Carlsberg Group hereby announces an international design competition to transform the New Carlsberg Brewhouse into an exciting, must-see Brand and Experience Centre, attracting 500,000 visitors each year.

Chad Mitchell, president of Denver based Meridian 105 Architecture, has shared with us his proposal for a planned mixed use complex in downtown Denver Colorado. After the break, be sure to look over the proposed passive wall systems used throughout the design proposal in addition to the rest of the renderings and description from M1A.

This year, I Saloni of Milan will be celebrating its 50th year! The cultural institution has grown dramatically over the years from an initial 328 exhibitors featured in 11,000 square meters to over 2,500 in an area now measuring over 200,000 square meters. The Salone Internazionale del Mobile is almost here and several architects will be presenting new furniture. Ben van Berkel of UNStudio has shared three new seating designs that will be featured this month: My Lounge Chair for Walter Knoll, the New Amsterdam Chair for Wilde+Spieth and the SitTable for PROOFF. “The architectural approach to furniture is different from that of the industrial designer as the architect begins with the space and the environment that the chair will become a part of. All the details of the chair are considered for their spatial effects. This architectural approach to furniture is connected to a very personal ideology of space,” explained Ben van Berkel.

More about the chairs after the break.

We were quite happy to receive a book on the Aga Kahn 1st prize and shortlist proposals as ArchDaily has followed the 11th award cycle. Beginning with an inspirational foreword, Farrokh Derakhshani explains the importance of such an award as it looks to highlight architecture rooted in an awareness of aesthetics and cultural aspects within the Muslim world. During the 11th award cycle of 2010, the shortlisted projects were shared with the public to promote further discussion. With this in min t,The book offers an indepth look at the 19 projects, complete with the steering committee statement and master jury report.

More about the book after the break.

Almost 45,000 photos on our Flickr Pool! As always, 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 Vesper Hsieh in Singapore. Check the other four after the break.

An informal poll of recent M.Arch graduates resulted in a very interesting statistic: approximately ½ are either unemployed, working for free, or “working for themselves” though many of these new “firms” have yet to win contracts or projects. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, this statistic mirrors the national unemployment rate in the profession. For those who are fortunate enough to gain paying projects, residential remodels seem to dominate.

More after the break.

This project for An imaginary house for Silence, by Dellekamp Arquitectos, reflects an enduring interest in creating a space that is formed by a close relationship with nature, where one can live intimately in the natural world. The house emerges from the essence of the forest, where towering trees surround and protect the body, creating a magical environment of dappled light in the quiet solitude of nature. By our human weakness, we are moved to leave a contemplative and tranquil mark on the site. Like a cloister, characterized by its intimacy and purity, the structure thoughtfully concentrates the elements and the surrounding environment in an architectural space. More images and architects’ description after the break.

The Bike Hanger is an essential facility for the city of Seoul which aims to increase its bicycle-friendliness. The facility is not only low-maintenance and environmentally friendly, but by being installed in between buildings it takes advantage of many of the underutilized spaces that exist around the city. Each Hanger is able to store between 20-36 bicycles and it is easily attached to the sides of buildings, allowing minimal interference with the pedestrian traffic below.

+ 9

Architects: MANIFESTO Architecture P.C. Location: Between Buildings Project Area: 60 sqf Construction Budget: $100,000 Project Status: Shortlist for ‘Seoul International Design Competition: Design for All’ and Shortlist for ‘Seoul Cycle Design Competition 2010′ Renderings: MANIFESTO Architecture P.C. Design Team: Jeeyong An, Sang Hwa lee, JiYoon Oh, Sang Hee Jun.

Copenhagen-based We architecture recieved third prize in the competition for the extension of an existing high school in Falkonergården. More images and architect’s description after the break.

The cocktail is a distinctly American tradition. Once the centerpiece of a thriving “cocktail culture,” it has faded since the 1950s but is now being embraced by a new generation of makers and mixologists who value quality and craft. The Spirits Pavilion, by Min | Day, presents this rejuvenation as part of Slow Food Nation 2008, an event in Fort Mason, San Francisco dedicated to creating a framework for deeper environmental connection to our food aiming to inspire and empower Americans to build a food system that is sustainable, healthy and delicious. More images and architects’ description after the break.

A recent issue of Volume titled “Architecture of Peace” asks what role architects can play in promoting peace. This fearless issue makes the squabbling over Steven Holl’s extension to Rennie Mackintosh’s Glasgow School of Art seem rather trivial. Trying to promote peace in war torn areas like Israel, Palestine, Sudan, and South Eastern Europe takes far more courage or hubris than building onto an architectural treasure. The stakes are far higher and the critics far louder. That, however, did not prevent Volume from diving headlong into politically and emotionally charged issues. No single reader will agree with every article in this issue, but Volume’s willingness to openly discuss such volatile and critical topics is what makes this issue so intriguing and captivating to read. Failing to recognize the merit of this work because of disagreements would be an unfortunate error in judgment. At the same time, restraining personal dissent out of respect would be a disservice to this unshrinking issue. This issue begs for dialogue and respectful disagreement. I highly recommend our readers to pick up this issue and continue the dialogue on this very important topic. You might not agree with every article, but keep the dialogue going.

My personal challenge following the break.

The most recent Architecture for Humanity Sendai relief update comes just in time to celebrate AFH’s 12th Birthday. We here at ArchDaily want to wish AFH a Happy Birthday and thank them for the 12 years of innovation and service they have provided our communities and the profession.

Design Open Mic, led by Cameron Sinclair and Chapters Coordinator Frederika Zipp, updated staff and attendees on their current relief efforts in response to the Sendai earthquake in Japan. Currently a Program Advisory Board has been assembled and Architecture for Humanity is continuing to focus their efforts on developing a rebuilding strategy and implementation process.

The Classics. Extraordinary projects that will never get too old. Check our third selection after the break.

AD Classics: MIT Baker House Dormitory / Alvar Aalto Alvar Aalto designed the Baker House in 1946 while he was a professor at the Massachussets Institute of Technology, where the dormitory is located. It received its name in 1950, after the MIT’s Dean of Students Everett Moore Baker was killed in an airplane crash that year. The dormitory is a curving snake slithering on its site and reflects many of Aalto’s ideas of formal strategy, making it a dormitory that is both inhabited and studied by students from all over the world (read more…)

The central idea behind this challenge is that the project in question is a “virtual project”, one that has been created specifically for this competition.

The Belgian Buildings Agency and the Department of Justice recently announced the winners of their Brussels Courthouse: Imagine the Future International Ideas Competition. To make the issues of architecture and urban design more widely known, BOZAR Architecture has backed this initiative by hosting the awards ceremony and staging an exhibition of the entries at the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels until May 15th. More images and description of winning entries after the break.

Today Ryerson University announced the design of a new Student Learning Centre for their Toronto campus. Designed by Snøhetta in collaboration with Zeidler Partnership Architects of Toronto, the 155,463sqf Student Learning Centre will feature a transparent glass skin that will provide varying light qualities within the interior spaces. Sustainable practices have also been incorporated into the design with 50% of the roof intended to act as a green roof and plans for the building to be LEED Silver compliant. Construction on the building is expected to begin late this year, with a targeted completion date of Winter 2014. More about the new Student Learning Centre including renderings following the break.

Architects: UArchitects – Emile van Vugt and Misak Terzibasiyan Location: Eindhoven, The Netherlands Client: Municipality Eindhoven Drawings/Renders: Courtesy of UArchitects

Whether you love, hate, or are indifferent to Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbuiser, you can’t understand 20th century architecture without him. In light of this statement it is surprising that few books have dealt extensively with the writings of an architect who chose to list his profession as “Homme de Lettres” (Man of Letters) on his French identity card. Upon reading M. Christine Boyer’s Le Corbusier, Homme de Lettres one immediately realizes how much more fitting this title is for the architectural giant. His prolific literary output included more than fifty books, hundreds of articles, and thousands of letters. It is hard to imagine how his fewer than 60 buildings would have manifested themselves without his written explorations. Writing taught him as much about himself, architecture and urban design as drawing and building. No other book takes this more seriously than Boyer’s recent tome.

There are many aspects to like about this book. I personally enjoyed learning not only what he wrote but what he read. Additionally, Boyer’s effort to assemble Jeanneret’s letter and journal writing in chronological order should not go unnoticed. Although physically heavy this book makes following Jeanneret’s struggles and transformations fairly easy. This would have been impossible without Boyer’s effort. The notes she includes on the debates over the dates of certain letters illustrate how difficult but important this process must have been. So for a fraction of the effort you can get a glimpse into the transformations of a mind that changed how the world views architecture. Despite being far from an expert on Le Corbusier I certainly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in modern architecture, the 20th century, travel, or urban design. It has it all.

Credits, further information and more photos after the break.

Studio Mode/modeLab is pleased to announce the upcoming Material Matters Workshop in New York City. During the weekend of May 14-16, 2011, the workshop will focus on parametric design to fabrication strategies and iterative development of prototypes on a 3-Axis CNC Mill.

Fascinated with the theory of camouflage and interested in how, as a design concept, it could result in the transformation of space, MODU changed the recognizable figure of a barge in a city to an interactive atmospheric phenomenon they titled, ‘Lighter Than Air’. This proposal, which was for “The Barge” competition organized by SHIFTBoston, won first place and will be coming to the Fort Point Channel in Boston in September 2012. More images and architects’ description after the break.

This week our Architecture City Guide heads to Richmond, Virginia. Admittedly, it was Richmond’s pair of Cinderellas in this year’s NCAA Tournament that first caught our attention. However, with our interest peaked, we spent the last week exploring its architecture and found much to be admired. Richmond is by far the smallest city we have featured; with only 200,000 residents, the next closest on our list is twice its size. Architecturally, this Cinderella city can compete in her own way with the architectural powerhouses we have previously featured. Richmond’s architectural appeal comes from the city’s ability to keep its rich historic fabric intact while experimenting with new modes of design. While the city strongly embraces the gritty manufacturing buildings of its past, Richmond has resisted the imitation trap and has promoted modern interpretations of the older forms and materials. The majority of the buildings we chose to feature are emblematic of Richmond architecture, rehab/addition projects. We couldn’t possibly fit all our favorites in our list of twelve, so please take a look and add ones that visitors should not miss in the comment section below.

The Architecture City Guide: Richmond list and corresponding map after the break!

SCI-Arc, Los Angeles’ cutting edge architectural institute, has just announced Thom Mayne as the newest Trustee of the board. Mayne’s addition to the board emphasizes SCI-Arc’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of traditional architectural form and theory. Back in 1972, Mayne co-founded the institute along with seven faculty members and approximately forty students who left Cal Poly Pomona to form a “a college without walls.” For the past nearly four decades, Mayne has been an integral part of the university, serving as a juror, lecturer and generous supporter of the school. ”Thom Mayne is the quintessential SCI-Arc architect. His addition to the board is indicative of the fact that SCI-Arc continues to re-imagine the content of architecture,” said Director Eric Owen Moss. According to SCI-Arc, this appointment complements a series of events that have prompted the school’s growth both physically and programmatically.

Our goal is straightforward: to achieve a dramatic reduction in the climate-change-causing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the Building Sector by changing the way buildings and developments are planned, designed and constructed. Architecture 2030

The research from Architecture 2030 and the EIA has shown both the building industry and general public some staggering numbers; building operations for residential, commercial and industrial structures use 77% of ALL the electricity produced in the USA, not to mention 49% of energy consumption.

Just some additional numbers to take into consideration: transportation accounted for 33.5% of CO2 emissions and the industry field within the USA 19.6%.  Even more of a concern is the building sector’s 46.9% reading.

Architecture 2030 has changed the way we look at buildings. Recognizing that the building sector is BOTH the problem and the solution Design By Many has media partnered with ArchDaily to issue the following Challenge: Design a Passive House for New Orleans, sponsored by HP.

Adhering to the Passive House Standard, the challenge is focusing on a single-family housing design solution for communities in New Orleans. Entries must provide a well balanced concept of sustainability including minimal impact on the local environment, affordable to heat and cool, and affordable to build and purchase.

Open to both students and professionals, Challenge: Design a Passive House for New Orleans is combining a lot of key components: The Passive House Standard, 2030 Challenge which has influenced the Better Buildings Initiative issued by President Obama, and the 2011 AIA Convention New Orleans, to name a few.

Prizes include an HP Designjet T2300 PostScript eMFP (nearly $10,000 value), a feature on DesignReform on the first day of the AIA National Convention in New Orleans (May 12th), AND the winner will also receive a feature on ArchDaily.

We are looking forward to seeing your design solutions!

Our friends from UNStudio have shared their latest 66,000 square meter Galleria in Cheonan, South Korea, with us. The Galleria attempts to re-define the traditional typology of such a place, as changing societal norms in Asia have led supermarkets to operate as “social and semi-cultural meeting places,” according to Ben van Berkel. As a result, the project blends the functional aspect of a large scale commercial store, while placing emphasis on maintaining a sense of public space for social and cultural aspects.

More information and photos after the break.