The proposal for the RTV Headquarters in Zurich by Oliver Dibrova (Asymptote) is an exercise on minimal surfaces and their porous qualities. Inspired by liquid crystals, these surfaces behave as spatial elements for programmatic interweaving, creating highly differentiated spaces. Various conditions of “soap” films are created as the surface changes from states of solid to liquid at different temperatures, dividing the program into administrative areas, TV studios, radio studios, an open public zone, and internal working spaces. An aggregation of generated components allowed for various iterations of spatial interweaving patterns which were ultimately woven at different scales into a hybrid program to achieve maximum communication and selective visual connections. Read the rest of this entry »

Paper Sculptures is an exercise by artist Richard Sweeney that tests the limits of folded paper as a medium for the creation of spatial situations. Sweeney pursues a ‘purely experimental’ trajectory with this work, utilizing the manipulation of two-dimensional sheets of paper to arrive at three-dimensional creations. Through a process of drawing, tracing, cutting, and folding, Sweeney is able to achieve incredibly complex sculptural forms. The artist begins with simple and methodical geometric manipulations that ultimately result in a complex array of abstracted polyhedral forms. Through the combination of repetitive geometries, curved lines, and modularity, Sweeney pushes paper into compelling quasi-architectural terrain, finding that paper, though flat and essentially limited to a two dimensional plane, can be articulated into a myriad of forms and functions. The limitless potential for variation inherent in the sheet of paper is determined by subtle changes in physical approach: the degree of each fold, location of cuts, as well as the orientation, sequencing, and execution of each manipulation. Read the rest of this entry »

Infobox is a speculative competition entry to build a new information center over a metro station at eingeschoßige in Vienna’s Old City. Here, Vienna-based design collaborative KARAMBA3D and Bollinger-Grohmann-Schneider engineers are challenged with a site that is layered with existing plumbing utilities, underground sewers, a parking lot, and a bus terminal. Because of the complex and unplanned layout of these infrastructures below the site, the building’s load bearing strategies could not be regular or centralized in any particular location. Instead, through parametric modeling and a system of bundled structural anchor points, Info Box is able to effectively accommodate the limitations of the existing site while fulfilling its programmatic duties. Read the rest of this entry »

Marc Fornes / Theverymany’s latest Double Agent White is a continuous surface composed of an intersection of 9 unique spheres, achieving a maximum degree of morphological freedom with a minimum amount of components. This forms as part of a series of prototypical architectures (Centre Pompidous, FRAC Centre, Art Basel Miami to name a few) and uses Object Oriented computing to generate developable parts for fabrication of double curved surfaces. Continuous double curvature is defined around the Double Agent White surface for material rigidity and optimal use of nesting storage for larger decomposable units. In this way, the piece achieves structural continuity, visual interplay, and logistical efficiency.

This project is the first of a new series of fabricated projects to investigate a double agent system. Two parallel but divergent sets of distributed agents describe the surface condition. The first is a controlled macro set that generates the overall geometry with the minimum number of elements able to be cut within specified flat sheets of aluminum. The second involves a much more expressive set of higher resolution and morphologies that crafts aperture as ornament. The two sets then inform each other simultaneously, following the logic of assembly mobility. The resulting structure adheres to a myriad of formal and technical constraints that provide a dynamic structure of spatial nuance.

NAU‘s proposal (finalist) for the 2007 New National Library of Czech Republic Competition stands as a symbolic representation of the Czech culture; its past, present, and future. The focus of the project revolves around the dichotomy of two main spaces–the National Archive and the Universal Collection–which are wrapped by an exterior membrane. At the bedrock, the monolithic tower containing the National Archive twists into a lifting gesture towards the city center. Anchoring the tower on the opposite end is a two-story Universal Collection, horizontally floating above the ground. The external skin creates a continuous void of public spaces above and below. Transparent and permeable properties are available in this envelope, offering an array of climatic and acoustic functions including: complete transparency at the top, perforations for skylights in reading rooms, windows in office spaces, and permeable openings in the ground floor. Read the rest of this entry »

Designed to make audible the shifting patterns of the wind and visually amplify the ever changing sky, the acoustic and optical pavilion is a large musical instrument. It is an Aeolian harp, designed to resonate and sing with the wind without any electrical power or amplification. The project was designed by Luke Jerram, a multidisciplinary artist known for his large scale public engagement artworks. The idea of investigating acoustics of natural elements was conceived during the artist’s research trip to Iran in 2007, when Jerram interviewed one of the Qanat desert well diggers. Read the rest of this entry »

Plassen, by Danish Architects 3XN is a project aimed at utilizing folded and cut paper formal techniques in order to create a literal city square- a Gørvellplassen- in Molde, Norway. ‘Plassen,’ meaning ‘square’ or ‘place’ in Norwegian, uses this folding and cutting approach towards surface to create a continuous relationship between the floor and roof, inside and outside. This results in  an efficient and compact structure that not only encapsulates necessary program, but increases the overall usable space of  this public city square, challenging the traditionally horizontal nature of such a space. Read the rest of this entry »

El Mirador de la Palmera by Joaquín Alvado Bañón is a dual-purpose art installation that serves to not only provide structural bracing for an important palm tree grove in the Spanish town of Daya Vieja, but also provides visitors with a long ramp that wraps around the palm trees, terminating in a lookout high above the old city. As visitors circumambulate around the grove of palms, they are offered panoramic views of the city, eventually rising to a height of 10 meters, such that they can view beyond the city boundaries and peer at the surrounding orchards and farmlands. Through this procession, viewers can experience both the flora of the city and, over the course of the year, experience the change in seasons as exemplified by that flora. Read the rest of this entry »

The concept derives from the relationship between art and architecture, particularly the architectural drawing. By mixing water with ink, intricate patterns are revealed, tracing trajectories and organic shapes that can be translated into buildings.

The project is located in the city of Jeddah, one of the most promising building sites in Saudi Arabia. It aims to support dissemination of culture and the development of regional tourist capacities. It is part of a larger development plan, which seeks to link the neighboring Ubhor beach resort with the city of Dhahran. The building consists of several separate volumes, creating a configuration that morphs into the terrain. The roof design includes solar and ETFE panels, utilizing local environmental conditions. Read the rest of this entry »