HOUSTON CENTRAL STATION PROPOSAL BY SNOHETTA

Snohetta were awarded the winning title for their Houston Central Station in Texas by an enthustiastic jury. The fact that Houston has a large amount of annual rainfall was the backbone of Snohetta’s proposal.

Snohettas concept involves an ingenious canopy at the exiting station which harnesses Houston’s heavy rainfall and turns it into a positive attribute; sheltering passengers from the wind and rain whilst supplying them with an aesthetically pleasing water feature.

The design sought to incorporate the concept of water by channeling rain down concrete spouts, thereby allowing users to interact with and experience water.

The elegant arching structure contains within columns slices that direct the water to the drain pipes below. The cut-outs also provide visual and lighting interest for those awaiting the next train.

Though visually engaging the interaction between users and water might present some practical problems: the areas of the platform where water is directed would have to be avoided, causing congestion and removing valuable open space on an already narrow platform.

SAHARA FOREST PROJECT

In a region known for its towering skyscrapers, the erection of a modestly-sized greenhouse might not appear worthy of much attention.

But this small construction site near the coast in Qatar's Mesaieed Industrial City could help transform the landscape forever, says its developers, turning desert land into flourishing centers of food and freshwater production.

The $5.3 million, one-hectare pilot plant opens later this month and is a major milestone of the Sahara Forest Project (SFP) - a concept that has been developed by a Norwegian company since 2008.

The facility - built in partnership with fertilizer companies Yara International and Qafco - will feature a range of green technologies including concentrated solar power (CSP), photovoltaic panels and a saltwater-cooled greenhouse that mimics the hydrological cycle.

Michael Pawlyn, a British architect specializing in sustainable design and founding member of the project, says bringing together clusters of synergistic technologies creates a new paradigm.

"At the start of the project, we were very conscious that a lot of people proposed single solutions addressing one issue at a time, be it water shortage, desertification, climate change. We were very keen to develop integrated solutions that address multiple challenges simultaneously," Pawlyn said.

"If you compare man-made systems with eco-systems there are some quite striking differences. We tend to create simple, disconnected, linear systems. Ecosystems are complex, interconnected and interdependent." This interconnectedness is in evidence throughout the plant's design. Electricity from CSP helps power pumps bringing seawater to the site where it is used to condition air inside the greenhouse.

The effect is achieved by trickling seawater over porous cardboard screens - called evaporators - which cool and humidify the dry desert air, creating a favorable growing environment for crops. Some of the evaporated seawater inside the greenhouse also condenses creating freshwater, which will be used to irrigate plants. Any saltwater that can't be evaporated is put to use elsewhere, says Pawlyn.

"The saltwater going out of the greenhouses will go to the CSP to cool it - which makes it more efficient - and then it will go to the evaporator 'hedges' which create good growing conditions for crops outside and revegetate areas of desert," he said.

The remainder will end up in salt ponds where various compounds - sodium chloride, gypsum, calcium carbonate - can be extracted and potentially commercialized. The opening of the pilot plant is scheduled to coincide with the upcoming United Nations Climate Conference (COP18) which this year takes place in Doha from November 26 to December 7.

Source: CNN

VERTIKALE BY STADTLABOR

La palestra di arrampicata di Bressanone, nel cuore dell’Alto Adige a 45 km dal confine austriaco, coniuga sport, benessere e cultura montana con un centro che riveste un ruolo di primo piano nella città e nel territorio.

Proprio questi aspetti dialogano con l’architettura attraverso una facciata parzialmente trasparente dove il paesaggio e la città entrano all’interno della struttura che si mostra esternamente con un effetto moiré che crea una sensazione di movimento.

L’edificio si presenta come un grande cubo alto 19 metri che sovrasta un basamento che collegata il sottostante parcheggio pubblico che serve la nuova area urbana vicino al parco comunale.

All’interno oltre alla palestra di roccia, con una superficie di arrampicata di 1350 mq con oltre 150 percorsi, si trova una caffetteria, una piccola biblioteca alpina e lo shop per il noleggio dell’attrezzatura.

Nel pianificare gli aspetti per una palestra di arrampicata la sostenibilità ambientale è un requisito fondamentale che richiede una pianificazione dettagliata di un sofisticato sistema di controllo dell’energia solare con una facciata variabile al cambiamento del clima e delle stagioni.

Attraverso questo sistema si è ottimizzata la massa termica dell’edificio con un notevole risparmio sui costi di gestione per il riscaldamento e il raffreddamento e su quelli di costruzione.

 

 

La palestra di arrampicata di Bressanone è una delle principali centri dell’intera regione per la sua dotazione di impianti interni ed esterni con oltre 1600 mq di superficie per arrampicate e quasi 200 percorsi a diverse difficoltà ideale per free climbing e il bouldering.

 

 

È inoltre un centro specialistico in grado di soddisfare esigenze particolari essendo dotato di una parete terapia che prevede anche un uso per scopi terapeutici per disabili.

Un centro specializzato all’interno di un edificio che non è un contenitore ma un punto di aggregazione per appassionati e principianti e un luogo riferimento alla scala urbana con un design innovativo.

 

Location: Bressanone, italy

Architect: Stadtlabor, Wolfgang Meraner, Martin Mutschlechner

Project Team: Heidi Kramer, BSc Arch Alexander Gatterer

Area: 750 mq

Year: 2012

Client: Comune Bressanone

EUR CONGRESS CENTER BY FUKSAS

Fuksas' project is the response to a competition held in 1998 by the Council of Rome to reinforce the international image of the Italian capital in the panorama of congress and international meetings.

The building will surface at the junction of 4 major roman arteries on a vacant parking lot. It will present itself as a translucent parallelepiped, 39 metres high, 75 m. wide and 198 m. long. On two sides squares will open to the neighbourhood and the city and offer natural gathering spaces for the site users.

The simplicity of the exterior shape pays tribute to the linearity of rationalism in architecture, the movement that in the 1930’s produced the iconic buildings that still characterize the horizon of the EUR business district and the nearby Conference center designed by Adalberto Libera.

“The idea came to me in a very special moment. I was at the seaside, a group of clouds where being blown quickly across the sky by a strong wind. As I looked at the clouds I remembered a dream I had had, which involved constructing a building that had no crystallized form at all" says Massimiliano Fuksas.

The building is an translucent container that extends lengthways, on each side a square opens on to the immediate area and the city. The first converses directly continuously with the local area and can be crossed from viale Europa to viale Shakespeare.

Inside the container, a 3500 sq m cloud of steel and glass fibre is suspended on a surface of 10, 000 sq m: it will be the home of an auditorium with a capacity of 1800 seats. The cloud will be held in place by an orthogonal grid of woven beams: suspended between the pavement and the ceiling of the big congress hall it will exclusively rest on three vertical elements.

When the cloud, supported by a thick network of steel cables and suspended between the floor and the ceiling of the main conference hall, is lit up, the building seems to vibrate. The construction also changes completely depending on the viewpoint of the observer.

The New Centre of Congress will also house 2 conference rooms of 5000 and 3000 sq m each. In addition the center will also contain three halls and spacious foyer, cafè and restaurant areas, covering a total multi-functional space of 15.000 square meters. A grand stair will link the building to the outside plaza. An independent building called the 'blade' will house a hotel with 441 rooms.

 

 

MAGGIE’S CENTRE BY OMA

The Maggie's Centre in Glasgow has been named Scotland's best building at the nation's annual “architectural Oscars”, held in the Scottish Parliament.

“The aim of a Maggie's centre is to provide an environment of practical and emotional support for people with cancer, their families and friends. Since the opening of the first Maggie's in Edinburgh in 1996, the Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres foundation has grown substantially, commissioning and developing a series of innovative buildings designed by world class architects.

While contemporary architecture has a reputation, deservedly or not, for being at times cold or alienating, the goal of each Maggie's Centre – whether in Glasgow, London, or Hong Kong – is to provide a space where people feel at home and cared for, a space that is warm, receptive, and welcoming.

Maggie's Centres rely on the fundamental precept, often overlooked, that exceptional architecture and innovative spaces can make people feel better – thereby kindling the curiosity and imagination fundamental to feeling alive.

Grand in their ambitions, but designed on a small scale, Maggie's Centres provide a welcome respite from typical institutional hospital architecture. Their spaces are more than merely functional; they serve as a haven for those receiving treatment.

In creating a place to connect and learn from others who are going through similar experiences, Maggie's help patients to develop their sense of confidence and resourcefulness. In 2007, Maggie's approached OMA to design a new centre on the grounds of Gartnavel hospital in Glasgow, close to the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre. OMA designed a single-level building in the form of a ring of interlocking rooms surrounding an internal landscaped courtyard.

Seemingly haphazardly arranged, the building is actually a careful composition of spaces responding to the needs of a Maggie's Centre and providing a refuge for those coping with cancer. Instead of a series isolated rooms, the building is designed as a sequence of interconnected L-shaped figures in plan that create clearly distinguished areas – an arrangement that minimises the need for corridors and hallways and allows the rooms to flow.

The plan has been organized for the spaces to feel casual, almost carefree, allowing one to feel at ease and at home, part of an empathetic community of people. At the same time the design also provides spaces for more personal moments – either in the intimate setting of the counselling rooms, or in smaller nooks and private spaces.

Located in a natural setting, like a pavilion in the woods, the building is both introverted and extroverted: each space has a relationship either to the internal courtyard or to the surrounding woodland and greenery, while certain moments provide views of Glasgow beyond.

With a flat roof and floor levels that respond to the natural topography, the rooms vary in height, with the more intimate areas programmed for private uses such as counselling, and more open and spacious zones for communal use. More than any other space, the internal courtyard provides a place of sanctuary and respite.” Description from architects.

 

Location: Glasgow, Scotland

Architect: OMA

Partners in charge: Rem Koolhaas, Ellen van Loon

Associate In Charge: Richard Hollington Iii

Project Team: Atsuo Arii, Josh Beck, Alexander Giarlis, Stephen Hodgson, Takuya Hosokai, Maria-Chiara Piccinelli, Koen Stockbroekx

Implementation Architects: Keppie

Structure: Sinclair Knight Merz

Services: Kj Tait Engineers

Landscape: Lily Jencks

Fixed Shelves: Vincent De Rijk Year: Completed September 2011
Client: Maggie Keswick Jencks Cancer Caring Centres Trust