Participants in the Skanska Bridging Prague competition were asked to develop a new Vision Plan for the section of the riverfront from Libeňsk (Bridge) to the north to Železniční (Railway Bridge) in Smíchov to the south. The goal was to create a unified experience, linking cultural, recreational, ecological, historical and economic opportunities. They were also asked to design an intervention that will become a premiere destination along the river Vltava. The first prize winning proposal by Pete North focuses on strengthening the natural characteristics of places at the riverside, where it is consistent and feasible. It aims to create a synergy between park localities and the river, connected into a consequent chain of continuous spaces. More images and winning proposals after the break.
The LEAF Awards, now in its 9th year, honors the architects designing the buildings and solutions that are setting the benchmark for the international architectural community. The shortlist this year was recently announced and the final winners will be announced September 21. Information on the shortlist winners in the corresponding categories of Mixed-Use, Residential (single occupancy), Residential (multiple occupancy), Commercial, International Interior Design, Refurbishment, Young Architect, Public Building, Best Sustainable Building, and Best Future Building after the break.
In collaboration with the BAU 2013 trade fair and sponsored by Josef Gartner GmbH, DETAIL is currently inviting submissions for the DETAIL Prize 2012 competition. The aim of the award is to strengthen the importance of architecture in social discourse, to strengthen the role of architects in public life and to strengthen the network of architects, industry, clients and the world of politics. Out of all the entries submitted, DETAIL will nominate a selection of outstanding projects, from which the jury and the DETAIL readers will then select the respective winners. Submissions are due no later than July 31. For more information, please visit here.
The Municipal Art Society of New York recently announced the Six provocative and innovative architecture and urban design projects that received the 2012 MASterworks Awards. New York by Gehry at 8 Spruce Street (Gehry & Partners for Forest City Ratner) has won the top honor, “Best New Building,” while “Best Restoration” goes to New York City Center (Ennead Architects). “Best Neighborhood Catalyst” awards were given to the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College (Cooper, Robertson & Partners) and the Queens Central Library: Children’s Library Discovery Center (1100 Architect with Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership), with an honorable mention going to El Museo Del Barrio (Gruzen Samton). A new category, “Best New Urban Amenity,” was created for Ateliers Jean Nouvel’s Jane’s Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park. For more information on the awards, please visit here.
The Enric Miralles Foundation opened up a double exhibition in Barcelona this past week, with the participation of Mr. Rafael Moneo and Mr. Oriol Bohigas, honorable members of the Foundation and Mr. Mohsen Mostafavi currently the the Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design. ‘Rediscovering Glories’ shows the students work of Benedetta Tagliabue about the contemporary urban problematic design of Plaza de les Glories ( Barcelona), at the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning and Design at the Dunlop Chair Harvard, and ‘Miralles at Harvard 1993’ recreates the exhibition made by Enric Miralles at Harvard on 1993 showing some of his early projects. For more information, please visit here.
The ‘Green Bridge’ design by biomorphis in Leith Walk, one of the key thoroughfares in Edinburgh, Scotland, aims at bringing a lightweight structure with low embodied energy. Construction materials based on plant products represent the way forward in terms of diminishing our dependence on hydrocarbons. Leith Walk, which unfortunately acts as a major divider, needs a bridge which would link the East cycle paths to the West of the city. It would redirect the ever-growing flows of bikes and pedestrians and also become a landmark for the community. More images and architects’ description after the break.
TEX-FAB recently announced that the APPLIED Research Through Fabrication competition completed its first round at the beginning of the week. A total of 68 entries from 13 countries on 4 Continents in the Continuing and Speculative Research categories with roughly an even split between the two were received. Proposals dealing with acoustics, material structure, ambient light occlusion and movement monitoring through haptic and sensory relays all bid to proceed to the second round with $1000 in funding. In the end four proposals were chosen that satisfied the competition brief and proved to entertain the jury with intriguing and potentially unknown outcomes. More on the finalists’ proposals after the break.
In the proposal for the Klaksvik City Center, DL+A _ SIZE* perceives the need to interact and present the city to the world as an open culture. As a pioneer in the city growing master plan in the region, this design shows the way they expect to be seen in the future, and how they expect to be prepared to respond to the local community growing needs. The way we design the path for the urban grown and population development aspects has a tremendous relevance on how humans will organize themselves in the future. More images and architects’ description after the break.
KCAP’s urban design for the transformation of the Garonne waterfront in Bordeaux-Brazza was recently finalized and officially approved by Alain Juppé, Mayor of Bordeaux, and by Bordeaux’s City Council. The project site is a 67 ha area within Bastide Brazza Nord, a 120 ha former industrial area between the river Garonne and an abandoned railway area. The urban strategy will combine new urban mixed-use functions with re-used abandoned infrastructures and is based on an integrated environmental approach to ground pollution and flood risk. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The double landscape and architectural competition proposal for Yanqing Grape and Wine Park and Yanqing Greenhouse and Winery by LocalDesignStudio was organized ahead of the World Grape Conference to be held in 2014 in Yanqing County. The park was meant as a pilot project for the territory, only recently reconverted to cultivations of grapes, showing the latest technical achievements in the field of cultivation and production of wine and grape growing. Furthermore, the project was to represent the ambition of Yanqing County to become an important wine district internationally, not only oriented to business but related to a specific life-style. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The fifth anniversary of the Creative Spaces summer event highlights the creation of a pedestrian mall on St. Catherine, between St-Hubert and Papineau streets. Taking place until September 16, the event offers an opportunity for the instigator of the project, the Société de développement commercial du Village (SDCV), in collaboration with the Ville-Marie borough, to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the creation of Montreal’s Gay Village. The spaces will open up for the display of creative installations and art exhibitions. More information on the event after the break.
Designed by Peter Ruge Architekten, the ‘Bambooline Berlin’ project, exhibited at Gallery DEN in Berline, explores the city’s urban development and proposes a new approach for the temporary, interim use of sustainable urban wasteland. This new, imaginary band complements the historically developed lines of the Berlin cityscape. More images and architects’ description after the break.
At the seventh edition of the International Architecture Festival from June 27-July 1, eme3‘s project brings back the action to the public space. They aim to recover the format of former editions and take back the interventions and organization of activities in different locations of the city center. These locations include some lots and spaces that were abandoned and fell into degradation. Their topic, ‘Bottom Up’, has a participation of around 50 participants coming from 17 countries. More images and architects’ description after the break.
As part of the 5th International Architecture Biennale in Rotterdam, Casanova + Hernandez Architecten will be putting on the ‘Can public space be used to regenerate urban life?’ roundtable discussion today, June 26 at 3:00pm.
This roundtable discussion is based on the one-year postgraduate studio entitled “Public Space Acupuncture”, that has been guided at the Berlage Institute by Helena Casanova and by Jesus Hernandez. An accompanying exhibition will open at 7:00 pm, remaining on view until Sunday, August 12. More information on the participants after the break.
RETHINK REUSE, an independent group whose goal is to inspire discourse on the topic of reuse is inviting all to participate in their Transforming Seattle’s 520 Floating Bridge 2012 International Design Ideas Competition. The goal is to envision new, innovative reuse strategies. The 520 bridge will be decommissioned in 2014 due to high maintenance costs, damage, and the need for additional lanes. The Washington State Department of Transportation is requiring of the new bridge’s design-build team that it be reused or recycled in a sustainable fashion; current trends for the reuse of pontoons have been floating docks, breakwaters and piers, but what else could be done with such a feat of engineering? More information on the competition after the break.
In the video above, Simon King, lead MEP engineer for the King’s Cross Station Redevelopment by John McAslan + Partners, discusses the background and challenges that shaped Arup‘s unique lighting design for the new western concourse of this famous London railway station. The transformation of the station represents a compelling piece of place-making for the city of London.
The proposal for the Klaksvìk City Center by studio wok starts from a thorough study of the natural elements of the place and from a study of the context. The two qualities of the bay and the natural character of the isthmus are key factors in the project. The new masterplan for Klaksvík strives to build a new way of living in the open public spaces through “spatial ecology”: the project wants to restore continuity to residential space at all scales of the project, from the design of the sidewalk up to design of urban systems on a regional scale. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The Green Carceri, designed by TARQUITECTOS, arises as a natural extension of the High Line Park, connecting himself with the High Line and flying over the river, thus enabling a continuation of the public space underneath with the neighborhood to the height of the street and the docks. Winding around a series of vertical communication cores, the building allows both internal transit users and visitors to descend to the level of the street without having to enter the building. More images and architects’ description after the break.
