ARCHITECTURE REFERENCES - Paraty House, Marcio Kogan

Paraty House
Paraty, RJ, Brazil
Marcio Kogan, Brazil

Site Area: 50,000 sq m
Project Area: 840 sq m
Year: 2008-2009
Photos: Nelson Kon

"Paraty House’s two reinforced concrete boxes, sit atop each other, connected on the mountainside of one of the islands of the colonial city of Paraty and Angra dos Reis (between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro), like two modern prisms between the large colossal stones of the Brazilian coast.

The building projects outward from the mountain, almost onto the beach, in an 8m cantilever. The house finds balance in the topography of the land, creating an extensive open doorway and living space in the practically untouched nature. Paraty House features a furniture collection showcasing 20thcentury design, including works by many well-known artists.

The residents arrive by boat. After stepping out onto the sand a metallic bridge positioned over a crystal-lined reflecting pool leads to a set of stairs connecting to the lower volume. This volume contains the living room, kitchen and service area. The continual internal area has a 27m span and huge glass windows to take advantage of the view of the sea. The same entrance stairs also lead to the upper volume that houses the bedrooms. In the front part of the house, retractile panels of eucalyptus sticks protect the bedrooms from the sun. The areas that face the mountain have small internal patios with zenithal lighting, and use exposed reinforced concrete, which grants a striking texture to the walls. The entire top of the house is covered with terraces, used as observation decks for the residents, and as a garden for sculptures, medicinal plants and edible herbs."

 text source: www.contemporist.com

First Skype meeting with Arrebita!Porto new team

Yesterday we had the first Skype meeting with the fourth team of Arrebita!Porto, that will be in Porto to work on the project until March. Being all of them architects, they will be responsible to conclude the last details of the project and to initiate the construction on sight phase.

We made an introduction of what is our work in this project: to make sure that all the options meet a rational cost scenario, to quantify all the project, to give conultancy on constructive solutions and processes and to support the project raising the partners necessary for the construction materials, leveraging DIMSCALE's privileged contacts in this area.

The team started their participation by working on some details on CABA (the interior modular unit that will centralize facilities as kitchen, bathroom, laundry and storage). The team wants to give transparency to the ceiling of CABA, in order to leverage either the natural light and the artificial light present on the floors. Also, the team wants to give more visibility (from CABA's interior) to the wood beams on the master ceiling. They proposed a glass structure for this ceiling, knowing beforehand that maybe it would not be the best solution regarding the cost. It was discussed a solution with policarbonate panels, a cheaper and visually good solution.

The talk led to a discussion about fundamental aspects about CABA's appearance, such as the possibility of both walls and ceiling be in policarbonate. This option would have to be validated by the partners in charge of accoustics and energy efficiency. Also it was discussed more solutions to give CABA an unique design: the placing of a "skin" was one of them. This "skin" would be applied over a very simple structure, giving CABA the possibility of being personalized without any limits. DIMSCALE gave some ideas for its materiality, such as cloth, plastic or hessian, given the low cost of apllication and maintenance of this solutions. The team was challenged to come up with other new materials for this idea, so it's time to let the creatives work! 

After, it was made the current situation about new partners raising for the materials and constructive solutions needed.

This meeting was a very good starting point, and the team seems to be completely up to date with the project, so there is no doubt that they will develop great work in this period!

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ARCHITECTURE MIDDLE EAST - Burj Khalifa

   

BURJ KHALIFA

Skidmore, Owings and Merrill 

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Hotel, residential, corporate offices
Height: 818 m / 2.684 ft
Floor count: 164
Floor area: 334.000 sq m / 3.595.100 sq ft

"Burj Khalifa is a supertall skyscraper currently under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. When it is completed in late 2008, it is predicted to be the tallest man-made structure in the world, as well as the tallest building by any measure. Scheduled for occupancy in September 2009, the building is part of a 2 km² (0.8 sq mi) development called 'Downtown Burj Dubai' and is located at the "First Interchange" (aka "Defence Roundabout") along Sheikh Zayed Road at Doha Street.

The building is being built mainly by a South Korean company Samsung, along with the Belgian company Besix and the UAE company Arabtec. It was designed by American Adrian Smith before he left Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP (SOM) of Chicago to start his own independent practice, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture in October 2006. However, SOM continues to lead the architectural, structural engineering and mechanical engineering of Burj Khalifa. The total budget for the Burj Khalifa project is about $4.1 billion US and for the entire new 'Downtown Burj Dubai', $20 billion US."

source: www.dubai-architecture.info

 

The fourth team of Arrebita!Porto arrives

The fourth team wrote its first post on Arrebita's blog. Check out the first impressions of Madalena (Portugal), Sarah (France), Flavio (Italy), Ruth (Belgium) and Antonio (Spain). Access their blog here.

Welcome all! Hope to meet you very soon!

Our work at Arrebita!Porto

Arrebita! Porto is a social project that aims to combat the abandonment of the city center of Oporto, through rehabilitation at zero cost. The project is based on a collaborative system among young international architects and engineers, suppliers of materials and equipment and teachers of universities and technical schools.

DIMSCALE is a partner since the initial stage of the project and is responsible for the Financial Project Management. We have worked directly with the various teams of international architects and engineers who have passed through the project. Although this is a collaborative project that relies on partnerships and donations of goods and services, the optimization and the control of the costs assume great importance to obtain reference values in this area, with a view of replicating this model
in other cities. We have also provided support in the area of consultancy solutions and construction processes as a way to bring the project to the solutions that best fit its needs and architectural concept, always safeguarding the aspect of cost control. All work has been developed based on international standards SMM (Standard Method of Measurement for Building Elements).

This is also a case study on how we have worked with the teams that have been through the project – there was constant monitoring of all phases of the project from the Preliminary Study, which has allowed the collection of a lot of important information that made possible the search for the best technical solutions and more financially advantageous. This work has implications in the short term and long term, particularly in terms of sustainability and profitability of the building.

The project is about to enter the construction on sight phase. Continue to follow our blog to keep in touch with the Arrebita's last news.

DIMSCALE - Where To From Here

David Cardoso - Marketing and Communication DIMSCALE

We developed a strategy based on the assertion that a strong financial management is key for the success of any project. This strategy has also passed by the credibility of the work of Quantity Surveying, which in Portugal is not yet considered a project specialty and is often left to second plane. We rely on partnerships with various entities and on the collaboration with a social entrepreneurship project on urban regeneration - the case study Arrebita!Porto. We put into practice
different communication actions that have allowed us a closer and deeper relationship with our customers and partners.

Today we draw a strategy to continue the exploration of new markets and new opportunities to work on reference projects. We bet on the United Arab Emirates and Qatar markets and on the Lusophone
markets (Angola, Mozambique and Brazil).

At the same time, we want to solidify our presence in the Portuguese market, seeking to present our service to new customers as a way to be able to contribute to the success of their national and international projects. We work based on international standards, which are methodologies
applicable in any project worldwide.

"After we had put in place an affirmation strategy of the
importance of our work to the success of the projects, we are
now exploring new markets and new opportunities.”

DIMSCALE - Where We Come From

Artur Sousa - CEO DIMSCALE - Architect and Project Manager

 
DIMSCALE arises from our experience and training in the areas of project management, supervision,  Quantity Surveying and Architecture, and is presented as a response to a set of necessities for managing projects of Architecture and Construction. Based on the trust relationships we have with the people we work with, our mission is to bring real added value to projects.

We combine technical expertise resulting from over 20 years of experience with training in Architecture, allowing us to speak the same language as our customers wich in turn allows us to better understand the concept of each project. As a result we are able to better manage the conceptual, technical and economic aspects of each project, wich will lead to a higher consistency, credibility and quality of the project.

DIMSCALE specializes in the provision of services of Financial Project Management and Quantity Surveying. Having a strong specialization in the economic area, it ensures at the same time an integrated
management of projects that meet the goals set for its correct execution.

"Our participation in projects translates into capital savings by the real estate
investors, and into the safeguard ofthe final quality and the concept drawn
up by the project designer. " - Artur Sousa

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.