Archinect - News

Powerhouse Company's "Paper Roof" reception center has been completed in Tianjin, China

2021-01-15T12:26:00-05:00

Powerhouse Company's "Paper Roof," the new design for a reception center in Tianjin, China has been completed. The form is a transparent glass block topped by a light sweeping roof inspired by traditional Chinese architecture.

Photo by Weiqi Jin

The roof raises 18.5 meters at its highest point with a surface measurement of 30 meters x 50 meters. The canopy is made from powder-coated steel, colored a tone intended to mimic the sky.

Photo by Weiqi Jin

Inside the pavilion, a large atrium offers panoramic views of the surrounding lake and gardens. The second floor includes offices and a viewing balcony in addition to seating areas for small and large gatherings.

Photo by Weiqi Jin

The "Loop of Wisdom" combines recreation with exhibition in Chengdu, China

2020-10-19T12:54:00-04:00

Powerhouse Company's design for a new technology museum and reception center in Chengdu, China combines recreation with thoughtful exhibition. Conceived as a continuous ring, the Loop of Wisdom embodies an organic and geometric archetype of fluidity and flexibility.

The new museum and reception center are part of chip manufacturer and real estate specialist Uni-Hiku's new development, Unis Chip City.

Unique to the design is the introduction of a recreational walking and running path along the top of the loop structure. "While spectacular museums and reception centers are quite common in China, we wanted to create an icon that people can actually explore and use," said Nanne de Ru, founder at Powerhouse Company in a statement.

The rooftop walkway measures 698 meters around and rises 25 meters from its ground level access, offering panoramic views of the surrounding landscape and distant mountains. Its surface is rubber asphalt, making it suitable for runners and those walking.

Above...

DeZwarteHond & Powerhouse Company place giant triangular roof on top of new transit station

2020-07-06T19:24:00-04:00

The historic Assen Station in the Netherlands has been transformed by a massive triangular wooden roof and the addition of a new station building below it. Designed by De Zwarte Hond and Powerhouse Company for the NS, ProRail, and Assen city council, the new station provides a striking gateway into the city.

Photo by Egbert de Boer.

Photo by Sebastian van Damme.

The city asked for a transparent and inviting station that would seamlessly connect visitors to the surrounding neighborhoods. The triangular geometry of the roof gives the building below a dynamic cap while also organizing the programmatic qualities of the station, creating a subtle tunnel for travelers to pass through and keeping both the neighborhood and urban sectors intertwined.

Photos by Sebastian van Damme.

At 3,000 square meters, the roof is made entirely of wood and rises 10 meters at its high point. The shape is a scalene triangle, where each side is a different length with measurements of 78, 88, and 90 meters respec...

Collapse of UK's second largest construction firm, Carillion

2018-01-16T15:22:00-05:00

A major British construction company is going into liquidation after failing to secure a financial lifeline. Carillion (CIOIF), which employs 43,000 people around the world, said in a statement Monday that rescue talks with stakeholders including the British government had collapsed. "We have been unable to secure the funding to support our business plan, and it is therefore with the deepest regret that we have arrived at this decision," Carillion Chairman Philip Green said in the statement.

With thousands of workers in the UK and Canada, the construction company also builds high speed rail infrastructure, is involved in power distribution projects, and performs road maintenance, hospital management and other government services.

Carillion has hundreds of contracts with the UK government. It was reported to BBC that the government was working on a contingency plan since last year in preparation of Carillion's failure.

Fiona Cincotta, senior market analyst at City Index, commented, "It has been more than surprising, possibly even negligent, that the U.K. government continued to dish out contracts to Carillion even though their future has looked uncertain for some time."

Winning results of the Çanakkale Antenna Tower competition in Turkey

2014-03-03T21:23:00-05:00

Results are out for the Çanakkale Antenna Tower competition, Turkey's first international competition since 1997. After being shortlisted in Stage Two, Powerhouse Company & IND (Inter.National.Design) won 1st Prize out of 8 finalist teams, including renowned names like Sou Fujimoto and Snøhetta. The city's government plans to have the 100-meter broadcasting tower completed in 2015. The Colloquium and Award Ceremony will take place on March 15 in Çanakkale.

Below is the complete list of finalist rankings.

Pictured above: 1st Prize: Powerhouse Company & IND (Inter.National.Design)

2nd Prize: Snøhetta & Özer/Ürger Architects & Battle Mccarthy

3rd Prize: AL_A

1st Mention: TEGET (Teğet Mimarlık. Consultants: Yonca Çeltikçi, Mehmet Okutan, Muharrem Akbulut, Lütfi Kutluay, Öykü Kocaman)

2nd Mention: Ian Ritchie Architects & Arup

3rd Mention: FR-EE/Fernando Romero Enterprise & KOTU+MAPmx Studio & Werner Sobek

4th Mention: Sou Fujimoto & Aecom

5th Mention: OLAF GIPSER & ARUP & Deniz Aslan

Head over to Bustler for more details.

A living heart for a modernist Campus - Erasmus University Rotterdam revitalizes its grounds

2013-10-21T11:52:00-04:00

Erasmus University Rotterdam has opened the new public heart of its Woudestein campus. The project can be seen as a benchmark for the way grim and gloomy '60s and '70s institutional areas can be sparked to life.

A new semi-sunken garage has been integrated with a new public space design and pond together with a new student pavilion mark the realization of the first phase of a unique and ambitious revitalization master plan. The master plan was designed by the collaborating Dutch firms Juurlink [+] Geluk and jvantspijker architects.

Transformation master plan: parking and landscaping as a game-changer
The transformation primarily addresses the need for a sense of place, orientation, way-finding and identity as well as providing a high quality of public space with a pleasant experience. The Erasmus Plaza is the new central axis of the campus, a boulevard and formal entrance to the University.

The garage frees the site for landscaping while it injects people into t...

COBE Wins 2012 Nykredit Architecture Prize

2012-05-15T14:45:00-04:00

Copenhagen-based firm COBE, represented by architect Dan Stubbergaard, is the 2012 winner of Scandinavia's prestigious architecture prize, Nykredit's Architecture Prize of DKK 500,000 (USD 86,000).