Archinect - News

Princeton and IE University team to build vaulted brick pavilion using AI and augmented reality

2023-05-04T10:57:00-04:00

A team from Princeton University and the IE School of Architecture and Design are constructing a vaulted pavilion with the aid of artificial intelligence, holograms, and augmented reality at IE University’s campus in Segovia, Spain. The team, comprised of architects, engineers, craftspeople, and IE students, is led by Syrian-Spanish architect and IE architecture professor Wesam Al Asali along with Sigrid Adriaenssens, director of the Form Finding Lab at Princeton University.

The open-air vaulted pavilion will adopt a 10-foot-tall tripod structure without the need for formwork and will measure 16 feet long and 10 feet wide. To construct the pavilion, an initial layer of industrial hollow bricks will be laid, clad with tiles. Augmented reality glasses and Microsoft’s HoloLens app will then be employed in the bricklaying process, allowing builders to follow holographic guides to know the exact placement of bricks.

Image courtesy of IE University

“AR technology allows the craftsman to wo...

SYN Architects reactivates rural Chinese village hall through an elegant vaulted extension

2023-05-03T10:58:00-04:00

Beijing-based SYN Architects has offered a look inside their recently-completed Tiangang Village ‘Living Room’ in Baoding, China. The project saw the renovation and expansion of an existing village committee building, as well as the reactivation of surrounding buildings and outdoor spaces.

Image credit: ArchiTranslator

The original committee building was comprised of five single-story arches and porches, as well as sloping roofs and brick walls, all of which were largely hidden from public view. Taking the arches as inspiration, the design team expanded the building through an extension of the arches, creating a series of trumpet-shaped volumes with a thin, curving concrete shell structure.

Image credit: ArchiTranslator

In addition to the enlargement of the original five arches, the team also created a similarly-scaled arched volume along the wall facing the street, creating a public space adjacent to the building, and providin...

Zaha Hadid Architects: a robot will help build the vaults of Lushan Primary School

2018-04-19T16:07:00-04:00

Zaha Hadid Architects just revealed a design proposal for Lushan Primary School, a new learning center for 120 children from 12 local villages in a remote rural area of Jiangxi Province, China. The campus is designed as a network of intersecting barrel and parabolic vaults that accommodate various school, housing, and utility spaces.

Image courtesy of ZHA.

From the project description: "The school’s curriculum is a synthesis of Chinese and international academic systems; combining an education in the creative arts with a comprehensive syllabus of STEM subjects that also includes advanced internet-based learning technologies. Visiting teachers and artists will make the school a focus for the community it serves."

Rendering by VA. Image courtesy of ZHA.

"Surrounded by mountains as well as the rivers and lakes fed by the Zhelin Reservoir, the school is within an agricultural region that also has a rich tradition in the production of ceramics. [...] The campus includes the school, dormito...

Mecanoo's newly opened Delft train station hall stays true to its city roots

2015-03-03T21:46:00-05:00

Six years after the project was first announced, Delft's new railway station hall opened its doors to the public this past Saturday. Designed by native Dutch firm Mecanoo, the new building purposefully nods to its cultural roots so that visitors arriving at the station will know from the get-go that they are in Delft indeed.

The station hall, which is the first phase of the development, is built above a new train tunnel that will replace an old 1965 concrete viaduct by 2017. Amsterdam/Aachen-based Benthem Crouwel, who worked on the Rotterdam Centraal Station, designed the station's below-ground platforms.

With Francesco Veenstra as design lead, Mecanoo focused on balancing Delft's rich history with its present and future for their design concept. As expected, the Delft Blue color scheme is rampant throughout the building's exterior and interior.

The building's outer fused-glass skin was designed to "reflect the Dutch skies" and features a lens-like sphere pattern that refers to a commo...

First major Guastavino exhibition opening at MCNY on March 26

2014-03-25T14:05:00-04:00

The upcoming "Palaces for the People: Guastavino and the Art of Structural Tile" exhibition will showcase the works of Spanish architect Rafael Guastavino and his son Rafael Jr. that helped shape the architectural identity of New York City.

Opening at the Museum of the City of New York on March 26, the exhibition will share the story of the Guastavinos, whose family legacy graces the vaulted and tiled ceilings of over 200 historic NYC buildings like the Grand Central Terminal, Ellis Island, Carnegie Hall, and the Bronx Zoo's Elephant House.

The exhibition was first organized by MacArthur Fellow John Ochsendorf from MIT before MCNY expanded it to feature 20 major Guastavino projects throughout NYC's five boroughs. The exhibition will include never-before-seen drawings and materials, an 11 ft x 15 ft replica of a Guastavino vault, contemporary photos by Michael Freeman, and a video gallery installation that lets viewers "visit" Guastavino spaces.

"Palaces for the People" will run until...

Swiss Freeports Are Home for a Growing Treasury of Art

2012-07-23T19:33:00-04:00

Though little known outside the art world, this surprisingly drab series of buildings is renowned by dealers and collectors as the premier place to stash their most valuable works.