As an architectural problematic, the pursuit of this project by Fernando Herrera is to de-compose things/ objects legible to the organization of human meaning or program in the many-folded relations that cause objects to index and constitute vast economies of material formation, and which in turn allows them to emerge as tangible, concrete wordly facts.  Read the rest of this entry »

How can architecture represent the essence of law today, in a world focusing on decentralization and proximity? OMA’s project for the new Parisian Courthouse is a unitary building where the program is organized into three clearly identified parts: Civil, Criminal and Offices.

By inserting the tower (offices) in between the Criminal and Civil public spaces (courtrooms), OMA first optimizes the flow between different parts of the program (the tower is linked to the courtrooms with a hypercore system) while also giving a reason for height in the Parisian skyline. The emerging building, visible in the metropolitan landscape, is balanced and stable. The tower is about impartiality, discretion and the sublime. Read the rest of this entry »

The installation is a composition of three biomimetic pieces created for the Milan Design Week 2012. This project, designed by Zaha Hadid, is located in Milan’s Brera neighborhood, in the garden between the Academia Art Museum and historical roman houses. Together with Paola Navone’s installation, Hadid’s piece constitutes the ambiental whole named The Secret Garden.

“The composition of each of the three showcased works is derived from the intricate beauty of organizational systems in the natural world. These fascinating scenarios are established when energy is applied to geology–developing a geometric set of repeated growth and erosion cycles.

Each piece, immaculately crafted in marble by Citco, invites further investigation; revealing formal complexity, repetition and textures that celebrate the detailed process and fluidity of natural systems – a persuasive manifesto of nature’s unrivalled logic and unity; a journey of discovery into the forces of their creation.

The exacting arrangements, structural integrity and precision of these natural systems inform a rich architectural language with the inherent capacity for complex programming. Read the rest of this entry »

This is an innovative Tennis complex designed by Matija Djedovic M.Arch.  “Tennis complex Varna” is situated in Bulgaria, on the  island in the central part of town Varna called “Ostrovo”. The project aims to be landmark for new impulses to urban development in Varna.

The idea is to create a visual link between the City of Varna and the observed locations. So the morphology of Varna transferred  in three steps  to the field configuration. When you’re approaching the Tennis complex, your attention is attracted by the amorphous shaped, modern Central stadium that is in harmony with environment, on one side, and on the other side Stadium 1 which is dig  in the hill so it wouldn`t change the shape of terrain.

The complex is divided into five zones: auxiliary fields, Central stadium, Stadium 1, the central public space between the two stadiums and parking located under ground (1 000 vehicles).  The capacity of the Tennis complex is about 14000 seats and area of the complex is 117429 m2.

Membrane of the Central stadium is seen as a new architectural element, which contributes to the creation of the aesthetic richness of the project. The final treatment of membrane is perforated sheet.  In the structure of the building where exist indoor and outdoor spaces, heated and unheated spaces…. holes cane be treated in three ways (1.unheated spaces – no filling; 2.heated air spaces – ETFE foil; 3.heated dark spaces that do not require light – PVC membrane). The use of this materials unfluence on the depth on texture of the facade, shaped facade and effect on her aesthetic qualities. This element increases the interest and enjoyment in the building, improving its usability and positive impact on visitors. Read the rest of this entry »

Your Sound Galaxy, is a new combination geometric installation light fixture by Danish-Islandic artist Olafur Eliasson that focuses on a user-based interaction between compound geometric forms. Your Sound Galaxy consists of twenty-seven polyhedra suspended from the ceiling and arranged in two horizontal, concentric rings. The polyhedra are further arranged in an ascending clockwise sequence, increasing in the number of faces per polyhedron as the sequence advances. These concentric circles are organized into nine ‘families.’ ‘families’ consist of three polyhedra each, which are organized within the circles like slices of a pie, where the two outer ‘dual polyhedra’ and one inner polyhedron make up one ‘family.’ The ‘dual polyhedra’ relate to each other in that the number of vertices on one match the number of faces on the other; the inner polyhedron is a physical combination of the two. Read the rest of this entry »

Located in central China, Zhengzhou is experiencing rapid re-development. Part of a broad scale master plan labeled “The Rise of Central China”; Zhengzhou is implementing a two part initiative: ecological and infrastructural development. Ecological development prioritizes the surrounding natural resources; forest park, scenic areas, wetlands/reserves, rivers/lakes & urban green space. Infrastructural development addresses an emerging market identified as “Logistics Industry”. Zhengzhou is to serve as an integrated hub for the import/export of goods and mass transportation which connects the east and the west. The project site is located in the historic city center which is the primary shopping district just north of the main train station and just south of the People’s Park (a large public park). The Erqi Monument resides to the south west corner of the site and is the primary tourist attraction in Zhengzhou. The monument is a 27 floor double pagoda dedicated to a worker strike that occurred February 7, 1923. Read the rest of this entry »

The Blue Planet will be Northern Europe’s largest and most modern aquarium. Architecturally, the aquarium is shaped like a whirlpool, giving associations to eddies of fish, birds and sea currents. The building site is in Copenhagen, at the island of Amager, right at the coast of Øresund, north of Kastrup Havn, close to the Copenhagen Airport, and viewed from a plane the whirlpool shape  will be shown in full. Approaching on the ground, one will experience the building as floating in a circular reflection pool, and a walk through its interior is a travel through several organic worlds. The solution also takes into account that the aquarium can later be expanded. The building’s gross area is 9,000 m2 plus outdoor facilities of 2,000 m2 plus parking. Read the rest of this entry »

Could emergent settlement tendencies as seen in slums of the third world become more than a problem; a new way of living and an example to learn from?

Favela Cloud is a conceptual proposal for a future development of favela Santa Marta, a vision for a new way of building inhabitable structures in the area. The design proposes an alternative way of developing the build environment, drawing on the social and organizational qualities of the favela itself. Based on the self-organization logic, the proposal exhibits an additive system that can grow and adapt to its site conditions, hovering above buildings and vegetation to utilize the existing paths and openings of the site.

Inspired by the cobogó brick, widely used in a Brazilian context, the cloud is designed to act as an urban cobogó shading the open spaces inside the cloud as well as the public plaza underneath. Read the rest of this entry »

HouseSwarming is a site-specific installation designed by Didier Hess, for the Art Center College of Design, California. It was specially commissioned for the “Open House” exhibition, designed and produced by Ubersee. The project uses sensor-node technology that transforms it from a lighting source into an environment-sensing device. It is a responsive structure that mimics biological systems and natural patterns. Read the rest of this entry »

The three frontages of the Wintergarden Shopping Center in Brisbane have acquired a new look. Designed by Studio 505, the project for the new facades was conceived as a combination of commercial entertainment and architecturally engaging detailing. The abstract geometry of the screens is achieved by overlapping layers of different patterns, resulting in a radically experiential composition that communicates the rich diversity of city life. Read the rest of this entry »