Chop Stick

Visiondivision was commissioned by the Indianapolis Museum of Art to create an innovative concession stand for 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, which will begin construction this summer.

The design is based on the universal notion that you need to sacrifice something in order to make something new. Every product is a compound of different pieces of nature, whether it is a cell phone, a car, a stone floor or a wood board; they have all been harvested in one way or another. Our project is about trying to harvest something as gently as possible so that the source of what we harvest is displayed in a pure, pedagogic and respectful way—respectful to both the source itself and to everyone visiting the building.

The raw material we selected is a 100-foot yellow poplar tree, the state tree of Indiana, known for its beauty, respectable size, and good properties as hardwood. We found a great specimen standing in a patch of forest outside of Anderson, Indiana. Our goal is to make the best out of this specific poplar tree, from taking it down and through the whole process of transforming it into a useful building that will be part of one of the finest art parks in the United States. As the project proceeds, we continue to be surprised by all of the magical features that are revealed in refining a tree into a building; both in the level of craftsmanship and knowledge of woodworkers and arborists, and also of the tree itself.


Master diagram

The first step is to cut down the tree, which is done when the ground is dry enough to manage a crane on the site, with special mats placed on the ground to secure the crane’s operation. A cushion of small, already chopped-down trees is created to reduce the impact of the tree’s fall and to keep the majority of its limbs intact.

The tree is then transported to the park site, where it becomes the suspended horizontal beam of this new structure, which will be almost entirely made out of the tree itself. The tree’s bark is removed to prevent it from falling on bystanders, a process that occurs naturally as the moisture content in the wood drops, causing the tree to shrink and the bark to lose its grip. Craftsmen loosen entire cylinders of bark from the trunk that are then flattened and cut into a standard shingle length. The shingles are carefully stacked and placed under pressure to avoid curling. The stacks are then kiln dried to the proper moisture content, sterilized, and kept in climate-controlled storage until they are ready for use. Bark shingles are very durable, long lasting (up to 80 years), and maintenance free.

After debarking, pieces of wood are extracted from the suspended tree and used for each of the components of the concession stand; structural support of the entire construction, pillars and studs for the kiosk, swings under the tree for kids, benches and tables to be placed under the tree’s crown, from which special fixtures made out of branches will hang. Many school children visit 100 Acres, and we had those kids in mind when we decided to hang swings from the tree.

On a smaller scale, we are exploring ways to use other parts of the tree in the concession stand, including its root system, which is separated from the tree when cut down. The roots have many edible features, such as root bark used to make tea and tonics that could be sold in the kiosk, for example. Pressed leaves and flowers taken from the tree will be ornaments in the front glass of the kiosk. There is also the possibility of extracting honey from poplar tree flowers, which could be something for sale on site. The branches that are less than five inches in diameter are cut away to prevent eventual rotting, and those can be used for details such as legs for the chairs and tables, or grinded down into sawdust for use as insulation.


The cut down of the tree and the transportation to the IMA
(Image courtesy: Donna Sink)

Here is a series of pictures from the two intense days in Indy this summer when the tree was taken down gently from a forest outside of Anderson, Indiana and taken to the 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park at The Indianapolis Museum of Arts.


The fine craftsmen of Indiana conferencing before the chop down


Connecting the wires to the crane, and choping down smaller limbs


The yellow poplar tree hanging from the crane


the tree in a horizontal position


Flowers from the tree and smaller limbs are saved for later use


The back part of the tree is cut in slices for tables at the outdoor seating area


A first debarking of the tree to fit the truck


Getting the tree on the back part of the truck


The truck is finally loaded



The tree outside Anderson, Indiana, ready to roll


Truck on its way to Indianapolis on narrow roads with police escort


The tree was later debarked on the temporary studs at the 100 Acres



The crown of the debarked tree at the 100 acres ready for further refinement.

A huge thanks to our collaborators!

Curator: Lisa Freiman
Curator: Sarah Green
Local architect: Donna Sink
Engineer: Dave Steiner
Logger: Dave and Dave
IMA CEO: Max Andersson
And all the other staff of the IMA and other involved people at the Chop Stick project

Preparations for Milan

Visiondivision has been invited by the Architect School at “Politecnico di Milano” to hold a workshop by building a green structure at the schools campus in September this Autumn. To train our planting skills the team went out to a dear friend of ours estate to get a lesson in how to plant trees.

visiondivision in Residence

Residence, the best-selling home style magazine in Sweden, includes an article about visiondivision in their September issue where the magazine proclaims that the young team "is on their way to become the most exciting architecture office in Sweden".

The talents was photographed inside Hill Hut and talked about architecture, their projects and how they got started. A pleasant read.

Deer Grotto

Visiondivision was commissioned to build a house among a group of cottages from the 18th century. The client wanted the house to blend in with this environment, especially from one side where the client’s conservative mother has her cottage and watchful eyes. We therefore made a building that blends in so good that it is almost invisible. The site where the client wanted to add an extension is sloping from the old cottage down towards a small creek. We excavate this hill to build a concrete vault in its place, punctuate it with strategically located holes for light and then we cover it up with the soil we moved. The result is a slightly bigger knoll. A couple of deer statues is placed on top of the building and some of them are hollow and covers the holes and becomes the light shafts themselves. Besides from being light shafts they are also acting as a reference point for the content of the house. Two resting hollow deer is placed over the bedrooms, a solid deer that jumps out of a small pond that is a light shaft is placed over the bathroom, a solid drinking deer is directed over the kitchen and a mighty hollow buck sits on top of the living room.
The house itself is connected with the old cottage with an internal stair.
The stair divides the extension into a social zone and a quieter one.
The social zone consists of a small kitchen and a living room with a glass façade towards a nice river view which also is the only visible façade of the house.
The bathroom and the sleeping area are slightly darker and the over lights gives a nice change of contrasts throughout the day.


Deer on the roof

Exterior - winter

Bathroom

Interior with river view backdrop

Interior, livingroom

Ground floor plan

Roof plan

Section

Sub-Zero

An arctic winter of ice age proportions has struck Stockholm.
In the middle of these sub-zero conditions a new client approached the team.
She wanted to build a new house among a group of cottages from the 18th century, a very delicate task that the talents just couldn’t refuse.
The team went out in to the frost covered woods with shovels, trying to clear the site from snow so they could measure it up before coming up with an idea as eminent as the mission.

Mangrolia Chaussures

Visiondivision has designed three shoe stores for a shoe tycoon on the tropical Reunion Island.

We have made a design that could be easily recognizable and applied for all of the Mangrolia Chaussures stores. We decided to design one specific Mangrolia shoe box that can be multiplied and stacked into almost any form, allowing different store layouts but at the same time being easily recognizable as a Mangrolia Shoe store.
The shoe box can be made out of different materials depending on budget but in this proposal we made a shoe box in Plexiglas, a plastic that creates a nice transparent effect. The shoe box can however be made out of various materials, for example wood with a mirroring foil mounted on them, creating a similar optical effect but for a lesser price.
Each box has a lid and a light. The boxes are made as pieces of Lego that can be fixed together in different formations. The box can be mass manufactured thus making it precise and cheap.

Saint Denis – The ocean
The Saint-Denis shop is the biggest one and located in the largest city and it is also the only shop that the Mangrolia family owns, so we propose that it should be turned into a flagship store; making it the centerpiece for the Mangrolian empire.
Being the flagship store we also wanted to make it into the most spectacular one.
The upper floor has boxes in the floor formed as a river, which “flows” from both of the entrances to the stairs which leads to the basement level which is completely covered with boxes, almost as an ocean.
A sofa shaped as Reunion Island is set in the middle of the shoe ocean where one can try out the different models or watch a slideshow projected on the wall of the assortment that the store has to offer.
In some of the boxes, legendary shoes can be kept; for example sneakers from the 80s or fashionable shoes made famous through celebrities, creating a small museum that will attract more visitors and fame for the Mangrolia business as the collection grows.

Saint-André – The Library
This shop has shelves of shoes arranged into smaller rooms with different themes; casual, formal and sport for example.
The transparency of the plexi-boxes makes the shoes look like they are frozen into ice blocks and will create a very intriguing and inviting showcase for the customers.

Le Port – The loop
All the functions of the shop are integrated in to a loop; showcase for the shoes, cashier and seating to try out the shoes.
The loop is extruded where it needs to be high; the cashier and the main showcases and then sinks down to the floor where the entrances are, allowing a free flow of circulation.
The pillars piercing the walls are built in with new inner walls that are painted white, for a smooth and clean backdrop for the shoeboxes. This is something that is recommended for every store.

Visiondivision – Idealists in the 21st Century?

Read the insightful interview by Craig Chamberlain, an author and freelance writer for RIBAJournal, the magazine of the royal institute of british architects.

Notch Festival in Beijing

visiondivision is invited to participate in an architecture production at the NOTCH FESTIVAL in Beijing with Svensk Standard for three weeks. The result will be published next month.

"The Village at Sanlitun is an open-plan shopping, dining, entertaining and cultural community in the heart of Beijing. The Village South blends a traditional hutong village lifestyle with 21st century modernity and sophistication. The Village North, openingin autumn 2009, comprises a cluster of glass buildings which house an enticing array of creative luxury brands.
NOTCH Festival will take place in both The Village North and South, both indoor and outdoor, will transform The Village into a Nordic fashion terminal, leading a new creative lifestyle and audio-visual culture in the town.
由香港著名太古集团旗下太古地产管理，位于北京三里屯的潮流腹地，汇集众多国际品牌旗舰店和环球店，其创新的建筑设计和人文气质为北京带来了一个全新的、融合了各种创想和潮流的、集购物、娱乐与餐饮于一体的人文风尚汇。街区型的有机布局将传统与创意、本土与国际的最新潮流生活方式兼收并蓄。南区广场和橙色大厅举办的一系列文化艺术活动带给人们变幻出新，惊喜不断的多方位体验。
从北区的钻石楼，户外下沉式绿色广场The Deck，到南区的橙色大厅和户外大屏，NOTCH将多方位、立体式渗透进三里屯VILLAGE的整个区域中。三里屯VILLAGE借NOTCH发布北欧最新时尚设计潮流，引领绿色创意设计生活时尚和视听文化新风潮。"

Under construction - Wat Hut

Our project Wat Hut is now under construction and is estimated to be completed in early November.
This lovely house has many special features such as an outdoor cinema for six people, two caves that is reached from each of the two children's room and last but not least a living room with fake grass that is connected to the outside grass in a stunning fashion.
More images and drawings when the building is finished.

Gulf Life

Our project Al-Hakawati is featured in the latest issue of Gulf Life, the distinguished in-flight magazine of Gulf Air with a monthly readership of 600,000 people.
It contains a wide-ranging mix of features relating to Gulf Air destinations worldwide, with a particular emphasis on the Gulf region and the Middle East.

Archi-Ninja interview

If you want to read about our views on architecture and what we're doing right now;
go to http://www.archi-ninja.com/interview-with-visiondivision/
We hope you will enjoy it!

Cover Up

This project is a part of a bigger commission to improve several power plants for an energy company.

In this first stage we we’re appointed to create a storage facility for various industrial pipes but foremost for several heating containers that with a short notice should be able to be outsourced around the city as back-up power during blackouts. The containers are quite big and are lifted from the storage with a special crane truck, making a roof impossible. Additional future containers should also be considered in the scheme, which called for a shelter with the flexibility of an anaconda stomach.

The surrounding area is industrial and quite rough and the company has had some problems with break in and vandalizing which also had to be taken into account. But the major issue was the fact that the present depot looked miserable and they wanted a neat looking package to encapsulate their bits and pieces.
So we made a good looking, roofless, safe and flexible-as-an-anaconda building.

The part of the structure that faces the surrounding is slightly higher and rigid and is also functioning as a wall to the premise. The inner part is not so high because these wall systems should be able to be altered and movable.

We made three modes with different area sizes with the help of pre-made holes in the ground which the walls on the flexible part of the structure could switch between when necessary. Some wall segments are also gates.

Plans of the different modes

The whole façade is made out of perforated steel plates.

The inner part of the structure is perforated in a mathematical and repetitive fashion to minimize wind loads, permit views into the storage without experience the clutter.

On the rigid part that is facing the surroundings, we perforated a grand motive with a story that is weaving in the energy company, the city and different world natures into a surrealistic “total nature”. This nature is actually also a disguise.
Different building details and devices are hidden in the motive; the main door for example is disguised in a forest, with the keyhole in one eye of a bear. Various surveillance cameras are hidden behind different creatures; for example behind the watchful eyes of a tiger in a mountainous setting, in the deep gaze of the founder of the city, Karl IX, in the bewildered look of a picnic lady from the great Swedish painter Carl Larsson.

From the savanna motive, water taps are inserted in the end of elephant trunks, to clean the façade if necessary.
A rainwater collector from the inside of the storage leaps out through a pipe that makes the horse of King IX urinate. To gentle the smell of the containers somewhat, we put canisters of air fresheners amid some butterflies and flowers in the painting.

Detail drawings

The motive is quite vast but during daytime the façade will hardly be visible unless you stand close to it, making it neat, white and clean. As the sun sets however, the colored lights that lit up selected parts of the motive will transform the building into a huge glowing painting, giving the passing cars on the nearby highway some inspiration along the way and the pedestrians a wondrous object in the anonymous and harsh industrial surroundings.

The project is still under evaluation, we will let you know when we have more information.

New office mail

Hi there!
If you are a client, publisher, collaborator or want to send an application to visiondivision; you should use our new office mail: info@visiondivision.com.
Mail accounts has also been set up to each one of the two young talents.
ab@visiondivision.com for Anders Berensson and um@visiondivision.com for Ulf Mejergren.
As a reminder we made you a poster that you can print out.
Be well!

Meet Pete

visiondivision went to the jungle of Thailand to meet one of their clients; a young man called Pete. After a quick observation of his present home and village to gain a deeper understanding for our new design, we had a business dinner and agreed to become his architects. He smiled at us and said that he had great expectations of the outcome.

Construction starts next week, and we hope that he won't be disappointed.

Premiere bath at the Cauldron Claw

The Nordic winter has finally subdued in the North of Sweden and turned the landscape around the Cauldron Claw into a lush and paradisesque environment.

We therefore went to the North once again to finish the bath with a steel aqueduct with medicinal plants growing on it, to give the bath an even more soothing experience for aching bodies as the water trickles through this pharmacy of nature and in to the cauldron where we witnessed the old man take his premiere bath.

Ski Jumper

Visiondivision gets the commission to develop the surrounding landscape of the classic Stockholm ski jumping tower Fiskartorpet. The projects contains a terrace for outdoor sports, conferences and events plus an outdoor gym in the nearby forest.

The terrace will bee seen both from the ground, the conference rooms and from the top of the Ski jumping tower. The 200 m2 wooden deck could appear quite empty when not used. So a natural choice was to continue a tradition on Fiskartorpet to graffiti walls with Ski jumpers. This graffiti is however made with a milling machine cutting out a 200 square meter picture of a Ski jumper. The motive also shapes a cantilevering walkway and a outdoor conference room in the slope.

Outdoor terrace - day

Outdoor terrace - night, lit up with different colors.

The outdoor gym is made by big logs and then painted in shiny green paint giving it a refined Fred Flintstone feeling.

The green shiny machines is placed like furniture in the forest.

Drawings outdoor gym

If everything goes accordingly to plan this little string of pearls will be built this summer, and Stockholm will get its first public visiondivision project.

Nazca view