Taking place at the Virserums Art Museum June 26-27, Wood Summit Smaland is an international conference that will focus on sustainability and wood architecture. Featuring renowned guest speakers such as Jim Taggart, Sadie Morgan, Stefan Behnisch and TYIN Tegnestue, winner of Architecture of Necessity 2010, the winners of Architecture of Necessity 2013 will be announced. For more information, please visit here.
The proposal for the Château of Chillon Restaurant & Boutique by Mauro Turin Architectes takes into account the cultural significance of the historical national monument and uses century-old construction along with various updated methodologies. Their aspiration is to add, in a notion of continuity, a new layer of history about the site and the Castle. Therefore, the building is designed in the image of its ambitions, in the expectation in what can be called the expansion of the Castle. More images and architects' description after the break.
The proposal by Moko Architects for the Diving and Indoor Skydiving Center restores a part of a house factory in Żerań which operated in the past,. They turn a building in a non-developed area with abandoned halls and warehouses into a recreation center open all year round in the old silos where bulk cement used to be stored in the past. The existing facility is a perfect base for this investment and will be the only place in Poland where people wishing to learn the skills of diving will have the opportunity to safely train at the depth of 25m under control. More images and architects' description after the break.
The main goal of the Hotel in Montenegro proposal was not to create a resort type of hotel, but rather a new town square, a vibrant part of this sleepy city. This approach by Kana Arhitekti significantly upgraded the quality of urbanism both on a micro and macro scale to create a city center this small town needs. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Located in a rural setting in central Finland, a few kilometers north of the city of Tampere, the proposal for the Hämeenkyrö Environmental School by Hyperbuildings aims to be a reflection of the school's nationally acclaimed environmental curriculum. The addition is an L-shaped volume that forms a new central courtyard with the existing 1903 building where the school is currently housed. This approach seeks to maximize opportunities for having natural and agricultural landscapes on the site. More images and architects' description after the break.
Developed by Spacescape, Airport City Stockholm, in cooperation with Swedavia Swedish Airports (state), Sigtuna municipality, and Arlandastad Holding (private real estate), has a new urban design strategy and urban plan that envisions a unique airport city which emphasizes urban qualities and places sustainability in focus. Such rapid expansion has placed distinct demands on planning, which has resulted in this collaborative effort. Creating these foundations, along with offering the world within walking distance, will increase value and attract even more people and businesses. More images and architects' description after the break.
Bringing harmony and sense to the surrounding context, the proposal by Kamvari Architects for the Crete Bioclimatic School creates a simple linear movement across the site, looking inwards towards the heart of the school. This subtle exterior introduces excitement and fun to the interior while giving the school an impression of enclosure and security, but sustaining the sense of its landscape setting. More images and architects' description after the break.
The American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Housing and Custom Residential Knowledge Community, in conjunction with the Office of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), have recognized three recipients of the 2013 AIA/HUD Secretary Awards. The categories of the program include (1) Excellence in Affordable Housing Design (2) Creating Community Connection Award (no recipient selected this year) (3) Community-Informed Design Award and (4) Housing Accessibility - Alan J. Rothman Award. These awards demonstrate that design matters, and the recipient projects offer examples of important developments in the housing industry.
Dmytro Aranchii Architects shared with us their proposal for the cultural space on the Andriivskyi descent, an educational competition sponsored by ESTA Holding earlier this year. The challenge was to create an architectural concept of the Yunist factory former site development, and out of 1 hectare, the competition terms determined the cultural space as 10-15 percent of the area linked to the Andriivskyi descent, and the rest of it was for commercial use. This consists of a multifunctional cultural space with an integrated chamber music hall. Besides the hall, the architects suggested to place a literature space in the cultural center suitable for seminars, conferences, meetings of readers and writers, poets and essayists, as there is a lack of such place in Kyiv. More images and architects' description after the break.
DawnTown recently announced the winners for Landmark Miami, their 2013 ideas competition which focused on how cities are instantly identified by the individual structures within them. With the challenge of coming up with a new symbol for the future, architects and designers were tasked with creating an iconic architectural piece that contributes to the image of Miami. Studio Dror was announced as the first prize winner for their 'Miami Lift' proposal which pays tribute to the city's by elevating visitors to give them a new perspective to the city. More images and information on the winning entries after the break.
Taking place July 16-29, the two week 'Dynamic Fields' workshop consists of analyzing and creating structures responsive to environmental energy. Presented by Parametrica, the last day of project is dedicated to Patrik Schumacher, director at Zaha Hadid Architects and founder of AA Design Reseach Lab London. Schumacher will present a lecture on Parametric Semiology (Architecture as interface of communication) as intelligent structures and parametric architecture are the primary topics up for discussion for the whole event. Students or graduates, architects, interior designers, product designers, urbanism designers, engineers and all others who wish to partake in experimenting what the parametric design of such structures is in practice are expected to join both in the workshop and the conference. More information after the break.
Transform Kansas City, a collaboration between the Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance and the Kansas City Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Young Architects Forum, is asking for submissions that illustrate transportation related or affected ideas or solutions. No matter your background or experience, all are being called to submit your ideas on transportation, urban design and architecture. You are encouraged to find solutions to question such as: What impact does urban mass transit have on the mobility of our cities in which we live, work and play? What forms will these new investments take and what is the result to our built environment? The deadline for submissions is June 30. For more information, please visit here.
ARJM, in collaboration with SUM, recently won the competition for their project, "Square de l'Accueil" (Welcoming Square), which includes a public square of 10,000 m2, 53 flats, a school, commercial spaces and underground parking. Located in a neighborhood at a strategic entry point towards Evere, one of Brussels communes, the project itself includes all the components of the city at a smaller scale. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Almost demolished after the earthquake in 2011, Christchurch center was required a renovation. The challenge for architects Zotov & Co was to recall a livable city center. After asking the question of what is needed to be happy, the architects chose nature and communication as the foundation of their concept. The center for the quarter an island covered, dense forest which concentrates all social activity. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Floornature recently launched Next Landmark 2013, their second international contest for young architects, which is introducing a new category dedicated to architecture photography and taking the winners to Helsinki Design Week. The competition is organized to spotlight and showcase projects by the new generations of architects, promoting what they are doing or planning for contemporary living. Furthermore, it provides an ethical opportunity with a declared interest in the community, helping up-and-coming architects move forward in their careers. Originality, environmental sustainability and all the ideas that exploit relations between people, architecture and landscape will be the main contents of the winning projects and research essays. The deadline for entries is June 30. For more information, please visit here.
Taking place June 26 - July 5, the AA Mexico City Visiting School will engage with the most crucial and imposing challenges that Mexico City faces and the ways in which architecture and urbanism can shape the metropolis at different scales. In this sense the international program sees the city as a laboratory where the virtual and experimental tradition of the Architectural Association finds a fertile and concrete ground for the application of its methodology in Mexico. With the theme of "Manufactured Landscapes/Manufactured Urbanities”, the program explores the metropolitan condition understood as a manufactured process by and for human beings. More information after the break.
Custore, an experimental project, is a pavilion that explores the areas of parametric architecture used for the commercial market. Designed by Anna Dobek + Mateusz Wojcicki, they had to deal not only with the aesthetic issues of computer-generated sculptural forms, but also with practical problems associated with the execution of the project inside a commercial building, and - most importantly – with the real clash of artistic forms and commercial market guidelines. More images and architects’ description after the break.