On the spot
News and observations
FAT’s Villa Heerlijkheid community centre in Hoogvliet, Rotterdam (NL)
Dutch architects frustrated by overly ‘correct’ European tendering of design commissions
Architecture competition inspired by ‘Being John Malkovich’
Aalto houses in three short films (FI)
Update: Euro 2012 stadiums in Poland and Ukraine
and more...
Start
New projects
Hotel, apartment and office towers, Belgrade (CS) by BEHF Architects
Conference and festival centre, Valle del Jerte (ES) by AMID (cero9)
Park, Dublin (IE) by Agence Ter
Cultural centre, Ikskile (LV) by FBRK
Iceland Academy of the Arts, Reykjavik (IS) by Adept and +Arkitektar
Interview
Claus Anderhalten
Claus Anderhalten, who is well known for his conversions of existing buildings, believes Ärmly that the old must be respected on its own terms: ‘an old building is very sensitive’. Nonetheless, he is not afraid of confrontation: ‘We don’t build trans¶tions any more. We no longer maintain a safety zone between the new and the historical. I don’t need to keep a deferential distance.’
Ready
New buildings
Museum, Neuhaus (AT) by querkraft
Children’s play centre, Bonneuil-sur-Marne (FR) by LAN Architecture
Social housing, London (GB) by S333
Recreational complex, Bodrum (TR) by GAD Architects
Retirement home, Hagibor (CZ) by Jan Línek
Museum extension, Charleroi (BE) by l’Escaut
Gallery and art school, Waiblingen (DE) by Hartwig N. Schneider Architekten
Open-air altar, Brezje (SI) by Marusa Zorec
Museum, Kalmar (SE) by Tham & Videgård Hansson
Holiday units, Sub Piatra (RO) by SKBD
Primary school, Pécel (HU) by Dezso Ekler
Hotel, Valldal (NO) by Jensen & Skodvin architects
Section
Feel good wood
Though people have been using wood in construction since time immemorial, the material has certainly not reached the end of the development line. As a matter of fact, there appears to have been more innovation and experimentation by manufacturers and designers in recent years than ever before. The current popularity of wood has a lot to do with its green image – it is a material that no-one can reasonably object to on ecological grounds. But the interest in wood also has something to do with a prevailing aesthetic preference.
Eurovision
Focusing on European countries, cities and regions
In recent years, all of Bulgaria’s big cities have been experiencing a building boom, but the area receiving the largest chunk of the investment pie is the Black Sea coast, which has changed beyond recognition in the last four years
Architectural tour guide: Anita Anteniske shows how rapid growth and young architects are impacting on Riga’s cityscape (LV)
Profile: AllesWirdGut (AT)
Office: Ecosistema Urbano’s white office space in a former coal depot, Madrid (ES)
Out of obscurity
Buildings from the margins of modern history
Between 1965 and 1968 Högna Sigurdardóttir designed and built a house at the bottom of a slope near the town of Gardabær. As Fernando de Mendonça notes, its introspective character is completely in keeping with the harsh Icelandic landscape and with the local tradition that a dwelling serves primarily as a shelter from the cold.