Office Buildings: The Latest Architecture and News

Frédéric Haesevoets, a Beligan architect, recently won a competition for his design of a new city hall for Herstal. The international competition asked participants to design a new city hall to accommodate office spaces for central administration, archives and mixed use areas. The project is divided into two major forms that bookend a public open courtyard. Connected by a bright red bridge, the two arms house the major program areas and open to a landscaped area for the public to enjoy. The geometric form offers a break from the surrounding structures, emphasizing the importance of this communal structure. The faceted facade fuses the natural and the synthetic as sections of greenery are scattered among sections of glass. Inside, bright warm colors greet workers, a drastic change from the typical office color palette.

More images after the break.

Designed by Catalunya-based H Arquitectes, (check all their projects on ArchDaily here) this office and commercial building is located in Reus (Tarragona) at the city’s Tecnoparc.

The urban context did not show any interest because of the building will be seen from the main approach road towards the city and, therefore, due to commercial reasons, it should be a singular icon for those who drive by.

More images and full architect’s description after the break.

Perkins+Will’s master plan for SANY Beijing was awarded first prize in the “Conceptual Design” category at the 8th International Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism due to the project’s strength in the categories of spatiality, connectivity, originality and sustainability. SANY is the largest heavy equipment manufacturer in China and one of the top 10 heavy equipment manufacturers in the world. The company wanted to achieve a higher degree of efficiency in their manufacturing process and create a memorable visitor experience.

More about the SANY project after the break.

Sauerbruch Hutton was announced first prize winner for their design of a new home for Hamburg’s Behörde für Stadtentwicklung und Umwelt/BSU (Office for Urban Development and Environment). The new colorful BSU building will be erected in Hamburg Wilhelmsburg and is slated for completion in 2013.

More images and more about the project after the break.

Upon first glance, MAD Architects’ latest project for Chongqing, China looks like an impossibility. The project, entitled Urban Forest, features a stacked set of floors that cantilever drastically from their central support. The floors are designed to bring more nature and open space into a densely compacted urban area.

More images and more about the project after the break.

KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten was awarded first prize for their proposal for the Beijing Patent Office. Located in downtown Beijing, the site is near a new subway line and sits opposite the entrance hall of Caishikou Station. The proposal integrates the Patent Office into the site’s sustainable traffic infrastructure. The building is divided into a central hall, towers, bridges, open spaces and spacious rooftop gardens that creates an interconnected, communicative structure. A surrounding strip embraces the individual parts of the building, extending from the roof to the façade, spanning open spaces, thereby giving the Beijing Patent Office a specific identity in the urban context.

More about the proposal and more images after the break.

Greeen! Architects have been awarded an honorable mention for their Eco Towers, an office building in Hamburg, Germany for the Building and Environment Authorities. The office will accommodate 1400 people and will include several public areas as well as green gardens to “give room to nature and a create a green ambiance to all workers and visitors.”

More about the Eco Towers after the break.