Futuristic canopy made of knitted textile solar panels wins 2017 Young Architects Program at MoMA

Since 2000, New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) PS1 art gallery brings to life experimental outdoor installations every summer—and this year’s winning design is shaping up to be its most innovative project yet. Ithaca-based design practice Jenny Sabin Studio won the 2017 MoMA PS1’s Young Architecture Program competition with their proposal of a futuristic shelter made from robotically knitted textile solar panels. The project, called Lumen, is a “knitted light” structure that will immerse visitors in a cooling microclimate during the day and in an ethereal immersive environment at night that glows using energy collected from the sun.

Now in its 18th edition, the Young Architects Program gives emerging architects and designers the chance to build a temporary outdoor installation in the MoMA PS1 courtyard in Long Island City. Proposals were required to provide shelter, seating, and water, while also addressing environmental issues that include sustainability and recycling. Jenny Sabin Studio’s winning Lumen will feature a robotically woven canopy made of recycled photoluminescent textiles that collect solar energy to produce light. Misting systems built into tubular structures called “fabric stalactites” will keep visitors cool during hot days.

Related: First Ever Mushroom Tower Sprouts at MoMA PS1 in New York

Initially developed for Nike, Lumen’s high-tech fabric canopy is a cross-disciplinary experiment that merges elements of architecture with biology, materials science, mathematics, and engineering. Jenny Sabin Studio writes: “The project is mathematically generated through form-finding simulations informed by the sun, site, materials, program, and the structural morphology of knitted cellular components. Resisting a biomimetic approach, Lumen employs an analogic design process where complex material behavior and processes are integrated with personal engagement and diverse programs. Lumen undertakes rigorous interdisciplinary experimentation to produce a multisensory environment that is full of delight, inspiring collective levity, play, and interaction as the structure and materials transform throughout the day and night.”

Lumen will be open to the public at the MoMA PS1 courtyard on June 29, 2017 and will serve as the backdrop for Warm Up, the art gallery’s annual outdoor music series.

+ Jenny Sabin Studio

Via Architectural Record

Images via Jenny Sabin Studio

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North Korea's 'Hotel of Doom' is the world's largest abandoned building

This pyramid-shaped building in North Korea was once a contender for the tallest hotel in the world - but construction was interrupted in 1989 and it became the world's largest abandoned building instead. The notorious 105-story Ryugyong Hotel - frequently referred to as the "Hotel of Doom" - could come to life after all, as Egyptian company Orascom fired the project back up again in 2008.

The structure, designed by Baikdoosan Architects & Engineers, first broke ground in 1987 in Pyongyang, North Korea. It was supposed to open in 1989, two years later after the frame was finished. Work stopped in 1992 after the collapse of the Soviet Union (an ally and backer), and the hotel remained unfinished, looming over the North Korean capital.

Related: Abandoned Floating McDonalds to Be Given New Life As a Marina in Canada

In 2008, an Egyptian company took over the hotel and began adding exterior glass in the hope of finishing the project. Reports say that the interior has no plumbing or electricity, and it could require another $2 billion to finish. As of late construction on thehotel has stopped again, leaving the fate of the hotel unresolved.

Photos via Wikimedia Commons

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China is building the world's first migratory Bird Airport

Modern architecture has often been accused of encroaching on wildlife habitats - but McGregor Coxall just unveiled a new project that's literally for the birds. The world’s first migratory "Bird Airport" is designe to convert a landfill in Lingang, China into a wetland bird sanctuary

Every year, more than 50 million birds journey from the Antarctic along the East Asian-Australian Flyway (EAAF), but the route is increasingly threatened to due to coastal urbanization. Today, 1 in 5 globally endangered waterbirds fly this route as their population rapidly decreases.

Related: 1.5 billion birds disappear from North America’s skies

To address the problem, the Port of Tianjin called on international designers to create a wetland sanctuary for migrating birds. McGregor Coxall's Bird Airport includes 60 hectares of wetland park, where birds will be able to stop, refuel, and breed on their way through the flyway. Renewable energy will be used to irrigate the wetlands with recycled waste water and harvested rain.

Adrian McGregor, CEO and lead designer of McGregor Coxall explains the inspiration behind the project, “The earth's bird flyways are a wonder of the natural world. The proposed Bird Airport will be a globally significant sanctuary for endangered migratory bird species whilst providing new green lungs for the city of Tianjin."

The city of Tianjin will enjoy many benefits from the new green infrastructure. The proposal calls for plenty of park space - including walking and cycling paths along a 7 km network of recreational urban forest trails. Construction on the bird airport is slated to begin late 2017, and the project will be completed in 2018.

+ McGregor Coxall

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Canoeing center wrapped in recycled materials resists winter flooding

Portuguese multidisciplinary design studio ateliermob completed the Alvega Canoeing Center, a contemporary building that’s sustainably designed and ruggedly handsome. Located on the banks of Portugal’s Tagus River, the Alvega Canoeing Center is elevated to avoid the regular winter floods and to minimize soil degradation. Recycled black plastic profiles wrap around the canoeing center, which comprises three separate volumes, to give the structure a sense of cohesiveness and to allow natural light to pass through while providing privacy.

Built to replace a former flood-damaged structure, the Alvega Canoeing Center was commissioned as part of a design competition that sought a sturdier and more sustainable design solution. The new building is the same size as the former structure but is raised on stilts and clad in black recycled plastic profiles. The plastic profiles were chosen for their ability to withstand the impact of objects that could be pushed against the building by rising floodwaters. Bright red recycled plastic profiles form the railing of the outdoor walkway and create a vivid contrast to the black facade.

Related: 6 amphibious houses that float to escape flooding

The 320-square-meter Alvega Canoeing Center comprises three volumes consisting of a cafeteria, boat storage area, and changing cabins, all supported on a raised concrete platform. “The proposed structure sought to improve the site, characterizing it as a renewed space for leisure and meeting for the local community, in addition to the associated nautical activities,” write the architects. “Thus, the impacts were minimized, significantly reducing soil impermeabilization and movement of land, and maintaining the vegetation characteristics, safeguarding the natural landscape.” Additional public amenities include the outdoor terrace, barbecue area, and staircase that can be used in a small amphitheater-like space.

+ ateliermob

Via Archinect

Images © Francisco Nogueira

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North Korea's 'Hotel of Doom' is the world's largest abandoned building

This pyramid-shaped building in North Korea was once a contender for the tallest hotel in the world - but it has remained unfinished since 1989 and instead it became the world's largest abandoned building. The notorious 105-story Ryugyong Hotel - frequently referred to as the "Hotel of Doom" - could come to life after all, as Egyptian company Orascom started working on the project again in 2008.

The structure, designed by Baikdoosan Architects & Engineers, first broke ground in 1987 in Pyongyang, North Korea. It was supposed to open in 1989, two years later after the frame was finished. Work stopped in 1992 after the collapse of the Soviet Union (an ally and backer), and the hotel remained unfinished, looming over the North Korean capital.

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Related: Abandoned Floating McDonalds to Be Given New Life As a Marina in Canada

In 2008, an Egyptian company took over the hotel and began adding exterior glass in the hope of finishing the project. Reports say that the interior has no plumbing or electricity, and it could require another $2 billion to finish. As of late construction on thehotel has stopped again, leaving the fate of the hotel unresolved.

Photos via Wikimedia Commons

from INHABITAT http://ift.tt/2kBkuxn
via Inhabitat