Zaha Hadid: roca london gallery

'roca london gallery' by zaha hadid, london, englandimage © luke hayes

london-based firm zaha hadid architects has sent us images of the recently completed 'roca london gallery'
for the high end global bathroom brand, roca. comprised of gallery spaces, lounge areas, a bar and meeting rooms,
the 1100 meter square location will serve to host a variety of activities such as exhibitions, presentations,
seminars and debates. to make the space versatile to all the functions and events, audiovisual,
sound and light equipment are incorporated into the surfaces. 

water had an important impact on the visual aspect of the design. located close to chelsea harbour,
and taking into consideration the essence of the roca brand, the power of erosion and the movement
of water are depicted by the undulating forms found both inside and outside. the similarity between
the facade and interior serves to connect the building as one complete structure. although the main walls
are gypsum panels, the meandering surfaces are fiber reinforced concrete, allowing the sight-lines
of the interior to remain open. curved walls form only semi-enclosed spaces, creating a sense
of permeability and flow.   

'our work imbues architecture with the intricacy and beauty of natural forms. using a formal language
derived from the movement of water, the roca london gallery has been eroded and polished by fluidity;
generating a sequence of dynamic spaces carved from this fascinating interplay between
architecture and nature' - zaha hadid 

view of facade
image © luke hayes



connection between furniture and space
image © luke hayes



interior hallway
image © luke hayes



meeting spaceimage © luke hayes



embedded lighting and audiovisuals
image © luke hayes



reception area
image © luke hayes



one of six washroom displays
image © luke hayes



mosaic tile flooring to depict flow of waterimage © luke hayes



floor plan / level 0



east elevation



southeast elevation

Parasite Office in Moscow

The Parasite Office designed by za-bor architects rises from in-between two buildings to offer an alternative to office spaces all over the world. The 230 square meters office is nestled between two residential buildings, occupying the space which was left unused until its construction. Moscow was the perfect place for the architects to present their project at the architectural biennale АRCH Moscow.

The wide passages between the buildings of Moscow are perfect for such innovative construction like the Parasite Office, creating new urban developments for creativity-related working spaces. The first office constructed like this will be za bor’s office. A three-floor volume with an accessible roof area will be the main volume of the office, which will be divided by modular floor panels. The light and durable cellular polycarbonate used for the facade of the polygonal volume will ensure the architectural beauty of the project, while the part facing the other side is flat and completely glazed. It still amazes me how architects constantly reshape out cities.

An Aluminum Prism by Zaha Hadid Architects is a New Mixed-Use Development in London

This project by Zaha Hadid Architects seeks to replace two existing buildings with a new 3000 square meters structure that will house a two-level gallery, commercial offices and, eight residential apartments. The site is located within the South Shoreditch Conservation Area and will add an exciting new addition to Hoxton Square’s eclectic character. Based on the idea of a prism, the design seeks to respond and manipulate daylight and views. The form is composed of interwoven planes that respect the natural light access needs of the neighbours and controls light and views between the interior and exterior of the building. Sand blasted aluminum and clear glass will be the predominant materials.

The building will engage the public and does this by creating a relationship between the ground floor gallery unit and Hoxton Square. The frontage carves into the interior of the gallery, spatially connecting the ground floor, basement, lower front area and upper front area. The balustrade around the front area will also serve as seating, an element that will penetrate into the building itself so that the public is invited into the building with this amenity.

World’s Largest Climate Controlled Glasshouse / Wilkinson Eyre Architects

The masterplan for Marina South by Wilkinson Eyre Architects forms part of Singapore’s new Gardens by the Bay development and will draw from the distinctive flora of the region to create a new destination in the city. It has been designed as a series of distinct ecosystems which will enable the gardens to function with maximum environmental efficiency, and to showcase those world habitats most at risk from climate change. The garden at Marina South will be home to some of the site’s most spectacular structures, including two cooled conservatories which will be among the largest climate-controlled glasshouses in the world. The cool-dry conservatory will explore issues related to plants and people, whilst the cool-moist conservatory will focus on plants and the planet.

Snøhetta Studio Designs the Metro-Station Entrances for Donostialdea

Chosen as the winning proposal among seven other competition finalists, the “Vamos” project is a design for Donostialdea metro-station entrances. It is promoted by the Basque Government and is currently in the drafting stage of the construction process. The aim of the competition was to deliver a design that will attract the attention of users of the future suburban transit system and help those residing in the areas it serves to easily identify it. The selected design is intended to become a “new icon” of the city.

Designed by Snøhetta, the winning proposal is a coral-like sculpture inspired by the sea, made from stainless steel and adorned with thin sheet of glass. The goal was to design an entrance for the Metro Dinostielda based on the notion of openness. It is based on a continuous movement, with the design element acting as a ceiling structure at one point, and a roof sheltering the main stairs at another. It describes the transition between two states and connects the city life to the metro world.

Sustainable Yard-Scraper in Brooklyn Re-thinks the Brownstone

The Brooklyn Yard-Scraper designed by Rogers Marvel Architects is an innovative proposal for redevelopment of the Brooklyn House of Detention. It demonstrates how prime City-owned land can be re-imagined for broad public purpose through a design that carries the texture of Brooklyn into vertical urban form drawing directly from the character of its low-rise surroundings.

Located at Atlantic Avenue, the site is at the collision of the established brownstone neighborhoods extending to the south and the recently rezoned and rapidly changing high-rise construction of Downtown Brooklyn.

The lower portion of the Yard-Scraper is a diverse combination of social, commercial, and educational uses. Each key program element is linked to a yard, in either enclosed or open-air horizontal orientation.

The yard and program of the brownstone establishes the upper area of the building. The homes are stacked atop one another, each orienting itself for suitable light and air to support the residences and their adjacent program. No longer tied to the planar grid of streets and property boundaries, the new brownstones rise into the sky and create a vertical composition, each scraping its portion of the sun’s rays.

Among the many programs, the Yard-Scarper counts with a Green House Center, flats, brownstones, public school, institutes, library, justice center, and green public areas.

Adobe Museum of Digital Media / Filippo Innocenti

Filippo Innocenti, co-founder of the UK-based architecture firm Spin+ and an associate architect at Zaha Hadid Architects, was selected by Adobe for the design of an entirely digital museum. Adobe wanted more than a website designer; they were looking for a way to make the space feel “physical’. While Innocenti designed the Museum as a real architectural project, the website design was left to the London-based digital production company Unit9.

The Adobe Museum of Digital Media was designed without concerns such as technical constrains, budget, or natural forces. Innocenti collaborated closely with award-winning designer Piero Frescobaldi, who served as the “building contractor” for construction of the virtual space. Initial design ideas, revolving around spaces devoid of gravity, were too far from the real feel of a building. However, the final design is far from conventional. In real life, the Museum would span over 620, 000 square feet. The visitor first encounters a podium structure resembling a nest of swirled ribbons, which holds the main exhibition spaces and an auditorium for web meetings. The open atrium is home to the exhibitions, which will include works that examine broadcast communications and product development in addition to art. A fluidly shaped set of towers house the archives rise from the base. The entire museum is reconfigurable, so galleries can be adapted to each artist’s vision, and the archives can grow.

“Numen/For Use” Creates Web-Like Structures from Transparent Adhesive Tape

The Austro-Croatian design collective Numen/For Use was established in 1998, as a collaborative effort of industrial designers Sven Jonke, Christoph Katzler and Nikola Radeljković. Since then they have worked on numerous projects, some of which investigating ideas beyond the field of industrial design. From the scenographic project for the production of “Inferno” in the National Centre for Drama in Madrid, to the series of temporary installations under the common title “Tape Project”, their work seems to be continually engaging with issues of spatial experimentation.

The main idea for the installations was to attempt to capture visual residues of choreographed movement. The form evolved from retroactive visual mapping of the dancer’s movement, as if representing a frozen 3d recording of the choreography. The subtlety of the movement is translated into a surprisingly strong object, capable of sustaining  human weight. It is an organic, web-like structure made from transparent adhesive tape. Wrapping of the existing building elements results in a surface that can be entered by visitors. The sculpture is thus transformed into architecture, inhabitable and public, communicating concepts of “social turn” and “community-based art”.

The Tape Projects were so far executed in Vienna, Frankfurt, Berlin, Belgrade, and most recently, Melbourne, all part of local design exhibitions and festivals. They are travelling examples of informal art, discreetly inhabiting empty auditoriums, lobbies and public squares.