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Landscaping in Iceland and Webwork in Mozambique
We are located i Maputo for one more year at least and do not consider us global in any way. One just goes where there is work and interesting things to do. But it is interesting how we do projects in Iceland or UK or Norway while also operating in Maputo. Yesterday I went with Karina, my co-worker in the design department of ISAC, the new arts academy that I have often blogged about, to select the colours for the new campus. Today we are working web and landscape.
My private house project in Iceland is being landscaped at the moment. The construction starts after 2-3 weeks. Here are images that I got sent today.
At the same time we are sitting in the ENAV art school in Maputo showing the students how to create private wordpress blogs and therefore I am uploading this image. They are learning how to make their own blogs and how to work with photos and text etc.
Here are examples.
This is in a way a fun Saturday in the simple medialab here in Maputo. Andri takes some photos, we upload them and modify for size and then publish. Then the students are also uploading the same photos. This blog is maybe a bit chaotic, but it at least demonstrates to the students the use of web.
Private House Design Breaking Ground
Today was the day for starting construction of one of my designs. A private house in the outskirts of Reykjavik, Iceland. I have had long time to develop this project since the owners have not been in a hurry to build. The project is simple, a clear requirement from the clients. A private detached house for a small family. The location is a very comfortable site in a low location next to a small river and even with trees!
The picture shows the action from today and an elevation of the street side of the house.
Farm Project Continues
There is lots of activity on the farm that I am overhauling in Iceland. Now, almost all the parts that are to be demolished are gone and construction has started. I got these images sent of the drainage and recasting process. The engineers have been through most of their work, the components are ordered (after design work by my) and now the construction on site will be intensive for the coming weeks. Pity not being able to do a site visit, but that takes more than 24 hours flight and is very expensive. But being an architect is always great!Farm Project in Iceland
I have been working on the rebuilding of a farm in the North-West of Iceland. I visited the site during my Christmas break at home and had long discussions with the owners, a couple that are by now old friends and clients after years of working together on various projects. They bought the farm four years ago from the retiring farmers and have been developing forestry (difficult task in Iceland with no trees almost) and other activities for their leasure as well as a new and a fulfilling life.
The first discussion was to try and patch up the old farm building that is built ca 1920, cladding it anew with timber. This is common in Iceland and not very intelligent since timber is not great cladding for concrete buldings in the wet and stormy climate.
But the house is actually quite beautiful in the landscape, even in its delapidated state like can be seen from my photos on the shortest day of last winter. In a meeting with an engineer it was clear on his behalf that it would be cheapest to just demolish the buildings and build completely new. This in a way shocked me somewhat because the engineer did not include any of the sentimental values that are embedded in the old structure, history, form etc, and only thought about the price over the counter of building materials and work. Neither did he consider the environmental issues of destroying something that has larger value and throwing away. A typical attitude I am sorry to say.
In the end we decided together to reuse the existing structure, fix and adapt to todays needs and users. I have spent some of my time on this task, doing detailing and discussing with builders and engineering firm (not the same as proposed to pull down), and now the project has started on site. We have decided to cut up some of the existing concrete, adapt the cowshed into a studio and adapt the manure store as a utility room for farm maintainance. We are also pulling down some corrugated sheds that rather damaged the overall picture. The buildings stand proudly on a crest with dramatic mountain ridge behind. Being in Africa it is strange to participate in the project, being excited while not being able to do other than using mail for decisions, dialogues and receiving photos and reports. Here are some images from this weekend and one of the complex as I see it when complete plus one image of detailing that I am enjoying so much to draw.
