Architecture Commons^™

Tsai Residence, Hhf Architects, Ai Weiwei

Building Case Studies

The use of corrugated metal is meant to represent a scaleless piece an abstract piece of art in the landscape.

European Investment Bank, Ingenhoven Architects

Building Case Studies

The glass and steel superstructure is extremely lightweight

Hoiliday Villa In Vals (Villa Vals), Christian Müller Architects, Search

Building Case Studies

local quartzite collected from the springs and surrounding area

California Academy Of Sciences, Renzo Piano

Building Case Studies

The concrete mix achieved the ultra-low shrinkage requirements, and cast-in-place concreted allowed for complex geometry to be achieved.

Hoiliday Villa In Vals (Villa Vals), Christian Müller Architects, Search

Building Case Studies

local quartzite collected from the springs and surrounding area

Ningbo Historic Museum, Wang Shu

Building Case Studies

The architect used many abandoned local materials such as old bricks and shattered pottery pieces to make these 24 meters high exterior walls. The building resides in the mature perfectly, making the museum not just a place to collect history, it itself is a historic creature

Corning Museum Of Glass, Thomas Phifer And Partners

Building Case Studies

Contemporary gallery façade will be made of aluminum, with perpendicular blades of ultra-thin specialty glass. Windows and skylights that punctuate the façade will be double glazed insulated glass uses high performance low-E (low emissivity) coating to minimize heat gain. An additional UV filtering coating of the glass further protects the art from damaging ultraviolet rays.

Ningbo History Museum, Wang Shu

Building Case Studies

The building's façade is made out of recycled building materials from local houses that were demolished. The building was assembled by using a traditional technique, wapan, which involves layering multiple elements in varying size, packing them together to create a stable structure.

The Cathedral Of Christ The Light, Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill (Som)

Building Case Studies

thin slabs of marble are back lit to provide a thoughtful and intrinsic space below the cathedral

Art Gallery Of Ontario, Gehry Partners, Llp

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Glass curtain wall.

Material used: Oldcastle Glass.

Properties of material: The curving glass entry façade catches the motion of the street cars to create an interesting streetscape.

Beijing National Aquatics Center, Ptw Architects

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: ETFE-Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene.

Material used: Steel space frame, Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene.

Properties of material: High corrosion resistance and strength over a wide temperature range. Translucent

Brandhorst Museum, Sauerbruch Hutton Architects

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: NBK terracotta façade panels.

Material used: multiple layers - horizontally-folded sheet metal with perforations; attached to this are 36,000 ceramic rods fixed vertically, finished with 23 colored glazes.

Properties of material: System moves water away from building envelope; helps save energy.

Cahill Center For Astronomy And Astrophysics At Caltech, Morphosis

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Cement fiber panels.

Material used: Siwsspearl cement composite panels.

Properties of material: Over 40 year lifespan; Color stability and homogenous aging; 40% bonding agent, 11% additives including high quality pigments, 2% reinforcing fibers, 5% process fibers, 12% water, 30% air

Contemporary Jewish Museum, Studio Daniel Libeskind

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Stainless steel.

Material used: Blue Crossfire ColourTex Stainless Steel.

Properties of material: Stainless steel and metal products that can be manufactured with different finishes, textures, and colors; Typically contains 60% recycled material

Design Miami Temporary Structure, Aranda/Lasch

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Opaque vinyl fabric.

Material used: Exterior finish held up by slender aluminum poles.

Properties of material: Vinyl coated woven polyester mesh fabric; delivers exceptional durability under intense wind and weather conditions. Helps to regulate the thermal effect. Provides privacy and comfort without obstructing the view.

Gucci Ginza, James Carpenter

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Bronze and silvery glass panels.

Properties of material: The bronze and silvery glass panels provided an illuminated glow effect at different times of the day. It also provides the necessary shading for the building front elevation.

Hemeroscopium House By Ensamble Studio, Ensamble Studio, Anton Garcia-Abril

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Prefabricated concrete beams.

Properties of material: Imposes “lightness” despite the heavy structural beams

International Quilt Study Center And Museum, Robert A.M. Stern Architects

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Metal mesh.

Properties of material: The Cambridge Solucent system employs lustrous woven metal fabric which complements the Quilt Museum’s theme perfectly.

Museum Of Arts And Design, Allied Works Architecture

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Custom-glazed terracotta tiles.

Properties of material:The terracotta material provides a ventilated and pressure-equalized enclosure that helps keep the building dry to reduce maintenance while also saving energy.

Final Wooden House, Sou Fujimoto Architects

Building Case Studies

The lumber pieces, serves as everything the house is made of: walls, floors, cielings, and tables, counters, stairs and insulation included. The lumber pieces are stacked and spaced to create the structure and voids. The lumber used in this dwelling are unfinished, and unpainted pices of lumber in it's simplest form.

Formosa 1140 For Habitat Group Los Angeles, Llc In West Hollywood, California, Loha Architects

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: metal.

Material used: Corrugated metal.

Properties of material: The careful placement of outer skin panels and inner skin fenestration creates a choreographed effect, both revealing and concealing, while achieving a unique expression of form and materials. The exterior skin also keeps west facing units cooler by acting as a screen and shading device.

Brick Weave House In Chicago, Illinois, Studio Gang Architects

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Brick masonry.

Material used: Brick.

Properties of material: Reused brick from the previous building is used to create a screen on the front facade. Bricks were removed from the original wall to open up holes for air and light to reach the interior spaces.

Pope John Paul Ii Hall For The Franciscan Monastery Trsat In Riejeka, Croatia, Randić & Turato, Saša Randić, Idis Turato

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Masonry.

Material Used: Terracotta Brick.

Properties of Material: The brick is not fully flush in portions of the exterior allowing light to pass between bricks and create an effect that the brick is being stretched apart in places. Color goes well with existing construction at the monastery and imitates a simple hip roofed barn.

The School Of Visual Arts Of Oaxaca, Mauricio Rocha

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Compacted earth

Material used: Stone & compacted earth.

Properties of material: This organic material not only gives the buildings its character, with its irregularities and textures, but also provides a construction system that contributes to creating a microclimate that is perfect for the extreme climatic conditions of Oaxaca city, as well as acoustically isolating the classrooms.

Residence In Garrison, Ny, Toshiko Mori Architect

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Aluminum panel siding. Material used: Alucobond compost panel; The house is made up of two distinct volumes clad in concrete, masonry, and glass to differentiate public space from private space in this steel-framed residence. The material of interest is ‘Aluminum Composite Material’ (ACM) containing two sheets of .02” aluminum thermo bonded to a polyethylene core in a continuous process

Properties of material: Durable, water resistant, structural

Humlegard House, Frimann Laaksonen Architects

Building Case Studies

No abstract provided.

Stone Creek Camp In Bigfork, Montana, Andersson Wise Architects

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Stone

Properties of material: Regionally sourced stone is used on some of the exterior walls. These walls create thermal mass for the building, and the aesthetic blends in with the surrounding landscapes.