www.visiondivision.com

Proving Ground Parking

2012-02-08T17:56:00.002+01:00

Visiondivision where assigned to overview the parking situation at the KI-Campus, the medical university of Stockholm, most known for its Nobel prize committee, to come up with solutions to fit in more parking lots at the campus without interfering with its green spaces.

The campus environment is quite delicate, both in terms of its layout and its traditional campus aesthetics. To asphalt a parking lot means making definite decisions that demands a lot of bureaucracy while temporary solutions can be done more rapidly.

We thought of using temporary solutions as a sketch tool that later could be refined into a definite solution once seeing the actual result.

The temporary solution became to do gravel fills on spaces that where not being used across the campus. If a gravel fill proved after being built to be well used and nicely fitted in to the campus area it could then be covered with asphalt after seeking a definite permit and becoming a fixed parking lot, if the space wasn't used enough, the gravel could be taken away.

The team found together with the client 13 sites that could be gravel filled with a small budget, spread across the campus. Last summer most of those places has been gravel filled and will be evaluated during time to see if they are being well used and appreciated by the people on the campus.

Parking lot nr 2: While new, not so well used, still under evaluation. Covering with gravel also means that the trees where saved if not used.

Parking lot nr 10: Not so well used

Parkinglot nr 7: Photo taken during construction, now used for construction trucks

Parking lot nr 8: used as a waitning place for construction trucks

Parking lot nr 5: one month old and at full use.

Parking lot nr 6: Well used and now asphalted.

Parking lot 13: Was built last autum to serve as a parking space for 6 month while wating for a construction site to start. During the 6 month it was a parking lot and the campus got back its money twice for the cost of the gravel fill.

Concepts

2012-01-16T14:34:00.060+01:00

Visiondivision has done some reflections about concepts, a working method that we're quite familiar with. We thought we might share some of these thoughts with you.

Introduction

What distinguish our projects and the way we work with architecture from many of our other colleagues in this business are our strong concepts. That’s our opinion but also what colleagues been telling us and what media says about us. Since the start of our collaboration called visiondivision, our work process has always been to first come up with a strong concept and then start drawing. We found that way of working a fun and efficient way to invent new types of architecture but also a great advantage when it comes to pitching an idea and also getting a project built. In this text we will try to explain what we mean by working in a conceptual way and the advantages with this type of work process.

The word”concept” stems from the Latin word”conceptum” which means ”something conceived”. According to John Locke, the father of Liberalism, a general idea/concept is created by abstracting, drawing away, or removing the uncommon characteristic or characteristics from several particular ideas. The remaining common characteristic is that which is similar to all of the different individuals. For example, the abstract general idea or concept that is signified by the word”dog” is the collection of those characteristics which are common to Golden Retrievers, Pit Bulls, Collies, and Chihuahuas.

That means as architects working together you need to find that common characteristics and the uncommon to fit with the program and request for that specific problem you are about to solve. That forces you to discuss wrongs and rights of the request and to form your concept around that and then to simplify it so everyone involved in the process understands what this project want to achieve.
A way to start is with a common headline/motto for the project pointing out the direction on what everyone involved should strive for. That headline includes millions of options but also reduces several. And that is the important thing that it reduces and gives options, then you have a clear concept. To exemplify this we will show some vague and clear headlines/concepts/mottos.

Vague headline/concept:
This quote is taken from the city of Stockholm’s description of a new city area south of Stockholm, Söderstaden 2030.
”Söderstaden is a City area with experiences in world class”.
That statement doesn’t really point out any direction except saying that the architects are trying too good. it doesn’t really reduces options and gives new ones.

Clear headline/concept:
A similar project from the 50s in Stockholm was the “ABC-Staden, Arbete, Bostad, Centrum”. In English the ABC city, work, housing and the Center which meant that people can live, work and have access to important social and cultural facilities within short distances. In the project a public transport route into the central city was also part of the concept. A concept that reduces options and gives new ones.

Vague headline/concept:

The motto of the Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf ”För Sverige – i tiden” in English for Sweden – in the present. A motto that don’t really says anything witch in this case actually is a good motto since the king is not allowed to actually say anything political in Sweden but still needs a motto. So a motto that doesn’t reduces options and gives new ones is actually what is in the kings interest to achieve although the motto is week.

Clear headline/concept:
The American motto “Land of the free home of the brave” from the national anthem The Star-Spangled Banner. The word freedom has without any doubt formed the American society for good and for bad but it’s a motto that reduces options and gives new ones. Communism is for sure one of the reduced ones while capitalism and liberalism perhaps are the outcome of the word free.

Why work concept based?
The advantages of working concept based are many, there are of course other ways to produce architecture too but this is the process we are used to work with and it is by far the best method we know so far. It is always the concept that helps us through rough decisions, to refine our presentation technique and sometimes also to be very competitive in this business.

- Easy decision making
The biggest advantage with a concept is you have a common goal that actually has meanings and can guide you through the design process. If the concept is clear enough, time can be saved on pointless sketches and lines and you could instead focus on a research more connected to the goal. A strong concept helps you make easier decisions and you often don’t need to go to the drawings in the first phases to make them. If the concept is strong enough you can talk about the project without having a drawing in front of you. And it will take you to places you did not knew existed since you get a new world to discover. The concept determines the hierarchy of your narrative; just like in a book or a movie. If a movie is about a huge meteor which is going to crash into Earth, you know that the part with space shuttles in it should perhaps have more effort put into it than the part about the family’s new car. You would also probably give the movie a suitable name like Armageddon and have a bad-ass all American actor for the lead roll like Bruce Willis instead of choosing a comedian like Jim Carrey for instant.

To have a hierarchy means easy decision making. In most projects conditions change throughout the building and design process. It can be that the client found out he needed some extra space for a washing machine or five more work places at the office, or it can be new facts like regulations or structural matters that force the project to change.
This kind of new conditions often come up after the concept design is finished and even in the building phase since it can take a while for a client not used to the game of architecture to actually starting to understands what is going on. It is at this small crises that a concept that both client and everyone involved knows about is superior to have. Knowing what is important and not in the project is knowing where the change can be made without causing any damages to the final result. These changes can often even make the concept stronger. In our own experience this small crises comes up in almost every project and we been able to keep them as small crisis in almost all of them and often also turning the crises into new possibility.
In one of our own projects ,“Hill Hut”, it turned out to be soil under the construction site when rock was expected. It took a huge void of removed soil to understand it but that void was then used for making caves under the house. since the concept was a house with the landscape going thought it where the client/kids could play the caves made the concepts even better. The extra cost for the caves was possible because we bought cheaper windows from Poland. The concept told us that caves where more important then fancy windows in this project.

Hill Hut

In the project”Spröjs House” the house bathroom was replaced by a workplace late in the design process, since the concept was to let the mullion window carry most of the functions in the house the mullion became a desk instead of a bathtub. The house changed but it was still a Spröjs House.

Spröjs House

Looking at other buildings with a strong concept you can see that changes actually are easier to make then at buildings with out one.
Lets take the Globe Arena for example you could have made it in any color made it smaller, bigger or cheaper as long as it has its spherical form it would still be the Globe Arena.

The Ericsson Globe arena - in its present condition and in an imagined forced Swedish state with red boards.

-Presentation

Since architecture is a lot about communicating with a client and other people involved in a project the concept helps a lot in the presentation of a project.
The concept is what runs the discussion of the project rather than discussions about small details and so on. Since the client knows the main goal in the project he/she gets more involved and criticizes the project from whatever motto you set up. Weird surprises and subjective criticism can be avoided. The concept also helps marketing the project since the headline often becomes the headline in magazines and web pages and so on. Let’s take the Globe Arena again as an
example; the name of the project fits perfectly as headline as it is, “A globe arena is going to be built in Stockholm” which of course is news that travels around the world way better than the head line “A new arena is going to be built in Stockholm”. Knowing the headline, the picture and renderings should of course also fit to the description, which helps you take the right snapshot of your 3D model in the computer or of your physical model and so on. In the case of the globe arena it will of course be an exterior shot, in the case of a new arena with no concept nobody knows. Having a strong concept is a bit like having a strong first page in a newspaper; you have the headline, the front page picture and the ingress which goes a bit more into detail.

The actual drawings come on the pages inside the newspaper.
After some years in the media circus being one of the most internationally published firms in Sweden on the internet with 25 projects on Archdaily.com for example, we have noticed that these things actually helps. On the blogs that actually runs the architectural media industry, a headline and one picture with a visual punch is always what is displayed.

Two pictures from Archdaily on December 28, 2011.
The news flash to the left have more clicks, likes, links and comments even though it is not built due to a better headline and a picture showing the concept.

The better you are at these two things the more clicks, likes and comments you get which in return sets the standard of how important your project is. The blogs are then read by design reporters and the circus has begun. The best test if your project really is news worthy is if it makes it to the common media. A project displayed in a child magazine in Korea after an article about dinosaurs is the proof of that you have a concept worth talking about.

D’ecouvertes 8 a 12 ans; a French kids magazine covering Cancer City, a project of ours which is a crayfish community in a river.

Even better is perhaps being on radio where you only have your project description to lean on, then you really know you have a media friendly concept.

The Patient Gardener featured on Italian radio and Japanese television

It is of course easier to punch through media with a huge skyscraper with a waterfall around it but we’re proud to have done it with a 2 by 4 meter big crayfish city or a 8 meters in diameter building in Milan too. The perhaps most sublime and most published Swedish architecture piece the last centuries is the ice hotel. The project has a very strong concept; the two words say it all and it has been a huge success in media and tourism. Taking in to account the money spent on the project and the projects location it is fair to say it is the project with the most Bilbao effect in Sweden. It is the ultimate proof that great concepts works even in Sweden perhaps because it really takes advantage of it context; it’s super Swedish.

-Economy
Every architect that’s spent some years in this business knows that the factor that mostly decides the projects outcome is the economy. There will for most architects be cutbacks in a project but with a strong concept, the cutbacks don’t need to harm the outcome. Since concept is to have a hierarchy, you simply cut back the least favorable part of the project and it often turns out to be an even stronger project.
Cutbacks often make the concept even more readable and many times better. It all depends of course on what type of concept you have and how flexible it is. If your concept is to have Italian marble in all of the walls, that’s a concept that probably will lose on cutbacks, concrete fetishism, wood fetishism, hovering building parts without any functions will also loose; simply because it is not a concept.
To have a strong concept means that you reduce options but also create new ones.
Concepts need to be on a more abstract level then copying details from different design magazines. If your concept instead is to make a giant Moose hotel you can use the cheapest material possible as long as the hotel looks like a giant moose. Same thing goes for the pyramids and spherical buildings.

With cuts in the budget and a cheaper location the Opera House in Copenhagen by Henning
Larsen looks like a shopping mall. Similar cuts for the moose hotel "Stoorn" hardly effects the outcome.

The ice hotel is once again also a good example, no one bothers if its cold, don’t have running water or acoustic plates, its and ice hotel, its a category of one, if you want running water go somewhere else.
As a young architect your first client will perhaps not be the one who can afford solid marble walls. Then you need to found out your client interest, is he a dog person for example then maybe you should design the pit bull-house! It will be cheaper and more fun than solid marble walls.
To adapt your design to whatever taste or condition your client have is not only an economical success, it takes you places you could not have discovered yourself which is one of the most fun parts of being an architect if you embrace it.

Conceptual thinking on a brand level vs project level

Strategies to get a strong concept vary a lot between different architects and on many levels as well. Many architects don’t care for concepts and some do, but then on a brand level meaning that all of the work from one firm should fit into an overall design concept, this way of thinking is very common among star architects like Zaha Hadid for example and should not be mistaken for what we mean by conceptual thinking.
Zaha has an overall design concept like many other star architects which mean that you can point out a Zaha building when you see one; in her case complex, expensive, fluid shapes.

Zaha Hadid buildings and shoes

Another brand architect; Daniel Libeskind’s shard-like buildings

Frank O Gehrys typical undulating buildings

A similar architect with a similar brand thinking at least if you look on his later works, is Frank O. Gehry who even has developed his own computer program to erect complex shapes which he probably would not have done if he would work with one-project-concepts. The problem with this kind of brand concepts is that it aims on specific markets which in both Zaha’s and Frank’s later works are expensive iconic buildings which perhaps is 1% of the architect’s market.

There are also a lot of contemporary firms who claims to be the opposite of today’s star architects, they are often the most critical people towards the architects just mentioned. But in their will to be the opposite they often do the exact same mistakes. They focus on one market and one overall design concept; in many cases hippie-like structures with a vernacular touch which is also brand making and a way of designing that solves a very small percentage of the world’s problem. Both camps are painting themselves into a corner of what potential problems they can solve. And most of all they decrease their chances to change and to be flexible in a world that constantly changes. To have an overall design concept should not be confused with modernist architects like le Corbusier for example who at first glance seems to have a similar brand thinking; inventing the rules for modernism and all, but his overall design concept really focused on solving major problems, perhaps 80% of the architects market. It was a set of rules that could be adapted to help huge amount of people and it has. It was not a style to be recognized as a brand. Le Corbusier also had the decency to change his design concept when making other typologies of buildings for example churches like Notre Dame du Haut. The trick is to not connect your brand with specific shapes or architectural looks but with intelligence, innovation and constant change instead. OMA, the perhaps most influential architect office in the last century has a more research based brand concept which makes their work more connected with innovation. They even started AMO to emphasis that research and intelligence is what you buy when you contact OMA. Lacaton Vassal has a similar brand although slightly painted into the fixing-everything-cheap corner and Herzog & de Meuron is on the opposite corner; fixing-everything-Swiss-like-expensive, but they still have a brand not connected to certain shapes but to something more abstract which in both cases are connected to intelligence and innovation.

What is similar to these firms is the way of making a new strong concept for each new project which makes them more interesting over time and also more fit to deal with all kinds of architectural problems although some of them seem to be quite comfortable in the high end architecture scene.
The struggle for these kind of offices is almost the opposite from Zaha and Frank, their struggle is to not have a recognizable type of architecture but to be constantly inventive and to create constant change and broaden what architecture is, a strategy that also seems to be the leading trend in business theories for all branches. ”The big difference now is that major change doesn’t happen occasionally, they happen all the time. It is infinitely more difficult to see them coming. That means that not only does a company have to be willing to change and change often, it has to be willing to be wrong. The one thing you know for sure today if you forecast is that you’re going to be wrong. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t forecast, it simply means that instead of success being based on always making the right decision or prediction, success is based on being able to move quickly from one decision to the next. Even if you are right, you are still going to have to move on in a very short period of time.“
To avoid having a certain style is almost impossible, especially for star architects. When the architect gets too well known with too many built projects, the process behind the project gets more and more obvious. If you look on an OMA building for example, or many other Dutch offices you can see the cuts in blue foam from the concept design, and how the material is added in the final design in the finished building; OMA’s CCTV, Seattle Public library and Casa da Musica in Porto, Neutelings in Belgium, UN studio in Amsterdam or MVRDVs Rotterdam Market hall or Blue village where they actually kept the color from the foam. They are all children of the same school in developing a project. Being too famous also means getting employees who already know your work and doing the best to repeat that architecture that they already worship which is a huge disadvantage for the famous offices trying to brand themselves as innovative.

OMA’s office building in Beijing, a private villa in Bordeaux and a new flag for the European Union

Two of Lacaton Vassal’s private villa commissions and a competition entry in
London.

The struggle for these offices is that to be really inventive and to embrace constant change they also need to change their work process now and then.
From an economical point of view the overall design concept can be very effective and being at a certain age like Frank and Zaha for example we think it’s OK to be satisfied and focusing on one type of architecture and making a huge amount of money on less effort. They really deserve that, contributing with so much inventive thinking in the seventies, eighties and nineties. And that early stardom is what took them to their position they have today. Another architect that has paid his dues to the architectural world is Adolfo Natalini, a member of the Italian Superstudio.
Superstudio made revolutionary work back in the 60’s but now Mr. Natalia has changed his style.
His new theory:” today architecture has been homogenized by a cynical and a useless experimentalism, the only possible reaction is a return to order or, better, tradition ( the consolidated patrimony of successful experiments) I wish to counter the utopia of globalization with harsh local realities and a great longing for beauty”.

Early works by Adolfo Natalini in Superstudio and the later works

Some examples of typical concepts in Architecture
You could look at architecture as you would at animal species and flowers and trees, they all conjure out of a Darwinism where the strongest or most fit and adapted survive. Who knows how many stupid and ugly houses that has been built that we don’t have a clue about? Many roofs have probably collapsed, many ill-willed neighbors have probably laughed at that impossible caveman’s vain dreams of building a two-story retreat and many architect’s head has probably rolled because of a palace that got approved by some king that later found out that the house was out of style even when they began the foundation work. The building flora around us is a result of extremely many years of experimentation and traditions. To explore this field in search of the new and the brave, conceptual thinking is a must, at least according to our viewpoint. Many of the groundbreaking or outstanding pieces of architecture in history have a strong concept in itself that has been the foundation of their success and their key to enter the history books.
You could classify these concepts into different categories; for example a strong shape, which outlines a clear journey for everyone involved in the building process and which result easily can be judged even by laymen.
Or it could be a combination of functions, making it an interesting hybrid which can be surprisingly good or bad but will still be an interesting contribution to the building stock. Strong traditions like vernacular architecture could also be a concept in themselves, which often are chiseled out to reach perfection or a certain style throughout the years. New typologies that have emerged from new technologies and human progress or just from pure experimentation could also be a conceptual category when handled properly. There are of course many other categories as well, but to give you a hunch we will give you some examples in each of the mentioned family.

A specific shape

A recognizable shape is an easy and good start for the beginner in making concepts; it is a rather shallow approach but can nevertheless make great buildings.
Focusing completely on shape, the piece of architecture can become a strong icon which often gets embraced by people in general. With a strong shape you can seldom go wrong and if you combine this with scale, you won’t miss the goal; this has been known since the creation of the Pyramids.
The shape of Egyptian pyramids is thought to represent the primordial mound from which the Egyptians believed the earth was created. The shape of a pyramid is also thought to be representative of the descending rays of the sun, and most pyramids were in fact clad with polished, highly reflective white limestone, in order to give them a brilliant appearance when viewed from a distance. The Pyramids was built in 2560 BC and was the tallest man-made structure for over 3800 years.

When it comes to the shape concept, there are of course certain aspects to think about as with all concepts, and that is if it has ever been done before. Logically is that the first structures that use a particular form and gets famous for it are the ones that really can use the potential of this category. After the Great Pyramids, there has been other examples that has used the same form like in Memphis, Las Vegas, and in Paris.
Those have attracted attention as well but perhaps not for their good taste even if the pyramid in Paris has a slightly better reputation, perhaps for its transparency.

The Great Pyramids, outside Cairo

Other examples in Las Vegas, Memphis and Paris

Another project that use a strong shape as its core element is Boullée’s theoretical memorial for Isaac Newton in 1778, which wasn’t built but was highly talked about among the scholars at that time and it is still in our time, one of the most prominent paper architecture projects. Boullée developed a distinctive abstract geometric style inspired by Classical forms. He promoted the idea of making architecture expressive of its purpose, a doctrine that his detractors termed architecture parlante (”talking architecture”), which was an essential element in Beaux-Arts architectural training in the later 19th century. The cenotaph which would have taken the form of a sphere 150 m high and the small sarcophagus for Newton is placed at the lower pole of the sphere. The effect by night, when the sarcophagus is illuminated by the starlight coming through the holes in the vaulting. The effect by day is an armillary sphere hanging in the
center that gives off a mysterious glow. For Boullée, symmetry and variety were the golden rules of architecture.

Boullée’s centograph for Isaac Newton

A realized sphere that we mentioned in an earlier chapter is the Ericsson Globe, the national indoor arena of Sweden. The Globe is currently the largest hemispherical building in the world and took two and a half years to build. Shaped like a large white ball, it has a diameter of 110 meters and an inner height of 85 meters. It has seating capacity for 16,000 spectators for shows and concerts, and 13,850 for ice hockey. Using the sphere form instead of the pyramid form for example was a wise decision; the competition was not as tough and with relatively small means they also succeeded in making it the biggest sphere on earth.

Ericsson Globe Arena by Berg Arkitekter

There are also buildings that take an even easier way than mimicking a specific geometrically known form. Those are the buildings that mimic objects like animals and other things. These types of buildings naturally attract a lot of attention but are also by definition copies of something else while the other ones are more abstract in their imitation.
In Learning from Las Vegas from 1968 Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown says that this type of architecture was anti-spatial and that communication was more important for this typology.
Architecture being anti-spatial could be quite provocative for an orthodox thinking architect who has been learned that only space matters in their discourse, form follows function and so on. When this type of architecture began to flourish, typically in evolved car-based societies like USA in the 1950s; where clear symbols needed to be shown to make the establishment stand out from all the others that crowded the roadsides.
A hamburger restaurant sold more hamburgers if the building was shaped like a hamburger.
In these days life had begun to move faster and the options in life had broadened.
Therefor some architecture became communicative as Venturi and Scott-Brown points out and almost became signs in themselves.
In Hayward, USA there is a building formed as a giant fish which is The Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, which is the international headquarters for education, recognition and promotion of fresh water sport fishing. Many people also gets married in the giant mouth which is a balcony overlooking the surroundings.
The town of Tirau in New Zeeland has taken buildings like these to their heart and has many examples of them, like a building in corrugated steel for a wool factory outlet just by an information center shaped like a giant dog.

The Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, USA - Big Sheep, Tirau, New Zeeland

Making shapes also can apply to cities, like the capital of Brazil, Brasilia, for example which layout is in the shape of an airplane.
Even back in ancient days there are examples of this, Cuzco in Peru for example was laid out like a puma, a sacred animal for the Incas. The main plaza Huacaypata was the heart, the river its spine and tail and the fortress Sacsaywaman represent its head.
Another example in the same theme can be found in South Sudan where there are plans to transform existing cities into African animal shapes.
Where as Brasilia and Cuzco were planned from scratch to become a shape, these cities
already have their own existing configurations, many of them largely spread slums.
Juba, the region’s rapidly-growing capital, will be re-designed into the outline of a rhinoceros. The city of around one million people will have a park sited in its horn and a 5-star hotel where the animal’s eye would be. The region’s second-largest city, Wau, is to be modeled on a giraffe, with a large industrial estate in its neck. Plans for up to 10 other cities are based symbols on their state flags, including pineapples.

Brasilia shaped as an airplane, Copenhagens Finger plan, Juba’s future rhino-shape

A city that had a lot of use for a conceptual shape to grow is Copenhagen which is famous for its urban planning concept which has promoted sustainable lifestyles and sustainable modes of mobility.
As in the case of the animal shaped cities in South Sudan, Copenhagen also has based its conceptual shaped on existing structure.
The Finger Plan for Greater Copenhagen was introduced in 1947 when a group of town
planners realized that Greater Copenhagen was beginning to spread uncontrollably.
The spreading of the area created difficulties for the public transport system, which was in danger of reaching its capacity. It was necessary to control the urban growth and develop a citywide network of railways and arterial roads. The idea of the plan was to concentrate the urban development of Greater Copenhagen in the urban “fingers” created around the railway network. At the same time, the green wedges between the fingers would remain
undeveloped. Since 1947 the Finger plan has been the main guiding principle of city
planning in Copenhagen.

Other famous examples are the ongoing development in Dubai where artificial islands are made into different shapes like palmtrees or even more spectacular; a representation of Earth itself created from a manmade archipelago with luxury housing.

Dubai Islands by Nakheel Properties

There are also buildings that have a shape concept but that don’t imitate a known geometric shape but which does a certain amount of artistic abstraction that easily can get the associations going.
Take the Sydney Opera for example, with its curves and the location right beside the water.It gets interpreted for being sails or perhaps waves.
In certain cases some architects have made a certain vocabulary of abstract shapes their own trademark. We have the undulating forms of Gehry, the stealth flow of Zaha and the shards of Liebskind, the geometric square white of Meier and so on.
These types of buildings can brand a whole city, and that was the case of the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao which was the starting point for shaping up a city with negative trends.
The Bilbao effect is now a term that describes such success stories.
The effect can create a lot of money for a city but it also could have a negative effect among architects in the higher end of the trade, that just focus on spectacular shapes and repeating old successful forms without any regard for the context.

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao by Frank O Gehry - Sydney Opera House by Jörn Utzon

Vernacular traditions
In early times the buildings around the world were formed according to their surroundings; the specific culture that was using the structure, the setting of the building, what kind of materials that were available and the specific circumstances that was predominant at a certain time. Was there a lot of war at that location, there became higher and thicker walls and more towers. Was there a lot of trade and perhaps that arose certain mutations of architecture with the influence from other cultures.
Given the fact that our planet is rich and has a great variety in its settings and resources, the many cultures that inhabit it and foremost the ingenious mind of these settlers, of course this created a rich palette in the architectural outcome.
Local, specific, often rural architecture tend to be categorized as ”vernacular architecture”.
One book that has influenced our thoughts on architecture greatly is”Architecture without Architects”1 In that book he explores this world of vernacular architecture and broadens the horizon of architecture and introduces a highly interesting building stock that is produced by locals.
In the introduction to his book he comments on this category of architecture;
”Architecture without architects attempts to break down our narrow concepts of the art of building by introducing the unfamiliar world of non-pedigreed architecture. It is so little known that we don’t even have a name for it. For want of a generic label, we shall call it vernacular, anonymous, spontaneous, indigenous, rural, as the case may be. Unfortunately, our view of the total picture of anonymous architecture is distorted by a shortage of documents, casual and otherwise.”
Some of these vernacular traditions became stronger than others and they became concepts in themselves. If a client wants a typical traditional Swedish house for example, we as Swedish architects instantly get an image in our mind.
Doing something in an old tradition can be a cowardice way sometimes, but also vernacular ideas can be investigated and refined as we will later show you.

Symetrical proportions, red painted wood and a refined entrance is the concept.

Many of the old traditional ways of how to build something was made completely in the
absence of architects, leading to a kind of non-bullshit architecture, but also perhaps without a flair and perfection that the architect often strive for.
In the book the publisher comments on the text in the following fashion:
”In this book... he introduces the reader to communal architecture - architecture produced not by specialists but by the spontaneous and continuing activity of a whole people with a common heritage, acting within a community experience. ..
The beauty of ”primitive” architecture has often been dismissed as accidental, but today we recognize in it an art form that has resulted from human intelligence applied to
uniquely human modes of life. Indeed, Rudofsky sees the philosophy and practical knowledge of the untutored builders as untapped sources of inspiration for industrial man trapped in his chaotic cities.”
An example of vernacular architecture are the root bridges which can be found in the depths of northeastern India, in one of the wettest places on earth, some bridges are grown from the roots of a rubber tree, the Khasis people of Cherapunjee use betel-tree trunks, sliced down the middle and hollowed out, to create ”root-guidance systems.” When they reach the other side of the river, they’re allowed to take root in the soil. Given enough time a sturdy, living bridge is produced.
The root bridges, some of which are over a hundred feet long, take ten to fifteen years to become fully functional, but they’re extraordinarily strong. Some can support the weight of 50 or more people at once.
One of the most unique root structures of Cherrapunjee is known as the ”Umshiang Double-Decker Root Bridge.” It consists of two bridges stacked one over the other. Because the bridges are alive and still growing, they actually gain strength over time, and some of the ancient root bridges are used daily by the people of the villages around Cherrapunjee may be well over 500 years old.

The root bridges in India made by the Khasis people

Another vernacular delight can be found in Lalibela in Ethiopia, a rather poor village but that has 11 rock-cut churches which is an old Ethiopian building technique.
The churches were built in the 13th century and the architect was Gebre Mesqel Lalibela by a vision from God. Lalibela was intended to be a New Jerusalem in response to the capture of Jerusalem by Muslims, and many of its historic buildings take their name and layout from buildings in Jerusalem. The rural town of Lalibela is known around the world for its
monolithic churches which play an important part in the history of rock-cut architecture.

Lalibelia Rock cut churches

On the banks of Honghe River in South China’s Yunnan Province are millions of acres of agricultural and ecological wonders - otherwise known as the Honghe Hani Terrace. Making full use of the special geological and climactic conditions in the area, the Hani people have found a perfect combination between human civilization and the environment. In terms of size and coverage, the Hani Terrace is largest in the world.
The Hani People, creators of this wonder, originated from the Tibetan Plateau on the
upper reaches of the Yellow River. After centuries of migration, a group of the ancient
Qiang people settled down in the Ailao Mountains in Southern Yunnan, and became today’s Hani race. About 600,000 Hani people still dwell in the region and their ancestors totally altered the landforms there to grow crops to feed themselves, yet the ecology was not
damaged. In fact, they have made the place even more attractive, presenting a perfect
testimony to harmony between man and nature. The terrace shows that human intervention doesn’t necessarily mean destroying nature.

Crop terraces made by the Hani people in Southern Yunnan, China

Combining different functions

The concept of combining different functions turns the architect into an alchemist and
sometimes the results can turn into gold.The most crucial for a success is what kind of components that are put into this melting pot.
A successful example is the Lingotto Factory in Torino, Italy.
It was built from 1916 and opened in 1923, the design was unusual in that it had five floors, with raw materials going in at the ground floor, and cars built on a line that went up through the building. Finished cars emerged at rooftop level, where there was a rooftop test track. It was the largest car factory in the world at that time. For its time, the Lingotto building was avant-garde, influential and impressive—Le Corbusier called it” one of the most impressive sights in industry”, and” a guideline for town planning”.
The factory became outdated in the 70s and where remodeled into a cultural center.
Still it is a remarkable example of a strong concept.
The key to its success here is that the combination of a test track and factory is strongly linked to each other, like a food store with animals and crops on the rooftop.

Lingotto Factory in Torino by architect Matté Trucco in 1916-1922

Not far away from the Lingotto Factory lies another building with the same concept; a combination of functions. The architectural piece is the classical bridge Ponte Veccio in Florence which was built in 1178 by Taddeo Gaddi.
The position of the present bridge dates to the flood of 1178, which swept away the IX
century bridge; during the same year many of the houses along the streets leading to the bridge burned. The present three-arched bridge was built by Taddeo Gaddi in 1345. The
reconstruction was made possible by the rent from the shops opened on the bridge.

Ponte Veccio in Florence by architect Taddeo Gaddi in 1345

A modernistic classic is the Marina City complex in Chicago which is a mixed-use
residential/commercial building complex occupying an entire city block on State Street in Chicago. The building complex was designed in 1959 by Bertrand Goldberg and completed in 1964. When finished, the two towers were both the tallest residential buildings and the
tallest reinforced concrete structures in the world. The complex was billed as a ”city within a city”, featuring numerous on-site facilities including a theatre, gym, swimming pool, ice rink, bowling alley, several stores and restaurants, and of course, a marina.

Marina City in Chicago by architect Bertrand Goldberg in 1959

To mention an example from present days we can take a look at the Prada Transformer, in Seoul, South Korea, which is an unusual building which has one of four different apparent shapes, depending on the function for which the building is needed at the moment. The building is roughly in the shape of a tetrahedron. Cranes rotate the building so that different surfaces of the tetrahedron face downward, thereby changing the building’s form and function. The different faces of the” tetrahedron” are actually shapes other than triangles. The building’s base is a hexagon when used for a fashion exhibition, a rectangle when used as a movie theater, a cross when used for an art exhibition and a circle when used for a special event. The building was funded by Prada, and designed by Rem Koolhaas’ architecture firm Office for Metropolitan Architecture. The transformer was first used for a fashion exhibition which began April 25, 2009. Its form and function was first changed on June 26, 2009, into a movie theater.
Prada Transformer in Seoul by OMA in 2009

New typologies
One concept that is particular strong when used right is the invention of a new typology.
A typology that never has existed will certainly look like something that never has existed as well, at least if you are a somewhat skilled architect.
During the 20th century, which could be said is the century when modern architecture was born, a lot of new typologies arise due to the high pace of development and complete changes in society. Never before had the pace been so dramatic and there was a change of lifestyle with every generation. Industrialization had been immense in the 19th century as well but now came automatization, mass fabrication, people moving into cities, population that boomed, radio, television, cinema, cars, airports, mass consumption, rockets and computers.
This also affected architecture of course.New typologies comes automatically from this progress in human life like new discoveries in technology, new needs in society or pure experimenting.Our first example is about a change of needs and happened right after the Second World War when there was a severe housing shortage and Le Corbusier answered to that problem; with a new typology which in itself was a vertical village which could accommodate 1600 people.
We’re talking about the Unite d’Habitation in Marseilles which was built in 1947-52. The giant, twelve-story apartment block is the late modern counterpart of the mass housing schemes of the 1920s, similarly built to alleviate a severe postwar housing shortage. Although the program of the building is elaborate, structurally it is simple: a rectilinear ferroconcrete grid, into which are slotted precast individual apartment units, like ’bottles into a wine rack’ as the architect put it. Through ingenious planning, twenty-three different apartment configurations were provided to accommodate single persons and families as large as ten, nearly all with double-height living rooms and the deep balconies that form the major external feature.”

Unite d’Habitation in Marseilles by Le Corbusier in 1947-52

On the experimental side we have a Swedish example that is quite visionary.
Many architects have thought about 3d stacked villas with gardens but this is the only realized project we know about. The “Däckshus” by the Swedish subversive modernist hero Erik Friberger is a three story concrete construction where villas are placed later on. The distance between the decks is 4 meters and the plots vary from 144 m2 to 210 m2 and all installation is put in the circulation space. The idea was that the villas would expand with a growing family. Most of the houses were however already fully built from the beginning. The building can be found in Kallebäck outside Gothenburg and was built in 1960.

Däckhuset outside Gothenburg by Erik Friberger in 1960

Another typology invention that also is experimental in nature is the Nakagin Capsule Hotel built in 1972 in Tokyo by the Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa.
Here the typology experimentation was derived from compact living and is a rare built example of Japanese Metabolism, a movement that became emblematic of Japan’s postwar cultural resurgence. The building was the world’s first example of capsule architecture built for actual use. The building is actually composed of two interconnected concrete towers, respectively eleven and thirteen floors, which house 140 prefabricated modules (or” capsules”) which are each self-contained units. Each capsule measures 2.3 m × 3.8 m × 2.1 m and functions as a small living or office space. Capsules can be connected and combined to create larger spaces. Each capsule is connected to one of the two main shafts only by four high-tension bolts and is designed to be replaceable. No units have been replaced since the original construction.

Nakagin Capsule Hotel in Tokyo by Kisho Kurokawa in 1972

Our way to get a good concept for each individual project
The advantages of working concept based in each individual project are many but to be able to do it you need to come up with a good concept for each project which can be quite time consuming. On the other hand as we mentioned before you win in the long term of the project.
After having an in-depth discussion with the client, or if it is a competition entry we read the program thouroughly, we always brainstorm before starting the actual design of a project.
This is a habit back from when we started our collaboration. Our first project together was a school competition called “Koh Chang”. What linked us together was that we did not intend to do the competition because we thought the program was too stupid. The king had received two elephants from the king of Thailand and we were supposed to design an elephant house in Gothenburg for them. The king lives in Stockholm and should of course have his elephants near his royal castle we thought. After several spontaneous meetings in the corridor we had formed our own program and concept for the competition without drawing a line. We later decided to do the competition and we won our first price together.

Koh Chang, award winning competition entry

In the following two years we studied and worked in different locations across the world only communicating via msn (a chat program) that forced us once again to come up with a strong concept through talking to each other before starting the designing. To communicate with drawings and sketches would take too much time. When later starting an office being at the same place together, we continued with our work method to brainstorm concepts before designing.
Brainstorming can of course take a while and the quality of the brainstorming of course depends on what you discuss. The advantage with brainstorming though is that you don’t immediately do architecture. You’re in the stage before the sketches when you can ask yourself if the program make sense, if architecture really is needed, or should we perhaps solve this project from another aspect perhaps an artistic or commercial one and you can also consider the question of if it is really necessary to do anything at all.

Questions that is relevant in all businesses and for all projects.
Joe Calloway has some interesting points in his book "Becoming a category of one".
“More and more companies are starting to ask really big, scary questions like “Are we even in the right business?” and “What is happening outside our industry that we can learn from?” Evolving category of one companies are not only willing, but also anxious, to look at businesses totally different from their own in the quest for what they might do next. Mediocre companies are the ones that always rally around the flag of “But thats just not done in this business”.
It’s just not done until a competitor does it and you end up wondering where all your customers went.”
The most likely way to come up with a suiting concept is to know as much as possible about the context and the object. The more you understand of the context you are working in the more of the questions above will come up. So if you lack a concept do more research try to understand more about the context and the client, there is often much more to it then you think.
Just like in any other business these three statements actually works in architecture too.
“Know more about the customer than anyone else does.”
“Get closer to the customer than anyone else.”
“Emotionally connect with the customer better than anyone else.”
In architecture we might say client instead of customer but they goal just like in most successful business is not to get immediate revenue but to get a product that is outstanding.
If you neglect the brainstorming for a concept and starts the design process directly with sketching, either in software, by hand or in model. Then you already answered several questions without knowing it.
Is architecture necessary? Yes, you are sketching.
Does the program make sense? Yes, that’s what you are trying to solve.
Can we solve this project from any other aspect? Probably not since you’ve just jumped on the architect train, starting to sketch.

Not thinking about this questions and immediately start to sketch you will most likely not form a strong concept. You will instead automatically end up doing something you think is functionally and beautifully which means you will go back to your own database of preferences. You will never actually be surprised of the outcome since it is a colleague of what you already know. If you on the other hand asks this questions and come up with a strong concept it will take you places you did not knew existed. And in a team work you will work in the same direction. Then you can decide in what matter you like to start sketching depending on the concept you have come up with. For many other profession brainstorming might seem to be one of the most obvious things to do before starting a project but in most architectural firms taking actual time to brainstorm and asking relevant questions is a quite rare thing to do. Perhaps because we constantly deal with new projects and with many projects that seem too small to even have the time to brainstorm. Other factors can be for what kind of work we actually charge our client. For example in the Netherlands where conceptual thinking has been way more successful than in Sweden about 25% of the income from one project comes from the conceptual design, another 25% from the final design where as in Sweden most of the income from one project comes from the construction phase. And most calculations on how much you should charge from one project in Sweden is based on how many drawings that will be delivered which of course has nothing to do with quality and innovation. And if you only calculate on drawings and not on the brainstorming and conceptual part of the project you’re most likely not motivated to do those necessary steps at the beginning of a project if you can’t charge for them. This type of calculation of course also devalues the whole branch of architecture in Sweden since it sends a message to the clients that architects don’t think, they make drawings.
In an attempt to try to learn more about the Swedish architectural business model we made the calculation of a project on drawings once and skipped the concept part. After one year of drawings going in different directions we lost the project to an interior firm in Jönköping (the Bible belt capitol in Sweden) simply because we did not have a strong enough concept from the beginning. This method doesn’t work for us and we will never try to do that type of calculation again.

Some final thoughts

So what is common ground for a visiondivision project one might ask?
Visiondivision has never tried to have an overall design concept, at the beginning we just thought that we were too young to start repeating ourselves and after some research in the field of concept we simply understand the stupidity in the overall design concept since it decreases the possibility to change and to be inventive. Our overall design concept is to not have one and focusing on making each individual project unique by inventing a new concept for each project.
Looking back at our earlier projects there is perhaps another important factor that we think is equally important, that is dedication.

Chop Stick, our most dedicated work so far

The most important factor if your concept will succeed is your dedication to go through with it. By being engaged it doesn’t matter if you’re a modernist, post-modernist, capitalist communist, deconstructivist and so on. You are simply a craftsman/explorer who gives a 100% in each project. If the concept demands that you become a classicist architect just be it 100%, and by being it 100% you will improve the whole classicist era. By studying concepts we also learned that in a way you don’t even have to be smart all the time, a life time engagement in stupid things can be equally nurturing for mankind if you are truly dedicated. It’s all about how much time you spent versus how genius your concept is. If you can cure cancer, no one will question the effort put into the process of finding a proper medicine. It is so useful that everybody will accept it without noticing the amount of time you put into it. But if you choose to become an acrobat you really need to work a life time to be able to do something so spectacular that no one could even imagine doing it themselves. The audience just needs to see the enormous amount of time you must have spent to be able to do that acrobatic act. If your act then amazes people, your work has been useful for this planet, If not it has probably been useful for you. It’s all about stop being an audience and becoming a performer. The only thing that you risk by taking the step down to the arena is some ironic remarks from the people you left at the sidelines.
But be patient those remarks are probably the indicator of that you’re doing something right. Architecture is in our mind somewhere in between curing cancer and being an acrobat. It is needed but also seen and being used everywhere and every day.
Most people understand how architecture is produced so to just build a house is not entertaining enough to effect people in a positive direction. So you need to have some kind of a circus act achievement too, that is so refined that people could not imagine being able to make it themselves. In the old days it was different. The achievement of building a city block would be enormous with today’s measurement and the achievement of just the construction workers would be enough to entertain. Today’s much smoother and faster building process is simply not intriguing enough and you can easily see the less amount of time put into it in the final outcome of a building. That puts more pressure on conceptual skills of the architect. Your building will not look engaged by the hard struggle of the construction workers and the height of the building or the speed of erecting the building will not be impressive enough. So the only way that your
building will impress, is by displaying the cleverness of your design process. That is the true measurement of an architect’s achievement. The amount of time put into the design process. Not in just one project but in your whole life time career. Just like an acrobat you need to have trained every muscle with smaller stunts before being able to do a real refined act. And after this tree flipping circus act that we’re currently doing in Indiana, we feel just as motivated as ever before to keep on training every little muscle that we have in our architectural bodies.

Jury Duty

2012-01-16T10:26:00.005+01:00

Visiondivision was invited by designboom to act as a part of the jury for the TIFF Award 2012.

Over 3000 proposals from 87 different countries participated and the results will be announced in March during the TIFF fair.

Pecha Kucha

2011-12-07T10:13:00.003+01:00

The team is going to hold a Pecha Kucha lecture at the nightclub Berns in Stockholm tonight.
Pecha Kucha is a presentation methodology in which 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each, so we decided to show you a speed portfolio with 18 different projects.

VD Guide XIII

2011-11-23T15:20:00.005+01:00

Eerie beaches, sulphur and mercury rivers, spectacular tombs and historical highrises are just some of the things you will get acquainted with in the VD Guide XIII,
If you know some piece that could fit the guide, feel free to drop us a line (info@visiondivision.com) and your name will be credited if we use it.
As always, enjoy the show!
/the vd team
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Bologna Towers - 180 tall towers in medieval Bologna
Birth: 12th century Death: Partly destroyed in the early 20th century
Location: Bologna, Italy
Architect: Rich families
VD says: Must have been a spectacular sight.

Between the 12th and the 13th century, the number of towers in the city was very high, possibly up to 180. The reasons for the construction of so many towers are not clear. One hypothesis is that the richest families used them for offensive/defensive purposes during the period of the Investiture Controversy.

Besides the towers, one can still see some fortified gateways that correspond to the gates of the 12th-century city wall which itself has been almost completely destroyed.

During the 13th century, many towers were taken down or demolished, and others simply collapsed. Many towers have subsequently been utilized in one way or the other: as prison, city tower, shop or residential building. The last demolitions took place during the 20th century, according to an ambitious, but retrospectively unfortunate, restructuring plan for the city.
Of the numerous towers originally present, fewer than twenty can still be seen today. Among the remaining ones are the Azzoguidi Tower, also called Altabella (with a height of 61 m), the Prendiparte Tower, called Coronata (60 m), the Scappi Tower (39 m), Uguzzoni Tower (32 m), Guidozagni Tower, Galluzzi Tower, and the famous Two Towers: the Asinelli Tower (97 m) and the Garisenda Tower (48 m).

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Bolwoningen Housing - Fifty experimental capsule houses
Birth: 1970s
Location: Hertogenbosch, Holland
Architect: Dries Kreijkamp
VD says: Exploration of housing typologies should always be encouraged

The Bolwoningen housing in Maaspoort, a district of the Dutch city Hertogenbosch were designed in the 1970s as an experimental building. The mastermind behind these livable capsules is Dries Kreij Camp, a famous architect during that time. The houses shaped like golf balls are his attempt at a new social environment that truly stands apart. The Bolwoningen also have some unusual floor plans – the toilets and bathrooms are placed in the middle of the ball while the living room is located upstairs and the bedrooms downstairs.

The capsule has a diameter of 5.5 meters, with a front side shaped like an airplane floor and has six round windows. The advantages with this type of structure are that they need no type of foundation, are low maintenance and low energy. They are lightweight, can be easily put together or transported.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Kawah Ijen - A volcano with glowing sulphur rivers
Birth: A long time ago
Location: East Java, Indonesia
Architect: Earth and miners
VD says: Harsh and beautiful

The Ijen volcano complex is a group of stratovolcanoes, in East Java, Indonesia.
The volcano has a one-kilometer-wide turquoise-colored acid crater lake. The lake is the site of a labor-intensive sulfur mining operation, in which sulfur-laden baskets are carried by hand from the crater floor.
The lake has the same acid content as a car battery.
Flaming molten sulfur flows inside the volcanic crater. Sulfur will melt at just above 100 C, but the temperatures in the crater do not get high enough for spontaneous combustion - the fires are lit by the miner's dripping torches.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Stump House - House in a huge tree stump
Birth: 1900
Location: Edgecomb, Washington, USA
Architect: Gustav Westerlund
VD says: Nice to see some inventive Swedes

Westerlund, a Swedish immigrant, who back in Sweden had worked as a cabinet-maker, took on the task of hollowing out one particularly robust (22-foot-diameter) cedar-tree stump, and Gustav finished up by putting a roof, window, and door on the stump house. A stovepipe through that roof hints at the woodstove inside that kept the family warm for a few months until a conventional house was built nearby. Even after they moved into that new home, Westerlund maintained his quarters in the stump as he liked the independence and privacy it provided.

A newspaper visited the house in 1901:
"Inside it is one good-sized room, which is boarded up and neatly papered and made as comfortable as any apartment could possibly be made. The walls inside slant inward at the top, which gives one the impression rather that it is an upstairs room, otherwise it is not different from any other room."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Catatumbo Lightning - An almost continuos lightning storm
Birth: A long time ago
Location: Catatumbo river, Venezuela
Architect: Earth
VD says: Thunderous

The Catatumbo Lightning is an atmospheric phenomenon in Venezuela. It occurs strictly in an area located over the mouth of the Catatumbo River where it empties into Lake Maracaibo. The frequent, powerful flashes of lightning over this relatively small area are considered to be the world's largest single generator of tropospheric ozone which refers to ozone that does not replenish the stratospheric ozone layer.
It originates from a mass of storm clouds that create a voltaic arc at more than 5 km of height, during 140 to 160 nights a year, 10 hours per day and up to 280 times per hour. It occurs over and around Lake Maracaibo, typically over the bog area formed where the Catatumbo River flows into the lake.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Pristina National Library - Huge library with 99 glass cupolas
Birth: 1982
Location: Pristina, Kosovo
Architect: Andrija Mutnjakovic
VD says: A somewhat overseen pearl of architecture

The library was designed by the Croatian architect Andrija Mutnjakovic. The outside of the mammoth 16,500 square metre space-age building features a total of 99 white glass cupolas of different sizes and is entirely covered in a metal fishing net. The library was once home to a huge depository of Albanian literature, much of which, thanks to the enlightened leadership of Slobodan Milosovic, was turned into cardboard in the early 1990s. The equally beguiling interior which has some photos of old Pristina still contains over 5,000 fine examples of old and rare books and manuscripts, dating back to the 16th century. The library also holds many foreign titles, and membership is open to anyone.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Boeing Factory - Worlds largest building
Birth: 1967 and extended in many phases
Location: Everett, outside Seattle, USA
Architect: Various
VD says: A building that can accumulate clouds and rain is mad respect

The Boeing factory near Seattle is so massive, it once began generating its own weather systems.
A state-of-the-art air circulation system had to be installed inside the monolithic manufacturing plant because clouds - the product of accumulated warm air and moisture - were forming inside.
About 25,000 people work at the site, which boasts its own security force and fire department, a fully equipped medical clinic, a childcare centre, a water treatment plant, its own electrical sub-stations, and 19 cafeterias which serve around 17,000 meals per day.
They say 2142 average-sized American homes could fit inside the factory. Just the hangar doors are each roughly the size of an American football field.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Sonic Boom - When an object goes faster than the sound, a cloud cone is created
Birth: With the first high-speed planes
Location: In the air
Architect: Moist air and pilots
VD says: A delightful effect

Many people have heard a sonic boom, but few have seen one. When an airplane travels at a speed faster than sound, density waves of sound emitted by the plane cannot precede the plane, and so accumulate in a cone behind the plane. When this shock wave passes, a listener hears all at once the sound emitted over a longer period: a sonic boom. As a plane accelerates to just break the sound barrier, however, an unusual cloud might form. The origin of this cloud is still debated. A leading theory is that a drop in air pressure at the plane described by the Prandtl-Glauert Singularity occurs so that moist air condenses there to form water droplets.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Samarra Mosque - Tower with a spiral ramp
Birth: 848-851
Location: Samarra, Iraq
Architect: commissioned by caliph Al-Mutawakkil
VD says: Old-school classic

The Great Mosque of Samarra is a 9th century mosque located in Samarra, Iraq. The mosque was commissioned in 848 and completed in 851 by the Abbasid caliph Al-Mutawakkil who reigned from 847 until 861.
The Great Mosque of Samarra was at one time the largest mosque in the world; its minaret, the Malwiya Tower, is a vast spiralling cone 52 meters high and 33 meters wide with a spiral ramp.
The mosque had 17 aisles, and its walls were panelled with mosaics of dark blue glass. It was part of an extension of Samarra eastwards.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Skansen - A zoo and a collection of vernacular Swedish buildings
Birth: 1980s
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Architect: Various
VD says: An architectural catalogue that we are proud of

When people from abroad that are interested in architecture comes and visit us, they usually asks if we can recommend any piece they should see while staying in Stockholm.
Well, truthfully there are not so much yet, at least not any modern delights, but there is always Skansen; a collection of old typical houses from around Sweden that is located within a zoo with Swedish animals.
Some of the sights include a Sami storage house that stands on wooden stilts with the roots still on the wood thus stabilizing the whole house on the ground. Quite spectacular.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Fujian Tuolon - Buildings that acts as small villages in themselves
Birth: 12th century - 20th century
Location: Fujian, China
Architect: The Hakka people
VD says: A highly interesting typology

Fujian Tulou is a type of Chinese rural dwellings of the Hakka and others in the mountainous areas in southeastern Fujian, China. They were mostly built between the 12th and the 20th centuries.
A tulou is usually a large, enclosed and fortified earth building, rectangular or circular in configuration, with very thick load-bearing rammed earth walls between three and five stories high and housing up to 80 families. Smaller interior buildings are often enclosed by these huge peripheral walls which can contain halls, storehouses, wells and living areas, the whole structure resembling a small fortified city.
The fortified outer structures are formed by compacting earth, mixed with stone, bamboo, wood and other readily available materials, to form walls up to 2 meters thick. Branches, strips of wood and bamboo chips are often laid in the wall as additional reinforcement. The end result is a well-lit, well-ventilated, windproof and earthquake-proof building that is warm in winter and cool in summer.Tulous usually have only one main gate, guarded by thick wooden doors reinforced with an outer shell of iron plate. The top level of these earth buildings has gun holes for defensive purposes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Bio Bay - A bay with water that glows in the night
Birth: A long time ago
Location: Puerto Mosquito, Puerto Rico
Architect: Micro-organisms
VD says: A superb swimming experience

The Bioluminescent Bay (also known as Puerto Mosquito, Mosquito Bay, or "The Bio Bay"), is perhaps the world's largest and brightest[citation needed]. The luminescence is caused by micro-organisms (dinoflagellates) which glow whenever the water is disturbed, leaving a trail of neon blue. A combination of factors create the necessary conditions for bioluminescence: red mangrove trees surround the water (the organisms feed off the dead leaves); a complete lack of modern development around the bay; the water is cool enough and deep enough; and a small channel to the ocean keeps the dinoflagellates in the bay. This small channel is the result of Spanish ships' attempts to choke off the bay from the ocean's waters. The Spanish believed that the bioluminescence they first encountered was the work of the Devil and tried to block the ocean's waters from entering the bay by dropping huge boulders in the channel. The Spanish only succeeded in preserving and increasing the luminescence. Kayaking is permitted in the bay and can be arranged through local vendors. Swimming is allowed on limited basis through guided tours.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Wigwam Village - A motel chain with the rooms built as teepees
Birth: The first village was built in 1933
Location: Around USA
Architect: Frank A. Redford
VD says: Americana at its finest

The Wigwam Motels, also known as the "Wigwam Villages", is a motel chain in the United States in which the rooms are built in the form of teepees, hence the name "wigwam". It originally had seven different locations: two locations in Kentucky, a location in Alabama, another location in Florida, one in Arizona, one in Louisiana, and another one in California. They are very distinctive historic landmarks. Two of the three surviving motels are located on historic U.S. Route 66, in Holbrook, Arizona and on the city boundary between Rialto and San Bernardino, California.

Wigwam Village no 6 in Holbrook was built in 1950 by Arizona motel owner Chester E. Lewis, the plans were based on the original of Frank A. Redford. Lewis first became aware of the distinctive wigwam designs when he was passing through Cave City in 1938. He purchased the rights to Redford's design, as well as the right to use the name "Wigwam Village" in a novel royalty agreement: coin operated radios would be installed in Lewis' Wigwam Village, and every dime inserted for 30 minutes of play would be sent to Redford as payment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Cappuccino Beach - A beach was temporarily covered with massive amounts of foam, created by a cyclone
Birth: 2007 Death: A couple of days later
Location: Yamba, New South Wales, Australia
Architect: Earth
VD says: An unexpected spatial experience

Suddenly the shoreline north of Sydney were transformed into the Cappuccino Coast.
Foam swallowed an entire beach and half the nearby buildings, including the local lifeguards' centre, in a freak display of nature at Yamba in New South Wales.
One minute a group of teenage surfers were waiting to catch a wave, the next they were swallowed up in a giant bubble bath. The foam was so light that they could puff it out of their hands and watch it float away.
It stretched for 30 miles out into the Pacific in a phenomenon not seen at the beach for more than three decades.
Scientists explain that the foam is created by impurities in the ocean, such as salts, chemicals, dead plants, decomposed fish and excretions from seaweed.
All are churned up together by powerful currents which cause the water to form bubbles.
These bubbles stick to each other as they are carried below the surface by the current towards the shore.
As a wave starts to form on the surface, the motion of the water causes the bubbles to swirl upwards and, massed together, they become foam.
The foam "surfs" towards shore until the wave "crashes", tossing the foam into the air.
As for 12-year-old beachgoer Tom Woods, who has been surfing since he was two, riding a wave was out of the question.
"Me and my mates just spent the afternoon leaping about in that stuff," he said.
"It was quite cool to touch and it was really weird. It was like clouds of air - you could hardly feel it."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum - An enormous tomb, as large as a city, with mercury rivers and the famous Terracotta army.
Birth: 215 BC
Location: China
Architect: Qui Shi Huang
VD says: You had us at "mercury rivers"

Calling himself the First Emperor after China's unification, Qin Shi Huang is a pivotal figure in Chinese history, ushering nearly two millennia of imperial rule. After unifying China he undertook gigantic projects, including the first version of the Great Wall of China, and his own tomb.
In 215 BC Qin Shi Huang ordered General Meng Tian with 300,000 men to begin construction of his mausoleum.
Sima Qian's (a historian) description of the tomb includes replicas of palaces and scenic towers, "rare utensils and wonderful objects", 100 rivers made with mercury, representations of stars made of jewelry and crossbows rigged to shoot anyone who tried to break in. Secrets were maintained, as most of the workmen who built the tomb were killed.
As this was not enough an army of life-size terracotta statues was guarding the mausoleum. The figures vary in height according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots and horses. Current estimates are that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits. Other terracotta non-military figures were also found in other pits and they include officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians.
The inner core of the well sealed mausoleum is not documented yet, but they found a mercury prescense which is 100 times higher than normal.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Heidelberg Project - Abandoned houses in a poor slum turned into art
Birth: 1986 and ongoing
Location: Detroit, USA
Architect: Tyree Guyton and Papa Sam
VD says: A vital example of how design can change things in a community

The Heidelberg Project is, in part, a political protest, as Tyree Guyton's childhood neighborhood began to deteriorate after the 1967 riots. Guyton described coming back to Heidelberg Street after serving in the Army; he was astonished to see that the surrounding neighborhood looked as if "a bomb went off".
At first, the project consisted of painting a series of houses on Detroit's Heidelberg Street with bright dots of many colors and attaching salvaged items to the houses. It was a constantly evolving work that transformed a hard-core inner-city neighborhood where people were afraid to walk, even in daytime, into one in which neighbors took pride and where visitors were many and welcomed.
The Heidelberg Project hopes to offer a new approach to the growing problems of urban sprawl and decay facing many American and other international "Shrinking cities". This approach has gained international attention, especially since the Heidelberg Project continues its maturation.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Mestia Towers - Village with high defense towers
Birth: 9th to 12th century
Location: Mestia, Georgia
Architect: The Svans
VD says: A well prepared village

Svanetia is known for their architectural treasures and picturesque landscapes. The Botany of Svanetia is legendary among travelers. The famous Svanetian towers erected mainly in the 9th-12th centuries, make the region’s villages more attractive.
Mestia is a highland townlet in northwest Georgia, at an elevation of 1,500 meters in the Caucasus Mountains.
The townlet is dominated by these "Svan towers". A typical Svan fortified dwelling consisted of a tower, an adjacent house (machub) and some other household structures encircled by a defensive wall.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Pando - Largest living organism on Earth
Birth: 80000 years ago
Location: Utah, USA
Architect: Earth
VD says: Mind-boggling

Pando (or The Trembling Giant) is a clonal colony of a single male Quaking Aspen located in the U.S. state of Utah, all determined to be part of a single living organism by identical genetic markers and one massive underground root system, although whether it is a single tree is disputed. The plant is estimated to weigh collectively 6,000,000 kg (6,600 short tons),making it the heaviest known organism. The root system of Pando is estimated to be among the oldest known living organisms in existence at 80,000 years of age.
Pando is located in the Fishlake National Forest, near Fish Lake on the Fish Lake Plateau located at the western edge of the Colorado Plateau in South-central Utah. The name "Pando" was chosen because it is Latin for "I spread."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hasting Net Huts - Three story sheds for storing fishingnets
Birth: 16th century
Location: Hastings, UK
Architect: Fishermen
VD says: Cute typology

For as long as fishermen have put to sea from the beach at Hastings, there has been a need for storage facilities on shore. For some time during the last century over 100 net shops reflected this need.
At the time while all the smaller boats were fishing locally – as the boats do today – the larger luggers would set off on voyages lasting many weeks, and they in particular needed stores. In August they would set out in search of the herring shoals in the North Sea, and they would return for Christmas and the New Year and would change their nets and then put to sea again – this time to seek the mackerel up-Channel sailing as far as Cornwall.
In early summer they would return and overhaul the boats, and their nets, ropes and other tackle.
So, while the luggers were fishing for herring they needed storage space at home for the mackerel nets, and visa versa. As these larger boats carried as many as 100 nets each, the stores had to be sufficient size to accommodate those not in use.
It is hard today for us to appreciate how limited the space on the Stade was in the last century when the Hastings fishing industry was at its height: there was only a strip of shingle beach on which to build stores. The broad beach as we see it today simply did not exist, and the tide came within yards of the cliffs and houses. So it is that the netshops had to be tall, and compact on plan.

The formal layout with double rows of close-set net shops with a large space in between – dates from the 1830's when the Council laid down detailed regulations for the location of all net shops, including a rule that they should not exceed 8 feet square.

All the net shops are built of wood and the framing is very slim and incorporates diagonal bracing to give strength against the wind. Headroom on each floor is limited and simple vertical ladders are nailed to the walls inside, with small openings through each floor. The doors at each level open outwards and can usually be hooked back. Some net shops have small shuttered windows; many have stable doors at ground level and sometimes a fisherman can be seen in the doorway repairing his gear.
Today there are around 45 of these net huts left.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Habitat 67 - A modular mountain of housing
Birth: 1967
Location: Meudon, France
Architect: Moshe Safdie
VD says: Highly seductive

Expo 67 was nicknamed "Man and his World", taken from Antoine de Saint Exupéry's memoir Terre des hommes (literally "Land of Men"), translated as Wind, Sand and Stars. Housing was one of the main themes of Expo 67. Habitat 67 then became a thematic pavilion visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors who came from around the world. During Expo 67 it was also the temporary residence of the many dignitaries coming to Montreal.

It was designed to integrate the variety and diversity of scattered private homes with the economics and density of a modern apartment building. Modular, interlocking concrete forms define the space. The project was designed to create affordable housing with close but private quarters, each equipped with a garden. The building was believed to illustrate the new lifestyle people would live in increasingly crowded cities around the world.The complex was originally meant to be vastly larger. Due to its architectural cachet, demand for the building's units has made them more expensive than originally envisioned.
The building is owned by its tenants, who formed a limited partnership that purchased the building from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in 1985.
Its design was created by architect Moshe Safdie based on his master's thesis at McGill University and built as part of Expo 67.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Harbin Ice Sculpture Festival - Huge festival with a lot of ice architecture
Birth: 1963
Location: Harbin, China
Architect: Various
VD says: Ice, lasers and ambitious Chinese artists

The annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival has been held since 1963. It had been interrupted for a number of years during the Cultural Revolution until it was resumed in 1985.
Harbin is located in Northeast China under the direct influence of the cold winter wind from Siberia. The average temperature in summer is 21 degrees Celsius and -17 degrees Celsius in winter. It can be as cold as -38 degrees Celsius in winter.

Officially, the festival starts January 5th and lasts one month. However the exhibits often open earlier and stay longer, weather permitting. Ice sculpture decoration technology ranges from the modern (using lasers) to traditional (with ice lanterns).

Swing saws are used to carve ice into blocks, taken from the frozen surface of the Songhua River.Chisels, ice picks and various types of saws are then used by ice sculptors to carve out large scaled ice sculptures, many of them intricately designed and worked on all day and night prior to the commencement of the festival. Deionised water can also be used, producing ice blocks as transparent as glass to make clear sculptures rather than translucent ones.Multicoloured lights are also used to give colour to ice, creating variations on sculptured spectacles when lit up especially at night. Some ice sculptures made in previous years include: buildings and monuments of different architectural types and styles, figures including animals people and mythical creatures, slippery dips or ice slides and lanterns.
Apart from winter recreational activities available in Harbin, these exquisitely-detailed, mass-produced ice sculptures are the main draw card in attracting tourists around the world to the festival.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Minya cemetery - A cemetery comprising of thousands of small dome huts
Birth: A long time ago
Location: Minya, Egypt
Architect: Various
VD says: Massive

This extraordinary cemetery, one of the largest in the world, stretches for miles. The endless domes of mud-brick Islamic mausoleums defy description when viewed from above, and present a challenging maze to wander through.
Comprised of innumerable white conical domes, that stretch out across a wide plain, the necropolis appears similar to waves in the sea. Each of the several hundred mud-brick mausolea of the necropolis is topped with a dome. The cemetery stretches for several kilometers and was used by Muslims and Coptic Christians alike.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Mingun Paya - Huge unfinished temple
Birth: 1790 and never completed
Location: Sagaing province, Myanmar
Architect: King Bodawpaya
VD says: Another stupendous reason to visit Myanmar

The Mingun temple is a monumental uncompleted stupa began by King Bodawpaya in 1790. It was not completed, due to an astrologer claiming that, once the temple was finished, the king would die. The completed stupa would have been the largest in the world at 150 meters. Huge cracks are visible on the structure from the earthquake of 23 March 1839, Like many large pagodas in Myanmar, a Pondaw paya or working model of the stupa can be seen nearby.

King Bodawpaya also had a gigantic bell cast to go with his huge stupa, the Mingun Bell weighing 90 tons, and is today the largest ringing bell in the world. The weight of the bell in Burmese measurement, is 55,555 viss or peiktha (1 viss = 1.63 kg), handed down as a mnemonic "Min Hpyu Hman Hman Pyaw", with the consonants representing the number 5 in Burmese astronomy and numerology.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Sagrada Famillia - A cathedral under construction that already is a World Heritage
Birth: 1882 and ongoing
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Architect: Antoni Gaudi
VD says: A highly-elaborate architecture feast by a true mastermind

Sagrada Família, is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site,and in November 2010 was consecrated and proclaimed a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI.
Though construction of Sagrada Família had commenced in 1882, Gaudí became involved in 1883, taking over the project and transforming it with his architectural and engineering style—combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms.
Gaudí devoted his last years to the project and at the time of his death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.
Sagrada Família's construction progressed slowly as it relied on private donations and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War—only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Construction passed the mid-point in 2010 with some of the project's greatest challenges remaining and an anticipated completion date of 2026—the centennial of Gaudí's death. The basílica has a long history of dividing the citizens of Barcelona—over the initial possibility it might compete with Barcelona's cathedral, over Gaudí's design itself, over the possibility that work after Gaudí's death disregarded his design, and the recent possibility that an underground tunnel of Spain's high-speed train could disturb its stability.

Gaudí's original design calls for a total of eighteen spires, representing in ascending order of height the Twelve Apostles, the four Evangelists, the Virgin Mary and, tallest of all, Jesus Christ. Eight spires have been built as of 2010, corresponding to four apostles at the Nativity façade and four apostles at the Passion façade.
The completion of the spires will make Sagrada Família the tallest church building in the world.
The columns of the interior are a unique Gaudí design. Besides branching to support their load, their ever-changing surfaces are the result of the intersection of various geometric forms. The simplest example is that of a square base evolving into an octagon as the column rises, then a sixteen-sided form, and eventually to a circle. This effect is the result of a three-dimensional intersection of helicoidal columns (for example a square cross-section column twisting clockwise and a similar one twisting counter-clockwise).
Essentially none of the interior surfaces are flat; the ornamentation is comprehensive and rich, consisting in large part of abstract shapes which combine smooth curves and jagged points. Even detail-level work such as the iron railings for balconies and stairways are full of curvaceous elaboration.

On the subject of the extremely long construction period, Gaudí is said to have remarked, "My client is not in a hurry."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Floating Barn - A barn that defies gravity
Birth: Unknown Death: Unknown
Location: Ukraine
Architect: Unknown
VD says: A structure that could make Arup green with envy

This strange structure can be found in the Ukraine, it is supported by a single cantilever. It was apparently once used as a barn for storing fertiliser.
It is now demolished.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Toraja Tribe Funerals - Burial grounds carved in rock or trees
Birth: A long time ago
Location: South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Architect: The Toraja Tribe
VD says: Interesting approach to the dead

The Toraja Tribe of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, is known for the cheerful way of treating death, and its unique burial grounds carved in sheer rock.
One of the most beautiful tourist destinations of Indonesia, the green hills of South Sulawesi are home to the Toraja, a tribe that still honors the old Austronesian lifestyle, similar to Nias culture. Most tribe members are Christians, converted during Dutch colonization, but traces of their old beliefs still remain and are most visible during funeral festivities and burial customs. The Toraja are obsessed with death, but not in a tragic sense; to them funerals are a lot like going-away parties celebrated by sacrificing dozens of buffaloes and pigs for a feast enjoyed by the entire community.

The main concern of a Toraja tribe member is to make sure he raises enough money so his family can throw the best party in town, when he leaves this world. Their bodies are stored under the family home for years after their death. During this time the remaining relatives refer to that person not as “the deceased” but as “the sick”, and raise money for the actual funeral, which is usually attended by hundreds of guests. Tourists are welcome to attend the festivities, as long as they don’t wear black or red.

While churches dot the Toraja countryside, tribe members are rarely buried in the ground. They are either placed in tombs dug into nearby cliffs, or in wooden coffins hanging on the side of mountains. Lemo, one of the most popular burial sites in the area, looks like a big piece of rock Swiss cheese, with holes carved to fit coffins and balconies for the “tau tau” – life-size wooden effigies representing the deceased. In the old days, effigies only showed the deceased’s gender, but now master carvers try to make them look like the actual person. After the body has been placed in its rock tomb, the dead’s effigy is placed along others, in a carved balcony, so his spirit can watch over his descendants. Unfortunately, so many tau tau effigies have been stolen to be sold to tourists that people have started to keep them in their house.

At Ke’te’ kesu’, the dead are not placed in cliff-dug graves, but in wooden caskets hanging from the side of cliffs. The coffins are beautifully decorated with geometrical shapes, but over time the wood begins to rot and the bleached bones of the deceased often exposed. Some Toraja members are so resourceful that they pack the bones of several family members into a single coffin, which eventually causes the sustaining poles to break under the weight. But, judging by the piles of wood and bones at the bottom of the suspended burial ground, this doesn’t seem to bother anyone.

The smallest of the Toraja burial grounds are the “Baby Trees” where the tribe’s young are placed. If a child dies before he has started teething, its mother wraps his body in cloth, makes a another hole in the Baby Tree and places the dead infant inside. The hole is then sealed and as the tree begins to heal, the child is believed to be absorbed.

Peak Series in Nano House

2011-11-15T14:36:00.005+01:00

Our beloved prodigy the Peak Series are featured in the new book Nano House - Innovations for small dwellings by Phyllis Richardson, published by Thames & Hudson.

From the publisher:
Nano House presents the latest and most exciting solutions for houses where space is at a premium, nature must be preserved or accommodation created for those who need it most.
In our growing cities, space is at a premium. In the countryside, we want to preserve the landscape and build as ‘lightly’ as possible and in impoverished parts of the world the need for sustainable, economical shelter is stronger than ever. At the same time, digital design tools, eco-materials and new prefabrication technologies have all led to an explosion in innovative ideas for our domestic spaces.
Today’s challenge for architects and designers is to produce small-scale habitats that are more ecological, flexible and efficient, as well as adhering to modern standards of style and comfort.

The Patient Gardener

2011-10-21T16:29:00.006+02:00

Visiondivision was invited as guest professors by Politecnico di Milano for their week-long workshop MIAW2.
The workshop, playing with the metaphor of forests, aimed to generate new visions to explain the contemporary and immediate future ways of being in the spirit of green design, resilience, recycling, and ethical consciousness.
Our intention with our project was to construct a study retreat at the campus with patience as the main key for the design. If we can be patient with the building time we can reduce the need for transportation, waste of material and different manufacturing processes, simply by helping nature grow in a more architectonic and useful way. The final result can be enjoyed at Politecnico di Milano in about 60 years from now.

Treetop level perspective

Ground level perspective

Initial sketch for workshop - section and project evolution

Plan ground level & treetop level

Initial sketch for workshop - ground level

During the workshop we gave nature all the guidance and directions to help it grow into useful structures and objects.
There are different methods and tools to guide and control the growth of trees and plants; bending, twisting, pruning, grafting, braiding, weaving and to control the amount of water and light the trees get are just some examples of these.
We used almost all of these techniques in our creation, which involved creating a structural system for the building and also stairs and furnitures, all made out of trees, plants or grass.

Project components - structure, some of the furnitures and the stairs

Different techniques for guiding the trees

Our structural frame for this project became ten japanese cherry trees that was planted in a circle with a diameter of eight meters with a six meter high temporary wood structure in the center that is acting as a guidance tower for the growing structure.
The trees were planted with an equal spacing from each other, except for four of them that became two pairs of stairs to the future upper level.
The cherry trees was ideal to plant at that time of year and also had great features for achieving the desired structure.
Thin ropes were tied around the plants and were slightly bent towards the temporary tower.
As time passes the trees will form a dome when they reach the tower, and then designated by to change its direction so the final form will be an hourglass, a suiting shape for the project and also a very practical form as we now have two rooms with different modes in the building.

Planting the trees and initial guidance of the stairs

Tree guidance and stairs

The temporary tower for guiding the building

The temporary tower and growth diagram

The small branches on the plants that will grow into stairs are guided with wires to each other and will hopefully be useful later on. The rest of the stairs can later be grafted in the stair trees.
On the ground level we designed furniture out of grass, trees and plants.
There are a dining group consisting of a table with four chairs.
The chairs are plum trees where one sit at the lowest fork and the branches are guided into canopies so the future visitor can sit in the chair while at the same time eating delicious fruits.

The dining furnitures; four plum trees and a hedra table

The table is made out of slender wooden pieces with strings in the structure, which forms a skeleton where hedras can grow and later take over the structure completely.
A comfortable chair made out of grass are located on the other side of the ground floor.
The grass chair is put together with the use of a custom made cardboard structure, shaped for maximal relaxation and that is painted with a protection coating and that is later filled with soil on site and draped with grass.

'The grass armchair with the structural cardboard frame

A grass puff is also made and placed in the tower where the floor of the upper level will be.
The puff is a big potato bag filled with straw, soil, fertilizer and grass seed.
An organic rope is placed with a third of its length inside the bag, and the bag is later sewn together.
The rest of the rope is placed in water so the puff gets water and will later be covered in grass, so when the trees finally reaches this level and becomes the floor, it will already be furnished.

The puff - soil, straw, grass seed and rope in a potato bag

Together with the students we worked out a maintenance plan and instructions to future gardeners that is simple enough to actually work.
On the structure, we instructed that a pattern of wood will be grafted in, leaving two spaces between the trees as entries/exits and the rest is closed in ornamental patterns with branches.
On the upper level which is reached by the two staircases with exquisite handrails, is different fruit trees grafted into the cherry trees so the visitor can have a variety of fruits while relaxing in the canopy. Branches are also grafted in for security reasons between the tree trunks.
In about 80 years from now the Politecnico di Milano campus will have a fully grown building and the students will hopefully have proud grandchildren that can tell the story of the project for their friends and family.

General view of fully grown project

Upper level and ground level of fully grown structure

The end of the workshop and the beginning of

The team

Many thanks to our excellent students:

Rachele Albini
Giada Albonico
Jacopo Biasio
Sara Caramaschi
Elisa Carraro
Desislava Dimitrova
Cristina Gatti
Elisa Gulino
Mariya Hasamova
Nina Mikhailova
Ottavia Molatore
Joao Molinar
Azadeh Moradiasr
Mohyedin Navabzadeh Navabi
Giuseppe Maria Palermo
Riccardo Somaini
Bogdan Stojanovic

and thanks to the curators:

Oscar Bellini
Laura Daglio

and the organizers:

Luca Maria Francesco Fabris
Efisia Cipolloni

and all the other people at Politecnico di Milano that we came in contact with during the workshop.
See you in 60 years from now.

VD Guide XII

2011-10-15T10:14:00.000+02:00

The VD Guide XII gives you an interesting selecion of projects and phenomenon around the world.
Pharaoic machines, crafty animals, magic tricks and avant-garde pavilions are just some of the things you will see in this packed guide.
If you are holding on to an impressive piece that hasn't been featured yet, feel free to drop us a line (info@visiondivision.com)
As always, enjoy!
/the vd team
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hotel Iveria - A luxury hotel turned into a refugee camp
Birth: Built in 1967, turned into a refugee camp in 1990 and then made into a hotel in 2004 again
Location: Tblisi, Georgia
Architect: O. Kalandarashvili
VD says: A great story and an impressive visual result

The Iveria Hotel is a hotel in the city center of Tbilisi located on Rose Revolution Square. The hotel was built in 1967 as the premier luxury hotel of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic and was named Hotel Iveria after the ancient kingdom of Iveria. As a result of the war in Abkhazia the hotel became a refugee camp housing more than 800 refugees. In 2004 the refugees were removed from the hotel and offered $7000 per room. The hotel was renovated and in 2009 reopened as the Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Nasa Crawler - Huge vehicle/building that moves the NASA's space shuttles
Birth: 1981
Location: Florida, USA
Architect: Marion Power Shovel & NASA
VD says: Wonderful, especially with a space shuttle on top.

NASA's Crawler-Transporters are the largest tracked vehicles in existence.
Although the crawlers pack over 5,000 horsepower, their top speed is less than two kilometers per hour when fully loaded. Eleven people are needed to drive a single crawler.
Diesel fuel mileage is about 350 liters per kilometer.
The crawler's function is to move NASA's space shuttles, complete with launch platforms, from the Assembly Building to the Launch Pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.
Two of these massive machines have operated since the Apollo era and have now crawled over 4,000 kilometers, all the while keeping their contents perfectly upright.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Moses splits the Red Sea - Moses miraculously manage to split the Red Sea so the Israelites could pass dry and unharmed
Birth: 1000 BC
Location: Red Sea
Architect: Moses
VD says: Perhaps the greatest trick in the book

“And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and Jehovah caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left” (Exodus 14:21-22).

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Cormorant Islands - Wasteland looking islands due to bird shit
Birth: A long time ago
Location: Stockholm Archipelago, Sweden
Architect: The Cormorants
VD says: Always interesting with animals that changes their surrounding habitat

The cormorants nests in colonies, often with other species. The colonies usually cover between 10-500 pairs, and in extreme cases up to 1000 pairs. The habitats, which consists of seaweed and sticks, is placed on steep rock ledges or in trees. Cormorants lay 3-4 eggs which are whitish, without spots, and is relatively small.
Cormorants droppings consist largely of caustic ammonia, which makes it difficult for vegetation near cormorant colony to survive. Cormorants takes often completely over small islands where it settles down. It is easy to recognize these islands on the dead trees with large black birds, and the lack of other vegetation.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Tianzi Hotel - A hotel in the form of three old men
Birth: Around 2000
Location: Hebei Province, China
Architect: Unknown
VD says: Try the peach suite next time your in the area

To begin, this incredible hotel seems to have a few different names depending on what you read, as far as I can tell it has been known as: Tianzi Hotel, The Emperor Hotel and the Son Of Heaven Hotel. The hotel is located in Hebei Province and built some time around 2000/2001, The building is 10 storeys/41.6m high and was designed to represent Fu Lu Shou (good fortune, prosperity and longevity). The hotel won a Guiness World Record for being the world's 'biggest image building'.
Finally, you'll notice that Shou, the man on the left as you face the hotel, is holding what is apparently a peach. That peach is actually a suite within the hotel, the two holes in its front being windows.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Montreal Biosphere - Buckys largest realization of his geodesic spheres
Birth: 1967
Location: Montreal, Canada
Architect: Buckminster Fuller
VD says: A great architect and nice that his theories came into practice

The building originally formed an enclosed structure of steel and acrylic cells, 76 metres in diameter and 62 metres high. The dome is a Class 1, Frequency 16, Icosahedron. A complex system of shades was used to control the internal temperature.
Visitors had access to four large theme platforms divided into seven levels. The building included a 37-metre-long escalator, the longest ever built at the time.
In the afternoon of the 20 May 1976, during structural renovations,a fire burned away the building's transparent acrylic bubble, but the steel truss structure remained.The site remained closed until 1990.

Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller (July 12, 1895 – July 1, 1983 was an American engineer, systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, futurist and second president of Mensa International, the high IQ society.
Fuller published more than 30 books, inventing and popularizing terms such as "Spaceship Earth", ephemeralization, and synergetics. He also developed numerous inventions, mainly architectural designs, the best known of which is the geodesic dome. Carbon molecules known as fullerenes were later named by scientists for their resemblance to geodesic spheres.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Goat Tower - Vertical housing for goats
Birth: 1981
Location: Fairview, South Africa
Architect: Charles Back
VD says: A superb idea

The Goat Tower at Fairview Wine and Cheese farm is a landmark in the Paarl winelands of South Africa. It is the first of four documented structures of this kind. The Goat Tower was built in 1981 by Fairview owner Charles Back and has become the farm's most identifiable symbol and aspect of their brand.Fairview has more than 750 Saanen goats on their farm, the milk from which is used to produce a range of cheeses under the farm's label. A select group of these goats have the privilege of living in the tower.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Wrapped Coast - A complete wrapping of a coastal landscape
Birth: 1969 Death: 1969
Location: Little Bay, Australia
Architect: Christo and Jeanne-Claude
VD says: Simple idea and visually interesting

Little Bay, property of Prince Henry Hospital, is located 14.5 kilometres southeast of the centre of Sydney. The cliff-lined shore area that was wrapped is approximately 2.4 kilometres long, 46 to 244 metres wide, 26 metres high at the northern cliffs, and is at sea level at the southern sandy beach. 90 000 square metres of erosion-control fabric (a synthetic, woven fibre usually manufactured for agricultural purposes) was used for the wrapping, along with 56.3 kilometres of polypropylene rope, 3.8 centimetres in diameter. Ramset guns fired 25 000 charges of fasteners, threaded studs and clips to secure the rope to the rocks. Ninian Melville, a retired major in the Army Corps of Engineers, was in charge of the workers at the site. Over four weeks, it took more than 100 workers (including 15 professional mountain climbers) and 11 volunteers (architecture and art students from the University of Sydney and East Sydney Technical College) in excess of 17 000 hours to complete the work. Opened on 28 October 1969, many thousands of visitors travelled to the coastline to see the project during the weeks the coast was wrapped.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Niagara Falls - A great waterfall, enhanced with light effects by men
Birth: A long time ago and also enhanced in the 20th century
Location: Niagara Falls, Canada & USA
Architect: Earth, USA & Canada
VD says: A nice enhancement of an already superb sight.

The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has a vertical drop of more than 50 meters. Horseshoe Falls is the most powerful waterfalls (vertical height along with flow rate) in North America.
The Niagara Falls are renowned both for their beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Managing the balance between recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge for the stewards of the falls since the 19th century.
Peak numbers of visitors occur in the summertime, when Niagara Falls are both a daytime and evening attraction. From the Canadian side, floodlights illuminate both sides of the falls for several hours after dark (until midnight). The number of visitors in 2009 was expected to top 28 million tourists a year.
The observation deck of the nearby Skylon Tower offers the highest overhead view of the falls, and in the opposite direction gives views as far as distant Toronto. Along with the Tower Hotel, it is one of two towers in Canada with a view of the falls.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Enghien Gardens - A spectacular park with different parts
Birth: 1620
Location: Enghien, Belgium
Architect: Le Père Charles de Bruxelles
VD says: A tour de force of landscape architecture

The famed Renaissance-Baroque garden configuration at Enghien, evolved during the 1620s to 1650s, guided by the elaborate landscape and architectural design choices of Le Père Charles de Bruxelles (Arenberg family member and architect). They were an amalgam of French and Italian influences. Elements were grouped around a central axis (French feature). They included formal parterres adorned with classical statuary, tree-lined avenues, an orangery, a large viewing mound (an Italian feature), a grand pavilion on an island surrounded by imitation bastions, an ornate sculptured fountain in the middle of a reservoir, a small terraced garden on an artificial island (another Italian feature), and a series of more traditional gardens surrounded by hedged tunnels.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Bagger 288 - world's largest land vehicle
Birth: 1978
Location: Currently in the mine Garzweiler, Germany
Architect: Thyssen Krupp
VD says: Kick ass on wheels

The Bagger 288 is the world's largest land vehicle an weighs in at 13,500 tons.
It was created by the German company Thyssen Krupp, in 1978 to work in the coal mine Tagebau Hambach in Germany. It took five years to build and had a cost of about $ 100 million. It has a height of about 95 meters and is 240 meters long. It has a maximum speed of 10 meters per minute (0.6 km / h) through 12 caterpillar tracks systems powered electrically. It takes five workers to operate, and can excavate about 240,000 tons of coal or 240,000 cubic meters of sterile daily.

In February 2001, the bagger 288 completed his work on Tagebau Hagbach mine, and was no longer necessary to use them. In three weeks, ran 22 kilometers, to the mine Garzweiler, crossing the motorway Autobahn 61, the river Erft, a rail line and several highways. The movement costs 15 million DM needing a team of 70 workers. The rivers were crossed placing large steel pipes for water to flow through them and providing stones and gravel on them to create a smooth surface. A turf special was planted on his way to soften the ground. Move the Bagger 288 in a piece is cheaper than disassemble and move it piece by piece.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Jindo Island Miracle - A phenomenon created by low tide, and has become a great festival
Birth: A long time ago
Location: Jindo Island, South Korea
Architect: Earth
VD says: A divine natural phenomenon

Jindo Island, in South Korea, is host to one of the world’s most amazing natural phenomenons, called the Moses Miracle. Two times a year, during a low tide, a land path 2.8 kilometers long and 40 meters wide is revealed, uniting the islands of Jindo and Modo for a period of one hour.
A festival is dedicated to this natural wonder and people from all around the world attend every year.
However the Moses Miracle was largely unknown until 1975, when a French ambassador visited South Korea and wrote about in a French Newspaper.
The legend behind this Korean phenomenon goes like this:
a Jindo village was attacked by tigers and all the villagers ran to Modo island for shelter. All, except for a helpless old woman who was left behind, out of despair she prayed to the Sea God, who split the sea and helped her escape the bloodthirsty animals.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Auroville - A hippie city in India
Birth: 1968
Location: Tamil Nadu, India
Architect: Roger Anger
VD says: Its always interesting to see what the hippies are up to

Auroville (City of Dawn) is an experimental township in Viluppuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, near Puducherry in South India. It was founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa (called "The Mother" within Auroville) and designed by architect Roger Anger.
As stated in Alfassa's first public message about the township, "Auroville is meant to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The vanishing of The Statue of Liberty - World's largest magic trick
Birth: 1983
Location: New York, USA
Architect: David Copperfield, Jim Steinmeyer and Don Wayne
VD says: A different approach to architecture

In 1983 on live television, the magician David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty seem to disappear. In the illusion, Copperfield raises a giant curtain on Liberty Island before lowering it again a few seconds later to reveal that the space where the statue once stood is now empty. A helicopter hovers overhead to give an aerial view of the illusion, and indeed the statue appears to have vanished and only the circle of lights surrounding the statue remain. To prove that it is really gone, Copperfield then passes two searchlights through the space where the statue stood, to show there is nothing blocking the way. A live audience sits in an enclosed viewing area, and most of the camera shots are from the same area.

Unknown to the audience, they (along with the home audience cameras) are seated on a large rotating stage. After the curtain is brought up to obscure the view, the stage is rotated into a new position overlooking empty water. The movement is very small as the statue is to be hidden behind one of the brightly lit towers. Moreover, the lights are extinguished from the Statue of Liberty, which now cannot be seen in the darkness. The helicopters fly into a new position while a second ring of lights, identical to the ones around the statue, are lit in the open water. The curtain is then lowered, allowing the audience to observe the empty ring of lights, completing the illusion.

Mr Copperfield also did other stunts that relates to architecture; for example he walked through The Great Wall of China and flew over Grand Canyon.
He also dated Claudia Schiffer.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Petra - Rock cut church
Birth: 6th century BC
Location: Petra, Jordan
Architect: Unknown
VD says: Masterful, even with today's standards

Petra meaning rock; is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is famous for its rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited tourist attraction.It lies on the slope of Mount Hor in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Dutch Pavillion 2000 - Layers of different landscapes
Birth: 2000
Location: Hannover, Germany
Architect: MVRDV
VD says: The stacked landscapes put into reality

From the architects site:
Nature arranged on many levels provides both an extension to existing nature and an outstanding symbol of its artificiality. It provides multi-level public space as an extension to existing public spaces. And even by arranging existing programs on many levels it provides yet more extra space, at ground level, for visibility and accessibility, for the unexpected, for “nature.” Dividing up the space in the Dutch entry and arranging it on multiple levels surrounds the building with spatial events and other cultural manifestations. The building becomes a monumental multi-level park. It takes on the character of a happening.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Mariendom - A concrete pilgrim church
Birth: 1963-72
Location: Neviges, France
Architect: Gottfried Böhm
VD says: A concrete endeavour

When a miraculous engraving in copperplate of the Immaculata was brought to Neviges in the seventeenth century, it became a pilgrimage center for the religious. Around 1960, the church decided that they wanted to construct a new building, starting a competition which would result in a new church amidst a Franciscan monastery and other late-baroque architecture. This led to a series of competitions, eventually won by architect Gottfried Böhm, although initially his design was not accepted as the judges thought it to be exaggerated and manneristic.
Even with the lack of other new architecture surrounding the pilgrims as they begin to approach the church, the facade of Mariendom humbles visitors just the same. With its jagged and furrowed mass, it remains as one of the most monumental manifestations of a modern church building as a casted crystal mountain. In the secular context of the culture during the designing and construction periods, the church offered a promise of safety.
The invariable nature of the extensive interior caves of both the main and lower churches, the chapel niches formed by jointless folds of concrete, the piers either free-standing or formed by the edges of the walls, and the folded sections illuminated only by small rooflights that peak just above the altar give a sense of protection to the pilgrims.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Devil's Garden - Patches of lemon trees surrounded by rainforest, all due to ants
Birth: A long time ago
Location: Amazon Rainforest
Architect: Lemon Ants
VD says: Highly coordinated and intelligent landscape alteration

In myrmecology and forest ecology, a devil's garden (Kichwa: Supay chakra,[1] Spanish: Jardin del Curupira) is a large stand of trees in the Amazon Rainforest consisting almost exclusively of a single species, Duroia hirsuta. Devil's gardens are immediately recognizable because the dominance of a single tree species is dramatically different from the biodiversity of the forest as a whole.

According to Deborah Gordon devil's gardens got their name because locals believed that an evil forest spirit Chullachaki (meaning "uneven foot, single foot" in Kichwa) lived in them.

The ant Myrmelachista schumanni creates devil's gardens by systematically poisoning all plants in the vicinity except D. hirsuta, the tree in which it nests. The ant poisons the plants by injecting formic acid into the base of the leaf. By killing other plants, the ant promotes the growth and reproduction of D. hirsuta which has hollow stems that provide nest sites for the ants; A single ant colony might have more than 3 million workers and 15,000 queens, and may persist for more than 800 years.Although the ants fend off herbivores, the size of the garden is restricted by leaf destruction increasing as it expands, as the ants are unable to defend the trees beyond a certain point.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

L'Habitacles - Sculpturesque architecture
Birth: 1964-66
Location: Meudon, France
Architect: Andre Bloc
VD says: Nicely done

I can say that it is the sculpture that helped me understand the architecture and urbanism. This may be weird and surprising, yet true. "André Bloc, now No. 59-60, Special André Bloc, in December 1967.

Andrew Block (1895-1966) was first engineer and worked in a factory until he met in 1921 with Le Corbusier's influence and the fact that many look to the architecture.
Editor, in the beginning, technical journals, he was the founder of the indispensable magazine "L'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui" and "Art of Today" which brought him close to many artists and architects such as Frantz Jourdain, Henri Sauvage and Auguste Perret.
In the garden of his villa in Meudon, built in 1949 and where is the family for 20 years Seroussi, there are two "sculptures interiors": - The Habitacle No. 2 of 1964 - The Habitacle "The Tower" 1966
The whole house interiors and sculptures has been classified a historical monument in 1983 and is open to the public one day per month.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Tours Aillaud - Paris Projects with an artsy approach
Birth: 1977
Location: Paris, France
Architect: Emile Aillaud
VD says: Consequent and dreamy

The Tours Aillaud (also known as Tours Nuages) is a group of residential buildings located in Nanterre, in the inner suburbs of Paris, France.

Built in 1977 at the outskirts of La Défense business district, the Tours Aillaud are named after their main architect, Emile Aillaud. The housing project represents 18 towers including 1,607 apartments all together. The tallest of those are the Tours 1 and 2 with 39 floors and a height of 105 meters. The Tours 3 to 10 have 20 floors and the Tours 11 to 18 have 13 floors.

Despite the differences in height, the towers share the same shape, consisting of the superposition of several cylinders. Their cladding is made of frescos representing clouds in the sky (in French nuages), which is the origin of their nickname.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Swiss Pavillion 1970 - Made out of 32,036 40-watt electric bulbs
Birth: 1970
Location: Osaka, Japan
Architect: Willy Walter
VD says: A lot of lights is a good start to make something great

"Radiant Structure" is the name of the Swiss Pavilion at Expo '70, Osaka, Japan. The steel and aluminum structure resembles a plant as it branches into ever-smaller parts, culminating in 32000 glass bulbs that light at night.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Qeswachaka Hanging Bridges - Handwoven bridge that is remade every year
Birth: 15th century
Location: Cuzco, Peru
Architect: Local farmers
VD says: Quite amazing to make a bridge 500 times at the same place, stupidity or an eager to refine their techniques?

The Qeswachaka hanging bridge, of Cuzco, Peru, is handwoven every year, from a local grass called Qoya.
Located approximately 100 km from Cuzco, Qeswachaka bridge was once part of a network of bridges, built in the time of the Inca empire, but is now the only one of its kind, in the world. Spanning 40 meters over the Apurimac river, at around 4000 meters above water, Qeswachaka is built using the ancient Qhapaq nan technique, used by the Inca people.

Qhapaq nan bridges were built from grass, and were wide enough for only one person to pass, at a time. In ancient times these bridges were constantly under surveillance and everyone crossing them was monitored. When Pizzaro began his march for Cuzco, Qeswachaka was destroyed, to slow his advance, but was reconstructed, many years later.
Made from a local herb, known as Qoya, the fibers of Qeswachaka bridge deteriorate rapidly, and local communities have to reconstruct the bridge every year. Around 1,000 men and women, from various Andean communities gather at Qeswachaka bridge, every second week of June, for the rebuilding ceremony. Long blade of Qoya grass are woven into six long cables, which are bound and secured by eucalyptus trunks, buried at each end of the bridge.
It’s not that building a more modern bridge would be impossible, but this is a way for the Andean people to celebrate and honor their Inca ancestors, and keep their centuries old traditions alive.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Kelimutu crater lakes - Three crater lakes with different colors
Birth: A long time ago
Location: Flores, Indonesia
Architect: Earth
VD says: Crater lakes are cool, three-colored crater lakes are cooler

Kelimutu is a volcano close to the town of Moni in central Flores Island of Indonesia, containing three summit crater lakes of varying colors. Tiwu Ata Mbupu (Lake of Old People) is usually blue and is the westernmost of the three lakes. The other two lakes, Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai (Lake of Young Men and Maidens) and Tiwu Ata Polo (Bewitched or Enchanted Lake) are separated by a shared crater wall and are typically green or red in color, respectively. The lake colors do vary on a periodic basis. Subaqueous fumaroles are the probable cause of active upwelling that occurs at the two eastern lakes.
The scenic lakes are a popular tourist destination. Keli Mutu is also of interest to geologists because the three lakes are different colors yet reside at the crest of the same volcano.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Russian Pyramids - 44 Pyramids built in Russia for scientific purposes
Birth: 1990s
Location: Around Russia
Architect: Aleksandr Golod
VD says: Even today, the pyramid continues to fascinate

Inventor Aleksandr Golod believes that the two dozen pyramids he has built harmonize their surroundings. The largest of his pyramids is 44 meters tall and built completely out of fiberglass. This pyramid, named the Golden Section Pyramid, is located just outside of Moscow and is a major tourist attraction as many flock to view the spectacle and absorb the healing energy it is claimed to generate.

Golod has teamed with other researchers in studying the positive effects of the energetic field surrounding the pyramids. Russian radar discovered a column of energy beaming up from the Golden Section Pyramid. It is thought this energy column could be an ionic field radiating beneficial effects up and outward and possibly even healing holes in the ozone layer. Other research has found possibilities for improved immune system functioning, reduction of radioactivity, increasing oil viscosity to improve output and higher crop yields. Crystalline structures placed in the pyramids have been taken to the MIR space station and used in jails for further research. Russian scientific institutions are researching the pyramid's effects as they explore ancient roots of what could be modern healing practices.

Hill Hut in 1000x European Architecture

2011-10-12T13:51:00.003+02:00

Hill Hut is published in the prestigious book "1000x European Architecture" which is now in stores.
Order it here or visit your local distributer for a delightful read.

From the publisher:
The selected works in this volume provide a cross-section of contemporary European architectural culture in the current context of the building boom, financial crisis and economic recovery. These diverging developments combined with significantly increased ecological awareness have sustainably and creatively influenced the world of architecture between the North Cape and the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Ural Mountains during the past five years.

It is therefore time for a new edition of 1000 x European Architecture. The 1000 buildings featured, of all types and sizes, are a comprehensive overview of how differently architects and building owners have reacted to the challenges. This compendium brings together on 1000 pages the latest works of the world’s leading architects as well as great projects by up-and-coming future stars. Across all countries there are fascinating examples of a wide variety of buildings types and sizes that substantially enrich the exciting diversity of European architecture.

Tower Town

2011-09-02T10:36:00.000+02:00

Competition entry for the Taiwan Tower competition in Taichung.

A tall building is simply not enough in the endeavour for an emblematic skyscraper
in the 21st century. The sensation seeking of a high solitaire object has been the predominant show-off for the last century where the height has been limited to a combination of building technique and money.
With growing economies all over the world and leaps in technology; the record race has become more obscure than ever with record holdings that only will last a couple of years with today’s pace. The tall lone building has been done so many times before, it doesn’t matter if you tweak it, swirl it, punctuate it, clad it with new materials; it still will more or less be the same.
If you go up the elevators of Empire State Building, Sears Towers, Pearl Tower or any other solitaire, it is pretty much the same experience.
To make new world wonders, new typologies must be found, making architecture and spatial experience once again the main key to success.
With our proposed typology, we wanted to make a truly unique experience for anyone visiting, working in or living in the new tower.
Our solution was to separate the building into over a hundred of sleek towers; this will make the complex more into a highly interactive and intimate city district than into one large building mass that has little to no interaction with its users. The narrow streetscape will offer stunning vertical views, both from a street level and in mid-air on the many footbridges that is connecting the many towers, both for structural support and for communication and observation purposes.
The observation deck is not just from one high point, it is on many levels and in different towers to get a broad spectra of views of the surrounding city, the towers themselves, the mountainous landscape and even as far as the ocean.

Above Tower Town

Inside Tower Town

Tower Town from mid-air

Looking up in Tower Town

The Streets of Tower Town

Tower Town from Taichung city

Tower Town from the park

Tower Town from above

Tower Town from above

Conceptual drawing

Conceptual drawing

Section

Plans

Facades

Site plan

Midwest Summer Office

2011-08-29T17:44:00.002+02:00

The team is now back in the US where they have set up a temporary office to refine the last details of Chop Stick which is scheduled to be open for public next summer.
As always you can reach them on their e-mail which they check on a daily basis.

Chop Stick

2011-08-08T11:02:00.039+02:00

Visiondivision was commissioned by the Indianapolis Museum of Art to create an innovative concession stand for 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, which will begin construction this summer.

The design is based on the universal notion that you need to sacrifice something in order to make something new. Every product is a compound of different pieces of nature, whether it is a cell phone, a car, a stone floor or a wood board; they have all been harvested in one way or another. Our project is about trying to harvest something as gently as possible so that the source of what we harvest is displayed in a pure, pedagogic and respectful way—respectful to both the source itself and to everyone visiting the building.

The raw material we selected is a 100-foot yellow poplar tree, the state tree of Indiana, known for its beauty, respectable size, and good properties as hardwood. We found a great specimen standing in a patch of forest outside of Anderson, Indiana. Our goal is to make the best out of this specific poplar tree, from taking it down and through the whole process of transforming it into a useful building that will be part of one of the finest art parks in the United States. As the project proceeds, we continue to be surprised by all of the magical features that are revealed in refining a tree into a building; both in the level of craftsmanship and knowledge of woodworkers and arborists, and also of the tree itself.

Master diagram

The first step is to cut down the tree, which is done when the ground is dry enough to manage a crane on the site, with special mats placed on the ground to secure the crane’s operation. A cushion of small, already chopped-down trees is created to reduce the impact of the tree’s fall and to keep the majority of its limbs intact.

The tree is then transported to the park site, where it becomes the suspended horizontal beam of this new structure, which will be almost entirely made out of the tree itself. The tree’s bark is removed to prevent it from falling on bystanders, a process that occurs naturally as the moisture content in the wood drops, causing the tree to shrink and the bark to lose its grip. Craftsmen loosen entire cylinders of bark from the trunk that are then flattened and cut into a standard shingle length. The shingles are carefully stacked and placed under pressure to avoid curling. The stacks are then kiln dried to the proper moisture content, sterilized, and kept in climate-controlled storage until they are ready for use. Bark shingles are very durable, long lasting (up to 80 years), and maintenance free.

After debarking, pieces of wood are extracted from the suspended tree and used for each of the components of the concession stand; structural support of the entire construction, pillars and studs for the kiosk, swings under the tree for kids, benches and tables to be placed under the tree’s crown, from which special fixtures made out of branches will hang. Many school children visit 100 Acres, and we had those kids in mind when we decided to hang swings from the tree.

On a smaller scale, we are exploring ways to use other parts of the tree in the concession stand, including its root system, which is separated from the tree when cut down. The roots have many edible features, such as root bark used to make tea and tonics that could be sold in the kiosk, for example. Pressed leaves and flowers taken from the tree will be ornaments in the front glass of the kiosk. There is also the possibility of extracting honey from poplar tree flowers, which could be something for sale on site. The branches that are less than five inches in diameter are cut away to prevent eventual rotting, and those can be used for details such as legs for the chairs and tables, or grinded down into sawdust for use as insulation.

The cut down of the tree and the transportation to the IMA
(Image courtesy: Donna Sink)

Here is a series of pictures from the two intense days in Indy this summer when the tree was taken down gently from a forest outside of Anderson, Indiana and taken to the 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park at The Indianapolis Museum of Arts.

The fine craftsmen of Indiana conferencing before the chop down

Connecting the wires to the crane, and choping down smaller limbs

The yellow poplar tree hanging from the crane

the tree in a horizontal position

Flowers from the tree and smaller limbs are saved for later use

The back part of the tree is cut in slices for tables at the outdoor seating area

A first debarking of the tree to fit the truck

Getting the tree on the back part of the truck

The truck is finally loaded

The tree outside Anderson, Indiana, ready to roll

Truck on its way to Indianapolis on narrow roads with police escort

The tree was later debarked on the temporary studs at the 100 Acres

The crown of the debarked tree at the 100 acres ready for further refinement.

A huge thanks to our collaborators!

Curator: Lisa Freiman
Curator: Sarah Green
Local architect: Donna Sink
Engineer: Dave Steiner
Logger: Dave and Dave
IMA CEO: Max Andersson
And all the other staff of the IMA and other involved people at the Chop Stick project

Great Odds

2011-08-03T14:36:00.004+02:00

A new competition is out that we're thinking of entering.
The announcement seems promising.

Cancer City on display at the Tallinn Architecture Biennale

2011-08-02T14:11:00.005+02:00

Our knock out project Cancer City will be on display at the splendorous Kadriorg Palace during the ambitious Tallinn Architecture Biennale which will be held September 8-11 2011.
Tallinn Architecture Biennale is a new architecture forum that brings together theory and practice, young and experienced architects in order to arouse rich discussion over architecture, urban planning and landscape issues.
We are so happy to be a part of it that we will personally transport a model across the Baltic Sea to secure the fragile conveyance.

Preparations for Milan

2011-06-10T11:43:00.004+02:00

Visiondivision has been invited by the Architect School at “Politecnico di Milano” to hold a workshop by building a green structure at the schools campus in September this Autumn. To train our planting skills the team went out to a dear friend of ours estate to get a lesson in how to plant trees.

Visiondivision holds mini-lecture in Stockholm

2011-06-01T17:11:00.003+02:00

Visiondivision will hold a small lecture on the 9th of June at the annual summer-gathering for the Swedish architect foundation.
The talk will be about our latest piece of greatness , all accompanied by free champagne and star-strucked eyes.

VD Guide XI

2011-04-25T14:28:00.000+02:00

The VD Guide XI gives you a range of vernacular delights and animal ingenuity sparkled with some natural phenomenon and sharp architecture.
Thanks once again to our Australian friend Charles Ranken for his contribution "House of Mirrors". If you are holding on to a piece of great architecture that hasn't been featured yet, feel free to drop us a line (info@visiondivision.com)
Enjoy!
/the vd team
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Social Weaver's Nest - Huge bird nest that can accomodate hundreds of birds
Birth: A long time ago
Location: Southern Africa
Architect: The Social Weaver bird
VD says: Proves once again that some animals can compete for the Pritzker Prize

The Social Weavers are small African birds that are extremely gregarious. Sociable weavers construct permanent nests on trees and other tall objects. These nests are the largest built by any bird, and are large enough to house over a hundred pairs of birds, containing several generations at a time. The nests are highly structured and provide birds with a more advantageous temperature relative to the outside. The central chambers retain heat and are used for nighttime roosting. The outer rooms are used for daytime shade and maintain temperatures of 7-8 degrees Celsius inside while outside temperatures may range from 16-33 degrees Celsius.
The nests consist of separate chambers, each of which is occupied by a pair (sometimes with offspring) roost and breed. Nests are built around large and sturdy structures like Acacia trees or sometimes even telephone poles. These nests are perhaps the most spectacular structure built by any bird.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Loess Belt Dwellings - Dug out settlements for ten million Chinese
Location: Loess Belt, China
Architect: Chinese
VD says: Great site adaptation and agricultural finesse

One of the most radical solutions in the field of shelter is represented by the underground towns and villages in the Chinese loess belt. Loess is silt, transported and deposited by the wind.
Because of its great softness and high porosity (45 per cent), it can be easily carved. In places, roads have been cut as much as 15 meters deep into the original level by the action of wheels.
The photographs show settlements of the most rigorous, not to say abstract, design near Tungkwan (Honnan).
The dark squares in the flat landscape are pits about the size of a tennis court.
Their vertical sides are 9 to 10 meters high. L-shaped staircases lead to the apartments below whose rooms are about 10 meters deep and 5 meters wide, and measure about 5 meters to the top of the vaulted ceiling.
They are lighted and aired by openings that give onto the courtyard.
Not only habitations but factories, schools, hotels and goverment offices are built
entirely underground.
The floor/roof has a double function: shelter and crop field. Neither additional air-conditioning nor heating is required, due to natural thermal lag kept in the soil mass. Furthermore, grain from the fields may be dried above ground, and afterwards
storaged downstairs in the cave dwelling, simply by letting it directly fall into the storage room, through a hole on the floor/roof.
The weather conditions are very extreme in this part of the world, with harsh long winters and very hot summers, thus the cave dwellings make the climate more stable for its inhabitants. It is estimated that over ten million people live in underground settlements in China.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Dutch Tulip Fields - Three billion tulips in various colors
Birth: Beginning of the 17th century
Location: Fields all over Holland
Architect: Dutch farmers
VD says: A kaleidoscope of colors

With more than 10,000 hectares devoted to the cultivation of these delicate flowers, the Dutch landscape in May is a delight of colors when the tulips burst into life.
The bulbs were planted in late October and early November, and these colourful creations are now ready to be picked and sold as bunches of cut flowers in florists and supermarkets.
More than three billion tulips are grown each year and two-thirds of the vibrant blooms are exported, mostly to the U.S. and Germany.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Byholma Lumber Storage - Worlds largest lumber storage due to a hurricane
Birth: 2005
Location: Byholma, Sweden
Architect: The hurricane Gudrun
VD says: Immense scale

The fierce hurricane Gudrun swept over Southern Sweden in January 2005 and caused over 300 000 000 trees to fall in this region, an airbase outside the small town Byholma has been converted to the largest lumber storage in the world, now including 1 000 000 m3 of timber. This will stay at this place until 2010, otherwise the market would be saturated. It is now a popular tourist place with a tourbus going in the summer.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Kariakoo Market - A water collecting market place
Birth: 1972
Location: Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania
Architect: Beda Amuli
VD says: Great solution

The Kariakoo market in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, is such an example. Built in 1974 by the architect B.J. Amuli, the building offers three layers of market area and forms the centre of the Kariakoo market which is spread out in the neighborhood. The building is perfectly adapted to its function, but also to its environment. It provides for the necessary air circulation and the roof exists of a series of gigantic funnels to harvest the rain, to be stored in underground collection tanks.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Teatro Olimpico - A trompe oeil theatre scenery
Birth: 1580-1585
Location: Venice, Italy
Architect: Andrea Palladio and Vincenzo Scamozzi
VD says: Staggering stage set!

The Teatro Olimpico ("Olympic Theatre") is a theatre in Vicenza, northern Italy: constructed in 1580-1585, it is the oldest surviving enclosed theatre in the world. The theatre was the final design by the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, Renaissance, and was not completed until after his death. The trompe-l'œil onstage scenery, designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi, to give the appearance of long streets receding to a distant horizon, was installed in 1585 for the very first performance held in the theatre, and is the oldest surviving stage set still in existence.

The Teatro Olimpico is, along with the Teatro all'antica in Sabbioneta and the Teatro Farnese in Parma, one of only three Renaissance theatres remaining in existence. Both these theatres were based, in large measure, on the Teatro Olimpico.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Danakil Desert - A volcanic desert
Birth: A long time ago
Location: North-eastern Ethiopia
Architect: Earth
VD says: Wonderous and grim landscape

Danakil Desert in northeast Ethiopia has been called “Hell on Earth,” but that doesn’t dissuade thrill-seeking travelers from flocking there to see some of the strangest conditions on the entire planet.
Walking in the incredible landscape of the Danakil desert is probably as close as you can get to stepping foot on an alien planet. The desolate landscape is marked by volatile volcanoes and the scorching hot air is filled with hazardous gases.
It was named by National Geographic as the "Cruelest Place on Earth".

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Southampton Versailles - Renovation of boring apartment into French Royal
Birth: 1985 and still going
Location: Southampton, UK
Architect: Adrian Reeman
VD says: Admirable effort

Being a proper British eccentric, Mr Reeman has spent 25 years transforming his once ordinary flat in Southampton, Hampshire into the lavish Palace of Versailles, once home to the French Royal Family until 1789.
His two bedroom flat, nine stories up an unremarkable tower block, is now covered in opulent wooden panels, ornate glass fittings and elegant scroll work from ceiling to floor.
Adrian has never even been to Versailles, which is on the outskirts of Paris, despite it being only 300 kilometres away from his home, about the same distance as between New York and Boston. But with a home like his, he's no need to.
But tragically, Adrian and Annette may have to rip out all his hard work if they ever move.
'The council have a policy that tenants must restore flats to their original condition before moving out,' he says.
'There's no way I could put this place back to how it was, it would be impossible, so it looks like I'm trapped here until they pull the whole block down.'

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Prince Saint Vladimir - A floating church
Birth: 2004
Location: Volga River, Russia
Architect: Russian Church
VD says: Great concept for religious buildings

The Prince Saint Vladimir is basically an old boat converted into a floating church that could make the sacred relics on board accessible to people in remote areas along the Volga River.

Built back in 2004, the unique church was designed to reach even the shallowest waters, so that all the people of the Volvograd region could have access to a church and priest. There were two other similar churches built before, but because they were practically converted barges, they could only be moved by tugboats. The Prince Saint Vladimir is, however, a self-propelled craft.

On September 13, 2010, the great river voyage of the Prince Saint Vladimir began. The floating church will travel around 3,000 kilometers along the shores of the Volga, from the river mouth, all the way to Moscow. It will make stops in both cities and small communities along the shores, allowing people access to relics of eight great saints from the era of the Undivided Church. Its voyage will take the sacred ship to areas that have suffered from drought and terrible wildfires, and the Russian Church hopes it will bring comfort to locals.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Galathee - An underwater house for ocean observation
Birth: 1977
Location: The Mediterranean
Architect: Jacques Rougerie
VD says: Cool design, but even cooler mission

French architect Jacques Rougerie suggests that we should build underwater. Between 1977 and 1981 he constructed underwater habitats and villages, named Galathee, Aquabulle and Hippocampe, which have been tested in the course of scientific and educational operations in the Mediterranean.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

La Tomatina - A tomato fight event
Birth: 1950
Location: Buñol, Spain
Architect: Buñol townsmen
VD says: One hour is all that is necessary to radically change the public space - in this case the change is done with tomatoes.

La Tomatina is a festival that is held in the Valencian town of Buñol, in which participants throw tomatoes at each other. It is held the last Wednesday in August, during the week of festivities of Buñol.
At around 10am festivities begin with the first event of the Tomatina. It is the "palo jabón", similar to the greasy pole. The goal is to climb a greased pole with a ham on top. As this happens, the revellers work into a frenzy of singing and dancing whilst being showered in water from hoses. Once someone is able to drop the ham off the pole, the start signal for the tomato fight is given. The signal for the onset is at about 11 when a loud shot rings out, and the chaos begins.
Several trucks throw tomatoes in abundance in the Plaza del Pueblo. The tomatoes come from Extremadura, where they are less expensive and are grown specifically for the holidays, being of inferior taste. For the participants the use of goggles and gloves are recommended. The tomatoes must be crushed before being thrown so as to reduce the risk of injury.
After exactly one hour, the fight ends with the firing of the second shot, announcing the end. The whole town square is coloured red and rivers of tomato juice flow freely. Fire Trucks hose down the streets and participants use hoses that locals provide to remove the tomato paste from their bodies. Some participants go to the pool of “los peñones” to wash. After the cleaning, the village cobblestone streets are pristine due to the acidity of the tomato disinfecting and thoroughly cleaning the surfaces.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Flood Spider Webs - Enormous spider webs in trees after the Pakistan flooding
Birth: 2010
Location: Sindh, Pakistan
Architect: Spiders
VD says: Spiders are going Christo, but in comparison with him, these webs also have a positive function; an anti-malarian effect.

When Pakistan experienced severe flooding in 2010, it had the unexpected side effect of driving millions upon millions of spiders to the trees, where they could escape the floodwater. Since the flooding lasted for such a long time, many trees became blanketed in thick layers of web.

But according to the UK government, which assisted in the flood release effort this may have actually had a positive health effect: On-the-ground reports suggest that there are fewer mosquitos than would have been expected after the influx of so much stagnant water. This, in turn, may have reduced the very real risk of malaria to local populations afflicted with flooding.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Bliss & Son's Tweed Mill - Victorian looking factory
Birth: 1872
Location: Chipping Norton, UK
Architect: George Woodhouse
VD says: A quite humoristic building

The Bliss Valley Tweed Mill built to resemble a great house in a park and far removed from the simplicity of Early Victorian industrial architecture. It has a balustraded parapet and square corner cowers with urns. A chimneystack of the Tuscan order dominates. It rises from a domed tower and is dated 1872. The architect was George Woodhouse from Lancashire, who specialised in the design of mills and factories.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Nash Tower of Value - Stacked cars in moving glass elevator
Birth: 1933 Death: 1933
Location: Chicago, USA
Architect: Nash Motors
VD says: Wonderful and ingenius display

The Nash Tower of Value was a feature of the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.
This parking tower is 25 meters tall, and it carries sixteen cars,
each car in a pocket, its full height. Colored lights bathe the tower,
and Nash cars pass up and down in continuous movement,
bringing each car into a glass-fronted show room at the tower's base.
The tower’s sleek see-through design also demonstrated the space-saving advantages of mechanical car storage in a parking garage.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Valle de la Prehistoria - A vast park of dinosaur statues
Birth: 1980
Location: Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
Architect: Cuban inmates
VD says: What stirs the imagination better than real size dinos?

Valle de la Prehistoria, near the city of Santiago de Cuba, is a prehistoric-themed tourist attraction that features life-size models of over 200 dinosaurs and cavemen.

Located inside the Bocanao National park, Valle de la Prehistoria spreads over 11 hectares of land and is as close as it can get to a real-life Jurassic Park. The vast recreational park dedicated to science and palaeontology is split into multiple areas separated by geological epochs, and features lush vegetation, man-made waterfalls and 227 concrete statues representing 59 different species, including dinosaurs, mammoths, felines and early cavemen.
According to people who visited this popular tourist attraction, it is indeed a fun way to travel back in time, and no other facility manages to recreate a prehistoric atmosphere as faithfully.
Valle de la Prehistoria was opened to the public in 1980 and its detailed statues were apparently built by a group of inmates, using a popular technique known as ferrocement.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Horsetail Fall - A waterfall that glows in some February sunsets
Birth: A long time ago
Location: Yosemite, USA
Architect: Earth
VD says: Earth shows one of her many natural spectacles, what a magician

Horsetail Fall is one of the most beautiful waterfalls on the North American continent, but it’s only truly special for two weeks a year. The first firefalls of Yosemite Park were man made. Large fires were started atop Glacier Point and the red-hot embers were pushed down the granite wall, in the evening. It was a nice show of fireworks, until the fire hazard of the 1960s, when the dangerous practice stopped.

But that didn’t mean Yosemite was left without a firefall, if anything, people got to discover a much more beautiful one. When the natural conditions are just right, tourists can enjoy a unique spectacle where water turns into burning fire. During the last two weeks of February, when the sun shines above Yosemite Valley, and water pours down the granite wall, the firefall phenomenon takes place. But because clouds and storms are common during the winter months, and sometimes California has dry years, Horsetail Firefall can only be witnessed rarely, and timing is of the essence.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Tower of David - A squatter skyscraper
Birth: 1994
Location: Caracas, Venezuela
Architect: David Brillembourg
VD says: An interesting skyscraper paradox

Some people still call the 45-story skyscraper the Tower of David, after David Brillembourg, the brash financier who built it in the 1990s. The helicopter landing pad on its roof remains intact, a reminder of the airborne limousines that were once supposed to drop bankers off for work.
The office tower, one of Latin America’s tallest skyscrapers, was meant to be an emblem of Venezuela’s entrepreneurial mettle. But that era is gone. Now, with more than 2,500 squatters making it their home, the building symbolizes something else entirely in this city’s center.
The squatters live in the uncompleted high-rise, which lacks several basic amenities like an elevator. The smell of untreated sewage permeates the corridors. Children scale unlit stairways guided by the glow of cellphones. Some recent arrivals sleep in tents and hammocks.
Few of the building’s terraces have guardrails. Even walls and windows are absent on many floors. Yet dozens of DirecTV satellite dishes dot the balconies. The tower commands some of the most stunning views of Caracas.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hyderabad Windscoops - Windscoops to cool down houses
Birth: 16th century Death: The introduction of air condition made them obsolete
Location: Hyderabad, Pakistan
Architect: Hyderabad inhabitants
VD says: A repetetive object that changed the skyline

From April to June the temperature in Hyderabad, Pakistan can exceed 50° C, but the wind always blows from the same direction, so the position of the windscoops is fixed. Rudofsky (Architecture without Architects): “In multistoried houses they reach all the way down, doubling as intramural telephones. Although the origin of this contraption is unknown, it has been in use for at least five hundred years.” I suppose modern air-conditioners, punched into the buildings’ walls, have replaced them – but soon afterwards satellite dishes will have taken their place on the roof.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Garbage City - A waste management slum
Birth: Some time ago
Location: Cairo, Egypt
Architect: The Zabbaleen
VD says: This looks like a Wall-E dystopia

The Manshyiat Naser slum, on the outskirts of Cairo, is often referred to as “The City of Garbage” because of the large quantities of trash shipped here from all over Egypt’s capital city.
Like in any other normal community, you’ll find streets, houses and apartments throughout the settlement, but everything and everyone here depends on garbage. The inhabitants of Manshyiat Naser (called Zabbaleen) bring the trash into the city, by truck, cart, or any other means necessary, and sort any recyclable or useful waste.
Every street and every building in Manshyiat Naser is stacked with mountains of garbage, and you’ll see men, women and children thoroughly digging through them, looking for something they can sell. Although it may seem like an outdated system of handling trash, the Zabbaleen do a far better job than any of the waste handling systems of the modern world. Around 80% of the trash is recycled and resold, while the rest is either fed to the pigs roaming through the city streets, or burned for fuel.
The Zabbaleen barely manage to survive on what they make sorting out garbage, but many of them have done it for generations and wouldn’t conceive living their lives otherwise. They dispose of about a third of Cairo’s garbage, at no cost to authorities, and manage to make a decent living for them and their families. The Model of Manshyiat Naser has been copied in various cities around the world, including Manila, Bombay and Los Angeles.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Chand Baori - A deep and well-crafted stepwell
Birth: 9th Century
Location: Abhaneri, Jaipur, India
Architect: Thirsty Indians
VD says: Beautiful solution for a well

Chand Baori is a famous stepwell situated in the village of Abhaneri near Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
It was built in the 9th century and has 3500 narrow steps in 13 stories.
All forms of the stepwell may be considered to be particular examples of the many types of storage and irrigation tanks that were developed in India, mainly to cope with seasonal fluctuations in water availability. A basic difference between stepwells on the one hand, and tanks and wells on the other, was to make it easier for people to reach the ground water, and to maintain and manage the well.
In some related types of structure (johara wells), ramps were built to allow cattle to reach the water

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Seventh Kilometer Market - An enormous market made up of containers
Birth: 1989
Location: Odessa, Ukraine
Architect: Ukrainians
VD says: The big daddy of all container-architecture

Empty shipping containers are commonly used as market stalls and warehouses in the countries of the former USSR.
The biggest shopping mall or organized market in Europe is made up of alleys formed by stacked containers, on 170 acres (69 ha) of land, between the airport and the central part of Odessa, Ukraine. Informally named "Tolchok" and officially known as the Seventh-Kilometer Market it has 16,000 vendors and employs 1,200 security guards and maintenance workers.
The independent traders on the market sell goods in all price ranges, from authentic merchandise to all sorts of cheap Asian consumer goods, including many counterfeit Western luxury goods. According to the impressions of S. L. Myers of the New York Times who visited the market in 2006,
"the market is part third-world bazaar, part post-Soviet Wal-Mart, a place of unadulterated and largely unregulated capitalism where certain questions — about salaries, rents, taxes or last names — are generally met with suspicion."
And Zerkalo Nedeli wrote in 2004 that
"it is a state within a state, with its own laws and rules. It has become a sinecure for the rich and a trade haven for the poor."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

House of Mirrors a.k.a. Miracle on the Mountain - A 7-story house made by found objects and recycled materials
Birth: 1940-72 Death: 1974
Location: Ohayo Mountain, New York, USA
Architect: Clarence Schmidt
VD says: Stubborn architect = great architecture

Clarence Schmidt was born in 1897 in Queens NY. At the age of 31, he moved to an inherited property on Ohayo Mountain in Woodstock. By the late 1930s, Schmidt had built and sold his first house, called Journey's End. He began work on the second, a single room log cabin, at the same time.
By 1967, that single room cabin had evolved into a seven story structure with ramps, balconies and rooftop gardens. Schmidt referred to the original cabin space as his "Inner Sanctum" and to the gardens as his "Mirrored Hope."
The large house was a labyrinth of passageways leading to spaces covered in aluminum foil, paint, flowers, wood and shards of mirrors.
Schmidt resurfaced the house with foil over tar and added projections of aluminum foil-covered string. Outside, the branches of bushes and trees were wrapped in foil and small shrines and grottos were added in the area he called the "alleyway." Most striking were the shrines that incorporated rubber masks, hands and feet.
In 1968 a fire fueled by the gallons of tar Schmidt had used to "preserve" the huge house of mirrors destroyed it. He stayed at a motel for the winter, returned to the property in the spring, and began work on a second house.
This second structure, known as the Mark II, consisted of three rooms built over a station wagon. The walls were covered with tree branches wrapped in aluminum foil and the surrounding foliage was wrapped and decorated as well. In December 1971, the Mark II was destroyed by fire.
Clarence Schmidt moved back into town, sleeping in doorways and wherever else he could find shelter. A local agency placed him in a state hospital for observation and when he was found to have diabetes, Schmidt was placed in a nursing home in Kensington NY.
By 1974 only rubble from the houses, some fragments of the shrines and grottos, and the gardens with their stone terracing remained.
In the 1970s-80s, Schmidt's son Michael added some of his own sculptures to the remains of Journey's End. This site has vanished due to vandalism.

Paper Cut Parlor

2011-04-18T15:40:00.010+02:00

Visiondivision with Wild Windows has made a waiting room for a private clinic in Stockholm that specializes in athletic injuries. The clinic has two functions; it consists of a rehab gym and an arthroscopic centre. The clinic is occupying a storey in a larger hospital with a staircase and elevator unit that goes through all the floors in the building. We wanted to separate the clinic from the rest of the rather bland hospital environment when creating the new waiting room, and make a clearly defined space that is fresh and diverse while still being comfortable and relaxed to hang around and work in.

A glass partition with an automatic sliding door is separating the common corridor from the new waiting room to make the new space more secluded. What stands out most in the room is the ceiling which has its origins in the usual 60cm x 60cm plates as is found in the hospital and in most public spaces around Sweden, but here we have made a custom disc of form pressed transparent paper which also serves as lighting. The module looks like an upside down pyramid found in three different modes: closed, semi closed and open. The closed version is the most common that even though it is closed also lets through some light because of the semi-transparent properties of the material. The semi-open module sits above the benches and the open ones are located above the reception desk, tables and spots that need to be well lit. Behind the paper sheets are LED-lightning that can change colour, which changes the character of the room and makes the whole room vary slightly depending on when you're there. In addition to the three variants, there is also another unique module that is larger than the others and that can be projected from above and becomes an information display which can be seen from four directions. Here you can view information about the clinic, photo slideshows, movies or whatever is suitable according to the occasion. The ceiling itself is thus a sort of a light fixture that you can focus your attention on while waiting and with its jagged shape it also has excellent acoustic properties. The 60cm x 60cm modular system means that we also can use many standard fixtures regarding electricity, ventilation and so on.

The actual interior is made out of different woods that are darker closer to the floor and lighter closer to the ceiling and the light. The floor is a plastic mat due to cleaning reasons that mimics dark walnut parquet. The reception desk is 75 cm high so it will be easily accessible for people in wheelchairs and the low height also gives a relaxed first impression, opposite to the high reception desks which can feel somewhat stiff and bureaucratic. The reception desk has three computer stations where individuals can check in to the gym or to the arthroscopic centre with a proximity to the concierge if any questions should arise. The gym and the clinic each have a clear sign at each receptionist. The two height adjustable workstations are built-in the desk for a cohesive look. A small gap between the desk and the wall creates a small short cut for the receptionist closest to the gym. The waiting room consists of 27 seats and some spaces next to a high table for clients that prefer to stand while waiting. The table has also gym products at display and some informative brochures. The clients gets a small beep gadget that alerts them when it is their turn, which means that the doctors doesn’t need to come out in the waiting room and call up the patient. Overall it is a pleasant and comfortable waiting room that works well for both the gym and the arthroscopic clinic. The ceiling gives the room a visual consistency and also the ability to vary the experience for those waiting.
Expected completion date: late summer 2011.

Plan, click on the image for a larger view Section, click on the image for a larger view

Media Sharks

2011-03-31T09:20:00.005+02:00

Visiondivision will not be published in the ’1000 x European Architecture’ nor be awarded the WAN prize.

"Dear visiondivision,

since the release of ’1000 x European Architecture’ in 2006, the world of architecture has gone through some major changes: in the midst of a seemingly unstoppable building boom the banking crisis descended on the world economy in 2008, but since 2010 a spirit of optimism has taken hold again.

Right now we are preparing a new volume of this bestseller, featuring 1000 new projects from the past years on 1000 pages. The book will be published in English, released in autumn 2011 and distributed worldwide. We would like to invite you to present your project Hill Hut in this new edition of ’1000 x european architecture’.

If you would like your work to be published in this compendium please provide us with six to eight printable and copyright-free pictures, plans and drawings as well as a short text. Furthermore we are asking for an order of 10 copies of the book for a special subscription price of 75,00 EUR per copy for each of your published project – the retail price will be EUR 125,00.

Dear Architect, it would be our pleasure to present your work in ’1000 x European Architecture’. To assure your participation, please send us the attached form by fax or email until April 11, 2011. As soon as we have received it, we will send you the information on all the data that is needed for the presentation of your project.

We look forward to hearing from you. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us anytime.
Yours sincerely
Stephan Goetz

--
Sales & Distribution
Tel. direct: +49.30.88 71 23 11
goetz@braun-publishing.ch

for:
Braun Publishing AG
Arenenbergstrasse 2
8268 Salenstein
Switzerland
Tel.: +41.44.586 11 97"

"Hi Stephan,
Thank you for your Swiss hospitality. We respectfully decline your offer.

Best regards
Anders Berensson & Ulf Mejergren
visiondivision"

(We have now been offered to be in the book ’1000 x European Architecture’ without paying and respectfully accepted that offer. Since it’s against the principal of visiondivision to change already posted texts we hereby take back the accusation of shark similarities for ’1000 x European Architecture’. ’WAN Healthcare Award 2011’ is however still fishy.)

"Dear Anders & Ulf, I am writing to you regarding your “Children's Hospital Prototype” project, in connection with our WAN Healthcare Award. We think it could be a contender for the WAN Healthcare Award 2011, so I wanted to confirm if the project was completed in the last 3 years? If so, would you be interested in submitting the project as an entry for the competition?The competition is open to entry for all healthcare projects completed on / after 1st January 2008 - we are looking for outstanding, innovative and unique designs to take part in this competition, and believe that your project exhibits all the required qualities to be a potential winner, so we would be delighted if you decide to take part.Please find attached a copy of the invitation - you can also find more information on entry submissions at the following link:

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.healthcaredetails&y=2011

The entrance fee is £350 but an early registration price of £295 GBP/$448.06 USD/$533.68 AUD/$476.86 CAD/ 357.04 EURO is available for entries made before 31st March 2011.

(Also, for this competition there is a category for unbuilt / design only projects, for any unrealised gems that you would like to showcase to WAN’s global audience!)Could you please confirm whether you might be interested in entering this or any other recent projects for this year’s award? I look forward to hearing from you.Thanks & Kind Regards,
_________________________
James Forryan
WAN Awards
World Architecture News
Suite 101b - Media Centre
21-22 Old Steyne
Brighton
BN1 1EL
Tel: +44 (0)1273 648 935
Fax: +44 (0)20 7657 3434
web: www.worldarchitecturenews.com"

"Thanks but no thanks and have a jolly good day!
/visiondivision"

Quick maths:

Mr Goetz takes 750 EUR for each project (1000 projects) = 750 000 EUR

Mr Forryan takes £350 for each contribution (last year 840) = £ 294 000

Great work guys.

Historic Preservation Commission

2011-03-17T21:54:00.007+01:00

This video was captured from an excellent television program that came to our attention while zapping randomly through our 400+ channels in our living room while staying in Indianapolis.
Having so much channels means that some of them turned out to be quite specific, like the one that broadcasts from a hearing at the City council in Indianapolis for example, where a hardworking and upright citizen gives the speech of his life to convince the decision makers at the Historic Preservation Commission so that he could keep his aluminum clad windows that he by different reasons decided to replace from the original wooden ones.
The commission has also applied some pressure on the man to replace his front door with a more proper "French door".

Brown Bag Lunch Talk at the IMA

2011-02-24T22:07:00.005+01:00

Tomorrow, Friday the 25th of February at 12 pm , the team will have a talk at the Indianapolis Museum of Art where they will unveil their latest projects that they were commissioned to do at the 100 Acres for the IMA; a concession stand and an off the grid restroom facility.
They will also present some of their earlier works.
So if you have a chance to drop by, you are more then welcome to do so.

Midwest Office

2011-02-03T04:27:00.007+01:00

The team will temporarly move its office to Indianapolis for a month due to a commision from the Indianapolis Museum of Art to do a pavillion in the sculpture park "100 Acres".
The crew is now on a field trip in Chicago for a week to study Midwestern culture and building techniques.
Business will run as usual and we are available via our e-mail.

Spröjs House

2011-01-25T13:00:00.003+01:00

Visiondivision was commissioned to design an extension to an old house on the Swedish countryside. The house should include a master bedroom, a room for clothing care, a work space and a space for coffee and breakfast.
The clients told us that they like typical old Swedish red houses with mullion windows (spröjs in Swedish) but where ok to build a house without mullions since they knew that modern architects don’t like that type of houses. But an ok house for the client is simply not good enough for visiondivision so we started to design a house with a huge mullion window as its main feature.

Mullion window from inside, From left: home office, timber storage, coffee table

The mullion window covers the front facade of the house facing the garden that slopes towards the nearby lake.
Since the mullion covers the best views from the house we started to add some extra functions to it by extruding the mullion towards the inside making different types of shelves.
The shelves where then designed for different functions for a relaxed and life cherishing atmosphere; a work space, a space to hangout and enjoy a coffee or breakfast, and a lot of storage places for books, DVDs and such.
In the original sketch a bathtub and a fireplace where also part of the mullion window but had to be relocated according to the client’s wish.

Morning at Spröjs House, From left: closet, fireplace, concrete slab for spark protection, timber storage

Due to the landscape the house is divided into three levels. One upper level that is more leisure oriented with a master bedroom and a coffee/breakfast shelf in the mullion. Then follows a thin middle level that has a battery of functions, including a wardrobe that can be reached from the upper and lower level and a fire place with storage for timber in the mullion, and finally a lower level that is more work related with a room for clothing care and a small home office in the mullion.

Home office

Architects having coffee in their latest masterpiece

Closet from the clothing care room

The house is connected to the chief house via a glass corridor with a small stair that leads up to the main buildings dining room. Since the new house is heated with floor heating we designed the railing with the floor heating going through them for a comfortable welcoming to the new house. The glass corridor also serves as the entrance to the two outdoor areas; one towards the lake for the sunrise and one towards the back of the building for Swedish midsummer sunset.

Backside of the house with the windows of the clothing care room

Gutters, a tribute photography from Clive Jenkins to Åke E Lindman

Mullion window at dawn

Mullion window at dawn

Mullion window at dawn

Floor plan

Section A-A

Section D-D

Detail of mullion window

Additional drawings; sections and facades

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T10:32:00.002+01:00

VD Guide X

2010-12-22T01:28:00.001+01:00

As a small Christmas gift to everyone out there; here comes the extensive VD Guide X, with 24 projects.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Transfiguration Church - A 22-dome wood church
Birth: 1714
Location: Kizhi Island, Russia
Architect: Unknown
VD says: An extravagance of craftmanship

The Church of the Transfiguration is not heated and is therefore called a summer church and does not hold winter services. Its altar was laid June 6, 1714, as inscribed on the cross located inside the church. This church was built on the site of the old one which was burnt by lightning. The builders names are unknown. A legend tells that the main builder used one axe for the whole construction, which he threw into the lake upon completion with the words "there was not and will be not another one to match it".
The church has 22 domes and with a height of 37 meters is one of the tallest wooden buildings of the Russian North. Its perimeter is 20×29 meters.
The church was built on a hill 4 meters above the Lake Onega level. Its major basic structural unit is a round log of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) about 30 cm in diameter and 3 to 5 meters long. Many thousands of logs were brought for construction from the mainland, a complex logistical task in that time.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Best shopping malls - Nine commercial buildings designed with very strong facade concepts
Birth: 1970-1980
Location: All around USA
Architect: SITE
VD says: Refreshingly unorthodox, especially for that time

Each of these architectural concepts treated the standard "big box" prototype as the subject matter for an art statement. By means of inversion, fragmentation, displacement, distortions of scale, and invasions of nature - these merchandising structures have been used as a means of commentary on the shopping center strip.
The most notably is a tongue-in-cheek structure in Houston, Texas with a severely distressed facade. This building purportedly “appeared in more books on 20th century architecture than photographs of any other modern structure."

See more on YouTube, a documentery split into four parts; 1, 2, 3, 4

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Wave Rock - Hard compacted, former sand dunes
Birth: 190 million years ago
Location: Arizona, USA
Architect: Earth
VD says: Well done Earth

The Wave is made of Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone that is approximately 190 million years old. Scientists who study The Wave say that the old sand dunes turned into hard compacted rock over the ages, calcifying in vertical and horizontal layers.[1] Erosion by wind and rain has created the spectacular landscape which appears now.

The soft sandstone of The Wave is fragile, one needs to walk carefully to not break the small ridges.
A good time for photographing The Wave is the few hours around midday when there are no shadows in the center, although early morning and late afternoon shadows can also make for dramatic photos. After a recent rain storm, numerous pools form which can contain hundreds of tadpoles and fairy shrimp. These pools can be present for several days.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Kowloon Walled City - Worlds most dense place in history
Birth: 11890 Death: 1993
Location: Hong Kong
Architect: Unknown
VD says: A fascinating density

Kowloon Walled City was a densely populated, largely ungoverned settlement in Kowloon, Hong Kong, at one time thought to be the most dense place on the planet. Originally a Chinese military fort, the Walled City became an enclave after the New Territories were leased to Britain in 1898. Its population increased dramatically following the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during World War II. From the 1950s to the 1970s, it was controlled by Triads and had high rates of prostitution, gambling, and drug use. In 1987, the Walled City contained 33,000 residents within its 6.5-acre (0.03 km2) borders.

In January 1987, the Hong Kong government announced plans to demolish the Walled City. After an arduous eviction process, demolition began in March 1993 and was completed in April 1994.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Villa Girasole - A house that can rotate on a track
Birth: 1935
Location: Outside Verona, Italy
Architect: Angelo Invernizzi
VD says: Very experimental for its time

Villa Girasole has an upper section that rests on a circular track and follows the sun, 1,500 tons powered by two motors with a total of three horsepower.
The two storied and L shaped house rests on a circular base, which is over 44 meters in diameter. In the middle there is a 42 meters tall turret, a sort of conning tower or lighthouse, which the rotating movement hinges on. A diesel engine pushes the house over three circular tracks where 15 trolleys can slide the 5,000 cubic meters building at a speed of 4 millimeters per second (it takes 9 hours and 20 minutes to rotate fully).
The engineer was thinking of the sun’s path, of a relation with landscape and the space of human’s life. He ventured to hope that the new construction breakthroughs would free mankind from the heaviness of traditional techniques and from the burden of history.
“Without risk there can be no possibility of success” said the architect.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Teotihuacan - A huge pre-Columbian settlement with a strict plan and great pyramids
Birth: 200 BC
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Architect: The Aztec Empire
VD says: Immense place with an impressive layout

Teotihuacan is an enormous archaeological site in the Basin of Mexico, containing some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian Americas. Apart from the pyramidal structures, Teotihuacan is also known for its large residential complexes, the Avenue of the Dead, and numerous colorful, well-preserved murals.
Teotihuacan was the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas. At this time it may have had more than 200,000 inhabitants, placing it among the largest cities of the world in this period.
The city's broad central avenue, called "Avenue of the Dead" is flanked by impressive ceremonial architecture, including the immense Pyramid of the Sun (second largest in the New World after the Great Pyramid of Cholula) and the Pyramid of the Moon. Along the Avenue of the Dead are many smaller talud-tablero platforms. The Aztecs believed they were tombs, inspiring the name of the avenue. Now scholars have established these were ceremonial platforms that were topped with temples.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Dubai Islands - Artificial islands in the shape of palm trees and a world map
Birth: 2001-2015
Location: Dubai
Architect: Nakheel properties
VD says: A land alteration that has never been seen before

The Dubai Islands (The palm trees and The world) are artificial peninsulas constructed of sand dredged from the bottom of the Persian Gulf. The sand is sprayed by the dredging ships, which are guided by DGPS, onto the required area in a process known as rainbowing because of the arcs in the air when the sand is sprayed.
There are three artificial landmasses looking like palm trees, there are also an archipelago of islands that are created to mimic the earth from above.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Tower of Peace - An unusual monument for peace, made with a special concrete method
Birth: 1970
Location: Tondabayashi, Japan
Architect: Unknown
VD says: Ambitious and Gaudiesque

The PL Peace Tower is 180 meters high and thanks to a low center of gravity (only 12 meters above ground), it can tilt up to 45 degrees and swing back to its original position. This makes it extremely resistant to earthquakes. Its strange but fascinating shape was achieved through the use of shotcrete, spaying concrete onto wire netting.

The tower stands as monument to all the perished souls of war throughout all time. Within the tower is a shrine in which all known names of the lives claimed in human conflict have been recorded on microfilm and stored in a golden container.

Once a year, the Church of Perfect Liberty headquarters is the site of one of the world's largest fireworks show. Every July 6th, the members celebrate the passing of their first founder with what they call the "PL Art of Fireworks". Unlike most fireworks shows which fire around 5,000 shells, the PL show consists of around 25,000 shells fired. During the finale about 7,000 shells are shot off in unison, nearly lighting the entire sky.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Train Churches - Conversion of railroad cars to churches
Birth: Early 20th century
Location: Around Russia
Architect: Russia with the help of railroads
VD says: The idea of shipping out religion is nothing else but brilliant

Russia has a number of churches housed in railway cars. Railway car churches have been around for quite a while, when they were used to reach out to growing settlements and towns via train, instead of investing in building a church. These “Cathedral Cars” slowly moved out, but apparently, they stayed in Russia and are doing well in their own way.
The rail tracks may have moved, and these churches are stationary now.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Walden 7 - Modular social housing that are placed to prevent uniformity and repetition
Birth: 1974
Location: Sant Just Desvern, Barcelona, Spain
Architect: Ricardo Bofill
VD says: A highly complex project that shows on high dedication from the architect

From Mr Bofill's own homepage:
The project of the city in space was eventually able to take shape on a suburban plot formerly occupied by a cement factory. Working to a budget appreciably lower than the norm for subsidized housing at the time, with unusual funding, Walden-7 rose up as a monument and point of reference in this area to the west of Barcelona. The building is composed of 18 towers which are displaced from their base, forming a curve and coming into contact with the neighbouring towers. The result is a vertical labyrinth with seven interconnecting interior courtyards, as far removed as possible from the model of the uniform, repetitive housing block. The considerable area originally devoted to communal uses was reduced to allow an increased number of apartments. These apartments are formed on the basis of one or more 30 m2 (35.8 sq. yards) square modules creating, on different levels, dwellings that range from a studio consisting of a single module to a large, four-module apartment.

Program complex of 446 dwellings, public spaces, meeting rooms, games rooms, bars and shops on the ground floor, and two swimming pools on the flat roof.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

State Capitol Bank aka The Bank of the Future - An array of steel poles to attract lightning
Birth: 1964
Location: Oklahoma City, USA
Architect: Bozalis, Bailey, and Roloff
VD says: Optimistic and fun

Originally the flying saucers appeared to hover above the building as seen below. All the glass that made that effect possible also made heating and cooling an expensive proposition. Security concerns also mandated replacement of those windows with solid materials and small square portholes.
It is equipped with a floating air lobby from the main floor to the lower floor, and a cashier to customer TV drive-in banking window.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Nagshe Rostam - Carved out king tombs
Birth: 1000 BC
Location: Outside Persepolis, Iran
Architect: Persian Empire
VD says: Great endeavour!

Four tombs belonging to Achaemenid kings are carved out of the rock face. They are all at a considerable height above the ground.

The tombs are known locally as the 'Persian crosses', after the shape of the facades of the tombs. The site is known as salīb in Arabic, perhaps a corruption of the Persian word chalīpā, "cross". The entrance to each tomb is at the center of each cross, which opens onto to a small chamber, where the king lay in a sarcophagus. The horizontal beam of each of the tomb's facades is believed to be a replica of the entrance of the palace at Persepolis.

One of the tombs is explicitly identified by an accompanying inscription to be the tomb of Darius I (r. 522-486 BC). The other three tombs are believed to be those of Xerxes I (r. 486-465 BC), Artaxerxes I (r. 465-424 BC), and Darius II (r. 423-404 BC) respectively. A fifth unfinished one might be that of Artaxerxes III, who reigned at the longest two years, but is more likely that of Darius III (r. 336-330 BC), last of the Achaemenid dynasts.

The tombs were looted following the conquest of the Achaemenid empire by Alexander the Great.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Nazi Forest - Different tree species planted in a pattern to reveal itself at autumn
Birth: 1930s
Location: Germany
Architect: Nazis
VD says: Great concept if you can think beyond that they are bad guys

The forest swastika was a patch of larch trees covering 3,600 m2 (4,300 sq yd) area of pine forest near Zernikow, Uckermark district, Brandenburg, in northeastern Germany, carefully arranged to look like a swastika. It was probably planted near the height of Hitler's power, in the 1930s.

is unclear how the trees came to be planted and arranged thus. It has been suggested that it was laid out in 1937 by locals to prove their loyalty after a businessman in the area was denounced and sent to a concentration camp by the Nazi Party for listening to the BBC. Another theory is that a zealous forester convinced local Hitler Youth members to plant the trees in commemoration of Adolf Hitler's birthday.One source maintains it was planted by a warden, either out of support for the Hitler regime, or due to an order from state officials.

For a few weeks every year in the autumn and in the spring, the colour of the larch leaves would change, contrasting with the deep green of the pine forest.The short duration of the effect combined with the fact that the image could only be discerned from the air and the relative scarcity of privately owned aeroplanes in the area meant that the swastika went largely unnoticed after the fall of the Nazi Party. During the subsequent Communist period, Communist authorities reportedly knew of its existence but made no effort to remove it.However, in 1992, the reunified German government ordered aerial surveys of all state-owned land. The photographs were examined by forestry students, who immediately noticed the design.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Nakagin Capsule Hotel - Modular hotel with extremely compact hotel rooms
Birth: 1972
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Architect: Kisho Kurokawa
VD says: Great typology of compact living

The Nakagin Capsule Tower is a mixed-use residential and office tower designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa and located in Shimbashi, Tokyo, Japan.

Completed in 1972, the building is a rare built example of Japanese Metabolism, a movement that became emblematic of Japan's postwar cultural resurgence.The building was the world's first example of capsule architecture built for actual use.
The building is actually composed of two interconnected concrete towers, respectively eleven and thirteen floors, which house 140 prefabricated modules (or "capsules") which are each self-contained units. Each capsule measures 2.3 m × 3.8 m × 2.1 m and functions as a small living or office space. Capsules can be connected and combined to create larger spaces. Each capsule is connected to one of the two main shafts only by four high-tension bolts and is designed to be replaceable. No units have been replaced since the original construction.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Waldspirale - Sculptural residential complex with green roofs
Birth: 1990-2000
Location: Darmstadt, Germany
Architect: Friedensreich Hundertwasser
VD says: Childish and exciting

The Waldspirale is a residential building complex in Darmstadt, Germany, built in the 1990s. The name translates into English as forest spiral, reflecting both the general plan of the building and the fact that it has a green roof. It was designed by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, planned and implemented by architect Heinz M. Springmann, and constructed by the Bauverein Darmstadt company. The building was completed in 2000.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Maunsell Sea Forts - Fortified towers in the river Thames
Birth: 1940
Location: Outside London, UK
Architect: Guy Maunsell
VD says: A cool typology

The Maunsell Sea Forts were small fortified towers built in the Thames and Mersey estuaries during the Second World War to help defend the United Kingdom. They were named after their designer, Guy Maunsell. The forts were decommissioned in the late 1950s and later used for other activities.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

MASP - Museum of Art with a brave structure
Birth: 1968
Location: Sao Paulo
Architect: Lina Bo Bardi
VD says: Great public foyer

The São Paulo Museum of Art (in Portuguese, Museu de Arte de São Paulo, or MASP) is an art museum located on Paulista Avenue in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.[2] It's well-known for its headquarters, a 1968 concrete and glass structure designed by Lina Bo Bardi, whose main body is supported by two lateral beams over a 74 meters freestanding space, considered an landmark of the city and a main symbol of modern Brazilian architecture.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Rapla Administrative Building - A compelling administrative building
Birth: 1977
Location: Rapla, Estonia
Architect: Toomas Rein
VD says: A strange but nice composition of house and landscape

It was difficult to find information on this strange piece of architecture. We found an estonian webpage which we tried to translate, but the result was peculiar.
Link to site: http://www.epl.ee/artikkel/575178
However, we like the overall design.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Headington Shark - A shark that has crashed head first in the roof of a house
Birth: 1986
Location: Headington, Oxford, UK
Architect: John Buckley
VD says: Rebellious in a stiff environment

The enormous fibre glass shark, created by sculptor John Buckley, was erected on the 41st anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki in August 1986, designed to express the anger, desperation and impotence of ordinary people in the face of nuclear weapons and nuclear power. It created a storm.

Oxford city council tried to get it taken down on the grounds that it was unsafe. Unfortunately for them, structural engineers gave it the all clear. They then tried to get rid of it on the grounds that it didn’t have planning consent but the then Secretary of State for the Environment, Michael Heseltine, came out in its favour as a work of art, albeit unconventional. And so it remained.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Santa Maria Presso San Satiro - One of the first Tromp l'oeil's
Birth: 1472
Location: Milano, Italy
Architect: Bramante
VD says: A sublime and fundamental project

The edifice has a nave and two aisles with barrel vault. The nave is surmounted by an emispherical dome at the crossing with the transept. The choir, which had to be truncated due to the presence of a main road, was replaced by Bramante with a painted perspective, realizing in this way one of first examples of trompe l'oeil in history of art.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Camp Topridge Boathouse - A boathouse Birth: 1923
Location: Upper St. Regis Lake, New York, USA
Architect: Ben Muncil
VD says: An interesting

Great camps refer to the grandiose family compounds of cabins that were built in the latter half of the nineteenth century on lakes in the Adirondacks such as Spitfire Lake and Rainbow Lake. The camps were summer homes for the wealthy, where they could relax, host or attend parties, and enjoy the wilderness. In time, however, this was accomplished without leaving the comforts of civilization behind; some great camps even contained a bowling alley or movie theatre.

Camp Topridge was built as the spectacular Adirondack retreat of Marjorie Merriweather Post, heiress to the Post cereal fortune. Constructed in 1923 by local builder, Ben Muncil, the exquisitely designed and massively proportioned main lodge elevated great camp architecture to magnificent new heights. Another masterpiece of Adirondack architecture, also built by Muncil, was the boathouse, which is noted for its extraordinary detailing of tree limbs and roots. From the boathouse, guests were transported up hill to the main lodge on a funicular, or small cable car, one of Topridge's most innovative and luxurious features.
The main boathouse at Topridge, with its curving cedar railings and twig work screens, is one of the major and last examples of the naturalistic rustic tradition.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Tent City - Temporary pilgrimage city
Birth: 1977
Location: Mina, Saudi Arabia
Architect: Walter De Maria
VD says: A stunning sight

Mina is a location situated some 5 kilometres to the east of the Islamic holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. It stands on the road from Mecca's city centre to the Hill of Arafat.

Mina is best known for the role it plays during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, when its tent cities provide temporary accommodation to millions of visiting pilgrims. In the valley of Mina is the Jamarat Bridge, the location of the Stoning of the Devil ritual, performed between sunrise and sunset on the last day of the Hajj. Mina is where Pilgrims would go to stone where the devil was as this is where it is said that Ibrahim stoned the devil that came between him and the command that Allah set him. Most pilgrims at Hajj walk around the Ka'aba 7 times, then visit the Well of Zamzam. Usually they spend their first night in the Valley of Mina. This ritual occurs on the eighth to twelfth day of hajj. At Mina men and women aren't allowed to sleep together.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Alberobello - A trulli village
Birth: 15th century
Location: Puglia, Italy
Architect: Italians
VD says: Overcoming building regulations is an old art

Alberobello is a small town and comune in the province of Bari, in Puglia, Italy. It has about 11,000 inhabitants and is famous for its unique trulli constructions. The Trulli of Alberobello are part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites list since 1996.

There are many theories behind the origin of the design. One of the more popular theories is that due to high taxation on property the people of Puglia created dry wall constructions so that they could be dismantled when inspectors were in the area.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Wawona Tree Tunnel - A huge tree you could drive through
Birth: 1881 Death: 1969
Location: Yosemite, USA
Architect: Earth and two cutters
VD says: Maybe the coolest tunnel ever made

The Wawona Tree, also known as the Wawona Tunnel Tree, was a famous giant sequoia that stood in Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park. It had a height of 69 m and was 27 m in circumference.

A tunnel was cut through the tree in 1881, enlarging an existing fire scar. Two men were paid $75 for the job. The tree had a slight lean, which increased when the tunnel was completed. The tree eventually became a popular tourist attraction. Often travellers would come to have their picture taken either driving through it or standing underneath the tree. Throughout its history thousands of pictures were taken of it by tourists; it was photographed accommodating everything from horse-drawn carriages in the late nineteenth century to automobiles in the 1960s.

The Wawona Tree fell in 1969 under an estimated two-ton load of snow on its crown. The giant sequoia is estimated to have been 2,300 years old.

Heaven

2010-12-13T15:31:00.026+01:00

Visiondivision was specially invited by "Living Architecture" for the competition "A room for London".

The task was to design a temporary hotel room on top of the Queen Elisabeth Hall right next to the Themes River for the Olympic year of 2012. The guests (one or two persons) that book the hotel room should only be able to stay one night each during the Olympic year so we wanted to make that night unforgettable for the visitors. Instead of spending money on expensive hotel services as classy materials and expensive furniture we thought we might put our money on more celestial values. The room became a bed, a toilet and a shower, all in an outdoor scenography consisting of a magic cloud with tame falcons.

When visiting Heaven you receive a remote control, a key, a falconer glove, some meat and a towel. There is also an optional warm coat available for the winter guests.
The bed comes with insulated drapes and heating too.

The proposal was presented in an old fashioned vd manner as you see below.

Some excerpts from the comic;

Commercial poster in the newspaper for Heaven.

Receiving a key and remote control. with the cloud in the back of the picture .

Testing the remote control .

The bed on top of the cloud.

Getting familiar with the falcon.

Plan of the cloud from a falcon's perspective.

Cleaning up and preparing for the new guests.

Nature's Choice

2010-12-10T13:11:00.017+01:00

Visiondivision got the commission to build a vacation house for two families in the north of Sweden. The plot is situated within a beautiful coastal area that has been included on the world heritage list due to its outstanding land uplift geology which is the most progressive on earth.
The site itself has two levels; the upper one is a patch of beautiful untouched wood and the lower one is a rocky meadow with a rather steep cliff that connects the two plateaus.
Due to plot’s protective status, the family wanted a house that would blend in with the surroundings.
On the site lies also an old bunker which was constructed to prevent a potential invasion from the Russians. The bunker also had to be discreet when built, but used the underground to disguise itself.
We saw three potential alternatives for this site which we wanted to explore; either a wooden house set amidst the forest or a stone house that lies in close connection with the rock outcrops.
There is also a third alternative that is a little bit trickier to achieve; a house that should blend in with two different types of natures.
The three different variations are related to each other when it comes to the layout of the plans and the outer perimeter of custom made bearing pillars that imitates the surrounding nature.

The three variations, wood, stone and mixed, axonometric view

The forest house consists of two mirrored units with a separating wall in the middle that can easily be folded away when having family reunions.
One enters in to a small hallway and thereafter into a kitchen with a dining table and a living room further in to the room.
A fire place stands in the centre along the wall that separates the housing units.
When the wall is folded away, one gets a twice as big living room with a large central fire place.
The columns slant a little bit, becoming somewhat smaller at the top.
They also vary slightly in size to resemble tree trunks. Some of the columns are strictly structural while the bigger also functions as wardrobes and such, especially in the bedrooms.
The result becomes a light and welcoming house that merges with the forest and that is highly flexible with its folding wall.

Forest house, exterior

Forest house, interior

Forest house - axonometric view

Forest house, plans and facade

The boulder house has also two mirrored units with a separating wall in the middle that can be folded away.
Two piles of boulders on the forest plateau conceal two stairs that leads down to each living room. The roof is covered with grass to blend in with the nature.
Taking the stairs down, one faces a fire place as first impression.
When the separating wall is removed the families will get a quite impressing dining area with two fire places flanking the dinner table, a place worthy a medieval king.
The columns are much heavier set than the forest house to mimic the massive boulders on the site.
These pillars are mostly hollow, creating great storage space for the families.
Some of the pillars are also carved out becoming alcoves where one can sit.
The result of this variation is a rustic and homey feel.
The house is almost invisible from the forest and integrates well with the rocky meadow.

Boulder house, exterior

Boulder house, interior

Boulder house, axonometric view

Boulder house, plans and facade

The third house leaves a smaller footprint and has two floors.
The house is also based on our tailored pillar system, wide at its base and slender at its top that also fades from stone to wood.
The columns cause the two stories to become completely different even though they are based on the same plan. With different material treatments on the two levels, we enhance the differences even further.
The heavier set columns on the first floor create a cavernous and comfortable feeling with a lot of niches and a high contrast between dark and light. As with the boulder house, some of the columns are hollow and have various functions like wardrobes, furniture and storage. The flooring is made out of stone and continues out on a terrace overlooking the bay.
The upper floor with the more slender columns blends in with the surrounding tree trunks behind it and have large windows with great views of the scenic cove.
The result becomes an exciting house that has two completely different floors with two completely different perceptions.
One family can for example live on the boulder floor one year and the year after switch to the forest floor.

Mixed house, exterior

Mixed house, close up

Mixed house, axonometric view

Mixed house, plans and facade

Slim Rack

2010-11-11T13:57:00.021+01:00

Slim Rack outside ECDC entrance

Visiondivision was commissioned to design a bike rack for the surrounding area of ECDC (European Centre of Disease prevention and Control) in Stockholm. To create an option that could compete with all the slightly boring looking pre-made bike racks, we designed a very slim, easy-to-produce module based on simple craftsmanship that can be multiplied in various options and also be adapted to the beautiful surroundings of the site.

Often do the pre-made average bike-racks come in one piece and the roof comes in another, thus not very well integrated with each other. This causes a rather clumsy product with a redundant material utilization.
Another problem is that the racks are designed with the idea that it could stand anywhere, which in reality means that it doesn’t fit perfectly anywhere.
By involving the craftsmanship aspect of our module system we can more easily
adapt to more complex situations and perform with an aesthetic that the campus demand.

The module has three functions; it should provide support to your bike and a possibility to lock it to the construction, it should also provide a roof. The design became a slim steel column that shapes itself after the requested functions. When two columns are placed back to back it becomes a Slim Rack. The Slim Racks are then placed in triangular shapes that can be multiplied in various combinations, making it adaptable to various sites at the ECDC Campus.

Since we put all functions into one pillar we could reduce unnecessary building mass. We could also produce a very slim construction since the length between different building parts becomes quite short. A single module needs only a thickness of 15 mm. Putting these two features together we end up with a very light construction that blends in by being thin and in some angles almost invisible. To make the construction even more invisible and adaptable to various situations the Slim Rack is painted in the same colour as the houses it is standing next to.

Slim Rack outside ECDC entrance

Two bent steel beams is welded together to a Slim Rack

The Slim Racks are welded together; U-profiles are locking the construction and holding the glass roof together

The racks can be produced in various shapes

Slim Rack detail

Details of extra function Slim Racks

The Slim Rack also served for some extra functions that were asked for in the project brief. The rack ís bended in the same manner to hold a small table, an ashtray and a garbage can for outdoor coffee breaks.

Facade of Slim Racks outside the main building

Facade of Slim Racks outside an annex

Storm Flipper

2010-10-22T16:04:00.015+02:00

Competition entry for a new drinking fountain prototype in the parks of London.

The concept is quite simple; an image of bad weather is turned upside down and creates a very strong icon for a drinking fountain.

The overturned umbrella acts as the water basin, the raindrops as its structural support as well as water pipes and the cloud as its base.
A lightning coming from the cloud lights up during the night.
Rainy weather is a very suitable symbol for both a drinking fountain and the city of London and will surely attract many thirsty park visitors
around the city to quench their thirst.

Construction
Vertical metal pipes with drops mounted on them are holding the structure. The dimension of the pipes is changing depending on function, making the outer ones constructive pipes and also the water pipe is a bit thicker due to factors as vandalism. The sink is made of plastic that is later painted in various combinations. The base is cast and polished concrete with drilled holes for assembling the pipes underneath the base.
Materials can be altered after consultation depending on cost and durability.

There are an endless assortment of patterns and colours for umbrellas and no matter how they look they are still unmistakable recognized as umbrellas. The drinking fountains can therefore be carried out in a great variety as well, without losing its familiarity as an object.
The different styles can be chosen according to the various parks location and image and the result will be a great number of different drinking fountains that comes from the same module.
The bad weather module can also be done in a divided edition and can thus be wall mounted. There is also the possibility to sponsor some of the modules, just like corporate umbrellas.
Many thanks to our Colombian friend Andres Morelli for the renders.

100 000

2010-10-19T14:18:00.005+02:00

100 000 brilliant architecture conoisseurs from all over the globe has now visited our website and hopefully found some inspiration among our many projects and adventures. We would like to thank you for your visits and the countless e-mails that hearten our organization to continue our ceaseless struggle in the field. According to Wikipedia the respectable sum of 100 000 equals a field army, thus giving us the feeling that we have achieved the incorruptable rank of Generals of brave and gifted architecture.

“It doesn't take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.”

General H. Norman Schwarzkopf

Noah's House

2010-10-13T15:15:00.043+02:00

A client wanted help to build a small summer house inside of an old shed at an island in the northern Stockholm archipelago. The shed is just next to the Baltic Sea and has been exposed to overflows every tenth year or so. Knowing that the house probably will be hit by another overflow and the fact that we were only allowed to build inside the shed forced a specific design.

To build a totally waterproof house would be too expensive, so this house is constructed as a lizard’s tail. If one part of the building gets exposed to water that particular part can easily be replaced without affecting the rest of the building.
The whole building is constructed by spruce boards and spruce pillars and with no synthetic materials in its lower regions. The horizontal spruce boards can be taken away when exposed to water to dry and later be put back or be replaced by new ones. The house is insulated like a hat to not be affected by an overflow. The electric parts of the house are also put in the higher regions of the house and will not be affected by an extreme overflow.
Since the client mostly spends his time there during the summer, we also had to come up with a warning system if the water levels have been reaching the construction underneath the floor and need to be ventilated during overflow season, which is usually at spring time. The warning system became a rising totem pole where the face changes its mood depending on how high the water level has reached underneath the house.

Since the shed was too slanted we could not rely on its structure and had to build a totally new house inside. To get as much space as possible we tried to build as close as possible to the old structure, giving the floor plan a long niche along one of the walls where we decided to put a battery of functions. The battery consists of a small kitchenette, a storage space and an expandable bunk bed which is all constructed out of spruce boards as well. One positive outcome of that is that you have the best view in the house from the bed so you can fall asleep watching the bay’s midsummer sunset. The only change to the existing façade is the big window and a wooden terrace with a outhouse on it towards the see and a new entrance door, hardly exposing the building’s new function which gives a pleasant surprise for visitors.

Plan

Section with an overflow chart

Function battery drawing

We did not design what furniture that would be put into the house but since the house will be occupied by lots of people with a sailing and surf interest we made a back wall filled with wooden hangers. Since a lot of the stuff that will be hanging on that wall will have sail and surf aesthetics
We made wall lamps using Nixon masks “Point Break” style to match all of those gadgets.

Nixon lamp

Assembly of the overflow warning system

Overflow warningsystem test

Early construction photo

Carving the totem pole

Architectural Model & Staging Space

2010-10-08T15:43:00.005+02:00

Two new architecture books are now out in stores featuring some of the capacious project flora of visiondivision.
The Korean "Architectural Model" includes several prodigious models made by the enthusiastic team and the German "Staging Space" includes the remarkable Hill Hut.

VD Guide IX

2010-09-27T17:11:00.026+02:00

Visiondivision gives you a brief tour of inspiring projects and phenomenon around the world. If you have more suggestions, dont hesitate to contact us at: info@visiondivision.com like our friend Charles Ranken from Australia did when he suggested the Makedonium Monument.
Many thanks for that.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The Lightning Field - An array of steel poles to attract lightning
Birth: 1977
Location: Catron County, New Mexico, USA
Architect: Walter De Maria
VD says: A sublime and fundamental project

The Lightning Field by the American sculptor Walter De Maria, is a work of Land Art situated in a remote area of the high desert of southwestern New Mexico. It is comprised of 400 polished stainless steel poles installed in a grid array measuring one mile by one kilometer. The poles — five cm in diameter and averaging 7 meters in height—are spaced 70 meters apart and have solid pointed tips that define a horizontal plane. A sculpture to be walked in as well as viewed, The Lightning Field is intended to be experienced over an extended period of time, and visitors are encouraged to spend as much time as possible in it alone, especially during sunset and sunrise. In order to provide this opportunity, Dia offers overnight visits during the months of May through October.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Penecost Island Land Dive - An ancient bungee jump structure
Birth: A long time ago
Location: Penecost Island, Vanuatu
Architect: Penecost islanders
VD says: Fearless stunts from impressive structures

The island is the spiritual birthplace of the extreme sport of bungee jumping, originating in an ages old ritual called the gol, or land diving. Between April and June every year, men in the southern part of the island jump from tall towers (around 20 to 30 metres) with vines tied to their feet, in a ritual believed to ensure a good yam harvest. The ritual is also now used to show acceptance into manhood.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Shibam Hadhramaut - The oldest skyscraper city in the world
Birth: 16th century
Location: Shibam, Yemen
Architect: Hadhramaut Empire
VD says: An impressive and brave highrise conglomerate in the desert

Shibam is often called "the oldest skyscraper city in the world" or "the Manhattan of the desert", and is one of the oldest and best examples of urban planning based on the principle of vertical construction. The city has the tallest mud buildings in the world, with some of them over 30 meters high, thus being early high-rise apartment buildings. In order to protect the buildings from rain and erosion, the façades are thickly coated and must be routinely maintained.
This building technique was implemented in order to protect residents from Bedouin attacks.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Palais Bulle - An organic modern super villa that already is classified as a historical monument.
Birth: 1970
Location: Cannes, France
Architect: Antti Lovag
VD says: A lovely and playful home

French star designer Pierre Cardin was looking to buy a nice house on the Cote d’Azur, but was horrified by all the unoriginal designs that he had seen and that didn’t match his avant-garde fashion designs . While searching, he stumbled across a construction site being built by architect Antti Lovag for a French industrialist. When the owner died before the home’s completion, Cardin asked the architect to complete it for him. Cardin was thrilled to acquire the almost finished residence that finally satisfied his exigent taste.
A heart attack inspired Lovag to reflect on life, and his new outlook of course influenced his architecture. "I discovered that I was mortal— meaning I discovered that I was free. I realized that building as if for eternity is an attack on time itself. Furthermore, it usually leads to an angular, aggressive organization of space. On the other hand, when one knows one's limits, all that is swept away. I began to think about improvised buildings, cobbled together on-site and adapted to a particular person's desires or idea of a house," he explains. "Instead of construction based on prefabricated panels, I began experimenting with frameworks that could be bent and changed and with techniques of concrete surfacing. That way, forms could move again." Architecture's first task, he came to believe, was to eliminate inhuman angularity.
Cardin, too, adores curves. "The circle is my symbol," he says. "The sphere represents the creation of the world and the mother's womb. Holes, cones, breasts—I've always used them in my designs."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Guatemala City Sink Holes - 100 m deep circular holes in the ground
Birth: 2007 & 2010
Location: Guatemala City, Guatemala
Architect: Earth
VD says: Dangerous yet alluring

In February 2007, a large, deep circular hole with vertical walls opened in a poor neighborhood in northeast Guatemala city. This hole was 100 m deep, and was apparently created by fluid from a sewer eroding uncemented volcanic ash and other pyroclastic deposits underlying Guatemala City. The piping feature has since been mitigated and plans to develop on the site have been proposed. However, critics believe municipal authorities have neglected needed maintenance on the city's aging sewer system, and have speculated that more piping features ("sinkholes") are likely to develop unless action is taken.
In May 2010, another piping feature, which was larger than a street intersection, developed after Tropical Storm Agatha. It engulfed a three story building and a house. No one was miraculous hurt. This 2010 piping feature was at least 18 m wide and 60 m deep.The distance between the 2010 piping feature and the 2007 piping feature three years ago is about two kilometers

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The Weather Project - An indoor weather imitation
Birth: 2003
Location: London, UK
Architect: Olafur Eliasson
VD says: When one imitates the sun, that project earns a place in the guide

The weather project was installed at the London's Tate Modern in 2003 as part of the popular Unilever series. The installation filled the open space of the gallery's Turbine Hall.
Eliasson used humidifiers to create a fine mist in the air via a mixture of sugar and water, as well as a semi-circular disc made up of hundreds of monochromatic lamps which radiated single frequency yellow light. The ceiling of the hall was covered with a huge mirror, in which visitors could see themselves as tiny black shadows against a mass of orange light. The work reportedly attracted two million visitors, many of whom were repeat customers

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Cliftons Cafeterias - A serie of cafeterias with flamboyant decors
Birth: 1930s
Location: Los Angeles, USA
Architect: The Clifton's
VD says: Extravagant facades and vivid thematic interiors

In 1939 when the founders of Clifton’s decided to remodel the Pacific Seas cafeteria from a conventional dining establishment to the exotic setting, the Los Angeles Architectural Commission was so upset over the facade and the décor that it threatened suit.
This exterior with the waterfalls, geysers and tropical foliage – all of which are brilliantly illuminated in the evening, has become a mecca for tourists.
With the help of his capable, willing staff, a second Clifton's opened in 1935. It was named Clifton's Brookdale and it's interior was reminiscent of the California Redwood groves with waterfalls and brooks and remains today the largest public cafeteria in the world.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Lake Kliluk (aka Spotted Lake) - A mineral lake that causes a cool effect during summertime
Birth: A long time ago
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Architect: Nature
VD says: A neat natural phenomenon

Spotted Lake is very highly concentrated with numerous different minerals. It contains some of the highest quantities (in the world) of magnesium sulfate, calcium and sodium sulphates. It also contains extremely high concentrations of 8 other minerals as well as some small doses of four others such as silver and titanium.
In the summer, most of the water in the lake evaporates leaving behind all the minerals. Large “spots” on the lake appear and depending on the mineral composition at the time, the spots will be different colors. The spots are made mainly of magnesium sulfate, which crystallizes in the summer. Since in the summer, only the minerals in the lake remain, they harden to form natural “walkways” around and between the spots.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Makedonium Monument - An elaborate shaped memorial for the first republic on the Balkans
Birth: 1974
Location: Kruševo, Macedonia
Architect: Jordan Grabulovski
VD says: A rebellious monument with a mutinous architecture

The Makedonium was built in 1974 on the 30th anniversary of ASNOM (Anti-Fascist Assembly of the Liberation of Macedonia) and the 71st anniversary of the Ilinden uprising, which resulted in the 10 day Kruševo Republic, the first republic on the Balkans. The short lived republic was put down by an immense number of Ottoman troops, but is still remembered as a high point in the national history. The President of the Republic visits the Makedonium each 2nd of August and it remains an important symbol for the country and is also portrayed on their currency.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Fontana di Trevi - A theatrical and lavish fountain
Birth: 1762
Location: Rome, Italy
Architect: Nicola Salvi
VD says: Masterful layout; dominating a small square and using a building as a powerful backdrop.

In 1629 Pope Urban VIII, finding the earlier fountain insufficiently dramatic, asked Gian Lorenzo Bernini to sketch possible renovations, but when the Pope died, the project was abandoned. Bernini's lasting contribution was to resite the fountain from the other side of the square to face the Quirinal Palace (so the Pope could look down and enjoy it). Though Bernini's project was torn down for Salvi's fountain, there are many Bernini touches in the fountain as it was built.
Competitions had become the rage during the Baroque era to design buildings and fountains. In 1730 Pope Clement XII organized a contest in which Nicola Salvi initially lost to Alessandro Galilei — but due to the outcry in Rome over the fact that a Florentine won, Salvi was awarded the commission anyway. Work began in 1732, and the fountain was completed in 1762.
This fountain is symbolic and almost theatrical in style. It is set against the facade of Palazzo Poli. In the background there is an Arch of Triumph, which frames a statue of Neptune. Two tritons try to master an agitated seahorse and a placid on each seahorse symbolizing a distinct mood of the sea.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Salvation Mountain - A hill painted by one dedicated man
Birth: 1985
Location: Niland, California, USA
Architect: Leonard Knight
VD says: Well, we have said it before, dedication is the only true architectural quality.

Salvation Mountain is a colorful art installation covering much of a small hill north of Calipatria, California. It is made from adobe, straw, and thousands of gallons of paint. It was created by Leonard Knight to convey the message that "God Loves Everyone." Knight refused substantial donations of money and labor from supporters who wished to modify his message of universal love to favor or disfavor particular groups.
Steps cut into the side of the hill lead to the summit, which is topped by a cross. Salvation Mountain also features many large straw bale and adobe walls supported by a matrix of logs enclosing several cave-like spaces. Knight lives full-time at the site in a small cabin mounted on the rear of a 1930s-vintage Chevrolet two-ton truck. Like Salvation Mountain, Knight's "Salvation Truck" and a collection of other vehicles and machinery are entirely covered with paint and Biblical quotes. He estimates that more than 100,000 gallons of paint have gone into the creation of the mountain and that every California-based paint manufacturer has donated paint to the project.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The Great Mosque of Djenne - A huge mosque made out of mud -
Birth: 1907
Location: Djenne, Mali
Architect: Djenné’s guild of masons
VD says: An exquisite "Genus Loci" approach

The Great Mosque of Djenné in the West African country of Mali was originally constructed in the 13th Century. It gradually grew to be an enormous structure before it fell into ruins by the 19th Century. From 1906-7, it was rebuilt using adobe — the original building material. It is today the largest adobe structure in the world.
The Great Mosque is built on a raised plinth platform of rectangular sun-dried mud bricks that are held together by mud mortar and plastered over with mud. The walls vary in thickness between 50 to 80cm, depending upon their height. These massive walls are necessary in order to bear the weight of the tall structure and also provide insulation from the sun’s heat. During the day, the walls gradually warm up from the outside; at night, they cool down again. The mosque’s prayer hall, with ninety wooden pillars supporting its ceiling, can contain as many as 3000 people. This helps the interior of the mosque to stay cool all day long. The Great Mosque also has roof vents with ceramic caps. These caps, made by the town’s women, can be removed at night to ventilate the interior spaces.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hill of Crosses - A pilgrimage site with 100 000 crosses
Birth: Early 20th century
Location: Šiauliai, Lithuania
Architect: Pilgrimes
VD says: The crosses are so many that they merge into one object, great.

The Hill of Crosses is a site of pilgrimage in northern Lithuania. The precise origin of the practice of leaving crosses on the hill is uncertain, but it is believed that the first crosses were placed on the former Jurgaičiai or Domantai hill fort after the 1831 Uprising.Over the centuries, not only crosses, but giant crucifixes, carvings of Lithuanian patriots, statues of the Virgin Mary and thousands of tiny effigies and rosaries have been brought here by Catholic pilgrims. The number of crosses is unknown, but estimates put it at about 100 000 in 2006 and counting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Pantheon - A temple with a huge unreinforced concrete dome with a central opening, allowing sun and rain to enter the building.
Birth: 100 AD.
Location: Rome, Italy
Architect: Marcus Agrippa
VD says: A 2000 old masterpiece that never gets out of fashion

Pantheon was commissioned by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome, and rebuilt later by Emperor Hadrian in about 126 AD.
The building is circular with a portico of three ranks of huge granite Corinthian columns under a pediment opening into the rotunda, under a coffered, concrete dome, with a central opening (oculus) to the sky. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same, 43.3 metres. A rectangular structure links the portico with the rotunda. It is one of the best preserved of all Roman buildings. It has been in continuous use throughout its history, and since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used as a Roman Catholic church dedicated to "St. Mary and the Martyrs" but informally known as "Santa Maria Rotonda."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Jellyfish Lake - A lake chock-full with millions of golden jellyfish
Birth: A long time ago
Location: Eil Malk island, Palau
Architect: Nature
VD says: An otherworldly acquaintance

Jellyfish Lake is one of Palau's most famous dive (snorkeling only) sites. It is notable for the millions of golden jellyfish which migrate horizontally across the lake daily.
Jellyfish Lake is connected to the ocean through fissures and tunnels in the limestone of ancient Miocene reef. However the lake is sufficiently isolated and the conditions are different enough that the diversity of species in the lake is greatly reduced from the nearby lagoon. The golden jellyfish in the lake have evolved to be substantially different from their close relatives living in the nearby lagoons.

Portfolio Book & Conditions Magazine

2010-09-27T13:16:00.007+02:00

Some of the work of visiondivision is featured in the 8000 gram heavy Korean book "Portfolio".

We are also a proud contributor to the Scandinavian Conditions Magazine's latest issue "The politics of quality management" where a flamboyant illustration from the team is featured.

Damdi's Portfolio

Conditions Magazine

Dedication

visiondivision in Residence

2010-09-16T10:03:00.005+02:00

Residence, the best-selling home style magazine in Sweden, includes an article about visiondivision in their September issue where the magazine proclaims that the young team "is on their way to become the most exciting architecture office in Sweden".

The talents was photographed inside Hill Hut and talked about architecture, their projects and how they got started. A pleasant read.