Gomti Riverfront Development from Hanuman Setu Bridge to Nishatganj Bridge

Building Walkthrough of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya

Sra Pou Vocational School

A project that could easily fit within the vein of the books reviewed this week, this vocational school in the Cambodian village of Sra Pou, Udong started with Architects Rudanko + Kankkunen in an Aalto university design studio in Finland. According to the architects, they "travelled to Cambodia to find a design task with a local NGO" and eventually "decided to organize the construction of Sra Pou vocational school, since there was an urgent need for it and their design inspired both the community and donors." As part of Ukumbi, they provided a training center that enables people in the village to start sustainable businesses in order to secure stable income.

The school is a simple two-story brick rectangular building with a workshop and classrooms, and a covered "community room" to the side. It immediately recalls other projects featured previously on this web page: the Primary School in Gando, Burkina Faso by Diébédo Francis Kéré; the Handmade School (METI) in Rudrapur, Bangladesh by Roswag & Jankowski and Anna F. Heringer; and the Wadi El Gemal Visitor Center in Marsa Alam, Egypt by MADA Architects. These projects share a blend of the contemporary and the local in their form and materials, as well as serving unprivileged communities in developing countries.

[In addition to a vocational school,] it is also a place for public gathering and democratic decision-making for the whole community. -Hilla Rudanko and Anssi Kankkunen

Like the Handmade School, color is used on doors and shutters to give the building a strong presence by creating a rhythm across its facade. In the Vocational School these woven pieces also paint the light in various colors as it enters the workshop and classroom. The primary material is handmade brick made from the local soil, giving the building its distinctive red color. This gives the impression that the building is of its place...because it is. As well, local residents participated in the school's construction, both to make the building affordable to build and, more importantly, give them training to use the same techniques for their own houses.

Other additions to the minimal palette include wood beams and columns for the roof of the building and the outdoor space and woven mats for the roofs themselves. A particularly nice touch in the small building can be found in the gaps in the brick walls, gaps that allow air to move through the interior spaces. These breezes can be modulated by the woven shutters. The gaps dapple the light that enters the spaces, and they do the inverse, giving the building another unique presence in spots of light glowing from the inside at night.

5 Luxurious Vacation Rentals in Cities Around the World

TRAVEL

5 Luxurious Vacation Rentals in Cities Around the World

On the occasion of World Tourism day AF team find 5 luxurious vacation rentals in cities around the world.

You could call these properties home on your next trip

Staying at a vacation rental through Onefinestay isn’t like crashing at a friend’s place—it’s more akin to booking a room at a city’s most luxurious boutique hotel. All those luxurious hotel amenities you thought you’d miss out on are there for the taking: fluffy towels, a weekly maid service, complimentary toiletries, free Wi-Fi. Looking for off-the-beaten-path restaurants or shops that only locals know about? Guests get a personal welcome upon arrival, but there’s also an iPhone on hand, stocked with tips from the city’s host members. (Even more amazing: You can use it to make free local calls.) There are more than 2,500 listings to choose from and not just any residence makes the cut—only one in ten homes are actually accepted. We’ve narrowed down the selection for you, asking Onefinestay to choose its top ten rentals in four of our favorite cities: New York, London, Los Angeles, and Paris.

Located in Paris’s Montmartre–South Pigalle neighborhood, the third-floor Rue de Douai home is full of charming details, like the ornamental fireplaces covered in statues and the book-lined study

Nestled on a side street in Paris’s bustling Le Marais district, Rue de Temple feels away from it all. Dove-gray walls and rustic wood floors are the perfect backdrop for pops of mustard-yellow and striking abstract artworks

’s clear from first glance that Elm Park Mansions II in London’s Chelsea neighborhood is the home of an interior designer, thanks to its stylish mix of old and new (think antique Chinese scholar chairs next to an acrylic cocktail table).

Bio-Architecture

This one is fun
It is The Seashell House and it is located in Mexico City, Mexico.

*Many have wondered what life would be like living in a sea shell and that was the exact inspiration behind the beautifully crafted Nautilus.

This giant seashell house is located in Mexico City, and was built and designed by Arquitectura Organica’s own Javier Senosiain.

The home was built back in 2006, and features a smooth front facade met with a giant wall of colored mosaics, lighting up the living space in a stunning rainbow effect. Inspired by the works of Gaudi and Frank Lloyd Wright (as can be seen by the natural plantings and spiral staircases located throughout the dwelling) the structure houses a young family that includes two children.

Whether you think it looks like a giant snail or seashell,the home is definitely quite strange, but it was actually designed to blend in with the natural surroundings in what Senosiain likes to call “Bio-Architecture.”

YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award

Image: Courtesy of YTAA




Announcing the YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award, which joins the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award and the Emerging Architect Award in recognizing architectural talent in Europe.

As explained on the website of YTAA - Young Talent Architecture Award, the biennial award "aims to support the talent of recently graduated Architects, Urban Planners and Landscape Architects who will be responsible for transforming our environment in the future. YTAA has emerged from curiosity about and interest in the initial stages in these students’ development and a desire to support their talent as they enter into the professional world."

Winners of the award will be determined by a process in which "schools will nominate Graduation Projects that will participate in each edition of the YTAA through an internal selection process." Schools, which in the first edition must be located in Europe, need to register between now and June in order to participate. Once registered, each school will nominate graduation projects (the number based on the size of the school) from the 2015-2016 academic year in architecture, urban design and/or landscape architecture.

Nine finalists will be determined by an advisory committee, followed by the selection of three winners by an international jury. Winners will be announced in October, and each will receive 5,000€, a profile on World-Architects, a Vectorworks license, and have their designs exhibited at the EUMiesAward. All nominated designs will be published online and become part of the Archive of the YTAA, much like the archive of the Mies Award.

The YTAA is organized by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe with the support of the European Union program Creative Europe and the sponsorship of World-Architects and Vectorworks.

Visit the YTAA website for more information on this exciting award and to register a school for participation.


Photo: Anna Sala, courtesy of YTAA

5 Remarkable Buildings That Use Trees as a Design Element

Innovative Design

5 Remarkable Buildings That Use Trees as a Design Element

From Singapore to Switzerland, firms have introduced more greenery to provide shade, improve air quality, and reduce reliance on air-conditioning

 This was a year in which tree-inspired architecture sprouted throughout a few cities in Southeast Asia, along with one magnificent project in Europe. From Singapore to Switzerland, several firms have covered their future buildings with trees and shrubs. The arboreal aesthetic is inspired by a number of practical building considerations: In efforts to minimize the effects of greenhouse gases from new buildings, architects have incorporated more greenery to supply shade, boost air quality, and lessen their buildings’ need for air-conditioning. AF surveys five beautiful, tree-centric buildings that are changing the way we look at modern architecture. Pictured here is Vo Trong Nghia Architects’ vision for a treelined campus at FPT University in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Courtesy of Vo Trong Nghia Architects

The 2015 winning design for the Urban Habitat Award by Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat was the ParkRoyal on Pickering, a hotel in Singapore created by WOHA.

Photo: Courtesy of WOHA