Clear
Magazine, (continued)
Craftsmanship,
in the traditional sense of work in wood or stone, may not
be the a quality of Van Duysen’s distinctly modern designs
that first come to mind; however, it is precisely an attention
to detail and profound understanding of materials such as concrete,
glass, and steel, and new technologies that allow his pure
and minimal aesthetic to take on their essential and even totemic
qualities.
He
describes his design process as a reductive progression from
raw material to an ordered and purified point of stable geometric
equilibrium. This allows his work to resonate with an inner
substance lacking in other minimalist designs. The movement
toward the essential is carried out from his conversion and
expansion for an industrial office structure, Concordia in
Waregem, Belgium to a linear yet sensual chaise lounge for
B&B Italia. Van Duysen’s signature of balance and
cohesion between form and function, decoration and structure,
effuse these works with a serene monolithic quality that transcends
their size and utility. The prolific activities of British
architect Buckley Gray and his young architectural practice
have brought a fresh wave of modernism to Britain’s urban
landscape. In addition the firm has moved beyond the city proper
and considered the habits of the upwardly mobile urban professional.
So far a concept only, The Rural Retreat reinvents the weekend
cottage for a generation of city dwellers that appreciate contemporary
design at an affordable price. By using an existing mobile
home park concept and reconceptualizing it to include two modules
that retain the basic dimensions of a mobile home. The modules
are reconfigured to create separate living and private spaces
and are connected by a courtyard that offers the one thing
traditional parks don’t privacy. A retractable roof over
the courtyard between allows the outside space to be used all
year round and combined with a floating deck, can fold to enclose
the windows allowing total security while the retreat is unoccupied.
And
back in the urban center proper a recently completed project,
The Q Building is a significant addition to Gray’s work
that concentrates the driving principles and aesthetic behind
the architect’s activities. The £2.9 million building
will play an integral role in changing the face of the neighborhood.
The Q Building, employed considerations of space and livability
that began with The Rural Retreat but were allowed to mature
in this five story development in East London.
The Q Building is a mixed-use apartment dwelling, located in the up-and-coming
city of Stratford and situated among the area’s central shopping square.
Gray’s luminous glass structure is framed within layers of natural
materials that present an attractive alternative to single-family housing.
Livability, privacy, and comfort command the building’s features. All
twenty-seven one and two-bedroom apartments come equipped with an external
terrace area. A faÁade of timber, glass, aluminum and dark concrete
blocks serve to maximize daylight into the flats while maintaining the comfort
and privacy of its inhabitants. The building is clad in iroko-slatted louvered
screens of natural anodized aluminum that serve as an exterior ‘curtain,’ allowing
occupants to directly adjust levels of light and privacy.
Not
limited to only large scale projects, the firm also scores
recognition for their smaller projects such as the redesign
of Britains Channel 5 head office to coincide with a re-branding
launch represented most dramatically by the change of the channel’s
trademark from Channel 5 to five. Gray’s thoughtful design
unified the new aesthetic with practical considerations and
inventiveness that created a strong dialog between the new
brand and the interiors.
As
well, the firm employed creative design solutions for a Bar
Room Bar concept that was limited by budgetary constraints.
The existing fit-out was removed to reveal a strong industrial
aesthetic of galvanized steel ductwork, steel beams and concrete
floor. The industrial feel of the building was retained, and
the exposed concrete, steel and ductwork sit in contrast with
new, large scale, finely crafted objects, providing light,
seating and finishes. The objects take three principal forms:
seating ‘pods’, inflatable ‘clouds’ and
a wall dividing front and back of house, punctured by openings
for bar, food service and DJ booth. Buckley Gray and his cohorts
are in the process of capturing the young British architectural
imagination with their innovative projects that enhance our
living, working and playing experiences while crossing class
and cultural boundaries.A concern for new modes of living in
the twenty-first century and alternative housing is also found
in Keenen/Riley Architects and Proun Space Studio’s 2003
prototype for an urban house in downtown Miami’s Design
District.
This conceptual project was designed to address American urban living by
using the “court-house” type of dwelling that has been a form
of housing since early antiquity. This idea of multiple single-story units
facing a central courtyard was also propagated in the twentieth-century as
a solution to working class housing. Mies van der Rohe in the 1930s saw its
potential as an alternative to the homogeneity of mass housing blocks. A
similar model dominated the postwar housing schemes of the Case Study House
program in Southern California, even the later mass accessible designs developed
by merchant builder Joe Eichler and others echoed this theme.
Continued
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