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Public Space: The Latest Architecture and News

C.F. Møller Architects, Kristin Jarmund Architects and Rodeo Architects Propose Urban Realm in the Center of Oslo

C.F. Møller Architects have collaborated with Kristin Jarmund Architects and Rodeo Architects in the design of a new urban realm at Oslo Central Station in Norway, comprising a square, hotel, and high-rise building. The scheme seeks to create an attractive recreational area around the transport hub, connecting different areas and terrain differences in an organized, efficient flow.

The latest scheme represents a further development of a proposal by C.F. Møller Architects and Kristin Jarmund Architects for the area in a prequalified architectural competition in 2009.

C.F. Møller Architects, Kristin Jarmund Architects and Rodeo Architects Propose Urban Realm in the Center of Oslo - Featured ImageC.F. Møller Architects, Kristin Jarmund Architects and Rodeo Architects Propose Urban Realm in the Center of Oslo - Image 1 of 4C.F. Møller Architects, Kristin Jarmund Architects and Rodeo Architects Propose Urban Realm in the Center of Oslo - Image 2 of 4C.F. Møller Architects, Kristin Jarmund Architects and Rodeo Architects Propose Urban Realm in the Center of Oslo - Image 3 of 4C.F. Møller Architects, Kristin Jarmund Architects and Rodeo Architects Propose Urban Realm in the Center of Oslo - More Images

Adjaye Associates Transform Electrical Switching Station Into Empowering Art Wall

Adjaye Associates has unveiled images of its proposed reconceptualization of the protective façade of an electrical switching station into an engaging “Art Wall” in Newark, New Jersey. The 30-foot-high walls of the Fairmount Heights switching station will be transformed into a canvas for original works of 14 local and international artists, exploring themes of youth, education, and community, while a canopied passageway will house a market, art installations, and gathering space.

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Henning Larsen Brings Canals and Rooftop Farming to Brussels in Competition-Winning Masterplan

Henning Larsen Brings Canals and Rooftop Farming to Brussels in Competition-Winning Masterplan - Sustainability
Courtesy of Henning Larsen

Danish firm Henning Larsen has released images of their competition-winning Key West urban development, seeking to revitalize a socio-economically challenged area of the Belgian capital Brussels. Developed in collaboration with A2RC Architects, the masterplan aims to balance urban and recreational life along the Brussels Canal Zone through a combination of housing, schools, urban farming, and a market hall.

Like many European cities, Brussels is moving towards a post-industrial economy, giving new opportunities to old industrial areas such as the Canal Zone. The Henning Larsen redevelopment seeks to remodel the area as an urban center, tying the urban areas west of the canal to central Brussels.

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Meandering Skydeck Features in HASSELL's Competition-Winning Shenzhen District Masterplan

HASSELL has won a competition for the design of the Qianhai Mawan Mile, a business district for the Chinese “gateway city" of Shenzhen. Stretching over one mile (1.6 kilometers), the masterplan seeks to combine “lush parklands, new cultural buildings, and a meandering skydeck” in a vision centered on human-wellbeing.

Aimed particularly at attracting young, mobile residents in a rapidly-changing urban environment, the Mawan masterplan consists of integrated public spaces, neighborhood zones, pavilion buildings, and a mile-long (1.6-kilometer-long) skydeck weaving throughout the development.

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Raised Walkways and Looping Rivers Triumph in Park Avenue Design Competition

The development company Fisher Brothers' "Beyond the Centerline" competition was launched in October 2017 as an open call to "enliven and activate the medians for a new generation of New Yorkers." The competition addresses the Park Avenue commercial district, which sits between 46th and 57th Streets.

Out of nearly 150 submissions, an eight-person jury narrowed the field down to 17 finalists, details of which can be found here. Two designs have since been selected as winners, with "Park Park" by Maison winning the jury selection, and "Park River" by Local Architects winning the popular vote.

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Former Citroën Factory to be Converted Into Brussels "Centre Pompidou"

Former Citroën Factory to be Converted Into Brussels "Centre Pompidou" - Facade
Exterior view. Image Courtesy of NOA / EM2N / SBA

A team comprising noAarchitecten, EM2N, and Sergison Bates has won a design competition for the transformation of a former Citroën factory in Brussels into a cultural hub, merging a Museum of Contemporary Art, architecture center, and public amenities under the name “KANAL – Centre Pompidou.” The architects’ vision was for a scheme which reflects on the role of the twenty-first-century museum in society, one which opens out towards the city to entice the general public.

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Riken Yamamoto's "Hill" Wins Competition for Taiwan Art Museum

Riken Yamamoto & Field Shop has released images of the proposed Taoyuan Museum of Art in Taiwan, having won an international competition for the scheme’s design in 2018. Acting as a symbolic gateway to the heart of the city, the architect’s vision was for a hub where every visit leads to new discoveries and experiences.

Named “The Hill,” the competition-winning scheme is defined by a sloping green roof, hosting artwork, pavilions, trees, and an outdoor theater. Beneath the roof, a structure named “The Cube” contains permanent exhibitions and collections, and establishes a link between the museum and Blue Pond Park beyond.

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BIG Unveils Bow-Shaped Design for National Theatre of Albania

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has released images of its bow-shaped National Theatre of Albania, responding to a thriving performance art scene in the nation’s capital. Situated in the cultural heart of downtown Tirana, the scheme seeks to create new urban gathering places for a pedestrian-focused district, while casting the theater as a performer in its own right.

Situated on a cultural axis, adjacent to public landmarks such as Skanderbeg Square, the National Opera, and the National Art Gallery, BIG’s scheme will replace the existing theater while adding three new performance spaces, a rooftop amphitheater, and a covered public space underneath the building.

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Construction Begins on MVRDV’s Redesign for Europe’s Biggest Urban Shopping Center

In the 3rd Arrondissement of the French city of Lyon, construction has begun on Lyon Part-Dieu, an MVRDV-designed scheme seeking to transform the city’s main shopping center. Featuring partly-transparent glass and a public green roof, the MVRDV scheme will revitalize and integrate what was formerly an introverted complex built for an era dominated by the car.

At 166,000 square meters, Lyon Part-Dieu is the largest downtown shopping center in Europe, built in 1975. In order to improve the existing outdated complex, MVRDV worked with co-architects SUD to produce a design that offers a contemporary update to the existing façade and a re-organization of the interior program.

How Sou Fujimoto Promotes Community By Uniting Seemingly Opposite Elements

This article was originally published by Redshift as "Architect Sou Fujimoto Has Radical Ideas for Familiar Communal Spaces."

The destruction wrought upon Ishinomaki by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami damaged the city’s civic hall and cultural center beyond repair. To rebuild, Ishinomaki City wanted to create a landmark combining these two facilities into a new complex—one that would be like a city unto itself, serving the community.

In 2016, design proposals were screened in a process that included public presentations, with many locals participating. In the end, Sou Fujimoto, a leader among the next generation of Japan’s architects, was selected for his innovative design.

UAE Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Biennale to Explore Human-scale Landscapes and Social Spaces

As part of our 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale coverage we present the proposal for the UAE Pavilion. Below, the participants describe their contribution in their own words.

The National Pavilion UAE will present “Lifescapes Beyond Bigness,” an exhibition exploring human-scale architectural landscapes, at the 2018 Venice Biennale. The exhibition aims to highlight the role of architecture and urban design in forming the choreography of people’s daily routines. It particularly investigates the role of ‘quotidian’ (every day) landscapes in accommodating, enhancing, and facilitating social activities across different places in the UAE.

Zhulang Huagai: A Figure for the Nantou Urban Village / NADAAA + Cooper Union

Zhulang Huagai: A Figure for the Nantou Urban Village / NADAAA + Cooper Union - Pavilion, Facade, Fence, Handrail
Courtesy of UABB

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Shenzhen, China
  • Architects: Cooper Union, NADAAA
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  110
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2017
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  SOLTIS

Call for Entries: PocketSeat 2018 Design Competition

In today’s crowded world, the aspect of finding comfortable seating in a public arena is a major part of one’s daily activities. A comfortable seating in public helps one relax and reduce fatigue. This social activity, however, may vary with each individual and the kind of space he/she occupies. Most importantly, the nature of the seat ought to cater to every individual irrespective of their age, size or gender.
The act of seating is an opportunity for many to boost inter-personal communication and encourage social and cultural bonding between individuals.
Over the last few years, public spaces offering avenues to sit, relax and strike a conversation with fellow people have drastically reduced, sparking an urgent need for alternative methods of creating personal seating arrangements. It’s imperative that the seat is ideated with the utmost sense of creativity and innovation. Recreating a seat that goes by every individual’s preference and fits within its spatial limitations poses a challenge to our generation.

Urban Equipment for Public Spaces Helps to Build a Bike-Friendly City

Designing public spaces without considering the circulation and parking of bicycles is no longer an option in today's world. Accessibility for the free traffic of cyclists must also be accompanied by adequate security conditions, incorporating these devices in the best possible way to parks, sidewalks, parking lots, and the streetscape as a whole. 

Are you designing an urban space, or do the exteriors of your project require a correct link with the circulation of bicycles? Check these support elements that can help you to generate a better city for the urban commuter on wheels.

Run, Jump, Hide and Slide on ELEMENTAL's Newly Designed Urban Children's Game

A new children’s urban playground has captured the attention and energy of children of all ages in the center of Valparaíso’s Cultural Park (Chile). The metallic structure is 40 meters long and has a colorful undulating path where children can run, jump, hide and slide.

La Serpentina is one of the public space projects designed by ELEMENTAL (Alejandro Aravena). It was built for Somos Choapa in Chile and is currently in Valparaíso as part of the XX Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism of Chile.

La Serpentina follows a similar design to the equipment at the Bicentenary Children’s Park (2012) in Santiago. La Serpentina is one of two interventions entered by Somos Choapa in the Biennial. The second project is a prototype with a series of touch screens installed in the main area of the Cultural Park of Valparaíso, accounting for over 100 concrete initiatives of the project.

Sharing the City: 5 Takes on How We Should Create and Use Public Space

On December 1st 2017, reSITE invited a handful of intellectuals to Berlin for the My City / Your City salon held in partnership with Airbnb, spending a day and night with them brainstorming about public space, sharing, and inclusiveness. To close the event, we served them a cocktail of simple questions that were not always easy to answer.

In the following text, artist Charlie Koolhaas, the architect and founding partner of Topotek 1 Martin Rein-Cano, the curator and writer Lukas Feireiss, the curator and architect Anna Scheuermann, and the professor Ivan Kucina, share their various opinions on issues ranging from how best to create public space to their thoughts on the very principle of sharing.

Placemaking: Movement, Manifesto, Tool, Buzzword—or What?

Amongst other placemaking-related news this year, the Boston Society of ArchitectsPlacemaking Network celebrated its 10-year anniversary by launching the Placemaking Manifesto in November. Co-authored by Christina Lanzl, Robert Tullis, and Anne-Catrin Schultz, the document set down six key ideas: “quality of life,” “sense of place,” “community identification,” “collaboration and communication” between “individuals of all backgrounds, interests and talents,” “inclusivity” and “greater civic engagement,” and “awareness of tradition with an embracing of new and emerging technologies.” While the basic principles that placemaking espouses are often hard to question, this manifesto in particular begs one question: Is placemaking understood and defined clearly enough for it to be a useful tool for urbanists?

In the past decade or so, placemaking has gained considerable momentum, spewing forth an array of approaches, countless lists of best practices (including, in essence, this new manifesto), and complicated sub-categorizations. It is simultaneously a much-lauded global movement, an academic discipline, a field, discourse, process, and tool, but is also, among other charges, heavily criticized for being an “ill-defined buzzword.”

Canada's First Ever Funicular Opens in Downtown Edmonton

Last week marked the opening of Canada’s first ever funicular in downtown Edmonton, a cable-mechanized incline elevator aimed at making the city’s largest green space more accessible.

Publically funded, the $24million project features the 100 Street Funicular to transport mobility aids, strollers, and bikes, as well as a generous staircase for walking, running and lounging. Concrete sitting blocks are dispersed up the 170 steps from a promenade at the bottom. Visitors can walk along the promenade to a lookout point or ascend the stairs or funicular to the raised lookout for extensive views of the river valley.

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