The design of spaces for people with visual disabilities is an important issue when it comes to talking about accessibility. Architects who adopt the principles of universal design understand that the needs of a blind client are the same as those of all people.
Inclusive design is vital in order for all users to be able to develop comfortably and to correctly understand the various functions of a space. Given the need for our cities to promote integration, we present three exemplary projects for a blind user; a house, a building and a public space.
MVRDV has designed an office and residential building on a corner lot next to the Dommel river in the Dutch village of Sint-Michielsgestel. Made with a facade that takes the form of potted plants, the project uses a gridded “rack” system to cover the building’s entire exterior in a variety of plants. Designed with MVRDV’s co-architect, Van Boven Architecten, the team wanted to create a landmark project for the village while also being socially conscious and environmentally progressive.
Inaugurated recently, The Chimelong Theatre, a circus hall on the island of Hengqin, in Zhuhai, China, was conceived to replace the Chimelong Hengqin International Circus City, damaged by a typhoon in 2016. Imagined by Stufish Entertainment Architects, founded by the late Mark Fisher, the project is one of many permanent entertainment spaces designed by the studio in China.
For most of the history of architecture, interesting facades were achieved through materiality or ornamentation. From the elaborately painted friezes of the Parthenon to the glass exteriors of modern skyscrapers, architecture was primarily static, only ‘changing’ as the environment would change and affect the material of the façade in differing ways, be it rain, light, rust, etc.
When working in an urban area with a complex topography, one of the biggest challenges is urban integration. Worldwide, many socially deprived neighborhoods are situated in complicated geographical locations surrounded by steep slopes. Such areas complicate mobility for pedestrians, cyclists, and the elderly, with a lack of accessibility often excluding them from taking part in city life effectively.
In this context, urban elevators can be a novel solution which combine elements of both functional connectivity and sculpture. With some rising up to 30 meters in height, they become urban and touristic landmarks, creating new viewpoints and walkways. Additionally, in many cases, they can help to uphold the historic legacy of the city.
Below we have collected some interesting examples of urban elevators that have been key in the spatial planning of the urban environment.
Readers of ArchDaily and Strelka Mag have selected a shortlist of 15 architectural projects nominated for the joint ArchDaily & Strelka Award, which celebrates emerging architects and new ideas that transform the contemporary city. The second stage of voting, which will last until August 15, will decide the three winners.
The new Linde Center for Music by William Rawn Associates has opened at the Tanglewood music venue in western Massachusetts. As the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood welcomes its first new performance facility in 25 years. The Linde Center was designed to provide additional concert and rehearsal space and create a truly multi-season facility.
1997 Pritzker Prize laureate Sverre Fehn (August 14th 1924 – February 23rd 2009) was a leader in Post World War II Scandinavian architecture. “His work has an intuitive confidence in how to use the Nordic landscape and its particular light conditions within the built culture, and yet throughout his career each period has reflected a refined sensitivity to international changes and attitudes in architecture,” said his close collaborator Per Olaf Fjeld. “It can be compared to a poetic work conceived on an isolated mountain by a writer with an uncanny, intuitive sense of what is going on in the towns below.” [1]
The 5thTallinn Architecture Biennale (TAB 2019), will open its doors on September 11th, 2019 in multiple venues in the heart of Tallinn, with a vast program conceived to foster dialogue, multidisciplinarity, and experimentation. Dedicated to the theme “Beauty Matters”, the international architecture festival organized by the Estonian Centre for Architecture is curated by Dr. Yael Reisner. The event, supported by the Headline Partner ABB, celebrates the aesthetic experience in architecture, following almost 80 years of cultural bias.
Moscow based office SKNYPL created a new proposal for an inflatable garden atop the Seoul Hall of Urbanism & Architecture in South Korea. Designed as part of the Seoul Maru Competition, the project was made to form a contemporary gathering space for Seoul citizens and tourists alike. Called New Korean Garden, the project aims to complement and update the roof of the Seoul Hall and create a new unique rooftop experience and landmark for the city.
The 6th edition of Passages Insolites or Unusual Passages, has kick-started from the 20th of June till the 14th of October 2019, in Québec city. The public exhibition is a 4km walkable art path in the historic Petit Champlain and Saint-Roch districts, showcasing 14 artworks produced by 40 local and international artists and architecture collectives.
Another year, another crop of homes featuring fresh, contemporary architecture, striking décor, and seamless transitions between inside and outside spaces. Peruse our picks below to find the inspiration you need to make indoor-outdoor living part of your next home design.
The Midnight Charetteis an explicit podcast about design, architecture, and the everyday. Hosted by architectural designers David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet, it features a variety of creative professionals in unscripted and long-format conversations that allow for thoughtful takes and more personal discussions. Honesty and humor are used to cover a wide array of subjects: some episodes provide useful tips for designers, while others are project reviews, interviews, or simply explorations of everyday life and design. The Midnight Charetteis available for free on iTunes, YouTube, Spotify, and all other podcast directories.
On this episode of The Midnight Charette podcast, hosts David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet are joined by Elizabeth Timme & Helen Leung, Executive Directors of LA-Más to discuss their organization, maintaining non-profit status, aiding communities through policy and architecture, social responsibility in design, and more.
https://www.archdaily.com/922505/la-mas-executives-on-non-profit-organizations-aiding-communities-and-social-responsibility-in-designThe Second Studio Podcast
Located in the meatpacking district, adjacent to the High Line, in New York City, 40 Tenth Avenue, a 10-story office tower designed by Studio Gang is now ready to welcome its first tenants. With a distinctive structural system, the building twists in order not to cast his shadow on the surrounding, responding to the solar angles.
Bleutech Park Las Vegas. Image Courtesy of Bleutech Park Properties
Real-Estate Trust Bleutech Park Properties plans to build the world’s first digital infrastructure mini-city in Las Vegas, Nevada. Called Bleutech Park, the $7.5 billion project is set to break ground this December and aims to redefine the infrastructure industry sector. The development will be home to a net-zero insular mini-city as a high-tech biome in the desert valley.
Proyecto Pabellón de Cataluña en la Bienal de Venecia 2017. Image Cortesía de Institut Ramon Llull
Avanti-Avanti Studio is a design studio dedicated to the development of creative communication strategies, particularly specialized in “Design for All.” Founded by Alex Dobaño (graphic designer and member of the Design For All Foundation) and Elvira Muñoz (architect), the duo leads a multidisciplinary team of professional people in communication, design, and technology, and work with companies and institutions specialized in leisure, tourism, culture, museums, and cities. They describe their practice as a meeting point, where professionals from different fields come together for every new venture, to ensure that the built environments are suitable and inclusive for anyone experiencing them.
We talked to Alex, founder and creative director of the studio, to learn more about their work and the importance of introducing the Design for All concept in the integrated space design projects.
Once the construction of an architecture project is finished, it's time to install the claddings that will make up the visible faces of the interior spaces. Wallpaper –an efficient way to bring color and design into rooms – is generally specified according to the square meters we want to cover, so we must start by calculating the area of each surface with great precision.
This task can be easy on clear walls with standard dimensions, but it can generate mishaps or unnecessary expenses in more complex designs. We present some tips to make an estimate as accurate and efficient as possible.
Flowing Fish. Image Courtesy of Bay Huynh Architects
Vietnam-based Bay Huynh Architects have created a proposal for an urban waterway as a new rooftop for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Designed to explore the value of faith and society, the proposal comes after the Notre Dame fire in April this year. Called the Flowing Fish, the project aims to break the traditional notion of a church to create a "new ecosystem" for worship.
It's very likely that you are reading this text in an interior space with the lights on. For most people, modern living entails spending most of the day in closed rooms, bathed in a sum of artificial and natural lights. Yet while artificial light has afforded mankind incalculable possibilities, it has also caused some confusion in our bodies, which have evolved for thousands of years to respond to the stimuli of sunlight in the day and darkness at night. This responsiveness to natural light is called the circadian rhythm or cycle, and describes the 24-hour biological cycle of almost all living beings. Circadian rhythms are primarily influenced by light reception, but temperature and other stimuli also play a role in the process.
The Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) and the Institute for Textile and Fiber Technologies (ITFT) at the University of Stuttgart have launched the ITECH Research Demonstrator 2018-19. The project aims to investigate large-scale compliant architecture.
The 2019 London Design Festival opens next month with highlights including projects at the V&A by Sam Jacob and Kengo Kuma. Running from September 14th to the 22nd, the festival will include large-scale installations by Paul Cocksedge, Martino Gamper, PATTERNITY, Dan Tobin Smith and Camille Walala. Returning for its 17th year, the festival will celebrate design across London.
The A’ Design Award is an international award whose aim is to provide designers, architects, and innovators from all architecture and design fields with a competitive platform to showcase their work and products to a global audience. Among the design world's many awards, the A' Design Award stands out for its exceptional scale and breadth; from 2018-2019, over 2,000 individual designs from 106 countries received awards in 98 different design disciplines. This year's edition is now open for entries; designers can register their submissions here.
_%C2%A9Nic_Lehoux_from_High_Line.jpg?1565687941&format=webp&width=640&height=429)
_%C2%A9Nic_Lehoux_from_podium.jpg?1565687984 "© Nic Lehoux")
_%C2%A9Timothy_Schenck_Detail.jpg?1565687708 "© Timothy Schenck")
_%C2%A9Nic_Lehoux_from_High_Line.jpg?1565687941)
.jpg?1565290135 "Modern Sampran Wangprom Office / Apostrophy's. Image © Sitthisak Namkham")
.jpg?1439321376&format=webp&width=640&height=429)
