The “Metropol Parasol” in Sevilla, Spain has a loft goal: to become the new icon for Sevilla, and remind the world just how culturally rich this Andalucían city is.

A goal so bold must be executed with a bold design, and the Metropol Parasol offers just that: with honeycomb-like bowls floating high in the air, supported by concrete trunks, the Parasol creates, with its expansive roof, an open air gathering space that is well defined, yet has no walls to impede pedestrian traffic.

The design of the complex is busy, but the materials are simple: a concrete base supports the parasols, which are made of wood coated with polyurethan.

Located in the Plaza de la Encarnacíon, the Metopol Parasol was designed by the J. MAYER H. architecture firm. The project is currently nearing completion: its concrete base was finished in 2008, and the wooden roof is currently being built. The architects hope the project will be completed by April of this year. Read the rest of this entry »

A new design by one of the world’s most esteemed architects, Frank Gehry, was unveiled last month in Australia. Plans for a new business school at Sydney’s University of Technology (UTS) will bring, school officials hope, a new archietcural landmark for the city of Sydney.

The Dr. Chau Chak Wing Building will be 11 stories tall, with a total floor area of 16,030 square meters. The building’s front and back will have very different facades: on one side, a curved and squished brick design will create wavy walls that reference the sandstone and brick of Sydney’s traditional built environment. On the other side, large sheets of glass will be pieced together to reflect the images of the surrounding buildings.

The UTS campus is an urban one, blending into Sydney’s Ultimo neighborhood. While they hoped for architectural greatness, school officials focused, in choosing a design for the building, says UTS Vice-Chancellor Professor Ross Milbourne, on ensuring that the needs of students and professors were well met. UTS is spending $150 million to construct the building. Read the rest of this entry »

The result of an international design competition, the Chengdu Contemporary Art Centre (CCAC) designed by Zaha Hadid Architects will be a new cultural destination for Sichuan Province and will provide Chengdu with an unprecedented collection of world-class arts, performance, leisure, and congress venues. CAC will be a regional art and music centre of international standing. CCAC accommodates three auditoria, an art museum, an exhibition centre, a conference centre, a learning centre, bars, restaurants and shops.

The largest of the three halls, a multifunctional theatre, seats up to 2,000 people.The second hall caters for lyrical theatre and music events, with a seating arrangement of up to 870 people. The third auditorium will be used as a music hall. Designed for natural acoustic, this hall will provide space for an audience of up to 1,000. The conference centre comprises 8,000m2, which can be separated into 16 equal and independent accessible conference rooms. A flexible 10,000m2 exhibition centre is located at the main entrance level. The art museum comprises approximately 15,000m2 net exhibition area which is located below the roof and will take advantage of natural lit exhibition spaces. Our design aims to resolve the complexities of the programme, while combining spatial clarity with the design of a unique and iconic structure. Read the rest of this entry »

Melbourne based Architect Toby Horricks recently had an installation tilted “Icon” installed in the Gallery of Australian Design in Canberra. Four cardboard freestanding sculptures each represent a magazine from the publisher Architecture Media, with copies of the corresponding building design publications available at each installation. Each work stands on a simple cardboard pad of 1.8 x 1.8 meters.

Horricks experiments in cardboard lead to dynamic forms that share a common grid but unique forms, exploring the dynamics of a lightweight material forming complex structure.  The parametric abstracts reflect the aesthetic dynamics and tension between solid and negative space, as well as that of the fixed grid and free form.

Developed to be flat packed for simple transportation and display as freestanding objects the use of cardboard has a low initial environmental impact and is entirely recyclable. Cardboard as building material, explored by architects such as Shigeru Ban, shows promise as a way to focus on pushing the limits of low impact design within building science and aesthetic. Horricks has focused much of his work in the development of cardboard furniture to examine environmental materials, design and space issues. Read the rest of this entry »