Viviendas en el Monte Hacho (Europan 5)

El proyecto contemporáneo debe aspirar a capturar las sugerencias de otras disciplinas. No seríamos los primeros en decir que la arquitectura no procede ni deriva necesariamente de la arquitectura misma. Es aconsejable aprender de todas las cosas y mejor aún, influenciarse de otras disciplinas. El arte contemporáneo usa la idea de "instalación" para explicar cómo la obra de arte puede mostrar todas las fuerzas, todas las condiciones que modifican o influyen en la conformación de un lugar. Al final, el objeto artístico desaparece, o mejor dicho, se disuelve merced a las condiciones iniciales del lugar previas al objeto mismo.

El crecimiento de la ciudad contemporánea nos arroja a este tipo de condiciones que están presentes en nuestros entornos aún no construidos. La arquitectura necesita negociar permanentemente con paisajes inestables o muy modificados, topografías imposibles y programas heterogéneos. Todo ello obliga a una concepción del proyecto troceado, disuelto, que atrapa los restos de un paisaje a veces inexistente que es posible imaginar.

El proyecto contemporáneo se mueve en esta difícil tesitura, más paradójica que nunca, que hace tambalear los principios de la arquitectura al tener que tomar prestado de otras disciplinas sugerencias que la hacen viable.

En su crecimiento, los nuevos espacios de la ciudad muestran el predominio del concepto "paisaje salvaje" frente al de la ciudad domesticada. En sus prolongaciones tentaculares, la ciudad debe hablar de este nuevo territorio descubierto.

El solar que proponía el concurso Europan 5 en Ceuta tenía estas características. Monte Hacho, un lugar plagado de fortificaciones incrustadas en una montaña rocosa, sufre la agresividad del viento de levante que sopla doscientos días al año a una media de 80Km/h. Además, la impenetrabilidad de la roca y la acentuada topografía han ido forzando a los edificios autoconstruidos de la zona a adaptarse a fosas, huecos y pequeños placines para colonizar la singularidad de este lugar. El emplazamiento, una antigua cantera, está lleno de fosos excavados para la extracción de piedra.

Las nuevas viviendas se protegen del viento, al tiempo que dibujan su azote.

PROYECTO: Viviendas sociales en Montehacho

PREMIO: Primer premio Europan 5 1997

EMPLAZAMIENTO: Carretera de circunvalación de Monte Hacho

LOCALIZACION: Ceuta

ARQUITECTO/S: José Morales, Juan González Mariscal.

COLABORADORES: Jesús Granada, Berend Frenzel, (concurso) Luis Valero, Miguel Hernández, Juliane Potter (proyecto)

MAQUETA: Magdalena Undurraga, Fernando Carrasco

PROYECTO: 1998-2009

CONSTRUCCIÓN: 2004-2009

CLIENTE: EMVICESA Ceuta

CONSTRUCTORA: Acciona

ESTRUCTURAS: Francisco Duarte

INSTALACIONES:Acuilu, Amoneitas, Dimarq

APAREJADOR: Reyes López Martín, Antonio Francia, Manolo Ariza

The NOOK Chair by Henry Sgourakis

Description from Henry Sgourakis:

When I think back to my childhood, my fondest thoughts are of running through my grandma’s house playing hide & seek. (the big post-war house on 3 acres of Australian bushland in outer Melbourne) I remember the mottled colours of the 50’s decor and, in stand-out white, the cro-cheted lacework doilies that decorated the sofa arms and the coffee table. (and well most surfaces in the room) I wanted to create a piece that drew on such warm memories, and would evoke the warm and comforting sensations felt as a child, reminding me of the simplicity of life as it was. In a world where technology seems to almost dictate our existence and when our childhood feels like a different lifetime, it is important to me to remember the past and carry those memories into the future, the beauty of this hand-crafted piece does just that.

The NOOK Chair by Henry Sgourakis

RENAULT 4 EVER

01 - the subject of the international competition contest is

RENAULT 4 EVER

participants are asked to re-design the renault 4.
the briefing is broken up in 2 main parts:

1- the look and its style:
the RENAULT 4 has been the third bestselling model in automobile history and
has become an international pop style icon. your new design project should
respect the identity of the historical R4 model, which was based on an extremely
functional and minimalistic philosophy.

the RENAULT 4, first presented in 1961, was an industrial mass-production model.
its innovative, low-cost but effective solutions embraced the entire population.
not only in france, or europe, but worldwide, as it transcended social boundaries.
before ceasing production in 1994, the R4 reached a total distribution of 8,135,424 cars 
in more than 100 countries. like denim jeans which are worn the world over by all classes, 
its creator and former president of renault, pierre dreyfus launched the renault 4 
as 'the blue jeans car'.
people of all nations expressed feelings of sympathy to the changes in society
of the sixties, which had been catalyzed in the peace movements, and the R4 was
a favorite means of transport for those young people itching to explore the world.

this year, the R4 turns 50. this competition aims to revive the R4's spirit
therefore, somehow your re-design should resemble the look of the
historic model and most importantly: it should look great.


2- innovative design and technology for sustainable mobility:
the cleverly minimalistic R4 used the technical know-how of its time at its best.
low running costs and the ability to adapt to all types of use granted the R4 an
illustrious 31-year career. the revolutionary approach to body design allowed
several different versions, including a van, a four-wheel drive vehicle and
a cabriolet. the sturdy construction and the low maintenance strategy of the model
made it suitable also for an off-road racing championship.
how would you translate this characteristics into a contemporary model?



like its illustrious predecessor, the new generation Renault 4-ever will be a people-centered vehicle. 
drawing from the heritage of the iconic original '4L', it will be a simple, practical, reliable and affordable 
car offering mobility for all. crucially, as a 21st century vehicle, it will be designed with the future in mind 
and according to the principles of the circular economy, aiming at achieving a positive impact on the environment 
rather than simply focusing on being slightly 'less bad'. 


---
02 - awards
the winning design will get a renault 4 that michel leclère (ex formula 1 driver) has driven
in the 2011 historic rallye monte-carlo. the car is based on a 1965 renault 4L 
(value of the car € 15.000 euro)



- the second price will receive 5000 euro
- the third price will receive 3000 euro

and as always, designboom will publish an exhaustive results report.




---
03 - jury 
the jury is composed by:
laurens van den acker, head of RENAULT group design department
ellen macarthur, founder of the ellen macarthur foundation
stephen norman, vp global marketing & communication RENAULT SAS
benoit bochard - RENAULT product planning director for compact cars
alice de brauer - RENAULT sustainable development directormaï ikuzawa, founder of bow wow international agency
birgit lohmann, editor-in-chief designboom
under construction



---
04 - design criteria 
projects should not be currently in production, it is important that you keep your design(s) confidential until the results of
the competition are published.
the jury will award designs and concepts which are innovative in terms of their formal and social aspects.
please don't send in vague concepts, but go a step further. it's not the idea which is the art,
it's more the way somebody handles the idea that makes art.


---
05 - registration deadline
application registration will be accepted through june 16th, 2011.



---06 - registration
registrations are open now, please fill in the form.teams register with one name only.
- when submitting works you should add all team member’s names.
register here





---
07 - submit your entry / entries
if you are entering more than one work,
please submit each work separately

you will be requested to supply:
1. up to 6 files for uploading to designboom
images or a composition of more images) of your project.
image size: 818 pixels wide.please upload at least the following 4 views:
- front view of the re-designed Renault 4
- side view of the re-designed Renault 4
- rear view of the re-designed Renault 4
- interior view showing dash-board
to upload your images please note:
use only .gif, .jpeg, (72 dpi) max 150 kb each file, RGB color mode.video clips: we accept flv or swf files only. file size: 640 pixels x 480 pixels - max 10MB.
the entry submitted is a low-res version of your original work.
these original high-resolution image(s)
will be requested only if your work is shortlisted.

2. explanation of ideas
a brief description of your design.
explain also how the car will be the first 'circular-economy-compatible' car ever built
what materials could be used to build it?
(english text only, explanation is expected to be concise)

3. you will be requested to accept the competition guidelines
competition guidelines: projects participating to the competition,
must be original works. projects must be free from copyrights
and any kind of obligation. the design shall not in any way infringe
any third party’s right, including but not limited to copyright, logos,
trademark, trade names, or other proprietary rights of publicity or
privacy. only entries with a declaration of authorship are accepted !
(when submitting your design you will be asked to tick a box of declaration)
submissions will open april 02nd


---08 – deadline for submission of entries
works can be submitted through june 20, 2011.




---09 - announcement of the results
results will be announced on july 2011
the jury's selection is final and is not debatable.




---10 - intellectual property rights
any moral and paternity right regarding the project sent in for submission is the designer’s property.
however, 
by submitting a design in the competition, the participant agrees to provide RENAULT
with the right of first refusal to the exclusive use of the design. this option is valid for 12 months after
the end of the competition. in the event that RENAULT exercises the option to use the rights
for production on an exclusive basis and sine die (without time limitations), RENAULT will make
an agreement with the participant on usual royalties conditions for the transfer of intellectual property rights.
and,
by participating in the competition, all participants authorise designboom and  RENAULT
to publish and exhibit all the designs (including project data submitted) – waiving compensation – at exhibitions
and events and/or to use them in any publications communications or promotions that designboom
and RENAULT may deem suitable and/or necessary.
in any cases, each time the creation is used, they must refer to the competition they originate from.
designboom and  RENAULT will credit the designer's name to properly attribute authorship
of work to promote the author adequately. RENAULT will have the right to apply
minor change amendments without damaging the integrity of the artwork – e.g. add the RENAULT logo and text,
reframing, translation, changing colors, cutting the background or parts of it, etc…
in case designboom and RENAULT want to bring major changes to  the submitted artwork for publication,
designboom and RENAULT will contact the designer and inform him/her
about the use to obtain the designer's consent.



---11 - questions?
inquiries to mail@designboom.com
make sure to write



---12 - info on RENAULT 4
renault.com/RENAULT 4
Renault 4's official Facebook page





RENAULT 4 EVER

The Volumptuous Sideboard by Edward Johnson

British designer/woodworker Edward Johnson has created the Volumptuous sideboard.

The sideboard will be on display as part of the 21st Century Furniture III exhibition (March 22nd to May 1st) at the Millinery Works gallery in London.

The Volumptuous Sideboard by Edward Johnson

case-real: minorityrev

'minorityrev' by japanese studio case-real is a high-end clothing boutique located
in a residential area outside of downtown fukuoka city. residing in an old zipper factory,
the design features a non-invasive green skin to maintain the identity of the original structure 
while giving it a new, transformative face. 



wrapped in a continuous plane of chain links, the exterior of the two-storey factory
is kept intact and honest to its origins. climbing ivy grows from a strip of flower beds
that run along the north and west side, continuously renewing the shop's appearance
while respecting the native facades. 


the interior is converted in a similar, nonintrusive manner, retaining the majority of
its industrial history by highlighting the factory's details: steel beams of the second level
ceiling are left exposed while structural columns lacquered in black regulate the shop
space on the ground floor; old assembly conveyor belts and stacks of floor boards serve as
display surfaces for the boutique's products. 

case-real: minorityrev