Thursday, 28 October 2021

Stride Treglown places "sinking" Monopoly-style house in River Avon ahead of COP26

Sinking red house

Architecture firm Stride Treglown has installed a sculpture of an alarming red "sinking house" in Bath's Pulteney Weir in order to highlight climate change.

Stride Treglown collaborated with engineering designers Format Engineers to create the sculpture, which is called Sinking House, ahead of the COP26 climate conference.

Human-like figure on roof
A human-like figure is positioned on the house's roof

Sinking House is a 5.5-metre by 3.5-metre bright red timber sculpture designed in a universally recognisable shape that takes cues from classic Monopoly houses.

The house is located in Pulteney Weir, a low dam in front of Pulteney Bridge on the River Avon in Bath, where passersby can experience it from the ground above.

Monopoly-style house
The sculpture takes cues from Monopoly houses

Positioned at an angle so that the sculpture looks as if it is sinking beneath the water's surface, the house includes a human-like figure sitting on its chimney, holding onto a rope and banner attached to the bridge that reads "COP26."

The installation intends to represent the idea that COP26 – the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference – offers the world a lifeline for world leaders to act in order to address climate change.

Pulteney Weir in Bath
Sinking House sits in Pulteney Weir

"The project was inspired by Greta Thunberg’s 'Our house is on fire' speech at the 2019 World Economic Forum," Stride Treglown head of sustainability Rob Delius told Dezeen.

"We wanted to use that reference to highlight how 'our house' is in great danger and make a literal house in peril floating in the river."

"The catastrophic floods in Europe this summer were also a big influence, as we saw pictures of people stranded on the roofs of their houses. Suddenly, the effects of climate change felt very close to home," added Delius.

Sculpture from above
Passersby can view the sculpture from above

Format Engineers worked with local sculptor Anna Gillespie and carpenters Fifield Moss to install the sculpture.

As well as representing the emergency and danger of climate change, Sinking House's bright red colour was also designed to contrast with Pulteney Bridge's historic backdrop.

Sinking House
It sits in a low dam

"Reinforcing our colour choice, the UN Secretary-General said of the recent IPCC climate change report that the world was now at code Red and that we need widespread, immediate, and substantial action," explained Delius.

"It is also a play on the classic Monopoly house, or hotel, and how our leaders have prioritised economic growth over a more sustainable approach, which has left us in this perilous position," he added.

"Sinking House was chosen as a name to represent how our house, our planet, is sinking into disaster but if we act now, we still have a chance to save it from complete catastrophe."

The structure was constructed using timber, which Stride Treglown says will be donated to the nearby Bristol Wood Recycling Project once the installation is dismantled.

The architecture firm also sought assistance from the local Sea Cadets, who offered their pontoon to help the sculpture float and create the submerged effect.

Striking red Sinking House sculpture
The sculpture's red colour was designed to be striking

"We wanted to get the message across to world leaders about how important COP26 is and how the wider community is counting on them to take action," concluded Delius.

"But Sinking House also sends a message of hope – COP26, along with other measures, offer us all an opportunity, a lifeline to improve our current position."

COP26 call-to-action
Sinking House is a call-to-action ahead of COP26

COP26 will take place in Glasgow from 31 October. Other creative projects designed for the event include the Build Better Now virtual pavilion featuring 17 sustainable projects and a "conference of trees" by UK designer Es Devlin.

The photography is by Peter Landers.


Sinking House is on show in Bath until 7 November 2021. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Buddhist principles inform PRO's design of Mandala Lab in New York

Brooklyn architecture studio PRO has designed an interactive gallery for a museum of Himalayan art that is meant to help people cope with "day-to-day challenges and emotional burdens".

The Mandala Lab occupies the third level of Manhattan's Rubin Museum of Art, which is largely focused on art and culture from the Himalayas region.

The Mandala Lab
The Mandala Lab is located at the Rubin Museum of Art

Designed by Brooklyn firm PRO, or Peterson Rich Office, the 2,700-square-foot (251-square-metre) gallery is described as an interactive space for social, emotional and ethical learning.

"The majority of the Rubin Museum galleries are designed for the display of artworks and objects," said firm principals Nathan Rich and Miriam Peterson. "This new space is designed for collective experience."

A mirror and vertical cylinders
A mirror and vertical cylinders feature in the Journey Portal

The Mandala Lab is named after the geometric diagrams used by Buddhist practitioners for spiritual guidance. The gallery's exhibits and activities were influenced by five mental states, or kleshas, that cloud people's understanding: pride, attachment, envy, anger and ignorance.

"Each activity aims to harness the power of difficult emotions and offer pathways to develop resilience, calmness and connection," the team said.

Main central chamber
The museum's spiral staircase acts as a main central chamber

"The Mandala Lab aims to offer tools and new perspectives for coping with the day-to-day challenges and emotional burdens brought about by personal and societal complexities – all heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic," the team added.

To design the space – which is rectangular in plan and has a helical, stone-and-metal staircase at its core – the team looked to the Sarvavid Vairochana Mandala for inspiration. This particular mandala depicts the Buddhist deity Vairochana sitting at the heart of four quadrants.

A quadrant in the gallery
The gallery is divided into four quadrants

"Like a mandala, the Mandala Lab is divided into four quadrants pointing to the cardinal directions, with a main circular chamber – the centre of the mandala – represented by the Rubin Museum's central spiral staircase," the team said.

Each quadrant is dedicated to a specific theme and activity. Ideally, visitors begin in the south quadrant and then proceed to the west, north and east quadrants.

Calming space in the Mandala Lab
A space designed to encourage calmness includes a disc-shaped sculpture by Palden Weinreb

In the south quadrant, dubbed the Journey Portal, visitors are invited to recognise their "prideful" state of mind. This quadrant is fitted with a large mirror and vertical cylinders labeled with certain phrases. Guests are prompted to drop disks in the cylinders that they identify with.

In the north quadrant, one finds a rounded alcove with floor cushions and a site-specific installation by New York artist Palden Weinreb. Affixed to a dark backdrop, the disc-shaped sculpture rhythmically pulses with light and promotes regulated breathing.

Retractable mesh walls
An alcove with floor cushions is included in the north quadrant of the gallery

"Visitors will engage in a collective, synchronised breathing activity, fostering a sense of community and engagement rather than separateness," the team said.

Indirect lighting and acoustic dampening elements help guests feel serene and focused. The room is encircled by retractable mesh walls that provide a feeling of openness.

Journey Portal
Retractable mesh walls are used as spatial dividers

The same mesh material was used to partition other parts of the Mandala Lab, which is designed to feel more open than other galleries in the museum.

"The floor is deliberately more open and connected than the other five levels of the museum," the team said.

"Individual spaces are separated from one another by a translucent scrim, allowing for interactive experiences that are physically distinct but visually interconnected."

In the east quadrant, eight different gongs are suspended over a long, water basin made of acrylic and walnut. Visitors are invited to contemplate the feeling of anger while they strike the instruments and lower them into the water, where the gongs' humming sound dissipates.

The east quadrant
Gongs are suspended over a water chamber in the east quadrant

"They will be challenged to keep the gong in the water until the surface is calm and their reflection is visible," the team said.

In the west quadrant, a scent library is meant to demonstrate how the same stimuli can elicit many different reactions. A curved counter features six stations, each with a scent chosen by an artist and created by master perfumer Christophe Laudamiel.

Scent library
The west quadrant's scent library

Visitors can record their emotional response to each aroma and then watch short videos by the artists, who explain their personal memories associated with their chosen scent.

The west quadrant also serves as a flexible space for family and school programmes.

Sculpture by Palden Weinreb
Palden Weinreb added a pulsating light sculpture to the north quadrant

"In partnership with Emory University, the Rubin is developing a social, emotional and ethical learning curriculum, with the aim of helping children and youth self-regulate and manage stress during a critical period in their lives," the team said.

The curriculum will also provide kids with tools to navigate change and their emotions.

Rubin Museum of Art
Rubin Museum of Art is focussed on Himalayan art and culture

PRO worked with a number of consultants while designing the gallery, including psychology professors, spiritual teachers and a sound healer. Artists involved in the project included British musician Peter Gabriel and visual artist Sanford Biggers.

Other projects by PRO include a renovated Brooklyn townhouse that features a large, slanted glass wall that is "tilted towards the sky".

The photography is by Rafael Gamo and Liz Ligon.


Project credits:

Architect: PRO (Peterson Rich Office)
Architecture team: Nathan Rich and Miriam Peterson (partners), Varook Kelekar, Peik Bennet Shelton, Alex Bodkin, Sarah Kasper
General contractor: Riverside Builders
Lighting design: Tim Holm
Creative technology: MediaCombo
Special fabrications: The New Motor
Basin design: City Aquarium
Consultants: Lila Davachi, Tracy A Dennis-Tiwary, John Dunne, Tom Froese, Samer Ghadry, Stuart Firestein, Mingyur Rinpoche and Ponlop Rinpoche
Artists: Laurie Anderson, Sanford Biggers, Tenzin Tsetan Choklay, Billy Cobham, Amit Dutta, Sheila E, Peter Gabriel, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Sarah Hennies, Christophe Laudamiel, Huang Ruo, Shivamani, Wang YaHui, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Palden Weinreb, Bora Yoon
Rubin Museum team: Jorrit Britschgi, Tim McHenry, Jamie Lawyer, Brianne Muscente-Solga Becky Houran

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A dogtrot-style house in Washington features in today's Dezeen Weekly newsletter

The latest edition of our Dezeen Weekly newsletter features a house in the Pacific Northwest with cedar siding and a central breezeway.

US firm SHED designed the house for a couple transitioning into retirement that wanted a compact, low-maintenance home that embraced its natural setting.

The project, called Whidbey Dogtrot, was informed by traditional dogtrot-style houses, which feature two cabins separated by a central breezeway covered by a communal roof.

Readers are in awe. One commented, "Just what I want. An architecturally-exciting, sensible retirement home in nature".

Peter Pichler completes angular concrete-and-glass villa in Italian vineyard

Other stories in this week's newsletter include an angular concrete-and-glass villa in Italy, a supertall skyscraper designed by Adjaye Associate to look upside down and Balenciaga's new flagship store in London.

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Read the latest edition of Dezeen Weekly. You can also subscribe to Dezeen Daily, our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours.

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Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin announces plans for space station Orbital Reef

Blue Origin's Orbital Reef space station

Blue Origin, the spaceflight company founded by Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos, has unveiled plans for a station that will be operated as a "mixed-use business park" in space.

Called Orbital Reef, the space station is designed to give anyone "the opportunity to establish their own address on orbit" by providing services such as planning, payload development, training, transportation, data analysis and security.

Orbital Reef space station
The Orbital Reef space station will be in an orbit close to Earth

Blue Origin describes the station as a "mixed-use business park" that will provide the infrastructure that companies need to open new markets in space.

This includes reusable space transportation and an open-system architecture that allows users to scale up their use of the station as needed, with features such as module berths, vehicle ports, utilities and amenities set to grow with the market.

Exterior of Blue Origin space station
The space station by Blue Origin will have Earth-facing living quarters

Blue Origin is developing the station with commercial space company Sierra Space. It will be built in low Earth orbit – an orbit relatively close to the Earth's surface – and will be commercially owned, developed and operated.

"For over sixty years, NASA and other space agencies have developed orbital space flight and space habitation, setting us up for commercial business to take off in this decade," said Brent Sherwood, senior vice president of advanced development programs for Blue Origin.

"We will expand access, lower the cost, and provide all the services and amenities needed to normalize space flight. A vibrant business ecosystem will grow in low Earth orbit, generating new discoveries, new products, new entertainments, and global awareness."

Interior of Orbital Reef
Users will be able to scale up their use of the station when needed

The Orbital Reef project aims to introduce "a new kind of space architecture", the company said, with modules featuring large Earth-facing windows and distinct quarters for living and working.

Recreation opportunities and medical care will also be provided with the aim of supporting visits of any length.

Person floating in space station
Blue Origin is working with Sierra Space on the project

As well as living quarters, the station will also have "out-of-this-world" research facilities and services will include robotic servicing.

Orbital Reef's targeted users include "space agencies, high-tech consortia, sovereign nations without space programs, media and travel companies, funded entrepreneurs and sponsored inventors, and future-minded investors," Blue Origin said.

Research facility at Orbital Reef
Orbital Reef will feature research facilities

The station, which Blue Origin aims to start operating in the second half of this decade, will use Sierra Space's Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE) module and node module. The company’s runway-landing Dream Chaser spaceplane will be used for crew and cargo transportation.

It is also backed by Redwire Space, Genesis Engineering Solutions, and Arizona State University.

Boeing will work on the station's science module, station operations, maintenance engineering and a crew spacecraft called Starliner.

"This is exciting for us because this project does not duplicate the immensely successful and enduring ISS, but rather goes a step further to fulfill a unique position in low Earth orbit where it can serve a diverse array of companies and host non-specialist crews," said John Mulholland, Boeing VP and program manager for the International Space Station (ISS).

Interior view of Orbital Reef
It will start operating in the second half of this decade

When launching the company's Blue Moon lander in 2019, Bezos suggested that future human beings will live on a series of manufactured worlds in space.

Blue Origin was one of three companies chosen by NASA to create landers for a 2024 mission that will land the first woman on the moon, but lost out on the contract to Elon Musk's SpaceX.

The images are courtesy of Blue Origin.

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Ten student architectural projects from the University of Sheffield

Sheffield School of Architecture school show

A low-carbon housing proposal and a design for a Tate museum in Sheffield feature in Dezeen's latest school show from students at the University of Sheffield's School of Architecture.

Also included is an anti-racism call to action and a project that envisions a new model for rural living.


University of Sheffield

School: Sheffield School of Architecture
Courses: BA Architecture, BA Architecture and Landscape, MArch Architecture, MArch Architecture and Landscape Architecture and MArch Architecture: Collaborative Practice

School statement:

"The Sheffield School of Architecture is well known for its ethos of social conscience and sustainability.

"In the past year, these strengths have been evident throughout students' work, both as architects and as campaigners.

"Our students have produced some truly exceptional work, both as designers and as members of a wider community. Here we present a selection of the exciting projects, designs and campaigns from our students."


Neepsend Co-operative

Neepsend Co-operative by Rosie Helps and Claire Wilkinson

"The Neepsend Co-operative, set in Sheffield's industrial Neepsend, integrates co-operative living with productive industry to explore the future of low-carbon housing in response to the climate emergency and housing crisis.

"Built on a derelict brewery, this thesis utilises the existing infrastructure to minimise embodied carbon and material use.

"The new architectural interventions including multigenerational micro-neighbourhoods, a co-operative hub and a fabrication laboratory add layers to the site's rich history. This creates a hybridised structure of existing brickwork and locally-sourced timber.

"The project is a testbed for transforming derelict industrial sites while meeting Sheffield Council's zero-carbon ambitions."

Students: Rosie Helps and Claire Wilkinson
Instagrams: @rosiehelps and @claire_w8


Climate Matters Now Live Project group

Live Projects: Climate Matters Now

"Live Projects connects student teams with local organisations to tackle real issues.

"One student team, Climate Matters Now, worked with Sheffield Climate Alliance to develop a vision for an ambitious project that aims to connect people, nature, and climate.

"The team tested a series of pop-up and engagement ideas which, alongside Sheffield Climate Actions own engagement plans, guided the team's proposals.

"This included a series of climate-related themed weeks, alongside a pop-up climate hub in Sheffield, and additional engagement tools and prototypes."

Students: Climate Matters Now Live Projects group
Instagram: @climatemattersnow_


Tate Sheffield

Tate Sheffield by Charles Young

"Tate Sheffield, located in the city's Kelham Island quarter, acts more as a centre for the arts than a traditional gallery.

"The design embodies a critical re-examination of the history of the Tate organisation and art itself: combining the permanent collection, 'ART & disABILITY,' with a series of temporary exhibition spaces, a workshop, archive, research space, library, and more.

"Drawing inspiration from Kelham's tangible industrial past, the building references themes of scars and stitches to tell a story of hardship and resilience, aiming to allow meaningful connections to be found in the tensions between art, people and place."

Student: Charles Young
Instagram: @chonkitecture


Sheffield School of Architecture: Students for Climate Action

Sheffield School of Architecture: Students for Climate Action

"A student-led group is campaigning for a greater emphasis on sustainability in the curriculum.

"Their concern is that architectural education hasn't yet grasped the urgency of the climate emergency, and this group gives students in the School of Architecture a collective voice.

"They've grown from seven to thirty members, including students from undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

"The group has also fostered a constructive relationship with the department: hosting lectures and creating shared resources to open up different approaches to sustainability."

Students: Sheffield School of Architecture: Students for Climate Action
Instagram: @students_for_climate_action


Rehabilitation on the River Don

Rehabilitation on the River Don by Thomas Matthews

"This scheme sets out to explore how we can situate sustainable projects in their wider ecological context. It examines how a building can reflect on a history of pollution and exploitation of the River Don while also playing an active role in its rehabilitation.

"The project champions an approach of prioritising the existing when designing sustainably. The extension is modest in size and increases the efficiency of the existing fabric.

"This shows itself in detailing the retrofit to EnerPHit standard, and opening up floor voids and installing solar shading to optimise the spatial and thermal qualities of the building."

Student: Thomas Matthews
Instagram: @t.r.m.archi


Anti-racism call to action

Anti-Racism Call to Action by University of Sheffield students

"Anti-Racism at SSoA: A Call to Action was written in the summer of 2020 by a group of students from varied year groups and backgrounds, each advocating for a change in the operation of the Sheffield School of Architecture.

"The letter was a product of conversations between students. Split into three main parts, it firstly calls out the school's complicity in racism; the second demands action and lists a detailed action plan to initiate this.

"The third part of the letter draws upon experiences of marginalised students."

Students: students from across Sheffield School of Architecture's courses


Sheffield Gallery of Living History and Art

Sheffield Gallery of Living History and Art by Mariya Nesheva

"The Gallery of Living History and Art in Sheffield is a celebration of the city's industrial heritage that aims to enrich the local cultural scene whilst attracting a wider range of visitors with the introduction of the existing Drawing Matter Collection.

"The project proposes an extension to the existing building of Waverly House connected through the Observation Tower that compliments the surrounding urban landscape.

"It uses the vertical circulation as an exhibition in itself – viewing Sheffield as part of the Gallery exhibits (a living and breathing historical document) through the eyes of the reclaimed glazing from Waverley House."

Student: Mariya Nesheva
Instagram: @archdineshi


Elmet

Elmet by John McGrath

"Amid a climate, financial, housing and mental health crises, Elmet is envisaged as a new model of rural living that is based on a model of locality that places importance on local materials, skills and history.

"The scheme takes inspiration from Italian hilltowns like Assisi, Bergamo and San Gimignano, amongst others, as well as more local influences such as Heptonstall and Hebden Bridge."

Student: John McGrath
Instagram: @johnpetermcgrath


The Queer Republic of Nottingham

"Set in an alternate reality, the queer republic of Nottingham has emerged, and hierarchies of power are reversed. Every day starts with an oath to the (progress pride) flag. Roads into the city have been blockaded, leaving rail as the only entry point.

"Trans clinics and surgeries have begun to replace coffee shops and travel agents. Coming from near and far, displaced queer people make their way here – and not just for the excellent food.

"Welcomed with open arms: the ministry of plunder carves up the old, non-queer reserves of wealth and shares it amongst the new arrivals."

Student: Glenn Strachan
Instagram: @glenn.p.strachan


Sheffield University Architecture Society

Sheffield University Architecture Society

"Sheffield University Architecture Society encourages a thriving social and educational scene within the School of Architecture by bringing together undergraduate and postgraduate students and staff who are studying, teaching or interested in architecture and its related fields.

"The society encourages lively architectural debate and learning through a weekly lecture series, inviting practising professionals (largely alumni) to present a lecture on their related field.

"This includes design film screenings and weekly 'Lunchtime Specials' series of talks given by students for students, on a range of topics including 'how I got my placement' and 'how I did this drawing.'"

Students: Sheffield University Architecture Society
Instagram: @suas_stories


Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and the University of Sheffield. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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