Office building 40 Spring Gardens is located at the heart of Manchester’s central business district and forms part of the Aviva Manchester Hub, a group of five linked city centre properties developed by Aviva Investors. SpaceInvader was part of the team tasked with transforming these properties over recent years, ensuring they offer tenants the very best in contemporary design and workplace thinking. The newly-completed 40 Spring Gardens refurbishment follows previous collaborations between SpaceInvader and Aviva at 201 Deansgate and 11 York Street.
Project Title: 40 Spring Gardens Company: SpaceInvader Location: Manchester Status: Completed 2023 Sector: Commercial Client: Aviva Investors (more…)
1001 Water Street, serves as a welcoming community hub to the new neighborhood, connecting its occupants with nature to support the health and well-being of tenants and the wider community. COOKFOX drew inspiration from the native ecology of Florida and its architectural vernacular to inform the massing, organization and detailing of the building. The rigorous modern grid of the building exterior is punctured by a series of deep verandas on each corner of the tower to provide access to outdoor terrace gardens from nearly every office floor.
Designed by EskewDumezRipple in collaboration with Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio (RJTR), this 416,500-square-foot high-rise research building features an expressive two-tower massing (one at 14 stories and one at 18 stories).
The complex will serve as Phase 3 of Georgia Tech’s ambitious expansion in midtown Atlanta, known as Technology Square. The project, and its mission to empower Georgia Tech students, faculty, and stakeholders to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition, seeks to benefit from the proximity to and interaction with nearby startups, researchers, labs, corporate innovators, and venture capitalists in this vibrant intellectual environment.
Project Team
Jack Sawyer – Principal-in-Charge, Project Manager
Steve Dumez – Principal, Design Director
Z Smith – Principal, Sustainability Director
Nathan Petty – Project Manager
William Netter – Project Architect
Kristin Henry – Project Interior Designer
Staff: Daniel Ruff, Phoenix Montague, Sheena Garcia
Architecture and Interior Design: EskewDumezRipple
Architect of Record: Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio
Contractor: Turner Construction Company
Civil Engineer: Kimley-Horn
Structural Engineer: Uzun + Case
MEP Engineer: Newcomb & Boyd
Electrical Engineer:
Geotechnical Engineer: NOVA
Landscape: Design Workshop
Lighting: Clanton & Associates
Acoustical Engineer: Newcomb & Boyd
Theatrical/AV: Newcomb & Boyd
Building Envelope: Williamson & Associates
Energy Modeling Consultant: Point Energy Innovations
Designed to seamlessly blend business and leisure, luxury and lifestyle, One Za’abeel is the new mixed-use complex of Ithra Dubai LLC and covers an area of 530,000 sqm. Located in the heart of the city and close to the International Financial Centre, it is designed by Nikken Sekkei, a prestigious Japanese architecture, engineering and urban planning studio.
Architect: Nikken Sekkei
Design: Fiandre Architectural Surfaces
Project: One Za’abeel complex
Location: Dubai , UAE
Property Owner: Ithra Dubai LLC
Chief Architect and Consultant: Stefan Krummeck
GFA: 530,000 sqm.
Photo: One Za’abeel, photo courtesy of Fiandre Architectural Surfaces
Parramatta city is located on the west side of Sydney, being part of the Great Sydney
as an important business district.
The site forms part of the three-hectare Parramatta Square redevelopment precinctlocated at the core of the Parramatta Central Business District. Development nearthe site is primarily commercial with a lot of offices, and retail. Development to thenorth comprises of a range of two and three storey commercial buildings. To the east is located the recently constructed Western Sydney University Campus. And to the south-east is the Sydney Water building, which is a high-rise commercial office tower.
TECHNICAL FACTS :
Project : «phive» civic center in parramatta (australia)
Program : the building house a library, a discovery and exhibition centre, the council chambers, meeting rooms, a café and outdoor terrace spaces.
Client: Parramatta City Council
Design lead architect: Manuelle Gautrand Architecture (PARIS)
Associated Australian Architects: design inc (sydney) lacoste & stevenson (sydney)
The Norodom Business Tower is a mixed-use tower located in Phnom Penh City, Cambodia. The project is designed to be a Grade-A office with a 5-star hotel, offering more than 10,000 sq m of office space and 226 keys for the hotel, with amenities like function areas, restaurants, a rooftop bar, a rooftop pool, a gym, and a spa.
Project: Norodom Business Tower Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Client: TP Moral Construction & Development Co., Ltd.
Architects: Javier Pérez‐alcalde Schwartz Fernando Aguarta García Surveyor: JOSÉ FLOREAL MARTÍNEZ Studio: equipo olivares arquitectos Project title: Vivienda unifamiliar aislada Casa NaCAr Developer: Fernando Grassa & Carolina Tabares Completion year: 2023 Built surface: 271,31 m² Project location: C/LIRIO nº5 el Médano City: Santa Cruz De Tenerife
Located in an interior plot with limited views, the NaCAr house is a holidayhome that emerges from its surroundings in the town of El Médano. Well‐known as acenter of windsurfing and kiteboarding, the area is visited by very strong winds.Therefore, the project seeks to harness the unique weather characteristics of thesouth of Tenerife while minimizing some of its uncomfortable traits. Structured as asimple volume, the house is surrounded by a series of patios that are designed toencourage outdoor life, while offering shelter from the prevailing winds. Theproperty’s features adapt to the region and include a sink section near the entrance toclear bathing gear, a small swimming pool to cool in, a shaded exterior dining area, anda spacious grill and countertop.
Designed as extensions of the built interior, these open spaces are protected by walls and lattices that add coolness and constitute an architectural principle of outdoor living and leisure. The lattices are inspired by the brick openwork of local agriculture, while the wicker shades evoke traditional basketmaking.
A coat of EIFS (Exterior Insulation Finishing System) lines the entire house, including walls and roofs. Combined with the smoothness of aluminum composite panels, this coat creates an elementary geometry that is traversed by air, light, and shade lines. Other materials include broken and slightly tainted concrete areas that allude to tufa limestone, clean woodwork and white formica finishes. The bamboo paving in the upper floor is a required feature that provides a counterpoint of warmth to this coastal home.
Spanish Text. equipo olivares
English Translation. F.J. Hdez Adrián
Project: Wyndham Soleil Da Nang Location: Da Nang, Vietnam
Client: PPC An Thinh Vietnam Investment and Infrastructure Development JSC Design
Architect: Aedas
GFA:340,000 sq m
Completion Year: 2023
Wyndham Soleil Da Nang is a mixed-use development with a Gross Floor Area of 340,000 sq m located in Da Nang, Vietnam. The development is situated beside Bai Tam Pham Beach and offers an unobstructed picturesque sea view.
An iconic Beacon by the Sea
Strategically located adjacent to the arterial road of Vo Ngyuen Giap and Pham Van Dong, the project site enjoys good accessibility, being 6 km from the Da Nang city centre and having an approximate 20-minute travel ti me to Da Nang Airport.
Site Plan
View of Wyndham Soleil Da Nang by the shore Podium from street level
The Masterplan includes 3 residential towers and 1 hotel tower in an iconic design within a lush resort-style podium roof garden. The outdoor green area accommodates many amenities such as bridge clubhouses, lounges, swimming pools, gym, and children’s playgrounds, all seamlessly integrated with the overall design. A rooftop F&B with infinity pools complete the 4 towers, creating iconic beacons by the sea.
Retail podium of wyndham Soleil Da Nang
The tower design adopts an organic approach, replacing straight lines with curves and bends reminiscent of a living creature residing seaside – the undulating fac;:ade echoes the form of sea coral. The dynamic fac;:ade elements not only aim to create an iconic beacon along the East Vietnam Sea but also allow for the incorporation of outdoor living rooms and loggias, creating a seamless and immersive living experience by the sea. Sky-bridges are designed at intermediate levels linking one residential tower to another, appointed with residential facilities, and providing vantage points for residents to enjoy the magnificent sea view of Da Nang.
Aerial view of Wyndham Soleil Da Nang
The North and South elevations of the residential towers feature pre-finished aluminium decorative fac;:ade louvre shutter systems, providing functional shade for residents. When opened in various degrees, the aluminium shutters create a lively fac;:ade through its intricate interplay with sunlight that changes throughout the day.
About Aedas
Aedas is the world’s only local and global architecture and design practice driven by global sharing of research, local knowledge and international practice. Our 1,100 creative minds with design studios across the globe create world-class design solutions with deep social and cultural understanding of the communities we design for. We create world-class design solutions that are tailored to the needs of cities and communities around the world.
What is the essence of portrait photography?
This has been a constant pondering for Dingji Photography over the past eleven years. With a focus on excellence and a pursuit of the highest standards, Dingji has established seven distinct professional portrait photography institutions in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou. Now, Dingji presents a new concept for its eighth establishment: a non-profit, dedicated space solely for exploring the art of portraiture.
“After hearing this concept from the founder of Dingji, as someone who has visited numerous art spaces, I was immediately moved. In a time filled with competition and uncertainty due to the pandemic (during the planning phase), Dingji persists in stubbornly ‘discussing art’—a practice that seems detached from commercial interests yet truly elevates the production of portrait photography to its utmost perfection. This is commendable,” expressed Luo Zhenhua from WIT Design.
However, the average customer expenditure is five to ten times higher than that of Dingji’s regular stores, and yet it continues to be widely loved.
01 Space
“The Portrait Steward in the Era of Cloud Computing”
However, is art really so distant from us?
It is well known that many of our country’s products have hardware that is on par with top Western brands, yet there is still a gap in terms of pricing. Perhaps what is lacking is a thorough understanding of art and design.
Speaking of portrait photography, during the years of my interaction with Dingji, I have never for a moment considered it to be just an ordinary photo studio. Dingji’s artistry is far from being exclusive to a select few. It has consistently and silently provided a photography service that withstands scrutiny, constantly pushing the boundaries of portrait art to its utmost perfection.
Within the exhibition hall’s corridors, a scene of mechanical aesthetics unfolds. It seems as if, in the fraction of a second captured by the mechanical shutter sound, guests are frozen and captured, while being processed and uploaded in real-time. Dingji’s artistic output is not akin to the portrait oil paintings of the 16th-century Renaissance, nor the slow development of images by cameras in the 19th century. Instead, it exists within a futuristic realm of silver and metallic textures, where capturing, storing, and online management are unrestricted by technology—never fading, never lost.
This eighth establishment, the Huanya Art Space, offers customers a glimpse into the future—a scenario where, in the era of cloud data, they not only serve as photographers for the guests but also act as their portrait stewards.
As the artistic portrait stewards, Dingji also provides large-scale interactive installations within the exhibition hall, showcasing the power of their advanced backend technologies.
If there were a “Heavenly Photo Studio,” it would most likely be curved in design.
The exhibition hall is curved in design—Architect Antoni Gaudí once said, “Straight lines belong to man, while curved lines belong to God.”
The exhibition hall will host regular photography exhibitions, with the aim of fostering the self-evolution of Dingji through the showcased works. Additionally, the art corridor is divided into sections by the shape of mechanical shutters, with each section documenting a story and scene captured by Dingji’s photography.
02 Value
Brand’s Autonomous Transformation
Portrait Consultant + Art Exploration + Homage to Future Imaging
Returning to the commercial space itself, after the pandemic, the project has gained a significant number of customers, achieving an average customer expenditure that is 5-10 times higher than that of its regular stores. This transformation has brought about a qualitative change in both the business and brand dimensions.
This is a contemporary imaging space that observes and explores the future, reaching people through intuitive design and receiving positive responses. Portrait photography is a combination of a portrait consultant, art exploration, and homage to future imaging within a service-oriented system.
03 Nature
“There was a touching story about a Dingji staff member that really moved me: A customer wanted to have their portrait taken during sunrise. When the customer arrived at the outdoor shooting location promptly at 6 a.m., the enthusiastic Dingji business team offered them tea, and the makeup team had already prepared all the necessary facilities outdoors. The photography team’s instructor, equipment, devices, and lighting were all perfectly set up in advance. The customer’s experience was further enhanced as they melted into the moment, accompanied by the warm rays of the rising sun.”
Returning to the commercial space itself, the project has consistently attracted a significant number of customers after the pandemic.
At that moment, it wasn’t just a groggy independent photographer welcoming the guests, but rather an entire professional business team working together systematically to pursue artistic outcomes. In the end, a series of personalized, custom-made artistic portraits with a sense of contemporary tension are produced.
Designed by Marina Miot, a Brazilian architect from Rio Grande do Sul, the restoration project of an original industrial pavilion from the 1940s in the city of Caxias do Sul was conceived to house Wentz’s new headquarters.
The pre-existing architecture was preserved and the building’s original walls and frontages maintained. In the internal space, large white volumes and glass walls were created for better division, fluidity and full use of natural light, crossing the limits between external and internal, reducing excesses and connecting the space to the contemporary essence of the brand – silent, natural, simple and casual.