Anodised aluminium cladding

In an area of urban redevelopment alongside the northern stretch of Paris' boulevard périphérique ring-road at Porte Pouchet, the long facade of the Odalys City 148-room apartment hotel faces onto what is soon to be Place Pouchet. The project is part of a larger scheme for a zone of urban development directed by urban planners TVK and Michel Guthmann. The massing and envelope of Hardel Le Bihan's architectural proposal for the hotel address three issues: the arrangement of assorted spaces and scales, at first glance difficult to unite; respect for the visual comfort and privacy of the residents of the Borel flats to the rear of the site; and reducing acoustic reverberation in the future square. Rather than creating additional... More

The tradition in the more rural parts of Switzerland used to be for the younger generation to build a small dwelling – the stöckli – for the parents next to the main farm. The Evouettes residence is this in reverse: a small house for the youngest of the family, erected in the garden of the parents’ home.  The plot of land being relatively confined and the concept modest – limited to daytime accommodation, night time accommodation and an office area – allowed the realisation of a compact house on a square footprint which, nonetheless, offers expressive volumes through the shape of its roof and incorporation of a canopy on the south-facing façade.  This sheltered space responds to a number... More

The Mornington Peninsula house is located in Mornington on a sloping forested site with panoramic views across Port Phillip Bay. This beautiful site also contained challenges such as a single storey covenant and the potential for bushfires.   The large home includes a gym, theatre, meditation room, reading room, sauna and large garage. Rather than designing a single building, Turco and Associates divided the extensive program into two buildings to enhance views, solar access and connection to the outdoors from all rooms. The division of program also allowed for an internalised outlook from many rooms, providing a sense of containment to this private family. An existing pair of established eucalypts located in the centre of the site w... More

The Villa in the Dutch countryside near Vught gives a contemporary twist to the local farmstead typology. Traditionally, the Dutch ‘hoeve’ is an ensemble of farmhouses and living quarters loosely clustered around a courtyard. The central open space is protected, yet open to the surrounding landscape. This spatial arrangement guided the design of the Villa. The Villa’s functions are distributed within three distinct volumes, shaped to resemble the vernacular of a small village.The two lower volumes are shaped like typical gabled barns directly connected to the surrounding gardens. The higher volume captures the view of the wide landscape and forms a striking contrast with the lower buildings.  The tallest element, the... More

This new residential development, for a motorcycle enthusiast, adjacent to No.10 Grangegorman Villas, Grangegorman, Dublin 7 is an alternative reaction to the more traditional city centre infill residential projects; an unapologetic piece of architecture sitting within a strong urban context defined by both site and planning constraints. The building is essentially two living plates over a workshop connected by a vertical service and circulation core. While the character of this new structure is unmistakeably contemporary it has been designed to sit discreetly within its more traditional context, while giving the end of the terrace the strong presence it deserves. The break up of the the buildings main elements, defined in elevation by... More

The paragon Tower is shaped as a simple rectangular prism rising up from its base. The office building was designed by architect Gokhan Aksoy and is located in the Çukurambar district of Ankara Turkey. It comprises 27 floors of office space and five floors offering social and commercial facilities as well as service areas, parking facilities and gardens. The office tower is a simple rectangular prism with two interlocking L-shaped floor surrounding the lift shaft and stairwell at the centre. The 27 floors of office space offering approximately 12,000 square metres in a 32-floor structure with a total of 44,600 square metres of construction area including social and commercial facilities as well as services areas and parking facilities.... More

Occupying a 2.3 hectare site in central Beijing, the design of this residential project aims to create an oasis of calm in the city. Two 150m high residential towers are linked by a layered landscape, defining a semi-enclosed garden. The design of the buildings and landscaping develops themes from traditional Chinese garden design in a contemporary way.The residential towers themselves are envisaged as elegant objects within the landscape and are positioned to take maximum advantage of natural light and views. The curved form of the towers allows the apartments to enjoy panoramic views over Beijing. One tower contains three apartments per floor; the second has two luxury apartments on each level, while communal sky-gardens crown bot... More

Block 16 is part of the master plan designed by OMA for a new prestigious city centre in Almere. The autonomous expressive block reacts on two conditions: the billowing end marks as a kind of gatekeeper the harbour entrance. At the other end the movement is smoothened and the building fits in with the right-angled grid of the adjacent glass high-rise housing blocks. The block is sited on a basement car park (design OMA) serving as a pedestal. The elevated deck level is half occupied by the common entrance and the storerooms. The other part is a gym which continues on the parking level below where it ends in the fitness-café, an autonomous pavilion. The design of Block 16 is largely based on an analysis of tunnel formwork constructions.... More