Metal Rainbow-Zhongshu Bookstore in Suzhou

 

[caption id="attachment_1044" align="aligncenter" width="1434"] © HU Yijie[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1045" align="aligncenter" width="1582"] © CreatAR (AI Qing, MAO Yingchen, SHI Kaichen)[/caption]

From the architect. The new bookstore is divided into four main zones and several subdivided zones. Aiming to create a colorful new world by using symbolism, the architect gave a unique character to each zone: The Sanctuary of Crystal for new arrivals; The Cave of Fireflies for recommendations; The Xanadu of Rainbows for reading room; The Castle of Innocence for children books.

[caption id="attachment_1046" align="aligncenter" width="1425"] Axonometric[/caption]

The Sanctuary of Crystal

As an entrance, ‘The Sanctuary of Crystal’ is a space full of books and nothing else. The latest arrivals were arranged on the pre-fabricated transparent acrylic shelves, outstanding the presence of the books. Using glass bricks, mirrors and acrylic, ‘The Sanctuary of Crystal’ is a shining white space, luring customers into the heart of the store.

The Cave of Fireflies

After the whiteness, ‘The Cave of Fireflies’ is a darker tunnel connecting the main hall and the entrance. Customers will pick books here and follow the guide of optic fibers into the main reading area.

[caption id="attachment_1047" align="aligncenter" width="1028"] © HU Yijie[/caption]

The Xanadu of Rainbows

After a relatively narrow space, ‘The Xanadu of Rainbows’ is a large and open space. Thanks to the large windows, natural lights can pour inside. Being the most prominent space, ‘The Xanadu of Rainbows’ provides a variety of experience. Taking advantages of different heights of shelves, steps, and tables, the architect creates a hyper architecturized and abstracted landscape of cliffs, valleys, islands, rapids, and oases. There are also thin perforated aluminum sheets in gradient colors simulated as rainbows installed in the bookstore. These 1cm thin panels divides zones of different functions at the same time bringing a mysterious and vague atmosphere to the space. These moves shape a Xanadu from ancient Chinese philosophy.

[caption id="attachment_1048" align="aligncenter" width="1500"] © HU Yijie[/caption]

The Castle of Innocence

At the very end of ‘the Xanadu of Rainbows’, the space surrounded by white ETFE walls is the children books area. With the help of translucent ETFE, the Castle of Innocence is an inner world inside the bookstore. Many complex installments were added in the space, building a world where children can interact with each other and with the bookstore itself.

[caption id="attachment_1049" align="aligncenter" width="1500"] © HU Yijie[/caption]

The perforated aluminum sheets shaped of windows play a huge part in the project. When half of the sheets were perforated, they lost the visual quality of shining metals. When multiple panels of different sizes and colors were fixed together, a sense of veil is created. This ambiguous and vague effects gave qualities to the bookstore. The distance between each set of panels is also of great importance. Some gaps between the panels are larger than others, thus creating spaces of different experiences. Again, with the almost translucent quality of the panels, the boundaries between each individual space is weakened. With the use of lights, the colorful sheets can also be seen from outside, making the bookstore an inviting destination.

[caption id="attachment_1050" align="aligncenter" width="1471"] © HU Yijie[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1051" align="aligncenter" width="732"] © HU Yijie[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1052" align="aligncenter" width="1414"] Diagram[/caption]

 

• 
  

  Architects

  
  
  Wutopia Lab


• 
  

  Location

  
  
  Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China


• 
  

  Chief Architect

  
  
  Yu Ting


• 
  

  Project Architect

  
  
  Shuojiong Zhang


• 
  

  Area

  
  
  1380.0 m2


• 
  

  Project Year

  
  
  2017


• 
  

  Photographs

  
  
  HU Yijie, CreatAR (AI Qing, MAO Yingchen, SHI Kaichen)

[Google_Maps_WD id=36 map=19]

 

Art Foundation Transforming India's Urban Landscape

[caption id="attachment_1001" align="aligncenter" width="1497"] The Origin of the World by Borondo, Lodhi Colony, Delhi[/caption]

Last month, ArchDaily had an opportunity to speak with Akshat Nauriyal, Content Director at Delhi-based non-profit St+Art India Foundation which aims to do exactly what its name suggests—to embed art in streets. The organization’s recent work in the Indian metropolises of Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru, has resulted in a popular reclamation of the cities’ civic spaces and a simultaneous transformation of their urban fabric. Primarily working within residential neighborhoods—they are touted with the creation of the country’s first public art district in Lodhi Colony, Delhi—the foundation has also collaborated with metro-rail corporations to enliven transit-spaces. While St+Art India’s experiments are evidently rooted in social activism and urban design, they mark a significant moment in the historic timeline of the application of street art in cities: the initiative involves what it believes to be a first-of-its-kind engagement between street artists and the government.

[caption id="attachment_1002" align="aligncenter" width="1500"] Unusual Usual by Do and Khatra, Hyderabad[/caption]

Suneet Zishan Langar: Could you explain the origins of St+Art India? What are your primary objectives?

Akshat Nauriyal: Essentially, we started around 2014, with twin intents: to make public spaces more vibrant and interactive for the people who use them the most, and to make art more democratic as a medium. We have five co-founders and all of us come from very different backgrounds. I’m a filmmaker and visual artist and I have previously worked documenting the city’s emerging sub-cultures. Hanif Kureshi is an artist who has been actively involved in the street art community. Meanwhile, Arjun Bahl and Thanish Thomas have a background in events and logistics and Giulia Ambrogi worked as a curator. We all got in touch around the time of the Extension Khirkee street art festival when we found we were all in six degrees of separation wanting to do the same thing, and that’s how our first project came about in Shahpur Jat.

[caption id="attachment_1003" align="aligncenter" width="1236"] Artwork by Ranjit Dhaiya, Shahpur Jat, Delhi[/caption]

SZL: Why did you choose the Shahpur Jat neighborhood?

AN: Shahpur Jat provided us a very interesting space for an art intervention since we wanted to work in a high-density area which was also navigable by foot. Moreover, it is an urban village that was rapidly changing. Back in the day, it used to be predominantly inhabited by the Jat community, but due to cheap rents and its proximity to South Delhi, its peripheral areas were becoming really gentrified. So while a lot of posh boutiques and cafés had opened up on the perimeter, on the inside it was still primarily residential with small hole-in-the-wall shops.

[caption id="attachment_1004" align="aligncenter" width="1551"] Artwork by Harsh Raman, Shahpur Jat, Delhi[/caption]

SZL: How did you obtain permissions to install artwork on walls?

AN: We sought permissions in two ways: bottom up and top down. Bottom up would mean that we went door-to-door and asked residents to permit us to paint on their walls. Some of them said no, some of them said yes, but that’s how it began. The top down approach meant that we went to authorities such as the MCD [Municipal Corporation of Delhi] and the CPWD [Central Public Works Department] or other faculties that had the rights or the ownership to the places.

https://youtu.be/cDVPsChKJrM

Towards the end, we did this mural on the Delhi Police Headquarters, a huge portrait of Mahatma Gandhi by German artist Hendrik Beikirch and Indian artist Anpu. That was a huge moment for us in the sense that, in the historical timeline of street art in the world, graffiti if not street art has always had negative connotations of vandalism. So when we’re having street artists paint a 158-foot mural on the façade of a governmental building, that moment holds immense significance not just for the scale of work, but also for its larger relevance. This marked a first-of-its-kind engagement with the government.

[caption id="attachment_1005" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] The Painted Revolution by Tyler, Delhi[/caption]

SZL: Where do you primarily obtain funding from?

AN: We work with a lot of cultural institutions, consulates or embassies to bring artists and fund projects. So essentially, most of our projects are funded by some consulate. We work with almost 20 now such as Germany, Poland, Singapore, and Switzerland. Another major supporter is Asian Paints. A lot of the work we do requires huge infrastructure and a lot of paint, so in that sense Asian paints was a very logical match for us.

[caption id="attachment_1006" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] There is Nowhere to Go but Everywhere by Hendrik Beikirch, Delhi[/caption]

SZL: How do you choose the artists that you collaborate with? Explain your work process.

AN: We first synthesize the project, and then work backward to see who’s the best fit for the kind of curation we’re doing. We seek very meaningful partnerships with different organizations, whether it’s an NGO or a cultural institution, or brands and corporates for that matter. Once we finalize the artist, we primarily work with them and the style that they use.

[caption id="attachment_1007" align="aligncenter" width="1534"] The Lotus by Suiko, Lodhi Colony, Delhi[/caption]

SZL: Why do you believe that democratization of art is important?

AN: We feel that art, at least the way it exists as an industry, has become marginalized only to a very small section of society, almost a novelty of the rich and the elite. We wanted to somehow break out of the regular gallery structure, because if you see the kind of footfall museums receive, it’s maybe a few hundred in a month, and that’s a high estimate. But if you flip that and look at public spaces as places to experience art, then you have thousands of people crossing these areas every day, and just in terms of the reach that the artwork can have, it's tremendous, exponentially larger than what it can have in a closed environment.

[caption id="attachment_1008" align="aligncenter" width="667"] Artwork by Sergio, Shahpur Jat, Delhi[/caption]

SZL: How do you think this affects a community or a people?

AN: I think the impact is very multi-faceted and layered. Different places react differently. So we’ve seen in our experience that if we’re working in a neighborhood, it leads to an increased sense of community pride. And it is really endearing to see people take to their own neighborhoods, to feel ownership of their surroundings. For example, in Shahpur Jat, one of the first walls that we painted was this mural of a cat by Indian artist Anpu and it quickly became a locally recognized landmark. People started giving directions based on its location. The people who lived in that building became very well known in the community which led to more people approaching us to paint their walls.

[caption id="attachment_1009" align="aligncenter" width="827"] Cat mural by Anpu, Shahpur Jat, Delhi[/caption]

SZL: The Lodhi Public Art District in Delhi is undoubtedly your largest urban intervention. What was the idea behind the selection of Lodhi Colony? Also, how do you think your work has altered the structure and meaning of the neighborhood?

[caption id="attachment_1011" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] Vishvaroopa by Inkbrushnme, Lodhi Colony, Delhi[/caption]

AN: Yes, there was a very clear intent in picking Lodhi Colony. We wanted to create multiple artworks in the form of an open walkthrough gallery where people could just come and spend a few hours a day and have a good time exploring the city. So Lodhi was a natural choice. It is one of the rare places in Delhi which is pedestrian-friendly. It’s also well organized in the sense that it’s easily navigable, and it has symmetrical blocks created in a localized typology. The façades that it presented were beautiful, large and symmetric, which meant that almost every artist got a similar canvas to play with, and hence, there is a semblance of symmetry to the entire project. Moreover, its location in South Delhi and the fact that it is a residential colony were other key points. As a government-owned residential colony, it didn’t face any threat of being gentrified, so we knew that the artwork would stay on.

[caption id="attachment_1012" align="aligncenter" width="1479"] 3 Dead Dahlias by Amitabh Kumar, Lodhi Colony, Delhi[/caption]

In terms of its impact, we witnessed that many people started feeling pride that the neighborhood had become a place to visit on the city’s tourist map. Now when you go to Lodhi, there’s something happening on the streets all the time, whether it’s a photo shoot, or a music video, or ordinary people just having a jolly time. We did a wall in collaboration with the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan [Clean IndiaMission] and I remember speaking to one person who told me about a man who had stopped his car and was about to urinate on a wall when a few local people strongly objected saying, “someone’s taken the effort of painting this beautiful thing. Don’t dirty it, just go to a public toilet.” So the impact could be simple, maybe it just makes you feel better or it distracts you or it makes you think, but it could also have deeper meanings of community building or keeping the neighborhood clean.

[caption id="attachment_1013" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] Swachh Bharat Mural, Lodhi Colony, Delhi[/caption]

SZL: How do you make sure your artwork remains contextual to a neighborhood’s unique identity?

AN: It would be incorrect on my part to say that every project we do is contextual. But that stems from the fact that we work hand-in-glove with artists. So there are many artists that work with themes that are not necessarily contextual. Artwork that is aesthetically pleasing, so to speak, and that is one approach to street art. Another approach is to be highly contextual and socially relevant. I’d say that we have a balance of both. We’re very aware of the fact that using public space is a responsibility and we try to navigate that in the best manner possible.

[caption id="attachment_1014" align="aligncenter" width="1498"] Artwork by Niels Shoe Meulman, Lodhi Colony, Delhi[/caption]

But at the same time, there are pieces like the one done by Shilo. She worked with an NGO called Sewing New Futures, which works in Najafgarh, Delhi, an area where a lot of women are forced into prostitution by their families. The organization works with these women to empower them with alternative sources of livelihood. Shilo worked with the young girls there, and their stories became the inspiration behind the project.

[caption id="attachment_1015" align="aligncenter" width="960"] From Your Strength I Weave Beauty by Shilo Shiv Suleman, Lodhi Colony, Delhi[/caption]

[The mural “From your Strength, I Weave Beauty” by Shilo Shiv Suleman identifies two women from the community. An older woman steps out of the mist on the left side; her struggle has carved lines into her face as she navigates the night inside her. On the other side, her daughter pulls this fog out of the dark sky and weaves it into alchemical threads of gold, creating a new future for them both.]

Vanke Early Learning Center / dot Architects

[caption id="attachment_947" align="aligncenter" width="1499"] © Wu Qingshan[/caption]

From the architect. dot Architects has designed a new early learning centre for Chinese developer Vanke. The project locates in Qingdao, China. The early learning centre is on the third floor of a former sales gallery.

[caption id="attachment_948" align="aligncenter" width="1499"] © Wu Qingshan[/caption]

Although it is still a hypothesis, that social interaction and unstructured play are vital for children’s development.  An open space is required for such activities to happen. A stage is defined as the reading zone instead of a library room. It can be used for free play during classes or as a theatre stage for special events.

We designed a scaled down children friendly house on top of the stage. The house is enclosed of wooden boxes which can be used to display books, plants or other exhibits. Children can sit and read anywhere, beside the table or on the stairs.

[caption id="attachment_949" align="aligncenter" width="1499"] © Wu Qingshan[/caption]

In order to create continuity in the space and to prevent a potential collision, the plan layout is defined with smooth curves. Two oval shaped skylights are introduced into the space to bring in the natural light, as the south facing windows are occupied by classrooms.

[caption id="attachment_950" align="aligncenter" width="1436"] Plan[/caption]

Classrooms are categorized under different climate regions. Each region is represented with a theme colour and its signature animals. It is a more efficient way for preschoolers to identify the classrooms than usual numbering system.

[caption id="attachment_951" align="aligncenter" width="1499"] © Wu Qingshan[/caption]

The interior of the classrooms use the same colour with a lighter shade. The furniture also has some coloured panels to make it more vivid.

As the budget for facade renovation is limited, the original curtain wall is remained with some panels replaced by the coloured ones. The entrance to the learning centre is defined by an illuminated logo.

In designing spaces for children, we prefer abstract geometry and simple visual language. We believe that children’s imaginations are more complex than any designed forms. It is better to design less to create a more imaginative space.

[caption id="attachment_952" align="aligncenter" width="1499"] © Wu Qingshan[/caption]

 

• 
  

  Architects

  
  
  dot Architects


• 
  

  Location

  
  
  Qingdao, Shandong, China


• 
  

  Lead Architect

  
  
  Duo Ning


• 
  

  Design Team

  
  
  Hu Xingzhu, Sun Qingfeng, Deng Tingfang, Liao Zhaocong Client: Vanke


• 
  

  Client

  
  
  Vanke


• 
  

  Area

  
  
  600.0 m2


• 
  

  Project Year

  
  
  2017


• 
  

  Photographs

  
  
  Wu Qingshan


• 
  

  Manufacturers

  
  
  Armstrong Flooring, Dulux

[Google_Maps_WD id=30 map=16]

 

HKS Unveils New $975 Million Minneapolis Stadium / HKS

[caption id="attachment_886" align="aligncenter" width="2000"] Courtesy of HKS[/caption]

The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA), the Minnesota Vikings and HKS Sports & Entertainment Group together unveiled the design of the state’s new $975 million multi-purpose stadium in Minneapolis.

The Architect’s Description:

Described as an authentic structure influenced by its Minnesota location, the new stadium exhibits a bold, progressive design that combines efficient functionality with stunning architecture. With a soaring prow, the largest transparent roof in the world, and operable doors that open to the downtown skyline, the facility’s openness and sleek geometric exterior will make it unlike any other stadium in the country.

[caption id="attachment_887" align="aligncenter" width="2000"] Courtesy of HKS[/caption]

“The design reflects the true story of the Minnesota community with its international style driven by climatic response and energy conservation,” said Bryan Trubey, design principal, HKS Sports & Entertainment Group. “The interior volume makes it the most versatile, multi‐use building in the country with the most advanced digital age technology.”

[caption id="attachment_888" align="aligncenter" width="2000"] Courtesy of HKS[/caption]

Groundbreaking for the new 65,000‐seat stadium will take place in October 2013, and demolition of the Metrodome will begin early in 2014. The new stadium is scheduled to be open in time for the Vikings 2016 season.

The project is currently under review by the Minneapolis Stadium Implementation Committee and the City of Minneapolis.

[caption id="attachment_889" align="aligncenter" width="2000"] Courtesy of HKS[/caption]

Back of the Yards High School / STL Architects

[caption id="attachment_809" align="aligncenter" width="1582"] Photo Ignacio Espigares[/caption]

From the architect. This urban high school is organized into three thematic components: body, mind and spirit, that relate to the various programs and activities within the school that compose the curriculum. The site is zoned according to these thematic areas and bars are created, housing the athletics (body), the academy classrooms and teaching spaces (mind), and the library, arts and music (spirit). The bars slide against each other to create outdoor spaces on the site, programmed for specific activities that work in conjunction with the buildings—entry courtyard, athletics fi elds, and reading garden. The three volumes (body, mind, and spirit) that comprise the school are created by one continuous wall that snakes back and forth through the site.

[caption id="attachment_810" align="aligncenter" width="1582"] Photo by Ignacio Espigares[/caption]

Throughout Chicago’s history the Chicago Public Schools have provided the communities in which they were built with a strong and clean presence. The schools have managed to stand the pass of time with dignity creating a solemn presence in their surrounding. These schools have been traditionally a representation of the time that they were designed in and the architectural trends that were present. It is within the boundaries of this tradition that we have approached the design of the Back of the Yards High School exterior envelope. The use of brick, a noble and durable material, and a design commitment to a coherent rational expression of the building facades constitute the main ingredients of the fi nal exterior articulation of the building.

[caption id="attachment_811" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Site Plan[/caption]

The brick design was based on a single nominal unit size of 4”Dx16”Hx8”L. Vertical orientation of the unit is key to maintaining an 8” module length while increasing labor effi ciencies over a standard modular brick. Rather than utilizing varied brick sizes, two score options that allow the brick to be perceived in three sizes were developed: full module (4”Dx16” Hx8”L), 2/3” module (4”Dx16”Hx5¼”L), and 1/3 module (4”Dx16”Hx25/8”L). The pattern created by the factory blending of the three different variations of the same brick at 33% of each type of unit.

[caption id="attachment_812" align="aligncenter" width="1582"] Interior[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_814" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Floor Plan[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_815" align="aligncenter" width="1500"] Classroom Interior[/caption]

The Athletics bar consists of an adaptable gymnasium with bleacher seating for 1200, with a regulation basketball court, and two cross courts. There is raised performance stage at one end that enables the space to convert to an auditorium via a telescoping seating system that recesses into the wall opposite the stage. When in its performance confi guration, the space seats 1200 people. Lockers, fi tness rooms, athletic storage and other support spaces for the gymnasium are located on this level adjacent to the gym and below the mai  entry. A separate entrance is provided at the gym level so that the space can be used by the Park District in locations where the school is adjacent to a public park. Behind the gymnasium, and designed as an independent, “plug on” piece, is the natatorium and associated wet locker and support spaces. This too, is designed to be able to operate independent of the school, as a community amenity.

[caption id="attachment_816" align="aligncenter" width="676"] Pool[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_817" align="aligncenter" width="1582"] Front View[/caption]

Outdoor spaces include a main entry courtyard, a reading garden, an athletic fi elds. The academy bar slides back to create an entry courtyard between the arts and athletics volumes, forming the main entrance to the building. Here the students from both academies can socialize before school outside the main lobby with its security checkpoint; the commons areas for both academies look through the main atrium to the courtyard below. A secondary entry is located midway through the academic bar volume, to manage student entry into the school each day. Adjacent to the library and leading up to the secondary entrance, is an elevated Reading Garden, which provides a shaded contemplative space for students and faculty to read or engage in casual conversation. This space forms the main entry zone for the library from the outside, which can be operated independently of the school, enhancing the facility’s utility to the community.Looking at the multi-cultural Hispanic population of the neighborhood, a brightly colored glazed brick mural was created to serve as a school identity and capture the pulse of the vibrant community in which this school is located.

[caption id="attachment_818" align="aligncenter" width="1582"] Render[/caption]

• 
  

  Architect of record

  
  
  STL Architects


• 
  

  Location

  
  
  2111 W 47th St, Chicago, IL 60609, USA


• 
  

  Area

  
  
  215000.0 ft2


• 
  

  Project Year

  
  
  2013


• 
  

  Photographs

  
  
  Ignacio Espigares/STL Architects

• 
  

  PBC's Prototype Design Architect

  
  
  John Ronan Architects


• 
  

  Architecture/Interiors Consulting

  
  
  ODA Architecture


• 
  

  MEP/FP & Lighting

  
  
  OWP/P | Cannon Design


• 
  

  Structural

  
  
  Matrix Engineering


• 
  

  Civil

  
  
  Prism Engineering


• 
  

  Landscape

  
  
  Jacobs/Ryan Associates

[Google_Maps_WD id=20 map=11]