The main purpose is to design a multifunctional complex for people with an interest in knowing about Islam during the time of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire was the last big Islamic Empire and one of the most powerful during the Islamic era up until recent times. The building will serve as a hub for social activities and will portray the Ottoman Empire, especially, in an artistic sense.

The building conceived by Yusuf Onder will have a library, museum, lecture rooms, workshop level and a rooftop garden/cafe. Another goal is to offer people a place to learn and understand about this unique, hybrid of, culture and religion and it’s place in the Ottoman Empire in a hope to diffuse the sense of xenophobia towards the religion and culture. This thesis expounds on the, long old, idea of constant integration of religion and culture from history. Read the rest of this entry »

The aim of the Centre designed by Vulmaro Zoffi is essentially to make citizens aware of and prepared for natural disasters using specific training rooms and simulation areas.

To express this intent in architectural forms the architect decided to use the metaphor of a falling raindrop. In fact, when catastrophes occur, the balance of a phenomenon seems broken by a very small force, so it’s possible to find in the micro-event of the falling raindrop some of the primitive geometric forms involved in macro-natural disasters.

A large platform inside the innovative complex, in the form of a broken fragment of a tectonic plate, provides access to the peaceful environment of the greenhouse. This effect results in the gradual merging of two opposing faces of nature: peace and upheaval. The ETFE space of the greenhouse also acts as an open public square surrounded by grass and trees, providing a proper dimension for socializing. Read the rest of this entry »

Designed by L&A Design Group as part of their Jiangsu Wuxi Central Park project, the bridge establishes an important north-south pedestrian connection between the two shores of the lake. It completes the diagonal axis and activates the entire body of the Wuxi Xidong Park. The structure itself is S-shaped, a curved pathway designed to offer a more engaging pedestrian experience of the natural surroundings. Read the rest of this entry »

The award winning lighting design is based on the effects of the Dutch ruff, a decorative linen collar considered fashionable in the 1600’s. The collars required several yards worth of linen, and had to be starched and ironed into pleats, or even supported on wires, in order to achieve their voluminous appearance. Inspired by the way Flemish baroque painter Cornelis de Vos illuminated these items, Andrew Saunders created the similarly shaped Luminescent Limacon. The design integrates historical referencing to the contemporary fabrication techniques, transforming the traditional piece of garment into a vehicle for manipulating light. Read the rest of this entry »

The basic idea of the project is rooted in the notion of flows. It strongly references historical, environmental and even biological diversification and friction that shaped the contemporary city of Istanbul. The geometric form dominating the building is combined with typical Turkish patterns and ornaments, displaying both European and Asian cultural influences.

Located at the boundary between continents, the city of Istanbul is experiencing geophysical friction generated by the shifts of continental plates. The friction between two forces generates dramatic reaction of the elements; it can be transferred to all four basic elements in nature, with an impact determined by the level of energy. The same rule is applied to the urban environment. The layout of the structure reveals an atrium building, organized around the central square. The central area symbolizes aether, the 5th element in nature. Aether is also called, from Latin, ‘quinta essentia’ which stands for the element that unites the other four. Read the rest of this entry »

Shenzhen is one of the most important industrial locations as well as a very popular tourist destination in China. The fast developing city is located in the south of the Guangdong Province, neighbouring the Pearl River delta and Hong Kong. Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport is the fourth largest following Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou in China. In 2008 Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas Architects won the international competition for the extension of the airport with the design of Terminal 3.

The concept of the project provokes the image of a sculpture with its organic shape. The structure of the building is in steel with a concrete substructure. The skin that envelops the structure, both on the inside and on the outside, shows the honeycomb motive. Read the rest of this entry »

The project was developed by IAAC students Carolina Aguirre, Xiomara Armijo and Carlo Caltabiano during the MAA Emergent Territories Studio directed by Willy Müller. FlexHubDock envisions Barcelona city 40 years later, with the Port Area as new Hub not only for commerce/logistics but for people and the city, rethinking it as a new social layer.

The FlexHubDock is the best example of how Port and City can coexist in harmony. A smart-shared surface will enable the Port area as both a Dock for ships and public Plaza. Depending on the needs for public space and activity as dock, it can be totally managed in real-time, by embedded sensors and network system that receives information of space requirements to begin its transition. In a single day the function and shape of the FlexHubDock can change several times and even share functions. Read the rest of this entry »

This project is Zhaochen Wang’s  Master of Architecture thesis developed at the University of Southern California. The project is an investigation of swarm intelligence and slime mould and its translation into urban and architectural design. Read the rest of this entry »

The future Ski Village will transform the existing Levi ski resort into a world class destination, offering top quality accommodation and leisure services for skiers of all levels and demands. The proximity to the Kittilä airport ensures easy access to the resort attracting international visitors to Levi village and the whole Lapland region. The Finland-based developer Kassiopeia Finland Oy is investing in its local region as it currently owns and operates Hotel Levi Panorama, Levi Summit Congress Center and Hotel K5 Levi and above and beyond has interests in developing the exquisite Koutalaki area.

“BIG’s visionary approach of combining unique types of accommodation and amenities along with the leisure activities offered at the resort, left the jury in awe. BIG’s ambitious plan challenges traditional thinking and we believe that the collaboration between Kassiopeia Finland and BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group will rise to the occasion.” Jury, Kassiopeia Finland Oy.

Located on a gentle slope, the existing Levi ski center provides the framework for the future Koutalaki Ski Village which is conceived as an extension of the summit and the existing cluster of buildings in Koutalaki. BIG proposes to create a series of buildings that radiate out from a central square and whose ends touch the ground to create four freestanding buildings that each provide access to the roof and allow the skiers to descend from the resort’s rooftop downhill in any direction. The soft curves of the undulating roofs of the four buildings create a visual continuity of the natural land–scape while lending the whole village the unique character of a skislope skyline that creates an inhabited mountain top.

“The Koutalaki Ski Village is conceived as an extension of both the summit and the resort. Grown from the natural topography rather than dropped from the sky – the architecture extends the organic forms of natural landscape creating an inhabitable as well as skiable manmade mountain. As a result, our design for the Koutalaki Ski Village creates a new hybrid integrating distinct identities such as village and resort, shelter and openness, cozy intimacy and natural maj–esty, unique character and careful continuity – or simply – architecture and landscape.” Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Partner, BIG. Read the rest of this entry »

Dominique Jakob and Brendan MacFarlane have created a light sculpture composed of blades and LEDs, a luminaire specially designed for Moaroom, a Paris-based furniture and art gallery. Since 2004 Moaroom works with designers and artists from New Zealand and presents a selection of creations from the world of design and visual arts. Aimed to explore design beyond the usual scope of trends and patterns, these works are inspired by nature and its needs, and are created in order to respect the environment.

“Both transparent and opaque, this fixture is conceived as a creature from the depths of the sea newly discovered, both unknown and unnamed. It belongs to a dark world, where new sounds, new experiences can be imagined and lived, “say the architects. Read the rest of this entry »