Unit 1 presented at the Architectural Association

Published at September 29, 2008 in Log. 1 Comment

 Real Futures

Cécile Brisac and João Bravo da Costa presented Diploma Unit 1 at the Architectural Association. Unit 1 is debuting in 2008-2009 as an academic project titled “Real Futures”; this new proposition was introduced during this year’s AA School Unit presentations — one of the events that marks the beginning of the academic year. The tutors gave a summary of Unit 1’s agenda and an overview of their professional background.

The “Real Futures” agenda focuses on studying contemporary urban problems, challenging building typologies, and developing new and usable architectural forms. The academic program advocates a strong connection to practice: the main assignment for students will be to design a large building for the city of Doha, in Qatar. The unit’s program is fueled by an interest in the challenges imposed by context-less rapid urban growth, as seen in Doha.

Cécile Brisac and João Bravo da Costa’s prospective contribution to the AA school is a combination of professional accomplishment and academic ambition.

Cécile Brisac (France, 1969) graduated from the AA in 1995 and went on to found Brisac Gonzalez Architects in 1999. The practice has built on a string of successful competition entries, commissions, and built projects since, including the Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg, Sweden, and a concert venue in Aurillac, France.

João Bravo da Costa (Portugal, 1975) graduated from the FAUTL (Lisbon) in 1998 and from the AA’s Design Research Laboratory Master’s program in 2008. Between 1999 and 2006 he worked for the Cie in Amsterdam and for OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) in Rotterdam, where he collaborated on the design for the new urban complex of the Chinese Central Television (CCTV), as well as numerous other architectural projects, urban plans, and exhibition designs.

With Unit 1 the tutors intend to bring into the academic arena some of the main challenges of professional practice; they seek an innovative discourse based on a combination of professionalism and academic invention.

Macao pavilion competition

Published at July 4, 2008 in Independent and Log. 1 Comment

João Bravo da Costa, Jerome Tsui (in London), and Adalberto Tenreiro (in Macao) have submitted an entry to the concept design competition for the 2010 World Expo Macao pavilion.

front view

The design features an intricate arrangement of compartments intertwined with open-air spaces, all connected by a path of bridges, stairs, ramps, and an elevator. Nicknamed the “Treasure Box”, the design evokes the elaborate and ingenious curio boxes crafted in China since many years to store and carry precious objects.

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close-up view

The competition was organized by the local government of the Special Administrative Region of Macao, one of the regions of China — alongside Hong Kong and Taiwan — that will be represented at the Expo 2010 by their own pavilions next to the Chinese national pavilion.

DRL Ten Pavilion in use

Published at May 18, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

DRL Ten Pavilion in use 2

Good weather in London encourages more and more passers-by to stop and enjoy the DRL Ten Pavilion. Already an attention-grabber since it was completed in mid-March, it has become a much sought-after spot for a pause on Bedford Square.

DRL Ten Pavilion Roundtable discussion

Published at May 16, 2008 in Architectural Association and Log. 0 Comments

DRL Pavilion Roundtable discussion - 03

The DRL Ten pavilion was once again under the spotlight today at the Architectural Association (AA), on the occasion of a roundtable discussion. The event brought together the project team to share their experiences designing, engineering, fabricating, and building the pavilion.

It was remarked early on that this was the first time that representatives of all the task teams came together around the same table — a sign of the vicissitudes imposed on this initiative by budget struggles, a tight deadline, and a dependence on voluntary work by participants with other obligations. The pavilion was an initiative of the tutors of the Design Research Laboratory, a graduate program within the AA, and counted on the support and commitment of a large group of people.

AA director Brett Steele opened the session explaining the significance of this built experiment and learning experience for the AA school and the DRL in particular. DRL tutor and project coordinator Yusuke Obuchi then gave background information, first about the competition that led to the chosen design, then about the construction process and some of the complications it brought about. Pavilion designer Alan Dempsey followed with a commentary of the design development — particularly the time constraint which limited the refinement of the design. Head engineer Hanif Kara of Adams Kara Taylor placed the pavilion at the focus of his plea to bring architectural education and construction education together. He was followed by Reuben Brambleby and Jugatx Ansotegui (both AKT engineers), who gave accounts of the calculations, testing, and detailing carried out to develop the design. Wolfgang Rieder, owner of the company that manufactured the primary building material (fibreC) presented some of their recent work and current capabilities; he also manifested his enthusiasm for new initiatives such as the DRL Ten Pavilion. Next, site manager Joao Bravo da Costa spoke about the construction process, voicing over a time-lapse video recording that condenses the 5-week site activity into a 6-minute clip. He emphasized the challenges faced by the construction team (essentially a group of students turned building contractor team). This commentary was completed by Max, a current DRL student who took part in the construction.

DRL tutors and pavilion initiators Patrik Schumacher, Theo Spyropoulos, and Tom Verebes added some thoughts and remarks to the discussion, which centered on the role that initiatives like the DRL Ten Pavilion can have in architectural education.

DRL Pavilion Roundtable discussion - 04

The DRL Ten Pavilion was designed by DRL alumni Alan Dempsey and Alvin Huang, who won a competition initiated by the DRL tutors. It was built by students under the direction of tutor Yusuke Obuchi, with materials donated by Rieder of Austria, and expert support by Adams Kara Taylor engineers, who also contributed financially. Further donations were made by Zaha Hadid Architects, Icon magazine, and others. Philips provided lighting and Reza Nobakht offered surveying services.

DRL Ten Pavilion

AADRL Ten Pavilion opening

Published at March 13, 2008 in Architectural Association and Log. 0 Comments

080313 Opening

The official opening of the AADRL Ten pavilion took place today at the architectural Association. The front members’ room was crowded beyond capacity for a toast to the completion of the built project and a viewing of the DRL Ten exhibition.

Speeches by AA school director Brett Steele and project leader Yusuke Obuchi thanked all parties involved in the project and emphasized the importance of this achievement in the curriculum of the DRL. It is the first time that the graduate program of the AA completes a built project. All the work on-site was carried out by students and tutors. Nevertheless, the pavilion was made possible only with the co-sponsorship and contribution of many parties (see project page for full information).

The DRL Ten exhibition, on display until April, documents a decade of architectural design and research within the studio, as well as work by DRL graduates and tutors.

080313 Opening - Crowd

AADRL Ten Pavilion construction day 1

Published at February 12, 2008 in Architectural Association and Log. 0 Comments

Ground preparations started today, after part of the south corner of Bedford Square (in front of the Architectural Association) had been fenced off and and the first batch of components delivered. The first step in the construction was to prepare an even ground for the base, by using sand.

AA DRL Ten Pavilion construction day 1

A 1:10 scale model teases the imagination and guides the work on site.

AA DRL Ten Pavilion model on site

AADRL Ten Pavilion site preparations

Published at January 29, 2008 in Architectural Association and Log. 0 Comments

The first meeting of the site team took place today. It is an exciting moment, and we’re looking with anticipation to completing the challenge of building something quite complicated (though fairly small) without a contractor. Meaning that all the site management and logistics, as well as labor, will be the responsibility of DRL staff and students.

DRL Ten Pavilion rendering

A blog will report the progress of the building over the coming weeks.

AADRL Ten Symposium

Published at January 25, 2008 in Log. 0 Comments

Saturday marked the reunion of DRL graduates for an afternoon of presentations and celebration of the program’s 10 years of activity. The presentations were glimpses into the post-DRL work of a few former students, as well as the work and research of course tutors.

AADRL Ten Symposium

DRL Phase 2 Presentation

Published at January 24, 2008 in Architectural Association and Log. 0 Comments

 21 presents their proposal for the Expo 2010 site. This was the Phase 2 (final) project presentation, and it marked the culmination of a 16-month period of design, research, and learning.

Discussion

Mathematically defined topology

Published at December 11, 2007 in Architectural Association and Log. 0 Comments

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Topology is a new research topic in the development of our proposal for the site of the Shanghai World Expo 2010.

The aim is to explore the potential of topologically defined — as opposed to geometrically defined — architectural space and form. Topology is a science of qualities. By following a qualitative approach we intend to expand the possibilities for formal differentiation in the project.

The first challenge has been to define through the mathematics of nodal surfaces what we want to achieve with urban space: different degrees of connectivity and continuity. We found that nodal surfaces can assume countless shapes, provide the differentiation we are looking for, and yet preserve the characteristics of a minimal surface (zero mean curvature), thus offering a structural advantage.