Designing for the perimeter

The new Zubiaur Musika Eskola in Amorebieta-Etxano, on the outskirts of Bilbao, emerged from an architectural competition held in 2015. Conceived as both an addition and a reinterpretation of its context, the project establishes a clear dialogue with the existing facilities while asserting its own architectural identity.

Context Integration

The building transforms the existing dividing wall into an additional façade, completing and redefining the perimeter of the current complex. The original wall of the adjoining frontón ballcourt is preserved and elevated as the central protagonist of the intervention. By exposing and layering the successive walls, the project makes the passage of time legible, allowing traces of the site’s history to remain visible. In doing so, the design safeguards local heritage and collective memory, integrating them into the contemporary architectural language.

Once the formal autonomy of the neighboring cultural center is acknowledged, the Musika Eskola operates as an independent volume. It respects the orthogonality and abstraction of the surrounding structures, yet distinguishes itself as a singular and recognizable element within the ensemble.

Spatial Organization

The newly conceived façade-dividing wall is set apart from the main volume, generating a ground-floor patio and a vertical void that extends alongside the upper levels. The plan wraps around this courtyard, which functions both as a drainage basin and as a rainwater retention space in the event of flooding.

A subtle setback from the longitudinal façade creates a sheltered porch at ground level, marking the main entrance and reinforcing its civic presence. Above, the upper floors complete the program in the form of a regular three-story prism, arranged parallel to the new façade-wall and complemented by a projecting corbel. The compact floor plates maximize usable surface area, forming an efficient and clearly defined spatial container.

Façade & Staircase Design

To achieve fully open-plan interiors, the structural system is pushed to the perimeter, allowing the façade to act as a self-supporting envelope. This strategy liberates the interior from structural constraints, enhancing flexibility and spatial clarity.

The staircases are positioned outside the primary prism and enclosed in glass, heightening transparency and reinforcing the building’s abstract character. More than a circulation device, the stair becomes an architectural promenade: it frames views toward the adjacent park, reveals the scale of the internal courtyard, and underscores the building’s identity as an extended, cohesive, and singular spatial composition.

The post Zubiaur School of Music was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The New Archaeological Museum in Chania is an exhibition space for antique artefacts, and a pole for producing and advancing culture. The result was shaped by conceptual considerations, the terrain features, and the program, technologies, and materials.

The building site is in the historical Chalepa district, with a sea view, relatively close to the Chania Old Harbor. The main idea was to create a building shell with an atrium; adapting to the site was the main consideration in the design.

The limited field of view from the site entrance led to a reduced building height for the overground part, to secure the horizon view beyond. From the entrance, one has an immediate perception of the entire circulation network and wayfinding to the exhibition halls, the museum shop, the amphitheater, and the restaurant. Spaces are demarcated by clear surfaces, to create an appropriate environment for exhibitions.

The need for a recognizable Museum, given its public, cultural character, was also a key consideration in the design. Through the composition and form of the volumes, as well as the texture and color of the cladding materials, a discrete yet identifiable shell was created, as a contemporary building, expressive of its time, yet designated for accommodating past civilizations. The linear, geometric shell aims for a timeless aesthetic, through expressive restraint; this is inscribed in the volumes, surfaces, materials, and the main façade, which is flat and defined by a trapezoidal shape, dominated by the main entrance.

Natural lighting penetrates the building from its sides, controlled in a way that prevents excessive reflection. The openings are not immediately visible, and their role is confided to creating the proper exhibition atmosphere. Exhibits benefit from artificial lighting.

The architectural design created the potential for alternative activities and exhibitions at the new museum and designated their interactive character. The result is a timeless building.

Bobotis+Bobotis Architects

Thomas Gerasopoulos

ek 240 | September 2019

The post New Archaeological Museum in Chania was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

He Art Museum (HEM), totaling 16,000m², is designed by architect Tadao Ando. The exhibition area of HEM is approximately 8,000m². Ando’s design presents his signature with the use of slick concrete, while cooperating various natural elements including light, water and wind into the context of Lingnan Architectural Culture within the design.

The design of the building takes “harmony” as the theme. From the architectural design to the very details, a variety of circles is presented. It attempts to create a new arts and cultural center infused with the Lingnan architectural culture. These circles constructed the space of the building through ripple-like expansion: from top to bottom, with the overlapping of four circles. With each area’s clear-cut periphery, an enriched variation effect is created through the interaction between spaces.

Anient Chinese cosmology and philosophy believed the sky was round and divine; the earth was flat and square – this has had a profound influence on ancient architectural theories and design, and it is still preserved by some of the architectures today in Lingnan region. To address these contradicting elements, the visual contrast between “round” and “square” emphasized in the museum creates a sense of conflict with spatial differences, which has given more characteristics to HEM.

The double-helix staircase and the courtyard corresponds to the overlapping circles. This structure is called “variable truncated hyperboloid staircase” in architecture, commonly known as “DNA staircase”. It creates a sense of temple when audiences look up to the roof in the central atrium with the natural light shining from the sky.

Ando’s architectural design challenges the “dynamic geometry”. This dynamic presents the rich layers of the spaces that can only be achieved by the dual-spiral design, with different sizes of circles expanding to the outside, creating a sense of tension and rhythm. This design pursues a dynamic balance among the stable structure, which has become a highlight within HEM’s architecture.

Tadao Ando

The post He Art Museum was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

After the “Seashore Library” and “Seashore Chapel”, “Restaurant y Sea” completes the trilogy of Vector Architects’ seashore series at Aranya Community in Beidaihe New District. The restaurant is situated right behind the library across the beach. The design was initiated by investigating how to create a coexisting relationship with the mighty solid library volume. The library is a spiritual place with a clear boundary. The natural elements, like wind, light and surrounding views, are defined and shaped throughout the space where people can gaze upon the sea while sitting in the terraced library. As for the restaurant, a dispersed and a more casual everyday atmosphere is established. Instead of the seascape being the visual focus for people, as it is in the library, it acts as the backdrop in the restaurant. People will notice what happens on the sea as they dine and inadvertently glance towards it.

Trees are interlocked within the fragmented spatial boundary and courtyards. The architecture appears as a non-directional canopy floating above the undulating landscape, looming in the woods. From top to bottom, the tree crowns, building roof, and dining area underneath constitute the three major layers in the section sequentially. Tree branches sway with the sea breeze and cast their shadow through the skylights onto the wall and floor. The dining space becomes animated with the flickering of light and shadow, cultivating another dimension of indirect engagement between space and nature. The inner tree courtyards bring light and airflow deep into the restaurant, and at the same time, like hinges, they anchor the space. The courtyards simultaneously divide and connect the surrounding spaces. The full height fair-faced cast-in-place concrete walls of the courtyards resist the sheer force of the whole building, which makes it possible to support the load of the thick eaves on columns of only 120mm in diameter. This way, the slender steel elements, similar in diameter to the surrounding tree trunks, blend in the surrounding woods.

There is no designated main entrance for the restaurant. Instead, clear glass sliding doors are placed along the perimeter, which, when fully opened, cause the spatial boundary to disappear, turning the building into a “pavilion”. People can approach the dining space from any direction. They will firstly step into a transitional space with a lowered eave, and then gradually walk into the main dining area under a raised-up central roof, illuminated by immersive natural light. The interference of excessive side light is consciously reduced by controlling the clear height of the eaves, in order to create an atmosphere of being under a floating “cloud” as a result of the light-filtering waffle beams. The waffle beams remit the need for strictly aligned load-bearing elements and minimize the amount of structural walls, which help achieve the staggered fluidity of the plan.

Each type of architecture can essentially refer to a unique lifestyle as well as to the emotional expression corresponding to it. These various public spaces take on a meaning beyond that of an everyday space. The demand of people’s lives sculpts them, while in the other way around these spaces affect people’s lives. Light, wind and view in architecture are all the paths leading people to interact with nature. They closely integrate people with the outside world, and ultimately, an everyday space will imply a kind of spiritual meaning.

Vector Architects

Chen Hao, Su Shengliang

The post Restaurant Y Sea was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The final decisions on the best architects 21 award are in. With almost 400 entries, the number of participants was higher than ever before. The diversity and range of the projects submitted was impressive, but at the same time a challenge for this year’s jury.

«It is exciting to see the vibrant way in which architecture is developing. Architects are meeting new challenges with a good deal of creativity and courage and are producing some surprising new solutions as a result. Most are guided by a strong concept that goes beyond formal approaches and does justice to the durability of the architecture and the often changing use over time. That development was recognised with this year’s award-winning projects.»

(Tobias Schwarzer, founder of the best architects award)

The jury consisting of Professor Johannes Modersohn (Berlin), Yves Moreau (Paris) and Patrick Schmid (Zurich) honoured 80 projects with the «best architects 21» award. An additional 11 projects received the distinction «best architects 21 in Gold» for their outstanding quality.

«With almost 400 project entries, it is not easy to set the evaluation criteria. The spectrum of submissions ranged from the largely faithful renovation of a stellar architectural residential building from the 1960s to an investors’ urban office complex and an architectural sculpture that ostensibly has no function. Is it even possible to define criteria that allow for the comparison of such diverse interventions? And whose achievement should win an award? Of course, the best architects award is primarily aimed at architects, but every architect knows that their work alone is not enough to create a good building. The role that the developers and authorities play is just as critical. A building of exceptional quality is therefore also always evidence of the particularly constructive collaboration of all parties concerned.

If we now consider the results of our adjudication process, then it is obvious that all the award-winning projects are characterised by exactly that kind of interaction between all participants. But they not only satisfy the original requirements by means a good compromise. Instead they manage to achieve something at a higher level on the basis of strong ideas. These projects thus make a contribution to our society.»

(Patrick Schmid / Schmid Schärer Architekten, Zurich)

The Gold winners of the best architects 21 award

In the «Residential single-family» category, the gold winners were the architectural firms Aretz Dürr Architekten from Cologne (DE) with their project «House D // 6» as well as Kast Kaeppeli Architekten from Bern (CH) and their project «Jurastrasse 58» and the Lukas Lenherr Architektur practice from Zurich (CH) for their project «Small house».

For their exceptionally creative and innovative residential buildings in the «Residential multi-family» category, the firms Atelier EGR Architectes from Marseille (FR) and their project «Jouques», BS+EMI Architektenpartner from Zurich (CH) and their project «Am Katzenbach IV/V Residential Complex», the Michael Meier und Marius Hug Architekten practice from Zurich (CH) with their project «Allenmoosstrasse Residential Building» and the firm Rapin Saiz Architectes from Vevey (CH) with their «Renovation and Elevation of a Residential Building» project also received a gold award.

A further gold distinction in the «Office and Administrative Buildings» category went to the «Hilti Office Mitte» project by the Giuliani Hönger Architekten practice from Zurich (CH).

In the «Commercial and Industrial Buildings» category, the SLIK Architekten firm from Zurich (CH) won a gold award with the project «Yond».

Additional gold awards in the «Educational Buildings» category went to the ARGE Architekten Hull Inoue Radlinsky + Wolfgang Rossbauer consortium from Zurich (CH) for its «Marzili Primary School» project.

In the «Public Buildings» category, the consortium ARGE Joos & Mathys Architekten / Daniel Nyffeler Architekten from Zurich (CH) scored a gold with its «Rüti ZH Parish Hall» project.

All the award-winning projects can be seen at www.bestarchitects.de.

About the Best Architects Award

The best architects award was created in 2006 to filter out the best and most interesting architectural projects the German-speaking countries have to offer in order to present them to a broad, interested public. In 2015, the award competition was opened up to participants across Europe.

The award is conferred each year on completed architecture projects that are distinguished by outstanding architectural quality. An independent jury of prominent architects awards the «best architects» label and the «best architects in gold» label for exceptional quality.

Due to the constantly increasing number of participants and the exceptionally high standard of submissions, the award has become a significant event in the world of architecture. The award, and the lavish publication that documents all the award-winning projects in depth, offer potential developers guidance and contribute to the dialogue concerning architectural culture. The award also allows award-winning architects and/or architectural firms to stand out in the market place and to position themselves at the forefront of the international architectural scene.

Best Architects 21

The post Best Architects 21 Award Results was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.