Geneva Dance Pavilion

Much like “a story within a story” our aim is to create a “world within a world”, separated from the hustling and bustling of every day life. Visitors and performers are invited into a calm and playful, sheltered space designed to stimulate their senses and release creativity. Different programs are nested within each other, creating shells that unfolds and leads th ebody through different spatial experiences.

Dance here is understood as moments of movement in time, and our aim has been to make visitors a part of this motion. By layering the spaces where screens and openings overlap we intend to blur the boundaries between visitors and dancers, making our visitors part of the performance taking place. Visitors are lead through an enclosed exterior garden, through a slender pathway, into a wide foyer before entering an intimate performance space in the heart of the pavillion.

Our Aim

In our design we have focused on creating a unique atmosphere, uninterrupted by the outside world. This is achieved by a system of layers, making the outer wall an important feature of our design. The idea of a world inside a world, is for the benefit of creating a stimulating environment for artists and the public to meet, dance and be creative while exposing the Contemporary Dance Assocation (ADC) in a beautiful and interesting way.

We have focused on creating an integrated, sustainable and flexible design, by finding cost efective and practical design solutions. The impact of the project on site has been minimized and the existing vegetation integrated into our design. The project contributes a great deal to the existing city fabric by creating an integrated public space which can be used as a public garden (park), sheltered from the hard traffic of the two main roads, surrounding the sire. The lush garden could be a permanent installment for the area, adding to the cities green lungs, when the dance pavilion is relocated.

The Outer Wall

While the layering of spaces allows for interesting encounters and beautiful visual effects it is also designed for it’s sound insulating properties, in the way each layer gradually diffuses sound, protecting the inner core from disturbance and noise outside. The outer wall diffueses sound and light by dispersion, allowing for a protected area inside.

Glass fibre reinforced polymer rods with timber boxes produce an open structure for the wall, with the rods allowed to sway or ‘dance’ in the wind. Cantilevered out of a precast concrete strip footing at their base, the top of the rods are restrained with a cable between steel corner posts, providing deflection control and defining the form.

Transparency and patterns of the wall changes depending on prespective, revealing different areas of the interior, showing glimpses of what is going on inside. The pattern diffuses light and sound while shadows play on the ground adding to the unworldly experience. The elements moves in the wind and twists to make a dynamic rhythm as if dancing when the viewer moves, capturing movement in a cinematic effect.

Ensjø Mixed Use

Stor Oslo Eiendom Invited Various Architects as a wild card to compete against Nordic,  A lab and Lund & Slaatto. The task of the design competition is to develop the site at Enjsø area, east of Oslo center. The program is mixed use of commercial, office spaces and housing.  The site is adjacent to Tyngdepunkt where massive housing and commercial development are underway.

OKV14

Various Architects has been commissioned to design an extension on an existing one-floor house at Røa in the West of Oslo. The original house is from 1936 and made by the famous Norwegian architect Sverre Aasland. The existing house has a view towards the Oslofjord in the South and Fornebu / Bærum in the West. The neighbourhood is characterized by all kinds of building styles from the last 80 years, and the existing house is the only one in the area with only one floor.

The main design concept was to make a modest and affordable extension that followed the existing structure and lines of the old house, while at the same time preserving the large open garden, and maximizing the view potential from the new second floor.

 

Schiphol Sound Barrier

The Schiphol: Create a Barrier of Silence competition is now completed. Various Architects and their international team received Second Place in the Business category of the competition. Although the project did not win one of the three main prizes we believe that we delivered a solid project that answered Schiphol’s call to innovation and sustainability. 9 companies and 27 individuals contributed to this project, and the high level of detail presented is a testimony to their dedication and teamwork.

“Dynamic Sculpture” is a design that will showcase Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s commitment to innovation and sustainability. The iconic retractable wall achieves the required 7 dB sound reduction by combining new materials, sustainable design, and a simple yet spectacular lifting solution. The proposed Environmental Hub educational building and associated sustainable landscape park will create a world-class focus point for green technology and design. Together, these elements form a complex that would attract and educate visitors while also actively cleaning the environment, generating green energy, and recycling airport waste.

The competition parameters for sound reduction combined with the relevant airport and municipal regulations for building made it clear that a dynamic structure was necessary to meet all of the program requirements. The necessary ground noise reduction is achieved by designing a retractable wall of optimum height and closeness to the runway. Sound insulation of the wall is provided by the surface mass of the folded thermoplastic panels and by air-sealed connections when in the upright position. The position and shape of the wall are formed in response to the changing noise levels along the length of the runway, at the beginning of the runway the wall is placed relatively closer. It gently curves further away as the sound levels decrease with distance.

The 2.1km undulating wall is faceted into 10m sections comprised of: folded horizontal thermoplastic panels, steel lifting poles, a rolling counterweight connected to electric motors, and a base structure of precast elements. A high degree of prefabrication is specified to reduce on-site construction time and provide the necessary tolerances between the pieces. All aspects of the project have been designed to minimize the disruption of airport activity and to ensure that it can be built within the required 18 month construction schedule.

The development of a rolling counterweight lifting system provides the extreme reliability necessary for installations in the demanding airport environment. It also ensures a short conversion time for extension (3 min.) and retraction (1 min.) of the wall. The rolling counterweight on rails provides a spectacular visual element in the park and ensures the synchronised lifting of the wall. A redundant system of motors combined with a high mechanical efficiency and low friction moving components ensures that the wall will not get stuck in the up position, even under high wind loads. The mechanical nature of the counterweight connection of the wall to the counterweight ensures that the wall can be lifted and retracted, even in the extreme case of 10% motor failures.

The proposed landscape park would provide an educative layout of different environmental technologies on display for the public, as well as the production of electricity via solar, bio-gas, and bio-fuel production. The Hub Park creates a mini polder landscape where different technologies can be demonstrated, whereas the larger park area would be used for the cleaning of de-icing fluid, generation of electricity, and recycling of organic waste. Overall the park would provide a new public promenade for local residents, visitors, and plane spotters alike.

Yorkshire Renaissance Pavilion

Various Architects’ project “Yorkshire Diamond” was a finalist in the open international competition for a mobile pavilion for Yorkshire Forward. The Yorkshire Diamond Pavilion is a unique and iconic venue that is designed to represent Yorkshire Forward at events around Yorkshire and Humber or further abroad.

The project is an attraction in itself with a striking exterior in the form of inflatable tubes arranged in the atomic structure of diamonds. The 20 x 26 x 10 meter diamond grid volume is mined out to form a cavernous interior space reminiscent of the coal mines of Yorkshire. Light and air shafts pierce the structure providing natural light and ventilation. At night the translucent shafts and outer skin radiate light in all colors and directions like a diamond twinkling in the sunlight.

A focus on flexibility gives the pavilion multiple configurations which allow it to be used for everything from small gatherings to large conferences or public presentations. The voluminous internal space will surprise and delight when installed in close quartered public squares. The pavilion can also be turned ‘inside out’ to open up a large covered area to open outdoor spaces to create the ultimate mobile venue for concerts or big-screen events.

Innovative sustainable features that can generate energy during transport and while installed, together with lightweight recyclable materials will demonstrate Yorkshire Forward’s commitment to the environment wherever the pavilion is situated. Creative new uses of existing proven technologies make this pavilion design possible to produce and operate for a reasonable price.

Modular Bicycle hotel

Various Architects are designing new modular bicycle hotels. The bicycle storage space should be applicable in various situations in a city. Moreover, the aim for design of each modul is to offer another extra function for a public. The main principles of the project are flexibility, affordability, sustainability and production in Norway.

Design concept consists of three main moduls, which are possible to be mutually combined in various schemes. Either placed in a backyard, used on parking place on a street or as a temporary building with central sheltered corridor.

HV Family House

HV Family House is designed for our dedicated clients who requested a simple modern house for a family of six. Situated in the heart of Oslo by Tåsen metro station. The sloping site was an old apple garden with a unique view towards Oslo fjord. Various Architects designed the house in close contact with the client, focusing on qualities such as simplicity, feel of massiveness, flow, contact with the exterior and enhancing the view.

The living areas and kitchen are located on the top floor to maximize the view. The living area is designed on split levels to create flow in the house and to allow closer access to the main entrance. The Master bedroom is located half a level below the kids bedrooms for more privacy.

The exterior volume is a simple cube that has been carved to allow natural lighting and to create spaces such as the main entrance and the terraces. The roof is covered with colorful sedum plants the filter the rain water. Seen from the street the house appears calm and simple while maintaing light playfulness.