On a site that also hosts the Olympic Sports Centre, the 2023 Asian Games complex, UNStudio has unveiled the design of the new Hiwell Amber Centre, a complex of four high-rise towers planned to add a mix of offices, apartments, hotels, art spaces and retail to the city center of Hangzhou, China. Responding to the area’s rapid economic and cultural growth, the new development aims to provide a wide range of services to residents and visitors alike. To open up towards the city, the smooth glass curtain wall of the towers peels apart to reveal a tapestry-like facade that envelops the main plazas and civic spaces, creating an ‘urban living room.’
Carlo Ratti Associati has revealed the design transformation of Turin’s historic waterfront in Italy. The project’s main aim is to address the current climate crisis and leverage architectural solutions to create spaces that can withstand the recurring floods of the Po River. Throughout the scheme, many architectural elements are kinetic, allowing them to rise above the water. “Floating Above the Floods” creates new solutions for urban climate adaptations and provides insights into universal strategies for urban waterways.
The convergence of neuroscience, architecture, and landscaping has ignited a creative revolution in the design of our built environments. Neuroarchitecture, an emerging discipline that blends principles of neuroscience with architectural design, sheds light on the significant impact of physical spaces on our emotions, behaviors, and overall well-being. Amidst this, sensory gardens emerge as intriguing therapeutic spaces, investigating the distinct interplay between the human brain and nature.
What you see is said to be what you get. The low-skilled cooking techniques and apparatus employed at branded fast-food restaurants, for example, are presented in full visibility to waiting customers. But this concept for designing open, transparent hospitality environments at least serves customers with honesty, because although the freshest ingredients and cordon bleu techniques are nowhere to be seen, neither is the grease and grime formerly associated with the category of eatery.
Compare that to more upmarket establishments that keep the cacophony of a commercial kitchen hidden from view during service, and you start to wonder what else they might be hiding. By installing the same open-kitchen concept, professional kitchens that use talented chefs and high-quality ingredients are able to prove it.
Behind facades lie vibrant lives, where the exterior melds with the interior, transforming neglected urban spaces into captivating residences. In cities around the world, architects, engineers and designers face the challenge of integrating new buildings into existing urban landscapes with limited space. Many architects are now embracing this concept, expanding their designs beyond conventional boundaries and transforming small city lots into layered and interconnected living spaces.
Right place, right time: that's how you could describe the origin story of Future > Factory > Furniture >, a special event at Dutch Design Week 2023, which returns to the iconic Klokgebouw –along with over one hundred other sites in the city of Eindhoven– from 21 to 29 October. It was in the former Philips factory building that, earlier this year, another industry gathering took place. Destination Design hosted over 40 international and Dutch brands for the second year running in an effort to shed light on new products and innovative ideas.
Imagination and policy development go hand in hand. Before we can create policies that bring about a desirable future, we must first envision what that future looks like, which is particularly significant in Architecture because we see the future as an integral part of the design process. This familiarity with envisioning the future carries a responsibility for us to create guidelines and regulations that can either support or obstruct the direction our planet takes.
In this moment of climate change, resulting from centuries of irresponsible practices, the idea of the future has been invaded by fear, an alert that would determine the survival of our existence. Architecture, along with other disciplines, has begun to channel efforts toward reexamining, reconceptualizing, and reformulating its practices toward the future we need to achieve. Beyond statistics and projections, the approach of architecture in relation to climate action brings to light numerous concepts, among them, the need for a historical review for the creation of this future.
In the ever-evolving world of architectural visualization, Chaos Vantage is emerging as a valuable tool for architects, designers, and creative professionals who want to get a fresh, photorealistic perspective on their V-Ray projects in real-time. So, why should professionals consider exploring Chaos Vantage, in addition to the tools that already exist? This article will delve into its advantages, particularly in the realms of real-time, super-fast rendering, and photorealism.
From October 12 to 18, NYCxDESIGN presents the Design Pavilion, a prominent public architectural exhibition in New York. Occurring during Archtober, a month-long celebration of architecture, this year's Design Pavilion highlights three imaginative installations spanning materiality, sustainability, social justice, and more.
Two tangible installations have been designed to transform Gansevoort Plaza in the Meatpacking District into urban retreats, while the third exhibit offers a digital art projection at the World Trade Center Podium, addressing the nation's history of enslavement and the quest for healing. Along with the pavilions, the Design Talks program highlights and opens discussions on relevant issues of the profession, centering around themes of sustainability, repurposing, and waste reduction.
Henning Larsen has revealed the design proposal for Bolzano’s Industrial Zone. The concept revitalizes and reconnects part of the city through prioritizing adaptive reuse, urban mining, and timber construction. The proposed design will transform the post-industrial area into “Pone Roma Quartier,” an inviting, multigenerational, mixed-use neighborhood with a solution to the city’s pressing housing crisis.
What role will bicycles play in the cities of tomorrow? Their implementation as a more sustainable form of transportation for commuting to work or school, as well as for various household and recreational activities, has become an opportunity for thousands of architects and urban planners.
Courtesy of 180 Degrees Design Studio | The Fabric
As the landscape of architecture and urban development adapts to the modern climate, the traditional notion of construction has been significantly modified and adjusted. Specifically, principles of reuse, recycling, adaptive reuse, and the power of transforming existing structures into something more meaningful and sustainable have gained much traction. Looking at these curated collections of unbuilt projects, one can begin exploring a different way of looking at buildings and heritage, which is significantly more sensitive to the built environment.
From the austere office buildings of the United Kingdom to the proposal to re-activate a skyscraper in Ostrava, these diverse contexts tell stories of resilience, innovation, and a profound commitment to the existing built environment. Offering a new way of looking at things, the projects champion adaptive reuse and activation concepts.
Each architectural style intrinsically relates to a specific context, period, or place. An illustrative example is the region of the United States, which was strongly influenced by the period of British colonization in the Americas (17th-18th centuries). In this context, dwellings emerged that adopted a distinctive architectural language. Moreover, the large distances between major cities in many areas of the country had a significant impact on the configuration of domestic architecture, resulting in the inclusion of barns and other structures that served various functions in addition to housing. This architectural style is characterized by its rectangular floor plan, two-story structures, gable roofs, and wooden cladding on the facade. These elements constitute an integral part of the vernacular expression of the houses from that time.
Speaking specifically of gable roofs, they are the feature most associated with the traditional aesthetic of dwellings developed between the 17th and 19th centuries, as well as later ones. One example is the Beachside House, which is a contemporary project documented in Swisspearl Architecture Magazine. This settlement is located on the shore of Long Island Sound, which divides Connecticut from Long Island, New York. With its four gable-roofed structures, covered with light-toned fiber cement panels, it seeks to be an abstraction of New England vernacular architecture.
https://www.archdaily.com/1008129/the-beachside-house-a-case-study-of-vernacular-inspired-architecture-using-modern-materialsEnrique Tovar
The Republic of Poland boasts diverse geographical territories and cultural tribes that span thousands of years. Its cities and towns reflect a whole spectrum of styles, from Romanesque architecture to Gothic Revival and postmodernist residential and commercial structures. In addition to its unique topography and rich urban fabric, the country houses 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One site, however, has stood out from the rest and given the country a royal status. Tucked beneath the Malinowka stream, just outside the southern city of Krakow, is one of the world's oldest and largest hand-chiseled underground mines that has been transformed into an expansive, all-inclusive complex. From a naturally-healing health center to a secluded church and an underground bungee jumping platform, this colossal adaptive reuse project is the Wieliczka Salt Mine.
The Second Studio (formerly The Midnight Charette) is an explicit podcast about design, architecture, and the everyday. Hosted by Architects David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet, it features different creative professionals in unscripted conversations that allow for thoughtful takes and personal discussions.
A variety of subjects are covered with honesty and humor: some episodes are interviews, while others are tips for fellow designers, reviews of buildings and other projects, or casual explorations of everyday life and design. The Second Studio is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.
This week David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design are joined by Architects Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu, founding partners of Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, to discuss their upbringing, moving to the United States in their youth; meeting at Berkeley; studying and teaching Architecture; moving to China; starting their office together; running a multi-disciplinary office; their philosophy; and more.
Kimbell Art Museum / Louis Kahn. Image Courtesy of Xavier de Jauréguiberry
AD Classics presents you with some of the greatest buildings of the past that have influenced and shaped architecture today. Throughout ArchDaily's 13 years, more than 200 classics were published, and for this edition, we have rounded up the top 20 most visited Architecture Classics to date.
Architect, researcher, and architectural theorist Anthony Vidler passed away last night, on October 20, 2023, at the age of 82, according to Princeton University School of Architecture. Vidler had a distinguished career at the prestigious institution, where he served as the inaugural director of the Doctoral Program in History and Theory. His passion for architecture, nurtured in Essex, England, led him to earn both an undergraduate and a master's degree in architecture at the University of Cambridge. Later, he obtained a doctorate in Architectural History and Theory from Delft University of Technology. His influential career spanned over 50 years, leaving a profound impact on architectural research and education.
CPC concrete slabs are based on the technology of "carbon pre-stressed concrete," which originated from a long-term research project conducted by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences Winterthur (ZHAW) and Silidur AG, Andelfingen. These panels are reinforced with thin, pre-stressed carbon strands, allowing them to be three to four times thinner and lighter while maintaining the same load-bearing capacity as traditional reinforced slabs.
CPC's innovative approach to concrete panel production reduces material usage by 75% and minimizes the carbon footprint of concrete production. ArchDaily interviewed Professor Josef Kurath from the Department of Architecture Design and Civil Engineering at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), who collaborated with CPC Construction in developing these concrete panels. We discussed his perspectives on decarbonizing architecture, the inspiration behind the development of CPC panels, a comparison with traditional concrete, and the potential for scalability and accessibility in the future.
The ICONIC AWARDS 2023: Innovative Architecture –awarded by the German Design Council– honors the best achievements in architecture, pioneering interior and product design, outstanding brand communication and a particularly innovative use of materials in the architecture sector. The winners are examples of design excellence and inspiring solutions for current challenges. The international jury of experts emphasizes the importance of visionary design that is not only aesthetically inspiring but also ecologically and socially influential.
From 620 submissions from over 30 countries, the jury selected 62 pioneering projects for the “Best of Best” award. In addition, the special prizes “Architects of the Year”, “Interior Designer of the Year” as well as the honorary prize “Architects’ Client of the Year” were awarded. The award winners were honored at the BMW World in Munich on 4 October, 2023.
Bjarke Ingels Group has revealed the design of Park Rise residences, a new development the Little Athens neighborhood of Ellinikon, featuring modern homes, greenspace, retail, office, and hospitality. The Ellinikon is an ambitious urban regeneration project that reimagines the grounds of Athens' old international airport and transforms it into a 6.2 million-square meter smart city. Within this development, the Little Athens neighborhood aims to become an integrated part of Ellinikon's smart urban ecosystem and bring over 1100 new residences to the northwestern coastline of the development.
Throughout the modern era, pavilion architecture has consistently reflected cutting-edge architectural trends. These temporary or semi-permanent structures, often featured in exhibitions, fairs, cultural events, and sports gatherings, provide a platform for exploring new materials and design concepts. Pavilion designs are intended for easy assembly and disassembly and are typically used for short durations, making it crucial to consider reducing environmental impact without sacrificing aesthetics and innovation. In this endeavor, wood emerges as a key ally.
Despite the bad reputation of public housing in the United States, organizations, planners, and architects in Portland, Oregon are determined to create affordable housing that does not sacrifice quality or aesthetic appeal. While Portland has developed a bad reputation regarding its homelessness problem, in the past four years resources have flowed in the right direction, and designers have taken this in stride to design livable and striking buildings, within very restrictive budgets. Through innovative and creative approaches to construction and design, these organizations and designers have utilized federal, state, and city resources to make these types of projects a reality.
The phrase “Demography is destiny” is repeated more than once in Smaller Cities in a Shrinking World (Island Press). This new book by noted urban researcher Alan Mallach tackles, in meticulous and fascinating detail, the “wicked problem” of shrinking cities in the U.S. and across the globe. But it’s not only our cities that are shrinking—the countries that contain them are, too. I spoke with Mallach about the imperative of planning for this new demographic reality.
.jpg?1570002957 "La Muralla Roja / Ricardo Bofill. Image Courtesy of Ricardo Bofill")
