AR06013GS-Galactic Suite: Earth Accommodation

06 013 GS EARTH ACCOMMODATION. RONDE IS. 2008 35.200M2
Accommodation area of the GS Spaceport design development

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01-ACCOMMODATION AREA: THE CONCEPT
The accommodation area of the galactic suite spaceport is planned on the northern side of Ronde Island where the strong topography of the island is getting flatter until become beautiful beaches with white sand on the northern end. The western side sees the hills go into the sea and the water there, when hit the rocks, creates the foam that are the different buildings appearing. Some of them are on the seashore, others climb the hills. This foam is then petrified into concrete circular structures some of which extend to the ground to stand the whole. These concrete rings are sometimes open like courtyards and sometimes are carrying water or earth planted with vegetation.
The main common areas are divided in two floors. The second accommodates the spa area while in the first floor  there are the entrances, restaurants and conference halls. Below this floor there are the open air courts where to play tennis, paddle…

02-ACCOMMODATION AREA: THE CONSTRUCTION
Sustentation system: Ronde Island has rock layer not very deep into the ground whereas it will be easy to fund any structure decided. A further study on the ground composition will be undertaken in order to decide the final technique for funding. Concerning the villas on the seashore, the depth there is from 2 to 5 meters. Offshore foundations will be required but lighter alternatives to concrete caissons are studied.
Structure system: the buildings are conceived as concrete rings that stand on concrete extensions of their walls into the ground. Concrete walls on the back contain the ground and provide inertia.
Enveloping system: some of the rings are pierced to let the light in and some are covered with concrete slabs that will  carry  both water and earth with vegetation. Façades will be both glassed and deployable to let the air circulate and with heavy walls on the back will provide inertia.
Finishing system: the interiors will be warm and comfortable with glass and wood.
Installations system: the building is conceived to maximize the passive systems for conditioning the air through a sustainable study that takes advantage of ground mass to low the temperatures and the humidity. Therefore a minimum energy will be employed on this purpose.

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AR08015FT-Morro Jable

08 015 MORRO JABLE. FUERTEVENTURA IS. 2008 28.640M2
Convention center schematic design

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Estamos en Fuerteventura, y estamos tranquilos. Pero hace de 30 a 12 millones de años la zona vivió una intensa actividad volcánica que dio lugar a la estructura principal de la isla. Se abrieron diversas zonas de emisión de coladas volcánicas que crearon a los tres principales protagonistas geológicos de la isla: Tetir al norte, Gran Tarajal en el centro y Jandía al sur.
Estamos en la municipalidad de Pájara, concretamente en el núcleo de Morro Jable, en la península de Jandía. Pero las personas hace muy poco que llegamos a este lugar, la geología nos precedió. Nos encontramos sobre lo que se da en llamar el edificio volcánico de Jandía, formado por lo que fueron coladas basálticas de escasa potencia intercaladas con escorias, piroclastos y aglomerados.
El paisaje está dibujado con elevaciones alargadas y transversales conocidas con el muy majorero nombre de cuchillos, seguramente debido a su aspecto de profundas incisiones, causadas por la erosión.
Limahoya quiere sugerir un asentamiento geológico para los equipamientos llamados a situarse sobre una de las antiguas coladas volcánicas para luego ir descendiendo hacia uno de sus cuchillos. En la cota más elevada, el visitante encontrará una secuencia de plazas que ordenaran el acceso a los diversos equipamientos abriendo una vista panorámica sobre la costa este.

A partir de ahí se irá descendiendo a la manera de coladas por el interior de los equipamientos en una circulación mixta que podrá utilizar las terrazas-cubierta como un sendero exterior por el que ir llegando a las distintas áreas. Los equipamientos van descendiendo independientemente hasta la cota 90 donde una calle transversal los comunica justo antes de que lleguen a la cota inferior en la que se ubica un segundo acceso de servicio.
La propuesta para el Auditorio Municipal y el Palacio de Congresos se coloca como primera pieza de este nuevo edificio geológico. En una configuración que vuelve a inspirarse en las coladas originales que dieron lugar a los cuchillos, el conservatorio y la biblioteca se colocan en la zona superior y susceptibles de funcionar independientemente. Una circulación mixta interior y exterior va dando accesos a distintas salas de exposiciones y actos, provocando vistas panorámicas y enmarcando el horizonte de la costa este y el mar. El auditorio tiene anverso, como espacio interior, y reverso, que lo ubica a la manera de los emplazamientos clásicos de los teatros griegos, sin extraños muros ni secretos centros, buscando un fondo espectacular para el escenario exterior. El camino interior y el sendero exterior tercamente se bifurcan en otro, sin fin, abriendo al visitante la vista al cielo, al mar, a las terrazas, a los distintos ámbitos del equipamiento. No se espera, no se aguarda, un movimiento natural se bifurca sin fin en la maraña de interminable piedra entretejida.

AR08002TR-Poliesportiu Tarragona

08 002 POLIESPORTIU SANT JORDI. TARRAGONA. 2008 14.032M2
Sport center design development

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Repensar el lloc. L’estudi inicial del lloc, en la seva actual configuració, porta a la conclusió de què es tracta d’un solar privilegiat on s’hi ha anat intervenint, sense planificació, per a agregació de diferents peces específiques fins a la colmatació de l’espai disponible. Repensar el lloc és fugir de l’actual configuració, de l’aglomerat construït que colmata l’espai disponible.

Tàbula rasa. Per a fugir de l’actual configuració, ha estat necessari entendre el lloc com el solar que va ser ja fa temps. Un espai lliure, entre les edificacions adjacents, envoltat per tres carrers i interconnectat amb diferents zones de la ciutat. Una plaça, en definitiva.

Recollir el dinamisme inherent. Obrir el lloc a la ciutat i recollir els fluxes naturals de comunicació (Avgda. Principat d’Andorra), de circulació fins el mar (Avgda. President Lluís Companys) i d’activitat vital (Plaça Imperial Tarraco). Tot plegat arropat per la tranquilitat i potencial versatilitat del C/ Marqués de Guat.

Concentrar, per a després alliberar. Donada la gran dimensió del programa a implantar-hi, ens trobem davant una situació equiparable a la d’altres temps en el passat: la necessitat d’afegir volums específics fins a ocupar la totalitat de la superfície del solar. Fins a tamponar el solar. Precisament per evitar errors com els de temps passats, la proposta n’inverteix l’esquema. Allibera una gran plaça i concentra la gran part del programa esportiu sota la plaça. Allibera un espai públic de referència, un nou parc de interrelació per a la ciutat, des del què afloren els cossos de programa més singulars, donant façana, imatge de conjunt, i facilitant l’accés a l’equipament sota la plaça.

Plaça per a tothom. L’espai alliberat s’erigeix com a emblema de la proposta, donant prestació al barri en el què s’instal·la el nou complexe i complementant, a la vegada, l’equipament en sí. D’aquesta manera, la plaça és una gran prestació i un reclam per al nou complexe esportiu Sant Jordi. El nou centre s’instal·la en un lloc amb accés públic, dinàmic i interconnectat, a la vegada que els seus espais s’enriqueixen en possibilitar-se la continuïtat d’usos interior-exterior.

Soterrar com a virtut. Arrecerar, aixoplugar. L’acció de soterrar gran part del programa esportiu, permet dotar les diferents peces del grau d’introspecció i intimitat adequats, alhora que poden estar relacionades amb espais exteriors “privats”. En tots els espais que ho requereixin, s’habilita una perfecta il·luminació i ventil·lació natural a través de patis ajardinats i lluernaris en coberta. El soterrament també possibilita la disposició òptima de les peces, de manera que cada element tingui la dimensió requerida (amplada, longitud, altura) i la interrelació adequada. La distribució sota rasant queda alliberada de restriccions volumètriques i propicia el bon funcionament de les instal·lacions esportives. Al mateix temps, millora notablement el comportament bioclimàtic de l’edfici.

Interconnexió programàtica. Els edificis sobre la plaça (Edifici administratiu i Edifici de programa esportiu addicional) queden perfectament connectats, a cobert i per espais climatitzats, amb els equipaments sota plaça (Piscina coberta 2 i Pavelló poliesportiu triple). D’aquesta manera, TOT el conjunt funciona com un edifici unitari (inclosa la pista doble poliesportiva).

Major inversió inicial, major rentabilitat. El principal objectiu de la proposta, és a dir, que el nou complexe esportiu Sant Jordi sigui un conjunt obert a la ciutat, un lloc d’interrelació urbana i alhora un espai òptim per a la pràctica esportiva, fa que la inversió inicial a realitzar en la construcció del complexe sigui més elevada. Malgrat tot, és precisament degut a les prestacions amb què es dota la proposta, derivades d’aquesta inversió inicial superior, que la rentabilitat en l’explotació posterior del complexe és també major, amb escreix, cosa que fa recomanable aquest esforç inicial superior. Aquesta major rentabilitat es fonamenta principalment en els tres aspectes següents: – La decisió, radicalment urbana, de què el nou conjunt alliberi un gran espai, un parc, una plaça, i que els accessos s’hi realitzin des d’allà, és en sí mateix, un gran reclam per al centre. Això, juntament amb les òptimes característiques (naturalesa, qualitat i dimensió) de les instal·lacions proposades, fa que les previsions d’afluència de futurs usuaris es vegin notablement incrementades. En donar servei a més usuaris, la rentabilitat augmenta. – El fet de situar gran part del programa sota rasant, suposa un increment en els costos de construcció. No obstant, l’adequada coordinació entre els equips de construcció, gestió i arquitectura durant el procés de disseny, permet minimitzar costos, agilitzar els processos d’obra, obtenir la rentabilitat adequada i oferir als usuaris un conjunt de gran qualitat arquitectònica. – La inserció en el conjunt d’un edifici amb programa addicional, un edifici quasi independent però amb accés i gestió des del complexe, que proposa usos més relacionats amb el lleure i el culte al cos (fitness i wellness), implica una rentabilitat d’explotació per sobre dels estàndards habituals en instal·lacions esportives “convencionals”.

La seguretat com a punt fonamental de projecte. La proposta compleix amb tots els requisits de seguretat contemplats a les Normatives Urbanístiques, el Codi Tècnic de l’Edificació i a la CPI-96.

IN08026FB-FUNDACIÓ BOFILL

08 026 FUNDACIÓ BOFILL. BARCELONA. 2008 1.075M2
New headquarters of theBofill Foundation competition

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Fer memòria per a canviar

Les coses no tenen per què ser el que semblen. De fet les coses no són de cap manera. El que sí podríem dir és que tots tenim un principis, propis, sobre els que construïm unes certes opinions i, sobretot, tenim voluntats, i les comuniquem, les defensen.
La fundació Jaume Bofill té la seva seu al carrer de Provença, al número 324 per a ser exactes, en un immoble conegut com Casa Parellada i que va ser edificat el 1909. Però de fet no és una, sinó dos. Entre el 1907 i el 1909 Arnau Calvet Peyronill, arquitecte modernista, va projectar la Casa Armenteras i al seu costat la que és la seu actual de la fundació. Dos edificis diferents però concebuts amb una façana unitària.
La proposta per a la reforma de la seu de la Fundació Jaume Bofill pot entendre’s com un exercici d’epigènesi. Paraula excessivament tècnica que podem traduir com el procés que neix d’una estructura clàssica d’edifici d’habitatges de l’eixample barceloní, amb una escala al bell mig i uns patis de llum d’una eficiència higiènica acceptable però d’una capacitat suggeridora precària. A partir d’aquest estat, s’inicia un procés de desenvolupament intern mitjançant el qual aquesta estructura vertical i interna es diferencia i es fa més complexa per aconseguir un edifici unitari on abans teníem una successió de plantes superposades.
Primer hem d’analitzar on som, qui som, fer memòria. Partim d’uns patis de llum, d’una escala, d’uns ascensors, alguns els podem alterar, altres estan protegits per les seves qualitat intrínseques i no poden ser transformats, potser fan massa memòria. Aquest ordre de patis i plantes va ser acceptat durant molts anys, però no és l’únic possible. El propi edifici portava gravat a la seva memòria els mecanismes que permetran la seva pròpia modificació.
Patis, escales, circulacions, comunicacions. Aquesta és la llavor que prenem de l’edifici original i que tractem traçant cercles que s’expandeixen, estenent-se des dels patis, escales, circulacions, comunicacions originals. Cercles que intersecant-se, variant els seu radis, creixent en arcs adequats van delimitant ampliacions dels patis originals o nous paviments de vidre que volen acostar-se a les transparències dels propis patis. L’edifici, amb l’ajuda de la nostra actuació, és capaç de sintonitzar-se per a adaptar-se eficientment a les seves noves necessitats d’ús, a les noves exigències d’uns usuaris que volen treballar en espais més inspiradors i suggerents.
L’edifici ha de ser capaç d’aprendre i, a partir d’una consciència del que és ara i sense desmemoriar-se tenir la gosadia de canviar de forma fonamental, única manera de mantenir-se viu.

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AR08033TB-TORRE-FARO BRASIL

08 033 TORRE-FARO BRASIL. RIO DE JANEIRO. 2008 2.000M2
Tower-lighthouse. 17-storey building competition

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Undressing the ilha de Cotunduba

The Ilha de Cotunduba is excited by the proximity of the 2016 Olympics, wakes up and stretches its arms with the clear intention of reaching the sky, diving into the sea and being visible from the far distance city and by the new visitors arriving by plane.
The Ilha de Cotunduba has decided it is the time to get the finger of responsibility pointing to it and find a new position among the main attractions of Rio de Janeiro. For this new self-assigned task, the Ilha searches inspiration looking towards the people moving along the Copacabana Beach at the same time that feels that the figure of the Pao de Açúcar could be a true companion. The strategy lies on a paradoxical merging between the leisurely walking of the people enjoying Capacabana Beach, the watching and guiding position of such an icon as the Pao de Açúcar and the rhythmic character of the sea.
Beginning from the geological nature of the island itself, the structure for a Tower-Lighthouse emerges from the sea to define a pier that starts a sort of rambling that spreads the rest of the structure like an echo. Once the structure is deeply rooted on the island’s earth, greenery and rocks, the first echoes become a song that guides the rising of the steel structure emerging from the island in the fashion of a stripper that gradually removes this earth, the greenery and rocks to let room for the leisure and cultural facilities to be allocated along the tower.
The Tower-Lighthouse drags the natural elements of the island all along its height. The Tower wants to bring into accord the natural environment of the island with the new uses, avoiding the construction of a self sufficient and independent structure. The result is a movement that pretends to raise the island itself while finding a privileged view for the new facilities and uses.
The Tower is a protrude flow of natural elements that find the way to remain in their new high-rise position. A tower to see the city and a tower to be seen, from the rest of the world. In front of the Morro de Leme and between the Copacabana Beach and the Pao de Açúcar, in a strategic position to wave the ships entering the harbour or planes landing into the city airport.
The scheme is mixed and the proposal wants to integrate observation, leisure, culture and retail in a harmonious walk by clearly concentrating every use on consecutive levels and leaving the task of sewing the promenade to the observation decks and the bridges and paths that communicate them. The Tower grows calmly and irregularly like strolling upwards and having the time to stop here and there on the observation decks to get advantage of the views.

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AR08042ZP-ZA’ABEEL PARK DUBAI

08 042 ZA’ABEEL PARK. DUBAI. 2008 1.000M2
Tall emblem structure competition

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Tall(2) Emblem(3) Structure(1) at Za’abeel Park

1. Structure

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Structure usually refers to any large, man-made object permanently fixed to Earth’s surface, as a result of construction. But structure is besides that, a fundamental and sometimes intangible notion covering the recognition, observation, nature, and stability of patterns and relationships of entities. The concept of structure is therefore an essential foundation of nearly every mode of inquiry and discovery in science, philosophy, and art.
A structure defines what a system is made of. It is a configuration of items. It is a collection of inter-related components or services. The structure may be a hierarchy or a network featuring many-to-many relationships.
The competition for a Tall Emblem Structure proposes a discussion about the concept of structure. This is not just about the geometry and physics of the tower itself, but about the invisible links that relate those entities, joining the structure together. The proposal presents a tower of the required height, the first entity of the structure, that houses three airships, flying entities and also part of the structure.
Both the tower and the airships, are intimally related the same way we are attached to the place we live. The tower houses the airships and, they are linked with that place they leave in the morning and go back at night. Flying plans, views, wind directions and intensities that hit the tower… the structure is made of invisible relations between those items and the surrounding environment.
The visitor will enter the lower tower levels and the Thyseen elevator, which will accelerate to bring him up to the 120m level where the cafeteria with astonishing views over Dubai stands. The visitor’s children will for sure stop one level just above, where the children library is, at level 125m. Whether or not they go to the planned conference on the 3rd level, at 130m, it’s not that important, because they’re actually heading to the floor above that: the plattform at 130m where the airship is anchored. Depending on the direction of the winds that day, the canopy around him will turn to point it and act as protection for the airship. The visitor will then be able to board the airship through its nose and leave it for a lift around the city or to higher altitudes, to have the most amazing views of the region. The structure will expand with them, following their trace, bringing it further, as far as they will bring it with them.

2. Tall

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Through centuries, the act of building has been both an action of need but also of power and perennial. Kings, popes, and heads of state have used the buildings they have promoted to leave behind them a reminder of the time they were at their positions.
Height has been one of the most desired features in the constructions man achieved through time. Rising towards the sky has been a sign of power for politics, religion, money and culture, and it has been achieved in the societies that invested in the development of the necessary technologies, to fight a temporary won battle of man against gravity.
More prosaically, the construction and use of structures separating from Earth has been used to enhance views and specially communications. From the use of mountains from which to send smoke signals, to the lighthouses and the radio antennas.
Built for the International Exhibition in 1989, as a Centennial Celebration of the French Revolution, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure of its time, 325m. In 1909 was about to be dismantled, but it was just kept for its communication purposes with an antenna which is still in use today.
In 1930, the tower lost the title of the world’s tallest structure when the Chrysler Building was completed in New York City. It went just one year later to the Empire State Building, also in New York, which stood as the world’s tallest building for more than forty years until the World Trade Center North Tower was completed in 1972. Afterwards the title went to the Petronas Buildings in Singapour, the Taipei 101 building in Taiwan and it will go to the Burj Dubai Building during this year 2009.
The title of “The World’s Tallest Building” is announced by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), a non-for-profit organization based at the Illinois Institute of Technology in the city of Chicago. They define the criterion that a construction need to meet to be the tallest building or tower and, they will hardly agree on the fact that the project is actually a proposal for the tallest manmade structure, for the airship, being the flying entity of the tower, will be able to fly until 8.000m with a total weight of 1Tn.
In fact, the Empire State Building spire was already designed to be a mooring mast and depot for dirigibles, while the 102nd floor was originally a landing platform with a dirigible gangplank. The idea was abandoned after a few attempts with airships, due to the powerful updrafts caused by the size of the building itself,
However, the project proposes the tower entity acting as a parapet, and therefore turning its aerodynamic head to point against the dominant winds and allow the docking of arriving airships.
If the Eiffel Tour was the tallest building of its time by using the latest technology developed, the steel structure, the proposed project presents its XXIst Century version, being the aerospace technology the current paradigm of the development and progress of our technology and societies.

3. Emblem

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An Emblem is an image, abstract or representational, that represents a person, such as a king, or a country. It acts like and Ambassador, representing its country or its king. They have been deployed for ages in their name. They were their word and their image.
The project proposes a structure being an Emblem in two different ways. On one side, it is a symbol of the modernity of the emirate of Dubai, and will be appreciated by the milions of tourists visiting the region every year.
On the other hand, the three airships housed in its interior will travel around the city, the country and up to 8000m, providing touristic tours for the visitors. But they will also travel beyond the borders of Dubai, to act as Ambassadors of the country, and they will be a travelling symbol going from one city to another, a symbolic object used as an identifying mark for Dubai, such as the Skyship 600 dirigible “Spirit of Dubai”, promoting the country as a leading regional hub and home for the most iconic projects in present time.

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AR09017SF-ESCOLA TALLER SANT FELIU

09 017 ESCOLA TALLER. ST FELIU DE LL. 2009 1.120M2
School workshop competition

Omplir un buit

Ja fa temps que ens ho dèiem: som petits i necessitem ser grans. I clar, alguna cosa n’havíem de fer. I ara, finalment, ha arribat el moment de créixer. Tenim un edifici històric que ens agrada i volem conservar, i un jardí modernista que ens alegra els matins, les primaveres i les pluges de tardor, perquè cada estació té els seus encants, els seus misteris. Però hem de créixer, i molt.
El terreny, l’espai que tenim, és el és i, clar, ja diuen que d’on no n’hi ha no en raja. Però això no és un problema, perquè també diuen que els tresors són enterrats. Per aconseguir els metres que necessitem, totalment preciosos, ens posem a gratar per a fer-nos lloc cap avall. Com que no es agrada que ningú estigui sota terra, en comptes de fer un forat el que fem és un motllo, una forma que ocupa tot el terreny deixant tranquils allà on són l’edifici històric i el jardí modernista i reservant una franja tot al voltant que ja veuràs per a què és. Primer ens entretenim fent una peça buidada, com un negatiu d’un objecte que algú tingués la intenció de reproduir. Com que la Terra és un planeta rodonet, el motllo ens surt una mica així, rodonet. Després d’això el que fem és omplir aquest motllo, però en comptes de fer-ho amb una pasta que ho acabi ocupant tot, hi col·loquem unes peces regulars, uns rectangles, que farem servir per als tallers que necessitem. Gràcies a que tot balla una mica no ens sentim apretats, que corri l’aire. L’espai que ens queda sense tallers el deixem tal i com està i en fem patis als que podem sortir i per on ens entra la llum. De fet ens surt un pati amb dos caps i una cintura que comunicarà aquests tallers amb l’edifici històric i amb la resta del que ens cal. Perquè encara necessitem més espai, un menjador, unes cuines… Doncs llavors continuem amb el joc de portar peces i buscar-lis el seu motllo. I ara apareixen, com caigudes del cel, un grup de peces perfectes per al menjador, les cuines… però clar, el motllo ja el tenim ocupat. Ara el que fem és ajuntar aquestes peces en una de grossa que fa el seu propi motllo al sostre que es converteix en un terrat. Aquest terrat té una forma que li ve donada per les peces que el formen, les quals s’han anat girant al seu aire per a escollir la millor relació amb el context urbà que ens ha vingut donat.
D’aquesta manera hem aconseguit créixer primer fent un motllo que no omplint del tot i després deixant una peça suspesa sobre els patis que aporta un terrat. I per unificar-ho tot, la franja que hem reservat al voltant fa alhora de tanca i nou jardí, convertint tot el perímetre en un hort lineal que serà la façana unitària de les diferents peces i un tercer motllo que deixarà que les peces es moguin i relacionin entre elles amb total llibertat. I ens acaba sortint una forma una mica misteriosa que delimita peces regulars, com si haguéssim ajuntat el motllo d’un joc de nens amb les peces d’un altre joc i tothom hagi de buscar una ubicació diferent que en comptes de ser un problema és una aportació. Amb les seves diferències, els seus encants, els seus misteris.

AR10019AD-APARTHOTEL ABU DHABI

10 019 APARTHOTEL ABU DHABI. 2010 8.640M2
Aparthotel competition

The magic of shadow

The hot and arid climate of the Arabian Peninsula gives a unique opportunity to enjoy the suggestive appearance of the shadow. The vernacular building of the desert is a movable structure of poles and fabric that creates a shelter both for the hot day and the chilly night. Behaving as a truly predecessor of the so called intelligent fabrics, the woven surface that is supported by poles contracts when it rains and doesn’t let the water in, its usually dark colour can become enough hot to create such a difference between interior and exterior temperature that creates an air flow that helps to stand the hottest part of the day. At night, the weave is dense enough to keep the warmth created by a small fire inside.
We propose to read and modernise such an Arab technique in order to create a building both contemporary and deeply rooted in the Arab tradition, with the intention to provide a new experience that takes advantage of the extreme conditions instead of fighting them.
The new apart hotel for the C-28 Plot it is envisioned as a shading envelope that creates exterior areas protected from the sun. Its aim is to recover a naturally acclimatised exterior area for activities, both pleasure and business.
By means of a structure of different densities depending on it orientation it is created an exterior space around all floors and basement that allows to provide a transitional space of shadow from the sun blinding exterior to the artificially controlled interiors. It density varies depending on it orientation and on the south façade a set of solar panels helps to stress the shadow, meanwhile on the north side the lattice structure shows its lowest density. Between those extreme situations it is created a subtle transition that brings different types of shadow to the interiors. The shadow envelope and the interior façade, a second skin, establish a flexible relationship, approaching and moving apart from each other depending on the program. On the northeast and southwest corners the interior façade is set apart to allow a big in-between area for the shadow to mingle, while the envelope structure extends close to the ground to maximise protection. On the other façades, the envelope goes gradually upwards marking clearly the entrance area both for pedestrians and cars. The first skin provides the experience of shadow, the second skin keeps a controlled environment.
The basement and the first floor are public. The basement houses retail shops that are connected by the space protected with shadow. The first floor is intended for meeting and reunion rooms for the apart Hotel clients or external visitors. The penthouse is occupied by a fitness and a relation areas, and allows the clients to practice sport on the exterior protected area. The rest of the floors are intended for apartments, all connected to the in-between space of shadow and offering to each client a private taste of the magic of shadow that the whole building creates.

AR10023BI-BINJIANG CENTURY AV

10 023 BINJIANG CENTURY AV. 2010 60.192M2
Multifunctional bloc competition

BOEE Multifunctional block

BOEE Multifunctional block will be one more of the new towers in project for the New Century City Area, south-east bank of Qian Tang River, in front of Hangzhou new Central Business District. The two banks of the river aim to become the new center of Hangzhou city, where recent high rise buildings and new facilities projects are trying to inject new life. Our proposal consists on the rising of an alternative icon to be unique amongst the different expressions of verticality of the new district. BOEE Urban Incubator will be a new focal point on the area together with the two highest landmarks set up with that purpose on the Century City Urban Plan.
The stacked boxes of the new BOEE Urban Incubator are an expression of the programmatic complexity for the new mixed use development: offices, shops, luxury apartments, facilities and BOEE new headquarters. Each program parcel is contained in a different box and stacked in a position determined by its particular views, orientation and representativeness requirements: the apartments are placed in the higher levels, taking advantage of the views and orientation, while retail and offices are placed in the lower levels. BOEE Headquarters are stacked over the public offices, offering the representativeness needed by the developer company.
Offices allow flexible partitioning to suit market trends and customer needs, ranging from 50sqm offices to over 300sqm. The smallest units are placed along the north facade while the medium and larger offices face south orientation. Apartments are arranged in four different configurations –TP1 to TP4-, offering five different 400sqm apartment types, each one divisible in smaller units. All the living rooms and master bedrooms face south-west and enjoy river views. The luxury Club House in the 11th floor creates a leisure space of exclusivity for the owners, providing facilities such as fitness center, swimming pool, SPA, club bar, kindergarten and business center. The Club House can be opened also to the users of the offices and the Headquarters, offering the rental of meeting rooms in different configurations, ranging from 16 people boardroom to 50 people classroom and cocktail style rooms.
Chinese traditional architecture is present on the facades layout, consisting on a latticed structural system that links the shared Chinese and Spanish tradition of the lattice and the contemporary demand of a new urban icon. The galleries, pointed also as one of the most characteristic elements of traditional Chinese architecture, are used on the Headquarters, apartments and club house areas to provide a buffering zone between the inside and the city. Galleries help the users to control the solar irradiation and the noise, as well as they offer multiple circulations and filter areas such as tea rooms and verandas in the apartments or resting and meeting areas in the offices. The latticed facade confers a unitary image to the whole block, expression of the versatility of the different boxes. The structural system consists on a central concrete core where elevators and stairs are placed, combined with the concrete latticed facade, without any interior columns. The concrete structure is tiled with natural stone cladding. A big porch is used as the reception area in the first floor, and provides access to the main obbies of towers I and II. The nine meters high lobbies contains reception and lounge areas. The commercial arcade is designed in accordance with the rest of the building. Besides the shopping areas attached to the lobbies of towers I and II, two low rise buildings contain the main retail area and are used to shelter the access ramps to the parking placed in the three basements. Shops areas range from 150sqm  to 500sqm.
A landscaped plaza, opened to the adjacent streets, combines green and water areas within a modern original pattern in keeping with the blurry effect created of the latticed facades. A central shallow lake occupies the core of the landscape area articulating the cars circulation, while several scattered gentle slopes are used to filter the relation with the surrounding roads and to provide a natural atmosphere to the opened plaza. A striking multicolored pavement is used to arrange both cars and pedestrians circulations.

CN11002CC-CENTURY CITY

11 002 CENTURY CITY. 2011 218.890M2
Multifunctional bloc competition

Storey buildings in the Century City Area

Hangzhou is striding from the West Lake Era to the Qiantang River Era. The New Century City, together with the Qiantang Central Business District, aim to become the new centre of a large Metropolitan Hangzhou, as a result of the integration of Binjiang, Xiaoshan and Xiasha Districts with the present city.
The new Wanxiang Multifunctional Block will be a new focal point on the Century City Area and one of the new landmarks of Hangzhou new city centre, an icon amongst the different expressions of verticality of the new district.
The three towers are placed in the south cross of Shixin and Shizheng Road, and connected to the Subway exit. The connectivity of the project with the complex urban flows is one of the main premises to take into consideration.
The floor plans are designed to maximize efficiency and versatility to hold the different program requirements –office and hotel. As a result, the three buildings are rectangular shaped refusing formalism and design gesture.
The iconic value is given by the treatment of the facade, based on the idea of a vanishing tower that dematerializes upwards fading the limits of the building with the sky.
A screen printed glass facade gives shape to the dematerialization by losing density from the ground upwards, turning the buildings from a bright-white, abstract skin on the lower levels into a glass facade that fades with the sky at its top.
The white stripped printed glass pieces are arranged with different densities, from a 50% transparency at the lower levels until 100%. To reinforce the effect of dematerialization, the facade overtakes the height of the building with a light glazed veil that blurs the tangible limits of the building.
The public sky yards and other public areas are shown as a series of transparent areas carved out of the building mass, introducing some variations in the facade.
At night, the white stripes are light with a system based on LED technology, expressing the effect of dematerialization from the bottom to the top.