The Architecture of the City

Il valore terapeutico del vivere in armonia con la natura e abitare in un paesaggio naturale incorrotto con architetture in materiali naturali che ascoltano lo spirito dei luoghi. Un sostanzioso corpus di ricerche scientifiche del Norwegian Institute for Nature Research e della National University of Ireland hanno dimostrato chiaramente come abitare a stretto contatto con la natura abbia un forte valore terapeutico dovuto al legame profondo dell’essere umano con quello che Jiahua Wu chiama “landscape aesthetics”, che altro non è che il ricordo archetipico del paesaggio naturale incorrotto e che a quanto pare ci tramandiamo geneticamente, fungendo da parametro inconscio e metro di giudizio istintivo per la nostra valutazione dei luoghi. ...

The traditional fully-glazed façade so common in towers throughout the Middle East has been reinterpreted by students at the University of Nottingham who were tasked with designing a skyscraper for Abu Dhabi.

The proposal, by Alexandre Carrasco and Omelmominin Wadidy of the Masters in Sustainable Tall Buildings Course at the Department of Architecture and Built Environment instead combines a mixture of thin transparent and opaque elements aimed at emphasising the building’s elegance and vertical nature while improving environmental performance.

The overall design is inspired by sikkas, the narrow alleys between buildings in old Middle East cities. It aims to create comfortable spaces which are shaded from the harsh desert sun and wind while providing suitable areas for circulation, leisure, social and communal activities.

JAJA shared their latest proposal, which was awarded third prize, for a new public library in Daegu, South Korea.

Pushing the boundary of the notion that a library must be a contained, quiet and nearly isolated space, JAJA’s proposal treats the library as massive public zone for the fostering of communal creativity, and dissolves the separation between inside and nature.

JAJA, typically noted for their form making abilities, have opted for a minimialistic formal language of the architecture, so that the streamlined library can capture the textures of the existing trees and the books within to create a cohesive experience that celebrates both.

“We propose to merge the spatial qualities of the trees and the potential of the library into one cohesive identity. The library will merge the exterior and interior through a series of spatial transitions within an inclusive environment for the local community,” explained the architects.

View additional images and read more about this design that integrates building and nature, on both an aesthetic and functional level, creating a unique experience with light, form and space...

With water levels set to rise, how will buildings adapt to this changing environment? Here's a roundup of some innovative solutions.

One of the many problems that will accompany this catastrophe is a rise in sea levels due to the melting polar ice caps. Coastal cities and towns are obviously the ones under the greatest threat but so are low-lying lands. We could be saying goodbye to the Netherlands as we know it. So, unless our next evolutionary step is to grow gills then we’re going to have to face up to the facts and find new ways to live within our watery environment.

Before we all run for the hills there are ways that architecture can integrate the design of buildings into their aquatic surroundings, giving us the possibility of living with this new world. So, with that in mind, lets take a look at some potential architectural solutions...

Wood, stone and books… 3 elements that don’t seem to have very much in common create the main characteristics of the living roomof this loft of 250m, where Fernanda Marques succeeded to make a dream escape from urban frenzy.

The nature plays much more than a mere supporting role: one just has to note the intense use of daylight. The use of materials in their rough state was a fundamental idea for its decoration. Daylight, highlighted textures, fully open to the outside… the key to furnish a house somewhere in between a country villa and a modernist home design.

With intent to emphasize the structural elements, and to seek to highlight the local construction methods and materials, design work was done using fine timber formwork in order to leave a permanent imprint on the exposed concrete.

The large windows explore the opportunities to open the space as much as possible, and using floor to ceiling windows allows the rooms to become a balcony. Existing vegetation is preserved so that when you open the windows you could have a visual relationship with the existing trees.

White was used for horizontal and vertical planes (slabs and walls) in order to cause the spread of natural light. Materials such as tempered glass, wood and exposed concrete used in its size, and natural shades create an architecture that is restrained and straightforward.

The guest residence, located on a barrier island, is set within a mature oak hammock along Sarasota Bay. The structure is inspired by the character of the live oaks, which have been shaped by the prevailing coastal winds from the west.

The Owner requested a design that was a “house in the trees”. A small program, including one bedroom, bath, living area with kitchenette, and a loft is organized to provide privacy between a neighboring property to the north, while offering broad views of the oak hammock to the south and west, and the intercoastal waterway to the east.

Curved glulam pine beams, which are anchored to the elevated concrete slab at their base, curve up and over the entire space, reflect the arching quality of the live oak limbs. Ship lap cypress siding is used to clad the exterior walls and the interior walls between the glulam beams.

The design is intended to evoke an organic architecture that is influenced by, and reflective of its site...

Serrano Monjaraz Arquitectos have designed the Casa V in Mexico City. The location in the lot and design of this house were defined by the importance of natural light in the project. The facades were located according to the movement of light and shadows to help enhance the interior design.

The interior are exterior spaces of the house are integrated by the nature elements. All the construction was done in exposed concrete and wood to assure the low maintenance requirements as well as the adequate aging of the space with the natural patina that will acquire with time.

The idea for these minimalist Tea Houses was triggered by the need of a nature retreat, located not far from a family home in Silicon Valley, California. The creative team at Swatt Miers Architects was in charge with transforming a vision into reality, designing the three tea houses as perfect observation spots.

According to the official description provided by the project developers, each new tea house was created as a “transparent steel and glass pavilion, hovering like a lantern over the natural landscape. Cast-in-place concrete core elements anchor the pavilions, supporting steel channel rim joists, which cantilever beyond the cores to support the floor and roof planes. With its minimal footprint, the design treads lightly on the land, minimizing grading and preserving the delicate root systems of the native oaks“.

Richard Meier & Partners is proud to announce their FIRST project in South America. The new Leblon Offices will be a sustainable and state-of-the-art building in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.The new office building located in the Leblon neighborhood, will be the iconic new international headquarters for VINCI Partners in Brazil. The design scheme consists primarily of open office spaces and a series of terraces which open up and create a direct connection with the urban artery of Av. Bartolomeu Mitre.

The design of the office building with its refined formal vocabulary reflects the distinct orientation of the site while addressing issues of sustainability, maximum efficiency and flexibility. The building will be recessed from the urban frontage and masked with a set of louvers designed for both maximum sun shading and privacy retention to the west. On the east, the building has been pulled away from its neighbors to create an internal courtyard and provide natural day lighting on two exposures for all offices. This void creates a generous vertical garden that ties back into a rough and refined exposed architectural concrete service core. The entire project straddles between the refined precision of a white aluminum and glass, free-plan office and the roughness of concrete and vegetation within the courtyard and is reconciled by an illuminated glass bridge.