An undulating canopy was designed by LAVA Architects, for the invited Astana Railway Station Competition. Located at the crossroads of the city’s main routes, at the point where the railway, the highway and the metro intersect, the station has the potential to develop into a huge transport hub. The project acts as a gateway to the Kazakhstan capital.

Description from the architects:

Astana sits astride one of the ancient silk roads and is both a critical junction and stop within the European-Asian landmass and its vast rail networks. Astana’s International Railway Station is thus a place for special meeting and greeting.

As we enter the low-carbon age, central stations will be the green cathedrals of the future, cathedrals of movement, light and space. They are the critical point of arrival to a city, and represent a place of welcome, greeting and even celebration of society, of space. They reflect technological advancement, and transport/movement at all scales, from international to local. Read the rest of this entry »

In attempt to cut down on Chicago’s CO2 emissions produced from cars in the Eisenhower Expressway, Danny Mui & Benjamin Sahagun propose the splitting of the Congress Gateway Towers, using a system of carbon scrubbers and filtration devices that clean carbon dioxide and other air pollutants. Aimed to increase public awareness and improve of Chicago’s public health, the CO2ngress Gateway Towers absorb the CO2 emissions from passing cars and is then fed to algae grown in the building. The algae then helps with the processing of biofuels which will supply the building residents’ eco-friendly cars. Read the rest of this entry »

Exhibited at the Milan Salone Satellite in April 2009, the Shadow Chair plays with the viewer’s perception. The chair design tricks the eye by appearing to stand on just two front legs. Seemingly, the chair defies gravity. On closer inspection, the Shadow Chair features a flat piece of plate steel that, colored black, appears to be a shadow beneath the actual seating structure. These permanent, unwavering shadows act not only as a visual peculiarity, but an integral part of the cantilevered support structure. Read the rest of this entry »

“The project aims to answer the question ‘What if architecture responded to our presence?’ This project is a realization of our ultimate ambition, which is to design spaces and objects that expand upon our understanding of the built realm without abandoning its history. Soon, just as we can sense a space as calm, contemplative or frenetic … space itself will be able to sense our presence and react accordingly.”

Brooklyn based The Principals, along with twenty students from the Art Institute of New York designed and constructed a reactive architectural environment that opened to the public during New York Design Week in May, 2012. The unique system of sensor-controlled motors developed by The Proncipals was constructed using over 3 000 pieces that created an 8ft x 16ft x 12ft tall interactive structure, capable of responding to the presence of a visitor. The prototype installation combines technology, sensors, micro controlles and motors, with traditional craft in the form of quilt making. Read the rest of this entry »

The Architects’ Association of the State of Veracruz, Mexico launched an open architectural design competition for its headquarters to be located in the city of Cordoba. The mission of the Architect’s Association in Mexico is to promote the architectural profession developed within the highest standards of legal, moral, and responsible practice while promoting professional development, public outreach, design excellence and appreciation of the influence of architecture in shaping the city.

The project challenges involved not only a highly irregular site, but also a limited construction budget. The competition objectives looked for design proposals responding to open, flexible and rational schemes with strong dialogue with the urban structure and site. The architectural program involved a multipurpose space, stockroom, service area, office, workstations, meeting room and parking garage, among others. Read the rest of this entry »

Experiments in Motion is a research initiative conducted by the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP), in collaboration with Audi of America and LowLine. The aim of the initiative is to explore new forms of urban motion and new spaces for mobility, with special emphasis on New York City.

Students from the program have spent the summer researching all transportation systems in New York City, exposing the potential of underground spaces. Three studios have researched different aspects of movement in contemporary cities: Paradigms in Motion, Design in Motion and Participation in Motion. A fifty foot floating model of Manhattan made from aluminium displays Manhattan’s road infrastructure, while the plexiglass below presents a never before seen view of the architectural volumes of every subway station on the island. A network of subways, tunnels, bike lanes and bridges are presented as flows of movement, revealing a new reality of the city life – it exposes the city as an interconnected system for mobility. Read the rest of this entry »

We are pleased to read Archdaily’s review about eVolo 04: Re-Imaginning the Contemporary Museum, Exhibition, and Performance Space. This issue explores the most innovative examples of performance and exhibition architecture today. These are projects that revolutionize architecture on many levels, including sustainability, aesthetics, technology, and urban design. It is interesting to point out that these works are not concentrated in one specific region, but are located in every corner of the globe; from MVRDV’s Comic and Animation Museum in China, to the new Broad Museum in Los Angeles by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, or Kengo Kuma’s Victoria and Albert Museum in Dundee, Scotland. Read the rest of this entry »

The second prize winning proposal for the Tehran Stock Exchange, designed by Hadi Teherani Office + Design Core [4S], is a two-part structure enveloped with a double-skin façade that has a lacey appearance of the traditional Iranian architecture. The 66-meter high building is based on the historic Iranian “wind-catcher” structures that act as natural cooling systems. Read the rest of this entry »

The Bowoos temporary pavilion is a bionic inspired wooden structure that references the material-efficient construction methods found in nature. The collaborative project was created by architecture students at Saarland University in Saarbrücken, Germany. It is influenced by biomimetics, specifically drawing inspiration from the shells of marine plankton. Read the rest of this entry »

Designed by KAW Architecten&Adviseurs, Veilige Veste is a safe house for victims of human trafficking and child prostitution. The three-storey building, first constructed as a police station in the 1970s, provides home for 48 girls that have suffered as victims of prostitution or abuse. Veilige Veste is the first major renovation in North Netherlands that implements Passivhaus principles. The building uses very little energy with optimum insulation and draft proofing and minimal installations.

The layout of the building is a perfect square with horizontal and vertical grids of 360 cm, which is also the starting point of the design. The facade is covered with diagonally angled, square elements. Beneath the white squares, wooden panels and large windows regularly alternate along the ground floor elevations. The building stands on a raised plinth, creating a fortress-like appearance. Although providing an intimate and sheltered atmosphere for the residents, the building engages in interaction with its surrounding. Read the rest of this entry »