We are pleased to inform you our collaboration with node to produce the 7th Annual Progressive Architecture Symposium in Mexico City. The event will be held on April 25-26, 2013 with the participation of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Mark Goulthorpe (dECOI), Paul Lewis (LTL), Ashley Schafer (Praxis), Tod Williams + Billie Tsien (TWTA), Javier Sanchez (JSa), and Patrik Schumacher (Zaha Hadid + Patrik Schumacher Architects).

Since 2006 the Progressive Architecture Symposium is one of the most important architecture events in Latin America with the sole objective of celebrating and sharing the most innovative architecture and design thinkers around the world.

Furthermore, node, in collaboration with the architecture academia in Mexico award the Kalmanani Prize (master builder in Nahuatl – Aztecs language) to a living architect whose body of work transcends the test of time and improves the way in which we live. In 2010 Toyo Ito received the first Kalmanani while Shigeru Ban followed in 2012. The winner of the 2013 Award will be announced soon and the ceremony will be held in Mexico city. Sebastian, the most celebrated contemporary sculptor in Mexico, has designed the Kalmanani Award. Read the rest of this entry »

Designer Saleem Khattak combines his fascination with light and modernist form in Archilume, a luminaire that evokes the best qualities of incandescent lighting: warmth, comfort and intimacy. Archilume’s unassuming simplicity masks a visionary design that transforms energy-efficient LED lighting. A clear cylindrical lens with a conical diffuser emits an elegant glow without the glare of a visible light source. It radiates a gentle light, evoking ripples on water, and represents a revolution in the use of LEDs.

A study in the science of lighting, Archilume uses the principles of light transmission, reflection and diffusion to create a sleek, sculptural form suitable for modern or heritage-style interiors. The transparency of the fixture’s design suits it to a variety of design palettes. Read the rest of this entry »

Chromatic Energy Landscape, a land art proposal by Barker Freeman Design Office for Dubai, UAE, generates a spatially and chromatically variegated landscape that engages, protects, and seeks to restore the natural biodiversity of native plants and animals. The proposal is organized as layered fields of photoresponsive energy generation systems that are also iridescent, phosphorescent surfaces intersected by a system of viewing platforms. Local renewable materials–native algae and vegetation, recycled glass and low-tech methods of construction– reshape the existing site into a colorful textured landscape. Read the rest of this entry »

The architectural masterplan design of “Padideh Kish”, a destination resort, in Kish Island is the most significant tourism hub in Iran and the fourth in Middle East. Being located at the southern part of Iran it requires a very sensible and special approach. The tremendous scale of the project and diversity of programmes assigned to the design makes the project beyond an architectural resolution and demands an approach similar to a city.

Thus as various group of people experience special and valuable qualities of a social life in a city environment, this project also intends to enhance this quality within this place. As a destination for a trip to the most attractive touristic place in Iran, “Padideh Kish” on one hand consists of a flexible and wide-spread range of social scenarios related to leisure and on the other hand special events such as commercial, sports and so on. Hence “Padideh Kish” by providing and creating a fantastic and exciting place improves and deepens the experience of a trip and remains in the mind of any visitor.

The architectural masterplan design idea of Padideh is a result of juxtaposition, interaction and development of concepts that each one is dependent on the architectural achievements and architectural history of Iran. The noble concepts which nourish and support the idea of design, could be explored from two main perspectives: Social – cultural and geographical perspectives. Read the rest of this entry »

Fourfoursixsix were invited to provide a proposal for a large-scale luxury residential scheme on a prime site in Kuala Lumpur City Centre. Their design combines elegant massing, a flexible floor plate and a pragmatic façade concept that provides an engaging counterpoint to similar local developments.

Archetypal residential high-rise buildings tend to consist of duplicate stacked façades and inelegant ‘stuck-on’ balconies, which the architects felt were contrary to the concepts of luxury and high quality design.

Key to a successful design solution was to consider the experiential benefits to users, sustainable methods of construction and inhabitation, and flexibility in design. The scheme considers pure geometric elegance and luxurious minimalism as central design concepts, incorporating climatically comfortable living spaces that provide superlative views.

The massing consists of two interlocking geometric forms which respond to a series of experiential and spatial factors. Where connected, differing areas of public and private spaces are formed depending on specific programmatic requirements. When separated, they provide distinct towers of private accommodation in which views, light and privacy are all maximized. Read the rest of this entry »

The new information centre and library aims to be the central representative identification point in the overall context of the Georg-Simon-Ohm-Hochschule. Both, a high degree of aesthetics as well as the functionality of the building play a major role while reflecting the spirit of this supra-regional institution. The centre‘s programme covers a library including an open reading area, individual working spaces and several seminar and meeting facilities.

The design stipulates a clear structuring for all the functions with regard to both the outdoor areas and the new building itself. Instead of being a big obstacle, the centre acts as a connector between the campus in the north and the waterfront of the Pegnitz in the south. During the day the linking route between these two poles runs straight through the foyer which thereby becomes the central meeting place for students and teachers. The indented entrance areas are clearly readable from the sculpture and thus stimulate a self-evident orientation.

A big glazed void forms the core element of the cube providing daylight for all the internal functions while subdividing them into easy controllable sections. This atrium also establishes a visual but soundproof contact in between all programme parts and makes it thereby easy for the visitors to orientate themselves. Due to its location conterminous to the void, also the compact-magazine on the top-floor in its capacity as an inaccessible knowledge storage becomes a visible part of the building and reflects in a subtle manner the basic functionality of an information centre. Read the rest of this entry »

OMA has won the design competition for the Essence Financial Building in Shenzhen. The project, led by OMA Partners David Gianotten and Rem Koolhaas, and designed as a new generation office tower for Shenzhen, was selected from entries by four competing international and Chinese architectural practices.

The Essence Financial Building, located in the Financial Development Area of Shenzhen, reflects on how the emergent forces in business and society could shape a contemporary office tower typology. The building challenges the many conventions that govern office tower designs, in particular the prevailing central core plan and curtain wall systems.

David Gianotten commented: “OMA is very excited about its continuous and deepening participation in Shenzhen’s development, especially as the city makes its latest evolution: from a manufacturing city into a services hub. This next generation of urbanism calls for a new generation of office towers, of which the Essence Financial Building could be one.” The Essence Financial Building will be OMA’s second building in Shenzhen: the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, for which OMA won the competition in 2006, will be completed in April this year. Read the rest of this entry »

“Lotus Dome,” interactive artwork by artist and architect Daan Roosegaarde, is a living dome made out of hundreds of ultralight aluminum flowers that fold open in response to human behavior.

When approached, the big silver dome lights up and opens its flowers. Its behavior moves from soft breathing to dynamic mood when more people interact. The light slowly follows people, creating an interactive play of light and shadow. The graphic representations of the lotus flower on the walls, and the deep bass sound, transforms the Renaissance environment into a “Techno-Church.”

The smart Lotus foil is specially developed by Studio Roosegaarde and their manufacturers, and is made from several thin layers of Mylar that fold open and close when touched by light. This high-tech craftsmanship is similar to the innovative thinking of the church’s architecture of the 16th century. Roosegaarde: “We’re updating Renaissance.” Read the rest of this entry »

An experimental music hall as an extension of old power plant building in Bratislava is a narrative in itself proposed by Miro Straka from the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava. It tells a story of architecture as well as story of its own, fairy tale celebrated by a modern man – cinematic cliché. How to reinvent figurative ornamentation in architecture in a way it would engage our imagination? Greek mythology is no longer common knowledge – just a nostalgic memory of the past. However, new symbols and meanings arose with birth of pop-culture. Stories which everyone can understand and interpret – Optimus Prime as new atlas, carrying weight of humanity on his shoulders, Or Darth Vader as symbol of despotic power.

Straightforward principles (of old building) in contrast with restless and surprising organization, where linear structure is replaced by unexpected spaces and the austerity of reinforced concrete twisted into constantly changing mass without any visible language logic. Seemingly useless and unreadable object opposed to repetitiveness and predictability of present and planned design. With mass customization and big scale printing modularity loses its present reasons, that is where blending come in, connecting not fitting or related objects not based on their shape but rather on their meaning, where bricks are used in modularity anything(batman) can be used in blending. Read the rest of this entry »

Urban Roots is a project designed by Francisco Nunez and Kyle Duvernay to facilitate water access and management by means of biomimetic solutions congruent with architectural design and technology. By carefully analyzing a region in which water is not a local resource, we took on the challenge of designing a new water management headquarters for Downtown San Diego which will implement bio-inspired technologies such as dew harvesting facades, water transfer by capillary action methods and clean water filtration and storage innovations. Read the rest of this entry »