back to nature; constructed ruin

fantastic! urban reclamation project in tokyo.

a 'haunted' house is magically transformed through the power of design. once covered in ivy, the designer stripped the over-growth revealing the structural elements long left to the passage of time.

i admire the restraint - not to completely gut and start anew. the old structure and new surfaces are well-balanced; it helps to tell the story of the dwelling, not simply masking it behind clean white walls.

a quick overview and stream of consciousness ramble, but check out the whole story.

photos courtesy of takeshi yamagishi

midway furniture project

as i alluded to in a previous post. russell mahoney is a recent graduate of the frank lloyd wright school of architecture. it's has been a long standing tradition for the apprentices to design and build structures to live in down in the desert. taking that mentality into midway's failing silo structure, he has designed a series of platform based on the principles of tinker toys. over-designed components allow platforms to be interchanged and elaborated as the need arises.





russell has been sympathetic to the historical fabric/enclosure that is the silo. light filters in through the clerestory windows near the top of the structure and filters down through layers of platforms creating a soft, pleasant and comfortable atmosphere for studying, reading and sleeping.



to elaborate on the education post by jessie [see below]. i feel like this is an excellent exercise for students to really engage in designing and building; something lacking, at least, in the education at uwm.

[ Photos copyright 2009 Russell Mahoney + Eric Oxendorf ]

cr land guanganmen green technology showroom

a small firm of 10 designers is doing some interesting work in beijing. according to their philosophy vector architects is established by partners with combined experiences in architecture design practice and real estate development [this shows their chinese sensibilities]. the firm pursues the fundamental simplicity and logical clarity through the everyday thinking and working process.



i've always wanted to do a project like this. the idea is to develop the concept of “temporary” from a meaningful perspective, to design a piece of floating “installation” in the garden, which could be built, demolished, and recycled through an easy and straightforward way with the least impact to the planned site.

1. the structural member can be recycled when the building is eventually taken down.
2. overlap the structural member factory fabrication process with site excavation; minimizing the construction schedule.
3. the building is elevated, greatly reducing the excavation and foundation work, allowing easy demolition and site recovery



i love the building envelope: an envelope of grass. a vertical grass wall paneling system and green roof provide support. it's not only aesthetically pleasing, but practical by;
1. reducing the heat gain and loss and enhancing the thermal efficiency.
2. the grass panels will reduce storm water runoff.
3. although the central lawn is taken away to make room for this building, vector effectively triples the original planting area by using the grass panels.
4. grass wall panel is planned to be relocated onto the partial fence of the residential compound after demolition.
5. it visually harmonizes the temporary structure with the existing garden and the so called “classic spanish” style

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