Architecture and design

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River Beech Tower

(Issue of a magazine 1/2019, page 72)

Created as part of a masterplan along the Chicago River, the River Beech Tower is a residential high-rise which, if built, would be taller than any existing timber building. The collaborative team behind the River Beech consists of Perkins+Will architects, the engineers of Thornton Tomasetti and the University of Cambridge. Currently the project is a conceptual academic and professional undertaking, and the team state that it could potentially be realized by the time of the masterplan’s final phases. 

Giants Competition

(Issue of a magazine 1/2019, page 76)

Set to revolutionize Melbourne’s skyline, six shortlisted designs by some of the world’s best architects have been revealed as a part of the Southbank by Beulah Competition. Besides such wonder designs as twisting towers, interlocking blocks, a propeller penthouse, stacked neighbourhoods, vertical cities and an illuminated cloud, the winning concept is expected to draw global attention with all six designs imbuing extraordinary innovation.

Pritzker: the Inside Story

(Issue of a magazine 1/2019, page 88)

The Pritzker Architecture Prize is often called an analogue of the Nobel Prize in architecture. And it is quite justified, given its importance for the architectural community. This year the Award marks the 40th anniversary of its foundation. Our correspondent managed to meet with the Executive Director of the Award Martha Thorne, who took the time in her busy schedule to talk about the great preliminary work that precedes the Award ceremony.

The Palace of the Soviets: the Project of the Country’s Main Building

(Issue of a magazine 1/2019, page 94)

The idea of erecting the “country’s main building” was started up at the dawn of the Soviet power. In 1922 a Decree on the establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was adopted at the first Congress of the Soviets. The idea of creating an architectural symbol of the Union was offered by Kirov: “A more spacious, wider room will be required soon for our meetings, for our exclusive parliaments. I think that we are going to discover that the great sounds of “The Internationale” no longer fit under this huge dome. I think that the time will come soon when there will not be enough room on these benches for the delegates of all the republics united into our Union. Therefore, on behalf of the workers, I would suggest that our CEC should start construction of such a monument in the nearest future, which would be able to gather representatives of labor.” So, it was decided to build an impressive Palace of the Soviets in Moscow to embody the emergence of a new Union state, designed to become “the emblem of the coming power, the triumph of communism, not only here but also there, in the West” and the greatest monument of its era.

Vanishing Skyscraper or 50 Shades of White

(Issue of a magazine 3/2018, page 22)

The Moscow-City business quarter has already become a symbol of modern Moscow, but construction in this area is still under way. And a new skyscraper over 400 m high will be impressive epilogue of this story. The project of the super-high building was developed in the bureau of famous Russian architect Sergey Skuratov under his direct supervision. This is not the first project of a skyscraper designed by the maestro, but certainly one of the most significant in his professional career. It will also become a landmark in Moscow as it will imply a final stage of the city’s image formation as its dominant and compositionally unifying element. The unique feature of the new skyscraper is that in its lower part it will be dazzling white, standing out against the background of its surroundings and contrasting with the gold Mercury Tower located nearby. Along the height of the building the color will fade until the skyscraper becomes transparent at the top and disappears in the sky. Sergey Skuratov has shared a story how this image was born in an interview to the correspondent of the Tall Buildings magazine.

 

Justice in Renzo Piano Style

(Issue of a magazine 3/2018, page 32)

Distinguished Italian architect Renzo Piano presented his latest successfully implemented project in the capital of France. The new landmark building, comparable in height and unique silhouette to the Eiffel Tower, is a modern version of the Palace of Justice, made in accordance with the latest trends in the construction of buildings of increased complexity and compliance with the standards of “green” architecture.

Singapore Champion

(Issue of a magazine 3/2018, page 40)

Oasia Hotel Downtown is an impressive sample of a sustainable modern skyscraper that is ideally suited for a hot and humid tropical climate. The project was implemented  in 2017, and soon it has already won the prestigious top prize of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), in the “2018 Best Tall Building Worldwide” nomination.

Standard for Megacorporations

(Issue of a magazine 3/2018, page 46)

Tencent is the first company in Asia valued above $500 billion, the world’s fourth-largest internet business, and the most innovative company in China. Just as Tencent’s products transform the way society uses technology, the design of its headquarters re-envisions what the future skyscraper could look like and how it could function, not just for Tencent employees, but for workers everywhere.

Hide-and-Seek with Sun

(Issue of a magazine 3/2018, page 52)

The development of high-rise buildings construction industry greatly affects the appearance of cities around the world. Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, is no exception to this rule - every year there are more and more iconic buildings that are not inferior to the skyscrapers of China, the United States and many other leaders in the global tall buildings construction.

Olympic Vanke Centre and Evergreen Ginkgo

(Issue of a magazine 3/2018, page 58)

LWK & Partners (HK) Ltd. (LWK) has successfully reinterpreted the podium-tower typology with Olympic Vanke Centre. Led by LWK Director Ferdinand Cheung, design team created this innovative working hub, which promotes interactions, active engagement and sustainability.