Infrastructures: The Latest Architecture and News

The design of gas stations is mostly stripped down to that required for bare function. The inextricable relationship of the aesthetics of modernism to that of the automobile begs a different approach, one that fulfills the traditional function of a gas station but also reflects shifting movements within design. Just like the cars that have driven up to utilize them, these gas stations represent design principles contemporary to the time in which they were constructed.

The LIA Passenger Terminal Building for Hong Kong, China by Edit! was developed to respond the surrounding urban structure, and to create a visually striking landmark that will act as a gate point for the city. It is designed with the intention to become an iconic character for the city while becoming an environmentally-efficient structure.

Read on for more on this project after the break.

De Architekten Cie., Jason Lee and Patrick Koschuch, has won the open international Kaohsiung Port Station Urban Design competition in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

The competition was initiated by the city government of Kaohsiung to transform the derelict site of the old railyards and port station from a barrier between two important areas of the city (the Hamasen and Yancheng districts), into a connective piece of the urban fabric. The stated ambitions by the client for the 15.42 hectare site are to highlight the cultural heritage of the site’s former function while introducing new programmes and building volume to accommodate city expansion. These twin objectives are to be achieved in a phaseable and highly sustainable manner. Since a large portion of the site and existing railway buildings are designated as historical monuments, the central challenge of the brief was to strike a balance between the desire for cultural preservation/revitalization, introducing new development onto the site, and establishing enough connections across site to transform the area from an urban barrier into an urban connector.

Malmström Edström, along with three other architectural firms, were invited to a parallel assignment aiming to create a concept for future railway installations and maintenance buildings. The goal of the assignment was to find a design concept with a high architectural standard. Additional images of Malmström Edström‘s selected proposal and a brief description can be seen after the break.

Paris based architects, Atelier Zündel & Cristea, have shared with us their design for the new Saint Germain metro station in Rennes, France. Additional images and a brief description from the architects are available after the break.