This Project is a renovation for a SPA, Kaatsu and beauty salon located in the center of Nagoya, Japan. We insert the space to provide drinks being always aware of health and beauty, such as fruit and organic vegetables.

We have created counter of 4.2m length in the limited entrance’s space, have secured the minimum flow line for increasing the number of customers standing, have created facade / petit architecture composed with curved surface, while repeating unevenness, so that the counter arranged obliquely may be made to fit the ergonomics of human body.

The counter slides through the wall, while the spiral runs along a smooth curved surface reaching to the ceiling. The form of the curved surface was changed and it computed so that the needed function might be absorbed, always having in mind the ease of use.
The new design follows the logic of the building`s façade volume, and therefore the city terms and conditions, and changing it, by repeatedly studying new variations using parametric design, we came across with the final form for the included functions.

People can find their own heights, and therefore their own unique place, given by the new form, allowing them to, in time, feel comfortable in their body and mind. The service side of the counter also creates a space in which multiple people can work at the same time thanks to the easy-to-use form of various heights by work-unit.

The form is gently wrapped and it stays on visitors` minds. The new design will become the opportunity to allow a reform of consciousness with a new feeling, for people who seek both physically and mentally changes.

Le Comptoir de Fruit et Légumes
Location : Izumi1-10-23, Higashiku, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
Program : Spa, Kaatsu, Beauty salon
Completion : 31st March 2013
Reopened : 19th April 2013
Design : Kotaro HORIUCHI / KHA – Kotaro Horiuchi Architecture INC -
Built area : 300m2

Web: http://kotarohoriuchi.com

The shortlist includes:
1. Maria Grazia Cutuli Primary School, Herat, Afghanistan
2. Islamic Cemetery, Altach, Austria
3. Gaoligong Museum of Handcraft Paper, Gaoligong Mountain, China
4. Rehabilitation of Nagaur Fort, Nagaur, Rajasthan, India
5. Mbaru Niang, Wae Rebo Village, Flores Island, Indonesia
6. Apartment No.1, Mahallat, Iran
7. Rehabilitation of Tabriz Bazaar, Tabriz, Iran
8. Reconstruction of Nahr el-Bared Refugee Camp, Tripoli, Lebanon
9. Hassan II Bridge, Rabat, Morocco
10. Mohammed VI Soccer Academy, Salé, Morocco
11. Preservation of Sacred and Collective Oasis, Guelmim Region, Morocco
12. Revival of Birzeit’s Historic Centre, Birzeit, Palestine
13. Girubuntu Primary School, Kigali, Rwanda
14. Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre, Limpopo, South Africa
15. Post-Tsunami Rehabilitation of Kirinda Houses, Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka
16. Hospitals in Sudan, Khartoum and Nyala, Sudan
17. Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle, Damascus, Syria
18. Kantana Film and Animation Institute, Nakhon Prathom, Thailand
19. The Met, Bangkok, Thailand
20. Thula Fort Restoration, Thula, Yemen

Farrokh Derakhshani, the Director of the Award, remarked: “The Master Jury, which includes some of the most prominent architects of our time, made interesting choices this year. For example, they chose schools in Afghanistan and Syria, but they also chose a hospital in Sudan, a high rise in Bangkok and the reconstruction of a refugee camp in Lebanon. In many ways, the choices reflect a central preoccupation of the Award: the impact of buildings and public spaces on the quality of life. Now this seems fairly mainstream, but we must remember that the Aga Khan Award has been talking about “human scale” and “sustainability” since 1977.”
The Award’s mandate is different from that of many other architecture prizes: it selects projects — from innovative mud and bamboo schools to state of the art “green” high-rises — that not only exhibit architectural excellence but also improve the overall quality of life. Since the Award was launched 36 years ago, over 100 projects have received the award and more than 7,500 building projects have been documented.

The shortlisted projects are now being technically reviewed by a select group of architects, urban planners and engineers. The reviews, which emphasise both the impact on the quality of life and architectural excellence, will be submitted in June to the Master Jury for closer evaluation. Five to six finalists will then be selected and announced at a ceremony to be held in Lisbon in September 2013

Web: www.akdn.org/architecture/

PROJECT:
The program challenges participants to design a NEW Urban Vertical Farm and Botanical Gardens Skyscraper in Seoul City that takes into today’s ever-increasing urban growth, consumption in populated cities.

The design should be visually and aesthetically engaging and investigates the possibilities for urban Vertical farming communities and maximise the positive impact of Vertical Farming and be an acceptable addition to the Seoul City Skyline.

It should also respond directly to the issue of space and population density in Seoul city. And also address the social, environmental, cultural and economic issues and concerns of the ever-increasing urban growth.

ELIGIBILITY:
o Architects
o Graduate Architects
o Architecture Students
o Team (Architects, Graduate Architect, Architecture Students, Engineers, Designers )

FEES:
Every entrant shall be required to pay an entry fee as follows:
o Special Registration: $80 US from 29th April 00:00 (GMT) to 09th May 2013 11:59 (GMT)
o Early Registration: $100 US from 10th May 00:00 (GMT) to 13th June 2013 11:59 (GMT)
o Standard Registration: $120 US from 14th June 00:00 (GMT) to 09th August 2013 11:59 (GMT)
o Late Registration: $150 US from 10th August 00:00 (GMT) to 16th August 2013 11:59 (GMT)

All registration fee are discounted for students.

SUMBMISSION DEADLINE
16th August 2013 —————- Closing Date for Submissions

RESULT ANNOUNCEMENT / PUBLICATION
09th September 2013 —————– Official Result Announcement / Publication

PRIZES AND AWARDS
Winning project entry will receive prizes totaling US$ 6,000.00 as follows:
1st Prize
o US$ 3,500 (THREE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED US DOLLARS)
2nd Prize
o US$ 1,500 (ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED US DOLLARS)
3rd Prize
o US$ 1,000 (ONE THOUSAND US DOLLARS)

10 Special Mentions

Website: www.superskyscrapers.com

CHALLENGE:
The program for this international ideas competition challenges participants to design a new Athletics Stadium for hosting local, national and international athletics sports events in Brasilia.

The new Athletics Stadium should create an exciting and visually strong structure at the Brasilia considering the architecturally the position of the city of Brasilia.

ELIGIBILITY:
· Architects
· Architecture Graduates
· Architecture Students
· Team (Architects, Architecture Graduates, Architecture Students )
· Inter-Disciplinary Teams (engineers, designers in-conjunction with an architect).

Submissions can be the work of an individual or a group up to 4 members (architects, architecture graduates or architecture students etc) aged 18 or over at the time of registration. Registration and participation in the competition implies an immediate acceptance by entrants of all terms & conditions governing the site and competition.

REGISTRATION FEES:
Registration fees are from $80 US Special Registration to $150 Late Registration

REGISTRATION DEADLINE
11th July 2013

SUMBMISSION DEADLINE
12th July 2013

RESULT ANNOUNCEMENT
05th August 2013

PRIZES AND AWARDS
Winning participants from each of the competition in this stage will receive prizes distribution as listed below from a total fund of US$ 15,000.00:
1st Prize – US$ 3,000 (THREE THOUSAND US DOLLARS)
2nd Prize – US$ 1,500 (ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED US DOLLARS)
3rd Prize – US$ 500 (FIVE HUNDRED US DOLLARS)
10 Triumphant Mentions

Website: www.archtriumph.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/archtriumph

CHALLENGE:
The program for this international ideas competition challenges participants to design a temporary Floating Pavilion for the Biennale in Venice to serve as a showcase space or Architectural piece in its own right.

The temporary floating Pavilion should create an exciting and visually strong structure that is fit for the Biennale in Venice.

ELIGIBILITY:
· Architects
· Architecture Graduates
· Architecture Students
· Team (Architects, Architecture Graduates, Architecture Students )
· Inter-Disciplinary Teams (engineers, designers in-conjunction with an architect).

Submissions can be the work of an individual or a group up to 4 members (architects, architecture graduates or architecture students etc) aged 18 or over at the time of registration. Registration and participation in the competition implies an immediate acceptance by entrants of all terms & conditions governing the site and competition.

REGISTRATION FEES:
Registration fees are from $80 US Special Registration to $150 Late Registration

REGISTRATION DEADLINE
11th July 2013

SUMBMISSION DEADLINE
12th July 2013

RESULT ANNOUNCEMENT
05th August 2013

PRIZES AND AWARDS
Winning participants from each of the competition in this stage will receive prizes distribution as listed below from a total fund of US$ 15,000.00:
1st Prize – US$ 3,000 (THREE THOUSAND US DOLLARS)
2nd Prize – US$ 1,500 (ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED US DOLLARS)
3rd Prize – US$ 500 (FIVE HUNDRED US DOLLARS)
10 Triumphant Mentions

Website: www.archtriumph.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/archtriumph

CHALLENGE:
The program for this international ideas competition challenges participants to design a new Contemporary Bridge to carry pedestrians over the River Spree in Berlin. The new footbridge should create a new Icon or landmark in Berlin, considering that there are a number of existing examples of great bridge forms in this area of the city and its proposed position between two well-known bridges – the Schilling Bridge (Schillingbrucke) and the Oberbaum Bridge (Oberbaumbrucke).

ELIGIBILITY:
· Architects
· Architecture Graduates
· Architecture Students
· Team (Architects, Architecture Graduates, Architecture Students )
· Inter-Disciplinary Teams (engineers, designers in-conjunction with an architect).

Submissions can be the work of an individual or a group up to 4 members (architects, architecture graduates or architecture students etc) aged 18 or over at the time of registration. Registration and participation in the competition implies an immediate acceptance by entrants of all terms & conditions governing the site and competition.

REGISTRATION FEES:
Registration fees are from $80 US Special Registration to $150 Late Registration

REGISTRATION DEADLINE
11th July 2013

SUMBMISSION DEADLINE
12th July 2013

RESULT ANNOUNCEMENT
05th August 2013

PRIZES AND AWARDS
Winning participants from each of the competition in this stage will receive prizes distribution as listed below from a total fund of US$ 15,000.00:
1st Prize – US$ 3,000 (THREE THOUSAND US DOLLARS)
2nd Prize – US$ 1,500 (ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED US DOLLARS)
3rd Prize – US$ 500 (FIVE HUNDRED US DOLLARS)
10 Triumphant Mentions

Website:www.archtriumph.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/archtriumph

The building is located in Limeil-Brevannes, near Paris. It consists of three preschools and of two elementary schools. As the method of commissioning was used so called “conception-construction” system, where the competition teams propose both all plans and the construction on fixed price. Beside schools, an apartment building of social housing of 46 flats was included to the competition program. Time for the competition was one month. The decision for the winner was made in April 2011 and the inauguration of the building was held 18 months later. The construction of the apartment building starts in next April.

© Jussi Tiainen

The mayor of the city is politically left and committed with sustainable issues. He wanted to have wooden schools and it was for him the main criteria, with urban issues when making the choice.

As architects, we saw two issues in the work:

1. The new building would have crucial meaning in redefining the future urban space of the city centre. The town hall is facing the building in north and beside it will be the “mediatheque”. The southern side will be connected to a square formed by new apartment buildings. The difference in latitude from north to south is 4 meters. By its western side, the site connected to private house fabric. Nowadays, the area is scattered and we wanted to achieve precisely formed urban spaces. The area had the urban plan, but our proposal was very different from it.

© Jussi Tiainen

2. As a school building, it is one of the biggest in France, around 1000 pupils. We wanted to create for every school its own identity and its own community in the big overall frame. Each school is grouped around its own courtyard. The schools are principally very traditional following classroom structure. They have a common restaurant and library, but the will was that every school ought to be its own empire. Our goal was to connect inner and outer spaces seamlessly.

Because the way of construction ( Lingnotrend ), the planning principal is rationalistic.

Facts of the project:
Place, Limeil-Brevannes, France
Size, 9500 m2, 5 schools, 50 classes with restaurant and library
Budget, 18.6 milj. Euros
Architect, r2k-architectes, Grenoble,Veronique Klimine and Olavi Koponen,
Wood engineer, Gaujard Technologies, Xavier Ceccarello
Construction, Holzbau Amann
Paintings, Lauri Ahlgren
Used wood, pine and spruce in construction, larch in exterior and thermally treated beech on terraces. Wood used 3000 m3.
Grenoble 17.02.2013
Veronique Klimine, Olavi Koponen
veronique.klimine@r2k-architecte.com
olavi.koponen@r2k-architecte.com

Web: www.r2k-architecte.com
Source: v2com.biz

The event is called ‘Architecture Whispers’ and it is a series of intimate multidisciplinary and cross-cultural conversations between emerging, established and visionary international architects. They take place in the Silencio Club in Paris, an exclusive venue for writers, directors and musicians, established by American filmmaker, visual artist and musician David Lynch.

The event was launched on the 19th of April. Speakers where Odile Decq, Didier Faustino, Luca Galofaro, Veronika Valk and Theodore Spyropoulos, and the theme of the evening was ‘Digital submission or Architectural Domination’. These whispers will happen once a month, the next is scheduled for the 17th of May and the one after the 21 of June.