Connecting Rooftop/ Evgeni Leonov Architects

Connecting Rooftop by

Evgeni Leonov Architects is the winning proposal for the Tablet ‘Rethinking Hotels Ideas Competition,’ which asks entrants to challenge the notion of what it means to be an ‘exclusive’ hotel and to do so with an eye towards human psychology and physical experience. Connecting Rooftop focuses on creating ‘Mix-Zones,’ where visitors and locals can engage in a variety of experiences and activities along a variety of programmatically-unique zones.

Connecting Rooftop takes the shape of  a deformed donut, with portions of the structure touching the ground at two points. Inhabitable areas are created by the interstitial spaces, a product of the digital morphogenesis inherent in Connecting Rooftop’s design. When the structure soars into the air, access is provided to a central courtyard on the ground while elevating the occupied interior space above it. Glass walls along the perimeter of this interior dining room -as well as an occupiable roof terrace and ‘skyline bar’- provide 360 degree views to the city. Again, programmatic spaces result from the shifting geometries of the structure on the roof, where stepped terraces provide dining platforms while the hyperbolic shapes above the ground help to frame an open air amphitheatre. A swimming pool takes shape along the ground level, where the structure is raised.
This project is an attempt to create a programmatically- and formally- complex structure out of simple geometric shifts in structure, with program being inserted into residual spaces.

M-City Redefines Tower Typology

Instead of taking the conventional approach of building upwards in a successive manner, Vladimir Plotkin and Roberto Meyer have designed a new tower typology – one that rises by stacking housing blocks on top of each other. The M-City project references the stylobate, stepped platform  on which colonnades of columns are placed in classical Greek architecture. The entire building is pierced with triangular openings of multi-level atria and open-air courtyards, forming a silhouette of a symbolically rendered letter “M”.

The nine-story platform supports three 23-story triangular blocks spaced out by a 20 to 50 meters distance. The roofs of these three buildings support yet another couple of 19-story high triangular houses. Building new housing units “on the shoulders” of one another is a result of an unconventional way of building up mass.
Functionally, the development is a mixed-use one. The three-level underground parking garage plus the four parking levels above the ground form a powerful “technical belt” that also sports a number of shops and a hotel. Higher up, the stylobate is occupied by the offices that are grouped around the above-mentioned triangular atria; they are multi-level and, in the project, are covered with a glass grid and decorated with hanging plants. Out of the three towers of the first level, two are occupied by offices, and one – by apartments; both of the two top towers are apartment ones.
The stripped facades, with floor decks protruding as terraces give the whole building a more organic appearance, offering some disruption in a neatly organized composition of layers.

christian de portzamparc: chateau cheval blanc winery

'chateau cheval blanc' by christian de portzamparc, saint-emilion, france
image © erick saillet
all images courtesy of christian de portzamparc


owners of the cheval blanc winery, baron frere and bernard arnault, wanted to capture the same elegance and attention to detail
that goes into their cherished product when designing their new establishment. french architect christian de portzamparc, winner
of the 1994 pritzker prize, conceived of the new 'chateau cheval blanc' in saint-emilion. also known as 'the winery under the hill',
the new establishment is located under a massive sweeping structure with a rooftop garden and is always visually and spatially
connected to the rows of grapevines. the entirely concrete construction boasts six curvilinear load-bearing walls that flow through
the program as the main support system connected by a series of crossbeams. the canopy is pulled away from the immense members
creating skylights that create the opportunity for natural light to subtly find its way inside.

the re-purposed orangery, originally part of the chateau, now acts as the reception with a small glass enclosure connecting it to the
new project that extends views towards the exterior. proceeding to the cuvier, 52 custom-made vats line the interior partitions,
constituting the most expansive volume in the design. an open courtyard serves as a multipurpose area used for sorting and bottling
and provides an entry sequence to the workshops, a wood-clad space used for packaging. undulating polished concrete girders held
by round columns enclose the wine cellar capable of holding 566 barrels, with brick mashrabiya walls that hide the mechanical
components behind. the green roof invites the user to view the revered vineyard landscape responsible for the success of the business.



approach
image © erick saillet



context with chateauimage © erick saillet



workshop
image © erick saillet



workshopimage © erick saillet



exterior



stairs to roof gardenimage © gerard uferas



exteriorimage © gerard uferas



multipurpose spaceimage © erick saillet



multipurpose spaceimage © erick saillet


tasting roomimage © erick saillet



cuvierimage © erick saillet



vats



(left) wall structure with roof connection
(right) interior cuvier with overhead walkways


cuvierimage © erick saillet



work spaceimage © erick saillet



wine cellar
image © gerard uferas



reception and tasting roomimage © erick saillet


orangery and new structureimage © erick saillet



back entryimage © erick saillet



rooftop gardenimage © erick saillet



rooftop garden


site plan



roof plan


floor plan / level 0

green: reception area
red: cuvier
white: mechanical/technical
blue: multipurpose space
yellow: workshops



floor plan / level 0



floor plan / level 1



floor plan / level -1



section



section perspective


primary structure diagram