Intended as a catalyst and model for the ongoing redevelopment of Cairo, Egypt,ZELLNERPLUS, OLIN, PACER, MR+E, and Nelson Nygaard proposed a scheme that seeks to bridge the gap between the medieval, or Islamic, and the axial, or European Cairene cities. They would do so through the evacuation of the competition zone of its current disconnected fabrics. In their place, they proposed a green urban archipelago made up of a new connective tissue that will weld together the competition site’s disparate functions, flows and neighboring fabrics. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The Agency for development of Municipality of Herceg Novi in association with the European Chess Union have launched a single stage international competition for the European Chess House in Herceg Novi. ACID Group shared with us their proposal in order to find the best solution for the mixed use development. The program consisted of facilities devoted to promotion and development of chess including a library, museum and tournament halls, and of hotel facilities which include 50 guest rooms, a restaurant and lobby. The site is located on the corner between two streets, on steeply sloping terrain. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Godwin Austen Johnson Architects shared with us their proposal in an invited international competition held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Their design for the Celebration Hall is situated in the socially and architecturally significant Diplomatic Quarter of Riyadh and takes into consideration the local roots of the city. The proximity of the local Aga Khan award winning landscaped edge to the Diplomatic Quarter provides direction for prestigious architecture and a high degree of creativity. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Research and urban project, Up Side Down Bangkok, was driven by the need to understand the morphological phenomena of specific urban situations which can be read as a multitude of accidents that slit the urban fabric. In this case, resultant wastelands under the massive concrete expressways are often left in a rough state in the heart of the city. Convinced that these types of in-between spaces have a huge potential in terms of appropriation and reconnection of the divided neighborhoods, Parallel Lab put forward a strategy to convert the negative impact of these leftover spaces into positive icons for a new Bangkok identity. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Volta Arquitectos, Patrick López and Augusto Arias shared with us their proposal for the XIII Arquine International Contest, which asked participants to design a Media Park, an environment for free and safe interactions that can also be a space for culture and learning.
This design is aimed to be much in the tradition of the successful library parks in Medellin, Colombia , while reactivating an emblematic, but semi-abandoned site of Ciudad Juarez, the PRONAF polygon (National Border Program of Mexico), built in 1961 with the intention of attracting people from the neighbor city of EI Paso, Texas. The 1961 project saw two of Mexico’s most prominent architects of the time -Pedro Ramirez Vazquez and Mario Pani-design buildings which in the past 2 decades have become surrounded by parking lots, and eaten by a now decaying mall respectively. More images and description after the break.
New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward represents a rather new phenomenon in American urbanism; physical tabula rasa paired with a metaphysical fabric of emotion, history, and tragedy that is no less significant than the physical emptiness. That emptiness has boldy been broken by the Make It Right foundation. Regardless of one’s opinion of their planning or design practices, the context that MIR has created in the 9th Ward has it’s own richness that is redefining the neighborhood’s physical presence while ensuring the continuity of the metaphysical through resident outreach. It is this new context that should now be respected and preserved. Unwittingly, MIR has sparked and nurtured the NOLA movement, defined by contemporary material, formal, and tectonic gestures with a thoughtful respect for regional typologies. This proposal by GOATstudio, for the DesignByMany challenge which ArchDaily sponsored, is the next entry in the soon to be expanding catalogue of NOLA. More images and description after the break.
Hosted by Design By Many, the Passive House for New Orleans competition challenged designers to design a single-family dwelling that is sustainable in the broadest sense of the term: affordable to build and purchase, long-lasting, with minimal impact on the local environment, and affordable to heat and cool throughout the life of the building.
The winning proposal, designed by sustainable.TO, is based on the vernacular shotgun typology. The affordable, low-energy, single-family low cost, low energy house will help to revitalize the existing neighborhood of the Lower Ninth Ward. More images and architects’ description after the break.
With a primary focus for new construction in Amsterdam South, 2700 new houses will be developed in the Havenstraat and Zuidas zones. The Havenstraat masterplan is currently the biggest project in this area, with construction due to start in 2014. The plans are yet to be finalised, as the city must reclaim the land from companies which occupy the existing temporary buildings. As a result, Allard Architecture was triggered by these plans to develop a dwelling scheme that adapts to the specific qualities of the Havenstraat area, near the old Olympic stadium in Amsterdam. More images and architects’ description after the break.
With a main focus on establishing a relationship between the social, the ecological and the economic together in one building, Urban Recycle Architecture.Studio won the Copa Arquitecture 2011 Contest, organized by Architecture for Humanity, Liga FOS,Fu.de and Nike. For this relationship to be successful, they decided on a building with multiple functions, a rectangular design and metallic structural system of fast construction and high strength. More images and architects’ description after the break.
b720 Fermin Vazquez Arquitectos shared with us their plan for a new waterfront in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil. The project, which includes a 2.5-km stretch of waterfront in the city’s dock area, is aimed at transforming the Cais Mauá dock area, a rundown, disused part of the city, into a business, culture and leisure centre for the 2014 World Cup. The project, to revitalize the former dock area, is expected to cost approximately E198 million. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The idea behind the first prize design of the Metromover Station by Office-247 is that of a folded landscape that, through its form, generates a series of connections at different levels, transforming the urban condition of downtown Miami. Their proposal aimed to shift the position of the station and place it laterally, in between the two new museums in Dawntown Miami.
The proposal is meant to create a third urban parameter that, enclosing the plaza towards the highway, opens up the space southwards Bicentennial Park. Performing such an urban action, the station becomes a new space within the city, where a new kind of civic condition can be expressed. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Located in a fishermen region of virgin beaches and extremely low density, this adventure house was intended as an iconic statement of lifestyle for the area. Designed by Dellekamp Arquitectos, the 21st century Crusoe house in Biósfera Río Lagartos, Yucatan, Mexico, provides a unique experience of the Río Lagartos reserve by facilitating contact with nature. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Designed by Kang Chul-Hee andIdea Image Institute of Architects, the Health & Sports Education Center attracts local residents’ participation and heightens its value as a community sports center. Located on the eastern part of Kang-won University’s Choon-Chun Campus, it is somewhat secluded from its surroundings. So in order to adapt to the steep landscapem, the center’s swimming pool and education facility are designed with multi-level entrances, emphasizing a diverse entryway and an adventurous space. More images and architects’ description after the break.
It was announced at a recent seminar, “Materials and Resistance” in Oslo, Norway, that the Holmenkollen Ski Jump, designed by JDS Architects, was the recipient for the Norwegian Steel Construction Prize 2011. A presentation of the winning project and award ceremony will take place under the Norwegian Ståldag (Steel Day), the 3rd of November 2011 at the Grand Hotel in Oslo. More images and description after the break.
Designed by Leon Lai and Eric Tan of PinkCloud.DK, INFLATABLE is one of five winning projects announced for the 2011 DawnTown Miami Floating Stage Competition. The annual architecture ideas competition seeks to bring creative, innovative, and inspiring new solutions to Downtown Miami and to the city of Miami at large.
INFLATABLE seeks to revitalize the Miami Marine Stadium into a major venue for performances while simultaneously creating one of Miami’s newest icons. The bold visual identity of project aims to establish a connection with the inhabitants of Miami. More images and architects’ description after the break.
JET Architecture in joint venture with CXT Architects and Archasia Design Group earned an Honorable Mention for the Kaohsiung Port and Cruise Service Center International Competition in September 2010. Their entry, “Openair,” ranked in the top five, advancing the scheme to the second stage of the competition. Now, they decided to submit their competition entry for the Kaohsiung Port and Cruise Service Center International Competition to Azure’s AZ AWARDS, the magazine’s first annual international competition recognizing excellence in design. The project was chosen as a finalist for the AZ AWARDS in the Concepts: Unbuilt Competitions Entries category and is eligible for the AZ People’s Choice Awards. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The design of a resort in Lago do Manso, by ABA, arises within the role of private investments for the 2014 World Cup in the region of Mato Grosso. The need for the creation of hotels with quality and dimension to host this event, as well as the potential that the Lago do Manso and the Pantanal region have in terms of tourism, spurred the creation of this venture. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Eskimo Football Club selected MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects, with local partners HIP Architects, as the prime consultant for the development of the $96 million Multi-Use Recreation Complex and Field House attached to the south end of Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium. MJMA was invited and selected from a shortlist of 12 Sport and Community Architects from across Canada for this highly visible project.
MJMA is working with the multiple client groups, various stakeholders, and the appointed construction manager Clark Builders to deliver a phased and fast tracked facility to be open for the 2010 Grey Cup, with the remaining recreation complex to open Spring 2012. More images and architects’ description after the break.
