* 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

* Residential Architecture: BIG’s West 57th New York City “Pyramid” Wins Final Approval (Bjarke Ingels Group)

Residential Architecture: BIG’s West 57th New York City “Pyramid” Wins Final Approval: “..After an “arduous” public review and a heated debate over affordable housing, New York’s City Council has unanimously awarded final approval to BIG’s tetrahedral-shaped West 57th apartment building in Manhattan. As reported by Crain’s New York Business, a compromise has been made to include 173 affordable housing units within the 32-story, 750-unit residential building and the neighboring industrial building that will be converted into 100 additional rental apartments. As you may recall, the community board and Councilwoman Gail Brewer initially threatened to “torpedo the project” if the apartments were only made affordable for a 35 year period. However, Durst apparently won them over by contributing one million dollars into an affordable housing fund..“The good news, which is the mantra of my office and community board No. 4, is there will be, yes, by law, 35 years of income-restricted affordable housing,” stated City Councilwoman Brewer, who represents the area..Dubbed W57, the unique project was “born of logic”, as New York Magazine’s Justin Davidson would describe. Its steeply sloped facade will feature a massive, football-sized courtyard with stunning Hudson River views and outdoor terraces for all 750 residents, along with a vibrant street life and close proximity to the Hudson River Park.. Work is already underway on excavating the lot, and move ins are expected by spring 2015..”  Article includes a video..

See our posts on other projects by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group):

• Residential Architecture: Marina Lofts by BIG (Bjarke Ingels)
• Architecture: Miami: America’s Next Great Architectural City?
• Architecture: Natural History Museum Proposal by BIG Architects (Bjarke Ingels)
• Architecture: MECA by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) + FREAKS freearchitects
• Architecture: Cross # Towers by BIG Architects (Bjarke Ingels Group)
• Residential Architecture: Beach and Howe Mixed-Use Tower by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group)
• Architecture: TLT Tilting Building by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group)
• Architecture: St. Petersburg Pier (Florida) by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group)
• Architecture: Chicago Navy Pier Proposal by BIG Architects (Bjarke Ingels) + AECOM
• Architecture: BIG (Bjarke Ingels) wins competition for the new Kimball Art Center
• Architecture: St. Petersburg Pier by BIG Architects (Bjarke Ingels)
• Architecture: Kimball Art Center by BIG (Bjarke Ingels)
• Architecture + Design: Koutalaki Ski Village by BIG (Bjarke Ingels)

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image: Courtesy of BIG; article: Rosenfield , Karissa. “BIG’s West 57th “Pyramid” Wins Final Approval” 07 Feb 2013. ArchDaily

* Architecture: Miami: America’s Next Great Architectural City?

Architecture: Miami: America’s Next Great Architectural City?: “..Miami, Florida is booming with new architectural projects by big names: everything from new condominums by BIG, to the restoration of the Saxony Hotel by Rem Koolhaas, to the new Miami Beach Convention Center. So why are so many big projects migrating to Miami Beach? The city is turning itself into an American cultural and civic center..Take, for example, the cultural institutions along Lincoln Road. The new addition of Herzog & de Meuron’s Parking Garage satisfies a necessity while also providing a rich, cultural gathering space, thanks to its designed social functions. The architecture breaks out from the anticipated form of the “concrete box for cars” and instead turns it into something that fits within the context of the neighborhood, physically and programmatically. The firm will also be expanding the Miami Art Museum, scheduled to reopen as the new Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) in 2013..There are also many cultural restoration projects in the works. The Bacardi Building, a modernist tower designed by Enrique Gutierrez in 1969 will be restored by Frank Gehry to house studios, offices and housing for artists of the National Young Arts Foundation. The exterior, which features a rich mosaic, will remain untouched. The Saxony Hotel will be restored by developer Alan Faena in collaboration with Rem Koolhaas, situated across from a new Norman Foster tower in Miami Beach. The design is still under wraps, but it’s a highly anticipated addition to the urban fabric..What is it about Miami that is motivating developers to bring in renowned architects? In an article in Architect Magazine by Ian Volner, architects Herzog & de Meuron admit that the culture, weather, food and community are major attractions for Miami. But its history of Art Deco architecture and its obsession with air-conditioned, indoor spaces, are some of the negative characteristics that their new design for the Miami Art Museum hope to address. In their design, the heavy temple-like structure of the exterior is offset by the openness of the interior spaces, the abundance of hanging vegetation, and ample shaded outdoor spaces. Note those motifs, and recognize them even in the parking garage on 1111 Lincoln Road. Like the Miami Art Museum, Herzog & de Meuron’s design for the parking garage incorporates as much outdoor space as possible, shading, and vegetation..With the real estate market in Miami booming, the city has the opportunity to reinvent itself with a contemporary architecture, a refined sense of culture and community and with the assistance of talented and respected architects and designers.   We look forward to watching as these projects develop..”

See some of our posts on Miami:

• Architecture: 1111 Lincoln Road by Herzog & de Meuron
• Architecture + Design: Miami Beach Parking Garage by Zaha Hadid
• Architecture: Norman Foster & Buckminster Fuller: Architecting the Future at Miami Design District
• Genesis by David Adjaye at Design Miami/Basel
• Frank Gehry’s New World Symphony Center – Wonderful the Way it Should Be

And see some of our posts on BIG (Bjarke Ingels):

• Architecture: Natural History Museum Proposal by BIG Architects (Bjarke Ingels)
• Architecture: MECA by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) + FREAKS freearchitects
• Architecture: Cross # Towers by BIG Architects (Bjarke Ingels Group)
• Residential Architecture: Beach and Howe Mixed-Use Tower by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group)
• Architecture: TLT Tilting Building by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group)
• Architecture: St. Petersburg Pier (Florida) by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group)
• Architecture: Chicago Navy Pier Proposal by BIG Architects (Bjarke Ingels) + AECOM
• Architecture: BIG (Bjarke Ingels) wins competition for the new Kimball Art Center
• Architecture: St. Petersburg Pier by BIG Architects (Bjarke Ingels)
• Architecture: Kimball Art Center by BIG (Bjarke Ingels)
• Architecture + Design: Koutalaki Ski Village by BIG (Bjarke Ingels)

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image: Coconut Grove Condo by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group); Image via DesignBoom; article: Vinnitskaya , Irina. “Miami: America’s Next Great Architectural City?” 11 Dec 2012. ArchDaily. <http://www.archdaily.com/304460&gt;