Spanish Pavilion at Floriade 2012

The construction criterion arises from the conceptual approaches that have resulted in the slogan “naturally diverse”, which highlights the importance of organic products, diversity and natural richness. Likewise, the idea Cradle to Cradle will also be present in the exhibition, and the designed spaces will allude to cycles and continuity as added and essential values, in a modern concept of sustainability and of the use of natural resources.

The building confers continuity to the exhibition space through a formal gesture that unifies the whole of the surface available. The building arises literally from the land, slightly lifted in order to host the interior spaces of the exhibition. From a formal perspective, the reference to something as natural as topography and the growth of plants becomes the argument for a unification based on the idea of continuity in the outside meeting spaces, and connects them to the interior of the exhibition, though always visually linked through permeable closures of natural evocation.

Some of the materials, serving both as support and as coating and paving, have had different previous uses: wood from fruit boxes, planks and wood from building works, demolition beams, sleepers. Others come from remainders of agriculture products such as nut shells or trunks from burnt forests. This way, the C2C remains unchanged, in terms of conceptuality and formality.

Both the construction and exhibition level are articulated and organized through a unit repeated both longitudinally and transversally, thus creating the construction skeleton and modelling the partitioning of the transparent paraments of the façade. The height of the building is, as has been explained, the continuity of the horizontal terrain built in the brow of a hill with two layers that separate two clearly-defined spaces.

Kinetic Rain by ART+COM

German design collective ART+COM have installed over a thousand rising and falling metal raindrops in Singapore’s Changi Airport (+ movie).

Kinetic Rain was commissioned as a calming centrepiece for the airport’s departure hall. Suspended by steel wires, the raindrops are computer-controlled to move up and down in choreographed patterns.

The dancing installation is in two parts, each comprising 608 copper-covered aluminium raindrops.

Kinetic Rain follows a 15-minute computationally designed choreography where the two parts move together in unison, sometimes mirroring, sometimes complementing, and sometimes responding to each other. In addition, several spotlight sources mounted below the installation create a play of shadows on the terminal’s ceiling as they illuminate the movement of the rain droplets. German media technology firm MKT did the mechatronic implementation of Kinetic Rain.

Interference...

A physical game installation created by Eric Zimmerman with Nathalie Pozzi that premiered at la Gaite lyrique, Paris 2012. In Interference, pairs of players play a simple strategic game, complicated by the fact that in order to play they steal pieces from each others’ games.

Aquatics Centre London

view from above

The Aquatics Centre will be the ‘gateway’ to the Games, with more than two thirds of spectators expected to enter the Olympic Park over a vast bridge that runs over the top of part of the venue.

The venue features a spectacular 3 000 tonne wave-like roof that is 160 metres long and up to 80 metres wide.

Thanks to its unique design, the roof sits on three concrete supports – two northern supports and a southern wall.

Sustainability was a top concern for the engineers involved in the venue’s construction: 100% of the roof covering is recycled aluminium.

After the games, the Aquatics Centre will be transformed into a facility for the local community as well as elite swimmers. The two temporary wings will be removed, leaving 2 500 seats – although it will be possible to increase the capacity to 3 500 for major competitions.

more details at:http://www.ice.org.uk/topics/Learning-Legacy/london-2012-Olympic-Park-map/Olympic-venues

Olympic Stadium London 2012

The Olympic Stadium is located on a 40-acre island surrounded by waterways on three sides and will have a capacity of 80 000 during the Games. Most of these seats can be removed after the Games are over thanks to the specially designed lightweight upper tier.

More than 30 buildings were demolished to make way for the construction of the venue and 6 500 cubic metres of crushed concrete – recycled from other parts of the Olympic Park – was spread on top of the ground to create a solid platform for the construction of the Stadium’s foundations.

Only 10 000 tonnes of steel were used to build the venue, making it one of the lightest and most sustainable Olympic Stadiums ever built. It took six weeks to lift the 450 tonne roof structure into place.

extra characteristics: 

Sports: Athletics, Paralympic Athletics

Capacity: 80 000 seats (55 000 of which can be removed)

Height:60 meters

structure information:Permanent structure with temporary extra seating

more details at:http://www.ice.org.uk/topics/Learning-Legacy/london-2012-Olympic-Park-map/Olympic-venues

LINEA PIU Boutique, Mykonos

Mykonos is one of Greece's most famous islands; idyllic, relaxed, special and very lucky because on it stands a boutique as clean and stylish as its surroundings. The LINEA PIU Boutique designed by Kois Associated Architects carries some of the highest end women’s wear brands in the luxury retail market: CHANEL, TOM FORD, John Galliano and Blumarine. Located in the heart of the Kolonaki district in Athens, Greece, it has recently opened a new retail store in the heart of Chora, Mykonos, amongst pretty churches and idyllic windmills and sits in a traditional building where the mix of modern simple design, tradition and the allusion of light and space in its design make it quite remarkable.

Designed to preserve the building's features but also in line with the brands’ modern and clean aesthetic, thick stone walls keep the space cool whilst the white paint on the walls and abundance of floor to ceiling mirrors allow the diffused mellow light from the shutters to bounce around the space. This ensures that the space feels airy, atmospheric and larger than its actual proportions. The use of texture, from smooth steel to more rugged stone, wood and iron work, adds interest and depth whilst not detracting from the items on sale which are truly showcased against the pure white walls, in archives and on striking iron shelves and cabinets. The fittings add to the flow of the space and sense of clean symmetry. They have been so effectively fitted that they add to the overall sense of quality you have come to expect from LINEA PIU. Like a gallery, the shelves are sculptural and striking - impressive pieces in themselves.. At LINEA PIU, the stunning clothes and jewellery are fore fronted in a design that mimics the contemporary luxe clothing on display.

Art Basel

Pace gallery showcased the work of new york artist Tara Donovan entitled 'drawing (pins)', exhibited at art basel 2012, the pieces are made up of tens of thousands of nickel-headed thumbtacks embedded in Gatorboard® iin varying degrees, generating detailed texture and movement. the collection is an archetypal example of donovan's signature style, where she is known for using a multitude of a single item to create often large-scale installations.