Backstage Architecture 2012

Page 1


BACKSTAGE ARCHITECTURE

LUIGI PRESTINENZA PUGLISI CHIEF CURATOR © 2012 Backstage Architecture. All rights reserved. e-book version, last updated 10th of September, 2012 CHIEF CURATOR Luigi Prestinenza Puglisi Senior Curator Bernardina Borra Junior Curators Nicolò Lewanski, Rosella Longavita, Federica Russo English translations and editing: Paul David Blackmore Thanks to: Massimo Russo and Alessandro Ferullo, creators of web site www.backstage-architecture.org Francesco Trovato, Lettera22, Editorial Support Mauro Rallo, IT consultant

BERNARDINA BORRA SENIOR CURATOR NICOLO’ LEWANSKI ROSELLA LONGAVITA FEDERICA RUSSO JUNIOR CURATORS


BACKSTAGE ARCHITECTURE

LUIGI PRESTINENZA PUGLISI CHIEF CURATOR © 2012 Backstage Architecture. All rights reserved. e-book version, last updated 10th of September, 2012 CHIEF CURATOR Luigi Prestinenza Puglisi Senior Curator Bernardina Borra Junior Curators Nicolò Lewanski, Rosella Longavita, Federica Russo English translations and editing: Paul David Blackmore Thanks to: Massimo Russo and Alessandro Ferullo, creators of web site www.backstage-architecture.org Francesco Trovato, Lettera22, Editorial Support Mauro Rallo, IT consultant

BERNARDINA BORRA SENIOR CURATOR NICOLO’ LEWANSKI ROSELLA LONGAVITA FEDERICA RUSSO JUNIOR CURATORS


B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2 5

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INDEX

Glamuzina Paterson Architects

www.gp-a.co.nz

150 Czech Republic

OV-A

www.ov-a.cz

20

Australia

KOKKUGIA ROLAND SNOOKS

www.kokkugia.com

154 Sweden

FoAM-NORDICA

www.scene-thinking.com

24

Russia

PlanAR

mukosey@gmail.com, info@plan-ar.ru

160 Norway

Fantastic Norway

www.fantasticnorway.no

30

Indonesia

AKanoma Studio

yusinglim@yahoo.com, sing@bdg.centrin.net.id

164 Austria

soma

www.soma-architecture.com

36

Japan

Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP Architects

press@nakam.info

168 Italy

CAFEArchitettura

www.cafearchitettura.it

42

South Korea

Ko Kiwoong + Lee Jooeun

www.office-kokiwoong.com

172 Germany

Birk und Heilmeyer Architekten

www.birkundheilmeyer.de

46

China

HHD_FUN, Wang Zhenfei + Luming Wang

www.hhdfun.com

178 Denmark

NORD Architects Copenhag en

www.nordarchitects.dk

50

Hong Kong

Alvin Yip

sday@polyu.edu.hk

184 Switzerland

Dreier Frenzel Architecture

www.dreierfrenzel.com

56

Taiwan

CHAOTI CHEN + WORKSHOP LEVITAS

shuchi@gmail.com

188 Nigeria

NLÉ, KUNLÉ ADEYEMI

www.nleworks.com

60

Vietnam

VO TRON GNGHIA ARCHITECTS

www.votrongnghia.com

192 The Netherlands

Anne Holtrop

www.anneholtrop.nl

64

India

SHROFFLEON

k.shroff@shroffleon.com, m.leon@shroffleon.com

196 Belgium

PT ARCHITECTEN

peter@ptarchitecten.be

68

Bangladesh

SHAHNAWAZ BAPPY

bapsg1@yahoo.com

202 Algeria

MAGDA BENDANI

bendanimagda@hotmail.com

72

Iran

Hamed Khosravi, Mahtab Akhavan

www.hamedkhosravi.com

206 France

Nicolas Reymond

www.nicolasreymond.com

78

Jordan

MATTHEW BARTON, EMAD SLEIBY

barton.mb@gmail.com, emadsleiby@gmail.com

210 United Kingdom

THE ASSEMBLE

www.assemblestudio.co.uk

82

Kuwait

AGI Architects

www.agi-architects.com

214 Spain

ARTURO FRANCO

www.arturofranco.es

86

Turkey

PAB Architects

www.pab.com.tr

220 Portugal

embaixada

www.embaixada.net

90

Israel

HQ Architects

www.hqa.co.il

226 Ireland

CLANCY MOORE ARCHITECTS

www.clancymoore.com

94

Lebanon

BERNARD KHOURY / DW5

www.bernardkhoury.com

232 Brazil

SIAA Arquitectos

www.siaa.arq.br

98

Romania

UNULAUNU

www.unulaunu.ro

238 Venezuela

LAB.PRO .FAB.

www.labprofab.com

104 Cyprus

NOA

aggela@notonlyarchitecture.com

242 Bolivia

G/CdR Architects

www.gallardocostadurelsarquitectos.com

108 South Africa

26’10 South Architects

www.2610south.co.za

246 USA

Form-ula

www.form-ula.com

114 Greece

PAAN ARCHITECTS

www.paan.gr

250 Dominican Republic PEREZ MORALES y ASOCIADOS

jepp@perezmorales.com.do

118 Bulgaria

GEORGI ZAYKOV

www.atikaholding.com

254 Cuba

Choy-León Estudio de Arquitectura

choy@cubarte.cult.cu

122 Serbia

Autori

www.autori.rs

258 Colombia

Paisajes Emergentes

luiscallejas@paisajesemergentes.com

128 Finland

AOA

www.aoa.fi

264 Peru

Héctor Loli Rizo Patrón + Ximena Alvarez de la Piedra

www.nomena-arquitectos.com

132 Poland

VROA / CH+ Architekci

www.vroa.pl, www.chplus.pl

268 Chile

BENJAMÍN MURÚA, RODRIGO VALENZUELA

Rodrigo@murua-valenzuela.com

138 Hungary

BORD ARCHITECTURAL STUDIO

www.bordstudio.hu/index.php

274 Nicaragua

Kelton Villavicencio Architects

keltonvillavicencioarquitectos@gmail.com

142 Croatia

MMMM MAJA MILAT, MARIO MATIC

emariomatic@gmail.com

278 Mexico

PRODUCTORA

abel@productora-df.com.mx

146 Slovenia

TASTE

www.taste.si

7

New Zealand

B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

14


B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

6

INDEX

Glamuzina Paterson Architects

www.gp-a.co.nz

150 Czech Republic

OV-A

www.ov-a.cz

20

Australia

KOKKUGIA ROLAND SNOOKS

www.kokkugia.com

154 Sweden

FoAM-NORDICA

www.scene-thinking.com

24

Russia

PlanAR

mukosey@gmail.com, info@plan-ar.ru

160 Norway

Fantastic Norway

www.fantasticnorway.no

30

Indonesia

AKanoma Studio

yusinglim@yahoo.com, sing@bdg.centrin.net.id

164 Austria

soma

www.soma-architecture.com

36

Japan

Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP Architects

press@nakam.info

168 Italy

CAFEArchitettura

www.cafearchitettura.it

42

South Korea

Ko Kiwoong + Lee Jooeun

www.office-kokiwoong.com

172 Germany

Birk und Heilmeyer Architekten

www.birkundheilmeyer.de

46

China

HHD_FUN, Wang Zhenfei + Luming Wang

www.hhdfun.com

178 Denmark

NORD Architects Copenhag en

www.nordarchitects.dk

50

Hong Kong

Alvin Yip

sday@polyu.edu.hk

184 Switzerland

Dreier Frenzel Architecture

www.dreierfrenzel.com

56

Taiwan

CHAOTI CHEN + WORKSHOP LEVITAS

shuchi@gmail.com

188 Nigeria

NLÉ, KUNLÉ ADEYEMI

www.nleworks.com

60

Vietnam

VO TRON GNGHIA ARCHITECTS

www.votrongnghia.com

192 The Netherlands

Anne Holtrop

www.anneholtrop.nl

64

India

SHROFFLEON

k.shroff@shroffleon.com, m.leon@shroffleon.com

196 Belgium

PT ARCHITECTEN

peter@ptarchitecten.be

68

Bangladesh

SHAHNAWAZ BAPPY

bapsg1@yahoo.com

202 Algeria

MAGDA BENDANI

bendanimagda@hotmail.com

72

Iran

Hamed Khosravi, Mahtab Akhavan

www.hamedkhosravi.com

206 France

Nicolas Reymond

www.nicolasreymond.com

78

Jordan

MATTHEW BARTON, EMAD SLEIBY

barton.mb@gmail.com, emadsleiby@gmail.com

210 United Kingdom

THE ASSEMBLE

www.assemblestudio.co.uk

82

Kuwait

AGI Architects

www.agi-architects.com

214 Spain

ARTURO FRANCO

www.arturofranco.es

86

Turkey

PAB Architects

www.pab.com.tr

220 Portugal

embaixada

www.embaixada.net

90

Israel

HQ Architects

www.hqa.co.il

226 Ireland

CLANCY MOORE ARCHITECTS

www.clancymoore.com

94

Lebanon

BERNARD KHOURY / DW5

www.bernardkhoury.com

232 Brazil

SIAA Arquitectos

www.siaa.arq.br

98

Romania

UNULAUNU

www.unulaunu.ro

238 Venezuela

LAB.PRO .FAB.

www.labprofab.com

104 Cyprus

NOA

aggela@notonlyarchitecture.com

242 Bolivia

G/CdR Architects

www.gallardocostadurelsarquitectos.com

108 South Africa

26’10 South Architects

www.2610south.co.za

246 USA

Form-ula

www.form-ula.com

114 Greece

PAAN ARCHITECTS

www.paan.gr

250 Dominican Republic PEREZ MORALES y ASOCIADOS

jepp@perezmorales.com.do

118 Bulgaria

GEORGI ZAYKOV

www.atikaholding.com

254 Cuba

Choy-León Estudio de Arquitectura

choy@cubarte.cult.cu

122 Serbia

Autori

www.autori.rs

258 Colombia

Paisajes Emergentes

luiscallejas@paisajesemergentes.com

128 Finland

AOA

www.aoa.fi

264 Peru

Héctor Loli Rizo Patrón + Ximena Alvarez de la Piedra

www.nomena-arquitectos.com

132 Poland

VROA / CH+ Architekci

www.vroa.pl, www.chplus.pl

268 Chile

BENJAMÍN MURÚA, RODRIGO VALENZUELA

Rodrigo@murua-valenzuela.com

138 Hungary

BORD ARCHITECTURAL STUDIO

www.bordstudio.hu/index.php

274 Nicaragua

Kelton Villavicencio Architects

keltonvillavicencioarquitectos@gmail.com

142 Croatia

MMMM MAJA MILAT, MARIO MATIC

emariomatic@gmail.com

278 Mexico

PRODUCTORA

abel@productora-df.com.mx

146 Slovenia

TASTE

www.taste.si

7

New Zealand

B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

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10

LUIGI PRESTINENZA PUGLISI

B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

fewer certainties and increased doubts for order and rigour, though not necessarily frankness or economy. On behalf of the Associazione Italiana di Architettura e Critica I am pleased to present this second edition of Backstage Architecture, which brings together the best architects under the age of 35 working around the globe, enriched this year by a number of new entries, and involving a total of 57 nations. I would like to thank all of the architectural critics who selected the ‘under35’s’, and these latter for providing the requested documentation of their work. The research and this product are the result of the work of a group composed of Bernardina Borra (senior curator), Nicolò Lewanski, Federica Russo, Rosella Longavita (junior curators), with the invaluable assistance offered by Massimo Russo for the web design and programming and Paul David Blackmore for the English translations.

B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2 11

As I write these words, the economic crisis afflicting Europe has not yet abated. And there are no signs on the horizon that things are about to improve any time soon, above all in those countries facing the most serious problems: Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy. This comports a stagnation in the building market and an absence of employment perspectives for young architects, forced to seek work abroad. However, they are no longer searching, as was once the case, in the architecturally saturated countries of France, The Netherlands or Great Britain, but on other continents where economic development, despite that fact that the crisis is global, is impetuous: Brazil, China, India and Australia. In parallel with the redefinition of the geographic scenarios in which architecture is being produced, we are also witness to a redefinition of theoretical research that, with respect to the past, is marked by fewer certainties and increased doubts. The 1990s were a decade of theorisations on design. These were the years of numerous books on architectural theory, and the best designers from this season sought to construct theorems, that is, projects that served to demonstrate their ideas. We need only consider the work of Rem Koolhaas and the protagonists of the first wave of the star system, such as Steven Holl, Daniel Libeskind, Bernard Tschumi and Zaha Hadid. However, there are also works that came later: for example the blobby and digital era that sought to demonstrate how the computer could be used to generate the new geometries of buildings and cities. Today we live in an era that is marked – somewhat

like financial markets – by greater uncertainties and volatility. We are afraid to realise overly iconic works and run the risk of the excesses that are inevitable in the presence of overly precise ideas. We return to the past with more nonchalance – there is no longer an idea that we must propose innovation at all costs – and we return to approaches that, until a few years ago, appeared to have gone out of style. There is also a greater desire for simplicity and an increased awareness of economics and ecology. In particular, it would appear possible to define three trends. The first is neo-organic. This has little to do with the super-organicism of Greg Lynn or Nox, that, to be clear, employed computer-generated manipulations to create buildings characterised by complex fractal geometries and which, in the end, caused buildings to resemble a medusa or a head of cauliflower. The new organics prefer instead the use of softer, less overtly allusive forms, constructed of natural materials such as wood and stone. Their work recalls the origins of this type of research: for example Alvar Aalto or Frank Lloyd Wright. However, they conserve their own freshness and modernity. The second trend is technological. However, it is extraneous to the excesses of high-tech: the virtuosities of Norman Foster or Santiago Calatrava. On the contrary, it appears to move towards the style of the Apple store, where technological innovation is suggested not by pipes and tie rods, but by lightness, transparency, simplicity and versatility. Where instead of a futuristic steel structure there is a preference for glass, with the aerodynamic desk substituted by a table in blonde wood, the computer cables hidden from view or even eliminated. In the end new devices are all wireless. The third trend is neo-modernist. Far from the heroic season of the Modern Movement, marked by a Calvinist work ethic that saw standardisation and the reduction of ornaments as the path towards a better future. Today modernism is viewed, instead, as one style among many others, perhaps the best for expressing a desire


10

LUIGI PRESTINENZA PUGLISI

B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

fewer certainties and increased doubts for order and rigour, though not necessarily frankness or economy. On behalf of the Associazione Italiana di Architettura e Critica I am pleased to present this second edition of Backstage Architecture, which brings together the best architects under the age of 35 working around the globe, enriched this year by a number of new entries, and involving a total of 57 nations. I would like to thank all of the architectural critics who selected the ‘under35’s’, and these latter for providing the requested documentation of their work. The research and this product are the result of the work of a group composed of Bernardina Borra (senior curator), Nicolò Lewanski, Federica Russo, Rosella Longavita (junior curators), with the invaluable assistance offered by Massimo Russo for the web design and programming and Paul David Blackmore for the English translations.

B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2 11

As I write these words, the economic crisis afflicting Europe has not yet abated. And there are no signs on the horizon that things are about to improve any time soon, above all in those countries facing the most serious problems: Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy. This comports a stagnation in the building market and an absence of employment perspectives for young architects, forced to seek work abroad. However, they are no longer searching, as was once the case, in the architecturally saturated countries of France, The Netherlands or Great Britain, but on other continents where economic development, despite that fact that the crisis is global, is impetuous: Brazil, China, India and Australia. In parallel with the redefinition of the geographic scenarios in which architecture is being produced, we are also witness to a redefinition of theoretical research that, with respect to the past, is marked by fewer certainties and increased doubts. The 1990s were a decade of theorisations on design. These were the years of numerous books on architectural theory, and the best designers from this season sought to construct theorems, that is, projects that served to demonstrate their ideas. We need only consider the work of Rem Koolhaas and the protagonists of the first wave of the star system, such as Steven Holl, Daniel Libeskind, Bernard Tschumi and Zaha Hadid. However, there are also works that came later: for example the blobby and digital era that sought to demonstrate how the computer could be used to generate the new geometries of buildings and cities. Today we live in an era that is marked – somewhat

like financial markets – by greater uncertainties and volatility. We are afraid to realise overly iconic works and run the risk of the excesses that are inevitable in the presence of overly precise ideas. We return to the past with more nonchalance – there is no longer an idea that we must propose innovation at all costs – and we return to approaches that, until a few years ago, appeared to have gone out of style. There is also a greater desire for simplicity and an increased awareness of economics and ecology. In particular, it would appear possible to define three trends. The first is neo-organic. This has little to do with the super-organicism of Greg Lynn or Nox, that, to be clear, employed computer-generated manipulations to create buildings characterised by complex fractal geometries and which, in the end, caused buildings to resemble a medusa or a head of cauliflower. The new organics prefer instead the use of softer, less overtly allusive forms, constructed of natural materials such as wood and stone. Their work recalls the origins of this type of research: for example Alvar Aalto or Frank Lloyd Wright. However, they conserve their own freshness and modernity. The second trend is technological. However, it is extraneous to the excesses of high-tech: the virtuosities of Norman Foster or Santiago Calatrava. On the contrary, it appears to move towards the style of the Apple store, where technological innovation is suggested not by pipes and tie rods, but by lightness, transparency, simplicity and versatility. Where instead of a futuristic steel structure there is a preference for glass, with the aerodynamic desk substituted by a table in blonde wood, the computer cables hidden from view or even eliminated. In the end new devices are all wireless. The third trend is neo-modernist. Far from the heroic season of the Modern Movement, marked by a Calvinist work ethic that saw standardisation and the reduction of ornaments as the path towards a better future. Today modernism is viewed, instead, as one style among many others, perhaps the best for expressing a desire


B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

12

BERNARDINA BORRA THE DIFFERENT WAYS OF BEING HYPE

The profession is thus returning more and more to what Hannes Meyer would have called an “organiser” of the biological aspects of life, meaning Architecture produced and inspired by man for man, as much as it produces man itself; as a co-operation between man and his environment. This is very close to Karl Marx’s concept of the production of man and society: “just as society produces man as man, so is society produced by him” (The Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844). The architecture designed by most of the young architects presented in this book is fed by observing the multitude of individuals as much as individuals will be affected by it. The focus on the first phase of this mutual relationship is growing sharper and more contextual, seeking the non-arbitrary effects of architecture on individuals, but directly connected to them. There is still a long way to go before we can confirm whether this is mere intellectual speculation or truly the way young architects of the upcoming generation will leave their mark around the world. It remains to be seen – regardless of any fashionable label, and without incommoding any elevated cultural legacy – whether the hype of the 2010’s will assert itself as more locally rooted and ethically engaged, or as simply a new opportunistic professional survival instinct to adapt to new environments, or maybe both.

13

other place reached by educational exchange and Internet communication, worldwide awareness is stealthily introducing an attentive care for local socio-cultural and economic situations. A comparison with the rest of the world translates into a concern in relation to architectural production and the subjectiveness of its users.. Young architects are beginning to consider design – and process – as part of a more pondered relationship between subject/ object, or, individual/collective-architecture, as part of a shared project for the city and its territory. Unfortunately, this is not always immediately retraceable and applicable due to the resilience of both culture and the market, and obviously because of the time required for its physical construction. Perhaps the course of this transformation will be more evident a few years hence. Being fair to and critical of given conditions is in a way a new kind of conscious/unconscious modest hype that reveals itself with a different professional approach in many of the countries examined in this book. Being hype in Western countries now means tackling the city through processes of mending and restructuring (Poland, Serbia, Spain), through analysis, and through an attempt to make up for the failings of the participatory dream of the 1970s (Belgium). In countries with a growing economy, like those of the roaring Asia, being hype means riding the wave with rather open criticism, knowing that not everything is as spotless and bright as assumed (Indonesia, South Korea). There are also examples of an emergence of concepts of reuse and social engagement (Taiwan). Similar observations could be made for South America, where the collective assumes a different dimension from Asia, yet not exactly the same as in the old West, and where cities are in a different state of affairs (Chile, Colombia, Nicaragua). For the few countries we could recruit from Africa – while extremely different from one another – it could be said that being hype takes the meaning of nurturing existing local culture on its own strength (Nigeria, Algeria, South Africa).

B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

Given the system this book relies on, the survey it presents banks on the critic’s choice. As its curators we cannot pretend that it offers a complete picture of what is happening around the world. Its global scope makes it relevant, while to the same degree - due to the scope itself - it must be acknowledged that its underlying system is highly interpretative and possibly even arguable. Perhaps it simply reflects the current condition of the world we live in: impossible to grasp in a single attempt. Admitting and having this in mind, nevertheless the critics’ choices unmistakably fell on those architectural offices that can be assumed to represent the most successful practices in each country, based on local appraisal. Therefore, a few provisional assumptions can be derived from reading between the lines. For instance, it is possible to observe that the world of architecture is simultaneously as close and as distant as it has perhaps ever been. However, before venturing into the definition of several trends that can be identified, it is first important to take note of an overall mind switch shared by the upcoming generation around the globe. Throughout the years the Eurocentric monopoly over debate has become multipolar, fluctuating as much as the past decades’ economic developments. Yet there is a discrepancy between the established conventional way of looking at, making, and discussing the contents of architecture. While there remains an overwhelming pride in seeking all that is fashionable in architecture, a reading of the texts submitted by the invited critics clearly reveals

how the aims being pursued by young architects are changing in each country according to local conditions. Being hype today is a subtle game of satisfying the rhetorical call of aesthetics on the one hand, and a struggle to respect a growing professional ethic on the other: the profession’s new schizophrenia. In general terms it could be said once again that the notion of form for the sake of Form is now “exhausted” (see Bob Somol and Rem Koolhaas). In specific terms it can be noticed that this is not entirely true, and that it could rather be considered as being in a phase of re-development. Seen from within the current generation, there appears to be a set of new parameters that offset purely formal research, with content assuming increasingly more importance, and becoming more objective and relative to specific contingencies. Architects will never relinquish the performative aspects of design, yet they are recovering its critical aspects in relation to its content. As mentioned in the first edition of this book, the aggressiveness and self-reference inherent to the “suspension of judgment” have reached their end. The precariousness and the hangover accompanying the period that spanned from the end of the Second World War until the conclusion of the twentieth century generated a common feeling that is shrouded in most of the projects featured in this book. This is not yet an outspoken condition, but rather one that is sneaking into the profession as a true condition of the everyday for many, and as a warning for others. The professional education and architectural climax that defined the current generation’s development is beginning to feel like a straight jacket for many; several are tweaking the boundaries (Hong Kong, Sweden) or trying to be sober and efficient (Jordan, Vietnam, Nicaragua), while others are finding ad hoc and even unexpected solutions (Brazil, South Africa, Croatia, Norway, Russia, Great Britain). In those countries suffering from a recession, as well as in those of the so-called BRICS, or in any


B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

12

BERNARDINA BORRA THE DIFFERENT WAYS OF BEING HYPE

The profession is thus returning more and more to what Hannes Meyer would have called an “organiser” of the biological aspects of life, meaning Architecture produced and inspired by man for man, as much as it produces man itself; as a co-operation between man and his environment. This is very close to Karl Marx’s concept of the production of man and society: “just as society produces man as man, so is society produced by him” (The Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844). The architecture designed by most of the young architects presented in this book is fed by observing the multitude of individuals as much as individuals will be affected by it. The focus on the first phase of this mutual relationship is growing sharper and more contextual, seeking the non-arbitrary effects of architecture on individuals, but directly connected to them. There is still a long way to go before we can confirm whether this is mere intellectual speculation or truly the way young architects of the upcoming generation will leave their mark around the world. It remains to be seen – regardless of any fashionable label, and without incommoding any elevated cultural legacy – whether the hype of the 2010’s will assert itself as more locally rooted and ethically engaged, or as simply a new opportunistic professional survival instinct to adapt to new environments, or maybe both.

13

other place reached by educational exchange and Internet communication, worldwide awareness is stealthily introducing an attentive care for local socio-cultural and economic situations. A comparison with the rest of the world translates into a concern in relation to architectural production and the subjectiveness of its users.. Young architects are beginning to consider design – and process – as part of a more pondered relationship between subject/ object, or, individual/collective-architecture, as part of a shared project for the city and its territory. Unfortunately, this is not always immediately retraceable and applicable due to the resilience of both culture and the market, and obviously because of the time required for its physical construction. Perhaps the course of this transformation will be more evident a few years hence. Being fair to and critical of given conditions is in a way a new kind of conscious/unconscious modest hype that reveals itself with a different professional approach in many of the countries examined in this book. Being hype in Western countries now means tackling the city through processes of mending and restructuring (Poland, Serbia, Spain), through analysis, and through an attempt to make up for the failings of the participatory dream of the 1970s (Belgium). In countries with a growing economy, like those of the roaring Asia, being hype means riding the wave with rather open criticism, knowing that not everything is as spotless and bright as assumed (Indonesia, South Korea). There are also examples of an emergence of concepts of reuse and social engagement (Taiwan). Similar observations could be made for South America, where the collective assumes a different dimension from Asia, yet not exactly the same as in the old West, and where cities are in a different state of affairs (Chile, Colombia, Nicaragua). For the few countries we could recruit from Africa – while extremely different from one another – it could be said that being hype takes the meaning of nurturing existing local culture on its own strength (Nigeria, Algeria, South Africa).

B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

Given the system this book relies on, the survey it presents banks on the critic’s choice. As its curators we cannot pretend that it offers a complete picture of what is happening around the world. Its global scope makes it relevant, while to the same degree - due to the scope itself - it must be acknowledged that its underlying system is highly interpretative and possibly even arguable. Perhaps it simply reflects the current condition of the world we live in: impossible to grasp in a single attempt. Admitting and having this in mind, nevertheless the critics’ choices unmistakably fell on those architectural offices that can be assumed to represent the most successful practices in each country, based on local appraisal. Therefore, a few provisional assumptions can be derived from reading between the lines. For instance, it is possible to observe that the world of architecture is simultaneously as close and as distant as it has perhaps ever been. However, before venturing into the definition of several trends that can be identified, it is first important to take note of an overall mind switch shared by the upcoming generation around the globe. Throughout the years the Eurocentric monopoly over debate has become multipolar, fluctuating as much as the past decades’ economic developments. Yet there is a discrepancy between the established conventional way of looking at, making, and discussing the contents of architecture. While there remains an overwhelming pride in seeking all that is fashionable in architecture, a reading of the texts submitted by the invited critics clearly reveals

how the aims being pursued by young architects are changing in each country according to local conditions. Being hype today is a subtle game of satisfying the rhetorical call of aesthetics on the one hand, and a struggle to respect a growing professional ethic on the other: the profession’s new schizophrenia. In general terms it could be said once again that the notion of form for the sake of Form is now “exhausted” (see Bob Somol and Rem Koolhaas). In specific terms it can be noticed that this is not entirely true, and that it could rather be considered as being in a phase of re-development. Seen from within the current generation, there appears to be a set of new parameters that offset purely formal research, with content assuming increasingly more importance, and becoming more objective and relative to specific contingencies. Architects will never relinquish the performative aspects of design, yet they are recovering its critical aspects in relation to its content. As mentioned in the first edition of this book, the aggressiveness and self-reference inherent to the “suspension of judgment” have reached their end. The precariousness and the hangover accompanying the period that spanned from the end of the Second World War until the conclusion of the twentieth century generated a common feeling that is shrouded in most of the projects featured in this book. This is not yet an outspoken condition, but rather one that is sneaking into the profession as a true condition of the everyday for many, and as a warning for others. The professional education and architectural climax that defined the current generation’s development is beginning to feel like a straight jacket for many; several are tweaking the boundaries (Hong Kong, Sweden) or trying to be sober and efficient (Jordan, Vietnam, Nicaragua), while others are finding ad hoc and even unexpected solutions (Brazil, South Africa, Croatia, Norway, Russia, Great Britain). In those countries suffering from a recession, as well as in those of the so-called BRICS, or in any


108 B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

South Africa

26’10 South Architects

26’10 transcends this condition, and goes beyond the discomfort in their quest to portray and ultimately alter the urban landscape, comprehensible to the many. Their rigorous and pragmatic ways (not to say methodology) of reading and mapping the South African context become the basis for an approach where place, presence and people are the primary generators of space and form. Stubbornly, they go beyond the visible and refuse to play safe; they rather follow the desire to make something extraordinary out of the common. Their continued work translates this position, no matter what scale, media or programme. From their extensive and varied portfolio, we would like to span their ‘Informal City’ project to the ‘Cooking School’ under the aspect of ‘urban compounding’, which we consider a South African spatial characteristic that describes many layers of the extremely different contexts we live and work in. 26’10 succeeds to implement lessons learnt during their work in Diepsloot, an in/formal settlement, into the design of their own office/ home headquarter. With greatest respect for the work of 26’10, we hope that more voices like theirs can make themselves heard in the future and thus make South Africa a better place to be and live.

DATE OF COMPLETION :

2012.06 Brixton, Johannesburg CONSTRUCTED AREA:

321 M2

26° 11’ 33.05”S 27° 59’ 55.85”E

text by BLACKLINES

109

Nearly two decades after the first free elections in South Africa, the legacy of apartheid permeates and weaves its way through the everyday of the city, competing with short-sighted postapartheid efforts, global economic challenges and residents’ DIY. This potent compound is - at times - becoming an insurmountable obstacle which drives many city makers almost to the point of throwing their hands in the air in frustration and resorting to either producing nice and glossy renderings that ultimately sell, or the design of a perfect shelving system for uncounted A4 folders with the documentation of endless process driven projects with little visible outcome.

B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

informal city/ cooking school

LOCATION :


108 B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

South Africa

26’10 South Architects

26’10 transcends this condition, and goes beyond the discomfort in their quest to portray and ultimately alter the urban landscape, comprehensible to the many. Their rigorous and pragmatic ways (not to say methodology) of reading and mapping the South African context become the basis for an approach where place, presence and people are the primary generators of space and form. Stubbornly, they go beyond the visible and refuse to play safe; they rather follow the desire to make something extraordinary out of the common. Their continued work translates this position, no matter what scale, media or programme. From their extensive and varied portfolio, we would like to span their ‘Informal City’ project to the ‘Cooking School’ under the aspect of ‘urban compounding’, which we consider a South African spatial characteristic that describes many layers of the extremely different contexts we live and work in. 26’10 succeeds to implement lessons learnt during their work in Diepsloot, an in/formal settlement, into the design of their own office/ home headquarter. With greatest respect for the work of 26’10, we hope that more voices like theirs can make themselves heard in the future and thus make South Africa a better place to be and live.

DATE OF COMPLETION :

2012.06 Brixton, Johannesburg CONSTRUCTED AREA:

321 M2

26° 11’ 33.05”S 27° 59’ 55.85”E

text by BLACKLINES

109

Nearly two decades after the first free elections in South Africa, the legacy of apartheid permeates and weaves its way through the everyday of the city, competing with short-sighted postapartheid efforts, global economic challenges and residents’ DIY. This potent compound is - at times - becoming an insurmountable obstacle which drives many city makers almost to the point of throwing their hands in the air in frustration and resorting to either producing nice and glossy renderings that ultimately sell, or the design of a perfect shelving system for uncounted A4 folders with the documentation of endless process driven projects with little visible outcome.

B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

informal city/ cooking school

LOCATION :


Research Project

Boardroom Patio library

lounge

B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

110

INFORMAL SETTLEMENT RECEPTION AREA, DIEPSLOOT Tenure type relocation stand size 80M2 average unit size (self built) 8-36M2 initial residential density stands/ha 125 initial gross residential density stands/ha 76 Initial gross habitable rooms/ha 76 Potential gross habitable rooms/ha 342

1ha densification informal settlement

A continuous process of physical change

the Brixton Studio-Home affords a distinctly Johannesburg living experience

STAIRS

Roof terrace c ourtyard B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2 111


Research Project

Boardroom Patio library

lounge

B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

110

INFORMAL SETTLEMENT RECEPTION AREA, DIEPSLOOT Tenure type relocation stand size 80M2 average unit size (self built) 8-36M2 initial residential density stands/ha 125 initial gross residential density stands/ha 76 Initial gross habitable rooms/ha 76 Potential gross habitable rooms/ha 342

1ha densification informal settlement

A continuous process of physical change

the Brixton Studio-Home affords a distinctly Johannesburg living experience

STAIRS

Roof terrace c ourtyard B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2 111


B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2 113

In dialogue with the surroundings B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2 112


B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2 113

In dialogue with the surroundings B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2 112


B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

284

ARCHITECTURAL CRITICS

Hong Kong

Jordan

Annette Pui Man Chu

Sandra Hiari

Russia New Zeland

Cyprus

India

Israel

Gaurav Roychoudhury

GILAD-Shiff

Chryso Onisiforou

AnASTASIA ALBOKRINOVA

Rebecca Roke

South Korea

Architect Founder of Eureka Design www.eurekadesign.hk

Architectural critic and urban planner, Tareeq www.tareeq.me

Baeryo Kyung

Taiwan

Editor |Architect at Foster Partners BArch (Hons) March rebecca.roke@gmail.com

Architects | Founders Gilad-shiff Private and public projects | Teaching and academic research

Ricardo Camacho www.gilad-shiff.com

Chang Fang Luo

Designer and curator at MONOstudio www.mono-studio.org fochka@gmail.com

South Africa Bangladesh

Lebanon

MD. RAFIQ AZAM

Indonesia DAliana SurYAwInata

Architect | Founder DESIGNETHER gauravroychoudhury@gmail.com

Kuwait

Architect and Environmental Designer, Msc www.conisiforou.wordpress.com

Blacklines

Jad Semaan

baeryo@hotmail.com

Australia Founder MultitudeAgency | CasaGranturismo Research Institute www.multitudeagency.com

MArtyn Hook

China FU MING CHENG

Professor of Architecture at RMIT University Melbourne | Director of Iredale Pedersen Hook architects www.iredalepedersenhook.com

Vietnam Kelly Shannon

Japan Salvator Liotta Tomoko Kawai

Principle Architect SHATOTTO Architecture for Green Living www.shatotto.com

Turkey Sevin Yildiz

Architect and urban planner at OMA semaan.jad@gmail.com

blogspot.com

Greece

Iran Houmayoun Askari Sirizi

Urban design architecture, blacklinesonwhitepaper w w w. b l a c k l i n e s w o r k s .

Romania

Katita Chrysanthopoulou

Sabin Bors

Registered Architect and Urban Designer. M.Arch fumingcheng@gmail.com

Professor at AHO (Oslo School of Architecture & Design) www.jola-lab.eu

Architect | Media artist, BA www.homayounsirizi.com

Architect and urban planner katita30@gmail.com Anti-Utopias curator | Art and architecture critic www.anti-utopias.com

285

Salvator Liotta, Architect | Senior researcher at the University of Tokyo, PhD Tomoko Kawai, Artist sja.liotta@gmail.com tomoko.kawai@gmail.com

Architect | Lecturer at COAD NJIT/PhD Candidate at Urban Systems (Rutgers University & NJIT Joint Program) www.sevinyildiz.blogspot.com

B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

Architect | Founder SHAU | Chief Officer IAI-EU | Researcher at TU Delft www.shau.nl

M.arch. | Co-founder Architecture In Development | Space curator Nest Project w w w. a rc h i te c t u re i n d eve lopment.org www.nestproject.nl


B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

284

ARCHITECTURAL CRITICS

Hong Kong

Jordan

Annette Pui Man Chu

Sandra Hiari

Russia New Zeland

Cyprus

India

Israel

Gaurav Roychoudhury

GILAD-Shiff

Chryso Onisiforou

AnASTASIA ALBOKRINOVA

Rebecca Roke

South Korea

Architect Founder of Eureka Design www.eurekadesign.hk

Architectural critic and urban planner, Tareeq www.tareeq.me

Baeryo Kyung

Taiwan

Editor |Architect at Foster Partners BArch (Hons) March rebecca.roke@gmail.com

Architects | Founders Gilad-shiff Private and public projects | Teaching and academic research

Ricardo Camacho www.gilad-shiff.com

Chang Fang Luo

Designer and curator at MONOstudio www.mono-studio.org fochka@gmail.com

South Africa Bangladesh

Lebanon

MD. RAFIQ AZAM

Indonesia DAliana SurYAwInata

Architect | Founder DESIGNETHER gauravroychoudhury@gmail.com

Kuwait

Architect and Environmental Designer, Msc www.conisiforou.wordpress.com

Blacklines

Jad Semaan

baeryo@hotmail.com

Australia Founder MultitudeAgency | CasaGranturismo Research Institute www.multitudeagency.com

MArtyn Hook

China FU MING CHENG

Professor of Architecture at RMIT University Melbourne | Director of Iredale Pedersen Hook architects www.iredalepedersenhook.com

Vietnam Kelly Shannon

Japan Salvator Liotta Tomoko Kawai

Principle Architect SHATOTTO Architecture for Green Living www.shatotto.com

Turkey Sevin Yildiz

Architect and urban planner at OMA semaan.jad@gmail.com

blogspot.com

Greece

Iran Houmayoun Askari Sirizi

Urban design architecture, blacklinesonwhitepaper w w w. b l a c k l i n e s w o r k s .

Romania

Katita Chrysanthopoulou

Sabin Bors

Registered Architect and Urban Designer. M.Arch fumingcheng@gmail.com

Professor at AHO (Oslo School of Architecture & Design) www.jola-lab.eu

Architect | Media artist, BA www.homayounsirizi.com

Architect and urban planner katita30@gmail.com Anti-Utopias curator | Art and architecture critic www.anti-utopias.com

285

Salvator Liotta, Architect | Senior researcher at the University of Tokyo, PhD Tomoko Kawai, Artist sja.liotta@gmail.com tomoko.kawai@gmail.com

Architect | Lecturer at COAD NJIT/PhD Candidate at Urban Systems (Rutgers University & NJIT Joint Program) www.sevinyildiz.blogspot.com

B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

Architect | Founder SHAU | Chief Officer IAI-EU | Researcher at TU Delft www.shau.nl

M.arch. | Co-founder Architecture In Development | Space curator Nest Project w w w. a rc h i te c t u re i n d eve lopment.org www.nestproject.nl


286

Bulgaria Stella Andonova

Norway

Nigeria

TYIN Tegnestue Arkitekter AS

Rachel StellA Jenkins

Slovenia B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

Poland

Germany

Algeria

Graziella Trovato

Samia Henni

Monica Zerboni

Ernest MilCinoviC

Spain

Sebastian Januz

Engineer | Furniture and interior designer www.andonovadesign.com

Serbia

Architects at TYIN tegnestue Arkitekter AS post@tyintegnestue.no

Architect and urban planner OMA www.sebastianjanusz.com

Vesna Vucinic

Architect deernest.milcinovic@gmail. com

Czech Republic Hungary

African Architecture Matters & genuinefake rachel.s.jenkins@gmail.com Journalist m.zerboni@mclink.it

Giampiero Sanguigni

Austria Anne Isopp

The Netherlands

Architect and researcher | Co-founder SMART Planning | International Open Network for the Global South www.samiahenni.com

PhD Architect and Urban Planner at Moya Trovato Arquitectos http://moyatrovatoarquitectos. blogspot.com.es

Portugal

Denmark

France

KristjĂĄn Eggertsson

Ricardo Camacho

LA Architectures

Alexandr Skalicky

Sandor Finta

Architect at Arhikulture and 360BEOGRAD www.arhikulture.net www.360beograd.org

Finland Pirjo Sanaksenaho

Croatia

Sweden

Architect | Founding partner of KRADS www.krads.info

Bernardina Borra

Co-founders LA Architectures www.la-architectures.com

Ireland

Italy

Switzerland

Diego Barbarelli

Cornelia Tapparelli Portilla Kawamura

Susanna Malzacher

Belgium

MultitudeAgency | Casa Granturismo Research Institute www.multitudeagency.com

Sarah Cremin

United Kingdom Tobias Goevert

Krunoslav Ivanisin Architect and urban designer co-founder DEMOarchitects | Delft PhD candidate www.demoarchitects.com

Architect at Sanaksenaho Architects | Lecturer at AaltoUniversity www.kolumbus.fi/sanaksenaho

Engineer diego.barbarelli@libero.it

Architect and researcher EPF Lausanne | M arch | MAS arch theory | EPFL PhD candidate cornelia.tapparelli@epfl.ch

Architect and Urbanist at Design for London | GLA Tobias.Goevert@designforlondon. gov.uk

287

Architect at IVANIĹ IN. KABASHI.ARHITEKTI www.ivanisin-kabashi.hr

Architect and graphic designer susanna191@gmail.com

Director at CAST architecture| Design teacher at University College Dublin www.castarchitecture.ie

B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

Chief architect of Budapest | Architect at sporaarchitects | Head of Hungarian Contemporary Architecture Centre www.sporaarchitects.hu www.kek.org.hu

Architect at ASMM www.a-skalicky.cz

Professor of Architecture at RMIT University Melbourne | Director of Iredale Pedersen Hook architects a.isopp@morgenbau.net

Architect co-founder DEMOarchitects | architecture critic and writer | PhD sanguingi@demoarchitects.com


286

Bulgaria Stella Andonova

Norway

Nigeria

TYIN Tegnestue Arkitekter AS

Rachel StellA Jenkins

Slovenia B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

Poland

Germany

Algeria

Graziella Trovato

Samia Henni

Monica Zerboni

Ernest MilCinoviC

Spain

Sebastian Januz

Engineer | Furniture and interior designer www.andonovadesign.com

Serbia

Architects at TYIN tegnestue Arkitekter AS post@tyintegnestue.no

Architect and urban planner OMA www.sebastianjanusz.com

Vesna Vucinic

Architect deernest.milcinovic@gmail. com

Czech Republic Hungary

African Architecture Matters & genuinefake rachel.s.jenkins@gmail.com Journalist m.zerboni@mclink.it

Giampiero Sanguigni

Austria Anne Isopp

The Netherlands

Architect and researcher | Co-founder SMART Planning | International Open Network for the Global South www.samiahenni.com

PhD Architect and Urban Planner at Moya Trovato Arquitectos http://moyatrovatoarquitectos. blogspot.com.es

Portugal

Denmark

France

KristjĂĄn Eggertsson

Ricardo Camacho

LA Architectures

Alexandr Skalicky

Sandor Finta

Architect at Arhikulture and 360BEOGRAD www.arhikulture.net www.360beograd.org

Finland Pirjo Sanaksenaho

Croatia

Sweden

Architect | Founding partner of KRADS www.krads.info

Bernardina Borra

Co-founders LA Architectures www.la-architectures.com

Ireland

Italy

Switzerland

Diego Barbarelli

Cornelia Tapparelli Portilla Kawamura

Susanna Malzacher

Belgium

MultitudeAgency | Casa Granturismo Research Institute www.multitudeagency.com

Sarah Cremin

United Kingdom Tobias Goevert

Krunoslav Ivanisin Architect and urban designer co-founder DEMOarchitects | Delft PhD candidate www.demoarchitects.com

Architect at Sanaksenaho Architects | Lecturer at AaltoUniversity www.kolumbus.fi/sanaksenaho

Engineer diego.barbarelli@libero.it

Architect and researcher EPF Lausanne | M arch | MAS arch theory | EPFL PhD candidate cornelia.tapparelli@epfl.ch

Architect and Urbanist at Design for London | GLA Tobias.Goevert@designforlondon. gov.uk

287

Architect at IVANIĹ IN. KABASHI.ARHITEKTI www.ivanisin-kabashi.hr

Architect and graphic designer susanna191@gmail.com

Director at CAST architecture| Design teacher at University College Dublin www.castarchitecture.ie

B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

Chief architect of Budapest | Architect at sporaarchitects | Head of Hungarian Contemporary Architecture Centre www.sporaarchitects.hu www.kek.org.hu

Architect at ASMM www.a-skalicky.cz

Professor of Architecture at RMIT University Melbourne | Director of Iredale Pedersen Hook architects a.isopp@morgenbau.net

Architect co-founder DEMOarchitects | architecture critic and writer | PhD sanguingi@demoarchitects.com


288

USA Brazil

Nicaragua

Stefano Ceccotto

Flavio Coddou

Jeronimo Mejia

Colombia

B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

Luca Bullaro

Architect sc2523@caa.columbia.edu Architect at Fira Barcelona | Vitruvius editor www.vitruvius.es

Dominican Republic Adolfo Despradel

Architect | Urban Planner | Researcher jeronimomh@gmail.com Architect | Phd | Teaching at Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellin lucabullaro@hotmail.com

Venezuela

Peru

Fundacion Espacio

Jean Pierre Crousse

Architect www.adolfodes.wordpress.com A common platform design in Venezuela www.espacio.net.ve

Cuba Eduardo Luis Rodríguez

www.barclaycrousse.com

Stephanie Lama

Chile Fulvio Rossetti

Architect and urban planner at Architectuurstudio HH www.spaceinmotion.org

Freelance architect | Architectural historian and curator | Editor in chief of the journal Arquitectura Cuba www.ivanisin-kabashi.hr

Edgar Gonzalez

Architect | Editor in chief of edgargonzalez.com a tangential weblog of architecture www.edgargonzalez.com

B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2

Bolivia

co-founder and co-director of Barclay & Crousse | professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú | Co-founder and co-director of Atelier Nord Sud, Paris, France

Mexico

Architect and Landscape Architect | PhD candidate 289

www.d-arq.cl


B ac k s tag e A r c h i t e c t u r e 2 0 1 2 290


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