Press Release
Aaron Leppanen and Gabriela Anker Is Honored with the Silver A' Design Award for MareNostrum Residential Building in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Aaron Leppanen and Gabriela Anker honored for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 22, 2020 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that MareNostrum Residential Building by Aaron Leppanen and Gabriela Anker, designed for Romero & Pazmiño Ingeniería Inmobilaria, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category. The result belongs to the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Silver A' Design Award
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
More About MareNostrum Residential Building
MareNostrum is an eight story residential building in Quito, Ecuador. The name refers to the Latin term for our sea, and the facade reinterprets the movement of the oars of Roman fleets. The curved facade forms large balconies that extend the interior space to the exterior. Cutout corners span two levels, give shade from the sun and create places where neighbours can meet. The building holds suites, two bedroom and three bedroom apartments and lofts, with a lounge and green areas on the terrace. Passive strategies provide natural light and ventilation.
About Aaron Leppanen and Gabriela Anker
Aaron Leppanen can be considered a true representative of the creative industries. He is a designer, architect and an entrepreneur, and his work has been realised as museums, high-rises and custom made homes. With experience stretching not only countries, but continents, he has become a pioneer, and has developed a knack for using local materials, know-how and labour to innovate both in design and in process. One of his areas of focus is to create forms with parametric parameters and applying it to local construction settings, thereby turning limitations into strengths and opportunities. The creation of icons through form has, in particular, been a recurring aspect of Aaron’s work.
Award Record
Aaron Leppanen and Gabriela Anker is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award
The A' Architecture Design Award is an international architectural design competition recognizing good architectural designs by best architects worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to architectural design studios, building contractors, structural engineering firms and architecture and design consultants from all countries. Entries typically include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. Awarded architectural projects are published at https://designers.org/design-category/architecture
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/104748
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/104748
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!104748
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/275687
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.leppanenanker.com/b-projects/mare-nostrum/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- MareNostrum Residential Building
- Function
- Residential Building
- Category
- Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture
- Colors
- Cornflower Blue, Sky Blue, Gainsboro, Light Steel Blue and Dark Slate Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Romero & Pazmiño Ingeniería Inmobilaria
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Aaron Leppanen and Gabriela Anker
- Country
- Ecuador
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2019 - 2020
- Design ID
- #104748
Credits
- Team
- Aaron Leppanen, Gabriela Anker, Sofía Chávez, Caroline Dieden, José Silva and Gabriela Valdéz Mena
- Image Credits
- BICUBIK
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Throughout the 8 story residential building, the movement of the facade generates large balconies, which extends the interior space to the exterior. The form has passive sustainability strategies, such as ventilation and natural light. The volume of the building allows different types of apartments, suites, 2 bedrooms, 3 bedrooms and lofts. In addition, social spaces are created inside the building, such as a lounge and green areas on the terrace, to take advantage of the urban context.
- Inspiration
- The site of the project was named Mare Nostrum after an existing restaurant, whose latin meaning is our sea. The ancient Romans baptized what is now the Mediterranean Sea with this name. Inspired in this context, the movement that the oars of the fleets of the Roman Empire used centuries ago to protect their territories is reinterpreted on its facade. Reinforcing this concept an experience of movement is created for the users inside and outside the spaces.
- Research
- Our office research primarily focuses on form finding through organic efficiencies. Specifically varied repetition is of interest, looking for models of difference through a similar design process. The objective behind this research is to identify potential insights and techniques that can be implemented in our iterative design process. Methods include digital sketching in rhino and grasshopper and physical printed models. In the iterative process, experimentation is the most important aspect in the search for potential architectural solutions.
- Challenge
- The historical connection that the site of the project had with the sea inspired the form. The local construction technology however gave limitations on how this form would be attained. After evaluating different materials , the conventional masonry blocks and cement materials were used in a sculpted work with the local artisans to build the wave inspired facade. The combination of these curved walls and wooden accents below the cantilevered floor plate extensions created the desired volume.
- Realization and Technology
- The facade and the lobby have the same language in their design. However the facade was constructed with conventional masonry blocks and mortar. The lobby in contrast was built with a combination of digital fabrication and artisan work. The unique lobby forms were made with a cnc cut mdf structure and colorado wood panels cut by hand. The use of complementary digital and artisan construction techniques was key to attain such unconventional forms in a setting like Ecuador.
- Operation and Interaction
- The characteristic cutout corners, spanning over two levels, give the building a softer attitude. They also create spaces and opportunities for neighbors to interact with each other, between the balconies of differing depth. The cutout corners also provide shade protecting from the hot Andean sun.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in 2016 and was completed in 2019 in Quito, Ecuador.
- Specifications
- The building has 8 stories and 3 underground levels in a 1250 square meters lot. The total construction area is 8,800 square meters. The building has a reinforced concrete structure with steel deck floor plates.
- Keywords
- Sea , Waves , Urban , Facade , Residential
