Changsha International Culture & Art Centre

Renowned architecture firm Zaha Hadid has unveiled designs for a cultural complex in China.
Situated in the heart of Changsha, the ‘Changsha Meixihu International Culture & Art Center’ will be made up of three buildings—the Contemporary Art Museum, a Grand Theater, and a Multipurpose Hall—and offers other facilities.

The place for theatre and art would be designed in the modern style of the architects, with unique and eye-catching sinuous curves.

Once it’s complete, the Changsha Meixihu International Culture & Art Center can house a total of over 2,300 seats at its performance venues, and will also contain bars, lobbies, restaurants and the likes throughout the complex.

Changsha Meixihu International Culture & Art Center will offer a unique ambience against the urban setting of the Chinese city, and will also be easily accessible via pedestrian walkways.

S:

http://magazinaonline.com/changsha-international-culture-art-centre/

FUKSAS COMPLETES TERMINAL 3 AT SHENZHEN BAO’AN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Location: Bao’an District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

Architects: Massimilianoand Doriana Fuksas
Architect of record: BIAD (Beijing Institute of Architectural Design), Beijing
Interior design: Fuksas Design
Structures, façade and parametric design: Knippers Helbig Engineering
Lighting consulting: Speirs & Major Associates, Edinburgh, London
Developer: Shenzhen Planning Bureau; Shenzhen Airport (Group) Co., Ltd.
Contractor: China State Construction Engineering Corporation, Beijing
Size: 500,000 sq.m. / 5,381,955 sq.ft (approximately)
Cost: 734,000,000 Euros
Year: 2013
Client: Shenzhen Airport (Group) Co., Ltd.

The terminal – the largest single public building to be built to date in Shenzhen - encompasses 63 contact gates, with a further 15 remote gates and significant retail space.

It will increase the capacity of the airport by 58%, allowing the airport to handle up to 45 million passengers per year. The sculptural 500,000 sq.m. / 5,381,955 sq.ft (approx.) terminal, evokes the image of a manta ray and features a striking internal and external double ‘skin’ honeycomb motif that wraps the structure.

At 1.5 km long, with roof spans of up to 80m, honeycomb shaped metal and glass panels punctuate the façade of the terminal allowing natural light to filter through. On the interior, the terminal is characterized by distinctive white conical supporting columns that rise to touch the roof at a cathedral-like scale.

The focal point of the design is the concourse located at the intersection of the building. Consisting of three levels – departure, arrivals and services – they vertically connect to create full height voids, allowing natural light to filter from the highest level down to the lowest.

Studio Fuksas has created an interior, as striking and elegant as the exterior. The spatial concept is one of fluidity and combines two different ideas: the idea of movement and the idea of pause.

Carefully considering the human experience of such environments, Studio Fuksas focused on processing times, walking distances, ease of orientation, crowding, and availability of desired amenities.

Stand-out features of the interior design include stylized white ‘trees’ that serve as air conditioning vents, and check-in ‘islands’, gates and passport-check areas with a stainless steel finish that beautifully reflect the honeycomb patterns from above.

The honeycomb motif translates through into many aspects of the interior and at different scales – from the larger retail boxes to smaller 3D imprints in the wall cover. 

The Studio Fuksas designed Terminal 3 is of critical importance to the future of Shenzhen as a booming business and tourist destination, and will bring benefits to the region as a whole.

Studio Fuksas are engaged on two further phases of the airport extension, scheduled to complete in 2025 and 2035 respectively.

S: http://www.aasarchitecture.com/2013/11/Fuksas-completes-Terminal-3-at-Shenzhen-Baoan-International-Airport.html#more

Wuzhen Theatre by Kris Yao and Artech architects

Designed by Taiwanese architect Kris Yao ofArtech Architects, the shape of the building was modelled on the rare twin lotus flower - an anomaly where two flower heads sprout from a single stalk - to create a pair of oval-shaped auditoriums that share a single stage area. "The greatest challenge was to design a large building containing two theatres in this small village," said the architects, explaining their decision to overlap the 600- and 1200-seat auditoriums. Wuzhou, nicknamed Venice of the East, is a village where canals take the place of streets. Visitors can either arrive at the building by boat, or approach on foot across a bridge. Zig-zagging wooden screens fold around the glazed exterior of the largest auditorium, allowing light to permeate the building. At night, this facade glows to create a bright beacon reflected in the surrounding waters. The smaller auditorium is surrounded by overlapping fin-like walls, which were built from a traditional grey-blue brick and have slivers of glazing tucked between them. The Wuzhen Theatre is intended as the venue for an international theatre festival, but could also be used for fashion shows, music performances or as a wedding centre. The building wasone of over 280 projects shortlisted for awardsat this year'sWorld Architecture Festivalin Singapore, which took place last week

Source:

http://www.architect-mind.com/home/cultural-center/562-wuzhen-theatre-by-kris-yao-and-artech-architects

City of science and technology / Graduation project - Damascus, Syria

Source:

http://www.designdaily.us/2013/09/city-of-science-and-technology.html

Taichung City Cultural Center by RTA-Office , Taichung, Taiwan

Architects:RTA-Office
Project: Taichung City Cultural Center
Location: Taichung, Taiwan
Site area: 2.6 hectares
Built-up Area: 62.700 m2
Program: Library, Conference hall, Museum, Archive, Classrooms, Research rooms, Offices, Public services and Parking
Completion Date: 2013 competition entry
Landscape Design: Santiago Parramón, RTA-Office
Interior Design: Santiago Parramón, RTA-Office
Team: Miguel Vilacha, Isabel Granell, Javier Gonzalez, Alex Muntean, Teodor Cozma, Elisa Ascari, FeiFeiZhang, Chunhui Tian, Shoaib Asif, Lindsey J. Hirsch, Simona Assiero Brá.
Environmental and energy consultants: Fabian Lopez, Daniel Calatayud.
Client: Taichung City
Total Construction Budget: 62 million euro 

Our proposal is strongly based on the idea of a container — a unique vessel that encompasses a multitude of architectural objects, various spaces, and the relationships between them. Inspiration for the design of our shape was derived from traditional Taiwanese basket weaving.

The final result is a unitary transparent skin that allows stolen glimpses of the complexity that lies inside.

Thus this object becomes a contemporary interpretation of an ancient traditional art and culture. Comprised of thin lines of recycled ceramic elements, the skin gently filters the light that reaches the interior and enhances the shapes of the volume. The skin of our design not only serves to enhance the aesthetic value of the building, but it also reduces our impact on the natural environment by taking advantage of passive technologies such as solar shading and natural day lighting.

SOURCE: http://www.designdaily.us/2013/09/taichung-city-cultural-center-taiwan-by.html

FLINDERS STREET STATION DESIGN COMPETITION BY HERZOG & DE MEURON + HASSELL

The proposal integrates the station with the surrounding precincts that have grown up around it, providing better linkages between the CBD and the Yarra River.

The proposal respects the linear nature and use of the site (East – West) as a strong marker and element between the city grid and the river. The laneway and movement patterns from the city, station to public transport and river are intertwined and connected.

We provide significant civic space while allowing for a distinctive and memorable architectural outcome with a variety of uses.

We create public amenity of the highest order and celebrate the architectural and urban qualities of the city with a distinguished and innovative design that enlivens the urban realm.

We provide universal and diverse access opportunities from north to south. Historic views are maintained, and although our concept extends beyond the site boundary, the overall and integrated ideas operate and fully function regardless of these installations.

Greater activation to the immediate west and western end of the site improves the northern and southern transit routes with the introduction of an open public access way through the Banana Alley Vaults and the new Welcome Place public space in front of the Immigration Museum.

S: http://www.aasarchitecture.com/2013/07/Flinders-Street-Station-Design-Competition-Herzog-de-Meuron-HASSELL.html