Modern Architectural Concepts

Design Against the Elements Competition

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 05:51:00 +0000

Design Against the Elements is a global architectural design competition meant to find a solution to the problems presented by climate change. Spurred by the devastation wreaked in the Philippines by tropical storm Ondoy (Ketsana) and driven by a powerhouse multidisciplinary group of organizations from the private, institutional, and government sectors, the project aims to draw together the most innovative minds in the fields of architecture, design, and urban planning to develop sustainable and disaster-resistant housing for communities in tropical urban settings.

The winning design will be built as a prototype disaster-resistant and livable eco-village in Taguig City, Metro Manila. The village will be the first green and disaster-resistant community in the country. It will provide a model that can be studied and replicated in similar areas. The finished project will house a marginalized community living in an environmental danger zone, giving them a sense of security, ownership, and awareness of sustainability that can be practiced at all levels in their everyday lives.

The project also aims to present a definitive green building solution in a truly local context. Too often, home-owners, architects, and policy-makers think of sustainable building as a luxury that only privileged landowners and advanced countries can afford. Design Against the Elements considers green architecture as essential to survival; it has the ability to reduce the frequency and impact of environmental disasters and lessen the cycle of poverty.

http://www.designagainsttheelements.org/index.htm

Timelines

March 5, 2010: Competition launch

July 31, 2010: Deadline of Registration

August 14, 2010: Deadline for submission of questions

August 28, 2010: Deadline to dispatch answers to questions

September 25, 2010: Deadline for submission of entries

October 4-9 2010: Judging

October 13, 2010: Announcement of winners

November 19, 2010: Awarding

Prizes

Category 1
First Prize: $10,000.00
Second Prize: $7,500.00
Special Nomination 1 (Energy): $3,500.00
Special Nomination 2 (Green Design): $3,500.00

Category 2
First Prize: $3,000.00
Second Prize: $2,000.00
Special Nomination 1 (Energy): $1,500.00
Special Nomination 2 (Green Design): $1,500.00

Detailed Project Information

The design problem is presented here in more detail to serve as a brief for interested competitors and researchers. The Official Competition Manual will be available on this website soon. Additional briefs and competition updates will be available regularly from the Updates section. Alternatively, interested parties are encouraged to sign up for our e-mail news letter for news and updates.

Project Objectives

The objectives of the project are:

· To foster local and global awareness on climate adaptability and its relevance to poverty alleviation. Disasters are setbacks to sustainable economic growth as well as human tragedies. Having safer structures “ahead of time” will not only lead to less casualties, displacement, and damage, but will empower communities to uplift their quality of life.

· To build the first green, livable, affordable, and disaster-resistant village in the Philippines that will serve as the blueprint for other communities threatened by climate change.

· To compile an encyclopedia of climate-resilient and affordable design solutions for urban poor communities.

Design Task

The submitted design is therefore expected to address all of the following tasks:

· Develop a master plan for an urban housing development that can be applied to similar areas.

· Integrate development that addresses the sustainability of the community by understanding the local economic, social, and environmental attributes.

The design is expected to take into account the various economic, social, and environmental conditions of the community in which it will be built. The following are the criteria against which the entries will be judged.

* Disaster Resiliency

The design should be flood proof, fire proof, and earthquake resistant. It should also consider livability for residents after a disaster. It should be assumed that power, food, and clean water will be limited in some way due to flooding of the area. Transport shall likewise be hindered.

* Innovative Construction Technology

To break the cycle of destruction-rebuilding-destruction, new building technologies or approaches must be explored. The design must present innovative construction solutions, both in terms of materials (recycled, renewable, engineered, etc) and systems (structural, cladding, electrical, irrigation and plumbing, etc).

* Socio-Economic Sustainability.
o Sustainability of the Built Environment.

The design should incorporate green building strategies for both the community infrastructure and individual housing. At a minimum, the design should include the following considerations:

§ Optimal building orientation:
§ natural light
§ natural ventilation
§ Passive systems
§ Water efficiency
§ Energy efficiency
§ Indoor air quality
§ Waste management and minimization
§ Building life-cycle
§ High performance building fabric
§ Use of recycled materials
§ Use of rapidly renewable materials

o Sustainability of the Community.

In line with local building codes, 70% of the land is allocated for residential use only, while 30% is left for other uses.

§ Commercial spaces: Micro-enterprises are an integral part of urban poor communities. Space for small shops or businesses, street vending, and dry and wet markets are some of the commercial aspects which should be considered in the design.

§ Public spaces: Including in this land area are roads and other public infrastructure.

§ Social Sustainability (Community Sensitivity). While the design should be adaptable to other sites (discussed below), it should be sensitive to the local culture and way of life of the beneficiary community.

* Cost Effectiveness

The design shall be built to house a marginalized community and is thus expected to have a limited budget.

* Adaptability to Other Sites

The resulting designs are intended to serve as prototypes to build an encyclopedia of solutions for disaster-resistant design and planning. Concepts utilized in the design should be adaptable to other urban communities in tropical regions.
Program Requirements

* Housing Development

The residential structures shall be multi-story buildings without elevators, with a maximum of four (4) floors. Each dwelling unit shall conform to the requirements laid out in the National Building Code [link] and BP220, or the Guidelines for Socialized and Economic Housing [link]. Each dwelling unit shall have a floor area from 26 square meters to 32 square meters and shall include spaces for the following uses:

o Basic everyday activities, such as sleeping, eating, cooking, cleaning, and sanitation needs

o Landscaping with considerations for urban gardening.

* Community Facilities

Community facilities should likewise conform to the requirements laid out in the National Building Code [link] and BP220 [link].These should include the following:

o Community center / multipurpose hall
o School / day care center
o Waste management facility
o Public market
o Other facilities to supplement the development concepts of the entry

Submission Requirements

The design shall present the project concepts enumerated below. Further submission and presentation requirements as well as the manner of submission can be found here [link].

o Master site development plan and site concepts
o Housing building plans and building concepts
o Community facilities and community building concepts

Eligibility

* Category 1

is open to all local and international architects, registered according to the relevant laws in their respective countries. All entrants are required to provide relevant professional registration on the registration form. Where an entry is made by a team of professionals, the team must be led by a person who meets the above criteria. That member must be indicated on the registration form as the entrant.

* Category 2

is open to all local and international students of architecture in their senior years and to graduates of an architecture degree. Student entries must have the endorsement of the school dean/head and graduate entries shall have an endorsement from an architect-mentor.

The following are disqualified from this competition:

o Professional Adviser/Consultant
o Members of the UAP Executive Committee
o Chairman and members of the UAP Competition Committee
o Officers of UAP Fort Bonifacio Chapter
o Members of the Jury
o Architects employed by any of the promoters of the competition
o Architects employed by MyShelter Foundation
o Immediate family members of the persons listed above.

Registration

Competition opens on April 5, 2010. Please refer back to the website on April 5, 2010 for registration instructions, the full architectural brief, and further competition details.

Competition Website

Designer Village Challenge 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:29:00 +0000

The destruction caused by natural disasters such as typhoons has long been one of the major contributors to the perpetuation of poverty in developing countries like the Philippines. The suffering of the poor are amplified as climate change - reinforced storms lead to loss of life and property, and a costly halt in their way of life. They are plunged deeper into poverty when they are faced with the economic burden of having to rebuild their homes and livelihood. Many have been forced to relocate to urban centers, further congesting and expanding informal settlements. According to the Global Climate Risk Index, the Philippines is one of the ten most afflicted countries in the world in terms of the number of lives and property lost as a result of damage due to climate, and these are mainly in the form of increasing intensities of typhoons visiting the islands annually. In short, poverty and the lack of climate adaptability has proven to be a treacherous formula for poor communities.

Current mitigation and disaster management strategies are simply insufficient to shield the poor from the onslaught of the changing climate. Building disaster-resistant structures ahead of time would drastically reduce the impact of climate on poverty, bringing an end to the viscous cycle of: disaster – destruction – reconstruction. Moreover, the sense of security brought about by disaster-resistant structures would empower communities to uplift the quality of their lives as they gain more control over it. Without the fear that a storm can easily wipe away the lives that they have built, hopes and plans for the future may grow clearer and within reach.

This competition responds to the urgent need for radical adaptation. Designer Village Challenge calls for a masterplan and design of an eco-agro-tourism development for a rural community in the tropical hotspot of Camarines Sur, Philippines, a province that has repeatedly experienced catastrophic damage caused by strong tropical cyclones. The province of Camarines Sur has made it their mission to rise above it with progressive and pioneering projects that seek to alleviate the condition of its people. With the help of the global architecture community it believes that it can be an example of strength, resilience and innovative adaptability.

The top 3 winning designs will be awarded US $ 10,000, US $ 5,000 and US $ 3,000 respectively. The 1st prize winning design will be built by the Provincial Government in Camarines Sur as a prototype master planned community of 150 houses. Gawad Kalinga, the largest and most active non-government slum upgrading and rural community builders in Asia shall also build one of the winning designs. In addition, all design entries will be compiled and published into an encyclopedia of architecture and planning solutions for climate adaptability. The United Architects of the Philippines shall facilitate the competition and function as its secretariat.

The competition is open to all local and international architects, registered according to the relevant laws in their respective countries. All entrants are required to provide relevant professional registration on the registration form. Where an entry is made by a team of professionals, the team must be led by a person meeting the above criteria. That member must be indicated on the registration form as the entrant.

COMPETITION SECRETARIAT

United Architects of the Philippines
53 Scout Rallos Street, Diliman, Quezon City
1103 PHILIPPINES
Telephone (63-2) 4126364, (63-2) 4126374
Fax (63-2) 3721796
Email: info@designervillage.org
Website: www.designervillagechallenge.org

303 East 33rd Street by Perkins Eastman

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:46:00 +0000

303 East 33rd Street, the first green development in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan, is designed by top ranked green architecture and design firm Perkins Eastman. The LEED Certified development is a 12-story, 165,00 sf building defined as a series of single attached buildings facing the street alternating in height.

BUILDING PROGRAM:

The interior of the building comprises 128 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes in a variety of layouts as well as a three-bedroom, four-bathroom triplex penthouse.

Additional amenities include a fully-equipped fitness center, media lounge with pool table, a children’s playroom, and full-service concierge.

A landscaped roof-top, with a total of 1,700 sf of outdoor space, takes advantage of distinctive urban views.

DESIGN CONCEPT:

"A highly energy efficient envelope -exceeding the thermal requirements of New York City code-comprising brick piers, terraces, balconies, and large expanses of glass fracture the architectural repetition, heightening the concept of an ensemble of buildings rather than a single development."

"Using rapidly renewable materials and low-VOC finishes, a contemporary interior space is created that engages the residents to participate in a more sustainable lifestyle. Each unit is equipped with electrical sub-meters allowing the tenants to monitor their electrical use and manage their personal consumption. To discourage automobile use, the development purposely omitted a parking garage from the design and instead chose to offer parking discounts in an adjacent venue for hybrid vehicles."

"The roof-top design limits the use of potable water for landscaping, employing a variety of indigenous, drought tolerant plants to create an outdoor oasis for the residents."

Source: ArchDaily

Taipei Performing Art Center proposal by NL Architects

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:37:00 +0000

The design aim of NL architects proposal for the taipei performing arts center is to make the building accessible to everybody. The public character of the center is guaranteed by the elevation of a substantial part of its program, creating a public square underneath it. As such the square becomes part of the building inside of it.

TPAC - taipei performing art center
image courtesy NL architects

DESIGN CONCEPT:

The design which could be considered to a table with 'four legs' supports a 'tabletop'that accommodates 3 storeys. inside you'll find an elevated fragment of the city, a public browsing space where cultural facilities such as a multimedia library, music stores, galleries, lobbies, bars, restaurants and clubs will be included.

view of TPAC - taipei performing art center
image courtesy NL architects

Balconies and terraces with different programs will also be included in the space consisting of swimming pools, a skate area, playground, hotel garden and cafe.

side view drawing of TPAC - taipei performing art center
image courtesy NL architects

The performing arts center structure will contain three theaters: a 1500 seat grand theater and two 800 seat theaters for repertory performances. The theaters are positioned on different altitudes. The proscenium playhouse is placed at the base of the southeast 'leg'. The lobby is placed under this theater so that it is flush with the square activating the space around it. the multiform theater is connected to the southwest leg close to the top. The volume of the grand theater is suspended under the horizontal slab. It hovers over the square while being part of it.

Source: Design Bloom

TPAC - taipei performing art center elevator diagram
image courtesy NL architects

side view drawing of TPAC - taipei performing art center
image courtesy NL architects

TPAC - taipei performing art center
image courtesy NL architects

TPAC - taipei performing art center
image courtesy NL architects

TPAC - taipei performing art center
image courtesy NL architects

TPAC - taipei performing art center
image courtesy NL architects

TPAC - taipei performing art center
image courtesy NL architects

TPAC - taipei performing art center
image courtesy NL architects

TPAC - taipei performing art center structure diagram
image courtesy NL architects

TPAC - taipei performing art center structure diagram
image courtesy NL architects

TPAC - taipei performing art center
image courtesy NL architects

TPAC - taipei performing art center
image courtesy NL architects

TPAC - taipei performing art center
image courtesy NL architects

Taipei Performing Arts Centre by OMA

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:32:00 +0000

Architects Office for Metropolitan Architecture was selected from over 135 entries from 24 countries by an international jury to design a new performing arts centre in Taipei, Taiwan.

The design comprises three auditoriums, positioned around a corrugated glass cube that contains the backstage areas for each theatre. Built above an exisiting food market the design includes a 1,500 seat theatre and two 800 seat theatres which plug into a central cube, clad in corrugated glass,that combines the stage accommodations of the three theatres in a single whole.Each theatre can be used independently or in a combination.

From OMA:

OMA to build Taipei Performing Arts Centre

The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) has been awarded the first prize in the design competition to build the Taipei Performing Arts Centre. The design, led by OMA partners Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren, was selected from over 135 entries from 24 countries by an international jury.

The scheme includes a 1,500 seat theatre and two 800 seat theatres which plug into a central cube, clad in corrugated glass, that combines the stage accommodations of the three theatres in a single whole. Each theatre can be used independently or in combination with the other theatres. Connecting the different theatres offers new and experimental theatrical possibilities. A public trajectory inside the cube exposes parts of the backstage areas otherwise hidden in typical theatres. The cube is placed on a socle preserving the existing lively local food market.

The project is led by OMA partners Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren. The competition team included associate André Schmidt and architects Adam Frampton and Mariano Sagasta, amongst many others. Koolhaas’s and Scheeren’s previous collaborations include the CCTV Headquarters and TVCC Cultural Centre in Beijing, as well as Prada Epicentre Stores in New York and Los Angeles.

Source: Dezeen , Design Bloom

Taipei Performing Arts Center proposal by Architects Collective

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:31:00 +0000

Another remarkable competition entry for the Taipei Performing Arts Center is this proposal by Vienna-based Architects Collective:

A WAVE OF SOUND

The building possesses a unique appearance that derives from the urban context and the functional criteria merged into the design motif of a sound wave. The buildings undulating roof is reminiscent of an endless sound wave that radiates from the Performing Arts Center into the city of Taipei like a sound instrument.

The theater complex fulfills all requirements of the various forms of the contemporary arts and complies with the needs of Taiwan’s diverse performance culture as well. It’s a world-class arts venue which provides both entertainment and the highest professional quality experience. In functional terms the three theaters are individual structures that are joined at their base like a corresponding vessel, sharing repair shop and storage and moving goods, staff as well as a single security point for the back of house. The design tries to achieve a marriage between theatrical and architectural concepts.

The three theaters are connected by the Common Lobby at the center of the site, a semi-indoor space that is 24-hour open and requires no ticket, with control points at the theaters entrance. It’s environment will be comfortable and energy- saving by providing sun and rain protection and at the same time natural ventilation and generous feeling of openness. The Taipei Performing Arts Center will be designed according to the perspectives of energy conservation and green architecture.

The building design springs not only from its urban and functional context, but also from a need to create a building capable of adapting and reacting to the sub-tropical environment. The roof of the individual theaters is covered like sun hats providing natural and efficient cooling for the building. The semi-enclosed Common Lobby is a partially shaded glass canopy open to the street that does not need to be heated or cooled.

A PEOPLE´S THEATER

The Taipei Performing Arts Center will be a professional-level facility that meets international standards, providing a world-class performing arts venue for the Taipei area. The design emphasizes the idea of a real people’s theater by creating a flowing urban landscape that allows various interactions by spectators, visitors and the general public.

At the heart of the complex is the Common Lobby which is an elevated platform from which the three theaters are accessed. People can visit the venues or the restaurant or just to walk through this urban passage. This multifunctional space can be used as a gathering space, for events or as an open air theater. The human experience is that of openness and connectivity to the outside and an attraction and drawing in toward the building when experienced from outside. The positive and negative space of the complex creates dramatic and fluid inside-outside spaces interacting with the city and the center.

URBAN CONTEXT

The center consists of a solitary volume that is broken up into four blocks similar to shifting continents. The structure is further differentiated by the southern block (Restaurant) that is articulated as a bridge or gate and the northern block (Grand Theater) which is rotated in plan to open the center towards the Shilin Night Market. Through these manipulations the structure becomes porous and responsive to its urban context serving as a mediator and friendly neighbor to its diverse surrounding. The center is readily seen as a landmark from different main roadways and the TRST train and is a clearly delineated building volume.

The Common Lobby and the theaters are placed at an elevated platform like a Piano Nobile to connect the theaters (loading courtyard) on the level below and to provide flood control. The pedestrian edges of this elevated platform consists of shops and two gradual ramps the create a flowing landscape which connects the Shilin Night Market and Jian Tan Rd as well as the surrounding streets.

To the south the restaurant consists of a bridge to creating stage-like entry from Jian Tan Road into the Common Lobby for the three theaters. From the TRTS´s Jiantan Station the theaters can be directly accessed by a underground pedestrian passage that also includes the ticket office and a theater shop (optional) and is connected to the Common Lobby, Underground Parking and the sidewalk along Wen Lin Road.

Cars and motorcycles leave and enter the site at the north-west corner of the site. Service Trucks enter the building at a single security point at the north-west corner and leave at the north-east corner. The three theaters are accessed by a central covered loading courtyard that allows multiple 40-ft-containers to be loaded and unloaded simultaneously and has three entry points to the theaters and one for the shared repair shops.

All images by Architects Collective

Source: Bustler

Taipei Performing Arts Centre proposal by Abalos+Sentkiewicz

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:31:00 +0000

Here's one of the three finalists (together with OMA and Morphosis) for the two-phase international competition for the new Performing Arts Centre in Taipei which included more than 100 offices from around the world. The competition was won by OMA.

This is the proposal by Spanish architects Ábalos + Sentkiewicz:

From human being origins, people doing circles around someone who is speaking, singing, dancing or arguing -under a tree shadow if possible- has been the main characteristic of performing.

Our music halls maintain this original condition and extend their geometry to the whole complex, which turns into a group of big trees with a stratified structure, as the local tropical forest, working at the same time as a functional scheme and an environmental strategy:

Over the trees a roof tour that conform a new landscape is proposed, giving identity to the complex.
Music Halls are in the trees, organized around a principal lobby and two secondary ones. Each hall adopts a particular configuration reinforced by its different coloration (gold silver, bronze).
Under the trees, topography splits in two: Upwards, composing a park protected from the sun and the rain. Downwards composing a complex of commercial galleries that extend the activity from Shilin Night Market and goes through the building.

© Abalos+Sentkiewicz arquitectos

Against the typical configuration of a principal and a back façade this project achieves a total urban isotropy, not only with four but with five facades in relation with the context.

Source: ArchDaily

Architects:Ábalos + Sentkiewicz Arquitectos

Taipei Performing Arts Center proposal by Emergent Architecture

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:29:00 +0000

Another proposal for the design of the Taipei Performing Arts Center by Emergent Architecture. Their aim for the design is to create a world-class urban experience defined by hybrid urban environments not traditionally associated with performing arts theaters.

DESIGN CONCEPT: (text from Emergent Architecture)

"The three theaters are woven together by way of an elevated Concourse, creating a unified whole which has significant presence in the city. The Concourse is a bridging element which acts as circulation for the theaters but also as a commercial zone which includes lively urban activities such as shopping, restaurants, bars, and other public amenities. It will be a 24 hour space which will support the theater functions but also operate independently. Below the Concourse is an urban plaza which is defined by ground topography and the exotic underbelly formation of the Concourse. This space is both the orientation space for the theaters, but also a place for urban events, meeting people, or simply passing through.

The morphology of the project is based on patterns of armatures and pleats which form an intricate ornamental network. Armatures are woven together to create the circulation and structure of the Concourse, forming deep spaces and views from the plaza into the building as well as from the building down into the Plaza and out into the city.

Micro-pleats track along the armatures but also spread out along surfaces, spatially drawing visitors inside the Plaza. The sensations produced by this fluid geometry are heightened by a gradient of color which is most intense on the interior but fades out to the exterior of the building. Formal and color intensities are at their peak in the Concourse, and begin to atrophe toward the theater blocks at the perimeter of the site. In this way this project attempts to bridge classifications of generic and articulated form as well as monochromatic and variegated color.

The Concourse contains the shops arranged in a looping, multi-level arrangement. Restaurants, bars, cafes, and forms of entertainment will be complimented by cultural activities such as art galleries, bookstores, and the theater library. The Concourse is therefore not a mall, but a cultural space, an urban extension of the institution of ‘theater’.

Urban Massing Considerations
The massing of the building responds to external forces, in particular the strong attractor of the Shilin Night Market and the adjacency of the TRTS Jiantan train station across Wen Lin Road. In order to facilitate fluid connection to the Shilin Night Market, the building pulls back and lifts up to become a roof. This becomes a strong linking corridor between the Performing Arts Plaza and the pedestrian entry into the market. The entire east side of the building is carved out to allow views to and from the train station in order to establish a critical connection between the two. An underground passage links the train station, the Night Market, and the Performing Arts Plaza into a robust network.

The zoning requirement of 75% maximum lot coverage is attained by adherence to a 10 M. setback from the siteline as well as additional local setbacks of up to 17 M. Our response to the spirit of the zoning law, however, which is intended to allow for green space, is more comprehensive: by lifting the building off the ground in significant areas, we allow are providing at total of 55% open public space at the ground level. This space will be designed to include soft and hardscape, including exotic flowers, trees, and reflecting pools.

The Theaters and Program Description
The Grand Theater is located on the south end of the site, rotated toward Wen Lin Road. It is designed according to the brief as a proscenium type with 1500 seats and two balconies. It contains all the required back-of-house programs as well as a flytower. The Proscenium Playhouse, located to the northwest corner of the site, is also based on the proscenium type, with associated back-of-house programs and 800 seats. The Multiform Theater is located to the northeast corner of the site and has a 500-800 seat capacity. This theater will be flexibly designed so that it can take the form of a thrust stage, theater-in-the-round, or proscenium arrangement. It will have a flat floor to allow for ease of transformation and build-out. Theater interiors are designed based on optimal sightlines as well as acoustics. All three theaters are entered from the Plaza and have their own separate foyers. These foyers are linked to the Concourse, which becomes the ‘linking space’ called for in the brief.

Source: Emergent Architecture

Taipei Performing Arts Center proposal by NMDA

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:24:00 +0000

Here's another proposal prepared for the Taipei Performing Arts Center design competition by Neil M. Denari Architects. The competition was won by OMA.

DESIGN CONCEPT: (text from NMDA)

"Given the near schizophrenia of the site (lush green vs beige postmodernism), surely a powerful reason to choose this location, we have proposed a scheme that rises to a height of 57 meters (top of the Grand Theater fly tower) as a way to challenge the vertical dominance of the perimeter blocks. This decision has other positive benefits (as will be stated later), yet it is the anticipation of an even taller city that inspires such logic."

"The slope away from the site footprint has been mirrored in the East facing perforated façade of our scheme, essentially setting up a corridor of space between the rail station, the green mountain, and the Shilin Night Market to the North. In fact, the low rise portion of our scheme simply flows from the major mass of the TPAC toward the market as way to continue not only a finer scale but also the 24 hr life of the city."

Photos by NMDA

"Here, because of live action, bodies moving in the theater of visceral experiences, architecture is actually an equally vital organism, shaping experience before, during, and after the performance. When multiplied by a motivation toward verticality, the populist discourse of the program is an ‘x’ factor that suggests spectacle on the one hand, the temptation toward aggressive formalisms, and on the other, a project that is egalitarian in its disposition. Our scheme attempts to merge these tendencies, to bring into focus the project of the icon with the project of the surmountable mass. Like a ball of string, we have sought to make a coherent form through the accumulation of variably scaled events."

Source: NMDA

Xi’an World Horticultural Expo by Plasmastudio + Groundlab

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 03:34:00 +0000

Plasmastudio won the competition to develop the building and landscape design for Horticultural Expo in Xi’an, China and is now collaborating with Groundlab. for the next stages of development. The project comprises 15,000 exhibition hall building, a series of conservatories, a 37Ha park around an artificial lake as well as ancilliary buildings.

Sources: AALU Landscape Urbanism and ArchDaily

Flowing Gardens begins from a single line -- an axis extends from the Gate to the Greenhouse, traveling through the East and West Hills and over the lake, while extending into many sinuous paths, creating a network of intermingling circulation, landscape and water. Much like the legendary Silk Road, Flowing Gardens is connectivity, circulation, rejuvenation, and elegance.

Cassa Hotel, New York by Enrique Norten and TEN Arquitectos

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 03:33:00 +0000

Cassa Hotel, designed by Mexican architect Enrique Norten and TEN Arquitectos is located in mid-town Manhattan, at 70 West 45th Street, two blocks north of Bryant Park.

DESIGN CONCEPT: (text from the architect)
This tower is a dramatic architectural statement, using its windows and their punctured rhythm to become the facade’s only ornaments, distinguishing it from the more conventional glass and stone edifices of New York’s midtown.

Cassa’s program mixes public and private: combining restaurant and bar with boutique Hotel and luxury Condominiums that share a common triple height lobby.

The resulting design allows the two to co-exist while functioning independently.

The tower itself is delicately proportioned, resulting from the small site and slender floor plate, like an Obelisk marking the site.

More from Dezeen

Proposal for Library and Concert Hall in Bodø, Norway by Langdon Reis Architects

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 03:28:00 +0000

Here's one of the finalists for the international competition to design The Bodø Kulturhus and Libraryin Bodø, Norway. This exciting proposal by London-based Langdon Reis Zahn in collaboration with 4B Arkitekter and Gullik Gulliksen Landscape Arkitekter made it into the second round of the competition which was eventually won by DRDH Architects. The third one who made it into the final shortlist is General Architecture of Sweden.

Architect's Project Description:

"The Bodø Kulturhus and Library consists of two public buildings; a new city library (5,500m²) and a concert hall/theatre (7,350m²), with a construction budget of approximately 800,000,000 NOK."

Bodø’s new cultural centre will be:

a social, public and communal space;
a space that connects both the local community and its visitors;
a space that responds to the expectations and imagination of both the local community and its visitors – tourists and/or migrants;
a space that enhances the local democratic and social traditions, as well as the natural and pre-existing built environment;
a space that seeks interaction (open to communal and diverse ranges of activities), playfulness and poetic contemplation
an accessible space, a place to be proud of and belong to.
a glistening jewel which plays with the diverse qualities of light in the arctic region and brings the spectacular atmosphere of the northern landscape into the buildings
an urban project that seeks to create a cultural ecology
a space intrinsically linked to the sense of human scale, participation and creativity.

Building Synergy

"The Bodø Nye Kulturhus and the Bibliotek need to be intrinsically linked both through their own architecture, and by the space in between. This interstitial space must be cohesive, connected, fluid and dynamic. It must define and delimit the cultural precinct, whilst connecting to other public spaces located in the immediate vicinity and in other parts of the city. Together the buildings must form an ensemble of parts that make up a clearly identifiable and distinctive precinct that will leave a lasting memory in the minds of both locals and visitors to Bodø.
The diverse activities- recreational, cultural, communal and commercial, must collide and intersect to create a vibrant and dynamic cultural ecology. The buildings must form the foundations for this activity to occur."

Built form hypothesis:

"The built forms take their initial inspiration from the merging between natural and artificial landscapes i.e. the natural glacial topographies/fjords and the rigid city grid. The buildings merge with the ground, almost as if carved from the same solid mass. They stand like rocks in a stream.
The forms of the buildings are in harmony with their surroundings, both natural and man-made. They have been shaped in response to view corridors, solar access, wind, visibility and access.
Careful manipulation of the building forms and the creation of sheltered entrances aims to slow passers-by and provide shelter from extreme weather when needed.
The aesthetic qualities of the buildings seek to both connect and contrast with the existing urban fabric with respect and understanding. Heights have been set so as not to dominate the existing buildings."

Façade Concept:

"Both the Bodo Nye Kulturhus and the Bibliotek are clad using the same façade system. The solidity and continuity of the two building’s facades strengthens links across the sites and clearly defines the new cultural precint. The façade emphasises the carved geometries of the buildings by creating large planar surfaces that include subtle creases and directional lines that relate to views, wind and access to light. The interplay of faceted surfaces means the building will take on a wide variety of qualities when viewed from different angles or at different times of the day, whether it’s clear and sunny, overcast or dark."

The Ceramic Tile Panel:

The tiled panel will be approximately 1.5m X 3m. The tiles themselves will be 600mm X 200mm with one splayed edge. When viewed from a distance the large panels will be recognisable and when viewed in close proximity the individual tiles will be more dominant. The tiles themselves may come from Hoganas, the company who made the Sydney Opera House tiles (a homage to Utzon), they will be white ceramic, however some tiles will be lightly pigmented using natural ochres from the regions around Bodo, colours will range from brown, red and yellow. These colours will give the buildings a dynamic quality and a soft elegance that will reflect the surrounding landscapes, sky, buildings and light, in many ways.

Pattern + Shape

The shape of the single tile is an abstraction derived from drying codfish on traditional timber structures (please refer to diagram). Each tile has one splayed edge, the adjacent tile is then rotated 180º to form a rectangle between two tiles. This pattern is then repeated across each panel. From a distance the pattern jumps in scale ,12 tiles form one panel. The panels are placed parallel to the angle of the facets they are on.. This means on each facet the tile pattern creates lines that slightly change in direction, helping reinforce the buildings shape, and referencing the rock formations near the Saltstraumen.

Images: Langdon Reis Zahn

Source: Bustler, ArchDaily
Architect: Langdon Reis Zahn

Taipei Performing Arts Center proposal by Morphosis

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:20:00 +0000

Here's the futuristic design by American firm Morphosis for the Taipei Performing Arts Center which was eventually won by OMA. The Taipei Performing Arts Center is anchored on a round-the-clock cultural axis where the architecture becomes, by virtue of its sculpted and indelible form, a landmark in the region—like a jewel, with distinct facets visible from all corners of the city.

The proposal "celebrates both conceptions of theater: theater as high art, embodied by the sumptuous formal foyers leading to the striking grand theater and the intimate proscenium playhouse; and the inclusiveness of a 'people’s theater,' exemplified by the multiform theater’s overt and deliberate connection to the public. the differentiated form, material language, and spatial layout of each of the three theaters align with their respective roles. each theater’s distinct form in turn directly inflects the form of the overall building envelope and the complex as a whole."

Source: DesignBloom, ArchDaily
Architects: Morphosis

Vista Center, New Jersey by RMJM

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:14:00 +0000

The design for the Vista Center, the new LEED Platinum office tower in Trenton and the city’s largest commercial development in decades were unveiled by Daniel R. Brenna Jr. of Capital Real Estate Group and architects RMJM.

The transit-oriented development would have a 25-storey office building, a ground-level retail space,a parking garage and two public art components - a plaza with a signature sculpture and lobby with a video art installation. It is located directly adjacent to the Trenton Transit Center, considered the second busiest train station on New Jersey's Northeast Corridor.

Via ArchDaily

Minister of Municipal Affairs & Agriculture Building, Qatar by Aesthetics Architects Go Group

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:11:00 +0000

This towering cactus will be the brand new office building for The Minister of Municipal Affairs & Agriculture (MMAA) in Qatar designed by Bangkok-based Aesthetics Architects.

Also known as the cactus project, its design draws inspiration from the ability of cacti to successfully survive in hot, dry environments.

The energy efficient structure features sunshade panels that open and close according to the sun's intensity, similar to how a cactus chooses to perform transpiration to retain water - an example of biomimicry.

The base of the tower has a botanic dome housing a botanical garden. An edible garden and a living machine will be included adding to its green appeal.

Sources: DesignBloom, Inhabitat
Architects: Aesthetics Architects GO Group

Szervita Square, Budapest by Zaha Hadid

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 03:25:00 +0000

Szervita Square, Render © Zaha Hadid Architects

CONCEPT:

The new building on Szervita Square will add to the overall cityscape of Budapest by providing a new enlarged public square and landmark building. The aim is to create a civic space within the project not only for those who use the building but for the city as a whole.

Szervita Square, Render © Zaha Hadid Architects

A city like Budapest needs a kind of an archipelago of public spaces that are connected through program and become attractive places for the citizens at different times of the day. The plans for both the building and square connect smoothly to the surrounding net of squares and public places.

Szervita Square, Render © Zaha Hadid Architects

From the beginning, after collecting ideas about the light, the combination of landscapes, the building and the space itself, the idea was to move away from closed forms and the perimeter blocks that generally constitute the city, and to make the public zones more porous and open. The design for the new building fits with the architectural context, but is transparent creating a contrast to the idea of non-porosity and solidness of the existing buildings. One can perceive distinguished architectural periods in the development of Budapest's inner city fabric. Szervita Square itself is an interesting example with high quality architecture from different periods, and with this project an important opportunity is presented to continue with this series and to do something that we can¢t do anywhere else: to comply with the traditions of the city and create something new at the same time.

Szervita Square, Render © Zaha Hadid Architects

DRAWINGS:

Source: Zaha Hadid Blog

Fiera Milano Project in Milan, Italy by Daniel Libeskind, Zaha Hadid, Arata Isozaki and Pier Paolo Maggiora

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 03:24:00 +0000

An international competition to design the redevelopment of the Milan Fiera site brought the winning consortium that included Zaha Hadid, Daniel Libeskind, Arata Isozaki and Pier Paolo Maggiora working on the project. The 255,000 m2 site will include retail complexes, residential blocks and three office towers.

STUDIO DANIEL LIBESKIND:

Daniel Libeskind won the commission for master planner of the Fiera Milano project site in 2004 which spans 106 acres on the old fairgrounds of the historic city ofMilan in Italy. The scheme of Fiera Milano incorporates residential and office development, retail space and a museum all built around a central park - a much needed lung for the city. Studio Daniel Libeskind will design not only the master plan, but the park, the museum of contemporary art, one of the office towers and the first housing area.

The strategy of the proposal is simple and straightforward. It provides a seamless connectivity into the existing city fabric, creating a new neighborhood around a central park and a new public piazza within a beautiful high-rise skyline.

The proposal is a series of archipelagos, placed within the park, each proposing a variety of different scales. The housing units, ranging from villas to apartment blocks, are carefully sited on the perimeter of the site and at a scale which resonates within the existing context.

The new housing uses the existing plan as a point of departure and creates living typologies that are both sympathetic to the traditional forms yet forward looking. The housing also creates a balance between private courtyards and larger public spaces. The arrangement of the housing parcels maximizes daylight, fresh air and beautiful views. It is clear from this urban scheme that the approach is to provide housing, which is not only flexible within itself, but is also completely different from one parcel to the next. This feature is essential in making this site one which draws upon the richly layered blocks and history of Milan and organically links the housing to the new park."

In order to provide a culturally diverse and exciting mix with the housing, the organization of the scheme carefully places essential cultural buildings and retail amenities on site. An energetic and exciting gateway is provided from the north with the museum building, a space for contemporary arts with exhibition spaces, amenities and an auditorium. Prominent retail stores and public programs provide a compelling magnet to the site. These public programs act as a buffer to the large-scale remaining Fiera buildings to the north while integrating the public park at its center and the housing units to the east, west and southern edges.

Close to the center of the new grand central park are three iconic commercial high rise buildings. This component of the site is deliberately and resolutely concentrated in order to maximize space for a grand park, a grand piazza and the other public and private spaces. The skyscrapers are personally crafted and conceived to provide a sculpted and highly visible skyline on the site. Each building has an individual expression, yet all three are coupled in a cohesive arrangement in order to create the grand public piazza, now called, “Piazz 3 Torri.”

The designs of the skyscrapers go beyond superficial treatments of facades and create a spatial and functional disposition of spaces with extraordinary internal vistas and activities for the users. These iconic skyscrapers have been engineered with state of the art technology and are environmentally sound and sustainable. Underneath the new piazza there are retail and particular public amenities which help to dissolve the boundary between the public and private commercial realm. This will be located in direct connection with the a station of Line 5, the planned expansion to Milan’s subway system.

Text and Photos from SDL. More from their website.

ZAHA HADID ARCHITECTS:

Zaha Hadid’s design includes a 190 meter office tower of 43 storeys, totalling 65.000 sqm connected to a 3-storey retail galleria of 25.000 sqm and on a site opposite a housing complex of 6 buildings ranging from 3 to14 stores totaling nearly 45.000 sqm and 300 units.

CONCEPT:
The high-rise as a building typology has traditionally been treated as a static, fixed strategy; the tower is reduced to a technocratic, engineering ‘solution’ governed by specific economic factors. Architects, in this role, have been left with the spire, exterior shell or, perhaps more significantly, the lobby interior. For the Fiera Milano, Zaha Hadid Architects have investigated the urban location of the tower as a portal, or gate into the Fiera along Viale Scarampo and Via Bartolomeo. Derivations of the passagio from the site into this gate gives shape to a certain torsion or vortex, and it is this movement, this dynamism that we are investigating.

MODEL PHOTOGRAPHY:

Fiera di Milano, Model Photography © Zaha Hadid Architects

Fiera di Milano, Model Photography © Zaha Hadid Architects

Source: Zaha Hadid Blog

The University of Nottingham’s Agricultural Campus at Sutton Bonington by Make Architects

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 03:23:00 +0000

Make Architects won the OJEU competition to design a new building for the School of Veterinary, Medical and Sciences together with the School of Biosciences for The University of Nottingham’s agricultural campus at Sutton Bonington, to house a mixture of laboratories and office space.The design brief envisions a new identity for the campus befitting its status as a leading educational establishment and assist in transforming the site into a wholly sustainable and people focused development.

DESIGN CONCEPT:

Design is sensitive to its rural setting, yet with a future-proof infrastructure for the researchers, academics and students who will use it daily.

I has highly flexible floorplates and impressive sustainable credentials which include locally sourced materials such as timber and pre-fabricated straw panels.

According to David Patterson, the Sutton Bonington site presents the perfect opportunity to marry high-tech facilities with a rural location which we have embraced within the design. On the other hand, Tim Brooksbank, Development Director at The University of Nottingham’s Estate Department, said: “The design is stunningly simple and will set a new standard for future development on the campus.”

Via WorldArchitectureNews
Architects: Make Architects

Bubbletecture M by Shuhei Endo

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 07:54:00 +0000

Bubbletecture M is an amazing bubble-like wooden structure by Shuhei Endo that houses a kindergarden in Osaka, Japan. This kindergarten is about 45 minutes by Shinkansen train from Osaka and surrounded by a newly developed residential area.

DESIGN CONCEPT:

The structure consists of concrete boxes between each of the rooms and a wooden roof that ties them together. The shell-form roof is made of triangular continuous surfaces; its structural strength and geometrical consistency permits great freedom in designing of the necessary spaces. This structural system uses 2.5 m wooden beams and hexagonal metal fittings, factory-made and only assembled on the site. The integration of the wooden trusses and concrete boxes is geometrical but varied, a structure with rich in expressive effects.

See more at ArchDaily

Centre for Sustainable Energy Technologies (CSET Building) by MC Architects wins the 2009 MIPIM Green Building Award

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 07:27:00 +0000

The Centre for Sustainable Energy Technologies designed by MC A has won the 2009 MIPIM Green Building Award. The winner was announced at a spectacular awards ceremony in the main auditorium in the Palais des Festivals in Cannes on March 12th.

Mario Cucinella is the first Italian Architect to win a MIPIM award.

The Centre for Sustainable Energy Technologies (CSET) focus on the diffusion of sustainable technologies such as solar power, photovoltaic energy, wind power and so forth. The 1,300m2 building accommodates a visitors centre, research laboratories and classrooms for masters courses. The pavilion stands in a large meadow alongside a stream that runs through the campus.

DESIGN CONCEPT:

It's design is inspired by Chinese lanterns and traditional wooden screens.

The façade folds dramatically to create a dynamic shape. The building is entirely clad with a double skin of glass with screen printed patterns evoking historical buildings of the area.

The appearance of the building changes from day to night.

The design employs various environmental strategies. A large rooftop opening brings natural light to all floors of the building simultaneously creating a flue effect to allow efficient natural ventilation and geothermal energy is used to cool and heat the floor slabs. In fact, the building is designed so that it's eletrical energy needs for cooling are only 7-8 kWhel /m2 year.

Via MarioCucinella Architects

Casa 100K by MarioCucinella Architects

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 06:59:00 +0000

A cool green pre-fab building project in development in Italy, costing only a little over $100k U.S. Mario Cucinella Architects has conceived Casa 100k, which is a prototype home for Є100,000 that prioritizes three main elements: style, sustainability, and affordability.

DESIGN CONCEPT:

"This research project explores the design of a 100m2 home that is low cost, high quality with zero CO2 emissions and a low environmental impact. A building that brings back the pleasure of living and repays the investment cost with the energy produced. The architectural design integrates photovoltaic panels, solar capture during the winter months, circulation of air in the summer months and other passive environmental strategies that render the residence a bioclimatic machine."

"The building cost is kept to a minimum by using light and flexible pre-fabricated building systems: structural elements, integrated services, and mobile elements such as sliding-removable-supple wall panels for internal divisions in the apartments. External walls are made from modular panels. The material changes – glazed or opaque- creating an elevation that is dynamic materially and spatially integrating balconies, terraces and loggias. The structural framework allows a variety of apartment sizes adapting to the different spatial needs of the occupants."

Typical of European homes, each unit is small — a mere 100 square meters. However, the building’s design includes multiple outdoor bridges and terraces that cross near each other. This design decision certainly offers the opportunity for neighborly interaction and a heightened sense of community that will make residents feel like their living quarters extend beyond the four panels of their home.

With solar thermal and a geothermal heat pump, as well as the other already mentioned strategies, the design for Casa 100k contemplates creating more energy than is used -- a feature that could prove financially beneficial to homeowners. It's an interesting vision for living -- one that could just be a reality with already existing technology and prefab construction methods.

More at Inhabitat, Jetson Green, and G Living

Architects: MarioCucinella Architects

new corporate headquarters of Giant Pharmaceutical Corp by Morphosis

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 06:07:00 +0000

The new corporate headquarters of Giant Pharmaceutical Corp on the western outskirts of Shanghai, China resembles a dinosaur ready to take flight. The project will house executive offices in the cantelivered “head” of the structure, while the remaining elements—additional offices, a boutique hotel, exhibition hall, auditorium, library, gymnasium and swimming pool—will be contained in the “body” which arcs over a four-lane highway.

DESIGN CONCEPT:

Outdoor plazas provide a variety of recreational spaces for employees. The main circulation spine, an enclosed walkway located outboard at the second level, bridges the street to connect the office building with the clubhouse.

Like other Morphosis projects, the building incorporates many sustainable features including a green roof, a glass curtain wall with sun-shading capabilities and a system of skylights for natural lighting.

More from World Architecture News

View also from Inhabitat

Architects: Morphosis

Envision Green Hotel by Michael Rosenthal Associates

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 06:04:00 +0000

The Envision Green Hotel proposed by Miami-based Michael Rosenthal Associates for Hospitality Design’s Radical Innovation design competition is part wind tower, part urban eco-resort, and all egg.

DESIGN CONCEPT:

Operating like a living organism, the Envision literally breathes through its wind and atmospheric conversion systems, which allow natural air into the interior of the building without mechanical intervention.

Photovoltaic exterior sheathing provides the building’s energy, while indoor gardens at various levels of the structure act as upward extensions of the earth, creating mini-microclimates that filter the air and act as added insulation.

Recycled pools of water around the structure serve as catch basins, water reservoirs, fire barriers, and indispensable decorative aquatic features. Power from the wind turbine heats the boiler and creates steam for the chiller water plant beneath the structure to cool and heat the hotel.

Within the hotel, rooms would be designed on a 4 foot multiple to conform to standard-sized materials and reduce construction waste. A high-efficiency LED system would illuminate the interiors, and non-toxic, non-off-gassing finishes would be employed. Besides the typical water-efficient fixtures, this eco resort would use recovered rainwater for flushing and irrigation.

The rooms would also include a mood pad control unit that would allow each guest to control the lighting and choose groovy digital images that would reflect behind glass walls and ceilings.

To help this giant eco-egg blend even more subtly into the surrounding urban context, exterior LED curtain walls would change color throughout the night to indicate the progression of time, making the Envision glow in the night like a giant, moody Fabergé egg.

More info from Inhabitat
Architects: Michael Rosenthal Associates

Westraven Office Complex receives second award

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 15:04:00 +0000

The cepezed-designed Westraven Office Complex in Utrecht, the Netherlands, has been enthusiastically acclaimed at the festive Dutch Construction Gala. The project's architect cepezed's Ronald Schleurholts and the commissioning Government Buildings Agency were awarded the Dutch Construction Award 2009 for the project's excellence in different aspects.

Seen at WorldArchitectureNews. Click here for more.

Building Programme:
The programme covers more than 53,000 sq m and consists of office space, conference facilities, a national meeting centre, a communications centre, and the Future Center for the Department of Public Works.

Concept:
- Vides, atriums, conservatories, and inner gardens furnish the transparent new construction with an unprecedented spatial quality, and are also important for the orientation of the staff and visitors.

- Much attention has been devoted to realizing perfect equilibrium between low energy consumption and an optimum working climate. For this purpose, an ingenious climate concept has been developed which makes use of thermically active floors, among other methods.

- The conservatories also work as climate buffers and the artificial lighting adjusts itself automatically to the colour and intensity of the incidence of daylight.

- A revolutionary feature is the innovative second-skin façade of open-weave, teflon-coated glass fibre that offers all-round protection against the wind and makes it possible to work with open windows, even on the top floors.

The project also received the Daylight Award 2008 for its optimal equilibrium between the use of daylight, artificial lighting and other architectural aspects.

Herzog & de Meuron unveil design for Madrid bank headquarters of BBVA

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 15:03:00 +0000

Herzog & de Meuron has completed the design of a new headquarters for Spanish banking group BBVA. The design concept proposes creating a small city and artificial oasis on the site.. The city is comprised of a series of long thin three-storey buildings separated by alleyways and gardens intended to recreate the effect of an Arabian garden across the site. Into this mix, is situated the main bank building, a disc-like tower, that rises from a green carpet that is the project’s plaza.

Seen at WorldArchitectureNews. Click here for more.

The plaza and tower anchor the complex and provide orientation. The main entrance and various communal facilities form an interconnected ring around the plaza. The tower, containing offices with views across the city and the Sierra of Madrid, contributes to the diversity of workspaces.

Light and sun are regulated with overhanging floorplates and a brise-soliel structure, which also minimizes the need for artificial lighting and air conditioning. Retractable elements in the roof help to control the temperature of the gardens. Photovoltaic cells on the roof and rain and grey water processing complete the sustainability features.