The forming of the urban context is based on the existing territory, something that changes slowly, and human activities, which are changing all the time. Due to the non-stop pace of human activities, the urban context remains in a cycle of perpetual negotiation. Like organic tissue, the city is always in a state of growth, decay, and rebirth.

In the initial forming of a city, people gather according to their habitual behaviors, which are collective ideas. The multiple and collective ideas often made singular. However, in the development of urbanism, master plans are always rigid and lack tolerance and changeability, like a machine. However, when a mechanical system is broken, it forms another context, in which the city can release and breath. Therefore, I would argue that an ideal urban design should be like a coordinating machine that retains flexibility for its users to adapt the city for themselves. Read the rest of this entry »

The proposal for the “House Of The Future / Haus der Zukunft” by Dietmar Köring, Simon Takasaki and EyeTry in Berlin responds to Berlin’s strict urban context: the concept of the “urban block” is touched upon and developed further. The building is partially lifted off the ground, and takes up the general building height of common Berlin housing. The ground floor level is characterized by large open spaces allowing for direct and dynamic circulation. The ground floor area of the building acts as an buffer zone between the neighboring hospital, the harbor and the river Spree. The landscaping and shaped pathways offer a manifold experience of the green zone, which is an integral part of the building’s appearance. The outdoor areas invite people to stay – a small open-air stage offers additional possibilities for spatial programming.

The fluid ground floor concept takes users into the open and dynamic spaces of the building’s inside. The urban block features three-dimensional cuts on the side facing the park, which creates a contemporary, clear structure, blurring the boundaries between exterior and interior. Read the rest of this entry »

Morphosis have designed a new office for themselves – the largest net-zero building in Los Angeles and the most eco-friendly in the country. The fairly rectangular structure is located just a few feet from the new light rail Expo Line’s elevated tracks in Culver City. It significantly reduces loads through several low-tech, high-tech, and even revolutionary techniques, most of which were developed with engineers at Buro Happold, whose LA offices are just down the street. Read the rest of this entry »

The initial concept for the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Centre for Drug Research and Development in Vancouver, British Columbia, is based on the idea of a canopy, floating above the ground level. Architects at Saucier + Perrotte have transformed the idea of a tree into an abstract system of tectonic elements that float above a public area containing fluid exhibition spaces. These act as a meeting point for faculty, researchers, students and outside visitors. Read the rest of this entry »

In order to integrate the operational and social mechanics of hotel culture into the everyday life of contemporary cities, ZA Architects have designed a hotel that occupies the space above a city street and hangs between existing buildings. The proposal itself is half street/ half building. Its volume encloses a number of public activities, creating a vibrant atmosphere that encourages interaction between locals and hotel visitors. Read the rest of this entry »

Designed and built in collaboration between Chalmers University of Technology and Röhsska Museum of Design in Copenhagen, the Archipelago Pavilion is a network of seating structures that inhabits the cortyard in front of the Museum. The structure provides shaded seating inside and creates shaded spaces around it to place existing chairs and tables. The structure was built on site by 33 architecture students.

The pavilion was parametrically designed in Grasshopper and Rhino and built from 2 mm thick laser-cut steel sheets. Exactly 133 pieces of steel were joint together with 1535 joints with a total of 3640 bolts holding it together. Inside the pavilion visitors can lie comfortably on the surface, thanks to the steel’s possibility to stay cool when shaded. The intricate web of spaces resembles clusters of small islands in an archipelago. The perforation on the roof spreads out an organic pattern resembling the one you would see from a tree in the forest. Read the rest of this entry »

The Spaghetti bench was designed by French-Argentine artist and designer Pablo Reinoso and created by Carpenters Workshop Gallery. Pablo Reinoso took public benches of anonymous design as a starting point for his reflection. Named Spaghetti, they start proliferating and finding their place in the most diverse spaces. The object is freed of its function to goes back to its path of wood, tree, vegetal. Read the rest of this entry »

Designed for the Luminale 2012 in Frankfurt, Germany, Kollision’s Photophore installation is a five storey veil of light that is operated by a smart phone. In order to make the veil act as if it being pushed, pulled or thrown in, the people on street can use an application: by scanning a QR code mounted on the façade, the users are brought to a website which invites them to swipe their finger across the touch screen of their smart phones. Read the rest of this entry »

Inspired by the dramatic coastal landscape of Busan, the Norwegian design firm Snøhetta has won the competition to realize the city’s opera house. The new Busan Opera House will be located by the port, and, as with the Opera House in Oslo, it will allow the public to walk on the roof. The house will have about the same size at its counterpart in Oslo, only exceeding it by a slightly bigger main hall with the planned capacity of receiving an audience of 1800 people.  According to the architects, the main guideline in the design process was the creation of an accessible and democratic space, turning the static into dynamic. The Opera is an interactive open stage that transforms the contemporary cultural spaces from elitist monuments into democratic arenas. Read the rest of this entry »

Studio Fuksas have completed the Tbilisi Public Service Hall in Tbilisi, Georgia. Conceived as the largest social service center in the world, the landmark, which is located on Tbilisi’s waterfront, pairs an innovative program with flamboyant architecture. A giant corolla of eleven white petals covers the building, adorning the banks of the Kura River with a symbolic bloom.

Description from the designers:

The Tbilisi Public Service Hall is situated in the central area of the city and it overlooks the Kura River.

The building is 28.000 mq. It is made up of 7 volumes that contain offices (each volume is made up of 4 floors located on different levels). These volumes are placed around a ”central public square”, which is the core of the project,  where there is the front office services. Offices are connected to each other by internal footbridges that stretch on different levels. Read the rest of this entry »