BIG + Fuglark, Education Centre - Faroe Islands

Designed by Danish architects Bjarke Ingels Group and Faroe Islands architects Fuglark, the Faroe Islands Education Centre, situated on a hillside on the outskirts of Torshavn, resembles the radiating structure of a vortex, has a panoramic view overlooking the sea, mountains and harbor and will be the largest educational building project in the country’s history.The stunning, 19,200 sq m Education Centre, will be housing 1,200 students and 300 teachers, combining a secondary school and two colleges in one building.
At the school’s heart is an open rotunda space, creating a natural gathering point across floor levels and academic interests, creating a sense of community for learning and life.
A stepped interior reflects the undulating Faroe landscape with its alternating plateaus, stairwells and terraces serving different social and academic activities.
The generous surroundings provide unique opportunities to shape the school from the inside out ‐ as a functional sculpture formed by the schools internal needs.

Cherokee Lofts, LEED Gold multifamily building, California

The Cherokee Lofts by Pugh + Scarpa Architects is the first LEED Gold-certified mixed-use or market-rate multifamily building in Southern California.
The five-story building features 2800-square-feet retail space on the first floor, and it has 12 lofts located on the second, third and fourth floors. The architects have also designed a green roof, and an underground level of parking. The structure’s exterior features perforated metal construction, which is designed to function as accordion shutters, which can be opened or closed by the residents to create an ever-changing building front and let in natural light for illumination.
The result, a constantly changing building front, providing alternative views inside.
The project pays homage to the musical and hollywood history of cherokee recording studios,
MGM studios before it, and those who recorded music on site from frank sinatra to david bowie
to dave matthews. While its architectural form and integrated function are an expression of the environmental and cultural context in which it is built.

Prada Pop-up Boutique, Paris

Technically the pop-up stores, restaurants, galleries etc phenomenon, aren’t a new concept; but we all have to admit that nowadays the trend seems to be hotter than ever.

And when Prada is involved in a pop-up project, well let’s just say that the result is something to remember. So, harry up because this pop-up beauty will be open till December 31^st.

Situated at Place Beauvau 92, the boutique was designed by architect Roberto Baciocchi. Both the Mirabeau Bridge and the Italian luxury firm’s original store in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II; were the inspirational forces behind this surrealistic, two floor and 570 square meter space.

The bohemian theme carries on throughout, with a Montmartre-inspired, mannequin-lined street scene up the staircase; bronze and glass apothecary cases; lilac velvet furnishings; and an abundance of floor-to-ceiling mirrors.

Prada’s love for innovation and rich history perfectly blend together in this one of a kind, pop-up boutique.

One might wonder…. Could this be the era of pop-up Architecture?

NL Architects - SOZAWE Sustainable Office Building

We religiously read each post from the EcoFriend, especially the ones from the Eco Architecture segment and this week the following post, really cough our attention. Enjoy!NL Architects has proposed SOZAWE, a sustainable development for Groningen City that will provide office spaces, a large interior public space and ample space to park 215 cars.
The building carries green areas on every level, which apart from beautifying the structure also reduces the heat gain during daytime.The concrete floor of the building will act as a thermal mass to keep the building cool during summer and warm during the cooler winter months.
The façade of the building is designed to maximize natural lighting, which reduces the overall energy consumption of the building.

SOM, Virginia Beach Convention Centre

Boasting more than 500,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space, the award-winning Virginia Beach Convention Center demonstrates SOM’s ability to look beyond an immediate project site in terms of community growth.

Water, wood, and natural light make the new Virginia Beach Convention Center bright and welcoming for all types of visitors. An expansion of the existing Pavilion Convention complex, the new center includes expanded exhibit hall space, pre-function areas, meeting rooms, conference areas, and a 31,000-square-foot ballroom.

A flight of 147 feet of glass and steel tower pays tribute to the historic lighthouse of the town, while small farms sustain energy saving curtain wall of glass that wraps around the entrance.

Design incorporates lighting and HVAC systems programmed to conserve electricity during peak hours, energy efficient windows that limit UV penetration, naturally rot-and insect-resistant Cumaru wood flooring and decks, and effective systems for storm-water retention.

Since its completion, VBCC has become the centerpiece of a 40-year master plan to green Virginia Beach and reinvigorate the classic resort town.

Zaha Hadid, MAXXI Opening, Rome

Hadid adds another gem in Europe, this time in Rome.

The MAXXI, Italy's new national museum of XXI century art, which took 10 years to complete, finally opened its doors to the public recently, although the official opening will take place next Spring.

The 30,000 square meters colossus of glass, steel and concrete will be hosting almost 6,000 square meters of sweeting galleries enclosed by curving windowless cast concrete walls!

And if you are still looking for the wow factor, well turn your head to the sky and you will. The roof is fully glazed, integrating complex light shading devices and artificial lighting systems and a system to control temperature and humidity. Quite complex.

MAXXI is yet another proof of Rome's long standing affection for revolutionary architecture. Bravo, Rome!

More Zaha Hadid in Future Architecture:

London Aquatics Centre

Regium Waterfront Museum, Italy

Antwerp Port House

Cairo Towers

Gazprom Tower Tallest Sustainable Building in Europe

The Gazprom Tower, or the Okhta Tower has been given a green light for construction, upon completion of which it will be the tallest building in Europe.
To be built in St. Petersburg, Russia, the 77-storey tower isn’t just about height, the modern building will also be full of environmentally friendly features.

It will have plenty of natural lighting and ventilation, thermal insulation to protect against the cold and harsh weather of St. Petersburg, and specialized water, heating and ventilation systems to minimize energy needs.
The 400-meter tower will serve as the headquarters of Gazprom’s oil unit OAO Gazprom Neft, and will also include a concert hall, museum, hotel and a business center.

Source: Inhabitat

Herzog and Meuron design the new Miami Art Museum

MAM; just revealed the plans for the new museum designed by award winning Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron.

Designed to achieve silver LEED certification for its environmental impact, the new 120,000-square-foot, three story building, is an imaginative structure that bridges urban spaces, climates and cultures.

Situated on the Biscayne Bay, the new MAM building, sensitive to the city’s need for public green space, is designed to extend the park into the museum site by means of a shaded outdoor terrace and verandas accessible to all visitors.

Tropical plants are integrated into the structural system of columns and platforms forming a dense, multi-dimensional sculpture garden and creating a natural extension of the transparent main structure.

The new museum will open to the public in 2013.

OMA designs sustainable City Hall in Rotterdam

Office for Metropolitan Architecture worked with Werner Sobek and engineers ABT and won a competition to design a new mixed used building at Rotterdam’s City Hall in the Netherlands.
Set for completion in 2014, the innovative and sustainable scheme for the city council includes municipal services, offices and residential units.
The new building will be made up of smaller box-shaped cells to generate maximum efficiency and versatility in construction and features a modular structure with repeated units gradually set back from the street as they rise into two irregular peaks. Units can be added or taken away as needed.
Besides this particular structure, the building has a climate regulated by warm air stored in summer and released in winter, and vice versa, and the use of hi-tech translucent insulation in the building’s glass façade, addressing the main requirement for this building: to be the most sustainable building in the Netherlands.
The highly insulated glazed building will also include green terraces for residential occupants on higher levels providing the possibility of an apartment with a garden in the heart of urban Rotterdam!
OMA partner Reinier de Graaf said: “Rather than posing as the city’s next superlative, the design for the Stadskantoor is partly a building, partly an urban condition – a skyline in its own right.”

More OMA in Future Architecture here

Populous - 2014 Winter Olympic Stadium, Sochi, Russia

Following their successful submission to design the 2012 Olympic Stadium for London, the Populous has yet again emerged the front-runner in a bid to design the main stadium for the 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Based on sustainable architecture lines, the stadium will be wrapped in a shimmering crystalline skin and make use of advanced material technology, together with natural lighting and ventilation. Looking like a riverside pebble, the stadium will accommodate about 40,000 spectators. According to the senior principal of the Populous, John Barrow, “The main stadium design, in addition to the venue overlay plan we have prepared for the 2014 Games, delivers a wonderful vision for the winter Olympics, and a lasting sustainable legacy for Sochi. Its sweeping form responds to both its coastal location and mountainous backdrop, whilst its crystalline skin engages with its surroundings by day, and provides an iconic representation of the color and spectacle of the games when illuminated at night.”

UNstudio - Dalian Shide Football Stadium, China

Dutch architects UNStudio have won a closed competition to design a 38,500sq m, 40,000-seat football stadium in China for the most successful club in the Chinese super league: Dalian Shide fc..
Inspired by the design of a classic Chinese football made by layering colored bamboo, the new stadium features a double-layered, lattice-like roof a TV broadcasting center, administration areas, two full-sized training fields,VIP lounge, and facilities for players.
“A key feature of the Dalian stadium is the proximity of the spectators to the pitch, thereby ensuring the best views from the tribunes and creating a true sense of engagement,” said UN Studio founder Ben van Berkel.“As in theatre design, specific views and focal points are required. In the Dalian stadium, we envisioned the playing field as the stage. A two-tier seating system and curved outlines optimise the corners of the tribunes and allow the spectators to be as close as possible to the playing field.” said van Berkel.

Foster+Partners Spaceport, New Mexico

Future and Architecture… Any ideas? Well it looks like the future is here, for Foster + Partners and URS corporation, who designed the first spaceport in the world, in New Mexico. And in case you were wondering, yes construction has already begun!

The sinuous shape of the building in the landscape and its interior spaces seek to capture the drama and mystery of space flight itself, articulating the thrill of space travel for the first space tourists. Making a minimal impact on the environment, the scheme will be the first facility of its kind and a model for the future.
The spaceport will host commercial operations by private space travel companies, like Virgin Galactic.

Read more about Foster+Partners in Future Architecture:
Foster+Partners to connect North and South Korea
Masdar City - Foster + Partners

Santiago Calatrava does it again! Liège Train Station, Belgium

Calatrava’s Liège station began construction in 1996 and was designed to provide rail service for 36,000 people a day whilst introducing innovative design to the local area of Liège.

As a significant point of connection between not only local areas but European cities, the design for Liège-Guillemins Station aimed to create a symbol of the city’s renewal.
Calatrava designed a structure ‘without facades’ and focused on the roof as the key element within the design. It offers protection from the surrounding natural environment in the form of a glass and steel vaulted curve and stretches over five platforms.A series of pedestrian bridges and walkways at basement level provide access from one end of the station to the other.Santiago Calatrava said: “It was my goal to create a 21st century transportation facility that would not only unite Liège with the rest of Europe, but would also serve as a symbol of the city’s renewal. The project, as a whole, creates a new gateway into Liège and re-establishes a relationship with the city”.

Hamburg Philharmonic Concert Hall

So, what do you think of this building?
Well then, how about this one?
Yes, this is how the new Hamburg’s Philharmonic Orchestra Hall will look like, upon completion, in 2012.

Architects Herzog & de Meuron, designed the Elbie Hall, one of the largest urban construction projects under way in Europe, back in 2007. The design of the Philharmonic Hall will incorporate a pre-existing brick warehouse topped by a new crystalline tent-like structure that seems to float above the industrial base.
The Elbe Philharmonic Hall will become a cultural centerpiece for Hamburg and is destined to house one of the world's ten best concert halls, a 250 room five-star hotel, a wellness and conference zone, numerous restaurants and nightclubs and 47 owner-occupied apartments!