Group 41, a San Francisco-based firm, has been experimenting with shipping container design. The company is currently working on a large multi-family development in Utah that is to be entirely constructed out of shipping containers.
This proposal is a design for market-rate housing in the suburbs of Salt Lake City Utah. Involving the use of nearly 1000 shipping containers to create up to 200 units of housing, and sitting on a concrete commercial “base” that also includes parking, this major development is slated for a Transit Oriented district near a commuter rail station. Currently, in the preliminary conceptual phase, Container Nation has created two different proposed schemes that take different approaches to the stacking and build-out of the containers. Preliminary local Planning approvals are expected by mid-2009.
For more information, go to Container Nation official website. More images after the break.
The “Spire”, the skyscraper designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, was going to be the tallest building in the United States. That title will have to wait, at least until the economic crisis affecting construction all over the world starts having better days.
Plasmastudio has recently won the competition to develop the building and landscape design for Horticultural Expo in Xi’an, China. The project comprises 15,000 exhibition hall building, a series of conservatories, a 37Ha park around an artificial lake as well as ancilliary buildings.
The next stages of development will take place during the next months with the collaboration of Plasmastudio and Groundlab.
The second part of Trimo Urban Crash international competition for students of architecture is underway, as the short-listed projects were just selected. The public can already rate the 19 short-listed projects on the competition website. The students were asked to design a venue performed with Trimo products in the center of Ljubljana.
Daniel R. Brenna Jr. of Capital Real Estate Group and architects RMJM unveiled the design for Vista Center, a new LEED Platinum office tower in Trenton, which will be the city’s largest commercial development in decades.
Vista Center is a 25-story, 700,000-square-foot Class A office building planned directly adjacent to the Trenton Transit Center, the second busiest train station on New Jersey’s Northeast Corridor, which runs from Boston to Washington. The transit-oriented development will include 12,000 square feet of ground-level retail, a parking garage for more than 1,140 cars and two public art components – a plaza with a signature sculpture and lobby with a video art installation.
The project is targeting a LEED Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council – the highest sustainability rating offered – which would make it the first Platinum office tower located directly at a Northeast Corridor Hub.
EVENT 1: “Light-Light in Tokyo”Curiosity’s “Light-Light” installation for “Tokyo Wonder” exhibition in Milan last year was a huge success. The magical installation of 80 lights floating in the air was remembered by many as “one of best installations during the Milano Salone”. Now “Light-Light” will finally be introduced to Tokyo. A “sweet” performance “light-food” created especially for the Tokyo event will also be presented. Held from March 25 to April 5, at the Louis Vuitton Hall. More information, here.
Provincial Court of Bizkaia has sentenced Bilbao City Hall to pay a 30,000 euros compensation to architect Santiago Calatrava for modifying the Zubi-Zuri bridge, by adding a gateway to access Isozaki Towers. The court considered that the “general interest” doesn’t prevail over the “moral right” of the author.
Before Jan Kaplicky’s recent death, the controversial Prague National Library project by Future Systems was supposed to be shelved forever. However, there are rumors now saying it may get built, thanks to a popular Facebook group supporting the project.
Our friends from 3LHD architects shared with us their latest project for a private medical center with additional facilities in Split, Croatia, which won the first prize on a private competition.
Architect’s description and more images after the break.
Close surrounding and historical site of Firule area are one of the most enjoyable Split’s living, working and recreation environments. Extraordinary location for the polyclinic is one of its greatest advantages. Placed near existing hospital complex on Firule, close to the sea and fresh air gives it even more importance and value.
Yesterday we posted about the influence in architecture of famous actor Brad Pitt. To continue with this Pitt/Architecture debate, listen to this podcast made by Ted Wells, who talks about the popularity of architects thanks to Brad, among other things.
Easily regarded as one of the most adroit architects of 20th century, Le Corbusier was a relentless designer, urban planner and writer dedicated to industrializing almost every city he came across.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is probably one of the biggest concerns to the world leaders. Although sometimes it may seem that nothing will help solve this crisis, there are still people willing to believe that peace is possible between Israel and Palestine. One of them is Viktor Ramos, an architecture student from Rice University.
Viktor designed this gigantic bridges in which both states can live together. The result is a fantastic example of architectural speculation: genuinely massive – and impossibly cantilevered – bridges used as transport links, aerial housing, and skyborne agricultural complexes, all in one.
More information about this project, here. More images, after the break.
Located in South Korea, the apartments are built using oblique lines in which each unit consists of a terrace.
The building, designed by Korean firm Unsangdong Architects, consists of various community spaces which include parks, leisure facilities, event space, a library, media space and performance space.
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.
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.
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.
