Architecture

Construction on this unusual twisting tower, named Agora Garden, in Taipei City recently began, according to its designer Vincent Callebaut Architecte. The trademark twist was inspired by the double helix of the DNA molecule.  Read More

Alongside the use of sustainable building materials, and innovative energy-saving techniques, another step in reducing a new home’s impact on the environment can be to build upon land once considered undesirable for human habitation. The “Like a Houseboat” property by Shipley Architects ticks all three boxes, with steel stilts enabling the single-family residence to be built upon poor-quality soil once home to a landfill.  Read More

I don't know. You wait all year for a single-room house-shaped tube with wall-to-wall glass at each end to arrive, then two come along at once. First we had Bunkie, a sort of spare-room-in-your-yard with bunk beds craftily squirrelled away in the walls and roof. Now we have Bunkie's spiritual bigger brother, 2by4-architects' Summer House, with its unfolding, and even-more secretive walls.  Read More

Earlier this month, the recipients of the 2013 AIA (American Institute of Architects) New York Design Awards were announced. From hundreds of submissions, 42 winning projects were selected for their high quality work. Each submission scored merit for its use of innovative ideas, design quality, response to community needs and technique. The awards were open to architects and designers practicing in New York, or to New York-based projects, and spread across the categories of Interiors, Architecture, Projects, and Urban Design.  Read More

eVolo Magazine has announced the winners of its 2013 speculative skyscraper design competition. Novelty, be it technical or aesthetic, is the order of the day, and while one shouldn't expect to see any of these designs crop up in their chosen city of residence at any point in the next 3,000 or so years, there is plenty of first rate eye-candy and a smattering of urban speculative to peruse. Prepare to suspend disbelief.  Read More

The architects of whimsy at Atelier Zündel Cristea have released what is the latest in a long line of proposals to redevelop Battersea Power Station as a museum of architecture. Oh yes, and it's one with a rollercoaster. Gizmag takes a moment to consider Battersea Power Station's heritage, and ponder a future befitting the iconic structure.  Read More

The European Spallation Source (ESS), a new particle accelerator to be built in Lund, Sweden, has been in the works for years, but, following the result of a design competition, we now have a fairly good idea of how the thing will look.  Read More

We’re definitely fans of recycling here at Gizmag, but The Attendant is recycling in a way we've rarely seen – and might not want to see again. When London residents Pete Tomlinson and Ben Russell saw a "For Rent" sign outside a disused underground Victorian restroom, they were for some reason inspired to transform the space into a chic urban coffee shop.  Read More

Italian architectural firm Traverso-Vighy and the Department of Physics at the University of Padua have teamed up to create an innovative zero-energy home dubbed “Tvzeb.” Located in the woodlands a few kilometers from the historic center of Vicenza, the home combines the use of recycled materials, geothermal and solar energy generation, LED lighting and wall and roof insulation made from 40,000 recycled plastic bottles.  Read More