Designed by MA2, the office tower and exhibition hall concept design proposal is for Hong Kong’s Kai Tak development, an airport landing strip that will be reclaimed into the city as a new cultural, business, and residential district. The tower is an expression of fluid movement that manifests into a series of folds, creases, and a bifurcation of massing creating a dual tower. More images and architects’ description after the break.
CityLife Milano is an ambitious commercial and residential development on Milan's historic former trade fair grounds: the Fiera Milano. On the surface, over half of CityLife Milano will be covered with upwards of 168,000 square meters of landscaped parkland dedicated to pedestrians and bicycles. This lush, pedestrianized space will be centered around a grand new piazza - 'piazza delle tre torri' - shaped by a trio of towers and surrounded by a cluster of residences, all designed by three world-renowned architects. As previously mentioned, Arata Isozaki and Andrea Maffei has contributed the Isozaki Tower, which is planned to become the tallest skyscraper in Italy at 202 meters and built alongside the curved, 150 meter Libeskind Tower. To complete the triad, Zaha Hadid has designed a twisting, glazed tower, which will rise 170 meters into the skyline.
More on the Hadid Tower and surrounding development after the break...
NBBJ's design for the new Samsung Headquarters in Silicon Valley will become one of the new buildings to relieve the the city of its dull, nondescript two-story office architecture that dominates the landscape and introduce a new culture of office environments with a little push from the architecture itself. According to the LA Times by Chris O'Brien this architectural endeavor is just one move to establish ground in the rivalry between Samsung and Apple, whose highly anticipated spaceship-like Foster + Partners-designed Cupertino Campus has made waves in the design community. Technologically innovative and influential companies like Samsung, Apple, Google, Facebook, and Nvidia have engaged in a cultural shift of the work environment to create a hospitable and creative community for its employees. The architecture of the campuses and offices introduced by each of these companies reflect the goals of an innovative business model that engages its employees in an innovative work environment that fosters collaboration and creativity.
See how the new Samsung Headquarters innovates office building design after the break.
Designed by Vo Trong Nghia Architects the Trees Building, a branch bank of ABBANK, aims to create a co-existence of the rapid development and abundant nature of the seaside city. Located in Danang, Vietnam, the office building uses a classical style with two-storey-height columns dating back to Alberti, which has been typically used for bank buildings all over the world to symbolize their authority and stability. More images and architects’ description after the break.
One thing Google has become known for is their spectacular work environments. From playful employee lounges to environmentally sensitive design, the multifaceted internet giant has successfully transformed hundreds of existing spaces from around the globe into casual work environments that spawn innovation, optimizes efficiency, and boasts employee satisfaction. Much like many other California-based corporations, Google has been toying with the idea of building their own office space from scratch. Well, this dream will soon be realized, as the company has teamed up with Seattle-based NBBJ to expand their current, 65-building “Googleplex” in Mountain View, California, by adding a 1.1-million-square-foot complex known as “Bay View” on a neighboring 42-acre site.
More on Bay View after the break...
With the main challenge of providing an environment for the prosperous IT business incubator in Kharkov city, the design by ZA Architects creates favorable conditions for the creation and development of the new ideas in the multi-component environment. The design backbone is the provocation of communication between people, casual acquaintances, experience sharing, receiving of new knowledge and social events of all kinds. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Silicon Valley visual-computing pioneer Nvidia has joined the expanding list of tech moguls seeking to transform their work environment into the physical manifestation of their innovative business model. Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang has released the first schematic renderings - designed by Gensler’s San Francisco office - that depict a pair of 250,000 square foot triangular motherships centered around collaboration - a complete contrast to the typical, dated office building commonly found throughout Silicon Valley’s “oddly banal” landscape.
More after the break...
OKRA, in collaboration with CCO, ACT, and Smith Innovation, recently won the competition for their Ejby Campus Business area proposal located in the Glostrup Commune near Copenhagen. Their sustainable and innovative development strategy focuses on the creation of a diverse program and the use of public space. With the opportunity to rethink the business areas of suburbia, the business area currently plays an important role in providing economically attractive workplaces in an accessible, open and green setting. More images and architects’ description after the break.
With Shenzhen’s Bao’an District an emerging incubator for entrepreneurs and rapidly growing new businesses, FCHA’s second prize winning proposal for the Headquarters Building for Small and Medium Enterprises seeks to establish an inclusive hub for start-up enterprises. This building hopes to maximize the exchange of resources and ideas with the aim of sparking new innovation and collaboration. More images and architects’ description after the break.
