Infrastructures: The Latest Architecture and News

Thousands gathered Saturday to celebrate the grand opening of Santiago Calatrava‘s Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge that connects east and west Dallas seamlessly over the Trinity River. A parade of builders, including everyone from those to poured the concrete to Calatrava himself, were the first to march across the new Dallas icon, followed by nearly 16,000 other people. Although the bridge is still not quite ready for vehicular traffic, the city celebrated its commencement with an impressive display of fireworks. Continue reading for more.

Haptic Architects, in collaboration with Narud Stokke Wiig Architects & Planners, and Griff Arkitektur recently won the open international competition for the new airbaltic terminal at Riga International Airport in Latvia. Selected from 125 entries from 70 different countries, their design features a roof for the airbaltic terminal that is influenced by the gently undulating forms of the latvian landscape, with peaks and troughs responding to the structure’s internal configuration and passenger flows. More images and project description after the break.

The new Midfield Terminal Complex at Abu Dhabi International Airport was just approved by the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi. Within master plan, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF), the terminal is conceived as a gateway to the city. The design creates large, unimpeded internal zones that will enhance the passenger experience, and can accommodate long‐term adaptability to industry demands. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Sofia’s new Metropolitan Station 20 on line 1 connects the nearby historic city with a modern and developing city center. It creates an underground world inspired by the cities’ culture and modern day aspirations. The design strategy by ZNA (Zeybekoglu Nayman Associates, Inc.) seeks to take advantage of the overlapping relationship between Obikolna Street and the proposed station below. The design of a centralized median, which moderates traffic, becomes the glass spine of the station. Composed of high angled walls in white architectural concrete the station is formed to capture natural light. More images and architects’ description after the break.

The Metro Station 20 proposal by Peter Ruge Architekten on Metro Line 1 in Sofia, Bulgaria acts as a primary metro connection between Sofia’s city center and the airport, and the hub of a major commercial redevelopment plan. Their design seeks to establish clear pathways, form active connections and harmonize architecture and landscape. More images and architects’ description after the break.

We are continually impressed by the variety of projects from UNStudio’s office. The firm just unveiled a new vertical city highrise for Singapore previously featured on AD, and recently, the Dutch studio’s international air terminal and traffic control tower for Kutaisi was officially presented by Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia. The country is growing quickly and changing rapidly, with new tourist and economic activity, plus different political developments. As such, the design for the new airport seeks to showcase Georgia new identity by providing a contemporary gateway to the country.

More about the airport after the break. 

The quaint and picturesque suburbs have insulated themselves against the urban environment with miles of highways, strip malls and the traffic between endless sprawl. To get to the artificial nature of surburban streets and parks you must first make an exodus out of the city, arriving in an area that is usually unwalkable: no sidewalks, large streets impossible to cross and large distances between destinations. Kaid Benfield looks at Montgomery County, Maryland’s streetscape initiative to address some of these issues in his article “Fixing Suburbs with Green Streets that Accommodate Everyone”.

Follow us after the break for more.

The proposal for the Metro Station 20 by MSB Architects aims to create passing spaces, with the creation and delineation of structures and trees that provide the amenities for this occupation. Assuming that the city will grow to this area, this project may be structured in this new area of the city through the creation of common spaces – above and below ground – with a philosophy of unity at a visual and functional language. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Along with engineers G.O.C. and Cabanelas Castelo Architects, Foster + Partners have won an international competition to design a new high-speed rail station in the city of Ourense in Galicia, located in northwestern Spain. The winning proposal integrates transport infrastructure with a new urban park, providing a large public space that will open up a series of pedestrian links to connect the districts divided by the track.

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