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Brought to you from the minds behind the documentary films Helvetica and Objectified, filmaker Gary Hustwit and cinematographer Luke Geissbuhler have started filming Urbanized, a study on how design affects our daily lives.  The third film in the design trilogy, Urbanized continues the discussion surrounding the development of cities, presenting the challenges for and response by designers and citizens. The film will also highlight implementation of proposed design solutions, as it is happening now and in the future.

The Re-Skinning Awards are offered to architects, engineers, developers, and building owners (individuals or groups) that have older, energy-inefficient buildings and implemented design solutions to move them closer to a net zero footprint performance.

Architect Nicolas Laisné shared with us his proposal for the Spiretec competition in New Delhi, India, which received an honorable mention. The main idea of this project was to create a modern building with natural cooling systems inspired by traditional Indian architecture and was to be composed by an IT complex with offices, a hotel, conference halls and shops.More images and architect’s description after the break.

This house on a Maine woodlot is designed as a weave of volumes and courtyards that strikes a precise balance between solid and void. Neither a carved solid, nor aggregate volumes within a continuous void, the interior rooms and exterior courtyards are both continuous, but meet only at their upper and lower corners. More renderings and drawings of the Woodlot House by FreelandBuck following the break.

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Architects: FreelandBuck Location: Falmouth, Maine, USA Project Team: Brennan Buck, David Freeland, Kate Thatcher

Architects: ALA Architetcs Location: Kristiansand, Norway Project team: Juho Grönholm, Antti Nousjoki, Janne Teräsvirta, Samuli Woolston and Birger Grönholm with Niklas Mahlberg, Pekka Sivula, Pauliina Rossi, Pauliina Skyttä, Sami Mikonheimo, Jani Koivula,Auvo Lindroos, Aleksi Niemeläinen, Erling Sommerfeldt, Ingrid Kokkonen, Tomi Henttinen, Harri Ahokas, Anniina Koskela Klaus Stolt Collaborators: SMS Arkitekter AS: Erik Sandsmark, Wenche Aabel, Lasse Stamrud, Hanne Alnes (local partner) WSP Multiconsult AS (structural engineering) Arup Acoustics (hall acoustics) Brekke Strand Acoustics (room acoustics) Sweco Grøner (mechanical engineering) Cowi (electrical engineering) TPC (theater technical engineering) Client: Teater og Konserthus for Sørlandet IKS Project area: 24,000 sqm Project year: In construction Photographs: Courtesy of ALA Architects

The Bellevue Botanical Garden improvements, led by Olson Kundig Architects, include a new Visitor Center complex, renovations of a mid-century residence, and extensive site work. Targeting a minimum of LEED Silver certification, these improvements will enhance the existing educational program and provide facilities for greater numbers of visitors.

“The Bellevue Botanical Garden has the potential to become one of the finest botanical gardens in the world,” shared Jim Olson, founder of Olson Kundig Architects. “I grew up in the Northwest and have spent my life exploring ways to bring architecture and nature closer together, to blur the distinction of indoors and outdoors and to frame nature so that its beauty is celebrated. This project offers a chance to bring my lifelong exploration to a place where it would encourage others to love nature as much as I do.”

Further description and rendering following the break.

Architects: Olson Kundig Architects Location: Bellevue, Washington, USA

Last week we featured amazing projects from all over the world we don’t want you to miss. Check our small selection after the break.

Giant Interactive Group Corporate Headquarters / Morphosis Architects The Giant Campus project is a compact village that accommodates diverse functions in a flexible framework of forms that move in and out of a folded landscape plane. Situated amid existing canals and a new man made lake, the undulating office building interacts with an augmented ground plane, joining architecture to landscape and environment to site (read more…)