The newly refurbished entrance to the Art Academy in Oslo is completed

In an event with students and faculty of the school, artist Marianne Heier opened her “gift to the kunstakademiet”. Her project Promess de Bonheur sets a new focus on the institution of the Kunstakademiet by turning the previously disfunctional and cluttered entrance into a work of art

Various Architects, together with interior architect Aleksandra Danielak (now an employee) designed a set of custom furniture in plexiglass framed by painted wooden frames. These elegant and simple objects on two walls maintain the functions of the rooms old pin-up boards in a new and more user friendly way.

The VA Mobile Performance Venue wins top design award.

The Spark Awards Exhibition 2008 put more than 360 entries under the microscope last month, with the best being selected by a jury of prestigious names in global design. The winners are now on display until January at America’s most exciting new design hot spot – the dazzling Autodesk Design Gallery, at One Market Street, San Francisco.

“All the Spark entrants and entries tell wonderful stories,” explains Peter Kuchnicki, executive director of Spark. “There were a great number of designs in the competition and it was very competitive. The 14 jurists had a daunting task and did a fine job.”

Spark is a fresh, modern qualification system that recognizes new processes and technology and seeks to involve people and ideas from untapped sources. Designers from all levels and skill-sets are invited to participate, be they professional, novice or student. This year’s competition attracted designers, art directors, architects, design firms, manufacturers, institutions and ad agencies.

84 designs won bronze, silver, gold or the ultimate Spark! Award. The Mobile Performance venue was among 17 winners that secured a Spark! commendation.

Spark! Press Release

The Jury has chosen a winner for the Wroclaw Contemporary Museum competition. Various Architects was not among the prized projects, but we congratulate the winners and wish them luck. All submitted projects are on exhibit at the Wroclaw Architecture Museum which is next door to the competition site.

The Winners Are:

1st Place – Nizio Design International (Warsaw, Poland)

2nd Place – Vicente Guallart Furio (Barcelona, Spain)

3rd Place – Pysall Ruge Architekten (Berlin, Germany)

Honorable Mentions – Bieniasz – Nicholson Architect (Poland), M.I.A. Domicz – Pracownia Architektury (Poland), Pracownie Architektury Glowacki (Poland)

Click on the images above to see our project on exhibit in Wroclaw or see the Project Page for more images of Various Architects’ project.

*Exhibition images courtesy of Wojciech Szubinski

Two of Various Architects’ projects are featured in the window display of Ramboll Whitbybird’s offices in London.

We are very pleased to see that Ramboll Whitbybird have chosen two of our projects for their changing window exhibit at their London office in 60 Newman St, near Tottenham Ct. Rd. A photograph of the printed 3D model of the Cheongna City Tower and a wireframe image of the pneumatic skin of the Arts Alliance Mobile Performance Venue are displayed next to images of the geometry of the Gazprom tower, and an image of a diagrid structure from Bournemouth & Pool College.

Various Architects have collaborated on several projects with Ramboll Whitbybird, including the Cheongna City Tower competition, the Arts Alliance Mobile Performance Venue, Schiphol Sound Barrier competition, and the recently delivered Wroclaw Contemporary Museumcompetition.

Images courtesy of Ramboll Whitbybird

Updated perspectives and diagrams the villa in Stabekk.

Today we have submitted a revised concept design for the Villa in stabekk to the client. Changes from the original scheme were mostly minor adjustments requested by the client. These include a new sunken outdoor terrace, split level living room, adjustment of room sizes, and inclusion of a library attached to the second floor apartment.

Prior to planning approval of the house, the  site boundary between the existing and new site needs adjustment. The appropriate forms have been sent to the planning department. Schematic design to commence in late September.

The Mobile Performance Venue has qualified for the final round of the Spark Awards.

The Spark Awards is a multi-discpiplinary design award for architecture, product design, graphic design, and interaction design. The Arts Alliance Mobile Performance Venue has been selected as a finalist “challenger” in the temporary architecture category. The complete list of challengers will be announced on August 26’th. Visit the Spark Online Gallery of entries to see our competition.

Final layout materials must be sent to San Francisco for Phase II judging on Sept 8. Winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Spark Exhibition Premiere announced on October 3, 2008.

The Arts Alliance Mobile Performance Venue was featured in a two-page article today in the norwegian newspaper VG (Verdens Gang).

The article, written by journalist Lars Elton, begins “Henrik Ibsen, an architecture background from Snøhetta, and the british Oscar-winner Vanessa Redgrave are ingredients in a story about stunning architecture and norwegian financed cultural innovation”

Elton goes on to present the concept behind the performance ID – Identity of the Soul and to tell about the design of the building. Martine Rød from Arts Alliance is quoted as saying “Performance arenas are often so ugly. This will be a beautiful building which will be noticed and give the public a positive experience”.

Tragically the poet Mahmoud Darwish died last saturday during a heart operation. His poem “A Soldier Dreams of White Lillies” is the basis of the second half of the ID performance.

In other news, the MPV has already appeared in Building magazine and Iidea. It will also be featured in Architectural Record, Surface, A10, Viewpoint, Baumeister, Archistorm, Design Interiør, and several others. Various Architects have also been selected to be included in the upcoming book “Famous Architects 2008” by Hong Kong RIHAN publishers.

“Grizzled” refers to the first line of Henrik Ibsen’s Terje Vigen – “There dwelt a lone man, grizzled and wierd, On the bare isle furthest out”. Complete poem text HERE in 13 languages.

Included above is the group photo of us they didn’t have room to publish with the article.