MADEC – Open Museum of Economic Development of Caxias do Sul is a cultural center allied to a business hub organized in the form of an open museum, which consists of five buildings connected to each other by universally accessible open paths that permeate the natural landscape of the CIC land, embracing and preserving the existing building.
The idea is that the project be represented from four economic forces, considered the basis for the development of the city of Caxias do Sul: AGRICULTURE + TRADE + INDUSTRY + SERVICES. These four forces will be present in the materiality and spatiality of the complex.
The architectural mission of the Bernard Visitor Center is to enrich the experience of visiting the brewery and to provide a cosy environment for relaxation, a place to sit with friends. The Visitor Centre with its exhibition, shop and beerhouse welcomes local gourmets from Humpolec and neighbouring towns, as well as visitors and excursions from further afield in the country and the world.
Landscaping designed to contemplate the magnificent environment of the north of the island of Hierro called “El Golfo”.
A privileged location, replacing the existing viewpoint with a singular piece that looks out of the vacuum on the cliff of 1000 m by means of a cantilevered concrete slab.
Observing the natural cycles of nature is a basis of organic farming. The architecture of the Rapunzel world also feels committed to the principles of an ecologically sensible circular economy. The building technology was reduced to a minimum. We use daylight and the microclimate and largely do without mechanical air conditioning. I hope that the floating and protective roof band that soars up into the Rapunzel Tower, the wings of the building stretching out into the natural environment and the careful choice of building materials that are as regional as possible will also illustrate these principles to the visitor when developing the visitor center.
Article source: Levitt Bernstein and TKMT architectes
Levitt Bernstein and TKMT architectes designed a new visitor centre as part of the Institut Laue-Langevin campus in Grenoble, a pan-European initiative providing neutrons to visiting researchers for experiments and analysis at the molecular level. The new building will give access to the institute’s array of state-of-the-art equipment and provide scientists with a base for their work. Also included are new conference facilities, bookable lab space and healthcare support. Inspired by the nearby neutron accelerator, the design of the building takes its cues from specific scientific methods, while also creating highly functional, multipurpose spaces.
The ridge of the Stráž mountain towers above Rokytnice. Its western end descends to the rushing waters of the Jizera river and continues eastwards along the Sachrův and Vlčí ridges to the mystical mountain Kotel. The Stráž mountain, or Strážník as the locals call it, was one of the places where signals were sent by fire when enemy armies invaded our lands. The smoke signal was then received by other patrols at Kozákov and sent deeper into Bohemia. Today, fortunately, the fires on the surrounding hills are no longer burning. Rokytnice nad Jizerou has new guards. The town is watched over by four patrons from the coat of arms. Perched on top of the Strážník, they symbolize the four villages that combined to form the town of Rokytnice in ancient times – the Fox, the Bear, the Sheep and the Miner – The Guard Patrol.
The new Welcome Center will serve visitors to the adjacent Botanic Gardens, Rural Life Museum, Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter and various other community and cultural destinations. Intended to provide visitors with an overview of the many destinations dispersed throughout the 440-acre property in the heart of Louisiana’s capital city, the 28,625-square-foot facility will also detail the history of the Burden family and the Burden property, one of the largest donations ever made to LSU and the surrounding community.
On a northwestern Guizhou typical plateau, placed at an altitude of above 2,000 meters in-between untouched grassland hills and mountains, stands the Cuisuba Yi Cultural & Visitor Center. Completed in March 2021, the center was conceived as a landmark to pay homage to the Yi people, an ethnic minority group mainly residing in the mountainous regions and rural areas of South-West China. The building grows from a slope with a maximum inclination of 20 degrees, surrounded by mountains all around. Commissioned by the Dafang County Tourism Development Office in order to provide the basic structure to promote tourism in the area, the center aims to become a symbolic landmark celebrating Yi culture.
West-line Studio has a long history in building cultural centers in Guizhou province influenced by local ethnic minorities; the practice’s approach has always been characterized by deep research on the peculiar cultural aspects of a particular community, which can result in rites, fabrics, patterns, construction techniques, festivals, and pictograms, in order to bring some of these unique features into the design, creating a strong bond with local culture and collective memory.
As the competition winners, BWM Architekten developed an open concept for a versatile, forward-looking visitor centre in the opera house. A 20m-long table along the central axis of the hall provides structure for the various functions: during the day, the main focus is on ticket sales, service and information; as the evening closes in, the space transforms like a stage and becomes a meeting spot where the local culture and music scene can socialise. Whether day or night, it is a welcoming place for all visitors.
The main idea is to connect the visitor centre with the reserve’s nature at all levels of the project. To create an autonomous environment with the distinct genius loci. Using material and shape mimicry, the building organically connects its appearance with the environment of the reserve. It looks very old and, at the same time, contemporary or even futuristic. It works with the natural connection between the organic and inorganic components of nature, which permeates not only the technical part of the building (cooling and condensation system) but also all exhibition and didactic strategies (living parts of the facades, water elements and indoor life organisms). The smooth connection of individual operation sections into an intertwined continuous floor plan creates a large number of surprising situations achieving a complex impression and spontaneous transfer of information to visitors on a small area. The building is designed as a visitor centre containing elements of a small museum with emphasis on flamingo nesting, allowing exhibition and program expansion (specifics of live forms influenced by carotenoid, partially live displays forming small biotopes).