Architecture and Design

All years 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 All issues 1 2 3 4

Chromatic Facade: Variability and Brightness

(Issue of a magazine 2/2018, page 92)

The headquarters of Métropole Rouen Normandie is a unique, memorable and fitting image on the banks of the Seine in Rouen. What makes it so unique is how the new building fits in with the surrounding landscape of Rouen. The building’s dynamic profile contrasts with the omnipresence of horizontal designs found along the major port, while its silhouette echoes the renovated industrial buildings on the right bank. The oblique shapes are reminiscent of the silhouettes of cranes and other objects in the port and the bows of the passing ships.

“Great Amber” or Tangible Utopia

(Issue of a magazine 2/2018, page 98)

The concert hall “Great Amber” in Liepaja opened three years ago has become a new symbol of this port city and a bright landmark of Latvia. This year the object received Grand Prix at the VI Russian competition with international participation “Glass in architecture”, which presents buildings and projects using glass and translucent structures made over the past five years. He also presented at the 4th architectural exhibition “TIME SPACE EXISTENCE” in the European Cultural Centre at Palazzo Bembo on the Grand Canal, organized with the support of the GAA-Foundation in the framework of the 16th International Architectural Biennale in Venice.

 

Animo School – the Color of Mood

(Issue of a magazine 2/2018, page 106)

Architecture firm Brooks + Scarpa has reconstructed a high school in Los Angeles after it was destroyed by a fire, choosing a bright yellow finish for its aluminium facades. In 2014, a fire broke out and destroyed half of the school campus. Brooks + Scarpa therefore redesigned the new public charter high school as an addition to an existing campus from the 1950s, on “an extremely limited budget”.

Qatar National Library – Space for Books and People

(Issue of a magazine 1/2018, page 40)

On 16 April 2018, the Qatar National Library (QNL) held its official inauguration ceremony. It comprised a grand ceremony in the presence of multiple heads of state from the region and beyond in which His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani placed the one-millionth book on the shelves of QNL. The project of the state-of-the-art library building was developed by the famous architectural bureau OMA under the leadership of Rem Koolhaas.

The Issam Fares Institute – a Crossroad of Interaction

(Issue of a magazine 1/2018, page 48)

The Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI), radical in composition but respectful of its traditional context, “floats” above an exterior courtyard. In 2006 The American University of Beirut (AUB) held an invited competition for the design of a structure to accommodate a modern-day think tank on its lush middle campus, one that was in harmony with the rest of the university, especially mindful of the surrounding greenery, and to preserve, as far as possible, existing sightlines to the Mediterranean. The competition was won by Zaha Hadid Architects.

Cultural Center as a “Living Canvas”

(Issue of a magazine 1/2018, page 54)

Coldefy & Associates Architectes Urbanistes, in collaboration with ECADI (East China Architectural Design and Research Institute) have been awarded 1st Prize at the International competition of Shenzhen Bao’an Art and Culture Centre. The proposal “Living Canvas” was chosen by an international jury among 70 competition entries. The international team has captured the architectural vision that the municipality wishes to give the dynamic district of Bao’an.

The Dutch Mountains – a New-Type Interaction Environment

(Issue of a magazine 1/2018, page 60)

The Dutch Mountains is a new-type interaction environment that’s being developed in the Eindhoven region, one of the smartest regions in the world. The Dutch Mountains is not a building. It is a symbol for a radical city approach, a new living and working concept. Data-driven, flexible and upgradeable. A high tech and circular environment capable of change and improvement as time passes. And also, the largest wooden building in the world. 

Salutogenic Design: Reserve Opportunities for Health and Well-Being

(Issue of a magazine 1/2018, page 66)

More and more specialists in the world recognize an urgent need to invest in a health-improving ecological environment. This momentous shift may occur by implementing salutogenic design principles, according to which buildings constructed should become places that promote preservation and enhancement of human health and sense of well-being. The influence of the built environment on health is found to be striking.  Thus, the concept of salutogenic design steps to the forefront of global urban development capabilities from the point of view of preventive strategies with the potential to reduce the burden of noncontagious disease and the potential to change life for the better.

Ng Teng Fong General Hospital: the “Hospital Without Walls”

(Issue of a magazine 1/2018, page 78)

The Green Mark Platinum NTFGH is part of Singapore’s first medical campus to combine continuing care from outpatient to post-acute care. Based on passive principles, the performance-based design supports resource efficiency, health, and well-being. The project has received numerous awards, including Top Ten Awards and Salutogenic Design Project Healthcare Environment of the International Academy for Design & Health.

Louvre Abu Dhabi – “Rain of Light” Under the Dome

(Issue of a magazine 4/2017, page 56)

Born from an intergovernmental agreement between Abu Dhabi and France in 2007, Louvre Abu Dhabi and its universal story embodies the spirit of openness and dialogue among cultures, displaying works of historical, cultural and sociological significance from different times and civilizations. Once open, the museum’s permanent collection, as well as important loaned artworks from prestigious French institutions, will form an art historical narrative taking the visitor from ancient times to the contemporary through 23 permanent galleries in 12 sequences. GB magazine has already written about this project, when the museum was in the active phase of construction (Green Buildings, 2015, No. 2). Now, when it is completed, you can find out how the project concept was realized.