Benoy’sUAE studios best known for their work in the MENA region have released the plans for Abu Dhabi’s upcoming Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Park. In a redefinition of the former Khalidya Ladies Park, the renovation—as a portion of the AED94 million renovation—was commissioned by The Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport at Abu Dhabi City Municipality to “fuel discovery and support the core tenets of the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030.”
The open-air project centers on the concepts of sustainability, economic diversification and growth, improved social and community facilities, the promotion of Arab and Emirati culture, and a focus on contemporary living.
Courtesy of Benoy
Benoy strives to design environments that are accessible, all-inclusive and serve to bring the community together. As an open-air, multi-dimensional destination, Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Park will represent a completely new typology for Abu Dhabi; one that will appeal to a broad spectrum of demographics to promote cohesion among communities.
Over a span of 46,000 square meters, the project will feature an urban forest, lush greenery, amphitheater, cycling track, natural play areas, fitness zone, and Women’s Center for the next generation of female entrepreneurs in the region.
Courtesy of Benoy
With Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Park, we’ve deliberately stepped out of our comfort zone to really push the boundaries and create something that will continue to evolve and stay relevant over time, stated Paul Priest, Director and Head of Benoy’s MENA Studios. I believe that this type of environment, which takes the visitor out of an enclosed space and promotes walkability and discovery, is a trend that we’ll see a lot of demand for in the GCC and greater MENA region in the near future.
This article is part of our new series “Material Focus“, which asks the architects to reflect on the thought process behind their choice of materials and illuminates the steps needed for constructing buildings.
The RPII Residence was designed by Gustavo Arbex Architects. The almost 1000m2 project was built in Sao Paulo. We spoke with the architect Gustavo Arbex to learn more about the choices of materials and the challenges of the project.
According to many studies, the coworking phenomenon is intrinsicly associated to the urban lifestyle. The density and diversity of people and oportunities that a big metropolis produces, encourages the apparition of places where its fundamental purpouse is sharing creativity. This is why it seemed natural for us that our spaces payed tribute and were inspired by great cities. utopic_US is a young and creative company, we could even say it is a little bit carefree… and the idea was to mix inspirations and memories of two cities, with the real soul of the firm. At the same time Izaskun Chinchilla Architects looks to strengthen the link between design and user by means of interactuation and surprise.
Conde de Casal is the first space we open following this philosophy, this is the reason why we appeal to two classics : New York and Tokyo. Two cities where everyone wants to travel to, where anyone wants to go back to, no matter how many times you’ve been to and two cities whose landmarks are recognised all around the globe. They are places that take part of the universal imagination. New York is still the emblem of an opened city where people go to invent and succeed. Whereas Tokyo remains as the symbol of a simbiosis between latest technology and ancestral culture. This is how UTOPIC_US Conde de Casal is : open, filled with oportunities for those who imagine a different World.
Madrid cultural history could be described looking at the transformations that younger generations have imposed. Nowadays the millenials have convinced us of the networking importance and the advantages of sharing. They are starting to transform Madrid once again. utopic_US is an ambitious project, is part of a coworking spaces network that tries to become in the headquarters for this generation to transform Madrid, turning it into the capital of creative entrepreneurship. We want to be the support for that generation.
It is an interior design project. We have designed a versatile equipment that can be moved to another location but trying to create something memorable. We have worked modifying and transforming industrial and contemporary furniture (beds into tables, bunk banks into Skype rooms…) We have also introduced a lot of color employing different fabrics, ceramics, painted papers, etc.
Metropolis Magazine has released their 2016 rankings of the world’s most “livable” cities. Acknowledging that what makes a city “livable” can often be subjective, the team at Metropolis emphasizes that in creating the list they “focused on the concerns at Metropolis’ core—housing, transportation, sustainability, and culture.” The result of this research was last year’s top prize-winner Toronto dropping to the number 9 spot and Copenhagen, which last year took the number 4 spot, jumping to the top. Rounding out the top three are Berlin and Helsinki.
Given the often-controversial nature of such city rankings, one convenient aspect of the Metropolis rankings is that they include detailed write-ups explaining the reasons behind their selections. First-placed Copenhagen, for example, is noted for the fact that “New York and many other city-rankings regulars have been Copenhagen-ized, with smart streets, bike lanes, and small public space projects,” contributing to the city’s credibility as the most livable worldwide.
You can see the full list of the top ten, and the reasons behind each, here.
From the architect. A residential building for a small family, with two floors.
In Level 0 develop if social spaces with a strong relation with the outside; on the upper level we’ve installed the private spaces, three bedrooms and one office.
The layout of the interior spaces was influenced by the sun direction and these spaces are strategically located to take advantage of the available views.
Sections
The building appears parallel to the existing street, open up the Northeast and close to the street in order to ensure privacy to the common areas of the house.
Mecanoo has unveiled the designs for the new Ede Wageningen Train Station in the city of Ede in the Netherlands, after winning the competition for the design of the project in 2014. As a gateway to the Veluwe National Park, the transport hub is designed to support future expansion in response to growth in passenger numbers.
Inspired by the local Veluwe landscape—its topography, typologies, and existing buildings and monuments—the Station building is nestled in the slopes of the moraine between the Veluwe Massif and the Gelderse Valley.
The wooden clock tower and roof of the project serve as the station’s hallmark. Consisting of a series of wooden triangles, the roof cascades over the bicycle parking, retail space, and other station facilities, ending as the overhang of the main entrance and connecting all quadrants of the hub in a uniform manner.
Courtesy of Mecanoo
The use of natural materials like wood, stone, glass and steel fit the Veluwe landscape. The sturdy detailing makes the design not only durable but also resistant to vandalism – said the architects in a press release.
Courtesy of Mecanoo
Furthermore, the shape of the roof, as well as the platforms’ outfitting are designed to support the sightlines and orientation of travellers, thereby supporting safety and navigability.
Courtesy of Mecanoo
Courtesy of Mecanoo
From the platforms, all transport modes can be seen: the station square, buses, drop off zone, taxi rank, and bicycle parking. A large indoor parking facility has been integrated into the design and can accommodate up to 6,000 bicycles. A large car park is located at walking distance from the main entrance. Circulation routes are intuitive, covered and well-organized. The station is seamlessly integrated into the existing network of streets and roads, separating slow and fast traffic – described the architects.
Courtesy of Mecanoo
Construction of the Station is set to take place from 2018 to 2021.
From the architect. The former outdoor sauna huts of Jordanbad in Biberach, Germany, were supposed to be replaced by a new, durable and sustainable, larger and more spacious sauna village.
The extensibility of the sauna complex and grounds was planned in a comprehensive master plan in order to expand and add further saunas and relaxation rooms easily in later years.
Site Plan
All successful spa complexes should be designed as a constantly growing process. The aim of the redevelopment was to increase the appeal and feel-good factor of this spa and to create more interesting spaces for a larger number of visitors.
The sauna village consists of a large infusion sauna for 110-120 persons, one herbal sauna and one fireplace sauna, each for around 25 people. Herbal and fireplace sauna ( ´double- sauna´) are accessed via a shared foyer.
The water / shower center is situated in a separate building – with a variety of shower facilities, outside there is a large open waterfall shower.
The overall complex is designed as a kind of new‚ ´modern´ village – with gabled-roof sauna houses.
Ground Floor Plan
Their side-facades and roofs are all structured in the same type of surface design with Robinia wood slats – in a vertical and horizontal pattern.
Particularly important was the arrangement of the various sauna houses with well-proportioned intermediate space, which forms the key quality of the village as sauna complex.
In the center of the complex there is a large pond – with wooden decks and benches for sunbathing in the south-west sun on one side – with a soft pebble shore and big boulders for seating on the other side. On the soft, more natural side of the pond, there are semicircles of paved terraces for sunbathing.
Three immersion pools – each 2m2 – are located on the wooden deck, facing the pond – they can be filled with warm or cold water depending on the season.
A tree in front of the water center with a bench seat forms the central meeting point for the sauna users.
The client preferred a more longlasting construction method for the buildings – after his sad experience with the previous short-living log-cabins. The result of these discussions was a concrete construction as center of all walls and roofs – covered inside and outside with layers of wood.
Outside all cabins have got extreme long-lasting slats of Robinia-wood. Inside, each sauna has its very own atmosphere with different wood materials and finish.
The volume of the infusion sauna is created by the intersection of two gabled houses – for combining several more intimate space volumes with one large space – for all kinds of Sauna ceremonies for up to 120 persons.
The visitors can sit with nice views outside, enjoy relaxing tranquility in the three areas on one side – and in the other direction the sauna users look into the center with a large sauna oven in the middle and enjoy the communal sauna experience in the large, high intersecting center space.
The intimate fireplace sauna has a large attractive fireplace as an eyecatcher at the front of the wide opening panoramic window and has walls out of especially narrow wood-strips.
The herbal sauna has an atmospheric ‘herbal oven‘ out of slate in its center with an integrated herb-basin out of natural stone. Herbal aromas flow through this sauna- and walls are covered with large wooden panels.
Light and atmosphere
A goal was the indirect illumination of all saunas and outdoor spaces. The quality of experience by light is achieved in all saunas by indirect LED lighting, allowing a subtle very slow change of color. Sitting in the sauna, the users can look out at the indirectly lightened trees and landscape.
The design style of the sauna village is a contemporary architectural language – free of kitch – creating rich extraordinary experiences for the visitors by careful use of space and form, light and material – inside and outside. Inside, each sauna has its own individual atmosphere – with carefully chosen views into various parts of the garden, landscape and pond through large panorama windows.
A cost-saving, ecological form of energy supply has been chosen for the sauna village. The electric power and heat generated by the power unit (CHP) can cover the complete electricity and heat demand for hot water and heating.
By means of an exhaust gas thermal oil heat exchanger, the energy is transported through thermal oil (temp. about 260 ° C) into pipelines to the individual, specially designed thermal oil heaters.
A new feature of the outdoor sauna facility is, that no electricity, gas or oil and no solid fuels are used for heating the saunas. Only the exhaust gases of the CHP are used. The Saunas are heated by energy from a waste product
From the architect. The new pedestrian bridge, connecting the high-tech park and the Beer-Sheva Tzafon train station (and Ben-Gurion University), was officially inaugurated and opened on 12 June, 2016. At some 210 meters long, the steel bridge is a scenic point of reference as it spans over the active and operational and railways and the site of future ones. The bridge’s design incorporates over 200 types of different steel beam cross-sections, making up its unique geometry – four steel arches, curling and twisting, creating two broad lenses with openings of 110 meters and 70 meters. The credit for this unique design goes to Bar Orian Architects and Rokach Ashkenazi Engineers.
The high-tech park is located within walking distance from the Beer Sheva Tzafon train station. Until recently, employees who had arrived at their jobs in the park by car, and saw their offices just hundreds of meters away, had to take taxis or busses to bypass the train station and the adjacent neighborhood in order to arrive at work. This problem was already a known issue during the park’s design and construction, and to address it, the Municipality of Beer Sheva initiated an architectural competition for the design of the “perfect bridge.” The bridge was to provide a solution for the park’s access problem for pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as become a symbol to the new park and become a unique point of reference in the new emerging landscape. Many firms were invited to submit their suggestions for the future bridge, and Bar Orian Architects won the competition along with Rokach Ashkenazi Consulting Engineers.
Section
The pedestrian bridge provides a useful and convenient connection between the technological park and the train station, as well as a unique and significant point of reference in the evolving scenery. The goal was to create a bridging structure as opposed to a technical element connecting two ends – a structure that is an architectural element, generating movement and change. The engineering and design scheme are based on four steel arches which twist and undulate, creating two “eyes” in the space between them. The arched formation creates a protected space for pedestrians, an experiential and exclusive journey, in which each step reveals a surprising view of shapes, materials, and sights. The bridge embodies movement which can been seen in the design of the arches, the secondary foundations and the connecting elements, movement whose inspiration is suggested by the endless dynamics taking place among the train platforms below. The result is a structure that is a space with three supports – one at each edges of the bridge, the third at the planned train platform.
The bridge is 210 meters long. Its upper part is roofed to provide protection and shade from the sun, dust, sand storms, and rain. The sides are open to allow the flow of natural air and eye contact with the surrounding environment. This way, the shell serves as a climatic element, as the natural of the openings allow maximal control over air flow and filtration, shading, and filtering of natural light in the spaciousness of the desert.
The lighting design for the bridge was very much derived from the architecture of it; there was no intention of telling a different story at night than during the day. There was a process of deciding what to show at night – what to light. The result is that the bridge almost appears to be hovering at night as if it was lifted off the ground to allow the trains to pass underneath.
North Elevation
The light fittings are all integrated in the structure and are not obvious. The light creates a rhythm that enhances the flow of the structure at night.
There is a strong sense of safety and security at night but because what is mainly lit is the structure and not the path there is still a very relaxed and intimate atmosphere on the bridge.
Situated on the highest point of a ridge overlooking Sydney’s Middle Harbour is a solid, 3 storey brick house built during the between the late 1950s and early 1960s, which has been complemented by contemporary additions bearing all the signature hallmarks of Luigi Rosselli Architecture: the sandstone base, the whitewashed walls, and the aerofoil vertical louvres placed next to “log-cabin” exterior wall cladding.
The front of the house features another Luigi Rosselli Architects key element – a lightwell containing an elliptical stair – framed by the sandstone Martello Tower* entry porch that, in its “partially ruined” state, opens up to the horizontal whitewashed concrete beams and roof lines that complete the new street elevation.
Gentle alterations to the existing house have left ninety-five percent of the original structure standing including the 1950s sandstone fireplace in the lounge, while the additions to the front of the house and the new lower ground floor level at the back have enlivened its somewhat bland appearance. Internally, the interiors created by Romaine Alwill incorporated the client’s favourite Mediterranean Blue colour into a timeless palette to create a comfortable and luminous family home that is ready to survive another 50 years.
*Sometimes known simply as Martellos, Martello Towers are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts.
Courtesy of As.Architecture-Studio and VHA Architects
As.Architecture-Studio and VHA Architects have unveiled their plans for the urban design and architecture of a new campus at the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH) in Vietnam. Located 30 kilometers east of Hanoi City, the new campus is designed to be a “New Model University,” and will feature facilities for administration, teaching, research, housing, student activities, services, and infrastructure.
Through its position around and across existing lakes, the project aims to offer researchers and students a living area structured by landscape. “The presence of water, along with the tropical architecture of the buildings and their specific technologies, will embody the unique character of the USTH being a Vietnamese University leading in sustainability and renewable energy.”
Courtesy of As.Architecture-Studio and VHA Architects
This “Water Park” will bring together all campus activities around a core, while also providing a place for quiet thought in a natural environment. The Park will include a variety of spaces, such as a plaza, landscaped banks, an “Isle of Contemplation,” gardens, strolling paths, and events spaces.
Courtesy of As.Architecture-Studio and VHA Architects
The entire campus will be oriented with the four cardinal directions, allowing for solar protection of buildings and natural acceleration of wind between buildings, but also for future possible expansions.
Courtesy of As.Architecture-Studio and VHA Architects
Courtesy of As.Architecture-Studio and VHA Architects
Courtesy of As.Architecture-Studio and VHA Architects
The Learning Center building will serve as the main entity of and gate to the campus. Here, students can access study rooms, reading rooms, and library space on each floor.
Courtesy of As.Architecture-Studio and VHA Architects
Six buildings on the north side of the Water Park will house faculty space, research offices, and classrooms.
Courtesy of As.Architecture-Studio and VHA Architects
Courtesy of As.Architecture-Studio and VHA Architects
On the east side of the Park, a shared facilities complex will feature six amphitheaters located between the ground and first floors.
Courtesy of Architecture Studio and VHA Architects
Courtesy of As.Architecture-Studio and VHA Architects
At the South-West corner of the Waterpark, the dormitories district is organized along the water bank. The lakes naturally isolate this living area from the campus teaching areas, preserving intimacy and creating a village atmosphere. The peripheral gallery provides a pedestrian connection to this district, across three bridges, from the Learning center facilities on the south side, and from the faculties on the north side. Each building is composed of an ‘apartment type’ layout, to create living communities at small scale. Natural ventilation is enhanced, from the ground floor to the roof level, through outdoor corridors and “wind towers”. Along the peripheral gallery, at the dormitories ground floor level, kiosks and small shops bring animation to this living district – said the architects in a press release.
Sig Nordal 