STARGAZING PLATFORM @ African Crossroads

African Crossroads is a community of future-oriented African thinkers and doers which meets annually to exchange and critically reflect on the most cutting-edge entrepreneurial, scientific, artistic, and technological developments anchored in African intellectual and technological traditions. Through design exhibitions, invigorating workshops, art installations, and more, this three-day event will spark deep discussions about the latest inventions and innovations in science, art, and technology. Organized by Hivos, African Crossroads convenes a yearly, cross-continental and multidisciplinary gathering for African artists, entrepreneurs, computer scientists, designers, researchers, and philosophers to exchange knowledge and to positively shape the future of African societies.

Stargazing Platform is conceived as part of the knowledge-exchange centre El Labana Lab for the Open Call Egypt granted by the Dutch Creative Industries Fund. The pavilion prototype was realised at the African Crossroads in Marrakech from 11. – 13. December 2019. A rooftop pavilion that aims to create a safe space for observation and reflection, revitalise the tradition of storytelling and promote social awareness on pollution. The pavilion prototype co-woven in Marrakech focused on the performative discursive techniques touching up a range of topics co-created by the visitors/users….

The performative actions of disentangling the wool, became the way to engage in ‘deep talk’ with the workshop participants, an most amazing and inspirational makers and practitioners from entire African continent. Karim’s tea-drinking practices with dates and pistachios facilitated the talk. We were testing discoursive and participative tenhniques of engagement with the public. Eye-catching position of the installation on the roof attracted lots of attention, and several other workshops took place in the Stargazing Platform. Even though the nights were cold, we tested real stargazing laying on the back (on the blue wool carpets), testing models of concentration and focus.

team Bureau LADA, Lala Studio, CILAS

with Lada Hršak, Sara Essbai, Sarah Radi, Karim Yassin Goessinger

ENAM Ecole Nationale d’Architecture du Marrakech

Abdelghani Tayyibi, Mohamed Bennani

students Zakaria El Morabit, Kenza El Hosni, Khaoula Admou, Achraf Nour, Alaa Kori, Hajar Achlaf, Kawtar Roussaky, Manal El Harnane, Walid Ouarbya, Asmae Mouayn, Majda Abida

client Creative Industries Fund, NL

event African Crossroads Seminar / Hivos

photography Nihal Ünsal, Sara Essbai, Lada Hršak

short texts Lola Pedro, Zahira Asmal

video-cast editing Rafe Copeland

TOWERHOUSE densifying historical urban matrix

axonometric view: Towerhouse Amsterdam

Miniature triangulated site, almost a crack in urban tissue, provides possibility for a custom developed, personalised urban living in Amsterdam’s Jordaan district. An interpretation of ‘Japanese’ house, Azuma’s Tokyo dwelling. Takemitsu Azuma’s private house is the ‘grandmother’ of all Tokyo’s pocket houses, densifying the urban tissue and making intelligent interpretations of the building codes to provide maximum spatial quality within compact area.

 

 

reference: Takamitsu Azuma, 1966, source http://www.socks-studio.com

In our proposal, the articulation of the built volume, densifies the historical urban matrix, but also allows glimpses into layers of time on the location by preserving visibility of the old side wall.  The sidewall gets framed by the new intervention and becomes the part of rich urban typologies in the street. Volume and openings are treated and detailed in an abstract manner, achieving an almost sculpture-like effect, which was so appreciated by the ‘Welstand’ – city’s beauty committee. The house plan makes use of the ‘thickest’ part of the triangular site and stretches over five floors. The fifth floor, hidden under the steep roofline, opens towards grand urban vistas over Amsterdam centre towards the IJ river.

Each floor of the house contains varied viewlines, atmosphere and light condition. Each floor has one program only: study, kitchen, living, sleeping, top room. Diagonal views throughout the plan increase the spaciousness of the rooms and create dynamic play in-between the light and the shadow. Material of the facade, patinated zinc, is merging in with the colour of the street. The important detail i the facade articulation is the sharp connections between the window openings, visible in the (rainy) street view. Sliding panels at the entrance have simple perforation, geometrical with a twist. Twist also recreates the plan of the building plot in the corner section of the perforations.

above: characteristic floorplan

below: detail of the facade perforation

on an rainy evening

The realisation of the building has just started. The foundation piles are in the ground, meaning that the invisible part of the house is finished. Thanks to devoted team Esther, Juliette, Simone, and Most obliged to our special, wonderful clients and co-creators E&J!

invisible Towerhouse structure

 

 

 

‘FISHEYE’ imagined future in the Delta’s

section and visual of the Fisheye Laboratory

Fisheye Laboratory,  imagines possible water related future for the World Delta regions. Dealing with water, biodiversity, economy, politics of nature and cohabitation. Cross-linking scales and their interactions from global to microscopic the initial team consists of landscape and architects, artists, scientists (aquatic biologist, ecologist), enthusiasts, spatial planners and governance officials.map with layers of history, ecology, flows, waterdepths, currents

Sailing on our test site Markermeer – Ijsselmeer with Lada Hršak, Saline Verhoven, Takako Hamano, Harm van der Geest, Klaas Jan Wardenaar, Zef Hemel, Esther Agricola, Mirjana Milanović, Fleur van Dissel, Frans Boots, Donna van Milligen Bielke, Ekim Tan, Danielle Huls, Anouk Vogel, Su Tomesen, Teguh Hartanto, Ida Wanders and Many Others.

learning about the aquatic biology 

FISHEYE LAB

possible futures of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region, Volksvlijt 2056, group exhibition with Z. Hemel, M. Milanovic, M. Bogaert, M. van Iersel, D. van Milligen Bielke, S. Broekhof, J. Bystrykh, S. vd Breemer, H. Zonderland, SpaceMatter, B. Doedens, B. Hamfeld, J. Ouburg, P. Verpaalen, R. Boer, S. Najand,   

FISHEYE Blue Ecology Markermeer  (looking at the world through the eye of the fish)

If the world population growth turns to be true, estimating to the 9,6 billion people by 2050, than the ecology becomes matter of anthropology.  Survival in extreme climate with scarce resources requires revision of our acts and desires. At that point economy becomes an issue of empathy. New economy is conceived in coproduction between nature, science and art.

Focusing on the essential life resource – the water we imagine the world as if looking from the eye of the fish. ‘FISHEYE LAB’  serves as a design laboratory developing narratives for the future ‘water society’. Society based on equity between plants, people and animals re-articulates desires and develops the new economy. Protagonists of the story as hybrids between man and nature are co-creating water society by cleansing, producing, feeding and hosting.

The exhibition will stage the interactive ‘FISHEYE LAB’ where children and visitors could dream up the new balanced world. Water narratives can be experienced on four different scales ranging from global, regional, architectural to microscopic. Stories present: ecology, biology, microbiology, culture, architecture, art and fiction. We shall get to love it.

opening at Amsterdam Public Library, OBA on 12. april 2016.

PRESENTATION OASE 89_MEDIUM

http://www.oasejournal.nl/en/News#presentation-oase-89-medium

OASE 89 wil be presented on April 25 in the Stadsmuseum Gent (STAM). 25 April 2013 19.00
Stadsmuseum Gent (STAM). Bijlokesite. Godshuislaan 2, 9000 Gent stamgent.be

Klaske Havik will present the issue.
Lada Hrsak will reveal the project ‘Scramble City’.
Michiel Dehaene will discuss the Mid-Size City in a conversation with Bart Verschaffel and Paul Vermeulen

De middelgrote stad is een onderbelicht thema in het discours over stad en stedelijkheid. Urban studies hebben zich in hoofdzaak op de metropool gericht en focussen meer recent ook op relatief nieuwe fenomenen als de generieke stad of de netwerkstad. Terwijl de middelgrote stad weinig tot de verbeelding sprak van diegenen die het discours bepaalden, bleek zij in de praktijk desalniettemin populair als woon- en vestigingsgebied – misschien juist vanwege haar weinig spannende karakter. Als de metropool bij uitstek de plaats van de moderne stedelijke ervaring is, dan is de kleine en middelgrote stad de plek waar de moderniteit wordt geabsorbeerd en zich een vertrouwd en vertrouwenwekkend gezicht verwerft. De middelgrote stad als plaats, waar het verlangen naar een ‘getemperde’ stedelijke ervaring voorwerp wordt van stedenbouw en architectuur. Ooit het centrum van haar eigen ommeland is de middelgrote stad meer dan ooit deel van een stedelijk netwerk waarin de kansen en problemen van de hedendaagse stedelijke samenleving neerslaan. De grote maatschappelijke opgaven, demografie, migratie, mobiliteit, ecologie, zijn net zo goed uitdagingen voor de middelgrote stad. In die context is de middelgrote stad vandaag opnieuw de plek waar de stedelijke beeldvorming rondom de Europese stad herijkt wordt.

text OASE Journal for Architecture

MEDIUM AND THE SCRAMBLE

Accompanying the ‘Medium’ OASE magazine issue nr 89 devoted to Mid-Size City you will find our visual essay  entitled ‘Scramble City’. (see earlier blog) The upcoming seminar and debate focusing on the topic will be held in Ghent on 25 April 2013.

CHAMBERS OF VEGHEL

The selected designs for landscape chambers of Brabant’s Veghel, were exhibited and negotiated at the ‘ontmoetingsmarkt’ organized by the Gemeente Veghel last friday. In many instances this was an unique occasion ‘vergezeld’ by the remains of the brass band with plenty of local delicacies and real livestock. Architects were presenting and ‘marketing’ their designs for contemporary landstyle homes while other parties (private and companies) were looking for their rooms, homes, views, projects or ultimately a better tomorrow. Remains to be seen what will be the future turns and returns of the Chambers of Veghel. The interesting landscape/urban plan (done by Bureau B+B) flirts with contemporary tradition, as do the designs….several of ours capture the spirit of the place as the livestock wanders around.

NEW NAME_ WHAT’S IN IT?

Bureau LADA is the new name of HL architecture. After several brainstorms the new name came out naturally. Most people associate the name with the square looking car, kind of child drawing or the basic idea of a car. Recently, at the eve of the Lada factory which is due to close, the Dutch press published several texts about the memorable vehicle. One article poses the question: Can the world be without a Lada?

Obviously the answer is not, at least concerning us. What is less familiar about the name is that it is an Slavic goddess of beauty and love. This characteristics is worth while exploring and aiming at, at the level of architecture and society. That is where we are off to…

 

BERALGE INSTITUTE_LAST DAY

The end of an Era has just started: today is the last day of The Berlage Institute, Postgraduate Laboratory of Architecture; as we know it. Over a period of 20-ish years the institute has become the melting pot of inspiration, intelligence, experiments and above all the culture of architecture. Place with people from all over the world that came to the Netherlands to shake their head, share and exchange. It was a Surprise, Hard work, Horror, Pleasure, Fun and Honour to take part in this. Let’s see what the future will bring; the Alumni club stays, the Institute takes a new start as The Berlage Center for Advanced Studies in Architecture and Urban Design at TU Delft. goodbyehello

group photo from the last Berlage tutoring in Buenos Aires with Flavio Janches.

BERLIN COLORS

There are some similarities between Gerhard’s Richter’s colors in the Nationalgalerie, or the stucco piece of the Neues Museum refurbishment (by David Chipperfield) in Berlin. Except of the obvious tonalities, the experiment and attention devoted to each square centimeter is amazing. Pieces of excellence.