The University of Queensland’s (UQ) School of Architecture has proven again that the creative skills developed in its design studios are truly award winning. Graduating from UQ’s Master of Architecture program in 2010, Rick Hill and Josh Spillane, along with 3D graphic artist Leon McBride, recently submitted one of three winning designs in an international competition to redesign the Parramatta foreshore in New South Wales. Mr Hill said that the Ideas on Edge competition coordinated by the Parramatta City Council provided the perfect opportunity to put the skills they learnt in the masters design studio to the test.

Gt_2P, a parametric design and digital fabrication studio shared with us their project ‘Til Til D.F.’, the result of a private licitation ordered by Dimanche Industrial Group. The main instruction was to develop a project with diverse uses in an open space, having as special consideration the mimecking between the buildings and its surroundings.

More images and complete architect’s description after the break.

The purpose of this architecture contest is to “equip the city of Trois-Rivières with an open-air amphitheater capable of seating 10,000.” Trois-Rivières is a small Canadian city (population 130,407) once known as the pulp and paper industry capital of the world. Located halfway between Montreal and Quebec City, Trois-Rivières was looking to build its own venue for hosting high-volume summer festivals and internationally renowned bands, and housing its symphony orchestra during the summer. “In the early 2000s, the city of Trois-Rivières began work on a re-qualification project. The site in question (a former paper mill) is situated along the St. Lawrence River, adjacent to the harbourfront park, the city centre, the St. Lawrence River and St. Quentin Island (for outdoor activities). Such a location calls for an extraordinary construction,” explains Philippe Drolet, architect, in an excerpt from the contest catalogue. For the first phase of the contest, Sid Lee Architecture and Régis Côté et Associés banked on the project’s historical roots and awed the jury with a vision that reflects the site’s industrial past. Their competition entry was awarded as a finalist.

The Kanagawa Institute of Technology Workshop by Junya Ishigami is an elegant rectangular box with with floor-to-ceiling glass, enclosing an interesting interior space with 305 columns of various sizes supporting the stripped roof of skylights. The columns, although seemingly random, are specifically placed to create the sensation of zoned spaces, but their nonrestrictive quality provides a flexible layout to suit the changing needs of students.

KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten were awarded first place in the international competition for the Qingdao Science and Technology City the company’s design for the approx. 600-hectare site in the north of the port city of China. The primary objective of the project was to create a sustainable urban living space for the 100.000 inhabitants, in which a high quality of life with ecological equilibrium is achieved. Come back after the break for more about this project.

Most design and building processes relay on pre-determination and accuracy, plus an efficient coordination of data input leading to a physical realization representing previously conceived ideas as closely as possible. Parametric and generative design add an extra element of “objective” formulae playing role of legitimizations of designer’s intentional design, while the choice of data pools, algorithms or auto-generative formulae is in fact another intentional element.

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Architect: Centrala Location: Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Germany Designer: Jakub Szczęsny Assistant: Helmut Dietz Project Year: 2011 Photographs: Rolf Wohrle, Hagen Betzwieser and Jakub Szczęsny

Designed by Marc Fornes (THEVERYMANY), nonLin/Lin Pavilion is a prototype which engages in a series of architectural experiments referred to as text based morphologies. Part of the FRAC Centre permanent collection in Orleans, France the prototypes, beyond their visual perception of sculptural and formal qualities, are built forms developed through custom computational protocols. The parameters of these protocols are based on form finding (surface relaxation), form description (composition of developable linear elements), information modeling (re-assembly data), generational hierarchy (distributed networks), and digital fabrication (logistic of production).

A complete project description, photographs and drawings following the break.

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Synarchitects has shared with us their forward thinking design for Ningbo Digital in Ningbo, China. A skew of images can be seen after the jump in addition to a brief description from the designers.

The Mobile Hospital by Kukil Han is designed to provide immediate aid in hard hit disaster stricken areas. Conceptualizing a modularized container medical treatment center, Han’s Mobil Hospital can either function individually or as a larger modular unit. Deliverability of the units by ground or via helicopter if the situation calls for it, provides a shorter response time to emergency areas.

More renderings of the Mobile Hospital following the break.

“The Canopy”, a collaborative project between NEXT Architects, Amsterdam and MASS Studies, Seoul for the invited competition for a student pavilion at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Additional images of the proposal and a narrative from the designers after the break.

Cecil Balmond of Balmond Studio and Charles Jencks have developed the winning design, Star of Caledonia, for the border crossing between England and Scotland at Gretna. Aiming for a 2014 completion date (just in time for the Commonwealth Games hosted in Glasgow) the design of this contemporary landmark sculpture will draw inspiration from Scotland’s scientific heritage and will feature a series of S-curves marking the cross of St. Andrew.

After perennial design and construction phase the congress center of the new city administration of Hangzhou, China is completed. The concept and design of the facade was made by Peter Ruge Architekten in collaboration with Prof Wang Xiaosong from DBH GmbH. Completed images of the facade and a brief description from the architects is available after the break.

The IAA library building, by Symbiosis Designs LTD, emerged out of a necessary garden meant to provide students with a fundamental epiphany shedding, enabling foresight and inviting them to contribute to humanity. “Legacy Garden” is a vast reflective pool with a river stone bed flooded with water only on the special occasion of graduation day.

Architects: Symbiosis Designs LTD Location: Amman, Jordan Project team: Khalid Nahhas, Husam Aldibis, Jawad Hamdan Structural engineer: DIMCO Mechanical engineer: Spectrum Mep. Consulting Engineers Electrical engineer: Spectrum Mep. Consulting Engineers Client: (IAA) The International Academy – Amman Project Year: 2009 Project Area: 4,200 sqm Renderings and Photographs: Courtesy of Symbiosis Designs LTD

Ross Ching’s video takes a look at a car-free Los Angeles, something unimaginable for a city that is so automobile dependent. But last weekend people had no choice as the heavily traveled 405 was closed. Carmageddon as it was called was part of a $1 billion dollar reconstruction project, including installation of an HOV lane and upgrading of some on/off ramps. The 10 mile section of the freeway was anticipated to be closed for 53 hours from midnight on July 15th until 5am July 18th however the construction ended a bit earlier. Tshirts were sold, apps were produced, and viral videos were all part of the epic closure of the 405.

Beirut based, Lebanese architect firm Hapsitus has presented us their work for the BLC Headquarter Landmark high rise design competition in Beirut. Follow after the break for more images of their winning proposal for this highly visible project.

Architects: James Law Cybertecture International Location: Mumbai, India Client: Parinee Developers Pvt Ltd. Photographs: Courtesy of James Law Cybertecture International

Parinee I is a 21st century office tower designed by world renowned architect James Law of James Law Cybertecture International at the heart of Mumbai, India. Uniquely, this dynamic 160 meter tall tower is designed to provide ultra modern office spaces for a wide range of business occupants including the creative industries of the India movie business. Not only can the building form provide different views and experience from the office space inside, the diagonal façades are also installed with LED screen for film and graphic projection.

Many great museums for our 8th selection, including an AD Classic, and even a Tree Museum! Check them all after the break.

New Acropolis Museum / Bernard Tschumi Architects Located in the historic of Makryianni district, the Museum stands less than 1,000 feet southeast of the Parthenon. The top-floor Parthenon Gallery offers a 360-degree panoramic view of the Acropolis and modern Athens. The Museum is entered from the Dionysios Areopagitou pedestrian street, which links it to the Acropolis and other key archeological sites in Athens (read more…)

The Royal Institute of British Architecture (RIBA) recently released the shortlist for this year’s Stirling Prize, the UK’s most prestigious architecture prize. Presented annually to the architects of the ‘building that has made the greatest contribution to the evolution of architecture in the past year’ this year’s six shortlisted projects range from the most expensive city academy school every built to a 1932 refurbished theater. The winner will be announced in October at the RIBA Stirling Prize dinner, held at the Magna Science and Adventure Centre in Rotherham, winner of the 2001 RIBA Stirling Prize.

Follow the break for the complete shortlist and more details about the RIBA Stirling Prize.

Join A+D Museum and Moore Rubble Yudell Architects and Planners for a children’s workshop exploring the world of staircases. Children will work alongside professional architects to plan, design and build a staircase. Whether their models are sweeping and grand or sky-high and wild, ARkidECTs will gain hands-on experience in the world of a professional architect… stepping up to the design of their imaginations. Parents are welcome to join the fun!

Architects at Enota have shared with ArchDaily their recent competition entry, a “natural experience” hotel resort in Bled, Slovenia, entitled ‘Mivka’. For additional images of their design as well as descriptive text from the architects themselves, please follow after the jump.

Following years of research, a+t publishers presents the first theoretical-practical book on hybrid buildings. Taking its inspiration from the four issues of a+t magazine’s Hybrid series, the book takes a look at the theories and projects which have had the greatest historical importance. Steven Holl prefaces the book with an introduction where he foresees the path which hybrid typologies should take towards the creation of new urban spaces.

The University of Oxford has received planning permission for a new £170M chemistry laboratory complex designed by Francis- Jones Morehen Thorp (FJMT). This follows a unanimous vote in favour of the scheme by Oxford City Council’s West Area Planning Committee where the scheme was described as one of the most striking new buildings in Oxford. More images and complete press release after the break.

The Bangkok-based Architecture firm S+PBA has been invited to attend the exhibition Water-Curse or Blessing!? organized by Aedes East – International Forum for Contemporary Architecture n.p.o. as part of the Asia Pacific Weeks 2011. The event will take place at Aedes Gallery in Berlin from the 9th to 21st September 2011. More images and event description after the break.

In Warsaw, Poland in the district of Wola lies a small crack of space between the buildings on 22 Chłodna Street and 74 Żelazna Street. Jakub Szczęsny of Centrala, recognized the potential to create something unique within this narrow area, and derived a design of an art installation entitled Keret House. The house upon completion shall become the narrowest house in Warsaw, measuring an interior that will vary between 122 centimeters and 72 centimeters in its narrowest spot.

Architects: Centrala Location: Wola, Poland Designer: Jakub Szczęsny Project Area: 14,5 sqm Project Year: December 2011 Project Curators: Sarmen Beglarian, Sylwia Szymaniak Project Announcement: Wola Art Festival “CityProjectWola“ Organizers: Modern Polish Art Foundation, President Piotr Nowicki, Wola District Office of the Capital City of Warsaw; Coordinator Anna Fiszer-Nowacka; Gmina Wyznaniowa Żydowska w Warszawie, Coordinator Judyta Nekanda-Trepka