In this year, we have many amazing structures. It is time for us to look back at these structures.
It can be claimed that the design, ideas of these structures couldn’t be easily classified in the standard categories so we devoted this section to them since they are worth all of our attention. Enjoy!
1. The Dragonfly by Vincent Callebaut The designer Vincent Callebaut proposed several interesting projects this year and it was difficult to choose just one of them since all deserve our attention. The Dragonfly is an urban farm proposal for the Roosevelt Island in New York City that brings a landmark in the region while also easing the problems of food mileage and storage in a highly original way.
2. Palazzo Italia by Nemesi & Partners Created for the Milan Expo 2015, this structure is an epitome of eco-friendly design due to the 900 panels of the façade which offer an interesting interplay of lights and shadows inside while also purifying the air nearby and generating the electricity for the whole building.
3. Floating City by AT Design Office The project was initiated by the CCCC construction firm in China as an alternative to the countryside destruction, presenting an ocean metropolis with an area of four square miles that are made of prefabricated hexagonal modules.
4. The Antarctic Port For Tourism and Research by Sergiu-Radu Pop The project was created for the Zaha Hadid Studio at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria and it offers a multi-functional hub in Antarctica with a biomimetic shape that wants to emulate the ice formations of the southern ocean with steel webs so that it integrates were well into the frozen landscape.
5. Vertical Café in the Opus Office Tower by Zaha Hadid The atrium and café of the luxurious hotel in Dubai were created in collaboration with Melia Hotels International, being the first of its kind in the Middle East due to the furniture pieces designed by Zaha Hadid herself for a perfect balance and unity of the overall aesthetic.
6. The Bombay Sapphire’s Laverstoke Millby GWP Architecture and Thomas Heatherwick Located in Hampshire, UK, the project involves the renovation of an abandoned 18
th century paper mill and the new design was made with eco-friendly methods and features allowing it to receive the BREEAM Outstanding Award for industrial design.
7. The Louis Vuitton Foundation Center by Frank Gehry The Foundation Louis Vuitton has its headquarters at the Jardin d’Acclimatation in Paris, France and it features a design created by the famous architect Frank Gehry with a scalloped glass structure that will host a charitable contemporary arts program.
8. The Kezmarske Hut by Atelier 8000 This lodge is in the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia with an autonomous design that ensures a shelter for tourists throughout the year with a rotated cube geometry made with laminated timber beams and a façade with reflective materials incorporating photovoltaic panels.
9. Magic Mountain Lodge Located in the Huilo-Huilo Biological Reserve in the region of Patagonia, Chile, this unusual hotel offers an eco experience with 13 rooms placed in a structure that seems to be built inside a natural mountain with vegetation covering it.
10. New Science Pyramid at the Denver Botanic Garden by Burkett DesignThe mountainous region is emulated by the shape of the project and the hexagonal cement panels of the skin are a reference to the bees of the botanical garden combining all the benefits of eco-friendly design with a contemporary aesthetic.
