1oAM Architecture unveiled their design for Istanbul’s Disaster Prevention Centre. The emotional influence of the facade is a reflection of the nature conditions during the seasons, the day and the night. The climate features: rainfall, wind, air humidity, temperature amplitude ,and sunshine create dynamic facade effects. Polarization, reflections, steam, scatter… bred by the interaction of water and sun. Crying facade, a metaphor of contextual presence of the building, is dematerializing the shape. The facade absorbs humidity and energy from the air by its mossy surface and electrochemical process, it recognizes the presence of people in the space of the building by means of the air exchange of heating ventilating installation. The facade tectonics is developed by the authors in collaboration with Bulgarian academy of sciences / institute of physical chemistry.
Istanbul Disaster Prevention and Education Centre / 10AM Architecture
Sofia’s New Metro Station is an Urban Tissue that Connects its Center / StudioATM
Metro Station 20 designed by StudioATM is part of “Metro Line 1” which connects the center of Sofia with the International Airport.The new Metro Station and public plaza transforms a former local, non urbanized area into an invigorated center. “Metro Station 20” integrates infrastructure and civic space, synthesizing a diverse range of public, retail, commercial and transportation programs. Read the rest of this entry »
Shadow Pavilion Informed by Biomimicry / Ply Architecture
The cellular Shadow Pavilion is the result of simple materials lightly manipulated and connected to dramatic effect. More than one hundred aluminum sheets, laser cut and rolled into cones of various sizes are attached in pre-assembled clusters from offsite. The lowest row buried in the soil of Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, Michigan anchors the project. PLY Architecture developed the self supporting structure using software modeling to determine shadow patterns, material efficiencies, geometric tethering and assembly. Read the rest of this entry »
Wellington Airport Passenger Terminal
Redevelopment of the Wellington International Airport Passenger Terminal, completed in 2010, was to optimize the available building space, constrained by aircraft movement. In conjunction with external apron works, the project involved the expansion of interior open lounge floor area, new retailing, linkages from the new passenger processing area and an increase to eight aerobridge-capable gates. This two-stage development, designed in collaboration between Studio Pacific and Warren and Mahoney Architects, was an attempt to both resolve technical issues of the facility and create a strong visual landmark.
The overall approach was derived from the curved indentations of airplane docks into the confined triangular site. The main purpose of the design was to create aesthetics with a strong sense of place and offer a memorable experience to international passengers. The organic irregularity references the area’s geological past, recalling the rocky, sea-battered Wellington coast. Instead of creating a typical airport appearance of lightness, the Wellington Terminal evokes the anchoring qualities of the land. Read the rest of this entry »
Drawing and Design – Italian patents and creativity
From now until January 29, 2012 the Rotonda di via Besana in Milan will host the exhibition “Drawing and Design – Italian patents and creativity” produced by Fondazione Valore Italia and the Ministry of Economic Development and promoted by the Department for Culture, Expo, Fashion and Design of the Municipality of Milan. Read the rest of this entry »
Islamic Cultural Center San Francisco / Yusuf Onder
The main purpose is to design a multifunctional complex for people with an interest in knowing about Islam during the time of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire was the last big Islamic Empire and one of the most powerful during the Islamic era up until recent times. The building will serve as a hub for social activities and will portray the Ottoman Empire, especially, in an artistic sense.
The building conceived by Yusuf Onder will have a library, museum, lecture rooms, workshop level and a rooftop garden/cafe. Another goal is to offer people a place to learn and understand about this unique, hybrid of, culture and religion and it’s place in the Ottoman Empire in a hope to diffuse the sense of xenophobia towards the religion and culture. This thesis expounds on the, long old, idea of constant integration of religion and culture from history. Read the rest of this entry »
Disaster Prevention Centre / Vulmaro Zoffi
The aim of the Centre designed by Vulmaro Zoffi is essentially to make citizens aware of and prepared for natural disasters using specific training rooms and simulation areas.
To express this intent in architectural forms the architect decided to use the metaphor of a falling raindrop. In fact, when catastrophes occur, the balance of a phenomenon seems broken by a very small force, so it’s possible to find in the micro-event of the falling raindrop some of the primitive geometric forms involved in macro-natural disasters.
A large platform inside the innovative complex, in the form of a broken fragment of a tectonic plate, provides access to the peaceful environment of the greenhouse. This effect results in the gradual merging of two opposing faces of nature: peace and upheaval. The ETFE space of the greenhouse also acts as an open public square surrounded by grass and trees, providing a proper dimension for socializing. Read the rest of this entry »
Wuxi Xidong Pedestrian Bridge / L&A Design Group
Designed by L&A Design Group as part of their Jiangsu Wuxi Central Park project, the bridge establishes an important north-south pedestrian connection between the two shores of the lake. It completes the diagonal axis and activates the entire body of the Wuxi Xidong Park. The structure itself is S-shaped, a curved pathway designed to offer a more engaging pedestrian experience of the natural surroundings. Read the rest of this entry »
Luminescent Limacon integrates equation-based geometry with 17th century fashion
The award winning lighting design is based on the effects of the Dutch ruff, a decorative linen collar considered fashionable in the 1600’s. The collars required several yards worth of linen, and had to be starched and ironed into pleats, or even supported on wires, in order to achieve their voluminous appearance. Inspired by the way Flemish baroque painter Cornelis de Vos illuminated these items, Andrew Saunders created the similarly shaped Luminescent Limacon. The design integrates historical referencing to the contemporary fabrication techniques, transforming the traditional piece of garment into a vehicle for manipulating light. Read the rest of this entry »
Istanbul Disaster Prevention and Education Center / Collective Architects
The basic idea of the project is rooted in the notion of flows. It strongly references historical, environmental and even biological diversification and friction that shaped the contemporary city of Istanbul. The geometric form dominating the building is combined with typical Turkish patterns and ornaments, displaying both European and Asian cultural influences.
Located at the boundary between continents, the city of Istanbul is experiencing geophysical friction generated by the shifts of continental plates. The friction between two forces generates dramatic reaction of the elements; it can be transferred to all four basic elements in nature, with an impact determined by the level of energy. The same rule is applied to the urban environment. The layout of the structure reveals an atrium building, organized around the central square. The central area symbolizes aether, the 5th element in nature. Aether is also called, from Latin, ‘quinta essentia’ which stands for the element that unites the other four. Read the rest of this entry »