LAVA's Home of the Future is a showcase for future living, with nature, technology and man in a new harmony.

The Home of the Future will start construction in late 2011 on the rooftop of a new furniture mall in Beijing, China.

An ETFE geodesic skydome provides a year-round microclimate that opens up the home to a garden filled with sun, light and fresh air, away from the pollution and noise of the city.

Home of the Future, render courtesy LAVA

Visitors will experience fifteen different living spaces, from internal/external bathroom zones to kitchens flowing to veggie patches and bbqs to sunken bedrooms with dream inducing lighting. At night the home and the tropical garden turn into an otherworldly experience, with the underlying technology, the electronic veins of the system, coming to life. The design is inspired by nature's efficiencies – corals, cells and bubbles – and creates an environment where technologies are invisibly integrated to satisfy everyday needs and senses. Its fluid design and organisational strategy based on cells is easily modified to suit specific requirements.

Home of the Future, render courtesy LAVA

Home of the Future, render courtesy LAVA

The Home of the Future integrates the latest improvements in comfort and instantaneous information technology with a space that embraces nature.

The Home of the Future acts as a metaphor for the questions of our times, our relationship with nature, with technology and with ourselves.

Chris Bosse, Director of LAVA

LAVA's Home of the Future is a showcase for future living – it balances man's needs with nature and technology in perfect harmony.

An exhibition of LAVA‘s Home of the Future, including process material, working models, renderings and animations is on display in Sydney Australia, 17th- 31st March 2011 at UTS Architecture, Kensington St Warehouse, 50 Kensington St, Chippendale, Sydney Australia.

Home of the Future, render courtesy LAVA

+ Project credits / data

Project: Home of the Future
Design: LAVA – Laboratory for Visionary Architecture Asia Pacific | http://www.l-a-v-a.net
Team: LAVA Chris Bosse, Tobias Wallisser, Alexander Rieck Collaborators
Landscape: Aecom
Engineering support: Arup
ETFE: Vector Foiltec
Animation: mindbogglerfilms
Images: Doug and Wolf | http://www.dougandwolf.com

Henning Larsen architects has designed the Scandinavian Golf Club located in Farum, Denmark. With its location in the beautiful, hilly landscape of the previous training area of Farum military barracks, the Scandinavian Golf Club comprises an exclusive nature park and golf course of 2 x 18 holes.

Scandinavian Golf Club - Sketch, drawing courtesy Henning Larsen architects

The architectural vision has been to bridge the gap between the traditional American golf club and the functional architecture of Scandinavia. The golf club is a traditional wing house but is built in rustic materials with large cantilevers and oblique angles. The roof floats above the plateau as a sculptural element integrated in the hilly landscape, tree crowns and clouds of the sky.

The fine, sophisticated materials and exquisite craftsmanship provide the building with a high degree of exclusivity and ensure a unique balance between the architecture and the surrounding landscape.

The extensive use of the wood species Douglas, Norwegian slate, stone and tombac combined with the generous inflow of daylight through the large windows provide the building with a weighty yet light expression.

The project won the annual award of the Copenhagen Carpenters' Guild in 2009.

Scandinavian Golf Club, image courtesy Henning Larsen architects | Photo by Thorbjoern Hansen

Scandinavian Golf Club, image courtesy Henning Larsen architects | Photo by Thorbjoern Hansen

Scandinavian Golf Club, image courtesy Henning Larsen architects | Photo by Thorbjoern Hansen

Scandinavian Golf Club, image courtesy Henning Larsen architects | Photo by Thorbjoern Hansen

Scandinavian Golf Club, image courtesy Henning Larsen architects | Photo by Thorbjoern Hansen

Scandinavian Golf Club, image courtesy Henning Larsen architects | Photo by Thorbjoern Hansen

Scandinavian Golf Club, image courtesy Henning Larsen architects | Photo by Thorbjoern Hansen

+ Project credits / data

Project: Scandinavian Golf Club
Location: Farum, Denmark
Architect: Henning Larsen architects | http://www.henninglarsen.com
Client: GB4 Aps
Gross floor area: 2,600 m2
Year of construction: 2007 – 2010
Photographer: Thorbjoern Hansen
Typology: Culture | Club

+ All images, drawings and description courtesy Henning Larsen architects | Photo by Thorbjoern Hansen

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The Wave in Vejle by Henning Larsen architects is a new unique housing and with its sculptural and organic forms it will become the new landmark of Vejle. With the magnificent location overlooking the promenade and the bay the characteristic building both respects and challenges the potential of the area.

During the day the white waves are reflected in the sea and at night the characteristic profile will look like illuminated multi-coloured mountains. The building has 140 attractive apartments many with two-story house plans, all with a wonderful view.

The Wave in Vejle, image courtesy Henning Larsen architects | photo by Thomas Molvig

The Wave in Vejle, image courtesy Henning Larsen architects | photo by Thomas Molvig

The Wave in Vejle, image courtesy Henning Larsen architects | photo by Thomas Molvig

The Wave is inspired by the characteristics of the area: the fjord, the bridge, the town and the hills. The clear and easily recognisable signature of the building connects the residential area with the sea, the landscape and the town.

Last year, the Wave in Vejle won an international LEAF Award. In 2009, the building was selected as the residential building of the year by the Danish trade magazine Byggeri and, in 2010, it won the local Vejle award.

This year, the Wave again has been awarded by one of the oldest European awards scheme in the built environment – Civic Trust award, it is the first time awarded to Danish architecture company during the last 51 years.

The Wave in Vejle - Longitudal section, drawing courtesy Henning Larsen architects

The Wave in Vejle - Section, drawing courtesy Henning Larsen architects

+ Project credits / data

Project: The Wave in Vejle
Location: Vejle, Denmark
Architect: Henning Larsen architects | http://www.henninglarsen.com
Client: Municpality of Vejle
Gross floor area: 14,000 m2
Year of construction: 2006 – 2009
Type of assignment: First prize in invited competition
Photographer: Thomas Molvig
Typology: Residential

+ All images and drawings courtesy Henning Larsen architects | Photo by Thomas Molvig

Baufeld 10 is a mixed use building to accommodate 24 apartments, 2 commercial spaces & 1 restaurant located in HafenCity Hamburg, Germany. It was designed by LOVE archi­tec­ture & urban­ism after winning the 1st prize international competition in 2005.

Living with a direct view of the port

With the HafenCity Hamburg, a new district covering 157 hectares is being developed directly at the port. In addition to the mixed utilization, the relevant urban development concept calls for high-quality architecture. For this reason, there was a separate tendering process for each individual building site.

Baufeld 10, image courtesy LOVE architecture & urbanism

LOVE architecture and urbanism from Graz won the competition for "Baufeld 10." The site is situated in an area within the Dallmannkai, directly on the water and in direct proximity to the "Elbphilharmonie" – a concert hall currently being developed by the Swiss Office of Herzog & de Meuron. In total, 26 architecutral offices were awarded projects at the Kaiserkai.

LOVE's special challenge: The Baufeld 10 project was developed in a joint building venture. This means that the various future residents worked together to create a real community for the new building.

Within this model, individualists connected with each other with the goal of building THEIR communal house. The building typology had to meet this expectation. This is why the building houses many different building typologies with all kinds of furnishing standards: from very large apartments (up to approx. 225m2) to smaller units (approx. 50m2), which feature entirely different designs – from one-storey apartments to maisonettes that stretch across four storeys.

Baufeld 10, image courtesy LOVE architecture & urbanism

Baufeld 10, image courtesy LOVE architecture & urbanism

For Baufeld 10, individualisation was the top priority. Each of the 28 new residents can now enjoy his or her unique lifestyle within his or her apartment – whether horizontal or vertical – whether in a small or a big apartment. These different visions were blended into one building – to everyone's satisfaction.

Viewed from the outside, the residential building presents a gleaming white structure formed of slightly bevelled cubes and with generously proportioned, slightly bevelled window openings.

The configuration of these window openings matches the layout of the apartments behind them. Each apartment has a balcony and/or bay which protrude from the building. Within the rigid row of buildings, this configuration provides maximum views in an "exciting direction" – namely, the harbour.

Baufeld 10, image courtesy LOVE architecture & urbanism

Structural design and facade

The support system consists of a supporting building envelope with stiffening apartment partitions and storey ceilings and was calculated as a spacial static system. This made it possible to place the quite large window openings freely in the exterior walls of the building and to minimize the concrete and steel volume used, which also reduced the construction costs.

More structurally demanding parts of the building, such as the roundings of the facade, the balconies and the bays, were executed as prefabricated elements. The facade, which serves as an outside composite thermal insulation system, was provided with a "natural stone plaster" surface. This is composed of natural stone grains with an admixture of mica, which causes the facade to sparkle slightly in the sun, a valuable visual effect. The window roundings and the bevelled window reveals were modelled into the composite thermal insulation system with thermal insulation moulding.

Baufeld 10, image courtesy LOVE architecture & urbanism

Energy savings and climate protection

From the planning stages of the new district, the Municipal Development Company already emphasized energy savings and climate protection with a series of sustainable ecological measures for the emerging new buildings.

Regarding the building's technical characteristics, the apartment building was planned and built according to the latest Energy Conservation Regulations (EnEV). The building features a very light construction mass and a building shell that provides excellent air sealing.

One definite cornerstone of the building's energy concept is its connection to the local heat and power plant, which combines the production of heat and power. Outfitting the apartment building with a solar thermal system of ten vacuum-tube collectors for the central domestic water supply is an additional energy efficiency measure.

The solar thermal energy system and the heating connection to the local energy provider combine to cover the heating requirement of about 30 kwh/(m²a).

Baufeld 10 - Ground floor plan, drawing courtesy LOVE architecture & urbanism

Baufeld 10 - 1st floor plan, drawing courtesy LOVE architecture & urbanism

+ Project credits / data

Architect: LOVE architecture & urban­ism | http://www.love-home.com/
Project: Baufeld 10 Harbourcity Hamburg
Location: Harbour City Hamburg – Kaiser Kai, Germany
Program: 24 apartments, 2 commercial spaces, 1 restaurant
Photographer: Anke Mulerklein

Competition: November 2005 | 1st prize
Planning Period: January to July 2006
Start of construction: January 2007
Completion: May 2008
Area: approx. 810 m2
Gross floor area: approx. 3150 m2
Residential floor area: 2688 m2
Commercial floor area: 272 m2

+ All images and drawings courtesy LOVE architecture | Photo by Anke Mulerklein

Austrian architectural practice LOVE architecture & urbanism has completed the refurbishment project – the new Gerngross! located in Styria.

Old building, image courtesy LOVE archi­tec­ture & urban­ism

1. Restructuring the Existing Centre

The layout of the store was not intuitive. Walkways were complex and confusing, and it was difficult to navigate. To improve this, the layout of the indoor levels (G, 1st, 2nd, and 5th) has been entirely re-designed and smaller retail spaces have been added. The key to designing the individual levels was to think "empty" in order to enable the future implementation of an improved orientation system.

The new Gerngross!, image courtesy LOVE archi­tec­ture & urban­ism

The preconditions for this complex undertaking were:

• For each rental space, a newer space of equal size but higher quality had to be provided.
• Each tenant had to be relocated twice during the construction time.
• The ongoing daily shopping activity should be only minimally disturbed.

2. Create a new Centre!

To this end, the atrium, with its escalator network, took centre stage. The atrium serves as the nucleus and has become the store's central orientation point.

The new Gerngross!, image courtesy LOVE archi­tec­ture & urban­ism

3. The Atrium: a sweeping upward perspective

The atrium, which unites the horizontal and vertical visual axes, has becomes the store's new nucleus and central orientation point. The ceilings of the individual levels are rounded and "rolled" upwards. In this way, the atrium expands up towards the retail levels, appearing larger and more open than the atrium in its previous incarnation. The atrium and retail areas seem to melt together, bringing the individual levels into a mutual dialogue and making the store into a special continuum.

This effect is supported by the lighting and materials strategy:
Both the materials and the manner of material transitions within the individual levels are also present in the atrium (large perforated metal areas appear as if emerging from a white foundation). The light fixtures, placed freely on the ceilings of each level, cover the rounded bends of the atrium and the escalators, until they are transformed into light points vertically set in the perpendicular cladding of the central room.

Overall, the atrium appears light and dynamic – the relatively short individual storeys now appear lofty.

The new Gerngross!, image courtesy LOVE archi­tec­ture & urban­ism

4. The Interior

The retail areas of the new store are distributed like ice floes on each story. These floes are marked by a change in floor covering and ceiling material, thereby forming a star-shaped pattern of paths on both the ceiling and the floor.

In this way, the materials on the floor and ceiling facilitate orientation within the building. Paths and retail areas are explicitly marked and visible from afar:
Large perforated metal areas in the ceiling demarcate the retail areas. These areas form a multifunctional, highly flexible ceiling system and house the primary technical installations, security technology and product lighting.

In contrast, the network of paths is mirrored with a high-quality plasterboard ceiling. Both ceiling concepts flow in rounded edges up over the entire atrium. Together with the escalator panelling, this creates a unified effect that stretches across the entire interior of the Gerngross department store. The interior is then expanded through resting station, sitting lounges and temporary displays.

The new Gerngross!, image courtesy LOVE archi­tec­ture & urban­ism

5. The Gerngross Facade

The facade of the new building forms the logical continuation of the interior: the ice-floe theme of the interior space continues on the new facade.

To this end, large-scale, amorphous colour fields were applied. Leaving some space in between, an ornamentally designed, semi-transparent white area was then attached. Together, these layers form a conglomerate of light and colour.

In the evening, this effect is reinforced by a lighting concept between the two layers of the facade. A large-scale white frame also emphasises some areas of the facade (e.g. main entrance, bay), thereby showing them off to their best possible advantage.

Due to the large scale of the facade, the entire building is harmonized, and the true size of the building is emphasised. Advertising media, such as logos and slide-in plates, have been aggregated and drastically reduced as compared to their former state.

The ornamental pattern was designed to ensure a continuous view from the building into the street space (50% free cross-section). Furthermore, the entire facade was thermally reengineered and technically modernised, so the ornamental pattern functions simultaneously as sun protection.

The new Gerngross!, image courtesy LOVE archi­tec­ture & urban­ism

6. The “Tilting Effect”

Depending on where they stand, viewers perceive the facade differently:
From a level viewing angle, it appears more like a white-ornamental field. As the viewing angle gets steeper, the background colour of the house comes more strongly into focus. This creates a tilting effect, which follows the passers-by.

The new Gerngross!, drawing courtesy LOVE archi­tec­ture & urban­ism

+ Project credits / data

Project: The new Gerngross!
Architect: LOVE architecture & urban­ism | http://www.love-home.com/
Location: Styria, Austria
Typology: Retail | Refurbishment

+ All images and drawings courtesy LOVE architecture

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