WORLD PUBLIC

ARCHITECTURE

P REFACE

Public Buildings are more than mere spaces and envelopes. They
transcend their architecture to mimic one of the most significant
human achievements of the last 5,000 years: the city itself.
Space of social and economic exchange, the city is justified by the
human need of gathering. The synergy between its inhabitants,
their activities and spaces affirms the persistence and evolution of
this naturally plural and heterogeneous organism. In this scenario,
public buildings play a strong and essential role. Sports, cultural,
symbolic, administrative, religious, commercial, educational and
other buildings have always contributed, in a direct way, to the
configuration of the urban space. Sometimes, because of their
permeability, function or spatial insertion, such buildings break the
boundaries between internal and external spaces, merging them
into a continuous flow that represents the necessary coherence
between building and city.
Unfortunately, nowadays, many cities have become a juxtaposition
of private spaces, continuously fed by the illusion of security and
by the obsession for privacy. In this moment, when the social
structures seem to erode, public buildings are responsible for
warranting the very essence of the urban space. They stimulate the
social cohesion, create landmarks and qualify the spaces around it,
reinforcing the sense of community.
This book offers a stunning selection of public building architecture
from all over the world. The variety of uses and forms demonstrate
the multiplicity of solutions and their insertion on different cultural,
economic and social realities. The schools, museums, sports
facilities, theatres and many other here presented, give the idea
that the exchange between their users is a confirmation of their
urban role.
This selection allows not only to admire the materials, forms and
functions, but also to look beyond the architectural object.

Loureno Gimenes

Loureno Gimenes

FGMF Architects

FGMF

C ONTENTS
008

CULTURE & ART

016

Grand Canal Square Theatre and Commercial Development

Icelandic Institute of Natural History

226

022

Institute For Sound and Vision, the Netherlands

232

032

Mas Museum Aan de Stroom

240

042

New Youth Centre in Rivas Vaciamadrid

Convention Centre, Dublin

248

Extension of the Multifunctional Double Sports Halls

Green Water Sports Station

254

The Hodo Centre for the Elderly

260
268

CEU Pimentas
Golf Sempachersee

050
056
062

Moderna Museet Malm

Muzeum of Aviation, Poland

070

Universe of Particles

274

Botanical Gardens "Chenshan" Shanghai, China

076

Theatre de Quatsous
Kalmar Museum of Art

280

Casa Club Bosque Altozano

284

ZEP Leisure Park in Middelburg

292

Centre Communautaire Pierrefonds-Roxboro

098

The Hanger
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust

104

Sao Paulo Library

114

Prnu Library

122

Secondary School AHS Contiweg

302

Beijing South Station

128

Bailly School
LUXUN Academy of Fine Arts and Campus Dalian, China

310
320

Incheon International Airport

328
334
340

Lujiangdangdai

084
090

136
148

YRF English Centre for Children in Ramla

City University of Hong Kong Creative Media Centre

156

UQAM Pierre Dansereau Science Complex Masterplan

164

Ravensbourne

174
178

FDE, Escola Vrzea Paulista

Grant R. Doering Centre for Science & Research

184

Bloemershof

190
200

l'Assomption Sport Complex

Tellus Nursery School

206

Lea do Balio School

218

Centre Cultural Vladimir Kasp

142

EDUCATION

ENTERTAINMENT

Gymnasium
Tianjin Sport Arena

TRIFFIC

SALES OFFICE
Sales Office

Guangzhou South Railway Station

Senlinyuan
Xiangyuzhixin

C ULTURE & ART

008
016

Grand Canal Square Theatre and Commercial Development

Icelandic Institute of Natural History

022

Institute For Sound and Vision, theNetherlands

032

Mas Museum Aan de Stroom

042

New Youth Centre in Rivas Vaciamadrid

Convention Centre, Dublin

050
056
062

Moderna Museet Malm

Muzeum of Aviation, Poland

070

Universe of Particles

076

Theatre de Quatsous
Kalmar Museum of Art

084
090
098

006

The Hanger
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust

007

G rand Canal Square Theatre and

Commercial Development

Architect: Studio Daniel Libeskind

Firm: Architeckt Daniel Libeskind AG
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Area: Theatre: 13,768m, 2,100 Seating
Project Management: Lafferty Project Management
Structural Engineer: ARUP (Dublin)
Mechanical/Electrical/ Plumbing Engineer: ARUP (Dublin)
Venue and Acoustic Consultant: ARUP Acoustics, UK
Facade Consultant: Billings Design Associates
Fire Protection Consultant: Michael Slattery & Associates
Lighting Designer: Pritchard Themis
Faade Sub-contractor: Permasteelisa Central Europe, Permasteelisa S.p.A
Health and Safety: Bruce Shaw Partnership
Theatre Planner/Consultant: Arts Team (Part of RHWL Architects)
Quantity Surveyor: Davis Langdon_PKS

The Grand Canal Square Theatre and Commercial Development in Dublin features a
2,000-seat performing arts centre which is integrated into a commercial area via two
office blocks that include 35,000-square-meter of leasable office and retail space. This is
located at the heart of the Grand Canal Harbour Development and creates a focal point
for Grand Canal Square. The project is currently under construction.
The 11,000-square-meter Grand Canal Square Theatre is at the heart of the Grand Canal
Harbour development. The building is based on the concept of stages the stage of the
theatre itself, the stage of the piazza, and the stage of the theatre lobby above the piazza,
illuminated at night. The theatre becomes the main faade of a large public piazza that
has a five-star hotel and residences on one side and an office building on the other. The
piazza acts as a grand outdoor lobby for the theatre. With the dramatic theatre elevation
as a backdrop and platforms for viewing, the piazza itself becomes a stage for civic
gathering.
With their twin facades, glazed courtyards and landscaped roofs, the two office blocks
which make up the Commercial Development provide sustainable, state of the art work
environments. By designing multi-storey glazed atriums, the commercial buildings
integrate with the adjacent retail, residential, cultural and public space components.

NORTH ELEVATION

008

009

010

011

012

013

014

015

Icelandic Institute of Natural History

The Institute of Natural History is a public institution, carrying out diverse
research and monitoring of nature. The new building for the Icelandic
Institute of Natural History houses research facilities and offices for 50
scientists and other employees. Furthermore, the building houses the
Institutes research specimen collections and scientific library.
Urridaholt Master Plan
Good access to outdoor recreation and pedestrian routes is ensured.
Streets are designed to support safety and relaxed traffic speeds. Moreover,

016

Architects: ARKS Architects, Bjorn Gudbrandsson Architect,

Egill Gudmundsson Architect
Location: Gardabaer, Iceland
Area: 3515 m
Photographer: Vigfus Birgisson and ARKS

the Urridaholt development employs integrate surface drainage systems

that have been specially designed to protect the ecology of nearby lake.
Building Form
The building is divided into three parts by two fissures that visually reduce
the building mass and communicate the gradual rhythm and human scale
of the streetscape prescribed in the master plan. Moreover, the three part
plan figure reflects the composition of an insect body, thereby connecting
building form to the institutes function.

Towards the northwest, the building rises upwards and out towards the
spectacular view, its form mirroring the profile of Mount Keilir to the south.
The fissures are bridged with transparent corridors and stairwells, accented
with a bright green color that becomes brilliantly illuminated at night.
However, the primary purpose of the fissures is to provide the institutes
employees with breaks from the office environment. When passing through
the fissures, one comes into strong visual contact with the surroundings;
light, weather, sky and horizon.
Sustainable Design Features
Among the many sustainable design features are sustainable drainage
solutions employed on and around the site. Those strategies include

permeable surfaces for parking and swales for filtering and slowing down the
flow of surface water. In addition, the buildings green roof, which is laid with
local turf and moss, serves as a filtering mechanism for rainwater, as added
insulation and as habitat for birds and native insects.
Furthermore, the previously mentioned double facade facilitates effective
natural ventilation. Each office is equipped with at least two operable
windows; the upper and lower windows, improve the flow of fresh air
through the space, from the in-between space of the double facade. Offices
also enjoy plentiful daylight and spectacular views of the surroundings.

017

018

019

Urridaholt

Urridaholt

Keilir

020

021

I nstitute For Sound and Vision, the Netherlands

Architect: Neutelings Riedijk Architecten bv
Building Design: Bureau Bouwkunde Nederland bv, Rotterdam, the
Netherlands
Structural Design: Aronsohn Raadgevende Ingenieurs bv, Rotterdam, the
Netherlands
Building Physics Design: Cauberg-Huygen Raadgevende Ingenieurs bv, Den
Bosch, the Netherlands
Installation Design: Royal Haskoning Adviesgroep Gebouw Installaties,
Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Concept Facade: Neutelings Riedijk Architecten bv
Grafical Design Facade: Jaap Drupsteen, Studio Drupsteen, Huizen, the
Netherlands

Product Development Facade: Neutelings Riedijk Architecten bv i.s.m. T.N.O.

Eindhoven, the Netherlands, Studio Drupsteen, Huizen, Nederland en Saint
Gobain Glass Nederland, Veenendaal, the Netherlands
Interior Design: Neutelings Riedijk Architecten bv
Constractor: Heijmans Bouw Best bv, Best, the Netherlands
Location: Sumatralaan 45, Mediapark, 1217 GP Hilversum, the Netherlands
Area: 30,000 m
Photographer: Daria Scagliola and Stijn Brakkee, Fotografie Scagliola/
Brakkee,Rotterdam, the Netherlands

The building divides into five distinct elements: archives/stores, museum, offices,
client reception and services. Together these parts bound a central well at the
building's heart. Here is the building's public portion comprising the main reception
hall, restoration facilities and video auditoria. This large central space stitches
together all the components of the institute.
Considering that something like half of the required programme encompasses
storage and archive rooms with rigorously stipulated climatic conditions but no need
for daylight, designers decided on a horizontal division into two. The portion below
the ground contains the archives vault, while above the ground are the museum and
other use forms requiring natural light. Bridging the gap between these two portions
are the public spaces, client reception and services.
The central well delivers daylight down to the lowest levels of the vault. In the first
instance zenithal light streams in through the skylights; the second, colored and
tempered light enters through the glazed frontage of the superstructure. The large
well in the superstructure opens to the south so that the afternoon sun penetrates to
the core of the building and reflected light can skim over the inner facade wall of the
offices.
At the entrance, the void presents as a deep canyon that dramatically brings home to
visitors the scale and the sheer size of the archives/storage vault. One of the canyon's
sides is a flush wall, and the other rises in a series of inverted terraces. These
contain the rooms for receiving clients plus annexes serving the archives and stores;
the archives and stores themselves are concealed behind the flush canyon wall.
The central well culminates in an enormous void where both museum and offices
show their best face. The upside-down cascade of museum levels registers as a wall
sculpture that shapes and scales the internal space of the building.

022

023

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025

026

027

028

029

030

031

M as Museum Aan de Stroom

The building
The MAS was designed as a sixty-meter high tower. Ten gigantic natural stone
trunks are piled up as a physical demonstration of the heaviness of history,
full of historical objects that are the legacy of our ancestors. It is a storehouse
of stacked history in the middle of the old harbour docks. Every storey of the
tower has been rotated a quarter turn, creating a gigantic spiral staircase.
This spiral space, in which a facade of corrugated glass is inserted, forms a
public city gallery.
The spiral route
A route of escalators leads the visitors from the square up to the top of the
tower. The story of the city, its harbor and inhabitants is told in the spiral
tower. Visitors can enter a museum hall on every level and reflect on the
history of the dead city, while on the way up breath-taking panoramas unfold
above the living city. The top of the tower accommodates a restaurant, a
party room and a panoramic terrace, where the present is celebrated and the
future is planned.
The facades
Facades, floors, walls and ceilings of the tower are entirely covered with
large panels of hand-cut Red Indian sandstone, evoking the image of a

032

Architect: Neutelings Riedijk Architects, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Structural Design: Bureau Bouwtechniek, Antwerp, Belgium
Constructive Design: ABT Belgi, Antwerp, Belgium
Building Physics: Peutz bv ingenieuze adviseurs, Mook, the Netherlands
Installation Design: Marcq & Roba, Brussels , Belgium
Location: Hanzestedenplaats, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium
Area: 19,500m(Floor surface)+11,500m(Outdoor construction)
Photographers: Sarah Blee, Antwerp and Scagliola/Brakkee, Rotterdam, the
Netherlands
Copyrights Photography: Neutelings Riedijk Architects and City of Antwerp

monumental stone sculpture. The four-color variation of the natural stone

panels has been distributed over the facade on the basis of a computergenerated pattern. The spiral gallery is finished with a gigantic curtain
of corrugated glass. Its play of light and shadow, of transparency and
translucence turns this corrugated glass facade into a light counterweight to
the heavy stone sculpture.
The ornaments
In order to soften the monumental tower volume, a pattern of metal
ornaments has been attached to the facade as a veil. The ornaments have the
shape of hands, the symbol of the City of Antwerp. This pattern is continued
inside the building by means of metal medallions, cast according to a design
by Tom Hautekiet with a text by Tom Lanoye.
The plaza
The museum square at the base of the tower is an integral part of the design.
The square has been designed in the same red natural stone as the tower
and is surrounded by pavilions and terraces as an urban area for events
and open-air exhibits. The central part of the square is sunken and forms a
framework for the large mosaic by artist Luc Tuymans.

033

034

035

036

037

038

039


MAS

Tom Lanoye
Tom Hautekiet

Luc Tuymans

040

041

N ew Youth Centre in Rivas Vaciamadrid

Architects: Manuel Collado, Arpia y Nacho Martn Asuncin

Firm: Mi5 Arquitectos
Collaborators: Eider Holgado, Richar y Diego Barajas
Constructor Company: Dragados
Engenieer: Juan Traves
Location: Rivas-Vaciamadrid, Madrid Spain
Area: 2,244 m
Photographers: Miguel de Guzman , Javier de Paz

F ro m t h e b e g i n n i n g , t h e p ro j e c t wa s
conceived as the possibility of making
the underground visible, a construction
devised as a radical manifestation of Madrid
s outskirts youthful spirit in general, and of
Rivas youth groups in particular.
The project aspires to become an explicit
teen communication vehicle by
appropriating their language and their voices
as the ingredients of the project. In this way,
the projects team embraces all Rivass youth
groups by means of an open participation
process, in which the future users of the
centre, combined with technicians and
politicians, will contribute their decisions,
their concerns, their fantasies and their
aesthetics to create a contemporary social
monument.
The end result of this process is a public
structure with a punk spirit, intensely
burdened with content and articulated
around programmatic centres conceived
as activity explosions, which are erected
as meeting and exchanging points of the
emerging communities.

042

043

044

045

046

047

048

049

C onvention Centre, Dublin

The Convention Centre, Dublin (CCD) offers 22 multi-functional, flexible
rooms suitable for meetings, conferences, and exhibitions of all shapes and
sizesfrom small corporate meetings to international congresses. There are
4,500of exhibition space, a 2,000-seat auditorium, and banquet facilities
seating up to 2,000 guests. The entire venue is finished to the highest
specifications and incorporates the latest technology throughout.
It is designed to attract both international and national conference/exhibition
markets. Exterior and interior materials emphasize the stature of the design,
ensure durability, and minimize maintenance for this important public
building, clearly distinguishing it as Irelands Convention Centre.
Convenient to several modes of transportation, the CCD is located beside the
new "LUAS" tram line with its own station, is minutes from Dublin Port Ferry
Terminal, and is only 20 minutes from Dublin Airport.
The lobby and circulation foyers are enclosed by a glass atrium which
immediately identifies the centre to visitors. Stairs, escalators, and lifts
create an exciting processional moving up through the atrium, enhancing

050

Architect: Kevin Roche

Firm: Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates LLC
Location: Mayor Street, Spencer Dock, Ireland
Area: 45,894 m
Completion Date: September 2010
Photographers: Kevin Roche, John Dinkeloo and Associates LLC

interaction between delegates while providing panoramic views of the city

and mountains to south. The foyers support a variety of activities beyond
circulation: event registration areas, breakout/discussion spaces, and
food/bar service. Temporary exhibitions may be installed within the foyers
increasing delegate participation and interest. The lobby and foyers may also
serve as venues for informal concerts. The public will be encouraged to enter
the ground level lobby to experience the atrium, view temporary exhibitions
and art exhibits, or review an electronic display of upcoming events.
Exhibition/banquet halls, meeting rooms, administration, the auditorium,
and support facilities are all located on the floors above.
The centres architecture is a reflection of the programmed internal functions
and the site. Exterior walls are clad with stone. The atrium glazing system
is stepped and consists of stainless steel framing and high-performance,
curved, laminated glass with a low-E coating. Continuous LED lights cap the
east west stone wall panels and at each step in the atrium, identifying the
building as a major venue in the city.

051

052

Ground Floor

Second Floor

Third Floor

Fourth Floor

Roof Plan
053

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055

M oderna Museet Malm

A starting point was that a new art museum, as a public and cultural building,
represents a rare opportunity to create a new node within a city, changing
the urban balance and developing the surrounding neighbourhood. In
Malm, a city in the south of Sweden, there was the possibility to create a
new art museum with an informal and experimental character, housed within
the 1900s industrial building of the former Electricity plant, which would
complement the main museum in Stockholm.
The greatest challenge posed by the project, (in addition to the demanding
eighteen-month time limit from sketch-design to inauguration), was the need
to adapt the existing industrial brick building to current climatic and security
requirements, in order to comply with the highest international standards for
art exhibition spaces. It soon became clear that in reality what was needed
was a building within a building, a contemporary addition within the existing
shell. This radical reconstruction not only provided a challenge, but also gave
the opportunity for something new.
Seen from the exterior, a new extension marks the arrival of the new
museum. The extension provides a new entrance and reception space, as
well as a cafeteria and new upper gallery. Its perforated orange faade both

056

Design Company: Tham & Videgrd Arkitekter

Location: Gasverksgatan 22, Malm, Sweden
Area: 2,650 m

connects to the existing brick architecture and introduces a contemporary

element to the neighbourhood. The perforated surface gives the faade a
visual depth, and is animated through the dynamic shadow patterns which it
creates. The ground floor is fully glazed so that sunlight is screened through
the perforated faade.
In relation to its context, the new addition plays with scale. From a distance,
it is only intelligible in comparison to the adjacent houses, and only in
close proximity can the building and its details be read in its own right.
The elimination of the standard "middle-scale" strengthens the museum's
presence in the immediate urban setting, and at the same time allows the
building to appear as a signal, establishing a relationship with Malm as a
whole.
Inside, the building has been reconstructed spatially. Two new staircases
allow the visitor to move in a loop between the grand turbine hall and the
upper exhibition rooms. The staircases are each enclosed between two
walls, and this functions to divide the program of the turbine hall into three
separate spaces: an exhibition space, a children's studio and a separate
loading area (which also doubles as an exhibition space).

057

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059

060

061

M uzeum of Aviation, Poland

The project has been awarded the 1st prize in the international competition
in 2005, and completed in 2010.The idea of flying, the spirit of the place,
the structure of the historic airfield the new building for the Museum of
Aviation, Poland takes up these references intellectually and synthesises
them into an expressive and emblematic structure. The old hangars set the
modular scale for the footprint (60mx60 m) and the height (12meters) for
the new building.
Developed from this modular scale, cut out and folded, as if made like a
paper airplane, a large structure has arisen triangular wings made of
concrete and yet as light as a wind-vane or propeller. Size and orientation of
the wings got developed out of three different functions. 4,500-square-meter
usable area on three floors is for disposition now. Intertwining spaces provide
good orientation for the visitor.
Entering the building one has the choice to go into the education wing with
a voluminous 3D-cinema or directly into the exhibition area with the planes.
The wings are generously glazed, opening in all directions. The exhibition
thus links visually with the landscape around it and offers a view of the apron
and the planes on display outdoors. The airplanes in the North wing seem
by no means enclosed, but rather to have been placed in shelter, ready to
roll out onto the runway at any time. The first floor is occupied with the
conference room seating 150 people, a bibliotheca, a multimedia section and
a restaurant with bar over viewing the exhibition.
The offices for administration are in the second floor offering views towards
the park, into the exhibition or through bulls eye windows onto the former

062

Architects: Justus Pysall, Peter Ruge, Bartlomiej Kisielewski, Katarzyna Ratajczak,

Mateusz Rataj, Alicja Kepka-Guerrero
Firm: Pysall.Ruge Architekten with Bartlomiej Kisielewski
Structural and M&E Services : Arup International Krakw
Landscape architects: ST raum a, Berlin
Location : al. Jana Pawa II 39, 30-969 Krakw, Poland
Area: 4,504 m
Photographer: Jakub Pierzchaa

airfield.
The new Museum of Aviation appears not as a house, but yields a subtle
functionally expressive architectural sculpture.
Energy Concept: Sustainability through simplicity and reduction.
Different temperature zones, natural ventilation and intensive use of daylight
minimize the need of energy at its source, and the use of natural and well
patinating and ageing materials reduces the impact of the environment
and future maintenance costs. The concept is based on natural ventilation
in all three wings. Only the cinema and the auditorium will get supply air
and exhaust air by means of a heat exchanger with air supply from an earth
channel. This allows for warm supply air in winter and cool air in summer.
The wings are heated differently, depending on their use: 20 C the offices,
18 C the Education Wing and 15 C the Main Exhibition Wing. Compared to
an all-around 20 C room temperature, 40 % of the energy is conserved for
heating these 10 meters in high and up to 10,250 cube-meter. The big storage
capacity of the concrete walls and natural ventilation provide, cooling during
the night in the summer.
Directed to the north and with a 200-square-meter big door, the exhibition
is always throughout naturally ventilated during the summer and of no need
for air conditioning.
Besides the generous use of daylight through the facade and big skylights; an
energy-efficient light system is realized throughout the building. This includes
light directing commutator sections and the use of energy saving lamps in
combination with motion detectors.

063

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065

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067

068

069

U niverse of Particles

Architects: Prof. Uwe R. Brckner, Shirin Frangoul-Brckner, Eberhard Schlag

Design Company: Atelier Bruckner
Location: Switzerland
Area: 450 m
Photographers: Michael Jungblut, Frieder Daubenberger

CERN required a new attraction: the exhibition Universe of Particles

designed by Atelier Brckner. It becomes a starting point for the many
thousands of visitors who arrive each year, curious about the unique
underground particle physics experiments taking place under the
French-Swiss border near Geneva.
While the LHC is operating, there is no public access to the
experiments, so the exhibition answers many of the visitors' questions
while also evoking a sense of wonder and awe at the remarkable
scientific and engineering accomplishments and the mysterious worlds
being revealed by the scientific work taking place at CERN.
Research at CERN is concerned with both the infinitely small and the
increadibly large. The visitors experience a world without scale, at
once both the sub-atomic level and at the vastness of the solar system.
Entering the exhibition space, they enter another world. Here nothing
is recognisable from the world outside.
All of the spherical designed elements in the space appear seamless,
perfect. Nothing is familiar or expected. The visitors see no plasma
screens or touch-terminals, no display cases or graphic panels. Instead
, they experience projections seemingly in space, 3D digital objects
within spheres, and beautifully lit concealed artefacts slowly revealed.
Besides the spherical design, the uniformly neutral white color of the
Corian surfaces and a swirling light circle at the base of every display
is the connecting design language. It creates light shades which lift the
displays out and let them float apparently freely in the room.

070

071

ATELIER BRCKNER CERN

LHC

CERN

Corian

072

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075

T heare de Quat'sous

076

Architect: ric Gauthier

Builder: Aecon
Firm: les architectes FABG
Structure Engineer: Aecom Tecsult
Mechanical and electrical engineer: Aecom Tecsult
Acoustician: Legault Davidson
Theater Consultant: Trizart Alliance
Location: 100 avenue des Pins est, Montral, Qubec, H2W 1N7
Area: 860 m
Materials: Grey Slate Tiles, Brick,Limestone, Curtain Wall and Aluminum Cladding, Glass
Photographer: Steve Montpetit

The Theatre de Quat'sous was established in 1963 by a

group of actors under the direction of Paul Buissonneau.
Together they bought a synagogue located on Avenue des
Pins in Montral and transformed it into a small theater
that never ceased to present daring productions from young
creators including the mythical psychedelic happening
Osstidcho in May 1968.
Serious problems related to the security and comfort of
the users combined with the need for production spaces
led to the decision to demolish and rebuild the Theatre de
Quat'sous on it's actual site after many feasibility studies
demonstrated the impossibility to renovate the crumbling
wood and brick structure built in 1907 as three row houses.
Avenue des Pins is a street that was created in 1907 after
the demolition of existing buildings to facilitate access to the
Mont-Royal as suggested by Frederick Law Olmsted. Today
it is a collection of bad buildings and exposed firewalls that
never met the promises of a prestigious boulevard leading

to the Mountain.
Theater is about fugacity, a succession of unique moments
that barely survive in the memories of those who were
there. Theater is a ghostly figure that has witnessed what
people are about to forget.
In reconstructing the Theatre de Quat'sous, designers were
specifically asked to incorporate whatever we could from the
original building to help the new one evoke those memories.
Designers chose to sample textures, images, colors and
materials from a cultural inventory of the theater and
mapped them on the assemblage of required volumes (stage,
house, foyer, crossover, control booth and rehearsal).
Recycling on site stones, slate, wood, bricks, marble and
furniture becomes part of a strategy of cultural sustainability.
New materials include silkscreened glass, black brick and
perforated aluminum that contribute to make Theatre de
Quat'sous a ghostly figure accumulating memories.

077

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081

de QuatsousPaul Buissonneau

Osstidcho

de Quat
sous

de Quatsous

082

083

K almar Museum of Art

The new Kalmar Museum of Art is the result of a winning proposal in the
open international competition in 2004 and was inaugurated on the 10th
of May 2008. Situated in the City Park of the renaissance town of Kalmar,
it is built next to a restaurant pavilion dating from the 1930s by Swedish
modernist architect Sven-Ivar Lind.
The competition motto was Platform and that is also the conceptual idea of
this museum, a series of open platforms for art related activities. It is also
how the museum is constructed, large spans for maximum flexibility on each
level, so that not only light but also space can be transformed and adjusted
to meet the specific needs of each exhibition.
The new museum is a black four-level cube clad with large scale wooden
panels and punctuated by large glazed openings. It will house both the
Kalmar collection of Modern Art as well as provide spaces for temporary
exhibitions of contemporary art, videos, performances and concerts.
Almost domestic in its scale this museum still provides a variety of exhibition
conditions. The two main spaces are the white box where one side can open

084

Design Company: Tham & Videgrd Arkitekter, Sweden

Location: Stadsparken 392 33 Kalmar, Sweden
Photographer: ke Eson Lindman.

up completely to bring in the exterior of the park, and the top floor gallery
that is lit by shed head light shafts doubling its ceiling height. In addition
there is a public art library and open workshops.
One of the architectural main features is the open stair spiralling the
full height of the building, starting from the new entrance lobby that
interconnects between lake-side and park. It is a top lit space with all surfaces
in exposed in situ cast concrete.
The four floors, each different from the others, are stacked on top of each
other and create a vertical walk up into the greenery of the trees with a
series of different special experiences while offering views of the environs;
the Kalmar castle, the lake and the city centre.
Construction is in situ cast concrete, the big spans are made with "after
tension" slabs. Interior finishes are exposed concrete, black stained plywood
doors and panels, white painted walls and ceilings, natural ash.
TVH have also designed some furniture; the green bock-tables, the hexagon
tables in white ash and steel, the museum bench, library book shelves.

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Sven-Ivar Lind

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TVH

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T he Hanger
In the centre of Meerhoven, a Vinex-district in Eindhoven, lies a characterisitc
airplane hanger, together with several other important industrial
inheritances, it keeps the memory of the former airfield Welschap alive.
With the redevelopment and expansion into a complex for education and
recreation, the hanger is transformed into a vital cultural centre for the
district. To house the extensive program two volumes were added, which
were slidden into the building. A large part of the hanger has been kept
empty which allows space for a covered square, that also functions as the

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Architect: Bert Dirrix

Firm: diederendirrix
Location: Eindhoven, the Netherlands
Area: 8,600 m

entrance to the complex. A central corridor, also covered by the hanger,

connects the square to a public playground that opens towards the planned
ecological green zone. The corridor is enclosed on one side by a colorful,
transparent volume that houses a community centre with library. On the
other side lies a volume situated partially in the ground, with a playground
on the roof. It houses a sports centre and a gathering space. The buildings
are connected by way of an underground volume that contains the changing
rooms for the gym.

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Meerhoven
Vinex
Welschap

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L os Angeles Museum of the Holocaust

Architect: Hagy Belzberg

Firm: Belzberg Architects
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Area: 2,973 m
Photographers: Benny Chan Fotoworks,
Belzberg Architects

The new building for the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
(LAMOTH) is located within a public park, adjacent to the existing
Los Angeles Holocaust Memorial. Paramount to the design strategy
is the integration of the building into the surrounding open, park
landscape. The museum is submerged into the ground allowing the
parks landscape to continue over the roof of the structure. Existing
park pathways are used as connective elements to integrate the
pedestrian flow of the park with the new circulation for visitors. The
pathways are morphed onto the building and appropriated as surface
patterning. The patterning continues above the museums galleries,
further connecting the parks landscape and pedestrian paths. By
maintaining the material pallet of the park and extending it onto the
museum, the hues and textures of concrete and vegetation blend with
the existing material palette of Pan Pacific Park. These simple moves
create a distinctive faade for the museum while maintaining the parks
topography and landscape. The museum emerges from the landscape
as a single, curving concrete wall that splits and carves into the ground
to form the entry. Designed and constructed with sustainable systems
and materials, the LAMOTH building is on track to receive a LEED Gold
Certification from the US Green Building Council.

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LEED

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E DUCATION

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Sao Paulo Library

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Prnu Library

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Secondary School AHS Contiweg

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Bailly School
LUXUN Academy of Fine Arts and Campus Dalian, China

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YRF English Centre for Children in Ramla

City University of Hong Kong Creative Media Centre

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UQAM Pierre Dansereau Science Complex Masterplan

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Ravensbourne

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FDE, Escola Vrzea Paulista

Grant R. Doering Centre for Science & Research

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Bloemershof

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l'Assomption Sport Complex

Tellus Nursery School

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Lea do Balio School

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Centre Cultural Vladimir Kasp

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S ao Paulo Library

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Archictects: Paula Homsi , Camila Chamati

Firm: Aflalo & Gasperini Arquitetos
Area: 4,257.00 m
Location: Sao Paulo , SP, Brasil
Photographer:Daniel Ducci

The antithesis is strong and the metaphor

becomes obvious. Before, it was a
prison, while now, it is full of freedom: of
knowledge, of ideas, of books. It is in this
place, that could carry a dark memory
forever, where is located the Sao Paulo
Library.
The old Carandiru penitentiary complex,
in Sao Paulo, has changed its face: now
it is the Youth park. Within the park, the
Library, which contributed to the urban
impact of this revigoration in a way that
could surpass the quarter limits, bringing
people from every corner of the city
granting to them leisure, entertainment
and culture.
The building has an ample area with
zenithal illumination, assuring great
flexibility in the layout. The structure is
composed by 20 columns and 10 beams,
spaced each 10 meters. The furniture
has funny and colorful tones and ludical
serigraphies were proposed in the glasses
to give more intimacy to those who will
read or research. The library is organized
as a bookstore, aiming to attract a nonreader public as well. The idea is that this
project can be replied in other cities. A
new library, implemented in Brazil but
inspired in the public library of Santiago,
Chile.
T h e p ro g ra m d e s i g n e rs f i n d i n t h e
building is composed by a ground floor
with reception, quantity, auditorium
for 90 people and reading modules for
children and teenagers. The ehxisting
terrace on this floor was covered by a
tensor structure, that reminds nautical
tents, receives a cafeteria, sitting areas
and performance spaces. In the upper
floor. designers find another quantity
space, several reading spaces being one
module restricted to adults in addition
to multimedia areas. There are special
furniture such as tables for people with
visual deficiency and ergonomic desks to
physical deficients. In order to attend the
accessibility regulation the floor finishing
was made in a way that could be tactil,
railing with two heights, inscriptions in
Braile as well adequated ramps. The upper
level terraces in the east and west facades,
with higher insolation, were covered
with pergolas made with reforestation
eucalyptus and polycarbonate, assuring
a pleasant space for performance as well
living room. The remaining facades are
composed by pre-molded panels with
texturized finishing.
More than a beautiful and different library,
this new institution has the mission to be
the central of 961 libraries in the state of
Sao Paulo spreade in 602 municipalities.
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P rnu Library
Prnus central square was planned following World War II for the location of
the Old Town, reduced to ruins. The new library located along the trajectory
of Pikk tnav completes the Stalinist plans that were unfinished in their day,
and connects the square in front of the theatre with the moat. It is integrated
with the Stalinist ensemble; and at the same time, one end extends all the
way to the ruins of the commanders castle, which dates from the earliest
era of foreign conquest in Estonia. The purpose of the building is to add more
cultural life and compactness to the existing unfocused space, while breaking
up the rigid linear symmetry characteristic of Stalinist planning.
The library is surrounded by a different environment on all sides and small
local open plazas have been created on each side, which also correspond
to the division of the functions inside the library. Much attention has been
paid to purpose-driven function and planning of the interior, creating a nonhierarchical spatial system. The backbone of the building is comprised by a
system of stairs and ramps that extend through the whole building and as
it descends, opens into different library halls. The ramps and stairs extend
outward from the building as open common spaces, each with a different

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Architect: Markus Kaasik, Andres Ojari, Ilmar Valdur, kaasa ttasid

Firm: 3+1 Architects
Area: 3513.2 m
Photographer: Kaido Haagen

appearance. The views from the different levels and the sloping surfaces
that jut into the building create a coherent space that flows through
the building from the central square to the baroque-era moat. Most
importantly, the public urban space continues through the library building, or
more precisely the library itself becomes a part of the city space. The other
important aspect is the way in which it provides insight into the context of
the city space: the building is located with an overhanging corner right above
the former commanders castle.
The library is completely covered with shiny glass, allowing one to perceive
through the facades its belongingness to the city. The main structural
innovation related to the library function is the fact that all books are on
open shelves the public can freely stroll the stacks and browse the volumes.
It is perhaps akin to an ordinary supermarket shelves upon shelves where it
is as easy as possible to find the product (book) you are looking for. The only
major difference is that here no one is compelling you to buy anything. The
modern library is becoming more and more user-friendly, a fluid event space.

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S econdary School AHS Contiweg

Students of Aspernstrasse are greeted by lentiform shapes twining around
the glas front of the building. The new school in Hirschstetten was designed
as a structure with two horizontal accentuated emphasis wings with
classrooms. The glass south-facing atrium with the library in a distinctive

Architect: Atelier Heiss Architekten

Structural Engineering: Brand & Partner
Building Physics: Dr. Pfeiler ZT GmbH
HVAC + Electrical Planning: Vasko & Partner ZT GmbH
Landscape Architecture: Idealice Technisches Bro fr Landschaftsplanung
Location: Aspernstrae 3-5, Contiweg 5, 1220 Wien
Area: 20,000 m
Photographer: Peter Burgstaller (Copyright: Atelier Heiss)

loft conversion gives an architectural identity in an area with few other

architectural landmarks. The Contistreifen serves as a backbone between
the public front courtyard and the private area of the inner courtyard.

FRONT VIEW

SECTION

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Aspernstrasse
Hirschstetten

GROUND FLOOR

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B ailly School
The school complex of Bailly is situated on a changing territory and is located
on the starting point of the reconstruction of the scale of the district. The
expression of the project is inspired by this specific context of the material
used-glazed brick-and by the idea of the roof which give reference to the
lanterns of the cathedrals.
The school complex is aligned on the rue de Bailly like a building wall on
one level which grows hollow and inflects to form the esplanade for the
entrance.
The esplanade is designed like a space of hospitality, protected and covered
by a playful light shelter. Its base of brick is extended in the building by an
internal brick street which functions as an interspace area to access both
schools, the recreation centre and at the same time serve like the connection
area for the various functions.
The body of the building seen from the rue de Bailly shows a glazed screen
printed faade to protect the intimacy of the children, giving the possibility

Architect: Mikou Design Studio

Firm: Mikou Studio
Location: Saint-Denis, France
Area: 7,000 m
Photographer : Florian kleinefenn

for transparency in the interior gardens and under the colored ceiling.
The classrooms are organised in the north-south transverse on two levels
which end on the firewall on the side of the railway. They are structured by
horizontal circulations and interior gardens protected by noise by a glass
screen.
This configuration makes it possible to limit the faade exposed direct to the
noise and to create independent units emphasised by the green transparency
for the preschool, the recreational centre and the elementary school
which are connected between them by an interior street open towards the
forecourt.
In this constellation, the preschool and the elementary school yard are
located sidewards in contrast to the units for the teachers. Placed on the
north and south end of the site, they are protected by noise and acoustic
screen made up of circular tubes of different densities from the west which
also absorb the noise during the recreation.

SECTION 1

SECTION 2
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Ground level

Roof

level 1

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L UXUN Academy of Fine Arts and

Campus Dalian, China

Architects:Auer+Weber+Assoziierte, Munich
Location:Luxun Academy of Fine Arts - Campus Dalian
Golden Pebble Beach National Tourist Resort Zone Dalian, China
Area:383,000 m

Within an expansive open landscape, a memorable place for the arts shall
be achieved, which obtains its appearance and its energy from a closed
architectural ensemble, implanted in the landscape.
The rolling topography is emphasised as a memorable landscape element
through the overlaying of a "stamped" grid corresponding precisely with the
four points of the compass, with modular fields of identical size.
The various city components with their respective functions and their
identical compact dimensions are inserted into the system of streets,
lanes and squares, whose modular dimensioning also permits adjustment
to changing programmatic requirements without breaking through the
organisational structure. Only the central square the "agora extends
beyond the single module as an outdoor reference and focus point for the
campus, as does the museum in accordance with its heightened significance.
The spatial experience of the "City of Arts arises from the dialogue-like
tension between the fundamental space-defining architectonic elements
and their relationship to landscape by means of enclosure, opening and
framing.

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Y RF English Centre for Children in Ramla

The English language is a crucial tool for
social mobility. Reinforcement of English
studies opens up endless opportunities and
changes the self-perception and ability of
being an active individual in the society.
YRF is an American fond that made the
English studies in the Israeli periphery its
goal.
The children of the 21st century are exposed
to intensive stimulations. The traditional
educational methods aren't satisfying as
a significant alternative for contemporary
communication. The educational act needs
a space for a new learning experience. The
new building for English studies realizes
those ideas.
Ramla is a diverse city which inhabits both,
Muslims, Christians and Jews, newcomers
from Ethiopia and ex USSR.

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Architect: Ron Fleisher architects

Location: Ramla, Israe
Photographer: Shai Epshtein

LONG SECTION

WEST ELEVATION-ENTRANCE

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YRF

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C ity University of Hong Kong Creative

Media Centre

Architect: Studio Daniel Libeskind

Firm: Studio Daniel Libeskind
Structural Engineer: ARUP ( London/Hong kong)
Mechanical / Electrica / Plumbing Engineer: ARUP
Geotechnical / Civil Engineer: ARUP
Fire Protection Consultant: ARUP
Lighting Designer: ARUP
IT and Communications, Audiovisual, Acoustics: ARUP
Town Planning: EDAW
Site Formation: Kaden Construction Co.
Location: Hong Kong, China
Area: 30,426 m

The Creative Media Centre for the City University of Hong Kong, currently under
construction, will provide facilities that will enable the University to become the
first in Asia to offer the highest level of education and training in the creative media
fields. The building will house the Centre for Media Technology and the Department of
Computer Engineering and Information Technology.
The distinctive crystalline design will create an extraordinary range of spaces rich in
form, light, and material that, together, will create an interactive environment for
research and creativity. Internal activity spaces have been designed specifically to
encourage collaboration through openness and connectivity. The centre will also serve
as an exciting place for visitors, who will be welcomed to enjoy the facilities as part of
an extended public outreach program of courses and events.
The facility will also include a multi-purpose theatre, sound stages, laboratories,
classrooms, exhibition spaces, a cafe and a restaurant. Secluded landscaped gardens to
the north of the building will be available for students and the general public alike.

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U QAM Pierre Dansereau Science Complex Masterplan

The original master plan for the UQAM Campus, prepared in 1991, invoked
the image of a traditional campus, that of a central green space surrounded
by buildings, according to the classic model of several universities. This layout
enabled the complex both to fit into its environment and set itself apart from
it, while providing the tranquility needed for pursuing studies and research.
The original idea of a green space was transformed into a continuum of
yards and gardens enclosed inside buildings or interspersed between them.
The green space also includes paths and a pedestrian walkway set up along
the forgotten traces of what was once Kimberly Street and the extension of
Evans Street. Nature has insinuated herself into these man-made structures.
All these spaces come together, giving structure to the architecture and
bathing them in light. Their intertwined networks link street accesses to the
entrances of the various pavilions. The spaces provide intimate settings,

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Architect: Saia Barbarese

Topouzanov Architectes ( in
consortium with Ttreault
Parent Languedoc et associs )
Location: Montral, Canada

which are ideal for meetings, discussions, relaxation and reflection. The busy
paths are lined with rows of trees, whose irregular patterns evoke the forest.
In the gardens, giant flowers, some of them made of slate, pave the walkways
between the buildings (student residences' garden), while other form petals
around a tree assume the role of a giant pistil (Biological Sciences Pavilion
yard). Indigenous species or plants of botanical interest have been selected
for their ability to adapt to the urban climate. They introduce greenery
within the city, in a neighborhood that is in desperate need of foliage.
In short, the traditional shape of campuses is evolving: the new configuration
is one in which spaces overlap, and where spaces and erected structures are
architectural equals.

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UQAM

Kimberly
Evans

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R avensbourne
The new building for Ravensbourne, a university sector college innovating
in digital media and design, will be located at Greenwich Peninsula on the
South-Eastern edge of The O2 building, to the right of the north-south axis
that structures the masterplan. By moving to this extraordinary location,
Ravensbourne aims to deliver education to meet the shifting demands of
21st-century learners learners who expect access to resources and support
on demand and whose needs can differ greatly depending on a variety of
social and economic factors. The new building is designed to stimulate the
environment and working practices of creative professionals, providing the
best in technology and mobile computing in an environment which enables a
variety of learning styles.
The main strategy in the design of the building is to produce a structure
which will encourage collaboration between the different disciplines and
practitioners within Ravensbourne. This will be achieved by structuring the
building around a system of two interconnected atria, each piercing through
three levels of program. The atria have been systematically attached to the
external facade in order not only to use them as ventilation devices, but

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Design Company: Foreign Office Architects

Location: close to O2, former Millennium Dome, Southeast London
Area: 21,500 m
Photographer: Morley von Sternberg

also to connect visually the core of the public spaces in the building with the
perception of the urban surroundings.
The building is specified to reach a BREEAM qualification of environmental
excellence. In order to achieve optimum environmental performance, low
maintenance and high flexibility, the massing has been kept as compact as
possible with a very low ratio of faade to area, and a deep building which is
able to provides flexible space to host the various activities which take place
in the building.
The architecture of the building has been designed to express the culture
of contemporary production, by using a non-periodic tiling system which
symbolises a more diverse and contemporary approach to technology. Gothic
rose windows and flower patterns have also been a rich field of inspiration
for the project, but in this building, they will not be produced as an imitation
of nature but as an abstract construction. To achieve this, designers have
resorted to the use of a non-periodic tiling pattern on the faade, which allow
to build seven different types of windows out of only three different tiles.

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BREEAM

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