Top 5 Architecture Projects in 2013 feat. @VinayPateel, @WarrenMahoney, @UNStudio_Arch #GoodToKnow

Here are 5 Architecture Projects that inspire me in 2013. You can see other projects on my Pinterest or on my #GoodToKnow
My previous Top 5 posts on #Advertising, #FashionCover, #FashionPortFolio, #VsFashion, #MontrealParty, #FashionCollection, #Polyvore, #ArtProject

Messe Basel Hall – Basel, Switzerland, 2013
Jacques Herzog & Pierre de Meuron

The annual art basel exhibition held in june will now be hosted at local firm herzog & de meuron‘s new ‘messe hall’ that has taken the place of the two original buildings. The main feature differentiating the new structure with the old is the city lounge concept, whereby the traditional courtyard is turned inside out and offers a social space year-round, servicing the main entrances to the north and south foyer and revitalizing exhibition square with a strong public component. Three new halls (hall 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2) are stacked upon one another, protruding out over the street with their own distinct formal character. The entire project was constructed in 22 months, split up into three phases: preliminary site work, main construction work, and dismantling of previous halls and construction of the new halls.

The ground floor provides 10,000 square meters of space (10 meters tall) divided between hall 1.0 and the general event space – ideal for concerts, seminars or banquets with up to 2,500 posts for seating -clad in an internally-facing glass facade and external fluid shell that responds to the flow of circulation and human scale, an important factor as the majority of the traffic will be arriving from the tram stop directly in front of the city lounge area. A combination of steel members and regularly spaced columns – on a grid of 26m x 16m – allow for medium-spans and a regular sequence of free space for maximum flexibility in the organization of events. Two light-filled transparent foyers receive guests and offer social areas between the third party commercial functions, including restaurants and bars, as well as a 100-person MCH lounge for smaller and more private gatherings. via designboom.com

Tunnel, 2013
Vinay Pateel

Made completely from bamboo and cloth, ‘The Tunnel’ by indian designer Vinay Pateel is composed of a number of squares that come together to form a spiraling structure depicting a barreling wave 20ft in depth. The intervention at the second edition of the india surf festival held at odisha, represents how the water-sporting scene in india is emerging by bringing together surfers from various parts of the country. via designboom.com

EHMK – Košice, 2013
Dušan Burák

The transformation of this heat exchanger into a culture and sports center by slovakian firm Atrium Studio was part of a project for the EHMK 2013, the european capital of culture. Located in the residential district of nad jazerom, slovakia, the angular exterior form extends the building out into the public space, with a dramatic climbing wall feature.

The exchanger center has five different interconnected floors that have all been turned into gallery spaces – each fulfilling a different function. A secluded rooftop consists of four trees and a large lounge area, which provides a space for visitors to relax in.

The structure stands out within its surrounding context of industrial-type buildings. The existing heat exchanger was wrapped with a bold geometric facade – the folded triangular shapes define the building’s exterior.

Cut out pieces of the twisted volume expose slanted view shafts of the interior windows, helping to express the new transformation. via designboom.com

Point Resolution Bridge – Auckland, New Zealand, 2013
Andrew Barclay

Auckland Council invited Warren and Mahoney to provide conceptual ideas for a replacement pedestrian bridge connecting Auckland’s waterfront to a promiment headland. The existing bridge, built in the 1930s was suffering severe structural fatigue and with the imminent electrification of Auckland’s rail network, the bridge needed to be raised.

The council, recognising the importance of the location, both in terms of its prominence along the waterfront and its proximity to the historic salt water Parnell Baths wanted something sculptural, elegant and iconic. The baths, designed in the early 1950s in the International Modern style of lido bathing pools with a mosaic mural by artist James Turkington, with its fluid and abstracted swimmers, offered a clear language of angular lines meeting sinuous form and became a key motivator of the language and geometry of the design. via archdaily.com

Ardmore Residence – Singapore, 2013
Ben van Berkel, Caroline Bos

Dutch architect Ben Van Berkel of UNStudio has led the design of the recently completed ardmore residence in singapore. The 36 storey tower aims to break out of the monotony of the replicated skyscrapers that dominate the skylines of 21st century asian cities, joining the new generation of vertical architecture with tailored silhouettes, integral plantations, and luxurious amenities for residents that combine to form a living landscape.

The dwelling is well located in the vicinity of the high-end shopping district, orchard road. Its orientation lends to panoramic views of both the downtown urban fabric and green landscape beyond. The connection between the construction and nature is firmly established by the layered composition within the garden city. At ground level, tall spaces are left open by elevated apartments, freeing the earth for gardens and passageways. Rising above, articulation in the façade creates a vertical topography composed of organic apertures. via designboom.com photographer © Iwan Baan