An idyllic setting deserves careful intervention to preserve its natural beauty.  This conservative approach would help not only create a picturesque setting for the house but it will also use the vegetation as a protective mechanism for stormwater management, soil stabilization, and erosion prevention, all critical in proximity to wetlands.

The different versions of the project here included a search for optimal daylight conditions, natural ventilation, preservation of the landscape, and a response to potential flooding.

There are different versions of the house, responding to the zoning ordinances with regard to land coverage, setbacks, and building heights.

While some versions borrow from traditions, all projects are distinctively contemporary.  They are simple in form and structural modulation to ensure constructability.

Given the nature of the site and the market surrounding the property, we have assumed a house for a typical family of 4 to 6 people, with at least three bedrooms and additional spaces such as work areas or separate family rooms.

In addition, all offer a healthy amount of covered outdoor spaces that should be able to be used the majority of the year with the basic introduction of simple strategies.

The pandemic has impacted the way we have to think about residential projects, both in multi-family and single family settings. Flexibility, proper ventilation, access to exterior spaces have become almost a need rather than a luxury.

These design exercise focused on different options for what a small property in Providence could accommodate.

Different scenarios were studied, two single-family conditions, and two attached house conditions, ranging in overall dimensions.

The zoning ordinances dictating setbacks, overall building area, and height have been used as a starting point.

The town of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, has countless interesting buildings that were once part of a thriving community. Many of these structures were part of the industry of the area which included iron working and cotton textile mills.

In the 1920s the town was very prosperous, primarily due to its textile industry which brought cultural activities and housing to the area.

Following the Great Depression, the textile industry began to decline, and with it many of these old structures became abandoned.

One of these warehouse buildings is 1029 Charles Street which was the object of study of iVY.

The building had been filled-in randomly over time without much care for its past. Analyzing the building for a feasibility study, we became aware of its original use, a boxing club.

This use informs its spatial logic and its structural organization although it was hidden in the clutter of the interior additions done over time. An exterior simple volume of concrete block walls and pilasters defines the boundary. Inside, a series of wood columns support the roof using steel beams, and the balconies that once looked over the boxing rings.

In reviewing the design study the client previously conducted, we questioned the potential of the building from a different perspective. Our approach consisted of finding a way to capitalize on such a magnificent structure, while at the same time providing public space that would benefit the residents and the neighborhood community.

The resulting strategy consists of rebuilding, in CLT planks and heavy timber, the balconies, taking advantage of the current structure. In this balcony, the units are laid out, surrounding an open, public space for the community of residents to use.

This internal semi-covered courtyard offers a more tempered condition than the outside and provides opportunities for both leisure and environmental performance optimization.

The residential units are organized on two floors and arranged in such a way that daylight is optimized and cross ventilation is possible.

The courtyard would also offer the possibility of being used as part of the heat-recovery ventilation process for the units.

In the lower level, there is also a commercial space that is accessible from both the street and the courtyard.

The parking lot level, conceptualized as an entry court, is dug out to meet the first-floor level of the building, achieving a barrier-free design and a clear entrance. Two vehicular ramps on both bounding streets resolve the level difference and provide access and exit from the site.

The materials used consist of wood for interior construction and corrugated metal cladding, both referring to the industrial past of the town.

The exterior metal cladding protects the new insulating layer of the wall. An air space is created between the corrugated metal and the existing wall that will work environmentally to dissipate accumulated heat or moisture.

The overall composition relies on repetitive elements that could optimize its construction. In addition, the larger windows on the street façade provide opportunities for neighbors to interact and create community.

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/371aadd0-b8c8-463e-bcd4-be385ff745e5&version=2

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/7d67d37b-132e-4b9f-b66c-609915547dc6&version=2

The proposal departs from a series of premises outlined in the competition brief and from observations during a site visit.

The directive called for a compact building footprint in order to expand the park condition and improve its connection to Tösstalstrasse and Adlerstrasse. However, there were parameters given about the program to be allocated in the ground floor, combined with the requirements of preservations of the basements, which represented a significant challenge.

The second driving factor is the role on nature, both on the site and on the well-being of the elderly. From a therapeutic and well-being standpoint, the sensorial dimension of nature is proved to have a very positive impact on the health of the elderly. The scents, colors, birds and other wild life, as well as the possibility of working on the garden, could have a very positive benefits in the healthy life of the residents.

The vegetation in the park is also an important asset. Some of the trees have lived for centuries and they represent a rich legacy of the site and it is important to preserve them for future generations.

All these principles inform the urban strategy of the proposal, which preserves the natural assets of the site and provides settings in which nature is a constant protagonist.

The new building is placed primarily on the edge of Adlerstrasse as defining a boundary of the park. It preserves the majority of the trees, particularly the large Falgus Sylvatica “Pendula’ on the north side of the site.

A low volume articulates the connection between the new building and the existing residence, following the alignment of the basement of the Büroanbau wing which is completely preserved. The outline of the low volume and a formal fence around the west and north sides of the site, begin to encapsulate a portion of the park and creates a form of walled-in garden mostly accessible to the residents and users of the building.

The main volume of the new building is placed in such a way that it participates from all the main areas of the park and its surrounding.

The connection to its setting is also brought into the upper levels of the building. The rooms are organized around a winter garden which is timidly connected with the park through an outdoor stair. The garden offers a nice temperate setting for nice conversations or therapeutic work on the plants.

The roof of the low volume also becomes a private garden, sheltered from the street by a tall wall that provides scale to the entrance of the building and reflects the southern light into the rooftop garden.

On its southern side, a playful arrangement of large terraces offers spectacular views of the park, its historic structures and the general context. The terraces are well sheltered from the summer sun.

The Reussbühl cantonal school is located in the mixed-use neighborhood of the Ruopigen district in the north of Lucerne. The school complex sits on the hill, surrounded by industrial and residential buildings with good transport connections to adjacent municipalities. The existing buildings occupy the south side of the property along Ruopigenstrasse, leaving the large vegetated field open on the north side.

The primary access to the main building is on Ruopigenstrasse, which leads you to the existing central courtyard. The existing parking spaces are located on Rothenbadstrasse and Staldenhöhe, providing vehicular and bicycle access to the campus.

The original school building sits on the southeast corner of the site with a comfortable setback from Ruopigenstrasse. The building, built between 1969 and 70, was designed by Max Wandeler and is characterized by distinct grid facades. Gassner Ziegler and Partners later developed a new two-story addition to the east of the original building, which was completed in 1997.

Today, the school needs to add new classrooms and sports facilities that provide an open and flexible, contemporary learning environment with the goal of becoming the leading role in the field of sustainability.

The original building design by Max Wandeler expresses the distinctive character with the grided facades, which establishes the identity of the Reussbühl cantonal school. The new buildings relate to the notable character of the school by composing new structures based on the same 2.4m x 2.4m grid module of the Wandeler's building. While it is not a mere reproduction of the gridded design, utilizing the same spatial module as a basis produces spaces that resonate with the existing architectural experience. At the same time, the contemporary additions will bring a new atmosphere that compliments the current while representing the present-day ambition of the school.

The project is located in Somerville, MA, a rapidly changing neighborhood in the metropolitan area of Boston. The original house was built in 1900, and had a very simple defined plan.

Over the years, additions had altered the original house creating some peculiar interior and exterior conditions.

As it currently is, the house cannot fulfill all the needs of a young family of four who were looking to gain space for the kids and guests, and also fix some of the odd conditions within the house.

The zoning regulations allowed some degree of expansion following a variance process. The house was already considered a non-conforming lot, so any expansion or modification to its exterior had to follow an approval process.

The project proposes to expand in the back and substantially modify the existing second and third floors.

The current lot has an elevation change of several feet between the front condition and the garden in the back. The proposal follows the terrain and places its first floor with a more direct connection to the garden.

The new volume houses a kitchen, a family room, and an entry mud room/laundry room. The relocation of the kitchen freed up space in the existing condition to accommodate a small studio/home office for the owners.

On the second floor, new bedrooms and bathrooms are laid out in the new addition and the modified existing condition.

The top floor attic is slightly expanded to accommodate the clearance for the new stair. It was kept as an open flexible space that is connected to a roof garden terrace.

The building concept departs from a series of important premises:

1- The learning studios are the heart of the school

2- The school should offer a variety of spaces so that students of all types can thrive

3- All spaces must have daylight and be properly ventilated naturally

4- All public areas connecting the different elements of the program have to play a pedagogical role. The interactions amongst students are as important as those between students and faculty.

5- The school must have a clear identity

The desire to preserve an appropriate scale in relation to the neighboring context, combined with the strong drive to provide enough daylight and ventilation to all spaces, leads to a horizontal configuration of the building.

The program is organized on four levels, one below grade and three above. A series of stepping courtyards at different levels formalize the zones of the building and begin to set up a hierarchical spatial structure of the public areas.

In the upper floors, the alternating rhythm of courtyards and learning studios define the central spine of the project. The organization allows the learning studios to have daylight on two sides as well as proper ventilation.

Flanking the learning studios, two circulation spaces that run north-south and provide access to the additional teaching spaces.

These circulation spaces are very different in character and hierarchy. The main one, connecting the public plaza and the sports fields, is spatially dynamic, allowing visual connections between the different levels. In spirit is an indoor street, full of activity; It is the kind of space that students may occupy with art installations, gatherings and anything they are able to imagine.

The secondary one is more intimate and smaller in size, ideal for quiet study and interaction in small groups.

In the ground floor level, the courtyards organize some of the teaching spaces and the administrative areas. In addition, the lecture hall, the gyms, and one of the courtyards, begin to better connect the ground floor with the basement level, where the workshops are located.

This configuration allows the courtyard to contribute to the pedagogical dimension of public spaces, since it could be used as an extension of the workshops or for gatherings associated with the lecture hall.

The building is crowned by a simple, yet expressive roof, that suggests the linear spatial configuration of the interior and provides the school with a formal identity.

The shape of the roof works at different dimensions. On the one hand, it provides the teaching spaces in the top floor a different quality, avoiding the repetitive nature that many schools tend to have.

On the other, it allows the heat to be dissipated and ventilated on warmer days.

The project was a collaboration with Roger Bechtiger Architektur in St. Gallen and Studio B Landschaftsarchitektur, Munich.

In approaching the design of a customs building it is fundamental to understand its value beyond utility. It is obvious that this type of building has strict adjacencies and controlled areas which have to be respected. However, there is a latent, esoteric dimension, one in which the building represents a threshold into another country.

In this light, the proposal becomes a clear statement as it searches for its identity through a clear, well-defined form.

A triangular ‘thick’ roof, determined by the buildable limits of the parcel, hovers above the ground creating a setting for the choreography of the different vehicle inspections.

A recognizable statement as a building that does more than resolve programmatic conditions, it becomes a monument of sorts representing a moment of entry into a new realm and in dialog with the industrial nature of the site.

The number of vehicles that the facility needs to handle, combined with the limited access points, leads to a vertical disposition of the program organized in three general sectors.

The ground where the vehicles are processed, as free from obstructions as possible; the ‘thick roof’ where the majority of the program is located; and the basement where the required employee and official vehicles parking and building services are placed.

The organizational structure follows the idealized guidelines recommended by the competition organizer.

The vehicular sequence does not deviate from the order established by the program diagram which follows the steps from profiler to scanner to the inspection bays and the secondary steps that could potentially follow upon inspection.

At the ground level, on the southwest area of the building, a volume provides multiple accesses to the various program elements.

In this area, the entrance to customer service, the employee entrance with storage zones, and the access to the hotel are located.

The main program components, with the exception of the cloakrooms and exercise facilities, are all located on the top floor.

The program is organized in zones, the employee areas and hotel in the southernmost part and the detention and inspection areas on the northern side.

The layout is introverted with a series of courtyards organizing the different sectors creating well-lit and ventilated environments isolated from the noise of the exterior.

The exercise areas and cloakrooms are located in the second floor, only accessible to the employees.

For VR:

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/69f37e01-a06f-401f-a3f2-64dd86035116&version=2

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/93f887bd-cb67-40e8-9d65-527dc2c94014&version=2

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/433e45c2-7fe9-455a-bf49-44af20864b7b&version=2

Buildings go through modifications over time, it is unavoidable. They are added onto, reconfigured, materials are changed oftentimes with disregard for the original condition.

It is also true that buildings with a clear formal strategy manage to survive the passing of time and modifications are all subject to the rules established by the original.

In the case of Chiesa Diruta, any intervention will be guided by the strong formal structure set up centuries ago. The monumental presence in the city and from afar in the landscape, and its material quality are without a doubt, characteristics that shall play a protagonist role in any intervention within or to it.

It is not uncommon to approach such a project in one of two ways. The first approach would be guided by a desire to intervene and add in a manner that dialogs with the existing, through the use of complementary materials, and simple forms.

On the other end, are those approaches searching for formal autonomy and representing the modernity of the times we live in. In this approach, the addition to the building acquires a stronger, independent formal gesture, and the materiality is typically self-referential rather than contextually sensitive.

The proposal here presented is not rooted in any of these two approaches. It departs from the notion that ruins have the ability to transport us in time. They are a window into cultures that once lived in a particular place. The magical beauty of this condition is that the visitor is allowed to construct a reality of their imagination, and each visitor takes a different scenic trip to the past.

The project sees an opportunity to create a unique setting in which the ruin becomes the main character in the imagination of the visitor.

The site condition, allows the entrance to the new auditorium to be from the lower level of the terrain. Through a process of excavation and shoring of the existing structure, a new space is carved to house all the necessary program components.

This strategy allows the main nave of the church above to remain as a void shaped by the architecture of the beautiful ruins. The interior limits of the void are clad with a golden metallizzatto stucco, which will glow and be seen from a distance and will remind us of the rich ornaments that more than likely occupied the walls of the old church.

In addition, a shallow pool of water creates a reflective element that will create beautiful ephemeral mirror effects of the ruins and the sky.

The new setting offers a variety of sensorial experiences both communal and in solitude.

The space without activity can be experienced from strategically placed platforms or one may venture to get the feet wet and walk in the shallow pool, feeling the texture of the gravel floor and the soothing effect of the water.

We also imagine a summer concert in which guests could informally sit in a series of cylindrical benches with the feet being caressed by the flow of water and the music will be overheard beyond the boundaries of the church.

If the water is drained, a gravel bed will emerge, the mischievous reflections will disappear and a new experience will appear.

The lower level follows a configuration that mirrors that of the church in reverse. The 'apse' is occupied by the ancillary program element such as the ticket booth, office, and bathrooms. The transepts are voided, one houses the stairs and the other the bar, which receives zenithal light, and the 'nave' houses the auditorium which has an articulated zigzagging wall, in perforated wood, to better perform acoustically. A series of skylights provide a subtle touch of daylight inside the new 'cave'.

Behind the stage is where the small changing area and storage are located.

The space is white, almost celestial, and it is furnished in such a way that it can be adapted to different types of configurations and events. It is understood as more informal and communal in nature and being able to accommodate multiple functions, from concerts or lectures to workshops or neighborhood meetings.

The project offers two distinctive settings, equally surreal and unexpected, in which different neighbors and visitors can allow their imaginations to travel in time.

For VR:

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/f1e6ec82-7f9c-4f2f-a8cd-fa772a6477f2&version=2

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/4a51b11d-527a-4454-b55f-147ca150fc2d&version=2

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/bc20d8d9-db44-4ed3-85bb-877ed07d9d8d&version=2

Casa S is a vacation home for an Argentinean family living in Cambridge. The site is located in a large condominium in the northwestern province of Cordoba, Argentina.

The complex is a secured, gated community so common in Latin America in which the residences are part of a golf club.

The developer has built the urban and service infrastructure, the club house, the golf course and some of the lots are already built on. The condominium has a commission of architects that serve as quality control to ensure a cohesive and responsible outcome.

The specific lot within the property occupies a high point in the landscape in one of the most tranquil areas of the complex. It has long range views to the sierras to the west and the city to the south, in addition to views of golf. It is a combination of two plots with an irregular shape and interesting topography. The orientation is also optimal in terms of solar exposure.

The condominium has a series of rules meant to preserve the natural setting of the areas where the houses are located, perhaps as a way of compensating for the environmental damage that the golf course represents.

The rules state that the trees have to be maintained or replaced, but not removed. They also limit the height of construction to seven meters above the actual, natural level of the terrain, to prevent visual pollution.

There are also provisions in terms of buildable areas and setbacks, primarily destined to preserve the natural setting.

The landscape is quite stunning, relatively arid with autochthonous vegetation consisting of carob trees, espinillos, cina-cinas among others.

The client is a couple, both from Cordoba, with their two college age children. They are looking for an opportunity to build a vacation house large enough to accommodate a large number of friends and extended family.

The desired program consisted of a minimum of six to eight bedrooms, ideally all with private bathrooms, and a lot of living spaces where to sprawl and have large parties.

In addition, the property is composed of two lots which allows possible different financial scenarios.

From the early stages of the process, the approach was to build a structure that is integrated with the natural setting, in which all the spaces have direct connections with the beautiful landscape. This strategy not only will contribute to a better experience but also it could allow the building to better work passively without the need for air conditioning or mechanical ventilation.

It is arranged as a sequence of volumes that negotiate the slope of the terrain and create an alternating sequence of indoor and outdoor conditions.

FCEE will be the second phase of the master plan implementation for the new campus of the Universidad del Istmo.

The building will house a variety of classrooms and teaching venues for the Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales and a Numismatic museum

It follows some of the design principles we see in the traditional houses of La Antigua. The program elements are connected with a network of covered exterior spaces which serve not only as circulation but also as places for activity.

An operable panel system allows the circulation spaces to be enclosed and protected from the rain, which at times can be intense during the rainy season.

For virtual reality of some of the spaces follow the links below.

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/8ddf8c45-eedc-4598-aeff-de585602d4a2&version=2

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/c9ec0a37-b2fc-415d-9672-8bfb76ee2e99&version=2

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/26590883-1f56-4ced-9ebe-f4e3aded4b83&version=2

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/e1c00822-d31f-491a-9a3b-d451feaac373&version=2

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/98493b73-cfc8-4605-a316-8b2863544070&version=2

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/919997bc-5ac2-44b3-8549-0880c8c6143f&version=2

“The window contains nothing, while the mirror contains everything.”
- Robert Smithson.

The loss of the ordinary during the Pandemic penetrates into our reality with resistance. The ordinary distance is no longer ordinary―the long-distance attempts to disguise as an ever-close remoteness on virtual platforms. The enigmatic notion of distance lingers, pretending to be the norm but in a new norm. The new norm, however, is never going to be our norm because we know this change is temporary.

Effacing the frame that divides the outside and the inside blurs the distance between them. The reflected images are the multiplication of reality. Here the constructed reality obscures the line between the heterotopic otherness and the nostalgic ordinary.　

今回のパンデミックで人との身体距離や行動範囲に制限が置かれたことによって、その距離の「遠さ」を改めて意識させられた。一時的だとわかっているから余計、長引けば長引くほどこの新たな生活習慣をどこかで否定していることに気づく。このヘテロトピア的な新たな現実と、なれ親しんだ「いつもの」現実とのおぼつかない関係を空間で表現したいと思う。

窓という一番身近な「境界」をぼかし、外と内の距離感を濁す。遠いのか近いのか。そんな曖昧さが、 パンデミックで経験した新たな現実といつもの現実との距離感の曖昧さに呼応する。

___

[Nakanojo Biennale | International Contemporary Art Exhibition 2021]

The installation was my response to the biennale's theme, "para-perception," and the observation of the changes I felt during the Pandemic. What interested me the most was the change in the sense of distance. Our customary greeting distance gained awkwardness due to the 6 feet protocol. But, on the other hand, we increased the frequency to talk to people of far apart over video calls.

The close became the far; the far became the close.

The installation took place at an old Gotanda School built in 1909, one of the important cultural properties of the town of Nakanojo. The existing space is laid on a clean, simple structural grid. Following the grid, the installation added 15 new mirror posts overlapping the existing structure. Reflected images on this "added depth" blur the boundaries between outside and inside, floor and wall, windows and columns. The color gradation gives further depth to these boundaries. This blurriness changes its expression dramatically depending on the time or the weather of the day, engendering the sense of uncertainty.

(Text & Installation by Junko Yamamoto)

中之条ビエンナーレ公式サイト | Nakanojo Biennale Main

中之条ビエンナーレ2021特設ウェブサイト | Nakanojo Biennale 2021

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"If they are not meant for children, they are not meant for citizens either. If they are not meant for citizens - ourselves - they are not cities." -- Aldo van Eyck.

What humanizes a city is its citizens who feel that they belong. What makes them feel that they belong is a place that provides the physical experiences with which they identify their positive personal experiences.

The new Songdo Library -- a circular form of sincere geometry -- is a place that is accessible and affable with its formal clarity. While the geometrical clarity enhances the library's iconic presence, the shape of a circle is full of positive symbolism that reinforces the central role as a cultural and intellectual facility and resonates with the aspiration of Songdo City's development. The significance of its form is that it connotes various perspectives that align with the forward-thinking vision of the Songdo International City and exciting prospects of the new library, such as infinite growth and progress as a place to stimulate intellectual curiosity; unboundedness as an ever-growing reservoir of knowledge; concentration and wholeness as a place of productive learning; and unity that connects the residents and nurtures their communities.

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/3c04aee3-3f97-49ee-8546-85580329ef44&version=2

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/92f9177d-234c-4080-adde-5968bc53b897&version=2

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/49e05482-7822-43f9-9415-fb4cf61b0676&version=2

Jamestown is an old town in Rhode Island dating back to the late 1600s. During the early 1900s, the town was an important tourism center with 9 large resort hotels that attracted visitors from all over the region. This condition only lasted until the 1920s, when the patronage of such type of facilities severely declined and many of the hotels were demolished or converted to other uses.

The site of this project occupies a prominent location along one of the most important avenues in the village commercial district. It is at the highest elevation point, safe from storm surges, but within walking distance to the beach.

It is a corner lot currently housing a building for Bank of America. The existing conditions are quite dreadful, the building has a suburban attitude, pushed away from the street, surrendering all the frontage to parking and resulting in the street completely losing its identity and continuity.

The client initially considered saving the existing building but quickly realized that it had no architectural redeemable qualities nor it was sited correctly within the property.

The new program consisted of a main office for a real estate company, two small office spaces for rent, and a large basement to store files and mechanical services.

In addition, the client had several requests. The building had to be ‘modern’ and it had to have a large green roof from which to be able to see the sea beyond and spend time working on his plants.

The real estate office had to have a couple of private rooms but for the most part, was meant to be an open space.

From the initial stages, the proposals looked for a way to contribute to the improvement of the urban condition by either recapturing the street edge or by creating public spaces that could articulate the connection between the new building and the street.

Several versions of the project were tested in which the building took a prominent location and the parking was relegated to play a secondary role.

Zoning regulations limit the height of the building to 35’ from the lowest point in which the building touches the ground, limit the number of floors to 2, and dictates a minimum frontage of 50%. This latter condition vaguely defined, could be addressed through building, structures, or landscape elements.

Since the program was not completely defined, the initial process of design helped the client see possibilities and define intentions.

The first step exhausted all the possible building placements with their corresponding massing, public spaces/parking gardens, and openings.

The municipality conducted a study guided by a known ‘new-urbanism’ firm in the city of Providence and developed a series of ‘optional’ guidelines that rule any potential construction in the town.

The building aesthetics and construction had to reconcile two opposing positions. One, from the municipality trying to enforce the non-binding regulations dictated by the ‘village vision plan’. On the other, the client’s desire for a building that reflects the contemporary modern condition.

The project accepts the responsibility of building in a way that learns from the context while still retains a degree of formal autonomy representative of the times we are living in.

The context is incredibly eclectic, without a unique architectural vocabulary that informs all structures, which makes the ‘vision plan’ that much more incoherent. How can a process such as this advocate for ‘traditional language’, when there are no real traditions to refer to. There is an incoherent tutti-frutti of elements ranging from spaghetti western to modern vanilla.

The most honest architectural traces were found in the older structures of the town. All are characterized by a clear and simple composition, and the use of three main materials: wood, rough stone, and stucco.

Given the formal incoherence of the immediate context, the material focus concentrated on reinterpreting the use of the traditional materials found in the older structures and reconcile them with the client’s expectations.

Rough stone was used as a base, to ground the building, and wood and glass to articulate the upper levels.

The painted metal found on the railings and decorative elements of the older architecture is now interpreted in the railings and windows of the new intervention.

All three studies followed a similar approach and focused on ways in which to reinterpret some of the lessons learned.

Kurzeme, Latvia

“ your footsteps follow not what is outside the eyes, but what is within, buried, erased.  If, of two arcades, one continues to seem more joyous, it is because thirty years ago a girl went by there, with broad, embroidered sleeves, or else it is only because the arcade catches the light at a certain hour like that other arcade, you cannot recall where”

                                                           Italo Calvino The Invisible Cities

When facing the challenging task of intervening on such precious site with the construction of a guest house and spa, immediately the question of identity, of reflecting the memory of the place and its traditional heritage becomes a generator of an idea.   Without falling into very literal, historicist interpretations of the past, our proposal searches for inspiration in the rural constructions of the area in order to search for cultural specificity and avoid generic solutions that could be applied anywhere.

The project combines all the uses of the building under one singular roof not unlike the inhabitants of Kurzeme used to combine cattle shed, livestock and servants house in one singular structure or multiple families shared a common roof.

The compact disposition of the project not only is more suitable for the climate of the area but also allows the building to gingerly be placed on the site without disturbing its natural condition.  The trees, the lake, the small mount, are all valued equally and choreograph the arrival sequence and the discovery of each of the rooms and its relation with the landscape.

The building is placed in dialog with the site features, away from the main access to the property.  Its ambiguous monumental and silent presence is meant to be discovered slowly, like a sacred space.

After a journey through the forest, the visitor will arrive to a unique courtyard that becomes a moment of self-reflection, isolated from the landscape, framing the sky, capturing the rain and filtering the southern light.  The courtyard allows very measured glimpses of the beautiful surroundings which is re-discovered once the threshold into each of the spaces is crossed.

The guest area and the tub area of the spa, will allow the lake to be found after having been protected by the building placement during the initial approach.  The rest of the spaces are arranged in the perimeter with views of the forest areas to the south and east.

The expressive thatched roofs that provide the old farms its unique identity, are re-interpreted here in a new singular, expressive roof that unifies all the program elements and distorts to align with the different areas of the landscape.

The wall under the roof, built in wood, grey color, quiet, subtle, is interrupted by the large windows which frame the dialog between interior and exterior.  The brightly colored panels around the windows, delineate the scenes of the interior and tie back to the colorful architecture in Latvia.

The roof also conceals the singular design of the spaces in the interior, each with an individual form, providing a variety of spatial conditions.  Abstractions of vaults, coffered ceilings and pyramidal ceilings formalize each room and, in some cases, capture and filter the zenithal light in a clear reference to the bathhouses of the past.

For vr of this project:

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/bec43144-e28a-4e2b-973b-c773016af6d5

Copenhagen, Denmark

Sydhavnen is shaping as a vibrant and full of life neighborhood, with an organic urban quality with multiple types of open spaces. Each of these are interconnected with a variety of different scales, qualities and levels of privacy for the young families to enjoy. In all of these beautiful open spaces, the connections to water and nature are very evident which gives a remarkable sense of identity to this neighborhood.

Given the parameters of the masterplan for the area, the building has to properly address multiple approaches and really formalize several sequences of arrival and entry with a strong connection to water and nature.

From the initial stages of the design process, our project searched for the proper site response.  The building design begun not as an internalized experience but as an urban one.

With this in mind, the building has a vertical configuration, allowing a new public space fronting the water to be created.

This new garden, of water and nature, welcomes the visitors approaching from Frederiksholmlobet, either by boat or following the promenade and it sets up the sequence of entry into the building.

The vertical organization of the proposed building translates into a very clear plan and formal structure.

The most public spaces, the community rooms, are located on the first floor, with opportunities of being connected or separated from each other as needed, as well as possibly expanding into the entry hall and the garden.

A light filled stair becomes the formal procession ascending to the main level of the sanctuary.  Once inside, the worshipper will discover a tall space, reaching to the heavens as churches do.  This vertical configuration also allows the building footprint to remain small, thus preserving the garden space on the water side.

We recognize the importance of the church to be an icon, to have an evident expression that would differentiate it from its context.

At the same time, we are searching for a formal expression that is humble and quiet, conducive to contemplation, one which does not fall into opulent meaningless gestures.

The project is very measured in its formal configuration.  The volume of the church takes a higher prominence in the hierarchy and the rest of the building masses adopt a clear, more supportive role.

The material selected is white brick for its sense of permanence, its connection to the past of the site and its gravitas and associations with the holy and pure.

The interior of the sanctuary, in contrast, is in wood, for its warmth and its connections to Danish building traditions.

The exterior perimeter of the additional program is composed by vertical elements that modulate the light, the views and they remind us of old monasteries and churches.

For virtual reality, download these links:

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/5ea7290d-0a03-423a-a2fe-5fcbe14f0dec

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/4cc68ccd-76bc-453c-a30f-7e6851f55adb

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/5545992c-c92d-43f4-ae95-59379425cd49

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/4cc68ccd-76bc-453c-a30f-7e6851f55adb

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/5ea7290d-0a03-423a-a2fe-5fcbe14f0dec

New Brunswick, Canada

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/46a9a99a-7295-4569-a44c-9c7290484ef0

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/d7eba18d-039a-4e03-a0b7-9632c7632c02

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/8f36fb55-eec4-47f4-91ea-5a90d775b709

Muxbal, Guatemala

Casa TO is located in Muxbal, a neighborhood in the periphery of Guatemala City.  The site has features that inform and condition our approach.

The two main elements guiding our intervention are the severe slope of the terrain and the density of trees.

The project is still in its initial stages.  All the preliminary studies which are under consideration depart from the same set of intentions that search to minimize the disruption and preserve as many of the trees as possible.  Most of the schemes under consideration are compact in nature, with all the rooms having exposure to more than one side.

The client demands of space results in a house that tightly fits on the property.  In order to work with the slope and minimize footprint, all the projects are configured in several floors.

The gentle climate of the city allows us to borrow some of the ideas of La Antigua to inform how we deal with the relationships between exterior and interior through the use of patios and openings on at least two sides of all spaces.

Another common element to all these initial schemes is the perimeter wall, normally used for security reasons in a city that has been known to have periods of violence.

In this case, the slope of the terrain allows the spaces to still be visually connected to the street in spite of having a wall defining the boundary of the property.

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/2b922b51-ea37-43bc-933f-d34ac67c28d9

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/d8541826-029a-4951-9dc4-ce9b54f5154f

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/070ab87d-765c-4e11-a6c7-0df1b02aa247

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/e86ca6ad-9549-407c-a921-6bde7b9b8834

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/3b8d6c66-40e5-4a25-98c0-103ef8a360e0

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/9c6c7cd0-af7f-4e2f-9ad6-5a171f6d9e4a

Dessau, Germany

More than a building, or a school, or even a teaching style, the Bauhaus captured a brief moment in time when architecture and the arts were on the precipice of a revolution. Its essence cannot be distilled in one building, one person or one piece of art; rather, it is in the collective, the laboratory, and the experimental approach to design that the life of the Bauhaus seems to be found.

Traditionally, to build a museum is to freeze a moment in time. For this particular institution, however, the traditional approach is much too static and contradicts the ethos of the group it is meant to celebrate. On matters of identity, we recognize the difficulty of connecting to the Bauhaus given the lack of physical proximity with some of the buildings which are the symbol of the institution in Dessau. The goal of this proposal is to pay homage to the profound legacy of the Bauhaus without losing sight of the future of the foundation and the role it plays in Dessau today. 

The proposal addresses these issues in two ways; the first is to tackle this issue of identity and legacy through the building envelope, both through imagery of the people who contributed to the most formative years of the school and through the iconic colors based in its teachings about space, form and composition. The second is to prioritize the organization of the program and its use in terms of function by creating a clear sequence through the building while maintaining maximum flexibility in the galleries.

“The responsibility of the Bauhaus consists in forming human beings who recognize the world in which they live and who, out of the connections between their realizations and their acquired skills, are able to devise and design distinctive forms that symbolize this world.”

—Walter Gropius, 1923

Seoul is a city filled with a rich cultural history; however, it has been fraught with war and devastation throughout its past. Pieces of its history have been lost in this destruction, but recently one such artifact that had vanished has been uncovered once again. Near the base of Namsan Mountain in the Hoehyeon region, excavations were begun and parts of the ancient wall called Hanyangdoseong (Seoul City Wall) that used to surround the city were unearthed. Construction on the wall began in the 1300s during the Joseon Dynasty to protect the citizens of Seoul. It moves with the landscape, following the elevations of the four inner mountains that surround the city’s center.

Mount Namsan is very close to the center of the old part of the city, making it easily accessible to the public. There are many walking paths along the mountain as well as roads, so it is easily reachable through all forms of travel. The excavation site is located on a plateau: to the western side there is an educational building and a memorial hall; to the south is the Namsan Public Library; to the east is the rest of Mt. Namsan. The site offers views to the city from every angle.

The excavations that uncovered the Hanyangdoseong began in 2017, and the City Wall Division of the government decided to host a competition to create a temporary structure that would protect the ruins. The goal of the design is to “form a bond of sympathy among the citizens and carry the overlapped times, memories and remembrances of the site in a collective way.” It should show the passage of time and respect the stone wall so that it harmonizes with its surroundings.

This area is a palimpsest; its use has changed dramatically within the past 600 years. It began as a border wall for the city in the late 1300s. In the early 1900s, Japanese colonial rule over Korea began. A Shinto shrine was built and the site became a place for worship. Then in the 1960s, it was turned into a botanical garden and a large fountain was added. The wall, shrine foundation, and the fountain all had to be incorporated into the design to show patrons that dramatic transformation of the site.

The given program was not to exceed 20,000m² and had six components: an entrance, information center, management office, restrooms, a small museum to show the items excavated from the site as well as their cataloging process, and an area that protects the ruins.

The design of the pavilion takes its inspiration from the forms of South Korea’s unique architectural vernacular. Inspired primarily from the roofs of the gates along Hoehyeon, the curved slopes of the pavilion connect with a typology that ranges between military, religious, and residential architecture. This connection is what will draw people from many sectors of life to visit the museum on Namsan.

Viewed from afar, the translucent roof panels create a ghost-like appearance that hints at the site’s past. In the evening, these roofs emit a soft glow that creates an iconic attraction without detracting from the Seoul skyline. The light emitted from the building will also provide a safer environment for the visitors of the Hanyangdoseong.

To unite the many geometries found on the site, the pavilion frames the entire area containing the old shrine and fountain. Under this vast roof, the components to the building can be found to the north east of the ruins. These pavilion-like structures contain the required program. The buildings themselves, clad in a similar polycarbonate as the roof, are of a pure geometry and contrast the remains and texture of the ruins.

To keep visitors focused on the ruins, there is minimal landscape intervention. The plantings that were added are meaningful: a variety of native trees and plants such as ginger, native pines, zelkova, and royal azaleas were chosen. These varieties were selected so as to relate with the history of the botanical gardens which once graced the site.

The structure is comprised of a glulam framing system held together with thin metal rods at the roof and smaller glulam beams at the base. These small glulam beams also provide stability for the cantilevered walkway above the ruins. To reduce the disturbance to the site and number of footings that need to be poured, beams help to distribute the loads to footings at every other frame along the grid. The 2.5m grid that the structure creates relates back to the strong lines that can be found in much of the South Korean architecture. The glulam material ties in with the natural landscape that surrounds the site and provides an excellent recyclable material for when the pavilion is disassembled in the future. By using this sustainable structure and pairing it with a polycarbonate roof, the impact that the building has on the environment is minimal.

Malden, USA

This apartment is part of a two-family home in Malden. The existing conditions showed signs of having suffered multiple transformations over the years with very limited success.

Now occupied by a young professional, the house needed to accommodate his recent change of lifestyle. The project takes a conservative approach, which is to selectively reframe different zones of the house in order to open up the space and achieve greater spatial fluidity. By reducing the size of the circulation areas, the project expanded and improved the bathroom, and therefore enabled the reconfiguration of the kitchen/dining space.

Jyväskylä, Finland

Settings such as this, with history, with a magnificent collection of buildings and idyllic surroundings, epitomize the conditions that every architect dreams of. To intervene in such conditions demands humility, a great deal of soul-searching and the utmost respect. 

We understand that attempting to emulate the architecture of Alvar and Elissa Aalto would be a futile and unrealistic endeavor; but we also understand the importance for the new intervention to find a way of paying homage to such relevant figures for the city and for the history of architecture. Our proposal looks for a quiet, virtually silent intervention, one that seamlessly unites the two buildings spatially and formally without becoming a loud protagonist.

We opted to use a direct reference to the past by creating a patio with a form that we believe is paradigmatic of Alvar Aalto’s work: the Savoy vase. The gesture, so free, so visceral, so connected to nature, and one we see reinterpreted at different scales in Alvar Aalto’s work, is here, in our proposal, introduced in its most obvious representation.

The glass-enclosed patio organizes the spaces of the store and connects spaces while maintaining the fluid nature of Alvar Aalto’s architecture. The patio, filled with water, metaphorically connects to the brook and the lake beyond; and its reflections will provide an ever-changing experience in the space.

The new addition is placed at the gallery elevation of the Alvar Aalto Museum, allowing a more natural and accessible path. It is also in alignment with the level of the terrain on its western side. A series of ramps resolve the connection and accessibility with the level of the Central Finland Museum.

The new space defines two very different boundaries with the landscape. On the eastern side, a layered wall provides brief visual fragments of the landscape which eventually allow the visitor to discover the brook through a large window, integrating it to the experience of the museums.

On the western side, a larger glass surface allows the space to become one with the landscape. We foresee the possibility of the space completely opening onto it while still being protected by the steep slope of the terrain.

The landscape strategy follows the spirit of the architecture by searching for a solution that is respectful and silent, defining boundaries with simple material gestures which remind us of Alvar Aalto.

The project establishes connections to the north, east and west of the cluster of buildings. The main one, to the east, retains the current topography and transforms the front into a singular space formalized by a hardscape/landscape surface that connects both entrances and preserves the vehicular and service accesses currently being used.

On the north, a new, more formalized connection with the park runs in between the two volumes of the Central Finland Museum and leads to the second-level entrance. The roof of the new extension becomes a space from which the visitor will be able to experience unique views of the landscape and the rest of the city beyond.

Finally, on the west, the natural slope of the terrain is slightly molded into a terracing condition that becomes a gathering space in dialogue with the interior.

The trees that were removed to accommodate the new expansion are meant to be replanted to contribute to and preserve the idyllic nature of the site.

Boston, USA

The Andersen residence is located in the historic district of Beacon Hill in Boston. The building was originally built in 1890 and was expanded in 1920. It is an austere structure constructed of load-bearing masonry walls incorporating wood construction for the floors and the expansion. Sited on one of the highest points of the hill, it is in a prime location in the neighborhood. The project is the top two-floor unit with roof rights. 

The approach was simple at the outset: Take advantage of the magnificent views from the rooftop and make the interior more suitable for a growing family. Although the existing conditions had a series of problems, there was one very valuable asset—a double-height living room of approximately 18’ in height.
The zoning ordinances and historic commission restrictions for this neighborhood required an extensive process of negotiations and approvals from the city for any types of building expansion. The careful, selective demolition and structural reconfiguration resulted in a three-bedroom apartment whose layout felt more comfortable, flexible and fluid.

The large floor-to-ceiling pocket doors can be fully opened, transforming the entire apartment into a more spacious and united space. The new green roof is accessible and serves as a great amenity, offering spectacular views of the city. It also provides environmental benefits, including cooling the roof and reducing the water runoff. 

The green roof constitutes the key space of this project. Due to the location high on a hill, the apartment has beautiful unobstructed views of the Charles River. In addition, providing a rooftop garden makes it a unique feature in the neighborhood of Beacon Hill.

The project posed many technical challenges. The building’s existing condition not only was insufficient to withstand the additional load of soil, but also was not up to any reasonable standard. A central column and beam (as seen in the photo) were both spatially and structurally problematic. Moreover, the limited budget and regulatory constraints forced us to work within the existing parameters. The existing joists, therefore, were sistered with laminated wood beams, reassigning the transfer of the loads.

The roof assembly consists of a standard rubber roofing and off-the-shelf resin crates. These crates were filled with lightweight soil that is specifically prepared for green roof systems. This green roof, due to its thermal mass, provides an appropriate level of insulation both in the winter and summer, and has a significant impact on the overall energy consumption costs of the property. Furthermore, the roof absorbs about 30% of the water in the wintertime and 70% in the summer. 

Boston, USA

The residence is located in the Back Bay area of downtown Boston. The top floor of the building suffered a fire during the 1980s which led to a reconstruction. The result was a duplex apartment, which was unusual in the area, providing terraces and large windows on both ends of the building that offer incredible views of the street and the Charles River. The client, a young entrepreneur, was therefore looking to create a more open and airy space to take advantage of these unique conditions. The surgical demolition of the lower floor allowed the project to provide an open living space shared by the kitchen, dining area and living room. All the utilities were housed within the cabinetry, eliminating the need to create additional chases, and thus reinforcing the openness. To further “dematerialize” the space, highly reflective white resin was used for the floor that reflects the beautiful light from the city of Boston. The lower level provides two bedrooms, a bathroom and a work area that integrates the staircase. A warmer material palette using wood and slate was applied to the areas that are occupied more during the nighttime. 

Lexington, USA

Originally designed by Mollo-Christensen in 1953, the house is located in the Five Fields community, a modernist development established by The Architects Collaborative (TAC) in the post-war 1950s. It was previously an 80-acre parcel owned by the Cutler Farm, which was expanded and divided by stone walls into five fields, thus giving the community its name. The land was subdivided into 68 lots and left about 20 acres for common land. TAC produced several houses with unconventional design, envisioning a community of well-designed, well-sited, and moderately priced houses, which reflected modern social idealism. Their standard plans incorporated mass-produced components to offer affordable houses; however, through expansion and custom modifications, over time these supposedly affordable models became fairly expensive. To this day, the Five Fields properties have remained highly appreciated and desired.

The building for this project had a simple and fluid room layout. It was evident that the natural environment was well respected, as the house established a close dialogue with the landscape. The details of the house convey a sense of austerity, as is common among the houses of the Five Fields, but in this house, these features have been somewhat diminished due to a number of modifications carried out over time. Despite the repeated renovations, however, the large glass windows remained intact, allowing the immediate landscape to infiltrate the interior and to remain a protagonist.

The design seeks to recuperate some latent spatial qualities and reinforce the dialogue with the exterior.
By strategically introducing floor-to-ceiling mirrors, we have multiplied the views and the occupants, reminding us of scenes from Orson Welles’ movie The Lady from Shanghai. The entire space feels as if it has acquired a different, always moving, dimension. The mirrors also bring the landscape into the interior space. These reflected images make the spatial experience more abstract, and change the way interior spaces relate to each other and with the exterior.

The renovation achieved more unobstructed views and circulation, enabling the space to feel more open and connected. The lower floor required reworking of the mechanical services to allow more space for use. The interior material palette echoes the sense of the house’s simplicity. Clean and seamless stucco lucido (plaster) and durable and high-performance Brazilian slate were used. The intention was to restore and repair the existing conditions where necessary, and introduce new elements to the minimal extent. 

The project took place in two phases, and was completed in summer 2012.

East Boston, USA

The house is located in East Boston, Massachusetts. The existing house was divided into small and dark individual rooms, which conflicted with the flexibility of use desired by the client. The project required a great deal of renovation, including updates to the mechanical and electrical systems. 

The existing rooms were reconfigured into two open spaces organized around a “floating” central volume which provided a work area. The new concealed pocket doors allow the two spaces to be either connected or separated. The ceiling and floor were reconditioned to be a continuous plane that enhances the feel of continuity and flow with no interruptions when the doors are open.

The second floor, which was originally an attic storage space, was converted into a master bedroom suite. The two existing dormers were modified; one houses the master bathroom, and the other provides a sitting area with spectacular views of the ocean and downtown Boston.

East Boston, USA

Located in a former industrial area of East Boston, 156 Porter is one of many conversions of old production warehouses into residential units done by developers in the Boston metropolitan area.

The units in the former bra factory have generous ceiling heights, large scale windows and exposed raw concrete structure, which gives them a unique identity reflecting the industrial past of the building.

The building has some deficiencies in terms of the type and layout of the mechanical and plumbing systems which conditions in many ways the layouts of the units themselves.

In addition, very limited provisions were made to provide adequate storage for this size units, leading to very cluttered arrangements of furniture and a compromise of the open and spacious nature of the spaces.

iVY Design Associates designed 3 units owned by two different families dealing with similar issues: How to provide better storage, improve the kitchen organization and optimize some of the sleeping areas in the space without sacrificing the open quality of the unit.

Garzon Rental Loft is the smallest of all three units, it consists of a simple rectangular unit which includes a mezzanine with low ceiling height.  The client’s desire was to improve the quality of the space in order to be able to rent it.

Also, it was important to provide a level of flexibility of use.  The mezzanine, accessible via metal ladder, was expected to be the sleeping area given its very low ceiling height.  However, there was a desire to conceptualize a layout that could potentially accommodate all the uses, including sleeping, in the lower level. 

The strategy in this project was clear from the start, a large furniture piece built with off the shelf modules provides storage and a large island for the kitchen.

A plane of quartz composite outlines the boundaries of the cabinets, protecting them from wear and tear, and at its lowest condition becomes a large island.

The intervention opens and declutters the space, allowing for a new condition to emerge.  The new space could be furnished in different ways depending on the needs of the tenant.

The material palette is simple, two basic tones, black and white, are used in the different elements.  The combination provides a sense of quiet elegance and it is neutral enough for any type of furniture.

The sharp, synthetic quality of the cabinets and counters are balanced by the wood of the floor, which has been bleached and ebonized.  Over time, the white grain of the wood will emerge, providing the floor with a very special quality.

Boston, USA

The residence is a typical townhouse construction in an exclusive area of Boston.
The building had been transformed by a series of renovations over several decades, and it has, unfortunately, lost most of its original spatial qualities. 
The project was to surgically treat specific problems on each floor except the top floor, which was to completely be reconfigured as a new master bedroom suite with private sitting and work areas.

East Boston, USA

Located in a former industrial area of East Boston, 156 Porter is one of many conversions of old production warehouses into residential units done by developers in the Boston metropolitan area.

The units in the former bra factory have generous ceiling heights, large scale windows and exposed raw concrete structure, which gives them a unique identity reflecting the industrial past of the building.

The building has some deficiencies in terms of the type and layout of the mechanical and plumbing systems which conditions in many ways the layouts of the units themselves.

In addition, very limited provisions were made to provide adequate storage for this size units, leading to very cluttered arrangements of furniture and a compromise of the open and spacious nature of the spaces.

iVY Design Associates designed 3 units owned by two different families dealing with similar issues: How to provide better storage, improve the kitchen organization and optimize some of the sleeping areas in the space without sacrificing the open quality of the unit.

GG is the largest of the three units, is a simple bay, with very high ceilings that allow for a comfortable mezzanine level, which in this project remained untouched.

The lower level lacked storage areas which lead to odd combinations of furniture to accommodate all the needs of the client.

A very simple strategy of a built-in system and a permanent island were implemented.  The customized cabinetry and shelving provides enough storage for the living room and kitchen; and consolidates many of the appliances.

The large scale island, becomes a new social element in the apartment in addition to providing a comfortable prep and serving area in the kitchen.

The material selection is a balance between sleek and rough.  The high gloss of the cabinets and sharpness of the krion counters is balanced by the large recycled wood planks of the floor.

The combination provides a neutral setting for any furniture configuration.  The eclectic taste of the client finds a perfect setting in this space.

Boston, USA

The exhibit was curated and designed collaboratively by: 
Karen Nelson (Dean of the BAC's School of Architecture),
Michael Wolfson (Director of the BAC's Distance Master of Architecture Thesis), Deb Samuels (Japanese food specialist and cookbook author) and Junko Yamamoto (exhibit space and window design).

The exhibit and associated programming were funded by the United States-Japan Foundation.

_______

(texts from Boston Architectural Collage)

Obento and Built Space
Japanese Boxed Lunch and Architecture

This exhibit examines the material and social cultures of bento boxes and how they inspire architects and designers to think about the potential of emptiness, craft, portability, and sustainability. Using miniature environments that individuals carry with them as a touchstone for good design, we explore formal and experiential principles common to the boxes and to the buildings. We share the story of one manufacturer of lacquered plastic bento boxes and the art of making a carefully crafted boxed lunch in relation to the recipient, to the season, and to the maker's intent.

Like good architecture, bento boxes are ordered, arranged, and set within a landscape, which for the boxes is a furoshiki, the cloth that serves as both bag and placemat. Bento boxes from the collection of Debra Samuels, Japanese food specialist and cookbook author, and the work of architects and artists Hiromi Fujii, Sou Fujimoto, KOKO Architecture + Design, Glenn Murcutt, Hiroshi Nakamura, Patkau Architects, and Aat and Makoto Yokomizo create a dialogue between two scales of work: micro (bento) and macro (architecture). Each scale has its own ways of coming into being through transaction, materiality, modularity, mobility, completeness, and compactness. Each work has an explicit function and an aspiration to hold cultural expression in its form.

This exhibit and associated programming are generously funded by the United States-Japan Foundation.

Additional expertise and guidance come from Liz Linder, Joanne Rathe Strohmeyer, Lucy Craft, Makiko Ueda, Chie Ehara, Elsa Tian, and the Consulate General of Japan in Boston. We would like to thank Hakoya [Tatsumiya] of Kaga, Japan for allowing us to film the manufacturing process of their unique bento boxes. This exhibit is curated and designed collaboratively by Karen Nelson, Debra Samuels, Michael Wolfson, and Junko Yamamoto.

Miami, USA

The Maalek residence is a speculative dwelling for a university professor in South Miami.

This 50’ x 10’ lot is located in a suburban residential area. Since there are no notable views outside, the proposed house adopts an introverted quality reminiscent of the patio houses in the Mediterranean countries. The house becomes its own landscape, offering views through selectively placed openings. The solid exterior enclosure projects a hermetic attitude; however, the flowing room layout and the light entering through windows create more open and well-illuminated indoor space. 

The exquisite climate of South Florida allows for a friendly dialogue between the exterior and interior spaces. The experience of entering the house is enriched by the dramatic lap pool that spans the entire length of the building and further stretches out into the back yard. The upper floor partially bridges over the pool, providing shaded areas to cool down the water. The tall exterior walls also provide shade in the courtyard, with some openings allowing air movement to help cool both interior and exterior spaces. 

The overall organization of the house is simple. All public spaces are located on the ground floor, two bedrooms are on the second floor adjacent to a common study area, and a master bedroom suite with a private terrace are on the top floor. 

For vr of the project click on the links below:

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/4f49bbf2-158b-4024-87ee-a0972a219d23

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/54c41752-c183-4944-aa47-2b8e36c2178c

Brighton, USA

For VR, follow the links:

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/286b8d67-e7c5-485b-bec0-e5cf05f48dc0

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/da18919c-9923-43a6-bbe5-2d3e8fdf28be

Newton, USA

For VR follow the links:

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/a7ade810-dc96-4223-8008-1a1cc891e07e

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/07a4db2a-f97d-460c-8938-fd2ad5122b39

Belmont, USA

The property, located in the neighborhood of Belmont, in the Boston metropolitan area, is a house built in 1921 in very good condition.

The house is very compact, about 1500sft, arranged in two floors.  A central chimney organizes rooms on both sides as many of the houses of this period did.

The spatial quality is clearly defined by the location of the chimney.  All the rooms have clear limits, and transitions between them.

The owners, a young couple of professional scientists were blessed with the addition of twins, which all of a sudden resulted in clear needs of space.

Given the tight real estate market that a city like Boston has, the owners wanted to evaluate the possibility of expanding within the house that they own.

There was an initial masterplan that looked at a maximized plan of expansion, which included the basement level and extensions in the second floor over existing protruding volumes of the lower level.

The first phase of the expansion was the basement.  Its footprint provided a substantial amount of area that could accommodate some of the services, a bathroom and a room that could work as play room and guest space for visiting parents.

The existing conditions were guided mostly by the location of the chimney.  The services of the house were randomly placed in the most efficient location possible but not necessarily the most spatially optimal one.

The other constraint was the ceiling height, which was not ideal and barely up to code.

Since the owners love the neighborhood and have no intention of moving, they were willing to spend a reasonable amount of funds to improve their living conditions.

The strategy had several substantial steps:

1-Lowering the basement level of the slab below the foundation line in order to achieve a more optimal ceiling height.

2-Expanding the windows and inserting new ones in order to comply with ventilation and daylight code requirements.

3-Re-organize and update mechanical and electrical systems and re-route existing plumbing lines, crossing through the space.  Introduce radiant heating in this floor.

4-Insulate properly

 Lowering the levels of the slab was a slow, arduous process of cutting, digging, pouring, in 3 sft sectors.  Given the new elevation, below that of the foundation, an upright of 8in in thickness was necessary in order to preserve the structural stability of the house.

The thickness of the upright, all along the perimeter, generated a form of chase in which all the plumbing and mechanical services could run and reach all the areas they were feeding in the floor above.  In addition, the perimeter was insulated using closed cell foam, more effective for moisture.

The overall spatial organization still preserves the chimney in the center, but by relocating the services, a substantial amount of usable space was gained.

A new full bathroom, a play room/bedroom, closet, hobby room, storage and laundry are arranged in the rest of the space. A strategically integrated sliding door, allows separation between the playroom/bedroom and the rest of the spaces.

The materials are simple, white painted walls, krion counters, and grey epoxy resin floor with a high gloss finish in order to reflect as much light as possible and sustain the level of use it is going to get by three little active boys.

For VR, follow the link:

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/7510e025-b36e-4aa6-9e47-c095917a5f27

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/e4efc58e-30e4-4509-973c-a2bdd7efd298

Sudbury, USA

Located in Sudbury, a suburb of Boston, the impersonal structure used to house two very different businesses: a jewelry store and a hair salon.

Our client bought the structure to convert it into an orthodontic clinic.

The original perimeter of the building is a basic and simple rectangle of reasonable dimensions.  The only compromising element was the vault of the jewelry store, built with thick concrete walls and slabs all around, impossible to demolish without the proper budget.

The location of the vault, in the back corner of the property, informs the overall composition and organization of the plan.

The different components of the program are organized in long bands, running parallel to the long direction of the rectangular plan.

The first band, contains the treatment areas and the reception, the second houses the laboratory and sterilization and the last one contains all the offices, x-ray area, bathrooms, and employee’s areas.

The budget limitations also lead to a simple, inexpensive material palette.  Concrete floors and white walls give a neutral and bright setting for all the chairs, upholstered in brown leather.

The cabinets, are off the shelf, and are surrounded in Krion, a highly durable composite ideal for these types of applications.

For VR of the clinic:

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/8b434c0b-f20c-4592-b2aa-1df25c1c0d20

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/503b381d-5a11-495e-aa46-f23607351b5c 

East Boston, USA

Located in a former industrial area of East Boston, 156 Porter is one of many conversions of old production warehouses into residential units done by developers in the Boston metropolitan area.

The units in the former bra factory have generous ceiling heights, large scale windows and exposed raw concrete structure, which gives them a unique identity reflecting the industrial past of the building.

The building has some deficiencies in terms of the type and layout of the mechanical and plumbing systems which conditions in many ways the layouts of the units themselves.

In addition, very limited provisions were made to provide adequate storage for this size units, leading to very cluttered arrangements of furniture and a compromise of the open and spacious nature of the spaces.

iVY Design Associates designed 3 units owned by two different families dealing with similar issues: How to provide better storage, improve the kitchen organization and optimize some of the sleeping areas in the space without sacrificing the open quality of the unit.

E-R is the most challenging of all three units is owned by a couple struggling to live in an open unit with a young toddler.

The challenge was to accommodate two separate sleeping areas and improve the amount of storage, without sacrificing the space.

In addition, the client had resistance to the idea of murphy beds or similar strategies, which only added to the equation.

The proposed project expands the mezzanine a minimum dimension in order to accommodate storage and a sleeping area.  This space is accessed via a stair/storage furniture piece that resolves the storage demands of the client.

The living space becomes a bit more compact by displacing the kitchen towards the exterior wall, which allows to create a small room.

A raised platform defines the boundaries of the kitchen area and allow for the plumbing services to be housed within it.

Lima, Peru

The proposed parcel plan sets up a series of guidelines that, at the outset, are counterintuitive to what one would normally do in a site with this morphology.

Intuition suggests that one would attempt to optimize the “frontage” of the site toward the views, and use the elevation differences to provide access at different levels of the hill. However, the proposed parcel plan minimizes the frontage, which, combined with tight setbacks and an aggressive program, results in a challenging task.

The primary objective is to connect as many rooms as possible within each unit to the views. To achieve this, the project takes a vertical and thin configuration, which allows the building to have more exposure of the perimeter to the views. Once this is done, the rooms become “balconies” overlooking the beautiful landscape. The arrangement of the towers permits not only views but also a more reasonable level of privacy for each unit. In addition, the configuration allows each building to have a distinctive sense of identity.

The master plan set up two different types of parcels that determine two prototypes for buildings. The units within these two prototypes consist mostly of a duplex with a few flats on the “basement” level of the buildings.

The overall organization of each apartment unit is simple and efficient, with an emphasis on the visual connections with the landscape.

Houston, USA

Casa Estudio 1 is a speculative residence proposed for a standard suburban lot in Houston, Texas.
The project has a very significant issue of scale in relation to its southern neighbors, in addition to a very restrictive budget. The notable considerations included the scale of the southern neighbors and the very limited budget. 

The building comprises two volumes with contrasting materials: a tall one with stucco panels and a low one with copper panels. Combining the two horizontally expressed volumes allows the building to be perceived as being shorter than it actually is, which suits the context of the neighborhood of low-profile houses. These two volumes were arranged so that they could operate independently or together according to the residents’ needs.

The lower volume provides a carport, an entry court and a series of rooms for flexible use. The taller volume is a two-story concrete structure, which houses public spaces and a master bedroom suite. This volume turns its corner to house the staircase, allowing the main space to become more open.  The open configuration also facilitates cross ventilation, which is critical in the humid climate. The configuration of the staircase creates a more articulated front facade, while it isolates the back garden from the street, providing privacy. 

Marblehead, USA

Marblehead is a small coastal town in New England, with roots in commercial fishing, whaling and yachting.  It also has an unusually compact urban structure, with a tightly knitted network of streets.

In the outskirts of this fairytale setting, between the ocean and a majestic tree, sits the Sorrentino property.  A simple ranch style house from the 1950’s with an enviable location at the highest point of a rocky coast, with commanding views of the bay.

The house has a clear spatial structure, with a stair and chimney organizing two sectors, public and private, and clearly defined spaces.  The rooms are of austere dimension but not unreasonable.

From a construction stand point, It is a simple wood frame, sitting on a concrete foundation base which houses the parking and all the mechanical services of the house.  No heroic structural gestures, no pretension.  Simple and quiet.

The owners, a professional middle-aged couple with an interest in modern art, design and architecture.  Particularly fond of Richard Neutra, they wished to expand the house, in particular the social components, and create a more fluid, open condition.

The city zoning restrictions and the tightness of the property lead to a vertical expansion. The budgetary constraints also led to a strategy of preserving and following some of the organizational parameters set by the original structure.

The resulting scheme is clear, convert kitchen and living room in a master bedroom suite, expand the stair to a second floor and create an open space with views of the water with all the public spaces of the house.

The expansion also had to be limited in area in order to be within the required FAR of the property, which allowed the project to gain a large terrace, adjacent to the public space.

The layout of the house prioritizes the orientation towards the water, this results in a compact building that is more enclosed towards the approach from the town, and more open, with larger windows, on the bay side.

The high energy condition of this site, with constant exposure to salty air, harsh wintry conditions were ideal for a material that could absorb such deterioration.  Copper shingles were selected for their durability and transformation over time.

Corfu, Greece

For vr of this project

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/80e7dfdd-500d-4c71-a2df-a05395e07dd7

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/7e4e0d08-620b-4b61-9b6f-b9e75cad762f

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/12e031d5-489d-439e-bdf2-17885340cec0

http://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/6e1be7a9-706c-4dc7-b12c-8cf5026d2d48

Corfu, Greece

Park City, USA

A profound respect for the rugged landscape and the agricultural traditions of Kentucky are the guiding principles in the design process. The steep slope of the site implies the need to terrace the landscape with stone retaining walls, which in turn, consolidate the parking.

Resting on a stone base that effectively grounds the architectural proposal, the Visitor’s Center is a precise wooden box whose painted surfaces of red and black pay tribute to the magnificent tobacco barns which mark the rolling fields.

To encounter the building from the roof becomes a spatial metaphor for the entrance to a cave, where the curious spelunker is compelled to circulate down into the bowels of the earth. 

A series of cascading ramps bring one down to the main lobby. The building is then organized in a rather pragmatic manner, with flexible gallery spaces providing a coherent spatial flow, and library, offices, auditorium, classrooms and service spaces situated in the northernmost portion of the structure.

A desire for this new building to participate in the community life of Park City has been a major focus of our effort. To this end, we have provided a means for the auditorium and library to be securely separated from the gallery space of the Visitor’s Center for use after hours by school and community groups.

Cambridge, USA

The apartment is one of three units in a triple-decker house in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

The existing layout was not as functional as the client desired. Since the structure limited the scope of demolition, the soundness of the house did not allow major interventions in the load-bearing elements. 

Walls were surgically cut to create openings, through which more natural light was introduced deeper into the interior spaces. These openings also allow visual connections between rooms and make the apartment feel more spacious. 

The entire kitchen was reworked. The existing full-height cabinet that divided the space and isolated the kitchen from the rest of the space was replaced with new wenge wood kitchen cabinetry, which introduced an elongated countertop and matching-height island, creating a more open kitchen area. Most of the kitchen appliances and storage were placed in the corner so that the major area of the kitchen could be free of full-height objects. In this way, walls were more exposed, allowing the edges of the apartment to be clearly perceived. 

The colors of the walls, floors and countertops are in different ranges of whites, which diffuse light and calmly distribute it throughout the apartment.

Aalborg, Denmark

The competition called for a proposed design of a swimming facility and a general idea for a master plan that would incorporate two additional facilities: a skating rink and a gymnasium.

The swimming facility consists of seven main pools with a variety of depths, uses and water temperature.  The “water program” would occupy more than 80% of the building area. In addition there were requirements for a spa, administrative offices, a café, outdoor terraces and locker rooms/relaxation areas.

In addition to programmatic conditions, the additional requirements were as follows:
1.    The water surface has to be continuous. The occupant should be able to swim from pool to pool without getting out of the water.
2.    Avoid the typical “Olympic pool” layout. The pool has to be flexible enough to allow for regular swimming and at the same time provide for a more “playful” atmosphere.
3.    The pools have to include waterfalls, caves and features that would contribute to the entertainment of the swimmer.

On a functional level, the challenge is to respond to the very eclectic programmatic conditions and additional requirements in a very cohesive manner. There is a deliberate intention to stay away from a “water park” approach and to search for a unified design idea in which everything is a direct consequence of the architecture. Waterfalls, rafts, caves and secluded areas are all the result of the articulation of the pools, without having to resort to any additive elements.

The design capitalizes on the ranges of depths in the pools to allow for both the swimmer’s circulation and the pedestrian’s circulation to interact in a variety of ways. The ideas of procession, enticement, discovery, surprise ... are ever present in both the dry and the wet conditions.

Our inspiration is the idea of an aquarium in which the swimmer takes the place of the fish. It is a conceptual merging of the Josephine Baker house by Adolf Loos and the glass tunnel for viewing sharks at SeaWorld.

In response to the site, the building merges with the landscape. It is an object that gives hints of what is to come without being excessively obvious. It orients itself to the southeast to allow for the best direct light possible; at the same time, it levels the hierarchy of the two approaches. 

The roofs run parallel to the topography unless the interior programmatic demands require a higher ceiling. Following the slope of the topography allows the building to “perceptually change in size,”  depending on which direction it is approached from.

The cladding is a highly reflective metal that also contributes to the chameleon-like and mysterious quality of the building.

Bedford, USA

The Marsh Residence is located in the outskirts of Bedford in Massachusetts.
The house was built in the late 1950’s with a conventional and practical layout; however, it lacked spatial fluidity that was common among this type of houses.

There were multiple public spaces with three small bedrooms that share one bathroom in the main level, and a few large rooms in the basement level. One side of the basement was entirely exposed to daylight because of the slope of the ground.

The client wished to transform the whole house into a more open and light-filled place, however, due to the limited budget, the scope of work remained mostly within the main floor. 

Two bedrooms were connected into a large master bedroom suite with a generous master bathroom. The kitchen was significantly transformed: The long and narrow space was configured with a central island and a series of cabinets on one side, where most activities occur.

This renovation allows for a next phase in the future, which is to provide an exterior deck with a direct connection to the deck from the kitchen.

Despite the small scale renovation, the project successfully transformed the house that felt more generous and spacious.

Wareham, USA

Almeida Cottage is located in the coastal town of Wareham at the border between Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The small town consists of simple wood houses like many in other rural areas in the US.
The site is currently occupied by a small cottage that is in a great state of disrepair, and current zoning setback requirements necessitate a complete demolition of the existing building. In addition to the regulatory restrictions, the premise includes that the large existing tree is to be preserved.  

The new cottage provides space that accommodates the changing needs and scale of the family via flexible room layouts, since the number of occupants may change from two up to seven. A simple rectangular plan is divided into two spaces by a core volume housing bathrooms and kitchen. A modestly sized living room is located on one side and is visually linked to the garden by large glass pocket doors. These doors can be fully opened, which helps integrate the living room with the exterior deck and the garden. Two loosely divided rooms are located on the other side, which can be fully connected to the rest of the house by opening the sliding doors.

The material was selected to resonate with the tone of the local, vernacular buildings. The exterior of the house combines wood-shingle walls with red cedar wood doors and window frames.

Morocco

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/6d9a3868-a445-4dca-92e6-b32c02deba09&version=2

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/d711a5e7-1b90-41ed-9463-cca4c3d276e7&version=2

https://pano.autodesk.com/pano.html?url=jpgs/eb00301f-5bba-438a-afc1-66279334c1b6&version=2

Princeton, USA

The ReCap book depository facility is a preservation repository and resource sharing center operated by Columbia University, The New York Public Library and Princeton University.

The facility stores more than fifteen million items which are distributed upon request by partners and libraries all over the world.

The building has two main components, a processing center and the storage facility.  The latter being a modular system that can be added on to over time.

The storage facility holds high-density shelving with a strict environmental control and fire protection strategies.

The processing center is where the items are received, sorted by size, catalogued and fit into trays to be kept in the storage modules.

The site is part of Forrestal Campus, a major facility for research and instruction established in 1951 and later acquired by Princeton University, institution that expanded the areas of research.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that in 1973, Princeton announced a plan to influence the quality of the development in the surrounding area.  As part of this plan, the university added land which will be dedicated to more development for the campus, open space, leaving the rest for mixed-use development.

The scheme followed a strict separation of the two uses, the processing and the storage, given the very different environmental conditions that each of them required.

The storage facility is a simple module with strict dimensions dictated by fire separation codes and the high-density storage.  The module was meant to be complete enclosed, with no windows that could compromise the interior environment.

The processing center needs natural light given that is a facility where people work on a daily basis.

The formal challenge was to metaphorically express the functional nature of the interior through the cladding of the façade.  A steel modulation, matching that of the storage volumes, becomes a metaphorical shelf for vertically laid out bricks, reminiscent of books.  Using irregular bricks, the façade acquires a texture not dissimilar to that of the shelves in a library.

The metal skeleton rises higher than the volume to match the height of the fire walls separating the storage modules, emphasizing the idea of an applied façade.

The processing center is a simple volume with strategically placed windows.  Some become larger volumetric elements that provide a sense of presence to the small pavilion in the open landscape.

The construction system is simple, masonry walls, and metal structure, not dissimilar to the storage modules.

At the time of implementation, the design of the modules was modified by a different scheme (not featured in our portfolio).

The smaller processing center retained its original intent.  Brick was substituted by a masonry unit that matches that of the storage facility.

North End, USA

In the heart of the North End, the Italian neighborhood of Boston, sits a very narrow lot that connects to another property on the other side of the block.

The owners of both the building and the parcel, received approval from the B.R.A (Boston Redevelopment Authority) to develop a mixed-use building housing small professional offices and apartments.

Following the authorization, they engaged a local architecture firm to develop a scheme, but the proposals were not meeting the client’s expectations in terms of design and configuration.

At that instance they engaged Sasaki Associates to develop a test fit and the formal guidelines and evaluate whether more optimal solutions could be found.

There were primarily two difficult constraints that informed the final strategy.

On the one hand, the very narrow dimension of the parcel, which was particularly problematic in the ground floor given that it had to accommodate not only the lobby but an access to the garage in the basement of the existing building.

On the other, the depth of the parcel, in between party walls, made it difficult to address basic issues of daylight and ventilation.

Different alternatives were studied to resolve the access to the garage, at the end, a combination of budgetary, site and dimensional constraints, resulted in the selection of a conventional ramp system.

The necessary clearances for the ramp and the code dimensional requirements of the elevator led to a disposition in which the core is centrally located in the parcel, with two sectors for units on each of its sides.

An unconventional custom elevator, with access on adjacent sides, allows the access to be simplified and minimize the area of corridors.

The building follows the boundaries of the property, with strategically placed indentations that become lightwells for the different spaces.

The overall organization of the services and lightwells allows a configuration of apartments with a great deal of variety, from flats to duplexes.  Each of which with simple, fluid configurations.

With regards to materiality, the building combines white brick and glass, with smaller surfaces of metal and wood.  A combination of tradition and modernity reflecting the current condition of the neighborhood.

Koura, Lebanon

This project is a part of a rapidly growing secular university, founded a decade ago in the aftermath of the Lebanese civil war. The building occupies a privileged site in North Lebanon, at the center of the campus, on a terracing plateau overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The Library Learning Center is part of a first group of buildings leading the campus transformation as part of the implementation of a master plan for the university.

The Library Learning Center is both an infill and an addition to an existing academic building complex consisting of classrooms and offices at the core of the campus. The building replaces an outdated library building located at a far end of the campus and consolidates the various schools’ collections into a central location. The new programs complement those of the traditional library with new and expanded spaces for the university’s collections, including a digital learning commons; experimental classrooms; several seminar rooms; a center for remedial and distance education; a series of group study, lounge, and meeting spaces; administrative offices; and a major new social space for the campus:  a café/lounge that is part of a former courtyard redeveloped into an atrium. Among key constraints for the project, the design had to reroute a number of key utilities, convert a vehicular street into a major pedestrian promenade, resolve a full level change in topography, and connect to and provide egress for two wings of the existing building that constituted dead-end conditions.

The project conceived the new library and learning center as a new hub of activity and a portal to the academic center of the campus, turning what was the back of the existing complex into its front. The building introduces a new kind of learning environment on campus that is open, visible, spatially fluent and more accessible to its users, radically transforming the character of the existing complex to which the building connects. Taking advantage of an underutilized courtyard space, the building forms an atrium around existing and new building wings, creating a heart to the complex and a major destination for student life on campus.

Location: Khoura Valley, Lebanon

Koura, Lebanon

The University of Balamand was founded in 1988 in the aftermath of the Lebanese civil war. It is situated on a spectacular hillside of North Lebanon, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Established by the Orthodox Church, the university is committed to promoting Christian-Muslim understanding, while developing a secular education that encourages dialogue and transparency. 

The university foresees rapid expansion over the next twenty years with an increasing number of students from all over the Middle East. The master plan accommodates this fast-paced expansion while reflecting the university’s overall goals. The major theme of the master plan is called a “Path of Learning.” The idea is to link the secular world, which is expressed by an ancient stone-vaulted goat house restored as a faculty center at the upper end of the campus, with the spiritual one, expressed by a thousand-year-old Orthodox monastery located at the lower end of the campus. 

A path, to be called the Path of Learning, meanders through the stone-terraced olive groves of the natural-reserve botanic garden, and continues to a cluster of academic buildings. These buildings sit close each other to encourage cross-disciplinary collaborations, while also reflecting the cultural energy of North Lebanon’s village communities. This densely built section of the campus leaves the surrounding natural environment undisturbed. 

The new Female Residence Hall is the first building to be implemented as part of the master plan. Sitting along a steep rock plateau sprinkled with a young oak grove, it is conceived as a series of individual buildings terracing along the slope and defining the terrain’s ridge line. The tower buildings house dwelling units and are connected by the low-rise buildings. The horizontally stretched connector space    provides communal programs and amenities between the dwelling towers. 

Local Architect: Dagher, Hanna & Partners

Location: Khoura Valley, Lebanon

Koura, Lebanon

Within the master plan implementation strategy, the landscape architecture framework called for reconsideration of some of the support components.  The existing gates and the lack of a bus stop were not only not functional, but were not representative of the caliber of the institution, particularly after the implementation of the first phases of the landscape plan.

The infrastructure components are meant to serve the secured sequence of arriving/exiting and internal transportation within the campus.

The initial project consisted of two gates (main and secondary) and the central bus shelter that were in dialogue with the retaining stone wall system and planting strategies determined by the landscape framework.

Given the nature of the university and the desire of the clients, these elements are conceived with a degree of formal monumentality, which gets materialized through the dialogue between heavy, permanent concrete/stone and lighter metal elements.

The volatile nature of the location also impacted the program of these elements, particularly that of the gates. They include secured areas for guards and a separate access for pedestrians, both highly controlled.

The bus shelter consists of two parts, one stereotomic, one tectonic. The former is heavy, grounded, and negotiates the topographic condition of the terrain while serving as a place to sit.  The latter is a light metal-and-glass pergola that shelters primarily from the wind and the sun.

Location: Khoura Valley, Lebanon

Koura, Lebanon

Shanghai, China

As part of China’s nationwide effort to create more livable cities, the Jiading district of Shanghai has embarked on a significant endeavor to create public open space and restore natural systems within a new 83-hectare central park at the heart of its new development area. 

The linear park is the largest urban open space in this rapidly expanding satellite city, and will serve as the centerpiece for the district’s growth. Its combination of poetic form, cultural expression, public use and ecological restoration create a multidimensional experience that will continue to be enriched over time, and enjoyed by many generations.

Sasaki’s design concept for the park is based on a contemporary interpretation of traditional Chinese painting, calligraphy and dance. The park emphasizes the rich cultural heritage of Jiading, and integrates these with the natural setting of the site. Natural landscape elements such as floating clouds and flowing water, common themes in the paintings of local artist Yangshao Luo, are reinterpreted into modern, dynamic forms representing movement and influencing how people interact with the landscape. 

Spatial configurations within the park embrace dichotomies of form and purpose – openness and privacy; monumental and intimate; active and quiet; urban and pastoral; straight and curvilinear; elevated and recessed.

Spaces are linked by two meandering paths, the Dynamic Path and the Tranquil Path, each providing a constantly evolving experience as one moves through the park.

The Crossroads Café Zone is located at the narrowest point of the park, establishing a critical interface between the park and the adjacent Dongyunjie mixed-use development. In this area, outdoor cafés animate the park and create a gathering space. The café is an iconic small pavilion within the park.

The premise is to formalize the boundaries of a social space within the landscape, without interrupting it or delineating it with fences.  It searches for a special relationship between architecture and landscape in which each retains its identity, similar to the Nordic Pavilion by Sverre Fehn in Venice.

The strategy is materialized in a system of light steel porticoes, set up in a rhythmic relationship to each other and interrupted every so often by nature. The porticoes define the container under which the social space and the service pavilions are placed. The resulting “bar code” generates interesting patterns of light and shadow, and provides fragmented views of the landscape from the interior spaces.

The premise of the park’s design framework is rooted in different forms of traditional Chinese artistic expression. The essence of the project is to design a strategy for constructing a series of canopies in different sections of the park.  Each canopy will have an identity of its own which would be expressed in its gestural form, but they will all be built following the same construction parameters and using the same materials. This way, each canopy is part of a collection of elements.

Inspired by traditional Chinese dance, the gestures seek to materialize the fluid dance of colorful fabrics in architectural form.

The construction is a simple tubular-steel round section which bends and provides dynamism to the structure. A secondary system of fabric completes and gives form to the gesture, creating not only a shelter of sorts, but a play of light and shadows which will formalize the ground

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Lulu Island is a 469-hectare man-made island in Abu Dhabi, built between 1988 and 1992 out of reclaimed sand. It is the result of the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founding president of the UAE and father of the country. The site has become a virtual city sanctuary and a center of recreation.

The island occupies a prominent location between the city and the gulf and is about 500 meters from Abu Dhabi’s famed corniche. The name Lulu means “pearl” in Arabic, evoking Abu Dhabi’s Gulf-based past which gave rise to its initial settlements.

Sasaki Associates developed a master plan to look at the future expansion of the city into this precious island.

Following the initial design, the development of one of the neighborhoods in the southern part of the island was commissioned. The neighborhood is supposed to be the model to follow for the rest of the island. In addition to residential units, Neighborhood 3 will offer a variety of amenities and services so that it can be a self-contained place. 

The townhouse is one of many residential products developed for the initial Neighborhood 3 of the master plan. It is a house of generous dimensions, aiming mostly at the high-end expats market but sensibly configured to accommodate the needs of a more traditional Emirate family.

Two types for a 15-meter and a 10-meter lot were developed, with each having options for slight modifications. The clusters have frontages on two sides that allow access to the houses. The front access is more formal and is meant for pedestrians, while the back access is primarily for service and vehicular access to the property via an alley. 

The configuration of the house is inspired by the traditions of the houses of the desert, with patios sheltered from the sun and minimal openings into it to allow some airflow. The program of the house is a combination of a typical three-bedroom house with the addition of service quarters and a Majlis (living room most commonly used by male guests). Numerous social spaces are distributed in the upper levels of the house, culminating in a large terrace at the very top of the dwelling.

Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Lulu Island is a 469-hectare man-made island in Abu Dhabi, built between 1988 and 1992 out of reclaimed sand. It is the result of the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founding president of the UAE and father of the country. The site has become a virtual city sanctuary and a center of recreation.

The island occupies a prominent location between the city and the gulf and is about 500 meters from Abu Dhabi’s famed corniche.  The name Lulu means “pearl” in Arabic, evoking Abu Dhabi’s Gulf-based past which gave rise to its initial settlements.

Sasaki Associates developed a master plan to look at the future expansion of the city into this precious island.

Following the initial design, the development of one of the neighborhoods in the southern part of the island was commissioned. The neighborhood is supposed to be the model to follow for the rest of the island. In addition to residential units, Neighborhood 3 will offer a variety of amenities and services so that it can be a self-contained place. 

The recreation center will be one of the main public venues of the neighborhood. It is located on a large park, which is part of the open-space network defined by the master plan. Given the nature of the program, and in order to minimize its presence in the park, we opted to sink a good portion of the program underground. Patios are used to bring light into these spaces and also to those rooms dedicated exclusively for women, following the strict canons of the Emirates.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Lulu Island is a 469-hectare man-made island in Abu Dhabi, built between 1988 and 1992 out of reclaimed sand. It is the result of the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founding president of the UAE and father of the country. The site has become a virtual city sanctuary and a center of recreation.

The island occupies a prominent location between the city and the gulf and is about 500 meters from Abu Dhabi’s famed corniche.  The name Lulu means “pearl” in Arabic, evoking Abu Dhabi’s Gulf-based past which gave rise to its initial settlements.

Sasaki Associates developed a master plan to look at the future expansion of the city into this precious island.

As part of the masterplan effort a series of architectural prototypes and architectural guidelines for each of the blocks of the development were developed.

The architectural prototypes consisted on a variety of housing types, from smaller apartments to larger townhouses catered to high-end clientele, both from the Emirates and abroad.

The loft building is one of the smallest units designed for the development.  Their target client was single professionals or couples with a comfortable economic status.

There were two driving forces that informed and guided the architecture strategies for this development.

On the one hand, a strict regulatory environment, particularly pertaining to sustainable practices which required for all projects to comply with Estidama; a mandatory LEED-like program used in areas of the Middle East.

On the other, a developer striving to provide an aura of quiet luxury in every unit type designed for the project.

The proposed loft building prototype used these constraints as the genesis for the whole project.

The climate in Abu Dhabi is relatively mild all year long with a high demand for cooling in the summer months when the combination of high humidity and high temperature make it very difficult to rely on purely passive strategies.

Throughout the rest of the year, the temperatures are comfortable but the level of humidity can be slightly high beginning in the spring time.  For this reason, allowing air flow to minimize stagnation was an important consideration.  The limited amount of space in the block, lead to a unit configuration in which pairs of lofts shared a core, allowing the units to run front to back, with virtually no need for corridors.

At each end of the units, large operable windows, protected by large overhangs, allow cross ventilation and minimize the need for air conditioning during most of the year.

In response to the requirements of privacy, two strategies were conceptualized.  The first was arranging the lofts in two stories, which divides the public and private areas of the apartment while allowing visual connections between them.  This separation is more critical for Emiratis, in which men and women follow a more strict level of interaction.

The second, staggering the units to preserve a private elevator access, directly into the unit.

Bryn Athyn, USA

The new student housing for Bryn Athyn College occupies the northeast quadrant of the campus. As identified by the master plan, this site occupies a transitional zone with single-family residences to the north and east, and the existing college residence halls, Childs Hall and Grant Hall, to the south and southwest. The site plan responds to this condition by placing faculty housing along the north, abutting the residential community. Student housing is placed along the southern portion of the site, in relationship with Childs Hall and Grant Hall.

The site plan is configured to allow for phased implementation. The first phase includes two courtyards and a cluster of student housing; the later phases include faculty housing and married-student housing.

Key aspects in the student housing design:

•    Two courtyards per six residential units. One unit is configured as a single-family townhouse for a resident advisor.  

•    The landscape is designed to encourage social interaction. The living room of each unit extends out into an outdoor terrace, which merges into the common courtyard. 

•    One unit in each cluster accommodates the needs of residents with disabilities.

•    Each unit consists of three double bedrooms and two single bedrooms for a total of eight students.

•    Each unit is equipped with a full-size kitchen. 

Each elongated building uses a 14-foot module, which is suitable for prefabricated construction and ensures ease of transportation. This elongated form is also environmentally beneficial as it maximizes the daylight intake and facilitates natural ventilation. The master plan designed multiple residential clusters; two housing units abut each other as a pair, and each cluster consists of three pairs. Each pair shares a common entry court, while each individual unit owns a private garden. 

The design scheme references the local architectural language, which is composed of thick masonry walls that define spaces and characterize the buildings. The residential clusters are organized around the shared outdoor spaces, which offer a multiplicity of spatial qualities for both public and private uses. 

Guatemala City, Guatemala

The Cumbres de Vista Hermosa plan focuses on the stewardship of the property’s heritage with sustainability strategies and a vision for the character and quality of the landscape. The property’s rich history, clearly imprinted in the character of its landscape, built over years of careful preservation and development,  is one the site’s most distinctive traits and a significant asset worth preserving for the future. The lush forest, meandering trails, and hidden clearings create a dynamic and rich environment for users. Spectacular views to Volcan de Agua and Acatenango, streams to Río Acatán, and the abundance of vegetation provide an amazing opportunity for visitors and residents to enjoy.

The approach to the design of the landscape for the redevelopment of the property is based on the unveiling of the site’s rich morphology and existing vegetation character rather than imposing a new identity and foreign elements to it. Following an extensive mapping of the property developed over several reconnaissance visits, the design team identified close to 30 spaces with distinct landscape  character  deemed  relevant to the development of the future landscape of the property. Some of these elements are:

The Ridge constitutes the backbone of the property, an elongated plateau that defines both a high point for the larger segment of land West of the Acatán River and a connecting thread across peaks and valleys across the site.

Cuatro Caminos is one of the key manmade organizing elements of the site. An internal road crossing at a relatively flat area of the site, the zone around Cuatro Caminos is one of the areas of the site that is most conducive to development and is characterized by an extensive canopy of mature trees.

One of the few major clearings at the heart of the property, Valle Escondido is a bowl-shaped open space defined by a group of terracing paddocks that acts as a point of convergence for several trails and roads in the Southern end of the forest.

The Terraces constitute a long-winding series of plateaus that run parallel between the property’s ridge line and the Acatán River Valley. Hidden from view by some of the densest existing forest, the Terraces’ intimate character, open tree canopy and leveled terrain, present an ideal opportunity for the development of private residences.

The area of Las Lomas is another high plateau at the Northern end of the site that is characterized by its gridded high canopy pine coverage and the lack   of dense understory vegetation at the ground level, promoting longer range views around it.

The Master Plan for Cumbres de Vista Hermosa envisions an environment where the architecture of the residences and the main public uses is nestled in the forest in the form of clusters separated by nature corridors, and where the landscape of the public spaces harmonizes with the landscape of the Finca, creating gathering areas, roads, walks and trails that provide evidence of subtle interventions in the largely preserved and enhanced existing setting.

Coinciding with a “footprint for optimum development”, the buildings concentrate along the property’s ridge, plateaus, terraces and valleys, stretching from North to South ends of the terrain. A long, descending open valley connects the site’s South Entry to the open green of Valle Escondido, defining the sequence of arrival to the property which is characterized by the main road promenade, framed by both side of the forest. The property’s Clubhouse, sitting at a wooded promontory, commands the view of this entrance and provides a first destination for guest services on the land.

The various residential clusters are accessed through secondary streets, allowing the main road to always be in direct contact with the changing natural setting around it. This internal boulevard connects both entries to the site, meeting the Santa Rosalía road once again at the North of the property. The Northern access is framed by a commercial center and plaza that greets visitors by the edge of the public road providing an amenity a social focus for residents of Cumbres de Vista Hermosa as well as residents from the surrounding communities.

A system of trails complements the circuit of the main roads providing a web of pedestrian connections across the property that weave clusters of residences together with public spaces, recreational amenities and special landscape areas. This circulation system is built upon the trace of the Finca’s original roads, trails and fire break corridors, memorializing the movement structure that connected the property over time. The landscape of the original Finca is both preserved and enhanced through the management of its forest as well as the pruning and planting of its edges and understory that renders most vegetated areas as accessible to the public.

Fraijanes, Guatemala

McLean, USA

Enfeh, Lebanon

The 'high energy' coastal area in the outskirts of the town of Enfeh, in the vicinity of Tripoli in northern Lebanon was the subject of a competition to both promote its cultural value and bring needed development to the area.

The proposed site includes three main features: the Deir-Al-Natour monastery, a system of salines. And a rugged coastal landscape.

The monastery was built by the Crusaders over early period Byzantine ruins.  The legend goes as follows:

“The convent’s ancient origin is attached to a legend. A rich man of the region committed adultery; filled with remorse, he attached a padlocked iron chain to his ankle and threw the key into the sea-shore and survived on the fish brought to him by local fishermen, who called him the guardian of the cavern. One day, a fisherman brought him a fish, in whose entrails the hermit found the key of the padlock. He knew then that God had delivered him from his suffering, and he built a convent above the cavern. He dedicated it to The Mother of God, but it also took the name of the Guardian.”

The  salines, both operational and abandoned, occupy the majority of the site.  The presence of these salines, creates a very particular landscape of terraced pools gently stepping down towards the Mediterranean sea.  These types of landscapes can be found in many countries along the Mediterranean.

The salines found on the site are a reminder of the ancient Phoenician practice of salt making.  The Phoenicians developed the salines to produce salt and cure fish.

Salt production was interrupted with the Ottoman and French ruling and it only survives in a few places in along the Lebanese coast.

With time, donkeys, jars and windmills were replaced by electric pumps which are currently used to fill the salt basins at Natour.

 In fact, several places in France and Italy, have capitalized on their 'salt heritage' turning both processes and sites into public attractions.  They have marketed gourmet handcrafted coarse salt and the benefits of saline water to the health.

Consciousness about the quality of development and protection of natural and cultural resources along the Lebanese coast is on the rise.  Several measures have been taken to improve coastal management with the introduction of several programs and monitoring agencies. As a consequence, a very careful approach to preserving and possibly re-using the salines, will be an added challenge to the project.

The coast is a high energy area with strong winds and waves.  The site solar orientation and strong winds are ideal conditions for salines, as they help in the evaporation process.  Seasonal prevailing winds constitute one of the most difficult environmental challenges to overcome, in order to optimize it for habitation purposes.

The proposed project concentrates the development in the area of the convent, constructing a denser urban container and also on open plots on the other side of the road.

Over the salines, more carefully calibrated programs, such a boutique hotel, are integrated within the interesting geometries of the system.

It is anticipated that the salines will be restored and potentially used.

The political environment delayed the resolution of the competition.

Cape Cod, USA

In a prominent location overlooking Buzzards Bay sits Woods Hole Club, one of the oldest golf courses of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Originally founded in 1899 and grew to accommodate 18 holes by 1919, it is now an important place for the elite of the area to play golf, tennis and socialize.

The original clubhouse was built in 1921 and it was failing to provide the necessary services to complement the exclusive golf and tennis offerings of the club.  The Membership decided to approve the funds to build a new facility, more up to date with the current times.

The site selected is the crown of a hill where the current club is sited.  It is the highest point of the land with commanding views of the bay and the rest of the golf.

The new building almost doubled in size the old one and included a variety of different venues in addition to services like locker rooms, pro-shop and parking.

A strategy of two elements, a base and a pavilion, compose the proposal.  A traditional stereotomic-tectonic relation in which all the services are placed in a solid, grounded base, and the social program in a light, glass pavilion.

The composition takes advantage of the topography of the terrain.  The solid podium is completely buried from the side of the golf course, minimizing the visual impact of the building in the landscape.

The sequence of entry from the road follows a slight ascend leading to the glass pavilion followed by a descent in which the drop-off, access to the building and access to the parking are located, concealed from the golf experience, which remains unpolluted.

The ceremonial entrance is from the bay side, into the plinth.  Lobby, registration, pro shop and lockers are at this level as well as the entrance to the underground parking.  A central stair occupying a void, allows the visitor to ascend to the more public areas in the glass pavilion and the roof terrace.

The project allows all the public spaces to have a visual connection with the magnificent surroundings in a fluid and open spatial configuration, in contrast with a fragmented sequence of rooms of the original.

The architecture of the building makes a statement for modernity, for the contemporary times, in direct contrast with the historicist approach in some of the buildings within the property.

Beirut, Lebanon

The university of Balamand is a leading institution of higher learning with a main campus in north Lebanon and academic programs in the nation’s capital. since its inception in 1988, the university has become an educational and cultural focus in both Lebanon and the middle east. the goal of this master plan is to plan a new campus for the university’s expansion in the area of souk el Gharb. the master plan provides a vision, a plan and a strategy for implementation for the new campus to develop over the next twenty years.

Building on the success of the university of Balamand’s main campus in north Lebanon, the university is planning to expand with the creation of a new campus located closer to Beirut. the new campus will bear the name of university and will become a regional branch of the main campus.

The new campus will be located in a piece of rural land of 48,000 square meters of area in the vicinity of the town of souk el Gharb. the campus main focus will have the following faculties as part of its academic core:

·         faculty of arts and social sciences: education, physical education, languages and mass communications

·         faculty of science, Biology and computer science

·         faculty of Business administration

·         faculty of Health sciences: public Health and nutrition- al science, Health awareness and pre-med program

·         engineering technology

The master plan for the new campus will target a projected enrollment of 1000 students in an initial build out phase with capacity for future growth. the new campus will accommodate a large number of commuter students from Beirut and surrounding communities, as well as faculty circulating between campuses.

key campus services and facilities will include the campus ad- ministration, main library and auditorium, academic buildings, athletic and recreation facilities, cafeteria, lounges, infirmary and student and faculty residences in addition to landscape, outdoor recreation areas, parking and support facilities.

The basic planning criteria will follow that of the university of Balamand main campus master plan taking into consideration the opportunities of developing a new unencumbered site located in a rural area.

The project site is located on the premises of a former secondary school destroyed during the Lebanese war. the site is located in the town of souk el Gharb, and is connected to Beirut by a highway, and to the towns surrounding the site by secondary streets and roads. the land is a gently stepping promontory with commanding views over the surrounding hills and valleys. The campus is conceived as a “Village on a Hill”, defining a center of activity and a major destination for the communities and residential development surrounding the site.

The closely knitted fabric of the campus buildings and open spaces is physically linked by a series of colonnades and ar- cades connecting buildings and open spaces while defining a collegial armature for the campus. the campus plazas, court- yards and lawns framed by these colonnades are an extension of the learning environments provided by the buildings indoors.

The center of the campus is defined by the iconic structure of the university’s library, administration, academic and student and residential life functions radiate around this focal point and its open space companion: the campus common. the two structures define the heart of the new campus and are the cornerstone of its foundation

Santiago de Chile

The Universidad de Los Andes is a leading institution of higher learning dedicated to the formation of exemplary professionals in Chile. Located in the municipality of Las Condes in Santiago de Chile, the University has become an educational, communal, spiritual and cultural focus for the municipality and the city. The university is currently seeking to expand its resources as a response to the growing demand for excellence in academic programs at college and university level in and around Chile’s capital city. This Master Plan provides a vision and a plan intended to guide the school’s growth over the next twenty five years.

University Vision

Born out of a partnership between academics and leading professionals, Universidad de Los Andes is modeled as a new institution that combines the advantages of similar emerging schools (size, entrepreneurial nature, personalized student support), with those of older, more established schools (heritage, research capacity, institutional stability and permanence). A vocation of service to society complements the university’s profile as a higher learning institution with a specific purpose.

The University’s ultimate goal is “to achieve an organic and universal synthesis of human culture, capable of integrating disparate special- ties into the radical unity of Truth, enlightened and enlivened by the catholic faith”.

University mission

The university’s mission is characterized as follows:

“To irradiate in society a lifestyle coherent with the Christian Truth, harmonizing faith and reason,

To generate and promote knowledge in all areas of wisdom, To foment an attitude of open dialogue and respect for people,

To facilitate the integral formation of each and every student, with an emphasis on personal dedication,

To promote the love for well-accomplished work and a passion for service, inspired in the spirit of Opus Dei, which warrants the Chris- tian education imparted by the school”

The history of Universidad de los Andes spans over two decades constituting a living example of the institution’s own ability to plan and implement an academic vision and a program into a built reality. The following chronology documents the university’s growth:

In December of 1989, shortly after its inception and during the formation of its initial academic body, the University established itself in its first building, located in Calle General Bustamante 86.

In March of 1990, the Law School started dictating for classes for its core curriculum at this location.

The following year, the faculties of Philosophy and Medicine were created. The School of Medicine was located in the old Pywonka palace building, becoming the first medical school to be launched by a private university in Chile.

In 1992 the School of Economic Sciences, the School of Nursing and the School of Pedagogy were added to the university faculties.

The schools of Journalism (1993), Service Enterprise Administration (1993), Engineering (1995), the Family Science Institute (1996),

Psychology (1999) Business Administration-ESE (2000) were created sequentially augmenting the university’s academic portfolio.

By 2001, and after fulfilling all legal requirements, the University obtained its declaration of autonomy from Chile’s Ministry of Education.

In 2002, the Faculty of Dentistry was created. The careers of Civil and Electrical Engineering, Education of Minors and History, and two bachelors programs were added shortly after.

Graduate degrees started to be offered in 1998. Today, the university’s graduate programs include: 2 PhD programs, 8 Master degrees, 12 Post Professional degrees, 7 Medical Specialties and 19 Diplomas.

In 1991 the university acquired a parcel of land in the municipality of Las Condes that would become the site of a new campus, destined to house the majority of the university’s academic programs. Construction of the new campus began in 1994, and the opening of the university’s first buildings followed only two years later.

The Universidad de Los Andes, in its brief history, has a significant tradition of planning. This tradition is evidenced across the current campus setting, where the organization of buildings and open spaces is the result of previous Master Plans efforts undertaken and partially implemented by Shepley, Bullfinch, Richardson and Abbot Architects of Boston. The various iterations of the campus plan, together with the campus’ present conditions are illustrated in this section of the report.

The campus infrastructure has reached a critical point, where in order to continue to support the university’s growing enrollment and the associated development of its academic programs, it should expand beyond its built core.

The goal of this Master Plan is to build upon this foundation and to develop a road map for the university’s expansion. Based on the university’s mission, the Master Plan will provide a vision, a plan, a program and a strategy for implementation for the campus to develop over the next twenty five years.

Upon completion, the campus main focus will have the following faculties as part of its academic core:

·         Faculty of Humanities

·         Faculty of Health Sciences

·         Faculty of Engineering

·         Faculty of Economy

·         Faculty of Business Administration

·         Faculty of Law

·         Faculty of Medicine

·         Faculty of Philosophy

·         Faculty of Education

The Master Plan for the new campus will target a projected enrollment of 5800 students in an initial build out phase with capacity for future growth, with up to 12,000 students estimated to be on campus in its final phase of growth. The campus will accommodate a large number of commuter students from Santiago and surrounding  communities.

Key campus services and facilities will include the campus administration (Rectoria), an expanded library, academic buildings for the faculties listed above, athletic and recreation facilities, the university’s Clinica, a campus community center, in addition to landscape, outdoor recreation areas, parking and support facilities. As part of the university’s long term growth strategy, The Master Plan will provide alternatives for the development of student housing and research and development space within the boundaries of the campus.

The basic planning criteria of the Master Plan is to develop the campus into a cohesive whole, seamlessly integrating existing and new aspects of the plan and to put forward a model of organic growth of the campus around its existing core. The rationale of the campus framework plan and its phases of implementation are based on the university’s enrollment projections and the development strategies for each of its academic departments.

Andover, USA

In 1999, Sasaki was commissioned to design a new student center for Merrimack College in Andover, MA.

The chosen site housed an administrative building and a mechanical plant for the university. The college decided to relocate the plant and retrofit the existing Gildea Hall into the new design.

The site is bounded by administrative and classroom buildings to the north, and single-family houses to the south. In addition, the master plan  for the college forecasted the construction of new dormitories to the south. The new campus center became the connector piece between the two areas of the campus.

The building is organized around a main spine that houses most recreational facilities, such as sports, lounges and a food court. The existing restaurant was expanded, giving a new front to Gildea Hall.

The primary design concerns, in addition to articulating the connecting spine, were how to deal with the small scale of the neighbors to the south and a very restrictive budget. We opted to use very conventional systems, though perhaps in ways not normally done.

 From an experiential standpoint, the building is a collection of moments, each one with its own quality.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

The invited competition requested architects to conceptualize a mixed-used development in a hypothetical square site of 1kmx1km.

Each invited design team had to submit two concepts illustrating possible approaches to the question.

The two schemes submitted follow similar urban and architecture principles.  The idea was to subdivide the parcel into smaller blocks in which the architecture organizes a system of open spaces and all the support program for the housing is accessible by foot in less than 10 minutes.

The two schemes have very different approaches for the distribution of the program.  Scheme one, organizes the multi-family housing blocks in a series of bands, with single family housing in between.

A formalized green system connects these bands of multi-family blocks circumventing the whole development.

Scheme two organizes the program in smaller blocks composed of different scale buildings, with the larger blocks being concentrated closer to the center of the plot, reducing the scale towards the exterior boundaries.

From the standpoint of architecture, the typologies are conceptualized in dialog with the exterior.  In the smaller constructions, patios with permeable boundaries are used.

In the larger buildings, communal balconies and private terraces are important elements.  The climate, while extremely hot and humid in the summer months, it is pleasant for most of the year.

Materials are simple, concrete, concrete block and stucco constitute the main palette.