The B1M – ABU DHABI has built some of the world’s most striking construction projects. And it’s not done yet. Work is underway to build a record-breaking aquarium, one that will blow all the others out of the water.
The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago holds about 19M litres of water. Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in China holds 49M, and is currently the world’s largest – but when Sea World Abu Dhabi completes, it’ll likely contain a whopping 58M litres of water. That’s the same as 23.2 Olympic pools.
Designing and building a tank this big poses an extreme engineering challenge. It has to withstand immense water pressure, let in the right amount of light for tens of thousands of species to survive and immerse millions of visitors in an underwater world.
The Local Project – Passionate about creating a small home that considers a sustainable future, Marc and Felicity Bernstein at Hütt Homes collaborated with Blum to bring functionality into their family’s sustainable home.
Video timeline:00:00 – Introduction to the Small, Sustainable and Timeless Home 00:48 – The Shape of the Land 01:12 – A Walkthrough the Home 01:41 – Making the Most of the Small Space 02:00 – Blum Addicts 02:14 – Blum’s Input 02:45 – Blum Storage Options 03:10 – The First Floor 03:38 – The Top Floor 03:54 – 5 Principles of a Passive House 04:44 – Creating a Carbon-Neutral Home 05:13 – A Home That Ticks Every Box
From the exterior of the small home, the architecture considers brick and concrete as main elements of the design, while the interior uses timber as a key material to minimise the home’s carbon footprint. Utilising an open plan approach in the small home allows for a connection to the rear and first-floor gardens. Throughout the residence, a sense of communal living has been infused alongside sustainable elements.
In the sunken living room – where the sense of the communal spirit of the small home is evoked – the surrounding timber edges allow for extra seating for larger gatherings. At the other end of the house, the kitchen and dining room showcase the collaboration with Blum through storage units and cupboards. Helping to provide functionality, organisation and ergonomics while increasing the home’s passive living, Blum specified products such as the LEGRABOX in the kitchen and first-floor bedrooms to enhance storage and aesthetic function.
Moving upstairs to the private spaces, Blum has assisted with the home’s organisation and ergonomics with floor-to-ceiling cupboards in the master to staircase storage systems in the children’s rooms. Additionally, a net has been installed in the children’s rooms, hanging over the ground level and allowing for extra play space without taking away from liveable areas. Further assisting with the passive living of the home, a garden has been installed on the first level and a living green wall in the bathroom adds a natural flow of oxygen. Continuing the importance of indoor air quality, a mechanical heat recovery system has been installed to capture fresh air and remove any stale air.
Furthermore, a heat exchanger allows for temperature stability all year while maintaining energy efficiency. Throughout the small home, an emphasis on creating a carbon neutral project is referenced in the architecture and interior design choices. From the use of timber to the living green wall and connections to the gardens, sustainability is the key focus of Blum and Hütt Homes’ collaboration. An inspiration for upcoming architects and designers to think and design responsibly, TMRW Home is a responsible family residence that considers the present and the future.
Dezeen – Architect Elizabeth Diller explains how The Broad Museum in Los Angeles was designed to feel “extremely welcoming” in the next instalment of Dezeen’s Concrete Icons series produced in collaboration with Holcim.
The video features The Broad in Los Angeles designed by Diller’s studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro, a three-storey museum that houses an expansive collection of contemporary and post-war artworks. Speaking to Dezeen in an exclusive video interview filmed at the Diller, Scofidio + Renfro office in New York City, Diller explained how the building was designed to feel inviting to visitors with a porous facade that allows light to be gently diffused into the gallery.
“It doesn’t really feel like a traditional museum,” Diller said. “There’s no sense of authority. When you step off the street, no one tells you where to go. There’s no information desk, there’s no admissions desk. You don’t pay, it’s free. It feels extremely welcoming.”
Architectural Digest – We gave interior designers Lula Galeano, Laura Hodges, and Alvin Wayne a photo of the luxury bathroom – then asked each of them to create a design for it in their particular style, however they pleased.
Three artists, one canvas, each bringing something different to space. See which designer comes closest to creating your dream bathroom.
Renders provided by:
Spacejoy, a design-led commerce platform powered by interactive 3D technology. Spacejoy pairs customers with expert designers to create a stunning home featuring handpicked products from top brands that you can shop instantly. https://www.spacejoy.com/
the Blume System by Sebastian Herkner | art direction Studio FM; photo by Andrea Garuti; styling Studio SalarisReva Cocoon by by Patrick Jouin | art direction Studio FM; photo by Andrea Garuti; styling Studio Salaris
Isabel Allen’s Editorial for AT322 discusses how the Architecture Today Awards subverted the traditional role of the crit, transforming it into powerful tool for judging the merits and performance of buildings that already exist.
A sharp, trapezoidal marquee hoisted on spindly pilot is points the way towards the primary pedestrian entrance on the long eastern front.
The challenges of redesigning the Dali museum in Florida were two-fold: deliver an iconic design befitting of its subject, and defy conventional building methods to make it strong enough to withstand a hurricane. The result: a landmark structure, as enduring as the work of the great artist himself.
The original Dalí Museum opened in St. Petersburg in 1982, after community leaders rallied to bring the Morses’ superlative collection of Dalí works to the area. The Dalí’s stunning new building opened on January 11, 2011. Designed by architect Yann Weymouth of HOK, it combines the rational with the fantastical: a simple rectangle with 18-inch thick hurricane-proof walls out of which erupts a large free-form geodesic glass bubble known as the “enigma”.
The Enigma, which is made up of 1,062 triangular pieces of glass, stands 75 feet at its tallest point, a twenty-first century homage to the dome that adorns Dalí’s museum in Spain. Inside, the Museum houses another unique architectural feature – a helical staircase – recalling Dalí’s obsession with spirals and the double helical shape of the DNA molecule.
“Santo by the Sea”was developed based on the idea of the owner’s desire to have a Mediterranean Revival – Santorini architecture.
However, the difficulty when developing this style is that the doorways are very small and narrow as well as how to bring new modernity to the house. From that concept,
Santo by the Sea is designed with large arched doorways to make the most of the beauty of the surrounding nature and bring natural light to the interior spaces.
The Local Project – Through warm and inviting additions, Northside House becomes a dream house for the clients of Wellard Architects. In partnership with Artedomus, Wellard Architects have carefully considered the owners’ personalities with the selection of colours, tones and materials.
Video timeline:00:00 – Introduction to Dream House 00:39 – An Alterations and Additions Project 00:51 – The History Behind Northside House 01:10 – Layout of the Dream House 02:01 – The Overarching Theme of Compression and Release 02:50 – Joining Forces with Artedomus 03:17 – The Main Materials Utilised Throughout The Home 05:02 – Artedomus’ Involvement 05:37 – The Architect’s and Artedomus’ Favourite Aspects 06:13 – Proud Moments from the Architect’s
Located on a corner site of Clifton Hill, Northside House is an existing heritage home that once housed an Italian plasterer and showrooms. However, with carefully considered alterations and additions, the dream house becomes a space for private family dwelling that also opens to the surrounding community. From the front of the Federation-era home, the house tour leads guests past the principal bedrooms and bathrooms of the original home.
Wellard Architect’s alterations and additions become evident with the double-height hallway that marks the transition between the old and new. Located upstairs is a lounge and study, which offer a warm and light-filled retreat where one can find some privacy in a busy household. On the ground floor, the living and dining spaces have been subtly zoned so no space feels too cavernous. From the blonde timber walls and ceiling to the terrazzo flooring, the dream house encompasses a natural form of living.
Desiring a cosy interior, the clients and Wellard Architects worked closely in the selection of decor, furniture, finishes and fixtures for the interior space. During these project development stages, Artedomus was approached for its robust materials that would fit the brief of a busy family’s dream house. In the ensuite bathroom, porcelain tiles from Portugal infuse warm tones, while the vanity and basins use Travertine Zena and INAX tiles to establish calmness throughout.
Additionally, the main bathroom uses Verde Bardini granite and Fiandre Maximum porcelain tiles which meld with the selected Agape Vieques steel bath that sits sculpturally in the centre of the bathroom. Flowing throughout the rest of the dream house, Artedomus products can also be appreciated in the generously-sized kitchen, where Nerofino Brushed Quartz has been employed for the splashback.
Alongside the creation of a cosy atmosphere, the kitchen further instils the clients desire to have a home that can be used for entertaining – with space for intimate family cooking or a gathering of friends and neighbours. Opening up to the back garden courtyard, the orange-bricked façade of the garage seamlessly balances the terracotta shingles of the dream home and merges the heritage home with the modern additions.
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious
Boomers Daily 