Eric Oh

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Study Shows that Timber Buildings Cost Less to Build

A new study shows that timber buildings can be up to 10-15% cheaper to construct than traditional designs in several different building types. The study, “Commercial Building Costing Case Studies – Traditional Design versus Timber Project,” was led by Andrew Dunn, chief executive of the Timber Development Association (TDA) in Australia. Part of a seminar series touring Australia, the report contains detailed designs of four building types in both timber and conventional construction, with a quantity surveyor comparing cost estimates between them. See how timber compared to conventional methods after the break.

Open Call: Represent Estonia at the 2016 Venice Biennale

The Estonian Centre of Architecture has launched its two-stage public international curator competition to decide Estonia’s project at the next Venice Biennale. The first stage of the competition will close August 31, 2015, with three proposals moving onto a second stage and the winner being announced on November 10, 2015. Proposals are open to art theorists, art historians, architects, designers, interior designers, historians or curators of fields related to architecture. Entries must be in either Estonian or English and international entries are expected to include team members familiar with Estonian architecture. Although the general theme of the 15th Venice Biennale has not been revealed yet the proposal should reflect current global issues and important aspects of the ideas and practice of modern Estonian architecture.

San Diego's Idea District Takes the Best of Urban Planning and Puts It in One Place

A group of architects, designers and urban planners are working together in San Diego's Upper East Village to produce the Idea District. Started over four years ago, the project was introduced by Pete Garcia and David Malmuth as a way of revitalizing the area and creating a place for the convergence of innovative people. The Idea District, comprising an area surrounded by 11th St, C Street, Market St and Interstate-5, was originally an undeveloped parcel of land, “the last of its kind” in San Diego. Creators began gathering, seeing this no-man’s land as an opportunity to develop good urban planning.

Bortolotto Unveils Design for Rosalie Sharp Pavilion in Toronto

The Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD U) has commissioned Toronto firm Bortolotto to transform the university’s main office building into the Rosalie Sharp Pavilion. The office will be wrapped in a technologically-responsive layer, transforming it into a multi-use, student work and exhibition space and transforming the corner of Dundas and McCaul streets into an interactive gateway for the campus.

Sung Jang Creates Modular Pieces for “This is Not a Duet” Exhibit in New York

Currently on display at the Chamber in New York, Sung Jang’s “Mobi” is the investigation of transforming a modular, buttress-like element into “the human perception of beauty.” Mobi is part of Chamber’s latest exhibit, “This is Not a Duet,” curated by Maria Cristina Didero and Juan Garcia Mosqueda, and which showcases the oppositional work of two artists. Sung's Mobi is complimented by Gala Fernandez Montero's “Caro Ettore.”

How the “Moladi” System is Making Affordable Housing More Accessible in South Africa

Design Indaba, in collaboration with the C-City Design Museum in Kerkrade, the Netherlands, has selected Hennie Botes’ “Moladi” for their new exhibit: “Design For A Better World | Innovations For People.” The exhibit aims to raise awareness of the significance of design by selecting projects relevant to current issues worldwide. Based out of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Moladi has provided a solution to the problem of affordable housing since 1986.

Learn more about the construction system and its benefits for affordable housing projects after the break. 

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Gallery: Mystical Photos of an Abandoned Chinese Village

Traces of human life lingering behind, forms carving their way through the land and sky, objects left in disuse and air that seems frozen in time -- whether morbid or sublime, abandoned buildings and settlements are an object of fascination and intrigue to architects and non-architects alike. As Shanghai-based photographer Jane Qing's photos of an abandoned village on Gouqi Island in China demonstrate, there is a rare kind of beauty to be found in the left-behind and the neglected.

See more photos after the break.

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 Design Exchange (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.

Salt & Water Design Floating Hotel with Catamaran-Apartments

A winner of the Millennium Yacht Design Awards, Salt & Water's concept for a Floating Hotel 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 catamaran apartment units.

Learn more about the Floating Hotel after the break.

MenoMenoPiu Proposes a Circular Form for the House of Hungarian Music

Envisioning the House of Hungarian Music as the new center of distribution within Liget Park, MenoMenoPiu Architects proposed a circular form for the concert hall, facilitating circulation to and from the museum and within the park. Although not the final winner of the Liget-Budapest Competition, “The Circle” demonstrates an interesting organizational strategy and perspective on sound.

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Archibeans Comic Grants a Light-Hearted Glimpse into Life as an Architecture Student

Archibeans Comic Grants a Light-Hearted Glimpse into Life as an Architecture Student - Featured Image
Courtesy of The Angry Architect

Born from the collaboration of illustrator EvilHairDay and blogger The Angry Architect, Archibeans is a look into the daily trials of architecture students with a touch of humor. Whether it's all-nighters, overdoses of caffeine, random bursts of inspiration or crushing final reviews, Archibeans shows that we’ve all been there and offers a laugh at our own expense.

A2M, Jaspers-Eyers Architects and BAG Design Eco-Neighborhood for Belgium

Association Bureau A2M, Jaspers-Eyers Architects and Bureau d’Architecture Greish's (BAG) proposal for an “eco-neighborhood” in Liège, Belgium, has been unanimously selected by a jury in a competition to design a mixed-use real-estate project. Dubbed “Paradis Express,” the design incorporates offices, housing and local shops and will occupy a 35,000m2 site located along a future esplanade across from Guillemins station, and next to the new Finance Tower. The competition was held by Fedimmo, in consultation with the city of Liège and the Walloon Region.

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The Psychology of Skyscrapers: Is Bigger Always Better?

Nothing is more iconic of progress than the skyscraper - but as developers continue to build up, it begs the question: what effect does higher living have on our mental health? Taking opinions from authors, architects, engineers and residences of high-rise apartments, Fast Company reports on the pros and cons of the vertical obsession of the 21st century. Comparing the liberation offered by the Hancock building and the failure of the Pruitt-Igoe project, the article looks at how living at high altitudes may change the way that we socialize and perceive space. Read the full article, “The Psychology of Skyscrapers,” and decide for yourself whether this trend of growing buildings is a good or bad thing.

6 Finalists Announced for ULI’s 2015 Urban Open Space Award

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) has selected six finalists for the 2015 Urban Open Space Award competition, which recognizes public spaces that benefit and revitalize their surrounding communities. This was the first year that ULI expanded the program to include global submissions.

“The submissions from this year are representative of how quality urban open space has become more than just an amenity for cities,” said jury chair Michael Covarrubias. “The international diversity of the projects is reflective of how developers continually work to meet global demand by the public for the inclusion of healthy places in cities.” See all of the finalists after the break.

French Wine Civilizations Museum / XTU Architects

The Bordeaux Wine Museum’s wooden structure has been completed, the first step in an ambitious project slated to open in 2016. Designed by XTU Architects, and situated along the coast of the river Garonne in Bordeaux, France, the museum aims to stand as a beacon and “guardian angel” against the skyline of the riverbank. Inspired by the timeless spirit of French wine, the building forms flow in a continuous space without corners, evoking the circular motion that awakens a wine before tasting.

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Gottlieb Paludan Architects Awarded Scandinavia’s Largest Architecture Prize

The 2015 Nykredit Architecture Prize has been awarded to Gottlieb Paludan Architects (GPA) for their contribution to the design of public utility and industrial buildings. Founded by the Nykredit Foundation, the 500,000-DKK prize has become Scandinavia’s foremost architectural award, with past winners including Jørn Utzon, Bjarke Ingels and CEBRA.

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Mayer/Reed, Snøhetta and DIALOG Selected to Design Oregon's Willamette Falls Riverwalk

For the first time in 100 years, Oregon’s Willamette Falls will open to the public, with a Riverwalk proposed by Mayer/Reed, Snøhetta and DIALOG. The second largest waterfall in the US, Willamette Falls has a diverse history, and the proposed design seeks to celebrate and amplify the power of the falls, weaving the pedestrian through its rich cultural and geological history.

The final destination of many west-bound pioneers on the Oregon Trail during the 1800s, the falls also served as a gathering spot and source of fish for Native Americans. During the 19th and 20th century, it was an industrial powerhouse, accommodating woolen, lumber, flour and paper mills, and a brick making operation. Yet after the bankruptcy of the Blue Heron Paper Mill, the site has been inhospitable to the public, haunted by empty industrial buildings.