Showing posts with label architecture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label architecture. Show all posts

2012-06-19

The World’s First Sand Stadium

The United Arab Emirates plan to build the world’s first Sand Stadium


The Sand Stadium (or as it’s actually being called, “The Rock Stadium”) is set to be build in the Al Ain desert.

The ground will be build below ground level to make sure heat levels are more easily controlled.

As to the numbers, the stadium will facilitate 40,000 spectators, and will come at a cost of 3.5 billion UAE dirham (or $953 million).

The project will be built by MZ Architects.

Sunken Al Ain Stadium Rises from the Desert in Sharp Planes | Green Prophet


Sinking the Al Ain stadium has multiple benefits. First it allows the project to blend in with the surrounding landscape, adding to its allure rather than destroying it. But it also allows the designer to utilize passive cooling strategies that will minimize the stadium’s energy loads once it is “up and running.”

Al Ain Stadium, Al Ain / UAE by MZ Architects

Working with the existing site and using the local materials, the architects find themselves playing with a carefully studied palette of rock and sand that not only lead to the main façade/visual panels system adhering to the site but also create a more sustainable approach to construction and design where no material is forgotten or displaced and where all is reused. Carful patterns are created with the recuperated stone, creating interestingly designed man-made strata patterns that emphasize the natural characteristic of the site.

This simple yet majestic design hides great achievements and brilliant experimentations with issues of scale, monumentality and locality. It allows the project to create a strong sense of place in an otherwise homogenous area of the vast expanding desert.
MZ Architects wins Retail and Leisure category Award in MIPIM Future Project Awards 2012
MZ Architects has received the Retail and Leisure Award for the design of “Al Ain stadium” at this year’s prestigious MIPIM Architectural Review Future Project Awards ceremony held in Cannes, France, on March 7th 2012.

The project by MZ Architects, a Lebanese design and consultancy firm, was one of 143 entries to the awards that uniquely focus on building designs for projects awaiting construction or still on the drawing board, spanning over ten categories – Big Urban Projects, Mixed Use, Offices, Regeneration and Masterplanning, Retail and Leisure, Retrofit, Tall Buildings, Sustainability and Residential.


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2012-05-21

Bosco Verticale a Vertical Forest Tower in Milan

DesignRulz | The World’s First Vertical Forest Tower Is Now Under Construction!


This vertical forest will span across two towers that have fabulous balconies designed to house these trees.
If we are talking about optimizing space, this vertical forest will consist of 900 trees, 5,000 bushes and 11,000 plants.  This forest, designed by architect Stefano Boeri, will produces oxygen and cuts down on all the noise pollution in Milan. If this same number of trees, bushes and plants were planted horizontally around these houses on the ground, it would require 50,000 square meters of land and 10,000 square meters of woodland.

BOSCO VERTICALE « stefano boeri

The Bosco Verticale is a system that optimizes, recuperates and produces energy. The Bosco Verticale aids in the creation of a microclimate and in filtering the dust particles contained in the urban environment. The diversity of the plants and their characteristics produce humidity, absorb CO2 and dust particles, producing oxygen and protect from radiation and acoustic pollution, improving the quality of living spaces and saving energy. Plant irrigation will be produced to great extent through the filtering and reuse of the grey waters produced by the building. Additionally Aeolian and photovoltaic energy systems will contribute, together with the aforementioned microclimate to increase the degree of energetic self sufficiency of the two towers. The management and maintenance of the Bosco Verticale’s vegetation will be centralised and entrusted to an agency with an office counter open to the public.

Project information
location: Milano, Italy
commission:
year: 2007 (on going)
client: Hines Italia
built area: 40.000 sqm
budget: 65.000.000,00€

Architectural Design:
BOERISTUDIO (Stefano Boeri, Gianandrea Barreca, Giovanni La Varra)

Bosco Verticale in Milan Will Be the World's First Vertical Forest | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building


Each apartment in the building will have a balcony planted with trees that are able to respond to the city’s weather — shade will be provided within the summer, while also filtering city pollution; and in the winter the bare trees will allow sunlight to permeate through the spaces. Plant irrigation will be supported through the filtering and reuse of the greywater produced by the building. Additionally, Aeolian and photovoltaic energy systems will further promote the tower’s self-sufficiency.

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2011-09-26

Singapore Punggol Eco Town -- Panasonic's Test-bed on Total Energy Solutions for Public Housing

Panasonic to Develop EcoTown Project in Singapore


Singapore’s Housing and Development Board, Energy Market Authority and Economic Development Board have partnered with Panasonic to develop an Eco Town. Ten apartments in a housing complex in Singapore have been selected to be models of the viability of energy efficiency in open housing; the project will be officially called the Punggol Eco Town.
[...]
The project will run from 2011 to 2013. Punggol Eco Town will gradually move to run entirely clean energy and reduce energy use by 75 percent. The Ecotown will have photovoltaic system to run their elevators; this means that their elevators will run by solar radiation that is converted to electricity. Solar panels will be installed throughout the units. The idea is that a resident will be able to open their garage door or switch on their TV without any environmental impact.





Panasonic Announces Asia's First Test-bed Project on Total Energy Solutions for Public Housing | Panasonic News Portal



Panasonic's photovoltaic systems will be installed to supply renewable energy to power common facilities; aiming to challenge zero emissions target and its Home Energy Management System (HEMS) will help households monitor and better manage energy consumption via an in-home display (IHD) which are provided as part of the test-bed project. Demand response will be achieved through Panasonic's Smart Energy Gateway (SEG) which connects the smart meter and home appliances such as air conditioners. As part of the bigger picture, the HEMS will be connected to the government-owned smart meters and smart grid technology; to enhance the efficiency and resilience of Singapore's power system.




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2011-08-28

WikiHouse: Open Source Home Building

WikiHouse – the open source house « Ponoko – Blog
http://blog.ponoko.com/2011/08/25/wikihouse-the-open-source-house
  • WikiHouse is a new project trying to make house construction open source. With WikiHouse anyone could download plans to CNC mill and assemble a house.
Printable homes coming soon, thanks to WikiHouse | Geek.com
http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-pick/printable-homes-coming-soon-thanks-to-wikihouse-20110817
  • Computerization has had a major impact on just about every aspect of manufacturing and fabrication. It’s also led to a democratization of the process, enabling enthusiastic DIYers with a bit of know-how (and a little extra cash in their bank accounts) to create some pretty amazing things with devices like 3D printers, desktop laser cutters, and programmable CNC machines.
  • It’s this last piece of equipment that WikiHouse wants to help you put to good use. The goal of WikiHouse is to allow people to freely download “open source structures” which can be opened and modified using Google Sketchup. The plans’ building components are designed to be milled from 18MM sheets of plywood, and the resulting pieces can be fitted together like a giant puzzle. They’re even labeled during fabrication, making it perhaps a bit more like building an Ikea desk (though that can be puzzling at times). In addition to marking pieces for easy assembly, the CNC will even cut a wooden mallet that can be used to ensure a tight fight between panels.
CNC routing - using CNC routing with ponoko
http://www.ponoko.com/cnc-routing

  • What is CNC routing?

    CNC routing is one of the digital making methods available through Personal Factory.

    CNC (computer numerical control) routing is a type of subtractive manufacturing that carves a digital design file into a sheet of material.
WikiHouse.CC
http://www.wikihouse.cc/index.html
  • Download houses and components which are created and shared by an open community of designers from around the world. Individual parts can be combined or adapted using the free program Google Sketchup.
  • Click 'Make this House' from within Google Sketchup and WikiHouse generates a complete set of milling drawings from your model, which can be used by a CNC cutter to fabricate the house parts.
  • The parts are cut by a CNC mill using locally-sourced material. This is 18mm plywood, in the standard sheet size of 2440mm x 1220mm (8' x 4').
  • Set out the parts for each section onto the ground, assembling it like a double-layered jigsaw. You won't need any power tools.
WikiHouse.CC
http://www.wikihouse.cc/about.html
  • The first WikiHouse will be constructed in South Korea at the Gwangju Design Biennale 2011. We are now looking for architects, furniture designers, product designers, craftsmen, and makers from around the world who are interested in contributing to the WikiHouse process.

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2011-08-23

Living Bridges

  • In the depths of northeastern India, in one of the wettest places on earth, bridges aren't built—they're grown.
  • The root bridges, some of which are over a hundred feet long, take ten to fifteen years to become fully functional, but they're extraordinarily strong—strong enough that some of them can support the weight of fifty or more people at a time. In fact, because they are alive and still growing, the bridges actually gain strength over time—and some of the ancient root bridges used daily by the people of the villages around Cherrapunji may be well over 500 years old.
cherrapunjee.com
http://www.cherrapunjee.com/index.php?mid=66&pid=66
  • The lower reaches of the southern slopes of Khasi and Jaintia hills are humid and warm and are streaked by many swift flowing rivers and mountain streams.  A species of Indian Rubber tree - botanical name: Ficus elastica - thrives and flourishes alongside these streams and rivers. 
  •  Our ancestors, the early war-Khasis, had noticed these qualities of this tree and had adapted it to serve their need for bridges to cross rivers and streams.  In order to direct the roots in the desired direction, betel nut tree trunks, sliced half in the middle for their entire length, are hollowed out and are positioned according to the requirement of the bridge.
  • Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort has brought the focus on these Living Root Bridges, which are exclusive only to Meghalaya and are not found anywhere else in the world.
The Meghalaya Living Bridges - YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxe5wRhSpag
  • At the base of India's Meghalaya Plateau, the local tribes have created bridges across the area's rivers using living tree roots and branches. These bridges last for hundreds of years (the lifetime of the tree).
The Living Bridges Of Meghalaya | The Velvet Rocket
http://thevelvetrocket.com/2010/11/14/the-living-bridges-of-meghalaya
  • On the surface of the bridge, which you can see below, rocks and bits of wood have been added to the mix to make for an easier crossing. There is an additional reason for the bits of wood though. As the wood decomposes, it provides nutrients for the tree roots growing around it:

  • These wonders of bioengineering are an eloquent testimony to man’s capacity to live in harmony with nature.

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2011-05-28

Tornado-Proof Homes

YouTube - Tornado-Proof Suburb



A series of hydraulic levers are used to move the housing units in and out of the ground, warping and deflecting the outer skin in response to external stimulation. The mobility also offers the home a chance to aim itself into the prevailing wing to capture maximum breezes or avoid them. Solar cells on the skin rotate and flex to attain maximum solar intensity. A translucent outer skin consisting of clear insulation sandwiched between two layers of Kevlar provides the weather barrier, structure, and diffuse lighting.


Proto-Teck :: Indestructible House



The "INDESTRUCTIBLE HOUSE" is in reality a houseboat floating in a large buried concrete silo filled with water.  Earth excavated to bury the silo would be back-filled around the upper 1/3 of the silo, forming a berm.  The house structure is constructed on a waterproof concrete cylinder, called a barge.  The barge will also be a basement for storage and equipment, such as a electric generator in case of a power failure.



Collected from: Korvelo

► High-strength solid concrete walls and roofs.

► Bunker like doors. 
► Window shutters built with a heavy metal frame and 1/4 steel plate minimum, with the ability to bolt them shut.
Our pyramid is designed for 500 MPH winds minimum, something that only an explosion at close range can create.

F5 tornadoes will top at over 300 MPH, what will destroy most buildings and throw large objects like cars around like missiles. What will damage any building, unless it's designed and built properly.

Even if a super-tornado could potentially push/slide our buildings, they would still be intact and our PYRAMID IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TIP REGARDLESS OF THE WIND FORCE .


Homes | Monolithic


Monolithic Dome Homes




Collected from: Homes | Monolithic

Monolithic Dome Benefits: Survivability

Whether it’s your home, your children’s school or some other structure that you and your loved ones spend time in, nothing beats knowing that you’re in a place that cannot be destroyed by most natural or manmade disasters. That’s the confidence Monolithic Domes offer. They meet or exceed FEMA’s standards for providing near-absolute protection. Monolithic Domes are proven survivors of tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and fires. (Continued…)
Collected from: Benefits | Monolithic

Futuristic Materials Could Build Tornado-Proof Homes | Bradley Quinn | Carbon Fiber | InnovationNewsDaily



″Carbon fiber is incredibly strong and very flexible. The thinking behind carbon fiber architecture is that it can withstand earthquakes. It would be more flexible in the wind than regular structures,″ said Bradley Quinn, author of the new book on advanced materials called ″Design Futures″ (Merrell Publishers, 2011). ″Then there′s the DuPont Storm Room. It′s like a tent made of metal mesh and Kevlar. It can be erected inside and protect the people from all the debris that flies around.″

Kevlar, metal mesh and carbon fibers all provide a flexibility that traditional materials such as wood or concrete simply cannot match. By bending with the wind instead of bending against it, houses constructed from more supple frames have a lower chance of collapse than the more rigid structures build today. There′s a new school of architecture devoted to designing softer buildings that integrate with, rather than resist, nature in both its calm and furious moods, Quinn said.

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2011-01-16

Harvest City Haiti "A Concept to Recovery"

Harvest City is a Floating Agricultural and Industrial City for Haiti


Boston-based architect E. Kevin Schopfer in collaboration with Tangram 3DS (visualization) envisioned "Harvest City" in Haiti as a floating agricultural / light industrial city off the shores of the island. Harvest City would be a vibrant fully functioning city of 30,000 residents which embraces three major concepts.

1. The creation of an artificial, floating, productive and livable land desperately needed for Haiti.

2. A city designed based on the principle of Arcology (Architecture and Ecology) which embodies an ecologically sustainable and practical urban platform.

3. That harvest City should be established as a “Charter City”. Charter City is a relatively new and advanced economic model specifically developed for struggling nations.








Harvest City, Republic of Haiti

'A Concept to Recovery'

Architects: Schopfer Associates LLC

Introduction:

Since the tragic earthquake of 2010, Haiti has been the subject of worldwide attention. All would agree, the devastation seems particularly cruel to this struggling country. Massive relief efforts have been forthcoming and have demonstrated considerable generosity and determination from individuals, organizations and countries. For Haiti to stabilize, this effort will require a consistent long term commitment. There is no one solution to solve all of Haiti’s problems. Rather it will take a thoughtful program of balance and renewal. In the most simplistic terms, much attention has been focused of establishing basic ingredient for recovery.

Harvest City Haiti Harvest City Haiti Buildings Harvest City Haiti Proposal Harvest City Haiti Design


[...]
Master Plan

Harvest City is envisioned as a 2 mile diameter complex of tethered floating modules. The overall design is divided into four zones or communities interconnected by a linear canal system. The four major canals will focus built neighborhoods consisting of four story housing complexes. The outer perimeter of the design is predominately “one acre” crop circles with secondary feeder canals. The inner “harbor” will house the city center with schools, administrative, community activities and general marketplace. The entire complex will float and be cable secured to the sea bed. Because of its low profile, low draft dead weight capacity and perimeter wave attenuators, hurricanes and typhoon will have little effect other than collection of much needed water harvesting. A breakwater will be constructed to add to the city’s stability. (It should be noted, this proposal suggests using all the concrete rubble debris from the earthquake as the breakwater filler.) Harvest City is seen as the first floating city for Haiti. The system of floating platforms allows for a master plan to grow and link to other future cities within the harbor.

Harvest City Haiti Harvest City Haiti Buildings Harvest City Haiti Proposal Harvest City Haiti Design

[...]
Conclusion

The proposal of harvest City is both a bold and simple idea. It attempts to bridge both short and long term objectives for Haiti’s ongoing recovery. As stated before, Harvest City is seen as a complimentary element of that recovery. This initial program should be viewed as conceptual only and can easily accommodate whatever program is determined. Innovation, when appropriately applied, is a tool which can solve problems and provide refocused hope on seemingly unsolvable situations.

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2010-09-12

Loop City a New Metro Loop in the Region of Copenhagen

Loop City: Developing World Class Infrastructure In The Suburbs Of Denmark - PSFK


As part of the 2010 Venice Biennale, the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) exhibited its ambitious project called “Loop City”, a new Metro system that they hope will transform the cross border area between Sweden and Denmark into a model region by developing infrastructure for public transport, electric cars and energy exchange around all its stations.

BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group

AUG 27, 2010 - BIG EXHIBITS 'FROM FINGER PLAN TO LOOP CITY' IN THE DANISH PAVILION AT THE 12th VENICE BIENNALE

Opening August 27th at 4:00 PM at the Danish Pavilion. The exhibition illustrates a new Metro loop to become the development model for the cross border region, connecting the area around the Øresund Strait in a sustainable spine of public transport, energy exchange and electric car infrastructure. The Metro will be combined with the development of new programs around the stations, creating a vein of true urbanity running through the suburbs.

Arch Daily

LOOP City / BIG | ArchDaily

Currently, the industrial areas in the Copenhagen suburbs are next in line for urban development and this new light rail will connect the 20 development zones with a total area of 11 Km2.  The project will serve as the new sustainable model for the area as it will implement strategies for energy exchange, waste management, water treatment and electric car stations.  ”At certain points the rail becomes a building itself almost like a Roman aqueduct passing through the suburbs, at other points it forms small pockets of urbanity around the stations,” explained .

The proposed new light rail will create a new 50 year development perspective for a cross border region between Sweden and Denmark. Where the Finger Plan from 1947 was about connectivity from suburb to center the Loop City is linking a string of highly differentiated urban nodes, universities and working spaces in a center-less metropolitan region around a blue void. This ring, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay area, has enough development areas to contain the growth of the region the next 50 years, and could become a model for a both sustainable, dense and super recreational development of the region.

BIG architects: finger plan to loop city at venice architecture biennale



presented at the official danish pavilion, the film was projected on a two-wall corner of the room, utilizing the three-dimensional space to fully present the scheme; a white, bridge-like structure on the floor acted as a volumetric surface to project on, resulting in a series of diagrams that seemed to be constructed and solid for the audience.


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2010-02-05

CAAD -- Computer Aided Architectural Design

Overview
The Master of Advanced Studies in CAAD at ETH in Zurich is a one-year postgraduate program with a focus on computer-based architectural design and its automated production. The program examines the use of current information technologies as an augmentation of concepts of architecture.

Helvepolis - Urban Design in Vitro!

Object-oriented urban design-framework for Processing
In this module, we become urban planner, architect and flaneur at once!
We formulate our own algorithmic building-law and examine the effects in our artificial cities!
Our goal is no less than building rome in a day. We are exploring the diversity and the potential of cities via scripting.
Data abstraction, encapsulation, modularity, polymorphism, and inheritance are brought to urban design.
clipped from www.youtube.com

voxopolis

clipped from www.youtube.com

Attractive City Generator - ETH CAAD

clipped from www.youtube.com

Himmelstadt-CAAD ETH

blog it
Sources:
  1. ETHZ D-ARCH CAAD MAS - Home
  2. ETHZ D-ARCH CAAD MAS - Exhibition
  3. ETHZ D-ARCH CAAD MAS - Helvepolis
  4. YouTube - voxopolis
  5. YouTube - Attractive City Generator - ETH CAAD
  6. YouTube - Himmelstadt-CAAD ETH
Related:
  1. Conway’s Game of Life generates a city | Beyond The Beyond
  2. Make: Online : Automated city design via Conway's Game of Life
  3. Digital Urban
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2009-10-02

Oogst by Tjep -- Farm of the Future

Clipped from: Farm of the Future - Design.nl


Farm of the Future

Tjep. designs three new self-sustaining farm (yes farm) concepts for a self-initiated project called Oogst meaning Harvest in Dutch.

How can we, as designers, contribute to the fundamental developments that are taking place in Dutch agricultural research? Is self-sufficiency the path towards a more ecological sustainable society? And if so, on what scale is it workable?

These are some of the issues that Tjep. is trying to address in their new project Oogst, meaning Harvest in Dutch. Oogst comprises three new proposal for farms that combine the latest technology with regards to self-sustaining living and agricultural systems, and design. Each closed-system supplies its own energy and water supply and recycles waste and carbon, with food grown in a greenhouse and in the surrounds where possible.

Clipped from: About Oogst

Introduction

In October 2008, Tjep. initiated an investigation into new developments in the agricultural sector. What we came across were radical ideas with regards to self-sufficiency, capable of getting us quite a bit closer to the concept of a sustainable society.

[...]

The first concept is a farm for one person:

Oogst 1 Solo

The second is a farm for one hundred people:

Oogst 100 Community

The third farm for a thousand people:

Oogst 1000 Wonderland


Clipped from: Oogst 1
Oogst 1 Solo is a house for one person that provides its resident with food, energy, heat and oxygen. In principle, one could live in Oogst 1 Solo without ever having to leave the house.

Oogst 1 Solo has a cross-shaped floor plan. The heart is the living area, with the kitchen, bathroom, storage room, living-room and at the top, the bedroom. The biggest part is reserved for the greenhouse and one section is reserved for all the recycling process such as seen in the Greenhouse Village.



Clipped from: Oogst 100
Oogst Community 100 is a self-sufficient farm for 100 people. The residents are all farmers. In the central greenhouse, all necessary crops are grown, the surrounding fields are for livestock.

The central windmill provides all the necessary energy, there is a water-well under the windmill. But clean water is mainly collected condensed water from the greenhouse.




Clipped from: Oogst 1000

Oogst 1000 Wonderland is a self-sufficient farm, restaurant, hotel and amusement park for 1,000 people per day. All food for the restaurant comes from the central structure and directly adjacent fields. Oogst 1000 combines extreme fun with extreme usefulness. One can see this amusement park as a huge people processor. Hotel guests are also the farmers, when you work, you can stay for free.




Sources:
  1. Farm of the Future - Design.nl
  2. About Oogst
  3. Oogst 1
  4. Oogst 100
  5. Oogst 1000
Related:
  1. A Rube Goldberg Amusement Park for Sustainable Living | Design & Innovation | Fast Company
  2. Greenwala - Oogst -- Living In A Self-Sustaining Habitrail Of Happiness
  3. Dezeen » Blog Archive » Oogst 1 Solo by Tjep.
  4. Dezeen » Blog Archive » Oogst 100 Community by Tjep.
  5. Oogst 100 Community By Tjep | IGreenSpot
  6. Dezeen » Blog Archive » Oogst 1000 Wonderland by Tjep.
  7. tjep: oogst 1000 wonderland
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