Cultural: The Latest Architecture and News

Tucson, Arizona firm Line and Space recently shared with us their competition proposal for the new National Museum of Afghanistan developed over the summer of 2012. Inspired by the basin and range geology of Kabul and incredible archaeology, the design features architecture that is derived from Afghan soil by means of stone clad conical elements rising from the landscape that are evocative of an atypical approach to the standard museum typology. Designed to provide a dramatic yet serene and secure place for visitors to learn about the country’s amazing and complex history, the various strategies employed by Line and Space offer up some interesting concepts that celebrate the incredible treasures housed within. More details after the break.

Situated in a strategic position for the development of the city of Taiyuan, China, the design for the Southern Station West Plaza creates an important hub of services for the city’s population. Designed by AS. Architecture Studio, the project represents the first visual impact the city offers to visitors descending at the southern station, thus acquiring an important communicative and functional value. For this reason, the project constitutes a real landmark, standing out from the surrounding urban environment, enriching it and integrating within at the same time. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Located around the Hauptbahnof in Berlin, the proposal for the Haus der Zukunft competition by Project Architect Company capitalizes on the site’s potential which lies between the Reichstag and the main railway station along the River Spree. The site is experiencing a surge in development, transforming a previously underused area into a new city-wide destination. The architects propose to use the building as an ‘urban activator’ to link the city and waterfront. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Holm Architecture Office (HAO) and AI have been invited to create a proposal for the city of Daqiuzhuang in northern China. Sited in a newly developed part of the city, the new cultural building takes its form from the traditional Chinese courtyard square. By lifting the square in the diagonal corners, dual entry points to the building are created which leads visitors and locals through the building’s ground level public programs to the mid- and upper- level exhibition spaces while extending the existing North- South axis of the surrounding city. More images and architects’ description after the break.

The Friends Center at Angkor Hospital for Children was designed by COOKFOX Architects as an accessory to the existing Angkor Hospital founded by Kenro Izu. The pediatric care facility provides free, quality medical services to over 500,000 patients in Siem Reap, Cambodia while also training health care professionals. The center is an outreach pavilion to welcome visitors to the hospital without compromising patient privacy. The center is a space of exchange where visitors, learning about the program may also experience elements of Cambodia’s heritage through exhibitions of art work and the architecture itself.

Given the opportunity to be engaged in a project with high social concerns, the C Spot comes as a reflex of a sustainable mission where the developer contributes to reduce levels of illiteracy by awarding the communities. This would be done through building roads, viaducts, and bridges with a Spot, which is more than a school, but actually a space that foments social elevations through education. Designed by Segmento Urbano Arquitectos, the proposal was shortlisted as part of the World Architecture Festival competition. More images and architects’ description after the break.