A guide from Graphisoft on how to create powerful design presentations with Archicad through the use of Archicad version 25.

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ONZ Architects' ‘Tearing the Ground’ proposal was recently awarded as one of the five finalists in the Istanbul Modern YAP 2013. Their design consists of a contemporary interpretation of a flying carpet constructed with reused plastic units, made of marine litter. The project team tears the ground and lifts up this carpet and puts it in the air with everything it conceals. Thus, the plastic waste produced by the city becomes the main material for the installation. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Known for their conservation and creative re-use of historic buildings, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios has been appointed to develop the Farmiloe Building, a landmark Victorian building in the heart of London’s Clerkenwell. They will now draw up plans to transform the 40,000 sq ft building into a commercial development that is in keeping with one of the capital’s most vibrant areas, which also includes a new building that will substantially increase the amount of commercial space. These changes will help in making a significant architectural addition to St. John Street. More images and architects' description after the break.

GRAD Arkitekter shared with us their proposal for a housing block in the now unbuilt area of Årstafältet, a southern suburb of Stockholm. Once finished, this area will house approximately 10,000 inhabitants. To secure this variation, the city proposes that each block is divided in two halves, with a team of a contractor and an architecture team responsible for every half. The basic design principle of their block is to shift and tilt four buildings in relation to one another, to create interesting views and a good flow of natural light. More images and architects' description after the break.

'Seapeaker', was recently named as one of the five finalists for Istanbul Modern "Young Architects Program" 2013 cycle. Designed by the collaborative team of Evren Başbuğ, İnanç Eray, Meriç Kara, and Engin Ayaz, the main intent of the project is to be a hearing aid for İstanbul. It highlights the city's muted qualities in an unexpected way. Designed using rigorous acoustical principles and the generative capacities of the site, seapeaker amplifies sounds of the sea underneath and punctures a new connection in-between. More images and architects' description after the break.

Bennetts Associates, one of the UK's leading architectural practices, was just selected by the Citizens Theatre to work on the plans for a major redevelopment of its iconic Gorbals home. This will be the most comprehensive redevelopment of the building since it opened as a theatre in 1878. The planned capital project will transform the building creating a new vision for improved rehearsal, administration and learning accommodation, as well as improved facilities for the public. More images and architects' description after the break.

PlusUrbia , an architectural and urban design firm, led the design of the new trade/commercial district in the Port of Miami in collaboration with GSHstudio, OskiStudio and studioLFA. The team developed a concept coined “Port-Side Miami” to become the city’s new commercial district on the west end of the Port’s Dodge Island, which was designated by the “PortMiami 2035 master plan” to be developed into office space, retail, restaurants and a number of high-end hotels.

More images and the architect´s description after the break.

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has announced further details of its 235,000-square-foot building expansion that will support the museum's increasing role in city life and the international art community. Designed by Norway-based practice Snøhetta, in collaboration with local firm EHDD, the 10-story concrete structure will compliment SFMOMA's original, Mario Botta-designed, red-brick museum by offering more free-to-the-public space, expanded education programs and an abundance of flexible performance-based gallery space.

OMA is designing a new department store concept in Kuwait City. The Exhibition Hall, in the popular 360° Mall, will showcase the creativity of the region alongside international fashion brands through a flexible curated retail space, featuring cultural programs, exhibitions and installations. The project is led by OMA partners Iyad Alsaka and Rem Koolhaas, in partnership with Tamdeen Real Estate Co.

• Architects

  OMA

• Location

  Kuwait City, Kuwait

• Project Architect

  Alessandro De Santis

• Architects in Charge

  Iyad Alsaka, Rem Koolhaas,

• Collaborators

  Tamdeen Real Estate Co.

• Area

  9400.0 m2

• Project Year

  2014

• Photographs

  Courtesy of OMA

• Architects

  OMA

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NBBJ has shared with us their latest design in sports architecture, a multifunctional industrial sports complex for the residents of Suzhou, China. Designed as a community asset, the cultural sports hub will include a commercial center, aquatics facility, gymnasium, arena, professional sports stadium and more. All facilities will be integrated within a lush “Sports Garden” that features an abundance of pedestrian walkways, gardens and sport fields.

The architects' description after the break...

Inspired by the spine of a whale, the Vertebrae Staircase is not simply mimicry of organic form but an exploration in shaping structure. Much of the design work went into refining the single component, or vertebra, that mate with each other creating a unified spine running from floor plate to floor plate. These interlocking vertebrae create a rigid and self-supporting structure. 

More on Andrew McConnell's 'Vertebrae Staircase' after the break.

To further the promotion of art education, the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing and China Academy of Art in Xiangshan have announced plans to construct a new university within the hilly suburbs of Hangzhou by the Spring of 2014. Designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates, the Museum at the China Academy of Art will harmonize with the lush topography and resist modifying any existing slopes to accommodate the 4,936 square meter facility. Instead, the museum’s configuration will mimic the lozenge shaped pattern that was discovered within the contour lines, generating a fluid exhibition space with linear and altering floor levels buffered by partially external galleries.

In addition, Kengo Kuma is investigating the possibility of reusing clay tiles and stones from Hangzhou's old house district so the body of the museum may appear as if the “soil of the tea gardens” were “transformed into architecture”.

More images after the break.

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• Architects

  Bjarke Ingels Group

• Location

  COCONUT GROVE, MIAMI, FL, USA

• Architect in Charge

  Bjarke Ingels, Thomas Christoffersen

• Design Team

  Tiago Barros, Jitendra Jain, Brian Foster, Ed Yung, Terrence Chew, Ji-Young Joon, Kasper Hansen, Chris Malcolm, Alana Goldweit, Martin Voelkle, Greg Knobloch, Ho Kyung Lee, Mina Rafiee, Cat Huang, Maureen McGee, Chris Falla, Valerie Lechene

• Project Leaders

  Leon Rost, Ziad Shehab

• Area

  58,900 m2

• Project Year

  2014

• Photographs

  Courtesy of BIG

• Architects

  Bjarke Ingels Group

Following an international competition, Richard Meier & Partners Architects has been selected to design a new mixed-use building in Hamburg Germany. Under the Richard Meier & Partners plan – one of three competing proposals – the site will become a remarkable place to work, live and relax in the HafenCity district.

• Architects

  Richard Meier & Partners

• Location

  Hamburg, Germany

• Managing Partner

  Richard Meier

• Design Partner

  Bernhard Karpf

• Design Team

  Anne Strüwing, Parsa Khalili

• Collaborators

  Bori Kang, Amalia Rusconi-Clerici, Stephen Sze, Kevin Browning

• Project Year

  2013

• Photographs

  Courtesy of Richard Meier & Partners

• Architects

  Richard Meier & Partners

+ 5

• Architects

  BIG

• Location

  Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

• Partners in Charge

  Bjarke Ingels, Thomas Christoffersen


• Project Leader

  Daniel Kidd


• Contributors

  Chris Falla, Suemin Jeon, Andreia Teixeira, Jenny Shen, Marcella Martinez, Michael Zhang

• Area

  80,000 m2

• Project Year

  2013

• Photographs

  Courtesy of BIG

• Architects

  Bjarke Ingels Group

+ 20

+ 2

• Architects

  TEN Arquitectos

• Location

  321 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139, USA

• Owner

  AGM Aria

• Are

  78,000 ft2

• Proyect Year

  2012

• Photography

  Courtesy of TEN Arquitectos / Hartness Visions

+ 24

• Architects

  BIG

• Location

  Phoenix, AZ, USA

• Architects in Charge

  Bjarke Ingels and Thomas Christoffersen

• Project Leader

  Iannis Kandyliaris

• Project Team

  Thomas Fagan, Aaron Hales, Ola Hariri, Dennis Harvey, Beat Schenk

• Collaborators

  MKA (structure), Atelier10 (sustainability), Gensler (local architect), TenEyck (landscape)

• Client

  Novawest

• Area

  70,000 ft2

• Project Year

  2012

• Photographs

  Courtesy of BIG Architects

• Architects

  Bjarke Ingels Group

The Protofactory positions a return of industry to the city, fostering a culture of materialism where the flow of material, production of knowledge and the experience of craftsmanship are offered to society. The Protofactory redefines the factory typology. Based on a flow of knowledge and information, The Protofactory harbors a lateral organization of labor and enhanced feedback of research development and innovation processes supported by local and international education. The notion of production becomes reintroduced into the public realm.

ETB Studio shared with us their new project in Carrouge, Switzerland. The intervention tries to create an auxiliary building to the existent school building, and generate new urban dynamics for the neighbourhood, and offer to Carrouge a public space capable of improving the life conditions of the residents.

More images after the break.

OMA has won the competition for the new École Centrale engineering school and its surrounding urban development in the research and innovation zone of Saclay, southwest of Paris. With the concept of a “lab city,” OMA was selected from four competing international architectural practices. The project is led by Clément Blanchet, director of OMA projects in France.

Projects like the High Line, Bloomingdale Trail, and Allegheny Green Boulevard illustrate that disused, industrial infrastructure is rife with re-use potential and often can create new ways for a city to connect. However, what opportunities can this infrastructure present when it is still in use?

Read about the problem facing Bari and how it might be resolved after the break...