Archinect - News

Fostering community through multi-residential housing and rooftop urban farming

2024-07-03T19:02:00-04:00

Calgary-based studio Modern Office of Design + Architecture (MODA) — the winners of Canada's 2022 RAIC Emerging Practice Award — has completed a forward-thinking mixed-use development that combines multi-residential housing and urban farming to build community and foster social interaction.

Photo: Ema Peter

Called GROW, the project features 20 units of varying sizes, which are accompanied by a 0.6-acre rooftop urban farm. Additional green spaces come in the form of private gardens, vegetative roofs, and apiaries.

Photo: Ema Peter

The units suit a range of ages and family sizes, including small 450-square-foot studios, medium-sized 600-square-foot condos, 1.5-story lofts, and large 850-1,000 square-foot, two-story townhomes. This arrangement brings various demographics together, such as young professionals, students, and families with children.

Photo: Ema Peter

In addition, residents can come together by participating in all facets of farming, including...

MAD Architects completes the ZGC International Innovation Center in Beijing

2024-06-18T20:17:00-04:00

MAD Architects has announced the completion of the ZGC International Innovation Center in Beijing. Spanning a total floor area of approximately 699,654 square feet, the structure was designed to serve as the permanent venue for the annual Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum).

Photo: Zhu Yumeng

The forum is an international conference centered around innovation and technology. It is held annually in the Zhongguancun area of Beijing’s Haidian District, which is a major tech hub that hosts numerous high-tech companies, startups, and research institutions.

Photo: CreatAR Images

According to the architects, the Center, which takes on the shape of a clover, was designed to foster a deep connection between humanity, the city, and the environment.

Photo: Arch Exist

It blends into its surroundings through an accessible, approximately 182,986-square-foot green roof park, consisting of trees, gardens, walkways, and architectural features, that extends the nearby gardens and hills. The roof, characteri...

10 green rooftop spaces we enjoyed this week

2024-05-25T08:00:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Rooftop Spaces.

Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles.

↑ 10K Hill South in Washington, D.C., by MA | Morris Adjmi Architects

↑ Tolbiac housing project in Paris, France, by Atelier Architecture Vincent Parreira - AAVP; Photo: Luc Boegly

↑ Greenwich Village School Green Roof—PS41 in New York, NY, by MBB Architects; Photo: Charles de Vaivre

↑ T(EA) House in Greenwich, CT, by Joeb Moore & Partners; Photo: David Sundberg/Esto

↑ 26 West in Brooklyn, NY, by Durukan Design Inc.

↑ Elevated Camp in New England by Murdough Design; Photo: Chuck Choi

↑ 175 Delancey in New York, NY, by Dattner Architects

↑ Arismeer in Driehuizen, The Netherlands, by LCDQ

↑ 3033 Wilshire Tower in Los An...

10 new architectural landscapes & outdoor spaces we liked this week

2024-04-06T08:00:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Outdoors.

Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles.

↑ 10K Hill South in Washington, D.C., by MA | Morris Adjmi Architects

↑ Powell Residence in Palm Springs, CA, by Studio AR&D Architects

↑ Greenwich Village School Green Roof—PS41 in New York, NY, by MBB Architects; Photo: Charles de Vaivre

↑ LAND Community Center in Xi'an, China, by Atelier Ping Jiang | EID Arch; Landscape: GZ.S.P.I. LANDSCAPE DESIGN CO.,LTD; Photo: EID Arch

↑ Long Island Estate Main House in East Hampton, NY, by BMA Architects

↑ Liminal House in West Vancouver, Canada, by Mcleod Bovell Modern Houses; Landscape: Botanica Design; Photo: Hufton + Crow

↑ The Wizard of Oz | KINCANG Modern Pre-School in Shaoxing...

Henning Larsen designs Europe's largest mass timber logistics center for Bestseller

2023-10-26T17:39:00-04:00

Henning Larsen has revealed designs for a new mass timber logistics center project in Lelystad on Flevopolder Island, the Netherlands.

The project includes a restaurant with roof garden and terrace for employees and boasts several sustainable credentials, including the retention of 40% of the 70-acre total site for landscaping and wildlife habitats. Another 10% increase in its overall biodiversity will also be achieved through its realization. The firm says its construction is driven by circular economy principles and the desire to create a fairer working environment tied to reduced emissions.

Image courtesy Henning Larsen

For the design of Logistic Center West (LCW), Henning Larsen proposes constructing a wetlands network that wraps the site, supported by a high-tech irrigation system that also aids in flood mitigation and rainwater harvesting while preventing off-site contamination from commercial activities. The large 1.66 million-square-foot logistics hub is topped by a 331,022-s...

An MIT-born startup is pitching their idea for green roof additions to the Parisian skyline

2023-04-05T16:45:00-04:00

A new startup born out of the MIT School of Architecture and Planning has developed a green roof concept aimed at improving the quality of life of Parisians while addressing a host of environmental and urban health concerns for the ancient city of 2.1 million.

Roofscapes is the brainchild of Master of Architecture students Eytan Levi, Olivier Faber, and Tim Cousin. The trio all hail from France and met while studying as undergraduates at the EPFL Lausanne. Together, they see the concept as a way to “unlock” the potential of the thousands of pitched roof structures throughout Paris that have for centuries gone unused.

“We knew we wanted to have an impact on the built environment that was different than what a lot of architectural firms were doing,” Faber told MIT News for a recent profile of the venture. “We were thinking about a startup, but mostly we came to MIT because we knew we’d have a lot of agency to grow our skills and competency in adapting the built environment to the cli...

MVRDV completes stunning new green-roofed wholesale market in Taiwan

2023-02-23T12:41:00-05:00

MVRDV has shared photos of its just-completed “ambitious architectural experiment” wholesale produce market project in Tainan, Taiwan.

The firm’s second foray into the country, open-air Tainan Market features a publicly-accessible green roof, punctuated at one end by an office structure, that can be further adapted for agricultural use while providing users a stepped vista onto the market floor and surrounding landscape beyond.

Image © Shephotoerd

The design team says: “Tainan Market represents an ambitious architectural experiment. Here, MVRDV reinvents the typology of the wholesale market — a building type that is usually housed in simple metal sheds — and turns it into a mixture of a market and a public green space. In doing so, the design takes an often-prosaic part of the food industry and elevates it into a place for the public to experience food and appreciate views of the landscape.”

Image © Shephotoerd

The market is ...

BIG unveils new education complex master plan overlooking the North Sea

2022-08-27T09:00:00-04:00

BIG has just released details for a new project called Masterplan Esbjerg Strand in Denmark they say will host a “completely new education platform that will rethink the traditional education system and campus in the country.”

The initiative will entail the creation of a 90,500-square-meter (974,000-square-foot) multi-use green roof structure sited along the Jutland coastline and placed on an elevated platform 7 meters (23 feet) above the ground to gird against the effects of sea level rise.

Image courtesy of BIG

The firm shares: “As part of an ambitious vision plan Esbjerg of the Future Vision 2025, the city will grow its population and become an attractive educational city; have skilled labor for all; become a sustainable energy monopoly; a digital hub of Northern Europe; become a strong tourist destination on the Wadden Sea with optimal conditions for entrepreneurs.”

Image courtesy of BIG

BIG recently completed its nearby Marsk Watchtower project and will look to further enhance th...

NASA explores potential for green roofs to lower temperatures in cities

2022-05-30T09:02:00-04:00

Research undertaken by NASA has found that rooftop gardens can offer substantial temperature reductions in cities during summer months. In a study published in the journal Sustainable Cities and Society, the group used satellite imagery to measure temperatures at three rooftop gardens in Chicago compared to before the roof gardens were installed.

The research sought to understand ways of mitigating the “urban heat island” in cities, where the heat absorption and retention of materials such as concrete and asphalt can cause temperatures to be ten degrees higher in cites than in surrounding areas.

Related on Archinect: 10 green rooftop spaces we liked this week

“As cities grow and develop, they need to make good decisions about their infrastructure, because these decisions often last for 30 or 50 years or longer,” said Christian Braneon, a climate scientist and civil engineer at Columbia University and co-author of the study. “In the context of more frequent heatwaves and more extreme...

Living wall systems can reduce heat lost from existing buildings by 31% say researchers

2021-12-08T12:03:00-05:00

Researchers at the University of Plymouth in the UK have published a study which found that overlaying living walls on existing buildings can improve thermal performance by 31%.

The findings arose from a live experiment on a campus building, where researchers added a living wall system to an uninsulated external masonry cavity wall. The cavity masonry wall has been one of the most common forms of construction across the UK, Europe, North America, and Asia since the 1920s, with cavity systems accounting for 70% of UK dwellings. In addition, 30% of the UK’s building stock does not have cavity insulation.

Related on Archinect: A case for nature: Architect and regenerative design strategist Amanda Sturgeon pushes for rewilding cities. Image: SFMOMA's Living Wall - San Francisco, CA. Design by David Brenner. Architect: Snohetta (2016). Photo © Garry Belinsky

The Plymouth study is not the first to investigate the impact of living wall systems on such properties. One previous study cite...

Take a look at the new urban farm coming to the Javits Center this month

2021-08-17T08:41:00-04:00

A sprawling new urban farm is coming to one unlikely New York venue this month after a $1.5 billion reinvestment into the state’s “Crown Jewel” convention hall.

The Javits Center will have some verdant new features when its renovation is officially unveiled this month thanks to an innovative, collaborative design by Stantec, tvsdesign, WXY, and Brooklyn Grange with green roofers Adaptive Green acting as contractor. The project is a joint venture of LendLease, Turner Construction, and tvsdesign, with Stantec providing the landscape architecture planning.

Image: © Chloe Barran

The existing green roof has been expanded while a new 1-acre urban farm has also been added along with a pavilion and greenhouse space that will save about 8 million gallons of stormwater annually in addition to providing fresh produce to the center’s catering and dining operations year-round.

Image: © Chloe Barran

“This expansion comes at a critical time for our city, our state and our industry and serves as a si...

'Future Proof': MVRDV's design for a new R&D headquarters in Shanghai

2021-07-02T18:35:00-04:00

Plans for Shanghai’s latest corporate project have been unveiled this week, adding a giant allusion to food production in the form of a swirling tree-covered building that will add a rural feel to the city’s rapidly growing Lingang section.

MVDRV’s design for Lankuaikei Agricultural Development’s headquarters took its influence from the wave-like terraced rice fields that dot the Chinese countryside. Its stepped facade terrace is covered by a permeable solar panel roof that provides shading and ventilation for the 11-story “sustainability machine.”

Image: © MVRDV

The terrace spaces form a walkable park-like route to the building’s top reminiscent of Bjarke Ingels’s design for the 8 House in Copenhagen. The wood-clad walkways will have ample shaded areas and are covered in trees and exhibition spaces for the company’s research and development wing headquartered within the nearly 19.000 square meter structure. The roof’s design allows for it to capture rainwater, adding to sunlight-...

10 green rooftop spaces we liked this week

2021-05-14T14:24:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Rooftop Spaces.

Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles.

↑ 500 West 21st Street in New York, NY by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF)

↑ Vertical Loft in New York, NY by SKOLNICK Architecture + Design Partnership; Photo: Thomas Loof

↑ Jackson Tech House in Jackson, WY by Cushing Terrell in collaboration with Hoyt Architects; Photo: Gibeon Photography

↑ Tsuga Townhomes in Seattle, WA by Wittman Estes (the firm was also featured in Archinect's Studio Snapshots series); Photo: Miranda Estes

↑ ARTSPACE in Vienna, Austria by BEHF Architects; Photo: Hertha Hurnaus

↑ Mariposa1038 in Los Angeles, CA by Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects (learn what it takes to work at this firm in Archi...

New York's roofs may get a lot greener soon

2020-03-19T08:00:00-04:00

Local Laws 92 and 94, which went into effect on November 15, 2019, require all new buildings and major roof alterations to be capped with a green roof, solar panels, or some combination of the two. If successful, the new policies could transform New York’s skyline.

In their publication Urban Omnibus, The Architectural League of New York asked experts from the Green Roof Researchers Alliance to elaborate on the implications of NYC's ambitious decarbonization legislation, the Climate Mobilization Act, which — since November 2019 — requires all new buildings and major roof alterations to feature either a green roof, solar panels, or a combined solution.

Green roof live cam on Javits Center. Stream via Javits Center on YouTube.

"Green roofs are so important for New York City in the changing climate," explains Danielle Spiegel-Feld, an urban environmental law and sustainable energy policy researcher and professor at New York University School of Law, in the interview. "They’re so important for stormwater mitigation. They’re so important for water management, which becomes increasingly crucial as rain flows become heavier in the summer. They’re so important for the urban heat island effect. They’re a critical part of our adaptation strategy, so we ...

Semi-subterranean home nestles in luscious Poland landscape

2020-01-17T14:10:00-05:00

Settled in an expansive northern Poland landscape, amidst nearby lakes, and inspired by the local regional architecture, Green Line, a home designed by Przemek Olczyk of Studio Mobius, embraces the grassy plains of Warmia, Poland.

Photo: Paweł Ulatowski

The multi-leveled residence sneaks beneath the greenery of its site. The folded concrete green roof, held by a grid of columns that help delineate the interior spaces, extends the natural landscape over the home. External stairs provide a contrasting element atypical in residential architecture, offering a further connectedness to the surrounding landscape.

Photo: Paweł Ulatowski

Moreover, the transparency provided by the home's expansive glass walls, give users panoramic views to the outside, while also providing an internally situated atrium, supporting intimacy and the flexibility for privacy.

Ohio University's Schoonover Center to don new educational green roof

2019-11-20T18:45:00-05:00

Students may soon have the opportunity to grow plants on top of Schoonover Center, once construction of the green roof is completed...The green roof, which furthers Ohio University’s commitment to sustainability, will serve three purposes: research, education and outreach, all through a cross-disciplinary lens.

The idea for the project began with Kim Thompson, an assistant professor of instruction in the department of environmental and plant biology, reports The Post. Currently, more than 50 students, faculty members, and other individuals are involved in the project.

Natalie Kruse Daniels, associate professor of environmental studies and director of Ohio University's environmental studies program, told The Post, “We’re looking at large scale development of green infrastructure that’s going to be accessible to classes and incorporate that data into lesson plans. And students will gain experience that will help them become professionals.”

WOHA's Kampung Admiralty is crowned World Architecture Festival Building of the Year for 2018

2018-11-30T19:31:00-05:00

Marking the end of the World Architecture Festival, the winner of the 2018 World Building of the Year was presented to Kampung Admiralty by WOHA Architects. Having also won the award for the Commercial Mixed - Completed Projects, the firm can now add this prestigious award to their repertoire of accolades.

World Building of the Year Winner: Kampung Admiralty in Singapore by WOHA Architects Image credit: Patrick Bingham-Hall, Darren Soh, Lim Weixiang

Known for their approach and passion in integrating social and environmental principles to their projects, Kampung Admiralty is a shining example of the firm's execution and methodology toward a high-density, high-amenity mini-city. Located in Northern Singapore, the building is comprised of community spaces, housing for the elderly, medical facilities, retail, restaurants, and cafes all shared within a single ventilated structure featuring a tropical rainforest roof.

World Building of the Year Winner: Kampung Admiralty in Singapore by ...

Superhelix creates a house hidden in plain site

2018-10-23T19:30:00-04:00

Polish based design studio Superhelix creates a green roof masterpiece that not only highlights the home's ecological design, but showcases what happens to buildings when they change over time. Located in Krakow, Poland the 189 square meter home's slanted roof was not built for aesthetics, but instead was constructed due to a building requirement. Due to local building codes, the home's roof had to be built at a 45-degree slope. To some this may have been a design obstacle, but to Bartłomiej Drabik, principal architect, he used this as an opportunity to create a progressive roof design that highlights green design.

Through out the construction of this residential home, special attention was emphasized on how the building's materials will allow the home to age and change naturally. The home's elevation was covered with western red cedar planks. This particular wood type does not require wood treatment against insects and the weather. As the wood ages over tim...

MVRDV reveal integrated offices in new city center of Łódź, Poland

2018-02-05T16:14:00-05:00

MVRDV’s new project, Fabryczna Offices, will house both office and retail space in the center of Łódź, Poland's third largest city. The firm's design draws inspiration from the city’s industrial textile heritage reimagined for contemporary use. The 13-floor building uses the distinct glazed brick and glass facade materials to signal both the past and the city’s future ambition of recent surrounding development.

The private green roof and public courtyard, by Dutch firm Lola Landscape Architects, are designed as a family of semi-public spaces with greenery and a large variety of vegetation and spaces for terraces and bikes. The building will also be located across the street from the newly developed railway station “Fabryczna”, and other local landmarks.

“This building will help to bring back more density and urbanity right in the heart of Łódź,”...

It's unofficial - official. Denver did #VoteYes on #I300.

2017-11-15T12:24:00-05:00

The leads in those races have never flipped since polls closed Tuesday night. Denver city officials, including Mayor Michael Hancock, already were treating the Green Roof Initiative as though it would pass, given its growing lead with every release of results.

Jon Murray and Kieran Nicholson report the final, unofficial, results released by the Denver Elections Division. BLUF Denver voters passed the Green Roof Initiative and Mayor Hancock and the city are committing to "how best to implement it within the laws and property rights that people have, and to make sure that the spirit of the law that the people have passed is implemented appropriately."

As, Department of Community Planning and Development spokeswoman Andrea Burns noted on CBS4 "green roofs are already possible in Denver. It's just a matter of making those agreements that are part of Initiative 300 work with our system now. We're going to make this work for the people of Denver."

For some on the ground reporting the night of the election, check out; Andrew Kenney over at Denverite and some video/Tweets via Denver Posts @ShannonHoffmanM. * Full disclosure I was at the I300 celebration and part of the campaign's street team.

Finally, if you are feeling inspired, you can check out...

Forget solar panels: Elon Musk is thinking "solar roof"

2016-08-11T12:41:00-04:00

Why place individual solar panels on top of a pre-existing roof when you could just build an entire roof with solar technology integrated into it? Elon Musk, CEO of the financially underperforming Solar City and Tesla, sees it as an obvious solution. According to CNNMoney, he said that "If your roof is nearing end-of-life, well, you've got to get a new roof anyway. And so, why not have a solar roof that's better in many others ways as well?"

Although details on the solar roof are still elusive, Musk did note in a blog post that he'd like to build the roofs by integrating SolarCity's technology and Tesla's home battery storage systems.

For more on Musk:

A green veil for ugly towers

2016-04-22T17:30:00-04:00

That is the question that plagues all these green towers. Will they really ever look like they do on the billboards? The question is important because what this outbreak of green means is that architects and developers are hiding ugly, ill-considered buildings behind curtains of foliage and if the green doesn’t grow, all we’re left with is the dumb, naked towers, blank and expressionless with the fig leaf of a few, well, fig leaves for cover.

Related on Archinect:

Proposed 30-acre green roof would be the world's largest

2015-09-09T14:16:00-04:00

A South Bay developer is reimagining an outdated Cupertino mall by building the world’s largest green roof on top of it. The Vallco Shopping Mall, bought by Sand Hill Property Company for $316 million last year, is destined to become a 30-acre elevated public park that will connect shops to offices, trails and vineyards. The $3 billion design was inspired by “starchitect” Rafael Viñoly, who is working alongside Olin Landscape Architects to replace most [of] the Valleco Shopping Mall...

French parliament orders new buildings to switch to green rooftops

2015-03-25T17:29:00-04:00

Paris wants to consume 25% less energy and emit 25% less emissions by 2020. Paris is also the site of this year’s major United Nations conference on climate change. While France currently gets about 80% of its electricity from nuclear energy, and has lagged behind other European countries like Germany and Denmark in developing green technologies, it certainly seems to have some momentum headed into the important November conference.

It's not literally every single building in France. The approved law only requires the rooftops of new buildings in commercial areas to be fully or partially covered with either solar panels or plants.

Rooftop farms combine the rural and urban in future cities

2014-05-20T13:43:00-04:00

As fossil fuels become more expensive and the number of urban dwellers continues to rise, urban farming will help feed the population without increasing the cost and pollution of food transport. [...] The rise in rooftop farming isn't limited to commercial operations. "Rooftop farming and gardening has become extremely diverse, and in that sense a more 'normal' presence in cities"

Do we want more green roofs?

2013-09-30T15:15:00-04:00

If green roofs can be seen, they are a constraint for architectural design. Either you acknowledge them or they become an afterthought.

I attempt to disassemble issues in advocating green roofs.

This Super Local Brooklyn Whole Foods Will Have A 20,000-Square-Foot Rooftop Greenhouse

2013-04-03T16:56:00-04:00

Whole Foods is teaming up with rooftop garden company Gotham Greens for its next New York location. When the lettuce only has to come down a staircase from the roof, that’s about as local as you can get.

Gawker thinks Gehry's Facebook HQ design looks like the ground

2013-03-29T16:24:00-04:00

"They felt some of those things were too flashy and not in keeping with the kind of the culture of Facebook, so they asked us to make it more anonymous. Frank (Gehry) was quite willing to tone down some of the expression of architecture in the building."

Weiss/Manfredi's BBG visitor's center in the WSJ

2012-05-16T15:55:00-04:00

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, entering its second century, is hardly a novice at branding, but at the new Visitor Center it is exercised with comprehensive aplomb. … the green roof is no small engineering feat. With a pitch of up to 27 degrees, it requires complicated networks of special soils held in place with cleats and geo-nets involving drip irrigation systems woven into capillary fabrics, and other impressive techniques with specialized vocabularies known only to au courant gardeners…

The Wall Street Journal embraces eco-technical gardening while finding a way to point out traditional marriage.

High-tech greenhouse planned for downtown Vancouver parkade rooftop

2011-12-14T20:25:34-05:00

The inside of the greenhouse will be anything but ordinary. Four-metre-high stacks of growing trays on motorized conveyors will ferry plants up, down and around for watering, to capture the sun’s rays and then move them into position for an easy harvest. The array will produce about the same amount of produce as 6.4 hectares (16 acres) of California fields, according to Christopher Ng, chief operating officer of Valcent.