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The Cinderella Story » entire article |
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completed project |
Sun Cross. Cemetery in Dolní Břežany » The new cemetery in Dolní Břežany is a unique project that could be called a landscape park with a cemetery or a cemetery in a landscape park. It is part of a designed landscape surrounding the municipality and the Břežanské valley. The concept is based on the historical settlement of Dolní Břežany, beginning with it's Celtic inhabitants, then the Slavs, and then the Christians. The basic composition constitutes a cross-shaped linden avenue with four oaks in the center, sacred trees of the Celts. The center is lined with round stone walls and hornbeam hedges. The composition refers to the symbolism of the sun (Celtic) cross as one of the oldest symbols of our civilization. |
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Voda – Plyn » The work of photographers Bernd and Hilla Becher is one of the most famous examples of documentation of industrial landscape and infrastructure. During their forty-year career the couple developed a distinctive typological system that contains blast furnaces, logging machines, granaries, lime works, water and gas tanks. The frontally captured buildings are upgraded to autonomous aesthetic objects resembling front façades of medieval cathedrals. The systematic photography work resulted in a gripping play of forms and carefully composed series of motives. |
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Hall. Waste Collection Point in Feldkirch » The waste collection point in Feldkirch, Austria fits naturally in the urban environment. Instead of the typical conglomeration of smaller structures and an administrative building, a different approach to developing the site was chosen, with the form of a single large hall whose layout allows for great variability of operation. For practical and aesthetic reasons, the range of used materials was reduced to wood, concrete, and steel. With regard to the environment and sustainable development the municipality of Feldkirch chose to use timber from their own forests in Saminatal. |
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Courtyard. Motorway Maintenance Centre in Salzburg » The design of the Salzburg Motorway Maintenance Centre was infuenced mainly by its direct connection to the city ring road at the point of its intersection with Münchener Bundesstrase. The access road from the north-west leads to a spacious courtyard dominated by a filling station for trucks and three salt silos. The rectangular courtyard is surrounded by single story volumes of technical and office buildings that also serve as noise barriers protecting the nearby residential development. The whole complex uses a moderate spectrum of materials – concrete, glass, and aluminum. |
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Promised Land. Stefan Marte Interviewed by Filip Landa » Stefan and Bernhard Marte are indisputably among the most important Austrian architects today. Their buildings are characterized by a sense of abstraction, reduction of forms, and peculiar sculptural language. Besides a series of small structures, the brothers collaborated on several buildings that might be very well classified as urban infrastructure. We asked the younger brother, Stefan, about particular aspects of the infrastructure projects, about the way their studio Marte.Marte works, and about the origins of high-quality, greatly appreciated architecture in Vorarlberg. |
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Container. The Remodeling of a Railway Warehouse into an Administration Facility of a Transport Company in Děčín » The house of a warehouseman, directly connected to the typical 19th century railway storage building, was insensitively modified for administrative purposes in the 1990s. The current remodel tries to restore the original qualities of the warehouse and, at the same time, attempts to radically transform the house into offices of a transport company. As part of the modifications, the unshapely gable roof was removed and replaced by a more spatially efficient floor with a flat roof. The warehouse itself houses the main entrance and technical facilities. |
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Mound. Hydropower Plant Bělov on the Morava River » The project of a small hydropower plant is based on the original documents for the building’s permit from 1993–1996. The construction started with a modification of the river bed, but it was flooded and abandoned later. It had been falling into despair for more than twelve years before a new investor bought it and had the project adapted. The design objective was to minimize the impact on the surrounding landscape, therefore the structure is built into a mound. The hydropower plant is an independent monolithic structure of reinforced concrete with two inflows. The basic construction material used is exposed concrete complemented with metal elements in raw industrial form. Outdoor surfaces are stabilized with gravel. |
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Kiln. Extension of the Värtaverket Power Plant in Stockholm » The industrial area in Stockholm’s Hjorthagen has been constantly modernized and extended since its foundation in the early 20th century; most recently with a new bioenergy CHP plant. The building respects the surrounding historic context of brick industrial structures, the dominant volume is suppressed by receding levels and a curved façade from vertical terracotta slats. With consideration to the economic and environmental aspects, the project has utilized existing infrastructure by retrofitting it for new, resource-effective solutions. A new tunnel was made to deliver fuel straight from the port. |
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Furnace. Incineration Line in Roskilde » The double skin façade determines the whole architectural concept of the new incineration line in Roskilde. Technical facilities are protected from weather by plain utilitarian inner skin, which allowed more freedom when working with the aesthetic outer shell to transform the incineration line into a new local landmark. The space between the two skins, partially visible through perforations in the aluminum panels, is illuminated at night by a system of programmable lights. |
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Statue. Low Carbon Energy Centre in London » The CHP plant equipped with state-of-the-art technology, intended to supply the entirety of the Greenwich Peninsula with energy, became a new landmark of the area. The project is a part of a major urban development in this part of the city and it demonstrates the commitment of the client to provide sustainable energy for all. The black block of the building is punctured by a large glass surface where the interactive educational center is located. The dark orthogonal volume contrasts with the vertical stack tower, it's cladding was designed by British artist, Conrad Shawcross. |
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Fort. Power Station Control Centre in Silz » The seven-story concrete building of the new control center of the hydroelectric power station in Silz responds with its shape and orientation to the existing structure of the turbine hall. The expressive form should help make the processes going on inside more visible. The pragmatic stacking of individual functions in floors allowed for easier access, security administration, and a simpler installation of building services. The result is a visually striking volume whose horizontal dimension enhances the play of the cantilevered second floor where the main control room is situated. |
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Bunker. Biomass Heating Plant in St. Christoph am Arlberg » The biomass heating plant is situated in an open countryside south-west from the St. Christoph village, under the Arlberg Mountain in Tirol. Thanks to the simple and moderate architectural concept the volume is naturally integrated in the surrounding landscape. The structure includes a boiler room and a warehouse for wood chips. Given the location of the building, all façades and glass openings and gates must be able to withstand avalanche pressure of up to 3 KN/m2. |
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Sand. Fire Station in Sand in Taufers » The small building with sprayed plaster the color of gold sand is situated near the confluence of two mountain rivers in the South Tyrolean village called Sand in Taufers. The moderate architectural expression reduced to a unicolor block volume reflects the conceptual intent to prioritize easy and quick access to the building and thus maximum functionality. Nevertheless, it was possible to fit a training ground for young firemen in front of the partially covered exit from the garage. |
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Vermilion. Fire Station in Vierschach » The fire station in the South Tyrolean valley of the river Drau uses the natural slope of the terrain to separate its two functions: the two-story side facing the village houses parking spaces for fire trucks, while the single-story assembly room with a glass wall faces the road. Exposed, red tinged, light-weight concrete was used as the main construction material because of its ability to meet the structural and insulation requirements and moreover, because it is waterand frost-resistant. |
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Clubhouse. The Remodeling and Extension of a Fire House in Palkovice » The fire station is one of the most significant and valuable structures in the central part of Palkovice and a symbol of the life of the village. It is located on the right bank of the Olešná River, next to the Church of St. John the Baptist and the local cinema. The renovation included remodeling the existing building that was unified with new plaster, new roofing, replaced windows, and a modern timber extension of larch cladding above the existing garages. Both parts are connected with a glass bridge. The building is used by the local traditional fire brigade (founded in 1930) as well as other local clubs and children for leisure-time activities. The remodeling of the fire station received an honorable mention in the competition for the Building of the Moravian-Silesian Region in the public buildings remodeling category. |
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completed project |
Hill. Waste-to-energy Plant in Copenhagen » The biggest and most environmentally friendly waste-to-energy plant in Denmark is being built near the historical center of Copenhagen, on Amager Island. The ambitious technical facility is shaped as an artificial hill and offers a wide range of functions for the public in order to make the industrial locality more attractive and connected to the rest of the city – the surrounding areas for extreme sports will thus be complemented by a year-round artificial ski slope on the roof of the building, a park with an observation deck at a height of 85 meters, and a climbing wall. The design won the international architecture competition in 2010 among 36 projects. The technical facilities are already functional; the building should open for the public next year. |
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Gallery of Trash. A New Seat for Technical Services in Hranice » The new seat for a company providing technical services in Hranice will be built over the next three years on the north-east edge of the town. The planned compound will accommodate several different facilities. Representative functions will be concentrated in an architectonically distinctive circular building providing the area with an easy to remember, clear identity. The technical part is designed on an orthogonal grid with an emphasis on functionality, accessibility, and the economical aspect of the building. The compound will also house an educational center and rooms for emerging entrepreneurs in the remodeled administrative building. |
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Active Public Space » Public space we inhabit these days was constructed prior to or during the Industrial Revolution. Today’s society is presents us with new principles and technologies, thus proposing we rethink the functionality of our cities. Public space can be transformed into Active Public Space fostering human interaction. Smart Urban Technologies are essential for this change and combine software and hardware that allow real-time data capture, energy generation, storage and reuse, material adaptability, and the real-time management of common space. |
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trends | ||
annex |
Local Thermal Bridges in Curtain Walls |
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annex |
Rainwater Harvesting and Utilisation |
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annex |
A Short Review on Heat Cost Allocation and Heating Regulation |
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completed project |
3 in 1. Waltrovka Residence in Prague – Buildings A1, A2, A3 » The former aircraft motor factory, Walter Motors, in Prague-Jinonice is being gradually transformed into a modern urban neighborhood with a large park in its core, connecting the natural reserves of Vidoule and Dívčí hrady, and continuing with a green corridor all the way down to the Vltava River. The 17-hectare area includes three administrative units (Aviatica, Dynamica, and Mechanica), shops, public facilities, and a residential development of 650 apartments in five- to seven-story buildings and in three-story residences, as well as 34 family houses (1st phase). The recently finished part is a complex of three buildings – A1, A2, A3 – with their own courtyard, offering 118 residential and 4 commercial units. |
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