Norwegian-based architecture firm, Snøhetta, has just been announced the winner for the Ordrupgaard competition to design an underground extension to the existing museum in Denmark. In addition to the necessary gallery space to hold the Ordrupgaard’s expanding French collection, Snøhetta’s proposal creates a new solution for landscape and building integration. By adapting existing buildings, and adding landscape elements, the proposal maintains the existing entrance to the building, designed by Zaha Hadid, and creates a circulation new route which the public comfortably flow through as they visit the different exhibition halls. Hadid’s building was originally conceived as a continuous flow of spaces between building, galleries, and gardens, so Snøhetta’s newest addition will build upon such a foundation.
A quick glimpse at the upcoming weather for Abu Dhabi will show a week of intense sunshine, temperatures steadily above 100 degrees Fahrenheit with 0% chance of rain. In such extreme weather conditions, even architects listing environmental design as their top priority are up against a tough battle. Never mind that the sand can compromise the structural integrity of the building, the intense heat and glare can render a comfortable indoor environment relatively impossible if not properly addressed. For Abu Dhabi’s newest pair of towers, Aedas Architectshave designed a responsive facade which takes cultural cues from the “mashrabiya”, a traditional Islamic lattice shading device.
More about the towers’ shading system after the break.
Spearheading the development of the new district in Egedal, Demark, the town hall and health center will be the uniting center of the new Municipality of the city as one of the first buildings in the new planned urban area around Egedal Station. Designed by Henning Larsen Architects, their proposal won the highest score for all criteria in the competition to get the first prize. The health center will become an active part of the town hall, while at the same time offering citizens the opportunity to use the area outside town hall opening hours. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The first prize winning competition proposal for the Fishing Boat Harbor and ‘River’ of Liopetri was designed by the collaborative effort of architects Iereidis Vasilis, Michael Aimilios, Zomas Alexandros, Mitakou Eleni, Raisi Alexia, Hatzopoulos Dimitris, Fanou Paraskevi, and Lada Anastasia. With the challenge for a proposal that would provide all the necessary facilities for the fishing boat harbor and create a park that focuses on environmental education, this design stands as a binary between experience and function. As an outcome there are no clear boundaries between the fishing boat harbor and the park or in that sense between any other of the proposed interventions. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The first prize winning proposal for the Halide Edip Adivar Mosque and Social Complex is an objection to the continuing entegrist attitude-action which is mostly validated on mosque design and kept popular in media of Turkey. Designed by Kolektif Mimarlar, one of the main ideas of the design is to produce a well integrated structure with its surrounding and the nearby dwellers, where additional functions to the mosque can take place. More images and architects’ description after the break.
In its seventh year, the Shaw Contract Group recently announced the winners in their Design Is… Award program, which honors architecture and design firms that are changing the very idea of what design is. Through these winning projects, selected from commercial spaces from around the globe, we see how design is redefining the way we work, play and organize our lives. Out of 285 entries from 19 countries, the following five winning firms that won the Design Is… Award for 2012 can be viewed after the break and seen in the video above.
Designed by ANMA to act as a natural machine, the new headquarters of the Ministry of Defense, located in southwestern Paris, includes a health center, restaurants, media and sport centers as well as a crèche. This complex structure, designed around the strictest security requirements, is the largest public building to be built in France for 20 years. The structure aims to present an image of the armed forces, not only as a protective force, but a strong and stately force as well. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Located in a land about 80 hectares in Tehran, the design for the Army Residential Complex by Hootanpei was chosen in an architectural competition. With the contractor’s demand of 28-30 towers with 20-30 floors, the most important factor of design was minimum interference between pathways and driving ways and also suitable green places to create comfort and welfare for residents. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The international competition for a new service building in Taiwan’s major port city Keelung called for the design of a modern passenger and cargo terminal transfer station and maritime gateway art plaza. The objective is to improve the quality of the services for passengers and cargo, accelerate the development of surrounding areas, and ultimately promote local prosperity of the region. The new service building design is to be a new “Gateway to the Nation” – one that could become a form of Landmark Architecture of Keelung. The site of the new building should be integrated with the other commercial buildings in an effort to develop the entire area. The diverse programs cover an area of 82,615 m2 and include car and coach parking.
The two-stage competition was announced in early May 2012 and recieved thirty one submissions from twelve countries in the first stage. On July 19th the jury unveiled five nominated groups to continue to the second stage whose deadline is in September.
Follow us after the break for details on the five shortlisted firms.
The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) has announced five design teams invited to submit proposals for the Xiqu Center, which will be the first landmark building within Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District. Serving as the main theatre and Team House, the Xiqu Center will form the gateway into the £1.7bn, Foster-designed masterplan once it is complete towards the end of 2015.
Mr. Louis Yu, Executive Director, Performing Arts stated, “There has been a fantastic response to our plans for the Xiqu Centre from design teams from across the world. We are working hard to find the right team to work with to fulfill our ambitions. The shortlisted teams will meet with representatives of the Chinese opera artform, engaging with stakeholders so we can conceive together a world-class building for Hong Kong and for the development and promotion of this important form of Chinese cultural heritage.”
This year the Cleveland Design Competition is calling for a re-imagining of the Detroit Superior Bridge – a 19th century bridge rich with history and value to Cleveland’s downtown area and industrial zones. Professional, students, firms and designers are all invited to propose a dynamic public space, performance venue and pedestrian experience along the abandoned lower streetcar level of the bridge. Registration for this competition closes on September 24th. The competition deadline is October 5th. This is an awarded competition for first, second and third prize winners. A free public reception and exhibition will takes place on October 26th to announce the winners. To register, visit the official competition website.
For a brief on the competition, join us after the break.
The Indigo Consortium—comprising schmidt hammer lassen architects, aarhus arkitekterne, Creo Arkitekter and engineering consultants NNE Pharmaplan, Brix & Kamp Rådgivende Ingeniører, Oluf Jørgensen Rådgivende Ingeniører and Royal Haskoning—has won the competition to design the New Aalborg University Hospital in Northern Jutland, Denmark – a project of € 551.5 million. The winning design merges the new hospital complex with the sloping landscape in a smooth transition from the existing Aalborg University. The concept of the new masterplan is to create an urban structure where streets, paths and courtyards form greatly diverse spaces, while referring to the human scale in both the buildings and the spaces in between. More images and a description from schmidt hammer lassen architects after the break.
Matthias Kisch from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and Amy Linford from Newcastle University have won first and special awards respectively in this year’s Troldtekt Award just announced. Architectural and design students from 23 countries entered the concept competition, submitting an extensive array of creative and original ideas about how Troldtekt’s traditional acoustic panels can be used. More information on the winners, images and videos after the break.
WILCOTER Architects shared with us their first prize winning proposal in the international competition to design a group of buildings as the headquarter of China Life Insurance (Group) Company in the Qianjiang New City of Hangzhou. The concept is to create a ‘Tree of Life’, which means supplying a cover or shelter for the life, which is strong and safe to rely on. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Participants in the Skanska Bridging Prague competition were asked to develop a new Vision Plan for the section of the riverfront from Libeňsk (Bridge) to the north to Železniční (Railway Bridge) in Smíchov to the south. The goal was to create a unified experience, linking cultural, recreational, ecological, historical and economic opportunities. They were also asked to design an intervention that will become a premiere destination along the river Vltava. The first prize winning proposal by Pete North focuses on strengthening the natural characteristics of places at the riverside, where it is consistent and feasible. It aims to create a synergy between park localities and the river, connected into a consequent chain of continuous spaces. More images and winning proposals after the break.
Facing the roman Arenas and amphitheater of Nîmes, crossed by the ruins and the archeological remains of the ancient roman fortifications, the main challenge for the design of the Musée de la Romanité was to design a museum that would become a reference on an international scale. This winning proposal by Elizabeth de Portzamparc creates a strong architectural dialogue between two architectures separated by over two thousand years of history and facing each other. The project is located on the backbone of the site, on the old limit that used to separate the medieval town from the modern city. More images and architect’s description after the break.
Archpolis, a non-profit organization for architects, designers, artists and the performing arts, has invited architects and planners to submit their qualifications for the first stage of a design competition in Nikola-Lenivets Park in the Kaluga Region of Russia. Fifteen finalists will be chosen for the second stage of the competition with the objective to provide a conceptual design of a residential complex for artist in residence, along with a master plan and zoning details for the surrounding area.
LAVA, the Laboratory for Visionary Architecture, and Designsport collaborated with local Ethiopian firm JDAW to win the international architecture competition for a national stadium and sports village, held by the Federal Sport Commission, Ethiopia. Now, football and athletics-loving Ethiopians will have a new FIFA and Olympic-standard 60,000 seat stadium in Addis Ababa thanks to a design that combines local identity with new technology. More images and architects’ description after the break.
