Cylindrical 14

Source: architecture.com

Tower of Winds, Yokohama, Japan, 1986 designed by Toyo Ito Associates Architects

In the Tower of Winds Ito represents the visual complexity of Tokyo metaphorically in terms of a never-ceasing, ever-changing wind. The tower, a light sculpture that responds to wind speed and directions, was designed years before anyone else explored the use of photo-responsive glass or ‘interactive architecture’ in the same way.  -- RIBA Royal Gold Medal 2006

Source: wikipedia.org

Lipstick Building(53rd at Third), New York City, New York, USA, 1986 designed by John Burgee Architects with Philip Johnson

The building receives its name from its shape and color, which resemble a tube of lipstick. The shape, which is unusual in comparison to surrounding buildings, uses less space at the base than a regular skyscraper of quadrilateral footprint would use. This provides more room for the high numbers of pedestrians who travel via Third Avenue. -- Wikipedia

the unusual shape, which has given the building its nickname, was a requirement of the developer, to make the building stand out and compensate for the less fashionable location of Third Avenue. The elliptical shape also claims to make all the exterior offices "corner" offices. -- galinsky

Source: archdaily.com

Plan, Source: archdaily.com

Office Silo & Containers, Tajonar, Navarra, Spain, 2005 designed by Vaillo + Irigaray

The office buildings is composed by an elliptical construction, as a counterpoint to the wings: in front of an horizontal and pointy construction, a curved tall tower appears, searching for the minimum “friction” between the rest of the buildings. -- ArchDaily

Source: CMV Architects archdaily.com

Plan, Source: archdaily.com

Barceló Raval Hotel, Madrid, Spain, 2007 designed by CMV Architects

The hotel was built as an elliptical construction, made up from two basements, a ground floor and ten high-rise floors. The project was born with some specific volumes marked by “PERI” of Ravalin Barcelona, and all the attention goes in the direction of the axes of the elliptical plant. In the same way, depending on the direction from which it is seen, the building is perceived in a more or less volumetric way. -- ArchDaily

Source: Jomar Bragança archdaily.com

Parc Zodiaco Building, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2010 designed by GPA&A

The residential building was developed to harmonize with its surroundings, so we used curves, balconies, and gardens as a way to insert it into the landscape, softening its contours.  -- ArchDaily

Source: architectmagazine.com

Source: architectmagazine.com

1 Bligh Street, Sydney, Australia, 2011 designed by Architectus and Ingenhoven Architects

After considering a number of schemes, the architects adopted an elliptical plan, with its long side facing toward the harbor. The ellipse gives each office space floor-to-ceiling panoramic views.  -- ARCHITECT Magazine

Source: architectmagazine.com

Plan, Source: architectmagazine.com

Coffee Plaza, Hamburg, Germany, 2011 designed by Richard Meier & Partners Architects

Raised on a podium overlooking nearby Sandtorpark, the oval-shaped tower mediates the separation between the park and plaza. Inside, behind a ventilated façade, the oval configuration improves visual and physical connections between the office workers, resulting in greater collaboration.  -- ARCHITECT Magazine

Source: Aleksey Naroditsky archdaily.com

Plan, Source: archdaily.com

Bank Saint Petersburg, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2011 designed by NPS Tchoban Voss

The tower contrasts them by its height and its special silhouette. On the riverside its glass façade bends inwardly along the entire height. The resulting waistline adds subtle dynamics to the building making it appear elegant from almost every direction from across the river.   -- ArchDaily

Source: Aedas archdaily.com

Al Bahar Towers, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 2012 designed by Aedas

For Abu Dhabi’s newest pair of towers, Aedas Architects have designed a responsive facade which takes cultural cues from the “mashrabiya”, a traditional Islamic lattice shading device. Completed in June 2012, the 145 meter towers’ Masharabiya shading system was developed by the computational design team at Aedas.  Using a parametric description for the geometry of the actuated facade panels, the team was able to simulate their operation in response to sun exposure and changing incidence angles during the different days of the year. -- ArchDaily

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Source: Filip Dujardin archdaily.com

Site plan, Source: archdaily.com

Police Headquearters & Charleroi Danses, Boulevard Pierre Mayence, 6000 Charleroi, Belgium, 2014 designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel + MDW Architecture

The Charleroi police headquarters has been installed in a blue tower building which is a reminder of the dark blue colours of the police force. The idea was to create a city scale landmark which is not too high, as a sort of dialogue with the City Hal belfry, and as a message stating that the police force services are open to all at all times. -- ArchDaily

Affordable Housing: USA

Source: archrecord.construction.com

Navy Green Supportive Housing, Brooklyn, New York, USA, 2012 designed by Architecture in Formation

Navy Green is a unique residential development occupying almost an entire block and rising on the site of the former Brig, a naval prison built immediately outside the Navy Yard's confines in the early 1940s and demolished in 2006. The project's mix of low- and moderate-income rental and ownership units and market-rate co-ops, dispersed across large, multi-unit buildings and small townhouses, provides affordable housing in a newly desirable stretch of land sandwiched between the elevated Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the industrial buildings currently being adapted in the Navy Yard. -- Architectural Record

Source: John Linden archdaily.com

Pico Place, 430 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica, California, USA, 2013 designed by Brooks + Scarpa Architects

Pico Place is a 32-unit LEED Platinum affordable apartment building consisting of 2 and 3-bedroom family units with a common laundry room, community room and subterranean parking. -- ArchDaily

Source: archrecord.construction.com

Rene Cazenave Apartments, San Francisco, California, USA, 2013 designed by Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects

Its 120 units provide supportive housing for the chronically homeless and help satisfy the city’s requirement that 35 percent of the approximately 4,500 apartments in the new neighborhood be affordable for very low- to moderate-income households. -- Architectural Record

Source: archrecord.construction.com

474 Natoma, San Francisco, California, USA, 2014 designed by Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects

The Natoma Family Apartments, a just-completed affordable-housing complex, is in a particularly rough part of San Francisco's rapidly evolving South of Market neighborhood.  The apartments are necessarily compact and efficient but still manage to feel open and inviting, in part because of the balconies and generously sized windows. Finishes, such as engineered quartz countertops, dark-stained poplar cabinets, and nylon cut-pile carpeting, were chosen with visual appeal, comfort, and durability in mind. -- Architectural Record

Cube 9

Source: Reading Tom archdaily.com

Plan, Source: archdaily.com

Citigroup Center, New York City, New York, USA, 1977 designed by Hugh Stubbins + William Le Messurier

Resting on four stilts perfectly centered on each side, it cantilevers seventy-two feet over the sidewalk and features a trademark 45-degree sloping crown at its summit. -- ArchDaily

Source: Rafael Vargas archdaily.com

Plan, Source: archdaily.com

Puig Tower, Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain designed by Rafael Moneo + Antonio Puig, Josep Riu GCA Architects + Lucho Marcial

The tower strictly follows the floor plan and height established in the original plans, and the proposition that it was to be perceived as a united figure and not only as a simple superimposition of horizontal floors, led to the suggestion of the spiral glasswork which encases everything. 

The floor plans of the tower- a 27.5m by 27.5m square- shows the importance of the core, which not only resolves the vertical connections, and the service and mechanical elements, but also contributes to defining and structuring the usable space.  -- ArchDaily

Source: Young-chae Park archdaily.com

Site plan, Source: archdaily.com

G-Tower, Art center-daero, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, South Korea, 2013 designed by HAEAHN Architecture + Designcamp Moonpark dmp + Gyung Sung Architects + TCMC Architects & Engineers

Four atriums reaching up to 6 floors and sky garden of 25m depth reverse-slope influence characteristic of a building as drastic and creative element. Formativeness of a diagonal line shown on the elevation of a tower building is simple and dynamic figure. -- ArchDaily

Urban Spaces: Unorganised sports

Source: Helen & Hard archdaily.com

Geopark, Stavanger, Norway, 2008 designed by Helen & Hard

The park is a playful urban space on Stavanger’s waterfront, utilizing a vacant forecourt adjacent to the Oil Museum. We drew from three different local resources in the design process: first, the geological and seismic expertise of the oil industry; second, technology, materials and waste related to oil production; and third, the ideas of and collaboration with local youth groups for the programming and making of the new park. -- ArchDaily

Source: Antoine Espinasseau archdaily.com

Evolution Ground Alfortville, Alfortville, France, 2011 designed by NP2F 

Embedded within the boundaries of the ZAC (coordinated developed zone) Chantereine, the “evolution” grounds of Alfortville represent a qualitative approach to which we lay claim in this district’s public spaces, and more generally in today’s city. Thus, the playground becomes a truly architectural space, integrated in the urban structure and open to the city’s other practices. -- ArchDaily

Source: Doublespace archrecord.construction.com

Underpass Park, Toronto, Canada, 2012 designed by Paul Raff Studio

Below two elevated overpasses and a stone's throw from the Don River, Underpass Park encompasses 2.5 acres—enough room for swings and climbing structures for children on one side of a narrow road and basketball courts and a skateboarding terrain for teenagers on the other side. Designed by the Vancouver-based landscape architecture firm Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg (PFS) in collaboration with The Planning Partnership, a Toronto-based planning, urban design, and landscape architecture firm, the $9 million Underpass Park is part of an ongoing effort by the publicly funded agency Waterfront Toronto to reimagine public space below and around major transportation links. -- Archiectural Record

Source: Mikkel Frost / CEBRA archdaily.com

StreetDome, 6100 Haderslev, Denmark, 2014 designed by CEBRA + Glifberg + Lykke 

StreetDome is a vast and unique urban landscape for activity and recreation including a 4.500 square metre skate park, facilities street basket, parkour, boulder climbing, canoe polo etc. StreetDome’s overall ambition is to set new standards for urban arenas for unorganised sports. -- ArchDaily

Source: Adrià Goula archdaily.com

Skate Park Jardines de Aureà Cuadrado, Barcelona Spain, 2014 designed by Scob + Sergi Arenas

The project works with the limits of the area, taking advantage of the gradients and the containment of the slopes in order to place all the elements for skate. -- ArchDaily

Source: Played in Britain archdaily.com

‘The Rom’ Becomes Europe’s First Listed Skatepark

English Heritage has awarded a Grade-II listing to “The Rom,” a skatepark in Hornchurch on the outskirts of London. Built in 1978, the Rom was one of the UK’s first wave of purpose-built skateparks, and probably the most complete example found in the UK today.   -- ArchDaily

Skin of Architecture: Pattern 13

Source: Daici Ano archdaily.com

Louis Vuitton Matsuya Ginza Facade Renewal, Ginza, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan, 2013 designed by Jun Aoki & Associates

Gentle bulges and dents elaborate the façade of opal beige reliefs. With these pattern, the façade reveals various appearances in sunlight, and also during the night, the LED lights behind the reliefs lit the façade to render another expression reminiscent of Louis Vuitton’s monogram. -- ArchDaily

O6

Source: Edgard Cesar archdaily.com

Taquari House, Brasilia – Distrito Federal, Brasil, 2013 designed by Ney Lima

The transparent and circular elements are featured for the walls and bring a perspective of communication between the environments having as passing the tree and leisure area. -- ArchDaily

Source: Derek Swalwell archdaily.com

Westgarth House, Northcote VIC, Australia, 2013 designed by Kennedy Nolan Architects

The original house primarily accommodates the family’s own space; call it private. The new building is where day to day life is played out between kitchen and living. This public zone establishes a direct connection to the north lawn. The roughcast rendered garden wall sits somewhere between landscape, sculpture and building. It is both garden edge and entry wall. -- ArchDaily

Source: Marc Rifà-Rovira archdaily.com

NH House, 08569 Cantonigròs, Barcelona, Spain, 2013 designed by Marc Rifà-Rovira

This is a project with an extremely low budget, for a family with three young children. With a very definite program: house in a single level of about 170m2, which is complemented with a large porch, a 100m2 study, and a garage. -- ArchDaily

T3

Source: Su Shengliang archdaily.com

Long Museum West Bund, Longteng Avenue, Xuhui, Shanghai, China, 2014 designed by Atelier Deshaus

Before the commencement of the design, a Coal-Hopper-Unloading-Bridge of about 110m in length, 10m in width and 8m in height, which was constructed in the 1950s, is remained with a two-storey underground parking completed as early as two years ago. The new design adopts the cantilever structure featuring “vault-umbrella” with independent walls while the shear walls with free layout are embedded into the original basement so as to be concreted with the original framework structure. -- ArchDaily

Energy Mapping

Source: fastcodesign.com

A Mind-Blowing Map Of Energy Consumption In Every Single NYC Building

How much power does any piece of a city block use? There’s no way to tell. A building’s facade, unless it’s covered with lights, isn’t exactly screaming its annual energy expenditures.

A new map by the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University gives us a picture of energy consumption in the five boroughs of New York, on a block-by-block basis. -- Fast Co

Renewable Energy Map

Every state in America can produce its own energy from clean, renewable sources, keeping millions of energy dollars in-state, reducing pollution, and creating new jobs and new sources of income. Find out which renewable energy sources your state can tap into. -- NRDC(Natural Resources Defense Council)

Where US energy is produces

An interactive map showing where the US energy is produced. You can select an energy sector from the drop-down menu for a state-by-state view of production figures from 2010; map of states with "fracking" as of May 2011. -- NBC News

US Energy Expenditure Map

Energy Expenditure Map shows energy expenditure per person of each state from 1970 to 2012. It also shows number breakdown of transportation and residential.-- US Department of Energy

USDA Energy Investment Map

The Energy Investments Map is an interactive map to help users understand where USDA is providing investment support for renewable and sustainable energy initiatives across the United States. New investment data have been posted along with a few new features. -- USDA Energy Investment Map

U.S. Energy Mapping System

A new tool from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows how fossil fuels infrastructure crosses every part of the country. It also shows existing and potential for renewable energy. With all the debate around the proposed new natural gas pipeline in Massachusetts, this tool can help us better understand our energy infrastructure and its implications . You can start with the entire country, and then zoom into Massachusetts to see how we compare against other states. -- Greenovate Boston

Go to the map at U.S. Energy Information Administration

Zoning

Source: citylab.com

The Birth of Zoning Codes, a History

The story of American zoning is really the story of how Americans learned to legislate their NIMBY impulses. Before zoning, cities mostly regulated what could be built through nuisance laws. If someone didn't like how their neighbor was using their property, they could haul them to trial and let a judge decide what to do about it.

There were early efforts to temper New York's building streak. A landmark 1885 law restricted tenement buildings to one-and-a-half times the street width (the Supreme Court ruled that height restrictions were legal in 1909, when builders challenged Boston's decision to restrict buildings around Copley Square to 90 feet). -- The Atlantic CITYLAB

Zoning Best Pratices Report for Washington DC Office of Planning

Washington D.C. has initiated an update of the City’s zoning regulations – there is a need to review and revise the existing zoning regulations after almost 50 years of text and map amendments. The office of Planning has increased staffing, as much of the update will be completed in-house, and has convened an appointed Zoning Review Taskforce to help guide and inform the zoning update.

At the request of the office of Planning, HNTB has conducted best practice research and ANALYSIS in support of the update process. This final report summarizes the research findings on zoning innovations and procedural approaches of select cities that have updated their zoning regulations. Click to see the report Zoning Best Pratices, June 2008

Source: aia.org

Miami 21: A new Zoning Code for the City

Miami 21: A New Zoning Code for the City, Miami, Florida, USA by Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co. won a 2014 AIA Honor Award - Regional & Urban Design

Miami21 is a new form-based zoning code for a growing coastal city at the heart of a metropolitan region. The purpose of the effort was to direct the city toward transit-oriented, pedestrian-friendly growth, and away from disjointed, car-centered development. -- AIA

Zoning Viewers

ZoLa provides a simple way to research zoning regulations in New York City. -- ZoLa New York City

Boston Redevelopment Authority Zoning Viewer -- City of Boston

Seattle's zoning viewer. -- Seattle Department of Planning and Development

Austin's Zoning Profile Report. -- City of Austin, Texas

Scottsdale's zoning viewer. -- City of Scattsdale, Arizona