Tragedy has struck Australia in the past weeks. Big, unstoppable, uncontrollable fires destroyed 750 houses (with over 210 people killed) in the state of Victoria, taking the lives of many people in the way. But along with tragic situations, new opportunities come to help those who are in need. Australian firm, 1:1 Architects have designed the House re-Growth Pod.
It is a permanent and cost effective housing unit which can assist in the rebuilding of the fire devastated town-ships of Victoria.
The robust pre-fabricated concrete structure has been designed to be built upon, but in the short term acts as a habitable starting point for the building of a new home. The units can be prefabricated, delivered and connected to services rapidly allowing families to begin the process of re-building without displacement from their communities.
The House Pod is not just relief housing it is a starting block for the re-growth of regional Victoria. Ecotec Build Solutions have already offered to construct a prototype.
French firm archi5 has been announced winner of the International Master Plan Competition for Stockholm’s Nya Årstafältet neighborhood. Archi5′s winning proposal ‘Arkipelag’ has been a collaboration with landscape architect Michel Desvigne.
The master plan covers 260 acres of which 2,260,000 sf will be used for office space and 4,300,000 sf for residential.
Seen at Bustler. For more information, click here. More images after the break.
This is the design proposed by NL Architects for the Taipei Performing Arts Center. The structure contains three theaters, including a 1500-seat Grand Theater, and two 800-seat theaters. Although critics praised the aesthetics, they noted two critical issues: acoustics would be disastrous and the lack of sun for several of the cubes. The competition was finally won by OMA.
You can also see Abalos proposal here. More images after the break.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a beautiful house on the beach to go every weekend and relax? Until you get one, you can catch up with today’s “Round Up” and start dreaming with your favorite Beach House previously featured on ArchDaily. Enjoy it!
The Serpentine Gallery is delighted to announce that the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2009 will be designed by architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, of the leading Japanese practice SANAA. Sejima and Nishizawa’s Pavilion will be the architects’ first built structure in the UK and the ninth commission in the Gallery’s annual series of Pavilions, the world’s first and most ambitious architectural programme of its kind. The Pavilion will open in July on the Serpentine Gallery’s lawn, where it will remain until October.
The legendary Bauhaus movement turns 90 this year and the anniversary is being marked by exhibitions from Tokyo to New York. The school was founded by a young architect, Walter Gropius, who wanted to shape products for the future and create a more just society.
Steven Holl Architects‘ winning design from the “4 Tower in 1″ competition calls for a quartet of towers to be built around the brand new Shenzhen Stock Exchange and its surrounding plaza.
The folks at Art & Seek published a video with interesting insights on the construction of the Wyly Theater in Dallas, TX designed by REX | OMA, which is almost complete.
World Expositions have been an architectural playground since they started to appear: London World Exposition of 1851 (Crystal Palace), Paris World Exposition of 1889 (Eiffel Tower), and more recently, Hannover 2000 and Zaragoza 2008.
Max Wallack, a 12 year old from Natick, has just won WGBH’s Design Squad “Trash to Treasure” design contest with his “Home Dome” invention, which is a shelter for the homeless, built with just plastic, wire and packing peanuts. The structure is in the form of a Mongolian yurt and includes a built-in bed.
For his winning design, Max won $10,000, a Dell laptop and a trip to Boston to see how his design becomes real. The “Home Dome” was selected as the winning innovation out of more than 1,000 contest submissions.
Seen at The Design Blog. Watch a video about the winner, after the break.
For many people, a nice house isn’t complete without a nice patio. So this Friday, we bring you a “Round Up” with our best selection of patio houses previously published on ArchDaily.
Secretary of State for Cultura Media and Sport Andy Burnham, will officially open Alison Brooks Architect’sQuarterhouse Performing Arts and Business Centre in Folkestone, located in the Kent district, England. The ceremony will take place in March 5.
The building is the centrepiece of the city’s arts-led regeneration programme spearheaded by client The Creative Foundation. The 1550 sqm includes a 220 seat, 500 standing multi-purpose auditorium for music, dance, theatre, film performances and conferences; ground floor foyer and exhibition space; first floor café/bar and a top floor business centre for start-ups in the creative industries.
The London architecture firm Sarah Wigglesworth Architects have finished a bike store in Bermondsey, London. The structure can store 76 bikes in two levels, using a system designed by bicycle rack producers Josta.
The building is constructed from 13 portal frames, clad externally with triangular, stainless-steel panels and internally with translucent, glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) sheeting. The structure will provide secure shelter for residents and workers in the Bermondsey Square area.
After an international design competition and nearly two years of design, the high-profile, 2.5-million-square-foot Chinatrust Bank headquarters has broken ground in Taiwan. Designed by the Los Angeles office of NBBJ, in cooperation with the local firm Fei & Cheng Associates, the project is slated to reach completion in 2012.
The Chinatrust Bank development will consist of a 30-story headquarters building, a 21-story commercial office building, a 10-story hotel, and a four-level retail center. The project is designed to accommodate the bank’s growth, while supporting its status as the “Best Bank in Taiwan,” as named in Asiamoney, Euromoney, and FinanceAsia publications.
In January, the Architectural Billings Index (ABI) sunk to 33.3, the lowest level in its 13-year history. The score has fallen below 50 for 12 straight months; a score above 50 indicates an increase in billings, and below 50, a decrease.
For those who are looking for a nice holiday home with three bedrooms, a social bathroom, a living room, a dinning room, a small kitchen with a support washbasin, pantry, and even a small outdoor swimming pool, this might be your lucky day. Tóló House (previously published on ArchDaily), designed by Alvaro Leite Siza, located in Lugar das Carvalhinhas – Alvite, Cerva Parish, Ribeira da Pena Commune, Vila Real District, Portugal, is now for sale.
