The Legs, Middle East

"The Legs" was conceived to challenge the convention of high-rise construction and structural limitations which has restricted its own evolution. The project consists of a 5-star hotel, service apartments, residential and offices. The service apartment and hotel both wanted to have the higher floors for views but also can share the lobbies and amenities. The offices and residential components are the financial base for the project which could occupy the lower floors. It was decided that express elevators could take guests up to a sky lobby system for the upper components and then could transfer to their own cores. The design utilises a system called “an exo-skeleton”. This structural approach is based on a tube and uses the skin of the building as the structure and thereby not dependent on the core. The project pursues these two basic principles to produce two legs which bend and sensually interlock around each other. One leg reaches over 330m with the hotel on top. Both legs are organically contained with a structural stocking and linked discreetly in the centre with a sky-bridge connecting the upper lobbies as well aiding the project structurally. The result is two legs which reach into the sky and seem to defy gravity, creating a project which is not only unique for the Middle East but for the entire region of U.A.E.

Construction begins at Abu Dhabi's new cultural beacon

A ceremony attended by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan marked the start of construction yesterday at the site of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the first universal museum to be built in the capital city. In recognition of the importance of the event, the two world leaders accepted a time capsule for the museum from children of both the UAE and France.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is sited at Saadiyat Island's new Cultural District, developed as the world's largest single concentration of premier cultural institutions.
“Abu Dhabi’s ultimate goal in creating the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and indeed the entire Saadiyat Island Cultural District, is to build a platform for deeper and more meaningful exchange among people from our own region and from all parts of the globe,” stated Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates. “We move forward today with warm gratitude toward the people and government of France for joining us in the unprecedented cultural partnership that is creating the Louvre Abu Dhabi.”
Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, the Louvre Abu Dhabi will be a 24,000 sq m complex of pavilions, plazas, alleyways and canals 'evoking the image of a city floating on the sea'. Hovering over the complex will be a form inspired by traditional Arabic architecture: a vast, shallow, perforated dome—some 180 metres in diameter.
A presentation of Nouvel's design, an illustrated talk and a guided tour of selected artworks to be displayed will be presented through 2 July in Gallery One of Emirates Palace. The building is set for completion in 2012/13.

Kuwait office development, short listed for MIPIM award

An Atkins Bahrain project, the Al Sharq office complex, has been short listed for the 2007 MIPIM Architectural Review Future Projects Award - Offices category. The 180m tower will cover an area of 56,400sq.m. Commissioned by Al Mar & Aqar, the complex combines work and leisure, internal and outside spaces, and offers a variety of scenarios for business within a sustainable and environmentally responsible design. Hovering above a glass fronted entrance is a podium with a sky garden food court. Office spaces are hung from a pairing of parallel blades topped at roof level with a gym, spa, health club and pool. Floating above this pool deck is a suspended high-panoramic views. Solar panel cladding contributes to the green building’s energy needs while the foliage camouflage provides office workers a place to step outside and recharge.

Integrated sports centre honoured at AIA Top Ten Green Projects awards 2009

The Charles Hostler Student Center by VJAA in Minneapolis on the campus of the American University of Beirut has been commended by the AIA as one of the Top Ten Green Projects for 2009. The awards recognise projects as examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment.
According to the AIA the Centre, "provides a model for environmentally responsive design that meets the social needs of the campus and the larger region." Situated on Beirut's seafront and main public thoroughfare, the new 204,000 sq ft facility accommodates competitive and recreational athletic facilities for swimming, basketball, handball, volleyball, squash, exercise and weight training. The space also includes an auditorium with associated meeting rooms, cafeteria with study space, and underground parking for 200 cars.
The program is organized as a cluster of interior and exterior spaces rather than a single building, allowing the building forms themselves to redistribute air, activity and shade. The east-west orientation of the building forms helps to shade exterior courtyards, reducing the amount of southern exposure. The orientation also directs nighttime breezes and daytime sea breezes to cool outdoor spaces.
Green spaces on the rooftops allow for a more pleasing physical and visual integration with the upper campus, providing usable rooftop areas for activities and reducing the amount of exposure to the sun. Usable program area on the site is increased through shading and ventilation of outdoor spaces.

Leading the way in sustainability, ten projects by American firms

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) have selected the top ten examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment. The projects will be honored at the AIA 2009 National Convention and Design Exposition in San Francisco.
The 2009 COTE Top Ten Green Projects program celebrates projects that are the result of a thoroughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems and technology. They make a positive contribution to their communities, improve comfort for building occupants and reduce environmental impacts through strategies such as reuse of existing structures, connection to transit systems, low-impact and regenerative site development, energy and water conservation, use of sustainable or renewable construction materials, and design that improves indoor air quality.
“In architecture, performance and aesthetics are inextricably linked. The COTE Top Ten is one
of the very few awards that evaluates performance and design,” said jury members. “Other awards and organizations look strictly at performance without care for how a building looks.”
The winners are:
Charles Hostler Student Center, Beirut, Lebanon by VJAA
Gish Apartments, San Jose, CA by OJK Architecture and Planning
Chartwell School, Seaside, CA by EHDD Architecture
Great River Energy Headquarters, Maple Grove, Minnesota by Perkins+Will
Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation (JRC), Evanston, Illinois by Ross Barney Architects
Portola Valley Town Center, Portola Valley, CA by Co-Architects: Siegel & Strain Architects; Goring and Straja Architects
Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center, Orange, Texas by LakeFlato Architects
Synergy at Dockside Green, Victoria, British Colombia by Busby Perkins+Will Architects Co.
The Terry Thomas, Seattle, WA by Weber Thompson
World Headquarters for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Yarmouth Port, MA by DesignLAB Architects

Coop Himmelb(l)au designs the BMW Headquarters in Munich

The BMW Group is planning in close proximity to their headquarters and the Olympiapark in Munich a center for brand experience and vehicle delivery. The main element of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU design proposal is a large, permeable hall with a sculptural roof and the double cone which emerges in relation to the existing headquarters complex. The hall is a marketplace for differentiated and changing uses and an unmistakable sign for the BMW Group. The interior topography creates differentiated spatial densities and fluid subspaces. The heart of the building is the "Premiere" vehicle delivery area. Hanging above this space are the customer lounges which allow views through the event space and toward the BMW headquarters.

petra architects: 'blossoming dubai'

Greek firm petra architects have designed 'blossoming dubai' for their proposal forthe zaabeel park tall emblem structure competition.they based their design on the form of a blossoming flower. the tower is equipped with two elevators running on spiral rails (spiral of the most simple geometry turning 135 degrees while ascending 138 meters). these lifts ascend from lower ground floor (where the visitors enter) to the cafeteria level and the viewing platform above. apart from the previously mentioned elevators that can cover all visitor access (including disabled access), there are also two staircases fitted in the spiraling elements of the building. the latter can be used on an emergency case.spaces:main building access is on the ground floor and through the two symmetrical structures located on each side of the tower’s base. one of the structures houses the children’s library while providing (through skylights) an excellent view of the tower above. the children have the chance to use both the enclosed library as well as part of the park outside. the conference rooms are located on the lower ground floor offering a more controlled environment. all thisarea is flooded with natural light from skylight-like holes on the ground above while framing views of the tower. the building’s cafeteria is located 135 meters above ground and provides a 360 degree view of dubai and the surrounding zaabeel park. there are also two staircases connecting the cafeteria level with the viewing platform above providing a connection between the two.

UN studio: grand hyatt hotel frankfurt

Earlier this week it was announced that UN studio has been selected to design the grand hyatt hotel in frankfurt. the new tower will house a 5-star-plus hotel with 405 rooms and suites, a ballroom, spa, various restaurants, a lobby bar and a public sky lounge on the top floor, and the possibility of an adjacent congress center. the hotel tower consists of 22 floorsat a height of approximately 110 metres.UN studio's grand hyatt proposal along with five other projects will be exhibited from the 20th until the 27th may 2009 in the foyer of the technical town hall of the city of frankfurt.

credits: grand hyatt hotel, frankfurt am main, 2009

client: 
vivico real estate, frankfurt am main

UNStudio (architect):
 ben van berkel with arjan dingsté, marc herschel,marianthi tatari, steffen riegas, joerg lonkwitz, jesper christensen, junseung woo, peter irmscher, beatriz zorzo, leon bloemendaal, patrik noome

bollinger + grohman

(structural engineering):

 klaus bollinger, manfred grohmann, marina leifels, oliver tessmann, philipp eisenbach,alexander berger, simon ruppertarup

(MEP engineering, facade engineering, fire safety):
rudi scheuermann, chad mccarthy, oliver schwabe.

visiondivision: al hakawati (the storyteller), dubai

The thyssenkrupp elevator award was a competition which asked architects to develop an iconic tall emblem structure for zaabeel park in dubai.for their proposal visiondivision designed a statue based around al hakawati - a storyteller, whose profession that goes way back in ancient arabic times and still is performed in the arabic world today. the statue will be a home of stories; a children’s library in its base and various spaces for performance and reading inside of the statue.in every part of the park, small speakers will be set up so people can gather around them and listen to the statue when he recites stories; perhaps great legends from one thousand and one night, historical anecdotes from the city itself and future speculations, all this performed with an animated body language.

-the statuethe

walls in the base are stairs on the outside which leads to the platform where the storyteller begins to rise. windows punctuates various stairs for a bright indoor environment without any direct sunlight. the statue also has big rooms inside of it for reading,relaxing and other social activities. each big room has its own theme, be it a gold room, a crystal cavern, a green room or a room full of fish tanks, or the night views of dubai.

-technical aspectsthe

statue can move its arms and head; this demands an articulate joint between the elevators and the floors on these critical points. the joints are similar in function to those seen in joint buses, and will guarantee an uninterrupted movement inside of the statue, even if he slightly tilts his head.the arms and head movement is controlled by computers and can mimic a prerecording of an actor for example. the rigid parts of the statue are made out of a steel frame structure with a cover of sheets of steel. the movable parts must be flexible, thus a material like rubber or silicon with a coating that mimic the glossiness of the steel is preferable.

Nearing completion Asymptote ArchitectureThe Yas HotelAbu Dhabi, UAE

Nearing completionAsymptote ArchitectureThe Yas HotelAbu Dhabi, UAE
“A perfect union and harmonious interplay between elegance and spectacle. The search here was inspired by what one could call the 'art' and poetics of motor racing, specifically Formula 1, coupled with the making of a place that celebrates Abu Dhabi as a cultural and technological tour de force.”Hani Rashid
The Yas Hotel is one of the main architectural features of the ambitious Yas Marina development and accompanying Formula 1 raceway circuit, also near completion.
Asymptote envisioned an architectural landmark embodying various key influences and inspirations ranging from the aesthetics and forms associated with speed, movement and spectacle, to the artistry and geometries forming the basis of ancient Islamic art and craft traditions.
Of architectural and engineering significance is the main feature of the project's design, a 217-meter expanse of sweeping, curvilinear forms constructed of steel and 5,800 pivoting diamond-shaped glass panels. This Grid-Shell component affords the building an architecture comprised of an atmospheric-like veil that contains two hotel towers and a link bridge constructed as a monocoque sculpted steel object passing above the Formula 1 track that makes its way through the building complex.
The Grid-Shell visually connects and fuses the entire complex together while producing optical effects and spectral reflections that play against the surrounding sky, sea and desert landscape.
The architecture as a whole “performs” as both an environmentally responsive solution and as an architecture of spectacle and event. The entire jewel-like composition of the project responds visually and tectonically to its environment to create a distinct and powerful sense of place as well as a breathtaking backdrop to the Formula 1 and other events that the building will celebrate.
Total area: 85,000 square meters

The opening date is targeted for October 30, 2009 to coincide with the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Architects: Asymptote Architecture:Principals: Hani Rashid + Lise Anne Couture
Local Architects:Dewan Architects & Engineers, Abu DhabiTilke & Partners W.L.L., DubaiStructural Engineers:Dewan Architects & Engineers, Abu DhabiARUP, New YorkGrid-Shell Engineers:Schlaich Bergermann und Partner (SBP), StuttgartWaagner-Biro, ViennaMEP Engineer:Red Engineering Middle East, DubaiFacade Consultants:Front Inc., New YorkTAW & Partner, HamburgInterior Architecture:Jestico + Whiles, LondonRichardson Sadeki, New YorkDe8 Architetti, Bergamo, ItalyLighting Consultants:LAPD Lighting Design, Hertfordshire, UKBartenbach LichtLabor GmbH, Innsbruck, AustriaRed Engineering Middle East, DubaiARUP Lighting, New YorkGrid-Shell Lighting Consultant:ARUP Lighting, New YorkLink Bridge Engineers:ARUP Bridge, New YorkCentraal Staal, Groningen, The NetherlandsLandscape Design:Cracknell Landscape Architects, Abu Dhabi
Grid-Shell Building Information Modeling (BIM) Consultant:Gehry Technologies, Los Angeles & New York
Asymptote arcspace features

May 25, 2009