Mark. Another Architecture # 65

Mark #65 sees the realisation of the highly anticipated Port House in Antwerp by Zaha Hadid Architects. Are interventions always so dramatic?
As we head into 2017, should we be putting more consideration into how our buildings are demolished? As architecture students, we are taught that buildings end up in one of three ways: they are torn down; they are renovated for new use; or they exist forever. Sure, the latter would be nice but how much consideration do we really give to the prospect of ending up in landfill? In an infographic by TD Architects, Mark explores the potential methods and effects of demolition and why the design industry should be giving it more thought.

Mark follows architect Peter Haimerl back to his homeland of Blaibach to find out what sparked his interest in renewing the architecture of a small village in the Bavarian forest. One building at a time, Haimerl has helped to bring life back to a rundown area of forgotten properties by promoting the benefits of intervention in existing architecture and why this blend of old and new works for Blaibach.

Then again, interventions do not necessarily always have to fade into the background of the existing structure but can almost dominate it. Mark examines why the Zaha Hadid Architects’ recently built Port House in Antwerp feels the need to be quite so dramatic. The Belgian dock is one of the largest in the world and this is reflected in the enormous structure and dominating character of the new addition.

There’s a new craze for high-rise buildings in Europe and it’s all about the timber. Stockholm might be the latest to jump on the bandwagon – with a 34-storey apartment building in planning – but elsewhere on the continent other European countries are already experiencing the benefits (and the struggles) of the renewable resource. Mark takes a look at the new trend of building cities in wood and discusses the possibilities that it holds for the future urban climate.

Cross Section

Diller Scofidio + Renfro/Gensler; Fujiwaramuro; Nio; JDS; PLAYstudio/YES; V+; Idom; SO-IL/Bohlin Cywinski Jackson; Infographic; Michael Sorkin Studio; Studio Prototype; Tomohiro Hata; DRAA; Martin Dubeau/Jonathan Jacques-Belletête; Freelon Group/Adjaya Associates/Davis Brody Bond; Aranza de Ariño

Perspective: Blaibach

Peter Haimerl never planned to reinvent the village of Blaibach. It happened gradually. House by house.

Long Section

Zaha Hadid Architects’ porthouse reflects the ambitions of Antwero’s harbour
Keiichi Kiriyama builds houses like forests. Interior trees help to connect the inhabitants to nature
Father and son duo Marcio and Gabriel Kogan team up with architecture photographer Pedro Kok and filmmaker Lea Van Steen for a series of short films featuring some of the houses they designed over the years
Edouard François plants a nature-inclusive tower in Paris
Building high-rises in wood is becoming increasingly widespread. In Stockholm, plans are being made for a 34-storey apartment building
Fuhrimann Hächler built a house in Olten that pays homage to Le Corbusier’s principles of modern architecture
6a’s studio for fashion and art photographer Juergen Teller lends itself for a variety of photo shoots
Students on the University of Colorado Denver’s design-build programme creates a series of huts in perfect harmony with their forest location
Amateur Architecture Studio designed houses for the people of the Chinese village of Wencun. They don’t like them, but the tourists are happy to stay there
Joseph Giovannini talks about reading and writing, eccentric architects and about the Deep South, where people are still friendly