Images: CMJN.
The Great Fen Visitor Centre is a convincing attempt to intervene in a delicate landscape that man has radically altered since the 17th century, but which nature has resolved into a stable ecosystem of great beauty and value. The Fens were marshlands drained for agriculture. Subsequently, great swathes of peat were cut from the land for both fuel and agricultural nutrient. The result now, is a series of waterways teaming with diverse wildlife.
The French Practice CMJN won a competition with this delicate proposal they liken to a precise surgical intervention that, like acupuncture, works to enhance the natural rhythms and resources of the body. Their aim is to cause minimal disruption to the site’s ecological balance, whilst restoring the landscape to work more closely with the annual cycles of rising and receding water. Read more
Transforming an ugly carpark with a temporary structure to host public events, no bigger than 8 parking spaces, was the thrust of the competition organised by The Flint Public Art Project and the American Institute of Architects.
It was won by Two Islands a London-based team with William Villalobos, Cesc and Thomas Massana Selva out of some 400 entries from 35 countries. Read more
Photos: Christian Richters.
Working to a masterplan designed by West 8, Tony Fretton Architects teamed-up with Dutch firm Geurst en Schultz Architecten to produce these simple, elegant houses based on an abstracted notion of the classic Dutch Canal House. Read more
Photo:Kevin MCClellan.
Cast Thicket is the winning proposal designed by yo-cy for an advanced structures competition run by the University of Texas. It is a study in tensile concrete. The aim was to make a heavy material look lacy, thin and delicate, so inverting the perception of concrete as a carved monolith. Read more
The Crescent House occupies a position verging on art. It also act as a mediator suggesting to others, ordinary things that might merit aesthetic consideration. It frames a hedge, transforms sunlight into a galaxy of stars, and calms the tumult of an outside world. Read more
