Modern castle

Medieval city in the Landscape

The Eurpan 10 winner for Augustenborg in Denmark is a way of bringing old memories of a people -the collective subconsciousness- into use in modern architecture.
Deve Architects show how with its rich medieval history and beautiful natural fjord landscape, Augustenborg has the potential to play an important role in the further growth and development of Als, also by the use of new energy forms; kinetic plates generating energy, ground-source heat pumps, wind turbines and biogas.

Environmental Plans
The two sides of the fjord utilize their contrasting natures to harvest energy in complimentary ways, and the embankment acts as a conduit for the transfer of energy between them. On the marina side, the open landscape is farmed for energy using ground source heat pumps, windmills, and biogas. The urban side uses the roofscapes to harvest solar energy and kinetic plates in the parking area to generate energy.

By preserving some of the existing industrial structures, and infusing them with some of the cultural relevance of a castle, it is possible to create a vibrant new extension of the city. Historic Augustenborg Palace initially dictated the shape and growth of Augustenborg, but now a Modern Castle is required to establish a true city center in Augustenborg that can serve the entire region’s cultural and technological needs. The new city center will seize the waterfront from industry and provide more intimate moments of interaction for all people within the natural environment.

more> Europan

//aitoa

Urban sport

Snowboarding in the Senate Square in Helsinki

This picture of snowboarder Heikki Sorsa taken in the centre of Helsinki is so nice we have to show it:

more> Helsingin Sanomat

Self-sustaining communities in China

Micro-communities

War and conflict often bring about the destruction of architecture, however these forces can also result in new constructions that define a cultural identity and place.Stressed by China’s growing population, the Hakkapeople have been confronted with armed warfare for local resources since the 17th century. To remedy their situation the Hakka began building massive structures that could not only stave off intruders, but would also form amazing self-sustaining micro-communities complete with food storage, space for livestock, living quarters, temples, armories and more.

more>www.inhabitat.com

Generate – from algorithm to structure

Interesting seminar coming up in Oulu

…Scripts are made out of series of written commands which can be programmed to solve complex geometric problems. Scripts can also be used to generate new, unexpected outcomes as they have the ability to evaluate, process and build on the given commands…

Generate seminar on the 30th of October 2009 in Oulu, Finland.

Seminar website> www.generate.fi

New windturbine to the neighbours´liking

Windturbine that silences NIMBYs

Rooftop solar panels are unlikely to elicit complaints from neighbors–they’re silent and relatively unobtrusive. But loud rooftop wind turbines? That’s where the virtually NIMBY-proof Ridgeblade turbine comes in. The turbine, designed by a former Rolls Royce turbine engineer at UK-based The Power Collective, boasts a sleek profile that is both powerful and visually pleasing.

continue> inhabitat.com

Jopo Helsinki bike meeting

A City of Jopos

For a long time car owners have had yearly gatherings for special brands. Now bike owners are catching up. The first bike gathering for Helkama Jopo-bikes was arranged in Helsinki. Photographer Roni Rekomaa took a cool photo of the bikers on their Jopos. Talk  about ultra-cool! /aitoa

More> HBL

Photo Roni Rekomaa

Helsinki the Design Capital 2012

Helsinki and Eindhoven competing for becoming Design Capital 2012

UPDATE 25.11.2009> Helsinki will be the Design Capital 2012!

Two cities, Helsinki inFinland and Eindhoven in The Netherlands are competing about the prestigeous title of Design Capital 2012. The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design will choose the winner in November. The judges will visit the two cities in August.

If Helsinki is chosen there will be big opening and closing events and several festivals and happenings organised around Design and Architecture in the city during the two-year capitalship.

Will the establishment of Iittala, Marimekko, Fiskars, Aalto, Artek, Helsinki art nouveau- and modern architecture, and designers like Ilka Suppanen, Harri Koskinen, Valvomo bring the price home, or do the judges look for new design ideas of  non-commercialism, ecology, ethics and mysticism like Hel Looks, Globe Hope, Hollmen-Reuter-Sandman Architects, Marcus Copper, or -since the almost total death of free graffiti culture in the city-, the risign culture of guerilla gardening in Helsinki?

Marimekko

Alvar Aalto

art nouveau architecture

Snowcrash Globlow lamp

Hel Looks: Colin (33)

Hollmen Reuter Sandman

Archangel of the seven seas - Marcus Copper

Guerilla Gardening

Urban pattern

Complex City

Urban pattern as inspiration for textile design

ComplexCity is an exploration to find a concealed aesthetic by using the pattern formed by the city’s roads, which have been growing and evolving randomly through time, thus composing the complex configuration we experience today.The project started in Seoul, Korea, where designer Lee Jang Sub was born and has grown up. Now it is expanding to other cities all over the world. Lee Jang Sub now lives in Barcelona, Spain, and explains: “I perceive the city’s patterns as living creatures that I recompose to form an urban image.”

Rome and Paris

The ComplexCity design concept is screen-printed on different materials, such as wood, textil, or paper, each giving the design a different feel. For the final product, the screen-printing effects of the design are implemented on one of the materials listed above.

The artist Lee Jang Sub

More> Complex City by Lee Jang Sub

From> www.dailytonic.com

http://www.gdcomplexcity.com/

Barn architecture two

Dairy barn transformed

With a love for spaces in decay reused and delicately transformed, we like the plan for the old dairy barn transformed into a home by architect Charlotte Scene Cataling from Skene Catling de la Peña Architects .

More> www.egodesign.ca

Rolling hills of housing

Green building in Gothenburg, Sweden

Kjellgren Kaminsky Architects New Heden project transforms a vacant city block is a self-contained sustainable city interspersed with cycling paths and walkways. Envisioned as a “green lung” for Gothenburg, Sweden, the development will introduce a beautiful expanse of fresh green space to an area currently consumed by parking lots and football fields.

LINK> Inhabitat

Kjellgren Kaminsky Architects