This year’s Pratt Institute Graduate Architecture & Urban exhibition is showing the result of student work in a course taught by Michael Szivos, SoftLab principal. The work is grouped into clusters, based on the type of project, location, how it was conceived and the semester the work was produced in. The projects from Spring to Fall 20112 we arranged in a three dimensional grid – a large scale installation conceived in Robet H. Siegel gallery with the aim to explore digital fabrication methods while exhibiting their work.

Each project generated a cell, fitting into the grid which was dynamically adjusted into clusters. The whole concept provided a cloud like structure that seamed naturally grown rather than artificially conceived and strictly organized. The underside of the structure was clad with color coded images of the work and it created a landscape of images, explored by visitors like one is exploring the cave. Very porous structure appeared continuous and solid when looked from down under. The porosity allowed the artificial light to actually overcome the barrier and to enter the gallery. Read the rest of this entry »

Architects Łukasz Wawrzeńczyk, Frisly Colop Morales, Jason Easter, and Adrian Yau understand that the cultural importance of the public library lies within the inherent power of the knowledge which it holds. This knowledge can be a significant life-altering force for the patrons of the library and furthermore within the larger community which it serves. The methods by which this information is contained and transmitted are continually evolving, yet the correlation between access to such information and issues such as upward social mobility and increased life opportunity are evident. Read the rest of this entry »

“R+D Reaction & Diffusion” was presented at the 13th International Architecture Exhibition at the Slovenian Pavilion by ro[BO]tech team comprised of Giulia Bottura, Ilaria Fiorini, Pier Luigi Forte, and Lorenzo Natali. The current society researches a user’s interconnection even more globally and immediate. This is considerably influenced by economy: Kevin Kelly in 1998 essay “New Rules for the New Economy” introduced the concept of network economy in which each operator is connected with others. Information as the glue for connections needs to express and spatially define itself and architecture must consider this need. Read the rest of this entry »

Designed by Adrian Smith & Gordan Gill Architecture, Dancing Dragons is a pair of mixed-use towers, a new architecture landmark in the sky of , South Korea. It is a playful development, whose sharply angled mini-towers cantilever around the central core. Regarding the aesthetics, the architects aimed to find a compromise between two extremes – the contemporary language and the traditional Korean culture.

Yongsan, the name of the international business district, means “Dragon Hill” in Korean and the building’s skin further suggests the scales of fish and Korean mythical creatures – the dragons. The skin of these towers is active – it gaps between its overlapping panels just enough that the air can circulate making the façade breathable.

The two towers, 1 and 2, around 450 and 390 meters tall, are similar but not identical. In the tower 1, the massing cuts at the top and bottom of the mini-towers are V-shaped while in the other, 77 story one, the cuts move diagonally in a single line, arranged in a radial pattern around the core, visible as the visitors move around the tower. The “mini-tower” cuts are clad in glass, enabling dramatic skylights effects above the units and transparent floor beneath, which provides the opportunity for high-end, luxury penthouse duplex units. Read the rest of this entry »

Flinders Street Station Design Competition has been burning topic in architectural circles these days. The site of Station is in the very center of Melbourne and is sandwiched between the Central Business District and the bank of Yarra River. The building of the existing station separates the city from the railway and from the river. Herzog & De Meuron’s proposal tries to keep the very specific linear use of this site, considering it a strong marker and urban element, while providing the architectural solution that would improve this very important location through public access and use of the entire site.  Various connections across the site and diverse public functions are only the part of the proposal.

In the words of the architects, the proposal for Flinders Street Station offers new civic destination with a distinct architectural identity, offering a holistic experience on many levels and times of the day and forming an urban linchpin in the heart of the city of Melbourne. Rather than simply creating an iconic gesture, the architects at Herzog & De Meuron decided to revive the originally planned roof for the existing building, and by tracing the arches and vaults the key element of their design was defined. It works as a passé-partout, due to the framing of the existing building. Read the rest of this entry »

The stadium is the symbol of vitality. It is a place where you can stay before and after the event. The viewer is not only the host of the tadium, but also within an inhabited neighborhood of shopping, cinema, restaurants, hotels, housing, sports facilities, gardens and public places. All of these transform the stadium from a monument into a more familiar place, which provides its visitors with an increased freedom of social interaction.  Read the rest of this entry »

KK100, designed by TFP Farrells for Shenzhen, China, is an innovative project, located on a 3.6-hectare site, which previously housed the old dwellings of Caiwuwei Village, an area known for its bad environment, insufficient transportation infrastructure, and degraded buildings. The developer took the initiative to form a company with the villagers (a Joint Development Initiative), for a new model for the district that would benefit everyone. The existing buildings were mainly run-down housing with inadequate living conditions.

This 100-story and over 440 meters high tower is one part of the master plan for a 417,000m2 mixed-use development which includes five residential and two commercial buildings. The tower is horizontally divided into different uses – levels from 4 to 72 houses 173,000m2 of Grade- A office space while the uppermost levels from 75 to 100 are occupied by a 35,000m2 St. Regis Hotel complete with a cathedral-like glazed sky-garden. Due to the curved and smooth roof surface, the generators were not put on top of the building. Read the rest of this entry »

A new pavilion, covered in galvanized steel plates, is constructed on a sloping lawn on the temporary Dover Campus of Singapore University of Technology and Design. Designed by City Form Lab in collaboration with ARUP, the shell pavilion is accommodating three mature trees and forming a buffer, a noise barrier toward the Expressway in the north. The outdoor space behind the existing library building is therefore activated. In daytime, the structure of the pavilion offers shaded open-air place to work, mingle or relax. During the night, the place becomes the spot for informal gatherings, event lectures and community events.

The free-shaped temporary structure is a third space, between the classrooms and the dormitory, and the main place for spontaneous intellectual and social exchange. Due to its design and chosen structural principle – a catenary structure, the pavilion uses little material in order to achieve necessary spans while the canopy forms a lightweight timber shell, free of columns, beams and vertical walls. The double curvature of the form, which follows the lines of the compressed thrust, is enabled by hanging-chain model.

In order to execute the pavilion in precise manner, the computational design and computer fabrication was used – complex three-dimensional form is achieved with readily available materials and the cost is reduced to minimal. Read the rest of this entry »