Style of Design

Sweeping, dynamic and asymmetrical lines and bold structural design: KINZO’s boardroom conference table for the management board of Ernst & Young is a bespoke furniture that you won’t see anywhere else. This table seems to change its looks from every angle you look at it: Depending on your perspective, it could remind you of a starship, a deep-sea ray or a hydrofoil. Especially the asymmetrical lines enable an optimal use of space and make a significant contribution to an inspiring atmosphere in meetings. KINZO achieved ample legroom for 15 persons so no one will bump into the table legs – simply because there are no table legs. KINZO has taken a principle from structural engineering by fixing the table’s structure on a circular beam: the inner ring supports the cantilevered table surfaces.

Starting from the “heavyweight” chairman’s position, the table looks increasingly lighter and airier in connection with the opposing panoramic windows – a playful take on statics that creates a very dynamic vibe: In this way, the conference table reminds you of a rocket that is just about to take off – and break directly through the glass front. Four flush-mounted “media tanks” swallow unsightly cables and provide power and network access for laptops and other devices. Good news for cost-conscious design fans: Exclusive individuality, style and optimised functionality didn’t cost a fortune. – Thanks Daniela Kramer for the suggestion.

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Architects: BP Architectures member of Collective PLAN 01
Location: Epinay-sous-Senart, France
Project Manager: Solveig Doat
Structural Engineering: EVP INGENIERIE
Acoustic Engineering: ACOUSTIQUE VIVIE & ASSOCIES
Project Area: 1,500 sqm
Budget: $2,000,000 Euro
Project Year: 2006-2010
Photographs: Courtesy of BP Architectures

The nursery is located in the town of Épinay-sous-Sénart (near Paris) on the edge of a typical 1970s estate made up of 5-storey linear buildings and ‘small’ 12-storey tower blocks naturally characterized by tall, massive and rectangular features. These somewhat homogeneous buildings delimit the communal landscaped open spaces that appear overwhelmed by rendered concrete masonry. Recently refurbished, the estate projects a relatively calm image despite its rough social reality.

The land features a clump of tall pine-trees, an extensive grassy area that slopes gently down to the Yerres river and a view of the distant countryside beyond the opposite bank of the river. The project consists of 5 entities, all linked to childhood but each one distinct and requiring its own configuration and access.

site plan

Comparative study of both site and project generated a proposal that was in direct contrast to its immediate environment. The project actually developed into a group of small units at right angles to the main access road and alternating with strips of vegetation.

Each unit has a paneled roof whose slope differs according to the activities underneath. The height to ridge beam and therefore the resulting available internal space are linked to the room’s importance.

Outside, each project entity has its counterpart in its adjoining garden.

Unit One = infants department and shared facilities

The activity room extends into a sheltered patio designed to provide awareness of different textures and gently shaped with children
in mind. This garden includes the beginning of the existing pine grove. An outside covered area provides for activities when it is raining.

Unit Two = three departments: LEAP (meeting room for parents), RAM (child minder centre) and Family Care

Family Care is arranged around its main area, Reception and Activities, which also extends into an outside garden.

Unit Three = day nursery

This is located at the end of the facility and looks out towards the distant landscape beyond the opposite bank of the Yerres river. The nursery’s three sections have similar layouts: a south-facing activity room opening onto an outside play area and lit by colored light wells; nap rooms opening onto the play area and enjoying soft natural light; a baby changing room in the corner overlooking all the other areas; storage/cloakrooms directly accessible by parents from the walkways.

floor plan

A wide walkway at right angles to the three units provides access to the various activities and gardens. This corridor allows movement from areas open to the public to the most private parts reserved just for the children.

Wooden-framed units

The use of wood is highlighted internally by Fibraroc-type wood fiber chipboard panels to ensure excellent acoustic performance. They follow the roof slopes and thus contribute to the rooms’ chalet- style warm atmosphere.

The heights of the two lateral masonry walls that constitute the units’ gable ends vary according to the space immediately behind and give a crenelated silhouette. They provide external protection for the play areas and contribute to this feeling of inner tranquility that is at the very heart of the project.

Architects: BP Architectures member of Collective PLAN 01
Location: Epinay-sous-Senart, France
Project Manager: Solveig Doat
Structural Engineering: EVP INGENIERIE
Acoustic Engineering: ACOUSTIQUE VIVIE & ASSOCIES
Project Area: 1,500 sqm
Budget: $2,000,000 Euro
Project Year: 2006-2010
Photographs: Courtesy of BP Architectures

The nursery is located in the town of Épinay-sous-Sénart (near Paris) on the edge of a typical 1970s estate made up of 5-storey linear buildings and ‘small’ 12-storey tower blocks naturally characterized by tall, massive and rectangular features. These somewhat homogeneous buildings delimit the communal landscaped open spaces that appear overwhelmed by rendered concrete masonry. Recently refurbished, the estate projects a relatively calm image despite its rough social reality.

The land features a clump of tall pine-trees, an extensive grassy area that slopes gently down to the Yerres river and a view of the distant countryside beyond the opposite bank of the river. The project consists of 5 entities, all linked to childhood but each one distinct and requiring its own configuration and access.

site plan

Comparative study of both site and project generated a proposal that was in direct contrast to its immediate environment. The project actually developed into a group of small units at right angles to the main access road and alternating with strips of vegetation.

Each unit has a paneled roof whose slope differs according to the activities underneath. The height to ridge beam and therefore the resulting available internal space are linked to the room’s importance.

Outside, each project entity has its counterpart in its adjoining garden.

Unit One = infants department and shared facilities

The activity room extends into a sheltered patio designed to provide awareness of different textures and gently shaped with children
in mind. This garden includes the beginning of the existing pine grove. An outside covered area provides for activities when it is raining.

Unit Two = three departments: LEAP (meeting room for parents), RAM (child minder centre) and Family Care

Family Care is arranged around its main area, Reception and Activities, which also extends into an outside garden.

Unit Three = day nursery

This is located at the end of the facility and looks out towards the distant landscape beyond the opposite bank of the Yerres river. The nursery’s three sections have similar layouts: a south-facing activity room opening onto an outside play area and lit by colored light wells; nap rooms opening onto the play area and enjoying soft natural light; a baby changing room in the corner overlooking all the other areas; storage/cloakrooms directly accessible by parents from the walkways.

floor plan

A wide walkway at right angles to the three units provides access to the various activities and gardens. This corridor allows movement from areas open to the public to the most private parts reserved just for the children.

Wooden-framed units

The use of wood is highlighted internally by Fibraroc-type wood fiber chipboard panels to ensure excellent acoustic performance. They follow the roof slopes and thus contribute to the rooms’ chalet- style warm atmosphere.

The heights of the two lateral masonry walls that constitute the units’ gable ends vary according to the space immediately behind and give a crenelated silhouette. They provide external protection for the play areas and contribute to this feeling of inner tranquility that is at the very heart of the project.

Architects: BP Architectures member of Collective PLAN 01
Location: Epinay-sous-Senart, France
Project Manager: Solveig Doat
Structural Engineering: EVP INGENIERIE
Acoustic Engineering: ACOUSTIQUE VIVIE & ASSOCIES
Project Area: 1,500 sqm
Budget: $2,000,000 Euro
Project Year: 2006-2010
Photographs: Courtesy of BP Architectures

The nursery is located in the town of Épinay-sous-Sénart (near Paris) on the edge of a typical 1970s estate made up of 5-storey linear buildings and ‘small’ 12-storey tower blocks naturally characterized by tall, massive and rectangular features. These somewhat homogeneous buildings delimit the communal landscaped open spaces that appear overwhelmed by rendered concrete masonry. Recently refurbished, the estate projects a relatively calm image despite its rough social reality.

The land features a clump of tall pine-trees, an extensive grassy area that slopes gently down to the Yerres river and a view of the distant countryside beyond the opposite bank of the river. The project consists of 5 entities, all linked to childhood but each one distinct and requiring its own configuration and access.

site plan

Comparative study of both site and project generated a proposal that was in direct contrast to its immediate environment. The project actually developed into a group of small units at right angles to the main access road and alternating with strips of vegetation.

Each unit has a paneled roof whose slope differs according to the activities underneath. The height to ridge beam and therefore the resulting available internal space are linked to the room’s importance.

Outside, each project entity has its counterpart in its adjoining garden.

Unit One = infants department and shared facilities

The activity room extends into a sheltered patio designed to provide awareness of different textures and gently shaped with children
in mind. This garden includes the beginning of the existing pine grove. An outside covered area provides for activities when it is raining.

Unit Two = three departments: LEAP (meeting room for parents), RAM (child minder centre) and Family Care

Family Care is arranged around its main area, Reception and Activities, which also extends into an outside garden.

Unit Three = day nursery

This is located at the end of the facility and looks out towards the distant landscape beyond the opposite bank of the Yerres river. The nursery’s three sections have similar layouts: a south-facing activity room opening onto an outside play area and lit by colored light wells; nap rooms opening onto the play area and enjoying soft natural light; a baby changing room in the corner overlooking all the other areas; storage/cloakrooms directly accessible by parents from the walkways.

floor plan

A wide walkway at right angles to the three units provides access to the various activities and gardens. This corridor allows movement from areas open to the public to the most private parts reserved just for the children.

Wooden-framed units

The use of wood is highlighted internally by Fibraroc-type wood fiber chipboard panels to ensure excellent acoustic performance. They follow the roof slopes and thus contribute to the rooms’ chalet- style warm atmosphere.

The heights of the two lateral masonry walls that constitute the units’ gable ends vary according to the space immediately behind and give a crenelated silhouette. They provide external protection for the play areas and contribute to this feeling of inner tranquility that is at the very heart of the project.

© Hannes Henz

Architects: EM2N
Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Project Leaders: Christof Zollinger, Verena Lindenmayer
Project Team: Dirk Harmdorf, Elke Kirst, Sidsel Kromann, Verena Lindenmayer, Claudia Meier, Mathias Müller, Verena Nelles, Daniel Niggli, Claudia Peter, Frank Schneider, Christof Zollinger
Client: MCH Messe Schweiz (Zürich) AG
Construction Management: Bauengineering.com AG
Structural Engineering: Aerni + Aerni
Mechanical Engineering: 3-Plan Haustechnik
Lighting & Stage Engineering: Nüssli AG
Project Year: 2005-2006
Photographs: Roger Frei Architekturfotografie & Hannes Henz Architekturfotografie

© Hannes Henz

In the near future we will increasingly be confronted with the problem of building fabric from the 1960s and 1970s that no longer satisfies present-day functional and technical standards. One project that tackles this problem is the refurbishment of a theatre building in Zurich Nord, which, in order to run it as a going concern, required an additional 700 seats and a larger foyer.

ground floor plan

These programmatic demands together with the specified budget gave us the starting point for a radical transformation of the existing substance into a contemporary musical theatre. Our project ‘cannibalises’ existing elements such as the basement and the fly tower. The new volume reacts in a differentiated way to the various scales of the urban context. As a result we were able resolve the urban deficiencies of the existing building.

© Hannes Henz

Ideally, there should be a strong conceptual coherence between a building’s programme, its architectural expression and the construction costs. Due to the buildings in the surroundings – Messe (trade fair), Hallenstadion (sports stadium) – we aimed for a direct, raw and industrial kind of expression. During the day the façade of standing- seam perforated metal is reminiscent of industrial buildings. At night the windows behind the translucent membrane begin to glow transforming the building into an artificial lantern. The activities in the foyer are conveyed outside by large ‘eyes’.

© Hannes Henz

Architects: EM2N
Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Project Leaders: Christof Zollinger, Verena Lindenmayer
Project Team: Dirk Harmdorf, Elke Kirst, Sidsel Kromann, Verena Lindenmayer, Claudia Meier, Mathias Müller, Verena Nelles, Daniel Niggli, Claudia Peter, Frank Schneider, Christof Zollinger
Client: MCH Messe Schweiz (Zürich) AG
Construction Management: Bauengineering.com AG
Structural Engineering: Aerni + Aerni
Mechanical Engineering: 3-Plan Haustechnik
Lighting & Stage Engineering: Nüssli AG
Project Year: 2005-2006
Photographs: Roger Frei Architekturfotografie & Hannes Henz Architekturfotografie

© Hannes Henz

In the near future we will increasingly be confronted with the problem of building fabric from the 1960s and 1970s that no longer satisfies present-day functional and technical standards. One project that tackles this problem is the refurbishment of a theatre building in Zurich Nord, which, in order to run it as a going concern, required an additional 700 seats and a larger foyer.

ground floor plan

These programmatic demands together with the specified budget gave us the starting point for a radical transformation of the existing substance into a contemporary musical theatre. Our project ‘cannibalises’ existing elements such as the basement and the fly tower. The new volume reacts in a differentiated way to the various scales of the urban context. As a result we were able resolve the urban deficiencies of the existing building.

© Hannes Henz

Ideally, there should be a strong conceptual coherence between a building’s programme, its architectural expression and the construction costs. Due to the buildings in the surroundings – Messe (trade fair), Hallenstadion (sports stadium) – we aimed for a direct, raw and industrial kind of expression. During the day the façade of standing- seam perforated metal is reminiscent of industrial buildings. At night the windows behind the translucent membrane begin to glow transforming the building into an artificial lantern. The activities in the foyer are conveyed outside by large ‘eyes’.

© Bruno Helbling

Architects: Felber Szélpal Architekten ag, Solothurn
Location: Solothurn, Switzerland
Contractor: Galli AG, Surface and Civil Construction
Structural Engineering: BSB+Partners, Engineers and Planners
Furniture: Theo Jakob AG, Berne
Project Year: 2006
Photographs: Bruno Helbling, Zurich

The narrow form of the property together with its descending topography has amazing architectural consequences on the house itself.

The result is an elongated cube with two floors on the basis of an S-shape in section. Because the plot is inclined lengthwise, the interior corresponds with the spaces outside on opposite ends of the building depending on the floor. The entrance on the ground floor is on a level with the site to the east front, whereas the garden can be reached to the west from the terrace above.

section

© Bruno Helbling

A marvelous view on the entire alpine panorama can be caught on the upper floor, a quality which brings in a hierarchy between above and below. Beside the entrance and the carport, the ground floor consists of other serving rooms like the office, the utility rooms and the cellar. All the main rooms for living are situated above, they are almost entirely oriented towards the view.

© Bruno Helbling

The monolithic concrete body has an elegant attitude, it appears clear and hard outside, while it is soft and warm inside. By its internal insulation, the construction can be adapted to changing needs of the family in a simple and economical manner also later on. The statics can easily be recognized outside, a long strip of a ribbon window relates the house to the panoramic view.

© Bruno Helbling

The building is inserted into the site without effecting much earthworks. Surrounding plants, flowers and trees create a powerful contrast between figure and nature.

© Bruno Helbling

Architects: Felber Szélpal Architekten ag, Solothurn
Location: Solothurn, Switzerland
Contractor: Galli AG, Surface and Civil Construction
Structural Engineering: BSB+Partners, Engineers and Planners
Furniture: Theo Jakob AG, Berne
Project Year: 2006
Photographs: Bruno Helbling, Zurich

The narrow form of the property together with its descending topography has amazing architectural consequences on the house itself.

The result is an elongated cube with two floors on the basis of an S-shape in section. Because the plot is inclined lengthwise, the interior corresponds with the spaces outside on opposite ends of the building depending on the floor. The entrance on the ground floor is on a level with the site to the east front, whereas the garden can be reached to the west from the terrace above.

section

© Bruno Helbling

A marvelous view on the entire alpine panorama can be caught on the upper floor, a quality which brings in a hierarchy between above and below. Beside the entrance and the carport, the ground floor consists of other serving rooms like the office, the utility rooms and the cellar. All the main rooms for living are situated above, they are almost entirely oriented towards the view.

© Bruno Helbling

The monolithic concrete body has an elegant attitude, it appears clear and hard outside, while it is soft and warm inside. By its internal insulation, the construction can be adapted to changing needs of the family in a simple and economical manner also later on. The statics can easily be recognized outside, a long strip of a ribbon window relates the house to the panoramic view.

© Bruno Helbling

The building is inserted into the site without effecting much earthworks. Surrounding plants, flowers and trees create a powerful contrast between figure and nature.

© Bruno Helbling

Architects: Felber Szélpal Architekten ag, Solothurn
Location: Solothurn, Switzerland
Contractor: Galli AG, Surface and Civil Construction
Structural Engineering: BSB+Partners, Engineers and Planners
Furniture: Theo Jakob AG, Berne
Project Year: 2006
Photographs: Bruno Helbling, Zurich

The narrow form of the property together with its descending topography has amazing architectural consequences on the house itself.

The result is an elongated cube with two floors on the basis of an S-shape in section. Because the plot is inclined lengthwise, the interior corresponds with the spaces outside on opposite ends of the building depending on the floor. The entrance on the ground floor is on a level with the site to the east front, whereas the garden can be reached to the west from the terrace above.

section

© Bruno Helbling

A marvelous view on the entire alpine panorama can be caught on the upper floor, a quality which brings in a hierarchy between above and below. Beside the entrance and the carport, the ground floor consists of other serving rooms like the office, the utility rooms and the cellar. All the main rooms for living are situated above, they are almost entirely oriented towards the view.

© Bruno Helbling

The monolithic concrete body has an elegant attitude, it appears clear and hard outside, while it is soft and warm inside. By its internal insulation, the construction can be adapted to changing needs of the family in a simple and economical manner also later on. The statics can easily be recognized outside, a long strip of a ribbon window relates the house to the panoramic view.

© Bruno Helbling

The building is inserted into the site without effecting much earthworks. Surrounding plants, flowers and trees create a powerful contrast between figure and nature.

© Raul Pantaleo

Architects: Studio tamassociati – Raul Pantaleo, Massimo Lepore, Simone Sfriso, con Pietro Parrino y Gino Strada
Location: Soba, Khartoum, Sudan
Client: Emergency NGO
Coordinator: Emergency Technical Office, Pietro Parrino
Structural Engineering: Francesco Steffinlongo
Services & Mechanical Engineering: Nicola Zoppi
Site Engineering: Roberto Crestan, Alessandro Tamai, Claudio Gatti
Contractor: ISNAD Sudan
Site Area: 8,663 sqm
Constructed Area: 1,668 sqm
Project Year: 2008-2009
Photographs: Raul Pantaleo

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Looking at the amount of discarded containers laying around the building site of the Salam Centre we had this simple idea: to use them again in order to realize the required international staff housing compound.

construction process

construction process

The Compound placed besides the Hospital, in the surroundings of the Nile river, is realized around a great courtyard full of wonderful mango trees. It consists of 95 20ft-containers for housing and 7 40ft-containers for the cafeteria. Every lodging is 20 sqm and is realized with one and a half containers; the lodging is composed of bedroom, bathroom and a small veranda on the court side.

exploded model

© Raul Pantaleo

Peculiar care has been dedicated to insulation and energy saving. The containers are insulated with a “layer system”. Inside the container 5 cm insulating panels have been placed. The outside “skin” is realized with a second insulated roof and a bamboo brise-soleil panel system. In this way the sunrays never hit the containers. This system involves a huge energy saving. Solar panels also supply hot water for the entire compound.