Future Architecture

Preston Scott Cohen’s Tel Aviv museum

2011-12-09T12:24:00.004+02:00

Preston Scott Cohen’s modern museum revamp gives boost to Tel Aviv art scene

Tel Aviv's recently expanded modern art museum, with its dazzling new building no less an attraction than the art showcased inside, has given a home to hundreds of displaced Israeli works and helped boost the city's cultural scene.

Located in the centre of the city's cultural complex, the program for the Tel Aviv Museum of Art Amir Building posed an extraordinary architectural challenge: to resolve the tension between the tight, idiosyncratic triangular site and the museum's need for a series of large, neutral rectangular galleries. The solution: subtly twisting geometric surfaces (hyperbolic parabolas) that connect the disparate angles between the galleries and the context, while refracting natural light into the deepest recesses of the half buried building.

The reason for the four-year, $50 million building project was to provide a space for the collection of Israeli art that was growing in the museum's storage rooms. Many of the newly displayed pieces include elements of Israeli society, from military conscription to the agricultural communes known as kibbutzim. Alongside these nationally inspired contributions, works by renowned German artist Anselm Kieffer – which were inspired by Jewish faith and mysticism – make up a special exhibit for the new wing's opening. The new wing, designed by Massachusetts architect Preston Scott Cohen, has doubled the size of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art by 19,000 sq. m. (200,000 sq. ft.) and lured a growing number of art fans through its new, triangular concrete and glass complex since its November 3 unveiling.

Cohen’s building represents an unusual synthesis of two opposing paradigms for the contemporary museum: the museum of neutral white boxes and the museum of architectural spectacle. Individual, rectangular galleries are organized around the "Lightfall", an eighty-seven foot tall spiraling atrium. The building is composed according to multiple axes that deviate significantly from floor to floor. In essence, it is a series of independent plans and steel structural systems stacked one atop the other, connected by geometric episodes of vertical circulation.

Alésia Museum opening in 2012

2011-12-09T11:59:00.004+02:00

Subtle historical references found in Bernard Tschumi Architects' Alésia Museum

The Battle of Alésia was waged by Julius Caesar in September 52BC against a united league of Gallic residents in a French settlement in Burgundy. A major hill fort - Alésia - was the site of the vicious encounter which was eventually won by the Romans, and it is this historic location which has been transformed by architectural theorist and celebrated designer Bernard Tschumi.

On 23rd March 2012, an opening ceremony will be held for the first phase of the Alésia Museum; a cylindrical band of wooden elements that houses an interpretive information centre. This interactive facility will educate visitors on the events of the Battle of Alésia through a series of active exhibitions and displays, with information accessible to those of all ages.

Great care has been taken here to minimise disruption to the historic site and to form a fitting - and historically accurate - tribute to the violent conflict. As such, the roof of the interpretive centre has been planted with shrubs and grasses in order to minimise visual impact when viewed from a neighbouring hill (the historical position of the Gauls), and a wooden envelope constructed to reference the Roman fortifications of the era. Bernard Tschumi Architects admits: “To be both visible and invisible is the paradox and challenge of the project.”

Plans are underway for a second, corresponding building to act as a more traditional museum. Designs suggest a form of similar cylindrical appearance but clad in stone rather than wood, ‘evoking its trenched position’. This will be located on the hill to mark the location of the Gauls and will house historical objects recovered from the site in an alternative educational approach.

Plans are to sink this second building into the hill itself ‘so that from above it appears as an extension of the landscape’; aside from this, the lush green hills remain largely the same today as in 52BC. The second volume is due to complete in 2015.

source:http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com

Christian de Portzamparc, Carnegie 57, New York City

2010-10-11T19:32:00.005+03:00

Carnegie 57, is a new “ultraluxury” condo building, designed by French starchitect Christian de Portzamparc, on 57th Street across the street from Carnegie Hall, in New York.

The $1.3 billion skyscraper is actually the first major property development to come after the global financial crisis put hundreds of projects in the Big Apple on hold and upon its completion in 2013, will be the tallest residential building in the city, at 1,005 feet, eclipsing the Trump World Plaza.

There will be 136 apartments in the tower, above the 210-room Park Hyatt hotel which will sprawl over the first 20 floors. Gary Barnet, the project’s developer, seems confident that his tower will attract both design kudos and deep-pocketed buyers.

Josep Liinas, Atlantida cultural centre, Barcelona

2010-09-14T14:06:00.005+03:00

Its been a while since we last posted a purely European project and we found this project to be the perfect opportunity to do just that.Atlantida is a cultural center, designed by the Catalan architect Josep Llinas, situated in Vic, just 60 km north of Barcelona.The 10.500 m2 of the Atlantida cultural center, feature an 800-seat theatre, a 400-seat auditorium, a music school, 100-seat performance space, a library and a restaurant.
According to the architect in relation to the location, the site is placed between the boundary of the consolidated town and the future expansion areas. The transition from one fabric to the other is articulated by a strip of natural land supported by the Meder River. In the northern edge, the consolidated town is composed by courtyards where the rear façades of row housing look over.
The imposing asymmetrical building which is destined to become a landmark for the city of Vic, opened its doors in April 2010.

Frank Gehry, Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Las Vegas

2010-09-07T11:43:00.003+03:00

Frank Gehry’s newest project, the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, in Las Vegas, is a leading research centre for degenerative brain diseases.

The sculptural building cost almost $100 million and consists of two wings connected by an open courtyard.

In the ordinary northern part of the building is a research center and hospital, in the creative south part – the life activity center.

In this project the architect manipulates space and materials to create stunning structures that captivate the imagination and although the two parts of the building differ from each other, they also act like two parts of the whole.

The Gehry teams have created a masterpiece of architectural design, blending strong visual impact with superior efficiency in patient care.

According to WAN, Gehry decided to design the building because he, like founder Larry Ruvo, has been affected by degenerative brain diseases. Ruvo’s father had Alzheimer’s and Gehry’s analyst’s wife had Huntington’s disease.

Therefore, this building is like a tribute to those they lost, and also a beacon of hope for finding treatments or cures for these unfortunate ailments.

Van Egeraat, Dynamo Stadium, Moscow

2010-07-12T10:21:00.005+03:00

Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat has won a competition to redevelop the Dynamo Moscow Stadium and surrounding park in Moscow.

Called VTB Arena Park, the project comprises the redevelopment of the Dynamo Moscow stadium and its surrounding park Erick a contemporary multifunctional urban regenerator, that will play a key role in transforming its wider surroundings.

Erick van Egeraat’s 300,000-m2 multifunctional culture, health and sports centre will be developed on a 116,000-m2 site and will comprise a 45,000-seat Stadium Arena for Dynamo Moscow, a 10,000-seat Arena Hall, a Retail and Entertainment complex, restaurants, parking and other facilities.

VTB Arena allows the existing park to be completely preserved as a public, green area. Parking facilities will be included underground, and horeca and sports training facilities will be included above ground, with the park continuing over the roof of these functions.

Erick van Egeraat partnered with Russian architect Mikhail Posokhin for the project.

CEBRA Architects, Iceberg Project, Denmark

2010-06-14T12:45:00.008+03:00

CEBRA Architects along with JDS, Louis Paillard and SeArch, have won the competition to build an innovative housing complex, inspired by icebergs – the ocean’s very own colossus, at the Aarhus docklands development in Denmark.The Iceberg project provides a huge opportunity to renovate Aarhus’s old and out-of-use container terminal.The area will develop into a living city quarter, which comprises of a multitude of cultural and social activities, with generous amount of workplaces, along with a highly mixed and diverse array of housing types.
The development will create 25,000 sqm of housing, with 200 apartments and is due for completion in 2010.
A third of the project’s 200 apartments will be set aside as affordable rental housing, aimed at integrating a diverse social profile into the new neighborhood development.
“With the Iceberg we get unique housing qualities as well as a city architectural expression of the highest quality”, says Kent Martinussen, adm. dir. of DAC (Danish Architecture Centre).

Magén Arquitectos, Environmental Unit Headquarters, Zaragoza

2010-06-07T13:25:00.004+03:00

Located in Zaragoza, Spain and in built-up area of the city center, the Environmental Unit Headquarters, offers an impression that floats above the garden and panoramic view of a continuous projection on the floor and roof level. The project is based on two fundamental ideas. The first idea is in response to the special urban and landscape importance of the location; the second aims to express the intrinsic relationship between the environmental commitment of the project and its materiality and the building programme. The relationship with the adjacent urban spaces and the topographic features of the site become active conditions for the implementation of the building; it can clearly be seen in the project section that also expresses the extension of the public space of the entrance, via the roof and the configuration of the building as a platform-viewpoint onto the Ebro river. The roof is an essential element within the landscape design of the building as well as the main image of the building. It is configured as a viewpoint at different levels, which are joined together by gentle ramps and a terraced grandstand, designed as an outdoor amphitheatre for possible recreational uses.

Kjaer & Richter Architects, Navitas Park, Denmark

2010-05-31T11:46:00.007+03:00

Kjaer & Richter Architects designed the Navitas Park, a 39,000 square meters project, which will host the Aarhus School of Engineering, Aarhus School of Marine and Technical Engineering and the INCUBA Science Park in Denmark.

From 2014 more than 2,000 students, lecturers and professionals will occupy Navitas Park, Denmark’s largest low-energy building, on the new waterfront in Aarhus.

The goal of Navitas Park is to create an outstanding center, to be the leaders for knowledge in an innovative environment for energy, environment and construction education, the location, at the heart of Aarhus, establishes it as a first class environment for learning, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Navitas Park has a very ambitious green profile, meaning that the building will use only a fraction of the energy normally consumed by a building of this type. It is an independent goal for the building to appear as an international beacon of energy conservation and use of energy technologies.

With its impressive location, the building also represents a unique opportunity to demonstrate and highlight the development potential of sustainable state of the art energy technologies, supported by the architecture.

Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, Schwabinger Tor Hotel, Munich

2010-05-19T11:46:00.005+03:00

The 40,000 m2 5-star hotel complex is situated in the newly developed Schwabinger Tor area, in Munich, Germany. The challenge was to bring the architectural characteristics of Munich into this new and modern part of the city.The design concept has its origin in three themes: the analysis of the historical city with its arches, vaults and arcades; a close relation to the masterplan with its boulevards, plazas and narrow streets; and a focus on human beings as well as the overall experience offered to the hotel guests.The arcade motif is well known in Munich and emphasizes the passage from a public plaza to the more private urban spaces creating a semi-public space where people can sit and observe the urban life. The design integrates this architectural feature into the ground floor level of the hotel.North and south of the building complex, two new urban plazas form natural entry points to the hotel. The entrances are accentuated in the building design by two impressive, specious golden vaults.The hotel rooms have been designed to become one-of-a-kind. By integrating large and luxurious bathrooms – as a kind of private spa-rooms – with daylight and visual connection to the outside greenery.The use of daylight is a general theme throughout the building complex. It offers the hotel guests a unique experience and sets a whole new standard for high-end hotels in general.

University of Technology, Denton Corker Marshall, Sydney

2010-05-17T10:56:00.005+03:00

The Broadway Building, for the University of technology, is expressed as a singular sculptural object, and will become part of the university’s broader strategy to create a vibrant and connected education district.

Selected from over 60 entries in an international two-stage design competition, the design makes a clear statement as screens made of aluminum sheets are perforated with the “1s” and “0s” of the binary code and applied to the angled plates; so that the pattern created is a re-working of the binary sequence for ‘University of Technology Sydney Faculty of Engineering and information Technology’.

Concealed within are 12 floor levels above ground, with another four levels below, for research laboratories, lecture theatres, seminar rooms, teaching laboratories, academic and administration offices and car parking. Publicly accessible uses include a lecture complex, student union and retail outlets located to activate street edges.

A crevasse-like linear atrium penetrates the basic volume both vertically and horizontally, around which the teaching, learning and social spaces are distributed for function and flexibility. The crevasse provides natural light and pedestrian access through the building, and directly links the UTS education precinct to the local neighborhood.

An extensive range of environmentally sustainable design initiatives make a substantial contribution to achieving best practice standards in the Faculty accommodation. The design targets a minimum 5-star Green Star rating, and is expected to deliver an energy saving of 30- 45%, a potable water saving of 20-30% and a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over benchmark tertiary educational buildings with similar functional spaces.

Casa Son Vida, TEC Architecture, Mallorca

2010-05-03T12:03:00.003+03:00

Located 15 minutes outside Palma de Mallorca, in an exclusive community called Son Vida, Casa Son Vida is an 800 square meter, luxury villa, marking the arrival of a new architectural approach to the island.

The luxury residence redefines luxury architecture featuring a variety of round and square shapes, futuristic blobs combined with antiques, mixing traditional and modern styles, resulting in a sophisticated futuristic structure.

While Mallorca is undeniably gorgeous, we felt there was a gap in the market,” explains Cosmopolitan president Michael Rimbeck.

“Most real estate on the island is predictable or inevitably Mediterranean. We wanted to offer the increasing number of young, progressive, and adventurous buyers who are attracted to the island a more daring and evocative alternative.”

Casa Son Vida will capture the attention of the international design world with its sophistication and vitality, making Mallorca a new destination for those in search of design exploration and inspiration.

Taipei Pop Music Center by Reiser + Umemoto

2010-04-13T12:58:00.003+03:00

Pop music, while a global phenomenon, is regional in its definition. The Taiwanese Pop music scene typifies the phenomenon; while it crosses borders and cultures and dialects, it nevertheless has produced styles and genres with distinct transnational form and appeal.

Though many aspects of pop culture exist in a hyper-technological or virtual realm, there is a need for a defined physical hub dedicated to the production and reception of pop.

The Taipei Pop Music Center features a gradient of mixed-use spaces, from the fully public realm to the interior of the auditorium, allows the visitor to partake of the event dynamic however they choose to visit this complex. Whether they plan a night of music or are browsing the myriad shops, markets, cafes, and restaurants, the complex will be a 24-hour attraction independent of the schedule of performances in the theaters.

The TPMC features a new elevated public ground, which bridges the two building sites presently divided by Xinsheng Rd. Corridor. The elevated public space is a pedestrian zone creating a coherent public space distinct yet connected to the life of the city, and effectively joining the three major zones of the complex, the Main Concert Hall, Outdoor Amphitheater, and the Hall of Fame.

The public space is in itself a focus for outdoor events, surrounded by cafes, restaurants and shops. Here, the spectacle of pop music can be celebrated and broadcast to the world.

From: http://www.reiser-umemoto.com/

MVDRV - Eco City Montecorvo

2010-03-18T13:03:00.006+02:00

We religiously read each post from the EcoFriend, especially the ones from the Eco Architecture segment and this week the following post, really cough our attention. Enjoy!The Eco City Montecorvo is a masterplan for a sustainable city by MVDRV envisioned on the two small hills of Montecorvo and La Fonsalalda. The development uses the south facing hills to provide beautiful views of the city and also maximize the use of both passive and active solar energy. The development will provide optimal conditions for solar energy generation using photovoltaic cells. Apart from harnessing solar energy, the development will also incorporate windmills that stand on top of the hills to catch the wind. Combined, the solar and the wind energy generators will have the ability to provide all the energy the 3000 unit housing community needs.Only 10 percent of the site is to be occupied by buildings, which minimizes the impact on the landscape and simultaneously minimizes building costs. Due to the height differences, each apartment takes maximum advantage of the views.The roofs of the lower situated slabs have been made accessible and offer possibilities to create a magnificent public space overlooking the landscape of the La Rioja. By producing all the energy needed on the 56 hectare site from renewable sources, the new neighborhood achieves a CO2-neutral footprint.

Nouvel's, Louvre foundations laid, Abu Dhabi

2010-02-23T13:21:00.003+02:00

Construction work has started on Jean Nouvel's Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi.The majestic domed building designed by French architect Jean Nouvel is due for completion in 2012. It will span around 26,000 sq ft on Abu Dhabi’s cultural hub, Saadiysat Island, and will cost an estimated €108m.Nouvel has been awarded the 2008 Pritzker Prize, the highest honor for architecture, for his creative experimentation and buildings that speak to their surroundings.
Approaching from the water, the shaded space shows its scattered light, which continues the sparkling light of the water onto the architecture.
“On a more abstract level, the museum is a ‘city’ with houses, streets and plaza’s that is ‘protected’ from the sun by a Buckminster Fuller kind of dome. The cupola becomes the ash that conserves a civilization.
“This development is indeed one-of-a-kind – from design aesthetics to constructions mechanisms – it is a piece of art in the making” said Lee Tabler, chief executive of developer Tourism Development and Investment Company.

Millennium Waters, Greenest Neighborhood in the World!

2010-02-19T09:56:00.004+02:00

As expected the Vancouver Winter Olympics, made every effort to ensure that the Olympic Village, Millennium Waters, was as eco-friendly as possible, but while doing so they have actually managed to develop the Greenest, most energy efficient and sustainable Neighborhood in the world!

Millennium Waters, is located on Southeast False Creek across from the BC Place Stadium and its close proximity to the city center was only one of the many factors that resulted in receiving both a LEED Platinum certification for the entire neighborhood and a LEED Gold status for all of the buildings included in the village.

The newly-constructed village, features the city’s first renewable energy heating system, net zero energy building (a structure that produces as much energy as it consumes), natural and non-toxic building materials, devices capable of measuring the energy and water used by occupants, solar panels and solar hot water systems generating power for the households and many- many more eco features. Wow!

2.600 athletes and coaches are the current occupants of the Village although once the Games are over, individuals will be able to buy the award winning condos and homes and live in this greener than green, true mixed-use complex.

MVRDV Expo Building

2010-02-17T23:03:00.004+02:00

World expos are fantastic. In the literal meaning. They show many kinds fantasies. They allow for this great opportunity to express excitement and admiration. The past has given a series of true world wonders that express that rare combination of entertainment and education, of research and achievement, like the Eifel Tower in Paris, the Sphere at the NY expo, the Montreal Habitat building, Buckminsterfullers dome in Montreal. What to add to this history? Can the chosen theme lead to a new powerful object?
The world expo in Yeosu focuses on the power and beauty of the oceans. How to express that the best? Could it be done by – simply- making a pure visible block of water that obviously expresses the beauty and the power? A block that is extracted from the ocean. This block is hollowed out, to create a great water space, where one is surrounded by water. Along the sides, above and below. Where light filters through and give every activity a glance. That can be used for the exhibitions, the gatherings, during and after the world expo. One is in the water. The water cube is constructed out of a surrounding wall with a series of water basins that are stacked on top of each other. Based on the maximum structural capacities of the glass facades and floors. It allows showing all the different aspects of the oceans!
The façade turns into a mini museum, into a library of the oceans! Thus the central water space turns into a cathedral like space that celebrates the oceans. With all the environmental differences in the world. The deep sea, the tropical parts, the mangroves, the reefs, etcetera. The basins are organized like a world map. So that any different sea can be shown and positioned clearly: the polar seas on top and the bottom, and the tropical parts in the middle. The coast lines of the contents are clearly expressed on the facade.

source: ArchDaily

BIG + Fuglark, Education Centre - Faroe Islands

2009-12-18T14:45:00.003+02:00

Designed by Danish architects Bjarke Ingels Group and Faroe Islands architects Fuglark, the Faroe Islands Education Centre, situated on a hillside on the outskirts of Torshavn, resembles the radiating structure of a vortex, has a panoramic view overlooking the sea, mountains and harbor and will be the largest educational building project in the country’s history.The stunning, 19,200 sq m Education Centre, will be housing 1,200 students and 300 teachers, combining a secondary school and two colleges in one building.
At the school’s heart is an open rotunda space, creating a natural gathering point across floor levels and academic interests, creating a sense of community for learning and life.
A stepped interior reflects the undulating Faroe landscape with its alternating plateaus, stairwells and terraces serving different social and academic activities.
The generous surroundings provide unique opportunities to shape the school from the inside out ‐ as a functional sculpture formed by the schools internal needs.

Cherokee Lofts, LEED Gold multifamily building, California

2009-12-16T13:28:00.008+02:00

The Cherokee Lofts by Pugh + Scarpa Architects is the first LEED Gold-certified mixed-use or market-rate multifamily building in Southern California.
The five-story building features 2800-square-feet retail space on the first floor, and it has 12 lofts located on the second, third and fourth floors. The architects have also designed a green roof, and an underground level of parking. The structure’s exterior features perforated metal construction, which is designed to function as accordion shutters, which can be opened or closed by the residents to create an ever-changing building front and let in natural light for illumination.
The result, a constantly changing building front, providing alternative views inside.
The project pays homage to the musical and hollywood history of cherokee recording studios,
MGM studios before it, and those who recorded music on site from frank sinatra to david bowie
to dave matthews. While its architectural form and integrated function are an expression of the environmental and cultural context in which it is built.

Prada Pop-up Boutique, Paris

2009-12-03T18:47:00.002+02:00

Technically the pop-up stores, restaurants, galleries etc phenomenon, aren’t a new concept; but we all have to admit that nowadays the trend seems to be hotter than ever.

And when Prada is involved in a pop-up project, well let’s just say that the result is something to remember. So, harry up because this pop-up beauty will be open till December 31^st.

Situated at Place Beauvau 92, the boutique was designed by architect Roberto Baciocchi. Both the Mirabeau Bridge and the Italian luxury firm’s original store in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II; were the inspirational forces behind this surrealistic, two floor and 570 square meter space.

The bohemian theme carries on throughout, with a Montmartre-inspired, mannequin-lined street scene up the staircase; bronze and glass apothecary cases; lilac velvet furnishings; and an abundance of floor-to-ceiling mirrors.

Prada’s love for innovation and rich history perfectly blend together in this one of a kind, pop-up boutique.

One might wonder…. Could this be the era of pop-up Architecture?

NL Architects - SOZAWE Sustainable Office Building

2009-11-26T13:45:00.004+02:00

We religiously read each post from the EcoFriend, especially the ones from the Eco Architecture segment and this week the following post, really cough our attention. Enjoy!NL Architects has proposed SOZAWE, a sustainable development for Groningen City that will provide office spaces, a large interior public space and ample space to park 215 cars.
The building carries green areas on every level, which apart from beautifying the structure also reduces the heat gain during daytime.The concrete floor of the building will act as a thermal mass to keep the building cool during summer and warm during the cooler winter months.
The façade of the building is designed to maximize natural lighting, which reduces the overall energy consumption of the building.

SOM, Virginia Beach Convention Centre

2009-11-19T17:13:00.004+02:00

Boasting more than 500,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space, the award-winning Virginia Beach Convention Center demonstrates SOM’s ability to look beyond an immediate project site in terms of community growth.

Water, wood, and natural light make the new Virginia Beach Convention Center bright and welcoming for all types of visitors. An expansion of the existing Pavilion Convention complex, the new center includes expanded exhibit hall space, pre-function areas, meeting rooms, conference areas, and a 31,000-square-foot ballroom.

A flight of 147 feet of glass and steel tower pays tribute to the historic lighthouse of the town, while small farms sustain energy saving curtain wall of glass that wraps around the entrance.

Design incorporates lighting and HVAC systems programmed to conserve electricity during peak hours, energy efficient windows that limit UV penetration, naturally rot-and insect-resistant Cumaru wood flooring and decks, and effective systems for storm-water retention.

Since its completion, VBCC has become the centerpiece of a 40-year master plan to green Virginia Beach and reinvigorate the classic resort town.

Zaha Hadid, MAXXI Opening, Rome

2009-11-16T16:22:00.005+02:00

Hadid adds another gem in Europe, this time in Rome.

The MAXXI, Italy's new national museum of XXI century art, which took 10 years to complete, finally opened its doors to the public recently, although the official opening will take place next Spring.

The 30,000 square meters colossus of glass, steel and concrete will be hosting almost 6,000 square meters of sweeting galleries enclosed by curving windowless cast concrete walls!

And if you are still looking for the wow factor, well turn your head to the sky and you will. The roof is fully glazed, integrating complex light shading devices and artificial lighting systems and a system to control temperature and humidity. Quite complex.

MAXXI is yet another proof of Rome's long standing affection for revolutionary architecture. Bravo, Rome!

More Zaha Hadid in Future Architecture:

London Aquatics Centre

Regium Waterfront Museum, Italy

Antwerp Port House

Cairo Towers

Gazprom Tower Tallest Sustainable Building in Europe

2009-11-12T16:10:00.007+02:00

The Gazprom Tower, or the Okhta Tower has been given a green light for construction, upon completion of which it will be the tallest building in Europe.
To be built in St. Petersburg, Russia, the 77-storey tower isn’t just about height, the modern building will also be full of environmentally friendly features.

It will have plenty of natural lighting and ventilation, thermal insulation to protect against the cold and harsh weather of St. Petersburg, and specialized water, heating and ventilation systems to minimize energy needs.
The 400-meter tower will serve as the headquarters of Gazprom’s oil unit OAO Gazprom Neft, and will also include a concert hall, museum, hotel and a business center.

Source: Inhabitat

Herzog and Meuron design the new Miami Art Museum

2009-10-27T13:06:00.006+02:00

MAM; just revealed the plans for the new museum designed by award winning Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron.

Designed to achieve silver LEED certification for its environmental impact, the new 120,000-square-foot, three story building, is an imaginative structure that bridges urban spaces, climates and cultures.

Situated on the Biscayne Bay, the new MAM building, sensitive to the city’s need for public green space, is designed to extend the park into the museum site by means of a shaded outdoor terrace and verandas accessible to all visitors.

Tropical plants are integrated into the structural system of columns and platforms forming a dense, multi-dimensional sculpture garden and creating a natural extension of the transparent main structure.

The new museum will open to the public in 2013.

OMA designs sustainable City Hall in Rotterdam

2009-10-22T16:50:00.003+03:00

Office for Metropolitan Architecture worked with Werner Sobek and engineers ABT and won a competition to design a new mixed used building at Rotterdam’s City Hall in the Netherlands.
Set for completion in 2014, the innovative and sustainable scheme for the city council includes municipal services, offices and residential units.
The new building will be made up of smaller box-shaped cells to generate maximum efficiency and versatility in construction and features a modular structure with repeated units gradually set back from the street as they rise into two irregular peaks. Units can be added or taken away as needed.
Besides this particular structure, the building has a climate regulated by warm air stored in summer and released in winter, and vice versa, and the use of hi-tech translucent insulation in the building’s glass façade, addressing the main requirement for this building: to be the most sustainable building in the Netherlands.
The highly insulated glazed building will also include green terraces for residential occupants on higher levels providing the possibility of an apartment with a garden in the heart of urban Rotterdam!
OMA partner Reinier de Graaf said: “Rather than posing as the city’s next superlative, the design for the Stadskantoor is partly a building, partly an urban condition – a skyline in its own right.”

More OMA in Future Architecture here

Populous - 2014 Winter Olympic Stadium, Sochi, Russia

2009-10-14T16:54:00.003+03:00

Following their successful submission to design the 2012 Olympic Stadium for London, the Populous has yet again emerged the front-runner in a bid to design the main stadium for the 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Based on sustainable architecture lines, the stadium will be wrapped in a shimmering crystalline skin and make use of advanced material technology, together with natural lighting and ventilation. Looking like a riverside pebble, the stadium will accommodate about 40,000 spectators. According to the senior principal of the Populous, John Barrow, “The main stadium design, in addition to the venue overlay plan we have prepared for the 2014 Games, delivers a wonderful vision for the winter Olympics, and a lasting sustainable legacy for Sochi. Its sweeping form responds to both its coastal location and mountainous backdrop, whilst its crystalline skin engages with its surroundings by day, and provides an iconic representation of the color and spectacle of the games when illuminated at night.”

UNstudio - Dalian Shide Football Stadium, China

2009-10-07T16:00:00.005+03:00

Dutch architects UNStudio have won a closed competition to design a 38,500sq m, 40,000-seat football stadium in China for the most successful club in the Chinese super league: Dalian Shide fc..
Inspired by the design of a classic Chinese football made by layering colored bamboo, the new stadium features a double-layered, lattice-like roof a TV broadcasting center, administration areas, two full-sized training fields,VIP lounge, and facilities for players.
“A key feature of the Dalian stadium is the proximity of the spectators to the pitch, thereby ensuring the best views from the tribunes and creating a true sense of engagement,” said UN Studio founder Ben van Berkel.“As in theatre design, specific views and focal points are required. In the Dalian stadium, we envisioned the playing field as the stage. A two-tier seating system and curved outlines optimise the corners of the tribunes and allow the spectators to be as close as possible to the playing field.” said van Berkel.

Foster+Partners Spaceport, New Mexico

2009-10-02T14:29:00.004+03:00

Future and Architecture… Any ideas? Well it looks like the future is here, for Foster + Partners and URS corporation, who designed the first spaceport in the world, in New Mexico. And in case you were wondering, yes construction has already begun!

The sinuous shape of the building in the landscape and its interior spaces seek to capture the drama and mystery of space flight itself, articulating the thrill of space travel for the first space tourists. Making a minimal impact on the environment, the scheme will be the first facility of its kind and a model for the future.
The spaceport will host commercial operations by private space travel companies, like Virgin Galactic.

Read more about Foster+Partners in Future Architecture:
Foster+Partners to connect North and South Korea
Masdar City - Foster + Partners

Santiago Calatrava does it again! Liège Train Station, Belgium

2009-09-28T18:10:00.005+03:00

Calatrava’s Liège station began construction in 1996 and was designed to provide rail service for 36,000 people a day whilst introducing innovative design to the local area of Liège.

As a significant point of connection between not only local areas but European cities, the design for Liège-Guillemins Station aimed to create a symbol of the city’s renewal.
Calatrava designed a structure ‘without facades’ and focused on the roof as the key element within the design. It offers protection from the surrounding natural environment in the form of a glass and steel vaulted curve and stretches over five platforms.A series of pedestrian bridges and walkways at basement level provide access from one end of the station to the other.Santiago Calatrava said: “It was my goal to create a 21st century transportation facility that would not only unite Liège with the rest of Europe, but would also serve as a symbol of the city’s renewal. The project, as a whole, creates a new gateway into Liège and re-establishes a relationship with the city”.

Hamburg Philharmonic Concert Hall

2009-09-24T17:52:00.004+03:00

So, what do you think of this building?
Well then, how about this one?
Yes, this is how the new Hamburg’s Philharmonic Orchestra Hall will look like, upon completion, in 2012.

Architects Herzog & de Meuron, designed the Elbie Hall, one of the largest urban construction projects under way in Europe, back in 2007. The design of the Philharmonic Hall will incorporate a pre-existing brick warehouse topped by a new crystalline tent-like structure that seems to float above the industrial base.
The Elbe Philharmonic Hall will become a cultural centerpiece for Hamburg and is destined to house one of the world's ten best concert halls, a 250 room five-star hotel, a wellness and conference zone, numerous restaurants and nightclubs and 47 owner-occupied apartments!

Sietch Nevada - A Futuristic Desert Oasis

2009-09-15T17:51:00.004+03:00

In Frank Herbert’s famous1965 novel Dune, he describes a planet that has undergone nearly complete desertification. Dune has been called the “first planetary ecology novel” and forecasts a dystopian world without water. Although this science fiction novel sounded alien back then, the concept of a water-poor world is quickly becoming a reality, especially in the American Southwest.

Sietch Nevada is an urban prototype that makes the storage, use, and collection of water essential to the form and performance of urban life.
Inverting the stereotypical Southwest urban patterns of dispersed programs open to the sky, Matsys Designs, designed the Sietch as a dense, underground community.

A network of storage canals is covered with undulating residential and commercial structures. These canals connect the city with vast aquifers deep underground and provide transportation as well as agricultural irrigation.

The caverns brim with dense, urban life: an underground Venice.
Cellular in form, these structures constitute a new neighborhood typology that mediates between the subterranean urban network and the surface level activities of water harvesting, energy generation, and urban agriculture and aquaculture.

OMA - Interlace Project, Singapore

2009-09-09T17:21:00.004+03:00

Architects Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) have unveiled new images of a residential project for Singapore, comprising long low apartment blocks stacked in hexagonal configurations, a new residential typology which breaks away from the standard isolated, vertical apartment towers of singapore.

The large-scale complex takes a more expansive and interconnected approach to living through communal spaces which are integrated into its lush surrounding greenbelt.

Thirty-one apartment blocks, each standing at six-storeys tall and identical in length, are stacked in a hexagonal arrangement to form eight large open and permeable courtyards.

The stacked formations allow light and air to flow through the architecture and surrounding landscape. developed by capitaland and hotel properties limited, the interlace covers 170,000m2 of gross floor area and will house 1,040 apartment units of varying sizes.

For more info on this amazing project please visit OMA's website.

Foster+Partners to connect North and South Korea

2009-09-04T12:10:00.004+03:00

What better way to start the new season than with one of the most visionary architectural firms in sustainable architecture, Foster+Partners.

This time, the Teatro Del Agua creators won an international competition with a startling green master-plan that will, within the next 15 years, connect North and South Korea.

Their proposal? The world's longest bridge!

An extraordinary, mixed use scheme, that will connect the two islands that up till today have no road connections whatsoever.

The entire 115 square mile area will be self sufficient and support a population able to grow sustainably from 35.000 to 320.000 residents and commuters.

Special zoning will be used to encourage green industry (manufacturing photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, new products and technology etc) while the south of the island will be mixed-use, combining community, cultural and residential buildings with green tech industry.

For more on this extraordinary project please visit the Foster+Partners website.

Green Architectural Branding

2009-07-23T12:55:00.004+03:00

PNC came up with probably the most innovative architectural branding idea I have tumbled on during the last year. Please welcome the largest living wall in North America, as posted on Jetson Green.

In a recent press release, PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC) announced plans to install a 2,380 square-foot, soil-based living wall on the southerly exterior of the company's Pittsburgh headquarters building, One PNC Plaza.

The living wall, pending municipal approval and installation in September 2009, will be the largest green living wall in North America. Produced by Green Living Technologies and designed by Mingo Design, a careful arrangement of locally-sourced plants will brand the building with PNC's logo.

PNC will have the 24-ton wall mounted directly onto One PNC Plaza with a panel system and stainless steel bracketing. The irrigation system -- which is estimated to require only 15 minutes of watering per week -- is built into 602 panels of soil-based growth medium.

A new architecture award for Manitoba Hydro Place

2009-07-13T16:02:00.004+03:00

is isn’t the first time the Manitoba Hydro Place, the 23-storey, energy-efficient building on Winnipeg, gets awarded, this time it was the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's 2009 award for the best tall building in the Americas.Designed by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects of Toronto and Winnipeg's Smith Carter Architects and Engineers Inc., the 690,000 square foot corporate headquarters of Manitoba Hydro Place, took 3½ years to complete at a cost of $300 million.Today Manitoba Hydro Place is one of the smartest structures in North America and one of the most energy-efficient office towers in the world with a plethora of automated and integrated building management systems coupled with innovative geothermal heating and radiant cooling systems.Ultimately, Manitoba Hydro Place sets a precedent for the seamless integration of architectural excellence and climate responsive, energy efficient and sustainable design while enhancing and improving the quality and comfort of the human experience and the civility of urban life.We are happy to discover that the next generation of sustainable buildings is already here, integrating time-tested environmental concepts and advanced technologies to achieve living buildings that dynamically respond to local climate.

Big Dig House - A testament of recycling

2009-07-07T13:21:00.006+03:00

Today we will take you on a unique house tour, where future architecture is literally created with materials from the past.If you don’t already know the story behind the Big Dig House, the living proof that infrastructure materials can be salvaged and reused to create amazing structures, here is a short summary of its unique history.The house was designed by Cambridge architects Single Speed Design and was built using over 600,000 lbs of construction materials recycled from the Big Dig highway project in Boston. Steel columns, beams, concrete roadway etc from the demolished I-93 off-ramps were the primary materials of construction of this amazing house the cost of which did not exceed 150$ per square foot, since in most cases the owners only had to pay only for the shipping of the materials on site.A testament of recycling this 3,400 square foot house opens up a whole new chapter in eco living and future architecture techniques and as stated in the Single Speed Design website, "Most importantly, the house demonstrates an untapped potential for the public realm: with strategic front-end planning, much needed community programs including schools, libraries, and housing could be constructed whenever infrastructure is deconstructed, saving valuable resources, embodied energy, and taxpayer dollars."

Arbera Park, from garbage dump to community center

2009-07-02T12:54:00.004+03:00

Arberia Park is a masterplan proposal for the redevelopment of a former brick factory and garbage dump into a park and community center near the center of Priština. Designed by Ljubljana-based architectural firm Sadar Vuga Arhitekti.

The construction of a new inner ring boulevard has acted as a catalyst for the reuse of the Arberia site. Due to the city’s often unregulated development, few areas suitable for pedestrian and public use exist - parks are located sparsely throughout the city and often at distances inconvenient for walking on foot.
Arberia Park is envisioned as a new green area for the city, comprised of diverse programmatic uses and activities that add to the quality of life of the area and broader context. The master plan consists of two terraced building complexes, a leisure park, and a sports and recreational area in-between.
The northern building complex is defined as a community center with a school and medical clinic, and the southern complex contains retail, office, and apartments that offer panoramic views of the city. Together, they define the primary urban plaza and act as a gateway to the rest of the site.
The site’s topography naturally separates and organizes the three zones into individually defined spatial densities: urban, park, and a hybrid event space. A continuous green element binds all aspects of the project together, and manifests itself architecturally as a terraced topography. Natural and artificial topographies merge to create new surfaces for inhabitation and public use.

Jodlowa House - Sustainable Architecture

2009-06-29T13:32:00.004+03:00

UK-based architects PCKO co-operated with Poland-based MOFO Architects , to design an exquisite, eco-friendly, luxury residence, located on a picturesque plot in the outskirts of Krakow, Poland. Jodlowa House’s, fully glazed facade sits in a contemporary steel frame, which floats above the ground, in a way that it does not only showcase nature, but also minimizes its environmental footprint and preserves the existing natural environment - a large, mature tree that was incorporated as part of the exterior terrace instead of being cut down-. Apart for minimum footprint and maximum enjoyment of nature, Jodlowa House is a fully functional residence with a design that incorporates a covered swimming pool, two main bedrooms, 140sqm of living area and a 5 storey viewing tower. The lower floors of the viewing tower provide additional guest accommodation with a study at the top of the tower which, being fully glazed, offers beautiful panoramic views of the surrounding nature and the Tatra Mountains on the distant horizon.
The windows too help to bring the outdoors in, flooding interiors with natural light and provide unobstructed views of the landscape, while the rustic, textured stone, covered in ivy, used on the tower adds a dramatic contrast to the transparent nature of the rest of the house.

Sustainable Architecture in Underdeveloped Countries

2009-06-22T13:57:00.005+03:00

S-Archetype is a true believer of sustainable building practices and green architecture, when it comes to our future we see no other way, so it was a pleasure reading this short article on the IMX Green blog, on how under development countries can actually be the ones to make a huge difference on this planet.There are great news in the horizon, we all know we can weatherize our homes and make them more energy efficient. But what is built in outdated CBS blocks is already built, what matters most is the “Shift” from the Middle Ages to the buildings technologies we know and which are already being widely used today.Sustainable architecture is definitely the present and the only future for most Governments of Underdeveloped Countries in Africa and elsewhere. They are in desperate need of low income housing for the poorest people, and have a giant opportunity to build all their new green houses from here on! That is a huge opportunity to make sustainable architecture and green homes a standard.
It is also a great opportunity for them to reduce their energy consumption right off the bat and save 50% to 100% in those green homes energy consumption. Lets hope many other Countries and Continents will follow that lead for a greener future, building net zero houses and homes worldwide.

Chamfer Home - A Compact Prefab House

2009-06-16T19:08:00.008+03:00

For s-archetype, encouraging ecologically sustainable design and experimenting with alternative formations that provoke the imagination, is of outmost importance.

This is how the idea of the Chamfer Home was born. We wanted to take the challenge of designing a stylish, sustainable and affordable compact home to match different contemporary lifestyles and needs. A bold design statement, an eco friendly structure that could be set up easily anywhere and a completely autonomous prefab, serving as the perfect vacation home.

Stylish and sustainable materials, efficient heating & cooling, daylight exploitation, solar collectors, passive ventilation and sustainable building practices to ensure energy independence were used throughout the design process of the Chamfer Home, resulting in a multifunctional, portable architectural structure both comfortable and aesthetically pleasing.
Introducing a new alternative way of inhabiting, Chamfer Home, optimizes all usable spaces offering most of the amenities of a larger home, including a fully functional kitchen and a bathroom. When the house is occupied it can be extended to reach 27 square meters of carefully planned interior space.

The glass wall floods the interior, of this compact home, with light, making the most of the daylight hours while the special double glaze window manipulates solar energy differently throughout the year to heat up or effectively ventilate the interior.
From a stylish beach house, to an innovative urban micro home, Chamfer Home, is an original, eco friendly, modern home that people can actually afford.

All Architectural 3d's are compliments of co.creations
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Eco Business Park, Tianjin China

2009-06-10T15:51:00.007+03:00

Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Co., Ltd (SSTEC) will be developing the first eco-business park of its kind in China, in Tianjin Eco-City’s Start-Up Area.

The Tianjin Eco-City is a landmark bilateral project between China and Singapore, located in the Binhai New Area, the focal point for the acceleration of growth in the Bohai Rim, China’s powerhouse for business, science, technology and culture in the 21st century.With its strategic location, the Tianjin Eco-City is poised to realize its vision to be a centre of excellence for eco-activities and businesses that will involve companies that provide services in green financing, energy efficiency consultancy and eco-solutions.
Tianjin Eco-City, will also be an oasis of quality eco-homes and a prestigious address for high-value added services such as education, healthcare and urban solutions.

The Eco-Business Park, will occupy approximately 30 hectares of land and is expected to be the base for global eco-businesses in Tianjin and serve Northern China’s growing need for clean technologies and sustainable urban solutions.

SSTEC expects the business park to create over 15,000 white collar jobs which will attracts new residents and generate more economic spin-offs.

Unique All Steel Prefab

2009-06-05T13:05:00.006+03:00

Innovative architectural design and sustainable architecture can have a powerful impact in the world regardless of size and all initiatives that embrace energy efficient practices needs to be at least be acknowledged, that is why I was pleasantly surprised to read an article by Susan Kraemer, on www.greenbuildingelements.com regarding a unique Steel Prefab Residence, in the middle of the Desert.

Steel is just about the most recyclable building material on earth. You could be well reading this in an office building built with steel originally smelted from iron in Julius Caesars day.

So it makes good green sense to build eco prefab houses with steel…

Steel does not spread fire. Building with steel allows for a lighter load, so it does not require a huge concrete foundation. Making concrete is one of the most carbon intensive building industries there are, producing the heaviest carbon footprint.

And steel framing makes for construction simplicity: these homes are able to be erected by hand and do not require welding, special torque tools or specialized inspections. This allows an entire house to be framed and enclosed in less than five days.

To grade a traditional home pad would have irreparably damaged this beautiful site, instead the house stands above the terrain on legs, which is becoming an increasingly common new eco building vernacular because this allows local wildlife to continue to move freely underneath the house without disturbing the human interlopers in their land. And vice versa.

This part prefab system offers 500 square foot modules that can be combined in any combination to create houses of any horizontal configuration and up to three stories tall. At the center is a factory built “core,” where the bathroom, hot water tank, air handler, washer/dryer and electrical subpanel are all located.

This Blue Sky House is sited 4,000 feet above sea level amid massive weathered boulders and ancient piñon and juniper trees.

AGO + Gehry = Stimulating Experience

2009-06-03T14:12:00.008+03:00

It wasn’t long ago, when a very good friend of mine told me, that visiting the redesigned Ontario Art Gallery was one of the most rewarding experiences he had in the last years, in both art and architecture. He was fascinated with Gehry’s work and after taking some time navigating the net and looking for info on the new AGO, I was too. And if I know you well enough, you will be too.

After two long years of renovation, the Art Gallery of Ontario reopened last November and it was a triumph of redesign, inside and out and as stated in AGO’s website “When art meets architecture, powerful experiences take shape.”

Lets take a look at some of Gallery’s design highlights:

A new entrance aligned with Walker Court, the historic heart of the AGO, and The Grange, the Gallery’s first home
A glass and wood façade that spans 600 feet along Dundas Street and rises 70 feet above street level
A sculpture gallery that extends 450 feet, enabling visitors to see out onto Dundas Street, and passersby to see into the Gallery
A new, tinted titanium-and-glass four-storey south wing overlooking Grange Park that will house a centre for contemporary art and offer one of the most beautiful event spaces in the city
A south façade that complements the new Ontario College of Art and Design building to the southeast, with both buildings framing Grange Park
Extensive glazing on both the north and south façades to allow visitors to experience the surrounding cityscape from the Gallery interior
A sculptural staircase that soars from the second floor, linking Walker Court to the new centre for contemporary art and new event space
The integration of natural light throughout the building, including a new glass roof over Walker Court and a light-filled walkway around its upper perimeter, bringing light into the core of the building

The sculptural staircase rises from the second floor of Walker Court, through the glass ceiling and extends to the fifth floor. In designing the signature staircase, Gehry remarked that he hoped its warmth and intimacy would beckon visitors and become a place where people fall in love.

Zaha Hadid Architects – Towers, Cairo

2009-05-29T14:18:00.009+03:00

Zaha Hadid architects have unveiled plans of The Stone Towers - a 525,000sqm office and retail complex for the rooya group, in cairo, egypt.

A five-star business hotel with serviced apartments, retail with food and beverage facilities and sunken landscaped gardens and plaza called the 'delta' is also included in the development.

Inspired by the patterns and textures of ancient Egyptian stonework, the north and south facades of each tower will be covered with recesses and protrusions emphasizing the effects of light and shadow on the surfaces.

From Zaha Hadid Architects:

STONE TOWERS, CAIRO BY ZAHA HADID ARCHITECTS

‘The Stone Towers by Zaha Hadid Architects for Rooya Group of Egypt is located in the Stone Park district of Cairo. Providing office and retail facilities to a rapidly expanding Cairo, the unique 525,000sqm Stone Towers development also includes a five-star business hotel with serviced apartments, retail with food and beverage facilities and sunken landscaped gardens and plaza called the ‘Delta’.

Ancient Egyptian stonework incorporates a vast array of patterns and textures that, when illuminated by the intense sunlight of the region, creates animated displays of light and shadow. The effect is powerful, direct and inspiring. The facades on the North and South elevations of each building within Stone Towers adopts a rich vocabulary of alternating protrusions, recesses and voids to enhance the deep reveal shadow lines that accentuate the curvatures of each building within the development and animate the project throughout the day.

‘I am delighted to be working in Cairo,’ states Hadid. ‘I have visited Egypt many times and I have always been fascinated by the mathematics and arts of the Arab world. In our office we have always researched the formal concepts of geometry - which relates a great deal to the region’s art traditions and sciences in terms of algebra, geometry and mathematics. This research has informed the design for Stone Towers.’

Client: Rooya Group
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects
Structural Engineer: Adams Kara Taylor
Gross Building Area: 525,000 m2
Site Area: 170,000 m2

More Zaha Hadid in Future Architecture:

London Aquatics Centre

Regium Waterfront Museum, Italy

Antwerp Port House

Premium Architectural 3D's in todays recession

2009-05-27T15:14:00.007+03:00

As many of you already know, architectural renderings require specific expertise not only in rendering techniques but in architectural design as well.
Everything needs to be modeled with the right proportion, scale, and level of detail. But how many 3D design companies can actually afford having a full time architect over-viewing all of their designs?

Or even how many of you can afford for such a premium service. Co.creations, one of the leading 3D studios in Greece, has the answer.
“Working with lower budgets in a recession does not mean that you have to compromise on the quality of your work,” says Nichole Vourvourioti, of co.creations. “Our highly competitive prices appeal to big and small architect firms, real estate developers, as well as interior designers.”

Co.creations specializes in the development of premium architectural 3D’s of villas, hotels, commercial and other buildings, offering both interior and exterior modeling. A detailed portfolio of previous projects can be found in their website.From still renderings, 3d photo-realistic renderings, virtual tours, panoramic renderings, walk-through animations, fly-by animations, 3D floor plans, light and shadow study renderings, renovation renderings etc, co.creations will handle all your architectural 3D needs.

And for those of you that are still a bit skeptical here are just a few of the benefits that come along with premium 3d Architectural rendering services:

Provides better understanding for your project
Faster and affordable Project Designs
Full project visualization
Best project control with more results in less time
High quality presentations
Preview your exterior and interior looks
Increases in Productivity
High Quality presentations
Minimize errors in project

Chinatrust Bank Eco Headquarters Breaks Ground

2009-05-25T12:20:00.004+03:00

Talking about eco architecture and green design, we recently stumbled upon a great sustainable architecture initiative for Taiwan’s Chinatrust Bank, that has often been referred to as the “Best Bank in Taiwan.”

Designed by NBBJ, a Los Angeles architectural firm along with local Fei & Cheng Associates, the high-profile project, 2.5-million-square-foot headquarters, has broken ground in Taiwan and is estimated to reach completion in 2012.

The Chinatrust Bank development will consist of a 30-story headquarters building, a 21-story commercial office building, a 10-story hotel, and a four-level retail center.

The tower has a series of vertical atriums carved into it creating “centers” or vertical courtyards, like the traditional Chinese house and the building is designed to take advantage of natural site and climate features to optimize the passive heating/cooling design opportunities.

The podium is covered in lush roof gardens, reducing rainwater runoff and urban-heat-island effect. The facades of the office towers will feature the latest in intelligent curtain wall design, optimized for maximum natural daylight through narrow floor plates, with floor-to-ceiling glass and automatic sensors.

All of the above features will dramatically reduce the energy consumption of the overall complex.

Thought this effort Chinatrust is benchmarking with the Taiwanese equivalent of a LEED-NC Gold rating.

Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, Illinois

2009-05-12T19:21:00.003+03:00

The new synagogue for the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, is the Greenest Synagogue in Illinois and probably in America as well.

From reusing materials from the previous structure, to milling the trees that were displaced during construction into the front doors of the building, the atmosphere of this facility is warm all year long and embraces sustainable design in various ways. Strategically placed environmentally friendly windows allow for day lighting to fill the 32,000 sq. ft. interior with bright, natural, warm sunlight, without all excess heat and glare.

Concrete, brick, and limestone from other local demolition sites were crushed on-site and placed into wire cages to create gabion rubble walls that enclose the edges of gardens and children’s playgrounds. The concrete and brick from the original site was ground and used as engineering fill for the foundation of the new building.
The building also plays host to a storm water detention garden, which lowers the amount of water that filters into the storm sewer from the property by 30%.
On the inside of the building, low flow toilets and energy efficient sinks and appliances compliment the aforementioned garden, bringing the total water savings to about 41% of a comparable structure’s use.
Reclaimed Cypress slats line the walls and many ceilings. These slats serve a multitude of purposes. The slats provide a warm look and great acoustics barrier. Reclaimed dark walnut from fallen or diseased trees from the Chicago Park District was milled for the steps and surface of the raised podium in the sanctuary.
Flooring throughout the building is no more than exposed concrete that has been polished, saving the money and resources required for a new floor. Even the woodwork and cabinets throughout the building are made of pressed sunflower seeds.

Great River Energy Corporate Headquarters, Minnesota

2009-05-07T17:39:00.005+03:00

Great River Energy’s new corporate headquarters in Maple Grove, Minneapolis, is a four-storey, 166,000 sq ft building, designed by architects Perkins + Will, located on a 12.5 acre site in Maple Grove’s Arbor Lakes development.Lets see what makes Great River Energy’s new corporate headquarters one of AIA’s Top Green Projects for 2009, as seen in ArchitectureNews:

The building features a number of the latest advancements in energy efficiency technology that help set the new standard for building design and construction. Features include a low-energy HVAC system design featuring under-floor displacement ventilation and a geothermal heating and cooling system that utilizes the adjacent Arbor Lake.

The building also has an on-site 200kW wind turbine that transforms wind energy into electricity and stands at 160 ft tall. Solar panels will provide nearly 15 percent of the building’s total electric use and the building will use 40 percent less energy for lighting than similarly sized buildings using standard technology.

Great River Energy’s new corporate campus adheres to stringent environmental standards and will serve as a model of sustainable practices. It will be used as a tool to educate member cooperatives, contractors, business leaders and other members of the building industry about ways they can conserve energy and practice sustainability.

Gish Apartments, San Jose, California

2009-05-04T12:34:00.004+03:00

Designed by OJK Architecture and Planning, Gish Apartments, in downtown San Jose is a 35-unit transit-oriented family apartment complex that provides quality affordable housing for households earning 35%–50% of the area median income.
A groundbreaking development both for its architectural design and in its use of renewable energy technologies, this mixed-use building is a model for the State of California's Multifamily Housing Program for mainstreaming special needs populations – over a third of the apartments are set aside for residents with developmental disabilities.
So let find out what makes Gish Apartments one of the Top Green Projects for 2009:

- Photovoltaic electricity generation for common area use
- High performance insulation in 2x6 exterior walls
- Fluorescent light fixtures
- Low-flow water fixtures
- Linoleum and recycled content carpet
- No VOC/no formaldehyde cabinets
- Low emitting paints, adhesives, sealants
- Non-formaldehyde batt insulation
- Recycled content interior trim and baseboard
- Recycled content metal siding
- Energy-efficient, fiberglass windows
- Engineered structural lumber
- Energy-Star appliances
- Sustainable harvest teak site benches and lobby furniture
- Reflective roof to reduce urban heat island effect
- Transit-oriented location adjacent to bus and light rail