Bionic-Arch is a Futuristic Green Skyscraper for Taichung / Vincent Callebaut

By: admin | September - 12 - 2011

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.

Lanzarote Convention Hall / Henning Larsen Architects

By: admin | September - 11 - 2011

Inspired by the jagged and characteristic landscape of Lanzarote the Palacio de Congresos by Henning Larsen Architects emphasises the surrounding nature. The building is an elegant mountain of lava with an inner red glow and a vivacious inner life. The building is designed to become the new cultural converting point for Lanzarote and a showcase of the islands characteristics, the vast nature with mountains, ocean and the high sky. The building is created for this place and this place alone. The crystalline shape accentuates the identity and evolves the profile of the city. As a geological formation it creates a special skyline for the city and the island. With a silhouette similar to a mountain ridge the compo-sition creates a foreground and background in constant change, depend-ing on the different viewpoints.
From Arrecife, the Palacio de Congresos is very visible and significant at the end of the promenade. With no rear side, the building will appear a landmark from the ocean, the city and from all the access roads. The main entrance hall is elevated from the traffic and opens up towards the city and the ocean promenade. It welcomes visitors and shows the inner glow and activity, and the city park is activated as a part of the en-trance plaza, leading the way to the “red carpet area” and a grand entry of the building. One collective foyer, as a cave, accomplishes visual contact to all levels and converts, with precise views back to the city and the city park, the skyline of the mountains, the ocean horizon and the sky.
The foyer is divided into specific areas dedicated to the different halls but designed to collect all the activities to give visitors the possibility to grasp and appreciate the whole space and all visitors. The cave foyer spans from street level towards the city and the plateau to the east, connecting the main conference hall foyer with the foyer dedi-cated to the main auditorium. This allows for future developments as for example a fair or exhibition building on the plateau to be connected to the buildings infrastructure. In addition to creating a very special building for Lanzarote, one of the design goals has been to design a very flexible building. Special attention has therefore been given to all halls to make them as flexible as possible so that different scenarios can take place. With well-known techniques for raised floors, partition walls and technical installa-tions, the main hall, the auditorium and the second conference hall can be altered to fit different uses.
The main conference hall and the auditorium share the stage tower. This allows for large arrangements with up to 1,800 people seated on the floor of the conference hall and on the stands of the auditorium, supplemented with seats in the galleries at the second level foyer. The close proximity of the main conference hall to the kitchen regions al-low for catered arrangements of a larger size. With the islands mild cli-mate, the sheltered and shaded Conference Plaza will act as an addi-tional foyer area for these large arrangements. A special treat is given to visitors from abroad with the experience of a truly open relation between indoor and outdoor areas making it possible to chair a conference outside with a magnificent view to the ocean. For smaller arrangements the halls are separated and divided with parti-tion walls, and the raised seating in the auditorium is achieved by a re-tractable seating systemoffering the possibility of a flat floor arrange-ment. The main conference hall and the stage area provides convenient in-level loading, supplemented by a loading bay from the parking area below the Conference Plaza. Areas for the administration with separate access from the street are lo-cated on the upper level towards the city and the ocean, sharing a shaded outdoor atrium with the rental areas. If needed, additional rental spaces in street level can be achieved under and at the Conference Plaza. The building appears lit up from the inside by the intense cave foyer. With its overhangs and cracks, filtered secondary light will provide a spe-cial atmosphere in the cave foyer. A layer of partly intelligent shells covers the outside of the concrete struc-ture. These shells will shade the building envelope from the sun and pro-vide for making big openings in the building, keeping the inside cool and shaded. The reflective shells will at parts contain the new generation of solar photovoltaic panels. To enhance the effect of the filtered daylight and the artificial light, the surfaces of the cave foyer is smooth and at parts, exclusively glossy add-ing reflections and a magnificent glare.

Target Tower / Belzburg Architects

By: Andrew Michler | September - 13 - 2011

Target, the box retailer who’s appeal for quality design at low prices has not been evident in their store design commissioned the Target Tower. The concept store, unveiled by Belzburg Architects, is an attempt to reorganize the urban retail experience. A residential tower looming above is the expression of how density drives a better marketplace. The store itself spreads out in an undulating fashion with elevations rising, falling and merging to create a more naturalized effect. The multiple scales of the project are intended to provide mass and density to the city while still providing an approachable exterior that does not overwhelm the neighborhood.
This concept is a rebranding of sort, creating high design principles with integrated sustainable practices takes recent developments in Wal-Mart retail stores and adds a distinctive architectural narrative. Daylight within the store is added with large perimeter windows and slivers of skylights though the main body of the building. The perimeter is also scaled to meet street level, creating a more approachable store front.
The residential tower is even more radical with its use of a “fashionable skin”, a prefabricated system which can be arranged for various exposures and patterns. Using mass produced forms, which can be rearranged to provide individuality, is a hallmark concept of contemporary retail and borrowed to create the driving facade elements.  The envelope serves multiple functions beyond its distinctive shape. As a shade device the skin wraps around balconies to protect the interior from heat gain. Built in solar panels provide optimal solar exposure for energy production. Configured in different ways a simple system can create multiple looks, disrupting the patterns to add complexity to the building’s visual language.

Tornado Proof House / 10 Design

By: Lidija Grozdanic | September - 14 - 2011

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.

Solar Shift is an interactive light installation for Evansville / PROJECTiONE

By: Lidija Grozdanic | September - 14 - 2011

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.

142 Sustainable Homes in Nantes, France / aLTA Architects

By: admin | September - 14 - 2011

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.

Digital Cinema Hall as a tribute to Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin

By: admin | September - 14 - 2011

This competition entry by artist Liu Chien-Sheng for the ” Changing the Face –Pushkinsky Cinema Hall Competition” is a tribute to Александр Сергеевич Пушкин / Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin – it is a poem conceived by architecture. The Pushkinsky Cinema Hall is located next to the Pushkin Square on the urban green line, and the statue of Pushkin stands in front of the cinema hall. The concept of this design is to write a poem as a tribute to Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin by architecture.
“The power of inspiration” – poem
1- Freedom: Against gravity by floating steam. Gravity is one of the great obstacles to artistic design of architectural structure, thus there has been deep desire to construct the architecture without giving sense of gravity. In order to present freedom of architecture, the mist floating in the air performs as a new type of materials for the façade.  The steam floats surround the cinema hall to represent a new type of façade and actually increase the temperature near the building. The rise of steam from horizon – a view of architectural façade extends to unban collage.
2- The warm sun on the snow: The architectural form is originated from an image of sun. Snow country has thirsts for basking in pleasant sunshine, just like the world of poetry need Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin to provide and expand its spirit. The façade starts a primitive geometry with a light materiality to reflect the surrounding. And then, the curves cut it and create the pattern of architectural form.
3- The inspiration of color – a symbol of warm temperature: The architectural façade changes the color with temperature. Generally, the façade color is red during the summer. When the temperature drops, the color turns to black. Moreover, spouting steam from the new façade to increase the temperature around the building and the color turn to scarlet. The color and steam give people warmth. The stainless with Performance Coating on the façade is able to echo the color when temperature becomes different.

Louis Vuitton Maison Japan by UNStudio

UNStudio has sent to us the Louis Vuitton Maison Japan project to share it with our readers.

Imagining Louis Vuitton
The proposal aims to establish an architectural equivalent of the identity of Louis Vuitton, which consists of a blend of classical and modern qualities. The LV products celebrate traditional craftsmanship, the mythology of travel, and luxury and celebrity. As a collection, these products create a historic line that connects you, as the customer, to other contemporary and historic participants in the material culture of Louis Vuitton. This material continuity is materialized in the architecture.

The idea of the Maison
The building follows the structure of a (grand) house: we distinguish three levels, each spanning a varying number of split-level floors. The three zones are vertically connected by a spine housing stairs and elevators; visitors can take the elevator to the top of their chosen section and then meander down, using the peripheral, curved staircases that connect the split-level floors.

Image, pattern and after image
The architecture of the Maison does more than display the products to best effect. It works together with the contents to give the visitors a vision of a coherent world and of themselves in it. This vision extends from the outside to all the details inside the building. For this reason, a design solution that enables a ‘fractal’ approach that preserves a unity between the large and the small scale was selected.

In this design, the element that holds the vision together and moves through all the scale levels is the leaf shape. Both the façades and the floor plans are characterized by large, leaf-shaped perforations and indentations that sweep over several floor levels. The leaf is thus found in the floor plan, in the section and in the elevation. It has been applied to the construction as well, responding to location-specific constructional demands.

The theme of image and after image is one which we explore in-depth in this project. Literally, the after imager refers to the lingering visual impression that is caused by intense or prolonged stimulation of the visual retina. To us, after images include the entire range of sensations and perceptions caused by intense impressions. The after image is the image of the building that you take home with you; your personal memory of the environment. In the store proposal, these visual imprints are strongly related to the way we handle the brand language of Louis Vuitton. The monogram has been elaborated, magnified, stretched out in many dimensions and directions, contextualized and dematerialized, to make its implicit presence felt throughout the store. This way of dealing with the brand, not literally quoting it, but architecturally responding to it.

Flagstore Louis Vuitton, Japan 2006
Client: Louis Vuitton Malletier
Program: Flagship store / Landmark building. Retail, café, spa, bookstore, event and exhibition space.
Building surface: ca. 6.000 m2
Building volume: ca. 40.000 m2
Building site: 746 m2
Competition dates: Nov 2006 – Feb 2007
Credits
UNStudio: Ben van Berkel, Caroline Bos, Astrid Piber with Mirko Bergmann and Sebastian Schott, Ger Gijzen, Cristina Bolis, Juliane Maier, Albert Gnodde, Andreas Brink, Michael Knauss, Morten Krog, Silvan Oesterle
Advisors:
Structure, SMEP: Arup, Amsterdam
Lighting design: Arup Lighting, Amsterdam
Façade Engineering: Arup GmbH, Berlin