Architecture and Design

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Poetry of Brutalism

(Issue of a magazine 2/2019, page 86)

This architectural style of the period between 1950s-1970s is called “brutalism” or “neobrutalism”. However, two different names should not confuse you, because in fact they mean the same thing. The starting point of brutalism is the work of a married couple of architects from UK, Alison and Peter Smithson. It was they who first used this term in their theoretical notes and articles, describing their own architectural projects of the early 1950s. Le Corbusier was also involved in the development of brutalism. Thus, the architect described the technology of processing exterior surfaces of buildings, applied by him in many buildings of the postwar period, with a French term “béton brut” or “raw concrete”. It was this term that later formed the basis for the name of the style “brutalism”. 

Powerbarn in Russi: Clean Energy from Biomass

(Issue of a magazine 2/2019, page 96)

Designed by Giovanni Vaccarini Architetti, Powerbarn redefines the relationship between energy production and agricultural land. A virtuous example of coexistence between the industrial and the agricultural world, Powerbarn by Giovanni Vaccarini Architetti in Russi (Ravenna, Italy) interprets the conversion process of part of an industrial area, once property of the Eridania sugar company, into a bioenergy production plant. Surrounded by dunes and natural pathways, the new pole for the production of electricity from renewable sources is fully encircled by the territory it derives its energy resources from. 

The Alpinists Shelter

(Issue of a magazine 2/2019, page 104)

Someone says that people begin to say “hello” to each other in mountains from a height of 1000 meters above sea level, and someone that it starts from 2000. In any case, everyone here goes to informal “you”. At the entrance to the mountain shelter or “hütte”, backpacks and equipment should be left behind the threshold in a specially designated place. In mountain shelters usually there is a topographic map of the area, a book in which it is advisable to mark everyone who comes (thanks to this tradition, if something happens to a person in the mountains, you can determine his or her approximate route) and historical photos of the hütte. Having crossed the threshold of the hütte, it is advisable to leave all the talk behind. Mountains love silence. Communication at the height is not welcome. The rules, although unspoken, apply even at great heights.

Think Winter: Architectural Design in a Cold Climate

(Issue of a magazine 2/2019, page 116)

In 1956, an all-Japanese construction development program was launched on Hokkaido Island with a main goal not only to solve the housing problem, but also to improve the thermal situation in buildings taking into account the peculiarities of the local climate with short summers and long snowy winters. The fight against the cold is still ongoing. Residential buildings with high thermal insulation and airtightness began to be extensively built on Hokkaido as late as at the turn of the Millennium. And the use of external insulation in office buildings that meets the requirements for energy cost reduction is even a matter of recent years. The purpose of this article is to acquaint readers with the design and construction of buildings in this area taking into account the climatic features of Hokkaido.

Gasholders London: Game of Contrasts

(Issue of a magazine 1/2019, page 48)

Gasholders London has been chosen by the RIBA Awards Group to win a 2018 RIBA National Award. The RIBA Judges described the scheme as a “successful marrying of old with new, sensitively handling the needs of 21st-century living while celebrating the most beautiful industrial structures in the renaissance of King’s Cross: the triplet of Grade II-listed cast-iron gasholders.” 

Gasholder Park – Magnificence of Simplicity

(Issue of a magazine 1/2019, page 56)

The Gasholder Park is a delightful public space created within the constraints of the Grade II listed gasholder in the residential heart of King’s Cross however seamlessly integral to its public realm setting overlooking the Regent’s Canal. It is simplicity at its best, drawing people to the area and offering a relaxing, tranquil setting in a high-density urban environment. Overlooked by new residences and in close proximity to a primary school, it is safe and accessible by all.

Schools in the Olympic Park – More than Schools

(Issue of a magazine 1/2019, page 62)

London architectural practice Penoyre & Prasad has recently completed two projects in the field of school education. New primary and secondary schools opened in the heart of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. They are located at some distance from each other, but are connected by a common approach to architectural and design solutions. In addition, they are designed both to provide educational services and to meet the growing needs of the local community.

Triple Barn: Not Only for Their

(Issue of a magazine 1/2019, page 72)

A rusted three-roof house, designed by San Francisco/Oslo based Mork-Ulnes Architects as a residential retreat for a chef and her husband, is suspended over a concrete void on a rural property in Sonoma, California. Clad in corten steel panels to integrate both to the rural building typology of Sonoma, as well as the red clay indigenous to the rocky hillside site, the project was completed in September 2018.

To Serve Humanity by Honoring the Art of Architecture

(Issue of a magazine 1/2019, page 80)

The Pritzker Architecture Prize is often called an analogue of the Nobel Prize in architecture. And it is quite justified, given its importance for the architectural community. This year the award marks the 40th anniversary of its Foundation. Our correspondent Elizaveta Klepanova met with the Executive Director of the Award Martha Thorne, who took the time in her busy schedule to talk about the great preliminary work that precedes the Award ceremony.

Campus of Belval: Against the Backdrop of the Industrial Past

(Issue of a magazine 1/2019, page 96)

Built on a former industrial site of Esch-sur-Alzette, the campus of the University of Luxemburg Faculty of Sciences is laid out over the remains of the old steelworks, dominated by its blast furnaces. The landscape surrounding this now very urban ensemble offers far-reaching views of the beautiful countryside. Existing facilities are characterized by the minerality of their public spaces which are not very inviting for outdoor activities. The Inessa Hansch Architecte office, seeking to echo this unique and complex location, decided to create places of heightened intensity encouraging more active involvement with the site and providing a wider variety of visual and physical experiences.