Archinect - News

Pioneering UC Berkeley professor Sim Van der Ryn dies aged 89

2024-11-18T16:06:00-05:00

Dutch architect Sim Van der Ryn, a pioneer of green architecture and a longtime professor at the UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design, has died at age 89 according to the San Francisco Chronicle. He will be remembered for his experimental teaching methods and approach to designing buildings as ecological systems, both of which later became widely accepted as either field looked to embrace sustainability as its new baseline standard.

Van der Ryn's memorial page on the CED's website also credits his work with Murray Silverstein as leading the way for post-occupancy user studies. Dean Renee Y. Chow added her own context to his legacy at the school, saying: "Sim was one of the people who laid the foundation for CED’s ongoing commitment to resilience and environmental equity. He was focused on how to build in environmentally friendly, energy-efficient, socially just ways long before 'sustainability' was even a term in the architectural lexicon. His influence, on Berkeley and beyo...

Zero-carbon Forbes International Tower, designed by AS+GG Architecture, proposed for Egypt's new capital

2023-02-02T15:34:00-05:00

Forbes and Egyptian real estate development company Magnom Properties have announced plans to construct a 55-story zero-carbon commercial tower in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital outside of Cairo. Called the Forbes International Tower, this marks the first time the media giant has branded a commercial tower. Its design is led by Chicago-based Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.

The partnership was announced on the concluding day of the recent Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, where world leaders and experts discussed the need for sustainable climate solutions in urban development. A Memorandum of Understanding to develop the project was signed by the Group Chairman of Rawabi Holding and Chairman of Magnom Properties, Abdulaziz Al Turki, and Forbes CEO, Mike Federle.

“Cities play a critical role in our race to reach net zero and buildings, which are responsible for up t...

Scotland will mandate passive house standards for all new social housing starts by 2024

2022-12-29T09:00:00-05:00

New legislation aimed at enacting a countrywide mandate for the use of passive house design standards in all new housing developments is gaining traction in Scotland after Labour MSP Alex Rowley’s bill was endorsed by the national government earlier this month.

The new Domestic Building Environmental Standards (Scotland) Bill will now be fast-tracked through secondary legislation in order to be fully enacted by the end of 2024, according to a letter sent to Rowley by Scotland’s Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings Patrick Harvie.

In a statement, the UK’s Passivhaus Trust said: “It is a truly forward-thinking approach by the Scottish government and a positive response to the 2021 Scottish Climate Assembly recommendations. They are to be applauded for taking this crucial step towards meeting their net zero/climate emergency goals. Now we must ensure that the bill is well developed and implemented to deliver the greatest impact on the actual performance of new homes in Scotland.”

Related...

Laguarda.Low Architects designs verdant mixed-use park in Shenzhen

2021-08-26T14:48:00-04:00

New York-based Laguarda.Low Architects has designed a sprawling 128-acre, mixed-use park in Shenzhen that aims to restore the city’s Bao’an district “to its former high level of livability.”

The OCT OH Bay Waterfront Retail Park, which opened in February of this year, joins the new Shenzhen International Airport, new government headquarters, and cultural facilities. The park is on a three-quarter-mile waterfront site, split into four primary zones: east and west waterfront retail park, urban business center, and Waterfront Cultural Park. A natural landscape intertwines with the built settings, dissected by pedestrian paths.

Entertainment venues, leisure facilities, and a performing arts center are all featured, emanating from an expansive open-air plaza. An abundance of natural light and “choreographed circulation,” as stated by the architects, redefine the traditional shopping experience.

The urban business center features terraced office buildings and a hotel that provide views ...

Futuristic tower proposed for Roosevelt Island is 2,400 feet and covered in 10,000+ plants

2020-09-23T18:55:00-04:00

In response to the idea of the “city of tomorrow,” one that will become carbon neutral by 2050, French architecture firm Rescubika created a proposal for a 2,418-foot tower on Roosevelt Island. With wood construction materials, 36 wind turbines, 8,300 shrubs, 1,600 tress, 83,000 square feet of plant walls, and nearly 23,000 square feet of solar panels, it would be the world’s tallest “carbon sink” tower–one that absorbs more CO2 than it releases.

Foster + Partners publishes a sustainability manifesto at COP25

2019-12-06T18:00:00-05:00

London-based architecture practice Foster + Partners recently announced its goal to "outline a holistic sustainable approach" towards its projects as a way to measure "embodied and operational carbon in each project." Aiming to use their international stature and design prowess to catalyze the awareness and application of sustainable design principles, the firm outlines their commitment to the goals of the Paris Agreement below.

"Over the last five years, drawing on the practice’s experience, expertise and in collaboration with others, Foster + Partners has created a unique system that can effectively determine carbon emissions at every project stage. This process gives greater insight into the different aspects that affect the environmental impact of a project and provides tools to mitigate and lower their carbon content.

As part of the COP25, the practice has been invited to present this methodology and tools by UNFCCC, UN Environment and the European Commission at their respectiv...

Is Singapore really the greenest city in Asia?

2019-07-12T14:49:00-04:00

It's a small, dense, island nation where 100% of the population is urbanized. And yet, the city-state of Singapore is the greenest city in Asia, according to the Green City Index, and arguably has few competitors in the rest of the world. As Singapore's population and economy grew, so did its green cover: it was about 36% in the 1980s and it now stands at 47%, according to the Center for Liveable cities.

Becoming one of the "must-see" places in the world, Singapore has created a name for itself amongst travelers. Even Hollywood has already capitalized on the nation's likability and illustrious cityscape thanks to the top-grossing film, Crazy Rich Asians. However, beyond the food and Instagramable sites, what can other cities, urban planners, and architects learn from Singapore's urbanized infrastructure?

Singapore: Flower Dome and Cloud Forest in The Gardens by the Bay. Image © CEphoto, Uwe Aranas

In a CNN travel piece written by Meera Senthilingam, she explains, "while the word "green" can take on a variety of connotations, Singapore appears to encompass them all -- lush environments, renewable energy, and future sustainability." The Singapore Green Buildings Council (SGBC) does not take sustainability lightly. Although the city-state is budding with lush greenery, we must note the city's lack of natural resources. However, where it lacks in natural resources, it makes up for in env...

The Amazon Spheres get reviewed

2019-05-01T11:03:00-04:00

The buildings, which resemble glass jars, preserve an image of Amazon’s supposed benevolence as a company and an image of neoliberal capital as growth, as opposed to absence and austerity... Amazon’s decision to abandon plans for its New York–based HQ2 still fresh in everyone’s mind, it’s hard to see The Spheres as anything but an oversized swear jar brimming with half-hearted promises and watery intensions.

Though the greenhouse is one of the oldest building types, its conflation with the office building types in the 20th century was still regarded as a wondrous spectacle. Kevin Roche's Ford Foundation building, for example, was a marvelous example of the combination of corporate modernism and biphilic design when it was completed in 1967 - so much so, in fact, that it inspired a number of imitators.

Amazon Spheres, by NBBJ.

One such imitator is NBBJ's Amazon Spheres, completed in Seattle, Washington last year. For the Los Angeles Review of Books, Sheila Liming reflects on how the interiors of the famed spheres are designed to appear lush, open and airy to render labor invisible (or, at least, to 'beautify' labor). "While I saw plenty of plants and waterfalls and tropical fish, plus the occasional latte," Liming writes, "I didn’t see a lot of work happening, including the work of tending and maintaining the plants, which must be substantial in order for the space to function and look i...

Researchers propose concrete mixed with plastic for India's rapid construction

2018-09-19T16:28:00-04:00

Researchers say India could alleviate its growing shortage of sand, which is needed for concrete, by partially replacing it with waste plastic. Research carried out by the University of Bath in the UK, and India’s Goa Engineering College, has found that concrete made with an admixture of ground-up plastic bottles is almost as strong as traditional concrete mixtures.

With India's rapid urbanization, concrete construction has dramatically increased causing a shortage in the country's sand used to make the building material. Mixing in plastic bottles focuses on solving both the issue of a sand shortage and the accumulation plastic waste on the streets. While the plastic added material is not as strong as concrete, it could still be used for lower tech functions such as paving slabs.

New European hyperloop proposed running from Amsterdam to Frankfurt

2018-09-14T13:07:00-04:00

The UNStudio Futures Team (UNSFutures) recently announced plans for a 'Station of the Future' at the first edition of HyperSummit. Organized by Hardt Hyperloop, the summit took place in Utrecht, Netherlands focusing on urgency, research, and collaboration to realize a European hyperloop.

'Station of the Future' from Amsterdam to Frankfurt by UNSFutures © Plompmozes

The proposed hyperloop will run from Amsterdam to Frankfurt in 53 minutes. Using technology powered by solar panels, the hyperloop will produce no sound or environmental emissions and can provide the necessary energy to power itself.

'Station of the Future' modular diagram © UNStudio

The station has been envisioned as a series of tessellating components which can adapt to a range of possible contexts: city-centre, edge of city or adjoining an existing infrastructure hub, such as an airport.

Seattle architecture professionals identify 5 residential trends

2018-09-13T15:11:00-04:00

As with every single other thing about Seattle, there’ve been some developments in residential design since 2008 [...] Here are five opportunities, in the form of developments in residential architecture over the past 10 years as identified — and expressed — by some plugged-in visionaries.

The Seattle Times tracked 5 developments in residential design addressing housing issues in the city. For each trend they spoke with an architecture professional working in the field. Below are Seattle's identified trends and some of the visionaries addressing them:

1. Multifamily Housing Moves Thoughtfully into Single-Family Neighborhood
-Mary Johnston of Johnston Architects
The Potential of the Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit
-Robert Hutchinson of Robert Hutchison Architecture
Modern Modular Housing
-Rick Mohler of Mohler + Ghillino Architects
High-End Design in High-Rise Apartments
-Olson Kundig Architects and Ankrom Moisan Architecture
Greener is the New Green
-Leah Missik of Built Green

UNStudio's Ellipsicoon Pavilion is the latest in the Revolution Precrafted series

2018-05-25T15:08:00-04:00

UNStudio's Ellipsicoon was designed by Ben Van Berkel and created as part of the Revolution Precrafted pavilion series, focusing on collectible structures whose wide variety of functions are designed to complement existing spaces.

Ellipsicoon by UNStudio. Image: Revolution Precrafted.

This space offers a tranquil environment for either solitary moments of rest, reading or contemplation, or a cocoon-like theatre for conversation and communication.

Ellipsicoon by UNStudio. Image: Revolution Precrafted.

Designed and developed digitally, then handwoven by highly skilled craftsmen, the continuous sculptural surface of the pavilion is constructed from strands of 100% recyclable high-density polyethylene (HDPE).

Ellipsicoon by UNStudio. Image: Revolution Precrafted.

The curved sides of the structure taper inwards as they rise, enabling the rounded openings to facilitate moments of being simultaneously both inside and outside.

Ellipsicoon by UNStudio. Image: Revolution Precrafted.

Upon crossi...

ZGF Architects tops 2016's Architect 50 "top firms of the year"

2016-09-08T12:35:00-04:00

Beating out SOM and Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the Portland-based firm ZGF Architects has taken the number one spot in Architect Magazine's annual ranking of the fifty best architectural firms. The ranking, which evaluates firms using the criteria of Business, Sustainability, and Design, listed William Rawn Associates as achieving the highest score in business, while Marlon Blackwell Architects nabbed the highest design ranking.

ZGF, which had the highest sustainability score, is known chiefly for its healthcare and hospitality buildings, including the Federal Center South Building 1202, which won the AIA COTE 2015 Top Ten Plus Award. Since its founding, the firm has added five additional offices in the U.S. and Canada, all of which follow a design philosophy that "is centered on the premise that design excellence should be reflected in each and every aspect of a building—its fit with the community, its function and relationship to its users, its building systems, and i...

UGC Wants to Put a Stop to 'High Cholesterol' Glass Towers

2014-07-15T16:38:00-04:00

The Urban Green Council, which calls these glass towers “high cholesterol buildings,” published a report earlier this month, which asserts that high energy use associated with the use of clear glass degrades air quality and exacerbates global warming... the Council is urging for the reduction of transparent glass, replaced with heavily insulated solid walls or highly advanced glass facades that would be more expensive.

Win "A Place in the Sun: Green Living and the Solar Home"

2014-07-09T14:21:00-04:00

Need some ideas for designing a solar home or to make your space a little greener? "A Place in the Sun: Green Living and the Solar Home" could be a helpful guide -- and Archinect is giving away 5 copies to our readers.

Released this past April, the 228-page hardcover book by green-living writer and advocate Stephen Snyder includes an intro by John Hix of John Hix Architect Studios, over 200 color illustrations, and 28 featured profiles on green residences.

To enter this random drawing, fill out this survey by midnight Friday, July 11. Winners will be selected at random. Good luck!

Here's more detail into the book:

"The book vividly demonstrates that living green does not have to mean sacrificing comfort and living with less...Snyder demonstrates that the new solar home is also the new energy-efficient home, the new geothermal home, the new rainwater-harvesting home, and even the new recycled home. This generation of sustainable residences applies earth-friendly techniques throughout—in ...

Harvest Dome 2.0 is finally afloat

2013-08-05T17:39:00-04:00

After two years of steadfast trial and inevitable error, Harvest Dome 2.0 was finally docked into the Harlem River at the Inwood Hill Park Inlet in New York during its debut last week.

Created by husband-and-wife team Amanda Schachter and Alexander Levi of SLO Architecture, the first Harvest Dome crashed into Rikers Island where it was later destroyed by NYC's Department of Correction in October 2011. Without losing hope, Schachter and Levi launched a Kickstarter fund we helped promote last year to build Harvest Dome 2.0. And to their success, they raised $7,596 out of their $7,500 minimum goal.

The cactus-like 24-foot-diameter orb was built entirely out of over 400 disposed umbrella skeletons collected around NYC and a ring of 128 two-liter soda bottles to keep it afloat. A bright addition to Harvest Dome 2.0 is the LED lights inserted into each bottle to create a glowing halo that illuminates the river at night.

The dome was built as an artistic representation of NYC'...

Jeanne Gang and the Greening of Chicago

2013-01-25T12:31:00-05:00

Among Gang’s intentions is to invite a “more wild version” of nature into cities, using what she refers to as “green infrastructure” to support and enhance urban landscapes. “Nature as we see it in cities is created, it’s man-made, it’s redesigned in a certain sense,” says Gang. “I think it’s important not for romantic reasons, but for practical and experiential reasons, to extend biodiversity within the ecosystem.”

Living Art: The Rise Of The Vertical Gardens

2013-01-07T00:34:00-05:00

A growing number of small urban spaces are creating landscaped gardens that stretch beyond floor pots, with greenery growing upwards along walls and fences. This new trend toward ‘vertical gardens’ is renewing apartments, offices and restaurants inviting greenery to flourish in small spaces.

Frank Harmon Wins Honor Award for AIA NC Center for Architecture and Design

2012-11-28T16:59:00-05:00

November 28, 2012 (Raleigh, NC) – Frank Harmon Architect PA, a multi-award-winning firm in Raleigh, NC, has received an Honor Award from the North Carolina Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA NC) for the design of the new AIA NC Center for Architecture and Design in downtown Raleigh.

Already praised by the media as a “heroic gesture” (Metro Magazine), a building “that behaves like the skilled diplomat it was designed to be,” (News & Observer), and “an ode in zinc and cypress, and an inviting treatise on transparency,” (Huffington Post), the building is located on an oddly shaped, previously unused lot in downtown Raleigh near the State Capitol and Government Complex.

According to Frank Harmon, FAIA, the building and landscape were conceived of as “one interlocking system” with the help of Charlottesville, VA, landscape architect Gregg Bleam, FASLA. “The landscape is an extension of the building and the building is an extension of the landscape,” Harmon said. ...

SFO Terminal 2 is the First U.S. Airport to Achieve LEED Gold Certification

2011-12-08T12:47:00-05:00

With innovative mechanical systems, natural daylighting, clear signage and a variety of behind the scenes sustainability strategies, San Francisco International Airport's Terminal 2 has become a destination unto itself. And the LEED Gold certification? Well, that's just an added bonus.

San Francisco's Terminal 2 just became the first airport in the United States to achieve LEED Gold certification, and Inhabitat hit the scene yesterday to bring you exclusive photos of the airy, energy-efficient building renovated by Gensler.

Ginger Group Unveils Plan to Transform the Eiffel Tower Into a Gigantic Tree

2011-12-01T14:59:31-05:00

A group of consultants in Paris has hatched a plan to turn the Eiffel Tower into a giant tree by covering it with 600,000 plants. Their dream is to literally plant the 324 meter tall aesthetic symbol of Paris with 12 tons of rubber tubing, and gradually add bags planted with greenery all over.

Africa's First Plastic Bottle House Rises in Nigeria

2011-11-07T15:07:21-05:00

The Development Association for Renewable Energies (DARE) – an NGO based in Nigeria – is almost finished with an incredible two-bedroom bungalow entirely out of plastic bottles. Although many in Kaduna were dubious when the project began construction in June this year, the nearly-complete home is bullet and fireproof, earthquake resistant, and maintains a comfortable interior temperature of 64 degrees fahrenheit year round.

Mexico City to Build the World's Largest Urban Park

2011-08-16T14:35:10-04:00

Leading Mexican architect and landscape urbanist Iñaki Echeverria just unveiled his newest project which when completed, will be the largest urban park in the world. Dubbed El Parque Ecologico Lago de Texcoco (Texcoco Lake Ecological Park), the wide, open development will encompass more than 35,000 acres of space – which is 41 times larger than New York’s Central Park.

$1.5 Billion Star Trek Theme Park Announced for Jordan

2011-08-12T16:47:56-04:00

King Abdullah of Jordan, who was once an extra in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager, has given the green light to a $1.5 billion Star Trek-inspired theme park that will boldly take Jordan where no Gulf state has gone before. While the theme park will not be powered by dilithium crystals, it will utilize green technology in order to lower its carbon footprint.

UPDATE: Hanin Fakhriddin, IP & Brand Protection Manager at Rubicon Group, one of the creators behind the theme park, just contacted us from Amman, Jordan and pointed out that "the Theme Park is not a Star Trek Theme Park, nor a theme park revolving around Star Trek. It will be dedicated to our region’s history and culture. A section of the park will be dedicated to the future, and this is where the Star Trek attraction will be."

Renzo Piano Unveils Green-Roofed Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center for Athens

2011-07-06T14:52:00-04:00

Renzo Piano recently unveiled plans for a new waterfront cultural center and urban park in Athens that includes a massive opera house and a library that is directly connected to the park by a sloping green roof. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center will also incorporate several sustainable technologies with the hope of attaining LEED Platinum certification.

Diawa Lease Unveils Solar-Powered Transforming EDV-01 Prefab

2011-06-23T15:44:47-04:00

Diawa Lease just sent Inhabitat the first photos of their new transforming EDV-1 shelter, which can be set on any terrain, doubles in size with the flick of a switch, and can sustain itself without any outside resources for up to a month by catching and reusing water and generating electricity with a huge built-in solar array.

Diawa Lease just unveiled its solar-powered EDV-1 emergency shelter, which doubles in size with the flick of a switch and features a luminous LED facade.

A First Look at Section 2 of New York's High Line Park

2011-06-07T16:11:28-04:00

The High Line, New York City’s most exciting and innovative linear park, just opened its second section to the public – and Inhabitat was on the scene to bring you exclusive photos of the new extension! We finally experienced the Falcone Flyover, Viewing Spur, Chelsea Thicket and other exciting new features, and we descended from the experienced with our heads still in the clouds – read on for our exclusive first look at The High Line, Section 2.

Inhabitat has exclusive photos of the opening day of New York's high line park - hit the jump to see the new park in its entirety - from the Chelsea Thicket to the Falcone Flyover and beyond.

World’s First Solar-Powered Floating Island Opens in Seoul

2011-05-31T18:16:28-04:00

The citizens living off the Han River in Seoul, South Korea inaugurated the world’s largest floating island just last week. The stunning structure includes a 700 seat convention hall, restaurants and arcades — all powered by solar energy. When the development is completed, a trio of islands will be linked together by twenty-three weather-proof chains.

Recycled Airplane Restaurant Serves up First Class Meals in Zurich

2011-05-26T14:19:18-04:00

This retired Soviet Iluyshin IL-14 plane has found new life as an incredible restaurant and bar in Zurich, Switzerland. The vintage plane and its hangar, located across from the Zurich International Airport, have been converted into a unique dining experience, called Runway 34. The aviation-themed restaurant offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy meals, stiff cocktails, cappuccino and cigars inside the renovated aircraft and its environs.

Olafur Eliasson's Harpa Concert Hall Opens in Reykjavik

2011-05-20T14:15:00-04:00

The new glass Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik is finally complete, opening for business this month. Designed by jack-of-all-trades Olafur Eliasson and Henning Larsen Architects, the project started construction last year right after Iceland’s economy tanked, but has proven itself to be a beacon of the promised recovery. The glittering hall mimics basalt crystals which are indigenous to Iceland.