ice hockey rink
by: BIG
in: Umeå, Sweden
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.
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.
Flat Tower
by: Yoann Mescam, Paul-Eric Schirr
Bonnans, and Xavier Schirr-Bonnans
in: Rennes, France
To channel a cult favorite breakfast cereal jingle, this honeycomb tower’s big… yeah yeah yeah! it’s not small… no no no!
It’s so big, in fact, that if the proposed structure were built, it’s diameter would be equal to length of Burj Khalifa laid on its side. Designed in an attempt to keep the skyline of the city open, the mixed-use mound doubles as roof to protect inhabitants, while using the square footage for rain collection and solar panels.
IT Building Proposal
by: Nicolas Laisne
in: New Delhi, India
We’re big fans of the BBC show “The IT Crowd”, so whenever we see mention of anything IT, our first response is to respond “… have you tried turning it on and off again?” Unfortunately for comedy, but to the great fortune of the intended occupants, this proposed IT building forgoes reliance on heavy mechanical systems, and instead uses cooling techniques like building orientation, double facades, and various fenestration sizes and screens to keep cool.
For some reason “Helloooo… IT… Have you tried turning your passive cooling system on and off again?” doesn’t quite have the same ring.
sleeper cells
by: suzanne husky
in: san francisco, california
a series of sculptural pods that embody primitive enclosure. they are intended to blend into the environment, while serving as an inhabitable space.
From the artist: “Sleeper Cell: A group of, people (sleepers) who remain dormant in a community until activated, by a prearranged signal, to perform acts of espionage, sabotage, or terrorism.”
Sounds stealthy.
waste to energy plant
by: BIG
in: copenhagen, denmark
It’s about as easy to imagine fire and ice together as it is to percieve a waste plant with a ski slope. However, the use of the roof as a community recreation point suggests that public utilities do not not need to be hidden from the public. Rather, it is an opportunity to combine sustainable technologies with social connectivity in what Metropolis Mag calls “a celebration of health and well being”.
pixel building
by: studio 505 architects
in: carlton, australia
a carbon neutral office building with colorful recycled aluminum shading panels enclosing an otherwise standard, almost typical green building design>
(Source: theage.com.au)
cradle to cradle home design
by: matthew coates + tim meldrum
in: seattle, washington
Designed as a home that “ends the paradigm of consumption and beings the paradigm of giving”, this C2C competition winner utilizes passive technologies and a state of the art system infrastructure. Unlike typical single family units, this project reaches out to the community by distributing excess energy, treating shared waste, and linking outdoor space with neighbors
pallet house
by: Schnetzer Andreas Claus and Pils Gregor
Designs utilizing shipping containers have been in the spotlight for a few years now as their modular and transportable properties allow for new iterations of almost every building typology. While they are a functional building block, getting them can be a bit of a challenge. Enter wood pallets, a readily available, and frequently discarded or burned rigid material. University of Vienna students Schnetzer Andreas Claus and Pils Gregor devised a method to assemble them into a home. A 650 square foot (60 meters squared) residence can be built out of 800 pallets with a cost of about $5,400. Adding insulation, wiring, and glazing materials can vary depending on the location, availability, and cost.
The design team notes that the structure can be used for emergency housing or first aid stations, so it is easy to dismantle and relocate as needed. However, the simple and alluring design makes it appropriate for more permanent communities as well. There is no reason why dwellings for those in need should be any less elegant than for those of affluence.
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