Sustainable: The Latest Architecture and News

OVO Grąbczewscy Architekci's stacked garden-like proposal has been awarded third place in a competition for the new Małopolska Science Center in Krakow, Poland. The competition brief asked for the design of an innovative cultural institution with an iconic architectural form that would represent creativity, openness and independent thinking. As a reflection of both the city and the region, the center is also intended to provide a model for sustainable construction, energy efficiency, and education that inspires immersive visitor engagement.

See the complete design below.

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Nine visionary projects focused on living within the relatively unexplored terrains of sea and space have been selected as winners of the 2017 Jacques Rougerie international architecture competition.

Established in 2011, the competition aims to foster the creativity of young architects by challenging them to complete “innovative, audacious and promising projects” that imagine new methods of sustainable development within the realms of sea and space. 

Architectural submissions were awarded this year within three categories: Innovation and Architecture for the Sea, Innovation and Architecture for Space, and Architecture and Sea Level Rise. Within these categories, projects were selected in three disciplines: the overall Grand Prix, the “Focus” theme award, and the Coup de Coeur.

Check out the winning projects below.

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Violent conflict and persecution, compounded by rising food insecurity, environmental degradation, poor governance and countless other factors, drove more than three million people to leave their countries as refugees or to seek asylum in 2016, joining millions of others already in exile. By 2050, because of the consequences of climate change, the amount of climate migrants could reach the number of 200 millions refugees. Refugee camps are usually planned, built and designed with the aim of fulfilling the basic human needs for only a short time, but only 189.300 refugees were resettled in 2016 and approximately 40% of the refugees have been in exile for more than 20 years.

“Once you stop learning you start dying” -Albert Einstein

Knowledge is power, knowledge is freedom. But my simple definition of knowledge is total sum of all things you know as a person, and all things known universally. Your experiences, skills you have acquired, and information that has been captured in any accessible format that can be utilized in various ways, is knowledge. And library is a temple for those who seek knowledge.

Beat Box: 30 apartments in 48 containers to transform the Danish neighborhood of Musicon, adjacent to the famous Roskilde Festival area. Designed by Arkitema Architects and constructed by Container Living, Beat Box is an integral part of Roskilde’s goal to revamp Musicon over the next 15 years by adding 1,000 jobs and 1,000 homes.

More than a thousand meters above sea level on the slopes of the Alborz mountain range in Gilan, northern Iran, a remarkable village dating back to 1006 AD bustles with life. The unique ochre-brown structures of Masuleh follow the slope of the mountain that the village nestles on—or rather, grows from—giving the village its most unusual quality: the roofs of many of the houses connect directly to, or even form a part of, the street serving the houses above.

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Construction has started on the redesign of an energy storage tower by LAVA (Laboratory for Visionary Architects) for Stadtwerke Heidelberg (SWH) in Heidelberg, Germany. The updated facade of the 56-meter cylindrical tower and design of an adjacent park are part of an initiative to create a sculptural landmark and symbol of sustainable energy for the city.

LAVA introduces a multi-layered facade that features 11,000 diamond shaped stainless-steel plates attached to a steel cable network that can rotate 45 degrees in the wind. According to the architects, a number of plates correlate to the number of households that will be beneficiaries of the energy. The geometries of the facade are inspired by forms found in nature.

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Excitement is building as preparations take place for the 2017 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, scheduled for Nov. 8-10 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, MA.

The architect, the engineer, the designer, all of them participate to the development and the construction of an upcoming world at their own level. Together, by looking further, beyond preconceived ideas and well-established concepts, these entrepreneurs, these creators, have the power to make up new rules, propose new directions: innovative facilities and housing bringing new living conditions, making room for new ways of moving, of consuming energy, to counter major environmental challenges of our era and others to come. The prizes of the Jacques Rougerie Foundation support and accompany this approach.

Innovation, architectural disruption, sustainable development and resilience against climate changes are the keywords of this 7th edition of the international competition in architecture of the Jacques Rougerie Foundation – Institut de France.

Rediscover a natural, unique and original material, with multiple applications for current architecture and design immovable over time, granite is a jewel of nature capable of providing exclusivity to any contemporary construction or finish. Its wide range of varieties and the incorporation of new cutting technologies and those giving a surface finish, provide us with infinite design possibilities.

Its character, beauty, high strength and excellent durability make it quite a unique material. It is undoubtedly the most advantageous architectural option in contrast to other types of products:

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SkyCity is pleased to invite architects, designers, artists, engineers, scientists, conservationists, ambient warriors, tribesmen, digital nomads, craftsmen or basically anyone with great ideas from around the globe to take part in SkyCity Challenge 17. Our climate is changing, squalor, nationalism, and inequality are rising, people are constantly moving into cities and the demand for a better and more sustainable living in urban areas continues to grow. The current ways are very limited and outdated and with the modern technology available we are able to create far better and more sophisticated spaces that could affect the very way of our living in the future …

We are happy to announce InsideOut Earth Architecture International Workshop, that will take place from June 2nd to August 25th 2017 in Abetenim, Ghana.

We are pleased to announce International Sustainable Waterfront Design Competition (ISWDC 2016). The competition is a partnership and cooperation between universities and design firms. The program is intended to engage students or experienced designers, working individually or in teams to paying more attentions on our waterfront environment with sustainable methods, using renewable resources, offering appropriate technology and construction, improving healthy life styles and working environments. This competition aims to promote the design ability of international students of architecture, landscape or urban planning, and stimulate their enthusiasm and competition sense. We would also like to encourage and train outstanding architects with innovative ideas. By focusing on “Sustainable Waterfront”, this competition is open to architects, engineers, planners and designers who want to contribute to progress in making the world more habitable by developing a proposal capable of responding to emerging challenges. Winning participants or students will receive cash prizes totaling $32,500 plus a certificate. We welcome everyone who is interested in this competition to attend it.

o2a Studio has unveiled their proposal for the Lorry I. Lokey School of Management at Tel Aviv University. Part of an invited competition, the design brief required a two-phase proposal sited at the focal point of the Tel Aviv University Campus: an initial 3,500 square metres of classrooms, offices and an auditorium and a future 1,500 square metres of extra classes and offices. Though not selected for the final design of the school, the o2a Studio proposal for the Lorry I. Lokey School of Management encompasses contextual, programmatic and climatic concerns in an elegant solution. Read more about this proposal after the break.

India has one of the fastest growing populations in the world and to accommodate it, a better building material is needed. Currently over 200 billion of the country’s traditional clay fired bricks are manufactured every year, resulting in numerous pollution and environmental problems. To address these issues, a team from MIT –- composed of students Michael Laracy and Thomas Poinot, along with professors Elsa Olivetti, Hamlin Jennings and John Ochsendorf -- has developed Eco-BLAC bricks: an alternative to traditional bricks that reuses industrial waste and is low-cost and low energy.

Japanese office, The Shelter Corporation, has announced their 17^th international architectural ideas competition, open to undergraduate and post-graduate students (as of September 11, 2015) across the world. The Shelter Corporation, which focuses on timber and wood-framed buildings, hosts this competition annually to generate discussion among students on the future of wood and timber construction. Believing in the importance of a sustainable built environment, the firm hopes that this competition can be the gateway for many young architects-to-be to enter the workplace with new ideas.

Design Indaba, in collaboration with the C-City Design Museum in Kerkrade, the Netherlands, has selected Hennie Botes’ “Moladi” for their new exhibit: “Design For A Better World | Innovations For People.” The exhibit aims to raise awareness of the significance of design by selecting projects relevant to current issues worldwide. Based out of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Moladi has provided a solution to the problem of affordable housing since 1986.

Learn more about the construction system and its benefits for affordable housing projects after the break. 

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