The sky is round and the earth is square. The supreme manifestation of the universal dialectic is the sky and earth, paired as a couple. In between both, lies man.

This house inspires security and balance through its square form. Immersed in a round base, it inspires creativity and harmony from the sky. These two shapes -sky and earth- are present in the Chinese coin.

The main shape of the Chinese Coin House relates to prosperity. On both its sides, the Milky Way was expressed, utilizing the concept that irradiates prosperity.

All the house's measurements are based in the Golden Number (or Golden Ratio): number Phi (Fi) Phi: 1,618. This number is found in the geometrical distribution of patterns, such as sunflower seeds, a bee's body, even in the human body. Ancient Egyptians used this concept to build the pyramids. Ancient Greeks used it to build the Parthenon. Leonard da Vince applied it to his masterpiece: the Mona Lisa. The Eiffel Tower was also built under this same principle.

Many of the ancient cultures that accumulated a profound wisdom applied to the functioning of nature, gave a transcendental importance to location and to the way houses were built. Throughout centuries, observing the interaction between house and man led to the wise conclusion that our inner coherence, physical and mental health and our abundance and happiness depended on how our houses were built. There are several schools of thought that have recovered and restructured this wisdom.

When building a house today, it's no longer possible to ignore these factors. Some examples are determining a location site according to the earth's electromagnetic lines irradiating low intensity gamma rays; distributing interior spaces in a house, considering location of the four cardinal points, or using the golden number or ratio phi to establish the proportions of longitude, depth and volume (this measurement is needed to recreate spaces, giving its inhabitants stability and harmony). The Chinese Coin house was conceived considering all these principals, providing characteristics of an immeasurable value for the wellbeing of the family and guaranteeing the house is constituted as a real energetic battery. Some of them are:

• The location of the house sets the room's orientation in an open area, free of any negative effect that might be created by the crossing of electromagnetic lines, heightened when subterranean water currents meet.
• The harmonic traces of design follow the shapes and proportions of the sacred geometry, imitating perfection of the universe.
• The definition and location of the main door of the house guarantees that the chi, the vital energy, will be attracted inside, in a unequivocal and generous manner.
• The distribution of interior spaces of the household follow the order of bigger over smaller, establishing the dormitories, living room, kitchen and bathrooms, according to the four cardinal points.

+ Project facts

Total Floor Area: 350 m2
Lot Area: 1448.98 m2
Location: Country Club
City: Santa Cruz
Country: Bolivia

Collaborators:
Arch. Alejandra Stall
Arch. Martin Guerra
Arch. Marcelo Vargas
Arch. Bruna Schmidt
Arch. Carla Giménez
Arch. Silver cava

Photography:
Enrique Menacho

+ All images and drawings courtesy Juan Carlos Menacho Durán | photo by Enrique Menacho

eVolo Magazine is pleased to announce the winners of the 2013 Skyscraper Competition. The award was established in 2006 to recognize outstanding ideas for vertical living. Since then, the publication has received more than 5,000 projects that envision the future of building high. These ideas, through the novel use of technology, materials, programs, aesthetics, and spatial organizations, challenge the way we understand vertical architecture and its relationship with the natural and built environments.

In 2013, the Jury, formed by leaders of the architecture and design fields selected 3 winners and 24 honorable mentions. EVolo Magazine received 625 projects from all continents and 83 different countries. The winners were selected for their creativity, ingenuity, and understanding of dynamic and adaptive vertical communities.

The first place was awarded to Derek Pirozzi from the United States, for his project "Polar Umbrella". The proposal is a buoyant skyscraper that rebuilds the arctic ice caps by reducing the surface's heat gain and freezing ocean water. In addition, the super-structure is equipped with a desalinization plant and solar powered research facilities and eco-tourist attractions.

The recipients of the second place are Darius Maïkoff and Elodie Godo from France, for their "Phobia Skyscraper". The project seeks to revitalize an abandoned industrial area of Paris, France, through an ingenious system of prefabricated housing units. Its modularity allows for a differentiation of various programs and evolution in time.

The third place was awarded to Ting Xu and Yiming Chen from China, for their project "Light Park", a floating skyscraper that takes new development within large cities to the sky. The project allows for a continuous growth of the world's mega-cities by providing adequate infrastructure, housing, commercial, and recreational areas.

The honorable mentions include several projects that explore a sustainable urban future including a pH conditioner skyscraper that resembles a jellyfish and purifies polluted air or a volcano skyscraper that harvests geothermal energy. Some projects explore new frontiers such as a proposed network of skyscrapers in the stratosphere, a cluster of artificial islands that create the 7th continent in the Pacific Ocean, and nomad skyscrapers that terraform Mars.  Other honorable mentions include morphing structures and digital explorations among many more ideas that look into the future of our natural and built environments.

The members of the Jury are

• Vincent Callebaut [principal Vincent Callebaut Architectures]
• Giacomo Costa [visionary artist, author: The Chronicles of Time]
• Julien De Smedt [principal Julien De Smedt Architects - JDS]
• Hernan Diaz Alonso [principal Xefirotarch, Graduate Programs Chair at SCI-Arc]
• Mathias Hollwich [principal HWKN, founder Architizer]
• Ed Keller [principal aUm Studio, Associate Dean at Parsons New School of Design]
• Marc Kushner [principal HWKN, founder Architizer]
• Francois Roche [principal R&Sie(n) architecture, professor at GSAPP Columbia University]
• Roland Snooks [principal Kokkugia, professor at GSAPP Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania]
• Dongbai Song [winner 2012 Skyscraper Competition]
• Tuuli Sotamaa [principal Sotamaa Design, designer at Alessi]
• Kivi Sotamaa [principal Sotamaa Design, Director at Aalto Digital Design Laboratory, Professor at UCLA]
• Tom Wiscombe [principal Tom Wiscombe Design, professor at SCI-Arc]
• Hongchuan Zhao [winner 2012 Skyscraper Competition]
• Zhi Zheng [winner 2012 Skyscraper Competition]

To commemorate the award, eVolo published a collector's edition of its highly acclaimed book "eVolo Skyscrapers". The book is a two-volume, 1300-page set with the best 300 projects received since 2006. Only 150 copies are available worldwide.

+ All images courtesy eVolo

Elliott + Associates Architects recently has completed a headquarters office for an oil company (Kirkpatrick Oil Hennessey) in Oklahoma City, USA.

Site History:

The Kirkpatrick family began oil exploration in the 1920's when John Kirkpatrick's father-in-law, M.B. Blake, drilled their first well. John then founded Kirkpatrick Oil in 1950. Kirkpatrick Oil has been active in the Hennessey area for 60 years.

Fire:

At 6:30 pm, on October 1, 2007, a fire started and soon destroyed the I.0.0.F Hall, the American Legion Building and the Dinkler Drug Store Building. All were vintage 1910 and in the middle of Downtown Hennessey.

Project Goals:

In 2000 the town of Hennessey established a vision of the future and where it should be in 2010. The driving force behind the Hennessey 2010 initiative was to make improvements to downtown and the central community. Kirkpatrick Oil joined the initiative with a facility that is the centerpiece of the Main Street beautification plan.

Being involved with the Kirkpatrick Oil Company district office in Hennessey was one of those "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunities. First, you have the Kirkpatrick family history doing exploration in Hennessey for 60 years. Second, you have a small town where a fire destroys three important buildings in its heart. And finally, you have a client with the courage and vision to make something great. We took the idea of placing a modern building in downtown Hennessey as a serious responsibility. We had a responsibility to respond to the historic context and bring new energy to Main Street. We took inspiration from the historic 25' lot lines, the scale of the adjacent masonry, and the acknowledgement of the historic building height. For example, the brise soleil horizontal dimensions are 2 3/8" high to match the adjacent masonry as a way to tie the history and the 21st century together. We are overjoyed that the project has been embraced by the community to the point where the high school prom was held there the same year it was completed.

Architectural Concept:

Jewel Box on Main Street

The new building combines modern forms and materials with a sensitivity to the historic scale and proportion of the adjacent historic structures. The town of Hennessey has a rich history and this building represents a new and exciting evolution of Main Street. A highlight of the building is a sculpture by renowned artist, Nigel Hall, of the United Kingdom. The piece is titled “Crossing Oklahoma” and is 8' – 10" tall.

+ Project facts

Kirkpatrick Oil Hennessey
Hennessey, Oklahoma

Client: Kirkpatrick Oil Company
Completed: 2012
Scope: 9,400 s.f.
Cost: Confidential

Awards:
AIA Central States Region, Merit Award;
Chicago Athenaeum, American Architecture Award;
AIA Oklahoma, Honor Award;
AIA Central Oklahoma, Honor Award

Architect: Elliott + Associates Architects (www.e-a-a.com)
Project Team:
Rand Elliott, FAIA
Brian Berryhill, Assoc. AIA
Michael Shuck, Assoc. AIA

Photographer: Scott McDonald (www.hedrichblessing.com)

+ All images and drawings courtesy Elliott + Associates Architects