After the success of Fabbrica Rotterdam (completed in 2005) Frank Tjepkema’s team were asked to design a second Fabbrica in the famous costal artist village of Bergen in The Netherlands.

They revisited several of the original elements, for example the train cabins with a new look and feel, they like the concept for it’s intimacy and romanticism for there is nothing more relaxing and engaging then enjoying a nice dinner on a train while looking at nice landscapes.

This installation is lifted from the ground and suggests travel and movement.

As for the general looks they decided to take a more earthly and less gloss and shine approach as compared to Fabbrica Rotterdam.

Designed by Prague studio SGL Projekt, the Stork Nest Farm is located on the site of a former farmstead and distillery that now accommodates hotel, conference and leisure facilities.

In 2006 the team was asked to design the revitalization of a farmstead for congress, company presentation, holding of corporate events and leisure activities.

For this purpose the client bought 19th century farmstead located at a large pound. The farmstead included a distillery with it’s chimney. From 1926 there have lived storks on the chimney. It became the main reason for buying this farm.

The farm is located 50 kilometers to the south from Prague. The surrounding landscape reminds piedmont area with large forest complexes, vast meadows, wetlands and a great network of ponds.

Since the end of the 80′s from the 20th century the farm has been abandoned and the buildings quickly decayed.

The only solitary residents who remained were the storks on the distillery’s chimney. The Stork’s Nest became a symbol for us, which affected the conception of the riding arena and thinking about all the objects of this project.

It wasn’t a formal symbol for us. We were fascinated by stork’s fidelity. Almost 90 years generations of storks are returning from Africa to the farm and we tried to design the farm in order to bring back people here again.

These birds also fascinated us by their endurance in building their nest. After decades They construct still the same, no doubt about the shape and material, still in the same place and with no desire for originality, which bother all architects and builders nowadays. Storks don‘t look for exceptional places. They don‘t want to distinguish themselves and compete with others. Storks became a symbol for us in the approach to construction. Our design of the farm was led in humility to these bird architects.

The old farmstead consisted of an enclosed yard of an almost square ground plan and addition of a piggery. The yard contained two dwelling houses, a distillery, a barn and a stable. Valuable objects were preserved and buildings of poor quality we demolished and replaced by new ones.

The residential yard consist of a reception, a hotel, conference hall, restaurant, pool and bowling and house with private garden for VIP guests. Beside this residental yard we have built another new yard for the animals.

In this section we have placed a circular riding arena in the shape of a stork nest. It has an external diameter of 34 meters and height of 12,5 meters. The building is used for riding or for a variety of presentations, cultural and social events. Riding arena is located near the stables, and is directly connected to restaurant. The supporting structure is made of glulam timber beams. The external cladding is made of translucent polycarbonate. The oak logs, give the structure an expresive appearance and also provide shading. They were fixed to the building at the total amount of 200 tons at the length of 7, 9 and 11 meters.

At the top of the building there is a central sky-light with a diameter of 8 meters. It serves for intensive ventilation of the internal space by natural air flow. The natural ventilation of the arena provides a good climate.

The arena´s riding surface is made of sand with capillary irrigation for equestrian sport. It can be covered with plywood boards during other sorts of events. The riding area is surrounded by a protective barrier and a stand for approximately 200 people. There is VIP stand upstairs.

The Stork nest farm was completed in 2010. The riding arena became a landmark in the area of the farm and an element which attracts attention in wide neighbourhood. Later, our firm designed the center for protection of fauna to the farm and recently a large rectangular riding arena.

Location: Dvůr Semtín, Olbramovice, Czech Republic
GPS: 49°41’04.71″N, 14°39’05.51″E
Date completed: 03/2010
Lead architect: SGL Projekt s.r.o.
Ak. arch. Jiří javůrek
Ing. arch. Jaroslav Malý
Ing. arch. Irena Kozáková
Ing. arch. Jan Bouček
Ing. arch. Jakub Žák

Client / Developer: Farma Čapí hnízdo, a.s.

Civil Engineer: Ing. Jiří Starý, Starý a partner s.r.o.
Environmental Engineer: Ing. Miroslav Kučera
Lighting Consultant: Ing. Michal Kozak, Etna Guzzini s.r.o.
Structural Engineer: Němec Polák s.r.o.
General supplier: BAK a.s.

After a hugely successful first run, AZURE Magazine’s international competition celebrating excellence in design is once again open for submissions. Now in its second year, the AZ AWARDS program is already regarded as an important distinction for emerging and established firms. Like the magazine itself, the awards are multi-disciplinary, recognizing the contemporary inter-connectedness of architecture, landscape, interiors and product design.

Submissions are open to designers, architects, manufacturers and clients. Students of architecture and design can submit for the A+ Award, which carries with it a $5,000 prize.

A high-calibre jury – to be announced in late January – meets to review the submissions and choose the winners. In the 2011 inaugural year, the jury selected 52 finalists from an impressive 600 entries arriving from more than 25 countries. Ultimately 14 winners received recognition for their outstanding projects.

The public votes online to select the People’s Choice winners in April, 2012.

Winning designs and finalists will be featured in AZURE Magazine’s AWARDS ANNUAL, on newsstands Summer 2012, and on azuremagazine.com.

The 2012 AZ AWARDS program is open to work completed before December 31, 2011.

CATEGORIES
Architecture: single-family and multi-unit residential, commercial and institutional, landscapes, temporary and demonstration spaces
Interiors: residential, commercial and institutional
Design: furniture, furniture systems, lighting, interior products
Concepts: unbuilt competition entries, other unrealized concepts
A+ Award: student work

Inspired by the original Korean and Japanese yaki-niku-style grill tables in their respective countries, the USP of this project for the Viet Hoa franchise is that it is the first Vietnamese restaurant in the world with cook-it-yourself steaks on its menu (with infrared grills on the dining tables).

We are getting healthier and living longer. We recognise this trend and our every day job is to respond with the design solutions for the eco-friendliness of the hospitality spaces. The cultural winds are changing, not just due to the weak economy but the changes are structural: the new class of luxury is offering value for money and financial modesty.

VONSUNG was commissioned to create and design a new restaurant concept called, VIET HOA MESS, which strips out the over-attended service offering exclusivity and indulgence at a high price, but a more do-it-yourself, efficient and simple hospitality. There are no delays, fuss or frills, buck-passing mentality: the new luxury is removing all elements that customers do not want.  Simply put, it is a Do-It-Yourself steak house.

The Mess is one of those slightly complex scheme for which exploded axonometric drawings are perfect, and which we duly provided. It elegantly describes the main elements of the restaurant: two staggered, interlinked and very different restaurant forms (Cafe and Mess) connected by a central theme. The connection of the two restaurants is marked by the main 5 meter feature stone wall, and leads from the ground floor to the new underground restaurant. The overall impression is of two buildings that are rubbing past each other.

The new, 78 seating capacity Mess dining room will come with individual infrared light grill stations (cook-your-own steaks) on medea stone tables with concrete bases with acoustic and passive insulation benefits. Surrounded by sedimentary stone walls, the Mess is cocooned by lights that break down from the ceiling into deep lava-shaped columns. Creative Director of VONSUNG, Joseph Sung, explains the concept of the Mess restaurant as being marriage of the gothic with the classical (a temple-like form to the ground floor cafe, where heart-oak walls reflect deep Vietnam’s landscape).

to the diagonal views set up from one corner to another – the Mess manages to seem bigger than it is. Everything is tied together by the central dining/kitchen grill bar, set deep below the dining floor level, created by concrete lined with clean wall lights which marks the spine of the bar. Into this space, Sung introduces three large cantilevered large oak-veneered seating benches that also serve to strengthen the partition walls. An expansive ceiling dominates the restaurant, drawing customers into the dining area while the plaster moulding soft architectural lights undulating over tables and then swooping downwards to form the stone back wall of the space. Thus the ceiling and lights combined unifies the restaurant space and reinforces the shared dining experience. As added emphasis, mirrored panelled extraction system at the centre of the sunken grill bar area increases the size of the main dining room, with overhead ‘lava’ ceiling lights seeming to extend limitlessly to the either side.

The Mess restaurant plays on the contrasts of materials and impressions: walls in stone, tables in concrete contrast with medea stone, flooring in waxed stone and furniture in aluminium. Square tables placed on a concrete form block base create an illusion of floating, bringing a note of architectural model masterplan to the place. The seating is kept minimal with aluminium chairs to add to the reflection of the space. The Mess restaurant offers a view of an underground earth cave dining experience which connects with the ground floor’s nature concept.

(VIET HOA) MESS
Completed: November 2011
Client: Viet Hoa
Project Manager: VONSUNG
Principal Designer: Joseph Sung
Project Design Team: Joseph Sung, Michiko Ito
Project Contractor: HP Construction
Project Joinery: Trybar
Project Spec: Valchromat, reinforced concrete, Marazzi, Flos, iGuzzini, Corian, Hafele, Dupont, Roca, Duravit, Tolix

The main concept of this project was to create parking space as extension of the street. Typical city-street with traffic lane, parking spaces, sidewalk and tram was took out into space and shaped the building form.

Another main issue supporting this idea was to enable collision-free circulation.  For that purpose the structure of the building consist of two spirals. Indicated street forms external contour of the building – way-up spiral. Inside of this spiral, there is a mirrored way-down spiral. Both of them connect once per half of the circle.

Due to this solution, driver is able to drive in, park the car and later go down keeping the same direction all the time.  On the top of this structure the way-up spiral smoothly merges way-down spiral.

Building outline stands out of Victoria’s Bay panorama. The object is not as high (100m) as surrounding skyscrapers but its shape makes it symbol of the area.  Its spherical shape makes coherent construction, linked way-up and way-down spiral, both made of concrete, are supplementary consolidate with steel frame inside the object. Complete body creates exceptionally tough, egg-shaped construction.

The second face of the object is its amazing interior. The huge vault can be adopted in various ways. In two locations of the building there are suspended platforms designed for multi-purpose area.

Illumination of the object depends on its users. During the night lights of cars and trams shine in the specular ceiling. Building glows as a lantern.

”SKY STREET”  -  Hong Kong Alternative Car Park Tower competition proposal /

team: Hugon Kowalski, Adam Wiercinski,  Borys Wrzeszcz  (city: Poznan/Poland)

Designers of mode:lina created a pop-up store for Swedish watch manufacturer Triwa.

“November 19, at Galeria Malta shopping in Poznan in Poland, opened the first pop-up store for the brand, which creates useful objects true works of art. By working with a pair of talented architects Jerzy Wozniak and Pawel Garus, the founders of architectural studio mode:lina, the shop itself became also a small designer object, which ideally reflects the philosophy of the brand.” – TRIWA POLAND

Guidelines from the investor:
- highlight the product design and the brand,
- low budget solutions (shop for five weeks)
- construction of the shop should take less than 8 hours,
- 100% recyclable materials.

To build this pop-up store, cartons for the transport of goods were used – this raw material is easily available, easy to recycle, and above all cheap and surprisingly durable. The cardboard was supplemented by glass aquariums (30×30 cm) great for the construction of the stand. After dismantling the store boxes will be used to transport watches again and aquariums to build the
next pop-up store.

PROJECT: Triwa Pop-up Watch Store
DESIGN: mode:lina architekci (Paweł Garus & Jerzy Woźniak)
PROJECT TEAM: Paweł Garus, Jerzy Woźniak, Kinga Kin, Martyna Maciaszek
REALIZATION: 19 Listopada 2011 / 19 November 2011
AREA: 9.0 m2
PHOTOS: mode:lina architekci (www.modelina-architekci.com)

“Coordinate” is a collection of assemblable furniture. “Coordinate”; because, in order this designs be assembled all parts must be moved simultaneously and coordinated. Once assembled, the whole structure is very stable and can not be destroyed by moving just one or part of its elements. The inspiration comes from the interlocking burr puzzles where no fixtures are needed. Tools are also useless, only a little bit of imagination and dexterity is required. This involves certain interactivity and stimulates some intelligence from the user. I find this very important in a time when user friendly “plug & play” products prevail, sometimes bringing more intellectual devolition then evolution.

VST, VBT, VT1, VT2 – stool/ table/ bench system

VST …….. are assemblable puzzle furniture pieces. They consist of 5 interlocked plywood pieces that are equal both sides. All of them stay together without the need of any fixtures.

They are made of beech plywood. This material is typical for the region and produced locally. The production process is very simple involving just a regular 2D CNC router. The finish is plant oil; for, it is harmless and natural. Dissasembled, the system occupies little space and can be easily moved from one place to another. The names are formal representations of their structure – “V” is actually the roman digit 5 – the total number of elements and “S, T and B” come from “stool”, “table” and “bench”.

VIC, VIIC, VIB and VIIB – double sided puzzle seating furniture

VIIC ……. are assemblable puzzle seating furniture pieces. They consist of 6 or 7 interlocked plywood pieces that are equal both sides. All of them stay together without the need of any fixtures.

The back of these “charleston” like furniture designs is elastic, providing space for movement and also interaction in case of two seaters. They are made of beech plywood. This material is typical for the region and produced locally. The production process is very simple involving just a regular 2D CNC router. The finish is plant oil; for, it is harmless and natural. Dissasembled, the furniture occupies little space and can be easily moved from one place to another. The names are formal representations of their structure – “VI and VII” are actually the roman digits 6 and 7 – the total number of elements and “C” and “B” come from “chair” and “bench”.

On November 7th, 2011, the results of a large international architectural competition, ‘The Two Towers’, was announced in Shenzhen, China. Saraiva+Associados branch office in Beijing was one of the six finalists in this competition.

International Competition of conceptual proposal of Two Office Towers located the CBD and administrative/cultural center of Shenzhen.

The project required the design of 2 office buildings – CBD Tower with 150 meters and Minsheng Financial Tower with 100 meters, having as a major premise the concepts of modernity, strength, development and eco-friendly.

A spiky kindergarten and a bulbous sports centre with rooftop funnels are included in this conceptual community by architecture students at Lund University, Sweden.

Anahita Nahoomi, Lina Davidsson, Miranda Westfelt and Robert Janson collaborated on the project, which proposes both new and converted buildings for a site outside Lund city centre.

An undulating grass landscape would slope up from the ground as the roof of the sports centre, which would house a gym and sunken swimming pool in the southwest corner of the site.

An old school building would be converted into a market hall, study rooms and a café, with student housing blocks on the roof.

The new kindergarten would be situated just beyond, alongside a row of studios and workshops for artists.

Housing clusters are proposed for the southeast corner of the site, each with shops and small businesses occupying their ground floors.

Alibaba Office Building project is the first seed of Saraiva+Associados Practice in Beijing.

International Competition of conceptual proposal of an office, commerce and services building located in Shenzhen, south of China. It was their objective to provide an integrated project, respecting the urban landscape, having as a major premise the sustainability, by respecting ecological values along the coastal renovation, promotion of the pedestrian courses and comfortable, energetic and dynamic public spaces.