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Tree-Inspired Solar Powered Shopping Center Offers a Twist on Traditional Chinese Markets

Stephanie Rogers — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 13:00:23 +0000

Just about anything we can come up with has already been perfected by nature. To find the best ways to make bullet trains more aerodynamic, produce the ideal wing shapes for aircraft, or develop the grippiest materials for climbing vertical surfaces, we need only look to kingfishers, hawks, and geckos. Features that evolved to suit the conditions of our planet over millions of years are better than whatever our most brilliant human minds can invent. Biomimicry is one of our most important tools to create more advanced and sustainable innovations, from robotics to architecture.

Australian firm Koichi Takada Architects uses biomimicry as the guiding principle in all its designs, including its new Solar Trees Marketplace in the Minhang district southwest of Shanghai, China. The complex takes one of Chinese culture’s most revered and ancient public spaces and modernizes it without compromising the characteristics that make it special. The firm wanted to retain the feeling of discovery and connection to the country’s historic open-air markets with a design that was friendly to both humans and the environment, taking cues from Mother Nature’s own creations.

The result is nothing short of stunning. Currently in the late stages of construction, the three-story mixed-use development features 32 architectural “trees” rising from the ground to form an artificial canopy above hundreds of modular market stalls. Visitors will wind through indoor and outdoor spaces, the timber “branches” above providing shade, shelter from the rain, and a surface for solar panels to power the facility.

50 living camphor trees planted outside signal the beginning of a green corridor that will run down the length of the new Shanghai Tian An Caobao Road Area Residential Masterplan. Ultimately, pedestrians will enjoy a boulevard lined with 3,000 trees and shrubs indigenous to Shanghai, with the color coding of different plantings identifying various neighborhoods and guiding residents home.

“The inclusion of modular market stalls will bring a sense of authenticity to the contemporary development, referencing their history as social and cultural gathering spaces and allowing a new generation to gather at its heart,” says the firm. “Reflecting the Chinese tradition of making guests feel at home — bīn zhì rú guī — the marketplace will generate a powerful sense of community and integrate the private and public domains.”

For the shape of the facility, the Koichi Takada team turned to Shanghai’s nearby forests. The marketplace is a symbolic visual bridge between nature and the city, softening the edges and contributing to a healthier, more livable urban environment in what has long been one of the world’s most polluted cities. It’s due to be completed by the end of 2021.

“We want to humanize buildings in the district, to be more engaging to the public and contribute to the regeneration of communities and their neighborhoods,” says principal architect Koichi Takada. “We want architecture to celebrate cultural identity, along with encouraging pedestrian activities and a more walkable and livable city.

Last year, Koichi Takada Architects showed off a similar approach with Sunflower House, a series of single-family dwellings designed specifically for Italy’s sunny Tuscan climate. Those homes utilize a rotating design and solar roof to maximize sun exposure for energy production and minimize heat gain inside.

The post Tree-Inspired Solar Powered Shopping Center Offers a Twist on Traditional Chinese Markets first appeared on Dornob.

NYC’s “Edge” is the Highest Outdoor Sky Deck in the Western Hemisphere

Stephanie Rogers — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 06:00:00 +0000

File this one under “things to do when travel is safe again.” A new attraction at New York City’s Hudson Yards rises over 1,100 feet in the air, officially making it the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere. Suspended in mid-air 100 floors above street level, “Edge” grants visitors unprecedented views of the city, Western New Jersey, and New York State spanning up to 80 miles.

The open-air observation platform aims to take visitors “out of their comfort zone,” not only by virtue of its sheer height, but also through a partial glass floor and angled glass walls. Designed by architecture firm KPF/Kohn Pederson Fox, along with the rest of the 30 Hudson Yards skyscraper, the deck can be accessed through the shops and restaurants within Hudson Yards’ indoor shopping mall.

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Visitors entering the complex are treated to a multimedia “arrival experience” designed by LAB at Rockwell Group before zooming up to the outdoor viewing area via a 52-second elevator ride. The deck itself extends nearly 80 feet from the building, spiking out in an angular shape, with the glass floor set at the very edge. Daredevils can lean against the deck’s nine-foot-tall glass walls to enjoy what’s probably the closest to a bird’s eye perspective of New York City you can get without a parachute.

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In a recent press release, Hudson Yards stated that “a champagne bar, located on the 100th Floor, will offer a glass of champagne or signature cocktail and light bites to enjoy indoors or outdoors on the sky deck. The champagne bar will be operated by London-based rhubarb hospitality group. Rhubarb will also operate Peak, the restaurant, bar, café, and event space located on the 101st Floor. Peak will serve lunch and dinner offering a one-of-a-kind dining and social experience.”

“Designed by William Pedersen and Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) and extending out 80 feet from the 100th floor of 30 Hudson Yards, Edge redefines the New York skyline. A marvel of modern engineering and structural design, the 765,000-pound observation deck is comprised of 15 sections, each weighing between 35,000 and 100,000 pounds, all bolted together and anchored to the east and south sides of the building. The 7,500-square-foot outdoor viewing area is surrounded by 79 glass panels, each weighing 1,400 pounds, manufactured in Germany and finished in Italy. [The] interiors of Edge and Peak are being designed by Rockwell Group.”

“Edge will be a major focal point of Hudson Yards, the 28-acre neighborhood on Manhattan’s West Side that brings together fashion, dining, and cultural experiences along with the headquarters of dozens of leading corporations, thousands of residences, 14 acres of public parks and open space, and interactive public landmarks including Vessel designed by Thomas Heatherwick and Heatherwick Studio.”

“Edge” was open for a mere two days before temporarily closing to visitors on Friday, March 13th due to COVID-19, but those thrilling views aren’t going anywhere. You can get more info and reserve tickets for the reopening at EdgeNYC.com.

The platform is the latest tourist attraction to open at the new $25 billion complex Hudson Yards. “Vessel” by architect Thomas Heatherwick is a beehive-shaped public sculpture full of virtually endless staircases to nowhere in particular, with over 2,000 individual steps and 80 landings.

The post NYC’s “Edge” is the Highest Outdoor Sky Deck in the Western Hemisphere first appeared on Dornob.

Stores That are Good for Your Health

Phil Roberts — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 15:41:42 +0000

As more shopping centers are pivoting to become lifestyle centers, the public’s expectations of the spaces inside of them is drastically changing. People not only want a unique retail experience nowadays, but they also want spaces that advance the health and wellness of shoppers. In the developed world, people spend an average of 90 percent of their lives inside buildings. As a result, the way buildings influence human health is becoming just as big of a concern as their environmental impact.

All design professionals, including architects, interior designers, engineers, and building owners, have to be mindful of things that could have an adverse impact on human health. For retail spaces that see thousands of visitors a day, the importance of human health is not taken lightly. High air quality standards, smoking bans or restrictions, effective air ventilation and filtration systems, low-chemical cleaning products, moisture management, non-toxic building materials, and biophilia all improve the quality of human health in interior spaces.

City’super, located in Shanghai, China, is the world’s first WELL certified supermarket, and it’s full of technology that advances the health and wellness of both shoppers and workers.
The trick is to create a space where people can experience all five of their senses at an optimal level. The supermarket’s lighting, for instance, was designed to intensify the goods’ natural colors. For products like fruits and vegetables, this means influencing what customers put in their carts. After all, people are much more likely to buy mangos that look sweet or broccoli that appears lush. The lighting also helps the customer make healthier food choices by highlighting the color of each product.
There are also real-time air quality sensors in place to monitor the air pollutants in the store. Believe it or not, the levels of air pollutants inside of a building can often be higher than those outside of it. With typical sensors, testing must occur over a period of time to collect accurate data. With real-time sensors, however, a store operator can immediately tell if there are any problems in the air that might be affecting people, allowing them to quickly take steps to minimize harm to human health.

Kanyon, a mixed-use health and lifestyle center, is one of Istanbul’s largest multifunctional complexes. It boasts 179 residential units, 157 stores, and all the amenities that you would expect from a contemporary retail space. It attracts 35,000 visitors a day, and it priortizes their health and wellness above all else. When Kanyon was built in May of 2006, water-based paints were used as a surface finish. Paints that contain volatile organic compounds can put occupants at risk of lung cancer, allergic reactions, and other health complications. Carbon dioxide detectors have also been installed throughout the center to monitor the indoor air quality.
Whereas hospitals and clinics treat people after they get sick or to prevent symptoms from worsening, being mindful of what goes into the built environment from the start keeps people from needing treatment in the first place. We spend most of our lives inside buildings, living, working, learning, playing, worshipping, training, and shopping. It’s not just diet and physical activity that determine our health, but also the spaces in which we spend our lives.

The post Stores That are Good for Your Health first appeared on Dornob.

Curved Escalators: Futuristic Mobile Metal Spiral Staircases

dornob dornob — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 16:00:00 +0000

However quickly technology evolves, we will still always need systems to convey people up and down through everything from houses to skyscrapers. It was only a matter of time before someone stepped things up with an innovation like this one: the flexibly curving escalator, possible future rival to the classic spiral staircase.

In fact, this is not the first design of its kind, but it represents a significant step forward in the direction of fully customizable shapes for human conveyance systems – this variant by engineer Jack Levy can wind and twist in ways none of its predecessors could possibly rival.

But wait, why do we need this? For one thing, it frees up designers in terms of new construction projects. More importantly, though, it makes retrofitting old buildings a far more manageable prospect – and wrapping around and within historic architecture plausible for people who cannot manage stairs.

Whether this will suddenly start appearing in shopping malls (let alone homes) near you is another question: it is still expensive and complex, particularly for non-commercial/institutional populations, but do not be surprised if you find one snaking through your office building sometime soon.

The post Curved Escalators: Futuristic Mobile Metal Spiral Staircases first appeared on Dornob.