Modern Architecture

Library of Birmingham by Mecanoo Architecten

Dutch architects Mecanoo have unveiled their design for the new library in Birmingham, England. The Library of Birmingham, opening in 2013, will occupy a prime site on Centenary Square, the city’s largest public square, acting as the flagship for the regeneration of Birmingham, and celebrating the ‘Global City with a Local Heart’. Sited between the 1970s Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the 1930s Baskerville House, the new Library of Birmingham will “bring the spoken and written word together to inspire creativity and discovery.” The 31,000 sq metres building will provide 20% more space than the existing Birmingham Central Library and will be capable of taking up to 10,000 visitors a day.

Smithsonian Selects Adjaye for New Museum

      British architect David Adjaye, in collaboration with The Freelon Group and David Brodie Bond Aedas, has been selected by the Smithsonian to design the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The museum, to be located on the National Mall near the Washington Monument, will be Adjaye’s second in the the United States. His first, the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, opened to much acclaim last year. The team beat out shortlisted firms Moshe Safdie, Foster & Partners, Diller Scofido & Renfro, Pei Cobb Freed, and Moody Noland + Antoine Predock.

Dragonfly Vertical Farm for a Future New York

Modeled after the wings of a dragonfly, this incredible urban farm concept for New York City’s Roosevelt Island intends to ease the problems of food mileage and shortage, and reconnect consumers with producers. Urban farming is a growing trend amongst savvy city dwellers today, but in a densely packed borough like Manhattan, growth must come vertically. Spanning 132 floors and 600 vertical meters, the Dragonfly can accommodate 28 different agricultural fields for the production of fruit, vegetables, grains, meat and dairy. A combination of solar and wind power make Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut’s Dragonfly concept %100 self sufficient. This urban farm, perhaps more appropriate for Dubai than New York, is intended to be cultivated by its own inhabitants, thus closing the loop of self-sustenance.