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Energy Efficiency: The Latest Architecture and News

Final Days to Register for Buildner-Kingspan's MICROHOME Competition – Open to All!

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The registration period for MICROHOME 2025 Competition is coming to a close. The competition offers a 100,000 EUR prize fund to celebrate cutting-edge, sustainable solutions for compact housing. Sponsored by Kingspan, this global competition invites architects, designers, and creative thinkers to redefine the concept of small-scale living.

Visit the competition page to register before the deadline on 13 February 2025.

Historical Roots, Unbreakable Structure: Ziraat Bank's New Headquarters in Istanbul

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For almost four decades, ABB, the Swedish-Swiss multinational leader in electrical engineering, has been at the cutting edge of innovation and expertise. A standout initiative in their portfolio is the Frozen Music video series, a video series showcasing exceptional architectural projects and the architects who create them. As Katrin Förster, Global Key Account Manager at ABB, explains, 'When producing an episode for Frozen Music, I always begin by sending a bespoke questionnaire to the architect.' For Episode #24, a conversation with Mustafa Chehabeddine, Design Director at KPF, helped shape the narrative, emphasizing the formal and functional qualities of Ziraat Bank's new headquarters in Istanbul.

Redefining Compact Living: Meet the €40,000 Winner of the Kingspan-Buildner Microhome Competition

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In the world of architecture, competitions often serve as platforms for creativity, experimentation, and problem-solving. For Daniel Rojas, Founding Partner of Wandrian Studios, winning the 2023-2024 MICROHOME competition, sponsored by Buildner and Kingspan, was a transformative moment. His project, Urban Residential Pods, addresses the global housing crisis by reimagining vacant office spaces as compact, sustainable homes.

Rojas' design strikes a balance between innovation, functionality, and sustainability, offering a glimpse into how architecture can address some of today's most pressing challenges. As the next edition of the competition approaches, Rojas shares insights into his winning project and offers advice to future participants.

Visit the MICROHOME competition site for details in the open 2025 edition and to register before the deadline on February 13.

Buildner and Kingspan Announce the Eighth Edition of the MICROHOME Competition with a 100,000 EUR Prize Fund

 | Sponsored Content

The MICROHOME 2025 Competition by Buildner is back, offering a record-breaking 100,000 EUR prize fund to celebrate cutting-edge, sustainable solutions for compact housing. Sponsored by Kingspan, this global competition invites architects, designers, and creative thinkers to redefine the concept of microhomes.

Register before the deadline on 13 February 2025.

Zaha Hadid Architects Reveals Construction Updates for Shenzhen Institute of Financial Technology in China

Construction has commenced on the Shenzhen Institute of Financial Technology tower, a 46-story building designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. Its design, situated on a narrow site in Shenzhen's Futian district, aims to respond to its urban context. The building's form, measuring 199 meters in height, incorporates setbacks placed to maximize sunlight penetration to surrounding streets and public areas. This design decision is further reflected in the façade's varying transparency and color, created by vertical and angled glazing mullions in black and bronze. Recent construction photographs reveal the topped-out tower, waiting to receive its envelope while temporarily showcasing openly its structure and interior organization.

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Energy Efficiency in Residential Buildings: Achieving 40% Savings at Gardea Residencial

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In a rapidly evolving urban landscape, the new residential building redefines the concept of community living. Gardea Residencial stands in one of the city of Zaragoza's 15 neighborhoods, Miralbueno, an area where residential developments have been built. The project exemplifies functional, sustainable design, realized through two linear blocks, each optimizing available space with a basement level, a ground floor, and additional two storeys—two in one block and three in the other. With its sleek design, this building brought to life by Tash&Partners features a ventilated façade made of extruded porcelain tiles by Faveker. These tiles, in addition to being recyclable, enhance sustainability and efficiency.

Powering-Up Through the Facade: Maximizing Energy with Building-Integrated Photovoltaics

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People frequently claim that finding smart solutions to problems requires a creative approach that involves thinking outside the box. This premise has become a widely accepted idea in the field of technology, where numerous historical breakthroughs have emerged from innovative methods. Prominent examples in power generation include the discovery of the photovoltaic effect by Edmund Becquerel in 1839 and the development of the first commercial solar panel by Charles Fritts later that century. These milestones have enabled the integration of solar panels as essential components of clean energy generation within architecture, driving a significant shift toward renewable energy.

This shift is currently manifesting as a tipping point between power generation and the built environment, driven by a transition that promotes creative thinking and encourages new perspectives. Today, sustainable energy production extends beyond merely installing solar panels on roofs; it aims to integrate various building elements into the energy system. ClearVue's Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) exemplifies this innovation by harnessing nearly all facade components as sources of power production. This vision opens new possibilities for the design of urban structures, promoting a more sustainable approach that aligns with contemporary needs.

How Rooftops Can Transform Buildings into Power Plants

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In just one hour, more solar energy hits the Earth than the world uses in a year—and solar roofs are here to harness it. These sleek, high-tech panels are revolutionizing how we think about energy, generating clean electricity that can cut your carbon footprint by up to 80% and save thousands on energy bills. Not only are solar panels becoming more efficient and durable, but they also blend seamlessly into modern architecture, turning homes into power plants.

Designing for Two Worlds: How Space Exploration is Shaping the Future of Architecture on Earth

Space exploration isn’t merely a testament to human ambition or a quest for new territories and resources. Our ventures beyond Earth’s atmosphere are driven by a deeper purpose: to understand better our place in the cosmos and to pioneer innovations that can transform life on our home planet.

While venturing beyond our planet captures the imagination, the true impact of space exploration may be felt much closer to home. Public perception often frames space exploration as a distant endeavor with limited relevance to terrestrial challenges. However, this perspective overlooks the substantial contributions of space programs to our world. By driving technological innovation, expanding our scientific knowledge, and inspiring future generations, space exploration has proven to be an invaluable catalyst for addressing global issues.

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The Netherlands Pavilion Explores Collaboration and Clean Energy Systems at Expo 2025 Osaka

The Kingdom of the Netherlands has recently unveiled the theme and design of its Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, in a presentation held in Osaka City. The pavilion's theme, “Common Ground: Creating a New Dawn Together,” emphasizes the Netherlands’ dedication to fostering mutual understanding to address global challenges. Designed by RAU Architects, the pavilion's circular design features a prominent illuminated sphere at its center, symbolizing a new era of unlimited clean energy, akin to a “man-made sun” signaling a future powered by sustainable resources.

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Caruso St John Architects Wins Competition to Renovate Philip Johnson’s Kunsthalle Bielefeld

Following an international competition, Caruso St John Architects has been appointed to renovate the iconic Kunsthalle Bielefeld in Northwest Germany. Designed by Philip Johnson and completed in 1968, the structure is Johnson’s only museum in Europe. Despite past maintenance efforts, the building remains largely unchanged from its original state. The renovation aims to modernize the museum’s services, exterior, and interior spaces.

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MAD Architects Reveals Construction Progress at Tencent's Headquarters in Shenzhen, China

Tencent is developing its new headquarters campus on five parcels spanning over 80 hectares east of Da Chan Bay Island in Qianhai, Bao'an District, Shenzhen. MAD Architects, led by Ma Yansong, has designed LOT 04 East of Tencent's new headquarters, envisioning two biomorphic office towers, three interconnected buildings, and a raindrop-shaped building. This project covers approximately 72,000 square meters with a Gross Floor Area of 412,000 square meters. Currently under construction, Lot 04 East of the headquarters is expected to be completed and open for users in 2025. Other projects announced for the campus include Büro Ole Scheeren’s swirling design for the Tencent Helix, and MVRDV’s residential complex named Tencent P5.

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The Intersection of Sustainability and Affordability: In Conversation with Holcim Award Winner Jonathan Diamond, from Well-Grounded Real Estate

Celebrating groundbreaking projects that showcase sustainable construction practices, this year’s winners of the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction 2023 highlight innovative approaches across various scales, forms, geographies, and forms. The Gold Prize for North America was awarded to Partisans Architects and Well-Grounded Real Estate with their high-tech, low-cost modular housing solution for urban living in Toronto. In a video interview for ArchDaily, Jonathan Diamond from Well-Grounded Real Estate discusses the development of the winning project and the forces that shaped it.

The Intersection of Sustainability and Affordability: In Conversation with Holcim Award Winner Jonathan Diamond,  from Well-Grounded Real Estate  - Image 1 of 4The Intersection of Sustainability and Affordability: In Conversation with Holcim Award Winner Jonathan Diamond,  from Well-Grounded Real Estate  - Image 2 of 4The Intersection of Sustainability and Affordability: In Conversation with Holcim Award Winner Jonathan Diamond,  from Well-Grounded Real Estate  - Image 3 of 4The Intersection of Sustainability and Affordability: In Conversation with Holcim Award Winner Jonathan Diamond,  from Well-Grounded Real Estate  - Image 4 of 4The Intersection of Sustainability and Affordability: In Conversation with Holcim Award Winner Jonathan Diamond,  from Well-Grounded Real Estate  - More Images+ 2