The company, Jagnafalt Milton, suggested that existing and new railroads could be built to provide the base for buildings that could be positioned differently depending on the seasons and on the weather. It proposed designs for rail-mounted single- and double-birth cabins, along with a two-storey suite. It also imagined lookout towers, kitchens, lifeguard stations, changing rooms, and — in true Swedish spirit — a sauna.

The idea, says the agency, was to use the city’s railway infrastructure — left behind from the days when it was an maritime construction town, building oil rigs — as a basis for its future. Konrad Milton, one of the partners in the company, told Wired.co.uk: “As we see it there are two major benefits. First, it’s easier to put buildings on existing train tracks than to demolish the tracks and build regular building foundations. Secondly the city of Åndalsnes has different needs depending on season.”

He continued: “Summertime the city is full of tourists from cruise ships and hikers — during this time there is a need for hotels and shopping. Wintertime the climate is harsh and there is less activity but a need for climate shelters and public indoor activities. By changing the building line-up according to seasons and events the city can become truly flexible.”

The jury agreed, saying that they were “impressed and charmed by the proposal’s aesthetic and visual qualities”. They added: “The light-surreal mood of the visualisation with a magic and Tarkovsky-esque atmosphere contrasts well with the sober and technical qualities of the plans and axonometric drawings. All in all it is a proposal that is consistent in its study of a single element’s potential to develop the city of Åndalsnes into a dense, integrated and ever changing scenography of rolling, cubic volume.”

Why rail and not roads? Milton says: “In this case the railtracks are in such abundance that it’s the obvious choice, but the idea with rolling buildings could work very well in situations where roads and other hard surfaces are in abundance — like old military airfields, harbors or over sized highways.”

Jagnafalt Milton has previously won awards for the design of a culture centre in Galway in Ireland, and for the design of a Sami parliament building in Finland.

Website:www.jagnefaltmilton.com/

The brainchild of PR teams Flint Public Relations and Theresa Simon & Partners , Biennale App is designed to make the experience of navigating the events and exhibitions, that run through from the vernissage to the conclusion of the Biennale, a much simpler exercise.

Elias Redstone, Curator of the Polish Pavilion at the 12th Venice Architecture Biennale and formerly senior Curator at London’s Architecture Foundation, says: “My abiding memory of Biennales is walking the streets, in increasingly frantic circles, sifting through a stack of timetables, press releases and maps to try to find the next pavilion or event. And then struggling to get a drink, let alone a meal, at the packed out restaurants and bars. All that will be a thing of the past, thanks to Biennale App.”

Working seamlessly with this year’s Biennale theme – People Meet in Architecture – the App will help visitors meet up with friends and colleagues, at what can be an unwieldy event, by telling users where the next thing is happening. The Biennale App functions include:

· Where am I? (and what is near me right now) – a detailed city map so that you can find your location, Biennale venue locations and get directions. It also helps you find useful places like museums and restaurants – use the restaurant booking link to make that often incredibly elusive dinner reservation
· Events – what is happening, where and when. A calendar of events with map locations
· Bars and Restaurants – find and book restaurants to make that notoriously elusive Venetian dinner reservation
· Live buzz – keep up to date with the latest Biennale news through the BiennaleApp twitter feed @biennaleapp

The 2011 edition of Biennale App will be a new bespoke version to guide visitors around the 54th Venice Art Biennale.

www.biennaleapp.com/

Designed by Graham Stirk of world renowned architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, NEO Bankside is a new world-class residential development situated immediately adjacent to Tate Modern. The project comprises 197 premium residences over four state-of-the-art pavilions, varying in height from 12 to 24 storeys. The first phase is due to complete in end 2010.

Sculptor, Brendan Jamison, who has made the models, is well known for his architecturally accurate sculptures made from sugar. Over the weekend of 3rd – 4th July, he will be leading workshops and family events at the Pavilion where children can learn how to build sculptures out of sugar cubes.
Alasdair Nicholls, Chief Executive of Native Land, said: “We are delighted to be participating in the London Festival of Architecture with such an original and eye-catching contribution.”

Background

NEO Bankside is a new residential development, designed by Graham Stirk of Rogers, Stirk, Harbour + Partners, which is currently being constructed on a site just west of Tate Modern, in Hopton Street, SE1.

To contribute to this summer’s London Festival of Architecture, the developers of NEO Bankside commissioned models made of the tallest of their pavilions (at 24 storeys) plus the development of the other three and a complete model of Tate Modern made entirely from sugar cubes.

Details:

* Over 80,000 sugar cubes have been used to make the models
* The sculptures weigh over 255 kilograms
* The sculptures took five months to make
* Brendan Jamison, Sculptor, www.brendanjamison.com

Website:www.lfa2010.org/

The exhibition opening will also mark the grand opening of the AA School’s newly expanded Bedford Square campus which will be open to the public for the first time.


Image:The project is a bridge design to connect 36 Bedford Square to the premises in 16 Morwell Street and has been designed by students on the March in Emergent Technologies department in the Graduate School.

Hundreds of drawings, models, installations and photographs will be on display alongside large 1:1 working prototypes, interactive media and even performances; all of which provide a snapshot of the latest thinking, experimentation and invention underway within the world’s most famous school of architecture.

Following in the footsteps of generations of graduates that today are leaders of architecture worldwide, Projects Review is an opportunity to see architecture’s future in its most compelling and unexpected form – in the drawings, models, designs and minds of an emerging generation today. Via:[FADwebsite]

Exhibition Dates: Saturday 26 June to Friday 17 July 2010
More Information: www.aaschool.ac.uk

Caruso St John Architects have installed this cafe in the grounds of an English 18th century villa.

The new cafe at Chiswick House Gardens inLondon is located to the east of the main house and provides seating for 80 people indoors and a further 100 outside.


Image: by Helen Binet
Here’s some more information from the estate’s managers English Heritage:

£12 million restoration of Chiswick House Gardens unveiled today

New café designed by Caruso St John Architects

The £12 million restoration of Chiswick House Gardens in London is unveiled today, 14 June 2010.

Chiswick House Gardens is a site of international importance both as the birthplace of the English Landscape Movement, and as the setting for one of the most beautiful houses in London. The regeneration of the gardens is a result of many years of campaigning, four years of fund-raising and two years of work on the site.

English Heritage (manager of the House) and the London Borough of Hounslow (owner of the Gardens) established The Chiswick House and Gardens Trust as an independent charity to drive forward an ambitious rescue plan for the Gardens and secure its future for the 21st century.

The garden restoration, managed by English Heritage, and supported by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £7.9 million, recovers the original vistas and design from decades of disrepair and underfunding, and also repairs and restores the statuary and garden buildings. The result is an inspiring balance between a historic landscape and a public park.

Highlights include the planting of over 1,600 trees, including trees propagated from the original 18th century cedars of Lebanon; the opening up of historic views from the Classic Bridge, the complete restoration of the 19th century conservatory housing a rare and internationally important collection of camellias; the planting of native trees and shrubs in the Northern Wilderness, and the restoration of the Walled Gardens, which will be open to the public on special days.

To complement the restoration, award-winning architects Caruso St John have designed a new café within the grounds, on a carefully chosen site close to Chiswick House on the east side. The new café provides indoor seating for 80 people and external seating for over 100, and forms the social hub for the park, with a newly created children’s playground beside it.

Chiswick House Gardens, spread over 65 acres, are known throughout the world as the birthplace of the English Landscape Movement and have inspired countless designed landscapes from Blenheim Palace in Oxford, to Central Park in New York. They were originally created by Lord Burlington and William Kent who worked on them throughout the 1720’s and 1730’s as a setting for Lord Burlington’s magnificent Chiswick House, the first and one of the finest examples of neo-Palladian design in England. For more Information and Images Visit:[Dezeen]
Website:www.carusostjohn.com/

This first stand-alone store will be located at 5, rue de Varenne on the Paris Left Bank

This single-family apartment for four people is situated in a stately building in southern Amsterdam, NL.
The original structure, with rooms for staff, a double hall and long hallways with lots of doors has been transformed into a spacious, transparent dwelling full of light and air.

A kitchen in combination with cabinets from floor to ceiling has laser-cut front panels, all spray painted white.
This pattern results in a dynamic mixture of open and closed cabinets, the holes also function as integrated handgrips.

The transparency of the object’s skin gives depth to the volume which is complimented by furniture like the Grcic chair one.An atrium with open staircases brings natural light from a large roof light into the living area.
Along the open staircase a wall of two stories high is covered with clear pine wood, and connects the two levels. More Images and info at Dezeen
Website:www.i29.nl/

25 June – 26 July 2010
Land Architecture People is a major exhibition which offers behind-the-scenes insights into how buildings are made – from the mysterious rules and conditions of land ownership through to the symbiotic relationship between architect and client. Conceived by award-winning architects Pierre d’Avoine and Andrew Houlton and anthropologist Clare Melhuish, the show dispels some of the mystique around the architectural design process. Land Architecture People opens in the vast subterranean gallery Ambika P3 in central London on 25 June and runs until 26 July 2010.

The exhibition explores the scope of the ‘one off’, as well as the potential for repetition and serial production, both within and beyond the realm of domestic architecture. It shows a selection of built and unbuilt projects of different scales by Pierre d’Avoine Architects and Houlton Architects, including some collaborations. At the centre of the show is a striking group of twelve large floor-mounted architectural models. They are complemented by drawings, pattern books, maquettes, writings, photographs and films. Clare Melhuish has specially interviewed a number of clients about their aims and aspirations for their projects and their relationship with the architect. Transcripts of the interviews will be shown alongside photo portraits of the clients, uniquely emphasizing the significance of the relationship between the different players in the design process.

About Ambika P3
Ambika P3 (formerly known as P3) is a 14,000 square foot triple height subterranean space in central London, converted from the vast former concrete construction hall for the University of Westminster’s School of Engineering. Built in the 1960s, its dramatic and impressive scale and its many retained industrial features, offer opportunities for a range of creative activities and provides an inspiring venue for the exhibition of art and architecture. The Ambika P3 programme is dedicated to innovation, experimentation and learning and, supported by the Ambika Paul Foundation, has been conceived as a laboratory and meeting place for practitioners, industry and academia, aimed at both specialist and general public enthusiasm for architecture, design, media, fashion and visual and performing arts.

www.p3exhibitions.com

Vancouver-based Patkau Architects have won the competition to design on-site cottages at Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s historic landmark in Pennsylvania.

The cottages will provide residential educational programs for students in the Fallingwater Institute. Patkau Architects designed six small, efficient and sustainable cottages that will serve as the basis for a final design. The cottages will be built by The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, which maintains Fallingwater, in the Bear Run Nature Reserve which surrounds the famous house. Via:[PSFK]

Website:www.patkau.ca/