Designed to gather the city’s cultural functions under one roof, the winning proposal by schmidt hammer lassen architects for the new cultural centre and library in Karlshamn, Sweden will be the city’s new meeting place. The 5,000 square metre cultural centre will get a sculptural and flexible building containing a library, an exhibition area, a cinema, a tourist office and a café, which together work to embrace diversity. More images and architects’ description after the break.
When plans for the High Line were first revealed it made quite an impression on the design community. The converted elevated rail line, long abandoned by New York City, was threatened by demolition until a group of activists fought for its revival and helped transform it into one of the most renowned public spaces in Manhattan. Now Queens, a borough with its own abandoned infrastructure is on its way to redeveloping the land for its own version of the High Line, to be known as the Queensway Cultural Gateway.
In late December, the Trust for Public Land announced that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has awarded a $467,000 grant to the organization to begin a feasibility study on the 3.5 mile Long Island rail line. Early proposals reveal a new pedestrian and bike path, public green space and a cultural gateway that will celebrate Queens’ diversity in art, sculpture and food, serving the 250,000 residents that live in the neighborhoods along the route, which include Rego Park, Forest Hills, Richmond Hill, Ozone Park and Forest Park.
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Designed by People’s Architecture Office (PAO) + People’s Industrial Design Office (PIDO), the Tricycle House and Tricyle Garden was designed to address the theme of the 2012 Get It Louder Exhibition. The inability to own land is a fundamental condition in China unique from many western countries. The Tricycle House suggests a future where the temporary relationship and the public nature between people and the land they occupy is embraced. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Designed by JaK Studio Architects, their second prize winning proposal for the RIBA International Competition to Re-imagining York’s Giuldhall Complex: Connecting River and City re-energizes the area by focusing on its history while embracing the future. When the Romans settled in this outpost of their empire, they were still keen to establish some of the rigor and grandeur of Rome. To echo this we cleared the open ground around the guildhall and reclaimed two large plazas cascading down to river providing unique and accessible public spaces with direct relationships to the river. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Designed by Tomas Ghisellini Architetto, the proposal for the new “Malga Fosse” refuge, which won an honorable mention, chooses the language of the rough and simple local construction scattered among the mountains. In doing so, their design builds up the impression of an old archetypal building surrounded by valleys and peaks of great beauty. Aimed at being an unforgettable place right in the heart of the Dolomites, the old is here replaced by a fascinating and iconic architectural body. More images and architects’ description after the break.
In recent years Downtown Brooklyn has become somewhat of a hub of cultural activity. Just past the triangular intersection of Flatbush Ave and Fulton Street, a high density of cultural buildings, expansive retail, and entertainment exists. Mayor Michael Bloomberg of NYC announced in late November that the city and private companies will be partnering to produce three new projects in this area that will bring affordable housing and additional cultural and community spaces to Downtown Brooklyn. This last city-owned parcel will be developed into mixed use facilities: a 515,000 square foot building at Fulton St, Rockwell Place and Ashland Place; a 32-story mixed use building on Flatbush and Lafayette to be designed by Enrique Norten of TEN Arquitectos and a third building currently in the RFP stage of development at Ashland Place and Lafayette.
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Designed by Onat Öktem and Ziya Imren, the proposal for the Çanakkale Municipality “Green” Cultural Center & Municipality Building, which won an honorable mention, aims to create a new focal point located at the intersection of two busy pedestrian and vehicle axes, that strengthens the urban identity. The project intends to achieve a sharing/networking space that supports the everyday life of urban dwellers with social and cultural activities/facilities/uses, and a human-centered urban space that is also respectful to environmental values. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The aim of the competition for the Freedom Square And Zdunski Market Place was to select the best urban and architectural design in Kutno, Poland. Such features as spatial development, functionality and practicability were taken into consideration. In the second prize winning proposal by Mado Architekci, they combine the current appearance with the original to create a hybrid square. The hybrid would combine the features of a pro-community, commonly accessible square without any motor traffic, with a square that would satisfy the needs of a modern city. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Just this past Monday, gmp Architekten was awarded the contract to design the new Kunsthalle Mannheim, a decision made by the Kunsthalle‘s jury. Their winning design portrays a symbolic identity, both on the outside and on the inside. The idea was to create a place that is easily remembered, and which appeals with its functional and urban quality. Analogous to the chess board type layout of Mannheim’s inner city, the design is a composition of several cubes, the regularity of which is however broken by an offset arrangement in terms of height and width, and also by the arrangement of squares within the development. More images and architects’ description after the break.
McAdam Architects recently unveiled their plans for a major Chinese trading and expo center in the city of Metz in Northern France. This feasibility study and outline concept will be an integrated trading complex with a total area(GBA) of over 6 million sqm. The EITC will include up to 3 million sqm of fixed frontage and flexible retail space,with additional hotel accommodation for up to 40,000 visitors and staff, 500,000 sqm logistical storage and customs clearance terminal facilities, to process up to 500 containers per day with warehouses for up to 64,000 pallets, and customer parking for over 80,000 cars. The development is divided into 4 potential construction phases, of approximately 1.5 million sqm per phase. More images and architects’ description after the break.
With locally grown and organic food becoming more popular in the Czech Republic, EDIT! was asked to design a market stall for a new concept of Green Markets. Through a reconfiguration of the typical retailing method, the architects create a unique response to the importance of enabling a personal interaction between the farmers and market visitors. From this, the farmer can relate to the visitors through their produce, and the relationships formed may contribute to the character of the market as a whole. More images and architects’ description after the break.
TomDavid Architects shared with us their first prize winning proposal for the Sustainable Market Square competition in Casablanca. In their proposal, they successfully combine indigenous techniques for shelter and heat control, the accountability of it’s residence, and innovative low-maintenance materials. In doing so, they create an efficient and pragmatic icon for the next generation market which serves as a catalyst for improvement. More images and architects’ description after the break.
It’s been nearly twelve years since visitors first experienced the emotionally charged design of Daniel Libeskind’s Jewish Museum Berlin. Since then, the museum has become an world-renowned icon whose public and education programs have more than doubled in size. With an ever-expanding archive and library, it was decided the museum should be supplemented by an additional facility.
Today, alongside museum officials, Daniel Libeskind celebrates the opening of the Academy of the Jewish Museum Berlin. The facility was created from a former Berlin Flower Market (Blumengrossmarkt), whose shell undergirds the new structure. It’s 25,000 square foot, one story space now houses a library, archives and education center, along with additional office, storage and support space.
A sneak peak and the architects’ description after the break…
With the challenge of creating a new landmark on a floating platform, the ‘U-Topos’ proposal for the Faliro pier competition proposes a constructed “place”, a new “Land-” and a new “-mark”. Designed by Ksestudio, in an attempt to optimize climatic conditions, views and generate events, while developing an iconic identity, their project bends the given square platform to a “U” shape. The design is essentially a shell, an empty vessel, that frames the view towards the city and the sea, while signifying a gate, as small boats are allowed to park at the perimeter of the platform. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Tucson, Arizona firm Line and Space recently shared with us their competition proposal for the new National Museum of Afghanistan developed over the summer of 2012. Inspired by the basin and range geology of Kabul and incredible archaeology, the design features architecture that is derived from Afghan soil by means of stone clad conical elements rising from the landscape that are evocative of an atypical approach to the standard museum typology. Designed to provide a dramatic yet serene and secure place for visitors to learn about the country’s amazing and complex history, the various strategies employed by Line and Space offer up some interesting concepts that celebrate the incredible treasures housed within. More details after the break.
Situated in a strategic position for the development of the city of Taiyuan, China, the design for the Southern Station West Plaza creates an important hub of services for the city’s population. Designed by AS. Architecture Studio, the project represents the first visual impact the city offers to visitors descending at the southern station, thus acquiring an important communicative and functional value. For this reason, the project constitutes a real landmark, standing out from the surrounding urban environment, enriching it and integrating within at the same time. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Located around the Hauptbahnof in Berlin, the proposal for the Haus der Zukunft competition by Project Architect Company capitalizes on the site’s potential which lies between the Reichstag and the main railway station along the River Spree. The site is experiencing a surge in development, transforming a previously underused area into a new city-wide destination. The architects propose to use the building as an ‘urban activator’ to link the city and waterfront. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Holm Architecture Office (HAO) and AI have been invited to create a proposal for the city of Daqiuzhuang in northern China. Sited in a newly developed part of the city, the new cultural building takes its form from the traditional Chinese courtyard square. By lifting the square in the diagonal corners, dual entry points to the building are created which leads visitors and locals through the building’s ground level public programs to the mid- and upper- level exhibition spaces while extending the existing North- South axis of the surrounding city. More images and architects’ description after the break.