McMasterpieces at the Ace Hotel
During New York Design Week curator Monica Khemsurov organized the McMasterpieces show on the 8th floor of the newly opened Ace Hotel. Khemsurov invited a handful of designers to create objects using only materials found in the industrial supply McMaster-Carr catalog. Placards listed the parts used along with the catalog number - everything from epoxy putty to traffic cones were utilized to create an array of simple and elegant designs. Included in the show was Todd Bracher’s Stick Lamp, a sophisticated table light made from bent aircraft-grade round tubes. Le Bom showcased their rubber and nylon strip Dropped Table, while designer Ross Menuez created a simple graphic calendar with plastic tags.
Ford Calumet Environmental Center | Studio Gang Architects
The City of Chicago Department of Environment and the State of Illinois partnered to develop a new environmental center in the Calumet area just south of Chicago. Ford Calumet Environmental Center, demonstrating the sustainable principle of reuse, cost-effective and innovative design, designed by Chicago-based architect firm Studio Gang Architects. A very good attempt of using basket-like mesh of woven recycled and re-used rebar and steel to enclose the south-facing porch that creating passive solar shading and protection against bird strikes, while allowing unobstructed natural ventilation and views to the surrounding landscape.
Club BlackboX by Parasitestudio
The design proposal started from generating a completely black box, as well as a shape and as a concept, an abstract space that doesn’t breathe towards the outside world but keeps locked within the memory of events. Therefore the existing windows become showcases for exhibiting and communicating towards the outside, a sort of dynamic information screens.
In the first design concepts we tried to cover and hide the existing structure, then tried to ignore it but came to realize that the best solution is to integrate the structure within the general interior design and to multiply it as a deformed projected image on the perimeter walls.Over the actual structure we imposed two elements with the intention of unifying the interior – one is the continuous strip of the perimeter walls that wraps up the entire space, comprising gaming as well as technical areas, and the other one is the artificial lighting that through its dynamic, intensity and color scheme modifies the space and in the same time divides it discrete in different areas.
The spaces that make up the interior are thus differentiated in dynamic areas for gaming, static areas for bar and seats, intermediary areas for communication, etc.The flux of movements in the interior space has been a major theme from the beginning on, and the carpet was personalized as an interior map that charts the different functional areas by the use of printed texts and paths.This adds to the fact that the entire space can be read as a communicating body that facilitates the movement within it and the reading of the separate areas. The strong colors chosen for highlighting the space set landmarks in the black surrounding.For the whole interior design we strived to create a strong conceptual identity around the theme of the Blackbox, defining all the elements that make up the whole, the logo, the furniture ant the entire interior context.
Bug Dome
The building is realized on a wasteland of a ruined building site in-between the Shenzhen City Hall and an illegal workers camp. The design is inspired by insects. The bamboo construction methods are based on local knowledge from rural Guanxi brought into the city by the migrating construction workers. The space is used during the SZHK Biennale for underground bands, poetry reading, discussions, karaoke and as a lounge for the illegal workers from the neighboring camp. The building offers a shade, a stage and a fireplace. After the Biennale the Bug Dome will act as an un-official social club for illegal workers from the Chinese countryside.
Taets Art and Conference Center
Rotterdam-based 123DV Architectuur & Consult BV revealed their design of the art and conference center at Taets Art Gallery in Zandaam, Netherlands. The project involved the adaptive reuse of a large ammunition factory. The new spaces are inserted as platonic solids into the large void of the old factory, kept below the existing roof and appearing to hover above the floor on a band of LED light. The oval conference room in the center of the open space draws the most attention, from its form as well as the random specks of light on the copper-clad walls.
Out of the Box by Cadence
Indian architecture firm Cadence have completed a residence in Bangalore, India, which features cast-concrete external walls decorated with perforations. Called Out of the Box, the project is situated in a residential area of Bangalore and is designed to block views of the neighbouring buildings from within. The plan is a variation on a traditional courtyard house layout; instead of placing the courtyard in the centre of the building the architects have split the house into quarters and placed the courtyard in the northwest corner. The courtyard is elevated above street level on the first floor and features two perforated walls, traditionally known as jali walls, that allow light and cooling air to pass through from the outside.
Dance Palace by UNStudio
Dutch architects UNStudio have won a competition to design a dance theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. Clad in triangular panels of varying opacity, the building will be situated on a new square in the historic centre of the city. The two horseshoe-shaped auditoriums will have a combined capacity of 1,300. “An essential requirement when we were designing the auditorium was to make it possible to see the dancer’s feet from every seat in the hall at all times, no matter where the performer was positioned on the stage,” explains Ben van Berkel of UNStudio.
Krystalklar (”Crystal Clear”) - C. F. Møller Architects
C. F. Møller Architects, in collaboration with Kristin Jarmund Arkitekter, has won a major competition to design a spectacular new landmark project in the city of Oslo, for the client KLP Eiendom AS, one of Norway’s largest property investors. The project, which has been dubbed “Crystal Clear“, consists of three towers, which grow organically from the ground to form a sculptural cluster, and are composed of stacked, prismatic volumes. The development totals approx. 90,000 m² of offices, commercial space and possibly housing, located at one of Oslo’s most valuable sites, the former postal sorting office adjacent to the central station.
Tayson House in Bradford - UK by Kraus Schönberg Architects
The Constance and London based Kraus Schönberg Architects realised this new built extension of a Victorian warehouse building in ‘Little Germany’, a particular historical area in in central Bradford, West Yorkshire. The new extension is hung from a steel frame creating a minimal interface with the existing buildings. By creating its own architectural language the glass, galvanised steel and timber structure can be seen as a separate entity. This allows a continuation of the industrial character of Little Germany and helps regenerating the area.
Modern Residential Design of House on Lot 23 by Juan Esteban Correa Elejalde
Designed by Colombian Architects Juan Esteban Correa Elejalde, this is hillside residential that designed with modern and stylish concept called House on Lot 23. Situated in the hillside make this house has nice views and specific natural conditions like warm weather. This house also perfect with beautifully swimming pool addition in the front.On the modern look, the idea was to work with pure volumes with character of their own that by operating them through intersections, the complete volume and program of the house were created.
Toxic II Table by Oliver Haddon
Oliver Haddon developed the Toxic II Table while he was at Buckinghamshire University in England in 2009. The designs were developed from studying flowers and the patterns the occurred within the flower head itself. Using the geometric patterns he observed, he developed the pattern into a three-dimensional sculptural table base. Toxic II has been nominated for the Homes & Gardens Classic Design Awards 2010. The table is made from mild or stainless sheet steel. He is also starting to make this design in copper (that sounds lovely!). There are a range of sizes available, and worldwide shipping is available.
The Apartment House by Formwerkz Architects
MVRDV - Celosia Residence
MVRDV & Blance Lleo’s design for the Celosia Residence in Madrid has been realized. The apartment building was developed by EMVS, a Madrid city public housing company. The building is situated around a large central courtyard, and is cut up into 30 staggered ‘blocks’. Courtyards are abound on every level between the blocks, creating fantastic outdoor communal areas and an interesting facade. The exterior has a unique sheen, achieved by apolyurethane coated concrete.
Luxury Pod Living
These free standing luxury pod structures seems to develop from the luxurious prefab-living! The Boho Pod, as these are called are designed by Jagger. The fine lacquered boxes enclose meticulously laid-out structure featuring kitchen, bathroom and other space. The luxury pod living is designed to form an extended space in your residence. The pod features glamorous interiors with hues of colors and textures. A smart option to limited space!
Stone Lodge on The Hill, New Zealand
Not many people like to build a house near the mountains, but many people prefer the atmosphere comfortable, peaceful, cool. Building from the bottom boulders. Stacked stone pieces were stacked to make buildings that look sturdy. Lodge is located in New Zealand in Queenstown precisely. Landscape Shotover River and Coronet Peak are so beautiful, the designer makes it a very appropriate moment. The arrangement made building closer to nature, which made the open space so homeowners can enjoy the view from the house. Colors are made in tune with the theme of the building, wooden game also became an important role for this building.
Beautiful Bathroom Sets Design By Foster
The beautiful bathroom Sets is made by Foster, and is part of the collection of Piaf. This product can provide a sense of luxury and style. Launched under the slogan “products of high quality, can be changed by the time”, the interior contains a beautiful setting and the original. Especially the white decoration, inspired elegance and purity. Soft light settings and a little color here and there with a fresh touch. Details are amazing, ranging from cabinets, furniture elements and ends with a green angle.
Japanese Home Design by Nakayama Architects
Houses with this design in Japan by Nakayama Architects design, with a more contemporary design. Merger wood and stone materials stone deliberately created the impression that Japan still felt. The building is so vast interior appliances that are not too much, the designer wants to continue the tradition of Japanese house there. Outside the home in a steel lid to display a natural impression. Bathroom lighting made geomatris, so that air can enter freely. Color paint buildings with natural colors, white chocolate and added a warm atmosphere.
Forest House Spectacular by Architect Rosales & Crecente
Many inspiring an architect to make Forest Home, one of the design by Architect Crecente Rosales comes from Spain. The house is in the middle of the woods, keep with the theme of wood as basic material. Trees are places of good ventilation, which carry positive ions into the house. Interor display design that was simple enough but still features elegant impression.
Ellsworth residence, Arizona
Architect Michael P. Johnson loves a challenge; and building in a desert, as his latest project, the Ellsworth Residence demanded, certainly presented one. The architect had to deal with the particularities of the unique desert geography, while choosing the right shape and style for the house, creating a light-looking long rectangular volume, sitting delicately on the ground’s natural curves. ‘My primary concern for the design was to minimize the impact to the pristine desert site’ explains Johnson, ‘by bridging the desert arroyo, we minimized scarring of the desert floor’.
The Barn House, Belgium
For architect Rita Huys, transforming an old barn into a stylish new home, was not just about creating elegant interiors with a rustic touch; the building’s relationship to the outside world and its physical and emotional connection to the surrounding landscape, were just as crucial in the design process. Project architect Huys co-heads (with Hendrik Vermoortel) Belgian architecture and interior design practice Buro2, who a few years ago received the commission to re-design an old farm barn in the rolling hills of Central West Flanders.
Villa Nurbs - Extreme Curved-in-3D Home Construction
With the shape of a spaceship, scaled skin of some giant serpent and amazing futuristic forms that defy easy description, this home seems like some kind of science-fiction vision or creative artist rendering … but represents a reality architects have dreamed of for decades - a whole house of NURBS.”Non-uniform rational basis spline (NURBS) is a mathematical model commonly used in computer graphics for generating and representing curves and surfaces which offers great flexibility and precision for handling both analytic and freeform shapes.” In short: they are a way to create incredible irregular shapes that are often nearly impossible to construct in the real world … until now.
ARTIC - 21st Century High Speed Rail Station For Orange County
Southern California will soon be getting a much needed infrastructure update in the form of Orange County’s recently unveiled Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC). Designed by HOK Los Angeles and Parsons Brinkerhoff, the transit center will serve as a hub for commuter trains and two new high speed rail lines that will help commuters, fans, residents and tourists move seamlessly between transit services in Southern California and beyond.
Vegetal City - Idealistic Visions of Our Urban Future
Ever wonder what our modern-day cities could look like 100 years from now in a perfect world? Architect Luc Schuiten endeavors to find out with his Vegetal City installation, currently on display in Brussels. The entrance, made up of an archway with branches covered in blinking yellow lights, leads the exhibit’s visitors into a magical world of architectural drawings and models of cities where city residents live peacefully with nature. According to the 65 year-old architect, “You cannot feel good in light of all the environmental pollution and the grim perspectives for the future.”
Vallecas 51 - SOMOS Arquitectos
The building proposed by SOMOS Arquitectos en Madrid rises eight floors above the ground along one of the limits of the block imposed by the urban planning. The great scale of the building acts like a visual screen for the green area that stands aside, physically protecting it. The building raises a scale reduction, a friendly relation with the surroundings spliting the facade in small units that combined with each other might be able to transmit a changing sensation, dynamic, chameleonlike.The facade crystallizes through open celled polycarbonate panels fixed on an aluminum substructure, creating a sustainable and recyclable skin.
Haus F, Kronberg, Germany
High Voltage Transmisison Line Towers by Arphenotype
Architect Dietmar Koering of Arphenotype has designed these electricity pylons for a competition to envisage a new power transmission network in Iceland. Each pylon would be between 17 and 32 metres tall, with the shape of each one varying according to its longitude and latitude.“A parametric code drives the heights in an continuous gradient, which will be manufactured physically through help of milling machines,” says Koering. “Once the parameters are set, it is just the location of tower by latitude and longitude that will result in unique towers,” he continues. The towers would be prefabricated and mounted on concrete foundation.
Remodeling Beach House In Malibu
This is amazing beach house for sandy beach lover and ocean view in Malibu, California. This beach house was originally built in 1976 and measures 2,900 square feet, and remodeling by Shubin + Donaldson Architects into an urban oasis. Through crisp linear architecture, a split level plan, and visual access throughout the house brings in the beach. The interior design palette of natural woods and limestone, white walls and fabrics, frosted and clear plate-glass creates a crisp and airy environment to appreciate the Pacific Ocean setting.
Manchester Civil Justice Centre by DCM
Villa in Pedralbes
Foreign Office Architects presented their Villa in Pedralbes, Barcelona, Spain, completed last year. The architects describe the house as a response to the steeply sloping site, its three floors merging with the landscape at each level. Basically the house opens itself at the front and the back of the house, allowing for cross-ventilation, light and views in those two directions. The house closes itself off to its neighbours on either side. The architects went with what they’re known for: continuous surfaces that warp, wrap and blend with their surroundings.
New Zealand’s Tree House Restaurant
Viewing Tower by Ateliereen Architecten
Dutch architects Ateliereen Architecten have completed a 25 metre tall viewing tower at an outdoor sports park in Reusel, the Netherlands. The structure comprises six boxes resting on a steel, structural core and incorporates abseiling and climbing facilities. The walls of the tower are made of halved logs, grown in the surrounding forest, which are slotted into the steel frames horizontally and vertically. Two of the six cubes are accessible. The third one is the start platform for a rope slide and a high rope track. In the top box people can enjoy a panorama view of the surrounding landscape and there is a starting platform for abseiling.
Solar Decathlon house by Technische Universität Darmstadt
Students of the Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany have won the Solar Decathlon competition to design an energy-efficient solar-powered house. Twenty teams of students from international universities competed to design and build solar-powered houses, which were constructed and exhibited at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Teams then competed in ten contests to gain points. The winning design is a two-storey, cube-shaped building covered in two types of solar cells, is highly insulated and has automated lourve window shades to reduce unwanted heat-gain.
Rocking Chair Uses Motion to Power Attached OLED Lamp
The serene back-and-forth movement of a rocking chair is nothing if not relaxing. It can also be useful and productive, according to Rochus Jacob. The designer’s Murakami Chair, a winner in designboom’s Green Life competition, uses the kinetic energy produced by rocking to power an attached OLED lamp. During the day, the Murakami chair stores energy in an on-board battery back. And in the evening, stored energy provides juice for the lamp. In that vein, the chair is reminiscent of other kinetic-energy powered everyday devices that we’ve covered, including the Kyocera OLED phone and the rain-powered umbrella.
Paineiras Hotel Complex - Hepner, Cossia, Payar, Brych, Gonçalves & Messano
A young firm from São Paulo, Brazil received an Honorable Mention for their Paineiras Hotel Complex design in Rio de Janeiro. The architects, Alexandre Hepner, Denis Cossia, João Paulo Payar, Rafael Brych, Ricardo Gonçalves, and environmental design consultant Ricardo Messano, designed a complex that would be functional and “allow perfect fruition of the beautiful panoramic view and the close contact with nature.” The strategy reflects “the intention of harmonizing the intervention with the existing context, thought without denying the contemporary character of such intervention nor hiding its presence among the surrounding forest and the old hotel building.”
Saint John’s Abbey - VJAA
The Abbey Church complex, designed by Marcel Breuer in the 1950’s, is considered one of the most significant works completed by the Bauhaus architect. The complex includes an Upper and Lower Church and monastic Chapter House, whose main entrance was discretely located along the monastery’s primary circulation route. The monastic community requested that the renovated Chapter House and new Blessed Sacrament Chapel be more open to the public and that the facility be more comfortable to use. The new 9,200 square foot project includes the renovation of the existing Chapter House, along with a two-level lobby addition, and full renovation of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.
Interior by Onno Donkers (OD-V) for the art and culture department of the Municipality of Rotterdam
The public spaces of the art and culture department of the Muncipality of Rotterdam consist of a 40 meter long hallway and a 10 meter public space square. Onno Donkers (OD-V) designed lounge-areas, meeting-spaces, a little library, and several flyerdisplays. The square space incorporates the idea of trees in their natural form using branches to support the ceiling.
Nakagin Capsule Tower: Architecture of the Future
The tower’s stunning design may strike passersby as something straight out of a science-fiction movie, but it stands as a unique architectural beacon amongst the common apartment high-rises and office buildings of Ginza. Designed by the late Japanese architect Kurokawa Kisho, the 14-story tower is composed of 140 individual capsules that function as apartments and business offices. The tower has also served as a prototype of sorts for uniquely Japanese urban accommodations, such as business and capsule hotels.
Up High
Nomiya is a project by Laurent Grasso achieved in collaboration with Pascal Grasso. It is a part of a temporary art installation, a part of a parasitic architecture, and a part of an experimental restaurant. Situated on the roof of the Palais de Tokyo, Laurent and Pascal Grasso have designed a truly lovely dining experience. The views alone would make the meal an event to remember, but add in the minimal interiors and the fantastic food.
Nefertiti Gets a New Palace
For seven decades Berlin’s Neues Museum was a derelict, bomb-scarred shell — but finally it is back, boasting a star-studded cast including the 3,400-year-old bust of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti. The entire ensemble of Berlin’s neoclassical galleries will be open for the first time since World War II. The neoclassical architecture, recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site, has been lent a modernist touch by British architect David Chipperfield. White modern stairways sweep past old bricks pocked by bullets in World War II, original columns still have fire damage and neo-classical mosaics and pseudo-Egyptian murals still seem to flake away on ceilings and walls.
Musée National des Beaux Arts du Québec
Optiwind Accelerating Wind Turbine Taps New Energy Fields
Traditional three-blade turbines are great if you have lots of space to play with, but the Optiwind Compact Wind Accelerating Turbine is ideal for high-density, low-wind areas. The turbine’s series of small, five bladed fans funnel in wind and accelerate it, thereby cranking up wind speeds to generate more power. The Optiwind’s design reminds us of the Jellyfish vertical axis wind turbine, but while the 36-inch tall Jellyfish is suited for households, the 200-foot tall Optiwind is meant for bigger structures. NIMBYs may protest that the Optiwind is unsightly and doesn’t belong in high-density areas, but at least the turbine isn’t very noisy–unlike most other wind turbine models.
Building Made Entirely of Recycled Kitchen Sinks
This incredible reclaimed pavilion defies the old “everything but” cliché - it is entirely made of kitchen sinks. Built by 2012 Architechten in cooperation with Jeanne van Heeswijks of Jeanneworks, the structure has risen up as a stainless steel castle tower amidst the traditional architecture of Utrecht, Vlaardingen and Amsterdam. An inventive example of reclaimed construction, the Sustainable Sky Box serves as a multi-purpose space for cultural activities. Reclaimed kitchen sinks serve as the pavilion’s principle facade elements, which are held together with scaffolding, wire and waterproof multiplex boards. The building can also collect rainwater in a tank to water the nearby collective garden.
Bridge House - Max Pritchard Architect
The clients required a permanent home/office on their small property, located one hour’s drive from Adelaide. A bend in the winter creek that divides the property, creates a billabong (a deep waterhole) bounded by a high rocky bank. A house was required that would allow appreciation of the site without spoiling its beauty, but at a budget comparable with a “prefabricated” dwelling or an “off the plan” developers design. A narrow house form, spans over the creek. Glazing each side opens the house to views in both directions, giving the feeling of living amongst the trees.
Dorobanti Tower by Zaha Hadid Architects
Zaha Hadid Architects have designed a high-rise building for the center of Bucharest, Romania, which has a structural, lattice façade. It will contain a five star hotel, a business centre, a casino, retail areas, apartments and underground parking. The Dorobanti Tower was designed to establish an iconic presence in the heart of Bucharest. The new tower is a unique mix of a distinctive form, ingenious structure, and spatial qualities of sky-high living. The purity of its form – a chamfered diamond like structure – will be a new landmark in the centre of Bucharest. Construction is expected to be completed in 2013.
Petting Farm - 70F
Most city parts of Almere, a city with almost 190,000 inhabitants, have a petting farm. In the ‘den Uyl’ park there used to be one, but it burned down in the early 80’s, leaving only its concrete foundation. Early 2005 we were commissioned by the municipality of Almere to design a new petting farm on the exact location and the remaining foundation. The building was finally built using almost only sponsored money, and finished late 2008. We designed a wooden box with an open facade system for the upper half of the building, allowing the wind to ventilate the whole farm continuously.
De Rotterdam ‘Vertical City’ - Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)
Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) has designed a mixed-used development – De Rotterdam ‘Vertical City’ located in Rotterdam, Netherlands, with approximately 155.000 m² floor area and 150 meters high, scheduled to be completed in 2011. Part of an effort to regenerate the Kop van Zuid area of Rotterdam, these three multifunctional towers will feature space for corporate offices, residential apartments, a hotel (congress, restaurants, retail) public program and parking – creating a bustling vertical city that is active 24 hours a day.
Estudio Explanada
This artist’s studio is located in a residential area in the west corner of Mexico City, on a 20 x 40 m (66 x 131 ft) site. The program includes an underground parking space, as well as a three story-building which is comprised of a triple-height space, offices on the third floor, and a service area on the roof. Two functions had to be served: as a studio space on one hand, and on the other, as a venue for private temporary exhibits. The project refines itself towards the center of the space. Both the east and west sides open up, thus allowing views of the trees and gardens on the site.
Centre Pompidou Metz by Shigeru Ban
The Ultimate Frank Lloyd Wright Weekend in Buffalo
Buffalo, New York is home to a few Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, most notably his Darwin D. Martin House. This complex is now home to a recent Visitor’s Center by Toshiko Mori, a glass pavilion that “will serve as an orientation point for those arriving to the campus and will include flexible exhibition space, permanent galleries and visitor amenities.” To get architourists and other to upstate New York, the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau is holding a contest, the Ultimate Frank Lloyd Wright Weekend in Buffalo.
Blue Crystal: A Sustainable Iceberg Lodge in Dubai?
Temporary ice hotels materialize each winter in frigid northern towns from Russia to Canada. As temperatures rise in the spring the structures melt back into the earth. Now Dubai is poised to get its first year-round ice lodge, Blue Crystal. And considering the amount of energy needed to keep a man made iceberg under 32 degrees in scorching summers on the Persian Gulf, it’s almost amusing to hear Blue Crystal touted as sustainable. A growing trend in Dubai architecture seems to be the creation of not only the utmost in luxury, but of the impossible, improbable, and downright outrageous.
Aqaulis Pier - Andrew Bedov
Arquitectura X - Casa 3 in Quito, Ecuador
The house is located on a valley to the east of Quito, within an area that enjoys a temperate climate all year round. It is quite a privileged setting due to the proximity of the local mountain ranges. Unfortunately, the surrounding built context consists mainly of colonial style houses with a total disregard for the local topography, landscape or climate. The site is relatively small, enclosed by three roads. Two primary decisions were made; to place the house on the highest fringe of the site next to the only neighbouring lot, and to consolidate and level the ground with retaining walls that act as a plinth, a typical architectural practice in Quito, which allows the site to be raised over the busiest roads and the immediate buildings.
Autodesk Sketchbook Pro for iPad
Autodesk SketchBook® Pro for iPad is a professional-grade paint and drawing application. Using the same paint engine as its desktop counterpart, SketchBook Pro delivers a complete set of sketching & painting tools through a streamlined and intuitive user interface designed exclusively for the iPad experience.Whether you are an occasional doodler or a professional illustrator, SketchBook Pro transforms your iPad into the ultimate digital SketchBook.If you love SketchBook Mobile for iPhone, you will adore SketchBook Pro on the iPad.
Fracture by Itay Ohaly
Israeli designer Itay Ohaly has proposed a series of chairs called Fracture, made of benches of various materials which are torn or smashed into individual chairs. Ohaly used acrylic, beech, plywood, concrete and cardboard to create the collection. The project explored how the nature of each material affected the appearance of the fracture. Fractures are a part of life and nature. Fractures have different forms that derive from the material structure and the type and strength of energy that is activated upon it.
New Tamayo Museum by Rojkind Arquitectos and BIG
Rojkind Arquitectos and Copenhagen architects BIG have won a competition to design a museum overlooking Mexico City. The cross-shaped museum will occupy a hillside above the city and incorporate a large viewing platform on the roof. Cantilevered exhibition spaces provide shade for the social spaces beneath. Packaging, restoration and storage areas will also be open to visitors. The building will serve as a nucleus of education and culture - locally, regionally, and internationally – and continue to carry the name of the Oaxacan born artist Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991). The very strong and symbolic shape of the cross is a direct interpretation of the client’s preliminary program studies, defining an optimized organizational scheme for the Tamayo’s visitors and administrators.
House in Somosaguas, Madrid by A-cero Architects
Casa Tropical by Camarim Architects
Portuguese architects Camarim have completed Casa Tropical, a holiday home in a fishing village in northern Brazil. Heavy rainfall from January to July ensures a fertile ground where vegetation flourishes until December.The clients wanted a holiday house with 3 bedrooms that allowed wide possibilities of contact with nature. The three-storey house is surrounded by a wide gallery for circulation on the outside of the building. The wooden roof and walls of the gallery shelter the building from the sun but allow the wind to cool the interior. We have replaced the conventional solution in domestic architecture – a compact volume with internal circulation – with a gallery that surrounds the 3 floors of the house, and corresponds to 50% of the total area.
Giacomo Costa
Giacomo Costa: The Chronicles of Time, an image-drenched book on the Florentine photographer, with a foreward by Norman Foster. His fusion of photography and digital techniques is clearly fantastical, like a not-too-distant Hollywood future. What stood out most in the book and on his web page were cityscapes punctured by linear amorphous megastructures. Employing sophisticated digital techniques borrowed from the world of cinema the artist reinterprets the collective imagination of the metropolis, creating unreal cityscapes, spaces with vast perspectives that include spectacular ruins and architectures.
TKTS - Floating carpet of color & light
The new TKTS Booth, designed by top international architecture and design firm Perkins Eastman, responds to its location a top Father Duffy Square, a slender triangular-shaped public park in Times Square. The TKTS Booth is a combination of structural integrity and innovative design made possible with the latest advances in glass technology and the collective knowledge of the world’s leading industry experts. The new TKTS Booth is the most complex and sophisticated glass structure ever created—a show-stopping urban sculpture of iconic proportions and forward-thinking ingenuity.
Old Market Library - TYIN Tegnestue
TYIN tegnestue is a non-profit organization working humanitarian through architecture. TYIN is run by five architect students from NTNU and the projects are financed by more than 60 Norwegian companies, as well as private contributions. The Old Market Library is built in a 100 years old market building. The section for the library is 3×9 meter, with a back yard facing a small canal. The roof and walls were in poor condition and it was important that new elements in the building supported themselves, without attaching to the old structures. Through the use of local, inexpensive materials they have tried to show that this is something the inhabitants of the community can do by their own initiative, using their own resources.
Ladderstile House by Threefold Architects
London practice ThreefoldArchitects have completed Ladderstile House, a courtyard house in London. Ladderstile House is a large modern new build family home directly bordering Richmond Park and adjacent to the Ladderstile Gate. The house features a heated indoor swimming pool, wine cellars, stables and a large courtyard garden. It even has its own website (run by estate agents), www.ladderstilehouse.co.uk. The house owner/developer worked with H2design to develop the interior design, the detail of the timber front screen and the final pattern of perforations to the stainless steel shutters.
Library of Birmingham by Mecanoo Architecten
Dutch architects Mecanoo have unveiled their design for the new library in Birmingham, England. The Library of Birmingham, opening in 2013, will occupy a prime site on Centenary Square, the city’s largest public square, acting as the flagship for the regeneration of Birmingham, and celebrating the ‘Global City with a Local Heart’. Sited between the 1970s Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the 1930s Baskerville House, the new Library of Birmingham will “bring the spoken and written word together to inspire creativity and discovery.” The 31,000 sq metres building will provide 20% more space than the existing Birmingham Central Library and will be capable of taking up to 10,000 visitors a day.
Aluminium House - Arhitektid Muru & Pere
The idea was to have two stories of a different kind of building. The concept was born out of the wrist movement when scribbling on paper. The area allowed for building was very long and narrow due to multiple restrictions. We began piling the rooms in one row at one end until we met the border; then we turned the room itself backwards and that is how the building obtained its current form. The turning room does not seem to have an end. The intersections between the floors and ceilings are unexpected. In some places the spaces are very simple, and in other places pretty messed up. The building is covered in aluminium on the exterior, the interior has been designed with plywood and other board materials.
Selective Insulation by Davidson Rafailidis
Selective Insulation is a project by Berlin architects Davidson Rafailidis that creates insulated workspaces within a larger, cold room. The concept has been applied to an artist’s studio in Hexham, UK, where the nineteenth-century building makes it difficult to maintain warm working conditions for much of the year. Rather than trying to insulate the whole building, pockets of warmth shape the workspaces, which include a desk for two people, a door and a window. The framework is covered with two-ply bubblewrap, normally used to insulate greenhouses.
Book Mountain by MVRDV
Construction has begun on a public library designed by Dutch firm MVRDV in Spijkenissse, the Netherlands. Alongside the book collection and reading areas, the building - referred to as Book Mountain - will include commercial space, offices, an auditorium, conference rooms, and exhibition spaces. These facilities will be stacked vertically, creating brick-clad terraces where the book collection will be displayed. The books will be clearly visible from the outside through the glass shell, which also affords views over the town as visitors ascend the staircases that link the terraces. Completion is due for 2011.
HIILI/CARBON - K2S Architects
The HIILI/CARBON project was designed by Niko Sirola at Helsinki University of Technology’s yearly timber studio. HIILI/CARBON is located on a high-contrast boundary between the asphalt surface of the Finlandia Hall parking area and the lawn of an art garden. It gives citizens a place to sit and admire a new view of the city: CARBON frames the view of the surrounding landscape. The building comprises customer and service facilities, covered terraces and an eastern and western terrace, as well as a separate toilet building for diners in the restaurant. The building is formed by a glulam frame, assembled on site from industrially prefabricated Safe Wood glulam units, which were pre-dried using a new method. The outer surface of the cafe has been carbonised by burning and creosoted to make them weather resistant.
Mumuth - UNStudio
The MUMUTH - Haus für Musik und Musiktheater, a faculty building for the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (KUG), had been ten years in the making, including two years of construction and was officially opened on March 1st 2009. The new Music Theatre, designed by Ben van Berkel of the renowned Dutch architecture firm UNStudio, has already formed the Austrian contribution to the Venice Biennale of Architecture. “The desire to make a building that is as much about music as a building can be, has been a constant throughout the nearly ten years that it took to build the theatre and the themes that are at the basis of the building and its overall organization have also endured throughout this time,” says Ben van Berkel.
The Loblolly house
The Loblolly house by architects Kieran Timberlake is composed entirely of pre-fabricated components, most significantly the floor and ceiling panels that distribute the HVAC, plumbing and electricity throughout the house; and the exterior wall panels that provide the structure as well as the fenestration (windows and rain screens), insulation, and interior finishes. Fully integrated bathroom and mechanical room modules were transported to the site on Taylors Island along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and lifted into position. The 2,200 sq ft residence gets it’s name from the grove of loblolly pines on the site.
Smithsonian Selects Adjaye for New Museum
British architect David Adjaye, in collaboration with The Freelon Group and David Brodie Bond Aedas, has been selected by the Smithsonian to design the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The museum, to be located on the National Mall near the Washington Monument, will be Adjaye’s second in the the United States. His first, the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, opened to much acclaim last year. The team beat out shortlisted firms Moshe Safdie, Foster & Partners, Diller Scofido & Renfro, Pei Cobb Freed, and Moody Noland + Antoine Predock.
Tuyomyo by Frank Gehry for Emeco
Frank Gehry’s Tuyomyo project with Emeco for The Hereditary Disease Foundation is a sleek bench that is almost more of a sculpture than seating. But as Gehry said, “The form has to be free and light. It must be structural, and at the same time poetic. And a little dangerous.” We don’t know how dangerous, as lounging was not a possibility. Other places to sit included Gitta Gschwendtner’s concrete Bag Stool, perhaps a little less intimidating. Studio Dror’s Pick is a set of four panels that fold up into a chair. Hang it on the wall when company leaves. Artek’s slogan was One Chair is Enough, exemplified by Shigeru Ban’s Ten-Unit system.
TDA House | Eduardo Cadaval & Clara Solà-Morales
Where are the limits of materials? Are they in their apparently implicit properties or in our capacity to expand them? A Fresh house for extreme weather that surpasses the standard limits of comfort of the city-dweller; a low-cost house requiring minimum maintenance; a house for any number of habitants, flexible in its uses and configuration; a house that can open up completely to the exterior or close in on itself; a beach house that can be built in a distant corner of the world. The high temperatures, the saltpeter, and the unskilled labor force determined the use of concrete. Bridges, breakwaters, and dams are also made concrete, because of its structural capabilities and its resistance under extreme conditions.
Tadao Ando’s Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art
The Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art’s rock fascade and bulky shape remind of the bulky and squat Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts in St. Louis. But on approach, the Hyogo museum has plenty to offer. A pedestrian bridge offers you several approaches into the building: to the front, to a ramp that goes to the waterside entrance, and to the third-floor plaza. The waterside entrance faces an industrial inlet of Osaka Bay and is the the bookend of a waterfront park that Ando also designed. The part is utilitarian and spare, but serves its purpose as a place for kids to play games and for people to have space to walk. It also has an amphitheater, a popular Ando construct.
Dragonfly Vertical Farm for a Future New York
Modeled after the wings of a dragonfly, this incredible urban farm concept for New York City’s Roosevelt Island intends to ease the problems of food mileage and shortage, and reconnect consumers with producers. Urban farming is a growing trend amongst savvy city dwellers today, but in a densely packed borough like Manhattan, growth must come vertically. Spanning 132 floors and 600 vertical meters, the Dragonfly can accommodate 28 different agricultural fields for the production of fruit, vegetables, grains, meat and dairy. A combination of solar and wind power make Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut’s Dragonfly concept %100 self sufficient. This urban farm, perhaps more appropriate for Dubai than New York, is intended to be cultivated by its own inhabitants, thus closing the loop of self-sustenance.
Hairy Facades
Thatching is traditionally used as a roofing material, where reeds, straw or some other vegetable material is used for the outer roof covering, usually held in place with stones, ropes or poles, and interspersed with layers of mud. One thinks of both the British Isles and tropical regions, a testament to the versatility of the technique and the abundance of the materials in various contexts. Today the use of thatching is departing from its traditional form, being used as roofs but also walls, what I’m calling hairy facades. One example that starts retains the roof-only aspect of traditional thatching, but scales it up so it blurs the typical distinction between roof and wall, is a new building at Plaswijckpark in Rotterdam by Drost + van Veen architecten.
Enclosing the BQE
Robert Moses’s Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) did not meet the fate of his proposed roadway bisecting Washington Square Park and the Lower Manhattan Expressway. The BQE hints at the destruction that would have befallen parts of SoHo and the Lower East Side, but it also illustrates some creative civil engineering and urban design where it passes under Brooklyn Heights, specifically the promenade that offers amazing views of Manhattan. As an architectural alternative to the landscaped berm, Daniel Rattner from the Studio for Civil Architecture, along with Hage Engineering PC, is proposing the Brooklyn Bridge Connector, a structure of steel arches spanning the different levels with coverings of translucent sound baffling acoustical shells and photovoltaic fabric.
Vertical Park - Jorge Hernandez de la Garza
Mexico City is a metropolis where zones are meshed as commerce and life often converge to create dynamic spaces of interaction and interconnectivity. Located in Coyoacan, Mexico City, the project is to revive the calcification of modernity. The module affords not only spaces for living and working but for urban farming, water reclamation, and solar energy collection. As the modules rise vertically to create a high-rise structure, they also spread horizontally in order to create canopies for street level commerce. To provide a more sustainable response to the potential demands of the city, these modules can be rearranged, relocated, and remodeled throughout Mexico City and potentially throughout the world.
Bijlmer Park Theater - Paul de Ruiter
In 2004, Paul de Ruiter was invited to compete in the selection of the architect who would design a cultural building in the southeast district of the city of Amsterdam. This cultural building was to be a multifunctional building for four users; a circus (Circus Elleboog), a theatre (Krater Theater), the Youth Theatre School and the Theatre Workplace, all professional organisations in the field of talent development, cultural education, production and programming. On the basis of a presentation of his vision, including his proposal to work with a dynamic programme of requirements, Paul de Ruiter’s architectural bureau was selected by the city of Amsterdam, southeast district, to design the cultural building.
Church by Beton
Polish designers Beton have presented their nearly completed, shingle-clad church in a small village of Tarnów overlooking the Vistula River. The church serves as a place of meditation and prayer for the local community. It is constructed entirely of wood, with no windows except for one glass wall, which serves as a background for the altar. Inside, you can find your peace by looking through the wall at the river and the distant horizon. The steep, wooden roof transforms unnoticeably into the side walls (made of the same material).
Villa by Daniel Libeskind
Architect Daniel Libeskind has unveiled Villa, a made-to-order luxury house that can be delivered and assembled anywhere in the world. Built in Germany, the zinc-clad Villa has two interior design options: “Libeskind Style” and “Casual Style”. The Villa costs from €2-3 million, depending on location, including shipping and assembly. Built from premium materials, this German-made, sculptural living space meets the highest standards in design, craftsmanship and sustainability. It is unique at every turn, offering maximum insulation and durability, cutting-edge technologies and compliance with some of the toughest energy-saving standards across the world.
Letter Box House, Melbourne
It seems as though a wooden boat washed up on shore amidst a neighborhood of typical Aussie beach houses just south of Melbourne on the Mornington Peninsula. From the street the house’s irregular form reveals nothing of what unfolds once within the property. At a closer look, the façade consists solely of a mailbox. According to the design team at McBride Charles Ryan, the house is certainly not an obstruction built within the community. Instead, it’s modest irregularity opens up into an impressive four-bedroom beach verandah.
Brione House - Wespi de Meuron
The new building is located in a privileged but sprawled urban area above Locarno, Switzerland, with an overwhelming view on the city, the surrounding mountains and the lake. The project is a discrete reaction to a daily subject: to build into a crowded and chaotic urbanized area. Therefore all attributes of a classical house were totally omitted. Two simple steaning cubes are emerging from the hill - fragmentarily - more associated to the landscape than to the other existing buildings. Habitable interiors are generated through cavities. Two similar big openings, with wooden grids serving as moveable gates, are providing access and view.
Nguyen Qui Duc’s Mountain Home in Vietnam
Vietnamese American writer Nguyen Qui Duc returned to his native Vietnam in 2006. A year later, he bought land in the mountains of Tam Dao, 52 miles from Hanoi. When planning the house, Duc decided to work mostly with glass and stone, easily available materials that local workers were familiar with. Yet rather than following his neighbors’ lead by building several stories high to squeeze more living space onto the narrow plot, he anchored the single-story modernist structure into the cliff. From town, all that is visible is a stone wall on the edge of the mountain.
Luminhaus
Luminhaus is a family retreat nestled on a wooded knoll in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Amherst, Virginia. The first of Rocio Romero’s LV Kit homes on the market, it was built by Jennifer Watson and Barry Bless with the help of their friends, family and local contractors. Visit their building journal for construction information. Jennifer and Barry are interested in affordable, modern and green architecture and the promise of agritourism and ecotourism to help build sustainable economies in rural Virginia.
EX FONDERIE RIUNITE by modostudio
Slussen in Stockholm by BIG and NOD
The collaboration between BIG Architects of Copenhagen, Denmark, and NOD Landscape Architects of Stockholm, Sweden, provides not only a solution to Slussen, one of Scandinavia’s busiest intersections but most importantly privileges the pedestrian and cyclist. The proposal touches the waters surrounding Gamla Stan and slowly terrace up using ascending and descending ramps to create a new, coherent area focusing on providing an attractive and functional setting for both movement and rest.
Art to furniture, and back again- BBB pick Chair From studio Dror
Studio Dror have come up with “the first foldable cantilever chair” that goes from modern art work to functional furniture. The chairs are really ingenious, beautifully fashioned and exhibited, perhaps to nice to sit on? It’s an example of multi-function and space saving design. The first foldable cantilever chair, goes from wall art to functional furniture with a flick of the wrist. With an inspiring take on the maximazation of space and transformation of an object from 2D to 3D, it epitomizes Dror Benshetrit’s vision: the emotion of art interwined with the simple poetics of form following function.
CCDH office by Moarqs
Buenos Aires-based architects Moarqs (Ignacio Montaldo, Eugenio Ottolenghi) have designed an office building in Acassuso, Buenos Aires, Argentina. All dimensions of the three-storey building are derived from the proportions of the bricks used for the facade, in order to avoid cutting them. The architects paid special attention to joint measures between bricks and their depth.
H&M Store in Barcelona - Estudio Mariscal
Edtudio Mariscal did a complete work for H&M in Barcelona: Architecture, lighting, furniture, graphics… even the shopping bags.The new H&M shop is found in the most commercial street of Barcelona, Portal de l’Àngel, in the building which was, until recently, the head office of the company Catalana de Gas.The original building, which is listed, is a vestige of the bourgeois architecture from the end of the 19th century, and is the work of Domènech Estapà, an architect who was opposed to the Modernista movement and more inclined towards a neo-classical style.
Herzog & de Meuron’s Lush Green BBVA Headquarters
Their newest design for the Spanish banking group BBVA will be built on the outskirts of Madrid as early as 2013. The verdant green headquarters will feature luscious gardens and will create it’s own microclimate by using natural ventilation, evaporation, and the shade of the gardens and buildings to create a cool artificial oasis on a desert-like site. The project is meant to function as a small city, encouraging people to walk and meet within the outdoor spaces.
Galeria Adriana Varejão by Rodrigo Cerviño Lopez
Galeria Adriana Varejão pavilion is designed by Rodrigo Cerviño Lopez for Inhotim Centro de Arte Contemporânea in Brumadinho, Brazil. Brumadinho is a village near Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais state. A personal initiative of the mining industry businessman Bernardo Paz, the museum has an unusual architectural concept. The museum is made up of multiple pavilions throughout the 35-hectare park. The Galeria Adriana Varejão pavilion was commissioned to house a sculpture and polyptych by Brazilian artist Adriana Varejão.
Eco Architecture: ‘Revolutionarium’ prefab by Michael Jantzen generates energy for itself
The Revolutionarium is a conceptual design study for a special kind of prefabricated, modular, interactive, functional art structure, designed to stimulate the creativity of its occupants. The prefabricated structure will be constructed from sustainably grown wood products and other green materials. The structure is 26 feet in diameter and 14 feet high and has a 12ft diameter steel and glass cylindrical structure in the center. The structure consists of four wooden screens, which can be pulled around the cylinder, either to control the amount of sunlight entering the area or to control the degree of privacy required by the people on the inside.
Cooper Union Builds
The building is located between 6th and 7th Streets, catty-corner from the school’s main building. Detail of the screen facade, what appears to be a perforated metal with an applique of apparently random, painted rectangles. The renderings indicate that this last is as intended. One can see that this metal screen will continue across the Third Avenue facade , mounted to the cantilevered horizontal frame in the spandrel area. So basically the screen is a sculptural veil of a dumb glass and metal box.
H-House - Widjedal Racki Bergerhoff
A private residence in the archipelago of Stockholm situated on a beautiful site overlooking the ocean. The setting is scenic but the climate is harsh. Summers are light but short and the wind can often be a problem in these coastal areas. As in many of our projects great emphasis is put on exploring the border between inside and outside – protected and exposed – building and nature. 1/3 of the built area consists of outdoor areas under roof.The H-shape helps creating intimate and wind protected courtyards that prolong the summer season.
Manitoba Hydro / KPMB Architects
Manitoba Hydro is the major energy utility in the Province of Manitoba, the fourth largest energy utility in Canada and offers some of the lowest electricity rates in the world. Owned by the provincial government, nearly all of its electricity comes from self-renewing water power. Its new headquarters tower, Manitoba Hydro Place, is the first of the next generation of sustainable buildings integrating time-tested environmental concepts in conjunction with advanced technologies to achieve a “living building” that dynamically responds to the local climate.
Marina & Beach Towers By Oppenheim
For the U.A.E. Marina and Beach towers project, Oppenheim created an high-rise mixed-use building that in addition to the typologies, is a response that is simultaneously building and landscape; a project whose fluidity merges sky and water. This allows for more varied living experiences beyond the capabilities of the normative tower. Basing the unit types on a standard module has allowed its shifted repetition to develop into the woven tapestry of the facade; a surface that responds to every nuanced shift of light, while providing critical protection from the intense sun.
Vanguard Way - Morrison Seifert Murphy
This was the first house completed in new Dallas neighborhood devoted entirely to Modernism. We accommodated the program in a compact, two-story structure that essentially extends to the buildable limits of the property but reserves some space for private outdoor uses. The entire house is rendered in hard-troweled, white stucco with sealed concrete floors throughout the ground level.
Woodhead - Interpretive Centre in West Australia
The ritual burning of the Pinnacles Interpretive Centre in Western Australia, as part of its design and building process underscores the unique role of fire both culturally and environmentally in Australia. This incredibly evocative gesture by Woodhead and project architect for the Centre, John Nichols, introduces this specific practice into contemporary Australian architecture. The forces at play in the landscape determined the configuration of the elements and distinct staging of construction.
Ross Lovergrove´s solar-powered alpine capsule
Appearing for all the world like a habitable version of Chicago’s Cloud Gate, Lovegrove Studios‘ futuristic Alpine Capsule is designed to blend in with nature, reflecting and complementing its immediate environment. Powered by solar panels and a vertical axis wind turbine, the off-grid alpine retreat features a shimmering glass skin with a reflective coating that allows individuals to sleep under the stars while admiring a 360 degree panorama of the beautiful landscape.
Recycled subway cars turned into studios in London
Enterprising young artists in the London scene are usually presented with the dilemma of having to rent extremely expensive studio space in order to be able to work. This led furniture designer Auro Foxcroft to a rather ingenious and environmentally conscious solution. What was it? Take old subway cars, mount them on a rooftop, and use them for office space! A bit sparse? Sure! But these recycled subway cars are sure to inspire other green-minded, socially conscious artistic efforts.
International Austria. Hadid builds Library & Learning Center
Usually, the Austrian municipality is defending the local ‘architecture market’ against foreign competitors, thus, international architects rarely enter the competition. Today, the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration choose a different path: An international jury lead by Wolf Prix (Coop Himmelblau), has selected Zaha Hadid (she will do the biggest building – the Library and Learning Center), Hitoshi Abe, NO.MAD Arquitectos and CRABstudio (Peter Cook) for the design of the campus buildings..
Japan’s Hi-Tech Toilets
Open the door to the bathroom, and the toilet lid automatically rises. A soothing sound emanates from the toilet, and as you sit down, deodorizing functions begin to work. Push a button, and the toilet washes your rear end. Push another button and it gently dries it with warm air. The toilet will automatically flush, and when your leave the room, the lid will automatically close. People living in Japan are used to such toilets, but for people visiting for the first time, it can be a source of culture shock. During Tokyo Design Week, people could visited bathrooms that looked like spaceships, and talked to Mariko Shimasaki, from toilet manufacturer Toto.
Versailles Pavilion by Explorations Architecture
Paris-based Explorations Architecture have designed a temporary entrance-pavilion for the Chateau de Versailles in France.It is located right in the middle of the Cour d’honneur du Château de Versailles. The 350 square metre structure provides crowd regulation, a visitors’ centre, security checks and cloakroom. Capacity is approx. 15 000 visitors a day (summer season).Building was completed this summer; the pavilion will remain in place until 2011.
Commercial office by LAN Architecture
Located in saint mesmes, france is a new commercial office designed by french firm LAN architects. the site which is on a slope provides views over the neighboring hills. the concept for the building was to create two hierarchically related volumes, placed perpendicularly to one another along a north-south axis following the slope of the site. one of the volumes contains flexible work spaces while the other encloses a workshop, exhibition space and storage areas. offices occupy the upper area of the site and are raised above ground to provide an impression of lightness. the intersection of the two volumes serves as the entrance, with a sloped ramp rising up into the building. the elevations and roof are completely constructed from black painted concrete.
HSBC Private Bank Lounge by Campana Brothers
HSBC Private Bank partners with award-winning Campana brothers at Design Miami 2008 - Designers of the Year collaborate to create exclusive lounge and documentary film Design Miami. The Brazilian designers intended the lounge to create the atmosphere of a traditional communal dwelling from the Amazonian forest.A video interview with the Campanas (winners of the Designer of the Year award at Design Miami 2008), filmed by Dezeen at the brothers’ studio in São Paulo and on location around the city, was screened in the lounge during the design fair.
Wohnmodelle
F-zein offices by KLab architects
Greek architecture practice KLab architects have transformed an existing industrial building into an office space for digital media company F-zein. The interior consists of a sequence of open-plan spaces using simple structures, which can be easily dismantled and rearranged if needed.Commonplace or inexpensive materials are used to keep costs to a minimum, such as partitions constructed from standard steel scaffolding poles and joints.
Mensa Moltke J Mayer H Architects
A new canteen for the Technical College, Teacher Training College and the State Academy for Fine Art has been completed north of the Moltkestrasse. This new address will form an attractive new centre for the campus where the disciplines can meet, eat and exchange ideas.The dissolution of the structure into stem-like posts shows an associative relationship to the wooded areas nearby and creates an atmospheric transition between the buildings to the south and the shady forest to the north.
Port house Antwerp by Zaha Hadid Architects
Zaha Hadid Architects have won a competition to design the new headquarters of Antwerp Port Authority in Antwerp, Belgium.The 12,800 square metre development consists of an glazed extension above the former fire station, supported asymmetrically on three concrete pillars.Clad in glass and aluminium, the 46 metre-high extension overlooks the city and port.
I’m lost in Paris - R&Sie(n)
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, without soil. At this stage, the glass appears to be a bright orange color.R&Sie has used this technique to make a new façade for a private laboratory in Paris, but most of the technical data are private, so enjoy the images and if you have more questions, you can use the comments to ask, we will get in touch with R&Sie and ask to take part in the forum, as they did in our previous post about the Waterflux.
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics - Saucier + Perrotte architectes
The site is on the shore of Silver Lake, at the northern edge of Waterloo’s downtown core and the southern edge of the city’s central park. Adjacent to the primary pedestrian access between the university campus and the city center, the site is an urban wilderness between clearly defined worlds.The design is takes inspiration from the wide-ranging, hard to define concepts that make up the subject matter of theoretical physics, at once micro- and macro-cosmic, rich in information and of indeterminate form and substance.
The Copenhagen Waterfont - JDS & KLAR Revamps
JDS, in collaboration with Klar, will redesign the harbour front Kalvebod Brygge as the result of a tender held by the City of Copenhagen, within the newly established ‘Metropolzone’. The Metropolzone is a major development project to upgrade a part of Copenhagen City centre, which stretches from Kalvebod Brygge to St. Jørgens Lake. Interesting sea baths, something that JDS developed in the past as PLOT.
Column and slab
Katsuya Fukushima and Hiroko Tominaga of FT Architects have completed a residence called Column and Slab in Tokyo, Japan.The three-storey building is situated on a narrow 5 x 14 metre site.Eight concrete columns pierce the interior and support two 100mm-thick floors, which cantilever out at the sides.The third storey is constructed from timber. “The grid frame is modernist, while the columns and the raised floors are traditional Japanese forms,” say the architects.
Artfarm by HHF Architects and Ai Weiwei
Artfarm is a gallery for a professional art collection, designed in collaboration with Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. The gallery is located on the site of a private residence at Salt Point, near New York, USA.The building is constructed on a concrete slab from pre-engineered steel, usually used in the area for agricultural structures.The interior is divided into showrooms, an office and storage spaces for the artwork.The massive concrete floor and the white shiny PVC batt insulation are creating a quiet and cool space.
Herzog & de Meuron’s 40 Bond Street
Barcelona Biomedical Research Park - Manel Brullet & Albert de Pineda
The building project has been carried out by a team of two prestigious architects: Manel Brullet and Albert de Pineda, to create a building that adopts the specific objectives of PRBB. For the internal arrangement, the space needs and scientific synergy opportunities have been taken into account.Furthermore, the building is equipped with a computing infrastructure and advanced information technology facilities, has common and relational spaces, a modern auditorium and one of the most advanced animal facility from a technological viewpoint.
Mona Vale House - Choi Ropiha
The client for the project has a long standing interest in building sustainability developed through working at the Sustainable Energy Development Authority, a government agency in sustainability.With this interest in mind, the client approached Choi Ropiha to design a house that would demonstrate and test a number of active and passive sustainable initiatives whilst accommodating a contemporary coastal lifestyle.The project is sited on the south side of Mona Vale Headland and has expansive views over Mona Vale Beach to the south.
Student apartments by Ofis Arhitekti
Slovenian architects Ofis Architekti have won a competition to design student accommodation in Paris, France.The project is situated on the Stade de Ladoumègue in the 19th district of the city and is part of an urban development by Reichen & Robert architects.The design consists of two buildings, clad in bamboo, with a shared garden between them.The accommodation includes dormitories on the ground floor and 192 studio apartments.
Skyscrapers 2009 - The World’s Tallest Buildings (video)
description from youtube:Cramped into 10 minutes, i present you an update of my Skyscraper video. A lot has changed in the skyscraper world since April. New stats, new construction photos, and a recession, delaying several projects.I put quite a bit of effort into eliminating the moire patterns from the 2008 video, the overall image quality greatly improved. However, due to the larger format of my composition (960×720), i couldn’t always take the “best” photos, since many come in very small resolution.If i ever make an update, it’ll have to be a two-part video, unless YouTube changes their policies. So this better stay accurate for a very long time :PI didn’t attempt to include Nakheel Tower and the various Korean supertall projects, as their construction is unpredictably far in the future (~2020), and i didn’t have any room left anyway, hah
Rough luxe hotel by Rabih Hage
This extraordinary hotel in a Georgian terraced house in London, UK by designer Rabih Hage. The hotel has nine rooms and incorporates partially sanded walls, chipped paint and bare floorboards alongside opulent furnishings chosen by Hage. Murals created from photographs of interiors by artist Massimo Listri cover some of the walls. The idea for this look evolved when the building was purchased by a client of Rabih Hage. Having been run as a small hotel by an Italian family for decades, there was a need for updating.
How it would be, if a house was dreaming | facade projection
The conception of this project consistently derives from its underlying architecture - the theoretic conception and visual pattern of the Hamburg Kunsthalle. The Basic idea of narration was to dissolve and break through the strict architecture of O. M. Ungers “Galerie der Gegenwart”. Resultant permeability of the solid facade uncovers different interpretations of conception, geometry and aesthetics expressed through graphics and movement. A situation of reflexivity evolves - describing the constitution and spacious perception of this location by means of the building itself.
Cozy furniture by Hannes Grebin
German designer Hannes Grebin has created a range of living room furniture based on 1970s German domestic decor.The bizarre, angular forms are covered in patterns and detailing which Grebin claims were commonly found in German living rooms during the 1970’s.He describes the pieces as “living sculptures, which puts the traditional views about comfort and taste into question.”The collection includes a sofa, arm chair, sideboard, rug and pendant lamp. Grebin completed the project in October while studying product design at the Bauhaus University in Weimar, Germany.
Oxford street facade by future systems
Architects Future Systems have completed the facade of a building on Oxford Street in London.The brief was to transform the quality and appearance of a tired 1960’s building at the undeveloped end of Oxford Street. The scope of this scheme includes the addition of 1 floor and 2 new façades.The faceted glass surface reflects the surrounding buildings from the outside, and allows views along the street from offices and retail space inside the building. At night the façade will be illuminated from inside giving off a subtle coloured glow.
Amazing Green Roof Art School in Singapore
If art school was in our future we might opt to study under, or on top of, the amazing green roof at the School of Art, Design and Media at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. This 5 story facility sweeps a wooded corner of the campus with an organic, vegetated form that blends landscape and structure, nature and high-tech and symbolizes the creativity it houses.
Paramount by Tom Dixon
British designer Tom Dixon has completed the interior of members’ club and event space Paramount, at the top of Centre Point tower in London.The members’ viewing gallery on floor 33 consists of a champagne and cocktail bar with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. The 32nd floor has a bar, lounge and restaurant for members and their guests, while level 31 hosts private functions and includes a 10 metre-long zinc bar.
CET Budapest by ONL
Architects ONL (Oosterhuis Lénárd) have designed a whale-shaped building between two existing warehouses on the banks of the river Danube in Budapest, Hungary. The project also involves the renovation of the warehouses, which will be shortened by 20 metres to make way for a new square. The 27,000 square metre development will be used as a cultural and commercial centre with a large event hall, retail units and catering units; building is due for completion in 2010.
Mirrored Summerhouse
This little magical summer house was built in England in 2005 by architects Ullmayer Sylvester. It’s got a very DIY interior, and the exterior is the perfect, minimalist folded mirror. The house is further accentuated by being inside such a great landscape: a thin lot with lots of decking and flowers and ornamental grasses. It also looks like it didn’t cost a fortune, like anyone could have one. If they have a little slice of pretty England to built it in.
Star place by Unstudio
The Dutch architects have completed Star Place department store in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The structure centres around a 10-storey atrium, where each escalator spirals up to the next floor. The concept for the interior organization of the department store reacts to the ambition to develop a luxurious store on several floors with multiple access points. Called Ta Lee Plaza during development, the completed building has been renamed Star Place.
Patchwork pavilion - DOMO
The project is a 60 sqm temporary art gallery built for an exhibition in Brasília that took place between august and october of 2008. The gallery´s exhibition displayed paintings and portraits of contemporary and modern brazilian painters such as Zive Giudice and Candido Portinari. The basic idea was to create an exhibition space that was half opaque and half translucent for exhibiting the paintings and a roofless garden by its side, all wrapped by a skin made of precast concrete blocks of different patterns placed in a random combination.
Westside - by Libeskind
The Westside shopping and leisure complex in the outskirts of Bern is Libeskind’s first finished building in Europe, purely dedicated to a commercial program. The architecture and design of the building has strong similarities to Libeskind’s museum projects like the Jewish Museum Berlin or the Felix Nussbaum Museum in Osnabrück.Westside offers a book shop devoted to the architecture of the shopping mall and the architecture of Daniel Libeskind.
Plasticamente pavilion by Riccardo Giovanetti
Boxhome by Rintala Eggetsson architects
Boxhome is a small, residential project in Oslo by Norwegian architects Rintala Eggertsson.The 19 square metre dwelling with four rooms covering the basic living functions: kitchen with dining, bathroom, living room and bedroom.Firstly, the project focuses on the quality of space, materials and natural light, and tries to reduce unnecessary floor area. It is constructed using a timber frame and is clad in aluminium. Internally, a different species of wood was chosen for each room.
Moliere 209 Building - SCAP
Placed in a constant traffic corner, in front of a shopping center access square and Sordo Madaleno’s San Ignacio Church. The project plays the condition of being a building that takes control of the urban life and the best views in this sector of Mexico City, at the same time, is a private building and in a neighborhood scale that conserves the Polanco Colony character. The project is constituted by 6 luxury departments, of diverse dimensions to offer each one of them different qualities.
Gardiner Museum Renewal - KPMB Architects
The Gardiner Museum is one of the world’s pre-eminent institutions devoted to ceramic art, and the only museum of its kind in Canada. It is also one of the major projects in Toronto’s cultural renaissance. Framed between the neoclassical Lillian Massey building to the north and the Queen Anne-style Margaret Addison Hall to the south, the renewal creates a bolder, more welcoming urban presence for the Gardiner. Inside, the interior is completely transformed to prioritize the display of the museum’s collections and to create a memorable, inviting visitor experience.
Artists Subway, With Trees
The Starn Brothers, every 1989 college student’s favorite artists, are back! They are finishing up construction on a large installation in the South Ferry Station of the New York City Subway called See It Split, See It Change. Their focus on unnerving closeups of nature has not changed, nor has their geeky obsession with new materials. In this case a curved, fused glass printing technique that will last a century and took a year to develop.
NRGi’s Headquarters - SHL Architects
NRGi’s new corporate headquarters is situated in an area marked by a number of freestanding buildings. NRGi stands out from its neighbours in the surrounding area in virtue of its visually light, metallically gleaming built volume. Distinguished by an angular and distinctive façade, the building forms a crisp contrast to the mellow, scenic context. Moreover, the building is situated and oriented so as to accommodate the path of the sun, and set at an angle so that it provides sun shading – hence, energy efficiency is built into construction design.The interior echoes the dynamic tone of the facade.
EcoRock: Sustainable drywall will rock your green world
Drywall is the number three producer of greenhouse gasses among building materials, trailing just behind cement and steel. Its production generates 200 million tons of carbon dioxide gas, a host of gypsum mines, and immense amounts of energy are required to fire the 500 degree kilns in which it is produced. But a ‘game-changer’ is on the horizon: EcoRock. This innovative material requires no gypsum, no ovens to produce, is made from 85 percent industrial by-products and is fully recyclable!
Sundsvall art centre
Harri Mäkiaho a Finnish Architect has just won a competition for a new Art Centre and Theatre in Sundsvall, Sweden. The entry was called Kräfta. The Swedish Architects Association has a page on it with some good images and plans. It’s a really nice project and deserved winner, and the jury description is mostly quite accurate.
Inside out - outside in by Rocker-lange architects
Boston- and Hong Kong-based Rocker-Lange Architects have designed a villa called Inside Out - Outside In for the Ordos 100 project in Inner Mongolia, China. The house is one of 100 private residences, all designed by different architects selected by architects Herzog & de Meuron for the Ordos 100 project, which is master planned by artist Ai Wei Wei.By creating an architecture which is interwoven with its surroundings, we allow the climate to work with the inhabitants, rather than against them.”
Waiting room
Jeffrey Inaba of Inaba Projects has a new pavilion on display now in Rome, sponsored by Enel, Italy’s largest utilities provider. Because of that sponsorship, Inaba “wanted to use numerous forms of alternative energy applications,” but decided, in the end, to apply “just one that was highly productive and cost effective.” The pavilion is thus solar-powered – Inaba describes it as an “Alice in Wonderland mushroom meets solar-ray chomping Pac-Man.”
International criminal court in the Hague - SHL Architects
Multiconfessional Pavilion - ARTEKS Arquitectura
All the religions are differents, but what they have in common is we, the men. We and our feelings.The pine grove has an approximate surface of 15 Há. From the parking approximately 75 meters have to be crossed up to the first step that leads to the court.The basement can be transform into a flight of steps, combining the retractable steps with the elevated platform. The basement is the technical room and is the furniture store room for the different ceremonies.
Granada Science Park - Ferrater + Jimenez Brasa
The project for the extension of the Science Park in Granada, by the Genil river, starts with the construction of a single roof with small inflections that looks like an open hand, covering the different programmatic pieces interconnected on a continuous space.The roof flies over the terrain, constructing a new topography that, as it folds, organizes between folds the skylights that provide natural light to the circulations and connecting spaces.
VilaSofa store by Tjep.
Tjep. was commissioned to create a shop environment for a new furniture brand called VilaSofa. VilaSofa is positioned between a conventional furniture shop and Ikea in terms of distribution speed.The graphics are derived from symbols used in transportation, while a white wall with cut-out shapes representing chandeliers, windows and balconies represents the home.Staff use sales desks on wheels to allow customers to complete their purchase while sitting on their chosen sofa.
Nordwesthaus by Baumschlager Eberle
Architects Baumschlager Eberle have designed a combined clubhouse and boathouse at Port Rohner on Lake Constance in Fussach, Austria.The clear geometrical structures contrast starkly with the natural environment.In response to the concrete tube devised for the head of the marina, Baumschlager Eberle have installed a cube as the new meeting point for the sailing community.
Hedley bull centre for world politics by Lyons Architects
Melbourne architectural and urban design practice Lyons have completed a new research centre at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. The hexagonal-shaped building is wrapped with “digitally designed pre-cast concrete panels”. The Hedley Bull Centre for World Politics was completed in August.
At University of Toronto at Mississagua, replacing a “Dungeon” library with beacon
The new library at the University of Toronto at Mississauga, a suburban campus of the Canadian flagship university, clad in an unusual wood veneer, is a warm and inviting place, unlike its predecessor. Mississauga’s old library was so awful that the head librarian, Mary Ann Mavrinac, actually considered turning down the job. It was designed by Andrew Frontini of Shore, Tilbe, Irwin & Partners.
Desert city house by Marwan Al-Sayed Architects
Located on a relatively flat one-acre parcel in Paradise Valley, Arizona, within the Phoenix metropolitan area, the site is opposite the Arizona Canal with panoramic views to the Squaw Peak Mountain reserve to the north and Camelback Mountain to the east. Urban desert living made simple, graced by strong apertures in thick walls, slightly inflected and with proportions more commonly found in ancient cities than the cities and homes that surround us today.
Vital building - Mozas Aguirre Arquitectos
This is the headquarters for the local savings bank in Madrid by Mozas Aguirre arquitectos. The building reproduces the scale of the surrounding small woods, a park of the Natura 2000 networking programme. The structural concept is based on pairs of exterior metal supports, clad in stainless steel composite panels.The idea is to identify the building as a live organism in motion. A black skin made of glass protects the inhabited spaces behind the stainless steel pairs.
Asadov floating aerohotel - The future of hotels?
Christ the King & Ceri Richards
The Historic Churches Commission has refused to authorise the reordering of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, Liverpool. The change would have involved siting a new, smaller altar at a lower level.It is difficult to say whether Frederick Gibberd had an underlying geometrical plan for the Blessed Sacrament Chapel that might explain the proportions and position of individual elements. Unity is provided by the combination of colour, line, light and relief in Ceri Richards’ great painted reredos, tabernacle doors and stained-glass windows. The original intention was that Richards would produce an altar frontal as part of the scheme. This was never executed.
Ceiling painting
Spanish abstract artist Miquel Barcelo spent more than a year creating the 16,000-square-foot elliptical painting for the dome of ‘Hall XX’ that houses the UN’s Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. It is featuring hundreds of hanging stalactite shapes in colored shades - a ’sculptural’ painting, invading the space of the council.The Spanish government has sponsored Barcelo to do this painting with funds of teh FAD (fondos de Auyuda al desarrollo - funds to help development) FAD is part of the Spanish budget that is suposed to go to help developing countries. That sponsosrchip was of about 500.000 Euros of the total cost of the work of around 20 million.
Lighting design
Former entertainment lawyer-turned-lighting designer Michael McHale creates chandeliers that are as much about structure as they are shimmering crystal.Born from the seeds of a DIY project, Michael McHale Designs is drafting a new vision for the chandelier, utilizing such rough and ready materials as patinated brass pipes and fittings, refrigerator bulbs, and appliance tubing in concert with the finest crystal available. The effect is at once jarring and oddly beautiful.
Architecture in shadows
The Kimbell Art Museum unveiled Renzo Piano’s design for its new building opposite Louis I. Kahn’s 1972 landmark. While the site plan and section don’t reveal a heck of a lot about the design, it made me wonder why Piano is chosen not only for every other museum design (it seems) but for additions to important, and in some case iconic, pieces of Modern architecture.
Bianna House / Hidalgo Hartmann
Located in an agricultural valley surrounded by mountains, the house submits to the protagonism of the landscape with respect. It is perfectly integrated in the ground and views are oriented through precise openings that frame the nature.The house is composed by two concrete volumes that are inserted in the territory getting used to it. Both volumes of diferent sizes are set firmly to the ground by the enlargement of the containing walls that define them.
Frank Lloyd Wright´s house, renovation
In 1988, Lawrence and Sharon Tarantino bought a run-down house in the Millstone borough of New Jersey. A house that was designed by none other than Frank Lloyd Wright. Turns out, that Wright had been thinking of the environment back then. The home, along with about 100 others, was designed in his “Usonian” style– a style that utilized admirable green building principles, including smaller footprints, lower cost, passive solar and radiant heating. The couple, principals of architecture and design firm, Tarantino Studio, renovated it, which won an award from the New Jersey chapter of the American Institute of Architecture.
Sawdust of today
Light, recarried structure with dimension of 60 x 90 metres, space for 3500 spectators of new multi-medial show, that should cross the world in 2009. Norwegian architects and designers from Various Architects created inflatable envelope compound to the final form from little parts in a shape of „bicycle wheel“. Sustainability and compaction is then assured by indoor central aluminium stage-structure.
The water city
London-based media and film studio Squint/Opera prepared for London Festival of Architecture LFA shocking exhibition of theirs visualisations. There are pictures of flooded London also with its architectural icons, in year 2090, when rising sea and ocean levels will provide of new style of life.
120th anniversary of Eiffels
Because of the celebration of 120th birthday of the Eiffel tower, and mainly for the crowds of people that will ascended, SERERO architects proposed the extend of the third floor. Dense structure will temporarily bolted to curent construction, and it will be without requiring any modification of the existing structure.
Space for film or bussines?
The space made from film coulisses, or utopic drawing, those are the feelings that this space produce, created by Will Alsop and his SMC Alsop Asia team in chinese Beijing for a reality sales office. Showrooms however are not in common with offered flats that a company presents, they are empty, impersonal so the whole space and his effect is irratonial. But at all combination of the lighting, mirrors and unique shapes cut a dash.
Present Spain
Spanish pavilion on Expo 2010 in Shangai will be produced by project of architects EBMT. With its materiality it could join Chine and Spain, the world of east and west, by using steel beams and wicker, that is naturally find in both worlds. The pavilion is airy, transit space that presents spanish culture.
