Henning Larsen wins bid to design a sustainable business district for Shenzhen

Danish architectural firm Henning Larsen Architects has won an international competition for the design of the Shenzhen Bay Headquarters City, a new district in the southern Chinese city spanning 5.5 million square meters. Working alongside two other local firms, Henning Larsen’s green and sustainable master plan will help cement Shenzhen  — often likened to China’s Silicon Valley — as the innovation center of the country. A critical part of the Shenzhen Bay Headquarters City is reconnecting the business district with the waterfront and emphasizing the pedestrian urban realm — something that Chinese planning authorities have long overlooked in favor of vehicular traffic. In Henning Larsen’s approach, cars will be relegated to an underground network of roads and highways so that commuter cars will rarely be seen aboveground in public areas. Moreover, the master plan’s central organizing axis will consist of a linear waterway that visually and physically connects the district to two larger bodies of water. “Our design aims to make Shenzhen the waterfront city it should always have been,” said Claude Godefroy, partner and design director of Henning Larsen’s Hong Kong Office. “To create an attractive waterfront, we brought commercial and cultural facilities meters away from the seashore, so citizens will finally be able to enjoy the atmosphere of Shenzhen Bay in an activated urban environment, like in Sydney, Singapore or Copenhagen.” Related: MVRDV unveils a “three-dimensional city” skyscraper for Shenzhen The architects also want to introduce a more “porous urban fabric.” Rather than create massive shopping malls that sit beneath tall buildings, Henning Larsen proposes siting smaller buildings between the towers and tucking retail partially underground. The city’s porous nature will optimize access to sea breezes to combat the urban heat island effect . As part of its “Forest City” vision for the master plan, the firm also plans to introduce 10,000 trees, roof gardens and ground-level bioswales to help cool the environment and create habitats for birds and insects. + Henning Larsen Images via Henning Larsen

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Henning Larsen wins bid to design a sustainable business district for Shenzhen

Futuristic green city design runs like a real rainforest in Malaysia

If money were no object, what would the ideal city of the future look like? Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA) answered that question with a spectacular design for the Forest City, a proposed masterplan for a new city in Malaysia. This 20-square-kilometer green smart city would be built around a central rainforest and mimic the forest’s ecosystem by adopting a closed loop system that reuses all its resources and controls out-flow. Winner of the second place prize in an international design competition , the Forest City was created for a 24-hectare site and judged on its efficiency of land use, sensitivity to the environment, and inclusion of a landmark building that embodied the notion of a forest city. “Skylines across the world look the same—usually a couple of iconic towers in the center surrounded by lots of lesser quality buildings, which all resemble each other,” said Chris Bosse, director of LAVA. “Here we have designed an inverse city skyline where the icon of the city is a public space, not an object/building. Our central space is a Rainforest Valley and demonstrates the equation: PEOPLE = CITY. From an object to a place.” The proposed city for 700,000 people would be located on reclaimed land between Malaysia and Singapore and include office towers, residential areas, parks, hotels, shopping malls, and an international school. The city is organized around a central public space, the Rainforest Valley, which is surrounded by a waterfall and serves as a visual reminder of the city as a three-dimensional ecosystem. The valley extends like fingers in five directions to represent the five elements—wood, fire, earth, metal, and water—as well as the five pillars of sustainability. Related: LAVA’s Addis Ababa Football Stadium Celebrates Ethiopia’s Ancient Heritage A group of buildings step down towards the green park and are heavily landscaped with roof gardens . A Landmark Tower will house the serviced apartments, hotels, retail and commercial space. As a pedestrian-friendly development, the design separates the circulation types by directing vehicular traffic underground and placing trains on a level above pedestrian walkways. Like a rainforest, the city will be designed as a mostly closed loop system with recycling processes hidden underground and outflow minimized. Local materials would be used in construction and energy generated from renewable sources. + Laboratory for Visionary Architecture

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Futuristic green city design runs like a real rainforest in Malaysia

Timber ‘prosthesis’ gives Mexican tiny apartment more flexibility

Supportive scaffolding typically comes down after a construction project is complete, but MANADA Architectural Boundaries has used the wooden “prosthesis” to add flexibility to a tiny apartment in Mexico City. The wooden skeleton is interwoven throughout the interior, creating a second level loft space and extending out to the patio, where its serves as the frame for a vertical garden . The apartment, located in La Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City, has a layout typical to the area, with double-height ceilings, a simple interior, and a strong connection to nature. Updating the space was essential, but not at the cost of losing its original character. Related: MVRDV’s massive staircase made of scaffolding opens in Rotterdam According to the architects, the concept behind “Essay 4 Spatial Prosthesis” was inspired by artificial prostheses that are designed to “correct a damaged organ’s function; second, to extend an organ’s inherent capability.” Using this as the inspiration for the apartment’s renovation, the architects choose the wooden skeleton structure to provide a second floor loft space. In addition to providing another level to the home, the wooden “prosthesis” is strategically integrated throughout the space, creating new sitting nooks and functional space where possible. Continuing out into the apartment’s open-air patio, the structure serves as a light and airy frame for a lovely vertical garden . + MANADA Architectural Boundaries Via Archdaily Photographs by Jaime Navarro

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Timber ‘prosthesis’ gives Mexican tiny apartment more flexibility

New Study Shows White Roofs are Three Times More Efficient than Green Roofs

Although having a garden on the roof of your house might look great, a lot of evidence suggests that roofs painted white are much better for the environment. A recent study published in the Energy and Building Journal compared three types of roofs-green, black and white-and came to the conclusion not only that white roofs have great economic benefits, but are also three times more effective than the other two at fighting climate change. Read the rest of New Study Shows White Roofs are Three Times More Efficient than Green Roofs Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Climate Change , eco-friendly roofs , environmental study , green roofs , heat island effect , Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , reflective roofs , roof gardens , scientific study , Stanford University study , sustainable white roofs , white roofs , white roofs climate change        

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New Study Shows White Roofs are Three Times More Efficient than Green Roofs

Beirut Wonder Forest Would Cover the Lebanese Capitol With Hanging Gardens

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Beirut Wonder Forest Would Cover the Lebanese Capitol With Hanging Gardens

Jeanne Gang’s Green-Roofed Aqua Tower Ripples Up Towards the Chicago Sky

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Jeanne Gang’s Green-Roofed Aqua Tower Ripples Up Towards the Chicago Sky

6 Easy-to-Do DIY Projects That Won’t Ruin Your Relationship

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6 Easy-to-Do DIY Projects That Won’t Ruin Your Relationship

Top 14 Green Gadgets for Back to School

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Top 14 Green Gadgets for Back to School

Solus4 Unveils Flowing, Solar-Powered Busan Opera House for Korea

Solus4 recently proposed a design solution for the Busan Opera House competition that symbolizes the elements of culture and history of Korea. Alfonso Lopez, lead designer describes the origins of the design: “A very special characteristic of Korean heritage is the linked uniformity of the art, history, culture and language. Much of this is based on the beauty and the pleasure that each element of nature represents to the individual and the community”. The lyrical, free-flowing structure also features a host of sustainable building strategies ranging from roof-based solar collectors to sea water differential temperature cooling, tidal current generators, and geothermal mass storage. + Solus 4 The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat ? Send us a tip by following this link . Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing! Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: “sustainable architecture” , Busan Opera House Competition , green architecture , green design , korea , orchid building , solus4 , sustainable design

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Solus4 Unveils Flowing, Solar-Powered Busan Opera House for Korea