like a Flower

 

The first building in MVRDV’s sustainble masterplan, a flower shaped landmark offering 15.000 m2 of Grade A offices, combines a strong identity with rental flexibility.The 45,000 m2 plot on the edge of Shanghai’s Honqiao airport will include a total of 9 further MVRDV-designed office buildings atop an Aedas-designed underground shopping centre, and will be completed in early 2016. The Flower Buildinghas received a 3-star Green Building Label, the best energy performance rating available in China.

Source: http://www.mvrdv.nl/en/projects/hongqiao-flower-building
 

Monsoon Assemblages

 

I heard yesterday that my research proposal ‘Monsoon Assemblages’ has been “retained for funding” for a 2015 European Research Commission Starting Grant, pending conclusion of the grant agreement with the University of Westminster. I am hugely excited about this – it will, if all goes ahead, fund two Post Docs, two Phd students, an administrator (most important!) and my M.Arch Design Studio to work with me on the South Asian urban monsoon for five years. I will be advertising for these positions next year once the agreement has been singed and the project is set up.

Source: https://geoarchitecture.wordpress.com/2015/10/15/monsoon-assemblages/
 

Modern Architecture died in St Louis, Missouri

 

Modern Architecture died in St Louis, Missouri on July 15, 1972 at 3.32 p.m. (or thereabouts) when the infamous Pruitt-lgoe scheme, or rather several of its slab 3 blocks, were given the final coup de grace by dynamite.”_Charles Jencks
This project designed by Giacomo Pala is an attempt of developing an investigation about the possibility of having multiple objects contradicting each-other. Instead of a single Object Ontology, this design is a “Motley Ontologies” architecture sided against all of the architectural positivisms. It is an architecture that invokes an ironic, parodic and self-parodic conception of the discipline within the Avant-Garde agenda. This kind of architecture is able to ironically take advantage of the gap between Avant-Garde aspirations and reality, so as to incorporate the concept of multiplicities in the design strategies.
Source: http://www.evolo.us/architecture/pruitt-igoe-reloaded/
 

Stone Ideas...

 

Turkish natural stone trade association Imib welcomed professional designers and students to its fourth design competition. But the organizer voiced harsh critique which he addressed at participants: Imib’s President, Ali Kahyaoğlu, stated that he was far from satisfied with the submissions. „We need drafts and prototypes that are realizable and for which there is a market… Align your dreams with reality“, freely translated.

Source: http://www.stone-ideas.com/2015/10/10/head-of-the-turkish-stone-trade-organization-voices-criticism-over-own-design-competition-what-is-needed-are-realizable-design-drafts/
 

Italian Stone Exports

The Made in Italy natural-stone sector posted growth again in the first half of 2015, as revenues increased for natural-stone materials and the machinery to process them.
Between January and June, Italian exports of marble, granite and other natural stone posted an increase of 5.2% compared to the same period in 2014, thanks to revenues of €978.1 million from international orders. Finished and semi-finished products provided the upside with sales totalling €777 million (+7.3%), while raw materials (€201.1 million) posted a slight downturn (-2.3%).
Italian quarrying and processing machinery and technologies, meanwhile, posted double-digit growth of 28.8% in first-half 2015 with revenues of €616.1 million.
Source: http://www.stoneupdate.com/news-info/latest-stuff/944-2015-italian-stone-exports-booming