On May 17th, 2010 the City Museum of Antwerp (MAS) designed by Neutelings Riedijk Architecten was completed and the international architectural press was invited to an exclusive visit of the building. The museum will remain closed to the public for one year until all the artworks and exhibitions have been completed. Read the rest of this entry »
Designed by Alisa Andrasek, the Seroussi Pavilion was “grown” out of self-modifying patterns of vectors based on electro-magnetic fields (EMF). Through logics of attraction/repulsion trajectories were computed in plan and than lifted via series of structural microarching sections through different frequencies of sine function. Additional feature built into script allows for local adaptation to the site in regards to the section (pavilion is implanted into a steep hill _ EMF trajectories needed to “find the ground”). Six different geometrical systems were used for design and are all steaming out of primary trajectories. The plan of the pavilion differs greatly from a classical notion of architectural plan drawing _ it is a dynamic blueprint closer to musical notation _ deep ecology of imbedded algorithmic and parametric relationships are the seed for possible materialization procedures and adaptation to the site conditions. In a design of the roof tilling resolution was increased by the algorithmic differentiation of components features. Read the rest of this entry »
pALICE Exhibition by SOFTlab
The American Institute of Architects New York Chapter announced the winners of its biennial design competition, New Practices New York, which recognizes innovative new architecture firms.
In order to qualify for the competition, the practices had to be founded since 2004, and be located within the five boroughs. This is the first year that the New Practices competition has been open to firms without a registered architect, widening the field of entrants to architectural designers and young professionals in the process of becoming licensed architects. Sixty-five registrants entered, and a distinguished panel of jurors selected the competition’s winners on Wednesday, May 12. The jury members were: Toshiko Mori, Joe MacDonald, William Menking, Guy Nordenson, and Galia Solomonoff.
The New Practices New York 2010 competition winners are: Easton+Combs, Archipelagos, Leong Leong, Manifold, SOFTlab, SO-IL, and Tacklebox. Read the rest of this entry »
The Dutch Selection Committee led by Herman Tjeenk Willink announced the sixteen finalists for The Hague’s Dance and Music Center Competition. Renowned architects such as Zaha Hadid, OMA, Diller Scofidio & Renfro, and Mecanoo are among the selected proposals. The projects have been on display since April 20th, 2010 at The Hague City Hall and the public has been invited to vote for their favorite proposal. The Committee will select three firms to further develop their idea.
1. Aedas Limited
X-aperitivo is an innovative tableware collection designed by Vienna-based architect Steven Ma. Its glassware is very fluid and dynamic with different patterns and textures while its silverware is ergonomic and aerodynamic with attention to every detail. A very interesting piece of the series is a wine rack that could be configured in different ways to create clusters of organic forms. Read the rest of this entry »
ec-O is a multifunctional green concept bench system designed by Steven Ma which generates electricity through embedded thin solar films on the top surface of four lighting channels. ec-O will use stored electricity to function as night-lighting system. It also has a built in water collector and filter. The structure and shell is made out of Bio-Aluminum tiles from retired airplanes. It is a sustainable design solution that has the strength of an aircraft and contributes to LEED credits and USGBC project certification. The ec-O bench also utilizes Bio-Glass from 100% recyclable glass bottles with no colorants or additives. Read the rest of this entry »
Alexandre Guillaume is a New York-based artist whose paintings have been widely exhibited and it is now recognized as an emergent voice in contemporary art. Alexandre’s work is the amalgamation of his childhood memories in a small village of Northern France with his constant travels and migrations. Powerful colors and strong lines create a “pure instinct of movement” – the speed and impatience of everyday life is compressed in a canvas. His minimalistic compositions are praised for its rigor, clarity, and strength. Alexandre approach to color is one of contrast where half-tones do not exist. Read the rest of this entry »
The 2010 Shanghai World Expo ‘Better City, Better Life’ has officially opened its doors to more than 70 million expected visitors. Although 190 countries are participating in the event, only 79 nations built their own pavilion. During the last year we have seen the transformation of the banks of the Huangpu River into the largest World’s Fair.
Images of every pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo: Read the rest of this entry »
Architect Neri Oxman is the founder of Materialecology, a Boston-based research studio that focuses on the intersection between architecture, engineering, computation, biology, and ecology. Oxman is concerned with material organization and performance across all scales of design. Material is interpreted merely as any physical entity which corresponds and reacts with its environment.
Commissioned by Boston’s Museum of Science, ‘Stalasso’ is her latest work. It is an investigation on mineralization processes and its application in designing structures that could be tailored to respond to different weights and to specific requirements and preferences. This piece is a prototype mold in which materials will be injected to create a surface with variable thickness, stiffness, and texture.
photo © Emily Roose / Museum of Science Boston
Hernan Diaz Alonso from Xefirotarch designed an installation for an art gallery in London. The project examines the notion of architectural explosion. It is evident the tension that generates the liquid /organic form that tries to escape from the crystal box confinement; some of the larger pieces seem to be habitable colonies for future generations. Read the rest of this entry »
