AA DLab experiments thoroughly on the possibilities of digital design tools and rapid prototyping techniques as highly integrated systems of design development. It is an intensive computation and fabrication oriented workshop that is structured around a general theme in each consecutive edition.

Starting from 2012, DLab will be launched as a series where one of the most potent vehicles for emphasis in architecture, color, will take a twist and exist beyond the field of visual compositions and sensations, becoming the common denominator for the generation of diverse computational proposals. In 2012, DLab takes on the color of Green as the shade of meaning and the design vessel for a number of rigorous experiments carried out using algorithmic design methodologies and digital fabrication techniques.  Associated with the concepts of regeneration, emergence, and growth through its broad existence in nature, Green will serve as the inspiration for observing natural and biological structures of differing scales, followed by their abstraction and interpretation into elaborated design proposals. In this setup, Green surpasses being a representational/graphic instrument and stimulates creative processes of meaning, interpretation, and realization.

2/3 of the world population have no link to professional architecture, it means 4.400.000.000 of people has not relation with academic knowledge of architecture. This book tries to explain how this knowledge can come to everywhere of our planet and how it can support to improve the lack of quality of life for natural disasters or social conflicts of millions of human beings.

Pegasus Global Holdings, LLC, a private international technology development firm, has announced plans to build a new billon-plus dollar city capable housing 35,000 people Lea County, New Mexico. However, no one will live there. The vacant city will be a full-scale, fully functional test city, dedicated to enabling and facilitating the commercialization of new and emerging technologies. Looking for a place to test out that self-driving truck? Look no further. The Center for Innovation, Testing and Evaluation (CITE) will provide 15-square-miles of resident-free cityscape in the middle of the New Mexico’s Chihuahuan Desert.

Continue after the break to learn more about CITE.

The Nardini Grappa Distillary was completed in 2004, designed by Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas in Bassano del Grappa, Vicenza, Italy – the first impressions of the complex are two otherworldly inflated disks hover over a pool of water. Supported on stilts, the glass and steel envelope reflects the water below. Visitors stroll over paths that criss cross over the pool. A descending ramp leads into the 100-seat auditorium below, forming a natural canyon. Underwater lights illuminate the surface, creating a shimmer across the grounds of the distillery and reflected in the floating volumes above.

Come back after the break for more.

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The design for the Qingdao Master Plan, designed by HAO/Holm Architecture Office + Archiland, seeks to further develop and expand the existing elements of the city. Situated within the city of Qingdao and conveniently located five minutes from the airport, the site is divided into three main areas. To take advantage of this, the design takes its starting point around a sunken cultural path that leads visitors through the entire programmatic experience of the new master plan. More images and architects’ description after the break.

London-based architecture practice, Jump Studios, recently completed the interior of a submarine for the first ever Guinness deep-sea bar, which recently plunged the depths of the Baltic in the Stockholm Archipelago. Jump was asked to create an interior for the vessel (fitting a space approximately 11m2) that reflected the Guinness brand statement ‘Alive Inside’. And the solution was a fluid concept, constructed from GRP (glass reinforced plastic), that captures the feeling of being ‘immersed in a dynamic, flowing experience’. More images and architects’ description after the break.

The winners of the Wienerberger Brick Award 2012 have been announced at a ceremony in Vienna’s City Hall. Five international architects were awarded for their outstanding work, for projects using brick as a construction material. The five-person jury chose South African architect Peter Rich as grand prize winner and winner of the category “Special Solution with Brick” for the Mapungubwe Interpretation Center in South Africa. Additionally, the accompanying book “Brick’12” features the award-winning buildings as well as the 45 other nominated projects from 28 countries and five continents, presented by renowned architecture writers from around the world. More images and information on the awards after the break.

General Manifold is an immersive architectural environment installed in the abandoned Federal Screw Works factory complex in Chelsea, Michigan. This installation was the centerpiece of a collective exhibition organized by the architectural collaborative Spatial Ops and students from their Meta Friche research seminar at Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning.

Continue after the break for images and the architect’ project description.

PBS has released their selections of the top ten buildings that have changed the way Americans live, work and play. From Thomas Jefferson’s 224-year-old Virginia State Capitol to Robert Ventui’s postmodern masterpiece the Vanna Venturi House, each building on the list will be featured in a new TV and web production coming to PBS in 2013. Continue after the break to view the top ten influential buildings and let us know your thoughts!

The design of the new Swiss Embassy in Yaoundé, designed by Matteo Cainer Architects, pays tribute to its renewed presence in the Cameroon and a respect for the uniqueness of the site. The resulting proposal is an elegant ensemble that encapsulates the identity and self-image of the Swiss people and their values. The calm external simplicity of the proposal conceals an inner complexity while achieving a sustainable design, which was another key in the process. More images and architects’ description after the break.

The design proposal for the New Bauhaus Museum by Pedro Monteiro, Rodrigo Cruz, and Sérgio Silva establishes a volumetric relation with the Gauforum in regard to its location. The first thing you see is a tower of light. It leads the way. As you walk along the narrow line of Oskar Schlemmer’s logo, you are entering Bauhaus. As it gains depth, the two-dimensional design of the logo becomes a geometrical stone sculpture. Its occupation defines its architecture. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Mecanoo Architecten shared with us their design for the Rio 2016 Olympic Park, which will be the heart of the games. It was important to the architects to change the current paradigm, which opposes the real state logics to the public space quality, to a new one focused on the city’s sustainable development. Subdivided in programmatic bands in the direction north-south, the design is separated from each other by streets for cars and pedestrians. Therefore, this structure will determine the public character of the Olympic and Para-olympic Park, making it a vital part of the city, with lively public spaces and mixed-uses instead of a sectorized, monofunctional area. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Vivace Music, an elegant, high-end recording studio, has debuted in the heart of Montevideo, the ¨Switzerland¨ of Latin America. Acoustically superb, and aesthetically unique, studio details are highlighted by rare wood elements such as doors, window trim, flooring and custom furniture built with recycled wood acquired from ancient wooden casks originally used for the leather tanning industry, (one the multiple activities of studio co-owner Luis Cesio). Designed by Walters-Storyk Design Group to accommodate the full spectrum of Latin, jazz, pop, rock and world music production, Vivace establishes a new standard of high-quality audio production for South America. More images and their description after the break.

Written for students and practitioners in the fields of architecture and interior design, our new Architecture Brief Sustainable Design provides a concise overview of all the techniques available for reducing the energy footprint of structures and spaces. With clear, simple language and a practical “can-do” approach, author David Bergman covers everything from the profession’s ethical responsibility, to design structures and spaces that sustain our natural resources, to specific considerations such as rainwater harvesting, graywater recycling, passive heating techniques, solar orientation, green roofs, wind energy, daylighting, indoor air quality, material evaluation and specification, and how to work with green building certification programs.

A report released by the Center for an Urban Future has positioned New York City as the fastest growing tech sector in the country, outpacing Boston to become the U.S.’s Tech Hub (only behind Silicon Valley).

Its rapid growth – a 28.7% increase of tech-related jobs in five years and a 32% increase in venture capital deals (compare that to the national average of -11%) – has been attributed to the diversification of its startup tech companies, focused not on creating new technologies, but on providing technological solutions to existing industries.

However (as we noted earlier this week in “The Next Silicon Valley(s)“) there is another “key” factor to the city’s burgeoning innovation and entrepreneur scene – the city itself.

Read More on how New York City’s Urban lay-out is encouraging its technological boom, after the break.

Two weeks ago, we reported that Zaha Hadid Architects famed Maxxi Museum may face closure, as the high-profile museum was placed under special administration after the government uncovered a €800,000 hole in Maxxi’s 2011 accounts. With major budget cuts in cultural funding slashing the museum’s €11 million budget to less than €2 million for 2012, the future of the Maxxi remains unknown. However, as reported on BD Online, Maxxi president Pio Baldi has resigned and Italian architect Antonia Pasqua Recchia has been appointed to take his place.

Recchia has announced that she will to do everything possible to keep the Maxxi afloat and preserve the museum’s prestigious reputation on the international stage. She plans seek corporate sponsorship and private funding to make up lost funds and save the museum from closure.

As we announced earlier, the Trust for the National Mall has selected the New York-based Rogers Marvel Architects and California based-PWP Landscape Architecture to re-envision Constitution Gardens in Washington DC. This team was one of three winning teams selected to redesign three neglected sites on the National Mall. The winning design for the Constitution Gardens proposes to bring renewed identity to this often overlooked part of the National Mall by building on the legacy of the original 1970s plan and creating a lush landscape of rolling hills, gardens and forests with a pavilion overlooking the lake.

Continue reading for more images, video and the architects’ press release.

The Innovation By Design Awards, put on by Fast Company, offers entrants an unmatched opportunity to reach entrepreneurs and executives looking to find fresh talent. Finalists and winners will appear in print and on the web at Fast Company’s Co.Design. Winners will be announced at a gala in New York City on Tuesday, October 16. Entries will be judged on their business impact, beauty, originality, functionality, social impact, and depth of user insight–six necessary ingredients for any great innovation. Submissions are due June 1. For more information, please visit here.

Earlier this week, Pratt Institute extended an invitation to the ArchDaily team to attend their 123rd commencement, celebrating the achievements of 1300 bachelor’s and master’s degree candidates at Radio City Music Hall. The event also marked a special day of recognition for four honorary degree recipients: artist/curator/critic Ai Weiwei, architect, engineer and artist Santiago Calatrava, patron on the arts and education Kathryn Chenault, and the Metropoitan Museum of Art’s longest-serving director Philippe de Montebello.

We were privileged to have an opportunity to congratulate Mr. Calatrava on his doctor of architecture degree, and pose ArchDaily’s traditional interview questions.   Mr. Calatrava’s contributions to the professions of architecture and engineering can be found scattered across the world, and bring a sense of dynamism that result from the merge between art and technology, expression and functionality.

Calatrava’s charm and good humor made for a friendly conversation that we hope you enjoy.

Taking place June 21-25 at Ajman University of Science & Technology, is a 5-day architectural workshop by the internationally renowned architect Tom Wiscombe. The title of the workshop is: “Nested Figures and Loose Outer Shells.” For more information and registration please contact workshop coordinator Dr. Jihad Awad: dr_jihadaa@yahoo.com, j.awad@ajman.ac.ae

Designed by Gartnerfuglen Arkitekter, the small shelter for ice fishing, titled ‘Noun.1 Unavailability’, is built with and by nature. The timber frame is foldable for easy relocation and storage, and is effortlessly put up anywhere by one (or two small) persons in 30 seconds. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Organized by RCR Arquitectes and the Bunka Foundation, this year’s course, which takes place August 4-31, offers the architectural point of view of RCR Arquitectes, with the architects’ monitoring of the projects produced in the workshop and guided tours throughout their built work. This course will be complemented with conferences given by prestigious guests combining architecture, landscape and other related issues (Josep Maria Montaner, Hisao Suzuki, Carme Pigem, amongst others). Participants will live an intense experience during one month in which creativity and humanism will trace the main axes of the course, in order to achieve a complete and high standard result and understanding of an architectural Project. More information after the break.

Designed by the Austrian architecture office soma for EXPO 2012, the Thematic Pavilion dubbed One Ocean will celebrate it’s grand opening tomorrow (May 11) in Yeosu, South-Korea. Since winning first prize in an open international competition in 2009, One Ocean has captured the attention of the international community with its gill-like kinetic façade and sustainable climate design.

Continue reading after the break for more images and information.