Kalyan Chakraborty, an architecture graduate student at Kansas State University, has designed a “flexible” skyscraper complex for the dense urban center of Kolkata, which is a city in the West Bengal state of India. With the population multiplying rapidly, and pushing a sum of 15 million, the traditionally low-rise city needs to find solutions that can house the new influx of people. This needs to be done, Chakraborty says, in a manner starkly different than the current trend of suburban sprawl, as the town’s overspill is quickly encroaching on an ecologically vital wetland region outside of the city.

To help bring this change, Chakraborty has designed a massive tower complex that can house an impressive number of people – 4,000 in over 1,000 individual units – and serve as a commercial workplace for over 1,600 people as well. Chakraborty has taken pains to make the building sustainable, however, since it would be senseless to build a skyscraper to avoid harming wetlands if that building uses the typically wasteful amount of materials to build, and guzzles energy. Thus, the building’s design is sustainable in that it produces its own energy, food, water, and even consumes its own waste. Read the rest of this entry »

The Floating  Observatories proposal by Dorin Stefan’s DSBA, Mihai Carciun, and upgrade.studio wins the Taiwan Tower Conceptual International Competition

“Starting from the ‘geographical’ visual of Taiwan ‐ which is an island resembling a leaf ‐ we have developed the concept of the technological tree: we have designed 8 spatial leaves (with eight being a propitious number in the local culture) in the form of zeppelin‐like elevators which glide up and down the ‘tree trunk” and which serve the purpose of observation decks / belvedere. I have called these elevators floating observatories because each has a nacelle which can take 50 to 80 people; they are self‐sustained by helium balloons and are built from lightweight materials (borrowed from the spacecraft industry) and are wrapped in a last‐generation type of membrane (PTFE) and they glide vertically on a track positioned vertically in a strong electro‐magnetic field” ‐ Dorin STEFAN, Principal, DSBA

The tower layers underground and ground level spaces as well as in its vertical reach, the functions required by the conceptual theme: information center, museum, office and conference space, restaurants, fixed observation desks. Apart from the fact that we aim to design a tower whose silhouetted out of line echoes the local symbolism and has great impact in terms of visual identity, our solution is at the same time a model of green architecture: minimum footprint at land level; maximum green area surface; all circulations are vertically integrated (main and secondary functions for both services and tourists). The “chimney” effect is used for the natural ventilation of various functional areas. The office and services areas in the tower have a 360° orientation, which offers the possibility to minimize the green‐house effect through the use of cross‐ventilation. The electrical energy is produced by: a system of axial turbines located along the vertical central core, an adjustable photovoltaic panels on the whole height of the tower. The lighting of the basement areas and of the museum spaces under the sandwich slab (structure‐plants earth‐pedestrian traffic) is done through a fiber optics dome system. Heating of the floating observatories are done through an electromagnetic field using the electrical power created by the new generation membrane which wraps the helium tanks and captures through photovoltaic transmission. The rain water is collected from all platforms into a tank situated in the basement. Read the rest of this entry »

The lack of ample natural settings in Seoul, Korea’s urban core isn’t just an aesthetic misstep: it’s one, five architecture graduate students from Seoul argue, that has cost many their lives.

The students, Ham Seung Pyo, Lee Doo Nam, Jeong Dae Kyo, Ngo Pham Thu Trang and Nguyen Thanh Vinh are concerned with the high rate of suicide amongst the elderly population in bustling Seoul, and cite the lack of safe access to pleasant rural scenery outside of the city as a contributing factor to the disturbing trend. They seek, then, to bring nature and relaxation the older populations stuck inside the city, by creating an opening, inviting green space for everyone to enjoy. They have designed a Seoul skyscraper that is solely devoted to nature and recreation.

To fit so much green space in a packed city is a difficult task, so the group proposes orienting it vertically. The building will be the same size as Yeouido Park, one of the city’s most popular and central open urban spaces, but that total mass will be achieved by chopping up the size of the park into 60 segments and then stacking them into skyscraper form.

To further connect the building with nature and relieve the stereotype of skyscrapers as cold, metal masses, the building’s color scheme will change and blend with the changing seasons. Technically, the building is designed to support green life through “light pipes” that can direct sunlight from the outside to the middle of the building. Rainwater is recycled to feed the greenery, and the air is naturally purified through the ample vegetation.

With their proposal, the students hope to take Seoul’s skyscraper future from a means to boast wealth to a form that can benefit all segments of the population, including those who need the access to nature most. Read the rest of this entry »

Belo Horizonte, Brazil architect Tiago Viegas has designed a skyscraper for his city, which is the third largest city in Brazil with a metro area population of 5.4 million, that will serve as a hotel, a commercial center and a public park.

The city is set to boom both residentially and commercially when the World Cup is hosted there in 2014, and Viegas seeks to design a building that is “fluid and permeable,” and that will allow public use of typically private areas. For example, he proposes allowing a street to run though the building’s base, and allowing public access to the building’s roof.

The building is ideally located on an empty lot surrounded by the region’s major train and light rail station, the Arrudas River, and the city’s Museum of Arts and Crafts.

The building’s design is an open stacking of units, with access to units only available on every third floor. Keeping access at a minimum has two distinct advantages, says Viegas: less materials are needed in the construction of the building, and also, wind will be able to pass through the open areas, bringing better air circulation for the building. The improved wind circulation also positively affects the city, he says, as tall buildings block the natural wind patterns on the landscape. Read the rest of this entry »

Unlike many newly proposed green skyscrapers, where sod and trees are planted level by level, a new living tower designed by three Parisian architects for their metropolis has a snaking column of dirt that rises through the tower, meaning the building’s connection to the earth is never lost.

Luis Fernandes, Cyrille Lallement and Brice Doltaire have designed the “Earth Tank Tower” to boldly bring nature back to Paris’ city streets. Citing the past innovation of bringing landscaped boulevards to the city in the 19^th century as past precedent, the architects create startling images by placing their modern living Tower within the city’s historic fabric.

The Earth Tank Tower is a concrete shell filled with dirt, allowing the placement of trees and vegetation at any desired point. Almost like a tree with branches, the building grows vegetation from its core, or trunk. Though the main point of the building is to house and grow greenery, five residences can be positioned within the curves of the tower to add the additional use of living space. The apartments are linked to the building’s ample green space through outdoor staircases. Read the rest of this entry »

Kazakhstan based architect and artist Saken Narynov re-imagines earth, the most ancient of building materials, as a modern multistory complex serving multiple families in a high density, low impact fashion. Adobe construction has been a common place construction method in Asia for at least 6 thousand years. Its ongoing prevalence due to its low cost, energy performance and relative low skill set to work with makes it a unique building material for housing.

A proposed ten story lattice performs as a base for organic building to be constructed in using adobe and cob construction techniques.  The frame supports add necessary rigidity for moderate earthquake protection. The roof holds a solar array for localized energy production. The large roof also protects the walls from weather and the dwellings from intense sun. Balconies and roof decks provide outdoor access. Using a basic structural framework relatively unskilled labor can construct midrise housing using locally sourced materials and trades. The reduced energy requirements and indoor air quality of the abode wall will protect the inhabitant’s well being.  Adaptive reuse of the grid infrastructure can accommodate multifamily, small commercial purposes as well as grow in density as population pressures require. Read the rest of this entry »

Life Will Kill You is an installation designed by Molly Hunker and Greg Corso for the Revolve Clothing showroom in West Hollywood. To stand in contrast to the high-fashion clothing of the boutique, an everyday industrial material – the zip tie – is aggregated to create a floating volume that nestles below an existing soffit. The design is intended to explore the edge between aggression and elegance through material sensibility, overall form, and visual effect. The cloud-like volume is created by a double-sided surface composed of over 100,000 zip ties. The exterior surface of the volume is an aggregation of longer, wider white zip ties while the interior is comprised of shorter and finer colored zip ties. The resulting bulging form offers ever-changing glimpses of blurred yet vivid color combinations as the zip ties layer on top of one another in the predominantly black and white store interior. Read the rest of this entry »

Armenian architect Karen Berberyan unveiled the Sphereplex, a skyscraper formed by a cluster of spheres imagined in different sizes and materials depending on program, views, and orientation. The building’s structure is imagined as a series of vertical steel tubes that create an exoskeleton where different pods could be attached depending on occupancy and current needs.

Construction of a tall building maximizes the use of its footprint to best address the demand for space in certain areas of a modern city. Tall buildings also have major symbolic, aesthetic, and often political significance. Few companies can afford the luxury of being the sole tenant of a “skyscraper”; most have to share the building with other companies and organizations. A construction project with an uncommon design is hereby suggested, which abandons the traditional contiguity of the habitable space by distributing isolated modules of different size and functionality along the vertical dimension. Multiple tenants are sharing the complex while still occupying their essentially separate multi-level units. While enjoying the benefits of being a sole tenant, such as improved security and public visibility, the companies are part of a high-visibility landmark, which can be easily identified as a cluster of planets or a giant fruit-bearing tree. No specific location for the construction is mentioned in the project since it has the potential to be built in any business center of the world. Read the rest of this entry »

The Taiwan Tower is a proposal by Vienna-based architect Steven Ma in Collaboration with San Liu, Xinyu Wan, and Emre Icdem. This highly innovative project consists of a set of super slim twin towers that reach a height of 350 meters where an observatory and sky-park is located. The plinth of the towers is formed by an intricate set of museums that will exhibit Taiwan’s past, present, and future. Each of the three museums configures itself around recreational areas that include a water plaza, an outdoor theatre, a green house, and an event plaza. Another interesting feature is the location of four different types of hanging gardens along the towers’ structure with high-end residences and an aviary for endangered bird species. Among the sustainable features, the Taiwan Tower is equipped with water recycling plants, wind turbines, and a beautiful set of photovoltaic cells placed along the sky-garden and on top of the museums’ undulating surfaces. Read the rest of this entry »

[Artspace] at Untitled, a contemporary arts center located at 1 NE 3rd Street in downtown Oklahoma City is organizing the 2010 Creativity World Biennale to be presented November 17, 2010 – January 8, 2011 in Untitled’s galleries and extending into venues throughout the historic Automobile Alley district along Broadway. The international invitational exhibit is being planned to coincide with Creative Oklahoma’s hosting of the 2010 Creativity World Forum November 15 – 17, 2010 in Oklahoma City.

Modeled after the long-running Venice Biennale, held every two years in Italy, the exhibition will focus on the visual arts and has as its theme, New Processes, New Approaches, New Art. It will include the work of artists selected to represent each of seven different Districts of Creativity worldwide: Catalonia (Spain), Denmark, Germany, Flanders (Belgium), Oklahoma (US), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Scotland (UK). The artists representing each District are pioneers in new media. In defining the theme for the Biennale, Jon Burris, director of [Artspace] at Untitled and the Biennale stated, “The theme is based on the idea that as new technologies are developing around the world, so too are new processes of creating art involving new media and new materials. Artists world-wide are embracing new methods of producing art as a result of these new technologies and it is the goal of this Biennale to introduce new aesthetic approaches that have developed as a result.” Read the rest of this entry »