Being Portuguese, i couldnt resist but to share this with you.

This Portugese firm Kaputt!'s web page, is basically a splash page, but it's quite an interesting one. A slideshow of hands on a scanbed next to model photos gives us the firm's contact information and "cast of characters."

The images associate the hand of the architect with the architectural creation, an immediate relationship that seems often splintered these days. The names take this relationship one step further, by marking the skin with that which can only be handwritten, not typed and printed on a computer.

Jewish Museum in Berlin by Danial Libeskind

















Our current project for design, to conclude the first semester, is an extension to the public library in Goven Mbeki. The site is set in an historic context, therefore, one needs to be extremely suttle in the design approach. One needs to be aware of the cultural aspect of the existing building and what it means to the city by examining the pattern use and cultural responses and how robust the building is for those who use it.

Dealing with an historic context a thorough investigation needs to be done so one is aware of how new extensions fit in to significantly old monumental buildings. Liebeskind's Jewish Museum is a good start for a precedent study, as it is set within an historical context dealing with movement paths within the macro environment.

I am interested in how Libeskind encoded the questions of recording and remembering Jewish history in the structure/program. I've found that he used a series of metaphors for his creation of floor plan, voids and paths and even the shape of windows.

As for circulation, the visitor must descend to the basement level and enter the new museum through an underground corridor. The path's walls and floor slope and converge; at its end are three routes: to the E. T A. Hoffman Garden, to the memorial Holocaust Void, and to a stair leading to the galleries. The monumental stair, tightly bounded between its walls, rises all the way through the building, crossed by angled concrete beams. Libeskind's name for the project is "Between the lines," and the title manifests in a perfectly straight stroke that penetrates the fragmented composition. Where this line slices the plan, the architect has left seven voids - metaphors for the absence and erasure of Jewish history in Berlin (Zeiger 2005).

Reference: Zeiger, M. (2005), New Museum Architecture: Innovative Buildings from Around the World, Thames & Hudson: London.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Besides Architecture, photography takes up the other half of me. Recently, a volcanic eruption in the southwestern part of Iceland's Eyjafjallajoekull glacier, released a significant volume of ash into the air causing Europe's Airlines a loss of at least $1.7 billion due to travel disruptions caused by the volcanic ash cloud.






Follow the link bellow for more images.
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/more_from_eyjafjallajokull.html

Keeping on track with one my favourite eclectic Architects, is a hobby I like to nurture. Zaha Hadid's latest footprint is the Aquatic centre in London for the 2012 Olympics.

Earlier this month, the two 50 metre concrete pools, along with the diving pool, were filled with water for the first time. The concrete pools needed to be tested with more than 10 million liters of water before they are sealed and tiled, with approximately 180 000 tiles. Sadly, the project has been scaled down from its first proposal due to budget concerns, but still keeping with Zaha Hadid's signiture abstract form.

With a budget of 300 million pounds, the complex consists of a sting ray shaped 3,360 ton curved steel roof designed, to stretch and twist according to the weather. The venue will have a 17 500 seat centre playing host to swimming, diving and water polo finals.

Take a look at the link below for a break down on the project:
http://www.archicentral.com/london-2012-aquatics-centre-by-zaha-hadid-starts-to-take-shape-1761



                                                        (rendering of the aquatic centre)

You can see up to date progress through a live webcam here:
 http://www.london2012.com/webcams/aquatics-centre.php

Between May 1st and October 31st 2010 the World Expo - World Expo 2010 Shanghai will be held in the city of Shanghai, China. The Expo will attract governments and people from around the world. The Expo theme is "Better Cities, Better Quality of Life", reflecting the desire common to all mankind for a better life in urban environments, now and in the future, and a central concern of the international community for the future development of policies and strategies for urban development.

A sneak peak at what Portugal has in mind. With a total area of 2,000m2 and a forecast of 3million visitors to their pavilion, Portugal has bough their roots across the globe for 184 days.


The pavilion has a façade that is covered in cork, a nationally-sourced, recyclable and environmentally friendly material. This is one example of innovation and good environmental practice that enhances Portugal's image in the largest Universal Exhibition ever held. It reflects the concept of urban sustainability in modern-day cities and highlights it as a key element in national policies, economically and environmentally.
 
Good luck Portugal

’During the day the Tower of Winds’ aluminum cladding shields the mirrored plates and lights within. At night the lights and reflective surfaces dance to the music of the city, computer-controls reacting to both man-made and natural forces: ambient sounds, wind forces, time of day and season. … Ito created a work of art / architecture of simplicity that reflects the complexity and nature of the city and its inhabitants. His influence is the music of the environment combined with our interaction and effect upon it.’


( John Hill, founder of ‘A weekly dose of architecture’ )

Follow the link bellow for a complete analysis of the Tower of Winds by the architect,Toyo Ito.

http://www.mediaruimte.be/digital_territories/projects/cybernetic/Tower-of-Winds_Toyo-Ito.html?KeepThis=true&TB_iframe=true&height=600&width=800

London Olympics tower unveiled

Probably the reason why Boris Johnson is the mayor of London.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZMZGUqIDZU&NR=1