Terrazzo is made by combining a cement base (sand, water, and cement) with a mixture of ground minerals - like marble, granite, and quartz - and can be applied to almost any surface, vertical or horizontal. The technique, produced using a completely hand-crafted method, was used worldwide in the construction of modern buildings and is noted for its durability, resistance (to water and abrasion), and easy maintenance. This made it a go-to material in the creation of flooring for houses and the common areas of residential and office buildings.
Today, terrazzo is experiencing a revival as one of the key trends in contemporary architecture. Here, we will discuss the whats and hows of terrazzo and illustrate some of its uses in current projects.
Henning Larsen and Topotek 1 have won the open competition to revitalize Esbjerg Bypark, a historic harborside park in western Denmark. The project will be made in collaboration with artist Eva Kock and engineers Ingeniør’ne. The design for the 30,000sqm revitalization aims to create a green cultural framework to reshape the city's urban identity.
Bjarke Ingels has featured in a new documentary about BIG’s Amager Bakke waste-to-energy plant in Copenhagen. Known for its iconic ski slope, the hybrid plant produces district heating for 60,000 households annually from waste generated in Copenhagen, and electricity for 30,000 houses.
https://www.archdaily.com/919415/bjarke-ingels-reflects-on-his-waste-energy-ski-slope-plant-in-copenhagenNiall Patrick Walsh
Squint/Opera, BIG, and UNStudio have collaborated in the design of Hyperform, a revolutionary data-driven design tool that allows architects across the world to collaborate in augmented reality. The tool allows designers to immerse themselves in a virtual 3D environment, where site images, maps, data, and 3D models can be uploaded, viewed and altered through collaboration.
https://www.archdaily.com/919404/big-unstudio-and-squint-opera-launch-ar-design-toolNiall Patrick Walsh
The Obama Presidential Center by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects and Interactive Design moves forward as a federal judge tossed out the lawsuit against it. The planned $500 million, 20-acre campus faced an initial ruling from a district judge that allowed the lawsuit to proceed and stalled construction for four months. Now U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey stated there will be no halt in construction.
Japanese architect Junya Ishigami's 2019 Serpentine Pavilion is taking shape in London. A series of photographs by Laurian Ghinitoiu showcase the project and its flowing, free-form roof. Ishigami is the second-youngest designer of the pavilion, and his work is known for a light and ephemeral approach. The design for the 2019 pavilion takes the form of a slate sheet rising from the landscape of the park, held up by pilotis that form an interior field.
Second Home, a London-based creative business, is set to open its first location the U.S. Designed by Madrid-based Selgascano, the project will see the transformation of the historic site of the Anne Banning Community house in East Hollywood through a 90,000-square-foot urban campus.
Saffar Studio has released details of their proposed Golshahr Mosque and Plaza in Alborz, Iran. Inspired by a dialogue between context and function, the scheme is driven by a desire to increase sociability and the interactions between people in a sustainable platform.
It is expected that within the next few of decades, Earth will have absolutely nothing left to offer whoever/whatever is capable of surviving on it. Although the human race is solely responsible for the damages done to the planet, a thin silver lining can still be seen if radical changes were to be done to the way we live on Earth and how we sustain it.
Since architects and designers carry a responsibility of building a substantial future, we have put together an A-Z list of every sustainability term that you might come across. Every week, a new set of letters will be published, helping you stay well-rounded on everything related to sustainable architecture and design. Here are the terms that start with letters G, H, and I.
Bjarke Ingels Group has designed an 18-story pagoda for Tivoli's new H.C Andersen Hotel in Copenhagen. Created for the iconic amusement park in the center of the Danish capital, the project will include the refurbishing and re-purposing of the 1893 Tivoli Castle, as well as a renovation of the 1883 Panorama Pavilion. The new pagoda and refurbishment aims to continue Tivoli’s tradition of balancing old-world charm with visionary architecture.
Originally published by Entrepreneur Architect, Associate Professor at Louisiana Tech Kevin J Singh gives his 21-point rundown of how to have a successful and happy life as an architect. The list gives some pointers that will certainly help young students and graduates, but may well be useful to some of the not-so-young practitioners who need to refocus on what's important.
The following is a compilation of my professional practice lecture on the last day of class. Instead of recapping the course or giving a final exam, I share with my students a presentation titled Advice as You Finish School and Start to Practice. I present a series of statements followed up with a brief explanation.
The preliminary qualification review on the bidding of Curator of the Opening Ceremony of Brewery Arts Festival and Architectural Exhibition (Luohu•2021) has been completed. The result is hereby publicized as follows:
https://www.archdaily.com/919314/publicity-of-the-preliminary-qualification-review-result韩双羽 - HAN Shuangyu
Courtesy of Woods Bagot, Harry Seidler and Associates
Woods Bagot and Harry Seidler and Associates have begun construction on the MLC Centre redevelopment in central Sydney. The $170 million project includes four floors of retail, commercial and cultural spaces across 6,000 square meters. First unveiled in 2015, the project was designed to play on the geometry of the existing MLC tower and forecourt.
Hout Architecture has released details of their BERC Headquarters in Dhaka, which received an honorable mention in an international competition for the design of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission head office. Located in the center of the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area, orientated along an east-west direction, the program connects to the National Parliament House, designed by Louis Kahn.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill have been selected along with Tom Leader Studio to design the urban core for the Xiong’an New Area, China’s model city of the future. The winning scheme was selected from 12 finalists representing 10 countries, resulting from an international competition of 200 entries. The SOM and TLS scheme ultimately prevailed for its “global vision, world-class standards, sensitivity to Chinese heritage and culture, and innovative approach to urban design.”
https://www.archdaily.com/919230/som-and-tls-design-chinas-model-city-of-the-futureNiall Patrick Walsh
Architects often look for inspiration in anything and everything around them: forms, volumes, artwork, music, nature… But some sources (and projects) are just out of this world. Literally.
NASA has created an online library of 140,000 high-resolution photos, videos, and sound clips, all free and available for download. Here is a selection of images for your dose of interstellar inspiration.
Studio Gang has broken ground on the American Museum of Natural History Expansion in New York. Called the Richard Gilder Center, the project held its groundbreaking ceremony on June 12 to kick off construction. Designed by Jeanne Gang, the $383 million Center was first proposed seven years ago. The project was made to link a range of museum buildings for better circulation throughout the campus.
The mineral material of fiber cement combined with a sanded surface gives Vintago a natural authentic, lively and unique look.
Click here to learn more about the brand new Swisspearl Largo Vintago. Swisspearl will be happy to send you a product sample or arrange a one-on-one consultation with you.
https://www.archdaily.com/918006/swisspearl-largo-vintago-natural-authentic-lively-and-unique-lookSponsored Post
My commitment to pavilions—to the idea of making constructional follies—is connected with needing to develop prototypes and carry out constructional research away from the normal practice of architecture. Without being subject to a client’s brief, the pavilions give me an opportunity to develop and test different methodologies, which is something that has always interested me about teaching. They are investigations into various kinds of context, dealing with urban scenarios and landscapes—they are about making something in space for its own sake, when the guiding idea comes from a reading of place. The pavilions fine tune my engagement with a specific situation, allowing me to see what is essential in terms of an action or construction. I did not set out with the idea of working in series, but as different opportunities came up, the process of designing them became more organic, the language seemed to make sense, and as one thing reinforced another, they took on a life of their own.
Advances in technology have changed the way people work and move around congested cities. Since free space in these urban areas has become scarce, people have shifted their perspective upwards and are now looking to the sky for new means of mobility, transporting their goods via cargo drones and flying ‘taxis’.
"Co.Living" - Exterior view. Image Courtesy of Saint-Gobain
Competing in this year’s 15th annual Multi Comfort Student Contest, Saint-Gobain had over 2,200 students from 199 universities worldwide. The final was narrowed down to 60 competing teams from 34 countries, all of whom traveled to Milan to present their designs to an international panel of experts from the Municipality of Milan. This year’s brief was to design a project to rehabilitate and reconnect the urban area around Crescenzago subway station in Milan in line with the city’s #milano2030 development plan. The competition also focuses on Saint-Gobain’s concept of Multi Comfort: thermal, visual, and acoustic comfort, as well as good indoor air quality.
Nothing is ordinary about the Italian city of Venice. Whether it is the vividly-colored architecture that dates back to Gothic and Byzantine eras, or the fact that the city is floating on water, culturally-rich Venice is an intriguing destination for people of all backgrounds and interests.
With every visit to Venice, London-based architect and photographer Mayank Thammalla found himself discovering new scenic views of the city, ones that are often tucked beneath its architecture. In his recent photographic series ‘Echoes of Venice’, Thammalla used the canal ripples as his canvas and displayed the deteriorating architecture of Venice from a unique, inverted perspective.
NEXT architects has curated the second annual Bicycle Architecture Biennale as a showcase of buildings that transform cities through cycling. Opening in Amsterdam, the BAB shows the work of international designers from around the world and explores urban design through social, economic and environmental projects. It was conceived by BYCS as a way to inspire people to imagine new possibilities for human-centric cities.
Rotterdam-based Fundamental Architects and Omega Render have designed an iconic high-rise and bridge over Ishim River in Kazakhstan. Made for the country's largest developer, BI GROUP, the 75.000 sq. meter mixed-use building is sited in the heart of Astana. Reaching a height of 121 meters over the river Ishim, the building is set to become a new home for residential, office, hotel and commercial functions as an infrastructural hub.
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