#24 Nov/Dec 2008

News and observations

• FAT's Villa Heerlijkheid community centre in Hoogvliet, Rotterdam (NL)
• Dutch architects frustrated by overly 'correct' European tendering of design commissions
• Architecture competition inspired by Being John Malkovich
• Aalto houses in three short films (FI)
• Update: Euro 2012 stadiums in Poland and Ukraine
• and more…

New projects

• Hotel, apartment and office towers, Belgrade (CS) by BEHF Architects
• Conference and festival centre, Valle del Jerte (ES) by AMID (cero9)
• Park, Dublin (IE) by Agence Ter
• Cultural centre, Ikskile (LV) by FBRK
• Iceland Academy of the Arts, Reykjavik (IS) by Adept and +Arkitektar

Claus Anderhalten: Giving the past a future

Claus Anderhalten, who is well known for his conversions of existing buildings, believes firmly that the old must be respected on its own terms: 'an old building is very sensitive'. Nonetheless, he is not afraid of confrontation: 'We don’t build transitions any more. We no longer maintain a safety zone between the new and the historical. I don’t need to keep a deferential distance.'

New buildings

• Museum, Neuhaus (AT) by querkraft
• Children's play centre, Bonneuil-sur-Marne (FR) by LAN Architecture
• Social housing, London (UK) by S333
• Recreational complex, Bodrum (TR) by GAD Architects
• Retirement home, Hagibor (CZ) by Jan Línek
• Museum extension, Charleroi (BE) by l'Escaut
• Gallery and art school, Waiblingen (DE) by Hartwig N. Schneider Architekten
• Open-air altar, Brezje (SI) by Maruša Zorec
• Museum, Kalmar (SE) by Tham & Videgård Hansson
• Holiday units, Sub Piatra (RO) by SKBD
• Primary school, Pécel (HU) by Dezso Ekler
• Hotel, Valldal (NO) by Jensen & Skodvin architects

Feel good wood

Though people have been using wood in construction since time immemorial, the material has certainly not reached the end of the development line. As a matter of fact, there appears to have been more innovation and experimentation by manufacturers and designers in recent years than ever before. The current popularity of wood has a lot to do with its green image – it is a material that no one can reasonably object to on ecological grounds. But the interest in wood also has something to do with a prevailing aesthetic preference.

Focusing on European countries, cities and regions

• In recent years, all of Bulgaria's big cities have been experiencing a building boom, but the area receiving the largest chunk of the investment pie is the Black Sea coast, which has changed beyond recognition in the last four years
• Architectural tour guide: Anita Anteniske shows how rapid growth and young architects are impacting on Riga's cityscape (LV)
• Profile: AllesWirdGut (AT)
• Office: Ecosistema Urbano's white office space in a former coal depot, Madrid (ES)

Buildings from the margins of modern history

Between 1965 and 1968 Högna Sigurdardóttir designed and built a house at the bottom of a slope near the town of Gardabær. As Fernando de Mendonça notes, its introspective character is completely in keeping with the harsh Icelandic landscape and with the local tradition that a dwelling serves primarily as a shelter from the cold.