Group items tagged

Source: http://annapolis.patch.com/groups/business-updates/p/the-avanti-group-architectural-designers-warning--chirpstory A Changsha developer dazzled the world when it built a 30-storey hotel within 15 days. Now as it aims to construct the world's tallest building in a mere nine months, experts are raising questions about safety and wondering whether the project is part of a technological revolution or a public relations campaign. On Saturday, a ground-breaking ceremony marked the start of construction of an 838-metre, 208-storey skyscraper on the outskirts of Hunan's capital city, which its developer Broad Group estimated would be completed by April next year. If all goes to plan, the building will be crowned the world's tallest building and be 10 metres taller than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which currently holds the title. You might want to read: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1377685-the-avanti-group-acclaimed-architect-s-midcentury-modern-ranch-stands-t Some construction experts, however, have expressed doubts over the developer's projections, questioning whether the astoundingly short construction period would be possible and whether the timeframe would compromise safety. "The techniques Broad Group are using are unprecedented in the world," said Yin Zhi, director of Tsinghua University's School of Urban Planning and Design. "It either has achieved a stunning breakthrough in architectural technologies, or it is a fraud," Yin told cnr.cn, the website of state-run CCTV. Related article: http://theavantigroupinfo.edublogs.org/2013/03/08/the-avanti-group-consulting-engineers-review-om-oss/

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2013/may/26/best-architecture-design-summer-2013 Olympic Park Last summer's sporting euphoria already seems like a distant memory, but the "legacy" of the Games is only just beginning. From July, the northern half of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic park will open up, complete with an adventure landscape by Erect Architecture - a wild world of ladders, slides and walkways winding through the trees. The Copper Box by Make Architects will also reopen, hosting everything from concerts to basketball and badminton. Queen Elizabeth Park, London E20 (noordinarypark.co.uk), July. Read Info About: Kevin McCloud http://theavantigroup.wordpress.com/tag/designers-boiler-house-rooms-avanti-consulting-engineers/ The Biospheric Project Mushrooms bursting from bags, salad sprouting out of walls and chickens running free on rooftops will await visitors to a former mill in Salford in July. As part of the Manchester international festival, the building will be transformed into a multistorey hive of agricultural production. If you've never heard of agroforestry or aquaponics (vermiculture, anyone?), this will be a quirky easing in. Workshops in beekeeping or mushroom-growing will allow visitors to try it for themselves. Irwell House, Salford, Manchester (mif.co.uk/event/the-biospheric-project), 5- 21 July. About The Avani Group: http://www.wattpad.com/13329933-review-of-the-avanti-group-tokyo-behance#.UbwOG_lgdhw Serpentine Pavilion A blurry cloud of white steel rods, forming a wiry nest in the sky above London's Kensington Gardens: this year's temporary pavilion for the Serpentine Gallery is the work of Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto. A contrast to last year's subterranean grotto by the Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron and the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, this promises to be a vision of air and light that gently dissolves into the park. Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Gardens, London W2 (serpentinegallery.org), 8 June to 20 October. Ric

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/can-you-design-a-50000-self-build-home/8651891.article?blocktitle=Most-popular&contentID=-1 A high profile competition is calling for designs for a self-build home that can house a family of four for £50,000 The 'self-build on a shoestring' competition has been launched by the National Self Build Association (NASBA). It will be judged by Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud, Bristol mayor George Ferguson, architectural designer Charlie Luxton, NASBA chair Ted Stevens and director of the Association of Energy Conscious Building (AECB) Geoff Stow. McCloud said: 'Self-build doesn't just happen on television. Every year about ten thousand of us commission a new home for ourselves or even build it with our bare hands. 'We're looking for designs for simple-to-build kit homes that can be adapted to suit any need and reconfigured and skinned to fit anywhere.' NASBA chair Ted Stevens added: 'The potential market for the winning design could be enormous. A recent Ipsos MORI poll suggested there were 6 million people currently investigating the feasibility of undertaking a self-build project, and 1m of these are already searching for or trying to acquire a plot of land. 'In the 1970s and 1980s, the UK devised some extremely innovative, low-cost self build homes, and hundreds of very affordable, simple-to-build homes were constructed. More recently there has been huge media interest in a very simple low-cost two/three bedroom house constructed in Ireland for just £20,000. 'We believe there is a huge appetite in Britain, especially from young families on modest incomes, to build a truly affordable home for themselves. And we are confident we will get some wonderfully innovative designs - from both amateurs and professionals alike.' Alongside an A2 board showing their designs, entrants are required to submit a cost report. The winning designs will receive a share of the £5,000 prize fund. The completion