Architecture Today

Architecture Today

Architecture Today featuring great design, architecture, fashion, graphics and innovation from across the globe.

 

Concert Hall in Warsaw

Concert Hall in Warsaw is a music school built around a round concert hall. The project adapts decaying existing buildings and extends them, giving the complex a new function and greater usability. The concert hall has a circular plan of 24 metres in diameter and holds 70 musicians and 300 listeners. The last row is only 8 metres from the stage, which keeps the space intimate. Ash wood sails and a milled wooden ceiling shape the sound. Concrete, steel and wood are the main materials. A new public square in front of the school connects the site with the city.

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Bayfront Pavilion

Bayfront Pavilion is a public event space located in Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. The pavilion blends an intricate perforated shell with the surrounding landscape. Its form and panel pattern were defined by environmental simulations and structural optimisation. The primary structure is made of steel, and the inner and outer skins consist of 11,000 unique triangular aluminium panels cut by laser. The shell spans about 50 metres and covers about 2000 square metres. The pavilion offers a shaded and climatically comfortable outdoor space for visitors and hosts community and cultural events.

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Tianjin Zarsion

Tianjin Zarsion is an exhibition center built beside a tributary of the Yongding River in Tianjin, China. The plan uses a water drop shape set diagonally on the site, which lengthens the approach from the city edge to the entrance. Deep eaves and large glass surfaces create a light roof that appears to float. The structure is mainly wood, supplemented by steel, and 68 radial red pine beams form an umbrella-shaped arched frame. Eight interior wooden columns allow a wide column-free hall. A leaf-shaped skylight is sized to keep the interior light soft and quiet.

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Unasur

Unasur is an institutional headquarters building located next to the Mitad del Mundo monument, north of Quito, Ecuador. About 75 percent of the program is placed underground, so the volume stays lower than the nearby monument. A solid reinforced concrete core supports two large metal trusses that form a habitable beam with a cantilever of 56 meters without support. Materials include concrete, steel, rock from an on-site quarry and double glazed dark glass. Water collection, cross ventilation and natural light reduce energy use. Open areas around the building are public.

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Hengqin International Financial Center

Hengqin International Financial Center is a mixed-use tower located on Hengqin CBD Island. The building combines office, conference, exhibition, apartment and retail functions in one whole. Inspired by an ancient Chinese painting known as the Kowloon map, the tower has a continuous spiral form that rises from the ground and splits into four crowns. The height reaches 339 meters, and the typical floor plan measures 44.8 meters in width and depth. Digital modeling and parametric design were used to rationalize the facade panels and control construction cost.

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Vanke Yanming Lake

Xi'an Vanke Yan Ming Lake is a showroom building located in Xi'an, China. The exterior form follows the lines of the nearby mountain and lake. A spiral structure on the second floor creates a viewing platform eighteen meters long. The curved outer walls act as blank surfaces, so light, shadow and nature complete the appearance. The facade combines fiber cement boards with weather-resistant steel plates, which reduce material waste and extend the life of the building. The transition space is open to the public for leisure and rest.

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