In support of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 on the 23rd of February, Google transformed their logo to the iconic Holmenkollen Ski Jump. An icon meets an icon. Thanks Google!
HOLMENKOLLEN SKI JUMP ON GOOGLE
23 February, 2011 at 8:01
DESIGNED BY JDS ARCHITECTS, THE NEW HOLMENKOLLEN SKIJUMP WILL HOST THE 2011 FIS NORDIC WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS 23 FEBRUARY – 06 MARCH 2011
22 February, 2011 at 18:00
More than 100 years ago, a Norwegian lieutenant propelled himself 9.5 meters into the air and the sport of ski jumping was born. Since 1892, the village of Holmenkollen, twenty minutes from Oslo, has hosted legendary competitions and the site remains one of the foremost locales for the international sport including the 1952 Winter Olympics.
Along with Wimbledon’s All England Club and the Wembly Arena, Holmenkollen Ski Jump is often cited as one of the world’s most recognizable sports facility. Nevertheless it is one of the smallest hills in the World Cup tournament, and in September 2005, the International Ski Federation decided that the current hill does not meet the standards to award the city the 2011 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. In December 2005 Norway’s Directorate of Cultural Heritage approved the demolition of the ski jump and in April 2007 the Oslo municipality announced an open international competition for a new ski jump. JDS Architects based in Copenhagen and led by Belgian-French Julien De Smedt, beat out 103 other firms and was awarded the commission the following year.
Working closely with city officials, JDSA established an office in the capital and collaborated with Norwegian engineering firm, Norconsult, to bring to fruition their elegant serpentine form that will become a beacon for the city and a new showcase for the sport of ski jumping. Rather than having a series of dispersed pavilions on site, their design unifies the various amenities into one holistic diagram. The judges booths, the commentators, the trainers, the royal family, the VIPs, the wind screens, the circulations, the lobby, the entrance to the arena and the arena itself, the lounge for the skiers, the souvenir shop, the access to the existing museum, the viewing public square at the very top, everything, is contained into the shape of the jump. The resulting simplicity of the solution improves the experience of the spectators and brings clear focus to the skiers.
The ski jump is clad in stainless steel and glass and rises 58 meters in the air. It cantilevers an impressive 69 meters and on the first day of jumping tests; the record of the longest jump made at Holmenkollen was broken.
Atop the ski jump is a platform where visitors can take in some of the most breathtaking views of Oslo, the fjord and the region beyond. It’s a new form of public space, using an unlikely architectural form as its host, affording the same spectacular vantage point for everyone who comes to Holmenkollen. The Lonely Planet agrees, the travel publication recently declared the new Holmenkollen Ski Jump as one of the ten top destinations to visit in 2011.
OPENING OF BIRKEGADE ROOFTOP PENTHOUSES
22 February, 2011 at 12:00
Frank Jensen, Lord Mayor of Copenhagen
Birkegade Rooftop Penthouses celebrates its completion today.
Frank Jensen, Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, Bo Asmus Kjeldgaard, Technical & Environmental Mayor and Tina Saaby, City Architect, joined JDS and the Birkegade residence in the ceremony of the project’s unique addition to the Copenhagen skyline.
Bo Asmus Kjeldgaard, Copenhagen Technical & Environmental Mayor
Tina Saaby, City Architect of Copenhagen
Client representative, Jesper Prip Sindberg and architect Julien De Smedt
Optimization and utilization of the city roof
Elmegade district is one of the most densely populated areas of inner Nørrebro, Copenhagen. As for the triangular block of Birkegade/Egegade/Elmegade, this density can also be measured by its inner dark, narrow and cramped courtyard.
It is through those courtyard conditions that the concept of the project originates: The driving concept is to create the ‘missing garden’ at the top of the existing housing block in association with 3 new penthouses, so that all residents gain access to a genuine outdoor garden.
In order to qualify ‘the missing garden’, we looked at the current conditions of Copenhagen gardens. They are characteristically associated with functionality. With that sense, we have taken the rooftop garden as a designed space of functions with an association to materiality.
This is reflected in our project’s orange playground with shock-absorbing surface and a playful suspension bridge, a green hill with varying accommodation backed by real grass and durant vegetation, a viewing platform, an outdoor kitchen and barbecue, and a more quiet wooden deck.
The aim is to optimize and fully exploit the situations that the site has to offer, and thereby design a potential for the future exploitation of the roof to the delight of all the co-op’s residents. It is a concept which is not limited to establish the 3 new apartments, but a concept which both creates a useful roof garden as well as a beautiful landscape for the co-op’s neighbours and city residents in general.
Conceived in 2004 by PLOT (Julien De Smedt’s first practice), the project was finally approved in 2009, construction began (2010) and was executed and completed by JDS.
MOUNTAIN DWELLINGS WIN CONCRETE ELEMENT AWARD 2011
22 February, 2011 at 10:00
The Mountain Dwellings has been awarded the Concrete Element Award 2011 for the rare combination of spacious urban apartments, roof gardens and parking garage.
The jury behind Concrete Element Award, among other things, focuses on innovative architecture and unprecedented aesthetics.
“The VM Mountain building shows a new way to create architecture that can only be done in concrete elements.” explains Kent Martinussen, the chairman of the jury and director of the Danish Architecture Centre.
JDS AT THE STOCKHOLM FURNITURE FAIR
7 February, 2011 at 19:00
We will present our latest designs at the Stockholm Furniture Fair from the 8th to the 12th of February.
There will be a press conference at the Designed in Brussels stand on the 8th of February at 11.30.
If you’re interested in meeting us please contact Wouter Dons (wouter@jdsa.eu) who will be present throughout the fair.
The programme 101% Designed in Brussels promotes the most promising and innovating designers on an international scale. Every year it encourages the presentation of Brussels based designers within the framework of international actions.
This year’s group, selected by a professional jury, exists of diversified characters finding themselves in a different course of life: an architect, an interior architect, an artist, a product and an industrial designer. Introducing on the Furniture Fair of Stockholm and the Salone del Mobile of Milan: Benoît Deneufbourg, Julien De Smedt, Corentin Dombrecht, Vanessa Hordies and Julien Renault.
These actions are conceived within the framework of a close partnership between the Foreign Trade Department of the Brussels Capital Region and Designed in Brussels, the Brussels institution for the promotion of this sector.
JDS SELECTED FOR 101% DESIGNED IN BRUSSELS 2011
7 February, 2011 at 9:00
Brussels Export and Designed in Brussels present JDS/Julien De Smedt Architects as one of the selected designers for 101% Designed In Brussels. That means our work will be showcased in 2011 on various occasions, with a first appointment at Design Stockholm from the 7th till the 13th of February!
Today, the 101% Designed in Brussels program is closing the year 2010 with an exhibition in Brussels. After showing their products in Stockholm, Milan and London designers Chevalier Masson, Nathalie Dewez, Jean-François D’Or, Lhoas & Lhoas and Hugo Meert are finally showing in their own city. At the same time, the new selection of the 101% Designed in Brussels 2011 program will also be officially presented by Brussels Export and Designed in Brussels.
Exhibition:
13/01 – 03/02
Open Mon-Fri 10—12 AM / 01—05 PM
Vernissage: Thu 13/01, 18 – 23 PM
Where:
Designed in Brussels
Rue de Laeken 99 Lakensestraat
Bruxelles 1000 Brussel
10 BEST THINGS TO DO IN 2011
5 January, 2011 at 9:00
We hope everyone had a nice New Year’s celebration and that the winter holidays have treated you nicely. As we move forward to a new decade, here’s something to kick off the year from our friends at the lonely planet: The 10 best things to do in 2011, which includes a visit to our New Holmenkollen Ski Jump at this year’s FIS Nordic World Ski Championship in Oslo! Happy 2011!!!
See the lonely planet article here.
Punctuate this year with meaningful experiences. Choose from options that girdle the globe – from cricket bats and birthday parties to sobering memorials or a copy of Led Zeppelin IV. Here’s our pick of the 10 best things to do next year, fresh from Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2011.
1. Hug a tree in the Amazon
The UN is declaring 2011 the International Year of the Forest, with events planned from El Salvador to Bulgaria to help promote and preserve the globe’s forests. Sounds like a good time for the ultimate forest, the Amazon. The region, which is about as broad as the continental USA, is filled with opportunities, even in the wake of deforestation. Brazil’s main hub for the Amazon is Manaus, reached by plane or a five-day boat ride inland from Belém, where you can book tours to hike in the jungle, spot dolphins, toucans and monkeys, fish for piranha, and opt for luxury cabins on stilts. Try going in June and July when high tide means ‘hikes’ are done by canoe. Trips can also be arranged from places like Leticia, Colombia or Iquitos, Peru.
Brazil’s Mamirauá Reserve, the nation’s oldest sustainable reserve, really gets ‘eco’ right – stay in the floating Pousada Uacari or in cabins on stilts.
2. Cricket in India and Sri Lanka
You can break the ice with locals in India by talking Bollywood or curry, but why let the real national pastime take the backseat? Cricket reigns here above all else, and in 2011 (the 290th anniversary of the first recorded match in India) it’s no contest. In February and March, India and Sri Lanka host the Cricket World Cup (India’s third time). India has never won at home – only winning in England in 1983 – and all eyes will be on three-peat champions Australia. Wherever you are, get some makeshift lessons and connect with locals. And see if you can’t get a seat at Mumbai’s newly renovated Wankhede Stadium for the final.
To get some pre-trip tingle in your wicket, check out India’s cricketing pulse at www.cricinfo.com or www.cricbuzz.com. Sri Lanka’s turning the occasion into a broad Visit Sri Lanka Year.
3. Visit the new 9/11 memorial
New York’s World Trade Center site has been closed to the public since 9/11, but on the 10th anniversary of the attacks this September, the National September 11 Memorial opens the site for public viewing for the first time. Construction of nearby towers (including the Freedom Tower) and the memorial’s museum will be ongoing, but in the 6-acre plaza, one can view waterfalls lined with the names of all 9/11 victims and get a sneak preview of two recovered ‘tridents’ (steel columns) from the former WTC that will fill the museum atrium in 2012.
The not-for-profit organisation running the memorial plans to open the museum by 11 September 2012. Get more information at www.national911memorial.org.
4. DIY Wonders of the World list
We do like lists, don’t we? The overlap of Ancient Wonders of the World, Wonders of the Underwater World and Wonders of the Industrial World grows in 2011 with the New Wonders of the World’s 2nd edition, this time focusing on nature. It’s all decided by public vote, with many good candidates including Venezuela’s Angel Falls, Argentina/Brazil’s Iguazu Falls and Vietnam’s Halong Bay. Spend 2011 trying to visit all seven or create your own dang list. Seven Wonders of the Sports World, or maybe Top Seven Smug Politician Failures or Top Seven Places that Stink?
The New Seven Wonders of the World Foundation unveils the results of the new list on 11 November 2011.
5. Pan American Games, Guadalajara, Mexico
The birthplace of tequila, mariachis and the Mexican broad-rimmed sombrero, Guadalajara is without a doubt a memorable spot to party. It’s a nice alternate gateway to Mexico City for accessing nearby colonial towns like San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato. And it’s set to really let loose from 13 to 30 October when the Western Hemisphere’s Olympics – aka Pan American Games – comes knocking. The games, held every four years since 1951, feature 5000 athletes representing 42 countries.
For information on events and tickets, check the official website of the games, Guadalajara 2011.
6. FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, Oslo, Norway
Nothing beats the flag-waving frenzy of Norwegians cheering on their skiers at any winter event and that only escalates when the event is local. Oslo hosts the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships from 24 February to 6 March, a serious skiing affair of 21 events including the famed Holmenkollen Ski Jump, site of the world’s oldest ski jump. At its museum you can learn about the delicate art of ski jumping and skiing’s 4000-year history, as well as take a simulated ski jump for a laugh (a queasy laugh anyway).
You can visit Holmenkollen’s Ski Museum all year; for more on the event check its website www.oslo2011.no.
7. Climb a ‘stairway to heaven’
Robert Plant swears the lyrics to the Led Zeppelin’s rock anthem ‘Stairway to Heaven’ (turning 40 on 8 November; long live rock!) were written off the cuff, and that there really aren’t Satanic messages in that wonderful ‘a bustle in your hedgerow’ part when you play it backwards. But with a little imagination you can place the ‘stairway’ near Bron-Yr-Aur, the Welsh cottage where Jimmy Page first put together the immortal chords. In the south of Snowdonia National Park, the 892m Cader Idris is the big climb here, reached in five hours along the rocky Ty Nant Path or Dolgellau Path – or with stronger thighs via the Minffordd Path. Views up there can make you wonder.
Page’s old cottage is near Wales’ ‘green capital’ Centre for Alternative Technology, incidentally home to one of the world’s steepest funicular trains. You can arrange tours and stay in ecocabins.
8. Isle of Man motorbike race
A haven for tax dodgers and outdoorsy types most of the year, the remote oddball Isle of Man transforms in May and June for the Tourist Trophy, an engine-revving motorbike race that attracts 50,000 people every year – and 2011 is its 100th birthday. You can reach it by plane, or boat from Liverpool, and you can see much of the island by rental bike or on foot; the 95-mile Raad ny Foillan is a complete circuit of the island. Peek at past TT winners at the Manx Museum in the island’s main town of Douglas.
Keep up to date with contestants and past TT glory at the race’s website.
9. Indy 500, Indianapolis, USA
On the subject of engines and 100th birthdays, the USA’s premier motor race also turns 100 in 2011. Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosts the event over the Memorial Day weekend in late May, but celebrates the race all month. You can take a bus tour of the 2.5-mile oval track any time – at a snail-like 60km/h.
Plan way ahead if you want to join up to 450,000 fans at the actual race. See imstix.com for ticket information.
10. Write a postcard
E-books, mobile phone apps, augmented reality – we live and travel in a world of instant information and sore thumbs. This year is a good time to pause and revisit that ol’ travel chestnut: the postcard. What started a century ago as a craze of keepsakes (recipients cherished them as much as travellers sending them cherished their actual experiences) has lost out to wi-fi , text messaging and Flickr images. A shame. Sending a postcard leads to all sorts of local life commonly missed – stationery shops, post offi ces, funny stamps – as well as the art of actually writing with a pen.
See the lonely planet article here.
JDS JUDGE ARCHIPRIX TURKEY 2010
8 December, 2010 at 19:00
Julien De Smedt, judge of Archiprix Turkey 2010 @ the Award Ceremony, 9th December 2010.
18:30 Kolokyum | Jury Debate and Q&A on the competition process and the applied projects with the winners.
19:30 Award Ceremony
20:00 Exhibition Opening | all 106 projects from 20 different universities from all around Turkey.
Yapı-Endüstri Merkezi | The Building Information Centre
Fulya Mah. Yeşilçimen Sok. No:12
430 Fulya, İstanbul
More information regarding the event can be found here.
JDS AT PECHA KUCHA ISTANBUL
8 December, 2010 at 12:00
Julien will be speaking at Pecha Kucha Night:
8th December 2010 from 20:20 – 23:00
Yapı-Endüstri Merkezi | The Building Information Centre
Fulya mah. Yeşilçimen sok. No:12
430 (Polat Kulesi Yanı)
34394 Istanbul, Türkiye
+90 212 266 7070
For more information click here
KUNSTLICHT ANTWERPEN
3 December, 2010 at 15:00
At the end of the year, cities are extra decorated and lit. Every shopping street, every square gets its own special atmosphere. This year, for the second time, also the De Coninckplein will get its transformation, but than with an artistic open air project.
40, mainly Antwerp based artists as well as digital artists, are selected for the design of balloonsculpture. Each is developed to a digital printed balloon of 1,5 meter diameter. Lit from the inside, they will hang an entire month above the De Coninckplein. Every object will be worth looking at on its own, but the total collection will impress of course.
Try to find the balloon by JDS Architects!
Kick off is the 10th of December 2010, 19h30. For a month long, many festivities and artistic interventions will be organised. And be sure to make it on time: the lights go out on Sunday, the 9th of January.
more info:
http://www.kunstlicht2010.be