Photo by Shreyans Bhansali - http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebigdurian/

With nearly 23 million people, Shanghai is China’s biggest and most populous city. It is the financial and commercial capital of the country and a leading cultural center in Asia. Throughout the 1990′s and 2000′s the city underwent immense growth and redevelopment, thriving on international business. The futuristic and ambitious skyline of Pudong is the heart of Shanghai’s business district, and is growing swiftly with towering skyscrapers and an advanced urban environment. More pictures and information after the break.

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Courtesy of Venice CITYVISION Competition

The CITYVISION competition is an international ideas competition, which challenges architects, engineers, designers, students and creative individuals to develop visionary urban proposals with the intention of stimulating and supporting the contemporary city.  Through innovative ideas and methodologies, which can improve the connection between the historical, present and future city, CITYVISION aims to foster a critical evolution of architectural historiography. The host city for this round of entries was Venice, Italy.  Browse through the winning entries after the break. read more »

Courtesy of Bablowsky & Wlasenko Architects, Roman Pomazan and Peter Vlasenko

This competition entry for the redevelopment of the Kiev Edge Park’s infrastructure was submitted by architects Bablowsky & Wlasenko Architects, Roman Pomazan and Peter Vlasenko.  The main goal of this project was to define strategic lines of the Kiev Edge’s development for short- and a long-term performance.  It’s mission was to redefine and create a new connections between and inside the Edge along Kiev, Ukraine prominent River Dnepr.

Catch us after the break for more on this project. read more »

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De Architekten Cie., Jason Lee and Patrick Koschuch, has won the open international Kaohsiung Port Station Urban Design competition in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

The competition was initiated by the city government of Kaohsiung to transform the derelict site of the old railyards and port station from a barrier between two important areas of the city (the Hamasen and Yancheng districts), into a connective piece of the urban fabric. The stated ambitions by the client for the 15.42 hectare site are to highlight the cultural heritage of the site’s former function while introducing new programmes and building volume to accommodate city expansion. These twin objectives are to be achieved in a phaseable and highly sustainable manner. Since a large portion of the site and existing railway buildings are designated as historical monuments, the central challenge of the brief was to strike a balance between the desire for cultural preservation/revitalization, introducing new development onto the site, and establishing enough connections across site to transform the area from an urban barrier into an urban connector.

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Courtesy of Tomasz Ostafin, Krzysztof Pydo-Bytom & Stalowa Wola

Tomasz Ostafin, Krzysztof Pydo-Bytom and Stalowa Wola, with Silesian University of Technology, Poland, shared with us their Frosty Chimney Urban Park and Installation Project, which won the first prize for ‘Creating Space with Membrane’ competition.

The purpose of the contest was to give a concept that shows a search for new uses for diaphragms in urban public spaces. Participants were to find new and interesting ways of membranes and showing the diversity that one can establish with its aid.

A diaphragm is synthetic, subtle but flexible and heavy material, which is considered as the lightest material which allows us the evolution of space. Membrane structures are very specific. The nature of their work is directly linked to their form.

More images and architects’ description after the break.

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Courtesy of Barnabas Laris & Adam Vesztergom

Barnabas Laris and Adam Vesztergom, in collaboration with Borbala Gyure, Csenge Csontos, Nora Kohalmy and Mark Antal, recently won the first prize in the Main Square of Ujpalota competition for their project, ‘Urban Meadow.’ The forum or main square of Újpalota, which is the second largest micro district of Budapest, is situated exactly in the center of this residential area, at the junction of the main roads. Most inhabitants of this housing estate cross this square day after day. This town square, however, does not have a view which is framed by public buildings. Therefore, a new community building can achieve a remarkable public function as well as a space-forming effect, simultaneously placed moderately as its volume is more solid than the ones of the commercial buildings. More images and their description after the break. read more »

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Brothers Daniel and Maximilian Zielinski shared with us their winning proposal for the modernization of Paris in the Living City Design Competition. Organized by the International Living Future Institute, in partnership with The National Trust for Historic Preservation, Daniel and Max were given the challenge to visualize the transformation of existing towns in cities of the future by translating the highest standards of ecological fund included in the Living Building Challenge 2.0. Desired solutions were possible with existing technologies that could be applied in the near future. As a competition open to all, more than 80 teams addressing 69 cities from 21 countries submitted their ideas for the contest. More images and project description after the break. read more »

Courtesy of Jan Kudlicka

The research presented here was conducted by Jan Kudlicka, who spent the last year studying slum dwellings, known as “favelas,” in Brazil.   The breadth of the research delves into the living conditions that these urban and suburban developments create and the feasible ways in which their problems can be addressed through the regeneration of the spaces.  Jan Kudlicka studied the “little farm” of Rocinha in Rio de Janeiro, which is one of the largest slums in the city.

To find out more about the research click through after the break. read more »

courtesy of Mark Tyrrell Studio & Daniel Griffin

Sydney based Tyrrell Studio has collaborated with Daniel Griffin to create a first prize winning entry to the 2011 international design competition Ideas on Edge Parramatta. The competition received over 150 entries, 40% international and the remainder from around Australia. There were 3 equal winners. Images of the winning entry and a narrative from the architects after the break.
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Park form the south / © KCAP

KCAP Architects & Planners present their vision today for NEO Brussels, the redevelopment of the Heysel plateau, , to the political arena, the press and the public. The team, KCAP working together with advisors Arup and Fakton, won the international design competition in September 2010. The area is one of the most strategic locations in the Brussels Metropole Region. The design for NEO Brussels aims to strengthen the significance of the Heysel, and to qualify it within a framework for sustainable development. More images and complete press release after the break. read more »

Courtesy of Broadway Malyan

International architecture, urbanism and design practice Broadway Malyan has completed the design of a new super marina complex, following an international design competition staged by client Lusort, with the project forming a major part of the wider redevelopment of the outer harbor of the award-winning Marina de Vilamoura in Algarve, Portugal. More images and architects’ description after the break. read more »

Activity plaza in Asker Centre’s new loop

Asker Municipality in Norway continues its urban development towards a larger, more dynamic city centre. DARK, ADEPT and a consultant team have just won the international competition for city development and expansion of Asker Centre. Their project proposal “In the Loop” presents a unified, urban city for sports and social experiences. More images and complete press release after the break. read more »

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Designed by Chengdu Urban Design Research Center, the “Southern Island of Creativity” is the start-up phase land of the Eastern New Town which endeavors to develop creative industry and is one of the 13 strategic function zones of future Chengdu, China. The Eastern New Town consists of three “Islands” based on their varied topography. The southern one is located in hallow hills, which stands adjacent to the art village which came into being spontaneously. The design team for this project consisted of architects Liu Gang, Zhang Yang, Yu Jia, Lan Mi, and Xu Xin. More images and architects’ description after the break. read more »

Courtesy of AMA

By courageously connecting the design of the building with the territory, in constant dialogue with the urban texture, nature and its limits, Architetto Matteo Ascani (AMA) enhances the position of the new Beton Hala Waterfront Center within the city of Belgrade. Through their concept, the building becomes a mixed use area that blends culture, shopping and outdoor activities. Thanks to its strategic location served by the tram line, the Passenger river port and the main road Vojvode Bojovica Boulevard and Karadjordjeva a network of connections is created where the Beton Hala Waterfront Center is turned into an intermodal hub. More images and architects’ description after the break. read more »

Courtesy Dimos Moysiadis + Xaris Tsitsikas

Young Greek architects Dimos Moysiadis and Xaris Tsitsikas, have just shared their latest project, an architecture competition entry for the redesign of the central square in Kozani, Greece. The proposal is focusing on a redesign of the public space for hosting various social activities while composing an attractive pole for gathering people of all ages 24 hours a day. The proposed design philosophy was developed by considering the square as the kernel of social everyday life. For additional images and a brief description, follow after the break.
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Courtesy of Pero Vukovic & Branka Vukovic

Directed with respect for all views and spatial elements of the incredible energized given space, the concept for the Beton Hala Waterfront by Pero Vukovic, in collaboration with Branka Vukovic, becomes a zone of overlap of the two natural barriers, park/forest (Kalemegdan) and the rivers Sava and Danube, where a huge value of the area belongs to their confluence. More images and architects’ description after the break. read more »

Tête de Pont is a winning competition entry by Josep Lluís Mateo of Mateo Arquitectura that is a remodeling of the river Adour in Bayonne, France.  The solution of the design marks a new threshold for the approach to the old town that begins the process of urban renewal on the banks of Adour between the city center and the estuary.

Read on for more on this project after the break. read more »

Courtesy of SOMOS Arquitectos

Located in a new area of expansion in Orio, just north of the Cantabrian motorway that connected San Sebastian to Bilbao, the Auditorium and Cultural Facilities Proposal by SOMOS Arquitectos won the first prize in an open competition. Taking advantage of the freedom regarding the position of the building according to the open regulations, they wanted to develop and fix their proposal based on three key decisions: built volume integration, the connection between urban plaza and marina, and an open independent structure. More images and architects’ description after the break. read more »

Courtesy of Djordje Alfirevic

Architect Djordje Alfirevic shared with us his proposal for the Beton Hala Waterfront Center in Belgrade, Serbia which promotes an idea of visual and functional merging of the newly designed part with the existing Beton Hala building. The design team consisted in Djordje Alfirevic, M.Phil., Dusan Trifunovic, M.Arch, Petar Tufegdzic, M.Arch, Djordje Nikolic, M.Arch, Milica Vujosevic,M.Arch, Bojana Stankovic, M.Arch. In addition, this design aims to create a unique center for exhibition and commercial use in the city which also communicates, in a mimetic way, with the Kalemegdan fortress and Sava river’s waterfront. More images and architect’s description after the break. read more »

Architects: Daniel Lyman
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Courtesy of Daniel Lyman

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