Architect David Fisher has proposed a plan for rotating towers that produce all of their own energy through wind power. The Rotating Tower would be built by stacking platters on a central concrete core with wind turbines located between each of them. Each floor will rotate 360 degrees about once every 90 minutes; as the floors will rotate independently, they will create a constantly changing silhouette in the sky. Inside the concrete core will be elevators, emergency stairs and lobbies. The Rotating Tower will be built in Dubai in the next six months.
As water becomes an even hotter commodity in the future, engineers are looking for ways to ensure a continued supply of fresh water to meet the needs of the world’s growing population. Charles Patton is tackling this problem with his Seawater Greenhouse, a carbon-neutral desalination method which is being incorporated into the design of the Teatro del Agua. This Theater of Water will be a performing arts center in Spain’s Canary Islands. It works by coupling a series of evaporators and condensers such that the airborne moisture from the evaporators is then collected from the condensers, which are cooled by deep seawater.? The center will operate almost entirely on renewable energy.
The Dice House is a zero carbon home, which can either stand alone or function as attached multiple dwellings. Designed by Sybarite, a British architecture firm, the Dice House is a 9 x 9 meter cube that sits on an octagonal plinth. Three levels inside the cube have large, plentiful windows to maximize views. A large thermoplastic umbrella on the garden roof of the house shades and insulates the house and collects solar energy.
The world’s first passive house museum is set to be built in Ulricehamn, Sweden, functioning as a visitor’s center. The building’s heat will be supplied entirely by the body heat of visitors and the equipment located inside. Solar cells on the roof will provide part of the energy used to run electrical equipment and heat water. The circular design of the structure will allow efficient circulation of air to enhance the passive heating and cooling of the building.
Pelli Clark Pelli architects recently got approval for their design for a new green Transbay Transit Center in San Francisco. The transit center will consist of a glass tower and a five-and-a-half acre public park, and will be packed with sustainable features like green roofs, passive solar shading, wind turbines, a rain and graywater recycling system and geothermal heating and cooling. The aim of the building is to centralize the region’s transportation system while also providing a community space. The center will be completed by 2014.
China’s population is exploding while its industrial ventures are producing more pollution than ever - a combination that makes it difficult to be eco-friendly. A new sustainable housing project called Habitat 2020 aims to be one of the leaders in bringing environmental initiatives to this growing country. The Habitat 2020 building will feature an active skin: a membrane between the exterior and interior walls that will absorb air, water and light from outside and dispatch it inside as clean filtered water, natural air conditioning and electricity. The same funnels on the membrane that pull these resources in will also emit clean, CO2-free air from inside the building. This urban megalopolis is set to be complete in 2020.
Another project that aims to act as a ‘living’ structure is the California Academy of Sciences museum set to open in San Francisco this fall. The museum will have a 2.5 acre, undulating green roof that will integrate it into the surrounding Golden Gate Park. The 400,000-square-foot, $484 million structure will likely be the first public building to achieve a platinum LEED rating. Designer Renzo Piano has incorporated a planetarium, a rainforest with free-flying birds, a coral reef home to 4,000 fish in a saltwater aquarium and a natural history museum into the building.
Maul Dwellings designed the Landscape House, which won the AIA’s 2006 Committee on Design competition to design “a house for an ecologist”. The house not only features a double roof for enhanced air circulation, louvered shutters to harvest energy, a Water Pod to house efficient plumbing systems and a solar dehumidifier unit to capture moisture from the air for drinking water, it also is designed for deconstruction and reuse. Though this innovative structure wasn’t originally intended for widespread residential use, its intelligent eco-friendly features make it a great source of inspiration for future green homes.
London-based Foster + Partners, who are also working on the aforementioned Frasers Broadway complex, have another green complex in store. This one will be located in Singapore City, measuring 150,000 square meters and set for multi-use functioning. The complex’s exterior will be covered with solar cells, and direct sunlight will also be harvested by tall ribbon-like canopies rising into the skyline. The slanted design of the facades will allow wind to flow into the building for a natural cooling effect, and vertical green spaces will provide ambient temperature moderation. The building will also be equipped with a rainwater harvesting system, geothermal heating, chilled beams and an ice storage system for cooling.
Some designers have come up with alternatives that are meant to work at varying scales and within more limited budgets. Agustin Otegui’s Nano Vent-Skin is a perfect example.
What is it? In short it is a structure that acts like a skin. It is composed of mini wind turbines made out of micro organisms which generate energy from wind and sunlight. NVS was born as a small scale alternative after seeing all the gigantic projects (like those mentioned above) being built around the world. Where it seems that in order to be green you have to think big and build something impressively huge. This concept tries to make Architects and Designers think on a smaller scale and apply it to existing buildings, houses and structures or even tunnels and barriers to generate energy.
The so-called Lighthouse skyscraper is a 1000-foot-tall office skyscraper that is designed to use about half the water and energy of a typical high-rise building. The tower design employs solar energy collection and wind farming techniques coupled with strategies to reduce the use of and improve recovery of energy and water within the building. If/when built, this building will be a kind of working prototype for future green design in massive urban construction.
The Dongtan Eco-City is designed to be the world’s first not only an environmentally but also a “socially, economically and culturally” sustainable city. The site is over 50 square miles in size and will be split between agricultural and urban areas. The city relies on its own wind and solar energy as well as organic farming strategies. Public transportation will be entirely emissions free. In many ways this is a prototype for large-scale city planning within a fully eco-friendly mindset.
A slightly more conventional wind-powered approach is being taken with another building in Dubai though the design is no less visually stunning. The Bahrain World Trade Center features three massive wind turbines straddling giant bridges between the two tapering towers. Each of these nearly one-hundred-foot-in-diameter. Even the shapes of the towers themselves are designed to funnel winds at high speeds in between the towers to generate the maximum amount of power possible.
The most impressive feature of the new Bahrain World Trade Center is, no doubt, the three massive wind turbines situated between the two towers comprising the main building. Each of these 80-foot turbines projects from a bridge between towers. The shape of the towers themselves channels and accelerates air moving between them which will help the building generate even more power. It is by far the largest wind-powered design incorporated into a massive building project to date.
One of the first designs of its kind, the compelling vertical farm project above was undertaken by Chris Jacobs in cooperation with the grandfather of skyscraper farm concepts: Dr. Dickson Despommier of Columbia University. His ideal: all-in-one eco-towers would be actually produce more energy, water (via condensation/purification) and food than their occupants would consume. His mission: to gather architects, engineers, economists and urban planners to develop a sustainable and high-tech wonder of ecological engineering
Architect Pierre Sartoux of Atelier SOA has gone a step further and put some serious design talent behind his proposal for a vertical farming skyscraper. A light-shading skin wraps around the structure and opens to admit sunlight at particular locations for various functional (and aesthetic) purposes. The building’s air, heating and cooling systems are wind-driven and circulate oxygen and carbon dioxide between growing and living spaces. The simple but reinforced structure is designed to handle additional dead loads from the weight of growing floors and also serve to make the entire building more durable (and thus sustainable).
Architect Gordon Graff may succeed in the more green and progressive city of Toronto with his plans for a sky farm with 48 floors and millions of square feet of floor space (and even more growing space). This building, if constructed, will be able to feed tens of thousands of people per year. Best of all, particularly in Canada, the success of the building’s crops isn’t contingent upon climactic conditions. As an architectural and urban design gesture this structure both fits into the city skyline and differentiates itself with simple layers of green.
The Pacific Northwest regional architecture firm Mithun developed a compelling vertical farm building design to incorporate various green building strategies in a mixed-use residential and commercial complexdesigned for downtown Seattle. The concept? Simply put, the structure is designed as a kind of built organism - completely self-sufficient and adaptive to its surroundings. The design includes water and energy self-sufficiency from rainwater and gray water collection and reuse, solar cells, vegetable and grain growing spaces and even a chicken farm - all built on a small-footprint downtown urban lot.
Given that most urban cores are already densely built, one designer has proposed an auxiliary series of structures to be attached to existing structures in downtown areas. These modular constructions would provide garden and recreation spaces for residents as well as light and air filters for the adjacent buildings. In some cases, these retrofits could even provide structural stability to aged buildings and prevent the need to tear them down. Architecturally, these modular units stand out and add another layer to the visual hierarchy of the cities around them.
Stanford University Medical Center unveils plans for renewal and modernization
Stanford Hospital & Clinics' renewal process was brought about to address state-mandated seismic safety laws, a critical shortage of beds, increasing patient needs, undersized facilities, and the space requirements of new medical technologies and advances in medical care.
Rafael Viñoly Architects are the architects appointed to design the new hospital: a healing environment that will care for the whole person, addressing emotional, social and physical needs following Stanford’s clinical excellence. President and CEO of Stanford Hospital & Clinics Martha Marsh remarked: “Rafael Viñoly has brought creativity and innovation to translating our vision, as well as future flexibility to assure that these exciting facilities will keep pace with rapid advances in medicine and technology.”
The new plans propose a net increase of approximately 441,500 sq ft on the current site. The new facilities will add 104 beds for a total of 361 patient beds on site; new diagnostic and treatment rooms; nursing and support services; clinics and administrative offices.
The new building will benefit from light-filled corridors with views to the foothills and beyond. The design includes a central courtyard and roof gardens that will re-establish the tradition of the Stanford campus by integrating the landscape within the new building, aiming to create an uplifting atmosphere. A sloped courtyard with a prominent water feature organizes public circulation on the lower levels and brings natural light into the centre of each floor. Accessible roof gardens surround a unique public floor that contains family and staff amenities.
During the unveiling ceremony architect Rafael Viñoly said: “We are challenging outdated conventions in hospital design to establish a new architectural identity for Stanford Hospital that will allow it to continue to provide outstanding care for its community as well as innovate and develop treatments that will benefit communities the world over.”
Stanford University Medical Center has submitted a formal application to the City of Palo Alto for the Renewal Project. The City of Palo Alto is conducting the required Environmental Impact Report (EIR) process, which includes multiple opportunities for public comment. Phased construction is scheduled to begin in 2010. The existing hospital will remain operational through construction and the original 1959 and 1973 portions will be demolished after the opening of the new facilities.
This is a concept tower by Popular Architecture envisioned for Tower Hamlets in East London. The design is a reaction, at least in part, to sprawl issues. London is expected to need housing for 100,000 new people per year until 2016, and currently, most of housing that's being built is low-density projects in commuter towns. Popular Architecture' s Super Tower could house up to about 100,000 people with a seriously low site requirement (considering the number of people within the structure).
The 1,500 meter tall tower would have about 500 floors. You'd find floors or sections for needs such as a university, farmer's market, pubs, a town hall, sky gardens, etc. Anything and everything would be in the building. There's even a fire station on the 419th floor! Which raises the question: what do you do if there is a fire above or below the 419th floor?
If built, Popular Architecture' s concept would be three times larger than anything in London. Construction would occur in 20-floor phases, with the final height of 1,500 meters subject to completion of the entire phased construction program.
The reputation of Veg.itect extraordinaire Ken Yeang is undisputed, but it's always nice for a refresher on how far he has been pushing in designing (and getting built) these bioclimatic treasures. Inhabitat has recent coverage of an old favorite - the EDITT tower in Singapore, which is slated for construction. Can't wait to see this one. :: image via Inhabitat
Via Inhabitat"The verdant skyscraper was designed to increase its location’s bio-diversity and rehabilitate the local ecosystem in Singapore’s ‘zeroculture’ metropolis.. . Approximately half of the surface area of the EDITT Tower will be wrapped in organic local vegetation, and passive architecture will allow for natural ventilation. Publicly accessible ramps will connect upper floors to the street level lined in shops, restaurants and plant life. The building has also been designed for future adaptability, with many walls and floors that can be moved or removed. In a city known for its downpours, the building will collect rainwater and integrate a grey-water system for both plant irrigation and toilet flushing with an estimated 55% self-sufficiency. "
A very different scale is found via What We Do Is Secret is an verdant apartment complex in downtown Tokyo - with trees and vegetation woven into the fabric of the building by Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP... this is sweet - and I particularly this model.
The forms are interesting, specifically with the dusky late-night shots... but the last shot is perhaps my favorite - a simple switcheroo of tree trunk inside - giving a hint of the simplicity amidst the complexity.
Finally a recent announcement of a project from CJ Lim (via BDonline): "Lim’s firm Studio 8 Architects won the contest to design the Nan Yui shopping park scheme — his 12th contest in 18 months. The project takes the form of a feng shui-inspired “golden bowl”, and includes offices, retail, apartments, a public park and a five-star hotel."
Check of the comment stream for such treasures as 'it already looks dated before it's even built' and '...'tacky cheesiness'. .. which indicates some of the thoughts on the reality and practicality of this proposal. Is it dated? I don't think so, as it's not really referencing something. Tacky, perhaps? But it's a vision - and even those specifically unpractical ideas have merit in pushing boundaries.
This is where Ken Yeang shines... not just treating these projects as 'pop art' or academic exercises - but as visionary and practical architecture that definitely pushes boundaries, but is also build able. Nakamura's project offers a different vision and sensitivity - similar to carving space for 'tree residents' like Hundertwasser... but also realistic. Is there a place for the vision of Lim? Of course - because they are expanding the potential of architecture and landscape in urban areas. Practical... maybe. Buildable... probably not - but evocative and worth talking about. Most definitely.
The images of Ken Yeang a few years back were considered outrageous - now they seem to be leading a new wave. Perhaps the sum of these three projects offers a glimpse into the current and future of Veg.itecture.
The GAP in this case being the GrandArmyPlaza, the forecourt space to the north of Brooklyn's ProspectPark, and one of those woefully inadequate urban spaces that perhaps was grandiose at one time - but due to current pressure has become inaccessible and dangerous.:: image via Grand Army Plaza Coalition
Or in the words of the Design Trust for Public Space: "Designed in 1867 by Olmsted and Vaux, this magnificent 11-acre plaza is home to the Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Arch, the elegant Bailey Fountain, the Greenmarket, and the entrance to ProspectPark. Despite its identity as the historic, cultural and geographic heart of Brooklyn, hazardous conditions for pedestrians and cyclists today impede access to neighborhoods, cultural institutions, and prevent use of the Plaza itself."
The results of the competition are in, and the winning entries are featured below, including the dueling French tied entries for first place... 'Please Wake Me Up' by Guillaume Derrien & Gauthier le Romancer from Paris, France and 'Canopy' by Anne-Sophie Coué, Christian Matteau, Stephane Mauget, and Chrystelle Sanaa from Nantes, France, which also picked up the People's Choice vote. The following materials are from the submissions.
T1. Please Wake Me Up"Traffic is "squeezed" to the Plaza's spine, allowing the berm areas to reconnect with surrounding residential neighborhoods. A generous, open, urban square bridges the gap between Park and Plaza, and offers a sense of tranquility and expansiveness. A market hall becomes the greenmarket' s year-round home.":: images via Design Trust for Public Space
T1. Canopy "Canopy" stands for a strategy of spanning different areas and uses with a connective or sheltering roof. Green 'canopies' or roof-decks bridge over Flatbush Avenue, which becomes the main north/south vehicle route, freeing the west side of the Plaza for other uses. Canopy-shaped forms become community gardens at the west berm, and a canopy-shaped pool surrounds Bailey Fountain.":: images via Design Trust for Public Space
2. Urban Stripes Vincent Hertenberger, Andras Jambor (Paris) -- "GrandArmyPlaza is divided into five east/west 'stripes,' connecting communities on either side of the Plaza. Each stripe has a distinct appearance, plant community, and use. The Plaza's center becomes a large, paved public space, with a pedestrian crosswalk, which repositions the Plaza as Prospect Park's formal entry."
3. A Center for Brooklyn James Garrison, Brandt Graves, Simon Kristak, Vanessa Moon, Tim Peterson, Sal Tranchina, Aaron Tweedi, Darshin Van Parijs, Elliott White from Garrison Architects; Michael King from Nelson/Nygaard (Brooklyn, New York, USA) -- "A wide center Plaza is created by pushing all traffic to a broad, tree-lined circular boulevard that replaces the berms. The expanded center becomes a platform for a range of community activities, much like Union Square or Bryant Park. An elevated pedestrian promenade circles the Plaza, provides views, and connects the Plaza's many elements."
:: images via Design Trust for Public Space
Also, as an extra bonus, check out the 30 finalist proposals for some additional info as well - on the people's choice voting site (although voting is closed). Contrary to the typical response of competitions, the broad distribution of a number of non-winning schemes allows for some interesting additional viewpoints, not just the winning proposals.
A great example of vegetated form-making via WAN - these 'Park Houses' by Ushida Findlay Architects in the UK offers a number of interesting strategies: "Park Houses' design features an undulating green roof linking five individual homes and shared family leisure facilities, subtly integrating them with the surrounding landscape and ecology. ... Strips of indigenous plants, set within furrows in the roof, will flourish to merge the building with the landscape, and attract local flora and fauna to the site."
From Archidose on Japanese architect TerunobuFujimori. While Archidose rightly points of the standardization of roof greening as 'product' something I've discussed at length - these Fujimori projects: "...whose surfaces hint at the uniqueness of his buildings, what Thomas Daniell describes as "shaggy and bristling, humorous and grotesque, uncanny and vaguely obscene, and at times surreally beautiful." This last can easily be attributed to his handling of vegetation on roof surfaces."
From Arch Daily again... pretty non-descript on the outer shell for this Research Facility, but with some interesting rooftop and courtyard paver greening...
Architect David Fisher has proposed a plan for rotating towers that produce all of their own energy through wind power. The Rotating Tower would be built by stacking platters on a central concrete core with wind turbines located between each of them. Each floor will rotate 360 degrees about once every 90 minutes; as the floors will rotate independently, they will create a constantly changing silhouette in the sky. Inside the concrete core will be elevators, emergency stairs and lobbies. The Rotating Tower will be built in Dubai in the next six months.
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