When an extension on an existing historical building is requested, often architects opt for glass, transparent and reflective interventions. Some decide to stay neutral and subtle when dealing with an older structure, while others choose a bold and outspoken design to manifest their contemporary character. With each project having its own conceptual motivation and reasoning, the outcomes are different and diverse.
Read on for some relevant examples, each responding to a different program.
Over 100 local primary school children have designed and built London's first Mega Maker Lab in a former fire-engine-fixing hall. Sited in South London, the project is made to be a hub of activity instigated by the Institute of Imagination (iOi) and architectural educationalists, MATT+FIONA with designers Jestico + Whiles. The children came up with the idea that the design should encapsulates a journey to spark imagination in young makers.
Starting September, all ships that exceed 1000 tonnes will be obliged to change their route, in order to prevent them from entering Venice’s lagoon. The Italian government took the decision after major protests due to many incidents, the latest being in June of 2019 where 5 people were injured from a collision between a cruise ship, the dock, and a small tourist boat.
The Opening Ceremony of Brewery Arts Festival and Architectural Exhibition (Luohu•2021) is a plan to fulfill the future vision for the comprehensive improvement of the industrial heritage of Kingway Brewery’s urban renewal unit. The project has attracted much attention as Shenzhen’s first case where urban renewal contributes to industrial heritage preservation and activated renovation on land.
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What happens when the sensor-imbued city acquires the ability to see – almost as if it had eyes? Ahead of the 2019 Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (UABB), titled "Urban Interactions," ArchDaily is working with the curators of the "Eyes of the City" section at the Biennial to stimulate a discussion on how new technologies – and Artificial Intelligence in particular – might impact architecture and urban life. Here you can read the “Eyes of the City” curatorial statement by Carlo Ratti, the Politecnico di Torino and SCUT.
Based on research conducted as part of the Computational Design (CoDe) degree at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, we argue that large-scale rapid urban developments in combination with vast amounts of data are beyond human comprehension and consequently need to be synthesized when designed.
The annual report of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) has been published, revealing by numbers, the latest and most reliable statistics regarding licensed architects. The report showcases annual updates on the number of U.S. architects, the time it takes to earn a license, diversity in the profession, and many more topics regarding the practice.
Design:ED Podcast is an inside look into the field of architecture told from the perspective of individuals that are leading the industry. This motivational series grants unique insight into the making of a successful design career, from humble beginnings to worldwide recognition. Every week, featured guests share their personal highs and lows on their journey to success, that is sure to inspire audiences at all levels of the industry. Listening to their stories will provide a rare blueprint for anyone seeking to advance their career, and elevate their work to the next level.
Art Gensler founded Gensler in 1965 in San Francisco. Art successfully grew his three-person design studio into the World’s largest architecture firm. He is a Fellow of both the American Institute of Architects and the International Interior Design Association, and a professional member of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Art is also the author of “Art’s Principles” a book which focuses on the tough business lessons he has learned from over 50 years in the architecture profession.
Morphosis has unveiled a new design for the Korean American National Museum in Los Angeles. The project includes a two-story building with a green-roof of plants native to the Korean peninsula and California. Rethinking the Hanok dwelling typology, the project is made to bring architecture and landscape together. Referencing traditional Korean architecture, the team designed the project as "a piece of Korea grafted onto Los Angeles."
Normally the efforts of the construction industry are aimed to design permanent and durable spaces. However, on some occasions creating temporary spaces can be of great help, not only when providing fast assembly infrastructure after the effects of a natural disaster, but also when activating residual or abandoned spaces in our cities. To exemplify the potential of these interventions, we present thirteen successful temporary public spaces.
In the spirit of many great architects of the past, from Palladio and John Soane to Le Corbusier and Cedric Price, The Architecture Drawing Prize is an ideal platform for reflecting on and exploring how drawing continues to advance the art of architecture today. It embraces the creative use of digital tools and digitally produced renderings, while recognizing the enduring importance of hand drawing. The organizers invite entries of all types and forms: from technical or construction drawings to cutaway or perspective views – and anything in between.
Curated by Adrian Lahoud, The Sharjah Architecture Triennial opens this November, self-proclaiming as "the first international platform on architecture and urbanism of the Global South."
Lahoud, who is also Dean of the School of Architecture at the Royal College of Art, has defined the theme for the inaugural edition —Rights of Future Generations— as an instance to "question how inheritance, legacy, and the state of the environment are passed from one generation to the next, how present decisions have long-term intergenerational consequences, and how other expressions of co-existence, including indigenous ones, might challenge dominant western perspectives."
Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios has received unanimous planning approval for the third phase of work in Cornwall. Called Hayle North Quay, the 20 acre mixed use regeneration project was made to create a contemporary harbourside as part of the region's UNESCO World Heritage Site. The scheme draws inspiration from Cornish coal wharf heritage and the natural landscape to creating a vibrant vision for Cornwall's coast.
The roundAround project, developed by researchers at MIT Senseable City Lab, in collaboration with the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions, is basically a bridge made of autonomous boats called Roboats. The least traditional solution, roundAround, but the most versatile and modular answer, connects the waterway between Marineterrein and the City Center in Amsterdam, allowing the transportation of people and goods.
In architectural spheres, “accessibility” is often directed at the end-user, and the imperative act of designing spaces, buildings, and entire cities along the principles of “universal design.” An increasingly central aspect of architecture, spurred by legislation such as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the ethos of accessible architecture was well captured by architect Ronald Mace, quoted in a 1997 New York Times editorial asking “if we’re not designing for human beings, who are we designing for? Let’s design all things, all the time, for everyone. It’s where we’re headed.”
Coop Himmelb(l)au have revealed the first images of their winning entry for the new science and technology museum in Xingtai, the oldest city in northern China. The concept generated by the architects celebrates the scientific aspect and progress of the region and anchors the status of Xingtai as a technological hub and key player in the province.
Terrazzo is a mix of a concrete mixing base with natural stone fragments; it is characterized for being an extraordinarily resistant and versatile material. Since its frequent use some decades ago, this material has been rediscovered by architects and is used more and more often in works nowadays. Aside from the natural stones, this cement mixing base can include unused elements from construction – nails, bricks, and chunks of wood – resulting in very interesting final products.
A modular wooden school by architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp) has topped out in Frankfurt, Germany. Designed for the Miquelallee school center, the project is made using prefabricated wood modules as a temporary structure for two schools. With a steadily growing population, the need for new school buildings has risen sharply in Frankfurt am Main. The design concept was made so that the modular building can be dismantled and rebuilt at another location as needed.
Kengo Kuma (born 8th August, 1956) is one of the most significant Japanese figures in contemporary architecture. His reinterpretation of traditional Japanese architectural elements for the 21st century has involved serious innovation in uses of natural materials, new ways of thinking about light and lightness and architecture that enhances rather than dominates. His buildings don't attempt to fade into the surroundings through simple gestures, as some current Japanese work does, but instead his architecture attempts to manipulate traditional elements into statement-making architecture that still draws links with the area in which it's built. These high-tech remixes of traditional elements and influences have proved popular across Japan and beyond, and his recent works have begun expanding out of Japan to China and the West.
As wood is one of the most widely-used materials in the world, architects are accustomed to being able to easily obtain sawn wood at a nearby store. However, many of us know little about its manufacturing process and all the operations that determine its appearance, dimensions, and other important aspects of its performance.
The lumber we use to build is extracted from the trunks of more than 2000 tree species worldwide, each with different densities and humidity levels. In addition to these factors, the way in which the trunk is cut establishes the functionality and final characteristics of each wood section. Let's review the most-used cuts.
Developers Cbus and Nielson Properties have released a shortlist for the design of a $600 million office tower in Brisbane’s North Quay. Four local and international architectural teams have been selected to create proposals for the commercial tower that will accommodate 50,000 square meters of office space. The developers aim to establish an innovative workplace of the future that will represent the new world of work.
In east London, on the bank of the Lea River, Thomas Randall-Page imagines a project that reboots an under-used and forgotten area through the construction of a rotating bridge. The manually rolling system will allow boats to pass, and will also act as a pedestrian bridge and grant full public access to the Lea River Park.
The Mies van der Rohe residential building, the Bailey Hall built in 1955, at Illinois Institute of Technology will be subject to renovation works by Dirk Denison Architects. The Chicago-based firm will modernize the mechanical, structural, and interior works, modifying its original function, and introducing a new configuration to host up to 330 first- and second-year students, while the exterior will remain faithful to the original design and the ground floor lobby will still hold on to the Mies’ iconic recessed glass lobby.
On the latest episode of Time Sensitive podcast, produced by the New York-based “conscious entertainment” media company The Slowdown, co-host Spencer Bailey speaks with New York Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman. The two discuss Kimmelman’s lesser-known talents as a pianist; his 30-plus years writing at The New York Times(he started working at the paper as its chief art critic in 1990, a post he held until 2007, when he relocated to Berlin as the “Abroad” columnist for four years); and his goal as architecture critic to build a greater discourse around designing cities that are better, healthier, and simply fairer for all.
In partnership with ASPECT Studio, LAVA won the international competition to design Central Park in HCMC, Vietnam. Commissioned by the committee of the Ho Chi Minh City, the contest’s winning entry will be built in 2020. LAVA’s proposal for the 16 hectares Park, commemorates the old infrastructural value of the plot, once home to the 19th-century French railway tracks, and celebrates the implementation of a future mobility system.
.jpg?1438982861 "Green Cast. Image Courtesy of kengo kuma & associates")
.jpg?1438980816 "GC Prostho Museum Research Center. Image © Daici Ano")
