Archinect - News

Lina Ghotmeh's 2023 Serpentine Pavilion serves the community an invitation to 'dwell together'

2023-06-07T03:00:00-04:00

Lina Ghotmeh’s 2023 Serpentine Pavilion design makes its official debut this week in London. For the 22nd contribution to the summer pavilion series, the Lebanese-born and Paris-based architect showcases a design that highlights aspirations towards community gathering in a manner that speaks to the importance of building relationships while "inviting us to convene, sit down, think, share, and celebrate exchanges."

The design for À table (whose name in French means to call and invite those to sit together for conversation and a meal) is a lightweight, pleated canopy roof that references the structure of a palm leaf. The design of the space aims to "respond to the surrounding tree canopies," while the internal wooden beans are meant to "emerge as thin tree trunks" encompassing the pavilion. The detailed, plant-like cut-out patterns of the panels assist in providing natural light and ventilation in the pavilion as it surrounds a concentric series of tables that sit within the pavilion...

Foster + Partners-designed Brompton Road Apple store debuts the tech giant's new focus on AR

2022-07-27T14:13:00-04:00

Foster + Partners’ design for the Brompton Road Apple store in London is ready for its debut tomorrow, showcasing the company’s renewed focus on AR and other consumer technologies in what is the latest in a long string of retail commissions between the British architect and the California tech giant.

Image courtesy Apple, Inc.

The design reuses a former arcade structure from 1903 in a way that invokes the form and function of the typology’s original role as an enclosed shopping district and social condenser. The store comes equipped with a suite of naturalistic elements, including a group of 12 welcoming Sicilian ficus trees, in addition to new bio-resin terrazzo wood floors, which intend to reflect the goals outlined by the company’s new green design mandates.

Image courtesy Apple, Inc.

As such, the store aims to run 100% on renewable energies. The new location also features Castagna stone finishings, depth-enhancing mirrors in the Forum area, and plent...

Marble Arch Mound: Deputy leader of London council behind MVRDV-designed attraction resigns due to soaring costs

2021-08-13T19:16:00-04:00

The deputy leader of a London council responsible for the ballooning costs of the Marble Arch Mound has resigned. Melvyn Caplan stepped down immediately after total costs nearly doubled to £6m, up from a forecast of £3.3m. Ticketholders were offered refunds for the artificial viewing platform which temporarily closed within two days of opening on 26 July.

The Westminster City Council, the park’s operator, has said that a review to “understand what went wrong and ensure it never happens again,” is underway.

The MVRDV-designed attraction is now free to visit for the month of August after its plants and grass began to die.

In a statement, council leader Rachael Robathan labeled the rise in costs “totally unacceptable” and expressed regret over her deputy’s resignation.

Previously on Archinect: MVRDV’s Marble Arch Mound is a magnet for public criticism

“Doing nothing was never an option,” she said. “So when the mound fully reopens in September, I hope that people will come and see it for themselves. The mound may delight or divide views and that's OK, but we're confident that in the end, it will fulfil its original brief — to get people back into the West End and remind them of why this is a world-class city.”

MVRDV’s Marble Arch Mound is a magnet for public criticism

2021-07-30T17:58:00-04:00

MVRDV’s latest project is closing after just two days following a torrent of public backlash against the $3 million artificial earthen mound in Westminster, London.

The Marble Arch Mound opened earlier this week after an abbreviated construction period which began in early May. Commentators online were quick to point out the rather stark contrast between the project’s renderings at announcement and actual appearance upon delivery. Swaths of an exposed scaffolding base, an incomplete application of greenery, and a confounding maze of fences have left people to question the project’s cost, utility, and even meaning. Westminster City Council, the park’s operator, has apologized for the mishap in an unprecedented statement admitting to the mound’s “not ready” status and closing it to the public as a result.

Previously on Archinect: MVRDV creates temporary artificial hill near London's Hyde Park

Refunds are now being provided to the disheartened customers who were able to visit the struc...

MVRDV creates temporary artificial hill near London's Hyde Park

2021-02-16T12:00:00-05:00

MVRDV today revealed "Marble Arch Hill," a temporary installation next to London's Marble Arch. It is a hollowed-out mountain based on a scaffolding structure designed to create a rendered interest in the surrounding area, which connects Oxford Street and Hyde Park.

The design introduces a park-like landscape that climbs over the artificial mountain, giving visitors a 25-meter-tall viewpoint to see the surrounding area from a new perspective. Marble Arch Hill uses a scaffold structure on its base that will support the plywood and soil layers needed to hold the outer grass "skin."

"This project is a wonderful opportunity to give an impulse to a highly recognizable location in London," said MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas in a statement. "It’s a location full of contradictions, and our design highlights that. By adding this landscape element, we make a comment on the urban layout of the Marble Arch, and by looking to the site’s history, we make a comment on the area’s future. We enl...

MVRDV to masterplan new Hyde Park urban district near Amsterdam

2018-07-24T13:43:00-04:00

MVRDV's urban vision for the new Hyde Park district near Amsterdam has been given the green light by the municipality of Haarlemmermeer. Currently occupied by a desolate office park, the area will be transformed into a vibrant residential area with thousands of new dwellings and commercial facilities. The Dutch firm has recruited several architecture firms such as Barcode, Team V, MVSA, Manuelle Gautrand and Studio Nine Dots to aid in the development of blocks and public space design.

Each avenue will have its own character, while the main street will become a tree-lined commercial area promoting cycling, walking, and socializing. Residential buildings will all have sound-proof indoor gardens. Bites in the buildings will allow for maximum sunlight and park views, helping achieve a new green district for the city. Furthermore, for the sake of diversity, the blocks have been divided into various 'Hoofddorp houses'.

The masterplan contributes to upgrading the neighborhood into a future...