Archinect - News

UNStudio completes Booking.com City Campus HQ in Amsterdam

2023-06-28T14:39:00-04:00

A new HQ project from UNStudio for the Dutch travel site Booking.com has opened in Amsterdam, offering a dynamic central location it says will serve as a “recruitment machine” while creating a more inclusive, healthy, and socially engaging experience for the company’s 6,500 employees.

Video courtesy UNStudio on Vimeo.

Designed to maximize connectivity for its users and visitors to the campus’ Oosterdokseiland location, the nearly 700,000-square-foot plan creates a highly-visible, activities-laden consolidation of disparate office locations that, for over a decade, had been spread throughout the city.

Image: © Hufton + Crow

Anchored by a striking main building made of glass and steel and sited on a double-height plinth that creates an urban element underneath and around a cantilevered overhang, the development was influenced by years of research into comparable corporate headquarters and engenders a “platform for human activity,” the architects say.

Image: © Hufton + Crow

A network o...

UNStudio debuts K.Wah G72 mixed-use development in Nanjing

2023-04-25T13:58:00-04:00

UNStudio has just unveiled plans for another new mixed-use development project in the Chinese city of Nanjing.

Dubbed K.Wah G72, the scheme will enact what they call a “lifestyle waterfront community” space along the city’s Qinhuai River, with the new home of the UCCA Centre for Contemporary Art serving as its base surrounded by green terraces, a hotel, apartments, and office tower blocks that create a new hub for socializing and commercial activity.

Image courtesy UNStudio

Ben van Berkel, the studio’s founder and principal architect, shared: “The Nanjing K.Wah G72 mixed-use development will serve as a one-stop destination in which lifestyle, innovation and work are brought together. It aims to be a benchmark for newly integrated urban developments in Nanjing, across the country, and beyond.”

Image courtesy UNStudio

As always, UNStudio says sustainability will be the project’s central concern, adding that it will serve as a “landmark in sustainability and future-proof design in China....

UNStudio completes Shanghai Jiuguang Center, one of the city's largest retail complexes

2021-12-21T19:43:00-05:00

UNStudio, in collaboration with Nihon Sekkei, has recently completed a brand new shopping center in Shanghai. Called the Shanghai Jiuguang Center, the project merges an advanced commercial ecosystem with a human-centric, customer-friendly destination.

Nihon Sekkei was tasked with developing the outer shell of the retail center, while UNStudio took on the development of the mall as a placemaking destination for customers and the larger community. This included the design of the inner courtyard and its façades, the interior of the mall, and a public rooftop terrace. User experience was the core of UNStudio’s design, informed by looking at the various ways users could engage with different spaces and by creating curated shopping experiences.

As per the architects: “This resulted in creating a synergy between the architectural and interior design, the building scale and the human scale, the geometry and materials and the inside-outside relationship.”

The courtyard and landscape area sit...

UNStudio and Delta Light partner to create hybrid light and soundscape system focused on human wellbeing

2021-01-29T08:54:00-05:00

UNStudio and Delta Light have partnered to create Soliscape, a flexible system that allows for the personalization and customization of light and acoustic conditions in the workplace.

"The way we work, live, and relax is changing," said Ben van Berkel, founder of UNStudio. "This new hybrid world is causing architects and designers to rethink how we design our cities and buildings so that we can create places that encourage health and wellbeing. Lighting is a very crucial element in helping us to create such places."

In addition to the workplace, the system has a broad range of applications and can be used in hotels, hospitality, retail, and public spaces.

"Looking at lighting as just a basic necessity is an outdated approach," said Peter Ameloot of Delta Light, in a statement. "Work environments, in particular, require extra attention, where user-centric lighting has proven to considerably boost productivity and wellbeing. With Soliscape we even take it to the next level, not just ...

Take a tour of UNStudio's newly completed Singapore towers

2018-11-28T16:23:00-05:00

UNStudio recently completed two impressive high-rise developments in Singapore, bringing the Amsterdam-based firm's portfolio of completed buildings in the Asian city state up to four: the 36-story Ardmore Residence tower (2013), Singapore University of Technology and Design campus (2015), and now also the mixed-use V on Shenton and the residential Scotts Tower.

Check out the two new kids on the densely populated block and watch the video below for a Ben van Berkel-guided tour of all four projects.

V on Shenton

"In addition to the office and residential programmes, the dual tower building houses a number of fully integrated sky gardens which provide panoramic 360 degree views of Singapore and house a variety of amenities," explains the project description, "such as a fitness area, swimming pools and a children’s play area, with lush green vegetation providing fresher, cleaner air. These areas provide spaces for shared communal activities, or for the residents to entertain guests."

V...

UNStudio's Raffles City Hangzhou is an all-in-one destination for living, working, and leisure

2017-09-19T15:48:00-04:00

Dutch firm, UNStudio, has completed their largest single building to date—the new Raffles City mixed-use development described by the firm as "a sustainable urban hub for living, working and leisure." Back in 2009, the firm opened their Shanghai office to oversee the complex's design and construction.

Conceived as a vertical city, the structure occupies almost 400,000 square meters of space and will offer a rich mix of 24/7 functions. The two streamlined, 250-meter tall towers house residential units, Grade A offices, the Conrad Hotel and a rooftop helipad. The six-story podium and plaza, which has direct underground connection to the metro, offer retail, restaurants, leisure facilities and parking.

The design is representative of the distinctive, sinuous style the firm has become known for. The pair of winding towers, featuring an outer layer of rotated, vertical solar shading fins, placed atop the curtain wall system, starts calmly at t...

UNStudio’s Kutaisi International Airport in Georgia completed

2013-11-18T19:51:00-05:00

UNStudio recently announced another completed project this month: the Kutaisi International Airport in the Republic of Georgia. First presented to the President of Georgia in 2011, the newly built airport will provide domestic and international flights for use by international diplomats, national politicians and tourists.

Previously: Ben van Berkel / UNStudio’s Design for the new Kutaisi Airport in Georgia

Related: Tbilisi's face-lift

Photos © Nakanimamasakhlisi, courtesy of UNStudio.

UNStudio completes Ardmore Residence tower in Singapore

2013-11-15T18:04:00-05:00

UNStudio recently announced the completion of the Ardmore Residence tower in Singapore City. The building's monochromatic facade is distinctive yet it easily complements neighboring structures and location near the Orchard Road luxury shopping district. And at 36 stories high, residents are guaranteed envy-inducing panoramic views of the city.

All photos © Iwan Baan, courtesy of UNStudio.

Click here to read the full project description.

Three Architects on Their Earliest Works

2013-11-08T11:11:00-05:00

A 28-year-old Richard Meier received his first and by far most modest commission from the artist Saul Lambert back in 1962. “Lambert had purchased a very small site on the ocean, on Fire Island,” says Meier, “and said, ‘We don’t have very much money—actually, we have $9,000 to spend on the construction of this house. Could you design something for us?’ ”

UNStudio Tried Riding the Open Source Wave, but Failed

2013-10-24T13:41:00-04:00

What exactly are [UNStudio] going to share? Will it be more than just some sketches they have laying around? Could it be a big database of materials and tools? Or maybe a bucketload of failed competition entries? Unfortunately, the platform features none of this. At his very moment there are only 27 articles available (they’ve been online for 6 months now), 26 of which were written by UNStudio, and most of them are as vague and imprecise as their view on open source.

Previously on Archinect: UNStudio launches open source knowledge sharing

UNStudio Designs Giant Observation Wheel ‘Nippon Moon’ for Japan

2013-09-03T20:35:00-04:00

UNStudio is in the works of developing the Giant Observation Wheel (GOW) 'Nippon Moon' for a soon-to-be-disclosed location in Japan. Invited by Ferris Wheel Investment, the Dutch studio came up with a user-experience design strategy that balances reality and interactive technology--all while users ride in one of the wheel's 32 capsules.

UNStudio to Design Yongjia World Trade Center in Wenzhou, China

2013-07-19T19:59:00-04:00

UNStudio has recently been named winner in the Yongjia World Trade Center competition in Wenzhou, the Chinese city in the Yangtze River Delta region. The concept proposes 5 towers of various heights and programs, including office spaces, commercial areas, hospitality and residential.

uncube converses with UNStudio's Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos

2013-05-29T19:13:00-04:00

In contrast to postmodernism – to Krier but also to Tschumi and Koolhaas, who tended more toward approaching architecture through the political issues of that time – we started solely from architectural issues. We also wrote our first book about that, about how architecture itself can again be a source of fascination.

UNStudio launches open source knowledge sharing

2013-04-11T17:21:00-04:00

In June this year UNStudio will launch the new organisation of its practice as an open-source knowledge-based practice operating projects around four specialised Knowledge Platforms. As part of the reorganisation of the studio a new interactive online knowledge platform will be launched, aimed at facilitating the open exchange of knowledge, with the ultimate goal of introducing and encouraging the expansion from a collaborative to a co-creative working model for architecture.

UNStudio completes Haus am Weinberg

2012-10-16T11:34:00-04:00

UNStudio’s recently completed Haus am Weinberg, located on the outskirts of Stuttgart, affords pastoral views of the stepped terraces of an ancient hillside vineyard on one side and cityscape vistas on the other.

Whilst structurally the Haus am Weinberg and its garden landscaping reflect the strata and gradations of the nearby vineyard landscape, the true experience of the house is to be found from the inside out.

Ben van Berkel: “The Haus am Weinberg adopts a stereovisual spatial effect, acting almost as an optical instrument, whereby not a parallax view, but a parallax experience is created. Moments of parity with the surrounding landscape from inside the house form a constant experiential connection and awareness of its immediate context.”

The inner circulation, organisation of the views and the programme distribution of the house are determined by a single gesture, ‘the twist’. In the Haus am Weinberg the central twist element supports the main staircase as it ...

UNStudio Designs New UIC Building ‘V on Shenton’ in Singapore

2012-08-03T20:40:00-04:00

We have received images of Ben van Berkel / UNStudio's design for the new UIC building, ‘V on Shenton’, in the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District. The office/residential twin tower concept is scheduled for completion in 2016.

UNStudio-Designed Center for Virtual Engineering Realized + Awarded German Sustainability Prize

2012-06-22T19:11:00-04:00

Amsterdam's UNStudio has just realized its latest project, the Center for Virtual Engineering (ZVE) [...] in Stuttgart, Germany. The official opening took place this week with an opening ceremony during which the German Sustainable Building Council (DNGB) awarded the building with a Gold certification. UNStudio worked in collaboration with German firm Asplan Architekten on the architectural services for the Center.

UNStudio’s design for The Scotts Tower unveiled in Singapore

2011-12-08T13:28:00-05:00

Ben van Berkel / UNStudio has shared with us their design for The Scotts Tower in Singapore which was just unveiled yesterday. The tower will be the first development under the Far East Organisation’s new SOHO brand. Designed to conserve space whilst maximizing live/work/play areas, The Scotts Tower promises to present a new dimension of functional and flexible vertical space.

Ben van Berkel / UNStudio’s Design for the new Kutaisi Airport in Georgia

2011-11-28T15:17:00-05:00

Ben van Berkel / UNStudio's design for the new Transfer Terminal and Air Traffic Control Tower for Kutaisi Airport was officially presented last week by the President of the Republic of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili. Amsterdam-based UNStudio has designed the new Kutaisi Airport which will serve domestic and international flights for use by international diplomats, national politicians and for tourism.

Click here to also check out UNStudio's Firm Profile on Archinect.

UPDATE: UNStudio’s Kutaisi International Airport in Georgia completed

Galleria Centercity by UNStudio

2011-05-29T18:35:36-04:00

Archinect's Building of the Day series is brought to you by our friends at OpenBuildings.com, the web's most comprehensive directory of buildings.

UNStudio’s Galleria Centercity Department Store in the Korean city of Cheonan has been awarded a RIBA International Award 2011. It reclaims the social and cultural space within the private, commercial large scale department store.

The first element that catches the viewer’s eye is the striking façade. During the day the building has a monochrome reflective appearance, whilst at night soft colours are used to generate waves of coloured light across the façade.

The main architectural theme for the Galleria Cheonan is the dynamic flow.

“The most interesting thing to me about the effect of the Galleria Cheonan is that, because of the organisation of the atrium and the moiré treatment of the facade, Illusions are created which result in the seeming alteration of scales and the creation of double images. No image is permanent ...

Ben Van Berkel/UNStudio’s New Amsterdam Plein & Pavilion Opened in New York

2011-05-16T13:28:00-04:00

The New Amsterdam Plein & Pavilion at Peter Minuit Plaza has now officially opened to the public in New York City's Battery Park. The pavilion was designed by Amsterdam-based Ben Van Berkel/UNStudio in collaboration with Handel Architects LLP, New York serving as associate architect. The project's landscape was conceived by Parks Dept. Landscape Designer Gail Wittwer-Laird.