VEX | Chance de Silva

Designed by Chance de Silva, Vex is a unique architecture/sound collaboration. It is an in situ concrete house which arose out of the collaboration between musician Robin Rimbaud (known as ‘Scanner’) and architects Chance de Silva.
Music and architecture both take as their starting point Erik Satie’s ‘Vexations’ – a looping, repetitive piano work that lasts around 18 hours in continuous performance.

Photography: Hélène Binet

This is to our knowledge the first architecture/sound collaboration of this type since Le Corbusier/Xenakis/Varèse’s Philips Pavilion of 1958. (In that it was envisaged as an integrated design collaboration, with the music and architecture symbiotic and made in parallel, rather than the sound added later as an installation in an existing building).
Creating the continuously changing, fluted exterior concrete required formidable craftsmanship in making the boat-like formwork.

Photography: Hélène Binet

Internally, exposed concrete ceilings, elements of a wall and a single elliptical column create a warm, cave-like feel – although the building is paradoxically very light with window positions responding to Satie’s musical score as well as contextual and sunlight parameters.
Wherever an upper floor is ‘pulled back’ from the one below a crescent-shaped rooflight results. Where an upper floor overlaps the one below, there is a reflective soffit of galvanized steel.

First Floor Plan

The building is a very bold addition to a London conservation area (of predominantly Victorian houses). It nudges forward of the historic building line to give views down the street, capture sunshine around the clock, and look out towards a local landmark church.
The building is triple-glazed, highly insulated and, with very good thermal mass from the concrete, has a simply-controlled internal environment using an efficient condensing gas boiler and underfloor heating.
The sound is incorporated in a hardwired Sonos system controlled from iPod or mobile phone.

Photography: Chance de Silva

Project Info:
Architects: Chance de Silva
Location: Greater London, United Kingdom
Architect in Charge: Stephen Chance
Area: 115.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Hélène Binet, Chance de Silva
Project Name: VEX

The post VEX | Chance de Silva appeared first on Arch2O.com.

https://www.arch2o.com/vex-chance-de-silva/ June 30, 2018 at 11:40AM https://www.arch2o.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Arch2O-VEX-Chance-de-Silva-09-633x800.jpg

MONARCH | Oyler Wu Collaborative

MONARCH designed by Oyler Wu Collaborative, When it comes to large-scale residential buildings, a complex set of economic, urban, and regulatory systems sometimes seem to have left little room for architectural exploration.   Architects often struggle to find a point of entry for inserting their creative perspective in a way that would rethink or progress the typology.  The resulting buildings typically reflect the reality of the efficiency-driven market – maximized footprint, relentless repetition, and lowest common denominator design appeal.

Photography: Poyao Shih

When we were first approached by a prominent Taiwanese development company to work on the design of a brand new residential high rise, they expressed interest in finding an architectural approach that challenged these conventions. They were interested in a building that pushed architectural boundaries while simultaneously meeting their economic requirements.
Cautiously optimistic, the developer proposed an arrangement that separated the development of the interior floor plans from the exterior elements, which included balcony floor plans, the front lobby, and all facade design.  This left us with 2.5 meters at the front elevation and 1.5m on the side elevations.  While it certainly wasn’t what most architects would consider ideal, it was just enough to be our point of entry into what would be our office’s biggest project to date.

Photography: Poyao Shih

Our proposal utilizes subtle variations in the geometry of the exterior paneling and layering of material to create a scheme that is not based on repetition but still accommodates the needs of the client. We deployed a strategy of “pixilated lines” by applying a set of exterior paneling in varying materials and different geometries to run along the façade of the building as a series of pixilated lines. We also deployed a system of incrementally shifting balconies in conjunction with the panels to add more depth to the facade.

Line Diagram

These “lines” of panels extend from the ground to the top floor to give the illusion of depth and movement as well as formal continuity to the overall project. These “lines” often split in order to change material and the voids between “lines” of panels to add depth to the reading of the façade.  By shifting sections of fritted glass, expanded aluminum screen, solid panels, and steel structure, the buildup of these small differences create large variations in the façade of the building.
The building includes a carefully considered weaving of four materials: 1) expanded aluminum mesh, 2) fritted glass, 3) solid panel, and 4) steel structure. This is to disrupt the repetitious and occasionally quirky floor plans, while still allowing for views beyond and providing a sun-shading system.

Photography: Poyao Shih

The interplay between metal screens, glass, and solid panels is not merely aesthetic but it also performs functionally. This strategy simultaneously allows for natural light while reducing heat gain, provides privacy for rooms beyond, and it creates a buffer between the interior of the building adjacent elevated highway.  And importantly, the exterior of the building communicates a more dynamic building- one that captures the spirit, scale, and multi-layered nature of the city.

Line and Panel Diagrams

Project Info:
Architects: Oyler Wu Collaborative
Location: No. 79, Section 1, Minquan East Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan
Principal Architects: Dwayne Oyler, Jenny Wu
Design Team: Huy Le, Sanjay Sukie, Shouquan Sun, Yaohua Wang, Lung Chi Chang, Richard Lucero, Chris Eskew, Mike Piscitello
Client: JUT land Development
Area: 9333.37 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Poyao Shih
Project Name: MONARCH

The post MONARCH | Oyler Wu Collaborative appeared first on Arch2O.com.

https://www.arch2o.com/monarch-oyler-wu-collaborative/ June 30, 2018 at 11:30AM https://www.arch2o.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Arch2O-MONARCH-Oyler-Wu-Collaborative-19-700x466.jpg

Daejun Holy New Light Church | Lee Eunseok + Atelier KOMA

Designed by Lee Eunseok + Atelier KOMA, The Holy New Light Church, which opens toward the city, was planned to be a continuous corridor through the church square from the main avenue, across the lobby hall, and to the neighboring park facing the rear of the church. The lobby is an open-air indoor plaza for the public and an open hall for children. The hall is open to the surroundings horizontally, so it is revitalized by the city and the church provides the neighborhood with a bright and open space. Since a modern church is a complex facility where many members will worship, fellowship, and have various gatherings, it is necessary to provide effective spaces and a movement flow system in a situation in which different spaces are stacked on a narrow ground and underground space should be utilized as a worship room. Therefore, the Holy Light Church, located in the downtown area of the city of Duncan, Daejeon, consists of the following three parts.

Photography: Joonhwan Yoon

The Holy Light Church has dedicated the area of the block on the front road entirely to an underground parking lot. The rooftop of the parking lot can be used as an outdoor parking lot in case of an emergency, but it is usually used as an open multipurpose space for people like a square in front of a church in Europe. The Cross tower and the corridor are the landmarks in the city and back of the church is recognized from the road. In conjunction with the surrounding buildings, they limit and define at the same time. The depressed curved wall on the façade of the church functions not only as decorative feature but also as a wall that characterizes the entire interior and the exterior of the church. It is a core concept of the church which welcomes neighbors as if it encompasses the square and the city, The church desired that this would be a metaphorical example of gentle Christian life. This façade is the first impression of the Holy Light Church and becomes a luminous body of color changing light, a reflection of the name of the church.

Photography: Joonhwan Yoon

The underground worship room contains a maximum number of seats in the given site. Also, planning the worship room without balcony seats is intentional to create a space to help build the community. The underground worship room is spacious and easy to access directly from the outside through a sunken garden instead of through the lobby hall. The underground worship space is separated from urban noise, so it is quiet. Also, the funnelshaped underground lobby hall became a pleasant and bright space from the light of stained glass windows. In addition, the semicircular seat plan of the main chapel and a pulpit lower than the stall reduced the feeling of religious authority. This layout also supports sermon delivery and harmony among members.

Photography: Joonhwan Yoon

The hall on the first floor is planned to be a public space that citizens easily access because its facade faces the outdoor square and park that is adjacent to the church at the rear. There are rooms for education and the administrative staff for infants and young children, and they function as a café as well. Most of the educational space is mainly located on the upper level. This arrangement provides a bright and cool view which is open in all directions so that it creates an effective educational environment for future generations. It is easy to enter and exit and the youth can enjoy the multipurpose hall and the rooftop garden.

Sketch

Project Info:
Architects: Lee Eunseok + Atelier KOMA
Location: 59 Munjeong-ro 170beon-gil, Seo-gu, Daejeon, South Korea
Architect in Charge: Lee Eunseok
Area: 4244.0 m2
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Joonhwan Yoon
Project Name: Daejun Holy New Light Church

The post Daejun Holy New Light Church | Lee Eunseok + Atelier KOMA appeared first on Arch2O.com.

https://www.arch2o.com/daejun-holy-new-light-church-lee-eunseok-atelier-koma/ June 30, 2018 at 11:20AM https://www.arch2o.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Arch2O-Daejun-Holy-Light-Church-Lee-Eunseok-Atelier-KOMA-01-700x554.jpg