Urban design

THE MERCER

BARRIE HO


THE MERCER

BARRIE HOarchmarathonBARRIE HO
19 Floor, Wyndham Place, 44 Wyndham Street,
Central, Hong Kong
www.barrieho.com
Category:
Urban design
Project selected:
THE MERCER		Location:
Hong Kong
Year:
2012

Located at Mercer Street, a hip zone in close proximity to SoHo at the outer skirts of Central.
The whole tower is 25 stories on a podium at a corner site between Mercer Street and Jervois Street.
The Mercer tower is now visible on the skyline of the Hong Kong Island, facing the Victoria Harbour.It is also the recent style of Barrie Ho Architecture Interiors Ltd to reintroduce and reinterpret fundamental architectural elements with the coordination of the most basic of colours, black, white and grey.
The ground floor accommodates a Lobby Entrance purposely opened to connect with the cafe lounge. Amenities are situated across 4 levels of the podium, accommodating restaurants, gymnasium and business centres.
More interestingly, hip and boutique swimming pools are introduced creating an oasis within the tight site.
The 25 storeys are subdivided into 5 zones, with the lower 4 floors designed for guest rooms, the upper 4 houses and 2 executive guest rooms which weave between black and white patterns. The interior is also a simple but powerful black and white and grey.

BORN MARKET SURROUNDINGS

VORA

Photos courtesy of Adrià Goula

BORN MARKET SURROUNDINGS

VORAarchmarathonVORA
Sant Pere Més alt 62
bxs-entl 08003 Barcelona, Spain
www.vora.cat
Category:
Urban design
Project selected:
BORN MARKET SURROUNDINGS		Location:
Barcelona, Spain
Year:
2013

The urbanization of the Mercat del Born surroundings is part of a regenerating strategy of a city area which has been at a standstill for many years due to the lack of use of the market and the inaccessibility to the Parc de la Ciutadella. The market building, which contains a considerable part of medieval city, dating back to 1714, has been re-opened as a cultural and historic centre. The re- opening, at a urban level, offers a large, covered public space, framed by a cohesive architectural plan: the so-called porches Fontserè. The objective of the project is to answer to the potentials and necessities generated in the public space by the utilization of the building as a cultural centre. This answer is based on 3 strategies:
1. Connectivity and permeability
2. Centrality and identity
3. Flexibility and functionality.

BESIKTAS FISHMARKET

GAD

Photos courtesy of Ali Eren

BESIKTAS FISHMARKET

GADarchmarathonGAD
Tesvikiye Cad. Gunes Apt. No:3B D:2
34367 Tesvikiye Istanbul, Turkey
www.gadarchitecture.com
Category:
Urban design
Project selected:
BESIKTAS FISHMARKET		Location:
Istambul, Turkey
Year:
2013

The refurbishment of the Besiktas Fish Market is not a design and realization process that was prosecuted in an accustomed manner.
It is not intended to be carried through to an incomputable state. On the contrary, the aspiration is to initiate a dynamic outset by the gradual functional supplements and substitutions and even with the immediate effects of artistic approaches.
The architectural decisions were constituted with a simplistic approach to form and solutions, in order to allow and welcome revolution in this 26×23/2 triangular space which can subsist with temporary art installations and elements that, only in the course of time, generate themselves through the medium of color, texture and light.
The space mimics a piece of cloth lifted from the corners or a seashell. A junction of three roads thrives with transverse movements. Furthermore the ceiling has been kept high increasing the openness and view capacity of the restaurants. This visual linkage spontaneously promotes an invitation both towards the inside and outside.
The concept of the refurbishment is primarily based on eliminating the distress of neglect, lack of infrastructure and hygiene while preparing the stall and shop owners for a more professional environment.

TWISTED VALLEY

GRUPO ARANEA

Photos courtesy of Jesús Granada

TWISTED VALLEY

GRUPO ARANEAarchmarathonGRUPO ARANEA
Avenida General Marvá nº7 3ºA/1ºB
03005 Alicante, Spain
www.grupoaranea.net
Category:
Urban design
Project selected:
TWISTED VALLEY		Location:
Elche, Alicante, Spain
Year:
2013

El Valle Trenzado aims to recover the pedestrian’s traffic footprint.
The system aims to give voice to the Vinalopó river. The sinuous braids have no relation to the orthogonality of the city. These squiggly lines shape thes lopes. Offer more comfortable routes and incorporate the possibility of crossing the river to continue the ride.
The roads that float on the untouchable riverbed of concrete, become the heroes of the reconquest. And they blur the difference between bridge and path, becoming a graphic thought solved by a material abstraction. A single bridge becomes a network of trails which fold, bend, stretch, tighten, disperse, curve, and of course twist.
The vegetation is also a material. Native species and trees help to build the shadow of the forest. A system based on the experience, understanding and empathy to connect with elegance, both sections which divide Elche.The valley has already started plaiting, now reduced to infrastructural minimums, and over time they will allow the flourishing of urban activities.