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AIA2012: An Optimistic Future

1 day

by mr926 in Uncategorized

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan © Architecture

AIA President Jeff Potter welcomed everyone this morning by restating his promise that the 2012 convention would inspire all who attend. With a consistent theme focusing on the architects commitment to service, President Potter welcomed Shaun Donovan – the 15th United States Secretary for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – as today’s keynote speaker. However, before Secretary Donovan took the stage, the 2012 AIA Vice President Mickey Jacob invited the crowd to come, stay and explore the mile-high city of Denver for the 2013 National Convention.

With “Leadership For Architecture…Leadership Beyond Architecture” as the theme, the AIA’s 2013 National Convention will focus on increasing connectivity with the public to expand awareness of architecture and tell the story of how our leadership affects the quality of life, the built environment, and the sustainable lifestyle that everyone deserves. Follow this link to learn more on how you can become involved.

VJAA © Architecture

Immediately following, President Potter awarded Mortimer Marshall, Jr., FAIA with the 2012 Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award and the collaborative practice VJAA with the 2012 AIA Architecture Firm Award, as both recipients have had a profound impact on the profession. Soon after, twenty-four former AIA presidents stormed the stage to honor this year’s Gold Medal to the legendary Steven Holl, FAIA.

Gold Medalist Steven Holl © Architecture

The Gold Medalist expressed his belief that “today, more than ever, the language of architecture is open”, encouraging practitioners to define their own path and partake in “architecture’s unspoken power to transform the quality of our day-to-day lives.”

Steven Holl © Architecture

Holl’s brisk, yet inspiring lecture was then followed an optimistic presentation by AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker on the past, present and future of the American economy. Although extreme business cycles are the norm in our profession, the audience cringed when Baker reported that 60,000 architectural jobs have been lost since the recession began. However, as ABI continues to improve, commercial and industrial activity is picking up momentum and architects across the country are gaining hope.

President Potter transition the conversation back to the keynote speaker and the fundamental idea of how to transcend the role of the architect and encourage the architectural community in the wake of the recession.

Since 2009, Secretary Donovan has made it his mission to ensure access to safe, decent and affordable housing to all and has continued that effort in the Obama Administration. He believes that America’s homes are the foundation for family, safe neighborhoods, good schools and job creation. Sworn in at a time when American families were devastated by the foreclosure crises, Secretary Donovan has worked tirelessly to help stabilize the housing market and keep responsible families in their homes. His work is is passion, and it shows.

Throughout the speech, Secretary Donovan reaffirmed HUD’s commitment to build strong, sustainable, inclusive neighborhoods that are connected to education and jobs, thus offering a fair shot to all Americans. However, in order for everyone to have a fair shot, everyone must also give their fair share. The question is, how will you give your fair share?

AIA2012: An Optimistic Future originally appeared on Architecture, the most visited architecture website on 18 May 2012.

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Hospital of Sant Joan Despi Doctor Moises Broggi / Brullet-De Luna Arquitectes + Pinearq

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by mr926 in Uncategorized

Architects: Brullet-De Luna Arquitectes + Pinearq – Albert de Pineda Àlvarez (Pinearq), Manuel Brullet Tenas and Alfonso de Luna (Brullet-De Luna Arquitectes)
Location: Sant Joan Despí, Barcelona, Spain
Completion: 2010
Collaborators: Marcial Novo Mazuelos, Juan Sainz de los Terrenos
Area: 45,725 sqm
Photographs: FG+SG – Fernando Guerra, Sergio Guerra, Brullet-De Luna Arquitectes, Pinearq

The Sant Joan Despí Doctor Moisès Broggi’s Hospital is a new construction that caters for a population of 300.000 people from the towns of Baix Llobregat country, Barcelona. The disposition and organization of the hospital inside the plot is determined by the access, the orientation and the topographic conditions of the land.

The access conditions and the relationship with the surroundings explain the adopted solution. In fact, the land has a long limiting area located towards the north where the Baix Llobregat Avenue is. The main access is located along the South East of the plot, on the highest point, where one can access the outpatient area. The entrance is independent and is located on the North façade of the Baix Llobregat Avenue, where there is an easier access because of the public transport.

Moreover, with the idea of differentiating the entrances according to the function, the emergency access is located on the extreme North East of the site. This access is located on the lowest point, one floor under the main entrance. Finally, the loading and unloading area is located in this part.

A compact building has been created in order to solve the following technical and functional concepts:
1. Specialization of Circulation:
To achieve a healthcare corridor and a public corridor which have no interference between one and the other, and allow a clear orientation for public users with the constant relationship between exterior and interior of the building. From this point, the solution is to locate the Assistance care zones in the basement -1, to avoid having patient rooms on the entrance floor. An independent entrance for the outpatient services allows the access to external visitors from two different entrances.

2. Hospitalization Units:
The wards are organized with all the patient rooms orientated towards the South and to the new park, with views onto a wooded area which is very quiet. No hospitalization unit has been left isolated from the rest, allowing the healthcare workers to interrelate and to stay in constant communication. This has been achieved locating four units on the first floor, three units on the second and another three units on the third floor.

3. Outpatient Facilities
This area is distinguished from the rest of the hospital area, in order to improve its function. The built wards are wider in order to adapt to the different timetables and to maximize natural lighting through overhead lighting, no need of extra patios and building a compact premise to reduce the operating costs.

4. Building Volume
An extensive building together with an important green area has been achieved, as well as a reduction of the public internal corridors in order to give the hospital a more rational function. Besides it being a compact building and concentrating various spaces underground, patios also play an important part of the design, allowing the different spaces and rooms to have natural light. Despite being a large building, a discrete urban mark is intended.

second floor plan

5. Sustainability
Sustainability has been part of the design process since the beginning. Energy efficiency has been obtained thanks to the building’s orientation, closed towards the North and open towards the South, and façade design, with brise-soleils controlling the natural sunlight. Improvements has been achieved also through technical and mechanical equipments such as photovoltaic installations and rainwater re-use systems.

Hospital of Sant Joan Despi Doctor Moises Broggi / Brullet-De Luna Arquitectes + Pinearq originally appeared on Architecture, the most visited architecture website on 18 May 2012.

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E8 Building / Coll-Barreu Arquitectos

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by mr926 in Uncategorized

Architects: Coll-Barreu Arquitectos – Juan Coll-Barreu, Daniel Gutiérrez Zarza
Location: Vitoria, Spain
Project Area: 12,974 sqm
Completion: 2011
Photographs: Aleix Bagué

The E8 building is the result of a design competition called with the intention of highlight an ambitious expansion of Alava Technology Park, an institutional commitment to research whose validity and future should be represented by the building. The Park will rent or sell the full building by plants or by modules. The design should incorporate this uncertainty in use, which was taken as a positive requirement. The architecture must allow modify programs and adapt to uses, be transformable, such as the old buildings. Paradoxically, the building then gains in stability, in possibilities: we can say that the building wins time.

The extension determined by planning supposed to move forward land close to pastures and oak forests. We wanted that, despite the obligated transformations that the arrival of buildings produce, the history of the place remained, with their layers of time, with his memory, with the memory of its form. E8 Building rises, is crossed, flies and looks. So, natural landscape is present. We believe that this is important, that it is civilizing. But it seems even more important that, if in the future the landscape turns in one and another side of the building, if nature disappears, its memory can remain in the artificial improvisation of a few folds of glass. The building will then be a record, a register, a safeguard.

1st floor plan

The E8 Building develops a climate control strategy based on an internal very isolated waterproof shell and another envelope, exterior, ventilated, that works like a parasol. In winter, the intermediate chamber is a mattress that distances the building from the cold outside. On warm days, the system produces a natural shot which cools the interior façade by pressure differences. This results into significant savings in consumption and a huge reduction in emissions.