Rem Koolhaas, the Dutch master of urban innovation and principal of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), has unveiled plans to cap the reinvention of a German waterfront with an aquarium and science center. The project in Hamburg’s new HafenCity district aims to elevate street life while addressing the prospect of rising sea levels. Images courtesy OMA OMA’s design for the Hamburg Science Center calls for a structure composed of 10 modular concrete blocks arranged on a slip to resemble a colossal but motionless wheel—or a life preserver (top). The 253,000-square-foot building will contain 91,500 square feet of aquarium and
As public opposition mounts against the Penang Global City Complex (PGCC), a massive redevelopment scheme in Malaysia, chief minister Dr. Koh Tsu Koon, head of the state of Penang, has requested revisions from the developer, Equine Capital subsidiary Abad Naluri. Image courtesy Anti-PGCC Campaign (top); Seraji Architects & Associates (middle); Asymptote'Hani Rashid + Lise Anne Couture (above). The Anti-PGCC campaign, a coalition of groups that opposes the Penang Global City Complex, has created a model that it claims depicts the excessive density of developer Equine Capital’s proposed 36 towers (top). Renderings by the PGCC’s master planner, Seraji Architects & Associates,
Robert A.M. Stern Architects and Silverstein Properties unveiled plans this week for New York City's tallest residential building: an 80-story, 912-foot-tall hotel and condominium tower at 99 Church Street, one block east of the World Trade Center site. A 175-room Four Seasons hotel will occupy the building’s lower 22 stories with 143 condos occupying the upper floors. Although the project joins more than 5,400 residential units and 3,700 hotel rooms already under construction downtown, according to a January 29 article in The Architect’s Newspaper, Stern’s choice of cladding his tower in limestone and cast stone will help it stand out
The French Market in New Orleans’ French Quarter can still stake a claim to being one of the country’s oldest marketplaces, but in recent years shops stocked with bottles of Louisiana hot sauce, boxes of beignet mix, and other food-oriented souvenirs out-numbered stalls where fresh food was sold. Images courtesy Billes Architecture Billes Architecture has designed improvements to the French Market in New Orleans (top). The complex two blocks along the Mississippi River between Barracks Street and Ursulines Avenue (middle). A farmer’s market section opens on February 1 while a flea market reopened last September (above). Tomorrow the French Market
In the not too distant future there could be two U.S. standards for green buildings. Later this spring, the American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), in conjunction with two other industry organizations, is planning to release for public comment a second draft of its standard for high-performance buildings. Meanwhile, the three-year-old non-profit Green Building Initiative (GBI) is also working toward establishing its Green Globes rating system for commercial buildings as an official standard. Both organizations are following the protocols of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and expect to release fully completed and approved documents by the
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City is getting a surprisingly tall, and stunningly slender, neighbor. Real estate developer Hines is planning a 75-story tower designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel for a narrow, 17,000-square-foot site directly west of the museum. When complete, the building is expected to rise nearly as high as the 1,047-foot-tall Chrysler Building. Images courtesy Ateliers Jean Nouvel Atelier Jean Nouvel has designed a 75-story tower for a slender site adjacent to the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan (left). The building could rise more than 1,000 feet tall (right). Hines purchased the land
Philip Johnson was perhaps the most famous of the Harvard Five and the only one of these noted mid-century Modernists whose entire residential oeuvre remains standing. That might soon change. The New Canaan Historical Review Committee’s demolition delay on his 1953 Alice Ball House, in New Canaan, Connecticut, expires today. Photos courtesy Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation Located on one of New Canaan’s ritziest streets, the 1,700-square-foot Alice Ball House was designed by Philip Johnson and was finished in 1953 (top). It features 10-foot ceilings, glass-enclosed living areas, and private bedroom and service areas (above). Related Links: Philip Johnson's Glass
Correction appended February 01, 2008 RK Stewart, FAIA, the most-recent past president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), is leaving the San Francisco office of Gensler and moving down the street to join Perkins + Will, he confirmed in an exclusive interview with RECORD today. As an associate principal, Stewart, who starts his new job on February 7, will focus on commercial and civic projects with an emphasis on sustainable design. Perkins + Will has offices in 43 countries and 49 states. As a principal at Gensler, which has offices in five countries and 18 states, Stewart had specialized
Spain’s highest court has upheld the decision in a 17-year-old case that requires the removal of a controversial 1993 restoration of a Roman theater in the coastal city of Sagunto.
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