AZURE_2014_07_08.pdf

4
Architect: Marwan Zgheib
Like a giant rock nestled into the hillside
above Jebaa, Lebanon, this proposed
weekend retreat for a travelling businessman
feels both futuristic and primitive.
An isolated place for contemplation,
the two-level house has venting at front
and rear, rainwater collection, and an
open terrace oriented west toward the
Mediterranean. A stone staircase leads
through the cracked roof and up the
hill to the prayer hall, a diagonal shaft
oriented toward Mecca, carved into the
hill to offer an unadorned, light-filled
vertical space for solitary religious
communion. mz‐ architects. com
4 LUminous moon-gate
Location: Taichung, Taiwan
Firm: Form4 Architecture, San Francisco
Team: John Marx with Felix Lin and
Pierluigi Serraino
Also rising to the challenge set forth
by the Taichung city government for a
new cultural centre, Form4 proposed
a series of rounded volumes – chiefly a
10-storey library, ascended via a grand
staircase, and a horizontal museum – in
conversation with each other. Together,
they resemble giant eggs rolling along
the landscape, their curved building
envelopes encased in a metre-thick
cavity wall fitted with movable louvres,
providing passive ventilation and ample
surface area for solar panels. For the
architects, the iconic shapes symbolize
“a portal into heightened consciousness,
a lantern of knowledge, a cultural lung
for the city.” form4inc. com
az awards annual jul ⁄ aug 2014 81