AT Design Office has developed sustainable concept for an ocean metropolis, as a healthy alternative to destroying the earth’s valuable countryside. The existing landmass on earth has been built up so extensively that the remaining free land is under extreme pressure and needs to be preserved as much as possible. Therefore news settlements should be planned in such a manner that important social and environmental conditions are improved and can provide for better future living. Environmentally adaptive measures, higher densities, mixed uses and efficient, smart designs and infrastructure strategies need to be considered.

The floating city has a perfect internal and external traffic system, linking it within but also with the outside world. A cruise dock serves giant ships; a yacht dock serves private vessels and civilian submarine traffic. Submarines and electric vehicles are the main means of transport on the island – keeping the island free form air pollution and congestion caused by automobiles. The main traffic flows and facilitated via the water canals above and below the water surface.

Vertical gardens are interconnected with the public greenery system above and below the water. The Floating City will provide world class facilities, as well as additional supplies of new areas, in order to satisfy the long-term demand for human habitable land. Environmental impacts will be managed via innovative strategies. The proposed development and the associated infrastructure will bring positive change to the community and its economy; therefore the design will meet long-term infrastructure and sustainable development need, while bringing new opportunities to various city activities. Read the rest of this entry »

Between Earth and Sky Gate by Penda Design is the design for an entrance sculpture to the Shenzhen Southern University of Science and Technology. It is a metaphor of formal contrasts to design a campus landmark. There is a Chinese saying parents tell their children when they leave home for university, which means roughly translated: “ride on the wings of an eagle to your success”. Therefore the wing-shaped design for the sculpture is a formal translation of this saying.

The sculpture serves as an entrance gate and is a connection of two opposites: the fluid, lower part connects the gate to the gentle hills of the landscape in the background and carries a grid of lights, which can be seen as a connection to the cosmos – a contrast of the earth and the sky. Furthermore the landmark should symbolize a freedom of thinking on one hand and certain guidelines on the other hand, which stand for a system and order in science – a contrast of endless possibilities and technical limitations. With those opposites, the sculpture describes what a modern Technical University should stand for – a symbiosis of nature and technology.

Penda Design is a young office, established in 2012 and located in Vienna and Beijing. Their credo is to see architecture as a statement that always starts with questions about the content and the context, about identity, density and the community of a specific site. The office is formed by Chris Precht and Dayong Sun. Read the rest of this entry »

“Blue Tape” by architecture graduates Evan Shieh and Ali Chen is the 1st-prize winner of the Dubai Architecture School Tower competition. In the single-phase ideas competition, participants had to design an architecture school tower whose environment would play a vital role in the students’ education, as well as make an iconic addition to Dubai’s skyline.

Blue Tape – school tower is a vertical re-imagining of the typical architecture school typology. Located adjacent to the American University of Dubai and publicly integrated with the Dubai metro system, the tower campus houses an international architecture program offering students opportunity to pursue a modern architectural education within an iconic landmark of the Dubai skyline.

At the core of Blue Tape is the concept of the Pin-Up Space – a place where students share their ideas, while collaborating with their peers and participating in academic critique of their designs with instructors and colleagues. The tower re-defines the Pin-Up space as the integral and vital tool of the architectural education and recognizes that in many examples of current schools it is often pushed to the margins of physical space.

Placed within the tower typology, the typically horizontal space becomes vertical, forming a visual, physical and conceptual epicenter for the tower. As one moves upward, the Pin-Up space forms the conceptual spine of larger public programs – classrooms, workshops, an auditorium, a library, event and gallery spaces, and finally culminates in an outdoor roof terrace. These public programs become conceptual extensions of the Pin-Up spine, expressed on the façade of the tower as formal voids, representing a symbolic and public expression of a continuous space of academia. Read the rest of this entry »

The Kaufhalle Bremen am Brill in Bremen, Germany, dating back to the early 60’s resists easy categorization. It is neither a historical monument nor a particularly outstanding work of architecture, as they state at Barkow Leibinger.  At the same time as an existing urban artifact there remains a compelling latency as it stands abandoned and in disuse. There was an ambition that materially, formally and syntactically begs consideration – what is the value of this building as found?

Rather than assimilating this architecture-artifact into a completely new order, new syntax, central approach to this project was to ask: could one tease out a third condition where critical renovation allows both orders to co-exist to achieve something both startling and unexpected. This projects looks at a context that could offer something generational in a very real and physical way. While this could be an urban setting, a site, or a landscape in this case, it is the existing building itself, which is suggestive.

Rather than subsuming it, the strategy is to react to it. In reacting there is the chance for doing something. Therefore in Barkow Leibinger they find themselves using tools that have to do with a particular action such as selecting, clearing, stacking onto, connecting and wrapping. This work becomes suddenly objective, free from intuition, free from infinite choices. It sets forth the possibility for a new order where both condition the historical and the speculative can merge allowing both legibility. In a performative sense all of these activities begin to have a status. They unify the building; they construct a new system for façade, providing new types and hierarchies of space.

Strategically resembling a merging of “pimp my ride” with the wrappings of Christo what eventually emerges is a condition that can be both, familiar and strange, homogeneous and heterogeneous, sublime and awkward. Read the rest of this entry »

Century Properties Group and architect Daniel Libeskind collaborated on Century Spire, a residential and office tower that will break ground this year in Manila, Philippines. The 59-floor Century Spire will contain 18 floors of office space, and 35 of residences comprising penthouses, duplexes, suites and one, two and three-bedroom apartments. The units will range in size from 30 square meters to 400 square meters and will have luxurious and striking interiors.

Century Spire is the last residential tower to rise in Century City. It is a remarkable addition to the Makati skyline and solidifies Century City as one of the greatest luxury districts in the Philippines. Century Spire’s architecture goes beyond a traditional tower. Rather than taper into a fine point at its peak, the building blooms like a flower, its petals opening up to the world. This blossoming form is symbolic of Century Properties’ growth through the years and its development into a company known the world over for its dynamic, industry-shaping projects.

The building’s “crown” – three interlocking segments – is distinctly Libeskind in structure, its geometric shapes an interesting fusion of playful and sophisticated design. The design enhances the living experience of the top floor residents as it affords them dynamic living space and more exhilarating views of the city. Century Spire’s architecture challenges conventional skyscraper formation. By exploring fresh and visionary approaches to residential architecture, Century Properties brings a new wave of idealism to the local real estate industry. Read the rest of this entry »

Rodwood

Celebrating 40 years of enduring partnerships and commitment to bringing the best in contemporary design to the public, Luminaire is honored to host the internationally renowned architect and designer Piero Lissoni.

The co-founder of Lissoni Associati, as well as the creative director of Living Divani, Glas Italia and Porro, Mr. Lissoni has brought forth a mastery of proportion and insightful sensibility to all his designs.

Lissoni has established himself as one of most notable names is contemporary design for his clean, industrial aesthetics while collaborating with many of the world’s most notable design companies. His approach begins from a humanistic vision which, for him, is the only one that would make sense to a true designer no matter the medium. Lissoni approaches his work with a mastery of proportion and an acute sensitivity for the subtlety that distinguishes the common from the insightful; clear lines, subtle forms and an eye for special materials surround his designs with sophisticated simplicity.

Piero Lissoni, as main interpreter of Porro design, year after year studies new eye-catching compositions of the company’s three systems – Modern day system of containers and suspended tops, Storage system of wardrobes, open wardrobes and walk-in closets and System day system of bookcases and equipped walls – and revamps the codes of esthetics for the living area and sleeping area enriching the brand’s collection with new products. Among them, some of the company’s iconic pieces, such as the Reflection Mirror, Tiller and the brand-new table Ipe, are exhibited inside Luminaire showroom.

Porro stands out for its essential and immediately identifiable language, with minimal geometries and shapes, without forgetting its unique company philosophy: simplicity above all. All Porro products are the result of a subtraction and derive from a progressive simplification process. Even the systems, which are complex in themselves, are the result of a very simple aesthetic vision, based on consistency and simplification without forgetting the highest quality.

Inspired by the pure geometry of the square, Piero Lissoni’s Modern is a diverse and versatile storage system based on the movement of the square through space. By utilizing a module that repeats itself to generate objects different in materials, colors and functional purposes, Modern becomes an adaptable and modular system. These functional aspects are combined with Lissoni’s mastery of proportion and detail, ensuring that the resulting designs – no matter the combination of elements – remains consistent and harmonious in form. From wall units to free standing storage, Modern is appropriate for every habitat.

In the designing process of mirrors, furniture, accessories, shelves, bookcases, tables and low tables, Glas Italia avails itself of the collaboration of renowned designers who – experimenting in full freedom on the technologically advanced productive plants made available by the Company – can express their creative talent, pointing out the inexhaustible potentialities of such a pure, noble and refined material as glass. Lissoni designed truly magnificent mirrors with Murano glass frame, achieved through a complex and refined hand-made production process, making each piece unique and unrepeatable.

With an attentive eye to materials, form and proportion, Piero Lissoni’s designs represent a form of modernism. His Verglas Table for Glas Italia, constructed from boxed transparent tempered glass, builds upon his trademark aesthetics. Thanks to a complex gluing and manufacturing process, the table has a visual lightness which dissolves the boundary between sculpture and furniture. The result is a table of great strength and formal purity and at the same time characterized by the great volumetric presence.

Piero Lissoni approaches his work for Living Divani with modularity and subtlety. His mastery of proportion distinguishes the common from the insightful; clear lines, subtle forms and an eye for special materials surround his designs with sophisticated simplicity. The Extrawall sofa has a distinctive, regimented style featuring a square design and prominent corners. The seats, backs and arms of sofa are innovatively dimensioned and form the elements that can be freely mixed and matched to shape and outline the product. The island-like design of the Extrawall astonishes for the many combination and covering possibilities that make it hugely adaptable and versatile, able to show its endless faces with elegance and refinement.

Piero Lissoni and Luminaire have joined forces on a new collaboration, initially started many years ago. The exhibition “1:1 PIERO LISSONI” will introduce Lissoni architectural and design language to United States, bringing a section of the Milanese studio to Chicago. Read the rest of this entry »

Berlin’s architectural practice Barkow Leibinger has won an invited competition to design a new hotel tower and conference center as part of Berlin’s largest hotel complex, the Estrel. Complimenting the existing Estrel Hotel, the largest in Germany, a new hotel tower and conference center will establish a new gateway to the center of Berlin from the soon to be completed Schönefeld International Airport. The tower at 175 meters will be the tallest high-rise in Berlin to date. Located on the Sonnenalle at the intersection of the Ship Canal, S-Bahn and Autobahn the site is a threshold between the heterogeneous industrial – residential periphery and the historical neighborhoods of Neukölln. Free from the historical constraints of the center the project is an ensemble of elements revolving around the sloped silhouette of the tower with its roof terrace orienting to the city.

In response to the existing Estrel Hotel and resembling the children’s game “Tangram” the proposal is organized into a series of extruded triangulated volumes of different sizes and heights mediating the tower into the low-rise surrounding neighborhoods. This cascading family of forms, from high to low-scaled, radiates to form two strong orientations: to the street side and to the water side – Ship Canal.  Functions are distributed into the different sized volumes including the hotel, an office building, park house, glass-roofed hotel entrance atrium, and the low-flat conference center. This programmatic clarity allows easy phasing variations, which is important for such a large scale development. A ground floor promenade begins with the hotel drop-off which continues into the hotel atrium and on to an arcade fronting the conference center.

Facades compliment the idea of “similar but distinct” building volumes and are articulated to enhance the verticality of the individual parts of the ensemble in metal and glass. Read the rest of this entry »

The winner is revealed – OMA won the final round of a public design competition for Axel Springer’s new media center in Berlin. The building aims to create new hub in the existing campus in central Berlin. As seen in Axel Springer, the winning design presented conceptually and aesthetically most radical model, while the fundamental innovation of working environments support the cultural transformation towards a digital publishing house.

The building will be located on one of the city’s most significant locations – the street previously separated East and West Berlin. The new office block is bisected by a diagonal atrium that opens up to the existing Springer buildings, an extension of the Springer campus. The essence of the proposal is a series of terraced floors that together form a ‘valley’. Each floor contains a covered part for formal work, which is then uncovered on the terraces to act as an informal stage and a place to broadcast ideas to other parts of the company. The ground floor is open to the city and contains studios, event and exhibition spaces, canteens and restaurants.

OMA’s  winning design team is led by partners-in-charge Rem Koolhaas and Ellen van Loon, and project leaders Katrin Betschinger, Alain Fouraux and Betty Ng. The project was developed in collaboration with Chris Carroll from Arup London, Duncan Phillips from RWDI for microclimate consultation, Eckhard Kahle of Kahle Acoustics, Christian Wernicke and Christoph Winter of SMV Bauprojektsteuerung & Emproc GmbH for cost consultation, and Peter Stanek for fire safety consultation. Read the rest of this entry »

The Bass and Flinders Gateway development project, designed by Spark, sits at the very threshold of Wollongong, one of New South Wales’ most beautiful cities. The 35,000 sqm scheme consists of a 300 unit residential development, supported by a modicum of commercial space. The Flinders Gateway development sits on the narrow coastal plain between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Ocean and draws its inspiration from the meeting of these two primeval elements. It is Spark Studio’s first project in Australia and it’s expected to begin construction in 2015.

The apartments are arranged as “coal measures” within linear stacked seams shrouded by a symbolic wave that in part shades the apartments’ terraced gardens. The vivid form of The Bass and Flinders Gateway development offers playful experience of livable and joyful residential neighborhood. Five separate volumes of this mixed-use complex are connected underground with two-level garage space. The public plaza, formed between the high-rise volumes, is cascaded, enabling sheltered common places for gathering and socializing.

SPARK Studio is an award-winning international design practice that aim at creating distinctive buildings for clients and great places for people. They focus on architecture’s potential to contribute positively to the experience of the city while addressing the pragmatic issues that govern each project. Spark works with the bold yet common sense vision of enlarging the spaces of the city into their buildings, and of unfolding our buildings into the city – creating opportunities for layered experiences and engaging places. Read the rest of this entry »

Jungle Watts
4-13 August 2014
Mamori Lake, Amazon, Brazil.

The Architectural Association Visiting School Amazon is organizing a 10-day workshop in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest that will analise the impact of the recent arrival of electricity to the Mamori Lake community, 65 km. south of Manaus. Participants will speculate about future scenarios for the sustainable development of the area as well as propose architectural interventions that explore creatively the opportunities and risks of having electricity in the middle of the jungle.

The registration is now open and there are only 12 places available. The deadline for applications is 4 July 2014. The workshop is open to current architecture, engineering and design students, PhD candidates and young professionals and will take place in a simple but comfortable wooden lodge by the Mamori lake shore, in the middle of the Amazon rainforest.

The initial exploratory days of analysis and data collection will offer the participants the possibility to discover the Amazon ecosystem and interact with the local communities. Different layers of the Mamori lake reality will be analyzed and measured. The social, the mythological, the economical, the natural and the climatological will be overlaid with the electricity network to discover emerging patterns that could inform the design process. Through the use of quantifiable data collection, parametric modeling, computational analysis and simulation, students will propose architectural strategies that can shed some light on this critical conjuncture. The strategies of some plants, insects and animals will be studied to trace parallels between nature and architecture.

AA Visiting School Amazon is kindly sponsored by Luminaid.com and Bareconductive.com.

More information can be found on:

http://amazon.aaschool.ac.uk
http://www.aaschool.ac.uk/STUDY/VISITING/amazon
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