Transparency, in its simplest form, has fascinating applications in the architectural field, generating attractive and powerful proposals that play with light without obstructing views. While glass sheets have been the symbolic material associated with transparency, new technological advances in the production and exploration of innovative materials have significantly expanded the opportunities to take advantage of transparency in both interior and exterior applications.
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Location: Reston, VA
Product: Alucobond (MCM), Pac-Clad (Profiled Metal Panels), Equitone (Fiber Cement)
General Contractor: James G. Davis Construction Corp.
Architect: WDG Architecture
Virginia’s first JW Marriott will serve as an anchor for the future Row at Reston Station neighborhood. Designed to complement the Helmut Jahn-designed office tower across the street, the 26-story hotel and condominium tower will have 243 guest rooms, 94 residences, and approximately 25,000 square feet for meeting spaces, two restaurants, and more. The residences will have dedicated spaces and amenities, including an owner’s lounge, fitness center, outdoor area and dog park. For this project, MillerClapperton is fabricating and installing 52,000 square feet of MCM in four colors; 1,800 square feet of Profiled Metal Panels; and 8,300 square feet of Fiber Cement panels.
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If you’ve ever dreamed of living in a castle, Turkey was offering 732 identical castles complete with blue turrets and spiral staircases in mid-2014. Known as Burj Al Babas, the luxurious, 325-square-meter castles were being offered for $370,000 to $530,000 depending on their location. Even though sales were a success, local criticism, legal issues, and economic downturns led the Sarot Group to abandon the project in 2018, leaving 587 unfinished castles. The site now stands as a surreal ghost town, reflecting on kitsch architecture and consumer culture. Recently acquired by NOVA Group Holdings, the project’s future remains uncertain.
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Chicago-based Tom Bassett-Dilley Architects have been focusing on sustainable design, carbon-free and energy-efficient projects for residences, historical buildings, institutions and commercial projects. When it comes to the single-family home, once the great American dream, the firm argues that it needs to be redefined to emphasize minimalism, efficiency, health, connection with nature, durability and personal kindness, moving away from wasteful, artificial and toxic practices. In this interview, founder Tom Bassett-Dilley, FAIA, CPHC, LFA, discusses the firm’s approach to sustainable and healthy architecture.
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Recommendation: ARCHITECT Studio Sessions: Using Data to Design Great Cities
Hosted By: Paul Makovsky
Research has always played an important role within the architectural profession, and it becomes even more important as architects, designers and urban planners look closely at equity and sustainability issues, and how to make our cities a better place for everyone to live, work and play. In ARCHITECT magazine’s Studio Session, Editor-in-Chief Paul Makovsky talks with Marc Goldman of Esri and Al-Jalil Gault of Gensler on projects driven in part by research using tech tools, including geographic information systems (GIS).
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