The war-torn city of Amiens, France faced the same difficult task presented to many European cities in the aftermath of World War II: find places to house the city’s urban population displaced by mortar shells and bombs. The result was an odd mix, say emerging architects Sylvian Hilaire and Pierre Loeulof Lyon, France, of high-density buildings sprawled from one another across the city, with vacuous voids in between.

As time progressed to modern day and the mid-sized city in northern France recovered, the housing trend turned to that of individual homes. If Amiens was to be suburbanized, the citizens at least wanted a low-density lifestyle to go with it – provided, of course, that shopping amenities were still nearby.

Seeking to combat the resulting “inconsistent urban spread,” and retain a sense of community, the architects have responded to Amiens’ situation by designing a 74-floor tall skyscraper that serves to refocus the city around one center, which is the building itself. By serving as the culminating point in a route that includes the city’s most important stops – the cathedral, the citadel, the college – the tower city is located right before the cut-off barrier of the highway, meaning it is connected to the rest of Amiens, and still within its boundaries. Read the rest of this entry »

Zaha Hadid Architects unveiled a fascinating hotel and retail centre in Italy to be completed in 2014. Jesolo is one of Italy’s most established seaside resorts and the design of Jesolo Magica makes full advantage of its location near the Venice Lagoon. The project aims to be the catalyst for reinvention and regeneration – giving the of the town of Jesolo an excellent opportunity to further develop as a conference and holiday destination. The design creates a continuum of fluid space that instigates a renewed sense of possibility. The disparate elements of the Jesolo Magica complex fit together to form a coherent field of buildings, each one separate – but logically connected to the next in a continually changing ensemble. The volumes encompassing the retail centre ‘open-up’ around a central space, like the petals of a flower. The hotel building forms the final ‘petal’, framing the views over the adjacent lagoon. In addition to offices, retail spaces and restaurants, the Jesolo Magica project features a hotel with conference center, spa, nightclub and outdoor spaces for events. Read the rest of this entry »

Egyptian architect Karim Elnabawy unveiled his design for a sustainable power plant in Dubai. His project was designed as part of the Land Art Generator Initiative which goal is to design and construct a series of public art installations that combine avant-garde aesthetics with clean energy generation. Karim’s project takes advantage of the harsh weather conditions in Dubai with a project that harness wind and solar energy through different methods.

The design consists of a large metallic surface with two towers that emerge from it. The intention is to use the sun to heat the air underneath the surface. Hot air will later ascend through the towers (chimneys) while powering wind turbines.  At the same time, the entire surface is covered with photovoltaic panels that will provide enough power for the adjacent neighborhoods.  Another interesting aspect of the design is the filaments that cover the wind exposed façades of the towers. These filaments oscillate with the wind and produce energy in a similar way as tidal waves are used at sea. Read the rest of this entry »

Enter any skyscraper in New York City, and you’ll likely have to provide personal information and have a mug shot taken to even approach the elevator bay – and that’s only if you have an appointment, or permission to be there. This reality disturbs Brooklyn architect Clara Klein: though a proponent and designer of the skyscraper form herself, Klein feels that its very nature is isolating, exclusive, and detrimental to the urban goal of promoting ample public space within a city center.

So how does she propose mitigating the intrinsic displacement of public space and natural resources that comes with building a new structure? Make sure the skyscraper has ample space open for the public, of course. Within her geometrically-patterned cylindrical tower, Klein designed a building with space for typical residences and offices, but she has also interspersed areas for an ice skating rink, a concert venue, a park, a market, and direct access to the Brooklyn Bridge, a pedestrian icon that links Manhattan and Brooklyn, all within the building. And while the residences and offices are permanent, the public spaces within the building have the ability to evolve and change with the season, or public demand. Read the rest of this entry »

The Hive is a vertical city proposal by Hungarian architect Gergeley Gaal. The project consists of a steel exoskeleton where residential and workings “cells” plug-in according to density requirements. Gergeley’s vision includes open areas at different levels for leisure activities. Some of these spaces are organized as a vertical park that includes running tracks, picnic areas, and small “pockets” or sports fields.

The project is designed to be located outside big cities and support its expansion in a sustainable way. Among its green technologies, The Hive is a water treatment plant and reservoir. The façade is covered with solar panels and wind turbines are located between cells. In addition, each residential unit will have an orchard for local produce. Although the project is on conceptual stages, Gergeley plans to offer the design to the Hungarian government to further develop it. Read the rest of this entry »

Vincent Callebaut Architectures in association with Frederic Magnien Architect unveiled their project for a mobilization swimming pool in Royat, France.

Architects’ statement:

In the heart of the water city of Royat and its green mall in the confluence of the Tiretaine and Liaboux rivers, our extension project is a dynamic response to the ambition of Royat city to build a mobilization swimming pool represented by a very attractive and contemporary architecture researched by the patients of spas.

By increasing also the choice of cardio-arterial and rheumatologic cares, our architecture proposes the construction of a “planted wave” that covers the pool hall under its curve. The ecological wave projects thus its curve towards the avenue de Royat such as a new green setting, true urban signal dedicated to the welfare and laid out in the urban Northern façade of the spa site. By meeting the needs of the programme as precisely as possible, our project emphasizes three major themes as detailed below: the urban signal, the welfare of the patients and the high environment quality.

From the avenue de Royat our project expresses thus itself clearly as a strong architectural signal leading the slightly austere line of the mineral façade laid out in bar codes of extensions dating of the sixties to the eighties. Our “green wave” takes into account all the constraints of the site and presents a compact made-to-measure volumetric on stilts of the scratched surrounding frame. Actually, the arched architecture of the pool hall sets up against the bank of the main building, lining up along the firemen lane to the laundry and the workshops located below. Read the rest of this entry »

The Greater Noida Housing Project is a large residential  development, 30 miles southwest of New Delhi. Designed by FXFOWEL Architects the  philosophy of the configuration stresses environmental and social sustainability. The modular prefabricated stacking of units, with shifting floors and open outdoor spaces and voids add a unique textural vertical living environment that lightens the scale of the project. Daylight and air penetrate the complex to create a wealth of outdoor living spaces.

The 22 buildings feature a modulated system stacked between terracotta colored sheer walls that also act a sun blocks. The majority of the planned 1700 residential units have a north-south orientation to maximize solar exposure in the winter months. A number of floors will be left open to allow cooling summer monsoon breezes maintain comfortable living conditions within the elevated living spaces. The voids between floors also contain balconies and public spaces encouraging interactions with the residences. Larger buildings stand up to forty five stories and block winds on the north side of the 47 acre site. A cluster of smaller buildings to the south let winter light penetrate the green belt between the building, creating an overall effect of a small scale city. Units will range from studios to 5 bedrooms. Read the rest of this entry »

Situated between the Golden Mile, a bustling commercial sector, and barrios of impoverished residents, Hato Rey, Puerto Rico is located in an important, and ever-evolving spot. This makes the location ideal, says architecture student Clara Tresgallo Parés, for an innovative skyscraper: because of its visible location en route to Old San Juan, which is visited by large numbers of tourists annually, a creatively designed build would be admired by countless people passing through.

As the first true skyscraper in Puerto Rico, Parés seeks to design a structure that will inspire her countrymen, and that Puerto Ricans can identify with. She does this by basing her design on the twisting branches of mangrove trees that sit in a river just ten feet from the building site. The branches of the tree braid together to create an “interlaced net,” and in this way give the tree an incredibly strong base; by giving her skyscraper the same strong foundation, the building can reach high and house apartments, businesses, public spaces and even a hotel within. Also like branches, the skyscraper whole is actually a composite of many; the building is really four separate towers that twist together. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s like the largest, most attractive Brita pitcher ever created – and you could live in it.

By placing their skyscraper directly in the Mapocho River, which flows directly through Santiago, the capital of Chile, five architecture students from the Universidad de Chile have designed a modern, honeycomb-like structure that not only provides space for housing and commercial endeavors, but filters the water as it flows through its lower levels.

The dirty river’s pollution manifests problems throughout the capital city, the students say. So as the murky river reaches their skyscraper, networks of microscopic filaments clean the water; the structure continues horizontally to create a giant “L,” with polygonal forms to hold vegetation so that the area acts as a lagoon. This manmade wetland completes the processes of decanting and phytoremediation, cleansing the river and city simultaneously. To celebrate the restored environment, a large city park is then planned for the banks of the purified Mapocho River. Read the rest of this entry »

Czech architect Jiri Richter recently unveiled his proposal for a self-sufficient vertical city to be located in pristine landscapes. Richter’s project investigates the possibility of creating a building that will support an entire community without a nation’s help. The structure is designed as two 150-meter tall arches with hanging floors. The central core is an open space aligned to wind currents where two wind turbines, along with photovoltaic cells will generate the required energy for the community.

The program is distributed throughout the building with crops fields in the higher levels in direct contact with sunlight while residences, educational, cultural, and recreational areas will occupy the lower floors. An interesting aspect of the proposal is the retractable canopy between the two arches that will allow airflow during hot summer days and be closed in winter. Read the rest of this entry »