AXONOMETRIC SECTION ACROSS A TYPICAL WILHELMINE TENEMENT IN BERLIN

HEIKO RÖSSGER

SYSTEMATIC AXONOMETRIC SECTION ACROSS A TYPICAL WILHELMINE TENEMENT IN BERLIN/ AXONOMETRISCHER SCHNITT DURCH EINE TYPISCHE WILHELMINISCHE MIETSKASERNE IN BERLIN, 1984

Sido - MEIN BLOCK

A different Berlin housing typology translation below wenn mann kein Deutsch sprechen kann


"Mein schöner weißer Plattenbau wird langsam grau..."


"My lovely white prefab is turning slowly grey"

The Nordic Pavillion_Benjamin's Wednesday Treat

The Nordic pavillion at the Venice Biennale finished in 1962, designed by Sverre Fehn.

In 1958 a competition is held for the design of the Nordic Countries Pavilion for the Venice Biennale (to host Sweden, Norway and Finland). Three architects are invited: the swedish Klas Anshelm, the norwegian Sverre Fehn and the finnish Reima Pietila. In 1959 Sverre Fehn is declared winner and by 1962 the Pavilion is completed. The pavilion is a single rectangular hall of 400 sqm, open completely on two sides. The roof is made of two overlapping layers of concrete beams. The distance between the beams is 52,1 cm and this changes only when the roof meets the trees. The pavilion is an example of the disappearing transition between interior and exterior. 

Photos courtesy of Marios Moros_(FLICKR_Marios Moros)

source: Marios Moros

Fassi Arts & Crafts Apprenticeship_Robert Rostron

The medina is a relic to the past. A distant memory of how things once were. Camera happy tourists swarm the streets. Artisans with weathered leather hands show off their work. The craftsman is a dying profession: But they are still the heart + soul of life in the medina. No crafts = no medina. The crafts + arts trade needs resurrecting. Where are the young Fassi generation in the medina? They have no purpose to live there. It doesn’t suit the modern Fassi lifestyle. Those in the new town without university degrees struggle to find jobs. There’s the market. There’s the infrastructure. A new typology needs creating in the medina: a school for young apprentices to learn the crafts. This new typology needs to see the balance between heritage + modernity: to adopt an ancient profession whilst still living a 21^st century lifestyle. This new typology will act as a catalyst for each district. The artisans and crafts trade will prosper. Young people shall return + breathe life back into the medina. Restore and regenerate: the evolving medina.

The Tourist Trap, Fez Medina 2011 _ Sam Westbrook

The Labyrinth   

The labyrinths a retail zone were tourist can come to buy locally produced goods, crafts and art work. They will be guided through the ground floor plan of the traditional courtyard houses that make up the existing cluster of buildings, re-configured the new transitional route will move the user from one Courtyard to the other passing by boutique shops and market stools, were they will be given the opportunity to purchase goods, whilst admiring the traditional courtyards and interiors. 

Movement through the Labyrinth follows a specific path, starting at one point and culminating at another. The internal layout of shops and stalls is organized around the nature of the products sold, clustering those similar together.

Artisans' Quarter_Joanna Hiew

Place Lalla Yeddouna is a public square located in the centre of the Medina. Rather than a social meeting place, this square has lost its purpose and is currently a wide passageway leading to the Medina. This project aims to revitalize Place Lalla Yeddouna through reconfiguring the public square, rebuilding the artisans’ quarter and reconnecting the public users to the Fes River.

The Artisans’ Quarter is a new artisan hub consisting of 3 main components namely, the: working and living spaces for the artisans, an exhibition and learning centre for visitors as well as a café for both local residents and tourists. Inspired by courtyard forms and narrow alleyways within the Medina, this proposal is conceived as a single building comprising of these elements. The building is accessed via 2 small openings which lead to the respective courtyards of either the artisans’ workshops or the exhibition centre. These courtyards allow the flow of natural daylight and ventilation into the building and are linked by a walkway which is exposed to the sky.

By removing the derelict building on the North of the site, an open green space with a seating area can be created, giving focus to the mulberry tree and Lalla Yeddouna Fountain. Further landscaping is created through crawling plants on roof terraces which also provide ample shading.

It is hoped that the Artisans’ Quarter will act as an urban catalyst and contribute to the improvement of the relationship between the local community and foreign visitors who are keen to learn more about the local culture and unique brass craftsmanship that Fes has been so well known for.