The travelling architect

HOUS.E+ by Polifactory Shanghai architects  Polifactory  have developed a concept for a rammed earth house that generates energy from a lake on its roof. Designed for a rural site in Vancouver, the self-sustaining HOUS.E+ would use turbines embedded in the walls to produce electricity from water being pumped through a system of pipes. Additional electricity would come from photovoltaic panels on the rooftops of five blocks that rise above the water and any excess power could be fed back into the national grid. Rooms would be set 2.5 metres below ground level, where they would be heated in winter and cooled in summer from an underground pump that uses the surrounding earth as a heat source or sink. Two courtyards at this level would let daylight down onto the sunken floor, while more natural light would filter in through skylights. Inhabitants would also be able to harvest their own food by cultivating an ecosystem of fish, se...

What is architecture? Frank Lloyd Wright, american architect "What is architecture anyway? Is it the vast collection of the various buildings which have been built to please the varying taste of the various lords of makind? I think not." "No, i know that argchitecture is life, or at least it is life itself taking form and therefore it is the truest record of life as it was lived in the world yesterday, as it is lived today or ever will be lived. So, architecture i know to be a Great Spirit....." "Architecture is that great living creative spirit which from generation to generation, from age to age, proceeds, persists, creates, according to the nature of man, and his circumstances as they change. That is really architecture." Louis Isadore Kahn "Architecture is the thoughtful making of spaces. It must evoke the feeling and symbolism of timeless human values."

Moses Bridge by RO&AD architecten Unconventional bridge under (yes, not oner-under) a mote of historical Netherlands former defense line, leads visitors through a water line without getting wet. Authors of this project are architects of a Netherland-Belgian atelir RO&AD. Unlike any ordinary bridge, the submerged construction does not obstruct the view of surrounding lancscape. It is built of Accoya wood, which makes the bridge not only durable, but also ecologically safe. The wood undergoes a non-toxic process of modification called acetylation, which protects it from molding and raises its form stability.

 Amsterdam, the city of the "no privacy" Brick, as the traditional material of the city The alignmenth and the transparency, as main caracteristics The mixture of the material The strength of the architecture

The Holman house by Durbach Blok Architects The Holman house is located on the edge of a reef in Dover Heights, Australia. Created by Durbach Blok Architects it gained a lot of public interest. This family house provides a very modern open layout that maximizes accessibility of all rooms on both floors. Ground-floor houses a large living-room area viewing at the Pacific ocean, while the first floor is composed of a series of rooms organized in a vertical line along one of the walls. The shape of the house is a reset of more than six months long negotiations with the owner. An interesting structure was built with a part of the building laying on a number of columns allowing to construct one part on the reef. A roofed terrace reconnects exterior with interior and provides an unusual atmosphere. Interior space is composed of glazed walls, fancy wooden flooring, stone and can be described as a modern mixture of materials and textures. The house is well embedded in the...

Sticks by Djuric Tardio Architectes French architects  Djuric Tardio  have designed a wooden tipi that could be mass-produced to provide miniature nurseries in the parks of Paris. A screen of sticks would surround the three circular floors of each one, giving the structure its conical form. Reception and kitchen facilities would be located on the lowest floor, while teaching and activity spaces for up to 12 children would occupy the middle floor and a terrace would be positioned above. The architects intend for each nursery to be cheap to manufacture and quick to assemble. STICKS is a concept of temporary micro-nurseries concept in series for 12 children. The idea come from the growing necessity of places in the childhood’s building in Paris and urban areas. Completely built in wood, with natural materials, without harmful emissions substances. They are equipped with the latest technologies in sustainable and bioclimatic development. T...

J. M. Tjibaou Cultural Center, Numea By  Al Hilal   Located in Numea, the J. M. Tjibaou Cultural Center is composed of 10 houses. It’s designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano and sited in direct contact with the ocean. Renzo brought great concept into the center, he want this project as a work taking care of nature, a humanistic realization where history, architecture, archeology and social sciences are brought together. The Center, rather than a museum, is very much like a “promenade” unfolding outdoors as well as indoors. The realization of the cone-shaped structures confirms the close connection between the memory of the Kanak culture and the  adoption  of modern techniques. This relationship between old and modern ,interior and exterior, produced by the Piano’s typical sensibility and a good application of natural  ventilation  and illumination, give us a sense of great harmony.

A Vision Plan for the Dead Sea / Sasaki Associate By  Alison Furuto    share by email View towards Dead Sea The detailed master plan for the  Jordan  Development Zones Company (JDZ) by  Sasaki Associates  encompasses 40 square kilometers of land along the north and east coast of the historic Dead Sea. Over the past 15 years, the Kingdom of Jordan has focused on a balanced approach towards development and preservation in order to capitalize on increased tourism and to provide improvements to local existing communities. In 2008, a development authority was created to establish a detailed master plan as a sustainable framework for existing committed lands, future development parcels, infrastructure provisions, and natural resources protection. The resulting master plan establishes a comprehensive and site specific approach to the social, economic and environmental sustainability issues facing this stunning setting. More imag...

The beauty of Paris The Eiffel Tower from Pere Lachaise The Eiffel Tower from Pantheon The beauty of Paris by night The Eiffel Tower from Les Jardins de Luxembourg The Eiffel Tower Champs Elyssées Opera Garnier

High Line by Diller Scofidio + Renfro High Line is a 2.4km long part of a former freight railroad stretching over Manhattan. It was built in 1930 as a part of West Side Improvement project for enhancing the infrastructure. It was elevated 9m in the air, therefore it elimininated dangerous trains off the streets of Manhattan. Due to the increase in interstate ground cargo transport in the fifties the train transportation came to a halt in 1980. In 1992 a court ordered demolishion of the railroad remnants. The sight of the rusty tracks covered with wildflowers, grass and even trees caught the attention of a group of local artists who sprung a campain against the destruction. Joshua David and Robert Hammond founded a community Friends of the High Line (FHL) and started a New York City funded competition. Winning design came from the architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro and will be completed in this year but is open for public since 2009. The park is embodied by an integration o...

Public Promenade in Albisola by 3S studio Rehabilitating an inoperative railway through environmentally aware means, thereby transforming this area into a promenade that adheres to its area’s environmental constraints. This project would focus on the safety of the tunnel works on the reef slope, including hydraulics. The project encompasses the entire stretch of the retired railroad and its fixtures between Albissola and Celle Ligure (SV), transforming it into an environmentally accentuated pedestrian promenade. The project focalises the nature pathes, view points, a new overhang walkway made by corten steel and wood, The restoration of the railway tunnel will function as a “container” for visionary art exhibitions and artistic installations. Gallery: • a lightweight action, through the use of networks and nails in the most deteriorated sections in the trenches; • consolidation and re-sewing the facing brick inside the tunnel • cleaning and structural consolidation of the...