March 2010 by Indian Architect & Builder Magazine

Rs. 100 MAR 2010 VOL 23 (7)

Cool ELEMENTS Sustainability•water•Technology

18 IA&B - MAR 2010

Chandrashekhar Hariharan

Let’s Partner He is the face behind India’s human development and quality of life. His company Biodiversity Conservation India Limited (BCIL) is responsible for building eco-friendly houses in the country. From a humble beginning in 1995, to a multi-million dollar enterprise, Chandrashekhar Hariharan is dedicated to creating ‘green’ solutions for urban living. In a colloquy with Sarita Vijayan, Editor & Brand Director, Indian Architect & Builder Magazine, he enthuses about his vision behind BCIL and his plans for the future. Photograph: courtesy BCIL

SV. What was the vision behind establishing BCIL? CH. In mid-1994, when the idea was born to start an enterprise after nine years of being an NGO, it was primarily driven by our need at the time to move away from donor-based project initiatives we were undertaking in areas of water and energy management in the rural context. For ten years we had worked on mini-micro hydels, water-driven oil mills without electricity, lift irrigation systems that worked without power and such other technologies. By 1994, we began to see that technology learning in the areas of energy and water as well as on vegetation and biomass planning could be used well in the urban context with a model that would be economically sustainable. We were inspired by case studies Alvin Toffler details in his Third Wave. We were inspired by David Thoreau, Aldo Leopold (who wrote Sand County Almanac) and Rachel Carson (author of Silent Spring). We saw the potential for continuing to work on water and energy in a way that we could enhance the quality of life while the technologies that we had mastered could be used by an enterprise, while both arms pushed towards conservation. Essentially, 15 years later, our vision-planks have remained the two triangles that drive our business…water-energyquality of life and technology-enterprise-conservation. SV. From the time you started BCIL, over a decade ago, until now, how have people’s perception changed towards eco-friendly dwellings? CH. In the mid-90s, before the global warming scare hit people’s consciousness, such buildings as we created were considered iconic, eco-sensitive buildings. People bought into the value of larger lands, more trees and vegetation and traditional architectural values we offered. In the next ten years, people saw the dramatic increase in water and energy shortages. By 2005, when the methodology for green buildings in the urban context took root, the context changed from eco-friendly to energy-efficient buildings. If people today are more drawn toward the kind of homes that BCIL offers, it is because of the growing fear of water and energy security. People buy BCIL’s homes against other options in the market because of the long-term assurance they get on water availability and the quality of power that they get in their homes. SV. Compared to western countries, India is still lacking in the green initiative department. What are the reasons behind it? CH. My first observation is that India is not lacking! We are clearly ahead of Europe, Australia, Africa, South America and the rest of Asia in this definitive move towards green buildings. So far, it’s only the US that has been ahead of us. Even this is changing. India today has 500 million square feet of green buildings from IGBC alone in both residential and commercial segments. Moreover, this has happened in just three years! The US took 14

let’s partner

years to reach one million square feet. The difference is that our building industry growth is far higher to that of the US or of Europe. Our market is much more discerning than the European market or the American. What we lack is management process and quality execution. This has been a challenge in all sectors in India thanks to the lack of a strong work ethic as well as professional training. The many green directions across the board are fascinating in India. The sharp rise in green and energyefficient air-conditioning, in the LED and CFL markets, in demand for wastewater treatment plants or biomass gasifiers (that convert biomass to producer gas for gensets) or biogas digesters (that convert wet waste to biogas for kitchens or as compost)…these are all changes that are significant in greening the supply chain in India’s building industry. SV. With majority of the Indian population settled in the rural landscape and are educationally challenged, what measures or initiatives can be adopted to increase awareness of sustainable living in rural India? CH. There is a fallacy that we should not perpetuate. We have about 64 per cent of India’s population living in over 6 lakh villages. They leave a footprint which is extraordinarily low. Thanks to poverty and to centuriesold practices and traditions that respect nature and thanks to countless domestic habits that promote conservation, the Indian rural landscape has been extremely sustainable. So there is no need for any effort for them to take any initiatives to increase their awareness of sustainable living. They are aware, insightful, and knowledgeable on human society’s symbiotic connect to natural resources. Instead, I’d urge that we must work earnestly on have people in the urban segment learn and be inspired from the rural populace! These rural traditions have been lost in our cities in the last 50 years of western definitions of quality of life and the increased dependence on complex buildings and technologies. The Indian urban mass of over 37 per cent of the population lives in two percent of the entire country’s landmass! This urban population consumes 70 per cent of the country’s natural resources and generates over 60 per cent of the India’s GDP. The question is: how do we get India’s cities to not be abusing the resources of our rich hinterland? Can Delhi, for example, get its water without destroying the sub-Himalayan ecosystem? Can we avoid building dams to provide power for Delhi or Chandigarh while we displace millions of people in our villages, while we destroy their rivers and forest? Can Surat and Ahmedabad get water and power without destroying the fragile resources of Narmada? Can Mumbai get water and power without destroying the sensitive regions of the Western Ghats which cannot continue to support the hungry millions in the metro?

Cities have to become sustainable and reduce by half their dependence for water and energy on the India that is Bharath. The only solution into the future for our cities on energy shortages is energy efficiency. Some very simple, affordable and pragmatic solutions exist today that you and I can implement in our homes. If every home spent Rs 2,000 to go CFL, Bombay’s 8 lakh houses will save over 20% of the current daily demand. If all apartments in Bombay decided to treat water and reuse it for flush tanks, 50% of the daily water demand of 4.5 billion liters will drop. If every Mumbai apartment put up a wet waste recyling plant [or a biogas digester], Mumbai will save 50 million liters of diesel that is used by BMC’s 3,000 contracted trucks that carry such stinking waste away from your homes to distant peripheries of the city. There are many other solutions that can make such a world of difference. Recent reports in Mumbai suggest that nearly 30 per cent of the city’s power feeds only the air-conditioners in the city! SV. A majority of your constructions have been restricted to southern India. Are there any plans of expanding to the rest of the country? CH. It is true that our projects are now confined to Bangalore, Mysore, Coorg and Goa. There have been people in Pune, Thane, Kalyan, Rajkot and such other midsize cities who have expressed interest in BCIL creating projects in those parts of India. We will surely pursue such plans in the near future. It is a matter of investments needed and our confidence in the market in these other cities, apart from our organisational bandwidth to produce effective customer delivery. We have, of course, been working globally with institutions like Ademe in Paris and the UN-Habitat in Seoul on research and documentation. Our projects have been used as case studies in universities like Carnegie Mellon in the US and the CEPT University and the School of Planning and Architecture in India. SV. What advice would you provide for today’s architects/engineers who are looking at green architecture as a career opportunity? CH. They must first find a crash course in simple organisational and management practices that build their personality strengths. Many young graduates in this country need to work on making themselves employable with some exposure to finishing schools that make them well-rounded people with strengths on team behavior, interaction ability and communication. Then will come their need to understand some imperative of the future of the building industry. Going green is not a career option but an inevitability today. There are programmes like the LEED AP and the IGBC AP which offer short-term certification courses for engineers and architects on green; building practices. This will help them get a good headstart on the careers market.

LET’S PARTNER Chandrashekhar Hariharan, the man behind Biodiversity Conservation [India] Limited, in colloquy with Sarita Vijayan, Editor & Brand Director, Indian Architect & Builder Magazine.

CURRENT Latest updates on architecture exhibitions, competitions and news.

PRODUCTS Featured are contemporary, innovative and stylish products from around the world.

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Cool Elements: Sustainability. Water. Technology, the focus of this month

Apprise of the world’s five most fascinating construction projects.

features innovative architectural projects from across the world.

King Abdullah II House of Culture & Art

SUSTAINABILITY

The latest venture by Zaha Hadid Architects strikes a resonating chord with nature.

Leeds Office Building, UK Saving the environment is architect David Marchetti with the design of the

Town Town, Erdberg

Green Wrap LIN Architects realise a sustainable planning proposal at Loire in France.

Generating more energy than it uses is Town Town building, designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au.

Metamorphosis The Sun Moon Mansion in China has carved a niche in sustainable development.

office building.

Food For Fuel Changing dynamics of food is Japan-based architect’s Bakoko’s latest innovation.

Living on the Edge

Suncheon International Wetlands Centre

MisoSoup Architects have revolutionised pre-fab homes with their latest

The endeavour by Gansam Architects and Associates is a crowd puller through

cutting edge design.

and through.

FOCUS: COOL ELEMENTS

CONSTRUCTION BRIEF

Recycling Repertoire

North Slope Ski Hotel

Olga Architects defines a new housing complex that combines environmental

Michael Jantzen carves out a sojourn at the Ski Hotel.

benefit with an experimental architectural concept.

POST EVENT Essar Steel Masterstrokes: The Icon Exhibition

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WATER In Between Two Worlds

Photo essay of the first ever exhibition on the works of the third largest

Innovating concrete homes, Matharoo Associates fantastical ‘House With Balls’

construction and engineering paradigm in the world — Buro Happold.

comes replete with concrete balls and a fish farm.

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Chairman: Jasu Shah Printer & Publisher: Maulik Jasubhai Editor & Brand Director: Sarita Vijayan Deputy Editor: Sujatha Mani Senior Writers: Hina Nitesh, Ritu Sharma, Hema Yadav Writers: Renuka Singh, Maanasi Hattangadi Copy Editor: Sharlene D’souza Sr. Visualiser: Abdul Muttalib Visualisers: Mansi Chikani, Prashant Gujar Web Designer: Sandeep Sahoo Editorial & Events Co-ordinator: Abhay Dalvi Subscription Co-ordinators: Sunita Lumba (Delhi), Abhijit Mirashi, Sheetal Kamble Production Team: V Raj Misquitta (Head), Prakash Nerkar, Arun Madye

To the Rescue of Eco-Tourism Incorporating the biodiverse paradigm of the Iberian River, the Mora River Aquarium by Promonotorio Arquitectos boosts eco-tourism.

‘Bio’tecture Defining sustainability are multinational firm Grimshaw Architects and London-based firm Seawater Greenhouse.

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Ocean Utopia Designed as an ecological living solution, the ‘Floating City’ concept by Ahearn Schopfer Architects will be located on the New Orleans costal expanse.

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TECHNOLOGY Size Zero Architecture The GreenPix Media Wall project by New York based architecture and media firm Simone Giostra & Partners breaks new ground in sustainable media-tecture.

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Moulting Buildings Multinational architectural practice LAVA rejuvenates old, dreary buildings with their ‘reskinning’ process.

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Rhythmic Sculpture ‘Aeolus’ by multi-disciplinary artist Luke Jerram tunes the wind and the changing light into a feast for the senses.

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The Other World Architect Keith Dewey extends the realms of architecture, creating a whole new world in the ocean with his ‘Gyre’.

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Reinventing the Skyscraper Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut not only addressed the problems of food shortage but also reinvents the skyscraper with his ‘Dragonfly’.

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Culture Counts Agricultural Conservation in the Future J. H. Stubbs addresses the contemporary issues of heritage protection and outlines architectural conservation practices.

ERRATUM J. H. Stubbs addresses the contemporary issues of heritage protection and outlines architectural conservation practices.

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26 IA&B - MAR 2010

current The 2010 ResilientCity.org

Open Agenda Category Type Deadline

: : :

International Architecture and Design students/instructors Registration: March 1 to May 1, 2010 Submission: May 10, 2010

Open Agenda is a new annual competition aimed at supporting a new generation of experimental Australian architecture. Open to recent architecture graduates, Open Agenda is focused on developing the possibilities of design research in architecture and the built environment. Open Agenda will award seed funding to three exceptional design research proposals that explore new positions in architecture for critical consideration. Proposals will be evaluated on the strength of their research topic, their innovative approach to design as research, design quality and their potential for development as a public exhibition, lecture and publication. For further information, contact: Web: www.utsarchitecture.net/openagenda

2010 YAF/COD Ideas Competition Category Type Deadline

: : :

International Open to all Submission: May 10, 2010

: : :

International Open to all May 14, 2010

The purpose of the ResilientCity.org Design Ideas Competition is to stimulate thinking and discourse about how to increase resilience of our cities as we move into a century where our cities will be subjected to the combined environmental and economic impacts of peak oil and climate change. To this end, the 2010 competition’s theme will be: ‘Building Urban Resilience where you live with what you have’. There will be a prize for the jury’s selection of the best planning and design idea and an additional prize for the best video mini-documentary. For further information, contact: Web: www.resilientcity.org

KMCPMC International Competition Category Type Deadline

: : :

International Architects June 7, 2010

The AIA Young Architects Forum (YAF) and the AIA Committee on Design (COD) invite architects, students and allied design professionals to submit sketches to the international 2010 YAF/COD Ideas Competition: Temporary/Permanent Relief Housing. Submitters are asked to explore the issue of temporary relief housing. The proposed solutions should provide housing for approximately 500 displaced families as well as the necessary support services. While successful site adaptability is the criterion for this competition, the specific site includes the Astrodome and the surrounding parking lots.

To create Kaohsiung as a maritime capital, Kaohsiung City Government invites architects from all over the world to participate in the Kaohsiung Maritime Cultural & Popular Music Centre (KMCPMC) International Competition. The centre will comprise of a large exhibit and performance area, small exhibit and performance area, an outdoor exhibit and performance area, a pop music exhibit area, a maritime cultural exhibit centre, a ferry terminal, a pop music industry centre (incubation centre), a music art and maritime technology commercial area, scenic landmark and administration area.

For further information, contact: Email: kcawards@aia.org.

For further information, contact: Web: www.kpop.com.tw

2010 Student Wall Competition Category Type Deadline

COMPETITION

Category Type Deadline

: : :

International Architecture and Design students/instructors Registration: May 12, 2010 Submission: May 19, 2010

d3 Natural Systems 2010 Category Type Deadline

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International Architects/ Designers/ Engineers/students July 5, 2010

Following the success of 2008 Bridge Design Competition, National Taipei University of Technology (NTUT) School of Architecture would like to further the event, by offering a second design competition. The competition encourages entrants to imagine and produce creative proposals for an ecological ‘WALL’. The evaluation and definition of ‘WALL’ are left open to the applicants’ imaginations. Entrants are free to choose or make site, real or virtual. Teamed collaboration consisting of students in the above-mentioned fields is permitted. Submissions must be the applicants’ original works.

d3 Natural Systems Competition for 2010 invites architects, designers, engineers, and students to collectively explore the potential of analysing, documenting and deploying nature-based influences in architecture, interiors and designed objects. The competition calls for innovative proposals that advance sustainable thought and performance through the study of intrinsic environmental geometries, behaviours and flows. The competition allows designers freedom to approach their creative process in a scale-appropriate manner–from large-scale master planning endeavours, to individual building concepts, to notions of interior detail. Accordingly, there are no restrictions on site, scale, program or building typology.

For further information, contact: Web: www.competition.ntutarch.com

For further information, contact: Web: www.d3space.org/competitions

28 IA&B - MAR 2010

current Come-in: Interior Design as a Contemporary Art Medium in Germany Date : Venue :

May 6 to August 22, 2010 Museu Oscar Niemeyer, Curitiba

The exhibition ‘Come-in: Interior Design as a Contemporary Art Medium in Germany,’ investigates the connection between fine art and applied design in twenty-five artistic positions by means of individual objects, sculptures, installations, videos and catalogue inserts. The mobilia, objects and interiors represent ideas, projects, scenic reinterpretations of situations conditioned by certain furnishing and architectural elements. Every institution that takes part in this touring exhibition is invited to choose and exhibit additional works from its own country. For further information, contact: E-mail: info@ifa.de Web: www.ifa.de/en/exhibitions/exhibitions-abroad/design/come-in/

Lecture: Greg Lynn + Joseph Kosinski Date : Venue :

May 10, 2010 Perloff Hall, Los Angeles

Watch Greg Lynn, Principal, Greg Lynn FORM, Los Angeles; Professor, UCLA Architecture and Urban Design in conversation with Joseph Kosinski, Film Director. Joseph Kosinski’s work represents a fusion of skills stemming from his background in architecture, product design, engineering and music. Greg Lynn has defined how designers and architects use computers as a medium, operating in an expanded field that fuses cutting-edge technology, contemporary art and science fiction aesthetics with architectural form. For further information, contact: Web: www.aud.ucla.edu/#/News&Events/

USGBC 2010 Federal Summit

EVENTS

Date : Venue :

May 18 and 19, 2010 Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Centre, Washington DC

Join the U.S. Green Building Council, government officials, industry leaders and experts from the non-profit community in a two-day exchange of ideas, to explore the role of the federal government in advancing green building across the nation. Example program topics include: retrofits of existing buildings, implementation of current executive orders and legislation, leadership and success stories in green building etc. The event is open to all government, non-government organisations and private firms that work with government agencies. For further information, contact: Web: www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1967

Tunnel Design & Construction Asia Date : Venue :

June 8 to June 10, 2010 Amara Hotel, Singapore

Tunnel Design & Construction Asia covers design codes for tunnels, various construction methods employed, cost-benefit analysis, recent advancements in M&E, fire/safety/evacuation procedures, ventilation/ pollution control and growth in geotechnical investigations for subsurface infrastructure construction. The event will cover current projects and case studies from tunnels in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, India, China, Vietnam and Indonesia and seek to assemble subsurface industry leaders and address afore mentioned issues and provide strategies on how to make the industry sustainable and economical, optimise utilisation of subsurface space, provide safety standards and user-friendliness and enhance the service life of tunnels. For further information, contact: E-mail: stacey.cross@iqpc.com.sg Web: www.tunneldesignconstruction.com

Contemporary Architecture Date : Venue :

June 8 to August 30, 2010 Barcelona, Chicago and New York City

The V&A is commissioning a group of international architects to build a series of structures throughout the Museum, which will respond to the theme of a ‘retreat’. The starting point for these experimental projects will be the idea of a small, enclosed space representing an escape from the chaos of urban life to an area for peace, contemplation, shelter or creativity. One of the central aims of the exhibition is to move away from explaining architecture through drawings and models and instead allow the visitor to experience the architecture itself. For further information, contact: Web: www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/future_exhibs/index.html

urbanFab Date : Venue :

June 28 to July 17, 2010 Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK

UrbanBuddy and Live Architecture Network are collaborating to organise a series of cost-effective design exchange workshops for students and interested parties. Participants will simultaneously explore Barcelona, Chicago and New York City. urbanFAB reveals global concepts, while fully exploring local phenomena that are distinctly Spanish and American. They will engage in a close-up examination of the existing urban factors driving models of digital design and fabrication. For further information, contact: Web: www.urbanbuddy.com/index.php/workshops/ www.livearchitecture.net/archives/5273

30 IA&B -MAR 2010

current Heron Tower in London stands tall at 755ft Lee Polisano’s Heron Tower, is now officially the tallest building in London, after surpassing Tower 42 at 600ft. Set for completion in March 2011, Heron Tower’s 46 storeys will provide over 40,000sqm of office space in the centre of the city. The Tower represents a new generation of buildings that are contextually and environmentally specific, while providing a landmark that advances the city’s skyline. With a BREEAM Excellent sustainability rating, the Heron Tower is set to be a sought after working address. The innovative ‘village’ system for offices creates hives of activity for businesses across three levels. The exterior of the building generates energy through a ‘veil’ of photovoltaic cells on its southern elevation. A restaurant and sky bar provides further opportunities to take advantage of the city setting with external terraces at 175m. The Heron Tower’s reign at the top is likely to be short lived. Renzo Piano’s Shard, set for completion at London Bridge in 2012, will become the tallest tower in the UK at 984ft, followed by the Bishopsgate Tower which will be 945ft tall upon its completion.

3500-seat auditorium inaugurated in Astana, the new capital of Kazakhstan One of the largest auditoriums in the world, designed by Manfredi and Luca Nicoletti, as the result of an international restricted competition, has been inaugurated in Astana, the new capital of Kazakhstan. Founded in the heart of the steppes only four years after the independence of the country, Astana is now the decade old capital of Kazakhstan. A concert commemorating the 18th anniversary of independence of Kazakhstan took place in the new Kazakhstan Central Concert Hall on December 15. Astana’s central nucleus occupies a rectangular area whose organisational axis is based upon a system of three piazzas. In the largest of these, dominated by the Presidential Palace, the State Auditorium faces the Senate House. Within this piazza are housed shops, balconies, restaurants, exhibition halls, two cinemas and the 3500-seat auditorium, clad in wood on the inside and outside, inspired by a traditional instrument, the ‘Dombra’.

NEWS

Blue Forest collaborates to bring forth 3DReid’s rotatED Launched at this year’s BSEC, 3DReid’s ‘rotatED’ is a single modular entity capable of being turned on at any of its seven sides to create an outdoor place with infinite possibilities for activities such as play, learning and performance. Working in collaboration with Blue Forest, the firm has developed the concept as a base shelter with the opportunity for schools to select additional features from a range of external finishes, doors, screens, photovoltaic panels, toilets etc., depending upon their specific requirements and budgets. Meeting the government’s sustainable school agenda is the key in developing the concept and so rotatED will be built with environmentally friendly materials (Forest Stewardship Council Certified Timber), with the option for various renewable materials including wind turbines and rainwater harvesting.

Bio/Chem building achieves sustainable design excellence, 30% below the benchmark Completed in 2007, Johnson Hall at St. Lawrence University is the 21st century exemplar of design excellence; a rigorously resourceful project that, upon completion, was the highest environmentally sustainable rated university or lab building in the state of New York and was constructed at 30% below the regional benchmark cost for its building type. Awarded New York State’s first LEED Gold for a university building in 2008, the 115,000sqft Biology-Chemistry facility at a small private liberal arts school in Canton, NY, had to address the extreme climate and shortened daylight hours. Both issues seemed to create severe limits on energy efficiency aspirations and USGBC LEED aspirations. ‘Radical resourcefulness’ in design, detailing and integrated project delivery addressed the project’s financial limitations.

Chicago tower Aqua commended for its structure and technical innovation Chicago’s Aqua, the world’s third tallest building designed by Jeanne Gang, has been announced as winner of the Emporis 2009 Skyscraper of the Year Award. Members of the jury praised Aqua for its fascinating shape, whose appearance changes dramatically depending on the perspective. It was also cited as a brilliant technical achievement for the precision of its construction, and lauded as an application of green design innovations to an extremely large building project. Reaching a height of 262m, Aqua is currently the 40th tallest in the United States and the 5th tallest building completed in 2009. The 81-storey residential and hotel tower is situated in a large lakeside development. Aqua intersperses undulating balconies with flat glassy planes to create a wavy façade in keeping with its nautical theme. The effect has been compared to a rippled curtain or, according to its architect, to the striated limestone formations common to the Great Lakes region. Aqua won accolades for its innovative shape, the appearance of which changes drastically depending on the perspective. They also commended the technical achievement in relation to the precision of the building’s construction and the green design innovations employed despite the massive size of the tower.

Recipient of the 2010 American Institute of Architects’ Young Architects Award Announced American Institute of Architects announced the nine recipients of the 2010 AIA Young Architects Award. The prize recognises individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the profession early in their careers. Regardless of their age, architects who have been licensed 10 years or less are eligible. The winners will be honoured at a ceremony in Miami during the 2010 AIA national convention, scheduled for June 10–12. AIA winners of 2010 Young Architects Award are David Burt, Kevin deFreitas, David Grissino, Christopher Kelley, Brian Malarkey, Gregory Minott, Anthony Piermarini, Kristine Royal and Tricia Stuth.

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products Solar Light Brick SUNRISE Solar has launched a new building brick that integrates solar technologies into traditional construction materials. The Solar Light Brick is able to capture the sun’s rays and convert them to power a light embedded within the brick, without the need to connect to the electrical grid. The brick incorporates solar cells, an energy storage device and a crystal lighting system that surrounds the energy module in a square or rectangular shape. The light is made from boro-silicon glass and fitted into the brick by a stainless steel fastener and waterproof silica gel sealing washer. The high efficiency solar cell generates no carbon emissions, making it entirely clean technology. Contact: 11815 I H 10 West Suite 110 San Antonio, TX 78230 Tel: (210)881-0850 Email: contact@Sunrisesolarcorp.com

I N N O VAT I O N

Sweet as Honey As seen in nature, the honeycomb structure has durability like a Radiolaria and optical efficiency like a fly’s eyes. Designed by MisoSoup, the Honeycomb Glass Screen Façade generates energy by photovoltaic panels, which is used to illuminate a hi-efficiency LED light system. The interior most panel of the façade is partially operable with an array of LED panels in the shape of a honeycomb applied to it. A photovoltaic glazed panel is applied to the LED system to give the final effect. Each panel in the façade works as hexagonal pixels, to project any kind of information onto the city. This façade will provide opportunities for normal building façades to be ecological, hi-performance large screens. This lighting system not only illuminates the city but also reflects the needs for information and entertainment.

Contact: Web: www.misosoupdesign.com Email: info@misosoupdesign.com

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products For The Musically Inclined When it comes to modular kitchens, there are thousands of options to choose from. The Accordion Folding Cook Table by Olga Kalugina looks like nothing more than an artsy desk; however, furtive triangular drawers that pop out from the folds of the table, sliding counter tops, ample storage units and its cool design all speak about it. The beauty doesn’t stop here, drawer covers can be upturned to be used as preparation boards and transparent plastic lets you know what the boxes hold, without having to open them. The functional modules can be configured in two to four sets, giving you the perfect kitchen!

Contact: Web: www.yankodesign.com

lifestyle

Ovetto Interior designer and architect Gianluca Soldi, who has always been very emotive with the environment, designed and produced a container for the separation of waste. ‘Ovetto’ educates people on how to dispose of waste in the correct way. It is divided into 3 parts and is distinguished by 3 colours. All compartments have a door for the removal of the bag and a window for the insertion of waste. On the top, in the centre there is a tool for crushing plastic bottles and reducing clutter. It can be wheeled anywhere and because of its elliptical form can be placed anywhere. The range of lively colours makes it suitable for homes, offices and schools. Made of ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and polypropylene, whose polymers come from recycled materials: 40–70 per cent for white and coloured and 100 per cent for black Ovettos. Contact: Vita Oste, 29 – 59013 Oste di Montemurlo (PO), Italy Tel: +39 0574 559756 Fax: +39 0574 684464 Web: www.habitare.com Email: info@habitare-ad.com

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products Smart City Lights Bloom Smart design meets city lights in solar-powered LED street lights by Phillips. Mimicking a flower’s opening and closing in sync with the sun, the Sustainable City Lights feature photovoltaic petals that open during the day to collect sunlight. The system also harvests wind energies. At night, its LEDs beam light only where and when needed – through proximity sensing. It not only provides truly green lighting, but also any surplus collected goes back into the main grid for powering other city utilities. Thereby, making it a light pole that generates, rather than consumes power. Contact: Philips Design, Emmasingel 24 Building HWD, 5611 AZ Eindhoven the Netherlands Tel: +31 40 27 59000 Fax: +31 40 27 59041 Web: www.design.philips.com

Interactive LED coffee tables

l i g h tin g

McGrew and Northrup, a husband-and-wife design team, collaborated with open-source hardware designers Evil Mad Science to create interactive LED-infused coffee tables. Three tables, the Wave, the Ripple and the Pulse follow the same concept. Movement stimulates the LEDs on these interactive tables by means of a network of 24 active and passive near-infrared optical sensors. The clever, fully analogue circuit design activates the 480 super-bright white LEDs, needs no service or programming and never ‘crashes’. There is an easily accessible on/off switch hidden on the underside of the table and a cord that plugs into any standard 110v household outlet. These tables subtly add a touch of class to any living room.

Contact: Because We Can, LLC 1722 15th St. STE. C Oakland, CA 94607 Tel: 00+510-922-8846. Cell: (415) 260-4569 Fax: (206) 501-3483 Email: us@becausewecan.org

38 IA&B - MAR 2010

products Bell-Air Rendering plants more intelligent, ANDREA absorbs and metabolises noxious chemicals and particles, including formaldehyde, from the air that circulates in our homes. The air purifier continuously inhales polluted air, forcing it through three natural filters (the plant leaves, its roots and a humid bath) prior to releasing it back into the space, purified. The system uses some of the species NASA had determined to be most effective at capturing toxic compounds. Parisian industrial designer Mathieu Lehanneur and Harvard scientist David Edwards are responsible for its design. Its white LED lights, which work on AC power, enable the plants to thrive anywhere. Lehanneur describes the end product as a domestic spacecraft. Contact: 4 Rue du Bouloi, Paris, France Tel: +33 (0)1 78 09 49 63 Email: sales@labogroup.com

e c o s o l u tion s

New Wood ModWood is leading the way with its new environmentally friendly, low maintenance range of wood composite decking boards, made from recycled milk containers and non-virgin pine. ModWood’s Natural Grain Collection is inspired by the colours and grains found in natural timbers. Colours include black bean (dark mocca), jarrah (red/brown) and silver gum (silver/grey). The Natural Grain Collection has an embossed (grain) finish on the surface of both faces, with one face ‘smooth’ and the reverse ‘brushed’. ModWood products have been designed not to warp, crack or splinter under normal conditions, and require no sanding, sealing or painting for long term protection. They also have a high degree of UV stability and are highly resistant to weather, moisture and termites, promising to revolutionise outdoor spaces.

Contact: 5 Jesica Rd Campbellfield, Victoria 3061 Australia Tel: +61 3 9357 8866 Fax: +61 3 9357 6755 Cell: +61 401 481 712 Email: jamesg@modwood.com.au

40 IA&B - MAR 2010

products Keep Off The Grass Lawn mowing can be extremely boring, but even the most monotonous chores can be remedied. Designed by Yuli Sung, the Muwi concept lawnmower turns waste grass into playthings. The automated barrel shaped mower assesses the grassy areas and then cuts the lawn without any supervision. The machine cleverly collects the grass cuttings inside and then compacts it into two types of blocks: discs or balls. The balls could be used as play things and the grass discs are more suited for piling up as ad-hoc lawn chairs. These balls and discs could also be used as compost fertiliser.

Contact: Web: www.yankodesign.com

h o m e s o l u tion s

W+W Milan designers Gabriele and Oscar Buratti have collaborated with Roca to create a combined toilet and washbasin, where wastewater from the sink is used to fill the toilet cistern. Called W+W, the design filters and stores wastewater from the basin and uses it to fill the cistern of the toilet. Users can divert wastewater from the basin into a reservoir or the mains waste, depending on what it has been used for. If the reservoir is empty, the toilet cistern can be filled from the mains. This new W+W unit combines functionality and water-saving benefits, features an attractive design and could be installed at home or in the office, or even in private or public bathrooms. W+W is the logical choice when sustainability and good design are the top priorities.

Contact: 5 20020 Busto Garolfo, Milan, Italy Tel: 039 0331569 575 Fax: 039 0331569 063 Web: www.burattibattiston.com Email: studio@burattibattiston.it

IA&B - MAR 2010

construction brief

King Abdullah II House of Culture & Art Striving to emulate nature and imbue architecture with intricate complexity and elegance of natural forms, Zaha Hadid Architects enthuse creative innovations in the King Abdullah II House of Culture & Art. Compiled by: Renuka Singh

aha Hadid Architects have unveiled their design for the new performing arts centre in Amman, Jordan, a project they had bagged in June 2008. The design of the King Abdullah II House of Culture & Art derives from the uniquely beautiful monument of Petra, aspiring to be an oasis and sanctuary for contemporary culture. The new arts centre will include a 1600-seat concert theatre, 400-seat theatre, educational centre, rehearsal rooms and galleries. Conceived as a place to rehearse, discuss, teach, study and perform, the King Abdullah II House of Culture & Art will be the premiere venue for theatre, music, dance and education in Jordan. Principles of fluid erosion and carving define the mass of the performing arts centre building. This is the sole means of articulating public spaces in the building, leading to a very strong, intelligible relation between exterior and interior public spaces. The interior public foyer is a continuous, multi-level space that cuts through the building and connects the north and south side of the valley. Since the erosion cuts through the building, the beautiful interior will be flooded with light. While the erosion creates public foyer spaces, the remaining mass represents the performance areas. The big concert theatre is seen at the end of the public void, while the small theatre is exposed overhead at the front of the building, where the public foyer space fuses with the public plaza. These two distinctly shaped volumes, which contain the primary event spaces, are encapsulated by the support functions to create an exterior cubic volume. Nevertheless, this exterior volume is not a rigid box. It is given tension, to let it gently swell like the entasis of a column in response to the public void in the centre of the building. The plaza ground outside receives the underpass coming from the GAM strip, thus creating an amphitheatre-like valley. The surface of the plaza rises gently as it approaches the building. The foyer ground is thus slightly lifted and slightly dips again in response to the small theatre. The ground in front of the big concert theatre is also eroded to reveal and provide access to the performance space, creating another situation that may become a kind of amphitheatre within the overall space. Such quasi-topographic manipulations of the ground surface are very communicative. They help structure the large public surface and facilitate orientation. Thus, this play with the ground plane is in tune with the overall ambitions of the multi-level public void, allowing the audience to partake in a unified public space at several levels, bringing together all members of the community in the shared experience of art and music. Construction works are scheduled to begin in early 2012. 1. Zaha Hadid Architects unveiled their design for a new performing arts centre in Amman. 2. The design is derived from carved stone buildings. 3. The carved voids crossing the building volume creates visual relations.

FACT FILE: Project Client Location Architect Project Architect Project Director Design Competition Team

: : : : : : : :

Structural Consultants Faรงade Engineers Lighting Consultants Photographs

: : : :

King Abdullah II House of Culture & Art The Greater Amman Municipality Amman, Jordan Zaha Hadid Architects Tariq Khayyat Charles Walker Zaha Hadid and Patrik Schumacher Maria Araya, Melike Altinisik, Dominiki Dadatsi, Renata Dantas, Sylvia Georgiadou, Britta Knobel, Rashiq Muhamadali, Bence Pap, Eleni Pavlidou, Daniel Santos, Daniel Widrig, Sevil Yazici. Dar Al-Handasah, Beirut-Cairo Ramboll, London OVI, New York courtesy the architects

construction brief

Town Town, Erdberg Mixing solar and wind technologies, the Town Town building, Erdberg manages to generate more energy than it uses.

oop Himmelb(l)au will receive the Sustainability Award of the 2010 MIPIM Architectural Review Future Project Awards, for their tower covered in a folded metal skin, Town Town, Erdberg. Marking the gateway to Vienna towards the east, the Town Town office tower is the main element of a developing urban zone. As the name suggests, the project ideally connects to the city, as it is located directly on the subway line and is in proximity to the highway leading to the airport. The 30-storey tower combines two typologies, a high-rise slab and a cylindrical tower, with a cleverly positioned central circulation and access core as ‘hinge,’ to achieve very high efficiency. The proportion of net usable floor area to gross floor area is 86 per cent in comparison to 82 per cent in a conventional building. The shape of the high rise is also optimised for the implementation of an integrated and energy-active building system, which speaks about its excellent performance in terms of sustainability. The crystalline forms of the metallic skin were developed in simulations of dynamic wind forces, in order to be radar compatible and climatically, acoustically and functionally optimised. The faceted skin envelops the slab and the tower, merging them into a single hybrid form. Through the main entrance of the plaza, the visitors step into a multi-level lobby or communication zone with a flight of stairs that leads to semi-public areas like the café and event spaces as well as special areas, including a double height conference area. The façades of the slab and the tower are composed of external façade elements, mounted at varying angles in front of the standard façade, behind which fixed and operable elements are fitted. The outer skins of the lobby at street level as well as of the Sky Lobby and the Sky Lounge are glass with a post and beam structure. The building produces electric energy in two ways: wind energy is harvested by means of a large turbine on top of the tower in a bar-shaped construction, which is optimally oriented with respect to the locally dominant wind direction. Second, the façade panels are provided with photovoltaic lamination, which produces electric energy through sunlight. According to tests and studies, the façade and the turbine together produce more energy than the building actually consumes. The high rise is conceived as a reinforced concrete construction with concrete slabs and composite steel concrete columns. A continuous inner concrete core containing elevators, escape stairs and technical shafts, provides for rigidity and seismic safety of the structure. The inner columns transfer the loads vertically. The exterior row of columns follows the form of the building and transfers their loads directly via the load distributing foundation plate and the pile foundation in the ground. Thus, this façade-driven high-rise indicates that energy design can stimulate creative forms.

1. The tower is covered in a folded metal skin.

FACT FILE: Planning

Client Design Principal Project Partner Project Team

: : : :

Project Director

Structural Engineering

Building Costs Photographs

: :

Coop Himmelb(l)au Wolf D. Prix, Helmut Swiczinsky + Wolfdieter Dreibholz Preliminary Design The Greater Amman Municipality Wolf D. Prix Helmut Holleis Volker Kilian, Luzie Giencke, Alexander Ott, Marcelo Bernardi, Claudia Buh Mann, Daniel Kerbler, Markus Tritthart, Penny Rüttimann, Markus Wim Mer, Hannes Wohlgemuth, Matthias Eckardt, Quirin Krumbholz, Robin Heather, Sergio Gonzalez, Wolfgang Reicht, Nico Boyer, Luís Muniz Flores Immobilien Development Wiener Stadt Werke Bmg & Stc Swiss Town Consult Kollitsch & Stanek Ziviltechniker Ges.m.b.H., Vienna, Austria 6,697 million Euro courtesy the architects

construction brief

Suncheon International Wetlands Centre Gansam Architects and Associates of Seoul continue to draw visitors at Suncheon with nature surrounding the wetlands.

S 1

uncheon is one of the largest tidal flats in the world that attracted approximately 2.8 million visitors in 2008. Based on the imprint left by receding tides, G.Lab* by Gansam Architects and Associates have designed the Suncheon International Wetlands Centre, a visitors’centre for the wetlands in Suncheon, South Korea.

The methodology for this design began with the concept of leading visitors through the wetlands to the Suncheon Bay. Meandering paths encourage visitors to experience the wetlands and outdoor exhibitions, leading them to the Visitor’s Centre, placed at the northeast corner of the site. The choreography of these pathways allows visitors to experience the topographical change of the site, from forest to wetland. Each function of this complex is housed in separate glazed buildings, which have green roofs and are shaded by timber bars on the façade. The project has been oriented to allow maximum exposure to daylight and reduce artificial illumination. The placement of the building enhances the scenic views of the mountains beyond and the river, creating a visual continuation of both the water’s path and visitor’s circulation. Moreover, the buildings and pathways are designed to minimally affect the delicate natural order of the wetland. Recesses in the pathways around the building allow the wetland to continue under the structures. Building functions are separated into distinct envelopes, allowing greater climatic control and reducing the overall energy usage. The wooden façade minimises the summer sun exposure, maximises winter day lighting and blends with the surrounding woodlands to the north.

Framed views from the gallery through these wooden slats capture light and help set the mood for this visitor’s centre. Providing connectivity to the 2013 Garden Expo and the greater city of Suncheon, this design intends to reconnect visitors to nature and a network of facilities designed to teach about wetland preservation.

FACT FILE:

1. View of the world’s largest tidal flats. 2. The structure makes maximum use of natural light. 3. Overview of Suncheon International Wetlands Centre.

Project Client Location

: : :

Architect Project Architect: Competition Year Design team Site Area Building Area Photographs

: : : : : :

Suncheon International Wetlands Centre Republic of Korea 540 Ochon Dong Suncheon City, Jeonnam Province, South Korea G.Lab* by Gansam Architects & Associates Chuloh Jung 2009 Dae Hyun Im, Sang Hyun Son, Daniel Da 33,000sqm 8,300sqm G.Lab*

construction brief

North Slope Ski Hotel Discover the opulence of eco-friendly hotel by Michael Jantzen, who remains down-to-earth in carving out a sojourn at the North Slope Ski Hotel. 1

ubbed the North Slope Ski Hotel, Michael Jantzen’s eco-hotel offers a new way to experience the frosty luxuries of Aspen. The North Slope Ski Hotel is a conceptual design proposal for an ecological, ninety-five-room luxury hotel, powered primarily by the wind and the sun. Eight large vertical axis wind turbines mounted on the top of the hotel and a massive array of flexible photovoltaic cells that cover the lower south facing curved portion of the structure are used to supply most of the hotel’s electrical needs. The entire hotel is built from the most appropriate and sustainable building products available in the market. Together with deeply buried earth pipes, large south facing insulated windows mounted in front of a large amount of thermal mass in the floor of the lobby are used to help passively heat the hotel.

In the summer, a large overhang projecting from the south face of the structure shades the windows. In addition, all of the ninety-five rooms in the North Slope Ski Hotel are fitted with two large windows, designed to function like valves that can manipulate the appropriate amount of light, heat and fresh air. The hotel’s signature statement is its shape, which incorporates a 400ft ski slope. Guests can take an elevator to the top of the hotel and ski down the side of the structure into the surrounding landscape. Even in summer, guests will be able to ski down the hotel’s built in ski slope, fitted with a special skiable surface that will not require snow, thus making it season-less. The ski slope is also designed to collect rainwater and melting snow and channel it into large storage containers buried at the base of the slope. This water is recycled and used in and around the hotel. There are several other unusual amenities in and around the hotel, including a special eco-spa and a gym, in which guests can help to power the hotels electrical needs, by using the specially designed electrical generating exercise equipment. There are various unusual places to shop and to eat and a specially designed bar, located at the top of the hotel. Conceptually, the design for the North Slope Ski Hotel came from a symbolic image of a large snow covered mountain with a small grove of trees at its peak. The architect hopes his design demonstrates how even the most luxurious places on earth can and should be built in an earth friendly way.

3 1. The conceptual design. 2. The hotel is built from the most appropriate and sustainable building materials. 3. The hotel delivers sustainable luxury in style.

FACT FILE: Project Designer Photographs

: : :

North Slope Ski Hotel Michael Jantzen courtesy the architects

IA&B - MAR 2010

post event

fter the success of the ‘Works of Richard Meier,’ Essar Steel Masterstrokes: The Icon Exhibition showcased the works of cutting edge structural engineering consultancy Buro Happold at Stainless Gallery, New Delhi from March 25th to 27th, 2010. Buro Happold, the third largest construction and engineering firm in the world, is internationally renowned for cultural, educational, rail and regeneration projects. The exhibition was inaugurated with a special preview at the gallery on 24th March 2010. The inaugural speech was given by Steve Brown, Senior Principal, Buro Happold, UK and J. Mehra, Director, Essar Steel Business Group. The exhibition held over a period of three days saw more than 1000 visitors, including professionals, students and academicians from all over the country. The display included 15 panels rendered with drawings, details and descriptions of the firm’s most iconic projects. The exhibition enthralled the audience with a digital coverage of the firm’s working and detailed walkthroughs. The event acted as a platform for an interactive catalyst to highlight the global empowerment of infrastructure.

A daylong conference, ‘Empowering Infrastructure Globally,’ was organised as a part of Essar Steel Masterstrokes: The Icon Exhibition. The conference was initiated by Ravi Singh, Head, Service Centre, Asia and Africa, Essar Steel followed by a keynote lecture by Steve Brown, Senior Principal, Buro Happold. The conference progressed over a schedule of four tracks covering different aspects in steel like ‘Steel in Technology,’ ’Steel & Sustainability,’ ‘Steel & Benchmarks’ and ‘Celebrating Steel’. Distinguished speakers like Mahesh Tandon, Director, Tandon Consultants Pvt. Ltd, India; Dr. Nimish Biloria, TU Delft, the Netherlands ;Martin Riese, Managing Director, GT Asia Limited, Hong Kong, Andrew Thurlow and Maia Thurlow Small, Principal Architects, Thurlow Small Architecture, US; Prof. Anil Laul, CEO and Principal Architect, Anangpur Building Centre, India; Srinidhi Anantharaman, Director, Geodesic Technologies, India; S. A. Reddi, Consultant & Ex MD, Gammon, India and Michel Virlogeaux, Consultant and Bridge Designer, France addressed the audience on celebrating steel. The conference was a global platform for an interactive exchange of ideas on empowering infrastructure globally.

The Event

1. Welcoming panels at Essar Steel Masterstrokes: The Icon Exhibition. 2. Introductory panels of Buro Happold & Essar Steel. 3. View of the podium. 4. The panels briefing the visitors about the projects in various infrastructure sectors worked on by Buro Happold.

5. Showcasing the photo of Buro Happold as a collage with pictures of the staff of the firm and the timeline of the growth of the firm on the adjacent panel. 6 & 7. The panel display that traced the grid of the Buro Happold logo,exhibited the best of their works. 8. The choicest engineering details of the firm were put up on display as a part of the exhibition.

The Preview Evening

9. Mr.J. Mehra, Director, Essar Steel Business Group outlining the future os steel and global infrastructure at the preview night. 10.Mr. Steve Brown, Sr.Principal, Buro Happold explaining the panels and works of their firm to Mr.J. Mehra, Essar Steel Business Group. 11.(from right to left) Sarita Vijayan, Editor & Brand Director, IA & B, Mr.Sanjay Sawhaney, GM(National Sales), Essar

Steel Business Group and Mr. Ganesh Pai,GM( Corporate Communications), Essar Steel Business Group. 12.Mr.Steve Brown, Sr. Principal, Buro Happold, addressing the packed gathering at the preview night. 13.Mr. Arun Rewal looking at the panels on display. 14.The plasma wall (on the right) playing videos of the Buro Happold works enhancing the dinner area.

Conference

15. The day-long conferenceâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Empowering Infrastructure Globallyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was organised as a part of the Essar Steel Masterstrokes: The Icon Exhibition. 16. The welcoming panels to the conference. 17. Speaker Prof. Anil Laul interacting with the invitees at the conference. 18. The podium of the conference.

19. Mr. S.A.Reddi, Consultant & Ex MD, Gammon and Mr.Michel Virlogeux , Consultant and Bridge Designer, France arrive for the conference at The Park, New Delhi. 20. (from left to right) Dr.Nimish Biloria, TU Delft, the Netherlands and Mr.Martin Riese, Managing Director, GT Asia Limited, Hong Kong in conversation at the conference.

Conference

21. Mr. Ravi Singh , Head, Service Centre, Asia and Africa, Essar Steel Business Group inaugurates the conference. 22.Mr.Mahesh Tandon, Director, Tandon Consultants Pvt. Ltd, India addresses the packed gathering at the conference. 23 & 27. Andrew Thurlow and Maia Thurlow Small, Principal Architects, Thurlow Small Architecture,US, speak on their respective tracks at the conference.

25. Mr.Sanjoy Mitra, Head,Global Sales, Essar Steel Business Group, addresses the audience. 26.Dr.Nimish Biloria , TU Delft, the Netherlands speaks on ‘Steel & Technology’. 28.Mr. S.A.Reddi discourses on the topic ‘Steel & Benchmarks’ 30. Mr.Martin Riese, Managing Director, GT Asia Limited, Hong Kong presented his ideas on ’Steel & Technology’.

29. Mr. Steve Brown, Sr. Principal, Buro Happold gives the keynote lecture. 31.Prof.Anil Laul, CEO and Principal Architect, Anangpur Building Centre interacting with the audience. 32. Mr. Michel Virlogeaux, Consultant and Bridge Designer, France who spoke on ‘Celebrating Steel’ brought the conference to a close.

72 IA&B - MAR 2010

Greenwrap Multi-national architecture firm LIN realises a sustainable pioneering proposal as the revival focus of the defunct industrial charm of Saint-Ă&#x2030;tienne, Loire in France. Text: Maanasi Hattangadi Photographs: courtesy the architects

focus

SECTION

1. Aerial view: Creating an urban hub, two pedestrian streets run east-west alongside the Platine, linking it to the defunct industrial area.

aint-Étienne, in France, cites an industrial histor y replete with narrow streets nestled in the hillside of the Central Massif. Paris and Berlin-based LIN Architects have succeeded in fusing this heritage with a visionar y plan — Cité du Design that takes both, industr y and design into the future. Designed as a core that links a wide variety of design, industr y, ar t and business elements, the project includes the integration of a new building, the ‘Platine’ (200 x 32m), an obser vation tower (31m high), two gardens and the Place d’Armes, a large public esplanade. LIN architects redefine this defunct industrial place with a slender 7,000sqm eco-friendly communications structure, dubbed the Platine. Conceptualised as an entirely interactive environment, each facet in the Platine is responsive to various determinants. Wrapped around exhibition spaces, an auditorium, a green house and a librar y, the adaptive envelope projects itself as a cocooned structure. It boasts of a flexible, reactive, high-tech, latticed triangular façade that transforms from opaque to transparent according to the needs of the exhibition centre. The geometric pattern orchestrated from 14,000

equilateral triangular panels, is composed of varied energy producing materials, including photovoltaic panels, into one coherent scheme. Photovoltaic panels are configured with a number of cells and fit into the standard triangular panel, infusing electricity conver ted from solar power into the global network. 120sqm of the sur face is set aside for installing experimental panels, which may evolve with the advancement in technology; currently proposed photosynthesis panels. These photosynthetic cells, on one side, are layered with titanium dioxide covered with a dye called a ‘sensitiser’ and on the other side with an electrolytic solution. When light strikes the dye, electrons are released which are collected at the edge of the cell and then are directed to an ex ternal circuit. The two layers of the envelope synchronise to control the climatic variation. The seemingly random array of transparent and opaque triangles is linked to the var ying programmatic element’s needs of light. Changing the angles for blocking the light can modulate its streaming. Luminosity adjusts according to the planned criteria of the premises. The skin unfolds to the sides and basement, integrating a barrier free volume within itself.

Contrived as an inter- climatic space, the linear structure regulates the climatic environments inclining towards energy independence. The distinct gradation of the interiors into functions is defined through par titions called filters, which offer acoustical protection and individual climatic stability, without having to climatically treat the whole volume. The architects have innovatively enabled natural heating/cooling via a reversible heating/cooling floor and a low emissivity (low E) layer on the underside of the envelope to escalate the thermal comfor t levels. The low emissivity reflective layer of interior walls retains the dissipated energy like a thermal mirror. Echoing the green vibe of the structure, a geothermal energy system is implemented under the Platine.

2. One of the entrances to the platine highlighted by the coherent scheme of panels 3. The exhibition area opens out into the Agora area. 4. The Greenhouse is also microclimatic experimental platform. 5. The panels on the reactive skin: Modulation between opaque and clear, insulated or interclimatic, open or closed, reflects and accompanies the various cycles and interactions of the Cité du Design.

Opaque panel in anodized aluminum

8,836 panels 5,227sqm 58.5%

Exterior: Aluminum, pre-anodized, 2mm mineral insulation 50mm galvanized steel sheet 0.75mm 50mm mineral wool insulation white felt inner aluminum sheet metal, perforated

653 panels 390sqm 4.4%

Insulating glass panel fixed louver 6mm float glass 24mm air, parabolic lamellae laminated 6.4mm + 6.4mm

578 panels 353sqm 4.0%, 6mm suncool 6mm air, argon 16mm laminated 6.4mm + 6.4mm

Insulating glass panel dimmable light 8mm tempered float glass, silkscreen bands Mobile 6mm glass, silkscreen bands laminated 6.4mm + 6.4mm

677 panels 407sqm 4.6%

Insulating glass panel sunscreen, translucent 6mm float glass Argon 16mm laminated 0.64mm + 0.64mm

461 panels 275sqm 3.1%

Panel experimental area 5.5mm glass 5.5mm aluminum frame opening.

325 panels 205sqm 2.3%

C7 320 panels 196sqm 2.2%

C4 768 panels 484sqm 5.4%

ARRAY OF PANELS

Insulating glass panel sun protection, colour 6mm float glass 16mm argon laminated 6.4mm + 6.4mm

VEN 1 501 panels 360sqm 4%

Single glass panel sun protection laminated 6.4mm + 6.4mm

C11

B4 368 panels 218sqm 2.4%

Insulating glass panel sun protection float glass 6mm suncool 6mm air, argon 16mm laminated 6.4mm + 6.4mm

C10 313 panels 193sqm 2.2%

Pane insulating glass daylight 6mm float glass, tempered 16mm air Laminated glass 5mm + 5mm

Hatch (+ smoke ventilation) see A1

Photovoltaic panel 6mm clear float glass 2mm resin with monocrystalline cells, 12.5 x 12.5cm clear float glass 4mm, 16mm argon laminated 5.5mm + 5.5mm Photovoltaic cells: Efficiency 13% yield 70 to 100kWh/sqm year Total cell surface 95sqm power per watt panels 38.8 Annual electricity production approx. 6MWh/year = 17 workstations

Conference rooms

Auditorium

Expo A

Agro

Expo B

Restaurant

Green house

Matériauthèque -5˚C

hiver

Natural ventilation

Towards the CAP

Chill temperature

Geothermal probe

Canadian well

Energy stake

Active floor 27˚C

étè

LONGITUDINAL SECTION ON PLATINUM – SUCCESSION OF DIFFERENT CLIMATIC AREAS

The three -dimensional mesh of metallic units profile the structure of the Platine. The homogeneity and multi-directional dispersion of forces generate a non-hierarchical structure – a ‘monospace’ free of any intermediate suppor t. LIN Architects blend green needs with visual delight reviving the exanimate charm of the place. Embodying the old with new and the traditional with the sustainable, the latest symmetric solar mar vel of Saint-Étienne renders itself both, environmentally and aesthetically appealing.

6. Canadian well under the Platine.

FACT FILE: Location : Architect : Client : Local Architect & OPC : Structure : Engineering : Acoustics : Lighting : Completion of project :

Saint-Étienne, France LIN Finn Geipel + Giulia Andi, Berlin/Paris Saint-Étienne Métropole with the assistance of the European Community, the National Government,the Rhône-Alpes Region and the Département de la Loire. Dominique Berger + Sandra Tauveron, Cabinet Berger Werner Sobek + Thomas Winterstetter, WSI, Stuttgart / New York Fréderique Binvignat + Christian Desquiens, BETOM Ingénierie, Corbas Richard Denayrou + Emily Morin, Altia Acoustique, Paris Andy Sedgwick + Jeff Shaw, Ove Arup, London 2009

78 IA&B - MAR 2010

Food For Fuel Distending the realms of innovativeness, Japan-based Bakoko Architects have struck upon a cheap and energy efficient fuel that promises to change the dynamics of the energy sector altogether; even making solar and wind energy passĂŠ. Text: Hema Yadav Photographs: courtesy Bakoko Design Development

focus

ransforming old, dilapidated structures into a modernist dream is a proven knack of Bakoko Architects; this time round the firm has taken this ideology quite literally. Their portfolio boasts of creations like ‘The Cutty Sark Pavilion,’ ‘Skydine’ and ‘Just Blocks,’ which are unique in design, distinguishing the architects’ involvement in small to large projects. Keeping in tune with their design philosophy their latest invention — ‘Comploo’ looks like a cross between an UFO and an igloo and uses scrap and leftover food, converting it into fuel. Working on the concept of decomposing, the designers Kayoko Ohtsuki and Alastair Townsend have created a unique pod-shaped structure that is energy and cost efficient; a viable option to heat small spaces. The tiny structure consists of a series of large, specially shaped compost hoppers arranged in a ring, forming an enclosure around the pod. At the top of each bin is a door where all the garden waste, food scraps or other compost materials can be deposited. Each bin has a system of ducts running through them. As the air circulates within the walls, the microbial process generates and circulates heat in the decaying compost. With sufficient amount of compost, the ‘Comploo’ can reach temperatures up to 120ºF. This heated air is then released via a 1. Compost hoppers where waste and food scraps can be deposited.

Plan

SECTION

1. Organic waste inserted

4. Compost is extracted

2. Ducts run through compost

5. Transparent ETFE roof

3. Heat blown from central fan

6. Benches

central vent that discharges into the interior of the structure, keeping the dwellers cosy. A perfect place to brush away the winter gloom, the structure could be used in large urban parks, community gardens or even as cosy outdoor cafĂŠs. Although, just at developing stage the design team is busy smoothing out technical details, trying to answer questions like how to adequately aerate the compost, how to control moisture and how to mitigate odours? If their design succeeds, stale or leftover food could turn out to be the gen-next fuel of the 21 st century at affordable cost and with endless possibilities.

FACT FILE: 2. The structure can be a perfect place to brush away the winter gloom.

Project Status Architects

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Comploo Conceptual Bakoko Design Development

IA&B - MAR 2010

focus

Living on the edge Revolutionising pre-fab homes is the latest cutting edge design from MisoSoup Architects. Comfortable, Sleek, Stylish, Sustainable are some of the epithets associated with — Live Pod. Text: Hema Yadav Photographs: courtesy the architects

1. The ‘Live Pod’ house.

82 St ai rc as e En

cl os ure w

Me ch an ica l Sy ste

/ PV Pa ne l

AC Ele ctr ica l an Sh ea r Wa ll w/ HV

Al um in iu m

M es h Sc re en

Gree n Ro of

sy stem

Ra in sc re en

Sy stem

Fin ish Ce ilin g

Open Trend s Stair s

Bedroom

Bathroom

Bamboo flooring Downlight w/ Fluorescent Light Bulb

Fixed Window w/ Tinted Glass

Living Room Kitchen

Alu mi niu m Ext rus ion

Ent ran ce Do or

Wo rk Spa ce

Wo rkt ab le w/ Sh

Sto rag e

elv ing

d plu mb ing

83 creating a unique structural system. With pre-fabricating method, not only can we shorten the installation time, but also effectively control quality offsite. The ease of transportation adds to the economical value and this allows easy construction.” The portable house can be easily detached and transported from one place to another by a tractor-trailer.

The egg shaped structure incorporates a sustainable building system and renewable materials such as bamboo flooring, a rain screen facade, photovoltaic panel and green roof to collect rainwater for irrigation. One of the advantages of the Pod is, unlike other modular homes, it provides a canvas for one’s creativity. Right from customising the exterior walls, to colouring and changing the rain panels, the design encourages a personal interaction with its residents. The designer explains the technology involved in the process, “To make a smart design like the Pod, we looked into digital tools that were already generated in other industries and which were also highly relevant to architecture and furniture design. CNC (computer numerical control) milling machine, a laser cutter and 3D printer were incorporated to experiment on potential structure and connection joints. Our focus was to turn practical research, theory and fabrication techniques into the main design force.” Their hard work has reaped dividends as the Live Pod has been accepted as a design proposal for a site in Taichung, Taiwan. Eco as well as user friendly, the ‘Live Pod’ is a living organism that reacts, gives back and co-exists with the cycle of nature.

2. The pre-fabricated model of the Pod. 3. Solar roof of the Pod. 4. Interior of the Pod.

re-fabricated homes are not just fashion statement for the eco-friendly brigade to flaunt, but a requisite of the future. While most pre-fab homes or modular houses are built without any room for modification, MisoSoup have designed a house, which can be modified and customised according to one’s requirements. Titled ‘Live Pod,’ the design amalgamates the cycle of nature in creating a sustainable lifestyle with minimum carbon footprint. Inspired by nature and biological beings, designers Daisuke Nagatomo and Minnie Jan elucidate the concept behind Live Pod, “In designing the Pod, we studied the way organisms respond to their environment, which helped us in

FACT FILE: Project Location Architects Completion

: : : :

Live Pod Taichung, Taiwan MisoSoup Design 2012

84 IA&B - MAR 2010 1

Recycling Repertoire

An environmental benefit collaborated with an experimental architectural concept is devised by France-based architecture firm â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Olgga Architectsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to define a new type of housing complex. Text: Maanasi Hattangadi Photographs: courtesy the architects

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SITE Plan

ustainable thinking has brought forth many a variegated trend in the design approach. The highly customisable modular elements of shipping containers have been found as one of the responses to this ‘green’ vibe. Built from weathering steel, the building blocks of international trade – shipping containers couple functionality with sturdiness to withstand stacking, stuffing and strapping and are reused over and over. There are roughly 17 million of these containers floating, riding and flying around the world today, but the recent sustainable design trend has found these containers re-purposed to carry a more fragile cargo — humans.

French firm Olgga Architects have actualised a student housing complex of recycled containers in Le Havre, France, redefining the mundane concepts of conventional designs. Dubbed ‘Crou,’ the 2,851sqm structure intends to make use of 100 recycled containers, stacked in a unique pyramidal arrangement. The idea is cheap, simple, and manoeuvrable and by stacking the containers, they use the available space efficiently with a novel touch. Crou remodels the identity of the site, relating itself as a response to the harbour area and continuity of the city. The overall design is sleek and contemporary, barely hinting at the recycled and sustainable nature of the hostel. Overlooking the harbour, the entrance opens into the interior landscapes integrated with a basin reflecting the building and open gardens. The assemblage is composed in two sets as a perpendicular connection to the basin and greenery. All vertical walls are carved with the semblance to urban canyons. The containers are not only a beautiful and stylish, but also portable, affordable, durable and eco-friendly catering to the elusive demand of sustainability.

1. Perspective view of the pyramidal arrangement, overlooking the harbour. 2. The shipping containers composed to gain maximum ventilation and spatial benefit.

Site Plan

Elevation 1

R + 1 Plan

Elevation 2

Elevation 3

The units, accessible with a rear entrance, are linked through a hybrid of metal staircases. The modular units maximise space limitations and privacy solutions as it offers individual rooms to each student. It avails students with all the modern conveniences that a dorm accommodation offers. A linear volume is furnished with a kitchenette, an adaptable bedroom space with an attached bathroom encasing an affordable streamlined living. Their plan accommodates a spatial consideration designed according to the needs for those who are differently abled. The modernist design with clean lines and huge glass windows completely dismiss the primal use of the metal boxes turning them into chic examples of creative re-use. The complementary symbiosis between construction and water characterises the unusual composition making it a comfortable place to live in.

3. The main entrance leading unto the staircases going upto the individual rooms. 4. Axonometric view of the studio.

R + 3 Plan

FACT FILE: Location Client Architect Consultants Completion of project

: : : : :

Le Havre, France CROUS of HAUTE NORMANDIE Olgga Architects AG b창timent, mandatory firm / PINGAT Engineering 2009

87 IA&B -MAR 2010

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C o ol E L E M E N T : WATER

88 IA&B - MAR 2010

In between two worlds Matharoo Associates transforms a concrete home into a fantasy fabled structure, complete with concrete baubles and a fish farm. Text : Maanasi Hattangadi Photograph: courtesy the architects

amiliar and simple, yet enchantingly complex, water is endlessly appealing. We are compelled to stare at a river flowing under a bridge, to feel water as it sheets over the marble rim of a fountain or to sit for hours transfixed by the sounds of a gurgling stream or waves at the beach. From conventional streaming fountains to modernist pools, water has been used persistently in our built environments. Carving the evocative element of water divergently, Ahmedabadbased Gurjit Singh Matharoo, Principal Architect of Matharoo Associates, has artfully interpreted the

client’s aspirations to outline an unusual outcome — ‘House With Balls’ in Ahmedabad. He has skilfully woven water elements to delineate circulation spaces and to define a spatial connection between volumes. This award-winning paradigm culminates fish tanks and lotus-padded pools adroitly into the building, illustrating a homogeneous affinity with water, luminosity, volume and structure. A recipient of many awards; Gurjit Singh Matharoo enlivens the modern architectural platform with his eloquent designs. Reflective of his passion for product design, he has won

1. The concrete baubles are lowered down to open the windows into the gardens. 2. Overall view of the house.

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1. Entrance 2. Living / Observation 3. Bedroom 4. Caretakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cabin 5. Toilet 6. Duct 7. Fish Tans 8. Under ground rain water storage tank 9. Overhead tank 10. Landscape 11. Biogas Plant

SITE PLAN

accolades for his sleek line of mobile blood donation vans and designs. Designed amidst a farmland twenty minutes away from the city, the concrete home has evolved around the purpose of an aquafarm as well as a weekend retreat. The house sculptures itself around spacious volumes, integrating four fish breeding tanks and an observation room at the heart of the dwelling. The design of this house commands water as an element adjunct to architecture.

3. The concrete baubles sway in the wind creating an animated play of light within the room. 4. The spatial area is shaped around the tanks defining the linearity of the room.

Conforming to this approach, the layout unfolds to offer differing views of water bodies conceived to complement the carved spaces. Reflecting a minimalist attitude, the marginal allowance of the plot is creatively used for the tank space, while the

walls of the plot and house are used as a retention structure for the tanks. Circumventing the need to excavate extensive foundations, the house is partly sunken into the site. The streamlined linearity of the house bisects the plot space, yet blending into the volumes fluidly, flanked by an open garden on one side and four 9,000 litre fish breeding tanks on the other. Glass windows enclosing the tank, double up as walls in the living space, rendering uninterrupted views of the open tanks and of the fish, below the sill level. The living area is spatially located to open into either of the two spaces by top hung metal shutters which extend at eye level through the entire length of the walls. These adjustable shutters wash the linear volume with light and air, transforming the entire character of the

space. Metal shutters are held by handmade concrete baubles, the cheapest counterweights possible. When the windows are fully open, the baubles sway in the breeze and dip out of view into the lotus-padded pools creating an animated interplay with light. Adorned with pink lotuses, the surreal, shimmering body of water enhances the charm of the place. A ledge, just above the water level, in the bedroom space overlooks the length of these pools on the other side. On the garden side, the windows are manifested as multipurpose concrete frames acting as: a garden seat, steps for children to climb on or a bar and serving counter to entertain guests. It also acts as a weather shield as well as protection from rats and snakes. The architect transcends

luxuriant design ideas within an infinitesimal budget, by using 125mm thin concrete walls with standard concrete, one duct spacing for its three bathrooms, doors and windows composed from pressed GI sheets and fashioning handles and aldrops from bent rods. Ingeniously embodying an environmental agenda with a deviant design, a grassy knoll in the garden houses a biogas plant, 50,000 litres of rainwater storage and an earth heat exchange tube. A curvilinear slope gently leads the residents onto the terrace, soaring above the pools and garden, evoking a floating feeling. Harmonising interplay of light, water and concrete, Gurjit Singh Matharoo showcases an impressive, environmentally and aesthetically sound response with a simplistic outline.

5. Lotus-padded pools shimmer in the light enhancing the aesthetical elegance of the design.

FACT FILE: Location

Ahmedabad, India

Client

Mr. Mahesh Mohatta

Architect

Gurjit Singh Matharoo â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Principal Architect Hardik Pandit â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Trainee

Structural Engineer

Interior Designer

Mr. Rajendra Singh Matharoo, Matharoo Associates Komal Mehta, Matharoo Associates

Landscape Architect :

Matharoo Associates

Completion of Project :

2004

92 IA&B - MAR 2010

to the rescue of eco tourism... The Mora River Aquarium by Promonotorio Arquitectos incorporates the biodiverse paradigm of the Iberian River, giving a hand to the eco tourism of the municipality. Text: Hina Nitesh Photographs: courtesy Jo達o Morgado

hidden dimension of architecture is probably the way it can influence the economy. When the municipality of Nor thern Alentejo felt the need to shift the regional development from dependence on an increasingly weaker agricultural economy to environmental tourism and leisure market, it announced a design-and-build competition. The idea was to build an aquarium that could embody the paradigms of biodiversity of the Iberian River. The competition was won by Lisbon-based Promonotorio Arquitectos. Shaped like a barn, the Mora River Aquarium, as the project is named, is integrated in the Ecological Wild Park of Gameiro and borders the Raia stream. Standing

amidst a secluded field of cork and olive trees, the white concrete building feels removed from the intense leisure and fishing activities. The undulating and gentle topography of the site forms a basin at the confluence of two small watercourses. Placing the aquarium at the edge of this quasi-natural retaining lake brought together the fundamental relation between its thematic contents and the presence of fresh water. The projects of Promontorio Arquitectos are identified with the pursuit of a system of robustness (solidity, stability and durability), both in terms of underlying representational meaning and technical research. The aquarium is designed as a compact monolithic volume with thin white precast concrete

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1. The aquarium is placed at the edge of a quasi-natural retaining lake, congregating a fundamental relation between its thematic contents and the presence of fresh water.

porticos that provide shade from the blazing sun. The pitched roof spans 33m and the entire form evoke memories of the profile of the canonical Alentejo whitewash barns known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;montesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The aquarium stands on a massive concrete plinth with a built-in stairway-cum-ramp entry. The entire space has been divided into a set of mute boxes, which comprise the reception, ticketing and shop, cafeteria, changing exhibits hall, documentation centre, research and education, live exhibits, multimedia and a small auditorium. In addition, areas for animal quarantine, food preparation, laboratories, staff facilities and logistics complete the technical floor. The interiors are dark to minimise

Axonometric view

10M

Roof Plan

Plan

section

impact of UV light on living exhibits. This also allows the visitors to have an uninterrupted and in depth viewing of the aquariums.

for cooling and a sustainable increase in humidity, ensuring the well being of animal and plant life.

The outdoor voids between these programme boxes and the pitched shed generates accelerated viewpoints onto the outside. Also, in the process, it creates a promenade that culminates in the passage through a bridge over the lake, which, in itself, is a live exhibit of animals and plants collected and nurtured in the region.

The live exhibits, the main feature of an aquarium, reproduce, through complex life support systems. The habitat conditions of different regions are replicated to allow a side-by-side exhibition of the various animals and plants. In the basement, these support systems guarantee stable water temperature, ph, quality control and filtering for each habitat parameter. A duct gallery included below each exhibit supplies and monitors the water.

Water in the aquarium comes from a well that is located on the site. It is pumped into a deposit and regenerated after use. Shading and cross ventilation systems along with the water circuits foster reduction in energy

Apar t from in-situ concrete cast plinth and the white precast por ticoes, the structure is built in polished finish plastered terracotta masonr y,

with steel frames and varnished MDF carpentr y. With a total built up area of 2000sqm and more than 500 live specimens, the Mora River Aquarium is a small step towards environmental architecture. The design is a harmonious blend of vernacular building typology and modern construction techniques. Also notable is the oppor tunity of education being mixed with industrial architecture.

2. The monolithic linearity of the volume spreads over a span of 33m, bridging a confluence of two water bodies. 3. The interiors are dark to minimise impact of UV light on the live exhibits.

FACT FILE: Architects

Promontorio Architecture

Location

Mora, Portugal

Project Team

João Perloiro, João Luís Ferreira, Paulo Perloiro, Paulo Martins Barata, Pedro Appleton

Client

Municipalidad de Mora

Site Area

17ha

Construction year

2004–2006

Contractor

Teixeira Duarte, SA

Budget

US $3,000/sqm

96 IA&B - MAR 2010 1

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; B i oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;te c t u re Multi-national firm Grimshaw Architects and London based Seawater Greenhouse synergistically merge bionics and technology to define a sustainable endeavour. Text: Maanasi Hattangadi Photographs: courtesy Alan R. Tansey and Stella Lee

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he endless inventiveness of nature has spawned, in engineering and technology, a number of innovations far more superior to what the human mind alone could have devised: the elasticity of spider’s silk, the human blueprint in a miniscule DNA, the process of photosynthesis, a termite mound’s architecture etc. Grimshaw Architects, a multinational firm defines the exemplary aptitude to imbibe and translate nature’s creativity into better designs. A biomimetic proposal the ‘Water Theatre’ has been outlined by them that will be fuelled by a unique technology: the ‘Seawater Greenhouse’ developed by Charlie Paton, Principal of Seawater Greenhouse. The ‘Water Theatre’ is visualised as a sculpturesque form from the harbour of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. It was contrived as a proposal for an invited competition promoted by the city of Las Palmas for reviving the industrialised port area. Grimshaw‘s green intentions are encased by alternative ways explored, in which the island could move towards self-sufficiency in renewable energy and fresh water. Perceived as a vertical seawater greenhouse, the project focuses on a dualistic approach to work as an external amphitheatre and a carbon-neutral desalination plant. The scheme employs a similar ingenuity to the bionic principles of the Namibian fog beetle, which uses its shell to generate its own fresh water in an arid environment. The architects developed this concept taking advantage of the opportune location of the site: steep beaches so that cold water is close at hand and a steady flow of warm northeasterly wind. The crux of the idea was

1. The perspective view focusing on the Water Theatre defining the urban hub of masterplan development of Las Palmas. 2. Mimicking the technology of a Namibian fog beetle, a desalination plant was built as a part of the auditorium.

98 3. Louvres on the leeward side govern the flow of air and light for the solar panels, which generate heat for the evaporators. 4. View of the emblematic yet sustainable auditorium.

113 99 to combine the innate principles of evaporators and condensers stacked vertically, to maximise their yield by collecting the airborne moisture from them, which is cooled by deep seawater. This process, almost entirely driven by renewable energy, ensures a large supply of distilled water. Sourced from the northeasterly wind, the reactive evaporative and condensing surfaces profile a highly productive water purification system. Louvers on the leeward side, govern the flow of air and concentration of light for the solar panels, which generate heat for the evaporators. The outcome simulates the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first harbour side development that is entirely cooled and irrigated by renewable resources. Other than its utilitarian purpose, the Water Theatre elevates to an emblematic auditorium. The creation of a dexterous sustainable backdrop to a public amenity showcases the efforts of the team to coalesce the best of their experience and knowledge to scale broader horizons.

FACT FILE: Location

Client

Las Palmas, Spain City of Las Palmas, Las Palmas Redevelopment Masterplan

Architect

Grimshaw Architects

Consultant

Seawater Greenhouse Ltd

100 IA&B - MAR 2010

Ocean Utopia A Floating City concept by Ahearn Schopfer Associates, a USA-based firm, will rest on the New Orleans coastal expanse, as an ecological living solution. Text: Maanasi Hattangadi Photographs: courtesy the architects and Tangram 3DS

magine an amphibious self-sufficient ecological paradise designed as an escape from the overcrowded landmass of the concrete jungles. Delineating this thought, the New Orleans Arcology Habitat (NOAH), a floating urban platform manifests into a partial reality. Teaming with Tangram 3DS, a computer animation specialist firm, Kevin Schopfer, heading up Ahearn Schopfer Associates, has elaborated on this unconventional solution to ecological living. In reviewing all the options and possible sites for NOAH, the architects zeroed in on the Mississippi riverfront and areas adjacent to the Central Business District as the most suitable location. Hybridising architecture and ecology, the firm puts forth a futuristic proposal, defining a new term â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;arcologyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. NOAHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s structure focuses on a concentrated use, encompassing around 20,000 housing units at an average of 1,100sqft, three hotels, 1,500 time-share units, 500,000sqft retail space, three casinos, 500,000sqft of commercial condominiums, parking for 8,000 cars, a school, 100,000sqft of cultural facilities and a 20,000sqft health facility, all self-sustaininable. The massive scale of requirements befitting the planned city spread over an estimated 30 million sqft, needed the masterplan to carve inbound and extend outbound on to the river. The architects have put in laudable requisite innovations to stabilise a structure of this scale. The composition guarantees immense structural stability in its pyramidal assemblage of three towers converging at an apex.

focus 1. The hyperstructure will sit magnificiently in the New Orleans harbour, changing the skyline of the city.

102

Minimising its massive interference, the open wall structure supported on an exterior frame and conventional internal framing methodology, enables dispersal of wind and gravitational forces. A streamlined curvilinear barrier skin, secured with sliding hurricane panels, frames the tower facades. To stabilise the visionary construction, the architects have devised a two-fold foundation that uses water as controlled bearing system. A man-made water filled ‘basin’ is integrated as the upper part, within which the urban platform (NOAH) will float. The walls and floor of the basin will be constructed of high strength concrete, with applied lateral bracing and exterior attached tension rings. In order to ensure the maintenance of water levels in both the basin and river, backup intact valves have been introduced. The second part consists of a multi-cavity ‘hull’ connived to be the actual foundation of the hyperstructure. The triangulated foundation will rest on a matrix of concrete cells with conveyors allowing a buoyant flexible movement. 3

Underscoring its green features, an array of avant-garde interventions has been incorporated into the program. The project has been designed to broaden the horizons of sustainability sporting elements like wind turbines, fresh water recovery and storage systems, a passive glazing system, sky garden heating/cooling vents, grey water treatment, solar array banding panels and river based water turbines. Encasing a sustainable prospect, the futuristic design eliminates automobile facilities, encouraging a pedestrian friendly community with vertical and horizontal electric transport conveyances linked internally.

Apart from providing shelter from devastative calamites and population inconveniences, the proposed NOAH will also be LEED certified and have the tiniest impact on the environment as possible. Reflective of contemporary developing technologies and modern infrastructure, this floating paradise emerges as a harbinger of expertise that brings us closer to the realms of surreal possibilities.

FACT FILE:

2. Aerial view of the structure. 3. A curvilinear barrier skin outlines the tower facades. 4. Interior view of the converging pyramidal structure.

Location Architect Visual Structural / Mechanical Foundation Consultants

: : : : :

New Orleans, United States of America Ahearn / Schopfer Associates Tangram 3DS Tangram 3DS Acergy

103 IA&B - MAR 2010

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C o ol E L E M E N T : TECHNOLOGY

104 IA&B - MAR 2010 1

‘Size zero’ architecture Sustainability and media-tecture have a groundbreaking inclusion to their growing roster with the GreenPix Media Wall project. Text: Namrata C Rao Photographs: courtesy the architects

mong the show-stopping buildings and technologies inspired by the 2008 Olympic Games is the Greenpix Zero Energy Media Wall by New York based architecture & media firm Simone Giostra & Partners. The design for the enveloping wall of the Xicui Entertainment Complex was constructed keeping the visitors attending the games in mind. Visible from up to a kilometre away, on one of Beijing’s most congested main roads, the 20,000sqft bright light facade of

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the complex is, however, more than just visually stunning. Surprisingly, it sports an eco-friendly design! The architects drew inspiration from nature for this green design, particularly the fleeting vision of the seascape, but they made a critical distinction between form and function in their architecture. The Xicuiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opaque box-like building does not replicate a natural organism in formal terms and steers clear from emulating the current trends of blob-architecture. Yet, the Media Wall has been conceived as an organic system, which is self-supporting, interactive and narrative. The wall has a self-sustaining cycle and absorbs solar energy during the day, which it harvests to power a mesmerising light show at night. To achieve this, the architects have devised a new technology for laminating photovoltaic cells in a glass curtain wall. Thousands of solar photovoltaic capture cells attached to a grid of glass panels, each of which conceals an array of computer-controlled LEDs. There are a staggering total of 2,292 colour (RGB) LED light points placed with varying density throughout the 35m tall and 60m wide display. DETAIL OF THE GLASS CURTAIN WALL

The Media Wall is not a stoic and inert structure, which is what makes it fascinating. It interacts both with the interior private domain and the exterior public realm,

1 & 2. The glass curtain wall is laminated with solar cells, absorbing solar energy in the day. 3. The harvested solar energy powers an interactive light show on the facade at night.

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SECTION THROUGH THE FACADE IN THE DAY Catwalk for maintenance staff Structural embeds anchor on to existing columns 150mm X 150mm Truss Vertical bracing 890mm x 890mm glass panel

SECTION THROUGH THE FACADE AT NIGHT

transforming the building facade into a means for public entertainment, like a theatre screen. The Media Wall operates as an art platform and displays Olympic events, site-specific video-art installations, weather forecasts and video gaming. The design raises the bar for urban interventions worldwide and piques interest in the union of digital technology with architecture.

fluorescent lighting spaces 900mm x 900mm Spider clamp

Photovoltaic cell

FACT FILE: Location

Beijing, China

Client

Mr. Zhang Yongduo, Jingya Corporation

Architect

Simone Giostra & Partners Architects

FaĂ§ade Engineers

Arup

Solar technology R&D

SchĂźco International KG, Sunways AG

Solar panel manufacturer

Suntech, China

LED Manufacturer

Thorn, China

Lighting Designer and

AXONOMETRIC VIEW OF THE CURTAIN WALL

107 IA&B - MAR 2010

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Moulting Buildings Considered one of the ugliest building in Sydney â&#x20AC;&#x201D; University of Technology (UTS), undergoes a facelift. A simple, cost effective technique transforms old, dreary buildings into sustainable, stunning and contemporary structures, courtesy the multinational architectural practice LAVA. Text: Hema Yadav Photographs: courtesy the architects

108

36.00

4.00

he concept of recycling waste is quite au courant, but recycling old buildings is the new anthem created by Laboratory for Vision Architecture (LAVA). Their latest concept, equivalent to a surgical facelift, has transformed UTS’s Broadway Tower, from a dark blob to a glittering beacon on the Sydney skyline. The four-decade-old structure was built with cutting edge, latest technologies and principles of the 60’s that have become partially obsolete with the passage of years.

1:1000

Re-construction or renovation would involve huge costs and razing down the building. The architectural firm proposed a speculative project titled ‘Tower Skin,’ employing the process of ‘reskinning’. The process involves enveloping the exterior of the structure in a transparent cocoon that can create its own high-performance ‘micro climate,’ generating energy with the help of photovoltaic cells. A three dimensional, lightweight, ad composite mesh textile acts as the said cocoon. With the help of surface tension, the membrane stretches over a light steel frame surrounding walls and roof elements, achieving

21.25

126.5 m

top view

114 m

TOP VIEW

ELEVATION

1 . At night the skin acts as an intelligent media surface. 2. The UTS Tower before the ‘reskinning’ process.

1093

3. During the day the mesh textile acts as a cocoon.

maximum visual impact with minimal material effort. The cocoon is high on sustainability quotient, also incorporating features like collection of rain water, usage of existing solar energy to off set energy requirements, removal of energy peaks via the ‘microclimate’ in the tower envelope, localised user control of air and temperature, vented exteriors that generate electricity and conditioned, airy rooms due to natural convection. As night settles in, the solar powered light and LED strips embedded into the mesh fabric metamorphoses the structure into a dynamic display, communicating information such as performances and campus events. Although the ‘reskinning’ process is based on a simple concept, it provides an alternative to old structures to create a new avatar while preserving their architectural heritage. FACT FILE: Project

Tower Skin

Location

Australia

Architects

LAVA

Team

Chris Bosse, Tobias Wallisser, Alexander Rieck, Jarrod

Lamshed, Erik Escalante, Esan Rahmani,

Niklas Muehlich, Kim Ngyuen Ngoc, Anh-Dao Trinh,

Jonas Epper, Stefan Bassing, Simone Martin,

Andrew Southwood-Jones, Catherine Zhuang, Christen

Meli and Alexander Kashin

Animation

LAVA & Peter Murphy

Sustainability Concept

Ross Harding from Advanced Environmental

Structural advice

Prof Max Irvine

Membrane advice

Daniel Cook, Mak Max

110 IA&B - MAR 2010 1

Rhythmic Sculpture A multi-disciplinary artist, Luke Jerram’s ‘Aeolus,’ will tune the shifting winds and changing light into a visual & auricular spectacle. Text : Maanasi Hattangadi Photographs: courtesy the architect

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he archaic bylanes of Iran faintly echo of lores passed on through the decades. Exploring the austere mosques of Esfahan, England-based artist Luke Jerram came across a Qanat desert well digger who spoke of wells singing in the wind. Being colour-blind since birth, Luke Jerram ironically has always based his creative endeavours on the exploration and

1. The sculpturesque structure is composed of hundreds of tubes that filter sound and light to the seating area.

112 SECTION

113

perception of senses. This quaint, inspirational story evoked him to conceptualise a streamlined structure, based on the generative potential of the wind and translated into an architectural space designed to resonate whispering wind chords. An artistic venture, the ‘Aeolus’ is an acoustic pavilion that sings as drafts of wind breeze past, was contrived on the notions of acoustical excellence, wind and architecture. Evolved from the traditional Aeolian wind harps, the structure captures wind to reverberate melodies within space. Harmonic chords resound in pipes as the wind strikes all the parts of the circular structure. The idea is to amplify the sounds picked from the shifting wind, whispering around the module, facilitating inhabitants to visualise a ‘fluctuating windscape’. The sculpturesque structure is an inhabitable dome, composed of a hundreds of light tubes which both elicit the outside light into the seating area in the centre of the art piece and also hum at low frequencies; the intent being the framing of an alternate experience of the outside environment to that within. Visitors can also look through these tubes that simultaneously frame and magnify the ever-changing panorama of light. Each minute, a sonic interpretation of the environment is dramatised along with an abstracted and accentuated vantage of the landscape.

Acoustical options are configured by tracing the undulating landscape of wind around the building; the acoustics change as the wind alters its direction and strength. EPRSC and the engineering groups of the University of Southampton (ISVR) and the University of Salford are involved, even funding the project, seeking a solution from numerous engineering options to make audible wind sounds without electrical amplification. Composing different atmospheres within, Aeolus will emphasise the elements and the location of the ar twork. This wondrous ar t piece is slated to travel all over the UK to windy summits and record a concer to of nature in each location before being setup permanently. In a prolific fusion of science and ar t, Luke Jerram showcases a sculpture, an orchestra and a tribute to a plentiful resource: the wind.

2. Detail of the perforated skin. 3. The channel of the tube through the shifting daylight. 4. Details of the tubes attachment to the skin of the structure. 5. The temporary structure can be installed anywhere in the world to beautify the setting and record the whispering winds.

FACT FILE: 5

Architect

Luke Jerram

Status

Ongoing

114 IA&B - MAR 2010

...the other world

Keith Dewey steps on water with the eco-friendly ‘Gyre’ to create a world in the ocean. The concept to utilise ocean currents and wind to navigate the world’s ocean environment, inflates the realm of architecture. Text: Renuka Singh Photographs: courtesy the architect 1

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co-friendly and sustainable architecture takes a plunge with Gyre, designed by architect Keith Dewey along with Clayton Cowan and Robert Jackovina. Gyre is a water body that stands apart, creating a new class of eco-tourism as it gathers scientists and vacationers under one roof. It even goes beyond a skyscraper in saving space on land by economising the ocean. Wind, solar and tidal energies are able to function in sync due to its unique structure, making it off-grid. Peaking at a depth of 400m, it is able to provide a comfortable living and working environment, which includes shops, restaurants, gardens and recreation.

1. Aerial plan of Gyre. 2. The Gyre provides comfortable living and working environment. 3. The vortex system of Gyre.

The centre space of the design consists of a double-hulled vortex with both hulls clad in reinforced glass, where each of the floor levels

are essentially layers of concentric rings ranging from 30,000sqm down to 600sqm. Inclinators riding along the inner structural ribs provide vertical and diagonal transportation between the floors. The total floor area of the entire structure, including levels, radial arms and barriers is approximately 212,000sqm. Gyreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s radial arms comprises a pedestrian upper level and a transit system on the lower level, to access the outer protective barriers. The barriers create an inner harbour and port of approximately 1.25km in diameter, easily accommodating the needs of even the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest ships. Electrical energy is collected by solar means apart from vertical axis wind turbines. The two applications of solar glazing, a semi-transparent solar window facing the

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117 4. View of Gyre under the sea. 5. Circulation between the breakwater and vortex elements. 6. Example of living unit - with views of inner vortex (freshwater) and ocean views. 7. Private spaces adjacent to glazed exterior.

open-air inner vortex and a glass with a printed array of solar cells spaced to create partial shading as a roof material, are used. Furthermore, underwater nacelles work as tidal generators, when the structure is anchored and as thrusters for propulsion, when Gyre is under way. The innovative shape of the structure enables it to manage undersea pressures and stresses. Its inner vortex collects rainwater, which is gravity fed to a water purification system at the base. The structure’s deepest portion has the mechanical systems and emergency freshwater storage basins. The first two levels of Gyre’s vortex are constructed for circulation, community gatherings, restaurants and commerce. Intermediate levels accommodate long-term residents, oceanic experts, hotel guests and crew quarters, totalling up to around 2000 people. The deepest levels have a scientific observatory for oceanographic research and an Interpretive Centre for public discovery of the depths of the ocean. Gyre is a structure that utilises ocean currents and wind to navigate the world’s ocean environment. It’s a resort destination, transportation hub and scientific observatory, all rolled into one. Thus, Gyre glances beyond the realm of architecture into an intriguingly innovative frontier.

FACT FILE:

Project : Architect : Status : Team :

GYRE Keith Dewey Conceptual Clayton Cowan, Keith Dewey, Robert Jackovina

IA&B - MAR 2010

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focus

Reinventing the Skyscraper A conceptual design that focuses on creating a self-sustaining organism to address the problem of food shortage by Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut has redefined the conventional skyscraper.

SECTION

Text: Hina Nitesh Photographs: courtesy the architect

LEVELS

he role of society and people in defining architecture cannot be questioned. According to Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut, the consumer is fast becoming the producer and community urban agriculture, which aims at creating its own ecological and alimentary bio diversity, is coming of age. Spanning 600m vertically, the Dragonfly on New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Roosevelt Island redefines the conventional high rise. Conceptualised by Callebaut, it is a prototype of an urban farm, offering a mixed programme of housing, offices and laboratories along with farming spaces, laid out over 132 floors. The design focuses on a completely self-sustaining organism that utilises natural and renewable energies from the sun, wind and water while tackling the impending issue of food shortage. The tower has provision for not only stock farming to ensure the production of meat, milk, poultry and eggs but also for farming grounds that are continuously regenerated with organic humus. It diversifies the cultivated varieties to avoid the washing of stratums of the soft substratum. Thus, the cultures succeed one another vertically, according to their agronomical ability to provide some elements of the ground between the essences that are sowed and harvested. Nothing is lost; everything is recyclable to a continuous auto-feeding. The Dragonfly consists of two towers, arranged symmetrically around a climatic greenhouse, which

1. View from the Empire State building.

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helps carry the load of the building. Inspired by the transparent membrane of the finely nervure structure of a dragonfly’s wings, these wings are light and are made of glass and steel. Their organically chiselled structure accommodates the inter-climatic spaces that receive the agrarian cultures. Plant and animal farming is arranged throughout the Dragonfly’s wings. Due to the appropriate sun and wind conditions within these wings, proper soil nutrient levels can be achieved to maximise plant growth. The distribution of flows is made around a spine, spreading in loop around the numerous elevators and stairwells. These channels serve all the levels by simultaneously separating the inputs and the outputs recycled from plants, animals and human beings. The space between the wings is designed to accumulate warm air from the exoskeleton. This heats up the complex during winters, while natural ventilation teamed with plant evapo-perspiration cools the air during summer. The curved south prow of the tower receives a solar shield all over, which produces half of the electric energy needed for its functioning. Three wind machines ensure the other half, with vertical axes of Darrieus type that coils itself up in the three lenses. These are located in the north side to harness the wind. The exterior façades of the tower have a dual personality. On the western side are the planted walls, whereas on the east, near Queens, are the wet exterior walls cultivated with tropical essences. These vertical gardens enable to filter rainwater and effluents from domestic liquid waste of the tower’s inhabitants. The collected waters undergo an appropriate organic treatment for the farming reuse, providing all the nitrogen, phosphorous as well as potassium needed for the production of fruits, vegetables and cereals. The tower widens on each side at the base to integrate the flows that cross it and to welcome two marinas along the East River. This

widening out forms two photovoltaic vaults, like a solar dress floating above the urban harbours. Towards the western marina, the wooden pontoons of taxi boats open panoramically on the Midtown bank. On the eastern side, the floating market oriented towards the Queens’ district is designed to distribute food produced in this vertical farm. These two marinas also accommodate two huge aquaculture ponds, true tanks of soft water filtered by planted frontages, dedicated to be re-injected in the hydroponic network of the Dragonfly. According to Callebaut, “the Dragonfly project challenges the city of New York to rethink its food production”. In response, this project of inhabited vertical farm replies to the contemporary dilemma of producing not only ecologically but also more intensively on non-extensive earth. The project reflects the architect’s hopes that New York can also pave the way during this sustainable era. 2. The roof of the structure accomodates the inter-climatic spaces that receive the agrarian culture.

FACT FILE: Project

A Metabolic Farm for Urban Agriculture/

Mixed Used

Location

Roosevelt Island, New York City

Area

350sqm

Roof Height

600m

Area

350sqm

Model studies

Philippe Steels

Perspectives

Benoit Patterlini

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Architectural Conservation in the Future J. H. Stubbs outlines the fundamental concerns of cultural heritage protection and architectural conservation practices followed in today’s Media Age. Text : John H. Stubbs Photographs : courtesy the author

ttempting to second-guess the particulars of the future of anything, especially in today’s fast-changing world, is likely an exercise in futility. However, when it comes to a fundamental concern such as cultural heritage protection, which is heavily reliant on cause and effect and where there is such deep history from which to learn, one may find firm ground from which to speculate. Thanks largely to today’s Media Age heritage conservation professionals, in India and world wide, have the widest and most balanced view yet of local, regional and world achievements in architectural conservation. It is from this basis and with the belief that ‘the further back one can look, the further forward one may see’ that some future trends, and even some specific tasks, may probably be safely predicted. Any retrospective glance at the progress of architectural conservation over the past two centuries reveals one development that has shaped the field above all else: heritage protection law. Today, the law and its increasingly effective administrative systems protect a majority of the world’s most significant built

heritage. One by one, the governments and cultures of the world have come to realise the merits of heritage protection for the sake of heritage protection in the form of deliberate and organised applied measures, as opposed to in earlier times when cultural heritage was prized to be sure, but was protected incidentally, if not accidentally. Along with legal protection, an increasing number of additional resources and solutions have come into play. One is the well-known concept of ‘universal value’ that was institutionalised in the 1970s by UNESCO in the form of the World Heritage list. In addition to enhancing possibilities of protection, the listing has engendered international co-operation with respect to a number of related heritage protection matters including concurrence on listing criteria, advocacy, information dissemination, training and public education. In addition, applied conservation science has profoundly shaped architectural conservation practice and is responsible for many of the field’s successes. The significance of the role of conservation science and its related methodologies cannot be overstated, since it is successfully conserved buildings and sites that count as the field’s achievements. Many other de-

culture counts velopments in architectural conservation could be cited, such as today’s wider interest in conserving authenticity, democratisation of knowledge and interest in heritage protection, and the participation of wholly new arrangements of cause-related, public and private partnerships.

• Developments in conservation crafts training and related specialties • Additional developments in the broader ‘heritage industry,’ such as Web-based specialty resources, e.g. computer generated documentation and re-creations to exacting standards, information networks and educational tools

Cultural heritage protection plays a prominent role in the milieu of continuing globalisation and its concomitant social, economic and geo-political developments. History is certainly on the move in our time and along with it is expanding worldviews that include new interests in conserving and enhancing the human-built environment. These interests reflect some additional phenomena: qualitative and quantitative increases in the field’s accomplishments and further insistence on sustainable development and environmental protection. Now a much wider range of old buildings—not just the most monumental and historically significant ones—are seen as worthy of conservation and adaptive use, if only for their material value. Governments, architectural conservation professionals, the industries and craftspeople that serve architectural heritage protection and growing numbers of the private sector are rising to the occasion. The popularity and demand for the subject is visible in the growth of organisations and educational offerings and the attention given to it in the media and in political circles. Where is all this leading us? As heritage conservation practice has rapidly evolved to become today’s robust and diversified practice, it will continue to develop along the same lines.

Looking Forward Continuing developments in the above-mentioned, relatively recent accomplishments in architectural conservation can certainly be expected. Projecting forward one may also expect: • Increased Global Connectivity • An increase in comprehension of and interest in addressing yet broader views of heritage protection, e.g. expanded natural and cultural heritage conservation schemes, and multi-national, world regional, and even global conservation strategies • An increase in interest in the lessons during past efforts at cultural heritage protection • An increase of applications of examples of ‘best practices’ developed in other places • Reappraisals of History, Re-restoration and Repatriation • An increase in assumption of responsibilities for the past • An increase in concerns regarding ‘ownership’ of the past • An increase in interest in intangible heritage • An increase in needs for‘re-restoration’ (conserving and/or modifying past restorations) • New more specialised interests in‘re-researching’ prior historical queries and documentation • Increased interest in repatriation of displaced heritage • Considerably increased participation in conserving architecture of the recent past • Expansion of the Field and Mergers of Disciplines • More bridging to and from allied professions • More technological and procedural advancements from within the architectural conservation profession • Increased recognition and adaptation of methods and technologies developed in the allied professions of engineering, construction technology, museology, earth sciences, ecology, archaeology, history, anthropology, archival and library management • More diversification and specialisation within the field of cultural heritage management • Replacement of virtuoso restorers and general practitioners with customformulated collaborations of specialists • Increased popular interest and shifts from centralised to decentralised governance of heritage • Expansion of locally based heritage protection initiatives beyond their locales through the growth of non-government organisations

Some Noticeable Recent Trends In a cursory look at today’s architectural heritage conservation practice, one notices a wide range of positive developments that in themselves point to the future. Recent telling trends include: • Expanded interest in conserving places, not just individual buildings, including indigenous and vernacular architectural heritage • An increased demand for structures of all types and ages to be rejuvenated and recycled • Conservation of cultural landscapes on an unprecedented scale, e.g. trade routes, whole portions of countries • Increasingly sophisticated historic urban conservation schemes that address larger areas • Expansion of heritage conservation education and training opportunities • Demand for better interpretation at heritage sites • Conservation of living heritage • Conservation of intangible heritage • Increased participation of the allied technical fields of engineering, geo-sciences, landscape architecture and planning • Increased participation of the allied social sciences of archaeology, anthropology and sociology • Increased usage of specialty equipment and procedures made possible by developments in conservation science • Improved management systems, project assembly and funding schemes • Increased application of effective heritage protection laws and governance • Exemplary developments in international heritage protection practice • Developments in preventative conservation and post-disaster mitigation

1. Religious festival at the Hindu temple of Tanah Lot on the south coast of Bali. The unbroken continuation of living traditions, which includes maintenance and upkeep of heritage sites, is usually the best architectural conservation and site protection measure of all.

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• Expansion and adaptation of international organisations serving cultural heritage conservation • Improved training and educational offerings at the local, national, and international levels • More documentation, publication and dissemination of all facets of the field • Increased institutional capacities and presences which may include mergers and re-invention of some existing systems Response to Social Issues • Increased awareness of the limits of growth new demands for sustainable urban conser vation and environmental protection • Recognition of the relationship of cultural diversity and sustainable development • Increased efforts to correct imbalances in cultural heritage protection and development • Enhanced effor ts to address cultures in transition, threats to traditional rights and usage, pursuit of equal oppor tunity and popular cultural influences • New interest in and efforts to address social fracturing, xenophobic tendencies and marginalisation especially in areas of conflict

• Formation of new cultural policy that is reflective of social change and expanding definitions of culture • Respect for historic buildings and their values including the constituencies aiming to conserve these sites, especially in relation to religious heritage • Recognition that education and information is best positioned at the forefront of cultural conservation policy • Recognition of the importance of building ‘cultural capital’ • Recognition of the need to encourage and reward private initiative and self-reliance • Recognition of the curative effects that heritage conservation projects can bring to communities and places that have suffered physical destruction and former social constraints such as marginalisation, isolation and a lack of transparency Focus on New Threats All of the above-mentioned prospects in architectural conservation’s future represent a plethora of issues to be addressed in the decades and centuries to come. Added to these will be the continuing need to address the two ‘classic’ categories of threats to the built environment: human threats and natural threats. Within these realms four categories of threats are gaining new prominence as special issues to address:

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• • • •

Effects of global warming on cultural heritage Targeting the past though vandalism, iconoclasm and terrorism Commodifying and marketing the past in insensitive ways and Diluting history through cursory treatment including inaccurate interpretation.

Conclusion Today’s architectural conservation practice is pervasive, influential and essential for the creation and maintenance of sustainable human built environments. There are countless ideas and possibilities yet to be realised. The field’s accumulated experience including its countless exemplars of best practice, its doctrine (charters, declarations and codes of operation) and its growing supply of expertise are all harbingers of the future. Some have suggested that we are at the end of a phase in the evolution of the world’s consciousness about conserving cultural heritage. While this may be true in some respects, new needs will replace those that have been addressed. Today’s global community has a healthy desire for continuity, as opposed to the discontinuity that characterised much of twentieth century. It is likewise savvy to the possibilities that the skilful blending of old and new can bring to the built environment. There is no going back to shaping the built environment in unresourceful ways where valued cultural heritage is mindlessly discarded. The bar has been raised; new standards are set. Nor, is there is time for resting on laurels. If anything, architectural conservation professionals and interested others should embrace even more progressive approaches to viably utilising and conserving the human built environment.

2. Utilisation of the CyArk laser measurement system for historic buildings now provide for very close to 100 per cent accuracy in architectural recording. Seen here is the measurement of buildings comprising the town square of Arles, France that contains the façade of the Romanesque church of St. Trophime.

About the Author: A graduate of Columbia University’s program in Historic Preservation, John Stubbs served ten years as Assistant Director of Historic Preservation Project at Beyer Blinder Belle, Architects & Planners in New York City. Today, John Stubbs is Vice President of Field Projects for World Monuments Fund, New York. He also conducts the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at Columbia University. Professor Stubbs recently completed a book entitled Time Honored; A global View of Architectural Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons.