In architecture we are so caught up in creating something new, we often forget about what happens at the end of a building’s life cycle—the unfortunate, inevitable demolition. We may want our buildings to be timeless and live on forever, but the harsh reality is that they do not, so where is all the waste expected to go?
As with most non-recyclable waste, it ends up in the landfill and, as the land required for landfill becomes an increasingly scarce resource, we must find an alternative solution. Each year in the UK alone, 70–105 million tonnes of waste is created from demolishing buildings, and only 20% of that is biodegradable according to a study by Cardiff University. With clever design and a better awareness of the biodegradable materials available in construction, it’s up to us as architects to make the right decisions for the entirety of a building’s lifetime.
The Analytics and Insight unit at Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has developed data-driven space-planning models for workplaces that can be changed or adapted in real time. The team, led by architect Uli Blum and Arjun Kaicker, applies their research directly to ZHA projects, including the Sberbank Technopark at the Skolkovo Innovation Centre, Moscow, Russia (seen here), and the Galaxy SOHO Beijing, which was built in 2012. Image Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
A workplace that improves employee productivity and efficiency has been a white whale of corporate managers for decades. But even before the office as we know it today was born, designers and innovators were already studying sites of labor, such as the factory, to devise strategies to boost worker performance. By the 1960s, Robert Propst, the inventor behind Herman Miller’s Action Office line of workplace furniture, and others were conducting workspace research that would ultimately lead to the creation of the modern cubicle.
These developments relied largely on observation and intuition to organize office workers in purportedly effective ways. Now, advances in technology allow designers to take a more sophisticated approach, using sensors, internet-connected furniture and fixtures, and data analytics to study offices in real time. “You can take into account every single employee, and people are very different,” says London architect Uli Blum. “It’s about solving the fundamental problems of getting people the environment they need. And the easiest way is to ask them,” he adds. But finding out the needs of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of workers can quickly become an exercise in futility.
The American Institute of ArchitectsCommittee on Architecture for Education has announced the winners of this year’s Education Facility Design Awards. The eight winners and two merit honors were awarded this year’s best educational facilities that not only demonstrate excellence in contemporary architectural design but also further education in innovative ways and serve as an inspirational learning space. This year’s projects are designed for students of all ages, from childhood facilities to higher education buildings.
“Education continues to evolve, and the projects from this year’s Education Facility Design Awards program—presented by the AIA and the Committee on Architecture for Education—represent the state-of-the-art learning environments being developed in today's learning spaces. These projects showcase innovation across the entire learning continuum, displaying how architects are creating cutting-edge spaces that enhance modern pedagogy.”
Architect Elizabeth Diller of firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro has once again been named one of TIME’s most influential people in 2018. TIME Magazine’s annual ‘Time 100’ List recognizes the achievement of artists, leaders, activists, entrepreneurs, and athletes who are exemplary in their fields. Diller has been named to the category of “Titans,” along with Roger Federer, Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Kevin Durant. This is Diller’s second time on the list but the first time being honored as a "Titan."
Other honorees this year include Shinzo Abe, Justin Trudeau, Xi Jinping and Jimmy Kimmel.
Set across a 116-acre (470,000-square-meter) subtropical park in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung, the scheme will occupy a former military training base, symbolizing the city’s transition from a major international harbor into a rich, diverse, cultural hub, connecting local and international artistic talent.
https://www.archdaily.com/892518/worlds-largest-single-roof-performing-arts-center-by-mecanoo-nears-completion-in-taiwanNiall Patrick Walsh
Architectural photographer Iwan Baan recently honored 2018 Pritzker Prize Laureate Balkrishna (B.V.) Doshi. It has been a little over a month since the Pritzker jury selected the Indian architect as the latest winner, and his work still remains popular within the online world. The genuine materiality and intricate spatial experience associated with Doshi's work are captured by Baan in multiple projects across India. Baan's Instagram (@iwanbaan), which has nearly 120K followers, acts as "a diary of travels with the iPhone."
Read on to see some of Baan's images (some posts have multiple images, so be sure and use the left and right arrows to see the full set of pictures).
With the unconventional, undulating forms of his buildings—and the fact that his path to architectural success included a stint working for Zaha Hadid—Ma Yansong is often miscategorized as an architect of the latter generation of Deconstructivists, interested only in futuristic forms that push the boundaries of technology for the sake of innovation as an end in itself. But in fact Ma’s designs, especially those in his home country of China, are deeply rooted in nature and tradition, as he explains in the latest interview from Vladimir Belogolovsky’s “City of Ideas” series.
What if the one thing that makes BIG "BIG" was suddenly stripped away right at the apex of its potential? That's the question posed by the trailer for Kaspar Astrup Schrøder’s documentary BIG TIME, which ominously illustrated a possible problem with Bjarke Ingels’ health.
Schrøder's documentary highlights the intense journey of Bjarke Ingels, the founder of Bjarke Ingels Group, through the past few years of his life. This unique insight into what exactly it's like to be an architect on top of the world ultimately poses a question that needs to be answered by anyone seeking to reshape the world through design. How do you handle the responsibility of forming the future you want to live in?
Eight long and prosperous years have passed since the first part of the New York High Line opened in 2009. As a prominent piece New York's architectural and urban identity, it is no wonder that it has been awarded the Harvard GSDVeronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design, recognising the ongoing efforts of the Friends of the High Line for their adaptivity to the changing context of the park and their support from the beginning for design excellence.
The jury was particularly inspired by the multidisciplinary project between James Corner Field Operations, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Piet Oudolf, spanning the public and private domains as a model of collaborative design. It was also commented on the social and political relevance of the High Line in saving a piece of American history from ruin and interacting through community outreach programs and a wider dissemination program for cities across the US.
So many of our readers around the world celebrate Chinese New Year and welcome fresh beginnings in the Year of the Dog, we would like to take a look back at 2017 and share with you the most visited projects from China. This is a collection of projects coming from world-famous practices such as MVRDV and MAD Architects, and also from the younger, local talents who have demonstrated great potential in bringing positive changes to China’s built environment.
https://www.archdaily.com/889257/the-best-chinese-architecture-of-2017Joanna Wong
With nearly 100,000 votes cast during the last two weeks, we are happy to present the winners of the 2018 ArchDaily Building of the Year Awards. This peer-based, crowdsourced architecture award showcases projects chosen by ArchDaily readers who filtered thousands of projects down to the 15 best works featured on ArchDaily in 2017.
https://www.archdaily.com/888634/winners-of-the-2018-building-of-the-year-awardsAD Editorial Team
As part of a generation of designers that have, in recent years, put Mexico on the map, Tatiana Bilbao is an architect that is increasingly part of the profession’s global consciousness. But, while some Mexican architects have made their mark with spectacular architecture following the international trend of “iconic” architecture, Bilbao opted instead for a more people-focused approach. In this interview, the latest in Vladimir Belogolovsky’s “City of Ideas” series, Bilbao explains how she got into this type of community-building architecture, her thoughts on architectural form, and her ambitions for the future.
Vladimir Belogolovsky:The more I talk to architects of your generation or my generation, the more it becomes apparent that architecture has absolutely no boundaries. In other words, architecture is not just about buildings. More and more, architecture is about building communities.
Tatiana Bilbao: Absolutely. For me, that is the most important part of architecture. Architecture is not about building a building; architecture is about building a community.
-03.jpg?1524108231 "© Lara Swimmer")
