander in the interior space.

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

Chinese garden borrowing techniques are perfectly used to let one experience the vast world and feel the vitality from inside to outside via the growth of grass and trees.The rough but clean wall presents the purest scene to express the true spiritual appeal.Open a window and let in the sunlight so as to fill the room with warmth and coziness.

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

Take a stroll at the end of the story, and hometown rests in the peace of mind. .

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

© IDMatrix

Mu Spring Resort by IDMatrix Gallery

Reference

A CSR platform enables companies to choose and track verified impact projects
CategoriesSustainable News

A CSR platform enables companies to choose and track verified impact projects

Spotted:  Investors and corporates alike are increasingly interested in using software as a service (SaaS) models to integrate sustainability-focused infrastructure into corporate platforms. In line with this trend, Singaporean startup Handprint is providing businesses with an easy way to improve their planetary impact. 

The Handprint platform offers companies a choice of pre-verified impact projects grouped into themes such as social justice, clean water, and deforestation. Each company can then choose to support the ones that best align with its brand and values.  

Once a company has chosen the projects it wishes to support, software plugins integrate contributions to those projects into core business functions such as e-commerce. For example, food delivery company Saladstop integrated with Handprint’s technology to allow its customers to order ‘climate positive’ meals. Similarly, media platform Teads worked with Handprint to let its users dedicate part of their advertising spend to the regeneration project of their choice.  

The idea behind Handprint is that the company makes the contribution rather than the end consumer. But by using Handprint’s platform, companies gain benefits such as increased brand loyalty and greater cart conversion, while also linking their impact contributions to their core business. 

Handprint also makes it easy to track the company’s overall contribution – both in terms of monetary investment and impact outcomes. The progress of the company’s chosen projects can be traced with quasi-real-time data and on-the-ground photos – which the company can post on social media. 

A really important benefit of Handprint’s approach is that it significantly reduces intermediary costs on the back-end. By using blockchain technology and satellite imagery Handprint is able to avoid some of the costs normally associated with donation-based systems. As a result, more money flows to projects on the ground and less to third-party administration. In fact, the company claims to have one of the best dollar-to-impact rates in the world, being on average 68% cheaper than its competitors. 

In a crowded marketplace for corporate impact, Handprint’s credibility is boosted by its links with academia, and the financial backing it has recently received through a $2.2 million (around €2.08 million) funding round. 

Other recent software innovations aimed at corporate sustainability include a platform for measuring an organisation’s IT footprint, a SaaS platform that helps real estate investors lower their environmental impact, and a platform that simplifies ESG data. 

Written By: Katrina Lane

Website: handprint.tech

Contact: handprint.tech/contact

Reference

Portsea House // Wood Marsh
CategoriesSustainable News

Portsea House // Wood Marsh

Text description provided by the architects.

In contrast to the prevailing aesthetic of its location, this house is a discrete, contemporary insertion in a leafy pocket of Portsea. As much an entertainer as a retreat, it is divided into two contrasting areas, distinguished by light and dark, openness and containment. Anchoring the form to the site is a curved, rammed-earth, blade wall, which wraps like a scroll across the site.

© Wood Marsh

© Wood Marsh

© Wood Marsh

© Wood Marsh

Its mass acts as a thermal regulator and balances the upper level as it cantilevers out from the slope. Formally it creates privacy from the street, a key factor of the brief and is reinforced by the structure’s discrete siting and use of dark timber weatherboard cladding. Indigenous landscaping further frames and filters the view of the building and this interaction between the natural environment and the built form continues as a central theme throughout.

© Wood Marsh

© Wood Marsh

© Wood Marsh

© Wood Marsh

Beyond the blade wall, the eye is drawn around the curved walls, the form softened by the absence of edges. The external spaces encourage interaction between built form and site while maintaining a distinction in form and accentuating the contrast between the formalist architecture and the naturalist landscape.

Upon entering the front door through the monolithic blade wall a grand staircase winds up to the open living space above.

© Wood Marsh

© Wood Marsh

© Wood Marsh

© Wood Marsh

The full-height glazed rear facade allows the landscaping beyond to act as the internal wallpaper of the living area. An expansive deck flows from this space and both connects to, and floats over, the site, utilising the natural slope up to the rear corner. A pool area at the rear of the deck is partially screened by a curved masonry dwarf wall, which responds to the form of the building and provides a degree of privacy.

The sloping site largely informed the spatial organisation of residence into three distinct wings, across two levels, arranged around a central open-air atrium.

© Wood Marsh

© Wood Marsh

© Wood Marsh

© Wood Marsh

Two of these wings accommodate bedroom and service spaces, while the third and largest wing is used for the living spaces including a secluded bar, entertaining area and kitchen. A rumpus room is provided at the basement level, which opens onto private courtyard spaces shielded from the street view..

© Wood Marsh

© Wood Marsh

© Wood Marsh

© Wood Marsh

Portsea House Gallery

Reference