a Pokadotted lawn

The venerable 200 year old Städel Museum has just reopened after a major 3 year remodeling which, from the exterior, is a no more than a modest if not unique pokadotted lawn. Frankfurt’s hometown architecture firm schneider+schumacher used a subterranean program to provide 3,000 square meters of space for post war and contemporary art. Like massive portals the 195 circular skylights connect the underground space directly with sky creating a tension between landscape, form and light.
The new exhibition space is further exploration of a new urban topography which blends new with old in fortuitous arrangements. The addition is designed to avoid competition with the original building and subsequent wings but nearly doubles the institution’s size. The small hill inserted as the contemporary art annex’s roof and central grass courtyard softens the original building’s simple massing and restrained façade.

A large white descending staircase leads to even more white which finishes the walls, floors, and ceilings. The dominate architecture feature is the circular grid of skylights in the ceiling, providing context to the interior’s position in the surrounding environment. During daylight hours the galleries are dominated by a soft glow, ever changing throughout the day. Evening reverses the effect with the roof /courtyard illuminated from below in the dotted landscape.

into Light, into Cathedral

Architect Nir Ben Natan  unveiled a generic proposal for a cathedral. The envelope of the structure is composed of repeated elements relying on a central arc which constitutes an avenue for the system of skylight windows which penetrates natural light into the interior of the building.

The inspiration for the structure was derived from the body of an oyster, which in itself was designed to protect and nurture the precious pearl developing within it. Thus, this cathedral expresses the church and the pure belief, which nurtures the belivers during assembly for prayer. In this way, the structure serves the believers by creation of a space intensifying the emotional experience and spiritual elevation at prayer time.

Ц:СА

Архитектура, являясь зеркальным отражением социальной, культурной и экономической жизни общества, переживает радикальные перемены в постперестроечной России и особенно в Москве. Формирование архитектуры обновленной России в условиях стихийного перехода страны к капитализму – процесс сложный и противоречивый. Для поддержки актуальных тенденций и явлений новой российской архитектуры был создан Ц:СА / Центр современной архитектуры.

В центре внимания Ц:СА< проблемы качества современной архитектуры, развивающейся в условиях стихийно складывающегося рынка.

Основные задачи Ц:СА< содействовать внедрению современной российской архитектуры в мировой культурный процесс, развернуть общественное сознание в сторону архитектурных проблем, развивать международные профессиональные связи, поддерживать архитектурное сообщество российской провинции.

Цель деятельности Ц:СА< формирование информационного и культурного пространства, способствующего продвижению актуальной архитектуры.

a Disaster Zone

The Rescuer Skyscraper is an algae hydrogen-powered floating skyscraper proposal to be used as temporal shelter for disaster zones. It could also be used during the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the affected areas.

The project is based on the idea of producing bio-fuels through an ingenious algae farm that covers the top part of the structure. The algae will absorb CO2 as its main nutrient for photosynthesis and will produce hydrogen to be used in bioreactors.

The geometry of the project resembles a vertical blimp with an open structure where housing units could be located.
 

to Transform into Habitable Structures

This design tackles current environmental issues, specifically at abandoned oil rig structures all around the world. The idea is to revitalize these structures and transform them into livable hubs. This activation process will use green energy and create a sustainable urban habitat. Solar energy will be harvested with a large photovoltaic membrane located on the roof while wind turbines will be located at strategic places along the four façades and tidal energy collectors at the bottom.

This design explores the possibility of living on the oil rig, above and below the ocean level. The general population can live above the water while specialized researchers such as marine biologists will work in underwater labs. The in-between zone will be used for housing and recreational areas. The existing structures could be strengthen with the use of peripheral steel beams that allow for high velocity wind to filter through the platform without obstructions.
 

underGround Architecture

Imagine a landscape where the predominant colors shift from yellow to brown, where the only materials are sand and dry clay, and where variations are determined by slight differences in shades. Imagine yourself in a place characterized by contrasting elements; bright light, strong shadows, total darkness, torrid heat, and intense cold.  You will inhabit a place without references or variations. 

We propose a new kind of residence named ‘Well House’, a universally applicable dwelling or refuge with all the characteristics of hipogeos architecture. Our project is based on the Italian St. Patrizio’s sink, characterized by a series of spaces around a central space that contains water.
The ‘Well House’ is closed to the outside world and environment, and opens to an inner core surrounded by the living room, kitchen, aquarium, hydroponic green house, and bedrooms. 

There are two more levels with a water recollection cistern for rain and ‘foggare’ (a south Italian way to capture underground condensation through linear canalizations) and a geothermal plant that regulates the dwelling temperature while providing the necessary electricity through a serpentine system
 

Chilean Architecture

Material selection in design is indicative of connection with physical and cultural geography, attention to technological changes, environmental concerns and the project’s budget. In Chile, when and how materials are selected in the design process illustrates differences in philosophy. With its new economic and social openness, experimentation in architecture and design has exploded. Some architects emulate vernacular styles or local materials as a basis for finding new forms, some use standardized sizes and particular materials in order to cut construction costs and others begin with used or recycled materials as a premise for determining form. Still others use the materials themselves to reflect their landscape. Among all these precedents are a Spanish colonial adobe hotel in the Atacama Desert, a vacation home whose varied wood siding imitates the striations on the adjacent cliffs if the coast, a church that imitates roadside sculpture-shrines and a grass-roofed hotel that allows for a continuous vista of Patagonian pastures. The treatment and selection of material can be seen as a lens through which to examine the varying design precedents of current architects in Chile.

Several current architects take their example from regionalism. Their selection of materials naturally progresses from the use of local form. In his plea for a more sensitive architecture, Kenneth Frampton writes that building “must become the embodiment of habitable places” rather than a “misguided concern to assimilate the technical and processal realities of the 20th century.” Accordingly, many of these buildings take precedent not from urban industrial structures or the imported grandeur of the Spanish colonial style, but from the smaller scale, craftsman built structures farm buildings and homes that scatter the countryside.
 

an Anemone is Waving

Anemone is an art installation aimed at waving together aesthetic experience and tactile engagement- a combination generally considered off limits within the world of contemporary art. All too often, art installations are considered precious, almost sacred objects; while they are meant to be appreciated for their aesthetic beauty, they offer little in terms of human interaction. In other words, they are meant to be seen, not felt. Recognizing that human engagement is one of the key factors in creating a rich experience, Anemone has been designed with the idea of interaction as one of its key design objectives.
Upon first glance, the piece is meant to be viewed as a relatively simple, elegant object, with subtle undulations that wrap its walls and smooth bent corners. Given a closer look, however, one discovers that, like the bristling tentacles of its namesake, the sea anemone, the surface is actually a build-up of thousands of transparent rods. Each of the rods is inserted to gradually changing depths, creating the undulating effect. This undulation is meant to evoke a sense of curiosity about its construction, use, tactility and materiality, encouraging different forms of interaction. Elements are designed with that interaction in mind, incorporating a simple wall that might be brushed, and benches used for seating. At the center of the installation is a table/bed like element that sits bellow a cantilevered canopy of bristles.
 

forWard to Anthropogenic Climate

Buildings are currently the highest single contributors to anthropogenic climate change accruing to approximately 45% of the world’s current energy consumption. Projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimate that advancements in buildings’ energy efficiency could potentially reduce anticipated global carbon emissions up to 30% by 2030. Yet, emerging global economies are projected to increase exponentially energy, water consumption and toxic emissions due to the unforeseen density and scale of new constructions.

Next-generation building technologies thus bear undeniable responsibility to streamline accelerated innovation of building technologies to diminish the ever growing pressures on ecosystems. We anticipate that in this pursuit, architecture will shift into considering new models of energy self-generation and material degradability to further approximate autotrophic built environments designed to balance resources’ inputs and outputs.

This proposal addresses the opportunity of developing an internal (Part A) and external membrane system (Part B) that through live (algae/lichen) and synthetic matter integration can process matter, and contribute significantly to decrease energy consumption.
Detox Tower opens a new frontier that through multi-scalar material interdependencies that controls at the micro scale transformation processes aims to pioneer on next-generation sustainable building systems opportunities posited by live matter integration in Skyscrapers. We aim to contribute through this proposal to the discussion and analysis of new methods to control energy exchange, storage and processing of matter through microscale actuation that deploys bio-synthetic building integration in high rise towers that provide human comfort internally and externally.

The embracing of live matter vis-à-vis resistance to biological agents can unfold unforeseen opportunities of sustainable architecture efficiency. In tandem to a reactive/adaptable structural system that enables air detoxification and light transmission control, we propose a radically new programmatic occupation of Residential Skyscrapers trough a flexible floor/wall system. By purchasing a lot (sky voume) of space equivalent to a typical lot on the ground owners can create their own layouts that change through time through an expansive/contractile composite (elastomer/thermoplastic) floor/wall system. Self-regulation based on micro engineering principles thus serves a dual purpose bioclimatic synergy (air detoxification/light transmission control) and as a means to open new inhabitation opportunities.
 

a Metamorphic inSect

The conceptual idea for the Cocoon Lamp design comes from drawing parallels between the PolyJet fabrication technology and the metamorphic behavior of insects. The cocoon is a shell, which larvae of various insects, particularly caterpillars, are building for their metamorphosis. The liquid secreted during this process is compared to a liquid photopolymer that is applied out of nozzles and hardened through UV-light.

The adaption of the construction and the clean design of a cocoon lead to the emergence of the inner element. Its geometry is formed by spun threads, which wind around the light source. The white and hard material “VeroWhite“ is perfectly suited for this construction, because it provides the required rigidity and disseminates, through its reflective surface, the light further into the space. A dark layer „TangoBlackPlus“, which is applied to the surfaces of the side of the lamellae, provides the desired color contrast and protects the surface. At its lower end a special fitting is formed, to which the holding element can be connected to.

This way the cocoon can be connected to the mounting element. This organic form proceeds in swings around the cocoon enclosing it. Being printed out of the PolyJet matrix technology, based on the mixture of  materials, results in a gray, neither completely stiff nor completely flexible construction. Additionally, very soft, linear elements follow the surface and assure protection, skid resistance, and a comfortable haptic, when applied around the luminaire. This can be turned, laid or hung up in different positions. The optical appearance or the desired effect can be defined by the user.

to Harvest Water

A fictional narrative conceived by John Becker at the GSAPP, Columbia University exploring the potential of the dew collection though the past, present, and future.

Dating back to the 18th century the Harnham Estate, located a short distance outside Salisbury England has documented regional techniques for harvesting water providing a rich history of the practice and the subsequent effects. The methods applied through the centuries reflect regional limitations, a shift in intention and attempts to amplify efficiencies. Although many of these techniques are specific to the region and time period, they are not necessarily unique to the site; it is the extent of the documentation of these exercises and the entrepreneurial achievements intent on monetary gain that make the subsequent story so fascinating.

After acquiring the Estate in 1786 following the death of his Father, Sir Edward Harnham commissioned a series of engraved maps to be produced of the Estate. Cataloguing the boundaries of the Estate, as well as all landmarks within the terrain in a series of 4 maps and 2 scenic prints one depicting the manor, and the other the view of the Salisbury Cathedral from the manor. The 2 remaining images both display the dew ponds contained on the site. The large number and proximity of these dew ponds is rare, and is considered to be the largest concentration of dew ponds known in the South Downs.

Located on large deposits of chalk the South Downs is essentially a large aquifer making the retention of water a difficult task. For hundreds of years residents of the South Downs have used a technique known as puddling to construct dew ponds which allow water to be drawn from the atmosphere and retained on the surface for long periods to provide drinking water for cattle. In the Early 20th century a catastrophic failure exposed a previously forgotten cistern located beneath the dew ponds. A local architecture firm was hired to survey the cistern and assess its potential threat to the existing manor. The conclusions presented stated that once the water had evacuated the cistern it was no longer a structural threat to the residence.

Providing premium bottled water harvested from the now locally known Harnham dew ponds, Ethereal 1 entered the market June 11th, 1991 at £14 a litre. After a slow start Ethereal 1 finally met with success in 1995 as the market for bottled water grew exponentially. In order to meet growing demands, a series of dew collecting nets were pioneered by a London based architecture firm MJB Architects which allowed for a 25 fold increase in production. Due to peak production vs. bottling time, storage bladders were constructed on the hillside to provide short term storage for water during the process. The Bladders were placed under the surface of the earth to provide protection from the sun, and to retain the water’s desired temperature.

This new system now mirrored the previous system of harvesting, storing, and distorting the landscape, except on an exaggerated time scale. The success of Ethereal 1 is largely credited to the history of water collection from the Estate. Inversely this success in turn encouraged the use of these techniques in the region to meet growing demands for water during periods of drought. Once these techniques were spread over a larger region their success caused the near collapse of the water table in the territory north of the South Downs. In 2026 a bill failed to pass that would have banned all acts of poaching the aerial aquifers within Southern England. By 2035 desalination became the leading source of water for England followed closely by atmospheric stripping techniques such as dew harvesting. At present 3000 cubic miles of water exist in the atmosphere at any given time. 98 percent of this resource is replenished every 2 days, and most importantly only 2 percent of this moisture exist in clouds, the vast majority is found in ambient air. Since 2028 atmospheric aquifers have been tracked and traded as an asset in the global stock exchange.

As water’s value increases many countries inflate their economies based on water futures. Recognized as one of the most prestigious water companies in the world, Ethereal 1 began to capitalize on their long standing history of water collection. In 2001 the company began selling vintage bottles of water, allowing customers to hand pick select days in which their water was collected.

an Extension to a Metro

In the international competition for the new Sofia Metro Line extension and Metro station, Amsterdam-based ShaGa Studio, in collaboration with Margherita Del Grosso Architects, was shortlisted out of over 130 entries. The Lantern Metro station showcases ShaGa’s inclination towards combining architecture with infrastructure, ecology with computation, maintaining the idea of sustainability as backbone of the design process. The project ultimately received an honorable mention.

The project develops a new metro station typology through a time based sustainable approach and with special attention to day/night lighting conditions under and over ground. Nested along the future extension of Metro line 1 and at the local crossroad of Druhzba I and II residential areas, The Lantern transportation hub weaves together the district infrastructure needs with a series of unique local open public spaces .Through an emphasis on the natural light condition below ground and the integration of lighting features (back-lit LED ‘mood walls’) in the station interior and facade, the design enhances visitors orientation, visual connections and an optimized orchestration of public flows, seamlessly connecting the immediate urban context to the station’s concourse level and further to the train platforms.

developing Prototypes

This project is a 55,000 square foot research lab, designed by award-winning office Brooks + Scarpa, office and industrial testing facility serving an automotive industry client who designs and manufactures automotive and heavy truck chassis. The first phase encompasses a total of 15,500 square feet, including 5,500 square feet of office space and 11,000 square feet of research labs and warehouse space for testing and developing prototypes. The second phase consists of an additional 5,500 square feet of office space and 34,000 square feet of research labs and warehouse space.

Industrial buildings are rarely a place that anyone is happy to visit or work. They are typically a direct, and often nefarious programmatic response to the function inside with little consideration for the occupants needs. The approach to this project was to preserve the integrity of a high bay industrial facility and program, while providing a model environment for the users and visitors.

A saw-toothed roof draws from the geometry of old factories and the surrounding Monterrey Mountains. The angled elements of the roof provide abundant natural daylight to the spaces below at the building’s northernmost elevations. By modulating space and light thru a fractured roof geometry, the building is able to maintain a rational plan to meet the rigorous requirements of the program, while providing a strong connection to the landscape both visually and metaphorically.
The second major feature of the building is the perforated metal skin that clads the entire façade. Manufactured by the client in their auto manufacturing facility nearby, the custom aluminum skin is both perforated and etched. It incorporates interplay of solid and void, orchestrating areas of both light and shadow, while limiting views into the research areas, necessary to protect proprietary trade secrets. Thus, the industrial program has been transformed from a black box environment to a light filled space with a strong visual connection to the outside.

Each of these strategies and materials, exploit the potential for performance and sensibility while achieving a rich and interesting sensory and aesthetic experience.

Programmatically, the building is divided into two volumes – warehouse/labs and offices functions. The upper story of the offices cantilever over the lower story to the west and is clad in a highly perforated metal skin and is the main entry facade. The lower story is mainly glazed and open to reveal portions of the research laboratory, machine room and other industrial functions not requiring visually security. From the exterior, the warehouse appears to float lightly over the mechanical and intellectual heart of the program, reversing the notion that an industrial building should be solid and protected. Rather, the building seems very open and is intended to feel vulnerable revealing parts of its inner program to public view.

The main entry of the building is located at the northwest corner under the cantilevered volume. It is flanked by a sunken garden to the north, which is overlooked by the surrounding offices. The garden is a natural bioswale that connects to the adjacent water reclamation wetland for the entire PITT campus. A large industrial overhead door located off the entry in the main public space opens to the garden outside.

to Perform Ideas

SOFTlab produced a hanging installation for the entrance to School Nite, an exhibition of site-specific installations, performances, and discussions. The installation was curated by Nuit Blanche New York as part of Flash:Light 2011 along with the Festival of Ideas for the New City sponsored by the New Museum.

The installation was in the entrance of St. Patrick’s Catholic School at the corner of Prince and Mott Streets in NYC. The form was generated through a gravity driven process and then prepped for production. The surface contains more than 1400 battery powered LEDs. The piece was designed to light up the entrance for the night time event. The main formal expressions of the installation are the hanging pieces that flicker and blow in the wind, with the intention of slowing down traffic through experience and effect rather than typical barriers. Visitors are meant to co-mingle and interact with the piece, not unlike a clown fish and the sea anemone.
Photos: Alan Tansey

Materials: Mylar, Acrylic, LEDs, Conductive Thread, Lithium Batteries
Area: 270 sq.ft.
Date: May 7th, 2011

molecular Atomic scales

NanoArt is a new art discipline at the art-science-technology intersections. It features nanolandscapes (molecular and atomic landscapes which are natural structures of matter at molecular and atomic scales) and nanosculptures (structures created by scientists and artists by manipulating matter at molecular and atomic scales using chemical and physical processes). These structures are visualized with research tools like scanning electron microscopes and atomic force microscopes and their scientific images are captured and further processed by using different artistic techniques to convert them into artworks showcased for large audiences.

NanoArt should not be confused with Microphotography which is performed using an optical microscope with a photographic camera attached to it and renders flat images at low magnification. The depth and three dimensions achieved in NanoArt sets this imaging process apart from Photography where images are created by photons (particles of light) rather than by electrons (electrically charged particles). The electrons penetrate deeper inside the structure creating images with more depth, more natural 3D-look than the photographic images.

In Italy, artists Alessandro Scali and Robin Goode are creating nanometric artworks like nanosculptures and nanolitographies, invisible to human eyes. Artworks are made with the collaboration of a team of scientists from Politecnico of Torino, Italy.
 

cocoon FS

Part of a worldwide research network conducted by PlanktonTech Institute, the COCOON_FS is a structure that integrates architectural sculpture, new technologies and biomimetic principles. As the Institute’s focus is on basic research of marine plankton organisms such as diatoms, the intention of the project is to develop as a material efficient construction by learning from natural lightweight composite structures. Pohl Architekten created a technical solution by translating natural lightweight constructions into technical prototypes using highly efficient technical fibers. It is a floating system that embodies the activities of PlanktonTech.

COCOON_FS visualizes both – natural lightweight construction as well as highly efficient technical design solutions. With its weight of only 750 kg, the pavilion can easily be transported to any location. In the sense of stability the floating construction is able to withstand thunderstorms. The self supporting shell of COCOON_FS is made of FRP (fiber reinforced polymers) that forms the skin and the supporting structure in one. The FRP composite design is optimized by all design parameters including broad iterative research of parametric design, production needs. Compared to biological solutions in nature, COCOON_FS is to be seen as morphogenetic design.

a Building moves Beyond itself

Even before the first pueblo fire was lit in the Los Angeles basin and the first cars arrived in Shanghai, the atmosphere was toast. The dirty yellow glow of Beijing and southern California, although capable of producing beautiful sunsets, stands as a troublesome reminder of an atmosphere in demise. Mere neutrality is not enough. The sheer mass of ineffective and bad building technologies has to be recalibrated and an over-correction applied. We are developing a building that moves beyond itself, and through an act of supererogation, attacks the more global conditions. One building can only have so much of an impact but a collective, that leads by examples and inspires other progressive green thinking, can truly make a difference.

This tower takes an active stance and attacks the problem of dirty air by aiming to help purify the air of our cities. The tower pulls dirt, grease, and bacteria out of the air, producing only oxidation and water as a result. The reaction is triggered by the use of a nano-coating of titanium dioxide on the outer skin of the project. The reaction is naturally powered by sunlight acting on the titanium dioxide during the day and supplemented by ultra violet light at night. These UV lights are powered by energy collected through PV panels during the day. The tower will be a glowing indigo object at night varying in intensity according to the amount of solar energy collected during the day. The indigo glow will become symbolic of the cleansing, counteracting the yellow haze that dominates the daytime hours.

The formal design moves of the tower are shaped by basic passive solar ideas that are amplified in magnitude, by a focused analysis of wind and light. Every twist and pull in the massing is set off by a series of interrelated environmental considerations. The passive solar attributes are enhanced by the additional layer of technological innovation provided by the titanium dioxide. Keeping the technology as simple as possible, we avoid the inherent traps of technological problems by piling on more technological solutions. We realize that the liberating aspects of the technological solution are often tied to the imprisoning traits that follow as a result of the solution.
The tower is split into three bars to 1) increase the amount of surface area, 2) provide southern light to the south face of each bar, and 3) focus and increase wind speed. The added surface area allows for maximizing the amount of titanium dioxide that can be placed on the building—enhancing the amount of air being cleaned. The focused and increased winds speed not only power a series of vertical wind turbines, but also pushes the air across the titanium dioxide panels and provides cross ventilation for every room of each unit in the towers. A positive pressure is created on the southern face of the towers and the resulting negative pressure on the northern facades creates optimal conditions for cross ventilation. A series of wind turbines are mounted on bridges connecting the three towers. The air flow is compressed and directed by the form of the building to generate maximum wind pressure at the location on the turbines. The bridges are all two-story spaces, each containing a small garden to help mitigate the buildings internal humidity levels. The units are also two stories to reduce the amount of elevator stops needed for the building while creating a natural separation between living and sleeping. Each unit has both north and south facing facades to take advantage of the beneficial light and heat gain potential. The east and west facades have minimal glazing to neutralize low-angled and uncontrollable light.

The skin design is inspired by the pocketed and cellular texture of the titanium dioxide molecule (TiO2). A series of organic cells cover the building and are tapered to naturally collect the water, a byproduct of the skins chemical reaction, and to collect and slowly release rain water. The skin pulls off of the building on the south facades to provide natural shading and pushes into the inner skin of the north façade to maximize daylight and provide fifty percent coverage to reduce heat loss during the winter months. The skin also floats off the building to conceal the UV lights which can be harmful to humans who are directly exposed to it, and further maximizes the building’s envelope.

A series of gardens are located at regular intervals all the way up the tower. They become public gathering spaces as well as marsh lands to collect the water from the chemical reactions of the skin and to filter and process grey water from the towers. The plants also turn the carbon dioxide, created in the chemical reaction of the skin, back into oxygen. It is paramount to have the plants help maintain the base-level carbon neutrality. A large pool around the base of the tower is the final collection point of the filtered water which goes to support a large amount of animal and plant life. Water is also pumped back up the towers from the pool to service toilets. Furthermore, the pool at the base acts as a heat sink for the release of the heat generated from a back-up air conditioning system. Here, the heat is released slowly, thus helps reduce the heat island effect.

We also propose the use of self-cleaning windows and bathroom tiles, which are available in the market for more than a decade. Scientists have been working on a solution on developing a “smart coating material” which can wash away dirt and keep the surface clean. However, it is not sufficient for the rapid urbanization we face. The ultimate challenge is how we can destroy the molecules of the pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, which are mainly the effects of heavy industries and automobile emissions.

The density of our large cities brings the additional complication of transmittable disease. The nano-material we propose can also be used on internal hallways, trash rooms, and elevators to remove or reduce bacterial agents. In an age of globalization with more potent infectious diseases, a building that can help neutralize bacteria within it can help curb infection rates. SARS and now H1N1 have demonstrated to us that our buildings are not ready. A sanitized walk-off mat is simply not going to prevent the next global pandemic. The air streams that blow out of each individual unit, as a result of cross ventilation, are designed to disperse the contaminated air away from the building and prevent back flow into adjacent units.

With the advancement on today’s nanotechnology, scientists can now modify and enhance the coating technology on building facade panels for incorporating the light activated nano-titanium dioxide (TiO2). The TiO2 based photo-catalysts can trigger a series of chemical reactions to generate hydroxyl radicals when exposed to sunlight or ultraviolet (UV) light.  The artificial near-UV light source will give the maximum power on the photo-catalyst reaction. These radicals will oxidize and degrade most of the airborne urban pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or nitrogen oxides. They can even assist in deactivation of bio-contamination. This technology can make any surface anti-bacterial and mold-free. It can purify our ambient air and protect our buildings from bio-aerosol contamination.

The building is an explorative exercise aimed at taking full advantage of passive solar technique carefully married with the benefits of a titanium dioxide skin. The location of the project is set in Qingdao, China. Profitability will play a key role amongst investors in the shift towards our sustainable solution. We believe that coming out of a global recession, the consumer will be looking for a stable investment. The choice between purchasing a residential unit with a positive environmental attitude and not, will hopefully become a simple one. To get the product to market, significant tax breaks will be needed to help secure the positive direction the developers and consumers are looking for. Such architecture should be backed by progressive policy.

Designed by: Ted Givens, Benny Chow, Mohamed Ghamlouch

opens in Keppel Harbor

Daniel Libeskind’s first residential development in Asia, opens in Singapore. Prominently situated at the entrance to Singapore’s historic Keppel Harbor, the project is the architect’s largest such development to date. Its roughly 900,000-square-foot, 20-acre site comprises 1,129 luxury apartments divided among six high-rise towers and 11 spacious low-rise villas of six to eight floors each. No two floors are alike in shape in size, giving each a distinct look and feel. In a feat of design and engineering, the soaring towers gently bend toward one another as if in conversation.

Daniel Libeskind’s design artfully avoids the uniformity and feeling of congestion often found in residential developments. It also deftly tackles the challenge faced by architects when working in Singapore, where high-density construction is often the only way to recoup the high cost of real estate. By placing the low-rise villa blocks along the water and the high-rise towers behind them, the design succeeds in creating an airy, light-filled grouping.

Every detail of the design heightens the buildings’ connection to land, sea and air. The high-rises are sheathed in modern anodized aluminum panels intermixed with large, glass windows. When combined with the towers’ alternating heights (three are 24 stories, three are 41), the exterior creates a striking interplay of shifting planes and shimmering, seemingly infinite, reflections. Adding to the visual impact are openings among the structures that yield perfect views of the horizon. Finally, rooftop gardens offer verdant, serene spaces unusual for apartment towers, while the nine landscaped “sky bridges” connecting the towers offer almost panoramic views of the nearby mountains, sea and lush foliage.

an AirFlow of Plants

The Active Phytoremediation Wall System is a modular system of pods, housing hydroponic plants. Its main purpose is to encourage airflow and contribute to the quality of life through its air cleaning capacities. The project is a result of a collaborative research between Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

It is a bio-mechanical hybrid system that produces ‘fresh air’ from within buildings, thereby reducing the energy consumption. Because the plants’ roots are exposed, instead of being buried in soil, the plants’ air-cleaning capacity increases by 200 to 300 percent. The pods themselves are made from vacuum-formed plastic, and the form allows the maximum amount of air to reach the root rhizomes while using the minimum amount of material. It also creates a beautiful base for the plants. The wall system can be installed in large commercial interiors, but works equally well in small settings—a four-module system in an apartment would have the impact of 800 to 1200 house plants.
Researchers: Emily Rae Brayton, Ahu Aydogan

Testbed Site: Public Safety Answering Center II, Bronx, N.Y.

Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, New York—Carl Galioto (technical partner); Gary Haney (design partner); Peter Magill (managing partner); Rob Rothblatt (senior designer); Joseph Sacco (project manager); Carl Brown (technical coordinator); Julie Hiromoto (project team)

a Contemporary Architecture

Succulent House demands a systemic and structural reorganization of contemporary residential architecture. It explores possible solutions to water shortage issues and environmental consciousness  by treating the water collection capacities of houses as integral part of the design, instead of reducing it to a foreign body- an artificial addition to our, otherwise unburdened everyday lives. The large plastic curtains expand as they’re filled with water, enabling the whole process to be seen from the interior. Besides becoming a renewable energy source, this mechanism creates a continuous experience of sustainable action that is etched into the subconscious.

The roof surface is divided in two and is maximized for water collection, storage and distribution. It collects gray water used for showers, toilets and washing. The roof planes direct rainwater into storage cores around which program is distributed. Made of elastic material, the curtains act as “bladders”, accumulating water and distributing it further. Designed by LA-based Murmur, the Succulent House is a proposition for future sustainable building. In this experimental piece, Murmur captured the essence of frequently mentioned principles such as biomimicry, organic and flow. What the House obviously accentuates is that the implementation of those ideas has to be systemically and structurally necessary in order for them to become valid architectural Principles. In other words, it has to work.

 

a Digital Roof

The main feature of patterns and parametric surfaces addressed by architects at Atelier Manferdini is using the principle of repetitiveness to play with the figurative and structural role of computational design. Versatile applications of those motifs are explored through a wide variety of the Studio’s work, ranging from fashion and lighting design to architectural projects. Somewhere between ornament and structure, the lacy metal roof of the Malpensa Airport seeks to find common ground between decorative aspects of patterns and their role in the digital optimization of architecture.

The project involved the replacement of the connecting tunnel between the Express Train Station and the Terminal 1 of the Milan Airport, all in preparation for the World Expo in 2015. The designed segment comprises a covered area that will serve as an exhibition space as well as a pedestrian trajectory, connecting the sides with roof gardens. The part of the roof overhang on the west side is clearly visible from the street lanes that flank the underlying construction of the new Hotel Malpensa.
The roof is supported by a metal frame to ensure lightness and limit the weight, and avoid compromising the existing structure of the parking lot below. The north side of the structure is adjacent to the hard deck of Terminal-1, which connects the foot to impart the necessary lateral stability against wind and seismic loads.

The cover is made of a modular system of metal bent brush anodized in 3 shades (gold, natural and mirrored). The geometry of folded panels and reflective surfaces of the metal create rich effects in light and color that change with the angle of the light source and with the observer’s viewing angle, giving dynamism and lightness to the new port of Milan. During daylight hours, the geometry of the modular system and its openings are less frequent at the ends of the cover and act as tree branches by creating a play of light and shade. During the night, the perforations in the cover spread interior lighting onto the pedestrian crossing.
 

Karmelita Opera in Art

How to integrate an opera theater into the historic urban fabric of Vienna? This project seeks to develop a middle ground between excessive un-architecture and conventional opera theater. One of the strategies is to create a new vertical transition part as the coherent between the opera theater and the concert hall. It was designed as a solution to the substantial decrease of earth specially which site is located in a high density residential district. This tower proposes an intensive, yet ivy romantic environment with an Opera Theater, a Concert Hall and a Panoramic Restaurant where you will be able to find little squares, picturesque sightseeing to this city, parks, hanging garden, and many cultural facilities.

Tang Fei experimented with form production at the Excessive Studio II, Urban Strategies, Die Angewandte Vienna in Austria to produce an Opera Theater or a Concert Hall in the Karmelitermarket.
 

a Gateway to The Sky

Award-winning firm Snøhetta has been commissioned by the Ras Al Khaimah investment Authority and RAKEEN to undertake the architectural design for the Gateway project in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. Situated in the desert 150 km to the east of Dubai this landmark project will mark the gateway to the emirate and form the entrance to the new planned capital city of Ras Al Khaimah. The urban master plan for the city is currently being under taken by the Netherlands based architectural practice OMA. The Gateway project is situated at the entrance to the city and will form a landmark for the city entrance.

The architectural expression for our proposal is inspired by the surrounding desert and mountain landscape. This concept provides for an infinite variety of naturally shaded, intimate and protected spaces, around which the multiple uses associated with the development are woven. The undulating architectural landscape is resolved in a dramatic landmark tower marking the main gateway plaza. This 200 m high tower will be the setting for a 5 star plus hotel affording panoramic views across the emirate, to the gulf and mountains beyond.

The programme calls for a mixed-use development comprising a conference centre, exhibition centre, hotels and retail space. In total it is expected to be 270 000m2 of build area. In addition there will be substantial areas of associated garden and landscape. Externally the building will be clad in ceramic panels, this will be developed together with Ras Al Khaimah ceramics, one of the world leading producers of ceramic products.
 

to Feature a Snail

The Snail Pavilion is a competition entry for the Ceramic Tiles of Italy trade show pavilion. The purpose of the pavilion is for the trade association to represent its member companies’ products at a series of shows over a three-year term. Instead of selecting just a few sample products to feature, the scheme uses hundreds of tiles from Ceramic Tiles of Italy member companies to create giant “creatures” that bristle with the range and depth of Italian ceramic products. In this way the pavilion is more like a library with tiles stacked on shelves than it is a surface against which tiles are set in a rigid grout bed. Visitors can literally occupy the entire history and product catalog of the member companies. An innovative stacking system uses a simple assembly method to produce the appearance of feathers or scales – arraying tiles in a variety of sizes and colors into complex, visual seductive plumage, bristles, and whorls. The tiles are organized into loose color groupings that anticipate different sizes and tones, so the system can accommodate a broad diversity of sample products.

The creatures organize the pavilion into a diagonal shortcut path that funnels visitors to a pinch point where the tiles stick out and invite tactile exploration. Open figures in plan make the creatures occupiable for food service staging and VIP dining. To encourage the sense of adventure while patrons browse the pavilion, unfolded maps of each creature will be provided to point out the locations of tiles that member companies would like to feature. Browsing floor coverings becomes a safari!

Size: 3,000 square feet
Project Team:
Andrew Holder,
Claus Benjamin Freyinger, Yilip Kang, and
Noah Rubin
Materials: Ceramic Tile, MDF

Bloodletting Scales

It often happens that the small-scale, programmatically simple design tasks tap into the basics of the practice and remind of what is the initial creative act in designing – Asking Questions. To most with formal architectural education, designing trade show pavilions presents starting challenges that help solidify their understanding of space. By returning to questions, small competitions act as a bloodletting treatment for the current global discourse. These also take on a didactic role for architecture beginners, reminding them of the complexity of the design process that can be revisited, but certainly not avoided by relying solely on the abstract art of mathematics.

The winning proposal for the Ceramics of Italy Competition is a recognizable, functional and versatile space, achieved by using the design elements organically and making them part of a clear, cohesive architectural thought. The project marries archetypal spatial preoccupations with modern technologies and computational design.

The 3,000 square feet rectangular trade show pavilion comprises a café, information and reception desks and storage spaces. Lifted at the opposite corners are two seating areas, reminiscent of Italian piazzas. These are progressively transformed into information and reception desks. Layering of the platform into gradual steps allowed the architects at e+i Studio to extensively showcase the Italian tile palette through variations in color. The gridshell wood structure supporting tile mounds creates service areas below, leaving the space between the slopes for gatherings and dining.

Piazza Ceramica can be recreated in many different configurations. The structure, manufactured with CNC and water jet technologies, consists in producing one module and its mirror counterpart, which can be combined and reused in multiple assemblies.
 

Light Future Stations

The proposal for Sofia’s new Metropolitan Station 20 on line one was designed by Zeybekoglu Nayman Associates. The design strategy seeks to take advantage of the intense relationship between Obikolna Street and the future station. Organized along a glass spine that covers the space below ground level, the station is meant to capture as much natural light as possible.

Architects state:” The sun penetrates down through sculptural skylights illuminating the entire station in a warm glow. The use of daylight as an architectural element assists orientation for passengers and provides a sense of security.   It allows for the atmosphere of the station to be transformed by the color of the sky.  Underground the station is efficient, easy to read and comprehend through its organized masses.  The descent down to the metro is designed as an elegant, modern addition to the street life above. Public access areas on B1 contain places to sit, shop, and dine. Open to all, this level has direct access to both sides of Obikolna Street through a new pedestrian underpass.  Ticketed areas on B2 including the platforms are separated by a series of turnstiles that lead to zones of vertical transportation.
This design demonstrates a spatial coherence between the two worlds above and below.  Gracefully shaped glass geometries define a modern sculptural addition to the outdoor-indoor environment. During the day the outside is brought into the station and at the night the glowing illumination from within becomes part of the street scene.”