FR-EE / fernando romero enterprise: PH museum

the 'PH museum' by FR-EE is a cultural institution designed to showcase photography
and photographic equipment. situated in a desert climate, the museum's form functions
as a large canopy, providing shaded public outdoor areas that are complemented
by water features and local vegetation.

inspired by the mechanics of a camera, the organization of the museum reflects
the complexity of camera lens. program is organized radially from the center of
the building and a spiraling ramp connects these spaces to emphasize spatial continuity.

the facade is composed of a splayed steel structure, clad in thin panels of local stone
that interpret traditional islamic motifs in an intricate hexagonal pattern.
perforations in the stone panels allow the main lobby to be naturally illuminated
and casts lattice-like shadows that help animate the space. these apertures in the facade
are reduced over exhibition spaces where environmental conditions must be carefully controlled.


























project details
program: cultural
size: 3800 m2
date: 2012

team
fernando romero
sergio rebelo
antonia wai
ryan kukuraitis
fernando torres
yimin yang
luying guo
kai liao
alex middleton

richard meier architects: engel & volkers headquarters, germany

american firm richard meier architects has jsut won the competition to design the new 'engel & völkers headquarters,' a mixed-use complex in the
hafencity district of hamburg expected to open in 2015. re-designing the courtyard typology while improving its function and efficiency, the design
expresses varying levels of transparency, with an exterior shell marked by translucent panels - simple and elegant - and a more expressive interior
where the residents and visitors will actually spend their time. the strategy allows the vastly different program, apartments, training academy,
offices and retail spaces and cafe, to coexist formally and spatially in a unified structure that provides a well rounded mix of living, working and playing.
the courtyard was re-defined as the iconic function of the structure, improving horizontal and vertical circulation and adding a semi-exterior element
through an internal cone void that illuminates the interior spaces while offering the possibility for a dynamic undulating roof structure. the seven-storey
structure also contains a higher tower in response to the nearby marco polo tower, maintaining its site in the urban context.

states architect richard meier:

'we have worked in germany for more than 30 years, starting with the museum for the decorative arts in frankfurt and most recently with the coffee
plaza building also in the hafencity development in hamburg. we are delighted to be selected to design the new headquarters for engel & völkers.
our proposal reflects a continuous, open and clear organization of the intricate program requirements. the project accommodates various qualities of
space and light, making for an architecture that is not only monumental but visually and functionally sensitive.
we greatly look forward to building the new engel & völkers complex and we hope to continue contributing to the rich urban fabric of hamburg.'



approach
image © richard meier architects



entrance and redefined courtyard
image © richard meier architects



light coming in from the cone void in the courtyard
image © richard meier architects



site plan



elevation



elevation



elevation



elevation



model


project info:


managing partner: richard meier
design partner: bernhard karpf
design team: anne strüwing, parsa khalili                     
collaborators: bori kang, amalia rusconi-clerici, stephen sze, kevin browning

New Center for Christian Culture in Kyoto

In 2012, Doshisha University held a competition to build a new chapel and Center for Christian Culture sited upon adjacent sites on their Kyoto campus.
Architects BAKOKO, in collaboration with engineers Structured Environment, proposed to connect the two new facilities with a bridging roof. The notion of continuity is extruded within the cores of this figure-eight formation, to house two sanctuaries devoted to religious worship and culture.
It is a building where structure, form, and function are moulded into a singular totality. Our intention is not to draw attention to the form of the building, but rather, to merge floor, walls, and roof into an immersive experience prioritizing personal reflection and human interaction within the central sanctums.
At the point where the loops merge, the roof arches over a campus thoroughfare, linking two new buildings dedicated to worship and parochial classes, gatherings, and exhibitions. The green roof reduces rainwater runoff and also helps to offset the loss of plants and trees which previously inhabited these greenfield sites.
One of the university’s motivations to build this new facility was to host lucrative weddings in the chapel, with the complementary cultural center serving as an occasional reception venue. The wedding procession can symbolically walk across the undulating roofscape from chapel to reception – via an elevator and stairs – to mark the special occasion. In day-to-day operation, the roof will be a publically accessible gathering and relaxation space for students.
Nested within the opposite cores are twin sanctuaries devoted to worship and education. The smooth concrete forms encircling these spaces have no hard corners or boundaries. They appear limitless and are intended to permit and encourage free flexible forms of worship and communication.
Suspended cable nets support the glazed roof above each core – held in rigid tension due to their saddle-like curvature – without visually obstructing views to the sky above. A gradated frit pattern is applied to the overhead glass, shading worshippers in the center, but becoming less dense at the edges where sunlight filters onto the concrete.
The curved concrete walls and floors arch up and outward, deriving their structural integrity from their shell-like double curvature. The roof cantilevers outward over the support and circulation spaces arrayed around the facilities’ perimeter. The building is almost entirely wrapped by a full-height glass facade that exposes the concrete form of the sanctuaries to views from the exterior. The concrete floors of the building follow the subtle topography of the site. and merge with the sanctuary walls – a move that enhances seamless continuity with and gives the impression that the structure is an extension of the ground.

BIG Transforms Ft. Lauderdale’s Waterfront into a Vibrant Urban Space

BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group and Cymbal Development transform a portion of Fort Lauderdale’s New River front into a vibrant addition for the local community and future residents of the city.
The mixed-use development, Marina Lofts, in downtown Fort Lauderdale seeks to infuse a currently run-down stretch along the New River with a thriving pedestrian friendly public space thereby attracting new residents into its development. Totaling 1,000 rental apartments, 10,000 sq ft of restaurants and 25,000 sq ft of retail, the mixed-use development is broken into three phases. The Florida-based developer, Asi Cymbal, expects the project to have a positive long-term economic benefit to the city and local community of Fort Lauderdale.
“Our intent here is to create a world class project that will serve as a model for architecture, creativity, and energy along the most prime stretch of waterfront in Downtown Fort Lauderdale,” says Asi Cymbal, owner of Cymbal Development.
Situated in an industrial gap in Fort Lauderdale’s Riverwalk park, Marina Lofts stitches together the final arm of the currently fragmented public space along the New River. BIG’s design frames the space with a generous public promenade bounded towards south by a 3-phase series of residential towers, creating public life along the riverfront while maintaining the existing marine activities of Fort Lauderdale. The two initial housing towers are treated as one continuous building “breaking” at the center to form an opening which allows maximum pedestrian activity to flow between the buildings and extends the city life out to the waterfront.
“The project fills the gap in the waterfront of Downtown Fort Lauderdale stitching the existing fragments of promenade together into a new and revitalized river park adding density and life to the scenic setting. The two buildings are torn open to form a cave and a canyon – opening up for the neighborhood to reach the river. A design made through subtraction rather than addition. ” Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, BIG.
As both towers ascend, the crack between them allows for flexibility in apartment sizes by liberating the units from the structural grid and enabling living spaces to scale up or down as desired. The solid infill of the void maintains privacy between units by directing the windows in carefully-orchestrated locations.
The site of the third tower is currently home to a 250-boat garage which remains intact as the future tower straddles the entrance to the garage door allowing boats to easily pass back and forth beneath its legs. The existing water taxi station is augmented with shading structures and permanent pavilions to further activate the connection across the river. The waterfront will be a lushly landscaped park with ample setbacks from the water to provide more public space for the South Riverwalk. A café, retail and commercial spaces will occupy the lower levels of the building, bringing life and activity to the neighborhood. In a city where daily life shifts seamlessly between water and land, Marina Lofts augments both, contributing to the vibrant density and connected public space along the New River.
The historical Rain Tree in the city, highly treasured by the local community is preserved and given a more prominent position by relocating and re-framing it as a centerpiece to a new Rain Tree park along the promenade.