Aarhus Harbor Bath | BIG

Aarhus Harbor Bath is an extension of BIG’s current development plan for Aarhus’ new waterfront neighborhood named O4. Similar to BIG’s first harbor bath in Copenhagen from 2002 which has come to define the Danish capital as one of the most livable cities in the world, Aarhus Harbor Bath and adjacent Beach Bath provide new ways for the public to enjoy the water in all seasons.

Photography: Rasmus Hjortshøj

Together with urban life expert Jan Gehl, our strategy was to create a framework for maximum amount of life with the minimum amount of built substance. The harbor bath zig-zags gently into the island, extends all the way out into the harbor pool and back again. The swimmers can enjoy the circular diving pool, a children’s pool, the 50m long lap pool or one of the two saunas that are tucked underneath the public boardwalk which doubles as a viewing platform who those who prefer to stay dry.

Photography: Rasmus Hjortshøj

In front of the bath, a series of freestanding restaurants, a children’s theater, beach huts for various activities and other life-creating public oriented programs were designed before the private buildings blocks which will rise in the coming years. As a result, the private residential buildings at O4 become subordinate to the needs of the public realm.
Aarhus Harbor Bath gives the residents and visitors of the island a more engaging and adventurous waterfront experience who can use the harbor bath not only in swim shorts but as a walkway that extends the public realm into the water, breathing new life into an area historically reserved for industrial purposes.

Photography: Rasmus Hjortshøj

Project Info:
Architects: Bjarke Ingels Group
Location: Aarhus, Denmark
Partners in Charge: Bjarke Ingels, Finn Nørkjær, Andreas Klok Pedersen
Project Leader: Jesper Bo Jensen, Søren Martinussen
Area: 2600.0 m2
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Rasmus Hjortshøj
Project Name: Aarhus Harbor Bath

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KB Youth Step | Faculty of Hongik University School of Architecture

The KB Youth Step has transformed the Seokyo branch building of KB Kookmin Bank, designed by Space Group in 1968, into a cultural facility for young people. This building contains within it the idea of contributing to society as a public space in the form of a stair plaza, which will invite an urban style into the building and open a private bank building towards a city in which there is no available room for a square. The main design concepts can be summarized as follows:

Photography: Namsun Lee

Publicity
The starting point of this design was the idea that there is no public space offering the convenience of seating when on a walk in this area. The guiding concept for the small private building of KB Kookmin Bank was to insert a terraced element to serve as a public space near Hongik University. The intention was to make the new KB Youth Step a public space open to the city rather than a closed area, and to let the accumulated capital of the financial institution serve in the public interest rather than for only certain individuals or members. The stair plaza, reaching from the first floor to the second, has been planned as a place for events, and as a space in which people can take a rest, use as a meeting place, or perform various activities such as busking and street performances.

Photography: Namsun Lee

Topology
In this building, topology plays with architectural and urban methodologies to create spatial structures that realize a sense of publicity. Folded to lead to the second floor and folded again to get to the rooftop, the stairs create two indoor stair spaces and two outdoor stair plazas. The stairs create a continuous circulation from basement to rooftop, naturally attracting urban circulation into the building. An ambiguous division of floors mix the spaces and the building is integrated with the city topologically. Topological spaces connecting a building with the city realize a kind of topological publicity when open to the public and the city, rather than used as a private space.

Photography: Namsun Lee

Historicity
History is to be respected and memory to be preserved by keeping a building’s façade associated with the memory of a city and attracting the urban fabric to create a spatial structure. People can look at the city through the trace and frame of history. The indoor direct stairways, columns, brick walls and floors are also preserved to allow visitors to experience the traces of the past.

Plan

Flexibility
The indoor stair space, equipped with a foldable screen, can be used not only as a performance hall and theatre but also as a book café, resting place, and reading room. The outdoor stairs and rooftop space can become a place for various purposes and uses, such as contemplation, relaxation, performance, busking, parties, among others, all realizing the concept of inviting the  liveliness of the city into the Hongdae area.

Photography: Namsun Lee

Project Info:
Architects: Faculty of Hongik University School of Architecture
Location: 345-9, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Lead Architects: Youngsoo Lee, Hyunho Lee, Yong Soon Chang, Kyung Sun Lee, Sooran Kim Execution Architecture Sidam Architects- Shiweon Kim, Taeho Kim, Ungjae Lee, Boungcheol Jun, Yoojin Jeong, Jengyun Im, Sooyeon Kim
Area: 1261.83 m2
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Namsun Lee
Project Name: KB Youth Step

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HN Nursery | HIBINOSEKKEI + Youji no Shiro

Designed by HIBINOSEKKEI + Youji no Shiro, This is a nursery which parents found, who want to raise children in rich nature environment. To meet their expectation, by making use of rich nature surrounding it, the nursery is planned to design where children can feel nature in a whole day, and play excited and stimulating, so that they can develop their sensibility and creativity.

Photography: Toshinari Soga

In inside activity of nursery, children generally play with materials whose usage is not flexible and ready-made toys. It’s lack of changes for children to play. On the other hand, in outside activity, there are many changes of season and weather. Children can feel a lot of things, such as the warmth from sunlight, the touch of soil, the smell of flower, the color of sky. For the aim that they take such a full of nature activity in a whole day and then make a discovery and think by themselves, this nursery is designed as they can feel nature whenever and wherever they are.

Photography: Toshinari Soga

In a nursery room, there is a big banyan tree planted from ground, where children can enjoy climbing tree. From the roof made of glass, the sunlight comes and they can watch the floating clouds in the sky. In the playground, there is a big hill with 5-meter difference in height and there children can feel the touch of ground from infants who crawl and they can get many physical activities by rolling over and over, slipping, digging and so on. In these ways, this nursery provides children with the daily life rich in nature and chances to create many plays.

Site plan

Project Info:
Architects: HIBINOSEKKEI + Youji no Shiro
Location: Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Toshinari Soga (studio BAUHAUS)
Manufacturers: GANTAN BEAUTY INDUSTRY, Shelter, Solso, ICHIKAWAYA, KIDS DESIGN LABO
Project Name: HN Nursery

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