In 2012 at the latest, when a Chinese architect received the prestigious Pritzker Prize for the first time ever, the professional community started noticing and realizing that contemporary Chinese building culture is among the most innovative and adventurous found anywhere today. It is truly amazing how the technically most daring designs can be implemented within the shortest possible time. At the same time, Chinese architects mediate between modernity and architectural tradition and turn to regional typologies to rediscover traditional craft techniques. This volume features a wide range of typologies, styles, sizes, and locations that have one thing in common - their designers hail from China and have made the world of architecture stop and take notice of their work. Content Number 31 in Shanghai (Neri&Hu Design and Research Office) YueCheng Courtyard Kindergarten in Beijing (MAD Architects) Shangwei Village Plugin Houses in Shenzhen (People's Architecture Office) Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum (Studio Zhu Pei) Dichi Service Center in Qingdao (HHDFUN) ...
"Architecture starts when you carefully put two bricks together. There it begins." Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Buildings made of brick are found in very different epochs and cultures all over the world. Always astonishing, the qualities of brickwork continue to be explored by the world's best architects until today. A key characteristic of the material's success since time immemorial has always been the ease of planning due to its standardized production and the resulting harmonized building processes. In addition to longevity, amazing constructive possibilities as well as inexpensive and at the same time environmentally friendly production are among the qualities that are particularly valued today. Using computer software solutions, and even robots in some cases, today's architects are deploying brick in inventive ways: perforated, pixelated, undulating and more.
The featured works from the past and present are a demonstration of how the use and popularity of bricks has not diminished one bit over the millennia, and is even gaining popularity today.
A key symbol of globalization, containers have connected the globe for many decades. Now the networking is entering its second round: Architecturally redesigned containers are present in our direct living environments as an expression of a contemporary lifestyle - independent, flexible, and unconventional.
This volume presents the latest container projects from around the world and shows how originally mass-produced items can be turned into exceptional one-of-a-kind objects. As bars, exhibition spaces, or pop-up stores they are present in the urban context as a platform for communication and consumption, while expanded container modules serve as interestingly understated homes, and individual box elements offer creative work environments. The phrase "to think outside the box" is thus given an architectural identity.
Architectes et décorateurs s'intéressent de plus en plus à la reconversion des bâtiments et espaces chargés d'histoire. Bien que le choix de réaménager plutôt que de démolir purement et simplement puisse être motivé par des raisons économiques, c'est surtout le résultat de considérations liées au développement durable et à la prise de conscience de la valeur inhérente au bâti ancien. Le présent ouvrage aborde les différentes possibilités qui s'ouvrent lorsqu'en entend revitaliser un bâtiment ancien de manière créative et fonctionnelle.
Les réalisations présentées ont été soigneusement sélectionnées en fonction de leur originalité et de leur ingéniosité. L'objectif est moins de rénover le bâti ancien que de conserver les traces de son passé, quitte à les mettre en valeur à l'occasion. Qu'elle établisse un vif contraste entre l'ancien et le nouveau ou qu'elle réinterprète les surfaces et l'espace dans leur ensemble, la reconversion se fait toujours en établissant un lien direct et fascinant entre le passé et le présent.
As opposed to a decade ago, when ecological architecture was still often considered a luxury, it has now become practically impossible to build without considering sustainability issues. Ecological balance aspects have become a crucial part of the planning and construction process. In recent years especially, a canon of standard methods and possibilities has emerged to successfully implement environmentally friendly architecture.
However, there are architects whose ideas and techniques for sustainable buildings go even beyond the recently established, sometimes mandatory, standards. This publication discusses such new and innovative ecological construction solutions. The author presents projects from all over the world that rise above the standard measures and concepts to point the way to the future.
L'architecture hospitalière reflète la société dans un état d'évolution. Comment nous occupons-nous de nos patients ? Quels environnements de travail offrons-nous aux aidants naturels ? Comment l'hôpital s'intègre-t-il dans notre ville ? Lorsqu'il s'agit de planifier un hôpital, les architectes ne sont pas seulement confrontés au défi de combiner de manière significative la fonction et la construction. Ils conçoivent également des salles qui servent temporairement d'environnement de travail et de vie pour les patients, le personnel et les proches. Christine Nickl-Weller et Hans Nickl travaillent dans le domaine de la construction hospitalière depuis 40 ans. Forts de leur riche expérience pratique et de leur recherche universitaire, ils voient l'hôpital à différents niveaux. Cette vision holistique est enrichie par les contributions d'auteurs renommés issus de disciplines aussi diverses que la psychologie, la gestion de la santé, l'architecture du paysage et l'histoire de l'art.
Since 2008, for the first time in human history, more people reside in cities than in the countryside. As a result, suburban housing development is one of the most important construction tasks of our times. Architects and urban planners face the challenge of creating residential space and the associated infrastructure in the periphery or vicinity of modern cities.
Whether large or small, such projects offer the opportunity of combining the advantages of urban and rural life. While many such housing developments were designed in isolation in the past, there are increasingly successful projects today that can serve as templates for future construction projects. The contents of this volume focus on the architectural aspects of row houses, residential parks, gated communities, and large housing developments.
Always received with a mix of fascination and awe, blob architecture is conquering the metropolises of the world. With their futuristic look - softly rounded at times, boldly curved at others - the buildings stand out from the bulk of urban structures. Whether a classic computer-generated blob, an experiment with new mould-breaking shapes, or in combination with deconstructive elements - the applied cutting-edge technologies and materials are fertile grounds for unlimited creativity.
Blob! Round Shapes, Fluid Forms presents the best contemporary projects from around the world, giving a comprehensive overview of current developments. The projects that were carefully selected for this book are as unique as they are versatile and vivid proof that the fascination of the blob remains as strong as ever.
