The proposal from the Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA) to re-skin the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) tower in Sudney Australia has won the ZEROprize for Re-Skinning. The proposal aims to transform the identity of the brutalist-style high-rise and reduce its carbon footprint. LAVA has developed a simple, cost-effective and easily constructed building skin that forms a translucent cocoon to create a micro-climate. The skin can generate energy with embedded photo-voltaic cells, collect rain water, and improve the distribution of natural daylight. It can also use available convective energy to power the building’s ventilation requirements, reducing HVAC dependency. The skin is self cleaning and quite striking to the eye. The skin could be applied to other similar existing structures inexpensively, contributing to a low-cost, efficient way to beautify cities everywhere. Read the rest of this entry »

Kitchens of the future will likely look vastly different than they do today. Lots of new high tech gadgetry is a given, but what about indoor vegetable and herb gardens, composters that are as easy to use as a sink disposal, and even integrated appliances that utilize waste heat or water? Ekokook, by La Faltazi Lab, is already way ahead of us and has designed that kitchen of the future, and the outlook is very green.

As the kitchen is often the heart of the home, it naturally follows that it is one of the bigger sources of environmental impact, considering the amount of energy used to cook and store food, as well as the impact of the food itself. This is the reason why La Faltazi Lab wanted to tackle this area of the home and make it more energy and resource efficient, as well as a place we would want to spend our time. Read the rest of this entry »

Finalist  – 2010 Skyscraper Competition

Vision Included
Martijn de Geus, Albert Dijk
The Netherlands

The International System skyscraper is a project that recognizes the specific function of each space with a design that derives one-hundred percent from it. Each part of the building is different according to its program but they all come together with transition or buffer zones. This project was designed for the city of Almere in the Netherlands. Its plinth makes a connection with the urban fabric of the existing city. Among the different programs within this city-like structure there are schools, libraries, housing, museums, cinemas, and shopping areas. Read the rest of this entry »

Finalist  – 2010 Skyscraper Competition

William Fong, Joshua Loke, Livee Tan
Australia

With an average ground level of 1.5 m from the sea level, Maldives is the lowest county on the planet, with its highest point topping off at only 2.3 m above sea level.

The country is in a dire situation as sea levels are set to rise to 59 cm above the sea level in the year 2100. This rate would probably be accelerated if natural disasters are to be accounted for. The 2004 tsunami affected many of Maldives’ inhabited islands, where only 9 islands managed to escape flooding. 57 islands faced serious damage to its infrastructure, 14 needed to be completely evacuated and 6 were decimated.

Physical destruction aside, the flooding of Maldives would also signal the obliteration of the proud Maldivian culture, as well as a complete loss of her people’s sense of self and sovereignty. Read the rest of this entry »

Finalist  – 2010 Skyscraper Competition

Meurisse Frederic,  Huyghe Lieselotte
France

The main idea of this project is to create a green ribbon of parks and recreational areas that will connect the Vincennes and the Boulogne forests – the two major lungs of Paris. The ribbon will be equipped with a series of skyscrapers that will inject programs to the city. Some of them will be used as housing while others will have museums or restaurants. Its triangulated steel structure is a three dimensional network of voids and surfaces inspired by the Origami pleating game. Read the rest of this entry »

Finalist  – 2010 Skyscraper Competition

Stéphanie Durniak, Baptiste Franceschi, Anthony Frutoso, Caroline Mangin
France

The city of Marseilles is one France’s principal urban hubs that attract thousands of new residents each year. It has been designated World Cultural Capital for 2013 and many new urban developments are underway. The “Euroméditerranée” project is one of the most important ones and aims to give a new maritime façade to the north.

The idea behind this project is to create a vertical village that integrates to the tens of villages that configure the city. Each village has its own character and function. This project will have housing, offices, commerce, and recreational areas; gardens and parks will be incorporated as public terraces between the different programs and will serve as meeting places for the community. Read the rest of this entry »

Finalist  – 2010 Skyscraper Competition

Kevin Hemeryck
France

The city of Paris is recognized worldwide for its beauty, architecture, and urban planning. Unfortunately the lack of green areas has been a constant problem for decades. The Flying Planame (paname refers to Paris in French slang) is an utopist project that proposes multiple layers of green planes throughout the city. The main concept is to maximize the outdoors areas while making use of the structure for commerce and housing. Similar to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the rice growing terraces of Yunnan, China, this project proposes equilibrium between the natural and built environments. Read the rest of this entry »

Finalist  – 2010 Skyscraper Competition

Andrew Brorson
United States

The Contingency Ark was designed under the assumption that the West Antarctic ice shelf will melt and a great number of cities, including Miami, will be underwater. Its structure was inspired from buildings that have withstood the rising of the sea like the Maunsell Sea Forts in the Thames and Mersey estuaries located off the coast of the United Kingdom.

It is formed by a steel lattice where mobile floating homes will plug-in. The idea is to build a series of these structures in major cities and habitants will be able to move their homes between locations. The basic infrastructure including water, energy, and waste management will be provided by the permanent structure. Read the rest of this entry »

Finalist  – 2010 Skyscraper Competition

Karim Hassayoune, Aude Morgenthaler
France

The Meta-Tower is a skyscraper that grows by slowly stacking projects over the years. It consists of an open structure in which architects plug in buildings according to current economic, social, and cultural conditions. The idea is to create a building with a series of layers that represent a specific moment in time while testing new architectural problems and solutions. Read the rest of this entry »

Finalist  – 2010 Skyscraper Competition

Bunker Arquitectura
Esteban Suarez,  Santiago Gitanjalli, Jorge Arteaga, Sebastian Suarez, Zaida Montañana, Arief Budiman, Adrian Aguilar
Mexico

The Historic Center of Mexico City is composed of different layers of cities superimposed on top of each other. When the Aztecs first came to the Valley of Mexico they built their pyramids (first layer) above the lake of Texcoco. When new and bigger pyramids were required, as the Aztec Empire grew in size and power, they did not search for a new site, they built them covering the existing ones. At the end, these pyramids are composed of different layers of historical periods. When the Spanish discovered America and ultimately conquered the Aztecs, they erected their Christian temples on top of the pyramids. Eventually their whole colonial city was built above the Aztec. In the 20th century, many colonial buildings were demolished and modern structures raised over the existing historic foundations. Read the rest of this entry »