Placebo Pharmacy | KLab Architecture | Last Architecture

Greek studio KLab Architecture created
this pharmacy in Athens by wrapping a round facade punctured by Braille
lettering over the existing octagonal building, with plants occupying the
space in between.

The two levels of the Placebo Pharmacy are linked by a long ramp that
curls round one side of the circular plan.

A shop and dispensing chemist are housed on the ground floor with offices
and a surgery for visiting practitioners above.

Bespoke display cabinets in the shop downstairs radiate outwards from a
central cash desk.

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Photographs are by P. Kokkinias.

The information below is from the designers:

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The design process for this large (600m2) super-local pharmacy forced us
to shift our viewpoint and come up with a virtual building—a placebo
pharmacy. The octagonal shape of the existing structure was re-formed into a
cylinder in order to create a spiral which seeks to converse with the rapid
motion on Vouliagmenis Avenue, the urban artery on which the building
stands.

The panels of the façade are perforated using Braille, which both alludes
to the system’s use on pharmaceutical packaging and boosts visibility by
allowing the light to find its way into the interior. The new facade also
protects the interior while acting as a lure for passers-by. Inside, the
product display mirrors the circular frontage, while a ramp up to the upper
level extends the dynamism of the exterior spiral into the interior space.

The Pharmacy is arranged over two floors, the ground floor being the
primary shop space with the upper mezzanine floor consisting of ancillary
office space used as a temporary surgery for visiting health professionals.

The pharmacy is arranged in plan in a radial pattern with the main
cashiers desk acting as the focal point. The product displays fan out from
this focal point giving the cashier the ability to view the whole pharmacy
from this central area. The drug dispensary, preparation areas and toilets
are also arranged off this radial pattern. This pattern gives a natural flow
to the space and allows light deep into the center of the plan at all times
throughout the day.

Principal architect: Konstantinos Labrinopoulos

Façade artistic implementation: Xara Marantidou

Design team: Enrique Ramirez, Mark Chapman, Kostis Anagnostakis

Images credit: P. Kokkinias

Ateliers Ciudad de las Artes | Lucio Morini | Last Architecture

Argentinian studios Lucio Morini
and GGMPU Architects have completed a
campus housing artists’ studios in Cordoba, Argentina.

Called Ateliers Ciudad de las Artes, the project encompasses ten studios
organised around an interior plaza.

Each unit includes a double-height studio and living quarters, leading to
an open terrace on the roof.

Sliding glass panels allow each studio to be connected to the plaza
within, while the exterior features folding perforated metal shutters.

The following details are from Lucio Morini:
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10 STUDIOS FOR ARTIST
These studios belong to the Córdoba Province City of the Arts, a campus
housing painting, sculpture, photography, and music schools.

They are to be lent to invited artists for short periods of time, so that
they can live and work in them and develop their work within a private realm,
while sharing their life and work experience with the students.

A continuous strip defining the edge of an interior plaza, it holds 10
studios -8 for painters and 2 for sculptors- with a nearly identical design.

A continuous strip defining the edge of an interior plaza, it holds 10
studios -8 for painters and 2 for sculptors- with a nearly identical design.

Each studio is a 2 story unit with a double height, glass-enclosed space
facing either south (painters´ units) or north (sculptors´ units).

A large lifting glass door allows the interior of the studio to merge
with the plaza. The bedroom and toilet are located on the first floor, and
the living, dining and cooking space on the second, which allows their
expansion towards an open terrace.

The building is shaped by a sequence of parallel planes, a U-glass plane
towards the south, and a transparent glass façade facing north.

The latter is covered by a system of folding, perforated-metal shutters
which vary in transparency depending on the light conditions and position;
producing variations in the façade pattern.

CREDITS AND DATA:
Project title: ATELIERS CIUDAD DE LAS ARTES

Location: Cordoba, Argentina

Completion / construction: 2006-2007

Architects: Lucio Morini + GGMPU Architects –
Gramatica/Morini/Pisani/Urtubey

Project Manager: Iciar Lecuona

Structural engineer: Fragueiro & Novillo Eng.

Client: IECSA S.A. – Electroingeniería S.A.

Building area: 950 m2

Distance of Fog | StudioGreenBlue | Last Architecture

Japanese architects StudioGreenBlue
have completed a house in Kōnosu City, Saitama Prefecuture, Japan, with an
interior featuring white perforated screens throughout the space.

Called Distance of Fog, the project incorporates metal screens to provide
sense of privacy within the open-plan space.

Th perforated partitions each have a different pattern and have been
arranged to overlap each other.

This overlapping creates a constantly changing pattern depending on the
angle of the viewer and provides a distorted view of whatever is behind the
screen.

Here’s some more information from the architects:

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This house is called “Distance of Fog” and it is situated in the suburbs
of Tokyo.

The project site is located on a cul de sac with seven other single
family homes.

Cul de sac’s in Japan often are used as a common space for the families
that live on them, and they are often used as children’s playgrounds or
places of gathering.

But unfortunately, most suburban Japanese homes tend to be disconnected
to the street.

This subdivision is certainly no exception.

The client requested an “expanse of space” and an “open floorplan” which
suited their lifestyle.

Therefore, we decided to design a house with a bright presence.

We also wanted to extend the brightness into the rooms and naturally
illuminate the common spaces within the home.

Privacy became the biggest challenge when deciding to open the home up to
the street.

It became apparent that the proximity of the home to the road presented a
challenge of separation between spaces.

So we decided to create a sense of distance with the concept of looking
through fog.

This concept breaks up the visual range, without creating a solid
barrier.

Using the concept of filtering an image, we adjusted the level of visual
information penetrating through multiple layers, creating an effect similar
to looking though fog.

First, we moved the house to the back of the lot and maximized the front
yard.

Then we adjusted the level of visual information as it relates to the
finish floor level, placement of walls, and also reflections on mirrors and
glass.

Furthermore, we separated the private room by using perforated metal
screens, each one of a unique pattern, and they were arranged to very
specific locations.