RMJM Istanbul has been shortlisted in a global competition to design the iconic 95m high Airport Traffic Control (ATC) Tower of Istanbul New Airport, due to open in 2018. Inspired by authentic symbols of Turkey, the competition saw applications from many renowned international design brands, including RMJM Istanbul.

Sotiris Tsoulos, Managing Partner at RMJM Istanbul and his team were inspired by the seagulls of Istanbul and Turkey’s ancient pottery and textile industries. Sortiris says of their design for a building they regard as the absolute symbol of aviation industry, of traveling, of welcoming and of wishing good bye, “spirit of flying, body of moulding and skin of expression are the three architectural metaphors that create this ‘container and protector of life’. It was clear to us that this project had to be unique; this is the flag that will be raised to symbolise the new, vibrant, global Turkey. As witnesses to this amazing transformation we aspire that this building be far more than an ATC Tower. Rather, we are designing a new symbol for this country, the pinnacle of our new landmark airport and providing that vital “Welcome to Turkey” moment.”

Seagulls and the fluidity of the flying are expressed through the aerodynamic form of the structure that barely touches the ground, and which has a neck providing 360 visibility. The main body of the structure is more moulded than sculpted as a reminder of Turkey’s great pottery tradition, whilst the final element of RMJM Istanbul’s design is the detail of a loom in the form of a delicate horizontal layers of ‘woven skin’ around the building.

“We are developing a unique project inspired by local architecture. That is why we have organised this competition, hoping that the Airport Traffic Control Tower design will symbolically contribute a great deal to Istanbul New Airport, as well as becoming an important icon for the whole of Istanbul. We asked contestants to see inspiration from icons of Turkey. Currently we are evaluating the submitted proposals and will announce the results soon”, said Yusuf Akçayoğlu, CEO of İGA.

In Lloyd Alter’s preface in the book [ours] Hyperlocalization of Architecture he quotes Christopher Alexander, “When you building a thing you cannot merely build that thing in isolation, but must repair the world around it, and within it. So that the larger world at that one place becomes more whole.”

So begins the short film featuring author Andrew Michler who sits down with the journalist of the Dot Earth Blog Andrew Revkin at the New York Time Building, to discuss the concept and projects of hyperlocal architecture. The unscripted discussion explores how contemporary architecture responds to, and transforms, place and synthesize the needs of both people and climate. The conversation explores regions in the book exemplifying innovative design principles, ranging from the tiny homes of Tokyo, to the eclectic and kinetic architecture of Australia.

Revkin asks why the regional chapter titles are based on verbs such as harvests, condenses, plays, and maintains. Micher explains “I didn’t want to start out focusing on the object of architecture, which is where I think we struggle now with understanding what buildings are. They are essentially ideas in the end, ideas which have taken form and shape, and we use them and see them as a solid thing. But when we create them they are not so solid, they are very much about process.”

The film is produced in by LOCAL, a multimedia platform exploring sustainability at the community level.

Watch the film here.

The sales gallery of Aedas-designed mixed-use project is set to open its door next month. As part of the larger Shanghai Greenland Qingpu Xujing District project, it has a pedestrian bridge linking to the Qingpu Xujing Conference and Exhibition Centre nearby and is therefore designed to be inviting with a strong visual impact.

Same to other buildings of the development, the sales gallery is in leaf shaped in response to the ‘clover leaf’ concept of the conference and exhibition centre. Designed by Project Design Directors Wai Tang and Keith Griffiths, the whole development consists of a five-star hotel, a shopping centre and a sales gallery, which are coherently organised to direct circulation to offer premium supporting facilities to one of the world’s largest conference centres and the larger Hongqiao central business district. The hotel and shopping centre will work together to form a very welcoming entrance to the whole development. Read the rest of this entry »

This project, supported by numerous donors for The City of Tempe as a memorial for Mary O’Connor; is an investigation into the usage of parametric design processes, methods of digital fabrication and material adaptation. The goal was to create a generative and flexible retrofit strategy for the City’s existing transit shelters; a strategy that can be utilized to create an infinite number of designs each specific to its context and environment.

The transit shelter stands as an example of the power of collaborative efforts and the integration of traditional design methodology with new and emerging design and fabrication technologies. The Mary O’Connor Memorial Transit Shelter is neither a simple expression of material tectonics nor a legible response to contextual forces. As in mathematics, it is a system which generates performative solutions in a fully optimized manner. Its form is not reducible; it can only be associated to a complex set of design and fabrication parameters. Efficiency and simplification define the project as much as the formal, structural and material intelligence. Read the rest of this entry »

Pen Uno: space grey, gold, silver, rose gold

Pen Uno is a most minimal pen designed by award-winning studio ENSSO to be both a pleasure to write with and beautiful to see. With only 5.3mm (7/32in) in diameter it is one of the slimmest pens ever manufactured, yet it is very comfortable to use because its holding barrel is slightly wider. This barrel also serves as a twisting cap that protects the pen tip when not in use. Pen Uno is precision-machined out of space-grade aluminum and anodized in four distinct colors: space grey, silver, gold, and rose gold.

Pen Uno uses the widely available Hi-Tec-C Coleto gel ink cartridge. This cartridge writes exactly the same as the regular Hi-Tec-C cartridge but it is much slimmer in diameter because it was designed for a multi-color pen system.

Pen Uno is available on Kickstarter until December 18.

Pen Uno

-> Available on Kickstarter until December 18

Jon Sealey, Design Director of Marques and Jordy has submitted proposals to transform Bangkok’s skytrain system.He proposes an elevated bicycle lane coined as “the skyride” which cantilevers from the existing train line structure. “The idea of the skyride is to reduce the congestion on the roads and encourage people to commute to work by cycling.” Explains architect Jon Sealey.

The sky ride offers a 55km of unparalleled cycle root through the heart of Bangkok and the suburbs East to the airport. Commuting times to the commercial centre would be reduced by as much 1.5 hours. “Bangkok is incredibly congested and the sky ride offers a way to reduce traffic and get people cycling.”The proposal also offers an elevated park and a lowline park. The skypark landscape will be designed to reflect the identity of each local community it passes through and features local artworks and much needed public park space through the city. Jon explains “Bangkok is suffocated by concrete high rises. Development over the last 30 years has seen a massive decline in green space in the city. The skypark will provide the people of Bangkok with new accessible areas to enjoy running, walking and viewing the city from an elevated platform.”

The lowline will be a vibrant area for street vendors, markets and green space. Large sphere tent structures will have a variety of uses from housing emergency care units to structures to grow crops for the local communities.​ Read the rest of this entry »

The Urban Skyfarm designed by Aprilli Design Studio is a vertical farm design proposal for a site located in downtown Seoul, right adjacent to the Cheonggyecheon stream which is a heavily populated dense urban area within the central business district. Inspired by Dr. Dickson Despommier’s original idea of “Vertical farm”, the Urban Skyfarm is a prototype vertical farm project which would mainly support local food production and distribution while at the same time contribute to improving the environmental quality through water, air filtration and renewable energy production.

Through lifting the main food production field high up in the air, the vegetations gain more exposure toward the natural sunlight and fresh air while the ground level becomes more freed up with nicely shaded open spaces which could be enjoyed by the public. The bio mimicry of the tree form gives many structural and environmental advantages to form a light weight efficient space frame which could host diverse farming activities. The four major components which are the root, trunk, branch and leaf each have their own spatial characteristics which are suitable for various farming conditions.

While the upper portions provide open to air farming decks for medium based vegetations, the lower portions enclosed by the structural skin provide more controlled environments for solution based leafy productions. During daytime the photovoltaic panels generate electricity to be used for night time lighting and heating to support farming. The Urban Skyfarm creates a mini ecosystem which brings balance back to the urban community.

The Tree-like form creates a strong iconic figure in the prominent location and becomes a symbol of well being and sustainable development. Together with the Cheonggyecheon stream, the Urban Skyfarm will become a nice destination place for people seeking for fresh food, air and relaxation within their busy urban life. Read the rest of this entry »

This undergraduate thesis project by Camden Wade titled Urban Infiltration is a visionary and innovative tower that challenges the typical approach to the high rise typology in Downtown Houston by using “collective design.” In a downtown that lacks formal zoning regulations and, as a result, creates an exaggerated autonomous mindset for high rise development and their primarily office programs, this design takes a paradigm shift with a more holistic approach to the typology and explores how a high rise can be more beneficial to its environment from the large urban scale, architectural scale, and most importantly, the intimate human scale. This project approaches this design issue head on by creating a hybrid high rise that encourages a more sustainable and localized lifestyle through a delicate balance of programs, both public and private, that relate to one another in a more 3-dimensional and integrated way. Read the rest of this entry »

The building site of the Mausoleum of the Martyrdom of Polish Villages in Michniów is undergoing the successive fifth stage of construction works. The Mausoleum’s design envisaged a monolithic sculptural architectural form to give room to a multimedia exhibition which through its shape is to convey the dramaturgy of the historical developments symbolised by Michniów itself. The Mausoleum, designed by the renowned Warsaw-based studio Nizio Design International, is scheduled to be opened in 2016.

Mirosław Nizio’s studio won the competition for the design of the Mausoleum building in 2009. Nizio Design International is the general designer of the Mausoleum responsible for its site development and architectural and interior designs. Also, the studio was tasked to develop the design both in its conceptual and construction phases, as well as to supervise the works from start to finish. In 2011 the design won the European Property Award in the category Public Service Architecture.

The Mausoleum of the Martyrdom of Polish Villages is a project commissioned by the Museum of Kielce Region Countryside with a view to commemorating the victims of the repressions suffered by Polish rural communities during the German occupation. Michniów – pacified on 12 July, 1943 – today is a symbol of all village pacifications that took place during World War II. The site on which the Mausoleum is being built used to be a symbolic place of remembrance dedicated to those tragic incidents: originally, a collective grave of the victims was erected (in 1945), followed by the “Pieta of Michniów” sculpture and National Remembrance House.

The first stage of works on the construction site of the Mausoleum delivered the site fence, services building, and the car park. Also, a number of paths leading to the grave were built at the time. Phase two involved building the underground structures, phase three produced the foundation of the open parts, and phase four, the most difficult so far, resulted in the construction of the essential components of the building. Currently underway is phase five whose objective is to build the approaches from the grave to the Mausoleum building. Read the rest of this entry »