concrete proudly presents the opening of its latest hotel project, Andaz Munich in Schwabing. Like a kaleidoscope, the Andaz hotel reflects the culture and tradition of the neighbourhood, creating a stimulating and inspiring atmosphere where guests and locals can feel at home.
Weaving state-of-the-art technology and old traditions into the interior, reflecting what makes Munich unique, forming a sense of tension that can be found throughout the hotel design. The ceiling structure illustrates this contrast via a literally interwoven network of rough wood and high-gloss anodised metal. The connecting axis between the different areas which brings all functions together in a single hybrid space ('we share') is a lively place to meet and mingle.
The many facets of Bavarian culture run like a leitmotif through the design. This is reflected from the largest scale to the smallest details; for example, the diamond shape (the Bavarian flag) is placed over the whole layout like a matrix, while details like deer horn buttons on the cushions remind of Bavarian fashion. Many icons associated with the city of Munich have been reinterpreted or abstracted as small highlights drizzled throughout the hotel, while traditional materials have been given a modern interpretation via a contemporary design language, including the “golden pretzel”.
Article source: Cogitoimage International Co., Ltd
In 2016, Edward Wilson, known as the Father of Biodiversity, proposed an initiative that called for humans to return half of the earth's surface to nature and thereby preserve the biodiversity of our planet and the world’s species including humans, so it will not lead to extinction. Edward's “Half-Earth” concept has two main points. On the one hand, we should be aware that human beings are not the only masters and inhabitants of the earth. On the other hand, we need to think about how to reserve more spaces for other inhabitants of the earth, i.e. flora and fauna in the ecosystem.
The new Opera House is an important part of a new urban c for Shanghai that aims to place the city at the forefront of the globe, economically, scientifically, and culturally. The Opera House is expected to become one of the major cultural landmarks of Shanghai – the country’s 13th Five-Year Plan names it as the most important initiative to strengthen Shanghai’s cultural and global influence.
“The Shanghai Grand Opera House is a natural progression of our previous work with designing performing arts centers,” says Snøhetta Founder Kjetil Trædal Thorsen. “It is a culmination of the competence and insight gained through projects such as the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, the Busan Opera House in South Korea, the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts in Canada, and the Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers renovation in Paris. The Shanghai Grand Opera House is a product of our contextual understanding and values, designed to promote public ownership of the building for the people of Shanghai and beyond”.
The Bentway is transforming a 1.75km space under Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway into a vibrant public place where visitors can experience a diverse mix of activities and programs. The initial phase – from Strachan Avenue to Bathurst Street – reinvigorates the area beneath the expressway into a vital artery for pedestrians and cyclists, stitching together seven neighbourhoods, expanding access to key areas such as the Fort York National Historic Site, and creating a new gathering place for Toronto’s growing population. The multifunctional space is an expression of Toronto’s unique creative energy and serves as an example of how the re-use of infrastructure can support new forms of public life.
Photography: Nic Lehoux, Andrew Williamson, Nicole Pacampara, Denise Militzer, Nicola Betts
Client and Management Team: The Bentway Conservancy in partnership with the City of Toronto and Waterfront Toronto, enabled by Judy and Wilmot Matthews Foundation with Ken Greenberg
Located in the new district of Tongzhou in Beijing, this project is the first step of a large industrial conversion into office and business park. The old factories, property of the Beijing Printing Company in the past now empty, occupy an area of 40,000 sqm. The new master plan includes not only office spaces but also restaurants, cafes, auditorium, outdoor events space among other services.
The Assembly Hall is a former industrial hall, located on an old industrial site in Valby, which has now been transformed into the lively district of Valby Maskinfabrik. C.F. Møller handled the transformation of Montagehallen (the Assembly Hall), where the original industrial expression has been preserved, while filling the interior with modern commercial premises and homes, and also an event and community building.
As for this project, the client have requested us to come up with a design that would turn this space to be more than just a normal “Café”. This place shall be more flexible and capable to hold many functions such as, a corporate meeting point, a chillax place, a place for an exhibition event where people come and exchanging their knowledge.
Moreover, it could become a destination for someone who would wish to restore their health and mind with freshly cooked food that is originated from the café’s own recipe.
The restoration and modernization of Hungarian swimming pools, as well as expanding the existing pool facilities is a long-standing demand of athletes and the part of the general public devoted to swimming. Due to economic and reasonable considerations, the investments took place simultaneously with the developments tied to the 2017 FINA world championship in Budapest.
The Hungarian capital city of Budapest originally won the right to host the 2021 FINA World Aquatics Championships in 2013, yet the previously designated site of the world championship, Guadalajara, Mexico unexpectedly withdrew from hosting the event in March 2015. At the time, Budapest and the Hungarian government accepted the undertaking of hosting the event four years earlier, in 2017. Therefore, whilst previous bidders had six to eight year for the preparations, Hungary had a total of two years to prepare for the world championship, construct the arena for the competitions and complete the related investments.
The market place, besides the city hall and the church, has always been the most important part of the center of the 4th district. However, from the 1970s on, the introverted late-modern market buildings and their service area occupied the public space of St. Stephen Square. The purpose of the current transformation is to give this space back to pedestrians and events by the forthcoming demolition of obsolete buildings, while the market is renewed within up-to-date frames.
CORE spearheaded a full historic building renovation and expansion for Arizona State University in Washington, DC. The 8-story, 32,000 SF building enables the university to consolidate its DC office, teaching, and event spaces.
The historic structure at 1800 Eye Street NW, which Arizona State University chose as its new home, was purportedly the first concrete and masonry residential building in DC. A major goal of the redevelopment was to maximize the building’s footprint, which posed several significant challenges. Large, bearing-masonry chimneys, that could not be removed without major structural work, took up valuable interior square footage, while a back courtyard further reduced the usable space on the small lot. The lower floors were at split-levels from the exterior sidewalk grade, impeding building accessibility. With approval by the Board of Zoning Adjustments to increase the FAR, the courtyard was in-filled for 100 percent lot use. By underpinning and excavating a new basement, the expanded design added roughly 3,600 SF of new space, allowing for necessary building utility and storage spaces. The ground floor was reconstructed to level with the sidewalk grade, while the remaining FAR square footage was used as a new story on the roof.