Architect: OTH, Ontwerpgroep Trude Hooykaas bv
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Iniciative Year: 1997
Start Construction Year: 2006
First half Completion: June 2007
Final Completion: November 2007
Project Team: Trude Hooykaas , Julian Wolse / Steven Reisinger, Gerald Lindner
Client: ING Real Estate Development Netherlands, Den Haag
Project Adviser: INBO Adviseurs Bouw, Woudenberg
Structural Engineer: Aronsohn raadgevende ingenieurs, Rotterdam
Contractor: Contractors combination M.J. de Nijs en Zn., Warmenhuizen / Bot Bouw, Amsterdam
Installations: Huygen Installatie adviseurs, Rotterdamm
Building Physics: Lichtveld, Buis & Partners BV, Nieuwegein
Project Management: Grontmij / Kats & Waalwijk, Gorinchem
Constructed Area: 12.500 sqm
Photography: Christiaan de Bruijne / Rob Hoekstra / Fotostudio FdW - Fedde de Weert / OTH

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Foster + Partners just finished the first tower in Amsterdam, at the Vivaldi-park area of the new Zuidas district, south of the city.

The 24-storey building is divided into two twelve metre-wide column free towers with open, flexible floor plates. The blocks are staggered in plan to admit as much natural light as possible, helping this tower to be ten per cent more efficient than the target Dutch environmental standards. Plus, it has a very nice looking lobby.
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There’s nothing more exciting for an architect than to shape the form of his own city with a new building. And that’s what Rem Koolhaas is about to do in Rotterdam with a large scale mixed use building. Also, a project developed for The Hague, also in the Netherlands, will start construction as of next year. Site visits will be closer to the central OMA headquarters this time.

First, we’ve got a 120.000m2 (30.000m2 for retail, 70.000m2 for office, residential, culture and leisure) mixed use building in the Rotterdam’s shopping district, the Coolsingel. This district is actually the true centre of Rotterdam, where the most important streets in Rotterdam merge (Coolsingel, Lijbaan, Binnenweg and Beurstraverse).

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Architects: MMBB Arquitetos
Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Architects in charge: Fernando de Mello Franco, Marta Moreira, Milton Braga
Project team: Marina Sabino, Márcia Terazaki, Marina Acayaba, Rodrigo Brancher, Thiago Rolemberg
Client: Iran do Espirito Santo
Project year: 2004-2005
Construction year: 2005-2006
Site Area: 500 sqm
Constructued Area: 435 sqm
Budget: US $425,000
Structural Engineer: Kurkdjian e Fruchtengarten Engenheiros Associados
Mechanical Engineer: Procion Engenharia
Interior Design: MMBB e Iran do Espírito Santo
Landscape: Iran do Espírito Santo & Ana Cintra
Fundaciones: Cepollina Engenheiros Consultores
Contractor: Bremenkamp Engenharia e Construção
Photographs: Nelson Kon

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Architect: Alberto Mozo
Collaborators: Francisca Cifuentes, Mauricio Leal, Luis Fernandez
Location: Suecia & Bilbao, Providencia, Santiago, Chile
Client: Nicolas Moens de Hase
Site Area: 1654 sqm
Constructed Area: 623 sqm
Project Year: 2006
Construction Year: 2007
Structure Ingeneer: Juan Lopez Ingeneers
Electric project: Gaston Villarroel
Services: Jaime Uribe
Structure: Arauco & Constructora Las Torcazas
Finishing: Constructora Cuatro Vientos
Materials: Laminated Wood, Pino Radiata, Glass
Photographs: Cristobal Palma

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Architects: CC Arquitectos
Location: Zamora Michoacán, México
Architect in charge: Manuel Cervantes C
Collaborators: Carlos Lozornio, Carlos Rodríguez, Omar Rojas
Landscape: Hugo Sánchez, Tonatiuh Martínez
Construction: CC Arquitectos
Construction year: 2006-2007
Site Area: 6,300 sqm
Constructed Area: 3,200 sqm

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Foster + Partners just informed us that the new Willis headquarters at Lime Street in London is complete. As usual, the firm lead by Sir Norman Foster developed a urban piece that integrates with the city at street level and features environmental strategies to reduce its energy consumption and carbon footprint.

This two buildings are developed as a series of overlapping curved shells while its section is arranged in three steps. The roof terraces overlooking the plaza on the lower two steps are directly accessible from the office spaces. Both buildings have a central core to provide open floor plates and maximum flexibility in use.

The entire development is visually unified by its highly reflective façade. The pressed form of the panels and their mica finish give them depth and texture. A dynamic effect is established through the interplay of solid and glazed panels arranged in a saw-tooth pattern, the fins also increase insulation while reducing glare
and solar gain.

Together with the highly efficient services equipment and systems in the building, the façade design is integral to the energy strategy, which is rated BREEAM Excellent. What surprised me is the parking capacity: 42 Cars, 88 motorcycles, 264 bicycles

According to Sir Norman Foster this building has come out of a very different design process, yet continues the practice’s commitment to developing humane, flexible and dynamic workplaces that are both informed by, and woven into, the urban fabric. Foster has some very interesting approaches when it comes to sustainable design and urban spaces. I recommend checking his presentation at DLD we posted last week.

And now, some pictures and facts.

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3LHD is a croatian office that has developed some interesting houses, sports facilities and urban projects. And now they just won the private competition for the Zamet sports and community centre in Rijeka, Croatia. Rijeka is an industrial harbour city on the Adriatic Sea and the new complex will provide it with a new civic hub for both business people and the general public.

From their press release:

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Realdania is a strategic foundation that initiates and supports built projects that improve the quality of life in Denmark. They are involved in aprox. 54 flagship projects, and now they are starting a mixed use building in Bryghusgrunden, one of the few undeveloped remaining areas of Copenhagen, Denmark with the potential to link the city to the waterfront. And guess who they choose for this project: OMA.

But what´s interesting in this project is the mixed of use. Housing, offices, public spaces and parking are put together with the Danish Architecture Center, with its own exhibition areas, research facilities, an auditorium, conference rooms, a bookstore and a café. It´s architecture meets one of it´s own key subject of study: mixed use.

Video, renders, plans and more info after the break.

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