hou de sousa's raise/raze claims victory of dupont underground competition hou de sousa's raise/raze claims victory of dupont underground competition
mar 30, 2016

hou de sousa's raise/raze claims victory of dupont underground competition

hou de sousa’s raise/raze claims victory of dupont underground competition
all images courtesy of hou de sousa

 

 

 

new york based architecture studio hou de sousa has been announced as the winner for the international re-ball competition, hosted by dupont underground in collaboration with the national building museum and the phillips collection. their winning proposal, ‘raise/raze’ is scheduled to open to the public at dupont underground in washington DC on april 30th, 2016.

houdesousadesignboom01
grove colonnade 

 

 

 

drawing from the competition brief’s emphasis on re-purposing previously used materials, the design team focussed on creating a dynamic, reconfigurable system; as opposed to a specific, non-versatile form. ‘raise/raze’ is an assembly block system that is not only totally alterable, but exceptionally strong and light-weight as well. the project is based on a hexagonal configuration of plastic balls formed in 27-piece cubes. velcro placed on the corners of each cube allows for attachment and detachment from other units; in effect providing the building blocks for a real-life version of minecraft.

hou de sousa raise raze dupont underground washington DC
shell valley

 

 

 

the site itself — DC’s iconic but largely dormant dupont circle — is a long, slightly curved hallway. ‘raise/raze’ divides the space into a series of distinct zones that present visitors with various situations and scenarios. these include: a cave of text, a forest-esque colonnade of trunks and stumps, a valley of shells, and another of domes, and a group of scaled down versions of the city’s famous structures (including the white house and supreme court building). all of these, of course, can be further altered and played with by the public. ‘raise/raze’ opens april 30th, 2016 with a full-scale, live-action performance at dupont underground in washington DC. 


text space


box sponges

hou de sousa raise raze dupont underground washington DC
mock-up studies


installation layout

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions  feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: nick brink | designboom

Josh de Sousa
mar 30, 2016

    have something to add? share your thoughts in our comments section below.

    comments policy
    LOG IN
    designboom's comment policy guidelines
    generally speaking, if we publish something, it's because we're genuinely interested in the subject. we hope you'll share this interest and if you know even more about it, please share! our goal in the discussion threads is to have good conversation and we prefer constructive opinions. we and our readers have fun with entertaining ones. designboom welcomes alerts about typos, incorrect names, and the like.
    the correction is at the discretion of the post editor and may not happen immediately.

    what if you disagree with what we or another commenter has to say?
    let's hear it! but please understand that offensive, inappropriate, or just plain annoying comments may be deleted or shortened.

    - please do not make racist, sexist, anti-semitic, homophobic or otherwise offensive comments.
    - please don't personally insult the writers or your fellow commenters.
    - please avoid using offensive words, replacing a few letters with asterisks is not a valid workaround.
    - please don't include your website or e-mail address in your comments for the purpose of self-promotion.
    - please respect jury verdicts and do not discuss offensively on the competition results
    (there is only one fist prize, and designboom usually asks renown professionals to help us to promote talent.
    in addition to the awarded designs, we do feel that almost all deserve our attention, that is why we publish
    the best 100-200 entries too.)

    a link is allowed in comments as long as they add value in the form of information, images, humor, etc. (links to the front page of your personal blog or website are not okay). unwelcome links (to commercial products or services of others, offensive material etc. ) will be redacted. and, ... yes, spam gets banned. no, we do not post fake comments.

    forgot password

    (546 articles)

    (6 articles)

    PRODUCT LIBRARY

    a diverse digital database that acts as a valuable guide in gaining insight and information about a product directly from the manufacturer, and serves as a rich reference point in developing a project or scheme.

    architecture news

    akihisa hirata tangles indoor and outdoor spaces for 'tree-ness house' in tokyo akihisa hirata tangles indoor and outdoor spaces for 'tree-ness house' in tokyo
    apr 16, 2018

    akihisa hirata tangles indoor and outdoor spaces for 'tree-ness house' in tokyo

    #architecture

    'the arrangement of functional volumes and voids, openings, and greenery integrates and entangles the building into a single organic whole,’ says the architect.

    'the arrangement of functional volumes and voids, openings, and greenery integrates and entangles the building into a single organic whole,’ says the architect.

    #architecture
    zaha hadid's only private residence features a soaring tower elevated above the treetops zaha hadid's only private residence features a soaring tower elevated above the treetops
    apr 12, 2018

    zaha hadid's only private residence features a soaring tower elevated above the treetops

    #architecture

    the building is defined by its natural topography, with fluid geometries emerging from the landscape and remaining partially embedded within the hillside.

    the building is defined by its natural topography, with fluid geometries emerging from the landscape and remaining partially embedded within the hillside.

    #architecture

    all architecture news