… non hai
osservato, camminando nella città, come tra gli
edifici che la popolano taluni siano muti,
ed altri parlino, mentre altri ancora,
che son più rari, cantano?
Harpa in Reykjavik, Iceland, wins Mies van der Rohe Award 2013
May 2, 2013
Harpa, the Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Centre in Iceland, is the winner of the 2013 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award. Designed by Henning Larsen Architects, Batteríið Architects and Studio Olafur Eliasson, the building has helped to transform and revitalise Reykjavik harbour and brought the city and harbour district closer together. The 'Emerging Architect Special Mention' award goes to María Langarita and Víctor Navarro for the Nave de Música Matadero (Red Bull Music Academy) in Madrid, Spain. The award ceremony will take place on 7 June at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona, coinciding with the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the prize. Harpa's crystalline structure was inspired by Icelandic landscapes and traditions. Its dramatic design captures and reflects the light of the city, ocean and sky to thrilling effect. Wiel Arets, Chair of the Jury, said: "Harpa has captured the myth of a nation – Iceland – that has consciously acted in favour of a hybrid-cultural building during the middle of the ongoing Great Recession. The iconic and transparent porous 'quasi brick' appears as an ever-changing play of coloured light, promoting a dialogue between the city of Reykjavik and the building's interior life. By giving an identity to a society long known for its sagas, through an interdisciplinary collaboration between Henning Larsen Architects and artist Olafur Eliasson, this project is an important message to the world and to the Icelandic people, fulfilling their long expected dream."
Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan, by Foster + Partners
April 3, 2013
The new Queen Alia International Airport, the spectacular new gateway to Amman, is now open. The airport has a highly efficient passive design, which has been inspired by local traditions, and is based on a flexible modular solution that allows for future expansion – the new building secures the city’s position as the main hub for the Levant region and allows the airport to grow by 6 per cent per annum for the next twenty-five years, increasing capacity from 3.5 million to 12 million passengers per annum by 2030. Mouzhan Majidi - Chief Executive, Foster + Partners - said: “Queen Alia International Airport has been an extraordinary project – it has transformed Amman into a niche hub, while offering critical growth for the wider economy through regional links. The new terminal building is energy efficient, will accommodate phased expansion and provides a dynamic symbol for Jordan. Our early involvement from the conceptual design stage, supporting the selection of operators, and through detailed design and work on site has involved many of our specialist in-house teams, from architects to climate analysts, space planners and geometry specialists. It has been a pleasure to work with our Jordanian colleagues and the team at AIG, and it is great to see the results of this work come to life today.”
Windconvertor EWICON revealed: wind’mill’ without moving blades
March 28, 2013
Is there such a thing as a wind mill without moving blades? Have a look for yourself! From Wednesday the 27th of March on, a scale model of the bladeless windmill can be viewed in front of the faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science at Delft University of Technology. Mecanoo Architects designed the model EWICON (Electrostatic WIndenergy CONvertor) using technology developed by Delft University of Technology in a consortium with Wageningen UR and commercial companies in an economy-ecology-government partnership program context. The breakthrough wind convertor transforms wind energy into electricity without the use of moving mechanical parts. The result: greatly reduced wear and tear, lower maintenance costs, and zero noise pollution or shadow casting. The EWICON can be installed on land or sea, and can also be integrated on to the roof of a tall building. The EWICON has an abstract appearance with a flowing steel frame in the shape of a squared -0- supporting a framework of horizontal steel tubes. Within this framework, electrically charged droplets are created and blown away by the wind. The movement of the droplets creates an electric current, which can be passed on to the grid.
2013 Pritzker Prize goes to Toyo Ito
March 17, 2013
Toyo Ito, a 71 year old architect whose architectural practice is based in Tokyo, Japan, will be the recipient of the 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize. It was announced today by Thomas J. Pritzker, chairman of The Hyatt Foundation which sponsors the prize. Ito is the sixth Japanese architect to become a Pritzker Laureate – the first five being the late Kenzo Tange in 1987, Fumihiko Maki in 1993, Tadao Ando in 1995, and the team of Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa in 2010. The formal ceremony for what has come to be known throughout the world as architecture’s highest honor will be at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts on Wednesday, May 29. This marks the first time the ceremony has been held in Boston, and the location has particular significance because it was designed by another Pritzker Laureate, Ieoh Ming Pei who received the prize in 1983. Pritzker Prize jury chairman, The Lord Palumbo, spoke from his home in the United Kingdom, quoting from the jury citation that focuses on the reasons for this year’s choice: “Throughout his career, Toyo Ito has been able to produce a body of work that combines conceptual innovation with superbly executed buildings. Creating outstanding architecture for more than 40 years, he has successfully undertaken libraries, houses, parks, theaters, shops, office buildings and pavilions, each time seeking to extend the possibilities of architecture. A professional of unique talent, he is dedicated to the process of discovery that comes from seeing the opportunities that lie in each commission and each site.”
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On-line Journal & International Contemporary Architecture Database anno VII/7th year, I semestre/1st semester, n. 1/2013
ISSN 1974-4552
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