The old public school in Queensland attended by the children from aboriginal community southwest of Brisbane was located near a busy road and no longer provided sufficient space for the rapidly growing number of students.

RKA was commissioned to prepare a new masterplan taking into account not only the need for additional new spaces but a safer location.

Phase 1 in the masterplan, completed in 2007, consisted of four separate volumes, two of which contained classrooms for grades 1 to 5, plus one for the kitchen and accessory services and one for art and science classrooms. This phase also included study and planning of landscaping.

Phase 2, implemented in 2010, included construction of a multipurpose building, which benefited from the architects’ study of efficient structural design and development of eco-sustainable strategies. Like the Phase 1 buildings, the new building has a simple, lightweight steel structure completed with wood and glass.

The inclined roof juts out to offer shelter for the area around the building and collects rainwater for watering the gardens. The volume’s orientation, the position of the doors and the adjustable windows provide natural ventilation for the multipurpose space. “Green” solutions improve the environmental performance of the AIICS complex.

A project aimed at guaranteeing a better future for aboriginal children becomes a true centre for the neighbourhood’s social life, a multipurpose space for the local community built strictly in line with the principles of ESD (ecologically sustainable development).

Design: Richard Kirk Architects, http://www.richardkirkarchitect.com/
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Client: Aboriginal & Islander Independent Community School
Years: 2004 – 2010
Photographs: AIICS – Jon Linkins, AIICS Hall – Aperture Architectural Photography
Awards: 2010: Australian Steel Institute Award (Phase 2), 2007: Australian Steel Institute Award (Phase 1)

The client wanted new offices that would improve quality and comfort in the workplace, and the solution adopted by Ruiz Llarea achieved this improvement through dialogue between interior and exterior spaces.

The existing building was demolished down to the ground floor and two new buildings of different heights were constructed on its base: one with 5 floors and another with 2 floors, joined by a third low glass volume containing the accesses to the building. The volume adds transparency to the north-south visual axis.

New pedestrian paths allow the people who work in the building to enjoy the gardens around it, and a series of platforms jut out over the park, underlining the building’s links with its urban surroundings.

The façades play a very important role in these spatial relationships, varying depending on their orientation, but all aimed at maximising use of natural light, an essential expedient permitting considerable energy savings in the building. The only closed side, which acts as a “thermal buffer” with only small windows, is the side overlooking a residential neighbourhood.

The wall facing the park is made entirely of glass: this is where the bank’s offices and public spaces are located, sheltered from the sun by a broad outdoor walkway.

The southeast wall is broken up by the rhythm of the sunshade, which creates light and shadows to control light levels and thermal comfort inside the building.

The “Banco de España” branch in Ciudad Real is a lightweight, light coloured contemporary structure with a focus on energy conservation and relations with its urban surroundings.

Design: Ruiz Llarea & Associados, http://www.ruizlarrea.com/
Location: Ciudad Real, Spain
Year: 2009
Photographs:  Courtesy of  Ruiz Llarea & Associados

French architect Patrick Partouche presents a plan for an expansion on his home, a zero emissions home built in 2000, with a metal container for use as living space and a study.

To add to the usable floor space seven years later, when the family’s children had been born, Patrick Partouche opted for an unusual, quick, efficient solution: an extension in the form of two greenhouses. All built in the space of a month!

The greenhouses with their steel structure offer outstanding comfort, especially in spring and fall, when the family can enjoy use of a sheltered outdoor space. The architectural additions take on different functions at different times of day, as well as offering shelter for delicate plants. In summer the polycarbonate roof may be opened as desired and the position of the doors provides natural ventilation for the room.

In winter the greenhouses capture sunlight and are heated naturally, helping heat the main home and the study, which use surplus heat generated in the greenhouses without having to rely on heat fuelled by non-renewable energy sources except in particularly cold weather.

The result is a project with a striking visual impact which is also very practical, because it offers a large, dynamic, multipurpose space at a competitive cost with truly rapid construction.


Design: Patrick Partouche, http://partouche-architecte.blogspot.it/
Location: Lesquin, France
Photographs: Courtesy of Patrick Partouche
Links: Container House, http://www.livegreenblog.com/sustainable-architecture/8-containers-recycled-to-make-an-unusual-ecological-home-7687/

The late 19th century barn has been used in a variety of ways throughout its history and is now a heritage building protected by the Cultural Heritage Superintendency. The solution for reclaiming the built core obtained the approval of the people in charge of restoring the city’s monuments, allowing the architects to reuse an abandoned area in the city centre and a valuable part of its architectural heritage without having to build a new construction.

Medusagroup’s project stands out for its attempt to preserve interior spaces in which brick and wood are the key materials, simply cleaned and treated.

Without making any major structural changes, the architects managed to create 30 residential units on the three floors above ground, with interiors ranging from 79 to 320 square metres. The complex has restaurants, cafés and shops on the ground floor.

On the southwest side, two new volumes of reinforced concrete, slightly detached from the main building, contain utility areas such as the stairs and lift, linked to the main volume by a glass roof. The main façade is covered with Corten and blends in with the historic materials, emphasising the building’s contemporary expansion, while a wooden terrace acts as a “trait d'union” with the commercial spaces.

The barn’s façade has been renewed and preserved, adapting the window frames to save energy.

The old barn is surrounded by a public space with greenery and parking, all only minutes away from the city centre. The project is a virtuous example of industrial archaeology in the spirit of “green living”, designed to repopulate the city centre.


Design: medusagroup, http://www.medusagroup.pl
Location: Gliwice / Poland
Year: 2009
Photographs: Milosz Jaksik, Tomas Zakrzewski
Client: wektor inwestycje sp. z o.o.
Size of the site: 14941.26 square metres
Built surface: 1216.25 square metres
Usable floor area: 4769,26 m2 + terrace 224.76 square metres
Total area: 6136.58 square metres

Cascina Cuccagna hosted the GOODESIGN initiative during Fuorisalone 2012 and introduced itself to the international public at Milano Design Week.

Under the title “Lavorare bene, abitare meglio” (Work well, live better) GOODESIGN hosted 4 macro-areas (Green, Living, Mobility and Food) in which more than 50 companies and designers exhibited their responses to these challenges.

What better location than Cascina Cuccagna, offering a new model of urban design on a human scale: after many years of abandonment this piece of Milan’s historic heritage, protected by the Artistic and Cultural Heritage Superintendency, is once again a place for participation in civic society.

A group of associations and cooperatives in Milan took on the task of preserving and restoring the building, adding new facilities onto the existing constructions and participating in the symbolic stratification of the various architectural elements. All this was done on the basis of the principles of building biology and sustainable use of energy, with a hydro-geothermal heating system and ecological insulation.

The Cuccagna project created a multipurpose space, a place for local people to meet and spending time together and a cultural laboratory: a place that not only brings the most tangible aspects of the countryside into the city centre but develops a new concept of “green” metropolitan life with citizens’ active participation.

It is like a flower growing in concrete, offering the city of Milan 4000 square metres of space for sustainable development. The event in the farmhouse took advantage of the great opportunity offered by Fuorisalone to present a new Milan that sets the trends in responding to the great challenges of the future, on a human scale and in individual neighbourhoods.


For more information on Cascina Cuccagna: http://www.cuccagna.org
GOODESIGN – lavorare bene, abitare meglio, http://goodesignfuorisalone2012.tumblr.com
Photographs: Courtesy of Cascina Cuccagna and Gianluca Giordano, http://ggiordans.blogspot.it/

The market has been the city’s heart throughout its history, a crucial point in its urban fabric.
True to this idea of the historic site of commerce as the true centre of the town, the architects of Slovenian studio arhitektura Krušec built a new covered market with close ties to its surroundings in the town of Celje.

Precisely because of its important role ensuring social cohesion, architecture is at the service of the structure’s main function: offering users a space they require, sheltered from the elements.

The colour white is used throughout the structure to show off the colours of the fruit and vegetables sold in the market, setting off the colours typical of goods and people in everyday life.

The big metal roof covering the market structure is divided into smaller parts with alternating different heights, a solution which not only adds dynamism to the construction but lets daylight into the structure.

The external supports aligned with these subdivisions ensure that the space inside the market does not need any pillars, permitting highly flexible use of space.

Celja, Slovenia’s third-largest city, now has a new meeting-place, a structure which is built in osmosis with the city and its people: the true focus of a construction which is completed only when there are people in it, with their noise and colours.

Design: Arhitektura Krušec (Lena Krušec, Tomaž Krušec and Vid Kurinčič), http://arhitekturakrusec.si/
Client: City of Celje and CMC Celje
Location: Celje, Slovenia
Year: 2009
Assistants: Tina Mikulič, Vanja Milosavljevič, Jurij Nemec, Matej Nolda, Jan Šavli and Miha Žargi
Photographs: Miran Kambič

The “Balancing Barn” is a holiday home for 2 to 8 people near a small lake in Thorington, Suffolk.
The building, which minimises the amount of land it occupies, was built for Living Architecture of Britain as part of an initiative in which the enterprise commissioned world-famous architects to design holiday homes inspired by contemporary architecture in locations of particular environmental or cultural value.

As we approach it from the road, the building looks like a small country cabin for two people, but as we move closer we realise how deep it is, 30 metres, with 15 metres jutting out on a weight-bearing beam, following the natural slope of the land.

We enter the home on the ground floor only to find that by the time we get to the back of the volume, we are at the same height as the trees, suspended over the lawn. Halfway through the overhanging part of the house is a trapdoor for direct access to the garden.

The house has a strong visual impact but fits well into its surroundings thanks to its shape recalling a traditional farmhouse with a gabled roof, while the trees covering the sides are reflected in its metal cladding.

To offer the occupants an exciting new experience in harmony with nature, no compromises are made when it comes to sustainability: the volume is well-insulated, ventilation is provided with heat recovery and the home is heated by a geothermal heat pump supplemented by a woodstove. The result is a truly relaxing atmosphere surrounded by trees.


Design: MVRDV, Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries with Frans de Witte and Gijs Rikken, http://www.mvrdv.nl
Client: http://www.living-architecture.co.uk/
Co-Architect: Mole Architects, Cambridge, UK
Landscape Architect: The Landscape Partnership
Location: Thorington Suffolk, UK
Photographs: Edmund Sumner
Related links: http://www.floornature.com/overview-architecture-news/news-mvrdv-balancing-barn-5565/

Jeanne Gang, founder of Studio Gang of Chicago, takes an interdisciplinary approach to her projects, finding answers to local needs which arise out of the location and its culture but have global implications, for all design choices have repercussions for overall sustainability.
The Media Production Center (MPC) of Chicago’s famous Columbia College is a building organised into three strips, including three large “sound stages” for film, video and motion capture.

One of the stages is scaled to ensure that all the students in a class can work in the same space together, for teamwork is a key to the concept behind the centre. To promote this kind of interaction among MPC students, the parts that are not normally visible but are essential for film production – warehouses, wardrobes, set construction – have been integrated into it.

The visual effect created using oblique lines and light on the walls of the façades not only stratifies the spaces but creates depth of field, as in a film, so that as we walk through the centre, light and perspective change as if we are in a film set (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lzzqh6rY2AQ).

The building achieves sustainability in a number of ways. One aspect essential for saving energy in a facility which houses a discipline requiring sophisticated equipment and artificial lighting, both of which produce a lot of heat, is a cooling system for the stages. To overcome this problem the architects installed a low speed ventilation system which lets in fresh air at the occupant level, rather than at human height as is normally the case in less efficient conventional systems, which do not provide cooling where it is required. This reduces notably the cooling needs of the MPC.

The big green roof serves two purposes: acoustic insulation and absorption of vibrations caused by the trains that go by the MPC, while also saving land to balance the urban warming caused by waterproofing of the land, letting rainwater flow off gradually.
This focus on reducing environmental impact has earned the building LEED Gold certification.


Design: Studio Gang, Chicago, http://www.studiogang.net/
Client: Columbia College, Chicago
Location: Chicago
Photographs: Steve Hall © Hedrich Blessing
Related links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lzzqh6rY2AQ
Awards: Distinguished Building Citation of Merit Award, AIA Chicago, 2010 / Columbia College Chicago Media Production Center

Despite the breathtaking beauty of the farmlands and woods around it, the village was in decline, like thousands of other little hamlets all over Italy: all the young people were leaving, due to the lack of career opportunities, and the village’s architectural heritage was being abandoned. Places like this were built not by a single wealthy client but by the community in general, and this is precisely what makes them so interesting and attractive.

Daniele Kihlgren, the Italo-Swedish initiator who came up with the Sextantio project, has a specific mission: preserving all forms of territorial identity, from landscape to the history of architecture and material culture.

This is our “minor historic heritage”, often neglected because it is not tied to famous names but to the “genius loci”: the basis for reclamation of the buildings themselves and the social renewal of Santo Stefano in Sessanio.

The idea of the integrated multi-building hotel offers new opportunities for the local community without altering the landscape. The design idea is based on territorial research conducted with experts in a variety of fields, such as restorers and anthropologists, to reclaim ancient know-how and learn from the past.

This way of working has benefits to offer not only for the environmental sustainability of the project, which uses only local materials, but also in practical terms: the damage caused by the 2009 earthquake (it is only 30 km from L'Aquila) was limited thanks to the restoration and conservation of the existing buildings.

Sextantio has projects underway in other parts of southern Italy as well as in Abruzzo.


Architects and supervisors of reclamation work: arch. Lelio Oriano di Zio and arch. Antonietta di Clemente
Concept and client: Daniele Kihlgren
Location: Santo Stefano in Sessanio (AQ), Italy
Link: http://www.sextantio.it

 http://www.associazionesextantio.org
Photographs: Courtesy of Sextantio, Photographer: Mario di Paola

A writer in Koganei, a wealthy Tokyo suburb, wanted a quiet home with the right amount of privacy. His demands may seem to be in line with those of the majority of homeowners, but represented a real challenge for the architects in the densely populated city of Tokyo, where the availability of land for construction is limited.

Love Architecture, a studio with an approach to design which stands out precisely for its attempt to attain harmony by underlining the liveability of buildings, found a solution which achieves the client's goals on only 165 metres of land.

To ensure that the building did not have an overly invasive visual impact, the architects built a cross-shaped volume on a trapezoidal lot, leaving the corners of the lot free for the garden. Our perception of the volume is lightened up by the sharp slope of the roofs, so that the home is turned entirely inward.

To ensure privacy, it was important to place windows facing the inner courtyards. This expedient does not however limit natural lighting, as the interior receives plenty of light and ventilation from the windows and shutters.

The arrangement of space in the home places private rooms such as the bedroom and the owner’s study on the first floor, where small balconies offer views over the courtyards, further reinforcing the link between inside and outside.

The building’s outer façades are covered with red cedar, while the flooring is made of strips of Japanese elm (Zelkova) and the frame is also made of timber. The predominance of wood not only underlines the link with the green space outdoors, however small it may be, but accentuates the impression that one has when looking at the home: that it is built in the right place, and fits perfectly into its surroundings.

Design: Love Architecture Inc., http://www.lovearchitecture.co.jp/
Location: Tokyo (Japan)
Structural design: LOW FAT structure Inc.
Completion of work: December 2011
gross usable floor: 126.24㎡
photographs: Sadamu Saitou

In Vietnamese, “lam” means “crack” or “shutter”, alluding to the fact that the construction is made primarily out of strips of bamboo set side by side, making up not only the façade but the interior walls and used as an integral part of the building’s structure.

This construction method is well-suited to the climate of the famous resort town of Nha Trang (where the average annual temperature is 27°C) and the client’s demand for quick construction of the Café.

The interior is pleasantly naturally ventilated by air entering through the cracks between the bamboo strips. Natural light comes in the same way, creating soft lighting in the interior and therefore the perfect atmosphere for relaxation, ensuring privacy despite the openings in the walls.

A number of structural elements are made of hollow brick, also locally made, underlining the play of light and shadow, especially at night when the light inside lights up the building like a lantern.

The roof of the building stands out in this residential neighbourhood, establishing a good link with its surroundings with its ethereal presence. Its shape recalls the coconut leaf, the main material of its weave, consisting of three layers: the coconut leaves are laid over a bamboo frame and covered with fishing nets.

In the future a green roof will be planted to further improve the carbon footprint of this project, which draws exclusively on local resources and materials.

In addition to the LAM Café, the Vietnamese architectural studio a21 also built the “iResort” complex in Nha Trang (see news article http://www.livegreenblog.com/news/andldquoi-resortandrdquo---in-contact-with-nature-and-its-methods--7712/), also based on the principles of skilfully combining traditional Vietnamese architecture with innovative use of spaces and structures.


Design: a21 studio (Nguyen Hoa Hiep, Nguyen Qui Nhon), http://www.a21studio.com.vn/
Location: Nha Trang, Vietnam
Year: 2011
Photographs: Hioyukioki
Related links: http://www.livegreenblog.com/news/andldquoi-resortandrdquo---in-contact-with-nature-and-its-methods--7712/

The new civic centre is located in the immediate vicinity of St Luke's School (also see: http://www.livegreenblog.com/sustainable-architecture/st-lukeand39s-elementary-school-by-architype-is-the-first-breeam-excellent-primary-school-in-britain-7629/ and adds new life and a new focus for the community in a corner lot which was in the past unused.

In addition to a multipurpose hall for sporting events, the centre includes a gym, a meeting room, offices and a café, offering something for all ages.

The centre is organised into two blocks: a western block with a wooden façade and zig-zag skylights on the northern side reflecting the style of the adjacent school; and an eastern block with a more industrial look thanks to Corten cladding with vertical openings and timber inserts to promote the circulation of air.
Corten is also used in the fencing around the site, in a new version by a local artist.

Timber plays an essential role in the western block and in the interiors, where it is used in the structures and forms of prefabricated cladding elements.
The central glass “opening” between the two blocks is the starting point for pathways inside the building, and a space used to provide natural light in the adjacent rooms.

When it comes to sustainability, the project stands out for its heating system using excess heat produced by the biomass boiler in St Luke's Primary School, especially in the evenings and on holidays, when the school is not in use and the community centre is most intensively used.

In this project Architype demonstrates that responding to citizens’ sensibility to the issue of sustainability is a very successful strategy, resulting in lesser environmental impact and greater professional satisfaction. As demonstrated by the project combining Blakenhall Healthy Living Centre and St Luke’s Primary School at the heart of the revitalisation programme for this former industrial zone, which has been awarded the Regen WM Outstanding Place of the Decade 2010 Award.


Design: Architype, http://www.architype.co.uk
Location: Wolverhampton, UK
Client: Wolverhampton City Council with ABCD Regeneration
Link to the centre: http://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/leisure_culture/sports/facilities/centres/blakenhall/
Related links: St Luke's Primary School, http://www.livegreenblog.com/sustainable-architecture/st-lukeand39s-elementary-school-by-architype-is-the-first-breeam-excellent-primary-school-in-britain-7629/
Photographer: Leigh Simpson
Completion of work: 2010

The photocatalytic power of titanium dioxide (TiO2) to purify the air and eliminate bacteria is a well-known phenomenon, but not everyone knows that the benefits depend largely on the micrometric rather than nanometric dimensions of TiO2, in a process that involves no risks to human health or the environment during manufacture, application or final use.

The most interesting case is Graniti Fiandre’s ACTIVE Clean Air & Antibacterial Ceramic™ tiles. The photocatalyst is not consumed in the oxidation process, which uses only substances present in the air to break down pollutants into a form which is not damaging to the health, but activates and accelerates the reaction. Its particles are not directly involved, with the result that the action of the titanium dioxide remains unaltered over the years.

Fixing TiO2 on ACTIVE Clean Air & Antibacterial Ceramic™ tiles at high temperatures ensures that the surface of the tiles is extremely resistant to abrasion due to tread, even in the presence of intense traffic, guaranteeing long-lasting photocatalytic effectiveness.

The effects have been tested by the University of Milan’s Department of Physical and Electrical Chemistry. Comparison of the photocatalytic power of 100 m2 of White Ground Active tiles with the natural absorbing power of trees in removal of nitrogen oxides demonstrates with scientific certainty that 100 m2 of White Ground Active tiles degrade as much NOx as about 30 trees, corresponding to 22 m2 of leaf surface, in one day. The figures clearly demonstrate the benefits for the environment.

These tiles are used in “Il Bruco” nursery school in Bazzano, donated and conceived by the FIAT Foundation and designed by Studio A.S. Architetti Associati of Turin for a hundred or so children in three kindergarten classes and two nursery school groups for infants (more details under http://www.floornature.com/architecture-news/news-active-coverings-for-the-“caterpillar”-in-bazzano-7783/).

The tiles were applied to the outside, where they compete with the purifying power of the trees, and inside, where they actively combat disease. Their effective action fighting bacteria, including particularly hazardous bacteria such as escherichia coli, staphylococcos aureus and klebsiella pneumonia, make them ideal for application in public places. The result not only purifies the air and protects the nursery school’s little pupils but creates a welcoming environment with a modern look, in an all-Italian disaster recovery project.


Design: (concept) Fiat Partecipazioni S.p.A., studio A.S. Architetti Associati (Edoardo Astegiano, Renzo Conti, Federico Morgando) – Turin,  http://www.studioas.it
Tiles: Collezione Wave Extreme http://www.granitifiandre.it
Location: L'Aquila, Italy
Related links: http://www.floornature.it/notizie-novita-panorama-architettura/news-active-il-materiale-eco-attivo-al-servizio-dellambiente-e-delluomo-7622/
http://www.floornature.com/architecture-news/news-active-coverings-for-the-“caterpillar”-in-bazzano-7783/
Photographs: Graniti Fiandre (http://www.granitifiandre.it)

The plan for the headquarters of the “Caja Vital Kutxa” savings and loans fund takes the assumption that natural form is a combination of rules and chaos, of repeatable models and exceptions, and uses it as a foundation for the compositional rules of natural forms.

This approach is very favourable to the building’s inclusion in a particular environmental context, a marsh, in one of a series of city parks in Vitoria-Gasteiz known as the ”Anillo Verde”.
To prevent conflict with the building’s natural setting, the classic urban plan based on Cartesian axes is not followed here, but the irregular H-shaped plan is based on the shape of a chromosome, with arms extending from east to west and meeting in the big central space in the building to form the big hall running the full height of the building in the centre of the composition.

The walls of the hall are covered with red polyurethane panels painted by artist Javier Perez.

One of the arms extends 26 metres outward, offering spaces that have no impact on the land and suggesting the classic motion of organic forms.

On the façade too, architects Javier Mozas and Eduardo Aguirre resort to natural motifs to ensure that the building fits harmoniously into its surroundings; the metal outer structure which forms its true skeleton is inspired by the pattern of the trees around it. This wrapper with its organic forms positioned in front of the dark glass, in accordance with the architects’ intention of relating the entire building to life-bringing cells, completes the entire building in a high impact visual context.

When seen from far away, the volume almost blends into the marsh, suggesting that iconic buildings can be designed in harmony with their surroundings.

Design: Mozas Aguirre Arquitectos, Javier Mozas & Eduardo Aguirre, http://www.mozasaguirre.com/
Client: Caja Vital Kutxa
Location: Vitoria-Gasteiz, Paesi Baschi, Spain
Artists: Javier Perez – two walls and the ceiling in the foyer, Miguel Gonzalez de San Román – paintings on the foundations.
Completion: 2007
Photographs: Cesar San Millan

The compact volume of the TZA (Transfer Centre for the Adaptronic, an innovative structural technology permitting mechanical systems to react to different functional requirements) is located on the Fraunhofer institute’s campus for operative stability and dependability of LBF systems in Darmstadt. The centre represents a new kind of research based on intensive communication among operating teams, establishing a strong bond while maintaining the autonomy of various spaces such as meeting rooms or laboratories.

The building’s wrapper is made of sheets of Bond-Brass, the surface of which is interrupted by an irregular grid of square openings which give the simple volume a fine texture generating depth. The light effects created on the façade change at different times of day and seasons, representing the principle of action-reaction that inspires this field of science, and is the fruit of intense collaboration between JSWD and the maker of the sheets, KME.

The interior is designed on the basis of simple forms and materials, and so the prevalent colour is white, combined with the plastered walls and bamboo parquet, all lit up by natural light entering through the skylight in the foyer.

Sustainability plays an important role in the project, with concrete core activation to heat and cool the spaces. To further optimise energy consumption, heat produced by the campus’ plumbing system is used to heat the new building.

In this project JSWD has created a building with a wrapper resulting from in-depth research into materials which promotes the transfer of knowledge not only within the institute but beyond it; a form of architecture which acts as an ambassador of new technologies in construction.

Design: JSWD Architekten, Köln http://www.jswd-architekten.de/
Project management: Robert Bönsch
Client: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V., Hansastr. 27c, 80686 München
User: Fraunhofer–Institut für Betriebsfestigkeit und Systemzuverlässigkeit LBF
Location: Bartningstraße 47, 64289 Darmstadt
Gross surface area: 2,290 m²
Usable surface area: 1,148 m²
Design: 2007-2009
Completion: 2010
Photographs: Thomas Lewandowski, Felix Krumbholz
Related link: Corporate Architecture, ThyssenKrupp Headquarters http://www.livegreenblog.com/sustainable-architecture/corporate-architecture-thyssen-krupp-headquarterandnbsp-7631/

As Anna and Eugeni Bach of bacharquitectes of Spain explained when presenting their Playhouse project, it is built in response to their children’s specific demands. Perhaps they thought:”If mummy and daddy make houses for other people, why can’t they make one for us?”

Keeping a promise made during a holiday on their grandparents’ farm in Finland last summer (and readers who have children will know how insistent they can be when it comes to keeping promises), the architects proceeded with the executive phase of the project, which may be viewed in the video they made to tell the story of their experience. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPg4buxzzV4)
The children were intensively involved in both design and construction. In two weeks the little clients could already take possession of their home, having learned a lot from the experience, such as the fact that it takes hard work to get what you want, and, above all, dreams can come true.

The project stands out for the delicate way in which it transposes the children’s imagination: the shapes are those of the prototype houses we all drew as children, and the interior has been adapted to meet the children’s needs. Its simplicity makes it perfect for interpretation by the children’s imagination as either a “house” or a “castle” complete with defensive tower.

The entire construction is made of timber from the grandparents’ forests or nearby sawmills. Traditional Finnish construction techniques were used to ensure that the identity of the place is preserved even in this miniature project, with only a small galvanised covering to protect the openings in the walls.

The outside of the house was painted with white stripes, leaving the rest untreated. The colour of the wood will change with the years, increasing the contrast with the painted parts, marking the flow of time.

The “Playhouse” is an example of how we can teach sustainable architecture playfully on a children’s scale by combining fairy-tale atmospheres with craftsmanship. Because architects have children too!


Design: Anna and Eugeni Bach, http://www.bacharquitectes.com, http://annaeugenibach.com
Assistants: Uma and Rufus Bach
Designed: July 20 and 21 2011
Built: August 10 to 24 2011
Clients: Uma and Rufus Bach
Built surface area: 13.5 m2
Budget: 800€
Photographs: Tiia Ettala, http://www.tiiaettala.com
Related link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPg4buxzzV4

Not far from Horrstadion is this complex for training the youth teams of Austria Wien, one of the country’s oldest football teams. It includes an indoor field with artificial grass, offices, a gym, a canteen and three outdoor fields.

The project was a true challenge for the architects of Franz Architekten and studio Atelier Mauch as the budget was low and construction time was limited to six months in order to obtain a licence for the Austrian championship. Building codes in Vienna permitted only a maximum height of 4.5 metres, but the sports building required a height of 7 metres.

The project team was undismayed and found a solution for each of these requirements: the building was constructed partly underground, with a jutting roof which not only shelters it from the weather but provides a base for sponsor’s advertisements facing onto a busy road.

The heart of the facility is an indoor field which is lit up by natural light without dazzling the players thanks to north-facing windows. The dressing rooms are also lit by daylight, creating a natural atmosphere, and have direct access to the outdoor fields.

The building’s compact construction benefits energy consumption. The building is heated by the City of Vienna’s district heating scheme and its low temperature heating system with radiating wall panels permits considerable savings over classic heating systems.

The football fields are sprinkled with rainwater collected on the roof of the building, which measures 2,500 square metres and can fill the tanks with 120,000 litres of water.

The old proverb “making a virtue out of necessity” applies to the Nachwuchsakademie project, and the result is green in every way – not just because of the colour of the fields!


Design: franz architekten zt gmbh, http://www.franz-architekten.at/ with atelier mauch gmbh
Client: FK Austria Wien
Location: Vienna, Austria
Photographs: Stephan Wyckhoff

What is now a world-wide event was first held in 2004 on the initiative of WWF Australia, in the conviction that something must be done to attract people’s attention to climate change and its consequences for future generations.

Leo Burnett advertising agency in Sydney and WWF Australia planned a campaign based on positive involvement of the population. The message is that we can all do something to protect the planet. The first name “The Big Flick” (of light switches) was replaced in 2006 by the current one: EarthHour, a concept with a broader significance, going beyond simply “turning off the light”.

The first official EarthHour was celebrated in Sydney in March 31, 2007 and international interest was already high, and in fact the next year 371 cities in 35 countries participated, growing to 6494 cities in 150 countries this year. The record-breaking participation is due not only to the world population’s growing awareness of environmental issues but to the power of social networks which provided viral promotion of the initiative.

Different kinds of initiatives and celebrations were held in different parts of the world, depending on the local time, and at 8:30 PM many cities turned off the lights in symbolic buildings such as the world’s tallest skyscraper: the Burj Kalifa in Dubai.

Turning off the lights in iconic landmarks was an important way of publicising the initiative. As if in a relay race, Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, little castles in Transylvania and the Eiffel Tower in Paris were switched off in sequence: key buildings in the public imagination which played an important role in conveying Earth Hour’s message, which Nelson Mandela summed up on Twitter on March 31, 2012 as: “Let us stand together to make our world a sustainable source for our future as humanity in this planet.”

Location: Planet Earth
Organisation: http://www.earthhour.org 
Photographs: Courtesy of http://www.earthour.org, copyright belonging to the authors
Captions: 
1) Istanbul, Hagia Sofia, copyright Ufuk Vural
2) Preparation of EarthHour Event, Sydney, copyright WWF Australia
3) NZ, Auckland, Skycity Tower after (c) fraser newman photography
4) Brazil, Brasilia, JKBridge_Switchoff on, WWF Eduardo Aigner
5) Brazil, Brasilia, JKBridge_Switchoff off, WWF Eduardo Aigner
6) Spain, Madrid, Earth Hour 2012, (c) Jorge Sierra, WWF Spain
7) Germany, Berlin, Brandenburger Tor, (c) David Biene
8) UK, Edinburgh Castle Maverick

The structure of the 10 x 10 metre stable was preserved, particularly the cladding of stone pillars and the structure of the roof. The interior was emptied out, given new walls and two floors for a total habitable surface area of 135 square metres.

The studio’s choice of constructing new walls for new living spaces and renovating the stairway, integrating a chimney made by the old “compacted cement” technique, initially puzzled the workers, but the overall effect convinced everyone. The archaic material goes perfectly with the flooring in the entrance and the coarse grain of the concrete seats.

The wood used in the project is Swiss oak, while the walls are made of glass between pillars running all the way up to the ceiling in custom-made steel frames. In front of the windows are vertical strips of wood which can be manually oriented to adjust the amount of light coming into the building.

A harmonious combination of the prevalent materials, compacted cement and solid oak, is the key theme in the interiors too. The kitchen furnishings are made of compacted cement with oiled oak work surfaces, and the same material is used for the bathtub and sink.

But this is not just an aesthetic choice: the architects wanted to create a harmony of old and new, using construction materials as their trump card to facilitate construction of the entire project. The building is located in the centre of town, on a lot measuring only 200 m2, and the fact that no crane was needed was an important advantage in construction.

The renovated stable fits fluidly into its surroundings, picking up on traditional techniques and materials and paying homage to local craftsmanship.

The resulting home won two prizes in 2011: a gold medal in the “Homes” category at the Best Architect Awards for architects from the German-speaking regions of Switzerland and one of the publisher Callwey’s “Four houses of the year”.


Project: Ruinelli Associati Architetti, http://www.ruinelli-associati.ch/
Location: Soglio, Graubünden, Switzerland
Photographs: Ruinelli Associati Architetti and Ralph Feiner
Awards: Gold Medal Best Architect Awards, “Häuser des Jahres 2011” Callwey-Verlag

A centre for the arts in the broadest sense, from music to drama, painting and photography, designed not only for the College but as a community centre offering a vast range of cultural programmes.

The building, designed by Opsis Architecture of Portland, Oregon and completed in 2008, demonstrates that it is possible to build a multipurpose centre meeting users’ particular requirements without losing sight of the ecological component.

The building was constructed with a great focus on using materials that minimise the transfer of sound to the performance spaces, such as the 500 seat auditorium or the 130 seat theatre, the various rehearsal rooms for both music and drama and the recording studio.
The auditorium is the most prestigious part of the centre, with outstanding acoustics ensured by use of advanced technology and local pine wood covering the inside walls.

Extensive use of timber, made possible by a donation from the Roses, the family the centre is named after, establishes a bond with local history centring around the lumber industry and gives the public spaces a warm, cosy feel.

Natural light plays a very important role in both the foyer and the art gallery, lit up by a big skylight.

Underfloor radiating panels in the foyer cut the cost of heating and cooling the facility. A sophisticated building automation system measures the amount of light coming into various spaces and adjusts the lighting as a result, avoiding waste. In the offices and classrooms sensors detect the presence of people, turning the lights on and off accordingly, benefitting the cost of operating the centre and above all the building’s overall carbon footprint.

Opsis Architecture was awarded an honourable mention by AIA Seattle for the Rose Center for Arts, an all-round community centre.


Project Owner: Lower Columbia College, Longview, Washington (USA)
Design Team credits: Opsis Architecture Jim Kalvelage, AIA - Principal / Lead Designer Chris Roberts, AIA - Project Architect Randall Heeb, AIA - Project Manager, http://www.opsisarch.com/
Consultant credits: Auerbach & Associates - theater consultant Yantis - acoustician Degenkolb - structural engineer Mazzetti Associates - mechanical engineer James D. Graham & Associates - electrical engineer Hopper Dennis Jellison - civil engineer Lango Hansen - landscape architect
Contractor credits: Howard S. Wright
Photographer credits: Michael Mathers
Awards: 2008 Honor Awards AIA Seattle