Architecture Land

Educational Centre by Alejandro Muñoz Miranda

Granada, Spain

“Enquanto satisfaz apenas as exigências técnicas e funcionais - não é ainda Arquitetura; quando se perdem intenções meramente decorativas - tudo não passa de cenografia; mas quando - popular ou erudita - aquele que a ideou, pára e hesita, ante a simples escolha de um espaçamento de pilar ou da relação entre a altura e a largura de um vão, e se detém na procura obstinada da justa medida entre cheios e vazios, na fixação dos volumes e subordinação deles a uma lei, e se demora atento ao jogo dos materiais e seu valor expressivo - quando tudo isto se vai pouco a pouco somando, obedecendo aos mais severos preceitos técnicos e funcionais, mas, também, àquela intenção superior que seleciona, coordena e orienta em determinado sentido toda essa massa confusa e contraditória de detalhes, transmitindo assim ao conjunto, ritmo, expressão, unidade e clareza - o que se confere à obra o seu caráter de permanência: isto sim é Arquitetura.”

Lúcio Costa

Paris Skyscraper by Jean Nouvel

French architect Jean Nouvel’s plans to build a high tech skyscraper in Paris, have been put on hold after investors hard-hit by the global slowdown grew nervous.

Nouvel won the contract to build the signal tower in 2008 as part of an ambitious plan to rejuvenate la defense, the drab bussiness district on Paris’ western edge.

“The project will become a reality once the econimic crisis has eased”; Nouvel said in a statement.

EPAD (the public body for development of la défense) received a letter from Nouvel’s firm notifying that the firm was abandoning the project due to lack of investment.

Paris, France

The Museum of The Second World War by Studio Architektoniczne Kwadra

Gdansk, Poland

Cloudscape by Transsolar + Tetsuo Kondo

‘cloudscape’ by german climate engineering firm transsolar and japanese firm
tetsuo kondo architects explores the poetic nature of clouds with their installation
at the 12th international architecture binnale in venice, italy this year. by controlling
the microclimate of the space in the arsenale building, a layer of artificial clouds
are made to hover above the ground level, remaining in balance above the heads
of the viewers.

to fully experience the immaterial lightness of clouds, a winding system of ramps
is situated in the middle of the room, allowing the viewers to feel and touch the clouds
by physically entering it, walking over it, and back down again. this meandering
pathway aims to show all three layers of distinct climates in the room: on the ground level,
the air is cool and dry, while half way up the ramps among the clouds, the air is warm
and humid. when you finally come up above the cloud layer, the air is hot but moistureless.
by replacing pressure differences and temperature gradients, all instances of the structure
offers a unique atmosphere with different qualities of light.