Australia’s Stunning Buildings that Adapt to Environment

by Andrew Michler
Tech Insider, Dec 15, 2015

(Image: RMIT University’s design hub in Melbourne has an exterior made of sandblasted glass disks, which pivot through the day like vertical blinds to control interior light and heat gain. The facade changes tempo throughout the day; sometimes it’s a teal grid in direct daylight, then a more delicate steel blue lace when backlit by the sun. Courtesy Tech Insider, photo by Andrew Michler)

When researching the most interesting sustainable buildings and regions for my book Hyperlocalization of Architecture, I kept ending up in Australia.

From the largest office building in the southern hemisphere to a tiny cabin in the outback, these projects consistently challenge and provoke. They push to the outer edges of environmental architecture.

One of the stand-out features in Australian contemporary building design is a quality of movement — a kind of kinetic design that allows buildings to be adaptable and comfortable. Some buildings open to provide a path for the prevailing cooling breeze, or close to protect from wildfire or prying eyes. Read more…

Floating Architecture Will Offer “An Improved Way of Living”

by staff
Dezeen, Dec 9, 2015

(Image: AT Design Office’s floating city concept in China is under consideration. Courtesy of Dezeen)

Rising sea levels and a shortage of development sites are leading to a surge of interest in floating buildings, with proposals ranging from mass housing on London’s canals to entire amphibious cities in China (+ slideshow).

People will increasingly live and work on water, as planning policies shift away from building flood defences towards accepting that seas and rivers cannot be contained forever, say the architects behind these proposals.

“Given the impact of climate change, we can begin to think a lot more about the opportunity for living with water as opposed to fighting it and doing land reclamation,” said architect Kunlé Adeyemi. Read more…

Dutch Wind Wheel Blazing Trail for Sustainability in Rotterdam

By Catarina de Almeida Brito
Wallpaper, Dec 15, 2015

(Image: An ambitious new sustainability and architecture-led project is set to land on the shores of Rotterdam. The Dutch Wind Wheel will be an innovative mixed use scheme, using breakthrough eco technologies. Courtesy of Wallpaper, DoepelStrijkers)

With key recent developments – such as De Rotterdam, the Markthall and the recent Timmerhuis – the Dutch city of Rotterdam has been aiming high in the architectural stakes, and a new project proves that it has its eye firmly on sustainability too.

The Dutch Wind Wheel ‘must become the new icon for Rotterdam and the Netherlands’, claim architects DoepelStrijkers, who are currently designing a ‘windmill of the future’. Developed alongside two more Rotterdam based companies, Meysters and BLOC, this futuristic-looking mixed-use building is hoped to bring together several breakthrough technologies, to form an icon of Dutch innovation and sustainability. Read more…