/in /by

SkyCycle

British architect Norman Foster has unveiled a concept to build a network of elevated pathways above London’s railways to create safe car-free cycling routes, following 14 cyclist deaths on the city’s streets in 2013. Entitled SkyCycle, the proposal by architects Foster + Partners, landscape architects Exterior Architecture and transport consultant Space Syntax is for a “cycling utopia” of approximately 220 kilometres of dedicated cycle lanes, following the routes of existing train lines. If approved, the routes could be in place within 20 years, offering relief to a transport network that is already at capacity and will need to contend with 12 percent population growth over the next decade. According to the designers, construction of elevated decks would be considerably cheaper than building new roads and tunnels. The routes would offer greater health benefits for London residents and would make more efficient use of space, as more car owners could be encouraged to cycle rather than drive to work. (source).

 

/in /by

The first place of eVolo’s 2015 Skyscraper Competition was awarded to BOMP (Ewa Odyjas, Agnieszka Morga, Konrad Basan, and Jakub Pudo) from Poland for their project Essence Skyscraper. The proposal is an urban mega-structure that contains diverse natural habitats. Away from everyday routines, in a dense city center, a secret garden that combines architecture and a nature is born. The main goal of this project is to position non-architectural phenomena in an urban fabric.  An inspiration rooted in nature allowed to form a representation of external worlds in the shape of a vertical structure. Overlapping landscapes like an ocean, a jungle, a cave or a waterfall will stimulate a diverse and complex range of visual, acoustic, thermal, olfactory, and kinesthetic experiences.

The main body of the building is divided into 11 natural landscapes. This provides an intensive nature experience for city-dwellers, who otherwise, may not have the opportunity to interact with natural environments. This conceptual skyscraper may foster a sense of enjoyment and responsibility to people who are completely immersed in urban settings. (source).

 

/in /by

Located at the foot of Mount Arera on the outskirts of Bergamo in northern Italy, a spectacular outdoor cathedral formed from rows of trees has become a place of pilgrimage for tourists, art lovers, and spiritual visitors alike. Called the Cattedrale Vegetale (also known as the Tree Cathedral), this magnificent work by Italian artist Giuliano Mauri is one of the most impressive examples of “natural architecture” in the world.

This grand sculpture consists of 42 cage-like columns that form a basilica of five aisles. The columns, which are made of 1,800 fir poles, 600 chestnut branches, and 6,000 meters of hazel branches joined together with wood, nails, and string, house 80 hornbeam saplings that will eventually outgrow the decaying supporting columns to form a truly organic, living cathedral. (source).

 

/in /by

ice castle edit

This icy wonderland from Midway, Utah looks like it appears out of a fairytale. The ice castle was built over a month and a half long period using a process of freezing icicles in an icicle farm, stacking them up and misting overtop of them throughout the night to grow larger and larger over time. This year, four ice castles can be found around the United States. Originally created by Brent Christensen, ice castles creates spaces where people can interact with and enjoy the beautiful natural structures created by ice and light! (source).

 

 

/in /by

A recently completed floating greenhouse named Jellyfish Barge provides clever green space and a magical riverside glow. The barge’s octagonal structure is comprised of a network of floating barrels and wooden and plastic spokes. Small potted plants are held secure when slid into holes in the spokes. This innovative greenhouse does not rely on traditional farming resources such as fields of soil and environmentally taxing freshwater irrigation systems. It is powered by only solar, wind and tidal energy. Its raft-like nature gives city dwellers inventive space to cultivate crops and contribute positively to the community’s health. (source).

 

/in /by

Federico Winer zooms around the world through the elevated eye of Google Earth’s satellite camera. With the click of his mouse, Winer captures Earth’s chromatic quirks and psychedelic geometric patterns in his photographic series, Ultradistancia. From his virtual vantage point, Winer adjusts the satellite image’s zoom until the world transforms into a series of abstract forms and characters. After manipulating color, brightness, and focus, the earthly appearance of his subjects falls away. What replaces it is a secret life of architecture and topography seen only from afar. (source).

 

/in /by

Heatherwick1EDIT

The Hudson River Park Trust has announced a project to install a lush public green space hovering over the Hudson river off of New York’s Lower West Side. Known as Pier 55, the space’s platform would sit on top of the deteriorated Pier 54 supported by a forest of 300 blossoming pillars of varying heights. The two-and-a-half acre park would rise as much as 186 feet above the river’s surface and contain three performance venues, as well as provide a breathtaking view of the city skyline. The design is a collaboration between Thomas Heatherwick and Mathews Neilsen. (source).

 

Heatherwick4EDIT

/in /by

MargotKrasojevic1EDIT

Designer and architect Margot Krasojević recently revealed designs for this futuristic home concept, called the Hydroelectric Tidal House, in which tidal wave power is harnessed to generate energy. The idea proposes the construction of a structure with an outer and inner shell, providing for a two-part turbine system. The concrete outer shell anchors the house to the beach and uses solar cells to provide an electrical supply to the living area. The inner shell, made from aluminum, is more fluid, rising and falling with the changing of the tide. Krasojević explains, “Tides are more predictable than solar and wind energy making it simpler to find an appropriate location to harness this renewable energy source.” (source).

 

/in /by

SantiagoMurosCorts1EDIT

Buenos Aires, Argentina-based designer Santiago Muros Cortés recently unveiled the Solar Hourglass, a proposal for an enormous, hourglass-shaped structure that will use solar energy to produce enough electricity for up to 860 homes. Constructed from primarily recycled steel and aluminum, the impressive structure uses “heliostat” mirrors to reflect solar heat down the neck of the installation, where it will be stored as concentrated energy. Cortés’ design has been named the winner of the 2014 Land Art Generator Initiative, aims to oversee the design and construction of public art installations that are not only aesthetically striking, but that also generate clean and renewable energy to provide power to thousands of homes around the world. (source).

 

/in /by

tomhare1edit

UK-based artist Tom Hare created the Cherry Tree House, a large-scale structure woven from thin boughs of wood into a beautifully spherical shape. At nighttime, illuminated with lights that reveal the intricate form and texture, the Cherry Tree House truly comes to life, taking on the appearance of a magical home for creatures like fairies high in the treetops. According to the artist, his medium of choice is willow for its many special properties. “There’s something about willow that’s evocative. The smell, the texture, the way it moves,” he says. “The connection with nature, through coppicing and transferring observations into design, can be a humbling experience, and a physical one too.” (source).

 

tomhare3edit