So-Il lecture thursday, June 16’th at VA HQ

Various Architects is proud to host the Oslo Architecture Federation’s final lecture in the very successful Pop-Up series at our office in Storgata 25 on June 16’th at 19:00.

Florian Idenburg of So-Il, Solid Objectives Idenberg Liu, will present their work in a lecture, directly followed by the annual OAF Summer Party. There will be plenty of Brooklyn Lager in the bar, and «DJ Leif and the Future» will be spinning a brooklyn inspired set. Non-architects welcome!

ArchDaily have previously interviewed Florian and Jing of So-Il about their practice and featured their competition winning PS1 project Pole Dance. We look forward to hearing about new projects and the development of the office.

Design Team Meeting #1 at Various Architects’ office.

Various Architects recently hosted the first design team meeting for the new Larvik 1-10 School at our offices in Storgata 25. Our collaborators from Cebra and Østengen & Bergo were here together with our client Larvik Kommunale Eiendom, and their project leader OPAK. There have already been several successful meetings with the team and the client, and we expect all contract negotiations to be completed soon. There will be new design team meetings every two weeks throughout the preliminary design and schematic design period.

The team is already at work to study the comments of the jury and the school’s users from the competition. A revised competition scheme will be presented to the users in Larvik on June 16’th that takes on board these minor changes. Various Architects has begun work on a 1:20 study model of the school’s main atrium space, which will be used to study the space and as a tool to explain the building to the client and users.

Various Architects / Adept / Lalaland win Oppdal Centrum Competition.

Context:

When visiting Oppdal you’ll experience pure and raw nature up close, all year round. The destination can offer activities for the extreme sports athlete and the family man.  Oppdal is within close proximity to both Dovrefjell and Trollheimen, in addition to Norway’s largest alpine ski area. This makes Oppdal a very attractive destination. In 2009, Oppdal had just below 220,000 guest nights. In addition to the existing 3000 holiday homes, 100-150 new ones are built each year. Oppdal county has the largest sheep population in Norway, and is the largest municipality in Sør-Trøndelag. The municipality is primarily in the manufacturing industry, followed by commerce and tourism. More than half of the county’s 6600 residents live in Oppdal Centrum. Schools, cultural activities, nightlife, retail and other services are available in the town. The double-edged sword is that both RV70 and E6 roads are going straight through the center. This gives great access for motorists, but also supersedes all others. Communication to the hiking and ski areas are primarily designed for motorized vehicles, not for other traffic. The center is also divided by the railway and the river Ålma. A bubbling rural life is split by increased regional and local traffic, and it is time for Oppdal to be allowed to grow its center, once again connect to nature, and lead the heavy traffic outside the city center.

Vision:

When E6 is rerouted, new possibilities emerge to reinforce  Oppdal Centrum. As the cars are pulled out of the center, the landscape is pulled in and the downtown is condensed. Thus life, and not the car, becomes the main focus in Oppdal.

It is in this duality between a denser town and a better relation to the adjacent landscape that Oppdal´s city structure would be found. Precisely for this reason, Oppdal+ connects landscape, urban life and activity in one move. Two primary pedestrian areas in the shape of a plus defines the main intervention. The green river, and the old E6 road.

Nature is let to flow as a green river through the central areas of the town. It is a recreational trail that connects the features of the landscape (the ski slopes, schools, sports facilities, leisure park) to the functions of the town (meeting place, bus/train station, town hall and cultural center). At the same time the town is condensed around the main urban district. The district spans between Ålma and Torgsenteret and is reserved for pedestrians. It is a condensation strategy, which creates a more compact and vibrant center, along with the creation of a clear urban hierarchy.

VA / Cebra / Østengen & Bergo win in Larvik

«Relativity» is a school where movement throughout the building is an experience for the senses with varied spatial experiences in the common areas. A school with a clear relationship and reference to it’s site. A school with an organisation that is readable and easy to orient yourself in. A place where students can interact with their peers and inspire each other across classes. «Relativity» is a place where the students have both common venues for extrovert activity, and specialized spaces for diverse learning experiences and introverted study.

The education areas are cleanly arranged with a degree of generality that allows for different furnishings and interior concepts. In this way the teaching areas can be further developed together with the building users without having to change the overall building form or concept. The flexibility of the classrooms also allows for future changes in teaching style of philosophy as necessary. «Relativity» is a school designed for classroom-teaching, group work, project workgroups, and independent study. It contains a diversity of niches and workspaces that allow for short stops or long working sessions, for discussion, work, and informal meetings. The school is designed to stimulate play and experience connected to curiosity and concentration. These are the prerequisites to create a good learning environment.

Unlike a typical atrium school where an introverted central space is surrounded in plan by functions with and only has light from above. «Relativity»‘s central space is placed against the outer wall to create an exciting extroverted room that contains all the school’s vertical communication and good connections to the common functions. The central room gives students good visual contact with the school’s playground area, making them also a part of the school’s inner life. The central space is not only the heart of the school, but also of the local community.

«Relativity» turns the atrium school concept on it’s edge to give the central space a connection to the world outside. This creates better daylight conditions while maintaining the synergies of placing the common functions around the center. «Relativity» is a school with good internal communication and visual contact between the specialized study rooms and the classrooms. This new Hybrid between an «atrium» and «corridor» schools contains the best qualities of both typologies. A school which is unique for Larvik and designed around the user’s room program and functional specifications. The project is based on an idea of a compact building with a minimal footprint. This reduces the foundation costs while considering the neighbors and keeping the biggest possible recreational space for the pupils. This way of thinking has led to a new building type we like to call “the vertical campus”.

 

The first project meeting is scheduled for late April. Various Architects look forward to continuing our collaboration with CEBRA and working closely with Østengen & Bergo to realize this project.

 

Hand sketches by Mikkel Frost of CEBRA.

Archaeological Museum / Larvik 1-10 School / Oppdal Centrum Masterplan

2011 has started with a bang and Various Architects are very excited to have qualified for 3 new architecture competitions in Norway. We have pulled together 3 exceptional international teams of architects, landscape architects and engineers with good references and background for each project. For the extension of the Stavanger Archaeological Museum we are once again working with engineers from Ramboll UK, Bristol and London teams and Østengen & Bergo landscape architects here in Oslo. For the design of a new 1-10 school in Larvik for 500 students we are working with CEBRA from Århus, Denmark together with Østengen & Bergo again on Landscape. For the new ideas competition in Oppdal we are working with Adept from Copenhagen and Lalaland who we recently collaborated with on another masterplan project,Kokstad Vest.

We’d like to think that our recent success in prequalifications shows that a small, but experienced office with a strong network of like minded collaborators can compete in the market against large and well respected firms. It’s worth noting that Various Architects is the only office to have qualified in more than one of the three competitions. We would like to thank our new (potential) clients for their interest and faith in us, and look forward to presenting our schemes in a few month’s time. It’s going to be a fun and intense few months here at VA HQ!

The following is a list of the current competitions and prequalified teams:

 

Archaeological Museum in Stavanger

34 teams applied, 6 qualified.

Various Architects AS + Ramboll UK, Østengen & Bergo

Tupelo Arkitektur AS / Narud Stokke Wiig AS + consultants

Schmidt Hammer Lassen / Lund + Slaato + consultants

Rambøll Norge Arkitektur og plan / JAJA Architects + consultants

Askim/Lantto Arkitekter AS / Asplan Viak AS + consultants

Arkitektfirmaet C.F. Møller Norge AS + consultants

Delivery April 1, 2011

 

Larvik 1-10 School

28 teams applied, 4 prequalified:

 

Cebra (DK) / Various Architects (NO) / Østengen og Bergo (NO)

White Arkitekter (SE)

L2 Arkitekter (NO)

Link Signatur (NO)

Due March 4, 2011

 

Oppdal Centrum Masterplan

18 teams applied, 4 qualified:

 

Adept (DK) / Various Architects (NO) / Lalaland (NO)

Asplan Viak

Narud Stokke Wiig / Rojo Arkitekter / Gullik Gulliksen / Norsam v/Anton Bakken

Snøhetta

Due March 18, 2011

Notice of Detaljregulering sent out today

Various Architects, have been comissioned by ANS Mosseveien 16-20 to design a new signal building that will help define the edge of central Fredrikstad when approaching the city on Mosseveien. The project has been designed as an energy-effective and flexible combination of housing, showroom, and retail space.

The compact design of the building reflects and reinterprets the typologies of it’s surroundings to create a dynamic new mixed-use building in fredrikstad. The first floor plinth of retail space is planned to include a grocery store and mix of smaller shops or cafes in an long low volume in glass and concrete which relates to the large scale industrial buildings typical of this part of Fredrikstad. Four «house» extrusions have been carefully placed on the plinth as a transition to the scale of the historical wooden houses on Trosvikberget which lies behind the site to the north-east. The four volumes have been developed as flexible containers for apartments of varying sizes (clad in wood), or as potential «showroom» retail space (clad in metal) connected to the plinth below. A grass roof on the plinth provides private outdoor garden space for residents. The building’s form, placement, and facade treatment will help screen the existing housing behind from the increaded traffic noise on Mosseveien when the new bridge to Krokerøy opens. The directed openings between the houses maintain open views to the waterfront of the Floa river from Trosvikberget and providing good daylighting and for the new apartments.

The four week period of reguleringsvarsling (planning notice) has begun. Various Architects will be collecting input from neighbors and public instances as a part of the planning process. The completed planning application is scheduled to be sent in to Fredrikstad Kommune in early February.

Ibrahim Elhayawan heading back to Oslo in January

For the last 17 months Various Architects have been collaborating with OMA on the Taipei Performing Arts Centre project in Taiwan. VA Partner Ibrahim Elhayawan has been living in Hong Kong as Project Leader for the 40,000m2 multi-theatre from the schematic design phase up to the recent 50% design development deadline. Ibrahim and the OMA team visited Casa Da Musica in Porto on a study trip as a reference for the TPAC. Under Ibrahim’s leadership, the project has received the relevant planning and client approvals. We have enjoyed our collaboration with OMA on this exciting and prestegious project, and look forward to future collaborations with them, in Hong Kong and elsewhere. Various Architects will continue to mantain it’s branch office in Hong Kong, and will focus on getting new projects in the region throughout 2011.

Ibrahim recently lectured at the University of Hong Kong Department of Urban Planning and Design. His lecture was part of a joint studio session between Landscape Master year two students. Ibrahim’s lecture presented a variety of VA projects that focus on collaborative design process and urban design. He was also asked to return as a jury member for the Urban Design Studio 1, Master of Urban Design Program which is taught by Dr. Stefan Al, Mr. Paul Chu, and Ms. Casey N.H. Wang (also of OMA).

 

The Oslo Office looks forward to having Ibrahim back in town soon!

Special Event on November 30th at Various Architects’ offices

Rambøll UK / NO and Various Architects are hosting an informal and informative evening with presentations from Ramboll UK’s Modelling and Optimisation Group.

Director Stephen Melville, and engineer Duncan Horswill will present some of the group’s groundbreaking work in digital engineering, architecture and urbanism. Including projects like Bjarke Ingel’s Presidential Library in Astana, Tallin Town Hall, D_Pod, and Various Architect’sArts Alliance Mobile Performance Venue.

Time: Tuesday November 30. at 18:30

Place: Various Architect`s office – Storgata 25, 5`th floor

Food and Drinks will be provided

Space is limited, please RSVP til Stephen.Melville -at- ramboll.co.uk or Jim -at- Variousarchitects.no

Concept design underway with Code and Lala Land

 

Code has asked Various Architects and Lala Land to collaborate with them on the development of a masterplan concept for the Kokstad Vest area in Bergen. Bergen Tomteselskap has invited 3 teams to create proposals for the area as a part of Asplan Viak’s consequence analysis and planning for the area.

Kokstad Vest is located directly adjacent to Flesland Airport in Bergen, and has the potential to become an outlying center of business for the city as the airport expands and grows. The site is bordered by existing commercial and light industry to the east and by popular an important green areas to the north. The extension of Bergen’s new light rail system «Bybanen» to the airport creates many interesting possibilities for the creation of an  innovative and green center for business and technology.

The project is underway and will be delivered in mid-november 2010, more information to come.

UT Austin School of Architecture 100 Year Celebration in November

 

Various Architects’ Arts Alliance Mobile Performance Venue has been selected, along with 27 others, to represent the outstanding design talent and accomplishments of our alumni at the School’s centennial celebration, 100: Traces & Trajectories. VA partner Jim Dodson graduated from the UTSOA with a B.Arch in 1995. Many excellent projects were submitted for consideration, and many fields of design and planning were represented among the submissions. The exhibit curator, Texas Architect Editor Stephen Sharpe, was impressed by the overall quality of the submissions.

Centennial events begin on the evening of Friday, November 5, with a Dean’s Roundtable Discussion at the Charles Moore Foundation.  On Saturday, November 6, we will continue with a morning symposium of speakers, followed by an afternoon open house of all the School’s resources, studios, and exhibit spaces.  After the open house, alumnus Craig Dykers of Snohetta (our former colleague and boss) will serve as the keynote speaker. Then, all will congregate in the Goldsmith Hall Courtyard for a wine and cheese reception. The weekend’s events will end with a formal dinner in the beautiful Battle Hall reading room. The alumni exhibit will officially open on Monday, November  1st, and will be on display throughout the month of November in the School’s Mebane Gallery, located in Goldsmith Hall.

OMA delivers Preliminary Design Phase

On April 15th the OMA Design Team in Hong Kong delivered The Preliminary Design Phase for the Taipei Performing Arts Center Project to the Department of Cultural Affairs in Taipei. The delivery included design drawings and detailed reports of the following disciplines: Architecture, Landscape, Interior, Lighting, Structure, Façade Engineering,  Building physics, Fire Engineering, Traffic Engineering, MEP, HVAC, Acoustics and Scenography. In addition the Design Team delivered a complete Project Schedule and Construction Budget Report. According to the schedule the Detailed Design Phase will be delivered in December 2010 with construction expected to start in 2011. Project completion is expected in October 2014.

The Preliminary Design Delivery emphasizes the intensive collaborations between various disciplines in the design team in order to develop such a complex and unprecedented project. The Arts Center consists of three unique theaters that plug into the Magic Cube, combining the stages and backstage areas. Each theater can be used independently or in combination, offering the possibility for theatrical experimentation. The design as presented complies with Taiwanese Code, fulfills all architectural and technical requirements, and also ensures that the project achieves Taiwan Green Building Certification.

Various Architects been collaborating with OMA on the TPAC project since September 2009. VA partner Ibrahim Elhayawan is the project leader for the project, leading a talented and hard working team from OMA through the Detail Design phase.  OMA Partner in charge of the project is Rem Koolhaas. The OMA Hong Kong office is lead by David Gianotten, General Manager for OMA Asia. Various Architects has a registered branch in Hong Kong and are currently exploring other projects there as well, both in collaboration with OMA and independantly.

OMA TPAC Project Page

All images courtesy of OMA

from Spain, France, Poland, Norway, and the USA

Various Architects partner Jim Dodson and associate architect Leif Houck have recently been joined by Arne Reisegg-Myklestad who has been hired as a full-time architect. Arne has worked with us previously as a freelance architect on the Skagen ØKOntor project and Storgata 25. Increasing work loads and new projects have made it possible to hire Arne full time starting in February 2010.

In addition, we have also added a few new architectural interns into the rotation. Our previous intern Sara has gone back to school at AHO and Jonathan is finishing up his education back in Copenhagen. This spring we have been joined by two Leonardo scholars – Francois Chevalier from France and Carlos Gonzales Arruego from Spain. Anna Nowogrodzka from Poland will also be with us for 10 weeks as a part of her work-placement program.

VA partner Ibrahim Elhayawan will be stationed in Hong Kong as project leader for OMA’s Taipei Performing Arts Centre until September this year.