The World’s tallest atrium, ski-ing power plants, vertical forests and sculptured buildings are the flavour of 2018. IGS counts down 5 of the most anticipated buildings to be completed in 2018.
1 Leeza SOHO (Zaha Hadid Architects)
© Render by MIR
Within the Lize Financial Business District – a new business, residential and transport hub adjacent to Financial Road in southwest Beijing – Leeza Soho is located at the intersection of Lines 14 and 16 currently under-construction for the Beijing Subway rail network. Anchoring the financial district, the 172,800m² Leeza Soho design has evolved from its specific site conditions. Straddling the new subway tunnel that diagonally divides the site, the tower rises as a single volume divided into two halves on either side of the tunnel. A central atrium – the world’s tallest – extends 190m through full height of the building, connecting the two halves together.
“The atrium’s ‘twist’ allows natural light and views of the city from the centre of all floors of Leeza Soho. Sky bridges on structural rings at each refuge/MEP level and a doubleinsulated glass façade unite the two halves of the tower together within a single cohesive envelope”.
2 Nanjing Green Towers (Stefano Boeri Architetti)
© Stefano Boeri Architetti
Located in the Nanjing Pukou District (an area destined to lead the modernization of southern Jiangsu and the development of the Yangtze River economic area), the two towers are characterized by the interchange of green tanks and balconies, following the prototype of Milan’s Vertical Forest. The taller tower, 200 metres high, crowned on the top by a green lantern, will host offices – from the 8th floor to the 35th – and it will include a museum, a green architecture school and a private club on the rooftop. The second tower, 108 metres high, will provide a Hyatt hotel with 247 room of different sizes (from 35 sqm to 150 sqm) and a swimming pool on the rooftop. The 20 metres high podium, will host commercial, recreational and educative functions, including multi-brands shops, a food market, restaurants, conference hall and exhibition spaces.
“Along the facades, 600 tall trees, 500 medium-sized trees (for a total amount of 1,100 trees from 23 local species) and 2,500 cascading plants and shrubs will cover a 6,000 sqm area. A real vertical forest, contributing to regenerate local biodiversity, that will provide a 25 tons of CO2 absorption each year and will produce about 60 kg of Oxygen per day”.
3 Calgary Library (Snøhetta)
© MIR and Snøhetta
In 2013, Snøhetta and DIALOG’s competition-winning design was selected for the new Calgary Public Library. Following a two year process of community engagement, the new design will realize the city’s vision for a technologically advanced public space for innovation, research and collaboration at the intersection of Downtown Calgary and East Village. The design team embraced the city’s diverse urban culture and unique climate, striving to create the right library for Calgary by establishing a vibrant, welcoming and accessible public space in the heart of this rapidly expanding metropolis.
“The façade utilizes a unique geometry and distribution of clear and fritted glass openings to control desired daylight levels for the interior spaces. Dramatic, highly transparent zones attract public interest to activities inside, while closed areas provide more focused study spaces”.
4 Institute of Contemporary Art (Steven Holl Architects)
© Iwan Baan
Sited at the edge of the Virginia Commonwealth University campus in Richmond, Virginia, the new Institute for Contemporary Art will link the University with the surrounding community. On the busiest intersection of Richmond at Broad and Belvidere Streets, the building will form a gateway to the University with an inviting sense of openness. The main entrance is formed by an intersection of the performance space and forum, adding a “Z” component to the “X-Y” movement of the intersection. The torsion of these intersecting bodies is joined by a “plane of the present” to the galleries in “forking time.” The idea of “forking time” suggests that in the world of contemporary art there are many parallel times. The notion of one ongoing time and its “grand narrative” of history is questioned. The new Institute for Contemporary Art is organized in four galleries, each with a different character.
“With its inviting double-fronted forum opening to a serene sculpture garden, the 41,000 sq ft building will provide spatial energy for the most important cutting-edge contemporary art exhibits. Propelled by VCU’s top-ranked School of the Arts, the ICA’s architecture is an instrument for exhibitions, film screenings, public lectures, performances, symposia, and community events, engaging the University, the city, and beyond”.
5 ARC Power Plant (Bjarke Ingels Group)
© Bjarke Ingels Group
The waste-to-energy plant, Amager Resource Center, is located in an industrial area, that throughout the years, has turned into an extreme sport destination for thrill seekers. Different extreme sports activities take place in the raw industrial facilities such as cable wake boarding, go-kart racing, and rock climbing among others. The Amager Resource Center is the most significant landmark in the area and the building is in need of renewal. We propose a new breed of waste-to-energy plant, one that is economically, environmentally, and socially profitable. Instead of considering Amager Resource Center as an isolated object, we mobilize the architecture and intensify the relationship between the building and the city—expanding the existing activities in the area by turning the roof of the new Amager Resource Center into a ski slope for the citizens of Copenhagen.
“The new plant establishes Amager Resource Center as an innovator on an urban scale, redefining the relationship between the waste plant and the city. It will be both iconic and integrated, a destination in itself, and a reflection on the progressive vision of the company”.