Modern Architecture

A Home Built Around 3 Trees

Trees are often the victim of building construction, so we were excited when Jeremy Levine shared his design for a Eagle Rock renovation and addition — built around three existing trees — in Los Angeles with us. The project included renovating the current home while adding 400 square feet to the existing house. Jeremy’s design for addition not only preserved the existing trees on the site, it integrated them into the design of the home by creating a courtyard to help the owners appreciate the trees’ beauty. Additionally, the home features everything from passive daylighting and evaporative cooling to keep the interior comfortable and solar panels and a green roof to minimize the house’s environmental impact.

Taiwan’s Beautiful Bioshell Center for Disease Control

Inspired by the elegant form of the Nautilus Shell, the Taiwan Center for Disease Control’s BioLab conceals a dangerous riddle within its outer skin. Usually only visible to the naked eye, the structure of the outer skin is laced with geometric patterns that represent the four symbols of the DNA sequence of the dangerous bacteria being studied within. If you’re not in awe of the structure itself, you may catch on to the message that Taiwan is trying to deliver: “Epidemic prevention is a war that we intend to win”. The twin nautilus shell structures are surrounded by a rolling green-roofed complex that provides insulation while blending the project in with its surrounding environment.

Playful Office Building Planned for Amsterdam

A new project in the city of Amsterdam recently received approval: a 22-unit office building designed by Allard Architecture that will use prefabricated concrete “matchboxes.” The office building is fittingly dubbed the Matchbox building, given the segmented quality of the stacked and angled boxes that lend themselves to a facade characterized by large picture windows and units that cantilever out over the sidewalk. The finished look appears playful, modern and creative — perfect for the artistic neighborhood in Amsterdam North. In the center of the building, an atrium garden is open to the floors with bridges spanning the garden to connect the units. This atrium also acts to bring in daylight to the individual units.

Monolab’s Soaring Solar Rotterdam Tower

Monolab is aiming to take solar power to extreme heights by designing their sky-high Rotterdam Tower with a skin of photovoltaic panels. At 450 meters, the Rotterdam Tower design is intended to connect Europe’s largest port to the city by reaching into the vertical landscape. The tower, which has been designated as a mixed-use building, will incorporate public, commercial, and residential spaces. An intricate series of gondolas, which move up, down, and diagonally across the tower will leave passengers with a bit of vertigo while affording them an amazing view of the city.

New Facade for CDL Headquarters – Daniel Statham Architects

The CDL (City Development Land) Headquarters in Singapore created a competition to redesign their existing façade in an effort to attain high international sustainability standards. The winning proposal by London and Madrid based Daniel Statham Architects incorporates a banded façade that creates innovative spaces and responds to environmental factors. Statham Architects’ intents were considered in terms of the construction sequence that would need to occur during a two year period. The logical method was to remove and replace the existing façade, and then restore from the roof downwards.