Contemporary Design News

Basel based architects Herzog & de Meuron have transformed a derelict 115 year old power plant in Brooklyn, New York, into 170,000 sq ft of workshop space for artists and fabricators. The Turbine Hall of the power plant was repaired and preserved, exposing concrete vaults, brick chases, glazed tilework, and graffiti. The upper level of the Turbine Hall, with its exposed structure displaying refurbished steel trusses, is left as an open flexible space for exhibitions and events. On the site of the Boiler House, which was demolished in the 1950s, the architects have designed a concrete building to sit on the existing foundations, reducing excavations, with window openings that replicate those of the Turbine Hall. Photo of upper floors of the Turbine House. © Iwan Baan. Herzog de Meuron

Toulouse based PPA Architectures has designed the Conservatoire de Musique et de Danse (Conservatory of Music and Dance) in Blagnac, a suburb of Toulouse, France. Set in a landscaped site, the project consists of a horizontal two-storey volume and a perpendicular single-storey concrete building. The upper floor of the main building houses the music teaching rooms, while the dance studios are located in the single-storey building. The central area features a double-height hall that serves as a public space, connected to an adjacent auditorium that can be opened up to create a large, flexible volume. Internally, both spaces are covered with untreated 'pleated' timber acoustic paneling, while externally, perforated metal mesh is utilized as sunscreens. Photo © Sylvain Mille. PPA Architectures

Mæ has completed the John Morden Centre, a day care centre and health facility for the elderly in the Blackheath Park conservation area in South East London. The hub includes a workshop, café, art space, medical facilities and social lounges with the aim of tackling social isolation. A series of landscaped spaces leads to a brick-faced building designed with eaves and ridge heights that relate closely to those of the adjoining Grade I listed building at Morden College. Referencing the original Almshouse and Chapel attributed to Sir Christopher Wren, the building incorporates the language of steep roofs, chimneys, and a cloister into its design. The cloister weaves through existing trees, creating a series of 'outdoor rooms' designed to be inhabited in all seasons. Photo © Jim Stephenson. Mæ

Norwegian architecture studio Sanden+Hodnekvam has designed a house on a steep hillside overlooking Lake Mjøsa, south of Lillehammer in Norway. In keeping with the area's tradition of masonry buildings and brickyards, shades of red brick have been used to clad a load-bearing timber structure. Ash joinery is used externally, and ash plywood is used internally, along with an exposed pine roof structure. The main living and sleeping spaces are on the first floor, with children's accommodation and an apartment on the ground floor. On the top floor, a small tower provides a sitting area with views of the city and the lake. Sanden+Hodnekvam

Mexico based architects HW Studio, designed Casa Enso II in Guanajuato, Mexico using stone as the primary construction material, an abundant local material with deep cultural significance. The project is organised as a crucifix creating four quadrants each with a separate purpose. The entrance quadrant houses a garden, the second quadrant provides space for cars with shading by preserved trees, there is a one bedroom house in the third quadrant and a contrasting vertical element in the fourth quadrant forming an office. Photo Cesar Bejar. HW Studio

Architecture firm Snøhetta, with headquarters in Oslo, has designed a viewing tower and panorama at 2,030 meters above sea level, near the Wiedersberger Horn peak in the Tylolean Alps. The building is of timber construction, following the tradition of buildings in the Alpbactal region, with a concrete base and clad in locally made shingles. Situated adjacent to the cable car station, the building provides keyless access to an unheated but sheltered space with 360 degree panoramic views, in both winter and summer. Photo Christian Flatscher. Snøhetta

Architects Blee Halligan, with offices in London and Turks and Caicos Islands, have created 'Derwent Valley Villa', a family home in the village of Duffield in Derbyshire, England. Inspired by historic 18th century red brick cotton mills in Derbyshire, the house is built of red brick with concrete banding, and designed as linked garden spaces in a wet woodland garden to provide the experience of 'living in a garden'. Photo ©Henry Woide. Blee Halligan 

Belgian based Bovenbouw Architectuur have create the 'Palazzo', an apartment building next to the Kattendijkdok in Antwerp. The Palazzo features an undulating facade on a prominent corner site and comprises 54 apartments over 6 floors with commercial units on the ground floor, a courtyard accessible from the street and underground parking. The building forms part of an urban block with the other buildings designed by Sergison Bates Architects and BULK Architectuur. Photo Stijn Bollaert. Bovenbouw Architectuur

The New Bivouac Fanton, a cabin designed by Italian architects DEMOGO, is situated 2,667m above sea level in the Marmarole mountain range in the Italian Dolomites. The structure is characterised by its inclined profile and designed as a telescope to frame the vast natural space with a distant view of the town Auronzo at the base of the valley. The shade of the exterior, with its natural metallic coating, is influenced by the surrounding rocks and it contrasts with the raw timber interior. Photo Iwan Baan. DEMOGO

Berlin based Sehw Architektur's project 'Twins for Modern Job Nomads' in Berlin Schöneweide provides temporary accommodation for 50 professionals on an urban in-fill site. Rather than completely fill the existing gap, a six storey street facing building is situated to allow entry to a semi public courtyard, which then provides access to a 'twin' rear building via a private communal garden. Photo Helin Bereket. Sehw Architektur

Zurich based Annette Gigon / Mike Guyer Architects have added a two story extension to the Josef Albers Museum Quadrat in Bottrop's historic park Stadtgarten. The form, materials and colour of the structure are designed such that the architectural identity of the adjacent 1913 judge's villa and museum buildings from the 1970s and 1980s, are clearly legible. Photo Stefan Müller, Berlin. Gigon/Guyer

Portuguese architects Carvalho Araújo have designed a glass and concrete house situated in dense woodland near the Caniçada reservoir in Portugal. The form of the three floor house was informed by an existing building on the site. The openings have been designed to allow continuity between the inside and outside, while the surrounding spaces have been preserved with the vegetation providing a sense of enclosure. Photo ©NUDO. Carvalho Araújo

IQON is the tallest building in Quito, Ecuador, and BIG's first project in South America. The building is comprised of 33 stacked concrete boxes, each rotated to offer stunning views and outdoor terraces for residents. Native trees are planted in the balconies, which can be replanted in the city once they outgrow their planters. The building acts a an urban farm utilising the unique climatic conditions of Quito, one of the highest cities in the world at 2,820m. BIG

Rotterdam, São Paulo and Paris based KAAN Architecten were commissioned by the Netherlands War Graves Foundation to create a building in Loenen, Netherlands, to commemorate Dutch victims of the Second World War. KAAN Architecten designed a stone pavilion keeping it as narrow as possible to minimise disturbance to the birch and pine trees in the forest. The design keeps the form horizontal by avoiding vertical elements which was the principle of the original landscape architect for the site, Daniel Haspels. Photo ©Simone Bossi. KAAN Architecten