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Aluminium Centrum
Few buildings evoke the universal response ‘how on earth does it stand up?’ but the Aluminium Centrum in Houten, the Netherlands, is one of them. A flat simple slab of a building (although not as simple as it first looks) is supported on the slenderest possible of supports coming up out of the water. On a day when the light is right, with reflections in the still water, the effect is of the tentacles of a jellyfish – not the most structurally rigid of concepts.
Architect Abbink X De Haas architectures (Micha de Haas) Location Houten - The Netherlands Company involved 3A Composites Website http://www.3acomposites.com -
High school Clouet
'Transformation' is a word that is used too commonly in schools, but in the case of the high school Francois Clouet in Tours, central France, it is appropriate. The original school, built in the 1960s, was constructed inexpensively, and it showed. Now architect Dubosc & Associés has retained and upgraded one of the buildings and built two new ones, giving the school an entirely new look and feel. 'I must say - with a little pride,' said Eric Dubosc, ‘that the teachers and the pupils, who did not like the old school at all, adore the new one.'
Architect Dubosc & Associés Location Tours - France -
Maison Commune Emploi Formation
The Maison Commune Emploi Formation (MCEF) building hosts nine different organisations which provide training and employment services for jobseekers in Rodez, a town in the south of France. A public building, the MCEF has 3,680 square metres of floor space housing offices, meeting rooms, and social spaces. Situated in a neighbourhood just outside the historic centre, the building is surrounded by shops and residential structures from different periods and architectural styles.
Architect Lacombe - De Florinier Location Rodez (France) Company involved Umicore Website www.umicore.com