Archinect - News

Old electricity works to be transformed into new mixed-use car free scheme

2018-07-03T19:09:00-04:00

Architects pH+ and Developer City & Suburban have received planning permission to transform a decommissioned electricity works into a mixed-use residential scheme at The Camp, St Albans. Wrapped around two courtyards the project implements hidden parking below the landscaped shared spaces to deliver a pedestrian centered development.

Residential entrance on Campfield Road

The scheme maximizes the strength of the streetscape supplementing parts of the existing building to provide 107 dual aspect high quality dwellings, 499m2 of commercial space, and active commercial frontage along Campfield Road.

View towards upper courtyard from lower courtyard

Designed with distinct characters the ‘Lower Courtyard’ and ‘Upper Courtyard’ deliver generous and inspiring shared public amenity space for all of the building’s occupants. In addition to these spaces a number of planted terraces for semi-private amenity or play have been provided for the future residents.

View towards upper courtyard fr...

Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects open Easton, a New Home for Local Food and Social Culture in Helsinki

2017-10-26T13:45:00-04:00

Easton Helsinki, a shopping centre by Lahdelma & Mahlamäki in Itäkeskus, Helsinki, opened its doors to the public today. The 66,000m2 development is the first phase in a larger urban plan and looks to celebrate the identity and culture of Helsinki’s eastern districts. The project idealistically and physically centres itself around food, bringing together local vendors and businesses at the heart of the shopping centre; at the same time introducing in a much more varied commercial programme around this. Whilst become a beacon to those on the motorway, the shopping centre takes a much more calm approach when viewed from the street, with its gently undulating façade of ceramic tiles taking on the local red-brick aesthetic and sitting comfortably within the urban scale.

Easton offers 30,000 m2 of commercial floor space which is set to bring 40 businesses into the area, with the emphasis being put on healthy foods and creating an everyday social atmosphere around this. The more varied co...

BIG's winning design for the new San Pellegrino flagship factory

2017-02-17T20:18:00-05:00

In hopes to bring tourism into the area, San Pellegrino will soon have a brand new flagship factory in San Pellegrino Terme, where the sparkling-water brand has resided since 1899. Bjarke Ingels Group had the winning proposal to design the new bottling factory in a competition against MVRDV, Snøhetta, and Architetto Michele De Lucchi.

At 17,500 m2, the €90 million building pays tribute to its mountainous environment and San Pellegrino's heritage. “Rather than imposing a new identity on the existing complex, we propose to grow it out of the complex,” Bjarke Ingels said in a statement. “We propose to wash away the traditional segregation between front and back of house, and to create a seamless continuity between the environment of production and consumption, and preparation and enjoyment.“

In addition to the production facility, the new building will include offices for San Pellegrino staff and public spaces open to visitors. BIG's design reinvents elements of classic Italian architect...

The argument against zoning

2016-08-11T13:29:00-04:00

Zoning, although designed with the benign intention of keeping toxin-spewing industrial factories away from residential properties, has certainly been used for ill: ask any African-American family in the 20th century whose application to use their VA entitlement to buy a house was denied due to "redlining." Over at Bloomberg News, Justin Fox takes up the case that on the 100th anniversary of zoning laws in New York City, maybe it's time to substantially re-evaluate them.

As he writes, "Over the past few years, zoning has been blamed, mainly by economists bearing substantial empirical evidence, for an ever-growing litany of ills. The charge that zoning is used to keep poor people and minorities out of wealthy suburbs has been around for decades. But recent research has also blamed it for increasing income segregation, reducing economic mobility and depressing economic growth nationwide."

The latest in urban planning:

One day left to enter your work into Hansgrohe + Axor’s Das Design Competition!

2016-08-11T13:10:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by Hansgrohe + Axor’s Das Design Competition.

Cash Prize & Eligibility for VIP Trip To Germany

Good design is POWERFUL, and Hansgrohe/Axor believes it should be celebrated and recognized!

There is just one day left to enter the 3rd annual Hansgrohe+Axor Das Design Competition--open for entries until August 12th!

U.S.-based Architects and Designers are invited to submit recent Commercial/Hospitality or Residential projects, which incorporate Hansgrohe/Axor products (completed or renovated between Jan.1, 2011 and Aug.12, 2016).

The first place winner in each category will receive $2,000 & be eligible to attend a VIP trip to the Black Forest of Germany and the ISH Show!

Entry is free online at www.dasdesigncomp.com.

Good design was made to be seen--show off your hard work. Enter the competition today!

Deadline Approaching: Hansgrohe + Axor’s Das Design Competition

2016-08-01T15:30:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by Hansgrohe + Axor’s Das Design Competition.

Cash Prize & Eligibility for VIP Trip To Germany

Good design is POWERFUL, and Hansgrohe/Axor believes it should be celebrated and recognized!

There are just a few weeks left to enter the 3rd annual Hansgrohe+Axor Das Design Competition--open for entries until August 12th!

The first place winner in each category will receive $2,000 & be eligible to attend a VIP trip to the Black Forest of Germany and the ISH Show!

Entry is free online at www.dasdesigncomp.com.

Good design was made to be seen--show off your hard work. Enter the competition today!

Callison and RTKL merge in hopes to "bring swagger back" to Seattle office, CEO says

2015-10-20T20:06:00-04:00

On Tuesday, Callison and architecture/engineering firm RTKL announced they have officially joined forces as CallisonRTKL...[CEO Lance] Josal said the merger is good news for both firms and 'especially for the Seattle office.' In talking to the firm's senior leaders, Josal said there has been 'a little bit of frustration on their part' because they felt the firm 'may have lost a bit of swagger locally' and wanted an owner that would invest in the firm...

Previously on Archinect:

ARCADIS to buy Callison

Movie-themed resort in Macau to show off "figure-8" ferris wheel

2015-07-16T04:20:00-04:00

The Golden Reel will be the 'centerpiece attraction' of the soon-to-[be]-opened Studio City resort. It will be located between the hotel's two central towers, 427 ft off the ground. The movie-inspired design is said to be based on the idea of two flaming asteroids crashed through the building, leaving two large holes around which the figure-eight shape is made.

Your call, Vegas.

Büro Ole Scheeren reveals design of new Guardian Art Center hybrid auction house in Beijing

2015-03-10T15:21:00-04:00

Construction is already in progress for the new Guardian Art Center, China's oldest auction house, in Beijing. Designed by Büro Ole Scheeren in collaboration with Beijing Institute of Architectural Design and local planning authorities over four years, the Guardian Art Center is an embodiment of its significant historic surroundings that "explicitly pays respect to its context and location" while still functioning as an auction house, Ole Scheeren describes in a statement. In other words, the GAC is yet another structure that reflects the balance between tradition and contemporary, a concept that is growing more prominent as China continues to undergo major urban development.

The GAC is located at an intersection where commerce and culture meet: Wangfujing, Beijing's famous commercial street and Wusi Dajie, where the New Cultural Movement originated following the Qing Dynasty. As a souped-up version of its typology, the hybrid auction house consists of 8 levels above ground and 5 be...

VIDEO: Bjarke Ingels gives a peek of upcoming Europa City amusement hub

2015-01-13T20:33:00-05:00

Is Bjarke Ingels building an amusement park? The architect created a promotional film with Squint/Opera that presents his proposed design for Europa City, a leisure and recreational destination that will be built north of Paris by the year 2020. Construction is currently scheduled to start in 2017.

In the first film, Bjarke Ingels introduces the project, whose plan consists of radial streets connected by a central loop pathway and adjacent quarters with designated spaces for a water park, an international exhibition hall, sports, music venues, retail, restaurants, and hotels. In a way, Europa City resembles the snail-like layout of the Parisian arrondissements. The second film tours each of Europa City's quarters through the use of photorealistic 3D and 2D graphics and stills.

See the videos for yourself below.

Kohn Pedersen Fox's Tianjin megastructure "Riverside 66" now open to the public

2014-09-30T23:53:00-04:00

After 10 years, Kohn Pedersen Fox's Riverside 66 in Tianjin, China successfully reached completion as scheduled and officially opened to the public on September 26. The grand opening also marked the completion of the final phase of the main pedestrian He Ping Lu boulevard, which aims to become the centerpiece of the developing Heping commercial district.

Read on for more about the building's design.

The 350-meter commercial megastructure is hard to miss at street level. The structure's curved façade converges with the opposing south façade to create a six-story building suitable for the Heping District's smaller scale context. Its "super shell" is claimed to be one of the region's longest single structures, built with 22 seven-story-tall concrete ribs and over 10,000 glass panels. In a statement, KPF Design Principal James von Klemperer describes the structural frame as "what it must be to see a whale skeleton from the inside. Herman Melville would be inspired.”

Inside, the structure e...

M.ART 2013 winners update the traditional arts+crafts marketplace

2014-01-29T19:57:00-05:00

The Opengap M.ART 2013 Ideas Competition had participants mix traditional elements of the commercial arts-and-crafts market with a contemporary twist. Proposals also had to emphasize the value of handcrafted work and the craftsman-client relationship. The competition jury met in Guadalajara, Mexico on Jan. 23, 2014 to evaluate all the entries until eventually selecting the top three winners and two special mentions.

First place winners: Zuhal Kol (Turkey); Carlos Zarco Sanz (Spain)

Second place winners: Victor Bouman Casas, Pol Mercadé Armengol (Spain)

Third place winners: Inés Antón Losada, Marta Antón de Zafra (Spain)

Get more details on Bustler.

gmp to design new urban development in Shenzhen, China

2013-12-19T19:32:00-05:00

Architecture firm von Gerkan, Marg, and Partners won a large commission earlier this week to design a new urban development in Shenzhen, China. The 45-hectare project is part of an economic plan that China developed for the area.

"It comprises a transportation hub including five underground railway stations, a border control point and numerous commercial areas. Above ground there will be a range of tower blocks of different heights with apartments, shops and offices to form multi-functional city quarters."