red bar in the sky_korca_roman mensing

Red Bar in the Sky

Detail

TYPOLOGY: Public
COUNTRY: Albania
CITY: Korça
YEAR: 2014
CLIENT: Municipality of Korça
PHOTOS: © Andronira Burda, Daniel Dervishi, Nico Peleshi, Roman Mensing

In time for Christmas 2014 the city of Korça in Albania realized BOLLES+WILSON’s design for a campanile – the Red Bar in the Sky. It focuses the Theatre Square, the concluding phase of the B+W 2009 masterplan (International Competition 1st prize). The campanile which functions as a lookout tower for Korcians to appreciate the delicate grain of their city is located at the end of the central pedestrian boulevard ‘Shën Gjergji’ (landscaping by B+W). Opened in winter the Red Bar in the Sky was accompanied by an ice skating rink installed by Greek skating specialists.

Related project:
Masterplan Korça City Centre, 2009, 1st prize

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Theatre Square with Red bar in the Sky
red bar in the sky_korca_sketch ice rink
Sketch with ice rink
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Ice rink in front of the Red Bar in the Sky in winter
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Boulevard Shen Gjergji with christmas lights and Red Bar in the Sky
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View from the top over the Boulevard Shen Gjergji
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Korça City Centre Masterplan
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Siteplan
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Red Bar in the Sky
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Plans and elevations
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Photo before the construction

RS+Yellow Distribution – Phase 3

Detail

TYPOLOGY: Office, Residential

COUNTRY: German

CITY: Münster

YEAR: 2018

GFA: 2.600 sqm

CLIENT: Rainer Scholze

The big box warehouse provides a monumental podium for an enigmatic folded form hovering above the (unseen from the street) water roof.The primary function is obviously storage, three levels of furniture to be distributed to the Germany wide network of RS+Yellow outlets. Pajama striped aerated-concrete façade panels are interspersed with vertical smoke vents.  Such vents are usually found on the roof of this pragmatic typology but here the roof (like in RS+Yellow Distribution – Phase 2) is flooded – an infinity pool, based on those seen by the client in South East Asia where he regularly travelled buying furniture. His plan was not only to work every day gazing out across his dreamlike waterscape, but also to spend his nights hovering above the rooftops of an unsuspecting Münster, Villa and Office Pavilion are thus connected by a bridge-box. Tragically Rainer Scholze did not live to see his vision complete. His private suite was not constructed and the living spaces now function as meeting and conference rooms for the co-operative he set up for his employees.

Poplar trees were also planted for RS+Yellow Distribution - Phase 3
Villa deck, infinity pool and field with ponies
The enigmatic folded roof form seen from RS+Yellow Distribution - Phase 2
Box bridge for the client to trot across to his office
Villa living room + kitchen
Cross-ventilated arrival passage
RS+Yellow Distribution - Phase 3 – section 3 levels of storage + rooftop villa
1: RS+Yellow Distribution - Phase 1
2: RS+Yellow Distribution - Phase 2
3: RS+Yellow Distribution - Phase 3
Warehouse plan – wide-span precast column + beam system
Infinity pool level – office pavilion left, villa right
North elevation with loading bays
East elevation with poplar trees
South elevation to street
West elevation with connecting bridge

VASARELY TOWER

Detail

RRUGA ALI PASHA GUCIA

TIRANA

FOR CHRISTIN INVESTMENTS 2025

CONCEPT
The theme of the Vasarely Tower design is derived from the hungarian pop artist Victor Vasarely who used simple geometric shapes and strong contrasting colours. The Vasarely Museum in Aixen-Provence interprets Vasarelys paintings as a building. For our proposal the horizontal museum becomes a vertical tower.

Reference Vasarely Museum in Aix-en-Provence
The tower is based on a 12,5 m by 12,5 m plan with circular loggia, bringing daylight deep into the appartments.
Within the loggia all surfaces and windowframes are coloured pink RAL 3014 (Vasarely colour contrast).
Bernhardstrasse, Münster, Christian Richters

Bernhardstrasse

Detail

TYPOLOGY: Residential

COUNTRY: Germany

CITY: Münster

YEAR: 1997

GFA: 4.950 sqm

CLIENT: LVM Versicherungen

PHOTOS: © Christian Richters

A knitting together of street lines and block interior in a modest scaled residential district. The theme is more Vitruvius’ comoditas than grand or explicit architectural narrative. Street lines, precise boundaries between public and private realms are anchored with a solid dark, oil-fired, almost industrial and implicitly north German brick plinth. In contrast the upper floors in white plaster transcend this intentional massivity through their material and geometric abstraction. The two layers dovetailed together framing private terraces and necessary setbacks.

The 26 apartments are vertically ordered. Small units suitable for elderly occupants or studio apartments with garden below, the larger first floor apartments have generous balconies while the upper two floors are organised as maisonettes. An urbane facilitating of daily life is in the interiors and layout achieved with a reduced material palette – wood, stone, plaster.

Bernhardstrasse, Münster, Christian Richters
Bernhardstrasse, Münster, Christian Richters
Bernhardstrasse, Münster, Christian Richters
Bernhardstrasse, Münster, Modell, model
Bernhardstrasse, Münster, drawing, isometrie, Zeichnung, isometry
BEIC_Milan_Mailand_Bibliothek_Library_Model

BEIC

Detail

TYPOLOGY: Cultural

COUNTRY: Italy

CITY: Milan

YEAR: (final design 2005)

COMPETITION: Invited Competition 2001, 1st Prize

GFA: 83.000 sqm

CLIENT: Fondazione BEIC, Milan

COLABORATORS: ati BEIC Milan: BOLLES+WILSON with ahw Ingenieure and alterstudio partners

PHOTOS MODEL: © Tomasz Sameck

MEDIA: 900.000 books, 150.000 audio-visual media, 3.500 user seats

The BEIC is in the state of becoming. It already exists on the agendas of countless participating planners, librarians, expertly shepherding clients, politicians, Milanese and other future users. As the planning steadily marches through preliminare, definitivo and on to esecutivo phases, expectations multiply (optimism is contagious) and the physical character, the individuality, the unique spaces of this exceptional endeavour come ever more sharply into focus. Despite the grand scale the building conjures a certain intimacy for individual users. It invents an entirely new constellation of the ‘house of knowledge’, where digital ephemerality cohabits with our old friend the book. The emerging BEIC remains true to the concept that won the architectural competition. Within this architectural and organizational framework countless refinements have been invented (terracotta facade, the bar-chart-acoustically-absorptive interior panelling) and significant opportunities like the earthquake resistant wave-like ceilings have been identified and integrated.

Urban Concept – The site is linear, as is the remembered trajectory of the Stazione Vittoria. The BEIC’s two doors address the east (the centre of Milan, Viale Umbria) and the west (new subway exit, Viale Mugello and the new sport and recreation landscape beyond). An east-west pedestrian walkway runs not parallel to but through the BEIC – urban networking.

A 36 m high Urban Landmark – A vessel of culture and information, invitation, frame and enabler to multiple passages and trajectories. Entrance ramps fold surrounding pavements up to the +5.00 piazza, entrances and lobby. Reading arms extend out from the main volume.

Windows like that to the main elevator lobby on axis with the Via Vertoiba, tie through framed views the interior back into the urban context.

The terraces of the various departments frame a communicative forum, a landscape of knowledge. Reading salons nestled into the sidewalls of the frame or balcony edge desks offer a wide variety of working atmospheres. Warm acoustically absorptive materials provide the required library ambience.

Program – A 5 m high socle contains all functions outside the controlled library Conference, Teaching Centre, Media Forum, Childrens Library with garden, carparks. The walkthrough Lobby gives a visual orientation to all departments galleried above. It flows into the entrance, general information and reference zones. Reading Rooms are on the north side, Users Own in the east arm, connecting to youth areas. Departments are on three upper balconies, with variable stores and connected via ramps in the reading arms a flowing together. Workshops, offices and administration are in the 3 storey arm along the Via Monte Ortigara. 

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