Seattle – Washington – USA (by blanes_jm)
BAD. Built by Associative Data’s Associative Data Research has collaborated with Green Studios to create Kinetic Green Canvas, a prototype Green-Art Installation for building façades.
The Canvas consists of individual modules, each of which is a cube made from steel framework, back paneling, L-shaped jambs, secondary structure, waterproofing board, irrigation piping, Green Studios hydroponic skin, and plants. These layered components are assembled on four sides of the cube module, with a motor and water pipe attachment that circulates water throughout.
Thus, hydroponic plants in varying shades are grown on each face, and when put together, modules can create changeable “pixel” art.
News via BAD. Built by Associative Data.
From the architect. AEW Architects has completed a £15m, 91,000sq.ft headquarters for Moneypenny, the UK’s leading telephone answering specialist. The offices in Wrexham have been said to rival the offices of Google and Apple, and boast a tree house meeting room, nature trails, vegetable gardens and even its own pub.
The staff are at the heart of Moneypenny’s business and the brief from the client reflected the importance of its team and the desire to create an interesting, inspiring working environment for them, bringing everyone together from several different offices.
The office was designed as two three storey wings flanking a dramatic, 17m high central atrium, known affectionately as ‘the middle’, which is the hub of the building. One of the challenges was to ensure that the staff, no matter which floor they were on, felt connected to the ‘middle’. This was achieved through the use of large picture windows looking directly into it from the offices and through the placement of bridge links crossing at high level. The atrium includes a treehouse meeting room, indoor terrace and stadium seating.
Set within a 10 acre site in a semi rural location on the edge of the Wrexham town centre, the office building was designed in response to the surrounding environment to provide a strong relationship between interior and exterior and includes a nature trail for staff through the extensive grounds with landscape features including a meadow, woodland, an orchard and wetland.
Phil Hepworth, Associate at AEW Architects said “This really has been a dream commission for AEW Architects and a real honour to work with such an exciting, forward thinking company such as Moneypenny. The opportunity to create a bespoke office of this magnitude on such a beautiful site where the brief is to ‘ignore the norm and create a space that inspires’ is rare. We really hope that the design helps the company continue to excel and inspires the staff to enjoy working there.”
Ed Reeves, co-founder and director of Moneypenny believes the building represents the future of office design. He said:”What we believe is simple – the happier our staff, the happier our clients. So when we made the decision to build a new office, we asked ourselves: how we can make sure that our receptionists are the happiest in the UK? The answer was easy – ask them. So that’s what we did. AEW Architects were the perfect partners to help make their vision become a reality. They took our thoughts, suggestions and ideas and created our dream home. What’s even more remarkable is that they have delivered a world-class and visually stunning commercial development for the same budget we’d been quoted for a standard brick ‘box’ office”
The main contractor was Pochin’s Ltd, with Hatrick Property as Development Director, Avid Property Consultants as Project Managers, Cundall as M&E Consultants and Structural Engineers, CW Studio as Landscape Architect and Todd and Ledson as Quantity Surveyor.
Imaginative Italian illustrator and architect Federico Babina has unveiled his latest series, ARCHITALE, “a tribute to the fairytale universe where the architectures are reinvented to accommodate the protagonists of the story.”
Through his illustrations, Babina imagines 17 structures that dance between reality and fantasy, with each architectural detail revealing information about the characters and story of the respective fairytale.
“My first steps as an architect were visiting the homes and castles of fairy tales that as a child made me travel with fantasy,” says Babina. “The lighted windows in the dark night that hide secrets and surprises, the objects that have been transformed and come to life, were for me a prelude to the universe of architecture and design.”
“The idea is to use architecture and its shapes to take part in the relate of stories, transforming the buildings into ‘narrative objects.’”
See the entire set of ARCHITALE illustrations, including designs for Pinocchio, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Peter Pan, Aladdin, and Mary Poppins, after the break.
News via Federico Babina.
The site is characterized by its remote feeling and mature trees; this despite being surrounded by dense urban development. It is an unusual paradox to have such a natural setting that occurs in the middle of Los Angeles – a city known for its endless sprawl and crawling traffic.
The goal was to preserve the natural features where practical – even if this meant having a tree grow through the house. The steep hillside allows the house to cantilever as a design solution to minimize foundations. This act of cantilevering also preserves as much native yard space as possible for planting.
To maintain privacy, the house is located close to the center of the lot to create a buffer between it – and other adjoining conditions such as a public street and other houses.
The house is conceived as two separate units under one roof. The main part of the house is two bedrooms and is designed for a family of four. The other component – separated by an outdoor breezeway – is self-contained with one bedroom, a living area, a bathroom, and a kitchen. This secondary area is used daily as an office and entertainment area, but can easily be closed off from the main space and used by visiting friends or family.
Álvaro Siza‘s plans for a new entrance and visitor centre at the historic Granada palace the Alhambra have been rejected. Read more
A+Awards: this apartment in London, which won an Architizer A+Award last year, has a large window between its black kitchen and light-toned bedroom. Read more
Studio Appétit has designed a range of chocolates for hotel goers to enjoy, including bars engraved with guests’ initials and blocks that could be used to stage a treasure hunt. Read more
Sig Nordal 