#44 Mar/Apr 2012

News and observations

• Municiple office by Carlos Arroyo, Oostkamp (BE)
• Helicopter landing platform by OX2, Aachen (DE)
• Extension to Ljublijana Opera by Jurij Kobe & Marjan Zupanc, Ljubljana (SI)
• Reality check: Vallecas Blue Housing
• Update: University libraries
• and more…

New projects

• Public space, Nicosia (CY)
• Kiosks, Belgrade (RS) by 1x2 STUDIO
• Modular wooden building system (NL) by Serge Schoemaker
• Office building, Paris (FR) by Anne Démians

Powerhouse Company: In pursuit of craftsmanship

Powerhouse Company's partners, Charles Bessard and Nanne de Ru, talk about their passion for a form of craftsmanship that transcends the traditional definition of it. Says Nanne de Ru: 'I wouldn't say our understanding of craftsmanship is the Swiss way, dealing with the act of building only; it starts with crafting the process.'

New buildings

• Culinary centre, San Sebastian (ES) by VAUMM architects
• Healthcare centre, Copenhagen (DK) by NORD Architects
• Crematorium, Kėdainiai (LT) by G.Natkevičius and Co
• Department store, Warsaw (PL) by APA Kuryłowicz & Associates
• Bank building, Innsbruck (AT) by Rainer Köberl
• Train station, Čeladná (CZ) by Projektstudio
• Mixed-use building, Paris (FR) by BP architectures
• Performing arts centre, Kristiansand (NO) by ALA Architects (with SMS Arkitekter)
• Music academy, Madrid (ES) by Langarita-Navarro Arquitectos
• Bastion, Prague (CZ) by MCA atelier
• Mixed-use building, Cuijk (NL) by Dana Ponec architecten
• Apartment building transformation, Paris (FR) by Druot, Lacaton & Vassal

Naturally exclusive

Natural stone or not? That is the question. Because nowadays what looks like natural stone increasingly turns out to be glass, concrete, plastic or metal. Thanks to new processing techniques involving printing, etching and dyeing, it is possible to create the same impression with lighter, cheaper and/or more malleable materials. Which raises the question of why, in this day and age, an architect would opt for natural stone.

Focusing on European countries, cities and regions

• Europe's liquid commons
• Tour guide: Cityscapes and streetscapes
• Home/Office: Carl Turner Architects' Ochre Barn and Stealth Barn, Norfolk (UK)

Buildings from the margins of modern history

Kirsten Hannema went to see a rare highlight of 1970s architecture in the Netherlands, Piet Blom's 't Speelhuis cultural centre and pole dwellings in Helmond. The cultural centre is in the limelight again because of a tragedy: on 29 December 2011, the theatre was destroyed by fire; the cube dwellings were damaged but survived.