Windhover Contemplative Center_Stanford University_USA

The centre intended for quiet reflection is due to complete in spring 2014

Designed by San Francisco-based firm Aidlin Darling Design, The Windhover Contemplative Center on the campus of Stanford University broke ground at the end of July. The project is slated for completion by next spring.

The company, recipients of the Smithsonian's 2013 National Design Award, used Nathan Oliveira's meditative Windhover paintings as inspiration to design the one-storey, 4,000 sq ft spiritual retreat to promote personal renewal. The space is intended for quiet reflection throughout the day and will provide a place of refuge from the intensity of daily life for Stanford students, faculty, and staff members.

The Center is located in front of Roble Hall, adjacent to a natural oak grove. The extended progression to the building's entry through a long, private garden sheltered from its surroundings by a line of tall bamboo, will allow visitors to shed the outside world before entering.

It will include three rooms featuring five large paintings by the late artist Nathan Oliveira. Within, the space opens fully to the oak glade beyond, while louvered skylights wash the 15 to 30 ft-long paintings with natural light, unifying art, architecture, and landscape. Thick rammed earth walls and wood surfaces will further heighten the visitor's sensory experience from an acoustic, tactile olfactory as well as visual perspective.

Benches and cushions will be strategically placed to allow members of the Stanford Community to quietly view the paintings inside, as well as the oak grove and the Papua New Guinea Sculpture Garden outside. The building, enclosed in glass, will allow viewing of the Oliveira paintings from the exterior as well as from within, at all hours of the day and night.

Water, in conjunction with landscape, will be used throughout as an aid for meditation; fountains within the main gallery and the courtyard will provide ambient sound, while a still pool and garden to the south reflects the surrounding trees. The Center is being designed in conjunction with Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture.

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=23194

ICREC2015: The First International Conference on Rammed Earth Construction

ICREC2015: The First International Conference on Rammed Earth Construction

ICREC2015 will bring together researchers, engineers and practitioners in order to communicate the latest developments in the design and analysis of rammed earth structures.

The Organising Committee is looking forward to welcoming everyone to sunny Perth for four days of stimulating and productive discussion.

Workshop

A two-day workshop will be held at Trinity College at The University of Western Australia (UWA), aimed at  communicating advances in the design and construction of rammed earth structures to engineers and practitioners.

UWA is recognised as a leading international university and is one of the most picturesque in the country, with its beautiful sandstone buildings amongst heritage-listed gardens. The campus is located along the bank of the Swan River adjacent to Matilda Bay, 3km south of the Perth CBD.

Perth is home to first-class restaurants, galleries, boutiques and tourist attractions, first and foremost over 80km of white sandy beaches commanding an uninhibited view of the cool blue waters of the Indian Ocean.

Conference

Following the workshop, a two-day conference will be held in Margaret River, aimed at disseminating and discussing recent advances in rammed earth research. The Margaret River region is a relaxing and refreshing break from urban life which hosts the largest concentration of rammed earth buildings and structures in WA, as well as some of the State’s best wineries and restaurants.

Call for Papers

Authors are invited to submit abstracts of no more than 300 words by February 10, 2014. Recommendations con- cerning the format of full papers will then be made availa- ble.

Abstracts and full papers should be submitted online via the conference website: www.ecm.uwa.edu.au/icrec2015.

Full proceedings will be available for all workshop and con- ference attendees. Papers must be submitted in a final form no later than August 30, 2014.

Suggested Themes

Papers are invited addressing issues in the following topics:

 - Durability assessment·

 - Material characterisation/soil suitability·

 - Rammed earth in seismic areas·

 - Structural and thermal performance·

 - Traditional and stabilised rammed earth structures/ procedures·

This list is only intended as a guide. We welcome any contributions relevant to rammed earth construction.

Invited Speakers

Keynote lectures will be given by:

 Charles Augarde (Durham University, UK)

 Stephen Dobson (Ramtec, Australia)

 David Easton (Rammed Earth Works, USA)

 Rongrong Hu (Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, China)

http://www.ecm.uwa.edu.au/research/?a=2384270