Urbanus transforms former Chinese brewery into cultural centre

The concrete-framed "industrial relic" of the former Kingway Brewery in Shenzhen, China, has been transformed into a cultural centre by architecture firm Urbanus.

Located in the Luohu district of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, the 11,600-square-metre site contains a series of old industrial structures that have been stitched together with modern extensions and aerial walkways.

Urbanus has transformed Kingway Brewery in Shenzhen

The series of revamped buildings, described by Urbanus as an "industrial relic", are those that remained after a substantial part of Kingway Brewery's former campus was demolished.

Guided by an approach of "space as exhibition", the studio looked to reveal and highlight the industrial character of these structures, updating some areas for modern uses but leaving others as-found.

The brewery is now home to a cultural centre. Photo is by Hu Kangyu

"A lot of the buildings and structures in the original brewery are representative and have outstanding historical and social value," said project manager Haijun Zhang.

"We tried to explore and represent the function and aesthetic value of these under the present context, in the hope that the strong vitality of industrial buildings can be presented to the public in the perspective of daily life," he told Dezeen.

The project celebrates the site's industrial aesthetic

The rectilinear site is raised on an existing plinth bookended by public squares. The plinth has been "scooped out" by Urbanus to create a basement that unifies the separate structures above while creating a new street frontage.

Above, the remains of the brewery have been used to house a series of contemporary additions, including exhibition spaces, an auditorium, a viewing platform and offices scattered between green courtyards and gardens.

There is an auditorium

"The plinth becomes a unified exhibition platform of industrial architectures, with exterior exhibition spaces, themed gardens and an interior of excavated courtyards, passageways and recreation areas, creating a lineage of spatial narratives," explained Urbanus.

"The closed facade on the east side of the plinth has several entrances with various spatial orientations and characteristics. As a result, a 266-metre-long street comes to life."

There is a viewpoint over the city

Entering from the south, the first intervention is a large viewing tower that replaces a demolished water tower, providing views out across the city and the rest of the industrial site.

At the centre of the site, a former wastewater pool and aeration tank have been stripped back to reveal their concrete frames. They are topped by exhibition spaces finished in metal and terracotta-coloured ceramic tiles.

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Between these two exhibition spaces, a former sedimentation tank has been turned into a circular garden, wrapped by an elevated walkway.

To the north, the brewery's former fermentation building now houses a multipurpose auditorium and bar beneath a series of retained funnel-shaped metal forms.

Modern extensions have been added. Photo is by Hu Kangyu

On this building's roof, three of the large fermentation tanks have been removed to make space for an open-air theatre at their centre.

Next to the fermentation building, a block of creative offices has been topped with one of the fermentation tanks laid on its side, and a bridge connects the brewery site to a mall to the west.

Walkways weave around the site

In December 2022, the site hosted the ninth edition of the Shenzhen-Hong Biennale.

Other projects in China that have dealt with the remains of industrial buildings include AR City Office's transformation of a disused power plant into a community hub and Kokaistudios's conversation of a former factory in Shanghai into an exhibition centre.

The photography is by TAL unless stated otherwise.

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#cultural #all #architecture #chinesearchitecture #china #renovations #culturalbuildings #urbanus #adaptivereuse

BIG wraps Vltava Philharmonic Hall in ascending colonnades

Danish architecture studio BIG has unveiled plans for a national concert hall in Prague that features protruding angular colonnades, which double as large balconies.

Named the Vltava Philharmonic Hall, the venue will be built on the bank of the Vltava river in central Prague. It will be comprised of angled colonnades that will slope and extend outwards from the concert hall.

The Vltava Philharmonic Hall is a concert hall that will be designed by BIG

The building, which will house the Prague Symphony Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic and the music department of the Municipal Library of Prague, will be characterised by its four stacked colonnades.

The colonnades will protrude in different directions and gradually slope upwards forming elevated walkways around the exterior, which were designed to become extensions of the street and Vltava square.

Renders show the concert hall with protruding angular terraces

"From the Vltava square, streets ascend upward connecting interior balconies with exterior colonnades and terraces," said BIG partner in charge Brian Yang.

"The Vltava Philharmonic Hall is composed as a meandering journey from riverbank to rooftop," said BIG founder Bjarke Ingels. "Public flows and belvedere plazas unite the city life of Prague to the music within."

Its collonaded terraces will become extensions of the street level

Bohemian Forest timber will clad the undersides of the protruding terraces and extend to the interior while expanses of glass will surround the main volume of the concert hall on each of its stacked levels.

According to BIG, the interior of the concert hall's foyer will be inspired by Czech glass artists.

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Prague Hall, one of the building's auditoriums, will feature a timber interior to provide balanced acoustics while its audience seating will be arranged like "petals of a pinecone turned inside out".

"Arranged like petals of a pinecone turned inside out, the seats of Prague Hall are rotating within the compactness of a perfect square," said BIG.

"The seating rakes meet at their corners to allow physical connectivity between every seat in the audience, providing a greater sense of unity and shared experience."

Renders show that timber will stretch throughout the interior of the Vltava Philharmonic Hall

Alongside its auditoriums, the top of the building will house a rooftop restaurant and ballroom that will frame views across Prague.

"Its halls are formed for sight, fine-tuned for sound, and orchestrated for functionality and connectivity," said Ingels.

"From this rhythmic structure, a symphony of colonnades and balconies extend as platforms for public life. Expressive yet pragmatic, the new Philharmonic will ascend to form a key landmark for Prague - from river to roof."

The building will house three concert halls

Construction is expected to begin in 2027 with the building projected to open in 2032.

BIG's proposal for The Vltava Philharmonic Hall was selected from a total of 19 international entries, which included proposals from SANAA, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Snøhetta, David Chipperfield Architects and Ateliers Jean Nouvel.

Elsewhere, AL_A revealed its plans to design a concert hall in Belgrade that will be covered in a draped canopy. In February 2021, plans for Diller Scofidio + Renfro's pyramidal Centre for Music in London were axed, following plans for a "major renewal" of the nearby Barbican estate.

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#all #architecture #cultural #publicandleisure #big #prague #concerthalls #culturalbuildings

Morphosis designs Athenæum cultural district at University of Texas at Dallas

Architecture studio Morphosis has designed a performance hall and two art museums for a new cultural district called Athenæum at a Dallas university.

The district – officially called the Edith and Peter O'Donnell Jr Athenæum – will encompass 12 acres (4.9 hectares) on the main campus of the University of Texas at Dallas.

Morphosis will design a complex for the University of Texas at Dallas

Positioned on the southeastern edge of campus, the district will "allow both students and the surrounding community to experience the convergence of art and architecture in ways not previously possible at the university", said Arne Emerson, a partner at Morphosis who is serving as design lead.

The master plan has a two-acre plaza that is flanked by three cultural buildings and a parking structure. The plaza will feature gardens, tree-lined walkways, water elements and an amphitheatre.

The spaces will be dedicated to arts and culture programming

"Landscaping and open space are used intentionally in the master plan to knit together the various buildings within the district and to create an important link to the rest of the campus," the team said.

Each of the cultural buildings has a second floor that is suspended over the exterior ground level, which can be used for studying, events and the display of artwork.

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Facades will consist of white, precast-concrete panels with a three-dimensional pattern designed by Morphosis and created in collaboration with local fabricator Gate Precast.

The largest of the three structures – and the first slated to be built – is the Crow Museum of Asian Art, which also has a location in the downtown Dallas Arts District.

Totalling 68,000 square feet (6,317 square metres), the museum will offer a large amount of gallery space, along with a conservation lab, a reading room, seminar rooms, offices and storage space.

"Large windows at the ends of the galleries allow for ample natural light, but can also be blacked out for more light-sensitive objects," the team said.

The concrete patterns made by Morphosis will continue inside the structure

The textured pattern found on the facade will continue indoors.

"The precast panel surface is further animated through a process of sandblasting that exposes the local, coloured aggregate and silica," the team said.

The performance venue – planned for phase two – will total 53,000 square feet (4,924 square metres) and include a 600-seat concert hall and rooms for practising and rehearsal rooms.

Phase three will entail the construction of a museum for traditional arts of the Americas, which will total 50,000 square feet (4,645 square metres).

Across the plaza, to the east, the team has designed a 1,100-car parking structure with two above-grade levels and a basement. The garage will be masked by a freestanding wall along the plaza clad in the same concrete panels used on the cultural facilities.

"A secondary facade peels away from the main parking structure, creating a three-storey, open-air, landscaped entry garden in the space between the facade and building," the firm said.

The structures will be primarily used for museum and gallery space

The new cultural district is part of an initiative called New Dimensions, which aims to "attract talent to North Texas" and support the work of faculty and bring researchers and artists together in one place.

California-based Morphosis was selected for the project via an international search and was chosen to design the project in 2019. Construction began this month, and the first phase is scheduled to be finished in 2024.

Cofounded in 1972 by Pritzker Prize-winner Thom Mayne, Morphosis has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Dubai, Seoul and Shanghai.

The firm's other projects include an asymmetrical, supertall skyscraper in Shenzhen that has a detached structural core and a Seoul research facility with a facade made of the same high-tech fibre used to make bullet-proof vests.

The imagery is by Morphosis.

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#all #architecture #cultural #education #usa #museums #culturalbuildings #morphosis #texas #dallas

Atelier Masōmī unveils design for geometric Bët-bi art museum in Senegal

Nigerien architect Mariam Kamara's studio Atelier Masōmī has revealed visuals of the Bët-bi museum in Kaolack, Senegal, which will draw on the area's ancient megaliths.

The museum, which will showcase contemporary and historic African art with a special focus on sub-Saharan Africa, will also function as a centre for culture and community.

Located in Kaolack in southwestern Senegal, a region that is known for its ancient stone megaliths, the 1,000-square-metre building was designed in response to its surroundings.

Museum to build on "significance of the area"

"Atelier Masōmī 's proposal links the history of the stone megaliths with the present – building upon the significance of the area through a sensitive response to both the cultural heritage of the site and its future potential," the studio said.

Visuals of the building show five triangular volumes that are split into two groups and connected by a walkway. The museum will be constructed using "sustainable and traditional methods of building," the studio said.

The Bët-bi museum will be constructed using traditional building methods

Atelier Masōmī plans to work with local artisans on the project to help draw attention to the region's heritage. The Bët-bi museum's design references the people who jointly founded the area, the Serer and the Mandinka.

"The Mandinka have historically been people of empire and monumental architecture, which provided us naturally with direct references for building," Kamara told Dezeen.

"The Serer, on the other hand, held a deeply mystical indigenous religion that had an intimate relationship to the natural elements: the sun, the wind, water, ancestral spirits."

Atelier Masōmī drew on the Serers' belief system when creating the shape of the triangular buildings.

"The starting point came from looking at this traditional spiritual realm and the series of triangles that define the relationship between the elements, the living and the dead – a self-renewing cycle," Kamara said.

"It also provided a good way of organising program that is interconnected yet distinct."

Bët-bi to showcase West African art

The Bët-bi museum will house exhibition and event spaces as well as a library and community rooms. It is slated to open in 2025.

Bët-bi, which means "the eye" in Wolof – one of Senegal's national languages, will be staffed with locally recruited curators and staff.

As well as showing contemporary art, the museum also intends to serve as a temporary space for repatriated African objects and aims to play a role in global initiatives to secure the return of West African objects.

"It is a great honour and a privilege to be selected to lead the design of Bët-bi," Kamara said. "For far too long our region has been a place where cultural wealth is pillaged to profit museum collections."

"This project is an opportunity to design a new type of space that is inspired by the roots and spiritual legacy of the region," she added. "It is a chance to push the boundaries of what defines a museum in the 21st century."

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The museum will be operated by non-profit organisation The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation together with La Korsa, its sister organisation in Senegal.

Atelier Masōmī was selected for the project from a shortlist of four African architectural firms, coming out ahead of Aziza Chaouni Projects, MASS Design Group and Meskerem Assegued and Elias Sime.

The studio's recent projects include a market in Dandaji, Niger and a library and community center in a formerly derelict mosque.

The visuals are courtesy of Atelier Masōmī.

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#all #architecture #cultural #news #museums #culturalbuildings #ateliermasomi #senegal #mariamkamara

SO-IL and FREAKS extend glass museum in France with sweeping public plaza

New York office SO-IL and Parisian studio FREAKS have completed the renovation and extension of an 18th-century glass factory in France, adding a sweeping concrete plaza that unites a series of cultural spaces.

The site, located close to the village of Meisenthal in the Northern Vosges Natural Park, has been home to the Meisenthal Glass Museum since 1978 and the International Glass Art Centre since 1992.

SO-IL and FREAKS have extended a former glass factory in France

The new scheme, named Site Verrier de Meisenthal, was won by SO-IL and FREAKS via an international competition in 2015. It called for the modernisation of these two institutions and the addition of a multipurpose cultural venue for exhibitions and concerts.

Looking to both complement and contrast the heritage of these industrial structures, the architects unified the site with a central concrete plaza that sweeps upwards to form new entrances to the existing buildings and a visitors centre.

The team added a sweeping concrete plaza

"The site is composed of buildings from different periods and aesthetics, with different heights, access levels and inner organisation logistics," co-founder of FREAKS Yves Pasquet told Dezeen.

"So connecting them all with a waving concrete veil allowed us to unify and dynamise the whole site at once," he continued.

Site Verrier de Meisenthal includes a mixture of buildings from different periods

"We did not want to create another object but to integrate what was there through a unifying strategy that offers a novel experience for users and visitors," added SO-IL founding partner Florian Idenburg.

Due to the protected nature of the existing buildings, the studio's interventions are kept minimal, with simple concrete additions contrasting the brick and steel of the original structures.

Two concrete structures providing administrative space have been added

As well as the new entrance and cafe, two small concrete structures providing administrative space have been slotted in around a brick chimney to the south of the site.

Here, there are also slender steel bridges and walkways on concrete columns that connect the upper levels of buildings, while to the north of the site, the plaza rises to connect to the museum and create elevated terraces on either side.

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The former factory hall, the largest building at Site Verrier de Meisenthal, has been given a new entrance via a previously unused basement.

This leads up to a multipurpose performance space on its first floor, positioned among the former glass furnaces and under an exposed steel roof. A concrete wall with sliding metal doors allows this space to be used as a 500-seat black box theatre or a hall for larger events of up to 3000 people.

Site Verrier de Meisenthal is home to a glass museum and art centre

"Our architectural input was very minimal and discreet to simplify and unify as much as possible and avoid any aesthetic fight with the pre-existing context," explained Pasquet.

"If you look at the morphology of the site, the factory yard has always been the centre of the town...the design strengthens this notion, recreating a public place for the various organisations as well as the public at large," added Idenburg.

A large theatre was added to the complex. Photo is by David Foessel

In Site Verrier de Meisenthal's visitor centre and administrative buildings, the exposed concrete finishes are carried through to the interior, contrasted by steel fittings.

Throughout, these concrete surfaces have been treated with sandblasted, bush-hammered, rammed and precast finishes to create subtly different textures.

The theatre can seat up to 500 people. Photo is by David Foessel

"The materiality of the various buildings has always been functional and opportunistic. Making glass is noisy, messy, and requires a robust infrastructure, and so does the hosting of concerts," Idenburg told Dezeen.

"These characteristics formed the choice of materials, a robust building that embeds itself within the layers of time present on-site over decades, if not centuries," he continued.

Over in Bordeaux, FREAKS also recently completed the MÉCA cultural centre with Danish firm BIG. Elsewhere, SO-IL completed the Las Americas affordable housing development in Mexico.

The photography is byIwan Baan unless stated otherwise.

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#all #architecture #cultural #france #concrete #extensions #museums #soil #renovations #culturalbuildings #plazaspiazzasandsquares #freaksfreaksfreearchitects #piazzasandsquares

Schaum/Shieh Architects draws on original warehouse design for Marfa art gallery renovation

American studio Schaum/Shieh Architects has restored the John Chamberlain building, an art gallery in a former warehouse in Marfa, using local, traditional building techniques.

The gallery is part of the Chianti Foundation, a contemporary art museum in Marfa created by artist Donald Judd.

Constructed during the 1940s as three warehouses devoted to storing wool and mohair, it was turned into a gallery by Judd in the 1980s but had been deteriorating because of the desert conditions.

Donald Judd turned the 1940s structures into an art gallery

While Schaum/Shieh Architects studied the interventions that Judd had made to the space, which was created to hold works by artist John Chamberlain, it also referenced characteristics of the original warehouse structure in its redesign.

The architects worked with Texas construction company JC Stoddard Construction, a firm known for its renovation of the historic Alamo mission, on the project.

The result is a long, low-lying building with a two-tier roof and a restored facade that caps the building on one side.

An adobe wall surrounds the narrower part of the building, creating a courtyard

The facade of the 23,000-square-feet (2136.7 square metres) building takes its cues from the designs of adobe structures in the American southwest and has an oversized gable with stepped sides.

“We knew we had to take special care to make a restoration that did not lose the 'as found' character of the historic building as we stitched the pieces back together," said Troy Schaum, partner at Schaum/Shieh Architects.

The windows were specially treated for the desert climate

The studio aimed to showcase the building's original design, including wooden beams and wooden collonades that run through the middle of the open interior.

A narrower section at one end of the building opens up to a courtyard surrounded by an adobe wall.

The doors and windows were given steel frames to pivot open

Inside, three dividing walls articulate the space and reference the three original structures that made up the warehouses. The narrow section leads to a longer, wide section.

This wider section is further divided into two spaces and there are restrooms in the dividing element.

Skylights were placed on the corrugated metal roof, which the studio renovated, in order to better light the gallery during the day.

The wooden support beams were restored from the originals structure

Special attention was paid to the doors and windows to the outside.

"The windows are Marfa-specific adaptation of pinewood coated in a traditional treatment of turpentine and linseed oil which gives them their unique patina," said Schaum/Shieh Architects.

Steel frames were incorporated into the windows, which had been inoperable for decades. This allows them to open on a pivot.

Outside, there are gardens of sotol, a desert plant similar to agave, which were part of Judd's redesign of the building in the 1980s.

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“We were fascinated by what we saw in Donald Judd’s work on the John Chamberlain Building as a restoration not to a historical moment, but to an ideal state," said Rosalyne Shieh.

"He is not restoring the warehouse in a historic way but instead to an idea of a warehouse, rather deliberately as a typology.”

The completion of the John Chamberlain Building, which will hold 24 large-scale sculptures, is the first in a master plan of renovations and additions announced by the Chianti Foundation in 2017.

The building is part of the Chianti Foundation's renovation master-plan

Marfa is known for its desert architecture and arts scene, and in January 2022 the Central Marfa Historic was recommended for consideration as part of the District National Register of Historic Place.

Other architecture projects in Marfa include an accessory dwelling unit by DUST built for isolated desert living.

_The photography is byAlex Marks. _

Project credits:

Architects: Troy Schaum, Rosalyne Shieh, Tucker Douglas, Andrea Brennan, Zhiyi Chen, Giorgio Angelini of Schaum/Shieh Architects.
Engineering: SGH Engineering
Landscape: Jim Martinez
Construction : JC Stoddard Construction

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#all #architecture #cultural #deserts #usa #galleries #renovations #culturalbuildings #texas #marfa #donaldjudd #adobeconstruction

DnA_Design and Architecture transforms Chinese quarries into cultural spaces

Chinese studio DnA_Design and Architecture has transformed a series of former stone quarries in Zhejiang Province into cultural spaces, making sensitive insertions into their grand hand-carved interiors.

The abandoned quarries, which are among the thousands located in China's Jinyun county, have been converted into facilities for locals and tourists as part of a broader project to regenerate the area.

DnA_Design and Architecture has transformed a series of stone quarries into cultural spaces

Beijing-based DnA_Design and Architecture was commissioned to transform nine of the excavated pits, three of which are now complete.

These three spaces provide a library, performance venue and area for gathering.

The quarries are located in China's Jinyun county

Drawing on the rich history of monuments and rock inscriptions in the region, the studio focused on highlighting the existing character of the quarries as much as possible.

According to the studio, this also challenges the "over-designing" of popular tourist areas in rural China.

Quarry 8 has been repurposed as a library

"The project is an ecological improvement to mend the interrupted nature," the studio told Dezeen. "The reuse of these abandoned quarries reconnects the local community with its thousand-year history and heritage."

"The project is a rather minimal intervention, a micro-renovation and upgrade, addressing the possibility of spatial transformation of different quarries," the studio continued.

A performance space is housed in Quarry 9

Each quarry features a distinctive form and patterns as a result of having been largely excavated by hand, which informed their designs as pieces of "public infrastructure".

The first space, named Quarry 8, has been turned into an open library. Its existing stone platforms have been retained and adapted with new concrete steps and seating areas made from steel and pressed bamboo.

The acoustic properties of Quarry 9 made it suited to performances

Cabinets containing books have been built into the large steps of the quarry, with its tapering form creating naturally sheltered areas for reading.

"Each platform is a multicultural study where one can read, practice calligraphy from stone rubbings and, in the future, access e-books," said the studio.

A stone stage and sunken seating area have been added

The second pit, Quarry 9, is used as a performance space thanks to the acoustic properties of its tapering, cavernous form. A flat stone stage and sunken seating area have been added at its base.

Quarry 10, the third space, has been transformed into an area for demonstrating the process of stone quarrying. It features a stepped seating area and wooden details that unify it with the other facilities.

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Across all three spaces, artificial lighting has been used to highlight the irregular shapes and markings across the stone surfaces.

In addition to the further development of the area's other quarries, there are also plans for an information centre to be built on a path that forms a scenic route between all of the new spaces.

The third space is used to demonstrate the process of stone quarrying

"The first three quarries have already raised attention and discussion on the reuse of abandoned mines and quarries," reflected the studio.

"The project can be considered as a response to our current dilemma and a new way of thinking about our public life."

The studio added a stepped seating area to Quarry 10

DnA_Design and Architecture was founded by Xu Tiantian in 2004 in Beijing. In the nearby county of Songyang, the studio recently carried out another rural regeneration project, creating a wooden tofu factory.

Elsewhere in China, architecture studio Jade + QA completed the Shimao Wonderland Intercontinental hotel within an 88-metre-deep abandoned quarry near Shanghai.

The photography is by Wang Ziling, courtesy of DnA_Design and Architecture.

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#all #architecture #cultural #instagram #chinesearchitecture #china #culturalbuildings #adaptivereuse #dna_designandarchitecture

Dezeen Debate newsletter features Thomas Heatherwick's "volcanic" performing arts centre in China

The latest edition of Dezeen Debate features Heatherwick Studio's design for a performing arts centre planned for Hainan, China. Subscribe to Dezeen Debate now!

Set to be built in the city of Haikou on the island province of Hainan, the Hainan Performing Arts Centre will form part of a large-scale master plan to create a new cultural area in the Jiangdong district.

Its design draws on the island's volcanic landscape and Hainanese opera costumes.

Commenters are wowed. One said, "Starchitecture at its finest".

Tom Wiscombe and Marrikka Trotter apologise for "high-pressure office culture" after being suspended by SCI-Arc

Other stories in this week's newsletter include a discussion about students working long hours for little pay after SCI-Arc faculty members condoned the "high-pressure office culture", our roundup of six unusual erotic toys and Norman Foster's curation of cars for the Motion: Autos, Art, Architecture exhibition at Guggenheim Bilbao.

Dezeen Debate

_Dezeen Debate is a curated newsletter sent every Thursday containing highlights from Dezeen. _Read the latest edition of Dezeen Debate orsubscribe here.

_You can alsosubscribe to Dezeen Agenda, which is sent every Tuesday and contains a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, as well as _Dezeen Daily , our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen.

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Dezeen Debate newsletter features Thomas Heatherwick's "volcanic" performing arts centre in China

The latest edition of Dezeen Debate features Heatherwick Studio's design for a performing arts centre planned for Hainan, China. Subscribe to Dezeen Debate now!

Set to be built in the city of Haikou on the island province of Hainan, the Hainan Performing Arts Centre will form part of a large-scale master plan to create a new cultural area in the Jiangdong district.

Its design draws on the island's volcanic landscape and Hainanese opera costumes.

Commenters are wowed. One said, "Starchitecture at its finest".

Tom Wiscombe and Marrikka Trotter apologise for "high-pressure office culture" after being suspended by SCI-Arc

Other stories in this week's newsletter include a discussion about students working long hours for little pay after SCI-Arc faculty members condoned the "high-pressure office culture", our roundup of six unusual erotic toys and Norman Foster's curation of cars for the Motion: Autos, Art, Architecture exhibition at Guggenheim Bilbao.

Dezeen Debate

_Dezeen Debate is a curated newsletter sent every Thursday containing highlights from Dezeen. _Read the latest edition of Dezeen Debate orsubscribe here.

_You can alsosubscribe to Dezeen Agenda, which is sent every Tuesday and contains a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, as well as _Dezeen Daily , our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen.

The post Dezeen Debate newsletter features Thomas Heatherwick's "volcanic" performing arts centre in China appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #architecture #china #thomasheatherwick #culturalbuildings #dezeendebate

Barozzi Veiga designs home for Miami artist residency Oolite Arts

Spanish firm Barozzi Veiga has revealed plans for a new home for Oolite Arts in Miami, the studio's first ground-up project in the United States.

Located in a suburban neighbourhood north of the city, the Barozzi Veiga design features a low-lying building with a series of towers that serve multiple purposes to improve the working environment of the artists.

Barozzi Vegia has designed a centre for an artist residency in Miami

The space is designed as an urban village with plenty of space for the programming at Oolite Arts, including studios for artists, classes and lectures.

Simple white walls will stretch down the block with a facade that architects described as "enigmatic".

The single-floor structure has a simple facade

While the construction permits allowed for a building up to 10-storeys tall, the architects convinced Oolite to go with a single-floor structure "in order to emphasise the capacity that the project has to create the kind of community," said Barozzi Veiga co-founder Fabrizio Barozzi.

The renderings show a structure with many connections to the community, so artists and visitors can come and go as they please from multiple entrances. These open out to the neighbourhood and onto the open-air corridor that will lead through the design.

The project will feature many smaller components as well as a larger exhibition space and performance centre.

The interior of the building will have a courtyard garden and elevated terraces

By creating a largely horizontal structure, the plans "create an unexpected relationship between the different parts of the program", said Barozzi.

Throughout the floor plan are 27 towers that will serve to characterise the envelope of the building but also have multiple functional purposes.

The exhibition spaces will allow resident artists to show their work

Towers with skylights will bring diffused light into the studio spaces, which can become exhibition areas, with people flowing in and out of each component.

A few of the towers serve as water tanks to collect Florida's heavy rainfall, while others will act as solar chimneys and wind-catching ventilation shafts.

The studios will have plentiful natural light

The exterior will be lined with lush greenery, while the interior will feature a garden courtyard to be frequented by all users of the building.

"It was not just about the garden or reintroducing nature into this block," said Alberto Veiga, Barozzi Veiga's other co-founder, but rather about trying to make the building rely less on mechanical elements for lighting, heating, and cooling.

"There is an entire development of elements in this project helping the environment – the interior environment of the building, not just exterior one," Veiga added.

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The architects noted that the programme is located in Little River, an area that is becoming an artistic hub for the city.

"It's Miami but it's a neighbourhood where everything is changing," said Veiga. "And the challenges are huge because you need to transform it into something better."

A large structure will accommodate talks and lectures

Barozzi Veiga was founded in 2004 and has worked on a number of cultural projects including museums and galleries. While Oolite Arts is its first solo project in the US, the Barcelona-based studio is also part of a team to develop the master plan for the refurbishment of the Chicago Art Institute.

Other recent projects by Barozzi Veiga include a reflective university building in London's Design District and the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts Lausanne.

The images are courtesy of Oolite Arts

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