The Nanjing Hexi District recently selected tvsdesign for the south expansion of the Nanjing International Expo Center (NIEC). The goal of this mission was to promote cooperation and exchange between the two cities, and re-emphasize the importance of friendly business relations between China and the United States. Their design will compliment the original master plan and design while embracing the cultural history and beauty of Nanjing, calling upon its dramatic landscape of iconic mountains and scenic waterfronts to enhance architectural roof forms and shape towers that emphasize the importance of the Olympic Axis to the Hexi District. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Designed by Architetto Matteo Ascani (AMA), their horizontal farm proposal is a flowing architecture system where the farming world meets the Indian slum in New Dehli. The project aims to create a balanced mix with farms, working areas and housing to improve the living conditions for the inhabitants. By doing this, their design is able to avoid the slum situations to enhance the micro-economy. ‘Farmandala’ also provides an urban scale development, involving the street life and a territorial scale development based on vertical flowing connections. This is done by means of ramps that climb shops, farms and the recycle factory connecting to walking trails in the fields on the top of the hills. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Recently shortlisted into the top 8 for the UK sector and awarded a commendation for its creative and imaginative solution to housing in the UK, the Trent Bank proposal is a design-led framework that centers on self-provision as a sustainable development and procurement model for new neighborhoods. As a competition entry for the Isover Multi-Comfort House and designed by Eric Chancellor, Jordan Lloyd, and Chris Matthews, The development allows for a low density, but high intensity program of start-up businesses and community amenities, with transient commercial use – taking advantage of a piece of planning legislation called a Local Development Order (LDO). More images and architects’ description after the break.
VAUMM shared with us their first prize winning proposal in the competition for the remodeling of Molinao Park and the location of a covered and open fronton in Spain. Their design pretends to be the continuity of the park situated along the riverside and the eastern end of the town to the highway and Don Bosco slope. The fronton (sports space) is situated at the southern end of the park, next to the pedestrian access from the Oarso street bridge, so that releases the largest area of the open space to the north, near the train viaduct and the possible accesses through it to create a space which allows the use of it with temporary uses. More images and architects’ description after the break.
As the winner of ‘Environmental Quality Mention’, the proposed scheme for the HOf – Horizontal Farm International Ideas Competition is conceived of an intricate weave of the ‘farm’ and the ‘dwelling’. Drawing from the traditional Indian courtyard typology, the project, designed by ETT Architecture, enables community living (and farming) through a modular, scalable model that offers residents the benefits of low purchase cost, flexibility to expand as per means, and the potential of skill development and employment through self-build. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Visionary architect, MacArthur Fellow and National Academician Jeanne Gang joins Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and architecture critic Paul Goldberger as part of the Academy’s annual Architects in Conversation series. Together they will discuss Studio Gang’s past, present, and future projects, as well as Gang’s role within the important architectural tradition of Chicago. The talk will be on Wednesday, October 3, 2012, at 6:30pm at the National Academy Museum. For tickets and for more information, please visit here.
A huge creative and technical challenge was recently undertaken by Moment Factory. They were invited by the City of Barcelona and the City of Montreal to create the first sound and light spectacle to be projected on the complex façade of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. This 15 minute-long multimedia show, using video mapping techniques and their X-Agora playback system, was presented within La Mercè Festival in Barcelona this weekend. The inspiration: to realize Antonio Gaudi’s dream. The architect wished for the façade to be full of colors.
Design Museum Boston recently announced the call for entries for Street Seats Design Challenge — an international outdoor furniture design challenge that will culminate in new waterfront seating, an outdoor design exhibition, and a walking tour around the channel. The Fort Point Channel links the waterfronts of downtown and South Boston – the seam between the Financial District and the emerging Boston Innovation District. o=Open to local and international artists, designers, and enthusiasts, Street Seats falls into the stated goals for the Fort Point Channel Watersheet Activation Plan, a 2002 vision to establish the Fort Point Channel as the next great (public) place in the City of Boston. Submissions are due no later than February 1. For more information, please visit here.
Designed by Urban Playground, the ‘Lighthouse for the Dutchman’ project was proposed for the chapel at the entry of the Los Dutchman State Park in Phoenix, Arizona. Through a rearrangement of an embryological, mathematical reference known as “Shrek’s Surface”, spatial varieties are derived as a way to alter the combined experiences of both the spiritual and natural environment in the Arizona desert. The prototypical, curved surface is morphed and manipulated, creating contextual and functional relationships that are then translated into a series of parameters for the building’s morphology. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Designed by Tokamarch Architects, the XishuangbanNa Residence deals mainly with the relationship between the modern building and local natural environment. The traditional “Dai” village keeps a great balance with the natural environment in XiShuangBanNa. The boundary of every family is divided by bamboo fences or green plants. Luxuriant and multi-layered primitive woods have brought people a green and lively village, The relationship between the living space and the natural environment is in a harmonous compatible symbiosis. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The RA-50 proposal for the HOME Competition, designed by in situ studio and David Hill, AIA, focuses on building density through alleyway living. By assessing each existing residential parcel in the city of Raleigh, it was apparent that most downtown parcels are larger than the current zoning requirements and will be even larger proportionally once the new UDO is ratified. Therefore, their proposal establishes a new zone within the UDO – alley residential, or RA-50. This new zone would be allowed in any block that is bisected by an existing or potential alleyway and where lots backing up to the alleyways have a surplus of land to shave away and form new, smaller lots that could front the alleyway. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Open to everyone, OUTR (Office of Urban Transformations Research), along with RMIT University School of Architecture and Design, just announced the release of Transiting Cities International Open Design Ideas Competition. How can we rethink, regenerate, rebrand, rework, reactivate cities dominated by singular economies for a vibrant and innovative future? Designing Possible Futures for growth and adaptation of rehabilitated mines, associated infrastructures and the townships that are dependent on their futures. Integrated social, economic, environmental and infrastructural design outcomes. Produce intelligent innovative short and long-term transition strategies for an adaptive and vibrant regional center. Submissions are due November 30. More information on the competition after the break.
Taking place until October 17th, the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam is exhibiting ‘OJO – From Solid to Air’ which showcases a selection of the work of the architectural practice Office Jarrik Ouburg. The exhibit can be visited Monday-Friday from 9am-11pm and The address of the Academy is Waterlooplein 211-213 in Amsterdam.
Taking place October 10-12 at the University of Stuttgart, Germany, the “Beyond Green! – Tall Buildings in a Sustainable Future” symposium focuses on how tall buildings be designed, built and maintained in a sustainable fashion. The keynote lectures will be held by Christoph Ingenhoven and Helmut Jahn_Murphy/Jahn. The sessions are dedicated to urban development and economy, ecology, planning and realization, structure and skin and building services. More information after the break.
The Battery Conservancy Americas Design Competition 2012: Draw Up A Chair is a unique open call to design students and design professionals living in the North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Design an iconic, movable outdoor seating element for NYC’s 25-acre historic Battery Park, AKA The Battery. The winning design will be fabricated for use in The Battery, which annually welcomes six million visitors. They are offering an earlybird registration rate for all who register by this Sunday, Sept. 30. All design entries are due October 30. To register and for more information, please visit here.
Designed by IaN+, their proposal for the National Museum of Afghanistan aims at harmoniously making it a part of the Afghanistan horizon. They do so by blending with it rather than establishing a conflict in order to restore the relationship between the new, the old and the landscape. By carrying out a ‘fragmentation’ process, through the use and repetition of modular spaces, their combination creates a “space within the space”, letting visitors loose the perception of a coercing container space. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Located on a hill, on the open area of the landscape, the simplest of a Greek temple is the templum in antis, a small rectangular structure. Designed by the AG ‘LesoSplaw’ team, in front of the cella, a small porch or pronaos was formed. With the protruding cella walls being the antae, the pronaos was linked to the cella by a door. To support the superstructure, two columns were placed between the fronts of the antae (in antis)using straw for the temple material. More images can be viewed after the break.
Designed by Frei+ Saarinen Architekten, the aim of the Lignum Pavilion is to inform the public about the possibilities of wood applications in the construction field. Conceived as a training and information center, the project embodies the expressive potential of wood in very modern key. The fully digitalized production process made it possible to optimize both the quantity of material used and the assembly system, resulting in a considerable reduction of costs and making the most of the strength characteristics of wood. More images and architects’ description after the break.
