LOCATION: Busan, South Korea
SIZE: 240,000 sq. m
DATE: 2007 – Ongoing
Asymptote has been commissioned to build the World Business Center Solomon Tower through an international design competition sponsored by the Municipality of Busan City and the Solomon Group. Asymptote’s groundbreaking design of three separate, tapered towers rising out of a robust and powerful base will be among the tallest buildings in Asia at 550m. The World Busniess Center Solomon Tower was recently awarded the 2008 American Architecture Award by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design
CLIENT: Solomon Group
ARCHITECT:Asymptote Architecture
CONSULTANTS:
LOCAL ARCHITECT: Gansam and Junglim Architects
MEP & STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Arup
FACADE CONSULTANT: Front, Inc.
VERTICAL TRANSPORTATION: Lerch, Bates and Associates Inc
More at Asymtote Architecture
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Omiros One Architecture | J1 Residential Tower | Cornice in Abu Dhabi, UAE
This Biodynamic project is designed to generate energy through its envelope and geometry
The focus is placed on the overall geometry according to the energy concept and on the development of the building skin. The building consists of retail in the base of the tower, office spaces and a hotel with amenities located centrally and residential areas in the upper section of the tower. There is also a provision of underground car parking for 1.000 cars, which will be below the water table.
The design of the building is aggressively evocative and stands confident from all its adjoining neighbours’ as it tells a different story, that of responsibility, sustainability rather than stylish or symbolism.
The proposal intents to become a beacon of a confident, responsible, 21st Century UAE.
The clients’ brief was embraced by the O1a team as it was in line with our corporate philosophy and core values:
-Creating innovative, quality spaces for living, recreation and working that will enrich the quality of life of the end user, visitor and the wider community.
-Adding to the enjoyment, awareness and value of architecture through every project. -Maintaining a focus on sustainable solutions that will benefit the environment and future generations.
-Exploring and developing both traditional and unconventional building technologies for resource efficient, cost effective construction, of the highest quality possible to meet desired project outcomes. Commitment to Quality in Architecture - O1A has been producing leading edge architecture since 1986 and is committed to providing innovative architectural solutions through the continual development of our people and resources. Large or small, the same rigour is applied to the resolution of design and details for all our projects.
Sustainability - We understand the importance of living ethically and strive to create architecture that is respectful to the inheritance of future generations. Environmentally sustainable principles are applied to our designs wherever possible.
More at o1a
The focus is placed on the overall geometry according to the energy concept and on the development of the building skin. The building consists of retail in the base of the tower, office spaces and a hotel with amenities located centrally and residential areas in the upper section of the tower. There is also a provision of underground car parking for 1.000 cars, which will be below the water table.
The design of the building is aggressively evocative and stands confident from all its adjoining neighbours’ as it tells a different story, that of responsibility, sustainability rather than stylish or symbolism.
The proposal intents to become a beacon of a confident, responsible, 21st Century UAE.
The clients’ brief was embraced by the O1a team as it was in line with our corporate philosophy and core values:
-Creating innovative, quality spaces for living, recreation and working that will enrich the quality of life of the end user, visitor and the wider community.
-Adding to the enjoyment, awareness and value of architecture through every project. -Maintaining a focus on sustainable solutions that will benefit the environment and future generations.
-Exploring and developing both traditional and unconventional building technologies for resource efficient, cost effective construction, of the highest quality possible to meet desired project outcomes. Commitment to Quality in Architecture - O1A has been producing leading edge architecture since 1986 and is committed to providing innovative architectural solutions through the continual development of our people and resources. Large or small, the same rigour is applied to the resolution of design and details for all our projects.
Sustainability - We understand the importance of living ethically and strive to create architecture that is respectful to the inheritance of future generations. Environmentally sustainable principles are applied to our designs wherever possible.
More at o1a
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Venice Architectural Biennale 2010 | Junya Ishigami | Golden Lion Winner
Junya Ishigami's installation is a full- size study of a building planned for somewhere in Europe, measuring approximately 14 m x 4 m x 4 m.
The components: delicate specially-designed columns, beams and bracing: indeterminate contours lacking true physical form that dissolve into the transparent space rather than 'structures' supporting the building.
The outcome is an assembly of a small-scale parts, deviating enormously from the usual scale of architecture, yet forming a structure on an architectural scale. Even the structures that give a building its very shape may no longer be clear but rather void-like.....more
The components: delicate specially-designed columns, beams and bracing: indeterminate contours lacking true physical form that dissolve into the transparent space rather than 'structures' supporting the building.
The outcome is an assembly of a small-scale parts, deviating enormously from the usual scale of architecture, yet forming a structure on an architectural scale. Even the structures that give a building its very shape may no longer be clear but rather void-like.....more
Saturday, August 28, 2010
International Architectural Competition | eVolo Skyscraper Competition 2011
The annual eVolo Skyscraper Competition is a forum for the discussion, development, and promotion of innovative concepts for vertical density. It examines the relationship between the skyscraper and the natural world, the skyscraper and the community, and the skyscraper and the city.
The exponential increase of the world’s population and its unprecedented shift from rural to urban areas has prompted hundreds of new developments without adequate urban planning and poor architectural design. The aim of this competition is to redefine what we understand as a skyscraper and initiate a new architectural discourse of economic, environmental, intellectual, and perceptual responsibility that could ultimately modify our cities and improve our way of life.
The use of new materials, technologies, aesthetics, and novel spatial organizations, along with studies on globalization, flexibility, adaptability, and the digital revolution are some of the multi-layered elements that the participants should take into consideration. This is also an investigation on the public and private space and the role of the individual and the collective in the creation of a dynamic and adaptive vertical community.
There are no restrictions in regards to site, program or size. The objective is to provide maximum freedom to the participants to engage the project without constraints in the most creative way. What is a skyscraper in the 21st century? What are the historical, contextual, social, urban, and environmental responsibilities of these mega-structures?......more
International Architectural Competition | JA Joubert Architecture | Master Plan in Tirana, Albania
JA Joubert Architecture, a Rotterdam-based architectural office, has won first prize in an international competition for a new neighborhood in Tirana, Albania.
Invited by a private developer, JA Joubert Architecture decided to break with standard sub-urban development by proposing an integral solution for building and parking, directly linking them to the terrain conditions, thus creating a new community for different (age) groups, with sports and health facilities, set within a continuous green park with beautiful views to the city and Tirana lake....more at bustler
Invited by a private developer, JA Joubert Architecture decided to break with standard sub-urban development by proposing an integral solution for building and parking, directly linking them to the terrain conditions, thus creating a new community for different (age) groups, with sports and health facilities, set within a continuous green park with beautiful views to the city and Tirana lake....more at bustler
Embassy of The Czech Republic Washington DC, United States | Your Building Here
The project was a competition for a new Embassy of the Czech Republic in the United States. As such, it was to represent the culture and spirit of this country abroad.
Our first objective was to create a project appropriate in size and character to the surrounding neighborhood.
At the same time, it was critical to have a structure that would fulfill the functions of an embassy, to tread as lightly on the environment as possible, to use morphology of the site to form the architecture and to blend the building into its surroundings.
We decided on several low-story buildings arranged in terraces and laced with garden plots. Certain areas were closed and put underground due to security requirements.
Because of such requirements, it was necessary to sink one-third of the structure.
Despite this, we managed to "connect" the green roofs and gardens to the park and forest surrounding the site, and provide long, clear views from the building.
We turned the strict security needs of the structure into an advantage – the complex has a high level of privacy from the nearby streets.
The idea was to provide a sense of refuge and familiarity inside its walls while blending in with nature.
Openness, dignity, sustainability and respect for the surroundings and the neighbors were our main goals.....more at earchitect
Our first objective was to create a project appropriate in size and character to the surrounding neighborhood.
At the same time, it was critical to have a structure that would fulfill the functions of an embassy, to tread as lightly on the environment as possible, to use morphology of the site to form the architecture and to blend the building into its surroundings.
We decided on several low-story buildings arranged in terraces and laced with garden plots. Certain areas were closed and put underground due to security requirements.
Because of such requirements, it was necessary to sink one-third of the structure.
Despite this, we managed to "connect" the green roofs and gardens to the park and forest surrounding the site, and provide long, clear views from the building.
We turned the strict security needs of the structure into an advantage – the complex has a high level of privacy from the nearby streets.
The idea was to provide a sense of refuge and familiarity inside its walls while blending in with nature.
Openness, dignity, sustainability and respect for the surroundings and the neighbors were our main goals.....more at earchitect
Thursday, August 26, 2010
X Architects | Sham Sales Center | AbuDhabi
The proposed sales center provides a sensitive approach to the local ecology and landscape, especially to the fast depleting mangrove reserves of AbuDhabi. Extending and hovering above the existing mangroves and integrating them into its design, the sales center provides potential investors a glimpse of the nature oriented life style that can be expected from the Shams project.The form responds to the surrounding views and programmatic pressures of the project.The mangrove courts organize the program into different zones of activity and extends the users perception towards creating a symbiotic relationship with his surrounding environment.
Credits: Ahmed Al Ali, Farid Esmaeil, Luca Vigliero, Francesco Moncada, Mathan Ramaiah, Lidia, Dario Cavallaro.
Pictures of the sales center here
Credits: Ahmed Al Ali, Farid Esmaeil, Luca Vigliero, Francesco Moncada, Mathan Ramaiah, Lidia, Dario Cavallaro.
Pictures of the sales center here
Drost + van Veen architects | Nature-Education Centre | Almere, The Netherlands
Nature-education centre ‘The Oostvaarders’ is situated in a unique nature reserve in Europe: The Oostvaardersplassen in Almere, The Netherlands.
The building is constructed at a junction of various landscapes with the different characters of land, water, forest and reed fields.
To serve a wide audience there is an information room, classroom, panorama-room, restaurant and representative meeting-room.
The Oostvaarders presents itself in two different shapes. From the parking the shape rises like a vertical beacon from the plain.
In contrast the shape from the lakeside is horizontal, connecting with the extensive dyke and water.
On the first floor the panorama-room, with a large horizontal window, gives a stunning view over the lake.
The entrance of the building is situated at the foot of the dyke. From the entrance the visitor climbs the stairs to the crow’s nest: an exterior space to view the environment.
This movement is emphasised by a continuous sightline through the building that connects the entrance and the crow’s nest. In order to minimise a disruption in the surrounding natural environment, the building time was reduced to a minimum.
Therefore, the building is constructed in prefab, massive, wooden walls and floors. The LenoTec walls are fabricated in Finland.
The use of these prefabricated elements made an 8m overhang over the lake possible. In addition, wood is a light material with a high isolation.
The natural expression of this material remains visible in the interior, like in a wooden cottage. The facades are constructed of prefab, timbered pinewood, elements in different patterns and textures.
The perforations in the facade vary in direction and size. By framing the view everytime in a different way, the visitor will learn to observe the environment.
Pictures here
The building is constructed at a junction of various landscapes with the different characters of land, water, forest and reed fields.
To serve a wide audience there is an information room, classroom, panorama-room, restaurant and representative meeting-room.
The Oostvaarders presents itself in two different shapes. From the parking the shape rises like a vertical beacon from the plain.
In contrast the shape from the lakeside is horizontal, connecting with the extensive dyke and water.
On the first floor the panorama-room, with a large horizontal window, gives a stunning view over the lake.
The entrance of the building is situated at the foot of the dyke. From the entrance the visitor climbs the stairs to the crow’s nest: an exterior space to view the environment.
This movement is emphasised by a continuous sightline through the building that connects the entrance and the crow’s nest. In order to minimise a disruption in the surrounding natural environment, the building time was reduced to a minimum.
Therefore, the building is constructed in prefab, massive, wooden walls and floors. The LenoTec walls are fabricated in Finland.
The use of these prefabricated elements made an 8m overhang over the lake possible. In addition, wood is a light material with a high isolation.
The natural expression of this material remains visible in the interior, like in a wooden cottage. The facades are constructed of prefab, timbered pinewood, elements in different patterns and textures.
The perforations in the facade vary in direction and size. By framing the view everytime in a different way, the visitor will learn to observe the environment.
Pictures here
Architectural Competition | Sukkah City 2010 Winners
A panel of judges, including Pritzker prize-winning architect Thom Mayne, The New Yorker’s architecture critic, Paul Goldberger, NYU Environmental Health Clinic Director Natalie Jeremijenko, and designer Ron Arad selected the winning entries during a recent session at the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The winners (full list below) were selected in a blind review, and include the Brooklyn-based firms Matter Architecture Practice; Bittertang, winners of the 2010 Architectural League Prize; and Solid Objectives – Idenburg Liu, winner of the 2010 MoMA/P.S.1 Young Architects Program. One structure will be voted on by New Yorkers to stand and delight throughout the week-long festival of Sukkot as the “People’s Choice Sukkah.” The “People’s Choice” will be announced at a September 20 ceremony. Selected entries will also be displayed in an exhibit at the Center for Architecture in New York City during the month of September.....more at Bustler
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Venice Architecture Biennale 2010 | suh architects + do-ho suh
'Blueprint' is a collaboration project between korean artist do-ho suh and seoul-based practice
suh architects (eulho suh and kyungen kim) for this year's international architecture biennale
in venice, italy. the 12.7m-long installation explores the notion of a home by questioning
the boundaries between where one once was, is, and soon will be.
The art piece features two parts: the first is a 1:1 scale reproduction of the new york townhouse
where do-ho suh currently resides constructed entirely out of translucent nylon fabric.
The hand-stitched recreation is suspended horizontally to hover above the viewer by
a system of wires that run from wall to wall.
The second part is a floor piece laid directly under the former, seemingly employing the role of shadow to the floating building.
Made out of CNC-milled high pressure laminate panels, the piece features a composite image
of the artist's original home in Korea, the New york townhouse facade, and a typical Venetian
villa's facade. the compilation is not merely an overlap of images but a morphing of
the three typologies: the industrial brick facade bears a number of gothic-looking windows
with lancet arches and decorative railings while the bay window is topped with a style
of tiled roof found in traditional Korean Hanok houses.
The result is a physical shadow of the haunting architectural facade that blurs the line between real and reflection, art and architecture, and the elements of the past, present, and future....more
suh architects (eulho suh and kyungen kim) for this year's international architecture biennale
in venice, italy. the 12.7m-long installation explores the notion of a home by questioning
the boundaries between where one once was, is, and soon will be.
The art piece features two parts: the first is a 1:1 scale reproduction of the new york townhouse
where do-ho suh currently resides constructed entirely out of translucent nylon fabric.
The hand-stitched recreation is suspended horizontally to hover above the viewer by
a system of wires that run from wall to wall.
The second part is a floor piece laid directly under the former, seemingly employing the role of shadow to the floating building.
Made out of CNC-milled high pressure laminate panels, the piece features a composite image
of the artist's original home in Korea, the New york townhouse facade, and a typical Venetian
villa's facade. the compilation is not merely an overlap of images but a morphing of
the three typologies: the industrial brick facade bears a number of gothic-looking windows
with lancet arches and decorative railings while the bay window is topped with a style
of tiled roof found in traditional Korean Hanok houses.
The result is a physical shadow of the haunting architectural facade that blurs the line between real and reflection, art and architecture, and the elements of the past, present, and future....more
COBE | Taastrup Theatre | Copenhagen, Denmark
The project for the extension and renovation of Taastrup Theatre seeks to improve the communication of the building with its environment – a social housing neighbourhood.
Formally we were commissioned to improve the energy consumption of the 1970s local community theatre in the Copenhagen neighbourhood of Taastrup. Yet, we use this opportunity to improve the general appeal and functionality of the building by introducing a second (isolating) theatre curtain around the rough concrete structure.
By adding this new layer in front of the existing rough concrete structure, the building is extended and opened as wide as possible towards Kjeld Abels Plads north.
The new translucent facade subtly reminds us of a theatre curtain about to open when the play starts. In fact, when the tickets are outsold or the show is on, red lights underneath the facade broadcast the special atmosphere of this magic moment towards the square. This new composition underlines the unity of the old building and its extension as one piece of architecture.....more
Formally we were commissioned to improve the energy consumption of the 1970s local community theatre in the Copenhagen neighbourhood of Taastrup. Yet, we use this opportunity to improve the general appeal and functionality of the building by introducing a second (isolating) theatre curtain around the rough concrete structure.
By adding this new layer in front of the existing rough concrete structure, the building is extended and opened as wide as possible towards Kjeld Abels Plads north.
The new translucent facade subtly reminds us of a theatre curtain about to open when the play starts. In fact, when the tickets are outsold or the show is on, red lights underneath the facade broadcast the special atmosphere of this magic moment towards the square. This new composition underlines the unity of the old building and its extension as one piece of architecture.....more
New U.S. Embassy in London | Morphosis
Embassy architecture serves as a powerful symbol that provides an instantaneous and indelible impression of a country. Public buildings project the identity of a country’s peoples, culture and aspirations. American public buildings convey the collective identity of our rich, culturally diverse, and increasingly complex society. An American embassy’s design expresses to the world the ideals of American democracy—the optimism, hope and promise of our time. By communicating the transcendent values that define the United States as a nation, the new Embassy of the United States of America in London has the potential to embody a new age of American openness, transparency, and renewed commitment to international collaboration. A U.S. Embassy also acts as a symbolic gateway between two countries......more about the embassy here
Monday, August 23, 2010
The City + The Arch + The River 2010 International Design Competition Finalist
Constructed in the early 1960s, the Gateway Arch rises as a shimmering beacon across the St. Louis skyline as part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.
Concocted by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen and structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel in 1947, the tallest habitable structure in Missouri was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States and has become a figure of sentimental value with both domestic and international visitors.
Now, the CityArchRiver 2015 Foundation and the National Park Service have organised The City + The Arch + The River 2010 International Design Competition to invigorate the park and areas surrounding the Gateway Arch, including the Missouri and Illinois banks of the Mississippi River.
Five shortlisted finalists are currently displaying their work in the Arch Lobby, open free of charge to the public until 24th September.
On 26th August, each team will present their concept to the competition jury in the Tucker Theater at the Arch, from 8am-6pm, with the announcement of the winner scheduled for 24th September.
The chosen project is slated for completion on 28th October 2015 in order to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the completion of the Arch... summaries of the concept designs can be viewed here .
Concocted by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen and structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel in 1947, the tallest habitable structure in Missouri was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States and has become a figure of sentimental value with both domestic and international visitors.
Now, the CityArchRiver 2015 Foundation and the National Park Service have organised The City + The Arch + The River 2010 International Design Competition to invigorate the park and areas surrounding the Gateway Arch, including the Missouri and Illinois banks of the Mississippi River.
Five shortlisted finalists are currently displaying their work in the Arch Lobby, open free of charge to the public until 24th September.
On 26th August, each team will present their concept to the competition jury in the Tucker Theater at the Arch, from 8am-6pm, with the announcement of the winner scheduled for 24th September.
The chosen project is slated for completion on 28th October 2015 in order to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the completion of the Arch... summaries of the concept designs can be viewed here .
Museum of Popular Music, Rockheim | Norway | Pir II and Parallel World Labs
A new museum of popular music in Norway designed by local practice Pir II and specialist museum designer Parallel World Labs, opens , almost a year late.
Norwegian politicians and rock bands including A-ha are among the VIPs attending the official launch of Rockheim, one of the country’s biggest cultural institutions.
The museum, beside Trondheim harbour, is in a converted grain factory with a cantilevered box extension built on the roof.
This is decorated with Norwegian LP covers painted on to a glass exterior and back-lit by 14,000 LED lights, which allows the colour of the façade to change.
Trondheim practice Pir II collaborated with the Canadian new media installation designer Stacey Spiegel and his firm Parallel World Labs on the design.
The building suffered a string of setbacks. The first contractor went bust in 2008 and then, when it was close to completion, fire destroyed a large area of the main exhibition space in October 2009.Rockheim, which opened to the public last week and had people queuing round the block to get in, will be responsible for the collection, preservation, and cultivation of Norwegian popular music...pictures at bdonline
Norwegian politicians and rock bands including A-ha are among the VIPs attending the official launch of Rockheim, one of the country’s biggest cultural institutions.
The museum, beside Trondheim harbour, is in a converted grain factory with a cantilevered box extension built on the roof.
This is decorated with Norwegian LP covers painted on to a glass exterior and back-lit by 14,000 LED lights, which allows the colour of the façade to change.
Trondheim practice Pir II collaborated with the Canadian new media installation designer Stacey Spiegel and his firm Parallel World Labs on the design.
The building suffered a string of setbacks. The first contractor went bust in 2008 and then, when it was close to completion, fire destroyed a large area of the main exhibition space in October 2009.Rockheim, which opened to the public last week and had people queuing round the block to get in, will be responsible for the collection, preservation, and cultivation of Norwegian popular music...pictures at bdonline
The Glasshouse: Arts Conference and Entertainment Centre | New South Wales, Australia |Tonkin Zulaikha Greer
Two large timber forms appear to float within the glass ‘skirt’ that defines the building’s perimeter, one housing the regional art gallery and the other the sumptuous 600 seat theatre. This box-in-a-box strategy is a familiar one in contemporary performing arts venues, where an outer façade provides weather protection. An interstitial space between external envelope and black-box theatre becomes foyer and circulation, a place for the audience to promenade and be on show. TZG has deployed this strategy before for the remarkable Carriageworks (2006) project. While the theatres at Carriageworks are sheer off-form white concrete set against a patina of brickwork and cast-iron, the rich inner shell of ship-lapped local timbers here contrasts sharply with the cool glass façade. In this sense the building is akin to Jean Nouvel’s Culture and Congress Centre in Lucerne – albeit at a more modest scale....more at ADR
Thursday, August 19, 2010
UN Studio | Urban Library of the Future and Centre for New Media
Architect's Statement
The design for the Urban Library of the Future and Centre for New Media creates a dynamic, flexible and open knowledge environment, with an open landscape, alternative circulation routes, several meeting areas and a public plaza. The building is fluid in form, accommodating to its surroundings and incorporates expansive sightlines. The internal organisation of the building is based on an open central void, around which the circulation takes place. This void enhances the spatial experience, creates clear orientation through the building and fulfills a bridging function between the city and the Municipal Library. The structure of the building makes it possible to introduce (green) roof terraces whilst also ensuring low levels of direct sunlight penetration.
Client: CVBA Waalse Krook
Location: Gent, Belgium
Building surface: 19.498,6 m2
Programme: Library and Centre for New Media
Status: Competition entry
Structure : ABT, Antwerp and Netherlands
Installations : ABT, Netherlands
Fire : ABT, Antwerp and Netherlands
Costs : ABT, Antwerp and Netherlands
Local architect : Crepain Binst Architecture, Antwerp
Pictures here
The design for the Urban Library of the Future and Centre for New Media creates a dynamic, flexible and open knowledge environment, with an open landscape, alternative circulation routes, several meeting areas and a public plaza. The building is fluid in form, accommodating to its surroundings and incorporates expansive sightlines. The internal organisation of the building is based on an open central void, around which the circulation takes place. This void enhances the spatial experience, creates clear orientation through the building and fulfills a bridging function between the city and the Municipal Library. The structure of the building makes it possible to introduce (green) roof terraces whilst also ensuring low levels of direct sunlight penetration.
Client: CVBA Waalse Krook
Location: Gent, Belgium
Building surface: 19.498,6 m2
Programme: Library and Centre for New Media
Status: Competition entry
UNStudio: Ben van Berkel, Caroline Bos, Gerard Loozekoot with Jacques van Wijk, Wesley Lanckriet and Jordan Trachtenberg, Ren Yee, Wendy van der Knijff , Bartek Winnicki, Aurélie Krotoff, Patrik Noome, Marcin Koltunski, Joerg Lonkwitz, Miguel Noë, Imola Berczi, Elena Scripelliti
AdvisorsStructure : ABT, Antwerp and Netherlands
Installations : ABT, Netherlands
Fire : ABT, Antwerp and Netherlands
Costs : ABT, Antwerp and Netherlands
Local architect : Crepain Binst Architecture, Antwerp
Pictures here
Baiyun International Center of Guang Zhou | Ney + Partners
Concept
The new Baiyun International Center of Guang Zhou (South China) is located along the Baiyun Avenue and faces the Baiyun Mountain. The project consists of five buildings, of which 3 congress centers and two hotels. Between these buildings, green connections link the project to the surrounding nature.
Specific features
Four out of the five buildings are in reinforced concrete. The structural grid is 18m by 18m. The central building is realised in steel. With its 150m length, 40m width and 45m height, it shows two cantilvers of 24m. Two steel truss beams are used in the longitudinal direction to support the floors, the cantilevers and the transmition of the seismic loadings to the shear walls. The so-called "eco-bridges" are bridges of 300m to 500m long snaking between the buildings and overcrossing the Baiyun Avenue. These bridges are made of reinforced concrete and carry one meter of soil and plantations used by the landscape architects to bring the nature into the city. The U-shaped cross-section has variable width. The supports are placed every 18m and are circular steel columns filled with concrete. The maximum span is 58m.
Pictures here
The new Baiyun International Center of Guang Zhou (South China) is located along the Baiyun Avenue and faces the Baiyun Mountain. The project consists of five buildings, of which 3 congress centers and two hotels. Between these buildings, green connections link the project to the surrounding nature.
Specific features
Four out of the five buildings are in reinforced concrete. The structural grid is 18m by 18m. The central building is realised in steel. With its 150m length, 40m width and 45m height, it shows two cantilvers of 24m. Two steel truss beams are used in the longitudinal direction to support the floors, the cantilevers and the transmition of the seismic loadings to the shear walls. The so-called "eco-bridges" are bridges of 300m to 500m long snaking between the buildings and overcrossing the Baiyun Avenue. These bridges are made of reinforced concrete and carry one meter of soil and plantations used by the landscape architects to bring the nature into the city. The U-shaped cross-section has variable width. The supports are placed every 18m and are circular steel columns filled with concrete. The maximum span is 58m.
Pictures here
TAIWAN POP MUSIC CENTER | Taipei, Taiwan |
Architect's statement
DESIGN CONCEPT
"The TAIWAN POP MUSIC CENTER project provides a unique and critical opportunity to reconsider the role of contemporary pop music within the world.
As the most successful form of performance art, pop music has proven to have the capacity to re-frame points of view, galvanize positions, introduce new forms of visual and acoustical pleasure, deliver the most compelling form of oration and organize capital into some of the most significant economic industries in history.
Additionally, pop music, like all forms of emergent art practice, has introduced and created entirely new audiences to the world. Our proposal for the TPMC intends to further the tradition of pop music by introducing new forms of architecture and social organization into the world, and developing entirely new audiences for music and urban life.
Unlike traditional theaters which organize their formal composition as an expression of their internal arrangement, or acoustic excellence, our proposal understands that a theater's own visual performance stands alone as its unique personality and character in the context of it's city family.
The Taiwan Pop Music Center as put forth, intends to interact with and communicate with the people of Taipei unlike any other project, by developing an expressed personality through its exterior, and caring for its inhabitants through development of a sequence of entries and exists throughout its interior distributed program.
Not only will the Taiwan Pop Music Center exist as a world class performance center of contemporary national and international music, but it will transcend the barrier of construction to create a new character in the world: one that people not only attend, but relate to, feel affection towards, and find themselves within.
LOCATION: Taipei, Taiwan
CLIENT: Department of Cultural Affairs/Taipei City Government
PROGRAM: 6000-seat indoor theater, 15,000-standing outdoor amphitheatre, hall of fame museum, six (6) live houses, park, parking, subway interface
AREA Site: 7.65 hectares
COST NT3,500,000,000 (US106,000,000)
STATUS: Design 2009 (Competition)
CONSULTING ENGINEERING Thornton Tomasetti
ACOUSTICAL ENGINEERING Shiner + Associates
Interesting images of the proposal here
DESIGN CONCEPT
"The TAIWAN POP MUSIC CENTER project provides a unique and critical opportunity to reconsider the role of contemporary pop music within the world.
As the most successful form of performance art, pop music has proven to have the capacity to re-frame points of view, galvanize positions, introduce new forms of visual and acoustical pleasure, deliver the most compelling form of oration and organize capital into some of the most significant economic industries in history.
Additionally, pop music, like all forms of emergent art practice, has introduced and created entirely new audiences to the world. Our proposal for the TPMC intends to further the tradition of pop music by introducing new forms of architecture and social organization into the world, and developing entirely new audiences for music and urban life.
Unlike traditional theaters which organize their formal composition as an expression of their internal arrangement, or acoustic excellence, our proposal understands that a theater's own visual performance stands alone as its unique personality and character in the context of it's city family.
The Taiwan Pop Music Center as put forth, intends to interact with and communicate with the people of Taipei unlike any other project, by developing an expressed personality through its exterior, and caring for its inhabitants through development of a sequence of entries and exists throughout its interior distributed program.
Not only will the Taiwan Pop Music Center exist as a world class performance center of contemporary national and international music, but it will transcend the barrier of construction to create a new character in the world: one that people not only attend, but relate to, feel affection towards, and find themselves within.
LOCATION: Taipei, Taiwan
CLIENT: Department of Cultural Affairs/Taipei City Government
PROGRAM: 6000-seat indoor theater, 15,000-standing outdoor amphitheatre, hall of fame museum, six (6) live houses, park, parking, subway interface
AREA Site: 7.65 hectares
COST NT3,500,000,000 (US106,000,000)
STATUS: Design 2009 (Competition)
CONSULTING ENGINEERING Thornton Tomasetti
ACOUSTICAL ENGINEERING Shiner + Associates
Interesting images of the proposal here
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
McBride Charles Ryan | Fitzroy High School | Melbourne , Australia
Architect’s Statement
Fitzroy High School is the school community that dug in. They are a force to be reckoned with. To us they seemed forged by their past with an attitude that they still maintain: stay true to what you aspire to until you realise it.
They believed in a better way of teaching and they made it happen. They believed that their emphasis on the arts makes them profoundly different; it does. Their educational rationale is elaborate and erudite. They selected us as architects, sensing that we would listen to them. They put their belief in us. They even applauded our presentations.
Architecture is necessarily complex, yet from a client’s perspective this is not always the case. Here, for our client, the new senior school effectively boiled down to a couple of things. Internally, the building’s spaces and their arrangement were to be an active partner in improving the educational outcomes of the young people it served.
Externally, the building was to communicate to the larger community what it believed itself to be. As one parent succinctly put it, this building needed to have a bit of ‘zing’. All else were givens. And so to find a kind of hand-in-glove response to these two requirements – a shape and space that reflected their use, yet appeared profoundly different – was more than just a little satisfying. To the outside observer it is a building slavishly designed from an external perspective. To the inside occupier, vice versa. Both are right. Both are wrong.
This is what a wall can do. This building is little more, and little less. A wall.
More at ADR
Fitzroy High School is the school community that dug in. They are a force to be reckoned with. To us they seemed forged by their past with an attitude that they still maintain: stay true to what you aspire to until you realise it.
They believed in a better way of teaching and they made it happen. They believed that their emphasis on the arts makes them profoundly different; it does. Their educational rationale is elaborate and erudite. They selected us as architects, sensing that we would listen to them. They put their belief in us. They even applauded our presentations.
Architecture is necessarily complex, yet from a client’s perspective this is not always the case. Here, for our client, the new senior school effectively boiled down to a couple of things. Internally, the building’s spaces and their arrangement were to be an active partner in improving the educational outcomes of the young people it served.
Externally, the building was to communicate to the larger community what it believed itself to be. As one parent succinctly put it, this building needed to have a bit of ‘zing’. All else were givens. And so to find a kind of hand-in-glove response to these two requirements – a shape and space that reflected their use, yet appeared profoundly different – was more than just a little satisfying. To the outside observer it is a building slavishly designed from an external perspective. To the inside occupier, vice versa. Both are right. Both are wrong.
This is what a wall can do. This building is little more, and little less. A wall.
More at ADR
Densification of Milano | Studio Shift | 2010
Commissioned by the Architectural and Urban Forum (AUFO) of Milano with support from the Comune di Milano, this is one of twelve proposals located on the periphery of the historic city center offering conceptual solutions for the densification of Milano. Each proposal injects 25,000 inhabitants into the existing fabric of Milano for a total population increase of 300,000. The exhibition opens June 16, 2010 at the Politecnico di Milano.
Crafting a denser, sustainable Milan requires not only an understanding of the region’s history and agricultural roots but also consideration of a future in which natural resources are increasingly scarce. The Lombardy region, home to approximately one-sixth of all Italians and now the dominant industrial center, is responsible for the production of over one-third of the nation’s agricultural output. It is critical that this relationship between production and consumption is not only maintained but is also augmented through forward-thinking development strategies as the city continues to grow. As a major exporter of agricultural food products, increasing foreign demands will surely be placed on Italy’s capacity for production; in order to meet these ever-expanding external and internal needs while simultaneously coping with dwindling available arable land, new plains must be created and harvested.....more at studioshift
Crafting a denser, sustainable Milan requires not only an understanding of the region’s history and agricultural roots but also consideration of a future in which natural resources are increasingly scarce. The Lombardy region, home to approximately one-sixth of all Italians and now the dominant industrial center, is responsible for the production of over one-third of the nation’s agricultural output. It is critical that this relationship between production and consumption is not only maintained but is also augmented through forward-thinking development strategies as the city continues to grow. As a major exporter of agricultural food products, increasing foreign demands will surely be placed on Italy’s capacity for production; in order to meet these ever-expanding external and internal needs while simultaneously coping with dwindling available arable land, new plains must be created and harvested.....more at studioshift
Ensamble Studio | Venice Architecture Biennale 2010
As part of this year's venice architecture biennale, spanish practice ensamble studio has created 'balancing act', an installation to be showcased at the arsenal building. Consisting of two giant beams, a spring and a rock, the project is a play of balance.
Negotiating between the old structural columns of the building, the two lines created by the installation draw a diagonal incision through the space. the result is a new order, a new rhythm to the 'tempo' already established by the existing columns. this foreign composition creates tension and friction, offering a new and disturbing reading of the space.
The predominantly horizontal structure affects the verticality of the room, breaking its scale and introducing a new element to the arsenal building.
'we have understood the whole arsenale as a theme of multiple counterpoint, where after the appearance of the original space, different voices occur around that theme, developed and carried in intervals, creating a complex compositional sequence, an architectural ''fugue'', in which different spaces follow one another, and in which the dissonant balance of the 'balancing act' is just one chord.' -ensamble studioBy playing with the forces present in the space, and the gravitational force that the structures generate, 'balancing act' makes the concept of balance tangible.....more at designboom
Negotiating between the old structural columns of the building, the two lines created by the installation draw a diagonal incision through the space. the result is a new order, a new rhythm to the 'tempo' already established by the existing columns. this foreign composition creates tension and friction, offering a new and disturbing reading of the space.
The predominantly horizontal structure affects the verticality of the room, breaking its scale and introducing a new element to the arsenal building.
'we have understood the whole arsenale as a theme of multiple counterpoint, where after the appearance of the original space, different voices occur around that theme, developed and carried in intervals, creating a complex compositional sequence, an architectural ''fugue'', in which different spaces follow one another, and in which the dissonant balance of the 'balancing act' is just one chord.' -ensamble studioBy playing with the forces present in the space, and the gravitational force that the structures generate, 'balancing act' makes the concept of balance tangible.....more at designboom
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Student Works | Sofía Cárdenas | TU Delft | The Netherlands
The AR highlights 10 emerging architecture students from renowned architecture schools across the world.
Tutors: Axel Kilian, Arjan van Timmeren, Elixa Guse
A Sustainable Business Hub
In Dharavi, a densely populated area in the heart of Mumbai trapped in the circle of poverty and the informality of a progressing industry, a desired future vision is formulated. The result is the introduction of new elements as generators to provoke predetermined changes (Urban acupuncture). The first intervention is a node that will introduce quality to the area and connect Dharavi to unused economic potential. The concept of this project, which is dividedinto three key phases, is to organize the lucrative artisanal occupations to make them accessible to external users.
The macro phase creases reciprocity between design project and context. An intervention at the Mahim Creek and the Mithi River improves the existing environmental conditions, increasing productivity, stimulating incomes and to increase connectivity by introducing a boulevard.
The meso phase of the project establishes the design proposal. A bamboo bridge introduces consumers to the low tech icon called “Craft Tower” which works as a show room. A community centre is located on the inner flank of the bridge.
Finally, the micro phase zooms in to detail level. To understand the behavior of the structure a structural analyses based on a parametric module was developed (GC and DIANA). To research the behavior of the material a mechanical testing with bamboo and concrete was carried out and a prototype was build.
Images of the work here
Plasma Studio | Flowing Gardens | Xi'an,China
Flowing Gardens begins from a single line -- an axis extends from the Gate to the Greenhouse, travelling through the East and West Hills and over the lake, while extending into many sinuous paths, creating a network of intermingling circulation, landscape and water. Much like the legendary Silk Road, Flowing Gardens is connectivity, circulation, rejuvenation, and elegance.
The project proposes a hybrid of both natural and artificial systems. These two opposing systems are brought together in a synergy of waterscapes. Considering the amount of water needed for irrigation, the project seeks to introduce various technologies and designs found in nature, yet customised by man to suit his specific needs. Rainwater is collected and channelled into wetland areas; there, natural plants and reed beds are used to clean and store the water to be dispersed and used as irrigation water. These natural systems are integrated into the landscape as wetlands and ponds, which can also be enjoyed by the visitors as points of tranquillity and oasis......more
Coll Leclerc Architects | Apartment Design | Best Social Housing 2009
"The project realized for the Institut Català del Sòl in Lérida (Spain), was awarded the AVS Prize, rewarding the best social block of flats built during 2009.
The prize stressed the innovative approach of this proposal allowing to change the orientation and the use of the different rooms.
Every flat has a surface of sixty square metres that can be divided through a system of sliding doors enabling the widening and reducing of the rooms in order they can be exploited according to the liking and the features of each family.
The space distribution makes the most of the characteristics of the place, since thanks to its double front the rooms can be reoriented according to the season also exploiting to the best the ventilation and the sunlight hours.
The goal of this project was to realize comfortable flats to be exploited as they were single-family houses."
More at Abitare and CLA
The prize stressed the innovative approach of this proposal allowing to change the orientation and the use of the different rooms.
Every flat has a surface of sixty square metres that can be divided through a system of sliding doors enabling the widening and reducing of the rooms in order they can be exploited according to the liking and the features of each family.
The space distribution makes the most of the characteristics of the place, since thanks to its double front the rooms can be reoriented according to the season also exploiting to the best the ventilation and the sunlight hours.
The goal of this project was to realize comfortable flats to be exploited as they were single-family houses."
More at Abitare and CLA
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Jean Nouvel | Serpentine Gallery summer pavilion 2010 | London
"It is a building of a single idea and not even necessarily a bad one, namely that every part - the steel structure, the polycarbonate cladding, the awnings, furniture, carpet and curtains - is coloured the same deep, blood red. The distribution of these elements is essentially church like, comprising a long nave, framed between lower side aisles, which terminates in an altar like box of red glass.....
In case we don’t get it, two words have been cut into the red film that has been applied to the glass at the back of the “altar”: GREEN, positioned at eyelevel and SKY close to the roofline. The effect is as underwhelming as it is leaden. The key problem is that the enclosure is far too partial to sustain the basic idea. Nouvel’s computer visualisations suggested a space that had the heady intensity of a photo lab but stepping into the pavilion one notices only the slightest change in light quality. (Are the gallery’s publicity photographs really free from the hand of Photoshop?)"
Further reading and Pictures of the Pavillion at bdonline
In case we don’t get it, two words have been cut into the red film that has been applied to the glass at the back of the “altar”: GREEN, positioned at eyelevel and SKY close to the roofline. The effect is as underwhelming as it is leaden. The key problem is that the enclosure is far too partial to sustain the basic idea. Nouvel’s computer visualisations suggested a space that had the heady intensity of a photo lab but stepping into the pavilion one notices only the slightest change in light quality. (Are the gallery’s publicity photographs really free from the hand of Photoshop?)"
Further reading and Pictures of the Pavillion at bdonline
World Expo 2010 Shanghai | Bosnia and Herzegovina Pavilion | IN/OUT arh studio
"Our goal was to create a unique space, a space that contains and combines different segments of our country’s presentation, while at the same time arranging the interior in such a way that a visitor would feel comfortable in an abundance of information presented to him/her, the complexity of the interiors, created by following simple rules, creates a plethora of possibilities for this exhibition’s presentation and to compel a visitor to step out of status quo and float through our space without neglect outside mantle which is defined with complicity of inside form.
The external structure is defined by the complexity of its internal form. The interior design is such that it flows outward, transforming itself into stripes, which envelop the structure. We chose to include this in an attempt to create unity of interior and exterior space. Stripes embedded into the façade reflect the playfulness of the children’s art imprinted on them; they are the harmony of childhood games shown through facade’s webbing.
We worked with the theme of fortification of medieval Bosnian cities and incorporated it into our idea of interior organization of space. Working with a theme of our medieval fortified cities, we applied that concept as an idea for arrangement of interior space.
We came up with schematics for the interior of our structure which correlate with the relationship and placement of elements, points: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Following the basic rule of movement of these points in coordinate system, this seemingly simple concept has transformed the entire interior of our structure into a complex space. On the outside, as per assigned guidelines, drawings made by children appear.
The interior is comprised of 5 scenes. Canvas cascading from the ceiling serves not only as an interior design stratagem; it also acts and directly contributes to the presentation, making the space playful in all its manifestations."
Pictures of the pavillion at architecturenewsplus or inout
Architectural Competition | Design As Reform | The Vanishing Mosque By RUX
The traffic design competition announced winners of its multi-discipline design competition. The winner of the Mosque category is Manhattan-based design studio RUX with their entry “The Vanishing Mosque”.
What if a mosque was not a building? What if it vanished into the fabric of a city? Seamless with the streets, connected directly to the pulse of daily life, and open to anyone and everyone at anytime, “The Vanishing Mosque” becomes more visible, more iconic, and more integral to the spiritual and cultural workings of a community than any building with doors and walls ever could.
This design strategy was created as a “developer’s tool” for integrating spiritual space within new urban developments in the Middle East. Superimposing the function of a mosque within an urban plaza maximizes the value of public spaces, increases the value of adjacent properties, and fosters a powerful sense of community for residents.
While the image of “The Vanishing Mosque” is new and seemingly unfamiliar, its driving design principles are inspired by those that have ruled mosque-building for centuries.....more
What if a mosque was not a building? What if it vanished into the fabric of a city? Seamless with the streets, connected directly to the pulse of daily life, and open to anyone and everyone at anytime, “The Vanishing Mosque” becomes more visible, more iconic, and more integral to the spiritual and cultural workings of a community than any building with doors and walls ever could.
This design strategy was created as a “developer’s tool” for integrating spiritual space within new urban developments in the Middle East. Superimposing the function of a mosque within an urban plaza maximizes the value of public spaces, increases the value of adjacent properties, and fosters a powerful sense of community for residents.
While the image of “The Vanishing Mosque” is new and seemingly unfamiliar, its driving design principles are inspired by those that have ruled mosque-building for centuries.....more
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Architectural Competition | Transforming Industrial LA
AN and SCI-Arc present the Los Angeles Clean Tech Corridor and Green District Competition
The Architect’s Newspaper and SCI-Arc launched their second annual competition today, the Los Angeles Clean Tech Corridor and Green District Competition. It asks architects, landscape architects, designers, engineers, urban planners, and environmental professionals to create a new urban vision for Los Angeles' CleanTech Corridor, a several-mile-long development zone on the eastern edge of downtown LA. A brief and additional information on the competition can be found here.
When it was first envisioned by the city, the corridor focused on green-related manufacturing, but the competition encourages entrants to create an integrated economic, residential, and cultural engine for the city. They are also encouraged to imagine new sustainable energy sources for the area and completely rethink the relationship between industry, living, and public space in LA. Prizes total over $11,000, and entries are due on September 30.
The competition is presented with the Office of the Mayor of Los Angeles and the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles, which established the Clean Tech Corridor. The jury includes Los Angeles architect Michael Maltzan; SCI-Arc graduate director and Hodgetts+Fung principal Ming Fung; Deputy Mayor for Energy and Environment Romel Pascual; CRA/LA Chief Operating Officer Calvin Hollis; and Nikolas Patsaouras, past president of the Board of the Los Angeles Water and Power Commissioners.
The Architect’s Newspaper and SCI-Arc launched their second annual competition today, the Los Angeles Clean Tech Corridor and Green District Competition. It asks architects, landscape architects, designers, engineers, urban planners, and environmental professionals to create a new urban vision for Los Angeles' CleanTech Corridor, a several-mile-long development zone on the eastern edge of downtown LA. A brief and additional information on the competition can be found here.
When it was first envisioned by the city, the corridor focused on green-related manufacturing, but the competition encourages entrants to create an integrated economic, residential, and cultural engine for the city. They are also encouraged to imagine new sustainable energy sources for the area and completely rethink the relationship between industry, living, and public space in LA. Prizes total over $11,000, and entries are due on September 30.
The competition is presented with the Office of the Mayor of Los Angeles and the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles, which established the Clean Tech Corridor. The jury includes Los Angeles architect Michael Maltzan; SCI-Arc graduate director and Hodgetts+Fung principal Ming Fung; Deputy Mayor for Energy and Environment Romel Pascual; CRA/LA Chief Operating Officer Calvin Hollis; and Nikolas Patsaouras, past president of the Board of the Los Angeles Water and Power Commissioners.
LMN Architects | ShoWare Center | Kent Washington
Seattle-based LMN Architects’ scheme for the 154,400-square-foot multiuse ShoWare Center (the ice sheet can be covered and the seating reconfigured for concerts) choreographs that time between getting out of your car and arriving at your seat. “We analyzed all the architectural elements according to how they create the complete sequence, and how they culminate in the overall dramatic experience,” says LMN design partner Mark Reddington. “That experience starts when you see the building. It extends into the community, even to those who aren’t going to the event.”
Indeed, the atmosphere is electric, literally. Green lines painted on the ground and trimmed with LEDs radiate out from the glazed public concourse into the parking lot, serving as paths to the building’s entrance. Spectators are greeted by a large sloping mirrored stainless steel soffit, which reflects everything from fans to supergraphics, making even a half-full house seem dizzyingly energetic......more at architectmagazine
Zaha Hadid | University of Economics & Business, Vienna | Austria
Currently under construction, Zaha Hadid’s dramatic design for a new Library and Learning Centre rises as a polygonal block from the centre of a new campus (masterplan by BUSarchitecture) at the University of Economic & Business, Vienna.
Employing both inclined and straight edges, the library structure takes the form of a cube whose sweeping lines separate as they move inwards. These edges become curvilinear and fluid to create a free-formed internal public plaza at the centre of the complex. Additional library facilities are contained within a single volume which divides and then intertwines to enclose this glazed gathering space.
At 28,000 sq m the new library is generous in size and will comprise of a ‘Learning Centre’ with workplaces, lounges and cloakrooms, library, a language laboratory, training classrooms, administration offices, study services and central supporting services, copy shop, book shop, data center, cafeteria, event area, clubroom and auditorium. Initiated through a two-phase competition in 2008 the project is slated for completion in 2012.
Zaha Hadid commented: “I am delighted to be working in Vienna as I have a close affiliation with the city. As a centre of research, the Library and Learning Centre is forum for the exchange of ideas. It is very exciting for us to be part of the University’s expansion.”
Pictures at WAN
Saturday, August 7, 2010
320fok Contemporary Cultural Centre of Siófok, Hungary Winner Announced | Tarnóczky Tamás Attila
According to the competition tender, the 320fok Art Gallery, operating since 2007 in the industrial buildings of the former Bread Factory, is being rebuilt to become a worldclass contemporary cultural, educational and technical centre with notable architectural values.
Earlier this year, the City of Siófok had announced an international architectural tender aiming the complex re-building of 320fok and its utilization as a cultural centre.
The institution established the presence of the region within the fields of contemporary art since 2007. It has been offering exhibition space to the representation of highly qualified, and professionaly acclaimed artworks as well as professional events, which successfully linked Siófok to the progressive national institutions that promote and represent contemporary art.
The award winning architectural plan is going to transform the industrial space to a multifunctional, transformable exhibition teritory, with a high class gallery and gastronomic units.
The primary aim behind the environmental reconstruction is to build an iconic cultural establishment that could be the key feature element of the image of Siófok. It should as well provide space to 3 basic functions (artistic, educational, technical) and to additional functions such as gastronomical and commercial functions on the highest possible level, according to the key features of contemporary architecture and design.
The first sheduled plan of the reconstruction - cca 6500 sqm building and parking space – is being built until 2012, while the second schedule plan is due to be finished by the end of the decade.....Bustler
Earlier this year, the City of Siófok had announced an international architectural tender aiming the complex re-building of 320fok and its utilization as a cultural centre.
The institution established the presence of the region within the fields of contemporary art since 2007. It has been offering exhibition space to the representation of highly qualified, and professionaly acclaimed artworks as well as professional events, which successfully linked Siófok to the progressive national institutions that promote and represent contemporary art.
The award winning architectural plan is going to transform the industrial space to a multifunctional, transformable exhibition teritory, with a high class gallery and gastronomic units.
The primary aim behind the environmental reconstruction is to build an iconic cultural establishment that could be the key feature element of the image of Siófok. It should as well provide space to 3 basic functions (artistic, educational, technical) and to additional functions such as gastronomical and commercial functions on the highest possible level, according to the key features of contemporary architecture and design.
The first sheduled plan of the reconstruction - cca 6500 sqm building and parking space – is being built until 2012, while the second schedule plan is due to be finished by the end of the decade.....Bustler
Rafael Viñoly | Kennedy Institute | Boston
By C. J. Hughes
Construction is scheduled to begin this fall on a center conceived by the late Senator Edward Kennedy to teach students about the inner workings of government.
On July 28, the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate finally unveiled the design of its forthcoming home, to be built on the Boston waterfront alongside the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
The $60 million project, designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, is slated to be finished in 2013.
Viñoly won a competition to design the building last year.
Although the firm’s selection wasn’t publicly announced, Senator Kennedy was apprised of the decision before he died on August 25, 2009, from brain cancer, at the age of 77, according to an institute spokesman. While its exact size is not yet final, the building will include 40,000 square feet of public space, says Viñoly architect Martin Hopp, the project’s director.
A replica of Kennedy’s Capitol Hill office, with his desk and framed pictures, will be featured inside. The facility will also contain classrooms, galleries, and a scaled-down replica of the Senate chamber. These elements elevate the project beyond mere memorial status, says Hopp, adding, “we’re excited about the civic role this building will play.” The selection of Viñoly was made by the University of Massachusetts, which owns the institute’s two-acre site. With large basic geometric forms and cast-concrete walls, the building will strongly echo its next-door neighbor, the Kennedy library, whose cylinder-and-wedge contours were created by I.M. Pei in 1979. Also near the site are a handful of mostly brick buildings that are part of the university’s 160-acre campus.......Archrecord
Construction is scheduled to begin this fall on a center conceived by the late Senator Edward Kennedy to teach students about the inner workings of government.
On July 28, the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate finally unveiled the design of its forthcoming home, to be built on the Boston waterfront alongside the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
The $60 million project, designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, is slated to be finished in 2013.
Viñoly won a competition to design the building last year.
Although the firm’s selection wasn’t publicly announced, Senator Kennedy was apprised of the decision before he died on August 25, 2009, from brain cancer, at the age of 77, according to an institute spokesman. While its exact size is not yet final, the building will include 40,000 square feet of public space, says Viñoly architect Martin Hopp, the project’s director.
A replica of Kennedy’s Capitol Hill office, with his desk and framed pictures, will be featured inside. The facility will also contain classrooms, galleries, and a scaled-down replica of the Senate chamber. These elements elevate the project beyond mere memorial status, says Hopp, adding, “we’re excited about the civic role this building will play.” The selection of Viñoly was made by the University of Massachusetts, which owns the institute’s two-acre site. With large basic geometric forms and cast-concrete walls, the building will strongly echo its next-door neighbor, the Kennedy library, whose cylinder-and-wedge contours were created by I.M. Pei in 1979. Also near the site are a handful of mostly brick buildings that are part of the university’s 160-acre campus.......Archrecord
World Expo | British Pavillion | Heatherwick Studio
Competing with over 200 national counterparts, this was no small challenge. However, Heatherwick’s simple yet ingenious competition-winning proposal for the UK pavilion looks in with a chance. The designers have given over most of the 6,000m² site to a folded landscape, creating the pavilion as an axial focal point. Crucially, instead of an exhibition that bombards visitors with information about the UK, the scheme integrates structure and content.
Externally, the pavilion is a hairy, somewhat amorphous object, with over 60,000 acrylic rods piercing a 15 x 15 x 10m box. Those familiar with Heatherwick’s work will trace this silhouette to an earlier project, Sitooterie II at Barnards Farms in Essex (AR January 2004) in which the designer punctured a cube with 5,000 aluminium tubes. At Shanghai, this precedent is vastly scaled up and the form exponentially more mesmerising, as the rods quiver in the breeze issuing from the nearby river.
The Expo’s theme is Better City, Better Life and the UK explores this through the relationship between nature and cities.....AR
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Henning Larsen Architects Architecture | Batumi Aquarium | Batumi, Republic Of Georgia
Batumi Aquarium is inspired by the characteristic pebbles of the Batumi beach – the residue of dynamic seas continually shaping the shorefront throughout millennia. The aquarium will be situated in the Georgian port of Batumi and will stand out as an iconic rock formation – visible from both land and sea.
The formation constitutes four self-supporting exhibition areas where each of the four stones represents a unique marine biotype – the Mediterranean, the Black Sea/Red Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Indian Ocean. The four dispersed aquarium exhibitions are connected by a central, multipurpose space including café, auditorium and retail functions with views of the black sea and Batumi beach as scenic backdrop. Visitors gather in the central space to convene, play, eat, shop and relax before continuing their adventures through the exhibitions.
Batumi Aquarium will become a modern, cultural aquarium offering visitors an educational, entertaining and visually stimulating journey through the different seas. Unfolding around the aquarium, a landscape of different sea archipelagos provides attractive opportunities for innovative outdoor research and learning, public space and meeting places along the beach.
The building's significant expression inspired by nature will not only make Batumi Aquarium a spectacular new landmark in Georgia but also a state-of-the-art contribution to exploring life underneath the sea surface.
The project team from Henning Larsen Architects includes Louis Becker (design director, partner) Anders Park (project manager), Viggo Haremst (design responsible), Michael Sørensen and Jaewoo Chun.
The formation constitutes four self-supporting exhibition areas where each of the four stones represents a unique marine biotype – the Mediterranean, the Black Sea/Red Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Indian Ocean. The four dispersed aquarium exhibitions are connected by a central, multipurpose space including café, auditorium and retail functions with views of the black sea and Batumi beach as scenic backdrop. Visitors gather in the central space to convene, play, eat, shop and relax before continuing their adventures through the exhibitions.
Batumi Aquarium will become a modern, cultural aquarium offering visitors an educational, entertaining and visually stimulating journey through the different seas. Unfolding around the aquarium, a landscape of different sea archipelagos provides attractive opportunities for innovative outdoor research and learning, public space and meeting places along the beach.
The building's significant expression inspired by nature will not only make Batumi Aquarium a spectacular new landmark in Georgia but also a state-of-the-art contribution to exploring life underneath the sea surface.
The project team from Henning Larsen Architects includes Louis Becker (design director, partner) Anders Park (project manager), Viggo Haremst (design responsible), Michael Sørensen and Jaewoo Chun.
Tadao Ando | Chateau Lacoste Arts Center | France
Japanese architect Tadao Ando is the master planner of a new Arts Center in the south of France, commissioned by Irish property developer Paddy McKillen.
The arts center currently under construction is located at the Chateau Lacoste winery in Aix-en-Provence also includes structures designed by leading architects: Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry, Norman Foster and Renzo Piano.
Ando drafted the art center’s master plan and designed its 3,000-square-meter (32,000 square
feet) main gallery. 'We're creating a space filled with water and the gallery will appear
to float on top of it,' he mentioned in an interview last year by Bloomberg.
The location holds special meaning because 'Aix-en-Provence is the home of Paul Cezanne, the father of contemporary art.'
The arts center, which is due to open next year, features a music room designed by Gehry
and a wine cellar by Nouvel, and other structures by Piano and Foster, all pritzker laureates.
-Designboom
The arts center currently under construction is located at the Chateau Lacoste winery in Aix-en-Provence also includes structures designed by leading architects: Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry, Norman Foster and Renzo Piano.
Ando drafted the art center’s master plan and designed its 3,000-square-meter (32,000 square
feet) main gallery. 'We're creating a space filled with water and the gallery will appear
to float on top of it,' he mentioned in an interview last year by Bloomberg.
The location holds special meaning because 'Aix-en-Provence is the home of Paul Cezanne, the father of contemporary art.'
The arts center, which is due to open next year, features a music room designed by Gehry
and a wine cellar by Nouvel, and other structures by Piano and Foster, all pritzker laureates.
-Designboom
Steven Holl Architects | New Queens Library, New York
Steven Holl Architects has been selected to design the new library at the Queens West Development at Hunters Point. This new library will provide state of the art library services to the community, as well as offer a space for community programming.
The new Queens Library is sited with spectacular views over the East River and major landmarks, such as the UN Building and the Roosevelt Memorial by Louis I. Kahn under construction on Roosevelt Island. It will function as a connector between waterfront activities and the city beyond. With residential buildings, three acres of new park land and public schools as neighbors, the library will serve as a new "urban forum" and an invaluable resource for the community. The new Library will shape public space and create new connections across the Queens West Development, Hunter Points South, and the existing neighborhood of Hunters Point.
Tom Galante, Chief Executive Officer for the Queens Library, said, "Queens Library at Hunters Point will be a great resource for the whole community. We are looking forward to working with Steven Holl Architects to see a truly special library built on this site."
In addition to the stacks, the new library will house reading areas, a gallery, public assembly multi-purpose meeting room for community programming including after-school study, readings, and various locally based events, and associated library staff and support areas. The project scope also includes the design of a separate structure to accommodate the users and staff of the adjacent Gantry Plaza State Park, to be located on the same site.
"This library will be a beacon for the Queens Library system and a cultural center for this growing and dynamic neighborhood" said David J. Burney, Commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction, which is managing the project. "Steven Holl Architects deliver dramatic architecture and innovative responses to complex client programs, and has proven to be adept at creating iconic buildings that respond to their site, culture, and history. This will be Steven Holl’s first public New York City commission, and we are looking forward to working with him on this exciting project."
Steven Holl states, "We are very pleased with this great commission for an addition to the growing community. We envision a building hovering and porous, open to the public park. A luminous form of opportunity for knowledge, standing on its own reflection in the east river."
Bustler
The new Queens Library is sited with spectacular views over the East River and major landmarks, such as the UN Building and the Roosevelt Memorial by Louis I. Kahn under construction on Roosevelt Island. It will function as a connector between waterfront activities and the city beyond. With residential buildings, three acres of new park land and public schools as neighbors, the library will serve as a new "urban forum" and an invaluable resource for the community. The new Library will shape public space and create new connections across the Queens West Development, Hunter Points South, and the existing neighborhood of Hunters Point.
Tom Galante, Chief Executive Officer for the Queens Library, said, "Queens Library at Hunters Point will be a great resource for the whole community. We are looking forward to working with Steven Holl Architects to see a truly special library built on this site."
In addition to the stacks, the new library will house reading areas, a gallery, public assembly multi-purpose meeting room for community programming including after-school study, readings, and various locally based events, and associated library staff and support areas. The project scope also includes the design of a separate structure to accommodate the users and staff of the adjacent Gantry Plaza State Park, to be located on the same site.
"This library will be a beacon for the Queens Library system and a cultural center for this growing and dynamic neighborhood" said David J. Burney, Commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction, which is managing the project. "Steven Holl Architects deliver dramatic architecture and innovative responses to complex client programs, and has proven to be adept at creating iconic buildings that respond to their site, culture, and history. This will be Steven Holl’s first public New York City commission, and we are looking forward to working with him on this exciting project."
Steven Holl states, "We are very pleased with this great commission for an addition to the growing community. We envision a building hovering and porous, open to the public park. A luminous form of opportunity for knowledge, standing on its own reflection in the east river."
Bustler
Monday, August 2, 2010
Santiago Calatrava | Denver International Airport Expansion
Renowned architect Santiago Calatrava just unveiled his design for a new rail station at the Denver International Airport as part of the location's South Terminal Redevelopment Program. The new expansion will add a rail link from downtown Denver that terminates at the airport as well as a hotel, a retail plaza and a rail bridge over Pena Boulevard. Calatrava, who has become known for his sweeping arches and impressive facades (and particularly, for his rail stations), will add his iconic style to the iconic airport as well the city of Denver.
Salt Lake City Design Contest
We are calling on all young designers to step up to the challenge!
Local, national and international architects and designers are invited to participate in this blind competition to create a temporary installation (estimated to be 1 to 2 years) that will occupy the future building site for Utah’s premiere ballet company, Ballet West.
The project’s site is adjacent to the historic Capitol Theater in downtown Salt Lake City and is currently vacant, thus providing a unique contextual setting in Salt Lake City’s ever-changing urban fabric.
The winner of this two-stage competition will enter into a contract with Salt Lake County and receive $46,000.00 for fabrication and installation.
Please take time to explore the project brief and sign up today! Entries may be submitted from individuals, teams, design firms or other collaborations.
More infos here...
Davis Brody Bond Aedas | Benning Library | Washington DC, USA
Benning Library is located on a sloped site along Benning Road, N.E. The building is terraced into the terrain allowing access from both Benning Road at the upper level and from a commercial shopping area at the lower level. The two floors of the facility are connected by a public stair inside the building, creating a space which encourages pedestrian circulation through the library in order to connect one street elevation to another. Benning Library utilizes a warm color palette of earth tones and a copper panel facade to complement its residential setting. Approximately 315 copper panels chosen for the exterior reflect the sun and provide a warm glow in the late afternoon.
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