to Deal Life in an Urban Scale

It is understood that cities and buildings are largely shaped by a dynamic flow of interrelated cultural, social, political and economic forces – the nature of possible interfaces between architecture and its various settings within the contemporary city. Rather, Vernon’s Vectors is a re-interpretation conceived by Daniel Cheng Lee and Jae Hwan Lee of how a building may deal with architecture on an urban scale. Rather than relying on the surrounding context of the city to begin addressing the project’s behavior, a singular yet versatile design system is implemented to influence the surrounding context to create an iconic image for the city – an inside out approach to urban systems.

From an initial urban analysis of Vernon, California, the notion of the curve is extracted, abstracted, and injected back onto the city as a generative component. The spline is then exploited to create a tower and museum with intelligence gained from the high-rise and medium building studies. Specifically, The programmatic spaces found within the tower and museum are parametrically generated by means of controlled rotational repulsion that are extruded in the Z axis to create three dimensional space. The tower vertically tackles issues of the blend between interior space vs. exterior envelope, structural feasibility, figure-ground relationship and scale through coalescence and dispersion. The museum, on the other hand, uses the curve to address atmospheric effect and scale via a fiber optic lighting system in which the shapes of the extruded profile faces are determined by gallery spaces and circulation. These processes are threaded together in hopes of creating an iconic figure for the city of Vernon.

Wings Of a Building

The project by the young architectural studio Urbanplunger has been recently awarded the third prize in the Night Club Hotel in Hong Kong international competition. The main idea is to create a suspended building structure to comply with the extremely compact planning in Hong Kong. The whole structure is elevated above the ground by leaning on the nearby buildings.

The nature of the design allows for a green square underneath the building and increases the area of the existing recreation zone. The visual and functional aspects of the building consist of three main parts: 1. Nightclubs. The lowest part of the building. 2. Public mid levels with lobby and security access to the hotel. A Spa centre with a semi-Olympic sized swimming pool along with a business centre, store, restaurant etc. makes up the central part of the building. 3. Hotel. The upper part of the building. All the floor slabs have the same depth and size but the structure tapers inwards towards the top. This allows for balconies in single and double rooms and terraces in suites, aerial villas and the presidential suite.
Circulation strategy.

The building is linked to the ground by lifts that go up to the lobby through the nightclub zone which is open to the public. From the lobby customers are able to gain access to the hotel, spa centre etc. The structure is an architectural parasite that leans on its neighboring buildings and uses their internal infrastructure.

Construction.

The entire load of the construction is transferred onto the buildings it leans on via the load-bearing frames that form the “wings” of the building. This allows for the vertical and horizontal structures to be made from light and strong composite materials.

Architecture as an Instrument

This project designed by Surasuk Pattanapanitchakul at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco intends to illustrate the synthesis between nature, urban and architecture, which supports and collaborate to each other, showing the soul of interconnection which increasingly synthesize with the space, in order to show how architecture can act as an instrument.Traditionally, music defined as aural element expressed through time. architecture as instrument explores the idea of music as defined by visual expressed through time, specificially shadows cast as the sun traverse the sky visual representation of temporal experience-thecycle of the day.Structure as instrument explores the idea that the structure itself is an orchestra and the ever-changing and continual shadows that fall across it and beside it are music experience by users.

In the context, the sun is the conductor, light are the musician roadside element are the instrument, and the shadow they cast are the music.The hybridization of jazz music which interacts with architecture is the main goal of this project, all each brilliant note which performs from the nature will amazingly increase performance through the space which morphs based on sound quality.The geometry design specially to maximize openess, flow of activityfrom the urban context to the interior space, creating the interconnection to each function start from the main plaza to the sky lounge on the top floor.Jazz, always changing, yet retains part of its original formation at it roots. Jazz is a musical style that change with the times and the various outlooks of it listeners. One reason that Jazz remains popular and alive is its ability to adapt to the world it lives in.The project intends to show the idea of cultural combination through art between Asian culture and American culture. This would introduce a new perspective to the Fillmore neighborhood, which is the center of blues and jazz in San Francisco. This factor combined with the high density of Asians residents in the area would convert Fillmore in the new Asian art destination in San Francisco.

maggiex Center

Maggie’s Aberdeen Center by Snøhetta will continue Maggie’s legacy of bringing contemplative architectural to hospital sites; providing the all important right environment for Maggie’s to facilitate their programme of emotional and practical support to anyone affected by cancer.

A string of talented architects have now designed Maggie’s Centres, including the likes of Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid and Rem Koolhaas. Snohetta will follow in such footsteps to design the latest Maggie’s Centre, and will draw on local expertise to realise the vision of the Centre.

Laura Lee, Maggie’s CEO, said: “We are so pleased that the application is now under consideration by the council. The design for Maggie’s Aberdeen is really striking and encapsulates the Maggie’s brief in providing a space that is homely and full of warmth, whilst sparking curiosity and imagination from its visitors. This is a building that will first and foremost provide the ideal environment for people facing cancer in the region to gain support, whilst also greatly contributing to architecture within the region. Monty’s Maggie’s Appeal has inspired a fantastic response from the community and I look forward to entering 2012 with such a tenacious and supportive team.”

Colin Welsh, Chairman of Monty’s Maggie’s Appeal Committee said: ““This is a real milestone for us and a time to thank all of the donors who have supported the Appeal over the last year when all we had to talk about was the concept of the Centre. I also want to commend all the local companies who are giving services free of charge. We are hoping that being able to see what the building will look like and where it will sit, will give our Appeal further momentum.”

Richard Carey, NHS Grampian Chief Executive, said: “What great progress for Monty’s Maggie’s Appeal to have reached this important stage in development. The initial design manages to be both stunning and modern whilst appearing welcoming at the same time. It will certainly be an exciting and most worthwhile building to have on our Foresterhill site and for the people of Grampian. This is a centre that will be greatly utilised by all in the region affected by cancer and it’s great to take a step closer to that reality.”

Charles Jencks said: “Snohetta, coming from the Norwegian culture, has great insight into the life and landscape of the Scots – particularly Aberdeen, a short hop from Oslo. Their mixture of a warm interior of furnishing embraced by a protective shell strikes just the right balance for Maggie’s.”

Gaudi's Parabolic Structures

The design follows methods used by Gaudi for his church projects. This specific approach involved hanging the chains upside-down, showing the most opportune rib disposition and letting the gravity determine the strongest shape for the future building. Used in the chair design, the chain-models are combined with a software script to generate the structure of the ribs, informing of the complexity of the forces in a chair’s backrest. The chair is created by Studio Bram Geenen,  for their online Open Design Platform. The project was developed as part of the Furnistructures initiative, which involves extensive researches into structural systems, as found in nature and architecture, and the possibilities of designing lightweight furniture using such systems.

The script used to determine the structure of the ribs is based on three steps: the distribution of forces across the surface of the chair, the direction of the forces defines the direction of the ribs, and finally, the amount of force specifies the height of the rib. A thin shell made of carbon fiber deals with compression forces. The white beam-grid substructure resists bending of the shell. The substructure was made using rapid-prototyping techniques to achieve the required complexity. Carbon fiber was chosen for its lightness and strength.
 

a Phenomenal Living

Under rapid housing developments in the past years, Hong Kong has benefited much in terms of economy. However, important values such as value in sense of community and individual identity were lost. This thesis hereby critically reviews current and past housing projects in Hong Kong and stating the notion of verticality as the only solution. The ambition is a new alternative high-rise residential typology, in which its inhabitants are given unique units and allocations in accordance to specific zoning strategy within a tower structure, thus creating a phenomenal living experience through bonding and acquiring needs by each and every single individual. It is a re-interpretation of the balance between genericity and specificity aiming at formulating an extraordinary democratic living concept.

A catalog of 1,960 unique residential units that reflects the importance of individual identity is provided- at the same time, it enables the owners as individuals to choose their own unit types from XS to XL, custom-fit to their own features, namely kitchen, bathroom/powder, closet, balcony, entry/fa?ade in accordance to their specific needs. All unit types are formulated based on the primitive cubic size of 2.6m x 2.6m x 2.6m, ranging from 4 to 20 cubes that would define their unit types: XS, S, M, L, XL. Also each unit feature is highly modularized such that it enables open configuration and arrangement in the interior, accommodating each individual’s needs. Life cycle of each unit is approximately 30 years, and maintenance will be on a 5-year-basis to ensure high quality living condition

majestic Topography

The new architecture for The Bogota International Convention Center, proposed by Saucier+Perrotte Architectes, is meant to act as a reflection of the majestic topography surrounding the site. The signature building for Bogota and for Colombia-CICB, takes root in the physical and cultural landscape of the city. Cradled between the mountains and the river, this stunning landscape gives the urban environment and architecture its unique identity. This conceptual, broad horizon defining the space of the new project contains the geology of the site, its artifacts, both large and small, and the “veins” of precious metals, such as gold, that run beneath the city.

The space between is reminiscent of Bogota’s powerful topographic markers (los ceros), reflected in space to contain the diverse activities and functions of the convention center. Positioned as the fulcrum of activity of the integrated business, art, cultural and entertainment district of Bogota- and the heart of the Innobo Ring, the new convention center design bespeaks the stature of international events it will house and simultaneously speaks to the city and culture of Bogota.

The competition jury shortlisted five architectural firms as finalists, and after the two-stage international competition, the consortium Bermudez and Herreros Architects was chosen to build.

Living as to Fly Away

Editor’s Letter
by Carlo Aiello

It is with great pleasure that we introduce you to the premier issue of eVolo. This architecture and design journal was initially conceived in 2004 by a group of graduate students at Columbia University in New York City. Following graduate school, inspired and idealistic, many of us felt the need to reach further and look more closely at ourselves and our specific strengths to figure out what we could uniquely contribute to the field of architecture. Unfortunately entering the work force revealed a scary truth; the world of architecture is a tough place, making little room to accommodate all the unique contributions that so many brilliant young architects were so eager to make. This, specifically, is the inspiration for eVolo; to provide a forum for showcasing the most innovative, the most avant-garde designs that will define architecture in the twenty-first century.
So I introduce to you, eVolo, a work in progress with a clear mission, but no other rules. We have in mind a desire to examine the relationship between architecture and the natural world, architecture and the community, architecture and urban living; but this is an open investigation, welcoming all questions with a willingness to entertain any and all possible answers.

As a part of our mission, in 2006 we created the annual Skyscraper Competition, whereby architects, students, and designers shared their ideas about the future of the skyscraper. The outcome was extraordinary, and in 2008 we published a book with the most innovative projects of the last three years. In September of 2009, there will be an exhibition in New York City to display the brilliance that was uncovered by this competition, brilliance and creativity beyond what we had imagined. Such investment in the work, such innovation, such freedom of thought and expression – we feel confident that there is endless creativity just waiting chance to shine.

So we hope you enjoy the first issue – Housing for the twenty-first century is what we have chosen, and have made it a collaboration between thinkers from diverse fields attempting to understand our current habitation necessities; an exploration of where we are and where are we heading. We start off with the analysis of the economic, social, and architectural causes and consequences of the largest and fastest migration event of human history; the exodus from rural to urban China.

‘Opinion’ is a collection of essays on the broad topic of housing, reaching broadly, from discussions about the use of new technologies, ecology, and global warming, to the transformation of a house into another ‘member’ of a family. This section also includes a reflection on the legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright and his architectural sensibility to make house and context one single entity. In this section you will also find critiques on some of the most forward-looking housing projects designed by world-class firms such as Steven Holl Architects, Asymptote Architecture, Herzog & de Meuron, Bjarke Ingels Group, and Office for Metropolitan Architecture.

Central to this issue are the winning projects of the 2007 Housing Competition organized by eVolo, which consists of twenty proposals that, through the use of new materials, technology, novel spatial organizations, and combinations of programs, present a glimpse of the possible world to come. You will find examples of underground housing, the regeneration of existing neighborhoods, the exploration of new aesthetics from mathematical algorithms, and the studies of biogenetic materials used for environmentally responsive claddings.

The final section spotlights a young firm of designers known as Nervous System, who are producing an ingenious jewelry line based on patterns of organization in the natural world. Some of their pieces mimic the growth of coral and other branching structures, while other collections are created with the simulation of particle aggregation and diffusion systems.

The first issue of eVolo is the beginning of a long journey, along which we intend to search and discover, unveil and promote, in a collaborative format that welcomes anyone that wishes to take this journey with us.

eVolo- to study, to develop, to evolve, to fly away…