T W O W O R L D S C O L L I D EH O W A R C H I T E C T S A R E

T R A N S I T I O N I N G B E T W E E N

P H Y S I C A L A N D D I G I T A L

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T W O W O R L D S C O L L I D E

Today’s architects are embracing digital technology more than ever before, as they construct buildings that have an astonishing impact on the physical landscape.

To do so requires a new skillset that complements that of traditional designers. Architects must now be able to successfully transition between screen and site, paper and pixels. Those wanting to make an emotional impact in the real world need to have the vision to make one in the virtual world too.

This report is a celebration of those accomplishments. We’ve spoken to leading architects around the globe about some of their most celebrated work, delving into the multi-discipline design secrets behind these extraordinary creations.

From smaller projects to large-scale structures, we look at how creative architects are combining the physical with the digital to design some of the world’s most beautiful buildings.

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Company: DDAANN Location: Prague, Czech Republic Architect: Daniel Baudis, senior architectwww.ddaann.cz

Company: GITC Arquitectura

Location: North of Santiago, Chile

Architects: Felipe Vera Buschmann, GITC partner; Rodrigo Belmar Expósito, GITC partner

www.gitc.cl

Company: Oppenheim Architecture

Location: Aqaba, Jordan

Architect: Chad Oppenheim, principal/ lead designer

www.oppenoffice.com

Company: Sivak + Partners

Location: Odessa, Ukraine

Architect: Stefan Gurtovoi, lead architect

www.sivak-partners.com

Company: Kuma Kengo and Associates (KKAA)

Location: Minamisanriku, Miyagi, Japan

Architect: Toshiki Meijo, chief of design

www.kkaa.co.jp

PROJECT:

AYLA GOLF ACADEMY & CLUBHOUSE

PROJECT:

CARBON HOUSE

PROJECT:

CASA CHAMISERO

PROJECT:

HOUSE ON FOUNTAIN STREET

PROJECT:

MINAMISANRIKUSUN SUN SHOPPING

VILLAGE

C O N T E N T S

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V I E W P R O J E C T

Project: Ayla Golf Academy & ClubhouseLocation: Aqaba, JordanInterviewee: Chad Oppenheim, principal/ lead designerweb: www.oppenoffice.com

For a project to become truly great, it often relies on a crucial element outside the control of the architect – the courage of the client. Happily, Carbon House near Prague, Czech Republic, had that in abundance.

The building is a regular family house, built as a home for a family of four under local regulations and a limited budget. But within these constraints, a fascinating structure emerged. Daniel Baudis, senior architect at DDAANN, said the client’s willingness to co-operate was key to the eventual success.

“What made this house so special was the decision to be brave,” he said.

Carbon House

W H A T M A D E T H I S

H O U S E S O S P E C I A L

W A S T H E D E C I S I O N

T O B E B R A V E

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Architects: DDAANN

Summary: The philosophy of Czech studio DDAANN is rooted in cooperation, with a strong focus on the implementation of both architecture and interior design.

Website: www.ddaann.cz

Project Location

Prague, Czech Republic

V I E W P R O J E C T

Project: Ayla Golf Academy & ClubhouseLocation: Aqaba, JordanInterviewee: Chad Oppenheim, principal/ lead designerweb: www.oppenoffice.com

Carbon House, which was designed in collaboration with Mjölk Architects, has a wooden frame system with an unusual façade. Instead of the more common larch wood, it features the ancient Japanese charred wood technique of shou sugi ban. The result is a house with a striking appearance that makes a strong statement on the surrounding landscape.

Yet despite its visual impact, Baudis says he is most proud of the way the house – which is built on a small plot – fulfils its primary purpose as a family home.

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V I E W P R O J E C T

“There are lots of tricks with space, such as filling the gaps under the stairs with a toilet, washing machine and grocery room,” he said.

Achieving these results began with a physical design process that had the project’s restrictions embedded from the start. The ideas flowed from this basis and into digital forms but, throughout the project, paper and pixels intertwined.

“We used a lot of hand drawings during the realization of the project, and for co-operation on the building site,” said Baudis. “We also print plans to scale, but they can be difficult for a client to understand and a physical model made of paper is best for their imagination.”

T H E R E A R E L O T S O F

T R I C K S W I T H S P A C E

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What do you do when a client asks for an iconic building?

That was the challenge that was set for Chad Oppenheim, principal architect at Oppenheim Architecture, when designing the signature building for the Ayla Oasis in Jordan.

“We went to the site and were fascinated by the surrounding mountains and the way that the site was a series of dunes,” he said, adding that he wanted to create something “silent, integrated into the landscape and that opens up to the surrounding mountains”.

Ayla Golf Academy & Clubhouse

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W E W E N T T O T H E S I T E A N D W E R E

F A S C I N A T E D B Y T H E S U R R O U N D I N G

M O U N T A I N S A N D T H E W A Y T H A T T H E

S I T E W A S A S E R I E S O F D U N E S

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Architects: Oppenheim Architecture

Summary: Headquartered in Miami and having won over 45 AIA Awards, Oppenheim Architecture crafts buildings with a balance of beauty and function and has projects spanning over 25 countries.

Website: www.oppenoffice.com

Project Location

Aqaba, Jordan

V I E W P R O J E C T

W E W O R K E D W I T H

E N G I N E E R S T O D E S I G N

T H E S T R U C T U R E

D I G I T A L L Y , B U T T H A T

W A S T H E E N D O F I T . T H E

R E S T I S H A N D M A D E

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To do that, Oppenheim brought together the physical and digital aspects in a process that allowed inspiration to flow.

“I was looking at the sand, sketching and drawing, getting the groundwork to understand the project,” he said. “Very quickly on the computer, we did 3D printed models and refined the shape. We worked with engineers to design the structure digitally, but that was the end of it. The rest is handmade.”

The result is a building with a tactile quality that is designed to show “the soul of the people”.

To help convey the message to the client as the building progressed, printed 3D models were used to make it easy to understand physically. Full-scale mockups were also created in an iterative construction where the building process was discovered on site.

“There is always a limit between dream and reality,” said Oppenheim. “The biggest miracle is how to do something this spectacular to a budget. Anyone can do an expensive building. We were looking to accomplish more with less. Everything you see is what you get. There is no hidden structure – this is a pure expression of the emotion emanating from the site. This isn’t a highly polished project – we wanted soul and character.”

T H E B I G G E S T

M I R A C L E I S H O W

T O D O S O M E T H I N G

T H I S S P E C T A C U L A R

T O A B U D G E T

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W E ’ R E M O S T

P R O U D O F H A V I N G

M A N A G E D T O F U L F I L L

T H E C L I E N T ’ S

E X P E C T A T I O N S A N D

M E E T T H E E X E C U T I O N

D E A D L I N E S

Casa Chamisero, situated north of Santiago in Chile, is a compelling building. Defined by a piece of reinforced concrete, it dominates the valley it is built into through an impressive use of geometry that is both complex and efficient.

“With this project, we’re most proud of having managed to fulfill the client’s expectations and meet the execution deadlines,” said GITC Arquitectura Partners Felipe Vera Buschmann and Rodrigo Belmar Expósito.

The 750m2 building serves as a family home, and features a piano nobile that contains the main access, parking, common areas, backyard and pool. There are also spaces for parties and family gatherings. The bedrooms are on the second level, while the basement contains a multi-use recreational area that includes a movie theatre and aquariums.

Casa Chamisero

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Architects: GITC Arquitectura

Summary: Chilean studio GITC takes projects from concept to construction, creating buildings that respond to the demands of the environment and the needs of the customer.

Website: www.gitc.cl

Project Location

Santiago, Chile

The design of the project benefitted from a successful combination of physical and digital processes.

Initial sketches were made by hand, with 3D modelling software SketchUp then used to develop those designs through many different variations.

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Once the main proposals for the building were fully defined, the modelling was done using building information modelling (BIM) software.

But Buschmann and Expósito express a desire to make the blend between physical and digital even more harmonious.

“It would be interesting to be able to integrate both, with the understanding that currently they are separated by the possibilities that each of them delivers,” they said.

“[For example] it would be interesting to be able to draw in colors and have software that can then interpret the sketches, for instance by differentiating colors with depths.

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I T W O U L D B E I N T E R E S T I N G T O B E

A B L E T O D R A W I N C O L O R S A N D H A V E

S O F T W A R E T H A T C A N I N T E R P R E T T H E

S K E T C H E S

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This private house in Odessa, Ukraine, is a mix of old and new, of tradition and modernity. It’s a combination that creates an impressive stylish structure that is rooted securely in time and place.

“We are proud of the fact that we managed to use construction materials that are authentic for Odessa in modern forms,” said Stefan Gurtovoi, lead architect at Sivak + Partners. “Especially the yellow coquina, from which the majority of historical buildings are built with.”

House on Fountain Street

W E A R E P R O U D O F T H E F A C T T H A T

W E M A N A G E D T O U S E C O N S T R U C T I O N

M A T E R I A L S T H A T A R E A U T H E N T I C F O R

O D E S S A I N M O D E R N F O R M S

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Architects: Sivak + Partners

Summary: This studio, based in Ukraine, works with both private and corporate clients to create a wide range of buildings and currently has projects being built in over 10 countries.

Website: www.sivak-partners.com

Project Location

Odessa, Ukraine

And just like the blend of classic and contemporary in the final construction, achieving the end result required the combined efforts of paper practicalities and electronic efficiencies.

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Communication with clients, including reviewing designs and making required changes, is mainly done electronically, for instance. Printed copies are essential as legal documents and to provide clarity for builders.

“Despite the fact that digital technologies have greatly changed the profession of the architect, we have not abandoned the traditional design methods” said Gurtovoi.

“We actively use sketching and form search in mock-ups. The internet helps us to follow trends, to be inspired and to discover new ways of solving old problems.”

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D E S P I T E T H E F A C T T H A T D I G I T A L

T E C H N O L O G I E S H A V E G R E A T L Y

C H A N G E D T H E P R O F E S S I O N O F

T H E A R C H I T E C T , W E H A V E N O T

A B A N D O N E D T H E T R A D I T I O N A L

D E S I G N M E T H O D S

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The Sun Sun Shopping Village in Minamisanriku was a project born out of catastrophe. Back in 2011 a tsunami destroyed nearly 110,000 buildings and damaged twice that number along the Pacific coast of Japan. The mammoth task of replacing and redesigning these structures to restore these shattered communities has utilized both the latest digital technology and traditional Japanese craftmanship.

Minamisanriku Sun Sun Shopping Village

Architects: Kuma Kengo and Associates (KKAA)

Summary: Based in Tokyo and Paris, Kengo Kuma and Associates is known for its large-scale timber structures inspired by Japanese architecture, construction techniques and styles. A Kengo Kuma building is humble, holistic and often informed by nature. While known for his work across Japan, Kuma completed the V&A in Dundee, Scotland, in September 2018 and is also highly active in the French architecture scene.

Website: www.kkaa.co.jp

Project Location

Minamisanriku, Miyagi, Japan

“ W E T H O U G H T A B O U T H O W

T H E C I T Y ’ S H I S T O R Y I S

I N T E R T W I N E D W I T H T H E S E A

A N D W E W A N T E D T O P U R S U E

A W A Y T O I N C O R P O R A T E

I T S A F E L Y ”

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“We wanted to pursue a way where we could incorporate the sea safely into our master plan. So, we raised the ground and when it was stabilized embarked on the retail complex,” said chief of design, Toshiko Meijo.

He explained how they drew inspiration from the town’s history of low-rise buildings, its fishing industry and the way shop owners displayed goods at their entrances. The aim was to keep it intimate – with the feeling of a private home – onto which tenants could imprint their own identity.

KKAA successfully created a contemporary structure, which blends seamlessly into the historical and visual landscape of the city, by combining new technologies with established skills to improve workflows between the studio, contractors and the client.

“In early meetings with clients, we worked out ideas and simple designs using modeling on our computers. Clients tell us the 3D renderings make it easy for them to follow and visualize designs.”

He added: “We use digital technologies a lot. But that said, when have meetings or are working on layouts we are doing a lot of sketching and writing by hand.”

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“ T H E P L A N H A S B E E N A

S U C C E S S I N A T T R A C T I N G

T O U R I S T S A N D R E V I T A L I Z I N G

T H E C O M M U N I T Y … S P I R I T U A L L Y

A N D E C O N O M I C A L L Y ”

DECEMBER 2018, T W O W O R L D S C O L L I D E4AA7-4368EEW December 2018