Low2No Competition: Helsinki’s sustainable future. City as Living Factory of Ecology, winning entry by ARUP, Sauerbruch Hutton, Experientia and Galley Eco Capital.
In my opinion, the best sustainable projects have been in small scales. Urban scale projects have been more difficult to get going, due to the their inherent complexity. But I am confident that recent initiatives are about to make the step forward, specially the ones that are being produced on countries that have the have their governments focused on this. On of this examples is the recently awarded Low2No design competition, organized by Sitra (Finnish Innovation Fund) and the City of Helsinki, to find a on design a large building complex on a reclaimed harbour at the western edge of Helsinki’s central business district.
Given that the repertoire of sustainable urban development models is still in its infancy, the question of “who & how” is our question of first order. Urban Oasis / X-Architects. Dubai based X-Architects recently unveiled the Urban Oasis, their latest sustainable master plan for Al Ain.
The 12-hectare urban development was conceived as a “micro-specific, compact, and passive sustainable urban oasis.” Inspired by the existing natural environment and the traditional dense urban fabric of Islamic cities, the master plan develops an “environmental synergy between landscape and urbanity.” More about the master plan after the break. “Carved out of a site that was formerly a park, the new development brings this latent oasis condition to the fore through the way the natural environmental condition is woven together with the dense urban fabric,” explained the architects. The new master plan is comprised of a highly refined mixed-use program organized into four clusters. Dewan Architects wins first prize in Baghdad competition. Dewan Architects & Engineers have won the first prize for The Competition of Developing the Area Sorrounding the Holy Shrines in Kadhimiya, Baghdad, Iraq.
Dewan was shortlisted among ten other international and Iraqi firms to participate in this competition. Archdaily. Research of Sustainable Urban Development / c. Colomès + f. Nomdedeu architectes with Michael Rousseau architecte and Adrian Maston graphiste. C.
Colomès + f. Nomdedeu architectes with Michael Rousseau architecte and Adrian Maston have studied the evolution of cities and urban environments and have produced this research as to how one might design and create a sustainable urban development. This concept is based on a living condition that balances the urban environment with an agricultural environment. Read on for more on this research after the break. This project focuses on the intersection of today’s cities with self-sustaining agricultural institutions that produce the necessary resources for an urban population.
The Sustainable Urban Development is in favor of the intersections between the existing geography and city planning, focusing on bringing residents of a dense city closer to nature. The architects have outlined a list of steps that can be taken by these new establishments to develop this Sustainable Urban Center: Masterplan of Juzne Centrum / CHYBIK+KRISTOF ASSOCIATED ARCHITECTS. This winning project for the Master Plan of Juzne Centrum in Brno, Czech Republic comes from CHYBIK+KRISTOF ASSOCIATED ARCHITECTS selected for the Southern Moravian Region Award 2010.
The alternative master plan of “Juzne Centrum” is located in a big brownfield and is driven by local activists groups and the academic institution of Faculty of Architecture at University of Technology in Brno. North Point Harbour Urban Planning Concept Winning Proposal / Chris Y. H. Chan + Stephanie M. L. Tan. This design for the North Point waterfront redevelopment, which won the first prize in the competition, proposes an “organic network” of forms for the site.
Designed by Chris Y. H. Chan + Stephanie M. AIV-Schinkel-Wettbewerb Competition Winning Proposal / David Weclawowicz + Dagmara Sietko- Sierkiewicz. The architecture student team collaboration of Dagmara Sietko- Sierkiewicz and David Weclawowicz of the Wroclaw University of Technology shared with us their first prize winning proposal in the AIV Schinkel- Wettbewerb 2013 competition.
With this year’s topic of “TXL transformation”, their challenge was to develop a quarter made from a new typology of hybrid-buildings, containing a manufacture (production hall), flats and retail services after closing the airport Berlin Tegel in the year 2014. This winning concept focuses on using the production facilities after hours as a leisure destination.
More images and architects’ description after the break. Archdaily. OKRA, in collaboration with Mixst urbanism and Wageningen University, was recently announced as the winning team of the prestigious competition ReThink Athens towards a new city centre.
