Archinect - News

California to build solar panels over canals following UC graduate’s research

2022-02-14T11:26:00-05:00

A consortium in California has announced its ambition to construct a network of solar panels over a segment of the state’s canal system. The project, named Project Nexus, will build on research by a UC Merced environmental engineering graduate, which we originally reported on back in May 2021.

The graduate, Brandi McKuin, was part of a team who demonstrated that covering California’s 4,000 miles of water canals in solar panels could potentially reduce water evaporation by 82%. This reduction would save 63 billion gallons of water per year, enough to irrigate 50,000 acres of farmland or meet the residential water needs of 2 million people.

Covering the entire state’s canal system in solar panels would also generate 13 gigawatts of renewable energy, equal to 17% of the state’s current solar capacity. The move would deliver half of the projected new solar capacity required by California ...

Anish Kapoor is remodeling a grand Venetian palace to be the new home of his foundation

2021-08-03T19:04:00-04:00

An 18th-century palazzo fronting Venice’s Cannaregio Canal is getting a bespoke makeover thanks to funds of a blue-chip British artist.

The Art Newspaper is reporting that the Palazzo Manfrin will be the new home of the Amish Kapoor Foundation following a renovation that will add a studio space, gallery, and art depository to a former school with help from UNA studio and local firm FWR Associati.

The original Palazzo was kept as the seat of the Priuli family until the 19th century when it formed an early version of the Galléria dell’Accademia before eventually falling into disrepair like many of the city’s other grand palaces in the shadow of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection nearby.

Per UNA studio: “The Palazzo Priuli Manfrin presents an architecture virtually unique in Venice. Its double-height hall is of typical Palladian design and its facade, without ornament, make this building the prototype of the Neoclassical style that is rarely found elsewhere in Venice.”

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Affordable housing complex by Eric Owen Moss Architects gets approval in Venice

2021-06-02T17:09:00-04:00

A proposal to build dozens of affordable apartments near Venice Beach has been approved, following a vote taken by the Los Angeles City Planning Commission.

Image: Eric Owen Moss Architects

After a long and contentious public hearing on May 27, the Commission voted to approve the construction of the Reese Davidson Community. The $75 million project is a collaboration between the Venice Community Housing Corp. and the Hollywood Community Housing Corp. It would rise from the site of two current parking lots that flank Venice’s Grand Canal and would consist of a low-rise complex containing 140 apartments, approximately 7,400 square feet of commercial space, and a 360-car parking garage for both residents and visitors. The Reese Davidson Community will house formerly homeless and low-income individuals, as well as some work and live spaces for low-income artists and support staff for tenants. A coffee shop on the ground floor and a 3,000-square-foot performance space and community room w...

Idea of building solar panels over California’s canals floated by researchers

2021-05-05T12:05:00-04:00

Researchers from UC Santa Cruz and UC Merced have proposed a “solar canal solution” to address the state’s water shortages, energy needs, and climate goals. In what they describe as a “win-win” for both water and climate in California, the researchers outlined the benefits of covering 4000 miles of canals across California in solar panels, including promoting renewable energy development, conserving water, and improving the quality of the natural environment. The solution is proposed by Roger Bales (Distinguished Professor of Engineering, University of California, Merced) and Brandi McKuin (Postdoctoral Researcher in Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz).

Unsurprisingly, the initiative would generate massive volumes of electricity. The researchers estimate that the system could provide 13 gigawatts of renewable energy, which is roughly half of the new sources the state needs to add to meets its clean energy goals: 60% from carbon-free sources by 2030 and 100% ...

New photos by João Morgado capture modern Kuwaiti housing project

2018-03-12T18:07:00-04:00

The Areia Houses designed by Associated Architects Partnership (AAP), are located in Kihran, Kuwait. These modernist houses were built in Sabah Al Ahmad Sea City, a community created around canals off of the Persian Gulf.

Areia Houses by Associated Architects Partnership (AAP), located in Kihran, KW. Image: Joao Morgado.

Developed around docks and marinas, the Areia Houses are situated along the shoreline of an inner canal overlooking the sea.

Areia Houses by Associated Architects Partnership (AAP), located in Kihran, KW. Image: Joao Morgado.

These five structures follow the same basic organization concept, yet each house has its own variation making it unique among the group.

Areia Houses by Associated Architects Partnership (AAP), located in Kihran, KW. Image: Joao Morgado.

Each house features a rooftop lounge with 360º panoramic views over the water and surrounding area.

Areia Houses by Associated Architects Partnership (AAP), located in Kihran, KW. Image: Joao Morgado.

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The architect who wants New Orleans learn a lesson or two from Amsterdam

2015-09-03T14:54:00-04:00

David Waggonner is an urban and environmental architect. Since Hurricane Katrina decimated his city, he’s been focusing on urban stormwater management, mapping out designs for New Orleans that would mimic the way Dutch cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam deal with water. In the Netherlands, people “invite water into the city,” meaning water is visible everywhere. [...] “In New Orleans, we’ve hidden and squandered the asset.”

Related on Archinect and our sister site Bustler:

Turning Boston into Venice

2014-10-27T19:35:00-04:00

"So we wanted to turn that conversation on its head and say, well what if we let water in? How can we make life better in Boston by bringing water in?" - Dennis Carlberg

Joanna Jolly talked to Boston city planners and architects, who are a proposing solutions to combat sea-level rise. One big idea, is canals which would criss-cross the streets of the Back Bay. Less radical ideas include; constructed wetlands and elevating critical equipment for new development.

Gowanus by Design: WATER_WORKS Competition Winners

2013-02-13T18:09:00-05:00

Winning projects in three categories have been announced in Gowanus by Design's latest competition, WATER_WORKS. The brief called for solutions specific to Brooklyn's Gowanus area that simultaneously explored the role of water in recreation, quotidian uses, and in contaminated urban environments, and demonstrated how a redesigned community center and retention facility represent a more progressive view of the city's infrastructure.

UPDATE: Gowanus by Design: WATER_WORKS Competition Exhibit Opens Tomorrow

Gowanus Lowline Competition Winners

2011-08-01T17:56:17-04:00

Six winning designs have been announced in the Gowanus Lowline: Connections competition, hosted by Gowanus by Design. [...] Gowanus Connections is GbD's inaugural international ideas competition, inviting speculation on the value of urban development of postindustrial urban lands, and the possibility of dynamic, pedestrian-oriented architecture that engages with the Gowanus Canal and the surrounding watershed.