Located in the small village of Jukkasjärvi in northern Sweden 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, ICEHOTEL may be the epitomy of ephemeral and temporal architecture. The world’s first and largest hotel built out of snow and ice is an inhabitable work of art that takes on a new form each year. The existence of the ICEHOTEL is entirely reliant upon the climate and Torne River, from which the 4000 tonnes of ice are harvested each year between March and April. The architecture is a form of exhibition as well. Each year artists are handpicked to design and build the Art Suites within the ICEHOTEL. The whole process invoved about 100 people and is constructed between November and December.

RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) recently announced the finalists in their Cronton Colliery Competition. The challenge to design a pioneering new visitor destination on a former colliery has inspired creative teams across the world to push the boundaries of landscape and architecture. Hassell, Hawkins/Brown, Michael Lee Architects and Edward Architecture & Matthew Riley are the four of the most inventive schemes that have been invited to the final stage for the chance to see their vision become a reality. More images and information after the break.

We have been following the rising popularity of CLOG, beginning with their inaugural thematic issue on BIG and, their second issue on Apple which highlighted Jobs’ Apple Campus 2 in Cupertino by Foster + Partners. This latest architectural publication seeks to slow the pace at which architectural information is distributed, allowing people to pause and absorb the projects and ideas presented and discuss the topics at hand.

For CLOG’s Apple issue, the publication included over 50 international multidisciplinary contributors and discussed topics from ranging an interview with one of Apple Computer’s original three founders, Ronald Wayne, to articles about the innovative glass engineering, and design critique of the project. After the large success of both issues, CLOG is gearing up for their next issue and calling for submissions about renderings. For this addition, the team will address the persuasive power of renderings and their important, and perhaps dominant, role in project presentations.

More about CLOG after the break.

Designed by ExS Architects Concept: Elina Karanastasi Design team: Nikos Asimakis, Eri Badouva, Stathis Vlachiotis Consultant: Maria Mandalaki and Matthijs Moelee, Alexandros Vazakas

http://warmwall.blogspot.com/

The WarmWall house is a project of ExS Architects. It was designed for the Deventer Havenkwartier and Nijmegen Vossenpels area based on the requirements of the urban plan of Andries Geerse Stedenbouwkundige. It can readjusted to the size wished by the owners as it is designed based on an accumulation of parallel traverses of 1,20 m wide.

In their design proposal for the Netanya City Hall, Zarhy Architects aimed to create an urban square that functions as a space which creates a direct connection between the public entities, the residents, and the rest of the city. Their approach was to refrain from building one tower which is indifferent to the street and instead, to introduce a “campus” of municipal buildings that provides an integral public space designed to serve the residents of the city of Netanya, as a generous and active urban square. More images and architects’ description after the break.

The Greek urban design project “e_co_llectiva” by Athanasios Polyzoidis (Architect-Landscape Architect) and Katerina Petsiou (Architect) was awarded with the Salon Grand Prix in the 4th Landscape Architecture Exhibition in Belgrade. In their design, the public space of the streets and the vacant lots in the internal parts of the four building blocks is unified so as to create a single urban garden-park which promotes the concept of collective activity. This intervention is given the title ‘e_co_llectiva’ after ecology (eco), collectivity (collectiva) and new technologies (e). More images and architects’ description after the break.

The planetarium and science center project by Gillot + Givry is designed to be a strong image in the urban context of the city of Chalet-a-Gobet, Switzerland. Worth and deserving specific treatment, it is important to strike the right balance against such a strong backdrop of heritage. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Thanks to our readers’ help like, Jonathan Choe, we bring you an Architecture City Guide to Singapore. The city’s “recent prosperity and extremely dense urban situation has lead to a wealth of incredible architecture from architects around the world,” says Choe. Today we bring you only 12 buildings as a starting point. Please leave some of your favorites in the comment section below as we intend to expand it in the near future.

To check out other cities visit our world map or our Architecture City Guide page. The Architecture City Guide: Singapore list and corresponding map after the break.

Thousands gathered Saturday to celebrate the grand opening of Santiago Calatrava‘s Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge that connects east and west Dallas seamlessly over the Trinity River. A parade of builders, including everyone from those to poured the concrete to Calatrava himself, were the first to march across the new Dallas icon, followed by nearly 16,000 other people. Although the bridge is still not quite ready for vehicular traffic, the city celebrated its commencement with an impressive display of fireworks. Continue reading for more.

Today, one of the leading exemplars of classic Modern architecture reopens after a two year hiatus. The freshly renovated Villa Tugendhat underwent a monumental restoration and rehabilitation, starting in January 2010, with the aim of preserving and conserving the original building substance and layout, including the construction details, materials and technical system. Renewal work also included the lavish interiors and lush garden. Continue after for the break to learn more about Mies van der Rohe’s renewed masterpiece.

eVolo is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 Skyscraper Competition. Established in 2006, the annual competition recognizes outstanding ideas that redefine skyscraper design through the use of new technologies, materials, programs, aesthetics, and spatial organizations, along with studies on globalization, flexibility, adaptability, and the digital revolution. This is also an investigation on the public and private space and the role of the individual and the collective in the creation of a dynamic and adaptive vertical community. The award seeks to discover young talent, whose ideas will change the way we understand architecture and its relationship with the natural and built environments.

Continue reading to view the 2012 winners and honorable mentions!

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I just returned from a whirlwind tour of some architecturally significant places. This time, I remembered to send some postcards. I thought I’d scan a few and share them. Please enjoy.

more postcards from COFFEE WITH AN ARCHITECT after the break

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The TAO Office Tower, designed by Suyabatmaz Demirel Architects, has been designed as a high-rise building so as to play a symbolic figure in the Financial Center Project where it is located. Located on a sloped land on the northwest side of Atasehir Financial Center area in Istanbul, TAO Office Tower has many determining features to be a part of a mega finance district in the context of location, topography and urbanism. More images and architects’ description after the break.

We have been sharing short clips from Great Spaces that offer a new spin on reviewing contemporary spaces ranging from SANAA’s latest art museum in the Bowery to UNStudio’s New Amsterdam Pavilion by South Ferry. This clip features the review of Piada Cafe, an Italian restaurant in midtown Manhattan at the base of the Citigroup Building. Designed by Fieldlines Architecture, the 900 sqf cafe situated on the corner of 53rd and Lex offers a sleek setting for its customers with a handsome curving central counter and a community table that shapes the main circulation path. Have you had the chance to snack on some delicious Italian food and enjoy the architectural ambiance? Let us know in the comments below.

Taking place at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, the sg2012 Materials Intensities Conference will be in two parts, a four day Workshop 19-22 March, and a public conference beginning with Talkshop 23 March, followed by a Symposium 24 March. The event follows the format of the highly successful preceding events at sg2010 Barcelona and sg2011 Copenhagen.

The Talkshop (March 23) is an opportunity to share perspectives, open debates, pose questions, challenge orthodoxies and propose new ideas in informal and open discussions while the symposium (March 24) will showcase major projects that explore the range of ways materiality informs design. More information on the event after the break.

Studio Banana TV features the Collage House with explanations by its author, Bosch Capdeferro, ASCER Interiorismo award 2011 and emerging architect special mention of the European Union prize for contemporary Architecture Mies Van der Rohe award 2011. The interview was realized with the sponsorship of ASCER.

BOFFO is currently accepting submissions through March 26th for art & design furniture, products and more to arrange at their Show House open May 1 – 24, 2012. The BOFFO Show House exhibition will bridge art and design through installation showcasing designers and artists in a residential setting with the goal of creating a profound and relevant experience representing modern living at a visually enticing Manhattan destination. For more information, please visit here.

entasis shared with us their proposal for a 51,000 square-foot area of road that will become a dense and visionary city that will arise and provide the dense frame for a lively and vibrant city life. The project’s title, Thomas B. Thrigesgade, is based on the name of the street that was constructed in the 1960’s to modernize Odense, and make room for the increasing traffic. Now, the road will be closed for all thoroughfare, and a new line of sustainable transport will stretch through the area and tie Odense closer together. More images and architects’ description after the break.

The Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe’s is one the most iconic modern residences in the United States. Situated in Plano, Illinois, near the Fox River, its location is nothing short of picturesque. However, what may not be known is that due to its location, it has been subject to the wrath of the local river. Specifically, on September 14, 2008 a torrential rain storm caused the Fox River to overflow and flood the house, resulting in extensive damage to the interior, furniture, and the large wardrobe of Edith Farnsworth. The IIT Design Build Studio led by Professor Frank Flury was sought out by Farnsworth House director Whitney French to distill a solution to house the 12’ x 6’ x 2’ wardrobe that was unable to be accommodated in the visitor center. More details after the break.

The Architectural Department of Moscow City Government (MosComArhitectura) has announced the shortlisted teams competing to design the strategy that will be used to double the size of Moscow. With an uneven distribution of working places throughout the Russian Federation capital, millions of residents are forced to commute each day to the over-populated, historic city center, thus causing serious transportation, ecological and social problems within the region.

The Moscow City Agglomeration Development Concept will see the city annex 150,316 hectares to its south-west in order to overcome its chronic space problems. OMA, Diller Scofidio & Renfro and McAdam Architects, lead by the well-known Russian architects Andrey Chernihov and Alexei Ginsburg, are a few names that appear among the ten shortlisted teams. Continue reading for more competition details and the entire shortlist.

Space Group, based out of Oslo, Norway, recently completed the master plan for Lexington, Kentucky’s new Arena, Arts and Entertainment District. Beating out 13 other architectural firms, the 46 acre development will incorporate a basketball arena, convention center, performing arts center, school of the arts, offices, retail shops and housing. A unique aspect that was incorporated was the distinctive compactness of the existing downtown area and its proximity to residential neighborhoods. In order to accommodate predicted future growth, Space Group conceived a strategy that mirrors the footprint of the existing downtown district and projects it along an axis in line with the Rupp Arena. More info after the break.

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This workshop is a two-day intensive parametric design workshop by Studio Mode / modeLab to be held in Brooklyn during the weekend of April 07-08, 2012. In a fast-paced and hands-on learning environment, this workshop will engage both the conceptual as well as technical domains of applied parametric design.