MEDIA PRODUCTION HOUSE (CENTRE)

Mikou Design Studio conceived the new Bateau Feu theatre in Dunkirk both as an open urban venue – which is welcoming by the diversity of the complementary programme of events and activities that it provides and their strategic orientation in the urban space – and as a structuring civic building and arts amenity located on the Place du Général de Gaulle square

Ibm centre for e-buisness innovation.

The ibm centre for e buisness innovation was concieved from a holistic approach that represents a convergence of architecture immersive media and smart technology . everything from network architecture to physical architecture is saleable and upgradable.

The interior space is open in every sense of the word, creating an ambience of accessebility and approchability, walls are not permanent, partitions do not create rigid seggregation: instead they elegantly slide and rotate into places for situations that require more or less privacy.

The primary collabrative tool for bringing participanta together with ibm topic specialists is the interactive conference table. The prototype for the traditional confrence table offers participants the opportunities to intract and manipulate digital projections that appears on its surface while seating confugration that encourages non heighrarchial and collabrative dialogue.

Other features design for the centre include voice recognition touch screens and new media technology , which make for an informations reach and intractive invironment tht response to individual guests. Smart technology . which program and integrated into the space and allows ibm and individual guests to develop an dramatic the connection with each other Before, during and after the breifing centre if given.

IBM Center for e-business::ChicagoChicago, Illinois, USA

Since founded in 1941, IBM has long reigned in the world of computer hardware. In the mid 90's IBM shifted its core business from hardware to service in the conviction that "e-commerce would play a key role in the future." Mobilizing all the assets such as technological competence

and the network building capability, IBM started to provide their customers with solutions to integrate the entire systems. They called this solution approach "e-business." In January of 2001,

as the first place of interface with customers, e-business center was created in Chicago.

One IBM Plaza, situated in the center of Chicago is a skyscraper built in 1968 as the last building designed by Mies van der Rohe. IBM, once the owner of the building, opened a 10,000 ft2. e-business center on the 8th floor. The white-based lobby has floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides, seamlessly connected to the outside. The translucent and light-drenched space carries an image of neutral and universal outdoor environment.

The basis of the design is experience. Named "Experience Architecture," it offers a myriad of experiences to its visitors and enhances their creativity. The Skyline Wall In the lobby will take you to streets In New York, London and Sydney with actual street noises from the speakers. Four Interactive Kiosks can be arranged in parallel for group sessions or in series to offer virtual tours for individuals. Many layers of experience are weaved into the spatial design. To provide new experiences numerous innovative materials were developed for various elements.

The core of the e-business center is the Briefing Room. This is where visitors spend most of their time. However the sessions in this room are not "briefings" in a conventional sense, but rather "Innovation Exchange." Here customers themselves think about their own companies and extract agenda through new experiences in a new environment and collaborations with them.In the middle of the Briefing Room is an interactive table in the shape of a guitar pick. The form was derived in order to allow equal view of the main screen, while abolishing the hierarchy of the company so that they can discuss and contribute on an equal basis. The Interactive Table has 8 PC stations built into its thickness and each display is projected from the ceiling. Participants can make a smooth transition from their interactive session to the individual work on PC.

As many as 117 experts on e-business stand by in the space across the corridor as well as the 7th floor, to join the sessions and offer consultation. Using video conference if necessary, the solutions will be sought. What becomes clarified in the sessions will be immediately summarized, and at the end of the session the customers can take back the data they themselves edited. By coming here, they can obtain a tangible fruit which will speedily solve their problems.

IBM Center for e-business        Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA   Move-In Date: 2001.1   Floor Area: 10,000 ft2

   Workforce:   Building Design: Mies Van der Rohe (1968)   Interior Design: Design Office   Interview Date: 2001.6    

Spaces for Organically Integrating the Office and the Field

The core process of many a business involves people from numerous sub-processes whose workplaces are often scattered across campuses or even half a world away. Any means to link them ought strengthen teamwork. In this issue, we look at “fusion” workplaces?the ultimate in anti-siloing, they are designed to facilitate interaction by bringing not just the usual office functions together, but also incorporating the field or factory floor.

Creative Space Connects Designers and Customers“Fashion-forward” footwear designer Topline Corporation’s business success is determined by

its ability to develop enticing products. To draw its designers and customers closer together, the

company built a showroom smack in the middle of the design studio in its new headquarters.

Topline / Bellevue, Washington, USA

Human Resources and Innovation Hubs Drive Organization’s RenewalGlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the world’s second-largest pharmaceuticals company, announced that

it wanted to double growth in its Consumer Healthcare business over five years. To help, it

installed new work spaces?“innovation hubs”? for brand-centered cross-functional teams.

GlaxoSmithKline / Parsippany, New Jersey, USA

Assemblers and Engineers Come Together  Assembly-floor workers and computer-bound engineers generally occupy totally separate

worlds. And so it was at Boeing’s Renton site?until leadership initiative and an enormous space co-located them in an innovative project to bridge the great divide. The result? A dramatic rise in

efficiency.

Boeing / Renton, Washington, USA

Focus on the Architect  The Topline and Boeing offices featured in this issue were designed by NBBJ Architects. They and other NBBJ projects we’ve covered previously, such as its makeover at Reebok, have impressed us as salient examples of workplace creation linked closely to organizational reform. We thought we’d take a closer look NBBJ’s approach to workplace design, its own workplaces, and some projects showcasing how NBBJ has helped advance workplace innovation through office design.  

Creating Catalytic Environments

Organizations are exploring effective methods of knowledge creation and innovation. Interaction between individuals and groups with knowledge and creativity is key. Enterprises therefore work to attract the best people and to stimulate creative activity. What role do offices play in this?

Transparent Office Encourages MeetingsTo provide a place for knowledge workers of widely varying backgrounds to create new

knowledge through lively communication, Geneva-based biopharmaceuticals major Merck Serono built a headquarters office designed to be the physical epitome of transparency and openness. Glass is used wherever practically possible, in everything from the parapets along walkway-bridges to the canopy above the courtyard, not to mention the exterior walls. Its spaces

embody ideas to encourage people to link up, mix, communicate, and collaborate.

Merck Serono / Geneva, Switzerland

Simple, Modular Design Encourages CommunicationLufthansa was incredibly ambitious with the requirements for its new headquarters project. The

building is a landmark that symbolizes Lufthansa's corporate identity, maximizes comfort for its employees, and minimizes energy consumption to help the company fulfi ll its corporate social

responsibility, yet leaves scope for future expansion. Attention to detail in the design and cutting-edge technological collaboration resulted in an building that satisfi ed all criteria. The Lufthansa

Aviation Center has typically German qualities combining functionality and design excellence.

Lufthansa Aviation Center / Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Communication on the Street  Passing through the security gate, straight ahead is a "staircase" of terraces paved with

distinctively reddish-brown sandstone, with a food court at the far end on the sixth-level apex. On the terraces, casually dressed people sit at tables holding meetings, or just stand and chat. Welcome to the central atrium --"the Street"-- of BBC Scotland's new head-quarters! The company made relocation to the open-plan office symbolized by this space an opportunity to transform itself into a flexible organization by bringing together people who had been previously

isolated in their respective sections.

BBC Scotland / Glasgow, UK

21st Century "News Factory" Open to the StreetFirst printed in 1851, the New York Times is a newspaper that people immediately

identify with the U.S. The New York Times Company, its publisher, finished a new headquarters near Times Square in 2007 that embodies the company's mission of

transparency to readers and providing news in an open society.

The New York Times Building / New York City, USA  

The Office as Talent MagnetA pure white space greets you as you step off the elevator, a shiny floor seamlessly connected

by the walls to the ceiling. At the far end through a big window, the Orbitz logo. Welcome to

Chicago's "coolest place"

Orbitz / Chicago, Illinois, USA

Remote Work PlatformSix years ago Sun Microsystems launched iWork, a platform for remote working patterns. Later

renamed Open Work, it has become well established in the company. Today, Sun is taking it a step further to develop a hybrid virtual office where the real and the virtual worlds exist side by

side.

Sun Microsystems / Menlo Park, California, USA

Sun Labs - Massachusetts / Burlington, Massachusetts, USA

Work Styles of the Virtual AgeSecond Life is a 3D virtual space in cyberspace. Users manipulate avatars?their alter egos?to

walk and fly around the vast world and communicate with each other. Unique promotions and marketing campaigns by major companies like IBM and Nissan only possible in virtual spaces

have made headlines. Greg Verdino is chief strategy officer at Crayon(http://crayonville.com), a marketing company with a virtual office in Second Life. We spoke with Greg at his home on a quiet residential street

in the suburbs of New York about his work style at the cutting edge of the virtual age.

A Model of Federal Office  An epitomic example of innovative, sustainable design and healthy, progressive working

environments, the San Francisco Federal Building sends a powerful message to the architectural,

workplace-design, and green building industries in the U.S.

SAN FRANCISCO FEDERAL BUILDING / San Francisco, California, USA

A Brand-Building OfficeA sailing ship headed towards the Hudson, a majestic iceberg, or whatever the massive sculpture-like edifice brings to mind, Internet giant IAC's new headquarters is already an established landmark in New York City's Chelsea district, both symbolizing and

providing diversity- and universality-oriented offices for IAC's numerous brands.

IAC / New York, New York, USA

Jeanne Gang to Design Media Production Center

Columbia College Chicago President Dr. Warrick L. Carter and Allen M. Turner, chairman of the board of trustees, announced today the selection of Jeanne Gang & Studio Gang Architects to design Columbia’s Media Production Center (MPC), the first new construction project undertaken by the arts and media college.

Gang, whose Chicago-based firm is emerging as one of the most innovative practitioners in architecture today, was chosen from an initial field of 29 firms from across North American that were invited to submit qualifications for the project. In December, the field was narrowed to four finalist firms: Helfand Architecture of New York, Morphosis of Los Angeles, Brininstool + Lynch and Studio Gang, both of Chicago. Since that time, members of the selection team have been working with the architectural firms to determine the best fit.

“Jeanne Gang’s portfolio clearly demonstrates an understanding of each of the clients with which she has worked as well as a fresh and original approach to public architecture. However, our choice was about more than innovative design,” said Turner. “While we certainly want a building that makes a distinctive statement consistent with the image of Columbia as a cutting edge arts and media school, we were also determined to select a firm who we feel confident will bring the project in on budget, on schedule and who will work well with our in-house team of academics, administrators and creatives, while emphasizing environmental sustainability.”

“During the meetings with the finalists it became clear that Jeanne is very committed to this project and understands fully what it means to the college,” said Doreen Bartoni, dean of the School of Media Arts. “The level of research she conducted, not only on materials and program requirements, but on the history of Columbia as an educational and cultural institution and the history and current cultural currency of media arts, was truly impressive.”

Gang, who makes her own home in the South Loop not far from Columbia’s campus, is excited to be working on project that, she says “will look at the intersection of academics, media and architecture. From both a conceptual and a practical standpoint Studio Gang has an opportunity to create a building that not only meets the client’s functional needs but also expresses the importance of media arts in today’s society and the emergence of Columbia College as a major educational institution.”

A commitment to sustainable design was another important element in the search and selection. “To this point Columbia’s contribution to Chicago’s rich architectural heritage has been to rehabilitate and retrofit some of the South Loop’s most important historic buildings,” explained Carter. “In this way, we have served as stewards for Lakeside Press, now one of the college’s residence halls, and [William LeBaron] Jenney’s Ludington Building at 1104 S. Wabash. With the MPC as our first new construction, we intend to add to the City’s collection of significant buildings with a structure that is innovative in terms of the relationship between architecture and media but that also meets the commitments of an environmentally responsible institution. Jeanne Gang is eminently qualified to deliver on that goal.”

The Columbia Media Production Center will be an approximately 40,000-square-foot facility featuring two sound stages, a motion-capture studio and an animation lab and will further serve to enliven an area of the city that has enjoyed a recent boom in residential growth.

The MPC is proposed to be built at the southwest corner of 16th and State on a vacant lot currently owned by the City of Chicago. The land sale to Columbia, allowing for the construction of the facility, must be approved by the Community Development Commission and the City Council.

“I am very pleased that of all the firms we considered from across the country and Canada, Studio Gang, a Chicago-based firm was clearly the best for this project,” Turner added. “Over the years Columbia has become a major force in the educational and cultural landscape of the city and is recognized as an anchor institution in the booming South Loop. Working with a Chicago firm further demonstrates our commitment to the city and the talent we have here.”

Jeanne Gang leads Studio Gang Architects, an architectural practice located in Chicago. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois in Urbana / Champaign in 1986. Following a fellowship at the ETH in Zurich, she attended the Harvard Graduate School of Design where she was awarded a Master of Architecture Degree with Distinction in 1993. Prior to founding Studio Gang Architects in 1998, she worked with OMA/Rem Koolhass in Rotterdam and Booth Hansen Associates in Chicago. Since 1997 she has taught design studios at the Illinois Institute of Technology, College of Architecture. She was visiting professor at the Harvard Design School in 2004, and held the Louis I. Kahn visiting professor chair at the Yale College of Architecture in 2005. Her design for the Marble Curtain was shown at the Masonry Variations Exhibition in Washington DC. The work of Studio Gang has received numerous awards and has been published and exhibited widely. Her work has been shown at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Architecture Foundation, the National Building Museum and most recently the Venice Biennale. Her focus on materials, technology and sustainability in relation to architecture is supported through a mode of working that combines practice, teaching and research. Studio Gang has a strong reputation for research and design. Today, the office counts a staff of twenty professionals. Locally, the office has undertaken the Starlight Theatre in Rockford Illinois, innovative for its movable roof, and the Chinese American Service Center in Chicago. The firm was included in Architectural Record’s Design Vanguard 2001 and part of the Architecture League of New York's Emerging Voices in Spring of 2006.

COLUMBIA MEDIA PRODUCTION CENTRE.

Columbia College’s Media Production Center by Studio Gang ArchitectsDecember 12, 2008 Filed Under: Architecture, Construction

Architect’s rendering of Columbia College Chicago’s Media Production Center (MPC). Designed by Studio Gang Architects, one of Chicago’s hottest firms, the 38,000 square foot MPC features a transparent facade and an innovative design. The $21 million MPC, which includes two sound stages, a motion capture studio, animation lab, classrooms and space for production design and costumes, is the first new construction project for the college. The building is expected to open during spring term 2010.

Columbia College’s new media production center combines large film and animation studios with classrooms and workshops on an urban campus. As the first new building for Columbia College, it will provide the facilities to fortify the school’s competitive edge in film-making and animation, as well as highlight the College’s design-forward identity.

Light is used to animate movement throughout the space, calling attention to the connection between the choreographing of architectural space and the medium of filmmaking. The primary façade on State Street is activated by a double-height projection/ viewing area and various types of classrooms and production areas, linked by a ramped circulation route. The plan is organized to maximize use of indoor and outdoor space to the advantage of film-making and viewing, and also provide space for students in different disciplines to interact.

The building is on track for LEED Silver certification; it will feature 50% green roof area and will strive to promote more sustainable practices in both building and film-making.

Jeanne Gang's Cinematic Space at Columbia College

Last week saw the groundbreaking for the Media Production Center at Columbia College, designed by Jeanne Gang and Studio/Gang Architects. The 38,000 square-foot, $21,000,000 facility is the first entirely new building commissioned by Columbia, a hermit crab which over a century of history has always found its spaces in buildings built for others, becoming, in the process, the savior and caretaker of such landmarks as William LeBaron Jenney's Ludington Building and Howard van Doren Shaw's former Lakeside Press building.

In an interview that is part of an excellent overview of the project by Ann Wiens in Demo 8, the

magazine of the Columbia College, Gang talks about how she researched and conceived the project, which will include two film/video sound stages, a motion capture studio, animation lab and classrooms among its spaces.

“What has become the most interesting thing for us,” Gang told Wiens, “is realizing how much there is in common between making films and making architecture. When we think about space, we think about it in very similar ways: What do you see when you come around this corner? What is in the foreground and the background? Setting up a long shot, a frame within a frame, you’re constructing space too, but film has a different language for it.”

Wien reports that Gang prepared by watching a list of favorite films provided by Doreen Bartoni, dean of Columbia's School of Media Arts ". . . with an eye toward how the cinematic space was constructed. At Studio Gang’s offices, architectural sketches for various views within the building are pinned to the wall alongside stills from films that relate to them . . Gesturing toward a rendering of a ramp that runs the length of the building’s interior façade, she says, 'As you’re moving up the ramp, you get this experience of the shadows from the glass being drawn across the space,' noting that it is inspired in part by the way Hitchcock used shadows and stairs to designate the passage of time in his films." (With those black silhouette people, the rendering at the top of the page has a definite Saul Bass-like feel to it.) Read the full story here.

We've written about architecture in film before, also talking about Hitchcock's expressive mastery with

architectural tectonics and space. There's now an entire book of the subject, which I'm going to have to pick up, The Wrong House: The Architecture of Alfred Hitchcock, by Steven Jacobs, which explores how the director's use of architecture gave a psychological grounding to the emotions of his films, from the self-contained universe of the courtyard set for Rear Window, to the claustrophobic interiors of Psycho. (Is there anyone who's seen that film who doesn't feel they know and have lived in that house from the second floor hallway to the bare-bulb lit cellar?)

Cinema creates narrative spaces and, Hedrich-Blessing notwithstanding, architecture does, as well. Still photographs of the built environment, no matter how expressive or stunningly beautiful, in the last analysis flatten architecture, stamping out any feeling of how a building is actually experienced, of how it changes second by second with the shifting of the light and the continuously changing perspective of our bodies as they move through it.

In his best films, Hitchcock depended on key collaborators such as Saul Bass, whose stunning title sequences for films such as Psycho and Vertigo create psychological spaces for the audience, a decompression chamber that acclimates them to the environment they are about to enter. The brilliant music of Bernard Hermann creates a very specific acoustic space for that same audience. Just as the sound waves bouncing off a wall define the dimensions and character of a space for its inhabitants, Hermann's music sets the emotional space of a scene.

Hitchcock also worked with a series of extremely talented production designers, including Henry Bumstead, whose extraordinary, nearly 60 year career stretched all the way from My Fred Irma in 1949 to a long association with Clint Eastwood that ended with Letters from Iwo Jima, just before Bumstead's

death at 91 in 2006. His work for Hitchcock not only included classics such as the remake of The Man Who Knew Too Much and Vertigo, but, as related by Jacobs, also included "interventions" at the director's Scotts Valley estate, and furniture, gates and grilles for another house in Bel-Air. You can read Jacob's introduction to his book here, and, should you happen to understand Dutch, can enjoy an in interview with the author on YouTube here.

Creative Media Centre

Hong Kong

The Creative Media Centre for the City University of Hong Kong will provide facilities that will enable the University to become the first in Asia to offer the highest level of education and training in the creative media fields. The Centre will house the Centre for Media Technology and the Department of Computer Engineering and Information Technology. Studio Daniel Libeskind is working with Leigh & Orange Architects and expects the building to be completed in 2010.

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The distinctive crystalline design will create an extraordinary range of spaces rich in form, light, and material that, together, will create an inspiring environment for research and creativity. Internal activity spaces have been designed specifically to encourage collaboration through openness and connectivity. The Centre will also serve as an exciting place for visitors, who will be welcomed to enjoy the facilities as part of an extended public outreach program of courses and events.

The facility will also include a multi-purpose theatre, sound stages, laboratories, classrooms, exhibition spaces, a cafe and a restaurant.  Secluded landscaped gardens to the north of the building will be available for students and the general public alike.