Courtesy Frisly Colop Morales, Jason Easter, Lukasz Wawrzenczyk

This proposal for the New Contemporary Art Museum (NCAM) in Buenos Aires embodies the city's dynamic cultural vibrancy. The building sits along the Rio de la Plata, plugging into the internationally influenced urban context as an architectural artifact representing the city itself.

Courtesy Frisly Colop Morales, Jason Easter, Lukasz Wawrzenczyk

The design provides various exhibition and gathering spaces for both programmed and passive interaction between local visitors, tourist and the various exhibits of architecture, painting, sculpture, fashion and textiles. Two such external spaces activate the site and enhance the Puerto Madero waterfront promenade experience. By recessing the corners of the East façade a plaza is created to the South and an amphitheater to the North. A large framed opening in the North elevation holds a dual-direction stage linking the interior auditorium with the exterior amphitheater. Large retractable panel doors enable performances for visitors located inside, outside or both simultaneously.

Courtesy Frisly Colop Morales, Jason Easter, Lukasz Wawrzenczyk

A second exterior gallery and entry portal is created by lifting the central portion of the building mass. This covered multipurpose space connects the East and West areas of the site, activating circulation around the building and framing the view to the canal. A linear lighting design integrated with the underside of the building to signal the entry and illuminate this area for evening events. The light beneath the form allows the building to stand as a beacon along the promenade.

Courtesy Frisly Colop Morales, Jason Easter, Lukasz Wawrzenczyk

From beneath the building visitors enter into a four-story atrium which acts as the vertical spine connecting the exhibition spaces above. To the North and South of the atrium are three levels of single and double height galleries. Minimal walls create variable separation of the spaces, catering to the requirements of the curators. The open atrium is traversed by a walkway gallery along the west façade, connecting the two ends of the building. The top of the atrium space is punctuated by a large café which provides views to the various galleries below.

A panelized façade composed of primary frames and secondary filler panels washes the internal spaces with varied quantities of natural light. By altering the proportions of solid to glazing within the filler panels the façade opens to provide a large amount of light to the atrium and closes near the galleries where moderate and indirect light is best. With the longer facades of the building facing East and West the skin receives large amounts of solar radiation. Therefore, the secondary panels are positioned within the primary frame to provide deep reveals in these trouble areas. The diagrid frame system serves as shading devices to mitigate solar heat gain. Low e-glazing provides additional protection and moderates the amount of cooling or heating required for the building.

Courtesy Frisly Colop Morales, Jason Easter, Lukasz Wawrzenczyk

The roof of the building takes advantage of the orientation through the use of a flush mounted solar panel roof. Large chamfer surfaces running the length of the building orient a portion of the panels towards the morning and evening sun maximizing the angle of incidence and increase the efficiency of the panels.

The NCAM Buenos Aires is a remarkable venue which presents itself as a participant in the current architectural movement of the region, connecting to the context and becoming the canvas upon which the contemporary arts will continue to redefine the now and future.

+ Project facts

Architects: Frisly Colop Morales, Jason Easter, Lukasz Wawrzenczyk
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Design Frisly Colop Morales, Jason Easter, Lukasz Wawrzenczyk
Client: AC-CA
Program: Museum
Phase: Competition
Building Area: 6900 sqm
Year: 2012
Links:
www.onebynine.com
www.jasoneaster.co
www.frislycolop.com

+ All images courtesy Frisly Colop Morales, Jason Easter, ?ukasz Wawrze?czyk

Courtesy Zaha Hadid architects

The Galaxy SOHO project in central Beijing for SOHO China is a 330 000m2 office, retail and entertainment complex that will become an integral part of the living city, inspired by the grand scale of Beijing. Its architecture is a composition of five continuous, flowing volumes that are set apart, fused or linked by stretched bridges. These volumes adapt to each other in all directions, generating a panoramic architecture without corners or abrupt transitions that break the fluidity of its formal composition.

Courtesy Iwan Baan

Working on Galaxy for Soho China was very exciting. The design responds to the varied contextual relationships and dynamic conditions of Beijing. We have created a variety of public spaces that directly engage with the city; reinterpreting the traditional urban fabric and contemporary living patterns into a seamless urban landscape inspired by nature. The natural rhythms and flows of the city, of the environment and of the people have been integrated within the design to define its formal composition.

Zaha Hadid

Courtesy Iwan Baan

The great interior courts of the project are a reflection of traditional Chinese architecture where courtyards create an internal world of continuous open spaces. Here, the architecture is no longer composed of rigid blocks, but instead comprised of volumes which coalesce to create a world of continuous mutual adaptation and fluid movement between each building. Shifting plateaus within the design impact upon each other to generate a deep sense of immersion and envelopment. As users enter deeper into the building, they discover intimate spaces that follow the same coherent formal logic of continuous curvelinearity.

Courtesy Iwan Baan

The lower three levels of Galaxy SOHO house public facilities for retail and entertainment. The levels immediately above provide work spaces for clusters of innovative businesses. The top of the building is dedicated to bars, restaurants and cafés that offer views along one of the greatest avenues of the city. These different functions are interconnected through intimate interiors that are always linked with the city, helping to establish Galaxy SOHO as a major urban landmark for Beijing.

Courtesy Iwan Baan

+ Project facts

Galaxy SOHO
Location: Bejing, China
Date: 2008 – 2012

Client: SOHO China
Program: Mixed-use Commercial Building (Office & Retail)
Status: Completed
Construction: 2009 – 12 (30-months)

Design: Zaha Hadid with Patrik Schumacher
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects
Project Director: Satoshi Ohashi

Associate:
Cristiano Ceccato
Project Architect
Yoshi Uchiyama
Project Team
Stephan Wurster
Michael Hill
Samer Chamoun
Eugene Leung
Rita Lee
Lillie Liu
Rolando Rodriguez-Leal
Wen Tao
Tom Wuenschmann
Seung-ho Yeo
Shuojiong Zhang
Michael Grau
Shu Hashimoto
Shao-Wei Huang
Chikara Inamura
Lydia Kim
Yasuko Kobayashi
Wang Lin
Yereem Park

Local Design Institute: BIAD Beijing Institute of Architecture & Design:
Plot area: 46,965 m2
Total Floor Area: 332,857 m2 Above Ground
4 Towers 15 Floors (12 Office Floors and 3 Retail Floors)
Max Height: 67 meters
Below Ground: B1 Floor Retail and B2, B3 Parking (1275 cars), MEP
Retail Floors: B1F,1F,2F,3F (90,000 m2)
Materials Skin: 3mm Aluminium Exterior Cladding, Insulated Glass, Stone
Materials Interiors: Glass, Terrazzo, GRG, Stainless Steel, Gypsum Board Painted
Structure: Standard Concrete Structure (8.4m spans)
Floor to Floor Heights: Retail floors 5.4m, office floors 3.5m

Photographer: Iwan Baan

+ All images courtesy Zaha Hadid architects | Photo by Iwan Baan

courtesy WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design

Spices, vibrant colours, and evocative textures – these are the elements we utilized to create a truly sensory experience, which we hope will awaken the memories, desires and ambitions of a people deeply rooted in tradition but yearning to modernize. While the overall approach is contemporary and urban, we aimed to create something thoroughly Indian, by combining bright colors and lively texture reminiscent of a walk through an Indian bazaar.

courtesy WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design

This journey starts at the Lobby and ventures up to a series of dynamic restaurants. As guests enter the first of these restaurants, PARANDA, they are greeted by the floor and walls filled with the orange, brown and red palette of Indian spices, which sets the appropriate mood for the adventurous cuisine. The Paranda is elegant and tastefullydone, yet evokes the intense flavors of Indian curries through the bright colours, lighting, and textures. The decor is perfectly paired with modern Indian cuisine, which is both familiar and progressive.

courtesy WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design

The next stop on this culinary journey is a dip into the deep blue of AZURE, the second speciality restaurant. The cool palette here, which stands in contrast to the earthy palette of Paranda, evokes the deep blue of the Mediterranean. The European cuisine and décor here cater to the more international outlook of the new Indian middle class, as well as the foreign business travelers.

An abstract Picasso-inspired image has been translated into a mosaic tile mural. A feature wall of Greek pottery at the entrance foyer and the ornate fabric coverings for the VIP room seating are all accented with the blue colour to add to the mood.

The final stop on our F&B journey is the all-day dining restaurant, PALETTE. The bright and contemporary aesthetic here is meant  to complement the forward-looking international cuisine on offer. Rows of comfortable modern chairs surround the central open kitchen.

courtesy WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design

The walls are decorated with abstractly patterned metal screens, which evoke the green outdoors of Southern India. The forest theme is carried through to the banquet areas, with the GRAND BALL ROOM serving as the climax. The architectural interiors of the vertical fins are designed to evoke something that is both organic and high-tech. The decorative ceiling and wall lighting panels are layered with Indian decorative motifs which add a strong sense of expressiveness to match the colorful Indian banquet traditions.

courtesy WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design

Contrasting to the dynamism of the F&B and banquet spaces, guests can relax in the soothing and relaxing atmosphere of the JIVE  SPA, which we composed with a lighter, more minimal palette. The spa itself is a journey, through a series of sensual, atmospheric spaces that culminate in a holistic sense of calm and well-being. Soft edges, selective materiality, detailing and lighting, infused with conceptual Indian elements and motifs come together to evoke a strong sense of place. Finally, the LED lights that trace out the tactile rhythm of the abstracted Indian motifs adorning the walls of the Spa slow the perception of space and time.

courtesy WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design

The rooms continue on this calm and restful feeling with a palette that is bright and light. The rooms range from the standard to the more exotic and innovative like the beds oriented towards the dynamic urbanscape. This outward and modern orientation is balanced with the softer elements, splashes of warm color, and decorative elements that evoke the forest motifs first introduced in the grand ball room.

+ Project facts

VIVANTA BY TAJ, YESHWANTHPUR
BANGALORE, INDIA
INTERIOR DESIGN by WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design
COMPLETED 2012
329 ROOMS

+ All images courtesy WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design

courtesy OODA

courtesy OODA

courtesy OODA

One of the most demanding tasks in Porto nowadays is the intervention on the major amount of old and historical buildings of Porto downtown which are unnocupied in large percentage of the central urban fabric.

This project aims that general emergency and is a recovery of a 18th century building to convert into a 18 housing unit for turists and students, converting the building in a rediscovered and multifunctional residential experience.

+ Project facts

Largo dos Loios
Porto, Portugal

Architect: OODA
Team: Diogo Brito, Rodrigo Vilas-Boas, Francisco Lencastre, Lourenco Telles Menezes
Type: Commission
Status: Starting Construction
Schedule: Completion 2013
Collaboration: CCAD, GATENGEL, NORAQUA, CEZERO
Images: PixelFactory

courtesy OODA

courtesy OODA

Courtesy Patrick O’Carrigan + Partners

Australian-based architectural studio POC+P architects proposal for a new library in daegu, korea, combines four archetypes across culture to create a new symbol. the square, the verandah, the shrine and the courtyard are merged into a simple but powerful form: the grounded-ness of the square, the sheltered path of the verandah, the sanctity of the shrine, and the central void of the courtyard are combined to create a new sub-metropolitan library that is open and closed, light and dark, contemporary and timeless, singular and universal… a metaphor of interchange and connectedness.

The library design unashamedly embraces books as an enduring tool of knowledge transfer. just as the medium has evolved from cuneiform on clay tablet, from roll to codex, from papyrus to vellum, from printed paper to digital tablet… the form may change, but the purpose – the free exchange of information – is enduring. accordingly, patrick o'carrigan + partners have designed floor plates that are not hard-wired; that can and will be something else tomorrow.

Courtesy Patrick O’Carrigan + Partners

A disciplined solution, it has a simple, elegant enclosed form that suggests an interior life to be revealed. open space in daegu is at a premium, and the siting of this 3100sqm library within an existing green space requires a sensitivity to the context. thus the library form is treated as a pavilion in an urban forest, and its generous presence animates and anchors this corner within the diverse city grid of daegu.

Visitors first discover the library pavilion as a quiet, warm object in the city – illuminated from within. from the street, it is a garden oasis, an immediate change of pace from the vibrant city. the main entrance, protected by a cantilevered canopy, provides visitors with both a visual connection and access to the side garden with urban seating.

Courtesy Patrick O’Carrigan + Partners

To enter, visitors traverse a direct path above the verandah, through an air-lock sanctuary to arrive at the reception. with staff support and administration on the west, from this point, they are directed to reading areas, resource areas and exhibition/education classrooms with increasingly intimate spaces with finer layers of zonal activity. a variety of bright, open, technologically rich spaces, digital support, and librarian services promote life-long learning and help foster a culture of collaboration and creativity, with every floor offering its own personality and unique spatial experiences.

As in the traditional korean courtyard house the most significant ground level space is the central timber floored amphitheatre at: permeable, open and light, a series of reading and lounging platforms tier down to basement level exhibition spaces for temporary displays.

Courtesy J.P.Meulendijks

“LOCK” is designed out of the qualities, possibilities and characteristics of its highly sustainable material: BAMBOO.

The frame is build up from layers of flexible bamboo. The layers are pressed together. The shape is formed by the bamboo’s natural bending curve.

The layers of bamboo curve through each other and entwine, locking each other in place. End result is a mix of nature and mathematics, of possible and impossible. A super strong masculine dynamic shape that looks different watched from different viewing points.

Courtesy J.P.Meulendijks

“LOCK comes in two versions:

+ Bamboo top The top is made out of 40 mm. thick solid bamboo that is cut into a layer-pattern that forms the round edges Bamboo is a strong flexible beautiful and renewable material. Bamboo grows without the help of fertilizers. The bamboo tree is mature enough to be cut after three years. The trees are processed into the most environmentally sustainable wood on Earth.

+ glass top The glass-top makes the beauty of the frame extra visible. The top is mounted to the frame. : We use the only glass in the world that has a Cradle to cradle certificate.

The frame is build up from layers of bamboo-veneer. The big round democratic table seats 5 to 6 persons.

Courtesy J.P.Meulendijks

+ Facts

Design : J.P.Meulendijks
Material : Frame: Bamboo thick veneer. -Top: 40 mm. thick Bamboo plywood, or Cradle to cradle certified 12 mm. thick tempered glass top.
Dimensions: diameter: 1400 mm. height: 742 mm. (glass-top) 770 mm.(bamboo-top)

+ All products are designed by J.P.Meulendijks design studio

L3P Architekten has completed the new replacement apartment house at Glättlistrasse 31 and 33.

Courtesy L3P Architekten

The Glättlistrasse neighbourhood, located in the Zurich district of Altstett, is a typical 1950s suburban development. The construction brief for this project was to replace four terraced houses and a kindergarten that was no longer needed with a single apartment house offering a total of 16 rental apartments.

Courtesy L3P Architekten

In urban planning terms, the new, polygonal structure closes off the Glättlistrasse development toward the neighbouring smaller houses and buildings. An important goal was to integrate the volume into the surrounding vegetation through the choice of facade colour and texture while simultaneously lending the building a distinctive identity.

Courtesy L3P Architekten

The polygonal design extends to the floor plans of the apartments inside, which represent an innovative new form of domestic layout pioneered by the Halde building cooperative. The kitchen/dining area generously meanders into the living room without any actual dedicated circulation spaces, joining with huge windows to give the flats a light-flooded, gracious feel. Elaborate window solutions incorporating various colours and materials relate to the environment outside while contributing a fantastic look as well as practical benefits on the interior.

Courtesy L3P Architekten

+ Project facts

Architect: L3P Architekten ETH FH SIA AG, Regensberg,
Project manager: Boris Egli, Martin Reusser, Roman Baumgartner
Client: Baugenossenschaft Halde Zürich
Photographer: Sabrina Dohle, Heerburgg
Completion: 2008
Construction period: August 2009 bis April 2011

+ All images courtesy L3P Architekten

Courtesy Gonçalo Campos

Curvas was designed with an elegant profile fully exploring the limits of wood construction.

It’s thin and sturdy structure is only possible thanks to great advances in computer controlled machinery, that can precisely shape each part, to be later masterfully assembled by skilled craftsmen.

Courtesy Gonçalo Campos

This chair was meticulously shaped, to provide maximum comfort. The elegant curves in the back and seat where studied to provide maximum support with the least area possible. While the legs have a semi round profile that allows for a great elegance and still provide a large surface area, crucial for a strong joint.

Courtesy Gonçalo Campos

It took a long process of fine tuning and reshaping to achieve this slim, elegant and comfortable shape, using only wood; a feat only possible thanks to modern day engineering and the age old skills of tested and proven craftsmen.

This chair is produced by the portuguese brand WEWOOD, experts in using high-end technology combined with tradicional wood joinery.

+ Designer: Gonçalo Campos

Egypt-based architectural firm Aura – Better Living by design has designed the Joya residential redevelopment. Joya is a neo-islamic stylized residential complex. The compound's excellent location and facilities brings its residents the rare opportunity to familiarize with the surrounding. The superb landscape that soothes the residents bound together with the exclusivity and serenity of the complex guarantees joy to all residents.

Courtesy Aura

Location

Joya lies in the hub of the 6th. of October city, located on the main city spine the 26th. of July corridor. pairing serenity of nature with the hustle of the modern urban life, where you are always minutes away from the business district, largest shopping malls, health-care and educational facilities such as Mall of arabia, Dar El-Fouad hospital, Zewail City and else.

Courtesy Aura

Master plan

Joya introduces an exquisite form of living where captivating authentic architecture meets modern life creating a private introvert community that a walk at anytime of the day is always a pleasure with the tree-lined streets and water streams guiding you through the compound's lush landscape and state-of-the art neo-islamic architecture.

Courtesy Aura

Adding a ring road lining the compound minimizes the traffic within the living community thus creating a safer environment that caters to urban professionals, families and young trendy couples.

Courtesy Aura

This opulent community spreads over 193700 square meters, providing a full range of housing options ranging from luxurious villas, semi-attached villas, townhouses to apartments and penthouses, all occupying 49% of the total land, while landscape and pathways occupies 20%. Residents of this community will have access to the impeccably designed clubhouse and many other amenities.

+ All images courtesy Aura

The New York City based graphic designer Christopher Dina shared with us his new work of a graphic representation of London‘s striking skyline featuring its historic and modern day architectural icons. Illustrated landmarks include the Millennium Dome, London Eye, Palace of Westminster, The Shard, London City Hall, Tower Bridge, “the Gherkin” and Saint Paul’s Cathedral.

+ Project credit: Christopher Dina

Courtesy Christopher Dina

Courtesy Christopher Dina

Courtesy Christopher Dina

Courtesy Christopher Dina