Group items tagged

How does international recognition at the graduation level spearhead a student's career? Check out some of the amazing Indian entries in Archprix International - the World's best graduation projects' competition

China's twelfth 5-Year Plan (released in 2011) addresses the country's rapid urbanisation by including a target to deliver 36 million new social housing units by 2015. Shenzhen in southern China, located in the Pearl River Delta in the Guangdong Province, is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It has a large stake in this project and is aiming to deliver 240,000 new units which will house approximately 800,000 people. At the vanguard of China's economic reform, Shenzhen has grown 400 times its original size in the last 40 years, following high levels of investment by the government and through mass migration of workers from all over China. The city has a huge transient working population comprising mostly young people, in particular single women. Most residents come to the city from various parts of the country, leaving family, friends and other support networks. Shenzhen is rapidly running out of space, with only limited land available to house future population growth.

Urban farming, vertical forests and sky garden design concepts are currently seeing a huge amount of global attention. The reason being is that they offer to answer a huge question for most living in city spaces: How can we live a greener lifestyle in the city? That question is answered through these incredible designs. Urban farming offers to cater to the food needs of cities in a way that is sustainable and doesn't involve high levels of carbon emissions through transport processes, vertical forests add extensive green spaces in areas that are space short and sky gardens add a sense of community and a greener lifestyle to otherwise 'brown', boring living spaces.

Architecture in China can so often be polarising. In fact, the entire industry seems to have that affect on the world. There are those who applaud the Chinese for their extensive and rapid construction work, which includes the world's fastest apartment construction, the creation of entire cities in just five years and of course the developments in Shenzhen, one of the world's fastest growing cities. And then there are others who critique the country for having a 'fake' and 'blood soaked' GDP due to high levels of what some have labeled 'dangerous and unnecessary' industry work. Well, the design debate has been sparked yet again with the unveiling of China's latest industry venture.

The architecture industry has been in recent times exploring the growing world of artificial organisms. We have continuously covered this increasing trend, with examples of man-made organics in China and Singapore, varying from artificial islands, to trees and most recently coral reefs. It is no surprise that through the heightened levels of toxins and rubbish now running into our oceans everyday that certain sections of incredibly valuable, and aesthetically stunning underwater environments are dying. This is caused by various reasons including: the everyday home owner chemical run offs, the larger oil spills and natural disasters, but the fact is, we are killing it faster than it is able to grow back.

Even with all of the effort going into infrastructure and damming solutions to support flood-ravaged areas of Australia, Queensland and New South Wales continue to battle against water levels that are simply too high. The latest floods up north have been so extreme that some areas still remain completely isolated with more storms and extreme weather conditions to continue. While these areas face the brunt of the flooding in this country, and have a long history of these events, the support, ongoing and present from both government and public entities, means that responsive action has been swift with future irrigation planning in place. However, these freak weather incidents will still occur, and several architectural bodies have called for a push in further resilience planning

The idea that the environment can aid healing is not a new one. In her book 'Healing Spaces", Dr. Esther M. Sternberg has explored the health benefits to patients on both a mental and physical level when exposed to plants and larger organic environments. Australian industry giants Brookfield Multiplex and HASSELL are taking on these principles and shaping their design and construction processes with environmental healing as a key foundation of their latest Perth healthcare development.

While feeling safe and secure is a universal need, the strategies through which this need is met have changed over time and across cultures. Recent natural disasters and terror attacks have contributed to a heightened level of interest in how best to protect public buildings and associated structures from natural or man-made events. Within Australia, the National Construction Code (NCC) defines types of building and associated structures, in addition to providing technical advice for their design and construction. The NCC covers such matters as structural integrity, fire resistance, access and egress, services and equipment, and energy efficiency as well as aspects of health and amenities.

Mexico City's proposed new airport "pioneers a new concept for a large-span, single airport enclosure, which will achieve new levels of efficiency and flexibility", says Lord Foster. Click here to read more...

coz this the TED most well to be heard conferecnes on archi and urbanism...

About architecture, about the most known architects... very good level conferences are referenced here !

"Nature has found a way to perfect inherently fragile materials by employing standard engineering principles from the nano to the macro scale,"

The leading and world-renowned manufacturer of these roof windows came up with innovations that pushed again the level in this area significantly ahead. With high quality windows into the flat roofs, the investor no longer has to deal with window heat loss and can concentrate on achieving a pleasant summer thermal comfort.

With rampant awareness and a distinct sense of style, #gen-next aspires for subtle aesthetics that work at the subliminal level. Check out this #office in #Kyiv by Sergey Makhno Architects that deftly caters to the #new #generation combining both - warmth and oomph factor!

With anarchitecture dictated by the dynamics of seawater breaking waves and water levels flooding parts of the island and interior, Ar. Margot Krasojević continues on her mission of orchestrating dynamic and efficient way to harness tidal energy.

An architectural exhibition in Mumbai talks about the micro and meta-narratives in the problem-intervention-problem rat-race, to generate and sustain an interest in living-in and loving a city. Check it out here...

The global economic downturn has slowed growth at major airports in the US and Europe, paving the way for more Asian and Middle Eastern airports to break into the top ten for passenger traffic levels. Based on passenger traffic stats for the first five months of 2012, airport-technology.com presents the ten busiest airports in the world.

Interior design is a constant reinvention of materiality and composition. Check out this beautiful home and leave us your views…

When an architect plays with volumes, it shows his passion for the innovative in the built form. Check out this beautiful juxtaposition of perpendicularity and leave us your views…

next materials