The Design Educates Awards, the awards that annually recognize the best projects that respond to complex social and environmental contexts and carry educational value, have just announced the results of the 2022 edition. The awards look for what will have a lasting impact on users and the environment and showcase the world's best ideas and realizations that can educate.
Grimshaw, in collaboration with Nautes Architects, WSP, Vogt and Turner & Townsend, have been awarded first place in an anonymous competition for the renewal of Budapest Nyugati Railway Station. Selected from a shortlist of 12 international design firms, the winning design creates a "permeable station campus" with a series of car-free streets, walkways, public squares and a park, which open up the station complex to the city and restores its significance as one of the most vibrant and historic cities in Europe.
The Zero Carbon policy is intended to create a kind of ecological balance to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions. Several studies report that the construction sector is one of the main responsible for the unbalance in which we find ourselves today, after all, it consumes natural resources on a gigantic scale and still builds buildings that do not collaborate with the maintenance of the environment. Therefore, searching for paths towards a carbon neutral architecture has become fundamental and one of them is learning from past masters, such as the Brazilian architect João Filgueiras Lima, known as Lelé.
Coastal cities have always been a point of attraction for residents, tourists, and businesses. Alongside the aesthetic features, their proximity to the sea has made these cities a focal point for maritime transportation with the construction of ports, as well as hotspots for recreational and aquacultural activities. However, the past decades saw these particular regions threatened with a shortened lifespan; rising water levels, floods, and recurring cyclones, along with other natural disasters, have endangered coastal communities, putting their population, ecosystem, and built environment at risk.
Pritzker Prize 2022 Laureate Francis Kéré is known for “empowering and transforming communities through the process of architecture”, as the jury stated in its citation. In this recently published video, Martha Thorne, Dean of IE School of Architecture and Design and former executive director of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, shares some of the reasons why Francis Kéré has won the Pritzker Prize 2022.
In times of an ongoing global pandemic and constant video meetings, more and more people are leveraging their bookshelves at home to not only create appropriately stylish screen backdrops but also communicate credibility. There’s even a Twitter account on the subject. That being said, not everyone has a library-worthy collection to display or the space to store heavy art volumes. But whatever your personal shelf dream – even if it involves cats – here are five design elements that will help you make the most out of a tool you didn’t know you had, plus real examples of how they are being used to enhance bookshelves in projects around the globe. Head to the bookshelf section on Architonic for further inspiration and concrete product examples.
Ensuring that a project's construction team is working with the most up-to-date information is critical to its success; but this is not an easy task. Document management workflows are often disconnected or disjointed due to manual administrative processes and disparate systems. As a result, poor document management can result in schedule delays, quality issues, expensive rework, budget overruns, and litigation.
Following Qatar's ambitious museum-building project to further promote cultural institutes in the country, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums has announced that OMA, Herzog & de Meuron, and ELEMENTAL will be designing three new museums in Doha that explore the themes of Islamic art, contemporary art, and evolution of the automobile industry respectively.
Construction broke ground on a new cruise terminal at Port of Miami designed by Arquitectonica for cruise operator MSC Cruises. With the capacity to process 36,000 passengers per day and simultaneously accommodate three mega cruise ships, the structure due for completion in 2023 will be the largest cruise terminal in North America. Located on the eastern end of the Port, the 4-storey structure makes the most of the long, narrow site by creating a layered embark and debark experience, expressed in its architectural image.
Like other professions, Architecture and Urbanism often revolves around its own language. What may seem like a basic term for professionals in the field, can often sound completely strange or meaningless to those starting their studies or who are curious about the field. For this reason, we created a small glossary with some words that are important to expand your vocabulary and contribute to a future discussion about your project.
For many people, the bed and bedroom are no longer just a place to rest. Beatriz Colomina has already presented different studies on how work and leisure came to occupy this environment, and, today, this becomes increasingly present in our daily lives. If the way we occupy space is constantly changing, how can we better use their area to cover all the necessary functions?
Carbon footprints and CO2 emissions are large topics in our conversations about how we create a more sustainable future. Over time, different companies, organizations, and individuals have pledged to alter their lifestyles and habits to make changes that show that they are dedicated to combating climate change. Especially in the design industry, where buildings generate nearly 40% of annual CO2 emissions broken down between daily operations and construction/demolition, architects have long been feeling the pressure of exploring ways to prove that we are doing our part.
When we take a look at the different scales of emissions, one question commonly occurs- how can we measure the different levels of impact? Is it on us individually to recycle and ensure we never use plastic straws again? Does this even have a major impact? Do more car manufacturers need to find alternates for gasoline-fueled automobiles? Do architects need to only source sustainable materials? What are the actionable steps that truly have an impact?
cove. tool's core mission is to fight climate change by helping architects, engineers, contractors, and developers use data-driven design through automation and cost optimization. Creating a competition premise that called attention to this critical issue was important. With the recently published landmark Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) 2021 report that warned of increased extreme heatwaves, droughts, and flooding, as well as a key temperature limit on track to be broken in just over a decade, it further highlighted the urgency. As climate change intensifies, housing stability will be increasingly under threat. These two inextricably linked issues had the potential to spark innovative ideas from the international design community and community-at-large. With the sizeable grand prize of $50k, the goal was to solicit entries from all over the world and help facilitate more conversations about carbon positive, affordable housing that could be replicated in multiple neighborhoods, cities, and countries. Sustainability and affordability are often two topics that are at odds. However, this competition proved that there are creative solutions to complex problems.
The interior design of a coffee shop can make-or-break an establishment. With an inviting design, you can transform drinking a simple cup of coffee into a wonderful experience. However, when you only have a few square meters and various machines and properties to distribute, finding an efficient configuration is not easy.
Climate change, the scarcity of resources, and urbanisation are hot topics in the building and construction industry. In this context, the importance of sustainability cannot be overemphasised: almost 40% of global CO2 emissions and 36% of global energy usage is associated with building and construction. These figures clearly illustrate the increasing need for more sustainable solutions in the industry.
Companies that play an active role in the building industry have a responsibility to pave the way toward a more sustainable future. This is why partners like Uponor, one of the leading international providers of solutions that move water for buildings and infrastructure, strive to help customers in Europe to choose the perfect solutions for greener building designs.
Canada’s Department of National Heritage, along with the Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien, as well as the LGBT Purge Fund have unveiled “Thunderhead” as the winning concept of Ottowa's LGBTQ2+ National Monument competition. The winning design symbolizes a thunderhead cloud, which embodies the "strength, activism and hope of LGBTQ2+ communities, and will be a lasting testimony to the courage and humanity of those who were harmed by the LGBT Purge, homophobic, and transphobic laws and norms".
A new European architecture platform will launch in June this year, with the scope of supporting emerging architects and at the same time mobilizing the profession's efforts in delivering a sustainable, circular built environment. Operating on a grant from the Creative Europe initiative, LINA brings together 28 European and Mediterranean organizations from 23 countries, among which are several European biennials, triennials and festivals, museums, research networks and laboratories, publishing houses and universities. A successor to the Future Architecture platform, the initiative will be coordinated by the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Ljubljana and directed by Matevž Čelik.
If the maxim "the first impression is the one that stays" is taken seriously, in architecture, the entrance hall takes on a fundamental importance. This small space, in addition to welcoming the house, can also gain several other functions: storing objects, housing a waiting and reading area, distributing the movement of the residence, displaying a painting. Finally, there are several possibilities to think about and occupy this environment, so here we present three design guidelines that can help you when thinking about it.
The 22nd of March 2022 saw the twenty-ninth commemoration of World Water Day – as a worldwide water crisis continues to leave populations vulnerable. It is an extremely multi-faceted issue. Governance sadly determines water accessibility, with marginalized people disproportionally affected. Urban typologies are another factor. The over-pumping of groundwater sources to meet the water demands of Hanoi, for instance, has resulted in arsenic being drawn into Vietnam’s village wells.
Our environment influences how we feel; we have all experienced this. For students, it is easier to study in a bright place, artists look for inspiring atmospheres, and our mood can improve with the right color scheme. These aspects are also important for kindergartens, daycare centers and schools, because a child-friendly design can stimulate the curiosity and imagination of children, so that they learn in a playful way. The design of a room supports the learning and creativity of children. Daylight systems, for example, flood rooms with light, making them appear larger and friendlier.
‘La Muralla Roja’ When the sun goes down III, is an evocative new Photo series by Andrés Gallardo. 5 years after initially visiting Ricardo Bofill’s creation, Gallardo revisited with the intention of creating a totally contrasting series, capturing the complex through sunset, the night and into sunrise. With regard to the fact that there are not many photographs in circulation during the night-time period, Gallardo set out to capture the complex during twilight, with the placid roll of the waves against the seafront.
‘La Muralla Roja’ translated as ‘The Red Wall’ is a vibrant housing project in Spain’s Calpe. Casbah is a term often mentioned in regards to this particular project, suggesting Bofill himself drew upon North African Arabic themes for his inspiration. Casbah refers to a citadel or castle, a walled central area of a town or city upon the traditional quarter. The Mediterranean complex mimics this built-up realm, with an entanglement of walkways, stairs, balconies, and bridges interlocking in harmonious effect.
Meet 2022 Pritzker Architecture Prize winner, Francis Kéré, Burkina Faso-born black architect, in an interview about his architectural philosophy, with Louisiana Channel. As the official statement of the Pritzker Architecture Prize notes, “Through buildings that demonstrate beauty, modesty, and invention, and by the integrity of his architecture and geste, Kéré gracefully upholds the mission of this Prize”, continually “empowering and transforming communities through the process of architecture.”
The Municipality of Paysandú commissioned OMA (Office of Metropolitan Architecture) to draw up the project for the urban transformation of Paysandú's waterfront. Covering an area of about 350 hectares, the Master Plan extends from the "General José Artigas" International Bridge, which links Paysandú with Argentina on the northern border, to the mouth of the Sacra Stream.
Architects Sevince Bayrak and Oral Göktaş from SO? Architecture&Ideas were attracted to the idea of having the opportunity to escape the urban bustle of Istanbul into a natural setting, and in 2017, they designed and built the Cabin on the Border. Since its completion, the project has undergone several changes, and the dwelling experience prompted the architects to re-evaluate their initial ideas and assumptions and change how they see the tiny house typology. Five years after the project's design, the architects share what they've learned from living in a tiny house, providing valuable insight for the design of such projects.
.jpg?1648133923 "Burkina Institute of Technology (BIT) / Kéré Architecture. Image Courtesy of Francis Kéré")
