Architect Laurent Saint-Val proposes a new inhabitable bridge for Amsterdam. Fascinating mix of architecture with its 17th century’s canals registered at UNESCO World Heritage, AMSTERDAM, capital of Netherlands is the largest city of the country with a population of nearly 740 000 inhabitants (1.5 million with the periphery) and the most visited one with more than 3.5 million foreign visitors each year. It’s in the 12th century that the Dutch first settled in this marshy and inhospitable region that would become Amsterdam. 500 years later, during the 17th century, Amsterdam became the center of the world’s economy. Today, the Batavian capital is known worldwide for its openness to the rest of the planet, its tolerance and its bustling cultural life. Adventurer’s city, fishermen’s town, city of excess and extremes ; from a huge mansion to the narrowest house, modern architecture is developing between the historic building’s facades, giving a particular outcome and amazement for tourists. Due to the small size of the city, all interesting sites are within in a small area, making the visit even more agreeable. This is probably one of the reason why Amsterdam is so popular amongst poetry and architecture lovers. Wherever you walk in Amsterdam, you will notice that all constructions are made of brick. Never the less, it has not always been so, the houses were originally made of wood. Following the devastating fires of 1421 and 1452, it was forbidden to build with wood. In 1669, wooden construction was completely banned and only two examples are left standing. Undoubtedly, a knowledge and an architecural wealth slumber in the heart of the true Amsterdammers, ready to wake and be materialized in modern projects. It is with a strong motivation and a desire to pay homage to wood that I made the choice to use this modern material, ecological but also traditional and universal throughout centuries ; a material occupying a leading position with its qualities of sustainability, flexibility, adaptation to other materials, efficiency and finaly its esthetics. Wood, a traditional and universal material throughout centuries, has found the past few years a leading place, thanks to ecology. Therefore, every project today and particularly in Amsterdam cannot ignore the use of wood for new structures or ornament. Interior and exterior designs of this bridge are intended descriptive, while highlighting the natural material. Associated with steel and aluminium it gains enormous advantages, since these metals generate extremely light structures, representing a vital aspect regarding the soil’s quality.
Mixed-use Bridge for Amsterdam / Laurent Saint-Val
Santiago Calatrava’s Peace Bridge Opens in Calgary
On Saturday, March 24 2012, The City of Calgary will celebrate the anticipated opening of Santiago Calatrava’s signature Peace Bridge. The red twisting helix shaped pedestrian bridge is unlike any of the renowned architect’s other designs.
Known for his soaring, vertical icons, Calatrava opted to design a low single-span bridge in order to meet geometrical constraints. With a no fly zone enacted above the bridge due to a nearby heliport and the high water and ice levels of the Bow River beneath it, Calatrava had an envelope of only 7 meters in which to create his signature bridge.
Additionally, the Peace Bridge was designed without supporting piers in the riverbed in order to minimize impact on the surrounding environment. These parameters influenced Calatrava’s decision to proceed with a tubular steel truss bridge; a highly technical, yet visually stunning design.
“Although the design concept for the Peace Bridge is very challenging, it is one that I am extremely proud of,” said Santiago Calatrava. “It has been an honor and a pleasure to work in this beautiful city.” Read the rest of this entry »
Poetry Happens Exhibition – Hemp Chair
The internationally acclaimed Studio Aisslinger, with offices in Berlin and Singapore, uses new materials in a way that emphasizes utilitarian and organic aspects of design, and manages to reconcile high aesthetics criteria with contemporary nomadic lifestyles. Their monobloc chair was created for the “Poetry Happens” exhibition in Ventura Lambrate. What is innovative about the design is the fact that it is made of natural fibers, using production methods widespread in the automobile industry to achieve lightness and strength.
The sustainable sheet material of the Hemp Chair allows the use of more than 70% natural fibers in combination with BASF’s water-based acrylic resin Acrodur. Unlike with classic reactive resins, this method releases no organic substances such as phenol or formaldehyde during the cross-linking process. The only by-product of the curing procedure is water. Furthermore, the industrial process of compression molding accounts for low-cost mass production of three-dimensional objects with high mechanical resistance and very low specific weight. Read the rest of this entry »
Mensa Table Collection / Lazerian
Part of a distinctive plywood collection of furniture designed by Lazerian, the Mensa Collection includes models that use various connecting methods of bolting and self-interlock. With the use of CNC router, these models are further advanced to find structural forms capable of supporting weight. This specific collection uses both raw and laminated birch plywood. The Mensa table is constructed and held together with stainless steel fixings. The modular pieces are bolted onto a stainless steel base and a 6 mm piece of toughened glass. Read the rest of this entry »
WE THE PEOPLE at The New Museum / Danh Võ
As a part of the 2012 New Museum Triennial The Ungovernables currently on exhibit is artist Danh Võ’s deconstruction of the Statue of Liberty. WE THE PEOPLE is a gesture of installation using architecture and sculpture as an underpinning for a more unsettled experience. Copper sheets were assembled in an exact replica of the originals weight and scale, placed in sections on the floor in an undetermined state. The panels are hammered using the same technique as the original statue to the same tolerances. Taken from a larger collection of more recognizable pieces the series of parametric copper plates read as though they are part of a contemporary façade or pavilion. The pieces allude formally to modernist sculpture such as the work of Richard Serra, where form and materiality is the subject . Read the rest of this entry »
ProtoWall enhances Lighting and Air Flow / Kwok Tung Chun
This remodeling project was executed within a Hong Kong’s public rental building, in the attempt to merge two typical existenzminimum units and enhance their spatial qualities, regarding natural lighting, ventilation and privacy.
The project was designed by Kwok Tung Chun. He elaborates on the process:
“On the original plan, it is not possible to create two rooms which have widows toward outdoor, so I curved the new created wall for setting a window and door on a 45 degree in order to introduce sunlight and air flow into one of the rooms. In the other room, I patterned the wall with specified openings which insulating the sight but light and air-flow still be able to get into the room. Therefore the nature lighting and ventilation are able to happen in these two rooms. Read the rest of this entry »
Kinema Pendant Luminaire / Stuart Fingerhut
American designer Stuart Fingerhut has created the Kinema Pendant Luminaire. This 10″ x 12″ x 14″ lighting object uses a combination of different layers in order to create a specific effect and appearance. The luminaire is unique in its ability to give the user control of the light’s character to match the mood of the environment. Each of the pendant’s rings can be individually flipped to create dramatic light and shadow effects, as a single object or in multiples. The designer states he was inspired by the movement of crustaceans; a wide variety of forms can be created by arranging the pendant’s rings in alternating open and closed positions. Read the rest of this entry »
Design Proposals for Houston Central Station
The Houston Central Station Competition called for an iconic landmark station situated on the median strip on Main Street, between Capitol and Rusk. Here are the proposals of five award winning firms:
The proposal designed by ShoP Architects references the form of traditional train stations: columns supporting vaulted ceilings, lofted spaces that conjured images of grandeur, a firmness and solidarity that resonated with its surroundings. The tent like structure stretches beyond the platform, encompassing the surrounding urban space, thus breaking free from the restrictive narrow site. The 100 foot solar chimneys provide relief from heat, offer natural ventilation, helping air circulation. The form of the chimneys directs the rainwater so it wouldn’t disrupt the passenger flow.
Neil M. Denari Architects offered a steel structure; the concept was derived from the prevalent steel buildings of Houston, particularly Mies van der Rohe’s Museum of Fine Arts. The use of color evokes the surrounding icons of art and architecture, including sculptural works by Calder and even the George R. Brown convention center a few blocks away. Structure, signage, ticketing, lighting and seating are integrated and pertain to the single unique design gesture. Read the rest of this entry »
2450 White/Clear Chair Made of Acrylic Sticks
The chair is made up of 2450 acrylic sticks, each stick measuring only 5 mm. Glued together, they transform into an evocative structure that maintains a visual fragility but is a robust and functional chair that supports almost any weight. Designed by Japanese designer Junpei Tamaki, the seating structure appears fragile and delicate in its translucency, but also functional and stabile, with its rectangular form and massing. Depending on the light, it seems solid. However, on closer inspection, a pattern of acrylic segments is revealed. Read the rest of this entry »
MoMA Chengdu / Studio Ramoprimo
Organized by the Chengdu Ministry of Culture and the Chengdu Culture and Tourism Development Group, the Competition for the Chinese MoMA was part of an initiative for creating a double ring of public facilities around the Tianfu Square in Chengdu. The first ring is supposed to consist of cultural facilities. The second and larger one is planned for highrises.
Designed by Studio Ramoprimo, the winning entry proposes a dialogue with the surrounding, drawing physical references from the existing urban and architectural condition. The basic idea is to enlarge the existing public space of Tianfu Square and make it “climbing” on the roof of the new building. The new museum is a group of volumes creating a small cultural city. Read the rest of this entry »