a Roll House

The curved surface of the California Roll House is extended across the ground, creating a paved surface that can be used for various outdoor activities. Made of prefabricated elements, easily assembled on site, the building is mobile and versatile. The materials provide energy efficiency, including reflecting heat from the sun. The glass panels are electronically controlled and react to changes of weather conditions by adjusting the level of transparency.

Underneath the entire structure is a carbon fiber truss frame, elevating it above the ground plane.  Adopting ideas from automotive design industry, hydraulic powered automatic door controlled by number lock panel is installed on the sloped wall as main entrance to minimize the space required for operation and avoid contact with user while in operation. When the door is fully open, the clearance height is up to 2 meters. The door opens into two pieces, the upper piece lifts up over head, and the lower piece unfolds onto the floor for visitors to step on. When the door is completely closed, the material on the outside of door continues with the material of the exterior surface to achieve conformity and hide the entrance.
The modularity of the house offers a customized positioning of openings. The residents can choose the placement of their windows. The bedroom area is completed with curtain divider and bookshelf with translucent middle part to provide privacy. In this way, the residents can have sense of privacy by delicate visual hints over as well as providing lights through.
 

a Vascular System

Designed by Michela Tonelli, Wei Ye and Thomas Bagnoli, the project is a vascular system of hypothetical paths and pockets of activity that plugs into the old city. It is distributed to reach all parts of Venice. The project for the Venice CityVision Competition was designed under the name of Venice 2, referring to the fact that by introducing a new habitable system; a new urban fabric is created. The “high water” issue and the strong presence of flow, whether of people, goods or water, are principles that inspired the design. It is, above all, a system of communication. The pockets contain housing, schools, work and leisure. Spaces are supplied with natural light and fresh air through openings in the form of suction cups that characterize the skin.
The system is energetically self-sufficient through the arteries draws in seawater, as a result of the passage in turbines, ensuring the production of energy from sunlight and become a source of energy due to the presence of green in the bubbles, it generates a balanced cycle of oxygen production.

 

a Home, Home...

As homes are becoming abandoned and foreclosed at an astonishing rate, suburbs are becoming a new safe haven for squatters and thieves. The “haunted house”, once reserved for homes on the territorial fringe, is making its way rapidly into suburban America. What you can’t see may kill you. The paranoid neighbor(hood).

There is an element present in all good horror/suspense films, an extreme feeling of discomfort and paranoia, something that works subliminally beneath the surface. Psycho, Paranormal Activity, Poltergeist…all of these movies play upon the fear of the unknown. The scariest monsters are the ones you never see, or perhaps only see glimpses of. The feeling of unease, or the uncanny, runs parallel to that of seduction. I’ll just show you a little. A tease. The promise of something is always more poignant than showing it outright. But what about when you finally see what you fear, what you lusted after, can the process be transformative? Can a glimpse of what may seem unsettling metamorphose into beauty?
This project designed by Michael Young focuses on the idea of replacement through mutant form and the misfit condition, not as a means of destruction/construction, but as a process over time, one of metamorphosis and transformation, slowly revealing what lies beneath, and by doing so, this transformation affords a different look at the contemporary home and the ontology of the nightmare which is bound with it.

“The house, like a man, can become a skeleton. A superstition is enough to kill it. Then it is terrible.” -Victor Hugo

Skyscrapers For High Density

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.

Living Ocean

The theme of the 2012 International Exposition in Yeosu, South Korea, is “The Living Ocean and Coast”. As a response, architects at MVRDV have designed a pavilion that will contribute to raising awareness of the fragility of ocean ecosystems. The building is a kind of aquarium, a glass structure made of water basins that surround the central void. The idea was for each of the basins to display specific aspects of the ocean-the deep see, the tropical waters, the mangroves, reefs-entertaining and educating the public.

The structure is devoid of columns. The walls of the cube bear all weight, acting also as a thermal insulator for the inter object. Their latter function is particularly interesting, as it presents an empirical proof of the oceans importance as regulator of the world climate. Structural support elements are integrated within the walls. The water pressure and weight of the basins are additionally supported by using double-layered glass.

The building is accessed through an underground tunnel, leading the visitors to the central hall. From there they can take a tour of the world oceans which guides them past the water basins. The illumination of each basin can be individually programmed, according to phase of the day-night cycle they’re in.

 

Light and Sculptural Space

The design uses light and sculptural space in order to illustrate different aspects of druguse. It doesn’t include conventional tools accompanying similar events. It aims to become a mind-opening experience whose architecture lures the visitors in. Through the creation of a hallucinogenic space, chance is given to discuss drugs. Space, light and sound is interacting with the visitor, giving a personal experience created by the visitors movement and mindset. Only one person is allowed inside at a time and may stay for as long as he/she wants to.

The installation contains three continuously linked spaces – pleasure, repetition and awakening. Entering the first space, the door is shut behind the visitor, who is given beauty and tranquillity. Soft, crystalline music and subtle light phenomenons, bring peace and pleasure. Sliding into the second space, the surroundings are closing in around the visitor.

A harsh sound and light environment is brought on the person, who is deprived of direction and is given heaven and hell in a quick rhythm. In the last space the visitor starts to reach for reality and a numbing bass is growing through the body, giving a will to leave for solid ground. The wooden floor hide triggers that activate different scenes manipulating the subjects experience of the journey through the container. Thus reflections on drug use and abuse are raised.

CCPP (Chantier créatif de prévention partagée) is a design collaboration between the collectives Cochenko and Quatorze. It was carried out by Butong, together with the two collectives. The installation will travel to schools and institutions in a drug awareness campaign commissioned by the French Ministry of Culture and MILDT.

 

a Flamenco Pedagogy

This project designed by Cheng Gong and Jinming Feng received a honorable mention at the International School Museum of Flamenco Competition. Flamenco is one of the traditional Spanish dancing arts that still exists and is actively practiced.  Its most impressive aspect could be found in the strong rhythm that is generated between the synthetic reaction of music and dancing.

Based on the inspiration of the articulated expression of ancient ornamental iron patterns as well as the order of the columns and arches in Spanish churches, the architects’ strategy is to re-appear the exuberant atmosphere within the context. Architectural programs are mainly defined by the columns and the fluid partitions offset from the outer domain. At the same time, a more active and dynamic roof and vertical sub-structural system grow from the regular column matrix with the purpose of not only forming a highly rhythmic sound wave cover but also extracting people from the surroundings and gathering them into the site to have an interactive moment such as dancing and communication. The transformation of shading and light effects emphasizes the comparison between the columns and the mutated roof.

In terms of the traditional mode of flamenco pedagogy, dancing teaching is more a face-to-face process than a dogmatic step. To encourage the interactive mode of dancing, the project magnifies the role of public space with the method of intersecting two matrixes of columns so the spatial regularity is partially destroyed and replaced by  apparent chaos. Dancing happens in the columns, the roof, and the building itself.

a memory of Kobe

An installation project by 24° Studio will be exhibited at Kobe Biennale 2011 from October 1 through November 23. The project was one of the winners for Shitsurai Art International Competition organized by the city of Kobe. This multi-use environmental installation serves as a meeting place where every area can be used as seating for visitors to contemplate the surroundings, thus invoking a social interaction.

The design motive was influenced by the history of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995 that led to inevitable changes within built environment sparring only the nature that surrounds Kobe. This devastating experience is remembered by Kobe residents making them a persistent and tight community, but remaining open and friendly to the visitors of the city. Strong social ties between people helped them to overcome the disaster and rebuilt the city making it a better living environment. However in the everyday life without problems and crisis, the face to face social interaction between people is decimating and it is one of the biggest problems in our technology driven time.

Crater Lake, an installation – environment where people have a place to meet to observe the beauty of the surrounding environment and more importantly to call forth an emphasis on sustaining social interaction, which was the important catalyst that brought Kobe residents to revitalize their city after the disaster. The installation is situated in the man-made Port Island, Shiosai Park that provides a vast view of the Kobe urban center, its surrounding mountainscape and seascape.
Design intent of Crater Lake installation is to take this unique location into advantage; by creating an undulating wooden landscape that provides a variation of open and unconstrained settings with 360° viewing vista. Every surface may be utilized as seating and lying down surface. Additional seating stools are set in the middle of the space that can be reorganized according to the user’s preferences. The gentle hill surfaces invites people of multiple generations by providing spatial conditions that allow to interact with the landscape space like a playground device, relax in the shade of the mount, and socialize by seating in preferred order.

Multiple ideas and materials were tested to realize the complexity of smooth and undulating form. Wood was chosen for its strong structural capacity, ease of work with, and natural qualities. One of the main issues was to express continuous and smooth surface without using costly techniques of wood steaming, bending or digital fabrication. The solution was to divide the circular surface into a number of radial parts, with optimal number of 20 parts. Factors that determined this optimal number were, overall surface expression, production schedule, and transportation method (vehicle bedsize).  These 20 radial parts were preassembled off the site and transported by a vehicle to the main site of Shiosai Park.

Standard wood and off-the-shelf hardware were used in construction to avoid any costly customized fabrication process. 2×4 studs were used for all structural members and 30×60 mm treated cedar wood was used for the surface. The structure of radial parts consists of series of free-form ribs composed in segmentations with horizontal support and cross bracing for rigidity. Each radial segment has 64 surface planks that are attached to three structural ribs that are rigidly connected between each other with horizontal supports. The surfaces with the most anticipated traffic flow have narrow spacing between each plank. And as the mount becomes higher, the spacing distance of surface planks increases, allowing users to climb the mount. The rising mount resulted from understanding the site and seasonal conditions, functioning as a sun shading and wind protection from the bay winds when sitting at inner area.

a Mercedes Forest

HTDSTUDIO competition entry for the Mercedes-Benz Business Center is less concerned with form-following-function as it is with form being functional.  The tower sited in Yerevan, Armenia is hyper-rationally organized, with a layout synthesized from user-flow. The program ranging from hotel, apartment, and fitness center, to theater, restaurant, and conference room, require a reconsidering of the public-private relationship. This relationship is reinterpreted as an opportunity for inclusion opposed to separation. As a result, the functional activity is aligned along the exterior, with discreet separations occurring within the core. This new programmatic arrangement is projected to the façade, with the juxtaposing programs serving as cladding elements that animate the elevations with social exchange.
The form is derived to enhance both site efficiency and seismic flexibility. Four main pylons lift the tower off the ground enabling an unfettered flow across the site. Program volumes are suspended from one another in an effort to anticipate and absorb seismic activity. The quad-core superstructure along with a steel monocoque allow for the floors to be designed based on client desires opposed to structural needs.

Hailed as a significant landmark and beacon of progress, the tower stitches together old and new, reusing the wall-base from the Yerevan Youth Center which previously occupied the site. The selected site allow for dramatic views of Yerevan and Mt. Ararat, enabling visitors to experience the city’s history from the frame of its future.

Zahner's Soul

An internationally acclaimed engineering and fabrication company, Zahner, sought to expand its existing facility at 8th and Paseo Blvd. in Kansas City, Missouri. The design would have to provide partial transparency and showcase the company’s ability to produce highly engineered forms. Designed by Crawford Architects, the building is able to accommodate Zahner’s expansion needs and show off their impressive abilities to manipulate metals.

The team’s investigation into patterns on metals in nature resulted in a design resembling sand ripples. The natural oxidation pattern was used to create a 3 dimensional digital surface model of the façade. The design also explores Zahner’s skin systems, with the steel backup system being completely exposed. The surface, which is usually applied to the structure, is exempted for the design. Instead of the applied skin defining the form, the totality of all the fins combine to create the overall pattern, while converting an inherently 2-dimensional skeletal system into a collective 3-dimensional sinuous wave pattern. The system’s key components are vertically oriented DT* fins made from a half-circle shaped aluminum extrusion riveted to a water jet cut 3/16” aluminum plate. Placement of the fins is every 24 inches on center with an Inverted Seam™ dry-set glass panel system in-between producing a structural curtain wall set on a cast-in-place concrete base.

The resulting envelope seems to grow out of the rigid form of the existing facility, at the same time providing transparency between the interior activities and the surrounding urban environment.

the Face of Landmark

The design of the Pushkinsky Cinema facade renovation places the face of the landmark venue behind a sculptural veil which acts as a dramatic backdrop to Pushkin Square and an iconic face to the cinema. Inspired by the screened views, geometric intricacy and flowing surfaces of a “Russian Veil”, the design contrasts the imposing presence of the Brutalist architectural icon by simultaneously enclosing and revealing its contents behind a delicate yet robust open air lattice materialized as thermo-formed sheets of DuPont Corian. The solid mass of the building is clad in a series of Corian panels which gently morph the relentless diagrid pattern of the existing facade into a flowing and varied matrix of warped hexagon modules.

The composite effect of the varied orientations of the hexagonal screen components creates a rich and dramatic moiré effect which dissolves from opaque to transparent and back again as one moves around, through and within the building. With each step the building appears to change through the interplay of light, shadow, and visual connectivity as the thin 13mm thick Corian sheets nearly disappear upon perpendicular viewing while those at oblique angles to the viewer are revealed through their 500mm depth. This dynamic effect encourages visual interaction and connectivity between the cinema and Pushkin Square by simultaneously revealing and concealing the contents of the cinema through a multiplicity of varying and directed views into and out of the lobby.

 

to propose a Post-Diluvian prototype

Bangkok authorities still consider flooding a crisis, instead of a constant. This negative mindset contributes to the economic loss the city has experienced over the last years. With the city sinking 10 cm below sea level, the latter rising by 40 cm annually, the safest place to create architecture is above water.  Architects at S+PBA propose a Post-Diluvian prototype community that translates the principles of traditional, flood-conscious architecture into a contemporary, sustainable Wetropolis.

The project examines the entirely supra-marine stilt home community of Koh Pan Yii, a settlement that floats on the Andaman sea in Southern Thailand, successfully sustaining all of the typical functions of an urban community—schools, public spaces, hospitals, utilities, industry. The proposal will further advance the concept by minimizing its footprint on the water, enabling the continued cultivation of mangrove forests.

The forests will supply the community with carbon dioxide mitigating flora, a natural effluent filtration system, some of the only green open space in Bangkok and with moderate local shrimp farming. The prototype community will be elevated above the acres of underutilized shrimp farms, aligning the interests of shrimp farmers, urbanites, developers and the government by simultaneously sustaining mangrove restoration, modest shrimp farming.

 

in Busan, such a View

The Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea, designed by Wolf D. Prix / COOP HIMMELB(L)AU, the new home of the Busan Film Festival (BIFF), was inaugurated with a grand opening on 29 September 2011 in the presence of the president of South Korea. The innovative building combines open space, cultural program, entertainment, technology and architecture in a novel way. Over 800 guests, among them the Mayor of Busan, the cultural minister, the sports minister as well as film celebrities attended the ceremony.

After winning the competition for this project in 2005 construction started the same year. The roof’s ceiling surface is completely equipped with LED projectors which allows for unique visual spectacles highlighting the Busan Cinema Center. The dynamically illuminated ceiling will serve as the center’s platform of communication with visitors and passers-by. A free span of 85 meters and a roof surface of 60 x 120 meters makes the roof the worldwide largest cantilevered roof. The complex comprises about 60,000 m2 of performance, event, gastronomy and administrative spaces and has a capacity of up to 6,800 visitors.

 

Ενέργεια στο Βραδεμβούργο

Φωτοβολταϊκό πάρκο ισχύος 78MW εγκαίνιασε ο πρωθυπουργός του κρατιδίου του Βραδεμβούργου, λίγο έξω από τη γερμανική πόλη Ζένφτεμπεργκ. Στην πραγματικότητα πρόκειται για νέο τμήμα υπάρχοντος φωτοβολταϊκού πάρκου, η ισχύς του οποίου αυξάνεται με αυτήν την προσθήκη στα 166MW, γεγονός που - όπως υποστηρίζουν οι υπεύθυνοι- καθιστά τις ηλιακές εγκαταστάσεις τις μεγαλύτερες παγκοσμίως.

330.000 ηλιακοί συλλέκτες και 62 κεντρικοί αντιστροφείς τοποθετήθηκαν σε άγονη έκταση, όπου κάποτε βρισκόταν ανθρακωρυχείο. Το έργο, που φέρει τη σφραγίδα του βερολινέζικου ομίλου Unlimited Energy, ολοκληρώθηκε μέσα σε μόλις τρεις μήνες, ενώ ιδιαίτερη έμφαση δόθηκε στην προστασία του οικοσυστήματος της περιοχής. «Διατηρήσαμε μεγάλες εκτάσεις γης μεταξύ των εγκαταστάσεων, ώστε να αναπτυχθούν περιοχές για την αναπαραγωγή πτηνών και άλλων ζώων», δήλωσε ο διευθύνων σύμβουλος του ομίλου Τόρστεν Κες.

Λίγες εβδομάδες μετά από την οριστικοποίηση της απόφασης για σταδιακό κλείσιμο όλων των πυρηνικών σταθμών στη Γερμανία έως το 2022, οι επιχειρήσεις του κλάδου των ανανεώσιμων πηγών ενέργειας έχουν επιδοθεί σε αγώνα δρόμου για να εξασφαλίσουν όσο το δυνατόν μεγαλύτερο κομμάτι της ενεργειακής πίτας.

Παρά τη δυσμενή οικονομική συγκυρία, αναλυτές προβλέπουν περαιτέρω ανάπτυξη του κλάδου των φωτοβολταϊκών κατά το τελευταίο τετράμηνο του 2011, εκτιμώντας ότι η συνολική εγκατεστημένη ισχύς θα ξεπεράσει τα 7GW.

Κινδυνεύει η ηγετική της θέση

Παρότι κατά μέσο όρο έχει μόλις 1.500 ώρες ηλιοφάνειας το χρόνο, η Γερμανία διατηρεί επί σειρά ετών ηγετική θέση στον κλάδο των φωτοβολταϊκών παγκοσμίως, με την Ιταλία, την Ιαπωνία και τις Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες να ακολουθούν. Αυτό αποδίδεται συχνά στις γενναιόδωρες επιδοτήσεις της γερμανικής κυβέρνησης για όσους διοχετεύουν ενέργεια στο εθνικό δίκτυο ηλεκτροδότησης.

Όλα αυτά ωστόσο κινδυνεύουν να ανατραπούν, όπως αποκαλύπτουν νέα στοιχεία γύρω από τις πωλήσεις ηλιακών συλλεκτών. Με λίγες εξαιρέσεις, οι μεγαλύτεροι όμιλοι του κλάδου καταγράφουν απώλειες, ενώ εκφράζονται φόβοι για απολύσεις και αιτήσεις πτώχευσης.

Πολλοί επιρρίπτουν ευθύνες... στην Κίνα: παρέχοντας δάνεια με ευνοϊκούς όρους στις κινεζικές επιχειρήσεις, το Πεκίνο έχει καταφέρει να ρίξει τις τιμές 30% κάτω από το κόστος παραγωγής, όπως σημειώνει σε συνέντευξή του ο Φρανκ Aσμπεκ, πρόεδρος γερμανικής εταιρίας φωτοβολταϊκών.

Παρά τον πανικό πάντως, οι μακροπρόθεσμες προβλέψεις είναι αισιόδοξες. Όπως λέει ο Ντάβιντ Βέντεπολ της Γερμανικής Ένωσης Ηλιακής Βιομηχανίας, ακόμη και εάν το μερίδιο των γερμανικών εταιριών στην παγκόσμια αγορά φωτοβολταϊκών μειωθεί, τα κέρδη τους θα ενισχυθούν - υπό την προϋπόθεση ότι οι Γερμανοί θα κάνουν αποφασιστικότερες κινήσεις να κατακτήσουν και άλλες αγορές με τα προϊόντα και τις υπηρεσίες τους, εγκαταλείποντας την ασφάλεια των κυβερνητικών επιδοτήσεων.

a Street Scape

The Acceleration Interchange is M1A’s proposal for an installation at Anaheim’s new regional transportation hub ‘ARTIC’. The project, a wayfinding pavilion, reflects Meridian 105′s ongoing exploration of equation-based parametric modeling and design-to-fabrication processes.

Placed in the facilitiy’s large exterior plaza, the piece activates the streetscape, encouraging circulation within and around and a primary orientation point for connecting travelers. The form finds reference to the transportation theme of the larger facility, modeled by the application of wave and acceleration formulae acting on its form. The resulting pavilian is a twisting organic gesture.

The installation is a fabrication of GFRP (glass fiber reinforced polymer) tube volumes formed from the digital model. The finished GFRP encases a structural steel frame cantilevered from concrete foundations, stabilized horizontally by a spine. A structural diaphram provides additonal rigidity at the pavilian’s open edge.

 

a prototype SeatSlug

The promise of 3d printing for usable mass consumed objects seem to have been just around the corner for nearly a decade now. A new formulation cement-based polymer developed by Rael San Fratello Architects in partnership with the University of Washington and University of California Berkeley replaces more expensive powder mediums for large scale objects. The prototype SeatSlug bench is a demonstration project of the potential of the material and 3d printing process to make sophisticated large pieces using low cost, non repetitive objects. The bench is comprised of 230 individual pieces, each developed as a unique shape. The cement based polymer has a compression strength of 4700 pounds but cost up to 90% less than conventional fusible powders. Rapid 3d printing technologies have been traditionally used to create relatively expensive prototypes for industrial design or more recently small scale objects with low cost devices.

The SeatSlug is based on the shape of the recently discovered flabellina goddardi sea slug and surface inspired by karakusamon patterns, traditional Japanese designs. The unique shape is both functional and collectable with its provocative massing and highly polished finish, possibly with an eye to be built individually for higher end furniture stores or galleries. The manufacture of large scale merchandise as low cost printed objects with hand assembly near the end user addresses the issues of scale and cost of high quality products, which are often not available to market due to restraints in supply and demand.
 

an Ultra Performance

The observation tower is the result of a study into the optimal application of Ultra High Performance Concrete by a case study team comprising of UNStudio, ABT, BAM Utiliteitsbouw en Haitsma Beton.

The design for the observation tower is the result of a case study which aimed to apply the characteristics of Ultra High Performance Concrete in a functional, operative design. The case study team consisted of designers, engineers and builders who together sought a solution through which architecture and construction could reinforce one another. According to Ben van Berkel, “The observation tower afforded our Inventive Materials Research Platform the opportunity to investigate the properties of Ultra High Performance Concrete and to truly test out the full potential of this new material in a real structure.” Ultra High performance Concrete differs from normal concrete as it has a very high density, contains steel fibres and has an extremely fine grain structure. These properties facilitate the application of large compressive stresses in structures of narrow dimensions. UNStudio’s Inventive Materials Platform is one of four in-house research platforms and aims to investigate custom-made material applications and to facilitate inspired and imaginative collaborations with other experts and with manufacturers in the construction industry.

The 25 metre high observation tower will be realised on the forested boundary of ‘De Onlanden’ nature reserve on the outskirts of Groningen. Once built, the tower will extend 5 metres above the trees and will offer views over the 3,000 hectares of natural landscape which form the largest water storage area in the Netherlands.
 

a Morphotel by ex-IAAC

The project was designed by an ex-IAAC student, Gianluca Santosuosso, during the MAA Self Sufficient Buildings Development Studio directed by Willy Müller. MORPHotel introduces the idea of luxury accommodation to the concept of floating systems. The hotel would be a mobile assemblage of habitable units, able to navigate the seas as a cruise ship.  It would be able to adapt its shape to the weather conditions and site morphology.

The linear structure is developed around a vertebral spine, achieving a high degree of organizational flexibility. Entering the main vertebra – where all the reception, administration and catering services are located – the guests will reach the services offered by this structure, which are located along the central axis of the structure (this consists in a covered “linear park” that serves as a connection between the different sectors). The two ends of the structure will contain the hotel rooms; these are conceived as capsules attached to the organism’s spine that will have varying degrees of luxury and comfort: from glass room located at the water level, to luxury rooms that function as independent boats that can leave the main structure and sail within a fixed range established for security reasons.

During its continuous movement, this artificial organism would stop for short or long periods in different cities, thereby becoming their temporary extension. Unlike the cruise ship, the MORPHotel would be moving slowly. It offers an opportunity to live within and explore the world by traveling, instead of simply transporting people from one point to another

a/LTA architects in Nantes

a/LTA architectes unveiled their winning design for 142 homes in Nantes, France. The project was conceived as a sustainable neighborhood with green technologies and a highly articulated landscape. The design consists of three housing buildings placed on top of a retail plinth. The whole is articulated by a landscaped garden with vegetal and mineral nuances.

The architects believe that “beautiful” housing accommodations are bright, well-oriented and offer large views. That is why they developed for the three buildings, views to the city center of Nantes and to the river. They used the same codes and registers, but declined for each operation. The aim is to distinguish each entity while having an overall unity. Thus, the staging of homes through their extension outside (loggias, terraces), scripted buildings from public spaces. The inherent quality of the housing draws the facades. The architecture emphasizes the use and the opportunity offered by the housing.

The architects are particularly interested in the orientation of housing. Thus the vast majority of the units have a Southeast or Southwest exposure. And most units have a double crossing angle or orientation. The slenderness of the corners buildings forms two “towers” that mark the ends of the plot and dialogue with Picasso’s Walk, as the central building, below, maintains a relationship with the garden.

a Cybernetic Green

The New York artist Mary Miss has proposed building a 1,500-foot bridge across a canal at a new 100-acre art and nature park for the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Miss is working with the New York structural engineer Guy Nordenson on developing the bridge as an innovative viewing device-a central platform for walking across, surrounded on either side with ha-ha's, or walkways depressed 42 inches that form a sort of moat, which visitors can occupy along the bridge's length. Imagine a "W" section through the bridge, with a wider center peak as the main path. The idea is to confront the viewer with nature, lessening the force of architecture by making such things as handrails effectively disappear.

"I'm trying to get people to notice what they take for granted in a landscape, to reveal multiple aspects of the site," Miss says. "The bridge seems to be a platform with no edges-I want you to feel free to see this place as you've never seen it before." In the 1970s, the art historian and critic Rosalind Krauss placed the work of artists like Miss in a new conceptual framework of practice, in an expanded field that included "site construction." For Krauss, these artists did not work in the conventions of sculpture, but in a category that existed between traditional notions of landscape, architecture, and sculpture.

An increasing number of architects and designers embrace this notion of site development-spanning between the traditional roles of architect and landscape architect-embedding a variety of interpretations of site conditions into a new performance-based architecture of sustainable principles. But an architect must be interested enough in this new scope of opportunity, in areas such as groundwater-recharge and wastewater-treatment design, since it falls outside traditional practice.

The site of the Indianapolis project lies within an elbow of the White River, which runs from north to south, looping around the western edge of the park. A 35-acre lake, the legacy of a quarry mined to build a nearby highway, occupies the park. A canal dating to the 19th century slices the site off from the main museum building on a bluff to the east. The new park lies in a 100-year floodplain, though the park's landscape architect, Ed Blake, wonders if the impact of global warming doesn't make such considerations for a site as utterly dynamic as this one a little bit useless. Blake's approach is not to keep water out, but to understand how it will travel.
 

a Solar Shift

Solar Shift is a proposal for an exterior art piece for the new Evansville Arena. Design by PROJECTiONE LLC, the structure looks at the large public outdoor space in combination with concepts of sustainable interactive lighting.  The project will dynamically change in response to individuals and groups in the space through the use of motion sensors, photovoltaics, and LED lighting.

Solar Shift is created as a fully self contained system that acts as a solar collector, using photovoltaic panels to charge during the day, and in turn power the reactive lighting in the evening. As the sun sets each day, the project shifts and slowly comes to life, recognizing the individuals inhabiting it and lighting up to follow their movement in space. Each component in the system will power itself and react independently, eliminating any electrical connections between panels or tapping into an existing power grid.
Formally, Solar Shift derives its shape from the sun path data of Evansville, Indiana. We began by digitally 3d modeling a surface that is optimized for ideal solar radiation throughout the year from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. From there, the form was modified to accommodate access to the site, circulation paths, and visual aesthetics. We then utilized parametric design software to divide the surface into a triangular component system, where each panel relates to the original sun path data.

a House weather

Architects at 10 Design have designed a prototype house able to tackle extreme weather. Equipped with high-tech mechanisms for tornado evasion and flood resistance, the building is able to change positions in order to avoid damage. The house has a set of hydraulic levers that are activated by high-velocity winds that can pull the house into the ground to safety. Once the house is underground, the roof locks to make it water and wind proof. With the optimal environmental conditions re-established, the building emerges, exposing its inhabitants to open air and natural light. Ted Givens, a design partner at 10 Design, apparently has a vision of communities wired up with sensors and can process weather data to tuck away the homes in case of an emergency.

Solar cells on the exterior rotate and flex to maximize solar power generation, while the skin itself is composed of a translucent insulation sandwiched between two layers of Kevlar. This high performance exterior provides maximum insulation, a weather tight barrier, strong protection and a translucent skin to let light diffuse in. 10 Design is also exploring photocatalytic coatings and carbon nanotubes on the skin to absorb toxins, pollutants and CO2, which in turn would be used to power the hydraulics.
 

a Roc Green model

For the hundredth birthday of the creation of “Taiwan R.O.C.”, the main aim of the Taichung City Government is to honour the local building traditions and symbolize the new Taiwan dynamics into economic, political, social and cultural achievements.

International model of the green building of the 21st century, the innovative and pioneering design of the Bionic Arch by Vincent Callebaut Architecture is part of the new master plan “Taichung Gateway – Active Gateway City”, the future urban oasis for lifestyle, innovation, culture and biodiversity in the heart of Central Taiwan.

The green tower combines and surpasses the nine major indicators defining a green building by law, and intensifies the relation between the building site and the surrounding Taichung Gateway Park, including an environmental integration of the park and the green land, the integration of green vertical platforms, sky gardens and living façades, interaction between human and natural environments. It actively contributes to the development of the use of new sustainable energies (solar and wind generated power, coupled with botanical and bio-technologies), emphasizes cohabitation and respectful attitude in order to reach even higher standards than regular green buildings.

Raising awareness of climate changes and the need for environmental protection, Taiwan Tower will become the new landmark of sustainability, 100% self-sufficient with CO2 zero-emission, therefore contributing to the government’s policies in terms of energy saving and carbon emission reduction.

material HI Macs

The natural acrylic stone material HI-MACS® was chosen by eminent French artist Ora-ïto for his entry into the recent Wallpaper/Reebok exhibition in London. Fabricated by Candido Hermida in Spain, HI-MACS® was selected for its outstanding properties, visual and tactile effects and the ability to offer the artist thermoforming capabilities that placed zero restriction on his vision and ability to create a stunning three-dimensional creation.

Five of the world’s leading creative artists were invited to participate and Ora-Ito’s contribution was an interpretation of the Reebok RealFlex shoe in the form of a wall-mounted installation made entirely from HI-MACS®.

The detail of Ora-Ito’s work was what he described as the “iconic sneaker soles”. In creating this by using HI-MACS® the designer was able to exercise various sculptural experiments taking inspiration from the RealFlex sole’s “hidden art” aspects, resulting in a topographic landscape made to touch and explore its own poetic qualities.

This amazing sculpture was fabricated by Candido Hermida, who commented, “To work for a top designer like Ora-Ito, is always a challenge and a pleasure, his creations are wonderful in terms of design, but inevitably extremely complex in terms of fabrication. In this case the fabrication complexity was mainly because we had to understand the design and determine how to program the software that controls the CNC machine automatically, in order to achieve the 3d shape required.

An Audi Ring

The project is a temporary building, part of the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. It is designed by Schmidhuber + Partner and will remain in place until October 20, 2011, to house the Frankfurt Book Fair. The Audi Ring is 100 meters long, 70 meters wide and 12 meters high. The exhibition in the Grand Hall leads visitors through the vehicle presentation, followed by a technology park with various interactive exhibits. .The 400 meter-long  test track extends across both levels of the interior, visible from the exterior via cutaways along the structure’s sides and top, and permitting the travel of up to nine vehicles at once. The course is open for visitors to experience by riding as passengers alongside professional drivers in a range of current and future Audi vehicles. As co-drivers, visitors are immersed in the driving experience, provided by the combination of technology and architecture.

Audi elaborates on the design concept: “The test track pervades the building like a pulsating artery, forming the core of the architectural ensemble around which the whole building is shaped; all entrances, openings, and façade contours are geared towards this dynamic vehicle presentation. Movement, not only of the vehicles, can be felt in every corner of the building. [...] the sophisticated choreography of the test track defines the overall spatial and brand experience, [forming] the emotional climax and end of the tour.”

 

a Pavilion X

To honour London’s imminent hosting of the 2012 Olympic games, James Law Cybertecture has presented an Olympic Pavilion X design to offer a statement of passion and excellence whilst providing a thrilling platform for memorable celebrations by the city and its citizens.

Inspired by the fluid shape of a raindrop splash, Olympic Pavilion X becomes a modern iconic landmark to inject both fun and flair to the monumental Trafalgar Square. With an electrifying exterior façade stretching 375 square meters, Olympic Pavilion X offers functional features of information center, souvenir shop and administration office at the tip of its three separate corners.
In stunning style, Olympic Pavilion X captures the moment of the Olympic summer games to augment a vibrant and intense sporting atmosphere for the crowd. Infused with visual technology innovations, the core auditorium contains an internal 360 degrees display screen, whilst three external visual devices composing hundreds of minuscule LCD monitors are designed to relay and display live Olympic games real-time.

 

entropic Elements

Designed by Benjamin Ferns at the University of Nottingham, UK, St. Mary’s Church is an entropic product, dealing with a series of interrelating networks in a dynamic, fluctuating and self-augmenting system. Mechanisms maintain the coastal balance, whilst the architectures of Happisburgh are continually consumed through a cycle of 200 years. Elements from previous systems become reclaimed devices, suspended for eternity in the sunken courtyard of the time arena, a metamorphosis of energy. The architecture seeks to establish a new legacy of St. Mary, one of saviour and recollection, sacrificing the graves of HMS Invinsible to the storms, in exchange for the salt lines that inform the scavenging mechanisms of the impending loss.

A system of petrification and archive, these lands may be re-augmented but they will never be forgotten
 

forces of Beauty and Darkness

The interest of creating this project was to provoke opposing forces of beauty and darkness – the idea of immersing survivors into their environment of global flooding through an elegant and energetic fusion of floating architecture.

The project has the appearance of a glamorous water cube emerging from billowing cloudscapes to flood location by a hot air dirigible. The Water Capsule is a simple form constructed of highly engineered, gleaming white fiberglass-reinforced panels. The structure folds into a sequence of spaces illuminated by two skylights and a window to the sea below. The project’s overall organization follows the drift of its curving form floating experientially through air and water giving freedom to “one’s” imagination from their loss.

The project’s designer, Jay Stoughtenger, was born in 1975 in New York, USA but currently lives and works in Kuwait. He received a degree in architecture from USA and is a Senior Architect for a progressive office in Kuwait. The designs he develops address urban density and suggest capsule living alternatives which allow him to escape from the reality of his professional practice. Often his designs shifts dramatically – scale with vibrant colors and minimal details, dream-like scenes of the natural world and their inhabitants become an idyllic way of living.

an OperaHouse

OODA’s scheme for the Busan Opera House engages with the natural topography, articulating a multi levelled building and integrating the different cultural activities and program seamlessly. The dominant flow circulation, flexibility and concept strategy enables full accessibility.

The design concept creates spaces that blur the difference between building and landscape, intensifying the fluidity between interior and exterior spaces, indoor and outdoor venues. The formal approach is driven from the natural proportion of the program merged with inspirational themes (like sea shells – music – and butterfly typical pacific fish) that allows the building to assume its own unique charm and identity. The formal image with its vibrant and meaningful presence helps to create a brand new-age landmark for South Korea as a strong symbolic voice to the world.

Iconic shell sound towards the sea

The Opera Auditorium has a pioneering and innovative design concept, it is as flexible and efficient as it is elegantly sculpted. The center area can rotate around itself so in the same space it is possible to have an Opera with all its requirements, but also some more intimate concert and a centered stage venue allowing to have audience all around.
The Multi Purpose Theatre has its own identity and articulation. According the design concept it could be used from multiple perspectives and programmatic needs.

The auxiliary facilities (high level restaurants, café/bars, shopping, convention center, exhibition space, banquet hall, event room, etc) flows all along the both main structures creating a perfect bind between all.

The building envelope is devised as a continuous skin that is embedded with multiple levels of program. Natural light, cross ventilation, access and views become the key operators of the transition between interior and exterior.

The organic morphology blends perfectly with the landscape and it´s designed to become landscape and to symbolize the new Busan Spirit and identity.

OODA: Diogo Brito, Rodrigo Vilas-Boas, Francisco Lencastre, Francisco Rugeroni, Ezhil Vigneswaran, Francisca Lopes dos Santos.

in a Desert environment

Comfort Confrontation is a project designed by Johan Tali, Marte Ringseth-Helgeland and Daniel Prost at the Studio Wolf D. Prix of the Die Angewandte in Vienna. It researches the possibilities of living in a desert environment, further more creating an off-grid self-sustainable university campus for 2500 students.

The actual building mass is hovering above the desert surface and is used as an apparatus to organize the public space that is the desert itself. The endless sand horizon is considered as an open field, where shade, brightness, and moisture are the variables to create a diverse public space. As the desert surface expands into the public buildings it becomes more shaded, creating a landscape of oasis like condition and manifests a forum contition for the academic buildings. The massing is developed simulating a field of connected focal points. The fieldlines are manifested as the main arteries and are represented as surfaces that organize the shading shells for housing and as the surfaces meet at a focal point, the bundling surfaces turn into a study of surface contitions like surface-to-volume (and the relation of different volumes to each other) and transparency in relation to sun conditions.

The climate concept consists of self shading shells for residential units, the residential units themselves as shading apparatus for inter-connected campus walkways and using groundwater for cooling via circulating in the hovering masses. A network of suspended roofing systems in the open courtyards is derived from the surface curvature of the self-shading shells of residential units. The landscaping language of the desert ground is shaped according to wind studies and direct access routes with the main purpose of creating wind blocking landscape elements.
 

OODA in Taipei City

It’s another in a series of cutting-edge projects designed for the blooming Asian market. The competition for the Taipei City Museum of Art has drawn a large number proposals, including the one by Porto-based OODA Architecture, which received a merit award. The aim of the competition was to provide a new landmark for the urban center.

The proposed concept is based on two hypercubes; a 90 degree angled cube suspended within a larger contorted volumetric box. The main museum is located within the cube, and above the Children Museum of Art. The latter is positioned below the open public space and sheltered by the main building. The Museum of Art itself flows on a continuous ramp between the outer skin and the hyper core cube inside, all the way to the top. The galleries are located along the ramp, which spirals upwards, around the art resource center. The administrative units are situated at the top.

Structurally, continuous steel frames run from corner to corner and support the entire object. The double skin system provides a double curvature of the façade, suitable for facilitating mechanisms for harvesting rainwater and sunpower. Optimal ventilation is achieved by inserting atrium spaces within the volume.

 

Toxic by Kadri Kerge

Toxicity/contamination/mutation/distortion is a hybride which synthesizes a library and garden into a one spacial continuum. The project designed by Kadri Kerge at the University of Applied Arts Vienna is located in the Burggarten, Vienna – which served as a private royal garden for the Habsburg family. It is situated between the Austrian National Library and a large greenhouse called Palmenhaus that sits at a right angle to it. The roots of the plants from the greenhouse grow out of the container, break the sealed ground and as a mutants combine nature and building. They overlap with the context in housing part of the program of institutions nearby like The Austrian Film Museum, the National Library, and the Albertina Museum.

Toxic Garden is a self-sustainable building generating heat and power through the plants which are growing in the building. The energy design concept provides a range of microclimatic conditions as interfaces between user, information and nature. The building of the Austrian National library is an opulent baroque structure that has housed the Imperial book collection between 1721 and 1918, that was then nationalized.
Since 2011 the National Library archive has been fully digitized, and therefore the physical space of books has been abstracted. The extension of the library is a new type of social environement. It creates different types of atmospheres forreading, working, discovery and community.

The Toxic Garden is an integration of nature and the artificial, of garden and information that has no body. The vegetation of the Burggarten becomes part of the library space and according to the four seasons it transforms atmospheres and functions. In the could season when the Burggarten is naked, the library becomes a green house. In summer the building is naked and opens the program to park activities .
 

Skyricketing Housing

In China, the number of young bachelors is drastically raising because of the skyrocketing housing prices and women are unwilling to marry men without a property. As a result, young graduates spend most of their time working hard but remain single until they can afford a property. In order to cater for this trend, developers start launching smaller housing units to the market. This project designed by Kellen Qiaolun Huang from Cornell University aims at exploring different ways of how these bachelor housing units can be designed other than just being smaller.

Home activities can be divided into two categories: private activities (sleeping, bathing, etc.) and public activities (cooking, eating, reading, relaxing, etc.). Researching and remapping the topological relationship between these two categories are the keys to this project. An X-shaped pattern is generated as result: a private space is being placed in the center with four quarters of public spaces in the corners. The pattern may seem meaningless to individuals until all units are aggregated to form a large interconnecting social network. This network becomes the prototype of X-House.

Several studies have been carried out to investigate the evolution from an X-pattern to the spatial prototype. The mature X-spatial prototype is a model with bedroom and bathroom space in the center and four quarters of sharable space in those four corners. A typical sharable space includes living room, reading/study room, dining room and a multifunctional room.

Another issue addressed by this X-spatial prototype is the concept of connectivity. There are three degrees of connectivity within this model. The largest degree is allowed by a staircase at the back of the design which provides direct and physical connection. The intermediate degree allows visual connection among people in different spaces at the front of the model. The smallest degree lies in the middle of the X-spatial prototype and gives people some privacy.

e Volo

eco Manhattan

New York-based architects Chimera unveiled a proposal for a new skyscraper in Manhattan that explores the emergent logics of adaptation and evolution that are constitutive of ecosystems in nature. The architects’ vision is to define an urban ecosystem which supports housing and cultural programs and has the ability to adapt, transform, mutate, and adjust according to the specific urban and social character of the site. This urban ecological system is taking as a model an organism in nature, specifically the mangrove plant. The mangrove plant and its collective the mangal, provide examples of social associative principles as well as structural capacities and hybrid responses to environmental and contextual conditions.

The project deals both with the complex topography of the site and its connectivity to the Manhattan. The new ground has been defined by creating an elevated plateau  generated by the potential directionality of human fluxes on the site. This oriented space is being partitioned following a logic of cellular aggregation, embedding neighbouring relationships at different scales, and is also the ground reference of the urban housing massing negotiation. Models from nature such as phyllotaxis and branching have been our driving paradigms to define a parametric machine which is able to create a responsive urban ecology.
 

a new eating Down

Περαιτέρω κάμψη παρουσίασε η οικοδομική δραστηριότητα στη χώρα τον Απρίλιο, με τις οικοδομικές άδειες να σημειώνουν νέα πτώση της τάξης του 25,3%, όπως προκύπτει από τα στοιχεία της ΕΛ.ΣΤΑΤ.

Πιο αναλυτικά, το μέγεθος της συνολικής οικοδομικής δραστηριότητας (ιδιωτικής - δημόσιας) στο σύνολο της χώρας μετρούμενο με βάση τις εκδοθείσες οικοδομικές άδειες διαμορφώθηκε σε 2.789 οικοδομικές άδειες, που αντιστοιχούν σε 494,3 χιλιάδες m2 επιφάνειας και 1.903,4 χιλιάδες m3 όγκου.

Παρουσίασε, δηλαδή, μείωση κατά 25,3% στον αριθμό των οικοδομικών αδειών, κατά 36,4% στην επιφάνεια και κατά 32,3% στον όγκο, σε σχέση με τον αντίστοιχο μήνα του 2010.

Το μέγεθος της ιδιωτικής οικοδομικής δραστηριότητας, στο σύνολο της χώρας, διαμορφώθηκε σε 2.772 οικοδομικές άδειες, που αντιστοιχούν σε 476,1 χιλιάδες m2 επιφάνειας και 1.847,5 χιλιάδες m3 όγκου. Παρουσίασε, δηλαδή, μείωση κατά 25,2% στον αριθμό των οικοδομικών αδειών, κατά 35,7% στην επιφάνεια και κατά 30,3% στον όγκο σε σχέση με τον αντίστοιχο μήνα του 2010.

Αντίστοιχα το μέγεθος της δημόσιας οικοδομικής δραστηριότητας κατά το μήνα Απρίλιο 2011, στο σύνολο της χώρας, ανήλθε σε 17 οικοδομικές άδειες, που αντιστοιχούν σε 17,7 χιλιάδες m2 επιφάνειας και 55,9 χιλιάδες m3 όγκου.

Το ποσοστό συμμετοχής της δημόσιας οικοδομικής δραστηριότητας στο συνολικό οικοδομικό όγκο, για το μήνα Απρίλιο 2011, είναι 2,9%.

Κατά την περίοδο των τελευταίων δώδεκα μηνών, δηλαδή από το Μάιο 2010 έως τον Απρίλιο 2011, το μέγεθος της συνολικής οικοδομικής δραστηριότητας μετρούμενο με βάση τις εκδοθείσες οικοδομικές άδειες, στο σύνολο της χώρας, διαμορφώθηκε σε 42.891 οικοδομικές άδειες, που αντιστοιχούν σε 8.644,9 χιλιάδες m2 επιφάνειας και 31.296,7 χιλιάδες m3 όγκου.

Παρατηρήθηκε, δηλαδή, μείωση κατά 22,2% στον αριθμό των οικοδομικών αδειών, κατά 29,7% στην επιφάνεια και κατά 30,7% στον όγκο σε σχέση με την αντίστοιχη περίοδο Μαΐου 2009 - Απριλίου 2010.

naftemporiki.gr

by Takasaki in the Mining History

The Everrest project designed by Simon Takasaki is a  monument that commemorates the end of mining in Duhamel, Germany. The design characterizes by its careful integration to the landscape, urban context, and historical site..
The 30 meters-high, walk-in sculpture, holds the ‘path of the history’ of the site.
As a memorial, the sculpture offers the viewer a path within a mountain appearing as part of the natural topography.
The path leads over a natural base of broken bricks, boulders, and a well lit and airy great hall -a space designed for contemplation and inspiration.
It serves for exhibitions or smaller events such as chamber of music or reading room .

The project’s geometry gives the impression of being  a cave that communicates to the outside world through a series of openings.
The syncretic inversion of the mountain surrounds the visitor as continuos space that extends to the observation deck.

Seen from outside, the sculpture seems to be formed by invisible forces of nature: an amorphous entity.
On the one hand strong winds have been compressed and formed a dynamic,
harmonious formation,
on the other, destructive forces and dissonances are at work and fragment the choreography of the monument.

into a Science Center

Award-winning architects KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten International has won the first prize in an international competition for the new Beijing Science Center. The original building housing the Museum was opened at the same location in Beijing in 1988 and at the time was the first national science and technology museum in China. The museum building will be constructed on behalf of the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, China.

In the south and east the building opens onto a spacious public plaza, shielding the adjoining residential quarters in the north from the busy roads. At the same time the museum forecourt is not only the place where visitors arrive but also somewhere the inhabitants of the neighbouring districts can spend time. Trees and expanses of greenery create a natural transition and a visual dividing line between the exhibition building and the road.

The new building’s key element is a floating structure measuring 133.5m x 133.5m, which rises above the pedestal building at a height of around 20m. This roof is supported by numerous, extremely slender columns, which, based on the image of a bamboo grove, form a concentrated forest of columns. They create a spatial transition from the public road to the scientific exhibition area.

e Volo

in north Jeddah, the Highest

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture just unveiled their proposal for the new world’s highest skyscraper. At over 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) and a total construction area of 530,000 square meters (5.7 million square feet), Kingdom Tower will be the centerpiece and first construction phase of the Kingdom City development on a 5.3 million-square-meter site in north Jeddah. The tower’s height will be at least 173 meters (568 feet) taller than the world’s current tallest building, Dubai’s 828-meter-tall Burj Khalifa, which was designed by Adrian Smith while at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Kingdom Tower will feature a Four Seasons hotel, Four Seasons serviced apartments, Class A office space, luxury condominiums and the world’s highest observatory.

Design development of the tower is under way, with construction to begin imminently. Foundation drawings are complete and the piling for the tower is currently being tendered. Kingdom Tower will cost approximately $1.2 billion to construct, while the cost of the entire Kingdom City project is anticipated to be $20 billion.
AS+GG is leading an interdisciplinary design team that also includes building services engineering consultants Environmental Systems Design, Inc. (ESD) and structural engineering consultants Thornton Tomasetti. The developer of Kingdom City, Jeddah Economic Company (JEC), selected the AS+GG scheme after a lengthy competition process in which SOM, Pickard Chilton, Kohn Pedersen Fox, Pelli Clarke Pelli and Foster + Partners also participated.

“Our vision for Kingdom Tower is one that represents the new spirit of Saudi Arabia,” said Smith, whose experience in supertall tower design at SOM also includes Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, Nanjing Greenland Financial Center in Nanjing, China, the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago and Pearl River Tower, now in the late stages of construction in Guangzhou, China. “This tower symbolizes the Kingdom as an important global business and cultural leader, and demonstrates the strength and creative vision of its people. It represents new growth and high-performance technology fused into one powerful iconic form.”

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a Design by Lu and Joongsik Yang

This project for a new bus terminal near San Francisco’s Bay Bridge was conceived as an investigation on parametric design and Voronoi algorithms. The project was developed by Bin Lu and Joongsik Yang at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (Sci-Arc) as a urban strategy that considers scripting, parametric design, and sustainable technologies as a design tool that produces form through the analysis of environmental, urban, and economic data.

The architects used voronoi patterns that analyzed the main stream of people coming to the bus station from different directions at various points in time. The result is a tree-like structure with a cellular pattern that opens to the sky, catches solar energy, and directs the visitors to specific views.

a Fabric University

Developed by students from “An Inconvenient Studio” at the Institute for Digital Fabrication of Ball State University, MorphoLuminescence utilizes an understanding of fashion photography to find its form and provide optimized lighting, enhancing the experience of trying on clothing. A three-point lighting set up is commonly used by fashion photographers, arranging a bright key light above eye level, in combination with softer fill and back lighting to create subtle shadows and a three dimensional effect.

Comprised of custom laser-cut “petals”, “stems”, and hinges, Morpholuminescence was pre-assembled for testing prior to shipping in pieces to the SPOT ON SCHOOLS exhibition in Florence, Italy. MorphoLuminescence provides variably tuned hue and light intensity levels in order to affect the fitting room experience and adapts its form to accommodate changes in the space. In its idle state the dimly lit surface of petals hangs free, signaling to consumers that it is ready for use. Through simple infrared sensors, human presence and variations in the space are analyzed, initiating its state of change.

Differences in height are read by the sensors and interpreted by two Arduino microprocessors which drive servo-motors, in order to actuate the surface. MorphoLuminescence amplifies the experience of the individual by expanding and contracting, recognizing when a user is bending over or reaching up to remove clothing, only arriving at its state of pose when the consumer is ready. In this final state, each panel of the surface is backlit with an individual light source. Relative to the ratios of the three-point lighting set up, more illumination occurs where the density of panels increases. MorphoLuminescence focuses on efficient, optimized lighting for the individual, as well as physically amplifying the experience of change in a fitting room.

Team: Elizabeth Boone, Eric Brockmeyer, Adam Buente, Kyle Perry

Faculty: Mahesh Senagala, Joshua Vermillion
 

the Gobi desert, an Ordos city

This project by Margot Krasojevic is for the design of two cable car stations along the edge of the Gobi desert, starting from Ordos city, the trail leads into the desert, a major tourist attraction. The form developed using a computer software which applies the dynamics and physics in order to simulate a specific environment, such as the Ordos desert, this helps understand caustic light patterns predicting the form’s influence within it’s environment. An important mechanical test rather than purely a formal gesture.

The form optimises the use of dichroic and holographic film in glass cladding, which helps to adapt to the specific site conditions and their extreme temperatures and reflectivity. A lightweight organic roof structure floats on top of a concrete plinth. The artificial landscape functions as a relief in which various movements and circulations are inscribed. The Roof Shell’s fluid shapes and organic contours mimic the nature of the ever changing sand dunes, like it’s environment the structure is never seen in the same way twice. Large cantilevers and small touch down areas underline a floating appearance of the dichroic illusion stations.

The form allows for air to circulate and cool the interior, the plinth prevents conduction of heat from the immediate environment. The structure is lifted from the ground permitting a breeze to move through the pre-cast concrete primary structure.

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Kumar Loves to be Recycled

The main inspiration for this project designed by Santosh Kumar Ketham is to explore the theme of re-using material collected from construction sites, including rusted steel and painted metal.

The pavilion to be located in Karmelitermarkt (market square) area of Vienna, will house a theatre for Indian Classical Music in addition to accommodating a small museum and other ancillary facilities. The lower level occupies performance zones and the upper level will have a concert hall.

The project aims to deploy mutation brought about by fire as the primary generator of pavilions geometry and disposition; transforming the site into heterogeneous ensemble of forms unified by functional distribution. The pavilion also aims to address the tension between what exists as an immediate built context and its intended use as a cultural promenade and gathering.

In the focused sensation of pointing and clicking that is more like painting than engineering. Image-forms are the product of speed up and slow down, slice and blend, fuse and separate. Yet, Investigating and applying the possibilities of emerging theories and test new design territories such as scripting, biogenetics, genetic codification, new materials and cellular systems are used for developing and presenting the design.

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Ηλιακοί επί Ψύξης

Οι ηλιακοί συλλέκτες που εγκαθίστανται στις στέγες κτηρίων, δεν παρέχουν απλώς καθαρή ενέργεια, αλλά λειτουργούν και ως σκίαστρα, τα οποία βοηθούν τα κτήρια να παραμείνουν δροσερά, υποστηρίζει ομάδα ερευνητών από τη Σχολή Μηχανικών Τζέικομπς του Πανεπιστημίου της Καλιφόρνια.

Χρησιμοποιώντας δεδομένα που συνέλεξαν μέσω θερμικών απεικονίσεων, είδαν ότι κατά τη διάρκεια της ημέρας, η οροφή ενός κτηρίου –στην προκειμένη περίπτωση, ενός εργαστηρίου- ήταν κατά 2,8 βαθμούς Κελσίου χαμηλότερη σε σχέση με αυτήν ενός άλλου κτίσματος, με εκτεθειμένη οροφή. Η διαφορά αυτή, όσο μικρή κι αν ακούγεται σε κάποιους, επηρεάζει σημαντικά και τις ενεργειακές δαπάνες του κτηρίου, καθώς μειώνει κατά 38% το «ετήσιο φορτίο ψύξης», το ρυθμό με τον οποίο η θέρμανση διαφεύγει από έναν ελεγχόμενο χώρο και την ποσότητα που απαιτείται για τη διατήρηση σταθερής θερμοκρασίας.

Ο ʼντονι Ντομίνγκες, μεταπτυχιακός φοιτητής που συμμετείχε στο πείραμα, εξηγεί πώς οι συλλέκτες θωρακίζουν τα κτήρια από το ηλιακό φως. «Αντί ο Ήλιος να χτυπά τη στέγη, κάτι που έχει ως αποτέλεσμα η θερμότητα να περνά στην οροφή του κτηρίου, χτυπά τα ίδια τα φωτοβολταϊκά, ενώ πολλή θερμότητα απομακρύνεται χάρη στον άνεμο που φυσά ανάμεσα στους συλλέκτες και στη στέγη», λέει ο Ντομίνγκες. «Τα οφέλη είναι ακόμη μεγαλύτερα εάν δημιουργηθεί μεγαλύτερο κενό, ώστε ο αέρας να κυκλοφορεί αποτελεσματικότερα ανάμεσα στο κτίσμα και το συλλέκτη».

Επιπλέον, οι ερευνητές διαπίστωσαν ότι τη νύχτα, οι φωτοβολταϊκοί συλλέκτες παρέχουν θερμομόνωση, με αποτέλεσμα να μειώνονται τα τιμολόγια θέρμανσης κατά τη διάρκεια του χειμώνα.

«Υπάρχουν πιο αποτελεσματικοί τρόποι να ψύξει κανείς παθητικά ένα κτήριο, π.χ. ειδικές μεμβράνες σκεπών», λέει ο επικεφαλής της ερευνητικής ομάδας, καθηγητής Γιαν Κάισλ. «Εάν όμως σκέπτεστε να εγκαταστήσετε ηλιακούς συλλέκτες, ανάλογα και με τις θερμικές ιδιότητες της στέγης σας, μπορείτε να περιμένετε μεγάλη μείωση της ποσότητας ενέργειας που δαπανάτε για την ψύξη της κατοικίας ή της επιχείρησής σας».

Η μελέτη, που χρηματοδοτήθηκε από τη NASA και τα αποτελέσματα της οποίας πρόκειται να δημοσιευτούν στην επιθεώρηση Solar Energy, είναι, κατά τους ερευνητές του αμερικανικού πανεπιστημίου, η πρώτη που εξετάζει αυτό το επιπρόσθετο όφελος των φωτοβολταϊκών.

a Cultural Domesticity

This thesis by Brandon Clifford posits that our conventional understanding of domesticity is in direct relation to a cultural assumption about property ownership – permanence, prosperity, growth – and, in turn, claims that this relationship is currently in a state of crisis (we move now more than ever and foreclosure rates are through the roof).  This assumption of permanence has served as the foundation for a variety of disciplines – architecture, urban planning, real-estate, the building industry – but our increasing condition of impermanence forces us to reexamine how these disciplines respond.  This project proposes a method of making that operates in direct correspondence with the ebb and flow of property fluctuations, and is demonstrated through multiple scales of architectural design.

The specific method of making is a customizable cnc hot-wire cut EPS foam block unit of construction that is rapidly post-tensioned to a pre-cast concrete foundation.  This foundation serves as the hub to sync the architecture to infrastructure services.  It houses all the irreducible elements of the architecture – water, electricity, structure.  The remaining foam enclosure is impermanent and responsive.  It is ever changing.  In shrinking cities, where vacancy is plenty and motivation to move in is little, this proposal provides an extremely inexpensive and rapid method of making that can accommodate events, or local rentals, or seasonal visitors.  By removing the burden of permanence, which architecture and these other disciplines have operated with, temporal tenancy hopes to accommodate alternative methods of architecture and occupation that have previously been subsumed under this reign of permanence.

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a Stadium in a Piece of...

Herzog & de Meuron’s project for the new Bordeaux stadium is an expression of fundamentally new architecture. The pure shape of the volume, by contrast to its light and open structure, creates an at once monumental and graceful architectural piece elegantly suited to the grand landscape of Bordeaux.

Stadium architecture combines three constitutive elements: the bowl containing the game and its spectators, the concourse as the transitional element between the playing field and the outside surroundings and, finally, the overall appearance. Herzog & de Meuron’s approach is to reinterpret these three elements in light of the site-specific characteristics: the resulting architecture is thus one-of-a-kind, reflecting the intrinsic features of the site.

We aim to present an architectural object in which highest functional quality is combined with a unique identity. We are confident that allying these two criteria, functionality and strong identity, endows our project with an emotional dimension that the public can feel, and that is inextricably bound to the stadium’s traditional role of staging sports.

Seating a maximum of some 43,000 persons, the bowl embraces the game area, its geometry affording optimal visibility for all, together with the maximum flexibility of capacity and usage.

The stadium bowl consists in two superposed tiers divided into four sectors and protected from the elements by the roof. Consisting of a multitude of concentric strips, the ceiling’s homogeneous appearance guides the gaze to the playing field, while allowing sunlight to seep through thanks to the strips’ angle of slant. This open ceiling structure does not show through on the inside of the stadium, to avoid distracting the spectators’ attention.

Raising the bowl above ground level is a compact base integrating all the programmatic functions into a uniform and symmetrical volume. This plinth includes the VIP loges and salons evenly distributed east and west as well as media areas adjacent to the spaces dedicated to players.

The simplicity and pure lines of the architecture characterizing the bowl and its base guarantee a smooth flow of spectators and easy orientation.

a Dam...a Bypass Bridge

This project designed by Stephan Sobl is a casino resort, a satellite alternative to Las Vegas, located on a dramatic site between the Hoover Dam and the Bypass Bridge. The resort caters to various 21st century vices including entertainment (concert venues, MMA Fighting), gambling and luxury living. The architectural challenges I dealt with were taking the convential vertical tower, including its plynth and orientation, and turning it upside down.

Architectural elements: The massing layout is construed by the event space on top with a framed view of the Hoover Dam; the modern casino underneath leading to the hotel lobby and the hotel itself. At the bottom of the tower there is a dramatic area for happenings and ceremonial occasions. It also includes a breakfast room and high-end dining with the elevator core floating above the space; a glass floor providing views to the ground; and terraced floor slabs.

In terms of circulation, there are several ways leading into the plynth of the tower, including car circulation; and viewing platforms. The bridge circulation focuses on 3 elements: structural details of the Bypass Bridge, openings to the Hoover Dam, and breathtaking diagonal views of the hanging tower with a constant interplay of plunging and emerging.

Once you arrive at the entrance of the tower, you enter the hanging structure through the supportive strings leading you down through the casino into the hotel lobby. The structural system is divided into 3 tectonics: – a massive concrete structure building the cantelivar for the hanging tower – a lightweight hanging tower – a metal shell embracing the structure. The way I generated the tower is with a partical simulation based on gravity. In order to achieve structural logic the stings are rotated clockwise and counter clockwise. The metal shell provides shading and natural wind cicrulation for the tower of which its panels are orientating themselves according to changing wind conditions.

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a Blue Room is a Proposal!

BLUE ROOM is an installation proposal that translates and complement the brand’s juxtaposition of soft silhouette and architectural lines in their work into the scale of the retail environment. We began with an idea about the insertion of a translucent lining that would contrast with the rectilinear envelope of the existing space and act as an atmospheric veil to separate and define areas for the display of merchandise. To connect the two geometries together, we devised a series of structural frames for the new surface that would continue onto the perimeter walls, floor and ceiling and translate into different elements, including shelving standards, clothing stands, and lighting. These linear frames act as seams that literally connect edges and create continuities across disparate surfaces. The materiality of the liner was envisioned as a stretchy translucent textile that would create atmospheric layers that allow a sense of discovery in what is essentially a very small space. We chose the fabric colors, a mid-range blue layered with a lighter blue, to literally convey a sense of atmosphere and to also recall an exotic environment that could be understood as water or sky, which might be particularly appropriate for resort wear, which we understand will be part of the collection on display. The form of the liner was intended to evoke a sense of an ephemeral shape or space like a wave or a cloud, and the shape and translucency has the ability to hold light and give it a volumetric quality. This surface could also be a place for image projections to convey an animated sense of atmosphere. The clothing display will be comprised of brushed aluminum standards and reclaimed wood planking that will be routed to provide a means for both shelving and hanging pieces. The changing room and cashwrap are enveloped in a second bi-directional wave that also leads back to the VIP room.

We plan to employ a combination of digital and analog fabrication techniques and a range of material effects to construct this installation. The structural ribs for the new surface are to be double-layer laser-cut plywood ribs with staggered joints. The two layers will be used to sandwich the fabric panels together to comprise the surface. The fabric panels will be constructed from a translucent nylon-spandex mesh in two contrasting layers. Fluorescent tube lights wrapped with colored cellophane will be mounted in linear configurations onto the existing walls, floor and ceiling. The raised floor will be a plywood platform with slots to house the fluorescent tube fixtures. We will use a CNC mill to create routed profiles in the shelving to allow for a variety of presentation options from standard linear arrangements to separately-spaced featured displays.

Design: Barker Freeman Design Office
Text: Alexandra Barker, AIA LEED AP

a Silk Street

Silk Street is a proposal for a digital textiles supercenter in Chennai, India. A skyscraper, woven in limecrete and bamboo, crosses and combines traditional textile weavers with high-tech industries to instigate an Indian urban manifesto.

The shape of the building is sculpted and entwined. Its structure reflects the nature of the materials that form it and inspire it. Threads of limecrete are cast in plastic gas pipes that peel away once the limecrete is set. The skin of the building is a double skin fabric, evoking the simplicity of bamboo and cloth scaffolding. The building is very colorful reflecting the exhuberance of color in India.

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to Create Spaces

The proposal by Moatasem Esmat of the Mataria Engineering School for a new Fine Arts Center in Helwan, Egypt represents a mix of architectural principles that stand for a new age of architectural design and sustainability. The project is designed as series of surfaces that emerge from the ground to create inhabitable spaces. The geometry has been carefully designed according to solar exposure, wind currents, and maximum rainwater collection. The roof is a continuos green park perforated at different areas to create courtyards that provide natural light and ventilation to all interior spaces. Among the different areas there is an exhibition hall, convention center, and academic buildings.

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wORLD Architecture

More often than not, the production of industrial buildings is driven by concerns arguably limited by engineering solutions and time and cost implications. As the initial resources in a growing economy are strongly focused on fostering production, the above stated phenomenon is fairly understandable. Architects, today, are often seen as a retarding factor in the process. Their services are largely directed towards conventional designs of ancillary buildings, thus negotiating strangely within residual space and serving as stimulants amidst the otherwise lackluster environment. This fundamental disconnect between the engineer’s and the architect’s work scope are rarely challenged, but contribute sadly to an uninspiring built environment. Dialogue: A very early and highly appreciated involvement of the clients in our designing and ideation helped the entire client team to gradually accept the future industrial context as the key to development of the brief for all ancillary buildings.

 

The enthusiasm was unanimously shared and available building products such as cement corrugated & flat sheets, partition panels and galvanized framing systems manufactured within the main plant and commonly used as economical building solution were selected to represent great opportunities in building expression. Climate: Although seasonally, but scorching heat and furious rains pose a major threat to the built fabrics in most parts of India. Our mission, therefore, has always been to find affordable and unconventional solutions to reduce operational cost. The umbrella, a timeless and an extremely economical device, inspired us to develop a shading system provided by corrugated cement sheets around steel frame construction for roof and elevation of the first floor. The glare of the sky is cut off by drawing this cladding very low, thus maintaining the views. Subsequently, loss of significant natural light has been compensated for by a linear skylight running all along the cantilevered building length. The exterior and interior tactile quality of the building appears to be robust and powerful during the day as the sunrays strike the undulating orange surface. Construction: I t was very important to develop an elegant light weight structural system that would equally enthuse engineers & architects and eliminate a common bias towards bulky and uninspiring industrial construction. Workers have started taking pride and enjoy a walk through their new found environment, all generated by a small team of contractors from Kolkata in an architectural hinterland of India.

 

 

elevated Inspired

Elevated Brood by Paul D Nicholls is a masterful display of the application of nature inspired architecture. The structure is situated in London’s Hyde Park, on the bank of Serpentine Lake. Its combination of steel and polycarbonate support elements creates a striking architectural imagery.

The project was shortlisted in the 2007 Riba Student Awards. The Brood is the attachment, shelter and protection of a mother’s young. The Paper Nautilus was the main inspiration for the aquarium. It imitates the way it hangs its eggs from the strongest part of its shell by the placement of exhibit displays. The elevated, shell-like structure is a “brood” for the display chandeliers that can be lowered independently via remote control by the visitor. The maintenance of the fish decreases the further out onto the water they are, inside the linear repetition of the chandeliers themselves, coupled with the solar lilies, the further structures become almost completely independent. Elevated Brood also encourages a graceful use of water by forming a strong relationship with the Serpentine Lake.

From a strictly architectural perspective the presentation is an excellent example of a collective set of drawings and illustrations made in a way to reinforce the ideas and thoughts behind the project itself.

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arquitectura, Arquitectura...

DSSH Bridge is designed by sanzpont [arquitectura] for the Building to Building Pedestrian Bridge International Challenge.

Dynamic Reaction: Being a flexible tensile structure, by applying more tension to different points, a technological dynamic deformation can be achieved in response to the people crossing the bridge. It becomes a living element that responds to its use.

Sustainable Design: The tensile skin incorporates Foldable Photovoltaic Solar Panels capturing energy from the sun to generate and supply electricity from a clean and sustainable energy. This makes the bridge self-sustainable. To go beyond green, the design includes Plants that clean and purify the air, transforming the pollution of the city in pure oxygen. Plants and the Breathable Membrane make a greener environment and a clean pedestrian tunnel.
Led RGB Technology: Linear LED technology glow the structure of the bridge at night, creating art with light of low power consumption. This emphasizes the fluid and organic forms and creates different sensations.

a Diamond Pavilion

Various Architects‘ project “Yorkshire Diamond” was a finalist in the open international competition for a mobile pavilion for Yorkshire Forward. The Yorkshire Diamond Pavilion is a unique and iconic venue that is designed to represent Yorkshire Forward at events around Yorkshire and Humber or further abroad.

The project is an attraction in itself with a striking exterior in the form of inflatable tubes arranged in the atomic structure of diamonds. The 20 x 26 x 10 meter diamond grid volume is mined out to form a cavernous interior space reminiscent of the coal mines of Yorkshire. Light and air shafts pierce the structure providing natural light and ventilation. At night the translucent shafts and outer skin radiate light in all colors and directions like a diamond twinkling in the sunlight.

A focus on flexibility gives the pavilion multiple configurations which allow it to be used for everything from small gatherings to large conferences or public presentations. The voluminous internal space will surprise and delight when installed in close quartered public squares. The pavilion can also be turned ‘inside out’ to open up a large covered area to open outdoor spaces to create the ultimate mobile venue for concerts or big-screen events.

Innovative sustainable features that can generate energy during transport and while installed, together with lightweight recyclable materials will demonstrate Yorkshire Forward’s commitment to the environment wherever the pavilion is situated. Creative new uses of existing proven technologies make this pavilion design possible to produce and operate for a reasonable price.

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To Water the Future

Terreform ONE was pleased to announce the semifinalists of: Water as the 6th Borough: Open International Design Competition to Envision the Sixth Borough of New York City. The competition called for ideas for the NYC Blue Network and E3NYC, The World Largest Clean Tech Expo. The propositions ranged from: expanding waterborne transportation, linking the five boroughs with transit hubs, incorporating ferries, water taxis, bike shares, electric car-shares, and electric shuttle buses, as well as providing in-water recreation, educational events, cultural activities, pavilion halls, and climate resilience.

The competition drew 256 people in 86 teams from 18 countries and four continents. It became a big challenge to narrow them down to 30 semifinalists. From here, the jury has a really difficult job to select the winners. The semifinalists will remain anonymous until the winners are announced. The jury panel, chaired by NYC Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden will meet in a closed session on July 14, 2011 at the AIA New York Chapter: Center for Architecture. The winners are going to be announced on July 28, 2011.

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ORN8, Greece and Tectonic Systems

0RN8 is interested in pursuing the creation of novel interiorities through the articulated elaboration of experimental and existing structural systems. The development and differentiation of each tectonic system experiment that is under analysis occurs within the defining parameters of the system’s own inherent logic. The team’s design research work commenced with a variety of parametric design studies, where the issues of frame and fabric were investigated, along with the notion of generating multilayered, tectonic systems, where each of the layers was generated in an autopoietic manner.

After experimenting with generic parametric systems, the filigree interiors of the Gothic tectonic systems were chosen, as historical precedents that are the most efficient, in terms of aesthetic richness, qualitative differentiation, piecemeal construction and part-to-whole relationship intensities. Using the Gothic vault bay tectonic system as a starting point, an analysis of arch, rib and profile curvatures, as well as variable thicknesses and depths takes place, in an attempt to parameterize the entire vault bay structural system.

This parameterization will eventually lead to the creation of a novel, autopoietic and parametric, proto-design system, which will give birth to a variety of inherently multi-systematic and adaptive interiorities.
Using a set of operations based on parametric component models and scripting, a rigorous re_evaluation and reinterpretation of the Gothic tectonic system is achieved. The research design process suggested in this thesis preparation document commences from basic parametric experimentations, which are based on the apprehension of the Gothic system as one of rigorous and consistent construction and articulation, as well as a system of force transmission and equilibrium. Further modeling and scripting experimentation with the concepts of the parameterization of the Gothic vault bay, of field component organizations, of globally affected field and mesh geometries, as well as coloration differentiation induced, form_generating patterns, inform the current system deployment tactics. The outcome of the aforementioned design research process will be the creation of interiorities of multi_layered complexity and differentiation; eventually, these will be generated intrinsically and autogenously in_situ, and constructed according to contemporary prototypical design and fabrication protocols, based on the current AA Design Research Laboratory’s agenda.

oRN8: Gerry Cruz [Mexico], Spyridon Kaprinis [Greece], Natalie Popik [Kazakhstan/USA], Maria Tsironi [ Greece]

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Οι Εταιρίες για το ΦΒ στην Κοζάνη

Ολοκληρώθηκε η πρώτη φάση της διαδικασίας Εξεύρεσης Μακροχρόνιου Στρατηγικού Εταίρου για την κατασκευή και λειτουργία ενός Φ/Β σταθμού παραγωγής ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας ισχύος περίπου 200MW στο Νομό Κοζάνης, την κατασκευή και λειτουργία ενός εργοστασίου παραγωγής φωτοβολταϊκών συστημάτων αλλά και στην από κοινού ανάπτυξη και άλλων έργων ΑΠΕ στην περιοχή, όπως ανακοινώθηκε από τη ΔΕΗ.

Τα κριτήρια της πρώτης φάσης ικανοποίησαν 15 από τις 21 εταιρείες που κατέθεσαν σχετική πρόταση στην Πρόσκληση Εκδήλωσης Ενδιαφέροντος.

Η ΔΕΗ Ανανεώσιμες, σε συνεργασία με τους τεχνικούς και νομικούς της συμβούλους ετοιμάζει την 2η φάση που αφορά σε Πρόσκληση Υποβολής Προτάσεων και στο αμέσως επόμενο χρονικό διάστημα θα προσκαλέσει τις εταιρείες αυτές να καταθέσουν ολοκληρωμένες προσφορές για την επιλογή του στρατηγικού εταίρου.

Οι εταιρείες που θα κληθούν να συμμετάσχουν στη 2η φάση (υποβολή ολοκληρωμένων προσφορών) είναι οι εξής:

1. AES Solar Energy Limited (ΗΠΑ)

2. Centrotherm Photovoltaics AG - Dongfang Electric International Corporation - DTS Hellas S.A. (Γερμανία - Κίνα - Ελλάδα)

3. China North Industries Corp. - ΑΤΕΣΕ Α.Ε. (Κίνα - Ελλάδα)

4. Enolia Energy S.A. – ITOCHU Corporation – Abeinsa Ingeniera y Construccion S.A. - Solar Cells Εναλλακτικά Συστήματα Παραγωγής Ενέργειας Α.Ε. – Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd - Phoenix Solar AG (Ελλάδα - Ιαπωνία - Ισπανία - Κίνα)

5. Κοινοπραξία ESSE s.rl.: Enel Green Power Spa - Sharp Corporation - Sharp Electronics Spa (Ιταλία - Ιαπωνία)

6. J&P AVAX S.A. - Sorgenia SpA - Würth Solar GmbH Co., KG (Ελλάδα - Ιταλία – Γερμανία)

7. Lanco Solar International Ltd (Ινδία)

8. Κοινοπραξία Μακεδονική Φωτοβολταϊκή: Ελλάκτωρ Α.Ε., ΤΕΡΝΑ Ενεργειακή Α.Β.Ε.Τ.Ε., ΙΝΤΡΑΚΑΤ, DAMCO Energy S.A., Διεθνής Κατασκευαστική A.T.T.N.E. (Ελλάδα)

9. Q-Cells SE - REC - Schneider Electric (Γερμανία - Νορβηγία)

10. Siemens AG - Siemens A.E. (Γερμανία)

11. Sojitz Corporation - ISOLUX INGENIERIA S.A. (Ιαπωνία - Ισπανία)

12. SPWR Solar Energeiaki Hellas (100% θυγατρική της SunPower Corp.) - METKA Α.Ε. (ΗΠΑ - Ελλάδα)

13. SunEdison Hellas Solar Energy S.A. (μητρική: ΗΠΑ)

14. Toshiba Corporation - Mitsubishi Corporation (Ιαπωνία)

15. Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. (Yingli Solar) (Κίνα)

Αυθαίρετα σε Νόμιμη Βάση

Ο αναπληρωτής υπουργός Περιβάλλοντος, Νίκος Σηφουνάκης, κατά τη διάρκεια συνέντευξης Τύπου, που παραχώρησε με θέμα την παρουσίαση προγράμματος εκπόνησης μελετών για τη θεσμοθέτηση μορφολογικών κανόνων στη δόμηση και την αρχιτεκτονική σε μικρούς οικισμούς της χώρας και σε περιοχές εκτός σχεδίου, χρησιμοποίησε τον όρο «νομιμοποίηση» για την πολιτική που πρόκειται να ακολουθήσει το υπουργείο Περιβάλλοντος στα αυθαίρετα, παραπέμποντας ωστόσο σε λογική τακτοποίησης κατά το πρότυπο των ημιυπαίθριων.

Αναφερόμενος στους σχεδιασμούς που γίνονται στο πλαίσιο του σχετικού νομοσχεδίου, το οποίο προωθείται, ο υφυπουργός μίλησε για τη θεσμοθέτηση του «περιβαλλοντικού ισοζυγίου», ως εργαλείου που θα συνεισφέρει στην ενίσχυση της περιβαλλοντικής προστασίας και στην οριστική διευθέτηση του ζητήματος.

Για τα υπάρχοντα αυθαίρετα εντός σχεδίου, σύμφωνα με την τοποθέτηση, ο ιδιοκτήτης θα πρέπει να αγοράσει συντελεστή δόμησης, προκειμένου να νομιμοποιήσει την πολεοδομική παρανομία που έχει κάνει, όταν αύξησε τον κτιριακό όγκο του ακινήτου χωρίς την απαιτούμενη οικοδομική άδεια.

Παραλλήλως, ο ιδιοκτήτης θα πρέπει να αποκτήσει πιστοποιητικό αρχιτεκτονικής- πολεοδομικής ένταξης, βάσει του οποίου θα τακτοποιήσει τις πολεοδομικές παραβάσεις, πληρώνοντας ένα πρόστιμο που εικάζεται ότι θα είναι μικρότερο από τα ισχύοντα.

Οον αφορά στα αυθαίρετα εκτός σχεδίου πόλεως, θα προβλέπεται, πέραν των νέων προστίμων ανέγερσης και διατήρησης, το ύψους των οποίων θα καθοριστεί ανάλογα με την κατηγορία που θα υπαχθεί το ακίνητο, η αντιστάθμιση των νόμιμων προϋποθέσεων δόμησης, είτε με χρηματικό αντάλλαγμα, που θα δίδεται προς το δήμο για την υλοποίηση περιβαλλοντικών δράσεων, είτε με εισφορά γης.

Για το πρόγραμμα εκπόνησης μελετών για τη θεσμοθέτηση μορφολογικών κανόνων, για τη δόμηση και την αρχιτεκτονική στους μικρούς οικισμούς της χώρας και σε περιοχές εκτός σχεδίου, που παρουσίασε χθες ο αναπληρωτής υπουργός Περιβάλλοντος, Ενέργειας και Κλιματικής Αλλαγής, Νίκος Σηφουνάκης, τόνισε ότι έχει στόχο τη διαμόρφωση εξειδικευμένων πλαισίων δόμησης για κάθε περιοχή της χώρας, που θα αναδεικνύουν την ποικιλία της τοπικής αρχιτεκτονικής και πολεοδομικής φυσιογνωμίας.

Σύμφωνα με το πρόγραμμα, σε κάθε περιφερειακή ενότητα (τέως νομό) -πλην της Αττικής και του πολεοδομικού συγκροτήματος της Θεσσαλονίκης- θα εκπονηθεί μια μελέτη για την αναγνώριση της τοπικής αρχιτεκτονικής φυσιογνωμίας και τη θεσμοθέτηση μορφολογικών κανόνων δόμησης. Το πρόγραμμα αφορά συνολικά στην ανάθεση 48 μελετών, που θα καλύπτουν το σύνολο της επικράτειας.

Οι μελέτες έχουν χωριστεί σε μικρές, μεσαίες και μεγάλες, ανάλογα με τη γεωγραφική μορφολογία και έκταση του χώρου, καθώς και το πλήθος των οικισμών που η μελετητική ομάδα καλείται να καλύψει.

Αντικείμενο των μελετών, σύμφωνα με τις προδιαγραφές που έχουν τεθεί, οι εξειδικευμένοι κανόνες δόμησης που θα παραχθούν για κάθε περιοχή της χώρας, προκειμένου να εξυπηρετήσουν τις σύγχρονες απαιτήσεις του σχεδιασμού.

Τα αναμενόμενα οφέλη από το πρόγραμμα, όπως ανακοινώθηκε, αφορούν:

1) Στη διαφύλαξη ενός σημαντικού οικονομικού και πολιτιστικού πόρου που είναι η ταυτότητα της κάθε περιοχής:

α) Με την αποτροπή της κατασκευής ασύμβατων κατασκευών που προσβάλλουν την ιστορία της τοπικής αρχιτεκτονικής και την παραδοσιακή μορφολογία των κτηρίων.

β) Με την ανάδειξη της ποικιλίας των διακριτών αρχιτεκτονικών τοπικών εκφάνσεων κάθε περιοχής.

2) Στην προώθηση της πράσινης ανάπτυξης:

Με τη δημιουργική προσαρμογή των αρχών του βιοκλιματικού σχεδιασμού στην αρχιτεκτονική παράδοση της κάθε περιοχής.

3) Στην εξυπηρέτηση του πολίτη και τη διαφάνεια.

Σύμφωνα με το χρονοδιάγραμμα που έχει τεθεί, η ολοκλήρωση των διαδικασιών προκήρυξης των μελετών αναμένεται τον Ιούλιο του 2011. Οι αναθέσεις θα γίνουν έως το Δεκέμβριο του 2011.

Για την πρώτη κατοικία

Για τα αυθαίρετα πρώτης κατοικίας, ο κ. Σηφουνάκης ανέφερε ότι το υπουργείο εξετάζει την απαλλαγή τους από τις ρυθμίσεις αγοράς περιβαλλοντικού ισοζυγίου, εφόσον οι ιδιοκτήτες τους δεν έχουν εισοδήματα, ενώ παραμένει αδιευκρίνιστο το ύψος των προστίμων.

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