Sunday, March 27, 2016

130 Today!


Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Reposting this article from ArchDaily:  (Cite: Mora, Pola. "20 Things You Didn't Know About Mies van der Rohe" 27 Mar 2016. ArchDaily. (Trans. AD Editorial Team) Accessed 27 Mar 2016.http://www.archdaily.com/784297/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-mies-van-der-rohe/)
Today marks 130 years since the birth of German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. In honor of this tremendously influential figure, we're shining some light into the lesser known facts about Mies' life in order to better understand and contextualize his architecture.
For this, our colleagues at ArchDaily en Español have referred to "Vidas construidas, Biografías de arquitectos" (Constructed Lives, Biographies of Architects), a book by Anatxu Zabalbeascoa and Javier Rodríguez Marcos. This text, released by publisher Gustavo Gili, features the biographies of 20 of the world's most celebrated architects, from the Renaissance to the Modern movement. Each story is a fascinating journey into the lives of each architect, and the details allow us to understand the genesis of many works that are today considered classics.
We've chosen 20 facts that reveal the thoughts, influences and decisions that brought Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's architecture to the forefront of modernism.
1. Defying convention, Ludwig Mies decided at age 30 to keep his mother's (Amalie Rohe) last name, and fuse it with the last name of his father (Michael Mies) with a self-invented "van der" in the middle. This constructed name reminded him of his birthplace in Belgium and its neighbor, the Netherlands.
2. He learned about materials from his stonemason father. His senstivity to the beauty of combining different material palettes is best expressed in his masterpiece, The Barcelona Pavilion (1929).
3. He earned his first job in an architecture studio after working out (in one hour!) a drawing of a facade that his boss had been trying to resolve for weeks.
4. His first commission came in 1906 in the form of a project for the Philosopher Alois Riehl in Potsdam. The resulting traditional house carries echoes of 19th century design principles.
5. In 1908 he met Peter Behrens, a master who inspired Mies' passion for the work of Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781-1841) --Germany's preeminent Neo-Classical architect.
6. In Peter Behren's office he became the colleague of Walter Gropius. Gropius worked on industrial projects while Mies attended to more traditional tasks. During this time they developed a "cordial rivalry."
7. Mies appreciated and was influenced by the work of Dutch architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage, even though Behrens was not as impressed with Berlage's work.
8. The parents of Mies' first wife, Ada Bruhn, were pleased about their daughter's relationship with the architect since they considered his future bright. They were not as pleased, however, with his last name (Mies), which in German means "lousy" or "crummy."
9. The architect's interest in abstraction and rationalism was strengthened by his friendships with artists like Hans Richter, El Lissitzky and Theo van Doesburg.
10. In 1927 Mies was in charge of the urban plan of the Weissenhofsiedlung, an avant-garde showcase of the International Style. He selected, among others, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, Peter Behrens, Bruno Taut and Hendrik Petrus Berlage to participate in the project, and he himself designed a three-story house for the estate.
11. In 1930, while the Barcelona Pavilion was taken down from its original location, Mies was named director of the Bauhaus. He was brought in to replace Hannes Meyer, and the students complained as they preferred Meyer's functionalist approach over Mies' aestheticized vision.
12. Many at the Bauhaus were disillusioned when they learned that Mies had been the only one to sign a motion of support for Hitler and National Socialism in 1934.
13. When Mies realized that Hitler's preferred the monumental Neoclassicism of Albert Speer, he decided to leave Germany in 1937.
14. In 1937 the Armour Institute of Technology (later to be known as the Illinois Institute of Technology, IIT) in Chicago offered Mies the chance to direct the School of Architecture. He accepted, but only after turning down a similar position at Harvard University's architecture school.
15. One of the first things Mies did when he arrived in Illinois was meet Frank Lloyd Wright, who received him warmly. (Wright did not extend the same courtesies to Le Corbusier or Walter Gropius, sadly.)
16. During his first years in Chicago he lived in a hotel and claimed to have only three necessities--Martinis, Dunhill cigars and expensive clothes. To that he added three prized possessions--works of art by Max Beckmann, Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee.
17. The only commission he received in his first decade outside of Germany came from the University that employed him. He was called on to design the masterplan of the IIT campus, which resulted in the building of a chapel and the famous Crown Hall.
18. In 1945 Edith Farnsworth chose Mies over Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright to design her weekend retreat house.
19. Mies' involvement in the design of the Seagram Building came out of his relationship with Philip Johnson. He maintained an intense love-hate relationship with the curator throughout his life.

20. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe passed away in 1969, mere weeks after Walter Gropius died. A year before his death, Mies was asked what kind of building he would have liked to build; he answered, "A cathedral."

Monday, February 29, 2016

HEADLINER !

Construction has commenced on the HEB Park Pavilion designed by Mata+Garcia Architects LLP for the City of Mercedes. Pietra Construction of Harlingen is the general contractor for the project.

Friday, December 18, 2015

Power Lunch

Enjoying lunch and reviewing last minute project items before leaving on our annual two-week holiday break are (L to R): Fernando Mata, Architect | Partner; Ami Avalos, Intern; Hector Rene Garcia, Architect | Partner; Efrain Martinez, Intern; Audel Gonzalez, IT Department; Antonio Mata, Administrative Assistant; Juan Torres, Intern; Antonio Garces, Intern; Benjamin Pacheco, Intern; Adolfo Vela, Construction Manager and Audrey Tower, Intern.  Not pictured is Rey Zamora, Architect.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Talking Turkey !

 
Breaking bread together before our holiday break, left to right are:  Audrey Tower, Intern; Adolfo Vela, Construction Manager; Ami Avalos, Intern; Efrain Martinez, Intern; Antonio Mata, Administrative Assistant; Fernando Mata, Architect; Audel Gonzalez, IT Department; Juan Torres, Intern; Antonio Garces, Intern; Benjamin Pacheco, Intern and Rey Zamora, Architect.  Behind the camera; Hector Rene Garcia, Architect.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

STC - Heath and Science Facility

The South Texas College Facilities Committee has unanimously voted to recommend the approval of the concept presented by Mata+Garcia Architects for the Allied Health & Science Facility at the STC Starr County Campus in Rio Grande City, Texas. The project now proceeds to the Design Development Phase. The 50,000 square foot facility will be built under a Construction Manager-at-Risk contract with D.Wilson Construction Co. of McAllen, Texas. Broaddus Associates is the Project Management firm for all of the STC 2013 Bond Projects.

The facility will be placed on the south end of the campus, following the campus master plan,  in-line with the General Academic Building (E) and directly in front of the new Library, which will also be designed by Mata+Garcia Architects. An existing inter-campus driveway will be removed to create a pedestrian walkway, with the driveway being relocated to the south perimeter of the campus. Parking will be placed to the west, as it will also serve the new Library and the existing Student Services Building and Expansion G) and the Student Activities Building and Expansion (H).

West Facade: The main entry is placed central to the length of the building, with an adjacent mosaic mural celebrating nursing, biology and chemistry accomplishments.  Secondary access points near each end provide direct access to stairwells and student support spaces. Two full-height projections break the plane of the 285 feet long facility with historical detailing taken from the 1884 Nestor Saens building in Roma, Texas and ties this complex with the existing campus theme of combining historical and ranching elements and placing them in a contemporary setting.  The first floor will be sheathed in a combination of brick and painted fiber cement panels, while much of the second floor will be covered in metal panels. Long bands of horizontal windows have been placed in the science labs and classrooms, complimented by seventy skylights that will provide 100% daylighting to the labs and public spaces on the second floor.

The East facade highlights the central location of the Nursing and Science Administration areas. To either side will be 24' tall catchment tanks for rainwater harvesting. Our calculations, based on rainfall in the RGC area the past five years, indicate that the college can collect 285,000 gallons of rainwater per year. (Condensate from the HVAC system will also drain into the tanks.) The board asked that the tanks be screened/protected, to which we are proposing a gabion wall (metal fencing filled with rocks) to keep with the campus theme set in 2003.
South (left) and North (right) facades.

Detail: Main entry; glazed storefront 12 feet high with an adjacent  mosaic mural that will celebrate local accomplishments in the nursing, chemistry and biology fields. The brick projections are highlighted with detailing found on the 1884 Nestor Saens building located in Roma, Texas. Metal panels, painted fiber cement panels, tinted glazing and metal trellises continue the material and color palettes begun in 2003, combining historical and ranching elements and producing a contemporary facility representative of its place and time.

View of the proposed Health & Science facility as students approach from the new Library and Student Services and Activities centers.

The brick detailing of the two projections on the west facade is taken from the historic Nestor Saens building of 1884 located in Roma, Texas. The spaces between the columns will be in-filled with a metal frame lattice that will allow for vines to climbs its eighteen feet and create a living / blooming contrast to the brick, metal and painted fiber cement panels.

Second Floor (top) and First Floor (bottom).

Circulation: (Second Floor - top, First Floor - bottom) Double-loaded corridors connect the main entrance to the central stairwell and elevator as well as the stairwells on either end of the facility. 

Allied Health - First Floor:  The department contains three Skills Labs, three Computer Labs, five Simulation Labs - with support spaces (Control Room, IV Room, Mannequin Maintenance Room, Clean Linens, Dirty Linens and Storage Areas), two Debriefing Rooms, a Video Room, Department Storage, an Administration Area, six Study Rooms, Student Collaboration Areas and Support Space. Specialized laboratories will focus on simulation training with robotic mannequins that replicate all bodily functions, from having a baby to a heart attack or show incidents of diabetes. The goal is for students to have hands-on experience with sessions recorded on video for classroom critiques.

Science (Chemistry and Biology) - Second Floor: Chemistry (Dark Blue) will have two Labs, a Prep Lab/Storage and two Classrooms. Biology (Blue) will contain two Labs, a Prep Lab/Storage and two Classrooms. Shared spaces (Intermediate Blue) will include a Computer Lab, an Information Lab/Open Commons area.  Central to both departments will be the Administration Area (Light Blue).

Support Services (Teal) will be located at both ends of the circulation spine. Each will contain Student Collaboration areas, Stairwells, Restrooms, and Mechanical / Electrical / IDF / MDF / Storage areas.

Vertical Circulation (Orange) will be located centrally and at the perimeter of the facility.                                                                          

The facility is due to be completed in June of 2017.

The project team consisted of:  Rey Zamora, Architect; Chris Collins, Architect; E.J. Melendez, Intern; Juan Torres, Intern, and Hector Rene Garcia, Architect.



Monday, July 20, 2015

South Texas College Student Activities Expansion (2)

The South Texas College Facilities Committee asked that we provide a second scheme for the expansion of the Student Activities Building.. (Original design by Mario Garza, Jr. - Intern-Architect; expansion design by Christopher R. Collins, Architect.)

This scheme of the expansion (yellow) is sited in the same location as the original scheme; to the east of the existing facility, leaving a mesquite and sombrilla-shaded courtyard that will serve as a secondary entrance and an outdoor gathering area.

Existing Student Activities building, main entry (center) and sombrilla shaded courtyard (left). This facility has become a popular hangout for students and the expansion will allow for additional programs to be offered.