The conference will draw upon the expertise of recognized leaders to examine the ongoing efforts of government agencies, private enterprise, and civic organizations that have been engaged in the design, creation, and development of the World Trade Center site and the surrounding area of Lower Manhattan. More information after the break.
Richard Meier & Partners Architects has been awarded the American Architecture Award 2011 for Coffee Plaza in Hamburg, Germany. The American Architectural Awards is one of the most prestigious building awards program in the United States that honors “new and cutting-edge design”. This annual program is organized by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Center for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies to promote the best of new architecture and urban design.
The Coffee Plaza in Hamburg’s HafenCity is planned as a unique center for international coffee commerce and related lines of business. The project encompasses the design of the headquarters for one of the largest coffee trading companies worldwide and two office buildings with rentable areas as well as a public plaza and underground parking. The site is part of the ambitious new Master plan to redevelop Hamburg’s post-industrial port into a viable business, commercial and cultural center and is currently the largest urban development project in Europe. More after the break.
At ArchDaily, we’ve always supported the WIAfund and how they support women to become professionals and leaders in Architecture in America. That’s why we’re very happy to share this news with all our readers. Today is the day the WIAfund has been waiting for.
Studio Mode/modeLab is pleased to announce the upcoming modeLab Parametric Design Workshop in New York City over the weekend of August 20/21, 2011. In response to the overwhelming interest and success of last month’s workshop, modeLab will conduct one last Parametric Design Workshop this summer. The workshop will include a newly redeveloped curriculum and series of supporting lectures as a means to engage both the conceptual, as well as technical domains of applied parametric design.
The participants should take into consideration the advances in technology, the exploration of sustainable systems, and the establishment of new urban and architectural methods to solve economic, social, and cultural problems of the contemporary city including the scarcity of natural resources and infrastructure and the exponential increase of inhabitants, pollution, economic division, and unplanned urban sprawl. More information on the competition’s official website.
The “blanks” or “options” in the brief are deliberate, and the opportunity on offer to the entrants is that they can fill in the blanks in any way that they choose. For example you can decide the country, the climate and who the occupiers of this property are likely to be, along with what their needs and wishes for the garden might be. Some may see this as a home for a young family; others may see it as a home for adults only. You may want to make this a holiday home or something more permanent. Your imaginary clients may or may not be keen gardeners, they may or may not be big entertainers, but what you must assume is that whatever their preferences might be, they want to make the most of their garden. Making yourself the “virtual client” may be a way to go.
Marco Mazzotta shared with us this video, part of his thesis project based on cities changing. The short movie, titled “Consequences”, raises an interesting question at the end. Watch the video and share your thoughts with us!
Three museums and two large projects are part of the best from last week that you may have missed! Check them all after the break.
Teshima Art Museum / Ryue Nishizawa The Teshima Art Museum designed by Tokyo-based architect Ryue Nishizawa and Japanese artist Rei Naito opened in 2010 for the Setouchi International Art Festival that was held in the Takamatsu Port area of Japan. The open gallery space features 25cm thick concrete shell with two elliptical openings that are open to elements (read more…)
DesignByMany is a challenge based design technology community sponsored by HP and ArchDaily. Users post challenges to the community along with their design source files. The community can then post responses with their own source files to solve the challenge. They can also comment on the challenge and interact with other designers throughout the process.
Being that it’s summer time (at least for half of us) they decided to propose a more seasonal challenge. Whether you’re at the beach or in the desert, providing shade is an integral component of basic shelter and comfort. Traditional means of portable shading include umbrellas and beach tents, but they think there is an opportunity for a more contemporary design solution. A rapidly-deployable sun shade can provide quick, inexpensive, and temporary protection.
This challenge is to design a rapidly-deployable shade structure that could just as easily be deployed during a day at the beach or park, or while in a desert environment. More information and details after the break.
Gt_2P, a parametric design and digital fabrication studio shared with us their project ‘Til Til D.F.’, the result of a private licitation ordered by Dimanche Industrial Group. The main instruction was to develop a project with diverse uses in an open space, having as special consideration the mimecking between the buildings and its surroundings.
More images and complete architect’s description after the break.
Many great museums for our 8th selection, including an AD Classic, and even a Tree Museum! Check them all after the break.
New Acropolis Museum / Bernard Tschumi Architects Located in the historic of Makryianni district, the Museum stands less than 1,000 feet southeast of the Parthenon. The top-floor Parthenon Gallery offers a 360-degree panoramic view of the Acropolis and modern Athens. The Museum is entered from the Dionysios Areopagitou pedestrian street, which links it to the Acropolis and other key archeological sites in Athens (read more…)
Join A+D Museum and Moore Rubble Yudell Architects and Planners for a children’s workshop exploring the world of staircases. Children will work alongside professional architects to plan, design and build a staircase. Whether their models are sweeping and grand or sky-high and wild, ARkidECTs will gain hands-on experience in the world of a professional architect… stepping up to the design of their imaginations. Parents are welcome to join the fun!
The University of Oxford has received planning permission for a new £170M chemistry laboratory complex designed by Francis- Jones Morehen Thorp (FJMT). This follows a unanimous vote in favour of the scheme by Oxford City Council’s West Area Planning Committee where the scheme was described as one of the most striking new buildings in Oxford. More images and complete press release after the break.
This open ideas competition invites practicing architects, architecture students and designers to design an Academic Interchange for the University of Bremen, Germany. The Academic Interchange is envisioned as an incubator for interdisciplinary collaborations and international relations for academics at the university.
Elements that can also be composed into an “urban furniture” module with innovative functional and volumetric variations which will meet the needs and integrate the different possible functions required by citizens in their use of public space. True design objects, conceived for the cities of today and the foreseeable future.
