Hanhai Luxury Condominium, Zhengzhou, Henan, China

Construction has begun on a 353,767 sq m high-end condominium complex in Henan, China designed by Los Angeles-based architecture studio amphibianArc. The project aims to provide ‘garden villas in the sky’ for its residents, with balcony swimming pools and large private terraces blending the boundaries between inside and outside space.

Nine high-rise residential towers will be coupled with three shorter buildings, including a public club house, a supporting facility building and a nine-classroom kindergarten. A single design style has been adopted for all eleven structures, unifying the development into one architectural gesture.

Bavarian Forest National Park

Bavarian Forest National Park bills the massive tree top walkway as “riskless adventure” since users are protected by a wooden fence and transparent nets. But for those who like a little adrenalin in their lives, a series of wooden and rope bridges along with other fun challenges are available at three different stations along the way to the top.

Once visitors reach the summit of the egg-shaped structure, which has a grade of no more than 6% and is topped with a flat platform, they are treated to immense views of the mountains of Lusen and Rachel along with the Bavarian and Bohemian forests. And on a really clear day, it is even possible to catch a peek at the northern alps. With a reasonable entrance fee of just €8 for adults, this destination is definitely worth a gander.

House DZ in Mullem by Graux & Baeyens Architecten

This house in Belgium by Ghent studio Graux & Baeyens Architecten is broken down into cubic volumes that are staggered to let more light into each room. Rooms are staggered back and forth on both floors of the two-storey building, adding space for additional windows on the protruding walls. As well as letting in more light, this prevents any problems with overlooking the neighbours.

Tent House / Nómena Arquitectos

This project is a temporal private beach house. It’s located south of Lima, district of Cañete, within a desert climate near to the Pacific Ocean.

Architects: Nómena Arquitectos
Location: Cañete, Lima

One Yonge

One Yonge is a mixed-use development of six high rise towers on the junction where the longest street in North America, Yonge Street, meets Lake Ontario. Designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects, the cluster of towers will rise above the existing Toronto Star building onsite, elongating it by 10 storeys and recladding the façade in a glittering new sheath.

Residential is the prominent force in this development with four of the six planned towers comprising housing units, the tallest of which will reach 88 storeys over the Toronto skyline. The remaining towers will be a 40-storey office tower and a 70-storey hotel and branded residence, and retail facilities will be implemented to stitch the cluster together.

Herzog and de Meuron wins Swiss hospital competition

Herzog and de Meuron has won a competition to design a children’s hospital in Zurich.The two-phase Kinderspital Zürich contest sought designs for two buildings.

Both buildings will be made from wood and feature large, plant-filled courtyards to bring natural light into the buildings and provide gardens for patients and staff.Kinderspital Zürich expects to commission the new building in 2018.

New Master Plan in Shenzhen by Swanke Hayden Connell Architects

International architecture practice Swanke Hayden Connell Architects (SHCA) has unveiled its master plan for the mixed-use scheme at the Shekou Network Valley in Shenzen City in Guangdong Province, China. The master plan design follows the natural pathway flowing between the Danan Mountain range in the west, through the Lizhi Park to the waterway of Shenzen Bay in the east. 

The 125,288 sq m design concept will function as an innovation cluster for high tech, Internet and web 2.0 companies. The master plan design incorporates seven buildings over three separate plots of land with individual building heights ranging from 22m to 50m. The buildings will provide office and retail space along with public open spaces.

Rem Koolhaas’ Taipei Performing Arts Center (TPAC)

A groundbreaking ceremony on 16th February, 2012, attended by President Ma Ying-jeou, Mayor Hau Lung-pin, and representatives from OMA and local design partner Artech Architects.

The unusual form looks to challenge public preconceptions of generic theatre spaces, with a central cube clad in corrugated glass off which various performance volumes project. Once completed in 2015, the centre will include a 1,500-capacity theatre and two 800-seat theatres which can be combined into one immense performance space with a 60m-long stage for experimental art.

La-cubo / JUNGLIM Architecture

On a 1000m2 site, this unique public building brings out the open concept, transparent quality effortlessly.

A continuous 4 levels building united in a seamless fluid language contained in the exterior speaks for itself.

Architects: JUNGLIM Architecture

Location: Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea.

Client: No Hyon Tae

Site area: 1,000 sqm

Photographs: Namgoong Sun

Crouching panther inspires lustrous black office building for The Pachleitner Group

GS architects explains: “It’s a hard shaped sculpture covered with a black glass facade erected over a concrete base developing from a compact tail to a head cantilevering towards the city. Accurate details and few colours in various surfaces and materials define the interior. Even the entire furniture collection was custom-made by the architects and is consequently congruent to the architecture.”

The project as a whole cost approximately €32m and sits on a triangular site in an area of Graz full of potential, therefore it is hoped that the new building will inspire others to invest in quality architecture in the area. The building site itself is in fact located directly on the Leibenau ring road, which provides a great opportunity for locals and visitors to view what is being touted as the city’s new gateway.

Kanazawa Umimirai Library by Coelacanth K&H Architects

Around 6000 holes puncture the concrete exterior of this library in Kanazawa, Japan, by Kazumi Kudo and Hiroshi Horiba of Japanese firm Coelacanth K&H Architects.

 

Libraries in Japan are moving towards a model that encourages readers to stay and linger, instead of their original function as spaces for collecting and lending out books. Reflecting the general trend for libraries to facilitate reading as well as other functions, this library uses compact automated shelves that operate as a closed stack system. This is combined with halls and meeting rooms that promote social exchange between its users, much like a community center. The facility is also expected to serve as a new hub for social life among the local community.