Archinect - News

OPEN Architecture's coastal cultural center Sun Tower opens in Yantai

2024-11-04T08:00:00-05:00

OPEN Architecture’s striking, cone-shaped cultural venue, Sun Tower, has officially opened in Yantai, China. Situated along the coast of the Yellow Sea, the structure encompasses an outdoor theater, exhibition spaces, library, café and bar, and a special semi-outdoor observation deck. Its design was informed by the passage of the sun.

Photo: Jonathan Leijonhufvud

Sun Tower provides a much needed cultural hub for the growing population of Yantai's Yeda Development Zone. Established in 1984, the Zone transformed the area, which consisted mainly of fishing villages, into a district of industry and tourism.

Photo: Jonathan Leijonhufvud

OPEN Architecture conceived the project’s design as a celebration of the area’s historical connection to the sun and sea. It is one of the earliest regions in China where ancient sun-worshiping occurred and where Ming Dynasty-era watchtowers were erected. The structure’s design also features a contemporary take on the typology of lighthouses.

Photo: Jonatha...

California Science Center's Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center expansion tops out in Los Angeles

2024-10-15T18:16:00-04:00

Construction has topped out on the ZGF Architects-led design for the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center at the California Science Center in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park.

The 200,000-square-foot project expands the museum’s programmable exhibition space by 110,00 square feet and shelters the decommissioned Space Shuttle Endeavor in a 200-foot-tall central space that organizes all three levels. Completion of the $425 million project is scheduled for mid-2025. Construction at the site began in June of 2022. Arup is the engineering partner.

Image courtesy California Science Center

Rendering courtesy California Science Center

Arup completes triangular ‘chamber of music’ for Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana

2024-09-23T08:32:00-04:00

Arup has completed a new performance venue for the Tippet Rise Art Center in Fishtail, Montana. Named Geode, the design of the open-air acoustical structure draws inspiration from a photograph taken by Robert Doisneau of the cellist Maurice Baquet performing with just a chair and music stand on a mountaintop in Chamonix, France.

Geode measures 18 feet tall at its highest point and is comprised of four triangular structures described as “harmonic polygons.” The polygons are designed to contain sound and reflect it in all directions, while also creating an “intimate and enveloping sonic environment” to protect musicians and the audience from the elements.

“The Geode’s sound-reflecting surfaces are large and close to the ground, creating directed sound reflectio...

+POOL gets final location at NYC's Pier 35 and 2025 opening

2024-08-08T18:34:00-04:00

New York City’s floating and self-filtering +POOL attraction will open next summer at Pier 35 on the Lower East Side. The selection of its location was announced yesterday by Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams.

Arup will be supplying the project’s key water filtration system, which is being demonstrated on-site this month, along with a 2,000-square-foot sample pool. The project is estimated to cost between $20 million to $25 million, according to most sources ($16 million of which comes from the state).

Its inventor, architect Dong-Ping Wong, recently voiced outspoken criticism, expressing concerns over gentrification and accessibility, after first proposing the idea in 2010. (The group Friends of +POOL issued a subsequent public response on Archinect.)

Foster + Partners and Arup release first designs of California High-Speed Rail stations

2024-06-28T15:46:00-04:00

Foster + Partners and Arup have announced the first four designs for the hotly anticipated California High-Speed Rail as part of a series of open house sessions currently being undertaken with key stakeholders across the state’s Central Valley region. The first set of designs will stand as models for all future nodes in the 500-mile linkage that connects San Francisco to Los Angeles/Orange County.

Construction is underway, and planners expect to have the first operable line readied between 2030 and 2033 after years of financing issues and a recent multibillion-dollar boost from the federal government.

Image: courtesy of Foster + Partners

Stefan Behling, the Head of Studio at Foster + Partners, said: “We are developing an architectural language for the four Central Valley stations, including soaring canopies that draw in fresh air and shield waiting passengers from harsh sunlight. The station design reflects the sustainable ethos of the wider project.”

Meg Cederoth, the Authority Di...

Arup publishes new guide to fire safety and mass timber design

2024-06-10T13:19:00-04:00

Arup has just released a new comprehensive guide to fire safety design and mass timber construction for architects in response to the nascent surge of projects utilizing the material nationwide. The guide (which is available for download here) coalesced research into the design and engineering of large-scale structures such as the firm’s two-year-old HAUT residential project in the Netherlands as a means of granting “risk-based” guidance for future building endeavors, providing strategies for construction in three typologies.

It follows a set of seismic safety tests that were performed last year by scientists at the University of California, San Diego, and will be useful going forward as now mass timber structures begin to substantially increase both their heights and overall footprint worldwide. Another guide to mass timber construction from LEVER Architecture and Atelier Ten can be found here.

Arup Hong Kong employee targeted in $25 million deepfake scam

2024-05-17T16:56:00-04:00

British multinational design and engineering company behind world-famous buildings such as the Sydney Opera House has confirmed that it was the target of a deepfake scam that led to one of its Hong Kong employees paying out $25 million to fraudsters. A spokesperson for London-based Arup told CNN on Friday that it notified Hong Kong police in January about the fraud incident, and confirmed that fake voices and images were used.

“Our financial stability and business operations were not affected and none of our internal systems were compromised,” an Arup spokesperson told CNN. The employee in question was apparently misled into believing they were in a video conference with senior finance staffers that were in reality deepfaked impersonations.

Deepfake attacks on business have been on the rise international for several months as the technological sophistication of audi-visual mimicry continues a rapid development.

Arup currently has 34 offices worldwide.

It's a 'Go' for ZGF's Space Shuttle Endeavour installation at the California Science Center

2024-01-31T12:12:00-05:00

ZGF Architects has completed the installation of the decommissioned Space Shuttle Endeavour and orbiter system as a part of their Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center expansion at the California Science Center museum in Los Angeles.

The unique project will culminate in a three-level level scheme that includes 150 different exhibitions, the largest of which, a 200-foot-tall central gallery space, is set to be used as a new permanent display for the 122-foot-long retired NASA orbiter.

Video courtesy California Science Center

Since July, the construction team at Exposition Park has been busy at work on the “Soft mate” phase of the “Go for Stack” installation process for the space shuttle apparatus. The same painstaking process that decades ago prepared the shuttle for its 25 launches into outer space was once again enacted at the site for the record first time in civilian history. Work to install the solid rocket boosters and external tank preceded the shuttle’s move into place before ...

SPARK and Arup create a retrofitted mall and education hub in the heart of Singapore's Selegie Arts District

2023-08-02T15:49:00-04:00

International architectural and design consultancy SPARK, alongside ARUP, has brought an eye-catching, youth-focused mall and education hub to the heart of Singapore’s Selegie Arts District. Situated between the adjacent School of the Arts Singapore (SOTA) and several long-standing shopping malls, this vibrant refurbished space serves as a new beacon for the surrounding area.

Entrance. Image: KhooGuoJie

Called GRiD, the project centered on the purpose of increasing asset value through social interaction, increased accessibility, and the celebration of self and community. The building was deliberately designed to stand out, with its neon-clad façade and supersized graphics. GRiD reimagines the corner that it sits after replacing what the architects described as an “unproductive 4-storey void.”

Atrium view. Image: KhooGuoJie

The new structure has a Tetris-like arrangement of stacked retail and dining volumes and terraces. The voided spaces encourage direct connections to the basement le...

OPEN Architecture's sculptural Sun Tower tops out

2023-06-29T17:48:00-04:00

OPEN Architecture has shared construction photos of its new Sun Tower project, which recently topped out in the coastal Chinese city of Yantai.

The program of the 164-foot tower is divided into three parts from the ground up. The semi-outdoor theater contained at its base gives way to a mid-level exhibition space that’s topped by a small library and viewing area on the uppermost floor. Its concave composite shell serves as "sound collector" while finally, a well-placed oculus at the top of the structure allows for rainwater to enter into a small pool that remains dry in the winter in order to be reused as a fireplace.

Previously on Archinect: OPEN unveils new details on Yantai Sun Tower project

The firm describes: “Looking beyond image making, we wanted to create something meaningful at least on two fundamental levels: One is to remind people [of] the wonders of nature that are often forgotten in the hustle and bustle of daily life; the other is to bring much needed public programs i...

Boston needs a $877 million flood barrier by 2070, according to Arup

2023-06-08T17:21:00-04:00

Arup has recommended enacting a new 1.5-mile-long protective wall following the results of a new study calling for an $877 million flood barrier protecting the central waterfront of Downtown Boston.

The recommendations call for a barrier to be put in place between Christopher Columbus Park and Congress Street in order to protect the city’s commercial, historic, and governmental structures from the devastating effects caused by an anticipated 51-inch rise in sea level that could cause some $3.9 billion in damages by the year 2070.

“It’s a really, really scary report to be honest,” Marc Margulies, principal of Boston-based architecture firm Margulies Perruzzi, told Banker & Tradesman. “Nobody wants to do this. Nobody wants to spend the money on it. But we have to do this.”

Previously on Archinect: Boston architects create a waterfront hotel with permeable ground floor to prepare for sea level rise

The report indicated City Hall could be susceptible to flood damage, which would also dev...

Take a look inside Studio Gang’s newly-opened Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History

2023-05-04T08:00:00-04:00

Studio Gang has completed work on the $465 million new Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Coinciding with the official public opening today, the museum has shared first photos of the project, showcasing the 230,000-square-foot wing that replaces several outdated small buildings with new education and exhibition spaces, a theater, storage, laboratories, insectarium, and butterfly vivarium.

Image: © Iwan Baan

Michael Kimmelman recently gave the project a rave review, exalting its merits as a well-detailed and materials-rich environment with the intangible staying power to last for generations.

Image: Alvaro Keding/© AMNH

Image: © Iwan Baan

The wing features exhibition designs from Ralph Appelbaum Associates and a parametric five-story central atrium made from shotcrete and engineered in place with the help of Arup. The Center then connects to the museum's ten other buildings in 33 places, ...

Arup’s VR95 experience tool offers the vantage point of small children for urban planners

2023-04-29T08:00:00-04:00

An immersive new VR experience tool developed by Arup called VR95 is helping architects and urban designers immerse themselves in the unique perspective of children in the hopes of creating a better environment for them to dwell in.

Arup feels this is an important venture as nearly 70% of the world’s population is expected to inhabit cities by mid-century. In order to prepare, they reached out to the Bernard Van Leer Foundation for help developing an experience that gives users a sense of the world at only 95 centimeters (or a little over three feet) tall.

According to the creators of the tool, it aims to "raise awareness about some of the common challenges currently faced by young children in cities around the world, and encourage decision-makers and thought leaders into thinking from the perspective of a 3-year-old."

Related Feature on Archinect: How Digital Spaces Can Shape Cities as We Exit the Pandemic

It is included as part of the Proximity of Care Design Guide, a tool that ap...

Foster + Partners and Arup to deliver first four California High-Speed Rail stations

2023-04-05T17:45:00-04:00

A joint venture of Foster + Partners and Arup will design the first four California High-Speed Rail stations in the state’s Central Valley region, the firms announced this week.

The plans they are developing for the transit organization will eventually deliver stations in Fresno, Kings/Tulare, Merced, and Bakersfield, serving the ambitious but still heavily scrutinized project’s initial 171-mile segment in an area that’s home to roughly 6.5 million people.

The joint venture announced its intentions of working with local interests during the two-stage Notice to Proceed (NTP) design and development process following the delivery of a "system-wide vision plan" for the proposed 500-mile project that will become America's first-ever high-speed railway.

Image courtesy Foster + Partners

Stefan Behling, Head of Studio for Foster + Partners, said: "After delivering our systemwide vision plan, we are now delighted to be working with Arup on detailed designs for the network’s first four station...

Arup measures carbon emissions of 1,000 projects for COP27, calls for greater effort to collect industry climate data

2022-11-15T12:27:00-05:00

Arup has announced the creation of a dataset which catalogs the whole life carbon emissions of buildings in its portfolio. The dataset, unveiled to coincide with COP27, has so far calculated the emissions for almost 1,000 Arup projects across 30 countries.

The data represents an effort by Arup to calculate their ‘carbon handprint,’ which quantifies the scale of emissions arising from the firm’s design portfolio. To collect and analyze the data, Arup developed a new software platform called Zero, into which over 1,100 Arup engineers and designers fed data on 954 projects.

Related on Archinect: Arup formed part of the team who recently delivered a 'first of its kind' mass timber office extension in Washington DC

“In taking this crucial first step, we have been driven by a determination to overcome the barriers to scaling net zero buildings,” explained Arup chairman Alan Belfield. “Comparable and open whole life carbon data is the tool that will allow actors across the global property ...

Arup and SOM selected to lead modernization and expansion of Newark Liberty Airport

2022-10-25T17:17:00-04:00

Arup has been selected for a multibillion-dollar expansion project for Newark Liberty International Airport following an announcement from the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey on Monday. SOM will also provide its expertise on the project.

The two will oversee the development of the Port Authority’s Vision Plan, which aims to “future-proof” the over 2,000-acre airport via a comprehensive framework that will take shape through the year 2065.

According to a press release, “the plan will accommodate future growth and demand, improve the travel experience, and identify opportunities for enhancing the sustainability and resiliency of the facility.”

Newark’s airport is one of the oldest in the United States and currently faces an 81.6% increase in travelers as it looks to upgrade its facilities with three ongoing projects that total $5.3 billion — including the delayed 33-gate new Terminal A from Grimshaw and $2 billion AirTrain upgrade, which has been called “critical component of ...

'First of its kind' mass timber office extension completed in Washington DC

2022-10-13T13:11:00-04:00

Work has been completed on the 80 M office building in Washington DC. The project, which saw a three-story timber extension added atop an existing seven-story concrete building, is described by the design team as “the first commercial office building in Washington DC to feature a vertical extension constructed using mass timber.”

The 108,000-square-foot addition was designed by architects Hickok Cole with Arup providing mass timber and sustainable building engineering services. Opened in September, the scheme is also the “first high-rise overbuild timber structure in North America” according to the team.

Inside, the extension includes office and amenity spaces with 15-foot-high ceilings and 12-foot-high windows as well as 4,000 square feet of outdoor amenities including a rooftop terrace.

Photo by Ron Blunt for Columbia Property Trust

According to Arup, the scheme’s realization required engagement with “restrictive code requirements” in the United States pertaining to mass timber; ...

OMA's Taipei Performing Arts Center officially opens

2022-08-08T15:54:00-04:00

The new Taipei Performing Arts Center by OMA has opened to the public in the city’s Shilin Night Market. Led by Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten, the project comprises three theaters: a spherical 800-seat Globe Playhouse, a 1,500-seat Grand Theater, and an 800-seat Blue Box, connected to a central cube.

Previously on Archinect: OMA's role-defying new theater design debuts in Taipei

The cube houses the stages, backstages, and support spaces of the theaters, which allows the Grand Theater and the Blue Box to come together to form a Super Theater.

Image © Shephotoerd Co. Photography, courtesy of OMA

Image © OMA

The Globe features a unique proscenium that supports experimentation with stage framing. The opaque façades of the theaters juxtapose the animated and illuminated central cube that is clad in corrugated glass.

Image © Shephotoerd Co. Photography, courtesy of OMA

Image © OMA

A landscaped plaza sits beneath the central cube, which is lifted off the ground to accommodate t...

Grimshaw and Arup unveil designs for their massive Union Station revamp in D.C.

2022-07-26T18:35:00-04:00

A short month removed from its last update on the $10 billion project, Grimshaw Architects has unveiled renderings for the expansion of Union Station in Washington, D.C. that provide a clearer picture of how the revised plan will take shape over the coming two decades.

At the center of the design is the new train concourse defined by a clear-span roof canopy and beset with a series of skylight features lying directly north of the existing Beaux-Arts hall from 1907. Much of that original structure has been left untouched, while transportation upgrades are present in the form of expanded rail platforms, an elevated and greenery-lined new drop-off area, and new entry portals that alleviate crowding from the Columbus Circle side while allowing access to the nearby H Street corridor.

Image courtesy Federal Railroad Administration via U.S. Commission of Fine Arts

Image courtesy Federal Railroad Administration v...

Arup will lead Penn Station’s new $73 million expansion project

2022-06-30T09:00:00-04:00

Arup has been placed in the lead for MTA/NJ Transit and Amtrak’s planned redevelopment and expansion of Penn Station in New York City. The tender was announced recently by the rail service and is part of a larger Gateway Program aimed at improving a critical infrastructure clog situated in a ten-mile stretch along Amtrak’s overworked Northeast Corridor.

The multinational engineering concern is now tasked with designing the first new tracks, platforms, and concourses at the 117-year-old station in over a century. The project will relieve an ugly bottleneck at the western end of Penn Station, doubling its capacity in a process that also generates a much-improved customer experience for commuters to the country’s busiest transportation hub.

Previously on Archinect: Gov. Cuomo's renovation plan for NYC’S Penn Station takes shape

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker said: “This announcement represents significant progress in the much-needed expansion of Penn Station and the modernization of our...

ZGF designs new home for Space Shuttle Endeavour in Los Angeles

2022-06-03T12:04:00-04:00

ZGF Architects has unveiled details of its Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, which has just broken ground in Los Angeles. The 200,000-square-foot facility will house 150 exhibits across three multi-level galleries and will serve as the permanent home of Space Shuttle Endeavour, one of three remaining flown space shuttle orbiters.

Image by ZGF Architects LLP

The scheme, designed by ZGF with engineering by ARUP, is arranged around three thematic galleries, named Air, Space, and Shuttle. The Air Gallery will explore the four physical forces behind flight: lift, thrust, drag, and weight. Approximately 20 aircraft will be on display in the gallery, including a segment of a real Boeing 747. The Air Gallery will also feature a wind tunnel exhibit to allow visitors to better understand the forces under which planes fly.

Image by ZGF Architects LLP

The Space Gallery centers on the various machines and inventions created to understand and explore space, including telescopes, robots, and spac...

Arup completes the Netherlands' tallest timber-hybrid residential building

2022-03-31T19:16:00-04:00

Arup has designed and engineered the Netherlands’ tallest timber-hybrid residential building.

Completed this year, HAUT is part of the country’s commitment to becoming climate-neutral by 2050, in which the use of timber as a building material has been identified as one of the most effective ways to accelerate decarbonization. As noted by Arup, in 2021, over 80 Dutch companies signed the Green Deal covenant Houtbouw of the Metropoolregio Amsterdam. With this, the nation's capital and most populous city is committing to the goal of building at least one in five buildings using primarily timber from 2025 onwards.

Previously on Archinect: Arup, TEAM V to build world's tallest timber residential building in Amsterdam

HAUT was conceived in 2016 with the aim of being of both sustainable and high architectural quality. Situated near the Amstel river, the structure is one of the tallest timber-hybrid buildings in the world, standing 21 floors tall at nearly 240 feet. It was also certified B...

Arup-supported $2.3 billion light rail project nears completion in the Greater Boston region

2022-03-25T18:29:00-04:00

The Union Square Branch opening of the long-awaited Boston Green Line Extension (GLX) marks a major milestone for the Arup-supported project.

The first of two segments as part of a 4.7-mile extension of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) regional transit system, the Union Square Branch comprises the new Union Square and Lechmere stations. The opening of the Medford Branch later this year will conclude the development of this decades-long project.

The GLX is expected to add 50,000 daily passenger trips to Boston’s transit network and bring much-needed service to the Somerville, Cambridge, and Medford communities. The project will also help bring the city closer to meeting its 2050 goal of carbon neutrality by significantly reducing vehicle-related emissions.

Arup is serving as the project’s Design Professional, supporting the MBTA with overseeing the design development, and testing and commissioning process. The firm was first tapped by the MBTA as a consultan...

OPEN unveils new details on Yantai Sun Tower project

2022-02-15T14:41:00-05:00

Beijing-based firm OPEN Architecture has revealed the design of its under-construction Sun Tower project located in Yantai, China, a city along the coast of the Yellow Sea.

The tower, the recipient of the Jeu d’Esprit Special Prize of AR Future Project Awards 2021, comprises a semi-outdoor theater, a winding exhibition space, and a library in the sky. The structure also features a unique semi-outdoor space at the top, called a “phenomena space,” that allows visitors to observe natural phenomena throughout the year.

The city of Yantai wanted to create a landmark on the coast as a symbol of its rapid development and status as an industrial powerhouse in China. The name Yantai means “Beacon Tower,” derived from the series of watchtowers built during the Ming Dynasty to warn against impending attacks on the coastline. OPEN’s response to the design brief was to establish a purposeful structure that connected to this history and evoked the ancient rituals of nature worship while providin...

Heatherwick's $260 million elevated river park 'Little Island' opens in NYC

2021-05-20T14:01:00-04:00

Rising from the Hudson River, Little Island preens atop a bouquet of tulip-shaped columns, begging to be posted on Instagram. Outside, it’s eye candy. Inside, a charmer, with killer views.

NYT critic Michael Kimmelman reviews the anticipated elevated river park Little Island (formerly known as Pier 55) which opens on Manhattan's Hudson River bank this week.

Designed by Thomas Heatherwick and Signe Nielsen of NY-based landscape architecture firm MNLA, the $260 million parcel resting on a forest of tulip-shaped concrete pillars had a rocky start and was pronounced dead at some point during years of legal controversy. The now completed attraction impresses with urban green space, river vistas, several new event venues and summer programming atop an engineering feat realized by Arup.

Photo: Michael Grimm.

"I’ve become a Heatherwick skeptic lately, but his contribution here is in the theatrical vein of 18th century English garden follies," Kimmelman writes, adding, "not least because Little Island can remind you more of a private estate than a city park. It’s clearly going to cost a king’s ransom to maintain, a burden the Hudson River Park Trust (which is to say the public...

OMA's Audrey Irmas Pavilion at Wilshire Boulevard Temple is taking shape

2021-03-19T15:19:00-04:00

After breaking ground in late 2018 and topping out nearly one year later, the OMA/Shohei Shigematsu-designed Audrey Irmas Pavilion at Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles is increasingly taking shape.

The $75 million expansion — OMA's first building in the city — will house a chapel and terrace, a grand ballroom, meeting rooms, performance spaces, and a rooftop sky garden.

Rendering of the new Audrey Irmas Pavilion next to the historic 1929 temple building on Wilshire Boulevard in L.A.'s Koreatown neighborhood. Image courtesy of OMA New York.

Gruen Associates is the executive architect, Studio-MLA designed the sunken garden, and Arup is the structural and facade engineer on the project.

The new building is expected to open in early 2022.

Photographer Hunter Kerhart has shared a few more recent construction photos over at Urbanize LA.

Finalists of Van Alen's Reimaging Brooklyn Bridge competition have been chosen. Who will take the prize?

2020-07-14T16:17:00-04:00

With the launch of the Reimagining Brooklyn Bridge competition earlier this year, the Van Alen Institute and New York City Council aimed to create an international open call for architects and designers to "rethink" how New York's iconic Brooklyn Bridge walkway could look in the future. The bridge's walkway is an iconic piece of the city; however, as the pandemic quickly swept across the globe, the idea of "reimagining Brooklyn Bridge" aimed to address more than just a simple redesign.

According to the Van Alen Institute, "As made even more clear by the pandemic, the design of our streets and shared spaces must be responsive to the present moment and work to correct past injustices. They must foster equitable, accessible, and sustainable transportation options, create a healthy and safe environment for all New Yorkers, and opportunities for small businesses and vendors to flourish."

With these new judging conditions in play, the jury selected the following six proposals to advance ...

Arup and COBE design two new metro stations in Copenhagen

2020-06-19T19:06:00-04:00

As a part of the Nordhavn metro line extension connecting Copenhagen's docklands to its city center, Arup and COBE have teamed up to design two new metro stations, Orientkaj and Nordhavn. A defining feature of this project is that one of the stations, Orentkaj station, is above-ground, and the other, Nordhavn station, is underground.

Orientkaj Station.

The above-ground station holds a brutalist inspiration, drawing from the historical aesthetics of the industrial docklands. The underground station takes its inspiration from the recently opened Cityringen metro line, in which Arup led the architectural design, and uses a distinctive red cladding present and other transfer stations.

Nordhavn Station.

"Nordhavn is a city of sustainable mobility, where it is easier to walk, bike or use public transport, than it is to drive your own car. The two metro stations unlock the potential of this new Copenhagen city district enabling more efficient and sustainable transport between the individual ...

Arup uses cloud computing to drastically cut structural design time for massive Istanbul hospital

2020-06-04T18:44:00-04:00

A recently inaugurated 1 million-square-meter hospital complex designed by Arup, Perkins and Will, and Yazgan Design Architecture for Rönesans Holding and Sojitz Corporation in Istanbul, Turkey is a feat of engineering and design coordination.

The building contains many interior courtyards that connect different wings and buildings together.

The massive Başakşehir Pine and Sakura City Hospital complex consists of three nearly identical hospital towers containing a main hospital facility, a psychiatric hospital, and a physical treatment and rehabilitation facility. The 2,682-bed hospital, developed as a public-private partnership, also includes six clinic buildings and five auxiliary facility buildings situated on the site.

While the massing, articulation, and materiality of the complex are relatively staid and straightforward, its what lies underneath these elements that truly defines the complex.

Overall view of the hospital complex.

For example, the hospital sits on 2,068 seismi...

Perkins and Will-led team develops COVID-19 mobile testing labs for under-served populations

2020-05-15T13:33:00-04:00

In response to the urgent need for more widespread and rapid COVID-19 testing, Perkins and Will's New York studio — along with its Denmark studio Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, and in partnership with multi-disciplinary design group Arup— has designed a plan to retrofit out-of-use school buses into mobile testing labs.

As insufficient testing remains a high concern for health professionals, lower-income, under-served, and homeless populations around the world have been significantly impacted by the pandemic and face disproportionate barriers to treatment and testing. The project team for this new initiative believes mobile testing labs will help tackle the existing inequities for these communities.

"While no one is immune to the COVID-19 virus, testing and treatment is not a level playing field. It is the under-served communities, including lower-income and homeless populations, that need our urgent help at this time," said Mariana Giraldo, architect and strategic planning speci...