Harvest Green Project explores the notion of the “foregrounding” a new agri-food system in and around the strategic urban location of an arterial transit hub. By 2050, there will be globally an additional 3 billion people to feed, and traditional farming simply can’t sustain this increase in population. Therefore, incorporating urban farming prominently into the fabric of the city, and in a synergistic mixed-use development integrated with transit, is a way to re-assert the cultural and environmental importance of locally produced food to the health and sustainability of the city and its residents.

If successfully implemented, projects like the The Harvest Tower, designed by Canada-based firm Romses Architects, can offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply, year round crop production, and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for large-scale traditional horizontal farming. Read the rest of this entry »

The soon to be opened Media-ICT building is a project by Cloud 9, the studio founded by Enric Ruiz-Geli. In 2005, the studio won the public competition organized by the Barcelona Zona Franca Consortium and the 22@ District to design a home for the TIC (Information and Communication Technologies) community. This new facility is intended to act as a point of contact between media companies and institutions.

Each façade of the Media-ICT is different, maximizing their efficiency by taking into account their orientation with respect to the sun. The decision was taken to cover the south glass wall with a double skin, or membrane, of EFTE (ethylene tetrafluoro ethylene), a material that is light and elastic but so strong that a small surface can support the weight of a Land Rover. In total, there are 106 membranes or pillows of EFTE, silvery-blue in color, which will slowly inflate, or deflate depending on the climatic conditions. Each ‘pillow’ is controlled separately, with individual sensors measuring heat, temperature and the angle of the sun. On the side of the building that faces the headquarters of the CAC (the Audiovisual Council of Catalonia), currently under construction, there will be just one large pillow of EFTE, but in this case it will be filled with a vertical cloud of nitrogen particles: the resulting density of the air will be used to create a solar filter to protect the interior of the building. Read the rest of this entry »

The main inspiration for this project designed by Santosh Kumar Ketham is to explore the theme of re-using material collected from construction sites, including rusted steel and painted metal.

The pavilion to be located in Karmelitermarkt (market square) area of Vienna, will house a theatre for Indian Classical Music in addition to accommodating a small museum and other ancillary facilities. The lower level occupies performance zones and the upper level will have a concert hall.

The project aims to deploy mutation brought about by fire as the primary generator of pavilions geometry and disposition; transforming the site into heterogeneous ensemble of forms unified by functional distribution. The pavilion also aims to address the tension between what exists as an immediate built context and its intended use as a cultural promenade and gathering. Read the rest of this entry »

“Splash” was designed by Joel Cullum and it was the runner-up in judges’ voting in last month’s DesignByMany Building to Building Bridge Challenge. The aim was to explore the creative ways of connecting two neighboring buildings, while trying to implement the principles of modularity, adaptability to various conditions, quick assemblage, etc.

Structurally, it is “a bridge caught within a single frame of explosive velocity. The tensional lattice work is integral to the structure of the suspended deck, whilst providing the chaotic, yet ordered network of cables and compression rods working to freeze the fragments in mid air.” Read the rest of this entry »

London farm tower designed by Brandon Martella rests on the south bank of the Thames River overlooking Potter’s Field. Like a tree the tower collects rainwater and solar energy to maintain survival. Wind is harvested through vertical axis turbines that align the perimeter structure. The residential programmed floors take advantage of cross ventilation through the use of operable windows and louvers while the hydroponic floors are a continual hydronic system recycling the humid green house air content by collecting condensated water on the inside of the ETFE pillows and letting gravity bring the water down through the hydroponic racks. Read the rest of this entry »

Herzog & de Meuron’s project for the new Bordeaux stadium is an expression of fundamentally new architecture. The pure shape of the volume, by contrast to its light and open structure, creates an at once monumental and graceful architectural piece elegantly suited to the grand landscape of Bordeaux.

Stadium architecture combines three constitutive elements: the bowl containing the game and its spectators, the concourse as the transitional element between the playing field and the outside surroundings and, finally, the overall appearance. Herzog & de Meuron’s approach is to reinterpret these three elements in light of the site-specific characteristics: the resulting architecture is thus one-of-a-kind, reflecting the intrinsic features of the site.

We aim to present an architectural object in which highest functional quality is combined with a unique identity. We are confident that allying these two criteria, functionality and strong identity, endows our project with an emotional dimension that the public can feel, and that is inextricably bound to the stadium’s traditional role of staging sports. Read the rest of this entry »

This project designed by Stephan Sobl is a casino resort, a satellite alternative to Las Vegas, located on a dramatic site between the Hoover Dam and the Bypass Bridge. The resort caters to various 21st century vices including entertainment (concert venues, MMA Fighting), gambling and luxury living. The architectural challenges I dealt with were taking the convential vertical tower, including its plynth and orientation, and turning it upside down.

Architectural elements: The massing layout is construed by the event space on top with a framed view of the Hoover Dam; the modern casino underneath leading to the hotel lobby and the hotel itself. At the bottom of the tower there is a dramatic area for happenings and ceremonial occasions. It also includes a breakfast room and high-end dining with the elevator core floating above the space; a glass floor providing views to the ground; and terraced floor slabs.

In terms of circulation, there are several ways leading into the plynth of the tower, including car circulation; and viewing platforms. The bridge circulation focuses on 3 elements: structural details of the Bypass Bridge, openings to the Hoover Dam, and breathtaking diagonal views of the hanging tower with a constant interplay of plunging and emerging. Read the rest of this entry »

The ‘Space Race Museum’ is a proposal designed by Islam Fikry Abbas from the Port Said University in Egypt for an a new museum dedicated to early stages of outer space exploration during the Cold War. It is the story of a race between the United States and the Soviet Union to conquest the last frontier. The main concept of the project is to use architectural forms and spatial differentiation to represent the technological and political situation during those years. The organic forms are designed to make the visitors experience a sense of loss and continuity where ceilings and floors are one continuos entity. The museum is also an environmentally conscious design that incorporates photovoltaic cells, wind turbines, and water recollection systems. The landscape is carefully integrated to the museum to create a single harmonious structure.  Read the rest of this entry »

The design is a result of collaboration between an international practice Asensio_Mah and students from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. It welcomes the visitors of Reford Garden Metis International Garden Festival, framing the view of the Festival’s entry sequence. It revisits the garden wall, giving it a modern expression.

It assumes the form of angled panel structure, designed more as a dynamic sculpture than as a conventional wall, intended to separate two distinct spaces. With that in mind, the authors decided to change the wall’s basic function and give it a new purpose. The wall is gradually transformed from a seating structure to ground plane, acting as an interactive site. Its framework holds together a volume of moss as it meanders at the entry of the gardens. The honeycomb structure is embedded with experimental moss surfaces, creating a vertically positioned vegetation strip, with different orientation and establishing various microclimates. Read the rest of this entry »

(c) Michael Moran

International architecture firm, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) is pleased to announce that CENTRA will be recognized with an American Institute of Architects (AIA) New Jersey Chapter Honor Award. Developed by The Hampshire Companies, this dynamic building offers a new paradigm for the suburban office experience – one which blends urbanism with the living landscape.

According to KPF Managing Principal, Lloyd Sigal, “The Hampshire Companies saw an opportunity during the economic downturn to get ahead of the curve by refurbishing this underutilized, but well-located property. We were commissioned for the project at the start of the financial crisis, so were faced with the challenge of producing high-quality, impactful architecture within an especially tight budget. But with a visionary client, an exceptional contractor (Tishman Construction), and a skilled team of engineers and consultants, we were able to create a building that is visually striking, functionally efficient and, as recently announced, award-winning.”

KPF’s design for CENTRA adds value by expanding the total area of leasable Class-A office space while utilizing the existing structure. An extension of the top floor adds 10,000 square feet, while the addition of vision glass and light wells activates the previously unoccupied basement, adding 15,000 square feet of day-lit office space and tenant amenities. Read the rest of this entry »