Archive for March, 2010
Monday, March 22nd, 2010
KCAP Architects & Planners have won the prestigious masterplanning competition for the development of a 70 hectare site at the Bay of Pasaia, San Sebastián, Spain. The site, currently used for harbor activity, will gradually become available for redevelopment. The project is considered as a key opportunity for the surrounding communities which are in need of regeneration and will have an important impact on the entire region.
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Monday, March 22nd, 2010
A derelict area beneath a series of overpasses in the West Don Lands is going to be transformed into the most extensive park to ever be built under an overpass in Canada, and the first in Toronto.
Located within the West Don Lands – home to the 2015 Pan American Games Athletes’ Village – Underpass Park will cover a total of 1.05 hectares (2.5 acres) under and around the Eastern Avenue and Richmond/Adelaide overpasses, between Cherry Street and Bayview Avenue.
Before and after Underpass Park
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Monday, March 22nd, 2010
This renewable energy generating tower located on the coast of Rio is one of the first buildings we’ve seen designed for the 2016 Rio Olympics, and boy, is it crazy! (In case you didn’t notice, it’s also a waterfall.) The Solar City Tower is designed by Zurich-based RAFAA Architecture & Design, and features a large solar system to generate power during the day and a pumped water storage system to generate power at night. RAFAA’s goal is that a symbolic tower such as this can serve as a starting point for a global green movement and help make the 2016 Olympic Games more sustainable.
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Saturday, March 13th, 2010
daymoon desarolladores S.A. de C.V. have contracted JDS to design and develop new projects: one in guadalajara and another in puerto vallarta, mexico. in puerto vallarta, they will be designing a 52,000 m2 housing and retail complex with pools, a club house
and other amenities for residents, located just a stone’s throw away from the touristic beach front.
‘the project is aimed not only tourists to the area, but to also attract the local people of puerto vallarta. in order to keep the city alive and vibrant even in low touristic seasons, it is necessary to introduce these types of projects around the resort areas,’says francisco villeda, associate, JDS architects.
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Saturday, March 13th, 2010
sparch architects are responsible for the master plan for shanghai’s new international cruise terminal. the 800-metre long riverfront site is located north of the historical ‘bund’ centre of shanghai and will become a new gateway into the metropolis, accommodating three 80,000-tonne cruise ships at any one time, with an expected passenger flow of over 1.5 million people per year. this project is a response to the numerous cruise companies competing to include shanghai on their south east asian routes. the shanghai authorities have had to address the urgent requirement to open up ‘breathing spaces’ and bravely set down a target to free up 30 percent of the municipality as open space for citizens to enjoy.
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Saturday, March 13th, 2010
The Winter Olympics are over and amongst the medals and trouncing the US at hockey, Vancouver was praised for hosting the “greenest Olympics ever” with LEED certified buildings, the use of recaptured gas and the construction of a hydrogen highway. However, London looks set to raise the bar even higher with plans to blow Vancouver’s achievements out of the water in 2012. The London Olympic Authority have stated that they are aiming to make London 2012 the first sustainable Olympic Games, setting a precedent for future events.
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Friday, March 12th, 2010
Italian firm Studiodosi’s proposed building for the waterfront in Leeds, UK definitely packs a radical punch with its bright green facade, but its sustainable features are just as notable. Named “The Calls Henge,” the design was developed for the 36 Calls competition, which challenged architects to submit proposals for a site by the same address. Situated by the northern bank of the river Aire, the verdant building (which actually looks more like a hedge than a henge) is an eye-popping addition to the area.
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Friday, March 12th, 2010
Attention cyclists across the US: the wait for decent biking directions is over! Google Maps users can finally get biking directions along with walking, driving, and public transportation directions. Best of all, the new feature takes into account hills, bike lanes, and even busy intersections when calculating routes.
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Friday, March 12th, 2010
polish architectural students ryszard rychlicki and agnieszka nowak of H3AR received a special mention for their proposal in the 2010 skyscraper competition.
‘capture the rain’ skyscraper is a building whose roof and external shell, which consists systems of gutters, are aimed at capturing as much rainfall as possible to meet the daily needs of its inhabitants. average daily consumption of water per person is 150 liters, out of which 85 liters may be replaced by rain water. within the last thirty years water consumption has significantly increased. there are lots of factors that contribute to such an increase such as increasing number washing machines and dish washers, increasing popularity of garden showering devices and flushing toilets.
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Friday, March 12th, 2010
West 8 in collaboration with Snoeck en Partners, Bas Dirk Jaspaert, ERM and Tritel, has won the competition organized by the City of Leuven, for the revitalization of the former industrial site Vaartkom in Leuven, Belgium.
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