olson sundberg kundig allen architects: lightcatcher at whatcom museum

jim olson of olson sundberg kundig allen architects has designed the 'lightcatcher' at whatcom museum, seattle, a new addition to the city of bellingham's downtown arts and cultural district. the structure will add 42 000 square feet of space to the museum and will house state-of-the-art galleries for art exhibitions and the new family interactive gallery. the lightcatcher is named for its focal point and most innovative feature - a translucent wall 37 feet high and 180 feet long that captures the northwest’s most precious natural resource, sunlight. the building utilizes natural materials endemic to the region.

OFIS architecture: office, store & shop

OFIS architecture just finished their most recent project, an office, store & shop in trata, skofja loka, slovenia. the structure is located in an industrial area next to other factories and offices. the client knew they wanted to work with a construction company that uses a prefabricated concrete building system, so the architects needed to work within this limitation. one of their main opportunities for experimentation was using the concrete system’s ready made openings on each elevation. the architects covered these openings with a variety of material including glass, metal and translucent polycorboante plates. these translucent plates were coloured to add more dimension to the facades. about 2/3 of the building is used for storage of the client’s products while the other area was divided between offices, loading areas, store and a classroom for lectures.

from Designboom - Weblog

Petrol Facebook / A + A Studio

Most should know perfectly Facebook, and we hope that fans of either platform architecture in this social network. But they may not know much about the environment that lie behind. As a good "start-up, the company started by young people has a much more horizontal organizational structure than other companies, for which required a space that will accommodate these needs.

from Plataforma Arquitectura by David Basulto

Veech Media Architecture Wins with “Ambient Gem” Swarovski Pavilion

The Vienna-based architecture and design office Veech Media Architecture (VMA) was presented with the IF Communication Gold Award in the category Corporate Architecture for the trade fair pavilion design for Swarovski Enlightened TM. The pavilion Ambient Gem at the exclusive watch and jewelery show Baselworld convinced the members of the jury by its way it sets new standards for the term “brand world”. The prize-giving ceremony was held on August 28 in the BMW World in Munich.

from Bustler.net News by Vanilla Hustler

icograda world design congress beijing 2009 & the 1st beijing design week
national center for performing arts, beijing

from 24-30 october 2009, the biennial icograda world design congress in association with the first beijing design week will be held in beijing, china. 100 carefully selected speakers and thousands of delegates from around the globe will gather in a cross-disciplinary event, offering five days of exchange and dialogue among the international design community.

from Designboom - Weblog

El Roble Chapel / 57 Studio

Nestled into a forest of Australian mimosa trees, a small family chapel designed by 57 Studio provides a quiet and serene place for religious contemplation. The chapel can hold approximately 40 seated people and focuses on providing ” the proper sense of religious spaces…through its communication with the natural surroundings.”

from Arch Daily by Karen Cilento

Prefabricated Shelters Offer a Jungle Eco-Retreat

Sitting among the canopy of a jungle forest near Yelapa, Mexico, these V-Houses by Heinz Legler are quite possibly an eco-adventurer’s paradise. The treehouse-like structures are lofted 16 feet above the ground and open on all sides to offer panoramic views of the tropical surroundings. Although the rooms measure only 16 feet by 16 feet, a slanted ceiling and open walls make the treehouse seem larger — blurring the lines between indoors and outdoors. And to top off this eco-dream of a jungle retreat, the V-Houses were designed with modular components, made with sustainable materials, and have incorporated solar panels, composting toilets, and a greywater system.

from Inhabitat » Architecture by Olivia Chen

Platform in Travel: Casa Reutter, Mathias Klotz

In 1998 Mathias Klotz, projects a more paradigmatic their homes and recognized that they are somehow embodied many of his ideas and concepts about the architecture that has developed: Reutter House, located off the coast of Cachagua in V Region of Chile.

from Plataforma Arquitectura by Guillermo Hevia García