As part of public ‘open house’ sessions with local communities and agencies, Foster + Partners and Arup have revealed the design for the first 4 stations of California’s High-Speed Rail. This is part of an extensive project, as the new Central Valley stations will serve as models for the design of the next stations planned along the 500-mile-long Los Angeles/Anaheim to San Francisco rail system. The open house sessions represent an opportunity for the public to explore the project, talk with California High-Speed Rail Authority planning experts, and learn more about the high-speed rail infrastructure. The project is under construction, with the first operable line scheduled to be completed between 2030 and 2033.
Cities in the US are embracing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to address the nationwide housing crisis. Often built on existing single-family home lots, ADUs offer an affordable option for increasing housing availability in established neighborhoods. However, like any new housing development, effective regulations are critical for widespread adoption. Los Angeles has emerged as a testing ground in using ADUs to address its housing shortage, providing valuable insights for other cities. The city's experience underlines the challenges of establishing regulations, while also promoting the benefits of ADUs as an affordable housing solution.
Courtesy of SITELAB urban studio and Field Operations
SITELAB urban studio and Field Operations have revealed a design proposal to reimagine San Francisco’s iconic Powell Street. The street used to be one of the busiest pedestrian corridors in its district and a popular tourist attraction, with cable cars running up and down the street and connecting Union Square and Hallidie Plaza. Across the most popular three-block stretch, the storefronts have become mostly vacant. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, one of the reasons was the Covid pandemic, which led to a further decrease in tourism and in commercial activities. Now a new project led by designers SITELAB urban studio and Field Operations aims to revive the now underutilized transit corridor and to catalyze a renewed interest in the area.
Although the sensory approach in the built environment is often based primarily on visual aspects, such as color and light, as we delve deeper into the relationship of architecture with the senses other essential elements emerge, such as aromas, textures, sounds, and even flavors. These components are fundamental to creating a profound experience between the user and the environment in which it takes place, demonstrating that design and sensory experience are intrinsically connected.
Thus, sensory design offers an immersive atmosphere for a full spectrum of senses where its perception extends beyond physical boundaries. An example of this is the Vertical Panorama Pavilion, located in a region of California (USA) with a strong identity linked to the wine tradition. This structure, with a glass canopy of Color PVB interlayers, serves as a shelter for hospitality. Inspired by nature, the pavilion’s canopy engages all the senses: from the texture of the gravel on the walking path to the wind currents in the area and the characteristic aromas of the region.
https://www.archdaily.com/1017382/a-multicolored-glass-canopy-for-senses-shelter-and-hospitality-the-vertical-panorama-pavilionEnrique Tovar
Step into the realm where the minimalism of the 1960s Light and Space movement intertwines with contemporary high-tech algorithms and sensors. Back then, light artists like James Turrell, Dan Flavin, and Robert Irwin captivated audiences with the bare essentials, using precisely daylight or lamps to heighten visual perception. Fast forward to today, Chromasonic takes this synergy of light and color but augments it with sound and algorithms. Envisioned as a global network to experience the harmony of body and mind, Johannes Girardoni's team unveiled the first satellite of perception in the heart of Venice Beach, California. Through a collaboration with Google, Milan Design Week showcased how the interplay of light and color can go on tour as a walk-in installation on a larger scale.
Foster + Partners, led by Normal Foster, has just been selected to reimagine the Television City studio complex in Los Angeles, following a global competition. The project involves the restoration of William Pereira’s iconic 1952 buildings and the transformation of the 25-acre site into a low-rise multi-modal campus and draws inspiration from the Los Angeles’ renowned Case Study Houses. The campus will feature new sound stages, production offices, creative workspace, and retail surrounding its perimeter.
Sloped terrain offers a tantalizing prospect for developers. With breathtaking views over either natural or urban landscapes, often without the realistic possibility of being overlooked by future development, a parcel of land on a slope provides a high reward. However, whether it’s the extra excavation involved to cut and fill or cantilever out on a flat surface, the complications of water drainage, or the loss of light and difficulty of access at the front of the property, building on sloped terrains is not without its difficulties.
But it’s not necessarily the angle of the site that’s most at fault, it’s the shape of the building. By splitting up a multi-story structure and repositioning – possibly even disconnecting – each level, projects designed to comply with the existing topography by applying multiple ground levels can reduce the amount of excavation required. The split floor plan can also help to improve access and natural light and increase both interior and exterior space.
Renowned sculptor Richard Serra, known for his monumental steel structures that reshaped the landscape of contemporary art, passed away at the age of 85 at his residence in Orient, N.Y. His groundbreaking works, characterized by massive tilting corridors and spirals of steel, offered viewers a unique experience, inviting them to navigate through and around the imposing forms to fully comprehend their essence. Because of this invitation to explore space, materiality, and site, the artist has been long-recognized in the architectural community, earning him the Architectural League of New York President’s Medal in 2014, becoming the first artist to receive the honor.
Exploring unbuilt architectural projects by established firms offers a glimpse into the forefront of design innovation and future-thinking concepts. In fact, studying up-and-coming projects provides an opportunity to get ahead of emerging trends and envision the future of the built environment, fostering dialogue around new ideas. With the looming climate crisis in a post-COVID world, this week’s selection of unbuilt projects submitted to the ArchDaily community showcases the scale of problem-solving through city-making and contextual spatial activations.
Whether it’s a vertical neighborhood in Kunming, a life science facility in Manhattan, or a cultural center in Veneria Reale, these unbuilt projects capture the diverse spectrum of architectural visionaries’ progression. Each of these proposals represents a unique narrative, whether seeking to redefine residential living or revitalize urban space. Through these projects, architects can offer the environment a glimpse into the transformative potential of design when used in a problem-solving capacity.
Foster + Partners, led by Norman Foster, has revealed designs for a new “vertical creative office” campus on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, overlooking Hollywood. Developed by real estate firm The Star LLC, the tower is wrapped in spiraling gardens, giving the project its distinctive image and introducing generous outdoor areas throughout. Dubbed “The Star,” the project strives to use active and passive design strategies to bring a welcoming and comfortable space for all future users.
Foster + Partners has announced the start of construction on One Beverly Hills, revitalizing 17.5 acres of land in the city center. Proposing two residential buildings, a new hotel, a dining, and a retail pavilion, the development is expected to open in 2025. Designed in collaboration with design collective RIOS, who is leading the Landscape Architecture, the project features 10 acres of gardens and open space. The project’s masterplan, designed by Foster + Partners, also integrates existing landmarks like the Beverly Hilton and Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills.
In the ever-evolving landscape of urban development, cities are faced with an array of challenges that demand quick and innovative solutions, ranging from the critical issue of affordable housing to the pressing need for efficient and decongested infrastructure and sustainable energy practices. As the demands of the built environment expand, local authorities worldwide are redefining policies and regulations to shape their cities. These innovative regulations can drive sustainable and consistent progress as cities stand at the intersection between their present challenges and future aspirations.
Music Festivals can provide artists, designers, and architects a platform to present their work to large crowds. The sheer scale of these installations, the space for artistic exploration, and the vast audience they reach can give designers the opportunity of a lifetime to showcase their ideas. Through scale, color, imagery, and lighting, these installations create lasting impressions on the people who attend these events and those who see them through news coverage or social media. Some themes explored this year included reframing familiar things in unfamiliar ways, large-scale abstract geometries at the intersection of technology and art, and the use of innovative new materials.
The window for solving climate change is narrowing; any solution must include embodied carbon. TheSixth Assessment Report published by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) concludes that the world can emit just500 gigatonnes more of carbon dioxide, starting in January 2020, if we want a 50 percent chance of staying below 1.5 degrees. In 2021 alone, the world emitted about36.3 gigatonnes of carbon, the highest amount ever recorded. We’re on track to blow through our carbon budget in the next several years. To quote the IPCC directly: “The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts now and for thousands of years (high confidence).”
Cities across the globe are developing comprehensive action plans in order to create a coordinated response to the challenges of climate change. Targets and goals for consumption-based emissions are important for guiding strategic planning and decision-making, improving accountability, and communicating the direction of travel to businesses and the public. National and regional government officials are working with the private sector, international organizations, and civil society to create change at every level, from structural interventions in supply chains and industries to individual choices. This demonstrates a rising understanding of the role of cities in mitigating the adverse effects of rising temperatures.
Saint Laurent Men’s Summer 24 at Mies van der Rohe’s Neue Nationalgalerie. Image Courtesy of Saint Laurent
Architecture and fashion share an interesting interplay in the formation of cultural expressions and identities. Both disciplines can become vehicles for creativity at different levels. Architecture is often described as the “third skin” of humans, while clothes represent the second skin, highlighting somewhat similar functionality of protecting the body while also allowing for self-expression and individuality.
The relationship between architecture and fashion can also be seen in the shared design principles, such as form, proportion, human scale, and materiality. More than a simple background for runway shows, architecture can contribute to setting the atmosphere, becoming a source of inspiration, and orienting the movement through space. Collaborations between architects and fashion houses, such as the renowned partnership between OMA/AMO and Prada, further blur the boundaries between the two disciplines, demonstrating the myriad of interconnections between the two creative fields.
Memorium Nürnberger Visitor Center. Image Courtesy of Sebastian Brunke
Public spaces are the beating heart of our cities. They act as the hubs of social and cultural activity where people congregate, interact, and escape the clamor of the city. These areas are crucial in determining a city's identity, character, and citizens' well-being and standard of living. Public spaces can define our communities and significantly impact how we live, work, and interact with one another through their architectural designs, facilities, and activities. Furthermore, they provide leisure, exercise, and recreation opportunities, allowing individuals to escape the confines of their daily routines and connect with nature.
This week's curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights projects submitted by the ArchDaily community showcasing different proposals made to enhance public space. Ranging from reimagining central squares to placing massive land art in the urban epicenter, these public spaces enhance the quality of life for the city's locals. In Germany, the redesign of the entire Memorium Nürnberger Trials reimagines this as a place to come together, grounded in its history, while in Havana, the new Cuban Square reimagines the metaphor of unity in the city center. The design and accessibility of public spaces significantly impact our well-being and quality of life. Thoughtfully planned and inclusive spaces with seating, greenery, and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure can promote physical activity, mental health, and community engagement in a city.
