The design is part of student digital architecture research at The University of Sydney. The aim is to investigate digital design and fabrication techniques through composite strategies specific to environment and location. The work focuses primarily on pre-fabrication and kit assemblage of individual dwellings through digitally fabricated timber construction methods. Through the investigation of parametric design and fabrication, students looked at implementing these alternative advanced geometries and organizational strategies for a more architectural response: housing units. Read the rest of this entry »
Composite environments – Prefab petals as housing units / Huan Miao Khoo
Computational Design Research Pavilion / ICD-ITKE
In 2010, the Institute for Computational Design (ICD) and the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) designed and constructed a temporary research pavilion. The innovative structure demonstrates the latest developments in material-oriented computational design, simulation, and production processes in architecture. The result is a bending-active structure made entirely of extremely thin, elastically-bent plywood strips.
Material computes. Any material construct can be considered as resulting from a system of internal and external pressures and constraints. Its physical form is determined by these pressures. However, in architecture, digital design processes are rarely able to reflect these intricate relations. Whereas in the physical world material form is always inseparably connected to external forces, in the virtual processes of computational design form and force are usually treated as separate entities, as they are divided into processes of geometric form generation and subsequent simulation based on specific material properties. Read the rest of this entry »
Parametric Design Workshop in NYC / modeLab
We are pleased to announce a new parametric design workshop at the end of June 2011 by modeLab. Register soon as they have very limited number of spaces.
This workshop will engage the conceptual and technical domain of parametric design by introducing participants to systemic processes capable of registering and responding to a range of diverse ecologic criteria. Emphasis will be placed on workflows that utilize constraint-based design, associative modeling techniques, and environmental influencers to discover novel and inventive design solutions.
Rhino, in conjunction with the parametric modeling plug-in Grasshopper, offers the possibility to explore parametric and computational design with unprecedented fluidity. Leveraging this capacity, we have structured this workshop around a series of architectural design strategies with supporting content to foster a fast-paced and productive learning environment. Read the rest of this entry »
Parasite Office in Moscow
The Parasite Office designed by za-bor architects rises from in-between two buildings to offer an alternative to office spaces all over the world. The 230 square meters office is nestled between two residential buildings, occupying the space which was left unused until its construction. Moscow was the perfect place for the architects to present their project at the architectural biennale АRCH Moscow. Read the rest of this entry »
Oasis Tower in Dubai
The Oasis Tower for Zabeel Park, Dubai is an answer to the rise in population and the dearth in the amount of land available for farming. Designed by Rahul Surin, the tower would provide a solution for urban farming and sustainable housing. The architect believes that the Oasis Tower will be able to provide food enough to feed 40,000 people each year. Read the rest of this entry »
World Business Center in Busan / SHoP Architects
SHoP Architects have proposed a sustainable high-rise building for the World Business Center Busan, which combines traditional Korean courtyards with contemporary high-rise living to create a new urban ecology. The parkspace surrounding the base of the development is drawn up into the towers to produce vertical gardens of planted bamboo. These gardens help moderate airflow and also act as “green lungs” for the building by providing fresh air to the units. Read the rest of this entry »
The Octopus Tower / MAKE Architects
Nicknamed ‘The Octopus’ for its distinctive shape, MAKE Architect’s 49.5 meter tower singularly rises above the m4 motorway in Chiswick, London. The controversial proposal, first rejected for it elaborate signage which was considered a distraction to traffic, has been newly unveiled but still maintains the distinctive shape and LED skin which will project advertisements and information for motorists. The LEDs are set in “cups” to reduce glare light pollution and energy density but allow the building to change character. The design is intended to draw attention to itself, not only revitalizing the site but reinvigorating local development and becoming a architectural landmark for London’s West End. Read the rest of this entry »
Student Learning Centre / Snohetta & Zeidler Partnership Architects
The eight-storey Student Learning Centre by Snøhetta in collaboration with Zeidler Partnership Architects boldly marks Ryerson’s new face on Yonge Street. It will feature a dazzling glass facade, a welcoming elevated plaza, a bridge to the existing library and a range of academic, study and collaborative spaces for Ryerson’s students, faculty and staff. Yonge Street frontage will feature destination retail at and below grade, creating a prominent commercial facade.
“I am thrilled to present the first look at the inspirational design of our new Ryerson University Student Learning Centre,” said Levy. “The new Student Learning Centre will have a powerful impact on student learning, life on campus and the community. It’s a transformative, bold development and an important step forward in city building. We are very excited about what the Student Learning Centre will mean for Ryerson and for Toronto.” With links to the existing Library building, the Student Learning Centre will offer a variety of creative and inspiring learning environments and spaces. Every floor will have its own personality – some will be open and interpretive with flexible furniture and terraces while others will be densely filled with enclosed study rooms for groups of four to eight people. Space will be available for independent, quiet study and contemplation. With full digital support and accessible academic services, the Student Learning Centre will foster learning success and help promote a culture of collaboration and creativity among Ryerson students. Read the rest of this entry »
Fluid Sports Complex – Athletic Ripples / Studio Symbiosis
Athletic Ripples designed by Studio Symbiosis is a project based on interfacing the user and his built environment into a coherent whole. The program has been translated into trajectories of movement. These flow lines generated the formal idea which is underlined by interweaving of the various activities. This results in creating a design with an inherent quality of interaction.
The program analysis resulted in the distribution of the various functions on site. Conceptually these programmatic zones were treated as pebbled dropped in water. It is the inference of the water field, thus creating ripples giving a guideline for the formal design language of the project. The central pedestrian zone caters for the primary movement on site. This linear zone has been kept exclusively for the pedestrians, thereby instilling the feeling of being in a green sports complex. It has been attempted to eliminate the dogma of vehicular congestion related to projects like this. This corridor being axial in nature branches into different activities. Read the rest of this entry »
Glasgow Riverside Museum of Transport Completed / Zaha Hadid Architects
Zaha Hadid Architects announced the completion of the Glasgow Riverside Museum of Transport. The building has received instant praise by architecture critics and the press.
The historical development of the Clyde and the city is a unique legacy; with the site situated where the Kelvin flows into the Clyde the building can flow from the city to the river. In doing so it can symbolise a dynamic relationship where the museum is the voice of both, linking the two sides and allowing the museum to be the transition from one to the other. By doing so the museum places itself in the very context of its origin and encourages connectivity between its exhibits and their wider context. Read the rest of this entry »