H Architecture envisions “Pristine Forest” for a new park at Samsung Electronics Digital City (SEDC) in Suwon, South Korea.
The park covering about 37,000m2 surface area will serve as a place for
interaction and renewal for researchers and engineers working at SEDC.
Called as the Samsung Electronics R&D hub, the site is located at
the heart of SEDC with more than 27,000 commuters every day.
The project also required 16,000 m2 employee amenity facilities to be
incorporated along the park development to house club rooms, fitness
center and other small retail shops.
With the concept of “Pristine Forest,” H Architecture’s
proposal blurs the boundaries between the park and the underground
facilities with an oversized sunken courtyard filled with a forested
knoll that will awaken the inherent creativity and the pristine
sensibility of the SEDC employees.
The park comprises of three main layers- the above ground plaza, the
lush green hill, and the great lawn below. The plaza hosts various
outdoor programs such as café, sensory garden, or meeting courts to
encourage active social interaction.
The green hill provides rather contemplative walking experience with
fluid form of walkways that weaves into the forest. At the bottom of the
hill, the great lawn that slides down into the employee amenity
facilities brings much needed openness and abundant daylighting into the
interiors.
Connecting the sunken courtyard and different amenity programs is the
main concourse that extends the existing underground facilities.
Serving as the main artery, the concourse will guide employees from club
rooms that are enclosed in transparent glass walls to a healing lounge
that faces the serene forest, providing opportunities to engage in
cultural activities or moments of retreat from work.
From a client brief that originally called for 12 homogenous residential
towers, Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has proposed an alternative
community-orientated design comprised of a low-rise, yet high-density
residential building of 981 apartments with accommodation around three
sides of the rectangular site. Each side of the building has been shaped
to optimize its environmental orientation, creating a sequence of
interconnected internal and external courtyards, gardens and public
spaces for both residents and neighbours.
By gradually fragmenting the overall volume of the design, its
relationship with its context is customised to become solid in some
areas and permeable in others. This transition from solid to porous
reflects the extreme contrasts which characterise the surrounding urban
fabric: from the noisy commercial side with its eight-lane motorway; to
the quiet, low-density suburban developments that spread to the base of
the mountains in the distance. Adapting to these varied adjacencies
gives the project many different degrees of integrated public and
private open spaces.
Site
Monterrey is the third largest city in Mexico and one of its most
important business and manufacturing centres including companies. Also
located in the Huajuco Canyon to the southeast of the city, the Esfera
City Centre residential project provides essential new homes for
Monterrey’s fast-growing population. The Huajuco Canyon is a long and
narrow valley flanked by two mountain ranges, creating a subtropical
microclimate that is less harsh than conditions in the city centre, with
fresher summers and winters allowing residents to take full advantage
of their outdoor spaces.
Urban Strategy
Straddled between the very diverse urban conditions of the eight-lane
Federal Highway and low-density suburban housing developments, the
proposal responds to the varied urban conditions of its context;
integrating this low-rise, high density residential community within the
new commercial centre of the canyon. A community-oriented approach has
been central to the design.
By incorporating principles of CPTED (Crime Prevention Through
Environmental Design) which include welcoming, interconnected public
spaces popular with neighbours and passers-by, the design offers
increased levels of community safety whilst also contributing to the
urban integration and composition of the project. With the inclusion of
these public spaces at the perimeter of the building, the project
engages with its context within the growing commercial centre.
Design
The building’s envelope references the local architectural language and
Mexican tradition of interlocking lattice geometries to provide shading
and describe the outdoor space of each residence. These lattice
geometries have been used widely throughout pre-Columbian, colonial and
contemporary Mexican architecture to give protection from the sun and
generate varied and dynamic displays of light and shadow.
By considering their solar orientation, internal programme, spatial
requirements and adjacencies, each balcony’s form has been developed to
provide solar protection, privacy and generous exterior space for the
apartments; defining a varied and coherent architectural language that
unites the project.
Sustainability
The design targets high standards in sustainability. The materials of
all external areas has been selected with consideration of their
permeability, high reflectivity and low thermal mass to reduce the mean
radiant temperature, together with their ability to drain rain water
into the soil. The form of each balcony has been determined by factors
that include the ability to control that solar radiation particular to
that part of the building, acting as a brise soleil that varies –
extending laterally or horizontally as necessary – according to the
orientation of each apartment.
Public Areas & Park
The project’s public areas and 30,000m2 park offers amenities for all age groups, including:
The park includes:
• Clubhouse, with café, exercise room and workshop/ reading room (600m2)
• Chapel (250m2)
• Children’s playground, sand pits, tree house
• Teenagers zones: mountain bike, skate park, open areas for sports
• Quiet zones for Tai-chi, Yoga, reading and relaxation
• Pathways for walks and dog park
• Picnic area
• Amphitheatre for cinema & concerts,
• Garden & arid vegetation area
The park is connected to the buildings via bridges, extending the common
areas of the apartments where the swimming pools, BBQ areas and other
amenities for residents are located. Source by Zaha Hadid Architects.
Location: Monterrey, Mexico Architects:Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) Architectural Design (ZHA): Zaha Hadid with Patrik Schumacher Project Director (ZHA): Juan Ignacio Aranguren C. Project Architect (ZHA): Andrés Arias Madrid Project Team (ZHA): Sofia Amodio, Pierandrea Angius,
Megan Burke, Cristina Capanna, Gerry Cruz, Johannes Elias, Veronica
Erspamer, Gianni Giuffrida, Marco Guardincerri, Soomeen Hahm, Lisa
Hofbauer, Julia Hyoun Hee Na, Stefano Iacopini, Lisa Kinnerud, Alexandre
Kuroda, Mariagrazia Lanza, Carolina López-Blanco, Milica
Pihler-Mirjanic, Sobitha Ravichandran, Kate Revyakina, Yitzhak Samun,
Ricardo Sosa-Mejia, Ana Wang Zuñiga, Fei Wang, Fulvio Wirz, Paolo Zilli Local Architect: BUDIC Project Management: Escala Structural Engineer: Fhecor Ingenieros + Alonso y Asociados Services Engineers: PGI Engineering Quantity Surveyor: Leopoldo Varela y Asociados Lighting consultant: Artec 3 Landscape consultant: Taller de Operaciones Ambientales (TOA) Client: Citelis, Organización Ramírez Total Area: approx. 137,000 m2 Size: 981 residential units / GFA: 136,000 sqm Year: Phase One scheduled for completion in 2018 Images and Video: Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)
After several months of refining a design, Metro, Grimshaw, and Gruen
Associates and the Metro Board of Directors are ready to move the Union
Station Master Plan from planning to implementation. Metro can now
pursue the station’s programmatic environmental review, recommended
transit improvements, commercial development program, and can seek
funding for improvements to the station’s perimeter.
The plan will be carried out in phases and tries to improve street level
circulations and vastly expand and upgrade the station’s concourses,
map out mixed-use development site-wide, and provide for the eventual
incorporation of high speed rail. To the west is a large forecourt that
is programmed with open space, tables, seats, a cafe, community amenity
kiosks, bike facilities, water features, and shade trees.
In the design, the concourse behind Union Station is programmed with
more retail and amenities and is significantly widened and opened to
natural light with openings cut between platforms. Accessibility to the
tracks is improved. It has a flaring shape based on the paths of the trains and subways.
The team is also planning approximately 3.25 million square feet of
commercial, retail, residential, and hotel development over the more
than 40 acres that Metro owns around the station. With the support of
the California High Speed Rail Commission, the team is studying a site
east of Vignes Street that encompasses the city’s aging Piper Center for
possible high-speed rail. They are awaiting for funding and the
approval of track alignments.
“This is a completely new way of engaging the city,” said Grimshaw
partner Vincent Chang, who sees the station as a centerpiece and growth
catalyst not only for its neighborhood but for all of downtown LA. His
team hopes to proceed first with the development of the forecourt and
other perimeter spaces, which he calls a “quick win,” then move on to
the more challenging task of rebuilding the concourse, the transit
plaza, and the east portal.
the city of dubai is ready to add to its roster of impressive architecture with a new cultural complex, designed by atkins, to be built opposite the world’s tallest building. the ‘dubai opera’, initiated by global property developers EMAAR,
forms the centerpiece of the city’s downtown opera district – a region
that will eventually include a range of luxury hotels and residences, a
retail plaza, restaurants, recreational spaces and parks.
accessed from mohammed bin rashif boulevard, the district is connected with pedestrianized walkways and animated streets.
not only will the shaded plaza encourage people to spend time outdoors,
but also guide pedestrians towards the landscaped waterfront promenade.
the ‘dubai opera’ is a 2,000 seat multi-format theater whose
design is born from the city’s maritime history, in particular arabian
sailing vessels. the ‘bow’ of the structure contains the main
stage, orchestra and seating areas, while the elongated ‘hull’ features
waiting areas for spectators, a taxi-drop off area and parking
amenities. the scheme boasts a number of versatile spaces including a
lounge positioned at the uppermost level, with the restaurant, which
also contains a small stage for performances, presenting sweeping views
across the neighboring lake and towards the towering burj khalifa.
importantly, the complex has the ability to transform into three
different modes; a theater, a concert hall, and a ‘flat floor’ – an
open space for a variety of banquets or special events. in
theater mode, the space is suitable for opera, musicals, ballet and
dance performances, large scale drama productions, lectures and
conferences – seating between 1,940 and 2,040 guests depending on
configuration.
in order to transform the venue into a concert hall, a series of
towers on stage create an acoustic shell that surrounds the orchestra,
while overhead reflectors enhance the hall’s acoustics. in
addition, the concert platform can vary in size to suit the ensemble. in
the third arrangement – ‘flat floor’ mode – the room caters for a
number of events, including weddings, with banquet-style seating able to
accommodate up to 1,000 guests. the volume offers the flexibility to be
configured for trade shows and exhibitions where furniture can be
supplied or removed accordingly.
the scheme guides pedestrians towards the landscaped waterfront promenade
mohamed alabbar, chairman of EMAARproperties, said: ‘the
opera district highlights the vision of his highness sheikh mohammed
bin rashid al maktoum, UAE vice president and prime minister and ruler
of dubai, to develop a vibrant cultural community and events destination
in the city which will encourage our talented local artists and also
promote global cultural exchange. ‘dubai opera, which is central to the new arts and
lifestyle district, will be a spectacular addition to downtown dubai,
already home to global icons such as burj khalifa. the
state-of-the-art opera house and the varied lifestyle components of the
opera district will energize dubai’s events and tourism sectors. with
the city establishing its global reputation as an arts hub, the new
development will also strengthen the ‘dubai art season,’ which brings
together the city’s vibrant arts initiatives.’
the complex is on track to open its doors to the public in 2016.
in theater mode the space is suitable for opera, musicals, ballet and dance performances
as a concert hall, a series of towers on stage create an acoustic shell that surrounds the orchestra
in ‘flat floor’ mode, the room caters for a number of events with banquet-style seating
the region will eventually include a range of luxury hotels and residences, a retail plaza and restaurants
the opera house is located directly adjacent to the world’s tallest building
the ‘dubai opera’ viewed in front of its waterside location
a model of the complex details the surrounding urban fabric ; the site is accessed from mohammed bin rashif boulevard.
I chose the theme of the project, because I’m a citizen of the city
Artashat and know the major problems of the city, of which the most
important are the residents with great scarcity of jobs and the
development of young people.
While for the project area selection, were taken into consideration
these factors benefits, such as the proximity of the stadium of the
city, and the secondary school № 3, the large surface area in poor
condition not used, the sight of Mount Ararat as background, now hidden
by some existing buildings.
Another important aspect is that the main road linking the capital
Yerevan Artashat. The project pays attention to the climate which is
quite dry with hot summers and cold winters. To solve this problem, in
most of the area will be planted with trees and shrubs, and there is
also a small pond near the building.
Educational and Sport Centre for Youth, Lusine Baghdasaryan, Aram Shahoyan
This will mitigate climate city and together with the solution of this
problem, including green roofs, which are designed in particular in the
field of dance, will protect the interior of the building from the
summer heat and winter cold. The center is made up of academic fields,
cultural and sporting activities.
The sector Dance and Sport are close but far away from the education
department, so departments noisy are separate from silent building.
The general view of the building looks like a specific type of cloud
called lenticular clouds, due to which the educational department of the
palace received in the form of a terrace.
The Education Department has four floors, each floor has a height of 4.5
meters, which gives the total height of 18 meters. As a result the
picturesque view of Mount Ararat might be closed, however, due to the
shape terrace, the visual height of the building department seems to be
lower.
In the project area is chosen the position of the building to give the
effect of perspective. The roof of the dance department is designed in
the form of a ramp, which is directed by the sign of the ground to the
roof of the passage overgound that connects all the buildings department
together. It will also serve as an observation deck.
In the middle of the department of education has also been designed as a
flight of winding main communication system. The number of ramps and
lifts is based on the fact that the Cener is designed for disabled.
There is also a two-storey exhibition hall located in the basement, so
that the sun’s rays do not damage the images displayed.
However, it has also a source of natural lighting and ventilation. The
project includes the following sections, cultural and sporting
academics: Chess, Computer, skills, foreign languages, Library,
sculpture and painting, gallery, dance, wrestling, volleyball and
basketball courts, swimming pool. Courtesy by Aram Shahoyan.
