Xinxiang Cultural Tourism Centre by Mathieu Forest Architecte resembles a stack of ice cubes

A stack of nine frosted glass "ice cubes" atop a pool of water houses this cultural centre in Xinxiang, China, designed by French practice Mathieu Forest Architecte.

The Xinxiang Cultural Tourism Centre was designed as a sculptural icon for a new winter sports tourism district in the city, which will in future include an indoor ski slope.

Mathieu Forest Architecte has created a stacked cultural centre in China

Inside the centre's nine cubes are a restaurant, cafe, shops, reading and children's spaces, with the stacked form used to create a series of open-air terraces that overlook the surrounding plaza and water pools.

"The ambition of the project is to create a strong urban indicator that unites the whole district," said Mathieu Forest Architecte.

It is designed to resemble a stack of ice cubes

"[It] does not look like a classic building – it is not possible to figure out the number of floors, it is a sculpture out of scale, a pure and monumental volume," it continued.

The ice-like appearance was achieved through the use of printed glass panels, which are attached to the concrete structures with minimal metal fixings to avoid the need for any frames.

The building sits beside a pool of water

During the day, the appearance of the glass panels changes depending on the light conditions, revealing certain areas of the interior and concealing others.

At night, illumination from the interior creates a glowing effect, turning the centre into a "lighthouse" for the district.

The ice-like appearance is achieved with patterned glass panels

"The texture of the glass facades is composed of a multitude of tangled translucent ice crystals that filter the light and the vision from the interior," said the practice.

"It is a question of hiding, whilst showing, to provoke mystery and the desire to approach," it continued.

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Each cube is stacked at a different angle, creating a variety of compositions depending on the direction of approach. Some cubes cantilever above the plaza and others are positioned to create small gaps to walk between.

In the central cluster of cubes, a double-height ground floor creates a large, open foyer, leading through to a reading room that opens onto a paved water terrace.

The panels are attached with minimal metal fixings

While this foyer merges the cubes into a single space at the ground floor level, their upper levels intersect and project out into it, creating balcony spaces supported by large white columns.

Two cubes sit away from the central area, connected via paved paths that cross the water pool and containing a shop and restaurant.

The glass facades glow at nighttime

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics has led to a booming interest in winter sports in China. See the buildings that were used to host the games in Dezeen's guide to the Winter Olympics' architecture.

The photography is byArchExist.

---

Project credits:

Architects: Zone of Utopia+Mathieu Forest Architecte

Client: Henan Rongshou Xinchuang Culture and Tourism Real Estate Co. Ltd.

Designers: Qiang Zou, Mathieu Forest

Design team: Zeng Teng, Wu Di, Wang Zhuang, Arnaud Mazza, Ma Jia, Xue Qixun

Local Design Architect: Henan Urban Planning Institute & Corporation

Structure: Arup Group Limited

Curtain wall: EDUTH

Landscape design: Hassell Shanghai

Landscape design construction: QIDI Shanghai

Lighting: PROL

Interior design: WU:Z DESIGN

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#all #architecture #cultural #chinesearchitecture #china #glass #visitorcentres #culturalbuildings #irregularlystackedboxes #xinxiang

Gensler releases plans for winged Flight Test Museum in California

Architecture firm Gensler has released plans for the new Flight Test Museum in Antelope Valley north of Los Angeles.

The design combines the dimensions of an airport hangar with the shape of the Nighthawk aircraft, an American stealth plane first built in the 1980s.

"The reimagination of the Flight Test Museum coincides with the rise of commercial space exploration and the 75th anniversary of the breaking of the sound barrier," said the studio in a release.

The 60,000-square-foot (5,570-square-metre) "hangar" will have a metallic angular roof that slopes down to create a pavilion over the glass entryway.

The Test Flight Museum designed by Gensler will be on the site of the current museum

"We expanded the roof area by creating large undulating, stretched planes of metallic perforated metal, giving rise to distinctive wing-like shapes that shimmer and offer striking silhouettes against the surrounding desert landscape," Peter Wang, principal and design director on the project for Gensler, told Dezeen.

A primary hangar will be surrounded by a second-storey viewing platform so that visitors can see the displays from above.

[

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Plans include a welcome lounge, gallery space, classrooms, library, and gift shop, as well as a bar dedicated to Florence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes, the aviator who founded the first movie stunt pilots' union.

Sited in the desert where some of the first jet and space flight technologies were tested, the finished museum will hold more than 80 historic aircraft, with room for other larger aircraft in the planned outdoor exhibition spaces.

Initial construction on the project has begun, with completion slated for 2024.

Gensler is one of the world's largest architecture firms, with almost 50 offices globally. Following the death of its founder Art Gensler last year, Dezeen highlighted eight key projects from the company.

Other architecture projects that take influences from hangars include the MEETT exhibition centre by OMA, as well as Italian office Piuarch's transformation of an old aircraft hangar into Gucci's headquarters in Milan.

Renderings are courtesy of Gensler.

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#all #architecture #cultural #news #deserts #california #usa #museums #aircraft #culturalbuildings #gensler #militarydesign

Sheppard Robson updates and extends Alan Short-designed theatre in Manchester

Architecture studio Sheppard Robson has remodelled the eccentric Contact theatre in Manchester, UK, stitching in a "new and distinct" metal-clad extension.

The overhaul was carried out by Sheppard Robson to improve the layout and energy performance of the building that was completed by British architect Alan Short in 1999.

Sheppard Robson has extended the Contact theatre in Manchester

Sheppard Robson's goal for the project was to refresh the Contact theatre while preserving Short's original vision for the building.

Working with ME engineers at Max Fordham, the project also enhances the efficiency of the building's original sustainable design features, such as the chimneys that made it the first naturally ventilated theatre in the UK.

The extension is clad in metal

"At the heart of the brief was to extend and refresh Contact whilst carefully preserving the building and organisation's progressive spirit," Sheppard Robson partner James Jones told Dezeen.

"Overall, the refurbishment and extension together work to make the building more accessible, future-focused, economically and environmentally sustainable."

The extension contains performance spaces

Contact was established in 1972, but its Short-designed home was created following an investment from Arts Council England in the 1990s.

The theatre and arts venue is best known for championing youth leadership and creativity. To reflect this, Sheppard Robson consulted with a group of young people associated with the theatre throughout the redesign.

[

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](https://www.dezeen.com/2019/01/15/haworth-tompkins-bristol-old-vic-theatre-extension/)

"The [co-creation] process ensured that the building continues to be more than just a space to see a performance," Jones explained.

"It is far more deeply embedded with the community and new ways of engaging young people in the arts."

The existing building has also been remodelled

The 300-square-metre extension to the theatre is designed to complement Short's original quirky design, while also boasting its own unique aesthetic.

To achieve this, Sheppard Robson covered it with standing-seam aluminium and zinc cladding that echoes details of the existing building that are also finished with metal, such as the main entrance.

"Externally, we read the Alan Short design to be a complex 'village' of forms that articulate the range of spaces within the building," Jones explained.

"We wanted to add to this with a form that was clearly new and distinct, but still part of the village – the use of materials helped achieve this."

Circulation has been improved in the public areas

The extension comprises three storeys and is topped by a pitched roof arranged around two ventilation chimneys that nod to those on the original buildings.

In the same way as Short's original design, these chimneys are used to naturally ventilate the extension's interiors.

Inside, the ground floor of the extension comprises performance spaces as well as a health and science development created in partnership with the Wellcome Trust.

The first floor has offices for Contact staff, while the top floor contains rehearsal spaces and workspaces for artists and cultural organisations.

A new cafe and bar has been added to the entrance

Sheppard Robson's alterations to the Contact theatre's existing building included the improvement of sound insulation and circulation in the building's public areas. A new cafe and bar have been introduced at its entrance to "lift the arrival experience of the building", Jones said.

Upgrades were also made to reduce the building's overall carbon emissions, which the studio has predicted will see an annual drop of 13 per cent.

These improvements included changes in the way users can monitor and control air quality and airflow rates of the building's original natural ventilation system to minimise heat loss.

Lighting in the theatre now relies on LEDs

The new naturally-lit offices replace old cellular workspaces in the original building, and feature external shading to reduce overheating. All lighting has been swapped for LED technology, while an efficient central heating plant was introduced in place of 20-year-old boilers.

To track the reductions in the theatre's carbon emissions, Max Fordham will now monitor the building's energy consumption over the next two years and provide advice for optimisation.

Sheppard Robson said the improvements "lift the arrival experience of the building"

Sheppard Robson is a British architecture studio founded in 1938 by Richard Herbert Sheppard. It has offices in London, Manchester, and Glasgow.

Other projects by the studio include the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital in Johannesburg and a barn-style extension for a horse hospital in Edinburgh.

Elsewhere, architecture studio Haworth Tompkins also recently completed a number of theatre renovations, including the revamp of Bristol's Grade I-listed Old Vic theatre and the overhaul of the historic Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London's West End.

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#all #architecture #cultural #uk #extensions #manchester #theatres #renovations #culturalbuildings #sheppardrobson

Open Architecture reveals design for Sun Tower in China

Chinese studio Open Architecture has unveiled its design for a viewing tower in the coastal city of Yantai in the north east of China.

The Beijing-based architecture studio designed the 50-metre-high tower to look like a giant sundial.

OPEN Architecture has revealed visuals of Sun Tower

The form of the tower, which will act as a landmark in the city's new coastal district, was informed by watchtowers that were built in the area during the Ming dynasty.

When it is complete, Sun Tower will be a cultural facility with views of the sea, a semi-outdoor theatre on the ground floor, a winding exhibition space, library and observation deck.

Sun Tower will be a cultural facility where people can also enjoy nature

Standing in the centre of a circular plaza, it will be constructed from two white concrete conical forms connected and braced by horizontal slabs and ramps.

The space within the inner shell of the Sun Tower was designed to act as a sound collector, absorbing and amplifying the sound from the sea.

The upside-down upper shell houses a library and observation space

In summer, rain will drop from a circular opening in the roof and be collected in a small pool. In winter, this pool will be dried out and used as a fireplace.

"Immediately when we conceived of the design we wanted to reference ancient human rituals, honoring the sun, moon, and stars, and offering a space for reflection and contemplation," said Li Hu and Huang Wenjing, founding partners of Open Architecture.

[

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](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/11/05/open-architecture-chapel-of-sound-beijing/)

Open Architecture will also work with Aric Chen, artistic director of Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, to create the building's exhibitions, which will focus on digital exhibitions and big data.

"We wanted to ensure the building had an authentic purpose and function, creating spaces that juxtapose the incredible ocean views with the forward-thinking digital exhibitions that explore nature," added Li and Huang.

A semi-outdoor observation space will be on top of Sun Tower

Open Architecture designed a shallow pool, misting devices and fountains for the plaza that will surround the building.

A linear pool of water will cut across the plaza, which will aline with the shadow of the Sun Tower follows on the day of the equinox.

The pavement will be covered in a series of elliptical ring pattern. The intersections between the rings and the waterway mark the building shadow's footprint at specific hours on the equinox day.

The 50-meter high building is a composite shell structure

The project is currently under construction and due to complete in 2024. Open Architecture recently completed a rock-like concert hall outside of Beijing named Chapel of Sound and an art gallery within a sand dune.

The renders are courtesy of Open Architecture.

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Denton Corker Marshall designs metal-clad cube for Shepparton Art Museum in Australia

Architecture practice Denton Corker Marshall has completed an art museum in Victoria, Australia, with a cubic glass form shielded by large metal-clad plates on its facades.

Won by the local practice via an architectural competition in 2017, the new 5,300-square-metre Shepparton Art Museum sits overlooking a lake at the edge of a nearby nature reserve.

As the site is a floodplain, the museum's footprint was kept small – extruded upwards to create five floors containing four galleries, children's spaces, and the Kailua Arts Aboriginal community arts centre.

The Shepparton Art Museum in Victoria was designed by Denton Corker Marshall

Denton Corker Marshall referenced the natural surroundings to conceive the museum as a "land sculpture". The project comprises the museum itself and an adjacent Art Hill, which conceals the building's services and parking beneath stepped concrete seating.

"Sitting between the lake and the main road into town from Melbourne, it presents a strikingly bold signal – a new contemporary building added to the fabric of the city," said John Denton, co-founder of Denton Corker Marshall.

The practice wrapped the art museum in a metal facade

This sculptural form is defined by the four metal-clad plates that appear to shift as you move around the building's exterior. Three are clad in powder-coated silver aluminium, while a fourth faced in contrasting weathered steel demarcates the main entrance.

L-shaped in form, these plates extend with small canopies to created sheltered, verandah-like spaces around the museum's entrances, and feature perforated areas and cut-outs that give glimpses into the interior.

Different metal volumes make up the Shepparton Art Museum

"From a distance, the plates give virtually no indication of the interior life to be discovered and explored," said the practice.

"At their base, they float seemingly unsupported over an open, visibly accessible and highly activated ground plane...each plate is an object in its own right and an integral part of the whole," it continued.

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The museum's entrance leads into a full-height atrium, alongside the community arts centre and administrative spaces on the ground floor.

On the first floor, level with the Art Hill, a large cafe space opens onto a terrace that leads out onto the amphitheatre-style seating area.

Concrete was used throughout the interior of the museum. Photo is by Tim Griffith

"The Art Hill creates an upper ground level, enabling the museum cafe to enjoy an elevated outlook whilst being directly connected to, and accessible from, the park," said the practice.

A central, open staircase connects to the museum's four gallery spaces, designed to show a mixture of international exhibitions, permanent collections and new commissions.

Parts of the museum are directly accessible from a nearby public park. Photo is by Tim Griffith

"The interior design [features] interconnected multi-level spaces, materials, texture, with intuitive way finding by Studio Ongarato," said the practice.

"[This is] overlaid with contrasts of drama, reflection, outlook, information and discovery, all of which are conceived as integral elements of the museum experience," it continued.

Gallery spaces are designed to show a mixture of international exhibitions, permanent collections and new commissions. Photo is by Tim Griffith

Previous projects by Denton Corker Marshall include the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, a cluster of cubic forms clad in contrasting metal finishes.

In 2015, the studio built a "mysterious black box" for Australia's contribution to the Venice biennale.

The photography is byJohn Gollings unless stated otherwise.

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#all #architecture #cultural #australia #dentoncorkermarshall #metal #museums #culturalbuildings #victoria

Work begins on Kéré Architecture's perforated brick Goehte-Institut in Dakar

Construction has begun on the Senegal headquarters of the non-profit Goehte-Institut designed by Burkina Faso studio Kéré Architecture.

Set to be built alongside former Senegal president Leopold Sedar Senghor's home in Dakar, which is now a museum, the two-storey building will be built from compressed earth bricks.

Kéré Architecture has designed the Goehte-Institut in Dakar

When complete, it will be the Senegal office of non-profit German cultural association Goehte-Institut, with spaces to host exhibitions and teach language courses.

Burkina Faso studio Kéré Architecture, which is led by architect Diébédo Francis Kéré, designed the building to reflect the organisation's ethos of cultural exchange.

It will be built around existing trees

"Visitors and employees alike are to be provided with a space that speaks to and is home to the layered and storied cultural tapestry of Senegal's capital," said the studio.

"One that is welcoming and versatile in speaking to the vast and complex history of cultural encounters and asking a diverse community to gather to define an inclusive and sustainable future."

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The 1,800-square-metre building is designed to match the scale of the surrounding, largely residential, buildings.

Its L-shaped form was created to avoid existing trees on the site and create a central courtyard-like space. A kitchen and bar will also be built alongside this courtyard.

Classrooms will be located on the upper floor

Public functions, including an auditorium, cafe and library, will be located on the ground floor of the main building and connected to the institute's offices and classrooms on the level above by a pair of spiral staircases.

It will be built from locally sourced bricks with lattices, created to allow air into the building, and topped with a roof garden covered by a steel canopy.

Kéré Architecture was founded by Kéré in Berlin in 2005. The studio recently completed an education campus in Kenya and a university in Burkina Faso. In 2017 Kéré designed the Serpentine Pavilion in London.

The renders are courtesy of Kéré Architecture.

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#all #architecture #cultural #officearchitecture #bricks #culturalbuildings #diébédofranciskéré #senegal

Killa Design's Museum of the Future opens in Dubai

A museum in Dubai dedicated to the future, which has been dubbed "the most beautiful building in the world" by the emirate's ruler, has officially opened its doors.

Designed by local studio Killa Design, the museum stands in a prominent location alongside Dubai's elevated train line, a short distance from the Burj Khalifa skyscraper – the world's tallest building.

The Museum of the Future has opened in Dubai

Designed to be "an architectural and cultural icon", the museum consists of an elongated ring shape with a void at its centre, sat on a grass-covered mound.

The distinctive form led Dubai ruler and UAE vice president Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to state that the museum is "the most beautiful building in the world".

It stands alongside Dubai's elevated train line

Built for the Dubai Future Foundation, the seven-storey building contains a combination of exhibits dedicated to the future and workshops for testing and developing emerging technology.

"The Museum of the Future is a 'living museum', constantly adapting and metamorphosing as its very environment drives continual and iterative change to its exhibits and attractions," said Mohammed Al Gergawi, chairman of the Dubai Future Foundation.

Dubai's ruler described the museum as "the most beautiful building in the world"

Killa Design's museum contains a 1,000-capacity multi-use hall, a 345-seat lecture theatre as well as numerous laboratory spaces.

Five floors of gallery space contain exhibits dedicated to space exploration, a digital recreation of the Amazon rainforest and prototypes of future products.

Internally the spaces have no columns

The 77-metre-high building is supported by a steel structure, developed with engineering studio Buro Happold, which was "digitally grown" using parametric tools.

This structure means that the building has no internal columns.

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It is clad in stainless steel with windows in the form of quotes from the emirate's ruler written in Arabic calligraphy.

The three sentences written on the building say: "We may not live for hundreds of years, but the products of our creativity can leave a legacy long after we are gone"; "The future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it, and execute it. It isn't something you await, but rather create"; and "Innovation is not an intellectual luxury. It is the secret behind the evolution and rejuvenation of nations and peoples".

Exhibits include a space station simulator

This year Dubai is hosting the coronavirus-delayed Expo 2020 Dubai.

The event contained pavilions designed by some of the world's leading architects including Santiago Calatrava, Foster + Partners and Grimshaw. We rounded up 10 must-see pavilions at the expo.

The photography is courtesy of Dubai Future Foundation.

---

Project credits:

Client: Dubai Future Foundation

Developer: North25

Architect: Killa Design

Lead consultant (design, site supervision and contract administration): Buro Happold:

Structural engineering, facade engineering, sustainability, building services engineering: Buro Happold

Bridges, transport, infrastructure, geotechnical engineering, access, people flow modelling, fire and life safety, specialist lighting, acoustics, waste and logistics: Buro Happold

Project manager and employers representative: Matthews Southwest

Cost consultant: AECOM

AoR/EoR: Rice Perry Ellis Cracknell (Landscape),

AV/ICT: Mediatech

VT: RBA

Civils: CDM Smith

Programming: Matrix

H &S: Atkins

Security: Arkan

Auditorium: Theatre Projects

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#all #architecture #cultural #dubai #museums #unitedarabemirates #culturalbuildings #killadesign

MAD designs cluster of wooden museum buildings to evoke bronze age masks

Chinese architecture studio MAD has released visuals of The Eyes of Sanxingdui, a scatter of wooden buildings it has designed for the Sanxingdui Museum in Guanghan City, China.

The Eyes of Sanxingdui will contain new exhibition spaces and a visitor centre for the complex, which is officially called the Sanxingdui Ancient Shu Cultural Heritage Museum.

MAD has designed a series of exhibition spaces for Sanxingdui Museum

As the project name suggests, MAD's design evokes the almond-shaped eyes of bronze age masks excavated from the ancient Sanxingdui archaeological site where the museum is located.

These masks were created by the Sanxingdui civilisation between 4500-2800 years ago and are now on display at the museum alongside many other artefacts discovered in the area.

The cluster of structures will be made from wood

"The Sanxingdui site laid host to a number of cultural relics, including longitudinal bronze eye masks and large bronze standing figures, many of which adopt exaggerated, strange, ornate shapes," explained MAD.

"After sunset, the six buildings are enlivened as torch-like eyes behind the bronzeware and golden masks of Sanxingdui, uniting the spirits and forms, allowing people in the museum to wander between history and the future."

The Eyes of Sanxingdui will run alongside a body of water at the museum

The museum campus is located at the northeast corner of Sanxingdui's main protected area and covers an area of 90,000 square metres.

The Eyes of Sanxingdui will consist of a cluster of six wooden buildings scattered in an east-west direction alongside a body of water and dense greenery on the site.

They are designed to evoke the eyes of bronze age masks found in Sanxingdui

Its easternmost structure will contain the 5,830-square-metre visitor centre. Beyond this will be five exhibition spaces.

Externally, the exhibition spaces will be connected by an undulating green roof, which will be publicly accessible and provide visitors with views of the surrounding landscape.

A skylight will run along the roof of each structure

The decision to divide The Eyes of Sanxingdui into a series of buildings was made to help blend the structures in with the landscape and preserve nature on the site.

They are intended to appear as though they are emerging out from this landscape, with their timber finishes and structures echoing the surrounding trees.

The Eyes of Sanxingdui is designed to complement its natural surroundings

"The scheme respects and preserves the site's natural trees and water features where possible, weaving these natural features into a landscape strategy that remains in harmony with the new pavilion building," MAD explained.

"The intersection of artifacts, atmosphere, and nature will encourage people to experience the Sanxingdui civilization's inscribed influence on contemporary civilization and the human spirit."

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Visitors to the site will begin their journey at The Eyes of Sanxingdui's visitor centre before proceeding through the exhibition halls via an underground corridor.

The exhibition halls will be connected to each other via a south-facing glass corridor, which will frame views of the surrounding landscape.

The skylights will naturally light the interiors

MAD has designed the buildings' timber structures to allow for open column-free interior spaces, accommodating various exhibition layouts.

Natural light will be provided through the rooftop skylights, which evoke the opening of the almond-shaped eyes from above.

The structures will be linked by glass corridors

MAD was founded by Ma Yansong in Beijing in 2004. Elsewhere in China, the studio is currently developing a "futuristic" cruise terminal modelled on gantry cranes and a white cloud-like science museum on the coast.

It recently completed Yabuli Entrepreneurs' Congress Center in the mountains in northeast China and a kindergarten in Beijing with a red rooftop playground.

The visuals are courtesy of MAD.

---

Project credits:

Architect: MAD

Principal architects: Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano

Competition design team: Tiffany Dahlen, Liu Zifan, Pittayapa Suriyapee, Ma Yiran, Cievanard Nattabowonphal, Luo Man, Chen Hao, Chen Shijie, Wang Shuang, Xiao Yuhan

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#all #architecture #cultural #news #chinesearchitecture #china #mad #culturalbuildings #woodenarchitecture #chinesemuseums

Liminal Architecture and WOHA incorporate historic buildings into new theatre in Tasmania

A historic theatre building and the remnants of a 1920s garage are incorporated into a cluster of contemporary glass and metal blocks at this new performance and arts venue in Hobart, Tasmania.

Named The Hedberg after the Hedberg Brothers Garage building that stands on the site, the new centre extends the 180-year-old Theatre Royal with venues, workshop spaces and a new home for the University of Tasmania's Conservatorium of Music.

The Hedberg theatre in Tasmania was designed by Liminal Architecture and WOHA

Local practice Liminal Architecture and Singapore-based WOHA were awarded the project in 2013, with a design that sought to respond to the site's heritage while also creating a contemporary landmark for the city.

As well as directly connecting to the Theatre Royal with a new glazed and fully accessible foyer, the centre incorporates the frontage and walls of the original Hedberg Brothers Garage, which now houses administrative offices.

Externally the new forms contrast these historic structures, clad with a faceted pattern of metal panels that was informed by the act of opening theatrical curtains.

The studios clad the building in metal, glass and masonry

"The fabric of the building externally provides interpretative layers of the past re-presented through a contemporary lens, highlighting the story-telling potential of the building," said Liminal Architecture co-founder Peta Heffernan.

"We wanted The Hedgerg to feel more like a cluster of buildings on the city block, than a huge performing arts building that overwhelms the modest-scale heritage structures," added WOHA co-founder Richard Hassell.

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A glass box extends out over the street at the centre's southern corner, creating a triple-height atrium that welcomes visitors, weaving between the existing auditorium of the Theatre Royal and a new 350-seat recital hall.

On the other side of a central planted courtyard sit the studio and back-of-house spaces, with a staircase leading up to rehearsal rooms and studios for Conservatorium of Music students.

The interior speaks to the remnants of the older buildings on the site

Internally, the walls of the original garage are set against concrete, wood and steel finishes. A rehearsal room finished in textured wooden walls informed by minimalist music notation.

The cluster-like arrangement of the buildings blocks has enabled roof terraces to be created at different levels, providing dramatic views across the city.

The complex includes an auditorium and recital halls

"As part of the heritage strategy, we used materials that are modern but harmonise with the stucco, sandstone and brick of the historical buildings," said Hassell.

Other recent projects incorporating historic structures into new theatres include the renovation of an industrial building in New York into rehearsal spaces, and the transformation of a historic malt house in Canterbury into the Malt House Theatre.

The photography is byNatasha Mulhall.

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#all #architecture #cultural #australia #theatres #tasmania #culturalbuildings

Competition launched to extend MAXXI museum by Zaha Hadid Architects

A competition has been launched to find an architect for the expansion and sustainability-led revamp of Zaha Hadid Architects' Stirling Prize-winning MAXXI museum in Rome, Italy.

Launched as part of a project called the Grande MAXXI Master Plan, the competition invites proposals for a two-storey multifunctional extension to the contemporary art museum.

The winning design will be realised alongside improvements to the environmental performance and public realm of the existing museum that Zaha Hadid Architects completed in 2009.

Revamp responds to "new world"

Organised by the MAXXI Foundation, the Grande MAXXI Master Plan and extension are slated for completion in 2026.

According to the competition brief, it is being developed to better align the museum with what it describes as the "new world".

A competition has been launched to extend the MAXXI museum by Zaha Hadid Architects

"More than ten years after opening to the public, the museum designed by Zaha Hadid, the MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome intends to confront the challenge represented by a further innovation, marked by sustainability and state-of-the-art technologies," the brief states.

"The museum, which has achieved important milestones in attendance, international reputation and solid management, has developed the Grande MAXXI Master Plan to confront the 'new world' being shaped by important environmental, financial and health crises."

The MAXXI museum, which is known fully as MAXXI National Museum of XXI Century Arts, was designed by Zaha Hadid Architects on the site of former 19th-century military barracks in Rome.

It is the first national institution in Italy dedicated to contemporary art and architecture and was the recipient of the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize in 2010.

Extension coincides with updates to existing museum

The competition will see the museum extended with two storeys of collaborative research, training and storage facilities, positioned on a plot north of the building.

Named the MAXXI Hub, this will form the centrepiece of the Grande MAXXI Master Plan and will be linked to the Zaha Hadid Architects-designed museum by a green roof.

As part of the plans to improve the environmental performance of the existing museum, approximately 3,000 square metres of solar panels will also be installed on its roof.

A new public green space, named the MAXXI Green, will also be introduced, offering outdoor space for installations, events and vegetable gardens to grow food for the museum's eateries. As part of this update to the landscape, any accessibility issues at the current museum will also be rectified.

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David Chipperfield Architects' renovation of Mies van der Rohe's Neue Nationalgalerie unveiled

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The deadline for the competition is 13 May 2022 and the winner will be announced on 12 July 2022, before construction begins early in 2023. In addition to the design contract, the overall winner will receive €30,000 (£​​25,000).

Another major art gallery that recently underwent a renovation is the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe-designed Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, Germany.

The overhaul, led by David Chipperfield Architects, involved refurbishing the building's ageing structure and exterior while modernising its services.

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Studio Bua transforms derelict Icelandic farm building into artist's studio

Architecture office Studio Bua has converted an abandoned farm building in Iceland into an artist's studio and residence, featuring a new gabled volume slotted inside the existing walls.

Studio Bua, which has offices in London and Oslo, was asked to develop a proposal for revitalising a cluster of former farm buildings overlooking the Breiðafjörður Nature Reserve in western Iceland.

Studio Bua has converted an abandoned farm building in Iceland

"Our first proposal was to link the existing spaces to create a more cohesive landscape with a 'community' of buildings for the family and their friends to occupy," said Studio Bua. "Together they create the place and make its history evident."

The first phase of the project involved converting the derelict concrete barn into an artist's studio and holiday home for the owners.

The house overlooks the Breiðafjörður Nature Reserve

The existing barn's robust concrete structure was retained and adapted to accommodate a kitchen and dining area alongside a double-height studio space.

Additional single-storey walls adjoining the main structure had been constructed without foundations and were therefore deemed too fragile to reuse. Instead, they are left as they were found, forming a perimeter around an open courtyard.

A new gabled volume is slotted inside the old farm's walls

The ground floor is designed to provide a sequence of utilitarian spaces with good natural light and views of the surrounding landscape through new and existing openings.

"On the ground floor in the original concrete structure we made openings only where it was necessary, mostly because the walls are not reinforced and opening further would compromise the structure," the architects explained.

The building functions as a holiday home for the owners

"We added two new openings because we needed to let more light into the kitchen and to add an entrance to the studio, to get in large artworks."

The ground-floor spaces feature a palette of simple and practical materials including an exposed concrete floor and surfaces covered with stained birch plywood.

The new construction has a timber-framed structure

The architects collaborated with the client, who had previously used stained plywood in her practice, to develop pigments that would evoke colours found in the surrounding countryside.

A timber-framed structure added above the existing ground floor contains the building's more domestic spaces, including a small sitting room, two double bedrooms and a bathroom.

There is also an artist's studio

The extension's gabled form mirrors the profile of the original concrete structure, while its homogenous, corrugated-metal cladding distinguishes it as a new addition.

A staircase positioned in one corner of the building ascends to the sitting room, which is lined with a row of windows looking out across the beach and the fjord beyond.

This mezzanine space overlooks the dining area below, which is flanked by a large opening in the original gable that once allowed hay to be hoisted into the barn.

The muted palette used upstairs is informed by local vernacular interiors, and includes walls and flooring covered with white-stained pine boards.

Stained birch plywood lines the walls

Various reclaimed materials are used throughout the project, including plywood handrails on the first floor made using offcuts from the ground-floor cladding.

Outdoor furniture was produced using concrete salvaged from the new openings created in the existing walls, while all the internal doors, as well as the bathroom sink, were sourced from a recycling centre in Reykjavik.

The dining area is flanked by a large opening

Studio Bua was founded in 2017 by Mark Smyth, Sigrún Sumarliðadóttir and Giambattista Zaccariotto.

The studio's name derives from the Icelandic word for "inhabit" and its architectural approach focuses on elevating everyday spaces through a combination of craftsmanship, technology and a hands-on approach to design and construction. The team also renovated a guesthouse in the same part of Iceland as the holiday home.

The photography is byMarino Thorlacius.

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RAMSA to expand New-York Historical Society for LGBTQ+ museum

The New-York Historical Society will be extended by Robert A M Stern Architects to create a permanent home for The American LGBTQ+ Museum.

New York City's oldest museum will gain 70,000 square feet of classroom, gallery and library space that it will share with the city's first museum dedicated to LGBTQ+ history and culture.

Robert A M Stern Architects (RAMSA) received unanimous approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission for its plans for the building at 170 Central Park West.

"It's been a privilege to work with the New-York Historical Society to design an expansion of its landmark building, enabling it to extend its broad and vital mission to a growing audience that ranges from local schoolchildren to international visitors," said studio founder Robert A M Stern.

"With input from engaged and supportive neighbors and in response to the historic neighboring townhouses, the design of the expansion is sympathetic to the palette and rhythm of the 1908 building and its 1938 additions."

The majority of construction will occur at the rear of the building, along West 76th Street. The first phase involves creating below-ground spaces for the Patricia D Klingenstein Library, which contains rare copies of America's foundational documents.

RAMSA's planned expansion of New-York Historical Society as seen from West 76th Street (above) and Central Park West (top)

These are currently housed off-site and will require state-of-the-art storage in order to be preserved and made accessible for library users.

Next, three storeys of galleries and a classroom will be built above the new library and integrated with the current layout during phase two.

A stack of rooms for meetings, conservation and mechanical services will also be constructed on top of the junction where the old and new sections will connect.

The American LGBTQ+ Museum will occupy the entirety of the extension's fourth floor, encompassing two galleries with access to the roof garden, and areas for offices and storage.

During construction, its team will partner with New-York Historical Society to develop programming in the existing building and outdoor spaces for the museum's visitors and school children.

"The respect and rigor with which New-York Historical Society has approached this process, including their consultation with local communities, mirrors our own commitment to building a thoughtful, welcoming, queer, and inclusive experience for our visitors and partners," said chair of the board of directors at The American LGBTQ+ Museum Richard Burns.

"We look forward to bringing a dynamic new museum to life within this cherished, deeply-respected, and growing New York City landmark."

New-York Historical Society trustees purchased the lot behind the museum as far back as 1937.

The institution, which was founded in 1804 and aims to tell stories of New York and the nation's diverse populations through its exhibits, is finally embarking on its plans for expansion after receiving financial backing from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

"How gratifying it is to realise the dream of telling the American story in all its complexity in state-of-the-art educational spaces and a brand-new gallery dedicated to the struggle for civil rights of the American LGBTQ+ community," said New-York Historical Society president and CEO Louise Mirrer.

New-York Historical Society is located a block to the south of the American Museum of Natural History, which is also undergoing expansion work overseen by Studio Gang.

On the other side of Central Park, the controversial extension to the Frick Collection by Selldorf Architects is underway, while its Renaissance artworks are displayed at the Marcel Breuer building that was previously used by The Whitney Museum and then The Met.

The renderings are byAlden Studios for Robert A M Stern Architects.

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