Honestly, when I first saw this I got really excited because I thought that OMA devised a way for these huge towers to float by using magnets for stabilization. This whole exciting thought process happened in like .1 second when I saw the rendering. I’m a huge fan of magnets. You can quote me on that. Seriously, how kool would that be if the units that are attached to the side of the core here (sadly, the magnets are nowhere to be found) and could rise and fall as desired? I suppose that may detract from the intentional placement of the towers for views… And imagine it. If the side units were completely autonomous from the core ( with respect to their position vertically ) then this core could be raised to twice the height, the already present units move on up, and construct a few more around the base! this is a good one to think about… imagine a whole slew of these together all corbu “radiant city” style … 

The design strategically maneuvers within the highly regulated building environment to maximize the full potential of the site: Four individual apartment towers are vertically offset from one another and suspended from a central core. The skyline of floating towers directly relates to the surrounding building volumes and explores the most attractive views towards the city center and an extensive green zone to the north. The lifted apartment towers reduce the building’s footprint to a minimum; the liberated ground level provides communal leisure activities embedded in the tropical landscape. 

via world architecture news

Bentley Systems develops Generative Components and systems and resources all therein. Here, you’ll find tons of great stuff on scripting, truss work, BIM integration, etc.

Here and here, and here are a few case studies with the products. Browse the site and enjoy the stuff. there’s way too much to even attempt to summarize what its all about so go see for yourself.

Project developed from public tender organized by the DIBAM, which envisaged the empowerment of a reading room and exhibition spaces in the lounge Founders of the National Library, along with the acoustic conditioning and lighting of space.

    

The proposal understands the need to build and consolidate the various programmatic areas that currently live in Founders Hall. On the one hand the need for this part of the national library to offer the public a place to house in a free and free to its users and in turn to reinforce this salon as a place of exhibitions at both the permanent and temporary.

via plataformaarquitectura < ( more pictures )

Design professionals who have created highly sustainable building projects have been asked to submit examples of their work, and the editors of GreenSource have selected some of these for display.

via greensource (< see more images)

Malaysia is no stranger to iconic buildings. Two of the tallest buildings in the world, the Petronas Twin Towers, are located in Kuala Lumpur, the country’s capital. So it comes as no surprise to us that a stunning new residential development is planned for the Putrajaya waterfront known as Precinct 4, just 30km south of Kuala Lumpur. The design, however, is a refreshing and original with unique, marine-inspired structures – which also draw from traditional Islamic designs – arranged in a permeable, radiating block of bioclimatic architecture. 

via inhabitat

Play: Duoc Antonio Varas 
Location: Antonio Varas 666, Providencia, Santiago, Chile 
Architects: Architects Sabbagh - John P. Sabbagh, Mariana P. Sabbagh, Juan Pedro B. Sabbagh, Philip B. Sabbagh, Marcial B. Olivares 
Contributors: Mario Zamorano V. 
Surface of the Land: 9954 m2 
Surface intervene: 6.256m2 
Surface Cover: 12.000m2

Faced with the commissioning of a building as the headquarters of the Duoc presents four themes which were annexed to the program crucial to the resolution of the project. The first, its location in the courtyard of the headquarters Antonio Varas, a former college German typical building and founding of the neighborhood. The second, the coexistence of a program of functions and activities with specific requirements of surfaces and relationships with the corporate image of a building for an educational institution of the Catholic University of Chile. Thirdly, the permanent change of use of the space, itself an institution in permanent renewal and change. Finally, the need for public space for recreation and expansion for the students.

via plataformaarquitectura

Monday, November 10th, 5:00 p.m. Geren Auditorium

Hernan Diaz Alonso is the principal and founder of Xefirotarch, a Los Angeles-based design firm working in architecture, products, and digital motion. For the last several years he has been a thesis coordinator and professor in studio design and visual studies at SCI-Arc in Los Angeles. He is also a design studio professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation. He worked for several years as a senior designer at Eisenman Architects in New York and has lectured around the world.

Hernan Diaz Alonso is hailed as an architect who pushes boundaries and breaks the rules. His recent winning design for the Lexington Courthouse Plaza (though not the design being built)is a close-to-home example of the tension between cutting-edge design and the inertia of the expected.

Alonso, who has also worked with both Enric Miralles and Peter Eisenman, is uniquely primed to contribute to our current cultural discourse. He continues to challenge with each project, such as the Aqua Center in Denmark and the Queens Museum of Art in New York. The PSI competition. etc.

Alonso received his professional degree in architecture in Argentina, his M.Arch at Columbia University.

The building is located in the southern sector of the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland and seeks to be a new standard on campus. The main idea of the project is to become a meeting point between students and teachers in all schools, making a lively public space. Due to its proximity to the main entrance of the Institute, the new building will play an important role in the image of the university. 

As I remember, I’ve never seen a curved concrete slabs of these dimensions, without pillars. Impressive images, which are very close to that abstraction that SANAA typically used to display their projects. 

via plataformaarquitectura