The Only Ai Weiwei-Designed House In America Hits The Market

Posted on marzo 8, 2013 by :: noticias arquitectura ::

As many of you know, Chinese artist, dissident, funny guy Ai Weiwei is also a skilled architect. Aside from his famous collaboration with Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron for the design of the Bird’s Nest at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games (and later, the 2012 Serpentine Pavilion), Ai has worked with Basel-based HHF Architects on a series of projects, including this country home in upstate New York. The Tsai Residence, and presumably its accompanying Y-shaped, corten-clad guesthouse, have been put up on the market. Interested? If you are, you have to be prepared to lay down some serious coinage. Continue.

The Plan to Dam the Hudson and Connect Manhattan to New Jersey

Posted on febrero 23, 2012 by socializarq

Back on terra firma, we’ve come across old plans for right here in New York that are nearly as ambitious as building an elevator to space or constructing your own Death Star. As we learned from Gothamist, engineer Norman Sper’s 1934 proposal to dam and fill the Hudson River would have connected Manhattan to New Jersey and added ten square miles of real estate to the city. This valuable land would have ostensibly solved the traffic and housing problems which afflicted the city at the time (and still do) by making way for the extension of the grid westward, creating a series of new avenues, cross-streets, parks, and buildings. The visionary project called for the erection of giant twin dams, with the Upper Dam located just beyond the George Washington Bridge and the Lower Dam extending from Lower Manhattan to Jersey City, rerouting the course of the Hudson and merging it with the East River. The filled-in Hudson riverbed would then have been riddled with an intricate, layered network of subterranean roads, conduits, and subway lines. Yet the project’s $1 billion pricetag effectively barred any serious research or feasibility tests from being carried out.

Hudson River Education Center And Pavilion / Architecture Research Office

Posted on enero 4, 2012 by socializarq

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Architects: Architecture Research Office
Location: Beacon, New York, USA
Gross Square Footage: Barn = 8,000 SF; Pavilion = 2,700 SF
Total Project Cost (including park): $8,720,000
Client: Scenic Hudson Land Trust, Inc.
Photographs: James Ewing

This project for the Scenic Hudson Land Trust consists of two separate structures in a public park on the Hudson River in Beacon, New York: a new boat pavilion and an arts and environmental education center inside a restored historic barn. The two buildings, standing several hundred feet apart, are integrated within the park designed by Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architects. The architecture is on track to achieve LEED gold certification.

The barn is the sole survivor of Beacon’s industrial riverfront. This renovation preserves its simple, elemental structure but transforms its interior into a loft-like art studio. The program includes a new ground floor multipurpose space for lectures and exhibitions, two classrooms on the second floor, and support spaces. An artist’s studio is located in the top floor. The building is wrapped in a new wood deck that provides access to the ground floor and a place for outdoor events. Most existing window openings are preserved, and large glass doors are added to make a new public entry and increase the connection between inside and outside. The existing post-and-beam structure is exposed alongside durable new materials like concrete flooring, concrete block and plywood wall panels. Large sliding panels permit reconfiguration of the interior. New stairs, elevator, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire sprinkler systems are included to meet code requirements.

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While the Education Center is an iconic destination, the boat pavilion is conceived as a threshold in deference to the expansive Hudson River. The roof is a horizontal plane of corrugated steel that parallels a large wood deck from which boats launch. The painted steel structure is economical and sturdy. Secure storage for up to sixty-four kayaks or canoes, a changing room and storage area are enclosed by aluminum bar grating panels. The textures, patterns, orientation and details of the corrugated steel, wood deck and bar grating bring these ordinary elements into an elegant composition.