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KjellgrenKaminsky Architecture has recently unveiled an interesting project called Silent City, a project  in Tangshan China, which experienced the most devastating earthquake of the 20th century in regards to death toll.

They explain that landscapes and cities are filled with different information layers. These layers can be visible or invisible and they are built up over the years. In Tangshan, it is said the catastrophic earthquake still transcends into everyday life.

http://www.dezona.com/newsdetails.php?newsid=7141

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Mecanoo Architects have started construction on not only an eco-friendly project, but  one which is designed specifically for individuals with disabilities.

http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/06/23/mecanoos-sustainable-social-housing-in-malaga-spain/

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These modular furniture pieces are pretty nice.  They can be adapted to the size of the outdoor space and add visual impact to a plaza, etc.  One of the problems with the typical urban plaza is the sense that the space is vacant, cold and unusable.  Typical street furniture does not adapt to the scale of the space and sits there out of place.  This design helps by adapting itself to the particular space.

http://www.dailytonic.com/reef-benches-by-remy-veenhuizen/

Here is the link to Remy-Veenhuizen, the designers of this fun product.

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This design for the Kilden Performing Arts Centre in Norway is an
interesting design.  The shapes of the curves reminds one of hulls of the
giant ships and boats that pass through this area.  We also feel the
presence of the waves themselves itself lapping at the shore.  You can
almost feel this interesting space created between building and water just
from the images.  The transparent glass at the entrance allows the sense of
overwhelming scale not to be lost by the entrance enclosure.  The firm ALA
architects won this project in a recently announced competition and
completion is expected in 2011.  The project will house the Kristiansand
Symphony Orchestra and is a multi- purpose venue that should enrich the
fabric of Kristiansand.  The total construction will total 27,000 metres of
cultural space at a budget of 117 million pounds.  It is good to see
interesting projects are still being designed and built in this tough
economic climate.  I am assuming most of the projects on the boards in the
next year or two will be government commissions and not private ones.

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Joern Utzon, the architect who designed the remarkable Sydney Opera House, has died. This building is one of the great achievements in the architecture of the 20th century.  Mr Utzon came out of obscurity to design this project and it was a huge challenge. He was fired, he later returned but his perseverance, his will to keep going against great odds served him well as the project in the end is fantastic.  May he rest in peace.

Read the obituary here.

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This beautiful temporary chapel shows what can be done with some simple construction innovation.  The origami like space seems to sit gracefully across the hill and has been apparently been built directly on the ground.

Read more at Archdaily

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Relatively young and über trendy architects youmeheshe caught my eye recently with a couple of their projects. The first is a masterplan for Byron Park, London, England.

The masterplan, as youmeheshe state, creates a symbiotic relationship between the parks green space and the hard edge of suburban London, clusters of varying modular homes allow a unique, dense, sustainable development.

It was important for youmeheshe to lower the impact on the local area by utilising as much of the original land features as possible. As they explain:

The landscape character of the existing parkland is drawn into the housing development, creating communal gardens which also allow water recycling and wildlife habitat creation.

The houses on the development, the 7.83Hz House, is a pre-fabricated structure made of wood, making them sustainable and considerably cheaper than other housing options around. As the architects explain:

The design strikes a new profile due to both the logic of off-site construction and the volumetric configuration of spaces that allow natural ventilation, maximisation of daylight and the opportunity to reconfigure. 7.83 Hz will set standards in healthy living with construction materials selected to avoid nasty chemicals and their by-products.

The houses have a pretty unique look, don’t you think?

The second project is their stunning Ecofloat Floating Village project. Designed to nestle in a nature reserve, Ecofloat serves to enhance, rather than destroy, the environment that it floats within and lessening the impact on the ecological balance within the area. The design is sleek and modern and a very interesting concept to boot.

For more info on their projects, please visit the website at: http://www.youmeheshe.com/

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With Global Warming causing sea levels to rise, much of the inhabited world can expect to be underwater within the next 50 years. Couple this with increasing cost of land due to overcrowding, the sensible solution appears to be moving life onto the water. And that’s exactly what this project has done.

Floating on the surface of the water and shaped to mimic the waves that surround it, this beautiful houseboat features a gorgeously organic shape and spacious modern living. The house was designed by architect Robert Harvey Oshatz and is moored in Portland, Oregon. The unique shape creates interesting interior spaces as well as maximising the views from the large windows at the end.

A great design and a great solution to overcrowding and potential flooding problems.

You can see more images of the house here: http://www.oshatz.com/text/fennel.htm

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Altea, a young architecture studio, has created a clever design for a small library out of a former primary school.  The new façade uses terracotta elements that allow reflected light to enter in spots.  The exterior, I suppose, is meant to abstractly represent the books inside.  I like the way the brick elements give weight and solidity to the skin,while still allowing light through.It is a clever design.

Perusing throught the Altea website, I find several of their projects to be quite interesting.  I am sure they have fought the good fight to get their ideas built, shown strength of character to stick with it.  We will have to do a feature on them in a future magazine.

http://www.archea.it/

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This tree house is pretty nice, a simple design but it shows what can be done with good ideas and a bit of ingenuity.  Following through on these types of projects takes strong character to keep going.

The adventure of the space makes it a true experience.  You reach the restaurant by crossing a hanging bridge and the construction itself does not try to overpower the tree, it sits there gently wrapping it…

http://www.contemporist.com/2008/11/17/the-yellow-treehouse-restaurant/

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