The terminal, designed by Stephan Sobl, uses the typology of the Hypostyle Hall. The only Hypostyle Hall with two rows of columns on center is one in which the spacing of each of the bays made by the columns are equal or when the spacing between rows of columns in the central space is less than the spacing between the row of columns and the outer walls. This is all to say that the epitome of any Hypostyle Hall is a field of columns and not a volume defined by columns.

The principles of the Hypostyle Hall in the project are addressed using a field of massive and fragile columns that define a variation of spatial and volumetric interiors of the terminal. Denser areas of the field create intimate spaces and become areas to rest whereas less dense areas are circulation routes and contain architectural programs. Read the rest of this entry »

Second Skin is an installation proposal designed to complement the aesthetic and image of the clothing line of the Lake and Stars. Our initial concept was to develop a space that recalled the way in which the designers see lingerie as something that can be playfully exposed and integrated into everyday wear. We developed surfaces of abstracted “skins” that alternately reveal and conceal spaces with varying levels of privacy. Fittingly, our inspiration for the structure comes from the pissoirs that line the banks of canals in Amsterdam. These structures allow very private acts to take place in public through the design of the structure, which is configured as a spiral made of perforated metal mounted on standards above a drain. The spiral shape and relative opacity of the material allows for private acts to take place without doors, though the body is not completely enclosed. Our other inspiration was the spatial sensibility of moving through one of Richard Serra’s torque ellipses, whose canted, curved surfaces propel the visitor into forward movement and sensorial engagement and create an environment of anticipation and delayed revelation. In our proposal, the “skins” curve and curl to create a ruled surface that forms dressing areas and backdrops for hanging and shelving display as well as the checkout counter. The existing perimeter walls are secondary sites for display and storage. Read the rest of this entry »

The project is part of an architectural research carried out at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. It engages in a creative dialogue with notions of mass, developable surfaces, patterns and transparency. Designed by Bika Rebek, under the guidance of Gregg Lynn, this Final Thesis project explores the threshold between industrial structures and nature.

While waiting for their cruise ship to pass the lock, the visitors of the Panama Canal are kept exposed to the exuberant diversities of the area through biomimicry of the metal-sheet envelope and heavy masses of concrete. The narrative of the organic flow is free from interruption. Instead of juxtaposing the visual abundance of the natural surroundings with restrained imagery of the waiting room, the design introduces visitors to a range of ambiences. Moving through spaces with different identities and climate zones, they encounter planthouses, aquariums and exhibitions, conceived with the purpose of elaborating on the richness of the area surrounding the Panama Canal. One side allows for spectacular views onto the water lock, while on the other side visitors take a walk into the jungle canopy. The fragility of the façade mimics the dense jungle treetops, allowing natural lighting to filter through the interior and blur the line between spaces. The new building for visitors seems to emerge from the jungle and encompass the locks, reclaiming its territory.

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The proposal by  Moatasem Esmat of the Mataria Engineering School for a new Fine Arts Center in Helwan, Egypt represents a mix of architectural principles that stand for a new age of architectural design and sustainability. The project is designed as series of surfaces that emerge from the ground to create inhabitable spaces. The geometry has been carefully designed according to solar exposure, wind currents, and maximum rainwater collection. The roof is a continuos green park perforated at different areas to create courtyards that provide natural light and ventilation to all interior spaces. Among the different areas there is an exhibition hall, convention center, and academic buildings.  Read the rest of this entry »

The aim of the project is to develop a theater / performance / stage project for the Sydney Festival 2012, a one-month festival with hundreds of events occurring in the city. The project was designed along a number of briefs and locations that varied in program, size, character, and location.

Iain Blampied and Oliver Hessian approached the project brief with the understanding that ideally this venue should be an expressive piece of architecture that attracts visitors in its own right while also leaving the inhabiting director as much freedom for creativity and as little distraction as possible. The approach taken involves the investigation of architecture as a temporal, dynamic system, a performative envelope and a machine that mirrors a multiplicity of worlds. Read the rest of this entry »

This thesis by Brandon Clifford posits that our conventional understanding of domesticity is in direct relation to a cultural assumption about property ownership – permanence, prosperity, growth – and, in turn, claims that this relationship is currently in a state of crisis (we move now more than ever and foreclosure rates are through the roof).  This assumption of permanence has served as the foundation for a variety of disciplines – architecture, urban planning, real-estate, the building industry – but our increasing condition of impermanence forces us to reexamine how these disciplines respond.  This project proposes a method of making that operates in direct correspondence with the ebb and flow of property fluctuations, and is demonstrated through multiple scales of architectural design. Read the rest of this entry »

A proposed environmentally friendly housing development for marginalized communities located in the foothills of Betim MC, Brazil by Architect João Diniz solves multiple design issues with a basic structure. Modular in nature the housing stacks on each other to provide improved lateral egress to the outdoors while adapting to the variations of hilly terrain. The CASEXP ecological space unit is a 12×3 meter modular which can be secured to four posts and has a front and back wall section which folds down. The units are designed to stack, providing vertical densities which also allows for the green roof to act as living space. The post foundations minimize ground disturbance and protects against storm water. Placed in a series of clusters to promote community interaction east-west orientation is emphasized to reduce solar heat gain. Read the rest of this entry »

Apavisa, one of the world’s finest high-technical porcelain manufacturers for the architectural market, recently unveiled a new concept to showcase their products at the company’s showroom in SoHo, New York City. The main concept is to show all the possibilities that the Apavisa porcelain range can offer to the current home and to customers who want to personalize their space.

Apavisa celebrated the event with distinguished guests, which included official public organizations, media, existing customers, and the general public. The attendees were delighted with the new concept and the wide range of products and architectural possibilities. Read the rest of this entry »

Elevated Brood by Paul D Nicholls is a masterful display of the application of nature inspired architecture. The structure is situated in London’s Hyde Park, on the bank of Serpentine Lake. Its combination of steel and polycarbonate support elements creates a striking architectural imagery.

The project was shortlisted in the 2007 Riba Student Awards. The Brood is the attachment, shelter and protection of a mother’s young. The Paper Nautilus was the main inspiration for the aquarium. It imitates the way it hangs its eggs from the strongest part of its shell by the placement of exhibit displays. The elevated, shell-like structure is a “brood” for the display chandeliers that can be lowered independently via remote control by the visitor. The maintenance of the fish decreases the further out onto the water they are, inside the linear repetition of the chandeliers themselves, coupled with the solar lilies, the further structures become almost completely independent. Elevated Brood also encourages a graceful use of water by forming a strong relationship with the Serpentine Lake. Read the rest of this entry »

The project for Milan’s new Museum of Contemporary Art is designed by Daniel Libeskind in cooperation with his Italian partner CityEdge. It features a vertical structure of five floors which twists from its square base and forms a circular terrace at the top. Its design references Da Vinci’s golden section, transforming in accordance to principles of self-evolution and spherical astronomy.

The most important design objective sought by city authorities and the designers was the greatest possible flexibility in order to respond to all of the, nowadays often unpredictable, needs of a space dedicated to contemporary art. This is why the five galleries of the new building are presented as stand-alone units, with a minimum height of 5.5m and equipped with complex lighting and air conditioning systems that make it possible to stage any type of exhibition while at the same time keeping the dominant line of the structure visible to the visitor, the square that becomes a circle, as it moves from the ground to the sky. Read the rest of this entry »