SPOTLIGHT: WORK Architecture Company (WORKac) | SHENZHEN INTERCHANGE

WORKac was founded by Dan Wood and Amale Andraos and is based in New York City. WORKac conflates several design disciplines, operating at the edge of each. In this outer-lying area, they re-invent the nexuses between architecture and "everything else." Their work is progressive and fresh, shaping the future of sustainable urbanism.

WORKac has been a part of many innovative projects; one that stands out, is their design of the Shenzhen Interchange. This is a massive skyscraper placed in a circulatory core of Southern China. WORKac wanted to celebrate the tower's position. Their approach was to "trace the diagonal line of the Metro Line #1 up through the building." In this way, "the subway can also be easily accessed directly through the main elevators of the tower, which also provides direct and convenient access for hotel guests and office workers to travel directly from the secure tower metro lobby to the upper floors."

  

This design also features sustainable practices: "green pockets are chiseled into the building, creating a natural counterpoint to the hard edges of the tower and providing a striking visual confirmation of the building’s commitment to the new ecological urbanism." Additionally, the building uses a cyclical hydrological system and roof-mounted solar panels.

It is a brilliantly designed structure.

_______________________________________________

 

 

WORKac is one of the innovative 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).

 

___________________________________________________

 http://work.ac/  |||  http://work.ac/interchange/

"Shenzhen Interchange." WORKac. WORK Architecture Company, 2011. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.

 

 

Spotlight: Specht Harpman - "zeroHouse"

zeroHouse is completely self-sufficient and incredibly comfortable.

The zeroHouse is a small, prefabricated house that can easily be shipped and quickly erected. It features a full kitchen, bath, and all elements necessary to comfortably support four adults. What sets the zeroHouse apart from other prefabricated structures on the market, however, is its ability to operate independently, without the need for any external utility or waste disposal connections.

The zeroHouse can be used in many applications, including residential uses in remote or ecologically sensitive locations, as ecotourism resort units, or as living or office modules for remote employment such as mining, construction, or relief agency uses.

zeroHouse generates its own electrical power.

High-efficiency solar panels produce power and store it in an onboard bank of batteries. Fully charged, zeroHouse can operate continuously for up to one week with no sunlight at all.

zeroHouse collects its own water.

A rainwater collection plane gathers and diverts water into an elevated 2700 gallon cistern. All plumbing fixtures are gravity-fed, eliminating the need for power-consuming pumps.

zeroHouse processes its own waste products.

All organic waste is processed in a digester unit located beneath the house. It converts the waste into clean, dry compost that needs to be removed only twice a year.

zeroHouse is completely automatic.

All functions of the house are monitored by an array of sensors and regulated by a “house brain” that can be controlled through any laptop computer. zeroHouse is fully customizable for personal usage patterns, from the weekend getaway to extended-stay living.

zeroHouse Project Page | Specht Harpman

Spotlight: NEA Studio - "Latitude Lamps"

Living Lamp 1 is the first prototype in the Living Lamp Series. It is an art/solar lamp made in Brooklyn NY from local recycled corten steel. By adjusting the tilt of the solar panel, the lamp can be fabricated in any geographic location, applied indoors or outdoors, assembled in various ways into screens, or blown up to inhabitable scale. The aim of the project is to explore the perception of sunlight filtered through solar cells.

Latitude Lamp 1, is the first working prototype in a series called Latitude Lamps. Two interlocking cubes forms the basic design module. A solar lamp consists of one module. Many modules can be assembled in a variety of ways into screens of different types.

Living Lamp 1 is designed around the material characteristics required by the specified amorphous thin-film solar panel as a starting point. The lamp is dimensioned to frame the solar panel (15x15cm) and accompanying batteries, wires and LED lights.

Latitude Lamps Project Page | NEA Studio

Spotlight: MMW - "Fhiltex-x"

Location: where ever wanted

Fhiltex is a simple and functional house which can adapt to any terrain. Two 20` and 40` standard steel containers, are transformed into a 62m² house lifted above the ground on four steel legs. The house contains everything needed for a modern life: bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, living room and wardrobe. It is self-sufficient in terms of energy by use of gas and solar panels, as well as having a water recycling mechanism.

A 16m² roof terrace, 3 balconies and a 21m² roof rack gives a 360 degree view and sun throughout the day. This can also be used for storing equipment such as water tanks and gas containers. The house is wrapped in an insulating cloak. All parts can be dismounted, transported as two containers and re – erected at a new location. When closed the Fhiltex appears as any ordinary steel containers, and may be shipped by boat, train or car anywhere in the world. The only attachment to the ground is four plain foundations for the columns. The stairs are hinged to adapt to any type of terrain.

Fhiltex-x Project Page | MMW