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    Leckie Studio designs penthouse inside BIG's Vancouver skyscraper

    A rainforest-style atrium with a cedar tree lies within a two-storey unit designed by Leckie Studio, located inside the new Vancouver House tower.

    The penthouse is found within the sculptural, 59-storey tower that rises up from a triangular site in downtown Vancouver, near Granville Bridge. The building was designed by architecture firm BIG and was completed last year.
    A rainforest-style atrium sits at the heart of the penthouseThe two-level apartment is on the northwest side of the skyscraper, where it is afforded views of English Bay and the North Shore Mountains.
    The unit’s owner desired an inviting atmosphere and spaces to accommodate natural artefacts and artwork from her travels. She turned to local firm Leckie Studio to oversee the design.
    The apartment has views far-reaching views of Vancouver and beyond
    The team set out to create a layered environment that looked both inward and outward, and was infused with organic elements.
    “Through an iterative design process, the studio and client arrived at a highly bespoke, biophilic design that is attuned to the passage of time,” the team said.
    A kitchen on the lower level features a giant islandThe unit is divided into public and private areas. On the bottom level, one finds a living room, dining area, kitchen and an office. A half-turn stair leads to the upper level, which holds two bedrooms.
    There also is a 167-square-metre roof deck that is accessed via a private elevator.

    Jürgen Vandewalle arranges Ghent penthouse around three blocks of furniture

    “The experience of the penthouse is quite varied, depending on the time of day and which space is being occupied,” said architect Michael Leckie.
    The unit’s focal point is a tall, glazed atrium filled with lush vegetation.
    The atrium runs alongside the stairwell leading to bedroomsActing as the “spine” for the penthouse, the atrium runs alongside the stairwell and extends from the unit’s bottom level all the way to its roof terrace. At the top, it is open to the sky.
    “Conceived as a microcosm of the Pacific Northwest rainforest, its centrepiece is a full-size, red cedar tree that lends a contemplative and grounding element to the onlooking interiors,” the team said.
    Finishes and fixtures are kept minimal in the bathroom”The ecosystem surrounding this tree will be sustained long term by a ‘nurse’ log, which replenishes the space with nutrients from decay.”
    Beyond the atrium, earthy elements are found throughout the dwelling and form a rich backdrop for the client’s belongings.
    Marble lines the walls of the powder roomAmerican black walnut makes up the woodwork in the living room, kitchen and bathing areas. The high-quality wood was also used for the stair treads.
    Travertine was used for flooring and custom-milled bathroom sinks. Smokey grey marble lines the walls in a powder room.
    Blackened-steel accents can be found throughout the apartmentBlackened-steel accents run throughout the unit and act as a counterpoint to the natural materials.
    The penthouse’s sparse furnishings include an oak-topped dining table with a cast-bronze base, and a low-lying, multidirectional sofa that support various postures and orientations.
    A lighting installation from Bocci illuminates the stairwellFloating in the stairwell is a lighting installation from Bocci that evokes a cluster of sparkling fireflies. The piece is made of copper and 122 glass luminaires.
    The rooftop terrace is meant to serve as an extension of the living space. It is fitted with a stainless-steel jacuzzi, an outdoor shower, a kitchenette and plenty of seating.
    The lighting installation is made from copper and glassFounded by Michael Leckie in 2015, Leckie Studio has designed a number of residential projects, including mirrored cabins that blend into the forest. The firm also designed Slack’s Vancouver office, located within a repurposed industrial building.
    Photography is by Conrad Brown.

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    Ten architecture projects from students at the Academy of Art University

    An aquarium designed to protect marine biodiversity and a healing centre using horticultural techniques to help treat mental illness are included in our latest school show by architecture students at the Academy of Art University.

    Other projects include a “public living room” that blends neighbourhood life with areas for privacy and a residential hub designed to enable economic self-sufficiency for residents.

    School: Academy of Art University, School of ArchitectureCourses: M.Arch M.Arch2 B.Arch MA and BATutor: Mark Mueckenheim, David Gill, Nicole Lambrou, Sameena Sitabkhan, Eoanna Harrison, Philip Ra and Mini Chu
    School statement:
    “We are a progressive design laboratory of highly passionate students and a distinguished faculty of practising architects who work together to explore the boundaries of architecture. Our interactive onsite and online studio experience harnesses digital tools to mentor students throughout our rigorous curriculum.
    “We offer an excellent design education by developing each student’s capacity to synthesise critical thought, architectural vision, and technical comprehension. Our programmes engage with current global issues, empowering students to be change-makers and leaders advocating for social equity. Our diverse international community enables us to propagate a unique cultural response to build a better world.”

    Outer Mission Ramp Library – a knowledge connector for rapidly changing communities by Yi Hsien Rachel Wang
    “The typology of library buildings has evolved throughout history, reflecting the changes in information systems and learning activities. By combining social, functional and environmental benefits, the thesis is projecting a new sustainable library typology as a prototype for a public learning infrastructure.
    “The main conceptual idea is to design the library as a continuous ramp, connecting previously separated areas in the diverse local city fabric. The architectural intervention shortens the neighbourhood’s physical and social distances by combining pedestrian bridges, casual and formal learning infrastructure as a public living room for residents to gather, work, exercise and entertain.”
    Student: Yi Hsien Rachel WangCourse: Master of Architecture ThesisTutor: Mark Mueckenheim

    Self-generating Architecture: Pier 28 by Valeryia Haletskaya
    “The design for a hybrid aquarium and research-development centre at Pier 28 on the San Francisco waterfront employs organic, metabolic and self-generating materials. Artificial organisms – protocells that in time grow into artificial limestone – help to decrease levels of carbon dioxide while reinforcing the existing structure and building its sea-wall reef, skeleton, and envelope.
    “Researchers, students and visitors share spaces for learning, interaction, and collaboration. The scheme offers protection for marine species and enhances biodiversity. The living architectural intervention is aimed as a long-term solution for coastal cities and other areas at risk from storms surges due to climate change.”
    Student: Valeryia HaletskayaCourse: Master of Architecture Thesis M.ArchTutor: Mark Mueckenheim

    Outer Mix Investigating mixed-use development as a means to fostering a healthy year-round community on the Outer Cape by Christian Fish
    “A lack of affordable, year-round housing has become an urgent crisis on Cape Cod, afflicting low and middle-income families depending on a largely seasonal economy. Outer Mix imagines a new residential, social and economic hub on a 10-acre area in the Eastham Corridor Special District.
    “Organised into four blocks repeated throughout the site, 95 residential units are combined with nearly 30,000 square feet of economic and social programming. This includes artist studios, co-working spaces, cafes, a library, daycare and community greenhouse. This programme mix enables economic and sustainable self-sufficiency and a community for residents.”
    Student: Christian FishCourse: Master of Architecture ThesisTutor: Nicole Lambrou

    Eco-Tecture – Unifying Ecology with Architecture by Kevin Brady
    “How can architecture enhance, improve and support educational and public awareness of the conservation and preservation of our local natural resources? Exposure and access to the elements of nature enliven the spirit, inspire curiosity, and encourages a ‘critical thinking’ response while promoting a healthy interactive lifestyle.
    “This thesis seeks to determine how architecture could positively impact an ecological setting that strengthens community health, productivity, conservation and ecological awareness. This design approach engages user groups with the natural environment while preserving the ecological habitat.”
    Student: Kevin BradyCourse: Master of Architecture ThesisTutor: David Gill

    A Living Architecture by Aishwarya Naidu Bobbili
    “This project is a healing centre incorporating earth and plants into its form and structure to create a holistic, sustainable space for wellness and rehabilitation. Farming, nature and architecture form a dialectic relationship. Horticultural techniques such as pleaching aid in the treatment of mental illness and serve as a therapeutic strategy.
    “Located in Bakersfield, near Oil City in Kern County, California, the site is near the highest polluted city in the United States. The project aims to aid in healing people with a tranquil environment that incorporates sustainable and biophilic design.”
    Student: Aishwarya Naidu BobbiliCourse: Master of Architecture ThesisTutor: Mark Mueckenheim

    Unity Pavilion for Northridge Cooperative Housing by Naomi Rojas, Shunyi Yang, Dylan Ingle, Rhonuel Domingcil, Fabio Lemos, Corona Xiaohuan Gao, Malak Bellajdel, Kenta Oye, Jacob Delaney, Harikrishna Patel and Daniel Cervantes
    “A design-build project by the B.Lab group, the pavilion fosters cooking, eating and storytelling within a community garden in the Hunters Point neighbourhood of San Francisco.
    “Due to a lack of access to healthy, affordable food in the area, the pavilion integrates counters, benches, and a movable kitchen table for cooking demonstrations using produce directly from the garden, while a series of frames offer shade and a vista of the bay.
    “The design was derived from several communities and youth workshops together with feedback from garden volunteers, and the pavilion was measured and tested on full-scale prototypes before construction.”
    Student: Naomi Rojas, Shunyi Yang, Dylan Ingle, Rhonuel Domingcil, Fabio Lemos, Corona Xiaohuan Gao, Malak Bellajdel, Kenta Oye, Jacob Delaney, Harikrishna Patel and Daniel CervantesCourse: B Arch Collaborative Project / Building Lab – b.Lab / ARH 498Tutor: Sameena Sitabkhan, NOMA and Eoanna Harrison, AIA

    Sign-Up Sheet by Daniel Joonhee Lee
    “The project investigates the relationship between the sacred and the political, and the role of the autonomous citizen therein. Sign-up sheets are simple yet contractual.
    “Where public services are exchanged, they are activating devices bringing citizens together to achieve common goals. Sacred architecture has been a beacon of alternative governance by becoming places of refuge and political action.
    “This thesis frames those events as distinct from the economic agenda of neoliberalism. Sign-Up Sheet reimagines the site with an urban sanctuary in San Francisco’s Tenderloin where non-profit staffs and community members live and work in a hub of collective activity.”
    Student: Daniel Joonhee LeeCourse: Bachelor of Architecture ThesisTutor: Philip Ra and Mini Chu

    Kid of Parts for the Bayview Commons Apartments by Adam Nuru, Markish Siojo, Dylan Ingle, Fabio Lemos, Xiaohuan Corona Gao
    “Through a series of community events at the Bayview Commons Apartments, an affordable housing community in San Francisco, we learned that residents wanted an active, intergenerational, and flexible space that allowed for relaxation, interactive play and community events.
    “Our final design incorporates a set of flexible, movable furniture that can be set up in different configurations. Intergenerational play, imagination, and socializing are emphasized through the design of different panels on the modular pieces. The colourful groundscape is coded to give clues for spatial use and provide a vibrant surface that complements the colours of the wall mural.”
    Student: Adam Nuru, Markish Siojo, Dylan Ingle, Fabio Lemos, Xiaohuan Corona GaoCourse: B Arch Collaborative Project / Building Lab b.Lab / ARH 498Tutor: Sameena Sitabkhan, NOMA

    Infilling the Void by Kenta Oye
    “Urban planning in San Francisco has confined ethnic neighbourhoods to inhuman spaces. My ancestral heritage includes the repeated displacement of the Japanese community to unwanted or forgotten territories.
    “The design reveals the lost layers of the site – where the first Japan town took root in 1900 – by activating the alleys, offering a cultural centre that borrows from museum and immigration centre programmes.
    “The act of making was the catharsis that enabled this community to cope creatively. Ceramic, wood, and sewing galleries are paired with adjacent workshops, providing spaces to congregate, exchange ideas and share experiences through craft.”
    Student: Kenta OyeCourse: Bachelor of Architecture ThesisTutor: Philip Ra and Mini Chu

    Urban Living Room by Zoe Qiaoyu Zheng
    “The project brings neighbourhood life into public space while blurring boundaries and creating conditions of privacy. Public programmes and varied open spaces blend traditional library and private spaces with adjacent buildings.
    “The design responds to natural light, wind, and views but also create opportunities to block visual contact with adjacent residences. People are welcome to celebrate their time here, and the architecture makes invisible boundaries to protect their personal space as needed.
    “This is not just a library or another place to hang out; the proposal also provides opportunities for people to safely interact in acceptable proximities.”
    Student: Zoe Qiaoyu ZhengCourse: Bachelor of Architecture ThesisTutor: Philip Ra and Mini Chu
    Partnership content
    This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and the Academy of Art University. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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    KPF designs Blue Pool Road semi-detached residence on Hong Kong Island

    Dezeen Promotion: developer Hang Lung Properties has unveiled the 23–39 Blue Pool Road development designed by architecture studio, Kohn Pedersen Fox, to “offer a unique lifestyle that combines urban buzz with residential comfort”.

    The site includes 18 semi-detached three-storey residences that are each equipped with a private rooftop, courtyard, five en-suite bedrooms, balconies and a garage.
    According to Hang Lung Properties, “The crown jewel of the development is undoubtedly House 31”.
    House 31 totals 850 square metres and is made up of two adjacent semi-detached houses with interiors designed by international studio Hirsch Bedner and Associates (HBA).
    A custom hand-blown glass chandelier emphasises “the verticality of the double-height living and dining area, which enjoys ample natural light”
    “From the very early stages of the design, we agreed that this was a great opportunity to create a timeless, modern yet opulent and comfortable interior,” said HBA Hong Kong associate director Paulo Dias.
    “And who were the clients they imagined this one-of-a-kind home for? A well-travelled, cosmopolitan couple, avid art collectors and patrons.”
    The artwork in House 31 is sourced from private collectors and galleriesThe house’s ground floor includes an Italian Boffi kitchen, courtyard and island bar for entertaining, while its landscaped rooftop garden features a barbecue and bar.
    House 31’s master-chamber floor is designed for privacy and includes a master suite and second suite, both equipped with walk-in wardrobes. The residence also has a wellness and spa quarter, study, games room and theatre. The interiors of the home incorporate Italian and local Hong Kong-made fabrics.
    Dias and his team chose furnishings to create “different layers that add interest and enhance the overall level of luxury,” according to the brand.
    Wooden and green coloured designs feature on the rooftop of 23-39 Blue Pool Road”HBA is known for developing bespoke finishes that make each project one of a kind,” said the developer.
    “Unique touches include custom-dyed wood veneers, unique glass and lacquer finishes and custom-designed carpeting,” it continued.
    “Other exclusive materials include exotic marbles, like South African gemstone tiger’s eye for the bar and cow horn in one of the millwork units.”
    The home is designed by Hirsch Bedner and Associates (HBA)The artwork across the home was curated by the in-house HBA team, sourced from private collectors and galleries worldwide. The living room includes works by Andy Warhol, Kazuo Shiraga and DanHôo in a “bold salon-style display”.
    “Elsewhere in the home are works by the likes of Damien Hirst, Lai Chi Man and Elsa Jean de Dieu,” said the developer.
    The home’s interiors are made up of Italian and locally sourced materials”The result is a living experience that is about “simplicity, elegant detailing and beautiful bespoke finishes, accentuated by unique art,” Dias said.
    “The overall impression is one of drama and luxury, but that is still welcoming.”
    For more information about 23-39 Blue Pool Road and House 31, visit the development’s website.
    Partnership content
    This article was written by Dezeen for Hang Lung Properties as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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