Despite unique identities, geographic spread and differing economies, cities all over the world are being challenged by the same mega trends. With more than 60% of the world population predicted to live in cities by 2030 we are asked to develop sustainable strategies for the future. There is no doubt that the density of cities will increase and therefor the cities fabric will grow vertically. But with reaching a certain height, towers are facing problems:

Height is isolating: towers are monuments elevating the cities population form its urban grid. At the height of towers, ones experience becomes isolated from the public and urban conditions.

Height is dangerous: exiting a highrise in case of an emergency (natural or manmade catastrophes for instance) is facing serious difficulties.

Height is insufficient: when it comes to getting down by elevator 50+ floors for an hour-long lunchbreak and going the same way back later on, towers get inefficient with a certain height.

The NY-BILLBOARD

The proposal designed by Prechteck seeks for a way to add a new horizontal layer to Manhattan. An elevated link between towers, separated from traffic and noise, filled with public functions, bicycle lanes and walkways. The groundarea covered by towers will be given back to the public by integrating its roofs to the grid of linking walkways, elevated gardens and public facilities and, as a unique aspect, it introduces public life into the skyline of Manhattan. NY-BILLBOARD is an accentuation of this new layer on a strategic important site. Read the rest of this entry »

Leah Nichols has designed a “gateway” tower for Abu Dhabi that attempts to both embody and aggravate the idea that architecture is a site for the projection of political power and commercial gain. Taking a cue from the omnipresence of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s image, – which is scattered throughout the region on large-scale, American-style billboards – the project embraces the typology of the billboard in order to meet the programmatic needs of a gateway to Saadiyat Island. The proposal considers how a building is perceived by drivers on the highway and attempts to successfully engage viewers through the articulation of a two-sided surface that communicates the single image of Sheikh Khalifa – acting as a site marker similar to U.S. state welcome signage. Made up of 1400 protruding apertures, the building’s exterior skin translates depth onto a second internal skin read from the opposite side or direction of the highway.  These double skins, along with a glazing wall encased in structural framing, make up the layers of this seemingly superflat form.  The collective layers create an interiorized spatial condition, while the exterior provides visible states of change from multiple directions throughout the day. Therefore, the image typically applied to architecture becomes embedded in the architecture itself. Read the rest of this entry »

At 1,500 rooms, this hotel will be the largest hotel in Beijing. It is located near the Beijing International Airport in the 5th Ring, and will be used to host international conferences. The building is 303 meters long and is intended to become a major landmark, visible to landing aircraft.

The building is organized around three volumetric rings fused together by surfaces draped from the top and bottom. The rings create atriums which are enclosed by ETFE domes, housing a 10,000 m2 interior rainforest as well as the conference center and hotel amenities. Rooms, radiating out along each ring, are oriented both outwards and inwards, creating views out to the city as well as down into the rainforest. The droop of the rings towards the perimeter of the building also allows views outward from the interiors of the rings. Structural bays are flexible and can be broken down into standard, business suite, and presidential types. A sky restaurant is located at the highest level of the building, with views out to the city in all directions.

The enclosure of the building is a double skin system where the outer layer is a weather break and the inner layer is the weatherproof enclosure. This creates a thermal buffer zone as well as the freedom to design a freeform pattern of apertures unrelated to the relentless horizontality of the hotel floor plates. The outer skin is supported by a lightweight cable-net structure which is stabilized by large tension rings affixed at the top and perimeter of the building. Read the rest of this entry »

The dramatic effect of The Pod Exhibition Pavilion betrays the simple forms that it is composed of. A series of ovals stacked horizontally and offset which create a dynamic undulation through the greenscape is a centerpiece for a large urban development in Petaling Jaya, west of Kuala Lumpur.

Studio Nicoletti Associat used the water drop as inspiration for the mixed use office and showroom. The building is divided by a pinched middle and offset sections. The “Pod” is tubular steel wrapped in a white aluminum skin which dramatically changes color under differing lighting conditions. A reflecting pool surrounding the front of the building returns the light and provides connection to the design germ. The pavilion is to be a central iconic design inspiration for the surrounding project, providing aesthetic context for the entire large development.

The interior is amply day lit with bands of glass between elliptical sections while the offset portion containing offices have more conventional site glazing. Space is visually stretched by the stepped ceiling which provides graduated light through the volume. The surrounding greenscape, pool, and high albedo skin should effectively cool the building. Read the rest of this entry »

SOFTlab produced a hanging installation for the entrance to School Nite, an exhibition of site-specific installations, performances, and discussions. The installation was curated by Nuit Blanche New York as part of Flash:Light 2011 along with the Festival of Ideas for the New City sponsored by the New Museum.

The installation was in the entrance of St. Patrick’s Catholic School at the corner of Prince and Mott Streets in NYC. The form was generated through a gravity driven process and then prepped for production. The surface contains more than 1400 battery powered LEDs. The piece was designed to light up the entrance for the night time event. The main formal expressions of the installation are the hanging pieces that flicker and blow in the wind, with the intention of slowing down traffic through experience and effect rather than typical barriers. Visitors are meant to co-mingle and interact with the piece, not unlike a clown fish and the sea anemone. Read the rest of this entry »

Tham & Videgård Arkitekter is an award winning architectural firm based in Stockholm, Sweden, and directed by co-founders and chief architects Bolle Tham and Martin Videgård. Their Tree hotel is located in the far north of Sweden, near the small village of Harads, close to the Arctic Circle.

A lightweight aluminium structure is hung around a tree trunk and sheltered by the treetops. The  4×4×4 meters glass-cladded box reflects the surroundings and the sky, creating a camouflaged refuge. The interior is all made of plywood and the windows give a 360 degree view of the surroundings. The construction also alludes to how man relates to nature, how we use high tech materials and products when exploring remote places in harsh climates (Gore-tex, Kevlar, composite materials, light weight tents etc.). Read the rest of this entry »

The EQUIP Xavier Claramunt is a multidisciplinary architectural practice founded in Barcelona in 1990. The firm develops proposals which range from cutlery to complex architectural structures, priding itself on working without preconceptions or preformed notions and ideas.

The Sphere building is a hundred stories high tower, with the total area of 1.660.900 square meters. Two spheres, one inside the other, constitute a complete habitable structure, offering programmatically different content. The inner sphere houses a mixed program of offices, green public spaces and cultural facilities. The outer sphere is designed to accommodate housing units, providing views to both inside and the outside environment. Positioned in the space between two structures, large public spaces are shielded from the environmental influences and constantly changing atmospheric conditions. Large ruptures in its body allow natural light to reach the centrally positioned facilities, avoiding the impression of a hermetic, artificial megastructure. Read the rest of this entry »

In an attempt to both reference and reflect the changing landscape of Abu Dhabi, Becky Lam has designed a pneumatic tower to act as a gateway for the Saadiyat Island development that is currently under construction. In designing a skyscraper as a “gateway” for the new development, some of the biggest questions lie in the iconography of the building – what it symbolizes and what it represents. With the site currently devoid of a cohesive urban fabric, the proposal argues that Saadiyat Island lacks a legible architectural identity. Thus, Inflation is a temporary gateway that welcomes visitors to the changing landscape of the island while urban development is still under way. Creating a spectacle, this inflated skyscraper serves as an innovative pneumatic feat, accomplishing its role as a gateway by drawing even more attention to both Saadiyat and Abu Dhabi. Through its changing states of inflation and inherent impermanence, it acts as an icon that acknowledges the fleeting urban identities of today’s cities. Its façade is comprised of static, six-foot diameter pneumatic tubes punctuated with a series of dynamic billows that inflate and deflate based on occupancy. Together with a pillow-like core and a system of pneumatic beams that carry each floor plate, Inflation seeks to challenge the conventions of permanence and architectural hardscapes. Read the rest of this entry »

Abu Dhabi is a car culture. The vast distances between destinations, the extreme heat and sand storms, the quality of the existing public transportation systems, and the current low cost of petrol in the UAE make the automobile the default means of transportation.

Compressive looks at this existing condition and, more specifically, the car as a representation of human beings’ very worst and very best achievement. While the resources consumed to manufacture and operate the car are astounding, the personal freedom the car affords is something that every society should strive for (personal freedom, that is). The car is an integral component of our existing lifestyle, and Compressive reexamines the interaction between person and car at various scales, while also questioning the current understanding of the parking lot as a type of “service space.” By utilizing the car as another form of vertical transportation the building can begin to register occupation by reacting to the weight of cars parked on various floors. By sectionally arranging the main programs of the mixed-use tower, groups of up to 5 floors will actually begin to sag with the weight of cars based on program use at different times throughout the day. The dynamic façade system intensifies this condition by folding out and up when the floors compress, allowing for more ventilation throughout the parking area in order to counteract the greater number of cars. Whatever solar protection is lost by the folding façade is made up for by the new condition of shorter floor-to-floor height of the surrounding parking ramps. Read the rest of this entry »

Mecanoo architecten has been declared winner for the design of the new cultural complex in Shenzhen. The 83,500 square meters of the cultural facilities will comprise a public art museum, science museum, youth center, a bookshop, and a public square and parking. The project is to provide the district with its own landmark and destination and transform the existing Longcheng Park into a lively destination point.

The key consideration for the design was connecting the new structure with the surrounding areas and new residential development. The linearity of the existing urban masterplan created a barrier between the western development area and Longcheng Park, further cutting up the area and contributing to its lack of urban vitality. Longcheng plaza will become a lively square which will further strengthen the quarter’s identity and provide residents and visitors with a much needed sense of place. Read the rest of this entry »