House of Peace by Ishigami + Svendborg
23/07/2014.
1st Prize [ Nordhavn-Copenhagen] Denmark
metalocus, INÉS LALUETA
metalocus, INÉS LALUETA
Danish firm Svenborg Architects, in collaboration with Japanese architect Junya Ishigami, has been named as the winners of a competition to design a “symbol of peace” to be constructed for Copenhagen’s harbour.
"House of Peace" by Ishigami + Svendborg.
Section. "House of Peace" by Ishigami + Svendborg.
"House of Peace" by Ishigami + Svendborg.
Ground floor plan. "House of Peace" by Ishigami + Svendborg.
Roof level plan. "House of Peace" by Ishigami + Svendborg.
Inside vision. "House of Peace" by Ishigami + Svendborg.
Their “House of Peace”, or Hope, is a 3,000 sq metre cloud-like structure that will seem to float on the city’s Nordhavn harbour. Svenborg Architects, and Junya Ishigami propose a white concrete shell supported by cones embedded in the harbour bed, its centre will be hollow, with locals and tourists able to board circular boats and sail beneath the structure’s undulating canopy. Visitors will be able to board circular boats to move through the cavernous interior, intended to look like lily pads floating over a pond.
"House of Peace creates an environment where people can open up to think of peace. It takes one back to the purity of being – ready to embrace the world," said the team in a statement.
The competition was launched by non-profit organisation the HOPE Foundation and is intended to provide a physical manifestation of the work done by the United Nations and other international peace organisations.
"...winning proposal meets every bit of the vision of our project," said HOPE Foundation chairman Morten Langebæk, who also works as an architect and designer.
"This is nothing less than an architectural masterpiece. A fascinating, poetic building and an obvious symbol of peace; at the same time a building, a sculpture and a symbol."
Description of the project by Architects.
Cloud as roof, ocean as floor.
House of Peace provides a journey of the senses. It creates an environment where people can open up to think of peace. Our House of Peace takes you back to the purity of being - ready to embrace the world.
The House of Peace is a symbol of peaceful coexistence. It positions itself in its surroundings as a landmark which conspicuously reveals itself to the outside world. At the same time it harmoniously embeds itself to the sites proportions, future buildings and the connection to the harbor and the water.
Visitors will be able to see the House of Peace appearing as a cloud floating in between the sea and the skyline.
With its unique appearance from every angle the House of Peace will be present in its own right as an element in the water and at the same time appear as an integrated landmark with a strong iconographic quality as a landmark at Nordhavn. An elegant sculpture which ads artistic value to the whole city of Copenhagen.
The building's organic shape and strong simplicity stands out in the harbors otherwise orthogonal and rigid character. The House of Peace captivates the sight by floating on the water as a cloud in the sky as a monument of peace.
Cloud as roof, ocean as floor
The cloud shaped sculpture becomes both roof and wall. The water surface will serve as the floor. These two important elements make an interior space appear on this location.
The space is thus always filled with new influences and will never twice be experienced as the same.
At the platform in the main room the visitors can board circular boats and enter the silence of the water surface. The boats can drift out into the entire room. The boats are floating seemingly effortless like leaves or water lilies on water.
CREDITS.
Architects.- Junya Ishigami + Associates, Svendborg Architects
Size.- 3000m²
Client.- House of Peace in collabration with Rambøll Denmark, CPH City and Port Development and the City of Copenhagen
Status.- winner, 1st. Prize.
More information
ARCHITECTS SVENDBORG
Svendborg Architects With 10 years’ experience from some of the biggest architecture firms in Denmark, Johnny Svendborg established Svendborg Architects in 2007.
They believe in contextual innovation, which means that, for us, understanding the context is the starting point of every project. This context is interpreted in terms of the site, but also in terms of the ambitions of the client, the user, and others who are part of the development of the project. Svendborg Architects enable clients to see new possibilities in their needs and within the context of the building site.
They believe that ethics come before aesthetics and respectful, contextual understanding is not in opposition to beautiful, innovative architectural solutions.
Junya Ishigami
Junya Ishigami, born in Tokyo, Japan (1974). Education:
1994 - 1998 Musashi Institute of Technology.
1998 - 2000 Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.
Professional experience:
2000 - 2004 Kazuyo Sejima + Associates.
In 2004 he set up his own firm, "Junya Ishigami + Associates". Junya Ishigami questions common understanding of architecture. This allows him to create things beyond trends, established principles and definitions, develop new structures, new spaces and organize the environment differently. He hopes his projects will be able to change the lifestyle of modern architecture radically and fill it with new values.
Main projects: Table. Tokyo, Japan, 2005 T. project. (First prize in residential architecture project sponsored by the Tokyo Electric Power Company). Tokyo, Japan, 2005 Balloon. Tokyo, Japan, 2007 Kanagawa Institute of Technology KAIT kobo. Kanagawa, Japan, 2008 Yohji Yamamoto New York Gansevoort street store, NY, USA, 2008.
Main awards: “low chair and round table” were acquired by the Pompidou Centre. Milan, Italy, 2004, SD Prize for “small garden of row house”. Japan, 2005, Kirin Prize for “Table” . Tokyo , Japan, 2005, First prize in residential architecture project for “t project”. Tokyo, Japan, 2005, “Table” shown at the Basel Art Fair by Gallery Koyanagi in 2006 and acquired by the Israel Museum. Basel , Swiss, 2006.
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