In this issue:
· It’s a Village Mitzvah!
· BMW Inspires Affordable Housing at Harvard
· Plans Approved for Residential Addition to Washington Hilton
· A Vacation in Prefab, West Virginia
· Century City Enters 21st Century
· Elementary, Middle School Goes Green in Germany

It’s a Village Mitzvah!

Village Temple.

Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership

Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership (LHSA+DP) recently completed the renovation of the Village Temple in Greenwich Village. Lee Skolnick, FAIA, a member of the congregation, was initially asked to assist in assessing the renovation and expansion, but ended up donating much of his own time to designing the building’s new façade. Rendered in a sandstone-colored stucco finish with a pattern of bronze reveals allude to traditional mortar joints. Bronze and stainless steel signage, new glass doors, a state-of-the-art video message board, and a glass entry canopy complete the project. Translucent graphics depicting the “Tree of Life” appear on glass doors, windows, and the adjacent storefront. Additional renovation plans include a warmer, more welcoming foyer, a more functional and attractive social hall, and a sanctuary anteroom.

BMW Inspires Affordable Housing at Harvard

GINA by BMW.

RMJM

RMJM is funding and participating in a project with designers from Munich-based BMW and the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) to develop a new affordable housing prototype. Futuristic housing concepts incorporate “elastic skin” technology. The inspiration for the program came from a team at BMW Group Design Munich who created the “GINA Light Visionary Model,” a car that has a surface made of elastic fabric rather than sheet metal, which means the surface can move, weighs less, and uses less energy to fabricate. Also, GINA stands for “geometry and function in N” implying an infinite number of adaptations — a concept that will hopefully be expanded on by GSD students.

Plans Approved for Residential Addition to Washington Hilton

Washington Hilton Hotel.

Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners

The Washington, DC Historic Preservation and Review Board (HPRB) approved Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners’ (BBB) design for an 11-story residential addition to the Washington Hilton Hotel. The mid-century Modern Expressionist building was designated a landmark by the HPRB in July 2008. Designed by William B. Tabler, FAIA, in 1965, the 1100-room hotel occupies a five-acre site on Connecticut Avenue. Due to the oddly shaped site and building height limitations, 50% of the Hilton’s program is below grade, including a column-free ballroom, conference facilities, and service areas. The addition is part of a larger redevelopment project, including a major renovation and rehabilitation of the hotel. BBB’s design for the new residential building echoes the sculptural quality of the Hilton, respecting its height and scale. Shared elements include curved façades and a repetitive modular aesthetic. The glass façade of the addition is an intentional contrast to the grid-work of concrete that defines the existing, while its semicircular form responds to the hotel’s geometry, creating two primary open spaces — the interior hotel courtyard and south facing residential terrace.

A Vacation in Prefab, West Virginia

lostrivermodern.

Resolution: 4 Architecture

Secluded in a steeply sloped wooded site in Long River, WV, sits a 64-by-16-foot prefab cabin available for rent. NYC-based Resolution: 4 Architecture (res4), a firm specializing in maximizing light and space in urban settings and the creators of the original Dwell (magazine) Home, designed lostrivermodern. Pairing the efficiencies of modular construction with the Usonian tradition of intimate, organic design, the firm strives to prove that modern prefab can be both spectacular and affordable. The cabin features a master bedroom, bath, and living space on the upper level, with a second bedroom, bath, and media room downstairs. Lostrivermodern is the first res4 home available for guests.

Century City Enters 21st Century

Century City.

Pei Cobb Freed & Partners

It’s been nearly 50 years since Pei Cobb Freed & Partners worked on the Century City Apartments in Los Angeles, and now they are designing a $2 billion mixed-use project on the 5.75-acre site of the Century Plaza Hotel for Next Century Associates. The project will feature two 50-story towers rising from a grand plaza with a 240-room Hyatt Hotel, 163 hotel residences, 130 luxury residential condominiums, 100,000 square feet of office space, 106,000 square feet of retail shops and restaurants, a spa and fitness center, and one of the largest ballrooms in Los Angeles. The design emphasizes pedestrian connectivity and sustainable design, and was inspired by the City of Los Angeles’ greening goals. The project is consistent with the Century City Specific Plan and will be LEED-Silver certified with green roofs and building materials. Ken Smith has signed on as landscape architect.

Elementary, Middle School Goes Green in Germany

Middle school lobby in the Elementary and Middle School Complex, Bavaria, Germany.

Mitchell/Giurgola Architects

Mitchell/Giurgola Architects has completed a new American elementary and middle school located on 17 acres in Bavaria, Germany. The complex is at the core of a planned community composed of a chapel, child development center, and a youth center, and will accommodate 1,400 students in 200,000 gross square feet. The two schools essentially function as separate entities — each will have its own gymnasium, information/media center, and technology centers — but share common spaces such as a multipurpose room, which includes the auditorium and cafeteria.

The sloped site influenced the design as three classroom bars rotate and step down the landscape in one-story increments, linking the school to the child development center and the youth center at its ends. The elementary gym and multipurpose room interrupt the bars, defining the entries. The media centers are also located at the entrances to provide easy access and to showcase their cutting-edge programs. The project also features a “green” roof. The classroom wings have ribbon windows to maximize daylighting. Adjustable sunscreens with solar sensors are installed on the south, east, and west exposures. The building is naturally ventilated with operable windows and utilizes radiant heating. Baurconsult, Architekten+Ingenieure served as the architect of record.