Aspirational architecture

SoDa studios set new benchmark in live/work design SoDa Studios is setting an example to other parts of London as to how live/work projects should be designed and built.
Aimed at regenerating city areas, these kinds of projects generally succeed in attracting young and aspirational workers. A key element of SoDa Studios has been ensuring that the design appeals to bona fide live/workers. The most important aspects are space, and a layout which draws a distinct line between the domestic and professional usage. SoDa Studios achieves this by giving each unit considerably more square feet than in comparable developments, with the majority of units providing split level accommodation with the work areas located at entrance level. Through this segmentation of space, a clear division of use can be achieved. This being the case, plans for SoDa Studios include 46 live/work apartments as well as commercial space. Investland is also in talks to bring restaurants, bars and even a hotel to the area. Because of its central London location, Hackney has proven to be a popular destination for live/workers in recent years, fostering an artistic population that has thrived on being able to combine studio work space and home in one property.
Thinking Space Ltd
www.thinkingspace.co.uk

Grand Prix for Frankfurt

Coop Himmelb(l)au's design for a vertical city in Frankfurt, Germany

The location for the new headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt’s Ostend district has the potential of adding a new landmark to the Frankfurt skyline that will be visible at great distances. The starting point for the design of the towers was the urban perspectives of the city of Frankfurt. At a height of around 185 metres, the double tower, with its polygonal shape and east-west orientation, has a striking profile that is visible from all important reference points in Frankfurt’s city centre, as well as from the river Main. Thanks to its form and presence, the double tower will become a characteristic feature of the Frankfurt skyline. The atrium between the office towers becomes a “vertical city”. Through platforms we are creating spaces, plazas and pathways between the towers, just as they exist in a city. The connecting and transferring levels divide the atrium horizontally into three sections of different sizes, with heights ranging from around 45 to 60 metres. These connecting platforms, bridges, ramps and stairs form a network of links between the office towers. They create short paths between the individual office floors in each tower and thus enable larger, interconnected usable office spaces on one or more floors in both towers, thereby also promoting informal communication. This new typology supports a dynamic development of form and enables differentiated office spaces with different panoramic perspectives.

Camp Nou Stadium,Barcelona

Foster + Partners to give Camp Nou Stadium facelift

FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou Stadium, one of the world’s greatest football venues, is to be extensively remodelled. Following an international competition, Foster + Partners have been selected as the architects for this renewal of the stadium, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

The stadium, already the largest in Europe, will be enlarged to accommodate over 106,000 fans, together with extensive new facilities including hospitality and public areas. A new roof will also be created to shelter the fans. The stadium will be enclosed by a brightly coloured mosaic outer skin that wraps around the building and continues over a new roof. The multi-coloured enclosure comprises overlapping translucent tiles in the club colours. The myriad of tiles can be seen as symbolising the loyalty and devotion of FC Barcelona’s fans worldwide.

The remodelled stadium retains the essential elements of the original Camp Nou, designed by architects Francesc Mitjans-Miró, García Barbon and Soteras Mauri, which was inaugurated in 1957.

On match nights, the stadium will glow, providing a new architectural icon for the city. In the same way that FC Barcelona is ‘more than a club’, the new Camp Nou will be much more than a stadium.