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Courtesy of MA2

The design of the Two Towers, by MA2 in collaboration with CZ Visual Architecture, is a series of manipulated manifolds that construct a dual vertical lattice with angled surfaces. The towers radiate vertically deriving from a multi-sided body, diamond shaped, molded, intended for diversity, complexity, and robustness in form. Elongated diamond bodies functions as a poly-operational structure that addresses flows of energy, circulation, dynamic composites, both aesthetically and material make up. More images and architects’ description after the break. read more »

Courtesy of RO&AD Architecten

Architects: RO&AD Architecten
Location: Halsteren, The Netherlands
Client: Municipality of Bergen op Zoom
Material used: Accoya wood
Project Area: 50 sqm
Photographs: Courtesy of RO&AD Architecten

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© Brice Desrez

Architect: atelier alassoeur architecture(s) / Emmanuel Alassoeur
Location: Le Blanc, Indre, France
Client: Ville de Le Blanc
Collaborating Architect: Ludovic Biaunier
Construction Architect: scpa Coutant Oliviero
Structural Engineer: Jean Michel Hemery
Project Year: 2010
Project Area: 952 sqm
Photographs: Brice Desrez

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Courtesy the Center for Architecture NY

Earlier this month, a Washington D.C District chapter opened their doors to the streets near Chinatown and the Penn Quarter. The office joined other East Coast chapters in the movement promoting visibility, transparency and sustainability in architecture.

“It’s a clear, simple and concise concept,” says Thomas Corrado, project architect with Hickok Cole, the Washington firm that created the design. “The idea was about how to make the space a connection between architecture and the person on the street.”

The design exposes the inner workings of the chapter, building curiosity and creating an opportunity for conversation to the pedestrians passing by.

Via The Washington Post

© Ed Massery

Five great mixed use projects from earlier this year for our 8th selection. Check them all after the break.

Glass Lofts / Front Studio Architects
Commissioned by the Friendship Development Associates (FDA) as a central player in its community revitalization program, the Glass Lofts are a new mixed-use construction consisting of 39,000 sqf artist’s work spaces, 18 loft condominiums, retail and restaurant space, FDA offices and a flexible-use community space. Located at the center of the Penn Avenue Arts District, the Glass Lofts is the result of a community-driven planning process actively involving neighborhood residents, artists and business owners in the development of the project (read more…) read more »

© Nelson Garrido

Architects: Cerejeira Fontes Arquitectos
Location: Braga, Portugal
Design Team: António Jorge Fontes, Asbjörn Andresen, André Fontes
Photography: Nelson Garrido

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Courtesy of LAVA

Architects: LAVA
Location: Berchtesgaden, Germany
Client: Deutsches Jugendherbergswerk, Landesverband Bayern e.V., München
Project Year: 2011
Project Area: 1,500 sqm
Photographs: Courtesy of LAVA

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Courtesy of Flickr CC License / chatirygirl

Have you ever rushed across your house to get something from another room, but by the time you got there you completely forgot why you were there? This might seem like a trivial question for architects, but it might have more to do with architecture than you might think. Your memory appears to be affected by how many doorways and rooms you go through.  This sounds absurd, but a recent study published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology has been able to measure this effect at several different levels of environmental immersion.[1] The study comes out of Norte Dame Psychology Professor Gabriel Radvansky’s lab. Much of Professor Radvansky’s work explores how spatial organization can influence the mental narratives we construct to learn, retain and apply information. Radvansky believes, “many architects already intuitively grasp many of the concepts [his] work examines, but [his] research could further improve their understanding of how spatial design affects a building’s users.”

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Courtesy of Unsangdong Architects

Unsangdong Architects have nearly finished the steel structure of the “Culture Forest”, revealing the distinctive figure of the Culture & Art Center in SeongDong-gu, Republic of Korea. Read the architect’s description and view schematic renderings on our previous post.

More photos after the break.

Architects: Unsangdong Architects – YoonGyoo Jang, ChangHoon Shin, SungMin Kim
Location: 656-323, SeongSu-dong, SeongDong-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Client: Municipality of SeongDong-gu
Structure: Steel framed reinforcement concrete
Use: welfare, education and research, culture, nursery school
Site Area: 1694m2
Bldg Area: 1001.77m2
Gross Floor Area: 9597.37m

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© Chris Gascoigne

Architects: Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands
Location: Moscow, Russia
Client: RGI International
Photographs: Chris Gascoigne

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Ron Arad and Asa Bruno welcome BD to their studio for an exclusive view into the inner workings of their practice. In 1981, Ron Arad established his first design studio ‘one off ltd”. Over the years, the practice has evolved into Ron Arad Architects and has become known for their unique ethos that challenges the relationship between form and function.

You may have noticed Ron Arad’s unusual hat. He is also known for his eccentric hat designs that are undoubtedly consistent with his signature style.

Reference: BD

© Hufton+Crow

Architects: Stanton Williams
Location: London, England
Project Year: 2011
Project Area: 40,000 sqm
Architectural lighting: Spiers and Major
Landscape Architect: Townsend Landscape Architects
Facade consultant: Arup Facades Engineering
CDM coordinator: Scott Wilson
Photographs: Hufton+Crow, John Sturrock

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Courtesy of Aedas

Anchoring at the end of the proposed Hongqiao primary retail axis in Shanghai, and with a canal meandering through the northern edge of the site, the Linkong Block 10-1 Development is the destination for the public within the Linkong Business Park. The program for the development, ‘The Urban Crossing’, calls for a boutique urban mixed-use project with office, retail, gallery, conference center, and water promenade plaza. This concept by Aedas is to create a brand new landmark, which further establishes a strong civic presence through its iconic form and vibrant program mix. Portrayed as the Gateway of Hongqiao Airport Transportation Hub, the project is deemed to generate synergy from public and commercial activities. More images and architects’ description after the break. read more »

© Sonia Arrepia

Architects: ARQX [arquitectos]
Location: Porto, Portugal
Site Area: 555 sqm
Photographs: Sonia Arrepia

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© Toshiyuki Yano

Architects: Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates
Location: Toyota, Aichi, Japan
Site Area: 191.71 sqm
Built Area: 84.18 sqm
Total Floor Area: 101.94 sqm
Type of Construction: Wooden
Exterior Materials: Metal finish
Interior Materials: Paint finish
Design time：June2010 – February 2011
Completion: 2011
Structure company:  Masaki structural laboratory
Construction company:  Inoue construction Ltd
Photographer: Toshiyuki Yano

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© Christian Richters

Architects: Erick van Egeraat
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Client: Mahler 4 VOF
Project Manager: Mahler 4 VOF
Structural Engineer: Van Rossum, Amsterdam, A. van der Sluis, Arup London
Mechanical Services Engineer: Techniplan, Rotterdam, Lio Kooiman
Electrical Services Engineer: Techniplan, Rotterdam
Project Year: 2009
Project Area: 33,500 sqm
Photographs: Christian Richters

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Courtesy of ADEPT and Urbanus

The winning design of a large international architectural competition, ‘The Two Towers’, was recently announced in Shenzhen, China. The team selected to design this new Shenzhen landmark – comprising 100.000 square meters in total – is a constellation of ADEPT (DK) and Urbanus (CHN) with VSA (HK), Max Fordham LLP (GB) and Beijing CCI Architectural Design Co, LTD (CHN). The jury meeting was hosted at the Shenzhen Municipal Planning Building with Pritzker Prize winner Thom Mayne as chairman of the jury. More information on the competition winners after the break. read more »