SPOTLIGHT: HHF Architects | VETROPACK

HHF Architects was founded in 2003 by Tilo Herlach, Simon Hartmann and Simon Frommenwiler. Their design projects range from urbanism and public structures to master planning and large-scale construction., geographically spanning across parts of Europe and Asia. HHF approaches architecture with innovative concepts and sustainable urban practices, viewing a space as a connected and functioning organism.

Vetropack is an Urban Study done in Bulach, Switzerland of late 2013. It is a collaborative project featuring Topotek1, Schnetzer Puskas Ingenieure,  Amstein+Walthert and Intep Integrale Planung (to name a few). HHF entered the space trying to "create a sustainable urban environment that provides a comprehensive pedestrian network and reduces energy requirements in order to transform a former industrial site into a vibrant neighborhood."

To improve the area, they introduced active outdoor spaces  to create proximity between the residential buildings and positively alter the complexion of the landscape. HHF also reconfigured the urban topology, organizing the various programs so that they "formed individual clusters that harmonize with their surroundings such as locating the senior housing and the medical center adjacent to the train station, and the more active public programs closer to the highway."   

 

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HHF is one of the masterly design firms featured in our forthcoming BOOK!

 

Stay up-to-date on international news regarding sustainable architecture!

Visit gdnyu.com, like Global Design NYU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@gdnyu).

 

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http://www.hhf.ch/hhf/studio/profile.html  ||  http://www.hhf.ch/hhf/projects/projects/100-vetropack.html#

"Vetropack." HHF Architects. Projects. Overview. HHF Architects, 2013. Web. 05 Feb. 2014.

 

GDNYU’s Cities and Citizenship Conference: Citizenship and Democracy in the “Green City”

By Carly A. Krakow

            What is the relationship between nature and the city? How are the bounds between a democratic, open-access approach to city development and an urban planning methodology that emphasizes expertise and extensive training negotiated? Is it possible to design spaces as realms of free speech and activism, or is the idea of “designed democracy” antithetical to spontaneous and genuine demonstrations of citizenship?

            These are just a few of the questions addressed at March 14^th’s Cities and Citizenship conference, co-organized by Global Design NYU and Parsons the New School for Design as part of the Goethe-Institut’s Weltstadt project. The conference engaged with the ways in which the construction of the city is inextricably linked to the role of the citizen. Drawing on historical understandings of how urban centers have been both geographically and socially delimited, the conference sought to inspire an expanded understanding of the citizen’s role in shaping the 21^st century “green city.”

            The panels, moderated by GDNYU co-directors Peder Anker, Louise Harpman, and Mitchell Joachim, and Ioanna Theocharopoulou of Parsons, addressed topics including the role of nature in the built environment; the relationship between designers, architects, activists, and social scientists during the era of globalization; the need for increased infrastructural strength in New York City in the age of global warming; and the function of building codes in the rapidly evolving urban environment. Panelists included Vyjayanthi Rao, Lynette Widder, Tyler Volk, Colin Jerolmack, Eric Sanderson, Miodrag Mitrasinovic, Gianpaolo Baiocchi, Mariana Mogilevich, Eric Klinenberg, Stephen Duncombe, Andreas Kalyvas, Susanne Schindler, Victoria Marshall, and Susannah Drake.

            Stay tuned for an expanded version of our reflections on the conference, forthcoming in the Weltstadt newspaper!!!

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SPOTLIGHT: ACME | MINORIES REDEVELOPMENT IN THE CITY OF LONDON

ACME is a contemporary architecture and urban planning firm, established in London of 2007. ACME's objective is to create the "pinnacle of perfection" in each of their physical "expressions." On an urban scale, ACME strives to achieve profitability, cultural mixing, and sustainability. Their urban work shapes residential, public, and commercial spaces. Several of these projects have received international recognition from architectural committees and presenters—projects have won RIBA and ArchDaily awards. 

ACME, on behalf of 4C Hotel Group, has submitted planning application for the Minories Redevelopment in the City of London. The development includes a "20,000 sqm office building, a 16,500 sqm Hampton by Hilton Hotel with 370 rooms, and an 8,000 sqm residential building." Additionally, the schematics include public green patches and urban squares. According to ACME, these design aspects are integral to the "regeneration and expansion of the core fabric of the City of London…helping to re-structure an area with a very inconsistent physical and social fabric."

A beautiful design feature of the redevelopment is the façade. It is a "curtain wall and two layers of fins that help unify and animate the large surfaces of the façade. The fins give a resonant and dynamic appearance to the office massing and also perform as a shading device. The depth of the fins varies depending on the orientation in order to enhance their performance."

ACME remarks that within its site boundary the "Minories development is a microcosm of this evolving environment." Moreover, the site’s prime positioning next to corporate hot spots, "provides the opportunity for the building to play a role in the life and image of the city." With this development, ACME aims to "resolve the specific complexities and contradictions of this key site."

 

ACME is one of the talented design firms featured in our forthcoming BOOK!

Stay up-to-date on international news regarding sustainable architecture!

Visit gdnyu.com, like Global Design NYU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@gdnyu).

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http://www.acme.ac/   |||   http://www.acme.ac/projects/minories?p=text

"ACME." MINORIES. ACME, 2013. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.

SPOTLIGHT: Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA) | MASDAR CITY CENTRE

LAVA was founded by Chris Bosse, Tobias Wallisser and Alexander Rieck in 2007.  It is a network of creative minds with a research and design focus.  LAVA is a GLOBAL company, having offices in Sydney, Shanghai, Stuttgart and Abu Dhabi.

"LAVA’s winning design for the city centre of Masdar, the world’s first eco city, includes a plaza, five-star hotel, a convention centre, entertainment complex and retail facilities. The entire area is designed as one continuous, spatial, interactive environment - a ‘loop’. The “Oasis of the Future”, a mediated outdoor space, is an open spatial experience, with solar-powered sunflower umbrellas."

LAVA believes "the future wellbeing of cities around the globe depends on mankind’s ability to develop and integrate sustainable technology."

LAVA is one of the brilliant design firms featured in our forthcoming BOOK!

Stay up-to-date on international news regarding sustainable architecture!

Visit http://gdnyu.com/, like Global Design NYU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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http://www.l-a-v-a.net/about-lava/ || http://www.l-a-v-a.net/projects/masdar-city-centre/

"LAVA." Masdar City Centre. LAVA, n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.