* Architecture: Zaha Hadid: Changsha Meixihu International Culture & Art Center

Architecture: Zaha Hadid: Changsha Meixihu International Culture & Art Center: “..the capital of the south central chinese province of hunan is in the midst of incredible population growth and rapid urban development.  at the center of a stimulus worth 130 billion USD is the idyllic meixihu lake, now primed for an ambitious set of cultural projects. zaha hadid’s winning design for the ‘changsha meixihu international culture and art center’ broke ground in october after distinguishing itself as a composition of serpentine curves forming a complex that contains a contemporary art museum, a multipurpose hall, a hotel, and various ancillary facilities. the central plaza emphasizes the pedestrian urban experience by helping to create incidental meeting areas and generating cultural capital in form of a sculpture garden and expansive exhibition space. views of the lake are framed by the museum’s three-petal form, unfurling around a central atrium. outward views are afforded by ribbons of glazing and balconies that serve the dual purpose of admitting daylight into the galleries. the multipurpose hall is a pointedly variable space, with public access to retail areas and restaurants nestled in a sunken courtyard. the focal point of the plan comes by way of the grand theater, slated to be the largest performance venue in the city with an 1800 seat capacity. new zealand-based acoustic engineers at marshall day won a december bid to optimize sound performance in the central auditorium. the three major programs, while discrete buildings, are linked by sinuous passageways, curved white planes and an architecture of baroque intonations..”

See some of our other posts on work by Zaha Hadid Architects:

• Architecture: Zaha Hadid Office Tower Citylife Milano
• Architecture: Miami: America’s Next Great Architectural City?
• Architecture: Galaxy Soho by Zaha Hadid Architects
• Architecture: Port House by Zaha Hadid Architects
• Architecture: Pierres Vives by Zaha Hadid Architects
• Architecture + Design: Z Boat by Zaha Hadid Architects
• Architecture: Awards: Zaha Hadid’s Riverside Museum wins European Museum Academy Micheletti Award 2012

image: © zaha hadid architects; article: Designboom

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* Residential Architecture: Frank Gehry Designs Mixed-Use Tower for Downtown Santa Monica

Residential Architecture: Frank Gehry Designs Mixed-Use Tower for Downtown Santa Monica: “..Developers M. David Paul Associates and the Worthe Real Estate Group have commissioned Frank Gehry to design a mixed-use hotel and residential tower in his hometown of Santa Monica, California, USA. The 22-story “Ocean Avenue Project” aims to stimulate the coastal city’s economy with street-level restaurant and retail space below a 125-room hotel and 22-unit condominium tower topped with a rooftop observation deck. As for accommodating the car-centric lifestyle of the West Coast, resident and visitor parking will be available in a three-story subterranean garage beneath the tower. In addition, the developers plan to integrate a 36,000 square foot museum campus that will add a cultural perk to the development just North of its two-acre site..Although this project looks promising, the 244-foot, Gehry-esque tower is currently pending approval from the City. A vote by the end of March will decide its fate..”

See some of our other posts on work by Frank Gehry:

• Architecture: Miami: America’s Next Great Architectural City?
• Architecture: Gehry and Mirvish unveil Toronto ‘Sculptures’
• Architecture: Frank Gehry designs Facebook HQ Expansion
• Architecture: The French Cinematheque by Frank Gehry
• Residential Architecture: Duplex by Frank Gehry for Make it Right
• Architecture: The Dancing House by Frank O. Gehry
• Residential Architecture: Video: Gehry Residence by Frank Gehry, 2012 AIA Twenty-five Year Award Recipient
• Residential Architecture: Gehry Residence by Frank Gehry
• Architecture: Opus Hong Kong by Frank Gehry
• New York by Gehry Now Complete
• Frank Gehry-designed Abu Dhabi Guggenheim Faces Boycott
• “New York by Gehry” Now Renting
• Gehry, Hadid, Foster, Ando, & Nouvel – All on One Small Island
• Frank Gehry’s New World Symphony Center – Wonderful the Way it Should Be
• Frank Gehry Residential Tower Prepares for Renters
• Frank Gehry’s Riotously Sculptural $100-million Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas Opens

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image: © Gehry Partners; article: Rosenfield , Karissa. “Gehry Designs Mixed-Use Tower for Downtown Santa Monica” 04 Mar 2013.ArchDaily

* Architecture: Zaha Hadid Office Tower Citylife Milano

Architecture: Zaha Hadid Office Tower Citylife Milano: “..the citylife project located in the heart of milan — in the centre of the historic fiera area, immersed in a park of 160,000 square metres..(one of europe’s largest pedestrianized zones) — involved a group of architects rather than a single designer: zaha hadid, arata isozaki and daniel libeskind..citylife brings a new model for work and leisure to the city, an area to be enjoyed on foot or by bicycle, with traffic circulating only underground..at the centre of the project is the business district — three office towers in the ‘piazza delle tre torri’ (square of the three towers): torre isozaki (il dritto, the straight one), torre hadid (lo storto, the twisted one), and torre libeskind (il curvo, the curved one) — torre isozaki will stand 202 m (663 ft)..with 50 floors, among the tallest buildings in italy by roof height. torre hadid will be 170 m (558 ft) high with 44 floors, and torre libeskind will reach a height of 150 m (492 ft) with about 30 floors. the three towers are able to accommodate around 10,000 people, over a total of approximately 130,000 m2. a contemporary art museum, a shopping area with bars and restaurants, and a pavilion for exhibitions, sports, entertainment and fashion shows will supplement the master plan project..”  

See some of our posts on other work by:

Zaha Hadid Architects:

• Architecture: Galaxy Soho by Zaha Hadid Architects
• Architecture: Port House by Zaha Hadid Architects
• Architecture: Pierres Vives by Zaha Hadid Architects
• Architecture + Design: Z Boat by Zaha Hadid Architects
• Architecture: Awards: Zaha Hadid’s Riverside Museum wins European Museum Academy Micheletti Award 2012
• Architecture + Design: The Secret Garden by Zaha Hadid Architects
• Residential Architecture: Capital Hill Residence by Zaha Hadid Architects
• Architecture: Sheikh Zayed Bridge by Zaha Hadid Architects
• Architecture: London Aquatics Centre for 2012 Summer Olympics by Zaha Hadid Architects
• Architecture: Bogota International Convention Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects
• Architecture + Design: Mesa Table by Zaha Hadid Architects
• Architecture: In China: Hongqiao Soho (Linkong Economic Park) by Zaha Hadid
• Architecture + Design: Miami Beach Parking Garage by Zaha Hadid
• Architecture: Guangzhou Opera House by Zaha Hadid Architects
• Architecture: London Aquatic Center by Zaha Hadid
• Architecture: Zaha Hadid: Chinese Gem That Elevates Its Setting by Nicolai Ouroussoff
• Guangzhou Opera House by Zaha Hadid Architects

 

image: courtesy of zaha hadid; article: Designboom

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* Architecture: Glass Farm by MVRDV

Architecture: Glass Farm by MVRDV: “..Schijndelâ, Netherlands’s market square suffered from Operation Market Garden damages during the Second World War and has been subject to numerous enlargements and refurbishments. Winy Maas wrote a letter in 1980, and in 2000 the town council adopted the idea of a new structure in the square between the church, town hall and main street. MVRDV since then iteratively proposed new options that could fill the gap of this unusually large village square. The Glass Farm is MVRDV’s seventh proposal for the site, earlier designs included a theatre..The village engaged vividly in the process resulting in heated debates, polls and polemics in the local press – by supporters and adversaries. The 1600m² building which is entirely covered by a glass facade consists primarily of a series of public amenities such as restaurants, shops and a wellness centre..By coincidence, the maximum envelope that was defined by the town planners had the form of a traditional Schijndel farm. All remaining historical local farms were measured, analyzed and an ideal average was conceived from this data. In collaboration with MVRDV, artist Frank van der Salm photographed all the remaining traditional farms, and from these an image of the typical farm was composed. This image was printed using fritted procedure onto the 1800m2 glass facade, resulting in an effect such as a stained glass window in a cathedral. The print is more or less translucent depending on the need for light and views..At night the structure will be illuminated from the inside, becoming a monument to the farm. At a height of 14 metres the Glass Farm is intentionally designed out of scale and is 1.6 times larger than a real farm, symbolizing the village growing into a town. The printed image follows this ‘augmented history’, with the superimposed farm door for example appearing 4 metres tall. When adults interact with the building, they can experience toddler size again, possibly adding an element of nostalgic remembrance to their reception of the building. To enhance this further, there will be a table and swing next to the building, a scaled up farmyard..Coinciding with the completion of the building, an exhibition opens in the local Museum Jan Heestershuis about Context and Authenticity. Later this year a book will be published by NAi Publishers exploring the development of the Glass Farm, including a literary description of the lengthy processes which lead to its realisation..MVRDV realised the building for RemBrand developers, a combination of Van Den Brand Real Estate and Remmers Construction Group, together with Hooijen Engineers, IOC Ridderkerk for installations, Brakel Atmos for the facade and AGC for the print..”  MVRDV’s vernacular, contextual, historical, and creative sensibility once again brought to the fore..

See our posts on other work by MVRDV:

• Architecture: MVRDV proposes 400 meter tall ‘vertical city’ in Jakarta
• Architecture: Baltyk Tower by MVRDV
• Residential Architecture: Balancing Barn by MVRDV for Living Architecture
• Architecture: Alphabet Building by MVRDV
• Architecture: In Korea: MVRDV: The Cloud

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image: © Persbureau van Eijndhoven; article: ”Glass Farm / MVRDV” 22 Jan 2013. ArchDaily http://www.archdaily.com