A metal microlattice developed by Boeing and HRL Laboratories has just been awarded the Guinness World Record for lightest metal.
Made from nickel phosphorus, the microlattice emulates human cell structure, reaching a density and surface area similar to lung tissue. So light it can be balanced on the top of a dandelion seed head, the material weighs in at approximately 100 times lighter than styrofoam.
“The point of achieving the record for lightest metal was to show the flexibility of the manufacturing process,” said Bill Carter, Director of the Sensors and Materials Laboratory at HRL. “With the same process we can produce a strong and useful material that can be made with the density of aluminum all the way down to well below the density of air (excluding the air inside). Achieving a density at any point between those requires only a small change in the creation process. It can be done quickly, relatively inexpensively, and made to order.”
To build the microlattice, a customizable polymer template is constructed through a “self-forming photopolymer waveguide process” and then electroplated with a layer of nickel-phosphorus with a thinness of approximately 80 nanometers, about 1,000 times thinner than the width of a human hair. The polymer is then removed using a chemical process.
The resulting product is the ultra-thin material and is capable of absorbing large amounts of energy throughout its structure.
The manufacturing process is both rapid and scalable, leading HRL to anticipate the microlattice could viably be used in applications including insulation, heat exchange devices, catalytic converters, airplane wings, military helmets, vehicle blast protection, and even to develop an artificial lung.
From the architect. TEMPORARY URBANISM Every year for the past twenty years, thousands of delegates from 195 countries have met for the United Nations conference on climate change in order to address questions concerning the future of the planet. This year, the office OUALALOU+CHOI was chosen to design the exhibition spaces for the COP22 which will take place from the 7-18 of November in Marrakech. This project, which addresses questions of architecture’s role in creating temporary urbanism, continues the office’s research, evident in such projects as the Pavilion of Morocco at the world exposition EXPO 2015 in Milan and the installation of a temporary tensile structure on the plaza of the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris in 2014.
Master Plan
THE VILLAGE The design of the exhibition grounds is based upon a temporary urbanism created by the installation of a village of canopies, entirely demountable and reusable. The exhibitions grounds were constructed within a span of fi ve months on an empty piece of land, facing both the historical wall of the city and the Atlas mountains. The main axis of the site connects to two of the principal roads of the city. The central spine, 680 meters long and 18 meters wide, unites all the elements of the program and is covered by a gigantic canopy along its entire length.
Courtesy of OUALALOU+CHOI
THE CANOPY The tent is a primitive and universal form of architecture that speaks to the common needs of man on this planet. The enormous tented structure over the central space covers 12 000m2 and arises from a collaboration between OUALALOU+CHOI and the manufacturer Serge Ferrari. The prestressed membrane is of an openwork design to create an effect of transparency while still remaining completely waterproof. The COP22 provided the opportunity to create an innovative tensile project, both in terms of its structure and its materiality.
THE GATEWAY This monumental installation, 12 meters high and 50 meters long, serves as a gateway to the plenary sessions. A complex geometry is constructed from a layering of elevations; the motif of a traditional doorway is carved out of the multitude of layers. Made of a stacking of identical wooden pieces locally sourced in Morocco, the structure is built in such a way as to enable the pieces to be taken down and reutilized to construct a series of pavilions in public gardens throughout the city.
THE RESTAURANT The two restaurants have been designed as interlocking structures that have been pulled apart to create a public agora at the heart of the village. This transversal landscape creates a transition between the zones of the negociators and the plenary halls. Built as an accretion of volumes and voids, the restaurants and adjacent gardens allude to traditional urban compositions in the villages around Marrakech. They are built of modular wooden panels as temporary structures that will be dismantled, reassembled, and reused after the end of the COP22.
BIG and French studio Silvio d’Ascia have been selected to design the new Pont de Bondy metro station in Paris. The station is the latest design to be announced as part of the Société du Grand París’ Grand Paris Express project, which is seeking to modernize the existing transport network through the addition of nearly 200 kilometers of rail lines and a series of architect-designed stations throughout the city.
Of a total of 68 new stations, nine have been labeled as “emblematic,” meaning that they are expected to serve as significant neighborhood nodes within the larger masterplan. The Pont de Bondy station will constitute one of these emblematic projects, joining designs from Kengo Kuma, Dominique Perrault, Enric Miralles Benedetta Tagliabue (EMBT) and Bordas+Peiro, Agence Duthilleul, and Elizabeth de Portzamparc.
‘Significant urban projects will emerge along this transport route: new neighborhoods with an array of features including housing, economic activities, university centers and cultural facilities – especially around the strategic, structural points provided by the stations,’ explains the Société du Grand Paris. ‘the idea is to enable business clusters to take root while rebalancing the paris region, opening it up to its more remote, isolated areas.’
The Pont de Bondy station will be located along Line 15, a ring line that passes through suburban Paris. BIG and Silvio d’Ascia’s design uses a looping form to connect upper and lower levels of the site and to bridge across an adjacent canal.
Additionally, the Société du Grand Paris announced the appointment of six further architects for the designs of 10 stations on Line 15, including Grimshaw, Bordas + Peiro, Brenac-Gonzalez & Associates, Scape/Offscape, Vezzoni & Associés and Explorations Architecture.
Courtesy of Grand Paris Express
The complete Grand Paris Express masterplan is expected be completed before 2030.
Hillary Clinton’s plans to improve infrastructure in the USA weren’t ambitious enough, but at least she had plans, says Aaron Betsky in this Opinion column. Read more
Team: Dan Wood, FAIA, Amale Andraos (principals); Sam Dufaux (associate principal); Karl Landsteiner (construction administration project architect); Chris Oliver (design project architect); Maggie Tsang, Timo Otto, Patrick Daurio
From the architect. This residential development consists of a complete gut renovation and new construction behind one of New York’s most beautiful and oldest cast-iron facades. It required a careful approach to the blending of contemporary architecture with historic preservation. New York City’s Landmarks Commission required any rooftop addition to be invisible. The building, however, is located on a highly-visible corner with a low, two-story building across the street. This meant that the building’s roof was visible from almost three blocks away.
Tracing the cone of vision from the furthest point from which the building was visible, WORKac utilized three rooftop projections to mask the bulk of an addition: the triangular pediment of the historic Carey Building next door, and the circular pediment and an abandoned elevator bulkhead at the top of the building itself. The “shadow” created by these three projections created a sizeable zone for the addition and the opportunity for a distinctive angled form for the new roof. The result is a sculptural form that is – at the same time – completely invisible from the street below.
For the apartment interiors and public area, WORKac created spaces that combine nature-inspired elements and systems with new ideas about urban living. From the tessellated green wall at the lobby to generous planters and balconies at the second, sixth and seventh floors, connections to the outdoors are emphasized. Within each apartment, a “third space” between bedrooms and living spaces is created at the top of the volume containing storage and bathrooms. Less than four-feet high, this “bonsai apartment” is outfitted with a futon, seating areas, and an herb garden above the kitchen. Its main feature is a fern garden connected to the master shower below. Steam from the shower collects on the glass walls of the garden and waters the plants.
The penthouse combines sleeping spaces and a family room within the old fifth floor of the building with new entertaining and dining spaces under the new roof at the sixth floor. A secluded terrace is sunken behind the pediment with views to the Woolworth Building; the old elevator bulkhead is repurposed with a hot tub. The height afforded by angle formed by the cone-of-vision allows for a rear mezzanine with views toward downtown and the Freedom Tower.
The 1857 façade is completely restored. The new charcoal color chosen by WORKac references the building’s history of being painted in dark contrast with its lighter neighbors. As all of the building’s Corinthean column capitols had been lost to history, WORKac collaborated with the artist Michael Hansmeyer to create new versions. Hansmeyer created a computer script that allowed the classical floral elements of the Corinthean order to “grow” fractally, resulting in a new design that adheres to the old proportions but is composed of clearly new forms and idiosyncrasies. Like the rooftop addition, these capitals at first glance appear quite ordinary; it is only on closer inspection that the stealthy strategy of strategic injection of contemporary design becomes clear.
Architect In Charge: Jaakko and Elizaveta Parkkonen
Project Year: 2014
Photographs: Courtesy of Honkarakenne
Courtesy of Honkarakenne
From the architect. A modern eco-home for three generations
Savukvartsi was introduced to the public at the Housing fair 2015 in Vantaa, Finland. It’s an ecological duplex house, designed for three generations of a family. Honka Savukvartsi is an excellent example of a new-generation log home, created with the Honka Fusion concept.
Courtesy of Honkarakenne
Honka Savukvartsi was designed and built by the architects Jaakko and Elizaveta Parkkonen as their own private home. The house reflects the dream shared by the young couple and their parents of a home for several generations of the same family.
Courtesy of Honkarakenne
The house is split into two separate properties, with the larger one occupied by Jaakko and Elizaveta and their son. The smaller property belongs to Jaakko’s parents. The properties share an entrance. If desired, the apartments can be combined to create one larger property.
Courtesy of Honkarakenne
The house has the smallest carbon footprint of all the properties showcased at the Vantaa Housing Fair area and is rated B for energy efficiency. Its eco-friendly credentials include natural, low-emission and recyclable materials offering easy maintenance, healthy living and the latest home technology solutions.
Ground Floor Plan
“The philosophy behind this house is to minimize its climate impact. We used natural and recyclable materials and tried to avoid plastic. The building is heated using solar thermal collectors and a water heating fireplace. The pitch of the roof has been calculated to allow for the perfect angle in relation to the sun. The optimal angle is 35 degrees, and at Savukvartsi, we have gone for 34.” – Jaakko Parkkonen, architect and customer
The young family’s bedrooms are located on the first floor, away from the public areas. The high ceilings add spaciousness and tall French windows let the daylight in. On the first floor, there’s also a home office and a library.
Courtesy of Honkarakenne
“The soundscape of a log house is quiet. Combined with the natural warmth of genuine wood and the good indoor air quality, it creates a very comfortable living environment.” – The Parkkonen family
1st Floor Plan
The grandparents apartment is a compact double of 46 square meters, all located on one floor. The smaller apartment consists of a bedroom, kitchen, living room and a bathroom. The shared living area in the bigger apartment serves both families.
The house is created with the non-settling Honka Fusion log (FXL 134) and insulated with wood fiber. The exterior cladding is spruce, treated with iron vitriol to create a beautiful grey finish. Because of the non-settling structure, the log wall could be combined with details like city corners and big windows, free of the wide architraves and settling spaces required in traditional log construction.
Courtesy of Honkarakenne
“The Honka Fusion wall structure allowed us to design a contemporary log house with urban, minimalistic details. The non-settling log also simplifies the wall structures which ensures that the house will be there for generations to come.” – Jaakko Parkkonen, architect and customer
Courtesy of Honkarakenne
Product Description.The house is created with the non-settling Honka Fusion log (FXL 134) and insulated with wood fiber. The exterior cladding is spruce, treated with iron vitriol to create a beautiful grey finish. Because of the non-settling structure, the log wall could be combined with details like city corners and big windows, free of the wide architraves and settling spaces required in traditional log construction.
Courtesy of Honkarakenne
“The Honka Fusion wall structure allowed us to design a contemporary log house with urban, minimalistic details. The non-settling log also simplifies the wall structures which ensures that the house will be there for generations to come.”
Studio Seilern Architects (SSA) has unveiled its design for a new skyscraper in New York, located on the riverfront of the Hudson River, which will offer views to the South West towards the river and Hoboken, as well as to the East towards the Empire State Building and Manhattan skyline.
The 16.107 square meter building (24 floors) will feature commercial units in the form of a gallery in the plinth—which is reduced to form a sculpture garden—at the lower levels, while upper levels will contain residential units.
Courtesy of Studio Seilern Architects (SSA)
Courtesy of Studio Seilern Architects (SSA)
Courtesy of Studio Seilern Architects (SSA)
The site being in the art quarter is something that should be capitalized on, said Christina Seilern, principal at Studio Seilern Architects. The nature of the ‘near-corner’ site mean we can offer the gallery a unique dual aspect and sculpture count, as private and jewel like as the one in the MoMA.
Courtesy of Studio Seilern Architects (SSA)
Courtesy of Studio Seilern Architects (SSA)
Floor plans of the building are flexible, so as to adapt in response to fluctuating market conditions.
Sig Nordal 