Archinect - News

MVRDV begins construction on overhaul of old Shanghai cement factory

2024-02-12T11:16:00-05:00

A team led by MVRDV has begun construction on a leisure and cultural district in Shanghai on the site of a disused cement factory. Named Gate M West Bund Dream Center, the project will transform a collection of buildings of different styles and time periods, “adapting a former industrial zone while making use of the existing structures and thus minimizing carbon emissions,” according to the team.

Image credit: Ucharm

Under the MVRDV scheme, developed with co-architect AISA, landscape architect Field Operations, and interior architects CL3 and Xu Studio, a series of disused buildings will be linked in a “cohesive whole” by a network of bright orange paths, stairs, ramps, and bridges. The site is organized around key landscaped axes including a central spine linking both ends of the district, while a “three-dimensional promenade” is created by a series of landscaped rooftops, elevated riverbank terraces, and a network of staircases and elevators finished in a defining orange color.

Ima...

LOLA Landscape Architects tapped as designers for mixed-use Hartree development in Cambridge

2023-07-19T16:57:00-04:00

Rotterdam-based LOLA Landscape Architects has been selected by developers Landsec U+I and TOWN to design the new 48-hectare Hartree development, a mixed-use neighborhood in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

The Hartree site in Cambridge.

The masterplan for the urban quarter development was designed by Swedish practice Kjellander Sjöberg Architects. The design team includes various disciplines including, urban planners, architects, engineers, and sustainability experts. The collaboration is supported by renowned architecture practices, such as Bell Phillips, Haworth Tompkins, 5th Studio Architects, Feilden Fowles, Nooma Studio, Alison Brooks Architects, Useful Projects, and Pell Frischmann.

One of the numerous basins at the current facility plant.

Hartree is owned by water company Anglian Water and the Cambridge City Council. The site is currently home to the Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant, a gold driving range, and commercial buildings. The development places a strong emphasis on the...

James Corner Field Operations selected to lead master plan design for Cleveland lakefront

2022-12-09T11:11:00-05:00

Last month, it was announced that the City of Cleveland selected James Corner Field Operations to design a master plan for the city’s downtown lakefront.

The firm was chosen out of 18 design teams that responded to a request for proposals issued in September. It was reported that following this announcement, legislation was introduced to consider a contract that wouldn’t exceed $500,000 for the planning stage.

The lakefront plan aims to create stronger connections between downtown Cleveland and the city’s North Coast Harbor, which hosts attractions, such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and FirstEnergy Stadium, the home of the Cleveland Browns.

The planning process is expected to take around a year. The design team will evaluate the potential for enhanced lakefront connections, public spaces, amenities, and economic development. Additionally, a $5 million traffic feasibility study is being conducted by Cleveland and the Ohio Department of Transportation that is exploring alternat...

Morphosis designs new arts and cultural district master plan at the University of Texas at Dallas

2022-06-07T15:20:00-04:00

A team led by Morphosis is designing a new 12-acre arts and cultural district at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Called the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenæum, the project will bring a second location of the Crow Museum of Asian Art as well as a performance hall and a planned museum for the traditional arts of the Americas. According to the architects, the new athenaeum breaks from the conventional, reserved model of this building type into one that prioritizes porosity, visibility, and informal connections between its users.

The structure will be located at the southeast corner of the University’s campus, organized around a central plaza and flanked by the museums and performance hall on the west and the parking structure to the east. To the north, the plaza aligns with social and green spaces that support the Naveen Jindal School of Management and Davidson Auditorium. On the opposite end, the arts district establishes a new public-facing presence for the University at the...

SOM unveils design for first tower at Atlanta's Centennial Yards development

2022-03-04T11:52:00-05:00

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has unveiled the design for One Centennial Yards, the first ground-up tower at the Foster + Partners and Perkins&Will-designed Centennial Yards master plan in Downtown Atlanta.

Envisioned in partnership with Atlanta’s Goode Van Slyke Architecture (GVSA), One Centennial Yards will provide 28 stories and over 500,000 square feet of office space. The tower comprises three slender towers. Its façade is inspired by the industrial and railroad heritage of Downtown Atlanta. It features 19,000 square feet of amenities and 21,980 square feet of outdoor spaces. One Centennial Yards is designed to provide open-air environments on every floor, with terraces on every level, large retractable doors on the building’s amenity floor, and landscaped rooftops. The building was designed with the post-pandemic workspace in mind, providing tenants with opportunities to gather and connect outdoors.

“We are thrilled to be the architect for One Centennial Yards, the flagsh...

Toronto’s Quayside is back with projects by Adjaye Associates, Alison Brooks, and Henning Larsen

2022-02-17T10:07:00-05:00

Toronto’s Quayside project is back online, almost two years after Sidewalk Labs’ plans to develop the site were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new development will instead be delivered by a consortium led by developers Dream Unlimited and Great Gulf Group, featuring buildings by Adjaye Associates, Alison Brooks Architects, and Henning Larsen.

Quayside Aerial - Full view of proposed development. Image courtesy of Waterfront Toronto

The 12-acre (4.9 hectare) site will contain five towers, as well as one of Canada’s largest residential mass timber buildings. Over 800 affordable housing units will be contained in the scheme, with an emphasis on family-sized units. The team behind the development also claim the project to be “Canada’s first all-electric” masterplan.

A rendering of the Western Curve Building. Architect: Alison Brooks Architect. Image courtesy of Waterfront Toronto.

New buildings along the waterfront site will include the Western Curve Building by Alison Bro...

MVRDV unveils Armenian masterplan named after first human to orbit Earth

2022-01-12T10:27:00-05:00

MVRDV has unveiled its vision for a major masterplan in the Gagarin Valley in Armenia. The 34,000-hectare area is home to 11,000 people spread across several villages, with about one-third of the landscape consisting of patches of land owned by the local community. MVRDV’s masterplan seeks to make the area “more sustainable and ecological diverse” through the planting of 10,000 plant species, and 12,000 new housing units.

Farming infrastructure. Image: MVRDV

Under the plans, the existing mosaic of 10,000 existing plots will be preserved and reinforced, while the water systems will be enhanced through the addition of canals, public paths, and greenery along the network. Existing roads will continue to form a starting point for connecting the villages, with new walking and cycling infrastructure added.

Bird's eye view. Image: MVRDV

“The area is named after Yuri Gagarin, who was the first human to orbit the earth; he saw the planet’s vulnerability, a house in need of extra care, as many...

MVRDV reveals O-shaped mixed-use apartment complex in Mannheim

2021-11-18T14:55:00-05:00

MVRDV has designed a playful, mixed-use apartment building shaped like the letter O. Located in the German city of Mannheim’s Franklin Mitte neighborhood, the building is one of four letter-shaped apartment complexes that together spell out the word HOME.

The 15-story building mixes 120 apartments with ground-level commercial units and a bar and terrace. Its distinct form also makes it a local landmark for the neighborhood. This project is part of a larger revitalization of the Benjamin Franklin U.S. military barracks in Franklin Mitte, which includes other works, such as the “Europa Axis” that cuts a straight path through the district and the walkable “Green Hill” that provides a viewpoint at the heart of the neighborhood.

The “O” sits next to the Green Hill and consists of a high-rise and a number of adjacent low-rise buildings. The “O” stands out through its blue brick façade and the bright, multi-colored balconies. At the center of the apartment building is a public terrace. I...

10-minute city masterplan for Seoul unveiled by UNStudio

2021-10-29T15:45:00-04:00

UNStudio has released details of Project H1, a self-described “10-minute city” masterplan for Seoul, South Korea. Built on an existing industrial site and railway area, the 5.4 million square foot (504,000 square meter) neighborhood saw a collaboration between UNStudio a the firm’s research wing UNSense to create a plan which prioritizes real-time digital urban systems.

Image courtesy of UNStudio

The studio describes this combination of a physical urban plan and an added technology layer as “a fully digitally serviced neighborhood to enhance the daily lives of the residents and free up time for leisure activities." The digital infrastructure will also be used to manage energy production and consumption, as well as communal spaces cultivated for local food production.

Image courtesy of UNStudio

“For the H1 masterplan we have aimed to create the ultimate contemporary 10-minute city, where the daily life experience of the residents is the top priority,” explained UNStudio founder Ben va...

Foster + Partners master plan for Atlanta’s Centennial Yards revealed

2021-07-30T13:21:00-04:00

Foster + Partners has unveiled details of their master plan for the Centennial Yards site in Downtown Atlanta. Designed in collaboration with Perkins+Will, the project forms part of a $5 billion transformation of former parking lots and railyards into a regenerated mixed-use development.

The scheme evolved from a close study of the historic city grid for Atlanta and surrounding neighborhoods, with the goal of creating a walkable urban environment that celebrates outdoor life. The new updated plan, shaped by previous consultation exercises, increases the walkability of the urban environment and seeks to blend in style and scale with adjacent communities.

Image: Foster + Partners

The design team describes the new pedestrianized routes, shared surfaces, and landscaped plazas as “a vibrant public realm that can accommodate a broad range of experiences and opportunities, while providing outdoor gathering spaces for all Atlantans.” The complete scheme will host a variety of functions w...

Foster + Partners unveils health-centered masterplan for Bangkok

2021-05-20T12:49:00-04:00

Foster + Partners has unveiled plans for a residential-led masterplan on the outskirts of Bangkok. Named “The Forestias,” the masterplan seeks to address the growing disconnect between contemporary city life and family traditions, while also placing an emphasis on health, wellbeing, smart infrastructure, and a connection with nature. The masterplan therefore features elements such as a large central forest, a variety of multi-generational family co-living, and provisions for autonomous vehicles, smart meters, and sensor networks.

The Forestias is divided into two zones: a northern area defined by civic-level public functions, and a southern zone dedicated primarily to residential developments. A forest sits at the center of the masterplan, linking the two urban zones while embodying the development’s vision; a positive, harmonious relationship between the built and natural environment. The forest is anchored by a central Forest Pavilion, serving as an “experience center” with immers...

BIG, Kengo Kuma, and Studio Gang tapped for Westbank's San Jose masterplan

2021-05-06T11:42:00-04:00

Vancouver-based developer Westbank has unveiled plans for a collection of mixed-use projects in downtown San Jose, California. The development will feature six new or renovated buildings by leading architects including Kengo Kuma and Associates, Bjarke Ingels Group, Studio Gang, James K.M. Cheng Architects, and WRNS Studio. The buildings within the Silicon Valley initiative will combine to deliver 700 new residences and 5 million square feet of workspace, in what Westbank sees as an effort to “inspire the next generation of innovators by creating a healthier, more beautiful community.”

While blending a variety of architectural forms, the six projects are linked by an effort to respond to the climate crisis, with each building targeting deep carbon reductions for both operational and embodied carbon. “What we are proposing is a collection of net zero life cycle carbon buildings adjacent to inspiring residential,” says Westbank. “We propose workspace that merges nature and office spac...

Toyota and BIG's 'Woven City' project breaks ground in Japan

2021-03-01T14:16:00-05:00

Early in 2020, Archinect reported on Toyota and BIG's collaborative project "Woven City." The 175-acre project aims to turn the former factory site located in the city of Susono in Shizuoka, Japan into a "revolutionary smart city." On February 24, 2021, Toyota announced that the "futuristic city" has broken ground and construction is underway.

Image of project site with iconic Mt. Fuji in the background. courtesy of Woven City Facebook page.

During the Woven City groundbreaking ceremony, Toyota President Aiko Toyoda shared, "The Woven City project officially starts today. Taking action as one has decided is never an easy task. I must express my deepest gratitude to all who have provided their whole-hearted support and cooperation to the project through today. The unwavering themes of the Woven City are 'human-centered,' 'a living laboratory' and 'ever-evolving.' Together with the support of our project partners, we will take on the challenge of creating a future where people of dive...

Construction begins for MVRDV's latest 'rocky' mixed-use tower in San Francisco

2021-02-24T14:19:00-05:00

Another project from the Rotterdam-based practice begins construction in San Francisco. MVRDV's latest mixed-use building named Building A is part of the city's new Mission Rock masterplan. The team designed a 23-story tower with undulating balconies that extend to the top of the building's western facade suggests a "rocky" exterior.

According to the firm, their tower's block-like topography was inspired by California landscapes to form a low to high rise structure, creating a canyon-like space opening into the harbor. The structure's roof terraces "complement internal amenities for the inhabitants, while the canyon is shared with people working in offices on the lower floors," shares MVRDV. "Its internal, canyon-like street is an essential part of a sequence of public spaces, extending the landscape from China Basin Park through the building itself and into the heart of the Mission Rock masterplan, connecting the different plots."

Aerial view of "Building A." Visualization © Bin...

Henning Larsen selected to redevelop Belfast waterfront

2020-07-10T14:22:00-04:00

Henning Larsen Architects has been selected to design a new 2.6-hectare redevelopment scheme for the areas surrounding a currently underutilized stretch of Belfast's River Lagan waterfront.

The project, recently approved by the Belfast City Council, will bring a mix of offices, housing, and public spaces to the district with the goal of using buildings and a "microclimate"-focused site design to drastically increase the number of weeks the area is suitable for comfortable outdoor habitation.

“We saw a truly special opportunity in this ambitious project to bring a Nordic understanding of the public realm to Belfast,” states Henning Larsen partner Jacob Kurek, adding, “From Copenhagen, we know that harbors and rivers have enormous potential to attract and activate public life in a city. River Lagan will no longer be a division in Belfast but a connection – a hub – instead.”

Renderings for the project depict a mix of glassy, mid-rise buildings with prominently detailed retail areas, ...

Gensler launches Blox, an algorithm-powered design visualization and computation tool

2020-06-16T13:49:00-04:00

Global architecture firm Gensler has launched a new digital design tool that aims to supercharge design workflows by "combining information metrics and geometry form finding."

The tool, named Blox, is part of the firm's inFORM suite of "internally developed proprietary products" created to help propel the firm's overall design capabilities. A LinkedIn post published by Joseph Joseph, Partner and Global Director, Design Technology Studio at Gensler, highlights the new technology, which was developed through the Gensler Research Institute initiative.

Joseph writes, "We believe that our craft as designers is founded on these superpowers that are innately human and irreplaceable by technology. As such, we believe that we stand to gain significantly by combining our human superpowers with compute cognition to achieve our infinite possibilities thus elevating our value to a much higher purpose in the world."

According to the post, Blox can help designers develop massing designs that incl...

Zaha Hadid Architects' Unicorn Island masterplan in Chengdu takes shape

2020-01-21T09:00:00-05:00

Zaha Hadid Architects' 67-hectare “Unicorn Island” masterplan in Chengdu is slowly beginning to take shape with the near-completion of its first building, a start-up exhibition and conference center.

The masterplan's catchy name “Unicorn Island” might make it sound like some sort of utopian theme park at first, but the name is a reference to the multitude of $1 billion-worth “unicorn” tech start-up companies that operate in China.

Aerial view of Unicorn Island masterplan. Rendering: Zaha Hadid Architects & Negativ.

Located in Chengdu's evolving Tianfu New Area, the mixed-use project will provide living and working environments designed to enhance the well-being of some 70,000 researchers, office staff, residents, and visitors, according to ZHA.

Rendering: MIR.

Its design was influenced by the region's historic natural engineering projects, like the nearby UNESCO-designated Dujiangyan irrigation system and the contemporary hydraulic engineering that is re-establishing T...

BIG and Toyota unveil 175-acre “Woven City” in Japan that tests out the future of urban mobility

2020-01-07T16:39:00-05:00

BIG has drawn up the masterplan for the “Toyota Woven City”, which will transform a 175-acre former factory site in the city of Susono in Shizuoka into a new smart city that will be fully “dedicated to the advancement of all aspects of mobility”. Bjarke Ingels and Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda presented the prototype town at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas yesterday.

Currently scheduled to break ground in early 2021, the multi-phase project features a flexible network of streets dedicated to various speeds of mobility, which allows for safer, pedestrian-friendly connections, BIG says. It will also incorporate solar energy, geothermal energy, and hydrogen fuel cell technology. Plus, the city's hidden infrastructure will include a goods delivery network called the “matternet”.

Woven City splits the typical road into three street types. The first is a street optimized for faster automated vehicles, with logistical traffic underneath.

Credit: BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group.

Credit: BIG |...

3XN to design new arena in the heart of richly historic Bergen, Norway

2018-08-31T20:22:00-04:00

3XN was put in charge of designing a new arena and masterplan in Norway's historic port city of Bergen. Located in central Bergen's Nygardstangen district, the arena will be a catalyst to revamp the area, which has long been disconnected with the rest of the city and its waterfront.

Nygårdstangen Utvikling — a consortium comprising of Olav Thon, EDG Property, and Rexir — appointed 3XN for the project. The Copenhagen-based firm will work with GXN and Arup on a design that will revive the area while remain considerate of its historic surroundings and UNESCO heritage sites. Opus Bergen will lead a feasibility study of the area.

Image courtesy of 3XN.

3XN hasn't revealed too many project details and only a few renderings, but so far, the urban arena masterplan will include new housing, hotel, cinema, and a police academy, and will connect to surrounding districts via public plazas and vibrant street scapes.

“In developing this new arena, we considered the character...

MVRDV to masterplan new Hyde Park urban district near Amsterdam

2018-07-24T13:43:00-04:00

MVRDV's urban vision for the new Hyde Park district near Amsterdam has been given the green light by the municipality of Haarlemmermeer. Currently occupied by a desolate office park, the area will be transformed into a vibrant residential area with thousands of new dwellings and commercial facilities. The Dutch firm has recruited several architecture firms such as Barcode, Team V, MVSA, Manuelle Gautrand and Studio Nine Dots to aid in the development of blocks and public space design.

Each avenue will have its own character, while the main street will become a tree-lined commercial area promoting cycling, walking, and socializing. Residential buildings will all have sound-proof indoor gardens. Bites in the buildings will allow for maximum sunlight and park views, helping achieve a new green district for the city. Furthermore, for the sake of diversity, the blocks have been divided into various 'Hoofddorp houses'.

The masterplan contributes to upgrading the neighborhood into a future...

The Berggruen Institute unveils Herzog & de Meuron's masterplan for new Scholars' Campus in L.A.

2017-08-24T14:20:00-04:00

Plans for The Berggruen Institute's new Scholars' Campus in Los Angeles are shaping up. Most recently, the Institute unveiled the project masterplan designed by Herzog & de Meuron, who is working in collaboration with Michel Desvigne Paysagiste and Inessa Hansch Architecte, and executive architect Gensler.

Atop the Santa Monica Mountains, the linear masterplan aims to respond to the Institute's desire to respect and restore the landscape of its 447-acre site, as well as create a private educational forum for top scholars and thought leaders to interact. The plan also calls for preserving approximately 415 of the 447 acres for open space.

The main feature of the plan is a horizontal, rectangular building dubbed as the Frame, which, from afar, appears to float above the site. Hovering at 12 feet above the ground, the single-story Frame contains a large, central courtyard garden that shows off views of the surrounding landscape. Inside, the bu...

BIG's Cactus Towers to join Dorte Mandrup's urban IKEA masterplan in Copenhagen

2017-08-15T18:04:00-04:00

Bjarke Ingels Group recently unveiled the renderings for two hexagonal “Cactus Towers”, as part of a 74,000 square-meter masterplan in Copenhagen that fellow Danish practice Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter is in charge of designing. The project will be built in the Vesterbro district at the Kalvebod Brygge waterfront.

Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter's urban IKEA masterplan, which includes BIG's Cactus Towers (upper left corner). Rendering: Luxigon.

BIG's residential towers, standing at 60 and 80 meters tall, will have 500 compact “youth rooms” with an average size of 30m2 as well as balconies and terraces on each story. The project gets its name from the towers' rotating hexagonal cores, which form a distinctly “spiky” silhouette. According to Magasinet KBH, the towers are BIG's first residential project in Copenhagen since their acclaimed Ørestad projects, which include the 8 House.

Image courtesy of BIG.

The Cactus Towers will over...

Facebook and OMA New York to collaborate on mixed-use masterplan in Menlo Park

2017-07-07T13:09:00-04:00

Facebook announced today that it has partnered with OMA to design the masterplan for Willow Campus, a mixed-use neighborhood adjacent to their existing headquarters in Menlo Park.

"The first official step will be the filing of our plan with Menlo Park in July 2017. We will begin more formal conversations with local government officials and community organizations over the course of the review process, which we expect to last approximately two years."—writes John Tenales, VP Global Facilities and Real Estate. "We envision construction will follow in phases, with the first to include the grocery, retail, housing and office completed in early 2021, and subsequent phases will take two years each to complete."

Facebook also plans on building 1,500 units of housing on the campus, 15% of which will be offered at below market rates to mitigate traffic impacts from growth. "These efforts complement our ongoing work to address the issue, including the Catalyst Housing Fund for affordable ho...

OMA mixes historic renovation with new construction in the masterplan for Columbia Circle in Shanghai

2017-04-03T13:55:00-04:00

OMA has designed a new masterplan for Columbia Circle in Shanghai. A historically-rich area, Columbia Circle includes preserved colonial-era monuments as well as former industrial buildings. Located on a 4.7 hectare compound, the new master plan is the first urban renewal project in the city center by the Chinese real estate developer Vanke.

The site includes the Columbia Country Club, which was designed by the American architect Elliott Hazzard in the 1920s, as well as a villa designed by the Hungarian architect László Hudec in 1930, which was owned by Sun Ke, the son of Sun Yat-sen. Later, the latter building became a research campus owned by the Shanghai Institute of Biological Products.

In line with many other recent projects by OMA, the Columbia Circle Masterplan involves a mix of transforming existing buildings and building new ones. Intended to house a range of programs from business spaces to hotels and cultural venues, the mixed use development will also include outdoor space...

OMA to design major masterplan for Feyernood City in Rotterdam

2016-12-01T13:16:00-05:00

Rotterdam is the hometown and European headquarters of OMA and has many significant buildings by the firm. Now, it’s set to get a new major project. The Mayor and Aldermen of the city just approved a major new masterplan for Feyernoord City, home of the Feyenoord football team. Sited next to the Maas river in Rotterdam-Zuid, the plan includes a new stadium for the team alongside a redevelopment of the neighborhood and the existing stadium, De Kuip.

According to a press release, the 63,000 seat stadium will be the “landmark of Feyenoord City” and a catalyst for future development. The old stadium will be converted into apartments, commercial space and an athletics sports center. An 800m long boulevard, dubbed the Strip, will connect the former stadium to the new one. Additionally, the masterplan includes an 89,000 square meter park and 700 new residential unites.

“With the development of Feyenoord City, OMA contributes to the next phase of development for the city of Rotterdam, our hom...

Transforming the Bao'an G107 into a multi-modal “organic highway”

2016-08-04T19:12:00-04:00

[T]he city of Bao'an in Shenzhen is setting its sights on revamping the 30 kilometer, 12-lane G107 highway...By rethinking the notion of a highway and envisioned with a series of utopian-like renderings, [Avoid Obvious Architects + Tetra Architects & Planners] proposed “a smaller, more fluid, multi-layered thoroughfare that will be a spectacular starting point of growth for an organic smart city.”

Here's a preview of their proposal:

Find more of the project on Bustler. You can also watch the video below.

What's happening with Frank Gehry's masterplan for the LA River?

2016-06-20T17:44:00-04:00

River LA is less interested in giving a clear picture of what Gehry’s plan eventually may include than in tamping down charges that it has been born of secrecy — and worries that it may operate as a Trojan horse, a kind of high-design architectural cover, for rampant real-estate speculation [...] A central goal of this master plan... will be to strike an effective balance between maintaining flood-control measures while opening up the river to new kinds of public access.

The two designers from Gehry's office leading research on the River's masterplan, Tensho Takemori and Anand Devarajan, emphasize that the approach now is about learning, not designing: “This is just meant to be information,” said Takemori. “There’s no designs, no proposals or anything like that.” Devarajan adds, “We’ve tried to take an inform-ourselves approach before we make any decisions about what’s right and what’s wrong.”

While nothing close to an official proposal has yet been discussed by River LA (formerly known as Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation), Christopher Hawthorne does interpret information from their website as hints about what might lie in store for the River:

One section, “Water Recharge,” suggests that by redesigning the river to capture more storm water — directing it to aquifers rather than allowing it to flow via the river out to sea — the region could decrease its reliance on water imported from other parts of California and the Western U.S. by as mu...