Architecture firm NBBJ have unveiled the design of The Net, a next generation office tower in Seattle that fosters wellness and community. The firm's proposal comes as an answer to the problematics that high-rise buildings impose on individuals and urban spaces, such as lack of communal integration and the difficulties of accessing fresh air from the outdoors due to mechanical ventilation systems imposed on the facades.
Clear structures, restrained colors, and natural grace characterize the innovative residential building concepts that delighted members of the 2021 iF Design Awards jury. The awards were granted to impressive ideas that created a visual symbiosis with nature, among other concepts. These are residential buildings that fit casually into their natural surroundings—as if they themselves had emerged from their environment.
A geographic discovery game based on Google imagery, GeoGuessr requires players to guess various locations worldwide using only the clues provided by a Street view. Created in 2013, the game has taken on new relevance amidst the pandemic, as it provides a virtual travel experience. From desolate roads to famous sites, the game teases deductive reasoning, requiring players to make use of any clue, from signs, language, flags, landscape, to pinpoint their surroundings.
As Francis D. K. Ching explains in his book Architectural Graphics, unlike the traditional, two-dimensional orthographic drawings used to represent layouts, sections, and floorplans, which only allow a project to be glimpsed through a series of fragmented images, axonometries, or axonometric projections, offer unique, simultaneous three-dimensional views of a project with all the depth and spatiality of tried and true technical illustrations.
Automation is everywhere around us - our homes, furniture, offices, cars, and even our clothing; we have become so accustomed to being surrounded by automated systems that we have forgotten what life was like without them. And while automation has noticeably improved the quality of interior spaces with solutions like purified air and temperature control, nothing compares to the natural cool breeze of mother nature.
But just like everything else in architecture, there is no one size fits all; what works in Tanzania cannot work in Switzerland or Colombia. This is due to several reasons, such as the difference in wind direction, average temperature, spatial needs, and environmental restrictions (or lack thereof). In this article, we take a look at natural ventilation in all its forms, and how architects have employed this passive solution in different contexts.
The way in which a fire evolves largely depends on the materials that constitute the building, as well as how it is designed. For this reason, there exist a number of fire safety requirements in building codes that must be followed during the initial design stages, as well as the physical construction of a building. In addition to these building codes, there are other considerations that must be taken into account such as thermal comfort, acoustics, and accessibility. When specifying a material or product for part of a building, the architect or design professional must pay close attention to meeting these demands. An example of a suitable material choice is the Insulated Metal Panel (IMP), which can have superior thermal properties, various appearance possibilities and good fire resistance.
Stilt houses are houses raised on piles over the surface of the soil or a body of water. Dating back to the Neolithic and the Bronze Ages, a wide variety of raised dwellings have been identified in a variety of forms worldwide, designed with several diverse and innovative methodologies. Stilt houses are well suited to coastal regions and subtropical climates. More than just a distinctive structural design resolution, they also protect against floods, maximize views and allow homeowners to build on rocky, steep, or unstable land. They also serve to keep out animals and vermin, provide ventilation from underneath, and minimize a house’s ecological footprint.
Snøhetta has proposed Lunar for the International Competition of the Landmark Design of Qianhai's New City Center. Inspired by the city's pioneering past and technology-driven future, the proposal is satellite-like structure that resembles landmarks in the era of data and technology. The proposal ranked second place in the competition alongside Sou Fujimito's floating tower.
