Located in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, Solstice on the Park is a twenty-six-story residential tower shaped by the angles of the sun and one of the first Studio Gang projects to explore the idea of solar carving for environmental advantages.
The design cuts into the building’s facade in response to the sun and orients surfaces to the optimum 72-degree angle for Chicago’s latitude, maximizing sunlight in winter for passive solar warming and minimizing light and heat gain during summer to reduce air-conditioning usage.
The structure—which includes 250 dwellings and a green roof—also takes advantage of expansive views of Jackson Park to the south and Chicago’s skyline to the north.
Manchester-based architects and interior designers 74 have created the new 355 sq m ground-floor social and study amenity space within The Toybox, a new-build, 15-storey student accommodation block by architects Corstorphine + Wright, located on Bishopsgate Street in Birmingham. The client and project developer is Moorfield Group, for whom 74 previously completed the multi-award-winning Hox Haus, where a former Victorian gym was expanded and repurposed as a social and study clubhouse for students of Royal Holloway College.
The Toybox is a new glazed, green brick and zinc-clad block in the Westside area of Birmingham, just south-west of the city centre, The interior is comprised of 290 new student apartments, with 74 commissioned to create the dynamic series of communal spaces that make up the ground floor area, including a reception, lounge, study area, gaming area, kitchenette, staff welfare space, toilets and fitness suite.
“San Sa”, formerly named as “The Third Hometown”, refers to a social space created for an introspective group of people who seek a space away from everyday life to recharge the mind, body, and spirit. The project is situated on a 2,000-square-meter unused plot of land, which was originally occupied by a gas station and about forty minutes’ walk from the Mutianyu Great Wall.
The Ourcq canal, steeped in history, is a testimony to a continuous evolution. It has precious historical jewels preserved and highlighted, while it continues to evolve to adapt to the needs of urban life. It is on the banks of this Canal that are located the three buildings belonging to the ZAC Grands Moulin de Pantin built by Emerige and Semip. This site, privileged in several senses, is located along the shore and borders the place where will appear a work of art reminiscent of the old chimney of laundries Elis.
It is on the criteria of an exceptional location and a present industrial heritage that we have guided our approach while being aware of environmental issues. For this we wanted to develop the layout of the buildings around this favorable orientation of the place and allow a maximum of housing to enjoy this advantage and the peaceful view of the canal with an elegant and contemporary architecture.
In a narrow street in Amsterdam’s Weteringbuurt, between former factories, schools, business premises and weavers’ houses, stands a new residential building containing 19 apartments: Simonzs, designed by Ronald Janssen Architecten. Large vertical concrete slabs give the building the solid, imposing look of a structure that has always been here and always will be.
The size of this large residential building on Fokke Simonszstraat harks back to the school and later homeless shelter that previously stood on this spot. The entrance to the residences has been placed at the centre of the complex, enhancing its monumental character. Meanwhile, the 44-metre-long facade has been articulated to harmonise with the adjoining structures. On the top storey, it recedes at several points, continuing the rhythm of the street’s narrow buildings.
The development zone at La Pelousière in Saint Herblain benefits from an excellent location between city and countryside. Nature encompasses the site and our project takes full advantage of its rolling topography and wooded environs.
Location
The approach to the buildings design allows one to perceive both the depth and transparency in the different volumes and to enjoy views out on to the landscape.
The project comprises two buildings: the first is located parallel to the western border of the plot and the second is at right angles to the rue des Marais.
10 DESIGN (10) has created the ultimate in island living for Bluewaters Residences. It is built on a new man-made island off the coast of Jumeirah Beach Residence in Dubai. To maximise this distinctive location, 10 has integrated a series of private landscape gardens elevated above sea level throughout the residential development, offering a unique viewing gallery to the blue azure horizon.
Bluewaters Residences comprises 10 elegant mid-rise buildings providing 698 apartments, 4 penthouses, and 17 townhouses. The development offers a premium lifestyle with residential amenities including state-of-the-art gymnasiums, swimming pools, landscape gardens, basketball courts, and children’s play areas.
In addition to creating an idyllic neighbourhood and community, Dubai-based holding company – Meraas is committed to create an immersive destination for the entire Bluewaters development, offering retail, hospitality, and entertainment experiences. This tourism hotspot is home to Ain Dubai, the world’s largest observation wheel. It is complemented with a shopping paradise, housing unique retail and dining concepts and two world’s leading hotels by Caesars Palace.
Photography: Meraas, Eugene de Villiers, Rafael Vargas, Leslie Pableo
Software used: BIM, Revit and AutoCAD
Client: Meraas
Design Partner: Nick Cordingley
Partner: Chris Jones
Architectural Team: David Emmer, Rita Pang, Javier Perea, Jason Easter, Marco Bonucci, Alexander Li, Inigo Arrotegui, Lukasz Wawrzenczyk, Dan Narita, Alexey Golbraykh, Harris Chu, Kishor Lad, Vincent Fung, Jamie Webb, Kevis Wong, Silan Yip, Yao Yap, Jonathan Van Der Stel, Nick Benner, Janet Tam, Nick Chan, Lynn Kim, Warith Zaki, Jane Yu, Jinjing Yu, Rachel Xia, Colin Ashton, Yao Ma, Liang Wang, George Aguirre, Sean Quinn, Ka Wai Tse, Eugene de Villiers
CGI Team: Peter Alsterholm, Yasser Salomon, Jon Martin, Laura Simonsen, David Guardado
CAÑADA SAN FRANCISCO is a housing complex composed of 14 houses. It is located in Avenida San Francisco # 368, at the Barrio San Francisco neighborhood, in Mexico City.
The main challenge of the project was to accommodate the program in a lot with very complicated characteristics; with only one street facing of 7 meters and through a descent of more than 100 meters in length and 11 meters of unevenness, the area of the houses is reached. These are arranged in 2 different platforms with a slope of approximately 3 meters of height.
Integration, visual balance, and ratio of scale are the hallmarks of this housing project that is rooted in the establishment of a garden and orchard. Cedars, poplars, and Mediterranean plant species form a palette of greenery that is used to add a lively, organic flair to the grounds, as well as the facade.The plot is currently occupied by an old house that is to be demolished along with a handful of out buildings. The stone facades of the buildings that line the street will be conservedand reutilized in the design proposal.The volume of the building exactly matched the property bounds of the eastern and western portions of the site. The parapet along the full levels will have a limited impact when seen from the street, since the existing buildings will be conserved. The project’s limits will be particularly cherished, as the intention was to intervene in the most discrete manner possible in order to maintain the neighborhood’s intimacy. A secret island, hidden behind a planted screen and a stone wall.
The placement of the project contributes to create a new urban network while interrogating the mutation of the large sites left by the ancient industrial activities. To contribute to the new identity of the neighborhood, we proposed a unitary block, aligned on its 4 sides around an open, airy and diversified central garden.
The project is divided into 4 entities: 3 residential buildings and one office building. On the south-east corner, a 27 units building makes the transition with the office building. The apartments are put away from the noise by a thick facade made of loggias. This building is served by a dual-aspect hall connected to the central garden.