Mound, hearth, enclosure, roof, and column. The way we see it, Gottfried Semper and scholars already figured out what makes honest tectonic form. We're looking for the element that satisfies our primitive urge to value architecture that's good.

March 17th 2011

5 notes

alibaba headquarters
by:hassell architects
in: hangzhour, china

Inspired by Chinese window screens, a web-like enclosure turns into a latticed roof which cools both indoor and outdoor spaces passively.  It’s a bit too porous for year round application at our rainy Pacific Northwest campuses, but we’d almost suggest using an umbrella if something similar was implemented here. Almost.

Posted at 1:23pm and tagged with: enclosure, roof, alibaba, hangzhou, china, campus, commercial, architecture, design, sustainable, web, solar shading,.

alibaba headquartersby:hassell architectsin: hangzhour, china Inspired by Chinese window screens, a web-like enclosure turns into a latticed roof which cools both indoor and outdoor spaces passively.  It’s a bit too porous for year round application at our rainy Pacific Northwest campuses, but we’d almost suggest using an umbrella if something similar was implemented here. Almost.

January 28th 2011

2 notes

shenzhen stock exchange
by: OMA
in: shenzhen, china

Really enjoy how moving type becomes part of the building envelope.  The stock tickers on the underside of the the canopy are brilliant and speak to the future of economic design in our urban cores. 

“For millennia the solid building has stood on a solid base which anchors the structure and connects it emphatically to the ground. In the SSE building the traditional base is lifted up the tower to become a floating platform to broadcast the economic information of the virtual market and in turn liberate the space on the ground for public space and events.”  

Posted at 12:05pm and tagged with: commerical, enclosure, china, oma,.

shenzhen stock exchangeby: OMAin: shenzhen, china Really enjoy how moving type becomes part of the building envelope.  The stock tickers on the underside of the the canopy are brilliant and speak to the future of economic design in our urban cores.  “For millennia the solid building has stood on a solid base which anchors the structure and connects it emphatically to the ground. In the SSE building the traditional base is lifted up the tower to become a floating platform to broadcast the economic information of the virtual market and in turn liberate the space on the ground for public space and events.”