Shigeru Ban (or the Architect that builds with paper) wins Pritzker Prize 20014

Shigeru Ban
picture extracted from Dezeen

This morning I've had a very nice surprise when I saw that the the Japanese Architect Shigeru Ban has been awarded the Pritzker Prize, the most important Architecture Award.

Shigeru Ban is an architect that I've admired since I discovered his work back in 2002 when I was studying my second year at the architecture school.

What it surprised me the most was the use of paper and cardboard as a construction material and his interest in volunteering by designing shelters to help people that had been hit by natural catastrophes and therefore, lost their homes.

His first designs for paper-tube structures were used to provide temporary homes for the refugees after the Kobe earthquake in 1995.

Paper Log Houses. Kobe, Japó. 1995

Sketch 1: Jorge Oteiza Museum. Alzuza, Navarra.

Sketch 1: Jorge Oteiza Museum. Alzuza, Navarra.

With this post we would like to start a new section in our blog where we will be posting different sketches that we've been doing for years.

Edifici de la Fundació Oteiza per @alambiLAB

This is a drawing that I made when I visited the Oteiza Museum with some friends from University.
It was a very hectic 24 hours return trip by bus from Barcelona where we spent the night in the bus and woke up in the cold Pamplona. The building designed by the architect Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza was completely surrounded by snow. As you can imagine, this was a very very quick sketch because it was freezing outside and our hands could not cope with so much cold,...

Architecture, Design and Feng Shui

Today, in alambiLAB Architects, we have started a Feng Shui course.

Some of you may already know what the Feng Shui is and in fact there are many definitions out there. Some define it as the ancient art that uses the available elements in our surroundings to make the energies of the planet more favourable to us. Some others define it as the philosophy that analyses our dialogue with the surrounding environment, considering this a reflection of our soul.

I will use the occidental definition of Feng Shui which I think it is easier to understand for us:
"The Feng Shui is the Chinese art of designing interior and exterior spaces harmonizing the human existence with the surrounding environment"

We could say that the Feng Shui's objective is to identify and interact with the surrounding environment in order to live harmoniously with it.

Image from salikatdesign

The architects work with spaces and spaces are surrounded by different sort of environments, sometimes more natural, sometimes more urban. Is that why we think that learning about this Asian art that relates spaces with landscape in order to create habitable spaces that are in harmony with our surroundings it is something that interests us.

Trips & Architecture: The Architecture of Berlin and the surroundings.

In this post I would like to show you some images from the buildings I visited when I went to Berlin. Most of the pictures were taken in September 2004 and February 2006.

My intention is to provide you with a mini-guide to the modern architecture of Berlin.

1- Berlin Philharmonic / Hans Scharoun

Berlin Philharmonic @alambiLAB 2006

2- National Library of Berlin / Hans Scharoun

Berlin National Library @alambiLAB 2004