Cultural Center: The Latest Architecture and News

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Dorell.Ghotmeh.Tane / Architects recently completed their 'Frozen Time' Installation for a Japanese watch brand CITIZEN in Baselworld which is the largest watch and jewel industry exhibition in the world. This year, the main exhibition hall was fully renewed, therefore all the brands are intended to express their next 4 year’s vision. Instead of just renewing entire booth for next 4 years, CITIZEN reserved a large reception space to be opened and to present an installation every year as space to evolve and to express their fundamental identity of ‘Challenging spirits’. More images and architects' description after the break.

ZNA / Zeybekoglu Nayman Associates just won the competition to design the Changbaishan Exhibition Hall in Jilin, China. The exhibition center is centered on the functions of displaying, negotiation & reception and signing, and also has the advanced function of conducting activities, business & leisure, etc. as well as the indispensable supporting functions of office, storage and finance, etc. The construction of their project skillfully uses Jilin cultural elements, pursuing energy conservation and environmental protection and adhering to the principles of low construction energy consumption & durable construction. More images and architects' description after the break.

Architect Frank Gehry has voiced concerns that the new Los Angeles subway, scheduled for construction in two to three years, may disturb concerts in his famous Disney Hall. The planned subway line would run 125 feet below the venue's parking garage and recent simulations have shown that the rumblings could be audible inside the concert hall. Mr. Gehry has called for the review of previous noise projections for the metro project, which two years ago predicted no audible impact on his design. “It would be a disaster for Disney Hall,” Gehry told the LA Times. “The flag is up and we should go over it and make sure.”

Read more after the break.

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Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the Messe Basel New Hall stands out as an important urban planning matter for the development of the surrounding Kleinbasel neighborhood. The exceptional photographic work of Hufton + Crow highlights the highly modern building and optimum exhibition areas while showing how this interconnected design ensures flexibility for various events. The concentration of exhibition halls around the Messeplatz (Exhibition Square) is the key entrepreneurial aim of the Messe Basel leadership in its further development. A complete gallery of images can be viewed after the break.

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Taking advantage of the competition site’s strengths, this proposal by Mauro Turin Architectes for the Museum of Bavarian History features, on urban terms, a system that serves as a liaison between the banks of the river and the old urban fabric of the city. While do so, the project also acts as an articulation of urban spaces through its various places and passage, creating a symbolic point of convergence. More images and architects’ description after the break.

The proposal for the New Central Library in Berlin by MARS Architekten is a social and cultural centre for Tempelhof’s new quarter. In collaboration with urban designers UBERBAU Architecture & Urbanism and landscape architects TH Treibhaus Berlin & Lavaland, their design was chosen as one of eight winning entrants. Their project focuses upon achieving an immense and complex building that offers a large amount of varying interior spaces in combination with a strong exterior form serving as a public landmark. More images and architects’ description after the break.

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Shiro Studio, in collaboration with Mesh Partnership and Equals Consulting were just announced by RIBA as the winning team of the Great Fen Visitor Center competition. Sitting beautifully within the expansive landscape, the team had skillfully incorporated elements of the traditional Fenland building typology within an exciting contemporary visitor center design. The silvery and bog-oak black exterior, shimmering with the play of Fenland light, would contrast markedly with, and complement, its spacious, light-filled interiors and panoramic views onto the surrounding landscape. More images and architects' description after the break.

Constructed for the Changwon Suclpture Biennale 2012 held in Changwon city, South Korea the Brick-Pod Pavilion defines architecture as ‘a sculpture with interior space’, and attempts to create a dome with black bricks which has been used for traditional architecture here in Korea. Designed by Kazuya Morita Architecture Studio, you can enjoy the breezing air, moving leafs, and sparkling sunshine through its numbers of the openings, feeling much more sensitive than when we are outside. More images and architects' description after the break.

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Located at the mouth of Marseille’s World Heritage-listed harbor, the Vieux Port Pavilion, designed by Foster + Partners, provides a new sheltered events space on the eastern edge of the port. Bringing new focus to the city, these photographs by Edmund Sumner demonstrate the stainless steel canopy's ability to amplify and reflect the surrounding movement of the harbor, creating a spectacle that encourages pedestrians to linger. Since its opening early this year, the project is truly an invitation to the people of Marseille to enjoy and use this grand space for events, markets and celebrations once again. A complete gallery of Sumner's images can be viewed after the break.

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The Tel-Aviv White City Forum winning proposal by Kimmel Eshkolot Architects is an exhibition center, part of the huge Tel- Aviv wholesale market project currently under construction. Comprising thousands of apartment units, a mall, a school and a sports complex, the Forum will be a platform for genuine urban celebration. More images and architects’ description after the break.