Tag: material

MARAYA CONCERT HALL | GUARDIAN GLASS

December 27, 2021
by Ratchadaporn Hemjinda
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MARAYA CONCERT HALL | GUARDIAN GLASS

THE MARAYA CONCERT HALL IS THE WORLD’S LARGEST MIRRORED BUILDING SITUATED WITHIN THE ARABIAN DESERT AND UTILIZES GUARDIAN GLASS’S ULTRAMIRROR AS FAÇADE MATERIAL WHICH OFFERS THE BUILDING AN ILLUSIONARY DISAPPEARING EFFECT

TEXT: WARUT DUANGKAEWKART
PHOTO COURTESY OF GUARDIAN GLASS

(For Thai, press here)

Maraya Concert Hall is undoubtedly a head turner. At first glance, the architecture seamlessly submerges itself to the landscape of the Arabian Desert with the mirrored facade, which at times camouflages the entire structure into the surrounding environment, disappearing from one’s vision like a magical illusion. 

The 500-seat performance hall houses 9,740- square meter  functional space. Maraya Concert Hall now holds Guinness World Records title for the largest mirrored building in the world.

The scale of the building creates a clear, mind-bending reflection of the surrounding landscape on the reflective facade. The word ‘Maraya,’ which translates to mirror in Arabic, becomes the main concept of the project. Initially, the facade was designed to look like a massive metal wall that would reflect the landscape into a distorted visuals.

The idea to use metal came about from the worry over using real mirror in the physical environment of the desert where heat and UV ray would have had impacts on the coating substance and eventually the building’s future maintenance. Meanwhile, the mirror’s surface could not deliver the desired reflective effect with the possibility of discoloration, which might result in a less satisfying outcome.

Thanks to Guardian Glass’ technologies and a variety of products with optimized efficiency they bring, the design team  chooses UltraMirror, a type mirror designed specifically for interior use with functional features developed  for the project of such a unique environment.

The project is one of the works that Guardian Glass is involved in, not just the manufacturing process, but also the development and research of the product to deliver the most fitting solution for architectural use.

While the idea was incredibly challenging that it seemed almost impossible, considering how each type of mirror holds its own physical properties and relies on the architect’s understanding, selection and application to bring the desired functional performances. In addition to the physical properties, there are also challenges in the transportation and installation since the mirror used in this project contains different physical properties. The material went through the cutting, heat-treated and coated with a great number of chemical substances with more complex properties than normal to achieve the most immaculate final result. In the big picture, the installation method, size and overall surface finish including the material’s ability to reflect the surrounding environment, collectively, contribute to Maraya Concert Hall’s visually striking piece of architecture as the work is given the Popular Winner award by 2020’s Architizer A+Awards in architecture and Glass category, a testament to the project’s distinguished architectural design.

For further information you can contact our experts, by visiting us at: 
Official Website / https://www.guardianglass.com/ap/en
Official Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/guardianglassap
Email / guardiansupport@guardian.com

ELBPHILHARMONIE HAMBURG | GUARDIAN GLASS

November 15, 2021
by Ratchadaporn Hemjinda
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ELBPHILHARMONIE HAMBURG | GUARDIAN GLASS

HERZOG & DE MEURON TRANSFORMED THE OLD WAREHOUSE INTO ‘ELBPHILHARMONIE HAMBURG’ THE NEW LANDMARK OF HAMBURG, GERMANY THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF 3D CURVED GLASS FAÇADE FIRST DEVELOPED BY GUARDIAN GLASS AND THE ARCHITECT

TEXT: WARUT DUANGKAEWKART
PHOTO: CORDELIA EWERTH

(For Thai, press here)

The Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg, is one of the buildings known for its architectural splendour and its use of some of the world’s best acoustic systems. The project has the eminent and 2001’s Pritzker Prize laureates, Herzog & de Meuron, known for their masterful adaptation and reappropriation of the old and the new for their architectural creations.

What’s particularly interesting about the project isn’t just its captivating appearance and advanced technologies that are employed but also the historical narrative and context of the location, especially the old building in which the program is sited. Originally, the space was home to a government-owned warehouse (Kaispeicher). The government later initiated an idea to develop the building and the area into a new city center, housing a program of diverse public spaces, urban and cultural activities. The design takes a conservation approach by keeping the old warehouse building as the base of the newly constructed addition, and creates an intriguing fusion that merges the old brick structure  to the new architecture where glass is used as a principal material. At the lower portion of the structure, function spaces are connected, embraced and run through the old warehouse’s space before the program leads up to the diverse functional areas on the upper floors, such as a concert hall, restaurants, bars, an apartment complex, a hotel including the rooftop overlooking the spectacular view of the city and its harbour.

The essence of the project is, however, the glass addition sitting on the top of the brick warehouse. Designed with the aesthetic merits that coincide with the functional program of the concert hall, the building’s dynamic materiality and surfaces render emotional responses with users. The spirit of Hamburg as a harbour city is expressed through the facade’s form and details that take inspiration from the sails of a ship and natural attributes of waves. It is far from common to see glass being used in its varying bent and curved forms to create a three-dimensional curved facade with the expansive 5,000 square meter surface. The collaborative process between the design team and Guardian Glass  granted the architects incredible creative freedom, successfully materialising possibilities and imagination into reality.

The complex three dimensional curved glass façade is interesting for it is the novel invention specifically developed for the project, through an extensive and detailed research that seeks for a way to preserve the aesthetic and functional qualities of each type of glass, from indoor temperature control, exterior heat prevention, etc. with models such as Extra Clear, ClimaGuard®, SunGuard® are used to keep the design the closest to perfection. Architecturally speaking, the development of material achieved in this project has enabled many promising possibilities for the future works of architectural design.

For further information you can contact our experts, by visiting us at: 
Official Website / https://www.guardianglass.com/ap/en
Official Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/guardianglassap
Email / guardiansupport@guardian.com

TAK EXCLUSIVE COLLECTION

November 13, 2021
by Ratchadaporn Hemjinda
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TAK HAS LAUNCHED THE NEW COLLECTIONS OF LAMINATE PRODUCTS NAMELY LAMITAK, DEKODUR, O2 PLUS, AND CREATIVE COLOR BOARD FROM FORESCOLOR, FEATURING BEAUTIFUL DESIGN AND OUTSTANDING MANUFACTURING PROCESSES TO MEET WITH THE MODERN TREND OF AESTHETICS, WELL-BEING, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

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HOUSESCAPE DESIGN LAB

August 31, 2021
by Ratchadaporn Hemjinda
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PHOTO COURTESY OF HOUSESCAPE DESIGN LAB EXCEPT AS NOTED

(For Thai, press here)

WHO
Housescape Design Lab by Peerapong Promchart, Thiprada Jindatum and Wachira Pakkla.

WHAT
A design studio born from our conversation about theories of spatial design and experimentation on the potential possibilities of materials.

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MUSLIM.ARCHITECT.FOR.COMMUNITY

May 4, 2021
by admin
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PHOTO COURTESY OF MUSLIM.ARCHITECT.FOR.COMMUNITY

WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY
“Muslim.Architect.For.Community” or MAFC, is a group of young people gathered together, using professions of architecture, interior design, landscaping and engineering together to develop global society. We define architecture as “Pace to practice goodness.” It means every work we’re involved with must be placed where people use to practice good deed. It must support daily basic needs to user in both physical and spiritual way. We truly believe that architect is an important profession because architecture is a key component in keeping develop house, town and human civilization peacefully. Today, we focus on architecture that plays a large part in society. There are works that develop rural and urban communities, which are mostly educational, spiritual, culture and public buildings that come in various typologies according to each context from research.

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