Urban Spaces for All Ages
It’s no secret that people in inner urban areas of Australia’s cities are getting very comfortable with the idea of dense vertical living. Visiting Brisbane with my young family last month, I was blown away by the diversity of open space in the inner city, and the new night-time economy that had taken over areas...
Are Floating Farms the Answer?
Available arable land and agricultural space is on the decrease, while demand for food is higher than ever before. With worldwide populations expected to soar to 9.6 billion by 2050, food production will have to increase by 70% worldwide and by 100% in developing countries to keep up. The question is how can we solve this...
Crowdfunding Revolutionising Public-Space Project Funding
Crowdfunding now represents a ‘huge opportunity’ for architects looking to get public projects off the ground. “A lot of people see the potential of crowdfunding to get the public involved in a project the public will use,” said Sophie Paton, part of the team behind the Thames Deckway project. “It’s a trend that will keep on...
The First Living Building in Texas?
The Betty and Clint Josey Pavilion, one of Texas’ most eco-friendly structures, is nestled in an unassuming native prairie landscape near Decatur. The self-sufficient 502m2 open-air pavilion is 100 percent powered by solar, uses zero air conditioning, harvests rainwater and treats all wastewater on-site. San Antonio-based firm Lake|Flato Architects designed the award-winning pavilion to meet the standards of...
Innovative Parks to Add to Your Bucket List
Innovative park design and public space reclamation have combined to become one of the latest green trends to emerge in contrast against the urban concrete jungle. These green trends have enjoyed such massive success in the public eye that developers around the world are scrambling to innovate and replicate, with projects ranging from public rooftop...
Italy Reaches New Heights
Architecture firm Snøhetta has designed a pair of ring-shaped platforms linked by a cable car, which will offer expansive views of the Alps to residents and visitors in Bolzano, Italy. Bolzano, which has approximately 100,000 residents and has been ranked as one of the best Italian cities for quality of life, is the provincial capital of the South Tyrol...
Solar ‘Idea Trees’
Resting firmly on the cutting edge of photovoltaic technology, the OPV (organic photovoltaic) array on display at the German pavilion for Expo Milano 2015 embodies the pinnacle of german ingenuity and cross-sectoral collaboration. The ‘idea trees’, conceived by Schmidhuber architects, symbolise how the seed of an idea can grow into a reality. During the day one can see the future...
More Bikes than People
The Netherlands, a country which famously has more bicycles than residents, is running out of places to park their bikes. A proposal has been put forward by NL Architects for a dual use building at Hague Central Station that would offer 6000 more bicycle parking spots, as well as retail outlets. The Hague main terminal...
Create a Unique Statement in your Garden
Spending some relaxing time in a beautiful garden is food for the soul in every essence! A blooming space that celebrates nature, calms the soul and inspires creativity is most often found in public gardens which are filled with interesting design choices. But what if you can create the same choices when planning a garden...
Life Inside a Dutch Windmill
Designs have been released for a Dutch silent and motionless wind turbine that doubles as a spherical apartment building for the port side city of Rotterdam. Surrounded by wetlands and built on an underground foundation will give the building an illustrious floating effect. Harvesting energy from the wind and providing 72 new residential apartments within...
Cycling through London’s City Centre
London’s Mayor Boris Johnson has just awarded an enthusiastic thumbs-up to the amended plans for the addition of a cycle path to run from east to west through central London. Officially London’s longest ever cycle path, it will stretch along the Victoria Embankment roadway reaching from Tower Hill to Paddington. Controversial for a number of...
Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital Comes to Fruition
The newly completed Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital on Brisbane’s south bank adopts a salutogenic approach to healing. The term coined late last century by Aaron Antonovsky refers to the utilisation of factors that support well-being and health, rather than those that cause disease. Aspects such as clear way finding, allusions to the surrounding environment, stunning...
