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An amazing project in San Francisco that also includes a Rooftop Park.
Winning the Merit Award for Un-built work at the 2010 AIA New York Design Awards, the design of the Chung-Nam Government Complex successfully combines traditionally divergent elements: nature and the built environment; and government and civic spaces. The complex, designed by H Associates, Haeahn Architecture, and EDAW is set in the heartland of South Korea in the Chung-Nam Province, a place rich in natural resources. The design takes advantage of the natural splendor by creating a sinuous green roof that connects several buildings and provides a unified outdoor space that achos the surrounding mountains. In addition, the existing topography of the site is minimally disturbed and the green axes inform the organic shapes of the buildings, and provide cues that create view corridors extending to the natural scenery surrounding the site. The façade is composed of a continuous layer of metal with variably sized perforations. The size of the perforations is directly related to the degree of privacy needed by the program within each space. The result is an additional level of richness in the design and a greater degree of continuity in the complex. The interconnection of the outdoor and the indoor spaces create a distinctly different environment than what is found in traditional government complexes. The site is open, welcoming, interesting and incorporates numerous green features including solar panels, materials, and post occupancy programs and maintenance.
by Bridgette Meinhold (*) Living in the city definitely has a lower environmental footprint, but families often miss out on having a backyard and a garden. Apartments are stacked in opposite directions in a criss-cross pattern, leaving open spaces for garden terraces. This creative design allows each apartment to have its own private garden terrace, allowing families to have both the suburbs and the city. A structural band criss-crosses up the length of the tower, narrowing as it reaches the top. Each level is shaped as an X and the remaining void is left for open space, with a larger community garden at the bottom of the void and individual balconies on each level. Pathways line the exterior of the garden terraces, just like a suburban sidewalk edges a home’s front yard. These pathways allow for neighborhood interaction, which is much more difficult in a traditional apartment tower, when each apartment is closed off from the others. Designed specifically with Berlin in mind, The Spiral Tower aims to provide a green community in the middle of a city for families who want the best of both worlds – urban living and a suburban home. The eco tower also comes with solar panels, wind turbines, and water recollection and purification systems. Community open space, playgrounds and recreational areas are also distributed throughout the complex.  Click to see the full resolution image (*) Bridgette is a sustainability consultant who helps individuals and businesses to reduce their environmental impact. She graduated in June 2007 from Stanford University with her masters in Civil and Environmental Engineering in their Atmosphere and Energy Program. She also has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from San Diego State University. She has spent time abroad in Germany working for a wind turbine manufacturer, a kitchen assistant at a culinary school in New York City, a private chef, a waitress and ski bum in Utah. Bridgette currently lives in an aspen grove in Park City, Utah. During the winter her home is covered in 12 feet of snow and in the summer she walks directly from her house to hiking trails. She has a black lab/border collie mix named Cooper and is married to the man of her dreams, who also happens to be a firefighter/paramedic.
This is really awesome! The world is changing in front of our eyes and I wish newspapers would give this sort of positive informations everyday! This is the kind of news we need to know about!!! Article by: archiCentral
Foster + Partners has revealed its designs for a 71-hectare teaching and medical facility in Mexico City upon notice of their appointment to the project. Campus Biometropolis masterplan in the south of the city will integrate care facilities with high tech teaching spaces, research institutions and laboratories and feature a vital new nature reserve showcasing the Pedregal lava fields as a highlight of the design. I’m pleased to announce the launch of the website of the Living Roofs association. By the British Ecological Society Bumblebee experts have discovered a way of breeding the Short-haired Bumblebee in captivity, removing the last major hurdle for its successful reintroduction to the UK. Announcing the news at the British Ecological Society’s “Gardening for wildlife” event at the British Science Festival today [Monday 7th September], Dr Nikki Gammans will reveal that the secret of successful captive breeding of the Short-haired Bumblebee — declared extinct in the UK in 2000 — lies in what you feed a very fussy eater. Another article from the inspiring and amazing Dusty Gedge! http://dustygedge.co.uk/roadblog/2009/09/habitat-walls-sand-walls-and-green-roofs/ By Sandy Bauers Inquirer Staff Writer Philadelphia has announced a $1.6 billion plan to transform the city over the next 20 years by embracing its storm water – instead of hustling it down sewers and into rivers as fast as possible. The proposal, which several experts called the nation’s most ambitious, reimagines the city as an oasis of rain gardens, green roofs, thousands of additional trees, porous pavement, and more. All would act as sponges to absorb – or at least stall – the billions of gallons of rainwater that overwhelm the city sewer system every year. Continue reading Breaking ground with a $1.6 billion plan to tame water |
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