2012 DESIGN AWARD WINNERS BY ECOHOME

EcoHome, the leading source of information about certified green building products and projects and a magazine of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), unveiled the winners of its annual Design Awards program today. The competition honors the best sustainable homes for innovative design, green building features, environmental performance, and integration with their sites and communities.

2012 Grand recipients are:

Montecito Modern in Montecito, Calif. (Architect: Ferguson-Ettinger Architects; Builder: Allen Associates)

New England Vacation House in Newport County, R.I. (Architect:ZeroEnergy Design; Builder: Aedi Construction)

Nove Residences in San Francisco, Calif. (Architect: Handel Architects; Builder: Linea Built

Phantom Canyon Ranch in Livermore, Colo. (Architect: MQ Architecture & Design, LLC; Builder: Merten Construction)

Primera Terra in Playa Vista, Calif. (Architect: KTGY Group; Builder: KB Home)

South Hills Retirement Residence in Pittsburgh, Pa. (Architect: Thoughtful Balance, with Rothschild Doyno Collaborative; Builder: Sota Construction
Services)

Terra Caelo in St. George, Utah (Architect: Gulch Design Group; Builder: J2 Construction)

TerraHaus in Unity, Maine (Architect and Builder: G•O Logic)

VOLKsHouse in Santa Fe, N.M. (Architect: Mojarrab Stanford Architects; Builder: August Construction)

“Every year we witness a deepening awareness and maturity in sustainable design, but nowhere is this more evident than in the projects submitted for consideration in our EcoHome Design Awards program and in the outstanding projects ultimately selected to receive the awards,” said Rick Schwolsky, editor in chief of EcoHome. 

“This year’s 17 award-winning projects show continued progress in environmental design and demonstrate that the integration of rich architectural design and true technical performance is clearly taking hold. From new to remodeled homes and multifamily to affordable housing, these projects provide shining examples of design solutions that provide sustainable shelter in a wide range of styles, locations, and costs.”

EcoHome Design Award winners are selected from an open call of entries and reviewed by a panel of industry experts. This year’s jury included John Barrows of J. Barrows, Inc.; Tedd Benson of Bensonwood Homes; Michelle Desiderio of NAHB Research Center; Asa Foss of U.S. Green Building Council; and Manny Gonzalez of KTGY Group. 

Recipients will be profiled in EcoHome (print and online) in July and honored at the Builder’s Choice Awards dinner on October 11 in Washington, D.C.

OOSTCAMPUS BY CARLOS ARROYO ARCHITECTS

The city of Oostkamp acquired the premises of the former Coca-Cola factory, a 40.000 m2 piece of land with an 11.000 m2 industrial shed built in 1991.

The competition brief required a building complex that could gather most of the public services of the city on this central and well-connected plot, in an arrangement to be called OostCampus.

We decided to reuse the spacious industrial shed; not just to recycle materials like the steel, but to reuse the space itself, it's foundations, enclosure, services, access, and all the "invisible" parts; and to turn it into a luminous landscape of clouds; a sheltered public space within a controlled weather environment.

The starting point for our proposal is an uncompromising reciclage of the existing industrial building, including foundations, bearing structure, outer skin, waterproofing, as much of the services installations and equipment as possible, electric power station, heating plant, water ducts, fire hoses, drainage and even parking space, fencing and accesses.

It is not uncommon to underestimate the value of all these "invisible" parts of a building. This is combined with a far-reaching transformation of the interior.

Shell structures have been used for almost one hundred years now. It is very easy to build them as a very thin layer; in our case they will be in GRG, only a few millimetres thick in the highest points, weighing a mere 7 kg/m2. 

Building them within the weatherproof industrial shed simplifies the demands. Inflatable formwork simplifies the building process. It creates a fascinating landscape for very little energy.

 

A luminous landscape of white clouds is created into the existing building, offering a large sheltered area where a set of modular clusters may be arranged.

The openings among the clouds are equipped with simple devices that transform all kinds of weather conditions into wonderful events.

The strong winds of the outside are transformed into electricity that feeds a disc of leds, an artificial sun that will bring joy to, for instance, wedding days.

The reuse of the existing is a basic criterion of sustainability. The “gray energy” (energy used for the production of something) is often discarded or simply ignored. 

If we demolish an existing structure and build again, we will use more energy and resources than the most efficient of buildings can of save in its life span.

Images of the project:

TADAO ANDO: NEW STADIUM TOKIO 2020

The Japan Sport Council (JSC) that owns the iconic Kasumigaoka National Stadium, home to the Tokyo '64 Games, has launched an international design contest for its renovation. The stadium is a feature in the Tokyo 2020 bid and will host the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

In keeping the legacy, the JSC opted to remodel the facility as opposed to building a new one from scratch for historic reasons as well as environmental ones.

The facelift will restore the Kasumigaoka National Stadium to its place as one of the world’s most technically advanced stadia and will expand the crowd capacity to 80,000.

The prize for the winner will be 20 million Yen (approximately US$ 255k) and participants will be judged by the Kasumigaoka National Stadium International Design Contest's Panel.

It will include including world-renowned architect Tadao Ando and the international panelists are Richard Rogers, the artist behind the Pompidou Centre in Paris, and Norman Foster, the designer of the new Wembley Stadium in London.

The winner of the design contest will be decided in late November of this year.


STORY:

Jun 23, 2011 - The head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said Tokyo would be a "very strong" candidate to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, a Japanese media report said on Saturday."Tokyo was having a good bid last time," IOC president Jacques Rogge was quoted as saying in Lausanne on Friday.

"It did not win but the bid was very strong, so we considered that should there be (another Tokyo bid), we believed it was going to be a very strong bid."

Set 3, 2009 - Edward Lifson interviews the masterplanner of the 2016 Tokyo Olympic bid. [The Architect's Newspaper]

So if Tokyo gets the games you won't design a signature stadium. Is that out of “modesty and lack of ego?”
[Ando laughs] I don't know! Here's what I want to do: Right now Japan is kind of closed toward the world. I want to open Japan, and create a symbol of the openness. To create a country full of more possibilities for younger Japanese people, and to show young architects and young people worldwide that they can work and live and invest in Japan. So having a competition for the new stadium would be symbolic.

What if it's won by a Japanese architect?
It might be! It'll be an open competition.

2009 - In its bid for the 2016 Summer Games, the land of the rising sun unveils an ambitious plan to actualize history’s first Green Olympics. Designed by the famed Tadao Ando, the proposed Olympics stadium is an attempt to recreate Nature’s harmony.

Tokyo's stadium, designed by Tadao Ando, would seat 100,000 spectators, though it would be reduced to 80,000 after the Games of Tokyo 2016.

Project by Tadao Ando:

CHATEAU CHEVAL BLANC BY CHRISTIAN DE PORTZAMPARC

 The “cellar under the hill,” as it’s called by Christian de Portzamparc extends from the château, as if “the ground rises, carried by cement sails, toward the light and the sky,” said de Portzamparc. The striking design looks more like recent cutting-edge cellars from Spain than anything Bordeaux has produced.

 The elegant structure sweeps across the vineyard, it houses the wine production facilities like it was as natural as the vines themselves. The Château Cheval Blanc dates back to the 1830's and is situated near the ancient and picturesque town of Saint-Emilion. Working within these parameters, Portzamparc, and the winery's owners, Baron Albert Frère and Bernard Arnault, wanted to create a sculpture that blended into the landscape.

The designer describes his building as a "winery under the hill", as it is a structure that is roofed by landscaping which descends into the estate. To facilitate natural ventilation to help the wine breath, the winery's walls are made from mashrabiya. Other natural materials were chosen to construct the unique winery building and as a consequence, it's one of the few wineries in the world to have a High Environment Quality certification. The client, Bernard Arnault, is also owner of luxury brand LVMH, for whom the architect designed the LVMH Tower in NYC.

 Under the hill, natural light filters into the cellar, where the design showcases simplicity, elegance and muted stone. It's a 180-degree turn from the old, cramped cellar. At the same time, like its predecessor, the cellar is resolutely low-tech. “There’s no technology. It’s a wine atelier with the space to choreograph elegant movements,” said Lurton.

 Technical director Pierre-Olivier Clouet said the design focused on Cheval-Blanc's approach to winemaking. “The concept of the new cellar turns around only one point: selection by plot. We gave our vat room one vat per plot. We have 44 plots and 52 vats, nine formats, from 20 hectoliters to 110 hectoliters,” said Clouet. “We will have fun searching for the characteristics of each plot—gravel, clay, sand, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, different clones and rootstocks. We will play with all of these components to build the blend of Cheval-Blanc and Petit Cheval—looking to gain purity, elegance and precision.”

Cheval-Blanc has been known for keeping its old cement vats when other Bordeaux properties switched to first stainless steel and then oak. The new cement vats are something to behold. Inside, Lurton insisted on a conical shape with temperature control encased in the back wall of the vat. Outside, the vats are pure modern art—custom-designed by de Portzamparc and created for Cheval-Blanc at a factory just outside Venice. Downstairs is an underground aging cellar, which needs relatively little energy to regulate temperature and humidity.

See more photos

ECO BRIDGE BY ENRICO TARANTA

Taranta Creations is a global architectural firm with the office located in Shanghai China, within the Red Town Sculpture Park. 

The office operates within the fields of architecture, urban planning, art and interior design, their work reveals the commercial designs mainly the industries, offices, bridges and even libraries for public use.

The Eco Bridge was designed for the Chongqing municipality. This suspension bridge is a piece of engaging sculptural infrastructure, displaying different aesthetical and functional features depending of the view.

Observed from the top, the structure reveals a dragon-like shape- a composition of graceful curvatures supporting the gridded roof that diffuses the sun’s glare from above. Seen from the side, the complexity of the bridge is translated into a simple sinuous curvature that gently traverses the river.

The platform of the bridge is interconnecting with the green mountain sides, blurring the line between natural surroundings and man-made design.

THE BMW OLYMPIC PARK PAVILION

 

Following a competition involving six architecture firms, BMW selected the British firm Serie based on its cutting-edge design that will represent a significant architectural addition to the Olympic Park, whilst also reflecting the company’s deep commitment to sustainability.

 

 

 Tim Abbott, Managing Director, BMW Group UK comments: “As a major investor, manufacturer and employer in the UK, BMW Group is deeply proud to be an official partner for Britain’s first Olympic & Paralympic Games since 1948 – this commitment to the UK is also reflected in our choice of a home-grown architecture practice to design our pavilion and we’re delighted that Serie’s final design reflects our commitment to sustainable thinking in such an innovative and eye-catching manner. We believe it provides a truly worthy addition to the Olympic Park”.

BMW’s pavilion, which has a floor space of 800m2, will be built on an elevated site above the Waterworks River, situated between the Olympic Stadium and the Aquatics Centre.  Serie’s innovative design will use river water to provide a sustainable source of cooling for the building before returning this filtered water to the river via an eye-catching ‘water curtain’ feature.

The lower floor exhibition area is dedicated to the London 2012 Games fleet and interactive displays for guests to learn more about the BMW Group’s vision for the future of individual transport, its approach to sustainability and wider London 2012 partnership activities.

Water plays a central role in the Pavilion’s design. The Waterworks River provides the water, which is filtered and used to cool the building as it flows down the walls, before being returned to the river. The upper floor is surrounded by water, reflecting views of the Olympic Park and each of the rooftop pavilions has a distinctive, light roof and slender, straight columns, designed to complement other Olympic Park structures including the Velodrome.

 

Principal architect Christopher Lee comments: “As a British-based practice, we were delighted to be selected to work with BMW Group for the UK’s first Olympic and Paralympic Games since 1948. It’s not every day that one has the opportunity to work with a brand like BMW on such a global stage and we are proud that the finished result will be seen by thousands of people during London 2012.”

In line with BMW Group’s commitment to sustainability, the environment was a key consideration in the design of the company’s 800m2 Pavilion. As well as the filtering and recycling of the river water, steel with high recycled content provides the structural backbone and use of other carbon-intensive materials such as concrete has been minimised.

NEWS 07/22

Olympic Stadium is in the running for Stirling prize gold

The six shortlisted candidates for the most coveted British award for architecture are announced today and the 2012 Olympic Stadium, pilloried by some for being too plain and functional, is in the running.


The Stirling prize is handed out each year by Riba, the Royal Institute of British Architects, after a panel of judges have considered the merits of significant new buildings throughout the European Union which have "made the greatest contribution to British architecture". Previous winners include 30 St Mary Axe, London, better known as the Gherkin, the Scottish parliament building and the Gateshead Millennium bridge.

The Olympic Stadium of LOndon was produced by Populous, formerly known as HOK Sport, is an architectural firm specializing in the design of sports facilities and convention centers, as well as planning of major special events.

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Wim Wenders 3D Architecture Film For Venice Architecture Biennale

Following the success of 2011’s 3D film “Pina,” German filmmaker Wim Wenders announces his next project will be about Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. The film is expected to take several years to complete, but a short trailer will be shown at the Venice Architecture Biennale this August.

With both “Pina” and the new architecture project, Wenders is attempting to capture on film, a traditionally two-dimensional medium, that which is inherently three-dimensional.  In contrast with action and adventure films that exploit 3D technology for sensationalist purposes, Wenders’s subtle use of 3D in “Pina” created the impression of being at a live dance performance, providing atmosphere without being distracting or disorientating.  “Pina” was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2011 Academy Awards.  In a 2011 interview Wenders stated: “I have actually already started a long-term project, another documentary in 3D. … I have always wanted to do a film about architecture, and I have a lot of architect friends.  But that is another subject I never really knew how to approach with film.  I realized through ‘Pina’ that architecture is something that could have a real affinity to the medium.”