Catching the Wave: Blobitecture’s liquid forms are changing our cities
Gigantic, alien-looking buildings are taking over the city centers of the world. These strange structures call to mind images such as a melted guitar, a mushroom-like parasol, or a UFO that has landed among us.
These are the most spectacular examples of Blob Architecture: Blobitecture.
M+ Architecture Exhibition. design by Herzog & de Meuron + TFP Farrells. The First Architecture Exhibition of M+, West Kowloon Cultural District, China. Situated on the waterfront of the Victoria Harbour at the edge of the 14-hectare Park, M+ will be one of the first batch of arts and cultural venues to be completed in the WKCD
Design: CRAB Studio – Sir Peter Cook and Gavin Robotham: The Abedian School of Architecture is located on the campus designed in the 1980s by Arata Isozaki. It forms part of the Faculty of Architecture and Sustainable Design.
Design: SAMOO Architects & Engineers. The horizontal mass of the podium represents a solid foundation with double-height open lobby and public-service facilities that will welcome visitors. With transparent curtain-wall facades, activities at the podium will be projected to the street level which will be invigorated with landscape & lighting features.
Location: Nashville, Tennessee – this project comprises the renewal of the university’s original student center, a 1925 Tudor Revival building designed by Henry C. Hibbs as a World War I memorial that is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Bruner/Cott’s initial study developed a reuse program to take advantage of the central location of this small building while respecting its historical significance, details, and finishes.
senagold headquarter – conversion of a historical barn in Lörrach, Germany, design by andOFFICE. A 300 year old barn is the new headquarter of Senagold Naturheilmittel GmbH, a small and inovative company purchasing natural remedies. It contains management, administration and a lounge area
City in a City: a Decade of Urban Thinking by Steven Holl Architects. Exhibition at the MAK Center for Art and Architecture – Schindler House in Los Angeles. The New Yok architect will give a public lecture on Thursday evening, January 30. The exhibition runs through March 9, 2014.
Design: EPR Architects. The Leader of Wandsworth Council, said: “This is more good news for Wandsworth Town and another vote of confidence in the council’s ambitious regeneration plans. The Ram Brewery now has an owner with the experience and deep pockets needed to unlock its enormous potential. We look forward to working with Greenland Group to see this important project through to completion.”
Design: Cartwright Pickard. The application, for the last empty plot at the prestigious Spinningfields development in Manchester, was passed unanimously. Work is due to start on the construction of the building in late spring 2014. The 22,600 sqm ‘Cotton Building’ is specifically aimed at the fast expanding TMT (technology, media and telecommunications) sector.
The City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia design by Santiago Calatrava architect, inaugurated eight years ago, is falling apart and authorities have said they will sue the architect responsible. Chunks of the mosaic façade of the centerpiece opera house fell off in high winds and authorities were forced cancel Christmas performances and to close the building to the public until further notice.
The Observatory will create a unique and exciting sculptural and architectural structure, which is directly accessible by the public. It will offer artists the opportunity to engage with a specific place, providing space and shelter to undertake their investigations and share with an audience. It will be an inter-disciplinary project involving artists, other professionals and students providing creative learning opportunities throughout all phases.
If I were an architect eager to launch my career in the U.S., I would focus on three states: Texas, California, and Florida. Despite the incredibly exciting renewal taking place in New York City, the reality is that the wealth and power in the United States has shifted
Entry by Sauter Carbon Offset Design. “How can cities contribute to the advancement of sustainable development and address issues including water, energy and waste?”
The Floating Smart City E- Zone is a Sustainable, Post Carbon, totally self sufficient community that generates its own electrical power, supplies its own drinking water and processes its own sewage.
Design: LK Architects. The cafe enriches a neighbourhood of cafes and restaurants in the Pafos centre. A conversion of an abandoned kebab house, it is the first of its kind, a combination of cafe and patisserie.
Design: Rudy Ricciotti. The Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations is the flagship project of Marseille’s on-going architectural and cultural renaissance. Located on Marseille’s seafront the inner structure has been covered with a delicate ornamental skin of filigreed concrete.
Design: Steven Holl Architects with Li Hu. The 30,000 sqft Sifang Art Museum in Nanjing is sited at the gateway to the Chinese International Practical Exhibition of Architecture, which brings together the work of 24 designers
Design: MBM Arquitectes
Intriguing Catalan architecture – a confident, expressive building by David Mackay / MBM. The ‘Design Hub’ is located on a sloping site beside Jean Nouvelle’s Agbar tower, and very close to the elevated roundabout of a busy motorway. The site is part of a future park which meant that only a small building footprint would be allowed at ground level with the rest of the building underground.