Paineiras Hotel Complex – Hepner, Cossia, Payar, Brych, Goncalves & Messano

A young firm from São Paulo, Brazil received an Honorable Mention for their Paineiras Hotel Complex design in Rio de Janeiro. The architects, Alexandre Hepner, Denis Cossia, João Paulo Payar, Rafael Brych, Ricardo Gonçalves, and environmental design consultant Ricardo Messano, designed a complex that would be functional and “allow perfect fruition of the beautiful panoramic view and the close contact with nature.� The strategy reflects “the intention of harmonizing the intervention with the existing context, thought without denying the contemporary character of such intervention nor hiding its presence among the surrounding forest and the old hotel building.�

Saint John’s Abbey – VJAA

The Abbey Church complex, designed by Marcel Breuer in the 1950’s, is considered one of the most significant works completed by the Bauhaus architect. The complex includes an Upper and Lower Church and monastic Chapter House, whose main entrance was discretely located along the monastery’s primary circulation route. The monastic community requested that the renovated Chapter House and new Blessed Sacrament Chapel be more open to the public and that the facility be more comfortable to use. The new 9,200 square foot project includes the renovation of the existing Chapter House, along with a two-level lobby addition, and full renovation of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.

Interior by Onno Donkers (OD-V) for the art and culture department of the Municipality of Rotterdam

The public spaces of the art and culture department of the Muncipality of Rotterdam consist of a 40 meter long hallway and a 10 meter public space square. Onno Donkers (OD-V) designed lounge-areas, meeting-spaces, a little library, and several flyerdisplays. The square space incorporates the idea of trees in their natural form using branches to support the ceiling.

Nakagin Capsule Tower: Architecture of the Future

The tower’s stunning design may strike passersby as something straight out of a science-fiction movie, but it stands as a unique architectural beacon amongst the common apartment high-rises and office buildings of Ginza. Designed by the late Japanese architect Kurokawa Kisho, the 14-story tower is composed of 140 individual capsules that function as apartments and business offices. The tower has also served as a prototype of sorts for uniquely Japanese urban accommodations, such as business and capsule hotels.