FHNW INSTITUT ARCHITEKTUR – MITTAGSVORTRAG N°1

ATELIER AMONT DREAMS / RATIONALITY
Logan Amont, Basel

Mittwoch 13.03.2024, 10:30–11:30 Uhr
Raum 02.N.21

Institut Architektur FHNW
Campus Muttenz, Hofackerstrasse 30
www.iarch.ch

Upon entering, visitors encounter a generous common atrium – the heart of the building. From here, all public rooms and the roof terrace are accessible from a stair which adjusts its configuration at each floor, encouraging openness and exploration. Each level contains a distinct function, thereby a respectively unique flight of steps identifies it. The central cavity can be considered much like a dynamic, mediaeval city square – where a variety of people have the chance to casually encounter each other.

A clear order of columns and window frames allows flexibility – calibrated for both small, individual rooms and an open office arrangement. A continuous, circumferential bench acts as a beam, reducing the number of supports, and thereby the interferences in plan, to a minimum. All non-load-bearing elements are modular and allow various configurations. On the ground floor, a café and a spacious foyer provide a porous and inviting entrance. The top floor consists of an open-air terrace and the upper half of a large, double-height conference room.

A hanging pavilion is to be built to commemorate the coming new year. It is based on the idea of separation between raised, other-worldy flames, and a lower, useful fire. For warmth, people may gather around the lower pit for the months before the main event. In the end, the upper bundle of long bamboo poles will be set ablaze, as part of a continuous, contemporary ritual.

A public square next to the town hall of Palmi is arranged on a central axis, with a Roman column standing in line with the entrance. Our proposal retains these elements, yet besides these commonplace characteristics, takes note of a slope from one corner to its diagonal opposite. Since this is apparently fixed within the collective consciousness (locals refer to it as piazza scivola), we added a long, linear fountain, which accompanies the fall of the slope and places the column also in its respective centre. The irritation is thereby pointed out (a poke in the eye), integrated, and the tension is celebrated rather than left as an unfortunate, unresolved coincidence – CHARISMA! Pavilions – at the edges – define the head/tail of the fountain, and reinforce a loose and distorted symmetry, while leaving the central space open for various events.

Porous rooms, rather than connected to each other directly, are arranged along the edges of a walled garden.

The northern end of the schoolhouse – above the entrance – is deliberately left as a void, with a skeleton structure designated to (potentially) be completed in the future with additional classrooms. In the interim period, it can be used as a covered play area or open-air, casual learning space in warmer seasons. When traversing the school campus, the loggia generates a permeability and allows long views through the building towards the extensive, hilly landscape beyond.

Various, and in some cases operable, openings between partitions create a perceived depth greater than actual dimensions. Colors and subtle alterations in the scale of objects – such as lamps – or the thickness of shelves, further exaggerate this effect (while at the same time having sense for other, atmospheric or structural, rationale). A fuzzy light-body greets one at the entry and participates as a loose focus amongst rooms – analogous to a hearth.

The proposal offers an aggregation of homes suited to a wide array of potential customs of living (a significant proportion were reserved for refugees, to provide, as the program stated: 'places of retreat' which we wholeheartedly agreed with as a direction) – from contained courtyard types to more socially interactive gallery access flats – arranged in such a way as to be mutually beneficial and to form a meaningful and consolidated neighbourhood. As with other recent competitions in Basel, the city provided a database of materials available to re-use. Within an insulated layer, these were integrated in a straight-forward manner to maximise their structural efficacy.

Only sleeping rooms, built into the hillside, and a study above, are insulated and closable with doors and windows. The remainder of the areas are left open to the elements (and haphazard visitors), under a large, shade-granting roof.

Approximately fifty cabins are arranged, in a dispersed configuration – as in a primitive camp – utilising light-weight, mostly timber components and only punctual foundations: accommodation for travellers without a substantial impact on the flora and fauna of the existing landscape.

A new house is planned on the same natural-stone foundations as a ruined stable (of which the granite and ceramic tiles are re-used for new retaining walls and paving). The upper layer of the roof is completely covered by a pergola entwined with lush Vitis. This provides a generous, otherworldly space for contemplation and strolling (similar as at the philosopher's path in Kyoto) in the mornings and evenings; while the shade generated by dense leaves passively cools the house throughout the day. The grapes, once harvested from the vines, offer both sustenance and pleasure for the bovine and human inhabitants of the farm.

Opaque roofs and shading screens float, without an obvious order, offering protection and informal places for sitting, dining and merriment. The density, arrangement and differing heights of roof planes produces a variety of space and gradients of intimacy (A Pattern Language), to suit the mood and/or personality of each guest. (i.e. are you looking for a party, or would you prefer to be off to the side in the shadows ...?)

The lift, bathroom, emergency stair, and wardrobe are all situated as if they were pieces of loose furniture, varying in height, nonchalantly shoved aside within an empty, narrow plan. One space thereby "meanders" between the objects, admitting ample light from both the north and south facades. Although without the intention of being so, its resultant character is similar to that of a canyon – which however, once realised, after deliberation, influenced further adjustments. Rather than a typical gable roof, which would subtly halve the space of the top floor – here the semi cylindrical cross-section reinforces the notion of a single room.

Over a period of eight days in February 2022, we met for a workshop to discuss and reconsider basic aspects of cemeteries for the present. Participants were assigned fragments to concentrate on – in some cases in relation to other colleagues’ proposals – and to develop their ideas through models. On the suggestion of Anna Staudt, a stonemason who is engaged in national seminars on the topic, we used, loosely, the Gerresheim Cemetery in Düsseldorf as a basis for our speculations.

Download a PDF documentation of the final works of the participants.

A porous, long foyer – an invitation to the city – offers a dynamic experience, much like a fragmented stage-set. Various balconies, stairs and bridges potentially trigger the spatial sensation of spectators being at the centre of communal life. The typically defined roles of actors and audience thereby become blurred.

A series of slender, parallel volumes are linked together at lower levels by hedges and high, floating screens of pleached trees, leading to an ambiguity in urbanistic reading. The complex thereby forms a block, yet is also a repetition of singular bars – leading to improved sunlight and ventilation for all flats. As opposed to built mass, plant-life stands in to fulfil the spatial definition society requests, but is subversive to a degree, remaining porous at ground level.

A series of slabs, cast into the cliff face, slope down, granting shade and shedding off rain. The mountain and the roofs provide shelter guests need for a short time.

Along a thin plot, public "rooms" of various character of fauna and flora, humid/dry, are linked one after another with a threshold strip of a hilly nature preserve allocated adjacent to the railway lines. The project, emphatically, avoids romanticising historical attributes such as the lines of rails which until recently covered part of the site, but rather orients itself towards resolving the problems presented, while positing a place of joy for the future.

The design for the Kammgarnhof creates a socially dynamic, multi-layered and ecologically rich complex for the surrounding urban environment of Schaffhausen. It is a place offering a range of activities for all age groups, but the boundaries of such are not clear – effectively overlapped to encourage an exchange between individuals. Its goal is to offer a festive, playful atmosphere, complementing and reinforcing the qualities of other public spaces of Schaffhausen such as the grandiose Herrenacker Platz, the contemplative Kloster Allerheiligen, or the park-like character of the Mosergarten.

Our proposal for an expansion to a museum, containing a restaurant and additional gallery spaces, is a compact, linear building (essentially the only option due to the strict confines of the program and boundary lines). It is a typical 'Janus-face', with disparate character along its respective, two long facades. The eastern edge towards the Storhamar barn is resolute and calm, seemingly massive behind a dematerialised wooden screen, while the opposite, facing the Mjøsa lake is vibrant and dynamic, seeking out independence, in its own unique attitude, turning away from the historic ensemble. The building is seemingly self-aware about the sensitive context it is situated within, but at the same time also regarding the intricacies of contemporary life.

The project consists of redefining and reconnecting various urban voids adjacent to the passage of a stream, creating a park with its own strength and identity. Nature becomes the founding and central event in the project to create a unique quality commonly perceived from all sides. A single architectural element, a pergola, unites and accompanies visitors on their journey, linking them in an ongoing dialogue with the land and its flora. One and the same element determines many aspects: pedestrian and cycle paths, bridges, playgrounds, sports & exercise areas.

At the edge of the city, along the street, a large area is left unbuilt as an offer – a public park. The meandering, stepped-back bar clearly marks the border between the urban fabric and the agricultural fields before a forest, and is so articulated as to offer generous spatial qualities to both residents and to all inhabitants within the surrounding city. The garden-park is composed of medium to large trees with high, floating crowns, and casually terraced platforms to provide flat areas for a variety of uses.

With the simple gesture of extending a roof and sunshades a substantial distance past the facade of the multi-purpose hall, a meaningful space is generated which allows for interaction with the park and sports fields. An existing barn, recommended by the program to be destroyed, is re-used for storage and warm-weather activities, and forms a gate with another new building containing after-school and communal facilities. Both are linked with a trellis of plants which becomes a pergola over the path towards the nearby river. Taken individually the three buildings appear banal, but through the serial repetition of columns at their facades (actually tension members in the case of the large hall building), the ensemble recalls a classic forum – a generous offer for the public.

A garden is the heart of the institution, acting first as an exterior entrance hall and then as the backdrop as students move around it from room to room on a raised, covered walkway throughout the day. The filigrane wooden structure stands out from and complements the neighboring massive residential complexes, becoming a special "house for learning" in the midst of a lush garden. This can be read as a reinterpretation of the typological contrast a school building has had throughout history: in previous times, for example, in some areas of Switzerland a traditional school house might have been constructed of stone, on the top of a ridge or hill, while surrounded by lower wooden residential buildings.

A stonemason has a parcel of land at the Rhine on the outskirts of Düsseldorf where she stores extra stones, near her workshop; and plans on building a cabin to spend her midday break or weekends together with family. The cabin is thought to provide rich spatial depth, despite its relatively small size. Due to the means of openings, when one is seated on the back bench, the panels in front block the view of the sky, so concentration is focused exclusively on the flow of the river and the opposite bank – a nature preserve. This notion of filtering and contracting the conception of space is inspired by a similar framing device, at Koho-an (Kyoto) designed by Kobori Enshu in 1612.

The revered museum building by Gustav Gull is 'clothed' in a new, noble costume with the addition of an attic. The entire building is understood as a unity – the existing building and the extension are rendered in a monochrome blue. The loggia of the roof allows a view from the street up into the interior, similar to the lapel of a suit. A public loggia high above the street, with a view over the roofs of St. Gallen. The roof covers the glazed front, in the form of a colonnade, like a cloth. Under this roof is both the museum café and space for workshops or lectures. Several entrances lead from the blue loggia into a large exhibition hall. A simple box, the hall extends over the entire length of the building and its size complements a range of exhibition spaces. The height of the room and the fact that it is accessible via several entrances allow it to be used in a variety of ways.

The existing structure with its serial character of columns and slabs has been preserved. Behind it is the huge Hafenbacken 1, mainly built of bricks and concrete, but with steel elements for technical aspects such as the gallery access. Our building, which has a unique character because it belongs to the industrial area, will now be part of the residential quarter on the other side of the river. It is, so to speak, part of both worlds and our proposal aims to reflect this dynamic.

A single family home is planned to be built directly at the street front, as the building regulations call for, in this historic village thirty kilometres from the western coast of Sardinia. Rather than a simple offset from the street, the proposal fills the entire plot and is generally oriented inwards to three “rooms” which are open to the sky. Space is confused and thereby expanded through a myriad of dynamic views from room to room, which have varying degrees of sunlight.

An homage to the dark entrance spaces of Japanese farmhouses, blackened from the smoke of cooking, (almost) dissolving into complete shadow, yet with a small amount of light seeping in from ventilation openings ... A seemingly endless overlay of filigrane, timber elements ... Creating qualities of light similar to that of looking out of the mouth of a cave, but here, strangely, from within a small, moveable pavilion ... A moveable cave ...

Shelves built of the most common fir slats – holding documents, books and models facing onto a main, top-lit space, and otherwise tools and materials towards a secondary, darker storage area – reconfigure and partition a room in a former textile factory. Curtains screen off disorder (the "put-away" idea) to allow concentration. Hanging from the building's structural tension-rod, a long, curved, aluminium lamp casts light down during evening hours, onto a broad, working table. The 0.6 millimetre thick sheet metal was hammered, essentially folding it back and forth in minute dimensions – to prevent it from warping over a span of three metres. As an unexpected side-effect, the texture generates multifarious and fascinating reflections.

A transformation of a garden around an existing villa from the 1930s. The proposal contains two disparate realms, but developed with regard to each other, forming a meaningful unity. An upper portion is light-filled and enjoyed from a pavilion at the top of a slope, where the clients spend time dining with family or guests while looking down on shrubs pruned in cloud-like formations rising as the topography descends. The lower portion is at the bottom of the same slope, under the respective shrubs which gradually become higher at the back of the plot – creating a hidden, dark, shady world for walking alone or seeking introspection seated next to a quiet pool of water. One unique garden, like a body, offers the potential to satisfy desires for both convivial enjoyment and solitude.

This house is on a narrow peninsula jutting out into the sea on the northern coast of Sardinia. It therefore has two faces, that to each side of the water. A column is nearly in the center of each of these faces, marking out a point for domesticity within the wild, rocky landscape around. Two wooden rooms hang from a concrete structure, one for sleeping, the other for work, where the client prefers to concentrate, in privacy. They are like caves, but are light and suspended. A pool on the roof is accessed from stairs within a central core, which also contains the bathroom and a place for cooking on an open fire.

A fountain in Naoshima is constructed of river stones from Kyoto, where we were based and could be transported in a single load – chosen for their shape, size, and surface; and as well, in turn – the specificity of their curves influence the overall character of the intervention. The reaction to water is always present, as the stones are both above and under water – fish also sometimes splash drops onto higher dry areas. Water is held both below and above ground. Finishing mortar is dyed with calligraphy ink to create a homogeneous body.

Arriving in the vibrant world of south-east India, after a few weeks, bored working only at a desk, I quit my first internship. Desiring to build somehow, I raised money for materials, and with the help of an NGO, found a nearby village which wished to have a community centre. The residents contributed labor – some were trained masons – hence rammed earth foundations and compacted earth blocks were chosen to suit their experience. While struggling with the design (was it enough?), in a local newspaper (I have no idea why?) I read a speech by Luis Barragán (whose work I did not yet know at that time) – there were no images of his work, just the text ... and it was an epiphany.

Critiche finali SA23, BSc2 Atelier Mayol, Arch. Jaume Mayol

Casa d'estate, Maiorca, Spagna

Lunedì 18 dicembre 2023 ore 14:00-19:00
Martedì 19 dicembre 2023 ore 9:00-17:00

Palazzo Canavée, spazio atelier, piano 2
Via Giuseppe Buffi 5, 6850 Mendrisio

Critici invitati: Logan Amont, Xavier Ros Majó

8 December 2022, Many thanks for the time in Oslo, to see the remarkable work by students of LCLA office, Gro Bonesmo & Silvia Diaconu at AHO, and as well for the generous evening following.

10 November, 19:00, Rogaland Kunstsenter, Nytorget 17, Stavanger, Norway

FORELESNING MED ATELIER AMONT. 10.11 kommer det sveitsiske arkitektkontoret, Atelier Amont til Stavanger og Rogaland Kunstsenter for å presentere sitt arbeid. Atelier Amont holder til i Basel og gjør prosjekter som omhandler alt fra mindre paviljonger til større boligbygg. Vi gleder oss til å høre mer om spennende innfallsvinkler og måter å jobbe på. Foredraget starter kl.19:00. For de som måtte ønske å møtes før, åpner kaféen en time i forkant av arrangementet. Det blir enkel servering av mat og drikke på arrangementet. Håper mange tar turen!

www.arkitektur.no

Thanks to Jakob, Per, Torgeir and all at @stavanger_arkitektforening for the warm welcome and wonderful mood in your city!

27 July 2022, Invited by Prof. Uta Graff, TUM Munich, to discuss Masters students' projects at their final reviews, and to give a presentation of work afterwards ... Thanks to all for the experience as well as the apéro on the rooftop! @architecture.tum

'Two Projects Using Stone'

Lecture 31.03.2022, 12:15, S2 HSLU Technik & Architektur, Technikumstrasse 21, 6048 Horw Building IV, Niche F-Level

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1) A fountain in Naoshima is built of river stones from Kyoto – chosen for their shape, size, and surface qualities; and as well, in turn – the specificity of their curves influence the overall character of the intervention. (Fountain in a Garden, Former Setouchi Governor’s Residence, Naoshima, Japan, 2010–11; in collaboration with Yoshinobu Aiba, Gardener)

2) A walled garden for production towards the summit of Monte Generoso visually forms a plinth for an impressive country house – neither a purely aristocratic type nor a peasant’s home without an overriding order. Our project, for the garden and respective massive walls, takes this history into account, regarding its detailed mode of construction. (Walled Garden, Former Country Residence of Arch. Simone Cantoni, Pianspessa, Ticino, Switzerland, ca. 2022–23; in collaboration with Roi Carrera, Architect & Roberto Guidotti, Engineer)

Link to event info

Invited to a seminar to present and discuss the contemporary focus and concerns of young European practices. Organized by Vector Architects (introduction) & Team Shichai (moderation). Participants included: 刘东洋 Dongyang Liu, 李兴钢 Xinggang Li, 董功 Gong Dong, 柳亦春 Yichun Liu, 张斌 Bin Zhang, 丁垚 Yao Ding, 冯江 Feng Jiang, 郭廖辉 Liaohui Guo, & others

Invited to share work and thoughts about landscapes and public space with students at Summer School Ticino (HSLU & i2a), which took place within the impressive 'Fabbrica del Cioccolato', Dangio. Afterwards we discussed their project for the redesign of a small square consisting of a fountain and new paving in a neighboring village. Thanks to Ludovica Molo Könz, Roi Carrera & Daniel Fuchs for the experience.

Invited by Prof. Alexander Fthenakis, TUM Munich, to discuss students' projects at their final reviews, after having shared a presentation with them earlier in the semester; TUM inhabitable structures studio, @inhabitablestructures

Die Vortragsreihe »N E U B A U T E N« der Fakultät für Architektur an der TU München bringt Studenten und Architekturinteressierten zehn junge aufstrebende Architekturbüros aus unterschiedlichsten Teilen Europas näher und setzt sich mit ihren Ideen und Arbeiten auseinander.

In February, we will gather to think about cemeteries; abstractly, and practically – in relation to the contemporary situation in Germany. With guests Emilie Appercé, Matthew Bailey, Marianne Meister, Ioannis Piertzovanis, Joseph Redpath, Anna Staudt, Heinrich Toews, & Liviu Vasiu.

For interest, please read the brief.

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Many thanks to all the participants, from China, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Poland, Romania, Switzerland & UK: Sibel Besir, Darcy Carroll, Shauneen Cavanagh, Christoph Grüter, Chen He, Matthew Lindsay, Francesca Masserdotti, Edoardo Reverberi, Giovanni Rinaldi, Dawid Roszkowski, Nikki Sedigh, Wilusty Tengara, Zhouyi Tu & Meng Wang.

12–28 January 2023, Work shown, in excellent company, at the Forum Stadtpark, Graz. The exhibition was conceived and curated by Diskursiv (Julian Brües, Michael Hafner, Katharina Hohenwarter, Philipp Sternath).

diskursiv.xyz/colors

Happy to participate in the first Architekturwoche Basel 2022, Reale Räume, as part of the 'Open Office' format.

Wednesday, 11 May, 12:00–17:00, Open to the Public; Address: Atelier #10, Am Kesselhaus 13, Weil am Rhein, DE

Event info

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*Independently, on Saturday, 14 May, from 17:00 onwards (after Open House Basel) we will also plan an apéro at the atelier, to which all are welcome.

Invited to design an installation for a group exhibition about Japanese influence on European architects. Participating offices: Arrhov Frick, Atelier Amont, Eagles of Architecture, Fala Atelier, Frundgallina, Kawahara Krause, NKBAK, Studio Maks, Studio Spazio, UNULAUNU. 'Dialoge Japan : Europa' curated by AIT and Nils Rostek (Kollektiv A). The exhibition takes place at the ArchitekturSalon Munich, and from there moves on to Hamburg and other locations.

Watch a video presentation of the exhibition

Invited to present the process of a built work at Garagem Sul CCB, Lisbon, PT

'Building Stories' is an exhibition about what cannot be easily perceived at first glance in architecture: an exhibition about how architecture is produced and built. Building Stories is the representation of an abstract landscape made up of architectural fragments. Like a permanent construction site, it emphasises the dimensions of the exhibition space as if it was a piece of land or a contemporary industrial ruin where it is easy to imagine the cold smell of fresh cement and the sound of heavy machinery. The intent is to transcend the limits of the museum space and focus on architecture as a discipline.

Curators: Rodrigo da Costa Lima & Amélia Brandão Costa

A publication on Kasuien, 1958–60, the annex to the Miyako Hotel in Kyoto, designed by Togo Murano, is in preparation ...

Das Haus im Buch: 100 Bücher von Menschen, die Architektur lieben, Herausgegeben von Ana Vollenbroich, Annelen Schmidt-Vollenbroich, Oliver Jahn; Park Books, Zürich, 2023

More info on publication

Invited to contribute a text to the publication, Reminiscence, edited by Benedict Esche & Benedikt Hartl.

Preview a video of the contents

314 Seiten, 100 Abbildungen, 20,2 x 25,2 cm

Verlag: ea Edition Architektur, München, 2016

ISBN 9783941145115

“… You were off sailing in the sea of red. Do you know how it hurts your eyes to stare at the horizon? If you stare at the horizon long enough, all you can see is fire. The entire line of the horizon is burning. Fires as far as the eyes can see ...”

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Fire is of course very real with concrete effects, but also abstract. It seems to us to be the same, no matter where it occurs, unlike this dry rock in my hand, here, or that rock, wet from the rainstorm, lying, half-embedded within the earth among the plains of North Dakota. This quality of fire lends itself (and the potential it has for material change) towards a smooth mental linking from one specific space and place to another.

Logan Amont, 14.11.2023

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Exhibition info

A short annotation, for Women Writing Architecture, on a recent publication about the life and work of Judith Chafee, an architect who worked from and mostly within Arizona.

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‘Fuck you Mr. Smith’, wrote a teenage Judith Chafee (1932–1998) to her principle upon graduating (she had discovered the board of her high school had revealed her religious origins to the universities she had applied to, which at that time had a limited quota for Jewish students – she was anyway eventually offered admittance to all the colleges she had hoped to potentially attend, but her anger apparently lingered) …

Read the full text at womenwritingarchitecture.org