Grimshaw's first permanent Eden Project outside the United Kingdom has reached a construction milestone with the completion of the project’s centerpiece Storm Forest Biome. The single-space biome structure, which is larger than the domes at the Eden Project in Cornwall, encloses a planted space of over 27,000 square meters and uses water as the "life blood of nature, culture, and civilization".
World Architecture Festival has revealed the winners for this year’s categories, highlighting buildings and landscapes completed across the world between 2019 and 2021. Chosen from almost 500 shortlisted projects from 62 countries, the winning projects showcase exemplary contributions to the built environment reflecting this edition’s theme: ‘Resetting the City: Greening, Health and Urbanism’. In addition to the completed buildings categories, the annual award also announced Copenhill, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, as the 2021 World Building, while SLA was awarded Landscape of the Year for its design of Al Fay Park.
Grimshaw Architects, Archipel Generalplanung AG, and landscape architects LAND have won the competition to design the masterplan for University of Bern's Muesmatt campus in Switzerland. The winning design was selected from a shortlist of 26 participants, and was commended for how it opens up Bern's quarter and re-establishes urban and visual connections.
Expo 2020 Dubai's Sustainability Pavilion designed by Grimshaw Architects expresses the ethos of addressing the impact of human activities on the environment, acting as a catalyst for collective action. With sustainability as one of the three core themes of the Expo, the pavilion named Terra will become a platform for highlighting the urgency of the issue, sharing knowledge and exploring ideas while also providing visitors with n immersive experience. As one of the legacy buildings, the project is set to become a Science Centre after the event and aims to operate as an autonomous construction in terms of energy and water supply.
France Pavilion. Image Courtesy of Expo Dubai 2020
With 3 months to go until the opening of Expo 2020 Dubai, on October 1st, the organizing committee has released updated images highlighting ready and completed pavilions. With officially 191 participating nations, the expo is seeking to “explore the power of connections in shaping our world”. Showcasing architecture, culture, and inspiring innovations, the world expo has been, for the past 170 years, the leading platform to introduce great inventions and architectural revolutions, most of which shaped the world we live in today.
Aquariums are built to reshape expectation. Giving visitors a new vantage point to observe freshwater and marine life, these structures range in scale from simple exhibits to elaborate public aquaria. With a diversity of programming, they often include facilities for rehabilitation and conservation, as well as educational spaces to support learning and discovery. Today, modern aquariums offer glimpses into aquatic life both above water and below the surface.
With less than half a year to go until the opening, Expo 2020 Dubai released a series of images of the venues hosting the event, which intends to bring together 192 national pavilions, as well as businesses and educational institutions. As the program was delayed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the world expo site is mainly complete, awaiting its opening on October 1st.
Courtesy of Steelblue for the City of Sacramento / Perkins&Will
Global architecture firm Perkins&Will, in collaboration with ARUP, Grimshaw Architects, EPS , AIM Consulting, and the City of Sacramento, have transformed the city's historic train station into a self-reliant and regenerative transportation hub, making it one of the most sustainable public areas in California. The design team worked alongside the local community to create a people-centric 31-acre master plan that reflects what the community envisions for a public train station and gateway to the city of Sacramento.
A multidisciplinary design team led by global architecture firm Grimshaw was selected as the winner of an international competition to design the Shenzhen Airport East Integrated Transport Hub. The winning design, which was inspired by the Mangrove tree, will provide travelers effortless transfers between high speed rail and other public transportation means in a new green and interactive way.
Courtesy of Nordic - Office of Architecture, Grimshaw, Haptic Architects, with the support of STUP Consultants.
Zurich Airport International, the developer of the Delhi Noida International Airport (DNIA), has selected a consortium consisting of the Nordic Office of Architecture, Grimshaw, Haptic, and STUP to design the passenger terminal. Imagining “India’s greenest airport”, the winning team took the commission after a three-phase, design competition between June and August 2020. Other shortlisted teams include Gensler / Arup and SOM / Mott McDonalds.
Expo Drone Shot - Sustainability Pavilion by Grimshaw Architects. Image Courtesy of Expo 2020 Dubai
With one year to go until Expo 2020 Dubai, the organizing committee of the event has revealed new images of the main pavilions under construction. While the majority of the work in 2020 was focused on landscaping and the main Expo buildings, the construction of the 192 national pavilions is back on track, to conclude by the end of the year.
Back to the Future; BIG + ARUP, New York. Image Courtesy of Van Alen Institute
Van Alen and the New York City Council have announced the 6 finalists for the “Reimagining Brooklyn Bridge” international competition, in both the professionals and young adults categories. Inspiring participants to rethink the iconic Brooklyn Bridge walkway, the contest gathered short-term interventions and longer-term proposals for a complete reconfiguration of the bridge. The 3 final teams in the Professional category include BIG + ARUP; ScenesLab + Minzi Long + Andrew Nash; and Pilot Projects Design Collective, Cities4Forests, Wildlife Conservation Society, Grimshaw, and Silman.
Despite all the news of re-openings, lifted restrictions, al fresco options dining, and a return to something more closely resembling “normal,” COVID-19 is still very much with us. And despite the defeatist/downplayed/nothing to see here stance embraced by the current presidential administration, the United States is still in the midst of an unprecedented public health crisis. In some states, both new reported cases and hospitalizations have now reached record highs.
This being said, the need for accessible, easy to fabricate, and quick-to-deploy testing facility solutions are still in great need, particularly in dense urban areas, at large institutions and workplaces, and in underserved communities where coronavirus testing might come as a luxury, not a basic necessity. In terms of testing availability, all bases need to and must be covered.
Grimshaw has just revealed initial concepts of the new 21,000 square-foot arts complex for Santa Monica College (SMC) in Santa Monica, California. Scheduled for completion in 2024, the building is planned as a “factory of creativity”, replacing an existing surface car park and serving as a new western gateway for the college.
Parramatta City Council has approved the new Aquatic and Leisure Center project by Grimshaw, Andrew Burges Architects and McGregor Coxall. Located in New South Wales, Australia, the project was reviewed via a development application that outlined the project's vision since its inception in June 2018. The aquatic center will replace the Parramatta Memorial Pool and will integrate with the surrounding park setting.
Grimshaw and Little Diversified Architectural Consulting (Little) have been selected to design a new Arts Complex for Santa Monica College (SMC) in California. Aiming to create an iconic landmark building along Pico Boulevard, the complex will be made to celebrate the college's Art Department as part of the broader Santa Monica community.