Nestle Social Block by guillermo hevia

The building is crowned by a suspended roof, facades with a double-skin, the additional multiuse water pond serves as fire-water standby and cooling system through evaporation for the sun exposed facades in the hot period.

The double-skin, made out of corten steel, which wraps around the building, create an avant-garde image. Constructed as a continuous surface, it protects against the solar radiation and due to its separation to the building, it creates a vertical Venturi ventilation, supplying temperated air on account of the evaporation of the surrounding pond. This metallic double skin consists out of different perforation treatments, plain sheets and black glass.

The corten steel is a meterial which oxidates in a short term period, in order to create its own protection, neutralizing its deterioration. Engender the image of a living organizm, which changes its tonality (orange ocher, brown) in time and furthermore by the different angle of the sunbeams and changing daylight. It contrasts with the in sight concrete walls and the black metal of the roof. The rhythm of the designed standart-sheets breaks the monotony of the plane suspended surface and has been systematically illuminated to strengthen the night image of the building.

The Orange Cube by macfarlane architects

The project is designed as a simple orthogonal « cube » into which a giant hole is carved, responding to necessities of light, air movement and views. This hole creates a void, piercing the building horizontally from the river side inwards and upwards through the roof terrace.

It is designed on a regular framework (29 x 33m) made of concrete pillars on 5 levels. A light facade, with seemingly random openings is completed by another facade, pierced with pixilated patterns that accompany the movement of the river. The orange color refers to lead paint, an industrial color often used for harbor zones.

In order to create the void, designers worked with a series of volumetric perturbations, linked to the subtraction of three “conic” volumes disposed on three levels: the angle of the facade, the roof and the level of the entry. These perturbations generate spaces and relations between the building, its users, the site and the light supply, inside a common office program.

USJ Campus by 109 architectes

This campus takes a contextual approach, integrating physically, culturally, and historically with Beirut’s urban tissue. Conceptually an urban block with sculpted voids, the building’s hollow spaces define six autonomous blocks and construct multiple viewpoints across Beirut, connecting students to their dynamic setting.

Light is a vital element in oriental architecture and one that shapes its style and identity; the campus exposes alternate light qualities through Moucharabieh-inspired perforations and a polycarbonate volume. Such manipulation presents a striking contrast in filtered light and luminescence.

A stylized random-opening treatment is a snapshot of the Lebanese War, lending a poetic glimpse into the reality of destruction and violence.

Saxo Bank by 3xn

The architectural design is based on Saxo’s cutting-edge profile and branding. The lines of the building design define a sharp balance between reliability and dynamic expressivity in dialogue with the local plan.

The building is shaped like two blocks with the end walls pointing towards the canal, joined together by facades that are withdrawn from the end walls. The facades are shaped like double curved glass that wave like a piece of textile.

The interior of the building is open and transparent with a large sense of community. The open plans centre round a softly shaped atrium with a glass roof. In the atrium, the main stair case winds up to the top. However, the main room and largest attraction of the building is the so-called Trading Floor where share prices are monitored intensely and resemble scenes from American movies about stock exchanges. Furthermore, the building encompasses a large number of rooms for technical support, kitchenettes and recreational areas.

TT Project by bcho architects

The specific architectural shape was made in response to the distinctive geographical features. The site consists of several acute angles, and within its figure, inducing interactions between horizontal and vertical dynamics, such as water flowing in various directions. This recalls a birch tree trunk that weathered severe hardships over time.

Directly south of the building an area with historical commercial alleyways, one famous called Pimatgol. Although the area has largely disappeared with the urban renewal project, it is still possible to connect with some of the remaining traces.

The connection made through the site is directed toward Dongsipjagak, an ancient watch tower at the southeast corner of Gyeongbok Palace. This area connects to Samcheongdong, an area which remains vibrant, evoking both the historical tradition and urban context.

Sky Village at copenhagen by mvrdv

The new skyscraper with a total surface of 21,688m2 will be located at Roskildevej, a major artery East of the center of Copenhagen. It is after the Frøsilos MVRDV’s second project in Copenhagen. The skyscraper’s shape reflects Copenhagen’s historical spire and present day high-rise blending in the skyline of the city, it further combines the two distinctive typologies of Rødovre, the single family home and the skyscraper in a vertical village. Consideration of these local characteristics leads to Copenhagen’s first contemporary high-rise.

On the lower floors the volume is slim to create space for the surrounding public plaza with retail and restaurants; the lower part of the high rise consists of offices, the middle part leans north in order to create a variety of sky gardens that are terraced along the south side. This creates a stacked neighborhood, a Sky Village. From this south orientation the apartments are benefiting. The top of the building will be occupied by a hotel enjoying the view towards Copenhagen city center. The constellation of the pixels allows flexibility in function; the building can be transformed by market forces, however at this moment it is foreseen to include 970m2 retail, 15,800m2 offices, 3,650m2 housing and 2,000m2 hotel and a basement of 13,600m2 containing parking and storage.

Flexibility for adaptation is one of the best sustainable characteristics of a building. Besides this the Sky Village will also integrate the latest technologies according to the progressive Danish environmental standards. Furthermore the plans include a greywater circuit, the use of 40% recycled concrete in the foundation and a variety of energy producing devices on the facade.

Guangdong Museum by rocco design architects

Conceived as an Object d’Art at a monumental scale, an allegory to the impeccably and intricately sculpted antique Chinese artefact, such as a lacquer box, an ivory ball, a jade bowl or a bronze tank, which collects and reflects treasures of the times. The new museum is not only designed to house a great variety of fascinating objects of treasure, it is also in itself designed as a treasured object of great fascination that contemplates to become an identifiable cultural icon, giving the visitors a memorable tour and experience of the local provincial history and traditional wisdom as well as contributing to the appreciation and enhancement of cultural identity of the city.

The Museum’s spatial arrangement takes its inspiration from the legendary concentric ivory balls carving. Each carving slices through the box and reveals different layers and varying degrees of tranparency within the interiors, forming interesting spatial patterns and luring visitors through its exhibits inside. The interweaving of interior space pockets also reveal the intricate relationship between the visual and physical connections and separation of the atrium corridor, the individual exhibition halls and the back-of-house service areas. This deliberate arrangement not only reinforces the clarity and coherance of the treasure-box concept, but also allow flexibility in planning and operation of all the exhibition spaces. In addition, each of the main exhitbition halls are punctured with random alcoves of dynamic spatial geometry. Filled with natural light and served as visual breakouts to the outside, they are also transitions between the exhibition halls which offer visitors initmate and well-balanced resting spaces.

The overall treatment of the main façade is also based on the analogy of ivory ball. Using materials such as aluminium panels, fritted glass and GRC panels, each elevation is uniquely designed with different geometric voids recessed into the building mass. In order to achieve a smooth transition between the museum and the adjoining landscape, an undulating landscape deck is introduced underneath the elevated museum box, metaphorically symbolizing a silk cloth unwrapping a much treasured piece of artwork.

Social Housing tower in plaza europa by roldán + berengué

Spanish practice roldán + berengué has recently completed 'social housing tower in plaza europa', a multi-level residential tower in barcelona spain. conceived as part of an urban master plan, the design manipulates the facade to create a dynamic aesthetic identity as well as offer a variety of views for the inhabitants. 

Characterized by an elevation that seemingly pushes and pulls the individual units from the main volume, the design plays with the tower's sense of scale by working in groups of three-storeys. the form is horizontally defined by these layers through the use of materiality and careful placement of apertures. offset from the level below, each grouping features a different bar-code like series of windows, resulting in a controlled set of views. protruding wall thicknesses act like blinkers and further controls the inhabitants vistas. 

The sense of scale of the interior space is also distorted by an over-extension of the ceiling height. the ground floor is characterized by an interior street corridor which connects the adjacent pedestrian roads together. fronted with a strip of glazing, this public space serves as a meeting point for both the inhabitants and the local citizens.

Alibaba Headquarters by hassell

The Alibaba Headquarters in Hangzhou establishes new international workplace standards in China, providing 150,000 square meters of flexible open plan office space within a campus style layout. Alibaba is China’s leading e-commerce company and operates the world’s largest online marketplaces for both international and domestic China trade. The dynamic campus accommodates approximately 9,000 Alibaba employees and has been designed to reflect the interconnection, diversity and vitality of the company.

The master plan principles for the Headquarters are based on the concepts of connectivity, clarity and community – concepts that are also vital to Alibaba’s e-commerce business. These principles guided all design decisions from the single workstation to the greater workplace community.

The built form and the designed ‘spaces between places’ are integrated so that each defines the other. The grand central space is complemented by a series of more intimate gardens that nurture the individual within the larger corporate community. The humanised scale of the built form and the long, narrow floorplates help to create a strong sense of place at a legible scale, and establish physical connection throughout the campus. Visual permeability – or the ability to see into and across the major courtyards into other parts of the complex – is also key to achieving the sense of community and connectivity.

Coeur Mediterranee by jean paul viguier architecture

Situated in ‘la Joliette’, between the docks and l’avenue de Dunkerque, the project is the first building in a new generation of buildings, which undertake the renewal of the ‘Euro Méditerranée’ district.

The Coeur Méditerranée building is organised round a U-shaped plan and consists of an Ibis Hotel to the south wing, a Suite Hotel to the north wing, office and commercial space on the ground floor and an underground parking providing 387 parking spaces. The building skin is wrapped around the face of the building like a continuous ribbon, which is pierced on the south facing facades by a trapezoidal motif that evokes the maritime character of the town. The north facing facades are for the most part glazed and each bedroom contains a covered loggia with a sea view. A large covered entrance links l’avenue de Dunkerque with an internal garden and allows pedestrians to freely cross the building to go down to the Docks behind. This edifice, with its pure lines is characterised by the smooth white of the concrete and the softness of its material.

Its architecture assumes the new direction sought by the town of Marseille with regards to sustainable materials and environmental architecture.

Capital Gate at abu dhabi

A 160-metre tall, 35-storey known as Super Elite skyscraper.

The Guinness Book of World Records certified Capital Gate as the “World’s furthest leaning man-made tower.” Link to Capital Gate 3D Animation here 

The new record shows that the Capital Gate tower has been built to lean 18 degrees westwards; more than four times that of the world-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. 

The gravitational pressure caused by the 18-degree incline is countered by the world’s first “pre-cambered core”; a technique that utilizes 15,000 cubic meters of concrete reinforced with 10,000 tons of steel with the core deliberately built slightly off-center.
Link to Capital Gate on Wikipedia here

Capital Gate is also anchored to the Earth by 490 piles which are drilled over 30m deep. 

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