Shanghai, China
Construction has started on a hotel resort nestled into the 100 metre-high rockface of an abandoned water-filled quarry outside Shanghai. The Songjiang Hotel, designed by UK architecture firm Atkins, will only top out at 45 feet above ground level, but it will extend a further 19 stories into a series of caves. Two of these levels will be below the water.
Image via Daily Mail
Courtesy Architizer
Nicosia, Cyprus
The team at Atkins has also unveiled plans for an asymmetical 29-storey tower in Nicosia’s new commercial district. Design renderings reveal the mixed-use Santa Roza Tower will include offices, luxury apartments and a series of retail units, as well as open-air decks high above ground level where the building’s users can take in picturesque views across the surrounding mountains.
Image: Atkins
Courtesy World Architecture News
Algiers, Algeria
Italian firm Mario Cucinella Architects has won the international competition to design the new headquarters of telecommunications agency ARPT in Algiers. The winning proposal features a fin-like form, which contributes to natural cooling by channeling hot winds over the convex surface of the north facade, while a concave wall on the opposite side helps draw in cool air at night.
Image: Mario Cucinella Architects
Courtesy Bustler
Sweden
Swedish furniture giant, Ikea has teamed up with the UN Refugee Agency to develop a longer-lasting flatpack shelter. The new shelter, a cross between a garden shed and a khaki canvas marquee, is formed from lightweight laminated panels that clip on to a simple frame, providing UV protection and thermal insulation.
Image: Handout/AFP/Getty Images
Courtesy Guardian UK
Lausanne, Switzerland
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced an all-star shortlist of twelve practices – including 2013 Pritzker Prize laureate Toyo Ito and international architectural practice OMA – competing to design their new headquarters. The 18,000 square metre headquarters will provide an “Olympic campus” of administrative buildings and service for 450 employees.
Image: IOC
Courtesy Arch Daily
