Red concrete museum tells the story of Alpine ibexes in Pitztal valley

Swiss architects Daniela Kröss and Rainer Köberl have completed a red building "like a small castle" to celebrate the history of wild ibex in the alpine region of Pitztal, Austria.

The Ibex Museum St Leonhard charts the history of a native ibex goat species that became extinct from the area but was successfully reintroduced in the 1950s.

The museum was designed as a four-storey tower with a bridge

Kröss and Köberl wanted to make the building feel like a landmark, so they designed it as a four-storey tower, connected to the hillside by a monumental bridge.

They also chose a red-toned materials palette, comprising pigmented concrete and powder-coated steel, to allow the building to stand out against its green backdrop.

Precast panels of red concrete clad the exterior

"Up on a wooded mountainside, you see a reddish building, somehow appearing like a small castle," said Kröss.

"The red/brownish colour puts the building in a harmonious coexistence with the nature surrounding it," she told Dezeen.

The red colour helps the building stand out as a landmark

The Ibex Museum is located in the parish of St Leonhard, next to one of the oldest farmhouses in the valley. It sits on a site that previously housed a barn.

The new building is designed to reference both the wooden farmhouse and the original barn, with a precast concrete facade featuring a texture that resembles timber boards.

The reception is located on the upper ground floor

"When we first visited the site, we found a very harmonious ensemble between the historic building and an old barn," said Kröss. "We wanted to develop the new building in the same place and on the same footprint of the barn."

"The idea of maintaining the wooden structure of the barn led to the wooden cast in the prefabricated concrete elements of the facade."

Windows frame specific views of the surroundings

The two lower levels of the museum both have ground-level entrances, thanks to the way the building nestles into the slope.

A cafe and bar are located on the lower ground floor, while the upper ground floor contains the main reception.

Visitors move up through the building, finding the main exhibition spaces on the two upper levels.

The bridge extends out from the top-floor terrace, leading visitors to a hillside enclosure where they can encounter seven ibexes.

The bridge connects the exhibition galleries with an ibex enclosure

The layout of the building was largely influenced by the desire to make the museum accessible to all. The idea was to help all visitors "climb the mountains and see the ibex face to face."

With this in mind, many of the windows are positioned to offer specific views of the landscape and surrounding buildings.

Pine wood lines the bar and cafe on the lower ground floor

Interior finishes follow the colour palette of the exterior, with red-speckled terrazzo floors, red-painted service ducts and soft-red-grey walls.

The bar has a more cabin-like aesthetic, with walls lined in locally sourced pine wood.

Other notable recent Austrian projects include a geometric timber house in a traditional Austrian village and a private spa made from stone blocks.

Photography is by Lukas Schaller.

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Project credits

Client: Gemeinde St Leonhard im Pitztal
Architecture: Rainer Köberl, Daniela Kröss
Planning: ArGe Architekten, Rainer Köberl, Daniela Kröss
Project management: Julian Gatterer
Construction management: R&S Planbau
Structural consultant: Georg Pfenniger
Landscape design: ArGe Architekten, Rainer Köberl, Daniela Kröss
Exhibition planning: Rath & Winkler
Exhibition design: Himmel Studio für Design und Kommunikation
Electrics: Technisches Büro Schwienbacher
Building services: Technisches Büro Pregenzer

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Park Ex House in Montreal has voids that flood its basement with light

Architecture graduates Nicholas Francoeur and Joel Fontaine Lortie have renovated a steel-clad house in Montreal to include two cut-outs in its floors that fill the basement with sunlight.

Called Park Ex House, the dwelling is positioned on a corner in the Park Extension neighbourhood of Montreal, known by locals as Park Ex.

Park Ex House is named after its neighbourhood

Current architecture interns and friends Francoeur and Fontaine Lortie added another floor and an angled roof to what was previously a one-storey house, in a gut renovation of the property that transformed both its exterior and interior.

The project was completed independently when the pair were finishing their Master's degrees.

The renovated house is clad in vertical corrugated steel

Francoeur and Fontaine Lortie replaced Park Ex House's original white horizontal siding with vertical corrugated steel cladding in Cambridge White, which takes cues from Miesian architecture.

"We liked the idea of juxtaposing an industrial material with refined detailing," the graduates told Dezeen.

"The angled roof pays tribute to the original house, as does the fact that we maintained the general proportions of the existing facades."

A porch covers the house's front door

Inside, Francoeur and Fontaine Lortie wanted to introduce more light into the small building. The pair achieved this by adding a hole in the ground floor above the basement, as well as one between the kitchen and second storey.

The voids flood the basement with natural light, expanding an underground space that is commonly known for its low ceiling and poor lighting.

"The strategy really makes a small house feel much bigger. Ironically, this is carried out by sacrificing square feet," explained Francoeur and Fontaine Lortie.

Engineered wooden beams are also used in the basement in order to increase the ceiling's perceived height.

The basement of Park Ex House is filled with light

With exposed concrete floors, the light-filled basement connects the rooms above it to each other in a way that the architecture graduates defined as "separate but together".

"We liked the idea of how the basement would be somewhat private in relation to the house's exterior, but extremely bright and connected to the interior," they explained.

Voids make the space underground airy and bright

This bright atmosphere is reflected in the rest of the house's white oak floors, stairs and cabinets, which also complement the building's stained-white-cedar-lined porch.

Francoeur and Fontaine Lortie described how functionality is at the heart of the project, with many of its design features serving multiple purposes.

Park Ex House's bright kitchen

For example, Park Ex House's staircase has an integrated decorative planter and laundry chute which doubles as a support mechanism for the bridge above it.

"For us, Park Ex House makes the point that paying homage to an area's heritage does not always need to be nostalgic, and that history can be made by designing buildings which reflect the present moment while remaining in continuity with the past," the pair explained.

The staircase is both steps and a laundry chute

Nicholas Francoeur and Joel Fontaine Lortie are architects-in-training who are completing their education at Canadian firms DKA Architectes and Miloud Boukhira respectively.

Other recent projects that make use of underground spaces include a wine cellar embedded into a Texan hillside by Clayton Korte, and a cave-like house partially submerged in the earth on a Greek island by Mold Architects.

Photography is by Raphaël Thibodeau.

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The Bryant concrete skyscraper by David Chipperfield completes in New York

British architect David Chipperfield's latest New York project is The Bryant, a 32-storey mixed-use concrete skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan.

David Chipperfield Architects undertook the project for New York-based developers HFZ Capital Group.

The skyscraper overlooks Bryant Park

The 402-foot-high (123 metres) building overlooks Bryant Park and the New York Public Library. In 2001, the practice renovated the Bryant Park Hotel in the American Radiator Building next door.

A hotel occupies the levels up to the 14th floor of The Bryant, with private apartments taking up the other 18 storeys.

The New York Public Library is nearby

There are two separate lobbies for each use on the double-height ground floor, along with two retail units.

The Bryant has a base that fills the plot and steps back after a few levels, to create an outdoor rooftop terrace on one side of the building.

The concrete facade is a "contemporary interpretation" of the local landmarks

At the very top is a crown, stepped back even further and containing two penthouses with private terraces.

Due to its location near the library and the Beaux-Arts style Knox Building, David Chipperfield Architects had to make sure the concrete facade did not look out of place.

"The facade relates to the historic buildings nearby, offering a contemporary interpretation," said the practice.

"The concrete mix contains different aggregates identical to the stone varieties found in the neighbouring buildings' masonry facades."

A rooftop terrace occupies the step back

This concrete continues as terrazzo walls in the interiors of The Bryant, where the apartments feature floor-to-ceiling windows.

To keep the perimeter free and maximise the views, built-in furniture is designed to hide appliances and provide discreet storage.

Terrazzo and floor-to-ceiling windows in the apartment interiors

Selected apartments have already been dressed, including one on the 24th floor by curatorial firm Standard Arts and another by the online design retailer Radnor.

David Chipperfield, who founded his eponymous practice in the UK, is the recipient of both the RIBA Stirling Prize and the Mies van der Rohe Award.

The studio recently completed another residential project in New York – a red concrete and brick apartment block in Greenwich Village.

Photography is by Simon Menges.

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Project credits:

Client: HFZ Capital Group
Architect: David Chipperfield Architects London
Project director: David Chipperfield, Billy Prendergast
Project architect: Mattias Kunz
Project team: Mira Abad, Pau Bajet, Gonçalo Baptista, Kleopatra Chelmi, Florian Dirschedl, Gabriel Fernandez-Abascal, Micha Gamper, Ines Gavelli, Maria Giramé, Christopher Harvey, Johannes Leskien, Nic Moore, Sergio Pereira
Contact architect: Stonehill & Taylor Architects
Lighting consultant: George Sexton Associates
Acoustic consultant: Shen Milsom & Wilke
Structural engineer: Severud Associates Consulting Engineers
Services engineer: Corcoran Sunshine
Real estate consultant: Vidaris
Facade consultant Contractor: T.G. Nickel & Associate

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The Pulse episode six to explore "digital twins" phenomenon

Dezeen promotion: the sixth episode of Epic Games' discussion series The Pulse will delve into the fast-growing world of digital twins, and its impact on the future of architecture and construction.

The talk, organised by Epic Games' 3D creation tool Unreal Engine, is titled Digital Twins: Building Cities of the Future and will take place 5 May 2021 at 8PM UK time (12PM PDT).

Digital twins are virtual representations of physical objects or processes, like buildings, that serve as their real-time digital counterparts.

These images show a GIS accurate real-time digital twin model of Wellington City, New Zealand, running in Unreal Engine 4

Made possible through real-time rendering, they are increasingly being used across the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries.

The panel discussion will cover in more detail what digital twins are – and are not – as well as how they can aid in large-scale decision making, prevent costly mistakes, and play a role in improving infrastructure.

For Digital Twins: Building Cities of the Future, AEC influencer Fred Mills will be joined by speakers Salla Pallos of Microsoft, Tim Johnson of Buildmedia, and David Weir-McCall of Epic Games.

Digital twins are increasingly being used in the architecture, engineering and construction industries

"The advent of real-time rendering has brought digital twins within reach for a variety of projects for the first time," said the organisers. "Join these industry experts as they explore the many ways that digital twins will help us build better cities for tomorrow, and make sure to stay for the live Q&A at the end."

The discussion will be the latest in a series titled The Pulse, which comprises video interviews and talks that explore the latest thinking on interactive 3D technology.

Previous episodes of The Pulse have encompassed virtual spaces, the next-gen gaming revolution and real-time filmmaking. Watch them on-demand here.

The Pulse episode six will discuss the benefits of digital twins, like this one, in more detail

To take part in Digital Twins: Building Cities of the Future, register here and submit any questions for the host and guests to answer during the live Q&A.

Images are courtesy of Buildmedia.

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Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Unreal Engine as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners designs Shenzhen airport terminal with "natural environment at its heart"

Architecture studio Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners has designed a terminal for an airport in Shenzhen, China, that will be arranged around a large covered garden.

The 400,000 square-metre terminal will be an extension to Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport and is designed to handle 31 million visitors a year.

The building will have a streamlined form with an undulating, sweeping roof that emulates the pattern of airflow.

Airport will be built around central garden

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners' terminal will include a central 10,000-square-metre garden that was designed to act as a "front door" to the city of Shenzhen.

"The design concept has at its heart a 10,000 square-metre central garden space, the size of 40 tennis courts," said Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners partner Andrew Tyley.

"The garden acts as the front door to Shenzhen connecting and integrating ground and air travel."

According to the studio, the terminal will include vast green spaces and landscaped walkways to promote wellbeing.

"It is a building where passengers' wellbeing and pleasure are at the heart of the design," said Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners senior partner Ivan Harbour.

"This is an airport that celebrates the hellos and goodbyes in a natural environment at its heart," he continued.

"These are the emotional moments that, despite the ever-increasing speed of our daily lives, remain important to us as individuals."

The terminal hopes to become a landmark

The terminal was developed in collaboration with China Northeast Architectural Design & Research Institute as part of an international competition.

According to the Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the building will attempt to meet sustainability goals through its compact form, control of solar gain, low water use, and the harvesting of rainwater.

Grimshaw Architects have also designed a transport hub for the Shenzhen Bao'an Airport that will accommodate highspeed rail and other transport systems.

Elsewhere in Shenzhen, a music conservatory enveloped in decorative louvres designed by EMBT  along with a 700 metre-long university building designed by Dominique Perrault Architects is being built as part of a city-wide development for 10 new cultural buildings that form part of the Shenzhen Ten Cultural Facilities of New Era masterplan.

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