Bamboo Forest House

ROEWU's Bamboo Forest House: a showcase for fledgling architects

Emerging UK based architect ROEWUarchitecuture recently completed this vacation house for an extended family in Eastern Taiwan. Located in a dense urban area and confined on two sides by party walls, the house gains light and air through its street façade, which is treated with an undulating bamboo screen that also provides privacy and security for the building’s occupants.

The interior is intended to be experienced as an organic forest. Sunlight and air filter in through the bamboo poles changing the character and use of the space over the course of the day and the changing seasons. In winter, a karaoke lounge and spa on the second floor form a focal point for bathing and singing. During the summer, the roof deck, with its variably patterned sunshade system and surrounding bamboo, invites cool breezes and becomes the family’s favourite gathering spot.

Natural ventilation is provided to the entire house through several double and triple-height void spaces that penetrate through the heart of the house and open to the roof.

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Renzo Piano unveils new plans for London

New London landmark for Legal & General and Mitsubishi estate company.

A new central London landmark is unveiled today as part of the regeneration of the Saint Giles area. Central Saint Giles, which is due for completion by the end of 2009, is the new groundbreaking 500,000 sq ft mixed-use scheme from internationally acclaimed architect Renzo Piano and joint developers Legal & General and Mitsubishi Estate Company.

Central Saint Giles, which replaces a redundant 1960’s office block previously occupied by the Ministry of Defence, is an environmentally friendly, sustainable, colourful development that comprises office space, retail, restaurants, cafes, residential and a new public piazza. The development, on which building work has already started, will be a pedestrian-friendly site, connecting five different regions of the West End.

On a 1.75-acre island site, the development sits in a strategic, exceptionally well-connected, location between Oxford Street and Covent Garden. The design consists of three buildings with 13 irregularly orientated, individually coloured ceramic & glass facades. When completed, Central Saint Giles will be 12 storeys tall and will comprise 393,000 sq ft of high quality office space with some of the largest floor plates (42,000 sq ft) in the West End, 27% of the site’s area is dedicated to open space and the development includes 109 residential units, 50% of which will be affordable housing.

World renowned architect Renzo Piano commented: “The architectural challenge was to create a development that brings heart and soul into a forgotten part of Central London’s urban fabric. A place that, by adding levitated, articulated and colourful buildings, physically expresses the people-focused and socially responsible credentials of modern corporate tenants”. < p>Bovis Lend Lease is building the scheme, Stanhope plc have been appointed as development managers and Bovis as construction managers. Fletcher Priest have been appointed as Renzo Piano Building Workshop’s executive architects to the site. The joint letting agents are Jones Lang LaSalle and Cushman & Wakefield

Worldarchitecturenews

Exuberance in Panama

Trump brings luxury with Ocean Club tower

Trump Ocean Club is a first of its kind for Panama City. Situated on Punta Pacifica, the 70 storey tower is set to offer the luxury of hotel-living for its residents combining amenities such as a wellness spa, yacht club, private beach, gourmet restaurants and a state of the art business centre with condominium residences and bay lofts.

Covering 2.8 million sq ft the tower will offer accommodation in 509 condominiums, 126 bay lofts and will open 369 hotel condominium suites for visitors. Other amenities will include a 45,000 sq ft Trump Casino, an Elite sky lobby and a 24 hour medical service. Apartments will range from $400,000 to $1million.

Designed by architect Arias Serna Saravia the project will take three years to build with completion expected in 2010.

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Business building in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi builds monumental retail park in new business district

Over 3 million sq ft of office space designed by American firm Goettsch Partners has been commissioned for Abu Dhabi’s Sowwah Island in the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi’s recently published urban framework plan, entitled Plan Abu Dhabi 2030, has designated Sowwah Square as the city’s new central business district.

The new design features an iconic stock exchange building surrounded by four office towers overlooking the water. Two levels of retail and underground parking will also add to the monumental build. The stock exchange building will itself offer 233,000 sq ft of space. Glass-enclosed with a roof the size of a football field, the building will rise 90 ft above a 160-ft-diameter water feature on massive stone piers. The four granite piers house the stairs, mechanical risers and service elements for the exchange.

The four office towers contribute 2,892,500 sq ft to the total mass, two of which are at 31 storeys and the other two at 37. The first full office floor of each building starts 110 feet above the ground level, providing a highly transparent, open lobby and elevating the views on all tenant floors. A landscaped plaza connects the four buildings and the exchange at grade.

250,000 sq ft of upscale retail space and two partially submerged parking lots with room for 5,200 cars will complete the park.

Active and passive solar shading, double skin facades, condensation collection and active lighting controls are all to be used allowing the project to surpass LEED requirements and focus on true sustainability.

James Goettsch, president of GP, stated, “Sowwah Square will establish the major new business center in Abu Dhabi and serve as a hub for the Middle East. As the city continues its rapid development, the project will set an international standard of design and technical quality.”

Construction commenced on the site of Sowwah Square in summer 2007, with the full development scheduled for completion in 2010.

Niki May Young

News Editor

worldarchitecturenews

No need to pack your trunk

Foster + Partners’ design ensures elephants have a happy home



A house fit for the King of the jungle will open this week in Copenhagen Zoo as Foster + Partners’ Elephant House design is officially inaugurated. The etched glass dome will officially open on Wednesday having replaced the original 1914 Elephant house.

The new structure aims to restore the visual relationship between the zoo and the park and to provide the Elephants with a stimulating environment with easily accessible spaces from which to enjoy them.

Two glass-topped domes apparently rise out of the earth creating a synchronicity between the design and its surroundings and optimising the passive thermal performance of the structures. The two areas having been created as separate spaces due to the elephant’s propensity to wander away from the main herd thus giving the animals an environmental choice. A beautifully latticed design is created by the glass which is further enhanced with sporadic detailing resembling fallen petals atop the glass.

Copenhagen Zoo benefits from more than 3,000 animals but the Indian elephants which make up the inhabitants of this new enclosure are considered among the most popular. The structure creates new zoological standards in terms of enclosure-design by allowing the elephants to sleep together. A heated floor mimics a section of dry riverbed where elephants can rest and maintain healthy feet out of mud or water. Water pools, mud holes and shading objects also allow the animals extra comfort and interest.

Niki May Young

News Editor

Worldarchitecturenews