© Jacaranda Photography

• Architects: Arup Associates
• Location: Perth WA, Australia
• Area: 15000.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Jacaranda Photography , Nick Birmingham

• Engineering And Naval Architecture: Arup
• Lighting Design: Electrolight
• Public Works Artist: Stuart Green
• Bca Compliance: JMG Building Surveyors
• Client: Perth Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority (MRA) and CPB (formerly Leighton) and Broad

© Jacaranda Photography

From the architect. Arup Associates, working in collaboration with Arup engineers in Australia, are celebrating completion of an elegant pedestrian and cycling bridge that spans the inlet of the Swan River in central Perth. The bridge is effectively a gateway to the central business district, its curvaceous form visually linking the river with the city,

The bridge was officially unveiled to the public on the 29^th January with a breath-taking outdoor light and water display showcasing the precinct inlet as the heart of the development.   A striking architectural feature, the 22m high cable-stayed bridge offers impressive 360 degree views across the Swan River and the Perth CBD.

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The bridge is central to the bold plan by the West Australian Government to revitalise central Perth, Elizabeth Quay features a stunning 27000 m2 inlet and 15000 m2 promenade, surrounded by a vibrant mix of offices, apartments, hotels, shops, bars and restaurants. The project returns the city’s focus to the Swan River and provides a world-class waterfront destination for Perth.

The 110m long pedestrian and cyclists’ bridge allows for continuous movement around the Quay. It connects The Island with the western promenade and Williams Landing, and also links The Island onto the popular ‘bridges’ recreational circuit around the Swan River. Visitors to the precinct can now run, cycle or even ride a Segway across the bridge as they wander around the promenades and explore the many attractions on offer.

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“It’s very rewarding to see our design come to life. We are incredibly proud to have been involved in delivering the bridge and being a part of the transformation of Perth’s Swan River waterfront. It is an iconic project that will forever change the way people enjoy one of the country’s most vibrant and diverse cities.”

– Alistair Avern-Taplin, Perth Office Leader, Arup

Arup was engaged by managing contractor Leighton Broad to design the project, and worked closely with the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority to provide multi-disciplinary services from detailed design through to construction completion.

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The design process

Given the bridge’s unique but constrained location, and the considerable level change required for clearance height for vessels, Arup’s team of architects and engineers knew that the bridge’s design needed to be longer and more complex than a simple ‘straight line bridge’. In response the architects, using parametric design tools, started to play with complex curves, therefore lengthening the path, while the engineers developed a structural diagram to mirror this proposal. This resulted in the beginnings of a design that echoed what the bridge needed to provide functionality-wise, while incorporating aesthetically appealing design curves, an easily-accessible pathway and a sound structure.

The concept design was driven by a desire to have a simple but iconic form that respected the Quay’s existing master plan, while ensuring that the structure took full advantage of its spectacularly unique location.

© Nick Birmingham

“The architect’s unique sculptured form for the cable-stayed bridge presented an interesting design challenge which Arup’s engineers enjoyed creating design solutions for.” 

– Alistair Avern-Taplin, Perth Office Leader, Arup

The architects and engineers worked closely together from the outset of the design using analysis software to create efficiencies in the arches geometry relative to the bridge deck geometry. This ensured that the arches dramatic leans were optimised in their cross-sectional form with the critical structural support they provide.

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Nick Birmingham, Project Architect, Arup Associates, London, said: “The local and luxurious Jarrah timber decking, resonates strongly with the West Australian maritime context. In contrast, the complex parametric steel forms, refined stainless steel details and dynamic lighting solutions propel the project into the contemporary context.” 

© Jacaranda Photography

Arup is very proud of what has been achieved in the design of the Elizabeth Quay pedestrian and cyclist bridge, and we are delighted to now present this stunning completed project to the West Australian public.

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Courtesy of SHoP

SHoP has unveiled the design for a new 900 foot tall skyscraper in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The 77 story, 500,000 square foot, mixed-income tower will have 600 units, 150 of which will be permanently affordable and distributed evenly throughout the building. The project has been developed as a collaboration between SHoP and JDS who are co-owners of the development, with the partnership of two not-for-profit groups: Two Bridges Neighborhood Council (TBNC) and Settlement Housing Fund (SHF).

Courtesy of SHoP

JDS and SHoP believe that partnerships like this can be used in other parts of the city to help build more affordable housing and aid in not-for-profit group goals. Built on a site adjacent to TBNC senior housing, the project will make improvements to the adjacent property including a new lobby, a connected community space on the first floor of the new tower, and access to a roof garden. The project was able to be developed through the sale of air rights owned by TBNC and SHF, allowing affordable housing to be built without public subsidy, and for these organizations to support efforts and goals in the broader neighborhood.

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© Jesús Granada

• Architects: Maria Caffarena + Victor Cobos
• Location: Algeciras, Cádiz, Spain
• Project Area: 100700.0 m2
• Project Year: 2008
• Photographs: Jesús Granada

• Construction: U.T.E. Isla Verde
• Client: Autoridad Portuaria Bahía de Algeciras

© Jesús Granada

From the architect. The area known as Punta de San García is located on the southwest end of Algeciras Bay.

© Jesús Granada

© Jesús Granada

Open to the Strait of Gibraltar, it enjoys an exceptional strategic location, which has made it into a natural set of historical events of great importance.

© Jesús Granada

Located south of the city of Algeciras, it is a high place about twenty meters above the sea, forming cliffs around its perimeter exposed to the sea, the last natural barrier of the Park of the Acorns, though detached from it by the construction of second home neighborhoods reaching the very edge.

© Jesús Granada

It is part of the Natural Park of the Strait, given the biological quality of the coastal strip. The geological feature configuration is the denominated Flysch of the Field of Gibraltar, which with the waves enhances the cliffs and large bars leading into the sea.

© Jesús Granada

The climatological component confers special features to the landscape, as since the temperatures are typical of the Mediterranean climate, prevailing winds whip across the Strait area with particular virulence.

© Jesús Granada

Project Description

The goal of the Centennial Park project is the valorization of these situations, through a strategy of consolidation, prioritization and characterization of pre-existing conditions as well as the inclusion of new parts that work together to establish a dialogue between the natural and artificial elements, resulting in a journey that is enriched by the experience of the transition between each of the elements, as well as the understanding of the experience of the place.

© Jesús Granada

For this purpose, minimal intervention criteria are adopted. It is not about making an urban park, but to show the citizen another experience of the natural landscape, with minimal infrastructures, implementing a series of elements that provide shelter, while allowing the contemplation of the environment, and helping in its understanding.

Bunkers

The itinerary is constituted as a support to a continuous path, stitching existing elements of interest as well as new interventions.

© Jesús Granada

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© Kontraframe

• Architects: PLH Arkitekter
• Location: Kalvebod Brygge, København V, Denmark
• Architect In Charge: PLH Arkitekter
• Area: 18000.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2009
• Photographs: Kontraframe, Lars Kaae, Brahl Fotografi, Jan Lykke

• Engineers: Søren Jensen Consulting Engineers, EKJ CONSULTING ENGINEERS AS (ventilation)
• Contractor: E. Pihl & Søn A/S
• Other Collaborators: Site A/S, Schønherr Landska, Michael Bang
• Client: Carl Aller Etablissement A/S

© Lars Kaae

From the architect. The multimedia building on Havneholmen is tailored from outside to in to fit the island location and its users – CAE and Aller Media. With its gently curved triangular form, the building delineates the point of ‘Havneholmen’ that projects out into Copenhagen harbor, and is surrounded by water on both sides. CAE and Aller Media, which previously had their main address in Valby – another part of Copenhagen, chose to consolidate their many activities and publications in the new multimedia headquarters to create an efficient and diverse work environment. The building itself has created value for Aller Media’s brand and marketing activities, and the atrium is often used for external functions and events. The building has been meticulously designed from the overall architectural lines down to the detailed interior design and it was awarded by the Copenhagen Municipality in 2009. The award committee called the building a “gesamtkunstverk” (work of art).

© Jan Lykke

“The project makes a statement that is very difficult to ignore. Like the cutting edge of a knife, the building’s dramatic presence on the corner has an artistic power that is exceedingly convincing.

The building is a ”Gesamtkunstwerk” (work of art) – everything has been carefully con­sidered. Even the new energy and environmental requirements have been addressed – everything has been functionally developed.

© Lars Kaae

The atmosphere within offices and work areas is soft, inviting and warm – very compelling and of extremely high quality. The building exudes Scandi­navian sensuality. It is situated perfectly with all visual lines coming together in the ground plan.

It stands apart as one the most exciting buildings in the area.”

© Brahl Fotografi

Cross Section

© Lars Kaae

Northern Shades

A large atrium extends right through the center of the building like a ravine with soft edges. It pulls daylight so far into the building that on bright days there is no need for artificial lighting during daytime. The floor slabs withdraw further and further back as you move up the building, creating a bright, terraced room that opens towards the harbor and the heavens. The colors and materials are inspired by the Nordic land­scape; the fells, the forest, the sea, the moor in the changing of seasons. Materials and surfaces are restrained in sober colours that submit to the predominant visual lines and establish a calm framework for daily life in the editorial groups. The tones alternate between the cool, the mild and warm. The undulating balustrades towards the atrium are lined with oak slats in a warm glow, highlighted by soft, diffuse lighting. The stairs and walkways across the atrium have a cool and airy expression of green and white hues in the glass surfaces.

© Lars Kaae

Integrated Workplace Design

Aller headquarters is designed for Aller Media’s users from an activity-based and relatively open interior design concept that corresponds to the organizations working methods. At the same time, the building’s interior is so flexible that the layout can change in response to Aller’s dynamic development – both as an organization and media producer. The comprehensive, interactive user process which PLH conducted as part of workplace design program has provided the foundation for the building’s differentiated interior design, with varied types of workspace that meet the needs of individual editorial groups.

© Lars Kaae

Integrated art

A competition was held for the commissioning of a work of art that could be placed in the central atrium. It was won by the Swedish artists, Bigert & Bergström with “Tomorrows Weather “. The artwork is an installation of lights that simulate atmospheric molecules and change color in accordance with the next day’s weather forecast, relayed directly from DMI (The Danish Bureau of Meteorology). The spiral-shaped installation stretches over several floors where the large, glazed atrium façade faces the water. Here it is visible from inside and outside, so that from Island Brygge on the island of Amager and from Bryggebroen (a bicycle and pedestrian bridge connecting Havneholmen and the island of Amager) one can experience the weather and Aller building’s changing color scale.

© Kontraframe

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© Iwan Baan

Iwan Baan has unveiled a new series of images depicting a snow-covered Harbin Opera House by MAD Architects and its surrounding landscapes. The northern Chinese city of Harbin is known for its brutal winters where temperatures can reach -22°F (-30°C). In the photographs, the Opera House’s sinuous white aluminum cladding echoes the ice formed in the adjacent river. “Harbin is very cold for the most of the year,” says MAD principal and founder Ma Yansong. “I envisioned a building that would blend into the winter landscape as a white snow dune arising from the wetlands.”

The creation of bridges to access Harbin Cultural Island, where the Opera House is located, has also opened this previously inaccessible wetland to year-round foot traffic. This enabled Baan to photograph tourists, dog walkers, and local ice fishers visiting the facility and adjacent landscape despite the extreme cold. The photographs have come out alongside a behind-the-scenes film released by NOWNESS, in which Baan explains, “I’m not trying to create timeless images that could be in any moment in time. They should always have a strong connection to a specific place, time, people, context, or culture.”

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© Bob Gundu

• Architects: Architects Luc Bouliane
• Location: Relmar Rd, Toronto, ON M5P, Canada
• Architect In Charge: Luc Bouliane, Wes Wilson and Natasha Lebel
• Area: 4000.0 ft2
• Project Year: 2015
• Photographs: Bob Gundu

• Landscape: Fox Whyte Landscape Architecture & Design
• Structural Engineer: Kenny Crier, Blackwell Bowick Engineering
• General Contractor: Mazenga Building Group Erik Bornstein, Bryan Kee

© Bob Gundu

From the architect. When an empty-nester couple made the decision to downsize, they knew they wanted it to be to a low-maintenance, age-in-place home, as well as an architectural showpiece. They had tried condo living but it lacked the familiarity of a low-rise dwelling. Their son, a builder, encouraged them to push beyond their traditional aesthetic and create a custom, contemporary home — something that he could help them build.

© Bob Gundu

To carry out the design, they engaged Architects Luc Bouliane, who quickly established a trusting rapport by paying close attention to the couple’s specific lifestyle. The studio used its distinct design approach to create an easy-keeping ‘forever’ residence that subtly responds to the nuances of the couple’s needs, both now and in the future. Architects Luc Bouliane embraced the challenges and opportunities of the site to derive the bold, adventurous aesthetic, one that carefully balances spatial complexity and practical simplicity. 

Ground Site

As a firm, Architects Luc Bouliane often will look to natural forms, both geological or geographical, for inspiration. The interest dates back to founding partner Luc Bouliane’s childhood: he was raised on the rocky shores of Lake Superior in the steel town of Sault Ste. Marie. In the case of Relmar, the ‘geode’ — a stone with a rough shell that conceals a glinting centre — became an apt metaphor as strategies were derived to maximize natural light. Although the home faces a quiet, midtown Toronto street — abutting the leafy Cedarvale Ravine — the narrow lot sits due north, in the shadow of a low-rise apartment building.

© Bob Gundu

Like a geode, the exterior of the project is weighty, with a hard, black brick-and-limestone facade. It cracks open at the roof skylights that wash the interior walls with sunshine. To help flood the spaces with light, the stairs are shifted off the reflective, polished limestone walls, creating a three-storey, uninterrupted atrium with the kitchen and living room on the ground floor, a mezzanine office space that hovers above on the second floor, and the bedrooms on the third. The views add to the refreshing feeling by focusing on the ravine and the intensive green roofs on the backyard garage.

2nd Floor Plan

In addition to creating a lasting aesthetic, Architects Luc Bouliane discretely and purposely built into the architecture many features that will enable the home to last for the owners. An elevator is tucked near the kitchen to provide an alternative to the flights of stairs; the driveway and back patio are heated to prevent ice build up or the need for snow shoveling; the washroom floors and heated benches are tiled in a slip-resistant surface, and come prepped for future safety grab bars; and the basement includes a health spa, gym and a future suite for live-in support if required.

© Bob Gundu

To help offset construction costs and to add density to the formerly single-family lot, a similar, semi-detached residence adjoins to the north. It shares the same critical architectural language; a hard ex-terior and crystalline forms, but remains flexible enough in the interior to allow a family to move in and adapt spaces to their needs. Most importantly it shares the access to natural light, which no doubt will delight any homeowner, regardless of age or stage in life.

© Bob Gundu

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