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Zaha Hadid Designs Two “Sculptural” Towers for Australia’s Gold Coast

Zaha Hadid has unveiled plans for two “sculptural” towers and a new privately-owned cultural precinct at Mariner’s Cove on Australia‘s . Commissioned by Sunland Group, the $600 million mixed-use project will include two 44-story residential towers, ground floor retail, a 69-suite boutique hotel and underground aquarium, along with an art gallery, museum and outdoor sculptural gardens. Continue reading "Zaha Hadid Designs Two “Sculptural” Towers for Australia’s Gold Coast"
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Huge Fire Damages Basilica of Saint-Donatien in Nantes

The Basilica of Saint-Donatien in Nantes has been significantly damaged by a huge . As reported by the BBC, the fire started at around 10:30 am local time, and is believed to have broken out on the roof of the building in connection with waterproofing work. Continue reading "Huge Fire Damages Basilica of Saint-Donatien in Nantes"
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How EPM Group Is Reclaiming Medellín’s Infrastructure as Public Space

With a high-density population and a history of internal armed conflict, the city of Medellín in Colombia lacked substantial , but had an overwhelming amount of industrial infrastructure in place. But as profiled by The Architectural Review, recently architects and urban planners of the EPM group saw this imbalance as an opportunity, and so in the uninhabited patches of land surrounding over one hundred fenced industrial lots, the UVA or Unidades de Vida Articulada (Units of Articulated Life) program was born. Including initiatives to build public classrooms, launderettes and cafés, the UVA projects were conceived together with the local population through a series of workshops, where every resident was invited to express their vision for the new public square through writing and drawing. Medellín, existing at the convergence of several hills, provides a wide variety of unique landscapes for architects to experiment on - and through the UVA projects, EPM Group demonstrates how architecture can empower a community from the first day of . Read more about how this project will continue to instigate positive change at The Architectural Review. Continue reading "How EPM Group Is Reclaiming Medellín’s Infrastructure as Public Space"
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Thomas Heatherwick on People, Plants, Buses and Buildings

In an exclusive hour-long interview with British designer Thomas Heatherwick, Monocle’s Andrew Tuck discusses building a business in the world of design and , the process behind revamping the iconic red  bus, and the inspiration behind placing people – and plants – at the heart of the River Thames. Heatherwick leads London-based Heatherwick Studio, known recently for completing a distillery in England and a learning hub in central Singapore, are currently collaborating with BIG on the new Google Campus in San Francisco. They were recently placed in the top ten most innovative architectural practices by FastCompany. Listen to the interview in full below: Continue reading "Thomas Heatherwick on People, Plants, Buses and Buildings"
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Toronto’s Design Exchange Unveils Its Latest Exhibition: “3DXL”

Despite being at the forefront of digital fabrication technology, 3D printing is still shrouded in mystery, something which the (DX) hopes to change with its most recent exhibition, “3DXL” in Toronto. Curated by the director of DX, Sara Nickleson, 3DXL brings together 3D printing projects from across fields, including work from medicine, design and architecture. As the name suggests, the exhibit presents 3D printing on a scale not normally observed by the public. In particular, the exhibit addresses the role 3D printing will play in the future of architecture, and how it may begin to replace more traditional architectural construction. Continue reading "Toronto’s Design Exchange Unveils Its Latest Exhibition: “3DXL”"
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Salt & Water Design Floating Hotel with Catamaran-Apartments

A winner of the Millennium Yacht Design Awards, Salt & Water‘s concept for a Floating  aims to introduce tourism onto inland waters without disrupting the natural harmony of its surroundings. Their design consists of two parts: a central floating body and separate apartment units. Learn more about the Floating Hotel after the break. Continue reading "Salt & Water Design Floating Hotel with Catamaran-Apartments"
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Barberio Colella ARC’s Lanterns Sea Village Proposes Non-Invasive Ocean Dwellings for Surfers

Too often, architects and designers treat nature as separate from humans or human creations. Nature is fought, or protected, or considered as something to accommodate for through a retroactive checklist. In contrast, Barberio Colella ARC‘s Lanterns Sea Village is a conceptual plan to create short-stay housing that integrates natural systems with people and buildings. The team behind the project, Micaela Colella and Maurizio Barberio, designed the small residences to approach housing from a more adaptive perspective.

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Spotlight: Emilio Ambasz

As early as the 1970s, Emilio Ambasz (born 13 June 1943) initiated a discussion on sustainability through his work with green spaces and buildings which is arguably more important today than ever, and contributed to theoretical and design discourse outside of architecture through his wide variety of interest and career pursuits. Ambasz’s work has crossed several disciplines; he has been a curator, a professor, an industrial designer, and an architect, and is highly regarded in all of these varied pursuits. Continue reading "Spotlight: Emilio Ambasz"
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Richard Meier Tops Out on Florida Beach “Surf Club”

Richard Meier & Partners has topped out on their Four Season’s expansion to the historic Russell Pancoast-designed “Surf Club” in Florida. Scheduled to complete next year, the luxury hospitality and residential project is comprised of two, 12-story towers, offering 150 private units, alongside an 80-room hotel on 9-acres of Surfside oceanfront property. Read on for more in-progress images. You can learn more about the project, here. Continue reading "Richard Meier Tops Out on Florida Beach “Surf Club”"
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Büro Ole Scheeren Unveils the “Future of Vertical Housing” in Vancouver

Büro Ole Scheeren has envisioned a “future vision for vertical living.” Designed to serve as an “urban pivot” on one of Vancouver‘s main avenues, 1500 West Georgia Street, the multifaceted tower features a system of vertically shifted apartment modules and outdoor terraces that branch out horizontally to “engage the space of the city and activate ’s waterfront skyline.” “Vancouver possesses a unique balance of urban conditions surrounded by spectacular nature that provides fertile ground for envisioning new possibilities for future living in a cosmopolitan and environmentally-friendly city” says Ole Scheeren. “The design for this building exemplifies our ambition to reconnect architecture with the natural and civic environment and go beyond the hermetic confines of towers that increasingly inscribe our lives.” Continue reading "Büro Ole Scheeren Unveils the “Future of Vertical Housing” in Vancouver"
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COOKFOX Begins Construction on the Neeson Cripps Academy in Cambodia

COOKFOX Architects has recently begun construction on The Neeson Cripps Academy, a high-tech and sustainable school to be built in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, as a gift from Velcro Companies to the Cambodian Children’s Fund. The school, named for Cambodian Children’s Fund founder Scott Neeson and former Velcro Companies Chairman Robert Cripps, will employ multiple sustainable building practices, including water and energy efficiency via natural lighting, integrated solar shading, low energy lighting, and low flow water fixtures. An energy recovery system will further work to improve air quality inside classrooms by filtering outdoor air into the interior of the building, and on-site photovoltaic cells will provide a portion of the school’s energy needs. Continue reading "COOKFOX Begins Construction on the Neeson Cripps Academy in Cambodia"
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Monocle 24′s ‘The Urbanist’ Reports from the 2015 Congress of the Academy of Urbanism

For this edition of The Urbanist, Monocle 24′s weekly “guide to making better cities,” the team visited the annual congress of the Academy of Urbanism to discuss how happiness and wellbeing can be achieved on the urban level. In this show Andrew Tuck and his correspondents spoke to architects, planners, designers and urbanists in an attempt to ascertain what makes a ‘social city’ for ‘social animals’, and which metropolises from around the world offer lessons that we can learn from. Continue reading "Monocle 24′s ‘The Urbanist’ Reports from the 2015 Congress of the Academy of Urbanism"
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Gallery: Assemble’s Brutalist Playground Opens at RIBA

An exploration of “post-war design for play,” The Brutalist Playground by Assemble and artist Simon Terrill has opened to the public at RIBA‘s Architecture Gallery. The immersive draws on a number of historic London estates - Churchill Gardens, Pimlico; the Brunel Estate, Paddington and the Brownfield Estate in Poplar - where playgrounds were once made from concrete and cast into sculptural forms to offer children an abstract landscape for play. Now deemed unsafe, these playgrounds no longer exist. Thus, The Brutalist Playground was envisaged to explore play, “the Brutalist way.” Images of the complete installation, after the break.

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Foster, Nouvel and Koolhaas Compete to Design Perth’s WA Museum

Norman Foster, Jean Nouvel and Rem Koolhaas are competing to design the new Western Australian Museum (WA Museum) in the Perth Cultural Center. As The West Australian reports, the leading architects are part of three shortlisted consortiums being considered to develop the new $428 million project. Each team is currently working with the government on their proposals. A team is expected to be announced later this year. The museum is slated to open in 2020. The complete list of the shortlisted teams include… Continue reading "Foster, Nouvel and Koolhaas Compete to Design Perth’s WA Museum"
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Foster + Partners Win Planning for Yuexiu International Financial City in Wuhan

Foster + Partners has won planning permission to realize the new Yuexiu International Financial City in Wuhan. Sited near Jingwu Road, once famous for its street vendors, the 147,000 square-meter masterplan aims regenerate the city’s core by becoming a “walkable, highly permeable” new district that is seamlessly integrated into the surrounding context. “Our aim has been to create a new urban model for – a unique and exciting new destination, with a sustainable mixture of commercial and residential uses, but which feels familiar and of its place. Rather than create an enclosed ‘city within a city’, we have stitched this new quarter into the surrounding streets. It will have a distinctive new identity, but one that is inspired by local architecture, history and culture,” says Luke Fox, Senior Executive Partner, Studio Head of . Continue reading "Foster + Partners Win Planning for Yuexiu International Financial City in Wuhan"
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Matter Design’s “Helix” Stair Takes Concrete to the Next Level

Exhibited as part of the Boston Design Biennial in 2013, Matter Design‘s Helix is a concrete spiral staircase that is full of surprises. Chief among these is its size - the stair was built at half-size to address the practical issues of weight, liability and access - but more important are the details of its assembly. While the steps of most spiral staircases are supported from either the stair’s perimeter or a central column, Helix transfers loads directly through the steps below to its base which, rather than resting on the floor as it appears, is in fact suspended from a beam in the ceiling.

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Norman Foster Honored with Louis Kahn Memorial Award

Norman Foster has been awarded the Louis Kahn Memorial Award, an annual award that was established in 1983 to recognize “excellence in architecture” in honor of one of Philadelphia’s most influential architects. “I am deeply honored to receive this award, particularly as I studied for my master’s degree at Kahn’s Yale University Art Gallery in 1961,” said Foster. “I have been hugely influenced by his work, which is still as fresh today as it was then. I was privileged to meet Louis Kahn at the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture and to later teach there.” Continue reading "Norman Foster Honored with Louis Kahn Memorial Award"
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Carsten Höller’s “Decision” (Including the 4-Story-High “Isometric Slides”) Opens at London’s Hayward Gallery

Today, London‘s Hayward Gallery at the Southbank Centre has opened a major exhibition of the work of Carsten Höller, the artist who is best-known for playfully inserting his slide installations into major galleries worldwide. Titled Carsten Höller Decision, the exhibition features works from throughout Höller’s career, as well as a number of new works created especially for the show - not least Isometric Slides, his latest slide installation that gives gallery visitors the option of leaving the exhibition at speed from the ’s pyramidal roof lights.

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Espacios de Paz 2015: 5 Cities, 5 Communities, 20 Architecture Collectives

Between Sunday, May 17 and Monday, May 18 projects developed under the second phase of Espacios de Paz (Spaces of Peace) were inaugurated in five cities across Venezuela. A genuine exercise in participative design, 20 Latin American architecture groups worked for five weeks with communities in neighborhoods dominated by violence, high dropout rates and crime to convert deteriorated and abandoned spaces into public places of peace. For each project, four groups of young architects worked together to carry out a process of dialogue, research, design, and ultimately the construction of either an athletic, social or facility to be administrated by the local community. Espacios de Paz is coordinated by the local office of PICO Estudio, with guidance from public institutions and under the leadership of Isis Ochoa, the High Presidential Commissioner for Peace and Life. ArchDaily en Español Editors, Nicolás Valencia M. and José Tomás Franco, were invited by PICO Estudio to document and view the five projects in their final phase of construction and speak with the architects and community representatives about the development of the projects and some of the challenges faced in the process. Learn more about each of the five projects after the break. Continue reading "Espacios de Paz 2015: 5 Cities, 5 Communities, 20 Architecture Collectives"
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Thomas Heatherwick Unveils Design for Maggie’s Centre in Leeds

Maggie’s, the UK charity famed for its cancer care centers designed by world-renowned architects, has released a proposal for a new building designed by Heatherwick Studio. The new center is planned to be built on the grounds of the St James’ University Hospital in Leeds, and was submitted for planning permission this morning. The design consists of a series of stepped “planters” which aim to harness the therapeutic effect of plants for the benefit of the center’s users. The building’s public and private interior spaces are woven both in between these elements, and into the interior space of the planters themselves. Continue reading "Thomas Heatherwick Unveils Design for Maggie’s Centre in Leeds"