The Why Factory is a revolutionary think-tank founded by the Delft University of Technology and award-winning architecture firm MVRDV. The studio is led by Winy Maas and concentrates on the production of models and visualizations of future cities. We are really excited about this topic which we extensively covered it in the latest edition of our print publication ‘eVolo_03 – Cities of Tomorrow’.

One of the most stunning designs is a floating city in Phuket, Thailand composed of a series of islands that resemble an open water lily. The islands are designed to maximize their ability to capture solar energy through a series of large-scale petals or photovoltaic cells which are incredibly efficient, sustainable, and stunning.  Read the rest of this entry »

The Everrest project designed by Simon Takasaki is a  monument that commemorates the end of mining in Duhamel, Germany. The design characterizes by its careful integration to the landscape, urban context, and historical site.. 
The 30 meters-high, walk-in sculpture, holds the ‘path of the history’ of the site. 
As a memorial, the sculpture offers the viewer a path within a mountain appearing as part of the natural topography.
 The path leads over a natural base of broken bricks, boulders, and a well lit and airy great hall -a space designed for contemplation and inspiration. 
It serves for exhibitions or smaller events such as chamber of music or reading room . Read the rest of this entry »

The main inspiration for this project designed by Santosh Kumar Ketham is to explore the theme of re-using material collected from construction sites, including rusted steel and painted metal.

The pavilion to be located in Karmelitermarkt (market square) area of Vienna, will house a theatre for Indian Classical Music in addition to accommodating a small museum and other ancillary facilities. The lower level occupies performance zones and the upper level will have a concert hall.

The project aims to deploy mutation brought about by fire as the primary generator of pavilions geometry and disposition; transforming the site into heterogeneous ensemble of forms unified by functional distribution. The pavilion also aims to address the tension between what exists as an immediate built context and its intended use as a cultural promenade and gathering. Read the rest of this entry »

London farm tower designed by Brandon Martella rests on the south bank of the Thames River overlooking Potter’s Field. Like a tree the tower collects rainwater and solar energy to maintain survival. Wind is harvested through vertical axis turbines that align the perimeter structure. The residential programmed floors take advantage of cross ventilation through the use of operable windows and louvers while the hydroponic floors are a continual hydronic system recycling the humid green house air content by collecting condensated water on the inside of the ETFE pillows and letting gravity bring the water down through the hydroponic racks. Read the rest of this entry »

Herzog & de Meuron’s project for the new Bordeaux stadium is an expression of fundamentally new architecture. The pure shape of the volume, by contrast to its light and open structure, creates an at once monumental and graceful architectural piece elegantly suited to the grand landscape of Bordeaux.

Stadium architecture combines three constitutive elements: the bowl containing the game and its spectators, the concourse as the transitional element between the playing field and the outside surroundings and, finally, the overall appearance. Herzog & de Meuron’s approach is to reinterpret these three elements in light of the site-specific characteristics: the resulting architecture is thus one-of-a-kind, reflecting the intrinsic features of the site.

We aim to present an architectural object in which highest functional quality is combined with a unique identity. We are confident that allying these two criteria, functionality and strong identity, endows our project with an emotional dimension that the public can feel, and that is inextricably bound to the stadium’s traditional role of staging sports. Read the rest of this entry »

This project designed by Stephan Sobl is a casino resort, a satellite alternative to Las Vegas, located on a dramatic site between the Hoover Dam and the Bypass Bridge. The resort caters to various 21st century vices including entertainment (concert venues, MMA Fighting), gambling and luxury living. The architectural challenges I dealt with were taking the convential vertical tower, including its plynth and orientation, and turning it upside down.

Architectural elements: The massing layout is construed by the event space on top with a framed view of the Hoover Dam; the modern casino underneath leading to the hotel lobby and the hotel itself. At the bottom of the tower there is a dramatic area for happenings and ceremonial occasions. It also includes a breakfast room and high-end dining with the elevator core floating above the space; a glass floor providing views to the ground; and terraced floor slabs.

In terms of circulation, there are several ways leading into the plynth of the tower, including car circulation; and viewing platforms. The bridge circulation focuses on 3 elements: structural details of the Bypass Bridge, openings to the Hoover Dam, and breathtaking diagonal views of the hanging tower with a constant interplay of plunging and emerging. Read the rest of this entry »

The ‘Space Race Museum’ is a proposal designed by Islam Fikry Abbas from the Port Said University in Egypt for an a new museum dedicated to early stages of outer space exploration during the Cold War. It is the story of a race between the United States and the Soviet Union to conquest the last frontier. The main concept of the project is to use architectural forms and spatial differentiation to represent the technological and political situation during those years. The organic forms are designed to make the visitors experience a sense of loss and continuity where ceilings and floors are one continuos entity. The museum is also an environmentally conscious design that incorporates photovoltaic cells, wind turbines, and water recollection systems. The landscape is carefully integrated to the museum to create a single harmonious structure.  Read the rest of this entry »

(c) Michael Moran

International architecture firm, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) is pleased to announce that CENTRA will be recognized with an American Institute of Architects (AIA) New Jersey Chapter Honor Award. Developed by The Hampshire Companies, this dynamic building offers a new paradigm for the suburban office experience – one which blends urbanism with the living landscape.

According to KPF Managing Principal, Lloyd Sigal, “The Hampshire Companies saw an opportunity during the economic downturn to get ahead of the curve by refurbishing this underutilized, but well-located property. We were commissioned for the project at the start of the financial crisis, so were faced with the challenge of producing high-quality, impactful architecture within an especially tight budget. But with a visionary client, an exceptional contractor (Tishman Construction), and a skilled team of engineers and consultants, we were able to create a building that is visually striking, functionally efficient and, as recently announced, award-winning.”

KPF’s design for CENTRA adds value by expanding the total area of leasable Class-A office space while utilizing the existing structure. An extension of the top floor adds 10,000 square feet, while the addition of vision glass and light wells activates the previously unoccupied basement, adding 15,000 square feet of day-lit office space and tenant amenities. Read the rest of this entry »

HEEA Development LLC announced the completion of Metal Shutter Houses, a luxury condominium building designed by architect Shigeru Ban and his New York-based partner Dean Maltz, located in Chelsea’s art district, just west of the High Line. The building is at 524 West 19th Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues on New York’s ‘Starchitect Row’ next to Frank Gehry’s IAC Headquarters and across the street from Jean Nouvel’s 100 11th building.

Metal Shutter Houses take its name from two distinct features, the shutters that cover the two major facades of the building and the creation of condos that feel like individual homes within one structure. The building’s façade, with its “retractable skin” of motorized perforated metal shutters, echoes the after-hours shutters of neighboring galleries thereby contextualizing the building within its environment. Its façade represents a uniform minimal cube when all of the shutters are closed and presents a number of dynamic patterns based the arrangement of open and closed shutters at each resident’s discretion. Each apartment has direct access from the lobby through a single elevator and is a floor-through duplex providing abundant light streaming in from both the north and south facades. The double height exterior walls on the north façade apartments can be opened  via sweeping floor-to-ceiling bi-fold doors thereby creating continuity between the interior space and outdoor terraces – blurring the boundary between inside and out. To achieve the complete opening of the apartment to the exterior Ban re-designed and newly adapted an industrial bi-fold door, commonly used in airplane hangars, and transformed it into an environmentally sound window wall. Read the rest of this entry »

BLUE ROOM is an installation proposal that translates and complement the brand’s juxtaposition of soft silhouette and architectural lines in their work into the scale of the retail environment. We began with an idea about the insertion of a translucent lining that would contrast with the rectilinear envelope of the existing space and act as an atmospheric veil to separate and define areas for the display of merchandise. To connect the two geometries together, we devised a series of structural frames for the new surface that would continue onto the perimeter walls, floor and ceiling and translate into different elements, including shelving standards, clothing stands, and lighting. These linear frames act as seams that literally connect edges and create continuities across disparate surfaces. The materiality of the liner was envisioned as a stretchy translucent textile that would create atmospheric layers that allow a sense of discovery in what is essentially a very small space. We chose the fabric colors, a mid-range blue layered with a lighter blue, to literally convey a sense of atmosphere and to also recall an exotic environment that could be understood as water or sky, which might be particularly appropriate for resort wear, which we understand will be part of the collection on display. The form of the liner was intended to evoke a sense of an ephemeral shape or space like a wave or a cloud, and the shape and translucency has the ability to hold light and give it a volumetric quality. This surface could also be a place for image projections to convey an animated sense of atmosphere. The clothing display will be comprised of brushed aluminum standards and reclaimed wood planking that will be routed to provide a means for both shelving and hanging pieces. The changing room and cashwrap are enveloped in a second bi-directional wave that also leads back to the VIP room. Read the rest of this entry »