Archinect - News

Swiss architects construct a cylindrical modular structure for use as student housing

2020-06-05T18:16:00-04:00

Located on the outskirts of the University of Lausanne in Chavannes-près-Renens, Switzerland, the Vortex will house nearly 1,000 students and academic guests by the end of this summer. Designed by Swiss-based IttenBrechbühl, the building welcomed 1,800 athletes taking part in the Youth Olympic Games at Lausanne earlier this year.

The circular form of the architecture creates a vast inner courtyard that is more representative of a park or village square. A number of entrances provide access to this courtyard from the outside, creating an immediate connection to the outer countryside.

Each floor was constructed with modular "boxes," and are connected by a spiral ramp that moves throughout the building. The construction was completed quickly due to the prefabricated nature of the modular units. Each of the floors, except the ground floor, is identical in layout.

The result, is a monolithic mass built economically, sustainably, and timely, and one that will serve as a home for the stude...

Architecture Office's new exhibition explores the transformation of European immigrant towns in the US

2019-04-04T14:51:00-04:00

Founded by Nicole McIntosh and Jonathan Louie, Architecture Office's newest exhibition Swissness Applied focuses on the architectural transformation of European inspired immigrant towns and their presence in the United States. A nation comprised of people and cultures from around the globe, the project allows for the topic of cultural appropriation in architecture, urban design, and planning to be discussed.

Architecture Office co-founder Nicole McIntosh is a Swiss-born architect whose collaborative research explores a highly curated exhibition of various European immigrant towns whose characteristics reference from German, Danish, and Swiss design motifs. US towns such as Frankenmuth, Michigan; Solvang, California; and New Glarus, Wisconsin have been implemented into the American landscape by the individuals who immigrated to those areas. For this exhibition, New Glarus is a town the studio uses as the primary subject of focus in Swissness Applied.

Swissness Applied exhibition m...

This Swiss firm is experimenting with prefab movable housing

2018-03-20T15:29:00-04:00

Swiss architectural practice Rahbaran Hürzeler Architekten is developing an experimental residence to be realized anywhere. Called movable house, every aspect of this project is determined by motion from floor plans to structural elements to energy storage.

Movable house rendering © Rahbaran Hürzeler Architekten

The movable house is not designed with a specific site in mind, but rather can be constructed almost anywhere. The main goals of movable house are that it can be put up quickly with easy and efficient transportation of all structural elements.

Movable house rendering © Rahbaran Hürzeler Architekten

This prefab architecture can stand alone or be attached to an existing building. The four main areas of the structure are arranged around a central library which doubles as a transitional space to connect it all together. This creates a flexible and transparent living space for a family of four on the smallest possible footprint.

klokers is again on kickstarter with its new watch KLOK-80, inspired from the sixties, for women and men.

2017-11-20T09:00:00-05:00

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KLOK-08 pays tribute to the Sixties, from where it inherited the spirit and aesthetic codes.

THE SPIRIT: FREEDOM & NONCONFORMITY

The creative and audacious 1960s broke the rules: we swapped long dresses for mini-skirts, we listened to pirate radio, we disobeyed with a smile! The Sixties represent counter-culture: the desire to shake conventions, the happy youth, the cool! The wind of freedom whispered to everyone that anything was possible. That anyone could live one’s own freedom.

Freedom of use klokers inherits from this spirit, and invites it’s community to live their time offering the freedom of use: KLOK-08 is a watch-head that clips on and off on straps and accessories through a patented fixing system. This unique system makes all the products compatible and interchangeable. It is up to you to create not only your combinations (colors, materials) but also ...