Archinect - News

Living architecture: A design solution and a career choice?

2022-06-15T09:00:00-04:00

In late 2021, we covered a study by researchers at the University of Plymouth in the UK, which found that living wall systems can reduce heat lost from existing buildings by 31%.

The Plymouth study was symptomatic of a larger curiosity within architecture on the impact of integrating nature and biophilia with the built environment. In May, NASA undertook its own study to understand the potential for green roofs to lower temperatures in cities, while back in 2019, our Studio Snapshot series included a reflection by Habitat Horticulture founder David Brenner on the growing interest of living materials in architecture.

“Living walls are often considered an afterthought or a static accessory in architectural design,” Brenner told us. “Having said that, the tide seems to be shifting with proactive urban greening policies and the rise in popularity of biophilic design. I think we are only scratching the surface in understanding the impact living walls can have.”

Archinect Feature: Livin...

Biophilia: 10 new examples of nature and the built environment coexisting harmoniously

2022-04-22T07:00:00-04:00

Happy Earth Day! 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 Biophilia.

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

↑ Field Office in Portland, OR by Hacker Architects; Landscape Designer: Lango Hansen; Sustainability Consultant: YRG; Photo: Josh Partee

↑ Nanbo Bay Reception Center in Yinchuan, China; Interior Design: SUNSON Design; Photo: Kanghui Zeng

↑ Restaurante 34 in Guimarães, Portugal by REM'A; Photo: Ivo Tavares Studio

↑ Lazy House in Zlín, Czech Republic by Petr Janda / brainwork; Photo: BoysPlayNice

↑ Restaurant Terrace [ Azuma ] in Odessa, Ukraine by JK Lab Architects

↑ Wine Cave in Texas Hill Country by Clayton Korte; Photo: Casey Dunn

↑ Art Villa in Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica by Refuel works; Interiors: Fo...

Can the architecture industry deliver a carbon-neutral building revolution?

2022-04-15T18:40:00-04:00

There’s ever-growing panoply of efficiency measures — better insulation, improved heating and air-conditioning, less-polluting appliances — that could help the building sector rapidly decarbonize. By 2030, almost all new buildings could consume zero net energy — net meaning there’s some give and take from the grid to equal zero use. That’s a big deal, especially with a corollary switch to electrified forms of transportation.

The list of new green technologies is long and includes innovations like low-carbon concrete, cross-laminated timber, and living wall systems that have all developed into scalable products over the past ten years.

So far, big-name firms like Gensler, Lake|Flato, and KieranTimberlake have been among their many evangalizers, with high-profile projects like the White Arkitekter-designed Sara Cultural Centre, Arup's recently completed HAUT residential building, or the Sonoma Academy Janet Durgin Guild & Commons by WRNS Studio serving as the new standard-bearers in an industry seemingly reluctant to adopt its own rhetoric as to the need for systematic change.

The residential sector is another key area of focus if the 2030 ambit mentioned above is to ever truly become a reality. There is quite a bit of reason for hope in this area, too, with more and more governments providing fundin...

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...

Designing living walls and green roofs could be your next future-proof career move

2021-08-11T13:13:00-04:00

Exploring alternative options for building sustainability has become a critical part of the architectural design process. With climate change efforts increasing, living walls and green roofs are one of the many ways architects, landscape architects, and design professionals transform new and existing buildings.

Last week, we highlighted an opportunity to work as an Interior Architect for a Las Vegas Theatre company. This week we're profiling the North Carolina-based firm Living Roofs Inc. and their search for a Project Designer. This job position is ideal for someone looking for part-time work and passionate about horticulture and green infrastructure.

Living Roof team working on green roof that sits on top of Publix grocery story at the Smokey Hollow development in downtown Raleigh. Plant Materials Used: Native Perennials and Grasses. Image courtesy of Living Roofs Inc. via Instagram

The firm shares that their ideal candidate will help with "various drafting, graphic production, a...

North America's tallest living wall could capture 1,600 pounds of pollution annually

2020-04-23T14:28:00-04:00

Rastegar Property Company has announced plans to develop the tallest living wall installation in North America within its 26-story, 270 residential condominium tower development located in Dallas, Texas. The wall would include over 40,000 plants that are estimated to capture over 1,600 pounds of carbon dioxide and produce 1,200 pounds of oxygen annually.

"We thought about how living walls can positively influence the city of Dallas," said Zach Smith, CEO of Zauben, a Chicago-based living wall company in a statement. "We wanted to help champion the sustainability goals of the city and create an example that other forward-thinking cities can follow."

The building was designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, a Chicago-based architect. The tower's form is contoured and organic in essence and extrudes the full height of the structure. The balconies throughout the building are heavily landscaped, further promoting the living wall theme of the project.

Tadao Ando's first residential development in NYC has sold its highly anticipated penthouse for $35 Million

2017-11-09T15:25:00-05:00

Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese Architect Tadao Ando's first residential development in NYC and outside Asia, 152 Elizabeth Street, has just sold its highly anticipated duplex penthouse for $35 million. The 9,000-square-feet penthouse spans three floors and features a 4 bedroom, 4.5 bath home with an astonishing amount of private outdoor space. The home also features a number of custom details including a spiral staircase of stainless steel, stone and glass that will connect the three levels; a fireplace framed by Pietra Cardosa stone and artisan plaster; and a seamless kitchen that features a sliding countertop island by the Italian brand Minimal.

Noë & Associates with The Boundary

The penthouse also comes with an impressive 3,240-square-feet of outdoor space. The first floor of the home includes a private terrace outfitted with one of Ando's signature water walls, while the second includes a balcony off of the master suite. The third outdoor space,...

Michael Maltzan proposes greening L.A.'s 134 freeway

2016-07-07T14:13:00-04:00

Christopher Hawthorne, in keeping with his exploration of the ever evolving urban identity of Los Angeles, reached out via the L.A. Times to Michael Maltzan to see if the architect had any ideas about transforming L.A.'s freeways from noisy polluting agents into civic amenities. Maltzan has responded pro bono with an idea to place a 3/4 mile stretch of the 134 freeway into a tunnel which would not only reduce noise and annually absorb 516,000 tons of carbon dioxide, but double as a site for rooftop solar panels and vegetation walls.

Drivers in the tunnel would still be able to see their Pasadena surroundings through the lattice-like exterior, although residents near the just south of the Rose Bowl portion of the freeway would experience a significant traffic noise reduction thanks to the tunnel's acoustically insulated walls. As the L.A. Times notes, Michael Maltzan "describes the proposal, produced in collaboration with the Los Angeles office of the engineering firm Arup, as 'an env...

New renderings of Tadao Ando's living wall in Manhattan

2016-06-30T13:27:00-04:00

As luxury condominiums go, 152 Elizabeth Street displays an unusual rigor and finesse: this is not an exercise in overindulgence, but in refined balance.

With its 32,000 square feet split between seven individual residences, Tadao Ando's floor-to-celling windowed, burnished metal, poured-in-place concrete structure also features a 55' x 99' living wall with vegetation that shifts seasonally for the ideal mix of color and texture. English Ivy, Boston Ivy, Virginia Creepers, Jasmine Clematis and climbing Hydrangeas will make up this constantly evolving green wall, a blend that was picked in part by landscape firm M. Paul Friedberg and Partners.

According to a press release, "the building’s design references four primary elements - light, sound, air, and water." Sited in Manhattan's Nolita neighborhood, the design of 152 Elizabeth Street's interiors is a collaboration between Ando and Gabellini Sheppard Associates, the latter of which is serving as the architect of record.

Once likened t...