Commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Commission for a permanent installation at the Randal Museum, Windswept, designed by Charles Sowers Studios, is a wind-driven kinetic facade that transforms a blank wall into an observational instrument that reveals the complex interactions between wind and environment. The design consists of 612 freely-rotating directional arrows, which serve as discrete data points indicating the direction of local flow within the larger phenomenon. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Chris Mullaney shared with us a project he designed for his parent’s house in Stroud on a relatively small budget. Through working with form and construction and a chance to put academic work into practice, the Origami Coop sees the ubiquitous chicken coop as an opportunity for experiment. More images and Mullaney’s description after the break.

Suyabatmaz Demirel Architects shared with us their design for the Goksu Rope Factory Lofts in Istanbul. The new owner of this derelict factory wanted to turn his investment into a high-end residential project consisting of various sized lofts. After visiting the site, our major concern became clear. Since the 17.000m2 building was used many years for industrial production, it should still deliver the authentic atmosphere even after it has been rehabilitated for new functions. In order to keep the intangible precipitation of this place, a subtle and humble design strategy was necessary. More images and architects’ description after the break.

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The photo above was taken by *manda in Valencia, Spain. Check the other four after the break.

Taking place at the University of Texas San Antonio College of Architecture April 13-15, the TEX-FAB 3.0 Conference will include a series of workshops as part of the international digital fabrication competition. Conducted by leading practitioners in the field of digital fabrication, the workshop is comprised on four distinct sequences that begin with basic skill building and progress until a broad understanding of the topics presented is achieved. For more information, please visit here.

Planned for completion in 2014, the iconic United Nations Headquarters (UNHQ) is in the middle of a $1.876 billion refurbishment project, known as the Capital Master Plan, which seeks to update the aging building with a more safe, modern and sustainable work environment. Located on the 18-acre site that was donated by John D. Rockefeller in the 1950s, the Manhattan UNHQ was designed by an international team of eleven architects who worked together in a post-World War II world to create an landmark building through collaboration rather than competition.

Continue reading for more details on the Capital Master Plan. 

The Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) has shortlisted nine design teams for the New Embassy Compound in Mexico City. The design/bid/build project, scheduled for construction in fiscal year 2015, is the first solicited under OBO’s new Design Excellence program. This holistic approach to project development and delivery seeks to utilize the best methods, technologies, and staff abilities to produce facilities that are outstanding in all respects. The overall strategy focuses on the integration of purpose, function, flexibility, art, safety, security, sustainability, and maintainability.

Continue reading for more information and to review the well-known shortlisted architects.

So far, I’ve cited the merits of the playground – the loudest, craziest, most running-aroundiest environment for kids you can imagine – as a point of inspiration for school design.

I’ve espoused the potential of community-oriented schools to motivate learning and, somewhat grandiosely I’ll admit, change the world.

I think I’ve uncovered a bias. In me, and in architecture at large.

For years, Western culture has valued and rewarded natural born extroverts in its effort to breed out-going, sociable, go-get-’em type citizens. (For two intelligent, chuckle-inducing narratives on the plight of the introvert, check out Jonathan Rauch’s touchstone piece in The Atlantic and Susan Cain‘s fabulous TED Talk).

In my zeal to present solutions to the obstacles facing education, I too got caught in the trap. To rectify this situation, I will – once again – examine schools; but this time, I take a more balanced approach. Today I take into account that bullied, forgotten group: introverts.

Singapore Airlines invites interested private sector companies and/or entities to participate in the Pre-Qualification Exercise to demonstrate their capabilities for the Proposed Development of a New Design Concept for the Silver Kris Lounges.

Rio de Janeiro will be bustling with activity very quickly, beginning with the World Cup in 2012 to the Summer Olympics in 2016. Earlier, we shared AECOM’s winning master plan for the complex and it was recently announced that American golf architect Gil Hanse was chosen as the designer for the Rio 2016 Course. Hanse’s work has included major courses scattered around the country, from Boston to LA, and now he is bringing his talent to South America. This Olympics will mark the first time golf has been an official sport since the 1904 Games in St. Louis, and thus, Hanse has his work cut out for him in designing not only a top course, but also the first of its kind for such an event. After ousting Jack Nicklaus and Annika Sorenstam for the job, Hanse will team with pro-golfer Amy Alcott to design the course in the Barra da Tijuca part of Rio. “We will strive to produce a course that will maximize the benefits of the site while creating an identity that is in keeping with the natural terrain, vegetation and wildlife indigenous to what we believe will be transformed into a “picturesque” landscape which will make the people of Rio proud,” explained Hanse.

More about the course after the break. 

Architects Đordje Alfirević and Ana Čarapić shared with us their proposal for the Museum of Contemporary Art of Vojvodina. As a response to the site conditions, their design is positioned in the center of a park with a uniformed impact on the surroundings from every direction. The circular form establishes a gentle dialog with the environment by means of creating an illusion of neutral form that continuously pulls back, yet on the other hand its compact and abstract volume makes a distinctive and strong landmark. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Architect Rem Koolhaas – author of Delirious New York – and curator Hans Ulrich Obrist – known for his exhibitions and his “endless conversation” with hundreds of artists and thinkers, racking up 2,000 hours of interviews since 1990 – will discuss their new book Project Japan, part oral history and part documentation of Japan’s radical mode of nation building. The event will take place March 8th at 7:00pm at the NYPL (New York Public Library) in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. More information on the event after the break.

Arup recently won a major contract to design one of Europe’s largest hospitals in Vienna, Austria. The Krankenhaus Nord Wein hospital win marks another milestone in the international recognition of the firm’s expertise in the field of healthcare. Construction work has just started on the 800-bed facility, which will cost over €500m to build and a similar amount again to fit out to the world-class standard specified. Arup’s healthcare design team in Ireland worked in close collaboration with an Austrian partner to win the design contract for the facility, which will be sited on the east side of the River Danube. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Architects: Aulík Fišer Architects Location: ZaBrumlovkou, Prague, Czech Republic Realization Company: PSJ a.s. Total Floor Area: 1,210 sqm Total Volume: 9,400 m3 Project: 2006-2007 Realization: 2007-2009 Photographs: Courtesy of Aulík Fišer Architects

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Understanding that environmental responsibility is an integral part of design excellence, Perkins + Will’s new Atlantic office, known as 1315 Peachtree, serves as an example on how current technologies can be used to achieve LEED Platinum Certification, meet the 2030 Challenge and help reduce toxic materials from our building products.

1315 Peachtree is an adaptive reuse of a 1985 office structure transformed into a high performance civic-focused building. Located in the heart of Midtown Atlanta across from the High Museum of Art, the new building continues to house the Peachtree Branch of the Atlanta-Fulton County Public Library and introduces a new street-level tenant space occupied by the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA). The Perkins+Will Atlanta office occupies the top four floors with office space for up to 240 employees. Continue reading for more information on the highest LEED score building in the Northern Hemisphere.

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Help choose which architectural masterpiece will become the next LEGO® Architecture model. The numbers are close! Top nominees include the classic Rietveld Schröder House (Utrecht) by Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld, The MAXXI (Rome) by Zaha Hadid, The Ennis House (Los Angeles) by Frank Lloyd Wright and Nakagin Capsule Tower (Tokyo) by Kisho Kurokawa. Cast your votes HERE and tell us which building is your favorite!

No other profession can make the proverbial male measuring contest more visual and dramatic than architecture. Whether it is about being the tallest, most lavish, most modernist, most minimalist, most post-modernist, or most deconstructed, too many, but not all, of history’s celebrated architects come across like a bunch of juvenile boys standing on a stream bank trying to project their urine further than the next. Even with noble ambitions, their narcissistic “fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love,” have often put them out of touch with the plight of their fellow human beings. I will offer a simple and very unoriginal solution to this problem; hire more female architects.

We have already introduced you to the Night Club Hotel: Bubble X (2nd place) and Elevated Night Club (3rd place) winning entries for the Night Club Hotel in Hong Kong by vGH Company and Urbanplunger respectfully. We now unveil the first place proposal, submitted by Hong Kong based architecture firm YS Groundwork. Extremely Negative is concerned with distancing itself from the typical design solutions that produce mega-structures and commercial towers. Instead, the team decided to invert the structure creating a void below grade that can be occupied at multiple levels with programs such as an open air disco, a hostel and a monastery.

More images from this proposal after the break!

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A carefully selected presentation of over 170 of the world’s leading contemporary art galleries, Frieze Art Fair New York 2012 will take place May 4-7. Employing a distinct snake-shaped structure, Frieze New York will be designed by New York-based SO – IL architects. Sponsored by Deutsche Bank, the event will benefit from the same architectural approach that has made Frieze Art Fair, London one of the world’s leading art fairs. More information on the event after the break.

The year 2011 was a great one for ArchDaily, and all thanks to you. In terms of web traffic, in our network we grew to more than 200,000 daily readers who viewed 350 million pages during 2011. Our social media reach has grown to nearly 500,000 Facebook fans, more than 60,000 followers on Twitter and an ever growing presence on Flickr, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest, all connecting with architects around our passion: Architecture.

Taking place at the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto, the Columbia Building Intelligence Project Think Tank organized by the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP). With the theme of ‘Vectored Resources,’ their seventh Think Tank in Toronto on March 8th from 1-5:3opm will involve rethinking the future of the building industry into four 60-minute sessions followed by roundtable discussions. The discussion panels for this event include Materials and Processes, Assemblies and Systems, Design and Development, and Development and Policy. For more information, please visit here.

[AC-CA] recently announced their competition, New Contemporary Art Museum, with the aim of a design for a new art museum in the heart of the city. As the capital of Argentina and located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, the city is an important economic center. Its architecture is a combination of different styles which gives it a unique architectural beauty. The deadline for submissions is July 5th. More information on the competition after the break.

Today’s entrepreneurs are redefining what it means to be visionary in a slow economy. Using every available resource to create new assets, marketing through social media is becoming an important part of the strategy to reach our audiences.

Coordinated by the New York Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects, nycobaNOMA, and sponsored by Mohawk Industries, Inc., the B*Session event, The Business of Communication: Social Media and Content Marketing, will take place on March 21st at the Mohawk New York Showroom. More information on the event after the break.