© P+HS Architects

P+HS Architects’ yellow geometric commercial building was one of six designs short-listed for the international “36 The Calls” Design Competition.  The competition, which is overseen by the Architects Journal with developer Citu, challenged participants to design “an inspirational landmark” building on the north bank of the River Aire in Leeds, England, in a narrow slot where a parking lot currently sits.  Since this site is one of the very few waterfront properties left, it is imperative that the chosen design adhere to the competition’s requests for an iconic, creative and sustainable entity.

More about the short-listed design after the break.

© P+HS Architects

Their design focused on four elements: the yellow skin, the glass box, the floor plates and the core.  The br...

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© Ateliers Jean Nouvel. Photograph by Philippe Ruault

This just in from the Serpentine Gallery – Jean Nouvel’s pavilion is complete!  In honor of the Serpentine’s 40th Anniversary, Nouvel’s pavilion is a bold and strong expression comprised of lightweight materials with dramatic cantilevers.  Designing the pavilion allows international architects to experiment with different architectural ideas, and over the years, the commissions’ varied aesthetics have added to the thrill of the exposition.  Nouvel’s bright red pavilion  is drastically different from SANAA’S subdued silvery curvillinear form of 2009, and its vivid color contrasts the park’s greenery, immediately drawing the eye.

More images and more about the new pavilion after the break.

© Ateliers Jean Nouvel. Photograph by Philippe Ruau...

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© Julius Schulman

Formerly called “the most modern home built in the world” by the Encyclopedia Britannica, the Malin Residence was the stereotypical scientific vision of the future brought to life when it was built by American architect John Lautner in 1960. Built for the client Malin Lautner, a young aircraft engineer, the design of the residence was in fact an engineering challenge due to its location on a forty-five degree slope in an earthquake-prone region. The house, nicknamed the ”Chemosphere” hovers 30 feet over the city of Los Angeles resembling a UFO aircraft.

More on the “Chemosphere” residence after the break.

When John Lautner was given the site in 1960, there were to common methods for building houses on the difficult sloped land. The ground could be cut to create a level platform or the house could be supported on an open steel framewo...

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Khayelitsha Football for Hope Centre / South Africa

As the FIFA World Cup kicks off, Architecture for Humanity in partnership with streetfootballworld, honors the architects, designers and building professionals across Africa who have helped design sustainable Football for Hope Centres as part of the Football for Hope movement.

The first centre, located outside of Cape Town, South Africa, was completed in December 2009. Centres in Nairobi, Namibia and Mali are currently under construction and aim to be completed around the time of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.

The Football for Hope Centres are part of a movement created by FIFA and streetfootballworld to strengthen local community-based organizations in promoting social development within their community. The buildings house facilities to promote public health, education and fo...

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© Courtesy of Studio Mumbai

Architects: Studio Mumbai
Location: Leti, Uttaranchal, India
Principal Architect: Bijoy Jain
Project Team: Geoffrey Johnston, Roy Katz
Completed: 2007
Photographs: Courtesy of Studio Mumbai

I think it is the responsibility of the designers to think about the bigger picture and the impact their designs have on the environment. And this is a great example of that where they are using local materials, thinking about transportation for the materials … and it does really use materials in a way that doesn’t detract but actually adds to the experience and it makes one aware of the bigger environment.

– Paul Priestman

site plan...

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© Ben Benschneider

Architects: Vandeventer + Carlander Architects
Location: Seattle, Washington, USA
Structural Engineer: Swenson Say Faget
Landscape Architects: Samuel Williamson Associates
Lighting: dePelecyn Studio light & shadow
Energy Consultant: Ecotope
Contractor: Schilperoort & Brooks, Inc. General Contractors
Floor Area: 5,546 sq ft
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: Ben Benschneider

The site for this home is a steep slope corner lot in a prestigious neighborhood. Existing site conditions include...

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© Nicolas Waltefaugle

Architects: Malcotti Roussey Architectes
Location: Salins-les-Bains, France
Associate Architect: Thierry Gheza
Landscape: Fabienne Méline
Structure Engineering: Cetel
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Nicolas Waltefaugle & Olivier Leblanc

Closed since 1962, the salt works in Salins-les-Bain have been an important productive site since the middle ages right in the centre of the French city in the Franche Comté. When the competition for restoration of the salt works was announced in 2006, the cit...

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For Forrest Fulton Architecture’s competition proposal, the Alabama-based firm designed a 900,000 sqf biomorphic spatial surface that connects the adjacent city and the landscape.  The architecture focuses on creating an urbanistic landscape that morphs the common urban element of Yerevan, the superblock, to the site, a truncated hill along the natural amphitheater of the Yerevan.  This new model of development supports a “holistic, ultra-green lifestyle” with overlapping natural and urban phenomenon.

More images and more about the project after the break.

The artificial “hill”, which is clothed in native plants irrigated with a recycled gray water system, creates viewing seats for the Yerevan and Mt. Ararat.  The exterior perforations recall the intricate details of traditional Armenian lace need...

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DHV Architects shared with us their latest project. “Halo” is located in The Afsluitdijk, a major causeway located in The Netherlands. The Afsluitdijk is a major icon of Dutch engineering and is about to embark on a new future. Climate change forms the backdrop for sustainable development at the Afsluitdijk, whereby the Netherlands will once again push the boundaries of technological advancement.

More images and architect’s description after the break.

Halo is projected on the Afsluitdijk as an infrastructural instrument for realising sustainability. The design addresses the unique qualities of the dike, improves them and makes them visible and accessible. The design consists of a floating structure which adjoins the infrastructure at Breezanddijk. The entire programme has be...

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VitraHaus © Duccio Malagamba

In my opinion, Herzog & de Meuron has been one of the few practices pushing new forms on architecture. They always start with something vernacular, extracting its inner essence and materializing it into something new that you will immediately understand by looking at the building (or the renders). A dialog between art and the current state of our society, embodied on industrial facilities, residential projects, mixed use complexes.

Their book “Herzog & de Meuron: Natural History” is a must.

We now bring you a special on Herzog & de Meuron, with photos by  Barcelona-based photographer Duccio Malagamba(previously featured on our AD Photographers section).

Eleven works by the Swiss practice after the break:

A showroom for Vitra house furniture, using the image that we will associate to a house. The stacked vo...

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