Mixed Use: The Latest Architecture and News

SO?, an Istanbul-based architecture office shared with us their mention winning competition proposal for a Concert Hall, Art Center, and Municipality Building for Ankara, Turkey. See more images and architect’s description after the break.

Like many large scale projects around the country, REX’s Museum Plaza, in the city of Louisville, Kentucky, had just broken ground and had given light to many dreams for the downtown community when the nation’s financial crisis hit the city. Needless to say, financing came to a standstill and funding for the towers the city had been hoping for was no longer an option. Their current construction loan of $140.5 million, city contributions, bonds and funds already put forth by the team was not enough to proceed in their construction efforts until positive news came their way at the turn of the month. More images and description after the break.

Signaling the growing influence of China’s inland cities, global architecture, engineering and urban design practice RTKL, announced the groundbreaking of the first phase of Pearl River New Town, an 80-acre district in Chengdu that will form the heart of the city’s westward growth and modernization. More images and architect’s description after the break.

Miami’s Design District will soon be home to not just another building, but to COR. The ambitious project to design the first sustainable mixed-use condominium in Miami has been getting a lot of buzz and rightfully so. At 400′ tall it represents a dynamic synergy between architecture, structural engineering, and ecology. Extracting power from its environment utilizing the latest advancements in wind turbines, photovoltaics, and solar hot water generation COR upon completion will be seeking a LEED Platinum certification. The polka dotted hyper-efficient exoskeleton shell simultaneously provides building structure, thermal mass for insulation, shading for natural cooling, enclosure for terraces, armatures for turbines, and loggias for congregating on the ground. Comprising commercial, office, fitness, live/work, and pure residential spaces (113 residences from studios to penthouses)—COR provides a uniquely flexible platform for­ lifestyle enhancement.

Last week on ArchDaily we featured our interview with Chad Oppenheim founding partner of Oppenheim Architecture + Design. Below is a portion of the interview regarding the design of COR, and the full interview can be found here.

Follow the break for drawings and renderings of COR, along with a list of environmental design techniques incorporated into the design.

Architects: Oppenheim Architecture + Design Location: Miami, Florida, United States Project Team: Chad Oppenheim, Carlos Ramos, Juan López, Carolina Jaimes, Juan Calvo, Hugo Mijares, Jessica Santaniello Barrera, Rodrigo Londoño and Camilo Orozco Client: Nexus Development Group Project Area: 480,000 sqf Project Year: Estimated 2011 Renderings: Dbox

The CDR-CDU Master plan by Nabito Arquitectura is directed by the desire to create self-sufficient enclosures in the proposed Blocks in order to fight against the abusive urban texture that has developed over the past 50 years on the site. The architects have tried to create an operational space within each of the Blocks in the master plan in hopes that future development of each individual Block will link with one another.

More images and description after the break.

Hungarian architects Építész Stúdió shared with us ‘Red Rocks’, a residential and retail project for Budapest, Hungary. More images and architect’s description after the break.

Results for the Rome 2010: Vertical Spa Competition have been revealed, and MORQ has been declared the second prize winner. MORQ is composed of three architects: Emiliano Roia, Andrea Quagliola and Matteo Monteduro.

The competition challenged designers to consider the “belonging” to Rome and design a high tower whose spirit encompasses the historical complexity of the Eternal City. MORQ’s prize winning entry for a Vertical Spa suggested a tower that could define a new typology of buildings that could potentially determine the renewal of Rome in its future.

Read on for more images and descriptions after the break.

Paris based LAN Architecture has shared with us their winning design for the competition organized by SAEM EURALILLE to design an office building for Sogeprom / Projectim in Lille, France. Additional images and insight from the architects after the break.

HAY! tráfico workshop has proposed an Ecoturistical Center along the Zahuapan River in Tlaxcala, Mexico. Composed of four architects: Shamed Austria, Alejandro Heredia, Karla Santana, Lucia Ezeta; the team embarks on the task of reclaiming public spaces in their city and “democratizing” them for public use.

Their proposal is an Eco-turistical Center that physically embodies all of the dimensions of community to serve as public spaces for a wide variety of uses.

More images and proposal description after the break.

The competition for the IJhal in Amsterdam announced its first place winner, Wiel Arets Architects, on 8 October, 2010. The project will entail the construction of a pedestrian-centric area adjacent to the existing Centraal Station in Amsterdam along the River IJ waterfront.

The new addition will act as a synthesis between Amesterdam North and the rest of the city, which historically has been seperated by the River IJ.

More images and information after the break.

In an adaptive re-use project, Serie Architects, Grimshaw of London and Pysall Ruge Arkitekten of Berlin were asked to renovate four factories in Hangzhou that would form a new urban core for the city center. For Serie’s factory, the firm decided to preserve the unique16 ft tall main hall of the factory and to “accentuate the industrial drama of this massive void by restoring the concrete truss roof structure and by bringing additional light down through a newly glazed lantern.” The design truly feeds upon the existing conditions, as the newer programs are situated on a large plinth, respecting the historic presence of the factory.

More about the project after  the break.

Architects: Maxwan Location: Rotterdam, The Netherlands Partner in Charge: Rients Dijkstra Team Leader: Martijn Anhalt Project Team: Artur Borejszo, Jason Hilgefort, Nara Lee, Nobuki Ogasahara, Michiel Raats, Harm te Velde Client: Crimson / Estrade Projecten, Blauwhoed Project Development and dS+V Site Area: 15 ha Project Area: 10,000 sqm Images: Courtesy of Maxwan

Andrei Lucian Rusu shared with us his proposal for the AIM International Competition in Beijing, China. More images and architect’s description.

South Africa-based Vivid Architects shared with us their project “Crystal Towers”. The development comprises a 5 star hotel, 90 luxury residences, a standalone office building, and a 80m steel suspension foot bridge. More images after the break.

Stockholm-based Arrhov Frick received 1st Prize in Europan 10 for their project “Parklife”, a park, hotel and spa in Östhammar, Sweden. More images and architect’s description after the break.