Kyiv National University of Architecture and Construction in Ukraine hold a workshop within the framework of conference “Contemporary education”. It was organized by the team of KG’MGarchitects studio. The main topic of workshop was using Autodesk Maya software for the design of architectural objects.

The first step served as a series of lectures designed to provide participants with tools (software), such as: modeling, the basics of direction of particles by the action of external forces and also the methods of simulation of physical processes in Maya. Lectures held by Iurii Kaygorodtsev, Tanya Zabavska, Andrew Mogylnyi and Kirill Tsuman. The principal aim was to acquire skills in using of digital methods to optimize the architectural spaces and structures. Examples were given by Frei Otto method of minimizing the ways (simulation sticking threads) and receiving of minimal surfaces (simulation of physics of materials).

Frei Otto’s method was used in first task to identify the pattern of spots which are more free from flows of people. Participants were invited to use one of the chosen spots to situate their own version of the bench. Read the rest of this entry »

Adopting famous Spanish traditions of street life we propose a cosmopolitan center that would create a retreat from the harsh sun of Andalucia and extend the street life to 24 hours of the day and 7 days of the week.

Seville 24/7 is not only about holiday or cultural side of Seville, it is also about the everyday human interaction. People would come here to visit a children playground, library, grocery store, night club, eat tapas, meet friends, etc. Yrat Khusnutdinov & Zhang Liheng proposal would manifest the vibrancy of civic life in the city: it would be a stage that exposes the most interesting thing – life.

The sinuous surfaces of the bridge create waves which would invite people to sit on them and watch passersby. In this way we propose spaces that would encourage different behavioral patterns – watch and be watched. As in the theory of human social interaction in physics particles with opposite charges attract each other and create a magnet – here these two patterns would create a magnet for people. Read the rest of this entry »

The existing Vienna Westbahnhof train station lays in the end point of the Mariahilferstreet which is the shopping axis of Vienna. The “gürtel” which is a green band cuts the street and creates a undefined corridor.The neighbor on two sides; the Bahnhof City contains a lot of closed space with shopping, offices and a hotel.

Mariahilfer street begins with a public space: Former court stables Museumsquartier, now a big collection of museums different kinds. The project by Tan Akinci from the IOA (Institute of Architecture, Vienna) aims to convert the whole station simeltanously to a semi open public space by manipulating the ground which was derived from the site. The architecture is in sides and above; trying to mark the end of the street with a similar element like the beginning. Read the rest of this entry »

Populous, architects of the London 2012 Olympic stadium, Sochi 2014 Olympic stadium and Soccer City 2010 World Cup stadium, have been selected as designers of the new Rostov Stadium. This will be the fourth stadium that Populous has designed in Russia to be used for the 2018 World Cup, together with Kazan, Saransk, Sochi.

In September 2012 the eleven host cities that will organise the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament in Russia were announced. The sixty-four matches will be staged at twelve venues. Among the host cities are: Moscow, being the only city with two stadiums selected, Saint Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara, Saransk, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don and Yekaterinburg. Read the rest of this entry »

The Grove at Grand Bay residences, located on the former site of the Grand Bay Hotel and just minutes from key areas including the airport, downtown Miami and Coral Gables shall leave an imprint on the South Bayshore Drive community, redefining luxury and breathing new life into Coconut Grove for decades to come. Developed by Terra Group, Miami’s leading real-estate development company, the construction is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2012, completing end of 2014. Upon completion, the project seeks LEED Certification Silver designation, the first such structure in Coconut Grove.

“Grove at Grand Bay’s impressive aesthetic and unparalleled service are tantamount to the evolution of Coconut Grove and raises the bar to Olympic heights,” Pedro Martin, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Terra Group.

Rising 20 stories over the bay-front, Grove at Grand Bay will showcase 96 expansive residences with panoramic views from every angle as the two towers take off from the ground and clear the surrounding buildings, readjusting their orientation to capture the full breadth of panoramic views from sailboat bays and the marina to the Miami skyline. The interactive movement of the two towers creates a new dancing silhouette on the Grove’s skyline. Read the rest of this entry »

An innovative outdoor sculpture at Washington University School of Architecture: This is a class project with mixed media (plywood and plastic), under the direction of Joe MacDonald of Urban A&O. It is an organic shape of concave shapes that play with light and shadows.

Designed, fabricated and assembled by Zephyr Anthony, Andrew Davis, Kyle Fant, Xiaoshuang Hu, Allyson Justmann, Andrew McCready, Kelly Peoples, Xiaofei Ren, Bo Sheng, Jordan Smith, Benjamin Stephenson, Duo Yu, Thomas Watkins.

This research and design studio focused on parametric explorations or reticulation: division, marking, and assembly with the intention of forming programmatic and structural networks. They were seeking creative architectural solutions based on material properties, formal geometry and the spatial implications of a full scale installation. Students worked as a team when they approached the fabrication component of the studio. Read the rest of this entry »

Best in Category - Professional Digital/Mixed: Robert Gilson, RG_CC

The 2012 KRob competition has announced six winners, three jury citations, and twenty finalists. Now in its 38th year, the annual Ken Roberts Memorial Delineation Competition is the longest running architectural drawing competition anywhere in the world. The 2012 jury was comprised of Jeff Mottle, Founder of CGarchitect Digital Media Corporation; Carlo Aiello, Editor-in-Chief & Creative Director at eVolo Magazine; and Michael Malone, AIA, Founder of Michael Malone Architects.

Best in Category - Physical Submission: Chris Cornelius, STUDIO:INDIGENOUS

Best in Category - Professional Hand: Gary Schuberth, AIA, ASAI, NCARB, LEED AP

Best in Category - Travel Sketch: Stephanie Bower, STEPHANIE BOWER, ARCHITECTURAL ILLUSTRATION

Best in Category - Student Hand: Andres Jaime, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

Best in Category - Student Digital/Mixed: Ross Jordan, MEng, UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD

Juror Citation: Anna Boldina, DIP Arch, MArch UD

Juror Citation: Maj PLEMENITAS, MAJ PLEMENITAS - LINKSCALE

Juror Citation: Michael Cincala, VIRGINIA TECH

Libraries are increasingly the places in which culture is produced, collected and disseminated. The Ambient Exchange designed by Synthetiques & minus Architecture studio {MAS} promotes a culture of collaboration, creative inquiry and community engagement through provision of functional and exuberant spaces that engage the strong social and craft-oriented traditions of the Finnish built environment.

The Ambient Exchange engages a vital site, including the broader city, by placing its cultural and shared amenities at the level of the park and the street. The building is treated as an extension of the site topography, pulling people up into the spaces that encourage interaction and collaboration among the various users. Views of the Parliament and cultural amenities of the city drive the library’s formal, programmatic and functional organization. Read the rest of this entry »

The project of the new Sofia pavilion designed by Riccardo Giovanetti for Sofia Interior Doors arises from the idea of exploiting a range of industrial products, completely altering their original intended use and turning them into structural elements of a vast architectural space. In the specific instance, this concerns a series of tiles made from recycled plastic; these eco-slabs, originally meant for gardens and green areas, has been used as tesserae to cover a big volume of sharp and rigorous shapes.

The final result is a neo organic architecture characterized from a peculiar transparency, in which the relation between the internal and the external surfaces is very close. At the same time the pavilion presents itself as a space with a very rich and articulated image in which depth, textures and the casual pattern of the structural elements are highlighted. The pavilion has been developed through a sequence of three distinct areas: a wide exhibition room at the entrance, intended to the exposition of the company’s doors, then a lounge area delimited by a big white wall and at last, a technical area, at the back. Read the rest of this entry »

Time Tension Wood is a construction system design by Taylor Gilbert based on a technique used by the Native American Indians for making bows. By applying consistent tension to freshly cut wood, the wood will slowly and gradually bend as it dries. Once the wood is dry after 3-5 months, the structure is permanent, and the ropes can be removed.

The system consists of brass brackets and ropes with a simple tension mechanism that are used to easily connect and manipulate freshly cut wooden poles. These components can be used to make a variety of objects and structures from a coat rack and tabletop supports to space dividers and small-scale architecture. Since this method relies on the natural properties of the wood in a slow process, there is no need for steam, heat, or any special equipment. Almost any kind of wood can be used, so the majority of the material can be sourced locally. Read the rest of this entry »