The design proposal for the Daegu Gosan Public Library aim towards becoming a knowledge based city by putting a strong emphasis on the multiple roles of a library as a knowledge based center accessible to all. Designed by wHY Architecture & Design, their project is based on the concept and form of an opened book. The library unfolds to the public green space, engages the landscape into a continuous surface, and invites people to activate and share the space to facilitate knowledge. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Greenbuild, the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building has commenced in San Francisco with an interesting announcement from the main stage. Google has granted $3 million to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in an effort to transform the building materials industry and accelerate the creation of healthier indoor environments.

“Healthy, non-toxic building materials are a critical component in green building,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “Fostering awareness of the materials we put into our buildings is of paramount importance, since many materials can link to a host of environmental and health issues. Working with Google enables us to broaden our efforts in the materials industry as we prepare for the next version of the LEED green building program, LEED v4. This updated rating system will paint a more complete picture of materials and products, enabling project teams to make more informed decisions.”

More after the break…

It’s time for another Flickr Round Up! Remember you can submit your own photo here, and don’t forget to follow us through Twitter and our Facebook Fan Page to find many more features.

The photo above was taken by Functionary in Shenzhen, China. Check the other four after the break.

Biology student turn architect, Doris Kim Sung has dedicated her studies to the infinite possibilities of thermobimetals, smart materials that respond dynamically to temperature change. As tested with DO|SU Studio Architecture’s recent installation “Bloom”, whose surface is completely fabricated with thermobimetal, these smart materials are capable of relieving our dependence on energy-inefficient mechanical systems with their self-shading and self-ventilating properties.

Imagine a building skin capable of maintaining thermal comfort in an environmentally responsible and cost effective way by responsively mimicking the characteristics of human skin.

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, as communities band together to clean up the devastation and utility companies work tirelessly to restore the infrastructure that keeps New York City running, planners and policy makers are debating the next steps to making the city as resilient to natural disaster as we once thought it was. We have at our hands a range of options to debate and design and the political leverage to make some of these solutions a reality. The question now is, which option or combination of options is most suitable for protecting New York City and its boroughs? Follow us after the break for more.

Designed for the Land Art Generator Initiative competition, the ‘NAWT Balloons’ concept, which was recently shortlisted in the competition, aims to couple the image of an oversized helium-filled teardrop with a nuanced application of wind energy technology. While the balloon’s image and subsequent geometry are the primitives to the proposal, the deployment on the Fresh Kills site ignites an interest in the oversized and the attenuated. Designed by Norman Kelley, through its multiplication and reconfiguration, this design may be able to produce new, yet familiar, collections of iconicity. More images and architects’ description after the break.

This proposal for the Daegu Gosan Public Library by Martin Fenlon Architecture aims to be an efficient, sustainable, yet bold response to the program which is articulated in a form that is shaped by the space it sits within. The designs focuses on being both a resource of accumulated information and a public space to be enjoyed by the local residents. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Designed by A4 Studio, their design proposal for the new facade for the Budapest Vasas Sports club, one of the oldest and most successful sports associations in Hungary, won the realistic dream project award in the Trimo Architectural Awards competition. The novelty of the planned façade is the plasticity of the manner in which the sports figures are represented. The basic system: the embossed ArtMe TRIMO laminated panel. Its outer appearance incorporates one single simulated gold metal surface (with varying hues of gold), a reference to the previous sports successes of the club. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Designed by Paolo Venturella & MenoMenoPiu Architects, their ‘Solar Loop’ finalist entry for the Land Art Generator Initiative competition aims to expose more surface as possible to the southern solar rays. Sited in FreshKills Park in New York City, the shape comes directly from the solar diagrams, and deals easily with the sun following it with the best angle almost like a frozen artificial sunflower.bThe aesthetic of the sculpture is the result of this dialogue that becomes synthesis between the solar power and the park. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Don’t believe the rumors! Despite Oscar Niemeyer’s age and three recent hospitalizations, the legendary Brazilian architect is in full recovery after being admitted to the Samaritan Hospital in Rio de Janeiro for dehydration and renal complications last week.

The Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) has announced Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) Urban Design and Planning Partner Philip J. Enquist, FAIA, as the recipient of the inaugural SAH Award for Excellence in Design, Planning and Sustainability. The recognition honors Enquist’s leadership on the Vision for the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence River Region, a pro-bono initiative that sets forth a 100-year vision for the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River watershed. The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Basin is one of 263 watersheds that spans national boundaries and Enquist believes that planning must address the basin comprehensively.

“It’s humbling that the SAH is honoring us for this future-oriented project,” Enquist says. “We have a responsibility to be stewards of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River basin, which represents 20 percent of the planet’s fresh surface water. We must design our cities and region to eliminate waste, relying on innovative and sustainable strategies. We can and must ensure fresh water for all future generations.”

Architects: Moscato Schere Todo Terreno + MS + DPF UNLa Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina Designers: Agustin Moscato, Joaquín Moscato, Ramiro Schere Project Team: Lucia Hollman, Julián Puyal Project Year: 2012 Photographs: Manuel Ciarlotti

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French practice bureau faceB has redefined the pedestrian bridge with their winning design concept that allows Paris residents to “flirt with the water” as they traverse across an intentionally unstable bridge. Dubbed “Water at-traction”, the atypical bridge embraces the potential of traction as it’s steel cables stretch across the Seine in Paris and reconnects the city to the water.

Learn more after the break.

Stanley Kubrick is one of those contemporary filmmakers who needs little introduction. For this week’s edition of Films & Architecture, we’re taking a look at The Shining, considered by many to be a masterpiece – not just for its story, but also for the way Kubrick uses space to instill a sense of madness.

Many of you  have probably already seen it, but if not, now’s the time to enjoy this classic of suspense. And let us know your thoughts about the relationship between space and horror in the comments below – do you think there’s such a thing as an architectural typology of suspense?

Situated in a strategic position for the development of the city of Taiyuan, China, the design for the Southern Station West Plaza creates an important hub of services for the city’s population. Designed by AS. Architecture Studio, the project represents the first visual impact the city offers to visitors descending at the southern station, thus acquiring an important communicative and functional value. For this reason, the project constitutes a real landmark, standing out from the surrounding urban environment, enriching it and integrating within at the same time. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Designed by SOA + holdUP, the FERME DARWIN Proposal synthesizes a vertical farm and cultural facilities in an original manner. Stacking these disparate elements of art, music, and education up is like celebrating the insertion of agriculture in the very heart of the city. Anchored in a visionary city like Bordeaux, the project also addresses health, food, ethical and social concerns. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Defining a landmark to the entrance of the largest Chinese myrtle garden in Xiangyiang, Prechteck’s ‘Blossom Gate’ aims to reinvent the gate as an architectural typology underlining the connecting characteristics of a former dividing element. Their design is not just about the link of the inside with the outside, but also about the connection of its visitors – the gate as an area of gathering, instead of a point of passing through. More images and architects’ description after the break.

MOINOPOLIS recently announced their call for papers for their issue #2, called ‘Ephemerality and Architecture’. Have market forces encouraged this shift towards ephemerality or is it a natural tendency of architecture? Does ephemerality in architecture depend on new technologies or are we creating illusions through non-physical experiences in order to imitate the digital? What social conditions, if any, are being represented through an ephemeral architecture? Lastly, what might the consequences of this phenomenon for our society and culture be? The second issue wants to approach the question of ephemerality in architecture in a multi-disciplinary way. The deadline for submissions is January 15th. More information after the break.

New York-based COOKFOX, formally known as Cook + Fox Architects, has designed a state of the art office tower planned to neighbor the High Line by 2014. Projected to achieve LEED Platinum status, the glass and steel mid-rise offers large, light-filled interior spaces engineered for comfort and high performance, along with spectacular views of the Hudson River and direct connections to the High Line.

Continue reading for the architects’ description.

In light of the devastation left by Hurricane Sandy, as politicians quabble over the existence of climate change, we cannot escape the reality that our cities are vulnerable to natural disasters. Coastal cities face the threat of flooding as sea levels rise and storms, as we’ve seem over the past few years, have had more severe impacts on our cities. The duty of architects, planners, and leaders is to build resilient cities with infrastructure that can stand up to the forces of natural disasters.

Join us after the break for a list of some of the largest port cities vulnerable to coastal flooding…

Designed by SANGRAD Architects + AVP Arhitekti, the first prize winning proposal for the Osijek University Library becomes a place for cultural enrichment and at the same time, relaxation through the use of green loggias, clean energy, and a pleasant micro-climate on outdoor spaces. The importance of the proposal’s orientation is crucial; for the idea is to design an energy efficient library, which was one of the starting components in the design. More images and architects’ description after the break.