Let's take a look at some of the latest news and innovations in architecture and design from around the world.
AI SpaceFactory designs 3D-printed buildings for Mars
Image credit: AI SpaceFactory
Architecture and technology company AI SpaceFactory is one of five finalists in a competition to design and built a habitat for NASA astronauts on a mission to Mars.
The company formulated its own material, a “Martian polymer” that can be made from matter found or grown on Mars. Validated by a third-party lab, the material was found to outperform concrete in every important way: superior tensile and compressive strength, extreme durability in freeze-thaw cycles, and enhanced ductility. The polymer also provides superior cosmic radiation absorption and thermal resistance and can be made without water, which are essential characteristics in the construction of off-world habitats.
Called MARSHA, the project has been described by AI SpaceFactory as a first-principles rethinking of what a Martian habitat could be: not another low-lying dome or confined half-buried structure, but an airy, multi-level environment filled with diffused light.
Stunning eco-lodge in Costa Rica
Image credit: AW²
French architect AW² has revealed its stunning new eco-lodge, Kasiiya Papagayo in Costa Rica.
Located in the heart of the Costa Rican jungle, the lodge boasts 20 tented retreats built on wooden platforms, with unique positions amongst 123 hectares of wilderness. According to the architect, the aim of the lodge is to peacefully blend and disappear into nature.
“The design and construction of Kasiiya Papagayo has been completed without cutting down a single tree of using concrete for the buildings,” says the architect.
“The resort is 100 percent solar powered, the water is fresh from the well, and all vehicles within the property are electrical. We are delighted to be able to say that we have built the property respectfully, while at the same time to the highest standards of comfort and peace.”
Locations announced for 2019 Open House Festival
Open House Worldwide has published its 2019 calendar, revealing the 43 cities that will be participating in this year’s urban architecture festival.
- Athens, Greece – 6-7 April
- Atlanta, USA – 19-20 October
- Barcelona, Spain – 26-27 October
- Basel, Switzerland – 18-19 May
- Belfast, UK – 18-20 October
- Bilbao, Spain – 28-29 September
- Brisbane, Australia – 12-13 October
- Brno, Czech Republic – 13 April
- Buenos Aires, Argentina – 26-27 October
- Chicago, USA – 19-20 October
- Dublin, Ireland – 11-13 October
- Gdansk, Poland – TBC
- Gdynia, Poland – 25-26 May
- Helsinki, Finland – 17-19 May
- Lagos, Nigeria – 12-13 October
- Limerick, Ireland – TBC
- Lisbon, Portugal – 21-22 September
- London, UK – 21-22 September
- Macau, China – TBC
- Madrid, Spain – 28-29 September
- Melbourne, Australia – 27-28 July
- Mexico City, Mexico – 28-29 September
- Milan, Italy – 11-12 May
- Monterrey, Mexico – 6-7 April
- Naples, Italy – 26-27 October
- New York City, USA – 18-20 October
- Oslo, Norway – 21-22 September
- Perth, Australia – 30 Nov-1 December
- Porto, Portugal – 29-30 June
- Prague, Czech Republic – 18-19 May
- Rome, Italy – 11-12 May
- Rosario, Argentina – 11-12 May
- San Diego, USA – 23-24 March
- Santiago, Chile – 19-20 October
- Slovenia – 5-7 April
- Stockholm, Sweden – 4-6 October
- Tallinn, Estonia – 27-28 April
- Thessaloniki, Greece – November TBC
- Torino, Italy – 8-9 June
- Valencia, Spain – 4-5 May
- Vienna, Austria – 14-15 September
- Vilnius, Lithuania – 27-28 April
- Zurich, Switzerland – 28-29 September
Click here for more information about Open House 2019.
