Learning

A house for researchers and research. The Campus Plateau de Paris-Saclay is the Silicon Valley of Europe. Dietmar Feichtinger Architectes, together with Celnikier & Grabli Architectes and Ingerop Conseil & Ingénierie, was in charge of the realization of the Institute for Neuroscience.

Sharp geometric forms beckon to a honeyed cave. Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre is a building of contrasts. It’s imposing but harmonious. It’s an abstract interpretation of nature. And it’s modern with a rightness unrooted in time. Most surprising of all, perhaps, is how the raw exterior unwinds into a warm, soft, delicate timber lining.

The most recent addition to the 105-acre Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Arizona was designed with the mountain biker, hiker and nature lover in mind. The resort is set in Boynton Canyon, a red-rock box canyon nestled in the Coconino National Forest, providing a stunning base camp for outdoor adventures. To respond to the natural beauty of the site, Gluckman Tang Architects worked with the resort to create Trail House, a 4,000 SF activity center which serves as the gathering point for resort guests who are interested in hiking the trails, mountain biking, or otherwise soaking in the red rock vistas that are unique to Sedona.

Situated on one of the most sensitive and biodiverse nature reserves in the Gulf, the Khor Kalba Turtle and Wildlife Sanctuary comprises a cluster of rounded building forms that creates a sanctuary for rehabilitating turtles and nurturing endangered birds, connecting with local initiatives and expertise. 

Making the city. The new youth center is situated on a relatively small site, partly in an existing building. Because the available spaces of the existing ground-floor apartment, which was also included in the new youth center, were relatively small, the largest space of the center was built next to the existing building and gives access to the adjacent small park.

The new Blaye Tourist Office faces the Vauban Citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The use of local stone was an obvious choice for the architects, who wanted an architecture that would dialogue with the history of its region thanks to material and the knowledge of its use. The project fits with finesse and conviction into a rich heritage context, without making any concessions to its contemporary design. The simplicity and sobriety of the building contrast with the historic facade and give the Tourist Office high visibility in the town. Its volumetry dialogues with the surrounding old buildings, while the openings and terraces offer different views of the Vauban Citadel.