Archinect - News

New timber building by Haz Arquitectura employs a range of sustainable features to reduce its carbon footprint

2022-05-27T14:50:00-04:00

A new multi-use complex made nearly entirely of wood has been introduced to Barcelona’s Trinitat Vella district.

Called the Center for Community Life, the new public building will form part of a community facility hub for the districts of San Andreu and Nou Barris set to be built in the coming years. It will house various social services and bodies, including a Women’s Information and Attention Point, along with community housing and homes for young people and the elderly. The facility is the work of architects Manuel Sánchez-Villanueva and Carol Beuter of Haz Arquitectura, a studio with expertise in the construction of public and private spaces in the health, cultural, and social sectors, as well as offices and sports amenities.

Image Copyright José Hevia

Because this is the first building in the future complex, the firm wanted to avoid creating a major contrast with the upcoming projects. Therefore, they opted for a simple, abstract outer design that opens up to a future plaza tha...

Morphosis-designed conference center along Yangtze River opens in Nanjing Jiangbei New District, China

2021-12-17T17:34:00-05:00

LA-based international architecture and design firm Morphosis has announced the completion and opening of the Yangtze River International Conference Center in Nanjing Jiangbei New District, an emerging epicenter for global business in China.

Commissioned by Jiangbei New District of Nanjing City, the conference center represents a flagship project for the new district. It hopes to embody a charter for sustainable and ecologically-sensitive development while creating a world-class meeting and event venue for the region.

Image: Morphosis Architects/Tian Fangfang

The building borders the banks of the Yangtze River, the Jiangbei District, and the historic fabric of the Nanjing Metropolitan area. It simultaneously engages with its riverside site while hosting the future urban expansion of the region. The multi-use complex features a 36,000-square-meter (387,500-square-foot) conference space and is attached to a tower with a 340-room, four-star hotel that offers scenic views of the river....

De Zwarte Hond designs a multi-use supermarket made entirely out of wood

2021-11-16T18:46:00-05:00

In Meerstad, a neighborhood in the Dutch city of Groningen, De Zwarte Hond is designing a multi-use supermarket made entirely of wood. Called the SuperHub, the project is labeled as a sustainable and flexible building that is also a host to a variety of social functions.

Meerstad, which was added to the municipality of Groningen in 2017, is known for its spaciousness, greenery, and the newly constructed Woldmeer, a lake for recreation. The focus of the area is on healthy living and sustainability. The neighborhood is also growing, as it anticipates the construction of around 5,000 homes over the next 25 years. To meet the needs of Meerstad’s expansion, De Zwarte Hond was tasked with designing a facilities cluster that could grow with the district. It was envisioned to be the heart of the changing area, where people not only did their shopping but also come together and spend time.

The building is transparent and all-sided, offering impressive views of a nearby new park and the la...

Gensler-designed 'Deer District' a model for NBA cities

2021-07-21T18:42:00-04:00

Last night, the Milwaukee Bucks secured their first NBA title in 50 years with a Game 6 win over the Phoenix Suns. Known for their lively fan atmosphere, the Bucks’ triumph was shared by 65,000 supporters who were present just outside of the Fiserv Forum in a dedicated fan section known as the Deer District. As the Bucks progressed through the playoffs, the reputation of the Gensler-designed entertainment area has grown and is now being used as a model for NBA cities across the country.

Image: Courtesy Milwaukee Bucks

Gensler designed the Deer District, in collaboration with Milwaukee-based firm RINKA, to become the city’s new “living room”. Formerly occupied by a parking structure, vacant lots, and a street, the site was cleared to connect the surrounding communities to the new Fiserv Forum, which opened in tandem with the district in 2019.

Image: Courtesy Gensler

The architecture is envisioned as a modern interpretation of the industrial heritage of the city, incorporating design ...

Safdie Architects' design for the ORCA mega-development in downtown Toronto finally clears a major hurdle

2021-06-18T21:17:00-04:00

A new multibillion-dollar development has been approved in Toronto, clearing the way for what could potentially be the latest in a string of high-profile projects, including 55 Yonge and Gehry's King Street West, altering the city’s skyline over the next decade.

Situated above a 10.5-acre park that straddles the King West district between the city’s downtown and waterfront, the proposed Over Rail Corridor Area (or ORCA) aims to create a mega-district west of the CN Tower by decking eight residential towers along a 16.5-acre railyard site that will add 3,000 new units of housing connected to the park via series of ramps and elevators.

A view of the interlinking towers, courtesy of Safdie Architects.

Safdie Architects is responsible for the multi-use development that will incorporate shopping and office space into the residential design in what the architect hopes is going to unite the continent’s, reportedly, most diverse city.

"Our design aspires to forge a reconnection in the commun...

Winthrop Center is making progress in its quest to become the world's largest Passive House office building

2021-06-09T13:09:00-04:00

Curtain wall construction has begun on what will become the world’s largest passive house office building, marking an important milestone in the drive to give Boston an iconic and environmentally friendly new skyscraper that could help the city meet its carbon-free mandate by midcentury.

Winthrop Center is awaiting certification from the Passive House Institute conferring its office portion with a status that, once completed, will make it the largest of its kind anywhere in the world.

Winthrop Center. Image courtesy of Millennium Partners Boston.

Handel’s vision for the 52-story center is a mixed-use development that includes a bar, restaurants, 321 luxury residences, and a triple-high atrium gathering space dubbed The Connector that seeks to blur lines between indoor and outdoor space in the through-block site along Federal Street to the adjacent Winthrop Square.

Only the 800,000 square foot office portion of Winthrop Center will seek the designation although the building’s overal...

A new proposal for 55 Yonge Street will bring much-needed vertical space to burgeoning downtown Toronto

2021-05-25T12:31:00-04:00

An ambitious proposal for a new 66-story mixed-use tower in downtown Toronto has been released as developers H&R REIT eye an approval looming late next year.

55 Yonge is the product of a collaboration between Canadian groups PARTISANS and Quadrangle, which was acquired by the UK group BDP at the beginning of 2019.

55 Yonge Street, rendering by Norm Li

The tower will have retail spaces and over 180,000 square feet of office space easily accessible by the nearby King Street TTC subway station. The design also features space for nearly 500 one-, two- and three-bedroom residential units for lease at a site that currently hosts a 12-story 1958 building by modernist master Peter Dickinson.

Anchored by a cavernous base, the lattice facade stretches into an elongated high-rise that provides an updated take on podium typology and the mid-century modern style once popular in Canada’s largest city.

55 Yonge Street, rendering by Norm Li

Toronto is changing, in part because of COVID-related vaca...

MAD Architects unveils design for sinuous, multi-use civic center

2021-05-11T19:28:00-04:00

MAD Architects has unveiled its design for the Jiaxing Civic Center. Led by Ma Yansong, this is the firm’s latest major public project in Jiaxing since the unveiling of the Jiaxing Train Station earlier this year.

The Jiaxing Civic Center is situated along the city’s central axis, taking advantage of the river views and the lush vegetation that surrounds the area. The project has a significant position, sitting adjacent to the South Lake, a historic lake in the South of Jiaxing, and the Central Park, the largest park in the city. Spanning nearly 130,000 square meters, the site contains three venues: the Science and Technology Museum, the Women and Children Activity Center, and the Youth Activity Center.

Image: MAD Architects

For this project, MAD Architects has envisioned an artistic entity on an urban scale, where architectural forms and landscapes coalesce. The civic center is at once open and intimate. With its large circular lawn as the centerpiece, both people and the building...

Toronto's new multi-use social nexus fosters recreation and education

2021-02-04T13:24:00-05:00

The new Canoe Landing Campus designed by ZAS Architects in Toronto introduces a social and educational offering that was missing in CityPlace, one of Toronto's most populated residential developments.

The new project houses a $65 million community recreation center, public and Catholic elementary schools, and a childcare center within one campus. "Canoe Landing Campus has been embraced as a place that builds a real sense of ‘neighborhood’ for this vertical community," says Peter Duckworth-Pilkington, Principal, ZAS Architects, in a statement "We started by listening to the residents and the result is a unique architectural response not previously seen in the city."

The schools on the site share indoor play spaces, a learning commons, gymnasium, and educational areas. The outdoor park and community rooms are also accessible to the public sector. Additionally, the two-story community center is bisected by a pedestrian corridor and connects the three-sto...