1. Welcome the future of commerce with Zaha Hadid at China’s new Silk Road
Zaha Hadid Architects will build the new Daxia Tower at the centre of the city’s thriving development zone, announced Daxia Group in Xi’an. One of China’s largest inland cities with its population approaching nine million people, Xi’an was the country’s ancient capital and historic eastern gateway of the Silk Road. In recent years, supported by national and local government initiatives as well as the city’s many acclaimed universities and research institutions, Xi’an has developed a flourishing technology ecosystem attracting leading domestic and international corporations. The city has become a major hub for new technologies that include semiconductor manufacturing, robotics, aerospace and bio-pharmaceuticals. Read more here.
2. Chart 7 million commercial sq ft in Surat with #iGenWinner Abhishek Arora of morphogenesis
Projected to be one of the world’s largest single office buildings, Surat Diamond Bourse is an iconic project by iGen 2023 Winner Abhishek Arora of morphogenesis with a virtually consolidated built up area of nearly 70 lakh square feet. Situated within the 2000 acre DREAM city, this is a high rise complex with landmark buildings that include office complexes, exhibition complex, customs house etc. housing approx. 45,000 people. The architecture, for this development in a hot and humid climate , integrated active and passive design strategies have been adopted to approach the Green Building concept to achieve IGBC Platinum Rating. Read more here.
3. Change China’s mixed-use landscape with Foster+Partners
1 Nanjing Road is Foster + Partners’ first project in Qingdao, a major seaport and financial centre in the eastern Shandong Province of China. Located in the city’s southern district, the mixed-use development is carefully stitched into the urban fabric and acts as a catalyst for renewal. The project aspires to three-star green building certification, LEED V4 and WELL V2. Gerard Evenden, Head of Studio, said: “We are delighted to be working on the practice’s first project in Qingdao. Our tower on Nanjing Road contains high quality office space, a three-storey clubhouse and luxury apartments on the upper levels. At its base, a retail podium, landscaped garden and art gallery create a vibrant pedestrianised public realm and a new thoroughfare to the sea.” Read more here.
4. Olson Kundig completes Noah’s ark-informed children’s museum in Berlin
ANOHA is populated by more than 150 sculptural animals, each created from found objects by a team of 18 Berlin artists. This approach encourages children to consider the importance of recycling and adaptive re-use, while supporting ANOHA’s core philosophy of creativity and imagination. The tactile nature of these sculptural objects and the sense of playful discovery as children recognize the familiar materials used to make them further serve to highlight the importance of respecting, treasuring, and conserving global resources. Interactive exhibits placed along an intuitive visitor pathway teach children how to solve problems independently and as a group, while explorative spaces modeled after unique habitats allow children to experience the diverse perspectives of the various animals.
5. Zaha Hadid Architects bring Wuhan’s sponge city plans to life
The foundations and below-ground works of the new Taikang Financial Centre in Wuhan completed this week. Construction of the three towers within the 266,000 square metre development have now begun towards the centre’s planned completion in 2025. Informed by Wuhan’s position as a central hub of China’s information and transport networks, Taikang Financial Centre’s design is a circular composition of three interconnected towers within the Hankou Riverside Business District’s urban masterplan that integrates the Yangtze River park and wetlands to the east as well as the city’s new Central Park to the south. These new public parks are integral to Wuhan’s sponge city programme that enables the natural storage and infiltration of rainwater to slow its release and aid flood prevention while also facilitating its reuse. Read more here.
6. Valley Towers by MVRDV bridges Amsterdam’s mixed use landscape
Valley is an attempt to bring a green and human dimension back to the inhospitable office environment of Amsterdam Zuidas. It is a building with multiple faces; on the outer edges of the building is a shell of smooth mirrored glass, which fits the context of the business district. Inside this shell, the building has a completely different, more inviting natural appearance, as if the glass block has crumbled away to reveal craggy rock faces inside replete with natural stone and greenery.
7. The Cloudscape of Haikou by MAD Architects is a floating concrete library
Beginning a new book is often a moment that readers cherish: a venture into the surreal or unknown and gentle removal from everyday reality. The visiting experience of the Cloudscape is similar. The architecture enables people to approach the building removed from our familiar urban reality, and begin a new journey transcending time and space. The complexity of the cave-shaped form deconstructs the space layer by layer, offering readers a weightless field to be inhabited by their imagination.
8. Escape the NYC chaos at the Little Island by Heatherwick Studio
Little Island is a public park that shelters three new performance venues on the Hudson River. Designed as a haven for people and wildlife, it is a green oasis, held above the water by sculptural planters, and located just a short walk across a gangplank from Manhattan’s Lower West Side. Heatherwick Studio was initially invited by philanthropist Barry Diller and the Hudson River Park Trust to create a pavilion for a new pier off the southwest of Manhattan. Instead of designing a decorative object to sit in the Hudson River Park, the design team saw an opportunity to rethink what a pier could be. The starting point was not the structure, but the experience for visitors: the excitement of being over the water, the feeling of leaving the city behind and being immersed in greenery – inspired by Central Park, where it’s possible to forget that you are in the midst of the most densely populated city in the United States.
9. Urban Rural – Hybrid Habitation in the Heart of Istanbul
The American/Turkish architecture firm Eray Carbajo has unveiled Urban Rural, a new typology of urban living set to become a benchmark for future development in Istanbul, Turkey. The vision behind Urban Rural is for a hybrid model of living, combining close proximity to urban centers with the lush landscape of rural life. Challenging the status quo of typical residential typologies, the scheme will consist of modular hexagonal units with triangular gardens, forming an active façade designed to become a future landmark for the city.
10. Stay grounded at this rammed earth winery in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France
JSPA Design presents, Winery Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a multi-faceted project in a predominantly rural and agricultural area of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France. The goal of the project was to create a wine cellar, extend an existing winery to increase its production capacity, create a shop, and develop new public event spaces. The compacted earth walls, a traditional material, but with a resolutely contemporary style, allow the building to integrate perfectly into the landscape and reinforce the feeling of connection with the site. The material also offers very good thermal and acoustic insulation properties.
