Archinect - News

Foster + Partner's new Apple Marina Bay Sands takes social media by storm

2020-08-31T17:17:00-04:00

Singapore's third Apple store to date, located at the Marina Bay Sands, has caught the public's eyes and has already made its presence on Instagram.

The floating, spherical structure sits near the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore, designed by Safdie Architects. Designed by long-time Apple collaborator Foster + Partners, the orb-shaped, colorfully lit store has already received fanfare on social media outlets.

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MSG Sphere London proposal is taking shape; to feature world's 'largest and highest resolution LED screen'

2019-03-27T13:44:00-04:00

Details and designs have been revealed for the MSG Sphere London, a planned venue that would hold up to 21,500 people. [...] The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG), which is behind the New York concert and sports venue of the same name, have bought a 1.9-hectare (4.7-acre) site in Stratford, adjacent to the Olympic Park and Westfield shopping centre, that was used as a coach park during the 2012 London Olympics.

Image: Madison Square Garden Company

Initially rumored in January 2018, London's sphere-shaped music venue proposal, designed by Populous, has substantially taken shape, and the Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) behind the project has reportedly now filed planning documents. The plans have been received favorably by London mayor Sadiq Khan.

Image: Madison Square Garden Company

"According to the planning document, the sphere will be covered in LED panels that can display high-definition concert footage or advertising images – the designs suggest that the imagery will be clearly visible 150 metres away," reports The Guardian.

The project's website even touts the display wall as "the largest and highest resolution LED screen in the world."

Image: Madison Square Garden Company

Critics of the proposal have launched a petition against it, citing light pollution, increased traffic, failure to build housing at the site instead, and also the close connection of MSG executive chair, James Dola...

London MSG concert venue confirmed; new Sphere designs unveiled for Las Vegas

2018-02-09T16:08:00-05:00

The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) confirmed on Friday that it wants to build the Sphere, a glazed orb with up to 18,000 seats and room for 5,000 standing, beside the Olympic Park in east London. Designs of a similar “sphere” planned for Las Vegas suggest that the vault of the roof will become a giant screen for vast projections, which could evoke the sensation of being underwater or in a forest.

Rumors about a monumental sphere-shaped music venue proposal for London seem to be gaining substance: The Guardian reports that the New York-based Madison Square Garden Company confirmed its plans to build a glazed orb — designed by Populous — for over 20,000 concert goers near the Olympic Park.

This interior rendering of Sphere Las Vegas suggests the capabilities of the dome's projection screens. Image: The Madison Square Garden Company

MSG also just revealed designs for a similar venue in Las Vegas, called Sphere, which will already break ground later this near the Venetian and Palazzo complex. The surface of Sphere reportedly boasts 190,000 linear feet of LED lighting on the exterior and 180,000 square feet of high-resolution screens on the interior, turning it into a giant, domed 360-degree screen for image and video projections, depending on the needs for each event that is being hosted.

Amazon's Spheres are now partially accessible to the public; here's how to get in

2018-01-29T17:05:00-05:00

Amazon’s Spheres, a botanical gardenlike workspace for the retail giant’s employees, are primarily a private space. But the company has set up a few ways for the public to access the geodesic domes — in downtown Seattle on Lenora Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues — starting Tuesday, when the Spheres officially open to visitors and employees.

The Amazon Spheres, designed by NBBJ, will now be open to the public; however, getting in may be tricky. There is the option of entering from the ground floor to see an exhibition about the Spheres, and the much more difficult option to join a guided tour of the entire headquarters.

Inside the Spheres at Amazon headquarters in Seattle. Image: Seattle City Council/Flickr.

Amazon has created an exhibit space called Spheres Discovery at Understory, located on the ground floor of the spheres. The space will showcase all the details about the design and plants housed within Amazon's newest addition to their Seattle headquarters. Admission is free, but you will need to make a reservation for your visit.

Amazon Spheres in the company's Seattle headquarters location. Image: iTecnologia/Twitter.

Getting in on the guided headquarters tour will give you access to the employee-only areas. These tours are offered on Wednesdays and include a stop at the Spheres, while they are free they are als...

Designs for a giant 'Golf Ball' concert venue in London emerge

2018-01-24T14:50:00-05:00

London’s suggestive skyline already boasts a Gherkin, a Walkie Talkie and a Cheesegrater. Soon they may be joined by the Golf Ball. According to plans seen by the Guardian, a giant glass sphere taller than St Paul’s Cathedral could be built next to the Olympic park in east London. [...] One design visualisation shows that the lower half of the orb would be fitted with tiered seating, while the upper half would form a spectacular vaulted roof.

The Guardian has published a rendering of a new proposed concert venue resembling a giant glass sphere that could even dwarf St Paul's Cathedral. In typical London fashion, the project near the Olympic Park has already been dubbed "the Golf Ball," however the design's fate and origins remain unconfirmed. According to the paper's sources, the scheme was commissioned by the NY-based Madison Square Garden Company with Populous as the architect.

Watch "Ex of IN House," an unusual, compelling new video from Steven Holl

2017-01-24T12:43:00-05:00

Poetry, abstracted Venn diagrams of spheres, and a love for natural materials are just some of the components that go into this video from Steven Holl, who acts as a kind of a hyper-thoughtful Huell Howser as he explores a gorgeous new home parented primarily by concept. Entitled "Ex of IN House," the video explores the formulation, execution, and daily reality of a home built on a splendor of acreage in Rhinebeck, New York. Likening program to a bunch of bananas, Holl advocates for abstraction in the design process, explaining that with the concept of IN, "all space is sacred." With a soundtrack that seems to combine the plinkiness of Thomas Newman with the urgency of Clint Mansell, it's a bit of a wonder (click here to view).

Free/open spherical lollipop houses

2013-04-11T17:07:00-04:00

A UK project called Ekinoid aims to produce free/open plans for spherical houses that perch on poles seven feet off the ground. The goal is a house that can be built in a week.