Talking about future architecture, please, say hello to KSEVT, formally known as The Cultural Center of European Technologies in Slovenia. A place I had no idea even existed until I stumbled on this informative article on KNSTRT.
Would you ever guess that a tiny little Slovenia mountain village is the home to a ground breaking rocket engineer who pioneered theories on long-term human habitation of space? That’s right! Herman Potocnik Noordung, the first theoretician of space, was raised on the hillside of Vitanje. It is Potocnik’s theoretical work that brings the new Cultural Center of European Space Technologies (KSEVT) to the small town today.
OFIS Architects, The Cultural Center Of European Space Technologies, Slovenia
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”.
It wasn’t long ago, when a very good friend of mine told me, that visiting the redesigned Ontario Art Gallery was one of the most rewarding experiences he had in the last years, in both art and architecture. He was fascinated with Gehry’s work and after taking some time navigating the net and looking for info on the new AGO, I was too.And if I know you well enough, you will be too.
After two long years of renovation, the Art Gallery of Ontario reopened last November and it was a triumph of redesign, inside and out and as stated in AGO’s website “When art meets architecture, powerful experiences take shape.”
Lets take a look at some of Gallery’s design highlights:
A new entrance aligned with Walker Court, the historic heart of the AGO, and The Grange, the Gallery’s first home
A glass and wood façade that spans 600 feet along Dundas Street and rises 70 feet above street level
A sculpture gallery that extends 450 feet, enabling visitors to see out onto Dundas Street, and passersby to see into the Gallery
A new, tinted titanium-and-glass four-storey south wing overlooking Grange Park that will house a centre for contemporary art and offer one of the most beautiful event spaces in the city
A south façade that complements the new Ontario College of Art and Design building to the southeast, with both buildings framing Grange Park
Extensive glazing on both the north and south façades to allow visitors to experience the surrounding cityscape from the Gallery interior
A sculptural staircase that soars from the second floor, linking Walker Court to the new centre for contemporary art and new event space
The integration of natural light throughout the building, including a new glass roof over Walker Court and a light-filled walkway around its upper perimeter, bringing light into the core of the building
The sculptural staircase rises from the second floor of Walker Court, through the glass ceiling and extends to the fifth floor. In designing the signature staircase, Gehry remarked that he hoped its warmth and intimacy would beckon visitors and become a place where people fall in love.
We just run into an article in Web Urbanist, and were intrigued and couldn’t agree more with Steph’s introduction on the subject, “Gasoline is on its last legs. It’s a commodity we’ll soon be saying goodbye to as renewable energy takes over. Most gas stations are unremarkable or even ugly, but the following quirky gas station designs will certainly find another use, whether as roadside attractions, shops, restaurants or service stations.”
These were our favorite designs. Read the full article on Web Urbanist.
The Jack Colker Union 96gas station on Crescent Drive in Beverly Hills, California has a roof that looks like it was designed for some other kind of building – and it was. The curved, triangular structure was originally meant to be a part of the LAX airport, but when it wasn’t needed, it was installed at the gas station.
On the other side of the spectrum is this stark yet beautiful minimalist gas station design in Copenhagen, Denmark. Designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1937, this gas station is still functioning - and still gorgeous -–after all these years.
Some people have called it "the poshest gas station in Los Angeles". Others think it's a futuristic eyesore. Seemingly influenced by architect Frank Gehry, this geometric metallic behemoth on the corner of Olympic & Robertson replaced a dingy, decaying gas station. It's an improvement for sure and has become something of an attraction in itself.
The Vintage Orbit gast station in Sacramento, California is another example of 'Googie' architecture. Its unusual shape makes it look like some sort of alien aircraft that just landed. There are a number of vintage Orbit gas stations all over the country but few are still operational, or as well kept as this one is.
Brazilian designers Fernando and Humberto Campana have built over the last 25 years a solid career drawing inspiration from their immediate surrounds! As alchemists combining materials, textures, colours and dreams, the Campana Brothers created a unique vocabulary of design, giving poetry to “everyday” materials.
Their latest creation, Yes Hotel Athens is borne of an exclusive partnership between the Brothers and Dakis Joannou, owner of YES! Hotels and among other, the founder of the DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Art, member of the Board of Trustees of the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York and of the Tate International Council and also a member of the International Directors’ Council of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. The Campana Brothers' first hotel project, Yes Hotel Athens is an adventurous design undertaking due to open in late Summer 2009. It is a pioneering venture of luxury accommodation set amongst ecofriendly design conceived by two of the most exciting designers of our time. Yes Hotel Athens integrates art, architecture and design, creating a “live in” sensation, transcending the Museum or Art Gallery experience, provoking the senses and challenging common space perception. An important part of the renovation project is the injection of ideas from a group of design and architecture students and young professionals who have formed a workshop under the tutelage of and in collaboration with Fernando and Humberto. The workshop group is creating furniture, producing samples and prototypes whilst exploring methods and techniques associated with the Campanas style: reusing and reinterpreting local material and culture.source: http://campanasworkshop.blogspot.com/
Old buildings of Arizona State University’s Global Institute of Sustainability, situated in the campus’ are now beautifully renovated with enviromental sustainability. Conceived by Lord, Aeck & Sargent along with Gould Evans Associates, the $6 million renovation included asbestos abatement and standard modernization for classroom use along with a bundle of environmentally and sustainable enhancements. Their innovation turned a once dreary, old and dark building into a new institute filled with enough daylight to inspire its new inhabitants as they look for ways to improve the environment, the economy, and the social challenges we all face today.
One of the most obvious sustainable additions to the building is its six wind turbines that are mounted along the eastern edge of the roof. Each of the turbines is powered by thermal updrafts (it is located in Arizona after all) and provides 1,000 watts of power directly into the Arizona Public Service Grid. More energy generating capabilities will be added next year with the installation of a 24-killowatt photovoltaic solar array. Other sustainable additions include the generous use of recycled content throughout the building in the form of insulation, countertops, and even furniture along with the light sensors, an automated landscape irrigation system, and pervious paving to control storm water runoff.With energy savings of more than 18% and more than a 50% reduction in water use, the building has its site set on attaining LEED Silver upon completion. Being the first institute of its kind to offer transdiciplinary degree programs geared at finding solutions to environmental, economic, and social challenges, the new home for Global Institute of Sustainability is making its mark and proving that re-invigorating something old can be just as good as building something new.
The Campana Brothers' first hotel project, Yes Hotel Athens is an adventurous design undertaking due to open in late Summer 2009. It is a pioneering venture of luxury accommodation set amongst ecofriendly design conceived by two of the most exciting designers of our time. Yes Hotel Athens integrates art, architecture and design, creating a “live in” sensation, transcending the Museum or Art Gallery experience, provoking the senses and challenging common space perception.
With energy savings of more than 18% and more than a 50% reduction in water use, the building has its site set on attaining LEED Silver upon completion. Being the first institute of its kind to offer transdiciplinary degree programs geared at finding solutions to environmental, economic, and social challenges, the new home for Global Institute of Sustainability is making its mark and proving that re-invigorating something old can be just as good as building something new.