How do we build something that modulates space and changes the circulation path of an existing architectural environment by using almost no material? What does it mean to fill space with volume that is on the threshold of absence?
This project mandated the division of an awkwardly-configured bedroom into two distinct sleeping quarters. Because of the open character of the loft space and the existing tall ceilings, we approached the solution with the understanding that the new configuration would ultimately result in relatively small yet tall spaces. In light of this, we chose to bring down one’s visual perception of the spaces and created a separation which allowed for one dedicated (existing) window within each of the new rooms.
The socio-cultural development of the past century has compromised the notion of “progress”. Deforestation, topsoil depletion, excesses of industrial and financial globalisation, biodiversity loss and incessant pressures of population growth on the planet’s limited resources have placed the human being in a condition of rupture with his ecological role as species.
The Poetry Foundation is comprised of a building in dialogue with a garden created through erosion of an implied volume as described by the L-shaped property boundary. The garden interlocks with the building and is conceived as another “room,” part of the building’s slowly-unfolding spatial sequence revealed space by space, not unlike a poem is revealed line by line.
Designed by Vladimir Radutny and Paul Tebben of STUDIO IDE, this ground level space inscribes the functions of living, entertaining and yoga into a traditional three story suburban home. The Clients, having lived and traveled in the eastern world, aspired to transplant the character of Southeast Asian living into their existing home. Rather than forcing the marriage between these two dissimilar architectural languages, the choice to disconnect each from the other created a world within a world.
While the world is looking for alternatives to fossil fuels, Algae is an unlimited source of energy, food, and most important, a remarkable natural CO2 absorber. Every industrial energy system inscribes its technological order into the urban fabric. Therefore, what shall be the shape and the fingerprint of the next ZERO CARBON economy in the big cities? So, which spatial implications shall have Algae’s new technologies, and which potentials integrations could be imagine for Algae bio reactors in central urban areas? Re-use is by far the most sustainable option: that’s why the key issue is how anticipate Algae’s green future in the core of the major cities, transforming existing building, there where most of people live and where emissions of CO2 are the most important.
A temporary pavilion designed and erected in Chicago’s Millennium Park as part of the Burnham Plan celebrations – reflecting the Chicago’s long tradition for embracing cutting edge architecture in an in intricate but fluid structure that incorporates hidden traces of Burnham and Bennett’s original 1909 plans to redevelop the city.
The LEED Silver Certified Technology Education Center (TEC) is a 178,000 sf facility (plus a 12,000 sf separate greenhouse) accommodating a diverse set of programs and educational spaces, including laboratory, classroom and office areas to support the College technology-based career training courses. The TEC is intended to support a broad sustainable and educational agenda, promoting environmental consciousness through the synthesis of technological expertise and design principles.
Exterior at Dusk with Multi colored Corridors (Images Courtesy Barbara Karant / Karant + Associates, Inc.)
Tags: Glen Ellyn, Illinois Comments Off on College of DuPage Technology Education Center in Glen Ellyn, Illinois by DeStefano Partners (designed using Autodesk Revit)
The Wicker Park Sushi and Seafood bar occupies 3,000 square feet of the main concourse floor in the post-security area of Terminal 2 at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The 104-seat venue is distinguished by its clean, dramatically lit glass-front bar highlighted with an illuminated overhead soffit that has been suspended from the roof trusses above. The glowing ceiling element—acting as a beacon for the bar, guides the travelers into this concourse venue.
The renovation of an eleventh floor suite in the 1926 Art Deco Metropolitan Building, located in the heart of the Chicago theater district, provided a unique opportunity for a young and progressive planning firm to increase their profile within the city of Chicago. The original space, layered with aging ceiling tile and threadbare carpet, quickly developed into an extensive dematerialization exercise. A nervous and wary building landlord observed progress as the current building standards were set aside and the existing finishes were stripped away revealing the clarity and beauty of the original architecture.