Harpa, Reykjavík’s new Concert Hall and Conference Centre will open on May 4, 2011. Designed by Henning Larsen Architects with acoustics by Artec Consultants Inc and a façade by Olafur Eliasson in collaboration with the architects, Harpa is to become home to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera, and thus a major addition to the Icelandic and European cultural scene. It is the most ambitious cultural project in Iceland as well as an endeavor of great importance for the community.

Image: © 2007 Portus ehf., Olafur Eliasson, and Henning Larsen Architects

Designed by Julian Liang

Asia has become an immense theme park where Asians have become tourists in their own country. It is one of the great tragedies and one of the most interesting spectacles of the consequences of rapid urbanization.

China is at a point where it must deal with the consequences of unregulated economic growth. With over 80% of the Shenzhen population classified as temporary residents (floating population), the possibility of economic and social disaster is closer than ever. These transients, unable to find housing in the new developed city, seek refuge in “urban villages”—which is nothing but euphemism for slum. These villages lack basic services and modern conveniences that have long become the norm for the rest of the country— and yet they developed a close-knit social network of culture, community and business, they have become urban enclave within the city fabric. Some local governments view the population of these villages—as well as their makeshift architecture—as an “eye sour” that detracts from the image of the economic boom and prosperity that these governments are trying to promote. Instead of hiding—or demolishing–these urban villages, this structure gives them a defining presence felt throughout the city fabric – making the invisible, visible. The structure becomes the triumphal arch for Shenzhen, a welcoming image and reminder to people of the current crisis. Through the level of density vs. transparency of the proposed structure, it will serve as a barometer indicating the social health of the city. Read the rest of this entry »

The ‘City Respiration Skyscraper’ designed by Czech architects Pavlína Doležalová and Jan Smékal is a helicoidal  240 meter-high structure designed to clean the air of the most polluted cities worldwide. Its primary structure is a concrete ribbon covered by air-cleaning algae. The outer cellular structure is a three-dimensional cluster of individual concrete three-spike units inspired by sea sponges.  

This helicoidal structure acts as a chimney where warm and polluted air is captured at the bottom and  filtered and oxygenated by the algae and a specialized water-sprayed system. A network of these skyscrapers strategically placed in the most polluted areas could clean a city in a couple of weeks. Read the rest of this entry »

Designed by Tang Chun Kit

Hutongs are clusters of traditional courtyard residences (siheyuan) characterized by narrow streets and alleys most commonly found in Beijing, China.  Hutongs remained the most important residential typology until recent years. Its spatial organization promotes interaction between the residents and creates strong communal bonds. Hutongs are very environmentally friendly and energy efficient; its narrow streets provide shelter and natural ventilation during the hot summers and preserve heat during harsh winters.  Water recollection systems are also carefully integrated into the architectural language.

Unfortunately, the majority of Beijing’s Hutongs have been demolished and replaced by hundreds of poorly designed skyscrapers totally detached from the existing urban fabric and without consideration to the environment.  The main concept of the ‘Quadrangle Skyscraper’ is to create a vertical Hutong with housing units in multiple sizes and outdoor recreational areas. The uses of natural materials, thick walls, and cross ventilation are some of the passive energy systems incorporated in the design. Read the rest of this entry »

Every year during the monsoon season the Chopraya River in Bangkok, Thailand, floods a large portion of the city, specially the low-income residential areas along the river. The Thai Government has built a dam in the northern part of the country but the improvement has been minimal and new solutions are already in development.

One of the most creative ideas designed by Boonserm Premthada, Ittidej Lirapirom, and Natee Kungwannakornchai is a “Cloud City” above the river. The new structure would be supported by habitable pillars and a three-dimensional steel lattice. The Cloud City is divided in three main areas; the top part consists of an airport, public park, and solar-powered electrical plant. The middle part is reserved for commerce while the bottom areas would be available for residences and offices. It is estimated that 200,000 inhabitants could live, work, and play in this new development. Read the rest of this entry »

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) of the Korean Peninsula is 2.5 miles-wide buffer zone between the North and South Koreas. After more than 50 years this zone with mountains, plains, valleys, and rivers has become one of the world’s most pristine ecological environments. It is estimated that more than one-third of the known plants and half of existing animals in the Korean Peninsula can be found in this area.

Korean architects Kim Sehyeon, Lee Jung Boram, and Choung Yongsu propose a skyscraper-bridge that will link the two countries, contribute to a reconciliation dialogue, and preserve the existing environment. The bridge will accommodate research labs, offices, and meeting halls arranged on a continuous structural grid. The design maximizes sun exposure beneath the structure and incorporates as series of agricultural terraces, meditation areas, and recreational parks where citizens of both countries could meet. Read the rest of this entry »

French architects Guihun Choe and Etienne Jaunet desire the spaciousness and tranquility of suburban living combined with the cultural and communal benefits of the city. Their architectural solution is a green skyscraper in which an open exoskeleton or structural grid allows individual housing units to plug-in. These units are custom made by each resident following certain design guidelines but with entire freedom on size and program. Owners could purchase several “lots” to build larger homes and/or gardens. The primary structure provides the basic infrastructure and communal areas such as parks, plazas, and shopping areas. The building is fully equipped with photovoltaic cells, wind turbines and recycle centers. Read the rest of this entry »

Namib Biomimesis Research Tower (NABR) designed by architects Hunter Ruthrauff, Hayley Stewart, and Garrett Van Leeuwen is a biomimetic research lab in the Namib Naukluft National Park with the purpose of studying indigenous plant and animal species which may act as role models for the creation of new ecological technologies.  It consists of a research center, eco-tourism hub, and a utility tower proposing a low-impact solution within the Namib Desert. Eco-tourism has recently become popular to thrill seekers looking to carve down the massive dunes on sand board. This coupled with a research center invested in new sustainable technology creates a micro economy that can support the continued preservation of the land. Read the rest of this entry »

The skyscraper designed by Egyptian architect Hunia Tarek Tomoum is a three-dimensional structural mesh of variable size tetrahedrons where two different grids overlap to allow diverse programs and circulations. The building consists of a series of large pockets or community hubs with public amenities such as restaurants, theatres, parks, and plazas connected to diagonal units with offices, residences, and hotels.

The circulation network of vertical cores and diagonal elevators connects the community hubs with the private units. The tetrahedron skyscraper is planned as a see through mesh that will interact with the city and enrich the urban fabric – a visual pedestrian continuity is achieve by lifting the structure and creating open areas at ground level. Read the rest of this entry »

Designed by Thomas Shingo Nagy

Over the past two decades, Tokyo has invested in the development of Odaiba, a landfill site along the waterfront district, as part of a larger effort to attract businesses away from the congested downtown area.  In contrast to the multi-layered and self-organized urban centers of Tokyo, Odaiba was master-planned to accommodate an array of skyscrapers connected by a transportation network and green space.  Although the site offers vast territories unprecedented in Tokyo, development by the private sector has been slow primarily due to its significant scale. The lack of human scale places significant risk upon investors and discourages small businesses to move in, resulting in less programmatic diversity and an ineptitude in being able to adapt to the needs of an ever changing society. In order to create a viable environment for a wide array of businesses to coexist and flourish, Soup City draws inspiration from the field-like urbanism of Tokyo as a model for successful development. Read the rest of this entry »