urban Skyscrapers

The construction of skyscrapers has been an architectural solution for high-density urban areas for almost a century for its ability to combine height with a small footprint. Today there is a constant race between large metropolises and nations to build the tallest structure, but it has been proven that this typology is sometimes not desirable for medium-size cities where skyscrapers destroy the skyline and disrupt the infrastructure of a specific location.

The Flat Tower is a new high-density typology that deviates from the traditional skyscraper. It is based on a medium-height dome structure that covers a large area while preserving its beauty and previous function. The dome is perforated with cell-like skylights that provide direct sunlight to the agricultural fields and to the interior spaces. The dome’s large surface area is perfect to harvest solar energy and rainwater collection.

Community recreational facilities are located at ground level while the residential and office units are in the upper cells. An automated transportation system connects all the units, which are different shapes according to their program. It is also possible to combine clusters of cells to create larger areas for different activities.

Although this proposal could be adapted to any medium-size city around the world, it has been designed for the city of Rennes, France, in an old industrial area.

a Group of Modules in a School

This proposal designed by Brandon Martella is for a mixed use dormitory facility at the New School of Architecture and Design in San Diego, California.

The primary purpose of 3 block is to hold a group of modules within a fluid ribbon of vertical community for 360 students at New School of Architecture and Design.  The vertical sprawl of greenscape is a continuation of the balboa to bay park that runs along park blvd. dividing the New School campus.  Through a division of city, home, and community a new realm of San Diego is created.

Whether its tight rope walking the twin towers or using Renzo Piano’s louvered New York Times Building as a ladder, people around the world see buildings as urban terrain, wanting to feel like a kid once more with imaginative ambitions afloat on the playground. With 3 block these treasured experiences are made real again, a vertical hiking path integrated into the buildings southern exposure, enables the adventurous to finally use the cityscape as their playground.  With various green spaces and local shrubbery the walkways become a shading device to reduce the high-rises overall solar gain, plus the exploration of the building can be turned into an entire day adventure.

Starting with an early cup of joe at the corner coffee shop, an open day can get on its way with shopping for supplies at the brick based marketplace, offering various retail, then onto the fourth floor to pick up a delicious lunch to go from the exquisite café, moving on to a scenic picnic landing to enjoy your lunch, halfway up the building, your journey is not yet complete.  With a brief session of your newest novel in one of the midrise lounges, your 3 block hike can commence and get strenuously steep with the last intense stretch of walkways, but then finally, you’ve made it to the top, one of the highest points in San Diego with panoramic views of the city, you can end your day relaxing at the sky top bar and restaurant, sipping on your favorite brew.  This is your block,  3 block.

Nexus Platform

Designed by Huston-based MA2 Studio, the project is a proposal for a multifunctional urban structure located on Saadiyat Island, UAE. The main purpose of the design is to create a center for gathering and storing knowledge. It attempts to avoid the typical appearance of contemporary libraries and establish a strong relationship between distinct programmatic contents. In line with this, the resulting structure emerges as a mix-use facility, comprising a media center, exhibition spaces, offices and housing capacities. Various platforms that surround the zones are articulated as public and semi-public spaces, markets and green roofs.

The tectonic form of the bridge is gradually developed into a vertical structure. Its vertebral robustness is combined with the aesthetics of curvatures and alternating intensities. Architecture is generated through the principles of genomic formation, comprised of “cybernetic components assembled by genetic relationships”. Those are aimed to develop complex formations that perform with intelligence. The body of the hyper-structure is thus transformed into a dynamic space, magnifying intensities and engaging influx of networks and systems. In its formal language, the structure accommodates existing activities and content, but also anticipates new ones. The complex topography offers a wide variety of use possibilities outside, as well as inside, or both at the same time.

a Pedestrian Connection

Designed by L&A Design Group as part of their Jiangsu Wuxi Central Park project, the bridge establishes an important north-south pedestrian connection between the two shores of the lake. It completes the diagonal axis and activates the entire body of the Wuxi Xidong Park. The structure itself is S-shaped, a curved pathway designed to offer a more engaging pedestrian experience of the natural surroundings.

The central area of the structure is enlarged, creating a stopping platform. The platform creates a focus for the bridge, maximizing views out across the lake under a shaded canopy.  It integrates ramp access to the island while forming an intimate space for the cafe underneath. As the bridge reaches its island destination the shape stimulates a dramatic interaction between architecture, landscape and water. Construction will utilize lightweight steel structures, light colored outer panel skins for a sleek look that can be elegantly lit up at night and polished timber detailing to tactile surfaces such as seating and railing. The design team has envisioned a signature iconic structure that is attractive, has a flowing modern form expressing the importance of Wuxi’s relationship with water and is functional in its connections to the island, foreshores and allowing boats to pass underneath its elevation.

 

Natural Properties

Through the implementation of year round programming strategies, including hop plant farming, beer making and providing flexible vending market spaces, this 3rd Prize Winner proposal for the Farmer’s Market Competition aims to strengthen West Highland’s local identity. The project combines agricultural spaces with venues for art and music performances, acting as an entrance to the Denver cultural scene. Designed by Lorene Faure and Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui, the Brewerymarket design is based on the natural properties of the hop plant.

“Hop plant (Humulus Lupulus) is vigorous climbing vegetation and hops are used primarily as an important flavoring and stability agent in the beer making process. The proposal creates the sensual experience of a vibrant ‘garden’ where the hops are farmed on hop poles to create the building’s main green facade. The adjustable assembly systems of the modular vending bins are inspired from the natural material properties of hop pods.

The transparent foldable PVC roof canopy acts as a condenser for reclaiming water; for storage that is then used in the brewery and watering for the beer hops farm facade. The technique for this lightweight system is simple and its cost of maintenance is low. The folding geometry of the roof canopy takes inspiration from a plant and maximizes its surface area for heat exchange. It dissipates its heat at night and allows for the condensation of water vapor from the air, as well as directing rain water to the white funnels that channels water down to the brewery at low level.”

Merry Christmas!

Wishes and Love.

suburbia Density

The strategies of urbanization, especially the impacts of suburbia colonization, are a controversy. The hypothesis for this research is the influence of a higher population density in the Greater Toronto Area and how this will affect its inherent resources.

The prosperity of cities depends on the smooth movement of people and goods and it is getting more difficult with the increasing sprawling developments where large portions of land are not utilized and houses, shops, and workplaces are very far from each other.

The idea for this project is the revitalization of Toronto’s existing infrastructure and to make large developments above them. The main concept is to create a mega structure as an organism that mutates depending on the attached infrastructure. This is a city within the city where habitants will work, live, and play in the same area.

 

to be Floated above the Ground in Belgrade

The Centre for Promotion of Science in Belgrade, Serbia designed by Austrian architect Wolfgang Tschapeller will be an institution of service and a national bank of knowledge in the field of science. It will organise innovative and educative exhibitions, and bring science closer to the people. The main goal of the Centre for Promotion of Science will be to facilitate scientific education, a continuous training as well as social and economic growth, both with direct action, and in partnership with other actors – primarily the Ministry of Science and Technological Development and the Ministry of Education.

The Centre  will be floating high above the ground. It will operate in 3 main levels. On the level of the City it will be an optimistic sign positioned on one of the main routes of the capital. For the Blok 39 it will be a sign, a canopy and a portico. The  building being programmed to promote sciences, it plays on visions of technology and construction. The architectural language of the centre will  be one of state-of-the-art technology and the display of structural principles. A special role is given to the underside of the centre; it will have mirroring qualities, able to reflect all the movement on the ground as well as the visitors that by entering the centre are penetrating the reflections of the earth’s surface.
 

Fuksas Pearl River

Shenzhen is one of the most important industrial locations as well as a very popular tourist destination in China. The fast developing city is located in the south of the Guangdong Province, neighbouring the Pearl River delta and Hong Kong. Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport is the fourth largest following Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou in China. In 2008 Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas Architects won the international competition for the extension of the airport with the design of Terminal 3.

The concept of the project provokes the image of a sculpture with its organic shape. The structure of the building is in steel with a concrete substructure. The skin that envelops the structure, both on the inside and on the outside, shows the honeycomb motive.
The 300,000 mq facade is made of metal panels and glass panels of different size that can be partially opened. They follow the honeycomb motive. The building has a roof construction with spans up to 80 m. Through its double layer, the skin allows the natural light to filter and create light plays. The terminal and concourse constitute the major portion of the passengers perception of an airport.

Concourse area is one of the key areas at the airport and it is composed of three levels. Each level is dedicated to independent functions: departure, arrival, and services. On the ground floor, the plaza provides access to the departures and arrivals as well as to the cafand restaurants, offices and facilities for business meetings. Travellers reach the Terminal at level 14.40 m.

The spatial concept of interior is one of fluidity. It combines two different ideas: the idea of movement and the idea of pause. The honeycomb, developed in the suspended structure, is translated into the interior and quoted in different scales throughout the building. Retail boxes introduce the honeycomb idea in a bigger scale and will be repeated, in slightly different articulation, in the concourse. In the most public and open spaces, the honeycomb can be found as a 3D imprint in the wall cover as well as in the suspended ceiling.

Swarm Intelligence

This project is Zhaochen Wang’s  Master of Architecture thesis developed at the University of Southern California. The project is an investigation of swarm intelligence and slime mould and its translation into urban and architectural design.

The site is located in Kiruna in the northern part of Sweden. The project creates an architecture which aims to create a half urban and half nature prototype space which could be covered by temperature sensitive glass that adjusts to light and wind. The project explores the relationship between people and urban design with an adaptive project that responds to external and internal stimuli. The building appears as a dynamic surface that changes color in real time according to specific requirements.

to Ski is to Transform

The future Ski Village will transform the existing Levi ski resort into a world class destination, offering top quality accommodation and leisure services for skiers of all levels and demands. The proximity to the Kittilä airport ensures easy access to the resort attracting international visitors to Levi village and the whole Lapland region. The Finland-based developer Kassiopeia Finland Oy is investing in its local region as it currently owns and operates Hotel Levi Panorama, Levi Summit Congress Center and Hotel K5 Levi and above and beyond has interests in developing the exquisite Koutalaki area.

“BIG’s visionary approach of combining unique types of accommodation and amenities along with the leisure activities offered at the resort, left the jury in awe. BIG’s ambitious plan challenges traditional thinking and we believe that the collaboration between Kassiopeia Finland and BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group will rise to the occasion.” Jury, Kassiopeia Finland Oy.

Located on a gentle slope, the existing Levi ski center provides the framework for the future Koutalaki Ski Village which is conceived as an extension of the summit and the existing cluster of buildings in Koutalaki. BIG proposes to create a series of buildings that radiate out from a central square and whose ends touch the ground to create four freestanding buildings that each provide access to the roof and allow the skiers to descend from the resort’s rooftop downhill in any direction. The soft curves of the undulating roofs of the four buildings create a visual continuity of the natural land–scape while lending the whole village the unique character of a skislope skyline that creates an inhabited mountain top.

“The Koutalaki Ski Village is conceived as an extension of both the summit and the resort. Grown from the natural topography rather than dropped from the sky – the architecture extends the organic forms of natural landscape creating an inhabitable as well as skiable manmade mountain. As a result, our design for the Koutalaki Ski Village creates a new hybrid integrating distinct identities such as village and resort, shelter and openness, cozy intimacy and natural maj–esty, unique character and careful continuity – or simply – architecture and landscape.” Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Partner, BIG.
The four buildings arc around a central square to create a new bustling village plaza at the heart of the resort, which is sheltered from the wind yet open and inviting to the surrounding landscape. The plaza allows ice skating and music events and is connected to a bowl like yard with cafés and bars created by the lower interior heights of the new buildings. The intimate atmosphere of the spaces created here contrasts the open views from the summit.

The whole resort area is connected through a network of paths that prioritizes skiers and pedestrians. Access to the roofs happens through central elevator cores allowing skiing down either towards the courtyard or the piste. An elevator located centrally in the hotel provides access to the roof top restaurant with a 360 degree panorama views of the landscape and plaza.

”When first visiting the future Koutalaki village site you realize the proximity to the ski slopes but at the same time the importance of creating a connection for skiers as well. The gentle slope away from the main ski system seems to offer the solution for a unified proposal that creates maximum connectivity for skiers and pedestrians.” Jakob Lange, Partner-in-Charge, BIG.

All accommodation units offered at the new resort enjoy beautiful views of the surrounding nature, including the eight private villas which are situated at different elevations to provide an undisturbed panorama, while the elevated private gardens serve as an extension of the landscape. The villas embrace the snowy landscape and allow the snow in all its forms become a part of the architecture itself.

“Instead of creating design solutions that aim at dealing with snow by shoveling or moving it, we want to create a village that utilizes the full potential of snow. When it is caught on the façade the window frames become a living part of the landscape, adapting to changes in the weather. The light granite façade enhances the intimate relation with the nature. “ Hanna Johansson, Project Leader, BIG.

While the four buildings simulate real ski slopes during winter time, combining the essence of a ski resort – skiing, relaxation, rec–reation and dwelling, the roofscape of the buildings during summer will be just as attractive serving as a green continuum of the surrounding natural landscape for hiking and picnics.
 

Strategic Planning to Live

Housing + Infrastructure: An active planning strategy subsidizing low income public housing’

Housing inequity is a common phenomenon throughout the world, in both developed and developing countries. The reasons for this phenomenon are many, but the main factor is the rapid development of the city and the privatization of lands and infrastructure without an adequate urban study. Conventional solutions are generally political and few considerations have been taken from the strategic planning of the urban space.

A public housing project in the 21st century must help low-income families obtain better living quality without the associated high costs. This project addresses the opportunity to create a hybrid typology between housing and the city infrastructure. It is not only an architectural hybrid, but a mix of two ideas: the desire to provide low-income families a better life and a high-profit business for the city itself. The use of political power will give ownership of the city’s infrastructure to the poor people. The city’s infrastructure and housing for low-income families become one, and in sharing the space allow cheaper construction costs, the creation of job opportunities, and the profit from infrastructure administration.

The project is located in Jamaica Center in New York City. The idea is to create large water tanks with treatment facilities for grey and black waters through the use of treatment plants in a large scale greenhouse that will also serve as a recreational space for the community. Housing will be attached to the infrastructure and residents will work in the treatment facilities.

cloud Seoul

Two residential towers in Seoul, Korea, designed by MVRDV, are connected in the centre by a pixilated cloud of additional program offering amenities and outside spaces with wide views. Positioned at the entrance of Libeskind’s Yongsan Dreamhub master plan project, the adjoined structures represent pixilated volumes with their rigid compactness disrupted at the connecting point. With a total surface of 128,000m2, the towers are expected to be completed in 2015.

Two structures are linked at the 27th floor with a volume spanning ten floors, evoking the image of a geometric cloud. The cloud comprises residential and commercial functions, along with the sky lounge, a wellness center, conference hall, fitness studio, pools, restaurants and cafes.  The square floor plans contain four corner apartments per floor. All spaces are rich with daylight and are well ventilated. Except for the grand lobby, used for accessing both towers, the rest of the ground level floor is divided into town houses.

Programs and facilities are revealed through the structural façade. They seem to flow beyond the building’s primary volume and transform into gardens, pools and plazas. Usually segregated, public and private functions are here distributed in order to encourage social interaction between residential architecture and the city.
 

a New Dimension of Space

UNStudio’s design for The Scotts Tower in Singapore has been designed to conserve space whilst maximizing live/work/play areas, The Scotts Tower presents a new dimension of functional and flexible vertical space. The Scotts Tower high end residential building is situated on a prime location in Singapore, close to the Orchard Road luxury shopping district and with views encompassing both nearby parkland and the panoramic cityscape of Singapore City.

Ben van Berkel: “An interesting facet of The Scotts Tower is the way that it reacts to the urban context of Singapore. Instead of the more usual means of planning a city horizontally, we have created neighbourhoods in the sky; a vertical city where each zone has its own distinct identity.” The 18,500m2, 31-storey, 231-unit tower consists of 1 to 3-bedroom apartments and 4-bedroom penthouses; expansive landscaped gardens, sky terraces, penthouse roof gardens and diverse recreational facilities.

Neighborhoods in the sky
The concept of The Scotts Tower is that of a vertical city incorporating a variety of residence types and scales. In addition, outdoor green areas in the form of sky terraces, penthouse roof gardens and individual terraces form an important element of the design. The vertical city concept is interpreted on the tower in three scales; the “city”, the “neighbourhood” and the “home”. The three elements of the vertical city concept along with the green areas are bound together by two gestures: the “vertical frame” and the “sky frames”.

The vertical frame organises the tower architecturally in an urban manner. The frame affords the tower the vertical city effect by dividing the four residential clusters into different neighbourhoods.

The sky frames – at the lobby (Level 1 & Level 2) and sky terrace (Level 25) – organise the amenity spaces and green areas of the tower.
Customized living
The four residential clusters are each designed for versatile and customised living. Individual identity is given to each unit by means of type, scale, distribution and articulation of outdoor space, along with the possibility for personalisation of the interior layout; by means of a semi-white plan, residents will be given the freedom to configure their personal living spaces according to their lifestyles and aspirations.

The individual articulation of each cluster within the main framework of the tower is directly related to the organisation and materialisation of the terrace spaces. These varied outdoor spaces afford a choice of views, with corner terraces providing both cityscape panoramas and vistas over the natural landscape adjacent to the building.

Ben van Berkel: “The balconies combined with the zoning of the individually framed neighbourhoods in The Scotts Tower create different scales of detail in the structure; both intricate, smaller details and larger gestural details.”

City Loft, City View, Park View and Penthouses
Situated above the lower sky frame, the hundred and twenty-eight City Loft residences in the first cluster occupy the lower sixteen floors of the tower.

The second cluster offers a total of eighty City View units distributed in two clusters. The first cluster shares the first sixteen floor plates with the City Loft residencies. While the second cluster of forty eight units runs above the previous package.

Park View units form the next cluster above the second sky frame, covering five floors and containing twenty units. Crowning the tower is the final cluster containing one floor of three exclusive Penthouse residences.

Gardens, recreation and Sky Frames
The nearby green area to the West of the tower is extended into The Scotts Tower site initially by means of a ground level landscape concept designed by Sitetectonix. This ground level concept incorporates a multi-layered environment which links together the different zones and recreational facilities available to the residents. Recreational facilities within the gardens include a 50 meter lap pool with sunning deck, a children’s pool, a wellness pool, dining & BBQ pavilions, a meeting pavilion and massage and gym pavilions.

green Rooms

Green Rooms Gardens & Landscapes is a quality provider of landscape  design, landscape construction and garden maintenance services. Our passion is to create stunning outdoor living spaces that are sustainable with the living environment it is surrounded by.

Landscape design, construction and maintenance are the passions of each of our employees and we treat each garden with the same care as if it was one of our own. It is simple things that make us rise above the rest - on time, professional and trustworthy service so that you can enjoy a hassle free process from start to finish.

Green Rooms is a member of Landscape Association Australia (LCA). Green Rooms is also sustainably accredited by Sustainable Gardening Australia (SGA).
 

raw Materials

Umicor, a materials manufacturer for clean technologies, built their new offices in the middle of their manufacturing campus which is part of a much larger industrial park in Hoboken, Belgium. The design by Conix Architects is intended to integrate the plant better with its surroundings, adding a fresh scale and materiality to the site and create a sense of place amongst the brick industrial buildings. The project is also a retrofit of a mid-century 8 story brick office, with a fresh wing unrolling from one end, an interesting design narrative connecting with the plant’s mission to recycle and reclaim raw materials.
The narrow floor plate and floor-to-glass windows on either side give the tower an unprecedented transparency. The design serves to emphasize the ribbon like form that separates the levels and makes up portions of the front façade. Each level is offset to create a more spontaneous visual interaction with visitors. The ribbon extends out as an arch into the campus to provide a more human scaled approach to the offices and makes an organized egress through the industrial park. The adjacent hardscape has been softened with a large living wall.

Much of the addition’s program is for visitor and employee assembly. The architecture is designed with the intent of distinguishing the brand of the company.

 

Camlica Hill

This TV-Radio tower designed by architects Ahmet Unveren and Seckin Maden will be located on the great Camlica Hill – Istanbul, which has an altitude of 240 meters above  sea level. The site consists of 120.000m²  in a natural reserve protected  by the government. The project aims to be an innovative 350 meter high tower that would clean the overall mess of the current TV and radio antennas on the site.

The project is based on the duality of the natural protected site and the tower. This duality comes up with: functional trauma, formal trauma, and spatial trauma. Instead of accepting the disconnection and fixing it; the intention is to utilize the tower as the functional and formal continuation of the natural protected site.

The specified urban space and the view terrace should not be separated as two alternative units by vertical circulation, within each other. The urban use of the tower is specified as a panoramic elevator, based only on ground level. The main urban movement is figured on ground level with the surrounding flora. The intersection space of the horizontal circulation on the park zone and the vertical continuation of the tower is the most critical zone of project. The horizontal-vertical balance, transition of open-close spaces and even the nature-tech interface is based on this critical zone. The polygonal shell, generates different qualities of space inside and outside. The aim in visual continuity is based on the hierarchical articulation in the tower. Because of this reason; the formal significance is mostly emphasized on the ground level related with the park, instead of the terrace and technical zones on upper levels.

to Transform a Car

Winning the Hong Kong Alternative Car Park Tower Competition, the proposal attempts to integrate the Hong Kong City hall, the second-floor pedestrian system and the streets on the second floor. It provides a network of public spaces with atriums and multifunctional areas placed at the top floor, along with great views of the Victoria Harbor and Kowloon. Designed by Mozhao Studio, the Car Park Tower is a public building, transforming the typical parking facility into an urban landmark.

The automated parking is located above the multi-functional area, forming an 80 meter high outdoor atrium. Cars are transported from the ground floor to parking spots by the spiral car-lifts and the horizontal rails. The atrium which varies with movement of mechanism of the fully automated parking provides the multi-functional area with a distinctive atmosphere.  In Hong Kong, an example of highly dense city, many public spaces are temporarily occupied for recreation and commercial uses to varying degrees. By adding the time dimension, the approach of transforming programs of the same place is a significant factor for solving the problem of scarce land. On non-work days the ground floor is transformed into a temporary market. The transformation occurs as a consequence of changing car routes. It gives urban significance to the site, connecting it to the adjacent public areas and creating a dynamic urban environment in Hong Kong.

 

for Mumbai School

The building is located in a densely populated residential part of Mumbai, with hight desity ranging from 7 to 15 stories. This height regulation governs the development of the entire neighborhood, including the school site. In order to create privacy in the school spaces and make the building more efficient, designers at Sanjay Puri Architects introduced a second skin of hexagonal modules encompassing the entire building. The modules have small openings on the southern side to reduce heat gain into the building while providing cross ventilation since the sun during most of the year is on the southern side in this location while southwest breeze blows throughout the year. Towards the northern side, with indirect sunlight, the hexagons are like truncated pipes moving in and out and creating additional usable spaces for sitting, playing or reading as extensions to the open spaces on each floor.

Due to several design constrains, the project had to use up the entire available height of 45 m, leaving only marginal open spaces on all sides. Lack of free ground level space influenced the programmatic distribution; the school is planned with a sheltered open space below the footprint of the building, a large auditorium space in the basement and sporting facilities planned in the topmost level and the terrace. At each floor, classrooms occupy the periphery with a central circulation spine that is punctuated connecting a few levels vertically while opening out on the northern side.

The modular façade design transforms the school in a self-contained environment, sheltered from the densely populated neighborhood.