Futuristic Buildings; Sustainable Green Architecture

21stArch.com Architectural Quarterly Magazine

join our mailing list
* indicates required

21stArch.com Popular Posts

Architectural Rendering, 3d Digital Illustration of Buildings; www.DoHere.ca

Search Modern Architecture Websites

Custom Search

Friday, April 29, 2011

Farsighted towers around the globe; visionary new skyscrapers


W Hotel and Namaste Tower in Mumbai, India

Strata Tower, Namaste Tower, Hearst Tower and Fusionopolis; All innovative icons


Namaste Tower a vision of elegance and spirituality


With a proposed height of 300 m the tower will be seen from a distance of more than 40 km. Therefore the visual appearance of the project as a major landmark is of great importance to the city of Mumbai.

Views from the tower will extend to the South over the Mahalkshi Race course towards the Mumbai Peninsula and to the South West over the Indian Ocean. The views to the north East are towards a number of adjacent towers that are currently being constructed. The orientation and massing of the tower have been designed in order to make the very best of these visual relationships.







Hearst Tower, NYC’s First LEED Gold Skyscraper

Hearst Tower is located at 300 West 57th Street, 959 8th Avenue, near Columbus Circle in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York. It is the world headquarters of the Hearst Corporation, bringing together for the first time their numerous publications and communications companies under one roof, including, among others, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar, Good Housekeeping and Seventeen.



The six-story base of the headquarters building was commissioned by the founder, William Randolph Hearst and awarded to the architect Joseph Urban. The building was completed in 1928 at a cost of $2 million and contained 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m2). The original cast stone facade has been preserved in the new design as a designated Landmark site. Originally built as the base for a proposed skyscraper, the construction of the tower was postponed due to the Great Depression. The new tower addition was completed nearly eighty years later, and 2,000 Hearst employees moved in on 4 May 2006.




The tower – designed by the architect Norman Foster, structural engineered by WSP Cantor Seinuk, and constructed by Turner construction – is 46 stories tall, standing 182 meters (597 ft) with 80,000 square metres (860,000 sq ft) of office space. The uncommon triangular framing pattern (also known as a diagrid) required 9,500 metric tons (10,480 tons) of structural steel – reportedly about 20% less than a conventional steel frame. Hearst Tower was the first skyscraper to break ground in New York City after September 11, 2001. The building received the 2006 Emporis Skyscraper Award. citing it as the best skyscraper in the world completed that year.

Hearst Tower is the first "green" high rise office building completed in New York City, with a number of environmental considerations built into the plan. The floor of the atrium is paved with heat conductive limestone. Polyethylene tubing is embedded under the floor and filled with circulating water for cooling in the summer and heating in the winter. Rain collected on the roof is stored in a tank in the basement for use in the cooling system, to irrigate plants and for the water sculpture in the main lobby. 85% of the building's structural steel contains recycled material. Overall, the building has been designed to use 26% less energy than the minimum requirements for the city of New York, and earned a gold designation from the United States Green Building Council’s LEED certification program, becoming New York City's first LEED Gold skyscraper.








Strata Tower; new showpiece of Abu Dhabi skyline

Strata Tower is a forty-story luxury residential building, designed by New-York based architects Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture of Asymptote Architecture, currently being built on Al Raha Beach, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Construction has begun and it is scheduled for completion by 2011. It is being developed by Aldar Properties.







Fusionopolis in Singapore - Urban greenery extraordinaire



The Singapore skyline has been getting greener these days with new developments from some of the world’s most renown architects. The latest design to join the trend is a new futuristic green building from architect Ken Yeang named Fusionopolis. A research and development complex, this structure will adorn Singapore as the island nation’s most eco-friendly skyscraper.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Utopic biomorphia a flowing, permaculture joy


Valencia Museum, by architect Santiago Calatrava




Designing green is not just about saving energy and reducing carbon footprints, it involves inspiring natural designs, comfortable, functional workspaces, healthy communities, and ultimately, creating a synthesis of beauty in both form and function, erecting buildings that live and breathe as contributors to society.


Earth's largest solar-powered building, in Dezhou, Shangdong, China


It is true that some architects feel constrained by LEED and other green building codes, yet I encourage forward thinkers to utilize government and association guidelines as absolute minimums. Use geothermal systems, strategic windows placement (smaller, eye-level on north side, medium size on east and west, with largest windows on south side), appropriate flora (deciduous on south side, coniferous on north side) etc and then you're building from the ground up, with solid foundations.

The point being, be conscious, but stay creative!



Here are glimpses, beginning with a sculpture (part of 8-part series by Irish artist Eilis O'Connell) from an exhibition entitled Biomorphia:





Jet House by Jerome Olivet



Centre Pompidou-Metz, by Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines



Biomorphic skyscraper and greening of Toronto waterfront, by Butterworth / Zeng


ACROS Fukuoka, green building project in Japan, above and below




World Trade Center Transportation Hub, designed by architect Santiago Calatrava


Ecological Children Activity and Education Center / 24H - Thailand

May 2011 Architectural competitions, awards, design / build, contests

May Architecture competitions and Awards deadlines



Here is your 21stArch.com Guide to Competitions, Contests, and Awards, May 2011:



Water Feature Design Competition
Friends of Seger Park Playground, Philadelphia, PA


Registration Deadline
05/01/2011
Submission Deadline
06/21/2011


The Friends of Seger Park Playground are seeking a water feature that will act as a visual icon for the park. Interaction with the water feature will be primarily for children from 2 to 12 years of age, with younger children accompanied by adults. The water feature should be elegant in design yet offer a myriad of spray types (rain to mist), locations, timing and/or other related effects. Surprise is an essential component, yet a predictable facet is desired for younger children. Uniqueness is essential for a successful entry.

Register by May 1st!!!


Fountain Design / Water Feature Design Competition official website




The project site is located in the historic city center, on a Spree river island in the district of Berlin-Mitte. At present, it is public street land that within the framework of planning the repair of the urban layout has been declared a construction lot. Its situation on the future reconstructed Schlossplatz is unique and a matter of public importance. Transcending by far the function of spatial closure of the square, it constitutes both an obligation and a challenge.


Timetable: Espression of Interest deadline - Tuesday, May 3, 2011





Australia "Ideas on Edge" competition

Parramatta City Council is officially on the hunt for the boldest, most innovative and creative thinkers to present their vision for an iconic site along the scenic Parramatta River foreshore as part of an international ideas competition, 'Ideas on Edge'. the are seeking a commercially viable idea for the site located at a prime position on the edge of Parramatta River, with the competition open to people of all ages and backgrounds from around the world.

Competition closes on Wednesday 11 May 2011





John M. Clancy Award for Socially Responsible Housing

The intent of this award is to recognize and encourage excellence in the planning, design, construction and maintenance of socially responsible housing by honoring an organization, a group or an individual who has been a major force behind one or more built developments.

Submission Deadline: Friday, May 13






new Russia: Changing the Face

An international "open ideas" competition aimed at inspiring architects, designers, builders, students... across borders to design a new face for an existing building, and think creatively about possible applications of DuPont materials and solutions in their projects. This year, the public eyes will turn to the "Pushkinsky theatre", the well-known cinema hall located at Pushkin Square, in the very centre of Moscow, built in 1961 to host every year the Moscow International Film Festival.

Deadline for Project Submission: May 15th, 2011






Venice City Vision Design Competition, Italy


City Vision announce the ideas competition about the city of Venice “Venice City Vision Competition”. Venice City Vision Competition is the second edition of the international competition series promoted by City Vision Mag. The purpose of Venice’s competition was to give the opportunity to architects, designers and students to activate their creativity to stimulate the contemporary potential of the city and besides wanting to enhance the historic texture of the city, sees on the aquatic identity of the lagoon a fundamental starting point to create new visions about a possible development of this component. The imagination of the participants, the use of parametric software and eco technology will be the main driver of Venice’s visions and the proposals will shown how to create new digital landscape for a city so connected to classicism and tradition.

27 May: Late registration deadline
6 Jun 2011 deadline - submission





Sustainable Design Awards

All project types completed after January 1, 2002, that demonstrate the systematic integration of sustainability are eligible. The jury may elect to honor projects by building type or category (rehabs, interiors, housing, etc.) or may honor projects without making such distinctions.


27may entry deadline






Australia: The Landscape Urbanism 72 Hour Urban Action Melbourne
OUTR (Office of Urban Transformation Research)

Register by May 31st (early birds, May 2nd):

100 international/national architects, designers, craftspeople and artists will race the clock to design and construct exciting new public space projects in just 72 hours in a real-time design challenge aimed at transforming Melbourne’s Docklands.

Applications for the competition are now open for individuals and groups, who will work in cross-disciplinary teams of 10 over three days and three nights to construct 10 exciting urban sites throughout the Docklands area from Monday, 25 July.

Landscape Urbanism 72 Hour Urban Action Melbourne teams design, build, work and sleep on site, enriching the city with a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary experience. The competition offers an innovative platform that encourages rapid change through human initiative and creativity. There's a two-tiered registration deadline. For the early bird, send your application by 2 May 2011. Everyone else has until 31 May 2011 to file theirs.

72 Hour Urban Action Melbourne competition website

Friday, April 22, 2011

Architect Zaha Hadid named 37th most powerful Arab woman





Congratulations to brilliant, visionary Iraqi / UK architect Zaha Hadid for being named by Arabian Business magazine as the 37th Most Powerful Woman in the Arab world! Her work is exemplary and emblematic of the very best of Twenty-first Century architecture.


Visionary Iraq-born UK architect Zaha Hadid a bold innovator


Zaha-Hadid-photo-by-Steve-Double

Despite winning many international competitions, a number of Zaha Hadid’s winning designs were initially never built: notably, The Peak Club in Hong Kong (1983) and the Cardiff Bay Opera House in Wales (1994).

In 2002, the Iraqi Hadid won the international design competition to design Singapore’s one-north master plan. In 2004, Hadid became the first female recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, architecture’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize. She is a member of the editorial board of the Encyclopedia Britannica. In 2005, her design won the competition for the new city casino of Basel, Switzerland.

In 2006, Hadid was honoured with a retrospective spanning her entire work at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. The same year she also received an Honorary Degree from the American University of Beirut.


Zaha Hadid info from wikipedia:

Hadid was born in 1950 in Baghdad, Iraq. She received a degree in mathematics from the American University of Beirut before moving to study at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.

After graduating she worked with her former teachers, Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, becoming a partner in 1977. It was with Koolhaas that she met the engineer Peter Rice who gave her support and encouragement early on, at a time when her work seemed difficult to build.

In 1980 she established her own London-based practice. During the 1980s she also taught at the Architectural Association. She has also taught at prestigious institutions around the world; she held the Kenzo Tange Chair at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, the Sullivan Chair at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Architecture, guest professorships at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Hamburg, the Knowlton School of Architecture, at The Ohio State University, the Masters Studio at Columbia University, New York and the Eero Saarinen Visiting Professor of Architectural Design at the Yale School of Architecture in New Haven, Connecticut.

In addition, she was made Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. She has been on the Board of Trustees of The Architecture Foundation. She is currently Professor at the University of Applied Arts Vienna in Austria.






A winner of many international competitions, theoretically influential and groundbreaking, a number of Hadid's winning designs were initially never built: notably, The Peak Club in Hong Kong (1983) and the Cardiff Bay Opera House in Wales (1994). In 2002 Hadid won the international design competition to design Singapore's one-north masterplan. In 2005, her design won the competition for the new city casino of Basel, Switzerland. In 2004 Hadid became the first female recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, architecture's equivalent of the Nobel Prize. Previously, she had been awarded a CBE for services to architecture. She is a member of the editorial board of the Encyclopædia Britannica. In 2006, Hadid was honored with a retrospective spanning her entire work at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. In that year she also received an Honorary Degree from the American University of Beirut.

Zaha Hadid's architectural design firm - Zaha Hadid Architects - is over 350 people strong, headquartered in a Victorian former school building in Clerkenwell, London.

In 2008, she ranked 69th on the Forbes list of "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women". On 2 January 2009, she was the guest editor of the BBC's flagship morning radio news programme, Today.





In 2010 she was named by Time magazine as influential thinker in the 2010 TIME 100 issue. In September 2010, The British magazine New Statesman listed Zaha Hadid at number 42 in their annual survey of "The World's 50 Most Influential Figures 2010".

She won the 2010 Stirling Prize for one of her most celebrated work, the Maxxi in Rome.

Hadid is the designer of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park in Seoul, South Korea, which is expected to be the centerpiece of the festivities for the city's designation as World Design Capital 2010. The complex is scheduled to be completed in 2011.


Non-architectural work

She has also undertaken some high-profile interior work, including the Mind Zone and Feet zone at the Millennium Dome in London and the Z.CAR hydrogen-powered, three-wheeled automobile. In 2009, she worked with the clothing brand Lacoste, to create a new, high fashion, and advanced boot. In the same year, she also collaborated with the brassware manufacturer Triflow Concepts to produce two new designs in her signature parametric architectural style. Her unique contributions to brassware design and other fields continue to push the boundaries of innovation.
In 2007, Zaha Hadid designed the Moon System Sofa for leading Italian furniture manufacturer B&B Italia.



BUILT PROJECTS LIST

24 Cathcart Rd London UK 1986
Monsoon Restaurant (Interior) Sapporo Japan 1990
Vitra Fire Station Weil am Rhein Germany 1994
IBA Housing Berlin Germany 1993
Blueprint Pavilion, Interbuild 95 Birmingham UK 1995
Land Formation-One Weil am Rhein Germany 1999
‘Mind Zone’ Millennium Dome, London UK 1999
Car Park & Terminus Hoenheim-Nord Strasbourg France 2001
Bergisel Ski Jump Innsbruck Austria 2002
Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art Cincinnati USA 2003
BMW Central Building Leipzig Germany 2005
Phaeno Science Center Wolfsburg Germany 2005
Hotel Puerta America (Interior) Madrid Spain 2005
Ordrupgaard Museum Extension Copenhagen Denmark 2005
Spittelau Viaducts Housing Vienna Austria 2006
Maggie’s Centre FIFE Kirkcaldy UK 2006
R. Lopez de Heredia Wine Pavilion Haro Spain 2006
Nordpark Railway Stations Innsbruck Austria 2007
Chanel Mobile Art Pavilion Hong Kong, Tokyo, New York, Paris 2008-2010
Zaragoza Bridge Pavilion Zaragoza Spain 2008
Neil Barrett Flagship Store Tokyo Japan 2008
Home House Club (Interior) London UK 2008
JS Bach Chamber Music Hall Manchester UK 2009
Burnham Pavilion Chicago USA 2009
MAXXI: Museum of XXI Century Arts Rome Italy 2009
Egypt Pavilion Shanghai World Expo Shanghai China 2010
Evelyn Grace Academy London UK 2010
Sheik Zayed Bridge Abu Dhabi UAE 2010
Guangzhou Opera House Guangzhou China 2010




UNDER CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

CMA CGM Headquaters Marseille France 2011
Glasgow Riverside Museum of Transport Glasgow UK 2011
London Aquatics Centre London UK 2011
Pierres Vives Montpellier France 2011
Dongdaemun Design Park & Plaza Seoul South Korea 2011
Next Gene Architecture Museum Taipei Taiwan 2011
Edifici Torre Espiral Barcelona Spain 2012
Eli & Edythe Broad Art Museum East Lansing USA 2012
Napoli-Afragola High Speed Train Station Naples Italy 2012
Library & Learning Centre Vienna Austria 2012
Citylife Milano Milan Italy 2012
Jesolo Magica – Hotel & Retail Centre Jesolo Italy 2014
One-North Masterplan Singapore Singapore 2021
Innovation Tower, Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hong Kong China TBC
The Opus Dubai UAE TBC
Salerno Maritime Terminal Salerno Italy TBC
Issam Fares Institute, The American University of Beirut Beirut Lebanon TBC
Kartal Pendik Masterplan Istanbul Turkey TBC
Stone Towers Cairo Egypt TBC
Zorrozaurre Masterplan Bilbao Spain TBC
New Eusko Tren Central Headquarters Durango Spain TBC
33–35 Hoxton Square London UK TBC
Cairo Expo City Cairo Egypt TBC
D-Villa Turks and Caicos Islands Caribbean TBC
Atelier Notify Paris France TBC
Capital Hill Residence Moscow Russia TBC
Zhivopisnaya Tower Moscow Russia TBC
Olabeaga Masterplan Bilbao Spain TBC
King Abdullah II House of Culture & Art Amman Jordan TBC
Eleftheria Square Nicosia Cyprus TBC
E.on Energy Research Centre Aachen Germany TBC
Museum of Contemporary Art Al-Muharraq Bahrain TBC
Nuragic and Contemporary Art Museum Cagliari Italy TBC
Abu Dhabi Performing Arts Centre Abu Dhabi UAE TBC
Signature Towers Dubai UAE TBC
California Residence California USA TBC
Galaxy Soho Beijing China TBC
Nile Tower Cairo Egypt TBC
Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center Baku Azerbaijan TBC
Madrid Civil Courts of Justice Madrid Spain TBC
Regium Waterfront Reggio Calabria Italy TBC
Vilnius Museum & Cultural Centre Vilnius Lithuania TBC
Symbiotic Villa Taipei Taiwan TBC
Port House Antwerp Belgium TBC
Lilium Tower Warsaw Poland TBC
Nassim Road Villas Singapore Singapore TBC
d’Leedon Singapore Singapore TBC
Middle East Centre, St Antony’s College Oxford UK TBC
Kusnacht Villas Zürich Switzerland TBC
BBK Bank Headquarters, Bilbao Spain TBC
Rabat Grand Theatre Rabat Morocco TBC
Hongqiao Soho Shanghai China TBC






Zaha Hadid Architects, 2011

Zaha Hadid, founding partner of Zaha Hadid Architects, was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004 and is internationally known for her built, theoretical and academic work. Each of her dynamic and innovative projects builds on over thirty years of revolutionary experimentation and research in the interrelated fields of urbanism, architecture and design.

Working with senior office partner Patrik Schumacher, Hadid’s interest is in the rigorous interface between architecture, landscape, and geology as the practice integrates natural topography and human-made systems that lead to experimentation with cutting-edge technologies. Such a process often results in unexpected and dynamic architectural forms.

The MAXXI: National Museum of 21st Century Art in Rome, BMW Central Building in Leipzig and Phaeno Science Center in Wolfsburg are excellent demonstrations of the practice’s quest for complex, dynamic space. Previous seminal buildings, such as the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati and Hoenheim-Nord Terminus in Strasbourg have also been hailed as architecture that transforms our vision of the future with new spatial concepts and bold, visionary forms.

Currently, the practice is working on a multitude of projects including; the Fiera di Milano master-plan and tower, the Aquatics Centre for the London 2012 Olympic Games, High-Speed Train Stations in Naples and Durango, the CMA CGM Head Office tower in Marseille and urban master-plans in Beijing, Bilbao, Istanbul, Singapore and the Middle East.

Zaha Hadid Architects continues to be a global leader in pioneering research and design investigation. Collaborations with artists, designers, engineers and clients that lead their industries have advanced the practice’s diversity and knowledge, whilst the implementation of state-of-the-art technologies have aided the realization of fluid, dynamic and therefore complex architectural structures.

Zaha Hadid’s work was the subject of a critically-acclaimed retrospective exhibition at New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 2006 and showcased at London’s Design Museum in 2007. Hadid’s recently completed projects include the Nordpark Railway stations in Innsbruck, Mobile Art for Chanel in Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York, the Zaragoza Bridge Pavilion in Spain and the Burnham Pavilion in Chicago.





Tuesday, April 19, 2011

May to August 2011 – Crucial Architectural Design Competitions

plus Upcoming Architecture Awards deadlines



Here is the 21stArch.com Guide to Competitions and Awards, Spring / Summer 2011:

May 2011

The project site is located in the historic city center, on a Spree river island in the district of Berlin-Mitte. At present, it is public street land that within the framework of planning the repair of the urban layout has been declared a construction lot. Its situation on the future reconstructed Schlossplatz is unique and a matter of public importance. Transcending by far the function of spatial closure of the square, it constitutes both an obligation and a challenge.


Timetable: Espression of Interest deadline - Tuesday, May 3, 2011





Australia "Ideas on Edge" competition

Parramatta City Council is officially on the hunt for the boldest, most innovative and creative thinkers to present their vision for an iconic site along the scenic Parramatta River foreshore as part of an international ideas competition, 'Ideas on Edge'. the are seeking a commercially viable idea for the site located at a prime position on the edge of Parramatta River, with the competition open to people of all ages and backgrounds from around the world.

Competition closes on Wednesday 11 May 2011





John M. Clancy Award for Socially Responsible Housing

The intent of this award is to recognize and encourage excellence in the planning, design, construction and maintenance of socially responsible housing by honoring an organization, a group or an individual who has been a major force behind one or more built developments.

Submission Deadline: Friday, May 13






new Russia: Changing the Face

An international "open ideas" competition aimed at inspiring architects, designers, builders, students... across borders to design a new face for an existing building, and think creatively about possible applications of DuPont materials and solutions in their projects. This year, the public eyes will turn to the "Pushkinsky theatre", the well-known cinema hall located at Pushkin Square, in the very centre of Moscow, built in 1961 to host every year the Moscow International Film Festival.

Deadline for Project Submission: May 15th, 2011






Venice City Vision Design Competition, Italy


City Vision announce the ideas competition about the city of Venice “Venice City Vision Competition”. Venice City Vision Competition is the second edition of the international competition series promoted by City Vision Mag. The purpose of Venice’s competition was to give the opportunity to architects, designers and students to activate their creativity to stimulate the contemporary potential of the city and besides wanting to enhance the historic texture of the city, sees on the aquatic identity of the lagoon a fundamental starting point to create new visions about a possible development of this component. The imagination of the participants, the use of parametric software and eco technology will be the main driver of Venice’s visions and the proposals will shown how to create new digital landscape for a city so connected to classicism and tradition.

27 May: Late registration deadline
6 Jun 2011 deadline - submission





Sustainable Design Awards

All project types completed after January 1, 2002, that demonstrate the systematic integration of sustainability are eligible. The jury may elect to honor projects by building type or category (rehabs, interiors, housing, etc.) or may honor projects without making such distinctions.


27may entry deadline











June 2011



The Carlsberg Brewhouse Project

Carlsberg Group hereby announces an international design competition to transform the New Carlsberg Brewhouse into an exciting, must-see Brand and Experience Centre, attracting 500,000 visitors each year.


The aim is to create a world-class attraction with a broad appeal to visitors who wish to be challenged, engaged and entertained by one of the world's strongest brands. The main focus is on the transformation on the Brewhouse and the Elephant Gate but should also describe how Carlsberg Group can re-enforce, strengthen and further develop its presence in the Carlsberg site.

The design competition is launched on April 5th 2011 and Carlsberg welcomes proposals from all over the world. Following a pre-qualification stage, 4-6 selected teams within the fields of brand experience and development, visitor attraction and architecture will be invited to submit their proposals. The winner will be announced in spring 2012.

Registration / Submission deadline: June 5, 2011





new UK: Olympic Games Information Pavilion competition

The Olympic Games sees the biggest and most prestigious sporting event in the world being staged for the unprecedented third time in London next year, thus making London the first city in the world to host the modern summer games for a third time.

London is the largest urban zone in the European Union with a cosmopolitan population of over 7.7 million residence. The London Games is being eagerly anticipated by millions of sporting fans around the world. The Games, which officially kicks off on the 27th July 2012 will see the arrival of world’s top athletes and their team officials representing various participating nations, international dignitaries, the Games officials and not to mention millions of supporters and fans.

The aim of this International competition is to design a temporary, freestanding information pavilion within the world famous Trafalgar Square in the Heart of London during the 2012 Games. The competition hopes to achieve the following:

_Encourage and reward design excellence at a small scale which integrates function, structure, details
and the spirit of the games.
_Research, respond to and highlight the unique aspects of designing an information pavilion that will be used by visitors during the games.
_Encourage the employment of sustainable design in all aspects of the proposal.


This is a single stage Competition with the aim of identifing the most appropriate proposal, which best satisfies the general and specific objectives of the contest.

Late Competition Registration - by 15th June 2011







Taichung Gateway Park : Taiwan Architecture Competition

Taichung City Government has been actively pursing the planning work for Taichung Gateway City in response to globalization trends, anticipated growth of Taiwan-China trade, Central Taiwan development objectives as well as Taichung’s own vision to become a livable international metropolis. The goal is to create a visionary, innovative and international urban environment while at the same time establishing close links between Central Taiwan and the rest of the world.

Taichung Gateway City covers an approximately 254-hectare area that includes the former Taichung (Shuinan) Airport and its vicinities. According to Taichung’s municipal urban plan, at the center of Taichung Gateway City will be an expansive green space—Taichung Gateway Park—that meanders from the north to the south of the entire development area with approximately 68-hectare. Areas surrounding the park will be divided into four districts according to their features: Eco Residential District, Gateway District, Cultural Business District, and Innovation R&D District. In addition, Taichung Dome, Taichung Convention and Exhibition Center, and Taiwan Tower and Taichung City Cultural Center will all be integrated into Taichung Gateway Park. Therefore, the development of the park will become the most significant milestone for Taichung Gateway City.

Besides offering extensive and winding green open space, Taichung Gateway Park will be developed as an eco-park. Utilizing renewable energies and an intelligent park management system, Taichung Gateway Park will play a pivotal role toward a successful the overall development of Taichung Gateway City. To this end, an international competition is being held to solicit visionary and innovative planning and landscaping proposals from the best design firms home and abroad.
The Taichung City Government cordially invites outstanding local and international landscape design firms to propose your vision and participate in this competition!

due 30jun






LOFT London Farm Tower

Design of a Vertical Farm in London. The architecture competition is open to all professionals and students of the Faculty of Architecture and Engineering: www.awrcompetitions.com







July 2011


new USA: d3 Natural Systems 2011

d3 is an organization committed to advancing innovative positions in architecture, art, and design by providing a collaborative environment for architects, artists, designers, and students from around the world. Our New York- and Monterrey, Mexico-based program of exhibitions, events, competitions, and publications is focused on generating dialogue and collaboration across geographic, ideological, and disciplinary boundaries in design and the built environment. Our mission seeks to unearth new approaches to connecting, form, space, and materiality with innovative notions of interiority and exteriority at various scales.

Registration Deadline: July 15, 2011







Unbuilt Architecture and Design Award

Unbuilt designs of any project type are eligible, including purely theoretical projects and unbuilt client-sponsored projects (e.g., buildings, interiors, transportation infrastructure, monuments, etc.). Projects under construction or otherwise apparently assured of construction are ineligible.

Submission Deadline: Friday, July 29







August 2011


Honor Awards for Design Excellence

Any structure or building of any size or project type anywhere in the world designed by a Massachusetts architect/firm; or any structure, building or project type built in Massachusetts by any architect/firm anywhere in the world is eligible.

Submission Deadline: Friday, August 26





Re-Skinning Awards, International Competition

The Zerofootprint Re-Skinning Awards invites the best minds in architecture, design, building, and engineering to submit green building projects that demonstrate the innovative use of energy retrofitting technologies. Retrofitting and re-skinning involve the use of design solutions to dramatically reduce the environmental footprint of older, energy-inefficient buildings. This competition seeks to recognize the year's most progressive retrofitting projects that are making our cities more sustainable.

31 Aug 2011 deadline - submission





Happy hunting, and good luck in 2011 and beyond!



Joe Trainor, Editor

21stArch.com

21stArch.com announces free Quarterly Architectural Magazine

Eco-friendly Quarterly Architecture e-Magazine

The sustainable, green and futuristic online architecture publication 21st Century Architecture Blog has just announced a new digital and FREE Quarterly Architectural Magazine, free signup form below!
















join our mailing list

* indicates required




















Thursday, April 14, 2011

Bilbao revisitied: 20th Century's last great building




Frank Gehry's signature building points way to creative 21st Century architecture


The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of modern and contemporary art designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, built by Ferrovial and located in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. It is built alongside the Nervion River, which runs through the city of Bilbao to the Atlantic Coast. The Guggenheim is one of several museums belonging to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. The museum features permanent and visiting exhibits of works by Spanish and international artists.



One of the most admired works of contemporary architecture, the building has been hailed as a "single moment in the architectural culture" because it represents "one of those rare moments when critics, academics, and the general public were all completely united about something." The museum was the building most frequently named as one of the most important works completed since 1980 in the 2010 World Architecture Survey among architecture experts.



Immediately hailed as the most important architectural structure of its time, Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum Bilbao recently celebrated a decade of extraordinary success on October 19, 2007. With close to ninety exhibitions and over ten million visitors to its credit, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao forever changed the way the world thinks about museums, and it continues to challenge our assumptions about the connections between art, architecture, and collecting.



Wednesday, April 13, 2011

21st Century Pyramids – Time-proven architectural sustainability


Eight Great Modern Pyramids


Here are some of the best pyramid-shaped buildings in modern architecture:

Louvre Museum Pyramid; Paris, France


The Louvre Pyramid (Pyramide du Louvre) is a large glass and metal pyramid, surrounded by three smaller pyramids, in the main courtyard (Cour Napoléon) of the Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre) in Paris. The large pyramid serves as the main entrance to the Louvre Museum. Completed in 1989, it has become a landmark of the city of Paris.



Transamerica Pyramid; San Francisco, USA


The Transamerica Pyramid is the tallest and possibly the most recognizable skyscraper in the San Francisco skyline. Although the building no longer houses the headquarters of the Transamerica Corporation, it is still strongly associated with the company and is depicted in the company's logo. Designed by architect William Pereira, at 260 m (850 ft), upon completion in 1972 it was among the five tallest buildings in the world.



Tha Pyramid Arena; Memphis, USA


The Pyramid Arena is a 20,142-seat arena located in downtown Memphis at the banks of the Mississippi River. The facility was built in 1991 and was originally owned and operated jointly by the city of Memphis and Shelby County. Its unique structure plays on the city's namesake in Egypt, known for its ancient pyramids. It is 321 feet (98m, about 32 stories) tall and has base sides of 591 ft; it is the sixth largest pyramid in the world behind the Great Pyramid of Giza (456 ft), Khafre's Pyramid (448 ft), Luxor Hotel (348 ft), the Red Pyramid (341 ft) and the Bent Pyramid (332 ft), both in Dahshur. It is also slightly (about 16 feet) taller than the Statue of Liberty. A statue of Ramesses the Great stands in front of the pyramid.



Walter Pyramid; Long Beach, USA


Walter Pyramid, formerly known as Long Beach Pyramid, is a 5,000-seat, indoor multi-purpose stadium on the campus of California State University, Long Beach in Long Beach, California.



Palace of Peace and Reconciliation (also translated as the Pyramid of Peace and Accord); Astana, Kazakhstan


The Palace of Peace and Reconciliation (also translated as the Pyramid of Peace and Accord) is a 77 m high building in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. The structure was built by Sembol Construction at a cost of 8.74 billion Kazakh tenge (about $58 million) and opened in late 2006.

The pyramid portion of the building is 62 m high which sits on a 15 m high earth covered block. All of this construction is above ground level. Though the landscaping of the park rises up to cover the lower levels, these are not in fact basements.

It was designed by the British architects Foster and Partners (lead design). Turkish architects, Tabanlioglu Architecture undertook construction information packages for the Foster design and engineers Buro Happold undertook lead structural and services design. The Foster team was led by architects Nigel Dancey, Lee Hallman and Peter Ridley. Sembol Construction undertook a Design and Build contract, and were ultimately responsible for the final details and finishes, some of which varied considerably from the Foster and Tabanlioglu intent.



Ryugyong Hotel; Pyongyang, North Korea


The Ryugyong Hotel (Korean: 류경호텔) (sometimes anglicized as Ryu-Gyong Hotel or Yu-Kyung Hotel is a topped-out 105-storey skyscraper under construction in Pyongyang, North Korea. Its name ("capital of willows") is also one of the historic names for Pyongyang. The building is also known as the 105 Building, a reference to its number of floors. Construction began in 1987 with planned completion in 1989. However, after several delays, construction was eventually halted in 1992; the fall of the Soviet Union had resulted in widespread economic disruptions in North Korea and shortages of raw materials.

The hotel stood topped out but without windows or interior fittings for the next sixteen years. Construction resumed in April 2008 under the supervision of the Orascom Group of Egypt, which has invested heavily in the North Korean mobile telephony and construction industries. The company expected to complete exterior work on the building in 2010, with interior work on the hotel's 360,000 square metres (3,900,000 sq ft) of floor space taking until 2012 or later.




Triangle; Paris, France


Triangle, also known as Projet Triangle, Ramses Delanoë or Delanoë Tower, is a proposed skyscraper for Val de Seine, Paris, France. Designed by the Swiss agency Herzog & de Meuron, it will take the shape of a 180m tall glass pyramid with trapezoid base, wide from one side and narrow from another.

When completed, it will be the first skyscraper built in the French capital since 1977. Paris mayor, Bertrand Delanoë, was able to overturn the Parisian law that did not allow any building to be higher than 37 meters.



Steelcase Head Office; Grand Rapids, USA



It took five years, 300 meetings and a team of architects, designers, builders and psychologists to help the iconic pyramid-shaped Steelcase Inc. Corporate Development Center make its debut in 1989. When completed, the Steelcase pyramid was touted as the country's most comprehensive research center for the nation's largest office-furniture manufacturer.

The seven-story, 575,000-square-foot building has had testing laboratories, project team areas and even a sound-proof room for measuring the noise created by furniture. Designed by Grand Rapids architectural firm The WBDC Group and built by Barnes Construction Co., it was visited by Egyptian engineers, who appraised the structure's aesthetic and functional use of space.




Full list of modern day pyramids at Wikipedia

Find Architectural Info - Custom Search

Custom Search

Sustainable Cities Collective

INHABITAT

Kirkor Architects Blog

ArkitecTRUE | a platform for design enthusiasts

Archinect.com Feed

Green Mutual Fund Investing Info

Blueprint Magazine Blog

Search Green Energy Stocks, Ethical Investments

Custom Search

BORTOLOTTO Architecture & Interior Design Blog

GHAZZ + Architecture