ION Architecture - NEWS

Peter Zumthor 's Therme Vals, the hotel and spa in Switzerland, was designed intentionally devoid of clocks so that visitor's sense of time would be suspended and immeasurable. Completed in 1996, there is a legend about a mountain in the village of Vals that is said to have a mountain that periodically swallows people.  In his debut graphic novel,  Swimming in Darkness , cartoonist Lucas Harari builds on this modern mythology. The new publication centers around an architecture school dropout named Pierre, who, after a breakdown, travels to Vals to visit Zumthor's baths, which were the subject of his unfinished thesis. Upon his arrival, Pierre discovers secret rooms within the Therme Vals and attempts to uncover their hidden truths. This psychological thriller drops the reader into Zumthor's work and uses it as a vehicle to explore this young protagonist's existential predicament. Concerning the work, Lucas Harari said: I visited the thermal baths of Vals...

China’s growing obsession with glass bridges may be coming to an abrupt end, after a series of accidents led one province to close down all its glass-bottomed attractions. Hebei, a scenic mountainous province in northern China, has quietly closed all 32 of its glass bridges, walkways and mountain viewing platforms over the past year for safety reasons [...]. Despite being breathtaking engineering marvels, China's fascination with glass-bottom bridges hasn't been without setbacks: in August 2016, the world's highest and longest glass-bottom bridge, the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon glass bridge , opened in central Hunan province — but had to close again for safety inspections after only 13 days in operation. Other provinces have experienced accidents, some fatal, which led to the decision to close all 32 glass bridges and walkways in Hebei province (including the terrifying 'cracking' East Taiheng Glasswalk ) for safety reasons. Alexander Walter via Archinect - N...

A winning team was recently selected to design the National Pulse Memorial & Museum in Orlando, which will honor the lives of the 49 people killed and all those affected by the Pulse nightclub tragedy on June 12, 2016. The team includes Coldefy & Associés with RDAI, Orlando-based HHCP Architects, Xavier Veilhan, dUCKS scéno, Agence TER, and Professor Laila Farah. Launched this past March, the two-stage global competition  reeled in 68 submissions from 19 countries, which was then narrowed down to six finalists . Over 2,300 comments from the community and general public helped inform the jury's selection of the winning proposal.  Although a winning proposal has been chosen, the design process isn't over just yet. The proposal will serve as a starting point for discussion and as the basis for the final version of the memorial and museum. Currently scheduled for a 2022 opening, the memorial and museum will be free and open to the public year-round. Rea...

Continuing from last week's roundup of academic job opportunities , Archinect highlights 10 more institutions from around the U.S. searching for the right candidate to hire. From Harvard GSD in Cambridge to Rice University in Houston, check out these great employment opportunities below. Image courtesy of Harvard GSD Harvard University seeks a Research Associate The  Office for Urbanization  at the Harvard Graduate School of Design is hiring one or more full-time research associates to contribute to their applied design research projects. Working under the direction of Charles Waldheim, and in collaboration with the Office for Urbanization staff, research associates are responsible for developing applied design research projects on a range of urban sites and subjects. Candidates for this appointment(s) are expected to be professionally trained and experienced in one of the design disciplines (architecture, landscape architecture, urban design), and to hold a Maste...

The Rocco Design Architects -designed tower, which will hold the Wesleyan House Methodist International Church, sits on a teardrop-shaped site in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. With 800 square meters of plot and 11,000 square meters of program, the task proved challenging for the design team. The resulting solution manifests itself as a vertical church that integrates the sanctuary, chapels, activity halls, social service floors, and pastoral offices into the tower.  A pragmatic consideration was implemented in the adjacencies of the program. A large congregation hall sits above the main sanctuary, inviting worshippers to gather after the service. Offices and pastoral residences are situated on adjacent floors, providing a seamless connection for its residents, while still seeking to retain distinct identities. The exterior language of the structure flexes a subtly curved facade with a solid core east facing wall sporting casement windows as opposed to a curtain wall. A sustainable ef...

Dans la continuité de son shop éphémère baptisé “Gross Domestic Product” (Produit Intérieur Brut), Banksy a récemment ouvert une boutique en ligne du même nom. On y trouve des pièces signées par le street artiste et empreintes de son ton satirique, comme un mobile bébé constitué d’une vingtaine de caméras de surveillance, ou encore un camion avec des figurines de migrants pour apprendre à compter. S’il s’est toujours opposé à la marchandisation de son art, Banksy a été contraint de créer ce site pour protéger ses œuvres face à une entreprise qui souhaite déposer son nom pour commercialiser de fausses marchandises. Les bénéfices, comme ceux du pop-up store, financeront des missions de sauvetage de migrants en Méditerranée.  Fabriquées dans un studio d’art et non industriellement, la totalité des œuvres est d’ores et déjà en rupture de stock. “ GDP peut être une expérience de vente très décevante – surtout si vous parvenez à faire un achat ”, prévient l’artiste. Images via :...

Anna Speshilova  est une artiste et illustratrice quelque peu magicienne. Au travers de l’aquarelle, elle arrive à donner vie à des scènes de vie parfois fantaisistes, d’une douceur incroyable. Une sensation de réconfort se dégage de certaines des scènes dépeintes, comme celle d’une femme emmaillotée dans des vêtements chaud, se servant un thé, un jour d’hiver enneigé. Chacune de ses illustrations semble tirée d’un conte. La relation entre animaux, nature et êtres humains est également souvent représentée et abordée avec harmonie et bienveillance. Regarder les œuvres d’Anna Speshilova, c’est se plonger dans son monde, tout en délicatesse. , Manon, via Fubiz Media http://bit.ly/2N2HWoD

Traditional green-roof cottages on the Faroe Islands . Photo by @ilhan1077 via Cabin Porn http://bit.ly/2JG1Gwq

According to a recent article from The Boston Globe , due to city's "hot" real estate market, which has "prompted a number of developers to tear down and build up," the Governor's office now wants to get in on the action.  On Wednesday, the Baker administration unveiled plans to redevelop the state-owned Charles F. Hurley Building, reports the Globe . The efforts will open up a 3.25 acre site with a deal earning the state tens of millions of dollars, "at a minimum." The administration is moving quickly, hoping to identify a developer within 18 to 24 months after putting the project out to bid. Plans are reported to include a new office complex, new ground floor retail, and possible restaurant spaces. Paul Rudolph began the design process of the brutalist building in 1962 and construction began in 1966, lasting 5 years. Yesterday, The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation posted a call-to-action on its website and twitter feed . In a blog post titl...

Architects: Showcase your next project through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletter . 3D printing is becoming an increasingly popular practice in the world of architecture and design to produce beautiful and highly-intricate architectural structures. This method has been making strides by taking advantage of both traditional and nontraditional methods and materials. As the process is refined, 3D printing offers the tantalizing prospect of providing an easier and cheaper means to materializing ideas. Present in both the design and construction process, 3D printing is dynamic in its usage. It’s been utilized to craft concept models, customized detailed designs, interior designs and entire structures. Once 3D printing equipment is optimized, the technique could serve as a widespread sustainable alternative to traditional construction methods, which place a lot of stress on the environment due to energy and resource-intensive practices. Rael San Fratello’s 3D-p...