Museo Soumaya in Mexico City

Picture from wired.co.uk

¨In 2011, the Museo Soumaya in Mexico City will open its new building -- a 16,000 square metre facility designed by Fernando Romero from architectural firm LAR. The construction, which is pictured above, will house the second largest private collection of works by French sculptor Auguste Rodin in the world.

The museum, which was established in 1994 by the Carlos Slim foundation, is part of the city's redevelopment of an industrial zone dating from the 1940s. The contents will be spread over six floors, which also include an auditorium for 350 people, library, a restaurant, and a "multi-purpose gathering lounge", which probably just means a lobby.¨(...)

Keep on reading:

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-11/26/museo-soumaya

Museo Soumaya. From arqhys.com

Russia plans domed city in Siberian mine. By Duncan Geere

An article by Duncan Geere for Wired.co.UK:

A Russian construction company called AB Elise hopes to build a gigantic domed city in an abandoned diamond mine in Siberia, powered by the sun. The project is more of a concept than a reality so far, but the plans show accomodation for 100,000 people over three main levels.

The mine in question is the Mir mine in the Mirniy industrial zone in Eastern Siberia. You might have probably seen photos of it before, labelled "the largest man-made hole on earth" or something similar. It's long been used to mine diamonds, but the mining stopped in June 2001, replaced with a network of underground tunnels below. Presumably this activity would have to cease if the structure is ever built.

The project, which is described in a series of slides on AB Elise's site, is split between three levels, penetrated in the centre by a vertical farm and forests. Around the exterior are residences and recreational areas, and there's also a research centre in the plans.

However, it might be a tricky construction project -- the climate of the region isn't welcoming -- the ground is permafrost for seven months of the year, and becomes sludge in the summer. Surrounding buildings are mounted on piles so they don't sink. In the winter, temperatures in the area drop down to around -40 degrees celsius.

What the region does have, on the other hand, is plenty of sun, so the roof of the structure would comprise of solar panels to power the heating and electricity needs of the resident population. The idea is to attract more residents to the area, which is one of the most sparsely populated regions in the world -- with only three people per square kilometre.

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-11/17/russia-domed-city-siberia

Testing hurricane homes

Two homes tested, one remains

At the Institute for Business & Home Safety's grand opening of its multi-risk building science research center, a conventional building and one meeting the IBHS Fortified standards were tested with hurricane-force winds on October 19, 2010.

A green future for Brooklyn-Queens Expressway trench

Connections. Picture by Starr Whitehouse Landscape Archs.

Green Canopy. Picture by Starr Whitehouse Landscape Archs.

Maximum Green. Picture by Starr Whitehouse Landscape Archs.

¨The proposals (..... will)) decide the future of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway trench which severs the Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, and Columbia Street Waterfront neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Residents spoke up and prioritized their wishes for a less disruptive BQE including reduced noise and pollution, increased neighborhood connectivity and bike / pedestrian safety, and an overall greener streetscape.

In short, the BQE is going green, or at least as green as a pollution-spewing six-lane highway can be. Luckily the NYC EDC, NYC DOT, and Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects have come up with three compelling design solutions to improve the area.¨

REFERENCE

http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/archives/10108

Posted by Branden Klayko

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving for everybody in USA!!!!!! My contribution of digital paintings for a peaceful day.

The ultimate destiny of the Harmon Hotel in Las Vegas

Picture downloaded from lasvegasun.com

That´s a very bad story based on a building designed by arch. Lord Norman Foster. So many problems in the construction, and Building  And Safety inspectors are not approving the installation of rebars.

In consequence, the building should be shrinked or imploded. I´m so sorry to learn about it, after approximately one year of lawsuit.

¨Let´s see an excerpt from lasvegassun.com almost a year ago:

What if they had shorted the Empire State Building by a couple of football fields?

Or gave the Great Pyramid a flattop? Or built the Eiffel Platform?

Size certainly isn’t everything when it comes to buildings, of course. But the impact of many iconic structures is in their sheer stature. That is why it’s so startling — disappointing, even — that the Harmon hotel, CityCenter’s gateway to the Las Vegas Strip, has suddenly been cut down to about half its intended size.

Topping out at 28 stories instead of the proposed 49, the incredible shrinking Harmon seems unfortunately fated to look like a stubby, squashed stepchild next to its soaring CityCenter siblings, the 61-story Aria Resort & Casino and the 57-story Vdara condo-hotel.

That is the result of construction flaws — 15 floors of wrongly installed rebar — that forced MGM Mirage, which is developing the project with Dubai World, to rapidly call for a significant reduction of the nongaming boutique hotel. MGM Mirage canceled the Harmon’s 207-unit condominium component — the top half of the building — and postponed the opening of the hotel to late 2010.¨

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/feb/08/adaptation-or-disaster/

Now, read the what´s going on in November 2010, from Las Vegas Review-Journal:

¨MGM Resorts officials, very quietly and with no public fanfare, want to demolish the unopened 27-story Harmon Hotel -- one of the components of its $8.5 billion CityCenter development.

But litigation and pinpointing blame for the troubled building will prevent anything from happening to the unfinished tower until late 2012.

In its recent third-quarter earnings statement, MGM Resorts said it took a $279 million noncash impairment charge for the Harmon and concluded "it is unlikely the Harmon will be completed using the building as it now stands."

MGM Resorts International operates CityCenter in a 50-50 joint venture with Dubai World.

In an interview this week, CityCenter Chief Executive Officer Bobby Baldwin said the company has hired two sets of structural engineers to determine the building's condition and what steps might be taken. MGM Resorts will bring in a third group of experts to analyze the building.

A report on the findings will be filed with the Clark County District Court, as part of CityCenter's lawsuit against Perini Building Co., the project's general contractor.

Perini will also be allowed to hire structural experts to assess the Harmon.

"Right now, I have a building I can't do anything with," said Baldwin, adding that Harmon has become "the poster child for nonconforming work worldwide."

Clark County Building Department officials will not allow any construction to be done to the Harmon, which was originally designed as a 47-story hotel and condominium tower.

In 2008, inspectors found structural work on the Harmon did not match building plans submitted to the county. The construction issues involved improperly placed steel reinforcing bar, commonly known as rebar.¨

http://www.lvrj.com/business/mgm-resorts-targets-harmon-hotel-for-demolition-107681193.html

A look at contemporary Berlin through the pictures of Frank Schirrmeister

Frank Schirrmeister is a photographer who lives in Berlin. These pictures are from his series ´Plain City¨.

¨Plain City is an attempt to keep hold of something, to retain or preserve a particular vision of Berlin, whose only constant is constant change. Berlin today is deemed the trendsetting city in Europe. Due to clever marketing and low-budget airlines, it is known around the world as "the place to be." As someone who was born in Berlin, I find it difficult to keep pace emotionally as the city reinvents itself with dizzying speed. I often have the feeling that my own city doesn't belong to me anymore, but to the forces of the global economy. When photographing Berlin, I am constantly trying to scrutinize and to challenge the popular image of the city. I explore the town beyond the facade, delve into the deeper layers of the metropolis.¨

All pictures by Frank Schirrmeister.

Keep on looking

http://places.designobserver.com/entry.html?utm_source=Design%20Observer_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_11_12_2010

The narrative of St. Bartholomew Roman Catholic Church

St. Bartholomew Roman Catholic Church. PHOTO: Jeff Goldberg for Esto

Architect William A. Browne, Jr. explains how he and his firm use narrative when designing buildings and spaces:

¨Columbus, Indiana – a community of less than 40,000 – has put its mark on architecture like no other community of its size. The city is ranked sixth in the nation for architectural innovation and design by the American Institute of Architects on a list that includes Chicago, New York, Boston, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Championed by Cummins Engine entrepreneur J. Irwin Miller, since 1941 this community has constructed more than 70 buildings and pieces of public art by internationally-noted architects and artists, including I.M. Pei, Eliel Saarinen and his son Eero Saarinen, Richard Meier, Harry Weese, Dale Chihuly and Henry Moore. The most revered of the commissions are the churches, so when we were selected to design the St. Bartholomew Roman Catholic Church, it was a heaven-sent opportunity.

Reinterpreting the seven days of creation, the design for the church begins with a simple story that reflects the ecclesiastical function of the building, as well as the Catholic faith's sacred and distinct symbols. The church’s design unfolds from its core, (1) beginning with the crucifix and the tabernacle. The altar's placement (2) is inspired by the Vatican II doctrines that bring the congregation closer to it. From this design, a nautilus configuration emerges, representing God and the perfect shape of nature. The tower and roof structure (3) reaches up toward heaven, acting not only as the church’s structural support but also as its spiritual support housing the tabernacle. The roof structure then uniquely spirals downward with the curves of the nautilus-shaped walls. Two large triangular stained glass windows, are created on the north and east walls. The baptistery's placement (4) is located in front of the main entry to the worship space, in reference to the Catholic tradition of touching holy water before entering. Traditionally, the historic narthex (5) was the entry room to the worship space, however; the modern use has adapted to a social gathering space before and after worship. Its square shape represents man's perfect shape. The sacristy, the vestry, and the nursery (6), along with restrooms and coatrooms, provide the support for the times of worship, completing the buildings functions. With this final step, the church’s design is completed (7), marking that the seventh day is for worship.¨

http://www.planetizen.com/node/46878