Tampa skyline, after. Image Courtesy of Water Street Tampa
Developer Strategic Property Partners has announced plans for a new $3 billion 50-acre mixed-use neighborhood in Tampa, Florida. To be known as Water Street Tampa, the multi-phase project will create 9 million square feet of commercial, residential, educational, cultural and entertainment space on a site currently underused and occupied by highways and surface parking.
To carry out this vision, Water Street Tampa has enlisted several top firms to design the neighborhood’s new buildings, including:
CookFox Architects – Two buildings; office and residential over retail
Morris Adjmi Architects – Three buildings; 157-key 5-star hotel, luxury condominiums, apartments and retail
Olson Kundig – One building; office over retail
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) – Two buildings; condominiums and apartments over grocery store and retail
Gensler – Two buildings; office over retail
Alfonso Architects – Redevelopment vision for Channelside; residential and waterfront retail, and a new public park on the Riverwalk
Nichols Brosch Wurst Wolfe & Associates (NBWW) – One building; 500-key 4-star hotel over
Pickard Chilton – Three buildings; office and residential over retail
Baker Barrios – One building; central cooling facility and infrastructure
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Courtesy of Water Street Tampa
In addition, construction on the nearby University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute, designed by HOK, is set to begin this Fall.
Water Street Tampa will be carried out in phases over a 10-year period. The first phase, slated to be completed by 2020, will feature 11 projects containing 4 million square feet of mixed-use space. Phase two is scheduled for completion in 2023, with the final phase wrapping up in 2027.
Courtesy of Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy
Designs have been revealed of the latest, and most central soccer stadium being constructed for the 2022 World Cup tournament in Qatar. Designed by Qatari architect Ibrahim M Jaidah and design consultantHeerim, the Al Thumama Stadium will feature a woven-pattern exterior skin inspired by the traditional ‘gahfiya’ cap worn by Arab men.
Located six kilometers south of downtown Doha, the stadium will be used from from the group stages to the quarterfinals, seating up to 40,000 spectators. Following the event, it will be transformed into a “legacy mode” containing 20,000 seats and featuring a sports clinic and boutique hotel in the upper stands. While the World Cup will be pushed back from its usual summer date until November, special cooling systems will be installed to allow the stadium to be used year-round.
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Courtesy of Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy
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Courtesy of Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy
“Al Thumama Stadium is a nod to the past, while offering an exciting glimpse into Qatar’s tomorrow. In Arab culture, the gahfiya forms an important part of every young boy’s pathway to adulthood,” explains the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, the organization charged with managing the construction of infrastructure required for the World Cup. “It is an arena that symbolises Qatar’s youth, the country’s emergence as a major player on the global sporting scene and the shared Arab heritage that inspired its creation.”
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Courtesy of Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy
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Courtesy of Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy
Mecanoo has been selected to design the renovation of the historically landmarked Perth City Hall inScotland, transforming the building into a new cultural facility through a series of sensitive interventions and a reimagined space flow. Envisioned as a new gateway to Perth, the scheme will pull from the city’s history and culture to create a place that is accessible to all.
“Mecanoo stood out as having responded sensitively to the brief, conserving much of the historic building with an innovative and flexible design that will stand the test of time,” said Councillor Ian Campbell, Leader of the Perth & Kinross Council. “The panel felt that Mecanoo paid particular attention to the needs of a wide range of visitors and the transformation of the area surrounding City Hall into a vibrant, inclusive civic space of which we can be truly proud.”
The design adds large glazed surfaces to all four elevations and levels the surface surrounding the building to increase transparency and welcome in passers-by. Inside, visitors can navigate between exhibition spaces, a learning center, cafe and retail store, located around the signature barrel vaulted main hall. Within the main hall itself, a central volume has been inserted to exhibit Perth & Kinross Council’s permanent and temporary collections.
Outside, a new seating area will rejuvenate the public space between city hall and the adjacent St John’s Kirk, while a strategic lighting scheme will connect the building back into the urban fabric.
“We’re delighted to have been appointed for this prestigious project,” Francine Houben, Founding Architect and Creative Director of Mecanoo. “We look forward to working together with the local community and Perth and Kinross Council to create an exciting new cultural destination for Perth.”
The project includes several collective housing units and multifunctional service spaces. The location could not be more generic – on the side of a national road in Vale de Cambra, Portugal, where the urban mesh is absolutely scattered and with no clear alignments. The demands of the client were clear and defined from the outset: the construction would have to be fast, economical, and modifiable over time, depending on the different needs that might arise. The content of this order led the studio to use prefabricated elements and leave portions of the project undefined.
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Cortesia de SUMMARY
In the words of Alejandro Aravena, “SUMMARY’s set of prefabricated elements can balance the logics of prefabricated infrastructure and architecture as a support.” This project is another practical example of this architectural approach, assuming the speed of construction, flexibility, and optimization of resources as central themes.
The defined design strategy is quite simple: 2 different programs are placed on 2 different floors. The ground floor is occupied with multifunctional service spaces, in direct contact with the public road. The upper floor is for the housing units. Independent access is created for each of these programs taking into account the different uses placed at different levels, taking advantage of the natural slope of the ground.
The ground floor consists of prefabricated structural panels throughout its perimeter. Considering the location of the building (on the side of a national road where everything happens fast!) And the requirements of the order, the multifunction service spaces are designed in an absolutely flexible way: the interior compartmentation is made through removable panels that contain interior gutters to pass water and electricity infrastructures. This allows for future adjustments and modifications of the space: it is possible to add or remove compartments or to make the entire floor function as a large open space. Users will make their own space, according to their needs.
The upper floor is integrally composed of modules of the Gomos System. Considering that the maximum area to be legally allowed was very limited, the empty space required is used as a separator of the various housing units. Conceived and licensed as a collective housing project, with these separations the project incorporates the main advantages of individualized housing: clearly individualized entrances and a complete acoustic separation between the different units.
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Upper Level Floor Plan
The work of Vale de Cambra has already started and will be completed by the end of 2017.
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Cortesia de SUMMARY
Technical Information
Architect: SUMMARY Engineering: FTS, Technical Solutions Prefabrication and Assembly: Farcimar, Solutions in Prefabricated Concrete Category: Services / Collective Housing Status: Under Construction Year: 2017 Size: 970 m2 Predominant Material: Reinforced Concrete Location: Vale de Cambra, Portugal
*Curator’s Rationale, sobre a instalação SUMMARY (INFRASTRUCTURE-STRUCTURE-ARCHITECTURE) na Bienal de Arquitetura de Veneza 2016 “Reporting from the Front”.
A rendering of the Dubai Creek Tower at the center of the upcoming harbour complex.
Building within the 2.3 square-mile Dubai Creek Harbour complex, Emaar is looking to eclipse its most famous creation the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest structure since 2010. To do so has required laying 236ft deep foundation piles—a world record—set to be capped with 1.59 million cubic feet of concrete. When completed, the 3,045ft tower will best the Burj by a massive 322ft.— CNN
The Emaar Properties and Dubai Holdings joint venture is inspired by the lily flower and mosque minarets, say its developers, and will feature a 68-mile array of supporting cables. Swiss-Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava has designed a 360-degree observation deck and a capacious Hanging Gardens of Babylon-style floor into the structure, with views over the nearby Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary.
With the new tower, the developer is looking to beat the record height of its most famous creation the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest structure since 2010, by 322 feet. Located within the 2.3 square-mile Dubai Creek Harbor complex, the Dubai Creek Tower required the deepest foundation piles ever made—set to be capped with 1.59 million cubic feet of concrete.
Image courtesy of Emaar Properties
An image from Emaar Properties dated August 13 shows workers constructing the pile cap frame on to which 1.59 million cubic feet of concrete will be poured.
Six teams have been shortlisted in a competition to restore and renovate the historic Clandon Park mansion in the county of Surrey, England, after the National Park property received heavy damage from a fire in 2015.
Organized by Malcolm Reading Consultants, the competition tasked teams with restoring and updating the interiors of the 18th-century Palladian house, as well as designing new flexible event spaces and visitor facilities within the existing building footprint.
Rather than scrub away the effects of the fire, the brief recommended incorporating the remnants and salvaged materials into the new design, responding to extensive research documenting the fire as part of the structure’s complex history. Historic interior spaces including the Marble Hall, Saloon, Library and Speakers’ Parlour, State Bedroom and the vaulted historic kitchen, will be restored in full, while the event and visitor experience program pieces will occupy modernized spaces.
“It’s exciting to be at this stage in the design competition, when we can see the thought processes and ideas from the six shortlisted teams come to life,” commented Paul Cook, Project Director at Clandon Park. “Whilst the concepts are not final designs for Clandon, they take us a step closer to choosing a team who will help us restore and rebuild this grand place.”
The full shortlist includes:
AL_A and Giles Quarme & Associates with Arup and GROSS.MAX
Judged by a jury of heritage, architectural and local experts, the winning team will be announced later this Fall. That team will then continue to work with the National Trust to develop final designs. A complete plan is expected to be revealed in 2018, with construction slated to begin in 2019.
Learn more about the project and the public display of the shortlisted proposals, here.
It’s rare that underused structures in Los Angeles get a second chance at life, with most developers opting for the wrecking ball instead of an innovative redesign. In the case of an underused public terrace at the Max Factor Building at Cedars Sinai, Ball-Nogues Studio (who spoke to Archinect about this design at the Arroyo Seco Festival) has transformed the space into a destination spot with their signature blend of eye-catching aesthetics and nuanced materialism in the form of the “Healing Pavilion.”
Ball-Nogues Studio has been playfully enhancing Los Angeles for over a decade with a variety of engrossing, yet contextually appropriate, installations. There’s the pendulous group of steel balls called “Cradle” that’s suspended from the revamped mall on Santa Monica’s 3rd Street Promenade, or “Corner Glory,” a vibrant conceptual halo of mirror polished stainless steel and spikes on an apartment building on Santa Monica Bouelvard and La Brea Avenue. Regardless of its locale, each Ball-Nogues installation manages to visually enliven its surroundings without overwhelming them.
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Healing Pavilion. Image: Sibylle Allgaeir
The Studio’s installation at Cedars Sinai, known as the “Healing Pavilion,” works both to draw attention to the space while distracting visitors from thoughts of illness. In this way, it functions as an ingenious take on public space; although visitors can inhabit the structure alone, the idea is not to privatize the experience of dealing with difficult times, but rather to transform them into something of shared aesthetic worth and value.
When asked if the studio was excited by the idea by taking an underused public space and transforming it into a vibrant and creative site, Benjamin Ball said, “We were definitely excited about the prospect of helping to transform the space and while it was indeed underutilized and an opportunity waiting to be fulfilled, we were primarily drawn to the project by the prospect of making a place for that contributes, in its own small way, to the process of healing. This was a new framework to put around our process and, consequently, it changed how we saw the work. In collaborating with AHBE and the client we were working together to make a place that can, if only for a moment, take one’s mind away from the stress that accompanies illness.”
Cradle. Image: Monica Nouwens
The structure is composed of 352 two-inch diameter mild steel tubes that, according to the architects, “has no hierarchy in a traditional sense. There are no extraneous elements.” The tubes were bent using Ball-Nogues specially calibrated rolling system, which is controlled by a computer. The installation process for the work was also a study in creative logistics. As the architects explain, “Flanked by hospital towers on three sides, the sensitive location demanded that no field welding or finishing could occur on-site. The project had to be completed within seven months, installed in a single day, require no routine maintenance, and meet seismic, wind load, and ADA requirements. In order to address ventilation and noise concerns, the Pavilion was fabricated and finished in its entirety offsite. Overall dimensions of the form were kept within the size specifications needed to qualify as an oversize load for transport. The piece was driven as a singular object via flat bed truck over city streets to the site and then craned into place.”
The resulting structure constantly reacts to its environment
By virute of its numerous tubes, overlapping segments, and overall shape that appears narrow from one vantage point and thick and bulky from another, the resulting structure constantly reacts to its environment. During the day, elaborate networks of shadows form on the sidewalks, while at night the light from illuminated benches and walkways interacts with the steel to produce fascinating, quasi-illusory forms. It’s a perfect setting to inspire the imagination of an exhausted loved one who needs rejuvenation after a grueling day of dealing with illness.
In concert with ABHE Landscape Architects, who added a series of gardens to the redesigned terrace, Ball-Nogues’ work on “Healing Pavilion” has revived this exterior section of the hospital, creating not only a dazzling distraction, but a likely new landmark.
Construction has begun on Penn Station’s fast-tracked Moynihan Train Hall project has begun, announced New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo in a press conference.
Located within the existing James A. Farley Building (across from the existing Penn Station entrance), the new 255,000-square-foot Train Hall will serve as a new concourse for Amtrak and Long Island Railroad passengers, while an additional 700,000-square-feet will be dedicated to commercial, retail and dining spaces.
“For decades, passengers were promised a world-class train hall worthy of New York – today, we are delivering on that promise and turning that dream into a reality,” said Governor Cuomo. “We are transforming the Farley Post Office into a state-of-the-art transit hub to get travelers where they need to go faster and more comfortably. With better access to trains and subways, vibrant retail and business opportunities and stunning architectural design, we are bringing Penn Station into the 21st century.”
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Courtesy of New York State Governor’s Office
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Courtesy of New York State Governor’s Office
Designed by SOM, the renovation will feature a new 92-foot-tall skylight located within the center of the Beaux Arts building (designed by McKim, Mead and White). The train hall will service nine platforms with 17 tracks. New renderings released with the announcement show the connection between the above- and below-ground areas, as well as a look how the building will look from the street.
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Courtesy of New York State Governor’s Office
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Courtesy of New York State Governor’s Office
While demolition and preparatory work on the project began in September of last year, construction will now begin full speed ahead on the $1.6 billion project, with a completion date targeted for 2020.
Melbourne, Australia, for the seventh year in a row was named the world’s most livable city by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Photo by Andrey Bayda/Shutterstock. By Allen Cone
Aug. 16 (UPI) — Melbourne, Australia, was named the world’s most livable city for the seventh year in a row, according to a new report.
Melbourne scored an overall rating of 97.5 out of 100 on the livability index this year, edging by 0.1 the Austria’s capital Vienna for the top spot.
The group next ranked three Canadian cities: No. 3 Vancouver, No. 4 Toronto and No. 5 Calgary in a tie with Australia’s Adelaide.
The top five positions were the same as last year.
Rounding out the top 10 were No. 7 Perth in Australia, No. 8 Auckland in New Zealand, No. 9 Helsinki, in Finland and No. 10 Hamburg in Germany.
The highest-ranking U.S. city was Honolulu in 17th, beating out Washington, D.C. (30) and Boston (34).
According to the 2017 report, cities that score best “tend to be mid-sized cities in wealthier countries with a relatively low population density. These can foster a range of recreational activities without leading to high crime levels or overburdened infrastructure.”
The average livability score worldwide fell from 76.1 percent in 2007 to 74.8 percent this year because of economic and political risks, the report said.
“European cities have been dealing with the aftermath of terrorist attacks, increased unease towards Brexit, and there is still a degree of unease towardsmigrant crisis,” Stefano Scuratti, EIU consulting principal, told CNBC.
Two cities with high-profile terrorist attacked that dropped were Manchester in Britain to 51 and Stockholm, Sweden, to 26.
Sydney, Australia, dropped from seventh to 10th amid growing concerns over possible terror attacks.”
Iceland’s Reykjavik moved up from 50 to 37 from a rise in tourism as well as redevelopment. Amsterdam, which has had declining crime rates in recent years, moved up to 18th.
“Many of the challenges to livability have not gone away, terror attacks have continued and geopolitical posturing has created further international uncertainty,” Jon Copestake, editor of the survey, said to CNN. “Perhaps a turning point has been reached but livability levels remain low by historical standards.”
Melbourne, which broke Vancouver’s record of being No. 1 for six years, scored a perfect 100 in healthcare, education and infrastructure, and 95.1 for culture and environment and 95 for stability.
“The world record is an amazing feat that all Melburnians should be extremely proud of today,” Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said to theHerald Sun. “The EIU measures factors that make cities great places to live and again we achieved outstanding results in the areas of stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.”
Doyle said every city in the world has problems.
“That doesn’t mean we are a perfect city by any means … I would hope that a city like ours would keep a focus on those who are most vulnerable, those who are worried about housing affordability, young people trying to get into education or a job, those who are vulnerable and homeless,” he said.
The world’s least livable cities were the Syrian capital Damascus in last place followed by Lagos in Nigeria, Tripoli in Libya and the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.
Archy Naija 