© d.teil

In June, we featured Steven Holl’s latest Horizontal Skyscraper which hovers above a landscaped park in Shenzhen, China. Matthias Wolff, an ArchDaily reader and also a contributor to our Flickr roundups, shared some of his photographs of Holl’s building with us.  Wolff, aka d.teil, shot these images at the complex’s opening this past December, when some of the complex’s components – such as the hotel – were still under construction.  Since the grounds are open to the public, the project will truly affect a large scope of people, both natives and visitors of the area.  Wolff’s photos provide a clear understanding of the building’s varying materiality, as well as its situation within the designed terrain. What do you think of Holl’s project?

Check out more photos after the break. read more »

© VOA Associates

Roosevelt University will soon feature a new vertical campus, courtesy of VOA Associates.  The existing campus layout makes it nearly impossible for the college to grow outwardly – so the only solution was to expand vertically. The 32 storey building is quite slim in profile, yet its wavy glass façade provides a distinguishing aesthetic touch.

More about the tower after the break. read more »

© NL Architects

NL Architects’ winning cultural stage proposal will activate the Port of Amsterdam as its unique configuration is suited for a variety of activities.   Situated on the Haparandada near the IJ River, the flexible and movable base will accommodate different forms of art such as film, fashion, sculpture, dance, etc.  “The versatility of the assignment is the ultimate challenge for Architecture: how can one single spatial given host all these functionalities in a credible way?” explained the architects.

More about the winning proposal after the break.

read more »

Southwest View © Trahan Architects

Trahan Architects have shared their plans to completely transform an existing Municipal Dock into a mixed-use development.   The dock is nestled between LSU and Downtown Baton Rouge – an emerging pedestrian thoroughfare that is full of potential for future public infrastructure developments – and Trahan’s vision will further activate the growing connection between these urban areas in Louisiana.

More images, great diagrams and more about the project after the break. read more »

© Plasma Studio

Plasma Studio’s newest project in China, a bold angular set of towers, speaks to the firm’s geometric obsession.  The project was recently awarded first prize in an invited competition in Datong, Shanxi province. The mix-use complex, measuring of 70,000 m2, will include a hotel in one tower and offices in the other. Running along a highly trafficked street, the towers create a strong presence along the streetscape and are pulled away just enough from the site’s edge to provide places for pedestrians and greenery.

More about the awarded project after the break. read more »

© Woods Bagot

Recently awarded first prize, Woods Bagot’s vision for the Shijiazhuang International Exhibition and Convention Center will be manifested in a sleek faceted glass tower that rises from smaller geometric exhibition halls.   The master plan is designed to uplift the city’s coastal area, which is currently underdeveloped, by attracting tourists and locals to the entire complex for different programmatic activities.

More images and more about the master plan after the break. read more »

© Courtesy of HAHN Design + Soo Ok Chai

Architect: HAHN Design / Hahn Joh
Location: Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea
Client: Jeonghun Oh
Design Team: HAHN Design (Hahn Joh/Deokjae Kim/Jinhyung Cho/Wonseok Kim/Sehee Lee) + NC Partners (Jongwon Seo)
Consultant: NC Partners(Struct.), Doul Int. Eng.(MEP)
General Contractor: Youngchun Construction
Site Area: 611.5 sqm
Building Area: 345.97 sqm
Total Foor Area: 1,269.63 sqm
Project Year: 2007-2009
Photographs: Courtesy of HAHN Design + Soo Ok Chai

read more »

© P+HS Architects

P+HS Architects’ yellow geometric commercial building was one of six designs short-listed for the international “36 The Calls” Design Competition.  The competition, which is overseen by the Architects Journal with developer Citu, challenged participants to design “an inspirational landmark” building on the north bank of the River Aire in Leeds, England, in a narrow slot where a parking lot currently sits.  Since this site is one of the very few waterfront properties left, it is imperative that the chosen design adhere to the competition’s requests for an iconic, creative and sustainable entity.

More about the short-listed design after the break. read more »

© NBBJ

The first phase of the Qingdao Water City development at Aoshan Bay, designed by the Los Angeles office of NBBJ, will include a new exposition center of 1,940,000 sf. As the ocean sits to one side of the site, and a wetland on the other, a strong emphasis has been placed on how the exposition is shaped by its interaction and proximity to the water.

More images and more about the exhibition hall after the break. read more »

SOM - Ezra Stoller © Esto

Once the tallest building in the world outside of New York when it was completed in 1970, the John Hancock Center stands along with the Willis (Sears) Tower and Mies’ 860-880 Lake Shore Drive residences as another glimmering landmark of the Chicago skyline. The 100-story skyscraper was designed by architect Bruce Graham and structural engineer Fazlur Khan of Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill and soars 1, 127-feet into the sky. It was the world’s first mixed-use high-rise, containing offices, restaurants, and the third highest residence in the world with approximately 700 condominiums.

More on the John Hancock Center after the break. read more »

© Erick van Egeraat

Erick van Egeraat’s 330,000 m2 proposal for the Dynamo Stadium in Moscow recently placed ahead of four international competitors.  Situated on a 116,000-m2 plot in Petrovsky Park, the competition site has been chosen by the Administration of the Stadium and VTB Bank to be developed in order to meet contemporary international requirements to support Russia’s bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.  Erick van Egeraat’s proposed “multifunctional urban regenerator” will feature a 45,000-seat Stadium Arena, a 10,000-seat Arena Hall, a Retail and Entertainment complex, restaurants, parking and other facilities.  With these various programmatic activities, the proposed design aims to provide a self sustaining model that will be activated continually throughout the day.

More about the awarded project and more images after the break.

read more »

Serero Architects shared with us the Saint-Hilaire Du-Harcouët Media Center, a 300-seat performance hall with a foyer, 4 art and music studios, 1 restaurant, a rehearsal hall, administrative offices and associated technical spaces. They received first prize in a restricted competition and it’s expected to be completed by 2012.

More images and architect’s description after the break. read more »

Axonometric © Konyk Architecture

We are loving the fact that as Field Operations and DS+R’s High Line keeps developing, new residential and commercial entities are following suite, popping up adjacent to the tracks, over the tracks, and even under the tracks.  And now, Konyk Architecture will join in the urban renewal which is unfolding in the Meat-Packing District with their new event space that will rest underneath the High Line adjacent to Neil Denari’s HL23 Condominium (previously featured on AD).

More about the winning event space after the break.

read more »

© JAJA

In our latest AD Futures, we introduced JAJA Architects, an up-and-coming Danish firm.  The backgrounds of the firm’s three principals (Norwegian, Danish, Japanese, Thai and Swiss) form an interesting design aesthetic, as their influences fuse together to make a strong statement.  The young firm recently won a competition  for a mix-use building in Denmark with their proposal entitled the Cornerstone – an office building that gives Vanløse a new visual anchor point and a place where people can meet to see the urban life unfold.

More about the winning design after the break. read more »

© Iwan Baan

Our friend and architecture photographer, Iwan Baan , just published on his website some of his recently shot images of Steven Holl’s Horizontal Skyscraper in Shenzhen, China .  The project is a long mixed-use complex which includes office spaces, apartments, a hotel and even a public landscape.  Baan’s photos illustrate Holl’s idea that the “building appears as if it were once floating on a higher sea that has now subsided; leaving the structure propped up high on eight legs.”

Complete photoset at Iwan’s website, more images and more about the project after the break. read more »

Designed by GENETO, a Japanese firm,the Ivy Building is quite complex to the effect that the program changes so frequently.  Although a small scale building, the programmatic needs shift from retail to office to residential, yet a wrapping staircase connects the fragment pieces into a whole.  ”We wanted to create a new type of building by combining different kinds of program and propose a building that is opened to the society,” explained the architects.

More about the Ivy Building after the break. read more »

© Andy Ryan - Steven Holl Architects

When Massachusetts Institute of Technology commissioned Steven Holl in 1999 to design a new a dormitory for the school they had one goal in sight: that the spaces around and within the building would stir up interaction among students. While MIT focused on the building’s use and function, Holl aimed to create a memorable building. With MIT’s vision in mind along with Holl’s artistic architectural ideas, the ten-story undergraduate dormitory became a small city in itself with balancing opposing architectural elements, such as solids and voids and opaqueness and transparency.

More on Simmons Hall after the break.

read more »

©3XN

3XN’s winning proposal for the new structure marking the entrance to Vällingby Parkstad in Stockholm, Sweden,  creates a close relation between work life, housing, and leisure. The building’s curved design embraces the area and the lively shaped balconies opens up the structure towards the surroundings thus raising the park up in the air. The dense city structure at the base adds activity at eye level and life thrives on active roof tops and flowering balconies. Construction is planned to begin in 2011.

More images after the break. read more »

© Julian Weyer

Architect: C. F. Møller Architects in collaboration with Christian Carlsen Arkitektfirma
Location: Løgten, Denmark
Landscape Architect: C. F. Møller Architects
Engineer: Niras
Client: Løgten Midt A/S
Size: 3000 m2 (silo conversion housing), 1500 m2 (mixed-use urban centre)
Year: 2004-2010
Photograph: Julian Weyer

read more »

Courtesy of XVSTUDIO

XVSTUDIO (Xavier Vilalta Studio) shared with us their Alpha Project, which won an international competition for a mixed-used development in Doha, Qatar.

More images and architect’s description after the break. read more »