Pedro Gadanho - the view from a Portuguese architect in New York

Pedro Gadanho is a Portuguese architect, and from a year ago he is also one of the curators of the New York's MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). Pedro Gadanho is in Portugal to speak in two conferences about the role of curators as cultural critics.

At MoMA, Pedro is integrated on the team of the Architecture and Design chief curator Barry Bergdoll. This museum has one of the biggest and most important Architecture collections in the world, with more than 30.000 items.

About the European economical crisis, that greatly affects Portugal, Pedro Gadanho remembers that "when the Construction sector stops, architects are the first to feel the consequences". He defended that, with a scenery like this one, Portuguese architects should look for alternatives and search for other markets. "If we have values that are able to affirm themselves beyond borders, why shouldn't we do it?"

Pedro Gadanho's conferences will take place in Lisbon (at Instituto Superior Técnico, today at 18 PM) and Porto (at Faculdade de Letras, tomorrow ate 15 PM).  

Pedro Gadanho's photo: Paulo Pimenta

Land Cork, structures for ecotourism

Land Cork was develop as an answer to a contest of ideas for new concepts for beach support facilities. It developed itself as a concept to become an "ecomodular, versatile and sustainable structure aimed to ecotourism". Land Cork can have multiple applications: restaurants, coffee shops, accomodation, information stations and variable supporting facilities. It can be implemented on environments like beaches, mountains and natural parks. It is made 90% from wood and cork, with an area of 36 square meters for each module. Its composition and the solutions installed guarantee the thermal and acoustic efficiency and the energetic autonomy - the structure seize power from both solar and wind energy and reuses the raining water.

This project was developed by four Portuguese architects: Ricardo Paulino, Fábio Neves, Ivone Gonçalves and Luís Ricardo. This group of architects form ForStudio Architects. This team is now developing the Business Plan for this project.

Land Cork in one of the multiple projects that illustrate that architects can apply their knowledge to other areas than project drawing. "At this stage, we have to search, as designers, for solutions that are missing. We can not sit around waiting to know what is missing", says Ricardo Paulino, one of the authors.

Charging batteries for 2013 - MERRY XMAS

DIMSCALE will be out of office until January 2nd. This period will be availed for "charging batteries" for the next year. 2012 was a year of learning and a year to delineate new strategies. We see the next year as a year of realized opportunities and new paths. We want to share our optimism with our clients and partners, because, when facing difficulties, we all have to be part of the solution!

We wish a MERRY XMAS to everyone and a great 2013!

ShelterbyGG - a habitable sculpture

 
This project was created by the artist Gabriela Gomes to integrate Guimarães 2012 - European Capital of Culture. The challenge was to bring to the public space an habitable object, with sculptural and Design characteristics.

This module includes a double bedroom, a WC and a multipurpose zone at the centre of the interior space. It presents a strong aesthetic component, given by its peculiar form. The module was built only with Portuguese materials, mostly cork, that assured the acoustic and thermal efficiency. 

This project crosses Sculpture, Design and also Architecture - was also worked by the architect Sérgio Bessa. It also has a slope related to the sustainability: this module can be installed anywhere and be totally independent, due to the solar panels that give electrical energy to the habitation. Also, all the materials used in the construction are eco-friendly. 

We met the creators of this project also at Projecto Casa 2012. Check out more information on the official website (www.shelterbygg.com).

All the photos above were taken by João Morgado.

 

 

 

 

 

 

New partner in the Architecture reportage area - ARCHMOV

ARCHMOV was launched recently by the Portuguese Architecture photographer Ivo Tavares. We met Ivo and his project at the tradeshow Projecto Casa, where we had the opportunity to talk about possible partnerships between us. ARCHMOV is a concept of Architecture in Motion, which features the video format as an alternative to the photographic reportage.

Consult ARCHMOV's website to watch the first video of the project.

"The ARCHMOV team believes that can help you to empower your business by transforming your architecture projects into video, and spread them worldwide. 

ARCHMOV uses internet power and video performance to reach and connect with a large network of fans, equal peers, enterprises and potencial clients. Our goal is to reveal your architecture projects in a small presenteation video on the web, attracting an audience of millions who interact, work, post, discuss and share trough social media."

- in ARCHMOV website (archmov.com)

The third team farewell

Congratulations for the work of all members of this third team. Good luck with your future projects, we hope to meet again soon!

 

 

On the top of the stairs (from the left) is David Brownstein from Scotland, Tatiana Dourado from Portugal and Céline Marchi from France. On the bottom (also from the left) is Marco Paolini from Italy and Luis Torrescano from Mexico.

DIMSCALE at Projecto Casa tradeshow

We were present at the tradeshow Projecto Casa 2012 at Exponor (Matosinhos - Portugal), as partners of Arrebita! Porto. The event happened this year between the 6th and 9th of December. This is a tradeshow aimed at the Architecture and Design sectors, having been present several innovative projects related to this area, service and constructive solutions providers and several designers.

The stand of Arrebita! Porto, which was based on a maritime container freight, aimed to reproduce the original design studio. The team of international architects and engineers settled in on this studio during the four days of the fair. The objective of this presence was to disseminate the concept and the work already done, as well as the partners involved. Regarding the disclosure of the partners, was made ​​available to visitors several catalogs and product samples.

By day 8th, was held at stand an Open Working Day, where various partners made ​​a point of the work situation, together with the team. Our presence at the fair also served to make some contacts with other projects related to Architecture, wich we'll also divulge on this blog.

This was the last public event of this third team. At the beginning of the next year, a new team of international architects and engineers will arrive.

Some photos of our presence at the tradeshow:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revisão de Projeto no espaço DIMSCALE

Na passada semana recebemos a visita da Tatiana da terceira equipa de trabalho do Arrebita. Esta visita teve como objetivo levar a cabo um importante trabalho de Revisão de Projeto, em conjunto com a nossa equipa de Produção. Este dia de trabalho (intenso) cumpriu os objetivos traçados, tendo sido identificadas algumas incongruências e informações em falta e discutidas as melhores formas de corrigir e/ou completar essa mesma informação.


A Revisão de Projeto tem como base a análise de todas as peças constituintes do projeto e a consequente sinalização de eventuais incongruências entre as mesmas. Tem como objetivo fazer com que apenas prevaleça a informação correta. Este é um trabalho no qual o gestor de projeto deve colaborar com o projectista na resolução das incongruências do projeto.

Last week we were visited by Tatiana from the third work team of Arrebita. This visit aimed to carry out important work of Project Review, in conjunction with our Production team. This (intense) work day met the goals set, since it have been identified inconsistencies and missing information and discussed the best ways to amend and supplement that same information.

The Project Review is based on the analysis of all the constituent parts of the project and subsequent signaling of possible inconsistencies between them. It aims to get only the right information to prevail. This is a work in which the project manager should work with the designer resolving these inconsistencies of the project.

Revisão de Projeto no espaço DIMSCALE / Project Review at DIMSCALE's ofice

DIMSCALE está já a medir o projeto piloto

A DIMSCALE está neste momento a trabalhar no Mapa de Medições, Revisão de Projeto e Estimativa Orçamental do Projeto Piloto do Arrebita!Porto. Este trabalho está a ser desenvolvido segundo as normas internacionais SMM (Standard Method of Measurement), e será apresentado publicamente num dos próximos Open Working Days.

DIMSCALE is currently working on the Measurement Map, Project Review and Budget Estimation of the pilot project of Arrebita! Porto. This work is being carried out according to the international standards SMM (Standard Method of Measurement), and will be publicly displayed on one of the next Open Working Days.

Sexto Open Working Day

O sexto Open Working Day marcou a despedida da segunda equipa de trabalho. A sessão, que teve lugar no dia 4 de Setembro, foi também a primeira a acontecer no Hotel Intercontinental, na cidade do Porto.A primeira intervenção foi levada a cabo pelo parceiro IQ Energy, que apresentou os valores relacionados com o trabalho a seu cargo no âmbito do projeto: a eficiência energética do edifício.

A DIMSCALE fez também uma apresentação, na qual aprofundou a estimativa de custos da CABA (unidade modular interior) e a lista de potenciais empresas interessadas em fornecer os respetivos materiais como parceiras do projeto.

A equipa apresentou um resumo do Projeto de Execução, que se encontra já praticamente finalizado. Cabe à próxima equipa trabalhar a partir do projeto existente e iniciar a transição para a fase de obra. 

Todas as apresentações estão já disponíveis no blogue das equipas de trabalho Arrebita.

Após almoço com a equipa, a DIMSCALE esteve reunido com a mesma para continuar a discutir algumas opções para a CABA, tendo em vista a redução do seu custo. Esta otimização tem como objetivo tornar a CABA num produto economicamente viável no mercado. Esta deixou de ser uma solução apenas para o projeto Arrebita, tendo-se constituído também como um produto a apresentar brevemente ao mercado.

A DIMSCALE reuniu também com o parceiro NCREP, tendo também sido a CABA um dos assuntos abordados, nomeadamente a configuração da sua estrutura. Está a cargo do NCREP definir uma versão final (mais simplificada) da estrutura, para que possam ser calculados os custos associados e adicionados aos custos totais da unidade. 

A DIMSCALE dá as boas-vindas ao novo parceiro do Arrebita: o Hotel Intercontinental do Porto. Tendo-se constituído como parceiro, o hotel providenciará a partir desta altura todos os serviços de aluguer de salas para eventos e reuniões e dormidas de parceiros que se desloquem ao Porto para trabalhar com o Arrebita, colocando também à disposição o seu restaurante. De referir que foi prestado um serviço de excelência por parte do hotel, que será certamente um parceiro que trará grandes mais-valias ao projeto.

The sixth Open Working Day marked the farewell of the second team. The session, which took place on September 4, was also the first to take place at Hotel Intercontinental, in the city of Porto.The first intervention was carried out by partner IQ Energy, which showed values of the ​​work related to his responsibility in the project: the building's energy efficiency.DIMSCALE also made a presentation, in which deepened the estimated costs of CABA (modular indoor unit) and the list of potential companies interested in providing the respective materials as project partners.

The team presented a summary of the Execution Project, which is now almost finished. It is the next team mission to work from the existing project and begin the transition to the works phase.

All presentations are now available on the the blog of Arrebita.After lunch with the team, DIMSCALE met with continued to discuss with them some options for CABA, in order to reduce its cost. This optimization aims to make CABA an economically viable product on the market. This is no longer a solution only for the project Arrebita, it is also a product to present to the market soon.

DIMSCALE also met with the partner NCREP, and CABA was also one of the subjects discussed, including the configuration of the structure. Is in charge of NCREP to set a final (and more simplified) version of the structure, so that can be calculated its costs and added to the total costs of the unit.

DIMSCALE gives a warm welcome to the new Arrebita partner: Hotel Intercontinental in Porto. As a partner, it will provide all the services of room renting for meetings and events and overnights service to the partners that come to Porto to work with Arrebita. The hotel restaurant will be also available for Arrebita. It was rendered an excellent service from the hotel, which will certainly be a great partner that will bring added value to the project.

Cartaz do sexto Open Working Day / 6th Open Working Day poster